The anatomy nerd in me is freaking out.

Before I startle you with my fantastic day (lol), I want you to throw this onto your running playlist.  Yup, it's an old song, but if you have never run to it, then you absolutely must.

My goal was to make it to this bridge.  I knew that it was a little over 3.5 miles (marathon training up and down this route made me very aware of every mile marker), and though six miles was what was on the schedule, I opted to go the extra mile.  Everything felt great, so I decided "Why not?".

I ran past this van and thought it was pretty freaking cool.

Cooler than Monica and Phoebe's on "Friends".

Before I knew it, I was done with seven miles, and felt pretty darn good about all of them.

It ended up being a progression run, and this is something I really need to be careful of in the future.  I always end up speeding up at the end of my long runs -- it's like I just want the dumb thing over with or something.;)

I got home, and this little girl wanted to go for a walk.  I think she was kind of irked at me for not taking her for a run with me.  She's really been getting hyped before we go out for the easy threesies.

I drank half of this smoothie before thinking about taking a picture of it for you.:P  It contained one banana, tart cherry juice, organic almond milk, frozen red raspberries, and Vega Sport Recovery.

Harry went to pick up Sophia, then they head over to his family's house for a while.  Windy and I hung out and attempted to be proactive.

Dinner was a giant burrito and elote from Cochinita ------> Chicago [northside] peeps ------> try it out if you haven't been there yet!

And for dessert?!  Horchata rice crispies!

We were all stuffed and snuggling happened for the rest of the evening.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Random, but I want a five of these cubes.  Four for the school, and one for me at my house.  I <3 <3 <3 anatomy so much!  Sorry for nerding out, but I know some of you will understand.:)



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday plans?
-GAME OF THRONES!  GAME OF THRONES!  GAME OF THROOOOOONES!

Do you have any vacation plans coming up soon?



Do you foam roll?  When do you like to do it -- before or after your training?  

I can't tell you how grateful I am.

I opted to do my long run on Monday, since I took the day off from work.  I had some rockin' tunes for a warm, breezy run.

I found a new DIVVY station!  This is great news for Harry and I, since these stations have to be at least a 1/2 mile from each other, and we're really looking forward to getting some in our neighborhood.

Caught Mr. Squirrel (what my Daddio refers to EVERY squirrel) grabbing some breaky.

It was splendid, albeit humid and 70*F out.  I had already stopped twice by this point (~5 miles) for water.  I felt drained, out of breath no matter how much I slowed down, and tired.  At one point, I felt like I was compromising my gait.

Most of the time, I feel absolutely fantastic after a run, no matter how warm it was, no matter how far I had run.  I fought hard to keep a smile on my face when I realized I was finishing out this run.  It was runs like this one that reminds me that running can be so tough.  That it's not all happy, "better/cheaper than therapy", *every glorious step*, running.  It can take away everything you've ever worked hard for in a single moment, so you must be grateful with every step.  I was grateful to finish (for serious), and that I even have the gift to do this.

Bright red is the new pink?  The acclimation process to warmer weather is so difficult to get through; but like I said, being grateful, counting your blessings, and going SLOW will help.

Recovery time.  I'm happy to have smoothie season back!  So refreshing, so yummy....

I head off to my new doctor's office for my first appointment.  Um, the view from the exam room I was in was worth the visit.  The fact that my new doc rocks was a fantastic addition.

Some lunch when I got home.  IT'S CHERRY SEASON!  HOORAY!

After a solid two-hour nap (OMG!) I hopped up to finish some laundry, and later picked up Harry from the train station.  It's been two years since I've moved to Chicago, and this was one of the days that we're celebrating.:)

The original schedule called for BBQ, but we ended up at Kuma's Corner, where the metal is loud, the beers are frosty, and the burgers are delicious.

Also, they were showing "Labyrinth".  Hellooooooooooo, David Bowie -- Dance magic dance!

The Mac N' Cheese (with bacon and broccoli) is a must-have.

Harry and I exhausted our resources trying to find out what songs were playing during our dinner.  It's all metal, so I just wonder if Siri isn't hip enough to know this.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some *BRAIN HUGS* for today!

Since I had TWO qualifiers at the Track Meet on Saturday, we called off Track practice for today.  I'm coming straight home, and you know what's next...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you have a favorite gourmet burger joint in your city?

QUICK:  Fave race distance?

RANDOM:  Tell me something you love to see.
-I love watching snow.  I can't think of anything else that I will just sit and stare at.

Let's celebrate the new week with a GIVEAWAY! [CLOSED!!!!!!]

Allright, I feel like I am back on track now.  I had a great training week, with about 90% of my workouts getting done.  I missed a Yoga sesh due to my track team's meet, and a cycling workout because of thunderstorms.  Not a bad week, otherwise!

