tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29569878661593135472024-03-05T10:15:18.982-05:00Living in LangedomAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-63135145923090104282017-03-23T11:13:00.000-04:002017-03-23T11:13:26.460-04:00Simple Toddler Watch Cap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />This is a basic watch cap that I threw together for the munchkin a few weeks ago. Little hats are a great projects because they're quick to knit up and they don't take much yarn so they're great for using up scraps! For this hat I used <a href="http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-AlpacaLanaDoro.htm">Cascade Yarns Alpaca Lana D'Oro</a> in Charcoal and have been very pleased with it. The alpaca makes it incredibly soft and it's very warm. I may have to use the rest of the skein to make myself something cozy!<br />
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Supplies:<br />
Worsted weight yarn (~1.25oz/75yds)<br />
size 7 round needles<br />
size 7 double point needles<br />
8 stitch markers<br />
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Directions:<br />
<b>Cast on</b>: 80 stiches, join in round, place stitch marker<br />
<b>Ribbing</b>: k2, p2 around, move stitch marker and repeat rows until ribbing measures approximately 3 inches high.<br />
<b>Body</b>: knit around, move stitch marker. Repeat until body measures approximately 3 inches high.<br />
<b>Decrease</b>: Row 1: (knit 2 together, knit 8, place stitch marker) 8 times total. (72 stitches on needle)<br />
Row 2: knit around, moving stitch markers as you come to them.<br />
Row 3: knit 2 together, knit to stitch marker, knit two together first two stitches after marker. Continue alternating knit and decrease rows, moving to double point needles as necessary. Once you reach 8 stitches on the needle cast off and pull tight.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-54478070073902515712015-09-18T08:00:00.000-04:002015-09-18T08:00:14.245-04:00Late Summer <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Alright, ya'll. I have not fallen off the face of the earth but life got busy and then it was SUMMER! But now sadly things are cooling off and I'm back to blogging. Not that I'm unhappy to be blogging but I was rather enjoying spending my time doing other fun things. And now I've got plenty of fun things to fill you in on!<br />
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Seriously though, life has been full and mostly crazy fun. In the last six months Justin's grandma passed away, we've worked on house projects, worked on yard projects, bought a new car (my dream car; a Suburu Forester!), had Katherine stay for two weeks, run (a little), gone on weekend trips and camping trips, and started prepping for Baby Lange.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 weeks</td></tr>
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Yup. You read that right. We're expecting a kiddo right around New Years! I'm 25 weeks along and feeling great. I've had a super smooth pregnancy so far and haven't really had to slow down at all yet. I did have to give up running fairly early on but only because I don't have the money to buy a new $70 sports bra at this point. Sorry for the TMI but running bras are crazy expensive! I'm still walking plenty though to make up for it. I'm currently taking brisk 3 mile walks four to five days a week and that's been helping keep me sane.<br />
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It's been a very uneventful pregnancy though and I'm pretty thrilled with that. For realz though, why didn't anyone tell me how hard it is to pick out kid names?!? We're not finding out the gender so we have to have both names but seriously though. There are so many awesome options! I currently have about 50 of each gender on my list. Granted, some of those are only options for middle names but still. That's a shit ton of names to sort through. And Justin is making his own list without looking at mine. So it'll be fun to compare and see how similar our tastes are!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 weeks</td></tr>
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So there you have it. That's been our main source of excitement this summer. I've got lots more to say about what we've been doing but I figure that I'll save all that for later posts. For now though, if you have kids what did you name them and did you have a hard time narrowing things down like I am? Tell me what names you love! There's always room for a few more on my list! ;-)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-74565309623111044792015-03-18T12:15:00.000-04:002015-09-16T20:54:48.508-04:00Maple Syrup Weekend 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The title says it all, really. It was a gorgeous weekend in mid Indiana at my uncle's cabin. Plenty of mud and muck to be found but so much fun. Boiling sap, hikes in the woods, gun shooting, and piles of delicious food. It really doesn't get much better than that. Our day of labor netted us 1 3/4 gallons of maple syrup; just enough for every family to take home a pint or so.<br />
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This was our third year attending and it was the warmest by far. It was in the 60s both days and by Sunday afternoon the sun was so hot that I stripped down to a sleeveless shirt. Frankly, the whole weekend was just basically perfection. But then I've thought that about the last two years too. What can I say? I love Maple Syrup Weekend :-)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-84343308848380995772015-02-19T08:22:00.000-05:002015-02-19T08:22:10.790-05:00Beginnings<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are eight color samples in this room. Oof.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of my supplies.</td></tr>
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Woot! It's that time people. I'm starting painting today. The east bedroom/guest room is first up in the docket. Hopefully I'll have progress photos next week. But the next two days will just involve putting fresh coats of white on the ceiling, trim, windows, and the inside of the closet. Aka, the boring stuff. But it needs to be done and it'll be <i>so worth it </i>once it's all put together.<br />
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Wish me luck!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-20979860410537001572015-02-10T11:00:00.000-05:002015-02-10T11:00:01.460-05:00Couch Shelf DIY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fun stuff is still happening all over our house. I'm not sure that I'll ever actually declare my house "done". I'm having too much fun working on things!<br />
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A few months ago one of my projects was to put a shelf up behind our couch and I'm a huge fan. This idea came to me ages ago when we put our couch in front of the window but I didn't get around to it until this fall. But now that it's done I can't believe that I waited this long. <br />
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This was a pretty simple, and inexpensive, project in the grand scheme of things but fairly time consuming. There's lots of quick steps with downtime between them so it's good for a weekend at home. It made a big impact in the room though and I love having it there to hold my water bottle. And, let's be honest, lots of other things too.<br />
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I threw together a semi tutorial for you. Nothing very detailed but here's what I ended up doing.<br />
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<b>For this project I used:</b><br />
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1x6x8 pine board<br />
<a href="http://www.behr.com/consumer/products/interior-paint-and-primer/behr-premium-plus-drywall-primer-and-sealer">primer</a> <br />
paint<br />
<a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Minwax-1-Qt-Satin-Polycrylic-Protective-Finish-63333444/202061476">polycrylic</a> <br />
3 <a href="http://www.menards.com/main/storage-organization/closet-organization/shelving-hardware-brackets/7-in-elegante-decorative-shelf-bracket-black/p-1656623-c-13051.htm">shelf brackets</a><br />
2 shelf screw sets<br />
sandpaper <br />
paint brushes<br />
drill<br />
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<b>A couple of general notes: </b><br />
Always make sure that you wipe down the board before priming or painting it. That gets rid of any dust or hairs that might land on it while you're not working on it.<br />
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And always make sure to read the directions on the cans before starting this project. Different materials have different dry and re-coat times and you want to make sure your project always gets as much drying time as the manufacturer says is necessary! I find it helpful to take notes on what time I finish a coat so that I know when I can start the next one. <br />
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<b>Step 1: Sand and prime shelf. </b><br />
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This step was definitely the fastest for me. Because I wanted a shelf for behind my couch I didn't cut my board. But if you wanted a shorter shelf or two you could certainly cut this down to size. I've heard that some hardware stores will cut them for you when you buy them but I've never tested that out myself. Make sure that you have enough brackets for your project. If you're doing multiple shelves then you'll need at least two per shelf. <br />
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Once your board is the right length, sand the shelf lightly with fine grit sandpaper and then put a thin coat of primer on the shelf. I primed, and painted, all sides/edges of the shelf because I knew they were going to be visible. But if you're planning on hanging the shelf somewhere where no one will see the bottom then you can just do the parts that will be seen.<br />
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<b>Step 2: Paint board with 1-2 coats of desired color</b><br />
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I used what was left of a paint sample container in a smokey blue. It was a basic flat latex paint and I diluted it very slightly with water to help make the brush strokes less visible. I'm not sure that was really necessary but it turned out well. I put two coats of paint on my shelf because one coat didn't give very good coverage. Maybe if I had not diluted the paint it would have worked better. I really don't know. <br />
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<b> Step 3: Coat shelf with polycrylic</b><br />
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Once again how many coats of sealant you choose to do it totally up to you. I went with three on the tops and sides and one on the bottom. I wanted all surfaces of the shelf to be sealed because I planned to put drinks and food on the shelf. If you're using it for decoration only you might not even need the polycrylic at all!<br />
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<b>Step 3: Hang your shelf!</b><br />
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I don't have a lot of particular guidance about hanging your shelf. Most of it's up to you: where you want it, what it's function is going to be, etc. For me, I wanted it under the windowsill but not touching the couch top. I knew I'd be using it to hold all kinds of things: books, mugs, my knitting, and snacks for sure. And because I wanted it by the couch I knew that it had the potential to be climbed on by child visitors so I wanted it to be very strong. We ended up going with three shelf brackets, each of which is mounted into a stud. A pair is rated at 100lbs so the shelf should be able to hold any sized kid who might want to perch on it! (Or some some adults for that matter!)<br />
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Also, make very, very sure to get all your marks level. I wouldn't just eyeball this since you're putting weight on it. You wouldn't want anything to fall on your head while you were napping! <br />
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<b>Step 4: Enjoy!</b><br />
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All in all, this was as easy as I hoped it would be! I
worked on it off and on over the course of a week or so while I was home
and it came together just like I envisioned. If you have any
questions feel free to ask in the comments and I'll answer what I can.
