There is talk of a 50k Run!!!

I can't believe I just said that!!!! I said I 'd NEVER be interested in running more then 26.2 miles. I mean seriously, that's crazy enough in itself!!!

Angie texted me a few weeks ago & said she found another race for us. I never got the details but since that text we talked about scaling back on the mileage to rest our bodies after our next marathon. So this week at work I asked her what race it was, where it was at and of course the main question. . . . What is the distance! I was hoping for a 1/2 and not a 10k or something because I need the distance race dangling in front of me for motivation!

When Angie replied that it was a 50k(approx 31 miles) my jaw dropped & I replied before I had the chance to think logically and realize it was totally crazy! I figured I was already roped in!! Angie sure is a pushy friend! ;)

The run we are considering has a 50k, a 50 mile & a 100 mile race. The 50k is the "fun run" . . . . uh, yeah, sounds fun! When I think fun run, I think 5k or 2 mile. Yikes!

Of course we're already looking for the next challenge . . . . Our marathon is less than a month away. We are certifiably nuts! We need a goal to keep us motivated. We both love running, we have obvious routines at this pont but we still need that goal to keep us on track!!!

We're deciding by tomorrow since the entrance fees go up on September 1st!!! This run is trail running, so it's different than road running, which is all we do. Yep, totally nuts!

On another running note, we've had some more warm & humid weather this past week!!! It's an understatement to say I'm totally ready for fall!! I've come home from every run practically dripping in sweat!!! It's miserable while running but a total high when done (and cooled off of course).

This about sums it up!

We're changing up our weekend running plan since we have Monday off & then neither of us have to figure out child care so I'm going to try a 20 mile bike ride tomorrow morning to get some cross training in!!! Wish me luck! I do spin clas for 30-40 minutes once a week when it fits into my schedule, but I've never really gone more than a mile or two outdoors!!! Fingers crossed that I survive!!! We'll be logging 20 miles on Monday morning for our last "long" run before the marathon!! 3 weeks away!! :)

Pretty sure my co-workers want to say this daily. . . . hahah!

This kid REALLY knows how to stall at bedtime!

What are your plans for Labor Day weekend? How far are you running?

"Running" Errands & a little R&R.

I'm back from a long weekend vacation with my little buddy Jackson.  We drove to my parents house Wednesday night so we could be there & head to the cabin on Thursday.  I had to get a few things done in town before we left!!!  Lucky for me my sister Val came out to the house to watch Jackson  while I went into town.  I dropped my car off at the shop for an oil change & a tire repair (damns nails).  I got an amaze-fest run in despite the high humidity!!! I needed that run!

Totally wiped out after this awesome endorphin release!!

I grabbed a few groceries at the local IGA which happens to be where I had my first job!  I haven't worked there in over 10 years and seldom go in there because I'm not back home a whole lot. . . . . But I still know a lot of the employees!!! It was funny to hear everybody was so surprised I'm in my 30's & have a 3.5 year old!!!! I made my usual kiwi trip banana & chocolate milk stop before my weekend long run & headed back home.


Val took Jackson on a 4-wheeler ride around the land while I showered & fed Baby Otto!  Then we had some egg rolls from the local farmer's market for lunch! (Delish-balls. -omg!).

My momma also bought these beauties from the farmer's market! 

We enjoyed some outdoor fun while Val & Otto were over & before we cleaned up & headed to the cabin! The weather was absolutely perfect. I want a garden like this some day!!! The shed & landscaping isn't quite finished but I know my parents are enjoying it this summer!!!

Country Living at it's finest!!

A little Swimming, Digging and Pond Fun at my parent's house!

Checking out the Pileated Wood Peckers that were looking for dinner in the trees out front!

Saturday I got my 12 mile long run in. My mother was obsessing about how dangerous it was for me to run alone up at the cabin because it isn't heavily populated and she was worried about me being alone! I asked my bro-in-law Jake if he wanted to run some with me as he is a 1/2 marathoner. So, Val ran the first 3 miles with me, then she got a bike and rode along while Jake and I ran just over 6 and then I ran my last 3 alone. I had to cover some of the same ground, but I had my iPod for the last 3 and ran a little harder to change it up a bit.

Shortly after we were done running & showering, my brother and his daughter Maelyn got to the cabin. He had to come to the area to buy a dock from a neighboring cabin, so it worked out nicely that it was a weekend we were there. We enjoyed some time on the pontoon with the little kiddos. This was Otto's first pontoon ride and he did awesome. Maelyn's an old pro at boating with her parents!

