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Proud to be a Georgia Bulldawg

Greetings from the Geneva airport. This is my second time passing through the airport in less than 10 hours!

We landed here at 9:30 this morning, after a redeye from Atlanta, and I spent a quick few hours at home showering, unpacking, packing again, working, and taking a quick nap before heading back to the airport.

I’m heading to Madrid for customer meetings and will be there for less than 24 hours. I’m hoping that the combination of healthy eating, vitamins, NUUN, green juice, water, and 5.5 hours sleep on the red eye will help me push through the meetings tomorrow so I’m not a zombie. I’m so glad we stocked up on healthy flight essentials at Whole Foods yesterday on our way to the airport!

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This weekend in Georgia was so much fun! It’s been years since Bo and I returned to Athens for a football weekend so the fact that the 40 Under 40 honor included tickets to the football game was such a fun addition. Any game between the hedges is fun but winning 66-0 versus Troy made the day that much sweeter! I stood, screaming and cheering, more than I sat which is always the sign of a great game. There were some incredible plays by the team, including Sony Michel and Todd Gurley.

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As luck would have it, two of us who received the 40 Under 40 honor currently reside in Switzerland. Mai Lise and I were known as the “Swiss honorees” this weekend anytime someone was referring to us. I’m so thankful we were able to catch up back in Athens but it definitely reminded me that Bo and I need to head over to pay her a visit in Basel, as it’s supposed to be gorgeous! I also had the chance to catch up with my friend Kate who was one of my friends in 9th and 10th grade. We both graduated from UGA but hadn’t seen each other in years though through our blogs and social media we stay in touch quite regularly.

Thank you to the University of Georgia for providing us with with football tickets and the very special honor and memory of being recognized on the field! It was a truly wonderful day. I am so thankful to be part of the Georgia Bulldawg family!

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Beluga Whales & Babies

Bo and are lucky enough to be back in Georgia again, surrounded by friends and family. This trip, though a very short one, will include lots of catch up dates with our friends in Atlanta, some time with both my parents and Bo’s parents, and a trip to Athens, Georgia to cheer on the Bulldawgs!

We never intended to fly back to Georgia two times within a two month period but when I found out I received the University of Georgia’s 40 Under 40 honor, flying back wasn’t even a question. Earlier today I was humbled to be in the presence of incredible alumni who are literally curing cancer, inspiring children in the classroom, leading policy changes, and changing the world. I can’t wait to share some of their stories with you – they are incredible!

Yesterday we flew from Geneva to Amsterdam before boarding a direct flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta. By the time we arrived at my friend Meg’s house we were about to fall asleep! We pushed through and stayed awake for a lovely dinner with she and her husband, Spencer, before crashing. Luckily, their adorable daughter Hattie, had the same idea, and we were able to spend an hour together this morning getting to know her. I wish I was able to spend more time with my friend’s children as they evolve and develop so quickly at this age! I am so glad that when the time comes for Bo and I to start a family I will have so many friends to call with questions. These girlfriends of mine make balancing work and motherhood look so easy!

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Before the luncheon, Bo and I squeezed in a session at my friend’s gym in his apartment building. Since we only had 40 minutes I decided to do this week’s speed session, my final one of the Berlin Marathon training plan. The 5 x 1000 repeats flew by and before I knew it I was hopping off the treadmill. After an afternoon of wearing heels, my legs are definitely feeling the speed workout. I was thrilled to keep a 7:30-7:40 pace for each of the repeats. For anyone looking to break through mental or physical running barriers, speed training is my number one suggestion. It has given me a whole new mentality around my body’s abilities! IMG_2170[1]

After our workout I squeezed a quick trip to DryBar Atlanta for a blowout. I knew there would be a lot of pictures taken at the event today and the last thing I wanted to do was lug my straightener and products with us on this quick trip. My thick hair can get a little unruly sometimes so I was more than happy to pay someone to do the work for me while I caught up with my mom, who joined me for the appointment. Just like the New York City location, the space was bright and cheerly, decorated with yellow tulips and bright white and grey accents!

IMG_2171[1] IMG_2174[1] I have to hurry up and get ready as we’re meeting up with friends for drinks and a celebratory dinner, but before I leave I’ll leave you with this picture. The luncheon was hosted at the Georgia Aquarium, which was a treat! We loved checking out the Beluga whales and other sea creatures before and after the actual event!

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We’re off to dinner but I’ll check back in tomorrow with the rest of our adventures!

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Berlin Marathon Training–Week 3

I’m still riding a high from Sunday’s half marathon PR! After a much needed rest day, I laced up my shoes late this evening for a tempo run. My legs didn’t enjoy it but it was the perfect opportunity to hop back on the taper training wagon before tomorrow’s 15 hours of travel. Our bags our packed and we’re heading to Atlanta tomorrow. While I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with friends and family that we don’t see nearly enough, traveling to the US this close to the marathon has me a bit nervous. I’ve packed my running gear, massage balls, compression socks and lots of healthy snacks for the flight. While it would be easy to spend our time in Athens enjoying way too much tailgate food and alcohol, I’m going to have fun this weekend but keep things in balance. My eye is on Berlin, not a hangover on Sunday. I hear Ryan Gosling is going to be waiting me at the finish line. Oh wait, never mind, he has a new baby to cuddle instead.

Hey girl.... Run - this would make an awesome spectator sign! Now if only I had a race to spectate....

This week’s plan includes getting in the prescribed runs, sleeping a lot, drinking tons of water, and limiting my alcohol intake.

Now, let’s get back to last week’s training!

Monday -  A quick 20 minute strength workout including wall squats, walking lunches, planks, jumping jacks, and more.

Tuesday –   I woke up early to do 8 x 800 repeats in through Acton Green Common while staying in Chiswick. My pace stayed between 7:53-8:01 for each of the repeats!

Wednesday – This day should be known as the day Charlie and I took ALL the spin classes. We started our day with 45 minute boot camp spin class at Edge Cycle and ended the day with a 45 minute class at Cycle Beat. I am a competitive person and therefore pushed myself too hard during the class and quickly realized that I prefer spin classes that don’t have public torq/beat/exertion boards for that exact reason.

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Thursday –  After landing back in Geneva, I kicked off the bank holiday with 7 tempo miles along the Lake. I realized during this run that midweek runs between 6-9 miles stress me out far more than speed workouts or long runs. Am I the only one that feels this way?

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Friday –  I discovered a new Runners World yoga streaming video which combines foam rolling with yoga. I think I’m going to do this again this week as it was absolute bliss!

Saturday – My rest day included lots of baking, wandering through the farmer’s market, 10 hours of sleep and lots of foam rolling.

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Sunday – The day I finally ran a sub-2 hour half marathon, according to my Garmin, or set a new PR according to the official race results. Regardless, there was bubbly and cheese included in the celebrating Sunday night!

I’m personally exhausted just reading last week’s recap. While it was taper in distance, the effort was beyond taper. Don’t you worry. These two weeks are going to be ALL about respecting the taper.

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