Sunday, May 13, 2018

Running like CrAzY




In case you're wondering, I've been running like crazy (and not necessarily in just my running shoes).

Our youngest will be graduating from high school in a couple weeks, so there's been a lot of stuff that's kept me on to go this past week. It's all good, though. After all, life would would be pretty dull if I just sat around, painting my toe nails and eating bonbons.


Here's the latest:

On Monday, I did my #nevermissaMonday run during the lunch hour. Yes, I had ample sunshine. Yes, the temps were warm (and humid). And, yes, I was in absolute heaven. I realize I'm kind of on my own island with my love of warm weather. Those mid-70F temps did feel kind of balmy, but there was a decent breeze, so those four miles (my longest Monday run in a long time) went well.
Under the few remaining blooms on our magnolia tree
I designated Tuesday to be primarily a rest day. I got out for a short walk in the early hours (before work), and then did some arm/shoulder work in the evening, as well as several push-ups, and lots of graduation scrapbooking. How's that for cross-training?


On Wednesday, I met with Barb for our first #5at5 in almost two weeks! The temps were quite steamy, and I wound up shedding the arm sleeves just after the 3-mile mark. Oh, it felt SO great to have a summer-like early morning run!

Look Mom! No sleeves!
On Thursday, we had absolutely beautiful, summer-like weather again! I did my ritual 20-minute power walk through the neighborhood just after getting up. I really enjoy getting outside before even having my ritual chai latte.'


Later, I headed over to the outdoor stairway (about a 1/2 mile from my driveway, on the college campus, near the golf course). After five sets of 10 flights (with 10 burpees each), I decided to call it quits. I didn't want to overdo the stair climbing (especially in the heat) and risk a DOMS epidemic come Saturday (for my team relay).

Back on the stairs!
Friday was another rest/recovery day. Thankfully, the DOMS were a no-show, but there was plenty of stretching and foam rolling in prepping for the relay. Oh, and we moved the son back home from college (extra cross-training by default).
...and all of my lilies of the valley came to life this week!

Saturday = Market to Market Relay!
Our morning began with a 4:00 a.m.meet-up at our company's parking lot, a 2-1/2 hour drive to the relay's starting place (for our team's 7:15 wave start), and ending around 5:45 p.m. as we crossed the finish line.  The big thing was the forecasted rain (and subsequent day-long thunderstorms) was a total no-show! Stay tuned, the race recap will be posted soon!
Our company-sponsored relay team...almost 76 miles of teamwork

Sunday called for a major day of rest (and substantial graduation prep work). I got out for a short walk, sporting the relay's event shirt...just because. Although my body was still pretty tired from the long day of relay activity, as well as the busy week of non-running action, I did venture out for an easy 3-mile run late in the afternoon.
Doesn't everyone wear the event shirt the day following the event?
So, that's all the action from the week...total miles in the running shoes tallied at 25 miles.  There was some extra strength training, but I haven't highlighted every moment (just trust me, it happened LOL).

In case you missed them, there were only two posts last week. I knew I'd be out of commission all day Saturday, so I elected to take a pass on my usual Friday post. Besides, for the next couple of weeks, my priority is our daughter's graduation. Again, life goes on and all is well.


In other news:
Did you catch my #FridayFashionFlair post (on Instagram)? I try to be pretty selective on trendy fashion trends...but, I have kind of fallen victim to the cold shoulder craze. What do you think? There's quite a variety...some are dressy, many are casual, the cut can show a lot of shoulder or be very modest. Do you own any? Yay or no way?
I  love my cold shoulder tops!
Our dog Max....he certainly has a love for the simple things in life. A car ride with the breeze blowing against his face. Total bliss!



Spring is totally in full-on bloom in Iowa! The colors are breath-taking!

And, last of all, a very blessed Mother's Day greeting to all the moms out there.

Of all the accomplishments I've had (big or small), the joy and pride of mommyhood has certainly been the most fulfilling.

The ones who call me "mom"
So, that's a wrap! How was your week? Spring-like temps? Any rain? How's your training?


I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. This weekly check-in is such a great place to connect with fellow fitness-minded peeps. Please join us!


57 comments:

  1. I love that top! I love tops that bare the shoulder - so fun!

    I'm glad the rain was a no-show to your relay! How many miles total was it? Sounds like a really, really long day! But you guys look like you had fun!

    And stairs + burpees = YIKES! What a great workout, thought!

