Pretty Lil' Mudder

Pretty Lil' Mudder This page is for my blog, Pretty Lil' Mudder! It's a page to ask questions, leave comments, and hope

I recently started a blog on the Obstacle Course Races geared towards women. I hope to inspire women to continue to compete in the OCR circuit and encourage them to be sporty, fit and FABULOUS! This page will be for any woman interested in mud runs, obstacle course racing, cross fit, etc. I will be posting motivation and inspiration, my blog posts, and everyone will be able to post questions or co

ncerns they have for the community to answer and give advice. Please note: Negativity, profanity or otherwise rude comments and posts will be deleted. If you do not have anything positive to say please do not comment here.

☀️ MOOD- You drive an extra 3 minutes to a beach access after your run because you notice the sun set is so pretty and i...
08/21/2024

☀️ MOOD- You drive an extra 3 minutes to a beach access after your run because you notice the sun set is so pretty and it would be a great photo opportunity!☀️

I do love my sunsets and those I will miss when it starts to get dark early. Hopefully I have at least another month before the sun starts setting at the beginning of my runs!

Tonight didn’t even feel bad it felt fall-y! It was in the low seventies and breezy. Pleasemeanfalliscomingearlypleasemeanfalliscomingeay 🙏 This whole week we’re getting uncharacteristically low temps and I am HERE for it!

Stopped by the HQ before my run and was reminded the VB Ten Miler is next weekend 😳!
Most of my training plan this summer has been time based running so I’ve been doing a max of 7ish miles on my runs. I’m just gonna wing it next weekend 🤪

Anyway, awesome easy run tonight and glad to be having a few lower intensity weeks leading up to race day! Is anyone else super ready to have a long weekend?! Labor Day weekend is around the corner! (Also how is it already Labor Day almost?!) 😅

🎃👻

🔥 Sunday long run done 🔥Hoping the number of Sundays I have to be up before the a$$ crack of dawn is limited going forwa...
08/18/2024

🔥 Sunday long run done 🔥

Hoping the number of Sundays I have to be up before the a$$ crack of dawn is limited going forward. I really need another day besides Saturday to sleep in and relax. Once the temps start staying below 70° in the am until like 9-10 am I’ll be taking my time in the mornings again.

Headed to the golf course today for the long run- saw some friends 🦌 on the trail! One of them was literally a foot away from me! He surprised me I looked up and BAM! 💥 deer in my face. I told him he was a good boy and he just stared at me 😂

Today’s long run wasn’t bad though! It was tough and slow going in this humidity but I felt relatively good! 😊

Only two more weeks until the Virginia Beach 10 miler! Who will i see there? Then just over a month until Crawlin Crab weekend! Getting super excited for fall race season!

Been thinking about race goals for next year and I’m contemplating taking another year to really hone my skills in short distance racing. I love racing 5 and 10ks and I don’t think I’m anywhere near my potential in that distance. Plus there’s more of them so I can race more frequently! What do you think? 🤔

Track was closed this morning so had to do a quick plan B for my workout. Ended up at a neighborhood close to home and j...
08/16/2024

Track was closed this morning so had to do a quick plan B for my workout. Ended up at a neighborhood close to home and just did loops. This was probably one of the toughest workouts of this training cycle so far!!

15 min w/u
4x800 @ 5k pace, 100m float, 300m FAST
10 min c/d

Didn’t have time to do all the reps due to having to find another place to workout so I did 3 of them. I’m happy with pacing though- 800s were 9:45, 9:40 & 9:35 and 300s were 9:20, 9:20 & 9:15. Felt pretty strong today! It was a bit cooler this am than it has been but still humid. I’m skeptical of this “false fall” we’re having 🤪

Hoping this is the weather we get for my 5k in two weeks fingers 🤞

How’s your weather? Is it being weird?

Back on the grind this week! We got back from our trip on Tuesday and I decided to knock out my speed work that evening....
08/15/2024

Back on the grind this week! We got back from our trip on Tuesday and I decided to knock out my speed work that evening. Since I missed two runs last week I wanted to be on top of all my runs this week and get back to my routine!

