My plan is to get outside as much as possible this summer. Far too many summers have been spent indoors, away from the unrelenting heat — or rain. This summer is different. I’m taking my kids on as many adventures as possible. I want them to appreciate the beauty of nature as much as I do. It’s never too young to teach them.
As such, I’m still recovering from last week. Between all the running, all the outdoor activities, all the weekend activities, and all the CAVS WINNING (had to throw that in for good measure), I am literally, 100% completely exhausted.
Get Outside: Running, Cicadas, Creek Walking
Tuesday — 4.02 miles
I finally reunited with my girl, Eugenia! It’s been forever and a day since I’ve seen her and I was so happy she could run on Tuesday. We put in 4 easy miles together. She’s making her running comeback so we took things nice and slow. It was a fun run! We saw quite a few brood V cicadas. Luckily not too, too many otherwise my Saturday run might not have happened. More on that in a minute…
Wednesday — 6.11 miles
Wednesday was a fabulous morning. The weather was cool, almost too cool. But I enjoyed it. I took my time, I took in the scenery, and I really connected with my surroundings. I can’t really put into words just how much I appreciate nature and living where I live now. I’m so grateful. Every day.
Friday — 5 miles
Friday was kind of a cluster, but it was multi-faceted. I’ve been wanting to take my puppy out for a couple runs here and there but I’ve honestly never found a good time to do so and keep up with my mileage at the same time. Finally on Friday I stayed mostly in my neighborhood so I thought to myself, “heck, why not try her out today?” So I did — and she did great! We ran together for almost a mile with very few interruptions.
I took the dog back home and finished up my run. It was nice having a running buddy for a mile. Later on that day we hit the trails for a hike and to go creek walking with the kids.
Then I had the brilliant idea to take my kids to the pool in the afternoon. By the end of the day I was obliterated. But since my goal is to get outside as much as possible, being exhausted is totally worth it.
Saturday — 11.25 miles
Saturday! Oh lord, this day was crazy!! Goal distance was 13 miles. Unfortunately right before I left my husband told me he had to take my son to t-ball early for team pictures. I still planned on 13 miles but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to happen.
I ran just over 2.5 miles to meet Julie in the local park. Once I met up with her, we ran another mile or so to get David. Then the three of us continued on together. It was a nice run and I was thankful for the company.
But let’s talk about the cicadas in some detail, shall we? First, I screamed like a little baby. Like, a lot. The cicadas we have here are about 2 inches long, they have giant wings, and they’re dumb. They’re also ALL OVER.
We literally ran through a cicada-mine. It was incredible. Both fascinating and disgusting. You could hear them getting ready to take off — they sounded like tiny helicopters. And then when they would start flying there was no telling their flight path. I got pegged by a few — the first one was almost stuck in my hair. Ick!! Julie duck and covered a couple times which means I was left to fend for myself since I was running behind her. It was quite hilarious to see from passerby, I’m sure.
I posted a video on Instagram, in fact. They sound pretty cool (unless you’re deep in the woods where cicada noise can reach 80 db!) but they’re giant and their shells and bodies are everywhere.
Aside from cicada-invasion and all the screaming and panicking, it was a gratifying run. I ended up at 11.25 miles, which wasn’t too far off my original goal of 13, so I was pleased. Plus I didn’t want to push it since I had a t-ball game to attend and then a wedding later in the day.
Sunday — 1.41 miles
Sunday was an epic day. I was exhausted from Saturday’s non-stop activities, though. I met with my 5K group, and we busted out some rad bootcamp moves after our run. After 5K training, the little people and I took my husband out for breakfast and then creek-walking. In the afternoon, my husband and I took turns napping, and then we stayed up far too late to WITNESS HISTORY, folks. HISTORY!
I hate watching important sporting events because I get major anxiety, but I’m so glad I watched this game.
I swear I’m watching basketball. Promise!
Folks, the Cleveland Cavaliers brought home a CHAMPIONSHIP! It’s been 52 years for us Clevelanders since anything like this has happened. Just incredible. It was an amazing game. I stayed up too late and I’ll be tired all week from it, but I don’t even care. It was totally, 100% worth it. Just fantastic. Cleveland is still celebrating, and will be for a long, long time.
EARNED!
I’ll be playing catch-up with sleep and rest this week, I’m sure, and then we have another busy weekend ahead. While Little Bee and I attend Race N Taste, my husband and Boo will be playing t-ball. I plan to run several times this week and enjoy my last week of freedom before marathon training begins. Cue #allthefeels.
xo
TALK TO ME!
Did you watch the NBA Finals? Who were you rooting for? (Hint: say the Cavs)
Do you have cicadas in your area?
How did you get outside this weekend?
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, Jen, and Michelle for Wild Workout Wednesday.
