Let’s talk about Iowa

- Mel

Best small cities to live in. Source: WalletHub

Can you find Iowa on the map?
Yeah, admittedly, when we went for our first visit, we couldn’t either.

While not specifically mentioned in my Life List, I wanted to move outside of Ohio in my 30s. Actually, I wanted to in my 20s too, which I did, albeit temporarily, to Phoenix in 2004. We relocated five years ago to Pittsburgh and have loved it immensely — first living downtown before the big “boom” of the Cultural District and then living in an amazing neighborhood where we were able to sell our house in 9 days (!!!). I wrote about my conflicted experiences about “home” last year, then removed the post, because… there was something that made me feel unsettled about it; and with time for reflection, I think I finally know why. I want to move.

This last year has proved overwhelming at living a city lifestyle. For some reason, my desire for a more suburban, smaller (quiet) life is at critical mass. Maybe it’s age? Maybe it’s my social anxiety? Maybe it’s the noise… yeah, it’s partially the noise and the feeling that I’m drowning in busy-ness constantly. Maybe it’s just that a vibrant city life has worn out its welcome (on, in my opinion, is experiencing a “too big for its britches” moment). Maybe I miss the Midwest? And horses. I miss the horses.

We traveled to Des Moines in January to start the conversation about possible relocation — to learn about the city, shop houses with a Realtor… we even scheduled an executive tour of the downtown area and its suburbs. And since you now know about our official announcement, we obviously fell in love with our new home! So, we’re on the horizon of a move that’s quickly approaching.

The expressions on most friends’ faces (and the WTF comments) when they hear we’re moving to Des Moines tells us that most people don’t know much about Iowa. So, here’s a few articles to get you started:

How America’s Dullest City Got Cool {via Politico}
Iowa’s Heartland beyond the campaign trail {via NYT}
I’m not a hipster, but… Do the most hipster thing possible and move to Des Moines {via The Atlantic}
30 Things to Know Before Moving to Iowa {via Movoto blog}

Weekly Therapy: This is why I’ve been procrastinating on making resolutions.

- Mel

the week:
The big news of the week was our announcement of our move to Iowa! Yes, Iowa! Today, we close on our new house in the Des Moines area (which, I unfortunately couldn’t travel back for, and we had to rush to get a power of attorney for the signing). And we also already accepted an offer on our Pittsburgh house (inspection happened this morning!). Things are moving super fast, you guys. More gushing about my new city to come!

iowa t-shirt

weekend:
Using my remaining weekends to meet up and celebrate with local friends, since I only have a couple weeks left in Pittsburgh. Tonight, a dessert crawl to celebrate a friend’s birthday; tomorrow, Mexican for brunch; Sunday, hanging out at our new neighborhood coffee shop (and eating all the gluten-free goat baked goods!) with some neighbor-friends.

seven things, seven days:
1. Found a gluten-free bakery down in Sarasota, and they made OMG incredible cranberry walnut muffins. Wish I could have brought back 18 of them.
2. I am sincerely smoothie inept. Every recipe that I try tastes nothing like a smoothie. Any tips?
3. Because we were showing the house, we’ve, err… stored some things in unusual places to tidy up quickly. Tonight, I found a dead cat grass plant in the kitchen linen basket underneath the sink. Can’t. Stop. Laughing.
4. Did I mention that I don’t have to pack for this move? There is a God!
5. I do, however, need to drive 12 hours with 3 cats in the car, so the universe is in balance.
6. These tips are good to save a few thousand a year (with some healthy side effects). But I wish it was stuff I wasn’t already doing, so that I could find a way to squeeze more savings from my already-stretched (and soon-to-be gone) income. {via Prevention}
7. This list, on the other hand… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ {via Huffington Post}

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #12 – RACE WEEK!

- Mel

Week #12 in this training cycle was also Race Week! I’m currently in a recovery week.

Whew, this was not my strongest mesocycle and I felt immensely under-trained. But strangely, my body is striking back like I’m over-training. Because of my knee concerns, I decided to cut all my final training runs before race day. This has been a similar taper cycle to my last couple races, but unfortunately, this time around the pain didn’t go away for the race.

runners knee injury prevention RICE
:-/

Quick glance at the week – I’ll be doing separate Gasparilla race reviews in upcoming posts.

