Toys for Tots 5K (December 11)

(sorry, a saved post I never published!)

We did another race this morning... and had a great time. This time it was the Toys for Tots 5K... and it was a little more populated than our last event (and a lot more HILLY!!!!).

Drumroll please, bblblblblblblblblblblblblbllblbllblblblblblbl

Boys ages: 1-8
1st Place: Snooker - 29.59 (74th place overall)

Boys ages 9-10
1st Place: Bubba - 31.00.8 (90 overall) (that included a really nasty fall with lots of blood, and torn glove... but he soldiered on :-)
2nd Place: Bobcat - 31.02.3 (91 overall)

We are so happy for the boys! They made us proud, and swept the podium!!

As for Daddio and me...
Mens 30-34 (12 in age group)
8th Place: Daddio - 30.59.6 (89 overall) (Personal best, and managed to beat two of the three boys... that was one of his goals :-)

Womens 30-34 (15 in age group)
10th Place: Me - 39.39.9 (157th overall) (my personal best time and best overall pace, and I managed to attain my two goals once again... under 40 minutes, and not dead last... not only was I not dead last, I wasn't even the slowest in my age group... YEAH!)

The funny thing is Snooker could have gone a lot faster. He was up ahead of the boys, but kept turning around to keep tabs on them and make sure he was doing the right thing... he never broke out in his faster pace that we've seen from him when we run our normal weekly workout. That kid is a gazelle!

Turkey Trot!

Here's our Thanksgiving morning.

We've been training for a while to run a 5K (the boys and I since June)... and we've been very close to actually doing a race for a couple months but for one reason or another we had to opt out. Thankfully yesterday that wasn't the case. We registered at the beginning of the week knowing full well there was a terrible cold front scheduled to move in that morning... but we were determined to say the least!

We were up at 5am (well, Daddio and I were) watching the news and drinking a cup of coffee, and were so relieved when the weather lady said that the front was stalled and wouldn't be here till around 9:00am... PERFECT our race started at 8:00am, we would be done before it came in, and it was currently 70 degrees, so even if it dropped a few before 9:00 it would still be really nice. The boys were up at 6:00 for their breakfast and coffee milk (yeah, we are nice on special days :-), and 6:45 we were ready to get in the car to head downtown. I went out to take care of a few thing before we left... and guess what... the front was already blowing in. OH YEAH!

Upon parking the car at the Trinity River, our car thermometer read 47 degrees... oh and did I mention the slight drizzle... NICE!! We were a little early so Andy ran down to the registration table to get us checked in while we waited in the car. Oh I should also mention that while the boys were in long running pants, Daddio and I opted for shorts (well I was wearing my running skirt... which I wish I could live in because it is so comfy with it's built in shorties)... and a light running jacket! Andy makes it back with our numbers, we pin them all on and we are starting to get hyped up about the race... car thermometer is now at 43 degrees. Oh and I mention the wind, yes the wind had picked up to a pretty fierce strength coupled with the drizzle was making for NICE conditions!!

Alright, we are dangerously close to race time... and I need to find the ladies room... which turns out to be a port-a-potty with no toilet paper... NOT NICE. Jog back up hill to the start line and get ready! The boys were excited, Daddio was excited, I was a little nervous. I hadn't had the best few weeks of training, and was really not sure I could run the whole thing which was my overall goal... that and running it in under 40 minutes! Thankfully Daddio had picked a smaller race for the metroplex... they have several Turkey Trots around town, and this one probably had about 200 runners on the start line that had the choice of a 5K or the 8mi, and based on the chatter it was about half/half for the group.

START! And we're off. The boys decided they were going to stay with Daddio's pace (about a 10-11 minute mile), but if they got tired they could fall back and finish out with me. With the smaller crowd and well marked course we felt like they could manage a few minutes until I caught up with them... thankfully that was not needed they are MACHINES! By the time I hit the 1 mile marker I could no longer see them, which was fine... I don't mind running alone, but I was having to get used to not having my music while I run. Andy told me I couldn't run with my earphones in because it was bad form in a race... thankfully the the river was pretty with the ducks and what not.

Since I was not running with the rest of my family, because they are awesomely fast, I can't really give you any insight into how they did... but as for me, I fell into a nice pace, and willed myself to NOT WALK. It was cold, and getting colder, the wind was cold and fairly biting, and then there was the drizzle. Thankfully it came in spurts so that you weren't completely saturated, but I definitely had a cold sheen on my exposed legs. What I can tell you about men happened at the turn around... apparently Bubba asked if he could run faster at some point, and Daddio gave him the go ahead thinking he would wear out and fall back in step with them... but Daddio hasn't run too much with Bubba and didn't realize the kid is an energizer bunny... so Bubba ran ahead, missed the turn around for the 5K portion and continued on the 8 mile trail. Poor Daddio and several other runners tried yelling to get his attention but he was in the ZONE! By the time Daddio spirited up and caught him and got turned around and back on track we think they ran an extra 1/4 mile! Bobcat and Snooker made the turn and made a bee line for the finish line (the turn around was naturally at the 1.5 mile portion). Daddio figured that they would stop or walk and he would catch up to them. NOT THE CASE!

Bobcat and Snooker finished the race in under 33 minutes. We aren't sure of the official time yet, it hasn't been posted but they received 2nd and 3rd place in their age bracket (and received the cutest turkey trophies you've ever seen)! When I made it to the turn around, that was when Daddio and Bubba made it back to where they got off course... and blew past me! Did I mention Bubba is MACHINE! They crossed the finish line in just under 35 minutes... impressive with the detour... but poor Bubba did not win a trophy. Trust me, for this ultra competitive kid it was heart breaking. He cried the whole way home, through the shower, and for another hour while he just laid in bed while the rest of us got ready for Thanksgiving!

As for me, I finished in 39:09 minutes... and I ran the entire way! While I certainly wasn't fast, with an average pace of a 13 minute mile, I accomplished my two goals... I ran the whole way and was under 40 minutes. No trophy for Daddio or me... but the woman I came in right behind received one, and I'm pretty sure I was in her age bracket... so I feel pretty good about my results!

So we get back to the car... and the temp is 35!

We are all ready to do another one, especially Bubba... poor kid wants to win a trophy :-).

And that was our exciting Thanksgiving morning :).

Have a lovely weekend,

RunKeeper

I'll admit one reason I could hardly wait to get my iPhone was to use one of those cool running apps that tracked everything you did! Well, I bought my phone two weeks ago... a few days before we left for Florida so I wasn't really able to look for and install and app or even use it for that matter.

Until today!!!! Yippeee, I read reviews (for several days, on several websites) and finally decided on one that was free (you can pay for the upgrade, but why for now, right?)... RunKeeper.com I used it today and am quite pleased with it. The running time is large and easy to read, and it was really cool to actually find out the distance of the park loop that we run most sessions (we guessed it was about a .5 mile... turns out it is .6).

I just wish my running muscle memory was as cool as the app... turns out that taking off two weeks for vacation, well um, made me forget how to run... well actually my lungs forgot how to work... my legs are fine.

Anyway... I will keep you posted on how I like this program. If you are using any with your smart phone, and like them... please share!

Annoyed

This morning's run was cut short due to all the whining and complaining I was having to listen to. Normally I can block out this sort of behavior on a run, but I reached my limit and knew that it would be better to just go on home instead of getting angrier and angrier... If they were just a little older, I would've just sent them home (especially since our first mile ended at our street) and then gone on my merry way to finish the run...

What should have a 25 minute run (and some where in the neighborhood of 2.5 miles) was a rather just a mile. For that mile, though, I made really good time:

First half mile: 5:30 minutes (slight down hill on the first leg, and then up hill the second leg)

Total mile: 11:19 minutes!

I was pretty worn out after that first mile, so I know my second mile would have been a lot slower... but I'm okay with that.

10 40 over and out...

That's a funny title... sorry it is the 1040th post on this blog and I couldn't resist!

This morning was a nice change of pace for running.... Daddio had the day off and so we got to run as a family for the first time in well over a month. We headed out about an hour or some later than when the boys and I usually run (which made a little hotter), but that was okay because we got in the car and headed to a nice and shady (super wide) trail a few minutes down the road!

