friday five: spring races

Hey guys! I've been a bit quiet here on the blog lately... I hope you haven't missed me too much. Life has gotten extremely hectic with some career transitioning and some personal things, but I'm here today to get back into Friday Five posts!

On Fridays, Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?!, and Mar at Mar on the Run, host a fun linkup with new themes each week. This week's theme is SPRING. I've decided to talk about five spring races that I'm looking forward to.

1. Shamrock Shuffle 8k on March 29. This is always a fun race. Being Irish, I of course like the theme. This year they are doing something new – finisher medals! That's exciting. I can't say I'm always a fan of the shirt, but they are tech material, so I wear them for training if nothing else. I'm hoping for some 50 degree weather! It's really fun running through the streets of Chicago, especially down State Street past the Chicago Theatre. The crowds are always energetic, plenty of on course support, and fun after party in Grant Park (though the beer isn't quite what I would prefer...). If memory serves correctly, there was a band playing and food/beer for sale. Participants received their first beer free if they were 21+.

2. Boston Marathon on April 20. No, I'm not running, however I love watching the live feeds. It's so inspiring and motivating. I can't wait to see how my pals do, not to mention Shalane!

3. Southwest Half Marathon on May 3. This is my goal half marathon. I'm training to get a PR. I like this race because it's a small runner field, so I don't have to worry about congestion or weaving around people.

4. Tinker Bell Races May 8–10. I am registered for the Neverland 5k as well as the Pixie Dust Challenge. This will be my second time out to Disneyland, as well as my second time running the Tinker Bell half marathon - - first time with the 5k and 10k :)

5. Soldier Field 10 Mile on May 23. Last year was the first time I ran this race, which I signed up for the week of, and was so glad I did. It was such a great race, and we had beautiful weather. It was really neat to get to run through Soldier Field and actually finish on the 50 yard line. The course was nice (and the beginning was fairly wide, so gave the large number of runners a chance to spread out), plus a great medal, tech shirt, and a cool bag with all of your post-race goodies (water, pretzels, etc.). I'm racing again this year, as a BibRave Pro, and I'm super excited. Shameless plug - register before March 31 to save $10 on your registration. On April 1 the price increases. I was planning on doing this rave again this year, I just got lucky enough to be chosen as a BRP for it :) Join me and #FinishOnThe50 at the 2015 #SF10. Head on over to SoldierField10.com and register!

What races are you looking forward to in Spring?

week in review: march 2–8

Monday, March 2: rest day

Tuesday, March 3: 3.67 miles

Wednesday, March 4: rest day

Thursday, March 5: rest day

Friday, March 6: rest day

Saturday, March 7: Cross training (Irish Dancing) +  2.74 miles

Sunday, March 7: rest day

I had a really busy week trying to get my portfolio put together for upcoming interviews, so running fell a bit to the wayside. I managed to get two of my maintenance runs in, however, didn't squeeze in my long run due to time constrictions. I honestly was proud of myself for even getting in the two runs, especially the one on Saturday – I forced myself to the gym after teaching dance classes for a few hours. It's really a big step for me, considering how lazy and unmotivated I've been since Dopey.

The weather here is starting to warm up, which means I'll be able to run outside again (YAY!). The problem with the winter is that people don't shovel their sidewalks, and I don't trust people not to hit me if I run in the streets in my neighborhood – I've seen the way they drive around here. So, treadmill running it's been, and I just can't find the motivation to run for very long on those things lately. I usually don't mind treadmills, but lately I'm just not having it. Anyway, hopefully the ice melts soon and I can do more outdoor running again to train for the upcoming half marathon in May.

On another note... my husband and I finished up all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad, which (maybe pathetically) feels like a great accomplishment haha. It's nice to have the pressure of finishing the episodes off my shoulders. I know it's crazy, but the idea of still having so much left to watch gave me anxiety – I had to know what happened in the end! It was a great series, and would recommend watching it if you haven't yet. Now it's time to catch up on the latest seasons of Downton Abbey and House of Cards. Eeks.

I have a 7k race on Saturday in the city (also the day of the Downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade), plus some more celebrating on Sunday with friends. St. Patrick's Day is a big deal in Chicago – especially on the South Side :) Other plans for the week, besides running/exercising, are a Beer 101 class and hopefully getting a new iPhone.

If you are free tonight, join me and my friends at BibRave for #BibChat at 8pm CT. Bart Yasso is joining the fun and will be answering some questions that runners have submitted over the past few days. I'm super excited!

What have you all been up to? Are you training for any races?

march goals

As we begin a fresh month, I am wiping the slate clean and getting back to business. January and February were tough months for me, as I switched gears in my career, completed the Dopey and Glass Slipper Challenge, and basically lost my motivation for running. I'm taking a deep breath this month and diving back in. So, here are my goals.

1. Follow the training plan I set up for my half marathon in May, in which I want to run sub 3:00. I know that's not a lofty goal for most, but I've never done it and am determined to hit it this year! With Dopey training I could tell my speed was improving (though not for marathon distance haha) and I hope it translates into the half.

2. Cross train 2x a week - for me this will be walking, swimming, biking, hiking... anything that isn't running, really. I'd like to mix in strength training as well.

3. Run at least 3x a week, with a monthly total of no less than 50 miles. I've been slacking since Dopey Challenge ended, and I really need to get back into logging big miles for Run the Edge's 2,015 in 2015 Challenge.

4. Drink more water (and by more, I mean at least 48 oz. a day).

5. Hit my goal of 10,000 steps per day at least 5/7 days a week. I'd love to hit it every day, but that's unrealistic for me at the moment. I'll be upping my game once spring comes 'round.

6. Read 1 book (ideally 2, but I haven't had a lot of free time lately, so I'm just hoping to finish one).