Weekly Wrap

May 23rd-29th, 2016

I am joining the Weekly Wrap hosted by Holly from HoHo Runs and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin. The Weekly Wrap is a blog link up where bloggers share their active lifestyle and other exciting things weekly. To find out more, click on the image below. Feel free to join in on the fun.

 

I am currently not training for anything. I will begin training for the Pensacola Marathon (my third marathon) in July. For now, I am trying to stay in a routine of running 4-5 days a week and doing a long run of 1+ hours on the weekends. I hope this will help me ease into my training in a little over a month.

 

 

Monday, May 23rd

 

I rode on my bike trainer for thirty minutes on Monday morning. My legs were heavy and tired from racing on Saturday and running long on Sunday, but they felt better after my ride.

 

 

Tuesday, May 24th

 

I ran four miles on Tuesday morning. It was actually on the cooler side with temps in the low 60's and low humidity. That weather didn't last long. It warmed up significantly later in the week.

 

 

 

Wednesday, May 25th

 

I ran four miles on Wednesday morning. I stopped to take pictures of some flowers on my run. I pass by them everyday and I had been meaning to take some pictures.

 

 

 

Wednesday was the last day of school for the students. The end of the school year is always bitter sweet. I'm happy for summer break, but I am going to miss my students. I get so attached to them.

 

After waving the buses farewell for the summer, the teachers went to a local theater downtown for our end of the year surprise party. It was a luau themed party with pasta, salad, breadsticks, and cake for dessert. Some of the teachers and administrators performed an end of the year skit for us and the Superintendent even stopped by for  a visit.

 

Later that evening I went out to eat with some co-workers to celebrate one of our paraprofessional's retirement. We went to a nice restaurant on the lake. As we were leaving, I couldn't help but take a picture of the sunset over the water.

 

 

Thursday, May 26th





 

Thursday was inservice day for teachers, so we didn't have to go in until 8:00. I slept a little later before heading out for my run. It's amazing the difference an hour makes in the temperature. I'm really going to have to be disciplined about getting up early this summer or I'm going to suffer through my training.

 

 

Teachers were dismissed at noon. I went home and packed. Then, Michael and I headed to Orange Beach, AL for the weekend.

 

Friday, May 27th

 

I took a rest day from running on Friday. Michael and I got up early, so we could secure a spot on the beach for Michael to fish. We were on the beach by 7:00 and we stayed for several hours before it got too crowded.

 

 

 

We went back to the condo around 11:00 to get cleaned up before grabbing a bite for lunch. We went to the Wharf for lunch and some shopping.

 

 

We tried a new restaurant at the Wharf called Montego's. I had the Grilled Shrimp Tacos with the Caribbean Mango sauce and Michael had the fish tacos. They were delicious! I would definitely recommend this place if you're ever in the area.

 

The Shrimp Tacos and Fried Green Tomatoes

 

I love the atmosphere here as well. We ate outside overlooking the marina.

 

We went back to the condo later that afternoon. Michael fished the pier while I took a nap. We had a late dinner at a place called Bill's by the Beach. This restaurant is down West Beach in Gulf Shores. The atmosphere here was also nice with more fine dining inside and a more casual feel outside with views of the gulf from across the street. I ordered the Grilled Mahi with rice and veggies and Michael got the Shrimp and Grits. Both of our meals were delicious!

 



My Grilled Mahi

 

I'd describe this place as a mix between fine and casual dining because they had more of an upscale menu, linen napkins, but plastic souvenir cups. I'm not complaining though. I love a souvenir cup!

 

 

This place has the best gelato. I would make a special trip just for dessert. I had the Banana Caramel and Michael has the Strawberry Cheesecake. I've never tasted gelato so rich and creamy!

 

Saturday, May 28th

 

I got up early on Saturday to run. I ran five miles along the Backcountry Trails. I'm familiar with these trails from several races that I've done in the area. I love the peacefulness on the trails away from the hustle and bustle of traffic. I wish we had more places like this at home to run.

 

 

Michael and I met my brother and sister in law along with some of their friends for a boat ride later Saturday morning. We anchored down on an island and hung out for most of the afternoon. I've never seen so many boats in my life. The pictures don't really do it justice.

 

My sister in law, Jodi

 

Sunday, May 29th

 

Michael went deep sea fishing with our brother in law and some of his friends for most of the day on Sunday. I wish I could handle deep sea fishing, but I just can't do it. I've tried twice and I've gotten sick as a dog both times. I've tried all the tricks Dramamine, Sea Bands, ginger ale, saltines, staring at the horizon, but none of these have worked. I'd rather stay on dry land and not chance it.

 

While Michael was fishing, I ran my long run of 9 miles. It was hot by the time I started at 7:20. I ran out of water just past the halfway point. I stopped off at a park at mile 7 for a short break. Luckily, I found a water fountain there and a beautiful pier.