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    1. Our relay had a total of almost 76 miles, and it was broken into various "legs" of different distances. Our 7-person team had four of us each running three legs, and the other three runners each ran twice.

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  2. You make busy weeks seem effortless! Love your Friday OOTD --> I'm still on the fence with the drop shoulder trend. I just need to go out and try some on!

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    1. I really like the bare shoulder tops...I probably have too many of them LOL

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  3. That company relay sounds fun! I'll take your bonbons :p

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    1. The relay was a lot of fun, but a very long day. We had a team of seven from our place of work (which put us in the corporate division), but there are other teams of friends, family, running clubs, all female, all male, and pretty much any combination you can think of.

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  4. Happy Mother's day to you! Your children are beautiful.

    That is cool that you scrapbook. I wanted to make scrapbooks in the worst way but it just wasn't my thing. I bought all the supplies and then they would just sit on the table for days because I could not commit to an idea or a page layout. I couldn't let all those supplies lay out so then I switched to digital scrapbooking. I did this for a while but then I haven't done anything more since we started the blog 5 years ago!

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    1. Well, in all honesty...I used to scrapbook a lot until about 10 years ago. Once I went digital, the pics stopped getting printed and my devotion to scrapbooking came to a crashing halt. Also, though, that was about the time our kids all were getting more busy with activities, so I just didn't make the time to keep up with it.

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  5. Looks like a busy week for you- great job keeping up with your workouts! Glad the rain held off for your race.

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    1. Oh gosh, we were SO HAPPY the rain held off! 15 hours in a crowded van with saturated clothes and muddy shoes would have really been a buzz kill.

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  6. Congrats to your youngest! Enjoy the next couple of weeks :)

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    1. I will do my best to enjoy the next couple of weeks, but it's gonna go so fast and I have tons left to do....

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  7. Sounds like you had a wonderful week! On and off the road. We've had quite a bit of rain, but a lot of nice days, too. Can't really complain (except about the forecasts, as usual). I'm not at all surprised your forecast rain never appeared!

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    1. We had been weather-stalking all week, and the rain/thunder storms had not budged from any of the weather apps. We were SOOO thankful the forecast(s) were all wrong!

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  8. Oh, what sweet pictures! I love the first one of your dog out the car window - too cute! Graduation is such a busy time - enjoy all the celebrations!

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    1. I'm really trying to enjoy as much of the graduation "festivities" as I can...though it's really tough with this being the youngest child....

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  9. Sounds like a crazy busy week--as May can be! I hope you enjoyed your mama's day.

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    1. April usually is my craziest month, but May is certainly in the running for a very close second-place spot.

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  10. I love that white top! The shoulder free shirts are a great trend and super flattering. Looks like your relay was a blast. Relays are so much fun but always very tiring too. Happy mother's day!

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    1. The relays are so much fun! This was my third time doing this relay (with most of the same people), and it is non-stop action....

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  11. Max looks so happy! I love it.

    I'm resisting the cold shoulder trend, even though it's everywhere. Just not for me :)

    You got in some many great summer miles- I'm so jealous!

    Happy Mother's Day!

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    1. Well, my summer miles didn't happen last year, so I'm really appreciating them on a whole new level this year. Every mile is a blessing, right?

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  12. Happy Mother's Day! I love cold shoulder tops too. I just got a new one last month and have been wearing it everywhere.

    I'm not looking forward to summer running but that's because summer is pretty miserable here. Ick.

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    1. I love summer running, even with the heat and humidity (though Iowa heat/humidity is not quite as extreme as Florida).

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  13. That relay sounds like a long day - but fun, I'm sure! We had a lot of rain the past few days, but that just goes along with spring weather, right?

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    1. ha! Yes, rain is typical spring weather...and I'm glad we missed it for the relay LOL

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  14. That's a beautiful brood you've got there mama! I don't know how I'm going to feel when my youngest graduates high school. I'm already wistful for next year when my oldest graduates. Sigh.

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    1. I think I'm in denial at what's REALLY happening in 12 days. It's a good thing I'm busy and too distracted to really think about it.

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  15. You look so amazingly happy in the sunshine! What a great week - and looking forward to the relay recap, sounds exciting! My favourite picture this week though has to be the one of your kids. Beautiful, what a proud mum you must be. (Max's hair blowing in the wind is a close second favourite, lol!)

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    1. Thanks ;-) The sunshine DOES make me so very happy (well, as do my kids, too). And Max...((sigh)), he's kind of a charmer ;-)

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  16. Happy Mother's Day! I'm glad to see the spring color has arrived in Iowa! My youngest is graduation too. Thankfully, I don't have much (anything?) to do as I'm not hosting anything at our house. I went the easy (lazy) way with a restaurant. LOL. Thanks for linking.

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    1. Well, our party is in our garage, so the husband has that to clean....but I'm going nutzo gathering pictures, ordering the cake, etc. It's definitely distracting me from the fact that my baby is graduating...

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  17. Let's say, I'm starting to warm up to the cold shoulder trend.I might be inspired to buy myself a piece for the summer! You look wonderful in your shirt!

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    1. The cold shoulder shirts are so fun! I know they are trendy, and will not be in vogue forever, but for now they are my favorite must-have ;-)

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  18. It's finally spring weather here and it's great!!!

    Happy Mother's Day!

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    1. Our spring weather has been pretty spotty, but it does feel like summer is here to stay!

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  19. Great week! I’m always so impressed and inspired by how much you get done during the week! Of course it’s totally understood that your daughter’s graduation is a priority over blogging.

    We had pretty good weather last week. A wee bit overcast but no rain iuntil Sunday. And then I went for a “beat the rain” run (spoiler alert: the rain won in the end). It’s pretty warm here actually!


    I love that blouse. I’ve no idea what the trends are actually- if it looks nice and I like it, I wear it haha! I don’t show my arms or shoulders usually at work though - tattooed + conservative employer and most colleagues = conversations and judgements I’d rather avoid.

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    1. Our weather has been really warm recently...and I'm good with that. Our winter totally overstayed its welcome.

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  20. I love those photos of Max with his head out the window, so cute! And I love the open shoulder trend but don't have much casual wear that incorporates it. I'm so behind, I feel like by the time I buy something trendy it's going out of style!

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    1. Isn't Max a riot? We all need to take a lesson from our dogs...just let the wind blow and enjoy it, right?

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  21. I think this time of year we always expect things to slow down but it just gets busier haha. You definitely deserved a rest day on Sunday! Happy mothers day!

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    1. Well, I think things will come to a crashing halt once our daughter walks across the stage and gets handed her diploma. Spring has always been nutzo in our household...

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  22. Another awesome week Kim! I am loving that shoulder top. I need to look for one the next time I go shopping.
    Your children are stunning! I hope that you had a fantastic Mother's Day!

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    1. Thanks, Kim ;-) The kids make me proud, and I am so humbled and blessed.

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  23. What an awesome week! I love the cold shoulder trend, I don't own anything yet but I need to go shopping asap! Beautiful family!

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  24. Happiest Mother's Day to you! Your children are beautiful and your love for them is so evident.

    It's definitely been a couple of busy weeks for you! Believe me, I know how that goes. You're holding up well, and doing a fabulous job! Keep it up!

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    1. Yes, I have been able to keep treading water LOL...thus far!

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  25. I didn't jump on the "cold shoulder" bandwagon because I assumed it would be a one-year thing. Now, what, three years later and it's still going strong! I do like the look!

    Enjoy your time as your daughter graduates! As you know, it goes by so quickly!

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    1. It seems like just yesterday our older daughter was graduating...then we blinked and the son graduated...then she graduated college...and now the youngest is graduating high school. UGH. Time needs to stop!

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  26. Max is so adorable :)

    Sounds like you had a great week. I loved seeing your relay pics on IG!

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    1. WE should round up some badazz gals and do a relay...not a dumb relay, but a fun one ;-)

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  27. Looks like the weather's definitely been better over where you are, and those photos of Max are adorable! <3 Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

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  28. What luck that the rain held off for your relay! Looks like you had a fun, full week!

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  29. Beautiful kids, adorable pup and finally spring flowers for you guys! Congratulations on your daughters graduation ...so exciting! Can't wait to hear about this relay, it sounds like a ton of fun. Glad the rain held off!!

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  30. I never realized how busy May was for parents before I had kiddos. And mine are only in a one-day-a-week "school." Lol. As usual, you're killing the workouts and the fashion. If you ever decide to rebrand (not that you should) I think you should call your blog Kim on the runway. ;-)

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  31. This time of the year is always so incredibly busy. Kudos to you for being as active as you were last week. Focus on the important events, like graduation, and the blog will be here for you when things are a tad quieter. :)

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