Another (semi)Successful Week of Training -1/27/2014-2/2/2014

It's hard to believe it's February already.  As of writing this, there are only 60 59 days until Umstead100; that fact is scary.  Training last week didn't go as I intended but I think that is part of the learning curve when it comes to increasing volume and listening to your body.  I mentioned in my last post that my goal for the previous week was ~70 miles or in the 12+ hour neighborhood of training.  However, as the weekend approached I learned that the training run I thought was going to be 31 miles was in fact only 16.5, or half of the Holiday Lake course.  I didn't realize that the course was comprised of doing the same loop twice, once forward and then running back to the start in reverse essentially making the course a giant out-and-back.  Once I learned that fact, I knew I was going to struggle to hit my goal of 70 for the week but continued to get some solid runs in including a trip up to Cascade Falls and Butt Mountain fire tower on Thursday afternoon.

Monday: Rest
After a long week of training the previous week (65 miles) and two longer runs over the weekend including 21 on Sunday, I gladly enjoyed taking a day off from running Monday.

Tuesday: 8, 1800' 1.5hr
The UltraVT group has made a huge difference in my running over the past year.  One of the main reasons I believe is the steady stream of invites and group runs that are put together over a listserv, which helps me stay accountable on days I need that extra shove to get out the door.  I had an easy run planned Tuesday evening that was just 6 easy miles on Poverty Creek, a relatively flat trail in Jefferson National Forest.  When I saw a last minute email about running around 3, I decided to jump on the opportunity and met Guy Love at the trail head.  The route was anything but flat and much more difficult than what I had planned for the day and it was AWESOME!  There's just something about getting out in really really cold weather for a good run and Tuesday was chilly!  We managed to get in a nice loop out in Pandapas with just under 1800' of climb for 8 miles; far from the flat boring run I had planned.

Wednesday: 8.1, 1765' 1.75hr
Wednesday evening, we had an UltraVT group run that was a total blast with lots of folks coming out for the run.  The group made the miles fly by and running under headlamp is always special.

Thursday: 11.7, 2170' 2.5hr
On Thursday, I headed west on 460 down to Pembroke to check out a new run and find the Butt Mountain fire tower.  I have been itching to do this run since late December when it came up on my Strava feed when a couple of the guys ran it.  They posted a few photos and I knew I had to go check it out for myself.  I arrived at the Cacades parking area a little after three and grabbed my hydration vest and headed up the trail.  I wasn't too concerned about bringing water or nutrition on the run, although I did throw a bottle in the vest, I actually brought the vest to carry my GoPro and GorillaPod.  Michelle and I have hiked the Cascades numerous times over the years but I have only seen the falls frozen once and that was early into our relationship and I had never run it.  The trail was pretty slick because it is a well traveled trail resulting in a sheet of packed snow perfect for ice.  I grabbed lots of pictures on the way up and some video too, which made my trip up to the falls rather slow but enjoyable.  I eventually reached the falls and was treated to this awesome view:

I put together a short film with some cool photos (at least I thought they were) and some of the video I took while I was out there.  It's not too pretty but it gives you an idea of what the trail looks like and the route I took.

At the top of the mountain, I was rewarded with an awesome view and found the fire tower I had set out to find.  It was an awesome run and I will definitely do it again this spring...when there isn't snow on the ground and a solid sheet of ice on the trail down!

Friday: 6.5, 500' 1hr
Time got away from me Friday afternoon and before I knew it, it was 5PM and daylight was fading fast.  The sun is setting around 5:40ish here right now and making a batch of pizza dough stood between me and getting out for a run.  I threw the ingredients in the mixer and let it go to work, you may remember I made a short pizza making video not too long ago! Eight minutes later, I put the dough, now covered in olive oil, in two metal bowls and draped them with a warm towel and headed out to Pandapas.  My intention was to get in roughly five miles but my run wound up being just at an hour (6.5 miles).  The extra time didn't hurt the dough and when I returned home it was ready to throw in the oven to make some delicious pizzas!  I returned home to find Michelle sautéing pasilla and red peppers as well as some onions to go on top of our pizza in addition to a rotisserie chicken she picked up.  Yum!  I've been using beer instead of water to make the dough and I really like it!