The training schedule called for 10 min run, 3 minute walk, 10 minute run (I will say that I didn't look at my list this morning and was under the impression it was a 10/5/10 routine)... unfortunately I have been suffering a womanly issue for the last week and half... normal women who run probably have no problems with this issue... but for ladies like me who have PCOS or other issues where we only go through this once or twice a year... WELL IT IS A REAL PAIN in a number of different ways. I am pretty disappointed in the overall run today, I only managed 10 min run, 5 min walk, and 5 min run before I felt like I was going to hurl! Daddio was quite patient and reminded me that most people probably wouldn't have even gotten out of bed when dealing with what I've been dealing with. That did make me feel somewhat better, but still frustrated in not finishing the recommended routine for the day.

I did get an 'atta girl' for good form, good pace, and regulated breathing... I've been wondering where I'm at in relation to his speed (since our first race we wanted to try to stay together as a family... I didn't want to drag him down, and I didn't know if I was getting any where near a 10 minute mile, not there yet but getting closer).

Also based on what he saw of the boys, he feels they are ready for a 5K... so we are really just waiting on me to finish the program. I'm okay with that. I feel good knowing that I'm not pushing them, and that they will be able so survive this distance in this heat. As for me... I CAN'T WAIT TILL OCTOBER. I really could use it being about 10 degrees cooler when we run. It would make my current situation so much easier to deal with... although knowing my body I won't have this problem for another 6-12 months.

I don't know about your children... but my boys love picking things up... even on a run. They will stop mid-stride if they see something, then sprint back to catch up. This morning it was tree nuts of some sort. Once we were back in the car and headed home the comparisons started of who had what and how many... and that's when Snooker got upset because he didn't bring any into the car... someone shared so all was right with the world again. Then this... from Bubba and I quote "I wish I had a pickle jar, without any pickles (pause), and no pickle juice to put these nuts into." That kid cracks me up... he knows exactly how he wants it to look in his head... the exact kind of jar... he is so much like me it just makes me laugh every time he describes a thing he wants/needs!

That's it for me... Happy Monday... catch ya on the flip side :-)

What what...

Today I hit my biggest (and most impressive) goal with the whole running thing! Today I ran an entire 20 minutes without stopping. You might be saying to yourself (you cynic) that hey, you've been interval training so why is that such a big thing... well I'll tell you... my previous longest run (which happened to be Monday) was 8 minutes. That's right I jumped from 8 minutes to 20!!! CRAZY, right!?!

In theory (the C25K theory) was that 20 min = 2 miles. Um, yeah, pretty sure I didn't run two miles. Probably a mile and half (or a little more). I was running pretty slow... could be considered a 'jolk' (yes I made it up, it's my word and I'll use it if I want)! BUT I WAS NOT WALKING! So yeah for me.

Now about the boys... good grief, I was certain that this would be the thing... the distance... the time... that would have them winded, tired, even complaining... NOPE, still galloping and prancing like ponies... even asthma boy (Bubba) wasn't even slightly winded.

As for me around minute 11 I was starting to get tired, but I reasoned with myself that I would keep on pushing, get around that next corner, get to that big tree... DON'T look at the watch... and then I broke (sort of) I just had to look at my watch, I felt like I was fading... so I made a deal with myself, if it was under 15 minutes I would push through to the 15 minute mark and then walk the rest of the way home. If it was past the 15 minute mark I was going ALL THE WAY. The time dear friends... 16 1/2 minutes... onward Christian soldiers it was!

I re-focused my breathing (code for stopped panting like a dog), massaged my back a little, and started paying attention to the music I was listening to (Michael Buble... nice jazzy beat). The last few minutes went by pretty quickly and then we walked home. After about 3 minutes of walking my heart rate settled right down, and I could have run another 5+ minutes... but that wasn't on the schedule for today so we just walked it on home (plus Bobcat was limping and crying the whole time... had to sit on a bench at the park... so running was really out of the picture with him in-tow at that point anyway).

So what's left... well today was the completion of week 5 for me. The next round is another set of intervals for the first two workouts... and Wednesday next week will be a 25 minute solid run. And that will conclude week 6. Week 7 has all three days' runs set at 25 minutes no stopping, and then week 8 will be 3 workouts of 28 minutes solid! Week 9, the last week is 30 minutes and the intention that you will have gotten a little faster and are running somewhere in the neighborhood of a 10 minute mile! Here's hopin!

In his hay day...

As I was going through my email this morning I saw a message from my grandmother's account... when I opened it up I was so excited to see that it was actually from my grandfather... who never sends emails!

