It was a good burp flavor

Ever have a perfect week of running? Well, neither have I. But this was pretty darn close. 2 buddy runs, a killer speed workout, and a confidence-boosting long run makes me a happy runner girl this week.

Plus, I had time to putz in the kitchen and get all my work done. It's been busy, but good busy.

Sunday, I made slow cooker chicken chili (1.5 pounds of chicken breasts, 2-15 oz cans of diced tomatoes, 1 diced onion, a few tablespoons of cumin and chili powder, salt/pepper, and a bottle of beer) that was ready when I got home from work:

Monday night, I stopped at my LRS (Fleet Feet) to buy some GU and inquired about trying on the Kinvara 5. They didn't have my yeti size in stock, so they offered to bring a pair over from another location.

Tuesday, I went running with my RB at the Greenway. While it was chilly for my 10-miler on Sunday, it warmed back up again this week. But we were shaded and it was still pretty comfy. Plus, running with a friend always makes the miles exponentially better.

I wore my Kinvara 4s to give myself a little comparison when the 5s became available.

The BTs wondered why I was taking selfies and not pictures of them:

Later in the day, I whipped up some meat(loaf) and potatoes along with an Oreo cake because, well, just because....

Wednesday, I fell victim to the snooze button and ended up doing my run in the evening. Unfortunately, it is now too dark to run at the Greenway after work if I close the store. So I decided to do speed work if I had to be relegated to the treadmill.

Honestly, I hadn't done any real speed work since um, April? I had no clue if I could gut out a quick enough turnover to feel good about 800s. But after a mile warm-up, I managed to hit 3:15, 3:14, 3:11, 3:07, 3:05, and 3:03. I recovered with 400 "jogs" and did a total of 6 miles. It was a hard workout, but I felt super strong after I was done. Hello anaerobic endorphin kick!

Thursday, I went to Fleet Feet to try on the Kinvaras. I changed into my running clothes after work so that I could run after I went to Fleet Feet. The employees thought I was there for the group run when I walked through the doors. After trying on and subsequently purchasing my shoes, it was decided that I could be the sole participant of the group run. Since I had to run anyway, I decided it would be better to run with someone. So Sydney, a recent college grad, and I ran 3 miles on the rolling hills of Johns Creek. 3 miles at a 7:42 pace. Not too shabby...

Yesterday (Saturday), I had the good intentions of getting out early, but it was thundering and lightening at 7am. When the storm cleared, I headed out. It was muuuuuuggggggyyyy (re: 83% humidity). And the Greenway was full of slippery leaves on the boardwalk. But it was overcast and below 80 degrees so I tried to maintain a positive attitude.

My feelings about a run can be summed up based on this awesome graphic I created:

I was feeling in the red zone for the first few miles, but then found myself in the purple for awhile (yayayayayayay!). The final few miles, I was feeling more green--the soles of my feet started to tire. But luckily, I never felt yellow.

I picked up some Salted Watermelon GU at FF to try.

It reminded me of a watermelon Airhead or Blowpop. And it wasn't a terrible tasting burp a mile later like other flavors (I'm talking about you, peanut butter!). Much like the color of my shoes or coordination of colors in my running clothes, I have flavor preferences, but it really doesn't matter. Whatever keeps me running keeps me happy!

So one more long run before I taper for Marshall. You know, the marathon I'm probably going to run that I haven't signed up for. I still have 3 weeks to decide...hah!