MONDAY: An hour of spinning at the Y

TUESDAY: Rest Day

WEDNESDAY: Upper body and core workout from Runner’s World (at home)

THURSDAY: Rest Day – packing for Gasparilla AHHHHHHH!

FRIDAY: Travel to Florida Day! Expo and packet pick-up

SATURDAY: Gasparilla Day #1 – 15k and 5k

SUNDAY: Gasparilla Day #2 – half marathon and 8k

TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 2 (1 hour of spinning; 1 upper body/core strength workout)
TOTAL RUNS: 4
LONGEST RUN: Half marathon (and an 8k soon after)
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 30.4 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 111.04 miles (I’ll now be rolling my mileage into my full marathon training)

And going forward, we switch over to Pittsburgh Marathon Training!

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something: Week 60

- Mel

Blogger Tribe_Sunday LatelySunday 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. Since I had to schedule this post early because of being away for the weekend, here’s a little of what’s going on in my brain in anticipation of running my first challenge race.

This week’s prompts are: Completing, Visiting, Repeating, Writing, Scheduling.

Completing: Gah! Hopefully I can come back here next week and say that I successfully completed the Gasparilla Ultra Challenge! By the time you’re reading this, I should be finishing up my half marathon, getting ready to line up for the 8K.

Visiting: Florida! While I won’t be doing much in the way of sightseeing (aside from things seen during my courses), I do have a couple recovery days down in Sarasota after the races, which I plan to put to good, relaxing use.

Repeating: Left-right-left-right… One foot in front of the other. These races will be a test to my mental strength, for sure, and more than likely brutalize both my mind and body. I need to dial it down and focus on that one step at a time.

Writing: This post! I’ll be back mid-week with, hopefully, some race day recaps.

Scheduling: Scheduling things like sleep and meals and start times and wake-up times is super stressful when you’re running four different races. There is so much info in my brain, that I can’t focus or remember anything.

Weekly Therapy: Arrrrrrgh you ready?

- Mel

the week:
Just trying to stay mentally and physically strong for these races this weekend. I’m doing it all for the bling and the fun – and happy that I’ll have a group of SCRR runners there with me to celebrate.

I plan to post next week all about my recovery, in my recovery week!

weekend:
Without further ado… it’s GASPARILLA WEEKEND! I’m leaving for Florida on Friday morning and the Ultra Challenge races take place on both Saturday and Sunday (early wake up call, like woah, on Sunday morning). I’m nervous about the weather forecast because it’s perfect for being in Florida, but awful for running 30 miles.

seven things, seven days:
1. So, Meb and Shalane are in Tampa this weekend, too, and I can’t spend the $100 to have dinner with them. Harumph. Hoping to catch a glimpse of them at least at the Expo.
2. I seriously *just* got access to the multiple accounts feature in Instagram. IT’S ABOUT TIME! (You feel me, social media marketing peeps?)
3. Are you guys all caught up on The Bachelor yet? Do you have any Top 3 favorites?
4. Those Grammys though. *eye roll*
5. I took my niece and sister to the Aviary to see the baby sloth… but we didn’t see him. 🙁
6. I like the idea of creating/having a “shutdown ritual” but just laying there in the dark for HOURS doing nothing is enough to drive anyone (ahem, me) to madness. I do like this list though: The 7 Step Evening Ritual {via Barking Up the Wrong Tree}
7. Is the triathlon only for the rich? Interesting story about amateur Ironmen paying for elite training. {via NYT}

Product Review: Wantable Fitness Edit #2

- Mel

This post contains referral links.

30-something Therapy_Fitness Edit 2

This is my second Wantable Fitness Edit [referral link]. I received a couple new brands in this box, along with some repeats from my first box; however, this one was a bust compared to last month.

