A Cruel Joke, Speed Workout & Friday FAVORITES!

My current form problem that I am working on—>  It happened big time yesterday, I pull my fists up to my shoulders when I am tired.  I don’t know why I’ve suddenly started doing this lately but I need to get those arms back at a 90 degree angle even when I am tired!  I think I am tensing my upper body big time during fast stuff and I need to relax and get an efficient/powerful arm swing going.

My coach played a cruel joke on me.  She gave me a workout to do so I entered the workout into my watch and when the workout ended I saw that it finished at 9.97 miles.  .03 away from double digits.  Very funny, Mary;)

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It was hot and muggy (for Utah so technically like perfect running weather for those of you that live in Florida, Texas, etc) even though I started early.  Running in harder (for me;) running conditions is going to make me so strong for my fall running and fall race.

2 mile w/u

8 x 1000m (.62 miles) w/ .12 mile recoveries.

My coach told me to start at around a 6:45 pace and work down (I started a little too fast) but I was able to work on done from where I started nicely.  I took my recoveries seriously… I needed them especially towards the end of the workout.   Sometimes I wonder with workouts like this if short recoveries make it harder than just continuing to run fast the entire time because you are reminded during the recovery how good it feels to not be in the interval again.

During the 4th 1000m it started raining really hard but then stopped after 5 minutes which was random.  I wore the Launch for the run and felt good but not like I felt last week during my races and I’m sure that is just due to still recovering a bit from those two hard efforts.

My coach told me to do this on the track or the roads.  I chose the roads and stayed on the flattest roads possible for the workout.

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I stopped once after my final 1000m for a minute to finally fix the thing that annoyed me greatly during the workout ha (those little things get to me during a run sometimes).  First, I need to put my socks on properly (IT WAS EARLY) but the sock kept bunching up between my pinky toe and 4th toe.  I didn’t want to stop to fix it during the workout but it did consume my thoughts a little too much.

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These two were up first (I think Brooke needs the most sleep out of all three) and watched me stretch out.

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Pretty much the entire day revolved around finishing up remodeling our bathrooms and laundry room.  We are SOOOOO close.  I think HGTV needs to make remodeling look a little harder than they do because this has been killing us off and they make it look so easy.

We did get out to grab some new shower curtains.  I’ll show you next week all of the before and after pictures!

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There was an incident where somehow a pencil shaving got into Brooke’s eye.  Andrew was able to wash it out and I thought it was sweet that Knox was so concerned for her.

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We had family night with a lesson, ice cream and a show together because remodeling made me too tired to do any other type of activity ha.

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Time for a few Friday Favorites (Amazon affiliate links included)!

*Just starting this book and I’m absolutely loving it.

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*Breakfast after hard workouts.  I started taking these BCAA’s (and I really like them so far—>  they say it is great to help reduce fatigue and muscle soreness) after hard workouts.  I just mix it with water (it tastes better than I expected it too) + a green smoothie.   I had a protein bar about an hour later too.

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*I don’t even know where to begin with these.  Chocolate coconut almonds from Trader Joe’s.  Please remember to thank me after you buy these and try them and realize you can never live without them again.

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*5 Reasons Long-Distance Runners Should Race Short Distances Too!  <— Really great article. I need to get in another 5k asap!

*This this this this this this this.  Don’t forget.  Also, if you are looking for a good podcast on body image—>  this one (episode 3) was great!

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*A few of my friends told me about how good this movie is and Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 99% so my sis and I went to see it.  It was beautiful and powerful and my sister and I decided we need to listen to Mr. Rogers on tape when we fall asleep each night.  It is definitely different than most movies you see in the theater but I left feeling uplifted and excited to continue to help the kids in my reach to feel loved and lovable.

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*This onesie from my neighbor.  #truth

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*The Green Goddess Salad Dressing is so incredibly good.  We are also trying out the mango one so I’ll report back to you with my thoughts.

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Have any fun weekend plans?  Any races?  Any long runs?

Homemade salad dressing or do you buy your salad dressing?

What was the last thing that annoyed you during a run?

-My sock.

What are you currently reading?

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44 comments

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Just a slow weekend at home over here. Had a tough week with a funeral last week so slow is very welcome. The Brentwood hills I ran earlier this week and last week, combined with the fact that the elevator is broken at work and I am on level 5, have made my quads tight! Going up is fine, going down is awkward. I am hoping today’s run will work them out some!

I love the fuji apple dressing from panera…..so good.

And I have short hair and I almost always pull it up when I run. What annoys me is when a strand falls out and then gets stuck to the sweat-sunscreen-bugspray-vaseline combo on my back/shoulders and I can’t get it off while I am running! That single hair tickles and drives me nuts until I blindly swat at my back and find it…….ah!!

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Loribeth, I am so so sorry about this last week that you have had. I am so glad you get to have a slow weekend and continue to heal. Thinking about you!

