End of week running plus a field trip

I had a busy end to my week. Wednesday evening I got a short run in with Kaden.  Thursday was packing for his field trip on Friday to Animal Kingdom. With that trip we decided to make an extra day of it (we are pass-holders); so I had to make sure everyone was packed and good to go.

Starting with Wednesday-

Kaden and I went for a run. He was still a little sore from Monday's run but still went out and did almost 2 miles. He is 8 so I give him lots of credit for asking to go with me. 

I did a slow run with walking intervals. I did 2.5 miles with a pace of 11:21. Super happy with that considering I am doing walking intervals. No knee pain either! Oh happy run day!! 

Friday-

Our trip to Animal Kingdom was bright and early on the bus with lots of 2nd graders! Thank goodness for coffee! I was chatting on and off with a few parents. Then as we pulled into Animal Kingdom, of course I had to brag about running on that road and how flooded it was from Wine & Dine weekend. It's still very fresh in my memory! Sis-n-law and I tried to take pictures but our hands were so wet we couldn't get our phones to open at all! 

I had a group of boys. First thing they wanted to do was Mount Everest! Bless their brave little hearts! They rode it like champs! Our day consisted of lots of walking and for that I was thankful. When I am unable to do my running, walking will do. 

We went on the safari and I took a selfie, yes a selfie with the giraffe! 

Fun stuff! 

The kids had a great time, even though it was sooo hot! Florida has missed the memo for springtime. High 80's in March! Unreal! 

Even though it was hot, we made the best of it. Lots of smiles to go around!

As it was time for the field trip to end, we stayed and were meeting the rest of the family at Epcot. Fireman had a day with the girls checking out the Flower and Garden Festival. Lucky gals! 

Kaden and I hopped a bus to meet them there and decided to take a few fun photos. 

I love this little guy to pieces! He is so much fun! 

Saturday-

We had Magic Kingdom planned, but it was crazy busy. I know how that sounds, but we have never waited in traffic for more than a few minutes just to park.  The ticket lines were insane too. so we decided to hope a monorail back to Epcot. ( the kids were not super thrilled). We did stuff that they didn't do yesterday, just to change it up. Plus, we take things slow since we don't have to rush around. (perks of being a pass-holder). We did a few countries to let the kids learn a little. by 3 pm we were hot and over it.  It was time to go home. Boo! 

Sunday- 

We unpacked, did grocery shopping and all that fun stuff. I did lots of laundry. So fun said no mom ever! Kaden kept asking if we were going running. I told him yes, I planned on it at 6:30 and fireman was going to prep dinner. 6pm rolled around and I hadn't drank nearly as much water as I should have. I was still exhausted from the past few days. I decided to sit down and finish the book I was reading. My son was a little bummed and I was bummed for letting him down and not going, but I knew not having enough water and being so hot the past few days it would have made for a crappy run. With that I have a goal to run a few days with him this week. 

August is here!

August is here already! I can't believe it. I turn 31 this month, the kids go back to school, but most of important of all is I am a month closer to my first half marathon. Unreal. 

It's been raining a lot here in the sunshine state so running has been tricky. I've ran in the rain a few times and It's not so bad. It's the lightning that I give up in. This past Sunday my Sisnlaw and I did 5.7 miles. It rained a little bit on us but it was refreshing! 

I have been trying to stretch better. I found some new stretches and my legs seem happy with them. 

                                               

 
Stretch, stretch, stretch!

Another new thing I am trying before going out for a run is taking a spoonful of honey. Yes.. honey. It's a little odd to get down.. but I am managing. I have been reading about the benefits of honey and running. While I have been researching, Fabulous brought it to my attention that she was starting honey. We really are two peas in a pod!  Back to honey. Honey is great for a running fuel. It can be absorbed easily and provides a great source of energy. You can read more about it here : http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/nutrition/honey-the-facts/5285.html

I'm sure August is going to blow by just like July did, hopefully I can find time to blog a little more!

Fingers crossed! 

June recap

It's the first day of July! Can you believe it? Already!!
I didn't finish the June 100 mile challenge. However, I am happy that I worked towards it. I knew going in it would be a lot for me. Especially when I barely hit 25 miles a month. I tried and worked towards it and that is what counts. Right? Right! My  ending goal was 39.6 miles. I am very proud of myself for making it as far as I did. I still feel new to the running world. (although I have been running on and off since 2011, Since Jan. I have made it a habit to not give up).
I was glad to be able to wake up bright and early and run before the sun. I was happy to have my running buddy's with me to run. No lonely runs here.
I am grateful that my mind and my body allow me to run and that neither has failed me yet!
 There are days where I will get in a funk, but having a wonderful support group keeps me motivated to keep running. I love you all who support my wild, exciting journey.
Here's to July!!

