Friday's Favorite Fit: The Best Carbo-Loading Recipe for Runners!

Jess in Minneapolis

The Rights Fits is about Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion. We rarely delve into the realms of healthy eating/cooking, as so many healthy living bloggers do. I’m sorry if you came here hoping for recipes with protein powder, almond butter, and GOJI berries! Not that there’s anything wrong with those recipe-filled blogs. I read them daily for ideas myself! I just am not quite as creative in the kitchen as people like Jen from Peanut Butter Runner or Jenna from Eat, Live, Run. Don’t get me wrong, I feel that I eat a relatively healthy diet, and maybe someday I will go down that route of sharing more about my daily eats on here...With that in mind, this week’s post for Friday’s Favorite Fit is...well, actually it's a recipe- a recipe for runners!

This is my go-to recipe for carbo-loading before a long run. If you’ve been reading for awhile, you might know that Dustin and I usually love a Punch Pizza before our long runs. Punch Pizza is a Minneapolis chain that serves up fresh Neapolitan style pizzas for a good price. The pizzas are light with a very thin crust and with fresh ingredients. And they are made super fast- just 90 seconds!

But sometimes, Punch Pizza just isn’t an option…maybe we already went there earlier in the week,  or maybe we just don’t want to wait in line on a warm summer night. (I love Punch, but some nights the line is out the door and around the building!) On those nights, we turn to THIS recipe for our pre-long run meal. It’s light and it’s easy. There’s not any cream or much cheese, or anything that might upset the tummy. I have a bit of a sensitive stomach, so this is perfect for me on a Friday night (like tonight) before a twenty mile training run the next morning.

This recipe is originally from the Food Network (Find it HERE), and it was brought to me by my speedy friend Kelly. You remember Kelly? She’s the one who ran a 3:25 at the Newport Marathon! 

Yep. She’s fast. And another fascinating fact about Kelly is that she is a really good cook. And she eats this meal the whole week leading up to a marathon. This recipe is simple enough for those of us who aren’t culinary artists like Kelly, but yet it tastes good enough that you could probably fool a few people into thinking that you are!

It requires just a few simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen:

• ½ pound of cappellini (I used thin spaghetti)
• 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into bite sized chunks
• Red pepper flakes (I add a lot!)
• Salt
• Chopped fresh basil
• Optional grated parmesan for topping
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is golden.

Crush the tomatoes into the skillet.

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Add the zucchini and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt.

Meanwhile, cook the cappellini according to the package directions.

Drain and add to the sauce along with the basil; toss to coat. Top with parmesan.

Serve with a small green salad and fresh bread, and you’ll be ready for your long run on Saturday morning!

I am enjoying a big plate of this pasta right now, while I drink plenty of water to hydrate for tomorrow’s 20 mile run. You can bet that I’ll be toting my Nathan fuel belt filled with ice-cold Nuun. We do have two support stops planned for the long run (thanks to those awesome volunteers!) and there will be water fountains along the way, but with temperatures near 90 degrees tomorrow, I feel more comfortable with a little extra hydration on hand. I’ll fill up the pockets on my belt with 2-3 GU’s, some chapstick, a few dollars in case of an emergency, and maybe some paper towels/tissues, (anyone else ALWAYS have a running nose when running- even when its 90 degrees?).

I’m ready!

*Are you running a long run tomorrow? How far? Good luck!

 P.S. I used this zucchini that my friend Penny gave me from her garden. It was enormous! I had enough to make some coconut zucchini bread as well (this recipe).

The Right Fit for a Pedal Pub

Jess in Minneapolis

This past Saturday, Dustin and I joined in on an awesome 30^th birthday celebration that was hosted on one of these:

 A Pedal Pub!

Have you tried one before? This was my first time. I had heard that they are a ton of fun, so I was definitely looking forward to this party!

The two pedal pubs for this birthday celebration were rented from 3-5 pm; yes, right in the middle of a hot, hot August Saturday, (and we had run 20 miles earlier that day….)

So, the dilemma is…what does one wear on a pedal pub on a 95 degree day? 

That’s a tough one.

I have a few thoughts about what NOT to wear…and a few about what to wear.

