5 Gifs that Describe How it Feels to Apply to Graduate School {Friday Five 12/12/2014}

Right now, I'm in the midst of applying to graduate school programs for occupational therapy because like many, I need to go back to school for the career I want. I just want to help people!  Sadly, the graduate program application process is  torturous-especially during the holiday season. It's been consuming all my time and brainpower! And it's ridiculously stressful.  

Here's 5 gifs this Friday that perfectly describe the process of applying to graduate school: 

1. You usually have to take the GRE.

It's a 4 hour admissions test with verbal, quantitative (a.k.a math you learned in high school and don't use like figuring out the degrees of an unknown angle in a triangle), and writing sections. I took it after work one evening (WHY), and I hope I don't have to take it again. It's long, tiring, hard, and stressful. 

 4 hours in a testing room with nothing but the test on a computer made me want to ask: 

Seriously, I couldn't bring snacks or a drink inside. 

2. Why do I have to take out a loan just to apply to graduate school?

Seriously it costs around $75-100 to apply to each school.  After I already spent money to take the GRE, take pre-requisite classes at a community college, and now I need to pay a bunch more? On top of still paying off my undergraduate student loans? 

LUNA bars are now gluten-free!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by LUNA Bar. I was sent a sampler pack to review for a paid campaign.  As always all opinions and thoughts are my own!

Many thanks to LUNA Bar for sponsoring today's post and creating delicious gluten-free snacks. 

I've always been a fan of LUNA Bars because they are delicious, snack-sized, and found everywhere these days!

Now that gluten-free is a huge trend, you see brands just slapping the gluten-free label on foods, which makes some people think they are healthy. Gluten is just a mixture of two proteins that some people are allergic or sensitive to (source). Now I see junk food that happens to not contain gluten advertising that they are gluten-free as a marketing strategy. I try to limit gluten in my diet because it seems to help with my digestive issues, but even I know eating Cocoa Pebbles for breakfast isn't healthy (even though it's yummy!).

(Source)

LUNA bars have made all of their regular line gluten-free. You can recognize these bars by the pink gluten free label on their new packaging which is just arriving in stores.  Check out all of their flavors here-my favorites are the caramel nut brownie and chocolate peppermint stick bars.  LUNA also sent me one of their newer flavors, chocolate cupcake, and it was tasty!

Why I'm Doing the Runner's World Winter 2014 Run Streak {Take 10 Minutes}

I did the Runner's World Run Streak (#RWRunStreak) during the summer and never got around to talking about it afterwards. It was the first time I actually stuck to a daily challenge. Even though there were days I thought for sure it would be over, I managed to sneak in at least a mile every day.  

I'm in the midst of one of the busiest months of the year for me and already have a couple other fun holiday challenges on my plate so on Thanksgiving, the day the annual RW 2014 Winter Run Streak started, I figured I wouldn't be participating in winter run streak. However I've changed my mind.  

Why force myself to run at least 1 mile a day for 36 days from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day? 

Because I realized the busiest time of the year is exactly when I need to most. 

Getting myself back on a running schedule is a bonus.  I am doing the Run Streak because I need to give myself at least 10 minutes of day where I can sweat it out, force myself to breathe, and clear my head. (I convince myself to get a mile in by telling myself it'll only take ten minutes, by the way. )

 At least 10 minutes of watching Netflix on the treadmill. At least 10 minutes to center myself and focus on nothing else (but running at least a mile of course). At least 10  minutes without email, cell-phone, social media, or work. It's like my meditation time. 

A #kindawesome Thanksgiving {YMD Towson Turkey Trot Recap}

This Thanksgiving I ran my first organized Turkey Trot. It seems everybody and their mom (literally) runs these races Thanksgiving morning so it's about time, right?  I was offered to run the annual Y of Central Maryland Towson Turkey Trot Charity 5K by KIND Snacks, who were one of the sponsors of the race.  

I had such a great time running the Fiesta 5K with KIND Snacks in the spring and had wanted to run a Turkey Trot this year so it was a no brainer. 

It was quite a chilly morning in Towson on Thanksgiving Day.  I woke up, ate a banana with peanut butter, had some Nuun Energy Lemon-Lime, and got ready to go. I bundled up with my favorite Under Armour ColdGear tights and longsleeve shirt under my KIND shirt. 

Pre-Thanksgiving Gratitude

I've been having a rough week in my personal life, and my anxiety levels have been high.   It's already Thanksgiving tomorrow and now less than a month until Christmas.  Life's bumps, work, grad school applications, and a to-do list that only seems to grow longer instead of shorter are constantly on my  mind. I haven't even gotten to planning my 2015 race schedule!