My sister Val & Otto, Jackson and myself and my brother Craig and his daughter Maelyn.
We have one more sister who has 2 kiddos but they weren't at the cabin.



Waving to other boaters yelling "did you catch many fish yet?"  What a natural on the lake huh?



Proud Mamma of a growing little boy!

Saturday night my mom and dad and I took Jackson out on the poontoon to go fishing (aka, practice casting his line over & over & over). We never actually put bait on since this was his first trip out. We just let him keep casting, which the only part he was really interested in yet. He didn't even mind that he didn't catch a fish. He was just so excited to be able to cast his line like a big boy.

We had such awesome weather. I'm happy I got to get up to the cabin with some amazing weather and spend some time with family.
It's always hard to leave them to come home as I don't see them often enough.





We had a 3.5 hour drive home. . . . . this happend about 30 minutes before we got home.



What are you doing to wind down the summer? It's back to school for my mom (she's a teacher) and pretty soon Jackson will be starting 3k (bitter sweet), so we're done with our summer fun travels and we have to get geared up for a new routine!


~Brooke~

20 Miles & a visit from my Sister & Nephew

 My sister Val and her little baby Otto came for a visit since her maternity leave is almost over. I took Friday off and we had the opportunity to hang out all day and relax. We spent some time at Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan WI . . . . it's an amazing garden with interactive toys, books all over the place to read and many areas for little kids (or big kids like me) to explore. It's about 5 minutes from where we live, so I'm so sad to say this was my first visit in over a year! (Bad Mom!) I made sure to hydrate well while laying in the sun during Jackson's nap. Otto slept in a chair in the shade while we worked on our tans! (just like old times!) It was a nice visit and I was happy to have some time with my sis and her sweet little boy.




Gorgeous Day for a visit to the Bookworm Gardens with my little man!




Angie came to Sheboygan to run our 20 since my sister was visiting. We started shortly after 5 am. The weather was really nice, cool, low humidity, comfortable. About 2 miles in I noticed my back was soaking wet. The water bottles on our fuel belts are notorious for having leaky nipples. I pulled my back right water bottle out and sure enough, my bottle (unfortunately filled with Gatorade) had leaked ALL OVER MY BACK! I was pissed! Sticky and wet is not the way to be at mile 2 of 20. We stopped at a near by park at mile 3 to use the restroom quick and I wanted to just check out the gatorade damage & wipe down a bit. Pretty annoying, but I survived. I now have a pink stain on my fuel belt & panties! Oh well, it could have been worse!

Look at my back. . . only 3 miles in. . . . not sweating. . . . leaky bottle. . . . GATORADE!

~VERY MAD MOTHER RUNNER!~



You know it's a long run when your route takes an entire page of notes!



After our stop at mile 3-ish, we kept chugging along. Our run started on the same route we normally do for our long runs, but we've never done 20 in Sheboygan. We have only done our 20 by Angie which is out in the country. Needless to say, we had to do a few extra loop-de-loops to get 20 in! We made it to our 7 mile mark which is where we usually stop at a gas station, brag about how many miles we will be running, refill our gatorade and pee! Then, back on our way! From there, our route changed to get some extra mileage in. We stopped for a quick stretch break as my hamstrings were feeling very tight around mile 12 or 13. That was much needed and felt great.



One of a few stops for hydration refill!


I used to be opposed to stopping because I thought it was not "continued running" and I wasn't really running the whole time then. Now I know that when you are running 20, you need to stop when you feel the need to stretch or use the bathroom. Running for 3.5 hours is a long time and taking care of your body is so important. Running comfortable is more important than not stopping! I tried to put extra loops in the route towards the middle so that when we got closer to my house at the end, we could just be done and not have to do anything extra at the end when we just wanted to be done. That is a little mind over matter trick I learned over the years. Nobody wants to have to run past their house at mile 18 or 19. That would suck!

Normally I'm flapping my jaw the entire run. Poor Angie has to listen to me talk about everything from clipping my fingernails to the tediously boring details of my work day! She has to hear about potty training, cleaning my house, laundry, blah blah blah. . . . she really knows quite a bit about me! (Amaze-fest running buddy! -serioiusly!) This run was a little different. 20 miles is a LOT of running and if you have ever done it, you know you are tired at the end. The last 3 miles there was minimal conversation between Angie and myself. The last mile was mostly hard breathing, a few complaints about how awful we felt and just wanted to be done and some pure focus! We finished! It felt GREAT to be done! We always high-five when we complete a run. . . whether it's 5 miles, 10 miles or the full marathon! (it's a sweaty gross high-five, but it's just a ritual!)

