Things Just Got REAL (I’m kind of nervous) + New Hair + Embrace the Tired:)

I GOT TO RUN WITH FRIENDS yesterday and it made our 7.26 miles (@ 8:37 average pace) fly by.  I met my friend, in the middle, during college and thanks to social media, we have been able to keep in touch since then.  When I saw that she was in town I told her we needed to run together and catch up.  I am so glad we were able to get in some miles together.   Her sister-in-law was also able to come with us.  She has a half-marathon next month!  I have missed running with people so much so this was the best way to start the week.

I got home before the kids were awake (and I found Beretta on the couch she is not supposed to be on… she is sneaky) so I was able to get in some stretching before it was go time!  I’m telling you, these freezer Kodiakcake waffles are a fan favorite around here.

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I went with a protein shake yesterday for breakfast because I love getting a million berry seeds caught in my teeth;)

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A morning selfie with part of the gang.

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Along with some important conversations.

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Once Skye went down for her nap (Andrew was home doing school), Brooke and I left to go get my hair done.  My good friend did it and I went a bit darker and got a trim while Brooke played with my friend’s kids!

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Lunch was simple (turkey sandwich with peppers, spinach, mustard, bbq sauce and on Dave’s Killer Bread) and eaten on the couch without spilling somehow…

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Followed by a bunch of these chips!  Has anyone tried these?  They are delicious.

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Skye hung out and blew bubbles while I ate.

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Brooke had gymnastics for a bit and her ponytail with short hair almost lasted the entire time.

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After gymnastics there were many meltdowns that occurred but that is part of parenting so let’s talk about this goodness instead.  Andrew and I officially meal-planned for the week which is exciting and he made Grilled Lime Salmon w/ Avocado-Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice (minus the coconut rice part because we accidentally bought chocolate coconut water instead of the normal stuff).  If you love salmon, try this recipe asap… and if you love happiness, try this salsa asap.

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The usual night time routine.

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Netflix & Laundry.

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A few random things to talk about because randomness is my strength in life:

*If you need me at night (before my 9 o’clock bedtime;), you can find me here.  Getting some stretching in while watching a show.  I am finding that the older I get, the more I need to stretch to keep my running going.

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*Andrew has been practicing doing braids on Brooke’s hair.  He is determined to be able to do Skye and Brooke’s hair over the years.

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*Megan has a new challenge for April and it is a plank challenge… I’m doing it if you want to join!  I’m doing side planks for my challenge:)

*I’ve shared Gwen’s episodes before but she has a new one about her awesome 10k PR!  I love watching her training/racing/routine/perspective/life with a little one and I cannot wait to see what she does in the marathon!

*WE OFFICIALLY REGISTERED for a marathon.  Both Andrew and I will be running the St. George Marathon this year and I’m really excited.  It will be two years since my last marathon so I’m excited to reintroduce my body to the pain train that is involved with the 26.2 miles on October 6th.  I have 6 months and 2 days to get ready for this and plenty of half-marathons along the way.

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*Andrew’s phone stresses me out.

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*Last night was crazy windy so go ahead and cross all of your fingers that the wind disappears for my run this morning.

*Another great podcast to listen to!  I loved what Molly said about training for Boston, “I think I just changed my mindset, the point is getting used to being tired… embrace it and figure out how to deal with it…  Every time I’m tired, this is good practice for the last 10k of the marathon.”   I’ll be remembering this when I am tired during my hard workout tomorrow.   I’m going to embrace it!

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What races are you currently registered for?!  Do you prefer signing up for a race asap, signing up right before race day or somewhere in the middle?

Seafood… yum or nope?  Favorite type of seafood?

What does your email inbox look like?  Do you have a bunch of unopened mail or would that drive you crazy?

What is your workout today?

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60 comments

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Looking forward to reading about your upcoming marathon training! As for the email question, I can’t stand having unread notifications. That drives me crazy too!

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Fish is the only seafood I like! We recently switched over to Dave’s Killer Bread after seeing it on your blog and we are obsessed!

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Sea food is a big nope nope nope for me. I just think that fishy taste is gross and can’t get past it.

Maybe I’ll sign up for the 10k. Down in St. George. I think my plans of an early race are gone. I’m still not running regularly and I’m sure I’ve lost a whole lot of training. Maybe I’ll be back to it by the end of the month!

Today’s workout is a full body strength session. My legs need movement

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The darker hair looks great! And I love that Andrew is trying to learn to braid the girls’ hair—that’s so sweet!

I am one of those people who freaks out if there are that many unread emails. Check those things!!

