5 Weeks Until the Oklahoma Marathon & an 80’s Party!

What a week! Not just with regards to training for my next marathon, (Oklahoma in 5 weeks), but also in non-running events.

Let me dive right into my recap!

Monday: Marathon Monday in Boston! I was there to cheer for Dustin; I walked with him from our hotel to the shuttle buses, and then headed out for my own run, which ended up being 8.5 miles. I watched the marathon from my hotel room on TV while I worked a bit in the morning, before heading down to the lobby and stepping right outside to cheer on Boylston, right at mile 26!

Check out this video I took at mile 26 (it doesn’t seem to load on Chrome, only Safari, FYI.)

This is not my husband, but another runner. Poor guy! But he did get up and hobble the final 0.2 mile to the finish.

This was Dustin’s 3rd time running Boston (we both ran it for the first time in 2017, read that recap here.) He really wanted to just have a fun, good-feeling Boston, which for him would be about a 3:15; (he just ran a 2:58 in Idaho at the end of June.) Unfortunately, going into this race, he was dealing with a hamstring issue- nothing major, but it reared its ugly head around mile 18 and he struggled, finishing in a 3:33. He was bummed and said no more Bostons for him, which is fine, since it doesn’t really help with our 50-state goal when he does the same state multiple times, ha!

But he finished his 38th marathon and I’m proud of him.

The rest of Monday was a fun day in Boston, celebrating another marathon finish for Dustin. We had lunch at Night Shift Brewing, which was great, and eventually had dinner at the Banks Fish House (oysters! a lobster roll!)

Tuesday: Rest day for me! We had a tasty breakfast at Tatte Bakery before heading to the airport to make our way back to Minneapolis.

Wednesday: 8.4 miles, 9:34 min/mile pace. I am getting back to running in the 5:XX’s before my return to the office. I was treated for my efforts with a beautiful sunrise!

20 minute strength for runners class, 10 minute core class on the Peloton app after work.

Thursday: My 40th birthday! After traveling & being around crowds in Boston, I planned to get a covid test on Thursday over lunch to be safe (particularly as I was hosting a birthday party Saturday), but that meant solo running on my birthday- well, not completely solo, I ran 4 alone and then picked up Ruth for 4 more! 8 miles total on the day.

That evening, Dustin and I went to dinner at Owamni by the Sioux Chef, which is the first indigenous restaurant in the country! It’s getting lots of press (even in the NY Times!) They don’t use any ingredients that weren’t native to this land, which means no refined sugar, no flour, no dairy, etc. It was delightful and a lot of fun! Great birthday celebration.

Friday: I had early meetings again, but a lovely break over lunch, so my friend Vicki and I (plus Ruth) ran 6 miles together, 8:47 min/mile average. A gorgeous fall day.

Saturday: Long run day! I ran to meet Sarah and Christie, did a few with them for 7 miles total, running back to the house to pick up Dustin and Ruth for 7 more, 14 miles on the day, 9 min/mile average. Dustin is still recovering post- Boston, so he was willing to do 7 at my pace.

After the run, I did a quick 20 minute strength for runners plus 5 minute core class on the Peloton app. Its hard for me to do strength after a long run, but I hadn’t done much when we were in Boston and wanted to fit in a little more.

If you recall, I celebrated my 40th birthday with my sisters in the Boundary Waters back in August, but I also wanted to celebrate with some friends.

I never expected Covid to still be a risk when I was planning this party. Fortunately, all my friends are vaccinated and the party was still small (and people were spread inside/ outside.) It was the first party we had hosted since New Year’s Eve going into 2020. I was a little nervous, but hopefully we are all safe.

Ruth and Matilda worked security- vax cards at the door or no entry!

80’s themed and everyone dressed the part!

I had 80’s candy, an 80s drink (a Blue Hawaiian) and plenty of other (current day) snacks and drinks.

We had an end-time on the invite of 11 pm, though the party went on a bit later…but I had a blast! However, this 40-year old is NOT used to staying up later anymore. I was quite tired on Sunday. Just can’t hang with the young kids anymore, ha!

Sunday: I did manage 4 miles with Ruth, 8:55 min/mile average on another gorgeous fall day, but was a bit lazy the rest of the day.

Summary: About 49 miles of running, a few Peloton strength class.

And that’s a wrap! I’m linking up with Running on the Fly and Confessions of a Mother Runner as part of their Weekly Rundown. Check it out!