I am super fantastic!

Another end to my second fifty mile week! And what a good one it was! My runs are usually shifted around a bit because I always work either Saturday or Sunday (or both!), and that's not very conducive to Sunday long runs. I've been able to do them on Fridays for a little while now, which is nice in that I get them over with before the weekend!

I did my ten miles after working at 5:30am yesterday. It was one of those days where it wasn't SUPER busy, but it was steady all day so there wasn't really any time for a break. Since I didn't get to eat much at work, I had a Luna Bar and a banana when I got home. I tried the Carmel Nut Brownie flavor, and it was pretty good, but I'm not sure how much I like the Luna bars...something just seems different to me. There are plenty of bars and non-bar food to eat, so I suppose I'll make it! Spring showed up a little bit yesterday, so I got to run in a tshirt and shorts! Woohoo! However, I guess the theme of April is wind, so I had to deal with that both yesterday and today.

Thursday, April 9
10.16 miles in 1:15:49, avg pace of 7:28

I realized with about a mile to go that I was probably running too fast, and I was like, um, that might not be so super for a 20 mile run the next day. But, it was a little too late at that point. I went to bed early (okay, that means like 10:30 for me) since I had woken up so early, but I was still super tired when my alarm went off at 7:30 this morning. I reset it and crawled out of bed at 8:00, but my legs felt tired and I totally wasn't in the mood to run, let alone twenty miles!

But, you gotta do what you gotta do, so I started my standard pre-race breakfast. Toast (from the toaster oven since our toaster is offically broken) with peanut butter and a banana, as always. I drove out to drop off my waters, which was when I realized that it was still soooooo windy! The runners that I passed did not look like happy campers, and they looked cold! So not motivational, especially since I was hoping to run in shorts. Tights it was. I decided to pin my beloved Honey Stinger Energy Chews to the inside of my tights, as I wanted to practice eating on the run. I'm not really planning on walking through the aid stations like I have in my previous marathons, so I thought it would be a good idea to practice half-choking half-breathing. Woo! I finished gearing up and headed out the door. Two hours and forty-two minutes later, here's what I had:

Friday, April 10
20.11 miles in 2:41:14, avg pace of 8:01
Splits galore: 8:14, 8:12, 8:03, 8:01, 8:13, 8:04, 8:00, 8:07, 7:53, 8:16, 7:59, 8:01, 8:02, 8:09, 7:55, 8:03, 7:55, 7:58, 7:52, 7:20, 0:47 (7:33)

I'm sooooo happy with this run! I can tell in my splits where I was running directly into the wind (I could feel it too!), and I'm happy that my pace remained fairly consistent even though I was facing the wind head-on. I felt less tired than I did for my last 20 miler, and I think the fact that I can run 7:20 for my last mile is a good sign that the next six are totally do-able. I would definitely be pleased if this is how my marathon splits go! This run actually went really fast...the miles just kind of clicked off and I only hated life when the wind felt like I was running into a wall! Running and chewing the energy chews actually went really well. Since the chews were next to my body the entire time, they were super soft and mushy and therefore easy to chew! I recently discovered that Garmin records "stopped time," and I only stopped for 2:33 during the entire run! That was so I didn't run into a tree when I went to pick up my water bottles.

Recovery! I was in full-on recovery mode today. When I got home, I walked a little and then stretched. Then, I decided to up my recovery, and enjoyed the following while hopping into an ice bath:

Recovery smoothie! It sounded like it would taste good, and the protein couldn't hurt, so I mixed it in with cold water (you can also use milk or soy milk, if you're in the mood for extra calcium!) and drank away! It was definitely yummy, and you should give it a try sometime! Like I said, I sipped this while in an ice bath! Or, at least my wimpy version of an ice bath...I don't actually use ice! I climb in the tub and turn the water on to the coldest it will go and let it fill up around me. The water is still FREEZING, and it's easier for me to adjust to the temperature as it sneaks up versus an initial total plunge. I'm actually pretty good at ice baths as long as my toes stay out of the water...I can't stand cold toes! I stayed in for about fifteen minutes while reading the new Runner's World (woohoo!).

PS If you want to check out my wonky (is that a real word?) thumb nails, look closely in the picture. I've done a little reading about it, and I think they might be like that forever. Get your iron, kids!

