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!

Friday 5: My Blogging Hiatus

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday Five.  My life has been a bit chaotic the past 6 months, and while I've had tons of things to write about, I just haven't had the motivation to do so.  Here's a quick look back at some of the highlights:

• I moved:  I had been thinking about it for a while (you know the whole rent goes way up, apartment doesn't get any better thing) and I finally found the right place.  Maddux is loving our new neighborhood.  I ran 8 miles in my neighborhood without getting bored or having to run the same streets over and over.  I can definitely get used to it! My new place is quite a bit smaller than my old place, but I am slowly getting organized and making the most of the space I have.  It's also been a good chance to declutter a bit. 

Side story: I bought Maddux this bed years ago.  This is the first time
he has EVER got on it on his own.  It was a very exciting 2 minutes for me.

• My little brother got married!  It was the most perfect, special weekend and I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law!  

• Lots of J&A races:  The Wicked 10k, Harbor Lights Half (on my birthday!), and Surf-n-Santa 5 Miler were all amazing races and I'm glad that I was able to make it down for them.  

• I went to Vegas:  Over the summer my aunts and I decided that we'd run away together to go see Reba and Brooks and Dunn.  It was my first trip out and I loved getting to see my idol again.  

Reba and corgis.  My favorite things.

• Shamrock training has begun:  Well, kind of.  Honestly, 2015 wasn't a huge running year for me.  I finally PRed in the half and 5k and since then it has been really hard to be motivated to train.  I had been working so hard to get those PRs and when I finally did I wasn't really sure what to do next.  On the plus side, I started Body Pump a couple of weeks ago!  I'm hoping that the added strength training will help my running.  I'm also going to try to incorporate some yoga into my plan, too.  

Life is calming down a little now that the holidays are over, but since I now have a working camera you might see a few more updates from me from time to time.  I'm also going to attempt doing a weekly training update, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.  

Have a great weekend!

Friday 5: On my Mind

My poor blog.  Every week it seems to slip further and further down the list of priorities.  When I realized that today was Friday (aka Friday 5 link up day with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia!), I knew I had to give it a little love.  Because I'm kind of all over the place right now, I figured I would just get some of the thoughts in my head down!

1. I have no idea how I'm going to juggle working and school.  Ok, I mean I know how I'm going to do it.  I'm going to make tons of lists and have some late nights.  The work life balance might not be so fun this next year or so, but it will be worth it in the end.

In college I preferred to juggle my workload with a margarita in my hand.

2. The weather this week has been fantastic!  I sneaked in an outdoor run this week and Maddux and I went to the park almost every single day this week.  It was fabulous.

3. I wonder how my long run this weekend will go.  It's still kind of up in the air on how I'm going to approach it.  Part of me wants to just tack on a couple extra miles after my group run (hoping not too many hills tomorrow!), but my nice friend and I talked about possibly running a couple of miles later in the day together, so we'll see what happens.  Hopefully a two a day will be almost as good if that's how it works out.

4. Punkin' Ale is coming back!  As well as all other good things that are pumpkin.  Although I'm sad to see summer go, I really love fall.

We're a big fan of birthday beer in my family.
Luckily my birthday and pumpkin beers go well together.

5. Halloween.  My best friend and I are tossing around the idea of running the Wicked 10k together, so I've been thinking about some fun costumes we could run in!

It will be hard to beat the sibling costumes!

Overall things here are really good.  I am working on getting back into a routine, which is a little tricky, but I'm sure I'll be surprised how fast things will get back on track.  Also, apparently after rereading this list I'm really digging some fall ha!

What's on your mind lately?  Any fun time management tips? I'm a list maker and calendar person all the way! Have a very happy Friday!

Friday 5: My Day

Hello!  Today I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for the Friday Five!  The theme of the day is "Day in the Life" and while today hasn't been super exciting so far, I figured I'd play along!

• Maddux woke me up as usual around 6am for breakfast and as usual I stumbled back to bed for a couple of hours after I filled his dish.  Maddux let me sleep in until about 8 and then I made coffee and oatmeal and we snuggled on the couch for a little while watching Luke Bryan on Good Morning America.  It's been such a gray day that it was hard to get up and moving!

