Well, I might need a few days to recover after yesterday ha. We celebrated the day like crazy and it was the best. Andrew even arranged his shifts so that he could be with Brookers all day too + Knox came home so we got in a lot of quality time all together.
Brooke would like to tell you thank you for all of your sweet comments for her yesterday. Call me crazy, but I really do feel like we are all in a long term friendship together and I can’t tell you how thankful I am for you guys.
Rewind to the very beginning of the day. I had 10 miles to get done and I knew Brooke’s internal alarm clock was set for earlier than normal because she knew it was her bday and I wanted to be home when she woke up—> so I started quite early. I made it back in time partly due to the TWO DOGS that helped me pick up the pace big time as they chased me down a road. A) I do not know why I assumed I could outrun them… those things are fast. B) I do not know why I was so freaked out by them. They probably weighed between the two of them 9 lbs. But they looked fierce and they were barking so yeah, I’m sure any cars going by had a nice laugh about some girl sprinting down the street away from two mini dogs. The dogs didn’t even touch me but they sure made me speed up for that street.
I don’t have any speed workouts this week except for during my long run on Saturday and a few strides tomorrow.
I’m excited to retry my long run with Andrew on his bike this weekend. He even has a fanny pack from mountain biking that he will wear to hold my water and gels and maybe even some damp towels, chocolate and slippers for me to put on directly once I finish the 18 miles;)
When I finished my run and felt energized still, I realized it is kind of weird to be doing a double digit run in the middle of the week. Three months ago= 10 miles was my long run on the weekends and that took a lot of mental/physical prep to do. This is probably in my top 4 favorite things about running… Seeing our bodies adapt to the work.
Rather than worry about what my training is going to include to get to my goal race (I know peak week is going to be unreal) I just remember that our bodies are fabulous at adapting. If you are training for something huge to you, don’t worry about the weeks ahead or the race day distance/speed, trust the training and how good your body is at getting stronger/adapting to all of the work you do each day.
Take a day at a time and you will adapt.
I’m currently reading this book (and I’ll talk more about it tomorrow) and this part made me think about running. As runners, we have some pretty huge pots and we just keep growing to fit those pots!
Brooke started out with her bday shirt from Target. She told me that she didn’t feel six, she felt much more fiveish.
I think Skye was just as excited to celebrate Brooke as all of us were.
Andrew had her choose any cereal that she wanted for her bday… of course ha!
And then she galloped around for a while with her unicorn that makes horse noises while listening to the My Little Pony movie soundtrack (a sacrifice that Andrew made because I don’t think there are any other songs on the planet that he dislikes more than those, ha:)
And then we continued to celebrate all day long.
Knox came home and he was equally excited about presents (they love playing with each other’s toys).
Spirit was the star of the show.
For an early dinner we went to the restaurant Brooke requested for dinner… Pizza Factory. Pizza, pasta, bread sticks and the salad bar.
Still using cucumbers to make their tiny salad plates fit a bit more veggie goodness. I had pasta and a bread twist with my meal.
And then we went to a new indoor play place (Coconut Cove). The kids both agreed it was their #1 choice of indoor play places.
I had no desire to make another cake so Brooke asked for DQ and we watched Spirit while eating Blizzards.
In other news, our house is overfilling with good fruit right now and that’s pretty much the best!
I’ve got 8 miles on the schedule today and I’m going to be listening to this. Jared Ward lives a few cities over and I am just hoping someday that I’ll ‘run’ into him somewhere and keep up with him for .2 seconds.
And for a bit of random humor today, my brother sent this to me yesterday:
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How have you seen your body adapt to your training lately? I want to hear!
Have you tried any new cereals/food products lately?
Have you ever been chased by a dog while running?
What is your run/workout today? What are you listening to today during your workout… podcast, music, book, friends, the sound of your feet hitting the pavement?
51 comments
Loribeth
What a fun party! It looks like she had a blast.
I finally hit a 10 miler Tuesday, first one all summer. I think it took 6 weeks to adapt to the heat and humidity this year. Usually it only takes about half that time for me, but this summer has been brutal.
I don’t have a Trader Joe’s near me, but we stocked up a few weeks ago and seriously everything we try we love. Right now I can recommend the peanut butter pretzels with no salt on the outside (I like the salt-less ones), their version of nutra-grain cereal bars, and the cherry juice. A HUGE bottle of 100% cherry juice was $3.99! That is $7 less than our local grocery stores!
