La Crosse State Trails |

As I sit starting this post it is pouring rain outside and thundering and lightening. My hopes of running a long run on Saturday this week are pretty much gone. Instead I’ve been blissfully ~~stalking~~ reading race reports about the Wisconsin Marathon and searching for other races to add to the spring training schedule. With so many long, long runs for my 50k training coming up, I feel the need to break up the monotony of running in my boring city with only six miles of trails.

Speaking of my 50k I recognize I haven’t really mentioned how I’m training for it exactly. I’m basically following the same training plan as Ryan is for the Wisconsin Marathon with longer distances on some days and hillier and/or trail routes on other days. My actual 50k training plan is below. I’m currently on week 9.

I’m not looking to break any times or records, rather I’m hoping only not to die or end up hurting so much I never want to do it again. I want to enjoy the trails and running and training in nature more. I want to accomplish a new distance I never have before. I want to get a taste of ultra running.

Back to the focus of this post…Wisconsin Marathon Training.

Monday-5 miles (Sarah)
3 miles with the track kiddos and two miles on my own.

Tuesday-5 miles (Ryan)

Wednesday-7 mile tempo run (Sarah) and 7.5 miles (Ryan)

I had a dinner date with friends so we did not run together. I left school right after I could and got my miles in and Ryan ran his after baseball practice. I had a phenomenal run. It was a run that makes your heart feel full and bursting with happiness and contentment. I needed that-it had been too long. My legs just wanted to go fast. My lungs still struggled to keep up with some junk in them yet, but they are improving. I managed what I think is my fastest 10k time during this run. Hmmm…now I might need to set a PR goal in this.

Thursday-6 miles

4 miles with the track kids plus 2 miles on hilly trails.

Saturday-5 miles (Sarah)

Sunday-22 miles (both of us)
We are so bored with the running scene in our community, so we decided to take a road trip to La Crosse. La Crosse is so runner friendly with lots of runners, beautiful trails and scenery, and lots of places to celebrate a long run. Below is our route for our 22 miler. We basically went out 5.5 miles then came back. Then we went out 5.5 miles in a different direction and came back. If you ever get the chance to visit all locations below are great for running. We took a GU every 4-5 miles to stay fueled and drank water in the middle of the run.

Running into MN and back. The WI-MN state line is in the middle of the Mississippi River.

After running in a light rain from miles 11-19.75, we felt lucky it only poured on us for just over two miles. Even though we were drenched we were happy to have felt as good as we did.

After all of our hard work it was time to relax a bit. I chose a delicious bloody mary from a local favorite of mine, Fayze’s.

Tip of the Week: When long runs get mundane and old running routes lose their allure it is time to change up your running route. There are so many running friendly trails, state parks, towns, and bike paths that there isn’t really a good excuse not to try new routes. We are usually willing to drive an hour to these places if needed for specific runs. It gives you new scenery, a chance to try new local fare, and a renewed mental appreciation for runs. More on this idea later!

Total Miles for Week: 45 miles (Sarah) and 34.5 (Ryan)

Sunday was the Ugly Sweater 5k held in La Crosse each year. In past years the race has been referred to as the Rotary Lights 5k. This year they changed things up a bit adding some festive fun with ugly sweaters. Let’s just say my sweater was UG-ly!

Since it was cold outside with a windchill of -8 degrees, we put on our warm layers including my super warm base layer from Target that I bought that very day. Once again, I have not put laundry away in a while and I could not find a lot of my layers. This shirt stays in place, is fleecy warm on the inside, wind resistant, and so cozy all for $19.99. Keep in mind it is snug and tight like a base layer should be. I did go up a size and could have went up two sizes for a bit of a looser fit. You can find it online here.

After some quick photos at my mom and stepdad’s house we were off to the race. We got to packet pick up, picked up our race numbers, and waited inside the warm lobby of the Radisson. With the race start just steps out the door, we enjoyed the warmth until we absolutely had to head outdoors.

The sun was setting and we were jumping up and down like most runners were doing our best to stay warm. Lucky for us ugly sweaters are surprisingly warm. Garland, too. My holiday Pro Compression socks offered some added warmth and fun to the outfit. I love these socks, and if you are hoping to also make sure to use coupon code BLG13 to get 40% off and free shipping on your order.

Santa started the race-gun and all. Sort of a disturbing sight to see Santa shooting a gun in the air, but I get he isn’t the real Santa. The real Santa is obviously far too busy to be at the starting line of the Ugly Sweater 5k.

The gun went off and we were off. The race started in Riverside Park, took us onto the pathway along the frozen Mississippi, and then lead us onto the La Crosse River Trails. We clicked off our first mile on the snow covered sidewalks and trails in 8:06. At the halfway turn around we ran around a North Pole sign with the sounds of holiday music nearby. We kept up the pace and ran back along the trails finishing under the Rotary Lights lighted canopy. Then it was time to enjoy the lights and our new Ugly Sweater mugs.

Race perks included a mug with free hot chocolate after the race and a chip for a free Pearl Street Brewery beer later at your choice of local bars. Love me some Down Town Brown-Double yum!! Can’t wait to drink out of my festive mug this holiday season!