I’m back from a weekend relatively offline. I had a lovely weekend filled with running, hiking and even a little time spent down at the Jersey Shore strolling the boardwalk and enjoying the classics like mini golf, skeeball and ice cream!
I’m keeping up with my training and Saturday I ran 5 slow miles. It’s the longest distance I’ve run since the San Francisco Half about a month ago. I’m really excited that my foot is holding up. YAY!
Summer Running!
Yesterday I didn’t run but I hiked for + hours and then took a 2.5 mile walk later in the day.
Late this afternoon I set out for a 3 miler but before I even got to the first mile I realized I was missing a very important part of running gear (especially on a sticky and hot summer day). The compression shorts that go under my running shorts. I was feeling a bit of chafing and immediately turned around (walked back) to re-dress and set back out again. Crisis averted!
In total I covered about 4 miles. 3 1/4 of running and 3/4 of walking. It’s been so hot and humid the last few days that I just didn’t want anything hot for dinner tonight. I ended up making the most beautiful and healthy meal.
Tuna with homegrown tomatoes, kidney beans and romaine lettuce.
So September is here and I couldn’t be more excited! It means that my favorite season is just a few weeks away. And in just 2 weeks I’ll be headed out west—first to visit family in Arizona—and then to San Francisco for the Ragnar Relay to Napa! I’ve also got the Autism Speaks 4 Miles of Hope this Saturday.
First, a quick update on training for Ragnar…I completed a 4 mile run yesterday. I was huffing and puffing but my leg/foot felt good.
I still have 3 weeks to get some endurance back.
My office closed early today for the holiday weekend. I figured i’d hop on a subway downtown and see where I ended up. It was one of those adventurous moments where I figured I’d let the universe guide me on how to spend my surprise free time. I jumped on the D train at 34th street. The next stop was West 4th street. Score! I was just a few blocks away from my old stomping ground….SoHo. It was a gorgeous Summer afternoon and I was giddy to just peek around. I stumbled upon the Burton store first. Burton makes mostly snowboard stuff but they had a huge wall of awesome backpacks. I finally decided on getting this turquoise one with a cute floral pattern not for any specific feature….just that the pattern was SO me! I’m planning on using it for my carry on when I travel to Cali in a few weeks. I’ve got to keep in mind that my “luggage” needs to do double duty for Ragnar Napa.
The next store I popped into was the big REI flagship store. I got this cute collapsible pack that squishes down and folds over onto itself to form a compact little pouch. You can read its full description here. At $30 it’s a great deal and I’m super excited about it. I’ll be using for a fuel bag for my relay. It should hold some trail mix, pb&j sandwiches and water bottles perfectly.
This is what it looks like when opened up.
and it squishes and folds over itself to fit in this nice little pouch for easy transport
I’m still on the lookout for a roller duffel bag. I’ll probably end up getting this one from LL Bean.
I’m really getting excited for the relay trip…I miss my running peeps!
OK, so I started to write this post months ago but only finished it today…
Sometimes I really want to be a “recreational runner”….the kind of runner who just gets up every day to run a few miles for general health and wellness…my life would be a bit more predictable and my weekends would be a lot more flexible…but the problem is (well it’s not a problem it’s a choice really) I LOVE running in road races…5ks, 10ks, half marathons, marathons, relays… I have never been as committed to something as I am to running and I don’t know that I’d be that way if I was a recreational runner. It’s the entire process…from creating the training schedule to following through with all the training runs (including all the group runs) to completing each training cycle with the race itself that drives me. And having been injured for the better part of 4 months with limited running I have REALLY missed that.
I sacrifice a lot to lead a lifestyle that includes so many road races but the rewards are tenfold. So next time I feel like I want to be a “recreational runner” I’ll remind myself of this post and of my choice and what drives me.
What’s funny is I sometimes rant about being so busy and not having any downtime. Then I get a weekend with no running events and I’m BORED!
So how about you? Do you consider yourself a recreational runner, a runner with a serious race agenda, or just somewhere in the middle? Do you ever wish for life to slow down only to then feel bored and want your frenzied weekends to return?
