Shut up I'm thinking

As we attempt to cram every bit of summer fun into these last few weeks of our favorite time of year, I have had little time to sit and type.  I've had plenty to write about, but I have been seriously lacking in the time and energy department.  Tonight is no exception (despite not being out there in the work force, we stay at home moms look forward to Fridays just as much as our clock-punching counterparts), so I will leave you with random tidbits of my brain's inner workings as of late.

• I have officially graduated from my return to running program.  While I certainly get an A for effort, I don't think I have a 4.0 GPA to show for it.  I can't say with confidence that my knee is 100% better.  It reminds me that it was injured every so often, which keeps me in check when I want to push too hard too fast.  I don't have pain, but I am aware of it.  I will keep fighting the good fight so I don't feel like this guy:

• I did my first official speed workout this week. I started with an easy 1 mile warm up, followed by 1 minute faster, 1 minute slower, then 2 minutes faster, 1 minute slower, 3 minutes faster, 1 minute slower, yada yada yada back down to 1 minute.  I finished up with a 1 mile cool down and an average pace of 7:33 min/mile for 4 miles. I am pleased with this starting point, and I look forward to putting in some hard work this fall.  I was all set to do a tempo run my next time out, but I thought it wise to stick to one speed workout a week for the next few weeks.  It feels great to run my old routes and leave the phone at home...armed with only my $10 Walmart wristwatch to time my runs, I can start to feel my paces and get to know my running self again.  This quote may be the most fitting group of words ever strung together:

• I've only run two 10 mile races in my running career, but I really liked that distance.  It was a challenge to maintain some speed for 10 miles, but it didn't knock me out or take as much recovery as a half marathon.  We had a great local 10 miler between Thanksgiving and Christmas that also fit in nicely with spring marathon/half training plans.  It was recently announced that this race got an overhaul.  Not only did the date change to the Saturday before Christmas (son of a nutcracker!), but it's now just a 5 miler (not even technically an 8k for the PR chasers) at twilight so as to enjoy the holiday lights along the boardwalk.  Ugh!!!  They also got rid of the 5k and 1k kids run that accompanied the original 10 miler, so if my kids want in on the fun, it'll be up to me to push their much-too-big-for-the-BOB butts through the cold and wind that comes with December on the Atlantic.  Bahumbug!  Now, this may make me sound like a total Scrooge, but it feels like they removed all competition from this holiday race and turned it into a run.  The 10 mile distance felt like a runner's race...there are no Couch to 10 Miler programs, and it doesn't come with the glamour or bragging rights of the half marathon when talking to the other elves around the water cooler.  With the field of our local races growing exponentially in recent years, the smaller 10 miler was the sweet spot for me.  I haven't ruled out running this holiday "race," but I'm quite disappointed my reindeer games aren't what they used to be. 

RIP, Surf-n-Santa 10 Miler

• We celebrated Camryn's 5th birthday last week.  For like the whole week.  

Brynn is happy to be done with the festivities, and she went so far as to remind her sister she is NOT the birthday girl anymore.  Our focus is shifting on getting the girls ready for school, and I have such mixed emotions about it.  I think we could all do well with a little space and time apart from each other, but I'm not quite ready to give up our flexible weekly schedule.  Come September, we'll have two kids going to school at different times (Camryn will go to half day kindergarten in the afternoon), homework, and two soccer schedules to follow.  Nothing crazy or overwhelming (purposefully), but less flexible.  I'm hoping my girls respond well to the new normal, and I look forward to finding my new groove with strength training and running. 

•   I've been thinking about my mother-in-law a lot lately.  Camryn and I have now had our first birthdays without her here, and her absence was palpable on both occasions.  She would have been so tickled to see these girls surf and ride their bikes all over the place this summer.  She would have made such a fuss over Camryn starting kindergarten and Brynn's blossoming artistic talents.  I get sad when I think there's a real chance Camryn won't remember much about her, so I make a conscious effort to point out things to my kids that remind me of her, even if we get a little choked up in the process.  It's ok to feel sadness months - and eventually years - after she's gone.  We loved her and now she's not here, and that's sad.  

• Here's a quote I feel carries so much truth:

You get back what you put out into the world.  Right now, I'm so pleased to see karma working her magic for some of the good people in my life.  The past couple of years have been a time of trials and tribulations for a few of my favorite people, but they have handled what life has thrown at them with grace and guts, and the universe is paying them back in kind.  I am overjoyed by their happiness, and they are a terrific example of how to deal with life's curveballs.  I am lucky to have them in my life. 

• One last random tidbit before I depart the blogosphere...you may want to write this one down.  The key to a most delicious and refreshing margarita is a splash of vanilla extract. 

The official Fancy margarita recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
ice
tequila
triple sec
1-2 limes
1/2 tsp sugar
vanilla extract

- Fill pint glass with ice
- Add about two finger widths of silver tequila and one finger width of triple sec (very precise measurements here)
- Squeeze in fresh lime juice (I usually use about 1 1/2 limes, depending on size and juiciness)
- Stir in sugar
- Finish off with just a splash of vanilla extract and stir well

CHEERS!

Until next time...hopefully that's not next month!