Catching Up - February & Mardi Gras

Hello hello!  I am back in action for March after a fun, exhausting weekend in St. Louis!  We have so much to catch up on so let's get started...

Last Week's Running:

Tuesday - 4.25 miles OUTSIDE

Wednesday - 2 miles

Friday - 4.17 miles

Total - 10.42 miles

So the week wasn't very impressive, but I have to say that at least Tuesday and Friday's run were a good pace!

When I got to St. Louis on Friday, Angela and I went for a run at Queeny Park.  She told me it was a super hilly park and it was exactly that.  The loop we did was just over 4 miles and it was rough.  Most of the first mile was flat, except for one huge uphill.  Right when we got to the top, the Garmin buzzed that we did that first mile in 7:45.  We were both shocked because it felt very relaxed (except for when we had to power up the big hill).  The 2nd and 3rd miles were a combo of both up and down - 7:35 and 7:44.  Then the 4th mile was mostly flat, and we took it nice and relaxed at 8:01.  I was beat by this time and glad I didn't throw up my lunch because we ate only an hour before!

We were having some selfie-taking issues, but finally got a decent one and at least it shows off the success of my teeth whitening!  Also it was sooo warm!  We were wearing pants and long sleeves, but felt like I could've taken off the long sleeve top if I needed to (I had a short sleeve top underneath...it's not quite sports bra only weather yet.)

February Running Recap:

Total Miles - 92.77

Total Runs - 19

Average Miles per Run - 4.9 miles

All in all, I think the total mileage for the month was OK.  It's definitely not where I want to be, but when I compare to previous Februaries, it looks pretty strong.  Given the fact that the entire month was basically on the treadmill, I guess I really can't ask for much more.

Total mileage was significantly higher than January!  But average miles per run was lower (it was 5.5 in January).  But, 2 of the February days were two-a-days, so my average miles per day would be higher.  On another positive note, it looks like this was my highest February mileage:

I can't really guarantee that this is 100% accurate because I know I fell off logging my runs a few random periods at a time, but I would say this is probably accurate for February mileage.  I know for sure I logged my runs consistently in 2013 and that's the year I really want to compare to now!

 

But enough running talk for now, here's How I Rang in March:

Mardi Gras in St. Louis!  St. Louis has the 2nd biggest Mardi Gras celebration, behind New Orleans of course.  Liz and I started our morning with a trip to Starbucks and the grocery store for bagels (and to get cash back so we'd have money for the day).  Around 9:30am, the drinking games started and the rest of the day was probably the most fun I've had in a really long time!

We made it down to Soulard (the St. Louis neighborhood with the big Mardi Gras parties) in the late morning and met up with my brother, his girlfriend, and cousins Kevin and Katie.  It was quite the family affair :)

Sunday was a day of recovery and the weather in St. Louis was perfect for staying inside.  We did get out for lunch though at a cute little restaurant called Winslow's Home.
Next up on the social schedule is St. Patty's Day in Chicago!  I can only hope March will bring more warmth and more running miles (it's a direct relationship...I'm about finished with the treadmill.)

I'm also really hoping to have my new blog up and running this week so stay tuned for that!

Did you/are you celebrating Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday this weekend/today?

How was your February?

Valentine's 2-A-Day

How do you make your Valentine's Day as good as possible when you're single? Lots of running!

I knew I wanted to do a somewhat longer run in the morning. I was on the treadmill though, so wasn't sure exactly how long I'd make it and didn't have a specific goal. I ended up doing 9.1 miles in 1:13, for an average pace 8:01.

I made up this workout/progression run on the fly and decided to call it the "3, 2, 1 Run."

3 songs @ 7.0

2 songs @ 7.1

1 songs @ 7.2

3 songs @ 7.3

2 songs @ 7.4

1 songs @ 7.5

3 songs @ 7.6

2 songs @ 7.7

1 songs @ 7.8

2 songs @ 7.9

I think this is a great progression-style workout for longer runs on the treadmill.  Since I was planning to go long, I knew I didn't want to be increasing every song, or even every 2 songs and I didn't want to throw in anything super fast.  This pattern of increasing the speed kept it nice and relaxed, but still proved to be a great workout because I was worn out by the end.

