I always enjoy reading this type of post when other bloggers do one, so I decided to give it a try. Yesterday was a pretty average weekday….

6:45 AM – Alarm goes off. I’m feeling sleepy and don’t get out of bed until 6:55 AM.

6:55 – 7:10 AM – Get ready for work (hair, teeth, clothes, all that stuff).

7:10 – 7:30 AM – Feed the dogs. Get dinner ready for the crock pot. I’m trying a new recipe with butternut squash, and the squash took longer to cut up than I expected. I rush to pack my lunch and eat a really quick breakfast. I grab a small muffin (Barry made himself muffins for breakfast, and left me one!) and eat a banana. Scout loves bananas, so she begs for some. I give in, as always, and give her a piece. Hank gets a small piece, too, although he doesn’t really care for them.

My morning was a bit more rushed than usual. Typically, I actually sit down to eat breakfast and watch a little of the morning news while I drink my coffee. This morning, my coffee just goes straight from the pot to a travel mug to take with me.

7:30 AM – Begin work in my home office. Usually I spend 30 minutes to an hour answering emails, making phone calls, etc. Today I have to just get my stuff together and head out the door. I say bye to Barry and the dogs on my way out. Most days Barry leaves the house around 5:30 AM for work, but a few days he leaves at 8:00 AM. This is one of those days, so I beat him out the door.

7:45 AM – 1:15 PM – Work in the field. I take my first, and probably last, work selfie.

1:15 PM to 1:45 PM – Eat lunch in my work vehicle. I typically work by myself each day, so 90% of the time this is how I have my lunch. Despite being excited for fall, I’m still eating my favorite ‘summer salad’ – grilled chicken, diced apple, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and poppy seed dressing on a bed of romaine.

1:45 PM – 5:00 PM – More field work.

5:00 – 5:30 PM – Return home. Barry is already home and already let the dogs out and back in. I put dinner #1 down for them (they eat two dinners ever since Hank’s crisis) and wrap up the work day in my home office. Once the dogs finish eating, they keep me company in my office.

At 5:30 it’s the end of the work day and the start of the weekend! I usually work four 10 hour days ending at 6:00 PM each day, but today I finish at 5:30 since I’ve already hit 40 hours for the week.

5:30 – 6:00 PM – I unpack my lunchbox, talk to Barry, play with the dogs, then get changed to go for a run.

6:00 – 6:45 PM – Drive over to a nearby park for a 3 mile run. This was my first run since the Hokie Half, and it went alright. Nothing spectacular. It’s a nice evening, and I drive home with the windows down enjoying the weather.

6:45 – 8:45 PM – When I get home, I feed the chickens some kitchen scraps (normally I would also collect eggs but Barry already got them) and get the mail and paper. Then I make some couscous to go with our rosemary chicken butternut squash, and we eat. The new recipe turns out really good! It wasn’t super photogenic, so instead here’s a picture of the gorgeous sunset we enjoyed during dinner.

After dinner I grab a shower and then do the dishes, while Barry gives the dogs dinner #2.

8:45 – 9:45 PM – Write this post and watch Modern Family with Barry. Then kiss Barry goodnight as he heads to bed.

9:45 – 10:30 PM – Let the dogs out. Read a couple chapters of my book. Currently, I’m reading As Red as Blood by Salla Simukka. My Kindle recommended it to me, based on other book purchases. It’s a little strange, but I’m starting to get into it. I let the dogs back inside and get ready for bed.

10:30 PM – Bedtime. Goodnight!

And there you have it! I don’t feel like my typical day is all that interesting, so hopefully I didn’t put you to sleep!

What is a typical day in your life like?

Another Wednesday is upon us, and that brings with it another Wednesday Word from Debbie for her Wednesday Word link up!

This week’s word is comparison. Click on the button above to join in on the link up and see who else is linking up.

The word comparison inspired me to do a sort of PSA this week for my fellow runners. A lot of us talk about the need to only compare what we have done to ourselves. But with the onslaught of social media, it’s hard not to look at what others are doing and let that little voice in your head take over. It tells you that you’re not doing enough, running fast enough, getting up early enough, eating healthy enough, etc. And all that does is make you feel worse.

It’s all fine and well to be competitive with others during a workout challenge or a race, but don’t constantly compare yourself to others. More often than not, there’s always going to be someone better, and comparing yourself to them will only diminish your own accomplishments.

Remember why you started running in the first place. If it wasn’t to become a professional and earn a paycheck, give yourself a break. Focus on your achievements and look forward to the goals you have set for yourself.

Do you compare yourself to others?

Yesterday was the big day! My little sister ran her first half marathon and I was alongside her for every step of the way.

Our day started early, as we left the house at 5:30 AM to get up to Blacksburg for the 7:30 AM start. We arrived about an hour prior to the start of the race, and got a great parking spot really close to the start/finish area. My dad and my little sister’s boyfriend were along to cheer us on, and Barry was also running the race. Barry and I are on our way to becoming legacy runners, as we have run the race every year since it started (this was year three).

The first year was a bit too warm, the second year was freezing cold and raining, but this year the weather was perfect – partly cloudy and in the low 60’s. Third times the charm! We did the porta potty thing (short lines due to our early arrival!) and before I knew it, it was time for the start of the race.

The first four miles or so we made our way down some local roads towards the mall. It was a gorgeous morning to be out running. I love the feeling of starting a race and all of the energy from the surrounding runners. It was even more fun with my sister by my side.

I knew from years past that there are always some folks holding funny signs as we enter the mall area, so I made sure to get a picture this year. They’re probably really hard to see, but they say “Chuck Norris never ran a half marathon,” “Stop Reading this sign and keep running,” and “Seems like a lot of work for a banana.” That last one is my favorite.

After a loop around the mall, we entered the Huckleberry Trail right around mile 4. We were on the trail from miles 4 – 9.5 and miles 10.5 – 11.5ish. Up to this point there were a few rolling hills, but once you get on the trail you have a slight downhill and some flat sections for a few miles. (I posted a course elevation profile in last year’s race recap)

I was having a great time and feeling good, and enjoying sharing something I’ve loved since 2007 with my little sister. She was still having a good time, too, and we rolled along on the trail as I told her old stories here and there as they came to mind. The trail is my favorite part of the course, because it’s my old stomping grounds from college.

You hit the main hills on the race course around mile 7, and that’s where things started to get a bit tough for us. My little sister has been having some issues with her hip. She was very strong running the uphills, but the downhills were painful for her. Unfortunately, her hip continued to hurt for the rest of the race.

But she hung tough and pushed through the hills, and we continued moving forward. A little after mile 8, and after a long gradual hill that R kicked butt on, we got to see our dad and R’s boyfriend cheering us on. It was great to see them and I think it gave her a boost! We continued on down the trail towards mile 9, on a section we would be coming back on around mile 11.

With less than 4 miles to go, I decided it was time to snap a selfie (‘ussie?’) to document the occasion. R was a good sport and smiled for the camera!

A little before mile 10, we exited the Huckleberry Trail to do a small loop through a neighborhood. At each road crossing and turn in the race course, there were great volunteers, police officers, and VT Corps of Cadets cheering us on and keeping us safe. As we exited the trail I told a group of them that it was R’s first half and they gave her an extra loud cheer which put a big smile on her face.

Just before mile 11, we reentered the Huckleberry Trail at a different trailhead, and started to make our way back toward the start/finish line area. We were getting close! Running 13 miles is tough on any day, but especially on the day you’re running it for the first time. I know R was hurting and really having to dig deep at this point to keep going. I’m so proud of how she fought through the pain and fatigue to get through those final miles.

As we approached mile 12, Barry came walking towards us. He had come back to collect me after finishing his race, as he often does, and yesterday he ran both of us in to the finish. He had a good day and finished in 1:45 and change. Only a minute off of his best time for this race! Fun fact: he had bib number 666 for the race. The high schoolers working the expo were so excited to give it to me when I picked up his packet the day before the race.

We ran up one final hill in the last mile before making two left turns and running downhill to the finish. My little sister found another gear in the home stretch and ran it in strong to the finish line.

After we crossed the finish line, we were immediately handed bottles of water, a finisher’s t-shirt, finisher’s medals, and a car race magnet. Hokie Half knows how to do swag!

We easily met up with our dad, my little sister’s boyfriend, and Barry. The race is small, so it’s easy to find your group, but it’s also really well organized and everything just runs smoothly. We meandered over to the food tent where they had fruit, chocolate, turkey and vegetarian chili, and bagels available. After grabbing some post race food, we found a spot in the grass to sit down and chill.

We hung out for a little bit before making the short walk back over to our cars. From there it was time for the special post-race treat my sister requested: Carol Lee Donuts. Carol Lee’s is an awesome donut shop in Blacksburg. They actually did our wedding cake, too (although they no longer do them). What better way to celebrate the Hokie Half than with a Hokie sprinkle donut?

Shortly thereafter (and after my sister grabbed a shower) they had to make the four hour drive back home. All in all, it was a fun day and a fun weekend. I think my little sister had a pretty good time. Now we will see if she’s caught the running bug!

**Edited to add: At HoHo Run‘s suggestion, I’m linking up with her and MissSippiPiddlin’ today for their weekly wrap link up. I didn’t realize it was okay to link up with just a race recap! 🙂 Click the button below to see who else is linking up today and to join in.

Who raced this past weekend?
What types of themed races have you run?
How was your weekend?

I recently had to unwillingly buy new running shoes (first world problems?).

Here’s the backstory….

When I first switched to Hoka’s I ran in the Stinson model and loved them. So naturally, after about a month I bought a second pair and stuck them in my closet to be worn when the first pair were done. In the midst of marathon training for the Marine Corps Marathon, I acquired another pair during a sale. Since they were a different color, I started running in them with plans to use them for the marathon. Then there was that whole ‘my shoe broke’ crisis right before the race.

Luckily, we were able to glue to heel back on and the shoe held up for the race. Afterward, Hoka One One replaced the shoes, but with the newer model since they weren’t making that version anymore. So I started running in those last November, which was fine.

Due to lots of time on trails this spring, and not a lot of use of my road shoes, I didn’t need to replace them until recently. After two weeks of unexplained calf and Achilles pain I realized my shoes were probably worn out, and broke out the pair I had stashed in the closet.

They didn’t feel quite right, but I figured I just needed to break them in a bit. When they continued to feel funky, I put my old insoles in them, which seemed to help. But after about 40 miles I realized something was just off. They were giving me hot spots on the balls of my feet, and pinching my toes. I knew I needed to find some new shoes, with the Hokie Half looming in 2 weeks. So I hit up the nearby running specialty shop. (side note – after some research I found that the issue with these shoes was likely due to factory and/or material changes as the company grew)

The version of the Stinsons I love don’t exist anymore, so I tried on a few different Hoka models. I didn’t really want to range out of that brand since I’ve been happy with them for the past couple of years (fyi – I don’t have any sort of partnership with them, I just like their shoes). I ended up settling on the Bondi 4’s.

I wasn’t crazy about the color scheme, but I had to set that aside when they felt so good on my feet. I’m really happy with them so far. I guess I’ve found a new favorite shoe. The color has kind of grown on me, too, although I do miss my pink and purple ones! At least my trail shoes are still purple 🙂 The Hokie Half is this Sunday, and although my longest run in these shoes has only been six miles, I think they’ll be fine on race day!

Have you ever had a shoe not work for you anymore? I don’t know why these shoes, which were the same size and model as a previous pair that I loved, didn’t work for me. Must have been some kind of variation in this individual pair of shoes.
Do you ever get hung up on the color/appearance of running shoes?

Today is Wednesday Word link up day, hosted by Debbie over at Deb Runs. Each week Debbie provides a word prompt for us to write about. This week’s word is cautious. Click on the link up button below to see who else is joining in on this week’s link up.

I started exploring trail running after my first marathon, in an effort to branch out from roads. As someone who manages to trip on smooth, flat surfaces, trail running has been pretty precarious for me. I have to be cautious as I go, in an attempt to stay upright. More often that not, I fall. But nine times out of ten only my ego is bruised.

That one other time out of ten can lead to a bit of blood, but at least I haven’t needed stitches yet! This past spring I delved more heavily into trail races and signed up for the Roanoke Non-Ultra Trail series, which went from January through the end of May. I ran five of the six races, and ran in all types of weather conditions. We had frigid, single digit temperatures, 18 inches of snow, ankle deep mud, and humidity. But you know what the constant was? Rooty, rocky trails bent on taking me down.

As the spring went on, I got stronger and learned how better to stay on my feet. Naturally, that all went out the window during Ragnar Trail Appalachians. But those trails were more than muddy, they were a disaster.

Overall, trail running has taught me how to be a more cautious, careful, and able runner.

What experiences in life have taught you how to be cautious? What has taught you to be more cautious? Running, in general, has taught me to be more aware of my surroundings.

P.S. Happy Birthday to my dear husband, Barry!! He doesn’t like a lot of fanfare, so I don’t get to do a whole post for him. This is the most he will allow on social media 🙂