When is it half-way in a race + our DATE NIGHT (ehhh early afternoon date;)!!

There was not a chance that I was going to be able to sleep in yesterday morning which worked out to my advantage because that meant my long run was all done before it got too hot.  I went into it thinking I would do anywhere from 7-10 miles depending on how my body felt and it felt good so I went for the double digits.

10.18 miles @ 9:12 average pace.  I only took one break too… cooler temperatures are my love language right about now.

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I started listening to the Man Bun Run podcast when Suzy was on there (I loved her podcast!).  Yesterday during my run I listened to the one with Jared Ward (he competed in Rio Olympics for the marathon ((he finished 6th in 2:11:30)) and he lives one city away from me).  It was a really great episode and I LOVE learning about how the elites train and compete.  I take their tips seriously and listen with my ears wide open:)

One thing that he talked about in terms of the marathon that I really loved was that he thinks the half-way point of the marathon is at mile 20!!!  He talked about how the last 6.2 miles of the marathon is just as hard as the first 20 and I could not agree more with him… those last 6.2 miles feel like they last as long as the first 20, that is for sure.  Jared Ward is all about consistency and building up his mileage safely… when marathon training he averages 20 miles a day (and takes Sunday’s off).  If you like listening to elites, this one is really great!

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I came in the door and went upstairs to find Brooke waiting for me with her animals to play.  While we played I stretched and then did clamshells, donkey kicks, Jane Fonda’s, and straight leg raises!  My glutes were quite tired by the end of that.  I need to start doing these before my run to activate my glutes because I feel like they are not firing anymore with my pregnant running.

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Andrew was gone for the first half of the day so Brooke and I went to an indoor play place (parks only happen before 9 a.m. for me) and to eat some pancakes (the theme of my life) together:)  She played and I got a bunch of work done.  Win-win.

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We stayed at the play place for a while and then came home straight to eat lunch.  Chicken + strawberry + salad.

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And this dressing on top… it’s delicious!

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Post salad… this beauty made an appearance.  I can’t stop with the pancakes.

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Brooke is really enjoying going through books and writing different words that she see’s on the page onto her notebook.

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Andrew got home and these two had a very intense debate.

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The babysitter came over and Andrew and I left for a date.  I am all abut early dates (ehhhh 4 pm) because that is when I feel best.  Getting in bed after 8:30 p.m. is not my favorite.

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We went to see Dunkirk and it was beyond amazing.  I highly recommend it.  It is a very sad movie/story (with some really inspiring parts too) but so good to remember all of the people that gave up so much for us.

I brought this as my movie snack and it was delicious… it actually didn’t make it to the movie and turned into a car snack.

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This is us every time.

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I felt like onion rings so we went really fancy and hit up Wingers.

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Came home and jumped right into bed.  Nighttime is rough ha.  The other night Andrew and I were talking and literally 30 seconds later I started snoring… he found that pretty crazy.

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It’s official.  I have converted him to a Launch runner.  It took about a year to get him away from his previous pair of running shoes but he has successfully transferred now.

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ENJOY YOUR SUNDAY!!!

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In the marathon… when do you feel you hit the half-way point?  That last 10k killer for you too?

Are you pretty opinionated with where you want to go eat?  Or are you pretty happy going wherever?

Onion rings vs french fries?  Have an opinion?

Long run this weekend?  I want to hear how it went!

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35 comments

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onion rings are my favorite!! I’m forever on a mission to locate the latest best onion rings in New York lol and I love early dinner dates :)

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I bet you guys have the BEST food in New York… It would be so hard to choose where to go with so many amazing options! I hope you have a great Sunday Meredith and find some amazing onion rings ASAP!

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I always thought the halfway point was around 18, so it’s close enough to the 20 mile marker to be the same.

TBH, I don’t care where we eat as long as someone makes a decision. We can go round and round trying to figure out where to go till we just throw up our hands and eat cereal for dinner.