I totally agree about the hair falling out and touching me, sooooo annoying. I hope your Friday is beautiful!

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Girl, you DOMINATED your 1000 workout!! I’m about to go do a speed workout, too, so here’s to hoping I hit my goal times!

I need to try that Green Goddess dressing ASAP. I don’t really eat homemade anything (I am horrible in the kitchen), but one of my friends makes a delicious salad dressing, so I love it when she and her fiancé have me over for dinner. :)

I don’t have a ton of weekend plans, but I am going to sleep in tomorrow, and I CANNOT WAIT!!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Janae!

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Natalie, you are the sweetest! Thank you. HOW DID YOUR SPEED GO!? I bet you rocked it! Try the dressing and let me know what you think of it. Enjoy the sleeping in girl, you deserve it!

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Awesome workout especially since you are not used to warmer/more humid weather! The humidity is always the killer for me. I think I could run in dry heat all day but when it’s humid it’s ROUGH.

Tomorrow I turn 32 and will be kicking off my bday with a seven miler with a few marathon paced miles sandwiched in the middle :). Last August I had my surgery and this August I’m starting to finally feel like my old running self. What a difference a year makes!

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Thanks Kristina, it really is crazy how much the temps play a role in our paces. I LOVE dry heat too:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!! I hope your day is perfect and I am so happy you are back feeling like yourself again! Go rock those mp miles tomorrow!

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I have long-ish hair and always put it up in some sort of bun when I run – never a ponytail because I don’t like the feeling of it swishing around. When I ran last night I was in a hurry and did this 1/2 bun and the entire run I could feel it slipping and I thought “Here we go…any minute it’s going to change into a ponytail…” it was actually making me mad/anxious.

Currently reading “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It’s about Lincoln and his cabinet – very interesting & well-written – the pages just fly by.

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Yes to the bun falling into a floppy half ponytail – maddening. Another is if I have to wear earbuds – they keep falling out. I prefer the ones that wrap around your ear and stay put. Also, if I’m dressed too warm, just overwhelms me and I want to stop. Not dramatic at all.

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OH YES…. I totally know that feeling and it’s so frustrating… for me it is when my bangs start falling in my face and it bugs me so bad. I agree Jenni, overdressing for the temperature makes me want to quit! I think running really makes all of our emotions feel so much bigger than they are ha!

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I loved that book! And presidential history in general – I’ve been (very slowly) making my way through Wilderness Warrior – the story of how Theodore Roosevelt’s passion for nature and conservation shaped his environmental policies before and while he was in office. Its’ dense but so interesting!

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Just added Wilderness Warrior to my wishlist – thanks for the recommendation, it looks great. I love presidential history as well, along with WWII. Truman by David McCullough is wonderful (as is anything by Mr. McCullough), and I’d also recommend Washington by Ron Chernow (his Hamilton and Grant are also on my list). Ok Janae – back to regularly scheduled running talk – sorry to history-hijack your blog! :D

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I’ve added those to my list too :) thanks for the recommendations as well! I’ve read a lot about TR so it’s time to branch out and learn about other presidents :D

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Oh my gosh… Today was super humid (at least for southern California standards) for my run too! Got out the door a little after 6, thinking I was going to beat the heat, and it was 72°, and 82% humidity!!! By the time I finished my run, I looked like I had purposely run through sprinklers..ha ha
This weekend is full of football stuff for our oldest! Kicking off the new season and his senior year! The years have flown by much too quickly!
Have a great Friday ?

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Way to get out for your run in that weather Wendy… that is crazy! I bet you felt pretty hardcore after that! Enjoy the football stuff and how does it go by so fast ahhh!! Thanks Wendy, you too!

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Weekend long run is done! 16 miles this morning in super humid weather. It ended up raining most of the run but it didn’t really get rid of the humidness, ugh.
Humidity + running near the river/wet areas = deer flies and mosquitos, which trump any other annoying thing on my runs lately. It’s gross but I think they get stuck to your sweaty body and just keep on biting :(
Going to see Rise Against tonight, super excited!!! Other than that, not much planned for the rest of the weekend.
Definitely buy my dressing – Annie’s garlic dressing is SO good.
Trying to find a good book. Suggestions?

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16 miles in crazy humidity.. you are a rockstar. I have 16 miles to do this weekend and when I feel like quitting I will think about how YOU ran 16 miles in crazy weather with all of those bugs. Enjoy your movie tonight and I need to get some of that garlic dressing. What type of book are you wanting? Running, fiction, autobiography? Have a beautiful day Laura!

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15 days! Ahh! I don’t normally deal with chaffing but that’s the last annoyance I had while running.

Have a great Friday!

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15 day ahhhhh you are going to do amazing Jenny! I am so excited for you. Chafing is literally the worst. Have a wonderful Friday and what is your long run for tomorrow?

