It’s Friday!
It’s Friday, and that means I’m off to Chicago! I’ve given up on hoping the weather will be one way or another, and will just take whatever I get. I would prefer that it not rain TOO much, especially since I’ll only have one pair of shoes (I’d like to not wear wet shoes for three days…) But you know what? For every problem, there’s a solution. I’ll work it out! Other than the weather, this turns out to be the perfect weekend for my trip. I didn’t realize it when I booked my flight, but my daughter has no school today. This makes life SO much easier for my husband- I do 100% of the kid duty as far as lunch/transportation etc. and it was going to be hard for him to deal with that and get himself to work. One problem solved! I also didn’t know when I booked my flight that my son has a concert Saturday night, so I’ll get to hear him play! It happens to be Family Weekend at NU, so most people will be going to the football game- I’ll be going to an orchestra concert. I’m sure there will be other “Family Weekend” events going on while I’m browsing in bookstores. Yes- I am the nerdiest nerd in the world. Speaking of which, I’ve chosen my airport/plane reading material: It was between this, Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House or Andrew Weir’s Project Hail Mary. I figured this one would be a fun, easy read, and I’m curious about this series. It’s middle grade, but the writing is interesting (so far) and Meredith (Currently Reading podcast) loves these books. Luckily I can leave and feel confident that our felines will be fine without me for a couple days! What do you have planned for the weekend? Top photo by Max Bender on Unsplash
Post From a Scattered Brain
You guys, I just can’t shake this scattered feeling. And I can’t even put my finger on WHY I feel so scattered- my life really isn’t that complicated. But I can’t seem to hold all the moving parts together, and have time to do everything I want to do. It’s baffling. Anyway, here are a few of my scattered thoughts… I hope everyone has been reading the trip recaps from Elisabeth, Kae, and SHU! If you’re like me, you’re ready to book your own flight to Nova Scotia. Unlike me, you probably don’t have an expired passport. Yes, I’m an idiot! And it’s not just a little expired- it’s WAY expired. But now I’m motivated to start the long, complicated, and expensive process of getting it renewed, sigh. Don’t worry! I have the ‘Real ID” driver’s license, so I can still fly. That’s good, because I leave for Chicago on Friday! Chicago… where they will be having warmer than usual temperatures and rain for the weekend. The temps return to normal (crisp and cool) the day after I leave. Am I disappointed? A little, but this is literally the story of my life. Anytime I go ANYWHERE, I bring the heat with me. We used to travel up north when the kids were little “to see snow.” but no matter how snowy it was before we arrived, it would all melt for our trip. If I visit you in the summer, it will be 110 degrees. I’m picturing a trip to Nova Scotia where Elisabeth and her family exclaim “We don’t understand it- it’s NEVER been 95 degrees on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend!!!” (I’ll just be sitting in the corner with my pumpkin pie, trying to look innocent). So, no- I didn’t really expect cold weather on this trip. But I’m excited to see my son, sister and brother in law. That’s why I’m going. Switching gears abruptly- after my failed long run last week, I completed a 12+ mile run this morning and felt great! What a difference a week makes. During this run I listened to the latest Girl Next Door podcast episode, where they talk about their recent and current reading. Kelsey mentions the latest Robert Galbraith, The Hallmarked Man. She really liked it, and I’m so excited to read it (I’m saving it for after my trip). She also recommends The Strike and Ellacott Files podcast, all about the series. Yes! I will listen to that. For the end of my run, I put on one of my playlists, and “Age of Aquarius” came on. I love that song! Then I started thinking… when is the next Age of Aquarius? Because I feel like we’re in an ANTI-Age of Aquarius right now… When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars… Then peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars. I looked it up! But it got into a deep dive about astronomy and astrology, way deeper than I wanted to go. It seems complicated, and as far as I can tell the next Age of Aquarius is either soon, or in 200 years. Sigh. What do you do when you’re feeling scattered? Are you a warm weather magnet? Top photo by Mike Uderevsky on Unsplash
Tuesday Topics- What’s NOT In Your Bag?