The weather started out nice, but we were thankful we got an early start because it warmed up.

We don't always get the runner's high right when we're done as we're just too exhausted and all we want to do is pass out. I certainly wasn't feeling that runner's high yet when we first finished. We walked home (not far as I was pretty spot on with my route planning) and then we foam rolled, had our bananas and chocolate milk and called it a day. We had that done by 9:30 am! To me, that's all that needs to be done in a day, but as mothers of young children, there is no such thing as sitting on the couch the remainder of the day.

I ended up mowing my yard in my cute compression socks! I was hot, tired and dehydrated, but it needed to be done and I wanted to enjoy the back yard with the nice weather. I enjoyed a cat nap in the sun while Jackson napped and then played with Jackson the rest of tthe day. I had a hard time eating enough food to make up for my 20 mile run (sounds like a bad problem huh?), because I had terrible gut rot from the GU. I must have had enough active recovery because I felt great on Sunday. I certainly didn't feel like I ran 20 miles. I probably would have noticed some muscle fatigue had I actually done anything, but I rested and felt fine. I'm heading to my parents cabin with my little buddy for the weekend tonight so I'm excited to do my 12 miler with some new scenery. I'll miss my long run Saturday with Angie, but glad it's a 12 miler and not a 20 miler. We'll be logging another 20 miler the following weekend! Race day is quickly approaching so we are getting excited! 

Do you get excited to run in new places? Or are you a creature of habit and run the same route over & over & over & over?~Brooke~

5 Miles, 500 Questions & a crazy-ass hill!

Since I'm such a wonderful and flexible wifey, my husband decided last minute (less than 48 hours prior to departure) to head out of town for a fishing trip with a few of his childhood friends for 6 days!!!  It's all good and not a ton out of the ordinary since I'm used to the single-parent life due to our opposite schedules, but it's still a change of pace!  I have to do the daycare drop off in the morning and more importantly, I cannot run in the morning unless I want to risk involvement with CPS!

Work also happens to be on the busy side so I can't run during the day this week! That leaves me the option of running with Jacskon in the jogger after work.  I work til 5 pm, pick Jackson up and by the time we get home it's at least 5:30.  We headed out for a 5 miler.  My run started good despite being tired from a long day (which was probably long because I haven't worked out since Saturday and I'm used to spin class on Mondays and then hop right back into my weekday runs on Tueaday morning.

Angie texted me in the morning and all she said was "I'm so sorry!" . . . . . .what the hell happened? I was nervous because nothing followed that text!! She did text back later & said "sorry you couldn't run in this amazing weather!" . . . . . Way to rub it in that there are 7 great days a year to run and I' missing one of them because Steve is fishing with buddies!!! Not bitter at all! :/
I am totally missing my morning running while Steve is gone!
Lucky for me, the temps were cool when I finally got out for my run close to 6 pm.  Jackson gladly took a ride in the stroller while I worked my butt off! He also enjoyed a game of 500 questions! his inquiring little mind is always moving and he's always asking questions!! The worst time for question time is out for a run! it's hard to hear him because he's facing forward and traffic is noisy, and it's hard to explain things over & over when i'm pushing him & trying to keep a good pace!

A little Pit Stop @ the Lake to pee in the bushes (Jackson -not me!) and a quick photo op!

 I ran 5 hard miles pushing that little lug if a boy!  All was going well and I kept each mile under a 10 min/mile ape which I'm content with while running with the jogger.  I got to about my 1/2 way point as I did an out and back for ease with the stroller.  I had th e choice of turning around and heading back OR running downhill.  You know what happens when you go downhill on an "out & back course?" . . . . . . You have to get back up that hill!

I opted for número dos!  I jogged down that hill (quite easily- wink wink!), then turned that stroller around & conquered that hill!!!! I didn't stop . . . I hardly slowed and I kept going at the top!!! (And I didn't even leave the stroller at the top for Jackson to be a spectator!!!!  It was tough and I could tell y my shortness of breath that I really worked for that hill!!   A group of 5 older men were running and they passed me (only because I was pushing a stroller, otherwise I would have smoked them!!!).  One of the gentleman said "wow, you really did good on that hill!"  He knew it was hard running that hill just by himself, but to push a steoller with a kid inside would be really tough!!!! Runners just understand this stuff!

