Things I'm Loving Friday

Happy Friday!  This week seemed to fly by, and I can't believe we're already in December!  I'm not really sure where 2016 went, but I'm looking forward to wrapping up this year with my family and bringing in a new one!  I've compiled a list of things I'm loving lately.  Feel free to share what you're loving, too! 

My Fit Bit: I received this as a birthday gift and although it is mad at me every day for the lack of sleep I've been getting lately, it's been fun to see how many steps I get on the average day. (How fun is this color? I love the rose gold trim!)  Now that I know about where I am, I think it's time to set goals to be a bit more active, especially on days when I'm not doing a specific workout.

Training for the Shamrock Half Marathon: I just started yesterday and I was really excited that I seem to be at a decent starting point despite my lack of running lately.  I have high hopes for this training cycle and think that a new PR is in the cards if I work hard. 

Maddux in Cooler Temperatures: It's been so fun to watch my little old man on his walks lately.  He is loving the cooler temperatures and has been prancing, running, and leaping on his walks.  He has also been batting his treat ball around like crazy.  I always worry about him in the summer months, but he acts like a new dog in the winter!

He was not pleased that I went to the gym instead of staying at home to play!

The Down Dog app: I have been really appreciating yoga lately, but studios are costly and I feel bad enough leaving Maddux a couple times during the work week for outside the house workouts.  The Down Dog app has been AMAZING and it's free for the basic (which at this point is all I really need).  I usually do the 30 minute workouts, but am committing to doing at least 15 minutes every day in December to see if it can help me manage my stress a bit more.  The sessions remind me a lot of my favorite class (the music is the best!) and I think this app will get a ton of use from me (Maddux thinks this is the best playtime by the way--I am basically an extra tunnel for him to run under while he chases his treat ball ha!).

The Peppermint Chip Milkshake at Chickfila: Oh my gosh, this is easily one of my favorite desserts (I think the fact that I have a limited time to get it makes it even more appealing).  I'm kind of embarrassed about how many I have already gotten this season and I think it's a good thing that my half marathon training has started!

Thanksgiving Weekend:  I can't believe this was only last week!  I had the best time in Ohio with my sister and her pets.  It was fun just relaxing and eating lots of pie, watching Gilmore girls, and shopping some Black Friday sales (I got so much Christmas shopping done already, and while I try not to buy anything for myself around the holidays I couldn't resist getting a new oven mitt!).

 Anyone else training for a spring half?  How is it going?  What are you favorite yoga apps?! 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

10 Half Marathons, 5 Races

Happy Friday!  I had an unexpected day to catch up on life, and figured the best way to celebrate was with a blog post.  (PS--I can't believe I missed the last official Friday Five!  You can tell it's been way too long since I've last posted!) Things have been a bit crazy around here, but a few weeks ago I ran half marathon number 10!  Since it's too late to do its own recap, I thought it would be fun to do a trip down memory lane!

1. Shamrock Half Marathon: My happiest half marathon memories are at this race.  My first half, my next big PR, and finally breaking two hours all happened on this course.  Plus, the usual beach and best friend time that has become tradition doesn't hurt either!

2. Rock 'n' Roll DC: Guys, I wanted to love this race, but all I really remember from it was being super stressed out because even though I left crazy early, the metro failed me and got me there at the last minute.  Needless to say, I haven't been back for this one.  Maybe one day...

3. Crawlin' Crab Half: You guys know I love this one.  The course is probably my favorite and the craft beer fest at the end is the perfect way to celebrate a race.  This race has always been one that I have run just for the love of running and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I find it appropriate that it was number ten!

4. Nike Women's Half DC: I got really sick leading up to this race and went in entirely under trained, but ended up having a blast!  I loved getting to run through DC and the race was so well organized.  Having multiple metro stops at the start was very helpful and eliminated the stress I had at Rock 'n' Roll.  The Tiffany's necklace was a nice perk, too.