Hi there! Thanks for joining Jenn and me for Tuesday Topics- today’s topic is What’s one popular running or fitness item you CAN live without? I feel like I’m a “running minimalist,” in that I don’t have a lot of fancy things- but when I really thought about it, there are many things I bring on every run! My phone (in a Nathan waist belt), my headlamp (if it’s dark) or sunglasses (once the sun is up). My headphones so I can listen to podcasts, and if it’s a longer run, I bring water in my hydration vest, and of course fuel, usually gels, for long runs. Let’s compare this to my husband, who leaves for a run with literally nothing other than his shoes and the clothes on his back. He doesn’t bring a phone or a headlamp, even in the dark. I consider those to be safety items, but to each his own. So maybe I’m NOT a running minimalist- but I’ll tell you when I will be packing minimally. On Friday I’m going to Chicago for the weekend to visit my son! I got a very cheap flight… suspiciously cheap, as it turns out. After I purchased the tickets, the airline informed me that I could bring a carryon for a “small” fee each way. Well. The fee for bringing a carryon- not a checked bag, but a carryon- was more than the entire flight. Nope! Not doing it. This means I’ll be traveling with just a small backpack (I’m allowed a personal item that will fit under the seat). Has anyone ever watched this Mr. Bean clip?? He’s packing for a trip and his suitcase is too full, so he starts paring things down- he cuts his pants off into shorts and breaks the stem off his toothbrush to make it tiny. That will be me! After a lot of deliberation, I made the decision NOT to run on this trip. If I ran, I would either have to wear running shoes the entire time, or make room in my backpack for an extra pair of shoes. It will also be… GASP… chilly in the mornings, which would mean some cold weather running gear. This was a tough decision (you better believe I’ll be front loading my workouts this week!) but it means I’ll have plenty of space in my backpack for the weekend. I’m planning to hit up some of the bookstores in my son’s neighborhood, which means I need to leave room for any purchases I make. I’ll bring one paperback book along with me, hopefully perfectly timed to finish while I’m there and leave behind. I’ll be wearing the same pants and sweater for the weekend (will bring a change of underwear and t shirts, obviously). That just leaves toiletries, which will again be minimal, my laptop (will I really need it? Oh well- it’s very slim) and a little bit of food for the travel day. I can do it! Welcome to the new Tuesday Topics, hosted by Jenn at Runs With Pugs and Jenny at Runners Fly! Once a week, we come together to share random topics about running, fitness, and life! Use the weekly prompt or write on your own topic! Next week’s topic: Tell us your best running moment of the year. You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter Do you run with your phone? Headphones? Would it be hard for you to travel with just a backpack? Top photo by Wiser by the Mile on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Soggy
What’s the opposite of “crisp?” Instead of having crisp fall weather, our weather can best be described as “soggy.” It’s still hot and humid, and rains almost every day. Let’s just get through this month! We usually see a change by late October. It was an extra-busy week with several band events, and on the fitness front, I had a failed long run (sigh!) I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown. Read on for the gory details! Monday I started the week with a dark 4 mile run. Tuesday Caroline Girvan deadbug workout. and then leg day at the gym, plus hip stability exercises. Still working on those squats! I knew I had a long run coming up, but as the day went on I just didn’t feel like doing it. It was weird- I couldn’t put my finger on anything specifically wrong, I just didn’t want to do that run tomorrow. I told myself to shut up and forge ahead (foreshadowing- sometimes you really should listen to those quiet, nagging doubts…) Wednesday A planned 12 mile run! I felt crappy right from the start- it seemed like I was running uphill, which was weird because we don’t have hills here. I kept going but felt extremely fatigued, my heart rate was high, and my stomach felt terrible (non-long distance runners, look away!- I had to make two pit stops in the bushes). I got to 5 miles and knew I wasn’t going to finish this run- I got back to my car at 7.5 miles and called it a day. When my husband asked what went wrong, I said “It was just my legs, my breathing, and my stomach.” Ha ha… at least my hamstring was okay! But my stomach hurt for the rest of the day, so something weird was definitely happening. I REALLY needed a good night’s sleep, but because of a band activity at night that involved lots of driving, I didn’t get to bed till midnight- I was so tired I felt like crying. Arg! Thursday Guess what? I’m a mom, so the alarm still went off at 5:30 am. I knew I needed an easy day, so I went for a 2 mile walk. At night I had hopes of doing yoga, but there was ANOTHER band event (who made this schedule, anyway?) so again I was busy and didn’t get to bed as early as I wanted (but at least it wasn’t midnight). Friday Okay, I’m starting to want my life back. I ran 3 miles and felt… normal? I can’t remember what that feels like anymore. Saturday 4 mile run that definitely felt normal! And I did my hip stability exercises. I’m back! Sunday On tap for the day- lots of sleep, waffles, and later on, leg day. I also need to walk if I’m going to keep up with Elisabeth and the Cool Blogger’s Walking Club! I missed a day of running/walking on Tuesday, and I want to stay on track for the rest of the month. And, I’ve rescheduled that long run for this Wednesday, so I’m doing everything I can to make sure I feel 100%. Is your weather “crisp” or “soggy?” Have you ever had to bail on a really bad run? Top photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash