Weekend Roundup!

The weekend is flying by...

Friday night Kevin & I hit one of our favorite seafood restaurants, The Chowder Pot.

Amazing Lobster, honey glazed bread, and stuffed mushrooms + cocktails with my hunny = fabulous evening.

Saturday? 

Mostly a washout. I had to work all day, and didn't get home until after 5, and was wiped. We ordered pizza, got my favorite ice cream from across the street and stayed in watching movies.

Today, my brother was home for the weekend with his girlfriend. He ran to my house and we went for a 10 miler, which I felt pretty great on. Plus my pace wasn't too horrible! We followed the run up with breakfast out with our lovies at my favorite place, 3 cafe!

French toast with caramelized strawberries, blueberries, and plums, with fresh whipped cream. OMG I ate every.last.bite.

Now its time to clean, blog, and grocery shop!

How's your weekend going?

Do you have a favorite place to go out to eat?

Don't feel Sorry

Source: google.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I've been playing it safe lately.

In fact, I actually took 2 weeks off from running after TRX saw lunges + long run on sore legs = more knee pain. Sunday was looming with plans of a long run, which ended up on the treadmill because I'm still scared of the cold. 11 miles was the goal.

Those 2 weeks? They paid off... my knee felt great for the most part, with a couple small breaks for stretching and a couple walk breaks near the end. I do have to admit, it made me feel a little better about the upcoming Half Marathon (RnR DC). It also gave me a chance to test drive my race day outfit which is a Tough Chik, fabulous combo (preview pics soon).

Problem?

My shin/calf started acting up monday night. Even after using my Stick and foam roller, I was limping the next day, and put myself at the mercy of my coworkers (How great is having an army of physical therapists to help you?). One did some mobilizations and positioning at my ankle, and thinks it may be coming from there. So I'm taped up into position, and guess what? It actually feels better! I'm crossing my fingers that maybe this is the fix!

This morning I woke up for TRX class.

Do I want to go, or not want to go?

I sat on the couch, avoiding a decision. What if it hurts my knee, I feel lazy, I have a million other things to do. But I knew I'd feel sorry tomorrow, so I got my things together and got my butt to class.

And you know what?

I'm glad I did.

Oh but there really is such thing as bad weather.

Source: soon2befit.tumblr.com via Martha on Pinterest

On my scheduled 20 miler today, I tried telling myself this over and over.  I knew that it was going to be cold out. The weather channel said 25 degrees with winds ranging from 7-9mph.  They said it "felt like" 15 degrees. I bundled up in my fleece lined Athleta tights, my running skirt, longsleeve brooks shirt I bought at RnR New Orleans, and my lululemon jacket. Gloves on my hands, and my face contraption Kevin had bought me during the power outage that doubles as a hat and neck/face warmer and is made of cozy fleece. I was chilly when I started, but figured I would warm up as I got going. 

My knee was feeling good, even as I hit the hills. I went through my killer hills at Forest Park, with a little walking and stretching, but felt pretty good. It was windy and cold the whole way. The sun wasn't warming things up. My face mask was fogging my glasses, so I had to keep it around my mouth and my nose was freezing. Around mile 11ish, I stopped at the gas station to buy more water, and the heat inside felt amazing. I left, and headed out for the last 9, more miserable than before.

Taking away the wind and cold, the run was going well, my knee felt a million times better than the last long one. Around mile 12 I was getting a little weepy. I was just so cold, my hands were beginning to get numb, and I could barely feel my face. Around mile 14, I started getting some chest pains. After stopping to rest and walk, I realized they were just a side-stich type pain, and I tried to keep going. From mile 15-15.5, I cried. I was having trouble breathing, my hands and face were numb, I was shaking I was so cold. I pulled over into a parking lot and sat down on the curb sobbing and shaking. I called Kevin, and finally got him on the third try. He could barely understand me, but finally got where I was, and was on his way.

I wanted to keep moving to stay warm, so I started walking. Kevin caught me about a half mile down the road with the heat blasting. It has never felt more amazing to get in that car. I was a sobbing, shaking, mess. My hands were red and numb under the gloves, and it felt like heaven to hold them up to the heating vents. Kevin stopped at Panera on the way home to pick me up a Cranberry Walnut Bagel. After a scorching hot shower, & layering myself with warm clothes, I made the most amazing breakfast sandwich, and crashed on the couch.