I was also checking out some new shoes on my run, which unfortunately are going to be too narrow for my foot and hence go back but they were comfy for the first 2.5 miles or so :-(

Saturday: 16.5, 1000' 2.5hr
The alarm went off early Saturday morning.  I mean like 3:45 early.  Five of us piled into my car and headed North and East toward Appomattox, VA for a training run on the Holiday Lake course.  The course winds around Holiday Lake and begins and ends at the 4-H Center in Appomattox.  I'm not quite sure how I didn't take single picture during the day but it was totally worth the drive up there to know what well see in 10 short days!

Saturday evening, Michelle and I headed over the Chang's, whom were part of the five in the car to Appomattox, for a Sushi feast!  It. Was. Awesome!  A new friend, Henry, whom I had talked with via Strava numerous times but never had the privilege to meet face-to-face, very patiently taught us all to make sushi.  It was delicious!  

Henry giving me some tips on the roll!

Michelle and I are so totally doing this again!  We learned a lot and had so much fun!

Sunday: 10.5, 650' 1.5hr
Sunday's run was a disaster.  I can't blame it on the sushi the night before but simply poor choices getting going for the day and not eating right to go out for a long run.  I had originally planned to get 25 or so in on Sunday (after learning about running a shorter Holiday Lake course) but it simply didn't happen.  I was feeling Saturday's run in Appomattox and didn't have a strong desire to get out the door.  I considered driving to the trailhead a success and once I got out there it was apparent my body was not happy with me...well my GI system at least.  I almost called it quits around mile 3 when I ran by my car but decided I would go out a mile to hit four and then turn around and come home for a whopping 5 miles for the day.  Once I got out there, I kept telling myself to go a little further and a little further and before I knew it I had run 10 miles for the day to round out 60 miles for the week.  I think it just goes to show you that if you push through the hard times...like I'm sure I'll face in just 59 days at Umstead, it gets better!

Perhaps it was the cookie I ate on the way to the trailhead or what I had for breakfast that morning but I was happy with 10 for the day and enjoyed the Super Bowl feast to the fullest!

Totals for the week:

Distance:  61.2 miles

Elevation: 7890'

Duration:  10.5hr

Ultimately, I fell short of my goal but I think that I have to be okay with that.  I listened to my body and respected what it was telling me enough to make the right decision and step back a little.  I'm hoping for a good week this week as well but I'm okay running slightly less with Holiday Lake 50k next week!  A couple months ago, I had never run had a 60+ mile week and now I've had two of them in a row.  I think it's important to keep that in perspective and also that my real goal is longevity and setting a positive example of a healthy lifestyle for my family...at some point!   ;-)  

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Where's Waldo Wednesday - 6/20/13-7/3/13

Where's Waldo Wednesday - The point of the week where more is behind than ahead and the weekend, and thus playtime, is the bright light at the end of the tunnel.  Why did I call it Where's Waldo Wednesday?  No particular reason really...other than I like alliteration and it is fun to say.  Try saying it five times fast!

A weekly (more like biweekly) series of what's new around here and other ramblings like things I found interesting on the internet this week or cool runs I did, kind of like a weekly synopsis.  Originally, I was going to do this on Sunday and call it Sunday Synopsis but then I couldn't decide between Sunday Synopsis and Sunday Summary...so I did the only logical thing and decided to write it on Wednesday?

This week's edition includes the latter half of June and first few days of July and while it may not be an all encompassing post like some of the more recent Where's Waldo Wednesdays it's still a pretty good recap of what's been happening around here!

