Weekend trip...

This past weekend we trekked to the great white north...Canada...for the wedding of two of our wonderful friends!  (FYI, Jonah and I may have had a hand in setting them up.)

We split the drive up in two days, we stopped by Detroit then headed on.  I'm always amazed at how beautiful it is in Canada.  The friends we stayed with live within walking distance of a bike/running path that runs along Lake Ontario.  I had the opportunity to run along this path, and there were quite a few people out in the morning walking, running, and biking.  I also did a bit of shopping at Lululemon and got a super cute outfit for the Chicago Marathon!!

The wedding was held on Lake Ontario (pic on the top right) in the afternoon, and during the reception we were able to watch the sun setting over the lake (pic on the bottom right).

On the way home we swung by Niagara falls on the Canadian side.  The falls were beautiful (we didn't stop and stay long since parking was $20, ouch!)

It was a great trip (even though Jonah didn't get to eat at Swiss Chalet) and we got to see so many friends and make new ones!

Marathon update:
I've been traveling a lot of weekend, so my long run schedule has been a bit erratic.  Before we went to Canada I did a 14 miler that was....alright.  It was way too humid and way too hot, so I ended up walking about 1/4 mile to go up one of the hills.  I have a few more trips this summer, so I'm going to have to be creative with me running schedule.  Before our vacation I'm supposed to do an 18 miler, guess we'll see when I can squeeze that one in.

whirlwind of life...

What a whirlwind of a weekend and another one is on the horizon.  Last weekend Jonah and I traveled to Lafayette, IN (about 3 hours from Cincinnati) for my step-brother's wedding.  It was beautiful!

Then on Sunday I drove to a small town near Louisville (about 4 hours from Lafayette) for my dear friend's baby shower (cake pictured on left). Then Philip and I headed back to Cincy (about 2 more hours).  I think my dog is one of the few dogs that likes being in the car for that many hours.  It was a lot of driving, but totally worth it to see friends and celebrate the changes in their lives!!!

The whirlwind isn't done....this coming weekend more friends are getting married...in Hamilton, Ontario.  So watch out Canada here we come (except philip...no international travel for that pup)!  This will be a weekend of reconnecting with friends who have moved all over the nation!

To make it even more fun, I'm going to get my hair done tonight! woohoo new hair cut and color!

More running gear awesomeness and week review...

Running gear...

I got a RoadID and it's awesome!  I highly recommend one for anyone who is hiking, biking, walking, or running.  I went for the original wrist band in pink (of course) with all my important information, emergency contact, and allergies.  I feel much safer when I run with it, since drivers in Cincinnati are not the most courteous to runners.  There have been several times where I've nearly been hit by a car, and afterwards I thought....How would anyone know who I am? Know who to call? The only disadvantage for the wrist band is that it adds to the tan line that I'm developing at my wrist from my watch as well.  (I have to let my vanity go for the sake of safety.)

Week review...

This week has seemed exceptionally long, probably because last week was a short week.  But, I've made it through and it's almost the weekend.  

This week I've accomplished:

• Stuck to my running schedule (mostly, my long run was moved to today to accommodate this coming weekend's general busyness) 
• Also, 12 miler this morning went well even though it was about 75F outside when I started.  The hydration belt works wonders!
• I eat oatmeal before long runs and this week the addition to make it more fun was....frozen strawberries (they heated up as the oatmeal was cooked) and a tablespoon or so of local honey!
• Took a new direction with my research that I've been thinking about and planning for the last few weeks.  (I was worried that my PI wouldn't like the idea, but thankfully she did. It may lead to a great collaboration with another lab.)
• Finally saw Eclipse, and enjoyed it.  (It took going to the theater several times to see it, the first time the projector broke) 

This weekend I get to share in 2 joys with family and friends. 1.  My step-brother is getting married and 2. one of my close friends is having a baby shower!  It looks like an exciting weekend with friends!

flawed...

Sometimes you realize that your personality flaws are bigger than you first thought.  They start to hurt those you love and distance them.  I've realized one of my flaws this past week, and it was not a fun surprise.  It's a reminder that as much as I'm working on making myself a better person......I am really far from being a completed work.  That being said, I think being aware of a flaw can make it more easily remedied.  Time to grab some tools and work on  myself!

Late 4th of July recap...

4th of July was a welcome 3 day weekend spent with friends and loved ones.  Jonah and I went to a friends surprise 30th birthday party (big milestone), got to visit with my bff, her husband, and doggie, did lots of sleeping, cooking, and relaxing.

A sampling of our culinary adventure for the weekend is pictured on the left.  On the 4th we made kabobs with sesame-ginger marinated chicken, zucchini, green peppers, eggplant, baby bella mushrooms, and one with jalapenos (for Jonah of course).  We grilled them on the grilla skillet (one of my best purchases from ikea) since I don't have a grill due to lack of outdoor space.  

For the surprise party we attended I tried baking something completely different (for me at least), shortcake.  I made shortcake from a recipe on the back of my baking mix box.  So, it had a thin layer of shortcake-whipped cream-layer of shortcake-whipped cream-strawberries and blueberries arranged like an american flag.  Unfortunately, I didn't get pics of it before we ate it but it was yummy.

Philip was the embodiment of relaxed for most of the weekend.  Playing with my bff's dog totally wore him out.  

A wonderfully relaxing 3 day weekend makes the week go by quickly, tomorrow is already Friday!

Hope everyone else enjoyed the holiday.

Recipe for a good long run...

I was pretty much not looking forward to the 10 mile run I needed to do this past Sat. for marathon training, but I got up early to beat the heat to give it a go.  I got about 3 miles into the run and realized that I felt pretty good and took the pace up a bit.  I ended up finishing the 10 miles in about 2 minutes faster than usual.  Here is my recipe for the run:

8h-Good nights sleep
1 bowl-oatmeal with banana (very ripe...like ready for banana bread ripe) and frozen sweet cherries
1 cup-cinnamon coffee
1-new nathan hydration belt filled with H20.  (2 small bottles)

I think having the new hydration belt was a huge plus, since it was SOOO hot this weekend.  Also, getting new gear is always super fun.

I last blogged about dead legs....they didn't affect me on this run!  yay!

running with dead legs....

This week running has been more of a challenge than usual.  My legs have felt SOOOO heavy.  I'm blaming it on all the lower body resistance exercises that I did last Sunday and again on Tuesday of this week.  Today especially it was like running through mud, but I dredged through it.  I'll relax the rest of the day, and hope the long run tomorrow goes well.

I've just started reading the book Once a runner, by John L. Parker, Jr., and fictional story about distance runners.  One of the "master's/track club runners" has a program that always gives the young guys dead legs when they try to keep up with his mileage for a week. So, I'm hoping I'll have a great pay off by running through these dead legs this week....I'll try to stay optimistic.