READING STATS FOR APRIL
Sunday, April 30, 2017
April 2017 Reading Wrap Up!
READING STATS FOR APRIL
Vlog: Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon {April 2017}
Friday, April 28, 2017
May 2017 Plan With Me: Moving into a New Bullet Journal! + April Flip Through
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon TBR! {April 2017}
I am SO PUMPED to be participating in the April round of Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon! If you haven't heard of this readathon, the name basically explains the premise: 24 hours. Read as much as you can. The really cool thing about this readathon is that it starts at the exact same time all around the world, no matter what time zone you live in! That way everyone is reading at the same time thought the duration of the readathon. Lucky for me, it's based out of the East Coast of the United States which just so happens to be my timezone (score) so starting at 8AM on the 29th I'll start reading my lil' butt off until 8AM on the 30th! Whoop whoop! Here's what I'm shooting to read during those 24 hours:
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Giant Days, volume 1 by John Allison
Lumberjanes, volume 3: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson, et. al.
Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley
And check out my video below to hear more about each title!
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Anything But Books Tag!
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Vlog: New Found Glory #20YearsofPopPunk Tour - BOSTON
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Pittsburgh Marathon Training Update: March 2017
It feels like I *just* posted my training update from February... time is flying! We are just under five weeks until the Pittsburgh Marathon and this is honestly the best I've felt this close to a marathon. I feel like when I usually get down to a month out I start to panic a little bit because I haven't been as on top of my training as I would like. That's really not the case this time around, and while I'm not hitting *every* run on my training calendar, I'm really trying to prioritize lacing up and running on the days that I need to and I'm very happy about that!
After a few successful long runs and a very successful Golden Shamrock Challenge weekend, I'm feeling like I'm in a good spot for May 7th. My legs, particularly my butt and hips, start to both me around the 2.5 hour mark which is a bit concerning as my marathons are usually over 5 hours in length, but I'm hoping a healthy dose of foam rolling and yoga will help with that. As long as my lower half is good, I'll feel good about walking into another 26.2.
My one concern entering into April is time. April is the busiest month of the year for me work-wise, not leaving a ton of time to fit in running on top of working more hours than usual and attempting to still care care of myself and the other responsibilities in my life. (Example: I was up all night with a sick dog last night, only got about three solid hours of sleep, and have a twenty-mile long to-do list that needs to get done today. Yeah... run will likely get sacrificed on a day like today to avoid sickness/insanity.) I'm going to still try to work in as many runs as I can in these final weeks of training, prioritizing long runs (of course) and fitting in anything else that makes sense during the week. We'll see how things go!
After a few successful long runs and a very successful Golden Shamrock Challenge weekend, I'm feeling like I'm in a good spot for May 7th. My legs, particularly my butt and hips, start to both me around the 2.5 hour mark which is a bit concerning as my marathons are usually over 5 hours in length, but I'm hoping a healthy dose of foam rolling and yoga will help with that. As long as my lower half is good, I'll feel good about walking into another 26.2.
My one concern entering into April is time. April is the busiest month of the year for me work-wise, not leaving a ton of time to fit in running on top of working more hours than usual and attempting to still care care of myself and the other responsibilities in my life. (Example: I was up all night with a sick dog last night, only got about three solid hours of sleep, and have a twenty-mile long to-do list that needs to get done today. Yeah... run will likely get sacrificed on a day like today to avoid sickness/insanity.) I'm going to still try to work in as many runs as I can in these final weeks of training, prioritizing long runs (of course) and fitting in anything else that makes sense during the week. We'll see how things go!
Final month of training!
Monday, April 3, 2017
April 2017 Bullet Journal Plan with Me! + March Flip Through
Sunday, April 2, 2017
April 2017 TBR! + #TomeTopple Round 3 TBR!
Saturday, April 1, 2017
March 2017 Reading Wrap Up!
April is an insanely busy month for me and I really think I had the impending busy-ness in mind all of March and savored every free moment I had to read because I wound up reading 14 books in the month of march! Not only did I complete a significant amount of books this month, I also reading books that I was giving pretty high ratings which is awesome! It's like the universe knew I needed to enjoy my reading time as much as possible this month because it would basically be non-existant next month XD. Anyway, make sure you're clicking the video above to hear my thoughts on what I read this month as well as continuing reading this post for more stats!
