(move it monday)

i had this big thoughtful post in mind about rest, and listening to your body, and yada yada yada... but i just couldn't get it together.  Every time i sat down to type it up, i couldn't get it to come out like it sounded in my head.  so, instead you are going to get some random thoughts on marathon training.  

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I am in my last week of mileage before starting my taper.  i have already completed one 18 mile run and one 20 mile run.  these are difficult distances to run, its so mental.  especially the training.  come race day, you have excitement and adrenaline that helps alleviate a little of that.  

  i found this quote that i thought was terribly appropriate: 

"Long distance running is 90% mental and the other half is physical."
-Rich Davis

i have run more miles during the month of march, than i have in any one month for more than a year.  

woah.

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I've been very proud of my training so far, and have not found it terribly difficult to keep to my training schedule.  

i have spent a good deal of time on the treadmill, but have been fortunate enough to have run a good portion of my runs outdoors.  i even had a few 60 + degree days.  

(sorry to all my friends who are freezing up north!)

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but then something happened... i ran my twenty mile run a week early

that run was one of those absolutely perfect runs.  you know the ones.  where the planets are aligned and everything feels great.  i actually finished that race and contemplated taking on that last 10K and calling it a marathon.  I had perfect temps, great company and held a pace that would have guaranteed my race day goal.  but i didn't do it.  i stuck with 20 miles, and then my brain took a vacation.  i didn't run for a full week.  

image found via:

Listen to your body.  Do not be a blind and deaf tenant.   –Dr. George Sheehan

 my body was tired. my mind was tired. my week was terribly over-scheduled.   i choose not to add extra stress to my already crazy week and listen to my body.  and you know what?  it was ok.  after taking a week off, my body felt rested and relaxed & ready to jump right back in to where my plan said i should be.

so for now, i say bring on my last high mileage week.  three 5 milers and a 20 miler.  

then its taper time.  woo hoo!

{wordless-ish wednesday}

who am i kidding... i can't do anything wordlessly...

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{a trip to the zoo last week}

the high was 80 degrees.  our first really warm spring day.  

so we played hooky from school.  obviously.  because, wouldn't you?! 

{don't be jealous, the next day it was high of 36* and snowing}

 friends. 

 um, adorable, right?

buddies. and ice cream.  

enough said.  

hello there. 

carousel. 

 train ride

 not much baby left in this little boy, but those eyelashes...they get me every time.

he leaned in to kiss me, then decided to roar like a dinosaur.

cute. but really? i'm tired of the roaring, please tell me its a phase?!

{eighteen}

i wrote this post, and accidentally left it as a draft last week.  oops. so i'm gonna back date it so it falls where it was supposed to.  sorry :)

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with my crazy work schedule, i can't always fit my long runs in over the weekend.  so a midweek long run it was... 18 miles.  there is something about those 18-20 mile runs during marathon training that are unnerving.  i've put in the time, built up the miles, and yet inevitably, i feel a sense of dread and uneasiness before these distances.   luckily, i had a friend who was willing to join in on the crazy!

almost all of the snow had melted except for a few really shay parts of the path, and we ended up doing three loops around the park.  the sun was trying to shine over the lake and the temp was just warm enough.

photo via

compare this run's view to the same lake on my long run a few weeks ago... spring is coming.  soon.

it feels good to have that run out of the way, and not be thinking about still fitting it in over the weekend.  and we finished in a pretty impressive time too {10:15 min/mile}. 

not too shabby!

Disney on Ice

last saturday {march 1st} we went to Disney on Ice.  

{enough pictures mom! let's see the show...}

we brought grandma with us and had a great time. 

i bought "cheap" tickets, which ended up being in the club level.  that doesn't mean much if your not at a hockey game, but we were dead center and had cushy seats. sounds like a win to me.

the show was called 'passport to adventure' and took you on a vacation tour of some of the Disney movies.  first stop, africa.

 {the lion king}

up next, and underwater adventure with 

{The Little Mermaid}

a quick stop in Hawaii to visit 

{Lilo & Stitch} 

The entire second half of the show was {Peter Pan}

B loved the tic toc croc...

i'm pretty sure grandma & i loved the show as much as brody. i'm kinda a sucker for disney, and am a tiny bit jealous of the talent of the performers.  disney does everything well!

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we ended our day with lunch at lions choice, with grandma.  

that meant ice cream for dessert.

eating ice cream cones takes talent...

we are still working on developing that skill, but practice makes perfect

{lately}

lately, there has been...

culver's dates,

treadmill running & parenthood watching,

curtain hanging, 

cookie baking, 

movie watching, 

more treadmill running, 

snowy/slushy park running,

and coffee drinking, all while wishing for spring... 

we are SO over being cooped up inside.

what have you been up to lately?!