Things I love Thursday

So of course when I was writing last week's post, I forgot possibly the best thing about winter running -- SO MANY POCKETS. thanks to the bazillion layers you must wear, you're bound to have plentiful places to store your goodies (keys, ID, ipod, water, etc.). On my run on Monday I had SEVEN pockets. possibly excessive, but definitely awesome. Summer running? so not conducive to bringing anything along with you. winter running? total opposite.

Onward. It's thursday, so let's talk about what I'm loving:

Macbook Air

my old bulky 15 inch macbook pro was in struggle city at the end of last semester, and into this semester. its also incredibly heavy. no bueno.
and so i budgeted for the semester, and determined that I can safely purchase a macbook air and not have to eat ramen for every meal.
YAYNESS. its super fast, and super light and I'm in love.

easy DIY's

example 1: cork strip from wine bottles. I may not have categorized this as easy had it not been for the bf's knife/cork cutting skillz, but once the corks were boiled (this is the key! let them puff up with water and they're so much easier to cut without losing a finger), and sliced in half, I just hot glue and go.

Another new favorite DIY is washi-tapeing everything. Especially my chargers. Look how adorable it is!

Also printing out these charger covers - also so adorable and most of all EASY.

Also these little flower things that I've been planning to make for ages, but I haven't. so now I made them. and they're adorable.

Funfetti salad

thanks megan for this wonder of a salad beast -- its a twist on a cobb salad that is omg perfect. also, didn't even add cheese and didnt even miss it. now that's impressive. Also I made her vanilla party cupcakes which i didnt photograph but were really fantastic.

really really pretty donuts

being "laid-back"

Having such a poor grasp on your schedule that you wake up early thinking you have reading to finish and you dont. twice. Yes, I am that brilliant. #YO3LO. aka, i'm a last semester law student, and that firm grasp on the schedule isn't so important.

And finally something I don't love -- waiting for this baby to ship.

It has only been 18 days since I ordered my Whitney English Day Designer. But I obsessively check etsy EVERY DAY to see if by some chance it is shipping early (spoiler alert: its not). It's not even scheduled to ship for another MONTH, but I will still check away every day. pathetic me. But seriously, so excited for this. I have been very loyally dedicated to my moleskine since high school. But this could change everything. more updates to come, obviously.

Why I like Winter Running

I'm not going to go as far as saying i LOVE winter running -- I'm still constantly fearful that I'm going to slip and bite it, but during todays snowy cold run, I came up with the following list in my head of reasons to like winter running.

1. You feel like a badass

There's all kinds of people bundled up, wishing they were anywhere but outside and youre rocking the run game.

2. No need for Ice Baths

Just peel off a couple layers, and stand outside for 5-10 minutes.

3. coming in to hot cocoa and whipped cream

look at this deliciousness! i promise it tastes way better after a cold run

4. fleece lined lululemon

Like everyone, I couldn't believe some of the recent news about lululemon. but they have a new CEO, and I do still love their general goal-setting message.
and these running tights? the bomb.com. not kidding. also the reflective headband - also awesome. especially with the side braid, which i can again rock now that my hair is growing out. lovelove.

Marathoner

Hi.

I'm Lauren. and as of a week ago I'm a marathoner.

Chicago was an absolutely freaking fantastic first marathon. It was so well spectated, so well organized, and it was so freaking great to be running in Chicago again.

As one can guess, July's running-destruction injury was indeed a running destruction injury. I didn't run for 6+ weeks. And even when I started running again, it was slow, in an old pair of highly cushioned shoes, and on the soft surfaces of Nichol's Arboretum. Each run included KT-tape and a compression sleeve and prayers to not further injure the possible stress fracture in my calf. 

And I didn't.

By the time it was t-minus one week to chicago, it hadn't really sunk in yet. I started consuming all the carbs, and around wednesday it hit me that holy shit I was about to run a marathon. 

The most I had ran post-injury was a run/walk 11 miler, and before the injury, I had only gotten up to a 12-miler. I was about to PD every mile after 13.1 during the marathon.

So much crazy.

Race morning I woke up early, drank coffee, drank a glass of nuun, ate an ALT larabar, half an ezekiel english muffin, and half a banana (will need to come back and evaluate this, because - SPOILER ALERT! -  my bitch stomach rebelled and I walked when my legs had more life in them). 

Allie and I waited in the porta-potty line, got into our start corral and were about to run 26.2 miles in the streets of chicago.

the race was seriously amazing. so much great crowd support, a really awesome route. I think I would definitely do it again. 

I was originally planning on walk/running it. it's how i'd done all of my post-injury running. but I just felt good the whole way through, so much so that I ran all the way to about 12 miles without stopping. 

And from there I did a few walk breaks here and there, but was still RUNNING. slow miles, the whole way, dont get me wrong. I was rocking the 9:30+ min miles.

And then things slowed down.

