weekend catch up

1. I got my hands dirty this weekend and freshened up the window boxes.

2. I wanted to relax a little and was feeling a bit nostalgic so I made Ryan hook up the 360. He didn't mind.

3. We drove to the local rail trail to get our run in today and I had to go so bad I PEED OUTSIDE. #whoami #soproud

How was your weekend?

Peace out, alfalfa sprouts. - Allison

tuesday rewind

BRING. ON. SPRING.

I'll take more sun and less rain, please. Pretty, pretty please.

I should be much closer to a third of that circle being filled in and it's not even close to being at a quarter! I have my fingers crossed though that with a turn in weather there'll be more chances to get outside and bike and run. And hopefully by then I'll stop getting sick from the peek-a-boo weather changes.

Having a mild case of the flu (or a really bad cold) is really the pits when the weather is ACTUALLY nice. And keeping a running streak going is especially challenging. But here I am, migraine and flu be damned, at day two thirty-nine.

There's just some slower days mixed in there...

April is wrapping up and I still haven't run any races this month but there are two or three 5Ks on Saturday that I'm eyeing. I just have to figure out which one I want to suck kick ass at. It's definitely not going to be the duathlon, but maybe I can convince Ryan to do it so I can cheer him on. 

In a life outside of running and exercising, I started watching Girl Boss on Netflix. Have you? I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. But I like Britt Robertson so I'm sticking it out for the first season. 

And while I'm not sure how I found this and my day has been made. This garter belt but for men's shirts is perfect for those all too common bend and snap moments. You just watch it and tell me you didn't fan yourself either around the 43 second mark.

I also baked for the first time in FOREVER. What came about were some of the driest brownies I've ever made. While they weren't terrible and could be paired with ice cream for enhanced eat-ability, I definitely won't be using the recipe again. You live bake and learn, I guess.

How about you guys? What's going on with you? Are you watching Girl Boss? Does it get good? What's something you've made recently that rocked your taste bud world? 

Peace out, alfalfa sprouts. - Allison

three sentence catch up

1. Ryan took me to see Beauty and the Beast - which was nothing short of magical.

2. My living room is no longer green but an interesting shade of periwinkle. 

3. Missed my run plan last week by less than two miles - not so unrelated side note: running on a track is pretty much terrible on all levels.

Peace out, cub scouts! - Allison

tuesday rewind

I'M CRUSHING IT.

At least in my one mile runs. I even have a new personal best with a 9:35 minute mile. But last week I was trying to catch up on sleep. Which, I guess, didn't really pay off considering I started the week off with a migraine.

You win some, you lose some. We'll add these couple badges in the win bucket. Getting out on our green monsters (which we call our bright green single-speed bikes)? Another win. 

This week we're getting some interesting weather - read 80°F in APRIL - so running is going to be fun. I'm hoping to stick close to my run plan (2, 3.1, 3.1, 3.1, 2, 3.1, 5) and get at LEAST a bike ride in. I would put a swim out there...but it just wouldn't happen.

What's your plan for the week? When was the last time you had to take a day or two or week to reset? Do you have any races coming up?

Until the next report out, shake it out, alfalfa sprout.

- Allison Rae

chateau labarge updates

My running streak lives on. The flooding in our basement does not. 

I didn't get a chance to post about last week's exercises (spoiler alert - it was just running) because I was catching up on some much needed sleep from last weekend's adventures. I literally went to bed each night before 10pm and some nights I was there by 8pm!

Probably the worst thing you can find is that your previously assumed dry basement, floods in the spring. Then, when you discover that it's not rain water...it's sink, bathtub, and toilet water...it's pretty much the WORST thing. And that was my weekend, last weekend. Home ownership is such a joy.

I mean don't get me wrong, I love that I own a house, MY HOUSE, but a castle with no drain issues sounds nice right about now. You wouldn't even have to throw in a butler. Please start a kickstarter and buy me a castle. #nopressure

THIS weekend, I did absolutely everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. It had lots of sleeping in, raking leaves, chatting with the neighbors, hanging the laundry out to dry, finally priming the living room, and breakfast for dinner. I. LOVE. BRINNER. 

As a side note, when the master's is on, don't ask your husband for help. He will be distracted and possibly paint your hair...

With a $1,000 budget blessed by the painting monster Ryan, words cannot express how excited I am to change up the living room. The hundreds of internet tabs I have open right now *might* paint the picture (how punny!). I can't wait to see how it all comes together. 

Now to figure out how I convince Ryan that this end table is very much necessary.

Until the next home update, go all out, alfalfa sprout.

- Allison Rae

later gator - march report out

Can you believe we're already a quarter into the year?! Three months! Just gone. 

