Minneapolis-Star-Tribune-runningkellometers

After a really exhausting week, I decided to take Friday as another rest day. I haven't slept well in days, and I decided sleep was more important. On the plus side, when I came home on Friday, my Fuel Belt had arrived that I won from Run for Pi(e)'s giveaway!

I haven't gotten the chance to try it out yet, but I fully plan to on a day when it isn't raining or snowing. Speaking of snow, I met up with the FNRC this morning to run 8 miles. It was snowing when we started, but cleared up about 1.5 miles in. It was the first snowy run of the year!

Me, Maggie, and Diane

And I FINALLY got a chance to meet Maggie at RFP (photo credit), which I was pretty excited about. There was a really great group of 5 of us that all ran the same pace. It felt really good to run in the snow, an exciting glimpse into what will come in the weeks ahead!
Here is a picture of the trail, with more footprints on the way back than on the way out! There was one of us that completely wiped out. That someone was me. Susan, one of the other runners, said that "Kelly looked awesome on her landing. I give her a '10' for doing it with a smile!" I couldn't help but laugh-at least when I fall, I do it gracefully (if that is somehow possible??). Complete with wipeout, our total distance according to my Garmin was 7.97 miles in 1:18:07. Not too shabby considering the weather conditions! As the day went on, the temps went up and most of the snow was cleared. I really love running in the snow. What are your favorite running conditions to run in??

Right now I am watching the Polar Express and plan on going to bed early as I'm running a 5k in the morning. I was hoping to officially PR the course, but there are quite a few twists and turns so we'll see how it goes! There will be a few Yankee Runners in attendance, so that should be fun. I will take more pictures and post a race review tomorrow.

Also, I'm kind of obsessed with a new salad. Spring mix, tomatoes, baby bella mushrooms, Morningstar chik'n patty, Hidden Valley Light Ranch.
I have to pick up more tomatoes and mushrooms, but I've had it for lunch 2 days in a row and I plan on completing the trifecta tomorrow.

Last night I stayed at my cousin's place in the city (aka downtown Chicago). I got off of work and took the bus to her place. I got off to a slow start when I took the bus going the opposite direction and didn't realize it until I was about 10 minutes in. Oops! After I finally arrived, we attempted to go out to eat at a Mexican restaurant called Big Star but they only accept cash. (Seriously, what decade is this that there are still places that ONLY accept cash??) With $3 in cash between the 2 of us, we opted for a different option. We drove around and found this cute little authentic place not far from her apartment. I forgot to take a picture of the food until it was 75% gone, and Mexican food remnants never look appetizing.

After dinner and a few glasses of Skinny Girl Margarita, we went out to a local bar for a drink.The bartender was extremely rude, but we had our drink and talked about running. My cousin ran the Chicago Marathon in 2008 and 2009 (missing BQ by 5 minutes in 2009). However, her running days are currently on hiatus pending possible knee surgery at some point in the future.
Here is a picture from her 2009 marathon - the part where they tell you to look up at the cameras. We (me, my cousin's roommate, and my cousin's dad) were all running together to support her, and the photographer was able to snap a picture of it all. As she's on hiatus and misses running, we don't talk about it too much. But last night after a few drinks, we were able to share some laughs and just talk leisurely about marathons, half marathons, and all the running inbetween.

I've been mentioning a lot of drinks from last night, so I'm struggling a little bit today. I'm exhausted from traveling to Memphis, and from staying up too late last night (watching Crazy Stupid Love). I'm hoping to fit in a 4 or 5 mile run today but we'll see how I feel. I'm contemplating leaving work early so I can get in my run and be in bed by 9pm. I haven't run since Tuesday night so I want to be sure to get the workout in before my 5k race on Sunday. How many days a week do you usually run? I did 4 during marathon training but now I'm down to 3.

Tuesday was a crazy day at the office so I was happy to get home and unwind. I made another dinner idea from Pinterest (recipe here) and finished up an episode of Rizzoli and Isles before it was time for my run. When my husband got home from the gym, he told me that he ran 1.5 miles today. Considering he hasn't run a mile in about 6 years, I was pretty excited with this news. He and a friend went to the gym and his friend suggested they hit the treadmill after lifting weights. They did about a mile together but my husband kept going. I was proud of him for giving it a try. This gives me encouragement that he will actually complete the Warrior Dash this summer!

