the week:
This week, the boyfriend and I celebrated 7 years together. Unfortunately, he had to travel back to Pittsburgh to deal with the movers, so we’ll actually celebrate over the weekend. But… SEVEN YEARS, GUYS. Holy moly, how old am I?! And yes, we’re St. Patrick’s Day drunks-meets sweethearts.
Cheers to the new house!
weekend:
We’re heading into the city this weekend to use our (free) workout facility and explore downtown. With the NCAA tournaments in town, it’ s sure to be some MARCH MADNESS. *snicker*
seven things, seven days:
1. Our neighbors across the street invited us over for a party Sunday night, along with a few other couples. And everyone is so friendly, and I just feel right at home already. Plus, our sellers were there, so we were able to meet them, too.
2. Cats were pretty good in the car for 12 hours, and really only cried for the first hour. I only had one cat approach me in the drivers seat, with about an hour left to go. We were all incredibly antsy to get out of the car!
3. So, there are a lot of dirt roads near us and we don’t really know how to bypass them yet. This was a huge mistake, five minutes after going through a car wash. -_-
4. SEASON FINALE OF THE BACHELOR got me all… WUT. But I guessed his pick!
5. I had a quickie interview at a recruiting firm this week about a temp-to-hire position in the area. So… I got out of the house and drove around by myself! Bad news is that my car’s GPS doesn’t recognize my house. And Google Maps on my phone doesn’t do turn-by-turn (no clue why; it’s not muted). SHRUG. I got home.
6. Why do we work so hard? — a very thoughtful piece {via the Economist}
7. Oooh, I like this one very, very much: When it’s good to be bad {via Aeon}
I ran the Gasparilla Ultra Challenge in Tampa last month, and moved only a couple weeks later. I’m finally wrapping up my race experience. Read my recap of Day #1, if you missed it!
Same bib, different day.
Day #2 included a half marathon and an 8k. This would be my 4th half — my last half marathon was in September (when I was training for the Niagara Marathon). I couldn’t find any record of running an 8k race, but I had a couple 5-mile races to compare pace to and plan out my strategy. This experience was no comparison to the day before — my knee felt GREAT using a brace, but I was definitely feeling my body fatigue in the second race and the heat was borderline unbearable. I won’t underestimate it, the last few miles of this Challenge were pretty rough.
Start Line and Course: It wasn’t as cool as Day #1 at the start, but I still wore a long-sleeve throw-away to the start line. We began earlier, and it was SUPER dark for a few miles into the course — at one point we were running on brick or cobblestone roads, and I thought we were all going to trip over one another. It took a while for the course to thin out too.
While the start line and beginning of the course were different than the first day, the end of the course and finish line of the half and 8k were the same. At the start line of the 8k, there were several of us that were randomly clustered together who were running our last race of the challenge. It was a fun group, and it was awesome to commiserate over our experience so far (and our will to finish). Though, the course: same fan groups, same lady shaking her poms, same music guy… I was definitely cranky by the end of the 8k.
I stuck with the 2:15 pacer for the half marathon for a couple miles, until I realized that I was running his race strategy instead of my own. I didn’t feel bad about walking through a water stop and letting them run ahead (it seemed he was skipping water stations every 2-3 miles). I would gain some traction further on in the race. Later in the half — around Mile 10 — I saw the 2:20 pacer pass me and decided that I was going to attempt a PR and knew it was maybe possible to gain a few minutes but STAY AHEAD OF THAT PACER (at the time, I had zero idea what my total time was, as I only watch pace for the current mile on my Garmin watch).
Medals and Swag: Like the previous day, these medals do not disappoint. The half marathon medal and shirt are my favorites.
Bonus: That Ultra Challenge finishers medal is something else. SO HEAVY.
Random Bullshit: Uh, my “bonus” from the day before (the cold towels at the finish) were not available on Day #2. Now that I was used to that perk at this race… that’s some bullshit! It was longer distance on Sunday AND hotter. I just couldn’t understand the reasoning (plus, you know, HOT and I was cranky AF).
Also BS, the volunteers had already packed up the water stop at Mile 4 of the 8k. I was sincerely ready to lose it and stopped dead in my tracks. The water stop ended up somewhere a quarter of a mile later or so, but… WHY?! I was definitely feeling dehydrated.
After Party: We packed up and drove to Sarasota after Sunday’s race activities (thankfully, I had enough time to take a shower before checking out).
Spoiler alert: I FINISHED!
TL;DR The Great: Honestly, summing up my entire Gasparilla experience, this was one of the best-managed races that I’ve ever participated in – especially considering the logistics of some 30k+ runners and four different events over two days. The Good: Both days, I had pacers from Pittsburgh. I met a few others on the course, too, with the same randomness of location. The Bad: One bloody sock, a couple of blisters at the tips of my toes and a bruised toenail. This challenge wrecked my feet. The Ugly: Those last few miles, man. ROUGH.
Some people have asked if I would do this race again. Heck yeah, in a heartbeat. Though, I really wish that I had friends running this one with me. There are definitely other challenges out there that I’d like to add to my trophy room first before going back to Tampa. I learned that I really like challenge/multi-day races, and even though the mileage was split between two days, finishing gave me a little more confidence to pursue a 50k.
RESULTS Half marathon official finish time: 2:17:17 — a new PR!
Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy).
Every Sunday morning, the Tribe shares a small glimpse into what’s happening lately — and I’m sharing along as part of my “group therapy.” All are welcome, so if you’re a blogger looking for his or her online community, click through and join us in the Blogger Tribe Facebook group, and every week we share our thoughts on a rotating theme of prompts. If you’re new here, I JUST MOVED! And after driving 12 hours with 3 cats in the car, we’re HOME! 🙂
CREATING: Does it sound cheesy to say I’m creating a new life in Iowa? Or, at least the start of a new life. Does that sound like I’m making babies? lol (I’m not.)
FINDING: Well, for one, I need to find somewhere to have brunch. And then I need to find out how long it’s going to take for my new sectional to be delivered. And find where I packed the cat nail clippers. And my floss. I’m sure there are others.
SWITCHING: There was a time change overnight due to the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, but… now I’m on Central Time, so SHRUG EMOJI. The time change always messed me up, and I’m wondering if I’ll just sort of settle into CST without any issues. It was kind of weird to be driving in and experiencing 2:00pm twice, knowing that we’d have 2:00am twice as well.
FORGETTING: I’m sure that I’ll keep forgetting that I’m in Central Time Zone when talking to friends and family (and blogging) from here. I probably need to update a setting for my scheduled posts somewhere too.
CRAVING: An exercise routine. I was able to get a few workouts in last week despite the madness of packing some suitcases and over-socializing (worth it!). Hilariously, as I was unpacking the few boxes that I shipped and organizing my closet, my current wardrobe is overwhelmed by activewear.
the week:
Lots of “lasts” in Pittsburgh this week — last spin class at the Y with my girl Kylee, last run//yoga//run//club at Urban Elements with my tribe, last drink at the Pub (and my favorite salad in this city), last run through the Point (but definitely not the last cry), last massage (I’ve been seeing the same massotherapist for over 3 years!), last walk into downtown. People keep asking if I’m nervous (I’m not); I’m positively excited and anxious to get to my new home. That doesn’t take away at all from my amazing experience living in Pittsburgh for the last 5.5 years — I’ll miss the hell out of this place. And the reality of moving away from some wonderful friends struck me kinda hard this week.
Also, if you need to know the best (read: my favorite) place to cry in Pittsburgh, it’s at the Point, near the fountain at the top of the stairs… looking back out at the city. I don’t know how or why I always end up there when I’m feeling really freaking sad, but it’s become a special place for me.
Bye, ‘Burgh!
weekend:
Tonight is the last night in our Pittsburgh house, and we leave first thing in the morning. *waves*
seven things, seven days:
1. I’m a huge fan of overnight fridge oats, and this week I made a couple with the flavor packs that I received from Devotion Nutrition — swapping out my usual maple syrup for coconut biscotti and banana fosters Flex Flavors. SO GOOD.
2. I continue to get regular massages because my left IT band is almost always tight – and my shoulders and my glutes. But at this week’s appointment, my hip flexors are really messed up. Read: need to find a way to stretch my psoas? WHOOF.
3. Um, I intentionally and willingly ate gluten for the first time in over two years. (And the carrot cake cupcake was DELICIOUS.) So… I’ll be watching for any symptoms for a few days. I definitely got a headache that night, but it didn’t linger.
4. Speaking of all things gluten and not: I found a gluten-free bakery (donuts!!!) within walking (running?) distance of my new house.
5. I’m on the job hunt, so this article was incredibly eye-opening!: A top recruiter on what anyone can see after 30 seconds with your resume {via Quartz}
6. “Here’s the awesome thing about making choices and decisions – we get to make them. we get to decide and then change our mind when circumstance change. ” YES YES YES, ALL OF THIS, YES! Procreation Choices {via The New Wifestyle}
7. Good reference for any age group: 30-somethings should be doing a mix of interval training and lifting heavy weights — The best exercise for your age {via Huffington Post}
This felt like a GREAT training week! The week off for recovery really helped mentally. I’ve also been doing daily hip and glute strengthening workouts – it’s a set of four movements that takes less than five minutes (and I do while I’m brushing my teeth because I am the consummate multi-tasker). And I couldn’t have believed that something so simple would make me sore! But while I finally committed and followed-through on a 3-run training week, my mileage fell short of my training plans.
MONDAY: [walked to work] Hour spin class at the Y. I love this weekly class as much as I value my run-yoga group. I definitely intend to keep up this habit after moving.
TUESDAY: I joined SCRR for their group run on Tuesday night. I intended to run 5 miles, but it ended up being a Track Tuesday-focused workout. I definitely don’t do enough (read: any) speedwork this training cycle, so it was a fun break from just slogging through another base mileage run. Of course this would be a night when I would forget my watch, so I have only an estimate from MapMyRun about my 400 splits. I definitely appreciated the coaching in regards to speed and breathing.
Started with a slow mile warm-up, followed by 4×400 sprints. We totaled 3.70 miles. Splits: 10:43/6:23 (???!!!)/7:46/10:57. So, yeah… that’s madness!
And I think that I found a new way to get past some of the training burnout that I’ve been feeling (despite not really having a successful training mesocycle before Gasparilla).
WEDNESDAY: run//yoga//run//club — I’m going to miss this group so much when I move! And for REAL, I’m going to see if I can start a similar meet-up in Des Moines. I like the mid-week habit, and it was the first time that I felt like I found my “tribe” in the running community. *tear*
We changed course tonight (as did the weather), running into downtown, through/around the Point and back over the pedestrian bridge into the north shore. We finished around 3 miles (nobody tracked until the last mile, so I based off previous runs and maps) and at the end we were running a a sub 9-minute pace. So, WOOOOO!
Followed up the run with 75 minutes of yoga. It felt good. Really, really good.
THURSDAY: Rest Day – and dinner with friends!
FRIDAY: Rest Day – last day of work and going away party
SATURDAY: Another Rest Day – tbh, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a hangover fog for two days and really needed another rest day to sit around in my pajamas and purge my house of 8000 magazines. But I haven’t yet skipped my daily hip and glute workouts!
SUNDAY: One thing that I hadn’t yet accomplished in Pittsburgh that I always wanted to do, was the run up McArdle Parkway to Mount Washington. So… I did it Sunday afternoon. Starting and ending in my neighborhood in the North Side, I completed 8.01 miles at average 10:13 pace.
My paces for going uphill impressed me! And yes, the views from the top were amazing. Unfortunately, that familiar knee trouble came with me downhill and started getting really intense during mile 7 (hence, my pace), which is why I didn’t do the 10-12 that I intended to do.
Gonna miss that view though!
TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 2 (1 hour of spinning; 1 hot yoga session) TOTAL RUNS: 3 LONGEST RUN: 8.01 miles TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 14.71 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 125.75 miles
Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). Every Sunday morning, the Tribe shares a small glimpse into the last week — and I’m sharing along, too, as part of my “group therapy.” All are welcome, so if you’re a blogger looking for his or her Tribe, click through and join us in the Blogger Tribe Facebook group, and every week we share our thoughts on a rotating theme of prompts. Here’s what’s happening in my space and place for Week 62.
This week’s prompts: Doing, Appreciating, Designing, Humming, Expecting.
Doing: Change of address! Shipping boxes! Packing boxes (thankfully, we don’t have to do a lot of this). But, generally, doing all the things one has to do preparing for a relocation.
Appreciating: I’m so greatly appreciating the opportunity to work remotely for my job on a contractual basis. My intent is to find an in-person job in Des Moines though, mostly so that I have some sort of social interactions (aside from talking to cats all day) but also because I really like working in an office setting.
Designing: Designing a week of lunches and happy hours and workouts around friends that I get to see once more before moving. I sincerely know some great people here, who I will miss incredibly.
Humming: I started binge-watching “Damages” from the beginning, since I never watched beyond Season 2. Naturally, I have the show’s theme song in my head.
Expecting: Totally expecting this week to fly by! Next Sunday, I’ll officially be a resident of Iowa. It still all feels really surreal, but my generalized anxiety is definitely at a high right now. I’m *really* trying to work on it by staying calm (but busy) and stress-free (which, hahahahaha). Seriously though, I feel OK about the move, but I think the anticipation and the excitement is partially manifesting in a negative way.
The Gasparilla Distance Classic series of races includes a 15k, 5k, half marathon, 8k, the Michelob Ultra Challenge (which includes all 4 races), the Michelob Ultra Amber Challenge (3 of the races: the 15k, 5k and half), and the Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus Challenge (the 15k and 8k). My choice: the Ultra. So, my challenge was 4 races set over 2 days. First up was the 15k and 5k on Saturday.
Flat Melinda: Ready for Gasparilla Day 1!
Registration and Cost: I love to search for my registration confirmation to see when I decided to sign up for a race. Since I knew the Ultra Challenge was capped at 1,000 participants, I registered SUPER early (in May) to save some money — and it was before I had even completed a full marathon and just a couple weeks after finishing my first half marathon. That cracks me up.
Since I registered for all four races at once, the cost was $185. Everything was done online through imATHLETE, and I didn’t have any issues.
Expo and Packet Pick Up: We went to the expo on Friday after we landed. This size of this expo was on par with Pittsburgh’s — it was HUGE, with so many vendors. Publix was a main sponsor, so they gave out free race distance magnets (and, yes, I got all four!) and Cabot cheese was there sampling their awesomeness as well. Still no luck on finding some clearance Saucony Ride 7s in my size at any of the shoe vendors. Whomp.
I really liked that I wore the same bib for all four races. Also, the t-shirts could all be picked up in the same spot, and they gave us the Ultra Challenge finisher jackets at packet pick-up, which I found interesting (what if you didn’t finish?!). The swag was all packed into a reusable shopping tote, which was also a welcome change (I have so many of those backpack-like cinch bags!).
Bag Check: Didn’t use bag check for any of the races, since I stayed at a hotel within walking distance of both start lines. It was really nice that they had a medal drop in between races for runners completing the various challenges (my medal drop was my boyfriend haha).
Weather: Beautiful… but hot! With the early (dark) start times, I was able to toss out a couple of my old unwanted long-sleeves over the two days, but by mid-morning, temperatures were in the low 70s. Running in shorts and a tank (and hat, because ALL SUN) is my preferred comfort zone but OMG when I saw people running in long pants and sweatshirts and FURRY COSTUMES, I knew Florida officially lost its dang mind.