Don’t wear a cotton t-shirt that you might sweat right through, especially if you’re going to be one of the ones pedaling! It's a lot of work, and you probably will get a little sweaty...

This guy was working hard! But next time, I might suggest that he bring a change of shirt, 

or maybe wear a running shirt for the pedaling portion!

Don’t wear light colored shorts either. I learned that one the hard way with a bit of butt-sweat showing right through my orange shorts. (Butt-sweat not shown in below picture)

DO think about wearing dry-fit, light-colored fabrics, or anything breathable. Pedaling a pub full of 16 people is hard work, and you probably will get pretty sweaty. On a typical pedal pub, there are quite a few “seats” on the pub for people who don’t actually pedal (i.e. they aren't pulling their own weight!). I was lucky and ended up on one of those, but even I still got sweaty, so I can only imagine how hard it was for those people who were picking up the rest of our slack.

But I digress. Let me draw your attention to this guy. This guy knew exactly how to dress for a pedal pub! 

Dustin wore a pair of Onia shorts. This company makes men’s swimwear with a mission is to “provide a solution for the design conscious gentlemen eager for classy options for their swimwear needs.” 

Let me clarify- these weren’t exactly swim trunks; they’re designed to be worn out and about, as well as in the water- a true functional fit! I bought Dustin a pair last summer for his birthday. The quick drying material made for a functional fit, and their classy design kept them from looking too “beachware” and more “pedal pub!”

Check them out here: http://onia.com/calder.php

He also donned a Patagonia Island Hopper shirt (find it HERE)
The Island Hopper shirt is ultralight and made of moisture-wicking material, providing big-time ventilation and 15 UPF sun protection. 

This guy was ready; he had the RIGHT FIT for pedal pubbing!

Personally I wore a white top that didn’t show the sweat, paired with orange shorts. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, light colored shorts might have been a bad choice. Dark shorts would have been a better option, or maybe a light breathable sundress. But if you decide to wear a sundress on your pedal pub, be careful of the breeze. The pedal pub can get going pretty fast downhill!

DO wear flats- Heels just don’t work if you’re pedaling. Toms are a comfortable shoe choice as well.

DO wear sunblock and sunglasses

DO drink plenty of water, bring your camera, and enjoy!

The pedal pubs in Minneapolis have a variety of routes to choose from. Ours was a downtown route, so we pedaled around downtown Minneapolis for two hours, with one short pit stop at Nye's. 

Some people choose to pedal for longer, or they might decide to stop at more bars along the way. I thought our route was great. We had plenty of time pedaling, and one stop was plenty.

I thought we did the right amount of pedaling, though it was easy for me to say since I wasn't the one pedaling the whole way!

  

A pedal pub is a fun way to celebrate a birthday, bachelorette, graduation, whatever! I highly recommend trying it sometime; just be sure to dress appropriately- find the right fit, so to speak!

What a great party, and happy birthday to this guy!

Weekly Recap: Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion August 19-25

Jess in Minneapolis

Happy Tuesday friends! I’m a little behind, but let’s talk about what happened last week in Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion!

 

What's going on in fitness?:

Lots of running last week, as we are reaching the peak of our training for the Berlin marathon!

 

Monday: 7 miles with the Calhoun Beach Running Club: Variety Speed workout, or the old 6-5-4-3-2-1 workout. For this workout, we’re supposed to try to run the “race pace” for that number of miles, then rest half that time, and so forth, i.e. 6 minutes at 6 mile race pace, 3 minutes off. 5 minutes at 5 mile race pace, 2.5 minutes off.  4 minutes at 4 mile race, 2 minutes off…you get the idea, all the way down to 1 minute. We did about 1.5 warmup and 1.5 mile cool-down.

Tuesday: 6.5 miles in the AM with Kelly and Abby, Balanced Barre in the PM

 

Wednesday: 5 miles of trails at Theodore Wirth (read about that HERE)

 

Thursday: 8.75 miles of a “track” style workout. There is a place on the Cedar trail where there are two bridges that are about 0.5 mile apart. We use those bridges are milestones/markers in place of a true track. We did about 1.75 mile warm-up to get there, then 800 meters, 1200 meters, 1600 meters, 1600 meters, 1200 meters, 800 meters, and then 1.75 miles cooldown. We would jog for about 0.25 mile in between each interval. This was a really tough workout, and I was tired afterwards!

 

Friday: Complete rest- much needed! We did take a nice long walk at the dog park. We were dog-sitting the beagle in the below picture.

Saturday: 20 mile long run. HOT, HOT, HOT. We had a fun route down the greenway, to West River Parkway, and back to the lakes via downtown and through Loring Park. There were two supports stops, one at mile 7 and one at mile 12. Both were greatly appreciated on a hot, sunny day! We also spent an hour at the dog park, just keeping this little visitor happy!

Sunday: A nice hour walk with Matilda- basically another rest day.

 

Total: About 48 miles of running, 2 rest days, 1 barre class, lots of walks

 

What's going on it fashion?

An item that I am very excited about this week is one that fits the bill! It’s THIS SKIRT from Target!

 

I have to admit, I copied this look from a friend. She was wearing this skirt the other day, and she shared that she found it at none other than Target. I had to zip out to Target myself to see if I too could have this adorable pencil skirt for just $22. (Imitation is the biggest form of flattery right?)  You can't beat a price like $22. Fortunately, they did have one left in my size at my Target, so I snatched this one as well as a basic black pencil skirt as well. Definitely two new work items that fit the bill! I love the fun fall pattern.   Quick, run to your nearest Target and pick one up for yourself!

 

What is going on in fitness fashion?

I’m still on the Bitty Bracer bandwagon. I have two of these now. I wore one for my hot 20 miler, and though it wasn’t 100% perfect, as I did get a tiny bit of chafing, I still think it’s the best one out there for me. It still is my favorite, and I have to plan my laundry accordingly so that one of the two is always clean for any running workouts or long runs.

 

Well, that’s it for Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion last week! Hope you had a fun weekend- stay tuned for a Featured Fit for what to wear on a pedal pub!

 

Fits Do "Race" Reviews: Surly Furious Five Mile Run

Jess in Minneapolis

Last Wednesday, I had planned to have a cross training day by taking a kettlebell class at Balance Fitness. However, when my friend contacted me to let me know that she had signed up for the Surly Furious Five Miler that evening, but she now had a conflict, I couldn’t let her spot in the small 50-person-event go to waste.  So I did what any good running friend would do, and said forget about cross-training, let’s run some hills!

My friend Kelly had also signed up, so the two of us carpooled over to Theodore Wirth Park. It was a steamy 95 degree night, and the bugs were also out in full force. We found the gathering spot by the Surly flag, and chatted with the other runners while we waited to start.

The Surly Furious Five Mile runs are a series of monthly runs that are meant to help runners prepare for the Surly Trail Loppet Half Marathon, which will be held on the Theodore Wirth trails on September 21st. There will be plenty of Surly beer at the finish of course. Sounds fun, right? Well, you might have to wait until next year, because the race is already full.

In fact, the Surly Furious Five Milers are closed too. They only allow fifty people to sign up, so my guess is that they filled up pretty quickly. However, after attending this week and seeing just how fun they were, I reached out to the organizers to see if they might have an open spot. They actually had a person cancel, so I am signed for September’s run too! Woo-hoo!

Anyways, back to the run: I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was not an actual “race”. It was just a very casual run, let by a few Surly employees who are also avid runners. They had “pacers” to lead a “fast”, “medium”, and “slow” group, and then a sweeper in back to ensure no one got lost. And it would have been really easy to get lost! The trails are pretty confusing. Fortunately, Kelly and I stayed close to two other runners (one of whom had already run 22 miles earlier…so he ended up with over a full marathon distance for the day- yowsa!!!) We trailed these two guys who seemed to know where they were going, and fortunately they didn’t steer us off course. 

However, we probably would have managed to find our way even without their guidance, as there were blue flags marking the route, as well as flour spread on the ground occasionally to help you know where to go. (I had no idea that was the way trail runs are marked- genius!)