5. Norfolk Harbor Half (formerly known as Harbor Lights!): My birthday race.  The best celebration a girl could ask for, complete with pie.  It rained the whole time, but I loved every minute of it!

(Can you tell which ones are my favorite races? Maybe one day I'll branch out....but if it ain't broke, don't fix it, ya know?)

What are some of your favorite half marathons? Any that you want to check off your bucket list? My bucket list half marathon is the Runner's World Half!

Have a great weekend!

Uh, Sunday 5?

Hello from the frozen north!  (AKA DC area) I missed posting on Friday because it was my nice friend's birthday and we have been filling our snowy days with the perfect amount of laziness.  I can't wait to read how you guys have been spending your weekend!  Be sure to check out the Friday Five link up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney!

1. I went for one last run before the snow hit!  Guys, this run was just what I needed.  I have been in such a weird place with running, and this run was really fun.  Nothing special or out of the ordinary, but it was one of those days when I just wanted to keep running.  I also found a new trail near my house! I ran into a fellow runner who told me of plenty of other connecting trails, too.  I see many happy exploring runs in my future!

Honker, I mean hunker down geese!  Hope they stayed warm.

2. We beat Mario.  Super adults.

3. We finished our puzzle! 

4. We did (part of) this work out by Julie over at Peanut Butter Fingers.  It was a great way to break a little sweat when we couldn't get out of the house.

Thanks, Julie!  This was a good one!

5. I started reading Bart Yasso's book.  I've been meaning to read it for a while, but it kept getting pushed back because of library holds coming available and people lending me books.  Let me tell you, it is dumb to read a book about running fun when you can't actually go outside for a run.  I'm ready to get those roads clear so I can make Bart proud! (Who knows, I might meet him again at Shamrock!  Just for the record, he is the nicest guy and really fun to chat with!  I was lucky to have the opportunity to hang with him while working the J&A booth at the race last year.)

Who else was snowed in this weekend?  How did you spend your time?  I spent plenty of time napping, Netflixing, and cookie baking, too.  Perfect snow day activities!  Stay warm, friends!

Good Things

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday Five and am excited to read about good things going on in others' lives.  It's been a pretty stressful week, and I need to refocus on the good!

1. Family time.  I had so much fun with my mom, aunts, and cousin last weekend and can't wait until we're all together again.  It was fun getting to show them around some of my favorite places.

2. Highlights.  One of my aunts is an amazing hair stylist and she covered up some of those gray highlights that were out in full force.

Cheers to being blonde again.

3. Best friend time!  One week from today I will be back with my best friend for the ODU Big Blue 5k!  I can't wait!

4. Jimmy Fallon.  Specifically, this video.

5. SUB 2 HALF MARATHONS!  Sorry guys, I'm still giddy whenever I think about it!  You can read my recap here.  Don't forget to link up any Shamrock recaps that you have!

The new picture you will be tired of looking at!

Have a great weekend!

Shamrock Half Marathon Recap

Shamrock Weekend seems like it happened ages ago, but I just haven't had the time to sit down and write about it like I wanted.  As you guys know, I LOVE that race and it just didn't seem right to rush through a recap.

You know those races where you do everything right?  Training goes well, you eat pretty well, and get enough sleep?  This was not one of those races.  My training had gone ok, but with the snow and ice I didn't log very many miles outside.  I threw my speed work to the wind after my first set of half mile repeats and just didn't feel very speedy.  Fast forward to race weekend: I ran the Shamrock 8k faster than I should have, was on my feet most of that day, drank more beer than someone wanting to do well in their race should, and ate a monster plate of nachos as my pre-race meal.  (Yes, they were good, too.)

We really love the post race parties!

I spent a lot of time debating joining up with a pace group.  Part of me felt that it was doable to stick with the 2 hour group and the other part thought that I was being a little too optimistic.  I knew it would be hard and I couldn't decide if I wanted to just relax and have a fun race or go for the gold and break two hours.  After talking to Bart Yasso some at the race expo I was feeling really inspired to kick butt.  My best friend (seriously guys, I wish she could be your best friend, too, because she is THAT amazing) calmly listened to me go on and on and on and eventually we determined that I should start out with the pace group and if I needed to back off as the race went on then I could. 

  

If your bestie AND Bart think you can PR, then you can PR.

Race morning arrived and I ate my Power Bar and drank my hotel coffee and we headed off to the starting line.  There wasn't too much time to spare, so I found the 2 hour pace group and chatted with them for a while about some of our goals for the race.  A couple of the girls and I realized that we all had the same goal and were pretty darn close to reaching it so we decided to stick together for the race. (Hi Kara and Ruth!)  

Joining the pace group was probably the best decision I made all race weekend.  It was so nice having the girls to chat with and the pacers were really fun.  I felt like the number of neighborhood alcohol stops grew a lot from last year, and they made sure to hydrate at each of them.  There was a lot of "When I say drink, you say beer!" going on and it was just fun to be loud and obnoxious.  We went out a little fast for the first mile, which was nice because we could kind of just cruise for the rest of the race. For the majority of the time I felt really great and that we were at a solid pace.  

No doubt in my mind that they would be fun!

There were a lot of water stops and I made sure to take advantage of almost all of them.  At one of the stations we got a little ahead of the pace group and it was really nice to know that as long as I stayed in front of them I would meet my goal.  I didn't check my watch at all until mile 10 and just trusted that the pacers had us going at the right speed.  When I finally did look at my watch I had one of those "oh my gosh, this is really going to happen" moments.  And then mile 11 happened and my legs really started to feel it.  I was hurting SO bad, but my running buddies were still trucking along and I didn't want to be the only one who didn't break two hours.  I kept trying to convince myself that breaking two hours would feel better than quitting.  I felt like I was slowing down so much and kept waiting for the pace group to run by me.  When we got to the final stretch onto the boardwalk there was a water stop and I looked at my girls and told them that if I stopped I wasn't going to be able to start again.  From that point on I tried to get in my zone.  I focused on the ocean instead of the finish line (it just seemed too far away!) and forced myself not to look at my watch.  I finally crossed the finish line and was a super happy girl.  I broke two hours with a little time to spare!  New PR: 1:58:58!  Guys, it feels SO good to have a 1 in front of my half time.  

After the race I got all my post race snacks, met up with my best friend, and then rang the PR bell with my girls!  I was so proud of them for breaking two hours and so thankful that I had them to keep me going!  I met up with Edith, an amazing J&A ambassador and to make a great race even better, she pointed out dolphins in the ocean!  Seriously guys, it was my perfect race day.  After a quick hello to Mar, my best friend and I drank a celebratory beer and then went off to eat my PR pancakes (pecan pancakes at Pocahontas Pancakes!  Kind of a tradition now!).  

Since the race I've been taking a break from running (and am now getting excited to start up again!  Took me a while to stop being sore ha!), but have gotten a lot of quality walks in with my pup.  My mom and aunts came to visit and they kept me busy, too!  Next up is the ODU Big Blue 5k!  Can't wait for more best friend time!

Don't forget that I'm linking up with fellow J&A ambassadors Jenny, Nan, and Sarah for our recaps!  I promise I will get to all of them now that life is settling down a little!  You have until April 22 to post your Shamrock Recap.  

**Disclaimer: I'm a J&A Ambassador and was given a free entry to this race.  All opinions are my own.  I think by now you guys know my love for these races is real.  

An InLinkz Link-up

A Shamrockin' Weekend

Happy Monday!  I'm linking up with Tara over at Running 'n' Reading today for the Weekend Update.  I hope you all had as amazing of a weekend as I did!  I was in Virginia Beach for Shamrock Weekend and had a shamrockin' good time!  I'm going to recap the actual races later, but I'll fill you guys in on the in between for now.

