Bike rides & babies

Happy Thursday!

Officially over the hump for the week...maybe?

I feel like the 2nd half of the week is always busier for me!

Tuesday night went for a bike ride around Conesus Lake,

which is in my hometown. 

I have run around this lake many times for training, 

but it's a great ride too, mild rolling hills & great views!

18.5 miles in the 70 degree sunshine, I was happy girl.

Start/Finish at one of the parks on the water

Post ride happy girl!

I was happy girl after the ride,
then went to stay at my parents for the night.
Then my dad was looking at my bike,
and pointed out I had a flat.
Must have happened at the end because I didn't notice.
I figured I needed to just change the tube,
until I found a sharp rock had punctured my tire too.
I was less than pleased to see this.
New tube and new tire....$$$
Oh well, at least it didn't happen during a race.

 Made some dinner at my parents that night:

Spinach salad with Sauteed garlic zuchini, mandarin oranges and feta :)
No dressing necessary!

I had the day off yesterday, 

no work

no emails

no phone calls

no blogging

no scheduling...

nothing.

Was up early and on the road by 7 with my mom...

All for a VERY good reason.

[Just a heads up, there are going to be LOTS of baby pictures today]

I spent my day with this little man:

My nephew Alden Alexander <3 

 My mom and I drove to Elmira for the day

 to hang out with my sister and her little man.

Hung out at the house, went to lunch and relaxed some more!

Kept myself occupied playing Risk while he slept on me....

My little peanut :)

I spent the day snuggling with him,
playing tummy time with him,
changing him,
helping feed him...
and taking lots of pictures of him.

Pure innocence 

Okay, I know I know, lots of baby pictures.

I love my little nephew,

my sister is lucky to get all her time with him, 

(and I am lucky I get to sleep more than she does).

Anyways.

Remember that time I told you about my living situation?

Well 5 is down to 4, which means....

I FINALLY have my space for my stuff!!!

Last night I got home, and spackled some holes.

No Hollie, not hoes, HOLES (in the wall).

(btw. that conversation totally made my morning.)

I am redoing one of the rooms in the house.

It needed some SERIOUS cleaning.

John was also seriously impressed with my spackeling skills.

No more swiss cheese walls!

Can't wait to paint & decorate this weekend!

Once I get the room painted and redone this weekend, 

Laura-cave/office/guest room will be all ready!!! :)

Today started off right...

Therapy & Starbucks.

(really doesn't get much better.)

Working all day

then home to run,

then dinner with John, our friend and her daughter:)

And tonight...

IRONMAN 3 premier with the boys!

It's going to be a good day :)

Oh & today Alden is 1 month!

Happy day to my little nephew!

What have you been up to last few days??

Have you ever punctured your road bike tire so bad that you needed to replace it (and not just the tube)?

And for road bike riders...Do you think it's worth it to go to a higher priced tire (that claim to be more durable)?

The Good, The Bad & The Yummy

I've been pretty consistent about posting on Monday's about the weekend happenings, and finally came up with my title for it "The Good, The Bad & The Yummy". This way I am highlighting the weekend and it helps me categorize and process things, after all this blog is my outlet of things in my head and going on in my life. I'm going to come up with a logo for the GB&Y, gimme a little time.

The Good:
Friday: 16 mile bike ride on my new wheels. I am getting more comfortable on the bike, and getting used to switching the gears and such. I'm still a newbie with my road biking, but I'm getting there. It was a sunny spring day I couldn't resist getting outside (although I had to bundle up, it was still chilly!)

Saturday:  Got to spend the afternoon/evening with good friends. Our friends from Vermont were in NY for the weekend to celebrate their daughters 2nd birthday:) Can't beat kids birthday parties, and getting to see friends from out of state!

Sunday: 

20-mile run with Hollie. There are so many good things about this, hard to name them all. Let's just start with how grateful I am that she came out to run with me for 20 miles and keep me company. This was her first 20 miler (at once), and she isn't even training for anything longer than a half. Basically, she's awesome.