The Week's Happenings

Last Wednesday marked the end of the first summer session, well at least for the physical class meeting, and aside from a paper on my philosophy of teaching that is due on Wednesday the class is done!  It's pretty awesome to finish an entire class in four weeks.  Yup!  Just 12 three-hour class meetings (we only met Mon.-Wed. and the last week of classes was cancelled).  Despite the abbreviated schedule the quality of the class did not decrease.  We managed to go through four books in a month.  Quick like a Band-aid!  Michelle and I have been enjoying the relaxed school schedule and taking in all that Blacksburg summer has to offer including the Summer Solstice Fest that was put on by Downtown Blacksburg.  Blacksburg summers are the best!  Hands down.

1. SUPing (Paddleboarding) Claytor Lake - Two Thursdays ago, I made the short trip down the interstate to Claytor Lake State Park to take out the paddleboard and do some recon on a possible camping trip that Michelle and I are planning.  The previous Saturday, we had gone down to check out places to put-in the kayaks and paddleboard but there was a big festival at the park and we wanted to avoid the crowds and more importantly all of the boats.  We opted to use the public boat launch, where the Virginia Tech crew team launches their boats, located immediately before the gate to enter the park, which was free and provided a nice area to put in the kayak and paddleboard.  However, on this particular occasion I opted to pay the three dollar fee and go inside the park to explore the other end of the lake.

The trip also served as an excellent opportunity to test out an E-case that arrived on Wednesday that I had won from the Cascade Design weekly Facebook contest a few weeks earlier.  After driving around the park, I decided a little cove near the public beach was a good place to put-in and got all ready to go.  The great thing about paddleboarding, aside from the amazing workout, is that you really only need a board, paddle, and PFD (well maybe you don't need the last one but a smart person does).

The E-case keeping my iPhone and car key safe (and dry)!

I didn't paddle the whole time I was out on the lake. The board is a great place to relax and enjoy that day.

Nor did I stay on the board the whole time.  One thing that is really nice about paddleboarding compared to kayaking is the ability to get in and out of the water with ease. I brought the Panasonic P&S with me, which I used to take most of the photos for this post.

I went out for a little under two hours and managed to paddle 3.5 miles, which felt pretty comfortable but toward the end I noticed I was a little fatigued and that my form degraded a lot.

2. PIZZA PIE! - Michelle and I love making pizza...well more like I lOVE pizza and thus we eat it pretty often but Michelle doesn't seem to mind.  I was fortunate enough to receive a KitchenAid Artisan mixer for Christmas from my parents, which makes dough making a breeze.  Pizza is definitely my favorite pre-race meal, pasta is usually my big race safe choice meal, but with the Downtown Sundown not until the following evening I felt okay eating it the night before and didn't worry about it bothering my stomach during the race.  I decided to film the making of the pizza now that I have made it enough and can put it together pretty quickly (minus the hour required to proof the dough).  Unfortunately my battery died twice during the filming so I wasn't able to get a few shots I wanted including adding the flour to the mixer and a shot of the final product.  I did manage to grab a (blurry) photo before we dug in though.

Feta, tomato, and basil pizza.

3. Downtown Sundown 5k - Every summer downtown Blacksburg puts on the Summer Solstice Fest, part of which is an evening race, the Downtown Sundown 5k.  I wrote a whole race report about the event, which you can find HERE or by simply scrolling down on the page because it's the next post after this one.

4.  Gnocchi! - I had never heard of gnocchi until I came across an interesting post on a blog a few years ago that made me want to try them.  The first time I tried to make them...it was a disaster.  As were numerous following attempts (including a particularly embarrassing attempt at making sweet potato gnocchi) and I had nearly given up on them, even after I had my mom buy a potato ricer but then a video was posted that inspired me to give them another try.

The finished product.

Similar to the pizza video I made, I put together a quick film of me making gnocchi.  You can tell that there is a large influence from the above posted video from Fast Boy.

5. Downtown Blacksburg - In case you can't tell, we LOVE Downtown Blacksburg.  The sense of community is unparalleled and is most evident during the summer with a plethora of festivals and activities.  Last Friday, after an amazing dinner at THE townie bar: The London Underground, we stumbled upon a concert going on in downtown on Henderson Lawn and decided to enjoy the live music.

