And here we are: April. Things are going to be a little different this month, with a change of attitude and some fresh goals.
Let’s take a look at the past week.
Sunday – rest
Since the weather wasn’t cooperating, we all agreed to a very, very low-key Easter. My parents and cousin came over, we split up the menu, and just spent the afternoon chatting.
Little man even learned how to play chess! I’m kind of excited about that. I technically know how to play, but I could definitely use some practice.
Monday – rest
Monday was little man’s last day of Spring Break. We had a few errands to run, but we had a nice lunch with Mr PugRunner and then it was time for the one thing that little man was most excited about: making donuts.
The Easter Bunny had delivered a donut pan and cookbook with little man’s basket, and little man was absolutely jumping to get going. He pored over the cookbook until he found a recipe he wanted to make (vanilla cake donuts with chocolate glaze), and then he went for it. I supervised and helped pull the pan out of the oven, but other than that, it was all him.
The end result was awesome. The donuts were a little dry, but we have never made them before, so we can certainly experiment some more.
Tuesday – 3 miles
I wanted to give the leg a little workout, and went out for three very slow and easy miles. It all felt pretty good, and that was encouraging.
We spent the day trying to get back into the swing of our normal routine. I think little man was pretty happy to be back at school with his teacher and friends.
Wednesday – yoga, 60 minutes
I was really excited for yoga. I realize now how much I’ve missed it and so I was looking forward to unrolling my mat and getting in some deep stretches. The class was intense! I was dripping sweat – almost more than when I run! It was incredible and I felt really energized when it was over.
Thursday – 3.1 miles
This run was just for me: I wanted to do it alone. And I could see a little more progress. Every little bit helps.
Friday – rest
Travel day! After getting little man on the bus, I packed up the car and went to pick up my mom for our trip to Savannah! It would be her first time in the city and I was so excited to show her around.
Traffic was absolutely nasty, so it took us a little longer than planned, but we were checked into the Hilton Desoto Savannah by lunchtime and had the rest of the day to explore.
The weather was also really threatening. Thunder and lightning and tornadoes were all predicted, and I think all the runners and race organizers were a little nervous about the conditions.
In the meantime, we enjoyed a wonderful evening. More on that to come.
Back at home, little man was running a race of his own: the Ready. Set. Glow. 5K. This would be his second 5K, with proceeds going towards technology at some of the local schools. Since Mr. PugRunner hasn’t been running, my friend’s daughter planned to stay with little man an make sure he got to the finish line. I felt badly that I hadn’t been able to train him sufficiently, but he held his own.
He scored a two second PR.
Saturday – 3.1, Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon & 5K
Small spoiler alerts: the rain held off, and I wasn’t able to complete the half marathon distance. I will share more details of that all in a separate post, but the Publix Savannah Women’s Half Marathon & 5K was pretty incredible, regardless.
I was kind of emotional throughout the morning, once I realized that my hip wasn’t going to allow me to do what I wanted to do, but tried hard not to let it ruin my day.
Of course, I was getting all kinds of texts from home.
Little man started his day at the Junior Jags combine. For the first time, the event was held inside an arena, making the conditions much more pleasant than if it was outside in the Florida heat. He got to do lots of drills with some of the coaches and hung with the cheerleaders.
Afterwards, the boys went to Collective Con, his very first comic con. He. Loved. It.
I wish I had been there to see some of the crazy cosplay outfits, but we will definitely do it again, as a family.
For all of us, it was a busy week.
My promise to myself was to take a break from running after Savannah. I will go into further details in my race recap later this week, but I think I am ready to do just that. I am frustrated and sad, and I am desperately need to regain confidence, strength and endurance. I know that a reset will do me a world of good and I’m kind of excited to see where intense cross training and strength building leads.
How was your week in training?
Have you ever had to just take a break to go back to basics? How did it work out?
Hooray for little man’s new PR! How awesome! I also NEED to get myself a donut pan – those look amazing!
There are so many great recipes for baked donuts. And it’s certainly something fun to do. I’m sure it can be used for lots of other yummy things, too!
Your son looks like he has so much fun at the races! I can’t wait to get my kids racing a bit! What donut cookbook did you get. That looks like a fun activity with kids!
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He said he had a great time. I was sad I couldn’t be there with him.
I got The Donut Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Donut-Cookbook-Recipe-Delicious-Donuts/dp/1495984095/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459897515&sr=1-1&keywords=donut+cookbooks). I figured it would have a ton of options for baked donuts, and so far, it looks like we have a lot of choices for things to make. He is already asking when we can do our next batch.
Sorry to hear that your race didn’t go as you’d hoped. Sounds like a break from running is exactly what you need right now.
