So Much of Running… + We are Outta Here + Catch-Up!

Tuesday run= 5 miles @ 8:22 average pace.  I listened to Man Bun Run’s podcast with Jared Ward and it was excellent (so is his interview with Sarah Sellers).   If you have been dealing with injuries, Jared Ward (he finished 6th in the 2016 Olympics for the marathon) has been too and he shares some great insight about it all.   Jared said something that I really liked, “So much of running is what’s going on inside you.”  <— YES.

I love the fact that there is a big part of running that we DO have control over and that is what’s going on inside of us.  My thoughts have been awesome or lame so many times due solely to the thoughts I was having during the miles.  Deena’s book really has been helping me so much with my thoughts during a run, read it if you haven’t yet.

I haven’t worn a pair of the Ghosts for quite some time but I just got a new pair.  The Ghost 10s felt pretty amazing for my first run out with them.  PS Brooks is donating $10 per shoe purchase until July 31st to the 2018 Special Olympics USA games so that is awesome.

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On Tuesday I was able to go out to lunch with the one and only Toby.  This woman is amazing and I want her to teach me how to do a million things.  She is a triplet mom (she also had another child after her triplets) and she has also completed a 100 mile race.  I can’t even imagine.  I’m dying the last 7 miles of a marathon and she is out there rocking 100 miles.  I wish you all could hang out with her because she has a way of making everyone around her feel happier.

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We went to Zao Cafe (I’m really loving this place lately) and I had the rice bowl.  Toby came with a bag of activities and snacks for Brooke for our lunch… Brooke wants to do lunch with Toby daily now:)

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Skye’s strength was motivating for me during my Wednesday morning strength class.  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can—>  I wish you could hear the pep talks I give myself to go lift weights;)

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Just another update in Beretta’s journey to find the most uncomfortable place in our house to sleep.  As long as she is near Andrew, she is happy.

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My personal opinion= warm weather parenting is more fun than cold weather parenting.  The kids are happier being outside running around and so am I.

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Andrew has been studying like crazy for a big test that he had yesterday (he rocked it) but he took a break on Tuesday to make this masterpiece for us for dinner.   Blackened Fish Tacos with Avocado-Cilantro Sauce.  And fun fact—>  that sauce for the tacos is so good to dip carrots into if you have any leftover sauce if you make this.

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Andrew went back to studying and I took Brooke to something that I’ve wanted to take her to for a very long time.  My Little Paintbrush.

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They fill up fast so I was excited to get a spot for Brooke.  The class was about 90 minutes and Brooke listened very closely to every word the teacher said.

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Her finished product.  She felt pretty proud of herself and hopefully we can do this again.  It’s really fun to watch the kids find things that they are passionate about.

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Wednesday morning started bright and early for a run and then a strength class at the gym.  I parked at the gym and ran around that area so that when I finished my run, I was already at the gym and that helped me to go inside for weights.

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2 mile w/u (around an 8:30 pace), 4 x 3 minutes (6:51 average), 4 x 1 minute (6:15 average), 90 second recovery jogs after each interval, 2 mile c/d (8:10ish).  During the first interval I kept thinking about how tired I am (seriously, I need to get on this sleep training wagon) but then I changed my thoughts to repeating, ‘I AM NOT TIRED.’  I am really good at tricking myself and it worked.

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Came home to these girls waiting for me.

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And then it was so good to see this little face again!

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I really didn’t take that many pictures yesterday (WHO AM I?!) but the day was filled with the classics of sweet potatoes, pancakes, errands, randomness and celebrating on our front stair for Andrew’s 99th percentile in the NATION on his test that he took yesterday for nursing.

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And then for my activity with the youth girls this week, we played cards with seniors in our area and had a blast.  I brought donuts.  Of course.

We are outta here for two days… Andrew and I sat down with our calendars and realized that the five of us aren’t together a ton this summer other than our family reunion next month so we decided to take advantage of as many trip opportunities as possible.  So, we are driving a few hours to a little cabin for a few days and getting in as much hiking in as possible.  It’s been a while since the kid’s last cabin trip and hopefully we will put their shoes on the correct feet this time.

