Race Recap: Tear Drop Half Marathon

For the past 2 years, I've put the Tear Drop Half Marathon on my must-run list. But the pandemic interfered with those plans. This year with everything opening back up, I was finally able to make it a date! I still had Delta credits from canceling a flight for last year's race. This is my friend Holly's favorite race and she was all in, so I signed up. It worked out well since I was already training for a hilly trail race, the Earth Day 15 miler. Ok, so that was happening the weekend before Tear Drop. But Tear Drop is a net downhill! What could go wrong? 

Spoiler alert: nothing went wrong, but running that trail race the week before probably didn't do me any favors. No matter. I had a fun time!

Mini Book Reviews: April 2022

Disclaimer: I received a PRC of An Island from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review. As a member of Brooks Run Happy Team, I received a copy of Running with Purpose from Brooks Running. This post contains affiliate links.

I was fortunate this month to have a variety of different books! My hands-down favorite--which will probably be my favorite book of the year--was Lessons in Chemistry. Quirky, clever, and creative, I loved that the main character was a strong woman trying to make it in the very male-dominated science world. It was hard to start the next book--I just wanted to savor it and stay in her world. Has that ever happened to you with a book?

Don't Call it a Taper...

Another week of post-race recovery and...another week of training. In 2 weeks, I will finally line up for the Ice Age Trail half marathon, a race that for a variety of reasons has had to be postponed 3 times. I don't think I've ever trained so intensely for a half marathon before! I also don't think I've ever formally tapered for one either. But with back-to-back challenging races in the past 2 weeks, I need to give these legs a break while keeping them moving. As hard as I've been working, I won't deny that there is a certain satisfaction in watching my body respond to it!

This week, I was lucky to be scheduled for a week of continuing education and attended a virtual conference for pediatric nurse practitioners. If anything good has come out of the pandemic, it is some of these remote options. I really like learning this way instead of going to a live event. I'm so grateful to have had this downtime to recover from my race while I learn for my job. It worked out well!

Friday's run

April Shower Runfessions

It's been a cloudy, cold month--I heard that this is the cloudiest April on record for the Chicago area. I figured as much. It certainly has been tough to motivate myself to get out from under the blankets and head outside for a run. But the running doesn't stop just because the sun isn't shining, am I right? Plus, what would I have to runfess? Yep, once again, it's the last Friday of the month and Marcia has opened the runfessional so we can cleanse our soles. 

Maybe, just maybe, May will bring us some sunshine and warm weather?

Book Review: Running with Purpose

Disclaimer: As a Brooks Run Happy Team member, I received a free copy of Running with Purpose in exchange for my review and social sharing. All opinions are mine. This post contains an affiliate link.

I have been running in Brooks shoes for about 5 years. A long-time fan of ASICS Gel Nimbus, I was frustrated with a design change that wasn’t comfortable on the run. At the urging of a friend, I started running in Mizunos, trying several different models. They were ok, but I didn’t love the ride. Impulsively, I bought a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS and on my first run in them had that WOW! moment. The Adrenalines gave me the comfy ride I was looking for. My feet were happy. And if my feet are happy, then I'm running happy. I continue to favor the Adrenalines to this day.

Earlier this year, I was selected to join the Brooks Run Happy team. I’m thrilled to represent a brand that is runner-focused and philosophically aligned with my worldview. After reading CEO Jim Weber's new release, Running with Purpose, I feel even better about my commitment to Brooks shoes.

Recovery and a Race

As you read this, I'm hopefully flying down a mountain in Georgia, running the Teardrop Half Marathon with my friend Holly. Teardrop is a race she and I have had on the calendar 3 times, the previous 2 being postponed due to the pandemic. I'm hoping the 3rd time is the charm!! I felt strong going into this race and as it is a net downhill course, the hope is for a speedy finish time. But of course, Mother Nature has to have a say and she is throwing heat and humidity at us. So stay tuned. You can check my IG for updates and of course, I'll have a recap coming up. 

This week was a combination of recovery and training. I was really hurting from last Saturday's 15 mile trail race. I was using that race as a training tool, and boy, was I schooled! Specifically, I need to do a better job of fueling. I took several complete rest days this week and skipped CrossFit and strength training. I wanted to focus on keeping my legs moving but not pushing them to the point of soreness or exhaustion. I did do some stretching as well.  An actual taper for a half marathon? Who am I?

Oh, and I read a really good book that I'll be sharing on the blog next week!

Race Recap: Earth Day 15 mile trail race

For the past couple of years, I've had my eye on the Earth Day Trail races, held at the same trails where I ran the Frozen Gnome 10k in January. The pandemic put those plans on hold, but this year, the race was a go. Several of the women from my Trail Sisters group were planning on running, so it made it easy for me to commit. There are 3 distances: 50k, 15 miles, and 5 miles. I optimistically signed up for the 15 mile (25k) distance--thinking it would be a good training run for Ice Age in May. I've been building my miles over the past couple of months, spending most of my time on trails. Having run these trails before, I knew to expect a lot of hills. I felt both mentally and physically strong and ready for this race.