We had a great time talking the whole run, catching up on our lives, gossiping, making fun of things we saw along the way. Afterwards we continued our post-run tradition of getting food and coffee. Hit up Magnolias for some coffee and eats and more chatting. Also, what would a trip to Rochester for her be without Wegmans and Starbucks? Seriously. I love having these 2 things so easily accessible for me.

Sunday night, I FINALLY got to see 'Wicked' the musical. I have been so excited for this since John told me we were going a few months ago. The show was wonderful, sets were immaculate and the effects were over the top. I knew a little about the story line before the show, but not everything.  For those of you who aren't familiar, Wicked follows the story of the Elpheba the 'Wicked Witch' who grew up being friends with Glenda the 'Good Witch'. They went to school together, were friends and the story follows how Elpheba was really just 'misunderstood' and not evil. I loved the show, the story line and the twist ending. It takes place before/during/after "The Wizard of Oz" so you see some tie-in plot points (who the scarecrow, and tin man really are, and why the cowardly lion is a coward, who the witch under the house with the shoes is...etc). The cast was great, those girls had some pipes on them, which makes me ridiculously jealous because my singing abilities extend to shower singing, car singing, and happy birthday singing.

The Bad:

My car... is acting up....again....After spending over 500 on it last week, it's doing the exact same thing. The mechanic is going to be very sorry for having to deal with me again.

Syracuse lost Saturday night to Michigan. I was seriously bumming about this, there were a lot of things that contributed to the loss. 1st of all, we missed so many easy shots, which was frustrating as all hell. 2nd, The 2-3 zone wasn't affecting Michigan because they were getting to the other end of the court faster than we could be prepared for it. Last, I will say that there were a few bad foul calls that really put us under (I think the Michigan boys took some acting classes on how to make a fall look real when it's not, and how to act like a baby when they get love tapped). So the win goes to Michigan for the game, and so does the Award for Best Team Acting/Drama Queens.

My P.I.T.A....After yesterdays 20, I really do have a pain in my rear that wont go away. It's on the left side and affects my glute and hamstring, hopefully some more stretching and icy hot patches will help. I wore 3 icy-hot patches under my dress to the show last night (One of those moments, you know you're a runner), I kept walking around asking 'is my patch showing', not my finest moment.

Wind has been ridiculous lately...I won't complain about the temperatures as they have been getting better. Although I am ready for consistently warmer temps, I'll leave that be for right now. But the wind, oh dear me that damn wind. I'm tired of feeling like saying "were not in Kansas anymore toto". 

The Yummy:

Friday: I made the man and I some Tilapia for dinner. I love it for many reasons, it's cheap, easy, and healthy. I am pretty sure we call that a trifecta. Seasoned Tilapia with spices and Wegmans basting Oil. Paired it with Trader Joe's seasoned roasted corn, baked both together and topped off with fresh salsa. Served it over gluten-free pasta to add some carb's. It was a last minute throw together meal and I was happy with how it came out. I don't cook nearly as much as I'd like, but I was proud of this. Although I do need to work on my presentation, it needed a little green or something. (If you want the recipe and what I seasoned it with let me know! It had a wonderful Southwestern taste to it)

Saturday: I ate chicken nuggets and tater tots at our friends daughters party, and it was fantastic. I'm not even going to pretend to feel bad about this.

Sunday: When Hollie and I went to lunch at Magnolias, I got the usual post-run coffee and water to drink. At first I was bummed we missed breakfast, but I was ridiculously happy with what I ended up getting. Started with a spinach and roasted red pepper soup, let me tell you...it was amazing. Then I got a wrap (built my own): Spinach wrap stuffed with prosciutto  spinach, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and goat cheese. It was so good, I only ate half at the restaurant and ate the other half later before we went to the show, and it was just as good later as it was the first time. I don't want to leave out my Starbucks, because I did something I only do on occasion....a Quad-shot mocha. Yes...4 espresso shots in a drink, I had to make sure I would stay awake all afternoon and night for the show.

