{Friday Fab 5…March Madness, Spirit of the Marathon II, Trampled by Turtles, Bloody Mary…}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

{#1-Unspool the Tangles}

Hearing another blogger mention how she might enjoy some alone time reminded me of how much I love running alone to unspool the tangles. I like training with Ryan, but I do miss my alone time on my runs when I was running just for me. I don’t feel like the tangles get unspooled as much when I’m running with someone. Anyone else feel this way?

{#2-Bloody Mary}

We enjoyed a Bloody Mary with a green beer chaser on Saturday. Oh, how I love a good, spicy Bloody!

{#3-Spirit of the Marathon II}

When I first heard Spirit of the Marathon II was coming out I might have peed a little I was so excited. I loved, LOVED the first one and still rewatch it anytime I want to be inspired and humbled by the sport I love again. While I’m super excited to watch it there is no way that is happening in the next week because…

{#4-March Madness is here!}

Once again Ry and I have a bracket contest going. I have won the last couple of years and am looking to keep the streak going. The mind blowing weird part this year: without even seeing each others brackets or hearing about what either had chosen, we’ve chosen the same two teams to make it to the final championship round. We each picked a different team to win it all. Could be interesting this year!

{#5-Trampled by Turtles}

I was recently introduced to this band by a coworker and his wife and all I can say is WOW. I love them. I’ve basically been listening to them on repeat for a month and a half. As luck would have it the sort-of-local, Duluth band is playing near us tonight. Can’t wait to hear them perform live tonight.
Check them out in the video below.

and one more of their songs I love (it’s a cell phone recording, but still good)…

13Mar2014

{Friday Fab 5-The Simple Things}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

{#1-Coffee}

Nothing makes any time of the day better like coffee!!

{#2-Thin Mint Puppy Chow}

Two of the best things on earth put together!

{#3-Log Off. Shutdown. Run.}

Sometimes it is this simple. You are one run away from happier and calmer.

{#4-Run and Laughter}

{#5-Snuggling Babies}

Little toes. Peaceful sleeps. Not on 3 am feeding duty!

Anyone running a St. Patrick’s/Shamrock themed race this weekend?

Happy weekend!

7Mar2014

{Friday Fab 5-ice skating, badgers, ice caves…}

Posted in Friday Fab 5, Uncategorized by sneaksandstilettos

Little less work this week and more time to play!
{#1-Ice Skating}

We were in Madison to go to a Badger game on Wednesday, and I knew there was a winter activity we had yet to accomplish-ice skating. For the first time in 16 years I laced up a pair of skates and hit the ice of the Tenney Park lagoons. It was my first time skating on a frozen body of water rather than a rink.

{#2-Go Badgers}

March Madness is almost here! Badgers D was looking much better than earlier this season.

{#3-Go West}

Now that these babies arrived intense planning for our summer road trip is under way! Any suggestions are requested!

{#4-Solid Miles Ran}

With taking almost an entire week off from running last week, I can happily say it felt AMAZING to get outside and run some miles this week. Our 8 mile run on Tuesday felt like nothing as the miles ticked by. Let’s hope the same can be said for our long run this weekend.

{#5-Apostle Island Ice Caves}

Credit: Philip Schwartz Photography
Today is a half day at school for parent teacher-conferences, so we are headed north after to visit the ice caves. I’ve alway wanted to go, and last weekend we missed out going with some friends, so we are taking advantage of one more winter weekend outdoors!

Happy Weekend!

27Feb2014

{Friday Fab 5-Map/Photo Wall Art, Med City Half Marathon, Reading…}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

This week has been super busy. Thank goodness I had some time last Saturday to hang pictures, read, and relax!

{#1-Map and Photo Wall Art}

I finally had time to hang photos from our travels around the U.S. I love how the wall turned out. Love, as in I stop and stare at it as I pass by! Photos on the bottom are from the south, photos on right are from eastern U.S., top photos north, etc. The open space is just waiting to be filled with photos of our trip west this summer!

{#2-Time to Read}

And enjoy the new wall art. It wasn’t as much time to relax as I’d hoped, but I took what I could get before my crazy week.

{#3-No Contacts or Makeup}

Relax time meant wearing glasses and no makeup. You will likely never see this bare face again. I wear makeup EVERYWHERE. Always have and likely always will. Props to those of you who don’t, but this girl isn’t that brave!

{#4-Date Night Pizza}

Monday brought an unexpected date night as I needed to buy some last minute supplies for the Science Olympiad kids I coach. The actual date was 20 minutes, but it was great to check in with the mr.

{#5-Med City Half Marathon}

Also a surprise this week was registering for this half marathon on May 25th in Rochester. A friend texted me earlier this week wanting to get a group to run together. I love racing (especially with others) so I was definitely in. It will serve as my last easy long run the Sunday before my big race-Chester Woods 50k!

Anyone have any fun, unexpected race plans that were a blast?

Happy Weekend!

21Feb2014

{Friday Fab 5-Running Route Art, BTN 10k, Truths, Words to Think About, …}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

{#1-Running Route Art}

Monday I wrote about the awesome running app I use each week, Runkeeper. Statistician, Nathan Yau, from FlowingData gathered data about running routes in major cities using public information from the Runkeeper App. From the data, maps were created of various running routes. The darker or thicker areas of maps represent more popular routes, while lighter or thinner routes are less traveled. Check it out for your next vacation or to hang on your wall.

{#2-Words to Think About}

Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of excuses from people. I can’t do this because… It won’t work out because… I was going to, but then… What if we forgot all those reasons, and we just did it? Accomplished it. Achieved the goal!

{#3-More Picky Bars}

This week’s new flavor I tried was Lauren’s Mega Nuts. If you like peanut butter, then you’ll love this flavor.

{#4-Truth}

{#5-Big Ten Network 10k}

Nothing says love like running together. Since the husband and I are both big Badger fans, and I love Chicago, this race was a perfect one to add to the race calendar. I first heard about this race through Run with Jess‘s blog. Her goal to run a half marathon in every state is inspiring and she is midwest Badger fan! The registration fees were part of our v-day gifts for each other. Over the past few years we are much more interested in buying experiences to do together for holidays and birthdays rather than a material gift. I CAN’T wait to run this 10k. It looks like so much fun! Go Bucky!

Anyone have any fun races you’d recommend to others?

Happy Friday?

14Feb2014

{Friday Fab 5…Be Your Own Valentine, Dueling Pianos, Pearl Street Brewery, Tree Love, and Picky Bars}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with this holiday because it focuses too much on needing a special someone to be happy when we really should all…
{#1-Love Ourselves First}

This Valentine’s Day be your OWN valentine. Love yourself first! Do something sweet for yourself. Take yourself somewhere you’d love. Enjoy something special this vday Friday for YOU!

{#2-Pearl Street Brewery}

I’ve always loved their Downtown Brown, and now I love their Pale Ale, too. Ryan and I had a dinner and drink date after our trail run Sunday where we enjoyed some local brew.

{#3-Tree Love}

Remember how I love trees?! Well this is one I run by often. Pair it with a winter sunset and you’ve got some great natural beauty.

{#4-Picky Bars}

I’m loving Picky Bars lately. They are a great afternoon/pre-run fuel. Smooth Caffeinator was awesome!

{#5-Dueling Pianos}

This is what our Valentine’s Day evening has in store for us. Good friends, dueling pianos, and fun!

Happy Weekend! XOXO

7Feb2014

{Friday Fab 5-Snicker Chex Mix, Map Art, Chester Woods 50k, Slow Cooker Lasagna,…}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

{#1-Snickers Chex Mix}

Last weekend for the Super Bowl we had a few friends over. I love any opportunity to make new recipes and the husband loves Snickers, so I knew this would be a good one. It ended up completely exceeding my expectations. Amazing! Seriously-go to the grocery store and get the ingredients to make this NOW! Definitely a treat not to keep in the house all the time as it’s addicting. I took the rest of ours to share with other teachers at school. The husband got home on Monday night, saw the empty container, and demanded to know where the Snickers Chex Mix was. He was mad that I took it to school. It is that good. Another favorite of the night was the Feta-Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs I made. They were yummy!

{#2-Lululemon Keep It Up Jacket}

In a Wisconsin Marathon Training post a few weeks ago, I mentioned my new favorite running jacket. When I bought the jacket I wasn’t completely sure it was worth the money (I put my x-mas gift cards towards the purchase of the jacket). The jacket seemed so simple, almost a bit boring.

Shockingly, I don’t own another black running jacket for cold weather so I decided to keep it. Taking it out for its first run, it was love at first mile. The jacket stays put, the soft shell blocks wind and repels wet snow without trapping heat, and keeps me warm. The hood isn’t annoying, you can button the hood without wearing the hood providing neck warmth, and remove it completely if you want. As you run and warm up a mile or two in, you can hold the jacket open in place with magnetic fasteners on either side of the zipper. It is easy to layer under and does look stylish, too. If you’re looking for a new jacket to wear in the winter weather that has been colder than most for many, this is a great choice.

{#3-Slow Cooker Lasagna}

Hate making lasagna because of its time consuming layers? Then try this super easy to make, fast cooking time, and delicious to eat version. Plus, there are so many ways to personalize this dish to your liking; you can choose your favorite sauce, cheese(s), veggies, and even pasta type if lasagna isn’t your thing.

{#4-Map Wall Art Project}

I have an obsession with daydreaming about travel. Wanderlust gets the best of me at least once a day. I’m grateful of the places I’ve gotten to visit despite my not-so-full Passport. I love reminiscing about the places I’ve (we’ve) visited, the food and beers I tried, and the sights of each place.

To remember and revisit these memories, spend more time cherishing the travels I’ve made, and to remain inspired to enjoy the journey-I created this map art project. Each pin represents a place the husband and I have been either together or on our own. The purple pins represent my travels and the teal pins represent the husband’s travels. Most of the pins represent OUR travels.