Around Mile 18 shit got real and my stomach was in all out rebellion. I'm not sure if it was the lemon lime gu I had for the first time, a failure in proper hydrating/fueling, or what. In all fairness, I had never really tried to take more than one gu during a run. Maybe my stomach just can't handle that. But by mile 20, I was steadily walking, without much running AT ALL. any time I started running, I felt like I was going to vomit. and Vomiting could mean not finishing thanks to, you know, vomiting up anything providing you with energy to keep moving. So I walked. and walked. and walked. For 6+ miles.

humbling splits, for shits and giggles

And then I got to the final mile. And I started to run again. Final mile had some walks in it as well, but it was mostly running, and I ran through that finish line and became a marathoner. and it was the best feeling in the world.

(also finding this photo reminded me of the damn banana from one of the aid stations that i seriously carried with me for the last six miles in case at some point I thought I was going to eat it. delusional. I swear)

So yes, I am a marathoner. and I love it.

And now, I can't wait to run another marathon, properly trained, uninjured, properly fueled. Probably the wisconsin marathon. and I can't wait. 

The Weekend without a Long Run

My right leg is currently fighting off a marathon-ruining injury. I could be exaggerating. But I have broken a bone training for a half marathon before. And twingy pain in a pretty localized area scares me. So I'm trying to shut down the running/spinning train for now, until the pain is 100% gone.

So it was the first weekend since the  beginning of june without a long run.

except that I ran a 5K on saturday. Without much pain, without a garmin, going pretty darn slow, and enjoying getting sprayed with food-dyed corn starch. which may or may not have been a good idea. time will tell.

On Saturday, I woke up incredibly early to run the Color Me Rad 5k at solider field. (entry fee won in a giveaway from Running in the Windy City. Thanks _____!) packet pick up was in the burbs, and I was not feeling a 1.5 hour commute on public transit out of the city to get my packet. So race-day pick up it was. Packet pickup was slow, but decently efficient. I had my bib within a half hour or so.

The race itself was a good loop, with water at the half way point, which I graciously stopped to drink, as I failed to drink water before the race. There were no volunteers at the water point, just pint sized water bottles from costco in kiddy pools. it was super effective for an untimed race.

After the race, my knack for finding all things free swag was in full force. I ended up with an apex water bottle at the race.

I decided I would walk from solider field to the Green city market, as my weekends in chi are numbered. On my way, I stumbled upon a target giveaway at the beach. SOLD. I ended up with a meal pack, and a bag full of sunscreen, fruit snacks, and cheddar crackers.

Then was the farmers market, full of its fresh produce glory.

I got home later that afternoon, spent a few hours planted on my butt watching pretty little liars on netflix instant, and then headed to whole foods to pick up a few things (mainly ice cream. priorities people!).

Sunday morning I woke up early, of course, had no long run on the agenda. but i did have a to do list.

I decided I wanted an everything bagel with cream cheese and lox for breakfast, and was all dedicated to procuring the ingredients for that breakfast feast. except that the bagels i bought had something green on them. and i didnt discover this until i got home.

so back to the jewel it was. where i found out it was frosting from the cupcakes they bake (and frost?) on the same tray. so I was ready to eat my bagel anyway. and then there it was, a breakfast food truck right in front of me.

I was sold.

I got the scoundrel - an awesome breakfast sandwich filled with egg, turkey, bacon, cheese, and spinach. on a PRETZEL ROLL. it was to die for.

The rest of the day? Killing that to do list. cleaning, and watching more PLL's, and working on law school journal stuff.

Culminated in ice cream and pizza/cheese bread delivery to my door.

So yes, my weekend of finding substitutions for running went really well.

This week? not going as well. which sucks. but that's another post.

Marathon Training Weeks #6 and 7

we can blame the blog absence on the presence of my boyfriend for a week and a half. I can also blame my shoddy running schedule keeping on him.

but regardless, the running has been a little sporadic, and shoddy, but i have no more crazy trips planned for the next few weeks, and a bunch of races on the schedule. so i'm sticking to it, here on out.

so, Marathon Training Week #6

Monday - spin. 50 minutes. the usual, nothing spectacular here.
Tuesday - AM run. The problem with being two weeks behind on a training recap. you dont remember what your runs are like. so let's just throw down some garmin numbers and call it good. It apparently was fast though? 5 miles/8:08
Wednesday - yoga. 60 minutes
Thursday - travel day/off. traveled to see the boo! watched awesome fireworks! slept in a tent! good times all around.
Friday - 2 miles. lame, i know. cut short because i was having body issues. 2 miles/8:54
Saturday - the rest of friday's intended 4-5 miler. this short run was followed by a large smoothie and new running tops and gu because i intelligently forgot to pack running tops, and didnt feel like doing a long run in a cotton tee. 3.25 miles/8:34
Sunday - 8ish mile long run. no garmin. just me and michigan state's (ick) campus. in all honesty though, east lansing isn't bad. I have a way of finding paths along the water, and this was no different. ran along the cedar river, encountered ducks, swans, herons, and other runners. oh and this run-inspired graffiti.

are you saying its a good thing I didn't run with my garmin?