(No, I don't have snowflake sheets on my bed still.
This just captures our typical mornings after he eats!)

• After Luke was done backing it on up (Kick the Dust up, anyone?) Maddux and I headed out for our first walk of the day.  It's been surprisingly cool today!  Nice change of pace for sure.  When we got back I got ready for my run, which basically involved half heartedly using the stick to roll out my IT band while texting my mom about Luke's performance.  

• I headed to the park and felt really strong on my run!  Probably a big part of this was because of the cooler temps, but I'll take it any day!  My pace was about 45 seconds faster per mile than it has been lately and I even cranked out the last mile in just under 9 minutes.  It was a great confidence boost.  I need to figure out where I am on my training plan so I can start checking runs off again.  I didn't bring it with me on my Alabama trip, so I've just been kind of running to build up a base.  So far so good!

• After my run I ran some errands.  Maddux needed food and I needed the new Luke Bryan album so off to Target I went.  I know some of y'all are going to make jokes about the fact that I bought a cd, but y'all are going to hate it when you miss out on the bonus tracks haha!   While I was at Target I also redeemed my free Starbucks drink since it was about to expire.  

Corgis and Luke.  Doesn't get much better.

• Now I'm eating lunch and typing this up before it's time to get ready for my friends' wedding rehearsal.  I'm going to try to squeeze in one more quick walk and some homework, too!  

Congrats to the beautiful bride to be!

So that's been my day so far!  Just one of those run around getting things done kind of days.  I'm really looking forward to next week because I'll have a little bit of down time where I can focus on school work and relaxing before work kicks into high gear again.  

Tell me something about your day!  Did you get a break from the summer heat, too?  Any other Luke Bryan lovers?!  My sister and I are going to see him in concert in a few weeks and I am beyond excited!

Friday 5: ZOOMA 10k

Guys, I really do know my days of the week.  Lately though it's just been easier to post a little late because the week days have been so busy!  I hope everyone got in a wonderful run on Wednesday for National Running Day!  It was nice and cool here, and though it was a little dreary, it really was great weather for a run!  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia today--make sure to check out the link up for some good reads.

Last weekend I ran the ZOOMA 10k in Annapolis, Maryland.  Today I'm going to share with you some of my thoughts from the race.  I'm not really sure where the month of May went, but I didn't train nearly as well as I should have.  I kept putting off my longer distance runs and didn't run more than 4 miles before the race, (post-Shamrock running has been a little subpar!), but I still had a fun morning!  I was really proud of myself for running the whole race because it was a huge mental battle.  I really do believe that you can work on something in each race even if you know it's not going to be your fastest!

1. The Expo.  So a quick note about ZOOMA--it's a race geared towards women with the goal being a fun "girls weekend out" race. All of the locations are in really fun/gorgeous areas.  ZOOMA Florida is on my bucket list of runs!  The race expo was held in the Annapolis Loew's hotel (the host race of the hotel).  There were plenty of public parking places a couple of minutes walk away.  I went really early and only had to wait a couple of minutes to get my packet.  The expo was small, but they had some cute shirts.  Charm City Run had a booth, and I ended up buying a really fun shirt!

2. The Course. When I got to the Navy Marine Corps Stadium, there was quite a line for parking.  I arrived about 30 minutes prior to the race, and after I parked I decided it would probably be best to find the portapotties.  (Side note, thank goodness for car alarms, because I totally forgot where I had parked after the race.)  I'm glad I did, because the line was soooo long.  I waited for about 20 minutes in the line.  I don't remember it being that bad a couple of years ago!  The race started on time (or really close to it).  The first mile or so you just kind of wind through the stadium parking lot and the roads around it.  I think miles 2-4 were probably my favorite.  Those were the ones where you went through downtown Annapolis (which I think is super cute) and are near the water.  Around mile 5 we got to a bridge and it was brutal.  The uphill seemed to last forever and it was right in the sun.  (I remembered this bad boy from a couple of years ago!) Once you got to the downhill park though, it seemed like the breeze came back and it was lovely.  The rest of the course wasn't too remarkable.  Pretty much just winding through neighborhood streets back to the stadium for a slightly uphill finish.  There wasn't a whole lot of crowd support, but there were a ton of water stops!  It was really nice having that many opportunities to get water.  Even though the race started at 7, it was still pretty warm!

