Sunday Runday – 2 Year Runner-versary, 23 Year Engag-aversary, and More!

Happy Sunday – I hope that wherever you are the weather is making you as happy as it is making me! Yesterday it got close to 70F and today is supposed to be near 75F! There is so much to do … but I need to get my run in and soak up the wonderful weather! Last night I had an amazing sight as a family of deer crossed my path – it is included in the picture above, and I put it up on Instagram as well … breathtaking!

This week I have gotten a couple of ‘blogger nominations’ and mentions – and although I have done a Liebster post before, I plan this coming week to do another one … I just have to figure out what to talk about. I love how these have morphed over time, and will be looking at ones like those from Laura and Megan for inspiration doing my own.

Here are a few things rolling through my mind this weekend:

My 2-Year Runner-versary

Wait … didn’t I just celebrate my 25th anniversary of running back in February? Yeah, but this is different. I have talked about how in early 2012 I got to the point where I needed to do SOMETHING … since my thyroid had died and I got on meds, my weight dropped and slowly went back up even as I went to the gym, and tried several times to get back into running. My eating habits were more than a little to blame – the old adage “there is no exercise regime a poor diet can’t mess up” definitely held true for me!

But in 2012 Easter was the week after my birthday – April 12th – and my brother came to visit and we went for a run. Again, I have told my running story a number of times – my early years, the ‘in between times‘, and the more recent years – and as I said, I had made a deal with my brother to run the Wineglass Marathon in the fall … but in April 2012 I barely managed 2.25 miles at an 11 minute pace and quit and let him do another loop.

The two years since have been amazing – I am the fittest, thinnest and healthiest of my life, and it might sound weird, but I am younger than I have been in at least 15 years. My eating is a work in progress as it is for all of us, but with each passing week my tolerance for crap and processed foods becomes less and less. Whole, real foods fuel me day to day … and I am absolutely loving how I feel.

My 23 Year Engag-aversary

Lisa posted this picture a week ago for a #TBT on Facebook, which is an ‘old school selfie’ from our engagement. Yes, this was with a film camera so we had absolutely no clue what it looked like until we got the prints! Not too bad for that.

It was April 12th 1991, and I took her to the Gregory House outside of Albany, NY. It was a fun time and amazingly special – and I was a total nervous wreck the whole time!

It is so much fun looking back at the pictures from when we were so young – and it is even better doing it together because we are still so in love and enjoy being together – I know I am so fortunate to have found an amazing person to share the ups and downs of life.

Are These My Favorite Shoes Yet?

I have already said I’m not so good at the whole ‘break in new shoes slowly thing’ as I did a long run in my Merrell Allout Rush trail shoes. Well, as noted I got a pair of Saucony Virratas last weekend … so naturally I headed out for a 15.5 mile run last night in the new shoes!

The Virratas are super-lightweight zero drop shoes, but with enough cushion to be very comfortable. When I tried them on last week they were like the best combination of the Saucony Kinvara and New Balance Minimus – and that is exactly how I feel after my first run.

Of course, it will be a bit before I really know how well they work for me, but after a first run I am in love with the feel – my body likes the zero drop, but getting a bit more cushion than things like the Merrell Vapor Gloves is definitely better for my legs!

Oh, the Weather! And my weekly Running Summary

As noted, this weekend is very warm – I ran in 55F temps Friday morning, 68F last night and it will be over 70 before I head out today. Yet this past week the temperature also got down to 20F with wind chills in the teens … and this coming week we have another cool-down coming with possibilities of snow and temperatures at 20 or below! That is just how April rolls …

Sunday – Rest (2nd birthday)
Monday – 30F – 8.5 miles
Tuesday – 40F – 7.75 miles
Wednesday – 20F – 6.75 miles
Thursday – 25F – 7.5 miles
Friday – 55F – 9.5 miles
Saturday – 68F – 15.5 miles

Not a bad week – I managed 55.5 miles, though I will confess that my attitude on Wednesday and Thursday was more than a bit grumbly, especially Wednesday when my hands wouldn’t warm up no matter what. Oh well, I know that my whining is more because of how much warmer it gets in the afternoons … but that is what you get being a 4AM runner!

How Quickly We Forget

Also this weekend we are getting the boys ready – it is their April break and they are headed to Washington DC with the marching band, and will play at the World War II memorial. They also get quick visits in a number of spots from the memorials to Smithsonian, Ford’s Theater, Pentagon Mall, National Zoo and more. It is fun getting them ready, but also loads of work.

A colleague at work who was works in a lab where we get some special testing done and was also on an earlier project with me is headed on vacation to Daytona this week – and when I said ‘get some relaxation’, he woke me up with ‘you remember having two kids under 3’ … and I DO – you get back needing a vacation from your vacation! There is endless chasing around and constant watchfulness as the little ones find adventure after adventure to get into!

It is funny, Lisa and I were looking through the album of our first Disney trip in 2001 with the boys, and it brings back all sorts of warm and wonderful feelings. It is a reminder that as time passes, you forget all of the frantic running around and hassles, and remember the good times having two little wide-eyed, full of love boys ready to accept just about any new adventure that comes along!

SMOOTHIES!

This was my recovery smoothie last night – loaded with fresh and frozen fruit and some flax-chia blend and coconut milk. It was awesome – and reminds me that in the last week I have had at least one smoothie every day, with breakfast being a smoothie each day and a few dessert smoothies as well!

The Nutri-bullet came with a small booklet, and my mother got me a ‘smoothie recipes for runners’ guide … but honestly while I browsed both, mostly I am just doing my own variations to see what works well for me. I am happy with the results so far – but I bought some kale and spinach (we were out) so I am looking forward to some serious green machines this week!

So tell me about your weekend, running, favorite smoothie recipes, or anything else!