Wednesday was a 45 minute easy run with at Afterglow Brewing. This route I usually get lost on but I decided to test the navigation feature of my Coros watch and it helped immensely. It gives turn by turn directions so it tells you exactly where to go! You can program this in the watch’s settings on the app. May have to use this more frequently. I’m not good with routes with a lot of turns- I get lost very easily 😂

Two days- two relatively good runs. Hoping this momentum keeps going leading into the weekend! We are only TWO WEEKS OUT from the VB ten miler weekend! Cant wait for my August race!!

Back from our trip and it’s bittersweet. Well almost, we are driving back now. On my trip I did get one run in- couldn’t...
08/13/2024

Back from our trip and it’s bittersweet. Well almost, we are driving back now.

On my trip I did get one run in- couldn’t ignore those glorious low temps (60° on Sunday morning). I ran a rail trail by Ansted, WV where we were staying.

While my legs and body felt good, my mind just could not relax and think something wasn’t going to attack me out in the woods alone. This trail was pretty far off the beaten path and was definitely more of a woods trail than a paved trail like other rail trails I’ve run. So I only did the one run. There really wasn’t any other safe space to run- the streets by where we were staying were mostly one way and had lots of traffic and no sidewalks. So I only did the one run but enjoyed my weekend immensely anyway!

Do you run on vacation?

This week has been a tough week overall. It’s been busy work wise and with the tropical storm heading up the coast we’ve...
08/09/2024

This week has been a tough week overall. It’s been busy work wise and with the tropical storm heading up the coast we’ve gotten a lot of rain and tornado warnings so going outside has not been a good idea. And I’ll admit my motivation hasn’t been there.

I’m so over this heat. I’m really just done with it and I’m ready for fall. Despite having some really good runs this training cycle, summer is draining physically and mentally.

Anyway- I’m gonna be taking a short hiatus from this account and moving over to my account for the weekend. If you’ve recently followed me, that’s my non running/adventure account. We’re heading to New River Gorge for the weekend so there will be lots of hiking and adventures happening! Follow me over there if you’re into that kind of stuff 😎

Opting inside today because I needed to sleep in and it was way too hot already at 7am 🫠Luckily I have a gym membership ...
08/04/2024

Opting inside today because I needed to sleep in and it was way too hot already at 7am 🫠

Luckily I have a gym membership so treadmill FTW! It was a solid workout. The benefits of treadmill running are not only that you can wait until 1 pm to go but I like to use them to work on cadence and pace. I get to set the pace and then it’s impossible to go too fast or too slow, giving me the opportunity to learn how race pace feels or to work on cadence without speeding up.

Todays workout:

Warm 🆙 15 minutes
12x400, first 8 at 5k pace and next 4 at faster than 5k pace
Cool down ⬇️

I put my Coros on treadmill mode which was neat but the only paces it gives you are in .5 increments so I had to select what was closest. Actual splits were first 4x400 6.1 speed (9:50 pace), second 4x400 6.2 speed (9:41 pace) and final 4x400 6.4 speed (9:23 pace). So the watch was close but not entirely accurate.

Glad I got it done and got the rest my body needed!

Sometimes you just need someone to give you a little push! It was almost 80° when I started running this morning already...
08/02/2024

Sometimes you just need someone to give you a little push!

It was almost 80° when I started running this morning already so I was ready to scrap my planned tempo run and just take it easy. Some miles are better than no miles right?

Ran into and she was just the push I needed! Got the tempo run done and some cool photos and it was just what I needed to start my Friday off on the right foot! Thanks Jamie!!

Running with other people really is the best. VB has a great running community 🥰🥰

Speedwork brought to you from  last night. It was a super hot evening and I was on the struggle bus but got it done. I r...
07/31/2024

Speedwork brought to you from last night. It was a super hot evening and I was on the struggle bus but got it done. I ran by effort- didn’t even look at my paces until I had finished the workout but I know I pushed hard on this and my watch agrees! Coros sure is nicer than Garmin 😂😂 It doesn’t emotionally victimize me as much.