3. The Post Race Party.  After finishing the race, I was handed a medal, a bottle of water, a bag of Maryland Crab chips, and got to pick a snack box.  I went with the hummus, but chicken salad was also a choice.  My box had hummus and pretzels, carrots, and an apple.  There were some vendors available and there was wine, but since I ran it solo I felt like drinking alone at 8am was kind of not my thing and I would rather just go home.

4. The Swag.  In my race packet I received a reusable bag, a pair of Feetures socks, a journal, and my race shirt.  I actually wore the socks to the race.  I'm not sure I would say this is the best sock I've ever put on my foot, but they did seem a little more durable than some of my other socks.  As long as they last a few months without holes I'll be happy!  The medal was just a generic one for the 10k finishers.  The half marathon medal was pretty cool, but I can understand why they wouldn't want to go through the cost of making two different medals for all of their races.

5. Other Thoughts.  I left with the same impression of the race that I did the last time I ran it.  It was ok. It was fun, but not one that I feel compelled to do every single year.  I do like that it's pretty close (I was home before 9!) and I enjoy the distance, so I wouldn't rule it out completely in the future.  I also had some unfair comparisons--a couple of years ago I ran it and when I signed up they sent me a training pack that had a ton of different stuff in it and a really cute shirt that I still wear all the time.  At the actual race, I got another shirt, a water bottle, a yoga mat, and a cute necklace, AND I think the race was cheaper than it is now.  Look, I get that if they did that every year they would probably be bankrupt in no time, but when you're spoiled one year it can be a little disappointing when the next year you're not! In all fairness though, I thought the goodie bag was still great this year!

Guys, I felt kind of bad.  So they said that we would get a free race photo this year.  Pretty much every single race photo I'm in, I look like I am in some serious pain, even if I'm not.  I decided that I was just going to make a face at the camera this time so I would be intentionally crazy looking instead of the "oh that poor girl" crazy looking.  Weeeeellll, the photographer did NOT look happy.  As soon as I saw her face, I wished I could take it back, but oh well.  The past is in the past.

I think I captured the "Zombie Runner" look quite well.

Have you done any ZOOMA races?  What did you think?  What races do you have coming up? Have a great weekend!

Friday 5: Thoughts on Joining a Training Group

It's Friday!  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for the Friday Five.  Make sure to check all the great blogs!  I have a race tomorrow, which I'm not super excited about, simply because I didn't train for it.  Oops.  It kind of sneaked up on me.  I don't want this to happen in future races, because honestly, they are expensive and it's just not fun to run a race when you aren't prepared for the distance.   I've been playing around with the idea of joining a training group for my next half, and luckily I have some time to think about it!  If I'm going to do it, I want to commit.  I have a lot of thoughts going on, so I would love to hear about anyone who has experience training with a group!

1. I need a goal.   I finally broke 2 hours in my half marathon and I haven't put a lot of thought into the next goal.  I mean, of course a PR would be nice, but I don't have as definitive of a goal.  Quite frankly, running sub 2 was hard, and it would be nice to do that again, preferably a little more comfortably.  

Love that PR bell!

2. I do really well following plans.  I really like posting my plan on the fridge and checking off each run.  I've been following essentially the same plan the past few races.  I try to do two 5 mile runs a week and then alternate speed work and long runs.  It's been working, but I would be interested to see what a coach had to say.  I wonder how fast I could get actually following advice from someone who knows what they are doing.  On the other hand, I appreciate how easy my plan is to follow.  It works for my life.

3. Long runs are tricky.  I try to go somewhat early and just pack a lot of water and shot bloks in my car.  I do various miles that circle back to my car every so often.  It seems like the training run group would have set up aid stations throughout the long runs.  That would be really great.  On the other hand, long runs are usually not very pretty for me.  I kind of like suffering solo.  Plus, I like being able to take breaks when I feel like I need them.  