I hate that the treadmill turns off after 60 minutes! But I didn't let myself take a break.  I let the treadmill stop on its on and started up right back up to where I left off.  After an hour of running, the last thing you want to do is give your legs a nice break and then have to start up again!  It's all about the mental will power I guess.  This would be equivalent to running an hour outside, and returning to your house...but then keep going for another loop away from the house.

And then in the evening I headed to the South Loop Fleet Feet for a Valentine's fun run!

Upon arrival, they gave out wristbands dependent on your relationship status - green, yellow, or red.

After some general introductions and directions on where to run, it was time to head out into the cold.  I spotted Jackie and we ended up running the whole way together chatting.  Jackie and I actually met on Twitter a few months ago and realized that we are from the same area of Chicago suburbs and share a love of running :)  We were both planning to come to this event so it was a perfect opportunity to meet IRL (in real life, in Internet speak haha).

It was not as cold as I was expecting, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention to the cold since I was just glad to not be running on the treadmill and to be running with other people!  The route was 3 miles and went by super quick.  Parts were really icy, but once we got onto the lakefront path it was nice and clear.  Towards the end of the run, Jackie and I met Linton.   The 3 of us hung out during the after party, where they had snacks and beverages at the store.  None of us won the raffle, unfotunately.

All in all, it was a successful Valentines Day, with a total of 12 miles running, a fun event in the evening, and meeting new friends!

How was your Valentine's Day?

Do you have any internet friends who you haven't met in real life yet?  Or that you have met and are now real-life friends?

Friday Five - Valentine & Olympic Edition

Welcome to the Friday Five - Valentine's Day and Olympics edition.

For starters,  I'm not a big fan of Valentine's day.  Mostly because I'm single.  So it's a holiday that I am currently excluded from.  Like how I imagine non-Christians feel around Christmas.  I'm sure when I am in a relationship, for at least the first Valentine's day, I will be the girl posting flowers (provided the guy sends them I guess) and checking in wherever we go out for dinner and brag about what we did.  But this year, I have plans with some girlfriends - including a running event!

Tomorrow evening I'll be heading to this run:

(www.fleetfeetchicago.com)

Each runner receives a reflective wristband based on your relationship status.  So to start of my Friday Five, here are five pick-up lines I'm thinking of using:

1) "I bet I'm faster than your girlfriend."  (Juuuust kidding, I'll stick to the single ones.)
2) "Your pace or mine?"
3) "When I blog about this, it will say I ran 3 miles with my future husband"
4) "I'm like chocolate pudding.  I look like crap, but I'm sweet as can be." (For after the run, because that's definitely not my most attractive time.  I will wear make-up and my cutest running clothes though.)
5) "On a scale of 1-10, you are a 26.2!"

Ok, so I didn't make up those last 3...thank you, Google.  And I altered the one about blogging.  I will obviously blog about the event, but you can bet your glutes I will not say something like that.

Besides Valentine's Day, it is also one of my best friends Grace's birthday! Happy Birthday, Grace :)

I haven't talked about them much on the blog yet, but I really love the Olympics!  I would like nothing more than to compete in them, but I don't foresee that happening, unfortunately.  I have to say though that I'm really not as big a fan of the winter Olympics as I am of the summer.  But so far, here are what I think are my five favorite winter Olympic sports:

1) Figure skating
2) Cross country skiing
3) Alpine skiing
4) Speed skating
5) Curling

These are my five favorite summer Olympic sports:

1) Marathon (what did you expect?)
2) Triathlon
3) Gymnastics
4) Swimming
5) Track

Five Articles I've Loved This Week:

Runner's Valentines - Runner's World
17 Things You Should Know Before You Date A Runner - Thought Catalog
Matchmaking App Tinder Sees Huge Spike in Sochi During Games - Wall Street Journal
Beer Fridge at Sochi Olympics Only Opens for Canadians - NY Daily News
The Olympics' Most Interesting Man - Crave Online


And since I didn't tell you about it yet, here are 5 things about Wednesday's run:

1) 4.75 miles in 40 minutes (8:25 average pace)
2) Treadmill...what else is new?
3) Started at 7.0, increased by .1 every 2 songs, so ended at 7.5
4) Took it nice and easy because the lunges at BodyPump on Tuesday destroyed my legs
5) ...and then I went to Panera with my dad.