This is what it takes to keep me going these days....

Overall it was a decent weekend, busy  but good none the less. Hoping to get more training time in this week, I think it's safe to say my motivation and mojo are coming back after they took a vacation without me. Excited to get into more runs this week, hopefully some outdoor ride time on my Felt, and some quality time in the pool as well. Life's a little crazy at the moment and will be for a while, but it will so be worth it when it's done! (Lots of good things happening at work!)

How was your weekend?
What are your plans for the week, big workouts?

Easter Weekend Shenanagins

This was a busy weekend, lots of fun & fitness, and my bank account kind of hates me right now.
I suppose there are worse things.

Friday

Work then a little shopping and lunch with mom. This however, is not why my bank account hates me.

Friday Night was spent relaxing and running errands. I have my phone on me at all times, assuming Megan is going to go into labor at any moment. She hasn't yet so I spent Friday night watching movies, and studying for some work things.
 (I'll explain more about studying for work another day, that's a whole post in itself) 

Saturday

Early morning, as always for a race. 

Hollie & I warming up at Mendon Ponds

Hollie drove out to run Spring Forward 15k with me. We got to Mendon Ponds Park with a little time to spare after finding parking. We ran around warming up and attempting to not be miserable. It was chilly at the start, and we are both recovering from races so neither of us was extremely stoaked to race. The thing about the two of us is....taking it easy is not always easy for us. We both ended up having pretty darn good runs. She finished 4th for women and I was 8th woman. I beat my time on this course from last year, so I was happy. Especially since my legs were shot all week from the 30k last weekend.

Proof I look like a gremlin when I run.
This was the last half mile of the race.
Finished in 1:05:50 for 15k (9.3 miles)

I really wasn't sure what I was going to be able to run. All week my runs felt like crap and I had to simply focus on one foot in front of the other. The Spring Forward 15k course is also pretty challenging, the hills are tall and frequent. I managed somewhat even splits, besides some...erm..hiccups from 6-8 (most of the hills).

I didn't finish as strong as I would have liked, mentally and physically I was drained and wanted to be done.

The Dynamic Duo: Hollie & myself.

After the race, Hollie and I walked around catching up with people we knew and just taking it easy. There were so many people there that I hadn't seen in a long time so it was nice catching up, runners really are great people. 

After that, we went to lunch at a local Mediterranean restaurant and chatted over 12 cups of coffee.....each. Friendship is finding someone who needs caffeine as much as you do. Like seriously. After lunch we meandered across the street to Towpath Bike so I could admire the shiny expensive road bikes. I have been looking at a few different ones, and I had to go see them in person.

Like a little kid with my new wheels!

Later that day I brought John back to Towpath with me (hes my resident bike expert, and seeing as we are going to be getting hitched, big expenses sort of need to be discussed together). I had been looking at a Trek Lexa, and a Felt ZW100, and decided to start by trying the Felt out. They let me take her for a spin, and gave John a bike to ride with me. After 15 minutes of riding around and playing with gears, I was in love. A swipe of the debit card later (here is where my bank account started hating on me), and I was a proud new owner of a Silver Felt ZW100 and a new Bontrager Quantum helmet. 

It was an investment that I know will be worth it. With my first multi-sport event being a month away, and my first half iron a few months away I know I will be getting so much use out of it. One of the best things is that even though John just had knee surgery, he is allowed to bike. So even though we can't run together right now, he is able to go on some rides with me and give us some more time together.

We rushed home after getting my bike and got some food and were watching the Syracuse vs. Marquette NCAA Basketball game. I had my 'Cuse shirt on and was a happy little camper relaxing watching the game. John also laughed at me multiple times because he would come in the room and I would just be standing with my bike.

