music – The Celiathlete

October 6, 2019

Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #15

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicorn Whew. I was hoping for the weeks to feel a little less daunting and less of a grind, since I hit that last 20+ miler last weekend. But, apparently, my coach had other plans for this week. I warned you…he’s very nontraditional when it comes to the taper. That being said, I was expecting some room to breathe, so when I woke up Monday morning to my schedule (I go to bed before children go to bed…and sometimes I don’t have my schedule Sunday night before I go to bed…and this week, it came through 2 hours after I had already gone to bed), I was a little bit surprised. I wasn’t thrilled with it…but I know there are methods to what my coach prescribes me in these weeks leading into my goal race…so I put my trust in him.

Take a deep breath…we’re diving right in.

Monday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES + 4-6 STRIDES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN

I knew with every run this week having some sort of speed component in them, I really needed to pay attention to those that instructed me to run a base pace, or easy, and do exactly that. My Monday morning run is generally the same every week. So the fact that I didn’t have my schedule prior to going to bed wasn’t stressing me out at all. The only addition to this week’s Monday run was the inclusion of the strides at the end. This run went well. I kept things controlled and easy for 7 miles. I had been struggling in Florida with any sort of speed, and despite the heat and humidity, I managed to turn out some decent strides without feeling bad about my effort. I did my additional hip strengtheners during my stretches that morning. And I met with Corey, who did a full-body workout with me outside…which was insane and challenging. Let me tell you, I was still feeling it two days later. I did put in extra time that evening (after some further meal prep) to stretch and foam roll.

Tuesday: INSTRUCTIONS: SPEED WORK – MONA FARTLEKS W/ 1 MILE HARD EFFORT

Welcome to Day 2 of some sort of speed element in my running this week. Let me tell you, I run 6 days a week, and 5 of them included something that involved speed. This is my nightmare. BUT…at least he gave me my favorite of the speed workouts he throws at me – Mona Fartleks. If you’re an avid reader, you’re very familiar with these by now. If you’re just joining me on this journey…here’s how these work: 2 mile warm up, 2×90 sec, 4 x 60 sec, 4×30 sec, 4×15 sec (with equal recovery after each at a pace faster than base pace), 1 mile hard effort, 2 mile cool down. I felt really good during the actual workout…but I had a few bumps in the road. Not literally. First of all, there was a woman riding around on her electric scooter with a mean, yappy dog VERY early in the morning. And it was barking and coming at me, and at one point within my first mile, decided to chase me (there was no avoiding her), and it ripped the leash from the lady’s hand (and the handle cover off her scooter) and made for a very awkward situation and way to start. I actually paused for a few minutes to let them scoot on away so I could, possible, stop encountering them along the way. I don’t have a track (and it is currently WAY too warm to wait until the evening to do the track workouts with the local running store), so I do these on the road. And for a bunch of these intervals, I need to cross a main road. And this week…there happened to be a LOT of traffic at the time I chose to run. This rarely happens, but it does make me mad when it does. That being said, I did power through the intervals. The fast mile was a struggle because my legs were getting really tired and the humidity was wearing me out…but I finished it up, did my cool down, and happily went inside. I did my second day (I do 2 days a week usually) of additional hip strengthener moves with my stretches. And, progressively got a little more sore throughout the remainder of the day. That night I did attend Ladies Night at our local running store, which kept me out later than usual, but I got to hang with some amazing friends, which made it worth it.

Wednesday: INSTRUCTIONS: NO WATCH ALLOWED! FOCUS ON THE GOAL OF THE RUN = RECOVERY! GO AS FAR OR SHORT AS YOU NEED, AS FAST OR SLOW AS YOU NEED, WALK OR RUN AS YOU NEED.

Welcome to the one and only day this week that DID NOT include some element of speed. Thank goodness I had one. I woke up, still sore from personal training and very glad I didn’t have to push any sort of pace because of that. I got to bed late, but as this was a run for me to choose the distance, I know I wouldn’t go too far, and if the soreness got worse, I would keep it really short. I woke up later than my usual alarm (Thursday would be earlier, so it balances), got dressed, fueled, put on my gear and headed out. It took about 2 miles for my legs to find a rhythm and to not ache as much in the muscles. But they did feel better. I was very mindful of any sort of pain, but as things got easier…the run also progressed. Not with speed. I still kept that down and under control. I have enough speed happening this week…I wasn’t going to put any unnecessary energy into this run. A recovery run did me good though, because I did feel the muscles loosen up and I felt a lot better afterwards. I put in 5 easy miles…which I was thankful I was able to do and that my body allowed me to do that morning. I did my stretches I got from physical therapy YEARS ago (the ones I do every morning and night) twice this morning, as I had a sports massage scheduled for that evening. Corey texted to say he was sick, and very kindly didn’t want to give what he had to me. I was thankful for that. And I think my muscles appreciated an extra bit of time off. The sports massage…was glorious. I went to bed as soon as I got home though…because Thursday was the start of what I considered to be my hell. HA!

Thursday: INSTRUCTIONS: 11-13 MILES WITH 3 MILES FAST FINISH – GOAL 12 MILES – EASY DOES IT UNTIL FAST FINISH AT THE END.

I barely slept the night prior. I had set an early alarm…for 2:30 am, with the hope of fueling (which isn’t easy on a weekday), getting ready, and heading out the door by 3 am. I did manage all of that, but damn…I was tired. With having spent most of the night tossing and turning, I was not looking forward to doing this run. But, I told myself to just take it easy, gradually ease into it, and just prepare for those final three miles. My legs felt SO much better after the sports massage. Seriously! But I was just fatigued. I had fueled with the Maurten 160 Drink Mix before heading out and had one of their new Maurten 100 Gels with Caffeine on me to take around Mile 9.5 (which I did). It was a hot, humid morning. Every now and again, a bit of a breeze would blow, but I was not enjoying having to squeeze in a half marathon distance on a Thursday. It’s hard for me to do double digits on a work day. It’s hard enough to fit in single digit runs, and since I never sleep well before these double digit ones (they don’t happen often…but when they do…), I know the logistics just stress me out to that point. I made a good effort of keeping those first 10 miles easy. Then, I threw down, the best I could, for those final three miles. They weren’t impressively fast…but they were good enough for the day. The second one had a few more turns than the other two, so it was totally slower than the ones that sandwiched it. But…I got it done. And 13.1 miles later, I was happy to BE done. I showered and stretched and ate a protein-filled breakfast. And I really hoped I would sleep better leading into my rest day.