Had no less than 5 people stop to ask if I was ok when I was doubled over after the repeats trying to catch my breath 😂 thanks for checking on me! Sorry to worry you guys. I promise I was fine. 😝

Training is going well so far- I’m really loving the plan by and for the Fast 5k. I’m seeing a ton of progress and feeling really strong! Hopefully this means a massive 5k PR is coming!

How’s your training going? Any upcoming races?

™️

Weekend highlights 🥰Had a super fun weekend with my friends! First went kayaking with a great group of ladies and then g...
07/29/2024

Weekend highlights 🥰

Had a super fun weekend with my friends! First went kayaking with a great group of ladies and then got to meet for the first time and had dinner with her and on the water!

It was such a fantastic Sunday I really didn’t want the weekend to end.

How is it already almost August guys?!

Gorgeous morning for a run! The rain we’ve been having cooled the weather down some and it was 67° outside this morning ...
07/28/2024

Gorgeous morning for a run! The rain we’ve been having cooled the weather down some and it was 67° outside this morning when I started my run!

The temptation to stay in bed on a weekend is so high but I couldn’t waste such an amazing morning! I need more mornings like this please 🙏

Summer is tough that’s for sure but these random mornings in the 60s make it bearable (that’s TWO we had in July so far)! Let’s keep this trend going for August Mother Nature!!

5.5 miles in the books for my cutback week long run.

Next week we get to ramp up the mileage again. This break was much needed but I’m ready to start moving the needle up again. 🙌🏼

How was your weekend? Did you have some unexpected cooler weather?

Also I will always use Hamilton music when I run here.

Group run got cancelled due to the rain last night but that didn’t stop us! It wasn’t raining at Carissa’s house so we w...
07/24/2024

Group run got cancelled due to the rain last night but that didn’t stop us! It wasn’t raining at Carissa’s house so we went for a neighborhood run and knocked out a 45 minute easy run.

Drove up the road to head home after and it was lightning striking the ground though ⚡️ so it was giving Florida vibes 🤣 Rain on one street and not the other.

Glad we got it in! Great end to my Tuesday evening. Is the weather affecting your runs lately?

Never posted my official race pics from Peachtree. This week is a cutback week for me so I’m doing less mileage and enjo...
07/23/2024

Never posted my official race pics from Peachtree. This week is a cutback week for me so I’m doing less mileage and enjoying the downtime. My body needed the extra rest. Enjoy these photos!

Didn’t get that many great ones this year and was a little disappointed in the marathon foto photographers but at least I got a few 🤷🏼‍♀️

Do you enjoy getting race photos?

Some of my favorite things are running, community and good times with great friends! Awesome start to the weekend at the...
07/20/2024

Some of my favorite things are running, community and good times with great friends!

Awesome start to the weekend at the summer community run! Over 10 local run clubs showed up, including the ones I run with and . Prizes were raffled off, everyone had a great time and after the run we stuck around for brunch, mimosas and great conversation. VB really does have the best running community. 🥰🥰

Made this my long run today so did 6ish miles, sexy pace. Saw some dolphins 🐬 in the ocean and the rain held off making it a great morning to log some miles! Running is just amazing 🤗

Can’t wait for the next one!

🔥 That feeling when you completely nail your speedwork 🔥 The 5 AM alarm came early and I didn’t want to get out of bed. ...
07/19/2024

🔥 That feeling when you completely nail your speedwork 🔥

The 5 AM alarm came early and I didn’t want to get out of bed. I made myself get up, have some coffee, stretch a bit, then hit the track.

Motivation is great but it’s not always gonna be there. Discipline gets you going on the mornings you don’t want to. 🎯

Summer running isn’t easy. I miss being able to wait until mid morning to go for a run. But I felt ⭐️ amazing ⭐️ this morning y’all! Look at those splits on my 800s 👏👏

Broke out the Magic Speed shoes again for this one. Sometimes you just need that extra boost of confidence that comes from running in speedy shoes.

