TC Loony Challenge Race Review

Registration Online.  Register early for the race series.  It's popular because it's a guaranteed entry to the 10 Miler.

Packet Pickup: For the series, racers get a 'Saturday' bib that uses 1 number for both races (Take a lesson Flying Pig) and one number for the Sunday Race.  The Sunday bib has a little 'Loony Challenge' emblem on the front, and you get back tags for both days.  The expo is also the TC Marathon Expo.  It has a good mix of vendors, races, and local charities.  I picked up a hat while I was there. I looked in the official store but I wasn't wild about anything they had.

SWAG:
Saturday: 10K Medal and shirt; 5K Medal and shirt, one pair of gloves.  The 10K medal and 5K medal are the same, which is different from years past, and seems pretty cheap to me.  Like, oh, now I have two of this medal.  WTF?
Sunday: 10 Mile medal and shirt.  Pair of gloves.  The shirt is neon.  It's definitely one of the uglier shirts I've ever seen. Free beer at the finish for those over 21.  This year there were vodka samples too, so that was on point.
Race Series: Vest for the series.  Medal for the series.   The vest is a pleasant surprise.  It's a nice weight, zippered pockets, and even a secret inside zipper.  The medal for the series is always one of the prettier medals I get every year.

Transportation to and from the race:
Expo: Bus to/from West 7th, where I'd parked and met a friend for lunch.
Saturday: Bus/Green Line to the races and then Green Line to Dungeon Master's car to get home
Sunday: Bus to the start line; Green Line to a stop where I met Olive and we cheered for the marathon for a while before she took me home.

Start Line:
10K/5K uses a start line next to the finish.  This year, no joke, there was a box truck parked on the course , 100ft past the start.  It was fenced off and everything.  They knew it was going to be staying there.  Truck/fencing situation lead to a horrible bottle neck after the start. They should've just fenced off the course to that width from the start for both races.  10K and 5K races are a mass start.  The 5K in particular should be a wave start.  It is way too crowded with kids seeding themselves incorrectly. 
10 Mile start line is in Minneapolis.  This year there were 4 corrals, which meant I started around 7:25am.  I was to the front of the corral, so I got to see the other corrals going off.  That was fun. The 10 Mile start is fun because some of the marathon runners come and cheer at the start line and it's one big park.

Course:
10K: Same as it always has been.  Out and back along Summit Ave with a fair amount of climbing.
5K: Reverted to the old (bad?) course after the fantastic changes they made in 2017.  The 2017 course was a loop.  The old (or current I guess?) course is an out and back with 2 way running along Summit Ave.  It is waaay to narrow for the number of people on the course, and for kids who don't get the concept of 'two way traffic'.  I watched kids and adults almost run into the elite runners coming 'back' because they were on the wrong side of the street.  This is another reason they should do wave starts.  It's just better for runner safety.  (I do think kids belong in this race and it's a well done race for kids.  There are some things the organizers could do to make it safer for all the competitors, especially kids who've never run a race before and don't know the etiquette.)
10 Mile: This course has been the same for a long time (as long as there's not a land slide in the way).  The course has a lot of climbing, particularly in the middle.  I find it challenging but super fun.

Pace Team:
10K, 5K: No pacers
10 Mile: Well, there's what the website says, and then there's what happened.  There are pacers for this race.  However, the corral/pacer situation was a total cluster.  Last year I ran a 1:54 which put me in Corral D today.  (I was 32021, and Corral D started at 32000, so I was close to getting into Corral C).  Based on last year's time of 1:54, obviously a good goal would be 1:50 right?  The 1:50 (11:00/mile) pacer was in Corral C, so I couldn't run with them.  (Ok; sometimes that's how things break down.). Oh, by the way, the 2:00 pacer (12:00/mile) also started in Corral C.  I think that person was straight up in the wrong place.  I passed her in my last mile and NO ONE was with her.   Because really, if you qualify for Corral C, you run faster than a 12:00/mile.  A lot of people in Corral D run faster than that.  For next year, if the corrals are split at the same paces, they should have a second 1:50 pacer in Corral D.  And the 2:00 pacer also needs to start in Corral D where they belong.

