Walking, Running, and Hiking...Oh, My!

It's been a minute since I've blogged...almost a week, in fact.  Guess there goes my 'blog more' goal for last week, huh?  And I was on a roll....*sigh*

I had a really amazing week, though, for all that.  I really stepped it up in terms of my activity, logging a 3 mile walk every day last week, except for one day on the weekends, when I cleaned house instead.  And that's not including my run days, which were extra!  On Wednesday, I had a great 4 mile run with an average pace of 13:58.  I thought that was great...until Friday.

Friday, I officially kicked ass.

Friday, I ran 5.88 miles, with an average pace of 12.58. Did I mention it was on a steep grade?  Yeah...I was pretty much soaked by the time I got back to the car.  Not just with sweat, my friends....with contentment.  Peace in my soul that comes with knowing you accomplished something damned hard.  It was a truly awesome feeling.

Oh...and I dropped another half pound at my weigh in Friday morning, so there's that.

Saturday, I spring-cleaned to get ready for having my house overrun by my daughter, Jessica and two of her friends who came up for a weekend of hiking.  They got there late in the day, so we just basically relaxed and got ready for Sunday's hike, which was on Roan Mtn.


Twice in two months. Another roll...this time, a good one. :)


Since Sunday was a run day for me, I got up with the birds and did my three miles at the closest high school track so I could hurry and get back.  Decent pace, too...3.1 miles at a 13:25 pace (I think that might have bettered my 5k PR from 2009...I'll have to check on that).

Hannah, Olivia, and Jessica on Round Bald.

We hiked much farther than I usually do, though. I've never been farther along the Roan Mtn. stretch of the AT than the back side of Round Bald.  This time, we went almost to the summit of Jane Bald, which doesn't seem that much farther, but it's a very rocky, challenging climb. Gave my hip fits, stepping up from one boulder to another.  I made it, though, and Jessica couldn't believe how far I'd come fitness-wise since the last time we went hiking together.  She honestly didn't think I'd make it, but I kept up just fine, and in fact, the one we had to slow down for wound up being Jessica, herself.  She didn't think about the fact that she was on antibiotics, and they don't mix too well with direct sunlight.  It was nice and cool, beautifully sunny, but it took its toll on her, and she got very nauseous on the trip, so we took a nice break at a gorgeous overlook, ate our lunch, and headed back down.

All in all, it was a glorious 3-mile hike, and we all enjoyed it tremendously... especially Luggie and Gojo, who got to go, too.

Yesterday, I got my 3 mile walk in at lunch (early!), which I have found that I am starting to crave more and more.  I'm really glad I started that little habit, I just love knowing I got that little burn during the day, and it's really helping my state of mind to get away from my desk for a while, too. I'm much more productive after my break.

Today is a run day, and it will be the first time in over a week that I'm running with my trail buddy, Sheila.  Really looking forward to it, and also to blogging tomorrow, because I have much to say regarding my food intake this past week.

How was your weekend?  How did you make it active?