2. Spring is a hectic time to work in academia. I feel like every important deadline happens to fall between May and the end of June. I really felt it this past week and even with going in early most mornings, I still had to stay late on Friday… boo. By the time I got home, I had no desire to do anything but lounge on the couch and hang out with my boys.

A lot of this type of playing happened. Sonic gets to play and I get to sit on the couch. Win-win for both us.

3. I woke up early on Saturday and headed out for a solo 3-mile run before Ian and I left Chicago to drive to the Run for Boston 5k. Unfortunately, about three-quarters of the way there, Ian had car trouble and we had to call for a tow.

It was raining, so we hung out in the car for a few hours while we waited for the tow truck to head our way. As luck would have it, after waiting five-ish hours, we found out the tow truck had decided not to come and we had to wait for another one. Thankfully, one of Ian’s friends had taken pity on us and picked us up to grab lunch but we were all pretty stir crazy after waiting around at a Shell gas station all day.

Look! Ian got a new watch!

Eventually the tow truck came and we were able to get a ride home. Whew!

4. Fortunately, we weren’t stranded in the middle of nowhere and I was able to find a Target within walking distance. Hello, cheap new work shoes!

I did feel much better about the stranded situation after spending money on myself and yes I do have absurdly large feet for my height.

5. We made it back to Chicago with just enough time to shower, change, and head out to The Vic to see The Tenderloins, the comedy troupe behind Impractical Jokers (if you haven’t watched the tv show, you need to ASAP because it’s absolutely hilarious). The show was really funny although a little bit short which worked out perfectly because Ian and I had plans to grab Taco Joint for dinner!

Margaritas were much needed after the day we had. I tried the chile mango and Ian had the guava and while both were tasty, we agreed the chile mango was the better choice.

We split an order of rojo guacamole and then I had two tacos, the camaron (grilled chile and garlic spiked shrimp, garnished with avocado salsa and crispy flash fried spinach) and the cochinita (Yucatan style pulled pork garnished with picked red onions and spicy habanero salsa). Taco craving satisfied.

6. On Sunday, after an early longer run, Ian and I headed out to run our errands. We grabbed Starbucks, went to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and even visited the animals at the Anti-Cruelty Society. Ian was craving a sub for lunch so we stopped into an Italian bakery and deli near our apartment where I found the world’s largest cannoli.

Get in my belly!

7.  I also started a new book that I bought at the Printer’s Row Lit Fest, The Beautiful and Damned, and happened to find this written on one of the pages.

Isn’t that amazing? There are also notes and underlined passages throughout the book. I can’t wait to figure out what or why certain parts of the book were noted.

8. In Sonic news, he now believes that our kitchen rug is a large bed for him. He used to sleep in one of his beds (yes, plural) placed throughout our apartment but recently he’s started laying on the rug. He also refuses to move when we’re in the kitchen…

Territorial much?

9. I’m working on a post about the training plan I’m using for the Chicago Marathon including why I chose it, how I’m adapting it, etc but I thought I’d ask you guys if you had any specific questions that you’d like me to address. If you do, let me know if the comments!

Obviously, my weekend was kind of lame (outside of my control…) so what did you guys do over the past two days?

For the most part, April and May were really hectic. With moving, running the Boston Marathon, dealing with running injuries, work demands, and going to Michigan for Mother’s Day, life had felt pretty devoid of quality Ian time. Fortunately, that changed a few weeks ago when after what felt like one of the longest weeks ever, Ian and I went out for a nice night on the town.

After much debate, we decided to go to English, an upscale restaurant and bar in River North, to enjoy a nice dinner and a much needed “bring on the weekend drink”. We arrived a few minutes before our reservation and were seated at a great high top table near the front windows where we could really appreciate the longer days and sunshine that Chicago has been experiencing of late.

