The worst of the heat wave has passed, but I’m still feeling brain drained from it. This is partially due to the fact that Jason and I prefer to only use an AC in our bedroom at night and rely on fans/open windows throughout the day. We did relent and put a second AC in the living room window on Tuesday and used it for two days. I’ve been determined to blog though, so I believe the best way to compromise the two issues is to just write a blog with randomness regarding my life lately.
Last Thursday I ran my 6 mile Dtown loop. I knew with the heat wave coming (the heat index reached over 100 for 3 days in a row) I had to get in my long run. It went better than expected given I didn’t have my dad to join me like the previous week. I wrote a great blog entry while running regarding hills and was all set to come home, shower and type it up. Unfortunately life got in the way, my energy waned and no blog was written. That doesn’t happen often, but when it does it frustrates me to no end. I need someone to invent a thought reading machine that I can strap onto my head when I run and have it record my thoughts. I’m fairly certain I would get a lot more writing completed if that machine existed; I might even be able to write a book!
I have trained myself to drink water in the morning with my breakfast. For years I drank Turkey Hill lemonade. A few months ago I switched to chocolate milk figuring if I was going to consume sugar in my morning beverage then at least that contained calcium and a little protein. I began to feel bloated most of the day a few weeks ago and wondered if maybe it was related to the milk. I finally made the commitment to switching to water. Water had been my go to beverage all other times of the day, but it always seemed to sit heavy in my stomach to drink it right away in the morning. Jason’s always been able to just take a big swig of water straight out of bed, and it turned my stomach to watch. I have come to find that if I eat a few bites of my Cream of Wheat first and just take small sips of water, I can ease into being able to drink a full glass with breakfast. The higher temps have probably helped my transition. Drinking water with breakfast has enabled me to feel more alert sooner in the morning and complete my weekend morning workouts without as much of a struggle.
Jason and I booked a trip to Chicago in October to visit our friends, Alecia and Ryan, who we went with us on our cruise last September. Airfare is so ridiculously expensive to me and I’ve spent a good portion of the year randomly checking flights and feeling dismayed by the costs. One Friday I was texting with Alecia and we were venting about our lack of couple friends (not having/wanting children aids in this issue, a topic for another blog) and I began browsing flights again. I came across one about $60 cheaper than I normally saw and quickly emailed Jason saying I knew we probably shouldn’t spend the money and that we already vacation planned for the year, but that I really missed Alecia and Ryan. To my surprise he emailed back and said it was a good deal and that he would go if I wanted. I confirmed the dates with Alecia and now happily have a weekend trip booked to visit her.
I am deciding on a half marathon to run in the fall. Booking the weekend in Chicago killed the original one I was considering since it falls on the same weekend. There is one at the end of September in Lancaster that my dad has ran in the past. He enjoyed it though said it is more challenging than the Blue-Gray half marathon we ran last year in Gettysburg. The other one is the end of October in Harrisburg. I’m thinking it is the same course as the Harrisburg half which I have heard is a fairly flat and fast course. I would prefer the Lancaster one since the course sounds like one I would enjoy, but I also like the idea of having a whole extra month to train to run the one in Harrisburg. I’m also considering a 5 mile race in September that would fall two weeks before the half marathon which means I would likely have to go run more that day to achieve my longest run. I’m not really a fan of running twice in one day. Running so well last October I feel like having an extra month to train would really benefit me. I’ve only been back to running 3x a week for about a month now and my longest run has been 6 miles. I know if I amped up my training I could be ready by the end of September, but I also want to enjoy my summer without too much pressure on my runs. Decisions, decisions…
Do you have any upcoming races planned? Any races planned for the fall? What do you factor into your decision when picking a race to run? Any randomness in your life to share?
The Writing Runner 
I need that thought recording machine too, but it’s because I always have good ideas and solutions when out running, but can’t remember them by the time I get home:(
Isn’t it a bummer? I feel like running opens our minds to think more creatively and then as soon as we arrive home “reality” settles back in and wipes our minds!
Yes that is exactly what happens!!
I have a race planned for the fall. Because I’m down to the final 8 states from my quest for a half marathon in all 50 states, there is definitely a lot of thought in choosing my races now. In fact, I have all 8 of my last races chosen!
My running buddy, Todd, has a goal of a marathon in every state. I forget how many he’s tackled thus far but this year he’s been running one about every other month. He ran in Georgia, Indiana and Vermont so far this year. He wanted to run in Washington the end of this month but it’s already sold out; he said there’s very slim pickings in July or August. I suppose you can’t be as picky about courses if you’re limited to a certain state and possibly the week of the race. Have you signed up for all 8 already or just know which ones you want to complete?
That’s impressive that your friend is running a marathon every other month. At the most I was doing 4 a year (one each season) but now I’m down to 3 a year because I’ve run all of the southern states, which I used to run during the winter months. I have signed up for my next 2 races but the others are just in my head (actually written down and on a spreadsheet in case I lose the paper!).
That sounds like a reasonable plan – good luck!
I’ve got a half marathon planned for Sep 30–The Prince William Half which goes past the Manassas Battlefields. I got a huge discount because I had paid last year and then injured my calf on my 12 miler and couldn’t do the race. AHHHH. So, this year is about redemption. LOL. I hope to find a smaller race between now and then, once we’re clear of this heat! Good luck on your training and figuring out your hydration strategy!
Have you ran that race before? That’s nice they gave you a discount though a bummer you missed out on the race! I agree that racing in the heat is not ideal and I’m hoping for reasonable temps for my 5k in 2 weeks! Good luck on your training as well!