They used to be so small!

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We are all packed with everything we need:

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Have any trips planned for this summer?

-We are going to Kentucky for a family reunion and other than that I am guessing just mini hiking adventures.

Have you flipped your thoughts from negative to positive during a run lately?  Tell me how you went from negative to positive… we will all learn from each other:)

Any fun s’more variations… We still have time to stop at the store for more goodness.  

What colors are your favorite on a pair of running shoes?  

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40 comments

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I love your avocado holic shirt! I really need to get it……….every time I am at Target i talk myself out of it, ha!

We are going to Nashville a few times this summer, but no trips planned other than that. And I love running shoes in all colors, but currently I am loving my shamrock covered launches from St. Paddy’s day! I am on the lookout for some yellow ones….I have always wanted yellow running shoes ever since I heard the song “She’s Everything” by Brad Paisley!

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Congrats to Andrew on acing his test and to Brooke for creating an awesome masterpiece! Smores with peanut butter cups: genius!! And our travel plans this summer will take us back home to Quebec for a friend’s wedding and my mom’s birthday! Hope you guys have an awesome time hiking!!

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Try it Julie, it’s pretty awesome! Thank you so much and I’m SO glad you get to go back home this summer. Have a beautiful day!

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We have a couple of fun trips planned that we are excited about. We love summer!

Not a big fan of s’mores but it’s way way better with Reese’s peanut butter cups instead of plain chocolate

My left quad is so so tight today for some weird reason so we will see how running goes.

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So fun!! Hope y’all have a nice little getaway!

The other day I was running some pretty tough intervals (and I hadn’t done intervals in a REALLY long time), and I started having some negative thoughts about them being really tough and how I wasn’t running them fast enough. But then I reminded myself of a quote I love: “Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.” And I thought about the fact that intervals are such a small portion of my life, and I can endure that pain and still survive. I also had to look at the fact that I wasn’t even able to run intervals for most of last year, so I shouldn’t expect to be right back where I was when I was at my fastest. Running is often a work in progress, and so am I. It’s better to live in the now than keep comparing to the past. That really helped, and my last couple of intervals felt so much better and were actually a little faster!

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Lots of fun tastic tip! I think I’ll be using at the next time I do intervals. Which is… Oh I don’t want to think about it now. Haha!

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Haha! Yes, you should definitely try it, Linda! :)

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I love little weekends away! It is such a nice escape from your every day and you always come back much more refreshed than after a typical weekend. Enjoy the cabin and hiking!

I have such some trips coming up in June which I am super excited about! Going to Washington DC for the weekend at the beginning of June. It will be my first time there and I know one weekend isn’t enough time to explore – have you been?? Any suggestions on what to do when you only have 2 days? Then in mid June I am going to Ireland for 8 days! Can’t wait!

x Elise
http://www.thirtythoughtstoday.com

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You are going to have an amazing summer! Ireland and DC! I haven’t been to DC since I was a little girl… I wish I had recommendations for you! Anyone else?
Thanks Elise and I hope you have a great day!

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Wow! Amazing job Andrew on the test… and the tacos haha I need to make those tacos ASAP! it is a Canadian long week-end, so we’ll be gone for a few days to visit family on the East Coast. Can’t wait… except for the packing part later today. But that’s part of the game :-) Hope you guys have a great week-end!

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Brooke is such a wonderful artist. Her creations have been posted over the years here and they are all amazing! What’s the best about it is the absolute joy on her face! So awesome.

I have to agree – I’m not a human parent but hiking/walking/running/playing in the yard with my dog is much more fun when it is between 50-80 degrees rather than 0-49 :)

Congratulations, Andrew! Fantastic.

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Yes!!! Dogs are even happier this time of year. Thank you so much Amanda and I hope you are having a great day!

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This is an embarrassing question… but can you break down what each of the components In the description of your run means? What does 4 x one minute mean? You run for four minutes? Or for one minute four times?? Lol … newbie to intervals over here!!

