WOW, what a weekend. I have a love-hate relationship with three day weekends. They’re awesome and I love taking advantage of the extra day with my family. But I don’t love them because I almost always end up over-scheduling us with activities and what looks like fun on paper often ends up being exhausting in reality.
Somehow, some way, this three-day weekend was exceptionally fun. Plus I’m really enjoying being on “break” from training. There’s no pressure to perform, no panic if I don’t get my weekly mileage in, and I’m having fun running whenever and for however long.
Now is also the time of year when I just don’t care about the “danglers.” What’s a dangler? You know — the random tenths or eighths of a mile that magically appear on your GPS watch after you finished and saved your run. The .03’s and the .17’s that drive most of us type-A’s batty. I’m throwing caution to the wind here, people. It’s warm and sunny in the mornings, I’m not on anyone’s schedule except my own, and it’s alllllllllll good.
Fun Runs and Family Time!
Monday – 4.06 miles + ITB rehab
I took Monday nice and easy. It was chilly and my first mile was slooooow, but overall I felt really great. The weather was near-perfect. In the afternoon after Boo came home from school I did some IT band rehab exercises. I’m trying to focus on getting stronger so as to avoid my last two CLE performances.
Don’t forget the planks!
Tuesday – 3.03 miles
Tuesday was toasty. Sunny, hot, humid. Perfect in my book! I know I’m in the minority but I much prefer being warm than cold. It’s so much more comfortable for me. I had to slow my pace considerably but I was running with the stroller later in the day than I normally do. I don’t mind running slow, though. It gives me extra time to enjoy nature.
Thursday – 4.1 miles
I ran with the stroller again on Thursday and it was fairly warm. I took my time, though, and avoided heart palpitations and other agitations.
Little Bee and I talked, sang, listened to music, and then played on the playground after as a treat.
We even packed our lunches so we could hang out for a while. We have a blast when we run together. I’m so grateful she loves running, too!
Post-run lunch! Ahhhh…
Saturday – 7.07 miles
Saturday’s goal was 8 miles but I knew we were going to be really busy and on our feet for the rest of the weekend, so I had zero guilt at all about ending it at 7 miles.
Plus it was incredibly hot and humid. I saw my neighbor on her way home from a bike ride and we were both drenched with sweat. I should have gotten an earlier start to avoid the humidity but given that I’m not training for anything, I don’t set my alarm anymore. There’ll be plenty of time for early wake-ups in the next few months.
Saw this little guy in the middle of the road. I moved him. <3
After I got back from my run, we loaded up the car and took the kids to a local festival and had a blast. They rode rides, we went out to lunch, we got poured on, and then we topped it off with a freshly-made elephant ear. Deeeeeelish.
Sunday – 3.5 miles + strength training
Sunday was the first practice for my newest 5K training group. It was already hot and humid even at 7:15 am. But my participants did an amazing job for their first meeting. They seem really motivated and excited, which makes me really motivated and excited. I look forward to this session. Should be great!
Shameless plug: if you’re looking for a running coach, I’m your girl. I train everyone from couch-to-5K new runners to accomplished marathoners looking for a PR. Contact me for more info!
No Excuses Running — we mean business! 😉
After 5K training, I headed home and got ready for our annual Memorial Day BBQ. It was super fun and low-key. I didn’t do much sitting but toward the end of the evening I did finally have a seat, and when I went to stand up, I experienced some major DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from the 5K group earlier that day. It was quite uncomfortable and I’m still paying for it today!
These peeps!
Note to self: do more strength training. When will I ever learn?!
Monday – 0.0 miles
I’m including Monday because why the heck not? I didn’t run, but I did enjoy a fantastic summer day with my family. We hit up one of our very favorite parades, got a ton of candy, and saw several Corvettes and other cool and meaningful things.
Then we took the dogs to the park with a kite! It was a blast!
Everyone should fly a kite.
All in all, a pretty solid week of training. It was fun and I got some good distance under my belt just for kicks!
I have a few races coming up. Not entirely sure if I’ll be running or just cheering. That’s yet to be determined. The first one is coming up next weekend — the Hill Yeah! Half Marathon in Kirtland, Ohio. I did the 3-person relay last year and it was a beautiful course. And given the name of it, it was challenging, too. I had the shortest leg since I was coming off of marathon-injury, but it was great fun and I highly recommend this race to anyone and everyone in the area! I hope to attend this year as well. Just gotta make sure the timing shakes out.
After Hill Yeah!, the next race I’m either running or cheering is Race N Taste at Hiram House Camp in Moreland Hills, Ohio. It’s a great race. The course is really fun and the after-party is fantastic — local eateries bring their fave dishes to share, there’s beer, prizes up for raffle (noteworthy mention here: I will be donating a kick-ass raffle basket — you definitely want to win it! — but more on that in a later post), and a family-friendly atmosphere. Definitely a race worth checking out if you’re local.
In conclusion, I had a super busy week and weekend. It was so much fun and I’m really enjoying my down time, even though it’s not very quiet around these parts. I hope y’all had an awesome long weekend and you’re enjoying your down-time, too! Now let’s talk racing…
xo
TALK TO ME!
What and when is your next race?
Do you throw caution to the wind with “danglers” when the weather gets nice?
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.
