MY 500th BLOG POST!!!!!

When I started blogging in 2014 I had already been running for about a year. I still felt like a brand new runner at that point and, even though I wasn't new to writing, I had never done a blog before. At the time I wasn't sure where the blogging journey was going to take me...

I wasn't completely sure where the running journey was going to take me either. But I knew that I wanted to complete a marathon, and I knew that I wanted to write about my experiences along the way to achieving that goal.

Over the course of my 500 blog posts I've told you about my full marathon experiences in New York... 

I Swam and I Ran...

The one thing I've missed about my "before the crack of dawn" swim training sessions is how quiet and serene the pool is early in the morning...

I like swimming solo (i.e having the lane to myself) and it's even better when I have the entire pool to myself. That way I can take my time and swim and not feel self-conscious about anyone doing torpedo laps in the lane with me or beside me. This morning I did an 800m swim...

The pool at the gym is 25 meters so 32 laps later I was done with the swimming portion...

And headed home to complete my one mile run...

I was exhausted by the swim but apparently that was a good warm up for a pretty decent one mile pace. My hair and clothes were soaked, not just from my swim but also from my usual "losing half my body weight in sweat" post run mode...

I have to tell you, getting back to working out in the morning has been doing wonders for my evening relaxation time. Granted some evenings are not "relaxing" per se but I was glad I took care of all my workout stuff this morning so I could take care of other important stuff after work/when I got home. The only thing I really need to work on is getting to bed earlier. Once I start that then I think my workouts will be even more productive and I'll feel more rested. 

March comes to an end tomorrow. It has been a bittersweet start to 2017. So many things have happened (both good and bad) in the first quarter of the year, I'm almost apprehensive to see what's next. But an amazing incredible woman once told me that "God is not a 10% God but 100%... He doesn't deal with the possible or the probable but the impossible and the improbable". So with that in mind I hold on to my faith, do what I can to put my family first, and thank God that in the midst of celebration and pain I haven't forgotten either of those things...

How was your Thursday?

Do you prefer pool swimming or open water swimming? Or do you keep your feet on dry land? 😉

How has your running been this week?

Early Morning Easy Miles...

I did it guys! I woke up this morning and got OUT of bed without snoozing my alarm and got 3+ miles done! It was a pretty early morning (I woke up at 3:20am and I was out of the house by 4am for a 4:20am run start time). I ran with Andy from my running group (no one else decided to join us this morning) and we did the usual out and back route...

Normally the group runs are all done with intervals, but this morning we decided to just run until a walk break was needed and then pick up the pace once the break was over...

I was glad I got my run completed in the morning because I did not want to run once I got home from work. Today was a very long day, partially because it started at 3:20am, and also because it was busy at work. So knowing that I could spend the evening relaxing was pretty nice.

My triathlon swimwear came!!! I really want to test it out tomorrow morning, but I also want to run tomorrow morning. My plan is to do a 1/2 mile swim and then come home (change quickly) and do a one (or more) mile run. If I'm going to be able to accomplish all of that in the morning I definitely need to get a good night's sleep tonight. Two nights of not enough sleep will not be good. Plus since I started coughing again I know I need to focus on getting more rest. Otherwise I could potentially relapse and I definitely don't want that!

How was your Wednesday?

Did you do a solo or group run today?

Do you like to do back-to-back workouts (like my swim then run plan for tomorrow)?

Wake Up Calls...

I think I need a daily wake up call. Over the past several weeks my evening runs have been going well, but I really think I need to get back to consistently running in the morning. That way, if I have a long day (like today) or if I have a lot of stuff to do after work then at least I would've already completed my run.

Mentally, I think it's a great plan. And every night when I set my alarm for the following morning I have the best intentions. The problem occurs when the alarm goes off and I convince myself that I would rather dream about running early in the morning (not actually run early in the morning).

That's where the wake up call would come in. A daily early morning wake up call would help me remember that I really do want to run in the morning. I even drafted a script to help the caller:

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Dear "LeAnne in the morning",
It's time to wake up. Because if you snooze your alarm one more time then you won't get your morning run completed. Plus, you need to burn off the extra 5 pounds you've gained since you discovered that Publix was having a sale on Cashew Milk ice cream. You'll thank me for this later. 

Right now my alarm is set for 3:20am (with a back up alarm for 3:21am and 3:25am) so that I get up for my group run tomorrow morning. I've done that a few times over the past few weeks but cancelled every time because I've been so tired. I do not want to cancel tomorrow.

After my run tomorrow morning I'll have another long day at work. I'll also be one day closer to the weekend and my triathlon relay. I still haven't done any swimming by-the-way 😔. I'm waiting for my new suit to arrive (which will hopefully get here tomorrow) which means I'll probably only be able to get two training swims in before the event on Sunday. Thankfully the other members of my relay team aren't super competitive. I think we all have the same goal: finish without dying or getting injured but before the cut off time to collect our medals. 

Today's run was a little later than I had planned but I got my mile done and my pace was ok...

And tomorrow morning's run (the one I'm not going to cancel) will probably be a 3 mile interval run 😊.

Did you do a morning or evening run today?

What time of day do you prefer to run?

Do you need wake up calls in the morning?

Kicking Off A Crazy Week...

This week is going to be really busy at work. I'm trying to get all my workouts done in the morning so that my evenings are less hectic. And as we get closer to the end of the week I will be at my 500th blog post and I'll hit my 90 day blogging streak mark. I have a few things in mind to honor both of those occasions... and I have a few changes I'm thinking about making as well. But until then I'm just taking this week one day at a time.

Today started with a two mile run...

and then I bonded with coffee at work...

It felt like I was slaving away at my desk for most of the day but, thanks to my morning run, Garmin Connect was really proud of my movements...

Tomorrow will be another high activity day (Garmin will be so excited) because I'm teaching and whenever I teach I tend to walk between my office and the course location a lot 😊. 

Over the past few days I've been thinking about what my next steps will need to be as I prepare for the rest of this year and the next two years. Not just running-wise but life in general. I usually have a 3 (and 5... & 10) year plan, so I'm usually planning and preparing for stuff way in advance. That's why I register for races a year in advance. And why I tentatively "schedule" marathons two to three years in advance. I like to set my goals long before I'm at the point where I can achieve them and then work hard to get to those goals (and maybe even pass them). After all, even when achieving a goal seems unlikely to impossible, it's still a chance worth taking...

How was your Monday?

What are your "unlikely to impossible" goals?

What's your most active day of the week?

Soft or Sane?

Back in the day I would laugh in the face of rainy weather. I would say "Haha nice try Mother Nature but you can't stop me from running!" (in my I am invincible laughing voice). This morning I woke up to get ready for a group long run, saw that it was raining, and my first thought was "I just stopped coughing through the night", followed by "This is why I need a treadmill at home", followed by "I wish I could run on a treadmill" (for more than a mile and without getting dizzy). There were similar "should we cancel?" thoughts among the other group members because let's face it... nobody wants to start running in the rain.

We decided to push back the start time by 30 minutes and hope that the rain stopped by then. To be fair, it was a light rain. But I just started getting better and I really didn't want to relapse into all night coughing spasms. Then I started wondering... Have I gotten soft? What's a little rain right?

Plus, when you consider the rate at which I sweat, I normally look like I've run through heavy thunder storms. So whether the water comes from external or internal sources at the end of the day the result is the same: I'm soaking wet (well maybe not "soaking" but you get my point).

On the flip side maybe I'm just being more reasonable now and approaching my training and recovery with a certain element of sanity and common sense. But what are the odds of that?

As I headed out the door for the new group run start time, outside was wet but it wasn't raining. But then the rain started again lightly during my drive. In all likelihood the weather would have been fine for a run. The rain seemed to last for a few minutes and would then stop. However, I, in the spirit of sanity (and maybe a bit of softness) decided to skip the run and head to the gym. I just wasn't in the mood to get wet in the rain and really didn't want to risk it.

The gym was pretty empty when I got there (just how I like it)...

Saturday = Sleep, Shopping & more Sleep...

I spent most of the day sleeping...

I woke up late. Stayed in bed thinking about sleeping. Did some shopping at Home Depot for a few pending house repairs that I wanted to take care of today. Slept some more. Went grocery shopping at Publix. Cooked dinner. Ate dinner. Slept some more. Did my one mile run. Took a shower. And started this blog post while day (night) dreaming about going back to sleep.

As I stepped outside to do my one mile run I noticed it was starting to rain. Fortunately it was a light gentle rain and I was able to get my run completed without getting soaked...

The run didn't feel great (that's what happens when you have way too much curry shrimp and thai basil quinoa), but it was only a mile and the pace wasn't bad...

I might not have been doing a lot of actual swimming to prepare for my open water swimming event next week (as part of my triathlon relay) but I am taking a few steps to be more mentally prepared for the event. Step one: I wanted to ensure that I would be properly dressed...

(So I ordered my first aquatard today 😊)

How was your Saturday?

Do you enjoy sleeping in on the weekend?

Have you ever done an open water swimming event?

T.G.I.F

The weekend could not have come any faster! It will be a well needed two day break from work because the next two weeks at work will be crazy busy. A good "crazy" but busy nonetheless. I'm tired just thinking about it 🙈 but I'm also really looking forward to it.

Today I started my morning with a two mile run...

Kai had a track meet today that started several hours after I would normally drop her to school so I took advantage of sleeping in a bit and starting my run later...

I also took advantage of running both inside and outside of my complex and created a little "artwork" with my route...

(Doesn't it look like a bird?)

