Run Jac Run 🏃🏻‍♀️

Week 25 (of 2023!)

The countdown of cousins coming and the countdown of half marathon training has commenced in full force

I do need another pair of running shoes – but wow life is just getting to be a lot. Expenses are everywhere.

I’m am hoping to focus on strength training, mobility first and foremost these next couple months and sprinkle in the running. That is my game plan!

(beginning of week) Currently listening to Booked – a trilogy, very short stories and it is romcom-esque. Cute little listens. Each story is a couple hours long.

Monday 6.19.23 – REST … Although I had half a mind to TRY to run in the afternoon, weather had other plans. I did however between showers and thunders get in a quick walk with Hazel and River! And I did a nice stretch before bed.

Hazel and I picked some berries! Although there aren’t many, we did try to go to Publix but they were COMPLETELY OUT of strawberries! Which stinks because those were soooo good. We gobbled them down so fast. Berries are expensive! Lol that’s our detached garage where half of it is a playroom with 99% of the kids toys and the other half is the gym and storage. Need to get that gym sorted! I want an AC unit in there! That would make things really nice.

Our pineapple plant is blooming! I still find this absolutely wild and crazy to watch! We have no idea how long it will take until it’s ready.

Mosquito nets = life saver! We did a quick walk around the block with River and ran home because it started RUMBLING.

The sky before it opened up and rained so hard haha

This is what I mean by the doubled up carpets! The kids loved it and have been playing and rolling on it and I even took advantage of it stretching. It is kinda nice having that there, but it looks weird. J started looking for a rug that was HUGE but that would cost $1000+! A bit too much haha

Tuesday (6.20.23) – pay day (thank goodness!) plan: 2.5 miles + strength+ 2.5 miles
Actual: I did a full FIVE miles altogether because there was a strength class going on in the studio. And thennnn I did 15 minutes of strength. (10:39 min/mi average) YAY for getting the strength in and not flaking out!

I got home with very little traffic and the weather was holding up!! So we met up with a friend and went to the park for an hour and afterwards got pizza. It was quick but it was great to enjoy outside and the kids loved running around. These splash pads are a Gods send! like… so brilliant!

Wednesday (6.21.23) Plan: 4 mi + strength
This morning we got in a walk with River and rolled through dog poop, ew!! So, as the boys were picking strawberries, and River was waiting for some to be thrown over to him (LOL) I was cleaning off the wheels so it didn’t stink of dog poop. What you can’t see is Hazel waving around her fishing pole she just had to take with on her walk. I love having these cameras up to catch these moments of us as a family. We never get pictures all together, so it’s kinda nice to screen shot these and be like awww… look at us haha!

Actual: 3 miles at an easier pace than my normal easy pace and I felt ICKY. Like nauseous. And it could be the heat… Although I was inside running it was brutal. I made it 3 miles in ~34 minutes and then incline walked for .5 a mile making it 3.5miles total. Then I did stretching and foam rolling to complete the day

Thursday morning 6.22.23 – Hendrix was dead tired and didn’t eat breakfast, so as we were sitting in the car waiting for the bus to come to his designated stop I turned and looked at him and I thought … What better time than now? So I said let’s ditch the bus ride and get breakfast and hang out!

So we went to this little spot called Sugar Kettle Cafe and got some breakfast and hung out. We don’t get much one on one time so this was nice! I got avocado toast with a fried egg and he got bacon and fruit. To be honest he isn’t the most breakfast friendly of kids. He hates eggs! And they didn’t have muffins like it said online

However, instead of crayons for kids they had these amazing little sorta sticky stick things to make things. So we made dinosaurs, a person, a “Bakugan” and glasses! Glasses were last and the biggest hit!

It was a great breakfast date and he was only 7 minutes late for summer school! In the afternoon I was hoping to take Hazel to the park to play but the skies opened up and a severe thunderstorm popped up for the next 3+ hours! So, we played inside!

Friday (6.23.23) – Plan: 5 miles + core work

As the heat has been creeping up and with that humidity, my headaches and nausea are coming more and more frequently. I have a feeling my nausea is stemming from lack of protein lately and my headaches could be from lack of electrolytes. I drink plenty of water, but not enough electrolytes are in my system. A realization when someone on Instagram posted about nausea during running and post run. So, I found a Gatorade packet I had in my purse and dumped it into my water bottle. As I’m sipping on it, my headache is lessening. Amazing what a little can do! I really wish I had the money for Liquid IV or Drop Drops to constantly drink, but dang! Those get expensive. Living on one income right now is difficult! The Gatorade packs are less than $2 for 10 packets! That is a steal compared to Liquid IV. Although I know Liquid IV is probably waaaaaaay better for you. 🤣 Right now, we are just in the season of trying to save! I keep telling myself that, this is only a season, whether it be the mood and attitude of my son (which has skyrocketted lately) or the lack of dates with Jesse .. it is a season and we have a lifetime to g
Actual: I thought the hardest part was just going to the gym! But I made it, and managed 2 miles and while nausea felt fine (meaning none there) I was HUNGRY! I didn’t have a preworkout snack and I was doomed. I physically couldn’t go forward and do more. I capped it at 2 and now I’m eating chipotle lol

By the end of the week I started listening to:

Saturday – weeding a BUNCH of crab grass out of the flower beds, dishes, cleaning the trailer for the family coming next week and bass pro shops! After a little shopping and exploring we headed to the park for the kids to splash around!

This is Jesse’s little tackle shop at the house with most (not all lol) his fishing gear!

We had chili cheese dogs! Hazel wasn’t too excited about the smoked sausage but she LOVES chili!!

Sunday – gardening, 2 mi walk in 80% humidity and then donuts!

Park play after kitchen clean up and then we spent a few hours at Bass Pro Shops in the A/C!

Jesse caught two big ol’ red snappers!

10 miles ran, a few sessions of strength work and lots of walking!

Week 24 (of 2023)

Well, I was kind of starting a marathon training program, but I am quickly realizing now is not the time. For one, I need to acclimate to the humidity and Hazel is very much a clingy monkey – and she can’t hang long in the heat. Neither can I. Two, we are prepping for family to come and I need to prioritize. Three, theres just a lot of conflicting stuff happening and maybe I should prioritize strength!? So, below shows what marathon training would consist of and I am just going to make a goal to get to the gym 3x this week and hopefully do something active this weekend.

And, I need to seriously consider a marathon timing coming up for January or February of 2024.

Monday – Plan: REST
Goal: 2-3 miles
Actual: It wasn’t “safe” to be out doing extraneous work WITH Hazel in the afternoon but we did get in a walk in the morning with River. Just standing in the garage to fill up my AC unit had us sweating buckets. So, sadly I skipped out on any kind of walk or run. It was too much heat. We did enjoy delicious shrimp – been on a shrimp kick lately! lol And had veggies, which really didn’t pair well, but we are trying to get more veggies into our diet. Hazel kept asking for veggies, taking the tiniest nibble and then just sticking out her tongue. But we kept entertaining it because I am hoping if we make it a “fun” thing and just keep it natural and light and ALSO keep bringing them around she will eventually start maybe liking them lol.

Tuesday – Plan: 3 miles + Strength
I got my morning to myself and did some core work and drank coffee – that was bliss! I need to figure out how to incorporate strength at home – more like get over my embarrassment of doing strength at home – Jesse judges me! Because he will always try to tell me to do something a different way and he is the ONLY person I will not listen to when it comes to that lol. I have an ego issue with that.
Actual: 4.46 miles split up.. 2.16 at first then did full body weights workout emphasis on let’s and booty and 2 mi run with .26 mi cool down. I thought I was just done after the first 2 mi and was going to just prioritize strength but I felt really good after my run so I went back and ran another 2. I like splitting it up like that! How well it works for endurance is yet to be seen lol but oh well

Wednesday – (6.14.23) Plan: 4 miles total Yassos mixed in

Today, while watching a reel on Instagram it hit me… We have 6 months left of the year. One of my big goals was to get a sub 2 half marathon… Sooooo I signed up for one! It is at the end of November meaning I have time to train and focus on strength and endurance before cracking down on training. I am so excited for this!!
Actual: I ACTUALLY went to a run club meet up! I was able to do it with the support of Hazel and Hendrix- it was much easier going with them than alone lol. There was another mom there that we talked to the whole way and unfortunately she didn’t have a jogging stroller so I walked. It was REALLY hot so probably best that we just walked around. Hendrix ran with one main guy, on my right, and he did 1.5mi! With a heat index of 95° – Hendrix did AWESOME! he was beet red though .. I am hoping next week I run some of it! I didn’t do my speed work during lunch because I knew I was going to this meet up and didn’t know what I was going to do. But everyone was really nice and welcoming!

Thursday – (6.15.23) Plan: REST
Actual: Core work + glutes + lower body work in the early morning while coffee was being made! Then the little pitter patter of feet running down the hall came and I got a big hug from Haze. Hendrix was completely WORN out by last night’s activities. I was so proud of him running and pushing himself!

Friday – (6.16.23) Plan: 4 miles

Before the rain…. Hazel and I got out for a quick outing but had to quickly get in as it started rumbling! When there’s thunder, head inside! About 30 minutes later it started pouring rain! This was my drive in to work, although I didn’t get a good picture of the lightning bolts!
Actual:

4 miles of easy pace and really zoned out watching Vanderpump Rules – which I’ve never seen and listening to Big Booties Mix which is always shouted out by a girl on Instagram I follow! It was rather entertaining and a good remix. Definitely needed something different because my playlist was just not cutting it today! (42:40 min for the 4 mile run) .52 mile cool down making a total time of (51:58)

Saturday – Plan: REST
Goals – clean house top to bottom
Actual: morning walk with the pup and kids! it was RIDICULOUSLY humid so we were only out for about 15 minutes.

we received security cameras!! Mapped out where to put them but only installed one so we could try it out! It’s a two way “radio” talk through and you can hit an alarm and light like security style light(?) Lol. We actually caught a moment when Jesse was coming back inside from the neighbors house and lightning and thunder struck right as he stepped inside! Too bad I can’t post the video, it was SO LOUD! we also used our green Bissell carpet cleaner on a rug that has needed cleaning for a while! We did some laundry and put it away immediately (yay me!) And had tacos for dinner! In the afternoon we went to the splash pad (before the thunderstorm hit!)

Have to play with all boxes – the kids were pretending to be samurais!

Sunday – (6.18.23) Plan: 8-10 miles
Goals – get outside for at least 3 miles + strength

Weather: thunderstorms supposedly from 9am and on
Actual: HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!
well! We went to bed late the night before (hazel did) and so it is 7:49am and she is still sleeping! Which means that I did not go on a run this morning! But Hendrix and I are chilling on the couch, me drinking coffee and writing and I allowed him to be on his tablet.

Normally tablets are not to be used before 10am… We try to do other things, but it is quiet time and I want Jesse to be able to sleep in. The was extra humid, Jesse is fighting a bug, the humidity is getting me to fight off headaches and nausea so it was mostly a chill day. We played inside and ran around inside. It was just way too humid and there was a lot of rain the night before to go to a park.

I guess this is where treadmill miles come in to play! But we definitely need to get a hold of these headaches that are coming on strong!

Week 23 (of 2023)

We have less than a month till family comes, so each weekend is hammer time on getting things ready for company!

My legs are finally feeling back to normal! But Monday is a REST day and I need to take advantage of it. But it made my heart so happy to have Hendrix ask to go on a. Bike ride this morning before summer camp ❤️ we were only able to do a quick 10 minute loop but he zoomed around and loved it.

Monday (6.5.23) Plan: Rest
Actual: maybe we are back to regular scheduled programming where the baby sleeps till we wake her up?! Gosh that would be nice. I’ve been getting up at 5:40am to get ready JUST in case she gets up, but I’ve been lucky so far that she hasn’t. It’s been nice, it’s already light out at this time so I’ve been drinking my coffee and waking up peacefully. We made it out on a morning walk and Hendrix rode his bike. My legs finally started feeling a resemblance of normal today!

But all day, I was fighting some major nausea and headache and I am not sure why. Seems Jesse was fighting a similar battle at home but he was able to nap most of the day with Hazel lol.

Tuesday (6.6.23) Plan: 4 mi EZ + Strength
Actual: We got in two walks this morning! Haze and I did a stroller walk with River and then Hendrix joined on the second round with his bike. River is a little too “gung ho” and can’t be around the bike, so I had to leave him at home. We were running short on time, so I was jogging to make it around our loop. I didn’t properly prepare for the day so I was stress packing my lunch and changing clothes!
But I did get in 4 miles today and upper body strength! I haven’t been feeling the greatest, not sure if it is mental or not. I did 2 miles at first which felt like REALLY hard. I was clammy. I kept it at about 5.5mph. Then I stopped and did strength training for ~10 minutes and then I felt good enough to go back and complete the 2 miles. The second time I went on the treadmill I was more bored than sick feeling. So I turned on David Goggins and it was smooth(er) sailing. ~11min/mi average pace

Wednesday (6.7.23) Plan: 5 Yasso 800s (4 mi total)

We were real short on time so he took out the electric scooter this morning instead of his bike

Actual: I’ve been dealing with a lot of headaches, my heels hurt and little pains and aches all over. Today I just was not feeling it. But I did something today. I did 10 min warm up on the treadmill and ended at 7.4mph and then 2.5 mi on the bike at level 6.

Thursday (6.8.23) Plan: Cross train/ Rest
Actual: I rested!! We did go on a few walks and turned on the sprinklers for Hazel to run through, but it was a very chill day. We had breakfast for dinner – one of my FAVORITE things to do haha! Kielbasa sausage, scrambled eggs and hash browns! We watched Charlotte’s Web and then Haze was ready to lay down by about 8:20pm and so was I! I normally don’t fall asleep but last night I guess I needed it. I passed out pretty hard and woke up at 10:30 super thirsty and then fell back to sleep! Although, I woke up earlier than normal at 5am, and I enjoyed almost an hour and a half to myself! Wish I used it a little better, like a walk but I didn’t. I did stretch for a while though, so there’s a win! And I enjoyed my coffee thoroughly.

Friday (6.9.23) Plan: 3 mi + Strength
Actual: Maybe I needed more rest, or maybe determination and discipline were lacking majorly, but I did no get a run or strength in.

Saturday (6.10.23) Plan: Rest
Actual: woke up with a sore throat and phlegm in my lungs… Decided a walk would be better than pushing it right now- as I had originally wanted to squeeze in the run I missed yesterday! Time on feet was my goal after waking up! We all headed out for 2 miles and then we did our chores and went to the park to play! The little yellow dots on us are mosquito repellent stickers – they work!!!

Sunday (6.11.23) Plan: 8 mi LR
Actual: All of a sudden the humidity got turned WAY up! It was 80% humidity by 7am, so while I told everyone we were just going for a walk, we actually jogged. It felt like running under water but it was nice. I know that I have to do this humidity training smartly – I was hoping to get in the remaining miles on the treadmill – but Hazel had other plans. Hendrix refused to go outside lol. And when we were passing by a neighbors house their dog jumped over the fence and followed us home. Unfortunately the dog was very malnourished and when I couldn’t get a hold of the neighbors we had to call animal control. Which led to police coming, because in our small(er) town animal control is shut down because of the shelter being rebuilt and yadda-yadda ya… so we were talking with Police for a while and they got the neighbors to finally open the door and get their dog. We did a flea dip on the dog because it was swarmed with fleas and flies, fed it food and gave fresh water. Unfortunately we can’t keep the dog but we did buy them new food for the dogs and hopefully it gets the nourishment it needs.

We went on quite a few walks during the evening time and did a huge grocery haul. Hendrix climbed our tree and refused to come down when it was time! lol

mini sprinkler in the front yard for the kids to run through!

Seems like this week didn’t go as planned, not as good as last week! But all I can do is keep moving forward right?! I am desperately looking for a bike because I think that if I can get on one of those with Hazel we can get in some good miles – maybe??

Week 22 (of 2023)

Finally back on my reading game (maybe) but I found a cute one:

Monday – (5.29.23) Happy Memorial day!
Activity: 5.5 mi with Hazel in the morning. She woke up and chose violence — not really.. but she was definitely a grump! So, after a quick breakfast of yogurt and I had some coffee we strapped into the stroller and we were off. It was warming up and the humidity was increasing a bit. We made it around 4.5 miles and then had to stop at the playground to get her energy out which was fun! But also I had scooped her up and put her in the stroller with no pants/shorts on a stained shirt, yogurt on her face and hair in knots. She was not presentable for the outside world haha and honestly to me I’m like… she a kid, who cares?! It’s okay, but I got some looks from parents… but it was 8am! Like come on lol, she isn’t dolled up to go on a run. Maybe I was internalizing a little, but the other kids were all dressed like they had been pampered and ready to go. Honestly, play clothes that have stains might not look nice but at least it doesn’t matter if they get more dirty!

It was a struggle to get her back in the stroller and back home but once buckled in she was good! Then we napped for close to 2 hours (after some play and snacks at home lol) and around 1pm we went to the pool to play. That was a lot to handle! Hazel was trying to run to the deep end (10ft), refused to get her floaties on and would NOT allow me to hold her. Needless to say she thinks she can do everything her brother can do and more and so she assumed she could just swim off 😂 I had to sit her out of the pool for 45 minutes to make a point to her. Either she gets in her floaty or no pool. Eventually she got in her floaty and we swam around the pool. I’m glad it finally got through to her!

While normally we don’t do a ton of fast food (especially for the kids) we did get Happy Meals from McDonalds and both kids devoured the food! Haze seemed to love the burger lol. After the pool she slept more! Jesse went evening fishing so it was just me and the kids. I wanted Hazel to burn out her energy since the nap was a late one. So I packed them up for an evening park play – which turned out great and there were kids there burning energy still. We had a night cap of frozen yogurt and then came home to rest.

Tuesday (5.30.23) – 3 mi – I felt way more tired than I should have… I didn’t have the motivation to go to the gym but I went anyway because I need to stop making excuses and I always feel better after a run.
Actual: So I did the 3 miles even though I didn’t want to. But I did it! So that’s good, I went nice and slow since my body just wasn’t really able to keep even a 5.5-5.8mph pace. I think I was around 5.2… I definitely feel a little off today! (no pic taken) But in the evening we decided to go to the pier and fish. Hazel ran around the pier and talked to so many people. She is quite funny.

Wednesday – (5.31.23) Plan: YASSO 800s
Actual: 4 mi total, 1 mi warm up 4 yassos 6.5, 6.7, 7.0, 7.3 and then cool down of .75mi to make it to 4mi. Then another 4ish minutes of a cool down walk

I had a moment, more than a moment of me just not wanting to go. I didn’t want to do it. But I sat myself down and I said you HAVE TO. Even if you can’t complete the whole thing. You feel so much better and more accomplished when you do. So so happy I did it! This was mentally challenging, more so than physically. I could’ve pushed myself. But this is a marathon not a sprint (lol) and I want to make this consistent! I do one good week and then the following week I don’t go. So I’m trying to make that change!

Also, one of our cucumbers is finally done! Look at this!!

The cucumber turned into this:

We added grape tomatoes, homegrown cucumber, mushrooms, purple onion, avocado and feta cheese and for the dressing it was olive oil and fresh squeezed lime! OMMMGGGGG this was delicious! Officially obsessed with it! The mushrooms were a real nice touch! It didn’t call for it in the recipe but it was perfect!

We watched an episode of Ted Lasso and turned in for the night!