I took Friday off work so that I could drive down to Virginia Beach.  I was beyond excited to run in the Dolphin Challenge (8k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday).  I met my best friend in Newport News and we ran some random errands until my college roommate got home.  The Mariner's Museum was nice enough to save the poster from when Maddux was the Dog of the Month, so I got to pick up a lovely frame worthy keepsake.  (Nope, not kidding.  Totally framing it.)

By the time my roommate got home, we dropped Maddux off for the weekend, chatted a bit and then headed off to the expo.  The expo was still pretty hopping by the time we got there around 8, but there were no lines and we got our bibs quickly.  We were very hungry girls by the time we left, so we went straight to dinner.  Like last year, we hit up Abbey Road (every race requires a good pre race beer!) and then we went to bed early.

On Saturday my best friend and I ran the Shamrock 8k and had a ton of fun.  I finally got to meet fellow J&A ambassador Jennifer before the race!  After the race we hung out at the post race party and enjoyed a couple of our beers and some stew.  I got to meet Edith, another ambassador, who used to live around the corner!  She was so sweet and it was fun to finally meet some other J&A lovers!  We spent most of the time afterwards resting up because we were volunteering at the expo for the afternoon.  Our stew didn't hold us over very long, and I was a happy girl when my best friend suggested we eat Beach Bully BBQ before heading over to volunteer!

When we got to the expo I was stoked to see that Bart Yasso, the Chief Running Officer of Runner's World, was hanging out at the J&A booth!  He is super friendly and kept us laughing the whole time.  I really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet him.  The other J&A ambassadors at the booth were amazing and it was fun getting to hang out with them.  We had a bit of a battle to see who could arrange the cups the best way.  Pretty sure my table won.  Just sayin'.

After the expo, surprise, we were hungry again!  My best friend had noticed a restaurant called Lagerheads along the 8k course and I was more than game to try out another place promising good beer.  Lagerheads did not disappoint and we had a good time "fueling" for the half.

By the time we got home I was really tired and we took it easy and called it a night early.  Sunday came very early, but I was ready to tackle the half.  I had an absolutely amazing time and can't wait to tell you guys all about it soon!  After enjoying a celebratory beer, my best friend and I went for some celebratory pancakes and then hit the road back to get my pup. (We did a lot of celebrating!!)

Tomorrow fellow J&A ambassadors Jennifer, Sarah, Nan, and I will be hosting a link up for all of your Shamrock weekend recaps!  I'm looking forward to reading about all of your experiences and hope they were as great as mine!

Tell me about your weekend!  Who ran Shamrock?!

Have a fabulous week!

Friday 5: My First Half

Good morning!  Friday is finally here!  I can't believe that Shamrock weekend is THIS weekend!  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney today!  Make sure to check out some of the amazing blogs in the link up (or add your own!).  Since this weekend is my 5 year anniversary of running half marathons, I figured I would tell you guys 5 things about my very first one!  (Sorry guys, there are no dorky pictures from the race. I literally ran with nothing.  My brother had the hotel key and my license just in case, but I wasn't concerned with much at this one haha!)

We take running VERY seriously.

1. It was the Shamrock Half Marathon.  I can't really remember why I chose this one.  Maybe because it was close, maybe I had heard great things, maybe friends had suggested it?  My brother and I had previously ran in the Wicked 10k and Virginia is for Lovers 14k, so maybe we figured to just keep going.  Either way, it was an excellent choice.  (Yes, J&A only had three races back then!  They've grown SO much!)

My mom made me this amazing shadow box to hold my first medals!

2. I made up my own training plan.  So, I was in college and I ran a lot.  It was a great stress reliever, I had friends who ran, and I had the most gorgeous place ever to run.  The only real plan was to keep running whenever I felt like it and then add a mile to my long run each weekend.  How nice would that be to do that now?  I remember coming home and telling my roommate that I ran 7 miles and I had never done that before and I was super excited.  She was very patient listening to all my running talk.  (She still is.)  For some reason, I did my 9 miler and 10 miler on the treadmill.  I guess I was scared then, too, of getting stuck far away?  Someone had told me that 10 miles was the longest I needed to run before my race, because "if you can do 10 you can do 13."  Well, ok.

