week in review; april 14–20

Monday, April 14
rest day
Laundry and 'DWTS'.

Tuesday, April 15
2.01 miles on the treadmill in the am
It was a bit rough waking up in the morning, but I managed to squeeze in 2 miles on the treadmill before heading to work. Trivia night went fairly well, and was a fun night.

Wednesday, April 16
strength training - arms and abs
2 mile walk
Another evening of laundry and catching up on the DVR.

Thursday, April 17
2 mile walk
My dear husband and I went on our monthly date night for wine tasting and dinner. It was lovely.

Friday, April 18
rest day
The DH and I went up north to hang out with some friends. We went to a bar/restaurant for a quick drink and some chips/guac before heading out for dinner. We tried to get some pizza at Piece Brewery, however it was an hour and a half wait, so we went over to Lillie Q's and put in our name there for a 30 minute wait. We then walked a few blocks down to grab a drink while we waited, and then headed back for some delicious BBQ (I had some ribs, and usually I am not a fan of them smoked, I chowed down on these bad boys). With a race the next day, I limited myself to two drinks, and then had water/pop for the remainder of the evening. After dinner, we headed back to Piece for drinks for the other three, then headed back to our friends' place so I could meet their new dog (who was absolutely adorable). I hated to be the buzzkill, but we had to head out around 9:30/10 so I could get my gear together and get some shut eye. Even though it was only a 5k the next morning, I still need my 8 hours of sleep in order to function haha. After all, I am no longer a spunky 21 year old anymore ;)

Saturday, April 19
Chocolate Chase 5k with an official time of 38:03
It was a GORGEOUS day for a race! It was mostly sunny and started in the mid 40s and ended in the low 50s (some may say cold, but I loved it, and was actually pretty warm by mile 2). I ran 1:30/1:00 run/walk intervals with the goal of beating a clock time of 40:00. I haven't had a 5k in under 40:00 since 2012 (boo). I'll have a very short recap of the race (being local and small, there wasn't an expo, and the race itself didn't have much exciting going on).

Sunday, April 20
9.5 miles on a trail

DH and I headed over to the trails Sunday morning to get in a long run before our half marathon in 2 weeks. We went our own ways and did our own pace. It was a beautiful day – the high was expected to be 75, and was in the low 60s when we started. We weren't sure if there would be much shade on the trail. It was our first time there this season, and we didn't know if there would be much foliage on the trees yet (with the long winter we had). It wasn't too bad, considering how sunny it was – I was able to remain mostly in the shade, keeping cool and avoiding much sunburn (though I think my face got a little bit). I had on shorts, a t-shirt, and a half zip pullover, but after about a mile, I took off the pullover and tied it to my waist. Guess I could have left it in the car, but I thought with the wind I might be cool. Nope. I ran with my Nathan Quickdraw Plus Handheld Bottle Carrier filled with water, and brought some Sports Beans to test out. Well, at mile 1 I tried to open said Sports Beans, and couldn't get them open! I did the tear here, but it didn't rip it far down enough to be able to open the package. It was sooo frustrating. I tried for 3 miles to try and rip them open, to no avail (I even tried ripping with my teeth, which I hate). Luckily, I ran into DH, and with some effort, he was able to rip it enough for me to be able to squeeze a bean out at a time. Note to self: Cut open package prior to leaving the house. I liked the fact that they are re-sealable... but that's not possible when you have to tear the dang thing open. Anyway, I went the way that had more hills, and had a tough go of it. By mile 5 my legs were so tired, I had to walk up all of the hills. Also to my displeasure, I only had about 2 down hills. Oh well, those guys'll make me stronger, right? Overall, it felt great to get those 9.5 miles in prior to Easter dinner – enjoying some fresh air and exercise. We went home, showered, ate some lunch, and relaxed before heading to DH's parents house (I painted my nails a fun pastel blue/green (Essie Mint Candle Apple), and read a little in our sunroom). I'm personally not a fan of Easter dinner (read: I don't like ham), so I stuffed my face with appetizers and then dumplings. By the time we got home and watched 'Game of Thrones', I was spent. We went to bed at 9:30. Are we cool or what ;)

I hope everyone had great week/end and a (belated) very Happy Easter to you all!

How was everyone else's weeks? Any long runs or races? PRs? When's your next race?