Thursday – (6.1.23) Rest day – it was storming on my way home so we didn’t get to play at the park after taking Hendrix to tutoring. But we did walk around outside, pick and eat all the strawberries and ate lots of shrimp. Lol I took Hazel on a stroller walk – sometimes she refuses the stroller .. and either wants to walk around or be in the wagon. We ran around and burned a whole bunch of energy in the evening and then the kids went down around 8:30. Jesse and I watched an episode of Ted Lasso and then we knocked out

Friday – (6.2.23) lately Haze has been getting up early (6:10) with me making it so I don’t have ANY morning alone time, which I cherish. So today I woke up at 5:30 and got a solid 15 minutes alone 🙄😂 but she woke up earlierrrrrr so we went on two walks before leaving! One before we had to wake up Hendrix we took River out and then once he was done getting ready, we went on another one and met another dog named Miles! Super precious golden retriever long haired puppy! So, before 7am I got in a 20 minute walk, some core work and coffee! Not too bad. And Hendrix seemed to really really enjoy the walk and talking and laughing – which I loved.
Actual: I did 3 miles on the treadmill! And in the last .4 miles I decided to do 4 strides in total for 25-30 seconds each and then 15-20 seconds walking to recover. Stride speed at 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, and 9.5. then I did the last 5 minutes of a yoga class the studio had going on which was really nice and then I destroyed my legs and glutes! 3 rounds of curtsy lunges with bicep curls, RDLs, and side lunges. (Ouch)

In the evening we enjoyed a short walk, and it was SHORT because I started feeling my legs get bitten! To noseeums are out in full force! Hendrix went to a friend’s house and Jesse tagged along to hang with the dad and chat and Hendrix came back with at least 50 insect bites! We quickly put on the “pink spray” and after dinner he went to shower and wash up. Next morning all bites were gone and no more itching – we’ve cracked the code! Lol

Saturday: (6.3.23) Plan: REST Day
Actual: I woke up with a bit of a pinched nerve in my left shoulder and my legs and glutes on fire! 🔥🔥🔥🔥I got to “sleep in” till 6:36am and once I heard Hendrix up I quickly asked him to grab me some ibuprofen- then I did a little stretching and put the heating pad on me for 15 minutes. After that I moved around a little and got the body moving and I was good to go! At least my shoulder was okay, my glutes and thighs are still hurting. Hazel and I went on the 2mi walk to try to get the lactic acid out which I could feel glutes firing and inner thighs hurt… But a good hurt!

After our walk we picked fresh strawberries from our yard! (This has been such a great time each morning and afternoon to do with Hazel!) She loves all fruit and loves getting the fresh berries. We planted these last year but they didn’t produce any. This year it’s really blooming! None go to waste! Also I finished off that cucumber salad and I can’t wait for another cucumber so we can make it again!! It was so good!

I am by no means a food blogger lol but I had to share this! I wanted to use up some of the onion, tomato, mushrooms and avocado we still had .. I am usually a big meat eater but I decided to make a veggie sandwich and WHOA!! 🤯🤤🤤🤤🤤

Mayo+mustard, salt+pepper, onion, Tomato, mushrooms+ avocado= maybe my most favorite sandwich ever

Sunday: (6.4.23) Plan: 6 mile long run
Actual: well, life sometimes throws little curve balls, so we went off effort and I am so happy with this run! My legs and glutes are still tight but not as bad, we got good sleep and Hendrix joined us on the run! He rode his bike and we completed 4 miles! On the way home we stopped by the park to let hazel run around and swing and then at the end we treated ourselves to donuts! We kept a really good pace of ~11 min/mi

Total weekly mileage: ~19.5 miles and so much sun this weekend!

Week 21 (of 2023)

Monday (5.22.23) – tutoring day, but we did get in the 2 mile walk today! In the blazing 88° heat and full sun. Got a little sweaty but it wasn’t too bad. Hit my 10k step count as well.. also it was really nice to flush out the lactic acid, my legs are definitely feeling sore from yesterdays long run!

Tuesday (5.23.23) Plan: 3 mi + core

Wednesday (5.24.23) Plan: 45min + upper body

Thursday (5.25.23) plan: tutoring day

Friday (5.26.23) Plan: 45 min + core since I made it to no workouts…. It’s been a rough week. 😞 I left early from work because of the holiday weekend and planned to run at the gym. But 8 minutes in and a SHARP pain in my outter right foot jabbed me and I stopped running immediately. I hobbled over to the rowing machine which of course wasn’t working properly (tracking) and I did ~10 minutes and hopped back on treadmill to walk and see if there was any more pain. I was able to do a full 60 minute WALK on the treadmill with minimal pain. Went no higher than 3 mph 😦

Saturday (5.27.23) Plan:

Sunday (5.28.23) Plan: 6 mi

So, as you can see I did no workouts lol. But I moved around a lot, I did a lot of gardening and there were quite a lot of walks happening. Hopefully next week will be different!

Week 20 (of 2023)

WEEK 20??!?!??? AM I READING THIS CORRECTLY?! so crazy!

Ok so I am re-reading ROAR by Stacy Sims. Listening to actually. There is so much information, I just need to try to re-digest it. Jesse was upset he didn’t get me anything for mother’s day, so I told him two things that could be done. 1. Let me get in an early morning run, meaning I’m slipping out the door at 5am to run and if the baby wakes up he needs to be up with her. (Which he hates waking up early if it’s not for fishing lol) so that would be a big gift. And 2. I am asking for this stroller cooling mat thing. Basically a gel pad thing for Hazel to sit on in the stroller or car seat that will help keep her cool. That way I don’t feel terrible taking her on a run or walk when it starts heating up more. I can have a fan on her and that cooling mat should help as well. I realllllly enjoy going on runs with her, but when it’s gets to 90° and higher and the humidity is 90% and the sun is beating down and there’s little to no wind. I can’t be out there for long but neither can she in a stroller!!

Monday – tutoring day – oh! Hendrix made this for me for Mother’s day and it made me cry because just a few months ago I don’t think he would’ve ever written this much or this neatly

It was mighty hot, I wanted to try for a run, but 97° is much too hot. So we dropped off H at tutoring and ran around inside. Had a popsicle and listened to music and danced. Around 7, after dinner, we took River on a walk which was a little nicer (80s).

Tuesday (5.16.23) – Plan: 45 min running
Actual: I tried something new, well mostly adapted lol – I had to pee so badly 5 minutes in to running but I found it more mental than physical? I ran 20 minutes / 2miles. Then went to the bathroom and did some shoulders and back exercises on the machines. I don’t know why but those don’t feel like they do as much as free weights. However, I knocked out 3 rounds on a few different machines. Then I hopped back on the treadmill with an extra bounce in my step and did 25 more minutes / 2.5 miles. For a total of 4.5 miles today and then I went over to the studio room and did some more arms/shoulder work! Ok, I felt really good today. Low hormones week are my jam. The run I felt extremely strong in, and upper body work I felt great doing and overall I am very happy today with this work!

Wednesday (5.17.23) Plan: 3 mi + lower body strength
Actual: 5k and I almost beat my pre-preggo (2nd) record. Well, I was close.. I was hoping to get in the 27 minute range, but my mind had other plans… thats right.. my mind. I let it get to me, and I pushed hard too fast, and I lost it. I couldn’t time my breathing correctly. I didn’t HAVE to stop, but I did. I stopped at 2.95 miles. Then walked, then tried to sprint at 9.0 then walked to 3.1mi with a total time of 28:55 (still not that bad lol) But I was DEAD.
After I tried to do lower body strength but my knee started hurting something fierce! So, I quickly stopped squats and just decided to stretch and call it a day. I did do quite a big of lunges and what not the night before to get rid of excess energy before bed!