I’m probably going to take a little time away from the blog to enjoy my long weekend and just live in the moment. Have a great one and I’ll catch up with y’all next week.
1.My wolf pack weekend in Atlantic city was so much fun! We celebrated Barbara’s birthday the exact way we celebrated Lisa’s birthday back in February. Dinner at Bobby Flay’s Steakhouse, some slot machine shenanigans (although this time I didn’t win $300) and a little dancing at the club. Oh, and you know, we drank lots of “coffee”.
WolfffffPACK!!!! (Left to right: ME, Gina, Lisa and Barbara)
Gina’s daughters helped bake these cookies for our trip. So adorable
Adult beverages
Filet Mignon with some sort of poblano pepper i think
Allow me to introduce you to these bourbon toffee profiteroles with vanilla bean ice cream. Holy deliciousness
Finally got to wear these purple patent leather heels! (They look like they are too big but it’s just the way i took the photo.)
2.I ran again this morning for 3 miles. My ankle is still pain-free but I’ve been getting some tightness behind my knee and hamstring. I have had this before and I am certain it’s just the whole “it’s all connected thing”. So in addition to foam rolling my peroneals I will pay attention to that area too.
3. Duncan got groomed and smells delicious!
4.I am on the hunt for a good backpack to use for traveling and hiking. Something that I can use as a carry on for my air travel and also road trips. I’ll take suggestions. Not looking to spend more than $100.
5. Frustrated with Garmin lately and especially GarminConnect, their online site where I upload my activities to. My activities aren’t syncing or uploading. Pretty sure it’s on their end. I always peek to see if others post similar complaints on Facebook and then I know I am not the only one experiencing the issues.
6. I can’t believe September is only 6 days away. Nuts!
7. I haven’t been hungry in the mornings, even on days that I run including today. I’m worried that my metabolism is going to be compromised from not eating until lunch time. I need to find something I can tolerate so early (that doesn’t rhyme with donut or cookie).
8. For all you dog lovers: Gina introduced me to this cool site called Packdog. I just set up a profile for the doodle. And sure enough discovered one of his “pawpals” Ned has a profile as well.
Hi guys. Happy Thursday (or possibly Friday for some of you folks across the pond!).
I ran a little over 2 miles this morning…still enjoying the pain-free, no aches, no tightness in the peroneal tendons or muscles miles. I even stretched and foam rolled right afterward. I’m starting to better understand what baby steps mean when returning from an injury. =)
Duncan is stretching his legs too!
s-t-r-e-t-c-h!
On Tuesday night the majority of my Ragnar Napa Valley relay team met for dinner at a cool German bar in the city called Reichenbach Hall, to go over some logistics of the race and figure some things out. Lisa is our captain and had the Ragnar “bible” which is basically everything you need to know about the course and the rules of the race in one big book. We’re pretty familiar since we’ve done a bunch already. But it’s always good to review.
German bar meant pretzel and split pea soup for dinner. I also had the Wild Raspberry Jam cocktail. Winning!
2/3 of our Ragnar Napa team “Call Me A Cabernet”
We discussed the pros and cons of each runner running 6 individual legs or 3 back-to-back double legs. It looks like we all netted out on the 6 individual legs. Basically it will keep each leg more manageable. So while we each might be covering 30 or more miles over the course of the 2 day event there won’t be so many double digit legs. (the entire course length is 205 miles!) For example: my legs will each range between 3 and 6 miles totaling 29.5 for the whole race. And then there was discussion of all the logistics as we all arrive coming in on different flights and then we’ll have to rent the van etc. etc. These relays take lots of planning. But they usually create some epic memories. =)
Speaking of figuring things out. I finally figured out how my boss keeps his pants from getting grease on them or getting caught in the chain of his bike. (he bikes in to work during the warmer months).
this city slicker is bike commute ready
And I also figured out where Duncan’s water bowl could fit in the Subaru.
I’m really getting into the Ragnar Relay headspace which is great because it’s helping me to get that post up for you all with tips and such. I’ll try and get that up before the weekend.
So does anyone have an exciting weekend lined up? Anyone have an overnight relay like Ragnar or Hood to Coast coming up?
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