Organic Runner Mom

Fall updates including the NYC marathon, fundraising and more!

Hey all! Fall is officially here and just like that we have gone from 80 degree weather to 50’s and rainy with the chance for temperatures in the 30’s overnight. We are going to be at a wedding where we are supposed to be staying in platform tents overnight (brrr!) but since the venue is 5 minutes from our house we may have to return home after the festivities to our cozy house. I have to admit that although there are a lot of things about fall that I love I am dreading the darkness and cold that we have ahead of us in New Hampshire. The lack of adequate daylight hours always throws me back into S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder). The key is to stay positive and to focus on doing the things that make me feel good and to maintaining a health balance of exercise, sleep and healthy eating.

Since it is Friday I thought I would give you a few updates about what is happening over here in my corner of the world. You can find out more about my NYC Marathon training, fundraising for the NYC Marathon for The Clarke Schools for hearing and speech and a wellness update about my Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Wellness Update

Earlier this year I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease which affects the functioning of your thyroid eventually causing it to stop working causing Hypothyroidism. Currently I am managing this with a thyroid replacement hormone levothyroxine. My dose is low because my thyroid levels are still in the normal but not optimum range but I have thyroid antibodies present. The theory is that having me take the thyroid replacement now may slow down the progression of the disease as long as the medication does not cause me to go the other way into the hyperthyroid direction. I also have very low levels of B12 vitamin which can be associated with fatigue, as a cause of anemia amongst other things. My doctor has told me to take a B12 supplement as well as to eat more foods that are rich in B12.

Here are some great sources of Vitamin B12:

• clams
• beef
• turkey
• chicken
• salmon
• Eggs (yes!!!!!)
• trout, herring, crab

It’s a good thing that I am not a vegan or vegetarian because it is easy to add more of these foods into my diet.  My doctor also had my cortisol levels checked to find out if my adrenal glands are functioning properly. Thankfully I have no signs of adrenal fatigue. I have one more test to complete to rule anything else at this point but as far as things go this is all very manageable. I am still continuing to have a lot of fatigue so am having to listen extra carefully to my body about getting enough sleep. I have been doing a better job with early bedtimes. I am also currently reading up on Autoimmune Protocol or AIP as it is know in the auto-immune disorder community. AIP is a plan for eating that is supposed to help with controlling auto-immune disease syptoms with the thought being to eliminate or reduce food intake of foods that may be causing inflammation in your body.I have found some really great resources for AIP through THE PALEO MOM. If you are in need of more information I suggest starting there!

NYC Marathon Training Update and fundraising update for TEAM Clarke for the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Listening.

Early morning fog run

This has been somewhat of a weird training cycle for me so far. It started off at the end of my Half Ironman Training and race at the Timberman Half Ironman and then I also raced the Jay Peak 25K. Both of these races took a lot out of me and I feel like it has been hard to rebound from them. I did run a solid 20 miler last weekend starting in the fog at 5 am. I ran it in 3:05 and felt like a got a good running rhythm going. There was nothing remarkable about this run other than I was happy to get it done early in the weekend because right after the run we headed off to soccer practice for my son and then my daughters first game. This week I have been feeling unmotivated to run but have been dragging myself out of the house. Once I am out there I am happy and the running weather couldn’t have been any more perfect this week. I also enjoyed a day being back out on my bike (I think triathlon has stolen my heart!).I am also at the end of my first fall bootcamp cycle. I am loving getting back into strength training. I go two days a week and I am definitely getting results and having my butt kicked twice a week. Flex hangs and pull ups may be the death of me!

Blue Sky for days!

I am continuing to make my fundrasing push to meet my goal of raising $2500 for TEAM Clarke and the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech as I train for the NYC MARATHON. These schools are crucial in helping kids who are hearing impaired. The Clarke School was instrumental in helping my niece who was born with a rare hearing impairment called Auditory Neuropathy. She was born completely unable to hear and now hears through the use of bilateral cochlear implants. The Clarke School in Pennsylvania gave her a strong start in pre-school to be able to develop skills for hearing and listening. She is now a thriving 5th grader and mainstreamed into a regular education classroom with here peers. Her energy and enthusiasm is contagious! I have already raised $1525 towards my goal. I need your help to reach my goal. Every dollar counts towards being able to give back to help these children who are learning how to hear.

If you would like to make a donation you can head on over to my CROWDRISE Fundraising page for TEAM CLARKE. It means so much to me to be able to give to such an important school for my family and for so many other families out there with children who suffer from hearing loss and hearing impairment.

Rise. Run. Retreat. 2016

Rise. Run. Retreat. 2016

Next week running will be super fun because at the end of the week I will be joining these amazing running (and triathlon) blogger at the second annual Rise. Run. Retreat.

• VitaTrain4Life
• Run Far Girl (Retreat Organizer)
• RunLadyLike (Retreat Organizer)
• Organic Runner Mom
• This Mama Runs For Cupcakes
• Nat Runs Far
• One Redhead and Lighthouses
• This Runners Recipes
• Love Life Surf
• Happy Fit Mama

This year the event will be held in Waterbury, VT and we will be racing the LEAF PEEPERS Half Marathon which was my first official half marathon when I first moved to New Hampshire!

I will be posting on social media during the event so please follow along to see what we are up to! last year was a blast so I am sure this year will not disappoint!

Rise. Run. Retreat. 2015

What are you focused on in training right now? Tell me something positive about your last run! Have you ever been to a running retreat? Have you run the NYC Marathon?