What a great trip. Magical in every way. I even saw a shooting star the first night we were there.

Hard to believe I didn’t melt completely though—it was hot and sultry every single day.

There were some wonderful breezes here and there and when there wasn’t a breeze there was always a dip in the pool or the ocean/bay to cool off (although both were like bath water!)

And a trip to Jamaica wouldn’t be complete with out some rum punch right?

While most of this trip was about relaxation (to which Mr. SOTSS and I are both not accustomed to) we still got in some activities that required more than just lifting a glass or a fork to our lips =)

We both used the fitness center each morning. He’s still waiting for some relief with his Plantar Fasciitis so instead of running he chose a different machine. I think it was a cross between an elliptical and an arc-trainer. I opted for the treadmill for all my runs because frankly it was just too oppressive outside to run, not to mention the loop path around the resort was a view I was already so familiar with the rest of the day I wasn’t really missing anything by using the treadmill. In fact I had a nice view of the water anyway. My plan was to try for 2 separate 3 mile runs. Well I ended up doing 3 runs but two of them were shorter than 3 miles.

I spent lots of time stretching the hamstring. Overall I’m feeling SO MUCH BETTER. The hamstring has improved, the knee keeps feeling better and the back is doing better too. This has made me feel optimistic and excited about the next 8 weeks of training. I bet all the warm ocean salt water had something to do with it. And probably being relaxed didn’t hurt either.

We sailed a Hobie Cat which is a small sailing catamaran (well Mr. SOTSS sailed it and I sat on it and held on for dear life 🙂 He loved it so much that he went back again the next day for a second trip….but this time solo. I’m glad I didn’t hold him back for the second trip and it meant that I could snap a pic of him.

And on my last day I tried stand up paddle boarding (SUP) for the first time. I was so nervous at first that my legs were trembling. I stayed in a kneeling position for the first 10 minutes or so as Mr. SOTSS’ cousin Kathy gave me some pointers.

She made me smile when she referenced how she felt after running her first half-marathon. She said the first time she tried SUP she thought about how strong her legs had become from all the training and if she could run a half-marathon surely she could balance on a SUP. Well that was all I needed to hear. I went from kneeling to squatting, to hovering to finally standing on that thing.

30 minutes later I had wished I had another day so I could go back out again. I’m definitely going to do it again.

The rest of the trip was filled with the usual resort activities…swimming, beaches, stargazing, sunsets, hammocks, dining, drinking, lots of fun conversations with all of Mr. SOTSS’ family and of course the reason we were there……the wedding of his cousin Dan.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was hot though but we all managed to keep from passing out.

I actually wore shoes for the wedding but they came off pretty quickly. =)

I have to say that Mr. SOTSS and I are pretty good travel companions. This was the first time we flew together and actually this was the most consecutive days we’ve spent together.

Since I didn’t get home until after 1am I decided to do my long run in the evening tonight rather than at dawn. It worked out ok. I didn’t fuel well during the day and paid for it with some stomach cramping and low energy. ran my first out and back (about 4.5 miles) fast mainly to make a dent in the mileage. My first 3 splits were 10:15 ish a piece. I slowed down substantially during the next 4.5 and those last 3 were mostly a run/walk combo.

Other than running I spent today unpacking and reuniting with the doodle. We chilled on the couch for a bit and then walked in the woods for an hour.

And it’s back to work in the morning.

So tell me how your weekend was?

Do you prefer a pool to be warm or cold?

Ever been on a SUP or Hobie Cat?