Great Falls Park & a long bike ride

I feel like I have been playing catch up with everything lately. I finally finished up my photos from last Friday's photo meet up with my friends. Now I can do a weekend recap & update the blog :)

On Saturday we packed up the bikes and went to Great Falls Park with our cousin & his family. They didn't bring their bikes but they wanted to come see & explore the park from the Maryland side. They have always gone to the Virginia side of the park. I actually like the Maryland side better than the Virginia side because there is more to do (hiking, biking etc.) & in my opinion it's more scenic.

While they were walking the trails, hubby and I rode the bikes for about 6 miles. It was quite humid but we enjoyed the ride. It can get kind of annoying at times on the trail because of the amount of traffic (walkers, hikers etc.) & sometimes you cannot get around them so you have to come to a stop. I don't mind because the beauty of the park outweighs the inconvenience of the busy path.

I ran into a guy standing next to his bike that was loaded down with camping gear & asked if he was doing a bike tour. He said no he was just doing some weekend camping, he did mention that the trail goes all the way to Pittsburgh. I would love to try & ride the path further north. I really need to look at a map and plan a long scenic ride one day.

We left the park after 6pm and took the kids to Dairy Queen to enjoy some cool treats.

Sunday...

I wanted to get a long 20+ mile ride in sometime over the weekend & since I did not ride much the prior day I decided to do it on Sunday morning.  I got up at 7:30am, hopped in the shower, put on my cycling gear & opened the front door to find that it rained & the street and sidewalks were all wet. The sky was very cloudy & looked "heavy" and every now and then it would sprinkle. I almost backed out but decided that I better just suck it up & go for it or else I would end up in the house regretting that I did nothing.

An old church & next to it was a graveyard.

I suppose kind of like Etsy all handmade?

I carried some ziplock bags for my cell phone, ID & money. Luckily, it held off from any signifcant downpours. The temperatures were very nice and cool even with the high humidity it still felt good. After 7 miles I was bored with my usual route and decided to go explore some back roads. I do not mind sharing the road with cars but when there is no shoulder it is a bit scary. It was early enough enough in the morning and not many people were out so it wasn't that bad. I got to see some different streets & some neighborhoods that I had no idea even existed.

Had the whole road to myself

And since I have managed to throw MyFitnessPal under the bus again by not logging my food for the past 2 weeks. I treated myself to this (picture below). Why the hell not? I rode 22.5 miles & burned 1104 calories on my ride. Gotta indulge & treat yourself once in awhile.

A & K's baby bump photo shoot

Yesterday I met up with my friend "A" and her husband after work to snap a few quick photos of her "bump". It's their first baby and I am so excited for them. I met A through our running club and it's actually a rather funny story.

I belong to a national womens running club called Moms Run This Town. It's a free club and if you ever want to meet up & run with other ladies, I highly recommened joining. I help co-lead our local chapter & when we first started out we only had 8 members (now were up to 300). The chapter leader and I were out running one day and talking about different ways we could reach out and recruit new members. We noticed A and her dog running along the trail and we stopped her and asked if she belonged to a running club? She said no but she was not a mom. We both laughed and said well you do not have to be a mom to join but technically you are a furry mom. And the rest is history, she has been with us since the beginning and I am so glad we ran into her that day because I couldn't have met a nicer person.

I'm gonna be a big fur sister

Giving up the Army Ten Miler

Last night I met up with these lovely ladies from our running club and did a 3 mile run.

Why am I bent down looking like I am constipated or something??? I have no freakin idea!

I have purposely cut my running down to just about nothing these past couple months. I am doing this in order to give my right knee some time to "heal". You see, I have been battling this issue with pain/soreness behind the knee. Not behind the knee cap but actually in the back of the leg behind the knee. I noticed it last Fall after I ran the Ridge Runners 10K in November. Whenever the pain got bad I would stop running for a few days to rest & then I would run again & repeat this scenerio over and over. I know, stupid move on my part, but I couldn't just quit running because I was also in the middle of training for the Celebration Half Marathon in January. There was no way on earth that I was going to miss that race. I had convinced my brother to run it with me (his first half marathon) plus I had already purchased my airline tickets to Orlando. Well after that race, I had the RNR Half Marathon & a triathlon in March and the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April. I am not sure how I managed to finish the RNR half without quitting but I did. It was my worst half marathon time ever. After RNR I eased back a bit and did more biking than running and I was able to run most all of the Cherry Blosssom 10 miler.

After the Cherry Blossom I made an appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon & had an X-ray taken. He found no skeletal damage & was guessing that I damaged some connective tissue or possibly torn my hamstring. He wanted me to go do PT for several weeks. Did I go? of course not. I left his office feeling more like a number. Kind of like someone waiting  in line for their number to be called at the deli counter in the grocery store. I want to know what the actual problem is before I go do PT, especially doing weeks of therapy on something that your guessing it is. Duh!

So here we are today & after last nights run everything was great.  I went home, showered & went to bed with no issues until this morning. I got up and immediately noticed it was sore. I am so irritated & pissed off. I am so done with it! I am 90% sure that I am going to sell/transfer my Army 10 miler registration which really SUCKS because I love that race and love running it but I really have no choice. I cannot risk further injury to an already upset knee.

Looking on the bright side, I can still cycle. So I am switiching up my events for the Fall. I am on the hunt for some biking events. I found one in Richmond here that has several ride distances (28, 58, 78 & 101 miles). I would love to do the 58 or 78 mile ride but I need a riding buddy. I could do 29 miles solo but anything beyond that I would prefer some company. I know I have A LOT of crickets who view this blog (LOL) but if there is a non cricket out there who wants to go on a long bike ride let me know :)

Get back on board !

