Special edition of the Farm Report to bring you BABY GOATS.
If I had my choice of a therapy animal, it would probably be a baby goat.
Last weekend, as part of my mission to become less of a city girl and more of a suburban wannabe farm girl, I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging with the some of the cutest animals: BABY GOATS. As part of a summer series at Howell’s Farm in Cumming, Iowa, and a collaboration with Illuminate Yoga and the wonderful instructor Lynn Marie Nelson, the “Goat Yoga + Giggle” event was something I was geeking out about FOR WEEKS.
This is basically how it looked when they unleashed the goats in our enclosed pen for the yoga class. I was basically squeeing in excitement from the moment I unrolled my mat. You cannot be in the presence of baby goats and not be positively impacted. And if you don’t have a smile reach across your face, then we cannot be BFF.
BABY GOATS
BABY GOATS CHEW ON EVERYTHING!
BABY GOAT MAWING ON MY TOE
BABY GOAT ON MAH PLANK
(Special thanks to Howells and Lynn for the most perfect action shots!)
BABY GOATS TAKING SAVASANA WITH ME AND ALSO PERFECT SELFIE PARTNERS
It surpassed all my expectations and I left feeling so joyous. And yes, I giggled the entire time. There was definitely more goats and giggles than yoga, but that just meant all was balanced with the universe.
And yes, BABY GOATS EATING MY HAIR. 🤣
(And then I went to meet and feed some BIGGER GOATS – one of them made that hilarious screamy goat noise, but I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t record fast enough on my phone.)
I’m not sure of the availability of remaining classes, but check out Illuminate’s event page and BOOK IMMEDIATELY if you see an open spot.
the week:
I’m still working on my race schedule for this year… which is a little difficult to complete, as I do not have the confirmed dates for my summer internship (for which I’ll travel to the west coast). My goal focus will be my half marathon PR, and I am still undecided if I want to train further than my 20-mile trail race scheduled for summer. I think doing the shorter distances of some local trail races throughout the year would be fun, still keep me in good training condition, and allow me to focus on my graduate studies. I am tentative on a few traveling opportunities later this year (for races) – though my husband and I have two non-running vacations on the calendar!
weekend:
The Health & Fitness Expo is happening at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines this weekend, so I plan to check it out and participate in some of the free fitness sessions (yoga mimosas early Saturday AM, hello!). Also: weekend runs begin again this Saturday for Capital Striders from Drake University!
Meanwhile, I’ll be starting some assignments — winter quarter begins on Monday. YAY!
seven things, seven days:
1. No cavities! Great way to start the year.
2. In 2015, I completed a 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge. While I don’t believe I can complete in addition to all my school assignments, I set 24 (2 books per month) as my Reading Challenge goal for 2018.
3. More yoga in 2018! Keeping with that promise to myself, I went to an amazing Good Vibes yoga session at the Windsor Heights Community Center this week. Every Wednesday, yoga for everyone, donation class. Come out and hug some strangers and connect deeper with your own practice and the Des Moines yoga community.
4. Another visit to the vet for my middle cat child. Because of our adventure before Christmas, I was worried that she was obstructed (given her litter box behavior) and seems the poor kitty’s stress has inflamed her bladder. 😿
5. Want to say “no” more in 2018? The Art of Saying No (to prepare you for saying “yes”). {TED Talk}
6. What are your predictions for fitness trends in 2018? {via Outside}
7. This is an excellent piece from Runner’s World on how to incorporate “gains” into your 2018 goals. All of their suggestions (except for maybe the cold showers, because NOPE I’d rather just run outside) are realistic and easy improvements to goal-setting that I plan to incorporate into my upcoming training schedule.
the week:
I’ve had a pretty awful go of the PMS this week. I’m dealing with an awful ingrown hair (which I used PTO to visit my doctor about, and basically got instructions for warm compresses and a script for an antibiotic). My dentist finally sent me to an endodontist to check out a tooth that has been super sensitive and causing deferred pain in other teeth for over two years; so, I got a root canal this week (I guess the molar has experienced “trauma” and is inflamed, which is why it’s been bothering me, but no infection).
Did I mention how a small animal somehow got into my car overnight and left his smeared prints and scratches on the INSIDE of my windshield? (See also: WTF?!) And then a WASP hit my side mirror and bounced into my car. I didn’t know it was a wasp at first, until I turned around and found it sitting on my back WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I frantically flicked it off me, and pulled over to a gas station a mile down the road to shoo it out. I couldn’t find it. I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND IT. I’m terrified that it’s lying dormant underneath my gas pedal and is going to crawl up my pant leg one day.
