2012 Rock and Roll Seattle Recaps

Since there were about 100 million fabulous bloggers that ran Rock and Roll Seattle this year I thought I would create a little post and link it in my I Run Alot section to reference in the future.  If I missed yours let me know!  Plus this is a reminder to all those bloggers out there who haven't done their recap to please do so ASAP because I can't wait to read it...ok?

In no order of importance :)

Mom vs. Marathon
Tall Mom on the Run
Lulu Runner Love
Ricole Runs
So Just Keep Running
Runner Maybe
Happy Girls are the Prettiest Girls
This Spartan Will
Watch Me Go Run
On the Road Again
Undeterrable
Pensive Pumpkin
50 Half Marathons in 50 States
Daily Garnish
Musings of a Milk Maker
On the Way to Ironman
Healthy Diva
Buttoning my Jeans
On the Road to RD
Doggedly Running
Running to Sanity
Tri-ing to be Athletic, Part 2
Musings of  Runner Girl
Run, Dream & Laugh Out Loud
Super Runner Mom
Skipping in Seattle
Leaps of Faith
Keep on Keeping On
Sarah the Fit Foodie

Did I miss yours?? Pretty pretty please add a link in the comments and I'll add you to the list!

Race Recap: Rock and Roll Seattle Half Marathon

After my long but awesome day with bloggers at the Expo my 4:30 AM alarm came a little too soon, but like I do on every race morning, I jumped right out of bed.  I cooked my staple pre-race (and everyday) breakfast of two scrambled eggs and an english muffin with butter.  I took my pup outside around 5 and it was STILL raining and by this point I was literally dreading 13.1 WET miles…ugh!

I made the unfortunate decision to ditch my new Bondi Band for a hat since I thought that would keep me drier??

Could that race bib BE any bigger?

I packed about a million layers of things including a garbage bag with a hole cut in it for my head and figured I would decide what to wear before I stepped out to go to the race.  At about 6 I drove over to my friend Sonia’s house and evidently my prayers were finally being answered…the rain stopped!!  I did a quick costume change to wear my new Bondi Band and Sonia dropped me off literally next to the start corrals.

Start line!

I went to corral 7 for a blogger peeps photo and then made my way to corral 11 to meet up with my running partner in crime, Lindsey!

stolen from Runner Maybe :)

Lindsey and I ready to rock!

Waiting through 11 corrals to start

I didn't wear a Garmin so I don't have any fancy mile splits but I'll try and break up the race into mental chunks for you all!

Mile 1-5

Not going to skirt around the issue I know we've all had...my stomach was MAD at me.  I kept trying to convince Lindsey to let me stop and use a porta potty but she just kept egging me on saying I could keep going and I did.  I was too afraid to drink much during these miles since I had to go to the bathroom but I was still moving forward at about a 9:00 pace.  Around mile 2 we saw Nuun HQ and they were busy handing out Nuun to thirsty runners.  Caitlin caught a glimpse of me as I ran by and screamed "yeah Nuun Kids on the Block" as she tried to hold up a sign.  I couldn't read it but it made me so happy to know she made one! 

Dear marathonfoto - please don't arrest me for stealing this pic, but I can't afford 40 BUCKS for one digital download. Thanks, marathonlar

Around mile 4 Nicole from Ricole Runs caught up with us and it was great to see her with such high energy and in a good mood since she was the insane one and running the marathon! After winding through downtown, past Nuun, we made it on to Rainier Avenue which was extremely unappealing.  We turned off Rainier around mile 5 and went up, up and up a hill.  It was semi-brutal but I managed to run up the entire thing and enjoyed a nice downhill after.  Unfortunately, Lindsey and I had to say goodbye to Nicole as she turned to go father south into Seward Park.

Miles 6-8

Okay, I can't ignore this little stomach issue anymore and I tell Lindsey to go on without me as I stop at a porta potty.  Major bonus - NO LINE!  I was in and out in no time and felt 100x better!  I was able to really start drinking Gatorade at this point and even munched on my sports beans for a couple miles.  I used miles 6-8 on Lake Washington Blvd and through the I-90 tunnels to try and catch up with Kerrie...she was my little carrot tempting me along. Before I finally caught up with my carrot I was having a bit of a mental block and started doubting my ability to run this thing without walking a little...chasing Kerrie was seriously the only thing keeping me going through these miles!

Miles 8-11

I caught up to Kerrie!! We chatted for a little but it was clear I wouldn't be able to keep her pace for the rest of the race so I let her go ahead of me.  Little did I know right behind me was Erin and Kim from Nuun!  We started chatting, encouraging each other up some not so fabulous hills, and talking about Nuun. At this point we made our way through Safeco and Century Link Fields an on to the top of the Viaduct.

Miles 11-13.1

I remember looking at the view only once during the run on the Viaduct and not really taking it in like I should have but at this point I just wanted to be DONE!  We ran through the Battery Street tunnel and got off of highway 99 to make our way to the finish.  As we rounded a corner to end on Mercer I realized we had one last hill to conquer...really Seattle Rock and Roll?  Now I understand Seattle is hilly but ending a race on a hill is kind of a bummer and really makes it hard to give it your all out sprint to the end!  It was hard for me to see people walking when they were so close to the finish line and I wish I could have picked them all up and ran with them but the end of the race is just for me so I pushed with what I had left and finished my 9th half marathon!

The HILL at 13 miles

2:02:13 - 9:20 pace

I was immediately reunited with my lovely Lindsey, we made our way through the post race goodies and I chugged the mini Jamba Juice and Chocolate Milk in about 5 seconds flat...perfect post race drinks!

This photo makes my heart melt, only a feeling a runner can relate to!

This half was really unlike any of the other 8 I have ran.  As I continue to get more involved in the blog community I am continually overwhelmed by the amount of support and awesome new friendships I have made.  This race brought it all together and it couldn't have been a more fun weekend!  I only wish I would have stuck around after for all the meetup madness post race but I had important things to do...EAT!  The rest of my day consisted of eating, sleeping, and then eating some more.

What's up next?  Well duh! Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage with NUUN!  I'm sure you are already sick of hearing about it but too bad because that is all I'm going to talk about until July 20 and probably at least a month after that ;).

Other RnRSEA runners...link up your race recap below!!

RnR Seattle Expo and Blogger Meetups x3!

This year I got smart and took the afternoon off work so I could fully enjoy the Rock and Roll Seattle expo plus meet a ton of fabulous blogger ladies and Nuun teammates.  I'm pretty certain I don't remember everyone I met so if I met you please please leave a comment so I can link you up and start stalking your blog!!

Lunch Meetup

I braved the Seattle bus system, one of my biggest fears, and made it to the first blogger meetup...lunch at Elysian, a little after 1.  I immediately recognized two of my Nuun teammates, Tasha and Stacie and not surprisingly they are just as awesome and sweet as their blogs portray.  My Mt. Si teammates Nicole and Lindsay were also there! We ate and chatted before most of us headed over to the expo for more meetups!

Nicole and Tasha

Rock and Roll Expo

I can't say enough about how well run the Rock and Roll franchise is and the expo is always such a well oiled machine.  I got my packet with no waiting and made my way into the expo to check out the goods.

Me and Nicole

I have a little tradition of buying a Bondi Band at each race expo I go to as a little memento of the race plus something fun to wear on race day...plus it's a cheap tradition, only 8 bucks!

Next up...Nuun booth!  I met many of the awesome Nuun employees including Zoe, Arielle, Caitlin, Mason, and Kim.  I knew I was getting myself involved with an awesome company but I didn't know they would make me feel like family right away...seriously amazing group of people! And I met two more of my Nuun Kids on the Block teammates, Alanna and Holly.

Me, Alanna, Tasha and Holly

 

As if I hadn't already met a ton of new friends I headed to the blogger meetup at the Expo that Mel from Tall  Mom on the Run organized.  She did a little Runner's World history lesson that included popular columnist John Bigham.  Mel did an awesome job, I think she may be missing her calling as a public speaker? :)  After, we mingled with bloggers and took a group picture.  I was joking all day how I should have carried around a sign in sheet so I could remember everyone I met and I wish I really had!

John and Mel...perfect pair!

The whole gang (picture from facebook)

Dinner Meetup

Since I clearly hadn't had my fill of fabulous blogging ladies I headed to Purple downtown to meetup with Stacie, Allison, Rebecca, and Laura. Evidently Purple was a popular pre-race choice because my fellow Nuun teammates Dawn, Becky, and Alanna were at a table right behind us.  I had an amazing lamb burger with a side salad and it totally hit the pre-race dinner spot.  I just wish I could have indulged in a little wine since that is what they are known for :(.

So tempting....

Allison, Stacie, Me, Rebecca, Laura (pic from Stacie)

It was a long day and I was very happy to get home and get ready for the my early 4:30AM wakeup call.  It was seriously so awesome to meet so many of the ladies I read about and tweet with almost daily.  I am about 1000x more excited for Nuun Kids on the Block after meeting the Nuun family and some of my teammates and I'm pretty sure July 20 needs to get here right now!

race day essentials

Stay tuned for the 2012 Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon race recap!

Question: Were you at any of the meetups?  Comment so I remember you and make sure I follow you!

Your Seattle Rock and Roll Race Weather Update

There has been ALOT of twitter chat about the weather for this week's Rock and Roll Seattle race. Given the bi-polar personality of Seattle weather I understand why people stress out.  I mean how can we all plan our race day outfits when we have no idea what race day will be like!!  Runners have such hard problems :).

cartoon by David Horsey

So, I took advantage of some expertise I have here at work to provide you all with what I consider the most accurate weather forecast for Saturday, June 23.  This forecast is straight from the mouth of the Washington State Climatologist and self proclaimed weather geek, Dr. Nick Bond.  He does a radio spot on KUOW every Friday around 9:50 and usually discusses the weekend weather so tune in on Friday to hear more!  I may have hinted that he should discuss race morning weather on this Friday's show...

Seattle weather is tricky tricky to forecast since we get our weather from the ocean. The ocean can be super temperamental at times and that is why it is really hard to figure out exactly when a certain weather system will come onshore.  Will the sun and warm weather stick around until after the race or will the cloudy/rainy system come in the Puget Sound Friday evening and stick around for race day?  Dr. Bond is convinced the weather WILL be cool and cloudy, essentially perfect running conditions right?  But what about the RAIN!!??

According to Dr. Bond, "I can assure that you will not have to worry about dust storms"

Did I mention he has a great sense of humor?

So here is the weather report as of Wednesday morning in a good news/bad news format

THE GOOD NEWS:

• Temperatures at the start will be in the low 50's only rising to the low 60's by early afternoon
• A solid cloud cover will be over the Puget Sound for the entire race
• Winds will be really weak and almost nonexistent 

OK, the BAD NEWS:

• Current models predict a 60-70% chance of rain Saturday morning in Seattle. This means there is a 30-40% chance it will NOT rain...take that as you will

Hey, that is the only bad news and it even comes with some caveats.  Dr. Bond stated that there is a CHANCE the weather pattern will favor showers more south and east of downtown and you may actually never feel a sprinkle.  But hey, I'm just the messenger so don't hunt me down and yell at me if you get caught in a downpour on Saturday ;).

It will NOT look like this (source)

Probably more like THIS (source)

So in summary, it will be cool and cloudy, you might get a little wet but probably not drenched, and you will ALL finish your races with a smile on your face :).  I'm certain those fun space blankets they hand out at the finish will be much needed and heavily used!  

In the meantime I encourage you all to stalk the NOAA weather website for Seattle where you can find out all your little heart desires about the weather:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/

I'll be sure to get an updated forecast on Friday before heading to the Expo and can indulge all of you in some weather knowledge at any of the blogger meet ups if you want to talk nerd with me!

Rock and Roll Seattle Memories

As I think about running my 9th half marathon this weekend at the Seattle Rock and Roll I can't help but get all sappy and think of where I was only 4 short years ago...get ready for feelings folks!

The month of June and the Seattle race is where all this half marathon and eventually marathon racing business began.  Before the Rock and Roll race series came to Seattle the race was the Seafair Marathon and Half Marathon.  Myself and 4 of my best gal pals trained our little butts off for it starting at about 3 miles and making out way up to the half marathon distance on race day.  Let me take you back on a little trip down memory lane (since I didn't have a blog back then) with my history with the Seafair turned Rock and Roll race...

2008 - Seafair Half Marathon - 2 hours 35 minutes

2008 was by far the warmest year I've ever run this race and being my first half marathon having it so warm from the very beginning of the day was a big mental barrier for me.  I stuck with my gal pals for a good portion of the race which boasted way more hills than anticipated but all the hoses and sprinklers put out by people along the course will VERY appreciated.  The race started at Husky Stadium, ran over the 520 bridge and winded it's way to end in Bellevue.  I remember having to walk around mile 10 in the scorching sun of downtown Bellevue and almost crying because I felt so defeated.  I gave myself a point in a distance where I would start running again and I did and I even somehow found enough energy to sprint towards the end.  I felt a HUGE sense of accomplish finishing my first half marathon all the while wondering "I think I can run this faster...".

pre-race with my ladies

post race BBQ celebration with friends and family

So, this race started my little running journey with a little over 2 and half hours 13.1 mile PR to smash in the future!

2009 - Inaugural Rock and Roll Seattle - 2 hours, 18 minutes
I was a little skeptical of this HUGE race and how well it would get pulled off in Seattle and while they had some shuttle bus logistical nightmares it was clear the Rock and Roll race series knows what the heck they are doing.  My whole team of ladies ran this race as well and for most of us this was our 3rd or 4th half marathon.  I have to be honest and say I don't remember too much about this race other than the fact that people freaked out over seeing a bald eagle on the course (tourists!) and that there was this  huge dog hanging out a second floor window of a house watching all the runners go by like a spectator.

This photo makes me really happy!

I was starting to shave some time off my half marathons, running this one in under 2 and half hours!

2010 - Seattle Rock and Roll - 2 hours 11 minutes

Second year of the Rock and Roll, same course from Tukwila to Seattle and same group of ladies.  At this point we had visions of marathons in some of our futures, including Lindsey, who actually acted on the vision and ran the 2010 Seattle Rock and Roll marathon.  Seeing her finish immediately started an email chain between a few of us and before we knew it the 2011 Chicago Marathon was on our calendar.  I would definitely say this is the race that fueled the desire to try a marathon.

Lindsey finishing the marathon STRONG!

Still ticking time off the half marathon clock and after finishing in 2 hours 11 minutes, I'm starting to think about that illusive sub 2 hour half...

2011 - Seattle Rock and Roll - 2 hours 3 minutes

Hey, I was blogging then so you can all go read about it here if you want!  I had semi-dreams about running this sub 2 hours but wasn't expecting too much since it is such a crowded race and finding our groove in the beginning can be a little tough.  Although the 4th year running this race felt a lot like the previous years, in 2011 I wasn't just going to taper off my running after this race like I usually did.  Marathon training was in full swing after June 2011 and I didn't stop until October!

It was our 4th running anniversary!

 

Of course you all know the end to my sub 2 hour dreams and they came true this year at the Mercer Island Half Marathon in March.

2012...

Well to be determined of course!  This year the Rock and Roll race has some big changes including a new start and finish line with an almost entirely different course.  While I can't say I'm excited about running in South Seattle the course doesn't look half bad and Katie, Lindsey and myself from our original 5 ladies will be running again this year.  Of course, being part of this awesome blogging community has made my excitement for this years race go up about 100% and I can't wait to meet so many new ladies, reunite with my Mt. Si Relay crew and meet my Nuun Ragnar teammates!

So what are my goals for this half?  I don't have any :).  I got my sub 2 hour and that is good enough for me this year.  Will I still run my hardest? Probably...why else would I pay an insane amount of money to run on city streets ;).

On a weather related note...it has NEVER rained during this race so knock on wood it keeps up the streak. I'll be back later this week with an official forecast from some experts at NOAA...stay tuned!

Question: Whose running the Seattle Rock and Roll?  Are you going to the blogger meetup at 3:00PM at the expo on Friday?  

My Night With Scott Jurek

Get your minds out of the gutter!  While I did spend an evening with Scott Jurek it was only some harmless running and book signing...although he is quite the cutie!  If you don't know who Scott is do a google search and just read his Wikipedia page...you'll be in love in no time.

Tuesday night after work I made my way over to Fleet Feet on Capitol Hill to meet with my friend Sonia and Lindsay On the Go.  Scott showed up and was seriously the nicest person ever!  He was so thankful everyone was there to run with him and he reminisced about he came to Seattle to work at a running shop that used to be a couple doors down from Fleet Feet.

The whole running group from Fleet Feet

We gathered for a quick group picture and we were off for the 3.5 mile "fun run".  Looking around before the run it appeared like most people in this group were probably pretty speedy runners and boy was I right.  I have no idea how fast we were running but it seemed like 8:00 miles or so and we were practically at the back of the pack.  We ran up some hills in Volunteer Park and through some gorgeous neighborhoods I haven't discovered until now.  Fleet Feet captured a somewhat flattering running pic of Lindsay and I!

from Fleet Feet

Lindsay and Scott!

After the run Sonia and I darted over to Elliot Bay Book Company to grab a copy of his book Eat & Run before they sold out, which they did, pretty fast!  Scott came in and did a little reading, a little chatting and a little Q&A.  Some of my favorite moments:

• His overall advice and point of the book really is to take pieces from everyone you meet to shape who you are.  He talked about various individuals referenced in the book and how each of them helped him in his journey to run like a mad man!  
• Instead of a moment of silence for the passing of Caballo Blanco (who the book Born to Run is really centered around) we did a holler for him to celebrate his life.
• Scott actually spent over 10 years in Seattle and one of his "training runs" was 3-4 repeats up Mt. Si...you know the 4 mile straight up hike...I'm not even confident I could walk up it without dying.  And evidently there is some run called 12 peaks...I'm afraid to even look it up.

Sonia and I busted out during the Q&A early to get in line for the book signing and evidently no one else had the same idea as us and we were first in line.  Scott was super appreciative of everyone coming out to the event and chatted with us for a few seconds and indulged us with a pic.  I hope he enjoyed touching my sweaty back!

If Scott tells me to do things, things I will do!

I haven't dived into the book yet but I'm already really excited about it and will be sure to do a book report at the end!  Scott described it as a memoir, training book, and cook book.  Oh yeah, if you didn't know Scott is vegan, an ultra runner powered by plants...I love it!

Are you super bummed you couldn't make it out to this event?  Well you have another chance to get a copy of his book and get it signed!  He will be at the Rock and Roll Seattle expo on Friday from 12-7.  You should at least stop by and get a picture with him!

Question: Do you have a running "celebrity" crush?  I have one after this week ;)

Pump Some Iron and a Winner!

Um, whoa last week is kind of a blur right now...I was on the go go go all week and barely had one afternoon over the weekend to actually relax.  I usually prefer life to be pretty busy but I could certainly use a couple days off to be super lazy and do nothing.

I plan on doing a post or series of posts sometime in my blog future about the importance of weight training and how I'm certain it has helped me become a better runner but for right now I'm just going to tell you..."incorporate some weight training in your weekly routine!"  I used to believe that running surely is enough to strengthen my legs right?  Well, sure it does help, but doing some actual weighted movements really makes a bigger difference and I can certainly tell!  Add in some upper body movements and you have a better looking physique which is always nice while running right?!

If you were to incorporate ONE leg exercise into your routine I would highly recommend lunges, specifically a single leg barbell lunge with your foot on a bench.  Try a few sets this week and I swear you'll feel it through you whole legs, especially your butt! Bodybuilding.com has a great video that shows this move perfectly:

Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/one-leg-barbell-squat

So, let's recap my week, weight training and all!

Monday - Legs
Busted this routine out at the gym right after work and included 30 minutes of easy elliptical after.  I included some squats, lying leg curls, the one-legged squats seen above (I held 20 pound dumbbells in each hand and did 4 sets of 8 reps), glute brides and calf raises. My legs were the perfect amount of sore the next day, although my butt remained sore for a few days :).

Tuesday - Push workout plus easy run
Did the chest, tricep, shoulders workout at the gym in the morning and ran 4 easy miles with the pup after work.  It is actually really nice to split up my workouts although I go through a lot more workout clothes this way!

Wednesday - Pull workout plus cardio
Did a quick back and bicep workout and then 20 minutes on the stationary bike plus 20 minutes on the elliptical.  I intended on staying on the bike but my butt kept getting numb...how to bikers prevent this?!

Thursday - Adventure Run - Yummy dinner
Mother nature has been playing some cruel cruel tricks to Seattleites this week and it went from torrential downpours to bright sun to howling winds today so me and my running partner decided to just stay safe indoors and had a yummy yummy, can't wait to go back to this place, dinner at Ravish.

Friday - Rest - Easy run
Since I missed running Thursday I woke up super early and got my run done in the morning with my pup. It was slow, but it felt good to be out in the fresh morning air.

Saturday - Rest
Well if you count being on your feet for 9 hours straight rest.  I recently became part of the Nuun sample team and get to work at events where Nuun has a tent or booth.  I worked the Evergreen Bike Festival for them this weekend for my first event and it was a lot of fun.  Mountain bike people certainly are a different breed from runners but I learned a ton and the fact that Nuun is universally loved by all sports!

These girls seriously came by about 5 times and chugged the Nuun "juice"

Sunday - 11 mile long run - oops, 10 miles
So 10 is pretty close to 11?  My friend Lindsey and I took off for an extended Lake Union loop on Sunday morning and didn't calculate it quite right. We felt confident putting away 10 miles as our longest run before Rock and Roll Seattle.

Man that was a looonnngg week!

Oh you want to know who won my Nuun giveaway, ok I'll tell you...drum roll please:

It's Mary from Minutes Per Mile!  Email me at marathonlar@live.com with your shipping info and I'll get it right out to ya!

Man that was fun, I want to do more giveaways!

Okay, this post is getting too long so I'm not going to bore you with what I plan on doing workout wise this week but I will let you know that you should come running with me and Scott Jurek Tuesday night in Seattle...k? I already have a ton of questions for him swimming in my head and if you can't make it I'll be sure to do a full recap.

Question: What one question would you ask a ultramarathoner rock star like Scott Jurek if you got the chance?

Nuun Loves Me...And You! Giveaway Time!

Have I not made it perfectly clear that I'm running the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage with Nuun yet?  Oh, well I am!  If you are just tuning in you can read about it here and our team's rocking name here.  I'm going to introduce you to my fabulous team sometime in the near future but before that let's talk about the goodness that is Nuun.  Instead of making up my own words about Nuun let's just plagiarize the website ok?

source

Nuun is a family of drink tabs that help you drink more water so you can feel good and keep going all day.  Great tasting and amazingly effective, Nuun contains no sugars and is highly portable so you can enjoy it anytime, anywhere.  Nuun knows that in order to survive and thrive, you need water in your life.  But face it: water can be mundane and sugar can be harmful.

I have to confess I'm definitely a Nuun Nuubie (hehe, get it?) and I just starting obsessing over this stuff this past March before my epic sub 2-hour half marathon, I'm fairly certain it was Nuun that pulled me though :).

The best part about Nuun is it tastes NOTHING like other sports drinks.  I find Gatorade, Powerade, etc, etc, too sweet and sugary and almost thick like.  Nuun is fizzy deliciousness with just the right amount of flavor and packs WAY less calories than the other sports drinks so it's not wasteful if I accidentally drink an entire tube in one day.  Wasteful in terms of calories but also garbage; each tube replaces 12 water bottles...it's fun to be green.  My favorite flavors so far are definitely Kona Cola and Citrus Punch.

Ok, on to the good part of this post since I'm sure you all completely over me gushing about Nuun and the fact that I'm running with them!

It's my FIRST giveaway, I really hope people enter so I don't feel like a blog loser :). Nuun sent me some products to try so I'm passing the goods on to you.  You will win:

• A Nuun waterbottle
• A tube of Nuun Tri-Berry for all your exercise hydration needs
• A tube of their all new product Nuun All Day in Grape Raspberry for when you are sitting at your desk and don't want to drink plain water

To enter:

• Leave a comment on why you love Nuun or can't wait to try it (mandatory)
• Follow Nuun on facebook 
• Follow Nuun on twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway including @marathonlar and @nuunhydration

This is only open to US residents in the off chance I actually have an international reader.

Leave a comment for each entry!  I will pick a winner on Monday at 6PM Pacific Time and post it in my next blog post.  But don't be sad if you don't win you can still get a great deal at Nuun.com.  Use the coupon code "bloggerslovenuun" for 15% off.  If you spend $50 you get free shipping so pick up two four packs, add a water bottle and BAM you are ready to stay hydrated.

Who is excited to try Nuun!!

This is What I Did - A Recap

Isn't that the most boring blog title ever?  I had "think of a title" in that spot forever but could never actually think of one so that is all you get...so I apologize in advance for just boring you with the details of my week for a couple pages.  BUT, I'll be doing a giveaway (MY FIRST!) later this week so stay tuned for that.

So what happened last week?

Monday - 6 easy miles on the schedule
Hey, I did this!  I actually drove back from Eastern Washington early in the morning and busted out the run right when I got home.  The rest of the day consisted of a pedicure with a friend and preparing for the busy busy work week.

Tuesday - Push weight workout - Chest, Triceps, Shoulders
Did this at the gym in the morning...look at me getting my workout out of the way in the morning! I tore out a workout from the April Oxygen magazine, modified it slightly and did about 2 exercises per muscle group.  Maybe I'll blog about that...is anyone interested in weight training stuff?  I had important stuff to do that night that included indulging in my obsession of Gossip Girl...

Yep, that is Blair Waldorf (in real life Leighton Meester)  from Gossip Girl.  She is actually a pretty talented singer and she was really really nervous which was kind of cute considering she plays such a strong character on TV.  The music wasn't really my style but it was entertaining.

Wednesday - 9 mile run
I still can't believe I actually pulled this off after work.  I was originally supposed to run it with a friend but she had a work commitment so hit the trail after work solo.  The run was actually pretty tough and I felt like it took me half the run to actually warm up but when I was done I felt like I could keep running...plus I had some awesome people watching!

Thursday - Pull weight workout - Back, Biceps and Abs + sprints
Well I didn't get around to the sprinting :(.  But I did get weights out of the way in the morning.  I did a version of the Jamie Eason routine here, but shortened it a bit.  I ended up getting home from an all day work meeting plus dinner and was wiped out so no run happened.

Friday - Legs - RESTed
Evidently not getting my sprinting in on Thursday was the beginning of not doing the rest of my workouts for the week.  I was exhausted from Thursday and had another long day at work Friday so I rested.

Saturday - Rest Day
There wasn't really any resting as I was on my feet for 12+ hours at a Science Festival at Seattle Center.  It was actually a ton of fun and was worth all the effort put into it!

Science is cool!

I stole this from my friend but I basically took the same photo :)

Sunday - Spin and/or Yoga - 4 mile run
Since I slacked on the sprinting I wanted to make sure I at least met my three runs a week goal so I set out on a nice slow run with the pup on Sunday AM.  Man my legs were TIRED from standing all day Saturday...all the more reason to not skip my leg weight sessions!

Spent the rest of Sunday with all my awesome 5K committee ladies from Girls on the Run to celebrate our super successful Spring 5K!  One our our committee chairs hooked us up big time at Emerald Downs race track and we got clubhouse seating, a race named after us and a trip to the winners circle.  One girl in our group won over $200 bucks on a $2 bet!

seriously fun group of girls!

Phew, what a week! What shall I do this week?

Monday: Legs weights <---no excuses
Tuesday: Push workout plus easy run
Wednesday: Pull workout plus cardio
Thursday: Adventure run with Road Runner Sports
Friday: REST, working another long day, hopefully the last one for a while
Saturday: REST, actually working for Nuun at this bike festival, come visit me!
Sunday: 11 mile long run

Question: Any local people ever done the Road Runner Adventure Run?  Are you going this week?  You should!