As much as I love getting a good sweat in early in the morning, I also really enjoy going out with Ian and/or friends and having a drink or two. Unfortunately, unless you enjoy running 10+ miles with an awful hangover, it can be difficult to enjoy both lifestyles. Enter, Malibu Island Spiced, a Malibu rum that’s made with Truvia® so you don’t have to worry about having crazy blood sugar spikes (or sugar hangovers) the next day. Plus, if worrying about alcohol calories is your thing, one serving of Malibu Island Spiced is only 70 calories– much fewer than your typical serving of alcohol and probably less likely to make you feel guilty and sluggish the next morning.

At English, Ian and I each started with a specialty Malibu Island Spiced cocktail while we perused the dinner menu. I sipped the Sparkling Spiced which was made with Malibu Island Spiced, soda water, and garnished with an orange wedge and Ian tried the Malibu Spiced and Diet Cola.

We both really enjoyed our beverages and noted that we could taste the coconut, cinnamon, vanilla flavors. The Spiced on Ice was also really tasty and smooth– something you don’t always experience with your typical alcohol + soda water cocktail. We also agreed that we preferred the Malibu Spiced and Diet Cola because the spice paired nicely with the sweet coke.

What a perfect no-guilt cocktail to enjoy on a summery Friday night!

For our meal, Ian and I split an order of mussels & frites to start. The mussels were cooked in an allagash white ale broth and were really tasty but definitely on the smaller side. The frites were fabulous though and super salty.

For my main, I ordered the ahi tuna salad.

And Ian had the lobster mac ‘n cheese.

Both of us were very happy with our selections and happily cleaned our plates. We also enjoyed the first round of drinks so much that we ended up each ordering another Malibu Spiced and Diet Cola to sip while we feasted.

After hogging our table for more than a few hours, Ian and I ended our fabulous date night and headed home where I happily traded in my cute dress and heels for some running shorts and my bed. What more can you ask for on a Friday night?

To make matters even better, I woke up super fresh, sans hangover, and ready to sweat on Saturday morning and was able to head out for an awesome, early morning run.

See, life really is all about balance.

Now it’s your turn:

Leave me a comment telling me what dishes you like to enjoy with rum cocktails for your chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

Sweepstakes Rules:
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner  will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 6/13/13 – 6/30/13.

Visit Malibu Island Spiced Rum on Facebook to get more drink recipes and join the brighter side of spiced rum!

And be sure to visit the Malibu Island Spiced brand page on BlogHer.com to read other bloggers’ posts!

SIP EASY. ENJOY MALIBU RESPONSIBLY.

MALIBU ® Caribbean Rum with Coconut Liqueur & Natural Spices, with Truvia® Sweetener. 30% Alc./Vol. (60 Proof) ©2013 Imported by Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase, NY

Truvia® and the Truvia®  logo are registered trademarks of the Truvia Company LLC.

PER 1.5 FL. OZ. SERVING. AVERAGE ANALYSIS: CALORIES 70; CARBOHYDRATES less than 1 gram; PROTEIN 0 grams; FAT 0 grams.

*when mixed with your favorite zero calorie mixer. Limes and other garnishes may add calories

Please note that I was compensated for both the night out and my review. As always, all opinions are my own.

Thursday – 5.1 miles (average pace – 8:24 min/mile). I woke up with stiff legs but managed to run through the stiffness and loosen up my muscles. I also went to PT after work and did quite a few drills like high knees, butt kicks, and ladder stuff.

Friday – 7 miles (average pace – 8:19 min/mile). When I woke up and saw that it was in the 50′s and overcast, I knew it was a perfect morning for a run! I ran down to the lake front and then south a bit before turning around and heading home. I haven’t run south since I moved in early April and I missed it. I can’t wait to head down to museum campus this summer!

Saturday – 5 miles (average pace – 7:20ish min/mile). I assumed that I would have been sore on Saturday but I woke up feeling really fresh. My legs wanted to run fast and I had to keep reminding myself that I’m recovering from an injury and shouldn’t do any speed work yet. I think part of the speediness can be attributed to the warmer temps and the sun being out. I tend to push harder on shorter distances when I’m slightly uncomfortable.