Speedwork done ✅
10 min w/u with strides
5x800 @ goal 5k pace or slightly faster (started a little conservative because I wanted to have something left for the final reps)
10 min c/d
4.5 miles 😍

Running is a great metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it! 🏝️Embrace the challenge 🏝️ Celebrat...
07/18/2024

Running is a great metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it!

🏝️Embrace the challenge
🏝️ Celebrate the victories

Another great night - even got to meet some new friends and fellow ambassador 💚 So glad to chat and share the first half mile together- she’s speedy y’all!

I have been working on making the easy runs truly easy and I’m proud of myself for keeping the HR in mostly the aerobic zone this run! I don’t train by HR but I do try to make sure I can talk the whole time and the data here is showing me that slowing down is working. 😊

We are a month into training for the ! It’s going really well! Excited for these upcoming races! Have you signed up for the Virginia Beach 10 miler weekend yet? I’m doing the 5k and the 10 miler!

My favorite part of summer running is when it’s over 😂😂 Dare I say I might be acclimating to summer running a bit? Last ...
07/17/2024

My favorite part of summer running is when it’s over 😂😂

Dare I say I might be acclimating to summer running a bit? Last nights bridge repeats didn’t even feel that bad! The minute long ones were really tough but everything else felt pretty good!

Working hard on training for those fall races! All I gotta say is I better be fast AF this fall. 🤣🤣

So glad to join for the 8 year anniversary of the runclub! It was an awesome turn out- maybe close to 500 runners?! And I got to meet in person so that was cool. A fellow J&A Ambassador. ☺️

Always fun to share the miles with and glad she goes along with my half baked ideas. Like bridge repeats in 92° weather 😂😂🤣

Took the workout indoors today (but still took pics outdoors). It was supposed to storm today. When I woke up it wasn’t ...
07/13/2024

Took the workout indoors today (but still took pics outdoors). It was supposed to storm today. When I woke up it wasn’t raining but it was way too late to do this workout outdoors due to heat. I probably wouldn’t have been able to hit these paces outdoors in this soupy s**t anyway.

It was a tough workout! I’m in week 3 of my 5k training plan and this was one of the hardest workouts I’ve done so far. I’m glad it’s done though I feel really strong now that I finished it!

It was a ladder workout with descending intervals starting at 1 mile and going down to .25 mile @ mile race pace. Since I haven’t raced a mile since 2022 I used Jack Daniel’s calculator to determine approximate paces based on my most recent 5k time and ran that. The numbers on my watch are a little off since it was on a tread- I’m probably closer to 9:30-9:40 on these. Then followed that by 4x100m fast with 100m jog recoveries to practice running fast on tired legs.

Glad that one’s done! There’s a few more tough ones coming up but I know these only make me stronger in the end!

Speedwork ✅, 5.38 miles

Finally made it out to join the  Dawn Patrol! I’ve been wanting to come to this one for a while (normally run with them ...
07/12/2024

Finally made it out to join the Dawn Patrol! I’ve been wanting to come to this one for a while (normally run with them on Tuesday evenings) but I usually work from home Fridays and that’s too far for me. This Friday I was in office so got to do this run!

Perfect Friday for it- the rain last night cooled it off and it actually felt kind of nice. High humidity still but a nice cool breeze. Today was a good run day 😊 And look at that huge group! Sorry I couldn’t hang to socialize after but enjoyed the free coffee from thanks so much 🥰

Always a treat to run with this awesome group! Heard some people mentioning events they planned to sign up for too- yay! 😀 Do all the races!

How’s your Friday starting off?

📸 credit

Summer miles 🏃‍♀️ = fall smiles ☺️ or at least that’s what they tell us right?! Summer running is HARD y’all. Tonight I ...
07/11/2024

Summer miles 🏃‍♀️ = fall smiles ☺️ or at least that’s what they tell us right?!

