Glass City Marathon Weekend: Some 5K and some art appreciation

So the twin and I are in Toledo, OH for the Glass City Marathon weekend, which you already knew if you have been reading all of my blog blatherings as of late.  We got into Toledo on Friday night, went to the expo and grabbed our packets, visited with friends who were nice enough to cook us dinner, and then went back to the hotel and promptly went to bed because hey--5K on Saturday morning.

Coffee and three nuts.

Obligatory start line selfie.

Look at all those beautiful 5kers.

Why did we do a 5k the day before a marathon?  Shake-out run.  And more blingity-bling.

I ran with the twin sis, and we ran really easy because we both have really really long races tomorrow.  She ended up PR-ing, and I ended up posing with rocket people and doing weird stretching exercises after the race.

FYI: Rocket Girl's helmet was SPARKLY.

I call this stretch, "The Idiot."

After the 5k, we headed back to our friends' house to shower and have post-run coffee.

 We then headed out to try and appreciate some art.

Ready to appreciate the crap out of things.

Here's the art I most appreciated:

WTF MONKEY PEOPLE

We were lucky enough to catch a glass blowing demo at the museum, because Toledo is the Glass City, after all.

I was constantly thinking HE IS GOING TO DROP
THAT I KNOW HE IS

We then went out to eat and had an excellent dinner so I had the energy to lay out my flat self for the marathon tomorrow, during which I will keep repeating that what doesn't kill me will get me a PR.

And now it is time for this little marathoner to grab some sleep--a 7 AM start means a very early morning.  But it's never too early (or late) for some learnings:

• How awesome are those Saucony leggings I was wearing?
• Super awesome, that's how awesome.
• Twin sis got to ring the PR bell and I got a picture but I was not allowed to post it here because she is a big weenie.
• The glass blowing demo was seriously cool.  And the dude knew all the science behind it and it was amazing.
• My tie-dye shoes are amazing, too - and hopefully they will snag me a PR.

Tomorrow's workout: 26.2 miles around Toledo.

My fitness confessions.

Yesterday I managed to complete my 13 mile long run, although not all at one time.

I had every intention of doing the run outside, the first 8 miles with large dog and then the last 5 miles by myself.  But after 1.5 miles this thing called "snow" started coming down pretty thick and heavy, and even large dog kept looking at me with snow plastered over his face like, "Really, woman?  Let's go inside."  So we did after getting in 3 miles.  And then I rented another movie on my Kindle (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) and hopped on the 'mill for 10 miles which, after doing 15 miles on the thing on previous long run excursions, seemed like a pretty short run. 

Sick, I know.  But marathon training does this to a person.  It also makes a person run in tie-dye shoes to make the run that much brighter.

Gaze upon their awesomeness.

Today I have some upper-body strength training planned--both workouts from Cathe's Lift It, Hit It strength DVDs, only with two sets per exercise plus some abs.  I have to confess that I look forward to my weight workouts more than my running workouts most days, mainly because the suffering of lifting heavy weights is over long before the suffering of an intense running workout ever is.  Don't get me wrong, I love running, but it's nice to know that not every day will be a day of "how many more miles??? I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT" suffering.  As a matter of fact, I have a lot more little workout confessions like this.  Let's list them out, shall we?

• I also wear bright colored clothing for running on the treadmill even though no one sees my outfit except for my animals.  They are also the ones to see my treadmill anguish.

Mile repeats again?!?  WHYYYY

• When I have a long run to do on the treadmill I stop a little too often to blow my nose or take a drink of water.  Please note that I do these things WHILE running when I'm outside.
• I never, EVER want to do a long run.  Ever.  But I always tell myself just to do 3 miles and see how I feel...and I always feel like a wimp if I quit after 3 miles.  Self-shaming - it's how I get those runs done.
• I always walk my recoveries during speed workouts.  Don't judge me.
• I know I need to back off all the running when I am at the starting line of a marathon and I realize my brain just said, "Uuuuuuugggghhhh I don't want to do this" before I even realize it.  That's why I started dropping to half-marathon training during the summer (and because it's too freaking hot to run 20 milers).
• Push-ups.  I can't stand them.  They are on par with how I feel about mile repeats.
• The main reason I take large dog with me running is so my house doesn't get destroyed and my underwear isn't ripped from the laundry basket and scattered around the house while I shower each morning.
• And finally, I always do way too much intense leg work the day before a long run and struggle to hit my target pace during the run.  Because I'm a moron.

They say confession is good for the soul.  But I'm not sure if my soul is in any way healed from writing that list.


And now, the learnings:

• I meant to post last night, but it was a crazy day and I fell asleep in the chair.  
• I also meant to make a huge deal about the fact that I got the exercise bike put together (thanks, hubbs) and can't wait to use it, but I will wait until I actually use it to bore everyone to death about it.

BFFs

• When large dog begs me to go inside during a run, you know the weather is bad.
• One last confession - I really, really need spring to come so I don't have to do long runs on the treadmill anymore.

Tomorrow's workout: Speed!  12 x 400m, lawd help me.

Just the last four pics on my phone turned into a blog post.

Here's how I slept last night, only imagine me coughing up a lung every 0.3 nanoseconds.

Those are Perrier bottles, FYI.

After an awesome night's sleep like that, only one thing could make me get on the treadmill for my run:

Awww yeah.

Speaking of aww yeah, male cat was in feline awe of them.

Hyooman.  Tye-dye has me trippin'

I then got on the treadmill and I tried to do my speed work, I really did...I was all "this speed work will be cake" during the warm up but 30 seconds into that first 1000m repeat my lungs were all "DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THAT WE WERE COUGHING ALL NIGHT LET ME REMIND YOU" and I decided to modify the workout and do 3 miles of 1-minute pickups instead.  Which worked out much better, and made female cat quite pleased.  For once.

For once, hyooman, you not stoopid.  Too bad it won't last long.

Learnings:

• That sleeping picture may or may not have been a revenge pic because I have taken tons of pictures of the hubbs sleeping and made a small collage of it this weekend that I may or may not have threatened to post to social media.
• Those shoes are so awesome I may just buy another pair.
• Although those shoes are a Launch 5...which, to be honest, feel a little heavier than the Launch 2-4s.  But tie-dye, you know.
• I can't have stupidly unhelpful advice for every post.  Sometimes all I have are the last 4 pics on my phone and a will to write a dumb blog post.

Tomorrow's workout: That thing where I lift heavy weights over and over again.