What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Pushed Sophie on the swings. A lot. Also managed to chase her around in the sand, play with her in the lake and watch Finding Nemo a few times. I did fit in a little running, some biking, and some bean bag toss (or, as my father in law calls it, cornhole -- he insists that's the true name). I had a great time and wish I could have spent another week or so up there.

But I'm back. Unburying myself at work, washing massive amounts of laundry, and, most importantly, running. I ran 8 miles yesterday and it felt great. I'm planning on heading to the track after work. I've decided to let go of the sub-2:00 hour half marathon for my Mora race (on August 15th). I just have not put in the long runs. I'm still running the race, but with a new goal of simply doing the best I can. My focus now is on the shorter races I have scheduled for fall - a 5 miler and three 5K's in October and November. Last year I set new PR's at all of these races and I would love to be able to do a repeat this year. So I'm going to continue my weekly track work and focus on really speeding up my 800's. I'm also adding a weekly hill run (which for now will replace my weekly mid-distance tempo run). I think I need to shake things up a little to keep me excited about running.

I'm looking forward to catching up on what all of you have been up to for the past two weeks!

Daisy Downer

I'm looking for my running mojo. Has anyone seen it? It's average height, blond (smoking hot, of course), and oh, smoking fast. It up and took off and in its place left a drab, slow, blob-girl counting down the dwindling final days of her twenties. (That's right, my big 3-0 is only two weeks away. Candy and running shoes are acceptable birthday gifts.)

I ran a 5K on Saturday and it was just blah. I can't figure out what the problem is - I know I can run faster, but the last couple of races, I just haven't cared that much. I think some apathy I've been feeling in other areas of my life (hello, work) is dripping over into running. Which really pisses me off. So I've got to chase it away somehow. Just haven't quite figured that out . . .

On a more positive note, I am leaving for vacation on Saturday. A week at the cabin with the family. My husband sent a list of all the things we need to bring (boat, fishing stuff, etc.). I responded with: "Don't forget, I want to bring my kayak, my bike, the jogging stroller, and Sophie's little car." His response: "We're going to have to rent a semi."

Call it a Brick

I have to admit that I've been getting a little tri-envy lately. I read tales of my fellow bloggers training for and completing triathlons and I think, "ooh, that sounds fun." And then I remember that I can't really swim. And the thought of swimming in open water (without a life jacket, kickboard, arm wings, or rescue boat) and crashing against other people while swimming completely terrifies me.

Even though I'm NOT training for a tri (I know my limitations, after all), I am trying to diversify my training a little bit. I've been biking. And last night, I added swimming. I took Sophie to a tot's swimming class. So maybe putting your chin in the water, blowing bubbles, putting your nose in the water, and putting each ear in the water isn't a traditional swimming workout. It's in the pool, so it counts. If I keep it up, in ten years I may be ready to take on that tri.

To create my "brick" workout, I ran 6 miles when we got home from the pool. If you count the wrestling match I had with Sophie getting her out of the pool and changed into dry clothes before we came home (can we say terrible twos?), then I really did have my own little triathlon last night.

Sidenote to Athleta: I love you. You know I do. But you really should add a warning to the description of the Shirred Bra Cup Tankini. I suggest the following: Even though this swimsuit is marketed to our larger-breasted customers, BEWARE, you may end up looking like a porn star. You SHOULD NOT wear this swimsuit to baby swim class. You WILL look like a whore. Sex-starved fathers of infants and nursing babies may stare. A lot. You may feel like you are swimming in shark-infested waters covered in blood rather than in the kiddie pool.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Can I Get a Do-Over?

I give myself a big fat F for Fail on the healthy front for the weekend. Let's break it down. I was visiting my grandparents in Wisconsin from Thursday night until late last night. How many runs? Zero. How much DQ ice cream cake? Um, too embarrassing to tell. To top it off, I couldn't get my lazy ass out of bed this morning to get in a run before work.

Eight hours into the week and I am working like a fool to make up for my weekend debauchery. Healthy eating? Check. (The lunch makeover is going extremely well - enjoyed another big salad today.) Running? I'm just getting ready to change into my running clothes and head to the track for a speed workout. Then I'll pick up Sophie from daycare and hit the grocery store on the way home for some healthy stuff to grill for supper.

There is one little gray storm cloud on my A+ Monday. A teensy tiny headache. Okay, a big giant headache. Ice cream withdrawals? Probably.

No Lions, No Tigers . . . Just Bears

I'm usually pretty tired (okay, half asleep) during my easy early morning 3 milers, but this morning I got a big wakeup call. About a half mile from my house on the way back I saw a black bear come up from the river and cross the road. I pointed it out to Jim (who runs with his head down and never sees anything - kind of our standing joke) and he got super excited. We continued on and a truck pulled up to us. The driver told us to be careful because he saw another bear in a driveway just up the road. When we ran up to that house, we saw a HUGE black bear practically on these people's porch. We looked at each other and said, "Maybe we should run a little faster." I talked to my mom this morning and told her about our bear spotting. Her suggestion? To carry a tin pot and wooden spoon while we are running so we can make a lot of noise. Probably not going to happen.

Anyhow, Sophie and I are off tomorrow to southern Wisconsin to visit my grandparents for the long weekend. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!