Fan Support:
10K, 5K: People do come out for this and stand on Summit.  It's not a ton of people but there is some support.  The chute into the finish is packed with people, so that's always a blast.
10 Mile: I thought there were more people out than last year.  Or maybe I was just paying more attention this year?  There's a ton of people downtown, and this year there were a few spots of people along the River Bottoms as well.  SE Mpls and into St Paul there were lots of people, and Summit Ave is always crazy.  I ran by the free beer at mile 8.  I thought it'd just make me sick.  Butif it's your cup of tea, it's there.  Apparently I also ran by Whiskey shots.  That doesn't sound like something I'd pass up. 

Finish:  All 3 races have the same finish line in St Paul near the Capitol.  As a runner, it's the best finish line of any race I've ever done. It is amazing.  And then there's what happens just after the finish line.
5K/10K: Finish area is super family friendly and the 'chute' is pretty small.  There's medals, water, bananas, and a couple other snacks.
10 Mile: The first part of the finisher chute is pretty standard.  Bonus here because they usually have hot broth.  Might as well be manna from heaven.  Shortly after that things go haywire.  The chute is crazy long and winding.  It's just walking around, the only other thing there is in there is baggage.  Outside the chute are a few other amenities.   The changing tent and family reunion area were in a field that was unfortunately pretty soggy this year.  In the changing tent a lot of runners stood on their mylar blankets to change and stay out of the mud. After I was warm and dry, there's a beer garden. There's also a PR bell that I couldn't find this year.  At some point, I was done walking and looking for it, so that's partly on me.

Race Recommended For:
Race Series: Is great for someone who wants to run a lot over the weekend, but not run the marathon. It's okay for slower/back of the pack runners but not walkers.  You need to run a 10K comfortably in 1:25 or less.  (Because the 5K starts 1:30 after the 10K.)  For me, training for two back to back days of racing was a good challenge for my endurance and my strength.
10K: Fasties, first timers, race walkers, anyone who loves a big race, anyone who wants to try a well supported 10K. There are race walkers and walkers in this race, but not as many as in the 5K.
5K: Fasties, first timers, race walkers, walkers, and kids who are big enough to do a 3 mile race.
10 Miler: Fasties, first timers, race walkers (I have been passed by many race walkers here), anyone who's looking to go up in distance from a 5K or 10K, anyone who wants to increase their speed over a longer race, anyone who likes climbing or hilly races.

Bonus: I put my series results on this report last year, so including it here again.

Loony Challenge 1 Week To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: Not that many. Just be patient and enjoy the taper.
Actual: 25 run, 2 walked

Long Run Miles Planned: 6-8
Actual:: 6.65 Miles on Sunday morning.

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual:
Run: 6.65 Miles at Ft Snelling with a goal of having fun.
Kettlebells: Done, and a minute faster than last week
Abs: Also done.
Bonus 2.5 miles walk with Dungeon Master on the track at the gym. 
From today, I learned: Normally I run, walk the last 5-10 minutes of the route back to the gym, and then do my weights/abs workout.  Today I ran, cooled down, got in my car and drove to the gym, and then did weights/abs.  My weights workout is rep based, and this week I got it done about 1 minute faster than last week, at the same reps and weights.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF 1-3 Miles, Plyos
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: Turn off my watch at the end of the run.  I had a slight failure here and realized I'd left it on for about five minutes while I was putting the dishes away.
I'm going back and re-reading my past weeks of training.  In the beginning I talked a lot about nutrition as well as work outs, and then I had an unplanned failure in July and took that bullet point out.  I'm liking going back and looking at that, and may want to add it back in for Flying Pig training.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.66 Miles on the Rum River Trail. I've missed it here.
From today, I learned: This was a fun run.  I didn't look at my watch. I practiced having positive thoughts like I'll need Saturday and Sunday.  It felt great to be outside and enjoying nature.  Fall colors are trying their hardest to come out.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: I am legit wondering if 7pm is too early to go to bed.  Taper means rest, right?  I woke up with a massive headache.  Ibuprofen is doing it's job so far though.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights 1 Mile Run.
Actual: 1.2 Miles in the morning
From today, I learned: Not on my run, but later I learned the Buffalo Montrose trail has been paved. I've run there a time or two or three.  It's always been a crushed limestone trail, and then used for snowmobiles in winter.  I'm curious with the blacktop now if that'll make a difference for winter use. There's no way they're going to plow that thing all winter long.  Right?

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 Miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: Last night I swapped my winter and summer clothes.  I have too many running clothes.  I also have 50 pairs of sweat pants and I don't like many of them at all.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos 10K race, 5K race
Actual: 10K race and 5K race completed
From today, I learned: Trust my body; my body is stronger than my mind today.

Long Run Sunday: Ft Snelling

Plan: Run: The goal of the run is to have fun running.
Post run: Sunday weights and Sunday abs.

Route: I haven't been to Ft Snelling all year.  But I didn't want to do my normal 10-12 mile route today.  So I parked down by the lock and dam and ran from there.
Weather: In the 40s, no sun, no wind.

Wardrobe: Capris, long sleeve shirt, head band, wool socks, Merrel shoes.  Those shoes were not think enough for the gnarly worn down part of that trail either. I needed my Altras.

Execution: I definitely had fun.  I listened to nature, or the lack of birds singing as was the case today.  I enjoyed the scenery.  I used a couple different camera apps to take all of the pictures.  I felt like garbage at the beginning of this run (thanks mother nature) but somehow ran through it and felt a lot better at the end.  I have not looked at my splits from the run.  It's good practice for next week when I'll try not to look at my 5K/10K results until Sunday when all racing is complete.
Nutrition: I had a fat bomb before leaving the house.  And no, that's not the reason I felt like garbage.  I did not carry food or water on my run.  I'm sure I will spend the rest of the day hydrating and managing my electrolytes.
From today, I learned: When I'm about to get my period and I feel like garbage at the beginning of a run, apparently it's possible to run through that and feel better by the end.

Bonus: Here's pictures from a few different apps. The best one I got is CameraTimerDC and it's a paid app, but it can take photos every second. Honorable mention goes to PhotoTimer+ which is free, but only takes one picture every five seconds.  For the macros I used Obscura which is normally a paid app but I managed to get it for free one time.

Loony Challenge 2 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 30 Miles
Actual: 30.13 Miles

Long Run Miles Planned:10 or so
Actual: 10.73 miles Sunday

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual:
Run: 10.73 Miles in the morning.
Kettlebell workout: done with a 10kg bell and a 6kg bell.  Which, after seeing my heartrates from the run, this was the right decision.
Abs: Done.
From today, I learned: Going hard can be fun!

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 5.3 Miles in the cool fall morning. 3 minutes 'finisher'
From today, I learned: Take it easy and listen to my body.  Run my run and don't get distracted by what else is going on.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.3 Miles in the morning along the Greenway.  Tuesday weights.
From today, I learned: I went to Goodwill for my Pre-Race throw away clothes.  Thanks to Blue Tag Tuesday, I paid $3 including a $0.50 donation.  And I learned that every Tuesday it's a different color tag that's on sale.  Also, this was a great run.  But for some reason Strava isn't showing me other runs on this same route right now, so I'm going to go learn more about that.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles run after work.
From today, I learned: I used this run to practice a high cadence. 

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:
Run: 4.3 miles on the Greenway.  Low HR and a good pace.
Weights: Thursday weights done except the assisted pull up machine was being used so I did barbell rows again. 
From today, I learned: Weights: I feel like I'm getting better at front squats.  I need to remember to warm up my wrists for that exercise.   this video was very helpful in making sure I do my warm ups properly.
Run: So, I ran by this dude laying on the ground not even a mile into my run.  I was pretty sure he was just passed out, but I felt conflicted.  On the one hand, I don't want to be the kind of person who just runs by someone without offering help.  On the other hand, there was no way I was going to actually check on him myself.  (I think every female runner understands this; it's just a safety thing.)  But when I came back that way at the end of the run he had moved on, so I felt less conflicted.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles in the early morning.
From today, I learned: Sometimes running in the dark is better.  I couldn't really 'see the course' today so I wound up daydreaming a bit and the run went by really fast for a slow run.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 3.1 miles in the morning, 3 minutes finisher.  I did not look at my watch at all for this run.  I ran completely by pace and listened to my body. I haven't looked at paces yet, I wanted to write my summary first.
From today, I learned:  Slow down and listen to my body.

Loony Challenge 3 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 36 Miles.  Peak week!
Actual:31+ miles run, 4+ elliptical 'miles' and a little walking for 37+ miles total

