Monday Motivation, and stuff…

I didn’t get my run in, Sunday.  Nope…although I had planned on a quick short run of 3 miles, my body protested and instead I found myself stripping off my scrubs Sunday at 3 p.m. and pouring myself into the freshly washed sheets that embraced me lovingly with their freshly perfumed scent after just coming out of the dryer.  I set my alarm for 4:30, smiled sheepishly at my running shoes,  and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was OUT.

Work this weekend…well, was work.  I am so far out of my comfort zone trying to manage an ENTIRE laboratory vs. just my section so by Sunday afternoon my brain was fried.  Between nasty phone calls from angry customers, and trying to troubleshoot problems in which I didn’t even understand the process, I needed a NAP.  Hmmm…this seems to becoming a pattern on my blog lately, no?  LOL

I admit, I don’t get enough sleep…my “free time” in the evening starts at around 8-9 p.m. and with that, I mean time to get cleaning, laundry, meals prepped and chores done that I’ve let pile up far too long…But I wouldn’t trade a single second for the world.  Although I’d love if someone went grocery shopping for me, since I forgot to squeeze that in today…

Sunday night, I was blessed to spend the evening with friends, celebrating one of my running friends birthday.  It took my break away, the love that can be felt in a room full of people who primarily run together.  We don’t work together, we don’t have kids in the same schools or sports, we don’t go out very often outside of lacing up in the wee hours of the morning to run or race.  But get a group like this together on any given night, let alone a birthday and you will feel the connection and bond for miles.  These friends have stuck with you in the toughest of miles, they have laughed with you on long runs when your delirious mode sets in full force, and they have helped keep you motivated to KEEP MOVIN’ FORWARD.

Last night, I caught this GREAT shot of the super moon…and it was retweeted by the Kane County Chronicle!  YAY ME!  I love capturing awesome moments with my camera.

Today, I was able to reconnect with my sister that I haven’t seen since May.  She and I, along with my kids, and hers minus 1 met for lunch today.  IT WAS GREAT.  Man I  miss those little people (although most of them tower over me already, lol), and her SO much.  We’ve agreed this will become a habit!!!  It was great to chat, eat good food, and just let the kids be silly.  Maybe too silly for a restaurant, but hey, they don’t see each other very often, LOL.  She has always been such a huge inspiration to me, and I need to make more time for her and her amazing family.

I should’ve come home and cleaned…but instead I watched “Hook” with my daughters after running to Target for new swimsuits for our mini-vacation to Michigan in 2 weeks.  My first “Mom” suit, and I think it’s pretty cute!

I did make this amazing crab salad for dinner.  Super easy, and pretty healthy.  I also made my own take on dressing using blue cheese yogurt dressing, to which I added crumbled bacon, chives, and garlic to make it complete!  DELISH!

 

I’ve been pretty lax in my training this summer, and I have to admit despite missing the mileage of a full marathon training schedule, it has been great just having fun with my running.  The winter of 2015 will bring full marathon training and I know my legs will thank me for relaxing this summer/fall.

At the end of the day, I find myself beyond thankful that I have remained pretty healthy despite my right knee acting up from time to time.  I think resting last winter and running only casually helped, and I will repeat this “resting” process as my knees have nearly 30 years of mileage on them.

 

Do you allow yourself time to rest?

Thanks for all the amazing support…y’all rock!

 

❤ Michelle