This past week

This week was a self imposed "rest" week. I cycled once, for 30 minutes but that was all in the workout department. My hip thing is geting much better so I think I'll try to run a little this week, and possibly go to Athletico to see what the deal with my right leg is and why it hates me so much..

Last week (wow feels a lot longer ago!) We ran the Rock n Roll St pete Half. At the expo, we got to meet Olympic Gold medalist  in the marathon, Frank Shorter. Unfortunately we didn't get to hear his talk. He did mention that he just had some knee surgery after running 160,000+ lifetime miles.

This week I also tried out a few new Chicagoland places- new to me at least...

Protein Bar Chicago

From their website "Our Bar-ritos, bowls, salads, and signature drinks are all hand-crafted with high protein, high fiber, low fat, low sugar ingredients designed with two things in mind: your health and great flavor."

Ive had a few of their Bar-ritos and their "pancake in a bowl" (oatmeal with protein and fruit). All were very delicious and have inspired me to use more veggies/protein and to simplify what I am cooking at home.

Northdown Cafe

We went here on Saturday morning for brunch. This place caught our attention because they have a great selection of beer on tap and in bottles that are difficult to find. (Mikeller, brew dog, Evil Twin, etc)

 I had the Northdown Benedict, which was DELICIOUS. The potatoes were almost like deep fried mashed potatoes, and instead of English muffins, it seemed like they used home made biscuits.




I got the "Bacon Brown Ale" by Uncommon Brewers as my first drink. It was mild and had a nice smokey taste and was a little bacon like. I also tried a "Monster Ale" by Brooklyn Brewery. That one I did not like as much at first since it tasted very strongly of alchol (its a 10%+ beer.) Strange thing, as the beer warmed up I noticed less of the upfront alcohol taste and I enjoyed it much more. Usually as beers warm up, the alcohol would be more noticable.

We will definitely return to Northdown.  Im really enjoying discovering all of these smaller cafes which have extensive beer lists as well as yummy food. Score another one for Chicago!
What's next?
My plan for the next month or so is to start building a good base mileage so I can train well for the Rock n Roll Chicago half marathon in late July. (And maybe run the inagural Chicago Women's Half in late June.) Shamrock Shuffle is in 6 weeks and I'd love to PR there as well as long as my right leg and I remain friends. Another goal is to improve on strength and core fitness (and right leg flexibility). I just want to be in a good place physically when I start training for the half marathon as well as the Chicago Marathon.

Injury Free Rest of 2012 I hope!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

- Not being able to run when its absolutely stunning outside is super frustrating.