30something Shape Activewear Wantable

1. Shape Active Long Sleeve Drop Tail Tee in Heather Gray XS ($44.00) — A repeat brand from last month, I feel like Shape activewear is all over the place in terms of quality. I do like this top — the Tencel fabric is really soft — and the fit is a true XS. Though, it’s not really all that long in the back, which is what “drop tail” in the description would make you think. Plus, when using the thumbholes, the arm seams feel twisted and tighten up the sleeves in a weird way. I have enough long-sleeved layering shirts, however, so I’m sending this one back. I would honestly be really concerned about wearing and washing this one, too, since it feels really thin.

30something therapy Wantable Prismsport activewear

2. Prismsport Lifestyle Peplum Jacket Saddle in mustard snake print (?) S (original $158.00 LOL; on sale for $94.80) — Another repeat brand from last month. Um… yeah. This jacket is ugly AF and not at all my style. #sorrynotsorry

I’m already not a fan of overly-feminine details on athletic wear – a ruching here or a feminine print there is OK, but I will NEVER wear something like this to work out in. Despite that, and even considering maybe wearing it casually, it feels reminiscent of a neoprene jacket that I had to wear when I worked at a zoo. Just, all over NO on this piece. I mean, it’s not even lined. Where the hell am I going to wear this? I’d be offended and angry if it didn’t make me laugh so hard.

30-something Wantable Just Live brand
I normally don’t take such extreme close-ups of my chest, but this front fastener needed that treatment.

3. Just Live Power Through Legging in Rustic Watercolor XS ($86.00) — I felt “meh” about these pants the second that I pulled them out of the box. The print is nice, but there’s something about the thickness and slickness of the fabric that I did not like. The product details state that they’re made from a signature YOLON blend (whatever that is) and are “fade proof, odor resistant, and designed to provide superior workout-enhancing compression.” The fit was great, though because of the compression, I struggled with some bunching above and below my calves. They weren’t impossible to put on when compared to other compression pants that I own. Still, I didn’t feel enough love to want to keep them.

4. Just Live Girls Best Friend Sports Bra in Rustic Watercolor S ($52.00) — This is the same watercolor print as the Just Live leggings. With all the terribleness of a front-zip sports bra thrown in. Interestingly, it did fit really well for being a small (I’m a genuine 34A cup), but there’s a tiny catch hook inside the zipper that kept unlatching and I was only taking pictures, so… this piece was also a NOPE.

30-something Soybu Wantable Fitness Edit

5. Soybu Camii Legging in Gemstone Space Dye XS ($64.00) — I think the prices of the two leggings in this box should be swapped! Is this something with space dye fabric, by the way? I noticed that space dye is always cheaper on Fabletics apparel too. The quality of these leggings per the price are fantastic — these are super soft and have really nice seams. I don’t own a pair of stirrups either (the stirrups can be “hidden” when bunched up at the ankle). I believe that I’ll find myself wearing these often for yoga and lounging around the house. The colors in this print are so pretty too!

The merchandise total is $340.80; if I were to keep everything in the box, I would get a 20% discount (and deduct the styling fee of $20) and the total would be $252.64. Since I really love the Soybu leggings, they’re totally worth paying an additional $44.00 to keep. Everything else was returned in the pre-labeled USPS bag that Wantable provides with every shipment.

Since we anticipate moving next month, I’ve skipped my shipment for March. But I’m excited to see what early-spring pieces I’ll receive in my April Edit!

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #11

- Mel

Welp, it’s Race Week! And I feel like I’m getting the boyfriend’s cold. UGH.

I leave Friday for Florida to run in the Gasparilla Ultra Challenge races. I feel under-trained and unprepared, but trying to stay strong with my mental game. I do NOT plan to race any of these distances, and I WILL plan to have fun and listen to my body if things start to go awry (despite really, really REALLY wanting those five medals and that crazy-ass finishers jacket). I mean, worst case scenario, it will be 70 degrees and I’m staying on the beach, so I cannot complain about taking this mini vacation at all.

MONDAY: [walked home from work] Spinning for an hour at the Y. This class felt much more intense than usual (which felt good). No knee trouble either.

We had three scheduled house showings in the evening, so killing some time with exercise was the best idea I probably had all week.

