Chicago's Perfect 10

This weekend I ran the Chicago Perfect 10 and it was seriously the fastest race for me- to date.

Unfortunately not because I ran it like a blurry cartoon version of myself but because the morning just came and went so quickly.

We left realllly early but we grabbed Starbucks (spoiling myself with a 5 dollar drink always makes me forget what time it is) and got to Chicago in record time. 

As soon as we hit the city, the sun was coming up over the buildings and I got really excited. The city looked beautiful and traffic was a breeze. We got to Navy Pier about 45 minutes before my start.

The best part of starting at Navy Pier was that we weren't standing outside freezing or trying to squeeze into a tent. Also!! No port-a-potties. There were/are tons of REAL bathrooms inside the expo center. It was pretty great. Oh and the views weren't bad either :)

I started a little too far back. I should have squeezed up further because the roads weren’t really closed for the race. We took the lake front path and so it was tight for a while. My first half mile had me at a 11 minute pace :( Then as soon as it wasn’t so tight, the 10K runners (they started 15 minutes before us), who decided to start walking, walked in groups talking and taking up the whole path. Major bummer. 

I know I probably don’t have the best running etiquette at times, like when I fling my Dixie cup of water at you by accident but there were so many 10K walkers completely oblivious. It was just a little rude.

However, this was THE only downfall to the race because the rest was great. We were running by the lake the whole time and the weather was perfect. I saw a lot of runners dressed for a blizzard and I stuck to my guns and knew that as soon as I got going in that sun I would be HOTTT & I was so right.

Talk about luck. Warm sun in Chicago in November!

We ran by Grant Park, the Field Museum, and Soldier Field. Honestly though the view of the lake on one side and the sky line on the other was enough to amuse me. I love running in different places. I really reflected on that a lot during my run. I have been coming to Chicago my whole life, but running there and really anywhere, gives me an entirely different perspective on the place and allows me to really appreciate all of its beauty.

So now onto the actual running.

I was torn the whole race. When I started really slow because of the crowds my mind kept telling me to just let it go. “Don’t get frustrated. Just do this for fun. You can’t control the crowds.”

Then around mile 3 it spaced out a bit and I wanted to pick up the pace but my legs just weren't into it. They weren't sore or anything, just heavy. Anyone else get this sometimes? I kept under 9 minute miles though, and I was accepting it.

Remember when I talked about positive thinking, here? Well as soon as I started taking pictures and just enjoying what I was doing around mile 6, I fell into an 8:28 pace and felt great till the end. So I wasn't necessarily thinking positive thoughts and cheering for myself like I was in Bring it On, but I was just simply not worrying and enjoying myself. What a crazy concept <eye roll> ?!

So anyways crossing the finish line felt great. I was ready to be done and I was super happy I didn't have to run an extra 3.1 miles. 10 was enough.

Official time. 1:27:59 and not a second later :)

My medal was pretty cool.... but every sip of this reward was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.

I highly recommend starting mini vacations with a Bloody Mary at 10 AM :) It’s a known fact, if you drink before noon your body instantly goes into vacation mode. Truth.

More to come about our weekend shenanigans tomorrow.

What is your favorite City?!?!?!?

Three quick things

Just stopping by for a quick hi today & to tell you three things, one big.

One. I realized last night I forgot a favorite thing last week & I just couldn't let it go. I am obsessed with nail stickers and making my hands look like that of a pre-teen. Leopard. Polka dots. the beloved Chevron. Glitter. Done it all. 

Currently...

 I won't lie, I am tempted to grow up and try the new gel trend, buy a lamp and all that, but for right now I am channeling my inner Spice Girl and I am okay with that.

These...from Sephora have been the easiest to apply. They lasted almost two weeks!

Two. I have looked forward to tomorrow's race since, well... a long time. I think I registered in the spring. 

Picked up my packet yesterday.

I love Chicago, everything about it.

Us, suburbanites (people who grew up in the Chicago suburbs), have one major lie we tell everyone, and I mean everyone. We claim we are from Chicago. I get it. I am not. I have never lived IN Chicago but I am going to own it tomorrow and I am super excited to run my first race there. 

Which brings me to my third thing. We have the most amazing weekend planned in the City (I can't wait to fill y'all in on Monday) but it will be mixed with a little business. 

I haven't mentioned it yet on the blog, however my guess is very soon there will be lots of posts related... so I just neeeed to share. My very smart and crazy awesome husband has decided to pursue law school! 

He is shoulder deep in applications and decisions and worries but really excited. We are going to be looking at some schools in the City this weekend. I am so excited to dream with him and hold his hand through this scary leap. We know it won't be easy, it will be really hard, not just on him but I am sure on us and our relationship. However I could not be happier for him!!
Lots more to come. 

I hope y'all have the best weekend!!! 

Tell me something you are excited for this weekend???