I hate that I quit, but honestly I thought it was becoming a potentially dangerous situation, and I was more miserable than I have ever been. I asked myself, "If this were a race, would you quit?" My answer was yes. If I would quit during a race like that, then theres no sense in potentially hurting myself on a training run. I'll finish the last 4 miles tomorrow.

Weekly recap to come tomorrow

Winner of the Gone for a RUN giveaway is Sarah without a blog, so I sent you an email, congrats!

And my last pre-holiday giveaway is my Inperspire Towel giveaway, which ends Wednesday, so check it out HERE!

Sinus trouble...

I can't seem to catch a break lately...

First it was the vertigo. Then the disastrous 18.5 mile run. Today, my sinus' have been pounding and nausea persistant. I missed my morning run when the alarm didn't go off. I was hoping to go after work, but after feeling like crap and eating nothing but graham crackers and diet ginger ale, I decided it was a bad idea.

After taking some Sudafed, I'm feeling much better and lounging on the couch with plans to hit my bed early tonight. Maybe with that stressful long run, I think my immune system was wide open to get hit.

                                                                                                Source: etsy.com via Laura on Pinterest

I wanted to thank all of you who left me amazing comments, words of wisdom, and support following my last post on my 18.5 run. The encouragement I get from the blogging community is amazing and I can't begin to thank you all enough. Thank you for sharing your experiences, it made me feel a million times more hopeful!

Hoping I make it to TRX in the morning!

When doubt starts to creep in...

Source: Uploaded by user via Peyton on Pinterest

Today I had a a lot of doubt and fear going into my 18 miler. My longest run to date. My faith in myself and my training was lacking, but I was determined to get through it. With only 5 long runs left leading up to Disney, I knew I had to get it done. Despite the fears, despite the pain, despite the lack of desire. I had to get it done, all 18. The first 11 went well, I stayed at a decent pace, walked when I needed to in order to keep my knee happy and plugged along. I stopped at CVS around mile 10 for more water, then back at home mile 11 before heading out for the final 7. The whole time I'm thinking "When I finish this run, I would still have another 8 miles. 8 miles??!!! What have I gotten myself into??!!" I had horrible headwinds going into my final 7, and my knee started acting up more. I walked more. Around mile 14, I started crying but kept going after pulling myself together. I was forced to walk the last 1.5 miles of a total 18.5 miles because the knee pain was too great. Now my fears are even bigger.

How am I going to do this?

Will I finish the Marathon?

What have I gotten myself into?

And after finishing the run, I spent a long time stretching and crying as I worked out the kinks and waited for Kevin to deliver my Panera to me. My 110% Play Harder calf sleeves have been on since I finished with rotating ice packs. I cannot climb stairs. I cannot sit on the toilet. I am miserable, which is creating more and more fear of whats to come in 4 weeks.

Do you think 4 weeks will lead me to feeling more prepared?

Should I adapt a more run/walk method for my knee?

Should I (probably most obvious) throw any sort of time goal out the window?

Week 11 training recap

Monday- 45 min bike trainer ride while watching DVRd shows

Tuesday- Treadmill speedwork. 1K, 2K, 1K, 1K. A couple pauses during the long sprint, but otherwise feeling good.

Wednesday- TRX class. I was able to progress to a side plank pike today. Still no knee pain with SLS exercises.

Thursday- 6 miles planned, but my early morning vertigo made that impossible. Instead I spent the day vomiting and sleeping after having the Eply maneuver done to me.

Friday- Still dizzy and missed TRX class, and another day at work. Instead I spent the day sleeping and making cake pops.

Saturday- Jolly Jaunt 5K, just over 30 min! So mad I cannot seem to break that milestone! My knee felt fabulous the entire time.

Sunday- The absolutely brutal 18.5 mile long run recapped above.

Nutrition- Actually has been pretty good all week! Minus the taste testing for the cake pops, I did really well limiting sweets and snack food. At my work holiday party I didn't go overboard and only had 4 cocktails all night! I am now enjoying a fabulous dish of peppermint stick ice cream from the shop down the street in attempt to soothe my legs haha 

Despite my discouraging run, I'm going to work hard at staying positive, getting my runs in, and eating well all week.

