Long weekend fun!

Hellloooo Tuesday! Going back to work after a long weekend is SO tough. Luckily, my weekend included lots of rest, relaxation, and running. Friday (rest day for me) started off with a lunch date with my person at our favorite spot (Winonas - a MUST if you are ever in Steamboat) for some buffalo chicken salads!

Then we made homemade pizza for dinner (perfect for carbo-loading for my long run in the morning) and it was amazing! Forgot to take a picture (I think I devoured it too quickly ;) ).

Saturday morning I woke up at 4:45 to get my 16 miles in and it was pouring out. I started with 6 easy outside then headed on the treadmill for 7 at just under marathon goal pace (8:57 with some downhill training) and finished it up with 3 outside (in-between showers finally). 

Since it was a total wash of a day, we relaxed at home (luckily there was a Harry Potter marathon on and we mayyyy have watched 2 or 3 of them!). I made the most AMAZING lasagna from Run Fast, Eat Slow and even made homemade marinara sauce (definitely a game-changer; also added in a parmesan rind that I had lying around and it made the sauce extra cheesy). 

On Sunday, the weather finally felt like Spring (mid-60s) and we headed out to camp! We half-expected to arrive to the campsite (about 30 minutes away from home) and for it to be full because of the Holiday weekend, but only 2 of the 11 sites were filled (and stayed that way the entire night)!

I got in a 3-mile run between leaving our place before Alex left in the car (got in 1.15 miles with Stella) until he picked us up on our way out there and then finished up my run after we set-up our site. It was SO peaceful out there!

We did a short hike out Teepee Creek and ended up hitting snow (I wish more trails were dry)! The part that we did hike was beautiful and with no one else around- so serene. 

Since it's still mud-season here, Stella's paws turned into a dark brown mess. Luckily, she found a snow pile to plop down and cool-off in!

I think one of my favorite parts of camping has to be how good food tastes out here! We had some chopped up corn on the cob and sausage for dinner and had to follow that up with smores! They were soooo good. I'm cutting out sugar now until after my race in 12 days and can't wait until I can have another smore. 

The temperatures Sunday night dropped down into the low 30's and it was COLD! I think I wore my hat all night and luckily had mittens on the next morning until it started warming up.

We got home early Monday morning and after cleaning for a bit (Alex's dad is visiting this coming weekend, so we had to clean everything and make sure his room was good to go), I headed out to get a run and strength training session in. 

One sneaker on, one sneaker off- it's how I do.

I did an easy 3 miles (the taper is kinda really nice in the beginning) then 25 minutes of a full-body strength session before grabbing some flowers and running a few other errands in town. 

I got straight to gardening when I got home (first ever garden by myself #adulting) and added in some rocks that we got on our hike Sunday! Hopefully, they stay alive for most of the summer....

I need to add-in a few more rocks when I find them, but I think it looks pretty cute! 

For dinner, I made Paleomg's Bacon Chorizo Chipotle Smothered Meatloaf (one of Alex's favorite meals) and it was amazing!

That's my long weekend recap! Now back to work and looking forward to next weekend already :)

Do you normally like to get your long runs done in one shot or break them up?

Favorite home-cooked meal?

Ever tried making your own marinara sauce? What are some things you like to add in it?

Run recap & 10 favorite podcasts

This mornings run was magical. It was one of those perfect overcast (and fairly warm- low 50's) morning and I headed out to Strawberry Park- a pretty hilly run with not much traffic (there are more cows than cars) and a favorite of mine. 

By Thursday, it's always hard to wake up early as I'm tired and drained from the week, but when I remind myself that I get to "sleep in" (relative term: I wake up at 6:45) tomorrow morning that gets me out of bed and when I experience mornings like this it makes it all worth it. 

While I was running (and listening to one of my favorite podcasts...we'll get to that in a minute), I started thinking about how I was planning to go to hot yoga tonight because I feel like I needed that zen-like-feel that you only get (or well maybe I only get..) from yoga and then I GOT that same feeling on my run. It was so quiet and peaceful out, the air felt wonderful, I was relaxed, and when I finished- I felt refreshed (almost exactly like what I feel after leaving a yoga session)! 

Love when my recovery time is on-point for my next run!

Easy-paced miles to get me ready for my last double-digit run before Revel Rockies in 17 DAYS!

I did a few strength training workouts (2 x 10 dips on the assisted pull-up machine (20 Ib weight), 2 x 10 single-leg calf raises (10 Ib weight) on the seated leg press, 2 x 30 side squats with band, 2 x 1 minute planks) then finished up with 10 minutes of soaking in the hot springs (so thankful to be able to rejuvenate in a natural hot springs!). I was super hungry so I grabbed a bagel with cream cheese and coffee before heading into work. 

Now, onto my top ten favorite podcasts to listen to while on the run!:

• Runner's World Podcast : This is one my favorites! I honestly look forward to my Thursday morning runs where a new show is released and their stories are always really entertaining and thought-provoking. Also, I've loved listening to David Willey's Moonshot series and can't wait to hear his hopefully BQ-qualifying story!

• Ali on the Run Show: This show is so amazing and I never thought I'd meet another lover of Celine Dion, but Ali is one! She combines both personal stories regarding running and includes some great interviews with well-known runners (can't wait until her interview with Natalie Morales comes out). This show is great for shorter runs (since most of her podcasts are ~25-30 minutes) and it typically comes out twice a week!

• Sounds of the Trail: This podcast isn't running-related, but that's why I love it! It follows different thru-hikers each year as they attempt to finish their trail (CDT, PCT, AT) and overcome obstacles and interview fellow hikers. I love how honest and funny they are and their being out in the woods brings me both peace and envy of them. 

• Another Mother Runner: Yes, "technically" I'm not a child-mom, BUT I am Stella's mom and this running-related podcast is great for long runs. They interview many different runners on varying topics (favorite one that I just recently listened to was interviewing Elyse Kopecky from Run Fast Eat Slow) and they're normally at least an hour long. 

• Wait Wait....Don't Tell Me! : This game-show based on news that happened throughout the week is funny and helps take my mind off of the run (when I'm struggling or need something more upbeat). They also have celebrities on a guests every week and I actually try not to listen to live on the air on NPR so I can have the podcast to listen to on my runs later that week. 

• Serial- You knew it was coming! When a new season is out, I CANNOT put it down! I will listen to it non-stop on my runs, in the car, when I'm cooking, etc. until I finish. Alex loves to listen to it too so I'll try to wait until we have roadtrips together, but often times I can't wait and then just listen to it again. If you haven't started listening to it, you have to. It's like a real-life mystery unfolding in each podcast. 

• S-Town: This one is put-together by the same producers as Serial and was pretty good (and similar mystery-drama), but honestly didn't come close to how great Serial was (they set the bar PRETTY high). I listened to this one on mid-length runs and it also helped the time pass on long drives (when we went to New Mexico). 

• TED Radio Hour: Comprised of TED talks about everything from the 7 Deadly Sins to How Things Spread and each podcast is really thought-provoking. If I want to get "in the zone" on the run, I'll choose a topic and download it or if we're going on a roadtrip (or backpacking/camping) , I'll go through and download a few topics that interest us. 

• Outside Podcast: This one has so many great options to pick and choose from and is great for a short (typically 30 minutes) run. They just launched their XX factor series that focuses on women in the outdoors and they are really amazing and inspiring stories. Their first story in the series was about Arlene Blum (my idol) who led an all-women's ascent of Annapurna (the world's tenth-highest peak) in 1978. Her book Annapurna: A Women's Place is definitely my top-five favorite books ever. 

• The Bernie Sanders Show : Maybe not always the best podcast to listen to while running, it's nice to switch it up once and a while and well...because it's Bernie. He has guests on his show that shed on light on important political topics (favorite one was with Bill Nye talking about Climate Change). It's a great thought-provoking show to help get your mind out of the gutter on the run. 

