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Hi! Happy Friday!

Let’s start with a training update and then I’m going to share some Friday Favorites.

Here is what my training has looked like so far this week:

Monday: 19 mile LR
Tuesday: 7 Easy + RW group run (6 miles @ 7:40 avg.)
Wednesday: 7 Easy
Thursday: 9.25 w/ 4 tempo miles + 4.75 easy
Friday: 12 Easy

I was supposed to do my long run last Sunday, but after we got back from the beach I had a hard time adjusting back to post-vacation running reality. I was worn out and the long run didn’t happen. I’m sure skipping it all together would’ve been totally fine, but this was the last “long” (relative terminology of course) run on my schedule before the 50K. I decided to give it a whirl again on Monday. Rebecca and I ran 8 together and then I did the rest of the run by myself. I kind of did a run/walk combo, but I got it done.

So speaking of the 50K … It’s NEXT WEEKEND! Ahh. Rebecca and I are doing a 100K relay in Jackson MS and each of us will run 50K. The course is a 10.3 mile loop and we will just run that same loop several times. We are going to do alternating loops, so Rebecca will run the first 10 miles, then I will run the next 10, and so on until we have each done 3 loops.

We are hoping for an 8:30 (ish) average pace. The total race should take us somewhere between 8 and 9 hours. The team that runs the fastest last lap (regardless of whether you finish first or not) wins $100, so obviously that would be pretty sweet. Hopefully that’ll help us pace ourselves on the other laps as well and finish with a really strong leg (and legs (get it?)).

I’m not really worried about the mileage as much as I am a little apprehensive about what running at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. is going to be like (in July in Mississippi no less). I am used to running at 5 a.m. and 5 or 6 p.m., but not really during those in between times. We are definitely going to pack a cooler full of all.the.drinks and a tent for some shade.

Enough about that. Tuesday morning my legs were pretty tired from the long run the day before. I was [thisclose] to not going to the group run that evening, but I ended up having a really good run. The same exact thing happened last week. It’s crazy! I slept in Wednesday morning and was [thisclose] again to not running at all, but Daniel wanted to go after work and I figured that I might as well join him. You never regret a run, right? You only regret it if you don’t go.

We were going to do 5 miles, but ended up with 7. My legs pretty much felt like garbage during the run, but of course I was still so glad that we got it in! If you are a runner you likely get it, and if you aren’t you likely think that sounds absurd. Running in the evenings after work is the best time that we have to talk and catch up on how the day went.

I described Thursday’s tempo workout in my last post, but ICYMI: I did a 3 mile warm up, a 4 mile tempo at 6:24 average and a 2.25 mile cool down. My legs felt surprisingly good! Thursday evening I met Rebecca for an easy 4.75 miles, so I ended up with 14 for the day.

Rebecca and I did 12 miles this morning. We were both pretty tired from our Thursday workouts, but we managed to make it through.

Now that we’ve covered the run stuff, let’s move on to the fun stuff! Here are some things that I am loving lately …

Brooks Lauch. I have found my shoe. I have worn the Launches on and off for several years, but lately they have become my go-to shoe 95% of the time. My feet haven’t been bothering me at all and I think that a lot of that has to do with these shoes.

Birkenstock Mayari Sandals. These are my go-to non-running shoes. I love how they mold to the contours of your feet. They are known to guide your foot into a healthy walking position, delivering exceptional comfort in every step. I wear these to work (or basically anytime that I am not running). After dealing with plantar fasciitis for so long, I refuse to wear heels or wedges anymore. It just isn’t worth it.

Chick-Fil-A diet lemonade. So tart, so refreshing! I been craving lemonade after hot runs. We hit up Chick-Fil-A Tuesday evening after our run and I got my fix.

Pop-Tarts. Daniel has gotten me on pop-tarts recently. I don’t remember eating them growing up or really ever for that matter. If I am still hungry after dinner (which obviously means I haven’t eaten quite enough that day), I have been eating pop-tarts. Not exactly the healthiest of snacks, but they hit the spot and satisfy the need for calories and the desire for something sweet.

Aveeno wipes. I love these face cleaning wipes. I like to wipe my face off with these after running. They have aloe in them and they feel great on your skin.

I guess that was kind of a random assortment, but those are a few of my favorite things right now!

What are your favorite running shoes?

Hey friends! I’m bringing you a little something different today.

I always enjoy reading “Day in the Life” posts. A couple of the bloggers that I follow did these type of posts this week and I realized that I’ve never done one myself before. It’s time to remedy that! I like seeing little glimpses into other people’s lives. There is something about seeing the ins and outs of another person’s daily life that makes me feel connected to them in a deeper way even though they are a random stranger on the internet.

Hopefully you will enjoy this little glimpse into an ordinary day in my life. Besides, I think that the daily grind of ordinary days helps to prepare us for the extraordinary days!

4:40: Hello, world!

The alarm goes off, but I promptly hit snooze. Not quite ready yet, world! After the one snooze, I was ready to at least begin the wake up process, which involves reading my devotional and a quick scroll through social media.

I usually sleep in my running clothes (well, except for the shoes … that would be weird), so once I get myself out of bed, get my teeth brushed and put my eyes (contacts) in, I’m ready to go.

5:00 – 6:30: Let’s Run!

We usually start running between 5:00 and 5:15. Today I had a workout to do and Daniel decided to sleep in, so I hit the treadmill. The workout called for a 3 mile warm up, a 4 mile tempo with a goal range of 6:15 to 6:25 pace and a 3 mile cool down.