I finished up tired but not overly sweaty since the weather was amaze-fest!   If we would have had the hot/humid weather this week that we had a few weeks ago, I fear I would have missed some miles. I never miss a training run unless I'm really sick, so this would have been a difficult week had the weather been hot.

This was a hard run with a 30 lb kid in a stroller and a mega hill half way through!

This is what a professional bed time staller looks like!

As much as I enjoy going for a jog with Jackson and spending good quality time with him, I'm looking forward to my morning runs again because running with a jogging stroller is not the same as plugging in my ear buds, cranking my iPod and just zoning out with a good hard pace! I also feel very out of routine having to wait until almost 6pm to do my daily run. It's throwing me off and I look forward to getting back into my groove next week. Any fun plans for the weekend? Running a race? Doing a long run? --Angie and I have the first of our two 20 milers! Bring on the LONG RUN!!! ~Brooke~

My Full Moon 1/2 Marathon Race Recap

Angie and I ran the Full Moon Half Marathon on Saturday night. This run was totally outside of our comfort zone as it started at 6 pm. Usually we are done with our long runs (or any run for that matter) by 8 am or shortly after depending on the distance. Having the opportunity to "sleep in" on Saturday was awkward and made me feel a little "off" all day. I was excited and slightly nervous about the 6 pm race. I don't know why, but I still get pre-race jitters, even for a half, which sounds silly since we're at much higher mileage at this point. I enjoyed a little clothes shopping in the morning and also running a few errands sans child! I love a little free time when I get it, so I take advantage. Once Steve left for work, I tried nap time for Jackson, but it's pretty hit-or-miss these days, so we ended up playing outside in the back yard and enjoyed the beautiful day before I had to get ready to head out for the race.

Enjoying the afternoon with My little buddy before the race.

Angie and I met at the school in Kohler WI to catch a bus out to the start. Although the ride was NOTHING like our ride out to the start for Grandma's Marathon, it still felt like a long ride. That was the 2nd time I've been in a school bus in a few months, which is 2 times more than I've been in a bus in like 10 years! Pre-race at the start location was pretty relaxed. We had plenty of time to relax, hydrate, use the port-a-potty's and then get to the start line. There were about 300 runners, so nothing to crazy and large, but enough to make it fun!

Relaxing Pre-Race. . . .wish we had our sunglasses!

The race started promptly at 6 pm which was good because the trail has no lighting and gets very dark once the sun is down completely. The raced ended up being a nice course and despite a smaller race of only about 300 participants, there seemed to be quite a few spectators, which always motivates me to run fast. I saw the same faces over & over as it was an easy route for spectators to stop, watch and move on to the next stop. It was nice to see so many people supporting their friends or family running this 1/2. This would have been a great race to have some fans at because I ran really hard and well, but it didn't work out. I had high hopes of running a sub 2 hour race. I put that out there by making a bet with Steve and of course chatting with Angie about that. Steve and I made the bet that if I ran this race in under 2 hours, we could go to a movie of my choice. If it took me longer, it was his pick. Since we've known each other for 11+ years and we've been to a total of 1 movie together, there was NO way I was going to lose this bet. Angie and I both agreed that we wanted a fun and relaxed race because we are just coming off an 18 miler last weekend and we have a 20 miler this coming weekend. We both ended up running hard and having great races! We both had PR's! My goal was to finish in under 2 hrs (my PR for a half was 2:07 prior to this race). I ended up running a 1:53:50, which was so exciting to me! Apparently I still have that little bug in my ear from our full marathon. Angie told me that I start my runs strong, pick my pace and stick with it. I paid attention to that comment and I see my pace is fairly consistent. I'm not sure how I do that. I did slow down a touch, but never went slower than a 9:59 mile (yes, I watched my Garmin religiously throughout the race).
I can't tell you how many times I hear her voice tell me that while I'm out running. Besides the fact that she researches and develops our training plans, she is always encouraging and gives me the confidence that I can keep pushing myself. I'm a pretty lucky girl to have such a strong friendship with Angie and the BRB (best running buddy) ever! :)

Usually I'm in bed at this hour. . . . but we were both happy to be celebrating PR's!



I had to totally push it to get that pace for miles 8 & 9, but so worth it!  Thrilled with these splits and a 13+  minute PR on my 1/2 Marathon!



The overall course was a decline but it did NOT feel like that!  See the hill before mile 9?  Yeah, a LOT worse than it looks.

On some other exciting news, I think our household is now diaper free! How exciting is that? Isn't this kid just the cutest thing? A sleeping child is the most precious sight! Maybe now that he's a "big boy" we should get rid of his crib-converted to daybed and get him a real bed . . . . . one more thing on the list of things to get done!

No more Diapers! ;)  Guess I can buy more running shoes!

What is your largest PR gap? Mine is 65 minutes (from my first marathon to my second). Although it is unlikely I'll ever have a 65 minute PR again in my life for anything, I'm excited to be working towards running faster more comfortably! Happy Running! ~Brooke~

Mother Nature Is Screwing Up My Routine!

To say that I'm a creature of habit and routine is quite the understatement. I hate having disorganization and anything throwing off my routine. I quite flexible due to an ever changing schedule for my husband and also the simple fact of having a 3 and a half year old, but I do like some order in my life! Last night Jackson and I got home at 5:40 and had to be at a park down town around 6 pm to participate in the "National Night Out" walk to support local law enfocement and crimestoppers. Since my husband Steve is a police officer, we are always excited to do anything to support him and the local law enfocement in any way we can! I'm embarassed to say I gave Jackson a cheese stick for dinner! Usually they have hot dogs and popcorn available, so I figured we'd grab one of those and he'd be fine. Well, all they had was popcorn and water, so that had to hold him over. Not one of my finest parenting moments of organization & good nutrition. Oh well, he survived. Since Steve works 2nd shift, we hardly have any family time. We took advantage of a little time together while he was working. He got to sport his SWAT gear and walk 2 miles in the afternoon heat & humidity! (Poor guy!) After a fun filled walk and seeing lots of cops & firefighters as well as my favorite women. . . . the cops wives, Jackson started getting "naughty" so I knew that was my queue to get him the heck out of there and home!

Supporting our Local Law Enforcement!  (ps. Jackson looks HUGE here. . . . he's actually pretty small for his age!)

When he said Batman, I thought he'd get a little logo on his cheek. . . . . BATH NIGHT!

Since he just HAD to have a batman mask painted on his face, we had to fit in a shower, dinner & bedtime routine asap! Luckily the lack of a decent dinner made him hungry and he ate some chicken pot pie that I made. He ate everything. . . . . and he was super excited that he was eating the veggies without me even asking! Score! As if last night's routine wasn't thrown off enough, Jackson came to our room around 3 am because it was thundering and lightning. He normally sleeps through that stuff and this was the first time ever he came to our room scared. I couldn't turn him down! I thought we'd snuggle for a little while, but he's a wiggly sleeper, so the rest of my night/morning was not very sleep-filled, which makes me cranky. I also couldn't get up at 4 am for my morning run because it was still pouring out and with the lighting, it just wouldn't be safe. Some mornings I wish for rain so that I can sleep in and enjoy a few extra winks. . . . . but not today! I don't really have time to miss my run! Missing it isn't an option, so I'll squeeze it in over my lunch break (and make my time up later --I'm lucky to have that option!).
I didn’t sleep at all once my alarm was supposed to go off for my run, so it really didn’t benefit me at all to have a storm pass through during my running time. What a disappointment! I got up, got ready, enjoyed my coffee and then my “lack of a run” mood hit me. . . . . I had to get Jackson up to go to daycare for the day because I usually take him for a full day one day a week so Steve can sleep in once and then get some stuff done around the house. Well, Jackson wasn’t having it! McCRABBY pants to the next level! After a late night and some time up through the storm, he was NOT ready to get up and was pretty vocal about his desire to “take a nap” rather than get up. Let’s just say when I don’t get a run in, I’m not exactly the most reasonable person in dealing with being rushed when I don’t get enough sleep, not to mention not getting my run in. I was McCRABBY Mamma trying to get Jackson up, dressed and out the door. We survived the morning and I got to work! Amazingly, I ended up having a great run, even though it was out of my routine. I took a long lunch and got a nice hot 5 miles in. My average pace was 8:44 which is totally speedy for me. I was hot, thirsty and tired but I figured the faster I ran and kept going, the sooner I’d be back at my desk, working through e-mails and getting things done. The first 2 miles I stressed about being away from my desk, but when I hit those miles at a great pace and kept with it, I started to focus on my run versus my work and it felt great. Although it was just 5 miles which is so minimal compared to our weekend runs, it’s still 5 miles and an important part of training for the marathon, so having a great 5 miles out of routine gives me hope for an ever improving pace and setting goals for my marathon. I’m not quite sure what my marathon goal is yet. I need to be realistic, but still push myself. I’ll wait until a little closer to finalize my goal!


Obviously at the end I just NEEDED to be done . . . . . . This was a hard run and I really pushed myself.

 Angie and I are running in a ½ Marathon this weekend. The race is right here in Sheboygan WI! It’s rare we actually get to run more than a 5k or 10k race close to where we live, so a half marathon is thrilling. The Full Moon Half Marathon is a 6pm start, which is totally outside the box for us, so I’m not sure what to anticipate. Having a great run at a time I’m normally not running gives me hope for a good race! Now we just have to plan for hydration and light in case it’s darker when we finish. The trail we’re running on has no lighting, so towards the end it could be pretty dark! 

I asked Angie if I should wear this for our night race . . . . . . she said she would borrow me a little flash light  --does that mean I look like a total DORK?  Yup!



Running Rituals

If you are anything like me, a good workout makes you feel like you can conquer the world. . . . . But a bad workout can make you feel pretty disappointed!!! A bad run can make you question your ability to maintain your focus & drive! I'm on a constant review of what affects my runs: what I eat, how much water I drink, the weather, my sleep, wearing platform heels, how many miles I have on my shoes, how faithful i am with foam rolling between runs. . . Etc. I think I speak for a lot of runners when I say routine is everything. . . . . Especially for long runs! My diet is a HUGE factor in my running!

We have spaghetti every single Friday night before a  long run!
Thankfully it's a meal he'll eat. . . . He's been know to buck the concept of dinner time!!!

The night before a long run I have some fairly normal routines! I prefer to be ready for the morning so I'm not late meeting Angie & I don't forget anything vital to a long run!!

Water bottles are filled & put in the fridge  for  the morning!!!

Before I go to bed, which happened to be 7:45 last night because I was exhausted, I plugged my Garmin watch in, foam rolled, made sure my clothes were out, filled my fuel belt with gu and money for more Gatorade and put our bananas by my fuel belt so I wouldn't forget them!!! It's honestly more work preparing for a long run than packing stuff for my 3 year old to go somewhere for the day! Geeeez! I woke up at 4:30 this morning (which is sleeping in a 1/2 hour for me!) and folded some laundry, ate my yogurt, got dressed, put on my body glide, packed everything in the car & left with plenty of time to get where we were meeting! We planned on attending an hour long talk on "toning your mind" that one of our fitness trainers was putting on at a local fitness center. . . . . So we met there to run before we went to that!! I sat & played on Facebook for a bit since I was early! As soon as Angie pulled up in her matching minivan (yes, we are THAT cool!) I got out & realized I didn't have my Garmin watch! I almost started to cry. . . . And I probably would have if Angie wasn't the BEST running buddy in the entire world! She said, let's go get it! We were about 10 minutes away so that put us starting about 25 minutes later than planned!!! Angie totally understands the "need" for always running wi the watch! My stats would have been skewed by not having that 18 mile run recorded which would be down right devastating! I also would have been asking her every 35 seconds what our pace was & how much further we had to run. . . . .she would have killed me after 2 miles. . .so I think she preferred a little later start & cutting it close to the seminar time than having me run with no watch!!!!! Needless to say, my rituals failed me today!!! On the positive side, we had an extra 20 minutes of chatting and with less effort because we weren't running up hills! Here is a quick photo of us around mile 12 or 13 . . . . We ran into our "blog photographer" (my friend & co-worker) while she was out walking her dog Blossom!

We literally made it back in time to grab our chocolate milk (Angie put some on ice for us) and our bananas (I brought those) and head in to listen to our instructor!!! Unfortunately we didn't have time to stretch & foam roll so we quick got that in afterwards before we got back in the car!!! I could tell while walking out to the car that I didn't stretch & it is an important part of running injury free so we really focus on it!!

We had a pretty hilly route so it was a challenging run, but worth is because we are running in the Full Moon 1/2 marathon next week which is a super hilly route!! Despite my inability to be organized and forgetting my watch as well as needing a bathroom 2 miles in and almost peeing my pants (poor Angie had to run with me in public while I looked like a toddler doing the potty dance), we had a good run and finished 18 miles by 9:15ish this morning!!!! Now we can rest & relax today & tomorrow as part of our recovery routine which usually includes some sort of sweet treat . . . . And spending some good quality weekend time with our kids. . . .which is precious time for us both . . . . Even when they're crabby!