Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Last Week Review



Well last week just flew by!

We had 4 inches of snow, I squeezed in 37 miles, worked 3 days, went shopping, painted the baseboards in my house, spring cleaned, and made lots of time for friends and family.  Now that’s how you do spring break! (minus the snow…. We can always do without the snow….)




Chris and I have been doing our best to not shop following our wedding last October so we can resave the money we spent on our wedding (holy cow are weddings expensive!). I finally allowed myself to shop following my birthday.  Carson’s had their awesome Goodwill Sale going on and I had been eyeing a few items for some time now waiting for them to go on sale.




These awesome leopard print flats (Lucky Brand):







My favorite Swarovski bracelets.  I already own the purple one and these were also the gifts I gave to my bridesmaids:



This gorgeous bag.  It’s been on my want list for years:






The most comfortable wedges (in beige), and perfect for spring!:

 




Here is last week’s weekly mileage:




Monday

Monday’s are my weekly rest day.  It worked out perfectly since that was also the snow day.  I stayed inside until noon curled up on the couch with a blanket and Peyton patiently waiting for the snow to stop so I could run my errands!




Tuesday

Tuesday was a challenging hill workout.  And living in the very flat Midwest, the idea of a hill is a more like a bump in a road that you could by no means describe as an actual hill.  So I took this run to the treadmill to get in some mean incline.  On the menu for today: 2 miles easy, 6x 2minutes uphill with 2 minutes active recovery, 2 miles easy. Here are the stats:


7 miles on treadmill

2 miles easy (17:30; I fluctuate the pace between 6.7 and 7.1 mph to keep things interesting)

6x 2 minutes hill repeats (23:51; 3% incline-don’t judge my Midwest legs!, 8.6 mph)

2 miles easy (17:26)


This run is my least and most favorite at the same time.  It is challenging, makes me sweat buckets, and is very rewarding when you can finally walk off the treadmill. It helps that I also get to give into my guilty pleasure: Orange is the New Black.  I only allow myself to watch episodes while on the treadmill to motivate myself!  Season One just concluded and now I am itching to start Season Two!




Wednesday

The days when you absentmindedly forget to charge your Garmin are the worst. Especially when you are obsessive compulsive about keeping track of time, mileage, and pace.  Thankfully I have run this route multiple times and know exactly when I hit the 9 mile mark.


9 miles easy

Garmin died at 8.24 miles (so close!!)

1:07:11


I would estimate my finishing time to be close to 1:12-1:13, as I was flying through my last mile to try to beat the dying battery.  No such luck.


Thursday

Thursday I had a dinner date to make, so I quickly changed clothes after work and Peyton and I were off! Thursdays are my shortest runs of the week.  I try to take Peyton along for these runs to 1. Keep me company, 2. Give her much needed exercise, and 3. Make the time fly! Even though an “easy” run was on the schedule, Peyton and I fell into our usual 7:00-7:30 minute miles (these feel much easier when you have a cute dog leading the way!).

It always amuses me all the stares and comments and manage to get during our runs.  Peyton is a small, 20 pound mix that, despite being almost 2, she still has the face of a puppy.  Many people yell after us, wondering what type of dog she is (she came from the shelter, all we know is she is a dachshund mix), and they laugh at how she pulls me along behind her.


4 miles

29:47

7:26/mile average


We returned home, she plopped down on the couch in happy exhaustion while I quickly washed up, changed, and ran out the door to make my sushi happy hour date!




Friday

Friday I took a day off from work and gave the house a deep clean.  It’s always telling when looking at all the dirt my Dyson has lifted off of our floors. After cleaning I attempted my run for the day, but had to turn around after getting 2 miles out due to stomach pains.  I shuffled the two miles home and ended up falling asleep for an hour and a half.  Apparently it was needed.


4 miles

33:36




Saturday

I gave my Friday run a second shot and nailed it!  My training plan calls this a Progression Run, with my picking up the pace in the middle to a moderate run. My goal for my moderate pace was a 7:30 mile.

8 miles

1:01:44

2 miles easy, 30 minutes moderate pace {7:26, 7:28, 7:28, 7:20}, 2 miles easy

That last 7:20 mile made my legs burn and lungs ache, but I put my head down and toughed through it (and the wind) to finish strong.  Nothing like 4 quick miles to make 2 cooldown miles feel like a piece of cake!





Hubby and I then headed quickly to the Shamrock Shuffle 8k expo and picked up Chick-fil-a for a late lunch. My favorite chicken cobb salad, waffle fries, and a cherry dr. pepper. Lunch of champions.



I headed to a friend’s house to celebrate March birthdays with tacos, wine, and Cards Against Humanity. I may have selected the best card of all time:











Sunday

The week concluded yesterday with one of my favorite races: The Shamrock Shuffle 8k.   A race recap to come soon!