I like to ease into my treadmill workouts. For the warm up I start at 10:00 pace and every 2 minutes I increase the speed my 0.2 mph. Basically this turns the warm up into a little mini-progression run. My warm up miles were 9:00, 7:48, 7:18. By that point, my legs were awake and ready to go! I averaged 6:24 for the tempo miles, which was right within the goal range. I definitely had to work hard to hit that.

I cut the cool down a little bit short. I was DONE and just really ready to be off of the treadmill! Side note: I am pretty sure that is possibly one of the sweatiest runs that I’ve done. I had to wring out my socks afterwards. That doesn’t happen to me very often.

6:30 – 7:20: Randomness at Home

Lots of random tasks go down between 6:30 and 7:30. Things like post-run hydrating (I drank 20 oz. of water with 2 Nuun tablets this morning) and caffeinating, making the bed, updating my training log, playing with Brooks, checking emails, etc. Daniel always showers first (oh the joys of one bathroom apartment living) It takes me about 20 minutes to get ready for work, so as long as I am in the shower by 7:00, I’m good to go. Low maintenance #forthewin.

I don’t know that anyone has ever told me that my curly hair specifically looks good, but I go with a “hope for the best” outlook.

7:30: Breakfast

Breakfast is not a fancy meal at our house. Let’s face it … none of our meals are really very fancy. If it can’t be prepared in the crock pot, in the microwave or on the grill, it doesn’t get prepared. Thankfully, Daniel and I are on the same page with this. We eat to live, not live to eat. We eat what I would consider to be a fairly healthy (i.e., clean) diet, but we aren’t perfect (obviously) … we definitely splurge on not so healthy options every now and then. Moderation is truly the key.

Disclaimer: I think that food is something that I will always have to be mindful and cognizant of. It is easy for me to slip into bad (i.e., disordered) habits when things get stressful or life feels out of control. Daniel does a really good job of reining me back in. I have a decent amount of nutritional knowledge, but I am by no means a professional. I am not giving nutrition advice or telling you how you should eat. I have found what works for me. Everyone has a different definition of “healthy” and different things work for different people … #findyourhealthy #comparisonisthethiefofjoy #differentstrokesfordifferentfolks.

Where were we? Ahh, yes. Breakfast.

Greek yogurt with oats and raspberries (one of my all-time favorite fruits) and a side of G2 (actually it is a Sprite zero & G2 mixture). Simple and nutritious. I also take a calcium supplement with breakfast. Daniel typically does a protein shake, a pop-tart or a stop at Chick-Fil-A.

7:45 – 8:00: Drive to Work

I had the added pleasure of stopping by Coffee Loft on my way to work this morning, because I was working at a client’s office and Coffee Loft just happened to be right on the way. It was basically a mandatory stop.

Typically I just drive straight to our office, which is about a 15 (on a good day) to 20 minute drive. It’s not a bad commute at all and it gives me a chance to call my mom and chat for a few minutes each day.

8:00 – 10:30: Work

For any new readers or those that don’t know me well, my day job is in public accounting. I am a CPA. I have a master’s degree in tax accounting, so the majority of what I do at work revolves around taxes (preparing and reviewing tax returns, tax planning, responding to tax notices, etc.). Summer is a slow time of year for us tax folks, so I only work part-time during the summer months. Business tax returns that are extended are due September 15th, so that is the next deadline that we are working towards currently.

10:30: Snack

My stomach started to get a little rumbly mid-morning. I always seem to be hungrier on workout mornings. Luckily I brought some snacks for just such an occasion.

The nectarine was not quite as good as I was hoping that it would be, but oh well.

10:30 – 12:00: Work

Noon: Lunch

We had an internal meeting at work today and lunch was provided. We had homemade chicken salad on croissants and it was so good! Daniel and his co-workers go out for lunch pretty much every day, but I usually try to take my lunch with me. We don’t have a lot of great lunching options nearby, so it is easier just to take it with me. I usually eat pretty quickly and keep working anyway.

12:00 – 4:30: Work

Our meeting lasted for a pretty long time, so the afternoon flew by. I worked on a few returns after that until it was time to go. Thursday is my Friday, so leaving work on a Thursday afternoon is the best feeling!

4:30: Snack

Quest bars are my go-to afternoon snack. I love them! They have 20 grams of protein and they are very satisfying.

5:00: Let’s Run (Round 2)!

I don’t run in the evening every day by any means, but my coach has two to three double run days built-in to my schedule each week. It seems like I usually get two doubles in, but rarely get three. The evening runs are usually very easy, recovery type runs. I met Rebecca right after work and we did 4.75 miles. I ended my run at .25 that morning and I wanted to even that out. I might have some slight traces of OCD. I usually make Rebecca run around the parking lot until my watch beeps for 5 miles, so she was thankful that we didn’t have to do that this time.

She pushes the stroller and we just chat about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We had a good run and we hung out and chatted for a while after we got done.

6:00: Head Home

6:30 – 8:00: Randomness at Home (Round 2)

Brooksy greeted me at the door with a wet nose and puppy kisses and Daniel and I caught up on our day. He had an appointment after work with Dr. Justin (his piriformis is still being a literal pain in his butt) and after that he went out for a ride on the motorcycle and played with Brooks. I was really excited to discover that my RRCA certificate and my MPR business cards had come in the mail.

After a shower (round 2), I worked on the blog for a while with the Tour de France on in the background. The sun went down at 7:50 and it was a really good one. The pictures do not do it justice at all. It was just like the Kenny Chesney song … a “big orange ball, sinkin’ in the water.”

