1. Last Sunday was the Chicago Healthy Living Blogger March book club potluck. I seriously look forward to book club all month! I love chatting with all of the ladies, trying so many delicious and new dishes, and drinking a little wine.
We were supposed to have read Unbroken but I’d only received the book from the library a few days before so I was only 100 pages in when we met on Sunday. I’m still working my way through it (and I don’t see myself writing a book review) but I can honestly say that I think Unbroken is one of those books that everyone should read.
2. I have a Runners World calendar on my desk at work and earlier this week I was happy to see this quote from Fred Lebow:
SO true! I love morning running so I’m definitely biased BUT when you wake up early and get your workout out of the way, it truly feels like you gain an hour to your day. Plus, you don’t have to spend all day worrying about fitting in a trip to the gym after work or analyzing every morsel of food you eat wondering if it’ll upset your stomach on your run later.
3. Speaking of early morning running, as much as I love getting up early and pounding the pavement, I definitely have mornings when I don’t want to get out of bed and/or I feel tired and sluggish while getting ready. Most days speed doesn’t matter and I can just go with the flow but feeling worn down or really tired can be problematic on tempo or VO2 max days. Lately, to counteract this, I’ve been having a gel with caffeine (like a Powerbar or Clif gel with 2x caffeine/shots) before heading out for longer speed runs in the morning and it’s really been helping. I’ll be the first to admit it’s a more expensive way of fueling but because I can’t stomach coffee right before a run, it’s a lifesaver. Happy runs are the best runs!
4.. Yesterday, I received a little prezzie from popchips (anybody spot a kitty in the background?).
Haha little is an understatement. Stuffed in that bag is the Jillian Michaels book, a reusable bag, chip clip (yes!), pens, and tons of popchips including some new-to-me flavors like sweet potato and thai sweet chili. I can’t wait to dive in– thanks popchips!
5. Tomorrow I’m running Muddy Monk’s Punk the Monk Trail 5k. I’m so excited! I have a few friends and Ian running it but I’m not sure if I want to run it for fun or “race” it. I’ll probably make the call tomorrow morning. Either way, it’s going to be a blast. Art posted this picture of the trail yesterday and while I assume some of the snow will melt today, it’s most likely going to either be snowy or muddy tomorrow!
(photo credit to the Muddy Monk)
What do you have planned this weekend?