This was the point when I realized that my favorite 'cuse shirt matches my new silver and orange bike. WINNING #OrangeNation

On to Easter Sunday....

I spent my morning with my beautiful Kinvara's, but they were begging me for some easy miles so that's what they got. We did 7 easy miles around the city and felt great to just relax and run. Easy miles were just what my legs and mind needed to unwind and end the week on a good note. Beautiful morning for a run, it was peaceful out and weather was nice enough that only capris and a light long sleeve were necessary. This spring weather this weekend was wonderful, too bad winter has to be a pain in the ass and come back for the next few days (according to the weather man in the box). 

When I came back from my run, I was in for a rude awakening. I went to get in my car to go get some Starbucks and run an errand and my car was acting weird, kept shutting off when I would turn it over. John came down and helped me, after tinkering around and changing the spark plugs(thinking that would help), we were in for another rude awakening. There are some other problems under the hood, and for the time being I am crossing my fingers it isn't too serious. That's kind of my luck, I drop a pretty penny (okay, lots of pretty pennies) on a new bike, and the next day my car starts acting up. (thanks Murphy, you're an ass.) We managed to get it down the road to the shop so they can look at it in the morning, everyone cross your fingers please.

My Felt road bike, and John's Felt Tri-bike

In the early afternoon, John and I took our fleet of Felt's out for some miles on the canal. It was great to get my new wheels out there and see what they could do. Unfortunately the canal path was pretty packed today so we couldn't really fly, but it was good to be easy and focus on learning the gears and getting used to my bike. Can't complain about enjoying spring weather and riding bikes with my man, quality time together. We got roughly 9 miles in before we had to head home to get ready for Easter Dinner.

Easter dinner with my parents was great, good food (Prime rib, yummy!) and great company. Unfortunately didn't get to see my sister and her husband. She still hasn't gone into labor, hopefully within the next few days.We are all beyond anxious to meet this little man!!

Overall it was a good weekend, eventful and kind of tiring (not sure why it took so much out of me), but good all the same. This week I need to focus on getting base running and biking mileage in and LOTS of stretching. I am having a few issues (not injuries), that need some attention. I need to focus on them before they turn into injuries, so bring on the stretching, weights, foam rolling and ice.



How was your Easter weekend?
Did you manage to get some workouts in with the Holiday?
Ever had car troubles show up at the worst possible time?

Spring has Sprung

It's the first day of Spring, who the heck forgot to send Mother Nature that Memo????

30 degrees, windy and cold. Snow flurries here and there. Icy sidewalks and snowy areas. NOT spring.

Since mother nature needs a little boost, 

I made sure to do some spring like things today, 

with hope that she gets the hint!

Running outside!

photo courtesy of my Garmin app on my phone, because for some reason my Garmin account wont show the charts or the map...Need to message someone about this!  (7:48 average pace)

I bundled up in some leggings and a bright colored hoodie and hit the streets. The wind was beyond ridiculous, I felt like I was standing still a few times. Only downfall of spring...apparently it makes the crazies come out, I had a creepy guy in a truck follow me and honk/yell at me the last few lights before my house. I ran around the block to make sure I lost him before going home, didn't need that creepo knowing where I live. My pepper spray is going to make it's way back into my running gear. Overall though it was a good run, ran really consistent paces and for the most part felt good (besides an 'ab cramp' that appeared a few times).

Mani/Pedi: 

Hey Mother Nature I got my nails done,

do me a favor and warm-up so I can show them off :) Thanks!

Hot towels and purple nail polish...yes please.

Dress for Spring

Wore my amazing NB spring-like shoes while doing errands

Semi- Springy

Spring Cleaning

I did some of this yesterday and will do more today. Cleaning the bathroom, getting rid of dust bunnies (hard task when you live in a house that is 100+ years old), organizing and freshening things up. Not only does a clean house make me happy, but it also makes me feel better. I am allergic to mold, and dust tends to send me into sneezing fits, so keeping clean is key for me. Can't get sick now, race season is beginning and lord knows it's going to take a miracle to get me through all I have planned this spring/summer as it is!