8:00: Dinner

By 8 I was getting hungry. I made myself a turkey “wrap” (turkey, cheese, pickles and spicy mustard on a flat bread) and had some chips and a sweet potato on the side.

Daniel had peanut butter, nutella and banana sandwiches with string cheese. Like I said … low maintenance. I take an iron supplement and vitamin C with dinner. I also had a big glass of chocolate almond milk.

8:30 – 9:30: Relax and Get Ready for Bed

We spend a little bit of time watching TV each evening. Our latest Netflix series is One Tree Hill. Neither of us have seen it before and it’s been pretty good so far. I’m snacking on a dark chocolate sea salt bar. I like to have a sweet snack before bed. Daniel is snacking on some Noosa (Australian yogurt) and applesauce. I also spend some time reading blogs in the evenings before bed.

9:30: Light’s Out!

Brooks says, “I can’t take it anymore.” He must’ve had a rough doggie day. Maybe I can get him to do a guest “day in the life” post one day!? Either that or we can just go see The Secret Life of Pets. It looks so cute.

Whew. That’s a wrap. It was a fun, busy day. I hoped you enjoyed following along.

How was your day? Did you eat anything delicious or nutritious?

Hey guys!

It’s been a stormy couple of days here on the Gulf Coast. The goods news is that it seems to have brought us a little mini-reprieve from the heat (meaning that it has been in the upper 70s at 5 a.m., instead of mid 80s). The last few weeks were pretty intense, so this week has actually been quite wonderful. We’ll take anything we can get at this point.

We are headed to the beach for a couple of days [insert happy dance], so I want to go ahead and get a quick recap in before we leave. Here is what the week has looked like so far:

Monday: Easy 8 + Easy 5
Tuesday: Track + RW group run
Wednesday: Easy 8
Thursday: Easy 8 

It’s pretty much just been easy running, except for Tuesday. Tuesday morning we hit the track for #TrackTuesday. My workout was 12 X 400 with a goal range of 82 – 84 seconds per lap (i.e., 5:28 – 5:36 per mile). I made the mistake of mentioned to my coach that there was a 2 mile race coming up in August that I wanted to “race,” and in return this fast repeat workout showed up on my schedule. Lovely.

I’ve done 400 meter repeat workouts plenty of times in the past, but I don’t ever remember having a goal pace quicker than 6:00 per mile (90 seconds per 400). I was pretty intimidated by the goal pace range that he gave me this time. I didn’t know if I would be able to hit those times or not, but I knew I had to try.

Daniel and Jessica did the 400 workout with me and Rebecca came to the track with us, but she had a different workout to do (a workout for a 50 mile race looks quite a bit different than a workout for a 2 mile race). Even though we weren’t all running the exact same times or doing the same workout, having them out there with me was really nice because 1) you have more accountability to finish your workout when others are there with you and 2) it’s nice to have a few kind words of encouragement while you are out there working your tush off.

The workout went better than I was expecting! It took me a few repeats to find and settle into the goal range, but once I did, I was fairly consistent with the remainder of the workout. Here is what it actually looked like:

2 mi. WU, 12 X 400 (86, 86, 85, 85, 84, 83, 84, 84, 84, 85, 84, 84), 2 mi. CD

As you can see, the first four were slower than my goal range (granted not by much, but still …). I’m glad that I didn’t give up and stayed with it long enough to actually give myself a chance. Track workouts are tough mental workouts and this one was definitely a test of mental and physical strength.

I finally downloaded the FitSnap app, so that I can make pretty little pictures from my workouts. Check it out …

Fancy, right? Haha.

I was in a weird mood Tuesday evening and I thought about not going to the group run at the store. I usually enjoy group runs, but every now and then after work I just really don’t feel like talking or being social. Tuesday was a weird day at work because we lost power for several hours and weren’t able to get much done. I’m sure that probably contributed to my weird mood.

Since Daniel was going, I decided to go ahead and go as well. I am really glad that I did because I had a great run. Isn’t that crazy? Going into it, I was not feeling it at all, but once I started running, I felt really good and I settled into a strong rhythm. I ran with Daniel and the guys, which was great because I was working kind of hard to keep up and I didn’t really have to make small talk (mostly because I couldn’t). There was a pack of about 6 or 7 of us and I kind of got lost in my own thoughts, just listening to the sound of our footsteps.

We did 6 miles at a 7:30 average, which is definitely faster than my normal “easy” pace (which ranges from 8:00 to 9:00 minutes per mile, at least in the summer). I probably shouldn’t have pushed the pace that evening after doing a workout that morning, but I felt good so I just went with it.

Luckily I had some flexibility with my schedule this week and so I gave myself two easy days to properly recover before my next workout, which will be a brisk pace run. I was supposed to do that today, but we are going to do it tomorrow instead. Hopefully it will be followed with some beach running or walking! I can’t wait.

I think Brooks must’ve known that we were going to be leaving, because he got sick Wednesday. I got a text from the lady that checks on him mid-day while I was at work yesterday and she told me that he had gotten sick and that she thought he might have gotten overheated. I decided to take him to the vet yesterday afternoon, just to make sure that he was okay. I would’ve hated to leave for a few days if he was really sick.

She said that she didn’t think we needed to take him to the vet, but I just wanted some reassurance. Yes … I am an overprotective doggie mom. Thankfully we got the A-OK from the vet. This doesn’t look like a sick puppy, does it? He loves a good car ride.

I know he will be in good hands while we are gone and I am so glad to know that he is healthy.