The rest of my day involved walking around a little town (about an hour away from my house) looking at cute shops with my mom! Walking is also good for recovery, so two thumbs up for that. We found lots of various flavored soaps, more decorations than you would know what to do with, and a visit to Great Harvest! My mouth drools when I see Great Harvest bread on Kath Eats Real Food, and I knew there was one in the town we were visiting, so we had to make a trip there! They were soooooo nice there! They cut off huge chunks of different breads so I could try them. We ended up bringing home a loaf of Popeye bread, which has parmesan, peppers, spinch, and onion...so so so good! My mom has celiac disease, and she had heard that they make gluten-free bread, so she asked them about it. The guy who was helping us said that, yes, they have it, but they usually only bake it on Wednesday. However, someone had ordered a loaf and hadn't picked it up, so they had an extra. Since it was two days old (which is really no big deal), he gave it to us for free! How often does that happen?? Like I said, it was a great experience, and I wish they were closer!

Time to actually make the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I talked about (twice!) earlier this week...and then tomorrow is a fun day of wedding dress shopping with one of my best friends from high school! I haven't seen her in over a year, so it will be fun to help her pick out her dream dress! Have an awesome weekend, and Happy Easter and Happy Passover!
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My Running Story

So, someone commented on my post the other day, asking how I got into running/marathons. Well, ask that question, and you will open a can of worms...so you get to hear my whole running story! You might want to grab your favorite beverage and kick up your feet…this is a long one!

In the beginning…

I've been running since the seventh grade (1997!), when I joined the junior high cross country team. What motivated me to do this? Was it the awesome gym shorts we ran in? My undying love for running? Just something to do in the afternoon? None of the above, actually. You see, throughout my entire childhood, I always admired my older brother, and therefore wanted to do everything that he did. This included, but was not limited to: watching him beat the entire game of Mario Brothers on Nintendo, "helping" him bake (this meant I was on clean up duty), playing the trombone, taking German as a foreign language, and yes, joining the cross country team.

Junior High – Let’s Get Physical

I don't think I ever really thought about whether I would like it or not, I just did it. I had been to multiple of my brother's cross country/track meets, and it's not that he was a super-star or anything. (He went to the state meet in relays as a sprinter...distance was never his thing, but he just liked it and it helped keep him in shape.) It seemed like an okay thing to do, and if my brother liked it, then I would too! It had worked out so far in life, so I figured I’d go with it. In junior high cross country, girls run 1.5 miles in races. I laugh at this distance now, but that was some SERIOUS mileage back in the day. I was happy if I ran the whole thing, although in actuality I took many walk breaks. (As a sidenote, we always did our pre-race stretches while singing Olivia Newton John's "Let's Get Physical"...awesome.) I have no clue what my times were like, although I assure you they weren't blazing by any means, and I usually came in somewhere around the middle to end of the pack.

Although I wasn't that great of a cross country runner, I was an awesome track runner! The 800 and 1600 were my events of choice, and I usually placed in the top three or four. Let's forget the fact that there were usually only four-five girls in those races. My goal in the 1600 was to not get lapped by the lead girl from our team (our track was five laps to the mile), and I really wanted to break seven minutes...something I never did in junior high. However, I guess I didn't hate it, so onto high school we go.

High School – The faster we run, the sooner we’re done!

Let me tell you that high school cross country was a HUGE step up from junior high. We actually ran more than two miles in practice, and our coaches seemed to know what they were talking about and were runners themselves! Imagine that. Practice started at 6 am two weeks before school started, and I barely made it through those first two weeks. My legs hurt, I was so out of shape, and I didn't really have any friends on the team. Between all those factors, I wasn't enjoying myself at all, and I almost quit. However, I wasn't sure what else I would do with my time. (I was kind of lying to myself...I was still in band, but that, for the most part, wasn't an after school activity.) I figured it had to get better, so I stuck around. Good thing I did!

Freshman and sophomore year cross country weren't really anything to write home about. I remember running maybe in the top quarter of the JV team, and my times weren't too bad for the 2.5 mile course we ran. I wasn't quite as neurotic as I am about keeping track as I am now, so I don't know what my times were like! Freshman year, I played softball (my other love!) for my high school instead of running track, but I quickly learned that I should stick with park district softball instead of high school. It was more fun, and I was much better at running...so I joined the track team sophomore year. I ran the 800, 1600, 3200, 3200 relay, and the mile relay if my coach wanted a good laugh. Breaking a seven minute mile was no longer ad issue, and I spent sophomore year chasing down the six minute barrier. I remember running 6:00.02 once...and then in the last meet of the season, I finally ran 5:58. Woohoo!

