Minneapolis-Star-Tribune-runningkellometers

Miles walked: unknown... We walked around the French Quarter A LOT! Some days we barely did any walking and then other days, I wouldn't be surprised if we walked 3-5 miles throughout the day. We went to the zoo, walked around the quarter, walked along the tracks while waiting for the streetcar... Lots and lots of walking to help burn off some of those po boy calories. ;)

Wednesday: 2 mile sneaky run in the morning
I got up early one of the days on vacation, but instead of going back to sleep or watching TV, I decided to go out for a run.

Saturday: 2.75 mile run with Maggie
Met up on the trail for a few miles after a long, long drive home.

This week, working out was a lot of fun. It got me much more motivated for getting back in the habit for the weeks to come. I'd like to keep working out and running as long as my doctor says its okay and as long as it doesn't hurt! :)

Friday night I had my office holiday party so I decided to move my long run to Sunday. On Saturday, it was unseasonably warm with temps in the 50s. On Sunday, there was a high in the 30s and snow was expected. Although we didn't get snow, we got rain that turned to ice.

I met up with Maggie and Kate for a 10 mile run at a local trail that I haven't been to in awhile. I was really happy to have the accountability because it was one of those days where it seems much more appealing to stay wrapped up under the covers! Despite the temps and the conditions, we got out there and got it done. When the trail was icy in spots, we ran in the grass. Our splits weren't really consistent since there were some rolling hills, but I always love when the last mile is the fastest! :)

I took half of a Picky Bar at mile 6 with a pretzel and then took another pretzel about a mile later. I took a little more Picky Bar and another pretzel at mile 8.5. My stomach felt good so that was very exciting! I think the mixture and adding in the pretzels was helpful. Do you eat pretzels when you run? Do you think they help settle your stomach too?

Post-Run photo with Kate (left) and Maggie (right)

The worst part of the run, though, was that my hands were always freezing!!!! Despite wearing my favorite gloves from last season.) I brought the little hand warmer packets and one burst in my glove about a 1/2 hour in. I'm now on the lookout for some running mittens. If you have any preferred brands or types, please let me know. With my long arms and long fingers, I need something heavy duty (maybe something even meant for skiing). What do you wear on your hands when you go for a run in the cold?

Overall, it wad a great run with great friends! The F^3 is less than 2 weeks away and I feel ready to PR! :)

As I may have previously mentioned a few times before, I run with the Frankfort New Lenox running club. We call ourselves the FN Runners. This past Saturday, the group put on a supported 20 mile run out on the trail with help from a local grocery chain (Berkot's supplied water, cups, Gatorade, bananas, and oranges) and a local running store (Running For Kicks provided Gu). The stations were manned by other members of the group and helped by local high school kids. So many people helped to make this run great and I was happy to be a part of it! I didn't help by manning an aid station, though. I cheered at the half way point, helped direct some folks where to go until I met up with Maggie and I ran the 2nd half with her. I know Maggie's had a few posts lately about how she's burnt out on running and tired all the time. It is at that point in the training cycle so I was happy to help lend some fresh legs and fresh energy out there for the 2nd 10 miles!

I hadn't run 10 miles in a few weeks so I wasn't sure how things would go. However, knowing someone was depending on me, I knew I couldn't let them down. In some of the chaos of the morning, I forgot my Garmin. I was kind of glad because I wasn't obsessing about how far we were, etc. we chatted a lot about food (what can I say? I like food) and the miles seemed to breeze by. There was tons of support along the way which was really amazing. (This running club seriously rocks. And there isn't a membership fee to join! You just have to show up!) Before I knew it, we were at mile 8 and only had 2 left to go. I think I said a couple times, "Only 2 left?!" We had a little fun quoting Dylan from Modern Family. (I couldn't find a YouTube video of the clip.) "This is the farthest I've ever run....... Now this is the farthest I've ever run...... Now THIS is the farthest I've ever run." that never got old (to me at least).

Thanks for snapping this great photo Amanda!

When we finished, there were cold beers, water, and more Gatorade waiting for us. I was so excited for those that finished their last long run before the marathon and now it is taper time. I gotta say, I like vicariously living through my friends running the marathon without having to complete the entire distance. Haha I'll be back out there to run another marathon some day, but I'm glad that time isn't now.

Have you gone out and supported folks during a training run or race before? Do you have similar thoughts as me? :)

When I was finished, I went home and ate a delicious cupcake from Cupcakes for Courage in Chicago. It is a food truck (with a recently opened store front) and their cupcakes are THE BEST in the city. That's right. I said it.

Best in the city.

Don't forget to enter my Haeleum giveaway! You have until Monday, September 24th to enter.

Thursday afternoon I left on a flight to Nashville and didn't get home until last night. It was a fun time with lots of great stories, good restaurants, and too much alcohol. Lol. I wasn't able to fit in my long run because we had so many activities during the day, everyday. I was going to go last night but I was so exhausted from the long weekend that I thought what's the difference between Sunday night and Monday morning? So I got up this morning at 4:30 and got in 6 miles. I haven't done a pre-work run in MONTHS and I have to say that it felt good. I'm happy to be done with my workout for the day. When do you like to run? Before work? On your lunch break? After work? Before bed? Am I missing another time frame?

Today my train ride into the loop was quiet with much less passengers than usual. Due to the NATO Summit, lot of people were encouraged to work from home. Also, it turns out that no one is enforcing the Metra restrictions on this train. I wish I would have known that beforehand. I would have grabbed a coffee. First world problem.

I'm still recovering from the weekend so I'll leave you with this pic.... :)

Yee hawwww

What will I be doing this weekend, you might be wondering. Surprise surprise, I signed up for another race! Not just any race, the Quarryman Challenge 10 Mile (this race offers a 5k too but I decided it was a "go big or go home" kind of situation when I signed up). The course appears to be pretty intense. There are a lot of turns and some pretty big hills. Living in the super flat state of Illinois, "hill" is a term we use loosely. A highway overpass is a "hill" according to our standards. The slight elevation on Roosevelt Rd. is also known as "Roosevelt Hill" as it comes in the last quarter mile of many large Chicago races (Chicago Marathon elevation map here). Some towns have more hills than others and Lemont is one of those towns. I've heard this course is quite challenging so I'm looking forward to completing it.

I guess the big question is: Will I be racing this? The answer is easy: No. I'm going to run this nice and easy, using it as a training run. Not even a progression run (I did one of those last week). I'm going to wear my compression socks for the first time on an actual run.

I think my calves will appreciate it with the hills I'll be tackling. Do you wear compression? If so, do you prefer to wear it during or after a run?

Last night I did 25 minutes on the rowing machine. I recently realized (after watching Biggest Loser) that I had been incorrectly using the machine. Once I changed the way I was using it, the workouts seemed to have more umph and be more of a challenge. (Which I think is a good thing for obvious reasons.)

I <3 my rowing machine

Tonight will be a speedwork session out on the trail, possibly with a few FN Runners. I don't know the state of my Garmin because I left it in my gym bag in the car. I have a feeling the battery is low/dead. I've debated buying the pro version of Endomondo ($3.99) just for the interval option. I know I can still complete the workout without my Garmin with regular Endomondo, I just won't know my interval splits, only overall miles and time. Talk about a First World Runner Problem! Do you have any alternative suggestions or phone apps on what to do if my Garmin is in fact dead? Ahhh