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That is not an embarrassing question at all! So I’ll write out how the workout went and I hope that helps some more!
2 mile warm-up
3 minutes fast
90 second recovery jog
3 minutes fast
90 second recovery jog
3 minutes fast
90 second recovery jog
3 minutes fast
90 second recovery jog
1 minute fast
90 second recovery jog
1 minute fast
90 second recovery jog
1 minute fast
90 second recovery jog
1 minute fast
90 second recovery jog
2 mile cool-down

Let me know if you have any other questions! I love talking/typing:)

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Yay Andrew that is amazing!!I have to talk myself into doing the hard interval type things.I always tell myself I can do anything for a short time.
Your trip looks so fun!We have a beach trip planned(we live in SF Bay Area) to Southern California but that’s about it…
Nutella on s’mores is amazing!!(although,I think I remember reading you aren’t a fan?-whaaaat?)-but it’s good!!!

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We should run one time when we are in the Bay Area! Have so much fun in Southern California this summer! Andrew will love the Nutella idea and so will the kids (ps you have a fabulous memory)… thank you! Have a beautiful day Cait!

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I don’t have any trips planned this summer… but I have some in the works!
Question for you – and I want to say this in a way that doesn’t seem to be rude to other runners. Do you ever see other runners and you notice things that may be off with their form (or you realize how great their form is) and because it’s easier to see in someone else, you notice yourself get better? I ran this morning and I saw this lady who was very slumped over, and it made me check myself to make sure I was “tall” in my form.
I really like Smores with Heath toffee bars!
Favorite pair of shoes… that’s tough. I guess I’m really loving my Levitates right now so I’d have to say white!
Another question for you and for everyone else – do you plan your runs to end exactly back at your house or your car? Or do you give yourself extra space to jog or walk back? I realized that I feel much better if I have some time to cool down with some walking before I just stop completely, and was curious what others do.

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Hey girl!! I definitely have done that before during a run and usually it’s me noticing how my form is off because it really needs work ha! Also, great question! I plan my runs to get home/to the car right when I end my run (give or take a little bit of distance because my math is off) but Andrew always plans his runs to end about .15-.2 away from home to walk a bit before going inside. I’ll habe to ask this question soon to see what everyone else does. I am so happy you love the Levitates! Have a beautiful day Rhiannon!

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i didn’t always do this, but i always incorporate w/u and c/d now – it’s a precaution b/c i have been piling on miles and i’m new to this kind of running. i used to run for recreation only, so i didn’t run that much. I didn’t run to train for anything – as such, almost daily training is new to me. i typically need 1.5-2 miles to do both w/u and c/d. and yes, jogging sounds like the right word for it. wondering what others do too. i think walking is a great choice too, to completely cool down and recover.

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Congrats to Andrew! That’s amazing!!! Have fun on your trip; it sounds wonderful! We’re planning on having two week long staycations this summer. Our almost 12-year old pup has diabetes and requires two daily insulin shots and lost his hearing and eyesight recently so we definitely don’t want to leave him right now. We live in a big city and haven’t really explored much around us so it’ll be perfect. :) Have a great day, Janae!

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That is awful about your dog Marie! I am so sorry and I definitely wouldn’t want to leave either! Enjoy the exploring! Thanks Marie!

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I love Brooks Ghosts! I’ve been wearing them for years! I need to get a pair of the 10’s :-)

Oh my gosh, YES, summer parenting is a billion times easier and better than winter parenting!! It just recently got nice here in Michigan and we have been soaking up every minute of outside time! My daughter is so much happier being outside and playing with neighbors and going to parks <3

Congratulations to Andrew on his test score! That really is fantastic and he should be SO proud!!

That flash back picture with Brooke and Knox is just precious! How old were they there?

We are going up to northern Michigan in July for a week at the beach with family!! I am so excited for it!!

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Thank you so much Torrie! When you try the 10’s please let me know what you think! Glad you are loving summer parenting too:) In that picture they are three… time is going so fast. Your beach trip sounds awesome. I hope you have a beautiful day!