Alright kids, it’s time for me to finish packing and head out. You can follow along on Instagram for vacation updates!

Hello friends!

I am linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for the Weekly Wrap.

Saturday morning I headed to Running Wild to get my long run done for the weekend. Rebecca, Ashley and I needed to get 20 miles in, so we met before the normal group run and got 6 miles knocked out before 6 a.m. We met back at the store and joined the rest of the group for 10 miles and then headed back out to get the leftover 4 miles done.

The store has various distance options for the group runs. This week there was a 5 mile, 8 mile and 10 mile route. We got to run with Lizzie, Jill and Jessica for part of our run too.

Yesterday was Lizzie’s last day working at Running Wild. It was a bittersweet day for sure. She has a great new job and we are excited for her, but we will surely miss seeing her several times per week. She’ll only be about 45 minutes away, so we are planning to visit her regularly.

There were good-bye hugs … these pictures crack me up. Perfectly imperfect.

What in the world?

I have so much love for these running friendships. I know that I have done a pretty solid job of professing my undying love of running on the internet at this point, but I’m going to do a little bit more of that now. Running has brought a lot of really positive things into my life, but one of the greatest things that it has given me is community and a sense of belonging.

These are my people.

For years (i.e., throughout high school and college), I struggled to find a friend group. Don’t get me wrong, I had some great friends, but I never felt like I truly “fit in” or that people accepted me for me. I felt like I had to be or act a certain way to fit in with whatever group it was. Even then, I knew I didn’t truly belong. I was almost happier to be by myself (hello only child) and while this can be good at times, it’s also a lonely way to live.

The running community is absolutely wonderful and I am so thankful to have found the sense of belonging that comes from being a part of it. Belonging is a basic human need, just like the need for food and shelter. Running brings people together by putting the focus on ways we are similar, instead of focusing on ways we are different. Even though we are different in some ways (we are in different life stages, have different political views, come from different backgrounds, etc.), we are all runners and we accept each other for who we are.

We are all a little bit looney and that makes it fun!

After our run, we did our typical drink all the drinks and hang out at Coffee Loft for several hours. I don’t know how we manage to do this, but it’s like we could just talk and hang out forever. I love it!

8 drinks for 3 people … totally normal. Not pictured (aka already consumed) are my G2 and sprite zero that I added Nuun to. I also drank lots of water and one Nuun tablet during the run. Lots of hydration is needed on these summer long runs!

Daniel had to work Saturday morning, so he wanted to do his run Saturday afternoon after work. He is kind of warming up to the idea of me “coaching” him. He wanted to do a workout Saturday and he let me pick it out … this is going to be fun. Hehe.

I decided to have him do a brisk pace run. He did 5 miles easy and 5 miles at brisk pace. I have this same workout coming up this week and my coach had just done a post about the benefits of this type of run, so I guess it was just fresh on my brain. The focus of the brisk run is to stay relaxed while running quickly, which helps us to run as efficiently as possible in workouts and races. The more relaxed we stay the less energy we burn at every speed.

I rode the bike with Daniel during his workout, which was fun. I was able to shout at him encourage him and hold his water for him. Win, win. He had a great run and I was happy to be along for the ride (literally).

I took an impromptu rest day Sunday, which was much need and really nice. Last week was a big week mileage wise and I felt like a day off would be better for me than an easy run.

My day went like this: sleep in –> go to church –> read –> take a nap –> watch the Olympic Trials. It was a perfect mental, physical and spiritual “reset” day. Running and gymnastics are my two favorite sports to watch and they were both on this weekend! I can’t wait for the Olympics now!

What is your favorite event to watch?

 

Today I am linking up with Patty, Erika and Marcia for their weekly “Tuesday on the Run” series. This week’s topic is “How Do You Choose Your Races.” For the last few weeks, I have been trying to choose a fall marathon, so I figured this would be a good link up to join. Writing out the thought process of choosing a race just might help lead me where I want to go.

Spoiler alert: It did! Keep reading …

I like to race a lot! I think the process of choosing a race definitely varies by race type, so I am going to break this down into a few different sections, culminating with the marathon selection process, which is by far the most difficult (in my opinion).

5Ks & 10Ks – There isn’t a very complex thought process that goes into choosing a 5K or 10K race (for me at least). It’s usually just based on location. I’ll pretty much do any 5K or 10K within a 50 mile radius. I typically do anywhere from 5 to 10 5Ks per year and 1 or 2 10Ks per year and most of those are just going to be small, local races.

Half Marathon – The half marathon is my favorite distance to race! If I am choosing a half marathon as a goal race, I am going to consider 1) time of year, 2) location and 3) course.

1. Time of year: I’m probably not going to be doing a half marathon in the months of May – September (at least not a local one). October – April are fair game though.
2. Location: I am definitely willing to travel a little bit further for a half than I am for shorter races. All of the half marathons that I have done have still been within driving distance, but I’d say that my radius is closer to 200 miles for a half.
3. Course: The flatter the better!

Marathon – Here is where it gets tricky! There is so much that goes into choosing and training for a marathon. I have been trying to decide on my next marathon here for a while and it’s not a decision I wanted to make lightly. I basically run one marathon a year. I ran my first one in 2011 and I’ve done 6. Over the course of the next 3 or 4 years, I would like to try to do at least 2 or 3 per year, but we’ll see how that works out.

When choosing a marathon as a goal race (side note: I’ve never done a marathon just “for fun” so I don’t know exactly why I am qualifying that it needs to be a goal race, but nonetheless …), I am going to consider 1) time of year, 2) course, 3) race size and 4) scheduling.