Onto junior year! What a year. Cross country was, again, nothing to write home about. I was usually near the top of the JV team, and I thought that I was setting myself up for a pretty good track season. However, when track season rolled around, I was always tired...I would fall asleep during movies in school, fall asleep doing my homework, and while fartleking in practice, my "fast" was a jog, and my "slow" was a walk. No matter how hard I tried, running was impossible. My coach finally pulled me out of a 3200 during indoor track and told me I wasn't racing again until I went to the doctor. The doctor sent me to get some blood drawn, which led to the discovery that I was incredibly anemic. The nurse asked me what I did in school, and I told her I ran track. She responded with, "Running?? I don't even know how you're walking right now." I don't remember what my hemoglobin was, but I know they were close to giving me a blood transfusion. Instead, I was put on a massive daily dose of iron. It took a little while to rebuild my iron stores, and my junior year track season was never salvaged, but I eventually felt better and could finally run well come summer. (My thumb nails, however, have yet to recover. They became super ridged when I was anemic, and no matter what my iron status is, they don't change.)

I continued to take the little green iron pills, and my running friends would ask me if they could borrow them since I started running so well. During all summers in high school, I did "summer running," which meant running at six in the morning Monday through Friday. All other summers, I ran with the JV girls, but the summer before senior year, I could hang with the varsity girls and was put on the varsity roster when the season started. We considered this a victory for JV girls, as one of "us" made it into one of "them." I had a pretty good season, running "top seven varsity" in the big Saturday invitational meets. We even made it to the state meet that year. They changed distances my senior year, so girls ran three miles instead of 2.5. I believe I broke twenty minutes once, although there was a whole ordeal with that race so I don't have any official time. Somewhere around 19:30-ish. Anyway, the stars weren't quite aligned for me, as the night before the conference meet, I pulled a muscle during marching band rehearsal and couldn't run for the rest of the season. I missed the entire state series and had to cheer my team on from the sidelines. I was so disappointed because...hello?? Who hurts herself during marching band? Seriously. Believe it or not, the world kept on turning.

Senior year track! My coach finally took me seriously and realized that I was a hard worker and was worth investing some time in. I also realized that I was a pretty good runner myself, which is something I wish I had figured out sooner. I really began to do well in the 1600 and 3200, and I discovered that my calling is in longer distances. My PR in the 3200 ended up being 12:34, and in the last race of my high school career, I ran a PR of 5:40 in the 1600. There were certainly plenty of people ahead of me, but those are pretty respectable times and I was happy with them.

College – They have hills in Maryland

Enter...college! I didn't run for a team in college, so it was just up to me to hit the roads. I wasn't running the five to six days per week that I was used to, but I still got out there fairly consistently, give or take. During the first few weeks of school, I ran around campus, trying to figure out where everything was. (I usually got lost and then would remember that I’m from the Prairie State whenever I encountered a hill). My running picked up a bit when I met my boyfriend (on a band trip!), as he is a runner, and many of our first "dates" were going running together. He turned out to be a pretty good running buddy, as our paces were similar enough for every day running. We ran together through most of college, doing a lot of 4-8 miles runs, I'd say.

My races in college were pretty limited. I ran a 10k on a whim in 46:28. My friend and I did a half marathon together (that we didn't train for...oops), and we ran 2:05. I did the Cherry Blossom 10 mile with no race specific training, and I ran 1:17:47. A 5k here or there, running somewhere in the 23-ish range. Between marching/pep band (weekend commitments galore!), limited training, and the cost of races (I'm cheap), I never really got around to running many races. However, one of my cross country friends from high school did the Chicago Marathon our junior year of college, which got me thinking...I could do a marathon too! I became obsessed with reading about training, reading about running, reading about marathons...That's when I found the Runner's World forums and would spend tons of time reading through all the posts. The more I read, the more fun it seemed…My boyfriend thought I was crazy.