 This morning in my inbox I received this email from Runner's World motivation, giving me just the reminder I need not only for running, but for life.

It's funny how sometimes the universe gives you what you need, even if it's in the form of a silly email subscription.  So as I try to re-center myself, breathe, and focus on the positive, I offer you some words of wisdom as we go into a holiday weekend.

Things happen but guess what? After that it's over, just like the RW quote says. There are consequences, but you can't go back and change a moment in the past. Dwelling on it and worrying it does nothing but make you more upset.  This is really hard for me and is definitely a work in progress.

Christmas Almond Roll {Favorite Family Recipes Virtual Swap}

This year I am joining the 2nd Favorite Family Recipe Virtual Recipe Swap co-hosted by one of my Fitbloggin' roommates from this past year, Susan of The Foodette.  I love holiday recipes and especially love trying recipes that are holiday traditions for other people.  

I received a lovely holiday family favorite from Susan at Love from the Kitchen.  She said they have this Almond Roll Christmas morning, but it's made with a sweet roll dough so I think it could also be great as a dessert. Her mom and her both customize it different ways-she tops with almonds and her mom tops with red and green candied maraschino cherries. I decided to top with some festive silver and green sprinkles! 

Five Friday Favorites featuring my New Fave Nut Butter

I'm back with my Friday Favorites because it's so fun to share things I'm loving lately.  I am so glad it's Friday. This week has been rough for me but thankfully it's gone by semi-quickly.  I'm looking forward to a nice weekend and only a 3-day work week next week followed by Thanksgiving-a.k.a. all the yummy food. 

Five Friday Favorites

1. Favorite Foodie Find: Trader Joe's Peanut Butter with Flax and Chia seeds

My boyfriend and both agree that this peanut butter I recently found at Trader Joe's rocks. It is crunchy and gets even more texture from the flax & chia seeds. I think the chia seeds help soak up some of the natural oils so even though it's natural and not loaded with crap, I don't have to stir it every time I open the jar. Definitely my new favorite stand-by peanut butter. 

How to Get Help with Thanksgiving from Whole Foods Markets

In case you were oblivious like I was, Thanksgiving is NEXT week. Yikes!  Fortunately, my mother is an excellent cook and is still hosting a small Thanksgiving at my parents' house this holiday. I always offer to help out but she's a pro and by the time I arrive she has everything planned out and in progress ahead of time.  

Cooking all that food and hosting is definitely a big job though. I always tell my boyfriend that one year if we don't have anywhere to go we are just going out to eat and let

 someone else do the cooking and dreaded cleaning.  Now I'm also putting down a dinner from Whole Foods as an option for that scenario.  

A friend from Whole Foods Harbor East in Baltimore invited me to come check out their Thanksgiving Edition of Tasty Tuesday.   From 5-7 PM they had had tastings set up around the store in every department showcasing their Thanksgiving offerings. I also wanted to mention that when I walked in I saw all the beautiful flowers and arrangements that would make the perfect last-minute host or hostess gift!

2014 Holiday Challenges-Elf 4 Health,Holiday Sweat,& #RWRunStreak

I'm still in shock that it is almost Thanksgiving and that the holiday season is right around the corner. I almost pulled out some Christmas decorations this weekend but thought it might have been too early. Looking at the calendar this morning, I think I was wrong!

With the holidays come lots of parties, travelling, and plenty of distractions. That's what makes it the perfect time to get some support & accountability to keep your healthy habits from falling to the wayside.  I've got 3 awesome holiday challenges to tell you about that you should join me in!

The first challenge is the Elf 4 Health 2014, a really fun, free challenge run by Lindsay of the Lean Green Bean and Elle of  According to Elle.  I've participated in this challenge the past two years and love that it includes daily tasks and challenges in the categories of not only fitness and food but you and others.  You are assigned an elf buddy every 2 weeks that you are supposed to email twice a week with inspiration, recipes, and tips to form a great little support system and get the chance to meet someone new. 

A Skoop of Supergreens {and my Aloha Smoothie recipe}

I'm always trying to get more greens & superfoods into my diet, especially after returning from my post-marathon vacation and as the holidays approach. I love green juices, but sadly don't have the money to buy them everyday nor the patience to deal with working and cleaning a juicer. 