Now the important stuff.... 

The winner of the Fuel Belt is...

Jen @ Running with the Girls!

email me at sgrigely at hotmail dot com to claim your prize!

Send me some encouraging vibes!

Don't forget to enter my Tough Chik giveaway HERE!

Getting back to it...

Thanks a million for all your uplifting words from sunday & monday! I am pleased to report that I am working myself out of the funk!

Monday, I was planning for my 16 miler. I split it up into 2, 8 mile loops from my house so I could stop to refill water, stretch, etc.  I felt great & kept pace the first 8 miles, my knee & back started tightening up towards the end. I went inside, stretched, ate a honey stinger waffle (I was STARVING at this point), and refilled water bottles. I started dreading the 2nd loop. Bad thoughts were creeping into my head. 

What if my knee started hurting too bad?

What if I hurt myself more when I'm finally starting to feel better?

I have a million things I want to do today.

I am hungry & I don't want to do this.

I set out for that 2nd loop, but part way down my street, my heart and head just weren't in it. I turned around back to the house. Major fail? I don't think so. Instead of totally skipping the long run, I got 8 miles in. 8 miles with some good hills, and keeping good with pace. The rest of the day proved successful, as I hit the mall for holiday outfits, organizational buckets for my basement, and new bedding on sale for the guest room. monday = WIN.

Tuesday was another WIN, because it was my birthday!

I hit the gym for my tuesday speed work, and killed it. The last 2 intervals were tough, and I wanted to quit, but I stuck with it to finish. Awesome way to start my birthday. I got flowers delivered to work by the man with an amazing card. Nothing I love more than Flowers at work. I went for a massage, and my birthday gift from the massage place is an upgrade from 55 min to 80 min, sweet! I got home and Kevin had dinner ready with candles, wine, and john mayer playing. It was seriously the most romantic thing he's ever done and it was amazing.

Plus, in all my misery I forgot to mention my new ride!!

I bought a brand new Honda CRV last week and I'm in love. I just couldn't go another winter sliding all over the roads in my little Civic, and it was time for an upgrade.

This morning is TRX, then after work I'm going to get a head start on my dishes for thanksgiving. I'll share the plan later. Have a happy wednesday!

Still no power...

Still have no power.... it's looking like we won't get it back until saturday. 

Which will be a week.

I have resorted to staying late at work in order to blog (yuck!)

The damage is crazy, with downed power lines and trees everywhere. I'm not sure why western & central MA has been so cursed these last 5 months with the Tornado, Hurricane and now Blizzard. This damage was much more widespread, which is leaving hundreds of thousands of us in massachusetts without power, with trees blocking streets, and with ice cold houses. 

I called out from work yesterday. No way was I going in without a shower since saturday, and not knowing when my next one would be. Thankfully monday afternoon, I got word that the Healthtrax in West Springfield was open!! Since I belong in East Longmeadow, they let me use their gym, and I paid $10 for Kevin. We spent the entire afternoon there, while I rocked out my 14 mile longrun on the treadmill and Kevin worked out and studied. I then took the most amazing shower & blow dried my hair. I was in heaven. 

On the way home, we stopped by CVS for some snacks

pretzels and diet Dr. Pepper

Then made dinner at home on the grill. Chicken Teriyaki Burgers and sweet potatoes. We spent the rest of the night relaxing in the candlelight (me rocking my new black CEP socks), and trying to stay warm (Is it weird I have a 'bedtime scarf'?). 

Tonight I'm debating another gym trip, or just heading home to try grilling a pizza. We may stop by my friend Debbie's to sleep since she has power. Send warm thoughts and good luck my way so I'll get power back soon! I promise I'll post my training recaps when I can.

Final round of questions

A while back, I wanted you to ask me some questions. Here's the last chunk of answers!!

Aimee @ Amazing in Motion asked...

I know that you generally do your long runs with a friend, but if you are running alone what do you do on a long run to maintain motivation & interest?

Lucky for me, theres been very few long runs I've had to do on my own. Sometimes I bring music or just think to myself and enjoy the scenery (or whine to myself at how miserable I am). Once I split a run into 2 loops where I was able to stop inside to get more water and take a quick break in the air conditioning & that worked really well too. If I'm at the gym, I find something good to watch on TV.

Cupcake @ Bigger Girls Run Too asked...

Would you ever consider doing a Tri, why or why not?

I have done a few Tris, and I LOVE them! I love riding, I love the transition of activities, and the excitement that there is surrounding the sport of triathlon. You can read my race reports here: 

CT Women's Triathlon

Scantic Valley YMCA Triathlon

Sheriff Sprint Triathlon

Webster Danskin Triathlon

From my last Triathlon on 9/11/11

If you could race with a famous athlete, who would you choose and why?

I would choose Team Hoyt. To me, they are the icon of inspiration. When I read 17 hours to Glory, I had heard of the father/son duo before, but was awed when I read their chapter in the book. I would love to race with them, because to me it shows that no matter your ability/disability, great things are all within our reach.

Team Hoyt

What is your favorite way to spend your downtime?

Relaxing on a beach in the summer, or in the fall on my couch with a delicious pumpkin beer and a long list of DVRd shows. Some of my favorites are Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, America's Next Top Model, and a couple news ones like Up all Night, The New Girl & Whitney.

Thanks for listening & enjoy your weekend!

7 Links Post!

Karen from Just Me & My Running Shoes picked me to create a blog post of “My 7 links”!   

THE GOAL 

To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.

THE RULES 

1) Blogger is nominated to take part

2) Blogger publishes his/her 7 links on his/her blog – 1 link for each category.

3) Blogger nominates up to 5 more bloggers to take part.

4) These bloggers publish their 7 links and nominate another 5 more bloggers1

5) And so it goes on

So, here we go! P.s. this was a difficult task!

Most Beautiful Post:

After reading the Long Run by Matt Long, I gained more appreciation for the struggle my patient's face daily. I thought about how this applies to me and my training in Why Rehab is Worth it.

Most Popular Post:

I'm not sure how to tell what is my most popular post since my giveaways are obviously the most popular! My best guess is my Rock N Roll New Orleans Half Marathon Race Report. I had a great time in the Big Easy & got a fabulous PR too!




Most Controversial Post:

The wicked HOTT plumber. Kevin saw this post and was instantly mad and thought I was in love with him. Even after the roomie went out on a date with the plumber, Kevin still thought I had my eye on him.


Most Helpful Post:

In October, my friend A was getting ready to run the Niagra Falls Half Marathon, when she was found to have a DVT & several pulmonary embolisms 2 weeks before the race. She spent 3 days in the hospital, and was unable to run until November! I made this post in her honor to educate others on how to spot a blood clot before its too late.


Post Whose Success Surprised Me:

Turns out that everyone loves REI, much more than I thought!








Post That Didn’t Get the Attention it Deserved:

I know Tornados to some people out in the Midwest are used to Tornados, but us New Englanders do NOT expect that kind of weather. I was surprised that not too many people commented or checked this post out! The destruction from the Springfield Tornado was and still is devastating, and unbelievable that it happened.

Post You are Most Proud of:

After completing my first triathlon only 5 months after bunion surgery at Danskin in Webster. I cried crossing the finish line, and was more proud of myself that I could have imagined. A triathlon was something I always had wanted to complete, and I'm so happy that I was able to reach that goal and find a new love besides running.

Now I get to nominate my 5 bloggers! I hope I don't pick any repeats!
1. Meg @ Watch MeGo Run
2. Adam @ The Boring Runner
3. Amanda @ Run to the Finish
4.Kari @ Running Ricig
5. Tricia @ Endurance Isn't Only Physical

What the cocktails taught me...

Today's quote:

"When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change."

I've been working hard to eat healthy and exercise to lose weight, but this morning I thought of it a little differently. I went out to celebrate my friend Debbie's 6th, 25th birthday (you do the math, she refuses to age). 

Me & debbie

I drank. a lot. And ate too much gorgonzola garlic bread, all while having a fabulous time with my girlfriends. However, when I woke up this morning, I felt like death. And an 8 mile run planned, crap.

