NJ Marathon Recap Part 1

Hi!  So um, remember that marathon I signed up for back in January and then I dropped off the face of Blog Land?  Well...I ran it!

But before I can tell you about the glorious moment I crossed the finish line, I'll have to back it up a bit since I haven't talked to you in about 4 months.  I mentioned in my last post I signed up with a running coach at my gym to help me with training.  He is an iron man and really knows his stuff, so I felt very comfortable putting my training in his hands.  I had done the usual, circle the race date on the calendar, decorate it with colorful markers and stars ((oh wait, you don't do that?)) and count backwards...I had plenty of weeks to build up to a 22 mile long run, or so I thought.  

 Lou's approach was that of "Train smarter, not harder".  For someone who has always prescribed to the traditional mid-mileage during the week and you can't miss your long run on the weekend type plan, this threw me for a loop.

I sent Lou what I was currently doing (my new love, hot yoga, had to be included in this plan I told him) and how much I could realistically train each week time wise.  What I got back was a comprehensive plan that included 7 days: hot yoga, various types of runs (all based on training in a specific heart rate zone), strength training, rest (of course!) and the "long" run to be done in an ideal heart rate zone.  I say "long" run and not long run because the runs were just not long.  Seriously, this running gal was thrown for a loop.

Hot yoga shweaty mess!

After a couple weeks of following this plan I emailed Lou with my concerns.  Thankfully he is seriously passionate about running and fitness and there was a method to his madness.  He explained it like this,

"Time is a much more beneficial and useful way of training. Studies have shown that cardiovascular improvement increases steadily with little risk of injury up to the two hour mark, after the two hour mark the risk of injury starts to increase significantly while the cardiovascular improvement diminishes significantly. 

 The reason mileage is a poor way of training is because it does not take into account how long a person exposes their body to stress. You said you ran 20 miles in preparation for your last marathon. I think I would be safe in assuming that 20 miles took you a lot longer then 2 hours to run and therefore exposed you to a high risk of injury. I have a client who is doing the Boston Marathon in a few weeks. He qualified by running a 2:57 marathon. If I had him run for 20 miles I know it would take him a lot less time then you and therefore exposed his body to a lot less stress. Here you have two people running the same 20 miles but the stronger more experienced runner is running a lot less and not stressing his body as much as the weaker less experienced runner. See the flaw in training based on mileage? 

You need to train smarter not harder if you want to achieve your goals."

I still wasn't 100% convinced, but I kept going and put my faith in the training.  The workouts I did during the week were fantastic; I loved the very specific Fartlek and tempo runs.  I especially enjoyed my new strength training routine, which is so so so important to runners.  In the past I had always made the excuse that if I lifted weights I'd be sore and not be able to run...silly Melissa.  Another component to the plan were balance exercises to strengthen and stabilize my weak ankles and really, entire core.  He also made sure I used my foam roller consistently!

 The plan was broken into two phases, the first being a 3 to 5 month training cycle based upon strengthening and building a solid base.  Then the training intensity was turned up a notch for the last few weeks.  However I didn't have enough time to build up a base, so my training plan moved at a faster pace.

I'm gonna tell you something that I'm not proud of now.  Sometimes I slacked a little in the training department...

Two times during training I was legitimately sick, however there was a vacation to Florida and a few days of hitting the snooze button and just going back to bed.

With all that in mind; less running, a new approach to training, and a general "Oh my goodness, I'm not gonna be able to do this attitude" I didn't feel very hopeful going into it.

Saturday I went to the expo and picked up my bib and race swag (great long sleeve technical tees!).  I met up with my friend Stacey, a 2 time marathoner who is unfortunately side lined from marathons with an injury.  However on NJ Marathon day she rocked a 60 mile bike ride; go Stacey!!!!

After we bought some goodies from the expo and were saying goodbye, Stacey gave me great advice.  Just enjoy it.  Gee, I hadn't thought about that!  It's so true, but sometimes you can loose sight of the reason why you sign up to run 26.2 miles...we love to run!

With Stacey's advice and Lou's *Race Day Plan* I went to bed Saturday night feeling newly optimistic about my 3rd marathon.

...to be continued... 

Operation Marathon Nutrition

So with marathon training underway, I thought I'd track what I ate throughout the day, to see how I'm doing nutritionally.  I find it tedious to track my meals all the time, but once in a while I'll plug my eats into Livestrong.com's MyPlate. 