My long run this weekend was a mile. Damn bursitis. Still trying to get back in the game. I see my Dr on Thursday. Hopefully she’ll help me.

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Onion rings! They hAve flavor where french fries don’t really.
I did 10.3 yesterday. It was probably bad idea. There’s something going on with my left foot/leg. The pain and irritation aren’t consistent so I can’t figure out what it is and can’t even verbalize it to describe it. I purchased a pair of new orthotics last night because mine are really old. I figured that was a good place to start since nothing happened to cause any sort of injury. I took today off and plan on taking a few more days off. Hopefully it helps. I don’t get to race much and I have two coming up that I don’t want to miss.
Have a great Sunday#

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I had a long run (well long for me at this point) of 4.5 miles Friday and it was hot and humid! Just trying to push through these tough temperatures so the fall feels a lot better.
I want to see Dunkirk so badly! I’m glad you gave it a good review.
Have a good Sunday :)

https://maureengetsreal.wordpress.com/

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As far as restaurants go………
If I am having a specific craving, I state that, we go.
If no craving, I like to go to new restaurants because then I try something new. Feels more like an experience or something, get to try new flavors, new ambiance, etc.
If no craving, and we go to an old standby…….I am usually like, “well, this isn’t what I had in mind” Even though I did not really have anything in mind. (poor Chris)

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Ya, I really liked Jared Ward’s interview. He’s such a kind man and it’s totally obvious that his family comes first, but his running is so inspirational. I remember when he said that about the halfway point because I came home and told Andrew right away! Andrew really struggles when he hits the half marathon mark in the full marathon, but I think he wouldn’t crash and burn so much if he went into it with the idea that the 20 mile mark is the halfway point. Anyway, ya. Runner-nerd-speak. HAPPY SUNDAY! Nice job on that 10+ miler at that pace! YAAAAAAS.

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Normally I only eat French fries. But my grandpa used to make onion rings for a Utah diner (I can’t remember what it was) so now it’s a family recipe. Best onion rings ever. Literally, no onion ring has ever been as good. We made some over the weekend and I definitely over ate.

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Depending on my mood, I can be pretty opinionated or I could just go wherever.

I absolutely love onion rings, but nothing can ever substitute French fries from the place they have in my heart.

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You are a rockstar for still running double digits while pregnant. That’s a feat! You’re so inspiring! Is that McDonald’s where you went to the play place? They have awesome playgrounds, don’t they?! No shame in a little Mickey D’s! I love Day Dates–that’s the best!! Early to bed, and you still had alone time! You all do a great job of balancing being newlyweds and having a blended family!

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I’ve heard good reviews of Dunkirk.

I prefer onion rings over french fries, but I rarely have them – maybe once every few years. Maybe that’s why I like them so much – I never have them so they always feel like such a treat.

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Oh my gosh yes! Those last 6.2 miles are the worst part for sure!! Talk about testing your mental toughness.
Fries! Not an onion rings fan.
I thought I was being tough and disciplined by making myself still go on my run yesterday morning even though I had wasted enough time that it was too late in the morning (like…10:30 ?). Nope, I probably shouldn’t have gone. It was so.hot. and I felt so miserable through most of it. It was only 6 miles but it felt like an eternity and I was exhausted the rest of the day. Not worth it.

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I am pretty picky about where to eat, but my husband agrees with most of my choices! I don’t agree with Taco Bell or Krystal, though!
I have only run 2 marathons, and I just think the whole thing was tough! In halfs (which I have run many more of) I think the halfway point is around mile 9 or 10……………..I feel good until then and suddenly the last few miles are so rough!
I am picky about when I want fries or onion rings, but I always want sweet potato fries!
And not sure about the long run……………the lows at night have been in the upper 70’s, and the daytime is 95 with a heat index of over 100. I ran in the morning yesterday(I almost always run after work) and it was 77 and the humidity was almost 90%. This summer is rough! My “long run” hasn’t been more than 6 miles in at least 3 weeks. Luckily, my next half isn’t until November, so I have some time to build back up!

Have a great weekend!

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well i’m no marathon expert as ive only done too! but i definitely learned a lot from doing my first to carry with me to my second one and it went MUCH BETTER. i told myself to coast through the first ten miles…and then coast through the 2nd ten miles – there as an incline from miles 20-22 – and then i told myself “then it has to be all downhill from there” – ALSO i told myself to start UNCOMFORTABLY slow –

gimme all the sweet potato fries! and bonus if they are sweet potato WAFFLE FRIES.

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ooooh, mile 20-23 is so hard, then when you get to 23 it’s torture but mentally you’re like, ehhhhh, 3 miles is like a walk in the park distance wise ;)

My “long” run was about 9 point something, as I did some different off shoots of my route. I wanted to go more but I just got back from a long bike vacation in Italy so my legs and lower back were soooooo tired! not being dramatic or anything. Did yoga today (Sunday) and a walk to get the blood flowing and stretch those tired legs out!

I am that meme perfectly-I don’t care on one hand because just making a decision is key, but I do care. Luckily we RARELY eat out and there are not many choices where I live so it’s pretty easy to pick and I know exactly what is being offered. Seriously, limited options.

That salad dressing looks amazing and would be perfect for the infamous cheese tortellini-strawberry-blueberry-mandarin orange – slivered almond salad that my kiddos LOVE.

Happy weekend!!

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Frings! Half fries and half onion rings in one bag, you get the best of both worlds.

I’m the worst when it comes to deciding where to eat. I say I don’t care but then when my husband starts suggesting places, it turns out I do care and I don’t want any place he just suggested. Pregnancy has actually helped because when we eat out now, 95% of the time I want chicken nuggets from Wendy’s.

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So we are definitely on the same wavelength or something… I was running with a friend today and we were talking about how we need to start doing glute activation exercises and stretch out our IT bands more often! We only did 3 miles but chatted the whole time which was the best :)
I finished the week with 16 miles – the most I’ve run since I’ve started running again! I’m hoping to do a 5 or 6 mile run this week – that will be the longest I’ve run in months!
Glad y’all had fun on your date :) Enjoy your Sunday!

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Long run = today at 10mi & my first double digit training run since my half in June! I thought I got out before the heat started but I was very wrong! And my area has been flooded lately so LOTS of mosquitoes. Boo!

I’m team onion rings, usually, but I love a good sweet potato fry!! I’d have a hard time choosing between those choices!

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Onion rings for sure! They have more flavor and feel like a special treat.

Half marathon yesterday was my long run. Rest day today.

I usually don’t have a super strong opinion about where we eat but if I’m craving something I’ll speak up.

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Those onion rings look SO GOOD!!! I don’t think I can decide between those and fries. Hope you have a lovely Sunday!

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I so agree with the “mile 20 is half way” theory. I usually only train up to 20-21 miles, so those last few miles require some real soul searching.
I’m opinionated about what I don’t like… I hate fast food and I’m honestly not a huge fan of italian restaurants. That said, I like a whole lot of resturaunts and I’m always willing to be flexible about where I eat as long as I’ve got a great friend of family member to hang out with:)
French Fries! especially sweet potato fries!

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I totally agree that 20 is the halfway point! That last 6.2 is tough!

My husband is out of town this weekend, so my long run included my 4 year old. I did 15 miles pushing her in the jogger and then 3 on my own. I live in the middle of nowhere on dirt/gravel roads, so that adds to the excitement of stroller pushing. hahaha.
18 miles that felt like 26. Perfect!

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Half marathons are my marathon :) but it’s funny you mentioned this, because I’ve said that the last 3 are as hard (if not harder) than the first 10! So a similar thought!!