I took Thursday as an off day, but I'll be back at it today!  I'm going to do a morning run on my own before tonight's fun run.

What is your favorite pick-up line?  Running or not running related!
What are your favorite Olympic sports?

Monday Runday & Big News!

I surprisingly am not getting too fed up with the treadmill right now.  Maybe because I've been doing it so consistently that it's just become routine.  Routines are good.  If I was used to running outside and then forced inside by the weather every once in awhile, it would be like a punishment.  But since right now there isn't another option and hasn't been another option for weeks, it just seems normal.  Also, as I highlighted in a previous post about the positive aspects of treadmill running, I really like that I can set my pace.

For example, yesterday I decided to throw in a fast mile in the middle of my run:

.5 miles @ 7.0

.5 miles @ 7.2

.5 miles @ 7.4

.5 miles @ 7.6

1 mile @ 8.6

2 miles @ 7.5

Total of 5 miles in 39:45 (7:57 average pace)

 

I was in a particularly good mood (I'll share why in a just a minute), so I decided I should try out some speed work.  I haven't done speed work since probably September, before the Chicago Marathon.  And I didn't want to do anything crazy, but I knew I could handle to go a little faster since I have been finishing most of my treadmill runs at faster than 8-minute pace.  After a 2-mile warm-up, I increased to 6:58 pace for a mile, then back down to 8:00 pace for the remainder of the run.  It definitely wasn't the easiest mile, but not super hard either.  My main struggle was that I forgot both a headband and a water bottle.  And since I have short side bangs now, it was rather uncomfortable running with that hair bopping around in my face/eye the whole time.

After the run, I went to the locker room to gather my things, and found a nice little treat waiting for me (and all the other female patrons of the YMCA):

Someone must work for Hallmark and had all these leftover Thanksgiving cards, because there were a ton of nice Hallmark cards!  I took one of each variety (so like 12 cards total)...  now I need to remember in 9 months that I have these cards to send out.  This one is my favorite (I actually took 2 of this design):

 

 

Alright, well that's enough fluff - onto my big news!!  I found out yesterday that I've been selected as a ZOOMA Chicago race ambassador!!  I'll be promoting the race, running it myself, and helping out with all the fun events and training leading up to the race!  I'll have more info on specifics later, but mark your calendars for Saturday, August 9th for the ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon and 10k!  I'll have a promo code soon so you can all get 10% off your entry fee too :)

What do you tend to forget most when you go to workout?

Do you like sending greeting cards?

(Tiger) Turkey Trots - 5k and Half Marathon Recaps!

I do a turkey trot every year, but this year I did TWO turkey trots - Edison Park (5k) and Schaumburg (half marathon).  And no, they were not on the same day.  I know most turkey trots are actually on Thanksgiving Day, as the Edison Park 5k was, but the Schaumburg race was held on Saturday morning.

Edison Park 5k

Catherine and I have an annual tradition to run the Edison Park Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning.  There have been years it is snowing and years it is pretty moderate temperature.  Luckily it was not snowing, but it sure was cold! I wish I could say the cold didn't deter us from our usual outfits - Bandit Turkey Tigers.

But sadly, we were only Turkey Tigers this year.  Well I guess technically we were bandits given that we didn't pay for the race.  We made the decision the night before the race to forgo the BANDIT singlets (our high school's old XC/Track singlets) so we could wear an extra layer.

The cold weather didn't seem to both Therese though. I met up with Catherine and Matt about half hour before the race and we did a 3 mile warm-up...for the 3.1 mile race. Just trying to get that mileage up! Then we found Therese and it was race time! We actually don't really race this run though; we use it as a nice conversational run. I think Therese had us at an average 8:08 pace. It definitely felt a lot easier this year than last year when I wasn't in nearly as good of shape.

After we finished, we walked backwards along the course to find their dad and then finished the last quarter mile or so with him.

Schaumburg Half Marathon

This is yet another race that made me think I am not mentally strong enough to be a runner.  All athletes need to be mentally strong, but running is a whole different ballgame.  There's so much more constant action and things to focus on in other sports.  When running a race, I pretty much am just thinking about how much it hurts the entire time.  I was much happier when I finished though and tried extra hard in the cold to make it seem so in this picture:

But anyways, besides the mental factor, this race wasn't too bad.  It took place at Busse Woods, which is where I ran this summer occasionally.  I parked in the remote lot and got shuttled to the start.  The course was pretty much the entire loop of 7.3 (previously 7.7, but now there is a new bridge over one of the roads so the loop is shorter and more hillier now since you have to go up and over the bridge) plus a few out and back segments through long parking lots to keep adding mileage.

At the suggestion of Pittsburgh Runner (Kristy) via Twitter a few days before the race, I decided to run the race "naked" aka without a watch. I was wearing clothes, trust me.  I did shed a few layers in the middle though.  Mom came to watch at one point around mile 5.5 and I gave her my headband and gloves. I was glad I had them to start with, but then they became unnecessary.

It's nice when Mom comes to races so she can take my picture so I don't have just a selfie.

I didn't really have expectations for this race and planned to use it as more of a training run to guarantee I got in a long run for the week.  So that worked out.  I decided to start with the 1:40 pace group and figured I'd stick with them as long as possible, which ended up being until I saw Mom and stopped for a few seconds to give her my headband and gloves and offer my words of how miserable I already am. I felt like I was sprinting to keep up with that 1:40 pace group.

So I broke off from them and was really just not having this race anymore.  Mentally done.  I really really really wanted to stop running.  My original goal was 1:45, so I was still on track but I wanted to make sure the 8 minute group wouldn't catch me.  But I also really wanted to stop and walk.  The problem is, when you're running a loop in the forest preserve and your mom left and your car is parked in a remote lot that you need to get to via the shuttle at the finish line...well, you get the point.  There wasn't really any way to stop, so I had to just get to the finish line as fast as possible.

That red blow up thing was the finish line..with my finger in front of the lens also.  It was cold but so so sunny!  So I couldn't even see my phone screen when I took this photo.  Anyways, I made it my goal to not let the 8 minute pace group catch up to me.  But lo and behold, they did.  Around mile 11.5.  Then around 12.5, they passed me.  I was really struggling that last mile.  But I only stopped to walk through the last 2 water stations (around miles 10 and 12...so that's how they caught me).

I finished in 1:45:55.  So it was right around what I wanted/expected.  But it sure was harder than that time should feel like for me.  My two halves during the Chicago Marathon were each faster than that.  But I fell a little off the running wagon, didn't have a best friend running with me, and it was darn cold.  So I'm OK with it and glad I didn't give in and start walking.

Something awesome about this race is the sweatshirt that I got for registering!  At first it seemed pretty light, but it is really comfy so that's all that matters.

Do you run with pace groups during a race?

Any turkey trot traditions?

(Long) Weekend Photo Bomb - 11/27 - 11/30

It's been a nice long holiday weekend off of work and I've been busy with all sorts or activities.  I did 2 races (a 5k and a half marathon) and will have a full recap of those in the next few days, but in the meantime, here's the long weekend in pictures:

Dinner and gambling at the casino.  Dad hasn't quite figured out that the iPhone can be turned sideways to get everyone in the picture.  Mom and Patrick were the big winners of the night.

Catherine and I ran the Edison Park Turkey Trot 5k (like we do every year) in matching turkey headbands and tiger-print shorts.

My dear little cousin, Elizabeth.  We share a love for bread.  I told her that's called carbo-loading and she helped me carbo-load for Saturday's race  :)  On Friday, we celebrated her new baby brother's Baptism.

Post-half marathon selfie.  Very cold!