Breakfast: 1/4 c. rolled oats

2 tsp. TJ's organic hemp protein powder

2 tsp ground flax seeds

2 tsp chia seeds

cinnamon

(ran out of bananas and forgot other toppings and it was quite boring!)  

Lunch: 1/2 cup red quinoa & chick peas + nooch

1 1/4 c. steamed broccoli

1/4 c. walnuts + 1/8 c. raisins

1/2 red bell pepper sliced

Afternoon snack: 1 small green apple

2 TBSP peanut butter

 This picture is from lunch the other day.  My big ole batch of slow cooker soup lasted me until tonight!

Dinner: 3/4 c. carrot/lentil/cracked wheat soup

1 slice baked tofu

Not too shabby.  I'm not taking this as 100% accurate, but I like having a general idea.  As a vegetarian/vegan you always get asked, where do you get your protein?  And although I know I get enough from plant based sources...it's nice for that to be reaffirmed!  

Tomorrow when I go to the gym I'll have more calories, today was a bit lighter than usual.  

Did I really just do that?

Yes, I really did just sign up for the NJ Marathon in Long Branch on May 6th. 

May 6th people!!!

I signed up before I made a training plan.  I signed up before I had a chance to go into Google Calendars and count the weeks backwards...and find out today is the start of week 15.  Oh my goodness, 15 weeks to train for this marathon!  I signed up before I could remember the pain I was in on November 20th.  I signed up before I thought it through.

But you know what?

I'm really freakin' excited.

Since running before and after school isn't an option for me (hello winter darkness), I've been stuck on the treadmill/taking some pretty super classes at the gym which I'll tell you about later.  And to be honest, I've been sort of wimpy on the weekends; coming up with lame-o excuses like "It's too cold", "I'd rather go to the gym", "Actually I'd rather go eat vegan pancakes at The Pop Shop and cuddle on the couch in front of the fire all day". 

Today I channeled my inner toughness and went out for a run in the snow.  Wearing this shirt as one of my layers may have helped, thanks Mom!

Ready to rock it!  LOVE that putting a marathon on the calendar makes me remember how much I adore running :) Pop Shop who?  Scratch that, Pop Shop after a run!

After living in San Diego, I was sort of dreading snow.  It wasn't too bad, and the crunching under my feet made me feel...happy. 

After a few miles my legs, lungs, and body were feeling great...minus my fingers.  I was wearing those 2 pairs for a dollar cute gloves that look pretty but serve no purpose and I was literally worried that my fingers were getting frost bite.  The hurt so bad when I got home and took at least 5 minutes to finally feel normal.  

Besides that my FIRST TRAINING RUN (wow so excited to say that again!) went great!

In another post I'll fill you in on my new gym, the classes I've been taking, the personal trainer/running coach who's going to help me become a better runner, the amazing running app I used today, and much more. 

PS: Yesterday I ordered a Road ID tag and they sent me a coupon to pass along to friends.  Use the coupon code to receive $1 off any Road ID order.  In these times, every dollar counts, right?  This code can be used up to 20x within the next 30 days (until 2/22/12), so if you've been thinking about investing one, here's your chance.  Enjoy friends :)

Use: ThanksMelissa11395552  at www.RoadID.com

Lesson Learned: Don't Slack During Marathon Training

Oh blog friends, how I've missed you!  My new job as a kindergarten teacher has taken over my life.  I'm not complaining, and I absolutely love my school, colleagues, and  students; but if I let myself, I could spend all hours of the day/night/weekend planning and prepping for it.  But now that I'm getting more and more in the swing of things, and conferences are over, I'm going to make time for blogging because I love being a part of this amazing community! 


Sure I've had no time for blogging, but you may be asking if I've made time for other things in my life.   Actually no; I've had no time for running (or a lot of other real life activities for that matter). Which may not have been such a bad thing; except for the fact that I ran a marathon on November 20th!

I started off my marathon training pretty gung ho, and had my mind set on PR-ing.  I ran quarter mile repeats on the track, completed my first ever tempo run, got in two 20 milers, and even ran the morning of a hurricane!  But after I got my job at the end of October, I ran maybe 5 times on a treadmill.  I never doubted that I would finish, and a hopeful part of me still thought I may be able to PR by a few minutes.  However it didn't quite end up that way...

