A Three Part Run

First, some randomness for Thursday....

Most importantly, CUBS WIN! We won our wild card game against the Pirates and are off to face the Cardinals in the playoffs!

Fall is upon us!  And it's really freaking pretty.

Jenga was the game of choice today for my occupational therapy kiddos.

 Augie likes to watch while I use the treadmill.

 I'm onto the next race following the Fox Valley Half Marathon.  I will be running the Naperville Half Marathon on November 8!

Speaking of the Fox Valley Half Marathon, I have yet to remove my timing chip from my shoe.

 And now to yesterday's three part run.

We've had good running weather around here lately.  I was able to leave work a little early and I got ready to run as soon as I got home.  I flew through 8 miles.  Isn't it funny how one day running can be miserable and the next it's effortless? 

8.25 miles

1:07:39

8:12/mile

Part one of my run was easy breezy.

I got home, picked up Peyton, and I was off again for part 2.  If I thought I was flying before, Peyton changed that perception.  

3 miles

20:53

6:57/mile

Seriously? 3 sub-7 minute miles AFTER running 8 miles?

That little 20 pound dog is insanely fast.  If anyone is looking to do some speedwork  Peyton would love to join in.

Part three was my cool down (finally) thanks to Augie who, instead of running with Peyton's focus, chews on her leash instead.

And they are done for the night.

Tell me something from your Thursday!

Do you run with your dog?

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Thursday Rambles

Yesterday was the first day of fall! Now it's time for all fall things.  Pumpkin spice, boots, sweaters, apple picking, and, of course, fall marathon training!

This has been happening a lot lately.  The pups and I will take advantage of the nice weather as much as we can.

 

Chick-fil-a gave away free entrees yesterday to teachers and school staff.  Thank you Chick-fil-a!

My Jake from State Farm khakis are not cutting it this year.  Sitting on the floor, sitting on therapy balls, or sliding around on scooters (are you jealous of my job yet?) is not conducive to keeping clean pants.  It's going to be jeans for me.

I'm enjoying these past three days off of running, but I'm starting to feel the itch to get back into it! I'm already looking forward to my long run this weekend!


What do you typically wear to work?

What do you eat at Chick-fil-a?

Race Day Ready!

T-minus 12 hours until race time!

My clothes are together.

Nails are painted.

My music playlist is made.

We relaxed by going to the farmer's market.

And by cuddling with the pups.

Bring it on 13.1.

Thursday Rambles

Puppy energy has been very high lately.  Peyton and Augie have needed lots of play time in the house, walks, and dog park visits.  I hope the energy decreases before it's cold and snowing.

This weekend is looking awesome weather wise! I can't wait til Sunday!

I'm  99% committed to my next race this fall.  Fall running is my favorite so I'm excited to have something to train for.  Details are to come post Fox Valley Half Marathon.  Let's not forget that race! ;)

This Buzzfeed post is my favorite: 18 Adorable Dogs Who Are So Ready For Fall

Who is ready for the weekend?

Tell me something random about your Thursday!

Things From My Saturday

The season opener of the Chicago Bears is tomorrow and we are having friends and family over to watch it.  My day has been filled with cleaning, grocery shopping, heading to the farmer's market, and cooking.

First things first, today started with a 10 mile run.

10 miles

1:23:16

8:19/mile

It was a perfect 50 degree day which made this pace feel awesome.  My pace felt easy and relaxed until about the 9th mile when my legs started to fatigue. And then the tenth felt good again.  Very strange.  I hoping next week is cool like today!

After a quick shower I headed to the farmer's market to pick up honey and some fruits and veggies.

While walking around I got my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year!

When I got home I started cleaning the house.  

How much wine is an appropriate amount for cleaning?

Time is winding down for watermelons.  And it's very sad.

While out in San Fransisco we joined a wine club in Sonoma.  Our first shipment arrived yesterday!

Puppy cuddles are the best way to end the day.

Do you like wine? Red or white?

What's your favorite coffee at Starbucks?

Sunday Runday

This morning I woke up looking forward to my run.  I work up determined to finish the long run that I had planned.  Probably due to the fact that running has been at the bottom of the priority list lately.

I woke up, I drank only ONE cup of coffee (that's completely unheard of), and I was out the door.

With the Fox Valley Half Marathon two weeks away, my goal was to run 13.1 miles simulating as close to race pace as possible.  While running the full distance around goal pace is not necessary (and frowned upon by some runners), this was the run that I needed today.

13.1 miles

1:44:26

7:58

This run was a huge confidence boost.  I definitely struggled with pacing near the beginning and end, but it was refreshing to see sub-8 minutes miles again. I ran just above my goal pace but I was still encouraged by the paces I did hit.  I am looking forward to the half on September 20 and knocking my goal pace out of the park!

I really need that shirt....

The rest of the today is being spent shopping, going out to Two Brother's Brewery for lunch, and hanging out with these two cuties:

How was your long run this weekend?

A Boredom Busting Treadmill Workout

Saturday was a very rainy day.  On and off pouring rain made it hard to sneak in a run.  I did try, but made it less than a mile away from home before darting home to avoid getting drenched.

1.88 miles is not a long enough run for my endurance loving legs.

