Summer Week One

I don't know why I even pretend to try and blog in a timely manner.  Time just keeps slip, slip, slipping away.  We've completed out first week of summer, but frankly I've been busier than ever.  It seems like something every night and during the day.

1.  I've been running like crazy, almost every day, especially with school being out.  I've found my rhythm.  I still get up at 6am, have my tea, do my computer and then get out and run by 7am.  Beat the heat and for some reason it starts my day off right.  Then I come home and walk the dogs.  I have it all done by 930am and I have the whole rest of the day ahead of me. It actually makes me feel a little smug. :o)   I've run 20 out of 28 days and erged 2 of the other days.  Yeah for me.  I still can't seem to get any faster, but I figure as long as I'm running, my heart is beating and the sweat is pouring - then I'm doing okay.

2.  Coach Cox has started Crew Group Fun Runs every Weds night at 7pm.  It's been awesome - they are open to everyone and I think it's a great idea, a great way for the team to stay in touch and to encourage the kids to stay in shape.  The first week we had 9 people, 2nd week we had 28 and last week we had 34.  Our goal for next week is 50!  It's really awesome.  We have parents come and join us, we encourage the kids to bring friends. We all run at our own pace, but it's good competition for the kids.  Mostly freshman are turning out, but that bodes well for the team next year.  A little disappointing that more Varsity kids are showing up, but what are you gonna do.  We are having so much fun... seriously we are... that we're going to add another night.  We'll start meeting on Sat nights at 6pm and we'll do circuits, intervals and other stuff.  I'm really excited about all the ideas and the enthusiasm that Coach Cox has.  It's going to be a great season.

3.  As of today I have officially given up all my Viking Athletic Booster Club responsibilities!!  After doing Spiritwear and everything else for the last 5 years, I guess it's time for me to move on.  It's a little difficult to give up the Spiritwear store, I really think of it as my baby.  I will continue to work in there on Fridays, but I won't be in charge of anything.  I've just decided that if I'm going to spend so much of my time doing something, I would like to be at least a little bit appreciated and that is definitely not the case with VABC.  Crew takes up so much of my time that I certainly won't be bored.  And, I love Crew, I love the kids, I love the team, I love the sport and I love the parents.  So, if I'm going to be crazy busy, I'd rather be busy doing something I really enjoy with people who appreciate me and are fun to be around.

4.  Brenna is doing great this summer.  She's in and out.  Doing lots of Bat research, small mammal trapping (Smammaling) and even getting paid for it.  She's been running with me, which is nice because she and I run at about the same pace.

5.  The other exciting thing is Zack.  He's also working out this summer, running and erging.  He's also started eating better.  He's actually eaten dinner with us a couple of times.  He's been making eggs, discovered he loves salmon burgers and actually ate some chicken the other night!  He's also been chowing down on bananas, protein bars and fruti.  I'm just thrilled when he'll eat anything besides Eggo Waffles or Fruit Loops.  He's doing a sculling camp for the next 3 weeks and then a rowing camp all of August.

6.  Been to the pool once and gotten my first official burn of the summer.  Doesn't seem like it's summer until I get my initial burn on.

All in all, it's been a successful first week of summer.  Here's hoping that things slow down a little bit and I can get a start on my To Do list.  Of course, it's the same To Do list from last year because I got absolutely NOTHING done last summer.

Another one bites the dust - #6 goes down in an enormous mud pit!

Before - so innocent

5K - #6 is in the bag.  The kids and I did Quantico's Run Amuck.  It was an untimed Obstacle Course Mud Run!!  I was quite nervous at first, especially about the obstacles like rappeling and monkey bars!  But it turned out most of the obstacles were pretty tame.  I guess you have to remember for these "easier" ones they have to make the obstacles at least semi-accessible for most people.  The hardest obstacle was the very first one - it was an inflatable playground thingy and you had to get over a sort of plastic wall.  It was hard because it was so darn slippery from all the rain we'd gotten the day before.  As we stood and watch probably 50% or more of the people couldn't get over it!  I am very proud to say that all 3 of us made it over.  I guess the next worst were the hills, mainly because they were so darn slippery.  There was no way to run, you were lucky if you could walk up the hills and the last one I literally did on my hands and knees.  I was a ton of fun!  It was also a nice break, because the only uninterrupted run portion was half a mile at the beginning, the rest was run a little, stop and do an obstacle, run a little, stop.

B's knees

At one point in the race I found myself ahead of both the kids and shouted out my success to those running around me... well, I guess Brenna did not take kindly to my announcement so she sprinted and caught me in the mud pit and tackled me from behind!  We both went down face first into the mud!  It was crazy, both got scrapped up knees, but her's were much worse than mine....can you say kharma??

Zack led most of the way,  I just can't keep up with that kid when we run.  I keep reminding myself that he's 15 and I'm 46, if I could keep up with him that would be really bad for him!  Brenna and I run at a much more similar pace, which means I can usually at least see her ahead of me when we run! :o)
Anyway, it was a ton of fun.  I am thinking of doing another one in November... Brrr... Still keeping up with the 5K resolution and all is good in the running world.

We've lost our innocence!

Dirty girls on the way home!

What just happened - Part 2

Apparently,  I woke up this morning and my sweet precious baby boy, turned into a SOPH.FREAKING.MORE in high school over night!

What the hell Time Train???  It seems like just yesterday I was stressing about his first day in high school and now it's the first day of summer and he's a freaking sophomore!  Sometimes I think I want to  stop the Time Train and get off, but I'm also really enjoying the ride!

P.S.  I love this pic, because it's captured Zack doing his refugee sit... He has sat like this since he was a toddler and it cracks me up that he's still sitting like that!

Does THIS make me a runner?

Apparently ONE pair of running shoes is not enough for me, because I took Zack to Va Runner to buy some real running shoes and I came home with a new pair as well!

They were the new release of the shoes I already have and love...plus they were an AWESOME purple!  Really, how could I resist??  But, before you think that these are pretty wild and crazy...here's my other pair!

So now not only am I the crazy cat lady of running shoes, but I also seem to choose the wildest, loudest pairs I can find!  Let me tell you when I looked down today and saw those purple shoes running down the road, it made me smile!  And trust me, normally when I am running down the road there's not a lot of smiling going on!

I just don't know when I turned into the "multiple pairs of running shoes" girl?   I hardly know myself anymore! :o)

What just happened?

Yesterday I ran 4 miles in the morning, walked 3 with the dogs and then it was the first Crew Group Run last night and I couldn't miss that, so I ran another 3 miles last night!  Yikes!  So, today I planned to make it a day of rest.
But.... my chores were all done, my errands were cancelled pending the HUGE forecast derecho storm and the rain hadn't hit yet, so I found myself with time on my hands... what did I do... I decided to run 3 miles!   OMG!!!  Who the HELL am I?

One Cicada, two cicada, three cicada... MORE!

The Cicadas are back!  We had a huge Cicada generation come out about 9 or 10 years ago and now it's back.  They are everywhere.  When you walk outside it sounds like a flying saucer is landing and it's sometimes so loud it's hard to carry on a conversation outside.  Zoey is eating them like there's no tomorrow.  I think cicadas are to Zoey what rice krispy treats or red licorice are to me.  She can't stop herself and now she's got Cooper following along with her.  It's really sort of gross.  They are kind of fascinating in a bizarre, space alien sort of way.

Hmmm this looks tasty

Yep, definitely tasty!