Instead of looking at this healthy lifestyle as just a way to lose weight, I was reminded of how good I feel when I actually fill my body with good things. I very easily could of capped myself off at 2 cocktails, but I didn't. I prepared myself very poorly for my long run, which resulted in stomach issues the last 5 miles.

Food is fuel, and I need to remember that. Its not that I can't indulge every now and then, but I need to do it lightly, not all out.

The run?

I was solo, Shelley was on vacation, and it was the last long run before RnR Providence. I decided to split it up into 2, 4 milers so I could stop back at the house to refill water and cool down since it was gonna be HOT out. I finally was feeling better by 9am, and headed out the door. My planned pace was 11:15, and typically on our long runs we never come near the pace goal. Today I wanted to kick the pace goal's ass.

mile 1 10:33

mile 2 10:57

mile 3 11:10

mile 4 11:08

mile 5 11:16

mile 6 11:25

mile 7 10:59

mile 8 10:42

Thats right, my first and last mile were faster than my planned half marathon pace. I am soooo ready to take on Providence next weekend!

Had a massage today with a different therapist, but she was GREAT! She went to town on my IT bands,  hamstrings, calfs, and quads. I almost cried, but it was so great I booked another one with her the thursday after Providence.

My goal for the rest of today is boring household chores and blog reading catch up.

How was your weekend?

Don't forget to enter my Joy Bauer cookbook giveaway HERE

Ask Me anything! HERE

Its freakin HOT here!!

This week has been crazy with the heat & humidity.

Wednesday night it was 90 out, but a coworker and I decided to go for a ride on a bike trail she heard of in Southwick. Lucky for us, it was shaded and flat and felt much cooler than it really was. We did 14 miles, then called it a night.

Thursday morning I had bootcamp and sweated more than I ever have. TRX, Battle Ropes, Rip trainers, slam balls, it was an intense circuit. 

Friday morning, I figured the heat wouldn't be too bad to run outside at 5:30am. WOW was I wrong. 83 degrees with an insane humidity. 5 miles was the plan, and I went through 3 waterbottles on my belt, and ran through every single sprinkler I saw. My plan was for a 10:45 pace, but that went out the window with the heat. Stepping into my air conditioned house was like heaven after that run.

Saturday morning, Kevin and I got up for a long ride. Lucky for us, the clouds were out. So even though it was almost 90, the sun wasn't beating down on us as hard as it could have. We went 24 miles, got a little lost since I didn't know the route as well as I was hoping I did, but we managed to make it home, then out for a delicious (organic!) breakfast. The rest of the afternoon was spent baking in the sun and cooling off in the pool at my friend's little girl's birthday party.

This morning, Shelley and I had our last long run before tapering for RnR Providence. We started a little before 8, hoping to beat the later in the day heat. It was 82 at the start, and wicked humid. My goal for this run, was to push the pace a little. We've been fading the pace part way into the run, so I tried to keep an eye on the Garmin and push it a little. Mission accomplished.

Goal pace was 11:15, PHMP + 20 seconds. We have NEVER come close to that pace with our training runs, but this time, we came pretty close. Some miles were not as pretty, with big hills,  or stops at traffic lights. Around 9.5, we stopped at Shelley's mom's for more water, then worked on picking it up to finish. On our last killer hill, there was a girl out ahead of us and we made it our goal to pass her. We did on the hill. She passed us back after the top, then we passed her again later. We sprinted like mad to the finish with a crazy fast pace. Even our average pace was awesome, pretty close to our goal. It sprinkled a little through the run and more at the finish, which was fabulous.

My post run Panera tasted especially delicious today.

What have you done in this killer heat??

My Epic Run....

Yay new followers! Welcome!

My weekend was Epic.

I did a 16 mile long run.

After Run Sweaty Shot, bad self portrait!

yes, that is correct.  On Sunday I mapped us a 15 mile route, but after another miscalculation in Forest Park, a missed re-start on the Garmin, we finally finished at 16.15 miles in 3:23, exhausted and ready for Panera. I absolutely could not believe that I had run that far, but I had barely a minute to let it sink in, since I only had 30 min to shower & get ready to head to Boston for the Red Sox game!