All smiles at the start....

 The Philadelphia Marathon got sold out, so I signed up for The Bucks County Marathon in Pennsylvania (awesome decision as this was a WONDERFUL marathon!).  It was this marathons first year and the smallest race I've ever done, capped at 500 participants.  The course was extremely scenic, winding mostly along the Delaware Canal Tow Path.  Shout out to all the volunteers, they were great!

I just joined a gym  and I was talking to one of their trainers.  He's a seasoned marathoner and iron man, so he knows his stuff.  He told me that going into a marathon and not being at my best, I should focus on achieving negative splits (well you should always do this, but especially if you're under trained) and really listen to how my body felt.  And the first half I took it easy, although looking back I should have taken even slower, and I felt super.

Seriously happy before the running began

 As I ran past the 15 mile marker I distinctly remember thinking to myself, "Wow, it sure doesn't feel like I've ran 15 miles!  This is great!  Maybe I will PR!"  <-----hah!


Mile 16 is when I began to feel a few aches and pains, but nothing alarming.

I had been rockin' a pretty steady pace (on track for 4:45 to PR) and had been doing well with fueling about every hour.  Had my GU's about each hour, starting from 1:00. 2:00, and 3:00.  But for some reason, around the 3 hour mark, when I took that 3rd GU my stomach began to have major issues.  I felt like I needed to throw up, and I came close to doing it a few times.  After that I *dumbly* did not take another GU.  

NOT.

I went from feeling great to utterly blah, in a matter of 2 miles.  By the time 20 hit, I was in pain.  Miles 20-26.2 are a blur and I mentally started to doubt myself at that point.  Here are a few snippets of my thoughts.

"Who the h e double hockey stick would sign up for this?  I am NEVER EVER EVER doing another marathon again!"

"Ow...ow...ow...ugh...owwwww"

"I can do it.  I can do it.  I don't care how slow I am.  I can do it."

"Never mind.  I can't do this.  What if I just called Shane and asked him to come get me?"

"If I stop taking walk breaks and pick up the pace, maybe I'll still PR???"

"Get real Melissa.  WHO CARES ABOUT PR-ING!!!!! "

Things also got a little scary in those last 4 miles.  I felt terrible, due in part for not taking another GU, and I started to get a little spacey.  I was close to tears a few times because my body felt bad.  I hyperventilated 2 different times; I couldn't get in more than a shallow breath, my airway constricted and I could hear myself wheezing.  I was not running fast enough to be out of breath, I just kept getting into these tearful, unable to breath, episodes, and it was scary.  I'm a hard headed person, and wanted to finish so after it passed I continued on, walk/run/walk/run.  

The last mile an extremely nice girl came up behind me and I started to run with her.  We were chatting and she was so motivating!  However my sick stomach did not enjoy her quick pace, so I wished her luck and she continued on.    As I left the towpath another runner came up next to me and he also shared some much needed positive energy.  He kept repeating, "We're almost there!  We can do it!"  As my feet hit the pavement, I knew we were close, but my body was giving up on me.  I begrudgingly gave into my bodies demands and began to walk.  As though there was a light at the end of the tunnel; a literal tunnel we had to run through to get to the finish, I saw my Dad, Kelly, and Shane cheering me on!  It was the extra oomph I needed to get my butt running, ahem, hobbling again. 

I couldn't wimp out with the finish line in sight!

 

It took every fiber of my being to make it across that finish line...but I did it!  5:05:11

 So what did I learn from my second marathon experience?  

TRAIN!  This one is obvious, but it still needs to be mentioned.  Even though *most* of my training had been completed, not running for a month completely threw me off.  And thankfully I made it across the finish line and a few days later I feel great, but maybe it could have taken a scary turn for the worst.  Check out *this* article from Runner's World about sudden death in races.

Have a fueling strategy.  Sure my stomach hurt, and just the thought of a GU made my stomach queasy.  But I should have sucked it up and taken another one around hour 4.  I think my breathing difficulties, mental haze, and overall fatigue could have greatly been reduced if not completely gone, if I had fueled properly.  I sort of "go with the flow" but next marathon I will have my fueling strategically planned.  No ifs, ands, or upset stomachs about it!

