Hanging with the family

Friday

Mom and Dad arrive late.  My head hurts so bad I think it will explode.  I took Nyquill and went to bed immediately.

Saturday

Run: An easy 3 in the morning, one of the few moments my head did not hurt
Morning: Zumba with B
Afternoon: MIA and special exhibits  The headache is back.
Supper: Tiny Diner

Sunday

Run: 1 mile and my head may explode.
Morning: Took sudafed.  Walked at Lake Nokomis and did the home shopping tour of Minneapolis and St Paul (that's east and west River roads)
Afternoon: Hang out at the pool.
Evening: Minneapolis Pops Concert with Olive.
Supper: Sober Fish

Monday

Run: Long run for the week.  My head is feeling much better.
Morning: Ate breakfast and herded the family into the car for a drive up to St Cloud.
Activities: We spent the middle part of the day hanging out at the Munsinger Clemens Gardens including a picnic on their deck and exploring the dam on the river. We were all pleasantly surprised by the gardens. Most of the literature says people spend about an hour there.  We spent like four hours there.  Mom was in her bliss.
Evening: Mom was curious about the sub for Zumba.  We did about 20 minutes of class.  We had supper at Tiny with Dungeon Master.

Tuesday

Run and Weights at the crack of dawn.  Though I have to say showering at the gym was certainly the better logistical option so that may continue for the rest of their trip.
Day Activity: Sherburne Wildlife Refuge has been on my mind and I really wanted Mom and Dad to see it. It started off kind of rough.  To hear Dad tell it, he was attacked by wild vampire flies.  We talked to the rangers who sorted us out and pointed us to a couple other paths where the flies wouldn't be so bad.  We walked and did a wildlife driving tour as well. We saw Pelicans, a Kingfisher, Sand Hill Cranes, and an Eagle nest.  I aw an eagle flying around on the drive up, but it was on the wrong side of the car for everyone else to see it.
Evening activity: We had an early supper at Zen Box Izakaya, walked around on the Stone Arch Bridge, and then saw a preview performance of The Legend of Georgia McBride.  That's one of the funnier shows I've ever seen at Guthrie.  Mom and Dad really enjoyed it too.

Wednesday

Running at the crack of dawn, again.
Activity 1: Lynx Game with the family.  "Camp day" was hilarious, and surprisingly full for a Lynx game.
Activity 2: Hell's Kitchen for lunch.
Activity 3: Sculpture Garden walking around.
Break: Nap time! 
Evening Zumba with Mom in the park.
Supper at Tiny Diner

Thursday

Running and Weights in the morning.
Shopping: I was captain grumpy pants and wanted to shop alone but didn't.
Spin: Mom tried Spin class with Dungeon Master.
Supper: At Birchwood which was a request of Mom.

Friday

Running 1 mile in the morning
Errands, coffee, and checking out a river nature center in the morning with Mom.  Also, I'm trying to finish Hunger Games and get them out of this arena alive.
Afternoon: Bike Ride around Lake Nokomis with Mom.  Olive took Dad on a walk because neither of them were down with the green bikes.  Then we hung out at Sandcastle.  I am shocked to tell you, I have no pictures of this.
Evening: Loving Vincent and Bite Squad.  I now find myself sad for Mom and Dad to leave, and missing their company already.  Sigh.

Saturday

Running: I woke up at 4:30am when they emptied our dumpster.  I didn't fall back asleep immediately, so I did my run around 4:45am.
Bike ride: Mom wanted one more bike ride.  We did Bde Maka Ska and Dad walked around the lake.
Lunch: Leftovers
Afternoon: Mom wanted to see the Aquatennial.  They had the Upper St Anthony Falls Lock and Dam open to visitors, including some of the observation decks and cat walks that aren't normally open.  Dad did not do the catwalks but I did.
Evening: Wedding party (not the wedding, just an open house/reception) for a couple of friends.  Mom and Dad got to visit with Dungeon Master, Olive, and experience a 'Minnesota Goodbye' .