I was pretty tired and done after the workout. We got the kids to bed relatively early and I had a burst of energy 😩 running should make me more tired! Lol but I ended up getting my paints out and doing some work on my new canvas so that was a lot of fun. I woke up feeling sore from my upper body workout I did 2 days ago! Super glad that Thursday is a rest day. Now I’m mentally preparing for the long run I am hoping to do this weekend. Kinda aiming for a half marathon but also I need to accept a shorter distance if I can’t handle the humidity. But I know the route at least I want to take. So here’s to hoping!

Thursday (5.18.23) Plan: tutoring day
Actual: I picked up the final pair of shoes size for Hendrix, it has been an ordeal trying to figure out his size. I finally just traced his foot and brought it to the store. Got him a size 4 and they fit with some room to still grow, you know… The thumb size amount! Lol hazel and I took a walk around the block after dinner which was really nice, the weather is feeling great and not too muggy right now. But that could be a different story come Sunday when I try to go on my run.

Friday (5.19.23) Plan: 60 min run + stretch
Actual: I am extremely tired, as if I didn’t sleep well at all. I’m hoping to snap out of it but might switch the run for just a walk on the treadmill. Will figure it out when I get there. I will get movement in. Also, my Fitbit just randomly stopped working! I started wearing a Fitbit back in 2017 when I wanted to start losing weight and found it helped me a lot, especially with realizing how much I was actually moving or not – being at a desk job you don’t have to get up to walk much. So I enjoyed that aspect a lot. A little bummed mine has died, I had upgraded 1.5 years ago to a Versa 2 and it was so pretty and rose gold. I could just wear my Garmin 235 but that is pretty big to wear all the time lol. And it’s blue – so not that great with regular office wear outfits!

Saturday (5.20.23)
Actual: some cleaning around the house and then target run for swim diapers, socks, white distilled vinegar. Hendrix found an experiment he wanted to try, making crystals. LOL after target run we hung headed out for smoothies (f course) and then went to the park! Played in water and on the playground and then our friends came to hang as well. After 4 hours at the park and being drained and hungry we tried out the sandwich shop, and I got a gyro! Sooooo good. Then back home where hazel fell asleep for a bit and we all relaxed and unwind. It was a long day and we were out in the sun A LOT.

Sunday (5.21.23)
Actual: 13.1 miles baby! I almost almost didn’t get up this morning. While my mind was awake at like 4am, well before my alarm… I just didn’t want to get up. But this was MY chance! I haven’t done a morning sunrise run since probably 2020! Three whole years! The plan was to get up and out before anyone got up and Jesse would deal with whatever happened in the morning – he isn’t the best morning person, so this was a big deal. But he did amazing.. or at least didn’t tell me the issues- which is fine haha. Anyway, so first light was at 5:27am but it was NOT light out, and I didn’t have my noxgear vest so I didn’t want to go out running and not be visible. I waited in my car and started my run around 5:45am after a short warm up. It was hovering in the low 70s and cloudy the whole time, no direct sunlight which was great and kept things cool. I tried some honey stinger energy chews (cola flavor) and they were quite good – didn’t upset my stomach and gave me a zing to my step! I stopped around mile 4.5 to use the bathroom at a coffee shop (thank goodness for that random shop too lol) and then made it to the pier a little after 6:30. It was about 6.5 miles total to get there and I had a honey stinger waffle and walked around a little and then headed back. While I wanted to relax and sit there I also knew I had a long uphill battle back so I didn’t want legs to sieze up at all. I hovered around 12 min/mi which is usually ultra slow for me but it was really nice to trudge along and just enjoy. The route was pretty hilly and I didn’t walk at all – yay! I had a total elevation gain of almost 800ft.. and for how flat it is around here, wooo hoo that’s great! This was the longest time wise I’ve ever ran for a half marathon, 2 hrs and 35 minutes! As I said, I was sloooooooooooow but it was really enjoyable and I didn’t have to nap, I wanted to.. but it wasn’t necessary because I didn’t push my limits at all.

~4 miles in and made it here to the flower clock!

I showed Hazel this picture and she wouldn’t let go of my phone. She loves birds!

I’m glad the picture doesn’t show it, but these green shorts were not great for running – you could see all my sweat and it looked like I peed my pants lol. I always try for color, but have to go back to black!

this was the afterglow – so stoked to have finished! I even sprinted in the last .1 miles and hit an 8:30’min pace!

Once I got home, Jesse packed up and took Hendrix fishing leaving me and Haze to hang. Which was ultimately the best because it kept me moving and I couldn’t just melt into the couch. Lots of freshly picked strawberries, cereal, and for lunch we had cheeseburgers! Then bed was around 9:30 and I slept good.

Weekly mileage: 20.7 miles!

Week 19 (of 2023)

I feel like we’ve been celebrating Jesse’s birthday for months 😂, but he definitely got in a whole week of celebrating. He went fishing 3 times! And caught each time he went out. He got some awesome pants (4 to be exact), a new hat, sushi dinner and his favorite lemon cake! Hendrix and Hazel made him cards and I am exhausted now haha.

Monday (5.8.23)- Jesse’s birthday but we got rained on all day so he didn’t go fishing, but we did make delicious chili with salad on the side. As he has gotten older he has been more open to eating salad! It’s funny, I have always enjoyed salad but when we first started dating he was like WHAT NO. lol now, he has salads and veggies all the time.

Tuesday (5.9.23) plan: 3 mi + strength Actual: unable to run a full mile without walking. Feeling extremely weak and out of breath. Heavy. Lopsided. Not right

Wednesday – what a mess!! I got to the gym and was ready to do work, and my hair tie snapped! No one had an extra one and I got in my feelings and things went really downhill from there. There’s a new rule where you can’t be in the class studio with a virtual class going on unless you have that membership and are in the class. So I was left not being able to do much. I SHOULD have sucked it up and gone on the bike or something. But again, I was in a high emotional state. So I sat in the sauna and calmed down, got sweaty and then realized I didn’t have my towel. 🤬 It was not a good day haha!

Thursday – tutoring day, so I couldn’t go to the gym but hazel and I did get to go to the park and play.

Friday- made it to the gym with extra hair ties so I will never be faced with the same Wednesday issue again. Ran 3 miles while watching Steel Magnolias, which was my first time ever and omg I loved it! I then sat in the sauna for close to 20 minutes. Again couldn’t do weights bc of the class. And I hate going to the weight area with all the guys haha – need to get over that fear!

Saturday – beach day! We were at the beach for WAY TOO LONG. Left the house around 8am, got to the beach shortly after 9… Packed up around 4:30, went to a fishing area where the kids slept and Jesse fished more. Finally left at 5:30 and got home at 6:30!

The water was beautiful and felt great, there was a great breeze and the sun was hot! Hazel made friends with some kids down the way and Hendrix played with them as well. There was lots of digging and when the floaty came out (not pictured) hazel was in the water and would not be separated from it. I JUST purchased that pink onesie that protects her from the sun and I was skeptical. But all I had to do was put sunscreen on her face and she didn’t get burned at all. Hendrix and Jesse were burn survivors lol – so burnt! Hendrix’s face got it badly but luckily his clothes helped me not get burnt. I got burn on my back but other than that not too bad. Jesse refused to wear a sun shirt or sunscreen and ended up burning to a crisp and getting sun poisoning which lead to a terrible night for him. We had a great little picnic in our beach sun shade tent to keep us happy and hydrated!

