inspiration

Got to remember this once in awhile, in all aspects of life, not just running.

I went for a run on Monday morning. It was so humid, but it was a really great run. I have to keep the good runs in mind this summer with the oncoming heat. The plan this summer...get up EARLY and go! Got to tell my brain to just shut up and run.

Fit to Run, Fit to Dream 8K

A few weeks ago I was cleaning up our home office and came across my bag of stuff from the half marathon expo back in November. I started to go through it, to see what was trash and what goodies I had forgotten about, and I came across a flyer for this race, Run for the Achievable Dream. It was only about a month away and there was an 8K on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday. Knowing there was no way I was in shape for a half, I decided it might be fun to run the 8K since the race bug had bitten me once again. I checked it out online and saw that I would get to run through Colonial Williamsburg and get a medal. Sold!

C and I headed down Friday after work and spent the night down there even though it is a pretty quick drive from Richmond. The next morning was a little chilly but warmed up quickly and the day turned out to be gorgeous!

I LOVED my outfit for this race! I am seriously thinking about contacting LuLuLemon and asking about a sponsorship. Ha! Their clothes are super comfy and dry relatively quickly. I really love the running skirt.

Great shot with part of Colonial Williamsburg behind me, even though you mostly see trees.

The course started on the William & Mary campus, looped through Colonial Williamsburg and then came back to campus to finish on their track around the football field. I'm not sure who measured this course, but it was a bit longer than an 8K. The app I was using told me I reached 5 miles in 50 minutes, and an 8K is 4.97, and I still had a good ways to go. They should really consider taking part of the route out for next year to shorten it.

Free Beer! Always a plus...even at 9AM!

The after party was in the sunken garden on the W&M campus. It was a great spot to relax and enjoy sitting after running. They even had misters along the course and in the garden to help you cool down. Definitely a bonus!

It really was perfect weather.

 

After we finished up, we had enough time to head back to the hotel and shower and then hit the outlets and get some lunch. Williamsburg is probably one of my favorite places in Virginia and makes for great little day trips or easy weekends. C even said that he wouldn't mind coming back down for this race again. I think this one might be added to my list of races to run more than once. :-)

oranges!

I love fruit. It really is delicious. But only as a snack or with lunch and breakfast. Fruit is NOT a dessert and does NOT substitute for chocolate.

That being said, let me tell you about my friend the orange. I have always like oranges, but lately I am craving them. Summer really is the best time of the year, and I will never understand why so many people (my husband) are obsessed with winter. It's cold, it's dark, you are stuck in the house, and fruit and veggies are rather gross because they come from so far away, but in spring and summer, all that yummy goodness is fresh! I am a summer girl through and through and that will never change. Give me a beach, a palm tree, a lounge chair and a fruity beverage and I am set for the day.

So back to the orange. A few weeks back we had some friends over. One brought oranges with him to put in his Blue Moon beer. He then left an orange behind, which I ate, and it was delicious. And so began my seasonal fruit obsession. I bought a bag of oranges and scarfed them down pretty quick. Since then I have had a hard time finding another bag of those same oranges. Buying oranges like you buy apples (picking the ones you want) is just silly to me. I am going to be eating those things faster than you can blink as eye, so just give me 20 in a bag real cheap please.

As I sat here at lunch I got to thinking, what are the great benefits of the orange? So I checked it out. I mostly found interesting facts.
1. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world! Then there should be plenty of them to go around...in bags...why is this so hard for me to find?
2. There are four varieties of oranges: common, navel, blood and acidless. And there are over 50 spinoffs of those.
3. They are a great source of vitamin C! I think we all knew that though...
4. You can eat an orange peel. It has a lot of vitamin C and fiber. However, they also have a lot of pesticides unless organically grown. So steer clear.

After my research, I still don't know if this is a great running food or not but I will let you know when Runner's World tells me. As for now, I am going to keep snacking away on my giant bags of oranges since Weight Watchers says they are 0 points. Oh yes, I am doing WW as well. After my wedding last year I kind of blew up a little (fat and happy?) and after having my thyroid tested (and it came back normal of course) I decided it was time to bite the bullet and try a diet, even though I hate them. I've been doing it for about a month now and even though that first week was REAAAAAAALLY hard, I eat a lot less now and I eat healthier, which was my main goal in joining. I know I will never weigh as little as I did in high school ever again, but I can be healthy and happy. And maybe one day my thyroid issue will resolve itself.


What is your favorite go to fruit?
What is your favorite season? Why do you love it?