Wednesday, August 15, 2012

JoannaRuns: Out Of Office

So, I missed my regular Monday post. Why? Because I was out having an awesome long weekend with my bff, who was visiting with her bf from back east. It came to a close way too quickly!  I'm pretty sure I gained 45 pounds from all the yummy food we ate. She got to meet my baby boy and hang out with my older kid, who she's met several times before (including last year during our vacation, here). And we did all the StL touristy stuff, most of which I'd actually never done, like going up in the arch and touring the Anheuser Busch plant. I love living somewhere that gets tourists!  

leaning against the arch

inside the Basilica, which is nothing short of jaw-dropping

Her bf and I went for two runs during their visit. I loved getting to show off my park to someone from out of town, and it was great having someone to run with. I'm pretty sure he could have blown off my barn doors on pace, but he didn't say anything. :) 

On the training front, at this point I'm confident I can handle the distance of my upcoming 5k. Woot! This is a seriously great thing, because since registering for the race we've scheduled the babe's baptism for that weekend, meaning a lot of my family will be in town and probably will come downtown with us that evening to spectate and eat yummy food. No DNF'ing with the whole fam in attendance! My pace isn't improving as much as I'd like, but I'm also not putting in a ton of miles. I think I might get in a third run this week though. Maybe--just maybe. There will be dailymile celebrating if I do. Oh yes.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Mondays in Love: Olympic Fever!

Like many of you, I have Olympic fever! I smiled all over my face when a friend of a friend on fb said that after watching some track events, she signed up for her first road race in 9 years. Love it!! I love what the Olympics can inspire in each of us. For instance, this commercial resonated with me:



Ok, so maybe I'm dramatizing, but I kinda feel like this kid right now when I run. And the message encourages me, and reminds me that my fastest race times all happened after I had my first kid.

Then, Runner's World. I've read my September issue cover-to-cover and would have pitched it in the recycling already, but I'm loving having the "Runs For Glory" section to give me some context on the runners and expectations for each event. RW had Shalane Flanagan slated for the bronze. It was painful watching the race this morning, but I couldn't have been prouder of how she finished--with nothing in the tank. She gave it her all, and when she needed a hand, Kara was right there at the finish to walk with her. No medal, but they did us proud.