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I don’t even know yet! My husband is going on an overnight campout with his dad and brothers so I’m just crossing my fingers to get something in without too much heat. Maybe I’ll have him take me up the canyon or something. Or at least run somewhere with shade haha.

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I guess I shouldn’t tell you about how Costco sells those chocolate coconut almonds in large quantities :) my favvvvvv

have a great weekend!!! xox

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I’m in trouble.

hahah thanks Jess… YOU TOO!!!

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I completely agree with this – “Sometimes I wonder with workouts like this if short recoveries make it harder” But I just want to get it done!

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I need to try that TJ’s dressing!! I’ve been eating Annie’s Organic Goddess dressing with my salads but the TJ’s one looks amazing. We have a CSA again this year, and sometimes the easiest way to get through a lot of the veggies is to throw them in a big salad. Any of the “goddess” dressings seem to play well with lots of random veggies :)

17 miles for me tomorrow (EEEE – new longest run for me), then lots of family time with my brother-in-law and niece and nephew! I’ll be cuddling up with A Casual Vacancy (JK Rowling) tonight when I go to bed early for my long run. It’s good, but not nearly as amazing as the Harry Potter books. Have a great weekend and enjoy those remodels once they’re done, I bet that will feel amazing!!

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Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer. It’s so good! Can’t put it down. It’s her story about getting women’s running started in the US.

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nice workout!

will have a concert with a friend which should be fun as well as a dinner evening out – i did have a long run planned but right now i’m playing things by ear b/c my toenail is gone (eek and ouch) and my foot does not like my sneakers right now. i will test it to see if it can tolerate it though…

homemade dressing all the way!

the sock sounds so annoying on your run! usually i am fiddling with my hats / ballcaps. it is usually either too tight or too loose and flies off when a gust of wind comes to blow it off my head. like goldilocks i can’t seem to get it just right –

currently reading “the oracle year” – it’s pretty good so far! also reading “no drama discipline” w/r/t parenting. learning all the things…! thank you for recommending the new nutrition rules by matt fitzgerald. learned so much reading it! now to put it in practice …!

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No long run – time for taper! Maybe an adventure next week though. Just going to enjoy our long weekend/

We aren’t huge salad dressing people – but last good one we bought was poppy seed.

Just finished Scott Jurek’s North – the story of his FKT atttempt on the Applachian. Really good. Currently in search of my next good read- suggestions welcome!

Haha, after my last trail race – discovered I had a blister upon a blister! The other half popped it with a pin while I was distracted…:

Glad your remodel is nearing completion! Can’t wait to see the photos. Have a great weekend!

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AHHH you nailed that workout! Your paces are so impressive to me! :)
I started full time in a new job this week so needless to say, I am very tired mentally. I also am fighting with a cold and/or crazy allergies (not quite sure which) plus I’ve just been feeling a little burnt out so I gave myself this week off. I have been walking every day and I’ve done yoga and I am feeling SO much better. Sometimes our bodies just need a break! So tomorrow, I plan on going for a run (hopefully I don’t cough and sneeze too much!)
I like trying new dressings so sometimes I will end up making some that I can make in smaller amounts because I always feel bad if I get something that I don’t like! But I alternate between homemade and store-bought salad dressings. The green goddess one from TJs is a favorite of mine!
PS I gave in and dropped the money on some Birkenstocks… these are MADE for runners, I swear! The first sandal I’ve ever had where I didn’t have feet pain!

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Happy Friday….I meant to comment the other week when you mentioned Disney but life got in the way. I would highly recommend hitting up Disneyland sooner than later….Star Wars Land is opening in 2019 and they are expecting HUGE crowds so I would try to go before then unless of course Star Wars is your thing….They are also getting rid of Bugsland in California Adventure and replacing it with something less kiddie…..Knox and Brooke are also at a great age for all the other awesome So Cal attractions, they would love Legoland, SeaWorld, Safari Park and SD Zoo. In October a lot of the parks offer Kids Free specials so that is a great time to go.

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LORA!!! Thank you so much for the tips!!! I really appreciate it. I totally forgot about Star Wars Land! I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

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I am doing a 10 mile run this week. It’s my cut back week and I’m excited lol. I took my last long run to the trails last week. I felt so good and felt like my pace was steady until a gaggle of teenage boys (I’m assuming cross country) passed me up without even thinking twice. Very annoyed lol. I need to go grocery shopping tonight and I may just go to Trader Joes now!

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Hey! I’ve been having trouble keeping up over the summer, but once school starts (I read your blog while my students read choice books :) I’ll be back! I miss commenting!

I love the TJ’s regular chocolate covered almonds–the coconut ones sound amazing! We don’t have a TJ’s super close to us, so I only get there about once every other month. Horrible, I know! I was so sad last week bc they didn’t have Matcha Jo Jos any longer. Boo. I did get some chocolate covered strawberry treats though, so that made up for it :) I will miss those Matcha Jo Jos though!!!!

A friend saw Won’t You Be My Neighbor and loved it. I need to check into seeing that to be reminded of the goodness in the world and how kindness always wins/trumps all!!!!

I’m just about done with the book Educated by Tara Westover. It’s non-fiction basically about a girl who was raised very sheltered with her dad not believing in public health care/education/believed in government conspiracies and how she eventually went out on her own and got an education/became successful. It’s an interesting story, but BOY is it DEPRESSING. I have mixed feelings on it. I need to check out Shoe Dog. I always forget about that book, but I”ve been intrigued by it. I tend to like non-fiction :)

Hope you guys have a FUN weekend and that the home projects are wrapped up soon :) :) :)

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JEN!! I read that book… it was unreal. I could not believe it!!!!! Thank you so much.. you too!!! I miss you too but I am SO happy you are having such a great summer!!!

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Have any fun weekend plans? Any races? Any long runs?

Homemade salad dressing or do you buy your salad dressing? Tessamae’s ceasar dressing & Braggs Organic Vinaigrette

What was the last thing that annoyed you during a run? People driving too fast with country roads with rolling hills. Also, the humidity in WV is 96% so that is awful.

What are you currently reading? I’ll be gone in the dark! It’s about the golden state killer.

********Our local running shop Two River Treads started a podcast… Just a background: the store is the first minimalist running store in the country. Dr. Mark the store owner has been running a sub 3 marathon for the past 30 years. He started his store to make an impact in WV since it’s the most obese state in the country. He also started the largest race in WV called the Freedom Run which goes through the C&O canal and Antietam battlefield. His podcast is a must listen to. It’s called: Run for your life. He also just wrote a book called “Run for your life”
I’ve listened to all types of running podcast, but his approach to how the body moves, his experience on how to run HEALTHY for your entire life, and proper nutrition is unlike any I’ve ever heard. ***********

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Awesome workout! Congratulations!

I am kind of obsessed with the South right now ( I envision living there during the winters when I stop working because I live in Newton, MA now and I can’t stand the cold!). So I just finished a Dorothea Benton Frank (Sullivan’s Island) and an Anne River Siddons (Nora, Nora). Definitely not for everyone! But they are fulfilling my need right now. Happy weekend :)

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I will be on the elliptical this weekend! I am pregnant with twins so running and I are on a short break for the next 5-ish months :)

Your smoothie looks so good! What do you put in it?

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CONGRATS on twins! I am so happy for you!! So for this one I used Aloha protein powder (vanilla), spinach, a frozen banana, milk and pb. Simple but SO good!!! Have an amazing weekend and great job on the ellipticalling.

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Have you seen Allie Kieffer’s Insta post on why she broke up with her boyfriend? Because it was impossible for her to balance her relationship with her running.
I love her even more now for her brutal honesty.

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I didn’t see it… that is crazy! More details please!

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Quote from todays’s post:
“…goals have me around the clock focused on running, not a relationship. I don’t think you can be great, especially in this sport, by leading a balanced life.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmBVryAgZZh/?hl=en&taken-by=kiefferallie

So much to wrap my head around there.

Now I’m imagining in my head who to fix her up with. Any ideas? For some reason I’m picturing her with a hockey player…

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Oh I didn’t know it was a post sorry I misread that… I thought it was in her stories and I missed it! SO interesting… yep, let’s figure out who we need to set her up with!

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Way to go on your workout!! I ran the hilliest half marathon EVER. We went to the equivalent of 58 floors and down 74. Wow! I finished Shoe Dog a month ago – so good! I’m reading Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset, about how to live from a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. It’s good, too!! And speaking of amazing movies, go see Rachel Hollis’ movie, Made for More, on August 13! It’s pretty inspiring! Have a great weekend :)

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I slept in on Saturday , never do that anymore, felt pretty good, except I missed my morning run but thankfully I missed the rain too and it cleared up late morning, so I squeezed in 5 miles. Sunday all 4 kids are off doing their own thang, so….. Hubby and I actually have the day alone! What?! That NEVER happens!
I ran an 8 mile race last Saturday and of course the next day I was like” okay Karen where we running to next” So I signed up for an easy half marathon that runs the bronx river parkway called the Westchester Healing Half, proceeds go to benefit Westchester Medical Center. That will be October 14th , and hopefully it will be one of those gorgeous sunny fall days in New England. Right now I am reading “Girl wash your Face” by Rachel Hollis. Such a must have!

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Have you seen Allie Kieffer’s Insta post on why she broke up with her boyfriend? Because it was impossible for her to balance her relationship with her running.

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I hope you feel better soon! Keep on resting and continue taking that cold medicine. Have a great race on Sunday! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it.

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