Sunday – 8 miles (average pace – 7:53 min/mile). Considering that I had run fast for me right now the day before, I wasn’t expecting to have a quick run on Sunday. My only goal was to get in a longish run and to enjoy myself. Surprisingly, I felt decent and ran my longest run since injury. Woohoo!

Monday – (AM) 5 miles (average pace – 8:38 min/mile). I ran a 5 mile out-and-back route that took me almost down to the lakefront. I wanted to run farther but I slept in a little and had a gait analysis in the evening and I wasn’t sure what it would entail and I didn’t want to wear myself out too much.

(PM) 1.5 mile run at my gait analysis.

Tuesday – (AM) 5.2 miles (average pace – 8:35). I woke up feeling sickish and my body was tired. No surprise since this was the 7th day running in a row. I took my run easy and ran a nice loop reminding myself that Wednesday is a rest day!

(PM) 6ish mile bike ride with Ian to test out his ride to work.

Total miles – 43 running; 6ish biking

I’m happy to say that things finally started to feel normal-ish this past week. I’m not completely injury free by any means but my pain level has dropped so much that I only feel my adductor every other day or so and never before, during, or after running. Given that, I’m finally starting to feel excited for the Chicago Marathon! I took some of your suggestions on my last Wednesday Workouts post and adapted my training plan a bit. too- but more on that later.

I have to admit that I have some major tri-envy going on! Last year was my first time competing in tris and I had a lot of fun. I liked the training variety, felt really strong, and enjoyed the two sprint tris that I raced. However, by the end of the summer, I missed just running and was eager to jump into marathon training so I didn’t think I’d miss it too much this summer… I was wrong. Seeing everyone train and race tris makes me miss them. I’m still excited for Chicago and I’m not about to jump ship and stop running marathons to race tris but the feeling is unexpected so I thought I’d share!

Also, a few weeks ago, I was contacted by FrogFuel and asked if I wanted to try their new protein packs.

I’ve actually been more reluctant to do reviews/giveaways lately because I haven’t been posting as frequently as I used to but I figured that FrogFuel was a product that I’d use and worth giving a shot.

FrogFuel sent me three of their blueberry flavored gel and I’ve tried them twice before runs. The first time, I tried it right from the package and the flavor was a little strong for me. I’m usually a chocolate, mocha, or peanut butter gel girl and I wasn’t used to the fruity flavor. The second time I mixed it with some almond milk (it’s runny so it works well) and it tasted much better. Most importantly, I had two great runs afterwards. While this isn’t a product I’d buy again myself, those of you who like berry flavored things might enjoy it!

If you would like to win 3 FrogFuel protein shots and 1 FrogFuel sticker, please leave a comment sharing your fuel level from the quiz below or your favorite workout. I’ll announce a winner on Monday, June 17. Good luck!

*Please note, FrogFuel is gluten free and lactose free but contains collagen and taurine.

Please note, I was provided with 3 FrogFuel protein packs but was not compensated for my review. All opinions are my own.

2. I actually slept in on Saturday morning and woke up at 8:45 to an alarm. It’s been a while since that’s happened. I went out for a run and then sat down to a delicious bowl of peanut butter overnight oats (thanks Megan for sharing the recipe!)

3. After breakfast and some coffee, I met up with Kelsey and Emily at the Printer’s Row Lit Fest.

The Lit Fest is a free festival in Chicago where independent/small local bookstores put up stands and sell new and used books at a discount price. There are also readings, a food tent, and lots of other miscellaneous things like old movie posters, magazines, etc. It’s a blast! I ended up picking up quite a few reads too, all for under $25.

I actually bought the top book at Tattered Cover but the rest are from the lit fest.

