Extended Weekend Highlights

We are enjoying a little bit of an extended weekend as Craig had today (Monday) off from work for Alaska Day! (Yes, there is such a thing.) I am definitely not complaining because I was able to sleep in this morning and having a second set of hands to help with Cullen is always nice.

Let’s back up to recap this weekend. Saturday morning I coached Raven Run Club. The training group had an hour and forty-five minute run in the drizzly rain. It has been raining a lot here lately. So much so Craig said he feels like he’s been living in the Pacific Northwest these past few weeks. Hey, if this was all the worse winter was, I’d be a-okay with that! Give me rain over snow any day! I know most Alaskans don’t feel that way, but that’s how I’ve always felt.

Saturday I worked at the store (Skinny Raven Sports) all day at our Dansko Trunk Show. Danskos are definitely an Alaskan shoe. I’m not sure why they are so popular up here, but a ton of people wear them. I admitily have two pairs myself. (I even wrote a blog posted titled Danskos a while back!) They are a very comfortable clog with a rigid footbed that conforms to your foot over time (think Birkenstocks), but they can be kind of unsteady and have horrible traction in the wintertime. [Although the XP (eXtra Performance) does have a slip-resistant bottom.] Anyhow, most people don’t think they are that cute, but here in Alaska it is function over fashion.

Sunday morning I ran 5 miles with Whitney and then added on 2 extra miles on for a total of 7 for the day. Afterwards was church and then we relaxed at home while Cullen napped.

A friend of mine told me about a BuzzFeed article that used a picture from my blog! I think that’s a good thing?!? Ha!

29 Signs You Ran Cross-Country in High School

When Cullen got up from his nap, we went to Sadler’s to pick out some new furniture for our living room. We’ve been using a broken couch for far too long (umm. . .like 7 years), so it was about time to change that. We ended up special ordering a couch and loveseat. Unfortunately they won’t be here for another six weeks, but at least we will have some new pieces in our living room soon. Now we just have to find an accent chair, an area rug, and a TV console that doesn’t look like an entertainment center. Something like this Wayfair console table.

Today I slept in and then did my workout for the day. I ran a total of 8 miles with 3 x 1 mile @ 6:45 pace. It was a good workout, and it was so nice to run in the daylight!

Afterwards Craig, Cullen, and I went to get coffee/tea at Kaladi Brothers. I ordered a London Fog: Earl Gray tea with steamed milk and vanilla flavoring. It was tasty!

Then it was off to the dog park to enjoy the morning sun and give Sadie some exercise. Craig said he thought Sadie has been putting on a little bit of weight. She doesn’t get quite as many walks as she used to and now she gets all the food that Cullen drops.

This afternoon I went to the grocery store by myself while Cullen napped! I even got to use one of the mini carts. Ha! I hit up Fred Meyer and Costco for our weekly groceries. The rest of the afternoon included a late lunch, play time, and just hanging out at home.

Training continues to go well. I’m not doing any sort of crazy training right now but instead maintaining fitness and trying to improve leg turnover. Here’s a look at my training from this past week.

Training Log ~ October 12 – 18

Monday

9 miles | 7 miles at a moderate/up-tempo pace

Splits from the up-tempo pace: 7:14, 7:14, 7:19, 7:16, 7:19, 7:17, 7:19

I actually felt pretty good from this run despite lack of sleep and still feeling sore from the half-marathon two days earlier.

Tuesday

6.5 miles | 8:17 average pace | easy run

I did this run with the stroller, so I could sleep in. (All of my other runs are done before Craig goes to work, so I have to be done by 7:30 a.m.) I felt fine and enjoyed the easy pace.

Wednesday

10 miles | 2 x 2 miles @ 6:45 pace | interval workout

Workout results: 6:48, 6:59 (hill!), 6:45, 6:45

The backlight on my Garmin watch doesn’t work any more, so it can be difficult to know if I’m running the right pace or not. Luckily I hit 3 of the 4 miles at the right pace. Bummer for that long, gradual hill for the second one though.

Thursday

My day off! I soon will be transitioning to a day off every 8 or 9 days. I’m going to miss my weekly day off.

Friday

7 miles | 5 x 2:30 minutes uphill | hill workout

The best hill I could find within a close proximity to our house only took me 2 minutes to run up. Oh well, I made the most of it.

Saturday

13 miles | 7:49 pace | long run

I did this long run on the Coastal Trail with a friend. It was a nice distraction to have someone to talk to and help me forget about the rain.

Sunday

7 miles | 8:40 pace | easy run

Easy run with a friend in the dark. The sun doesn’t rise until 8:30 a.m. already!

Total weekly milage: 52.5 miles

Questions

What was the highlight of your day?

What is your favorite drink at the coffee shop?