Feet Move Forward

Hi friends, and happy long weekend! I'm already out of town- and likely out of cell service range- for the next few days, enjoying some QT with the fam on a little camping/canoeing adventure. We've been going to the same campground for the last 15 years and it's primitive . (This is not glamping !) Aside from contending with the spiders that live in the "outhouse" (read: hole in the ground surrounded by a plywood structure), I will also be on the lookout for wolves . LINKS!  Life hacks: Camping If these pictures don't make you want to pitch a tent, I don't know what will. How to eat healthy while camping (or 22 variations of s'mores ) This workout requires no equipment and looks hard as heck. Have a wonderful and safe weekend!

The Minnesota State Fair: It's one of my favorite things to do in Minnesota. I'm not one of those people that can go and walk around for 10 hours. I seriously just go for the food, the Miracle of Birth Center , and the horse barns. Four hours, in and out. Here's how I made that time count last Saturday: breakfast cheese curds beer tasting for $8! caramel apple sundae my first time trying scotch eggs. not my fave. crowds It was pretty much the perfect day, so perfect that I'm actually considering going back on Labor Day, when MN is supposed to cool off. One other thing: The Strib published this article about what to wear to the fair and I was slightly appalled at their suggestion of ballet flats! Bad idea jeans . Here's my guide on what to wear: Shirt: A tank or loose, light colored shirt. Leave your polyester at home.  Pants: Do you legs a favor and wear shorts/capris. It's too hot to wear jeans and a skirt will like

Last week I ran 40 miles! source I've been safely building up to that number for months (literally!). It feels great to finally reach this training milestone uninjured and more in love with running than I have been in a long, long time.  Here's to the miles to come!

We made it to Friday, just in time for things to get ridiculously hot! Did you hear that next week is supposed to be the hottest week of the summer? Gross.   Unfortunately, the heat also arrives during The Great Minnesota Get-Together , which I'll be eating my way through tomorrow. (Have you seen this list of new foods?) Don't worry, I'll be sweating out all those calories during my long run on Sunday. source LINKS! 54 smoothie recipes . I think I'll start with #19. The right person myth (and why not to follow your heart). I can't wait to see this movie. YUM! The best chopped salad. 50 rules of vacation. The Michigan will make you faster (just don't puke). A historic Los Angeles apartment. Have a wonderful weekend!

What I mean is this isn't a real post because all I wanted to tell you is that I created an about page on my blog. Fancy, I know.  For those in a reader, you'll actually have to click over to my blog to see it.  And, because it's Wednesday.... this. i will buy this for colleen because it's her fave commercial source

This weekend had two important milestones, the first being I successfully completed my longest training run in over a year- 17 miles! I ran with Brady, who was a doll and agreed to run with me at 6:30 on Sunday morning. I only had 45 minutes by the time I got home to get out the door for church but I knew I needed an ice bath, which bring me to my second milestone: my first ice bath in 2+ years!  Ice baths are like marathons in the way that you forget how much you hate them until you're actually doing it, at which point there's no turning back. But ice baths are said to speed recovery so they're kind of a necessary evil, IMO. Active.com says: The general theory behind this cold therapy is that the exposure to cold helps to combat the microtrauma (small tears) in muscle fibers and resultant soreness caused by intense or repetitive exercise. The ice bath is thought to constrict blood vessels, flush waste products and reduce swelling and tissue breakdown. Sub

I feel like I fell off the face of the earth this week. It's been so busy and the days have felt incredibly long. I didn't even have plans plans every night, just a lot of stuff to do, if that makes any sense. But I accomplished things! Like running an interval workout by myself! 2 mile wu, 6 x 800 w/ 400 RBI, 1 mile cd And surviving a trip through IKEA. ice cream to keep from screaming And finding links for you! Hello my old heart.  Turns out the "Angel Priest" isn't an angel at all. Stunning outdoor kitchens. My friend Jilian sent me this pin on Pinterest . (Thanks, lady.) Kids' playhouse turned poolside hangout. Hey girl. Now you can change every picture on a website to Ryan Gosling. You're welcome. The end of the underwire? Yes! (But the scrunchie is coming back?! ) Have a great weekend!