Summer running is HARD y’all. Tonight I had a tempo run on the schedule and my goal was to run by feel not focus on pace. It’s hard to hit certain paces in the summer anyway. I probably should have picked another route because it was windy as heck by the water- 25 mph winds! You can see the difference in my paces- the first mile pictured was into the head wind the second was with a tail wind 😳

Testing out the New Balance Fuel Cell Rebel v4- it’s so pretty 😍 right? It’s also insanely light- think the site has it at 5.3 oz which is the lightest shoe I’ve run in. Also lots of comfy cushioning. Gonna take a few runs to get used to the 6mm drop- previously I’ve only run in 8mm drop shoes. I can’t really tell the difference between my 10mm to 8mm but that drop from 8-6mm is definitely noticeable. I’ll keep doing short runs for now to break them in- may use them for longer when my calves get used to the drop.

Have you ever run in lower drop shoes?

Last night did a short easy run after work! This week has been super stressful already y’all and it’s only Tuesday 😭 Ton...
07/09/2024

Last night did a short easy run after work! This week has been super stressful already y’all and it’s only Tuesday 😭

Tonight’s run was focusd on working on cadence. I’m trying to improve my cadence on shorter, easier runs but I struggle because for me, increased cadence usually means increased pace. If anyone has tips for keeping pace low and cadence high lmk!

Even though it was an “easy” run it was still super humid and hot out and resulted in swamp ass last night 🤣 I’m counting down the days until fall running is here! Just trying to survive this awful heat 🥵

How’s your week starting out?

🐬 VB 10 miler training starts NOW 🐬 🤩Back from Peachtree and since I used that as my long run I swapped my Sunday long r...
07/07/2024

🐬 VB 10 miler training starts NOW 🐬 🤩

Back from Peachtree and since I used that as my long run I swapped my Sunday long run for a track workout. It was a tough workout but I loved being on a track again. This is my favorite part of 5k training- speedwork. I like my runs short and fast 😍

Felt good today- today’s goal was to get a feel for goal 5k pace. I tend to either go too fast or too slow so my goal for the next few weeks is gonna be to work on dialing into the pace I need for race day. I was a bit fast on my repeats today but I felt great and am glad I was able to speed up for the final few.

10 min w/u with 4 strides
8x400 m @ goal 5k pace
10 min c/d
4.62 miles ✅

Solid Sunday! I’m not ready to go back to work after being off for a week why does vacation go by so fast? 😢

🇺🇸 Heat, hills & humidity… WE RAN THAT! 🇺🇸 Peachtree 10k 2024 is in the books! This is one of my favorite races out of a...
07/04/2024

🇺🇸 Heat, hills & humidity… WE RAN THAT! 🇺🇸

Peachtree 10k 2024 is in the books! This is one of my favorite races out of all the races I’ve done. If I lived here I’d do this race every year. The Atlanta Track Club knows how to put on a great event that’s for sure.

My goal for Peachtree was just to finish. I knew it would be super hot and had 0️⃣ time goals going in. Which was great because not only was I in corral N which had a lot of walkers (party pace corral 🥳) but I also hydrated a bit too much prior to the race and actually had to stop and go to the bathroom around mile 2 so that would have killed any time goals I may have had. It took like 10 minutes to get through the bathroom lines.

This weeks long run was going to be 70-80 minutes anyway so I had planned to use Peachtree as my long run which is exactly what I did! I partied with all the runners and spectators, met the “founding fathers” in front of me in the corrals, and ran with a cool pack of bald eagles 🦅 (swipe ➡️ for the photo with one) around mile 4. Also saw a lady who was badly cramping on the side of the street around mile 4-5 and stopped for a few minutes to give her salt and help her out.

Speaking of salt- my plan had been to hydrate early and often and take electrolytes. It worked well- I didn’t have any discomfort or cramping and my heart rate actually felt pretty good despite the heat. I used run/walk intervals for the whole race. It ended up being a really good plan. Felt pretty strong throughout.

