Friday Facts About The ZOOMA Half

Facts revolving around my upcoming half marathon weekend:

1. My ZOOMA Women’s half marathon is tomorrow. I have not trained adequately for it. My hopes are that the efforts put into the Chicago Half Marathon in September will at least halfway carry over. Or just a smidge.

But in the meantime, I’m packed and super excited!

Sometimes it pays to raid your mom and dad’s house over holidays for all the good stuff.

That’s where I got my old jenga game from middle school, not the wine. I can buy that myself now…

2. I am riding with the lovely Meghan to Wisconsin for said race. We have met once and ran into each other while running on the lakefront once. If I disappear for an extended number of days, you know what happened. SEND HELP.

Just kidding, Meghan. I totally trust you.

But just in case, guys…

3. My parents are meeting up with me in Wisconsin to watch the race and take their first official trip to Wisconsin. I’m going to introduce them to cheese curds the same way I was almost two years ago. With good beer in a bar. This may be disastrous.

4. The state of my nails are atrocious about 90% of the time. However, for the time being, they are rocking the blue. Not ZOOMA blue, but close enough.

I really love that it’s time to break out the dark polish again. Makes me feel so bad ass for no good reason at all.

Even if I’m really awful at giving myself manicures. Points for trying?

5. Some of us girls are staying together to make it a super fun, estrogen-filled weekend. We decided to potluck it out. I made cookies.

You’ll hear more about those later. But feel free to drool. They are delicious. I should know. I had no less than four last night and intend to have one with my second cup of coffee later on.

I have a sugar addiction problem. Send more help.

6. There are no set goals for the race itself. Just to finish. Which is technically a goal, but stop getting so technical on me. This is mostly due to all that hill training I planned to do never happening (shame), the furthest I’ve ran since my last race was 8 miles (shame), and my cold apparently got a second wind and lingered until about two days ago (not my fault).

This is just not going to be “my race”.

But whatever. The weather seems like it’ll pull through, Wisconsin is supposedly quite pretty at this time of year, a lot of great girls are running it, and I get a necklace at the end.

And wine. Lots of wine.

My parents should probably find me at the finish sooner than later.

Did I mention there’s wine?

Where was I?

Oh yeah… so that’s my projected weekend in a nutshell. I hope you all have an equally fun time. Or at least get to drink equal amounts of wine.

Did I mention there’s going to be wine?

Wait… where was I again…?

Chicago Half Marathon Surprise

Everything that could go well did.

That’s what happened.

Well. Except for the wrong turn made on the way. And the wrong turn or two or three on the way back. Considering the race started in south Chicago, this wasn’t the most ideal of situations.

Thank goodness my aunt owns a Prius and gets about 50 miles to the gallon. Or we surely would have been screwed.

But nevermind that. When it comes to the race, everything was peachy.

My morning started with the usual.

Peanut butter toast. One piece already demolished. Also, did you know Friends is on at 4:30 in the morning? I watched Phoebe get married as part of my prerace routine.

I never ever ever stray from this routine. Like ever.

We got down to the race site about an hour early. Considering the wrong turn, this was surprising. My two cousins and I gave my aunt (from out-of-town) the lay of the land to give ourselves some peace of mind and so she wouldn’t be lost and frantic after the race was over.

And then we were off. To our respective corrals. I started in “F”, which was at about the 1:55 group. This was a comfortable spot for me. Going into my “training season” for Chicago Half and ZOOMA (in October), my secret goals was to PR in at least one of the two. However, because I never quite made it over 10 miles for my long runs, my new goal was to finish under 2 hours and face plant into some pancakes afterwards.

Simple enough.

The race started exactly on time (woah) and I was thrown into a first mile of dodging and ducking others. The first mile or two is always the worst for this and makes me a bit stabby.

The stabbiness subsided, however, after about the 5k mark when I saw the clock and realized my pace was sub-8:30.