The end of junior year, I signed up to run the 2006 Marine Corps Marathon. I used Hal Higdon's Beginner program, getting my mileage up to 40 miles/week and doing one 20 miler. I read about hydration, gels, pacing, etc, but I don’t think any of it really hits until you’re doing it. I tried to choke down a gel during a training run, but I thought it was disgusting and moved onto shot blocks. Still not my favorite, but I decided to go with them for the marathon. I took a gamble signing up for this marathon, as the football schedule had yet to be released. When it was, I found that we had a home football game the day before the marathon, and since I was in the marching band (remember, I’m cool), I was going to be on my feet (in a wool uniform, carrying a trombone, standing, cheering, playing) for at least eight hours the day before my marathon. To make matters worse, it was announced the week of the marathon that our kickoff for the game was to be at 7pm. I had hoped to be in bed around then! Luckily, my band director was also running the marathon, and I ran into him at the expo, where he asked what time I planned on running. I told him maybe 3:40 (Boston, anyone?), and he said I wasn’t going to run that time if I stayed at the game, so he told me I could leave after our halftime show. Note: This still meant at least six hours on my feet. Not ideal conditions, but what can you do?

Mini marathon weekend recap: Lunch with boyfriend’s parents (where his mom told me not to die, essentially), pre-game marching band rehearsal, marching, more marching, football game, halftime, go home, stuff face with more pasta, find out football team lost, bed, wake up, run 21 miles, essentially hit the wall (maybe?), finish marathon (yay! 3:51!), feel awesome for about an hour, vomit fest 2006 (boyfriend thought I was dying), home, soup, bed.

Post-College – aka dear college, please take me back

I contribute missing Boston by 11 minutes to marching the day beforehand. Again, band interfering with my running…You think I would have learned. However, this meant that I was soooo close, and I could definitely do qualify on my second marathon! Registered for the 2007 Chicago Marathon, followed Hal Higdon’s Beginner plan again. Had plans for an awesome, Boston-bound marathon until HEAT WAVE 2007 struck. What a miserable day. Any plans for Boston were thrown out at the half, and the good part was that I still finished…before the race was cancelled.

In January 2008, I started a crazy we-cram-two-years-into-one-year nursing program, so I decided to take the year off of marathoning. I still ran 20-35 miles per week, depending how many exams I had (I remember having a quiz/test for all but three days in February. FUN.), and how the weather was (it was an ungodly cold winter). My boyfriend, however, got over his “marathons are crazy” idea when his grad school friend asked him to run a marathon with her. (I guess it’s crazy only when I do it? What?) Anyway, he finished his first marathon in 3:23. Well, I can’t be topped like that, so guess what my new goal is?? Not only must I qualify for Boston, but I must beat his time…obviously. I’m not sure I’m planning on doing that this time around, although it is definitely a longer term goal. Competition is good in relationships, right?

So that’s where we are now. I’m training for my third marathon, and I definitely hope to qualify for Boston this time around. Third time’s the charm! If not, I will do a fall marathon to attempt again. (I really want to run Boston 2010 because I like nice, even numbers, so 2010 is perfect, and it’s the 114th running of it, which is also an awesome number. Yes, I’m weird.) I’m not sure what my others goals are. I’ve never trained for/raced a half marathon, so I wonder how fast I could go. I haven’t really trained for any sort of shorter distance since high school, so it would be interesting to see what I could do. Additionally, I haven’t swam laps in a long time, or ridden my bike that often, but I think it would be an amazing challenge to do an Ironman. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

And that, my friends, is my running story. If you stuck with me to the end, thanks and congratulations! I hope you enjoyed my life as runner, and I hope to be running long enough to rewrite this in ten, twenty, thirty years from now! (Or longer…)

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Honey Stinger Chews = Yummm

Rest day today! And I have the day off work...fantastic. However, when I don't do either on any day, I feel really blah since I'm used to doing some kind of physical activity every day! I woke up and tried Power Yoga #3, as well as doing some crunches (bikini season is coming...slowly...but it's coming!). This was my second time actually doing yoga, and I was smart in using a "beginner" version this time. Some of the poses were harder to hold, but I liked when we would "flow" through poses pretty quickly. I like to be moving...it's more interesting to me than holding positions. Maybe I'm not meant for yoga?

And let's not even discuss the oatmeal I tried to make this morning. FAIL. I hope my toaster works again soon.

