Chicago Marathon Day

I woke up excited to run!! I’ve never tapered properly until this race and I really missed running…a lot.

Temps were perfect for race day!

I bring my banana bread with me for destination races. It’s tried and true, and I enjoyed it in bed with a cappuccino.

Here’s the rest of my race prep. THANK YOU Fleet Feet for the throw away gloves!

Use code: JENCHOOSESJOY (all caps) at Cocogo.com to save 10% off your order!

Don’t forget the all important Body Glide!

We bought passes for the hospitality tent. A little pricey but so worth it. We stayed a block away from the tent.

It was a nice warm place to sit down and drink some water before the race. I didn’t get to enjoy their yummy breakfast spread.

But it gave my husband a nice spot to hang out with TVs to watch the race.

The crowds were crazy walking to my corral but I found my 3:50 pacers and we started at 7:36.
It felt like we were running in slow motion. In hindsight I was probably a little too conservative, but I desperately wanted to have a negative split and finish strong.
As promised, the course was flat and the spectators were incredible.
I started my garmin and changed the screen to the clock view. It’s the first time I’ve run by feel. I trusted the pacers for the first half and picked up my pace around the mile 13. I didn’t look at my watch until mile 25.

Splits:
8:40, 8:26, 8:57, 8:28, 8:37, 8:35, 8:30, 8:58, 8:51, 8:50, 8:20, 8:31, 8:11, 8:30, 8:27, 8:25, 8:20, 8:23, 8:11, 8:21, 8:20, 8:08, 8:03, 8:08, 7:52, 7:42

Gu 15 mins before race, 1 hr, 2hr, 20 mile marker.
This was the most fun I’ve ever had running a road marathon!  Can you tell? 🙂

1st Half: 8:45

2nd Half: 8:15

After meeting up at the hospitality tent after the race, I came back to the room, took an ice bath and shower and I ate pretzels in bed. Guess I needed salt.

After some rest we had celebratory bubbles!

And dinner at Osteria Via Stato

Gnocchi and butternut squash ravioli

And brought a slice of fudgy chocolate cake back at the room!

Did you race this weekend? I’d love to hear about it!!
Have you run the Chicago Marathon?
How do you celebrate after a race?

#choosejoy

The Franklin Classic

We started the day with a 4am alarm to bake for the post-race brunch. My husband requested his favorite breakfast casserole.  I also took the brown sugar bundt cake that I posted yesterday.  I’ll post the recipes shortly:)

I had a Picky Bar and coffee before we left the house.

The new Cookie Doughpness is SO good!

Time to race: The Franklin Classic! We met up with so many awesome friends. Our entire community runs this race.
I ran in my favorite Saucony Kinvara 5’s. The yellow makes me so happy:)

 

Lots of love for Fleet Feet Racing!

This was my first time running both the 10k (7:00 start) and the 5k (8:30 start).

***Preface: I don’t run short, fast races very well.  My stubbornness lends itself to endurance!

I didn’t taper for these races and I’m in the middle of training for the Chicago Marathon.

 

My husband had a great 10K race!

The course is hot and hilly.  Every year I question why I run it.  It’s mostly because I want to run with my friends (peer pressure at it’s finest), but also because it supports Mercy Community Healthcare. I beat last years time by 27 seconds. Not a huge difference, but this year I had so much more breath control. I felt more relaxed. Progress.

10k splits: 7:49, 7:50, 8:04 (hills), 7:47, 7:36, 7:28
Finish time.  10th in AG.  48:14

I probably should have found a seat in the shade, but instead I stood around socializing in the sun.  I felt a little stiff for the 5k, but I just reminded myself that it was temporary. Also, the hills weren’t as bad on the 5k course.

5k Splits: 7:31, 7:34, 7:37
Finish time.  5th in AG 23:45

This was only my 2nd 5k.  My first was in July and I ran a 21:xx.  My friend Corrie said that I was on the 50k to 5k plan!

Conclusion:  Short-distance runner are badasses. Today’s races just made me want to puke.  Can you tell it was hot?!!!

Just finished the second race…wiped out!

I drank Cocogo Lemon-Lime in my handheld for both races.  I definitely needed it today!

Use code: JENCHOOSESJOY (all caps) for 10% off your order!

We stayed to cheer on our friends for their awards and then the best part of the race…brunch afterwards hosted by our friends Alex and lauren!!!! Thank you SO much for hosting a bunch of stinky runners!!!  Everything was incredible!

Just look at this spread!

My friends are seriously good cooks.  I made sure to try it all!

The obligatory post-brunch pic…

We took our full bellies home for a much needed shower and rest.

After a full day, I didn’t really feel like cooking so we headed out for celebratory pizza at Mellow Mushroom. I love their build your own salad menu!

Romaine with cucumber, shredded mozzarella, and portobello mushrooms

And of course their pizza!

Tell me about your Labor Day!
What’s your favorite race distance? Do you stick to that distance or run others?

#choosejoy

August Miles

Wrapping up another month!

August Miles: 366

YTD: 2, 449

I had to use my favorite pic from our DC trip!

We had a downpour yesterday and this morning.  Rainy mornings call for a breakfast of steel cut oats and fruit….

Followed by 7 easy-paced recovery miles.   What is going on with my crazy leg muscles?!

We are fortunate to have 23 miles of this beautiful greenway right out our front door.  After the big storm, the creek was high and muddy.

I spent the afternoon baking for a post race brunch tomorrow.  It’s a toffee and brown sugar bundt cake with caramel drizzle!  If it’s good, I’ll post the recipe.  If not, well…at least it looks pretty!

We went for dinner at Burger Up Cool Springs.  I am obsessed with their quinoa burger with sweet potato fries.  I can justify this as carbs for tomorrow’s Franklin Classic!

The real magic is in their homemade ketchup!

For everyone racing tomorrow…

Happy Labor Day!

#choosejoy

The Broken Toe Shuffle

After an amazing time at the Cumberland Plateau Stage Race, I had a big as yo face taco salad.  I was craving salt and just wanted to lick the salt off of my chips.  That’s not gross right?

Came home, unpacked, and then I clumsily dropped my laptop so the corner landed perfectly on my pinky toe. My whole body fell to the floor. I’ve stubbed my toe before and that hurts. This was an all new pain.

It swelled and turned black. As a runner, I know black toes.  This is an all new black toe problem.  It’s a broken toe problem:(

My laptop obviously did not get the #choosejoy memo!

Oh the irony of running a stage race completely uninjured and then breaking my toe while unpacking.

I limped around, drank some wine, and unsuccessfully tried to sleep.

I woke up this morning and decided to take an easy jog with my hubs to see what I was dealing with. I’m calling my new form “the broken toe shuffle.”  It’s about an 11 minute pace, and I managed 7 miles.
Then went to Body Pump. Shoes are not my friend so I did it barefoot.  A big THANK YOU to my trainer Jennifer Nichols for accommodating my gimp toe!

My Montrail flip flops have been my best friend today.

After a week’s worth of travel, I was so happy to have my regular strawberries with mache rosettes salad.

I did my best to sit for a bit and ice. I hate having to sit still.

I was in the midst of a small pity party when Runner’s World featured me as their RUNootd!  Odds are that I will never be featured for my running, so I’m happy to be on their site for my outfit!  I’m rocking my FlyStyle in the Oiselle Winona Tank and Mac Roga shorts.  It was the perfect pick-me-up!

 

Like I said, I’ve missed eating at home, so I was excited to cook one of our favorite dinners. I made a quinoa enchilada bake. I’ll start working on the recipe post later tonight.  Check back tomorrow for the recipe…you guys should really make this one!

And lastly, no meal is complete without some vegan chocolate chip cookies from Whole Foods!

Have you ever broken a toe? Did you still run? How long did it take to heal?
Do you crave salt after racing?

#choosejoy

Cumberland Plateau Stage Race

The Cumberland Plateau Stage Race (aka Summer camp for runners) was a three-day stage trail race in Jamestown, TN .  It took place on the East Fork Stables property, and the event was hosted by Hardwin Adventures.  I cannot say enough kind words about the organizers, John Hardin and Cody Goodwin.  They are the nicest guys, put in a lot of hard work, and made this a great event!

Day 1- 13 miles

Day 2- 22 miles

Day 3- 15 miles

You could run all three days as a solo runner, or register as a team of three where each member runs one day.  I chose to join a team with some of my favorite people and we called ourselves “Naughty By Nature!”  We’re all training for fall races and used our stage of the race as a training run (not a race).

Friday, Day 1

I met my team and the other runners for registration at the start line around 3:00.  It was a HOT afternoon and I knew it would be a tough 4:00 start.

This is just a small portion of the group of runners that drove from Nashville.

Each race day was started with “The Runner’s Oath” and it was one of my favorite parts of this event. (Click on the pic to play)

Just look at how beautiful this property is!

We cheered on the runners as they finished the first stage.  My teammate, Corrie, ran an awesome first leg!  All of the runners said that this was the hardest 13 miles that they’ve ever run.  Cue my fear for my stage on Sunday.

We met up for a pasta dinner at the mess hall.

There were a lot of course recaps, laughter, dance music, and beer drinking.

Saturday, Day 2

We met back up for breakfast at the Pavillion.  There was a nice light rain and even a rainbow over the Mess Hall.

 

The food at the race was country cookin’ at it’s finest.  Definitely the best race food I’ve ever had.  Check out the mountain of biscuits and table of fruit!

We all took the Oath and my teammate Roy was off for his 22 mile leg of the race.

 

 

I actually joined Roy for the first 5 miles until we reached an aid station.  I turned around and ran back while he continued on to run a strong second leg.

The top picture was a before.  The bottom picture was an after.  You can’t even tell that he just ran an uber difficult 22 miler!

Yet again, the runners were saying that this was one of the toughest races they’ve ever run.  A few of the three day runners said that they were finished and wouldn’t be running the third stage.  Again, terror set in for my upcoming run.

Just like summer camp, the race organizers had a list of activities for us to choose from during our down time:

Yoga

Movies

Repelling

Wine Tasting

Massages

After the race, we met up for a sushi lesson from James Suh.  Sushi…at a trail race?  It was incredible!  He had all of the ingredients prepped, gave us a demo, and we were rolling away…sushi shenanigans!!

We got a little carried away and made a lot more rolls than we could actually eat.

Because we’re runners with crazy appetites, we headed over to the mess hall for dinner!  I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Hardwin for accommodating the vegetarians!!!

 

Sunday, Day 3

I had an 8am start time.  The group met for breakfast beforehand and then walked over to the start line for the Oath.

We realized that we share a mutual love for the Nike Terra Kiger.  (I am loving my new Kiger 2’s and ran in them this weekend.)

I was blessed with clouds for my entire run!  It was humid and muggy, but much better than the previous two days.  We ran on this gravel road for 2.5 miles and then hit the top of the plateau.  I was amazed by the amount of sand.  It had rained overnight and it felt like we were running in a mud/quicksand combo.  My legs were burning early…definitely not used to sand running.  We then had a steep and slippery rock decline into the valley.  After 3 miles, we headed back up the bluff line for 1.25 miles.  The 11% incline was no joke and my buns were burning!  I was running with one of my favorite people in the whole world, Christi Beth (amazing person, runner, and she owns Fleet Feet Nashville) for my entire run and I was so thankful for her company.  We met my husband and friends at the third aid station and he decided to run with us to the finish line.  If you can’t tell, we were so excited to see our friends at this aid station!

 

With only 2.5 miles to go…we got lost…doh!  Our “detour” tacked on another 2 miles, but we stayed in good spirits, got back on course, and finished the race!

“Naughty By Nature” ended up getting third place!  I’m a hot mess after running…just ignore that!

 

This pretty much sums up the following video clip…

This is what my teammates do while waiting for runners at the aid station.  These weirdos are definitely my tribe! (Click on the pic to play)

If you can’t tell, I had a blast.  If you want a challenging trail race…come out next year.  An even better reason to run next year…the people.  From the organizers, volunteers, to the runners…this was the nicest group!

Cheers!

Have you ever run a stage race? Did you run solo or with a team?

Did you race this weekend? Tell me all about it!

#choosejoy

Bonjour Monday & My Race Schedule

Preface. The below list might lead you to believe that I love racing. I don’t, but I do love running. Even more, I love training. I use races as an opportunity to get in some miles, with friends, water stops, and cheering crowds. Occasionally I will give it my all, but not often. I hate the recovery/down time. I also don’t have a competitive spirit. I like to do my best, but I have zero desire to beat someone else. So…I often pace groups or keep a friend company for their race. Anyways…here’s my schedule for the remainder of the year:

August:

22-24 The Cumberland Plateau Stage Race

September:

1 The Franklin Classic 10k/5k (this is the 1st time I’m planning to race both distances)

6 The East Kentucky Half Marathon (a good excuse to visit my Nana)

October:

12 Chicago Marathon

November: 

15 Viva la Diva 10k (this one gets a maybe)

23 Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon

27 Boulevard Bolt 5 Miler

December:

6 St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon

14 Peeler Park Trail 6 Miler (maybe)

 

8 mile run (8:45 pace).  Nothing special…just a nice run before I had to go to the dentist.  Seen on my run:

Looking like a rockstar during my teeth cleaning and 6 month check up at the dentist.

Happy to report that I am cavity free!

If I’m home for lunch, I eat this salad…like every day.  It’s been years and it never gets old.  That’s not weird right? My husband likes to calculate the money I spend on mâché rosettes and strawberries per year.  Today, I added peaches as well, because I like to live on the edge.

Speaking of husband, when he’s a way the wife will build a mountain of guacamole and call it dinner. This is a totally acceptable portion size, yes?!

And lastly, some avocado humor:)

I hope you all had a wonderful Monday!!

What are some of your upcoming races?  

Do you always race or do you run some just for fun?

Don’t forget to #choosejoy