4. I like my current group.  They are only a quick drive away, and besides, I would really miss seeing them every week.  Plus even though it's hotter, I like that we have a later start time.  7am runs would be tough at first!  From what I read there will be a couple of easy runs thrown into the mix, so I could always go back to my group for those instead.  

5. Commitment.  I think this is a really good thing for me, and something that I'm not so sure about.  It would be good for me to be held accountable by a group and a coach.  I like when other people know about my goals so that I can be reminded of what all the hard work is for.  The plan would coincide perfectly with 2 of my three half marathons I want to do, and would hopefully give me the tools to continue moving forward for my third.  I do appreciate the ability to be flexible though.  I like being able to do my runs when I feel like doing them.  I like being able to adjust according to how I'm feeling.  I like running for me.  Now I just have to decide how much support I want.

Gotta earn my bling!

Have you ever used a training group?  How did it go?  Did you find that it helped you meet your goals? Maybe form new goals?  I would love to hear your stories!

Friday 5: Things I'm Lovin'

We're going to pretend I'm not a giant slacker and actually wrote this on Friday.  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia!  They are talking organization this weekend, which isn't really my strong suit, so I'm going to keep on with my recent trend of telling you some things I'm loving lately.

1. Maddux.  Yes, you all know if you've ever even just glanced at my blog, BUT yesterday was our four year anniversary!  We celebrated with a walk at the park, a new toy and treats, and his favorite, a Frosty Paws doggie ice cream!

2. Trader Joe's.  Last weekend I had like three things on my list that I was going to grab, but as I drove by Trader Joe's I noticed that there was an open parking spot.  Guys, every time I drive by it is PACKED, so this was really exciting.  I ended up buying a whole cartful of things, but it was well worth it.  They just have such fun stuff that my regular grocery store doesn't carry.  Hopefully I can time it right again soon!

3. Hello Fresh.  As long as we're talking about food....So the reason that I only had a few things on my list was because my Hello Fresh box was scheduled for this week.  This is my third box and I am really loving it.  For those of you who don't know, Hello Fresh is a meal ingredient delivery service.  You pick a box (either meat or vegetarian) and then they send you the ingredients to make three two serving meals.  (Although, I have found I usually have enough for 3 meals!) The ingredients have been really fresh and everything is the right portion, so all you have to do is chop it up if needed and cook.  My first two boxes were vegetarian, so they give you the three vegetarian meals, but if you pick the meat box like I did this time, you get to pick out three meals (there are 4 meat choices and a vegetarian choice).  The meals have been really easy to make, and haven't used too many dishes to make, so I'm a fan!

*I'm not being paid in any way for saying nice things about Hello Fresh, just thought I would give you guys my opinion in case you were looking for an easy meal service!  If you want a code to get a discount though, I'm happy to send one your way, just know that I would also get a discount off my box, too.

4. My new Brooks! I have ran in them several times now and am loving them!  They are so comfortable and they were the best $7 purchase I have made!  Their laces are a little short, so I'm thinking of getting some kind of lace lock device for a little extra security.  Yes, I know that I can easily change the laces, but I think they are cute, so I'm not going to.  I haven't run any longer distances yet in them, but I'm hoping that they continue to feel great.

5. The Maryland 5k.  I ran this race last weekend and really enjoyed it!  The shirt is awesome, packet pick up was at Chickfila (and a lot of other places throughout the week, but when you can get it at Chickfila, why wouldn't you?), they gave me a Chickfila cookie at the end, AND I won a card for free Chickfila waffle fries.  So maybe number 5 should be Chickfila?  But seriously, yum.  The course was pretty hilly, but thanks to my running group routes, none of them seemed too terrible.  The race was big enough that I always had people to run with on the course, but not big enough to feel crowded.  There was also a ton of free parking.  I will definitely run again!

Y'all know you love my selfies that aren't selfies.