Friday: REST/RECOVERY DAY!

I did sleep better leading into Friday. That was good. I slept in. I showered. I stretched. I finished packing. I headed out to work. I put in about 6 hours, leaving the office around 2:30 pm. I went and picked up my order of “magic sushi,” loaded it into a cooler and headed up to Indianapolis for the Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben. I have never done this race before. But I stopped by the hotel, dropped off bags (and put my sushi into the fridge), went to the expo to pick up packets (I was grabbing my friend’s , went to Fresh Thyme (I left my pre-race breakfast at the office in my rush to leave, so I found a good replacement with Brekki Blueberry Overnight Oats, Julie’s Real Cashew Butter (coconut vanilla bean flavor), and some waters for the room and pre/during/post race things. Then we hit up Noodles & Co. so Cathy could grab herself dinner before we returned to the hotel, turned on Food Network to watch Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, and eat dinner. I stretched and foam rolled, then…stayed up until about 9 before calling it a night.

Saturday: INDY HALF MARATHON AT FORT BEN AT MARATHON PACE

Okay…let me be the first to admit that I ran this WAY faster than marathon pace. But, it was 47° outside. And while I had another restless night…I was feeling good. I connected with Kelly first thing in the morning when we got to the giant parking lot they parked us in. So we hung out before the race, which was fun. I don’t get to hang with friends ahead of a race very often. With the fall air here, the bon fires at the start were nice and we hung there until we had to get into our corrals. I will do a full race report on this, but let’s just say this…I felt strong for the entire run, even on the giant hills. I knew I was running well because the 1:40 pacer was behind me the entire time. And in my head, I kept reminding myself that my goal isn’t to PR…it’s to run a race at marathon pace. The pacers in that group were phenomenal and while I didn’t run with them, I went and thanked them after the race itself. I would go back and run this one again in a heartbeat. Great race. And I am only 21 seconds off of a new PR in this distance. Knocking on the door of a breakthrough. After the race, I showered, packed up, went to Woody’s Library Restaurant for lunch, grabbed some goodies at the gluten-free bakery up the way, went to the Indiana State Fairgrounds for the Half Price Books Clearance Sale (books were $2 and under), before heading home. It was a lot of time in the car post-race and I did stiffen up some. Got back and swung by the office to grab the breakfast I was supposed to have from the office so I could have it on Sunday, ran into Melissa, Paul, and Carrick. Talked for a bit. then went to get wheat we came for, returned home, didn’t unpack, just changed into pajamas, stretched, foam rolled, made popcorn, watched Top Chef…and went to bed.

Sunday: 11-13 MILES WITH 3-5 MILES FAST FINISH – EASY DOES IT UNTIL THE FAST FINISH AT THE END

UGH. I didn’t sleep well leading into Sunday morning either. UGH! What’s up with these restless nights? Is it the change in the weather? I need it to stop now, please. I actually got up a few times, but nothing seemed to really work. I eventually through my comforter over me, and that helped for a bit. Maybe I need a weighted blanket. But what this did leave me with was very little motivation to do this workout today. I wasn’t feeling it at all. I really just wanted to curl up on the couch and not move. But, I eventually got up, stretched, fueled, got my stuff together, put on sunscreen, got dressed and got out the door. I kept those early miles easy. I wasn’t loving the return of the 70° weather this morning. Or the humidity. But I think it’s going away after today. The first 8 miles felt harder than they were. My legs were tired from the race the morning before. The last 5 miles that I pushed pace were trash. Honestly, they were the hardest in a long time. And, because I’m dumb, I used my hilly Thanksgiving course for the last 5 miles, which made it even harder to push that fast pace. I was dying. It was a HUGE struggle bus. But I just took it for what it was. I ran too fast yesterday and that was reflected in my performance today. I wrapped it up, hoping for a bit of a break in the workouts next week. I don’t want speed every day again. I really don’t. I’m also going to be out late because I’m seeing Dear Evan Hansen tonight. So, tomorrow should be interesting.

And that’s how I taper, I guess. I run really fast for 5 out of 6 days of training. And I’m sure the workouts aren’t done yet. That’s just how my coach does “taper.” And I trust him. With my performance at the Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben, his methods are working. But, dammit, I want to sleep, and feel rested, and maybe have a week to breathe.

We shall see.

August 25, 2019

Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #9

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicorn Ever feel like a week was out to get you? I felt that way the moment my coach sent through this week’s plan. It was stacked. It was asking a lot on my speed work days. It was challenging me. I knew it would require earlier bedtimes and early wakeup alarms. And I was prepared for it. But…it seemed the universe had other plans for me…

Let’s dive in…

Monday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN

After spending so much time last weekend in the heat and humidity, the last thing I wanted to do on Monday morning was get up and head out into the heat and humidity. I was happy to have the easy, recovery run. I got up and got dressed to head out on my run and…thunder and lightning started. I was NOT happy with that. I was prepared to head to the gym if needed, but it seemed to pass as I started my stretches. Without the sound of thunder or lightning flashes, I headed back out and just took it easy. My watch was covered…and I started to concern myself a little more with a strange white truck that would just pull around and park and sit…and it kept doing this. I ended up looping my mace over my hand just in case, but it ended up driving off and didn’t return as I finished up. Despite the late start, I got in an easy 7 miles. I was soaked because it was SUPER humid outside, so I went inside to shower and finish up my stretches with the additional hip strengtheners. I also met with Corey that afternoon for my personal training session. He had some fresh hell in store for me. Plyometrics. Box jumps. Push ups. LOTS. My knees and, strangely, my ribs felt those box jumps the rest of the week.