Henderson Hall.

Music on the Henderson Lawn.

The cupcake craze came to Blacksburg last year, via Gobble Cakes on College Ave., but Michelle and I had yet to stop in and enjoy one.  However, Michelle was kind enough to buy me one we while enjoyed live music.  I was disappointed that they didn't have an espresso or cappuccino flavor but the chocolate peanut butter was pretty delicious, at least the cream cheese icing was.  The actual cupcake left a little to be desired.  

6. Hokie Wedding - On Saturday, Michelle and I had the privilege of watching two of our friends get married.  This was our first Blacksburg wedding and it was done in true Hokie fashion including an appearance by the Hokie Bird!  The ceremony was beautiful and took place in War Memorial Chapel.  Afterward, we headed over to the Merryman Athletic Facility, which in all of my years at Tech I had not been in, for the reception.

Michelle and I, pre-wedding, in front of the War Memorial Chapel.

The view of the Virginia Tech practice field and lane stadium from the Merryman Facility.

Michelle and I with the Hokie Bird at the Reception.

7. Rest In Peace MacBook Pro :-( -  During the writing of this post, my MacBook Pro met its untimely demise via a healthy does of Airborne, which while apparently is good for people trying to prevent getting sick is not so good for computers.  Believe it or not, I was actually going to publish this post on Wednesday...alas it was not to be.  The "incident" as it will hence forth be referred to caused an impromptu trip to Northern Virginia Thursday morning, which although not terribly productive from a computer standpoint (the Mac guy told me what I already knew, it was toast) I do get to spend the next few days with my family, including my dad's birthday on Saturday.

8. I WON I WON I WON - After a terribly depressing evening because of the demise of my computer, and a few choice words, my night had a glimmer of hope when I received the following mention on Twitter:

Congrats @RBSherfy! You've won a @Recon Jet! Email info[at]http://t.co/SYkmdoGfRp for details #SeeTheFuture http://t.co/7lqAh0tP5r
— Recon Instruments (@Recon) July 4, 2013

I managed to win their daily giveaway, which landed me a pair of these:

To say that I'm SO EXCITED would be a huge understatement! "@Recon: Congrats @RBSherfy! You've won a @Recon Jet!" #SeeTheFuture
— Brett Sherfy (@RBSherfy) July 4, 2013

Hopefully I'll receive them sometime in early December when the first deliveries are scheduled to begin, or at least according to their site.  The fact that I wanted these so bad but were obviously way outside of my budget...given that I'm a student makes it that much more exciting! CAN'T WAIT!

Interesting Internet Findings

I found the below videos pretty awesome so I decided they needed to be shared.  

1. The video quality isn't that great but I thought this was pretty neat, particularly the way he changed from location to location and throwing the camera.
2. This is just a super awesome video of people kitesurfing with some cool color added to the water.
   
3. During the summer of 2009, I had the privilege of meeting some incredible individuals with disabilities and this video only exemplifies what I learned.  The only important part of disABILITY is the ABILITY part.
   
4. This guy is out of his mind.  Only three professional cyclists have ever completed what this guys is attempting, cycling all three grand tours in the same calendar year.  If he finishes it, he'll be the first recreational cyclist to do it.
   
5. I tweeted this earlier in the week but for me, running is community.  Regardless of distance or type of running, we're a family.
   

   Running to me means family. An eclectic and diverse family.1 or 100 miles doesn't matter. Different. Not better. http://t.co/BWilQvcTVw
   — Brett Sherfy (@RBSherfy) July 1, 2013

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Where's Waldo Wednesday - 4/4/13-4/10/13

Where's Waldo Wednesday - The point of the week where more is behind than ahead and the weekend, and thus playtime, is the bright light at the end of the tunnel.  Why did I call it Where's Waldo Wednesday?  No particular reason really...other than I like alliteration and it is fun to say.  Try saying it five times fast!

