week in review; june 30–july 6

Monday, June 30: 1.02 miles

Tuesday, July 1: 3.50 miles

Wednesday, July 2: 1.58 miles

Thursday, July 3: 3.30 miles

Friday, July 4: 7.4 miles in honor of Independence Day (+ .5 mile walk home)

Saturday, July 5: 1.54 miles

Sunday, July 6: 1.16 miles and Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 1


Week total: 19.50 miles

#RWRunStreak Challenge total: 116.52 miles

July 4 was officially the last day of the Runner's World Streaking Challenge, but I wasn't quite ready to let the streak go, so continued on through Sunday. The thought of the streak and keeping it alive really kept me motivated and pushed me out the door everyday. I didn't want to disappoint myself by missing a day, and getting at least one mile done everyday made me feel accomplished. It may sound silly, but I was proud of myself for completing the challenge by running 40 consecutive days in a row. I have to admit, I wasn't sure if I could handle it. I know a mile a day isn't that much, but finding the time and energy (even on stormy days or sick days) to get out there would be my challenge, so having gone all 40 days makes me happy.

Tuesday was Day 1 of Dopey training, which was also on Thursday and should have been Saturday. Since I did a longer run on Friday, I skipped the scheduled 3 miles on Saturday and just did 1.5. I guess it's sort of a swap of days, though I did a longer run than was part of the training. I'm really excited to get started on training. I still have a few months before I have to worry about mileage, since days where I have to run more than I have so far doesn't begin until October. I'm hoping the running streak has helped prepare my body (even if just a little bit) for the back-to-back race days.

As far as fun things during the week: Thursday my hometown had their parade and fireworks. Friday my husband and I went to my cousin's house for a BBQ. On Saturday we went to the in-laws for some pizza. When we got home, I started to feel like I might be coming down with something (sinus/throat), so I drank some chamomile tea and went to bed early. Yesterday I had a lot of errands and house cleaning to do, so I didn't have much time to relax (or at least not as much as I was hoping for). I participated in the #RunChat, watched "True Blood", and then went to bed (though I had a lot of trouble sleeping). As far as eating, I might have overindulged and need to pay better attention of what I'm eating this week.

How was your weekend? Any races? Family or friend BBQs? I hope you had a chance to run a few miles and eat some delicious food :)

week in review; june 23–29

Monday, June 23: 1.1 miles

Tuesday, June 24: 1.07 miles

Wednesday, June 25: 1.46 miles

Thursday, June 26: 1.86 miles

Friday, June 27: 1.13 miles

Saturday, June 28: 12.31 miles (5k in the morning and then a trail run)

Sunday, June 29: 1.03 miles

Week total: 19.96

#RWRunStreak Challenge total: 99.72 miles

I was hoping to get in a few runs around 3 miles during the week, but life was a bit hectic. I was able to maintain my running streak, however. I cannot believe that we are already on the final week. It doesn't seem like I've been running for so many days in a row, which is a great feeling to have.

My sister-in-law and nephew were in town this week, and on Wednesday I met them, my parent-in-laws, and husband at the Shedd Aquarium to check out some fish, dolphins, belugas, etc. It was a lot of fun – I hadn't been there in a while. 

Fishies at the Shedd Aquarium.

Sharks and fish at the Shedd Aquarium.

Another fun event from the week was a concert at Northerly Island – my husband got us tickets to go see Ray LaMontagne (one of my favorite artists. How could anyone resist that amazing voice?). Neither of us had been there before, so it was great to see Ray and enjoy the outdoor concert venue for the first time. Our seats were pretty great, and the two opening bands were good (Ray was fantastic, of course). The weather wasn't too bad, either – a bit warm, but not excruciatingly hot, which it could have been. 

Ray LaMontagne

Saturday and Sunday were pretty jam packed with family events, a trail run, more family events, and meeting up with friends for a drink or two. There was a pretty big storm that blew through on Saturday, and right before it came, we got to see a rainbow! They always make me feel like a kid.

How was your week/weekend? Do anything fun? Any races, PRs, long runs of note? Hope it was great!