Tuesday: INSTRUCTIONS: MARATHON PACE – 1-2 MILES WU; 6-8 MILES MP; 1-2 MILES CD

What can I say? I really, really wanted to push myself on this and test my endurance. It was HUMID and close to 80 degrees at the start of this run…which happened to start prior to 3 am. No joke. I did go inside to get extra water and electrolytes and stopped just a few times to utilize them. But this run went better than I anticipated. Considering my legs were really feeling my personal training session, I was a bit nervous about how this would go. That being said, the longer warmup did help and once I got loosened up, I started to feel better and better. I did use my Aftershokz headphones again…and loved that when it started to get hard, John Parr’s “Man in Motion (St. Elmo’s Fire)” came on, followed immediately by this year’s theme song, Panic At The Disco’s “High Hopes.” It was enough to keep me going and pushing a little more. My iPod keeps dying though on some of these hotter runs, and at first I thought it was the headphones, but now I’m pretty certain it’s the iPod. Probably from the amount of sweat my body is producing. Can’t help that. But I got in just over 12 miles on a Tuesday morning. Went inside to shower and stretch.

Wednesday: INSTRUCTIONS: NO WATCH ALLOWED! FOCUS ON THE GOAL OF THE RUN = RECOVERY! GO AS FAR OR SHORT AS YOU NEED, AS FAST OR SLOW AS YOU NEED, WALK OR RUN AS YOU NEED.

Same run as last week. Same instructions. One month of it now. This time, however, I didn’t opt to go to spin class. I really wanted to go, but I needed to fit in a second round of my hip strengtheners AND…I had a major speed workout on Thursday, so I needed refreshed legs. My personal training session was cancelled because Corey comes over from Kentucky and…Trump was in town and shutting down roads. This is also why I didn’t get a soft pretzel. MEH! So, I put in 4 miles, just like the weeks before, and then showered, did my PT exercises and stretches with the additional hip strengthening stuff and called it a day. I was still sore in my knees (weird for me…my knees never bother me). I hope to get back to spin this coming week.

Thursday: TEMPO RUN – 1 MILE WU; 3X2 MILES AT TEMPO (7:20-7:50); 0.5 MILES RECOVERY; 1 MILE CD

If there was any doubt that this wasn’t my week…try waking up for the second time to thunder, lightning, strong winds, and heavy rain. It was insane. It was loud and violent enough that my friend, Melissa, texted me to make sure I wasn’t outside in the storm and if I was if she needed to come get me and take me home. Do I have amazing friends, or what? I kept hoping that the storms would pass, but they hung around all morning. So, I did my morning stretches and then got my stuff together and…drove through light rain, but the lightning and thunder, to the gym. Where I did my speed work…on the treadmill. This was a huge step for me. Running fast on a treadmill gives me A LOT of anxiety. But, my friend, Jim wasn’t able to swim due to the storms, so he came up and ran on the treadmill next to me and kept me company. I started off with an easy run and when that first mile was done, I pushed the speed up to 7:47. It was all I dared to do on the treadmill. In hindsight, I could have pushed it more, because I did get comfortable with this pace in the 2 mile pushes. When I started the first one, I really, really wanted to stop…but Jim was there…and that would be really stupid to stop so soon into the push. So, thanks to Jim…I actually did the workout as I should have. YAY! I was happy to have it done, and started to get some confidence back about working some speed and distance on the treadmill.

Friday: Per the usual…complete rest day. Sleep in. Shower. Stretch. Read. Drink coffee. Head into work. Get magical sushi. Prepare for Saturday long run. This is how I rest day. I take it super seriously. I used to think I could ignore actual rest. Do that “active recovery.” Let’s face it, friends…active recovery is basically not resting. IT. IS. OKAY. TO. TAKE. A. DAY. OR. TWO. OFF. I promise, you’ll actually be fitter for it. So, I kept it lowkey. I got my sushi. I stretched. I did it all…and I went to bed early so that I could get up early and head out for my long run. Alone. Again.

Saturday: INSTRUCTIONS: 17-20 MILE LONG RUN – EASY PACE – DON’T PUSH IT! AND PRACTIVE RACE-DAY FUELING STRATEGY.

Okay, first of all…this run was pretty much done at or under my marathon pace for MOST of the miles. But I honestly wasn’t pushing the pace at all. Not one bit. I wanted to be super careful because my left hip flexor is acting up after pushing some speed work for 9.5 miles on a treadmill during Thursday’s thunderstorms. The important takeaway from today was that I felt good. The temperature was perfect. The sun was out and the sky was clear, and yet it didn’t really wear me out or kill me on the run. I hit hills, because they make you stronger, right…with the hardest hills coming in the final three miles of this particular route. I felt good. I did practice my fueling and really think I have it nailed down. I am really thankful for finding Maurten and having something work SO WELL for me. I seriously have endless energy…even at the end of a run. I never crash. I never feel like I’m dragging. I can’t say enough good things about it. So, my pace might not look like I didn’t push it, but I honestly didn’t. I feel good about this. I am starting to have a phenomenal feeling about Monumental. Then I went and sat out in the sun to watch Louisville City FC win against North Carolina at Slugger Field. WOOT!

Sunday: INSTRUCTIONS: 3-4 MILES EASY, RECOVERY RUN. SLOW!!

I, surprisingly, felt pretty good on Sunday morning. I woke up, did my stretches and got ready to head out to chase my Sunday morning sunrise. I didn’t push any pace. I just took in the beautiful sky and headed up to the park to watch the sun come up over the lake. It’s my favorite Sunday summer tradition. It keeps happening later and later as the summer draws to a close. It makes me sad, because I used to be able to get it in before there was much traffic or people milling about. But not these days. I did get to wave and say good morning to three very attractive firefighters on my way into the park, so I count that as a win! I focused on the purpose of this run: recovery. The hip flexor was still slightly sore…but it felt way better today than yesterday. Will definitely do a couple rounds of rolling again today.

And with that…this week of training draws to a close. I’m proud of the effort I put in this week, and the miles that I managed to log. This was a stacked and really tough week. Again, I think that my coach is getting this out of the way now…so that when I’m on vacation, on a cruise, at Disney World…I can be a bit more relaxed with the training. Crossing my fingers anyway. Because a long run around a cruise ship is doable…but not my idea of a relaxing vacation.

Now I sit here and wait for what fresh hell this week brings. I hope you all are having a good training cycle this time around!

August 18, 2019

Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #8

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicorn Guys…it has been a week. A crazy, unpredictable week. And here I am, trying to plan how to work training in while I am gone over my birthday weekend and it’s just a little overwhelming and stressful.