This hat was a life saver!! It was Jesse’s but he let me wear it and thank goodness! I still got 15 shades darker by luckily I wasn’t burnt. The sunscreen I put on me and Haze wasn’t water proof/resistant so it ran in our eyes when we got in the water which stung! But other than that, super fun!

Some times I feel weird not putting an emoji on Hazel. I feel like it protects her, and I don’t know why?

Hat and shades that Hendrix wouldn’t wear and he greatly regretted the next day as his eyes were v sensitive and red

The sand is so white and clean here it squeaks when you walk through it!

He wore his shirt at first but it was quickly taken off in the heat and then he BURNED

Sunday – happy mother’s day! I hope you had a great Mother’s Day! We walked to get donuts in the morning and had a parking lot picnic! Then I got new tires that were greatly needed and hung out with Haze and Hendrix. I didn’t get the run in I wanted… Oh well! We had a really long day yesterday so I am not sure I would’ve been able to get the mileage I really wanted done. In the afternoon while Hendrix was at tutoring hazel and I went to the splash pad

Week 18 (of 2023)

Just finished:

The book before it was really really good and laugh out loud funny!

Some times I take for granted my health, and then something makes me realize I definitely shouldn’t. I am not sick, but many around me are going through QUITE a lot. J is going through teeth pain – excruciating pain and we are trying to find a dentist that takes our insurance that can help. My mom’s cousin (not sure what that makes her to me) is currently hospitalized with a just found tumor in her brain! A woman from work has just found out that part of her thigh bone is GONE. And she is going in for more testing.

As we get older, we have to take care of ourselves, and it is making me realize that at a certain age, our muscles don’t grow as they need and we need more calcium. So, I think I am going to start taking more calcium and vitamins again. It is scary to think that out of no where something can strike you and well, you’re done.

Monday – (5.1.23) tutoring day – hoping to get at least 10k steps in walks with Hazel and get her to sleep early and I can do mobility work!
Actual: I did not get my 10k steps in! In fact, it was a weird evening and very time crunched. While I got home earlier than 4pm, we were still rushed out the door for tutoring, then went grocery shopping. Then! I got my times mixed up and thought I was late to pick up Hendrix from tutoring and when I got 3/4 of the way there I realized I still had 35 minutes till he was out. Soooo I turned around, Haze and I munched on snacks while J cleaned up the kitchen in preparation for it to be DESTROYED again by cooking dinner haha! We had yummy pasta with vodka sauce (omg, droooool) and meatballs. It was just missing a salad which I was too lazy to make. BOO! Then bath time and somehow it was bedtime except we went to bed around 10???

Tuesday – (5.2.23) – Plan: 4 miles + Unilateral Leg Workout
Actual: 4 mi plus one round of unilateral legs because I was running short on time. 🤬 Run started at a steady 5.5 for a 2 minute warm up then upped it to 6.0, once I had one mile left I went to 6.2, 6.4,and 6.8 and the last .6 miles I increased every tenth of a mile or less to get up to 7.4 and then in the last tenth of the mile I sprinted in at 8 mph. Effort-wise I was not pushing it for the first three miles, I felt very strong, my breathing was nice and easy and I felt really good which is why I decided The last mile I would push myself a little bit harder. My finishing time was 38 minutes and 52 seconds

After getting home from work, we went on a walk with the doggy and swing and our bench swing with a delicious Cayman Jack. I am savoring these nice evenings… The weather has been absolutely perfect! In the 70s and not sticky… I LOOOOVE it. We all had a fairly late dinner because we were playing outside – I think this is the BEST excuse one could have! Lol

After playing + dinner the kids went to bed (reluctantly) and I stayed up WAY too late painting a new picture! It’s a lovely cottage with all kinds of flowers around, a dream home away from home lol. Because now I realize just how difficult it would be to maintain all those flowers!! 😂

I do NOT feel like I slept well at all! I woke up extra sore in my legs and had a really good stretch. According to Fitbit analytics this was my sleep score, thought I scored even lower! But this isn’t as good as I’m used to…

Wednesday – (5.3.23) – Plan: 3.5 miles + Upper Body Pull
Actual: my body was hurting and tired after yesterday’s workout, so I stupidly skipped my run. And I say stupidly because I ended up regretting it later. It’s true! You only regret the workout you didn’t do. I did take the dog and Haze for a good 30 minute walk in the evening and I did some HIIT workout. But in between that time I also lost my cool and was very overwhelmed. Running helps me in that area, it allows me to destress. While on lunch I tried out a frozen yogurt place called COLDSNAP. it was delicious! One half was almond biscotti and the other half was strawberry with some waffle cone sprinkled on top! Not my normal order, I usually load down with tons of chocolate. But dang, this was so good!

Thursday – (5.4.23) minimum of 10k steps
Actual: I attempted to take Haze on a nature walk trail and we made it to the parking lot and just past the gate (by me carrying her) but she was pretty much stuck looking at everything. – which is amazing! But I wanted to walk lol – I didn’t bring the stroller like I knew I should have.

So we turned around and sat in the car trunk for snacks and then discussed further plans. Decided on the park across the way. Luckily she understood no water area because we didn’t have any water clothes. And it was great!! She played in the sand the most with another little girl and then we were swinging – much to my dismay they only have one infant swing with the parent side so you can both go and swing together…. Great concept but I get motion sick after swinging too long! 🤣

Friday (5.5.23) – Plan: 4mi + Mobility Flow
Actual: SKIPPED – I skipped lunch too if that makes it better. I forgot my running shoes, only had the speed ones and so yeah. Made up excuses and got sad later

Saturday – (5.6.23) – Plan: “REST”
Actual: the busiest day ever. And since I didn’t run the last few days I decided to do a stroller run. We did 5 mi running with .64 mi cool down back to home and then switched from stroller to wagon and got Hendrix and went to get donuts and croissant sandwich. Yum yum yum!

Then it was shower and chill for an hour and THENNNN off to Cinco de Moo! This was so much fun and so worth it! It was so close to us and everyone was so nice! There were three Hazels on the farm that day – who knew that name was getting popular again?! Lol they had bubble machines (that hazel loved) a Zipline (that Hendrix was zipping around on) and the hoola hoops were to simulate roping cattle!