Happy projecting!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cozy corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-35946400122833512862015-02-05T11:41:00.000-05:002015-02-05T11:48:58.699-05:00Run 2015: January<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Alright, peeps. Welcome to Run 2015 January edition. I'll be keeping my running posts sweet and simple this year. One per month with additional race posts as desired. I don't actually have any races planned at this point but I'm hoping to maintain my half marathon base throughout the year as much as possible. Who knows? That might come back to bite me in the ass but for now I'm loving the freedom of not running much/at all! Because seriously, I'm not up for going out and running in 16 inches of snow right now!<br />
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January was a light month with only three runs and a little bit of weight training. I predict that February will be light as well but I plan to be back at it in March. Here's what my running looked like in January though.<br />
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<u><b>January 17</b></u><br />
3.11 in 31:41, average 10:11<br />
Why yes, we really did take four weeks off after the Huff. It wasn't really intentional. We meant to take off one week and somehow it slipped into four. But really. It was pretty awesome. And this was a short easy run to get us loosened back up.<br />
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<u><b>January 24</b></u><br />
5.24 in 56:57, average 10:52<br />
This run has a really funny looking map. We went to our favourite bike trail for a six mile run and the trails were so icy that we didn't quite make it a mile before we gave up. So we loaded up and drove to a different park and ran paved, and plowed, trails instead. This was a nice comfortable run. Our times weren't really that slow. The first icy mile worked out to be a 13 minute mile and that kind of threw off our average!<br />
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<u><b>January 31</b></u> - <a href="http://wintertrailmarathon.com/">Winter Night Trail Half Marathon</a>!<br />
13.1 in 2:51:09.9, average 13.04<br />
Third run of the year as a half marathon? Yes please! You all, this was an <u>awesome</u> race. Like seriously, seriously awesome. As the name of the race suggests we ran a half marathon, on snowy/muddy trails, in the dark, in the middle of winter. And I would do it again in a heart beat. The race took place down in Indy in Eagle Creek Park and started at 6pm as the light; just as the light was almost gone. <br />
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We had never run any of the trails so they were completely new to us (although I had been to the park a few times as a child and was entertaining Justin with stories of field trips) but the route was fairly level, only a few minor hills and small stream crossings. It was well marked in most places and we ran two 6.75 mile loops. Endomondo clocked me in at 13.6 miles so it was a little longer than advertised but not enough to make a difference.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who doesn't want to finish under a disco ball?</td></tr>
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And yeah, that was about it. We put on our headlights, hit the trail
around 6pm and finished up a few hours later. It started snowing about
an hour into our run and snowed the rest of the time. It was actually
the beginning of the storm that ended up dumping a foot of snow at our house. The snow was gorgeous blowing across our headlight beams and
piling up on the trail. <br />
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The best way to describe it is just fun. It was easy and comfortable and we had beautiful weather and beautiful scenery. I actually wish that we had signed up for the full marathon because I would have loved to have gone around a few more times. Of course, that would have meant that I would have needed to keep up with my running after the Huff but it would have been worth it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnS5th5nphHtNZWEyVPPrXgaVpPRAbOKLhKuvYUSYU-yk9hlgoMX3dzaZSvkzLjpT8Wuw7kBh_gjb1lW16owP8an8YLflMAilw7CLFVOjxDdcLWPpSPmt5YBwp9bz0WtrSsGG_W9_Xu9Q/s1600/IMG_1274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnS5th5nphHtNZWEyVPPrXgaVpPRAbOKLhKuvYUSYU-yk9hlgoMX3dzaZSvkzLjpT8Wuw7kBh_gjb1lW16owP8an8YLflMAilw7CLFVOjxDdcLWPpSPmt5YBwp9bz0WtrSsGG_W9_Xu9Q/s1600/IMG_1274.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the race!</td></tr>
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There's a sister race coming up in June. <a href="http://summernighttrailmarathon.com/">The Summer Night Trail Marathon</a> (and half and quarter) that sounds like it'll be just as fantastic as the winter one was. I think we may do it. What could possibly be better than a run on a dark night in a gorgeous park with a couple hundred of my closest friends?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-6837785655084178202015-02-03T11:14:00.000-05:002015-02-03T11:14:32.056-05:00Welcome February!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nCSxLJEoZx4/VNDlB6R7YFI/AAAAAAAACnU/N7O5SKr9eas/s1600/DSCN2499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nCSxLJEoZx4/VNDlB6R7YFI/AAAAAAAACnU/N7O5SKr9eas/s1600/DSCN2499.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean snow</td></tr>
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We got 12 inches of fresh snow on February 1st and it was the perfect thing to get my month off to a good start. I'm not much of one for new years resolutions. I need time to think these things through and that one week between christmas and new years isn't near enough time to get my priorities straightened out. But February 1st? That I can rock. I came up with four main areas that I want to focus on this year: finish the interior of the house, grow a vegetable garden, increase/maintain my physical health, and continue my personal education. These are all a little vague on purpose. That way I can pick one or two things that fit within each category and work on them each month.<br />
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So without further ado, here's February's list of goals:<br />
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<b>Paint the guest room</b><br />
I think we've finally picked a color for this room (yay!) so I'll be able to work on it soon. This will involve painting the ceiling, trim, and the inside of the closet as well as the walls so I may not get this finished this month. We don't have any furniture for this room but painting is definitely the first step!<br />
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<b>Exercise 3 times a week</b><br />
We slacked a little with the running since the Huff and I'd love to get back into that but with all the snow and ice that might not happen much. But even if I can't run, I can still do other things. We have a set of dumbbells in the basement and there are lots of fantastic yoga videos on youtube. Plus I tend to count things like shoveling snow and hauling dirt as exercise. So this should be doable.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Install pegboard in kitchen</span></b><br />
This will go a long way toward giving us more storage for our pots and pans and it should be pretty simple. It is a project that Justin and I will work on together though soo we'll see when we get it done.<br />
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<b>Research seed starting</b><br />
Fairly self explanatory. I don't <i>think</i> that I need to start any of my seedlings in February but I don't actually know! So I need research and come up with a game plan for how and when that needs to happen. Probably next month's goal will be to actually start them!<br />
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<b>Blog twice per week (Tue & Thur)</b><br />
This is actually one of the goals that I anticipate being more challenging for me. I love writing but I get distracted by my responsibilities inside and outside of the home. But I really love going back and rereading my old posts. Especially the series that I've maintained such as Run 2014. I want to have a record of what we've been doing and our lives. But that means that I need to write more often! This goal is my start at making that happen.<br />
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Well, there you have it folks. My five main February 2015 goals. Did you make any resolutions this year and if so how are they going? <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-25340768222272950042015-01-08T10:39:00.000-05:002015-01-08T10:39:54.896-05:00Passive SolarI've been thinking about passive solar heating recently and it's a pretty amazing concept. Basically, the idea is to design a house that faces south (when you live north of the equator), has large windows, and some form of thermal mass (stone, concrete, or brick for example) that will absorb heat from the sunlight that comes in through the windows. The warm thermal mass traps and slowly releases heat into the room which means that your furnace doesn't have to run as often. That is a seriously fantastic idea! Everyone loves sunshine and free heat is awesome!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZkSSFTbo2I8/UnkmDbsIh-I/AAAAAAAAB6U/DcBUsFb-MI4/s1600/IMG_7068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZkSSFTbo2I8/UnkmDbsIh-I/AAAAAAAAB6U/DcBUsFb-MI4/s1600/IMG_7068.JPG" height="394" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all that sunlight!</td></tr>
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Passive solar is something that Justin and I have talked about on many occasions and would absolutely love to incorporate more of into our house. Obviously since we bought an existing house we won't be designing a passive solar house from scratch but there are things that we can change that would make our current house even more passive. Because of the age of our house it was actually designed in a more 'passive' fashion. <br />
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Our house was built in 1968 by Justin grandparents and was built for comfort according to 1960s standards. That included a boiler in the basement with hot water baseboards but did <u>not</u> include central air conditioning. In fact, central air wasn't installed until sometime in the 90s. Justin tells me that he remembers when it was installed. :-) That's good though because that means that our house has has lots and lots of windows, 21 if you count the screen doors, <u>all</u> of which open. The front of the house faces north and the main living areas of the house are all on the south side. There are eight southern windows and they let in a significant amount of light and heat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4SYIEh1EHA/Uf7wbDOxteI/AAAAAAAABzQ/oJNJTe6uNvA/s1600/DSCN1432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4SYIEh1EHA/Uf7wbDOxteI/AAAAAAAABzQ/oJNJTe6uNvA/s1600/DSCN1432.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The south side of our house before we removed the awnings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Six of these windows are overhung by the roof and that's pretty much the best thing ever. There are two benefits to having your windows under an overhang of some sort. The first is that when it rains in the summer time the rain doesn't come in your windows unless it's storming and blowing. As people who rarely use the air conditioner and prefer to have the house open all summer this is perfect for us. And was also just a part of how the house was designed. No air conditioner until the 90s, remember?<br />
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The second benefit is that during the summer that bit of roof actually <i>protects</i> our house from passive solar heat. That might seem a bit counter productive since I've been talking about how much I love passive solar heat but <i>you don't want the sun to heat your house during the summer!</i> The over hang keeps the sun out of our house and actually helps to keep the whole house cooler. But during the winter, when the sun is further south, the over hangs are narrow enough that they don't block the sunlight. So overhangs block heat in the summer and allow heat into the house during the winter. This is pretty ingenious if you ask me and is one of my absolute favourite features of this house. <br />