I went into this week with a little bit of trepidation. Not over what I needed to do during the week. Nope. The weekend. The weekend was what was truly weighing on my mind. Why? Because it is the series of workouts that I have yet to actually execute perfectly or near perfectly. The heat/humidity has killed me the past three…yes THREE…times I have attempted this. And this weekend was shaping up to be…you guessed it…both hot and humid.

So…let the slog being!

Monday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN

Covering my watch has definitely become my new normal. So if you know of anywhere where I can buy cute/fun wristbands to go over my Garmin…clue me in. I want to stock up. Since this was an easy run, I decided to try out the Aftershokz Bone Conducting Headphones out. What I do love about these is that they don’t go into the ears…so you can still be fully aware of the world around you. That’s perfect for me. I’m not going to make a habit out of running with music…but I might pull these out for my speed work on Sunday…just to see if it gets me out of my head. My recovery miles were definitely a little faster than they needed to be, but I felt really relaxed and good the entire run. Later that day I met with Corey for my personal training session. And he kicked my butt with some dynamic exercises to activate the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core. I love/hate core exercises. I love a good strong core…the exercises just aren’t always fun. I went ahead today and did my bonus hip strengthener exercises with my usual stretches as well. Busy day.

Tuesday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN

I woke up early this morning. I was having trouble sleeping. It was speed work day…and I always have a little bit of anxiety going into speed work morning. But, I put in my contacts, got dressed, and was in the kitchen, eating something to give me some energy, while I hydrated a little and filled up my hydration pack when my Weather Channel app pinged and said thunderstorms with strong winds were coming my way. I gave it a quick moment of thought and decided that I could beat it. I rushed out the door and quickly started my watch. And only 0.15 miles into the planned 8 for that morning, the sky started to light up with lightning. Frustrated, I ran back to the apartment and decided to see if it passed over while I did my stretches and additional hip strengtheners again. It thundered while I was doing that, so I decided I was just going to have to switch my speed work day with my Thursday easy run. I wasn’t happy about it…but it was how it had to go this time. I thought about waiting and running on the track that night…but it was going to be in the mid-90s and there were more chances for storms. Not going to take chances, I went to the gym…despite there being no rain, thunder, or lightning happening when I went to my car. I hopped on a treadmill, once again using my Aftershokz to get the tunes going (I can’t do a treadmill without music. EVER! I can run outside (and prefer to) without music and go forever). And I did easy miles on the treadmill for just over an hour. Total of 7 miles, just like Monday. The same workout, two days in a row. One on pavement. One on a treadmill. I knew I would feel that treadmill on Wednesday…so I was thankful it was another easy day. Was I stacking this week against me or what?

Wednesday: INSTRUCTIONS: NO WATCH ALLOWED! FOCUS ON THE GOAL OF THE RUN = RECOVERY! GO AS FAR OR SHORT AS YOU NEED, AS FAST OR SLOW AS YOU NEED, WALK OR RUN AS YOU NEED.

Same run as last week. Same instructions. Third week in a row. Spin wasn’t given as an option, but I went anyway. It really makes me so happy…helps me with endurance…and I get in a mentally tough place fighting for sprints and on climbs. I like to think it carries over to running when it gets tough. So, kept a VERY easy pace on my run, then hopped in the car to head to the gym again…this time for the Endurance Ride Spin Class. One hour and a lot of sweat later, my legs felt really good. Spin class always seems to take the heaviness out of my legs. Another reason I love going so much.

Thursday: SPEED WORK – MONA FARTLEKS W/ 1 MILE HARD EFFORT

I woke up so many times the night leading into this rescheduled speed work. I really, really was wishing this was done earlier in the week and I could just run easy today. But…nope. Speed work HAS to happen. And I needed to give it my best. I just didn’t WANT to. Typical. So…this week I did the usual Mona Fartlek workout. The difference was, right after the 15 second round, I was to go immediately into a hard effort mile before my cool down. I was toast in the mile. It was tough. I did my best to tough it out, but the humidity was weighing me down. I hate when it’s humid enough to make it hard to breathe. UGH. But…I did it. I got it done. My workout was simple: 2 mile warm up, 2×90 sec, 4×60 sec, 4×30 sec, 4×15 sec (with equal recovery after each at a pace faster than base pace), 1 mile hard effort, 2 mile cool down. They were hard this morning. And this is really the only speed work I actually enjoy doing. I didn’t hate this…but I was very happy to be done with it.

Friday: Per the usual…complete rest day. Sleep in. Shower. Stretch. Read. Drink coffee. Head into work. The usual. I was also having a checkup with my eye doctor just to see how the contacts were working. Guess what…LOVE THEM! I have a busy weekend planned, so tried to do as much prep work in advance as I could the night before. So, insanity…but hopefully these legs will appreciate the extra TLC, foam rolling, stretches and rest because I really NEED the weekend runs to go well.

Saturday: INSTRUCTIONS: 9 – 12 MILES WITH 2 MILE FAST FINISH – EASY DOES IT UNTIL FAST FINISH AT THE END

Fast finishes are one of my least favorite things. While I am usually very good about keeping my regular pace during the run easy, I still somehow struggle more than I should with fast finishes. With one of my running buddies opting to sleep in, I met up with Ron on my side of the river where we ran the Greenway early to try to beat some of the summer morning heat. Once that sun comes up…struggle bus. But we actually kept a pretty steady, regular pace to our turnaround and then barely slowed down on the return. Then, my fast finish was done running to the local coffee shop 2 miles away. My roommate was meeting me there for iced coffee and Ron joined us for some rest and relaxation while we drank coffee and discussed races in states and why to do or not do certain ones. After that, I headed home to shower and change because Cathy and I were meeting our friend Michelle and heading to Turtle Run Winery for a girls day out. I was the designated driver due to my workout on Sunday morning, so I basically had half of a glass of wine total over the 3+ hours we were hanging there. It was a really fun day. After a stop off for dinner for Cathy & Michelle at a local favorite spot (nothing there I can really eat), we went to let Amanda & Richie’s pitt bull puppies out to play before taking Michelle home, calling in my order for magical sushi (it’s becoming a pre-long run favorite) for a VERY late dinner. I ate at 8:30 pm. REALLY late for me. And then I went to get ready for bed…because I had an early wakeup the following morning.