Long Run Miles Planned: 10-12 Miles
Actual: 10.22 Miles on Tuesday morning

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual: 8 Miles on the track.  (8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 workout).  This was a rough workout.  Even after a significant cooldown from the run, my HR was still way too high for weights so I abandoned that in favor of not passing out.  No abs yet.
There's a heat advisory in Minneapolis, so running outside in the late morning is no fun.
From today, I learned: This running workout started out rough.  After the 'warm up' I focused on running smoothly, and running hard but 'leaving something in the tank'.  So, this workout turned out to be about listening to my body.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual:
Abs: Sunday abs done
Weights: Sunday weights, done in full this time.
Run: 1.5 miles on the track
Elliptical for 60 minutes
Bonus Yoga video in the evening. 
From today, I learned: Yesterday's shit workout was completely my own fault.  I was dehydrated, like over a few days just hadn't had enough water, lazy dehydrated.  So I spent the afternoon on Sunday sucking down water, and I drink a lot of water while I was on the elliptical today as well.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:
Run: 10.22 Miles in the morning.  This is a swap for either Monday or Sunday when I was feeling like crap.
Weights: Tuesday weights done, except all the bench press benches were full so I did overhead press today.
Bonus yoga video in the evening again. And then I went to bed at like 8pm.
From today, I learned: Get up early and get it done?
Listen to my body: I didn't look at my watch until the final mile of the run.  I just went off how I was feeling.  I was feeling like I was working harder than a normal MAF run, but like I had gas left in the tank as well.
I'm actually more surprised with myself for getting weights done this afternoon. I knew what my work schedule looked like, plus I got stuck in traffic, but done and done!

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.16 miles on the track, plus 2 laps walking for a total mileage of 1.5 miles. (Wahoo)
From today, I learned: They aren't all going to be high mileage days.  But my heart rate is back where I think it should be so I think I'm feeling better.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 1.25 Miles on the Treadmill.
Thursday weights done.  Including 1 set of 5 assisted pull ups with only 50lbs of help.  I did bench press today, swapped with Tuesday.
From today, I learned: I changed the mileage today because of an all day rain storm and much better predicted weather tomorrow.  I have done a run or two in the rain this cycle, and I just wasn't feeling it today.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: Run 5.48 miles in the morning, easy.  Bonus abs.  (I'm now realizing I didn't do a 'finisher' for this run, so I'm glad I did the abs.)  Btw, I was running in like 20mph winds at one point.  It was really awesome.
From today, I learned: This was a great run.  I think I'm feeling better than the crap fest that was earlier this week.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 4.18 Miles, easy, in the morning.  3 Minutes finisher.
From today, I learned: I am captain grumpy pants on the weekends.  No, seriously, sometimes an easy effort is just the right thing. I focused on running my own pace and not getting distracted when other runners passed by.

Loony Challenge 4 Weeks to Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 35 Miles
Actual: 33.5 Miles.  The perfectionist in me is bothered by this, but the healthier part of my brain is fine with it.

Long Run Miles Planned: 10-12 Miles
Actual:: 10.96 Miles on Sunday morning

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual:
Run - 10.96 miles, same route as my last long run, though a touch faster than last time
Sunday Kettlebells - done; I used at 12kg bell for squats and high pulls, and started with a 6kg bell for overhead press, and then moved to an 8kg bell for 4,3,2,1 sets
Abs - also done.  Then I lay on the floor and stretched for a while.
From today, I learned: Run: I can go a bit harder and last the distance.
Weights: I am strong enough for the 8kg, though it's always gonna be harder after a long run
Bonus learning from today: I'm re-reading Mind Gym and the author says he challenges the athletes he works with to think in their training about what they can learn to be better tomorrow.  That's how this bullet got added to my training logs.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 7 Miles Run around Baker Park Reserve. My 'finisher' today was running up the big hill at the end instead of walking.  This was a well done run.  I went 'harder' but had stuff left in the tank too.  A solid effort for the day.
From today, I learned: The hills weren't as bad as I thought.
Look about at the ground, about six feet ahead on the hill, don't look at the top
My hill mantra is 'pick up my knees and fly away' or 'fly' for short

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:
Run 5.31 Miles in the morning. Easy.
Weights: Tuesday weights.  Including I did 2 sets of squats at 80lbs (bar + 17.5lbs on each side), and 1 set at 75lbs. I didn't think I could do the heavier weight, but then I tried it and it was okay, so I tried it for a second set.
From today, I learned: Running - I was looking at 'paces' from last year and realized I need to calm my shit down, becuase my heart rate training is in a lot different place from last year, like running solidly at lower heart rates than I could last year.
Also, easy days easy.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual:4.53 miles of trail running. This was completely not at MAF.  The last part of it was all out and super fun.
From today, I learned: I can push hard focusing on effort, not pace. Push hard and let the run flow.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 1.21 Miles in the morning.  Weights will not be today.
From today, I learned: Get up and get it done!