<br />
But, suppose that Justin and I want to increase the amount of sunlight that gets into our house during the winter time, what sorts of things could we do? The first thing that comes to mind is install more windows. That's definitely not something that all houses can accomodate but ours definitely can. When I look at the back of the house in the photo above there are two main places that stand out as options for windows. The first is on the left between the two sets of double windows and the other is at the right end of the house, in the master bedroom. Both of these are locations that could be improved by an additional window or two.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sskebrXvlWs/Uz6_1KtTHkI/AAAAAAAACD8/fWikUIceKH0/s1600/DSCN1763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sskebrXvlWs/Uz6_1KtTHkI/AAAAAAAACD8/fWikUIceKH0/s1600/DSCN1763.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possibly a window instead of a mirror?</td></tr>
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As you can see, there's a large chunk of wall that would look lovely with another window. There are two main options for this room: to install either a third set of double windows or a picture window that spans the area between sets. Obviously there are benefits and drawbacks to each. The main difference of course is that a set of windows would open and allow a breeze and a picture window would not. Cost and structural integrity are also things that we would have to take into consideration. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DJdf1Ri-GUI/Uf7xMB1IedI/AAAAAAAABoc/x_R7YyuNy6Y/s1600/DSCN1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DJdf1Ri-GUI/Uf7xMB1IedI/AAAAAAAABoc/x_R7YyuNy6Y/s1600/DSCN1480.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin taking down the curtains. Look at all that empty wall space!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And then in the master bedroom who wouldn't love an additional or larger window. Maybe with a built in bench seat and bookcases? Of course it is a bedroom and we need a way to make the room dark (the neighbors have a street light in their backyard...) but I'm sure we could figure that out. <br />
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The other main way that we could encourage passive solar gain is by installing thermal mass, particularly in the main rooms of the house. That idea has the potential to be easier or harder than windows. It just depends on how we go about it. Simple would be something like replacing our carpet with ceramic tile or maybe stone floors. Travertine tile is beautiful. Or we could install a brick or stone fireplace in the main room of the house. We like that option a little better than stone floors. We both grew up in houses with wood burning fireplaces and miss it like crazy. We've been talking about wanting to install one ever since we bought the house. Putting in the fireplace would be perfect. We could have fires like we've been wanting and it would have help us in our goal incorporating passive solar heat into our house. It's a win-win!<br />
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You may be asking yourself 'Well, why doesn't the house have a fireplace already? That's normal isn't it?". Yes, yes it is. But when Justin's grandparents built this house there were only two things that Grandma insisted that she did NOT want: a fireplace and wood floors. Sigh. Oh well, guess we can't have everything!<br />
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Of course, we could certainly install a fireplace <i>and</i> more windows. But they both cost money and we'll have to do more research to determine the best option for our house. For now I'm just dreaming outloud! Tell me what you all think, though. Is passive solar something that you've thought about before or something that you think about when you visit other houses? Are there any ways that you could incorporate elements of passive solar design into your current home?<br />
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<br />
<u><i>For More Info on Passive Solar Design:</i></u><br />
<a href="http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/passive-solar-home-design"><i>Energy.gov: Passive Solar Home Design</i></a><br />
<i><a href="http://www.azsolarcenter.org/tech-science/solar-architecture/passive-solar-design-manual/passive-solar-design-manual-intro.html">Arizona Solar Center: Passive Solar Design Manual </a></i><br />
<i><a href="http://wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFH/pshbk_v1.pdf">US Air Force: Passive Solar Handbook</a></i> <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-40839837667172291252015-01-06T10:36:00.001-05:002015-01-06T16:21:37.346-05:00Happy 2015!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdFbXkRG9E0/VKv-WWsc1kI/AAAAAAAACks/tGr27MimPm0/s1600/IMG_0779%2B-%2BVersion%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdFbXkRG9E0/VKv-WWsc1kI/AAAAAAAACks/tGr27MimPm0/s1600/IMG_0779%2B-%2BVersion%2B2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Eve Service</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Happy 2015!!!! I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays and have had a relaxing start to the new year. I'm finding it hard to believe that the holidays are done and gone and that it's already 2015. But I know that it must be true because Justin went back to work yesterday and I packed up the Christmas decorations.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlsfizP7Ju-G68NMrvNlj5eXzB5nQwVDF0p1oicWd7ep-klts0Q3fx-CWuA604ioZNPis51vQi63BhZ_JddSON4UJ17q14wcs-VOdjuxwLwaGlcHL-WCEqHmyEUjxjjeiUEvGd1-9eqI/s1600/IMG_0828_2+-+Version+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlsfizP7Ju-G68NMrvNlj5eXzB5nQwVDF0p1oicWd7ep-klts0Q3fx-CWuA604ioZNPis51vQi63BhZ_JddSON4UJ17q14wcs-VOdjuxwLwaGlcHL-WCEqHmyEUjxjjeiUEvGd1-9eqI/s1600/IMG_0828_2+-+Version+2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all those handsome men!</td></tr>
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Justin had two weeks off and we spent them eating, sleeping, playing, and visiting family! It was so much fun to have him home with me and I miss him now that he's back at work. I much prefer it when he's home and I always feel unsettled when he returns to work after a long break. But I'll get used to it again and it'll be all good.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QCeYM219KII/VKv-ccwZ-jI/AAAAAAAAClE/YuD1U_aIHBY/s1600/IMG_0866_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QCeYM219KII/VKv-ccwZ-jI/AAAAAAAAClE/YuD1U_aIHBY/s1600/IMG_0866_2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The only downside to having Justin home is that I don't write much when he's home. It's not that I don't have time. I definitely do. It's just that there are a million and one even more fun things that I can be doing! Like reading more books or watching cartoons (I got Dexter's Lab season 1 for Christmas!) or eating delicious. It's hard to type with a snack in your hand and your nose in a book.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AFon47jrUks/VKv-d3He1ZI/AAAAAAAAClM/7dIx71ExZ7I/s1600/IMG_0870_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AFon47jrUks/VKv-d3He1ZI/AAAAAAAAClM/7dIx71ExZ7I/s1600/IMG_0870_2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking colors is very intense business around here.</td></tr>
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But now that Justin's back at work again I hope to be here more regularly. I have things to say and photos to share, people! Now that the house is silent I can hammer out my thoughts for the new year. I think I pretty much have more one little word and goals picked out. Now to write them out!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24N8H7yU8Z0/VKv-gDMaaLI/AAAAAAAAClU/3TpzqeLtiTk/s1600/IMG_0889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24N8H7yU8Z0/VKv-gDMaaLI/AAAAAAAAClU/3TpzqeLtiTk/s1600/IMG_0889.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jan 6th - First snowstorm of the new year.</td></tr>
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I'll save all that for another day though. Right now it's sunny, 6F, and there's fresh snow. That means I get to go shovel! <br />
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<i>(Edited) P.S. A very happy 56th birthday to my daddy! I love you!</i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-23873356484982369382014-12-23T18:29:00.000-05:002014-12-23T18:29:32.160-05:00Run 2014: Huff 50K<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We did it, we did it, we did it!!!! I can hardly believe that after months and months of training and running and generally working our asses off we finally ran the Huff 50K!! And it went well! Really super well! We finished in 6:55:55.19 which is just under <a href="http://www.livinginlangedom.com/2014/12/run-2014-pre-huff-50k-thoughts.html#.VJnkf0A2aA">my dream goal of 7 hours</a>. The goal that I never really thought was even possible. But we did it. I still can't really believe it even though it's been three days. Don't mistake me, it was <i>hard</i>. The hardest thing that I've ever done. But it was sooooo worth all the work and pain to be able to say that <i><b>I am an Ultramarathoner</b>! </i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jKLUctbFHqw/VJngoHnFWmI/AAAAAAAACkY/4TbYh8HBxpM/s1600/IMG_20141220_075544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jKLUctbFHqw/VJngoHnFWmI/AAAAAAAACkY/4TbYh8HBxpM/s1600/IMG_20141220_075544.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the race!</td></tr>
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<i> </i><br />
<br />
On the whole, the race went really well. Much better than expected. We had great weather on race day. It was about 28F at the start of the race and 32F by the end and both dry and still for the whole day. A thin layer of clouds kept it from getting too hot or bright. The race started a little late and it was 8:28 when I pushed start on my phone. I started the race feeling really good so we decided to just go with the flow and see what I could do. And the first loop of 15.6 miles went fast. I felt great and had no problem maintaining a faster pace than I have in a long time. My pace fluctuated between 10-11 minute miles with my fastest mile coming in at a 9:52! We finished the first loop in about 2 hours 57 minutes with an average pace of about 10:57. It was a really fun loop! We ran with one man from about miles 5-8 who regaled us with stories of his running experiences and general chit chat. And then from miles 13-15 we ran with a 17 year old high school kid named Joel. He was pretty shy and quiet and kept pace with us well. We got separated at the end of the first loop when he ducked into the tent to grab some food. My main challenge this loop was that the mouth piece of my pack froze and I wasn't able to drink from it. I drank some from Justin's pack and got cups of water and gatorade at each of the four aid stations. <br />
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The second loop started out pretty well and gradually slowed down which was about what I expected. Justin managed to get my mouth piece open at the start which was wonderful. Having more reliable access to water was really helpful. In general, the second loop was much more difficult than the first loop. Because really, the first loop felt easy and comfortable. It was only 15.6 miles. But the second loop was miles 15.6 thru 31.2. And that's a much harder set of miles. My legs were quite tired by the end, of course, but my biggest problem was that my back hurt quite badly. I'm not really sure what the cause was. I hadn't had that problem during any of the training runs so I was rather surprised to have it be such a problem. Around mile 22 I asked Justin if he could think of anything to talk about because I knew that having a conversation would help me focus on something other than my back. I'd been trying to come up with a topic for a couple of miles of that point and just wasn't able to come up with anything. Justin started talking about animals and we spent the next several miles jumping from one type of wild animals. That held me until mile 27 when my back started to get to me. My back felt completely fine when I was walking so
