Vacation!!!!! (with running!)

This is what my training looked like this week:

Monday: Unplanned rest day on vacation, but we did go walking at a park

Tuesday: 8.25 vacation run, trails/hilly road @ Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park

Wednesday: 4.5 miles Hotel gym IL, Speed intervals

Thursday: Double run day:

AM 5.5 mile run with "The Breakfast Club"

PM: 5.17 mile run with Summer Trail Mixer group at Percy Warner Trails, red trail+

Friday: Rest day

Saturday: 16 mile Chicago Marathon training run with Fleet Feet group

Sunday: 5.5 mile recovery run

45 miles for the week!!!!! That's getting back to higher mileage for me and it feels great! I can't wait to get even higher!

Its crazy to think that some elite runners are logging 150+ miles in peak season!

Ok now on to my vacation post from last week...

We spent 2 days in Wisconsin and 4 days in Illinois(my hometown)

Here are some pictures driving through Chicago Friday...I can't wait to go back in Oct for the Chicago Marathon!

I did my 12 mile Long run Sat morning. It was hard to be without my training group but it was a beautiful run...

I took LOTS of pictures...

And more....

Now your probably thinking, "Dang girl did you even run?! Did you just snap pictures the whole entire time!!!"

So just a few more...

I promise I DID run, remember my photo showing my watch and miles!

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. This was our 3rd time there and we love it!

Somehow I was blocking my daughter's eyes with my water bottle and that's the only picture we got of the family :(

Here are the people dressed up we encountered...

This astounded the kids...the statue moved!!!

And some of us decided to be a little daring...

I had always wanted to try Henna!

Ella got a little Henna heart pictured here...

Also pictured is her sleeping fairy in a box that she spent her birthday money on..

The next morning I went out for a recovery run before leaving WI and heading to IL for the rest of our trip...

Once we arrived in IL we did some hiking with my Dad...

My sweetheart daughter Ella...

Woke up with a HUGE spider bite the next morning...

So we ended up taking an unexpected trip to the doctor that morning. They said just ice, itch cream and benadryl and come back if it got a lot worse or infected. Thankfully by the next day it was a little better and the third day going away.

Hiking again later that day...

Ella said she was just too tired to smile(she was on benadryl)

That night we did some camping, first time for the kids!

The next morning I went for a run with no plan, ended up doing part road(holy hilly road!) and part trail. It was fun exploring with no set plan.

We stayed at a hotel the following night to just relax and let the kids swim before heading home. I managed a treadmill speed interval run. That little gym was actually nice.

It ended up being a great trip and I got to stop at one of my favorite cafe's, MEGS before leaving town. Great old memories chatting with my best friend here, and I got my favorite drink, vanilla chai tea. NO ONE makes it good as theirs...believe me I have tried many in search!