Take my hand, we'll make it, I swear

I had the kind of weekend that reassured me that everything is going to be alright.  While Ryan was out on his long run Saturday morning, I made pancakes with my two assistant chefs (Nutella pancakes again, this time with a little more Nutella).  It was the type of morning where the girls would tag team who was mad about something or another, something they've been doing quite a bit of lately.  Being utterly and completely over this nonsense, I decided I needed to hit the boardwalk on the blades to reset before carrying on with our day.  As we all know, 

And sometimes it's the combination of all three at the same time!

The north winds were ripping down the boardwalk, giving me an incredible challenge for the first half of my trek.  I really pushed hard for the last block, knowing I would be getting some help from with wind once I turned around.  I was pleased with the 18 minutes it took me to get to the end, considering how much wind resistance I was dealing with.  

I did my u-turn and headed south, and boy did I fly!!!  With the wind at my back, I effortlessly zoomed down the boardwalk.  I was kicking myself for not having my phone with me to have the Map My Run app record my pace, because it only took me 10 minutes to get back to the other end!  I negative split the pants off that workout!  You don't make up time like that with the wind at your back on a run, so point - rollerblading!  

I returned home in a much better mood than when I had left, and it seems the girls had changed their attitudes as well.  Saturdays temps were a bit too cool for a beach day, so we made up our fun as we went along.

A bike ride in Sandbridge brought us to Little Island Park for some playtime 

Hopped over to a local strawberry farm to replenish our stock 

Enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the annual Pungo Strawberry Festival.  Photobombed by the man behind the strawberry taco operation, Coach Skie himself. 

People, people, everywhere.  And that sky looks fake.

We finished up a fun day with a low key evening at home with the girls, grilling food, playing cornhole, being blown away by Brynn's knowledge of 80s music tunes and lyrics.  The usual stuff.  

Sunday's weather was much more beach-worthy, so we packed up the babes and boards and hit up Croatan for some fun in the sun.  It felt so good to be back on the beach.

Same view, taller kids 

The beach + his girls = one happy Jude bug (is it me, or do Brynn's legs look ridiculously long in this shot?) 

Buried together 

Brynn catching her first wave of the season

Saturday was capped off with this ridiculous dessert:

(sugar cookie, Nutella, fresh picked strawberries, and whipped cream) and an OT Rangers win.  

Although Monday was a holiday, I set my alarm for my usual weekday time.  I had to get a good workout in if I was going to have my lazy butt parked in a beach chair all day (again).  I blew off my usual Monday morning P90X workout with my beefcake hubby and enjoyed a great rollerblading session at the oceanfront with this beefcake instead:

I was lying on my back on the boardwalk for this shot.  So lucky I didn't get run over by tourists!  

I brought my phone along this time, which was doubly awesome...I was able to record my workout with Map My Run, and I got to rock out to 80s cardio radio on Pandora while I rolled.  Rick Springfield, Pat Benetar, and Bon Jovi (big hair Bon Jovi, not way-too-close-to-being-country-music Bon Jovi) really had me moving.  Winds were from the west, which I have learned means skating will be tough in both directions.  The resistence felt good, and hearing my app tell me my first mile was sub-4:40 felt even better.  I was feeling the need, the need for speed!  My second mile was far and away my fastest, clocking in at 4:17, and I loved every bit of how fast it felt.  So much that once I got back to 1st Street, I decided I'd head back up to the pier and back again.  I was at the pier before I knew it, so I thought why not just keep going to King Neptune?  Once I was at the statue, I could see the end of the boardwalk and just went for it.  Up the boardwalk and back, twice.  10.56 miles in 48:51.  4:37min/mile average pace.  So much fun.  While I'll never see numbers even remotely close to those in my Brooks, it was really fun to hear the ridiculousness of it from my app with each passing mile.  Seeing mileage in the double digits was good for the soul as well.  

I cannot thank Teresa enough for lending me her blades until I get a new pair...hopefully some of her fast running mojo was in the skates and has transcutaneously entered my body through my feet.

Monday was another picture perfect beach day, and this time we headed to Sandbridge to enjoy some time in the surf and sand with the Smiths.  Before they joined us on the beach, I got a good chat in with my BFF, which is always relaxing and uplifting at the same time.  Once our friends joined us on the beach, we were too busy playing and chatting for picture taking, but I managed to get this one in of my little wahinis:

It's going to be an awesome summer with these two!

Today called for a kick ass MMX workout with Tony Horton, and I snuck in my ITB rehab stuff as well before the girls woke up.  Once Brynn was on the bus and our short day with Jude was over, I threw Camryn in the jogging stroller for my first run/walk session of 1:30 each.  I am beyond elated to report that I had absolutely no pain, discomfort, or even the slightest twinge of tightness anywhere in my knee, hip, or otherwise for the entire 30 minutes!!!  What do I do?  What do I do????  Cartwheels, of course!!!  I can't stop smiling, and I've been giddy ever since.  It's been 13 weeks since my last pain free outing, and it was amazing to just not feel anything today.  I found myself running a bit faster than I should at times, and had to reign it in a few times along the way.  The 1:30 of running always seemed to end too quickly, making me so eager to complete this week and get to next week's two whole minutes of running.  

I know full well that my next outing may not be as wonderful, but today was and I'm going to celebrate the hell out of it.  This was a HUGE victory, and it's luring me away from the dark side.  Whoa, we're halfway there.

This is the Jon Bon Jovi poster I had on my bedroom wall in 5th grade.


This would be the Jon Bon Jovi poster I'd have on my bedroom wall now.  Knowing my husband, he might actually respect JBJ's physique.  I should try it.