Life After Vacation

I've been running again. Oh man, does that feel good. Of course, I'm still in the shoes I wore for the marathon, and my knees are beginning to feel it. I went on a wild shoe chase to find a new pair because the line I'm switching to is impossible to find locally in the color I want.

I'm switching from Kayanos to the GTs for a couple reasons...I'll write about it once the shoes are in!

Don't judge me for being picky about the color; I really think neon makes me feel faster and more confident!

Anyway, because ASICS is probably getting ready to release the new editions of the shoes, I had to order them; they should be here by Monday. I hate running in worn out shoes, so I'm keeping my mileage low.

This week I only ran a total of 8 miles, but I'm already feeling ready to build in more workouts.

I chose a training plan, too, but I need to tweak it a bit. It calls for four 20-milers, and while I do want to run more than one this time around, I really want to taper smarter this year and avoid burnout. I also want to fit more races into the fall...last year I skipped a couple of my favorite races and I think I'll try working them into training this year.

I went with Smart Coach again, but a more rigorous program. I'll talk a bit about my goal time once I get it all in order.

Some days I have no idea how I ever ran a marathon; my runs this week have been so sluggish. I just have to chalk it up to humidity and cut myself some slack.

I bought a gently-used Forerunner 10 from Kim and can't wait to begin using it for intervals and tempo runs. I'm still pretty loyal to Nike+, but I'm excited to have a simple Garmin for speedwork. (If you recall, I have a 440 as well, but it was too complex for me! Matt uses it now for SUP training.)

On the school front, I had my first meeting of the year on the 8th; it was fun to see the leadership team and to take a look at this year's big changes. I'm excited (and a bit nervous) to be going back.

I'll be going in to school this week to start setting up my classroom a little before actual training begins. I got a new Smartboard in my room and can't wait to play around with it!

My new Smartboard!

I got my back-to-school haircut! I wanted to do something drastic with my hair so...I did. I'm still getting used to it but I like it! When my hair is down, like I wear it 80% of the time, it looks totally normal. But...

I think when I go back in to get it trimmed again, I'll get the shaved part tighter to my head. I want it to look like a mohawk haha.

Maybe I should dye the short part...I think dark purple would look awesome.

Do you have a color-preference when it comes to shoes?

Do you like to take risks with your hair, or do you play it safe? I always figure it grows back, so why not play around with it?!

ABK

What I Hate to Hear from Non-Runners

Running isn't for everyone; I get that. I think it's more important to find a physical activity that makes you happy so you stay consistent and get some exercise than to pick up one particular type of exercise.

Not everyone is going to want to run, and that doesn't have to be justified to me or anyone else. So that's why I can't stand it when people feel the need to justify it, and then spout off something like, "Well, you like running" or "You're good at running" or "Well, you're a runner."

All I can say to that is...not always.

I didn't always like running. I know I've mentioned it here before, but I was legitimately that kid who walked the mile "run" in gym class. These days, I love running in general, but some days I still really, really don't. If you don't want to become a runner, fine, but don't justify it with "You like running, you wouldn't understand" because I was the epitome of a running-hater, so I know that logic doesn't stick.

Sometimes I don't love running for weeks at a time! Getting this reminder in my inbox is always a little hard to swallow.

I wasn't always good at running, and I'd argue that I'm still not very good at it most days. There was a time a couple years ago when I was only running 5k and 10k races, and I was getting speedy. Back then, I felt good at running. These days I feel like every run is a battle. (Must have something to do with 90% humidity.) You don't have to be good at running to enjoy it; is anyone good at Zumba, or weight-lifting, or spin, or...anything else when they first begin? Of course not! But still, people find a way to enjoy the workout even if they're not good at it yet.

And anyway, what does being good at running look like? Are we talking about being good like Meb? Because really, in that case, who is?

I wasn't always a runner. I didn't consider myself a runner when I first started. But like I've already said, you have to start somewhere if you want to achieve something great, and that somewhere isn't going to be at the top.

I think I blame the mile run in gym for people's aversion to running. I mean, coaches never teach you to build up to a mile. Twice a year you just...run it. It's like, Good luck, kids! We're not going to talk about pacing yourself, intervals, or even how far a mile really is! Go get it!

No wonder so many people say they hate running! And as someone who used to, I can't help but think if those people just gave it a chance, they'd be singing a different tune. But hey, to each his own! I just want the lame justifications to stop!

What do you say to these kinds of excuses?

Did you always like to run?

ABK

A New Month

Sometimes, you just need to step back from the internet. Well, maybe not you...but I certainly do. I think it was good timing that the end of July was filled with celebrations with friends for our anniversary and then a big trip to St. Croix. I really needed to spend some time just enjoying life and away from the computer.

Of course, now it's the first of the month, and that means it's time to start fresh. The training plan I've decided on for the BDR Marathon is a 16-week plan, and I have about 19 weeks until race day. I used a 20-week plan for Spacecoast and felt burned out, so I think having a shorter plan will really help.

While I get back into the swing of things post-vacation, I'll ramp up my running a bit so I can start the official plan on August 23.

I'm going to do my best to catch up on all the exciting news in blog-world. I'll leave you with some photos from St. Croix. We had a great time getting Scott settled in (he's moving there to begin PA school) and exploring the island. Our flights back were insanely hectic...I'm so relieved to finally be home!

Scott and Matt at Freedom City, a SUP shop and grill. We had dinner on the beach at sunset...so nice!

This is Scott's balcony, where we had breakfast every morning. You really can't beat that view.

Matt and Scott got their diving certification and practiced in this mountain-top pool. Nothing like diving while atop a mountain, right?

We checked out Point Udall, the eastermost point in the US.

Another at Point Udall.

These flamboyant trees (also called flame trees or royal poinciana) are my new favorite. They're SO bright; I want one in our yard. This was taken at the Botanical Gardens.

The Cruzan Rum Distillery was a delicious treat, and I'm not usually a rum drinker!

We hiked a 2.7 mile mountain trail and scaled some jagged rocks to relax in the tide pools in Carambola, then hiked back.

The locals in St. Croix are ridiculously friendly. Scott met a few students from his PA program (they hiked to the tide pools with us), so when we left him we really felt like we'd helped him get comfortable and settle in, which was the goal!

We couldn't have enjoyed our vacation without the peace of mind of friends watching the house and Matt's mom watching Archie. I'm so grateful we were able to take this trip. It was just what I needed to get my mind ready for school-planning and marathon training.

Have you ever traveled to St. Croix or the US Virgin Islands?

Have you ever gone SCUBA diving? I opted out of that particular adventure...my fear of water was just too much to deal with.

 

ABK