SUNDAY: INSTRUCTIONS: 1 MILE WU; 3X4 MILES MP; 1 MILE CD – TAKE 2-4 MINUTES BASE PACE/RECOVERY BETWEEN SETS AT MARATHON PACE

Honestly, this is the workout I dread. Anytime it pops up on my training plan it makes me die a little inside. Why? Because I have NEVER been able to actually do it properly. AND…on top of that, one of my best friends was doing her first triathlon and wanted me to come spectate and cheer. This meant an early morning so I could start with enough time to hopefully make it from Indiana to Kentucky and not miss her finish. I knew I wouldn’t make her start…I probably could have seen her bike to run transition, but I didn’t know where she was when I got down there. But my run…it was the best attempt I have had yet. While it wasn’t perfect, especially in the last 2 miles, which were a HUGE struggle bus because it was hotter and the sun was up, and there was no shade to be had. But…I executed this run better than I have in the past. I even got a high five from a biker as I was on the greenway, heading from Indiana into Kentucky. Amazing. My marathon paces were pretty accurate, even with hills. My biggest problem today was the extra fuel I carry to take at Mile 8…leaked. And it was halfway gone by the time I hit Mile 5. So, it became a use it or lose it decision so I took it 3 miles early. I don’t think it made too much of a difference, but I was really ready to be done once that sun got higher. It heated up really quickly today. But, I did manage to hit the paces with few to little stops. And, I was at the finish line to cheer in my friend, give her a hug, and hang out for a bit before heading out to do all the grocery shopping we still had left to do. It worked out to 15.6 miles when all was said and done.

Let me tell you…I’m tired. And my schedule for next week isn’t playing around. So…rest is going to be key for me this coming week. Wish me luck on that. Also…my coach and his wife just welcomed their third child. Exciting times. He warned all of us he coaches that he might not get schedules posted by Sunday night, but he actually had them to me before 3 pm. Amazing. And also…trying not to panic over the speed work that he assigned this time around.

Killer.

For now, I keep hoping for this heat to let up…just a little.

OH…AND WE ARE 12 WEEKS OUT.

No wonder I’m tired…

October 27, 2018

Once Upon A Time…I Danced to Thriller

It’s one of my favorite times of year.

Aside from the whole the world gets cold thing.

It’s fall. Autumn. It’s…

hallowen
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It ranks right up there with Christmas. I have always been a fan of Halloween. I love dressing up. I love going to parties. I love candy. I love the smell of burning pumpkins.

No…seriously…it’s one of my favorite smells.

In fact, if you could bottle the smell of Halloween night, I would be one happy girl.

jackolantern
This didn’t happen on Halloween, but there was a time…almost 10 years ago (HOLY CRAP, I”M OLD!), when I went to Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia…and took part in the Guinness World Record Attempt for the most people simultaneously dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in a single location. A total of 903 dancers took part. Including my roomie (Cathy, for anyone new) and myself. She was dressed up like a nun. I was dressed up like a naughty school girl. The costumes, the variety of people, everything that went into this was amazing. And while I’m not a dancer in any way, shape or form…this was something I had an absolute blast being a part of.

Here’s a photo from a practice session that Cathy and I ended up leading…

This was about 2 years before I even started running. My hobbies were working full time and going to school part time. I was aces in Japanese! And walks. I loved my walks. I was 1 year away from having two degrees – History & Journalism. And here I was…dressed like THAT…doing this thing with complete strangers…and having a blast. I don’t know…there was just something so amazing and, dare I say, thrilling, about being part of this event at Dragon*Con. And since it’s Halloween time…and Thriller is on heavy rotation on the radio stations…it made me think of this snippet from my past.

So, if you’re super curious about the actual video…you can watch it here:

The point is…step out of your comfort zone…Halloween or anytime…and try something you normally wouldn’t do. It could be fun. And it could wind up on YouTube forever. HA!

What’s something you’ve done that is outside your comfort zone? How did it make you feel?

October 22, 2018October 22, 2018

Quality Over Quantity

Two weeks ago…I ran a marathon.

I haven’t blogged on it yet…but it’s coming. I just need more time in my days to get my thoughts down.

Two weeks ago. And I have been taking my time returning to my training.

I’m not forcing myself to go out there for double-digit runs at the moment. I’m not forcing speed work on myself. I’m running by feel, fewer days a week than normal, not worrying over how long I’m out there or how far I go.

I’m recovering.

So many of my friends are shining in races. Some of them also had hard efforts in marathons. But, to me, it’s not about how many races I do…it’s about being able to do the number of races I register for…comfortably, without pain, without injury, without burnout…

I don’t wear race volume around my neck as a bragging right. I don’t care how many races I have run or of what distance each one was. Every finish is a victory. Every race is a victory lap for the training I put into it. And part of training…is taking the necessary time off to get my body strong, rested, and prepped for the next training cycle. I’ve done the whole rush into the next thing route before…and we all know how that turned out for me. So many people overlook the downtime and recovery…and I used to be one of them.

NOT. ANYMORE.

It’s so hard, these days, to keep this in perspective. Social media has a funny way of making you feel inadequate. Someone is always running more, running faster, running further, hitting goals you’ve dreamed of but have fallen short of for months/years. But, in the end, we can only do what is best for ourselves. No one else.

This past weekend, I was in Columbus, Ohio, visiting my friend Jenn and seeing Phil Collins in concert on Friday night. I had some late nights…I slept in each morning. And…I put in some miles each morning. One was mild and windy, the other was frigid and also windy (but less windy, I guess). I never once looked at my Garmin to check my pace. I just counted each mile beep until I hit the miles in my made-up plan.

Each run was solid and strong and amazing. I mean, I was having fun, even when the headwind felt like it was pushing me back. I got inspired when I hit up the Columbus Marathon expo, purchasing more things than I should of from the booth, and stopping by Noxgear to say HI to the people there…and get my hands on their new product, which hasn’t launched to the public yet. Watch my social media for more on that.

I ate well. I stretched. I foam rolled. All the self-care stuff that comes with recovering from a hard effort.

So while others are stocking up on medals and miles, I’m cheering them on, but not rushing to join them. I never want to be out for as long as I was in the past. And with these solid recovery runs coming so easy…I’m proud to say, I think this time, I’m doing it right.

The number of races I do is nothing compared to the number of races I will continue to do, simply by respecting this body.