After a busy work day I spent some time applying for some online nursing faculty jobs (I need to make some extra cash as my Berlin trip gets closer) and then I got a frantic call from my daughter letting me know that her phone was stolen at her track meet. So yah... she's not happy. I spent more than a little time trying to track it (which didn't work), and setting up a notification alert in the event that someone tries to use it to connect to the internet (no notifications so far)... 

...and speaking to a representative from the cell phone company to temporarily disconnect the service (until we find it). So the rest of my night will be spent trying to reassure my teenage daughter that the world hasn't come to an end because she doesn't have her phone. Sigh.

How was your Friday?

What are your weekend plans?

Have you ever lost your phone or had it stolen?

Snack Attack...

I'm a snacker. I could snack on food all day plus have my three meals a day (including my morning coffee). Cause let's be honest... food = joy 😊. I used to be on the "diet all day" plan. Meaning, I was always trying something to loose weight. Always. And granted, I've been in the 5 to 10 lbs over my "ideal body weight" range for a while now, the reality is that I stay in that range because food tastes yummy. I'm also an emotional eater (with LOTS of feelings), and since Jesus allowed for the creation of cashew milk ice cream, it would be a sin to not show appreciate for this creation on a regular basis...

Today I had to live without the ice cream from heaven so I snacked on other things...

(These chips keep me happy while I stay away from flour for the rest of Lent)

(When I need my chocolate fix)

Numbers (v. 3.22)...

Today marks Day 81 of my running and blogging streak...

The hardest part of doing a streak is trying to cram 30 hours of stuff to do into a 24 hour day. The more "mandatory" things on my daily agenda the more I haven't had as much time for the "non-mandatory but equally important" fun things like, catching up on my shows on Hulu and jigsaw puzzles and sleep. Ok, sleep is mandatory but I really haven't been getting enough (despite moving my morning runs to the evening). 

Today's evening run was at a 10:08 min/mile pace; which is closer to my goal so I felt pretty happy with it...

With today's run I added 1 more mile to my 2017 running mileage for a current total of: 193.5 miles. 

Another Mile, Another Minute...

So apparently my sub-10 min/mile pace stayed on vacation in Jamaica. The two runs I've done since I've been back (yesterday and today) have been progressively slower. Monday's mile...

Today's two miles...

(I decided to add another mile to this run since I added another minute to my pace)

There never seems to be a real rhyme or reason to why some of my runs are slower and some are "fast" (for me). Although, the common theme among the runs this week is that I'm tired and really not getting a good night's sleep. I'm also a little stressed out about non-running related things so I'm sure that doesn't help (as much as running is supposed to be an escape from life's stress, sometimes the stress doesn't help your running). 

Back To Reality...

The first day back at work after vacation is always hard and relatively busy. I spent the early morning responding to emails & addressing a few pending items from last week. I spent the late morning to early afternoon in meetings. And I spent the rest of the day working on stuff for two major meetings tomorrow. Needless to say I was busy but my heart still wanted to be on vacation...

Now that I'm home my day is only half finished. Once I'm done with this post, I need to start the work I brought home with me. And then once the sun sets and it gets a little cooler outside, I need to do my daily run to keep my running streak alive. Both the blogging streak and the running streak take time away form other things (like resting) but that doesn't make me enjoy them any less. Even on vacation I set aside time to complete my blog posts...

And of course I ran every day while I was there. Not only did I run, but I had sub-10 runs every time!

Weekend Getaway Day 3

The sun came out today! Just in time for the last day of our weekend getaway...

We did another quick one mile run...

And did our usual walk on the sand...

The sun coming out was a nice way to end the weekend. We didn't get much tanning or swimming time, but the barbecue yesterday was really fun and I got to spend time with family and friends and my favorite god-nephew...

But now it's time to head back to reality and home. It's going to be a long travel day starting with the road trip back...

(It was a beautiful day for a road trip... even though it was taking me back to my flight home)

How was your weekend?

What's your favorite beach day activity?

Do your prefer to fly or drive to a vacation destination?

Weekend Getaway Day 2

It rained all night so the roads were wet for our run this morning, but we got it done...

And then we went down to the beach to run on the sand for a bit...

It's still a pretty overcast day but there is something about standing on the beach and watching the waves that I find really beautiful and relaxing...

I tried to upload a video of the beach (which captures the beauty of the waves a whole lot better than the pictures do) but the internet connection at the beach villa is really slow. I guess that's their way of saying "stay off the electronic devices and go enjoy nature". 

We took in the scenery for a bit after our run...

And then it was time to get ready to host friends at today's breakfast and barbecue. The weather will be a challenge because rain is on the forecast for most of the day the rest of the day. But we plan to make the most of it anyway. Plus it's always fun spending time with family and friends. 

I decided to do my daily post earlier than normal because once the barbecue gets started I don't want to be on my computer or my phone. Plus it's hard to make memories if you don't stay in the moment 😉...

I hope you have a great Saturday!

Anybody racing this weekend?

What memory making activities do you have planned for today?