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.3 Miles on the treadmill
Thursday weights.  For some reason overhead press were crazy hard this morning.
From today, I learned: How to enter weight reps into Carb Manager. How does it not have 'overhead press' as an exercise?  Nor the assisted pull up machine.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 3.25 Miles in the crazy hot weather.  3 minutes 'finisher' at the end.  This 72* is from 8am before I even headed out to run.
From today, I learned: I need to think about my long run tomorrow.  Like, what do I want to get out of this long run and how can I accomplish those goals in the heat? Because it was hot today and it's going to be at least as bad tomorrow.

Loony Challenge Step Back Week - 5 Weeks To Go

Step Back Week
Weekly Miles Planned: 20-25 Miles
Actual: 22+ Miles, and some walking

Long Run Miles Planned: 5-8 Miles How are there only 5 weeks to go?!?
Actual: 6 Miles a couple different days this week

Sunday Planned:t 1-6 Miles Run at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual: 1.16 miles run, walked 'till my mileage for the day was 2 miles.  Tried Kettlebells and got dizzy and super high heart rate so gave up the ghost.  Not every workout can be perfect.

Monday Planned: 1-6 Miles Run at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 1.21 miles in the morning.  You may call me captain grumpy pants.

Tuesday Planned: 1-6 Miles Run at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: Run 1.21 miles in the morning.  No weights.  Captain Grumpy Pants is still captaining the ship over here.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 6 Miles Run.  I didn't look at my heart rate or my pace, I just ran for fun, and it felt good.
Tuesday weights done on Wednesday.  I'm still grumpy in the morning, but I found time this afternoon to get some things done.

Thursday Planned: 1-6 Miles Run at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 6 Miles in the morning.  3 minutes 'finisher' at the end of the run.  This was a great run.  It was nice and cool in the morning.  (Pics taken from roughly the same place on two different days.  Hello sunrise!)

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 4.16 Miles before dawn.  First flashlight run of the summer/fall. Thursday weights today.  (I'm a day off because I was a grump on Tuesday).

Saturday Planned: 1-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 3 Miles around my happy place.  3 minutes 'finisher' at the end of the run.  I was super grumpy and felt a bit lousy during this run.  Then I realized I'll be at this same place in my cycle on race day, so I started making plans in my head, about 'adjusting' my cycle slightly.

Looney Challenge - 6 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 34 Miles
Actual: 34+ miles

Long Run Miles Planned: 12 Miles
Actual:: 10.91 Miles on Sunday

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual:
10.91 Miles Average HR was 138, but it was around 150 at the end.
Sunday Kettlebells: done
Sunday Abs: Also done, which surprises no one more than me

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 8 Miles at MAF.  On the track, inside, because it was 76* and 85% humidity when I woke up.  Like yesterday, my heart rate got a little wild around mile 7.  Did I mention this was inside?  I'd headed to the gym with the idea of doing most of this on the elliptical listening to an audio book, but then I was all 'just see how far you can make it on the track' and then I did the whole thing there.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 1 Mile on the treadmill.  It was raining and the weather is supposed to be on point the next couple of days.
Tuesday weights: accomplished except I did overhead press instead of bench press.  First time I've been at the gym and both benches were in use the entire time.  I will swap for Thursday.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 5.25 miles, 3 of which where in Z3.  This run was a pleasure.  Mileage is swapped with yesterday because of the weather.  3 minutes 'finisher' after the run. 

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.31 miles run, in the afternoon.  I'm always slower (read: my heart rate goes nuts easily) after lifting.
Thursday weights, except I did bench press instead of overhead press becuase of Tuesday.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.21 miles after work.  I was a bit stiff, and sort of grumpy to start with. But I drove 175 miles today, so really this was a great way to end the day and the work week. (And yes, I totally set my 6pm 'you have to run' alarm, but I wound up not needing it.)

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 3.25 miles around one of my favorite lakes.  (This was all the miles I needed to finish up the week.)  I wore sandals for this run.  Sandals and grass do not mix. Quick 'finisher' after the run.

Loony Challenge - 7 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 34 Miles
Actual: 34+ miles

Long Run Miles Planned: 12 Miles
Actual:: 11.45 Hilly miles in Cincinnati.  It was sometime last year training for this same batch of races that I last ran this far.