Being a runner isn’t about the number of races I finish. I know plenty of real runners who aren’t even interested in racing. I love racing. It’s fun. But I don’t care if I’ve run 1 or 100 races…as long as I’m still enjoying it and listening to my body so I can continue to do it.

You do you!

October 19, 2018

Off on an adventure…

It. Has. Been. Way. Too. Long.

Tomorrow, I’m making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and I’m homebound….

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Sorry. I really am someone who can turn a statement into lyrics without even trying. It’s a gift.

For real though…I’m making my way up to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow. And…it may not be why you think.

Yep…it’s Columbus Marathon/Half Marathon weekend. And yes…I’ll be in Columbus. But I’m not racing. I’m not even registered for the races. Why am I in a city with a major event going on but not taking advantage of the chance to add to my race medal collection?

Because I’m seeing Phil Collins.

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Yep…Sussudio…In The Air Tonight…You’ll Be In My Heart…used to head the band Genesis…Phil Collins.

And that’s pretty exciting to this girl who owned like…every album he put out growing up. I mean…I saw Rod Stewart & Cyndi Lauper earlier this year…and have Elton John next week…

How old am I?

HA!

I also get to hang with my friend Jenn…who it feels like I haven’t seen in ages. And Cathy is insisting on a trip to Schmidt’s Sausage Haus while we’re there. They are home of the 1/2 pound cream puff and a variety of sausages. None of this applies to me, mind you. But, don’t worry…I’ll eat a salad and/or some of the sides there. I won’t starve. And I’ll devour all the Pink Salad I can get my hands on at Jenn’s. YUMMY!

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All that being said…YES…I will at least stop by the expo and scope out the booths and the vendors and wish people luck. I mean…I’ll be in town. I might have to do some shopping there too. The rest of the weekend…well, we’ll see what we feel like doing. I’m sure a few Half Price Books stops are going to happen for sure.

Can’t wait to hit the road tomorrow. And, yes…being me…I’ve packed a dinner so as not to have to stop. If the traffic gods are with us…we will have time to swing by Jenn’s house and drop stuff off before heading to the concert. Otherwise…we’ll see her afterwards.

Did I mention it feels like ages since we last hung out?

Time to get those Weekend at Jenn’s rolling again. It’s a good escape.

October 14, 2018

RESET

The last couple of months have been crazy-busy. Go-go-go-go-go. Do this. Do that. Travel here. Travel there. Work. Catch up on work. Work overtime. Cook. Gotta eat. Food is fuel. Train. Run. Run. Train more. More. Keep training. Run. Keep running. Still gotta work. This work won’t do itself. Oh…yeah…sleep. That’s kinda important too, right?

Needless to say…the simple things…those every day things that often fall to the wayside…well…they fell to the wayside.

I’m not just talking about my presence here on this blog or even online. I mean…making time to do something as simple as vacuum my apartment. Or dust the shelves. Or put away things from race expos and food expos. Or…just organize the apartment. And if you know me, you know clutter and disorder drive me crazy. It’s been pretty hard to breathe.

Today, that all came to a head. I woke up this morning and causally lingered in bed and played on my broken (aka: shadowbanned) Instagram account, hoping that it might be visible again. It’s not. Meh. I got up and did my stretches and exercises and worked in some foam rolling. And then…despite the light drizzle and nip in the air…I went out for a run. And I felt good. I smiled a lot. I didn’t worry over pace or speed or hills or flats or anything. I just did what my legs wanted to do from one mile to the next. My mind was on the numerous people I know who were tackling the Ironman Louisville today. I’ve been tracking them all day and it’s been both nerve-wracking and exciting all at once. Had the weather been less wet…I would have actually been out there cheering in person. But I honestly (for reasons to be explained in an upcoming blog) just couldn’t bring myself to do it today.

But, while using the app to track their amazing progress and great feats of athleticism, what I did manage to do was this:

Went for a short run in the rain.
Showered
Made breakfast for my roomie and I
Cut up and baked a large, organic kabocha squash (my favorite)
Went to Target to pick up my prescription
Went to the mall to just move around a little since weather was so shitty
Went to Meijer so my roomie could pick up her prescription and then we finished grocery shopping.
Organized the pantry at home (finally putting away the GFFAF Festival goodies/finds)
Organized the snacks/running fuel drawer
Laundry
Cooked dinner from scratch (delicious stuffed peppers)
Stretched
Foam rolling
Folded and put away laundry
Watched Top Chef (I’m catching up on all the seasons I missed since the upcoming season is in Kentucky (and some in Louisville))
And a lot of dishes and cleaning and prepping and all that in between.

The best part of the day though…had to be the impromptu dance party via Marco Polo with my friend Natalie. It was a good way to get shit done and yet…still keep a lighthearted and fun-loving perspective on it. It was so much fun. And we hit each other with some good songs. But my roomie and I slapped her with some Baby Shark…so we might win. HA.

I’m finally down on the couch and relaxing. Not ready to go to bed yet, despite feeling utterly exhausted. But that will come in about an hour. I’m so happy with how productive I was today and all that got done. I mean…my roomie even painted her pumpkins today. Cross that off the list too.

Anyone else have a busy and productive weekend? Anyone else cheering on friends at Ironman Louisville? Any suggestions to help me keep up with life…hit me up. Because my organizational skills are starting to wane. And that’s not like me.

June 22, 2017

Sometimes You Just Need To Escape

Guess what!!??

As part of my self-care, self-esteem building, bettering-of-myself experiment that is an ongoing series of successes and (yes) failures…I’m expanding my mind and still attempting to squeeze in a bit of ME TIME, which feels almost impossible these days…but I work with what I have.

Therefore…I’m listening to music…

In fact, I was fortunate enough to attend the U2 show in Louisville, KY this past weekend. And while it was hot and I wilted and melted until the sun went down, the show was amazing and I (as always) cried during Where The Streets Have No Name as well as Running To Stand Still. U2 and I have been in a musical relationship since I was a child…and, while I have seen them numerous times in concert, this show was on my home turf and I wasn’t going to miss it. I’m glad I went.

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Honestly, I needed that show. I’ve sort of given up finding inspiration in music. Why search for new music, when some of the best lyrics, some of the best songs, are in the old favorites? I stand corrected!

