Hi Everyone! How is it going? Yes, Disney was last weekend, just a long weekend, and I didn't get to do the races as they were already sold out by the time I decided to go. I did go to the expo with my BFF and I bought a couple of awesome running skirts, love them both so much. So pretty. I finally figured out that if I buy this brand in tall, they will be long enough. My friend was on the shuttle at about 3:30 am for the 5k on Friday so I got up a bit later and went out and ran by myself around our resort. I went up to Epcot so I could watch the runners go by for a little while. Saturday morning we cheered on the 10k runners as they passed our resort. We spent a day at Animal Kingdom, a day at Epcot, and a day at Magic Kingdom. Went on a lot of rides, including roller coasters. It was fun.

I am signed up for a 5k (a runway one at the airport) for next month. Will probably sign up for either the 10k or the 5k that they do here in my community on Memorial Day - just haven't decided which distance to do. Today I ran with my BFF - she ended up not running the 10k last weekend at Disney so we did 10k today to make up for it. We walked/ran and it was good - she is so much faster than I am but with the walking interspersed, I can manage.

Sharon, your running is just amazing. So inspiring. Are both of you having cold weather? Our weather has been so up and down. Sometimes very cold, sometimes very hot. The other day it was 86 degrees. Becky, we aren't turning our A/C on yet either, not with the colder weather in the forecast. Now it is cooler again but pleasant. I ran the other morning and it was warmer, which to me felt so good. I don't seem to be able to manage getting my runs in as easily with my job, but I am still trying and so I guess the shorter distances are working better for me right now. I am still going to the Y, doing strength training a couple of days a week and cardio/core a couple of times a week.

The tree guy is finally here cleaning up the huge mess in our backyard from the windstorm that we had (hurricane force winds in TN, just insane). That is going to set us back a lot of money. We did get a little from the insurance but will still be forking out a LOT. And since we had the flash freeze in December, a lot of our bushes and shrubs died, so I am trying to decide what to do about that too, ugh!!!!

Okay, gonna head on for now, take care everyone, RUN HAPPY!!!!

Hello!!! Becky, wow, snow, but it has definitely been colder here lately too - no snow though. It was 34 degrees one morning this past week, with frost, crazy because we are well past planting season. This has been the weirdest weather but I am not complaining because before we know it, it will be so hot and miserably humid here.

I got a couple of runs in this past week and this morning went with my BFF for a six mile run. She is faster but I can keep up with her since we take walk breaks and today we did about four miles like that and then the last two were more walking - fine with me. I can tell my stamina is improving because I can keep up with her on the running parts - I've been doing hill repeats and some speedwork each week, and I think it is helping. I just need to keep it up!

Oh, and I am getting a kayak - I've always had to borrow one (or rent one) and I finally decided to go ahead and get one. Should be here soon. I got a kayak rack for my car last week. I hope I can use it enough to make it worth the expense.

Hello!!!! Becky, you and I share the same fear about the kayak tipping. I have kayaked in my friend's kayaks and they are sit inside ones, but it seems like it would be easy to get out if necessary. I have read how to do it - and even though they are sit in, they aren't sealed in, like those fancy ones that serious kayakers use - so probably I would be able to get out, and of course I always have a life jacket. One of the state parks in Nashville teaches kayaking classes and I am hoping I can fit one in sometime soon. They teach how to get out in the event of a spill. But basically you put your hands on each side and push yourself out. Also there is a standup paddleboard class nearby - I might consider taking one of those classes too, for fun. I don't have a SUP but have always wanted to try that - only reason I haven't is that one must have a strong core, and I do not have a strong core at all! So I am not sure if I can do it or not.

It has been windy here too, with below average temperatures, but it seems like next week it is actually going to get pretty hot. I am really wishing it wouldn't warm up so fast because I don't want to turn on the A/C just yet - in the south, it is on pretty much all summer long - never turned off. And usually we have to turn it on by mid-April, so we are actually pretty lucky this year that it is already May and we haven't had to use it. But next week, I am sure we will turn it on for the summer. Then I will also have to start acclimating to the heat for running!

So running...as I mentioned, last weekend my BFF and I went to Nashville to run in our favorite area. So pretty, just the most beautiful homes and the flowers are always spectacular in the spring. Monday we did hill repeats. Then one morning I got up very early and ran at dawn. My runs have been much shorter lately and that is fine. I actually signed up for a Couch to 5K for the summer - the goal race for the C25K is called the Tomato 5K and it is part of the Tomato Arts Festival in Nashville - so the training is called Potato to Tomato - ha!!! So cute. I have a 5K coming up in a couple of weeks and then the 10K on Memorial Day. No long runs right now. I need to focus on my pace for a while. I ran this morning alone, did a 5K, then after that walked/ran another couple of miles. Felt good, even the hills! Just gotta keep pushing on!!!!!