it was hard to push through and run as much as my legs felt like they could have. Walking made my legs tighten up though and then it was harder to run. The last five miles went much like that. Walk some and then run for as long as I could stand and then drop back down to a walk. It was painful and frustrating and I just about started to cry several times. But Justin stuck with me the whole time despite me urging him to go ahead. He could have finished much faster if he had left me and picked up the pace a little. But he wouldn't go and we finished the race just like we ran it; side by side. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m2SasXFXxZA/VJngmoIJJ4I/AAAAAAAACkQ/DvgOrS5uQNw/s1600/IMG_0768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m2SasXFXxZA/VJngmoIJJ4I/AAAAAAAACkQ/DvgOrS5uQNw/s1600/IMG_0768.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tired but happy ultramarathoners!</td></tr>
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And then after the race there was a heated tent, dry clothes, lots of warm soup and hot chocolate, and a new friend named Matt (he finished 17th!) who shared conversation, advice, and a bottle of marshmallow vodka with us. All in all, it was a pretty darn good day!<br />
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<i> </i><br />
<i> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-48880206248965792672014-12-19T12:24:00.000-05:002014-12-19T12:24:02.600-05:00Run 2014: Pre Huff 50K Thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Okay, guys. This is it. The Huff is <i>tomorrow</i>. I'm not exactly sure how it's possible for it to already be the middle of December but it is. And it's crazy. It seriously feels like spring wasn't that long ago. And like we were just deciding to run the Huff and settling on training plans. But it's actually been 9 months and here we are. <u>The Huff is tomorrow.</u><br />
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And I am definitely nervous. Which is stupid. We've been training for this for months and just two weeks ago we ran 28 miles. A 50K is only 31 miles. It's totally, totally, doable. But mentally is feels so extremely different than a simple training run. If I crap out of a training run it's no big deal. No one is expecting anything of me and no one is disappointed. But this is serious. We've invested money, energy, and an obscene amount of time into this craziness. And if I crap out of this race then it's all just been a waste. So yeah. It feels like a big deal.<br />
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<b>But</b>. I really do feel confidant that I can do this race. I know that I've run 28 miles. And I didn't die. I didn't even feel close to dieing. And even when I was finishing that I was thinking 'If I had to run 3 more miles right now I could'. And that was before our taper. I've now had two weeks of light running and my legs feel good. We ran an easy 5 miles last night and it really was easy. I think I can do it. I really only have one goal for tomorrow and that is to finish the Huff 50K and get that darned belt buckle. My very, very ambitious second goal is to finish in 7 hours. I'm not sure if that's doable or not. I'm kind of leaning toward not possible. But if I did that would be fantastic. So yeah.<br />
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To discuss practical things, we're planning on carrying our packs, electrolytes, and a limited amount of food. There will be food at the aid stations but having run many times on our own we have certain things that we know that we like. So we'll be carrying ham and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We'll also both have a collections of sport chews, beans, and gels. I haven't exactly decided what I will carry. Probably more than I need just because I can.<br />
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I think I also have a pretty good handle on what I'm going to wear. The answer of course is a million things. But in reality it's supposed to be 26F at the start with an eventual high of 33F, no wind and no chance of precipitation. So it should be a very good day for a run if a little cold for my tastes. But it should be fine. The only thing I'm undecided on is what shoes I will wear. I'm waffling between my Merrel Ascends and my New Balance Minimus Trails. They're quite different shoes and I've been really liking my Ascends. However, I haven't worn them for anything longer than 12 miles. And I'm hesitant to test their mettle on an event like this.<br />
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All in all I feel strong. My ankles are both stable when braced and I don't have any pain while running. My only other complaint is that sometimes my shoulders are sore after wearing the pack for hours on end. But that's always minor and feel better in a couple of days. Physically, I feel like I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Which is good because I'm out of time.<br />
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In summary: I'm nervous but I think I got this. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-21912279751440014092014-12-03T09:00:00.000-05:002014-12-03T09:00:04.636-05:00Run 2014: Weeks 37 & 38<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Week 37:</u></b><br />
November 18<br />
2.03 in 18:48, average 9:15<br />
Super, super cold run. High of 17 with winds of 20mph and gusts of 30mph. We had planned three miles but turned back after one. My cheeks and fingers were freezing in particular. <br />
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November 20<br />
7.28 in 1:25:57, average 11:48<br />
Pretty unremarkable run. There was snow on the ground left over from earlier in the week and it made for interesting trail running. The combination of snow, leaves, and darkness made it much harder to tell where to step. <br />
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November 22<br />
23.85 in 5:52:00, average 14.45<br />
Interesting run temperatures were around freezing when we started and near 50F by the time we were finished. It was a very wet run. It rained on us at least four distinct times. They were spaced perfectly so that we'd just be finally getting dry and then it would rain again. Our feet were completely soaked with muddy water by the end from the rain, puddles, and melting snow. <br />
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<b><u>Week 38:</u></b><br />
November 28<br />
4.88 in 49:13, average 10:05<br />
Fairly boring run at my parents house. Neighborhood sidewalks with just a dusting of snow.<br />
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November 30<br />
28.57 in 6:45:07, average 14:11<br />
Good run. Fairly dry with only a few slippery patches. Started the run at 50F and was 60F by the time we finished. No hat, no gloves, and capris. It felt like freedom! We also ran our first marathons in this run as a by product of training. Just a little bit ironic. <br />
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<u><b>Comments:</b></u><br />
These last two weeks of running have been really good actually! We got in our last two long training runs before the Huff and they went well. Don't misunderstand me, I don't mean to say that they were easy. They definitely weren't. I was extremely tired and limping by the end of both of them. But I still consider them a success because I know that I can do this. 28 miles was very long and very sucky and by the last few miles I just about cried every time I had to go down a hill. But even at the end I was still feeling like I could do a couple more miles if I had to. And that's a wonderful feeling.<br />
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The last two runs have been a bit rougher in terms of food. We've had the up what we've been carrying and I'm still not sure that I'm getting enough calories. The other downside is the added weight. My shoulders have been sore today because of wearing the pack. For the 28 mile run I carried for myself:<br />
<br />
60oz of water (and ran out at mile 27)<br />
pb&j sandwich<br />
ham slices<br />
a baked potato<br />
a snack baggie of cut pineapple<br />
7oz of applesauce<br />
orange Clif Shot Bloks<br />
a package of Jelly Belly Sport Beans<br />
a blackberry GU<br />
<br />
I did pretty well on that amount and variety of food. Over the course of the 28 miles we stopped five times for foods/electrolytes and we really should have stopped a 6th time in the middle. Over all though I was pleased with our food choices. It was nice having a variety and every stop I had a different combination of things. That worked really well for me.<br />
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Physically, I've been feeling pretty good. My legs feel strong. They get very tired and hurt (sometimes a lot) by the end of runs but that doesn't last more than a day or two. Doing intensive stretching after the runs helps a lot. Especially the hour+ that we do after the long runs. It's amazing how much looser everything is after that. My right ankle is not particularly happy at any point. It makes squatting quite painful. But it does well with the brace and I can run on it. So I'm not too worried.<br />
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This week marks three weeks until the Huff 50k and the start of our taper weeks. The plan that we're (loosely) following calls for shorter runs of 13 & 10 the two weekends before the race. I don't know that we'll cut back that much since that plan is for a road marathon and we're running a trail ultra. We have to balance resting with not losing all of our stamina. I'll keep you posted on what we decide to do! <br />
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Huff 50k: 3 weeks<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-87366870765672102762014-12-01T16:18:00.000-05:002014-12-01T16:18:20.904-05:00december 1<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ckPBMRPlceQ/VHzSyRjq8wI/AAAAAAAACis/45mzp01JkAI/s1600/IMG_0648_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ckPBMRPlceQ/VHzSyRjq8wI/AAAAAAAACis/45mzp01JkAI/s1600/IMG_0648_2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rosses know how to do Thanksgiving right!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IEBAHBktP3Y/VHzSvwNejCI/AAAAAAAACic/Dbu-g9YHckg/s1600/IMG_0629_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IEBAHBktP3Y/VHzSvwNejCI/AAAAAAAACic/Dbu-g9YHckg/s1600/IMG_0629_2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy 17th to these two crazy kids!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ko3IskOsxno/VHzSw9TDiuI/AAAAAAAACik/zkmKawzljig/s1600/IMG_0641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ko3IskOsxno/VHzSw9TDiuI/AAAAAAAACik/zkmKawzljig/s1600/IMG_0641.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katherine and I. I wish I had gotten a photo with Rebecca too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Happy December 1st and a belated happy Thanksgiving to you! I didn't intend for there to be radio silence on the blog last week but I found myself completely absorbed in preparations for our long holiday weekend. We had a three day trip to my parents house, three birthdays, two thanksgivings, and one 28(!) mile run all packed into a five day weekend! To say that it was a whirlwind would be an understatement. It was crazy and loud and wonderful and I loved every minute of it!<br />