  

This is not a post about Miley Cyrus

Get ready for the most random post of your life.

So last night was the Country Music Awards. Nope. I didn't watch it----I told you this was random.

I like country music, there have been years I have loved country music, but currently it is just in my "like" category.

Well like any other day after an award show, I stalk the dresses and pictures that pop up on Yahoo!.

Let me preface my next statement with this… Miley Cyrus makes me very sad. She makes me want to cross my legs and never pop out a beautiful baby- Sorry Jacob- simple as that.

Dear MTV, Miley Cyrus is not a movement. For real. Stop.

google images

Ok I told you this is not about Miley and it isn't. But it is about the sheer fact that celebrities are at an all-time low right now. Anyone agree? This is not new information. I know. It has been a long time coming. Christina’s ass chaps were circa 10 years ago (Seriously. You feel old? me too).

google images

So knowing all of this, I get really excited when a celebrity comes along that I love 

and not for two seconds but since their first song was playing on the radio. 

This girl just keeps getting better and more honest and more real. 

Miranda Lambert. 

google images

One she looks amazing and it seems like she has slimmed down a bit (picture from last night). Awesome. Great for her. But one of my favorite articles about her was in SELF maybe a year or so ago. She is so right on about her health and finding balance. She likes pizza and beer and ya know what??? she is a celebrity you can believe eats that crap and makes no apologies. 

Statements like these make me want to shot gun beers with her just hug her.

"I don't care about being stick-thin. I don't want stuff to jiggle. Really skinny actresses make me hungry—I see them and think, Honey, you need to eat! I'm lucky I don't have to live like that. I feel my best when I'm a toned, not flabby, size 8. Women come up to me and say, 'You're beautiful and confident, and that makes me feel I can be, too.'"

"I asked Blake, 'Dude, why didn't you tell me I got fat?' He said, 'That would go over like a lead balloon. It's not my job to tell you you're fat. It's my job to tell you you're beautiful.'"

"I drink Bacardi. My trainer, Bill, approves. I mean, he'd rather me not drink, but that's not an option."

"I'm a small-town girl. When you're famous, whoever you were before comes out more. So if you were an ass, you'll be even more of an ass."

"I won't give up what I enjoy to look perfect. I want to find a happy medium between feeling good about my body and still having a beer and some barbecue."

(All quotes from Self.com)

See, she's awesome right??? 

and her husband thinks she is the bomb. dot. com. Just last night he tweeted this.

Love them :)

So anyways, I thought on a random note I would tell you I love Miranda Lambert. I love honest celebrities that concentrate on being themselves and making no apologies. I think this girl is a perfect example of a healthy, beautiful wife who knows how to have a good time. She builds other women’s confidence by just being okay with herself- something I would love to be and concentrate on. If nothing else, I hope that is what you get and see in this blog. A relate-able girl who thinks being herself is enough and you should too.

OHHH and don’t think for a second I forgot about throw back Thursday :)

Two years ago my dad got our family tickets to Blake Shelton’s concert. I was excited but I didn't really listen to Blake all that much. The whole day I told Jacob how excited I would be if Miranda just came out on stage. Everyone was telling me not to get my hopes up, it was a State Fair concert, no way would she be there. 

Well she was. I died. It was a great day & I fell in love with her even more.

Blake and Miranda. Our seats were OK ;)

us before the concert...gawd, this is so Wisconsin

What celebrities are you loving right now???

Plank, Plank, Plank

One of my favorite blogs, Skinny Meg, gave me the sweetest shout out today. 

I might be freaking out a little bit :)

On top of that making my day, it is Wednesday and I sure love Skinny Meg's Workout Wednesday Link Up so I am at it again.

Like I said last week, I honestly don't do a lot of creative stuff at the gym. 

I usually keep it really simple, mostly cause that is what I know & I am more than okay with that. 

But NOTE Simple doesn't mean that I don't have a lot of variety. 

My favorite move which is just full of variations are good 'ol PLANKS.

I don't know why I was so late to the planking party but I was, which is silly because they hurt in the best way and I usually get to hang out in one position.

...meaning I don't have to crunch & bang my back up & pretend there is a tennis ball under my chin & breath like someone is suffocating me & do uncomfortable things with my arms...

Women's Health Magazine said something to the same extent :)

So there are a more than a few different plank positions that will kill you, 

but I usually just concentrate on two, until I am screaming in pain. 

I told you I am simple.

elbow plank and & basic plank (arms extended)

I will tell you that since doing the basic plank, with my arms extended I have reaped more benefits in my arms than I thought I could & in my opinion, if you are going to hang out in pain lets hit two birds with one stone, mmmkay?

Here, look at this girl and pretend it is me :)

(Pinterest.com)

I try to do this til my arms are shaking and then for an extra 20-30 seconds longer.