Father's Day Weekend Getaway

We planned for a mini-vacation / Father's Day retreat to one of our most favorite places, The Caribbean Resort at Walt Disney World, (for those that don't know, we are big Disney people). We love staying there. So I booked a 2 night getaway for us to just enjoy the hotel and some pool time. It was also Car Master's weekend at Downtown Disney so it was perfect timing.
 While packing, I made sure to pack running clothes. I have done this is the past on past trips but have never actually ran while on vacation. That should be a crime! I would use the excuse "I wanted to sleep in" or "I was to tired to go". No excuses this time. I packed running stuff, I was running.
Our first day there it rained on and off, but after the rain let up around 7:30-8:00 I dressed and went for a run while Fireman went for a walk with the kiddos. The view was amazing! I kept stopping to take pictures!
2 miles went by so fast!! It was truly a great run, I felt full of energy and refreshed! I didn't want to be out to long, so I went a little over 2 and a half miles. I could have been out for hours I think!

Beautiful flowers were everywhere! After the rain, they were still covered with water, made them look even better! It's funny how often we forget, to stop and just smell the roses (or in my case many flowers).

This run reminded me of just that! To stop and enjoy the present. 

I will start my training next month for my first half marathon, which of course will be Disney's Wine & Dine. So is it safe to say I have already started my run Disney in training? On another note, I love Magic Bands! They are so easy to use and makes a running trip easy because I don't have to carry a card on me! It's also awesome because it is waterproof so a trip to the pool is easy peasy! 

Enough about running I suppose, The Car show was great!  Lots of classics and a few not so classics. But my son and Fireman were in car heaven. 

And me, I found my dream van!!! One day! One day! 

We also came across this classic!!! Complete with the dog leash attached to the bumper!  

Overall, we had a great time. We relaxed. That was the whole point of this trip. A nice relaxing well deserved weekend. From the sunshine in the pool to the rainy evening in the arcade. Our weekend was perfect. 

Now back to reality! 

Recap of a bittersweet week

It has been a long week for me, The Running Fire Wife. It was the last week of school. This meant class parties. More than one party! I was back and forth running around and helping out. Different party, different day. It made for a very long week. On top of this never ending week it was my daughter's last week of 5th grade! Last week in Elementary school. I have not handled this reality without tears. Quite a bit through out the week. Please tell me I'm not the only mom who cries about this!
 I ran a few times this week. Out in the heat and on the treadmill at the gym.
I don't prefer the treadmill. It gets very boring and I feel like time drags on and on. I ran outdoors around 6pm and it was still very hot. Gotta love Florida. I made myself suck it up. I wanted to quit halfway through my 3 miles. It was miserable. No quitting though. Nope. Not allowed.
This morning I got up at 5:30 to run with Sisnlaw. The sun was just coming up and there was a slight breeze. We got 5 miles in. I am starting to notice that 5 miles isn't so bad. This run seemed very easy. I never thought I would ever say that about running. However, this was a great run!
Now off to enjoy the rest of my weekend! Happy running all!

Running with a view.

Friday morning I got up at 5:00 am. To run. Yup. And I actually got up.  Fabulous was still lounging in bed, I had to talk her into getting up. She's in a slump right now and I am determined not to let her fall. She has been my mentor in running and I need her. We ran the river at 5:30, I did just over 3 miles and this was the view when I finished. What a view! Am I lucky or what? Living on the coast definitely has a few perks.
  I was happy with this early run. It totally sets my mood for the whole day. Who else loves early morning runs?
 Saturday was rest day. I had wine and pizza. OOPS! Oh well. I earned it. A week of running/ exercising and eating clean. A cheat day is okay.
 This morning Fireman came home from shift. We had breakfast and trying to plan our day, he came up with the idea to run; (I was going to wait until the evening). However, the wind was blowing and the temp. was nice, considering the Florida heat has arrived. We loaded up the kids and went down to the river.
  Fireman ran with the baby and my son. I set off on my own.  I was doing okay. The breeze was nice and really the heat wasn't bad. It was a nice run. I was doing good too. Found my groove and kept on.  Aside from the ladies pushing a dog in a stroller, not wanting to single file so I could run by, it turned out to be a great run.  Mile 3 to 4 was a little slower. I was thirsty and Fireman was nowhere in sight with my water. I eventually saw him and finished up.
  I set a new record! In the heat! I am so excited with myself! I was not expecting a PR with the heat and wind factor. This goes to show anything is possible! I am proud of myself. This is what keeps me going.

Here is the view when I finished my run. Clear skies and a beautiful view. I love running this route.