“Hmm. I should chill out a bit before I crash and burn.”

So I zone out a bit, and casually observe my surroundings to keep my mind off of all the running.

Word to the wise- if you must wear running tights that are semi-see through, do not wear neon yellow undies that say “I can do anything!” underneath. Unless, of course, you wanted 10,000 runners to see them. Then it’s ok.

Made it to mile 7 under the hour mark.

“OMG I NEED TO START PAYING ATTENTION.”

Because there was still a wee bit of time to think about things, I started breaking down the math. 8:20 pace. Shit.

That’s when I made the executive decision. Which was “Screw it. Balls to the wall. Let’s just see what happens.”

And 8:20 was the pace I kept almost exactly for the next 4 miles. How? Magic, I suppose.

Then came mile 11. Mental breakdown. A bit past the marker, there was a water station. I took a cup and started a walk. I needed this.

“Come on Amy, don’t stop now.”
“What are you doing, Amy? No walking! Keep going!”

The kids at the water station were yelling at me (our names were on our bibs).

Seriously?

Well fine. If I’m gonna get yelled at. Geez…

At this point, the math in my head (as mediocre as my capabilities are), informed me that I was going to beat my old PR unless slowing down to 10-minute miles happened.

That was a really good feeling.

And so was hitting mile 13. The end was near and I was so spent. However, I like to think that the sweet new laces my friend Laura gave me:

and the recent download of tunes from the Project X soundtrack (thanks to Mary for suggesting that movie last weekend) were my good luck charms that did it.

1:50:21. 155/1583 in my division. 2117/12105 overall.

Killed my old PR by almost 4 minutes.

This took me by complete surprise. My long runs were fine, but nothing seemingly stellar. My pace for all of my mid-week 4-milers and such weren’t anything out of the ordinary.

But I’ll take it.

And since I accomplished my original goal of a new PR, this takes a little less stress off of the ZOOMA Women’s Race next month. A good thing- because I hear the hills on that course are challenging to say the least.

However, I did not accomplish the second part of my goal.

We hit one of my new favorite breakfast spots in the city- The Breakfast Club.

And by the time we were seated and ready to order, I went a non-pancake route.

They had me at chorizo.

But now I kinda want pancakes.

Sigh.

Guess you just can’t win them all…

Anyway, thanks to everyone for all the awesome comments and tweets this last week. You have no idea how motivating you can be- it is very much appreciated.

Much love on this Monday morning,

Amy B

Elvis is Alive 5k… Uh Huh

And so it begins.

My crazy schedule/weekend/life.

I write to you this morning with manic fingers as I am about ready to rush out the door with a massive overnight bag that hopefully passengers on the train won’t give me the stink eye for as we cram onboard.

I doubt they would have the patience to listen to my explanation of how I spent extra time last night AND this morning on being as efficient as possible when it comes to clothing/accessory selection. As someone who often packs an outfit for every possible situation imaginable (Wool coat in August? You never know when an end of days scenario may occur. Duh.) into the back of her now nonexistent car with reckless abandon, this is a big win. BIG win.

Especially since all this logic and planning happened late at night after a company social event at the Elvis is Alive 5k.

I almost didn’t go. Sometimes I overextend myself in the racing/social/mid-week plans.

But it was a work event, which will be beneficial because I’m still learning names of people I pass by as I walk to the break room or bathroom or anywhere other than the bubble that is my department.

And it was a 5k. Since I’m sorta decent at this whole running thing, it just made sense.

And Goose Island 312 was served afterwards. WIN.

They also served peanut butter and banana sandwiches in honor of the king. I didn’t participate in such nonsense because I have an aversion to fruit (you know this), but it was a cool nod, nonetheless.

Plus, people dress up as Elvis. This is better than any happy hour you’ve gone to recently and you know it.Uh huh.

The threat of rain was in the forecast all week. I crossed my fingers and said a few prayers this wouldn’t happen. Who wants to see a bunch of dudes run in wet white jumpsuits? It would be a traumatizing experience for everyone involved. No thank you.

Because it was an untimed 5k, another girl and I paired up and pledged to hit 8-minute miles.

And we did. For the first 2 miles we stayed together and kept EXACTLY at that pace. Not an easy undertaking because of the sticky weather. At the 2nd mile, there was a water stop and she waved me on.

So I finished solo at about 24:20 (they had a clock at the end- even if there aren’t official results).

It’s really cool that my new company does stuff like this together. I hung out with a whole group of people I’m not normally in contact with during the day.

Plus, they encourage fun. Some of us even finished our beers and took to the slip n’ slide.

And now I may have to request there be a slip n’ slide at every race I do. Please and thank you.

Anyway… happy Friday, everyone!

After work, I’m shipping out to my beloved suburbs to meet up with Mon and prepare for the bridal shower for our lovely friend Danielle. Which is in another suburb that we will be making the journey to tomorrow. To turn around and road trip our way back into Chicago to wine and dine like bachelorettes generally do. Chicagoland road trip!

Mon also promised to take me to Target. One that isn’t the two-story pain in the ass where you have to load your cart on a conveyor belt and go up and down for items you forgot. Can I get an amen?

Yes. The trip to Target is super exciting for me. Other than consuming food at some point tonight, it will be my only plans. Don’t judge.

Besides, I’m still recovering from Elvis overload. I’m all shook up.

Day One of the Year I Start Going Crazy (Chicago Undie Dash)

My mom is totally going to kill me.

 

However, since I’m officially 27 now, I feel like I can make maybe one or two adult decisions from time to time.

 

And, before we start talking about my “this is what I do when I freak out about turning 27″ that I pulled, can we please preface the convo with how it was all for a good cause?

 

A few months ago, I signed up to be a part of Bright Pink- an organization that focuses on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women while providing support for high risk individuals. This program really speaks to me because I fit their definition of “high risk individual” and also because cancer research, breast cancer specifically, is a cause that is near and dear to my heart.

 

Now that we’ve established that I am going to start volunteering for such a fabulous organization, I also was delighted to see they organize a 5k fun run every year in the summer.

 

Why the summer, you may ask?

 

Well. Because it’s called the Undie Dash.

 Fun, right?

 

I knew about this race last year before I knew about the organization that runs it and chickened out of signing up. But this year it happened to fall on the day after my birthday. And what better way to celebrate than to run around in my skivvies on the lakefront?

Bailey didn’t participate, but she enjoyed the people watching.

 

Think about it. Approximately 27 years ago I was hanging out completely naked and totally didn’t care. At least this year I had the decency to put on undies.And everyone else was doing it…

 I ran it with a friend and we partnered up to have a St. Louis Cardinals theme (duh) in honor of the Cards vs. Cubs series this weekend. At one point, I ran across some out-of-towners who obviously didn’t mean to stumble upon our race, but still gave a “go cards!” as we ran by. Thanks dudes!

 

This run wasn’t timed. Which was fine by me. I don’t think I could have pulled a 4th PR in a row. Plus it was pretty muggy.

 

The mugginess contributed to the ick factor. You know. The smell of sweat. It was gross. We were all dripping. And with no shirt to wipe the sweat on. Life is hard.

 

The run was mostly on the lakefront. Which was good and bad. Bad because the winds whipping across the lake last night were some of the worst I’ve ever ran in. My last mile was totally slow motion. Baywatch-style.

 

But there really was no other way. We needed to be shielded us from the public as much as possible. Except there may have been one part that wrapped along Lake Shore Drive. Which was at a standstill due to rush hour traffic.

 

Thank you to those who all honked. We appreciated the support.

 

Also, I feel the people on that one Segway Tour that had to pull over so we can pass will now have a good story for when they go back home to wherever they’re from. I also bet the parents on that particular tour are kicking themselves for that choice.

 

My win? It came in the form of some solid navy blue jockey underwear. All those girls in the cute Victoria’s Secret? Wedgies galore by mile 2. The girls in the gray or light colored undies? Yeah… people sweat. Everywhere. What were you thinking???

 

Sure. Mine may have been conservative in nature (no, I am not posting a picture of them). But I kept my decency throughout the race. Holla’.

 

All in all, it was a cool race. Will I do it again next year? Maybe. Maybe not. It was just one of those things to be able to say I did. In public. Legally.

 

And since I didn’t indulge or get birthday cake on my actual birthday (hello- had to be in my underwear), you can bet your bottom we splurged afterwards.

I really need to figure out how that time stamp started appearing… sorry kids.

 

The main ingredient in our dinner? Cheese. What else?

 

And that, my friends, is how I welcomed in my 27th year.

 

Now it’s your turn. Go do something crazy. Because in the words of the great Dr. Sheldon Cooper, “what’s life without a little whimsy?”

2012 Strike Out ALS 5k

I’ve been known to repeat races.

Run for the Cheetah. Run for the Zoo.

And now, Strike Out ALS at U.S. Cellular Field (White Sox).

Last year, I did it with a running buddy of mine- it was his first 5k. He kicked my butt. Sadly, since he moved, he couldn’t do it with me this year.

At least he can’t beat me again. So there’s that.

This year, my only real goal was to beat my time last year of 25:24. I knew a PR would pretty much be impossible. There were ramps and stairs involved because the path goes up and down the inside of the stadium. Amy doesn’t do ramps or stairs very fast.

But wait! They changed the course!

No ramps? No stairs? The odds of Amy falling flat on her face are significantly reduced!

They still exist, obviously. But reduced, nonetheless.

The course had quite a few twists and turns. With smaller races, this isn’t so bad. And they were clearly marked. Thank goodness because I confuse so easily.

Different course? Clearly marked? Things were looking good. The weather was amazing as well. Just under 80 degrees. Considering it was 103 a week ago, luck was on my side.

The thing that didn’t help? My work day consisted of 9 hours of meetings and no lunch. Getting loose and finding some energy wasn’t easy.

In the end of the first mile, I hit my stride and found a female who, I knew wasn’t passable, but surely I could keep up with her.

And that’s what I did. Around the parking lots. Around the stadium. And finally, around the field.

23:20. A PR by 34 seconds.

This is the first race where I got a print out right after I crossed the finish line. How cool is that?

This is my third PR in a row. So my pace is picking up. That’s great. Now if only my endurance would follow suit. Because I have the ZOOMA Great Lakes Half in my future. And I hear there are hills. Oh my.

The 5k definitely got bigger since last year. And there were more families in it together. Which is always cool to see. I like the more competitive races, but as someone who’s heavily involved in health and wellness, there is nothing more refreshing than seeing kids of all ages hanging out and truly excited to be there running.

Even though I was fatigued leaving my office last night, I really love 5k races in the middle of the week. As a girl who’s often slammed with weekend plans, they’re easy to sneak in. And it doubles as a weekday workout. A workout that may not have happened had I gone home after work. If we’re being honest.

Win.

And the t-shirt is way cooler this year, too. Sweet.

Happy Wednesday, kids!

Two At A Time

It’s hot out there, kids.

I’m not saying this to state the obvious. I’m saying this as a warning to those of you who may hit the lakefront (or any popular running path) to run during peak times.

The body odor out there is horrendous.

You’ve been warned. And you’re welcome.

I waited way too long to run outside on Sunday morning. After a low key Saturday night, I was feeling decently energetic. Which was good. Because here I am, supposedly in training for the Chicago Half Marathon at the beginning of September, and I haven’t done a long run over 5 miles.

Yesterday should have been 6. But I topped out again at 5. Again.

It was all going well until the lakefront. Should have stayed under the shade of the trees in the neighborhood. There was still a breeze, but I was running in the sun on the blacktop. It was too much. Drained, I cut into the neighborhoods again. But it was too late. 5 it was.

I’m ok with that. With not having to work on the 4th of July, I get a chance to redeem myself in the middle of the week. Huzzah!

This is ideal. Training really needs to be stepped up.

Because now there’s not just one long race in my future.

There’s two.

I was approached with the honor of being a race embassador for the Zooma Women’s Race Series and will be running the Great Lakes Half Marathon for them!

I’m really excited about a chance to run one last long race before the winter yuckiness sets in. And I’ve never been to Lake Geneva- so it’ll be a fun little trip into Wisconsin. I’m so well-traveled…

Anyway, expect me to talk a wee bit more about getting in shape for a *hopefully* new personal record this fall.

Also, if you’re in the midwest area, or you just feel the need for a trip to Lake Geneva this fall, you may want to take a gander at the Zooma Great Lakes Half Marathon (and 5k!!!).

If the thrill of finishing a big race isn’t enough, there is a specially designed finisher’s necklace and massage that await you after the finish line.

Jewelry and spa time. Now THAT is how you run a women’s race series.

As an ambassador, I get to pass on savings to YOU. If you decide to run this race, you can get $10 off the half marathon or $5 off the 5k by using the promo “GLAMB1″ when you register. Fabulous!

So let’s hit the pavement.

Just make sure to hydrate first. And maybe throw on some extra deodorant.

Happy Monday!

As We Usually Do

After work on Friday afternoon, I rushed out the door, onto the train, and home in time to finish picking up the house a little more before the girls family weekend began.

That was silly. My mom and 3 aunts underestimated the power of Chicago rush hour on a Friday.

It gets ugly out there, kids.

However, one lil’ bump in the road was not enough to stop a good weekend.

We shopped.

We ate.

Stopping at a place off of Michigan Avenue for lunch. I’m still not quite sure what we ordered, but it seemed to be a white spinach pizza. Delicious. It was like a thin crust salad!

We conversated. As we usually do.

Oh… and some of us ran.

It was the Chicago Women’s Half Marathon and 5k yesterday. My friend Annie and I took on the 5k, while my cousin braved the half marathon.

It wasn’t as warm as our last race a few weeks ago, but it was still a humid start at the super early time of 7:00.

Not that 7:00 is super early, but getting up at 5:10 to make sure we were down at the race by 6:30? I’ve had better Sunday morning wake up calls.

My cousin Joanne had to sprint to her start after we waited in line for the port-a-potties for almost a half hour, but Annie and I had a little more time because the 5k started after the half marathoners went through.

Yes, a half hour to pee. I don’t understand why races skimp on the bathrooms. And on an all-woman’s race? Come on, kids. Let’s get serious.

But anyhoo, I wasn’t sure if the 5k PR a few weeks ago was a fluke, but I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself to top it. This was a much bigger race and the crowded start made me sure it wasn’t going to be a PR race.

And I was right about one thing. The first quarter of the race was rough. Finally able to break around a few groups of girls running in groups, I was on my own to do whatever my heart desired.

And apparently I desired nothing but to put the band Fun on repeat and enjoy running by the Field and Shedd museums. The museums Annie and I walked by on our first trip to Chicago together. And then the harbor. Where a few of my past races took place. And through Grant Park. Where I finished my first half marathon.

And- oh OMG WHERE DID THIS HILL COME FROM, THE RACE IS SUPPOSED TO ALMOST BE OVER, WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!

Ok, it wasn’t a hill. But inclines at the end of a race are torture. And often feel like mountains. Why do they do this!?!?!

Especially when you see the time at the mile 3 marker and realize what’s going on. And how fast you’ve been going.

And thank goodness I snapped to. Because I was practically by myself. And a little panicked. Luckily, there was a man at a curb, directing runners.

“This way?!?!”
“Yes! 5k that way!”

I turned the corner and there it was. The stretch. Which is always longer than you’d like it to be.

23:54.

A new PR by 11 seconds.

I have no idea what’s going on. Or how long this will last. But I’m not going to question it.

7th in my division. 28/975 overall.

And my mom got to be there.

Well. Sorta. She and my aunt were left to sleep a bit longer than the rest of us. They navigated public transit all on their own (I’m so proud!), but just missed a train and were maybe 5 minutes too late to see me cross.

Oh well. We all still got to see Joanne do exceptionally well in the half marathon. And Annie also finished with her 2nd best 5k time ever!A solid race for everyone!

Fleet Feet did a great job with this race. As they usually do.

And we had fun doing it. As we usually do.

And we had breakfast afterwards. As we usually do.

Breakfast panini? Worth it.

Not a bad routine to be in.

Next race? The Strike Out ALS 5k at U.S. Cellular Field.

Happy Monday, everyone! Let’s do this.

Summer of the 5k

Remember that time I PR’d on one of the hottest 5k races I’ve ever ran?

It’s ok. It’s not really that big of a deal. But I’m still excited about it.

Anyway, it’s totally energized me. I’ve got three 5k’s coming up over the next month or so.

One is this weekend during a family girls weekend (yay!).
One is the day after my birthday and I will not talk much about it until then. And if you are one of the peeps who does know about it, please be discreet via the comment section. Thanks.
And one is a race I did last year and just registered for this last week:

The Strike Out ALS 5k!

I was feeling a little jipped last year because I failed horribly on the stairs portion of the race. They surprised and intimidated me. But this year, it’s SO on.

Kim, who works at the Les Turner ALS Foundation, reached out to see if I have ever ran it before. She must know how I’m the Chicago nerd who jumps on the chance to do things like run on U.S. Cellular Field where the White Sox play.

I’m not really a White Sox fan (Go Cards!), but a chance to do it again? Let’s do this.

It’s a growing race and 5k’s during the week are quite convenient. A fun race and a workout all in one. Score.

Plus, it gives me a place to watch the All Star Game because they play it as part of the postrace party inside the field!

Now who wants to run with me? 

Until then, if the heat keeps up, I feel a few more of my runs will happen on the treadmill when running after work. It’s crazy hot out there, ya’ll.

I know a lot of people can run in the heat. I don’t mind it. To a certain point.

Temps in the 90′s? Out of my comfort zone.

So yesterday I trekked to the gym and decided to switch it up a little. Why not? It was a speedy 2.2-mile run and another 16 minutes on the elliptical.

And wouldn’t you know it…

I got up 20 minutes early this morning to do a few circuits on No More Trouble Zones.

Strength training has been ignored (typical) and it was just 20 minutes. No biggie. Still not earlier than my 5:00 AM wakeup cutoff. 

But I’m starting to become more inclined to see what the morning workouts would be like. Can I actually do it? Will they be productive? Will it make me an angry person?

It’s a matter of tricking myself into it.

Which could take a while.

Enjoy the day, kids. We’ve almost made it to the weekend!

F.A.B. 5k- A Heated PR

I woke up at my friend’s house yesterday morning and was greeted in the kitchen with a smile, coffee, and instructions to raid the refrigerator for breakfast:

There was even homemade bread. Clearly it was the winner.

Annie even let me drink out of her “A” cup. Makes me feel like such a special houseguest.

Now would be a good time to mention I stayed out in the ’burbs on Saturday night. Because we had some serious business to get down to early Sunday morning.

The F.A.B (Fight Against Breast cancer) 5k!

Annie got a group of lovely ladies together to run/walk the event in Arlington Heights and I jumped on chance to be involved and also to run again in my old stomping grounds.

Even Mon came along as head cheerleader and official photographer for the group!

This was their 3rd year organizing it, and it was a great event!

