Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Apple Picking
Fall has arrived in New England and we're taking full advantage of the cooler temps and fun things to explore. We took the kids apple picking and they loved every second! Carter was timid on the ladder but made it to the top while Quinn had to be held back from climbing past the top rung. We ate way too many apples and washed them down with cider donuts. We left with full tummies and happy hearts.
Honey Pot Hill Orchards, Stow, MA
Saturday, September 12, 2015
DC Weekend
We left the kiddos with a sitter and took our first trip without them to DC for Chris' birthday weekend. I found a marathon to run while we were there and Chris was a sport to act as my cheerleader, coach, and fueling team. We had forgotten how easy it is to travel without the kids in tow, and although we missed them, we really enjoyed our time together.
We arrived Friday morning and spent the day exploring Georgetown, shopping, and fueling up! Although I was planning on running 26.2 miles that weekend, I couldn't do much walking on Friday because I've been struggling with plantar fasciitis for a few months and my feet were throbbing for most of the day. While the running does cause pain, standing and walking tend to hurt more so we returned to the hotel for a long nap. The weather in DC was unfortunately really hot for September. The humidity was up and it was in the high 90s so I was unsure how the race would go the next day. We ate some of the best Italian food as Paolo's in Georgetown and took a drive to the race course to check it out before race day.
I raced in the Abebe Bikila International Peace Marathon on Saturday morning. It had three start times to choose from-7, 8 or 9 AM. I opted for the 8 AM start so I could run with the largest group and hopefully get the best weather of the morning. The race was along the towpath on the Potomac River and was 6.55 miles out and back twice. It was shaded well and because it's small (numbers wise) it's logistically easy and great for spectating. That being said, there are almost no spectators and very few aid stations which turned out to be a problem for me in the last few miles of the race.
We were fortunate that the weather cooled down on Saturday to 68-70 degrees, but the humidity was either 100% or there was a torrential downpour. I initially welcomed the rain because it was so hot, but being soaked for half of the race was tough. Also since the towpath is dirt, it got muddy and flooded quite a bit so running through it was challenging. Chris was the best support I could have asked for as he waited under a bridge for 3 hours while I ran in the rain.
My feet held up better than I expected and I felt great until mile 19 or so. At the last turn around, I could tell I was running out of fuel and that I needed more water. I fell behind on the pace I wanted to finish at around mile 23 and since I knew I would be running the Chicago Marathon in a month, I opted to take it easy for the last few miles. Chris met me at mile 25 and we finished up together. I wish I had fueled differently because I think the race could have ended with a PR despite the weather, but I learned something new for the future! Always take in more water and run with an extra Gu just in case!
After a shower and some stretching we headed out for a driving tour of DC and to meet up for food with a friend. I think we saw just about every major DC landmark and I tried my best to snap photos from the car.
We came home to two sleeping kiddos who had a blast while we were gone. So glad we had a chance to get away and that I got some one-on-one time with the birthday boy!
We arrived Friday morning and spent the day exploring Georgetown, shopping, and fueling up! Although I was planning on running 26.2 miles that weekend, I couldn't do much walking on Friday because I've been struggling with plantar fasciitis for a few months and my feet were throbbing for most of the day. While the running does cause pain, standing and walking tend to hurt more so we returned to the hotel for a long nap. The weather in DC was unfortunately really hot for September. The humidity was up and it was in the high 90s so I was unsure how the race would go the next day. We ate some of the best Italian food as Paolo's in Georgetown and took a drive to the race course to check it out before race day.
Georgetown University, Washington D.C
I raced in the Abebe Bikila International Peace Marathon on Saturday morning. It had three start times to choose from-7, 8 or 9 AM. I opted for the 8 AM start so I could run with the largest group and hopefully get the best weather of the morning. The race was along the towpath on the Potomac River and was 6.55 miles out and back twice. It was shaded well and because it's small (numbers wise) it's logistically easy and great for spectating. That being said, there are almost no spectators and very few aid stations which turned out to be a problem for me in the last few miles of the race.
We were fortunate that the weather cooled down on Saturday to 68-70 degrees, but the humidity was either 100% or there was a torrential downpour. I initially welcomed the rain because it was so hot, but being soaked for half of the race was tough. Also since the towpath is dirt, it got muddy and flooded quite a bit so running through it was challenging. Chris was the best support I could have asked for as he waited under a bridge for 3 hours while I ran in the rain.
My feet held up better than I expected and I felt great until mile 19 or so. At the last turn around, I could tell I was running out of fuel and that I needed more water. I fell behind on the pace I wanted to finish at around mile 23 and since I knew I would be running the Chicago Marathon in a month, I opted to take it easy for the last few miles. Chris met me at mile 25 and we finished up together. I wish I had fueled differently because I think the race could have ended with a PR despite the weather, but I learned something new for the future! Always take in more water and run with an extra Gu just in case!
After a shower and some stretching we headed out for a driving tour of DC and to meet up for food with a friend. I think we saw just about every major DC landmark and I tried my best to snap photos from the car.
We came home to two sleeping kiddos who had a blast while we were gone. So glad we had a chance to get away and that I got some one-on-one time with the birthday boy!
Friday, September 11, 2015
Back to School
Our fierce ninja turtle and his best bud, Winston, are back in school!
The summer was too long for our little guy who asked every day if
tomorrow was a school day. Now when he gets home it's, "When do I do my
homework, mom?" Carter is anxious to learn and we are thrilled by his
curiosity for life. We can't believe it's his last year of preschool
already!
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