All aboard!  The entire Smith family (and "SigOs" - significant others) took a Christmas trolley ride through the city.

A few of the girls, ready to go.

View of the Chicago skyline from Smith trolley stop #1.

 Dad and I at the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights - Smith trolley stop #2.

Things escalated quickly... even had to make a few extra stops for beer/champagne runs (and bathroom runs).

Started the weekend with gambling, why not end it with a little family gambling?   A pizza party after the trolley and a 30+ person game of LCR - Shannon was the big winner.

And another running selfie.  An easy 4 miles Sunday morning in my all purple outfit.  Just kidding, I put another shirt on over that, but thought it looked funny when I was wearing all purple so I had to take a picture.

So there's the long weekend in pictures!  How was your long weekend?  What did you do??

Happy Halloween from Colleen :)

I like when my name rhymes with things, so that's why Halloween is a good holiday.  But here's some other reasons why:

Candy.  Free candy.

My favorite Halloween candy will always be Kit Kats I think.  M&M's and Nerds were also big favorites of mine.  I eat M&M's on the reg, but I don't think I've had Nerds in forever.  It's not candy, but here's a cupcake I ate (at 9am) from a co-worker:

Costumes.

There is no costume in the world that will ever be as good as my parrot costume.  I wore it multiple years and I love it and wish I had it for my children, but it is gone forever.  I am unfortunately not wearing the wings in this picture, but you can kind of see the tail - the wings were awesome and colorful like that.

Senior year of college, I was Pippy Longstocking.  My roommate Colleen, who now has her very own running blog too, did my hair really awesome like that.

I was Dora the Explorer during 5th year of college.  The night before I was Dora, I was a gymnast which was also an awesome costume but I unfortunately have no pictures of.  I wore my cousin Katie's red, white, and blue leotard and matching scrunchy with tons of glitter in my hair.  Anyways, I bought the Dora the Explorer backpack, kept the tag on, then returned it after.  That's how it's done.

 

Being a troll with Christina was easily the best costume of my adult life (thus far).  My hair had remnants of green in it for days, no matter how hard I scrubbed, but it was worth it.  I haven't worn the nude body suit since, but I hope to one day soon.

The annual Halloween card from the Grandparents Smith.

My freshman year of college was the first year of this card.  It has since become an annual happening.  The front says, "A Scary Thought" and on the inside, "Life Without God." Usually they include a $1, but this year it was even better...at least for me that is.  A scratch off lotto ticket was inside and I won $10!  This year's card also had 3 riddles to solve; do you know the answers?

What do ghosts serve for dessert?

Who won the skeleton beauty contest?

What do witches put on their hair? 

ONE Month Til The Chicago Marathon!

Happy Friday the 13th!  My unlucky happening of the day so far is that I missed the train by about 1.6 seconds.  But the next one came almost right away AND I got a seat, so I think that's pretty lucky.

And then I got to work and my director had made these for everyone:

I'm not sure whether is was a cupcake or a muffin, but I'm gonna go ahead and call it a muffin since I ate it at 8:30am.  A muffin with frosting.  And coffee in my UD Alumni mug, per usual.  Sometimes I wake up in the morning and declare that it's going to be a healthy eating day (actually I say that every day), and then things like this happen and I decide it's OK because it's Friday and I'm running 20 miles this weekend.  I need to really work on my nutrition though.

Even more important than it being Friday the 13th - Happy 1 Month til the Chicago Marathon!!

This morning, I texted about 10 people I know running the marathon with a reminder that we are 1 month away.  The responses I received were all over the board.

Most Excited goes to Angela: "OMG I can't believe it!!  Happy Friday!  I hope it's a good one!"
Least Excited goes to Mac: "ugh don't remind me"
Favorite Response: Marisa sent a bunch of the unhappy/nervous looking emojis.

I'd say the general feeling is one of nervousness and being under-trained.  Does anyone actually ever feel prepared for a marathon?  I would think not because how can you ever feel ready for something like that?  I am definitely excited for it, but also nervous that something will go wrong.

The weather today would be absolute perfection for the marathon.