Asiago Cheese Bagel Breakfast Sandwich

After a quick shower, I grabbed my makeup and food to go & jumped in the car for the ride to Boston. Thankfully Kevin was driving, so I had time to twist, turn & stretch, and most important, EAT!! The game was fabulous, we had amazing cup holders to hold our beer, which is a first for me at Fenway! I have always wanted to sit in a seat with a cupholder for my booze.

Amazing & convenient!

We had a bunch of home runs, a little back and forth with the score, and my favorite pitcher Papelbon closed the game for a win.

After a slightly disatrious dinner (WTF Irish Nachos?), we headed home!

The rest of the weekend was busy too. Friday we cooked dinner in & watched the game on TV, and saturday night we went to Hartford to enjoy the Riverwalk festivities and fireworks with some friends. This has left me little time for blog reading, so I am far behind! I hope to be able to catch up tomorrow after my group ride. YES, I am planning on riding with the group again tomorrow!

Weigh in today = -.6 . Again, disappointed. Usually my scale & WI scale are the same, but today a 2 pound difference, I think maybe because I was so busy all morning I had no time to drink my water. At least I am moving in the right direction. I had another killer bootcamp workout this morning & did some RevAbs tonight. Speedwork in the morning, wish me luck at keeping focused!

Ouch!

Today I am hurting!

Shelley was away for the weekend, so I headed out for today's 10 miler on my own. Since I've decided I need more hill work, I planned my run through East Longmeadow to tackle some of the tough hills I used to run when I lived at my mom's house.  My back was stiff, so I made sure to roll it out before leaving, and took off with a goal of beating the rain and thunderstorms. Halfway through, my back was killing me, my right knee was aching, and I wanted to quit. But I kept plugging along, knowing that I had to finish this run so I could get to the rest of my day! I finally finished 10.22 miles in 2:07:28, and couldn't have been happier. 

Now, after a little housework, and a mani/pedi, I am settled in with an ice pack watching Tour da France. I love watching triathlon on TV, but have never watched the Tour.  So far, I'm enjoying watching the team time trials. And I just saw an ad for Kona Ironman. sweet.

Now I'm in the mood to shop. I don't even own a cycling jersey and felt so out of place on wednesday, I think I'll look around. I also picked out some cute dresses from Athleta that I think will be perfect vacation outfits for the beach. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend! I'm crossing my fingers for a beach morning before the BBQ at Kevin's cousin's house. How are you celebrating?

Long run thoughts.....

Today on our long run, we struggled a little through the hills and miles, but ran the whole thing and felt awesome (and exhausted) by the end. We spent the first 6 miles or so catching up on our relationship troubles (running is so good for that), the middle miles about work, restaurants, and vacations, and the last mile on how far we've come.

We remembered back to the days when we couldn't run a mile. We thought about that random day last November when I asked Shelley if she wanted to try a 9 mile run with me. That one little question changed everything. It got me my weekly running partner, brought Shelley & I closer than ever, and changed me into a person more committed to their training. Previous half marathon trainings I had skipped many long runs, and ran the race under prepared. But with Shelley by my side, we only missed 2 long runs due to weather or hungoverness, and we finished RnR New Orleans better prepared than I ever dreamed we would be. We're now training for RnR Providence and are at the point where a 13 mile run is a casual training run. I won't lie, we still want to die sometimes, but a 13 mile run has gotten a lot easier over the months. I'm hoping that this will help us as we get ready to start training for our first  full Marathon in September.

Now that we're so comfortable with the distance, we need to work on our speed. I am so thankful to have my running partner Shelley!

When did a certain insurmountable distance become a regular training run for you?

Do you have a partner you're thankful for?

I spent the rest of the day relaxing, shopping, and watching food network. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Long run thoughts.....

Today on our long run, we struggled a little through the hills and miles, but ran the whole thing and felt awesome (and exhausted) by the end. We spent the first 6 miles or so catching up on our relationship troubles (running is so good for that), the middle miles about work, restaurants, and vacations, and the last mile on how far we've come.

