Hey guys! Sorry I have been MIA but I had a blast in Disney and was supposed to go home yesterday, but due to some severe weather, I wasn’t able to make it home. 
Yesterday was quite the draining travel day and I will be happy to be home today. It started on Monday when I checked in for my Tuesday flight and I realized there was going to be severe weather when I was supposed to be flying into New Orleans. I then became nervous the rest of the evening and even tried to get an earlier flight but they wanted $170 extra dollars. 

Tuesday morning I took the shuttle to the airport and kept an eye on the weather the whole time. The plane was on time and we were to be landing right as the bad weather approached…and approach it did. 

It got bumpy as we went to land, and when we were less than 1,000 feet altitude, all of the sudden we heard people’s tornado alarms go off on their phones and the plane quickly pulled up into the air. I was freaking out a bit, and after 30 minutes of circling we finally landed only to find out the reason we pulled up is because there was a TORNADO a couple blocks from the airport when we were trying to land. 

Ok, so I escaped death once, got my bags and headed to my car. I proceeded to drive across the huge lake (24 Mile bridge) and heard reports of huge water spouts on the radio. When I made it to my parents, I saw on the news a video of the water spouts. So scary they were there right before I came through! 

    
I escaped danger yet again, and decided to spend the night at my parents house because the bad weather was straight up and down the interstate I would have to drive to get home.

About an hour after getting to my parents house, my phone beeps and we are under another tornado warning and there was a tornado on the ground headed straight for my parents area of town. We had pillows, blankets and other items ready to hide out in the hall bathroom. It was not fun. 

  
Thankfully the threat passed and there was just a ton of rain filling the ditches and my parents backyard.    

 I was pretty exhausted after this crazy day but am also happy to get home to my family! I can’t wait to share all the details of my fun trip over the next week so stay tuned! 
QOTD: anyone have a crazy weather story? 

I received product and compensation from Mead Johnson Nutrition to create this post written by me. All experiences and opinions expressed in this post are my own and not those of Mead Johnson Nutrition. Consult your pediatrician before making changes to your baby’s diet or if you have concerns related to your baby’s digestive health. Please see the product label/website for acceptable use and benefits. You can contact Mead Johnson Nutrition with product related questions or comments toll free at 1-800-BABY 123 or through the Contact Us link on Enfamil A.R. or Enfamil.com

I have had a couple of people ask me what Emma Kate is eating these days, and if she is still having trouble with spit up. As some of you may remember, my daughter has had some serious issues with spit up since she was a newborn. We would go through 7-10 bibs and 3-5 burp cloths a day. We tried several different things, and so I wanted to talk about the timeline, what worked, and what didn’t as far as food and formula goes.

As you can see, poor Emma Kate lived in a bib and we always had burp cloths in front of her!

It’s important to note that it is very common for babies to spit-up as their digestive systems are developing. About two thirds of healthy infants may have uncomplicated reflux (as opposed to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). The difference between the two is something a lot of people are unsure about, so be sure to talk to your doctor!

When I first took Emma Kate to the doctor for her frequent spit-up, it was hard for me to know what was a “normal” amount and what was not. My advice… go with your gut. I actually waited too long to do anything because I wasn’t sure what “normal” spit-up was. Looking back, I wish I would have taken action sooner, but as a first time mom, I had no idea. I highly encourage you to talk to your doctor about things you can do to help your baby.

We first tried things that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends such as using thickened feedings like Enfamil A.R., sitting baby up after feedings, giving her smaller feedings, and burping more frequently as a first line management option for infants with uncomplicated reflux.

Enfamil A.R. formula is thickened with added rice starch to help reduce the frequency of spit-up. It meets the AAP recommendations on reflux management. While she still experienced some spit-up, it was MUCH less frequent, and she didn’t seem to be in pain like she was before. Switching formulas didn’t bother Emma Kate at all, and it made me feel better to know I was doing something that was helping my baby.

As far as solid food goes, Emma Kate is eating pretty much anything! She is in this great adventurous stage where she will eat anything we give her. We give her pieces of what we are eating, and she usually asks for more, even broccoli! She eats a lot of chicken, veggies, and of course snacks. We are trying to get her used to eating three “meals” a day with some snacks in between, but lately with our schedules it has been hard. We are doing the best we can, and Emma Kate is thriving and hardly spitting up at ALL anymore! Each month it got less and less, and I am very thankful.

I would venture to say the spit-up peaked around six months, then went away some, until Emma Kate got mobile, and it came back. Now that she is thirteen months, the only time she spits up is if she eats too much and then does a lot of moving around. When I was in the thick of things, I felt like it was never going to end and she would spit-up forever, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Be sure to check out the Enfamil A.R. website for more information. Always be sure to talk to your doctor before making any changes to your baby’s diet.

QOTD: Did your baby suffer from spit-up issues? What did you do?

Longer Long Runs

Increasing the length of the longest long run has produced the greatest amount of improvement that I’ve seen among my coaching clients.  Several surveys have shown more than 13 minutes of time improvement when runners increase their longest long run from 20 miles to 26 miles before a marathon.  Comparable time improvements are experienced in 10K runners and half marathoners when they increase their long runs above race distance as noted in my YEAR ROUND PLAN book that covers all the distances.  Long runs must be at least 2 min/mi slower than current ability, with liberal walk breaks.  The slower the pace, the quicker the recovery.  I suggest doing the long runs every 2-3 weeks.

Speed Repetitions—increasing the number

My runners have improved by an average of over 6 minutes in a marathon (3+ minutes in a half marathon) by increasing the number of speed repetitions to 14 x 1 mile for the marathon, and 14 x 800 meter for the half marathon.  I recommend that each of these be run 30 sec/mi faster than goal pace.  The recovery interval is a 5 min walk between miles and a 3 minute walk between 800’s.  These workouts prepare one to maintain or pick up pace at the end of the goal race, instead of slowing down.  See GALLOWAY TRAINING PROGRAMS & HALF MARATHON books for details (www.RunInjuryFree.com).

Improve Running Form

Most runners I’ve monitored have improved several minutes in a marathon by fine-tuning their running form.  As the mechanics become smoother and within one’s limits, there is a significant reduction in aches, pains and injuries.  The two best ways to improve form are water running and cadence drills.
•        water running uses the same basic motion as when running on land, using a flotation device so that the feet don’t touch the bottom of the pool.  When done for at least 15 minutes, once a week, the legs find a more efficient path through the water—eliminating extraneous motion.
•        The cadence drill is done for 30 seconds, counting the number of times the foot touches the ground.  This drill is detailed in most of my books.  I’ve found the key to improving speed on the mechanical side is quicker turnover.

Race in Shorter Events

Dropping down a standard distance or two can improve your mechanics for running faster and your ability to handle a higher level of oxygen debt.  On non-long-run weekends, during a half marathon program, try some 5K or 10K races.  When training for a marathon, race at the 10K or half marathon distance.  At first, the faster pace of the shorter distance may seem awkward.  But after several short races, you will adapt—especially if you do some speed training for the shorter/faster event.  These performance improvements can translate into faster times in the longer distances.  My book 5K/10K details the training and the racing strategies for these events.

Hill Training

The only way I’ve found to build strength for running is to run hill repeats.  On a moderate grade hill, start at a jog and pick up the turnover rate of the feet and legs as you go up the hill, shortening your stride.  Walk down the hill for recovery.  Don’t sprint, and follow the other hill training guidelines in my books and at www.RunInjuryFree.com.  The strength from hill training will allow you to perform better in speed sessions which will help you improve in your goal race.  You’ll also run faster on hilly courses, during your races.

QOTD: What is your best tip for getting faster? 

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