Champion of the world

I ran 8 miles in the sunshine yesterday, & loved every minute of it! Apparently, I just needed a good pity party to shake things off a bit. :-) I ran 9 today & it was 72 when I started the run. (Note that I live in Seattle & typically run in 40-50 degree weather. I'm in the rainy/cold belt. ;-) We call anything over 70 degrees *Seattle-hot*.) I was drenched. I was only going to do six miles, but convinced myself to finish out the 9. I was tired from yesterday, but I did it! And while I'm sore/tired, I'm in no muscle pain! Life is good.

I took the runs relatively slowly & just focused on enjoying myself & putting in the miles, less on pace & it worked. Yesterday's run totally restored my confidence & I *loved* it.

Other events from the weekend - a trip to the park with my boys, a hilarious first baseball game where my kids didn't have the foggiest clue what to do (8 of 10 practices before the game got rained out). Sam finally connected with the ball, but didn't understand that he had to touch each base as he ran by. Nick scored a run, which shocked everyone. He's the youngest on the team & just turned five. He circled the bases carrying the bat. It was full on hilarious.

I was on the world's biggest endorphin high yesterday. :-) LOVE days like that. We also went to Yogurtland today, and I'm going to convince Michael to take us to pizza when he gets home tonight. I'm finally off solo parenting duty!!!

Also overheard in the car this morning:

Nick (5)- "Sam, in Nick-world, candy is the healthiest food. It's Christmas every day. I own every Pokemon card in the world, and there are tunnels connecting our house with all of our friends."

Sam (6) - Nick, in Sam-world, cucumbers & granola bars are the healthiest food. And we do math quizzes every day, & I am the champion of the world."

It's kind of hard to top the champion of the world. ;-)

The boys at the park this afternoon:

Burned out

Ahhhhh, what to say. My right leg has been plaguing me all week. I'm frustrated, and running is no fun right now. My first half marathon ever is three weeks from now, & I'm freaking out a little. I made an appointment with a podiatrist/sports doctor to talk about what's going on and potentially getting new shoes/inserts/whatever. I just want to enjoy running again.

I'm going to focus on five amazing things about Friday, because it is, after all TGIF today. :-)

1. My baby, asleep in the car on spring break. I freakin' love this picture. Sometimes you just fall asleep with your sunglasses half way down your face, clutching a Pokemon card.

2. This place (Oregon coast). I'm going next weekend for an early Mother's Day trip with my sister & mom, & I'm super excited! Love running at the beach, the wine bar in the tiny little town, & time with the family. Can't wait!



3. I've finally cleaned up my eating a bit. I was in a post-Easter candy fest for a few days there, & starting to feel yucky. I'm doing much better this week.

4. The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend! I could really use a little sunshine after the nonstop deluge over the past few days.

5. My boys have their first ever baseball game this weekend. It should be hilarious.

My bonus embarrassing confession - I'm kind of into that new song by Carly Rae (?) - "Call Me, Maybe". I have admittedly poor taste in music.

And, apparently, I wear a lot of coral. I only took two ugly bathroom pictures this week, but they look remarkably similar.

What are you happy about today? Any fun weekend plans? Are you racing?

Spring break is for . . .

It was very hard to drag myself back to work today, after the fabulous spring break! I even got up at 5 to run, & my body was not excited. At all.

Spring break is for:

• Hanging out with the family on the beach.
• Bike rides to the candy shop in town
• Drinking margaritas with my lovely husband
• And running! Last was my highest mileage (ever, I think, but definitely in the last year). I did 35 miles!!!

And because I'm a slacker & haven't posted in forever, here are some pictures from Easter:

My boys!

Me with my lovely sister:

Typical dorkiness:

Nick, playing frisbee on the beach

I did an 11 mile run on Saturday, & uploaded my MP3 player right before I left the house. I foolishly didn't check it before I took off for my run, so guess how many songs I had? Two songs. For 11 miles. I'm pretty sure it was karmic retribution for my poor taste in music that I listened to Nicki Minaj "Starships" & Pitbull "Give Me Everything" on repeat.

More to come - my first half is in less than one month! So excited/nervous!!!

Are you taking any spring trips? Watching the Boston Marathon?

Recycling

Quick recap for you - I did not get to run in my 15K on Saturday, because my hip & leg were in no shape for that. Instead, I got a deep tissue massage. It's possible that a few tears slipped out during the actual massage, but it helped *tremendously*. The massage therapist told me that my right side is incredibly tight, so I've been foam rolling & stretching like it's my job. I managed a quick 45 minute elliptical workout on Sunday, & felt good.

 

Last night, I ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill (I know, look at those crazy miles ;-)), & felt good, although a little tight in my right quad. My training plan called for five miles, but I figure at this point, it's much more important to fully heal, rather than worrying about missing 2.5 miles. I got up at 5:00 am (I know, I know, hold the applause - I feel like a hero for dragging myself out of bed :-)) this morning & did 45 minutes on the bike. Depending on how I'm feeling this evening, I may run a little on the treadmill. We shall see.

 

In other news, I bought a new top on my fun girls day on Sunday. I'm met a friend for lunch, a little shopping, & pedicures. My toes are SCARY. I would post pictures, but I don't want to make you sick, so I'll save you the pain of looking. Let's just say that I went with a hot pink color, & it still wasn't dark enough to cover a few of the bruises.

 

 

Black sweater - Gap
New top - Limited
Dark rinse jeans - Rock & Republic, courtesy of Costco
Black mini wedge shoes - Anne Klein

 

Excuse the awesome facial expression, but a better picture of the top. . .

 

And, this morning! I'm once again trying to get in some of my spring clothes, but the weather is not cooperating. So I just recycle my summer clothes - add my running tights & boots & call it a day. Minus the sweater, tights, & boots, this is one of my favorite summer dresses, although I've discovered that it's huge on me. Progress! I added the belt to tighten it up a bit.

 

 

Coral sweater - Nordstrom
Dress - BCBG
Black mini belt - Jcrew
Black pants - Lululemon Wunder Unders
Black boots - Anne Klein/Macy's

 

 

In fabulous news, it may actually be sunny on Easter! I hate to get my hopes up, because Easter is a notoriously rainy holiday in the northwest, but if the weather goes as predicted, we may be able to do an Easter egg hunt outside with the kids. Without rain boots, umbrellas & coats! Who would have thought? :-) This is exciting stuff, people!

Training plan/workouts for the week

I'm rejoining my training plan at week 3, which gives me 5 weeks of solid training before my half on Mother's Day. Here's what the week looks like:

• Monday - ran 2.5 miles (training plan called for 5)
• Tuesday - cross train. Did 45 minutes on the bike
• Wednesday - 3 speed repeats (total of 4 miles)
• Thursday - Cross train
• Friday - 7 mile GPR
• Saturday - 9 mile run
• Sunday - rest (Easter)

And with that, what's your favorite kind of Easter candy? I love Robin's Eggs, Starburst Jelly Beans, & those little brightly colored eggs made of Whoppers. . . Can't remember their official names.