Our End Of Year Adventures Begin

As the end of the year approaches (WHAT?) we are gearing up for all kinds of adventures. There’s some travel, some outings, and so much fun on the calendar. I love this time of year, even when it does get busy. Let’s dive in!

Sunday

• Cardio: 4.70 miles, walking

Let the week begin!

The weather was gorgeous, so I got the pugs out for their walk. They do so much better in the cooler temps, and we take advantage as much as we can.

I was pretty exhausted from the week before and wasn’t at all mad to take myself to the couch for the rest of the day.

Monday

• Cardio: 6.33 miles, running

Another gorgeous day! A went back to school, and I was so glad that he was feeling better. He was even part of a wind ensemble group that went to play at a Veteran’s Day program at the local elementary school.

I got out for a really nice run, incredibly grateful for cooler weather again.

Tuesday

• Cardio: 6.03 miles, running + 1.08 miles, walking

For the first time in forever, I didn’t get up at the crack of dawn. It was literally freezing and I wanted to wait for things to warm up. I wasn’t meeting any friends, and A didn’t have school, so it worked out. You know it’s cold if I’m in long pants.

After running, A and I met up with his bandmates to help with loading the trailers for our big Indianapolis trip. We enjoyed a lunch on Yelp at the delicious new Indian place by our house.

And when A went off to work, Mr PugRunner and I walked to the lobster roll food truck for dinner. It was cold again, so I had lobster bisque and tots, which was absolutely perfect. I will always choose soup.

Wednesday

• Cardio: 5.14 miles, walking

Once again, I slept in. J wasn’t able to meet and I didn’t have anywhere to be right off the bat.

I spent much of the day organizing and packing. Big day tomorrow.

Thursday

• Cardio: 2 miles, airport walking

Are you ready? We were up before dawn and drove A and two of his buddies to the airport for a 5AM meet up time. We sent them off, had breakfast, and then settled in for own flight a few hours later. I took on a few miles in the concourse while we waited. I am a notoriously anxious flyer and with everything going on, I was a whole wreck about the day.

We caught a flight from Jacksonville to Houston, and then from there to Indianapolis.

Mr PugRunner even upgraded us to first class and that was super fun with espresso martinis and tons of room! We arrived at our destination at 8:30 PM, got to our hotel, ate dinner, and crashed.

In the meantime, the band routed through Chicago and found snow! They arrived at their hotel, had dinner, and then went on to a night rehearsal at the Colts practice field.

Friday

• Cardio: 2 miles, walking

I couldn’t drag myself out of bed in the morning, so I only had time for a quick jaunt through the city. It was beautiful, and I wish I had more time to explore.

When I got back to the hotel, we got ready for the day and then went to Long’s Bakery, for their famous donuts. And then it was time to head to Lucas Oil Field for the BOA Grand Nationals. We watched a few bands before A’s group took the field.

While I love their show, it’s been a tough year, but when they stepped off on that field, everything clicked. It was (to my eyes) absolutely flawless and they were all just glowing by the end. We were so very proud!

Unfortunately, they did not move on to semifinals. There were over 100 bands competing, and many of them are just larger programs with many more years of experience. For our first time, it was incredible, and for our seniors, it was a phenomenal way to end their season.

Saturday

• Cardio: Hilly Half 5K

Even though my race had a 9:30 start time, we had an hour drive and no idea where we were heading. We pulled out of the hotel around 6:45 and arrived at a decent enough time for me to get my packet and go to the bathroom. I’ll provide a full report on Wednesday, but state #14 is done!

Afterwards, we came back to the city and broke A out for lunch. It was nice to see him. Even though they didn’t make it to semifinals, he had such a wonderful experience, and that’s really all that mattered.

We had dinner with friends, and then went to bed super early for a 2:45 AM wakeup call. Yuck.

Thoughts + Goals

It was a wonderful and stressful week. Travel has been extra anxiety-inducing these days for all kinds of reasons, and I was really on edge (but trying to be good about it). I’ve reached a point where I just want to drive myself places. I didn’t spend any time making any plans or researching anything about this trip. I registered for the race with the plan that it might not happen. And while everythign went really well, it was very emotionally draining.

That being said, it was amazing to visit a new place and see the band perform on such an iconic field. While they didn’t make it to finals, the experience was truly epic, and I am so grateful they had the chance to do it. They will be back!

In Case You Missed It…

• Cheers To 19 Years
• The Ultimate Black Friday Playbook For Runners
• The Best Fall Running Tradition: Why We Love The Turkey Trot
• 5 Simple Ways To Give Back To The Running Community

How was your week in training? Do you start getting busy this time of year? How is your weather?

Weekly Rundown

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