Hi there,

How’s your weekend going?

I went for a run this morning at the beach.

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i didn’t run in the sand but it makes for a prettier picture than the asphalt loop road that i did run on =)

10 strong miles. I felt really good until mile 9 when my hamstring started barking a bit, i’m currently foam rolling away. I focused a lot on my form today. Tried really hard not to heel strike. Took shorter strides. It really is amazing how that in turn gives faster paces. This was supposed to be a long slow run but after 2 miles easing into things I ended up with 6 tempo miles before slowing it up a bit at the end!

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I came home, made myself a hamburger (90% lean ground beef) on a sandwich thin and placed a slice of reduced fat chedder cheese on it. Added some greens and a little oil and vinegar and voila….I was re-fueled.

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Next up was a 2 mile walk in the woods with the pooch—our first woods walk since we officially hit Spring. I almost tripped over a twig until it started to move. Yeah, it wasn’t a twig, it was a SNAKE!!! EEEEWWWWW! Not 10 minutes later and a squirrel (must not have been healthy) ran across the path under Duncan’s legs and Duncan actually tripped over him and the squirrel rolled a few times before trying to bolt! Thank god I grabbed Duncan’s leash and held him back. It’s the closest he ever came to actually getting his prey. Again I think the squirrel must have been sick because he could barely run away.

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he kept waiting for that squirrel to come back

I’m headed out in a couple of hours with some of my Wolf Pack to our favorite mexican joint called the Burrito Bar. There will definitely be nachos involved =)

Catch ya later!

Hi there!

I’m exhausted. My girl’s weekend was a success!

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This is how my Saturday night ended.

I dropped off Duncan to hang with his friends…

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And then met up with the girls. We hit the road about 3:30pm and were down in Atlantic City checking into the hotel at about 5:30. We quickly got dressed and headed to dinner. There may or may not have been some pre-game cupcakes and drinks in the room.

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The girls! Note to self: Heels are the devil.

We had reservations at Bobby Flay Steak, a steakhouse in the Borgata hotel. In one word I can describe the meal as perfection.

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I had filet mignon, a glass of shiraz, and we shared 4 amazing sides. Mashed potatoes, asparagus, cauliflower gratin and sweet potato gratin

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the desserts were off the chart! Baked alaska, 7 layer chocolate espresso cake and caramel apple bread pudding with spiced pears

After dinner we dabbled a bit in the casino. I actually had a lovely surprise and won a little over $300. I was so close to winning the progressive amount which was $48,000! But $300 is still nice.

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if that 100x Pay was up just a smidge i’d have won $48,000

And then we headed to the club to dance. I don’t dance and clubs aren’t my thing but there was some magical liquid courage involved and wouldn’t ya know I danced and had so much fun!

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Somewhere before I passed out cold on the bed still in my dress I took this series of selfies! I think I was happy no?

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I woke up in the middle of the night and scared myself when I looked in the mirror

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I learned from Gina that she calls this hairstyle the Snork. Genius!

Things returned to normal this morning when I was back in my running gear! Gina and I went out for a quick run to sweat out the small stuff booze. It was 3 miles of good girl chat with some walk breaks. We both were suffering from war wounds of wearing heels the night before. Gina wore her FitBit all weekend and tracked our steps. Between the dancing and the running we’d covered over 10,000 steps! How cool is that?!

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I ran on a boardwalk again!

My calves were really tight most probably from wearing heels and while we were running I felt a twinge on the inside of my ankle and my achilles tendon. It got stiffer as the day progressed. Most definitely related to the tight calves. So when I got home I put on compression socks, and iced the ankle.

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I’m not exactly sure if this is a minor issue or a major issue but i’m not freaking out just yet. I CANNOT afford to make this any worse with next weekend’s 18 miler on the horizon. Here’s hoping that it’s minor.

I really enjoyed myself this weekend and was able to put all my stress on the shelf for a bit. It’s great to have gal pals to share good times like this with.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I’m too tired to ask you a question but if you have anything to share with the class please do. =)

 

Typical Sunday.

Started with a run…

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Then took a walk…photo 4

And then took a selfie…photo 3

If you asked my what my favorite weather was I’d say today! It was mid 50s and sunny.

Well now I’ve got to prepare for the week.

Question: What was the weather like this weekend where you live?

 

Happy Wednesday…

I am officially on vacation until next Tuesday. I have lots to do around the house so it’s going to just be a STAYcation…and the timing is perfect because we’re getting a blizzard starting after midnight tonight.

Last night I received not one, not 2, but 3 packages!

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I knew that my replacement running capris would be arriving soon and I knew my sister-in-law had ordered me an Otterbox iPhone case for my new phone (foreshadowing), but the Run Like a Girl medal holder was a total surprise! We were talking about how the 2 medal holders I have were filling up and she wanted to make sure my 2014 bling would have a home. I love her!

I hit the mall this morning at 10am when they opened to go to the Apple store and finally upgrade to the new iPhone. I brought the new case like a parent would bring a car seat to bring baby home. LOL.

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welcome to your new home iPhone 5S. I will love you forever two years

I used some gift cards I received over the holidays and then forked over the balance. Considering my phone is probably the most valuable thing after my dog and my running sneakers I’d say it’s worth the money because I get every penny’s worth and then some!

Next up was a pit stop to Dicks Sporting Goods for a stash of Sport Beans and HoneyStinger chews now that my long runs will be 14+ miles.

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And then to the Dr. for my follow-up and pathology results. Benign! Benign! Benign! I am so relieved.

I hit up Trader Joes for some groceries so I won’t starve tomorrow during the storm.

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note the most important item, the chocolate covered almonds!

And then I met my dear friend Doreen and her Dogues (the Turner and Hooch dogs) for a nice long walk.

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watching the bird formation. they are gettin’ the heck outta dodge before the storm

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walkin’

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can we stay here forever ma? i’m having so much fun.

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over here guys! i think i found a mouse

We let them off the leash to romp in the snow a bit since not a soul was around. It was great! And that’s how I started off this STAYcation..

I’ll be shoveling tomorrow for some cross training I suppose and probably will move my run to Friday…but not Friday evening. That would be pathetic. Well maybe not….spending Valentine’s day running is love for sure….

Question: What music are you loving lately? I have lots of iTunes gift cards and want to buy some new stuff while I’m snowed in. How is life with you these days? Happy? Healthy? I sure hope so