The trails were extremely narrow throughout, with only a few spots where you could potentially pass another runner. I can imagine that would be challenging in a half marathon! In addition to being narrow, the trails were also VERY hilly. There were a few spots where all the “medium” paced runners in our group just changed to a walk from a jog.

Here are a few (amateur) tips. I know that I am not an expert, after just doing a five miler…but here are some tips, nonetheless:

1. Wear bug spray
2. Wear older shoes that you don’t mind getting super dirty (or invest in trail shoes)
3. Don’t stress about your pace! We were barely running 10 min/miles, but it felt hard. One of the experienced trail runners said to expect to add 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds to your overall pace at the half marathon.
4. Hydrate! We were pretty darn sweaty even after just five miles.
5. Don’t be afraid to walk the hills.
6. Watch your step! It would be easy to take a serious fall on this trail.
7. Watch out for wildlife! We encountered two deer that were not afraid of us at all. In fact, we got pretty darn close before they finally ran off. Hard to believe we're still in the city!

After the Furious Five Miler, they had a drawing for a few prizes- Surly running shirts, registrations to the Loppet, etc. Kelly won a shirt! Well, actually, she won a registration to the Loppet, but she’s already registered, so they let her change her prize to a shirt.

After the run, we all received tokens to head to the Surly Taproom in Brooklyn Center for a free beer. Kelly tried the Misanthrope, the new “Belgian style Saison aged with Brett in used white wine barrels.” I went with my standard Surly Furious...what can I say, I know what I like.

Just one pint of Surly after five sweaty miles was all I could take. We socialized with the other trail runners for awhile while enjoying our free beer, and then headed home.

It was a really fun evening. It was a nice change of scenery from running on the Minneapolis paved roads that we run nearly every day, and the extra hills were a good challenge. 

Great event, Surly. See you next month!

Friday's Favorite Fit: Nine West Polka Dot Heels!

Jess in Minneapolis

This past Saturday was my cousin’s wedding in Madison, Wisconsin, and the whole big family (i.e. all four of my sisters, their husbands, etc) landed in Madtown for the weekend. We found a half marathon to toss into the weekend (read about it HERE) but the primary focus was, of course, a celebration of the bride and groom's special day.

Congrats!

The weather was perfect- sunny and not a cloud in the sky. The ceremony and the reception were held at the Monona Terrace right near the University of Wisconsin Madison campus, which was walkable from the lovely Madison Concourse Hotel where we stayed while in town.

We tried to take some family photos before the reception...

...but clearly our "staging" for photos needs a little work! I think I see Dustin somewhere back there...

Nonetheless, we had an awesome time at the wedding, dancing and having a good time.  

So with all that said, today's Favorite Fit is one small detail in the above pic...the shoes!  As I mentioned in this post, I had purchased a new dress for the occasion at Melly at the Galleria. Yet instead of pairing it with beige shoes as Carly from A la Mode suggested, I went with these polka dot Nine West heels that I already owned. I did, however take Carly’s advice for my earrings, which were purchased from Francesca’s at a price that fit the bill.

Dress: Kate Spade

Shoes: Nine West

Earrings: Francesca's

Navy Clutch: Francesca's

I did get a bit of teasing from the extended family about my "high" heels, as I towering a bit over most...even Dustin! Come on...they aren't that high!

And lookie here- you can buy these same polka dot heels HERE at overstock.com for only $27.99!

Congrats again to my cousin and his new wife, and thanks for letting us help celebrate your big day!

Fits Do Race Reviews: Madison Mini-Marathon

By Jess in Minneapolis

I ran the Madison Mini-Marathon yesterday, August 17, 2013.

Dustin and I were actually in Madison for my cousin's wedding, so it worked out perfectly that we could run this race as our long run Saturday morning. Two of my sisters ran it as well, though no LL this year (although she did a great job cheering for us from the sidelines!)

This was the fifth year of this half marathon, which also includes a 5k.  This half marathon was rated by Runner's World recently as the #14th best half marathon in the nation.

Runner's World attributes their high ranking to
1) Great pace teams
2) High-energy course
3) Free beer at the finish.