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But today I'm feeling a wee bit tired from all of that and I think that tonight we're planning a quite night, some yummy food, a hot bath, and maybe just a little bit of holiday decorating. Just what I need. Welcome to December!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-55194209398895157262014-11-21T14:45:00.002-05:002014-11-21T14:45:38.589-05:00tweed fingerless gloves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Please tell me that I'm not the only person who is in love with fingerless gloves! I got my first pair before a trip to NYC at Christmastime when I was in high school and it was mind blowing how much easier it was to do things without bulky gloves in the way. That pair has long since disappeared and I've been wanting to replace them for a while. I was looking for a pair that was really cute, warm but not too bulky since I knew I'd be wearing them around the house a lot, and not terribly expensive. As much as I love Etsy, I just wasn't finding what I was looking for.<br />
<br />
And then I happened upon some <a href="http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/heartland.html">Lionsbrand Heartland yarn</a> on sale at Meijer for $2.50 a skein. It's just a simple acrylic worsted weight yarn but the colors options are fantastic. I picked up a half a dozen skeins in various colors and started hunting Ravelry for patterns that used this brand of yarn. I ended up finding a <a href="http://calleighsclips.blogspot.com/2013/10/free-crochet-pattern-key-tab-fingerless.html">pattern for crocheted fingerless gloves</a> that looked like a good option. I picked this gorgeous tweed out of my stash and whipped up the first glove. And. just. wasn't really very impressed. It just really didn't look or fit at all like I wanted it to. So I made lots and lots of tweaks and I'm now super happy with what I came up with. I think they're a huge improvement over the original pattern and I've been wearing them pretty much nonstop for the past few days both inside and outside! <br />
<br />
I still need to write up all my notes and make them into a real pattern so that I can replicate these again. They're such a perfect fit for my hands that I would hate to forget what I did! But the best part now is that since I only used half of the skein of yarn I have plenty leftover to make something else. Any suggestions for me? What else do you think that I should make with this yarn? <br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-44720625548461483572014-11-18T10:00:00.000-05:002014-11-18T10:00:06.774-05:00Run 2014: Weeks 35 & 36<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u><b>Week 35:</b></u><br />
November 6<br />
6.41 in 1:21:59, average 12:47<br />
First full run in the dark. Low 40s F and sleeting. But fun! Does that make me weird?<br />
<br />
November 8<br />
20.15 in 4:33:19, average 13:34<br />
A lovely run on the Indiana Trail 100 trail. We did one loop and then added a few miles at the end to make it add up to 20.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Week 36:</b></u><br />
November 11<br />
Nothing for me but honorable mention for Justin. He's got mad skills.<br />
3.02 in 20:44, average <b>6:52</b><br />
<br />
November 13<br />
7.11 in 1:22:47, average 11:39 <br />
A great run. Dark but dry. Pretty cold but no problems.<br />
<br />
November 15<br />
15.96 in 3:26:34, average 12.57<br />
Scaled back a little for a rest week. Was cold and breezy. Around 20 when starting out. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Nov 6th's cold, dark, wet run.</td></tr>
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<u><b>Comments:</b></u><br />
A good two weeks. Long runs have gone well. I'm pleased with our average speeds on the long runs. That average includes our stops. We're currently stopping at the same locations as the aid stations. So around miles 4, 9, & 14. This has been working well for me. I drink water between stops of course but stopping at certain times makes eating much easier for me. I don't eat and run well so this gives me a chance to focus on getting some food into me. Currently our snacks consist of: a full peanut butter and jelly sandwhich, six slices of ham, 7 oz of applesauce, a bag of Jelly Belly Sport Beans, and a package of Clif Shot Bloks. This is spread out over three or four rest stops with any extra being eaten after the run. In the car on the way home we eat leftover pizza and drink Nuun and water. And of course before we leave the house we have a large breakfast (eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, & banana). I know this sounds like a ton of food. But it's definitely not. We frequently have dinner at the usual time and occasionally we eat early despite having lunch between 1-2 pm. Let's just say that it's interesting keep us well fed given how much our training has ramped up in the last few months.<br />
<br />
My ankles have been doing alright. I'm wearing a brace on each and that seems to be helping. My left ankle is fine between runs but the right one is sore when it's bent a lot (ie squatting). But it's doing alright. I had a little bit of a sore left knee after Nov 13th's run but by the 15th it was feeling fine and I didn't have any trouble with it. We've been doing about an hour of yoga after each long run. If you're looking for some good videos check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene?feature=watch">Yoga with Adrian</a> on YouTube. She has several videos that work well for getting a thorough stretch in after a run. I'd start with the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ6NfFIr2jw&list=UUFKE7WVJfvaHW5q283SxchA">Yoga for Beginners</a> video. It's one of my favourites.<br />
<br />
We only have 5 weeks/4 long runs before the Huff 50K! Our plan at the moment is to do two more mileage increasing runs and then two taper weeks. We're really about there. We're both going to be breaking in new gore-tex shoes so that we have some backups in case it's pouring. Although if it's another year like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60jOGxBoD-A">2011</a> (the year we volunteered at) we'll be screwed either way!<br />
<br />
Here's hoping for dry weather!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Huff: 5 weeks<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-56349371935598053252014-11-17T14:19:00.000-05:002014-11-21T13:48:36.612-05:00surprise snow!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiRh0Bg6rvM/VGpDwGNDhCI/AAAAAAAACgE/EvZBe0c-AbE/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiRh0Bg6rvM/VGpDwGNDhCI/AAAAAAAACgE/EvZBe0c-AbE/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First snow of the year!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the snowflakes?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late last night.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early this morning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mid morning.</td></tr>
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<br />
It's here, you guys! The first real snow of the year! I <i><b>love</b></i>
snow so I was practically giddy when it started up yesterday afternoon.
There was no snow in the forecast so it was a surprise when the flakes
started falling! Oddly enough we were working on the snowblower and
generator at the time. Of course we didn't get near enough snow to
actually need either of them but we're feeling well prepared for our
early winter!<br />
<br />
Winter 2014/2015 is off with a bang! We normally don't have
snow that sticks until mid December or later. It'll be fun to
see how this winter is. I'd be happy with lots of snow all the way
through February. That's not a popular opinion around here so I'm
certainly the odd one out!<br />
<br />
I hope your week is off to a great start. Mine definitely is!<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-58673610251145553862014-11-06T14:50:00.004-05:002014-11-06T14:50:58.447-05:00Run 2014: Week 34<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Week 34:</u></b><br />
October 28<br />
Track run of some sort. I don't remember precisely what it was supposed to be. I wasn't feeling well and didn't finish all my laps. <br />
<br />
October 30<br />
7.91 in 1:37:49, average 12.22<br />
Another good trail run on the local mountain bike trailers. The same place we've done our last few Thursday runs. We're planning on doing all our Thursday runs here until the Huff at least.<br />
<br />
November 2<br />
16.8 in 3:48:32, average 13.36<br />
Another good run on the Indiana Trail 100 trail. We added a section that we had skipped this time and ended up at almost seventeen miles. It was cool, sunny, and still.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Comments:</u></b><br />
Things went pretty well this week. Tuesday and Thursday were unremarkable runs. Good enough but nothing really happened. There are a couple things of note from Saturday's run. One, I bought and wore a second ankle brace. This helped a lot although I still had some soreness in my right ankle. But it felt much much better during and after this run compared with the last few runs.<br />
<br />
Two, we spaced all our chews so that we stop and rest/eat in the locations where the aid stations will be. This worked decently. There are effectively four aid stations per loop but one of them is a mile before the start. So for our training runs we've been skipping the last station and just eating more at the end. I think having less stops will work out okay. I'm making sure to eat plenty at each stop to make up for things being less often. I also did a good job getting water into me. I'm not always fantastic at that so it was nice to feel like I was doing a better job.<br />
<br />
And three, we've started experimenting with eating real food during our runs and I really think it's helping. Last week we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We spent a bunch of time talking about it while we were running (and hungry) and come up with several other things to try; spice cookies, Reese's Peanut Butter cups, cold plain lunch meats, and applesauce. I feel like there were more but that's what we can think of at the moment. Anyway, the sandwiches settled well for both of us. We ate half at mile 9 and the other half at mile 14. So I imagine those will become a regular in our rotation.<br />
<br />
As a whole, though, it was a pretty good week. No major aches or pains. And the compression sleeves are continuing to work wonders on the day after. My very own miracle every week! Seriously though, they are so worth the money.<br />
<br />
My biggest complaint at the moment is how much of our weekend gets eaten up by our long runs. It's 1.25 hours transit to the park and back + a 4 hour run + bathroom before/after, stretching, and changing = next thing you know you've been gone 6 hours. Plus all the prep work beforehand to get things all gathered up and the work once you're home of cleaning things up! It's quite the ordeal. But it's worth it and we're really getting down to the wire. Only a few more weeks!<br />
<br />
<br />
Huff 50k: 7 weeks<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-2156246965993406542014-10-28T14:05:00.000-04:002014-10-28T14:05:19.330-04:00Run 2014: Weeks 31 - 33<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u><b>Week 31:</b></u><br />
Nada. Nothing. To be honest I don't remember what exactly happened this week. I know that Justin was having leg cramps on Friday night/Saturday and since we were visiting my family I didn't feel up to heading out on my own. But I'm not sure what happened on Tuesday or Thursday nights. Something apparently. <br />
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<u><b>Week 32:</b></u><br />
October 14 <br />
3.14 miles in 29:41, average 9:27<br />
We had to take the car into the shop and because of that Justin got off work much later than normal. We still managed to tuck a quick 3 miler in between him getting home and making supper. I was pretty proud of us actually.<br />
<br />
October 18<br />
12.19 miles in 3:22:49, average 16:38<br />
Another terrible average but a really good run! We were at Shades State Park and it was beautiful! The trees were brilliantly colored but they hadn't really started dropping yet. It was wonderful. Even the freak storm (it wasn't supposed to rain that day!) wasn't a big deal. It was actually really fun. Climbing up wet slippery rocks while it pours on your head? Awesome!<br />