4. Ian and I decided to try La Luce, a new-to-us Italian restaurant, on Saturday night.

I had a glass of chianti, Ian and I split an order of grilled calamari, and then I had an order of the chicken limone. It was a lot of food and I’m happy that I was able to take home leftovers!

5. On Sunday I slept in later than planned and headed out for a longish run. When I get back, Ian and I had breakfast and then stopped at Sip Cafe on our way to go grocery shopping to pick up some iced coffee. We’ve been to Sip Cafe a few times but I’ve never noticed the bathroom door before….

This is a cafe I can stand behind .

6. After grocery shopping and running some errands, Ian and I were hungry and decided to walk over to Carbon to have some lunch. We ended up splitting some guacamole and chips and then I had a chicken mole tamale and a steak taco.

I. love. tacos.

7. On our walk back home, we stopped to visit our favorite fruit man and pick up a few mangoes for Ian. He also had these tiny bananas that I couldn’t pass up.

Does anyone know what you’re supposed to do with these? Are they really just miniature bananas?

8. I ended my Sunday on the couch, eating protein ice cream, and watching one of the funniest movies ever, Step Brothers. What more can you want?

How was your weekend? 

Friday: Ian and I woke up super early (read: 3 AM) to head to the airport to catch our flight to Denver. We got to the airport with just enough time to grab a snack and some coffee before boarding our plane.

We arrived in Denver around 8 AM and after grabbing our bag, Ian’s friend, Greg, picked us up and took us to Snooze for second breakfast.

Lots of iced coffee was also consumed.

After breakfast, we made a quick pit stop at Greg’s apartment, dropped off our bags, and then headed out to Golden, Colorado to visit Lookout Mountain, Buffalo Bill’s grave site/museum, and the MillerCoors brewery!

Unfortunately, the brewery was evacuated right after we finished our first beer (you get three with the FREE tour) but my first Blue Moon with agave nectar went down really smooth . We ended up grabbing an early dinner at a local Thai restaurant and wandering around Golden for a bit before heading back to Greg’s to crash.

Saturday: I promised myself that I would sleep in on vacation but I still woke up with enough time to squeeze a run in with Ian (on the bike) before we all headed out to Pike’s Peak.

Initially, I had suggested hiking up Pike’s Peak but given the altitude changes (Pike’s Peak is 14,000+ feet above sea level), the weather (COLD at the top), and the fact that Ian and I aren’t in hiking shape (hello bum hip!) my idea was vetoed. However, Greg was happy to drive us up the mountain which was terrifying in its own right (guard rails were present less frequently than I’d have liked) but provided us lots of breathtaking views.

We spent a long time at the top of the mountain, taking pictures, grabbing lunch, and stocking up on souvenirs. The drive down also wasn’t nearly as terrifying as the way up but I was pretty surprised when about halfway down, park rangers (?) checked the temperature of our breaks to make sure they weren’t going to burn out before we reached the bottom.

After Pike’s Peak, we drove around in the mountains for a while before parking the car and going for a hike through the forest. Colorado is incredibly beautiful.

We grabbed a late dinner at a local brewery and then went out for a drink at one of Greg’s neighborhood bars. It was the perfect end to a busy day.

Sunday: After a late night, I slept in on Sunday and then met my cousin, Karen, for brunch at Racine’s. I haven’t seen Karen in about 10 years so we had A LOT to catch up on! Afterwards, I walked the 2ish miles to the 16th St Mall where I walked a lot, found some goodies in a few stores, and then wandered into the best used book store ever, Tattered Cover.

Once Ian and Greg were done with lunch, they joined me and we walked all over the city. We went over to the river and saw the biggest REI store ever, checked out Wynkoop Brewery, and even stumbled across a sidewalk chalk art fair.

We spent the entire day downtown, grabbed dinner and dessert, and then headed back to Greg’s to crash.

Monday: I woke up earlier than the boys on Monday and was able to convince Ian to get up and bike along with me while I ran. It was hotter than on Saturday but I still had fun running in a different area (i.e. not Chicago). We laid low for most of the morning before grabbing tacos at a Mexican restaurant for lunch.

