Hello Old Friends

Last week, I had the opportunity to reunite with four of my closest friends to spend 4 magnificent, kid-free days on a lake in Idaho. These are the kind of friendships that have lasted and are so sincere and special despite the distance between us all. It was such an amazing time together and I am so grateful we were able to get together.

I figured there would likely be some free time to go for some hikes and/or jogs so I decided to pack along my old running shoes. These shoes have seen far more races, training runs, time at the gym and random jogs than a single pair of shoes should ever see, but alas they reside in my closet for the heck of it. I was glad I brought them because on one of the mornings, one friend and I decided some exercise could do us some good and headed out on a jog/walk. 

When I slipped my feet into these old pals, it felt so familiar, so comfortable, like wearing an old pair of worn in jeans, or better yet...sweat pants! In spite of the fact that there is no padding or support left on the bottom, they were perfectly molded to my feet and I felt right at home! 

Upon my return from the reunion I decided to take them out for a quick 2-miler to see how they felt when they truly hit the pavement, see if I am more of a "Born To Run" conformist than I thought. To be totally honest, I didn't actually notice much of a difference from my current running shoes. I didn't feel anymore sore the next day to to lack of support or vice versa. It was a fun little experiment and I may try running on them again with a bit more distance. I would be curious to see if anything changed with my hamstring pain if I ran in the oldies for a few runs in a row. We shall see. 

Though there was not much to report in the end, I have to say that it was kind of fun rediscovering these old friends!

I'm Baaaack

Hello friends! 

It has been a looong time since my last post. My family and I were in Mexico since mid June. You can read about some of our experiences here. When you think of Mexico do palm trees, sandy beaches, and drinks with little umbrellas pop into your mind? That was not really the scene for us. My husband was able to have his sabbatical this summer and we spent it in San Miguel, which is central Mexico.

being silly in front of the cathedral.

the beautiful, yet dangerous, cobblestone streets

I knew before I got there I wouldn't be running. Logistically it would be too hard. I didn't feel comfortable going out by myself, and all the sidewalks were cobblestone (have you read the post where I fall? Correction, the posts...multiple falls). We had both our girls and only our single running stroller. So I committed to working out with Barre3. I love going to the studio at home in Portland, but I joined their online community (only $15 buckaroos) and worked it out 5 days a week while the girls napped. So handy.

This morning I went for my a run. It had almost been as long as my last blog post. Usually after a break that long the first run is a little humbling. I find myself wondering why in the heck I ever would say I enjoy running, and I am so sore the following days that my second run usually is even more painful.

However, I felt strong, even pushing my two littles. It was just a quick 2 miler. But I felt good, the girls behaved (they were in a goldfish stupor) and it was nice to be in familiar neck of the woods. I contribute this unexpected strength to all those hard leg workouts Barre3 had me doing. I just bought a pass at the Barre3 studio, so my Barre days are not done. My goal for the last 4 weeks of my summer vacation is balance (in workouts and every other area of my life)...does that sound familiar??? I think I blog that goal every other post. I usually blame time for the reason I am not balanced, on summer vacation then, there are no excuses!

Jess