We remembered back to the days when we couldn't run a mile. We thought about that random day last November when I asked Shelley if she wanted to try a 9 mile run with me. That one little question changed everything. It got me my weekly running partner, brought Shelley & I closer than ever, and changed me into a person more committed to their training. Previous half marathon trainings I had skipped many long runs, and ran the race under prepared. But with Shelley by my side, we only missed 2 long runs due to weather or hungoverness, and we finished RnR New Orleans better prepared than I ever dreamed we would be. We're now training for RnR Providence and are at the point where a 13 mile run is a casual training run. I won't lie, we still want to die sometimes, but a 13 mile run has gotten a lot easier over the months. I'm hoping that this will help us as we get ready to start training for our first Marathon in September.

Now that we're so comfortable with the distance, we need to work on our speed. I am so thankful to have my running partner Shelley!

When did a certain insurmountable distance become a regular training run for you?

Do you have a partner you're thankful for?

I spent the rest of the day relaxing, shopping, and watching food network. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Weddings & Runs & Baby Showers oh my!

In all this tornado crazziness (and my lack of attention), I missed my 1 year bloggiversary!

Last year on May 26, I started this blog as a way to help me stay on track with healthful eating, and working out. At the time, I was recovering from foot surgery, and miserable at the lack of activity I could engage in. Over the past year, I have been so fortunate to find all of you, my followers! My new support team, who has given me words of advice, encouragement, kicks in the ass, and inspiration to continue my journey. You all helped me become a triathlete, finish 2 half marathons in 2 weeks, and sign up for more races in 1 year, than I had in my entire running career! I've learned about new products, training plans, nutrition, and races to try. 

Thank you for welcoming me to this blogging world, and listening to what I have to say. It means more than you know!!

This weekend?

Packed with activities.

Saturday morning was the Susan G Komen 5K (race report HERE)

Then, I raced home to get ready for my friend Katie & Ian's wedding! It was a 1:30 ceremony, and we were meeting up with a bunch of my coworkers there. Katie looked gorgeous, the ceremony was nice, then we headed to Northampton Brewery for an in between snack & beer since the cocktail hour didn't start until 4:30. Once we got to Hotel Northampton, and to the open bar, I quickly realized that my scheduled long run for sunday may not work out in my favor. We had a blast!

Coworkers at cocktail hour!

The bride looked gorgeous!

After a glass of wine and 2 cosmos, I got a text from Shelley checking in on our morning run. I told her I'd try my best, but it was open bar afterall! A few more cosmos, dinner, another glass of mine, 2 glasses of champagne & endless dancing, we headed home. Kevin gave me an ibuprofen and water before bed, and I fell instantly asleep.

 I woke up early for my 8:30am meet up time with Shelley. I felt ok, not hungover, but just tired. I gulped some gatorade and had breakfast. Thank goodness it was a recovery week, and only 8 miles. Shelley wanted to run in Forest Park again, so I mapped us a route starting in Longmeadow. We got to our start point and... no Garmin! I left it charging at home, grrr! I quickly downloaded the mapmyrun app so we could at least track our mileage.

My stomach, thank god, felt fine. My legs felt heavy. We headed for forest park and were aiming for a new loop. Somehow we ended up on a paved trail, which turned into a wooded trail. This began my first encounter with trail running. We had no idea where we were, we just kept following the trail. Finally we saw a man, and asked him how to get back to Longmeadow. Soon, we saw the paved road that we shouldn't have ventured off, but it was down a very steep hill. Carefully we walked down, trying not to fall, until we hit the pavement. No idea where we were. I had no clue Forest Park was so big!! We found someone else, and asked how we got back to Longmeadow. He directed us toward a different entrance than we came in, but at least we knew where we were. 

We passed some pretty sights, ponds, geese, and gardens. Finally we were out, and already 5 miles in to our run, we headed back to the car, exhausted. 7.2 miles total, only .8 short of our goal.

Back home to shower, then off to a baby shower!

Met up with a few more coworkers to celebrate our friend Michelle's baby girl on the way. I also had to skip out on another baby shower my friend Barbie was having that morning, phew!

Thank goodness I took today off! I've already done some cleaning, laundry, shopping, and am getting ready to go lay by the pool for a bit. Its a gorgeous day here. Did you notice no workout listed? My right foot is feeling a little painful, so I figured I would give it a break. Enjoy the day!