In more delightful news, these babies were delivered by the mailman today:


Honey Stinger Energy Chews!! I ordered a twelve pack, which should last me to the marathon. I've only had the Cherry Blossom flavor, but I went ahead and ordered Fruit Smoothie, which includes cherry, orange, and berry flavors. I'm excited to use them on my long run this weekend!

Also, you can see Gatsby (my lucky elephant!) and Hobey Baker (a tiger from Princeton dressed up like the hockey player...I also have a Woodrow Wilson one...thanks boyfriend!) in the background. :)

Tonight's agenda includes: my first time making black bean burgers (!!) and actually baking those oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I never got around to yesterday!

Stay tuned for a post on how I got into running, which I'll do tonight or tomorrow...I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting!
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Questionnaire Time!

Sarah over at the Skinny Runner sent me this survey. The rules are:
1.) Fill it out
2.) Change one question with one of your own
3.) Add an additional question
4.) Send it to 3 people.

1. What are your current obsessions? I suppose running is an obsession, since I do it or something related to it every day. Additionally, JOB HUNTING is something I dedicate an obscene amount of time to. I've applied to almost 100 jobs...don't mention the nursing shortage to me, thanks. On a positive note, I was obsessed with watching Gilmore Girls, and I just finished all seven seasons a couple weeks ago. The plus side of not having 40 hours/week employment.

2. Which item from your closet are you wearing most often? Either my serving uniform (boring!), or my Nike black stretch pants...so comfortable, and they look nice enough to go in public in. I consider that a win in my book.

3. Last thing you bought for myself? Yesterday I ordered a twelve pack of Honey Stinger Energy Chews from Running Warehouse (dot com!). Yum! To be a little more exciting, I bought a new shirt over the weekend, as well as a cute pair of shoes. Now I just need to find somewhere to wear them...I'm more of a "flip flops go with everything, including my prom dress" kind of girl. True story.

4. What’s for dinner? Most likely leftovers from last night's BBQ chicken salad. With some fruit on the side...and a roll, if I didn't eat them all yet. FYI...make this salad! It was soooooo good! I added cucumber and red pepper (a salad isn't a salad without cucumber...), and put some pepper, garlic, and soy sauce on the chicken. Super tasty.

5. Say something to the person who tagged you: I'm new to your blog, but I love it so far! I'm totally jealous of where you live, and don't we all want to be a skinny runner??

6. What is one item you could not live without? Umm that's a tough one...I'm not too attached to "stuff." However, if my parents disappeared, I'm not sure what I would do.

7. Vacation spots you must visit before you die? I want to visit so many places!! I've never been to eastern Europe, I'd love to check out Russia, China, Japan, AUSTRALIA, South America, Africa (to see elephants!!)...everywhere! I don't know which places I MUST visit, but there are definitely tons I'd love to go. IF anyone wants to send me on an all-expenses-paid trip, I won't argue! All that being said, I could go to Rome any day of the week and be ridiculously happy.

8. Three things to do before you die:

a. Run Boston! Or, it'd be fun to be a pacer to help people meet their goals.

b. Live happily ever after. (I'm a princess...right?) No really...husband, kids, all that jazz.

c. Figure out how to combine nutrition/nursing/health/fitness in a career...and actually do it. Or at least volunteer to do it.

9. What are you reading right now? I'm in the middle of Memoirs of a Geisha, and I just checked out In Defense of Food from the library.

10. What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed? Rate it out of 5 stars. Hahha um, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Don't laugh! Okay, laugh, but I'd read all the books so I figured I might as well see both movies. They were pretty good! Nothing inspiring or super deep, but entertaining. Four out of five stars. I'm easily entertained.

11. What’s your guilty pleasure? Ice cream! I eat it almost every day. So so so so so good.

12. What’s your favorite smell? Oh dear, I'm not sure! Home made cookies just out of the oven...or the smell of onions cooking! Anything that reminds me of summer...lemonade, people grilling (except not when I'm running), pools...

13. Best thing you ate or drank lately? I usually get an "Orchard Valley Roll-up" from work, and I had it for lunch today...it's chicken, bacon, onions, and brie cheese in a wheat tortilla with a honey dijon dipping sauce. Yum! The best part is eating half today and having half for lunch tomorrow! Double the yum.

