Weekend Recap!

Friday

After skipping Thursday's planned LT run due to bad weather, I set aside some time on Friday evening to make it up on the dreadmill treadmill. It's been a long time since I've put in any miles on the "Running in Place Machine" (Thanks Ken!) and I was not particularly thrilled about it. On the plus side, I liked having the ability to plug in my speed and just run with it, not having to worry about pacing myself.

I decided to keep the pace slower than my last two tempo/LT workouts so that I could hold it for a full 5K. I set the treadmill to 7.2 mph (8:19/mi = 5:10/KM) after a warm-up and the miles ticked by pretty easily. By the time the tempo portion was complete, I wanted nothing more than to get off of that thing, so I forced myself to stick it out for a mile cool-down and then I was done!

Saturday

For the first time in several weeks, I did not run on Saturday. (Normally I would have taken Friday off.) I attempted to sleep-in (apparently I can't force myself to stay in bed later than 8AM anymore) and had a pretty low-key day with the hubby, running some errands and visiting some family.

It snowed for about 24 hours straight, but it was mild enough that most of it was melting. This resulted in slushy, wet and messy roads! I wasn't sure what to expect for Sunday's long run...

Sunday

It was time for our group long with with 25K/~15mi on the schedule. The snow had stopped and fortunately the roads were relatively safe with just a few lakes puddles to dodge. I ended up with a massive soaker when I misjudged a step, but luckily it was at the end of our run. I felt pretty good and enjoyed many laughs along the way, as always. I found a surprising kick for the last few K's, clocking 5:41, 5:46, 5:26, 4:51. (Where did that come from?) It's a great feeling to finish strong.

After some more chatter and half-hearted stretching on my part (I admit it, I am a LAZY stretcher!) it was time to head home and get ready for the GOLD MEDAL HOCKEY PARTY.

Sarah hosted and Mel was able to join us as well. We had a fantastic time with great company, plenty of drinks & bites, and the game of the century! We even had an authentic Olympic Torch (thanks to my sister)!

As I mentioned earlier, I may have made a few deals with the Hockey Gods in order to secure our win... anyone have tips on running in 100% polyester?? See below for the jersey I will be sporting at the Chilly Half Marathon this weekend.

Some photos from the festivities:

This is how Canadians chill drinks in February - in snow!



My Olympics Rings cake (and Wayne Gretzky # 99 Riesling):
(Hey Lindsay, those are M&M's!)



My sister's torch - we didn't have the stand so we had to get creative!



Me in my jersey with the torch:



Sarah & I celebrating!

(Last chance to win RunningSkirts at Endurance Isn't Only Physical!)