He was writing to make sure I wasn't pushing it too hard with the running, and that I wasn't pushing the boys too hard. He had seen a weather announcement for our area with 106/107 degree days... he was concerned. In it he also gave some pointers... in his hay day he was quite an athlete. Up until the last decade or so he was an avid runner/biker/tennis dude/gym buff. Like all things though, age has taken it's toll and with knee replacements and back surgeries to relieve pain he spends his time mostly at the gym to do what he can and use their sauna/spas.

Some of my earliest memories of my grandparents are of them and their outdoor and active lifestyle. They were always down at the Racket Club playing tennis with the seniors club, or swimming what seemed to be (to a tiny tot) a million laps in the pool. I knew my grandfather was a runner, but I didn't really remember the details of what he did.

Anyway, at the bottom of my grandfather's email he added some of his timed mileage that he had handy... mind you these where when he was in his 50's...

They may not be my best, but they are some I have record of.

1 mile 5:31

2 Mile 11:34

3 miles 18:20

4 miles 26:33

5 miles 35:05

6 Miles 39:45

10 miles 1:11:49

Houston Marathon 3hr 45 minutes in 1980

People... in his 50's he was CRAZY FAST!!!! My goal right now... a 10 minute mile! I have one of the coolest grandfathers ever!

On a roll

We are half way through week 4 in the C25K program... the program this week calls for:

5 min walk, [3 min run/90 sec walk, 5 min run/2.5 min walk] x2

Saturday we managed a door to door time of 31 minutes, and today we kicked it up a little and shaved off a minute for a total of 30 minutes door to door.

Wednesday will be the last day of this routine, and we will move on to week 5 on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to that series (weirdly) because each of the three workouts are different... up to this point each of the three workouts have been identical... but we are nearing the end so they have kicked it up a notch. Next Wednesday we have to run an entire 20 minutes... while this is a little intimidating, I'm looking forward to not having to stop after each little running section. Every time I come to the end of a walking section I don't want to start running again, it takes too long to get back into the groove of an even stride and what not... I would much rather just push through with no little breaks in between.

Oh, and Bubba's asthma dr. gave us the big thumbs up last week (and a pat on my back) saying that this is the great sort of exercise to help build up his lungs (as long as I keep a close eye on him). He joked that he would be tickled beyond words if I could get him all the way up to a half marathon. I did asked Daddio about this, but it is 13.1 miles which translates to around a 2 hour run (as a respectable time). I can't wrap my head around that yet, so this is NOT on my current running radar!

Record keeping

Week three started on Saturday... the training schedule says you should do two reps of 90sec jog/90sec walk, 3 min jog/3 min walk

Saturday: 5 min walk warm up, 90/90, 3/3, 90/90, 2/2 (just couldn't do another minute), 3/3 (because I just had to do a three minute set... I didn't want to quit)

Monday: 5 min walk warm up, 90/90, 3/3, 90/90, 3/3, walk home (door to door 32 min).

I'm pleased that I got the series done in the right order this morning!

What's that smell?

Hello dear readers and friends! I feel like we know each other fairly well, and I think I can be frank with you. First put your arms down, you don't smell (well, if you do, I'll do my best to ignore it)... and thankfully at the moment I don't smell (I'm sure of this!).

Anyway, back to my point about smelliness... I've come to the gripping realization that there is no worse personal smell than that of having just run for 30 minutes (or longer if you are that cool, I'm not). Look, everyone gets hot and stinky working in the yard, working around the house... all that sort of thing, but nothing compares to the horrific odor of oneself and one's clothing after a run... good grief. I mean, I freak myself out in the shower realizing that it is in fact ME that smells that bad at that moment!

Why is it so much worse? Well, (if your still reading) I've come to a conclusion... that jarring motion of running/jogging literally shakes the stink right out or your pores. That can be the only logical answer, right?!

So there my friends, mystery solved :-)!

Goooooood Evening Friends

Since Daddio had Monday off we ran a few errands, and we stopped by the running store to see what they had and to pick a belt/bottle thingy for Daddio. While we were there Daddio decided it was time to get me a real pair of running shoes. I couldn't have been more happy (especially considering I hadn't even asked for any!)...

