Cleveland Half Marathon Training Starts Now!

February 26, 2019February 24, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

Well, the time has come – Cleveland half marathon training is here!

At the beginning of the year, it seemed like I had so much time to kill and that it wouldn’t be training time any time soon. But suddenly, it’s here.

Of course I’m getting over a cold, so I’m not at peak running level, but I’d rather feel this way now as opposed to race day. What’s my training look like? I am a big fan of Hal Higdon’s plans, so I’ll be once again using his training program. Here’s a slightly modified version of what I’ll be doing:

Each week, I’ll share my training – how it went, what I actually ran, etc. My goals are to do the full training program and run my best. I’d love to do another sub-2 hour half marathon but I’m not sure how training will go this year. I’m not in as good shape as I was last time I ran a half marathon, my lack of sleep is real (see: 2 kids under 3) and I have been having a hard time finding enough time to run every morning (again, 2 young kids). But enough excuses – it’s training season! And here we go!

Some questions for you:

What are you training for?
What training program do you use?

Note: I am a Cleveland marathon ambassador! That means I get free race entry for me, and a free race entry to giveaway.

Wanna run CLE with me? Don’t forget, I have a 10% discount for you!

clé marathon discount

Linking up for the first time with Tuesday Topics!

Running, Reading and Eating — What We’ve Been Up To Lately

February 24, 2019February 26, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

If I had to sum up my life lately, it’d be as follows: running, working, eating, (somewhat) sleeping. And then do it all over again.

Yup, that’s pretty much what we’ve been up to lately. But in case you want to see some pictures, here you go:

I recently finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was so good! I have never read it before but it was our book club book for this week and I really, really liked it.

A coworker and friend took me out for a belated birthday lunch. I LOVE Lebanese food and this cauliflower was amazing.

We’ve been trying to get outside as much as possible. It was chilly on and off this past week, but we did get outside a few times.

Smiles with this girl ❤ She’s fighting a double ear infection but doing alright.

And this guy of course, too.

I also got to go to an amazing blogger tea party. Crystal from Eat*Drink*Cleveland hosted several bloggers last weekend for an AMAZING meal.

She also had this gorgeous tea. Look at that flower!

And she made us cauliflower soup in her Vitamix. I need the recipe; it was SO good!

And of course, there were treats. In addition to tiny tea sandwiches and deviled eggs, there were macarons. Mine was so so good.

What else have we been up to? This weekend we walked to Luna and enjoyed breakfast. FW is loving croissants.

B also made us pizza.

We hung out with Celia and Maura.

And went to the rainforest!

Oh, and of course I’ve been running! The weather has been hit or miss lately- cold and icy in the beginning of the week and then finally it cleared up yesterday and I got outside for a few miles.

And in other running news – my half marathon training starts this week! Today was supposed to be cross-training (or rest) and I actually took it pretty easy. We were supposed to go for a hike with the kids, but it ended up being really windy and rainy so we didn’t get to go. But tomorrow is 3 miles – here’s to hoping that the kids sleep well so I can actually get up and run!

Some questions for you:

Have you read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
Are you in a book club?
What does your training look like right now?

I’m linking up with the weekly wrap.

Valentine’s Week Runs and Sick Again

February 17, 2019February 17, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Week! It was a nice week here, minus a few of us (me and LM) being sick. I just had a cold, but LM had a double ear infection. She’s on meds now and hopefully gets better soon.

The week included some fun, including a visit to FW’s classroom.

I helped him do a craft.

While this one stayed home sick. She was sent home from daycare with a fever and after taking her to the dr we found out about her ears.

We also had a very thematic dinner.

I preferred the dinner B made me, though. White wine, grilled veggies and tuna are a few of my favorite things.

We had some more good eats this week, including Aladdin’s takeout. FW loves their pita quesadillas and I love their hummus so it’s a win win.

I also got in my first outdoor run in what feels like forever! I did take a spill at mile 2 – I was running up a small hill and I saw what looked like a water mane break in the road and it had splashed on the sidewalk. Just as I had stopped to run on the grass and avoid the large puddle/ice, I of course landed on a sheet of black ice and went DOWN. My leg got wet – and by the end of my run, it had turned into ice crystals on my pants!

Speaking of running, here’s how the week looked. Monday is when I started feeling sick again and Tuesday and Wednesdays runs were pretty slow and involved some walking as well. Thursday I was up earlllly with a sick baby (see above) and didn’t get in a chance to run. Weeks like these make me glad that I’m not yet training for the Cleveland half marathon – I was able to just take it easy and run or walk or do whatever I wanted, without feeling guilty for messing up my training.

Despite the spill, I was so happy to be outside for Saturday’s 5 miler. I’m grateful for the treadmill but also getting tired of having to stay indoors!

And that’s a wrap. Some questions for you:

Have you been sick this winter? This is my second time in a month!
Are you training for anything right now?

I’m linking up with the weekly wrap.