TUESDAY: [walked to the hair salon from work, about the same distance from work-to-home; and I went back to being a brunette!] Rest day and catching up on The Bachelor. 😉

WEDNESDAY: What a difference in a week! Last week, I wish I had packed shorts; this week, I wish that there was a Snuggie made for runners. At run//yoga//run//club, we got in about 2 miles and it was SUPER FRIGID. Probably a bad idea to start along the river too, where it was windy enough to make your eyeballs freeze. Running back up on the stadium level was a much better option, but that chill made two miles feel like five.

30-something run club Pittsburgh
Zero degrees with wind chill. Eyeball-freezing wind. I got this!

Hot yoga was THE BEST after that run. I don’t usually want to be in the warm room too early, but I went in and settled into savasana for a good 20 minutes before class started. I felt a lot more intention and emotion in this session that I ever do when doing yoga, and I loved our instructors teachings to not listen to all of life’s scripts – just listen to what your body needs. And be awesome, duh.

THURSDAY: [walked to work] Rest day (another house showing after work!)

FRIDAY: Foam roll day with my short-and-thick roller AND my Rad Roller, followed up with a lot of stretching of my legs and hips.

SATURDAY: Since the cold weather cancelled all the outdoor fun, I intended to go do a couple miles on the dreadmill at the Y. But when I started doing some squats and lunges for a pre-workout at home, I was experiencing some left knee tenderness again, so I nixed any running for the rest of the weekend. Later in the day, I felt it again when walking up and down the stairs, which wasn’t enough to mark as “pain”… but it felt different and not normal. Man, I really hope this is just the usual training pains that I experienced before both my first half AND my first full last year!

I also played around with attempting my tripod headstand AND I FINALLY GOT IT without kicking my legs up. Core strength like WOAH. At least I got that to brag about.

SUNDAY: More foam rolling and I did a hip strengthening workout from Runners World. Not overdoing and/or overthinking this right now, and just going to be OK with a less-than-ideal training week.

TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 2 (1 hour of spinning; 1 hot yoga session)
TOTAL RUNS: 1
LONGEST RUN: 2 miles
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 2 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 80.64 miles

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something: Week 59

- Mel

Blogger Tribe_Sunday LatelySunday 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. I hope everyone is savoring the feeling of love this weekend with your besties or that someone special in your life (and especially those four-legged furry friends keeping us warm on this chilly weekend).

Blogger Tribe, SUNDAY LATELY Week 59, 30-something therapy

This week’s theme, on this Valentine’s Day, is: Updating, Remembering, Needing, Wearing, Being.

Updating: A couple months ago, I worked with a resume writer to tweak my professional documents to turn myriad roles into a comprehensive skill set (and help me get my resume down to a single page, which… she was a miracle worker!). Well, I’ve officially put in my notice at work, so I’ll be updating all my statuses to reflect my job-searching status.

Remembering: that my race is this weekend and trying not to freak out. Granted, I’m doing this solely for fun — but it’s a LOT of miles to run just for shits and giggles. I need to remember to be smart (and not preemptively freak out), and figure out mentally how I will sustain my energy levels for hours of running and socializing). #introvertproblems

Needing: I need a plan of action for my race this weekend, so I’ll be working that into my weekly planner. And I’ll share it in a separate post this week! Thankfully, we have this long weekend to help fine-tune my to-do list and race day(s) schedule.

Wearing: I thought that this heart-inspired Aphrodite set from Fabletics [referral link] would be super-cute to lounge around in on Valentine’s Day — and I ended up getting it as a $19.95 deal.

30-something Valentines Day set Fabletics

But I didn’t anticipate that I would rather want to be wrapped in sweats and wearing a Snuggie all day.

Being: in LOVE. Woke up to coffee and Eggs Benedict, and a gifted bottle of Rose champagne and chocolate… and a cat card, natch. It’s sounds so simple, but it’s perfect.

Weekly Therapy: DONUT YOU LOVE ME?!

