Hey party people! It’s hump day! That means that we’re half way through the week and you can already see Friday evening over the horizon! How has your week been thus far? My office is pretty empty this week as most of the local schools have Winter Break this week. That has been WONDERFUL for my productivity. Half as many meetings means that I feel as if I’ve already squeezed 5 days of work into 3!

I can’t believe that the half marathon is just 8 weeks away! I’m really looking forward to being back in Savannah for the half marathon! My friend Gretchen is visiting Savannah this week for work and seeing all her pictures on Facebook made me yearn for warmer weather, blue sky, sunshine, the beach, Southern Food and seafood. I’m hoping that in between the half marathon we can squeeze in some family time on the boat!

Speaking of the race, the discount code (healthyhappierbear) is now good for $10 off entry fee! I love that the race is sponsored by New Balance and that they are giving out the awesome gym bags as swag instead of t-shirts! New Balance is hosting the Fashion Fitness Expo on the 27th which means there will be lots of great apparel and gear to try! 

Last week’s training went really well, making me feel like my goals for this half marathon are attainable. The course has LOTS of turns which worries me a bit but, worst case scenario, I have a second goal race just 4 weeks later as I’m most likely going to run the Geneva Half Marathon again this year. It’s a gorgeous course and simple since it’s local. But, I can’t think about race day yet because I still have weeks of training to complete and last week’s training to recap for you!

Monday: Oh sweet, glorious yoga Monday. Kerrie and I are both craving this class now, texting with excitement during the day. Each week I fall a little bit more in love with it as the teacher is now familiar with us and providing lots of adjustments. I also attribute this class to my recent choice to commit to a yoga challenge. My body just needs yoga these days. My muscles and mind thank me even if I only do one pose!

Tuesday: This was a fun daily double day which included BodyPump during lunch followed by spin class with Bo after work. I took it a bit easier in spin as my legs were already toast from the thigh and quad focused BodyPump class.

Wednesday: My mid-week tempo/speed workout became a 3 mile fast paced run as I was at the office later than expected and just felt blah. The frigid weather combined with tired mind and body meant that my heart wasn’t in it. Afterwards, when I told Jess, she commended me for not forcing it. I was proud of myself for being honest with her as it is easy to try and cut corners, especially when the coach is based in a different country.

Thursday: My running buddy enjoyed one too many drinks during a work dinner, so I ran 8 miles solo. The pre-dawn miles were frigid but the cold air only motivates me to run faster! I kept a 9:44 pace which felt almost easy at times. I came home and immediately moved into legs up the wall position followed by some hip openers as the run combined with spin left me feeling a bit tight & “crunchy”.

Friday: What started out as a relaxing first day of skiing quickly became a physical challenge. The slopes were far steeper and technical than what we typically ski which meant I was sweating the entire afternoon. We got stuck in some off-piste areas which required navigating through deep powder. Luckily the company was wonderful because otherwise I would have been miserable! My muscles were screaming after 6 hours of skiing!

Saturday: Our group headed to Les Houches for 5 hours of skiing which was a non-stop cardio workout. We were going longer, skiing down to the base of the mountain at times, and pushing our pace. The views were surreal and this picturesque area quickly became one of my favorites.

Sunday: My entire body was sore when I woke up but luckily I had Casey & Joel to push me out to the slopes. We spent 2.5 hours skiing Le Tour, braving the wicked wind gusts. At moments it felt as if we would blow over but luckily, we made it through the day with no serious falls.

So like I said, it was a pretty great week of training even though it only included two runs. The week previous included four runs and this week will include at least 3. And hey, skiing is great cross-training right? Winter and snow this good only lasts for a while, even in Switzerland!