So excited for your marathon!! I can see that sub-3 coming your way :) I’d really love to be working toward a race right now. I need to find a 10K or something to train for and then eventually work back up to half marathons. Those are my favorite!!

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Ugh, Andrew’s phone stresses ME out! I have 0 unread emails at all times. That little red notification annoys me!

I need that “Netflix and treadmill” sweatshirt! And I LOVE your darker hair- I think it looks great!

I need to get some races on my calendar- I currently have nothing, and I miss having a training plan in place.

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SO glad I am not the only one that picks up the wrong item at the grocery store! My husband just doesn’t understand! ;)

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Hahaha you are not alone!!! Have a beautiful day Bridgette!

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I’m not sure if this is a terrible thing to say or not, but I am kind of relieved to hear you guys gets meltdowns, too. Brooke looks like a perfect angel and Skye is so sweet. It makes me wonder what I’m doing wrong with my almost-two-year-old who melts down at least three times a day. And in a terrible way. Maybe this is just two…? I’m learning I know nothing about kids… :)

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Girl, you are not alone and two year olds are the HARDEST! We have meltdowns all throughout the day between the three of them and last night’s was something else ha! Maybe I’m immune to them now after 1000s. You are doing an amazing job Nikki!

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You are so, so kind. Thank you. That makes me feel much better! And I should’ve added, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing an amazing job, too! I just love reading about all three of y’all’s kids.

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I can’t handle seeing ANY number next to my mail app! So I am with you. After about 2 years of NOT wanting to race , I’m getting the bug again and I’m super excited about it. I want to do a half as my first test but need to build up to more than 7 miles :) My friends and I have a little saying : “If you can run 10 miles, you can run a half.” I’m wondering if it can go “If you can run 7 miles , you can run a half”.. because I’m getting impatient to see what I can do! But I’ll wait a few more weeks :) Targeting beginning of June.

So excited for you and Andrew and the St. George marathon!

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I am so happy that the bug is back! You are going to do amazing at your half in June Amanda! I can’t wait to hear all about it:) Thank you!

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I’m more of a sign up right away to keep myself accountable. I’m currently signed up for a 5k on Memorial Day!
My email inbox is always cleaned up. Those numbers would drive me crazy!
My workout today is a push workout: chest and tris.

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Hi, Janae!

I love seafood!

I have the Nashville Rock ‘n’ Roll half at the end of this month! I can’t wait. I was supposed to do the full, but had some hamstring stuff, so I dropped to the half.

I signed up for a full in November, so I’m pumped for that!

Today, I’m actually doing a hill treadmill workout you shared a LONG time ago! Too funny. I’ll let ya know how it goes! ; )

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Good luck with those hills, you are going to rock it! I am so sorry about your hamstring problems but so happy you get to still do the half and a full in November now. Have a wonderful day Chelsea!

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the mango salsa + lime salmon looks like a REAL WINNER! I wouldn’t mind a heaping plate of that right about now. I love fish and lobster, but that’s about as far as my seafood tastes go… I’m not the biggest fan of mussels, clams, oysters, eel, octopus, etc. I am not signed up for any races this year as I am expecting our first baby this summer! Can’t wait to welcome our little boy :)

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I have to admit, I’m with Andrew on the failure to read and delete my e-mails. I just hate taking the time to mess with them. But I am challenging myself to do better and keep it cleared out!

Not a big seafood person – Italian and bacon is my love! :) I could eat bacon daily!!!

I’m meeting with a personal trainer for the first time tonight, so I’m sure it will be a killer work-out! I just hope I can move tomorrow! :)

So happy to see you running a marathon this year! You will kill it! You taught me something in yesterdays post – Not to run with chicken arms! I was doing this a lot, but will now be more conscious of it as I could tell a difference in my run yesterday when I wasn’t flapping my wings! :)

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Hahah flapping your wings… I’m right there with you Kristel! It makes a huge difference. Good luck with your first personal trainer workout! You will do amazing. My sister is just like you and Andrew too.. if it makes you happy then keep doing it:) Have an awesome day!

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Ha, so I wasn’t the only one who is now more conscious to not do this (i.e. run with chicken arms) after reading your post! Def. helped during my 6 mile treadmill run last night. Thanks Janae (and apologies for jumping in on your comment)!

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Brooke’s haircut definitely makes her look a bit younger but that is ok! I love seafood except salmon. For some reason its just too fishy for me. Maybe it was all of the salmon patties in the cafeteria on Fridays growing up. I ran 4 miles this morning. It was supposed to just be an easy run but then I decided to throw in some hills since the Boston 5K I am doing in a week and half has a hill at the end and I don’t do a whole lot of hill training. I am currently toying with doing a triathlon this summer. I have not done one in over 3 years and I kind of have an itch to do it. And Andrew’s inbox would drive me crazy! My husband’s inbox is the same way. I do not get it. I must have mine down to 0 unread messages!

