Last week I had a really great week and it was all about running fun. Running fun is having a carefree, fun, cathartic, relaxing, hard — whatever kind you want! — but fantastic run. Running fun leaves you content and at peace. I love running with my Little Bee but I enjoyed waking up early, leaving the house while it was still quiet and serene, and running with (and without) music and not having to push a stroller. It was a nice week of running fun.
Cool Mornings, Swampy Runs, and Running Fun
Tuesday — 4.16 miles
I really unplugged on Tuesday. I started off with music turned on but as my mind wandered to the activities I would do with my kids over the summer — namely hiking, canoeing, and creek walking — I realized I was missing the beauty and solitude of the morning waking up around me. I turned the music off and enjoyed the music of the birds for the remainder of my run. My Tuesday run was definitely something I would considering running fun.
Picture perfect.
Wednesday — 6.2 miles
Wednesday was much cooler than it had been. It was in the mid 40s when I went out for my run which was a huge shock to my system. This was both a blessing and a curse. I dislike being cold when I’m running, but I did notice an increase in my speed despite not trying to increase my speed. It was a nice little confidence booster which definitely ranked this as a running fun run.
Thursday — 4 miles
I wasn’t planning on running on Thursday since it was my husband’s running day. But he got home early and since I was already up, I decided to head out. It was chilly, but again, I was faster than I had been so I felt happy at the end.
Saturday — 7.77 miles
Saturday was a hot mess on all levels. It was literally hot and humid. It was in the 70s when I started out with 68% humidity. Just brutal. It was swampy to no end. My daughter had also been up all night the night before and I was sleep deprived (why does this always happen the night before my long runs and races?!).
My goal was 12 miles but I knew by mile 2.93 that simply was not going to happen. I had already stopped about 3 times for water and snacks. By the time I got to mile 5 and saw I was quickly depleting my water supply, I changed my goal to 10 miles. This was not something I would call “running fun.” At mile 6, I stopped to chat with one of our local police officers. He was on motorcycle so it was easy to chat without looking creepy. We talked shop — and by shop, I mean we talked about how distracted driving has proliferated and become a major problem for runners and cyclists. He did make me feel better about the pepper spray thing — y’know, my paranoid running and all. He told me it’s good to run with pepper spray to protect myself from… dogs. I chuckled when he said that. I’ve been running with pepper spray for many other reasons and dogs was certainly not one of them!
Earlier in my run, I had sent a text to my husband to make an appointment at the doctor for my daughter. As I was heading into mile 7, I got a text back that I needed to come home right away because he had made an appointment for her 40 minutes from that time. I was hoping to get at least 8 miles for the day at this point but when I got to my driveway and saw lucky 7’s, I called it a day.
Turns out my daughter tested positive for strep (my son also had it a couple days prior) so it’s a good thing I didn’t finish my run and took her to the doctor instead.
I was disappointed with how things went down on Saturday but my daughter’s illness and the intense heat and humidity were far out of my control.
Sunday — 1.75 miles + strength
I declared last week that I was going to keep up with my strength training. I haven’t. It’s farce. But I met with my 5K training group on Sunday and upped the ante with our post-run bootcamp. These ladies definitely brought it far more than I did, and they’re definitely staying up with their workouts throughout the week. They’re so inspiring and I’m so happy with their progress so far.
Look at this form!
Looking ahead I’ve got a few weeks of chaos coming up so not sure what’s going to happen with the running fun. Who am I kidding? I know I’m going to try to get as many miles in as I can. But since we’ll be so busy, I won’t feel bad if I need to lay off the mileage before marathon training begins.
xo
TALK TO ME!
When was the last time you experienced running fun?
Do you ever run unplugged?
Linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs for Tuesdays on the Run, and HoHo Runs and MissSippi Piddlin’ for the Weekly Wrap. Also linking up with Nicole, Annmarie, Angelena Marie, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday.
