chicago marathon training 2016: week 10

Week 10 of Chicago Marathon Training

Monday, July 18: Burgers and Beer 5k

Tuesday, July 19: 8 miles; 45/30;

Wednesday, July 20: Strength Train

Thursday, July 21: 8 miles; 45/30; 

Friday, July 22: Strength Train

Saturday, July 23: Rest Day / Stretch / Roll

Sunday, July 24: 10 miles; 30/30

Week Total Mileage: 29.12 

Marathon Training Mileage: 279.28

YTD: 705.6

Great night for a race... and great food and beer!

After a weekend of racing, I capped it off with a Monday night run at Soldier Field/Lakefront Path for Burgers and Beer 5k. I believe this was my third or fourth time running this race – always a blast. I love burgers and beer and running, so why wouldn't I enjoy it? Haha.

The weather was warm and humid, but not too unpleasant. I ran with my mom and thoroughly enjoyed the food and beer after the race. They do awards and lots of giveaways at the end of the race party, which is awesome (even though I didn't win anything).

Tuesday I ran 8 miles. I would have pushed it to Wednesday after running the previous 3 days, but storms prevented that from happening. I was pretty wiped and it was about 88 degrees when I went out for my runch. I drank about 50oz of water haha. I had some troubles with the last 2 miles, and did more walking than I would have liked mile 7–8, but overall I'm seeing improvements and that makes me happy.

Sweat in the eyes! Can't be controlled during selfies haha.

Thursday was another crazy hot one at 95–100 degrees. I managed to stay outside for 5 miles before going inside on the treadmill at the gym for 3 more to finish the 8 for the day. I was feeling ok, but could feel myself crashing from the heat and humidity around mile 4, so at 5 I ran by the gym and popped on the treadmill – so very little time between the two runs. I had created a workout for the treadmill, so did 40/30 intervals on that so I didn't have to manually adjust the whole time. After finishing up at the gym, I walked home as a cool down.

Notice that small piece of lighter fabric? The only place not soaked haha.

So. Dang. Hot.

Sunday was meant to be 12 miles, but that just wasn't in the cards. I got 6.5 miles done outside in high heat and humidity, and couldn't get anymore outside. Being so sweaty, I stopped home to grab a bite to eat, shower, and then went to the gym. Again, I was hoping to finish up the 12 miles there, but my knee was hurting, so I called it quits at 3.5 more on the treadmill to be 10 miles total. I'm always disappointed when I don't get in all of my miles, but I didn't think messing up my knee was worth the 2 miles I missed. Luckily, it felt better the next week – so not sure if it was just some random thing, possibly going from pavement to treadmill, or maybe shoes I normally don't wear on there. I can't say for sure what the problem was, just happy that it didn't last long.

This summer I just can't finish any distance run without a soaked shirt or tank top
with minimal dry spots haha.

burgers and beer 5k recap

The Burgers and Beer 5k was on Monday, July 14 with a 7pm start. Yes, it was a weekday run (it's like going against the rules on a school night, except for adults haha). It is a Universal Sole event, with registration on RunningGuru. 

Packet pickup was the week prior, on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, along with race day packet pickup on site. I went on the Wednesday – I met up with my mom for lunch, and then headed over there for our bibs and shirts. I was really happy with the shirt – it was a tech shirt, gender specific, blue (my favorite color), and had a fun logo.

T-shirt and bib.

The race was being held outside of Soldier Field (on the south side). It was a simple out and back on the Lakefront Path, starting and finishing near Waldron Drive, with the turnaround and aid station near 31st Street. It was a lovely night for a run. I was a bit cold when I was done, and it looked like rain might come in, but thankfully never did. The race itself was pretty uneventful. I ran with my mom doing 30s:1m intervals. I was excited because Nuun was the hydration sponsor for the race, but I didn't see any Nuun until afterwards (was just water). I grabbed a bottle of water at the finish line, and went on the hunt for the post-race deliciousness.

The course.

See lovely skyline views.

The Finish Line.

Where this race excelled was in the post-race party. One of the best ones I've been to yet. Included in your race fee was a free beer, and get this, it was craft! Whoo! You know how happy that makes me. You had your choice of 312 Urban Pale Ale or 312 Urban Wheat. For food you received a burger (they had veggie burgers as well) from Billy Goat Tavern. Also, ice-cream from Rainbow Cone. Plus, some Skinny Pop popcorn bags. There were lots of vendor tents, with samples of Nuun, Saucony shoes, Pretzel Crisps, and I think there might have been massages. 

Love Rainbow Cone!

YUM.

We stuck around for awards and the raffles. This was an amazing raffle! They gave out soooo many prizes, but unfortunately, I did not win. I was really hoping for a case of 312. Other prizes included gift certificates for Saucony shoes, gift certificates for Universal Sole, and cases of Red Bull. It was awesome!

Did I mention a portion of the race proceeds went to supporting Special Olympics Chicago? I love when races help raise money for great causes, such as the Special Olympics.

This was definitely a fun race, but I was pretty tired the rest of the week. Being out late on a Monday can take it's toll haha. At least with Thursday races you only have one more workday to get through ;)

I'm going to keep an eye out for this race again next year! I'm generally steering clear of most 5Ks now, but if you are offering such delicious treats afterwards (a cheeseburger and craft beer?) – sign me up!