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Congrats to Andrew! 99 th percentile is amazing!
I love colour..so pink or greeen or any colour bright.

Defintely some road trips this summer. Likely within the province for all the races and to see family.

Whenever I get grumpy during a run I remind myself that it is a choice I make to run and nobody is forcing me too haha. I also remind myself that it is ok to have a bad run.

Have a great day and fun on your family geteaway!

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Wow congrats to Andrew! Adding peanut butter to smores always a hit. We have a new trailer and will be camping with big trees for a week this summer other than that enjoying our local beaches and hikes as well.
Counting down until my kids have summer!
So I’m always so nervous to try a different model of shoe as I like my Pure Cadence ones but I do think more cushion for marathons would have benefitted me. I need to see what model is similar.

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WTG Andrew and Brooke’s painting is awesome!

My hubby and I get to chaperone a trip to Europe this summer! I am super excited :)

My biggest tip for going from negative to positive during a run is to try and focus on what I’m grateful for during the run.

Peeps on s’mores are pretty legit.

I like dark colors on my running shoes because all of my light colored ones get disgusting way too fast.

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We are taking our girls (ages 9 and 12) to our favorite place, KEY WEST!, this summer for a week. I am so so excited. I hope that they’ll love it as much as Darin and I do!!!!!!!

I JUST finished Deena’s book today. Loved it and highlighted so many pearls of wisdom. I really have been focusing on turning my thoughts around during running and just in life in general since reading it. It’s amazing just how negative I can be. For some reason, when I get a negative thought on a run, I start thinking about pink cotton candy unicorns and poodles. Weird as all get-out, I know, and I have no idea where I even came up with that visual, but it seems to get my brain out of ugly places. lol I’ll use it!
Speaking of–I’m traveling 3 hours to run a half this weekend, and it’s supposed to be rainy. I’m trying to get my head screwed on straight in dealing with that. So, I really need Deena’s positive affirmations! Better a bit of rain than sun and steamy HOT, right?! lol

Love those new Ghosts. Since I was injured last year, the Ghosts have become a favorite of mine for a daily trainer!

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Jen, I LOVE that you do that… I am going to have to try the cotton candy trick that you do:) Sounds like it will work for me too! I hope that the weather is a bit better than expected for your half this weekend. Please let me know how it goes, I want to hear all about it. You are going to do amazing and can we join you for your Key West trip:) GOOD LUCK!

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PS LOVED that quote about remaining an artist once one grows up!!!!!!!! ALWAYS be on the lookout for beautiful things :)

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This summer we are doing a week driving vacation from Texas up through Nashville, Louisville, KY (Louisville Slugger bat plant), Canton, OH (NFL hall of fame), and on to Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Looking forward to it since my 12 year old son is a big baseball kid and we all love it too. Then we are back for a week and then my son and I and other moms and sons from his tournament baseball team are going to Baton Rouge, LA to an LSU baseball camp. The boys will be at camp all day while the moms hang out back at the hotel by the pool……….. BUT, next summer 2019 we are going to Disney World again and I cannot wait (was just there in 2017, but you can never get enough Disney).

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I just finished “Gorl Wash your Face” and loved it!! Thank you for the recommendation. And I also just bought Deenas boom! Excited to start a new personal development book. As a new Mom is this brand new phase of my life these books have really been helpful.

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I am so happy that you loved Girl Wash your Face. It truly is amazing. Let me know what you think of Deena’s book. Congrats on your new little one. Have a beautiful day Catie!

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Ummm, can we give Andrew an award for making the BEST replication of an advertised meal?!? His blackened fish looks UNREAL– just like the photo in the recipe link! Kudos to him!!

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AND OMG CONGRATULATIONS and GOOD JOB on scoring in the 99th percentile on the nursing exam!! I hadn’t read that part yet– HAD to leave another comment sorry!