Sunday

4:30am - I woke up to do my long run.  Trust me, this is the only way things will work.
7am or so, family wakes up, eats and starts to pack.
8:26am - Mom and Dad leave.  I am sad to see them go.
Current situation: 2 loads of laundry done and air drying
2 loads of laundry done and folded
2 loads of laundry drying as we speak.  This may be a laundry record for me.
Floor has been swept and washed 

Long Run Sunday: Before the Snow

Plan: Wake up early and run before it rains.  Keep the heart rate low.  This is a rare Sunday long run, because tomorrow it will be raining and snowing all of the day. Sadly I'm serious.  Normally now I've been lifting on Sunday, at a class.  We'll see if I make it today.

Route: Several lakes, the creek, and the Greenway.  I've done this run once before when I needed some extra distance. There were spots that were very lonely and some that were very very busy.  I think all of the training groups in the world were on the Greenway.  I'm guessing many of them were getting ready for Grandmas.

Weather: In the 50s and very humid, not much wind to speak of.  Sunset was pretty.  After that it was mostly cloudy, except a about 10 minutes when the sun poked through.  

Wardrobe: Shorts, tank, and the visor.  I also tested out the injinis in the Pink Altras.

Execution: This run went really really well. Apparently the Whole30 thing can do this for running.  I talked to someone yesterday who had a similar experience when she did Whole30 the first time. I tried to keep the heart rate low, but it crept up by the end.  I'm still really proud of this run.

Nutrition: 2 hard boiled eggs pre-run.  Larabar during the run.  I carried two bottles with me, and mostly finished off one during the run.

Bonus: True story about the Larabars.  The first one I tried was the Cashew Cookie flavor. They were okay and I proceeded with the running.  I tried a Coconut Cream Pie bar yesterday.  They are everything. And then I decided I'd keep eating the Cashew Cookie on runs and save the good bars for other times. 

Long Run Monday - Emotional Bonk but Fitness Win

Plan: Keep the heart rate low.  Warm up.  Run at least 12 miles. Have a longer cool down.

Route: I headed out along the 40th street Greenway, along Harriet, Calhoun and Isles.  From Isles I crossed over to the Kenilworth and Cedar Lake Trail.  Back down around Cedar Lake, then took the Greenway back into town.  The main hills on this route are at the beginning. I had one stop around mile 4 for an um, emergency.

Weather: 43* and windy when I started, with promises it would get warmer.  That was a lie as far as I was concerned.

Wardrobe: Capris and my ally shirt with arm sleeves.  I had low socks and the Pink Altras on my feet.  And a visor on my head.  I would've been better to just wear long sleeves.  I had the arm sleeves engaged the whole time.

Execution: Fitness wise, this was actually a really solid run.   I compared the paces to some other runs I've done recently, and I am getting ever so slightly faster.  And that's with my last long run being five days ago,  (I know, that's less than recommended.)  Emotionally this run was a fight and a bonk, almost entirely for nutrition reasons.  I felt like crying, turning around, or looking for a bus to take me home at least the first half of the run.

Nutrition: Pre-run I had a spoonfull of almond butter.  I carried two Larabars and water.  I only ate one of the Larabars.  I didn't start it nearly soon enough.  I should've had it in my hand the entire time and taken small bites every mile or so.  As soon as I got some food in me, my attitude turned around.  So I'll need an improved nutrition game plan going forward.

Bonus: Did I mention I started the Whole30?  This is day 3.  Which explains the massive shift in nutrition and also the massive bonk. 

Long Run Sunday - Creeks and Lakes and Greenway. Oh my!

Plan: Run at least 12 miles.  Try to keep the heart rate low, but if it sucks just try to run.

Route: I headed down along the creek to Lakes Harriet and Calhoun, then back home along the Greenway.  Strava says I've done this route one other time, and that was a faster run that this one.  Sigh.

Weather: Yes, let's talk about the weather for a minute.  Because, WTF?!? It was 35* when I started, but warmed up to about 50* for the finish (which I was expecting).  There is no snow here, though some of the walking trails are still covered in ice and/or puddles.  The lakes are still covered with ice. Sort of.  Outstate, several lakes have had cars go through.  In Minneapolis, ice houses are gone.  I saw one or two fishermen actually on the ice today and that was it.  Not sure if they are brave or foolish.