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual: 11.45 miles, mostly at MAF, though the last mile or two were touch and go.  (I've done this run before, in apparently the same shirt and hat.)  4 minutes 'finisher' of squats, standing leg raises, and side steps.  No abs or weights because I was out of town.  We'll see if those get made up.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 6.82 Miles around Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska.  No plyos, but a finisher of squats, standing leg raises and calves. I was grumpy most of this run, but glad I did it once it was over.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: Run 5.26 miles in the morning, Avg Hr 136, pace 13:33/mile.
3 minutes 'finisher' of squats, standing leg raises, calf raises
Afternoon Tuesday weights (except I swapped overhead press instead of bench press).  I have 'moved up' in weights to 55lbs overhead press, for reals.  One day I will get the stones to move up on my squats too!

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.19 Miles run in the morning.  And then I worked all day and did a 'video interview' for TCM in the evening.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.16 Miles in the morning.  3 minutes 'finisher' of squats and raised leg raises.  No weights because of the logistics of my life.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.  Thursday weights in the afternoon.  Where I met Ms Iva at the gym.  She congratulated me on my weight lifting and told her I was a motivation to her.  (I see her all the time and I feel the same way about her.)

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 4.16 Miles at above MAF because I am grumpy. 3 minutes 'finisher'.

Long Run: Cincinnati Hills Style

Plan: Do this route, I can turn around early if I want, and try to keep the heart rate in check.

Route: I was staying with Mom and Dad so I did this route again.  It's part of the Flying Pig course, so I'm visualizing myself doing that next year.

Weather: Started in the high 60s and crazy humid.  It warmed a bit but not ridiculous.

Wardrobe: I wore my old Minimus shoes that I keep at Mom and Dad's with my Illuminite shirt and shorts.  I just wasn't down with the reflective vest today.  I had on a visor too.  Obviously no sunglasses since i left at 5:40am.

Execution: I was pretty happy with the way this went. Heart rate got a bit wild later in the run.  I expected that.  The end of the run has a couple hairy hills and I walked a bit.  Also, this was a big jump in mileage for me, so I knew I'd be tired.
Nutrition: I ate nothing before hand.  I carried no water.  I carried a Lara Bar but didn't eat it.  I was crazy thirsty when I got home and had all of the fizzy water.

Bonus: Did I tell you about seeing sunrise along the river?

Loony Challenge 9 Weeks To Go: Step Back Week

Step Back Week
Weekly Miles Planned: 25 Miles
Actual: 16 Miles run and 6 elliptical ‘miles’ for a total of 22

Long Run Miles Planned: 4-6 Miles
Actual: I think this was Wednesday with 5.2 miles

Sunday Planned:t 1-6 Miles Run at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual: 1.21 Miles in the morning.  No bells or abs.  All of the walking downtown and hanging out with the family during the day.
Nutrition: I have planned for failure!

Monday Planned: 1-6 Miles Run at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 3.05 easy miles around Lake Nokomis.  No plyos because my ankle was freaking out last week and now I don't know what's going on.
Nutrition: Continuing to fail, and okay with it.

Tuesday Planned: 1-6 Miles Run at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 1.21 Miles run in the morning.  Tuesday weights including 3 sets of 55lbs overhead press.  I have to find out if the little bar downtown weights less than the little bar at Midtown.  I wish I were joking. I assume they're the same weight, but I always see bigger lifting 'gains' downtown.
Nutrition: This was not actually the worst day in the world because Qat Lady cooked me dinner.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.18 Miles run in the morning.  4 elliptical 'miles' in the afternoon. I'd been thinking I hadn't run more than a mile since last Friday and I was about to fall apart.  I forgot all about Lake Nokomis on Monday.
Nutrition: I mean, I should take this off for a minute right?

Thursday Planned: 1-6 Miles Run at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 1.21 Miles in the morning before work.  2 'miles' on the elliptical.  Thursday weights.
Nutrition: Mistakes were made here.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 4 Miles treadmill run with 8 x1 minute hard, 3 minutes easy.  This treadmill workout usually goes pretty fast.  It stays fresh because I don't do it that often.
Nutrition: Feeling yesterday's mistakes. 

Saturday Planned: 1-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos, Walk with Dungeon Master?
Actual: 4.16 miles very early in the morning.
Nutrition: Well there was a bowl of rice for supper.  This week is a continued failure and I’m cool with it.

