week 44: heading into halloween

We are heading into Halloween week, and with that comes the official start of the holiday season. In addition to the regular lineup of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s , we have anniversaries, birthdays, and plenty of celebrations.

I love this time of year: there are parties, and family, and friends. It’s just incredibly fun and uplifting.

Sunday – 5 miles

Even though Mr PugRunner was out of town, we had a fun day planned.

First, I got in a five mile run. It was lonely, but at least it got done.

Then little man and I loaded up and headed to our friends’ house. The boys were all going to hang out with the dad, while mom and I went out to a lovely, beachfront brunch.

We ended up watching the end of the Jags game at their house while the kids hung out, which was the perfect end of the day.

Monday – 5.2 miles, running + 9Round #101

I was up and at ’em early to meet S for our Monday morning miles.

Then it was time to get back to 9Round. It’s always hard to come in after a run, but I was ready to start back with my strength.

Mr PugRunner got home from his conference and so after homework, we just all had a nice dinner and evening together.

Tuesday – 9Round #102

Since he hadn’t been home all weekend, Mr PugRunner wanted to go out for breakfast to catch up. From there, we had an appointment for Bentley at the vet. He had two vestibular episodes over the weekend, and we wanted to see if we could shed some more light on the situation. Unfortunately, the news hasn’t changed much: it’s rare for dogs to have more than one vestibular episode in a lifetime, but since he’s not presenting any other major symptoms, we are not going to put him through lots of additional testing. We will keep up on his course of medication and continue to look for signs of discomfort.

A late trip to 9Round was just the thing to work out some of the stress.

Since little man was at Scouts, Mr PugRunner met me at a restaurant close to 9Round for their Taco Tuesday specials. We are thinking about making it a regular thing.

Wednesday – 5.2 miles, running + 9Round #104

We had amazing running weather on Wednesday: 60s and low humidity! I was tired but couldn’t miss out.

9Round incorporated so many pushups and lots of arm work. I could feel it in my shoulders before I even finished my 30 minutes. It’s great seeing the change in the shape of my arms and shoulders, too, so I don’t mind the hard work.

After school, we picked up one of little man’s friends and the boys goto to hang out and discuss Pokemon and anime related things. It was a really chill time, and I love that they have each other.

Thursday – 9Round #104

The kiddo had a meeting before school so I offered him a ride. He needed to submit his entry to the pumpkin decorating contest and it was going to be hard to transport it via bike.

Afterwards, I grabbed my gloves and wraps to hit up my 104th session. There has been a huge focus on hooks and power hits and kicks, and sometimes, it’s fabulous just to wail the heck out of the punching bags.

I got to enjoy some time at the beach at a Client Appreciation Event for a local hotel I’ve been working with. We had cocktails and appetizers on the outside terrace and I couldn’t get enough of the view.

Friday – 5.2 miles,running + 9Round #100

Friday’s run was flat out miserable: hot, heavy and dragging. Blah.

9Round was better, but I really had to amp myself up to give it my all.

The rest of the day was dedicated to working on my Halloween costume, getting little man packed for his campout and getting things set for my Trunk or Treat entry.

Mr PugRunner came home early, not feeling very well. He ended up having to go to bed early, so I ate dinner with little man and some Halloween movies and got everything set for a busy Saturday.

Saturday – rest

First up was dropping little man off for his campout. We met some of his Troop-mates for breakfast and then said our goodbyes. They were going to camp, help decorate a haunted trail at the park and then dress up to scare the hikers. The kids were so excited (I saw video and it was TERRIFYING!)

Mr PugRunner was worried about his blood pressure so we went to urgent care. He was seen quickly, prescribed something for his dizziness and nausea and told to just keep an eye on things. Having something to eat also helped settle the vertigo and get him back to full strength.

With that said, I was all in to help him with his Trunk or Treat event. We transported everything to the venue, set up the volunteers with tasks, got the music pumping and the photo booth in place, and then I decorated our trunk. I was fortunate to get everything on loan from a friend and our Jurassic Park theme was a huge hit.

By this point, Mr PugRunner was feeling much better so we got dressed to attend a Halloween party in our neighborhood. I went as Deviled Eggs, and my friend was Holy Guacamole. This was totally unplanned, but a huge hit.

For more great (and easy) Halloween costume ideas, check out this post I put together on One T-Shirt. Ten Costumes for the St. Augustine Moms!

Goal-getting

Miles were fantastic this week. I ended up taking the weekend off, which is probably much needed. I was disappointed not to get to run the 5K for Pancreatic Cancer due to a scheduling conflict, but I am making a donation to my friend instead. Also, I’m also signing up for three races today! It’s happening so I can commit and get them on the books.

9Round was also great. Our new trainers are very no-nonsense and I find myself pushing harder when they lead the workouts.

I felt pretty hydrated this week, but I did end up consuming more alcohol than usual. Not a lot, but drinks at brunch and drinks at the Halloween party were definitely in play. ‘Tis the season.

I am linking up with the new Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly! Check them out!

Will you be joining me at any of the Best Damn Race Ambassador Crew! Don’t forget to register with my BDR discount code RUNSWITHPUGS to save on any distance at any BDR location!

How was your week in training?

What effects do the upcoming holidays have on your training in regards to nutrition and scheduling?