I like to give my husband “options” that aren’t too limiting (Mexican & Mediterranean are my favorites), but he’s on to my game! I’m excited because literally a couple days after you mentioned going to Kneader’s I saw that one is being built less than a mile from my house (I live in KS, so I was sad to think I wouldn’t be able to try it out as I have no visits to UT scheduled anytime soon) — so that will be on my list very soon! :)

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I am on the same page as you when it comes to the last 6.2 miles. At mile 20 I try to reset my brain and start a “new race” OF 6.2 miles and put the previous 20 out of mind. I know I can easily run10k.
As far as choosing a place to eat, I can be picky and can eat at the the same place over and over, so I would rather not choose where to go but to be happy where ever we do go. 99% of the time it turns out great and I’m happy to have tried something new.

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I have that podcast in my feed but haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet! Good to know you recommend it! My long one was 5 miles this week and it was a humid and slow one. I haven’t done a marathon yet, but in terms of a half, I feel that from mile 9 it is a battle and those are the toughest for me. How do you best activate your glutes before a run?

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I will eat almost where ever just as long as the other people are not complaining. Eating with grumpy people are the worst! French fry girl!

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I’m (hopefully) running my first marathon this fall and am currently in week 4 of our 16 week training plan! I ran 14 miles with my husband on Saturday (my longest run ever) and, aside from feeling a little slow during the last two miles, it went pretty good! There was a 4 mile climb before those last two miles, so our legs were pretty toast! All important training, though. :) Have a great Monday!!

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Onion rings for the win! My husband is a fry guy but I can take or leave them. However, onion rings are just the best and I prefer not to share, thank you very much.
I don’t start training for the December CIM until next month so my long weekend runs have been all under 10 miles. So for me it was 9.18 on Saturday morning.

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I have to agree about mile 20 being the half-way point! I was cruising along pretty well during my first marathon 2 years ago until about mile 23, and then I entered zombie land. I have no idea how I was putting one foot in front of the other at that point. I’m gearing up for marathon #2 this fall, and I think having FELT that feeling once before will better prepare me this time……..when I’m wanting to push too fast/hard/too early, I’ll think about “that feeling” and rein myself in, for sure!!!!

So glad Andrew moved onto the Launches! I wasn’t a huge fan of the 3, but I ADORE the Launch 4–so peppy and versatile!!!!!

Long run yesterday was 13 total with miles 9-12 around 7:20 pace. HOLLA! It was hard, but I did it, and now onto the next. My long run next week is just 14 easy. I’m kinda looking forward to a long run that’s just easy—-good to get lost in those long easy miles,ya know?! :)

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That couldn’t be more accurate about mile 20–unfortunately those last 6.2 just never get any shorter it seems!
Love that you are still running so much pregnant and keeping your diet very balanced and nutritious while answering some of those inevitable cravings!!

I do not really like onion rings or fries, but chips and salsa is my weakness!

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I love pretty much all food, and I can’t say I’ve ever been somewhere that I couldn’t find something to eat… Buuuuuut I always manage to have an opinion on where I am headed to eat anyway :-)

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When I was pregnant I was ALL about those early dates too…my evenings were spent on the couch or in bed- no ifs and’s or buts about it!

For me, I think the halfway point of the marathon is around 18-19. I really don’t like miles 13-18 because it’s just too soon to start grinding gears and you just have to clothesline yourself into a steady pace.

My long run was 8 miles this weekend, longest PP run yet!

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I have run two marathons and I’m not sure if I would consider it my “halfway point” but I always got excited when there were only single digit miles to go! However, the folks around me didn’t seem as enthusiastic when I cheered out “Only single digits to go!!” around mile 16 :-D.

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Hi Janae – I had a question and I know you’re pretty well versed in treadmills! My husband and I are looking to get a treadmill for our house, and I was wondering what you would recommend as a really great, solid treadmill for home use? I’ve never purchased a treadmill before so I really have no idea what to look for!

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converted my brother to the Launch(es) also. i’m obsessed with mine! on my 4th pair…
oh boy, they are both SO GOOD, but if i *had* to choose, onion rings. i think ;)

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