No run today, but I will have music ready for tomorrow’s run!
And I think little dogs are the worst when they chase you! Luckily it doesn’t happen much downtown for me.
Have a great day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Wow… that is an awesome deal for cherry juice. I need to try their version of those bars, I love those! WAY TO GO on your 10 miler two days ago Loribeth. You deserve extra credit for putting in the miles where you are this summer… the heat and humidity is unreal. Thanks, you too!
Corey
Love the ‘6’ pizza for Brooke’s bday!
Little dogs are the scariest, LOL!
The Hungry Runner Girl
They really are haha! Thanks Corey and I hope you have an amazing day!
Natalie
Looks like y’all had a fun day of celebrating! :)
It’s definitely pretty neat how our bodies change with our training. I’ve been able to run some paces that seemed nearly impossible not too long ago. I still need to start increasing my mileage more, and that makes me excited to see what I can do.
I tried Cinnamon Toast Crunch-flavored froyo yesterday, and it was actually really good! I also had banana bread-flavored froyo at the airport on Sunday, and it was much better than I expected (I love bananas but usually don’t like many banana-flavored things). I really wish that I had a froyo machine in my house because I could eat that stuff at any time of day, and it’s sounding really good as a post-run breakfast right now! :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Look at your body adapting to those quick paces, rocking it girl. Okay, that froyo all sounds amazing… I need some in my life. How cool would that be to have a froyo machine in your house?!? I hope your trip was amazing!
North anon
Happy Belated Birthday, Brooke! Her birthdays just keep getting better, can’t wait to see the next one.
Longer run today, In the heat, ugh. Then chores and a yoga video. Nothing much to see here!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Way to go on the longer run in the heat today… making you so tough! Thanks so much and I hope the rest of your day is amazing… I’m doing chores today too!
AmandaM
I listened to that Jared Ward podcast and I thought of you! In part of it, he talks about strategy for the hills at St. George and I thought, “Janae will love this.” And I figured you would know about it but I was going to mention it to you if you hadn’t :) Hope you enjoyed it with your run this morning! (assume you’re already on the roads)
I had some Crispix last night – hadn’t had them in a while and they were very good! Apple Jacks are also back in the rotation – one of my favorite cereals of all time.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh that makes me so happy that you thought of me… YES, it was perfect for me. Thanks so much Amanda and I wish we could go on a run together. Oh Apple Jacks remind me of one of my brothers, it is his favorite cereal ever. Hope your Thursday is a great one!
Almarie
I don’t get chased often by dogs, but it has happend. I normally scream so loud and throw water at them. I ran 10 km with a friend and we were chatting while running.
It looks like Brooke had a great day.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh good call on the water… I’ll start to bring some with me if I go on that street again! Glad you got in a good run with a friend! Thanks Almarie!
The Hungry Runner Girl
PS I wonder what our time difference is… I never know whether I should say to have a good night or good morning to you hahaha:)
Amanda H
I tried the new Oat Crunch Cheerios after seeing them on your blog – they are soo good! I hope they keep this flavor.
One time on a run I was surrounded by 3 big dogs – they were mad – one ended up biting my ankle, which was scary, and it hurt all the way back because of my sweat running into the wound. I yelled at those dogs, and do you think anyone ever came out to get them? No! :/ Now I carry pepper spray on my runs, unless I’m running a route I’m 99.9% sure has no dogs.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I am so glad you tried it… it is so so good! Me too… they better keep it!
Okay, I cannot even imagine how scary that must have been. That is not okay that no one ever came out to get them!! I need to bring some pepper spray with me too.
I hope you have a great day and that you never have to go through that again!
Elizabeth D.
So glad Brooke had a great birthday! Sounds like such a fun day!
I am just finishing up week 2 of half marathon training, and I actually changed my interval workout on Tuesday to an easy day because I had some slight groin pain from my 10 miler this past Saturday and I plan to do the same today as well! Thankfully, it’s feeling much better now (wasn’t that bad to begin with), but I knew if I didn’t take it easy this week, it would just linger for much longer.
I just tried the new Krispy Kreme Reese’s Outrageous doughnut, and it was mind-blowing! I’m hoping to get it again during it’s limited time!
I HAVE been chased by a dog before – several years ago I was running with a friend in rural PA where a little dacshund/hound mixed dog chased us for 3 out of the 8 miles we ran! We actually had to stop, look at his tag, and call his owner to come get him because he would NOT let up haha!