And for those who are like duh? I do this all the time.. try a Bosu Ball. Holy OUCH. 

This is just crazy enough for me.

(Pinterest.com)

And in between sets...I usually try to do 3 planks @ 1 min, 2 min, 3 min daily... I look like this guy.
He has great form. 

(Pinterest.com)

Planks??? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Whats your favorite version???

A positive attitude, sprinkled with Pinterest

I have been thinking a lot lately about having a positive attitude.

Positive. Attitude. Are two very over used words.

The stupid glass half full analogy is overrated and overused. The most negative people in the world often say they have a positive attitude (while we laugh under our breath). We hypocritically preach to others to think of the bright side when we know for a fact in the same situation we would be two Oreo sleeves in and watching the Notebook on repeat.

Here is what I think, correct me if I am wrong, women have become the biggest worriers. I know because I am one and I am friends with a whole bunch of ‘em. I think women these days often let our doubt & fears hold us back. We worry for everyone. We are so busy worrying and being scared that we have no time to be positive.

Does that make sense?

I hope so because I am getting to a point today I promise.  

Last week before my run I was really worried.

Worried  I wouldn’t be able to run my race.

Worried I was injured forever & need a hip replacement (I over exaggerate for a living).

Worried I was going to have to quit running forever and be a failure (I wasn’t kidding about exaggerating).

Seriously these ridiculous things came to mind. Somehow, from the grace of God I woke up on Saturday in the best mood and decided that even if I got to run a mile that day, that was awesome enough.

Well shocking, the race went great. I felt good and my mind was in a wonderful place.

I am not saying this is going to happen every time. However, I will say that had I only been able to run ONE mile, I would have dealt with it much better because my mind was in the right place.

The power of your attitude is extraordinary.

The sad thing is I know it gets over looked. I for one take it for granted. I can only imagine the things I could do if I would stop worrying so damn much and just put my big girl pants on.

I hear so many people tell me, “Oh god, girl you are crazy. I could never run that far.” Yes!!! you sure as hell can. Get your mind there and you can do anything.

I truly believe that. 

So today think about this! Whatever your goals are for this year or for next, think more specifically about the attitude you need to get there, because we aren’t getting anywhere by worrying and doubting ourselves that’s for sure.

Happy Pinterest Tuesday!!!

Do you have any goals left for 2013? Tell me about them :)

I ran for the lasagna

I had been preparing for the worst all week because of my hip issues....

But spoiler alert!! I felt great & I am super happy with my time.

To be honest though when I hit mile 11, tears started forming in my eyes as I saw a guy, who I had been trying to keep up with the whole race, stop running. You could just tell it was his hamstring. This happens. It just does. I know because I have read and heard it everywhere. Not every race is a PR and not every race goes as planned and you will have some that just completely fall apart. I was reallly worried this was that race for me.

I can't tell you how happy I was that I didn't have to learn a tough lesson in this race, I know it is probably coming, but Saturday wasn't my day.

Running teaches us so much and as soon as I think I know the lesson I am about to learn, I learn something else.

For my first two half Marathons I feel like my lesson was primarily how freaking awesome my body is. Those races really helped me shift my perspective on my body and to start thinking like an athlete. My last half (you can read my race recap here) I found myself less focused on my time and more proud of small accomplishments, like the fact that I was able to run mile 12 strong. For this race I felt myself doing the same thing.

I think my lesson this weekend was that I would love to get faster and faster and PR every race but most race victories are going to be found in those smaller accomplishments, like running strong at the end when you couldn't before or even hydrating better without spilling Gatorade all over yourself :) . This weekend I celebrated that I was able to run when I thought an injury was going to hold me back and I didn't let negative thinking hurt me before I started. I was annoyingly positive. Those small victories are what keep us coming back. We aren't always going to have ground breaking wins and that's okay.


Ok RECAP time.

The great thing about this race is it started later. One of the reasons I hoped I would do so well. The start wasn't until 11:30. I was able to sleep in and have time to get ready. I was really calm because I wasn't expecting to do all that well and I was praying all morning that I would be able to just run every mile.

Jacob and I stopped at Mcdonald's around 9:30. I know, I know. But I told you I wasn't taking this seriously plus it was such a late start that I was worried my normal race breakfast (nature valley bar and pb banana) wouldn't keep me full enough. Well turns out, egg white McMuffin & a hash brown was perfect.

We got to the start and it was COLD.

I got to keep all my layers on till just three minutes before the start.

The first two miles were great. I felt strong and not at all like I was going out too fast. My effort was easy. I was right around an 8:12 pace. And then it hit me. I had to go to the bathroom.

I didn't HAVE to but when the first water stop was at almost three miles and the website advertised every two, I knew I couldn't risk it. What if my next chance wasn't till mile six?

I still finished the third mile in 9:06, even with the bathroom break. So I can't blame not PRing on the bathroom but I can blame it on what I chose to do right after.