Aid Stations: I would personally add to Runner's World's list that there were plenty of well-manned and well-marked aid stations. In fact, the aid stations had to be the most frequent that I have ever seen at a half marathon. Granted, this race does take place in the middle of August, which historically can probably be pretty hot. Each support stop was definitely welcomed, at least for a quick pour of water on my head!  Each aid station had large flags and signs 50 feet beforehand, so you knew they were coming, and you easily plan your GU or other fuel intake. Each station had plenty of volunteers handing out water and Gatorade.

*Best tip? Make eye contact with the person at the aid station and clearly say "WATER" or "GATORADE". This really helps avoid any spillage or  delays."

Weather: The organizers had a "flag" warning system in place based on the danger level of the weather: Green: Everything is normal. Yellow: Heat index is at a point that runners should slow down and drink plenty of water. Red: Dangerous weather. Timing of the event has stopped. Black: Race has been cancelled due to extreme weather.

By the time I finished yesterday, I overheard someone say that the flag had been changed to yellow, as the temperature was in the 80's and it was definitely humid. Perhaps it wasn't PR weather yesterday, but it wasn't necessarily unbearable. It could have been a lot worse! However, my parents were spectating, and they did say that they saw some runners go down, and there was a girl throwing up right in front of me when I approached the finish line. Poor thing.

SWAG: I would also add to Runner's World's comments that the finisher's medal was really cool. Its actually a beer opener! Only in Wisconsin, right? The finisher's shirt was dry-fit, but honestly, it wasn't that great of quality and it was very bright red. (I probably won't be wearing it again, but I rarely do wear my race shirts again....) But at least the medal was great!

This mini-marathon was also part of the "M2 Challenge" with the Summerfest Rock 'n' Sole half marathon. My sister Cresta did both of these races, so that means she was a finisher of the "M2 Challenge" and she received another special medal:

Course: The start line was right outside the student union, which was also walking distance from the Madison Concourse Hotel, where we stayed. (FYI, the Madison Concourse Hotel is a great hotel in a perfect location. If you stay there, be sure to pay up for the Governor's Club- it includes breakfast and all-you-can-drink cocktails during your stay!) 

The race started at 7 am. There was great music playing while we lined up in our corals, which were also very organized. Then, there was a nice rendition of the star-spangled banner, and we were off right on time at 7 am.

The course was really pretty cool. I'm the only one out of the five girls in my family who did not attend the University of Wisconsin- Madison (I was the black sheep, i.e. a Golden Gopher) Even though I didn't go to school there, I was still somewhat familiar with the city, and I felt that the course really showed off some of the city's best parts! We ran by the Capitol of course, then the Kohl Center, Camp Randall, and the Henry Vilas Zoo. We ran along the shore of Lake Wingra, and then through the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, where we encountered some hills. Eventually, we made our way back to the lakeshore path, and ended in the same place that we started at the union.

Crowd Support: I was really surprised by the number of people that came out to cheer us on, especially so early on a Saturday morning! There were a lot of good signs along the course. My favorite?

"You think this is tough? Try growing out your bangs. Now THAT is tough!"

Post-Race Party: The actual finish line was a bit of a cluster when I first crossed. They were handing out a lot of nice goodies (Wisconsin cheddar cheese popcorn, chocolate milk, etc) but they were shuffling us through the chute really quickly. They also didn't offer up any type of bag to put all the goodies into, so my hands were full of my two water glasses to grab anything. Instead, I just went through the cool water "shower" they had set up (that was a nice touch!) and quickly found Dustin on the terrace of the student union.

This was Wisconsin, so don't you worry, there was definitely beer at the finish too. 

We were able to go back towards the place where the rest of my family was spectating and watch my other two sisters come through the finish. They both had good races, and it was fun to share the experience with family.

Personally, I was a little disappointed with my performance. I did okay, considering the warm temperatures and the hills, but I really wanted to be around 1:47. The last half marathon I did was the Kalamazoo half marathon (1:53 with a darn bathroom stop). Before that it was the Get Lucky half marathon (1:50) and the Securian Winter Run (1:50). And the Madison mini-marathon was yet another 1:50...I need to break away from this 1:50 rut! I felt like I started really slow and easy, and had planned to kick it in at mile 8, but what felt like "kicking it in" turned out to be nothing remarkable. Funny how that works. If only mile 7 and 10 would have been a little stronger...