Also to answer at least one of the Q’s of the day … favorite color on running shoes: either black or whatever exotic neon-orange, neon-green/pink whatever weird combo I wouldn’t ever wear with normal attire! Makes running more fun! Got your weird shoes on; it’s the one time you can do it– no one judges shoe color!!

On switching negative to positive: TBH once I encounter the negative thoughts I get rid of them as quickly as I can. It doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t help to think those thoughts. In a run, we want to make the best / most of it– find something else, listen to a bird chirp, see patterns in the rain. You know by thinking negative thoughts you’ll only tank. I heard Deena talk about this in a podcast long ago too on positive thinking, and I always think back to that pod as an inflection point in my thinking.

You go girl!

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Thank you so much and I just read your comments to Andrew and he says thank you too! You are the best. I LOVE what you said about switching the negative to positive FAST and to find something else to pay attention too. I hope you have a wonderful day!

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OMG that *exact* blackened fish taco recipe (from that same website!!!) is the EXACT recipe I made for Tom right when we became a long distance couple and only had the weekends together (we did this for a year and a half) and I decided that instead of eating out at the not-so-great places in the town he lived in that we would cook…and save our money for vacation (which was a good thing because he proposed to me on that vacation!!!!!)! He fell in love with those fish tacos, so making them sort of became one of my love languages for him. :)

I hope your family has an amazing mini-getaway! Small getaways are important. IN FACT–I am in the Atlanta airport right now getting ready to board a flight to DC to visit one of my best friends for the weekend. In a couple of weeks she is moving to Saipan to be with her husband who got a job there and had to move right in the middle of her semester (she is in a PhD program)! So I am in DC this month, and next month I am in Orlando for a Les Mills event. THen TOm and I are going to some beachy town in Florida to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for a week in early August. And hopefully we will find a weekend to drive somewhere not too far away and visit with friends we don’t see too often.

Congratulations to Andrew!!!

OH–not too long ago I mentioned an interview at a running store for a summer job. I got the job! I begin on Monday, right after I am back from my getaway!!! While retail is not my dream job, it will be nice that I can pay the bills talking to people about running and helping them find the best shoes for their feet. I’m not selling something I don’t care about, like lug nuts or iPhone cases. :)

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Congrats Andrew!! that’s amazing !! (is he embarrassed you told everyone and the internet is so pumped about him now?)
I have flipped my whole attitude on running – i’m totally out of shape and not feeling great about my running but instead of letting that hold me back i’m just aiming for something that feels good (and exercises my dog)- if that means I go for a run and end up walking, fine. sometimes I surprised myself and most of the time I don’t, haha, but running doesn’t come easy
I like peanut butter on smores or using reese PB cup as the choco componenent :)

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YOU MAKE YOUR SMORES WITH REESE’S CUPS!!!????? why oh why have I never thought of that?
I was a huge fan of the saucony cortanas, I really miss them!

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nice work on tricking yourself and saying you’re not tired!
those tacos look delish. kudos to Andrew for making them and then acing his test…!
the kids were super cute when they were little!
i will have to check out the man bun run podcast. i have been taking in all your podcast recommendations and putting them on my to-listen list…! so thank you for them.

summer trip will be a camping trip in the whites – love your new hiking pack for Skye! how do you like the deuter comfort 2? your hiking photos a week or two ago were breathtaking! we loved our deuter way back when.

yes. i said to myself “i can’t hang on!” and then i thought of Deena’s book and said instead “it’s a gorgeous morning to challenge myself. PUSH” and it worked. i don’t know if that’s going to work every time though. another strategy i might use is to notice my thoughts, acknowledge them, and move on to focus on the present. also remembering to not judge myself for negative thoughts.

i just go for the classic s’more – graham cracker, chocolate, melted marshmellow – i can’t do nut butters (unless it’s nutella)!

i would probably love purple and pink on a running shoe. i usually pick the marked down color though…!

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I’m reading Deena’s book just now and it’s really making me think about having a positive mindset. Right now I’m starting running again after a couple of weeks off post-marathon. Instead of thinking “this is hard” I’m trying to think “my body is rested and getting strong again”.

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