So delicious and so filling.

We took a quick siesta after lunch and then went over to Stranahan’s for a whiskey distillery tour. The tour was awesome, really informative and also really fun and they even gave us a sample. I was quickly reminded of the fact that whiskey is not my thing. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it though!

We also grabbed an early dinner at the restaurant next door before heading to the airport for our late flight back to Chicago!

Have you ever been to Colorado? 

Wednesday – OFF; regular rest day.

Thursday – 6.3 miles (average pace – 8:42 min/mile). I woke up stiff and tired and didn’t want to do anything but lay in my bed all morning. I could have but I wasn’t sure what my running schedule was going to be like over the weekend and I wanted to get in a few miles before Ian and I left for Colorado. It was humid out but I pushed through and even made it down to the lakefront for a fraction of a mile. I alternated running 9 minutes with walking 1 minute.

PT in the afternoon.

Friday – OFF; travel day. Ian and I were up at 3 AM to catch a flight at 6 AM to Denver. Once we arrived in Colorado, we did a lot of walking too so it wasn’t a total sit-on-my-butt rest day.

Oh and we also did some drinking at the MillerCoors brewery. Does that not count as training?

Saturday – 4 miles (average pace – 8:07 min/mile). I wasn’t sure how I’d do with the altitude in Denver so I had Ian ride along with me on a mountain bike. The altitude wasn’t awful, I didn’t feel dizzy or nauseous but man, was it difficult to breathe. Throw in some gradual, rolling hills and I had myself a tough short run. The weather was perfect on Saturday but being on vacation, I didn’t want to spend too much time running (I didn’t wake up early to run). Plus, we had big plans to go to Pike’s Peak and do a little hiking in the afternoon so I didn’t want to wear my legs out.

Oh and I didn’t include any walking intervals BUT I did stop a few times to catch my breath and take some pictures.

Sunday – OFF. Slept in and woke up shortly before I had to meet my cousin for brunch. I hadn’t seen her in 10 years so catching up was definitely more important to me than squeezing in a run! After brunch, I walked 2ish miles to the 16th St Mall and then walked up and down while Ian and his friend, Greg, got lunch. We met up when they were done and did a lot more walking so Sunday wasn’t a total wash on the fitness front.

Monday – 4 mile run (average pace- 8:07 min/mile). Ian rode along with me again only we left later in the morning and it was much hotter. I managed to average a decent pace (for me right now) but I had to stop a few times to catch my breath. My lungs felt like they were burning when I was done.

I wish you could see the mountains way off in the distance in this picture but it really doesn’t do them justice.

Tuesday – OFF; Ian and I flew back to Chicago on Monday night and didn’t get home until after 1 AM. I initially had planned on squeezing in a few miles in the morning but I really wanted to get more than 4 hours of sleep so I skipped. I also couldn’t run after work because I had PT and then Ian and I had to go grocery shopping etc.

Total miles – 14.3 miles

This was my lowest mileage week in a while but I’m hoping that it’s just what my adductor needed to heal. It doesn’t seem to bother me on my runs but it has been nagging me and slowing me down ever since I started running again. It didn’t really bother me at all in Denver so I’m hoping a little extra rest did it some good.

Taking Tuesday off put me in a weird spot with workouts this week so I think I’m going to either run an extra day or take a random rest day next week as needed. I’m going to play it by ear though and see how I’m feeling.