1. Time of year: My marathon window is shorter than my half window. November – January is pretty much when it needs to be. Weather and my work schedule dictate this. I realize that I will have to be open to other months in order to get more marathons in going forward, but I think that will likely just involve a little bit more traveling to get out of the South. I’m cool with that though.
2. Course: The flatter the better still applies here, but it isn’t quite as much of a concern. It’s harder to find pancake flat marathons and a few (small) hills don’t really bother me too much.
3. Race Size: I prefer smaller marathons. I’m not a fan of crowds in general, so races like Boston & New York kind of freak me out. I’m glad that I have done them, but I can’t say that I would *choose* those. I mean, when you qualify for Boston & New York you run them, but I am good with a one and done on those.
4. Scheduling: One of the reasons that it is tricky to pick out a marathon is because I want it to fit as seamlessly as possible into my “race” schedule. The marathon basically takes you out of other races for at least two weeks leading up to it and then probably at least two weeks (if not more) afterwards.

Ultimately, I landed on the fact that this was probably the most important factor for me. I made a list of about 10 marathons that fit into my November – January window and also made a list of the fall races that definitely want to do and then I compared the dates.

Here is the work in progress …

Before I did this, I was really leaning towards Rock ‘N’ Roll Savannah. I realized that if I did that race, I wouldn’t be able to do the fall 10K that I want to do or either of the “turkey” races that I usually do (10 miler the weekend before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day 5K).

So after mapping out the dates and compiling a list of other races that I want to do, I was able to at least narrow it down to one weekend that stands out as the best. The first weekend in December is when it’s going to be. That’s a huge start! A training plan can be built now that the date is set.

Right now the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon is the top candidate. It is advertised as “a flat and fast, double-loop course that starts and ends at the Baton Rouge Beach and passes through the LSU campus, around the LSU lakes, and alongside waterfront estates.” I have never done a double loop course for a marathon before, but Daniel and I talked about it and we decided that maybe it won’t seem as long that way?! I think that’s probably being overly optimistic, but we’re just going to go with it.

P.S. I think Daniel is going to run this one with me! We will likely have similar goals for the race, so that will either be A) really great, fantastic and wonderful or B) a disaster. Time will tell! Lol!

What are the most important factors that you weigh when choosing a race?

Hello friends! Happy Sunday! I am linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for the Weekly Wrap. This weekly wrap is going to be outlined and illustrated by a random assortment of phone pics from the week that did not previously make it to the blog, but that will help us catch up on what’s been going on.

We’ve been spending our evenings watching all. the. sports. It’s awesome! The Olympic Trials, Wimbledon and now the Tour de France. So many sports, so little time.

Brooks enjoys sitting on me cuddling with us on the couch in the evenings. I saw this quote and absolutely loved it! Yes, yes and yes!

Our treadmill died a few weeks ago, which was a major bummer, but we actually got really lucky because the issue was only some rust on the console that was causing it not to start. P.S. You know you live in lower AL when your treadmill that is inside gets rusty from the humidity in the air. We got the treadmill in September 2011 and it had a 5 year electronics warranty (so we were within 2 months of that running out). They sent us a new console and she is back up and running!

I see plenty more workouts in our future.

In the meantime, I decided to join the local YMCA. We’ve had a membership in the past, but usually ended up not using it very much. I enjoyed working out at the gym with my mom the last few times that I was at home and so I decided that I might enjoy that on a more regular basis. I have already used it a couple of times this week. I did the elliptical and I actually enjoyed it. I never thought I would say that about any non-running gym machine ever.

They also have several classes that I want to try out. I used to get frustrated because the classes that I wanted to go to were always not early enough for me to go and get to work on time or they started too early after work for me to make it, but now I have more flexibility to actually make it to several of the classes. I’ve also been using the aerobics room to do abs and to stretch. I’m turning over a new leaf. Maybe I’m just thinking about turning the leaf over at this point, but still … I stretched twice this week.

I know that you are impressed with my photog skillz. Basically I was torn between, I should take a picture of this for the blog and not wanting to be “that girl” who takes a picture of everything she does. It’s a struggle I tell ya.

Rebecca and I are always trying to figure out exactly how all of the runners on Instagram get these crazy awesome pictures of themselves running all the time. It’s baffling really. Social media really magnifies the comparison trap. It’s hard not to compare yourself to other people or even to yourself at a different life stage. This seems to be a topic that Rebecca and I keep coming back to over and over again in our conversations. I saw this quote this week and I thought it was an excellent reminder.

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else or to your old self. Do something each day that makes you a better version of your current self and roll with it. You are who you are right now and if you don’t like who you are … get to work on that. One day at a time.

In other news, I got my new racing kit this week! I recently found out that I was selected to be a RADrabbit ambassador. All Rabbit apparel is made right here in the USA and is made by runners for runners. The RAD in RADrabbit stands for Runners and Dreamers and their slogan is “born to run free.” I’m so excited to be a part of their very first team!

I wore my outfit at the 5K I ran yesterday and it was great. I didn’t have any issues with any of it. Super comfortable and functional. I can’t wait to try out some of the other pieces.

I am totally a hat person and I am really digging my rabbit hat. I think I’ve worn it every day since I’ve gotten it, which also means that my hair has likely been dirty at some point every day and I needed to cover it up. Case in point. Post 5K car ride home.

I am doing my long run tomorrow and so this morning I technically could’ve slept in. I am so used to waking up before 5 a.m. that I was wide awake by 5:30 a.m. with no hopes of falling back asleep. Brooks was pretty pleased. He got to go out and play before 6 a.m. He usually has to wait on us to get home from running to get his first play session of the day in.