Here is my BibRave.com review: http://bibrave.com/races/burgers-and-beer-5k/1386

friday five: friday favorites

Happy Friday, all! I've got a busy weekend ahead with a 5k tomorrow morning and a half marathon Sunday morning, along with housework and errands, but I'm looking forward to it all! What have you got on your agenda for the weekend?

I am linking up with the lovely DC Trifecta for Friday Five: Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed up for What?, and Mar at Mar on the Run. This week's theme is "Friday Favorites" – I am sharing some things I'm loving this week.

1. Have you watched any of the new music videos Weird Al released this week? I can't decide which is my favorite... I really liked 'Tacky', 'Handy', and 'Word Crimes' haha. Above is 'Tacky' – notice all of the cameos? I was laughing out loud watching these.

Picky Bar Flavors. Which would you choose?

2. Picky Bars! I mean, I've been loving these for a while, but haven't shared my love here on the blog yet. Yuuuummm. Have you tried any of their flavors? My faves are Lauren's Mega Nuts, All-In Almond, and The Need for Seed. I don't care for coffee, so I didn't love Smooth Caffeinator, and I thought Boomdizzle was just ok. For those that have dietary restrictions, they are dairy and gluten free. I love snacking on them during the day when I'm hungry, or even pre-run. They have a 4:1 carbohydrate/protein ratio that's ideal for recovery and maximizes absorption of nutrients, and each bar is 200 calories.

3. I had a great time at the Burgers and Beer 5k on Monday night! It was a beautiful night for a run, plus the after race refreshments were phenomenal! Billy Goat Tavern cheeseburgers, Nuun samples, Goose Island beer (312 or IPA), Rainbow Cone ice cream, and Skinny Pop popcorn. Plus, they had a great raffle at the end of the night (I didn't win, but appreciated the amount of prizes they gave out). 

4. This week's weather! I am loving 60–70 degree days in July with less humidity and even going into the 50's during the evenings. Windows open and AC off? YES. It can feel free to stick around the remainder of the year. Unfortunately, we'll be back to (sort of) normal with 80s over the weekend. But still, if mid-80's is the highest we go this summer, I'd be quite pleased, as even 80 is too hot for me unless I'm laying in a pool ;) I'm really grateful for the cooler weather, especially when running. 



5. Have you seen this video of Kacy Catanzaro at 'American Ninja Warrior Dallas Finals'? She was the first female contestant to qualify for the competition's final round, taking place in Las Vegas. I mean, the strength this woman has! It's amazing to watch and I was definitely in awe. She rocked that course, and I can't wait to see how she does in Vegas. Girl power! P.S. No one has ever been crowned winner of this competition, as no one has completed the final course. Yikes, that's tough!

What are some things you were loving this week? Any new workouts, races, products, foods you tried and liked? How's the weather where you are? What's your ideal running weather?

Thanks to Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar for hosting! Make sure to check out their "Friday Five" posts (links to the specific posts are at the top of the page) and link up if you are joining in! They've been having great turn-out, and lots of great blog posts to read, if you have some time :)

friday five: fitness snapshots

Happy Friday, all! I am so happy that it's the end of the work week. Though we have some plans for this weekend, I will relish any down time and I'm really hoping to get at least one good night of sleep to try and kick this cold. 

I am linking up with the lovely DC Trifecta for Friday Five: Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed up for What?, and Mar at Mar on the Run. This week's theme is "Fitness Snapshots", so here's some snapshots of my week...

Chicago River.

1. I did a bit of walking around the city this week, while taking short breaks from work. It's tough to sit at a desk all day when such lovely weather is out there – I wanted to enjoy it, as well as help get me to my step goal for the day. Not to mention my legs get tight if I am sitting for too long without getting up and walking a bit.

T-shirt and bib for the race on Monday night.

2. I picked up my bib and t-shirt for Monday's Burgers and Beer 5k. I love the shirt, though I think I'll need to exchange it for a larger size on Monday night (hopefully they'll have the next size up available – they weren't doing exchanges until everyone picked theirs up, which I understand).

runDisney training plan.

Snapshot of my schedule this week.

3. and 4. This week was week 2 of Dopey Challenge training. I switched it up a bit, since I didn't get in 45 minutes Tuesday, I did them on Wednesday. Also, it's funny how now, a 'long run' of 4 miles seems so short. There was a day when I thought that was such a long run. It's not nothing, but I've gotten used to running 8–13 on a regular basis, so a 4 mile run goes by so quickly now. The days of 15+ are really going to be the challenge, along with the back-to-back days. I've also done a bit more than what is on the schedule, including keeping my running streak alive with at least 1 mile every day that was a scheduled rest day, and I did Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 1 on Monday and Tuesday—Day 2 and 3 of it—but stopped after that because I wasn't feeling great... going for a run was all I could muster.

Thursday morning run.

5. Having sinus issues was quite obnoxious while out running. I slowed down a bit, but there was a time when even on a good day I wasn't running an average pace of 13:37, so I'm still really happy with my progress so far this year. Even though it was a mere 63 degrees (which back in April/May I was complaining was too hot for running haha), the 88% humidity was a beast, and thus, I was a sweaty beast for those 3.46 miles.

How was your week in fitness? 

Thanks to Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar for hosting! Make sure to check out their "Friday Five" posts (links to the specific posts are at the top of the page) and link up if you are joining in!