Thursday's Things: Your daily dose of randomness

Guess what I did yesterday?

Yep...I put my name in the lottery for the Chicago Marathon. I told myself (while training for the KC Marathon this last fall) that it would be my one and only. I was sure I was a one and done marathoner...especially after the heat of summer/early fall training and the lack of sleep that came with starting back to school and running so many miles. 

Buuuuuuut....after crossing that finish line in October I knew I wanted that feeling again...I knew that I wanted another chance to meet my goal of a sub 4 marathon. 

Then...we got engaged and started planning our wedding for the end of July. I knew then that training for a marathon during the chaos that the month of July is bound to bring would be silly so I decided that I would wait until spring or maybe the next fall....

Then the lottery opened for the Chicago marathon and I blacked out and signed up ;)

Just kidding...but what I did decide was that if I happen to get chosen in the lottery, then it would be a sign. A sign that I could balance the wedding, honeymoon, back to school crazies, and training for a marathon ;) I did it last year and I survived...and this time I would be going into it knowing what to expect. 

So now...we wait..

Is it April 28th yet?? 

The good news is training for Heartland 39.3 has picked up and I have my 35 mile weeks to distract me ;) 

And even though I only have one rest day a week from now until the taper...I don't mind because spring has sprung and I am wearing shorts and tank tops and running OUTSIDE!! It's so weird to think that just 2 weeks ago I had resigned myself to a lifetime on the treadmill because I was sure it was NEVER going to warm-up and melt outside! 

 ...and now this!!! I couldn't be happier :) 

Yesterday I ran 7 glorious miles (sorry for the poor picture quality...it was so sunny outside!! Thank you DST!)

and then hit the gym for some strength training and to attempt one of those super cool planking pictures...as you can clearly see...I failed.


Since I am super awkward and can't figure out a way to wrap up this post I thought I would leave you with this...What better way to start your Thursday than a cute little picture of my 2 (going on 22 year old niece) I mean...if this doesn't make you smile, you should probably get back in bed and call it a day ;)

Have you ever run the Chicago marathon?

How does one take a successful planking picture? Send help! ;)

Tuesday's are for Training Updates

Good morning!! Here I am again...morning four of getting up early and getting things done! I have to tell you it's been great...except for the fact that I am pretty tired this morning. 

I stayed up late to watch the "most dramatic season EVER" of the Bachelor. 

If you haven't watched it yet...you might want to skip this part :) 

I have to say this season was kind of a snooze-fest for me. I like Chris...I think he is a good guy...but far too normal for a reality show :) I usually shed a few tears during the proposal...but even that didn't tug at my heart strings. It seemed a little off...but what do I know? I would probably be totally awkward if I were on television too :) 

Even the announcement of the next bachelorette (or should I say bachelorettes) didn't even really get my heart a racing. I mean....it's cool that it's different...but I wasn't a huge fan of either girl. I guess it's better than my prediction....I was thinking they were bringing Andi back for another season. While I loved Andi...I am not sure I could sit through another season....STAAAAAHHHP!

The best part of The Bachelor was dessert. Each week me and a couple of my friends watch the bachelor and have dinner. For the finale we decided to go all out...Brinner followed by Bundtinis! Seriously...if you haven't had a bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes run, don't walk to the stores nearest you and try one (or 12) of their amazing bundt cakes! They come in all different flavors and sizes and the cream cheese frosting? I die!

So....yesterday I was talking about how I didn't understand what the big deal was with DST and how I probably didn't understand because I don't have kids? Well the universe punished me...my class was a wreck yesterday. The morning was great...because they were all half asleep...but by the afternoon I could definitely feel the affects! However, tonight when I go for a run and it's still light out when I am done I think I will be able to forget that minor inconvenience.

Speaking of running...I am only 32 days out from Rock the Parkway!! I am over halfway done with my grueling training plan and I am crossing my fingers that all of my hard work pays off!! I really, really, really want to run it in 1:45...and I would love to run all 3 of the races in the series in that time...but let's be realistic. It's 3 races in 5 weeks and 2 of them are back to back weekends (WHAT!) and my body is most likely going to be tired...so I suppose I would be happy with at least one race at 1:45 and the others sub 1:50. 

Remember when I confessed to you how much I loved my rest days? Well starting this week I only get one a week (GASP) and I have to say I am panicking a little. Running 6 days a week isn't so bad...but the mileage is a little daunting. Last week I ran 31 miles and this week it has me doing 37! I'm pretty cautious and I don't usually bump up my weekly mileage by that much each week (to avoid injury) so I am going to tweak it a bit and I am only going to run 34 miles. Even so...that is a lot. It's almost more than I ran during peak week with marathon training...and I am still 32 days out. I wonder what peak week looks like?

No...I haven't looked ahead in my training schedule. I make it a rule to take my training one week at a time...that way I don't freak myself out :)

As with most of my training schedules I have had to alter mine a bit (lowering the mileage a bit) and fitting in races! This weekend is my first race of the year and my first race since the Longview Half in November. I don't know if it's because it's been so long since I have "raced" but the nerves have hit early. I am running the 12k and a PR is guaranteed since I have never ran this race...but my desire to place in my age group is through the roof. Being this darn competitive is hard on my nerves :) The race is later in the morning (10 AM) so I plan on running 4 easy miles before as a warm-up and so that I can get my long run in for the day. 

I usually do my long run on Sundays, but with the race and our trip to Chicago I wanted to get it out of the way Saturday so I could take my rest day Sunday. Running while on vacation is going to get tricky...but luckily we are going to visit AJ's sister (who is also a runner) and I am sure I can convince her to take me out for a run around town :)  

Alright, I better wrap this up...too much to do and too little time! Also, if you have a moment can you do me a favor and vote for my "miracle fuel" to help them win a small business grant through FedEx? The prize is $25,000 and if Energy Bits wins they are going to give a free bag of bits to everyone who voted!! Say what?!? If that isn't motivation to vote, I don't know what is :) 

Do you have any races coming up?

Any fun spring break plans?

Weekend Update

Good morning and Happy Monday!!! I am exceptionally chipper this morning for some reason...and I still managed to get up at my new early time even with Daylight Savings. 

I'm not someone who hates springing forward (maybe it's because I don't have kids yet? Because according to the numerous posts on FB yesterday it sounds like it's really tough on kids and their parents ;) Me...I'm just happy to have that extra hour of sunlight in the evening! However...

Courtesy of my favorite teacher blog :)

I wouldn't have hated if we had gained that hour on Friday ;) I didn't realize until Friday evening that it was a full moon...and it explained SOOOO much!

I used to be a regular over on Tara's blog. She is one of my absolute favorite bloggers...but for some reason I just haven't made time for her link-up lately. That is all about to change. I mean seriously...a weekend update link up? Who wouldn't want to join in on that?? I mean some weekends I am really embarrassed to let you all know how much nothing I really did....but hey...it's life :) 

However, this weekend was full of fun and excitement...so I am super excited to share! 

Friday night we had dinner with AJ's brother and sister in law at Red Robin (my favorite) and then headed back to our place for an intense game of Scrabble. I would like to point out that I beat AJ ;)

Saturday we celebrated my favorite little person's 2nd birthday! 

I mean seriously...how can she be two? It seems like only yesterday that she left us waiting in suspense (for like 15 hours) for her arrival. The day I met her I fell in love and couldn't imagine loving her any more than I did in that moment...well...I was wrong. This little spit-fire has added so much fun and joy to our lives!

I snapped a bunch of candid photos...because with this busy little bee posed shots NEVER happen! 

The weather was incredible on Saturday so they decided to move the party outdoors. It made for some crummy photos...but it was SO nice to enjoy the sunshine! 

Plus, it gave this little one lots of room to enjoy her new "jump-jump" When my brother and sister-in-law brought this out she ran straight for it yelling "my jump jump!" and she tore that ribbon off and got to jumping! 

Later we headed inside to sing happy birthday and enjoy some cupcakes! 

The weather was far too nice to stay indoors so we headed right back outside after and played with the new toys. Finley insisted on my mom and I getting in her house with her....and then she left us ;)

After the birthday party we just couldn't  justify being inside so we grabbed the pup and headed to the dog park. She was definitely worn out when we got home! 

Sunday morning was my 11 miler and I had every intention of getting up and making it to the "Sunday Runday" group run at 7AM. But, then I realized that it was Daylight Savings and that it would actually be 6AM and I just couldn't force myself to do that so I got up at 7:30 (new time) and ran a solo 11 miler. 

Check them out at Energybits.com and get 30% off with coupon code "wthwhynot"

I never begin a long run without my trustworthy friends Energy Bits! I haven't been running longer distances for the last few months and I forgot how much better I feel during and after my long runs when I take these :)

11 great miles! Although, the first few felt rough (as always)

but the last few were amazing! I even managed to run my last mile at my goal pace for Rock the Parkway! 

After my run I stretched, ate breakfast, and headed out to the patio to read my book. Seriously, if you haven't read Amy Poehler's "Yes Please" do it...now...not later...but now! It's hilarious and honestly very inspiring.

Sunday evening I went to AJ's indoor soccer game. I'm not a huge fan of soccer (or the heat and humidity inside of the complex) but I am a good fiance and went anyway ;)

AJ bribing me with Johnny's afterwords might have swayed my decision slightly as well ;) After my 11 miler earlier in the day I demolished my turkey burger and sweet potato fries...what can I say...running makes me hungry :) 

Well there you have it...my super exciting weekend! As a parting gift I thought I would leave you with a laugh...

Seriously...tell me I am not the only one that relates to this ;)

How are you coping with Daylight Savings?

What are you reading right now? I'm always up for suggestions!

And just like that...

**Fun fact...I wrote this yesterday and hit save instead of publish. I'm a train wreck 99.9% of the time :-P

It's March...and I couldn't be happier

It's not that I don't love January and February...alright, yes it is. Sorry January and February..it's nothing personal but you tend to bring lots of cold, snow, ice, indoor recess and treadmill runs. I can't help but get a little agitated ;)

No matter the month though...I always love the feeling I get at the beginning of a new month. It feels like a fresh start. A chance to make new goals. A chance to clean that slate and make plans for great things!! Can you tell a new month makes me crazy? I'm not usually one to throw around all these motivational quotes and such...but for some reason the month of March has me excited!! I have lots and lots of big things coming up and I can't help it (insert crazed eye emoji)

One of my goals for the month of March is to procrastinate less. I wouldn't say I am the VERY worst procrastinator...but if it were an Olympic sport I would probably walk away with the bronze medal ;)

My procrastination seems to get worse in the winter...I swear I suffer from the winter blues. I just can't seem to get motivated and all I want to do is snuggle up on the couch and read a book or watch TV. So I decided that in March I will have to earn my time on the couch. I am not allowed to sit down and read/watch TV until everything is done....things like folding that last load of laundry that I usually let sit in the dryer until the next weekend when I do laundry again, unloading the dishwasher or putting dishes from the sink away, putting away all of my running accessories, etc. The list could go on and on...but I have made it a goal to not settle down for the evening until everything is picked up and taken care of. It's been 4 days and I would say it's been going well. 

Everyone always says  organization is the key to success...which is oh so true...but what is proving to be even more true is that "organization is the key to happiness" I swear I am sleeping better at night knowing I don't have a to-do list a mile long. Yes, I know that when I wake up the next morning that to-do list will magically reappear again...it seems as if it's never ending...but hey that's life. But knowing that everything that HAS to be done for the day is done is such a great feeling :-)

Another goal I have for myself is to blog more often. I have been in such a rut lately...call it a case of "writer's block" perhaps? I just don't know what to write about. I am such a perfectionist that I think I have to have this legendary (see above) post filled with thrilling content to be able to create a post worthy of reading...and honestly that isn't true. This is my blog...I should write about whatever pops into my random brain. I enjoy reading and writing blog posts and stressing about having the perfect post has kept me from doing that as much. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself...I'm sure none of you realized that little fun fact about me until now ;) 

My future posts may be random...they may be short...and they may be of no interest of you...but they will be more frequent. I want to find my love of blogging again...and I want to find the time. Seriously, if vampires were real things I would volunteer to be turned. Think about how much I would get done if I didn't have to sleep!!! (See...this is what happens when I let my random thoughts take over!)

My running goals are pretty lofty this spring and that mental struggle of "can I do it?" has started a lot sooner than normal. Last year I ran the Heartland 39.3 and finished all 3 of the half marathons in that series in under 2 hours (1:54, 1:48, and 1:58) and I finished 42nd overall out of 513 women. This year I want to break 1:45 for AT LEAST one of my races and finish  in the top 15. Now this goal of mine is BIG...especially since Rock The Parkway and Garmin (the first 2 races) are in back to back weekends. I am asking a lot of my body. Deep down I know it's possible...but it's still scary to think about. I am asking my legs to run 8 minute miles for 13.1 miles 3 times in the span of 5 weeks. 

