River Road Take 2

Saturday morning long runs are almost always an adventure, specially when running down River Road. This happens to be the route where I once saw a ground rattler, a den of water moccasins, a gator, and I ran underneath a stopped train (NEVER again)!

Although Saturday's run didn't yield any heart stopping moments, it was still a fun and enjoyable run with my friend Heather! Bonus, this run didn't take place around my house again - some wonderful people from my running group have been setting up coolers in our old running group routes so we've been taking advantage of that! It's been so nice to see familiar faces out on the roads and run in an area I'm familiar with!

I also have to say that my dad is awesome. My husband was working days this past weekend and was unable to watch Brayden while I ran. So, my dad agreed to come over at 6 a.m. and waited around until Brayden woke up. Then, he took care of Brayden (diapers, oatmeal, milk, etc) until my mom came over after she woke up! His level of rock-star-ness just increased in my book! (By the way, he's an early bird anyway, so the 6 a.m. time frame didn't bother him at all.)

Ok, so on to the run. For starters, the humidity was in the high 80th percentile and the air felt heavy, like it needed to rain. Sadly, with the overcast skies, I didn't get a glimpse of a beautiful sunrise like usual. Oh well....maybe next time!

 One thing we did notice that we hadn't seen in the past were these gorgeous white flowers!

They were all along the side of the road and we had no clue where they came from!

If you look beyond the greenery, you can see an entire field of them! Heather and I both agreed that the field would be an awesome place to take pictures! Sadly, there was no way to get to the field as the ground was nothing but a swampy, marshy mess. I would love to know what type of flower this is.

Another random sighting was this troop of geese! They were all over the front yard of this home. There were even a few babies in the mix!

 

Although we only planned on a 6 mile run, we ended up running right at 7 miles. It was a great run and the time passed by quickly because I was in good company! :)

Starbucks was definitely needed after the run, too! I ordered an iced non-fat caramel macchiato. I'm pretty boring because I usually order the same thing every single time. It was definitely a nice and refreshing treat after a warm Saturday run!

That's it for my Saturday run! How was your weekend? Did you go for a run or participate in a race/event?

Beat The Heat

Hello and happy Friday! It's June, people! How did this happen already? Summer is definitely upon us here in the south, too. Our mild and cool May has disappeared and the temps are rising fast!

Modifying a workout or a run to beat the summer heat can be tricky, but I've compiled a list of several ways to do so!

#1 Run early

Is it fun to wake up before dawn on a Saturday morning to go for a run? No...but when the summer heat is upon us, it's necessary. Even though Saturday is my only day to "sleep in", I still love waking up early and going for a run. It's such a peaceful time of day and the sunrise never disappoints! 

#2 Modify your routes to include water stops

Personally, I haven't found a hydration belt that I like - there's just something about the sound of water sloshing around behind me that drives me bonkers. Instead, I've discovered several routes throughout my home town that include a water fountain or two. Now that my running group has disbanded, a few runners from our crew have also come together to put water and gatorade coolers around town on Saturday mornings (which will be nice during marathon training season)! 
 

#3 Replenish those electrolytes

Salt tablets, salt packets, gatorade/powerade - make sure you're replenishing those electrolytes that were lost during your workout. This is so important for recovery, too!

#4 Wear cooler clothing

Summer friendly clothing is a must - sweat wicking, tank tops, shorts, etc. Moisture wicking clothing will help your body cool down faster after a run on a hot summer day. Most importantly, don't forget the sunscreen!!

#5 Eat yummy summer foods

So this one is not a must, but it sure is fun! Who doesn't enjoy a nice, sweet, cool watermelon after a long hot run?! This goes for oranges, snoballs, grapes, cantaloupe, too...you get the picture!

Happy (cool) running!


What's your favorite way to beat the summer heat and maintain a workout schedule?

It’s FRIDAY!
Link up with Running on Happy & Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup!