December Miles + Running Away from Home

We are only a few days into the New Year, but reflecting back on December seems SO long ago! Did you find yourself struggling to find motivation (or time) to workout during the holiday season? Waking up to snow covered ground and 22 degree weather makes drinking hot tea in your pjs by the fireplace sound like a much better idea. Traveling away from home can also put a kink in your running plans. Are you comfortable running in an area you are unfamiliar with, or do you view it as a new adventurous opportunity? I personally enjoy the change of scenery!

Possession Beach in Washington
Wk 1: 1-3: 5.15 miles (including Fairhaven Frosty 5k)
Wk 2: 4-10: 7.24 miles
Wk 3: 11-17: 21.87 miles
Wk 4: 18-24: 10.91 miles (on Whidbey Island)
Wk 5: 25-31: 19.03 miles (on Whidbey Island)
Total miles for December: 64.20


Our December was a time spent sitting…literally. First we puppy sat for a week, and then we spent two weeks homestead sitting out on Whidbey Island. It was a nice and untraditional change to spend Christmas at someone else’s house while on an island! Not only did we get a couple days of snow, but we were also able to visit the beach! Eisley got to help feed the free range chickens and rabbits each morning, followed by playing and exploring in the woods. 

Searching the land for free range chicken eggs!
Majority of our days called for rainy afternoons. As a runner living in the Pacific Northwest, you have to accept the fact that it rains a lot and learn to embrace running in it (At least, that was my method of adapting!). Luckily I was able to go on five runs while we were out there. The area was somewhat rural which was nice, so I was able to run constantly without any stoplights or much traffic. The roads all seemed to be hilly and winding, moving through woods and farmland. One hill was an exact 400m which made for an awesome hill repeat workout! Afterwards I was able to warm up by the fire! We returned home in time for New Year's Eve, my birthday on New Year's Day, and snowy trail runs! Head over here if you missed the recent post telling 2016 to hit the road! Are you as excited as I am to plan out 2017's races?!? Wahoo!!!

Fireside story reading

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Open Letter to New Moms

Image
Dear Soon-to-Be New Mom,                 How are you feeling? That sweet baby of yours should be entering the world sometime between now and the next two weeks. I hope this last stretch of pregnancy has been going well for you. That was the only time I had days of “feeling so pregnant” and my body was tired . I knew those last few weeks were prime time to sleep in, take naps, and rest up , but I was too uncomfortable.   Know that even if you’ve been worried about getting your house set up or thinking about things that you need to buy, it really isn’t a big deal. Most of those things can wait, for a long time. Your baby will have a simple life for the first few months with only basic needs. There might be times where you’re awake every hour of the night to nurse or bottle feed and feel completely drained. You more than likely will cry over little things for a while, but that’s alright . Between the hormone change and lack of sleep, I was sensitive and cried a lot the first month or
Read more

What’s a Mock Cycle?

Image
We just finished up a big step in this surrogate journey...the Mock Cycle! Whenever I’ve heard the word “mock” before, it made me think of “mock trials” in high school or “mocktail drinks” before turning 21. So, what exactly is a Mock Cycle?  This process is done to determine how your body will react to hormone medications and exactly how much is needed for your endometrium to thicken (that’s a fancy word for uterine lining). A thick (ideally >8mm) lining is ideal for the embryo to implant during transfer. Some women swear by drinking pomegranate juice, taking Vitamin E supplements, getting weekly acupuncture, and many other methods to assist the medications in this process.  After quitting birth control and starting my menstrual cycle, the nurse scheduled me to begin meds on day three. Every other day I would stick on Vivelle patches which are transdermal Estradiol. The number of patches increased over time and Estradiol tablets were taken also. During this specific schedule, I had
Read more

Weekly Wrap #4

Image
Another month has come to an end, and this time it ended with the most monthly miles of 2017! The funny part about it is that I'm not really "training" for any race or event in particular. Yes, there are races scheduled each month through the summer and into the fall, but they are either shorter distances or I'm planning on running with the stroller. This weekend I have another 5k race coming up and am sort of unsure how I feel about it or what to expect. It has literally been over two years since I've ran a 5k by myself (not with the stroller) and at that time I had just started taking running "seriously". The goals in my head of what I would like to run, and what I might realistically run, are fairly different. We will see soon enough! SUNDAY: Rest MONDAY: RAN 10.03 miles @8:59 pace/walked 1.58 miles with stroller TUESDAY: Walked 1 mile with stroller/got a wellness massage J WEDNESDAY: RAN 9.01 miles @9:21 pace with stroller T
Read more