Ready as I'm gonna be.

Friends of the Blogosphere - hope that you are having a great weekend.


I've had the opportunity to take things (relatively) easy this weekend, starting with a Friday night Brewers game with Zak and my parents. It turned out to be the biggest night to be at Miller Park this season, because they won the game, clinching their post-season playoffs spot - and then the entire stadium stayed to watch the Cardinals lose to the Cubs... which meant the Brewers won the division title!

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Everyone in the stadium was cheering and shouting, hugging strangers and jumping around, with fireworks, confetti and champagne in the air. It was a pretty awesome  collective experience, one that I'll never forget! The Brewers haven't won the central title since 1982, so this is a huge deal for the city. There will be a public rally this week, which I think I may be obliged to check out.


Saturday started off with a final long run before the marathon next weekend. I was supposed to do 8 miles, ended up doing 5, and am okay with that despite the fact it's not really a long run, comparatively. I haven't written much about marathon training, and I'm not going to lie, it's been rough. In a physically draining way, and in an I've been too embarrassed to write about my experience on my blog type of way. I'm glad that the event is next weekend and am glad to have the training experience under my belt. I'm as ready as I'm gonna be!


Today, I spent a few hours out in the woods with Chance, trail riding. The time outdoors was just what I needed - the weather cool and cloudy, the foliage just on the brink of changing colors. So refreshing and energizing. This evening will be about making a healthy dinner, and perhaps baking something. 


I don't know about the rest of you, but this month has flown by. I've got a ton of catching up to do on here - a recap of my Colorado trip and the Pikes Peak Challenge (it was more difficult this year!), some fun concert stories, and a playlist to share with you. I look forward to getting back on a regular posting schedule this week!

You do the talking: How has your weekend been? What's your favorite autumn outdoor activity? Have you ever trained for a marathon and isn't it freaking hard?

September 1st; but first...

Can someone tell me how it's already September? I mean, really? Last time I checked, it was mid-July. I think I got sucked into a vortex of work, concerts and marathon training and somehow landed on September 1st. Yikes!


In all seriousness, I love September. The weather is usually remains summer-like around here, with the bonus of the beautiful changing colors of the leaves. I've always enjoyed raking leaves outside, and this year I'll have the company of two dogs in the yard instead of just one. I can't wait to take photos of Clay and Blue playing in the leaf piles.


Trail riding on horseback is always pleasant in the fall, and I imagine my long runs on the city trail will be as well. All of those colors, that delicious leaf smell in the air, plus slightly cooler temperatures? Bring it on, September.


Tonight (actually, right now) we have TV on the Radio, who in my opinion are one of the most creative bands in indie rock. Their live show is as incredible as people have described to me, and this is the first time they've ever played one of our venues. Plus, they have a trombonist for the tour, which is awesome because back in middle school I played that instrument. I've got mad love for the 'bones! 

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I should really get inside the theater and enjoy the show, but I've seen so many "September Goal" type posts that I'm inspired to write my own. So here ya go - Seven goals for September:


1. Give the final month of marathon training my best. 
I haven't written much about it on the blog, but I've been training for a marathon since late May. There haven't been too many "I love this!" moments, which I have found to be discouraging, but nobody said that I have to do another marathon after I complete this one. The main reason I'm doing it is to accomplish another marathon before my 30th birthday in December. 
For the final 4 weeks leading to the marathon (October 2), my goal is to treat each training run like it's individually important: fueling and hydrating properly leading up to the run and afterwards, and stretching / icing immediately afterwards. Since I've been running so much, I've become sloppy with some of the details, and in these final weeks it will be important to re-focus and become methodical with all of these elements. 


2. Give marathon training a rest... literally
Yes, that's right. On the rest days of my marathon training plan, I need to actually rest and not attempt to do one million things besides training. In the past month I've only watched 1.5 movies, and have taken zero naps. Something is wrong with this picture! Isn't one of the best parts about heavy training plans, taking naps? I've been missing out!


3. Bring back date night
I feel like this one has been on my list every month for forever (aka the entire seven years Zak and I have been together) and I'm determined to get it right this month. Dates are important to resuscitate romance in a long-term relationship between two busy people. I would love to finally go out for our anniversary (which was about 4 weeks ago). I can't remember the last time I got all dolled up for no other reason than date night! A minimum of one date for September is my goal.