You ever have one of those weeks?
weekend:
Going to the “Glow with the Flow” yoga event tonight at Brenton Skating Plaza (so excited for this!), and I have another massage on Sunday (praise, Jesus). Waiting to see if any of this rain hits us overnight Saturday; if not, our trail group may travel up to Ledges to get some elevation fun on the legs.
Long run Saturday with the Striders, as is tradition!
seven things, seven days:
1. Hey there, 50% off sale stuff, J.Crew!
2. Why is a nude sports bra so hard to find?
3. Do Not Be Afraid of Your Dinner: Louie’s Wine Dive is doing a gluten-free meal event! (YAY!)
4. My golf clinics are done for the summer, and I miss the weekly lessons. If they don’t do another session in Fall, I’m likely going to sign up for private lessons again. Dare I say that I actually enjoy it!?
5. Am I the only one irritated by a LARGE local race that is promoting a certain on-the-course product that isn’t even available to purchase locally ANYWHERE?!
6. Eh, that medal doesn’t excite me either. #subtweet
7. Oh, man, is this an excellent article about The Barkley Marathons {via Esquire}
the week:
Recovery has been nice! I’m one my first of TWO WHOLE WEEKS without running. I started my ladies’ golf clinics and went roller skating for a few miles (including wiping out in the grass within the first five minutes lol). I feel like I have all the energy and time in the world — using it to clean out dressers and organize closets… and, um, drink a lot of wine.
Being fresh off a marathon finish has also given me a new kind of confidence to take on all the other life bullshit falling into the Procrastination category, and I’m on a roll crossing things off my to-do list! #gettingshitdone
weekend:
I volunteered this morning at Dam to Dam at the Tacopocalypse food table. It was so hot, and I was SO happy not to be running. Sorry to all the runners who didn’t get any pork nachos — we ran out of food after only 2 hours. 🙁
I plan to go for a bike ride tomorrow morning, and then partake in a little Sunday Funday (and probably Jethro’s BBQ brunch). I’m kinda liking this run-free summer lifestyle right now.
seven things, seven days:
1. Can you believe the back brake pads and rotors of my NEW CAR had to be replaced already? Crazy.
2. I put on my big girl pants and cancelled my gym membership (that I barely used once a month).
3. And now I need a place to do drop-in yoga. Any suggestions for Des Moines, preferably west/northwestern suburbs? No membership, please.
4. Got any early favorites for this season’s The Bachelorette? ?
5. Deep Inside Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos. I haven’t had Taco Bell in a few years, but I still crave it like my post-party, bar-crawling former 20-something self.
6. The Rise and (Maybe) Fall of Influencers {via NYT}
7. Brutalist redesigns of your favorite social platforms. BE STILL MY BRUTALISM-LOVING HEART. {via The Verge}
IT’S MARATHON WEEK! But without getting too far ahead, this post is about LAST week — Training Week #19 — a taper week, a take-it-easy week, a… uh, reminder to myself that marathon training is not quite over. Week.
Marathoner in Training… STILL. ?
I’m carrying over a LOT of confidence from my 22-miler the weekend before, and I feel completely ready to do this race. Because I’m in my taper, this week’s training plan doesn’t have a whole lot of surprises — unless you count the tornado sirens.
MONDAY Rest
TUESDAY Yoga at home + foam rolling
WEDNESDAY This was our crazy weather night, complete with tornado warnings – and our power was out until late evening. No running for me.
THURSDAY Mid-week easy run that I carried over from Wednesday. I originally was supposed to join the Green Runners again, but wasn’t sure about the total mileage and opted to complete my run at home on the treadmill.
3.01 miles / 33:50 / 11:14 average pace
FRIDAY More rest!
SATURDAY Last meet-up with my Capital Striders group for this training cycle. We did a 6-mile loop starting from Drake, dropping some runners off and gaining some others for another 5 miles.
10.90 miles / 1:50:00 / 10:05 average pace
Splits: 10:18, 10:00, 10:26, 10:20, 10:14, 9:56, 10:20, 9:48, 9:47, 9:35, 10:15
I had no idea that my paces were that fast — felt easy!
We ended our “season” with a celebration brunch at Louie’s Wine Dive. Despite a bit of rain, it was a great morning out on the roads. I appreciate these ladies so much for their support through my training.
Cheers, ladies!
SUNDAY I had yoga on my schedule, but didn’t do well with scheduling out my day. By the time I got home from the matinee, I was exhausted and ended up on the couch with my cat for a couple hours. I did some stretching and hip/glute mobility stuff before bed.
WEEKLY RUNS: 2 runs WEEKLY MILES: 13.9 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 402.97 miles
Today’s the LAST DAY to register for the Vermont City Marathon. Use code BibRave10 to save $10 on your registration!
IT’S TAPER TIME!!!!!! Also, look at that: a training week wrap-up actually posted on Monday!
Week #18 wasn’t a perfect training week for me. I skipped a speed workout, and swapped an easy run to later in the week. I think I’ve only had 3 weeks in my entire training cycle where I didn’t run 4 times. This was one of those weeks! I only ran twice. Woof. My back soreness extended into mid-week — when I FINALLY got my trigger point ball out and found the gnarly spot in my mid-back that was causing all the discomfort. This wasn’t my “peak week,” as last week had more total mileage — though this week had my longest run of this cycle. I’m excited already with all this “spare time” I found in my weekly schedule and looking forward to writing more about my excitement for this marathon.
BibRave represent, 22 miles of Greenbelt Trail, and practicing my race day outfit.
MONDAY Strength workout – no kettlebell for me this week, as I was being protective of my back. I focused on body strength work and really light dumbbells.
TUESDAY My birthday — so why not just rest and enjoy it?
WEDNESDAY I had yoga scheduled for Thursday, but I NEEDED it — and just 30 minutes at home helped SO MUCH. I spent extra time on stretching and foam rolling and hating my trigger point ball. If you’re looking for some good home yoga workouts, I can’t recommend Yoga With Adriene enough! She’s got a lot of great beginner videos, but also some amazing sessions geared towards runners… and a couple for specific issues (like my lower back soreness).
THURSDAY Easy 6 miles around my neighborhood. Since changing my work schedule, it’s been nice to have my runs done a little earlier. And it’s always great to enjoy more hours of daylight — particularly on a beautiful weather day.
FRIDAY Lots of rest to prepare for Saturday’s early rise.
SATURDAY Longest long run of my training plan — 22 miles! I met with the Capital Striders group run, joining my running buddies for an out-and-back 8+ miles on the Greenbelt Trail from Fitness Sports… and then continuing for the bulk of the miles on my own. I felt good; I ran in my race day outfit, and I practiced all my fueling and mental training. It was good to have a little warmer of a day, too, in the chance I experience that weather in Vermont.
You want to know something that pissed me off on my run though?
Getting a Personal Best on my half marathon. That’s some shit, isn’t it?
SUNDAY Recovery Day! And I planned it as such, with Pop-Up Yoga at Salisbury House and a 90-minute massage (session with a new massotherapist, and I love her!).
Beautiful gardens at Salisbury House… oh, and after directing the gardening duties at my house.
And with that, time to enjoy the taper crazies!
WEEKLY RUNS: 2 runs WEEKLY MILES: 27.7 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 389.07 miles
While it’s probably too late to train for a marathon (spoiler alert: it is), if you waited to register for the Vermont City Marathon, now is the time: Use code BibRave10 to save $10 on your registration! TWO WEEKS AWAY!
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
Longest trail distance (and a crazy map drawing!), easy runs at home on the treadmill and more strength training with the kettlebell.
I got two awesome runs out on the dirt trails during week nine of training — which was not quite following my written workouts, though it helped me through a kind of a stagnant, tired patch of my marathon training cycle (go away, cold weather!). Though I went off-plan on my coach, I did ask in advance if swapping my long run day to Sunday was OK (and what workout I should do on Saturday) — AND got in SIX days of workouts. And then I did my longest run ever on dirt trails. It was a good week to kind of go “rogue,” since now I’m enjoying a cut-back week for my marathon training mid-point.
ON THE SCHEDULE:
Two strength workouts
YOGA!
Tempo Run
Long Run
A couple Easy runs
MOAR FOAM ROLLING!
MONDAY Scheduled Rest Day! I also did some foam rolling on my calves and feet.
TUESDAY Strength workout with my kettlebell (I’m seriously so happy that I asked for this for Christmas!). I also love starting my week with strength — a nice ease-in after resting, which helps me focus for the week ahead.
WEDNESDAY Tempo Run on the schedule… but I ended up meeting a couple trail buddies at Jester Park after work for 5 miles. I did one of my long runs here in the fall, and it’s such a wonderful park.
5.2 miles / 57:50 / 11:12 average pace / 127 elevation gain (per Garmin)
THURSDAY Finally back to my Yoga Roots class after a couple weeks off. It felt GLORIOUS — even though it’s always so hard — but the instructor always keeps the mood light and makes us laugh and reminds us not to take ourselves so seriously.
FRIDAY Started off with a 5-minute walk and then ran for 40 minutes at an easy pace. Back on the treadmill!
3.62 miles / 41:18 / 11:24 average pace
SATURDAY Since I swapped my long run to Sunday, my weekend Recovery Run became another easy run. Another notch on the treadmill. And some foam rolling to keep those tight muscles in check.
2.0 miles / 21:53 / 10:56 average pace
Ready for trail running season!
SUNDAY Met a flock of Turkeys (or, since we’re domesticated, do they call us a Rafter of Turkeys?) in the city at Center Trails for my long (and cold) run of the week… just in time to meet Daylight Savings Time square at 8am CST. These trails are AMAZING — and probably my favorite in the area so far (there are SO MANY trails here in Iowa to explore!). I love the mixed terrain and that these are tucked into city limits. There’s a lot of activity here — and a lot of fat bikers (not bikers who are fat). I love to see mixed use of the trails and people out having fun outdoor in winter. The Center Trails webpage also has a conditions indicator — like when it’s closed due to it being too wet and muddy.
I did another test run with Cytomax, and I’m still unsure if I want to use it on marathon day. I have only a couple more weeks to decide and fine-tune my fueling strategy. At this point, I haven’t really found something that I love OR something that I dislike — mostly just “this works” and adaptable to everything so far (I am not a light packer!).
I was SO COLD when I got home (there were multiple layers of fleece) and I couldn’t nap, which was a bummer. But a big ol’ bowl of chili for dinner was just the ticket to warm me up.
14.08 miles (trails) / 2:56:21 / 12:31 average pace / 358 elevation gain (per Garmin)
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 runs WEEKLY MILES: 24.9 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 152.56 miles
Isn’t Burlington so pretty???
The Vermont City Marathon is only two months away (plenty of time for experienced runners to train!). Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your registration! Prices are set to go up again April 1.
I can’t believe that I’m 3 weeks away from race day of the Des Moines Half Marathon. I still have one (really long) long run before it’s Taper Time. Now is a great time to reflect on what has been going really, REALLY right this training (consistency, for starters) and really, REALLY wrong (ugh, the weather). I had a great conversation tonight with my coach, and I definitely feel stronger as a runner. I also love the accountability and growth that a partnership with a coach has brought me.
One area that I haven’t quite figured out this training cycle is my nutrition — I am literally all over the place in terms of eating habits and what fuels me on runs; some days things seem to click, and other days I feel like complete crap. I ran my 10-mile race on my usual breakfast and felt amazing — but that definitely was not my same experience doing my 12-miler run this week (though, I did run later in the afternoon). It’s all part of the practice, though (not perfect, but better).
My workouts got flipped around a little bit this week, since I needed to take my rest day on Thursday — date night! — my runs felt really good midweek, but I was TIRED for my strength workout by Friday, pumped up again by Saturday morning (I was up SUPER early) and then all motivation was lost again by Sunday.
WEEK AT A GLANCE:
2 easy runs
1 long run
1 tempo run
1 (marathon) yoga session
1 strength workout + 1 core workout
MONDAY
Rest Day and a good amount of foam rolling before bed.
TUESDAY
5 miles at an easy pace + core workout
54:47, 10:57 average pace
WEDNESDAY
Tempo run — 1 mile at slower-than-easy pace, then 3 miles at a 10k pace, followed by 1 mile at my easy pace. For my training this cycle, I’m learning all about finding my different effort levels — rather than running solely on pace. And this run was a lesson in finding some of those different gears. It was interesting to see how much effort I had left while I was running those 3 middle miles. I know that effort won’t always feel the same from day-to-day, but it aids in boosting my confidence when I get caught up in breathing heavy and sweating and feeling like I can’t maintain a pace… or feel like I’m doing to die.
Splits: 11:24 / 10:25 / 9:06 / 8:35 / 11:26
THURSDAY
Rest day
FRIDAY
Strength day – definitely felt weird to do strength on a Friday night, but I didn’t have any plans after work, so I just jumped right into it when I got home. I added jump rope as a warm-up to my regular strength workout a couple weeks ago to work on some flexibility, stability, and single-leg strength and balance. And I felt TIRED before the workout even started. It felt like I was doing the movements for the first time in weeks. This 30-something was in bed by 9pm ON A FRIDAY. #nowine
Something other than a treadmill pic. ?
SATURDAY
Woke up super early, so I could participate in the Namasday celebration at LifeTime in Des Moines: 108 sun salutations at sunrise, poolside, and in celebration of the fall equinox. It was a beautiful morning — they even had a ukulele player! — and the practice really helped me focus and find balance in a hectic week. For the first time ever, I found yoga to be meditative, and I did majority of the sets with my eyes closed.
Coming down from that peacefulness, I did my 30-minute easy run on the treadmill at LifeTime, ending with a few sets of strides. It was difficult to do my strides at the gym, as it was slow to increase speed; my treadmill at home is a lot more responsive.
32:40, 11:07 average pace
SUNDAY
The 12-mile run that I did NOT want to do. I woke up at 7am with a splitting headache (which is still lingering today), and a run just wasn’t how I wanted to start my day. So I pushed it to do later, after I felt like I finished laundry and some housekeeping. I battled myself at every mile — trying to talk myself out of doing the entire run. But I did the entire run. I feel tired and sore – I guess exactly how I should feel having run a 25-mile week! (I don’t often feel sore, so I’m chalking this one up to doing yoga on Saturday).
the week:
This week went by WAY too quickly and my nerves kind of got the better of me. I had many intentions that fell flat to feeling overwhelmed, and I’ll be using my evening to reset (and using some overtime to catch up with work tomorrow). We’re back up into the 80s again for temperatures (alongside its best friend 90% Humidity), so looks like summer is sticking around to make the rest of my long runs sticky and miserable.
Summer: please see the door, I would like to wear my scarves and coats and boots, kthxbai. And I’m kind of tired of the treadmill.
weekend:
I’m doing 108 sun salutations at LifeTime tomorrow morning, followed by my second short run of the week, working some overtime, and then resting for a LONG, LONELY 12-miler on Sunday.
Among all THAT, I’ll be watching MOAR ROLLER DERBY — Team United from Des Moines is playing in this weekend’s WFTDA playoff tournament in Madison.
Well, my burpees streak came to an end on Tuesday. I laid in bed that night thinking that I could quickly get in 20… but I was mentally and physically exhausted. My new job role has kind of sapped my energy as of late. And then over the weekend, I was playing with the cat on the floor, pushed myself up (think: regular ol’ pushup position) and felt my entire chest pop and tear (I know that I’m being hyperbolic, but definitely something got tweaked something awful). It was on fire for a couple hours afterward, too.
This is some 30-something realness for you: Getting injuries doing something completely unrelated to working out.
In any event, I continued with my overall consistency goal of running three times per week (hooray!). And here are the other weekly goals that I completely failed on (boo!): 108 Sun Salutations for Summer Solstice (I never had time to commit to a 4-hour marathon session yoga mala), take a new class (this was my rain plan for Saturday… and we ended up not getting any rain that day!), ride my bike over the weekend (uh… we opted for Sunday Lazy; except I did run before bed) and keep the burpees streak going (nope).
I’m really disappointed that I didn’t do my sun salutations because I really enjoyed the purpose and ritual that I got from doing them last year (also, OMG last year at this time I was in my marathon training!).
MONDAY: REST (dinner plans after work with boyfriend’s colleagues)
TUESDAY: I took my second golf lesson, which started off almost as terribly as the first. My instructor had to correct a few things with my swing and follow-through, and I was hitting a little better. But then she put a driver in my hand, and I just lost my focus to frustration.
WEDNESDAY: My weekly 15-minute run and hour of hot yoga combo at LifeTime. I didn’t really connect with the flow this week. Meh.
THURSDAY: REST
FRIDAY: The truth is, I wanted to work out in the morning because we had plans to go down to the Arts Festival after work, but… I just haven’t got to a point where I can function that early yet. REST (And some vodka lemonades. And a reminder to not schedule workouts yet for the morning because I won’t wake up.)
SATURDAY: I ran for 20 minutes, did 20 burpees, and then my Strong & Fast workout from Runner’s World that I typically do on Sundays. For this run, I did a little jaunt through Prague via my treadmill. I know that it’s been 10 years since I’ve been there IRL, but holy moly I don’t remember it being so hilly!
Later in the afternoon, we went to the driving range so I could practice what I learned in my lesson this week. Again, I am just overly frustrated and letting it get to me (but I did end with three really good shots with my driver, to end my practice!).
SUNDAY: I wasn’t going to let myself fail on ALL FIVE of my goals, so I ran 2 miles before bed to get my third run in for the week. I thought it would be best to take a day off from suspension training due to my chest tweak.
Goals for this week:
Keeping the consistency going: Run three times!
Take a new class (yes, recycling this one from last week). I’ll be at LifeTime for a massage on Saturday, so it just makes sense to take a class while I’m there.
Do you know that I’ve been running on my treadmill all this time? Well, this week, I’m taking one of my runs outside!
Adding to the above, I’m joining one of the local running groups for a social run!
Plan my vacation workouts! I’m going on a short road trip after the 4th, and I want to schedule my runs while I’m visiting two new cities: Know anyone that likes to run (or a run club) in Omaha or Kansas City?