I’ve also started diving back into some books. In fact, I’m working on three at this very moment. Yes…at the same time.

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So, what is on my reading list at the moment? Well, at the encouragement of my sister, I am working through 13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, on my Kindle.

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I’m sure many of you are familiar with this book, but in case you’re not…here is the synopsis from Amazon.com:

You can’t stop the future.
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.

At work, I often listen to podcasts these days, but there is still room for my beloved audio books. It’s so easy to listen to a book while I do my work…so I can escape and still be productive. Let’s here it for multitasking. I am currently listening to Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow, which is the very book that Lin-Manuel Miranda was reading when he was inspired to write the Broadway musical Hamilton.

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It’s fascinating and a nice escape for the first part of my day at work. Once again, here is the synopsis from Amazon.com:

In the first full-length biography of Alexander Hamilton in decades, Ron Chernow tells the riveting story of a man who overcame all odds to shape, inspire, and scandalize the newborn America. According to historian Joseph Ellis, Alexander Hamilton is “a robust full-length portrait, in my view the best ever written, of the most brilliant, charismatic and dangerous founder of them all.”

Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow’s biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today’s America is the result of Hamilton’s countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. “To repudiate his legacy,” Chernow writes, “is, in many ways, to repudiate the modern world.” Chernow here recounts Hamilton’s turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington’s aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States.Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power. His is a Hamilton far more human than we’ve encountered before—from his shame about his birth to his fiery aspirations, from his intimate relationships with childhood friends to his titanic feuds with Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Monroe, and Burr, and from his highly public affair with Maria Reynolds to his loving marriage to his loyal wife Eliza. And never before has there been a more vivid account of Hamilton’s famous and mysterious death in a duel with Aaron Burr in July of 1804.

Chernow’s biography is not just a portrait of Hamilton, but the story of America’s birth seen through its most central figure. At a critical time to look back to our roots, Alexander Hamilton will remind readers of the purpose of our institutions and our heritage as Americans.

And finally…at the encouragement of my amazing, inspiring, and brilliant friend, Melissa, I picked up a book this past weekend to read. She said that it would really help me through the struggle-bus thought process I am currently working through. So far, she’s right. I haven’t gotten far, but I’m going to make a point to sit down and power through this book. It’s called You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, by Jen Sincero.

youareabadass It’s very motivating, the bit that I have squeezed in to read. And I find myself nodding and cheering for myself to get this excited about my life. Maybe it will help. I think it will. I’ve already found SO many sentences that I can apply to my current struggles. In case you’re confused…here is the synopsis from Amazon.com:

Bestselling author, speaker and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, cuts through the din of the self-help genre with her own verbal meat cleaver in You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. In this refreshingly blunt how-to guide, Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, life-changing insights, easy exercises and the occasional swear word.

Via chapters such as “Your Brain is Your Bitch,” “Fear is for Suckers” and “My Subconscious Made Me Do It,” Sincero takes you on a wild joy ride to your own transformation, helping you create the money, relationships, career and general all around awesomeness you so desire. And should you be one of those people who would rather take a bullet than get busted with a self-help book in your hands, fear not. Sincero, a former skeptic herself, delivers the goods minus the New-Age cheese, giving even the snarkiest of poo-pooers exactly what they need to get out of their ruts and start kicking some ass.

By the end of You Are a Badass, you will understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can’t change, how to change what you don’t love, and how to start living the kind of life you used to be jealous of.

So…that’s what is on my reading list currently, but why stop there? I’ve become so immersed in podcasts as of late. And while I love a good true crime podcast, I have been directed to, or even discovered through my own hunting, some uplifting and amazing podcasts that I’ve been diving into at work as well. These include:

Make Your Body Work: Live Healthier, Smarter, and Happier – Dave Smith, Canada’s Top Fitness Professional
Fit Bottomed Girls – Margo Donohue, Jennipher Walters, and Kristen Seymour
The Love, Food Podcast – Julie Duffy Dillon, Registered Dietitian, Food Behavior Expert, and Body Image Guru
Body Kindness – Rebecca Scritchfield, RDN

I really need to think more about working toward my nutrition degree or becoming a dietician. I love learning new things and also…learning how to be kinder to myself during these very trying, often stressful times as I attempt to get this body back to a place where I feel comfortable with it.

AND…I have been out to the movies and had to see, because…reasons, WONDER WOMAN. It was campy and fun and amazing and everything that it needed to be. I was nicknamed Wonder Woman years ago by my running store/group…so this was a must see. And if you haven’t seen it yet…I highly recommend it!

wonderwoman

I have numerous more movies on my TO SEE list…so we’ll see how many I manage to get through before they leave theaters.

So…that’s what I’ve been up to lately. And yesterday, I broke out my Vitamix and whipped up an amazing smoothie for breakfast that I’ll share the recipe for in a different entry.

What books/podcasts/music/television shows have you been enjoying lately? I want to hear all about them. Comment below!! I’m always looking for new things to get into!

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July 8, 2016

Quick Thoughts From the Week

It was a long, holiday weekend. YAY!! And, as is usual for me over the 4th of July…I was out of town. At a convention. In Indianapolis. Now, normally when I am up in Indy for this convention, my Saturday morning is spent running the Monon Trail. It’s gorgeous. Seriously. I always look forward to it. The past few years (last year I wasn’t able to run at all at this point), I have managed to get out there for my long run of 10-12 or so miles.

monon

But, this past weekend, Saturday’s Monon Trail run wasn’t happening…

MEH.

SO…on Saturday morning, I was down in the fitness center at 6 am…and on a treadmill to do 12 miles that morning. I started easy and worked up a ladder to a comfortable speed and then took it back down. It was mind numbing, despite the music (and to think, I almost left my iPod in my room). But, my training run was done.

And if that wasn’t enough punishment, I got up on Sunday morning to do my shakeout run. I decided to do an easy run for an hour…getting 7.36 miles in during that time.

I was feeling it Saturday and I really felt it Sunday. I hate running on treadmills. They seem to do more damage to me than road running does. I was sore through Wednesday, honestly. I don’t know how people do long distances on these things on a regular basis. My body couldn’t handle it!

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My runs have been suffering since those treadmill runs. The hip was not mad…but not happy either. MEH. Not enough foam rolling in the world. Of course…the epic humidity with air so thick you could cut it with a knife…isn’t helping either.

