An Actively Active Weekend

Crazy...but there is a difference between just happening to get some unscheduled activity in and actually making extra stuff happen.  The difference is planning.  Just sayin'.

I had a 50 minute long run scheduled for Saturday, and I really wanted to run it before the heat of the day kicked in.  I really love running early in the morning...used to do it all the time before I got a job that had me leaving the house at 6am to be at work by 6:45.  I digress...early morning runs leave me super-energized and ready for the day, regardless of what it brings.  The early morning air is fresh and ripe with possibility, and I love running when there is very little traffic, a whole lot of birdsong, and a sky full of sunrise....just lifts me right on up.

Since Keith had some errands to do in town, I suggested we ride in together, and he could drop me off and run his errands while I ran, after which we could go grab a bite of breakfast (or in my case, after-breafast).  He agreed, so we left the house around 6am, and the sun was breaking over the mountains when I finally got going.  I felt really good and really strong during the run, contributable, I'm sure, to the low temp/humidity, and I thought I was making pretty good time...until I hit the turn-around point.  After that...it was all uphill. Blech.

The graph at the top says it all.  The good part of this, I guess, is that regardless of the grade change (so evident in the green), my pace (in the blue) stayed relatively steady.  I was pretty proud of that.  My pace?  Meh...15:12.  I would have liked it to have been better, but I still have my training wheels on, I guess. For a long run at this stage of the game, it ain't bad.  It could be better, though.

The funny part of all this was that right at the end of my run, Keith showed back up and took a few pics so I could see my...*cough* form (or lack thereof).  In all fairness, I had asked him to do that if he got back soon enough, but holy cow...they're actually laughable.  There's a meme on the internet that describes it perfectly...that feeling of flying while you're running.  Everything is syncing in your body, it's all coming together, you feel the muscles stretch out and your form gels...and then you see a pic of yourself.

 I look like I was walking. Yes, I was finishing up a four-mile run. Yes, it was all uphill the second half.  Yes, this was at the very end.  But...but.....

*sigh*

I know, I know...these things take time.  But damn.

On the flip side, my shirt is literally bagging off of me.  SCORE (and time to retire this shirt. srsly.).

I spent the rest of the day cleaning house, which made me feel awesome, in spite of my crappy form.  And Sunday, we headed out to take our boys for a hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Our boys love to go hiking, and they love swimming even more.  They have free roam of the woods around our house, so it's not nature they're digging...it's time with us.  So we do our best to do something with them every weekend, even if it's just a car ride to the store.  Yesterday, we headed up to Dennis Cove.  As hiking on the AT goes, it's a pretty level stretch, and that was a huge consideration, since Keith's still wearing a knee brace. 
He can't go far without his knee killing him, so we figured this would be a good way to stretch a bit, spend time with the boys, enjoy nature and each other's company, and do it all without him spending the rest of the day in pain.  We walked about a mile to the river and parked under the bridge while they played in the water...their absolute favorite thing, lol.  Had we gone any farther, the path would have started climbing pretty steeply, and Keith didn't feel that was in his best interest, so we chilled for a while, and I got some really good pics of the boys.

 They move so much, it's really hard to get a good face shot without it blurring, lol.  But Lugnut was feeling kind of lazy, so I was able to get him pretty easily today, and you can see those HUGE eyes he has.  Gojo (black) is still a bit skittish when strangers come around, although he is doing MUCH better.  But when a group of hikers crossed the bridge above us, you could see the trepidation in his face. 

He really is such a good boy...both of them are.  And the more he gets socialized, the better and easier he is to handle.  This hike was by far the best yet, he pulled very little on the leash, and didn't shy away from anyone.  As a matter of fact, he even stuck his nose out for pets a couple of times...definite win!

 On the way back home, I got a great shot of the valley below us as we descended the mountain.  That's the town of Hampton in the pic, and the far mountains are in the direction of Johnson City.  It really was a beautiful day for hiking...a bit overcast with a light breeze, and the temp was awesome.

We stopped on our way through Hampton to get the boys an ice cream cone at    McDonalds, thinking it would be an awesome treat for them...but Gojo only ate it half-heartedly, and Luggie wouldn't touch it, even when I smooshed it on his snout.  So much for treats...guess I'll stick to the Dogster peanut butter and cheese flavored doggie ice cream I get in the store...they LOVE that stuff.

All in all, I got in 4 miles of running on Saturday, and 2 miles of hiking on Sunday, my off-run day.  Sunday afternoon was spent just chilling out, and catching up on emails and Netflix episodes....perfect for decompressing. 

I woke up this morning, feeling awesome, and ready to start my week, which is gonna be another long one.  Keith has an MRI scheduled for tonight at the hospital where I work, so I'm planning on going to the gym to run on the treadmill after work.  We should be getting done about the same time, and I'm hoping he will take me to dinner at the sushi place across the street when we're done.  That's the plan, anyway.  I hate running on treadmills, and so far on this journey, I've been able to avoid it.  But if there is sushi at the end of the run, it will be worth it.

This morning, I was blessed with this view from the parking lot when I got to work.  So inspiring to watch the sunrise over the mountains!  Of course, it would probably be a lot more inspiring if I were watching it from my own living room.  Just sayin'....