As the weather warms up, each run feels a little different. I’m finally shedding my extra layers and running without feeling weighed down. Carmel and I have been having a grand old time running the mountain. 
I also hosted an essential oil class with my mother-in-love. I swear by essential oils for multiple things, including helping me sleep. 🙂 After my class, I was feeling pretty tired, and I had my eighteen miler the next day, but The Lowest Pair was playing downtown at Guu’s. I first heard them when they opened for Trampled By Turtles in Green Bay last year, and I think they’re fabulous! I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to hear them in my backyard, so I went over there.
I’m having a little bit of a crisis of work intention, but I’ll go into that more in my next post or two, so going to a concert alone was certainly an interesting experience.
The next morning, I woke up with a stomachache and generally feeling crabby. I didn’t want to run, so I put it off, and put it off some more. I did some work, and cleaned the house, and finally, I convinced myself to bite the bullet. Since it was in the 20s, I headed into the gym for my run. Luckily, my crabby mood lifted about mile 9. I ate some Starbursts and drank my Nuun, and watched some The Boss on Netflix.
Now, for a bit of honesty. 🙂
You would think that having dozens of double digit mile runs under my belt, that I would remember the basics. One of the most important rules to follow is that you shouldn’t try out new clothes because they can chafe you, or ride up, or restrict your breathing… ain’t nobody got time for that. Since I was in such a funk when I was getting ready, I must not have been thinking straight, but I picked out a super cute tank top that I’d never run in before. I’d worn it for yoga and strength training, but not running. In any event, about ten miles into a sweaty treadmill run, my arms were chafing so badly that I ended up running and swinging my arms away from my body for the final eight miles. That shirt also just soaked up all my sweat. Gross AND annoying. Alas, I have no idea what the f I was thinking lesson learned.
As soon as I left the gym, I went straight to our local soft serve place, Belts, and ate my recovery lunch while sitting in a mustard bath. 
I recovered with laundry and packing for my weekend- the Trout Unlimited Upper Midwest Regional meeting. I was so excited to see my Wisconsin TU guys, my Illinois TU friends (hi, Myra!), and, of course, the staff. Dont worry, I made sure to grab some Spotted Cow to share with the guys.
Brian had Friday off, so he helped me finish packing and loaded my car for me. Before I knew it, I was on the road. A couple hours into my drive, I looked in the backseat and realized I didn’t see my garment bag hanging there. I called Brian, who informed me that we’d forgotten to put it in the car, and it was still hanging on our bedroom door frame. I ended up making up for it by buying new meeting clothes (thanks for no sales tax on clothes, Minnesota!), and my WITU friends and I headed over to our friends’ house for a cookout.
Thanks for hosting this rowdy bunch, Criqui family!
I enjoyed the meeting, especially learning about the plans that TU has for helping us protect and restore our beloved Great Lakes. I represented Wisconsin well by attending the “Women In TU” presentation… 
And we got to catch up over dinner. Go Badgers! 
Linn and Mike, from WITU, worked with my friend, Kyle (remember Kyle, from Oregon?), to put on a presentation…
…our CEO gave a talk of his own…
…and Matt (from TU AND the River Alliance) and Linn gave a presentation about advocacy.
I took Kyle to the Mall of America to walk around for a bit, and I dropped him off at the airport on the way to visit the Weisses. I got to meet baby Lexi!! 
The Weisses are fabulous parents, and I just love watching my friends grow into their new role. Thanks for letting me spend the night and cuddle with your babe! 
I was on the road early on Monday, and headed home. I love seeing that “Welcome to Wisconsin” sign.
Thanks for reading!
Miles this year: 188.45
…entertainment (the Badger band and 
…award winners…
After a few days inside, I was happy to log a few miles outside. I consider myself so lucky to live in a town with the 
They had two races- a normal 5K, and a hilly course they called the Bock Buster. Of course, I couldn’t just run the regular race, so we lined up near the front of the pack with the rest of the Bock Buster runners.
The race itself was, indeed, a buster. Holy hills! The upside was that it was mostly uphill the whole way out, so it was downhill on the way back. I have a relatively new Garmin, so it notifies me when I set records, and I set a record for fastest mile on the way back in during this race. There were also adorable notes to cheer us on! 
Brian and I came in somewhere around 29:30. 
I hopped right on the massage table, then hugged it out with my best friend, Nikki, who ran the 5K! 🙂 
I’m pretty experienced with races, so I’ve learned to bring dry clothes along to change into afterwards. I hate that sweaty chill! I even brought a blanket this time, and the beer helped warm me up. I had something brand new this year- carmelized beer! They took a hot metal rod and stuck it in my beer to melt the sugars, I guess. I’d never even heard of this! It was delicious. 
After we mingled and visited with everyone, even this bearded monster that loves Nikki ;)… 
…we headed over to Amy and Chris’ house. We took a quick shower and headed out for a wine tasting and dinner. The wine tasting was at 
We talked about wedding stuff, and laughed, and had a grand old time. Thanks for the fabulous day, friends!
They’re known for their egg rolls, but all the food was delicious. They were so sweet to me, and they packed up all the food after the shoot for me to take home for dinner. They even included a bottle of that orange-y drink… I think it’s called Thai tea. It was kind of like a spiced iced tea with milk and sugar.
Thank you for your hospitality, Lemon Grass Noodle House! We’re happy to have you join the downtown businesses. 🙂
We set up the booth and worked on Friday afternoon, then slept soundly in the hotel, and I woke up early on Saturday to go for a run along the big lake.
It was a cold, windy run along the water, but Marquette is a beautiful place. Even though I was tired, and it was cold, I’m glad I woke up early for this run. I always am, but it doesn’t make it any easier to get out of my nice cozy bed. I hit up Marquette’s co-op for breakfast (and coffee!), then we worked at the booth all day Saturday. A couple years ago, on a trip to Marquette, we found this 
…and we hit the road for the four hour snowy ride home. 
Marathon training is ramping up! 🙂
This event was held in Oshkosh, and my best friends Amy and Nikki came out to help me sell tickets. We spent the night relaxing in the hot tub and drinking wine. It is a strange “girls’ night” but we love it. ❤
I love it.
Up next? A shoot with a very talented encaustic artist, and two divine cupcakes.
artist & athlete | a glimpse into real life, Heidi style 