My time at the Garmin half was SOOO close to my goal time so I know I can do it...but the trick is I have to do it 3 times! So when I chose my training plan I decided to up the intensity. I am following the "Greatist- Elite half marathon" plan on RunKeeper. The training plan was free with my RunKeeper elite subscription and let me tell you...it is kicking my butt! Last year my longest run during the week was around 4-5 miles. This time around I am running 6-8 miles on weekdays. It includes a lot of speedwork and it reminds me to incorporate strength training. I am running 5 days a week and I feel as if I am always showering. This is something I hate...I wish I was a guy because washing and drying my hair is my nightmare.

On top of my March goals I will continue to work on my New Year's Resolution for 2015...which I haven't broken yet! I have been writing in my journal every day...some days I have to go back and write an entry for a few of the days before because I haven't yet been able to make it a habit to write before bed (maybe this can be a goal for April?) but as of this morning I am all caught up and I will do better...promise :)

My other resolution was to read at least 2 books a month. I was a real champ in January and read 4! Yep...you read that right...4 books! Granted one was a kids book that my librarian at school gave me and one was a pretty short easy read, but the other 2 were longer. 

February was a different story...I blame it on being a short month. I finished my second book on February 28th at 10:30 P.M. Talk about cutting it close :) 

Putting my phone away at 8:00 P.M. has been kind of an on and off success for me. Some nights I am really good about it...and others I just can't seem to fight off my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter addiction :) I think I will add that to my April goals as well :) 

Alright, that's all for today! I got to school early today so I can fit in some time to put together a post. Hoping to make this a habit so I can meet my goal of posting more :)

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday...it's snowing here again (and supposed to be in the 60's Saturday?) so I am looking at indoor recess AGAIN today. If you don't hear from me again soon...please send help ;)

What if I don't hate rest days?

I woke up early this morning (again) so I would have time to write another blog post...but when I got on Blogger I realized that I didn't actually publish my post from yesterday. I hit save instead of publish and walked away oblivious to my snafu (I love that word!)

While it feels weird to post twice in one day...I got up early and here I am. I mean...what else am I going to do?* 
 


This is something I have been thinking about a lot lately....
 What if I don't hate them like everyone else does? Does that mean I am not a real runner? Am I bad person?

I think it's time to admit to you (and myself) that I LOVE rest days. I look forward to them...I enjoy them...I don't wish that I was running or at the gym instead...I actually dread the day being over. Is that normal? According to the plethora of  "I hate rest day" memes out there I would say it isn't...but seriously I can't be the only person out there all like...

During marathon training my rest days were the most coveted days of the week. I couldn't wait to sleep in, spend time with friends, read a book, and most of all not have to wash my hair. We all know by now that not washing your hair everyday is good for your hair...well Sweaty Betty over here would LOVE to skip washing her hair...but running almost every day makes that impossible. 

Last year the half-marathon training plan I followed was all like...

but this year with my goal being a 1:45 half-marathon instead of following the "just finish" 3-4 runs per week training plan I am following RunKeeper's "Greatist-Expert half marathon" plan. 

This is a 12 week plan with higher mileage, speedwork, strength training, and torturous hills. Last year I followed a great training plan but I failed to incorporate much speedwork or hills. I took Body Pump and yoga classes sporadically but speedwork? I didn't even know what that was. I didn't understand the benefits (or the aches and pains) that came along with it.

While I can see the long term benefits of this program...I am still just SO tired. I'm running a lot. 5 days a week and 28+ miles per week. This week (still 6 weeks out) I will run 30. At the peak of marathon training (the week of my 20  miler) I ran 35 miles...and I wasn't incorporating strength training (shame on me!)

Don't get me wrong...I don't mind putting in all the extra miles and effort to achieve my goal. I think I just need to justify my current love of rest days...as well as my current level of food consumption. I had quickly forgotten how hungry running that many miles a week makes me. 

Luckily today is a rest day...a glorious, glorious rest day!! After 2 days of longer (6 and 7 mile) weekday runs I have definitely earned this rest day :) My plan is do to a lot of couch sitting...and maybe some foam rolling...because let's face it I am sore all the time lately and that torture device makes all right in my world. 

I hope all of you are having a wonderful day...even if you aren't lucky enough (or don't enjoy them) to have a rest as well! Talk to you soon!!! 

*That was a trick question...because I am at school and there are always a million other things to do!! Fun fact...I just took a 20 minute break to hunt down headphone splitters. Seriously, people that aren't teachers have no idea how random and all encompassing our job is. I have approximately 15 minutes to finish up this post before I have a child coming in early for extra help in math. 

Anyone else out there love a rest day? 
Please tell me I am not alone :)