I sprinted to make up for the bathroom stop and right when I started to calm down and fall into a rhythm again, I hit hills. Lots of them. Overall it was a very flat course but mile 4 was full of hills and I wasn't prepared. I had just used all of my energy to catch my earlier pace. You live and learn. I should have studied the course more but I still held on to a 8:40 ish pace.

I took a GU right before mile 5, hoping it would help my energy levels (I took my second at mile 10).

The last 6 miles were way out from the town. If you love to smell cow poop and looking at hay bails this race is for you. It was lonely out on the country roads and the runners really spread out. At first this made me discouraged, bored and a little worried but then I noticed how quiet it was. All you could hear was the soft sound of other runners pounding the pavement. You could look out and see for miles. It was pretty in its own way. I was able to get back to an 8:30 pace & sit there till mile 11.

Mile 11 was hard. It was hard because the head wind sucked. It was hard because emotionally I couldn't believe I was still running so strong and I honestly I just felt really lucky. Maybe it was because of the cold but I remember my legs started to feel really heavy. My pace was fine but I just remember them feeling like lead.

One of the greatest things happened at the end. I spotted Jacob at 12.8 miles. He hopped right on the course & stayed with me till the last few seconds. It was honestly the coolest thing ever.

So overall it turns out I didn't PR. Official time was 1:53:39.

My family wasn't able to make it but I called my mom right when I was done. In typical mom fashion she wanted to be sure I was kind to my hip and I think I really was. I checked in with myself multiple times during the race and I felt good.

Jacob had a great race too! I am going to see if he can recap it for us this week.

I will end with this. There are no words for the lasagna at the end. I can't even describe how amazing it was. 

I will be back next year just to eat it again. 

Who watched the NYC Marathon???I spent Sunday morning in bed with my pumpkin pop tarts, watching all the coverage. I can't wait to run that race one day!

Did you race this weekend??? 

Run? Tell me about it :)

November & Favorite Things

I am weirdly happy that it is finally November today. We have so many great things going on in November!

• I have three races. THREE. First one tomorrow :)

• We have an exciting trip to Chicago planned.

• I am helping sponsor Travel Babbles this month. Run on over there. I just love her blog.

• The National Holiday. Black Friday.

Yep I am one of them. I just like being in Target at 1 am. There is something magical about it. I won’t be standing in any lines but I like to go out and drag my sleepy husband, shop, come home and eat a second Thanksgiving dinner or I guess breakfast depending on how you look at it and sleep till 12 pm the next day …

• And as if I need to specifically call out the four staples of November. Turkey. Gravy. Mashed Potatoes. & Apple Pie. Ummm ya.

• LAST but not least! This month marks the first Favorite Things link up, hosted by Emily and Kylie.

These are super random but I like it that way.

ONE: Pumpkin really is a staple during this season so if you love it you absolutely need to, no questions asked get over to Trader Joes and buy these. They have just the right amount of frosting. Just enough to make it sweet. The pumpkin isn’t fake-y or overwhelming and warmed up in the toaster with a cup of coffee is heaven.

TWO: Sticking with the fall trend I thought I said these were random? I left one piece of Pinterest inspiration off my post Tuesday, on purpose. In part because I don’t feel like it is truly a trend. It is a staple that has been around for a while. I love, love, love vests. There is nothing worse than Christmas shopping & sweating & lugging around a big ass coat. I said it. I hate it.

I like to be warm (duh?) but it is so practical to have our shopping limbs free! (Isn’t that the main purpose for our arms- to shop? my husband thinks so) I think they are super cute and a plus is you don’t feel silly leaving them on if you are cold at work, or even at a party, for a few extra minutes till you adjust to the temps inside.

THREE: My hair is thick. It is a pain to wash and dry. I don’t know who thought dry shampoo up but I want to give them a huge hug and an amazing Christmas gift. I have tried a bunch and I am sure there is something even more awesome out there, but I don't think you can beat this stuff. It is less than three dollars, smells great and Target even sells it in two packs. 

FOUR: Well since I shared yesterday about my silly hip, I thought I would show you my foam roller. We have a love hate relationship and if you run I am sure you have one too. Maybe you have one fancier than this one, but this thing does the job and it really can help with all kinds of aches and pains. I have preached to everyone who complains about some kind of body ache and they swear by it now too. If you have held off on getting one, don’t hold off any longer. They really are worth it.

FIVE: I made a what I thought was a silly purchase purchase a week or two back. I saw a coupon posted on Facebook and decided to design my own phone cover using Vistaprint.com

It turned out SO cute and I get tons of compliments. It was easy to design. It shipped fast and they send out coupons ALL the time. I am a sucker for a good coupon.

I hope you have a great weekend & if you are racing anywhere GOOD LUCK!

Come back Monday for my half marathon recap :)