Winter greetings, y'all!

We hope you had a marvelous Christmas and New Year's holiday. Speaking of Christmas - what kind of running gear did you get? I have to admit I was a bit excited when hubs and the fam asked me for gift ideas this year. After being pregnant for most of 2011 (or what it seemed like in that intense heat!), I was ready for some new running gear to keep me going in 2012. 

Here's what was under the Christmas tree...

Asics 2160s - They're my go-to shoe and I'm 99.9 percent certain that I'll get my Asics 2100 series each year for Christmas and my birthday (which works out well, since it's in June and I get new runners every 6 months!). I was extremely excited to open up these babies, as they were black! I've never had a black running shoe so hubs was definitely risking it, but it was one worth taking! I feel light as a feather as I'm back pounding the pavement.

 Balaclava - (not to be confused with baklava!) I really wanted one of these after last winter, when I toughed the elements more than usual for my morning runs. I really can't stand the treadmill anymore but didn't want to wuss out when the morning temps dipped in the teens.

  Garmin Forerunner 110 - This was the BIGGEST surprise under the tree! I had only mentioned once (maybe twice) before that a Garmin would be a fun gadget to have, but really just to track miles and heart rate/calories. I didn't want a fancy-shmancy one...I really didn't need one at all but thought it would be fun to have. Hubs spent more than the Christmas limit just so I could have this! (Actually, I don't have it yet - but it's in the mail!)

 Under Armour ColdGear winter jacket - My parents and in-laws know how to make this runner happy, too. My mom and dad gave me this fun (and PINK!) women's Under Armour ColdGear running jacket. I didn't know if it would feel warm enough (it's thin), but it said that the ColdGear technology would resist the wind and moisture. I took it out on a morning that dipped into the teens and ended with a nice sleet and it kept me nice and toasty! My favorite part of the jacket (besides the fun, girly color) are the roll-down mittens. They keep my hands nice and warm! (which, for me, is almost more important than warm feet)

So there it is...my Christmas running goodies. There's no excuse to break out for a run during these dreadful winter months! What did you all get for Christmas?!

Happy Running!
Amy - AKA Mama on the Run

Meet My New Running Companion!

Okay, I couldn't resist...I wanted to let all of my half-marathon buddies know about the newest runner in the Conkling family! Braxton Cade Conkling arrived Oct. 13, weighing in at 8 pounds, 8 ounces. We're all doing great - and mommy can't wait to start running in the coming weeks with the double-BOB stroller! Hope everyone has had a terrific fall running season. Enjoy the dip in temps...there's nothing like a cold morning run to clear out the lungs and wake you up! - Amy, AKA Mama on the Run

Two Weeks Out: To Taper or Not To Taper?

We're less than two weeks away from the first-ever half marathon in Hutchinson. Are you excited to be a part of history in the making?!

Our executive committee and planning committee are working hard to make sure this event is top-notch and one that you'll mark on your calendar year after year. We're up to about 250 participants...with that number multiplying by the day! THANK YOU for participating in our event as we raise funds for Hutchinson Recreation Commission youth scholarships and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hutchinson. There's no doubt your race entry fee will be going toward TWO wonderful worthy causes and organizations!

That said, is everyone ready to run?! Some of you may be in taper mode, running your final double-digit or longer run this past weekend. Others of you may be using the Run for the Rocks as your final long run before you head off to a full marathon in October or later in the fall. Either way, we encourage you to keep listening to that body!

I don't know about you, but taper time seems to be the most difficult part of the training program! Runner's World and other publications say it's tough for most other runners, too. Your body doesn't feel quite right not pushing to the extreme. You're getting anxious, jittery, and don't know what to do with the extra "free" time as you tone down the miles. Keep on resting! From personal experience, it took me several races to figure out that tapering is GOOD for the body (such a simple concept, yet so difficult to grasp!). Personally I have run my best races and times when I've followed my training plan - all the way through to the taper time.

Enjoy, relax, hydrate, and stretch in these final days leading up to Run for the Rocks. We want to see you happy, healthy, and READY come race day on Sept. 25!