That's why I was excited when Skoop contacted me about trying their A Game superfood formula.  I also loved their company's mission about providing real whole foods nutrition and how they give back to the community by providing one fresh serving of fruits and veggies to a student in school for every serving of Skoop sold through Mission Nutrition. 

I was surprised when an really nice package of Skoop goodies arrived at my door!

What's Skoop?
According to their website, Skoop is a line of powdered, whole-food sourced super nutrition. Their products are all plant based and made with 100% whole foods including fruits, veggies without any GMOs. They include over 5000 phytonutrients to help fight stress & inflammation while boosting metabolism and immune support. Talk about packing a punch. 

The Ingredients
I'm always reading about superfoods and supplements I should be taking but honestly it gets exhausting. I can't take 40 things that are good for me each morning, it just won't happen as I'm running out the door.  I love that A Game has 10 servings of fruits and vegetables, probiotics, fiber, antioxidants, greens, and herbs all in 1 scoop of powder! 

When You Don't Know What to Do Post-Marathon

Well it's been a month since the big marathon, and time has flown by. After taking a couple weeks off from activity, I've been trying to get into the swing of things-it's hard.  Last year I discussed how to avoid post-race blues and below are some post-marathon tips I've put together this season. I've mostly been good at the post-marathon transition. 

Post-Marathon Tips

I'm trying to figure out my race schedule for the winter and spring. I'm definitely including a couple of fun races like the annual Celtic Solstice Race in there before the New Year.  As far as fitness I've been relaxing, going on easy runs, and getting back to trying fun classes like Floyo and spin again.  

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

A couple weeks ago I cooked this chili up for dinner after work, and it turned out amazing! I had read a couple recipes that used pumpkin as chili base, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much thicker my chili came out. The pumpkin flavor isn't prominent, so don't worry this won't taste like a pumpkin pie. It's the perfect fall dinner plus was on the table in less than an hour!

I make this on the stovetop, but you could also set this up in your crockpot before you leave for work, cooking on low for 6 hours.   

FloYo at Beachfit Baltimore

This past summer I tried FloYo which is a combination of SUP (stand up paddleboarding) and yoga/pilates for the first time in Annapolis with Jessie Benson, the founder and all-around awesome Baltimore fit lady, so I was excited to try a preview of her FloYoFit class at Beachfit Baltimore last week.  

I have taken a couple of Surfset , spinning, PiYo classes and at Beachfit this past spring before I started marathon training and love the friendly new Harbor East boutique gym with it's small class sizes and motivating instructors.
  

FloYo is a full body workout that incorporates yoga poses and a vinyasa flow which included warrior poses, sun salutations, and core work.  

Since the weather is quickly getting colder in Maryland, Jessie decided to bring FloYo inside by using the surfset boards , which are small, portable surfboards on top of a bosu ball-like base. It definitely is a core workout no matter what you are doing because you need to try to keep the board stable plus keep yourself from shaking all over the place.  I definitely was feeling the burn in my abs for most of the class!

5 Friday Favorites: My Favorite Things About Halloween {via gifs!}

I didn't think I would post today, but I'm in the Halloween spirit so I'm linking up with the Friday Five hosted by Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar.  I got in a chilly 10K run this AM and even spotted a few dogs already in costume-SO cute. 

I'm really excited to dress up as Wonder Woman, my spirit animal tonight and to have a few pumpkin beers, some candy, and have fun!

Think of the Possibilities: Mizuno Wave Rider 18 Review

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mizuno on behalf of Fitfluential. As always all opinions and thoughts are my own!

This summer, I talked about how it was a big deal for me to switch to the Adidas Energy Boost 2 running shoes for marathon training since I had only been running in Brooks shoes for 2 1/2 years. Once you find a brand you like, usually you stick with them.  Also if I'm throwing down some dough for shoes, I don't have a lot of wiggle room to be adventurous in case they don't work out.  

I've always heard great things about Mizuno but just didn't think I was a Mizuno girl. 

Naturally I jumped at the chance to try their new Wave Rider 18 shoes when the Fitfluential opportunity came up because I was intrigued by the brand. In my post-marathon transition stage, it seemed like the perfect time to play around with a new pair of shoes. I could try on being a Mizuno girl for a little bit and see how it feels!

The Wave Rider 18 is a neutral shoe is said to provide a smooth and responsive ride while being a lightweight daily trainer.  They have been on sale since the beginning of the month for the MRP of $119.99.  They come in black/silver (what I received), blue atoll/silver, and white/fuchsia purple color schemes for women. You can check out the men's color schemes here. 