Know your limits.  As much as I would have loved to beat my previous time, I could tell my body was not going to do it.  At the end maybe I could have skipped the walking and pushed through the pain but I knew my limit had been reached and in order to finish I had to run/walk.  I'd rather be a bit slower than not finish at all!

Never make a bet on pre-marathon adrenaline.  I bet Shane 1,000 dollars he would not run a marathon by next year.  We shook on it and it was posted to Facebook.  He's running Philadelphia next year (so he says) and wants it delivered in a brief case...in one's.  

Any suggestions for my next marathon ;)  The amnesia has already set in!

**And Happy Thanksgiving**  A little late, but I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

 

20 Miles + Plenty of Candy Corn

20 miles is a long time to run by yourself.  Back when I was training for my first marathon, I was lucky enough to be a part of Team in Training.  

 While fundraising for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and running my little heart out, I had the opportunity to meet a group of amazing people.  We would meet each weekend to conquer our long runs, and boy was it fun!  Chatting about running, life, and the cause we were running for made the miles fly by. 

 This time around I'm training by myself.  Although one day I see myself joining back up with Team in Training, for now I am training sans a team.  But training for a marathon with out running buddies can get monotonous and can even be dangerous.  During a 17-miler I ran out of water and was super thirsty when I got home.  Sure I made it home, but what if it had been hotter?  After hearing this my mom promptly got online, looked up a local running group, and signed me up.  Thanks Mom!

Saturday night, after carbo loading with sweet potatoes, I got all my running gear together in preparation for my big day.  This running group is very organized and has routes posted online, so I figured I'd run the 10 mile loop with everyone, and then do the other 10 by myself.  Due to some events going on, the turn out was small, and only one other person was doing the 10 mile loop + a 6 mile loop.  It was so great!  About 15 minutes before we started I ate a banana, then we all started out together, and at mile 3, 2 runners split off to finish the 6 mile loop, while Barbara and I continued on to complete 10.  We arrived back at our cars in 1:46:39!  

When running with a buddy, your mind doesn't have time to second guess itself and the thought "I can't do this" never surfaced.  Instead we talked about our love of running, how awesome it was that we had the same running pace, and just got to know each other.  Mentally it was also easier to think of this as two separate 10 mile runs.  After hydrating we set out again, and Barbara split off at 3 miles, which left me only 7 miles by myself.    My second 10 was run in 1:51:51, slower than my first 10 but I was just happy to cover the distance with no ankle pain!!!

Refueling wise I took some of your advice and tried new GU flavors.  Espresso Love at mile 7 and Chocolate at mile 14.  It was like eating dessert while running!  Really enjoyed the flavors and so happy I'm over my non-fruity GU fear. 

When I got home Shane had an ice bath waiting for me, and I soaked for 20 minutes.  I really feel a difference in my recovery when I use an ice bath!  It may be hard getting in, but it's totally worth it for me!  And then I enjoyed a recovery shake. (recycled this picture...they all look the same!)

2 medium bananas

large handful spinach

1 1/2 cups soy milk

1 packet chocolate Amazing Meal

After a long run all I want to do is nap, eat, repeat.  I filled my body with lots of nutritious eats, but I also indulged in my favorite fall candy...CANDY CORN!

Yea, I'm pretty much obsessed with candy corn.  Shane and I first started dating in the fall, and one day he surprised me with flowers...and a bag of candy corn.  He knew the way into my heart even then <3

And if you ever want to show your love of candy corn through the art of baking, make these cupcakes!  Instead of water I used Candy Corn flavored soda from Target.  They were so cute and tasty!

One more candy corn related note, mix dry roasted peanuts with the autumn candy corns (white, orange, brown) and the sweet/salty flavor is the bomb.com!

Do you prefer to run by yourself or with a group? A lot of days, I find running to be my "me" time and enjoy running alone.  However long runs are wonderful with a group!  And although I haven't done it myself, I've heard having a friend to do speed work is super fun and is really helpful motivation wise.

What's your favorite fall candy?

WIAW: MTE

What is MTE, you ask?  It's Marathon Training Edition!  I ran 17 miles on Monday and thought it might be fun to show a day of Long Run Eats.  

Monday morning I woke up around 6:45 to be out the door by 7:30.  I fueled up with a banana and peanut butter.  That's right, no bread.  Sometimes it makes me feel too full before a long run.  I got outside and was greeted by crisp, fall weather.  I layered up with running tights, tank, and long sleeve shirt; about 45 minutes in I tied the long shirt around my waist.   I felt prepared with 3 GUs and 20 oz water bottle. 

I struggled again with my water bottle conundrum.  Although 20 oz of water ended up to be perfect for the distance/weather, the bottle felt heavy in my hand.  I was also juggling the water bottle in one hand and my cell phone in the other because my SPI belt was too full with the 3 GUs to fit anything else.

I took Blueberry Pomegranate Roctane 45 minutes in and around 1:45 I took my 2nd GU, Strawberry Banana.  I tend to stick with fruity GUs, the thought of espresso or chocolate on a run just turns my stomach!

 

When I got home I did as much streching as my muscles would allow and then made myself a smoothie.  I call this a *Super Smoothie* because it gave my body the nutrients it was craving!

1 cup baby spinach

2 tbsp ground flax seeds

1 packet Amazing Meal Vanilla Chai

2 medium bananas

1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk

1 cup frozen blueberries

This super smoothie is full of nutrient packed calories and plenty of protein!  

Lunch time I ate some delicious soup and 2 slices of Trader Joe's sprouted multi-grain bread.  Seriously, how did I ever live before a crock pot!? The other day I threw in lentils, pearled barley, veggies, spices, water, and had a hearty soup 8 hours later!  

If I've ever said anything negative about TJ's seaweed snacks, I take it back!  I love wasabi and couldn't resist buying these.  They did not disappoint.

Dinner was soup...AGAIN!  With one slice of Trader Joe's sprouted multi-grain bread with a side of roasted turnips, brussel sprouts, and a big ole squirt of ketchup!  Even WIAW: MTE couldn't stop me from repeating meals! 

Soy Creamy is dreamy.  For reals. This stuff is so delicious, and has none of that funky soy taste/funky texture.  

Are you a meal repeat offender? When I cook, I like to make big batches because I honestly don't mind repeating meals.  And it makes my life so much easier.  Plus, I tend to like the things I make, so it's enjoyable to eat the same thing for a week straight!  The lovely Jenn at Peas & Crayons calls this being in a "food jag"!

How do you fuel your long runs/exercise?  This run the GUs worked well.  I experimented last week with natural fuel, but it was too messy!  At least with GUs it's quick, simple, and I can focus my energy on running.  I used to do a PB Banana sandwich, but now find the banana and PB to be much better.

How do your taste buds feel about Trader Joe's seaweed snacks?  My taste buds didn't know what to expect, and so I was a bit grossed out at first.  Then I tried the wasabi and fell in love!  I think they have such a strong ocean-y flavor, but once you get used to it, it's really tasty.

 

Ohh, We're Halfway There {Sorta}

I'm in week 7 of a 17 week marathon training plan.  Eeeek!  I know I'm not even halfway through, but it seems like it's sneaking up on me!  

Like I said in an earlier post, I'm using this book

And so far I've really like this plan.  A typical week looks like this:

Monday: Jog 40 minutes

Tuesday: Cross train 30 minutes

Wednesday: 400x___ quarter mile repeats

Thursday: Cross train 30 minutes or rest.

Friday: Jog 30 minutes

Saturday: Long Run

Sunday: Rest

During training plans I'm always good about getting in my long run, and this time around the speed work out.  However, I ALWAYS have trouble sticking with the plan during the week with those jogs and cross training.  Looking back at my Daily Mile  I've definitely switched days around and not followed the plan to a T, but I have gotten in miles and some cross training.

Weeks 1-8 are part of the Endurance Phase and so every Wednesday I've been increasing my endurance with quarter mile repeats.  Starting in week 9 through week 14 I will enter the Stamina Phase, and my Wednsday quarter mile repeat workout will be replaced with tempo runs.

During weeks 1-7 so far I've been using some of the "jog 40 minutes" day as a very loose tempo run.  Basically just running fast.  Since I don't own a Garmin, I have to just run at a pace which I perceive as being "fast" and then when I get home I plug my route and time into Daily Mile and get my average pace.  Not the most accurate, but it's been working.  I'm a little wary of the Stamina Phase and setting out for a "real" tempo run!  

