We're Going Streaking -- Day 14 and Feeling Fine & Day 15's No-Motivation Monday

Happy Monday, all!  What a wonderful weekend it was!  Mine was busy from start to finish and I am sure V's was too.  Jammed packed full of runs, fun and wonderful weather... You haven't heard from us since Saturday due to that exact reason.  By the time Sunday night rolled around, V and I decided it was critical we take a rest day from the blog.  We were both exhausted!

Our last streak update was brought to you on Day 13.  So let's pick up right where we left off... 

Sunday, Day 14 was amazing.  I woke up early and decided to get a long run in.  The sky was overcast and the temps were mild.  I decided I was going to run from my house to International Park, which is located along the water and directly across the river from downtown Toledo.  The route to get there isn't so pretty, but once you are on the towpath leading down to the docks, it is wonderful.  This last weekend at International Park they had The Wall - American Veteran's Traveling Tribute.  It is a replica of the wall in Washington, D.C. that lists the names of all of the fallen military men and women during Vietnam.  It travels all over the U.S.  The next stop was St. Louis, Missouri.  Check out the site to see if it is coming to a city near you.  Definitely worth checking out. The Wall - Traveling Tribute

 (very emotional to see personal notes and items that had been left for some of the fallen soldiers ... to see some pictures set alongside the memorial really hit home)

While I was at the docks, a Marine asked me how far I had run to get to the memorial ... I am assuming me drenched in sweat, donning running shoes and a Garmin were a dead giveaway I had ran there.  I told him I had ran 4.5 miles there and he said "That's really cool!" My immediate response was "Yeah, felt good... But now I have to do it again!"  We both got a chuckle out of that.  Overall, the 9 miles felt good and I kept it right around a 8:10 pace the entire time.

Once my run was over, my family and I headed up to the Tigers game.  We got to witness game 3 of their sweep over the Cleveland Indians!! Go Tigers! Sorry, Sister V and Coach B (they are die-hard Tribe fans)! Sunday was definitely fun!

 (GO TIGERS!!)

Just as soon as the weekend got here, it was over.  Monday morning got here way too fast and let me say I was NOT excited about it.

 (I wanted NOTHING to do with this morning)

The alarm went off at 6:34 a.m. and I had full intention of getting up, ingesting coffee and gettin' my streak on... However, that is NOT what happened.  Instead I crept downstairs, sat on the couch and began reading the news on my phone.  Next thing you know, I was jolted awake, it is 8:15 and I am in an uncomfortable upright position with my phone in my hand.  There was no time to run at this point, so I had to push it to after work.

Running after work wasn't all that bad.  I really had ZERO motivation to do it, but I did get to round up the family and go to the YMCA, which was nice.  My husband actually joined me this evening which is EXTREMELY rare.  

(it is nice having the Y membership so everyone can go, if need be.  Josie really enjoys the kids area and the "teachers" they have in there... and Scott & I got to spend a little time together as well)

(first time he has used the Y pass in God knows how long... it's now or never though since he signed up for the half in Detroit!!)

We both did the eliptical, upper body strength training and just over a mile apiece on the treadmill.  It wasn't the most amazing run on earth.  My speed was good but I just wasn't feeling it.  I am VERY glad I kept the steak alive though and went to the gym.  Tonight was a "one and done" kind of night!  One mile that is!!

Sister V and I will be very honest with you!  Some days are far easier than others.  Today just was not a day full of "oomph" and it definitely lacked in the motivation category!! Tomorrow, however, is a new day and I am hoping that we both wake up renewed and excited for day 16!!

Some days, it's just a feat to get out the door...

Hey all! I'm so glad to be back home and plugged in with you all! Coach B and I had a great time camping in the Irish Hills and hanging with some friends we hadn't seen in awhile. I will say they aren't kidding when they say Irish HILLS. I did run both mornings I was there, though I got a later start on the second morning and just did one at the campground. 

I was feeling like I needed to run again, though, when I got home -- kind of like a "welcome home" to myself, and also because (and this might sound counterintuitive) I was really, really sore from the hours of sand volleyball that I had played earlier in the day. Running muscles are just not the same as sand volleyball muscles, though I'm not really sure there is such a thing as a "throwing yourself on the ground and digging out serves from the back row"  muscle. So, I got home, added my new #bostonstrong shoe medallions to my Virratas and I was out the door, just for 3 miles, I said. 

I felt just fantastic running at night -- I don't usually get to do that. So, I went and then before I knew it, I had done 4 miles. I thought, "that's good -- one more than I had thought I'd do. Yay me." And then, I happened to glance at my Nike+ and notice that I was 0.8 miles away from breaking 30 for the week. And so ... I had to go run another mile. Some people call these junk miles -- for me, they are OCD miles.  

Uhh, yeah. So that was a total of three runs on Sunday. Makes sense, right?

 And on Day 15, I woke up feeling like a truck had pretty much hit me. Wow -- that's a lot of upper body soreness to deal with! Lucky for me, my legs feel pretty good, but I'm like a giant bruise from the waist up. So, I really had to bargain with myself to get the heck on the treadmill and just pound out one measly mile. Seriously: It is about 8 or so minutes out of my day; I can do this. But fortunately for me, my jam came on: 

Damn you and your catchiness, Robin Thicke ... 

And so, it was off to the races. Or at least off for a mile. I tried experimenting with keeping my hair down, since I wasn't going to be running long. And I learned, nope: don't like that much. 

I wasn't much in the mood for it, but I didn't quit and the streak lives on. Like M said: Here's to hoping Day 16 finds us both in slightly better frames of mind! Hope your streaks are going strong too! This will be my mantra for Day 16: 

Happy running! Be kind to yourself. Be kind to each other. -- V.