There you have it! My top 10 favorite podcasts to listen to while running, driving, cooking, hiking, camping, etc. You can listen to the podcasts on the links that I provided OR you can download them via iTunes or apple's podcast app (which is what I do). Happy Thursday and go download some new podcasts!

Favorite podcast to listen to?

What do you listen to when you're running?

Favorite way to relax and unwind? Yoga? Running? Meditation? Walk?

Intervals, Power of Positivity, & My Love For Chulula

My second-to-last longer interval training run was scheduled for Tuesday and I planned to wake-up at 4:45 to get it done with before heading to work. However, my cold was still causing me a sore throat and slight congestion so I turned my alarm off and decided to do it after work. During the taper, I try to take every precaution to not get sick and get more sleep, so afternoon taper it was! I was still exhausted, didn't eat as many carbs/proteins as I would have liked to, it was super windy, the trails were congested, and my throat was worse- I kept coming up with excuses the entire run!

This is funny because I was just saying the other night how I was needing to start to be more positive. My mental strength definitely starts to weaken during the later miles in a marathon and I am determined to work on staying positive. However, here I was in the middle of my speedwork session and I could not get out of my head! I started feeling like Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka and how an oompa loompa would need to roll me home because I was feeling round like a blueberry. 

Then, as I began my cool down miles I started to switch my thinking from negative thoughts to positive ones. I started to think about how lucky I was to live in such a beautiful place and how wonderful the sun felt. It made a huge difference in how I mentally finished out my run. While my splits were not all 100% perfect, I hit the majority of them after a tough day and while still being SO sore from my reformer pilates class the day before.

Ended up finishing the day with 9.2 miles:

• 2.10 miles warm-up
  • 1 mile @ 7:50-8:00 (actual: 7:58 min/mi)- 800 recovery
  • 1200 @ 5:52 (actual: 5:50 min/mi)- 400 recovery
  • 800 @ 3:55 (actual: 3:55 min/mi)-400 recovery
  • 400 @ 1:56 (actual: 1:56 min/mi)-400 recovery
  • 1200 @ 5:52 (actual: 5:55 min/mi)-400 recovery
  • 800 @ 3:55 (actual: 4:04 min/mi w/ 100 short)-400 recovery
  • 400 @ 1:56 (actual: 2:02 min/mi)- 400 recovery
• 2.10 miles cool-down

I think working with positivity will continue to be a work in progress for many months, but am hopeful that I will be able to mentally concur the marathon when I get it down! 

This morning I felt so much better (thanks to my 7:30 bedtime last night) and headed to the gym to get in a 30 minute strength training session and easy 3.25 bike ride & 1.5 mi recovery run. 

We finished out our day with TACOS and chulula on top of everything. It was seriously so amazing. My love for chulula may rival my love for Alex...or Stella....maybe....

We're over humpday and SO close to the long weekend! The weather doesn't look too great here, so our plans for camping or backpacking are still up in the air. Hoping it clears up for us to enjoy some much-needed fresh air and sunshine!

What are your go-to thoughts to improve your mood?

Ever tried to be more mentally tough or positive? How'd it go? Any tips?

Are you a hot sauce lover?

Beginning the taper

Alright. I am determined to not let the taper-crazies get to me this training cycle! I have officially begun tapering and have less than 3 weeks until race day. Today I slept in until 8:30- I can't remember the last time I slept that late, but it was definitely needed! We made breakfast (avocado smash on a sesame bagel & egg on top) then I went to work meal prepping for the week. Chicken & Rice Soup for lunches, roasted a whole chicken for use in both the soup & chicken tacos we'll have this week, baked sweet potatoes for breakfasts, and green egg frittatas for breakfast!

The chicken was possibly the best one I've ever done- melted 3-4 tablespoons in the pan & brushed it onto the chicken. Topped the chicken with thyme, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and fennel seeds. Recipe for the green egg fritata will be posted up on the recipe page shortly!