Monday - AM Swim - 1500 yards (sprints and one long set)
Tuesday - PM Run - 4 easy miles
Wednesday - AM Swim - 1600 yards (1500 breakdown - 1 x 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, negative splits for each set, and sprinting the last 25 of each set, 100 warmdown [free, breaststroke, and basically playing in the water]); PM Run - 3 easy miles with the /R/iver /R/unners crew
Thursday - REST
Friday  - AM 50-minute spin (fun intervals...FUNTERVALS!), PM Weights + Corework

Saturday - AM Run - 7 miles

Sunday - AM Run - 3 easy miles

Totals:

Swimming - 3100 yards

Running - 17 miles

Spinning/Cycling - 50 minutes

Yoga - 0

Weights - 0

The last two will change this week.;)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IN OTHER NEWS!

I think that a Giveaway is mandatory every once in a blue moon.  And I reckon I might as well giveaway a Few of my Favorite Things!

(It's really more like seven things, but *a few* sounds better and more classic.)

I haven't really had a (homemade) giveaway ever, so this is quite a moment for me...and for you?  Yeah, it's totes for you.:)  What I'll ship to you when you win!

Some *on the run* nutrition!  My favorite flavors of GU (Tri-Berry, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Sea Salt Caramel -- YUMMM), and CLIF Shot Bloks. 

The best running socks on the planet?  Yes.:)  Three pairs of Feetures!

I'm sort of re-gifting these, to a point.  I'm happy that I won these from The Suzlyfe's giveaway a couple of months ago.  Sharing these was such a wonderful thing for her to do, and I absolutely adore them.  I don't have to use them every day, but only when I'm feeling *too snacky* and need to put my appetite in-check.  I don't think she'll mind (although if she does, she can totally text me and tell me, where we can also make lunch plans...hint hint hint hint, hinty-hint-hint) me passing them along to a new friend whom might also be working with their post-big race appetite.  Three packets of MealEnders included in this giveaway!  

Three packets of my most favorite afternoon *BOOST* -- EBOOST.

Pre and post-workout nutrition -- I do it.  Check out my faves from Vega Sport!  Here's my review of both of these products: 

Vega Sport Electrolyte Hydrator
Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator

So there you have it -- some of my faves!  This giveaway will begin today, and will end in one week.  ONE WEEK.  That's like...a long time...to keep posting about it.:D

a Rafflecopter giveaway

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to the beautiful Katie for the #MIMM link-up!  All things marvelous on this Monday!

Marathon Training: Week XII

Y'all.  Six weeks from today, I'll have run the Chicago Marathon for the third stinkin' time.

*Awe has ensued...*

Side note:  189 miles ran in August.  Woot.

I've got my first 20-miler in the books.  I'm not gonna lie:  It was tougher than I had anticipated.  It was warm and humid out, much like my 14-miler last week, but of course, I had another hour of running ahead of me.  I stopped at every water fountain I saw, attempting to ensure that I could complete it.  When I got home, I immediately made myself a Recovery Accelerator smoothie!  We were out of milk, so I used half water, half tart cherry juice.  A warm, soothing bath and my feet up in the air was all that was left for the day!

Harry rocked out his 20-miler, as well!  To celebrate, we ordered some Leadbelly burgers (mine had bacon and egg on it!) with Garlic-Parm fries, and paired it with a honey kolsch.   Mmmmmm...tastes like recovery...:)

 Recovery miles on the dreadmill for Sunday (I walked the .1 miles for a cooldown).  My leggies didn't feel too terribly trashed!  A little stiff, and a muscle in my left quad is a little peeved, but that was it.

Afternoon hit, and we picked up the munchkin, along with her best friend for a sleepover!  I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THIS!  Sure, I'd run 34 miles in the past three days, but who cares?!  We had to hit up the Apple store to get my iPhone's battery replaced (in case you didn't know, if you have an iPhone 5 and the battery is dying quickly, you could get it replaced for free -- check here!), and of course, we HAD to hit up the Lego store.

Harry, after fifteen minutes with two munchkins.  Poor guy didn't know what he'd gotten himself into when he agreed to the sleepover.

We finally escaped took off from the mall and head over to Harry's parents' house for some family time.  Grill, pool, good food, and BABIES.  I snapped some uber cute photos of Harry with his nephew, Miles.  What a happy baby!

We got home, ordered pizza, and the girls showered up and hit up the game cabinet.  First thing they wanted to play with:  Jacks.  I was shocked.

Josi's Frozen Yogurt was a must.  A MUST. 

Two beautiful, happy, sugar-coated girls.

Luckily, we got home and the girls were happy to play with Play-doh and watch "Full House" before hitting the sack.  I was exhausted, so Harry took over for the night shift.  <3

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week Twelve Wrap-Up:

Monday - 45 minutes cycling out on the Lakefront Trail
Tuesday - 6.01 easy miles
Wednesday - 5K race (F^3 Urban Hoedown 5K) Not a PR, but pretty close, and pretty awesome for an August 5K!
Thursday - REST
Friday - 7.01 easy miles
Saturday - 20.03 long run miles
Sunday - 7.0 recovery miles on the treadmill

43.15 miles for the week.  A lower-mileage week than anticipated, due to a crummy, throw-in-the-towel run on Tuesday (which was supposed to be 9), and the 5K on Wednesday.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With school starting this week, I have some changes to make in my training.  Nothing outrageous; mostly moving a couple of morning runs to the afternoon, where they might have to be completed on the treadmill.  I don't like that, AT ALL, but it's what I gotta do!  

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some chocolate-chip pancakes to make for the house.:)  Nom nom nom...

Thoughts About the Long Run [And Success at Costco]

This morning's run was simply wonderful.  It got a little warm (perhaps mid-70s), but I'll take that over 80-90*F ANY DAY.  I've trained for this marathon twice in San Antonio, Texas.  I'm not saying that it doesn't get hot here, but it hasn't been anything like SA yet.  *knocks on wood*  I set out around 6:45am, after having a huge cup of coffee and about 24 ounces of water with VEGA Sport Electrolyte Hydrator.  I rely on the VEGA Sport products lately to ensure excellent training sessions!

It was about 65*F when I started out, but I'm sure it jumped up to 70-75*F in no time.  I stopped a couple of times for water, mainly to hydrate for my GU/ACCEL gel (which I think I might prefer the latter).  I'm still working on timing and the actual nutrition I take while out on the long run.

I found myself counting down to something...anything, but mostly to when I reached the halfway point.  "Three more miles until I turn around!"  "Another half mile and I'm halfway!", etc.  The run home was still a countdown, but also to take nutrition.  It was strange.  I think I finally got bored?  Haha!  I ran through some sprinklers around mile 13.  Um...best idea of my life.  I spotted Harry running on the other side of the street, just starting his run, as I was about a mile away from finishing mine.  I waved like a maniac and blew him a kiss, which he caught.:)  18 miles -- donesies!

I finally got home and ran upstairs for a smoothie.  It was warm out by this point, but still comfy.  I enjoyed my smoothie in a warm bath, which I prefer over ice baths.  Ice baths just haven't worked out in my favor in the past, and that's okay!  I think most of my recovery is contingent on nutrition.  And speaking of which, more #FUELYOURBETTER funsies with VEGA Sport's Recovery Accelerator.  It's delicious in a smoothie.

My smoothie contained:  

• About 500ml of vanilla almond milk
• About 200ml of tart cherry juice
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 whole banana
• VEGA Sport Recovery Accelerator 

Perfect for sipping on while relaxing in a bath.:)

Harry got home from his 16-miler, showered quickly, and we were off to pick up Sophia.  We went immediately to Costco.  I WAS STARVING, so we went STRAIGHT for the PIZZA.

Luckily, Sophs hadn't eaten lunch yet, so that worked out very well.  Pizza and a churro...that's all it takes to make the Munchkin smile!

And a giant "Pillow Chum" Unicorn by the name of "Softie".  I'm going to steal this thing when Sophs isn't here.  Promise.

So, Harry and I made a plan before we went into the Costco.  A PLAN.  We could only get TWO THINGS (because seriously, Sophia could sell a ketchup Popsicle to a woman in white gloves; she can talk and whine her way into anything):  TP and coffee.  That's IT.  We teamed up and succeeded, even though both of us were still starving after the one (and some) slice of pizza.  All Soph was interested in at that point was "Softie", and seriously, she earned it.:)

I came across this article today.  It's very brief, and pretty inspiring!  Harry is the first runnerboy that I've ever dated, and it has been fantastic being able to talk to my BFF about all things running and endurance, and especially having someone to train with, even if it isn't on the regular.

"This suggests that sharing a fitness goal (such as training for a 5K or triathlon), taking regular runs together, ballroom dancing, or having a date night at the gym can boost the quality of your romantic relationship."

Harry and I are finally opening up that Super Bier tomorrow night after a short 5-miler together and hitting up Superdawg.  I can't wait!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do you cope with the long run, or long training sessions, where you're all on your lonesome?
-I used to run on a road in San Antonio where I saw NO OTHER RUNNERS, ever.  At least now I have people to interact with on the trail.

Do you have a plan or a list before going grocery shopping?
-It makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!<3

Do you sweat with your significant other?  
(And by "sweat", I mean workout, run, cycle, hike, etc.  I like how I feel like I have to clarify this, hehe.)