- Mel

Donuts, man. #gimme
GF DONUTS_valentine, 30-something

the week:
I’m seriously breaking out ALL over my face and scalp this week. WHAT IN THE WORLD. A couple weeks ago made sense when I was PMS’ing, but this is simply ridiculous. I haven’t changed my cleansing routine nor am I using any new products. Hormones? Maybe stress-induced? Frustrating!

weekend:
THREE DAY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

Our evenings and routine this week have been shaken up a bit due to house showings (and the boyfriend has come down with a nasty cold), so we’re canceling on the ballet tonight. However, I’ll be celebrating Galentine’s with my ladies on Saturday. And then, the boyfriend and I will be celebrating the day of love with him making me brunch in bed on Sunday. 😉

Since we have a long weekend and Monday off from work, my sister and niece are coming out for a night, too.

seven things, seven days:
1. Because it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend – and I love the ballet – I thought this PBT Love Story was a cute post.
2. DO NOT LIKE the astronaut cheese. *puke*
3. RTYI: Updated gluten-free Valentine’s Day candy list.
4. I’m… not a Super Bowl Baby. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
5. Do any of you have a Helix Sleep mattress? I’m very interested in this type of product.
6. I feel as though I could have written this article – and I’m still searching for a job that fits all my needs: 4 Crucial Questions I Wish I Asked Myself Before Changing Careers {via The Financial Diet}
7. Sports sharpen the presidential image {via NY Times}

Have a wonderful Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day weekend, my lovelies! <3

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #10

- Mel

So… I’m kind of in a taper place now, with the race being two weekends away. I feel like I kind of called it in this round of training. Overall, I’m disappointed in my effort – and my knee was definitely giving me trouble again on my run Sunday (I iced it afterward and attempted to stay off it, despite having TOO MANY STEPS in my house). I plan to keep it mostly rested and not do any more long runs until after race day. I see a lot of spinning and yoga in my immediate future!

bad advice 30something therapy
Probably bad advice.

MONDAY: Rest Day.

TUESDAY: First travel team practice of the season (2 hours), and it was moderately intense. We worked on drills aimed at keeping us square and using (or not using) our partners/wall; the practice was book-ended by some fun team-building activities, so we could learn more about our teammates. I think I’ve played with everyone at some point in my derby tenure, but it’s always a good exercise to remember where everyone is at this moment and the individual struggles each has experienced. While most of us have our own goals, this type of exercise is really important for future goal-setting for the team overall.

WEDNESDAY: Joined up with my run//yoga//run//club and ran 3.23 miles at average 10:10 pace. I did not take total advantage of the amazing weather to run in shorts — I was definitely dressed too warm! Nonetheless, what an incredible night outdoors. Yoga, meanwhile, was SUPER sweaty and destroyed my confidence and energy. Namaste, n’at.

THURSDAY: [walked to/from work] Ended up working late and had to miss practice. Yeah, I’m that guy already.

FRIDAY: [walked to work] Date night — dinner at Poros and tickets to Cabaret! Did I work out in the morning like I intended to with my clothes all set out? NOPE.

SATURDAY: Date day! I probably got some bonus points for walking around Sewickley for a couple hours (though negated by all the chocolate, I’m sure).

SUNDAY: Long run day! Yes, I got my ass out of bed on a Sunday morning to join SCRR for 9 miles. I had 11 on my training plan, so I planned for my usual 1-mile warm-up to the marathon garage and 1 mile back home after the group run. I had a great pack on this run, despite being really unhappy about the course taking us up Penn past Children’s Hospital. Anyone in Pittsburgh knows that’s an awful incline. But one of the guys enjoyed singing, so that was a fun way to pass the time from the mid-point (“Ohhhhhhh, we’re halfway there…”) to the end of the run (we need some work on our lyrics for “I like big butts” and “Space Cowboy” though).

Mile 1 (1.13): 9:54 average pace
Group run (9.24 miles): 10:19 average pace [Splits: 10:12 (1) / 9:55 (2) / 11:26 (3) / 10:04 (4) / 10:31 (5) / 10:03 (6) / 10:09 (7) / 10:20 (8) / 10:06 (9)] Run home (1.14): 9:56 average pace

TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 2 (2 hours of skating; 1 hot yoga session)
TOTAL RUNS: 2
LONGEST RUN: 11.51 miles
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 14.74 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 78.64 miles