This past weekend I went down to southern MN for Emily's bachelorette weekend. Here are the internet appropriate pictures. Saturday morning started with a really great run through hilly St. Peter... mile splits: 8:26, 8:33, 7:50, 8:04, 7:27, 7:20, 7:14 ... followed by a little morning yoga with fellow bridesmaid Sarah. After getting pretty, we split up between two boats for a little booze cruise. Don't worry, we had sober drivers and enough life jackets in case this turned into a swim. Then it was time to small-town bar hop on a party bus! And we stopped at a lot of small town bars that had names like this... ... and decor like this.  A few things to note, since this was my first official bachelorette party (I KNOW!): A fair number of bachelorette games take a significant amount of alcohol to play. I wasn't drinking much, so I was red-faced the entire time.  The type of people in a small town bar on a Saturday afternoon are e

TGIF! Big plans this weekend? My best friend from high school is getting married in October and we're having her bachelorette party this weekend. I've already roped a few girls into joining me for a Saturday morning run/ yoga session before the festivities begin.  I'm looking forward to relaxing and spending some time with some amazing women I see far too infrequently. LINKS! For real, this happens to me all the time. I love stories like this! 'Angel' priest visits Missouri accident scene An artist repaints signs for the homeless, then shares their stories on this blog.  Fascinating! "Nail houses" in China are homes that people refuse to give up for construction. So contractors just build around them. Have a great weekend!

I met with a dietician yesterday morning at Life Time for my nutrition consultation. The good news: I'm doing a lot of things right. I've been eating a pretty whole-foods based diet for a while now but am not super strict with it, especially when I go out to eat or am over at a friend's, which is relatively often. I break the rules for Sour Patch Kids in movie theaters, froyo after a particularly stressful day, and chocolate just because I want it. And I get Cravings with a capital C.  The better news: She told me to eat more fat. Yep, FAT. She said that adding fat to my diet will boost my body's ability to burn fat and also really help with cravings. (The Gospel of Fat is something Dietician Cassie has been preaching for a while now!) I haven't been eating much dairy or grains of any kind, especially when I was trying to cut out processed foods . We talked about a lot about good carbs, some of which I'm already eating, and about what changes I cou

I've just spent a ridiculous amount of time pouring over my training journals from the past few years. Back when I was running a 5k a good 30 seconds per mile faster than what I just ran. Back when I was comfortably running under eight minute miles. Back when I felt like a real runner. I know fitness takes time to come back. But here we are in August, nearly two years from when I was shoved from the running wagon (and my subsequent PE) . And I'm looking back thinking what the heck have I been doing? and feeling like I should be farther along. It's hard to keep going when results are slow and even harder to see, when all you have to go on is a feeling, and dreams of what could be. So rather than looking at paces or miles, I'm looking at progress: Runs are getting easier. I'm uninjured. I'm happy to be running. It's all reason enough to keep moving forward.

I may have forgotten to mention that I ran a 5k yesterday. My original 2013 race plans had me heading to my hometown for a 5k this weekend, but instead I went up to White Bear Lake to raise money for children's cancer research. Brady and I got up there early to register, and it was a good thing we did! There were tons of people wanting to register, and only a few people there to check us in. It was cold, too, and I found myself shivering while we waited in line, wishing I had brought a sweatshirt! Doesn't MN know it's August? via @ChildrensMN My goal for the race was to run hard and try to maintain an even effort. Story of my life, right? The race starts at Lifetime Fitness and runs around Birch Lake, staying mostly on the sidewalks. Brady and I ran a warm up to get a preview of the course which was really scenic and relatively flat. When it was time for the 5k to line up, we tried to position ourselves at the front so we wouldn't get stuck behind

( via daily dishonesty ) This week has been one of those weeks. And tonight is one of those nights. I promise that I'll (probably) be back next week with actual links.