Today, I will be running 40 minutes easy (so probably 4.5ish miles). I plan to listen to Ali on the Run episode 86 with Kara Goucher as I had accidentally skipped it last week! It’ll be the perfect length for my run. I’ll be on the treadmill since I’m at home with my 17 month old son for another week and half before I have to report back to school for teacher prep week :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Week 2… go Elizabeth! You are so smart to take it easy while you let that groin pain settle down and I am so glad that it has! Well, now I am going to have to go get that donut… thanks, I guess;)
THREE MILES—> AHHHH that is crazy! That little pup was in good shape;)
Oh that episode is SO SO good. The more I listen to Kara the more I love her (which is a lot already haha). Good luck going back to school!! Keep me updated with how your training, teaching and little boy are all doing!
wendy
I have a deathly fear of dogs chasing me! I was traumatized many times as a child by unruly dogs…I often stop running and walk past them.
I listened to that Jared Ward podcast yesterday (while driving and walking) — you will love it.
I was reading last night (the Becky Wade book, Run Your World) and she mentioned a familiar name to me — Joseph Kibur. I knew him back in the early 1990s; we were at the same university and one of my friends introduced us. Both of them were on the track team together. I looked him up this morning and found a podcast about him: https://runningonom.com/2014/11/13/roo-86-joseph-kibur-on-running-as-a-business-and-life-path/. So, I will be listening to this today — very excited!
Happy Belated Birthday to Brooke!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
It was SO good and just what I needed to listen to! Okay, that podcast looks really good… I’ll have to take a listen too:) Thanks Wendy, I hope your Thursday is a great one!
Gerri-Ann
Hello! Looks like Brooke had an amazing birthday. That 6 pizza is too much!!
One time on a run, I had a dog come toward me very quickly and I didn’t move fast enough and it went right in between my stride which didn’t end well for me. I also was worried about that dog being near the traffic as I sat on my bum on the side of the road.
I bought those Cheerios you had on here and I think they are really good! Thanks for showing us that box of deliciousness. I’m headed to the gym and will listen to Jared Ward’s podcast. Glad I saw that on here. Have a super day :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you!!
Okay, that is not fun… did you trip? You are so kind to make sure that the dog didn’t go into traffic.
I am so glad you love them, I think I’m going to need some for my snack today. I hope you loved the episode. Thanks! You too!
Jenny|Running On Life
Hey, those little dogs are the mean ones. I feel like the bigger dogs are mostly chasing you to play with you haha. You never know what a chihuahua is going to do with those crazy eyes. Lol
There’s been a lot of adapting with this training cycle but my body is starting to say enough and that it’s time for a break! My knee started acting up last night so my PT said to take the next two days completely off just to foam roll and ice. Please bless my body feels good on Saturday! First the fire/air problems and now my knee. It’s making me more nervous!
The Hungry Runner Girl
YOU ARE SO CLOSE!!! I am cheering you on and I hope that your body feels perfect on Saturday. Keep me updated with how you are doing and I think you are smart to take those two days off completely. I took the entire week off from running right before my first marathon and it helped me out big time! Enjoy your day Jenny!
Linda @ the Fitty
I’ve recently taken up dancing actually, just for fun. My body is used to the intense workouts I do and now I’m toning it down to get out of feeling mentally bored of my routine.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Good for you Linda! That is awesome!
Chrissy
I haven’t been chased by dogs, but I was chased by a few bees a few weeks ago – it was so stressful! We were in the middle of a drought up here in NH and my husband (who keeps his own beehives) said the bees were irritable and thirsty. I get it.
I’m training for a half now and getting to the point where I have long runs mid week – it’s so weird! My plan doesn’t get me above 8 on a weekday, but that’s still a lot when I have a full time job and two toddlers. Do you think that if I break that up into two runs, it will still be fine? I don’t know why, but 3-4 miles seems entirely reasonable to do before work, but anything over 4 just seems borderline crazy. It’s already dark when I leave at 5:15 – where did the long days go!
The Hungry Runner Girl
BEES… umm yes that would be very stressful! I hope that never happens again. You are a busy woman… way to go on everything! SOOOOO I think that it is okay to occasionally split up the runs but I wouldn’t do it every time if that makes sense? Can you do the full 8 after work at all? Seriously… I am missing the bright mornings already, it makes it so much easier to get up so early. I hope you are having a beautiful day and I hope that you get a lot of rain soon Chrissy!
Corrinne
I actually have been chased and bit by a dog on a run. When I saw him coming I stopped knowing I couldn’t outrun him and hoping he would be friendly. He was not and I got bit on the butt (he was mastiff). A child accidentally let him out of the yard and I like to think the dog was just being protective. He was up to date on his shots and my butt did heal. However, yesterday morning I was running super early and it was dark. I was in the middle of an interval and I heard jingling coming up behind me that sounded like a dog collar with tags. I was sure I was about to have a repeat dog incident until I looked over my shoulder and saw our neighbor’s cat Milo chasing me down the street. I will take a cat chasing me any day unless I guess it was a lion or something.
The Hungry Runner Girl
AND BIT… that is terrible Corrinne! I am so glad you were okay after that and I’m also very glad it was Milo yesterday… I bet your heart stopped for a second there!
Jennifer
I’m in week 2 training for a half marathon in October. I ran my first half 5 years ago and it didn’t go well. I got talked into doing it and didn’t train properly. It was a terrible experience. I said I would never run 13.1 miles ever again. And here I am, training for 13.1 miles.
Last night I had a small run. Nothing I couldn’t do. But my legs were sore from a leg workout on Tuesday. And I live in the south and it was 93 degrees with 50% humidity. It was a struggle. But I did it. But then I got in my own head that if that was a struggle how in the world was I going to do 13 miles.
So I’m glad your post today talked about trusting your training. And knowing your body will adapt to the training. I’m in week 2, I shouldn’t be worrying about the runs for week 8. I’m going to try to remember to trust my body and what it is capable of.
The Hungry Runner Girl
This 13.1 is going to be an amazing experience… I can feel it! Way to go on rocking week #2! The fact that you run in those conditions makes you so incredibly strong (and I think makes it equivalent to running 3x what you ran)… do not forget, those October temps are going to feel like a peace of cake for you on race day. Yep, keep on trusting your body… it adapts and each run is getting you there! Please keep me updated with how you are doing, I am so excited for you Jennifer!
Krista
I haven’t been training but am starting to feel physically and mentally better and so when I DO run it feels great and I’m faster than I would expect for being so casual with my workouts!
When I lived in Peru running was very difficult bc if you run past a guard dog, they will bite you. So for the first 6 months I just assumed running wasn’t possible.. then I found a road which had a sidewalk straight down the middle of the two traffic lanes.. if you can picture that.. so you can run down the sidewalk and not in front of houses, therefore it was not the “territory” of any specific dogs and that way you’re safe :) hahaha
The Hungry Runner Girl
I am SO happy you are feeling so much better! How long did you live in Peru? My brother lived there for 2 years:)
That is so scary about the guard dogs. I’m very glad that you found that sidewalk!! Have a beautiful day Krista!
Kathy McElhaney
Since I’ve basically been starting over after my sprained ankle, I’ve been amazed how my body has adapted. The biggest improvement I’ve seen is since I started pool running. I feel like I’m building back up and running better on the roads now.
Most dogs are on leashes around here, so I get barked at but not chased.
I ran 5 miles today listening to a new playlist. I’ve been listening to the same songs forever, adding a new song occasionally. I downloaded several by For King and Country (Joy, Fine, Fine Life, and It’s Not Over) and I really like them. I try to match my cadence to the music – they all start a little slow, then pick up the beat.
The Hungry Runner Girl
YAY FOR POOL RUNNING… it really is amazing what it does for us! I am so glad your ankle is happy again, that was your longest break ever right!? I do that too with my music… it turns it into a game. I hope you have a wonderful day Kathy!
Kathy McElhaney
Yes, definitely my longest break ever in over 20 years of running. Makes me so thankful that I’ve been healthy all these years and also much more empathetic towards those with injuries.
The Hungry Runner Girl
YES… injuries sure teach us a lot and make us so thankful for being healthy! You are amazing and I hope you never have to take that long of a break again!
Kristine Chew
I haven’t been chased by a dog…but I thought I saw a bear during a trail race – it was a wooden stump. What can I say, it was late in the race and I might have been hallucinating.. ha.
I definitely have been seeing my body adapt – I have been training for my goal race which is in two days – and some of my long runs are marathon distance and when I was able to do that and be relatively fine the next day I knew I was on the right track. Mind you this happened later in the training block.
No running this week – taper! I don’t usually listen to music but something up beat if I do.
New foods – I tried a new kind of chocolate bar. My friend brought me back some from Newfoundland. Also I had this taco salad at a local vegan place I never tried before. It was delicious.
Looks like Brooke had an amazing b – day! Happy training to you :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Bahaha your bear story made me laugh… thanks for that:) TWO DAYS.. I am so excited for you. How far is this one? I’m guessing it’s on the trails so there is probably a ton of elevation change too. I wish I could come cheer you on! PS now I need taco salad and a chocolate bar;) YOU’VE GOT THIS KRISTINE!
Kristine Chew
Thanks so much Janae! Well, day 1 I get to run 50 miles. Day 2 I get to run 50km. On the same course. It’s called 50/50. Yes, in the Squamish trails an hour from Whistler, and the 50 miler has 11000 feet of climbing and descent. Should be interesting haha
The Hungry Runner Girl
I am SO excited for you. You are my hero! GO GET IT and celebrate all of your hard work!
Melissa
YES I was just chased by a dog while running and almost had a straight up panic attack. Luckily the owner was close behind and the dog finally went back when called. But let me tell you, the panic was real! What are we supposed to do anyways!??
Glad Brooke had a fun day!
Amanda
Love that line “take it one day at a time and you will adapt” Applicable in every aspect of life!
Noelle
This is my first marathon training cycle, so seeing the adaptation has certainly been interesting! The midweek long-ish runs are still a little tough for me, but I’ve been tracking my heart rate since week 1 and it’s been cool to see my avg HR decreasing on my easy runs. I also ran a half marathon last weekend as part of the training plan, and totally surprised myself with a 2 minute PR – my last 4 half marathon finishing times have all been within 30 seconds of each other, so it felt really amazing to get past that plateau, plus it showed me that the increased mileage is really paying off in a big way (and I was glad I could still run fast, since my runs are all so slow right now)!
Good luck on your 18 this weekend! I’m also running 18 Saturday, so I’ll be sending you virtual high fives from Minnesota while I’m running :)
Mary
I just listened to your second podcast during my run yesterday from Ali on the run show from the catch up with past guests episode. You are fun to listen to! So peppy and happy sounding.
Kerri
I have been so, so happy with how my body has adapted to training lately. Its hot and humid as can be in New England, but once I got used to it I’ve had no trouble logging my miles in the summer weather!
I also just did my first 18 miler of this training cycle this morning ( since I’m a teacher I’ve switched to doing my long runs mid-week during the summer so I can enjoy my weekends little more!) and I am so happy with how it went; last cycle I was so uncomfortable for the last couple miles, but this one felt great the whole time!
MIchelle
I had a small dog dart out at me so fast once, right at the back of my knees causing me to fall forward on the pavement. I’m not dramatic at all and told my husband I was attacked by Kujo, when in fact the dog was more like a Fluffy. I did bruise my patella and had to stop running for a few weeks, so it was a little traumatic.
Brooke’s birthday looks like it was great! My nephew turned 6 yesterday as well and it’s so crazy how big they are now!
Kelly @ Bored to Badass
Looks like Brooke had an awesome birthday! You guys are the sweetest family ever!
Today was a 12 hour shift for me so no workout (Wahhhhh!)…but I have to say I’m literally in awe of you and everyone in the comments who are runners. I am not a runner, and could not fathom running TEN MILES…on a random Thursday!! Seems like a superhero feat and to hear you do it like it’s no big deal…..shocking! I’m so intrigued by the training that goes into these marathons…..a whole new world!!!! LOL Thanks for the inspo :)
adrianna
definitely adapting, but i certainly have set backs, too. i think i just go a little too hard too many days sometimes and just gotta pump the breaks. but i’m getting there after some time off running in April/May. fingers crossed nothing major happens! somehow managed just under 7 miles tonight on the treadmill. i just needed it mentally SO badly. rough week!
happy happy (belated) bday Brooke! my sister’s birthday was yesterday, too, special day girls :)
Michelle
Jared is from my hometown, Kaysville! He’s super nice and friendly! We had a parade for him when he came home from the Olympics. I hope you run into him soon!
Taylor
what a sweet day for the birthday girl!!! Happy late bday Brooke!!! You are the cutest 6 year old ever!!