<br />
October 19<br />
Bonus: 7.71 mile hike in Turkey Run State Park on a gorgeous sunny fall day!<br />
<br />
<u><b>Week 33:</b></u><br />
October 23 <br />
7.18 miles in 1:15:52, average 10:34<br />
A much better pace! This was a fun and pretty easy trail run on the local mountain biking/multi use trails not too far from our house. These trails have lots of back and forths and many ups and downs. Not a ridiculous amount of elevation change but definitely enough to make my legs work tired.<br />
<br />
October 26<br />
15.32 in 3:04:32, average 12:03<br />
A pretty good run actually. Our first run of the Huff loop. It was hillier than I remembered it being but it went pretty well. I was pretty tired by the end and was walking up most of the big hills. But our pace averaged out great. So I'm pleased with how it went. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a break in Shades State Park</td></tr>
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<br />
<u><b>Comments:</b></u><br />
Well, things haven't gone quite as smoothly as I would have hoped. We missed a run each in weeks 32 & 33 because Justin's grandpa died and we weren't feeling up to it. I know that some people like to head out on runs when they're feeling upset or emotional but that's not really how either of us are. So we cozied up inside for a couple of nights and spent time together. It was definitely the right choice for us.<br />
<br />
But that means that we're not catching up as quickly as we might have. I think it'll be fine. I'm still feeling confidant about running the Huff. I really do think that we can do it. We're obviously not using the training plan exactly at the moment but it's still definitely guiding our runs. I think we'll probably continue to base our runs off of it every week even if we don't follow it precisely. <br />
<br />
On our long run this past week we went out to the park where the Huff is held and ran one loop of the
Huff trail. For the actual race we'll run this same loop twice. The path
is marked with special markers that say "Indiana Trail 100" which is
actually another race that is run in the spring on this same trail. It went well and it was pretty. It was interesting to see where they had obviously changed the route in the last few years. All of the changes involved going up hillsides to get away from marshy areas. That definitely added a decent bit of elevation change since every time we went up we had to come back down again! But I think I'll get used to it. We're planning on doing all our long runs out there for the training cycle. As in all seven of them. Yes ladies and gentlemen we have seven long runs until the Huff!<br />
<br />
Aside from all that, physically I've been feeling pretty good. My left ankle is still doing well with it's brace and my legs have been feeling pretty strong. My right ankle has been a bit sore with running on the trails so much. I'm working on my ankle exercises again to see if I can get it settled out. If I can get it to calm down then I'll end up bracing it also. Obviously I need to spend sometime this winter/down season to work on strengthening my ankles. Right now though, I'm working damage control.<br />
<br />
In other news, I need gaiters. My socks and shoes were filled with leaf bits and dirt. Does anyone have any that they recommend?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Huff 50k:</b> 8 weeks<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-45977994928700432982014-10-07T10:15:00.001-04:002014-10-28T14:05:51.894-04:00Run 2014: Weeks 28 - 30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Week 28:</u></b><br />
September 16<br />
2 x 1200 @ ~2min per lap<br />
4 x 800 @ ~2min per lap <br />
September 20<br />
12.03 in 1:59:37, average 9:52<br />
This was a really good run for me. Our usual route was taken over by a festival in the middle so we drove further into town and ran a different stretch of the greenway. It made for some different scenery and it was pretty fun. <br />
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<u><b>Week 29:</b></u> - Taper week!<br />
September 23<br />
6 x 400 @ 2min per lap<br />
Fun and pretty easy. There was a cross country meet going on at our usual track so we went to a local park and figured out an out and back route. It was a beautiful day and lots of walkers were out. It made it entertaining. <br />
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September 25<br />
3.1 in 28.55, average 9:19<br />
This was supposed to be an easy run. And this pace was what felt easy. I love distance training. It makes the short stuff so much fun! <br />
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September 27 - <a href="http://www.livinginlangedom.com/2014/09/run-2014-f4f-half.html#.VDPkeed8FKp">Fort4Fitness Half</a><br />
13.28 in 2:05:04, average 9:25<br />
I started my phone as soon as I started moving forward so it doesn't like up exactly with the timing chip. But that was the goal. It was still a record with my fastest half marathon and longest 1 hour run to date. <br />
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<u><b>Week 30: </b></u><br />
September 30<br />
1 x 1600 <complete id="goog_1360784851">@ </complete>~2min per lap <br />
The plan was to run 3 x 1600 but we just didn't have it in us. We were both super sore still since it was only three days after the half marathon. <br />
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October 2<br />
3.12 in 30:51, average 9:54<br />
Because of how Tuesday's run had gone we decided just to do another 3 miler and work on easing back into things. Let me tell you, this one was much harder than the week before. Things were still somewhat sore but not as bad. It was more just the fact that I felt like I was working pretty hard and my pace just doesn't reflect that. It was an interesting one to be sure. Also, this was my first run in long sleeves. It was chilly! <br />
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October 4<br />
10.6 in 2:27:25, average 13:55<br />
Okay, guys. I <i>know</i> that those numbers look bad. A 13:55 minute mile is slow. Like I broke a toe and I'm hobbling slow. BUT. It was actually a really good run! This was our first trail run of this cycle and it was a lot of fun. It was in the low 40s, drizzly, and quite windy but we drove over to the local mountain biking trails and got in a good 10 miles. We had originally had 18 miles on the docket but really didn't feel like we were up for that yet. So we set out at a gentle pace and hoped to make it to double digits if everything went well. And it really did. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6W4fkEpMyTc/VDPyKLdws9I/AAAAAAAACe4/9GCjG2qWRZ8/s1600/IMG_20141004_141115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6W4fkEpMyTc/VDPyKLdws9I/AAAAAAAACe4/9GCjG2qWRZ8/s1600/IMG_20141004_141115.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After our first trail run of the season</td></tr>
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<u><b>Comments:</b></u><br />
Well, now that the half is done we only have one goal for the rest of this year. Get our strength built for the Huff 50k. This is really our big run for the year. It was fun to do the half but we really just threw it in because we knew that we would already be training for something longer. And now that it's over it's time to refocus. There are a couple of things that we'll be doing differently. One is that we'll be shifting as many of our runs as possible to trails. Long runs will always be on trails and hopefully a good number of our tempo runs will be as well. Trail races are very, very different from road races and we want as much training on the trails as possible before the Huff.<br />
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However, because we'll be shifting to trails our times and speeds will slip, by a lot. We'll still be doing track repeats and pushing on the tempo runs. But I'm expecting all of my numbers from here on out to be in the double digits and that's just how it'll be. It s possible to build mileage and maintain speed. But road paces don't equate to trail paces. At all. So it will be interesting to see where I settle out on my pace for our trail runs. <br />
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The one other change that I'm anticipating is getting to run with Justin more often. I am really looking forward to this part of training. We'll still run separately sometimes of course. But there are times where it's easier and safer to run together. When we're first running in a new park for instance. Because park maps are never fully accurate and parks aren't frequently well signed, it'll be better if we run together until we become familiar with the trails. This will mean more runs with Justin which always means more fun! We always have interesting conversations. This past run we spent a long time talking about all the foods we would put at an Ultra aid station. It would be the best aid station ever!<br />
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All in all, I am looking forward to seeing how all this goes. Did I mention we're already eying a race for January? I'm pretty sure we're insane ;-)<br />
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<b>Huff 50k:</b> 11 weeks<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-65305808244577487032014-10-06T15:14:00.000-04:002014-10-06T15:14:12.696-04:00Chunky Tomato Basil Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b0dc66a1-e6bd-d83d-41d4-40719b94163a" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You know how sometimes you have that one perfect meal that just sticks with you? That's how this soup and fries meal is for me. We had been in New Zealand for two and a half weeks almost and the whole time it had been cold, rainy, and windy. In short, perfect normal October weather. The only problem was that October in the Southern Hemisphere equals springtime. So for weeks Justin and I had been craving soups and pastas and everything fallish. And just about all we could find was salads and sandwiches. We had some very, very delicious foods but it just wasn't what I was craving.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b0dc66a1-e6bd-d83d-41d4-40719b94163a" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And then, the night before we were due to take the fairy back to the north island, we stumbled upon a little pub that had soups. Well, Justin got the seafood chowder and I got the most delicious and satisfying bowl of chunky tomato basil. The potatoes were pretty tasty too; served freshly fried with a scoop of sour cream. But it's that tomato basil that has really haunted me.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b0dc66a1-e6bd-d83d-41d4-40719b94163a" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b0dc66a1-e6bd-d83d-41d4-40719b94163a" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ever since that cold Springtime (October) afternoon, I've been looking to recreate that meal. A couple of weeks ago, almost exactly two years since I had that perfect bowl of soup, I stumbled upon this recipe that tasted exactly how I remembered it. Delicious, warm broth with chunks of onion and tomato and just a hint of oil floating on top. Sprinkle it liberally with sea salt and just a pinch of fresh parmesan. Mmmmm... </span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b0dc66a1-e6bd-d83d-41d4-40719b94163a" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Chunky Tomato Basil</span></b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <i>Adapted from</i></span></b></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>: <a href="http://www.theroastedroot.net/chunky-tomato-basil-soup/">The Roasted Root</a></i></span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Servin</span></b></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">gs: 4-6</span><i><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ingredients:</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 tablespoons olive oil</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 small yellow onions, chopped</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*8 cloves garlic, minced</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 ½ teaspoons dried basil</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes with juice</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 ½ cups chicken/turkey stock</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">½ tsp baking soda</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sea salt to taste</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grated Parmesan cheese for serving</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Directions:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In a large pot, sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. </span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dump the diced tomatoes with juice, broth, basil, and butter into the pot. Stir until butter is melted. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Add the baking soda. This will create a reaction with the acidity in the soup and will fizzle up so stir continuously.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Justin and I liked ours with freshly grated parmesan on it. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">*We love lots and lots of garlic so we added eight cloves. If you have more normal tastes, I would scale back to 4 cloves. </span></b></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-25105856424709277922014-09-29T09:39:00.000-04:002014-09-29T09:39:30.552-04:00Run 2014: Fort4Fitness Half Marathon Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, we ran the Fort4Fitness Half Marathon on Saturday and it went fantastic!!! I was really, really pleased with how I did and my time was better than I expected. My over all time was <b>2:03:46</b> which averages out to be a 9:27 minute mile! I have <i>never, ever</i> run that fast for that long. My long runs are usually around a 10 minute mile and that's how I have been training for the last few months so this is huge. I guess the track repeats and tempo runs really did pay off. It's been two days and I still feel giddy everytime I think about my PR for this half marathon. I'm already looking forward to pushing my training next fall again and seeing what I can do next year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre race selfie.</td></tr>
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In general though the race went really well. My pace was challenging but wasn't unmanageable by any stretch of imagination. My pace wasn't as steady as I might have liked and it certainly wasn't negative splits. I started out a little faster than I intended but that's normal for a race. It's really easy to get swept along by the crowd and adrenaline. My second mile was a 8:51 and was my fastest. From there each of my miles gradually slowed by 3-5 seconds and by the 12th mile were down to 9:49. But I picked up the pace the last mile (which was a gradual uphill slope the entire way) and finished with a 9:33. I'm mostly just proud of my ability to maintain a strong pace even though I started out much faster than I meant to. It would have been so easy to burn myself out at the beginning and I wouldn't have been able to rally back. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUZzS2DgZbc/VClPBTXoqpI/AAAAAAAACdU/-TAqhBHXkPM/s1600/IMG_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUZzS2DgZbc/VClPBTXoqpI/AAAAAAAACdU/-TAqhBHXkPM/s1600/IMG_0007.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin's view from corral B. I was further back in E.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was pleased with my decision to wear my running pack. I was able to cruise through the water stations and not get hung up by the other runners. I did snag a gatorade at the aid station on mile 7 and take a couple of sips. I then spent the next two miles chugging water and trying to get the flavor out of my mouth. Ick. The sport beans that I carried worked well for me which is what I expected. I had fifteen beans and I ate them in fives. So I ate them at the end of miles 3, 7, & 11. That seemed to be a good balance and I had plenty of energy to sprint to the finish. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FkSFeyP-yw8/VClPCrFng9I/AAAAAAAACdc/_Wd5iq-Blsk/s1600/IMG_0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FkSFeyP-yw8/VClPCrFng9I/AAAAAAAACdc/_Wd5iq-Blsk/s1600/IMG_0009.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me after the race and I was very, very sweaty.</td></tr>
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I was a little less pleased with my clothing choices. Saturday morning I ended up settling on shorts, a tank top, and my arm warmers. I was definitely cold before the start but that didn't last long. By the end of the first mile I had stripped off my arm warmers and was carrying them. About a half mile later I was ready to take my shirt off. I made it a little further but at the end of mile three I hopped up on the sidwalk, stripped off my pack and shirt, shoved the shirt and arm warmers inside, flung the pack back on and got back on my way. I just couldn't stand being that hot even though it was about 56F outside. I was sweltering. So now I know that even if it is only 53 at the start I should go ahead and skip the shirt. (Note: I did not see a single other person, man or woman, going shirtless. But Justin said he saw several of both genders up with the fasties where he was. I did however see many, many people running in long sleeves, capris, tights, or some combination of the two. People are bat-shit crazy.) <br />
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My legs did very well during this race. I wore my ankle brace of course and that seemed to go fine. I didn't have any major complaints during this run. I know I had some aching in my right ankle at a few points. And I also got a couple of mild blisters. But I was really pleased with how I felt and the minimal amounts of aches and pains that I've had since then. I wore my calf compression sleeves all day Saturday after the race and those seemed to really help.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oNofUBZIvak/VClO9iMb0OI/AAAAAAAACc8/wytwMCTIpqw/s1600/IMG_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oNofUBZIvak/VClO9iMb0OI/AAAAAAAACc8/wytwMCTIpqw/s1600/IMG_0005.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justin is mostly dry courtesy of his long wait for me to finish.</td></tr>
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And Justin's race? It went fantastic. He blew his previous time of 1:56:23 out of the water and set a new PR of 1:44:37. That averages out to exactly an 8 minute mile but his fastest, <b>and last,</b> mile was a 7:35. He finished up in 286th place out of the 2403 finishers of the race. And those last 3 miles? Yeah, he passed <u>162 people</u>! Let's just say that Justin's a badass!<br />
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So by all accounts, it was a pretty darn good race for the both of us. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-meOnfprTgT0/VClO_IwXN4I/AAAAAAAACdE/xC5vW8UVfVY/s1600/IMG_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-meOnfprTgT0/VClO_IwXN4I/AAAAAAAACdE/xC5vW8UVfVY/s1600/IMG_0008.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After race selfie. Feeling satisfied and very proud.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-13295490495778263592014-09-26T11:28:00.001-04:002014-09-26T11:29:53.556-04:00Run 2014: Pre Half Brain Dump<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well you guys, this is it. 21 hours until I'll be standing at the starting line for the Fort4Fitness Half Marathon. Am I nervous? A little which is silly. Three of my last four long runs were longer than a half marathon. And the more I think about that the less nervous I get. I know how I'm feeling, I know how my training has gone. and I know that I can do this run easily. What I'm most concerned about is what on earth am I going to wear?!?!<br />
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I have a pretty basic system set up for when I run. If it's 60F or warmer then I wear shorts and a running bra. If it's under 60F then I wear more clothing. But tomorrow's weather is going to be all kinds of screwed up. It's predicted to be 53 at 8am when I'll be queing up and 66 by the time I'm done with the race. What do I even do with that?! Wear a tank top and be cold at the beginning and hot at the end? Wear just a bra and freeze before the start? Wear a bra and my arm warmers? I did that the other week and let me tell you it is not the sexiest look ever. The rest of my outfit is easy; my new balance minimus trail 10s and my favourite shorts from god knows where. Whatever I end up deciding I'll be sure to get photos of it. It's bound to be good.<br />
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I'm planning on carrying my running pack and carrying sport beans for the race. I've been training with my pack for the past month or so and I enjoy being self sufficient. I also wore my pack during the previous half marathon and I liked being able to run through aid stations. Also, I don't like drinking out of cups while I run. It should be a win win situation. <br />
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I've been having a few physical aches that I'm hoping won't affect my
race any. My left leg has been sore this week and I don't precisely know
why. I am still running in my left ankle brace and during my last few
runs my my left calf and shin have been aching. I have also felt a
little bit in the ball of my left foot at the beginning of runs but that
has always settled in and gone away. My left calf has also been sore
when not running and I have had some tenderness along the inside of my
shin bone. I've been wearing my calf sleeves on a regular basis and that
seems to be helping. I don't intend to wear them during the race
however. I haven't enjoyed running in them any of the times that I have
tried it. <br />
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I've also been thinking about my goal for this race and I feel like I have a few. One: Finish the half marathon. Period. That's it. Two: Match my previous time of 2:10:27. That is a perfectly lovely time and should be quite doable. I've been consistently running a 10 minute mile for the majority of this training cycle. And three: If the stars align and I feel amazing, fantastic, stupendous! I'd love to get this thing done in 2 hours. That's what I was originally training for but like I said before I know how my runs have gone and that would be a huge stretch. That would have to be close to a 9 minute mile and that's insane. I'll be very happy with ten minute miles.<br />
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I think that's all the important things! Justin is also running the half and looks prime to set a new PR and one of the sister-in-laws is running her first 10k tomorrow too. It should be a fun day. I'll be back next week with a race recap!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-21235990375615488622014-09-22T10:03:00.000-04:002014-09-22T10:03:13.537-04:00Today in Langedom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--fXjH_0PRIU/VCAZYOv7I7I/AAAAAAAACac/S9WlNQFKpm4/s1600/IMG_0004_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--fXjH_0PRIU/VCAZYOv7I7I/AAAAAAAACac/S9WlNQFKpm4/s1600/IMG_0004_2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /> </a></div>
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Today is the first day of fall!! Or first day of fall according to some people. There seems to be some confusion on the internet world as to whether today or tomorrow is the first day of fall. I've officially decided that it's today and I'm going to celebrate it as such! The weather is perfect for fall and I have apple cider in the fridge all ready for when Justin comes home later.</div>