My New Fall Fashion Staples

It's been all about running on the blog lately but now that my marathon training is over, I'm taking some time to talk about other things that make me happy like fashion and beauty. I devour my monthly fashion magazines and love creating outfits so I thought I'd share some fall pieces that are becoming staples of my wardrobe as the weather gets colder.  

Chicago Marathon 2014: The Big Race Recap

My race recap of the Chicago Marathon is going to be long, and I'll probably think of a million details I wanted to mention right after I hit publish (le sigh). 

Since it's been almost two weeks since the race I mostly just have feelings from different parts of the race and my overall happiness with the Chicago Marathon left so this won't be a mile by mile breakdown if that's what you were looking for. 

The morning of the race I was lucky enough to crash at the apartment my friend was staying at on Michigan Avenue RIGHT across from Grant Park and the start line. This was a life saver since I was staying on the edge of the city and would have had a long train ride to the start and was still sick. All of my rest, medicine, and homeopathic immune boosters must have worked some magic because I woke up feeling pretty good Sunday morning.

I wasn't sure how my sinuses would feel once I got running, but the lack of feeling like a congested, sniffly mess like I had been all week was a good sign. 

All my gear laid out-Flat Lauren is ready to race!

Chicago Marathon 2014 Expo: Before the Start Line

I still have so many thoughts about the Chicago Marathon so here's a little pre-race recap. 

If you missed it, read about how I took a walk break last week and Skechers great Breast Cancer Awareness campaign going on this month.  

My last training update discussed how I had gotten sick the week before the marathon. Unfortunately the day I was flying out, a mere 3 days before the race, I started feeling worse. I was tired, worn down, sniffly, and dealing with sinus congestion & headaches. I decided to get the expo out of the way Friday morning (and I sadly felt worse) so I'd have more time to rest later. 

I must say it was one of the most organized and nicest race expos I've ever been to! It also wasn't too crowded Friday morning, and there was plenty of space in between rows of vendors so you weren't constantly being forced to move out of the way for people. 

When you walked in they had a little photo op with the start line and a countdown until the race.  All I kept thinking was I had 44 hours to feel better.

One of the coolest things was how when you walked up to a row of people with your confirmation page you were given a number and directed towards another desk area with those numbers. As I walked up to my desk number, a volunteer said "Lauren? Here's your packet." Pretty cool. 

The only lame thing was that the marathon shirts were just plain gray Nike tech tees that said Bank of America Chicago Marathon on the front in white. Pretty underwhelming, but I suspect it's because Nike wants you to buy all their other pretty marathon merchandise.  

Walk Not Run and Skechers Breast Cancer Awareness

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Skechers. As always all opinions and thoughts are my own!

Seriously THANK YOU to every person on social media who gave me shout outs, commented on my last blog post, and who helped cheer me on before the Chicago Marathon. Reading all those messages from people who believe in me was what powered me through my the race after being sick up until the night before. More on that later but spoiler alert: it was GREAT!

After the marathon, even though I was really pumped and exciting about running more, I took a walk break. 

Yep, I traded my running shoes in for walking shoes this week. 

Staying active and healthy is clearly important to me. I truly believe it makes me a happier and healthier person inside and out.  Especially since my body was fighting an illness all week before the race, and I wanted to stay as healthy as possible afterwards so I could have fun on my trip, I decided to take it extra easy this week. That means no runs, no interval circuits,no spin classes, no Crossfit classes-even though I was itching to get strong again. 

Sleeping in, indulging in many beers & doughnuts, and NOT following a training plan felt great. It doesn't mean I was sitting on a couch all day though. 

 

How to Get Over Being Sick Fast: Marathon Taper Update

So I've been in taper town and everything was going great until I woke up sick yesterday. Yes sick, as in I'm supposed to run 26.2 miles on Sunday and I've caught a cold from my boyfriend.  Don't worry I already yelled at him!  

I also JUST realized it's my second blogiversary. The celebration will have to wait until after Sunday I'm afraid! 

Once I felt the scratchy throat and post-nasal drip in the morning I immediately broke down in tears. Tapering makes you extra emotional, don't you know?  My first thought was how I spent 17 weeks and all summer training for a race that I'm not going to run. Or one that I'm going to try to run and suck at/it will suck. I'm going back and forth between telling myself I'll be fine by Sunday and the race will suck.  Trying to breathe deeply and smile, most of the time though!   