A furry in Florida! RACING IN COSTUME. #hotAF
Fans and Experience: Great crowd support and I lucked out with incredibly friendly pacers (randomly, one who just moved to Pittsburgh) and talkative fellow runners. At the turn-around point, there was a large group of fans with freaking DOUGHNUTS. Throughout the course, there was music and cheer sections and entertainment of various genres (my favorite was probably the guy who was playing a keyboard and singing over electronica music).
Start Line and Course: Both courses took advantage of the beautiful waterfront, running out and back on Bayshore Blvd. Both the 15k and 5k also had the same start and finish lines. I had about an hour between races, and I made friends with a guy from Indiana (who had a Steelers tattoo), who offered up one of his extra GU energy gels for me. The 5K corrals felt SUPER packed and chaotic — more so than lining up for the 15k. There was water at almost every mile of both races, with Gatorade at some stops as well. This race had really great volunteers!
Medals and Swag: I already mentioned the individual shirts, but each race also came with individual medals.
Bonus: You guys! There were cold towels at the finish line! This was the most amazing thing ever!
Random Bullshit: Ugh, my knee. This was the first time I’ve felt some pain during a race, and it started within the first couple miles. My strategy was total bullshit, too (but it worked) — run faster. (Seriously.) When I increased my pace, it no longer hurt, so I guess maybe my form is breaking down when I’m slowing up? No clue, but I was definitely nervous about running Day 2. And I was having arguments inside my head about being able to keep up the faster pace for 18 miles of running the following day. hahahaha NOPE. OR COULD I?!
After Party: I went back to the hotel to ice my knee and prop up my legs for a few hours, while the boyfriend Uber-ed to the local breweries and to a drugstore to get me a knee brace and some KT tape.
TL;DR The Great: I PR’d my 15k! The Good: Man, everyone was having so much fun at these races. It was contagious! The Bad: That Florida sun. The Ugly: Ugh, knee trouble.
the week:
My last week at my job… at least, on-site. We’ve worked out an agreement so that I can stay on as a contractor until one of us: finds a job (me) or finds a replacement (them). The universe has also blessed me this week, to randomly (and separately) run into people who I haven’t seen in a while. These things have warmed my heart (and will keep my bank account warm as well).
weekend:
Tonight is our going away party, and then I’ll spend my last weekend in Pittsburgh (since we leave next Saturday morning). Yep, I thought two weeks would be SO long to wait out, but it’s positively flown by. I do need to get my shit together this weekend and ship some things out to the new house though, especially now that the movers have confirmed they will not pack/move any opened toiletry item. 😐
seven things, seven days:
1. Uber drivers who let you plug in your phone and pick your playlist are the best Uber drivers! I had our guy dancing in his seat. We had a good time.
2. Furniture shopping is a pain-in-the ass, you guys. And whomever actively promotes a 2-6 week delivery window can burn in a fire.
3. One last visit with friends to one of my favorite restaurants in the ‘Burgh: CURE. *sniff* (And we finally remembered to use our gift certificate from two Christmases ago.)
4. Speaking of tears, I had my first ugly cry about moving this week. 🙁
5. An economics trick that might help you with your motivation {via Quartz}
6. Being a thin person for 97% of my life, this research from the Cornell Food Lab is fascinating! {via The Atlantic}
7. This article had perfect timing for me (and will for any of you who watched the Olympic Trials and/or love to run and/or take same advice for running and life): What Does it Take to Win? {via Forbes}
This past week, however, was my recovery week… so I did nothing! I did have to walk to work several times though, so that was good to keep my joints moving. So, instead of writing out my workouts for the week (because there were none!), I’m going to talk about my recovery.
Recovery: Resting your tired feet in the cool sand of Siesta Key is optional.
2. Compression sleeves: I had a conversation about compression gear recently with another runner friend (re: whether they actually work or not). VIM + VIGR sent me a pair of compression calf sleeves a few months ago to test out (no monies exchanged for testing or review, but I got a free pair). For recovery, these have helped my tired calves immensely. After my long runs, I put on my calf sleeves and prop my legs up for a good hour (or longer, if I nap, which… likely). I used them in the hotel room after the first day of Gasparilla, too, and I felt really fresh for Day 2. It might all be psychosomatic, but at the very least, this post-training regimen forces me to relax.
3. Massage: Sadly, I couldn’t get into my usual massage therapist this week (and OMG I have to find a new massage place in Des Moines!), but a massage after a long race is KEY to my body feeling back to normal. I get really tight IT bands, calves and quads like a lot of runners, which she works out perfectly; she also spends a few minutes helping me stretch those areas that I can’t get by myself. Because I didn’t have a massage this week, I definitely feel more “lead-legged” than usual. I probably should have scheduled one down in Florida. Sigh, 20/20.
4. Trigger-point therapy: I am guilty of not doing my foam rolling as much as I should (I’m a work in progress!), but I use several apparatuses to release tight and knotted muscles after big races or long runs: my RAD roller, a lacrosse ball, and two different foam rollers. I use this Foam Rolling app for guidance. I love the RAD roller especially, as I can easily toss it in my suitcase for traveling.
5. Hot tub: I don’t own a hot tub, but if I’m traveling for a race, I make sure to book a hotel that has one. We had access to a hot tub at the parent’s condo development — and sitting in one the day after the race, even for just 10 minutes, is just MAGICAL for relieving tired, sore legs.
Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). Every Sunday morning, the Tribe shares a small glimpse into the last week — and I’m sharing along, too, as part of my “group therapy.” All are welcome, so if you’re a blogger looking for his or her Tribe, click through and join us in the Blogger Tribe Facebook group, and every week we share our thoughts on a rotating theme of prompts. There’s a whole lot of chaos lately, but here’s what else is going on in Week 61.
This week’s prompts are: Planning, Loving, Reading, Wishing, Feeling.
Planning: THE MOVE! I have to segregate the “essentials” from “non-essentials” in my closet to send to Iowa before we leave AND ship my costume jewelry (I guess movers don’t move that… WHAT?!). Since we’ll be without the bulk of our household for a couple weeks, and will be traveling with three cats (and all their stuff), we are severely limited at what we can take in the car. The next couple weeks will be hectic!
Loving: I didn’t wear most of my makeup in Florida, and I was loving how fresh my face felt (despite its imperfections). This weather is just killing my skin right now! But yesterday, I decided not to wear my BB cream under my powder to see if I can take another beauty product out of my regular routine.
Reading: Gretchen Rubin’s Better Than Before*. I got a little bit of reading done pool-side in Florida last week, but haven’t really dedicated my time to unwinding with a book. So… it’s taken me a while to get into this (so much for better habits! HA!). I *really* wanted to finish it though, but when she started talking about drinking diet soda… I just knew I could no longer connect with her message. I think I’m marking this one DNF and moving on to something else.
BTW, based on her framework, I’m considered an Upholder, which makes my not finishing my review copy a HUGE conflict for me!
Wishing: Honestly, I wish I was in my new house! The boyfriend got to spend the entire weekend there, torturing me with pictures of sunsets in the backyard — and all the windows open because it was 60 freaking degrees in Des Moines! — and his new beanbag chair on the living room floor (lol) and our new washer-dryer set. ARGHHHHHHHH!
Feeling: Sad, but excited! As I mentioned, I couldn’t be in Des Moines with my boyfriend to sign the house papers, so while he’s taking care of all the stressful stuff, I feel like I’m missing out. I even asked him if we could bump up our move a week because I want to be in my new house so bad. I know that’s something I would regret later, though, not taking the time to spend with friends before we go. I wrote my schedule out for the next two weeks, and, um… it will definitely be here before I know it.
Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by 
