Spring Running Plans

Happy first official day of Spring (I think)! The weather here has been kind of crazy with back and forth temps. We've seen highs in the 80's and lows in the 40s, so you just never know what you're going to get!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned my break from running and this crazy slump I've been in lately. Honestly I just seem to lack the motivation to run and I hate to feel this way. Running is something I love so why don't I have the desire to get up and go?

As a way to combat this, I've decided to formulate a spring running plan. Having a race to train for or a "target" has always been a motivation for me so I've decided to go for it! There are several races around here, scheduled over the next few months and I'd like to take advantage of a few.
 

Contraband 5 Miler
This race is one I ran my very first year of running and I've run it several years since. It's held on one of the Saturdays of our local "Pirate Festival" and the course is out and around by the lake. Although it's always super hot, this race is a lot of fun and always brings a good crowd!


Warrior 5K
The high school where I graduated is hosting a 5K in honor of one of its long time teachers (she was one of mine too)...and she is the mom of one of my former classmates. I'm excited about this one as it will be great to see everyone and return to the place where I spent so many years of my life! This is also where my love of running began as I joined the cross country team my junior year!


Holden's Hope Forever 5K
Don't you love 5K's for a cause? Well, this one is to help families who have babies that have spent a lot of time in the NICU as well as families who have experienced the loss of an infant. Although I'm not a NICU or L&D nurse, this one still speaks to my heart.

Orange Theory
Our location is set to open before summer time and I can't wait! This will be a huge motivation for me as well.

I'd love to add maybe one more race and I'm sure I'll find one soon, but these are the three on my radar for now. Having a plan for racing as well as Orange Theory feels so great and gives me the motivation I need to keep moving forward!

What's on your Spring racing schedule?

It's the Tuesdays On The Run Linkup with Erika, Marcia and Patty.

Marathon Training, Good Hearts, and Furbabies

The blog has been a little quiet over the past few days, partly due to the fact that Tropical Storm Harvey was passing through my area which caused our normal routine schedule to be thrown out of whack! We worked half days all week so we could get our cancer patients treated without a break in their radiation. Driving to work on Monday was especially scary and lets just say I whispered a prayer of thanks once I made it there. This storm kept bringing flashbacks of Hurricane Rita which hit our area in 2005 and my heart goes out to the residents of Corpus Christi, Houston, Beaumont, and the surrounding areas that were devastated by this crazy storm.

Since it's Thursday, I thought I would share a few random thoughts and happenings going on over here.

Random thought: When you're cooped up inside the house for several days, a break in rain bands is a great time to play in water, with rocks, and random mud puddles. Oh, the life of a kid...

#1 Dopey Training

Well, when I first talked about my Dopey Training schedule and the reason I started training a week early, I mentioned hurricane season. Maybe I shouldn't have said it out loud? Oh well...this week hasn't been ALL a loss. Since being cooped up inside all weekend and now most of the week, I've managed to work a lot on my lower body and with my PT routine. Chasing Brayden around all day has been quite the workout, too! Whoever said their toddler was their cardio workout was 100% correct! The weather is supposed to be clear(er) on Saturday, so a long run is on the schedule. Hopefully all works out to do so!

#2 Good Hearted People

This goes without saying that during devastating times, you really do see the best in people. I am so proud of the way our community has rallied around to help not only our fellow neighbors but also those displaced from Texas. The hospital I work for has opened its arms to anyone in the middle of their cancer treatments and are now displaced due to the storm. Can you imagine how it would feel to be in the middle of your daily radiation treatments or weekly chemotherapy regimen and then  suddenly unable to continue your treatment? I can't even fathom the anxiety or worry.  Also, the Cajun Navy, the National Guard, Police and Sheriff Officers, Volunteers and everyone who has stepped in to help rescue storm victims from their homes - true heroes. Good hearted people, y'all. The world is full of them. It's sad that it takes a tragedy like this one to let it be known. We should strive to be the best we can be and show love to our neighbor every single day, not just in time of tragedy.

Random thought: Gumbo is good any time of year, but especially when pictures constantly pop up on facebook of others making gumbo during a storm. That's when you MUST also make gumbo!

#3 Madalynn

Although not storm related, this one still is worrisome news. Last week, I mentioned that Madalynn had an abscess pop up on her face and was in need of a tooth extraction. Well, during the extraction and cleaning, her vet found a random worrisome spot on her hard palate and sent it off for biopsy. I'm trying not to freak myself out, but I'm also trying not to sugar coat it either - it doesn't appear to be a good thing. On a positive note, Madalynn is back to her cheerful and happy self and hasn't let any of this slow her down one bit. As soon as we returned home from her surgery, she wanted food ASAP! For now, we are awaiting the biopsy results and taking it one day at a time. Thankfully, none of this is bothering her for the time being. I sure do wish our furbabies could stick around as long as humans do. When they become a true part of your family, stuff like this can be so hard. Keep her in your prayers if you think about it! We sure appreciate it!

I hope you've all had a great week! Thanks for following along with my randomness, I appreciate you!

Fitness Friday - Dopey Challenge Training Week 1

Hi there! Long time no Fitness Friday!

Well, with the start of a new training plan for Dopey Challenge 2018, Fitness Friday has returned! I enjoyed my break from being on a training cycle but now that a new one has begun, I'm super thrilled and looking forward to another journey to 26.2 (or 48.6 in this case)!

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA

Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - 3 mile run and first day of Dopey Training!!
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - Cross Training with the Tone It Up Girls 
Thursday - 3 mile run
Friday - Squats/Lunges/PT routine

I decided to begin my Dopey Training a little early because with the start of summer in the south also came the threat of a Tropical Storm named Cindy. Oh boy.

Brayden didn't let Cindy phase him although the "feels like" temperatures should have scared us both!

During the run, I listened to my friends over at The Disney Exchange and they kept me entertained and amused the entire 3 miles!

I seriously love these guys! If you haven't listened, you should go check them out!

It's only June and the heat/humidity is awful. What am I going to do come August? Oy.

My second run was planned for Wednesday after work but Cindy had other plans. Church was also cancelled that evening, so I enjoyed a little bonus time with Jason and Brayden!

Yeah, I pretty much live smack dab in the middle of Cindy's projected path. Lovely.

We were released home from work early on Thursday afternoon, so I scoped out the weather channel to see if running would even be a possibility that evening. 

Sure enough, around 3 p.m., I saw a clearing in the weather, so I made a break for it! The remains of Cindy were passing through and the wind was kicking pretty good, but there was no rain, thankfully! This wasn't my first time running through a tropical storm and I'm sure it won't be my last!

I somehow managed three miles although I had to stop and walk a bit on the last mile back home. It's not fun and definitely not easy to run through a head wind!

Not long after I returned home, it began to rain again! Talk about perfect timing!

On Wednesday, I clicked over to the Tone It Up girls web page for a new cross training workout. This one encompassed the entire body and included a lot of squats and lunges which was just what I needed!

Saturday morning is a planned long run with my running buddy! Jeff's plan calls for 3 miles but I think we will go for 5 or 6 as that's been our Saturday routine for a little while now. After Saturday's run, week 1 of Jeff Galloway's Dopey Training plan for me will be complete!

I hope you all have a great Friday and an awesome weekend!

Where will your adventures this weekend take you?