Looney Challenge - 10 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 33 Miles
Actual: 33+ Miles, not including all the walking we did on Saturday

Long Run Miles Planned: 10 Miles
Actual: 9.51 Miles on Sunday morning before Tour De France

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual:
Run: 9.51 Miles at the crack of dawn.  I got up at 5am so I could work out and be done in time to see Tour De France
Sunday Kettlebells: I did the workout and a 7,6,5,4,3,2,1 workout, all with a 10KG bell.  (Because it's the heaviest bell I can lift over my head for 7 reps).
Sunday abs: done.
Nutrition: Went to the famer's market after working out.  Sadly, Bogarts was there. Decisions were made.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 1.21 Miles.  I need to be more honest with myself about how Mondays will be spent.  It was easier to get up and run a long way when I knew I'd be having an eating fest with Qat Lady and My Pooky Bear in the evening.  That has since switched to Tuesdays.
Nutrition: Better than yesterday.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:
Run 6.15 Miles in the morning, and this was an awesome run.
Lift weights in the afternoon.  Less awesome, but still okay.  It's going to take a while on the squats I think.
Nutrition: Still a work in progress.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 4.55 Miles, mostly a Z3 run, which turned out to be a lot of fun.  This makes up for my lazy mileage on Monday.  As I'm writing this, I realize I forgot to do plyos.  I hate plyos.  Maybe if I didn't have to do 4 sets, I'd hate them less?
Nutrition: OMG.  Just, not right now.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:
Run: 6.55 Hill miles in the morning.  1 set of plyos that I now deeply regret.
Weights: Done in the afternoon 
Nutrition: I mean, I had a bowl of ramen.  We're taking a break.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 4.17 Miles in the morning because weather tomorrow is not supposed to be that fantastic.  Plyos are on hold because my ankle/foot is having an issue.
Nutrition: I just bought beer because family is coming into town.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 1.21 Miles on Saturday morning.  No plyos, though I just realized my ankle is feeling better.
Nutrition: The boys are in town.

Loony Challenge - 11 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 33 miles
Actual: 32+, not quite 33 but it's fine.

Long Run Miles Planned: 10 Miles
Actual: 9.01 on Sunday morning.  Alarm went off at 4:30am.

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual: 9.01 Miles at the crack of dawn.  I skipped kettlebells and abs again.  Because life.
Nutrition: Just, no, not this week.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 5.61 miles of a very slow trudge.  Perhaps this would've been better if I hadn't waited for 11am and 80* to try it?  I forgot about ploys.  Sigh.
Nutrition: Still not recovered.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: I was grumpy this morning so I did not run then.
1.16 miles in the afternoon.
Tuesday weights
Abs from Sunday
Ploys from Monday
Nutrition: Not talking about that yet.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 5.27 miles, Avg HR 137.  This is for yesterday's mileage.
Nutrition: Sigh.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:
Run: 5.87 Miles at Captain Grumpy Pants.  My heart rate was all screwed up from weights, so finally I was all "ok, fine, let's do the thing"  So I ran 1 mile at Z3, and then 1 mile of .1 hard, .15easy x4.  This was definitely not at MAF.
Weights: Thursday weights
Nutrition: I had wild rice soup for supper.  With a beer.
Also, I have now tried Key Lime LaCroix.  I do not like it.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.21 Miles.  This picture is not from my run, but it is a thing that happened today.
Nutrition: I had wine with My Pooky Bear.  And Garlic bread.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual:
Run: 4.5 Miles at Lake Nokomis
Plyos: 4 sets of 10, done
Nutrition: I think I'm just taking a break for a minute.  Though I am going to try and be good today so I can get up super early, run, and then watch the end of Tour De France.

Loony Challenge - 18 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 31
Actual: 32+ miles run; 14 miles walked. 

Long Run Miles Planned: 8
Actual: 8.4 on Sunday. That was a long way.