Wardrobe: Capris, short sleeve shirt and a quarter zip.  The quarter zip was almost too much by the end, but I was too tired to take it off.  And sunglasses.  Because the weather.  I did not take pictures because I feel like I have pictures of most of this route, and I have all of the selfies from the past few days being outside.

Execution: I started this run really doubting my ability to go a full 12 miles (which was silly, I know) so I started off extra slow and restrained.  And slow.  Yes, I really was running that whole time.  I keep looking at this run saying "I wish I was faster".  I should be saying, "you just ran 150 minutes with a Z2-3 HR, that's great!"  This is the part where it's very hard to keep my eye on the ball.

Nutrition: I had a bowl of yogurt with chia seeds and pumpkin seeds before I left.  I carried two 6oz bottles of water and a bag of chews with me.  I took chews at miles 6 and 8.  I took water at 4, 6, 8 and 10 which is also where the hills are.

Bonus: I saved a runner at Lake Harriet.  The lakes have bike trails and pedestrian trails.  In the winter only bike trails are plowed and they become shared trails.  With all the melting, the pedestrian trails look deceptively clear right now. I am not fooled.  Some other poor runner was though, and she wound up on a solid sheet of ice where the running trail should've been.  So she tried to climb up a short but steep bank to the bike trail.  She got most of the way up, and then I grabbed her and pulled her up the rest of the way, because she looked like she was going to fall back down.

Sunday Long Run - Lakes at Sunrise

Plan: I do not have 14 in me today, 12 is okay.  Try to keep same low heart rate thing that happened last week.

Route:  This combination of things is a new route for me, though I've run all the places on the route.  I headed down, along the creek, and then around Lakes Harriet and Calhoun, bake along the Greenway and then home.

Weather: I was told "cloudy" but no such thing happened.  It was in the 60s to low 70s and humid.  But not altogether unpleasant.  The sun was absolutely beating down on me on the Greenway, but it was a gorgeous run.

Execution: I feel like this "running in zone 2" thing has finally clicked in.  With last week and this week, I was able to just lock in to a low heart rate and a slow but regular pace, and just go forever.  Some odd things happened late in the run, a walk break for water and food, and then, um, another stop for other reasons.  Otherwise, I had it pretty much dialed in and I was really pleased with this run.

Nutrition: I did not eat a ton on this run.  I had half a pack of chews left when I got home.  I carried two bottles of water, and finished one.  This is a good thing for me to remember on race day when they have water stops ever mile at the end.

Bonus: Did I mention it was a freaking gorgeous day?

Long Run Sunday: The Creek and The Lakes

Plan: Get up early.  5am.  On Sunday.  Run 13-14 miles.  Low heart rate.

Route: A full loop involving some of the best running spots in town. This route is new to me.  Obviously I've run all of these places before.  I've just never put things together in quite this way.

Weather: Mother nature was making me nervous.  I walked outside and saw lightning up in the clouds and very far away.  Still, WTF?!?  My weather app said the storm had already passed me by and I'd be fine. Still, the sky looked ready to rain for at least half the run.  By the time I got back and stretched out, clear blue skies.

Execution: I am very pleased with the way this turned out. I tried to keep my heart rate in the 130s.  It started creeping up in the low 140s by Lake Calhoun and it was around 150 by the time I peeled off the Greenway and started heading south again.  Even with my heart rate that low, my splits were in the 13:xx range.  If you'd told me six months ago this is how I'd be running, I never would've believed you.

Nutrition: Due to a planning failure on my part, I was out of my favorite pre-run foods.  I had a banana but nothing else at 5am. I carried two water bottles but didn't drink much.   I had gummies, two chews every 3 miles.  I was hungry early on but felt better by the end.

Bonus: I did a post-run finisher involving squats, calf raises, standing leg raises, standing bicycles (ab work) and that cross over move.  After that I laid down in the grass and had a nice long stretch under blue skies.  No clouds.  No lightning.