Legends of Summer

So I've been very MIA lately (big surprise). My life has been tied up into huge knots due to wedding planning, my job, freelance work and other family affairs BUT this past week was spent on VACATION....as in...no work. Let me repeat, I did not do ANY work for a whole week. I can't tell you how weird it was for me to do absolutely nothing. Every summer it is tradition for Josh's family to rent out a bunch of cabins at Johnson's Resort in Hayward, Wisconsin. It takes some time for me to get over being so disconnected from the outside world (no cell reception) but I love it. I can leave my phone in the cabin and head out to get my tan on without worrying about how many calls I've missed or how many emails I need to check up on.

This was my view for the majority of vacation and it was glorious.

 

It was extremely hot and sunny there all week which made for great tanning/swimming weather. The only huge bummer this year was that the resort's pool was out of commission so if we wanted to swim, we would just need to jump off that dock and into the lake. No biggie...minus the thought of leeches latching onto your bod.

When Josh and I traveled into town this time I was on a mission to buy some Minnetonka moccasins and they were everything I hoped they would be. They are the most comfortable pair of shoes EVER and I'm making it a point to wear them as often as possible for the remainder of the summer.

We also made the mandatory trip into the candy store. Peanut brittle and caramel apple suckers? Yes please. It's vacation and that means splurging just a little and I brought some kettle bells along for some strength training so I was set! Bring on the Grahm Central Station ice cream! Indulging in a waffle cone of that while dominating in Word Dojo with Josh is something that is another part of the tradition. However this year, we had some pretty good competition but ended up on top still. Word Dojo champs!

The dart tournament also proved to be victorious with Josh's Dad bringing home yet another Guenther fam win this year. I'm absolutely awful at darts and don't want to make anyone else suffer at my lack of dart throwing skills so I cheer on everyone else and enjoy a drink or two or three. It was the best waking up and not having to do ANYTHING. Want to go swimming? Okay. Want to read a little bit and play a round of extreme badminton? Okay, sure! Relaxing days fishing and hanging out on the dock were plentiful!

I came back from vacation refreshed and with a clear head which felt AMAZING. I've been so busy at work it was crazy! Although now, I faced the dreaded Super Spartan Race.

This was the first obstacle race I've ever done...8 miles and 26+ obstacles. It was a 95-degree day, went to a wedding the night before and I ended up getting heat stroke and having a hypoglycemic episode. I totally thought my body was shutting down. I went through horrid mud pits, climbed up walls and ropes, climbed up crazy hills and swam across muddy water while running in between and all of a sudden...my body just gave out on me.

 I started throwing up over and over again and was removed from the course by a medic. I was freaking out since they were insisting on taking me away in an ambulance and all I wanted them to do was find Josh ASAP. Once they found Josh (which seemed like an eternity) my blood sugar was back up from 40 to more of a stable level and they were working on getting fluids in me. I eventually was able to keep water down and went to immediate care with Josh. The two-hour car ride was the absolute worst and I couldn't tell what was worse, the bruises I saw forming on my body from all of the obstacles or my bruised ego from not finishing the race. Although I did finish more than half of the race and this was my first obstacle course ever, I eventually understood that I should be proud of what I did finish...but... it still really sucked not making it to the finish line after training so hard for it. Oh well, at least I didn't break anything like some people did or contracted this weird and unknown rash that started to appear all over people after the race! This race was INTENSE.

However the following day was the best pick-me-up. Ladies and gents...I give you Justin Timberlake and Jay Z's Summer Legends Tour at Soldier Field. I luckily made a speedy recovery from the previous day's events and was able to rock it out to the best show of the summer with my sister. The last time I saw JT was in his N'SYNC days with my sister. Apparently the whole city of Chicago was also planning on going to the show as well since it took a million years to get there, but oh my was it worth it. Can anyone think of anything better than hearing JT singing Sexy Back in person? No I didn't think so. I actually even knew every Jay Z song that was played as well. It was great how they collaborated at times and then switched off.

My inner pre-teen was thrilled. Can you tell?

Rocking out to JT and Jay Z with my sis was the best ever and definitely healed any ego-bruising  that happened the day before. We brought sexy back. Yes I said it.

