I'm back!

While it may seem like I have fallen off the face of the Earth, I am here!  I took a much needed week off to recharge my batteries.  I don't think I turned my computer on at all over the past week and instead, I read a bit, snuggled with my boys and watched cartoons while we ate microwave popcorn, caught up on some t.v. shows, and slept.  It was quite delightful actually and much needed!  My brain has been on overload this week and I needed some time to process my thoughts and reflect a bit.  Not only did I detach a bit from the interwebs, but I also detached from working out.  I haven't run all week, nor have I been keeping up with my core work.  I feel refreshed though after a week off, so I'm looking forward to a fresh start tomorrow.

Last week was Nick's last week of school and we celebrated by going to the Cardinals game on Friday night.  His school sold tickets as a spring fundraiser, so we got to see a lot of his friends, his principal, and both his teacher from this year and his new teacher for next year! We had some afternoon thunderstorms on Friday, so I was a bit concerned that the game would be cancelled or on a rain delay, but luckily the rain moved through and took some of the humidity with it!  The weather was great, but unfortunately, the score was not and the Cards lost to the Giants.  We had a great time, though, and stayed until the very last pitch.

After much anticipation, we received some additional information this week about our Napa Ragnar adventure, including our training plan.  It's a 12 week plan, so technically speaking, I don't have to start until June 30th, but it is nice to have the plan ahead of time.  Although, I am a little intimidated by it, particularly because there are some days that call for two-a-days, i.e. running once in the morning and once again in the evening.  It makes perfect sense, because the two-a-days are designed to help your body acclimate to running on tired legs, since that will be the case during the race.  Running on tired legs and with little sleep is something I'm not particularly used to, so two-a-days will be great practice.  I'll definitely need to plan accordingly since sometimes it's hard just to get one run in!  It's definitely feeling more real to me that I'm going to Napa in just a few short months to run with some fantastic women!

In other exciting news, I've officially signed up for my second half marathon!  Crazy, I know, but I've got the bug and I'm looking forward to training properly and more consistently for this race.  I'll be running The Great GO! St. Louis Halloween Half on October 12th and I can't wait!  I ran the 10K version of this same race last year and had an amazing time.  Halloween (my favorite holiday), costumes, chilly fall air, what else can you ask for?  I will have to compare my training plan for Napa and my half to see how they stack up, but I think training for Napa will be sufficient training for a half, based on what I've seen so far of the Napa plan, which includes long runs every weekend up to 11-12 miles.

What races are on your calendar for this fall?

I feel it also appropriate to share that I finally took my half marathon medal out of my purse yesterday and hung it in my room.  It has had a place of honor in my purse since my race in early April and it finally felt like it was time to take it out nearly two months later.  Seeing the below quote made me smile as I thought about all of my race finishes, although I do feel compelled to add to the last line:  "or at least until you take your medal out of your purse."  

"The thirst you feel in your throat and lungs will be gone minutes after the race is over. The pain in your legs, within days. But the glory of your finish will last forever."