7 THINGS

You know when you go on vacation and come back and are constantly wondering what day it is? Yeah. That’s definitely me today. It’s a Monday, but really kinda feels like a Wednesday? to me. One of the best things about this weekend was that the lake trail is now dry and snow-free! I got out there on Saturday morning and was so so happy. I’m planning on getting back out there today to get my last 20+ mile run until my 50 miler! I’ll simulate the race course by doing a 3-mile warmup (the course has us do a 3 mile loop and then 3 x 25k loops) and then 2 loops of the 10 mile lake trail. It’s supposed to be rainy until Friday, so I think mother nature is giving me a sign that today is my long run day ; )

Brady was also in his usual spot last night - he loves to hide behind our fan while we go to sleep?!? Anyone elses cat do this?

After I ran Saturday morning, we headed to the movies to see the new Avengers: End Game! It was SO good. Normally I have a really hard time watching a movie that is 3 hours long, but this one was done so well and it honestly felt like several movies in one.

Also weekend chores including laundry. Just realized that Brady is basically the highlight of this past weekend. I guess I missed him on my trip ; )

The weather was so beautiful this weekend, so we also took advantage and got a few things done outside including taking the cats out! There are too many coyotes, mountain lions, and foxes near our home so we choose to keep them indoors, but will take them out on leaches/ harnesses during the warmer months.

Maple says her harness complements her fur so well.

Cat bouquet!

I think this photo also gives nice scale to how giant Brady is compared to Maple. Ha. I swear they are brother/sister!

And we went out for a hike out Mad Creek yesterday afternoon! The trails were crazy busy, but DRY so yay!

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-How was your weekend?!?

-Anyone else see the Avengers movie this weekend? Thoughts? No spoilers though!

-Are the trails dry where you are?

Product Review: Oofos OOmg Low Shoe

Happy Friday (is it Friday? I’m not sure. Coming back from vacation- my body is all sorts of confused!). I got back home around 8pm last night and have been so busy ever since! Had fasting blood work done this morning, unpacked, grocery shopped, and catching up on a bunch of emails. Hoping to head out for my run soonish. Yay for first day of #funemployment! Although, I am already missing these sandy beaches.

It’s no longer snowing here in Steamboat and looks like it will be nicer these next few days (which is a relief because it was so beautiful!). Our snow is almost all melted here, which also makes it easier to fit in some trail running as well : ) Not sure exactly what we’ll be doing this weekend (besides seeing the new Avengers movie!), but hoping to have some time to sleep in as well because I really enjoyed doing that on vacation!

Throwback to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival with my mom! This was possibly one of the highlights on our trip for me (but there were so many good things we saw?!?).

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*I was sent a pair of Oofos OOmg Low Shoes to test out and provide my unbiased opinion of them

One of the staples that I brought on my trip were my Oofos Oomg Low Shoes. I’m all about recovery AND taking care of my feet during vacation (and really anytime if we’re being honest here)! I love how these shoes cover your feet & toes, but are also super easy to slip on (hello, perfect for airport trips where you’re feeling rushed to take your shoes off & put them back on!).

They also look equally fashionable with some compression socks (only way I travel to/ from races)! I also love all of the color options that they come in (gray, black, orange, pink, blue) - perfect for all sorts of different outfits! They are extremely light, provide excellent arch support, and I will definitely be getting a second pair as my ‘around the house shoes’. I’ve suffered from plantar fasciitis over the past year or so and wearing shoes in the house is a must. I’ve normally been wearing my oofos flip flops around, but these are so much better because I can wear them with socks. I also don’t feel super self conscious wearing shoes that provide so much support because they look cute too (let’s be honest- not all supportive shoes look good with both jeans AND dresses)!

You can check out all of the Oofos options here.

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-Three things you’re doing this weekend?!? Anyone racing?? GOOD LUCK!

-Atlantic or Pacific Ocean?

-What beach would you retire to if you could?

Exploring And Eugene Marathon Race Recap

You can find my Eugene Marathon Race Recap HERE.

You know when you’re on vacation and are thoroughly confused as to what day it is? Yeah. That’s me. Writing this on a Tuesday, but it kinda feels like a Friday? IDK. At least we have this lovely view to look out at (no matter what day it is).

We also visited the Sea Lion Caves and they were so AMAZING. It was pretty incredible to be able to see the Sea Lions in their natural habitat as opposed to being in a zoo. I thought that the entire area was really well-done and didn’t seem to be disrupting the natural environment of the coastline.

I’m bridging my training from marathon to 50-miler and it’s been really nice to just throw paces out the window. As long as I get the mileage in, I’m not too worried about how long it took me. I’ve been doing a run/walk to transition and allow my body to recover from the race (alternating 3 min run with 2 min walk) and will probably continue to do some version of this through the rest of this week. Also doing some more incline walking on the treadmill to get my Glutes ready for the Mt. Washington Road Race next month!

Don’t forget to check out my Eugene Marathon Race Recap HERE.

Eugene/50 Miler Training RUNdown Week 18: 4/22-4/28

I’m having so much fun adventuring along the Oregon coast! It is SO beautiful here.

BUT I’m equally missing these two cuties and can’t wait to give them a good squeeze tomorrow.

I will have my race recap up for you tomorrow and can’t wait to share it all with you (with no details left out ; ) ….). BUT for now, here is last weeks’ RUNdown of what I did leading UP to the marathon. I kept everything the same, except I did one less strength training session and all of my miles did not go above 6 and were all at a very easy pace. I did notice that I had a really challenging time keeping my legs at a slower speed because they were just so excited to RACE! I also felt oddly calm towards the marathon and never really had any sort of pre-race anxiety or nervousness like I usually do.

Monday, 4/22: 6.11 mi EZ 9:53 113’ up , 10 min on the stairclimber (37 floors climbed), & 20 min strength

Tuesday, 4/23: 6.29 for 29th birthday miles easy @ 9:46 131’ up

Wednesday, 4/24: 6.02 miles EZ 9:58 118’ up & 15 min strength

Thursday, 4/25: 6 miles EZ 9:55 339’ & 10 min soak in the hot springs

Friday, 4/26: Flight to Oregon!

Saturday, 4/27: 3.76 miles to shakeout 9:49 pace 6’ up

Sunday, 4/28: Race Day! 26.31 miles 8:47 pace 311’ up

Total Mileage: 54.48 miles

Total Elevation: 1,018’

Checking In- Monthly Goals

It’s May TOMORROW?!? WHAT! I think I spent the majority of April looking forward to my birthday and then the race that the entire month just blew by. I’m taking the rest of the week as a ‘see how I feel’ and not push myself to do anything regarding running. I’ll have one more week of ‘maintenance work’ for my 50 miler next week before then I’ll begin to taper. I’m hoping to hit up some trails when I arrive back in Steamboat (hoping more snow will be melted!!), which will be a nice change of pace. I always look forward to switching goals after a big race and think that it helps me avoid injury/ burnout (which I definitely had last Summer and it was NOT fun —> running more trails really helped get me out of that funk). It will be nice to ‘forget’ about pace for a while and just explore.

SO, before I make some new goals for May- let’s check back on April’s goals and how those went. Spoiler: I was pretty busy this month!

• Yoga 1x / week - CHECK! I look forward to my once or twice weekly yoga sessions :)

• Meditate 1x/ week- Sadly no, but I will keep putting it on my list with the intention that I will make it a habit again.

• Read 2 books- CHECK! You can see the latest two books I read here.

• Do 3 pull-ups. No. SO scared to do them at them gym. I WILL get this goal done this month

• Visualize Race Course- CHECK! I did this A LOT.

• PR the marathon-

• Save $$$$- CHECK! Limited excess spending, reduced down our $ on groceries.

MAY GOALS:

• Explore More. More trails, more unseen spots, more adventuring

• Yoga 1x/week

• Meditate 1x/week

• Visualize Race Course

• Run my first 50 Miler!!!!

• Read 2 books

• Practice Gratitude

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-What are your goals for the new month?

-Anything exciting you’re looking forward to?

-How many donuts consumed is considered too many? Asking for a friend….