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Wow, what a weekend. It’s been nonstop for me since 6am Friday morning. Let’s just say that I woke up this morning welcoming the calmness of Sunday. What is it about Sunday that just feels so peaceful?

Oh, it’s because I am not starting the day with an alarm clock screaming in my ear or rushing to get out of the door before I can even get a proper breakfast. I am one happy girl, and not just because I got to enjoy my Sunday pancake and fresh cherries.

Saturday was a completely different story. 

Remember how I mentioned Dan and I were co-hosting a baby shower? Well, that day was yesterday and because it was a lunch cookout it started at 11 am! That meant the friends we were hosting it with wanted us all to get together around 10 to set up and prepare for the 26 guests.

That also meant I would have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn because there was no way I could miss out on:

1. 1/2 marathon training
2. The farmer’s market.

At 4:45 am my crazy cell phone alarm started screaming at me. I got up, ate a small bowl of oatmeal, drank some water, went through my pre-run ritual and headed out the door to get downtown for a 6 am run.

Who runs when it’s still dark? I guess this girl.

But when you get to watch the sun come up over the harbor, you can’t help but take a deep breath, smile, and be thankful for this moment.

Tt was the BEST and LONGEST run of my very short running career. I knocked out 9-miles while listening to a great audio book (more to come on that below).  Each week as I continue to raise my mileage I am so proud of myself. Let’s not forget, 10 years ago I was told I shouldn’t run at all because of my herniated disc. Take that doctor (credit can be given to dedicated strength training).

Dan met me downtown at 8 so that we could hit up the farmer’s market together. We got there just as the venders were finishing up on setting their produce out, the dew was still on the grass, a bit of fog still in the air and the crowds had yet to plow in. It was perfect, It think we should do our shopping this early every weekend!

I couldn’t believe we were back home by 9 am to shower, pack the car and head out to the beach where we were hosting the party.

Talk about running like a chicken with its head cut off! I was.

Party Time! 

I was in charge of desserts and sides. I spent Friday night baking up cupcakes and adding these cute little toppers to them. I thought they were “beachy” and “girly” since my friend is having a girl.

These were vegan and delicious! We kept the vegan part a secret until everyone had sampled. Sounds weird, but we have people in our circle of friends who are put off and a bit afraid of foods being labeled “vegan”. Do you know anyone like that?

Let’s just say after sampling these guys, our friends were quite impressed! Win! The chocolate ones were Fudge chocolate with a chocolate espresso glaze; the others were coconut cream with a vegan buttercream coconut icing.

I also brought a 5 bean salad, pasta salad and lots of different chips.

I didn’t take any pictures of the food when set up because I am a freak about the thought of sand getting in my camera.

This is the pasta salad and bean salad combined for leftovers after the day of fun.

By time we got home it was after 5 and Dan and I announced we were dead to the world. He took a quick nap while I caught up on a few things (I hate taking naps that late no matter how tired I am). We relaxed with a salad, tried to watch a documentary (until I started falling asleep), and ended up in bed by 9:30.

It was exactly what I needed after this long and crazy day.

How I Made My Run Go Farther Than Ever Before

Last week was a record week, 8 miles were crossed off my training calendar. This week I broke that record… 9 miles done and you know what else? Those 9 miles were easier than the 8 the weekend before.

So what changed?

I mentioned the audio book above. I have never listened to an audio book while I ran, however I thought just maybe it would give me something to listen to and keep my mind off the miles.

I was right. I zoned out and just enjoyed the story being told.

If you run and find that sometimes music isn’t enough to keep your mind on something else other than your feet hitting the pavement, then I recommend downloading a book.

I choose, Eat & Run By Scott Jurek. He is an ultramarathon, vegan runner, so I thought his audio might give me the motivational kick in my butt I needed. His words on running when you want to give up really helped me and put into perspective my run. I mean this guys competes in runs 50-130 miles!

Listening to a book that related a bit to me and what I was doing at the very minute helped enormously. I almost stopped at 8.5 miles (because that had been my goal) but listening to Jurek’s stories of running and his ability to keep going even when you don’t want to got my to the big 9. A personal record..

And considering that this particular audio is 8 hours, it’s plenty long enough to enjoy over the course of 4-7 runs!

• What about you, what do you prefer to listen to while working out and running? 

When I am lifting weights I love fast beat, fun music. For running I am now all about audio books. I know Dan listens to podcasts and audio books no matter what type of workout he is doing.

Off to play catch up today! Fit Women’s Weekly is making it’s debut and I’ve got some prep work to do. Happy Sunday.

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