And I don't think I'll be able to just drop the quarter mile repeats.  As much as I don't look forward to them, I've grown to enjoy them how I feel when I'm done with them.  So I think that they'll sneak their way into the stamina phase.

If you look at week 6 on my Daily Mile (this past week) it was so terrible.  In my last post I mentioned I took a break from blogging...well I also took a break from running.  Not because I was injured.  Not because I was tired.  But because I just gave up on myself for a little period of time.  I hate to admit it, but I was a weak person last week.  Mentally I knew running would make me feel better and help lift me out of my funk, but instead I had a pity party.  But I'm over it and on Monday I got in 15 miles!

These 15 miles were important for two reasons.  One because this is the furthest distance I've ran since last year.  And second because this was a key run in my fuel experimentation.  I have been toying with the idea of fueling my runs naturally and I made my own sports drink and energy gel.  No Meat Athlete is a great resource.

Natural Gel from No Meat Athlete

I didn't have all the ingredients so this is what I used:

6 dried apricots (soaked in water)

1/4 cup light agave 

lime juice

sea salt

My thoughts: It tasted alright, but it had some teeny apricot chunks in it.  Also, it was really messy.  I used a small ziplock bag (like in No Meat Athlete's picture) and tried to eat it out of the top corner.  I had to walk while taking it and it got my fingers sticky!  Also, this amount was too much and I only ate about 2/3 of it.

Sports Drink from No Meat Athlete

This is actually called Chia Iskiate.  I mixed it in a 16.9 oz Poland Springs bottle so I could hold it with me on my run.  

My thoughts: By mile 11 I had finished it and was feeling thirsty around mile 13.  I'm debating between investing in a fuel belt or a camel back for extra hydration on training runs.  The jelly like consistency of the chia seeds was a bit strange, but if I took a big gulp I didn't mind it.

Overall, I think I had enough fuel but not enough water.  Afterwards I took an ice bath and I think that definitely alleviated soreness!  Today I feel great!!!!

If you actually read all of this, thanks for sticking with me!  And sorry for the lack of pictures.

Do you follow training plans 100%? I've never been able to follow them exactly, but I'm okay with that.  Although this marathon I have a time goal (my first marathon I ran just to finish) I believe as long as I'm completing the most key workouts(i.e. quarter mile repeats/tempo and long runs)  and staying active during the week I should be fine.

How do you hydrate?  Camelback or fuel belt? Hand held bottles are out for me!  I really don't like having my hands full while running!

 

It's WIAW Time!

Let's get right to it, shall we?

I finally went to a track to do my speed work.  And can I be honest here...I'm not a big track fan.  All the other days when I couldn't get to the track I was kind of bummed and didn't feel like a "real" runner doing my speed work by measuring out a quarter mile on DailyMile.com or using a treadmill at the gym.  But now, I think I liked those better.  First, I don't even know if the track I used was 400m, my times were way too fast.  And even though the track may have been shorter than 400m it felt like longer!!!

Unpictured post-run smoothie, as per usch.

*banana, soy milk, chocolate Amazing Grass, ice*

I love summer because I CRAVE veggies.

And when you don't have much else left to eat, you make it work.

*sliced radish, zucchini, carrot, Whole Foods spicy thai dressing, nooch*

Dinner included my fave root vegetable....

sweet potato!

If you haven't had the chance to order sweet potato sushi rolls, you don't know what your missing.  My fabulous sister, Alli, introduced these to me when we went out for sushi last month.  For the longest time I ate fish just because I couldn't give up sushi.  But veggie rolls, including this one, satisfy my craving and go above and beyond my expectations for sushi!

After dinner I got to meet up with my friend Kerry and her 5 month old baby, err, I mean puppy, Tucker.  We took Tuck on a nice long walk around a gorgeous lake by her house.  It brought back memories of Team in Training because that's where we would meet for long runs!!  

And I almost forgot the un-pictured late night snack I ate...frozen mangoes!  Seriously.  I got home and Shane was eating ice cream and all I wanted was something cold.  So I took out some frozen Trader Joe's mango chunks, and as they thawed a little they were the perfect cool treat!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Wednesday...

now go make Thursday a great one!

Have you ever tried a sweet potato sushi roll?  

Do you like to use a track for speed work?  If so, what are some tips for making it more enjoyable?!