After I was up, I decided to take my book down to the bay with my coffee and read some. I finished up Emily Giffin’s new book First Comes Love this morning. I read the entire thing in two days! I just couldn’t put it down. I knew that was going to happen though. I get really emotionally invested in a book whenever I actually decide to read one. A holiday weekend seemed like a good time to pick it up, since I have plenty of free time to get lost in the pages.

There was a nice breeze and it felt so nice out. I enjoyed some peaceful time outside without any distractions.

I have two more pictures to share and then I’ll be done.

First is this peach lacy halter top tank that I found, perfect for layering. I had never seen anything like it and it’s perfect for tops that are too loose or that you just want to add a different look to. I found it at Adrenaline and thought it was very clever. I’m sure it’s something that teenagers are into (and probably have been into for a while) and that a 30-year-old shouldn’t be wearing, but oh well. I’m a late adopter and since I’m not comparing myself to anyone else, I’m gonna wear my peach tank proudly. Ha.

Second is this Moving Comfort delicate laundry bag that solves a major laundry issue. We put all of our socks in it during the week and then when we do laundry, we don’t have any mysteriously disappearing socks anymore. It’s genius! I got this at Running Wild, but I don’t know if they still have them or not. You can find similar ones on Amazon.

Kind of a random assortment of stuff today. Tis life! I hope you are enjoying you and having a safe, fun weekend!

What are you doing tomorrow?

Hello friends! It’s Wednesday, so you know what that means … Workout Wednesday. You got it!

I kind of blew up my running schedule this week because I decided that I wanted to run a 5K Saturday that wasn’t previously planned. A couple of our friends are doing it so, you know, FOMO. The problem is that I was supposed to have a tempo run today and a fast finish long run this weekend and figuring out how to work the 5K into the mix without having back to back stress days proved to be a bit of a challenge.

One of the main principles of our training philosophy is the stress and recover principle. You stress the body when you run fast or run long (or both) and then you let your body recover with a short or easy day (or both) or with rest. Once your body has recovered from the stress run, it is stronger and more adapted to the stress, which leads to improvements in your running fitness.

I knew that I couldn’t do my long run Sunday if I race the 5K Saturday, so I thought about doing my long run today, which would give me two days to recover for the 5K and I was just going to consider the 5K as my tempo run. As I was running this morning though, I had an epiphany. Monday is a holiday and there is actually a 4 mile race close by and so I can pretty easily do 14 to 16 miles before that race and then do the 4 mile race as my “fast finish.” I really like this idea because it will force me to actually do the fast finish portion of the LR. I have a tendency to bail on the fast finishes far too often.

After I got that all worked out, it was back to regularly scheduled programming this morning, which was a tempo run. The workout was supposed to be a 2 mile WU, a 5 mile LT tempo (6:20 – 6:30 pace), followed by a 2 mile CD. What I actually did was a 3 mile WU, a 4 mile tempo (6:48 average) and a 3 mile CD. Daniel did the workout with me, which made it a lot better!

The 2 mile warm up got stretched out into a 3 mile warm up because there is a huge hill on our route right at mile 2 that is basically an entire mile long and there was no way that I was going to start the tempo on that thing. We knew that 6:30 pace would likely be tough to hit, so we decided to try to stay in the 6:45 range. I entered the temperature and dew point into my calculator when we got back and my LT tempo range for 78 degrees and a dew point of 75 is actually 6:43 – 6:47, so we were almost spot on! That made me feel a lot better!

Don’t beat yourself up over your paces during the summer. Do the work and wait patiently for fall. It’ll all be worth it.

I found this cool little running survey floating around the interwebs and I thought it’d be fun to complete. Here goes …

What is your favorite type of cross training? LOL. Of course this would be the first question. I don’t do a lot of cross training at all, but I guess the question asks about my favorite type not the frequency of the activity. I’m going to go with paddle boarding. It’s a good core workout and it’s challenging, but relaxing at the same time.

What is your favorite song to run to? Goodness, that’s a tough one too. This survey might be harder than I was expecting. Favorite song definitely changes from time to time. One of my current favorites is “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. Another all time favorite would be “Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder.

What brand of shoes do you wear? Brooks all the way!

Do you wear a hat when you run? If it is raining, definitely. Otherwise, it’s usually only to hide dirty hair.

What temperature is your favorite for running? 55.

Do you run solo or with a buddy? Preferably with a buddy (or two or three).

Are you a morning, noon, or evening runner? Yes! Haha. Most frequently I am a morning runner, but I do evening runs a couple of times per week and the occasional lunch time run.

Do you have any big races coming up? I’m trying to decide on a fall marathon. I know I’m going to do one, it’s just a matter of figuring out which one that will be!

What is your favorite post run snack? I don’t know that I have a favorite post-run snack. I’m usually not extremely hungry immediately after running. In the morning, I usually have yogurt and oatmeal after my run.

What is your favorite distance? My favorite race distance is the half marathon. My favorite distance to run would probably be 10 miles.

What is your favorite race? I don’t think I can pick just one here, so I’m going to call it a tie. First Light in Mobile was my first marathon, so that holds a special place in my heart. I’ve also done the half there several times as well as the relay, which is always a blast. Rock ‘N’ Roll New Orleans is the co-favorite.