I’m also unsure what I’m going to do with marathon training. I really want to try the Hanson’s Marathon Method and use the advanced plan but my mileage just isn’t where it should be and I’m supposed to start in a week. I could jump into it and rely on my base (risky) or I could continue to base build and pick up training with 12 weeks to race day. However, I’m worried that I’ll lose some of the benefits of the plan if I skip the earlier stages, especially since Hanson’s plans focus so much on cumulative fatigue. I’ve also considered dropping down to the beginner plan but I’m not sure how beneficial it would be for me considering I’m used to training at higher mileage. I’ve also thought about using a more traditional plan and saving Hanson’s for my next marathon but I’m pretty eager to give it a shot now. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I prefer to post them on Sundays because I know some readers find workout posts boring (others have told me that they enjoy them) and while I could continue to post on Sundays and indicate that Wednesdays were rest days, I really prefer to see a training week in its entirety rather than as two half weeks (am I explaining this okay?). I think for now I’m going to post my workouts/training on Wednesdays and see how it goes. If I dislike it, I’ll reevaluate and most likely go back to Sunday posts. Thoughts?

I’m still building up my mileage post-injury and after taking a two-ish week off from high intensity workouts. To give you an idea of how it’s going, last week I ran 22.6 miles and swam 1.14 miles and the week before that I ran 6.32 miles, swam a little over 2 miles, cycled for 40 minutes, and ellipticaled 4.5 miles. To be honest the break has been really nice and just what I needed after two back-to-back training cycles. I’m also not completely injury free. My adductor still gives me trouble most days but not while I run. My PT told me that adductor strains take a while to heal so I’m not too surprised.

So here’s this week-
Wednesday – OFF

Thursday – AM: 6.12 miles (average pace- 8:58 min/mile). I started doing a dynamic warm up recommended by my PT and could feel the difference on my run. Both of my legs felt loose and fresh, I like it. I’m still doing a combination of running and walking to help keep an eye on my form and kept my intervals to 6 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking.

I also went to physical therapy after work.

Friday – 5.1 miles (average pace – 9:12 min/mile). I was feeling really sore after my PT had me doing running drills on Thursday night, so I kept my pace slow and had a “recovery run” of sorts. I also tried some kinesio tape for the first time and I noticed other muscles in my leg were sore later in the day. Could this have been related? I continued running with intervals: 6 minutes running, 1 minute walking.

Saturday – 6 miles (average pace- 9:20 min/mile). I was so happy to get down to the lakefront path but I had a really rough run. I was sore and stiff, my legs didn’t want to move, and I started to look forward to my minute of walking. I also began to question that I might be upping my mileage too quickly decided to play the next few days by feel, running longer or shorter depending on how sore my legs were.

Sunday – 7.2 miles (average pace – 8:30). Had a great run (such a surprise after Saturday) even after increasing my intervals to 7 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking. It was beautiful outside and I felt the best I have in a while.

Monday – 4.2 miles (average pace – 8:13 min/mile). I was planning on running a slower “recovery run” but I felt good enough to run at a comfortable pace. I even started to feel almost normal but I think it had more to do with the fact that I pushed my intervals to 8 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking.

Tuesday – 5 miles (average pace – 8:53 min/mile). My legs didn’t want to move and I woke up stiff after a bad night of sleep. Thankfully, my legs loosened up by mile 3 and then I felt normal for the last two miles. I alternated 8 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking.

I also went to physical therapy after work.

Total mileage – 33.62 miles

I’m a little under “ideal” mileage going into marathon training but I’d rather be safe now than sorry later. I also know I have a strong base and so long as I am injury free and listen to my body (the hardest part), I’m fairly confident that I can jump into training with only a few modifications (most likely less speed work or none at all to start). I’m running the Chicago Marathon more for the experience than time (because the last time I ran the Chicago Marathon it was too hot to have fun) so I’m just looking to complete the race in some capacity (although I’d like to have a strong training cycle under my belt).

Ian and I are traveling to Denver this weekend for vacation and running is not going to be a priority Friday-Monday. If I get in a run, that’s great, but if I don’t I’m fine with that. I’m looking at this weekend to be one last break from running for my adductor to hopefully continue to heal without the added stress of pounding the pavement every day. Plus, I plan on Ian and I doing plenty of hiking and exploring so I’m sure I’ll be getting in “workouts” in some form.