One of my favorite things to do with the husband is travel as he is my favorite travel companion. We simply have so much fun exploring together, talking, and life dreaming. It’s our philosophy that {Home Is Wherever I’m With You}. The song Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetics Zeros is basically our theme song! 🙂

To make the larger map I purchased a map that was appealing to my eye and matched the colors in our family room. I then glued the map to foam board that the husband cut to size with an utility knife.

Then came the fun part-putting in our pins. Reminiscing over our travels before we were a twosome and after was a great way to spend an evening. We then put the map in a frame leaving out the glass. Each time I look at our project on the wall I’m reminded of travels past and coming in the future, and my heart skips a beat.

The last step of the project is putting the black and white photos taken from our different travels on the wall surrounding the map. I’ll be sure to share a photo when this is complete. All we have to do is hang the photos.

{#5-Chester Woods 50k}

I officially registered for my first ultra marathon (50k) as of a few weeks ago. I had a race schedule change to the Chester Woods 50k rather than the Kettle 50k. The Chester Woods was closer, half the cost, and in the morning-all logical reasons to switch. Plus I’ll need the husband’s support, so it worked better for him, too. So scary, but so excited for this next adventure!

Anyone have a new distance on their race calendar this year? Don’t forget…get Snickers ingredients NOW. It is worth the break in clean eating.

Happy Weekend and eating of Snicker Chex Mix!

31Jan2014

{Friday Fab 5-Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Cinderella,…}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

{#1-Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes}

Ryan says these photos don’t do this meal justice. It was amazing. If you like pesto, then you’ll love this dish! Photo Source

{#2-Skiing}

The husband and I went skiing for our date of the week last Sunday, and I will be on the slopes all day today. The difference today-I will be on a skiing field trip with 110 eighth graders, most whom have never skied before. Should be fun for all and entertaining!

{#3-Cinderella, aka me, is moving to Cape Town}

Just kidding! With some free time this week as a result of two more freezing cold days (formerly known as snow days) and too many quizzes on Facebook, it appears that I would have been Cinderella and that I would be most fit living in Cape Town. Both descriptions fit me to a t and Cinderella is know for her special glass slipper that was really a heel so it must be true! Please tell me I’m not the only person wasting time in this way.

{#4-Upcycling Candles}

I hate wasting leftover wax in candles, and since I burn through so many so fast, I reuse the leftover wax to make new layer candles. The pictures sort of outline the steps or visit this link how to upcycle candles for more details. You are then left with (mostly) clean jars for whatever you like. Girls got to save to pay for her race registrations some how.

{#5-Randy Houser, Justin Moore, and Josh Thompson Concert}

Last night we had a date to see the above three in concert. They were amazing! And, I finally got to wear my new cowboy boots that I bought in July, but couldn’t fit my sprained ankle in! Yeehaw!

Happy Weekend, Y’all!

24Jan2014

{Friday Fab 5-Baked Potato Soup, Sol, Slice of Chicago…}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

I was having tech issues today hence the late post. Better late than never!

{#1-Baked Potato Slow Cooker Soup}

It is delicious! Seriously! The husband adds bacon to his!

{#2-Slice of Chicago aka Heaven}

Dinner with the family this week. If you live in the La Crosse, WI area check out this great local place!

{#3-New Water Bottle}

Perfect for the running science teacher!

{#4-Sol}

New beer tried in my quest to try 30 new beers in my 30th year. More on this challenge in a special post tomorrow.

{#5-Indoor Running}

Lots of indoor runs this week. BRRR. Who wants to move to Cali or Hawaii with me? The husband won’t.

Happy Friday!

17Jan2014

{Friday Fab 5-Winter Rambles, Athleta, Campfire Treat…}

Posted in Friday Fab 5 by sneaksandstilettos

This whole working five days in a row thing…wow! I don’t even think I had a chance to breathe this week. As I write this post I’m very behind on my miles, so weekend warrior it is this weekend.

{#1-Weekend Warrior Runner in the Midwest Right Now}

This made me laugh out loud. One-it sometimes feels true. Two-I love A Christmas Story. You’ll shoot your eye out!

{#2-Winter Weather}

It has finally warmed up some, but that usually means lots of snow or sleet, or both! At least the trees looked pretty afterwards. Think about the positive!

{#3-Athleta}

Their newest catalog arrived in the mail this week. Paging through it had me smiling and excited page after page. Way to go, Athleta! Much improved on the style front. If you’ve never checked out Athleta before, definitely head over to their website to see what it is all about. I consider their workout gear a bit pricey, however after falling victim to Lululemonitis I’ll admit my price sense has been distorted. I’ve also learned, with the exception of Target C9 gear, you pay for what you get. Please steer me in the right direction if some of you have found other brands of running clothes that are cute, stylish, comfortable, and affordable. I’ve yet to do this with the exception of C9.