I did another 7 mile run last night in the exact same time as I did my run the night before.  It wasn't my intention to go any faster than 8 minute pace and I wanted to do 10 miles.

After a mile on lakefront path, looked down at the Garmin and was surprised by how fast I was going without even thinking that I had picked up the pace.  I was feeling good so I decided to go with it.  But then, at 3.5 miles, I turned back around to head north and right away I could tell why it was so easy heading south and that it was NOT going to be easy getting back north.  Such strong wind.

8:04, 7:24, 7:22, 7:35, 7:47, 8:03, 8:02

So despite the times being slower when I came back north, I'm pretty sure it was a consistent effort the whole run.  I'm also glad I did not get blown away into the lake.

I stopped to take some pictures because it looked really cool.  One wave came up and drenched my legs all the way up to my shorts.  So the remainder of the run was in soaking wet shoes and socks.  When I started, I thought about how wonderful fall weather is for running.  But then that wind really killed my excitement for fall.

Are you having a particularly lucky or unlucky day today?

How do you know if you are ready for a marathon?  Or any race?

Marathon Training Camp Weekend in MI

I just got back from northern Michigan a little while ago and obviously want to share some pictures and fun stories ASAP.  I've decided to call it our Chicago Marathon Training Camp Weekend since Angela, Olivia, and I are all running it and we got in some quality workouts and fun over the weekend.  So first, a picture of the lake/where I spent a few hours napping.  The nap also resulted in sunburn on only the left side of my body.

After the nap, the 3 of us went for a short 4 mile run - short, but hard.  I had done my long run on Wednesday night and then didn't run at all Thursday and Friday.  Angela and Olivia did their 18-mile long run Friday afternoon, so on Saturday afternoon we were all pretty sore/tight.

Wouldn't you want all of your runs to be on a road right a pretty lake?  I would.  Then I realized a lot of my runs ARE right next to Lake Michigan.  But this is way way different since there's not a million people also running the same path at the same time.

After a lot of chips and salsa, an amazing homemade dinner, and a few beachy cocktails at the cottage, us 3 girls headed to the local bars.  They close at 11pm.  A local we met asked us what we were up to for the rest of the night and I replied with "going home to sleep in bunk beds."  Their cottage was so cute and perfect for the northern-Michigan lake-cottage atmosphere.  Their family has been vacation here forever. The cottage actually reminded me a lot of the cabins my family used to stay in when we vacationed at Pennellwood.

Sunday morning we went to Mass, got lunch in town and brought it to the beach to eat, and then explored along the lakefront for awhile and walked to this lighthouse.  I wore this new hippie skirt that I am now in love with.  I practically got it for free from the LOFT since it was on sale and I had a $15 off coupon to spend during the month of my birthday.

We weren't really up for running, so instead Angela and I took out the tandem bike for what turned into a 12 mile ride.  I think we talked about the Chicago Marathon the entire time - what we'll wear, pacing, the course, etc.  I am even way more pumped up now!  6 weeks to go!

Sunday night we went to the beach for the sunset and rock collecting and then had another great dinner at the cottage.  We were all pretty wiped out and had decided we would do a hill workout Monday morning, so we turned in to the bunk beds early.

Monday morning was chilly, but perfect temperature for a hill workout.  And by hill, I mean mountain.  Angela BEASTED up it.  I had my phone in my little running fanny pack pouch thing, so I took it out (while still climbing up) and snapped her picture.

And then do you know what we did?  We ran down it and then back up again.  Each time was close to 5 minutes of straight up.  Angela was ready to do another, but Olivia and I were not as enthusiastic.  Here's the view from the top on the way down...around the curve, it kept going down.

In high school we used to joke that any of the "hills" in Chicago that we would use for a hill workout were actually just "bumps."  This hill was on the other end of the spectrum.  We talked Angela out of a third hill climb and ran straight into town on a few more rolling hills to join their parents for breakfast.  They even brought us clean t-shirts and sweatshirts so we wouldn't have to sit in the restaurant in our sweaty clothes.