But, despite the humidity and the fatigue from late nights, I’ve been keeping up with my training runs. Which…is impressive for me. It’s not been easy to get out of bed to just go outside and melt…but…

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…I’ve been getting it done. It hasn’t been pretty…and I’m not always happy with the results on my Garmin, but I’m doing what my body is currently capable of…so, there is that.

OH…and this past week, I got to play around with recipes that I created. I made 6 different recipes…2 pasta dishes, a fusion pizza, a rice dish, a sandwich, and a dessert. I was quite proud of the results…all based off of Peter Cincotti’s recently released EP, Exit 105. Check out these images of the completed dishes…

Top (L-R): Island Spell Pizza (song: Palermo) – Jerk seasoned tofu, topped with onion, bell pepper, pineapple, cheddar cheese, and a Jamaican jerk coleslaw; Missing Sara Sammie (song: What’s Sara Doing?) – sammie layered with sweet potato, hummus, avocado (or guacamole), and kale; Unexpected Beat Tagliatelle (song: Long Way From Home) – tagliatelle pasta in a bechemel sauce and topped with shredded beets, goat cheese, parsley, toasted pine nuts, and toasted bread crumbs

Botton (L-R): Roamin’ Skies Pasta (song: Roman Skies) – my take on the traditional Roman dish – Cacio e Pepe – pasta mixed with butter, black pepper, Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses; Exit 105 Rice-A-Roni (Album Title: Exit 105) – my version of the San Francisco Treat (after all, Exit 105 takes you to the Golden Gate Bridge)…and it has been dubbed my “best rice dish in the history of ever”; Sexy on the Beach Ice Cream (song: Sexy) – a vegan ice cream made from coconut cream, pureed raspberries, pureed pineapple, chambord and vodka…just like the drink Sex on the Beach…

I love getting chefy.

So, aside from a little bit of work stress…that’s what’s going on thus far. Stay tuned as this weekend is going to be amazing. I can tell.

June 26, 2016

Take The Heat

Guess what, folks?

It’s SUMMER!!

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And let’s face it…the Olaf/Frozen/In Summer references don’t get old. Because…it’s Olaf. And Olaf is awesome. Anyone who says so has no soul.

Summer is H-O-T. HOT! So hot. And while I prefer to train in the heat…the one thing I do suffer through (like most other people) is the humidity. And being that I live in the Ohio River Valley…it’s pretty damn humid. Like…all the time. One morning, this past week, I got up to run and it was 84 degrees at 4 am. That’s not normal! And it’s not even July yet.

With all that being said, how about I highlight some of the things that made this hot and stormy week a little cooler…

1. Game of Thrones

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So, last Sunday was, possibly, one of the best episodes of Game of Thrones. The battle scene, shown above, was one of the most intense and best things I have ever seen on television. Kit Harrington, who plays Jon Snow, was amazing in this episode and totally deserves to win some awards. I mean, he really had 100 horses charging at him. That is not CGI!! Unfortunately, my HBO Now stream was locked up (as was the rest of the world, apparently), so I ended up having to stay up an hour later than usual to actually watch the episode. I was NOT looking forward to spending an entire day off the Interwebs if I saved it to watch the following day. It was totally worth it, but damn, it through off the rest of my week for sure.

All that being said, tonight is the season finale! OMG!!! I hope HBO Now isn’t bogged down this week and that the finale lives up to this past week…because…DAMN!

2. Blueberry Picking

First of all…yes…I picked the blueberries pictured above. I went to Bryant’s Blueberries with the intention of only picking 5 pounds of berries…but the crop of Blue Crop berries this week were AMAZING! I mean…big and ripe and awesome. Oh yes…I was in a good place. So, as it was bound to happen…I got 10 more pounds. WORTH IT. These are the best blueberries I have ever had. Forget anything you get in the store. I don’t know if more jam will be in the future, but I think some blueberry bagels and/or waffles and/or pancakes will be happening. And blueberry muffins are definitely happening.

3. Louisville City FC…SOCCER BABY!!

So, on Tuesday (which meant I did my hill repeats in the heat of the day…after 2 spin classes on Monday), and last night, I was at Louisville Slugger Field, not for baseball…but for soccer!! I am a season ticket holder to Louisville’s very own professional soccer team. In fact, last night’s match was broadcast on ESPN3. Which is pretty cool. We also had our highest attendance record to date, finally breaking that 10,000 mark. In fact, it was 10, 062 showed up for the match last night.

But, beyond that, after the match on Tuesday night, I got to get my picture with my favorite player this year, Enrique Montano (#20). I look horrible in the picture, as I still had my hat on (I hate hats), and I had been melting in that heat I had been speaking about…but this picture is…awesome! I love when the payers come over to the midfield section to meet the fans. And Montano is very good about that. Happiness.

If you’re local and haven’t made it to a Louisville City FC match yet…stop delaying. Our team leads our division…so we’re pretty awesome. It’s worth it

4. Fun Hair

I don’t think it will last for long, but on Wednesday afternoon, I went to my hairdresser and we got a little funky with my hair. Teal. Yes…I dyed my hair teal. Not all of it, but quite a bit of it. The problem is, I workout and run quite often, so I sweat. And my hair, just being blonde, doesn’t hold color too well. So, I’m enjoying it while it lasts, but it’s already, sadly, fading.

5. Roadside Assistance

I’m not talking about AAA or the local trucks that stop and help out stranded drivers. Nope. I’m talking about a super-amazing project that I am a part of with some great friends of mine. One of my girls, Indy (aka: Jennifer), had a spark of genius about creating a project that centers around the songs released off of Peter Cincotti’s new album. Since Exit 105 was released the other day, Indy put together a Tumblr blog and posted a recipe already for a cocktail based off the song “Long Way From Home.” So from now until Peter’s birthday on July 11th, we’ll be developing and sharing recipes inspired by the songs on the EP. These will be shared everywhere we can think to post them, but will also be collected onto a Tumblr blog-http://exit105-roadside-assistance.tumblr.com/ Check it out!!

And if you are unfamiliar with the talent of Peter Cincotti…discover him…NOW!

Did you do anything amazing, fun, and/or exciting this past week? Ever dye your hair a crazy color? Got any fun plans for the upcoming 4th of July holiday?