Friday Five: July’s Sweaty Runfessions

It’s Friday, so I’m linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for Friday Five. I’m doubling down and linking up with Marcia for July “Runfessions,” too! Runfessions are running truths or “where runners bare their souls and soles.” It’s been a hot July here in Chicago, so these are some sweaty runfessions.

1. I runfess… I was super inspired by some amazing elite women who’re running the Chicago Marathon “with me” in October. I was invited to a breakfast and panel with Steph Bruce, Amy Cragg and Jordan Hasay sponsored by the Chicago Marathon. It was moderated by Carrie Tollefson. They were all so down to earth and gave great advice. I especially loved Amy Cragg’s story about teamwork, Jordan Hasay’s “Good, Better, Next” approach to race post-mortems and Steph Bruce’s quoting Rocky movies! Have you met/heard any elites?

2. I runfess… Whenever I see a countdown until the Chicago Marathon (79 days but who’s counting?), I get nervous about it. I haven’t run the Chicago Marathon since 2007 which was “the hot year.” It was pretty traumatic. As I’ve said a million times, running in hot temps is not my thing. It’s taken me 12 years to toe the line for this race again. Is it too early to start checking the weather for October 13?

3. I runfess… I had a blast running the Rock n Roll half with SJ and Scott. We got super lucky with the weather. Sunday was about 20 degrees cooler than Saturday. It was still a sweatfest, but we were grateful for the 70s. We enjoyed chatting and saw a lot of friends along the way. Hurray for a summer running win!

4. I runfess… I’m really tempted to try the new Nike Next% shoes or the Hoka Carbon X. Some runners I really respect think these shoes help you run faster. I could use a turbo boost these days. Would you pay $250 for running shoes if you thought they’d help you go faster?

Chagit on a Chaga!

5. I runfess… I’m a wee bit obsessed with a new find from The Outside Experience. I tried Chagit. It’s a chaga mushroom extract. They say it’s “the most powerful anti-oxidant ever found.” They extract the “ultimate Chaga mushroom power…without any artificial additives or preservatives.” It’s a 2 oz shot you drink cold. I bought some on Amazon and they sent me some to test. Stay tuned for a full review!

Have a great weekend! I hope the weather where you are is however you like it most!

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