Do you like doing hill workouts? - Chicago is extremely flat, so this is the most hill action I've done in a long time, probably since I visited Kristin in Cincinnati.  So this time I really enjoyed the hill workout since I haven't done one in so long.

Where is the most scenic place you have ran?

Christmas Music in the Summer?

Since I had a guest post yesterday instead of giving you my usual run-down (pun intended...I crack myself up), here's the scoop on the runs I did this weekend and a few other noteworthy activities.

Yesterday morning I ran 13 miles at an average 7:56 pace.  My fastest mile was 7:42 and slowest was 8:05.  The rest were all fairly consistent at right under 8 minute pace.  Since I've been doing my last couple long runs on my own, I decided to meet up with the Coach Brendan Running group at 6am.  It was still dark out when I woke up.  That shouldn't happen on the weekends.  I actually ended up running by myself the whole time instead of with anyone from the group, so I was glad I brought my iPod.

I made a new running mix that has quite the variety of songs.  Life is a little weird when you go from a rap song straight into a church song.  I'm a fan of everything.  Here were some of the songs I recall particularly enjoying on the run:

• You Make My Dreams - Daryl Hall - Thanks to Grace for sending me this song recently.  If you don't have Spotify, you need it.  And then you need to send me some of your favorite songs.
• Kanye's New Workout Plan - Kanye West
• Drunk Last Night - Eli Young Band - I think this is my favorite song right now.
• Wired to the T - Dorrough - If this song doesn't just get you pumped while running (or whenever), I don't know what would.
• Hell on the Heart - Eric Church
• You Are Holy - Michael W. Smith
• Red - Taylor Swift

I'd like to thank my friend Carly for inspiring me to listen to rap while running.  It really does work nicely.  Carly is also training for the Chicago Marathon and always posts on Facebook with her motivating running song of the day...and it's almost always rap, so I decided to go for it.

And since we are already talking about music, I have to disclose that I listened to Christmas music last week.  Catherine made me a CD for my birthday, which included some Christmas songs because she knows I love them.  I will say though that I only listened to a few songs one day because I don't want to get Christmas music burnout before the Christmas season and I obviously had to listen to the CD she made me.  It'd be rude not to.  It is fun to be driving down the highway and know that all the other drivers have no idea I'm listening to Christmas music right now in August.  But now that I got that little bit in, I'll wait another few weeks before listening again.

Also related to music, here's a little tidbit I got from a Dove chocolate yesterday:

I always am, Dove, I always am.

After yesterday's long run, I went to Jim and Christina's new apartment.  They have a pool at their building, so Christina and I laid out there for a few hours.  I wore sunscreen this time, but I had my head turned to the side the whole time as we talked, so half of my neck got a little red.  Jim was doing manly handyman tasks around the apartment, but he was kind enough to take a break and bring us some Lime-A-Ritas (and UD coozies).

This morning I met up with my friend Christopher who I had not seen since I left my old job in May, so it was great to catch up!  We had been talking for like a year about running on this dirt trail that goes through Wicker Park and we finally did it.  It was basically old train tracks that are no longer in use and have overgrown with dirt and grass...a little sketchy though, so probably not somewhere I'd run alone.  But in the middle of the day with a friend was a great time to try it!

What are some of your favorite running songs or genres?

Have you ever listened to Christmas music not during the Christmas season?

Do you like to go explore new places to run?

Guest Post: Erin's "17 Things About Colleen"

Today I have a special treat for you - a guest post written my by lovely cousin Erin.  We are like peas and carrots.  She is the one who got me into blog reading and encouraged me to start my own.  And now that I have been working hard on this blog and just yesterday finished my "About Me" page, Erin decided she would like to give my readers a little more insight...

Hey there! My name is Erin, and I am Colleen’s cousin. I am also a 20-something living, working, and working out in Chicago…I just don’t run insane distances like CSmith. I graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2012, and the only other real things you need to know about me are that I am obsessed with Christmas, the Cubs, and the number 217. The last one usually needs a little explanation, and it’s pretty simple: I was born on February 17.