After cooking and had a small window where the rain let-up (it's been overcast and rainy all weekend), we headed down to the lake (about a mile from where we live) and did a 3 mile easy run! It was a great way to shake out my legs from yesterdays long run and recover. 

Stella was pretty angry (hangry maybe?) at us towards the end and we kinda had to drag her back (seen in the photo above). Sorry Stells....

After our run, I headed to the skating club's ice show- it was super cute and concluded the end of our season until summer! Then I saw this fantastic bald eagle on my drive home. It really is the little things in life you guys....

Just left Alex in charge of the feta spinach stuffed chicken and maple roasted brussel sprouts for dinner and it kinda smells like something may be burning...gotta go! Have a great Sunday eve!

Favorite recovery methods the day after a long run? 

Any good meal prep recipes you care to share?

Snow & last 20 mile training run!

Thursday started off in an unexpected way...SNOW! We got over a foot of snow by Friday evening (thankfully it's almost all melted as of tonight). 

It was not fun to clean off my car again, have freezing fingers since I had put away all my winter essentials, and wear boots instead of cute spring shoes to work. 

Since it was so cold out, I took my easy 4-mile run on the treadmill at a super conservative pace. When it gets this close to race day (3 WEEKS!), I try to take my easy runs slower than I may usually to recover and try to get more sleep. I was also still pretty sore from my speed workout on Tuesday & strength training session Wednesday morning- lots of stretching & foam rolling for me post-run!

I started carbo-loading for my 20-mile run on Thursday night with a delicious pizza from Against the Grain Gourmet (the pesto one is AMAZING)

Friday was Alex's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAE)! So, I started our morning with some cinnamon rolls & bacon (best of both sweet & salty worlds). We met-up for a lunch date at our favorite lunch spot in Steamboat- Winona's (seriously the most amazing Buffalo Chicken Salad EVER) and a walk with Stella. 

The Cherry Blossoms with the snow and blue skies made for a perfect backdrop on our walk! I made my Meditteranean Pasta Dish for dinner & a homemade cookie skillet (topped with vanilla ice cream) for Bday dessert! YUM! I was in bed by 9 and ready to wake up at 4:45 to tackle my last 20 mile training run! 

I like to start out the mornings of my longer runs with Nuun Energy to give me that extra caffeine boost (along with the cup of coffee I have). I also had a half of a banana and some oatmeal before starting my run by 5:45. It was still cold when I started (32 degrees) and overcast. I planned to mix-up my run with atleast half outside and the remaining middle miles on the treadmill to utilize the decline (to mimic the Downhill at Revel Rockies) at goal marathon pace.

My plan for this run included:

• 7 miles outside at an easy pace (10:00min/mi)
  • actual: 7 miles outside at 9:23 min/mi pace
• 10 miles treadmill at goal marathon pace (9:05-9:09min/mi) varying decline (-1% to -3%)
  • actual: 10 miles at 9:00min/mi ; -1% 25 minutes ; -2% 25 minutes ; -3% 25 minutes ; remaining 15 minutes spent climbing the ladder up from -3 to -1 % (each 5 minute intervals)
• 3-5 miles outside at an easy cool-down pace (10:00 min/mi)
  • actual: 4.01 miles at 9:20 min/mi

TOTAL: 21.01 miles at 9:10 min/mi pace

Overall, this run felt so strong and I have no doubt that I could've pushed through the last five miles at just above goal marathon pace. I finished it just a hare off my goal marathon pace and really feel like finishing in under 4 hours is definitely within reach at this race! 

The feeling that you get when you really nail a workout and finish strong is like nothing else. 

I finished the week with 39.01 miles and spent the rest of Saturday napping, recovery with my favorite fuels and foods, grocery shopping, and doing an endless amount of laundry (I honestly feel like it never ends). When I have a family- I can't even imagine when I'll have time to run with the heaps of laundry there will surely be! 

Happy Saturday friends! Off to enjoy some dessert and to bed early :)