Guess who's back, back again

Sure, it's been almost two years since a post, but you know how these things go.  There wasn't much left to talk about, I felt like the running posts were all getting repetitive anyways.  But there have been a lot of life changes since then, so I decided to resuscitate the blog to get back some accountability for the future.  In the next few weeks, I'll be back to running again and I think throwing it all out onto the internet will help motivate me to keep moving.  Or not. We'll see.
We're also in the market for a new gym routine, either back to Title, joining the Y, or just sticking with Planet Fitness.  Lately, I've just used online PopFitness videos, which, if you haven't used, are actually really good.  There are all sorts of workouts available, with modifications even, so you can do them in your living room.  I imagine it's like Beachbody on Demand, without having to pay a ton or invest in Shakeology.  So, if you're like me and you want good workouts without having to join Beachbody, I recommend PopFitness on Youtube.  Most of the time you don't need any equipment either, which is nice. 
So, I have about 2 weeks before I can consider getting back into running mode, and probably about 8 weeks before I can actually start running again at all.  Those dates are fluid but good estimates.  In an effort to make sure I do get back out there, I signed up for the Baystate Half in Lowell on October 21.  My goal is to run/walk the route, with as much running as possible.  But, the last time I ran a half or any type of distance over 5 miles was back in January at the Louisiana Marathon.  So, there's a short training time in there which means a DNF is also a real possibility.  That's ok though, as long as I have the starting line in mind for now. 
As a quick catch-up on the running, since August 2016 I've done the Disney Marathon, the Stone Cat Trail Marathon, and a handful of half marathons.  Disney was fun, but really cold, so I would love to go back and do that one again, preferably with better weather.  I'd actually like to do the Dopey Challenge but it's expensive.  Plus, the year I ran the full they had to cancel the half due to weather, so I'm not sure I'd want to invest all that time just to be disappointed.  Maybe someday though. 
Outside of the running, it's been two years, of course, things have changed around here.  As a teacher, I left behind elementary school and moved up to high school History, which is where I've always wanted to be.  I made it through my first year of that and enjoyed the change, so I'm glad I did that.  We went on some exciting trips, most notably to Switzerland last year and Belgium/the Netherlands this year.  Our little buddy Nala walked over the Rainbow Bridge earlier this year, in February, and just a few weeks ago, we got a new rescue puppy, straight off the streets of Jamaica.  He's a real cute pup, but he is scared of everything, so getting him to do much is still a struggle.  Stella is still here and going strong though, you can tell she's not thrilled about the introduction of a new friend.  I also had my last coaching season this year, at least for the time being.  Maybe in years to come, I'll go back to it, but for now, we're going to be too busy with other life events for me to have to worry about coaching track.  If you can guess what our new life event is, great for you, if not, stay tuned and you'll find out in a just a few short weeks! And with that, I think we're all caught up!

The new pup

Stella living her best life

On the canals in Amsterdam

Our last big run together and Ryan's first half!  It was cold!

Breakfast on the river in Zurich

Disney 2017.  Yes, I was freezing in that costume, but I made it, there's no way I wasn't wearing it!

Like a blister in the sun

First off, in case you're wondering my blisters are healing nicely so far.  Two of the original seven were under toenails, which have since popped and been removed, leaving a nice layer of new pink skin and a large space for a new nail to grow in.  The other five are living their best life as they make it through the final stages of blisterhood.  It's been a fun ride and we've been through so much together, but I'm more than happy to be saying goodbye to these little guys.  Hopefully I don't see you again soon.
Outside of the blisterhood of the singularly worn shoes, things are going swimmingly over here in the no run household.  Hahahaha, I'm kidding we were a no run household for a total of 4 days after the marathon before I decided to just wrap those bad boys up and join Ryan on a run.  We took the old Battle Road trail in Lexington, which is a lovely trail, for those of you who haven't been.  As I may have told you last year in this same blog, it runs through some great historic sights but also has nice natural views as well, history be damned.  (I immediately take that back, we need history, please disregard that last clause.)  I won't lie to you, that first run back was rough.  My knees and calves still hurt a little bit, so I was all about the walk breaks, but we still made it 5.5 miles total.  Not bad for a recovery run.  After that initial reintroduction to the run, my legs seemed to adapt fairly well, so on Monday I hit the trails in Lynn Woods for another 5 mile run.  Then on Wednesday I took a quick 3 mile jaunt around the block before track just to feel like I wasn't being super lazy.  Which I actually have been, because aside from those 13 miles, I haven't done a damn thing to work out since the marathon.  It's been awesful.  Yea, you read that right, I've combined awesome and awful to make a new word that really fits my lifestyle right now.  I've really enjoyed not doing anything but also feel bad that I haven't done anything, it's a daily battle really.  But I suppose I've had enough time off, so it's time to get back in the saddle, as they say in the biz.
Now, you may wonder WHY I need to get back at it, since I just finished what seems like a years worth of training.  I'll give you three guesses, but I bet you'll only need one.  Ready? It's because.....drum-roll........surprise, I signed up for the Disney Marathon! Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?  Alright, if you didn't, you've obviously never read this blog before, so welcome to your first post! I know it's not until next January, but I think this summer I want to try running more miles instead of running fast.  I'm looking at it like this: I already know I can run a sub-4:00 marathon and I know how I got myself there.  But is it possible that I could run even faster simply by extending and adding on more long runs?  Generally my training involves chunks of short runs, 13 miles or less, but mostly 10 miles or less for the majority of the week.  Then one day every few weeks I'll throw in a long run, 13+ miles up to 20.  However, I don't usually consistently do longer runs daily, or even weekly.  So perhaps if I can get in longer runs all summer more often I can decrease my marathon time by a few more minutes simply by the act of having a shorter distance to go when the time comes.  That's basically the training plan I use for my long distance track girls, on a much smaller scale, so why aren't I using it on myself? It's working wonders for them, so I suppose it's time to get on board with that one.
And another thing! I keep coming across other people's running blogs and I've noticed that a lot of these ladies tend to get free trials of great items to test and write about.  How can I get in on that!? Listen, if you're any of the following companies, hear me out.  Hoka, New Balance, Adidas, Tailwind Nutrition, Orangemud, and anyone else who wants to offer free trials in exchange for write-ups, I swear, if you send me your stuff, I will gladly put it through it's paces and report back on this blog as to what I think about the product.  You have a new pair of running shoes you want tested? Send them my way, I'll run in them and write up a weekly report, pictures included, if that's what you need.  Want a new Tailwind flavor tested? Send it on down, I'll throw that 'ish in anything! But seriously, you have stuff and I want it, so let's just agree to make this work for everyone and get me into your free sample trial tester groups already.  Ok? Cool, thanks, good talk.  Catch you on the flip, hopefully someday in my new tester gear. ;) In the meantime, here are two pictures from the week.

Always buy the small batch Polar, even if it is called Jalapeno Citrus Margarita. By the way, what does a nosy pepper do? Get's JALAPENO business.  (Sorry I don't know how to make accent marks with my keyboard)

This dog man...she thinks she's a human I guess.