Thursday, April 4, 2019

Can we talk? Over coffee?


Shall we gather for chatter? You and I? Over coffee (or any beverage of your choosing)?

March kind of left me in a bit of a tailspin. There was a lot of racing, plenty of fun times with family, and some cathartic moments as well.

Care to hear more? There's plenty I'd share with you....

I'd share with you how Fate has a way of working its magic into my life, often at the most opportune times. For example, this past weekend. I had been registered for the Chocoholic Frolic since before Christmas. It was a new-to-me event, and I had been looking forward to it. The race was in Iowa City (an hour away), which is home to the University of Iowa (the hubby's and my alma mater). Did I mention that our son is a student there, as well? Or that his fraternity recently planned a mom's weekend on the same weekend as my race? The timing was impeccable. My race went well. And I had a great time hanging out with the son.

      

Something else I'd mention is my extreme gratitude with my recent races. When I took on the challenge of three 10K's over the span of three weeks, it crossed my mind (ever so briefly) that it might be cool if I could run each subsequent race faster than the previous one(s). In all honesty, I really didn't think I could do it...but the Leprechaun Chase (56:13) went better than expected in non-stop rain. The Heroes Memorial Run (54:51), an evening race in downtown St. Petersburg, FL, surprised me with my fastest 10K finish in almost four years. But, last weekend's Chocoholic Frolic (53:57) really took me by surprise, especially considering the crazy wind I had to battle along the route. All three of these races had unique and challenging conditions, and each one felt progressively tougher. Somehow, I was was able run each race progressively faster....that kind of feat has never happened before in my running shoes.

 

Another thing I'd tell you is how good it feels to be able to run, and to do so on my own terms. A lot of runners (most, actually) log many more miles than I do. High mileage works well for many runners, and I totally respect that.  I don't think I'm lazy (ha ha ha, I'm actually quite active every day and struggle with getting enough sleep), but my body seems to embrace the low/moderate mileage routine. I seldom ever run more than 20 miles/week, nor do I record many century mileage months (unless I'm i  the throes of 26.2 training). I have come close a few times, but I have never broken the 1,000 miles in a year either. I often times feel shamed for not "running all the miles," but I'm quite content with what I've accomplished with my low-mileage way of life (just look at my last three races, for example). After all, I'm not an Olympian...why should I train like one?
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Finally, as most of you know, I'm doing the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-miler this weekend. I am beyond excited to not only run this bucket list race, but also for the fun weekend that's in store with some awesome gal pals. That said, it's my third weekend away from home, and I'm starting to feel the effects of non-stop travel, racing, and action. But, would I trade any of that for all the fun I've had (and that's yet to come)? Absolutely not!
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So, if we were gathered around a cozy table, over coffee, those are a few things I'd share with you. March was quite a busy month, and after a brief rest/recovery period, I'll be ready for even more action in April.

How about you? Anything you'd like to share? Would you be drinking coffee, or something else? How did March play out for you?

Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.
The Ultimate Coffee Date

I'm also linking this with Meranda and Lacey for the Friday with Fairytales and Fitness link-up. 

 


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31 comments:

  1. Best of luck for the Cherry Blossom - how lovely to meet up with pals and I assume you run through a load of cherry blossom. Didn't Cari do that one last year, or have I made that up? CAAAAAARI, calling CAAAARI!

    I love how you run just as YOU want to: it's very inspiring. Yes, I did 1,000 miles last year and am headed that way this year, but for me it is very much about doing 20 miles a week to keep my immunity and mental health boosted. I'm in awe of all your other activity and I love how you model all the different ways to keep active and fit.

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    1. Thank you!! It took me awhile to figure out what was “my way” (at least in terms of running), but I’m glad I found it.

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  2. Good luck at Cherry Blossom! Feeling all the FOMO...

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  3. You had an awesome March! I love how so many things fell into place. Looking forward to meeting you "irl"!

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    1. March was crazy!!! Although it seemed busy at the time, I didn’t realize Just how nutty things were until I looked back at everything (#oops)

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  4. I runfess I've never tallied up my yearly running mileage and rarely even count up my monthly miles because I simply do not care. What I do is enough. End of story. Have so much fun this weekend!

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    1. High-5, fellow don’t-care-about-the-miles friend :-) Although I do log my miles, and keep the running totals (no pun intended), I do not obsess over them either.

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  5. Much lie you, I can't deal with a lot of high mileage all the time. I see runners logging 200+ miles a month and I'm just in awe because I know my legs would hate me.

    Hope you have an awesome race weekend!

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    1. Totally in agreement...there’s no way I’d be walking or lucid if I logged super high mileage. I’m thankful I don’t “have” to LOL

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  6. I can't wait to see the pictures from the Cherry Blossom race! Have fun! I have always wished I could do big miles but even for a marathon my mileage is pretty low. My body hates high miles so I just have to go with the flow!

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    1. I hate high mileage, too. It’s just not my gig and wears on my body.

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  7. I have no desire to #runallthemiles. Ever. I will train for a race, but I don't need to hit a certain mileage goal when I'm not training, other than to maintain my base.

    Congrats on all those speedy 10ks!

    Have a great race & weekend. Maybe I'll actually make it back to IG to see some of the fun. :)

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    1. It’s nice that there’s a fair amount of us who do not embrace high mileage. WE gotta stick together :-)

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  8. We are going to have so much this weekend and a few real coffee dates!

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  9. Keep up the good work with all of your amazing racing. And good luck at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. I am sure that race will be beautiful!

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    1. The CB was so beautiful, and we were blessed with awesome weather!

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  10. That is awesome about your 10k times. even your slowest one would be a PR for me. But I don't see speed in my future. I'm trying to be ok with it.

    Have fun in DC. FOMO big time.

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    1. Well, my 10K times (of recent) are not my norm. I think all of the treadmills inside (even though they were not fun) were a factor because many of them turned into speedwork in an effort to get them done.

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  11. My legs have never been a fan of running #all the miles either. CLearly your approach is working for you!

    Have a great weekend in DC! So bummed to be missing it!

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    1. And we are bummed you weren’t with us for a reunion!

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  12. I hope you have a fabulous time in DC running the Cherry Blossom! I get what you are saying about all the traveling and racing. I lived that life a few years back but have cut WAY back. I have now found comfort in local races (which I never thought I would enjoy after all the racecations I was use to...lol) -M

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    1. I am definitely feeling pretty worn down...ready for a few days of R & R!

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  13. Have fun at the Cherry Blossom. I don't know if you have ever done it before, but it is an absolutely awesome race. When we used to do ti, we treated ourselves to brunch at the Kennedy Center after the race, which is a splurge, but so worth it!

    Congrats on your 3 faster and faster 10ks. That is awesome when everything comes together like it did for you. Enjoy your traveling and racing. It won't last forever. If you can do it now, do it. You can always rest later! :)

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    1. Yes, it’s nice when all the things come together...as you know, that does not happen at every race. I’m choosing to embrace the fact that it happened in March, because it may be awhile before it happens again LOL

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  14. Have so much fun at tomorrow's race! The weather is going to be perfect and I can't wait to read all about the race in your recap. I was thrilled to be a part of your visit to DC!

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    1. We totally got lucky on the weather for CB. The weekend was so much fun, in so many different capacities. LOts to be thankful for!

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  15. I'd be definitely drinking coffee! I'm a huge coffee lover, but I drink several teas a day as well! March was super good for me. I finelly started to be getting some traffic on my blog and I re-joined the gym!

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  16. I am so glad you had a great time with your son! I look forward to hearing about your time in the DC area, and the Cherry Blossom race! It ran it a few years ago, and it was a lot of fun!

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