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You signed up for St. George!!! It must’ve been the conversation/runners high. I signed up for Big Cottonwood after we ran. I thought about the marathon for about 5 seconds. But went with the half. One day. ☺️

I’m game to run anytime you have an easy run scheduled!

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I am running my hometown half for the 7th time. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska. You should come run it sometime. It’s always the first Sunday in May. I am also driving up to Kansas City (3 hour drive) with a couple friends and doing Hospital Hill. For the 45th Anniversary this year they are bringing back the 7.7 mile so that is what I am registered for.

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Hospital Hill is the first weekend in June.

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Your hair looks sooooo good! So happy to meet up yesterday and so excited for you and St. George!!!!! And I need that salmon and salsa ASAP =)

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Oh my gosh that salsa looks amazing! I will pass on the salmon – no thanks on any seafood – but that salsa… yes!
Currently signed up for a half on April 29th and another half on November 3rd in Mexico. I’m looking for some 10ks and 5ks to do, but haven’t seen anything just yet. I usually try to sign up for the longer distances (and more expensive races) with more advance notice than the other distances.
High numbers of unread emails gives me anxiety – I try to keep my personal email and my work emails under control.
Workout today – 5 easy miles! As long as my Achilles cooperates.

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I try to get as close to inbox zero as possible. While I know it’s not going to happen every single day, I try. Andrew’s inbox would stress me out!

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congrats on signing up for the marathon together!
are you doing legs up the wall? i love that. anytime i can, i’ll do it.
yes i’ve had those multigrain chips from Costco! we’re fans, but they can get super salty. we send them in with the LO for school snack.
thank you for the podcast rec’s -i listened to the soundcloud one with Shalane and what happened during the NYC marathon last year. added that one as well!
the salmon looks so good.
and good reminder i gotta get in touch with running friends again and see if we can go run in the coming weeks.

today’s run was easy run b/c i took a week off after my ankle wonkiness. thank goodness it felt good. and i am officially scared about injury so signed up with a coach. my friend who’s a triathlete has been begging me to get one for months now, and my colleague had one last year for the marathon and says nothing but good things. i think i just need to pony up to make sure all goes OK. so this whole week will be easy.

i’m signed up for a half, a 10K, a bicycling leg of a tri (relay), a 5K, a 15M, a 18M, and the marathon. i suppose i have to sign up early or else i won’t get in. or i’ll enter the lottery during the period it opens, or else i won’t get in. but when i have the luxury of waiting, even then i try to sign up as soon as i know i’m committed.

big fan of seafood, we’re a household that eats everything.

i have 1000’s of unopened emails… i don’t care either way except when i run out of space and have to do a purge.

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That salmon and salsa look so good! If Andrew can make that AND do the girls’ hair, you’re a lucky lady!

My next races are a 25K trail race this Saturday on the other side of Virginia and then the Grand Tetons Half on June 2nd. We’re flying into SLC and driving north to Jackson Hole, then after the race we’re spending two days in Ogden before heading south to hit up the five national parks. I can’t wait!

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I got the legs on the wall while I watch tv in our living room! And sometimes I’ll foam roll for the duration of the episode we are watching lol. That’s so sweet that Andrew is learning to braid. Brooke and Skye will appreciate that as they get older. :) His phone definitely stresses me out. I don’t have my work emails on my phone and I tell my phone only to sync when I’m on data during certain hours so I DON’T get the constant notifications. I’m pretty good with checking it regularly otherwise. It depends on the race but I usually like to sign up with a good time in advance. I’ve got an easy three miles planned for this afternoon!

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I am signed up for a 1/2 marathon at the end of the month and I just signed up for St. George too! I try and stay in 1/2 marathon running shape so that I can sign up for stuff last minute if I want to :)

That salsa looks amazing! Shrimp is definitely my favorite seafood, but every once in a while fish sounds okay.

Haha, my husband’s email inbox looks like that too and mine most definitely does not!

Today’s workout will be running on our local bike path while my kids are at track practice right off of the bike path (so convenient!)

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What do you do when you need to poop mid-run?! I always have this problem and I don’t want to stop by a bathroom because I don’t want to lose my momentum but if I don’t then it’ll be all disaster pants!

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Happy Tuesday!!!! Sooo my fiance and I just registered for our wedding at Bed Bath and Beyond and the duvet I really want looks exactly like yours! I am dying for a white one because then you can add fun with colors but i’m scared about getting it dirty?! It is a duvet so we can take it off the down comforter and wash it but what are your thoughts?! Also any other must have’s as a new married couple?!
Thanks :)

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I am signed up for a half marathon (my first) in September. Just trying to increase my mileage and pace until then! Aiming for 8ish miles today with hopefully not a ton of treadmill stops. Running has been feeling really good lately…so much so that I can’t get my heart rate up that high!

And favorite seafood…probably tuna fish haha. I am not a huge fan of fresh fish or meat for that matter, but I grew up eating tuna fish, and now I like it on salads :)

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Congrats to you both for signing up for the Marathon! The hubby and I have a 15m trail race in May, I recently converted him to trail running and running more than 5k really, he is way faster and fitter than me already, and I think he is loving it, yay! After that race I’ll see if I can lure him into a 50k this fall or early next year (fingers crossed) , it’s my goal to do my first 50k this year but haven’t signed up yet.

I’m all for seafood and mangos! Thanks so much for the recipe link. It looks delicious, will be trying it soon, where do you buy the salmon from?

My favorite seafood is octupus when cooked right and not chewy. Today my program calls for 5×5 min intervals ;)
Hope you have a wonderful day!

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I am currently 29 weeks pregnant so no races for now, thinking about a half marathon in the fall though ?. I like shrimp, and crab, but not fish….weird I know!! My email inbox looks like Andrews, it definitely gives me anxiety some days!! Love the target V necks from your post the other day, I’m going to pick some up this week! Brooks haircut is adorable, and I’m loving your dark color! Any chance you know what color your friend used?
Have a great day!

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CONGRATS HAYLEY… you are getting so close. I hope you love the Target v-necks too:) I will ask my friend and let you know. Thanks Hayley and I hope you are feeling great today!

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I’m not training for any races right now. With our crazy travel schedule (Hawaii last week, Tennessee next week) it’s hard to commit to a race too far in advance.

Coconut shrimp from the shrimp trucks on Oahu’s North Shore are the most amazing seafood on the planet!

If I have more than 10 unopened emails I start stressing! Other stuff can be ignored, but not my email box.

I did a trail run today. 4 miles up with 900′ of climbing. I turned around and at the 6.5 mile mark twisted my ankle and went down hard. I limped the 1.5 miles back to my car. It was still a gorgeous morning and mostly good run ;)

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The angle you took your smoothie picture makes it look like you have a baby floating in your smoothie! Also, I’ve just bookmarked that salmon/salsa recipe, can’t wait to try it :O

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HAHA that is what I was going for;) Let me know what you think of the recipe! Have a great day!

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Love your new hair!
I’m signed up for a race this weekend, but we’re supposed to get snow?? We’ll see how it goes! I usually sign up way before to avoid spending extra money!
I like seafood! My favorite is salmon or scallops or mussels. Yum!
My email inbox is a DISASTER…so many junk/unopened email…it would definitely stress you out!

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Yay that you’re going to run a marathon again! AND that you get to do it with Andrew!!!!! Are you two going to go into full-on “twinning” mode with marathon outfits or not even get to that level of “coordination” (or cheesiness depending on who you ask)?

This mroning I practiced half of Les Mills RPM 78–the new release for the spin class I am certified to teach and that my gym is launching on April 21. I also took my usual Tuesday morning HIIT-on-a-spin-bike class (Les Mills Sprint). In about 2 hours I am teaching Body Flow, which is a sort of yoga/pilates/tai chi blend. I think that’s plenty of exercise for one day!!!

You asked about seafood. I love all of it!!! Give me grilled salmon. Give me seared scallops. Give me garlic and herb shrimp. Give me a tuna steak crusted in crushed peppercorns and sesame seeds and barely seared above sushi-raw. Or give me sushi! And one of my absolute favorites (be careful, this might be a strange thing to like…): OCTOPUS!!! When I am in Greece and octopus is caught fresh and then tenderized (the way Greeks say it is best is to “beat an octopus 100 times against a rock,” but I don’t think anything needs to be that extreme) and then lightly grilled and with fresh lemon wedges squeezed over top, maybe a thin drizzle of olive oil–MAN OH MAN it’s amazing!!!

I hope your ‘hard’ workout was filled with WHATEVER good perspective you needed to finish it like a total champ. :) And I hope that your day since then has been a good one!

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I just signed up for the San Francisco Half Marathon this July on a whim, with a group of friends (I am currently in NY), because.. YOLO?? This’ll be my first non-NYC race and first race that I travel for, and I’m so thrilled to do it with my group of runner friends and just have a blast. I’m also signed up for my very first marathon, ever — the NYC marathon this fall. Ahhhhh

Can’t wait to read about your upcoming marathon training!

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run-cations are so much fun!!! I hope you have THE BEST TIME in your training period–so much growth, so many lessons learned, so much confidence especially with this marathon being “on the way” to your big marathon!!! That’s so exciting!!!

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Cool you’re signed up for your marathon already! I’m hoping to run a marathon this fall after 7 years! Yikes been awhile and that was bedore when I didn’t have to figure it training around them. I’m not committing to anything until a lot closer to time. I’m going to slowly add some mileage through summer and hope I can handle it before I sign up and make sure my husband supports the time this will take me to train. I like that you and Andrew are doing it together and can support each other along the way.

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That inbox gives me the willies! I am a zero inbox girl!

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Oh my goodness – I have a moratorium on races right now – I have signed up for 7 this year – I have already run 2 trail races (both around 25-30km) this year. My next race is an 18km trail race called Survival of the Fittest in Squamish, BC. Then I have a trail marathon in June called Be Fearless and it is also on trails. And I have two 50km in July – one is the Knee Knacker – it runs from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove – along a trail called the Baden Powell. Then the next weekend I have a race called Broken Goat in Rossland BC. My “A” goal race is a race called Squamish 50/50 – this summer. 50 miles one day and 50km the next day. That is in August. I should point out that many of the races I signed up for are meant to be training runs so not supposed to be racing them.

My workout was 15km this am – which I just finished.

I like seafood – fish shrimp prawns but don’t eat it often

Um, my email in box used to be like Andrews, but it made my partner crazy, my friends crazy so finally I started deleting my emails haha.

Have a great day! Happy Marathon training.

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I ran 5 miles but wiped out about halfway through. Tripped over my own dog and went sprawling!

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Andrew learning to braid the girls’s hair is my favorite part about this post! So sweet!!!

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Yeah I have a lot of emails to get thru, too!
I sign up for races asap…..most races I do are small and I always fear they will book up.
And that dinner looks good….I haven’t cooked salmon……is it expensive? Hard to cook?

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THANK YOU for teaching me about the frozen Kodiak waffles at Costco. They’re brilliant.

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This makes me so sincerely happy:) Keep enjoying!!!

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Your new hair looks great (Brooke’s too!). You can always slick her hair back with a bristly brush for sports! She might not love it at first, but it’ll stay! I definitely would feel a bit stressed if my email inbox looked like that… I wouldn’t even know where to start! I LOVE those chips; they are so good! I enjoy seafood but not *all* of it.

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I got in to the Marine Corp Marathon in October and will also be running St. Jude in Memphis. Pretty excited about both, but so surprised that I am actually running full marathons – it seems so big when you actually type it out! I am also doing a few sprint tri’s this summer to mix it up a bit.

Loving the new hair!! I just went back a little lighter for spring. If we ever get spring in the Midwest ?

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Tell Brooke her new haircut is super cute! The key to ponytails with “shorter” hair is to pull back the top/front part first in a separate hair band or with bobby pins, then pull it all together. Stays much better.

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Okay, a little bit late to the game here today, but…….I like what Molly Huddle said, too. The other week I was stressed and tired over increased mileage. You know what, as the weeks go by, it gets better. It’s amazing how the body ADJUSTS if you give it TIME. That can be hard though :)

YAY to your marathon plans!!!!! I’m eyeing one up in November. I reserved a hotel room, but I haven’t registered for the race yet. I’m waiting til after my big half marathons coming up………….seeing how the body feels, even though November is pretty far away!

Seafood? YES!!!! Anything but mussels and oysters and trout. lol

My workout today is 2 up, then 3 x 2 at half marathon pace (cutting down on each set) with 2 min walk between and 1 CD. It’s pretty windy here. I hope I don’t blow away. I’m just not a TM girl. Something always hurts after I do anything heavy on the TM!

Happy Wednesday!

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I think you are convincing me to sign up for the St. George Marathon…! It will be my first marathon and I am super scared. Is it a challenging one?! I have never been to Utah either so I think it will be fun! :)
I told myself if I am doing a marathon I am not staying in St. Louis, MO to do it. If I train that hard and long I BETTER be somewhere I can enjoy! :)

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Looking forward to watching the Boston Marathon! Such an awesome line up of women this year! I have enjoyed watching the videos of Gwen! She is all legs and then some! haha

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Have a great luck for next running event…

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I love that rug – is it new? OMG that salsa looks INCREDIBLE. He’s a great cook, huh? Speaking of Chef’s table.. I recently went to one of those restaurants!! Central in Lima – it’s the last episode available I think. Crazy crazy.

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I’m actually doing a hill treadmill workout you shared a LONG time ago!

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