READING STATS FOR MARCH
Vlog: #BorrowAThon Round 2
Race Review: Golden Shamrock Challenge
Over last weekend I participated in the Golden Shamrock Challenge - a weekend of running sponsored by Millennium Running that included the Shamrock Half Marathon on Saturday and the 2-mile Shamrock Shuffle on Sunday. When you take on the challenge, you have the opportunity to earn TWO medals - a medal when completing the Shamrock Half and a magnetized clip on GOLDEN medal when you complete the Shamrock Shuffle!
I needed a training half in March for my marathon training, and it turns out the Shamrock Half was the only half that was going on in ALL of New England last weekend. Lucky for me, it's super close to my home town AND my family. I've run one other Millennium Running event, the RibFest 5-Miler, and had a really positive experience with that race, and I'm happy to say that I had a really positive experience with the Golden Shamrock Challenge as well!
Shamrock Half Marathon
If you don't know, the Shamrock Half Marathon is the first spring half marathon that Millennium Running has ever put on! Saturday was a rainy, cold, and even SNOWY day which is never the best condition when you're running 13.1 miles, but honestly the race was so well put together that the weather was my only complaint! Millennium did a great job of keeping everything close to the starting line (bib pick up, merch, food, bathrooms, etc.) and kept the energy up with plenty of music and opportunities for photos in front of the start/finish! Exhibit A:
The course itself was extremely spectator friendly with 3 loops that take you by the start/finish location multiple times. I was able to see my parents several times on the course which was so much fun! I love when courses are more spectator friendly - it definitely makes everyone at the event much happier! The course took you through neighborhoods and right through downtown Manchester so you had some variety of scenery. Each loop connected at a different spot as well so it didn't get boring just running through the same streets each time. SUPER important to keep that in mind when designing a looped course! There was also plenty of water stops, bathrooms, and even gels at the 8mi mark (albeit they were a tiny frozen due to the cold temperatures... never thought I'd have to chew a gel before!).
There were a few hills, including a nearly ALL uphill mile 10 and 11 (yikes)... I was definitely thanking my lucky starts that I live in a hilly area and that's my normal training situation. Otherwise I might have keeled over :P However, the spectator friendly course, the change of scenery with each loop, and the amount of support you had on the course from race volunteers made the run so much more enjoyable, so A+ to Millennium!
Overall I did much better than I was expecting to. I was on PR pace until mile 10 & 11 which absolutely drained me. Even with the course being a gentle downhill and relatively flat for miles 12 & 13, I was totally gassed out after those final hills. Even so, I did SO much better than I thought I was going to do and I am very proud of the way I ran! And of course, I was super psyched to earn the first part of my Shamrock when I crossed the finish line! I would definitely recommend the Shamrock Half Marathon and would say it's a *perfect* half marathon for someone who is training for their first!
PS: Huge shout out to my parents for cheering me on in the pouring rain and freezing snow! <3
Shamrock Shuffle
Sunday was the 2-mile Shamrock Shuffle which took you on a much abbreviated portion of the half marathon course and stuck pretty closely to downtown Manchester the entire time. This race was much more packed which often times makes things a bit more fun! The facilities were generally the same, except that there were things set up in the nearby hotel in addition to what was set up near the start/finish.
I treated this race more as a speed training and really tried to push myself as hard as I could through this race and it. paid. off. I managed to run at a 8:40 pace which I'm not sure if I've ever run in ANY race ever. I was especially surprised because I was definitely sore from the half marathon the day before! Again, I was thrilled with how I ran and really enjoyed the short course, even if they stuck us with another gnarly hill at the 1-mile mark. Damn you, course designers and your hills! :P My mom also ran/walked the Shuffle with a friend from work so my dad and I got to watch her cross the finish line. We also got to see a couple get engaged at the finish line which was so sweet! :)
After some ~drama~ in the hotel (hotel staff trying to kick out Millennium when folks like me were trying to get the Golden Shamrock piece of the medal; owner of Millennium scrambling in to get shit straightened out.... #JohnRules) I finally got my hands on my Golden Shamrock and officially completed the challenge! :D PROOF:
I had a fantastic weekend of running and hanging out with my parents. We had so much fun spending time together and doing what we love to do, which for some reason is running ridiculous distances... :P Highly recommend you take on the Golden Shamrock Challenge next year if you can! Millennium did a great job hosting their first spring half and puts on amazing events for runners and spectators alike!
