Where did the time go? August? September?

Tomorrow is the last day of Sept and I'm STILL catching up from the summer. I had so much fun with my brother Stuart and his crew from the Colonial Runners Club at the John and Jessie Kelley 11.6 miler in New London, CT. The joshing around was a riot. That is how I began August and it was friggin' HOT, but what a fabulous rolling course and support. I've always wanted to run that race. I ran like a snail but didn't give a shit. I felt strong and took my time.

Next up was Nancy and me in Nahant. Of course we had to run!! BUT….that wharf jump was still lingering over me and soooooo, my BRF said, "We are jumping!!!!" We ran then headed to the wharf. I freaked out for a little while but we went for it! YAHOO!!!!

So proud of myself!! We couldn't stop laughing. The water was FREEZING and it IS a long way down!!!

A few runs on Nahant beach brought back lots of great memories. I miss it a lot. I am a water girl, even though I still can't get myself swimming to do a tri.
(View of Boston skyline from the beach).

Not very often do you see me with my hair down when it's very hot and humid in New England! Gina and I finally went shopping and had lunch at The Yard House. We laughed a lot.

August also brought a day trip to NYC with my mother. We had such a great time. To see "Woman in Gold" was truly special. Last time I was on Park Ave, I was running the NYC Marathon in 2011. Seeing the World Trade Center memorial and the new building brought chills. It back brought a lot of memories from that year 2001…..good and sad.
There's mum and I outside of Katz's. BOOOOO!! We were totally disappointed. The experience was fun but the food (corned beef and turkey- thumbs down). Mum and I prefer Carnegie Deli.

The end of August brought the US Pro Challenge finish stage in Denver. VERY cool. Cannondale has a special place in my heart because I remember dad buying a Cannondale when they first came out!! I could lift the bike with one hand. They gave me a green trucker hat at their booth too for free!!!

At the end of August, Steve was able to get away for a weekend trip to Vail and Glenwood Springs, with a fabulous drive through Leadville and the top of Independence Pass. I RAN and traversed down Vail mountain. 4 miles of utter kicking arse and fiery quads (saw a marmot…never seen one before).
I ended up running on mountain bike trails and the guys didn't care as long as I stopped to let them pass.
When I caught up to the regular "hiking" trail, it was narrow with lots of roots. I tripped a lot but never fell!!!! My quads BURNED for 2 days after that run, but fortunately a few days of biking helped them out (30.50 miles on Glenwoods Springs trail through the Canyon…..gorgeous! Then a jump into the hot springs pool….ahhhhhh. The smell of sulphur though sucks.

**BTW: If you ever go to Vail. The restaurant "Mountain Standard" is awesome!!
Windy road to the top of the pass…..Continental Divide. Scenery was beautiful.

Aside from my photo journaling, I have to say that my feet are getting back into a groove. I'm still a sneaker hoarder with my second pair of Altra Trail Olympus, but I also bought a pair of Hoka One One's ATR Challengers. I do need an insert in both of those sneakers for support, but I still believe it's good to switch off. However, the Hoka's are cushiony and my feet can't deal with that for too many runs. They are better for me on short runs.

I was close to 90 miles for August (thanks to Jolene) but I've also rode my bike a lot more (thanks to Steve) and gone to the gym (thanks to Linda and Tania). I've come A LONG way since June 2014. I've learned a lot of lessons about the importance of rest, stretching, and strength training. I'm also down 10 pounds which took an immense amount of discipline and patience.

Most importantly, I've learned to cut myself slack. I've been running for 19 years and my speedy days are gone but speed and pace are relative. My lifting and kettle bell workout helps, along with my Carve class, where we do tabata like moves, pilates, and resistance bands.

"For running, I'll take whatever I can now and be happy with that:)," she said.