Hello! Monday again. I am five weeks into this marathon training cycle, which so far can be characterized as happy and grateful. Deeply happy in life and truly grateful to feel good physically, grateful to have time to go running, grateful for everything this habit teaches and gives me. Okay, a recap:
Monday: I woke up with tons of energy and grabbed four miles around the back field. The slightly cooler weather was exhilarating! My energy was strong and I was tempted to extend my run, but I cut it off in order to dive into some exciting projects up at the house. Weather changes always make me crave to fluff our nest.
Tuesday: After a deep, restorative sleep with Handsome, we luxuriated in a crisper and more foggy than usual Hot Tub Summit. I threw on some running clothes, did a handful of early chores, and met local running friend Sheila at a nearby park for six miles. It was awesome.
Afterwards we shared a late breakfast at a local cafe and talked about pretty much everything under the sun. How wonderful to discover such a beautiful human being, all because we share a love for running! And living close to each other doesn’t hurt, ha. I hope to tell you more and more about her over time. She is truly fascinating. As for the run that morning, it felt great. I was energized and happy for the rest of my day, which was full of baking and beehive inspections, garden weeding and ironing shirts.
Wednesday: After quick housework and morning chores around the farm I headed downhill for seven miles around the back field. That energized me and cleared my mind for a good, busy afternoon. That was the night that Handsome brought home a fun overnight guest for Klaus, so we all had our hands (and paws) full!
Thursday: Our little canine slumber party kept me pretty busy all day Thursday, and since I was planning a long-ish run for Friday, I took Thursday off, just kept moving with miscellaneous jobs and playing with the pup brothers. So much fun! Lincoln stayed a second night, and we all crashed early Thursday evening.
Friday: Twelve miles around the Choctaw Creek Trails, the same park where Sheila and I ran on Tuesday. I love this place now! One lap around is maybe a mile and a half, and the terrain and views are varied, which is really helpful for getting lost mentally on long-ish runs. And it’s close to home, making it easy knock out errands afterwards and then get back to the farm early. Something I really like about this path is that the hills sneak up on you and are plenty fun. Also, yes to the super wide paved paths. Love it. I ran about half and half, clockwise then counter-clockwise.
Our weather on Friday was amazing. Warm but breezy, scattered clouds, just gorgeous. After running I drank a bunch of coconut water and twice as much plain water and felt amazing. This run was proof that my stamina is slowly returning and my whole body is cooperating, with the dismal exception of one toenail. I am very very thankful. This was a great start to the weekend!
Saturday: No workout today, and that’s fine. We slept late, relaxed at the farm for a while, then joined my family in Oklahoma City for a going-away brunch for my adorable nephew. He is starting an exciting new chapter living with my baby sister, his Aunt Gen, going to college and shadowing professionals in her field. Such a happy time!
The rest of Saturday was spent in Moore with friends at a traditional summertime car show, complete with frozen custard and late night half-price pizza. Excellent day. So much love and belly laughter.
Sunday: My guy surprised me by spending some gift card money on a new bike for himself! This is great news for me, because I have had a bike for about three years but hardly ever ride it. The Lazy W is not terribly well suited for bicycle action, and it just has not been worth the trouble to venture out somewhere alone. I mean, if that opportunity arises, I’m going running, right? haha
Anyway. We loaded our new toys into the truck bed, drove downtown, and rode six miles together along the Oklahoma River. Just an easy out-and-back to get the feel for it. My husband can speak for himself, but this girl is excited for lots more biking in the near future!! Total fun. Once we got back home, I stayed laced up to grab three miles out back. It turns out bicycling is an excellent warm up for running.
Total Weekly Mileage: 31 (plus biking and some yoga here and there) More importantly, along the way we accomplished so much life stuff, swam in so much happiness, and enjoyed lots of great meals day after day. I feel so very thankful. Without a doubt, in ways I don’t really share here, our life is stressful. But these habits keep it manageable for me.
How was your week? What are your coping habits and how do you know you are building up your personal strength?
Run while you can.
XOXOXOXO
Wow, you are so fit, I love that:) I’ve started running few months ago with my husband and we love it:)
Oh thank you!! I love that you run with your husband. I have a friend here in the U.S. who does, and it is very special to them. Thanks for reading!