 

 

After my long run, I hung out by the pool and caught up on three months worth of Runner's World magazines. I wish I could recover from all long runs this way.

 

 

It was 6:00 before Michael got back from fishing. We went to eat at Hog Wild, my favorite BBQ place in town. I love their pork sandwich with slaw on top. Michael likes the Wild Fries with pulled pork and slaw. If you like BBQ, you have to try this place next time you visit Gulf Shores.

 

 

Pork Sandwich with Slaw

Wild Fries with Pork and Slaw

 

While we were eating Michael and I discussed heading home early instead of waiting until Monday morning. We knew the traffic would be bad on Memorial Day. We packed up and cleaned the condo. Then we hit the road. We got home just after midnight, but it was worth it to have all day Monday at home.

 

Michael returns to work on Tuesday and I will begin teaching summer school this Wednesday. As much as I love a break, I would be bored to tears sitting at home all summer long. I will teach summer school through the month of June.

 

How was your Memorial Day weekend? Did you travel or enjoy your long weekend at home?



 

 



 

 



 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

Weekly Wrap

May 16th-22nd, 2016

I am joining the Weekly Wrap hosted by Holly from HoHo Runs and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin. The Weekly Wrap is a blog link up where bloggers share their active lifestyle and other exciting things weekly. To find out more, click on the image below. Feel free to join in on the fun.

 

 

I am currently not training for anything. I will begin training for the Pensacola Marathon (my third marathon) in July. For now, I am trying to stay in a routine of running 4-5 days a week and doing a long run of 1+ hours on the weekends. I hope this will help me ease into my training in a little over a month.

 

 

Monday, May 16th

 

My husband surprised me with an indoor bike trainer a few weeks ago. I got my slightly used Trek bike from his co-worker a little over a year ago and I feel guilty that I haven't ridden it much. I'm not comfortable riding on the open road alone and doing the same loop around the neighborhood gets old. Most people bring their rides indoors during the winter months. I feel silly bringing my ride indoors as everyone is headed outside. At least I'll get more use out of my bike with the trainer. I plan to ride 30 minutes to an hour on cross training days.

 

I rode for 30 minutes on Monday. I used a wired bike computer purchased on Amazon to track my time and mileage. Then, I entered my stats into my Garmin Connect account.

 

 

Tuesday, May 17th

 

I ran five miles on Tuesday morning. It rained on me during the first mile, but luckily it was just a short, pop up shower. There was rain in the forecast all week. I hoped it wouldn't affect my runs.

 

 

Wednesday, May 18th

 

I ran four miles on Wednesday morning. There was a light drizzle at the end of my run, but the rain held off. Thank goodness!

 

 

My new Spandits! Inferno print Boardies came in the mail Wednesday afternoon. I was so happy to receive them in time for my race on Saturday. These 7' spandex shorts are super cute and comfy. If you're interested in trying them you can use code SPANDITSLOVE to save 10%.

 

 

Thursday, May 19th

 

I ran four miles on Thursday morning. I got caught in another pop up shower, but it helped cool things off.

 

 

Friday, May 20th

 

I took a rest day on Friday in preparation for my race on Saturday.

 

 

Saturday, May 21st

 

I ran the Jubilee Run for Cancer 8K on Saturday morning. This was my third year running this race in memory of my brother and both of my grandmothers who lost their battles to cancer and in honor of my mother and grandfather who are both cancer survivors.

 

It was a humid and hilly race through downtown Montgomery. My time was 43:43, only eight seconds from a new PR. If I had known I was so close I wouldn't have walked on that last hill. You can't PR them all. I was happy to place 1st in my age group. It was also nice to see Valerie (@icecreamrunner)  again. Although she's ran many races, this was her first 8K. She had an awesome race and placed 2nd in her age group.

 

I'll post a full race recap and more pictures soon.

 

 

I had another exciting mail day on Saturday. My Spandits! team uniform arrived! I really wasn't expecting it so soon. Doesn't it look great?

 



 

We didn't have time to go fishing Saturday afternoon. My husband's cousin is getting married in two weeks and we had to attend a Couple's Shower Saturday night. It was a beautiful place for a shower overlooking the river. Michael hates taking pictures, but I was able to talk him into taking just one with the river in the background. It's not that often that I get dressed up and put on make-up.

 

 

Sunday, May 22nd

 

I took my new Spandits! gear for a test run this morning. This long run was tough, but I felt comfortable and confident in my new Spandits! Boardies and tank.