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

5 Signs That I Probably Love Your Blog

Happy Friday!  I'm so happy it's the weekend!  I don't have too much planned, but I kind of like it that way.  Life has seemed so go, go, go lately that it will be nice to just kick back.  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney today (I know, sneaking in last minute!).  The theme has to do with blogger love, and I started thinking about all the blogs that I have read over time and what made me stick with some over others.  Basically, if you write about anything below, I read and love your stuff.

1. Dogs.  

Yep.  Bonus points if it is a corgi, dachshund, or any other short legged pup.  I haven't really come across any other blogs that talk about their fosters, but if you know of any that won't make me cry I would love to read them.

2. Every Day Running.

Ugh, probably should have been number one considering the name of my blog.  The first blog I ever read was called Runner's Kitchen.  She writes like once every ten years now, but I learned so much from her!  From different running products, apparel, and tasty snacks to fuel running, it was fun trying out new things that someone else suggested.  She also was super nice and answered a question I had about my first half marathon.  Even now after 8 half marathons under my belt I still love reading about other people's running life and what they are doing to help it!

3. New Workouts.

The pizza lift.  A legit workout.

I learned about Pure Barre and Body Pump from my blog reading.  I probably never would have tried them if I hadn't read about them from somebody's blog.  I was also really excited for my first spin class after reading about so many writers' love of it.  Thanks for keeping me diverse, guys!

4. Races.

Whether you are training for a race, running in a really cool race, or running one of my favorite races, I get excited to read about it.

5. Good Beer.

#sorrynotsorry #goodpeopledrinkgoodbeer Yikes, not sure where the hash tags came from. But seriously, if you drink good beer and write about your love of it then I will be excited to read your blog.


What do you like to read about in other people's blogs?  If you guys have any suggestions based on the above, send them my way!

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!

Weekend Update #3

Happy Monday!  I'm linking up with Tara over at Running and Reading for the weekend update!  Make sure to check out everyone's fun weekend posts!

My Saturday started waaaay too early.  We had gone out Friday night to celebrate my nice friend's sister starting a new job, so getting up to do my group run was a bit painful.  I was glad I went, but maaaaan those hills kicked my butt!  I know they'll make me stronger, but I was cursing our leader just a little.

Maddux says sleeping on the couch is better than running hills.

After a quick shower, I headed out to the mall to meet up with my cousin.  We strolled around, got coffee, and did a little bit of shopping and it was great to catch up!  We're both really excited because my mom and our aunts are coming to visit next month!  I bummed around most of the night and caught up with my ABC shows I'd been neglecting.

Can't wait to drink margs with the aunts on the east coast!

Sunday was one of those run around days.  I went to Target first thing in the morning and spent way too much time there.  How is it so easy to walk out with so much stuff there?  I had literally 2 things on my list.  After Target I had to go to the grocery store, which also ended up taking a lot longer than I expected.  If anybody knows where to find dried figs, I would love to hear your advice!  So much for trying to meal plan! (Yes, I'm a little obsessed with my Runner's World cookbook!)

After whipping up some Coconut Almond Energy Bars (for those of you who hadn't tried them out of the RW cookbook but want to, just know that it makes a TON) I took Maddux to the park.  It was gorgeous outside and I wanted my pup to get to enjoy the 65 degree weather, too!  We had a great hour long walk and loved every minute of it.

Not the same visit, but still a pretty park picture.

By the time I got home, it was time to get ready to run.  I don't know if it was a combination of running around and hills from the day before, but I was exhausted.  I didn't leave enough time to do my planned long run (oops) and ended up only doing 5 miles.  I was totally fine with my unplanned short cut though because the weather was amazing (shorts!! in February!!) and I got to enjoy some miles with my pup which I wouldn't have had I gone straight to my run.  Plus, I saw a corgi on my run.  Totally worth it!

To make up for my lack of plan following I ended up signing up for a few local races.  I'm really excited for them and I think it will be a nice way to get a few long runs in.

Tell me something fun about your weekend!  Anybody else sign up for races to make long runs more exciting?

Have a fabulous week!