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Today I'm washing out root beer bottles to store for next year. This weekend was my favourite weekend/festival of the whole year; Johnny Appleseed Festival! I don't have any photos because I'm always way too busy looking at things to take any so you'll have to just imagine it! There's just so much to look at. Craft booths with everything country and kitsch imaginable. Antique booths full of nicknacks and furniture; cast iron pans and vintage pyrex were particularly popular this year. Frontier town with tents full of animal skins, wooden guns and swords, and beaded jewelery. A Civil War encampment with cannons, men in uniforms, and women in hoop skirts. And food booths, food booths galore: kettle corn, chicken and dumplings, caramel apples, fresh pressed cider, turkey legs, pies, and of course root beer. The root beer is delicious and so fun. The first time you buy root beer it comes in a beautiful glass bottle. If you keep and wash your bottle then you can get it refilled for a dollar or two. Forever. This year Justin and I refilled our bottles that we bought six years ago. It's the best part of Johnny Appleseed Festival. </div>
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Today I'm defrosting the small freezer. It was almost empty already and I want to get it cleaned out so that I can begin filling it back up with fall things. It's almost soup season and I want to get a big batch of chicken/turkey stock made up so that I have it on hand in the freezer. Stock is my favourite way to add more nutrients to any kind of soup. Split pea and lentil soups both taste extra delicious made with stock instead of plain water and I love knowing that the stock makes them even healthier. </div>
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Today I'm making our <a href="http://www.livinginlangedom.com/2013/12/white-chocolate-chip-scones.html#.VCAiPed8EnJ">favourite white chocolate chip scones</a>. With our running schedule ramped up we're currently eating two snacks a day in addition to our normal three meals. One of those snacks is usually a muffin/scone with a thick slab of butter in the middle. Is it the healthiest snack ever? Maybe not. (Well, the butter is healthy but the sugar in the muffin is not so much.) But they give me energy to get through our late afternoon runs and they're super super yummy. If you haven't tried this recipe yet you need to. They're amazing. </div>
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Today I'm still thinking about all the delicious things that we ate this weekend: the root beer at Johnny Appleseed Festival, the first apple crisp of the season, and two new recipes. We made an Asian Chicken Cabbage Noodle recipe that was a little bland but was a good starting point. I need to tweak with the recipe a little to ramp up the flavor but it was really simple to throw together and not bad as it was. And we also made a tomato basil soup recipe that was amazing! I'm hoping to share that recipe with you later this week. </div>
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Today I'm loving <a href="http://hartingdesignco.com/get-look-elizabeth-keens-home-blacklist/">this recent post</a> by my lovely friend Stacey. Stacey's an interior designer in Fort Wayne, IN and has the most impeccable taste! I love following her blog and seeing all the beautiful things that she picks out. She posted a collection of mid century modern looks inspired by a show called Blacklist and there are several items that I would love to have in my house! </div>
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Today I'm enjoying my new phone. I've been eagerly looking forward to the iPhone 6 coming out... so that I could buy an iPhone 5s for cheaper! Since that happened recently I ordered a 5s and it came this past week. It's not much different than my 4s but it's lovely to have a phone again. Those three days without one were definitely different! </div>
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Today I'm looking forward to the Big Bang Theory Season 8 premiere. We watched Season 7 this weekend and are finally caught up! Season 8 premieres tonight and I'm assuming that it won't be available online for a while but I'm looking forward to getting to see a new episode every week as they come out!</div>
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Today I'm contemplating the best way to wash windows. We have seventeen windows with storm windows and they're all pretty filthy. Since they're predicting beautiful weather this week it seems like the perfect time to wash the exteriors of the windows. But the question is how? Since I have storms in addition to the sashes they're extra complicated. I'm predicting that this activity will take up a decent chunk of time. If you have any suggestions let me know in the comments. I'm open to any advice you might have! </div>
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And there you have it. A short list of things that I'm doing and thinking about today. Welcome to my brain! I hope that your week is off to a great start!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-40275956025260532352014-09-18T10:56:00.001-04:002014-09-18T10:56:23.130-04:00A week in my kitchen: 9/18/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Joining up with <a href="http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/2014/09/this.html" target="_blank">Heather from Beauty That Moves</a> to share photos from my kitchen this week.</div>
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A sampling of photos celebrating real foods and all the work, and fun, that happens in the kitchen everyday. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fy5s3yY3-mM/VBruwLOAZ9I/AAAAAAAACaE/XfJdzYArIus/s1600/DSCN2368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fy5s3yY3-mM/VBruwLOAZ9I/AAAAAAAACaE/XfJdzYArIus/s1600/DSCN2368.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_pPDsT5CgOg/VBrurOj8V-I/AAAAAAAACZs/b4j1KDLwAdA/s1600/DSCN2345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_pPDsT5CgOg/VBrurOj8V-I/AAAAAAAACZs/b4j1KDLwAdA/s1600/DSCN2345.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DimYKxl8uoI/VBrushCOy4I/AAAAAAAACZ0/YuU3Nn0l7M8/s1600/DSCN2348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DimYKxl8uoI/VBrushCOy4I/AAAAAAAACZ0/YuU3Nn0l7M8/s1600/DSCN2348.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iPj4vAyRNv4/VBruuBvEeqI/AAAAAAAACZ8/9DXrRxZl2iw/s1600/DSCN2354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iPj4vAyRNv4/VBruuBvEeqI/AAAAAAAACZ8/9DXrRxZl2iw/s1600/DSCN2354.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e7h_GawV4aI/VBruxk88R_I/AAAAAAAACaM/9SDAMNCBlcc/s1600/DSCN2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e7h_GawV4aI/VBruxk88R_I/AAAAAAAACaM/9SDAMNCBlcc/s1600/DSCN2365.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li>Hot dog buns this week. They may not look as perfect as the ones from the store but they taste much, much better. I bought a bunch of bratwursts at the local meat market also. So we have quite the feast planned.</li>
<li>I bought and grated four and a half pounds of parmesan. That should last us quite a while but it's good to have the freezer stocked up. It's perfect for a quick mug of stracciatella soup or alfredo sauce.</li>
<li>As much as we try to take care of it, sometimes the cast iron just needs a little scrubbing and reseasoning! The longer we cook with it the less often I need to do that though. I hardly ever even get it wet anymore. </li>
<li>Butter and honey are the perfect start to every yeast dough! This recipe also had three cups of milk that got warmed up as well. I think that would be the perfect drink. A mug of warm cream with a teaspoon or so of honey mixed in, and just a hint of vanilla. Yum. </li>
<li>My south facing sink is beginning to get direct sun again. It won't be too long until I have to dig out my baseball cap to wash the lunch dishes :-)</li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756823756695632219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2956987866159313547.post-90864649939159732732014-09-15T13:11:00.000-04:002014-09-15T13:18:24.498-04:00Run 2014: Weeks 21 - 27<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_5i2A2ckZcs/U0P7pmriHII/AAAAAAAACU0/iPt404XAL1s/s1600/IMG_4467.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Week 21:</u></b><br />
July 29<br />
2x1600<br />
2x800 @ ~2min per lap <br />
July 31<br />
7.04 in 1:06:17, average 9:25 <br />
August 2<br />
13.13 in 2:12:45, average 10:07 <br />
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<b><u>Week 22:</u></b><br />
August 5<br />
4x1200 @ ~2min per lap <br />
August 7<br />
8.26 in 1:17:43, average 9:24<br />
August 9<br />
10.02 in 1:39:43, average 9:57 <br />
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<b><u>Week 23:</u></b><br />
August 12<br />
1000, 2000, 1000, 1000 <br />
August 14<br />
7.03 in 1:05:07, average 9:16 <br />
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<b><u>Week 24:</u></b><br />
August 23<br />
10.28 in 1:40:58, average 9:50 <br />
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<b><u>Week 25:</u></b><br />
August 25<br />
10x400 @ 2min per lap <br />
August 27<br />
7.02 in 1:11:34, average 10:11<br />
August 29<br />
15.02 in 2:39:08, average 10:36<br />
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<b><u>Week 26:</u></b><br />
September 3<br />
17.08 in 3:25:57, average 12:03<br />
(Ran 15 walked 2.08. Justin knee problems)<br />
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<b><u>Week 27:</u></b><br />
September 9<br />
4x800 @ ~2min per lap <br />
September 13<br />
15.16 in 2:48:09, average 11:06<br />
(Justin knee problems) <br />
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<b>Overall Thoughts:</b><br />
Things have been very hit and miss for us the past few weeks. Work has been insane for Justin and time has been really crunched for the last few weeks. It's been challenging to get the runs in and we've been extra tired. For the most part though, when we've been able to run things have gone pretty well. My ankle has been fine. I've done a few shorter runs without the brace and my ankle is usually really tired and a tiny bit tweaky. Because all our tempo and track runs are so long I don't feel like this is a good time to wean myself off of the brace. Running 5-7 miles braceless isn't exactly easing into things. So for now the brace remains a fixture.<br />
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I worked on breaking in a new pair of running shoes over the last few weeks and ran my long run in them this week. This pair is New Balance Minimus Trail 10v2 and I'm a fan. They have a much wider toe box and feel great. The pink Merrells in the photo above are getting quite worn and I will probably relegate them to normal shoes very shortly. <br />
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The track runs are still going great. I've consistently hit all of my desired paces either spot on or just a few seconds faster than assigned. This has been lovely and reassuring despite my long runs being slower than preferred. Tempo and long runs have both been alright. Sometimes they go great, sometimes they're hell. I'm not really sure what makes the difference.<br />
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September 13th was our first run this training cycle that I needed a shirt. It was actually cold enough that I wore shorts and my UnderArmour quarter zip which is insane. I love that thing and it's been a staple of my running wardrobe for the past few years. It's been wonderful to finally have fall weather here and I'll be curious to see what the cooler weather does for our runs.<br />
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Justin has been having some knee pain on our last two long runs. The track run in between didn't hurt him at all though. He's currently trying to pin point exactly where it hurts so that we can work on figuring out what's causing it. We'll have to see how that goes.<br />
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As for now, we're two weeks out from the Fort4Fitness half marathon so we're going to begin a little bit of a taper. It'll be interesting to see how that goes!<br />
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<b>Fort4Fitness:</b> 2 weeks<br />
<b>Huff: </b>14 weeks<br />
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