It was like seeing two shows at once and it was totally worth being wallet-raped by Soldier Field. $40 T-shirt? Macklemore would not be proud.

Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

For the past week, it's been a monsoon around these parts. Enough already! Luckily the rain stayed away for most of the day so my mom and I could go to the local Farmers Market and go shopping at my favorite shops downtown. We were a little late to the party, but we got some great jarred honey, dill pickles and apple turnover yummies. I'm all for supporting local businesses and call me weird...but I LOVE pickles - especially these. I'm a honey nut too. It's great for you and gives me a great energy boost before my morning runs. (I usually just have a spoonful and go.) Highly suggested!! Putting honey in tea is another great energy booster instead of snagging a sugary soda.

 

After we got these goodies, we had a delicious lunch at Benedicts La Strata where I feasted on a lovely veggie white omelet with deliciously made lemonade. It definitely hit the spot after my morning run. It was a long run day (7 miles) and did it without music. I figured I should start running sans iPod since I won't be able to run with it for the Spartan race. I thought I was going to have a tough time since my master running playlists really motivate me through each and every mile, but to my surprise, I did great without JLo blaring through my earbuds! Running without my music really enabled me to listen to my breathing more and improved my pace! Refueling was in order!

After lunch we headed over to do some more shopping and to my surprise, we ran into some amazing Blackhawks throwback jerseys. Being a HUGE fan (but jersey-less) I was salivating at the mouth. My mom told me to try on a Hossa one and I fell in love even though it was way too big. She took it from me and handed it over to the cashier...I was in awe and disbelief. I'm definitely spoiled. It came just-in-time too so I could sport it for game one of the playoffs against the LA Kings. I knew it would bring me good luck.

And guess what? IT DID. Hossa even scored a goal in the second quarter (all because of me sporting his jersey of course) and the Blackhawks won 2-1. That Stanley Cup is that much closer, Chicago!!!

Spring Has Sprung

Alright folks, I live in the Midwest and that means if I see another snowman or any threat of a snow flurry any time in the near future...shit is going down. I will flip my lid, lose my marbles and pack up to sunny Florida. BUT so far the sun has been shining this week and it looks like the spring season is finally here to kick off its shoes and stay awhile. THANK GOD. I didn't buy way too many things for my spring wardrobe just to have them hang in my fricken closet for a few more months. Time to pack away the bulky sweaters and breakout my skirts sans tights and ditch the winter jacket. It feels even better to realize that I can also go for morning runs without the cold gear. Tank and some shorts! Lets do this! I also got my free Chicago Women Rock top in the mail to start running in the warmer weather. Gangster style. I'm really excited to run the Chicago Women Rock 10k in September since my mom and my sister will be participating as well. I'm so proud of them!

With spring finally arriving more than fashionably late, that means shorts, sleeveless tops and drum roll please....SWIMSUITS. Bring it on! I'm totally ready especially after 900-1,000 cals burned for each of my workouts. Hard work pays off!!

 After these workouts I'm really not one to be too hungry afterward. However, if I do eat, I tend to lean toward things that are very heavy in protein but I really just gulp down glass after glass of water. One key thing that I have learned is to definitely eat not right before a workout but a good hour or so beforehand so I have some extra energy. There's nothing worse than feeling sluggish and running on low when you're just getting started! I have a few fitness apps on my phone to also help keep me on track throughout the day to make sure I'll make the most out of my workouts. For running I use RunKeeper. There are SO many running apps out there but for me, this is definitely my fav. You can pick what activity you're doing, it'll tell you what pace you're currently running at, keeps track of how many calories you're burning and you can set fitness goals for yourself (oh and it's free!). Another amazing fitness app that I use to mainly keep track of my food is MyFitnessPal (also free). Instead of having to search an endless database of food and beverage items, you can use the barcode scanner and BOOM the food will automatically log into your food diary. It also has a lot of searchable items from restaurants in the database and you can also log your workouts from yoga to boxing in your daily diary. 

I also love the Spartan Race's update for Illinois (sarcasm)...they initially said that the course would be about 7 miles and 20 obstacles...now that has somehow increased to 9-10 miles and 20 obstacles....ummm excuse me but that's not cool...very not cool. I'll be covered in mud, sweat and bruises most likely and they want to add on a couple more miles like it's no big deal? Oh it's on.