Weekly Recap: Lots of Running and Some Cabin Hills!

Hi there! I'm just one day behind on my weekly recap, but that's because I was at the cabin for a long weekend with my husband's family. Internet service there is questionable at best (though I did a short post on Saturday HERE). It was a great weekend of family and fun, but now its back to reality.

Let me fill you in on what happened last week in Fitness, Fashion, and Fitness Fashion!

Here's what happened in fitness last week:
Monday: 7.75 mile run in the AM
Tuesday: 8 mile run in the AM with Kelly, with a few miles at a faster effort or "marathon pace"
Wednesday: 1 hour strength conditioning at Calhoun Beach Club
Here is the workout:

Thursday: 4 mile run easy with Matilda
Friday: 15 mile long run before heading to the cabin. I started at 6 am and ran a unique route with my friend Abby. It felt great, and I was so grateful to have a decent long run with great company.
Saturday: 6 miles with Dustin's family, lots of SUP (stand up paddleboarding) on the lake
Sunday: 6 miles with Dustin's brother, (just Collin and me- so fun!) more SUP on the lake
Monday: A little over 8.5 miles with hill repeats...at the cabin! Dustin and I ran 3 miles together as a warmup to a hill by the cabin that is about 1/4 mile long. We did 6 repeats for 2.5 miles of hard effort, following by 3 mile cool down back to the cabin (which still included lots of hills)

Like always, a long weekend at the cabin resulted a lot more running than normal, but that's just the way it goes. I prefer to start the day with a little exercise before all the cabin fun begins, and running is just the easiest thing to do there. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who wanted to start the day with a run! In fact, I always had a good looking man to accompany me.

What is happening in fashion?
In fashion this past week, I received another Stitch Fix (Check out previous fixes HERE, HERE, and HERE)  Guess what? I didn't like any of it...that hasn't ever happened before. Usually, I keep at least one or two things, but this time none of it worked. I'll share pictures later this week, but I am going to have to provide better feedback to the stylist so I get better items next time.

What is happening in fitness fashion?
Brooks Ravennas! These are my shoe- I have blabbed on and on about them, especially HERE, but I didn't know that my sister Erin also runs in them. Great minds think alike!

I still owe you a race recap of the Urban Wildland Half Marathon, which I'll get to this week.

But for now, I'll leave you with a bunch of pictures from the family reunion at the cabin!

The whole crew!

Our little family.

The FUN STATION!

Keeping an eye on things..

Come sail away...

Our 45 pound lap dog...

We also spent some time recreating an old family photo from eleven years ago. I'm holding the original picture on the right...Pretty close, right? Fun stuff!

Fits on The Road: Back at the Cabin!

Hi all! I'm blogging on my phone, which is not that easy...but I wanted to say hi. 

We're at the cabin for a reunion of sorts with Dustin's extended family (including his brother and family who are visiting from Japan).

I did my long run yesterday morning before we left. It actually was one of my best feeling long runs so far, thanks to an early start and company from my friend Abby.

Dustin and I arrived around 2 yesterday and ended up at the Enchanted Inn nearby for dinner. More family is arriving today- it will be a full house!

This morning, Dustin, Matilda the Vizsla, Dustin's brother Collin and his half brother Reed all joined me for the cabin 10k run. So fun to all run together!

Here's one more picture from dinner. Forrest seems happy to take a picture but Hunter isn't so sure about Aunt Jessie!

Fits Do Race Reviews: The Gordon Good Neighbor Days 5k

In yesterday’s recap, I briefly mentioned the Gordon Good Neighbor Days 5k, but I need to give you a FULL recap of this small-town race with big-time heart!

Gordon, Wisconsin is a town in Northern Wisconsin with a population of less than 800 people, but they take their 4^th of July celebrations very seriously. There are mud volleyball tournaments, a festival, duck races, “world-class fireworks”...(here's a picture of us at the fireworks this year)

...and of course, my personal favorite, the Gordon Good Neighbor Days 5k!

Dustin and I had participated in the 5k a few times in the past (pre-blog)  When we decided to invite our friends Abby, Andrew, and Kelly up for the 4^th of July, we were quick to encourage everyone to sign up for the race as part of the weekend activities!

The race actually had online registration this year, which was a big step up from the mail-in registration the last time we participated. It was also chip-timed, which was pretty huge for such a small race! In fact, we could look up our official times immediately following the race on a handful of computers at the finish area. #fancy!

The race started at 8:30 am, so we arrived around 8 am to pick up our bibs and do a short warm-up run (about 1 mile).

The start line was kind of humorous, as no one wanted to “toe the line.” It was a shy crowd, and the five of us ended up pretty close to the front by default, since no one else wanted to move in.

Right at 8:30, the woman organizing the event held up a blow horn and then we were off!

The course was only paved for about 1 kilometer, and then it was all very loose sand and rocks/gravel mix. We probably should have worn our trail shoes to this one!

Speaking of trail shoes, I purchased my first pair.  I bought the Brooks Cascadia, which are the trail version of the Brooks Ravennas (my regular running shoe). I will be wearing them for the first time this Thursday at the Surly Furious Five Miler. I will let you know how they work!

Anyways, back to the race. So the course was quite challenging in terms of terrain, and it was also a little short of the 5k (I think most of our Garmins were just under 3 miles instead of 3.1 miles)  Therefore, Dustin doesn’t really count his 18:31 as his new 5k PR, and I know that I wasn’t actually running 7:35’s either (my official time: 23:03. Trust me, I was not running that fast on the sand!)