So I went on a 10 mile bike ride last night & it felt so good ! Prior to stepping out my front door, I had a serious mental war with myself making every excuse (to hot, to humid, to tired etc...) not to go, but I put a quick end to that.

I NEED to get back to consistency with exercise & especially with eating. These past 2 weeks I have been on a "see-food" diet indulging in just about everything !

I remembered reading Mary Fran's awesome blog post yesterday morning about consistency & that in itself motivated me to haul my butt out the door.

I got to the trail and started my ride and yes it was hot & humid but it was so worth it. The trail was not that busy, I saw at most 6 runners and cyclists.

It was quite cloudy and I was wondering if I was going to get rained on. Luckily it held off until later that evening.

 I managed to snap this selfie just after my turnaround point heading back to my car. Yay me for getting out there. I need to remind myself of the Nike's trademark quote "JUST DO IT"

Amazing how much better you feel after exercising.

The Cycle of Life

My world has been a bit of a roller coaster ride these past couple weeks & my exercise has come to a halt. 

I last rode my bike on Thursday the 10th. I did a 14.5 mile ride & right after I got to my van to put my bike away, I noticed some of the ladies in my running club were there getting ready to do a 3 mile run. I planned on going home but I caved (peer pressure & the combination of running envy) and decided to try and run with them. I should have went home after the ride because less then 2 minutes into the run my calves were really cramping. I pushed through it and finished the run slow as a turtle. 

Well later that evening my father-in-law passsed away suddenly. We had to not only plan a funeral but also relay this sad news to our little guy.

Friday we had to meet with the funeral home and cemetery to plan & schedule a date. We got home really late on Friday evening,  so we waited & gave him the news on Saturday morning. I think watching him cry & sob was the hardest part. I remember the first funeral I ever attended was when I was in my early 30's & it hit me pretty hard. I cannot imagine how a child takes it in.

We laid him to rest on Sunday. Little guy seems to be doing ok. I think, once he saw his Grandpa's casket getting lowered he realized it was over. Luckily he goes to a private church school and they learn a lot about God & the bible. I am sure that in itself has really helped him to greive. I asked him on Sunday while we were outside at the cemetery if he was "ok" & he said "Mom, it's just a body that is in there but I already know that his soul is in heaven".

I have not been to church in many months. I have never been an overly religious type of person but I do believe in God & that he will always be there to comfort us. I have to remember this verse in the book of John that I found.

John 16: 22 "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

Now it's time for me to get back to normalcy because remember life does go on. I know one day I will be reunited with those who have passed including my furry friends that have crossed the rainbow bridge. 

R.I.P. 

Still here ...

It has been nearly a week since I last posted. I guess I have not been in the writing mood. Here is a brief recap of my week.

Wednesday I had the brilliant idea to go on an easy 2 mile run outside. So far, any running that I have done since the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler (4/7/14)  has been inside on a treadmill. Oh my goodness! let me just say it SUCKED! I was hoping to at least maintain a 10 minute mile pace since I have been easily running a 9:30-10 min/mile pace on the treadmill. Boy was I wrong, hello reality check! The first mile was not too bad, but I tanked on the 2nd mile & had to walk a couple times. I ended up with an average pace of 10:45 for both miles which was somewhat disappointing especially since I was averaging 9:30-9:45 just a couple months ago. 

Thursday I took a break and after work I got a pedicure, did some grocery shopping & enjoyed an Orange Creamsicle Cupcake from a local bakery called Confections. 

On Friday (July 4th) I decided to get up early and ride the bike because I knew I would be enjoying some BBQ ribs and seafood at our cousins house later that evening to celebrate the 4th of July.

I was able to ride 12 miles and burn 570 calories. Not a lot but enough for me to not feel guilty after chowing down on some good food. Especially since I went a bit overboard (calorie wise) the prior day. We spent the evening drinking & watching the fireworks. 

My daughter found this fruit kabob idea on Pinterest & so I made my own flag fruit kabob to bring to the BBQ.

On Saturday we packed up the mountain bikes and went over to Burke Lake and rode the trails around the lake. Little "J" had a great time & I heard zero complaints about hills. Thank goodness for a geared bike !

Sunday I did a nice long 20 mile ride & it felt great. Funny because I didn't think I got that much sun but later that evening I looked in the mirror and both my arms were so red. Whenever I leave the house to go on a ride I have full intentions of appying sunscreen but I always forget to do it. I really need to remember to wear the sunscreen. I think I might have to put a post it note on my bike or in my helmet.

Yesterday I took a rest day, but I plan to head out after work today. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. 

After typing this entire post & reading it, I realized how incredibly BORING this is!! LOL - oh well that was my condensed version of my weekly recap. Hopefully I will have something more interesting to write about next time.

Stop and Smell the Roses

On Sunday evening, a lady that is in my running & cycling group posted on Facebook that she was giving away her son's 21 speed hybrid bike for free because he had outgrown it and she was tired of it sitting in the shed. Of course, I jumped on that post immediately. My son's bike has no extra gears & is heavy as a tank, plus he's been begging me to get him a geared bike. I drove to her house during my lunch hour on Monday and picked it up. When I picked my little one up from summer camp it was like watching him at Christmas. His eyes lit up when he saw the bike in the back of the van.

We got home and did a 3 mile ride around the neighborhood together. I had to repeat quite a few times to only shift gears while pedaling. After a few minutes of practice he seemed to have gotten the hang of it. It was so wonderful to go riding with him.

I really wanted to get my mileage in and burn more calories but sometimes you just need to stop and smell the roses. Just sharing those special moments & seeing the joy in your childs face from a short bike ride is worth every single second. I was able to snag some pictures of our ride with my cell phone. BEST. BIKE. RIDE. EVER !!