ON THE ROAD TO 26.2-WEEKS 15-17: TAPER

Expo East 2014 Trends and Favorite Products

I was lucky enough to be able to attend Natural Products Expo East 2014 right in Baltimore a few weeks ago. Last year was my first time attending and was super overwhelming. Expo East  is a huge expo where brands and exhibitors come to showcase all of their products including brand new ones to industry professionals, retailers, distributors, and the press. 

This year I knew what to expect and made sure to bring a big bag for all my goodies. I thought it seemed less crowded on the floor even though I had less time to spend at the Expo than last year. I still got to try some amazing products, talk to great brands and companies, and leave with bags of swag. 

I left stuffed from samples each time and made sure to snap some photos of my favorites!  I spent most of my time in the supplement and food sections of the expo.

Pin it Party 6

I decided to join Lindsay's Pin it Party this Friday since I LOVE saving things on Pinterest. I've put together some of my favorite articles and recipes lately that I'd love to get pinned more!  

I have been trying to make my posts more Pinterest-friendly for all you people like me who save everything they want to look at later using the site!

Just click on the photos to go to that blog page or the links below to go straight to the pin!

Protein-Packed Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Since it's already October I know everyone is all like OMG PUMPKIN EVERYTHING but my love for bananas never wavers. 

So last week when I spotted a couple dark brown bananas begging to be eaten, banana bread was exactly what I was craving. I am always saving and pinning banana bread recipes because it's something I can't just get enough of. I used this recipe as a starting point and changed it to so it packed a protein-punch (and to accommodate what I had on hand!). It came out super moist, sweet, and delicious. 

Somehow my boyfriend and I made a whole loaf disappear in a matter of days. 

The only question now is when I'm going to get my hands on some overripe bananas to make it again. If you're looking for more foods to add extra protein into your diet check out this article. See below for my recipe and share! 

Chi Marathon Training Weeks 11-14: Tackling Long Runs in between Weddings

I'm really behind on my marathon training updates, but really things have been going pretty smoothly and now I'm in taper town! 

Oh and this came in the mail last week so things are getting SERIOUS. 

Active Nation Day with Lorna Jane on 9/28/2014

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lorna Jane in a partnership with Fit Approach and the Sweat Pink Community.No compensation was received for this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

If you missed it, be sure to check out my post on the Body Love Tour and body image yesterday!

I've recently become familiar with the Lorna Jane brand of activewear and hopefully will get my hands on some their cute fitness gear soon like this adorable polka dot sports bra and this inspirational running tank. 

This Sunday the brand is hosting Active Nation Day which is in align with the principles the brand stands for- "Move. Nourish.Believe". I was excited to be given the opportunity to spread the word about Active Nation Day because I wholeheartedly believe in the message!  

Active Nation Day is this Sunday, September 28, and all over the world Lorna Jane will be hosting events to bring a whole group of women together, all committed to living their best life.

Body Love Tour Baltimore

It's only fitting that right before I sat down to start writing this post (part event recap/part thinking out loud) I saw the TUT daily inspiration that perfectly says everything I wanted this post to be about: 

You're beautiful enough, Lauren. You're special enough. You're sexy, playful, and fun enough. You've worked enough. You've cried enough. You've been grateful, generous, and kind enough. Okay, then?     The Universe

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a Body Love Tour event. I was surprised to find out the tour was making a stop in Baltimore for a night of yoga, inspiration, music and community with Promoting Natural Health and Lindsey Smith. 

I was really excited because a couple of my favorite bloggers Heather Waxman and Kasey of Powercakes were going to be there. (YAY!!!) I especially love following Kasey's blog and her whole journey and philosophy about healthy living is so inspiring to me.

The night of the event I showed up to a beautiful building albeit in a sketchier part of Baltimore for a smaller and more intimate evening than I had expected. I wasn't sure what to expect but right when I walked in I was greeted with hugs from both Heather and Kasey which had me blogger-starstruck. 

Lentil Sloppy Joes

It's now officially fall but minus enjoying a few pumpkin beers, I have held onto summer as long as possible. 

However I think it's time to sadly put away my sandals and embrace the nice aspects of autumn before it gets too cold and miserable.  No, I'm not a super crazy pumpkin lady, but I have been known to devour a bag of those Mellowcreme pumpkins and candy corns each fall.  A bag or two plus one after Halloween when the candy goes on sale. 