Do you work out on vacation? I usually do but this weekend just seems like a good time to take a mini-break

2. My office closed early on Friday afternoon so I was really happy to get home before 6 pm. I was not happy to see that Sonic had climbed back up into the ceiling while we were gone though.

Fortunately, he was able to get himself down but it seems that getting up there is his new thing. Ian and I are brainstorming ways to prevent him from climbing into the ceiling without having to do too much construction to our apartment (i.e. nailing up a board to block him). Any ideas?

3. Ian and I spent Friday night running errands and on Saturday, I headed out for a 6 mile run.

I used to run by the lake every morning but my new apartment is just shy of 3 miles from the lake and with coming back from an injury, I haven’t been running far enough to make it to the lake front. That changed twice this weekend though because I followed up my Saturday run with a nice 7 on Sunday.

4. Saturday was book club and I hosted this month. We discussed Stiff by Mary Roach, a book that a few of us really enjoyed, a few of us found creepy/boring/gross, and a few of us just didn’t have time to read. I actually really liked it, even though at first glance I thought it would be difficult to read. I think the authors humor and honesty really lightened up the subject matter and I learned a lot!

Like always the food was really tasty, the company was fabulous, and I really enjoyed seeing everyone!

5. After book club, a few people stayed around and we played Fruit Ninja on Ian’s Xbox Kinect.

You have no idea how much fun this game is until you try it plus it’s incredibly amusing to watch other people slice their hands through the air to hit the fruit!

6. I had more time than usual over the weekend to devote to breakfast so I made sure to enjoy relaxing mornings.

On Saturday, I made banana pancakes and topped them with caramelized bananas and strawberries and a drizzle of peanut butter. As I was eating them, I kept thinking “why have I not tried this before?”

On Monday, I brought back one of my favorite summer breakfasts, a big bowl of cereal (Kashi Simply Maize) topped with a ton of fresh berries and a banana. Amazing.

7. Speaking of food, on Sunday morning, Ian and I met up with Katie, Kelsey, Emily, Erin, and Erin’s husband, Jason, for some tacos and fun at the Maxwell Market. We walked around a bit first and I found a present for my mom:

She loves her toothpicks.

And then we got in line for some tacos! I was really hungry by this point and happily enjoyed two al pastor tacos with cilantro and onion and split a huge horchata with Ian that was bigger than my face.

I was quite the happy camper afterwards.

8. Ian and I ran some errands and then relaxed at home before heading out for cuban food for dinner. On our way back from the restaurant, we decided we wanted to figure out how to get on to our roof (we have a deck with grills and seating up there). It did not disappoint!

9. The weather was kinda crappy in Chicago on Monday so besides heading out for a short run and then giving Sonic another bath (he got really dirty in the ceiling), Ian and I just relaxed. I read my book, he played his video game, and I even managed to prep a bunch of food for the week. We’re going out of town on Friday and I know work is going to be extra busy this week + PT so the less time I have to spend thinking about meals and cooking the smoother my week will go!

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun for Memorial Day?

2. The good news is I can start to run while we strengthen my hips and hamstrings so long as I keep my form in check. My PT suggested alternating running for one minute with walking for one minute but… oh.my.god. I’d never cover any distance. Yesterday, I headed out and alternated running for three minutes followed by walking for one minute and I felt pretty good. The walk breaks did force me to think about my form more but they also really broke up my momentum. Any running is good running at this point though!

3. Breaking Amish is back on TV! I love love love bad reality tv and Breaking Amish quickly became one of my favorite shows last fall. I’ve always been really interested in Amish culture so I’m not surprised at all.

(image source)

It’s super captivating AND educational (it’s on TLC for a reason…)

4. Chicago Running Bloggers partnered with Muddy Monk to put together the Run for Boston 5k on June 15. Their goal is to raise enough money so that 100% of the race entries can go to the Who Says I Can’t Foundation to directly support the rehabilitation of those who lost limbs as a result of the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon. The race organizers are still looking for more sponsors, volunteers, and runners so please check it out! I’ll be volunteering pre-race and then running on the 15th.

