Cinco De Miler Race, a new 5K PR + Churros are Delish
{We don’t have pictures from this race - this was an accurate representation of how I acted after I crossed the finish line. I love you Kelly Kapowski!}
The Cinco De Miler is the only five mile race in Chicago (the Shamrock Shuffle is 4.97 miles) and this was the first year we got to run it. Like the Shuffle, and the Hot Chocolate, this will definitely be an annual favorite.
I am always impressed by how “small races” in Chicago have nearly 4000 people running!:)
The Cinco De Miler is organized by the same people who put on the Hot Chocolate 15K, and there are churros and egg and cheese burritos at the finish line.
I’ve never eaten a churro before - it’s a fried cigar-shaped biscuit rolled in cinnamon and sugar and it’s delicious! I gave my burrito to John. :)
I love small races - you can run, have fun, and be showered in time to meet friends for brunch - a pretty great weekend! :)
Nigel also had a great start to his weekend - he wasn’t interested in waking up at 7am though. :)
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I ran the 5 miler in 45:20 - only 20 seconds off my goal of 45 minutes so I’m pretty happy with my performance.
My mile splits were 8:51, 9:13, 9:22, 9:04, and 8:24!
I definitely didn’t feel like I gave it my 100% with the Fargo Marathon less than two weeks away but can I get an internet high five for five mile splits under 9:25!!!
I also reached a 5K personal record of 28:37!
I am excited about this number because at the Shamrock Shuffle it was 29:19 and I shaved off an easy 40 seconds. What can I do if I push myself???!!!
My next goal will be to earn a 25 minute 5K in a race!
Even more impressive for me, was that my average pace at the Shuffle was 9:30 and my average pace here was 9:04!!!
I love speed work, I love speed work, I love speed work!
John finished his race in 39:38 with a pace of 7:56! I’m so impressed and happy for him - and motivated to catch up. :D
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In more exciting news, do you sometimes think, “I wish I had more Nigel in my life,” or “I would love to send Nigel marriage proposals from my girl puppy?”
Well, wonder no more and enjoy The Adventures of Nigel Bear!
Yes, Nigel has his own Tumblr, where he shares all the exciting moments of his life like third nap or the attractive blonde on his morning walk who always calls him “smooshy face.”
It’s a good life. :)
Beastie Pup, Beastie Run
{No Sleep till Brooklyn + RIP Adam Yauch}
This Friday had LAZY written all over it. When I left the house in the morning, Nigel had plunked down after breakfast.
Hours later, I found him right where I left him.
I came home, downed some coffee, and went to finish my workouts so I could have an awesome Friday night out.
WOD:
C1.5 Hot Yoga - it felt so good taking the beginner level classes. It beats up my body less and it lets me see how far I’ve come which is always confidence building.
It’s also surprising to see people watching me in class for cues. I think a lot of my yogi readers can identify with this - once you have the routines memorized you can move through it easily. It’s always funny and flattering. :)
3.1 miler (5K) in 27:12 minutes. A lot of intervals, a lot of hustling. Much better than yesterday’s run since the heat was gone today! I hate cold weather but love the runs - sigh, there’s always a compromise! :D
First lap: 8:16, Second lap: 9:10; Third lap: 8:45; .1 lap: 59 seconds.
Hope everyone has a lazy and/or fun Friday night!
No Deposit, No Return; No Hurt, No Miniskirt
Let’s recap February, shall we?
My Total Hot Yoga Classes: 15 hours
+ Abs Workouts for two straight months, day in, day out
I’m happy with what I accomplished and hope March brings me more success!
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We are in week 5 of marathon training and I had to keep telling myself over and over again, “No deposit, no return.” Running and racing are fun for me and a wonderful hobby to share with John but there are still days I push myself.
My Total Running Miles for February: 88.92 miles
Whew! I wish I had tracked better when I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon and my other races, but I love having a record of my running. It’s unbelievably motivating.
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Last night’s final LEAP DAY workout was speed work and I ran a 5K in 29:30.
John also created a super, final Abs Fitness Streak workout for me since I’m ending the streak, and I completed a hand plank in 1:30. Goal for March? Two minutes! And making it look easy. :D
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I also picked up a present for John: Smart Marathon Training by Jeff Horwitz - I’ll share a review soon.
You would have thought I would have been stuffed after my huge lunch of Cajun-creole awesomeness but after my run, I wanted sustenance and shared this yummy smoothie: strawberries, baby spinach, avocado (!), lemon Greek yogurt, + coconut milk and a slice of toast.
John usually dislikes my green smoothies but loved this one. :)
Hope February was good to you and March is better!
Stellar Workouts + 5K Speed Test!
Nigel, as a baby puppy, captures how intense my workouts have been this week- and how awesome!
I had a surprise six miler yesterday.
During that run, I decided I wanted to make my Wednesday runs my speed work day and focus on the 5K distance.
It doesn’t tax me as much as my five miler speed tests, allowing me to aggressively keep increasing my weekend long runs which I run at a fast pace (rather than a slower pace as recommended by some books).
Today, I went out on my first 5K speed test and finished it in 28 minutes. When I came home, I checked my Garmin data and apparently, this is my 5K P.R.! It’s only a little over a nine minute pace and it’s my starting point.
I paired my run immediately with a Hot Power Fusion yoga class - I haven’t taken these since I’ve mostly been doing the C2’s but it was nice to have some aggressive flows.
Hot yoga and running, goes together like a PB&J sandwich!
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What I’m really proud of though is my strength training this week.
Today and on Monday, I adapted my yoga routine along with the Tough Mudder strength training routine and created a routine I really enjoyed doing!
On Tuesday, I worked on my pull-ups and planks.
I have no pull-up strength but I read in a book that pull-up hangs, where you hang from a pull-up bar with your knees bent, are a great way to build strength. Women might need to build up to a 2 minute hang before they can do five perfect pull-ups!
I finally feel like my Abs Fitness Streak was working for me and allowing me to integrate more strength training into my regimen.
It’s a mental game - yes, strength training isn’t as fun as running or hot yoga for me, but doing these routines without rest gets me going!
My training journal is available here! Hope everyone is having a good training week!
Lululemon Mardi Glow Run + Resolutions for Lent
John sent me a notice about Lululemon sponsoring a 5K fun run for free and I was jumping for joy because it was FREEEEEEEEEE!
I hate paying for races under five miles!
It was this evening though (and we forgot about it) so when I was able to get home, I scrambled trying to get some of our running gear out since I didn’t know what John would want.
Since we were supposed to “glow” John wore a neon yellow fleece and I went all pink. Technically, I run like this all the time and I’m sure people are like, “Look at that chick in all that pink.” To which I reply:
{Source}
We both had five milers on our marathon training plan so we ran the two miles from our home in Wicker Park to the Lululemon in Lincoln Park.
I loved seeing the sun come down and passing through a different running route - really puts a pep in your running step.
They gave us glow sticks, water, and coffee and there was a crowd of about fifty people in masks, beads, and some serious costumes.
Somehow, we ran four more miles. Yes, that would not be a 5K which is 3.1 miles. The run was supposed to be between the Lululemon store in Lincoln Park and ending at the Lululemon store on Michigan Avenue at Bloomingdale’s.
John, me, and another guy surged ahead near the lake front and our merry band kept going ahead in the wrong, or “creative” direction. Apparently, lots of people split off and the people following us were sadly, also led down the longer path.
We got to the store and when I looked at my Garmin, we had run a total of 6 miles in 55 minutes. I’ll take it!
Umm…this might have happened too. But look! The pants are marked down! I also need it for a new adventure we are planning! It has “back vents for maximum air flow!” I’m out of reasons.
We had dinner at our favorite little spot near the Magnificent Mile for a quick meal, the Soupbox, where I had a lovely fire roasted veggie soup and John had a lobster bisque, with sourdough quarters for each of us.
And then we celebrated Fat Tuesday. John is Catholic and takes this very seriously, enjoying fried homemade doughnuts as a child. No fries here, but I thought ice cream is always a good decadent treat!
Yes, you just suffered from an ice-cream and sugar headache just by looking at this picture. It’s a waffle cone (my first ever!) with vanilla ice cream, warm peanut butter and chocolate and nuts. John gave me the cherry.
We didn’t enjoy it at all. :D
It was a happy day and I had a truly “fun run” - I hope I can find more of these events for us soon because it’s a great way to stay motivated for our mid-week five to eight mile runs!
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With Fat Tuesday out of the way, here is our Lenten resolution.
We will be in bed by 11pm every night - exceptions will be made for non-negotiable deadlines, outings with friends, or if we are travelling.
However, from now until Easter there will be no staying up for just one more thing…and even if we end up staying up till the wee hours, we have to be in bed by 11.
Goodnight everyone! See you all tomorrow!
Delicious Moments from Today
My morning smoothie was extra vibrant today! I decided to save my spinach for a salad and enjoy a purple monster - blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, half a banana, Fage Gree 0%, and unsweetened almond milk!
And I nursed a very large coffee with almond milk all day! I’ve gotten messages about this glass and you can find them on Etsy. John got it for a wedding and he didn’t like it because it was too girly for him - so it was passed to me! :D
For lunch I enjoyed Indian Quesadillas! Yes, somewhere my mother just sighed deeply and rolled her eyes hearing the phrase “Indian Quesadillas.”
They were delicious though! We finally found a transfat and whole wheat ready to eat roti because in this house, we are obsessed with Indian food. I prepared the roti and added some non-fat mild cheddar cheese (that would be the sound of my mom passing out). It was delicious! I will be making this for dinner for sure!
Carrot sticks for some crunch and raw goodness on the side!
Workouts
Marathon training for Fargo doesn’t begin officially till February 1st but I’m putting in my base miles and getting my legs prepped as quickly as possible.
My first workout today was a 5K which I ran in 30:29 and my second workout was a sixty minute Hot Power Fusion yoga class!
Let’s see if I have any more in the tank to work out with John tonight - hope you are all having a good day!
New Year’s Day 5K
We are very excited about 2012 around here. And like last year on New Year’s Day, we ran a chilly 5K in 31 minutes to bring good luck, health, and happiness to 2012!
We’re pretty excited about the new year - Nigel joined me in my jump for joys!
John likes cold weather running but hates the cold - he’s like the Bear from my favorite children’s book:
I’m a little more of a heat machine. Even though it only snowed for a second, the temps dipped down to 30 and I paired my new Lulu running vest with my Nike hyperwarm shirt and I was toasty!
John needs layers, including the monkey mask, so he likes to run with me if he runs at night because otherwise imagine this scenario: you, a female runner, are running along ponytail flying behind you. Suddenly from behind, sprinting down the street at a 7-8 minute mile pace comes a six foot tall man in a monkey mask.
{Doesn’t Nigel look regal here? He loves running but we only let him sprint a block to protect his short legs!}
Dear running ladies of Chicago - please don’t Kung Fu Panda my adorable boyfriend. He is a puppy about the cold and needs his running mask.
I hope you started the Happy New Year with a super workout and you are having a great day dreaming about the good things that are going to happen down the road.
