Our Wisconsin Weekend & The Haunted Hustle 10K Race Recap

This past weekend, Harry and I hit up the state to our north, the land of beer, cheese, and Packers fans for the Haunted Hustle!

Saturday morning, we head out to a trail that was a few minutes away from our hotel for a shakeout run.  Wisconsin never disappoints when it comes to running/walking trails!

There was a Little Free Library at the trailhead, and I saw some pretty good reads in there!  Can you spy a Matt Fitzgerald book?:)

We took off and settled into a good pace.  It was actually quite warm at this point (ehhhh, 75*F or so).  I don't know about you, but it's been a little aggravating seeing so many gorgeous fall colors happening and no cool weather to pair it.:\

I.e.

I had one more mile on the agenda than Harry, so I took a different route after we hit his mileage.  This trail had planks the whole way.

Kinda beautiful.

Without hesitation, we hit up a pub in Madison for a burger...

...and fried cheeeese curds!<3

I need this sign in my life.

ohmygosh@my burger.  It was so stinkin' good.

Harry's was pretty legit, too.

Also, I love how we could care less about whether or not we offend people with our running smells... (we didn't really smell that badly, but still)

PACKET PICKUP!  It was a little expo with some local goods/love/sponsors and the essentials.

We hung out for the rest of the day, getting homework/work done and just relaxing.

Race day -- the Half Marathon began at 9:00am, and the 10K at 9:30am.  Ummmm, that's pretty awesome.  I was *really* worried that I was wearing the wrong apparel.  I had figured that it was going to be cooler (and that 75*F run the day before was messing with me).  It turned out that I was wearing the perfect gear for this day -- gloomy and drizzly, and 53*F at the start.

We made it out to the race site and everything was so neatly placed and organized.  The race announcer was entertaining, and of course, there were a ton of really awesome Halloween costumes being worn.  I've never worn a costume for a race, and I wasn't about to start on this day.  Maybe some other time...(?)

SNAPCHAT RACE SELFIE.

We took off right on time (yaaaaay!) and I started to gauge where I was at, pace-wise.  I didn't really have a plan for this; if anything at all, I figured it'd just be a long run.  Technically, I haven't run this distance in quite some time.  I'm *STILL* working on a base and trying to maintain it while staying healthy (we'll talk about that in the next post).  I realized I was running at an 8:40 pace at mile one, figured that felt kind of good, and decided to stick with it for at least the first half of the 10K.

I hit the 5K mark at 27:27 -- about an 8:42 pace.  I restarted my watch and started to take it easy.  Three+.1 quick miles was enough for me.

Though I didn't take it as easy as I thought I would.  This race claims to hold a fast, flat 5 and 10K -- mehhhhh I wouldn't call this "flat", but I also wouldn't call it "hilly".  It had many rollers, some gentle, some were a little harsh.  I honestly THOUGHT about slowing down, and really tried to.  For about a mile and a half, I was drafting one guy who probably thought I was a jerk.  I wasn't trying to be rude, dude...I just liked your pace!

I just eased back into my pace and enjoyed the scenery.  A lot of the race was on trails, which were littered with dead, crunchy leaves, and surrounded by beautiful colors and foliage.  The drizzling rain was still going, but it was off and on.  It felt nice, but not when it affected the surface of the little bridges on the trail -- they got extra slick.

A downpour started around mile 4 -- that was interesting.  I felt my left foot flip quickly (turnover) while going over one of the bridges and realized that I needed to move my gait forward to keep from falling.  A few puddles and a couple more miles later, and I was done.  The second half of the 10K left me at 28:03 -- not the biggest difference, but with a total time of 55:39 (just under a 9:00 pace), I was pretty pleased with myself.

The post-race party was a blast!  They had a ton of salty snack foods, bananas, oranges and water -- they were very generous with all of it.

I got back to the car and told Harry how the race went.  In true form, my husband pointed out that I still have that *grrrr* in me.  And he's right (don't tell him I said that, though).  I do have the *UMPH* in me -- the thing that pushes me to run until my heart feels like it's going to explode, to run through the feeling of my legs about to fall off (lol I know they won't), and my lungs slightly singeing.  I've been wondering where it went, but it's still there!<3

Now that I've found that little chunk that I feel has been missing, I'm looking forward to more purposeful training.  Before, I felt so *blah* with putting each foot forward.  I feel like I was --MAKING-- myself get out there, having to give myself pep talks, getting pep talks from my husband, and *WOO WOOs* from Windy (her version of a pep talk).

My regularly scheduled training is back in full effect.:)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where was your last trip?  Road trip?


There are so many awesome Fall season shows on right now!  What's your fave?
ME:

Do you have any Fall or Winter races coming up?
(Ugh, that reminds me -- I gotta update that page!:)

FOCUS, I CAN do it, and travel goals

Hey, friend!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend, and that you're ready to rock out a brand new week --- I SURE AM.  I was completely distracted and unfocused last week; it seems to have been a tough week for a lot of people (are we supposed to blame Mercury in retrograde, or something like that?).  Whatever the deal, I feel like I got some good R&R over the weekend.  Some things that happened last week that kept making me question my sanity:

Running out of cashew butter = tough times.  And apparently during tough times, I make awkward faces and pretend the empty jar is a monocular -- yarrrrrr.

My right IT band has been kind of ornery as of late.  I haven't been the biggest fan of foam rolling in the past...like, ever.  When I have tried to stay on top of myofascial release, my legs get heavy and weak.  Not sure what's going on with that, so I've just avoided it.

I'm always willing to give something another shot, though.

Running, otherwise, has been going very well.  I got up to 14 miles last week ----> SLOW AND LOW, that is the tempo!

A wonderful distraction last week:  "Hamilton".:D :D :D I have been a huge fan of theater my entire life; the fact that Harry was, as well, was a huge bonus for our relationship.  Friday night, we hit the town for some yummy dinner, and one of the best musicals I've ever seen.<3 If you've been thinking about going to see it (whether the price or hype were any question):  Go.

Sunday was a lot of downtime for me.  I was sick (achy from head to toe!), and barely moved from the couch.  I needed some things from the store, so after dropping off Sophia, Harry and I hit up Costco and TJ's.  I figured Costco's nonfat yogurt would make me feel better.  

I was kind of right.

Ignore my nasty, dry skin.

Tradition:  Harry and I split a PB&J bar every single time we go to Trader Joe's.  Though we're leaving on Saturday for Colorado, we really did need food.  My goal for this week is to demolish the two pound bag of organic broccoli before we leave.  I know I can do it!

Dinner ------->  I'm already off to a good start with my broccoli!  I added about a cup to my portion of chicken pot pie.

Other than that, last week was kind of a buzzkill.  I stayed at the school every single day until about 5:30pm, getting home around 6:30-7:00pm.  Exhausted!  I'm so glad I got to relax a bit (though I seemed to have been forced to on Sunday) over the weekend, and I feel organized and prep'd for a new week.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of distractions, a couple of things have come to my attention.  I need to update my passport (it's definitely older than 10 years now) and pack my bags for Italy


then off to the Philippines!


Pack your bags, guys.  We're GOING.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What was the last musical you saw?


True or false:  Foam rolling is for the birds.


Wanna go with me on either trip to Italy or the Philippines?!  SAY YES YES YES!:)
(It's totally okay if you can't go -- I'll still be your friend!)

Our Cleve Weekend, and My New Challenge

Hey, you guys!  I'm typing from the safety of my couch this morning.  I finally got wise ----------> I'm forever taking the Monday following a weekend trip OFF FROM WORK.<3

Harry was signed up for A Christmas Story Race 10K.  He still hadn't picked up his race packet Saturday morning, so he took off slightly before his race.  I woke up Sophia and we got going to the finish line about thirty minutes after the race started -- she wanted to see him run!

SUCCESS!  We found him just in time.

P.S.  Harry is always pretty festive, no matter which holiday/event theme race he's running.  He always incorporates the colors in his gear (NOT "outfit") that are appropriate for the event.

This is such an awesome event.  If you're in the Cleveland area, you should definitely give it a try.  Everyone dresses up in costumes from the movie, the course is fun, and the crowd support is terrific.  Harry and I ran the 10K in 2013, and I absolutely loved it.  We'll definitely be back next year.:)

Also?  This was Sophia's first Ovaltine!

The event ends near the Town City Center, which of course, has a 'Bucks inside of it.  We opted to nab some breaky there.

We walked around for a while before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the day.

On the agenda for the day:  we HAD to hit up the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

Then we found an awesome spot to grab something yummy.  

Hot chocolate ---- check.

Soph's grandparents (her Momma's parents) live in the Cleve, so we sent her off for a visit while Harry and I grabbed some sushi.

It was a pretty full day!  I was zonked by the time we got back to the hotel.  Sophia was, understandably, still hyper.  I'm very thankful that she totally gets "lights out" as a nine year-old, and honors my sleep schedule.  I'm not sure how long she and Harry stayed up for, but at least they were quiet.

We hit up the hotel restaurant the next morning.  Make-your-own-waffles?  YUP.  No one seemed to be in the mood to walk or drive to a spot for food, and I certainly didn't want to get out of my PJ pants (like, ever).

Two stops for the day:  A Christmas Story house was AWE---SOME!  This was a very special visit for me.  The movie is one of my faves to enjoy during the 24-hour event from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day.<3

And the other stop was to Cornerstone Brewery to visit our dear friend, Jay, who's the brew-master there, and to grab some delicious lunch.

Sophia got a house Root Beer, Harry enjoyed an Arnold Palmer, and I happily sipped on their Christmas Ale.  PROST to a killer trip.

We also got some local threads.

With full tummies and a six+ hour drive ahead of us, we reluctantly took off from the Cleve...

...only to find this.  A snowstorm had blown through Chicago and the surrounding areas.  At some point, the highway was down to one lane, and we were driving at a blazing 37 mph.  Harry was driving the new wheels (its first snowy drive!), which I was really grateful for.  I'm not sure how my Jeep would've handled the roads.  We were comfy and safe, for sure.

We stopped for some snack at some point..  Sophs and I discussed the idea of making myself a Hot Chocolate streak ----> HC every day for December!  And so far, I've been successful!

We got home eventually, but only after playing for a little bit in the white stuff.  Sophia and I are pretty much obsessed with it, while Harry, a Chicagoan, is always fed up with it.

'Til next year, Cleve!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you have any fitness or food challenges for December?  Tell me about it!


Where did you go on your last road trip?


SNOW:  Yay or nay?