3. I was faster than I anticipated. I remember being blown away by the fact that I had to put a predicted race time.  "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!?"  I ended up running about 30 minutes faster than I had anticipated.  Not a bad feeling.

4. I didn't use any fuel.  Probably had something to do with the fact that in college you're invincible and a beast.  I just didn't feel the need for it like I do now.  Also, at that point I had never even really heard of it. When I was handed a Gu on the race course I held on to it until mile 9 and then took it.  I will never forget the disgusting, warm (from holding it for 3 miles) strawberry mess.  (So, I also ran in the race shirt.  I figured that if they gave it to me then it must be a good shirt to run in haha!  So glad I'm too cool for that now.)  Basically, I had no idea of everything that running could entail.

Does pizza count?

5. I swore it was my last.  Don't get me wrong, I was SO proud of myself for finishing.  I tell people all the time that there's no feeling like crossing the finish line of your first half.  I remember the second I stopped running my quads cramped up in a major way.  It was horrible! My brother and I didn't even stay for the post race party and just hobbled back to the hotel.  It took me a whole year until I was ready to tackle another one.

What was your first half (or other race!) like?  Have a great weekend! Good luck to everyone running Shamrock this weekend!  Come say hi at the expo!

Friday 5: Things I'm Loving

So I realize I did a similar post last week, but I have too many exciting things happening to do anything else.  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia!  Make sure to check out the link up!

1. SHAMROCK!!  Guys, ONE WEEK.  In one short week I will be in Virginia Beach with my best friend getting all pumped to race.

2. Fostering.  I'm getting my next Lucky Dog tomorrow and cannot wait to meet her!  I will update you guys with lots of pictures.  Best part?  Her name is Sue.  I hope she's like Sue Heck from The Middle!

Source.

3. Family Time.  It's officially less than two weeks until my mom and aunts come to visit!  I cannot wait to show them around!

Can't wait to show these Denver ladies the beauty of Maryland beer.

4. ODU Big Blue 5k.  My best friend and I have basically decided that every J&A race should be a reason to hang out.  It's nice to know that after Shamrock we already have another date lined up!  Another plus?  I just found out they are having FRO YO at the finish line.  J&A, have I told you how much I love you?  Oh yeah, only a million times.

5. Weddings!  2014 was when weddings finally started slowing down for me (for a while there I felt like I was constantly attending weddings!), but in 2015 two of my favorite couples are getting married! My wonderful friend Itzel recently asked me to be in her wedding this summer and I can't wait to start planning all the celebrations leading up to the big day!  Of course I have to mention that my little brother will be marrying his amazing fiance in the fall.

What are some things you're loving lately?  Have a fabulous weekend!

Friday 5: Favorites

Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia are going to be so proud because I finally got on board with the theme this week!   Make sure to check out the amazing link up these ladies host and read all about what these bloggers are loving right now!

1. Race Day Butterflies.  Oh my gosh, guys.  Race day is SO close!  In two weeks I will be heading to Virginia Beach for Shamrock Weekend!  Ever since March arrived I have been crazy excited.  Not only do I get to run in a fabulous race, but I also get to spend all weekend with my best friend.  (Guys, she's seriously amazing and is even volunteering at the expo with me on Saturday--make sure to come say hi!)

Hanging out before joining my corral in last year's race!
 I have the best best friend!  It was early and COLD!

2. Group Runs.  I really like having people suffer through hills with me.  I also like when other people plan out a route and I can just follow along without wondering where I'm going to turn next.  The miles always fly by when I'm with my group!  This weekend another shoe rep is coming so we'll get to try out a pair of Sauconys. (my shoe of choice)

3. Outside runs.  While running outside has always been a more ideal choice, I appreciate them so much more now that I have been spending so much quality time with the 'mill.  But seriously, is it spring yet?

4. Bobbi Brown face cream.  I got a little sample of this and whoa it is amazing.  I really wish a "big" jar (think 1.5 oz yikes) wasn't so expensive.  I used it a few weeks ago and when I woke up I immediately thought my skin looked incredible.  I tried to tell myself that maybe it was all in my head, but when my nice friend came over later he commented on how "awesome my face looked."  Maybe one day I'll splurge!

5. Snow days.  Well obviously, right?  It has been really nice to just hang out with my pup, read, and get in week day long runs (even if they're on the good ol' 'mill).  Plus, my race this weekend is still a go!  The race directors are being incredible and told us that if the trail isn't able to be cleared in time that they will give us free spikes.  I'm hoping we won't need them, but I am intrigued. (Has anyone ever used them? Anything I need to know?  Not trying to bust my butt before Shamrock!)

Maddux can't even bear to look at the snow!

What are some things you're loving lately?  Have a great weekend!  They say spring is on its way!

Friday 5: Races to Run

Ok, so I really need to check ahead on the Friday 5 schedule, because it turns out Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia have some great topics.  Last week a ton of bloggers wrote about their 5 races to run (or that they want to run!)  and it made me sad that I missed out.  So officially catching up...

1. Shamrock Half Marathon:  Guys, it's getting so, so close!  I'm really excited! It's a fast, flat course, and J&A does a fantastic job with race logistics (think porta potties at every corral).  Read my recap from last year here. One day I might shut up about this race.  But probably not any time soon.

I will probably wear this for a month straight.
Source.

2. Crawlin' Crab Shell Yeah! Challenge: This was my first ever challenge, and I LOVED it.  One of my favorite parts was that after the 5k I actually wanted to drink my post race beer! (A lot of times after halfs I'm just not feeling it right away).  For all you craft beer lovers, this is your race!  The course is amazing, too.  Read my recap of last year's race here.

3. Mud in Your Eye XC Series: I really wish I lived in the Hampton Roads area still, because I loved running these races when I was in high school and college.  My dad and I would run them together and they were a blast.

4. Boordy Vineyards 5k:  Guys, you run for 3 miles and then get bread, cheese, and fruit plates, and WINE.  Best idea for a race ever.  You can read my embarrassing recap here.  (I think I'm destined to be embarrassed with this race. I had a moment registering for the 2015 race....totally freaked out because I thought it was sold out and Charm City Run kindly sent me the link to register since I was looking at last year's link.  Oops.)

5. Surf-n-Santa 5 Miler: I loved every minute of this race.  I'm a big fan of evening races and the fact that you get to run under the boardwalk lights was amazing.  The post run party has Samuel Adams beer and a delicious bread bowl.  I realize it sounds like the only reason I run is to eat soup in bread bowls and drink good beer after this post....  Only partly true!  You can read my recap here.

A couple other runner up races that deserve to be in here are the Tower of Terror 10 Miler at Disney, the Scarecrow Classic 5k, and the St. John the Jogger 5k.  I love the last two because they are small, laid back and it's nice to just have an easy race morning.

What are the best (stress free--like I can park at the race site with ease.  I'm not all about the metro.) races in the DC area? I need some more local races!

Weekend Update

Happy Monday!  It's hard to believe that it's so cold again after it was practically spring like yesterday!  I hope everyone got to get out and enjoy a little fresh air!  I'm linking up with Tara at Running 'n' Reading for her weekend update!

Friday night was really laid back.  My sister and I ichatted while catching up on Scandal and HTGAWM <--don't want anyone finding my blog by typing in the full name haha!  I started Lickety Split by Mary Kay Andrews (written as Kathy Hogan Trocheck--her name before she became Mary Kay!) as my "book by a favorite author" category on my reading challenge.  To be honest, I'm really glad I didn't read this one first!  The books she writes now are fun, girly, and total beach reads (a new one comes out in May!  I can't wait!) and this one is nothing like it!  While it's been a quick read, it's not exactly my kind of book.