Another Winter Weekend: One Sentence Per Photo

February 10, 2019February 11, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

It was another weekend at home in Cleveland. ‘Burb life with two kids in the winter is definitely something to get used to, but I think we’re in a groove with finding things to do, being productive and having fun. Here’s a look at our weekend, one-sentence-per-photo style.

FW helped us with some cleaning.

I did some baking (these are chickpea blondies!).

We joined every other parent of a toddler and baby and got drinks with friends at the new market hall nearby.

And takeout sushi was a must.

Post-bath snuggles are some of my favorite things.

I had a reunion with some friends from my Downtown Cleveland Alliance City Ambassador days.

We had dinner at my in-laws house; it’s almost my niece’s 11th birthday!

And that’s a wrap. Hope you have a good week! Happy Monday!

Running While Sick

February 9, 2019February 10, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

Runners are a rare breed. We don’t like to take days off unless we need to. And this week, I had a cold and though I was feeling cruddy, really didn’t want to take off. I find that as long as it’s not a bad cold and mostly in my head (as opposed to chest), running tends to clear me up for at least a few hours. At least that’s what I tell myself.

This week was finally warm enough and not snowy enough together back outside for most of my runs! And even though I was somewhat feeling lousy on Sunday, it was 50+ degrees, so I had to get outside for a run, especially after a week of negative degree temps. I thought I’d be able to run maybe one mile, but I surprised myself and got in 4.1.

Lately when running before work in the mornings, I haven’t had much time. By the time I pump and get out the door, I find that I only have 30-35 minutes left. Somehow Thursday I ended up with 40 minutes, so I was determined to run at least 4.25 miles. I barely made it!

Here’s a look at how the whole week looked:

It’s almost time for me to start training for the Cleveland half marathon! Just a few more weeks until my training starts. In the meantime, I’m excited to share that the Cleveland Marathon announced its gift to Challenge Series participants this year – a muscle roller stick! So in addition to the 3 medals and 2 shirts, you get a muscle roller. How cool is that?

If you are interested in running any event, including the challenge series, as a race ambassador, I have a 10% discount code for you to use! Use MC2019 for 10% off any race entry.

Stay warm this week! It will be spring soon, right?

Some questions for you:

What’s the coolest race giveaway/swag you’ve seen? This muscle roller is pretty cool!
How many days do you typically run?

I’m linking up with the weekly wrap.

Surviving the Polar Vortex

February 4, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

We did it! We survived our week of COLD. Was it easy? No. Do I want to do it again anytime soon? No no no no no! But we survived, and here’s how.

Living in the Midwest right now and growing up in the Northeast, I’m used to cold winters. I don’t like them, but I’m used to them. But this past week was the COLDEST I’ve ever experienced.

For example, I woke up Wednesday to THIS.

School was actually closed for FW and LM, so we had to be creative with entertainment for them. Dressing them the same counts as entertainment, right?

There was lots of play doh involved.

And just some good old fun with paper.

We had some good food, including these egg cups, which we now make every weekend.

And B made this chicken noodle soup from scratch. It was so good and hit the spot with the cold weather.

We also had to get our favorite pizza before they close for renovations. What are we going to do without this NY style pizza for 6+ weeks?!

Friday at work, we celebrated the kick off of February with a heart healthy breakfast. A coworker made these steel-cut oats and brought in fruit for us all as well.

We all wore red for Go Red for Women Day, too!

The weather finally warmed up and we got in a walk on Sunday. It was SO nice to be outside and not freezing! It was 50 degrees when we went out.

But yes, we still had snow. So FW built a snowman – or an “Olaf” as he calls him.

And I got in my first outdoor run in more than a week. It was so much better than running inside!

So, we didn’t go stir crazy with the weather. And this week the weather looks like it will be so much better. Is it still winter? Yes. BUT it may be warm enough for us to go outside for more than 10 seconds at a time!

Some questions for you:

Did you survive the polar vortex?
Any tips for keeping toddlers entertained during the dead of winter?

A Week of Indoor Runs

February 3, 2019 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

Last week was COLD. And by COLD I mean negative degrees as the HIGH. Check out this forecast:

So what did that mean for my training for the Cleveland Half Marathon? It meant that my treadmill was my best friend. Here’s how the week looked:

Sunday I kicked off the week with my longest treadmill run in at least a year. 5.25 miles.

The Sole F80 has become my best friend over the past year or so. As much as I don’t enjoy indoor running, I’m so grateful to have it!

And FW was happy when I was done with my 5 miles.

Later in the week I woke up to THIS as the temps. Feels like -23? Yeah, I wasn’t going to go outside.

So, each day when I could, I got in a treadmill run.

School ended up being closed Wednesday and Thursday due to the cold, so that threw off my running a little bit. Wednesday, I only got in 2 miles while LM took a nap, and Thursday I also had to cut my run short when LM work up early.

But that was it for the week – and we survived! I’m hopeful that it will get and stay warmer for at least a few days. I mean, the groundhog DID see his shadow so that means spring is coming, right?

In the meantime, here’s your weekly reminder that if you are interested in running the Cleveland Marathon, As a race ambassador, I have a 10% discount code for you to use! Use MC2019 for 10% off any race entry.