We got to feed the donkeys carrots! They were so sweet! Hendrix got scared of their lips moving trying to get the carrot lol

Asked Hendrix to get a picture of me and Hazel feeding the donkey and he only got our hands in lol

They had a great little enclosed chicken coop for us to pet chickens. It got crowded in there so I didn’t get to hold one, but Hendrix did! He was uncomfortable though haha – but he asked to hold it, I didn’t force him

By far, this was Hazels FAVORITE! She stood next to this little cow for ages petting it and hanging out 😍

See her face looking at the cow like awwwww I love you ❤️

We also saw the piggies which she found fun! But too many people were around so she was over it haha

After the farmstead we headed to the bookstore, I told Hendrix would get him a book if we found one reading level appropriate, which of course he went for an advanced book. But he showed me he could read it with little help and so we bought it. He read it for most of the afternoon, slowly… But he will get there! He is excited and I hope the excitement stays. After book store we headed home for lunch and hazel took a nap. I tried to take one too, but couldn’t yet haha. Then I got the green light from this lady selling me shoes to meet up, so pack all the kids in and get the shoes – I’ve always wanted sambas! White would’ve been even better, but you can’t beat $15. Jesse thought it was weird to buy used shoes but they seem like great condition so I got them 🤷🏻‍♀️

Since we were out and I’ve been wanting a smoothie all day, off we went to get smoothies from the KING. Lol we met J at home and he showed us his catch

We were absolutely destroyed by the events of the day and everyone took a nap.. j took about a 4 hour nap! He was up at 3am to drive to Navarre to go fishing!

Sunday – (5.7.23) – Plan: 7 mi Long Run
Actual: gardening + 3 mi dog walk (it is suddenly starting to get very humid- summer is near!)+meeting new kids and neighbors + sushi for birthday dinner!

Hendrix tried some of my very bitter dark chocolate and it was so funny because at first he was like oh this is good, then as he kept chewing his face got sour and he was spitting it out haha

Wagon rides in the afternoon and twinning sunnies

I got some painting in today as well, but overall this weekend was busy busy! Hendrix went over to another neighbor friend’s house and did slip and slide and water gun fights. Naturally we were all exhausted by the end of the weekend, just as it should be 🤣

~9 miles??? Definitely a set back week haha

Week 17 (of 2023)

The ups and downs of parenting a toddler.. she can be an absolute tyrant or the sweetest loving bb girl everrrrrr. I love it all though, because I know while the days can feel like they go by slowly, the years will fly by. She is currently screaming when she doesn’t get what she wants, flops her whole body down when we say no and climbs on EVERYTHING and stands up – so like she climbs on chairs and provokes us lol. She is testing boundaries and limits like any toddler does. While I am exhausted, I am utterly amazed by her as well.

For the last month she has adamantly HATED bath time. To the point where we were doing it maybe 1x a week because she would scream bloody murder. Then, all of a sudden last week she started enjoying bath time and it has been a pleasure.. kids are weird man! lol

Anyway, our 5k has reignited my love for stroller running. So, I really want to push runs with Haze again – but also I have to realize that the hot heat sun + baby is not the best, so figuring something out for that. The girl loves to sleep in on the weekends. The one mistake I made on Saturday (for the race) was she didn’t get any breakfast before hand. I forgot a snack in the car and she was a little cranky during the run.

Monday – (4.24.23) Plan: 3 mi
Actual: 3.1 mi with negative splits for a 29:20 finish which felt way freaking harder than the stroller 5k the other day and I only did about 46 seconds better 😂 ended in a sprint at 8.8mph for the last 150m — normally I wouldn’t take a lunch on a tutor day but frustration is good fuel for a run! I needed the mental clarity and it helped a ton. Sometimes, you just gotta run out the anger. The only thing that stinks… besides me… is that I forgot to bring a towel today! So I had to just air dry

I wish the camera could catch all the sweat I had falling down lol but alas, here’s the “edited” version meaning making myself smile

Feeling super strong but a wee bit tired

Tuesday – (4.25.23) Plan: 3 mi + Strength
Actual: 2.31mi 26:26 min – I got so irrationally bored and upset during this run, I have to look back and think WHY?? I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve a lunch break to do this… But why? It’s like when I want to get serious about goals and feeling good I put up a block and convince myself to stop. I contemplated all of this while doing core work and stretching. I came to the conclusion that it started off wrong – Jesse was complaining about his day and I am a sensitive person who takes on others emotions. Something I definitely need to learn how to NOT do… But it messed with my head. I looked at the clock, I looked at my pace, I decided I wasn’t entertained by the show I was watching. I let it all compile and compound and I stopped just short of my goal.

Wednesday – (4.26.23) Plan: 4 mi
Actual: Today, something switched in me… and I hope it stays ON for a long time. I felt strong today… and I did a 5.5mph warm up for 2 minutes and then stuck it out at 6.0mph for the rest, completing 4 miles in 40:12. I battled a little bit of boredom but like I wasn’t too tired or struggling, I felt great… I was just meh around 2 ish miles, but then this quote came into my head:

And I am so happy I didn’t let the doubt make me hit the STOP button. I just zoned in on the screen in front of me showing pictures of trails and buckled down.
Alsooooo, I did the PUSH day and I seriously can’t believe I ALWAYS forget how much I love doing strength training! It left me with more endorphins than running today! My shoulders and chest are gonna hurrrrrttttt tomorrow.

Even though I don’t have a race planned I want to get my mileage to be more consistent, so I am going to work my way up to 25 mpw as well as get STRONGER! also, omg so cute… Hazel gets down on the floor with me to stretch and last night she tried copying me on some stretches I was doing. She is also trying to jump up and down and she can balance pretty well on one leg! (When I put her shoes on and he doesn’t want to sit, she will just hold on to my shoulder and lift her leg) – that’s pretty good for a 16 month old!

My hips felt tight, my legs felt tight.. my arms were starting to get a little sore and I was EXHAUSTED by 8pm. Luckily, Hazel was ready for sleep by 8:30 and I retired at 8:45 lol. We went to Bass Pro Shops after work hoping to score some cheap pants for Jesse, but the sale was already over! We let Hazel run around and look at everything which really attributed to an easy bedtime snooze. She LOOOOOVED walking through the aisles and looking at all the fishing gear. While she screamed a couple times as I had to pick her up to take her to a new section, she quickly regained her calmness and adjusted to the new sights. If I had had the kids with a smaller age gap I don’t think I would be as calm as I am with her, because I know the days are long, but the years are short! And the tantrums can feel insane.. but I am not embarrassed by them and I am 95% not as intimidated or like trying to shush her down. If that makes sense? I know she is learning to regulate her feelings, trying to communicate she is upset… etc. And in a few years these things don’t happen as regularly. Buuuuut if the kids were lets say.. 2 years apart… woooo it would be a different story! But, Hendrix is 8… and the years FLEW by, so I know that I just need to sit back and enjoy this period. Because there are much more good things happening than bad (tantrums) and it’s fun to see her navigate the world.

Thursday – (4.27.23) Plan: Active Recovery
Actual: it has been raining all day and thundering! Not that I was going to be outside, but I just didn’t feel the need to drive around in this if I didn’t “have to.” I was, however, craving french fries – I don’t know why, other than the fact they are so delicious lol. But I brought lunch so I am trying to be good and just eat what I brought!