Friday 5: Poor Shamrock

Shamrock is officially less than two months away!  I have no idea how I managed to complete every single one of my runs in my super long training plan last year.  This time around I seem to be struggling in more ways than one.  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday 5!  Make sure to check out all the great blogs.  It's growing every week, so you'll have plenty of reading material for this snowy weekend!

1. Germs, germs, germs.  Annnnd I'm sick again.  Not trying to whine, but didn't I just get done with this?  I started getting a tickle in my throat on Thursday and by Saturday night my nice friend and I started out weekend getaway with a trip to CVS for Nyquil and decongestants.  I'm really fun to date.

2. Weekend get aways are amazing.  Even though I was gross, I had the best time.  We did a quick trip to Lexington, Virginia, to celebrate my nice friend's birthday.  We started with Devil's Backbone Brewery and then Blue Lab Brewing (which has the best logo in the world!).  We also got in a lot of amazing walks and I had a great (although slow) run around downtown.  I loved getting to see the mountains!  The area was absolutely beautiful.  This may be lame, but our hotel had tea and honey available 24/7 and it was incredible being able to have tea whenever my heart desired.

3. Pup did not love weekend getaways.  Poor, poor Maddux.  When I picked him up, the sitter said that he hadn't been feeling very well.  That was a bit of an understatement, as we ended up at the vet with my sweet boy hooked up to an IV getting pumped with fluids and medications.  No worries, he is doing much, much better, but it definitely gave me a scare and I am so thankful for a vet who doesn't judge me as I break down in her office.

4. Crap weather.  Wintery mixes and freezing temps makes it SO hard to get out from under my covers.  I know this is stupid, but I'm in such a rut lately (not just with running, but with most things in general) and snuggling with my pup has won out on way too many occasions.

5. Motivation.  It's just not there at the moment and I can't say why.  I am beyond excited for the race itself and I had a great 8 miler a couple of weeks ago, so I'm right on track.  I know this post makes it seem like I've missed most of my runs, and that's not true.   I've stuck mostly to my plan,  I'm simply having a hard time wanting to get out there.  My fire from last year is gone and I'm not really sure what I need to do to get it back.

Sorry to have such a downer post, I just needed to get it out there so maybe I can start to put a better foot forward.  Any ideas on how to get back in the groove would be greatly appreciated!  This may seem silly, but doing a major cleaning of my apartment is the first thing on my list.  I think once I feel more organized I will feel better about life!  I'm also looking forward to running with my group again, because it's been way too long!

What do you do when you get in a weird place with running?  Bring on the thoughts!  I'm ready to be back!

**PS--It might help to have more friends run Shamrock!  Sign up before it sells out!  It's getting close!  It's one of my favorite races ever!

Friday 5: 2014 in Review

Yes, it's late.  I realize that we are already halfway through the first month of 2015, but life has been a little busy lately and honestly, I just haven't had it in me to reflect.  But, today is a new day and I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday 5!  Make sure to check out all the great blogs linking up!  2014 ended up being a fantastic year.

1. Stay focused on the happy in life.  I think I did ok with this.  At the beginning of the year I wrote down little things that made me happy each day.  I should have tried harder to keep this up, but you know how it goes.  Maybe I'll try once a week in 2015.  It's nice to be able to look back and smile!

It's hard not to be happy when this boy is in your life!

2. Be proud at the end of my races.  Definite check!  Off the top of my head, my races of 2014 included the Shamrock half marathon (PR!), Crawlin' Crab 5k and half marathon, the Scarecrow Classic, and Surf-n-Santa 5 miler.  I trained hard for these races and had a great time.

3. Attend at least 3 Lucky Dog Animal Rescue Events.  I did well with this one, too.  I started fostering in April and when you agree to foster, you agree to take your pup to an event.  I fostered 5 pups this year and went to several events.  I'm happy to say all of my pups are happy in their forever homes.

4. Make a better effort in my relationships.  Well, this one could probably always be better, but I did end up getting to go on some great trips and I got in a lot of family time and my nice friend and I had a fun weekend get away.  I also got quite a bit of best friend time this year, too!

Fun times in Colorado!