A weekly series of what's new around here and other ramblings like things I found interesting on the internet this week or cool runs I did, kind of like a weekly synopsis.  Originally, I was going to do this on Sunday and call it Sunday Synopsis but then I couldn't decide between Sunday Synopsis and Sunday Summary...so I did the only logical thing and decided to write it on Wednesday? 

The Week's Happenings

1. Snow in April.  Only in Blacksburg. - Is this real life? The week was progressing like most other weeks this semester and I was on the downhill side of an easy week (academically) before things ramp up as the semester draws to a close.  Thursdays, I only have one class from 3:30-4:45 which means most of the day is spent catching up on work from the week (I will openly admit I am never 'ahead') in hopes of having a "relaxed" weekend.  The weather on Thursday had been very...Blacksburgesque, meaning gray and gloomy.  About a half hour into class the phone rang, this never happens, and I jokingly made a comment that class was cancelled because of weather.  It was.  Most of the class was in total disbelief because Virginia Tech has a habit of never canceling classes...except for that one time last fall!  The town was total chaos because Virginia Tech cancelled classes effectively immediately, causing a exodus of 25000 people from campus.  To further compound the problem, the roads were not prepared and the rate of snowfall was significant enough to cause major delays.  As in standstill.  Fortunately, I made it home without any problems (Subaru For the Win!) and had a somewhat productive evening.

It really accumulated quickly!

The two above photos say it all.  On Thursday we had about six inches of snow at the higher elevations (Including where I live) and the forecast for Friday had a high of 57...talk about identity issues Blacksburg! 

So my intention was to take these photos 24 hours apart but I wound up taking the second photo around 6ish on Friday...but ~25 hours will have to do.  A pretty big difference!  Even more incredible is that nearly all the snow had melted by 6PM the following day!

The weather made me want a warm comforting meal and I had been craving Thai so I tried one of the Campbell's Skillet meals I had in the pantry and dressed it up with things I had lying around.

Thai Green Curry with basmati rice, cilantro, and peanuts.

2. Trail Run...with 6+ inches of Snow!  I have enjoyed getting out and running on the trails in Jefferson National Forest over the past couple weeks but it adds about thirty minutes to a run because of the drive there and back.  Hence, it isn't always super practical to run there but I when I have the chance I try to seize the opportunity; Fridays are ideal because I only have one class that ends at 9:55.  I was not going to let a measly six inches of snow Thursday evening put a damper on my Friday morning run.  However, I did alter my initial plan, which included a ton of climbing, that would not have happened after I saw the conditions of the trails.  I was hoping because I was getting out there "early" that I would only catch the beginning of the melt off but as the picture above shows the snow melted fast which made Fridays run wet.  Wet and cold.  I had planned on doing 14 or so but after getting out there and changing routes I wound up settling on a loop about half as long.  I nearly turned around 1.5 miles in because my feet were so painfully cold from the 2" of standing water under the snow but decided to tough it out.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos on the run because I haven't figure out an ideal way to carry the camera when I don't have my hydration vest on...so you'll have to believe me!  I did take some photos after I got back to my car.

You can see at half past noon when I finished my run most of the snow in the parking lot was gone. 

To me, Friday meant the start of Chaco weather.  The. Best. Kind.  Snow or no snow!

Friday evening, Michelle and I were up to our usual dirtying every pot, utensil, and appliance in the kitchen!  On the menu for the evening: Calzones!  Michelle LOVES artichokes and I picked up this fun pizza book over break at Home Goods for cheap which just happened to have an artichoke-prosciutto-spinach calzone recipe.  As a first attempt, we were both very pleased with how they turned out although we both agree that next time we will make them smaller.  We've been making dough via the recipe from the book and it has turned out to be really easy to work with and the KitchenAid mixer makes cuts down the time to about 15 minutes including cleaning and washing the bowl (obviously this doesn't include the hour for the dough to proof).

We blanched the spinach by boiling it for ~30 seconds and then shocked it in an ice bath.  I was shocked (pun intended) by how much the spinach reduced, next time we'll have to double (maybe triple) the amount we use.