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual:
Run: 8.4 miles Avg HR 136. This run was starting around 5:30am.
Sunday Kettlebells - done.  Most of the shoulder press are now done with a 10Kg weight, though the last set still with an 8kg bell.
Sunday abs - increased the 'working' sets to 37 seconds (building up to 50 or 55)
Bonus walk with Dungeon Master - 7 miles at Palmer Lake
Nutrition: Let's talk about all of the food I've eaten so far and how hungry I still am. I had this moment on my run where I was all 'I'll just run over to Birchwood and get a savory waffle' in my head.  And I was really enjoying that idea until other me in my head was all 'WTF.  You are on Whole30.  No Waffles!' Sigh.
Instead I'm marinated a pork chop for supper and a flank steak for lunches for the week and trying not to think about waffles or anything nice.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: Run: 8 miles mostly at intervals of running 4 minutes and walking 2 minutes (after I ran my mile) becuase it was crazy hot.  Last week I realized I'd rather run slowly in the heat than go indoors and deal with the treadmill, track, or elliptical. I am what I am.
Plyos: 3 sets of 8 after the run.  I'm considering doing these at the start of the run because I'm usually toast afterwards.
Nutrition: Still going strong on the Whole30 that I've modified to survive the next 18 weeks. Happy I packed lunch for after the run.  It's the summer so I've also started packing a fizzy water, something that does not happen during the winter.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: Run 5.25 miles in the morning.  Avg HR 137
Weights - Tuesday weights in the afternoon.  I've been squatting 95lbs for a while now, and it's so much weight I don't ever want to do more.  My arms, on the other hand, are getting a bit stronger and it's possible I'll add weight to them sometime this year.
Nutrition: Went out to Chilis with Pooky Bear and Qat Lady.  I had a steak, broccoli and mashed potatoes.  The potatoes almost certainly were not W30 compliant but whatever.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.24 miles.  Happy Global Running Day.
Nutrition: I had banana pancakes.  I flaunt the 'no pancakes' rule on W30.  I am what I am.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:  Run: 4.5 miles around Lake Nokomis.  Avg HR 138.  Enjoyed the weather.
Weights: Thursday weights.

Nutrition: My first meal was at 2pm and it was bacon and eggs. Is that good or bad?  My first meal was so late because I woke up late, worked out, got coffee, and went to Bed Bath and Beyond for a couple things I've been wanting for a while.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.
Nutrition: Managed not to screw anything up yesterday.  I'll take it.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 3.88 miles run around Bde Maka Ska, Avg HR 140.  7 mile walk around Isles with Dungeon Master.  I did manage to get Plyos done as well.
Nutrition: So far, I've had an RX Bar, half an avocado, and 4 hard boiled eggs.  Now I'm sitting on the couch drinking coffee and planning on relaxing most of the day.

Loony Challenge - 19 Weeks to go

Weekly Miles Planned: 31
Actual: 28+ miles run; 2+ miles walked.  I'm calling it good.

Long Run Miles Planned: 6
Actual: 6.36 on Sunday

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout, Sunday Abs
Actual:
Run: 6.36 miles, Avg HR 140.  This was really hot.
Kettlebells: Done
Abs: Also done, made a workout on my interval timer for this
Nutrition: Did not eat before the workout.  I had a banana afterwards as hanger food.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual: 1.2 miles around 9am.  I woke up, saw the temperature, and went right back to bed.  It was already pretty hot when I ran my mile, and will get even hotter throughout the day.
Nutrition: Also around 9am, I realized I didn't have anything to feed myself for lunch this week.  So I got in the car and headed over to the co-op before it got too hot.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:
Run: 4.15 miles, Avg HR 141.  This run was really hot and there was walking up the hills.  But this run is done and it was done outside.
Weights: Tuesday weight lifting in the afternoon.
Nutrition: Went to Punch with Qat Lady and My Pooky Bear.  Went back into 'resist the bread' mode while I was there. Oh, Whole30, the things you do to me.  For next week, I asked Pooky Bear to pick either a place with awesome salad, or a steak.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.21 miles run.  Some walking in the afternoon to fight off a head ache.
Nutrition: I did not resort to drinking when I got some frustrating news, so I'm proud of that.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual:
Run: 5.5 miles run in the heat.  I could've made other choices here.
Weights:Thursday weights.
Bonus abs workout.  I decided it'd be good to do this more than once/week and I was in the mood.
Nutrition: I had post run snack to fight off the hanger before dinner. That was a good move.  Captain Smiley came over and ate with me.  He fixed my mental health which had been failing for the past couple of days, so that was also awesome.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual:
Run: 4.16 miles run
Plyos 1x15  This is swapped with Monday's run because weather.
Nutrition: So, I'm priming my whole bathroom and fingers crossed the ceiling gets straight up painted tonight as well. Breakfast and lunch were fine and then 'dinner' was a shake of coconut milk, almond butter, banana and cocoa.  It filled me up so far, so I'm okay with it.  I told my friend Olive that I wish I was drinking right now because tonight after all the painting, it would taste sooooo good.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Plyos
Actual:
Run 6.1 miles, Avg HR 137
Plyos 2 sets of 10
Nutrition: Still doing the Whole30 thing, though there is some cheese in my fridge I feel bad about not eating.