14. Care to share some wisdom? I cut this out from a newspaper since I like ice cream so much, but it's really a good one, "My advice to you is not to inquire why or wither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it's on your plate." Compliments of Thornton Wilder. And, compliments of my junior year of high school English teacher, "Boredom is an act of choice."

15. Describe one of your happiest moments. After I graduated from college, my roommate of three years and I took a three week tour of Europe to celebrate graduation/prevent us from being separated for just a little longer. We went through a tour group, so most of the planning was done for us...we were just there to have fun! It was so exciting and fun to be in a new country every day or two, and we didn't have much of a worry in the world. It was definitely a happy three weeks.

16. What was your best Halloween costume? I was GI Joe in kindergarten. Made my mom proud. However, she did make my costume and even put camo face paint on me. I didn't understand why I couldn't take my brother's fake rifle to school with me as part of my costume. I was five.

17. What do you have an addiction to? Maybe the internet...Diet Pepsi...Ice cream! Although I could probably get by without any of them if I wanted/needed to.

18. What do you do that you would be embarassed for others to know about? I *love* to dance around my room to music (or sing in the car!)...I just hope no one can see in my window because although I think I'm a rockstar when it comes to dancing, not everyone shares my opinion!

**********************************************************
Alright, tag time! I tag:

Mica of MicaPie
Wiggs of The Beholder
Jess of Run-Girl-Run

Enjoy!

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I think I broke the toaster

I know lots of people out there are fans of eating oatmeal for breakfast, but I'm really a peanut butter toast and banana kind of girl. Especially when you put banana slices ON the peanut butter toast. So good. Anyway, I was making my toast this morning, and I popped it up early to see how brown it was since the toaster sometimes has a mind of its own. The bread got mushed and stuck halfway down, so (after unplugging the toaster) I shook it around a little and eventually got it loose. Of course, a piece of crust broke off and was now nestled in the bottom of the toaster. That seemed like a mini fire hazard, so I turned the toaster upside and and shook it to release the piece of crust. Bad plan, apparently. I tried to get my toast a little darker, but I guess the toaster wasn't a fan of my shaking. I'm hoping that it just needs a rest, or that my dad can fix it later this week. (Dads can fix everything, right?)

In the meantime, I might have to give oatmeal a try.

The Great Toaster Disaster happened after my run...since it was only five miles, I decided to just get my butt out the door and eat when I got home. Although it was around 30 degrees this morning, it actually quite felt nice, except when the wind decided to blow...which was a bit too often for my liking. However, it was a short five miles so it went pretty fast. Did I just say "short five miles"?? Funny how your idea of "far" can change!

Tuesday, April 7th
5.1 miles in 40:37, avg pace of 7:58

Thanks for all of your opinions yesterday about which marathon to do...I'm going to see how the boyfriend's shins are doing at the end of the week and then probably make a decision. Maybe. I'm a terrible decision maker.

Plan for tonight: File/mail my taxes, watch the Biggest Loser, and bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies...possibly while watching the Biggest Loser. Hmmmm.
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Possible change of plans?

As expected, I woke up to about an inch and a half of snow on the ground. SO SAD. I was planning to take a picture to document my misery, but I forgot this morning and all the snow is now melted away! I'm quite pumped about that. The good thing about the snow was that it was enough to coat the ground, but the streets and sidewalks were warm enough that they were perfectly clear when I headed out for my run. Minus a little bit of wind, it was actually quite nice weather-wise. The sneaky part was that the sun would shine bright and then hide behind the clouds, which really made for quite the temperature difference between the two. I was secretly not super exciting about running today, between a busy day yesterday and the snow, but as always, it was great once I got going.

Monday, April 6
10.22 miles in 1:18:20, avg pace of 7:40

Now for my current dilemma. I was originally planning on running the Delaware Marathon on May 17th. This marathon wasn't really picked for any good reason, other than that it is close to New Jersey (where the boyfriend lives), and his grad-school-running-buddy-friend wanted a small, flat marathon in May-ish. Delaware fits the bill. I figured that would be easy enough, as we were picking a spring marathon way back in December, and I thought I'd have a job and be working out east by March or April. Last week when my boyfriend's shin started to hurt, I scoped out alternative marathons, as there wasn't necessarily any sense in me heading out to Delaware to run with him if he wasn't going to run. I haven't registered yet so it wouldn't be an issue to switch.