Splits:
mile 1: 8:38
mile 2: 8:02
mile 3: 8:05
mile 4: 8:14
mile 5: 8:20
mile 6: 8:23
mile 7: 8:37
mile 8: 8:26
mile 9: 8:13
mile 10: 8:41
mile 11: 8:14
mile 12: 8:25
mile 13: 8:17
mile 13.3 (clearly didn't run the tangents if my Garmin said 13.3 miles total!): 7:16

Expo: I am mentioning this as a bit of an afterthought because I actually did not attend this expo. It was held at Union South on Friday from 10 am to 8 pm. My sister was able to pick up our packets for us on Friday (though she did have to bring copies of our driver's licenses). She did say that the parking situation at the packet picket was a bit of a disaster. They waited in the parking ramp for over an hour to get out. It was a very busy day on campus as well, as it was move-in day for students. I'm sure the location would have been fine on another day, but it was a lot of time spent for what should be an easy packet pickup.

Overall Experience: Overall, I would give this half marathon a 9/10. I thought the course was really great. There was a lot of crowd support for a half marathon, as well as great aid stations. Other than the expo, the event was really well-organized. I would actually make the drive for this race in the future, especially if I get to run it with my sisters!

**LL, I hope you join us next year!

There are over 1,500 half-marathons in the U.S. and The BMO Harris Bank Madison Mini Presented by Meriter & Physicians Plus hosted in the heart of downtown Madison was recently ranked the number 14th best half-marathon by Runner’s World Magazine. The February issue of Runner's World Magazine is on newsstands now. From a great fitness expo to pace teams, a high-energy course, free beer and much more the Madison Mini delivers on multiple level

Fits Do Product Reviews/Friday's Favorite Fit: Lululemon's Bitty Bracer Bra

By Jess in Minneapolis

Men if you're reading, be forewarned. This post mentions boobs!

I have struggled in the past to find the perfect sports bra- one that I can wear for 20+ mile runs, with no chafing, with no soreness....I usually have really good luck with the Moving Comfort Serena bra, but I was willing to see what else is out there.

This week I splurged on the Lululemon Bitty Bracer. A friend of mine who has larger boobies said it was her ideal sports bra. I trust her opinion. Afterall, she has larger boobies, so she knows her stuff. I decided to give it a go, even though the price is a little hard to swallow ($68).

I picked it up in a C cup without trying it on. I was in a rush; who has time to try stuff on? Why would I bother trying to find the Right Fit?

Well, maybe I should have. When I finally put it on, I couldn't even get it over my boobs! I'm definitely not a D cup, so I was really confused....what's the deal? Is the bitty bracer only for the itty bitty? I sent my friend a frantic text. How the heck do you get this thing on?

Luckily she got back to me quickly (what a pal!), and she explained to me that you really have to work the girlies into this bra. It's not supposed to be easy! In fact, you want to have a very tight fit.

If I had only tried it on at the store, I'm sure this would have been explained to me. Had I not been in such a rush, I also would have seen this clearly on the tag.

Once I figured out how to get the thing on, it actually felt really comfortable, and it only got better. As the material "warmed up" it molded to my body and really became the right fit. 

Also, there are no seams, which makes it chafe-free for the long run. Its actually made out of what lululemon calls "swim" fabric, though I have never had a swimsuit made out of this material.

I tried it out yesterday morning for a 7.5 mile morning run, and the bra was great. (So was the run!) Everything on top was secure and there was very little movement. I am definitely a big fan of the bra.

The only downside (other than the high price) is that it currently only comes in two colors, black and hot pink. Even so, I highly recommend this bra to my runner friends.

Check out this video for more information on how to "fit" your bitty bracer bra:

According to lululemon's site, "this bonded bra was engineered to mould to our unique shapes as it warms up."