5. Try new things.  I did end up trying quite a few new recipes.  It's been nice mixing things up a little.  I started running with my group and it's been really good for me.  My nice friend and I went to the Go Ape! obstacle course and zip lining place and while it was terrifying, it was a lot of fun.  I also went to Dogfish Head Brewery and tried a lot of new to me beers.  Counts, right?

So glad it was over!

How did you do with your 2014 goals?  I'll have to start setting some new ones for the 2015 soon! Have a fabulous weekend!

Week 1 Recap

Shamrock weekend is only 14 weeks away!  Week 1 went better than I expected, but I'll admit I was a little concerned after the first run.  I felt like it was a bad sign (I know, ever the optimist).  

Monday: Nike Training Club app for 15 minutes of butt exercises.  Woo strength training.

Wednesday: When I got to the gym, I found that two of the four treadmills at our complex are out of order.  Both the remaining 'mills were taken so I jumped on the elliptical for a few minutes.  When a treadmill was free, I was bummed because it was the one that always hurts my joints.  Not sure what the deal is with it, but it's really uncomfortable.  After a mile and a half I called it and decided I would just run laps outside.  A mile and a half of laps turned out to be the most boring thing ever, so I leashed up Maddux hoping to at least break up some boredom.  Let's just say we didn't make it very far.

Thursday: I made up the mile I had left from Wednesday and then did 15 minutes of arm exercises and 15 minutes of butt exercises.  

Saturday: A little over 5 miles with my run club.  I definitely pushed harder than I would have on my own and I was really happy with my pace.  After the run I got ready to pick up my foster pup, Demi!  I only had her for the night, but she was super sweet and I can't wait to read that she has found a family.  Maddux was even excited to have her, which is a first!  If anyone is interested in giving my sweet girl (or any of the other Lucky Dogs!) a home for the holidays, find out more information about adopting here.

  

We couldn't get over how soft she is!!

Sunday: I said a somewhat tearful goodbye to Demi at the adoption event (I'm getting better!!) and then finished up the last bit of Christmas shopping I had left.  I chose taking my pup on a nice long walk over running outside and ended up running on the treadmill.  I finished my 4 miles much faster than I expected and am feeling pretty good about where I'm at after the first week!

Week 1 Miles: ~13.5

How is your training going?  Does anyone else include strength training in their plan?  This is the first time I'm officially adding it, so I hope it helps!  

Friday 5: Shamrocking 2015

Oh, Friday.  Thank you for finally making an appearance.  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney today!  Make sure to check out all the great blogs!  Wednesday kicked off my training plan for the Shamrock Half Marathon 2015.  I'll recap the week early next week, but let's get into some of the other stuff going on lately!

1. My plan is 15 weeks.  Last year I had a really long plan.  This one seems short and it's scary.  It fit on one nice page and is ready to have some workouts checked off!

2. I added two cross training days.   Last year I think doing my Nike Training Club workouts helped a lot.  Plus, they are only 15 minutes so it's a nice way just to get moving a little after a long day.  If I can get some cardio cross training that's great, but I want to focus those days mainly on strength.

3. Two of our four treadmills are broken.  Eek.  I hope that when I get back from my parents' after the holidays that they will be back in order.

4. I got in a couple good non training runs last weekend. I ran on the W&OD trail with my nice friend last weekend as a last "hurrah" before my runs start to "count." Our last almost mile was at an 8:35 pace!  Probably should make him run with me more often because I always tend to do better when he's around! I told my run club that I need them to keep me accountable to make sure I am pushing myself at our runs and they were really supportive.  It's nice to have some running buddies!

5.  Unrelated, but Maddux and I are getting a puppy!  Lucky Dog was in need of some fosters and I felt like we should do something nice for the holidays.  They came up so fast this year that I feel like I didn't have proper chance to get in the spirit, so hopefully this will help!  Check out my foster pup here!  I'll post more pictures of her once she arrives!

Source.

Who else is gearing up for a spring race?  I can't wait to hear about how your training goes!

PS--Share this photo and comment with #SHAMROCKON15 and you will be entered in a chance to win 1 of 5 free entries to Shamrock weekend!