Half Marathon Training and Dogs

This weekend went to the dogs. Literally. 

I spent most of the weekend at my parents' house in the suburbs. They just redid their basement and got a new dog, so I was due for a visit to see the changes. Friday nights at my parents' house always include homemade pizza and wine (see above picture). Saturday involved sleeping in, a four-mile run, a trip to Costco, a nap, and a fun dinner out with our family friends. I always enjoy getting away from the craziness of the city for a few days. I love being surrounded by weeping willow trees and ponds and, of course, spending time with the dogs. 

My parents adopted Alex (below) after his family couldn't take care of him anymore. He's a two year-old golden retriever with an excessively playful and affectionate personality. Sam (the dog all the way to the right in the picture above) and Alex are best friends and lick each other's faces. Their faces get slobbery and gross, but it's still really cute. Alex followed me around within minutes of meeting me and spent time on my bed and lounged near my shoes. 

He's a pretty cool dog. Welcome to the family, Alex!

I will say that my parents usually adopt mixed breeds from shelters, but they also love goldens. Plus, this dog would have gone to a shelter if someone didn't take him.

Good food is also one of my favorite parts of going home. As I previously mentioned, my dad makes a homemade pizza every Friday night (except for the base, which is a Boboli whole wheat pizza crust). This weekend, he made a pesto sauce from scratch and added shiitake mushrooms. He layered it with onions, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella cheese. Fresh arugula was the final touch after it came out of the oven. 

We went to Mambo Italiano in Mundelein for dinner on Saturday. It's one of my parents' go-to restaurants. I ordered eggplant parmesan with whole wheat angel hair pasta on the side. As you can see, the portion was enormous! The leftovers that I took home made a good Sunday morning breakfast. 

I also had the chance to admire the renovation on my parents' basement. They've been in the house for 11 years now, and they've slowing been making changes to the house. I think the basement ties with the screen room for my favorite redo. I don't have Before and After photos, but the After is a big improvement. This new basement includes a half wall that separates the exercise equipment, new cabinetry and larger closets, a shower for the bathroom, and a walk-in wine cellar. 

For my mom and dad, who thoroughly enjoy exercise and wine, this is their perfect basement. Also, the dogs like the open area for playtime. Sam (and now Alex) usually follow us downstairs and hang out while we work out. On Saturday, Sam supervised me while I stretched. 

Sam also waved me goodbye when I went on my run. 

Speaking of running, I'm signed up for the  Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon this summer. Despite having a blog that has the word "jogger" in the title, my running has been pretty weak for the past few years. I had multiple setbacks with my injured sartorius muscle (when I lived in Australia) and since then have had achy feet and a very bad lower back. I'll get more into the lower back story one day, but I've a few instances over the past couple of years where I pulled my lower back so badly that I couldn't walk. I've been through chirotherapy, massages, and personal training sessions that focus on my form, increasing my hip mobility, and strengthening my back.

For the first time in months, the sharp pain in my back is diminishing. I give most of the credit to the personal training sessions for teaching me about stretching, using a foam roller and a lacrosse ball on multiple muscle groups, and honing in on my form when lifting objects, doing squats and lunges, and more. I'm still avoiding the high-intensity group exercise classes, but I'm able to hit the treadmill or pavement and run a couple of miles pain-free. If I keep up with my therapy, I'm feeling confident that I'll be able to run 13.1 miles in July.

This weekend, I did four. Hell yes. Running in the suburbs was relaxing. I wasn't dodging walkers or dogs, waiting for lights to change, or enduring temporary deafness by the wailing of a passing siren. It was a much welcomed change of scenery. 

As for my training schedule, I'm planning to run at least two times per week (one shorter run, one longer run) and slowly increase my mileage. I logged my longest run yet at eight miles last fall by doing just that. There will be many more exciting runs to come. 

Have a great week!