The only thing I would have changed? Maybe throw in another water station. There was only one and it was at 1.8 miles. You really can’t fault them for not knowing it was going to be over 80 degrees at the start of the race, but 1.8 still seemed pretty late in the game for a 5k event.

It was a neighborhood run- one of my favorite things about it. Since Arlington Heights doesn’t have a massive amount of runs, all the neighbors get really into it. I high-fived multiple lines of kids and ran through every other sprinkler on the course. FUN.

Fun but still hot (as mentioned earlier). Being a smaller race, there were no clocks along the course, so I had no clue what my pace was on the course. Also, being out of training of any sort, I haven’t paid one bit of attention in the last few months at how fast I’ve been going on a regular basis.

So the last half mile? Killer. With each turn, I hoped to see the finish line. When it was finally in sight, along with the race clock informing me of what was going on, I pushed HARD. 

The original goal was to be under 26 minutes. Make it a fun run. Because again- I had no idea at what I’ve been pacing these days.So 24:05?

More than content.

And to get third out of the females and 14th overall? I’ve had worse races.

Annie and I both did better than planned yesterday. A nice way to start our Sunday!

So 24:05 is my new 5k PR. A PR that happened in 80+ degree weather. My last 5k PR? A super sunny day in June. My 10K PR? Happened in mid-July. My half marathon PR? August (enough said).

It’s been decided. I should really just stop with the cold weather races. I’m a freak that happens to love running in the heat.

Even if I sometimes feel like this afterwards:No worries, I did eventually get up. Annie had a big brunch and pool party planned for the big group of girls who participated.

There is no better way to bribe me to do something than with food and the promise of being poolside.

Take that information and use it how you like.

Have a good week, peeps!

And remember- sunscreen and water. It’s important.

Smaller Goals

So there were quite a few of you who were all about the unpacking and grocery shopping immediately to ensure normalcy will once again be restored after a holiday weekend.

I’m a little different. Yes, the grocery shopping happened, but I absolutely HATE unpacking. So much so that I’ve resorted to pulling a trick my mom used to use to make sure my brother and I were keeping our rooms somewhat clean.

Putting away 10 things every day until it’s done.

If I weren’t such an overpacker, it’d surely be done by now.

I have high hopes I’ll be done unpacking by the time I need to pack again to fly to DC in a few weeks. Such a vicious cycle.

Anyway…

Now that things have started to slow down again and I’m looking for ways to procrastinate more unpacking, I can start focusing once again on getting back into some sort of routine with my exercise.

However, since I tend to get distracted easily (ooohhh… what’s that? Soooo shiny…), it helps to have something in the future to work towards.

My friend Annie found this race that benefits the continuing research on breast cancer. With my family being affected several times by the disease, I could not have been more excited to say yes to this one...

But, because I often get stressed out by training for long distances, I’ve settled on a few 5k’s. Not that another longer race won’t happen later this year (New Years Resolutions are still in the back of my head), but for the time being, shorter is better.

I feel this is the only context you’ll ever hear me say that.

My cousin contacted me about doing the half together and is excited about it being an all-women's race. I said "woah there, I just finished a half marathon, but would love to have you come to visit and could run the 5k while you do the half..."

Anyhoo… both races are in June and if you happen to be in the Chicago area, definitely check them out (just click on the logo)!

Which means there are approximately 2 months to get into super speedy shape. Or whatever “super speedy” is for me.

During half marathon training, the “success” of the run was more about getting the distance in and less about how well the run actually went. Quantity vs. Quality. Runs were almost always completed. But some were just plain UGLY.

Now, I’m going to start keeping my eye on the pace of shorter runs.

Work it harder. Make it better. Do it faster. Basically, just listen to what Kanye tells me to do.

This probably means more interval workouts. And, for goodness sake, getting more strength workouts involved.

I always say that about strength training. But this time I mean it.

No really… I do…

Yikes.