week in review; march 17–23

Unfortunately, I don't have much to report (again) for this past week. I am continuing to feel better, but any time I walk at a quick pace, it leaves me in a coughing fit. Whoa is me. I'm hoping that I can at least get in a few brisk walks this week in preparation for an 8k on Sunday.

The week consisted of work and sleep, but I had a great weekend. 

An old friend (as in, we've been friends for 20+ years, not old as in her age) got married on Saturday. I had a blast at her wedding; getting a chance to catch up with the old gang is always fun. I spilled food on my dress twice. Twice. Am I a child? No bib or napkin can contain my sloppy eating habits. Luckily, I sprayed some shout on the stains when we got home, let it set for 5 minutes, and washed it before going to bed (here's where I am an adult... taking care of business even though it was 1 am), and it appears all of the stains were removed. Phew. I really like that dress. 

On Sunday afternoon I got together with a bunch of friends and their kids for some pizza, wine/beer, and a lot of hilarious moments, thanks to the kids. It was a lot of fun to just hang out and chat. I wish I would have had a little more time at home in order to get some laundry done, but mostly so I could cuddle with the dogs on the couch. I felt bad that we left them for most of the evening Saturday and all afternoon Sunday. Oh well. It wasn't any length of time they aren't used to, but I prefer to be home more (I'm such a homebody sometimes, and by sometimes, I mean always). I'll be home more this upcoming weekend, which will be nice for both me and the dogs. 

How was everyone else's week? More productive than mine, I hope! Upward and onward, I go!

P.S. I've heard so much about Nuun hydration, that I just had to buy some and try it for myself. I bought a multi-pack of Nuun All Day (vitamin enhanced drink tabs for all day hydration in flavors: tangerine lime, grapefruit orange, blueberry pomegranate, and grape raspberry) and an original formula multi-pack (electrolyte enhanced drink tabs in flavors: tropical, strawberry lemonade, grape, and fruit punch). I can't wait to try them out! Plus, they sent a free trucker hat with my order. Who doesn't love a free treat (even if it is something you might not ever use)? 

week in review; march 3–9

Monday, March 3
rest day
I failed to wake up early and I just had to watch "The Bachelor: Women Tell All" when I got home from work. I normally don't watch "reality" tv, but this show is just too funny not to watch. It's a guilty pleasure, I admit. After "The Bachelor", I watched "How I Met Your Mother"... is anyone else worried about how this show might be ending?! I sure hope it's happier than they are making it out to be.

Tuesday, March 4
rest day 
On Tuesdays I play trivia at an Irish Pub in the area with my brother and some friends. The questions and categories are mostly Greek to me, but I was able to answer 5 questions correctly (ones that no one else knew). This was my best week yet. I usually have some other answers, but if other people know them, I don't count it as a personal victory. It's always nice, however, to be able to back-up the answer if there's any doubt.

Wednesday, March 5
evening run; 3.25 miles with an average pace of 12:57
Remember when I told you I was a slow runner? Well, an average pace of 12:57 is fast for me. Yep, you heard me right. My average pace from all of my runs logged on Nike+ (starting in May of 2011) is at 14:47. I know, that's basically walking speed. Yikes. My goal of increasing my speed this year is going well so far. I hope it continues to improve, and that I can incorporate it into my races.

Thursday, March 6
morning run; 3.22 miles with an average pace of 13:19
Yes, I was able to crawl out of bed in the morning to complete a run before work. Go me! I knew I wouldn't be able to run after work because I had plans to meet up with friends for a wine tasting and have dinner, so I reminded myself of those plans before hitting the snooze and going back to bed for an hour. I had some knee pain at mile 2, so did a little more walking to alleviate the pain. After a few minutes I got back to run/walking, and the pain had subsided, so I was happy about that. 

Friday, March 7
rest day
So very happy it was Friday, and the near 40 degree temps really helped to improve the mood of everyone today. I had a great hour-long lunch break with a friend I've made in the office across the hall. I almost never take lunch breaks, but it felt so nice to get out of the office after spending most of the winter pent up. Sometimes you just need a break. My evening consisted of catching up on a backlog of "Grimm" episodes, eating dinner, all while enjoying a glass of wine before hitting the pillow at 10:30. 

Saturday, March 8
rest day
DH and I went to lunch with my mom early Saturday afternoon. We went to an Irish pub/restaurant and got some corned beef (delicious) in honor of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day... and some pizza, too. I spent rest of the day cleaning the house. At night, we went to a friends house for a birthday party and we played a game of Apples to Apples with about 20 people - hilarious fun.

Sunday, March 9
6.03 miles with an average pace of 13:21
Late night out plus daylight savings equals a later wake-up time than I had planned. Oh well. I had scheduled Sunday as my long run day, because it was supposed to be warmer outside. Unfortunately, it was still a bit too cold/windy, so I decided to hit the treadmill and continue re-watching Lost (I'm on Season One for the third or fourth time... pretty sure I clue in on something new (to me) each time). It was really about 6.5 miles at about 13:10 pace, but I was having some issues with my watch — it had decided to pause (or maybe I accidentally paused it when taking off my sweatshirt), and then didn't pause while I tried adjusting my sports bra — in any case, it had me at over a 20 minute mile pace. I decided to just stop and start over, to ease my frustration and start fresh. That evening, ee met up with some friends we haven't seen in a long time for dinner at an alehouse, and then went to see their new house. At the alehouse I had a "Not Your Fathers Root Beer" by Small Town Brewery, and it was amaaaazing! I didn't really believe it would taste just like root beer, as it claimed, but it REALLY did! I need to find this in stores immediately to stock up the fridge. It was 10% ABV, which could be quite dangerous, since you can barely taste the alcohol. Fingers crossed I can find it somewhere.

And now, it's time for a new week! Those weekends sure do fly by, huh?

How was everyone else's weeks? Anything fun to report?