 

 

I ate lunch and took an afternoon nap after my run. Then, I stuffed my students end of the year goodie bags with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and sunglasses. I can't believe we only have three and a half days left before summer break. I will see most of my students again next year since I have them Kindergarten through 4th grade in the multi disabilities unit. I have two 4th graders leaving me this year to go to the middle school. It is going to be sad to let them go. I've gotten so attached. Needless to say this is going to be an exciting, but emotional week ahead.

 

How was your week?

 

Did you run any races?

 

When do your kids get out for summer break? Do you have big plans while they're out of school?





 

 



 

 



 





 

 



 

 



Weekly Wrap

May 9th-15th, 2016

I am joining the Weekly Wrap hosted by Holly from HoHo Runs and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin. The Weekly Wrap is a blog link up where bloggers share their active lifestyle and other exciting things weekly. To find out more, click on the image below. Feel free to join in on the fun.

 

 

After a four month Weekly Wrap hiatus, I am more than ready to return to the fun connecting with other bloggers. March through May  is an incredibly busy time for a special education teacher. I didn't have the time to commit to visiting and leaving comments on other bloggers' posts in the weekly wrap. Now that we only have eight days of school left, I plan to catch up on my blogging and connecting with other bloggers. I sure have missed everyone.

 

A few things have happened since I've been gone:

 

1. I mooned up in Half Fanatics finishing 4 half's in 28 days. In case you missed it, I did manage to recap those races. (Sea Turtle Half Marathon, Tuscaloosa Half Marathon, Montgomery Half Marathon, and the Blue Angels Rock n' Fly Half Marathon)

 

2. I signed up for my third marathon, the Pensacola Marathon on November 13th. I will begin training the second week in July. I've used Hal Higdon's Novice Plan for my first two marathons. I may try his Intermediate plan for this marathon, but I'm still doing my research. I plan to recap my training here on the Weekly Wrap.

 

3. I ran another local half (Centerpoint Half) and a few local 5K's (CCAD Run for Autism, Run for a Mom, and Pancake Run for Missions) which I still need to recap. So stay tuned. I have one more race next weekend, the Jubilee Run for Cancer 8K. That will probably be my last race for a while. It's so hard to find races here in June and July.

 

Now that you're caught up on my past few months, here's the highlights from my week.

 

 

Monday, May 9th

 

I took a much needed rest day on Monday. My allergies started acting up over the weekend and I didn't feel well.

 

Tuesday, May 10th

 

I laid out my clothes for Tuesday morning, but my head was still stuffy when my alarm went off. I decided to take another rest day and enjoyed an extra hour of sleep.

 

I got some great news on Tuesday. I was selected as a 2016-2017 Spandits! Ambassador. Marcia (Marcia's Healthy Slice) convinced me to try the Boardies after seeing all her posts on Instagram. I love these shorts! The spandex is super comfy and they don't ride up or chafe. Plus, they have the cutest patterns. I can't wait to order more Boardies and I have my eye on the capris for this fall.

 

Use code SPANDITSLOVE to save 10% on your purchase.

 

Wednesday, May 11th

 

I felt a little better on Wednesday and I was able to get a four mile run done.

 

 

Thursday, May 12th

 

I ran five miles on Thursday morning. The humidity was terrible that morning.

 

 

Friday, May 13th

 

I normally like to schedule a rest day before a race, but I had to run Friday morning to get my miles in for the week. I am a little behind on my goal of 1,200 miles for the year, but I am not giving up.

 

 

Saturday, May 14th

 

I ran the Pancake Run for Missions 5K on Saturday morning. This run has always been scheduled the same weekend as the AGAPE Run for a Mom, but it was the weekend after this year. I was so glad I could participate. The course was beautiful and the weather wasn't too terribly hot or humid. I ran a decent race, finishing in 26:05, and I placed 2nd in my age group. It was nice to see my friend Valerie (@icecreamrunner) at the race. She placed 1st in her age group!

 

 

 

 

Later that afternoon Michael and I went fishing. We haven't had much luck lately. The fish aren't biting for us this year. Michael did let me reel in the catch of the day, a nice sized bass.

 

 

Sunday, May 15th

 

I'm trying to be consistent running a longer run (1+ hours) on Sundays leading up to my marathon training. Last year I got out of the habit of doing long runs over the summer and it made it difficult during the first few weeks of my training.

 

I ran seven miles this morning. I got another late start, but luckily it wasn't too hot or humid. There was also a nice breeze blowing. I've got to enjoy days like these while they last.

 

 

I don't normally refuel on runs less than ten miles, but today I was starting to feel lightheaded and dizzy midrun. I stopped to eat a pack of my Honey Stinger chews and I felt better almost immediately. My last 3.5 miles were strong and I ran negative splits. I love Honey Stinger's natural, organic products for the energy they provide me with on days like today.

 

 

Are you currently training for any races?

 

I hope you had a great week! I look forward to reading all your posts.