*Note, I may have mentioned this, but in case you forgot, when I say "our" Internet, I really mean our-neighbors-across-the-street-who-don't-have-it-password-protected-so-we-steal-it, Internet.
Anyway, I cant really get that mad when it doesn't work since I'm not actually paying for it, but it gets frustrating! So after about 4 weeks of little to no connection, I decided to give myself a summer vacation from the blog. Yea, cause it really takes up a lot of my brain cells writing these posts, clearly I needed a break. I was sick of trying to upload pics and posts and have it not work that I just decided that I would get back to it once J-dizzle started school and we got Internet.
So set your Delorian for June 2012 and lets all take a trip down memory lane, and let me fill you in of whats been goin' on 'round these parts the past couple months. I will do a full photo post soon in case you don't like to read. These are going to be brief to ensure that you all don't get bored and fall asleep at your computer.
Muskyfest 5K weekend 6/22-6/24/2012
Such a fun weekend. J biked, the rest of us ran, we ate good food, played with the dogs, and went for a pontoon ride. The weather was really nice, except it poured when Jake had his mtn. bike race. He still did a great job though! Also, our hosts for the weekend were so great. They made us feel completely at home, and it was sad to leave. There's nothing like being up north at a cabin on a summer weekend.
My brother was in town! 6/29-7/1/2012 (shoutout to J-bob's Birthday!)
My brother came back home for a friends wedding at the end of June. He lives in Cincinnati, OH, so I rarely get to see him. It was so nice having him back, even though it was just for a little while. I cant wait to see him again coming up this weekend for HIS WEDDING!!! Also, on July 1st it was the old geezer's Birthday. We caught the early bird special and had a nightcap of prune juice. Kidding, I got him Cirque du Soleil tickets (show's on 9/21), and we went to dinner at a super delish, nice restaurant on the water.
Fourth of July 7/4/2012
I ran our town's 4th of July race. Super fun, super hot, and came home with a pretty nifty homemade trophy :) We spent the rest of the day out on the water on the jetski, then grilled some patriotic food and watched fireworks.
North Memorial Whiz Bang 5k 7/14/2012
I signed up for this race a while ago, not really realizing it was only about a week after the 4th of July race. Turns out I think I'm getting the hang of this whole "running" thing. I had a great race, and took home some more hardwear!
Halos of Hudson 5k 8/4/2012
This was a race I did with a group of my family, honoring my cousin who had recently lost a baby. It was actually honoring any one who has suffered the loss of an unborn child. There was so much love, and happiness as we remembered our family's baby angels Moose and Joseph. We ran and walked for them. I just so happened to run my fastest 5k that day. It was a wonderful day full of hugs, tears, smiles and laughter. This is a great organization, and if you or anyone you know could benefit, please check our their facebook page here.
After the Hudson race, I didn't have another race on my calender. I thought about a few, but the weekends were just getting so busy, that I didn't have time. I did start to increase my running though. I started to up my miles, and really figure out my nutrition. I have to say as of right now I am feeling really strong. I have about 3 pesky pounds that I would like to shed to get to my ideal weight, but I'm feeling good about where I'm at.
* also note, if reading about weight loss, body image and the like is something that makes you uncomfortable, or is a trigger of some sort, please know I do not mean to offend. It is however part of my life/journey in fitness and will occasionally come up on the blog.
September: J starts skool/ Laural Ingalls 10k!!
And now we're back in present day. Congrats you made it! This month started out busy, and I'm pretty sure it will stay that way. Labor day weekend was filled with fence finishing (finally!) and wine drinking. Even though its technically still Summer, it sure did feel like one last hurrah before the fall, even more so cause J started school! Holy smokes, I cant believe its that time already. Hes been talking about going back for a long time now, and even though its going to be a long road, I cant believe how fast time went by. I have to say better him than me, the thought of homework makes me break out in hives.
I also ran my very first 10k race. This was a goal of mine at the beginning of the summer, and I'm happy to report it went great! Well, kind of. See, this race is tiny, like really tiny, so it really unofficial. Like, when you finish, they give you your race place on a popsicle stick - not kidding. Anyway, the directions at the beginning of the race were really vague, so I relied on just following people. Turns out, that wasn't a good idea because about 5 of us didn't see our signs and ended up going 1.4 miles EXTRA. I did manage to check the Garmin when I beeped the 10k mark (6.1 miles), and would have ended up with a 47.46. My goal was to just get under 50 min. so I was happy! I still ran hard to the finish, and just consider the race a really hard Saturday morning run :)
I also have to say that I'm feeling pretty strong with my running. Its hard to believe that at the end of May my "long" runs were 4miles, and as of yesterday I did my first double run of 5 miles after work then 4 later that night = total of 9, albeit not all at once, but I'm still proud of it. Otherwise, my farthest distance at one time is 8.4 miles. I have progressed to running no less than 5 miles on my "short/easy" days, and knowing I'm getting thisclose to running double digits is exciting. I still try and fit in strength/ab work at least 1-2 times a week.
Also in exciting news, we're heading out to Ohio tomorrow for my brohams wedding! I'm so excited for this trip and for he and Evan to finally get married (they've been together for like 194 years and that's a low estimate). I will keep you updated on the travels when I get some free time
Sorry I'm not sorry for the long a$$ post, but there was a lot goin on! I promise to post a pic recap, that will probably be more interesting then reading this garbage.
Glad to be back kids!