My original goal for March was to run just about 90 miles, bike thrice a week, and swim. Then life happened so none of those happened. I did run eighty miles, bike three times, and got in the pool once. #winning

Since I started running most weekdays during lunch, it's left me a lot more time to do things at night (besides just running). Unfortunately, I reward myself for running at lunch by sitting on my ass and doing nothing. I should probably put together some sort of training plan so I ACTUALLY get in my other sports (and not just my physical therapy exercises).

Maybe that duathlon will be good motivation and practice for the triathlons come the summer. 

Goals for April include: running ninety-ish miles, biking at least twelve times, and swimming eight times. Maybe a race, too. We'll see.

Non-fitness goals include: painting the living room, organizing the office (again), and checking off everything on this spring cleaning list.

What are some of your goals for April? Do you have any races planned? Any house/apartment projects? How much are you avoiding spring cleaning?

Until the next report out, shake it out, alfalfa sprout.

- Allison Rae

tuesday rewind

I think I found it, guys.

I found the spark I was missing when I run.

Somewhere between the bright, sunny days last week and my wet, rainy run today, I found it. And it's making all. the. difference. Whether the run is shorter, longer, slower, faster. I'm just out there having fun. 

And dammit, it feels good.

This week I haven't planned for any cross training. Considering we have our first triathlon in June, I should probably get on that. Especially if Ryan is going to sign us up for the duathlon he found this past weekend.

I'm just not sure how much I want to run-bike-run. 

What's on your plate for this week? How do you deal with losing/finding your spark? What helps with getting your head back in the game?

Until the next rewind, peace out, lifers.

-Allison Rae

race recap : doc lopez run for health

The alarm on Saturday, March 18th came way. too. early.

For a weekday, 6:15am isn't too bad. On the weekend? It's just brutal. But that's where I found myself last Saturday. With a husband who's chronically late, a race an hour and a half away, and a caravan with my parents set for 7:30am, that wake up time was unfortunately, very necessary. 

The Doc Lopez Run for Health is held every year in Elizabethtown, New York (not Kentucky) right as winter is coming to an end. Four days before the race, Winter Storm Stella plowed through and dropped lots of snow up and down New York State. Albany got nearly two feet of it and Elizabethtown looked like it got more. Thankfully, the roads were clear and dry the morning of. I just wish the starting temp wasn't 13°F. 

That's freaking cold.

But there wasn't wind so I considered myself lucky. #smallvictories

The 5K course is a fairly easy out and back along Route 9 with only about 50 feet of elevation gain. My only wish is that the roads were closed so we could run on flat pavement and not the uneven shoulder. I mean, it's not like it would impede traffic that much. I think I remember all of four cars, MAYBE, during the time I was out there.

I didn't do or wear anything special for this race. I kept running everyday and stupidly did some fartlek running the day before. I wore the same thing I always do when it's cold outside: two sets of leggings, a long sleeve compression shirt, and my running jacket. Most of it being UA cold gear stuff. And I even ate the snack-sized trail mix from the swag bag as my breakfast that morning. Which, in hind sight, was not the best idea.

Going into the race I was very excited. Ryan had offered to pace it for me so I could shoot for a sub-thirty minute race. Although, with the temperatures as low as they were he cautioned that the day might not be the day for a PR.

photo by: Shawn Michener (2017)

At the race line, I gave my mom my phone, waved to both my parents, and the nerves settled in real hard. I had to pee (it was cold). I had to poop (I was nervous). I was freezing (it was 13° afterall).

At the whistle (yep, someone blew a whistle), we were off. My thoughts went something like this...

     ▪ Ryan's actually running with me!
     ▪ Are we going to PR today?
     ▪ I don't know if I can do it.
     ▪ But I'm keeping up with him...maybe I can?
     ▪ Holy crap, I thought going out there weren't any hills.
     ▪ What the eff was that little hill?
     ▪ Jesus Christ, I'm dying.
     ▪ "Ryan, please take these gloves."
     ▪ Yes, I can definitely keep this up without the gloves.
     ▪ "Ryan, can you please take the hat?"
     ▪ I'm sweating so bad.
     ▪ How fast am I running?
     ▪ Ryan tells me not to look at my watch.
     ▪ Damn, I'm running really fast.
     ▪ I'm still keeping up with him.
     ▪ Yes, one mile.
     ▪ There is no way I'm running this fast on the way back.
     ▪ Seriously? A truck driving down the middle of the road?
     ▪ Picture time! Smile!
     ▪ Almost halfway.
     ▪ "No water, thank you."
     ▪ Why am I so tired?
     ▪ My legs feel like lead.
     ▪ Thank you Mr. State Police.
     ▪ JFC there's no way I'm breaking thirty.
     ▪ Nope, just lost him.
     ▪ He's such a trooper.
     ▪ I suck at running.
     ▪ No, don't cry, just keep running.
     ▪ I want to walk.
     ▪ No walking, just keep running.
     ▪ Picture time, again? Try to smile!
     ▪ Definitely not catching Ryan.
     ▪ Oh look, a senior citizen is passing me.
     ▪ "No, no water, thank you."
     ▪ HOW LONG IS THIS EFFING HILL?!
     ▪ He's stopping?
     ▪ He's stopping.
     ▪ He's waiting for me?
     ▪ No crying. No crying. Just running.
     ▪ "Yep, let's just finish this."
     ▪ He waited to finish the race with me.
     ▪ He's so good.
     ▪ Okay, downhill then last hill, run it.
     ▪ Last hill, last hill.
     ▪ Short, quick steps.
     ▪ Big steps, muscle through.
     ▪ GOD DAMMIT HILLS SUCK.
     ▪ Okay, just a little slow run to catch your breath.
     ▪ Be strong, stay strong.
     ▪ I should've eaten some chocolate.
     ▪ Smile for dad!
     ▪ Sweet relief, I see the finish line.
     ▪ Oh God, don't die.
     ▪ Smile for mom!
     ▪ YES. I DID IT.

And then after a time of 32:20.71, I collapsed into a snow bank with my medal, bottle of water, and a box of chocolate milk.

I was disappointed in my performance considering I PRed the course last year with a 30:47 and really wanted another good performance. But not every race is a PR race. Especially when you have your head up your ass.

I can't say enough about the event coordinators, Susie and Christine. They really pull together a great event and put together awesome swag bags. They never do the t-shirt thing, instead doing branded items like gloves (last year) or multi-use head scarf (this year). I also get pretty pumped for that Ben & Jerry's coupon. Seeing Gatherer's in there this year was also pretty cool, with it made in Schenectady and all.

But overall, a great race with beautiful scenery. I mean, what's not to like about the North Country? I'll be signing up again next year. Hopefully running it without the jitters though.

Until the next race recap, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

monday rewind

First race of 2017 is officially in the bag.

Saturday wasn't the greatest to start off the season but I think I got all the jitters out.

Last week was just focused on running to prep for the race. I decided to throw one interval session in there (which I've never done before) and thought the day before the race was the perfect day for it. In case you're wondering, the day before a race is not the day to start intervals.

Because of how sore I've been for the past couple days I'm not going to put pressure on my body to do anything more than run my run plan for the week. And if they're slower than slow runs, I'll take those too. Maybe later in the week I'll feel up for a bike ride or a short swim. 

Later this week I'm going to put together a race report and recap my run. Hopefully by then my legs won't be as sore.

What's the first race you have planned for this year? Do you have a goal for it? Did you already run it? And thinking back, what's the race you're most proud of? Mine is my second triathlon at Delta Lake. I can't wait to do it again this July.

Until the next rewind, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

wednesday rewind

It just came to my attention that my first race of 2017 is three days away.

THREE DAYS.

No big deal. I'll just sit here quietly and freak out. Maybe first I should figure out how many layers of clothing to wear considering yesterday we got nearly two feet of snow.

Training's been fun this week.

Remember how last week I wanted to do three bike rides, possibly two swims, and all my running miles? Well, I forgot we had our mini vacay planned. So one bike ride and the swims were off the table. 

Then we got to Burlington (in case you didn't guess) and it was -19° F outside with 20 mph winds. So the dreadmill it was. And with my streak still strong at 198 days, no run was not an option. To save my sanity I shortened up the runs and just got my mile in each day. 

As far as I'm concerned there's no shame in a short run.

This week, I'm back on track and sort of excited for race day Saturday. I'm just hoping it doesn't look like this up North...

Maybe it will be the perfect amount of snow for a pretty morning run backdrop. Let's just hope it's not as cold as balls.

This week, I'm focusing on nice slow runs in preparation for race day. I'm skipping the bike and swimming since I've added about thirty minutes of physical therapy exercises into my daily routine. While they're definitely helping my tailbone pain, we're still trying to see what it's doing for my "running" muscles.

What's on your plan for this week? Any new exercises you're incorporating? Any ones you're skipping this week?

Until the next rewind, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

gotta get away

Who's ready for an adventure?!

Today marks the start of Ryan's spring break and while we can't do a week long vacay we can manage a nice long weekend. We're on the hunt for good food, good beer, and hipster vibes. Any guesses as to where we're headed? Look out for hints on instagram!

Until the reveal, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

monday rewind

Do you see that teeny, tiny sliver down there?! It might just look like an extra thick line...but I assure you. it. is. there.