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon Training Log – Week 9
Thanks. There were a lot of thing going on Saturday, and it just didn’t work out. I am disappointed in myself (maybe I should have pushed harder?), but I also like to think I did the smart thing and saved myself even more forced time off. Right now, I feel like so much of my problem is mental, and I need to overcome that.
I just love how he keeps wanting to do races it’s so cute! I think we all need to take a step back sometimes and reevaluate things. Sometimes it’s just taking a break for a few weeks and recharging. You will figure it out!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner recently posted…Grown Up Grilled Cheese & Baked Polenta Fries
He gets pretty excited. I’m trying to suggest another tri to him: his school will be doing a training program and have a team tent at the event, and I think he would really enjoy it so much more with his classmates and buddies. We will see how it turns out.
I am kind of looking forward to starting over. Maybe I can improve on a lot of my problems and be a better runner overall. I guess only time will tell.
My boys used to love making donuts! Oh my gosh, you brought back fun memories for me!
I’m so sorry to hear about your hip. Hopefully you can rest it and cross train to maintain your fitness. And if you need a shoulder to cry on, I”m here…
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Big Sur Marathon Training Week 9
Yay for memories!
Thanks, Wendy. I cried most of the day on Saturday. There’s a lot going on mentally, and I need to get my head back on straight. Who knew that so much of this was going to be based on my state of mind, rather than my physical ability? I appreciate the support more than you know.
What a bummer about the hip ;-( But, YAY to the little man’s PR 😉 Are those Brooks Adrenalines you’re wearing? They look just like mine….and I LOVE them 😉
The blue ones are the Brooks Adrenaline 15. I like them a lot. My Mizuno Wave Inspires are my favorite shoes, but these are a really great pair to have in my rotation.
Chocolate frosted rainbow sprinkle donuts are my absolute FAVORITE! I’ve never had the guts to try and make them myself though!
RFC recently posted…The Convertible HDL: Run Safety, Stats, & Social Media
Aren’t they delicious? They were surprisingly easy to make!
It sounds like you had a great weekend and the glo run looked so fun, I love those!
From what I hear, it was a hugely successful event! The kids especially seemed to love it!
Hurray for kids wanting to learn to cook! Looks like a good week to me!
Right? He has been a huge help in the kitchen, and has even done tons of menu planning. I am loving the extra hands and fresh ideas.
Sounds like you had a rough race. Sorry that your hip is still giving you trouble.
Looks like Little Man had an amazing weekend though!
MCM Mama Runs recently posted…TOTR: Running word of the moment – rebuilding
It’s so close to better, but my endurance and stamina are shot, and my confidence is shaken. I have a lot of work to do.
well first those donuts look so fun and I want a donut pan. second – dang about that race. I will say, when you’re ready to look at this way, going back to basics can be FUN! After a 9 month injury-initiated hiatus from running I spent some time focusing on short runs, speed work, things like that. It was very different from my normal half/full training and I didn’t pick any goal races for a while. I learned some new skills and found other ways to motivate myself. You can definitely come back stronger after taking some time to rebuild.
Coach Henness recently posted…Need Running Mojo? Just do one thing!
Thanks for the pep talk.
I will be doing a full post on how the next six weeks are going to go, but I’m ready to not feel like this anymore. My endurance and stamina are gone, my confidence is shot and I’m not doing anything but spinning my wheels and getting more and more frustrated. It’s not productive and it’s going to ruin my joy in running. I am looking forward to trying some new things and working on getting stronger.
Sounds like your son had a very busy, fun spring break! The donuts look yummy!!
It was a great time for him!
I love that your son is racing! Getting family members involved (and running with them) is the best. I also love is hanging with my peeps shirt! 🙂
Patty @ Reach Your Peak recently posted…5 Things You Should Know Before Starting WeightWatchers
We are big peeps lovers around here! Wish they had that shirt in my size!
Alright Little Man! I know he had a tough time training with his allergies (I feel that!) so that’s extra fantastic that he grabbed a new PR!
I’m stuck in a running rut that I can’t seem to get out of. I know they say if it’s important, you make time. But it’s been such a struggle, it’s hard to miss sleep for running. I hope your break give you a good hard reset and you can get back at it more confident than ever! If spring ever shows itself up here, I’ll be back to try again too 🙂
Stacie Seidman recently posted…Truthful Tuesday
It’s especially hard to miss sleep when it’s cold. I get it. I hope spring comes for you soon. It’s supposed to get down in the 30s again this weekend. What’s up with that?
Ugh! You’re in FLORIDA! That’s not right!
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