Cheesy goodness!  

(No.  I didn't eat the whole thing in one sitting.  I easily could have but showed self control).

As a side note, I had mentioned a few weeks ago at the Rock 'n' Roll USA marathon expo I created a video audition for TEAM REFUEL and had the card sitting at my desk reminding me that April 5th was the day they intended to post finalists.  Unfortunately, I was not one of them.  But NEXT TIME!

3. Operation Smile 5K - Dublin, VA - On Saturday morning, Michelle and I headed down to Dublin (the biggest city in the world! ....It's dublin' every day) for the Operation Smile 5K.  Michelle had signed up for the run through her masters program, I think there was some academic incentive but none the less a great cause, and I was along to spectate and support (read: ring a cowbell).

From Operation Smiles website:

We're a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery and related medical care for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

The race was very small...maybe 50 participants combined in the running and walking categories.  We arrived a little before 8:30, the run did not start until 9, and mingled with other folks in Michelle's program until they held the pre-race briefing.

The race was held at Radolph Park "The Pride of Pulaski" which is a nice recreational/athletic facility.

When we arrived they were in the process of setting up the finish shoot.

The course began with three laps of the athletic fields prior to a short singletrack section in the woods followed by a lap of the perimeter of the park.  The gentleman who won had to have been in his early sixties..."beast" status!

Michelle finishing the run!

After the race they had a raffle and handed out plaques to the age group winners.  It was very different from most of the races I have done recently but it so nice to feel a sense of community between the runners and take a break from the "big box" races.

When we got home, I went out for a quick run before we were out the door again, heading north to Salem, to check out the "newly" opened Parkway Brewery!

4. Parkway Brewery - Ever since I heard the NRV (New River Valley) was getting a brewery (Bull & Bones doesn't count in my opinion) I had been been itching to check it out!  I liked their Facebook page and followed their opening but week after week was not able to make the short trip up the road for one reason or another.  We  finally made time on Saturday to go see if it would live up to the hype.  After I knocked out a quick run, we rode up to Salem with Michelle's parents and met up with some friends to see what the brewery had to offer and "carboload" for Sunday's long run.  The brewery does not serve foot but instead invites food trucks (Brooklyn Brewery does the same thing) as an option for patrons or allows food be brought in from the outside when in the absence of food trucks.  The brewery could be very easy to miss as you drive down the road as from the outside it's just a baby-poop-greenish industrial building but all of the cars outside gave it away...and also made parking a challenge but we managed.  Usually a good indicator!  It turned out to be a beautiful Saturday with temperatures in the 60's and it seemed like everyone had the same idea as us...so we snagged seating on the inside as most of the outdoor seating was taken.  The setup is very simple, a single bar opposite where you walk in and the rest of the area is filled with a bottling line, boxes of beer, as well as tables and benches to sit as you enjoy cold adult refreshments. 

The view as you enter the brewery. 

I have to admit, I was excited about going to the brewery and finally tasting their beers but I was way more excited to try Bruno's Gastrotruck!  Michelle and I...well...we're foodies and food trucks are pretty high up on our list.  Another reason why I wanted to get out on a run before we left for the brewery was because I knew exactly what I was going to order, the LE BACON ROYALE WITH CHEESE.  A play on Pulp Fiction for those that don't get the reference, STOP reading and watch this video first.

Bruno's Gastro Food Truck (HA! Didn't even realize I caught Cindy and Cheryl at the truck)

They actually pull the truck right into the brewery. One thing that I found neat was to see that they can operate off the location power which seems pretty logical but just wasn't something I had thought about.  You can actually just make out the chord in the photo above near the front left tire of the truck. 

Three of us stated with a "flight" or a 4oz (seemed bigger though) sample of their four beers for only $5, a great deal.  I loved their get Bent Mountain IPA which we wound up with a pitcher of.

My beautiful fiancé!