I FINALLY GOT IN THE POOL.

And I'm happy to say that it's as wonderful and therapeutic as I remember. It's just so exciting to be back in the pool after not swimming for over a year. Yep. A year. 

Thank God for muscle memory!

Ryan has a completely different feeling about swimming and probably hates every time I tell him we should get in the pool. 

Last week, I completed my entire run plan. You know who felt awesome?! Me! I only did one run inside and that was because it was freaking cold and the temperatures dipped below zero (fahrenheit) with the wind chill. 

So remember how last week I placed third in the Garmin 75,000 Step Challenge with 89,467 steps? Well this week I whooped ass and came in first. Total steps? 81,987. It's so subjective. And I just saw they bumped me up to the 80,000 Step Challenge this week. 

This week, on top of cycling three times, swimming twice, and running err day, I want to incorporate the exercises my physical therapist gave me. I started going again back in February to get rid of my tailbone pain for good. Here's hoping I see some improvement.

Maybe some speed gains too?

What's your goal for this week? Are you trying anything new? 

Until the next rewind, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

later gator - february report out

Can we talk about this for a second?

Last week I placed third in the 75,000 step challenge. I did 89,467 steps and placed third. THIRD. The winner? 114,752. I mean, really?!

I didn't get 10,000 steps each day in February but between walking and running I got in 299,432 for the whole month. Not too too shabby.

I still haven't been in the pool but I managed to do a total of 27.34 miles cycling in the pain cave where I'm binging Girls Meets World. Which, by the way, who else is upset that it was cancelled after season three?!

For running, I originally wanted to do a hundred miles. But February is a short month and it was personally challenging for me. All in all I did sixty-three and a half miles. Here's hoping a run plan will help with some consistency.

For March, my plan has me right around ninety miles running. I want to try hard to bike three times a week. And I'm going to make it in the pool come hell or high water this month, starting Sunday.

What are your goals for March? Running? Biking? Swimming? How does your exercise plan look?

Until the end of March, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

tuesday rewind

So how about them Oscars...

No matter how much I love watching them, they always throw off my sleep schedule and then I'm a bear. Two days later and I still want to go to bed at 7:30pm.

On top of it, the tail end of last week was super busy. We crunched in concerts, late night movies, time with friends, and TWO cider and beer tastings. So sleep wasn't a priority...but while I still haven't gotten in the pool, I got one bike ride in and managed to accomplish MOST of my newly minted run plan.

I even managed to convince a friend to go running with me! He's just getting back into running so he mistakenly thinks I'm fast.  To be honest it was just nice being able to run and talk to someone. Well, talk AT someone. He was gracious enough to listen.

I'm usually the one huffing and puffing on a run with Ryan. The only thing I have over him is my run streak.

But I'll take what I can get.

What accomplishment are you most proud of when it comes to your fitness? Do you have a run streak? Or is it something NOT running related? Remember sharing is caring.

Until the next rewind, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

monday rewind

Hey hey hey! Looks who's making a comeback.

Last week felt so much better. I haven't gotten in the pool yet BUT I got on the bike twice AND I managed to get a five mile run in. #winning.

We'll ignore the fact that the day after that run I was hobbling like a ninety year old woman.

This past weekend was so nice it was basically a sin to be indoors so I tried to catch up on some mileage towards my 1,000 mile running mini-goal. My 100 mile running mini-goal for February is pretty much out of the question. If I get half that I'll consider myself lucky I kept my streak going at all.

Which currently, I'm at day 175.

By this time next week I'll have run for six months. That's half a year guys!

Having the motivation to run everyday has been a challenge. It does help to have smashrun. Those badges are the best things for me. Including my latest one I earned Sunday. It doesn't help not having a run plan. With no races lined up and the triathlon distances being right around the 5K mark, so there's no reason to really run anything further.

This week I really want to sit down and make a run plan. I know there's a lot of plans out there and maybe I'll incorporate aspects of those, but there's just something about making your own. You know?

What running plans have you used or what ones are you using? Have you found one that worked? Do you have any suggestions on speed workouts?

Until the next rewind, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae

adventures in boston

So as I mentioned before, Ryan and I went to Boston last weekend to see my favorite podcast ever. Lore.

Once we realized that a winter storm was coming and some other plans fell through, we booked a hotel and made it a long weekend. We stayed just outside the city because parking is a nightmare. And since we were traveling through Massachusetts, Ryan decided it was the perfect opportunity to check out Treehouse Brewing in Monson. Needless to say we both had a pretty good weekend.

Oh and if you're ever in Sturbridge, go to Lola's. You wont regret it.

Until the next adventure, peace out, lifers.

- Allison Rae