Rotated the closet

Seeing as I have limited closet space as it is right now (only a few more weeks!), I have to rotate the clothes a lot. I took my cold weather things and made them less accessible, and made sure to bring out some more spring-like/warmer weather things! I know you think I am crazy for doing this, considering the weather report isn't looking up anytime soon. But seriously, if M.N. knows that my extreme cold weather items are put away maybe she will help me out and give me some cool weather temps with a little spring rain, I'd be A.O.K. with that. Just saying.

Top 10 reasons I want Spring to be here 

( you know how much I love lists...seriously.)

1. I am ready to walk out my front door and run....without having to spend 30 minutes layering up before and 60 minutes after the run delayering and thawing out.
2. Less laundry...less layers...less laundry...and let's face it...booty shorts take up much less room in the washer than leggings and hoodies do! I feel like I am ALWAYS doing laundry right now.
3. Running with speed and without fear... I have gotten some quality workouts in outside this winter I can't deny that. But I am ready to get some more speed work in and beyond ready to not watch every step for fear or snow or ice accidents. I like dry roads or rainy roads any day over icy roads...yes I am glacial profiling. (ha.) I want to go run and not worry about falling on ice, or jumping over snowbanks... I have enough coordination issues without those obstacles.
4. Cute Clothes... I'll be the first to admit that I could clothe a third world country with the amount of clothes that I have. When I made the move into the house a few weeks ago I even got rid of a few bags full and still have plenty more. But I'll be very honest that my spring/summer/fall clothes are much cuter than my winter bundle-up clothes. I mean my cute pumps and wedges and flip flops are sad looking on my shoe rack. Very jealous of all the boots and sneakers getting used. Those cute sundresses and spring colored clothes are doing no good in my closet...let them be worn!
5. Let there be light.... yes daylight savings brought some more light into our days, but I'm ready for sunlight and not the damn light reflecting off of the snow/ice. Seasonal depression is a real thing, and I am beyond over it. Come on people, we all want to be happy. Duh.
6. Race Season.... it is no secret that I love racing. I love the adrenaline rush, I love seeing other runners and cheering people on. I love that accomplished feeling, this is why we work through the winter, to be stronger come spring.
7. I am ready to take advantage of being outside more. Not just for running. I live near so many things that I can walk to but due to snow and crap weather, choose to drive. I love the thought of walking to Starbucks for my morning coffee, or walking to Cobb's hill Park to watch the sunrise over the city. I look forward to relaxing outside, and watching everything turn green and see things bloom. Life is prettier in the spring, without the grey drear of winter. Green is the new brown.
8. This spring is a very exciting time for me and my family. My sister is due to have her first baby in 2 weeks (Yay for being an Aunt!), and my sister-in-law-to-be is due with her second son in June! Yes, John and I will have 3 nephews total! Also this spring, wedding planning for me is really going to get thicker...the wedding is less than a year and a half away (1 year 5 months and 17 days, but who is counting???). My parents also purchased a second home this year, it is an old friend of the families cabin in the Thousand Islands. Lots of time will be spent there making it our family vacation home and honoring the previous owner Jim who knew me since I was born. ( he passed away 2 years ago). There are lots of races this spring for myself, and many of my friends. I will also be spending the spring helping the H2B come back from knee surgery (Friday), so I can't wait for him to be running and exercising with me again! Like I said, big spring!
9. People come out of hibernation! Seeing people outside, catching up with friends, traveling to see people, more of this happens when we aren't living in the tundra. Let's be social people.
10. I get to use some fabulous new training gear! New bike (should be mine soon!), new spring running clothes, Kinvara 4's come out soon, oh so much running and training gear to be excited!