Hello, hello!
I’ve settled in to a nice little vacation routine here at home. Sleep in, breakfast, exercise, lunch, lazy around and/or go out and about, dinner somewhere fun with friends or family. Yesterday was no exception!
The sun finally came out to play for a bit, and my brother Steve arrived in town in the morning, so Matt, Steve, and I headed out to the C&O Canal for a run around 11 a.m. It was cold but great running weather!
We ran 5 miles total – 2.5 out and back, with a short stop at the turn around to take a couple photos. Here I am with my men:
We ran the 5 miles in 42:52 – average pace of 8:34. We got progressively faster as the run went on!
Splits:
- Mile 1: 9:04
- Mile 2: 8:38
- Mile 3: 8:33
- Mile 4: 8:24
- Mile 5: 8:12
Great run! Running is such a mind game – during the last mile I started to fall back a bit from the guys and was thinking “Oh, I can’t keep up, I’ll just let them go off ahead.” And then I was like – “Wait, what? NO! I can keep up. I have run much faster than this in the past. I just need to stop being lazy.” So I pushed myself to keep up and I did. Sometimes you just have to remind yourself that you CAN do something – it might not feel easy or comfortable, but it’s not always supposed to! It’s good to push yourself and I want to work on speed again now that my Vegas half marathon is over. This break will be the perfect time to get back into it.
When we returned home, the workout extravaganza continued.
Leg lifts:
Dips:
Pull ups (well… on the guys’ part):
And then these intense buddy leg throw down thingies. These are hard! Great ab workout. Basically, the person lying down will hold on to the other person’s ankles, and the standing person will throw the other person’s legs towards the ground (either straight or at an angle). The aim is to not let your feet touch the ground and to try to keep your legs straight!
Whew!
When our workout was over, I whipped up some lunch.
Turkey, grated carrots, tomato, avocado, and spinach sandwiches with mustard – and a pickle on the side. Matt had regular bread (above) and I had a sandwich thin (below).
Plus salads for both of us:
And some communal grapes.
Delish! I like making lunches with a ton of different parts – as Matt said, “You make lunch interesting.” Healthy eating win! 
I’m off to see a musical downtown tonight with my mom and brother – have a great night, friends!