When colder temperatures arrive I love making soups, stews, and chilis for dinner. I'm looking at incorporating more meatless meals into my dinner rotation so when I saw this Lentil Sloppy Joe recipe on Pinterest from Shape.com I was excited to try it. I used the recipe more as a guideline but am pleased to say it resulted in a hearty meal. I didn't end up blending the mixture and kept it chunky so I could eat it like a chili.  I piled it on top of a baked sweet potato for a delicious & filling dinner. 

Lentil Sloppy Joes 

(Adapted from recipe by Heidi Kristoffer)

Anything Can Happen on Race Day and Other Marathon Training Anxieties

Check out my latest post on the Women's Health Action Heroes blog where I talk about my tips for handling a busy summer taken from my experiences travelling a bunch these past few months!

Here we go for today's thinking out loud post. More thoughts about running the Chicago Marathon. Which is only 23 days away. 

 

23 DAYS AWAY. 

How did it sneak up like this? 

I've got my 22-miler this weekend-the last really long run of training. Sadly I'll be travelling again for a couple more weddings. I'm trying to squeeze it in before I leave so it probably won't happen with my training group. Then again maybe it's better I just work it out and run 22 miles by my lonesome since I'll probably be running the race mostly alone. 

I'm already reaching the point of training where all my doubt and anxiety is quietly bubbling to the surface. 

I'm thinking that I didn't get my mileage as high as I wanted. I didn't follow my training plan strictly enough. I didn't push myself hard enough. The rational part of me knows that training is about all of those runs since June and hitting that long run mileage. 

This is the first time I'm actually flying somewhere before running a race as well. I'll be sure to take some Airborne and wear compression socks of course. The flight isn't that long, but it still causes some anxiety, especially since I've never been to Chicago. 

Another part of the marathon that is daunting is that anything can happen on race day. Even though I tapered right, stretched, and  foam-rolled last year, I still had really tight calves on race day for some odd reason.  You can do everything right, but sometimes your body has other plans in mind when you wake up that morning. Sometimes the weather or course conditions suck. Sometimes it just isn't your day. 

Hood to Coast with Nuun Recap Part 2: Brooks Running Tour and Preparations

If you missed the first part of my Hood to Coast recap and all about my first time in Seattle check it out here.

Thursday morning after a lovely night's sleep we gathered for a morning group shakeout run with all the Hood to Coast Nuun runners.The Seattle weather was cool and sunny, which was amazing. There were lots of silly running selfies and photos taken like this awesome Go-Pro group shot Eric took. 

Friday Five Linkup: 5 Blogs I'm Loving Right Now

This week I finally started recapping Hood to Coast (see here) and talked more about how my marathon training has been going in between all my travelling. YIKES there's 29 days left until the marathon-but more on that next week. 

It's been a busy week but taking a hot yoga class on Wednesday that felt like Bikram and left me completely drenched has turned my week around in a weird way. The whole class I felt weak (it's been a while for me & yoga) and was focusing on all the dripping I was doing, but when I stood up after corpse pose I felt completely relaxed. Weird but awesome. 

Hanging out in pretty much a sauna for an hour and a half has made it easier to stretch and crack my back the past couple of days too, victory!

I pretty much can't wait to hang around Baltimore, get in a nice group long run, and enjoy a couple glasses of vino this weekend while avoiding as much traffic for the Star Spangled Sailabration thing as possible (200th anniversary of the National Anthem celebration is happening this weekend in Baltimore). I hope to catch the supposedly awesome fireworks display though!

I've been loving some of the blog posts floating around on the interwebs this week so I thought I'd linkup and share my "Friday Five" blogs I'm loving right now. 

Courtney is awesome and actually mentioned MY blog which is a complete shock so go give her blog some love too!

The Road to Chicago-Marathon Training Weeks 8-10

I've been so busy the past month that I haven't had time to update much on my training. Ya know, because I'm running that little 26.2 mile race soon? With all of my travelling, I've been flexible with my past few weeks of marathon training out of necessity. 

ON THE ROAD TO 26.2-WEEKS 8-10

Long runs:

Week 8 my long run was the Charles Street 12 miler, plus 4 miles beforehand to make up for a skipped long run the previous week. In case you missed my recap , I ran at my marathon race pace for 9 miles of the 12 mile race and allowed myself to speed up at the end. I felt great!  

Week 9 was a really awesome long run. I got in 18 miles at Loch Raven Reservoir. It was a cooler morning, with lots of shade on the trail. A bunch of running groups were there so it was lovely to be getting in lots of miles with so many other people around! I felt properly fueled and needed a little bit more water, but hopefully water on the course during race day will solve that problem.  

Literally all smiles after 18 miles