Saturday morning I woke up fully intending to go to my group run.  After looking at the temperature and impending snow, my coffee and pancakes were looking better and better.  I opted for a treadmill run later and was really glad I did!  It started snowing a lot earlier than predicted and the roads in my neighborhood were a mess.  My walk to the gym was probably more of a workout than the actual run because of all the snow!  Can't tell you guys how thankful I am that I bought my boots earlier this year. Seriously guys, they are the best ever!

Sunday was the day to tackle my long run.  Even though it was a lot warmer, my side walks were still super slushy and I wanted to stay on the safe side.  I opted for the treadmill once again and it ended up being a fantastic run.  I even ran a little further than I had set out to because I switched treadmills after my favorite one freed up about two minutes into my run.  I wanted to see those double digits and figured 10.5 was better than 10.2.  I'm actually a little surprised with how not bored I was this week on my treadmill long runs.  I think the combination of music and Wait...Wait...Don't Tell Me! helped.  It probably doesn't hurt that Shamrock is getting closer and I'm thinking a PR is more doable than I had originally thought!  My brother and sister included me on a massive group text as well, and it's really hard to be bored when you have constant alerts going off.  Thanks, guys! :-)

I felt great this whole run! Can't wait for Shamrock!

Maddux and I got in a short walk Sunday afternoon (he wasn't a fan of getting his paws wet) and then I made it out of the house for a Petsmart and Target run.  All in all, a great weekend!

Ignore my weird hair and the angle of this picture.
 Maddux's face was too good to not share!

Tell me something good about your weekend!  Any other treadmill warriors out there?  Stay warm and have a great week!

A Random Friday 5

Happy Friday!  I hope you all are staying warm! We're supposed to get hit with more snow and ice this weekend and I am not thrilled.  This is going to be a bit of a random post, but I realized I haven't updated you guys much on my Shamrock training, and what's a good Friday 5 post without everything typed into a list?  As usual, I'm linking up with Cynthia, Mar, and Courtney!  If you're snowed in you will have lots of great reading material!

1. I've been spending a lot of time on the treadmill.  In a perfect world I would have a nice balance of treadmill and outside runs.  In this frozen world, I have opted out of snow and ice and have been kicking it inside.

2. Speaking of Frozen...  Did you guys see that there's an arrest warrant out for Queen Elsa?  It made me smile.  Hope they catch her soon!

3. Maddux is really funny in the snow.  This is the one part of snow that makes me happy.  My pup gets so playful after the first good snowfall.  It lasts for about 2 minutes, but for those 2 minutes he romps around like he is a young pup again.  I love seeing him having so much fun!

4. I have had two races cancelled because of the cold.  Yep, two.  One was a 14k and another was a 10 miler.  They were supposed to be part of my long run training, but such is life.  I have a 15k coming up in two weeks.  Hopefully the snow will be out of our region by then!

5. I've had some really good runs.  Despite it all, I've actually been feeling pretty good.  I ran 9 miles on Monday and felt amazing.  I ran 3.5 yesterday (I thought I was going to be running 15 between Saturday and Sunday--might still happen, so I figured I would keep it short for my Thursday run) and ended up feeling pretty speedy!  I need a couple more long runs to feel confident going into Shamrock, but at this point it's looking like I'll have a pretty good race.  27 days away!

BOOM.  I'm thinking that 5k PR is on its way!

Stay warm, friends!

Have you had any races cancelled because of the weather?  How's your training going!?  Even though we have to deal with this crap weather, I think I do better training during the winter than the summer staying on track!

Friday 5: Love Edition

It's Friday!!  I am looking forward to having a three day weekend!  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for the Friday Five!  I'm excited to see what I'm sure will be many valentine themed posts.  My parents always made Valentine's Day fun for us growing up and I've been a long time lover of the holiday (and let's be real, can a holiday that coats your chocolate in various shades of pink really be bad?).

