October Wrap Up

I guess winter is here- it is in the 30s, and my motivation to get out of the door in the dark, cold morning is zilch.  I don't have anything special on the radar for the winter months, but I think I will hit the trail races like I did last year.  I think I am going to maintain my "no outdoor riding under 50 degrees" rule...not that it will greatly matter since I have only been outside on my bike 6 times this year.  Funny how Dave's schedule for the month of November will allow me to ride on Saturdays, yet the freezing weather decided to show up right on time.  :) 

October brought us a nice trip to the Superdome to watch the Saints crush Greenbay.  This is always a highlight of the year for Dave and I, and a huge thanks to Keith for setting us up for a great evening. 

And of course, there was Halloween.  I am still doing the family theme because Dave and I have a blast.  I am pretty sure Isla will want to pick her own outfit out soon, though.   I felt a lot more like my "old self" this Halloween, as I tried to be super thrifty.  Dave's cost $5, and the butterfly outfits for the girls were $15.  The funny thing is, once I had it all finished, I realized ways I could have cut even more corners.  Lol!  I have to say, I actually enjoyed staying up late to finish the outfits the night before Halloween.  It made me feel just like the mom I want to be.  :)  And Isla really did love them.  She is still playing with her wings and antennas. 

And now we are on to November and the half marathons of the Road Race Series.  I ran the 2nd 10 miler 2 weeks ago as an easy run.  My choice to not race it came about because 1.  A 6 months racing series is very long and hard to maintain.  2.  Racing 2 x 10 milers and 2 x half marathons in 6 weeks is a lot to me and 3.  I am still not very fit, so I need to be cautious about how much I torture myself with racing.

So, while I enjoyed running with friends and chatting, I missed an opportunity to race on a day that delivered the perfect weather.  It was a fast, fast day.  I was a little sad when all was said and done that I did not race.  Everyone had a rockin' finish time.   But, I have really been working on letting go of my times and racing right now and just focusing on the process of enjoying getting back out there consistently.  I took a step back- checked the ego-and reviewed my reasons for not racing and realized that I did make the right decision. 

This is the first 10 miler- pacing with my friend Lisa and focused.  

And the second 10 miler at the same mile marker...chatting it up with Adrienne and taking time to enjoy the day and course. 

 ....so tomorrow is the first half marathon.  I plan to "race" the second one, and tomorrow will be a "Get the miles in with some tempo" day.   Again, I am having a tough time thinking about possibly missing an opportunity for a good race day, but I am really working on letting....it....go.... and sticking to the plan.  And while my back is progressively getting better (yay!!!!!) my right fibula from the zip lining stupidity is not.  I talked to my doc today, and we may have to take another look at it as the pain and swelling are still present.  So, eh, we will see how tomorrow feels and go from there.  But, I am worried I am going to have to sit out a few weeks, and that is super frustrating to me.  I don't get overuse or training injuries generally (knock on wood), but I can't stay away from stupid injuries from soccer, jumping off of rafters, ziplining, etc. 

Looking forward to an beautiful day on the roads with friends tomorrow.  I am lucky I get to do this!