Do you wear a Garmin? If not, how do you track your distance? I go through phases with the Garmin, but I am currently all-in. I somewhat recently get the new Garmin Forerunner 235 (with the built-in heart rate monitor) and I love it, so that is contributing to my all-in phase. I also somewhat recently joined Strava and so, I have to wear the watch to upload my run to Strava. If you didn’t Garmin it, it didn’t happen.

What is your least favorite race? I kind of hate to even answer this one, but since the question is here, I’ll do it. I am really not a big fan of the Azalea Trail Run. It’s one of the biggest 10Ks in our area, but I just don’t like it.

Who is your running idol? I am a big fan of Desi Linden and Meb Keflezighi.

How long have you been running? I started running track my junior year in high school.

Do you wear your engagement/wedding ring when you run? No.

What is your favorite type of run? Long runs are my favorite 🙂

What do you drink to stay hydrated? Nuun.

Where is your favorite place to run? Favorite place to run would probably be the beach. I love to go out for a run on vacation early in the morning before everyone else is awake. I usually do most of my miles on the road and finish it up with a couple on the beach. You can’t beat that.

What do you take on a run? Does it vary by distance? I don’t typically take anything with me when I run with a group. If I am running alone, I take my phone and mace or some sort of protection device. I am trying to do a better job of carrying a water bottle with me during the summer time long runs.

Your turn! What is your favorite race? P.S. Any good fall marathon suggestions are welcome!

Hey, hey! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

I am linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for the Weekly Wrap.

As it turns out, I didn’t end up playing tennis this weekend, but my team actually won state! I was supposed to play Friday afternoon. However, one of our girls won her first match 6-1, 6-1 that morning and still felt fresh, so it made sense to let her play again. Honestly, I was relieved not to play. The tournament snuck up on me and I didn’t get much any practice in. I would’ve been totally winging it and when you have a state championship on the line, that isn’t really the best approach.

I’m so proud of my team! Here are the 4.5 Alabama state champs!

It’s hard to juggle tennis and [ultra] marathon training. Tennis is so hard on my feet and it was hard for me to find time to play this spring. Tennis was my first love (sports wise) and I hope to get back into it more seriously one day, but right now running is my main focus. Running will likely be the main focus for at least the next 4 or 5 years and then, who knows, maybe tennis will take over. My running years will likely peak during that window and tennis is a lifetime sport. I just need to play enough over the next few years to be somewhat competitive when I am ready to get back into it.

This weekend was a big training weekend for me. The 50K that I am looking to do is in 4 weeks. That doesn’t leave too much time! It isn’t really going to be a goal race, but mainly just want to do one so that I can continue my birthday streak. I need 31 miles for 31 years. One day I’m going to have to pick a new birthday tradition (or perhaps just switch over to kilometers), but for now I’m going to continue with the whole run my age in miles thing.

Saturday morning I ran with Daniel and his friends. I ended up doing 12 miles at just under 8 minute pace (7:52). The guys picked it up some towards the end of the run, so their average was a little bit quicker. I enjoyed running with Daniel’s group at a pace a little bit faster than I would have if left to my own devices. I think it’s good for me to push the pace a little bit every now and then on an easy run, just to get out of my comfort zone.

Of course coffee and breakfast afterwards at Warehouse is just an added bonus!

Rebecca and Savannah came and met us for breakfast and Savannah really enjoyed her fruity pebbles donut. She kept picking the entire plate up and brining it to her face instead of picking up the donut because she doesn’t like to get her hands sticky. She is a little OCD like her mama!

Since Daniel was finally off work this weekend (hallelujah), we headed to the bay with our fur baby for a little bit Saturday afternoon. Brooks did his typical fetching and waller around in the sand thing. He’s a mess. Like literally a mess after this …

The remainder of the day was an HGTV Flip or Flop marathon with some rest thrown in.

Sunday morning was the longest run of the training cycle thus far and of course, it was crazy hot and humid (I guess that’s pretty much a given at this point, but I feel the need to say it every time just in case you aren’t familiar with lower AL summer weather).

Rebecca and I had a good 22 mile route mapped out with lots of options for water. Jessica joined us too! She isn’t even training for anything specifically and hasn’t really done a long run since Boston in April, but she did the entire 22 with us. You know … no big deal, except for that she is kind of a big deal. People know her. She’s very important. Anchorman quotes never get old right?

Not going to lie, the run was a bit of a struggle. There were buckets of sweat, lots of laughs, a few tears, and even a few choice expletives (the end of the run was a bit of a peach show), but we got it in. Summer long runs are all about survival and y’all … we survived! Cue Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” lyrics.

Daniel was our knight in shining armor when he brought us all Route 44 drinks from Sonic at the end of our run. I really just thought it was so cool that we ran 22 miles and that when we finished the run we drank a 44 oz. treat and the temperature was 88 degrees. I love number patterns! Nerd alert. I guess that’s the accountant in me.

We cooled off in the fountain, which was quite heavenly!

That is all of the running related activity that went down this weekend. I feel great (considering I ran 22 miles this morning) and I’m ready to tackle another week!

What was your favorite thing you did this weekend?

Hey guys! Happy Friday!

Sadly I do not have a race report to give you today. We were planning to go to week two of the summer track series yesterday, but Daniel was worn out and I had a major headache and so we decided it would be best to just rest. Daniel is on his 26th day of work in a row and he is exhausted (understandably so).

I hardly ever get headaches (thankfully) and when I do it is usually because I am dehydrated. I really try to stay on top of my hydration, during the summer especially, but it is definitely possible that I was a little behind. I hated to miss the meet, but at the same time, I didn’t want to dig myself further into a hole. I also had to remember that I am playing a singles tennis match at 1 p.m. today. Yep. That’s gonna be toasty.