Even Kiwi thought I was a little crazy taking on this challenge!
I needed a training half in March for my marathon training, and it turns out the Shamrock Half was the only half that was going on in ALL of New England last weekend. Lucky for me, it's super close to my home town AND my family. I've run one other Millennium Running event, the RibFest 5-Miler, and had a really positive experience with that race, and I'm happy to say that I had a really positive experience with the Golden Shamrock Challenge as well!
Shamrock Half Marathon
If you don't know, the Shamrock Half Marathon is the first spring half marathon that Millennium Running has ever put on! Saturday was a rainy, cold, and even SNOWY day which is never the best condition when you're running 13.1 miles, but honestly the race was so well put together that the weather was my only complaint! Millennium did a great job of keeping everything close to the starting line (bib pick up, merch, food, bathrooms, etc.) and kept the energy up with plenty of music and opportunities for photos in front of the start/finish! Exhibit A:
The course itself was extremely spectator friendly with 3 loops that take you by the start/finish location multiple times. I was able to see my parents several times on the course which was so much fun! I love when courses are more spectator friendly - it definitely makes everyone at the event much happier! The course took you through neighborhoods and right through downtown Manchester so you had some variety of scenery. Each loop connected at a different spot as well so it didn't get boring just running through the same streets each time. SUPER important to keep that in mind when designing a looped course! There was also plenty of water stops, bathrooms, and even gels at the 8mi mark (albeit they were a tiny frozen due to the cold temperatures... never thought I'd have to chew a gel before!).
There were a few hills, including a nearly ALL uphill mile 10 and 11 (yikes)... I was definitely thanking my lucky starts that I live in a hilly area and that's my normal training situation. Otherwise I might have keeled over :P However, the spectator friendly course, the change of scenery with each loop, and the amount of support you had on the course from race volunteers made the run so much more enjoyable, so A+ to Millennium!
Overall I did much better than I was expecting to. I was on PR pace until mile 10 & 11 which absolutely drained me. Even with the course being a gentle downhill and relatively flat for miles 12 & 13, I was totally gassed out after those final hills. Even so, I did SO much better than I thought I was going to do and I am very proud of the way I ran! And of course, I was super psyched to earn the first part of my Shamrock when I crossed the finish line! I would definitely recommend the Shamrock Half Marathon and would say it's a *perfect* half marathon for someone who is training for their first!
PS: Huge shout out to my parents for cheering me on in the pouring rain and freezing snow! <3
Shamrock Shuffle
Sunday was the 2-mile Shamrock Shuffle which took you on a much abbreviated portion of the half marathon course and stuck pretty closely to downtown Manchester the entire time. This race was much more packed which often times makes things a bit more fun! The facilities were generally the same, except that there were things set up in the nearby hotel in addition to what was set up near the start/finish.
I treated this race more as a speed training and really tried to push myself as hard as I could through this race and it. paid. off. I managed to run at a 8:40 pace which I'm not sure if I've ever run in ANY race ever. I was especially surprised because I was definitely sore from the half marathon the day before! Again, I was thrilled with how I ran and really enjoyed the short course, even if they stuck us with another gnarly hill at the 1-mile mark. Damn you, course designers and your hills! :P My mom also ran/walked the Shuffle with a friend from work so my dad and I got to watch her cross the finish line. We also got to see a couple get engaged at the finish line which was so sweet! :)
After some ~drama~ in the hotel (hotel staff trying to kick out Millennium when folks like me were trying to get the Golden Shamrock piece of the medal; owner of Millennium scrambling in to get shit straightened out.... #JohnRules) I finally got my hands on my Golden Shamrock and officially completed the challenge! :D PROOF:
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