4. Try cooking with new (to me) foods
I'm looking at you, box of quinoa that's sat on the shelf for three months! I really want to try making quinoa, it's nutrient-dense and a great source of protein for vegetarians. There are a ton of killer blog recipes and I'd like to try a few. I would also like to make the Mmmm Sauce everyone keeps talking about, and something with eggplant. 


5. S-t-r-e-t-c-h more frequently
I won't go into too much detail here - I pretty much need to stretch 5x more than I am currently. I feel like a tight rubber band most of the time, which is not comfortable or cute. This girl needs some yoga back in her life!

6. Figure out what the hell I want to do with the next five years of my life
Okay, this is an ambitious goal, and obviously I can't plan something like this out. But what I can do is realistically outline some things that I'd like to have happen within the next five years. I would like to realize my vision for this next chapter of my life. Lululemon has a neat goal-setting worksheet that employees work with, I may use this tool to help with this goal.


7. Spend more time with family
When my work schedule gets crazy, family time becomes more difficult. When this happens, It makes me feel like a bad daughter / sister / not-in-law to Zak's family (since he and I aren't married). 
This month, I want to schedule some time with my family - my parents, especially - so that I have that to look forward to. Grilling out at my parents house? A Brewers game? Sounds great! Also, I'll be visiting my sister for 4.5 days next week, which will be relaxing and just what we need for our sisterhood. In fact, next week at this time, my plane will already have landed at Colorado Springs and we'll be hanging out at her apartment! I can't wait, it will be so fun to hike together during the Pikes Peak Challenge again as well.

So there you have it, these are my goals that I'll work on this month. What will you focus on during September?

10 miles, and my legs didn't fall off.

Yesterday's 10 miler was tough!

I consider the run to be a PDR (personal distance record) because I haven't attempted to run that distance in at least one year. Though in the past I've completed a full marathon, and a 13.1 mile hike up Pikes Peak, the 10 miles yesterday just felt ridiculous. 

Ridiculous, but in a good way :-) That's the best way I know to describe it. It was humid, the sun was beating down on me, and I was battling a mild hangover (oops). The night before, I should have stuck with one drink + lots of water instead of two drinks, followed by Qdoba at 1AM. I wasn't feeling too bad, but it definitely couldn't have helped my cause. Live and learn, right?

Anyhow, I somehow got through and finished ok. Slow and steady, baby!

Something that may have helped... I wore my new shirt that I ordered from SkinnyRunner and I'd like to think it gave me super powers. Either that, or boosted my sarcasm by 10%. Love this :-)

Some stats, thanks to my Garmin Forerunner:

The run was split into two separate 'activities' because I took too long taking photos on my gel break, haha.

First Half:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	01:03:39	5.31	11:59
1	00:12:51	1.00	12:51
2	00:10:43	1.00	10:43
3	00:11:04	1.00	11:04
4	00:12:15	1.00	12:15
5	00:12:39	1.00	12:39
6	00:04:03	0.31	13:08

Second Half:

Split Time Distance Avg Pace Summary 01:04:46 5.00 12:57 1 00:12:09 1.00 12:09 2 00:12:33 1.00 12:33 3 00:12:38 1.00 12:38 4 00:13:45 1.00 13:45 5 00:13:39 1.00 13:40

Avg Moving Pace:	12:38 min/mi
Best Pace:	09:33 min/mi

Heart Rate

Avg HR:	166 bpm
Max HR:	181 bpm

(The max amount is 98% of my capacity!)

Fuel:

Pre-run: Powerade + 1/2 PB sandwich

During: 1/2 Powerade / 1/2 water mix, 1 GU pack

After: Smoothie with protein powder, PB, spinach, chia seeds, cherries, almond milk

Thoughts:

- Do not go out the night before a long run. If sister is in town and / or socializing is otherwise imminent, reschedule long run.

- Now that marathon training has begun, this is how my entire summer will likely end up... no going out on Friday nights. Not sure how I feel about that.

- Pick an interesting route for your run. I used the Hank Aaron State Trail and passed the Veterans Affairs grounds, and Miller Park (Brewers Stadium). I ran through the parking lots and concourses, and it was like my own personal tailgate party.

You do the talking: What's your PDR? Don't be shy, let's have some show and tell. I know you're all badass gals (and maybe dudes?) out there! 
If you haven't run the distance in awhile, do you 'start over' with distances covered? Also, what interesting / cool places are on your running routes?