Now, the Le Royale with cheese was a Kobe Beef patty, Applewood smoked bacon, havarti, over easy egg, baby arugula, picked onions, tomato, and sriracha mayo.  It was THE. BOMB. DOT. COM!!! Michelle had a beef tip wiz' wit (Philly-peeps) that was also amazing.  

Verdict: Bruno's Gastrotruck - Five Stars!

**(It was a bit pricey in my opinion, would've thought ~$8 for the burger instead of $10)**

LE ROYALE WITH CHEESE

I digress...back to the brewery.  It is super impressive that they already have a bottling line and are distributing in Blacksburg...well their Baltic Porter in 22oz. bottles is at the speciality stores in Blacksburg and they had everything else available for purchase there at the brewery. 

Bottling line.

Not quite sure what this thing does as the line wasn't running while we were there (obviously) but I'm guessing this is the capper?

5. Sunday Long Run - Sunday started early for me as Michelle and I planned to go to church at 11 and I wanted to get a long run in...that meant leaving the house a little before 7:30 and just getting in the door at 10:00AM to stretch, shower, eat, and get to church.  And we made it.  With time to spare!  This was my longest run since the Rock 'n' Roll USA marathon and it felt really good.  It started out a little chilly, 45 degrees, but warmed up nicely throughout the run.

Details: 

Totals for the week: 4/1/13-4/7/13 (I always start my weeks on Monday)

Mileage: 44   

Elevation Gain: 4,019 ft.  

My highest mileage week this year.

6. Spring is FINALLY HERE! - I had forgotten how long and depressing a Blacksburg winter could be, not that I'm complaining, but the opportunity to run in shorts and short sleeves over the past week has been AWESOME!  The start of this week was super busy and the next 6 weeks look to be even more so.

Interesting Internet Findings

1. Canadian Space Agency Informative Video - Ever wonder what would happen if you cried in space?  Yeah.  Think about that for a minute.  Well the Canadian space agency decide to create an informative video about it.  Pretty wild what happens! 
2. Social Media Brings Back a Retired Shoe from Brooks - #OperationSaveTheLaunch - The Launch is Back!  Honestly, I could care less but I love social media and think this is an awesome example of the power of it. Read it HERE (via Brooks Blog)
3. 12 Year-old WINS Cherry Blossom 5K?!? - Yep.  You read that right.  A 12 year old won the Cherry Blossom 5K.  I'll say it again.  A 12 year old won the Cherry Blossom 5K.  While I applied to run the Cherry Blossom 10 miler this year, my application was not accepted so I only have to be rejected one more year before automatic acceptance.  It was tough reading all of the posts about it but it's high on my dream list! Read it HERE (via Washingtonian)
4. "The truth is, I hate to run. It’s just a means to an end. I like to race, but I hate to run." - Interesting article on one runners realization waiting for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler to start.  Super brief but I really enjoyed the read because I understand where he's coming from and wrote something similar a few weeks ago. Read it HERE (via Forbes)
5. 91 Year-old Run 3:04 Half-marathon!!! (I have to admit, I originally thought it was a 3:04 marathon and was going to quit running altogether) And you thought a 12 year old winning Cherry Blossom 5K was impressive.  Talk about the real deal!  Read it HERE (via Runnersworld)
6. Ultrarunner Survives Avalanche Scare while Climbing - A scary and humbling thought about how we handle our trips out into the woods, even if were just going for a few quick miles. #RespectMotherNature  Read it Here (via Ultimate Direction Blog)
7. Meb Keflezighi Withdraws from Boston! - With the Boston Marathon this weekend it is disappointing most of the American hopefuls have withdrawn from the race (Meb and Ryan Hall). Read it Here (via Meb's Blog)

That's it!  Hopefully you enjoyed my ramblings and seeing what I've been up to this week. This weekend we head down to Charlotte for a friends wedding but not before the 3.2 for 32 - Run in Remembrance Saturday morning.  I'm so looking forward to getting back to the Queen City!   Leave some love!

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