The Weekly Wrap 10/23/17

This week was a bunch of fun random things that made me realize I have a lot of cool people in my life. Well, some people would find these activities cool, others may call them weird. Linking up with for the Weekly Wrap with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin.

On Tuesday, I attended a fun event at Dos Toros.  It’s a new fast food Mexican place, wildly popular in California and New York, with a new location in the Loop.  I met the head of marketing, saw a few of their HILARIOUS parody music videos (“Quesadilla Love” and “Guac It Out” are great), and got a chance to step behind the counter to make a vegan bowl.  I piled my bowl high with rice, beans, vegetables and heaps of guacamole.  It was really exciting to learn about a new vegan option downtown.

 



This week I started training with a focus on speed. While I am still not sure of my running schedule for 2018, I want to get faster again. It might be vain, but I miss my speed from the marathon. I can go for short busts now, but I tire easily. The thought of maintaining a 7:18 pace for 26.2 miles like I could at this time last year seems impossible now.

 

To start my speed training, I had a benchmark race on Wednesday. A race on Wednesday? Yep. It was the Sunrise 6k that November Project hosts one to two times a year. We met at Castaways, ran up to Belmont and back. I finished in 26 minutes (roughly 6:58 pace), which was good enough for first place female! The price was a giant beer from Dry Hop brewery… nothing like racing and winning some beer before breakfast.  Me: cool! Normal people: Uhh…?

 

Weekly Wrap 10/23/17 Sunrise 6k

Friday was a bittersweet day. It was Andy and Kevin’s final day as co-leaders of November Project. To honor them, we wrote them letters and dressed up like they do: a backwards hat for Kevin, and pajama pants for Andy. They’ve made such an impact on my life these last two years, I did shed a tear at the end when they gave a farewell speech.

 

Photo cred: MItch D

 

That afternoon, I biked up to Evanston to work from a coffee shop before meeting my mom for her birthday dinner. I found this adorable coffee shop gem, Cupitol, thanks to a recommendation from an Instagram friend. Who knew that Divvy bikes went that far north!  Later I walked over to Blind Faith Cafe to meet my mom and the family.

 

Family dinner

 

On Saturday, my friend Nez turned 30. To celebrate, he ran 30 miles. This is where my idea of “cool” might differ from most people. I thought this was amazing, and I couldn’t wait to join him for a few miles. I made him a pumpkin version of my typical long run cookie and brought some Nuun tablets along just in case.

 

Weekly Wrap Nez




What was truly incredible was the sheer number of people who came out to join him, or stand someone on the path to cheer him on (and bring him snacks).

 

And on Sunday, I went back to the trails for the 3rd annual Flying Pug Trail Race. EDGE hosted this fun run. The weather could not have been more perfect; the trees various shades of fall, the rain held off, and plenty of pug kisses from Bruce and June. It was so nice to lace up my trail shoes again, my first time back since the 50k in September! It was a great turnout.

 

Weekly Wrap 10/23 Flying Pug
Photo credit: Robyn

 

So that was my week!  Again, I found all those actitives fun, but some people would look at me like I had 5 heads if I explained it to them.  To each their own I suppose.

 

What’s coming up this week? Running-wise, I’m going to continue a focus on speed work before starting a more formal training program. I decided to sign up for EDGE’s F3 training program, even though I have not (yet) signed up for the race. I think I just miss training with a group.

 

Work-wise, I’ll be out in the schools in the mornings and working on projects in the afternoons. For coaching, I am training a few athletes for winter marathons, but have capacity for more athletes to coach. If you have any interest, or know of someone looking to change up their typical routines, check out my coaching page. For the blog, I am trying to decide on my next recipe: baked apples or savory pumpkin oatmeal. Cast your vote in the comments below!

 

What do you have coming up this week?

 

Happy running,

Becca



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HoHo Runs
6 years ago

It looks like you had a super week of fun! What I want to know is, when did you drink that ginormous beer? That is such a cool idea for your friend to run 30 miles for his birthday and have friends support him along the way. At my age, no can do! Thanks for linking.

Lacey@fairytalesandfitness

That mexican dish looks so tasty. What is the sauce on it? Your friend is crazy….30 miles just for fun on his birthday…..haha just kidding. Good for him! That is quite dedication.