Atlanta is an amazing host city for runners- there’s a reason it’s known as “Running City USA.” It’s got a vibrant and inclusive running community and several large run clubs. The Atlanta Run Club had an amazing cheer station around mile 5.5 which was exactly the boost I needed just prior to the finish.

This years race was back up to its pre-COVID numbers- 55,000 runners toed the start line. Shoutout to all the police and volunteers and medics that were out there today- y’all are much appreciated. ❤️🤍💙 It takes a lot to put on a race of this size… part two coming soon 🥰

Good morning from Hampton Roads VA where it was a gorgeous 66° this morning! 🥹🥹🥹Mother Nature gave us a nice little cold...
07/02/2024

Good morning from Hampton Roads VA where it was a gorgeous 66° this morning! 🥹🥹🥹

Mother Nature gave us a nice little cold front this week and I had to take advantage of it. The alarm came early and at first I didn’t want to get out of bed but I knew I’d be mad at myself if I didn’t wake up and run on this gorgeous morning so out the door I went for my final run before Peachtree! I’m working on making my runs habitual and running when I say I’m gonna run. 🥰

Today felt so good and was just the run I needed prior to heading to Atlanta later ✈️

10 min w/u
6x1:30 fast, 1:30 recovery
15 min c/d

Happy that my paces increased as the intervals ticked by! Felt strong today! Have a great Tuesday friends!

Excited to be a  ambassador this year! I moved to the Virginia Beach area knowing next to nothing about the area, other ...
07/01/2024

Excited to be a ambassador this year!

I moved to the Virginia Beach area knowing next to nothing about the area, other than they had a Shamrock race every year. I quickly learned that J&A is about so much more than that one race. First of all, they also have the Halloween race, which is my absolute favorite race. I mean, did the running gods have a hand in where I moved? Because they know I love Halloween and they must have known I’d thrive at a race like this. Anyway, I digress.

Running has brought many amazing things to my life- yes cool races, but mostly the people. I can’t wait to meet my fellow ambassadors and help promote these awesome events! Up next for me:

- weekend (Aug 30-Sept 1)
- Crawlin Crab 🦀 weekend (Oct 5-6)
- Wicked weekend (Oct 25-26)
- Norfolk Harbor weekend (Nov 23-24)

Which ones will I see you at? 👻👻👻

💕 Time based running 💕 I know some people aren’t a fan, but I love it. Ever since my very first running coach  introduce...
06/30/2024

💕 Time based running 💕

I know some people aren’t a fan, but I love it. Ever since my very first running coach introduced me to it after I finished my first marathon, I’ve liked it. Time based running takes the pressure off. It’s like “here run for an hour, whatever distance you get, you get.” Which is especially good in the summer because feeling like I ✨have ✨ to get a specific amount of mileage stresses me the heck out. And then I’m trying to run faster to get the miles in so I can get out of the heat quicker. Which defeats the purpose of a long run. 🫣

Thanks for meeting me for some miles it was great running with you again! Picked a shaded route and it was even a little breezy which felt great.

Moist rating: 9/10 🥵

Last long run done for Peachtree training, next week we are on to training!

What’s your take on time based running?

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Barre is better with friends! Thanks for joining me for a morning torture sesh  🥰🥰I’m really loving these classes lately...
06/29/2024

Barre is better with friends! Thanks for joining me for a morning torture sesh 🥰🥰

I’m really loving these classes lately. I haven’t been into hitting the gym and just doing boring lifts lately so these classes are tricking me into doing strength training.

Today’s class format was DEFINE which is more weight focused. We got to bring out the heavies today! I definitely sweated a lot haha. 😆

I think so far my favorite class formats are this one and the classic format. I did try an EMPOWER format class and while I enjoyed it some of the movements were a bit fast for me and I felt kinda lost like I couldn’t keep up with all the movements.

Definitely plan to keep this as a regular thing in my schedule for now.

Great way to start my Saturday- this class was lower body heavy though so hopefully I’m not too sore to run tomorrow 😬

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