But despite the shorter distance, we were all very impressed by this race. There were plenty of people at the finish area cheering on all of the runners, and it looked like quite a few families did this run as part of their family 4^th of July celebrations. Considering the size of the town (less than 800 people), it was remarkable that nearly 200 people participated in this race.

I think what the race may have lacked in accurate distance or that sort of thing, they definitely made up in spirit!  The volunteers were all really great. They even had two water stops on the course, which aren't always available for a short race.

Here’s my summary of the pros/cons of the 5k:

Pros:

-Plenty of parking onsite

-Easy packet pickup

-Online registration

-Chip timed

-Two water stops

-Nice t-shirts (who cares if they were cotton?). 

-The goody bag also had some Jack Link’s Jerky and a few unique items.

-Plenty of water at the finish

-Possibility of winning an age group award- Dustin placed first in his age group (30-39) and he received a pretty impressive trophy! That trophy is proudly on display at the cabin now.

Cons:

-Not a true 5k

-“Trail course” made the run a bit more challenging. One of the runners in our group is still recovering from ankle surgery, so the uneven terrain was definitely a little worrisome for him, but he seemed to still have a good time; he just took it a little easier than normal to ensure he didn’t hurt himself.

I think we all had a great time running in this race, and I really wish the event all the best in the future! I hope they continue to grow and improve. It was so wonderful to see such enthusiasm for running in an area that probably doesn’t have a lot of opportunities like this.

I rate this run a 10/10. Two thumbs up for the Gordon Good Neighbor Days 5k. If we are back at the cabin next 4^th of July, we will definitely be running this race again!

Fitting Remarks: Why I Love the Cabin....

Like most Minnesotans, a highlight of our summers is heading “up north” to the cabin. My husband’s family has a place on a lake in northern Wisconsin, and I look forward to weekends up there in the summer. On the coasts, they have their beach homes, but in the Midwest, we relish the cabin life!  

There are so many reasons that I love weekends at the cabin, but I thought I’d share my top 12 reasons  WHY I LOVE THE CABIN!

1. It is so relaxing at the cabin.  Seriously. The lake doesn’t have any public access, so its never busy or loud, just  peaceful and quiet.  The minute you arrive at the cabin you can just feel the stress melt away. Vacation time…

2. No makeup! I can definitely be a ‘girlie-girl’ and I love getting all dolled up. I love getting blow-outs and I love makeup. But, I also love not doing those things. I love not wearing any makeup all weekend. I love putting my wet hair in a ponytail every day and never once touching a blow-dryer or a flat iron. My skin feels so fresh and clean with no makeup.

3. “Bathing” in the lake. Again, I am usually a bit "shower obsessed " I take a lot of showers, and love that shower-fresh feeling probably more than a normal person. But there’s something to be said for going for a sweaty country run, and then just changing into your swimsuit and jumping into the lake to cool down. (Don’t worry, I do eventually shower at some point at the end of the day, its just not a priority.)

4. Hill running. On these aforementioned cabin runs, hill training is unavoidable.  Even though its challenging, I enjoy running up at the cabin. There’s no pressure to run fast, because you know those hills are killer. (Be sure to use bug spray!)

5. Wildlife. I always see deer. I haven’t yet encountered a bear (though it is on my summer bucket list). I often see bald eagles, which are still a treat. There’s plenty of wild turkeys too, as well as the occasional porcupine. Of course, there’s the bass on the end of Dustin’s fishing pole!

6. Stand Up Paddleboarding. Sure, we can paddleboard in Minneapolis too, but we do a lot more of it at the cabin. The lake here is so peaceful, and we end up spending a lot of time out on the boards. 

7. It's 5 o'clock somewhere! Drinking a beer at noon is completely acceptable behavior at the cabin. I’m not much of a day drinker, but at the cabin, having a cold beer at lunch is totally normal...and totally awesome.

8. Random TV- At home, we really only watch shows that we recorded on our TiVo or shows we select on Netflix. At the cabin, when we settle in for the night (and can’t go outside because of the mosquitoes), its fun to watch random shows that we never watch at home…like “Little Women of L.A.” or “Honey Boo Boo Child.” Real quality television...

9. Small town charm. The small town where the cabin is located is definitely quirky, but everyone is so friendly. There’s just a different way of life here compared to Minneapolis. Sure it’s a little grungier, a little more Carhartt than Kate Spade, but it’s a welcome change from the stress of work and the “real world” in Minneapolis.

10. The boathouse. The boathouse at the cabin is stuffed full of memorabilia and souvenirs from the life of my father-in-law. I only knew Dustin’s dad briefly before he passed away, so I always love spending some time reading old poems and reflecting on old stories in the boat house. There is so much history and love captured in that boathouse. 

11. Seeing the joy that the cabin brings to Matilda. Our dog Matilda loves, loves, loves the cabin. Therefore, I love the cabin because of how much Matilda loves the cabin! She spends HOURS outside chasing dragonflies and shadows, and it is really entertaining. She is always utterly exhausted by the end of each day, but her joy and love for cabin life is contagious. She especially loves riding in the boat!

 12. Sharing the joy of the cabin with friends or family. Over the years, we have had a few of my sisters (and my nieces) up to visit the cabin and a few friends as well. Its really fun to share the cabin and all those reasons I love the cabin with those people that I love the most!

Now, there are definitely some things that I don’t like-  the drive (I wish it were just

two hours instead of three) the bugs (OMG the mosquitoes this year!) the lack of a decent grocery store nearby (the produce is questionable at best), the lack of wifi…but those are all such minor things compared to the joy of the cabin!

So tell me- do you have a favorite vacation spot that you love, and why? Please share!

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!