Livin' the Dream in Lima

Ahhhh... sweet sweet Spring Break. I've been waiting for this all year long. Well at least since we came back from our long weekend in February. Hehe. This year we only get 3 days off school (compared to last year's entire week), but we are done with school before Memorial Day. So it's definitely worth having a shorter break. So what did I spend my first glorious morning of not having to be at school by 7:45am? Oh... just waking up at my normal time of 6:20, but going for a 20 mile run instead of going to work. As much as I love teaching, running will always win in the "more fun" department.  21.4 miles of running & rainbows makes for a happy girl. I met up with my running buddies Jim, Amy, & Kevin for a long run. Kevin is training for a 100-mile ultra marathon which is crazy , and Jim & Amy are always game for a long run. We ran around town for a bit before running Kevin home (out in the country) and then running the 5+ miles back into town. ...

Can I get an amen for a quiet weekend at home? The last three weekends have been go-go-go , and while it was all a blast and totally worth it, it is so nice to know that I have nowhere to be and nothing to do. Except run, ya know. Can't have a weekend without that. This morning started out with a run, a 20-miler to be exact. This is the second 20-miler of my training cycle, and it went swimmingly well. I headed out with some running buddies around 6:15am. (I know, crazy for a Saturday. But they had some commitments at 9:30, and I'd rather run with my friends!) I woke myself up around 5:30am so I could get a little coffee in my system and have a clif bar. We ended up doing a huge  loop of the Bean Town, running through several areas that I've never been through. Loops through the college in the middle of town, past the grain elevator, past the Ford engine plant, and through a quarry. Pretty neat. At one point, we were getting close to a set of train tracks, and the trai...

Many awesome things happened today. First, I received a special package in the mail from a giveaway I won at meals & moves ... four bags of Nature's Path granola! I am so excited. There is even a chocolatey flavor. I cannot wait for breakfast. Second, I ran my long run this afternoon. OUTSIDE! The goal was 16-18 miles. Here are some observations: Getting ready to run, I couldn't find my iPod anywhere. (Don't tell my Business Man. I'm hoping it will turn up somewhere.) So, I decided to take my phone with me and listen to Pandora. Which is pretty much the best thing ever. The only down side is that I had to carry my phone. But then! I realized I had facebook access and email access at my fingertips for the whole run. And camera access. Hmmm...... It was 48*F today! And sunny! And so I wore shorts outside and it was so liberating. About 2 miles into the run, I encountered a nice little lady on a scooter. She was driving up behind me (going much  ...

I committed a rookie mistake today... I wore my new shoes on a long run. Even my Business Man told me, "You probably shouldn't do that! Don't you  need to break them in on a short, easy run first?" I scoffed at him, and confessed that my desire to run in the new shoes definitely outweighed my risk of ending up with blisters all over my feet. The new kicks. Fortunately, my feet held up just fine! 17 miles, done and done. I'm pretty sure that after 7 years, the Mizuno Wave Creation can do me no wrong. Came home, planted myself on the couch, and got cozy with some tomato soup and grilled cheese. And a side of salt (in the form of pickles & olives). Guess I lost a lot of sweat on the run. My Business Man and I just finished watching the movie Courageous  - great movie!  A little corny at times, a little intense at times, but a wonderful message. And now I'm off to find a little sweet treat to satisfy my sweet tooth... have a great weekend eve...

You know how I was hoping for snow last night? Well, we got it! Only a few inches, but it was enough to first delay school, then cancel. And it's been flurry-ing all day long. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go back to sleep after I found out we were on a delay schedule, so I was up drinking my coffee at 7:30am. Oh well, at least I had my Today Show friends to keep me company.  I even managed to cook breakfast for my Business Man. Super gourmet French toast.  He was livin' the dream life this morning. One of my favorite  things about snow days is the fact that I can go to the gym at 10am and do my long run while watching my favorite hour of the Today Show - Kathie Lee & Hoda, and then at 11am, the Rachael Ray talk show.  So, today I headed to the gym a little after 10am to get my run on. I had 14 miles on the training schedule for my first long run, so I planned to run for about 2 hours. I ended up feeling really awesome and ran 15 mi...