Soooo anyway, I found the Wisconsin Marathon, which is May 2nd (the weekend of weekends for marathons, since there are at least five that I know of). It would be easy enough to switch, as I would finish out my 50 mile week and then have a three week taper. Since I'm following Hal Higdon's Intermediate II plan, I'd essentially just be cutting out weeks 14 and 15 (a recovery week followed by one last 50 miles week before the taper). I don't know how much of a difference having those two weeks of training would be. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to have another 20 miler under my belt, but I'm not setting records here anyway. I've always been a little worried about the weather for a May 17th marathon, as that is late enough for a heat wave to come in...after Chicago 2007, hot hot marathons are not my thing.

This would be easier to figure out if the whole job thing wasn't so up in the air...if I get the job I interviewed for a few weeks ago, my start date would be May 18th, the day after Delaware. Of course, I'm not guaranteed this job by any means, so I can't really plan around it.

I'll think about it this week and see how the boyfriend's shins are doing after the 20 miler this week, although he's saying right now that he thinks he'll be okay to run. Any thoughts? I'm sure I'm overanalyzing...

Also, I know I should cheer for UNC tonight because of that whole ACC thing, but GO MICHIGAN STATE!!

GIVEAWAY!

If you want a chance to mix your own granola, check out Denise's giveaway!
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It's all about the Benjamins...

Or, in my case, it's all about the Benjamin. No plural. To elaborate on this, it was ABSOLUTELY INSANELY CRAZY at work today. I forgot that it was Palm Sunday...one of those days when people who don't go to church all year head to church and then out to breakfast, or those who are weekly church goers head out to breakfast as a treat. We had a half an hour wait time from about 9 am to 1:30 pm (we stop seating at 2 pm), and it was a madhouse. Just when I thought I was caught up with everything, eight more things popped up that needed to be done. And everyone was just as busy as I was. I haven't the faintest idea how we made it through the day.

However, the glorious part about running your butt off all day is that you make lots of money! In this case, I ended up bringing home a hundred dollar bill. (We can turn in smaller bills for bigger bills...I didn't actually get a $100 tip, although that would be amazing.) Yes, money is money and there's a crease down Ben's face, but it's kind of exciting to have a hundred dollar bill...at least until I head to the bank. Also, they will hate me less at the bank because I won't have eight million ones that need to be counted, which usually takes at least three tries because the money counter machines (I have no clue what the official name is) are kind of finicky.

Sidenote: I've never actually had eight million ones. That would be a bit extreme.

Sidenote number two: Feel free to share your jokes about jobs that get paid in single dollar bills. My friends enjoy making fun of me for this.

Lo and behold, I didn't necessarily feel like running when I got home, but I shoved my mouth full of animal crackers and headed out the door. We're supposed to get snow overnight (actually, it's coming down in volumes as we speak), but I was lucky enough to have sleet for the first half of my run and snow for the second half. In case you were wondering, sleet really hurts! I felt like I was getting pelted with sharp objects...not so fantastic. The sleet was aided by the wind which was blowing nice and hard. In general, it was a really greet day to be running...okay, maybe not. The fact that I didn't really feel like running and the terrible weather led to a fast run, as I wanted to get home and into sweatpants.

Sunday, April 5
5.07 miles in 37:15, avg pace of 7:21
Last mile: 6:40. I really had to go to the bathroom.

Another fifty mile week coming up, and I'm hoping that none of the runs will have to be done in the snow. That's not looking too likely, as we're supposed to get two to four inches overnight. Are any of you meteorologists? I could really use some spring right about now...

GIVEAWAY!

Head over to the Chic Runner for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate for shoes! I'm sure we could all use a new pair of running shoes!
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They call it the "Windy City" for a reason

Oh my goodness it was so WINDY today. If you were sitting inside, it looked really pleasant outside. The sun was shining bright, you had knowledge that it was in the high 40's, but no idea how windy it was. Mainly because there are no leaves on the trees, so the branches stand still no matter what. The presence of the wind became very apparent to me when I ran into it for a solid six miles before turning around and enjoying the glory that is having the wind help you along. I officially feel terrible for anyone who runs a windy marathon because that would be awful. It takes so much more energy to push through wind that doesn't seem to cease. I hope that doesn't happen come May.