Friday – (4.28.23) Plan: 4mi + yoga
Actual: the best laid out plans always get messed up lol. But I am not upset about it! My son’s school put on “Field Day” which basically is just a fun filled day of games and candy. Parents were invited for a small portion of it and so I told my bosses I was coming in late to be there with my kid. I wouldn’t have ever done this if I were at any other company but I feel the place I’m working at really pushes us to be with family and understands that kids are young once… Gotta be there to support them! So I came into work half way through the day and consequently am not able to run during lunch, but I’ll take this kid’s smile over any run any day.

Saturday 4.29.23 – 15k steps… Cleaning, gardening, walking, grocery shopping and yummy fresh flounder wraps for dinner topped of with an episode of Sweet Tooth! Have you seen that show? It’s very interesting

Sunday (4.30.23) – Plan: 6 mi stroller run
Actual: 8 mi on the treadmill in 1 hr 27 min – ran till the treadmill stopped, ran for time. 5.5-5.7mph. listened and watched David Goggins the whole time, extremely interesting. It was hot and sunny and would’ve been perfect for a run outdoors but the gusts of winds made Jesse worried it could take tree limbs down and smash me lol. So treadmill it was.

my view! there was a blue bird that kept flying into and out of the tree

Weekly mileage – 17.41 mi + 1 strength session + many nightly stretches + lots of extra sleep

Week 16 (of 2023)

Monday – 4.17.23 tutoring day! Which means short day at work so no running- which is just fine because I needed a little rest after the run on Sunday night… HOWEVER! We came up on 4 great finds! Two new (used) scooters for cheap an R2D2 helmet (free!) and a FREE wagon!

Hendrix’s new scooter is awesome and I put Hazel in the baby carrier backpack style and we scooted around the neighborhood before picking up Hendrix. It is a GOOD quad workout! It was A LOT of fun and work haha. All in all, great finds! Haze has been trying to get on Hendrix’s old Razor scooter we thrifted a few years back, but it is narrow and only two wheels. So when I saw this Radio Flyer with 3 wheels for $5 I thought WHY NOT!? And of course, she loved the helmet, she always tries to wear Hendrix’s lol so that came too!
Also, as soon as tutoring was done we were outside playing and riding scooters. I LOOOOVE how long it is staying light out, makes my heart happy. Also, I am trying to really enjoy this time with both of these kiddos. I wish I had a drone to follow us around and get video of us roaming the streets on scooters. I love making these memories.

Tuesday – 4.18.23 – Plan: 4 mi + strength
Actual: My worst nightmare almost came true!! As you can see below, I am wearing my Craft shoes instead of New Balance – because I thought I lost my New Balance! I had to throw my gym bag and shoes in the middle of the car when I was putting in the wagon and I thought that I lost one of the shoes and it just like toppled out! So as I was dressing for my run I was like OMG OMG OMG do I need to go out to the car to confirm my nightmare?! Theeennnn I remembered I threw them up there and when I grabbed my STILL OPEN gym bag to move it to the front seat, I left the shoe sitting back there. Low and behold, it was there when I got back to the car. I finished watching The Watcher, almost screamed yet again! and I was moving fast. Did a 2 minute warm up walk, then averaged 6.0 for the first 3 miles then upped it to 6.2 and 6.4 and for the final 100m stretch was coming in around 7.0 or something. Trying to get under 40 minutes but finished at 40:16. Then I tried to do some strength, but my lower back started hurting so I stopped immediately.

Wednesday – 4.19.23- – Plan: 5 mi + stretch
My back and neck hurt! A stretch is needed
Actual: My neck and back and I think sciatica (?!) was hurting so badly yesterday I didn’t want to run on it. It just wasn’t worth it, especially since we have a fun Saturday planned with running and music shows! So, I didn’t go to the gym and did some good stretching at night. Then, I went to bed at 9:07pm! Once my head hit the pillow I WAS OUT! Anyone else fall asleep in less than 10 seconds? BUT When I got home me and the kids went out and I did pull them in the wagon for a bit, we played in the playroom and Hendrix shot his bow and arrow.

Thursday – 4.20.23 Strength???
Actual: mobility and stretching! I also walked around the indoor mall during lunch!

I just started listening to “The Happiness Project” which I find very interesting. Because I have only ever strived for happiness. When someone asks me what I want it’s that. Simple. But is it so? As a teenager I dealt with depression, almost crippling depression that led to a huge amount of brain fog from the antidepressants I was on resulting in a lot of blocked memories and years I don’t know what happened. But, since my health journey I not only focused on physical health but mental and emotional which in turn led to more happiness. And I want to continue growing and prospering in that. Always good to have a little reminder on things we do for ourselves to make us happy. I’m still painting that lighthouse picture, I’m still moving my body and getting outside… But there’s more I want to work on. I don’t simply want others to see me as solely a worker (employee at work) or solely a mother. I am so much more, and so are you. Growing up I only really saw my parents as parents. I want to change that narrative. And show them my hobbies and passions!

Friday – 4.21.23 – Plan: 4 mi SLOOOOOW
Actual:

Saturday – 5k race – what a rough start to the morning, Jesse was not feeling well the whole morning the kids were tired and snotty, and we were almost late to the race! With two minutes to spare we are able to pick up our bib and get to the start line. The boys stayed in the car because it was a little too cold for them and they didn’t want to just stand around (not the best cheerers ahah) so Hazel and I warmed up and turned on the music and got in line to start the race. Unfortunately I got stuck behind some walkers so we had to weave around once we got started. My goal was simply to have fun and enjoy the race with hazel, but I did want to push myself just a little bit I didn’t want to go super slow. I averaged around a 9:39 pace which was pretty good and there was really really heavy winds that kept pushing against us no matter what way we turned. I think we came in a little over 30 minutes, because those winds pushed us back! My last mile I was definitely struggling a bit! Hayes fell asleep for the last half mile and woke up with a yummy banana in her face. Unfortunately we did not get medals as those were only for the people that placed in the race or people in the fun run, so not fair! I tried to convince them to give her a medal since she would definitely was first place in her age group haha! All in all we had a lot of fun and I’m really glad that I didn’t have to race all out for a 5k cuz I was not prepared.

Surprisingly enough I was pretty tired after that race so when we finally got home and rested some we took an hour and a half nap. Then I took the kids out to the park where the splash pads were finally on and they got to play in the water. Followed up with a super delicious green smoothie!

Sunday – we woke up earlier than I really wanted to, but it was a good start and we got some cleaning done and then took River out for a walk. He loves hanging out on that cool cement.

We did lots of playing and “organizing” the playroom, which really meant that Hazel just dumped out every single thing I tried to put away. Got to love toddlers! 😂 Then we took a few walks around the neighborhood in the wagon and it was time to take Hendrix to tutoring. Jesse got Hazel down for a nap while I dropped Hendrix off and got some groceries. Once I got home I was able to paint, pick up hendricks, and continue painting more! Super great Sunday 😃