I have to tell myself sometimes that it’s okay to not do it all. I struggle to find the balance between “suck it up buttercup” and well frankly, being kind to myself. There’s that word again … balance. I know that sometimes we need to push ourselves, but sometimes we also need to recognize that we need a break and we need to not feel guilty for taking that break.

Where’s the line between wimping out and being smart? Does this line really even exist? I think that this probably looks very different for different people and there might not be a right or wrong answer in all cases. For some reason right now I am picturing that it looks somewhat like the first-down line on the TV screen during a football game. The viewer sees it because they are able to step back and evaluate things, but the players don’t see that line while they are in the middle of the plays. I know that they know where the first-down is, but in this (somewhat odd) example we are just talking about the magical little yellow line.

What makes matters more complicated is that as soon as you find the line, it moves! I think this is probably true of the line that we are talking about as well. It might look different during different seasons and stages of life. Super deep stuff … I know. That’s the only metaphor that I’ve got. Oh, but I saw this and I just really can’t resist sharing.

A perfect summation of the struggle. The struggle is indeed real.

Aaaaand I just got completely sidetracked on Pinterest. That struggle is real too. Good news though. I found lots of cute coffee things to share! #winning

Who’s with me?

Yes you are! Have a great Friday and be kind to yourself!

Hello friends! Tomorrow is the next race of the summer track series and Friday starts the state tennis tournament, which means that I’ll have some exciting things to tell you about later in the week, so I wanted to do a mid-week check in and tell you about what’s been going on since we last chatted.

I got to spend some quality hanging out with my dad on Father’s Day, which was really nice. Literally hanging out …

He has taught me so much over the years. He coached all of my sports teams growing up and spent hours upon hours training/playing with me at home too. When I wanted to learn how to do a back handspring, he rigged up a DIY (that wasn’t a thing then, but you get the point) back handspring contraption for me. He got a life jacket from the boat and tied a rope on both sides of it and then hung that in between two trees. I learned how to do the back handspring without fear of falling on my head. I’m pretty sure that I kicked him in the face while he was spotting me one time prior to this contraption being built, so that might’ve been the motivation for it, but alas, it was a great learning tool.

He also taught my Sunday School class when I was in junior high. My dad truly loves Jesus and displays that in every aspect of his life. He walks the walk. He is the most generous, selfless person that I know.

Recent example of this … Daniel has been wanting a motorcycle. I was not super keen on the idea of it (purely from a financial standpoint, not because I didn’t think he could handle himself on a motorcycle). Dad and I were talking about it this weekend and he offered to let Daniel have his motorcycle. Daniel was over the moon excited when he found out! I texted him to tell him that I had good news for him and he said he was happy because he thought I was going to bring him some barbeque home. Motorcycle definitely trumped barbeque and I got some cool wife points in the process.

Here I am on the 1977 Harley Davidson Sportster that we are going to fix up for Daniel. I brought Budsie Daniel along for the ride. Yes, I am 30 years old and I have a stuffed husband that I take with me when I go out of town. Don’t judge me.

Mom and I got in another good workout together Monday morning before I headed back home. I did a few relatively easy miles on the treadmill while she did the elliptical. My Garmin foot pod came in and so I was excited to test it out. It was spot on! I did have one reader ask and so a few others might be curious about why it mattered if my watch was correct on the treadmill in the first place. Basically, it doesn’t matter. I am just OCD and I link my runs to Garmin Connect and Strava and so I want the data there to be as accurate as possible.

The gym where we were has an indoor running track as well, so after a few miles on the treadmill I thought it might be “fun” to run on that … until I realized that I had to do 20 laps to get one mile. 20!

I only lasted two miles and I was definitely thankful to have my foot pod at this point, because there was no way I was going to keep count of those laps. I stopped trying after about 5, but thankfully with my watch set to the indoor run setting and the foot pod connected, it tracked it for me.

Tuesday morning Jessica, Daniel and I got in a good 7 mile run before work. The weather has been so much better this week than last week! After work we did the typical group run at Running Wild thing.

The food situation at home was pretty sad (Daniel worked the weekend and I was gone on Sunday when we typically shop), so we had to make an emergency stop at the store on the way home from the run. I’m pretty sure I understand why they tell you to not go to the grocery store when you are hungry. This happened …

I mean, really?! We usually eat pretty healthy though, so … BALANCE. We purchased a few healthy items (fruit, yogurt, etc.) as well, so it wasn’t a total sugar fest. Side note: I haven’t had E.L.Fudge cookies since highschool. Those things are delicious!

This morning Jessica, Daniel and I were supposed to run again. Daniel decided to sleep in. I got up and got ready and then I got a text from Jessica saying that she messed up her alarm and had just woken up and wouldn’t be able to get here in time to run before work. It was no big deal, I know that definitely happens. I’ve done it. Daniel’s done it. I figured I would just go over and run on the treadmill since all my buddies bailed on me (kidding, kidding).

Well y’all, the treadmill wouldn’t start. It’s definitely been on its last leg for a while. I tried to figure out if this was like a three strikes, you’re out situation and I should skip the run altogether or if it was more of a when life hands you lemons, make lemonade situation. I decided to go with the latter and I headed out for a solo run. I took my phone with me and listened to some worship music and it was a perfectly peaceful run. I am so glad that I went! It was a beautiful morning and sometimes it is nice to just go out for a run and have time to clear your head and think.

Why yes life, I would indeed love a new pair (or two) of Lululemon shorts! How did you know?

See you soon!