In light of the fact that today is 817 (aka halfway to 217!), I figured today would be an optimal day to write 17 things about Colleen that you cannot learn from her About Me page. I could probably come up with a full 217 list items seeing as I have known Colleen since the very first 217 that I celebrated, but I think that’d be a little much for you to read. So here goes!

1. Colleen and I once bought a sign at a craft fair that said “Forget the dog, beware of Colleen.” We hung it up on the door of her room. I think she still has it.
2. Pennellwood Resort is Colleen’s (and my) favorite vacation spot. I know she already posted about it, but it’s so important that it deserves its own list item here, too. There are plans in the works to perhaps open up our own Pennellwood one day.

3. Colleen loves Christmas almost as much as I do, and we both love Christmas music. I start listening to it on October 17 (aka 1017) each year and force her to do so also. Our favorite Christmas song is “Joy to the World,” by Neil Diamond. We – along with our cousin Katie – made up a dance to that song and filmed it in 2002. We all wore our matching pink North Face fleeces in the dance.
4. Colleen ran the 2010 Columbus Marathon all by herself and with no spectators. Most importantly, she was number 217 for this race.

5. Colleen loves bread, specifically Pennellwood bread. Pennellwood bread is just what you’d expect it to be – bread that Pennellwood Resort baked each and every morning. It was fresh and delicious, but no one loved it more than Colleen.
6. Plaid skirts are always in style on Christmas, and Colleen and I (accidentally) coordinated our Christmas Eve outfits one year to keep with the trend. Great minds think alike.

7. Colleen, our cousin Katie, and I have dubbed one night each year “D-Day.” We use this night to annoy Colleen’s dad, Don, and it falls during the week of Thanksgiving. Examples of past annoyances include putting post-it notes all over the kitchen walls, turning on every single light in the house, and filling his car with random objects so that it’s nearly impossible for him to get in let alone drive. They are harmless pranks, but they are fun. And he gets annoyed, which is the point.
8. Tubing on our uncle’s boat (we call him Captain Ron) is one of our favorite memories and things to do. Sometimes we both tube at the same time and then execute a mid-ride tube switch.

9. Nesquik is not called Nesquik when conversing with Colleen. It is referred to as “the Q,” because she used to drink so much of it that it was essentially her drug.
10. Colleen and I once made a commercial for Juicy Fruit gum when we were about 13 and 11 respectively. It had something to do with Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi” as the background music I think.
11. Usually, for our birthdays, Grandma and Grandpa Smith give each of us cousins a bag of chocolate chip cookies as part of our gift. Going along with number 5, Colleen instead receives a bag of rolls for her birthday.

12. G-chat is where Colleen and I spend our time conversing every single day. We also text very pointless messages to one another, which occasionally include random Forrest Gump quotes.
13. Pizza Hut used to be a huge food staple in Colleen’s life. We spent many a Friday night sleeping over at her house and ordering from “the hut.” Their breadsticks are divine.
14. For about four years in a row (maybe more?), Colleen was a parrot for Halloween.

15. Acronyms are used far too frequently in our conversations. A few commonly used examples include: DTJ (“do the job” or “did the job”), BOG/GOG (“be on G-chat”/”get on G-chat”), YATWL (you are the weakest link”), CCC (“Colmone Country Club), LNPTDID (“Let’s not put the ‘duh’ in ‘dumb’.’’), and HIHACLY (“Happiness is having a cousin like you.”). That last one is a phrase we saw on a plaque at one of the Arlington Racetrack Craft Shows we attended.
16. The 4th of July is a big day for Colleen, although we typically call it “the FOJ” (gotta keep the acronym theme alive). A lot of our family members come to Niles to watch the Niles Parade, since it is pretty great. Colleen’s favorite part of that parade is the Little People.

17. Colleen and I enjoy making lists, and our best one was “CAEUSTDL 2010,” which was “Colleen and Erin’s Ultimate Summer To Do List.” It included a number of things that we never accomplished, but obviously we still have it and will cross everything off eventually. I hope you’ve enjoyed this list and keep coming back to CSmith Run to do just that!