Happy running - and tapering!
Amy, AKA Mama on the Run

Check Out Our Bling Bling!

Here is what our age division winners will receive during our awards ceremony at Run for the Rocks! Our trophies are unique in that they're actual salt rocks from the Hutchinson salt mines. They've been carefully selected by staff from Underground Vaults and Storage - after all, they're the experts! Special thanks to UVS for donating the rocks.

Youth from the Boys and Girls Clubs vocational program have been putting their own touches on the trophies, too. They're carefully crafting the wooden bases and working on other trophy details so they're ready for race day. Special thanks to them as they use their talents for our event!

We'll have more bling to show you in the coming weeks....hint: it's the bling that all finishers will receive!

Until then, have a great Labor Day weekend. Celebrate the cool-down we're expecting with a RUN (I know I will!).

- Amy, AKA Mama on the Run

We Want YOU...

...to volunteer at our first-ever Salt City Run for the Rocks! (that is, if you're not already participating!). An event of this magnitude requires several dedicated and trustworthy volunteers to help us out along the course and at the finish line.

If you haven't done so already, let me encourage you to fill our our super duper easy volunteer form online at www.runfortherocks.com. I'll be following up with our volunteers and letting them know where their location is come race day. That said, if you have any questions, feel free to let me know at aconkling@hutchrec.com or give me a call at Hutch Rec, (620) 663-6179. I'd love to have you join our volunteer team!

- Amy, AKA Mama on the Run

Cross-training with a Triathlon

I admit it...I would be a run-only type of gal if I could. But I can't. And I shouldn't. So I don't (grudgingly). Study after study has shown the benefits of cross training and not running every day. But if you're like me, nothing - and I mean nothing! - beats the feeling after nice, long run!

As I enter my eighth month of pregnancy, I'm having to scale back the running (more like run-walking these days) and do more cross-training. It kills me...but I know it's good for my body and good for the babe as we enter the last two months of "marathon training."

One of the best ways runners can cross-train is with swimming and biking. I find this personally to be true - and also professionally as I just finished coordinating my largest special event of the year for Hutch Rec, the Salty Dog Triathlon (held last weekend!). I hear story after story of those run-only types who decide to take the plunge (literally) and add swimming and biking to their exercise routines. They start competing in triathlons (several of them do our Salty Dog) and have fallen in LOVE with the variation it brings to their workouts!

So, runners, I'd encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and test drive swimming and biking on your cross-training or easy days. You just might find a new event to train for!

5K gets me on my way...

My family and I were planning on attending a parade together as part of a small town community festival last weekend when I learned there would also be an early morning 5K.  Even though I know I'm a distance runner and certainly not a 5K runner... I decided to register 20 minutes before the race and then just finish the rest of my long run after the race.  I told myself it would be fun! AND a good practice for race day conditions even if there were less than 200 runners and it was just part of my morning run.  There would still be an anxious starting line, a gun start, cheering people and a finish line.  As I was lining up at the start I noticed the high school cross country runners who I certainly wouldn't see again after the first few blocks (because I would be eating their dust - not the other way around!), I saw the serious runners with hands poised to push the start button on their watches and heart rate monitors (okay so I did this too) and I saw the walkers with strollers too - and I smiled and decided to just enjoy the run!  Don't you love running in a new place?  I do - its the best. As it turns out, I finished respectably, 2nd in my age division, and ran about 7 minute miles!  Yep - that's me smiling at my ability to surprise myself; smiling because I'm done (not really, I still had 6 more miles to go for my training run, but hey - who's counting) and smiling because I was just happy - runners high I guess.  I know that my half marathon and marathon goal times are much closer 9 minute miles, but in that moment I was still happy.  Running a race for me isn't about knowing where I'll finish or dreading having the high school cross country team beat me; its all about just doing the best I can do on that day in that race in that moment.  This 5K certainly put me on my way to believing that on race day I'll smile no matter what. I hope you will too!