In other very exciting news, the neighborhood where I do many of my (long-ish) runs has finally put the port-o-potties out for the spring/summer/fall season, and I am unbelievably excited about this. Not because I necessarily use them all that often, but because it is comforting to know that *if* I need one four miles from home, I'm safe. I have resorted to knocking on some poor soul's door and pleading my case, but I try to avoid that whenever possible. (People are quite generous in letting you use their bathroom, in case you were wondering.) I believe this also means that the water fountains will be turned on as well, as that will be exciting especially if it ever decides to warm up around here.

It's the small things in life, let me tell you.

So port-o-potty/water fountain (yay!) + wind (not so yay) = a pretty good run. As follows:

Friday, April 3
12.08 miles in 1:34:08, avg pace of 7:47

For demonstration of the impact of wind:
Average pace for first six miles: 7:57
Average pace for last six miles: 7:38

If only we could get the wind at our backs all the time!! But where's the fun in that?

In order to make up for the calorie loss of my long run (like I actually need a reason to eat...), I headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner with a friend. I adore buffalo chicken sandwiches/wraps, so it's a solid place to go. (I suppose my terrible eating habits are starting to come out now...I eat my fruits and veggies too, I promise.) I recommend getting the wedge fries to go with the wrap...so good!

Good luck with all your long runs/races/fun things this weekend! Spring marathons are rolling in, so I hope you're all training strong!
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The end of an era...

I may shed some tears tonight. The SERIES finale of ER is on, and it's a show I've been watching faithfully every Thursday night since 1994. My college roommate and I once made each other "Why I love you" lists, and one of her reasons was, "The room is SILENT from 10-11pm on Thursday nights." Don't talk when I'm watching ER!! One of my friends brought me bootleg copies of seasons 1-6 from China (complete with Chinese subtitles...). Safe to say, most people know it's my favorite TV show. I don't know what I will do on Thursday nights from now on. Luckily, tonight I have three hours of screen time to say goodbye to my beloved ER.

Sidenote: I was so distracted, I just stuck my hand in the peanut butter I was eating with my snack...sticky!)

I'm curious to see how they wrap everything up. Many of the old characters are supposed to make an appearance, so that should be fun! You should all tune in...the fun starts at 7pm central time!

It was supposed to run all afternoon (only a five second drizzle so far...), so I got my run in before work. I'm definitely a sleeper, so I've been impressed with myself for getting up and running before work so often! The only difficult part is that my legs aren't already warmed up from serving, so it takes a mile or two for my legs to wake up! This is evidenced by my run today:

Thursday, April 2
6.07 miles in 45:19, avg pace of 7:28

Average for first three miles: 7:49
Average for last three miles: 7:10, with my last mile being 6:53...and it felt pretty comfortable!

Let me know if you're an ER-addict like me! Or, let me know which TV show you would be really sad to see end!
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Money in the Bank

Such a gross day in Chicago today! It's been raining on and off ever since this morning. I was drizzle-free until halfway through my run, so I got a little wet out there. Normally I don't mind running in the rain, but cold + rain = super not fun. At least it wasn't pouring! I once did an 18 mile run where it POURED from the end of the first mile to the end of the second mile, leaving me totally drenched. The next sixteen miles were dry as can be, except for my socks! Oh well.

Tuesday, March 31
5.07 miles in 39:53, avg pace of 7:52

My legs were dragging a little to start, but felt fine after two miles. Once I got home and removed all my super wet winter running clothes, I stretched and attempted to do some ab work. My high school track coach used to make us do 1,000 crunches and 200 pushups per day, so I used to be in super good shape in those regards. Not so much anymore! Therefore, I'm starting small. I stole some ab exercises from The Beholder, and they were tough!! If you're looking for some moves, go check them out.

My afternoon activity involved this little guy:

My grandparents gave my (twin) sister and I these banks when were probably seven or eight years old. I got a piggy bank (!!), and she got a bunny bank. I put all my change from serving in there, and this is the second time I've filled it in the year and a half that I've been serving. The little guy is so stuffed that I couldn't fit all my change in there! I believe that means it's time to count, which I think is lots of fun! First, I had to sort them all.

I like when the quarter pile is the biggest! Next, time to count!

Empty piggy in the corner! When all was said and done, I ended up with $98.44!! People always laugh at me when I try to take nickels or quarters or any other loose change, but it really adds up over time. Now...what should buy and pay for in quarters?? Read More......