Another bit of good news came my way when I received an email from Run for Pi(e) that I won her Fuel Belt raffle! Of the three items, I received the R20 Revenge® 2-bottle belt! I told my husband this and he looked disappointed. He told me that he had to go return one of my Christmas gifts--apparently he bought me one. I'm happy he continues to embrace my runnerdiness.

At this point my stomach was settled and it was time for my run (note, it was 9pm). In traditional Tuesday fashion, I did some speed work. I have a 5k this weekend so I kept the distance lower. I did 400m reps, 1 jog and 1 sprint, for a total of 2 miles with average splits of about 8:30. It was drizzling but I was too lazy to go "all the way" to the gym so I decided to run outside-which definitely made things more interesting. My Nike Cyclone rain jacket kept the top of me dry, but my face was a different story. I felt good during the workout and felt the last 400m was my fastest. I'll have to check my watch when I get home to see if I'm right. When I was done and looked in the mirror and had mascara streaks all down my face. Thankfully I has no where else to go except for bed.

Yesterday I took a day trip to Memphis for work. I literally had the best BBQ sauce in the entire world at the Commisary. I don't like BBQ sauce normally, but I'm going to have dreams about this sauce. If you're ever in the area, I highly, highly suggest it. I went the traditional route and got pulled pork and french fries. (I determined it was one of those "when in Rome" kind of situations.) It is always hard to eat right while traveling so in going to try to take some pictures of what I eat the next time I travel. I think it will help force me to eat healthier if I'm showing the world what I'm eating! Accountability is always a great way to make positive changes. I'm also thinking about participating in the What I Ate Wednesday sensation on the Peas and Crayons blog. I find it much more difficult to eat green things (not including green frosted things) in the winter when I will sometimes go days without seeing the sun. Thanks office job!

Sam Adams Winter Lager

My flight home was delayed by almost 2 hours so I am definitely exhausted. Thankfully we were able to squeeze in a beer before the entire Memphis airport shut down (at 7pm). I have a lot of blog reading to check up on!

Also, special thanks to Skinny Runner for posting my horrible running pictures!

I sent out our Christmas cards last week and I thought it would be fun to show you what we picked. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all!

Quite a few folks at my work are part of a charity running group. When I first joined the firm, I was training for the Chicago Marathon and already had a set program. Now that the post-marathon dust has settled, I was asked to join the team. I knew it was a matter of time that I would asked, considering all runners at our firm run for this charity. I turned in my form and am now officially part of the team! The fund raising minimum is small as the charity doesn't have a lot of overheard. There are different programs that I can do to raise money (guest bartending, bake sale, etc.) where I won't have to hound my family for cash. I might do a few things on this blog too, so we'll see how it goes!

The name of the charity is Miles for Magic. The charity performs magic with kids and teaches kids the same magic while children are in the hospital, at their bedsides. Here is more info on what the charity does. It is a great way to help kids and their families smile while they are going through a tough time. I knew I wanted to help raise money for a charity for my next race, and I think I found a really great one that I know can work with my crazy schedule.

Last night I pumped iron at the gym (aka did some arm workouts with 5 lb free weights and some ab workouts too). I felt good actually kind-of knowing what I was doing since working out with Amanda last weekend. My local gym has several different locations, and I recently found out that one close to me offers FREE classes! I cannot get over my excitement!!! They have cardio kickboxing on Wednesdays and Zumba on Mondays at a time that is actually reasonable for someone who works during the day!!! (Class starts at 6:30pm on both days.) As there is no CCD next week Wednesday due to Christmas, I'm going to see if I can go to class. I of course will let you know how it turns out. I've never been to a Zumba or Cardio Kickboxing class. Does anyone have any feedback for the type of workout you receive?

P.S. I don't know if you folks follow Skinny Runner's blog, but she's been posting some unflattering running pictures that have been cracking me up. I think that 90% of running photos are unflattering of most people. I sent her some of mine so be sure to look for some great shots of yours truly later on today!

In addition to having my work holiday party on Friday, a friend had her annual Christmas party on Saturday. My husband and I have not yet been able to attend her party over the last few years so I was happy when our schedule was free for us to go. Because the party went into the late hours, I missed running with my group again on Sunday. I wasn't drinking any alcohol, but I didn't want to run 8 miles on only 4 hours of sleep. However, I didn't let this ruin my run for the weekend.