I sadly made the walk of doom downstairs to the treadmill, turned on an episode of Orange is the New Black, and turned the treadmill on.

It took almost a mile for my legs no longer felt like death and were accustomed to the treadmill belt.

One of my favorite ways to cure treadmill boredom (besides watching a "treadmill only" tv show) is to complete an interval pyramid workout.

This is a super flexible workout that can be changed to meet your needs! I vary this pyramid often but including different speeds and different interval lengths.  It is my go to treadmill workout.

I continue to repeat the intervals until I have reached my goal mileage.

Saturday I ended up with 6 miles total (4.12 on the treadmill).

The rest of my gloomy, rainy Saturday was spent the best way possible. With puppy cuddles.

How was your weekend?

Do you run on the treadmill? How often?

Thursday Rambles

Summer break is quickly coming to an end! I have less than 2 weeks left! It's been fun hanging out with these two bums.

How many apricots is too many apricots?

I went to the farmers market and got all this for $12!

These are my new favorite shorts.  They are definitely worth the Lululemon price tag. I used them for Track Tuesday and they didn't move and have a nice compression feature.  I am going to have to work some overtime to get them in different colors.

Chris and I have a goal of eating more meatless meals.  We tried this Coconut Sweet Potato Curry and it was wonderful.  Chris even liked it and he's not a big fan of beans.

The run on my schedule was an 8-10 medium pace run.  It was a perfect 70 degree morning and my legs felt good despite the track workout on Tuesday.  I started running on cruise control and my legs were moving.

10 miles

1:25:04

8:30/mile

What are you up to today?

Do you like apricots?  I could eat that whole bowl in a day.

Thursday Rambles

I am hyped up ever since the Christmas in July 10k.  I am so glad I was able to adjust my speed to the heat and still remain competitive.  Now I want to incorporate more and more speed work.  Getting fast is fun!


I finished The Silent Wife.  I loved it.  Read it.


Fruit has been my go to lately for snacks. Last grocery store trip included 2 pounds of peaches, 4 pounds of cherries, 6 pounds of bananas (I freeze half for smoothies), and a watermelon. I'd say we're set for a while.

There's barely room in my fridge for it all.


This has actually been a great week.  The Chicago area has had awful humidity and loads of rain, so it's nice to see the weather get itself together for a bit.


The pups have been loving the great weather and our dog park visits lately. 

They still do EVERYTHING together.


I went for a long(er) run Tuesday after work.  I must have been very thirsty afterwards.

Farmer's market peaches > store peaches.


How is your Thursday?

(A Very Late) Weekly Mileage Round-Up

This post is a few days late due to master bedroom painting, going to a Cubs game, and being just plain lazy, so here it is. Last week's weekly mileage. On a Tuesday.

Monday:
Mondays are my day off so I try to get a longer run in.  I managed that AND at a great pace too! This definitely sent me off feeling good about the week!

10 miles

1:21:22

8:08.mile

Monday evening I went to a 45 minute spin class and then did lat pull-downs, rows, and tricep presses at the gym. I had way to much energy today.

Tuesday:
The weather was much cooler last week (I'm talking high 60s) so I finally was able to take Peyton with me for a run.  She obviously has not lost any fitness in the time she took off from running.

3 miles

21:14

7:04/mile

Chris and I played tennis for a good hour before dinner.

Wednesday:
Wednesday I took as my rest day. Working two days in a row is hard. (I'm just being a jerk. Come August 17 my butt will be kicked when I try to get back to 5 days a week.)

Thursday:
I ran my easy run Thursday. I wore my HRM and aimed to keep my bpm around 150.

5 miles

43:28

8:41/mile

158 bpm average

Friday:

Is it weird that I don't remember this run?  Apparently I ran 10 miles? My body must have blacked out Friday.

10 miles

1:23:20

8:20/mile

I spent the rest of the day cleaning the master bedroom and putting painter's tape down so that I could paint on Saturday.  I met Chris at the gym after he got off work and I did more strength training. This time I focused on chest, back, and legs, cycling through all three to rest each body part. 

Saturday:

I hadn't done leg strengthening in who knows who long and I was sore from Friday's workout. I wanted to run to shake out my legs, but once I got going I felt much better.  A shake-out run turned into a tempo run to prepare me for this Saturday's 10K!

7 miles (1 mile easy, 5 miles tempo, 1 mile easy)

54:30

7:47/mile

I averaged 7:10/mile on my tempo and I feel ready to run fast!  After my run I quickly showered, Chris and I picked up a few things at the farmer's market and then I started painting.  3 hours later it was a huge difference!

Now we are researching painter's to do the main level of our house for us. We have high ceilings that will require scaffolding and we also have to paint around the kitchen cabinets. I want nothing to do with that and I'd rather pay to have it done nicely.

Sunday:

Sunday was another rest day and I cleaned up any paint bleeds underneath the painter's tape.  We went to the Cubs/Sox Crosstown Classic at Wrigley Field.  

It couldn't have been a better day for a baseball game! 

We headed to Atlas Brewing Company after the game for dinner and saw this on the way:

Truth.

We were all exhausted after the long, busy weekend and crashed on the couch.

Puppy cuddles FTW.