Market to Market Relay Recap

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Last Saturday, I hopped in a van with a bunch of strangers. Why? To run the Market to Market Relay! Alex, standing just to the left of my bright blue pants (Ha! Can't miss 'em, I guess.) in the picture above, was one of my college roommates and has recently become a central Iowa racer extraordinaire, but I'd never met anyone else on our team of seven before. Still, when Alex asked me to join the team, how could I refuse? I knew a ...continue reading

2013 Summer Race Playlist

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This Saturday marks the beginning of my spring/summer 2013 race season! The first of many races on my calendar over the next few months: Saturday's Market to Market Relay. Our team of seven will cover 75 miles (my portion is about 15 miles total). I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but considering one year ago I wasn't sure if I'd run a second half-marathon, taking on my second relay is a bit laughable. See non-runnners, ...continue reading

Sunday Morning Special + 5 Slim Cinco de Mayo Recipes

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Somehow, we went from spring on Tuesday (top) back to winter on Friday (bottom)—such crazy weather across the Midwest this week! I learned my lesson battling through a windy 6-miler on Wednesday, so I rocked yesterday's long run on the treadmill. It certainly was not the most exciting run I've ever done, but thanks to some new tunes and a couple good podcasts, I made it through 12 miles. My longest non-race run yet! This morning, ...continue reading

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

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The combination of chocolate and peanut butter brings out very powerful feelings in some people. Case in point: "Right now we're in a period of darkness. Between egg and pumpkin, there's nothing." When that dark time comes, Eating Well magazine has the perfect solution, which I've adapted to feed a crowd. And even better news than the fact that you can enjoy peanut-butter-heavy chocolate treats? This version is minimally ...continue reading

Sunday Morning Special

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How's your weekend going? After last Sunday's awesome group fitness training session (I begin teaching one day a week in mid-May!), I mixed it up and hit the road for a run this weekend. The weather has been perfect the past few days, making the 10 miles feel like a breeze. Well, not exactly, but the sunshine and 60° temps made the work a lot more fun! It also gave me an opportunity to try out my new kicks. So far, so good—and it was ...continue reading

13 Ragnar Relay Dos and Don’ts

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As you might have noticed in my Ragnar photo recap, the event was quite a memorable experience. And it sure was a learning experience, too. I didn't give much thought to my preparations, well, besides training and throwing some running clothes and sneakers into a bag, so I was pretty lucky with how well the relay turned out! It didn't hurt that Jenn was kind enough to take Melissa and I on a pre-Ragnar Target run. What can't you stock up ...continue reading