1. Maddux.  I'm sure no one is surprised he made the list!  Every day I am reminded of how lucky I am to have this pup in my life.  After a hard day at work, seeing his happy face erases all the stress I'm feeling and completely turns my day around.  I don't know what I'd do without my boy!

2.  Seeing corgis on my runs.  No matter how a run is going, seeing a corgi makes it 10,000 times better.  At least for that moment my run is a happy place.

3.  Peanut Butter M&Ms.  Yes, the Valentine's ones are awesome, but the Easter ones are where it's really at.  Pretty sure they have more peanut butter in them than the regular ones.

4. Kate Morton books.   I just finished The Forgotten Garden (first book checked off my 2015 book challenge!) and like the others I have read, it did not disappoint.  I can't wait to exchange books with my mom next time I'm at her house! (We bought a few and I took some home and she kept some...in an ideal world we would live about 12 hours closer.)

5. J&A Races.  Yes, I know you guys know this, but Shamrock is only a little over a month away!  I could not be more excited!  I have a very chilly 14k race scheduled for this weekend in lieu of my long run.  Guys, the race email literally said that the water at the aid stations would probably freeze.  Yuck.  I can't wait to head to Virginia Beach next month!  My best friend also suggested that we run the Big Blue 5k!  It will be my first time running it and I'm thinking it might be a good time to go for that sub 27 minute!

Post race beer taste even better when you're with your best friend!

What are some things you're loving this Valentine's Eve Friday?  I hope you guys have a fabulous, chocolate filled weekend!

Weekend Update!

Happy Monday!  Thank you so much for all your kind words after my post on Friday!  I usually try to keep my blog positive, but every once and a while you have to get it all out there so that you can move forward.  I'm happy to report that after the weekend I'm already feeling much better!

Saturday morning Maddux woke me up around 8 (pup let me sleep in--a miracle!) and I was surprised to see only clouds (a rain/sleet/snow mix had been predicted!).  After a quick check on the weather app, I decided to head to my group run.  I'm so glad that the weather cooperated, because I was in much better spirits after!  The route was hilly, but it was a nice challenge and I felt fantastic when I was done. A stop at Starbucks for a mocha made a post chilly run even better.

This fella loves to sleep in on gloomy days!

The rest of Saturday was pretty gloomy, so I spent a lot of time cleaning and organizing.  It's incredible how a clean apartment can improve a girl's mood.  When the sun started peeking through the clouds, I took a much needed break and Maddux and I headed to the park and had a great walk.  Seriously, how can anyone be moody when you are walking in one of your favorite places with your favorite guy?  (Pup is doing MUCH better now!  All back to normal!)

Speaking of pup, Maddux got selected as the Mariner's Dog of the month at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News!  When my nice friend and I went back in October for Crawlin' Crab, we took Maddux to our favorite trail that we frequented in college.  We saw a sign featuring a "Mariner Dog" and I jokingly said how it was my goal to have Maddux be on that sign one day!  A couple of months later I got an email saying that he was Mr. January!  I love that my favorite pup gets to grace the Noland Trail all month!

My amazing Roomie snapped this picture for me!
If you're in Newport News be sure to check it out!

Sunday morning I headed to the grocery store first thing (more snow was predicted and I had no food in my fridge..) and was happy to have beaten any presnow madness.  I got some ingredients to make a couple more meals from my Runner's World cookbook (I'm loving it!).  Could it be possible that 2015 is the year I like to cook?  We'll see!

Sunday was still kind of gloomy, but the weather was in the 50s!  I had 9 miles on my schedule and couldn't have asked for better weather!  The run was definitely tough, but it felt so, so good to have it done.  It was a big confidence booster!  8 weeks until Shamrock and only 4 miles to add on!

By the way--It's my week to take over J&A's Facebook page!  Make sure to play along in the comments!  I would love to see what you have to say about my topic!

I'm linking up with Tara from Reading 'N' Running for the Weekend Update!  Have a great week!

Tell me something fun about your weekend!  Anybody else get awesome weather for a long run this weekend?!