Old Plank Trail, with a light dusting of snow

Downtown Frankfort, the Grainery

I hit the trails solo around lunch time before the Bears game and got in 8 miles at 9:13 pace in 1 hour and 14 minutes. My foot started to bother me at mile 6, a pain that I haven't felt in over about 2 years. It was cold and I was on my way back so I didn't stop to investigate until I got to my car. I'm going to massage it, take it easy this week and do some more strength foot exercises as part of my regular routine. I think that should help.

Kate and I are running a 5k this weekend in Lemont (the Frigid 5K). We always get pretty competitive with one another so it should be interesting how this race plays out. Kate is training for the Polar Dash half marathon so I'm not sure How fast she plans to run the 5k. I guess I'll find out on Sunday! After the race I will be rushing home to get ready to attend the Bears game. I'm just hoping it isn't too cold, but you never know with this Chicago weather!

Last night I made dinner based on yet another Pinterest recipe (found here). I like recipes that are really easy and include mostly things we have around the house. Since my husband is vegetarian, we always have ingredients on hand for Mexican food since tacos and wraps are so easy to make with beans and fake meat. I assembled everything which only took about 5-10 minutes. The recipe called for a cooking time of 20-25 minutes. I cooked it for 23 minutes but it probably could have used another 5 to 7 minutes. I am excited to be eating the leftovers today for lunch since it turned out quite delicious.

Prep

Before the oven

Before it was devoured...

Another thing I love about this recipe is that you can change it up however you want. Add Rotel in the layers to make it spicier, add meat, put more vegetables on top or in the layers, use regular salsa if you don't have salsa verde, use whole wheat tortillas... There are so many different options, I will most definitely be making this dish again. It is perfect for a cool winter night (or to drown out the Bears Fan Blues)!

Last night I had my work holiday party after work. My husband came and met us and we had a really fun time. I had every intention of running with the Frankfort New Lenox Running Club today but when I got home after a few drinks, Saturday morning came a little too quickly. I didn't end up running today but our group is meeting tomorrow so I'm going to make it out for 8 miles then.

Instead of running, I baked a batch of red velvet cupcakes from a Paula Deen recipe (found here). I only used 1 tbsp of red food coloring instead of 2 and they turned out alright!

pre-mixed

Looking like ketchup cups

Cooling

Finished

My only concern is that I wasn't as liberal with the frosting as I could have been. I'm bringing them to a friend's Christmas party so I might just bring the extra frosting... just in case! Although it isn't that type of party, I fully plan on wearing an ugly Christmas sweater from my growing collection. I always have so much fun wearing them, I can't imagine why not. What is your favorite item to wear to a holiday party?

I regretted not running on Wednesday when I had horrible stomach pains and cramps for most of the day on Thursday. However, after a 5 mile run, I felt much better. I ran at about a 9:00 pace and finished in 44:12. I ran in an older pair of shoes to see if I could still get some miles out of them. Verdict? No. I had pains in my feet for the last mile which does not happen in my other shoes. I think it is time to demote them to "walking from the train to the office" gym shoes.

I've recently discovered the "back roads" of my town and have noticed tons of streets lit up with Christmas lights. My husband and I have not yet gone on our annual aimless drive to look at Christmas lights, so I decided to go for a run and investigate. This area is mostly new homes and there were some pretty stellar decorations.

The most extravagant decorations I've seen this year

Two houses, both amazingly lit

 
The pup has been dying to go for a run so she went with me. She hasn't done 5 miles with me in a long time so I wasn't sure if she would be up for it. In typical dog fashion, I had to correct her to slow down for most of the first mile before she found my steady pace. The last mile seemed tough for her and after some encouragement, she was able to make it. Now that I know she can do it, she can come with me for all my 5 milers!

Before

After

I ordered some professional photos from my marathon because the website was having a "Cyber Monday" sale a few weeks back. The pictures came yesterday, and I couldn't be happier with them. I hate paying for race photos because they are always so expensive, but I want copies of my first marathon so I can have them forever! I didn't order photos from my previous half marathon, and I wish I had one. Learning from my mistakes, I wasn't going to let the photos expire so I made sure to order a few. I plan on doing something fancy with the medal, bib, and photo(s) but I'm not sure yet. If anyone has a good company to recommend where they've gotten this done, let me know! I would rather not go to Michael's if I don't have to.

From left to right:action shot, finish line shot, finisher photo

I decided to have a Treat Yo Self kind of moment this morning and got some DD coffee (which I never do). Christmas flavors are back including gingerbread. DELISH! I highly, highly recommend it.