Hello!!!! I just got back from camping for the weekend (tent) with four of my friends! It was supposed to rain the whole time but the weather turned out to be great - a little rain yesterday morning and quite a bit this morning, but all in all, it was great - we kayaked for a few hours yesterday.

Becky, I think starting out with shorter distances of running and building up very slowly is the way to do it! I know that is how I started running way back when. But when I have had to start over, I think that is hard because I am so used to running longer distances and so that is what I try - but then things do hurt, especially knees. I have been loving my shorter runs lately.

I've wanted to try SUP too, but I am wondering if I can do it with my weak core. One of my friends and I are talking about getting boards anyway and maybe taking a class. I will say that in the past, I couldn't haul my butt out of a kayak without getting on my knees, but yesterday I did, so I think my core is getting stronger. I just need to keep working on that.

Oh Becky I am so sorry to hear about your mom's fall - I hope she has an easy recovery. I remember when my mom had surgery (and she had sepsis too) and her mind was not right. Sometimes she is still off, and that was in 2018. Hopefully your mom's memory will improve over time.

I did a 5k a couple of weeks ago, at the Nashville airport, on a runway. That is the second time I've done that race. It's kind of different! I did okay. I am certainly not running my pace from a few years ago, but I was still happy with how it went. Then Monday I did the Memorial Day race that I usually do. I always love that one because I see so many people I know, both doing the race, and volunteering. That was a 10k and again, I was okay with my pace. It was actually better than the 5k time (but I didn't walk in the 5K and I did walk a little during the 10k, so isn't that funny that I walked a little). So anyway, I talked to one of my old personal trainer/running coach earlier today and I am going to hire him for a month. He is totally in agreement about me doing these shorter distances for a while. Maybe later I can do half marathons again but he thinks if I focus on shorter distances, I can get faster again. He said I do have the ability, as that was my pace just a few years ago, but if I run longer distances, it will be harder to get faster. So....I start with him next week and I hope to be able to follow his plan to a T because if I am paying money for this, I want to get the most value out of it that I can!.

Also, I am still shopping for a new Garmin. I have some money saved from gifts my DH, my parents, and from work. I had picked one out but then that one seems to not be available so now I am thinking about a different one. No need to rush to get one though, this one is still okay. It just doesn't hold a charge for very long.

It is definitely crazy that it is already June. We are also having the heat, and the humidity too. It's so hard to breathe when it is so humid out! And the real humidity here hasn't even set in yet. Yikes!

Hello! It has been crazy weather here, sort of cool, but so very humid, hard to breathe in it! We had some days with poor air and smoke but overall it hasn't been too bad. I'm 2 weeks in with the running coach, and I only hired him for a month. It is time intensive because he has me running five miles on weekdays and with my job, it is hard to get that in. He also has me doing strength training twice a week. Saturday I did my "long run" which was only five miles, and then I kayaked with my friends in the afternoon. I got my second shingles vaccine that morning too and yikes, that was terrible, it gave me body aches and my arm still was sore yesterday! I've been having these crazy nosebleeds and ended up in the ER one night last week - it wouldn't stop. They referred me to an ENT but I can't get in to see them for several weeks and so far since that incident I have had only one mild nosebleed, so hopefully that is getting better.

Becky, I am so to hear your mom is not doing well. It's so hard to watch our parents as they age.

Hi Becky! I am always so glad to hear from you. I am so sorry about your mom though. I have heard the same thing, broken hips can be so debilitating and it seems like people really go downhill after that happens. I've heard the smoke is starting to come back down from Canada, hope it doesn't impact you!

I am doing fine, I actually ended up hiring the running coach for another three months. Sheesh, during the week I am running these four mile runs, which is all well and good, except right now I am still pretty slow, so it takes me a long time (each run has a warmup and cooldown component in addition to the four miles, so it is quite time consuming). I think it is going okay. I did a four mile race this morning, didn't have the results I was hoping for, but not the worst either, and given how humid it is, probably it is was okay. I'm strength training too - running coach gives me specific workouts based on my areas of weakness, and then I go to the Y twice a week for more generic stuff (classes). With my job I feel like I have gotten careless with my nutrition, so I am really trying to do better with that.

On Thursday I got to the ENT for the nosebleeds. Crazy too because I haven't had a nosebleed in almost two weeks, so that makes me want to cancel, but I imagine that if I do cancel, then they will start again, so I guess I will go.