• specially designed for B to C-cup athletes
• fits tight for maximum support - it will relax and mould to your body as you wear it
• lightweight Swim fabric is soft against the delicate skin of your bust
• bonded construction moulds to your body shape as it warms up
• adjustable hook-and-eye closure puts the fit in your hands
• racerback straps give you freedom to move
• support level: high

This Saturday, I will be running the Madison Mini-Marathon! This half marathon is the #14 best half marathon in the nation (according to Runner's World, aka, the runner's bible). I have heard great things about this race, so I hope it lives up to my expectations, and I hope I live up to my own personal expectations for performance! But even if I don't, at least I know that the boobies will stay in place, because you can be sure that I'll be wearing my new Lululemon Bitty Bracer for the 13.1 miles!

There are over 1,500 half-marathons in the U.S. and The BMO Harris Bank Madison Mini Presented by Meriter & Physicians Plus hosted in the heart of downtown Madison was recently ranked the number 14th best half-marathon by Runner’s World Magazine.  From a great fitness expo to pace teams, a high-energy course, free beer and much more the Madison Mini delivers on multiple levels!

Fits on the Road: Another Cabin Weekend!

By Jess in Minneapolis

I'm back from another long weekend at the cabin. These Fits on the Road At The Cabin posts are all pretty similar, I apologize. But this trip was different for a special reason: this time, we were joined by Dustin's mom and stepdad, as well as his brother, wife, and two nephews. His brother has been living in Tokyo, Japan for nearly fifteen years. He met his wife there, and they now have two little boys, age three and five.

They come back to the states a few times a year, and this summer, we were happy to be able to take a four day weekend to join them 'up north.'

Running: My long training run for Berlin was eighteen miles this weekend, and that was just too long to do on the lonely country roads. Instead, I took Friday off of work, and my friend Theresa joined me at seven am Friday morning to get our long runs out of the way. We were able to run on the Minneapolis trails with water fountains and bathrooms as necessary. It was perfect!

After the eighteen miler and a quick shower, Dustin, Matilda, and I hit the road. Matilda is really well-behaved on road trips. She usually settles right in for a nap.

We arrived at the cabin around three pm. It was so great to see Dustin's nephews. They had grown up so much since the last time we saw them!

It wasn't long after our arrival before we headed to dinner at the Enchanted Inn. I was starving from the eighteen mile run, and the thin-crust pizzas as this historic little restaurant definitely hit the spot!

Fitness at the Cabin: I was able to run six miles on Saturday morning before spending the day outside with the family. There was plenty of paddle-boarding, as usual. Even Dustin's brother gave it a try. Once he got the hang of it, he was zipping around the lake!

Dustin probably had the biggest balance challenge, with both nephews riding along on the board at the same time.  He never tipped over though!

On Sunday, Dustin and Matilda joined me again for the same six mile run. I think Matilda was definitely exhausted after running the hills, though she still had plenty of energy to protect us from the dragonflies!

Monday's training schedule called for eight to ten miles with hill repeats. I wanted to get this out of the way at the cabin rather than waiting until the evening to join the Calhoun Beach Running Club. I knew we'd be tired after the drive home, so instead, I sucked it up and got it done on the country roads. I ran the three miles into the town (on hilly country roads) and then did eight repeats of a steep-ish hill that was 1/4 mile long.  Three mile warmup, eight repeats on a 1/4 mile hill, plus three mile cool-down equals ten miles total.

Whew! It kicked my booty, that's for sure :-)

There was lots of running at the cabin but we also had plenty of time for some wine drinking, scrumptious food eating, swimming, fishing, and plenty of relaxing.

In fact, the relaxation station was back out on the lake, and Dustin's nephews loved it!

We also did some fishing during the evenings, and everyone caught a fish! At night, there were a few fireworks. Matilda did not like the fireworks at all, but she did love the fish!

It was a lovely weekend with lots of memories and good times had by all! 

Weekly Fitness Recap:

Monday: 9 miles, with 5 miles at marathon pace

Tuesday: a morning 10k with Abby

Wednesday: 1 hour bootcamp class at the YMCA with Abby and her husband, with a mix of strength and cardio

Thursday: 5.5 easy miles with Matilda

Friday: 18 miles with Theresa

Saturday: 6 miles at the cabin

Sunday: 6 miles at the cabin

Total:  over 50 miles of running, but no yoga & only one day of cross training, and zero days of complete rest..fail on two counts!