Total: 18 miles

Marathon Training Week #7

Monday - OFF
Tuesday - these were hot sticky high humidity miles. I didn't bring water, and stopped just about every mile for water. 6 miles/8:42
Wednesday - OFF
Thursday - double header. just shy of 3 miles run, and 60 minutes of yoga.  2.88 miles/8:37
Friday - evening speedwork. last week I really struggled with garmin functionality. I hit start/stop instead of lap, and then there was no first yasso recorded. oh well. 4.5 miles/8:21 
Saturday  - OFF
Sunday - Home miles. 12 on the Ann Arbor stomping grounds. Arb, to huron river trail, and back. these were good miles, except for that part around mile 5 when I stopped in a clearing and got ATTACKED by bugs. It was absurd, and I was freaking the eff out because I didn't know what kind of bugs they were or what they were going to do to me. Turns out they were going to bite me UNDER MY BRA. wtf bugs. you suck. 12 miles/9:00

Total: 24 miles

6 steps to successful morning running

6 steps to Successful Morning Running

1. go to bed early

I know, the 10PM bed hour makes you feel like you're 70. But it is so much easier to wake up in the morning when you've had a full night of sleep, and it makes your run better. so just do it.

2. get together all your running things

this is something that has foiled runs for me. Take this morning for example. I knew I needed my handy ipod shuffle, Elle Woods, for my run.

So I pulled it out of its basket-full of electronics home. And then buried it in my bed, so I was searching for it for 10 minutes this morning. and then leaving one of the silicon earbud thingies in my bed so i had to go back for it. WASTE OF TIME LAUREN.

3. prep for the next day
breakfast, lunch, outfit.

When these things are figured out the night before, getting ready in the morning is infinitely easier. I'm not always so great at this, but it definitely helps.

4. go to bed in your running clothes

not only are most running clothes super comfy, but they also are nice to not have to figure out in the dark in the morning.

you're probably sensing a trend by this point. One of the keys to morning run success is allowing myself to sleep in as late as possible and be as efficient with time as possible.

5. snack before your run (or don't)

some mornings I don't need/want a snack and other times I do. Do what works best for you, and don't feel like there's and fast rule on this one. because there isn't.

6. run

And then get out there and run. Know that you are out there getting your heartrate up before the day even really begins. Enjoy the sun coming up, the cool breeze, and the joy of running!

tuesday morning run scenes

that gorgeous lake

Marathon Training Week #5

Monday - 55 min spin at gocycle studio. the usual monday evening grind. This time it was in the middle of a crazypants storm that you could hear OVER the music. oh, I also had my first spin mishap. While I was riding the seat of my bike just completely CAME OFF. it was like i had tightened the bolt enough, but I'm sure I did. this resulted in me switching bikes in the middle of class, and decreased calorie burn. but oh well. makes for excitement right?

Tuesday - unintentional off day. I woke up in the morning SUPER tired. proceeded to skip the 6 miler i had planned for the morning. went out to grab food with some co-workers after work, and didn't get home until 10-ish. Updated the ipod shuffle with new music, made sure my garmin was charged, went to bed at that time, planning on getting up at 5:30 to get the run in.

Wednesday - guess what i woke up to? Rain. Rain. More Rain. Hence PSA post here.
But I got the six miles in after work. They were good, highly motivated by new music miles by the lake. the usual. love. 6 miles/8:13

Thursday - the two a day to make up for the extra rest day. 3 miles on tired legs in the morning. 60 minutes of hot yoga in the evening. all good. 3 miles/8:47

Friday -  another off day, in prep for a saturday long run.

Saturday - 11 miles by the lake. It was a day where I was happy to be running. Whole thing felt good. Garmin was being a huge pain in the ass, and I found myself getting super frustrated with it because all I wanted to do was keep running, and it was refusing to track my miles. Gu at 5.5. Energy levels good, overall run was good. It was a cool foggy morning, with a bunch of wind by the lake. But a good long run, for sure. 11 miles/8:39

navy pier! 

so foggy!

typical shoes shot

Sunday - evening fast miles. the garmin decided to totally not function, so I said screw it and ran free. In the glances at the pace, I stayed below 8:15. A decent number of peeks at the garmin gave me a number starting with 7. It was an "I'm-super-grateful-for-these-legs-that-are-strong-and-that-propel-me-forward" kind of run. ~4 miles

So first week where I wasn't consistent. All my workouts got done except for a yasso run, but it was tough juggling everything (although the evening runs were a nice change). These next two weeks involve a lot of traveling and a visit from the boo, so we'll see how they go.

Total Mileage: 24 miles

Plan for the week:
Monday: Spin
Tuesday: Run 6
Wednesday: Yoga
Thursday: Run Yasso's
Friday: Run 3
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: Run 12