5. I don’t know if its coming back from being home in Michigan, the nice weather we’re finally enjoying, or what but this week has just draaaaaggggggged on. It felt like it was Friday on Tuesday! What do you all have planned for the weekend? I’m going on a date night with Ian and then some other relaxing low key things.

2. On Saturday morning, I slept in a little and then relaxed with my mom. She read the newspaper and I finished the book I was reading, The Fault in Our Stars. This was probably the only real downtime I had all weekend and I loved that I was able to hang out with my mom. We also ran a quick errand and went to Westborn Market so I could pick up some maple syrup and pepita butter .

3. Around noon, Ian and I met up with Brian, my oldest friend, for lunch. We’re all a bit picky but we ended up settling on a good Mexican restaurant. While we caught up on the last five months or so, I enjoyed a chicken fajita salad.

I was bummed that the fried tortilla was flour though. I used to love those!

4. After lunch, Ian and I visited with my Dad and Step-Mom  I hadn’t seen them in a long time so it was nice to spend some time together face-to-face. They also just finished remodeling their lower level and had some things to give us for the new apartment. No complaints about hand-me-downs here!

5. We also quickly made a trip to Macy’s because they had a sale for 40% off all kitchen appliances and I’ve been wanting to buy a juicer. Funnily enough, Ian called his mom as we were walking into the store and she had an extra juicer that she offered to give us. It was so nice of her! I should have turned around and walked out of the store but I didn’t and ended up buying a food processor because I also need one of those AND it was 40% off.

6. My mom and I had big plans Saturday night, so we grabbed an earlyish dinner with Ian at one of my favorite Michigan restaurants, Vinsetta Grill. My go-to has always been the build your own burger (previously with a veggie burger) in a bowl with a side of sweet potato fries (so good!).This past weekend, I went with a turkey burger with grilled onions, sun dried tomatoes, dried cherries, and grilled pineapple with vidalia onion relish. It was really random but so good.

I also had those sweet potato fries. Yum!

7. After dinner, my mom and I headed into downtown Detroit to the opera house. My friend Brian has been working on a show there and was able to get us some great seats. The show was great and we enjoyed it and I was soo happy to finally see one of Brian’s productions!

I also tried to take a photo with my mom at the opera house but she wanted nothing to do with it. Booo!

8. I was up waay too late on Saturday night so when Sunday rolled along I was exhausted. I slept in a bit, had some breakfast, and then my mom and I headed out to the most vacant movie theater ever to see The Great Gatsby.

We liked the movie although we agreed it wasn’t perfect and there was a lot it didn’t do well. I did enjoy seeing the story come to life though and could appreciate the great acting and all of that but I went into the movie with lower expectations so there’s that.

9. After the movie, we grabbed lunch at one of our favorite salad spots in Michigan, Jennifer’s Cafe. Of course, I had to get my favorite salad EVER, the maurice.

It’s huge but totally worth any discomfort you may have after shoveling it all in as fast as possible. We also picked up the world’s largest oatmeal raisin cookie for my mom on our way out (I successfully picked out almost all of the raisins ).

10. Our next stop on the errand train was Hanson’s Running Shop so I could pick up a new pair of Adrenalines. I didn’t run (or work out) all weekend but I managed to walk a few houses down the street in my new shoes before my mom’s “puppy” got too rowdy with me and I turned around before she re-injured my leg.

Aren’t they pretty?

11. I ended up taking a nap and then before I knew it, Ian was back from his mom’s and we were on the road back to Chicago. We didn’t get home until nearly 11 (stopped for groceries etc) so I ended up skipping the pool this morning so I could enjoy a lazy hour or two before heading to work. Hopefully, I get my butt to the gym to bike tonight!

How was your weekend?