Now, I've never been fitted for running shoes, and have no real idea what the fuss is all about... that's when the lovely lady there got down to her job. First they measured my feet, turns out they are the same size (apparently this isn't always the case), inspected my arches (low rise) and then grabbed a pair of shoes for me to put on for the next part. Now, I suppose I should set the stage just a little better. We were out and about and I was wearing a cute little skirt and shirt and sandals... not really running shoe shopping apparel. So I needed a dummy pair of shoes for the next phase. I had to get on a treadmill that had a camera mounted behind it and then I had to jog for a minute or so, and they analyzed my style! With that information she knew exactly what type of shoe (support wise) I needed and brought out a few for me to try!

When I try on shoes, I pretty much follow this criteria... first I have to like how they look, and they have to feel right on! Notice the first part... how they look... well, just throw that out the window with shopping for running shoes... it's only about fit! I realized this right away by what she brought out and so immediately tossed away my desire for my favorite colors on sneeks!
Low and behold, the shoes that fit the best and felt like pooffy clouds of heaven were...

PINK AND PURPLE!!!! Woohoo!

Oh, and Daddio even got me some fancy running socks (apparently the little cotton socks I was wearing before will more than likely cause blisters)... and they are AWESOME (oh and a new sports bra because he thought it was ridiculous that with my old one I had to wear an old regular bra and the sports bra together to get the right support... the new one rocks!).

And because Daddio can read my mind, one of the first things he said to me when we got back into the car was that I wasn't to go on another run that day... since I had already been that morning :-(! He knows me so well, because that is exactly what I wanted to do.

In the interest of sticking to my schedule, I followed it and didn't do my next run till today. I waited until this evening to get out because I felt so crummy this morning. The boys and I are just wracked with allergies right now, and I thought a day of being quiet and still (and lots of allergy meds) would mean a successful run tonight! For the most part I was right, although at 8:00pm it is was still 90 degrees... but I really couldn't wait any longer because of their need for a shower and bed time once we got back home. So off we went... listening to my new podcast that keeps track of the time for you and chimes when you need to switch! Boy, not having to look at my watch or really worry about my stride and just listen to the music was a really nice escape. If you are doing this program (C25K), I would highly recommend either the podcast or the apps for iPhones!

Performance of the shoes and socks... rockin! It took a little while to feel normal in them because they are just so different than what I was wearing before. The saleslady also said that I should notice some relief from knee pain as well. I'm not too worried about that right now, the strap I'm using seems to be really doing the trick, but every little bit helps!

As for the program, tonight was the last time at this interval. Saturday I will be stepping up to the next level. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm really enjoying the challenge!

It's good to be back!

It's been a while... both posting and running. I ended up having to take a little over a week off from training because of a knee issue. Thankfully by the end of last week I was feeling a lot better, but not able to run just yet because of other engagements, I had a few more days to rest... and then this morning I woke up... saw the temp on the computer and decided this was the morning to get back on the ole horse!

The boys and I suited up, and hit the pavement.

Stats for the day (for my benefit... I'm going to use this as my training journal)

Warm up walk: 8 minutes

Run/walk workout: 20 minutes

Lap time: 2 laps (around park) 16 1/2 minutes (2 minutes better woohoo than the last good workout), last run/walk series was done on the way back home

Walk down time: 6 minutes

The boys are doing well with this program. We still really haven't hit their stride just yet. I think maybe in the next round (more running, less walking series), we might see a little more effort on their part. As for me, my knee did great this morning... the new brace I picked up last week seems to be just the right thing. It's not to bulky/hot, it doesn't cut off circulation, and it seems to hold the knee cap in the right spot (which was I think was the main issue I was having).

Workin' blind

It's my nature to plan, sometimes to excruciating detail... but I like to, and it keeps me feeling balanced and in control of myself.

That's one part of my personality... the second part can be my not so friendly perfectionism side! This is what can play out when the proverbial stars do not align...

Scene 1: Plan, plan, plan... something changes, plans don't fit together, things don't go the way I planned, it doesn't turn out the way I pictured it in my head... FAILURE!

or

Scene 2: I have a great idea in my head, decide that I could never pull it off so I never try...

I truly hate failure... yes yes yes, I know that with failure can come lessons that one needs to learn... I prefer to just read it in a book instead of experience failure first hand. Whatever, I recognize it is a character flaw... and yes, I'm working on it!

Now you can understand my natural inclination when it came to the prospect of running, or even starting a running program! Ta' not to! Thankfully Daddio can be mighty persuasive with me, plus I was able to see his progress working the plan.

Last night was my third run of the program, and even though we had hosted dinner guests (I'm so glad you guys spent the afternoon with us!!!)... the weather was just too nice to skip it and wait until today... so off we went. The first running portion felt like I was carrying a sack of rocks, and I was starting question my previous enthusiasm... but by the second running section I realized that I really need to pick up the pace in order to have a comfortable stride (I'm fast as lightening, hah!). From that point on it was a great workout with no more second guessing of going out for the run.

Each morning after the workout, I expect to wake-up feeling terribly sore or in down right pain, but thankfully this somewhat gentle approach is working for my worn out joints and I haven't needed any anti-inflam's to keep me moving (just a few allergy pills to keep all that non-sense in check).

Normally my overly-plannish nature would be all over the calendar with the schedule and routine... but going into this new frontier I've decided that I would merely show up to each workout... in the sense that Daddio would be my trainer if you will, and he would set the rules for how things would progress. Boy, what a freeing feeling!! Normally I would be on the computer 'researching' the best way to do this or that... but nope... my only search had to do with, um, a piece of wardrobe... running underpants for ladies... mostly just to see if there was a such a thing and what made them different from normal ones (I still have no information on that).

As for the program... I finished level 1, and Daddio says that we will be moving on and increasing the time of the running time sections on our next work out. I'm really stoked about that (for some weird reason).

You may be wondering what the boys are doing while all this is happening, well, technically they are supposed to be training with me. Generally speaking they end up racing each other, jumping to grab leaves of the trees we run under, or skipping around like ponies in a meadow. I'm sure as the running sections increase they will be challenged and more focused on what is actually happening... or not!

It's just the beginning...

Mornin'!

I've never considered myself an athletic person. I'm not really sure where or when I made that conclusion, but never the less at some point I said I'm not athletic and sort of stuck by that phrase. Looking back over the last 31 years, though, I'm starting to think I might be somewhat athletic... I could swim before I could walk, I was water skiing once I was old enough to stand on my own, I played non-competitive tennis starting in late elementary school, cheerleading in junior high and first part of high school, marching band all through high school (which I do consider a sport when you live in Texas and march in 100+ heat), and mountain biking after we got married (oh and all the hiking during our numerous camping trips)... and generally speaking I've excelled at each of those things... but I'm not athletic remember!

If I were to really analyze what I considered athletic it would be something like... looking athletic... long lean body... that's not me, I'm compact; the athleticism would be associated with lots of running, I'm not a runner; killer competitiveness, and I don't like that sort of thing (my parents were competitive in what I was doing and I hated it). What I do have is brut strength, serious, ask Daddio... I think it might have something to do with my compact size. Also, generally speaking I just keep going... I've been surprised at myself and my ability to keep up with the boys and Daddio when it comes to outdoor things... especially since I consider those four to be more athletic than me (even after two knee surgeries and two nasty ankle injuries).

Well if you are still reading, you are really starting to ask yourself where in the world is this super boring post headed???... to RUNNING is my answer!

Last night was our first training session for the couch to 5K in eight weeks program. Of course Daddio has already finished and run a race, and now is training for a 10K... but after a lot of talking we've agreed that it would be good for the boys and I to train up for a 5K. Now, I'll be honest, I was certain that this was in some way going to lead to an ER trip. It has been just over 2 years since I've landed in the ER for X-rays and MRI's and tons of PT, so I figured that this would definitely send me back. Not because I can't do it mind you, but because some joint or ligament would just say "NOPE, not gonna do it!" Then I would fall and something would break or tear. I was hedging bets, though, that I would break an arm or something, you know mix it up a little... I'm tired of all the leg injuries!

Drum roll please.....................

We survived! Better than that, I survived! Actually I really enjoyed it. I never felt winded or in pain or anything for that matter (well maybe a little annoyed with all the silliness going on behind us from the ever following peanut gallery). So the first day out was a smashing success! Oh, and when I woke up this morning I didn't feel like I was on death's doorstep. The knees, ankles and all muscles feel just fine! I was really expecting to be feelin' some serious burn, so it was definitely a pleasing surprise to feel completely normal.

Alright, day one down, today is a rest day, and tomorrow we hit the program again! The plan as of right now is that we will run our first 5K as a family in September! That gives us plenty of time to train and not die in 100+ temps for our first race.