Your body is allowed to change + Weekending!

I was planning on going ten miles but I was feeling really good (thanks to Beck and Skye both sleeping through the night and I fell asleep myself at 8:50 pm the night before) so I went 13 miles with the group instead.  A new distance PR after having Beck!  One of my running friends recently had a baby too so it’s fun to celebrate new records again together.

I wore the shorts again that I’m obsessed with (and now I’m even more obsessed with them) and was just in a tank top for most of the run too.  We survived winter running!

The run that we did on Saturday was one that we used to do often in 2019 as a part of marathon training.  We did 7 miles on the trails first (with about 1100 ft of climbing over the rolling course) and then we do a 3 mile tempo.  Your legs are completely dead by the time you start the tempo which really tests you.

A tricky part about this run is knowing what shoes to wear because you are on the trails and trying to run fast on the roads all in one run.  When I was training really hard I would hide a pair of speed shoes where the tempo portion started to change into but I just wore the Ravenna 11s on Saturday and they did the job for both the trails and the roads.

IMG 9380

We finished up with a 3 mile tempo and then sat on the grass to stretch.  It was so nice to not just jump into the car and turn on the heater the second we finished the run, we could enjoy the sun and stretching for a bit first.

IMG 9384

Andrew then headed out to go mountain biking when I got home.  He is so happy that the trails are going to be good for the next 7-8 months for him to mountain bike more often again.  Sadly a bunch of his favorite trails are still closed from a big fire this last summer but now he can go and explore some new areas.

IMG 9434

The kids joined me in celebrating a new distance record for this stage of life with some donuts.  Maple bars are my #1 donut choice now.

IMG 9440

A lot of our day was spent relaxing.

IMG 9453

A bit later and my in-laws came into town.  Andrew’s mom and dad are so great at trying new things and getting outside together and they invited us to go try out frisbee golf with them.   We all ended up really enjoying it and the kids convinced us to get a set for our house too so we can keep playing.

IMG 9463

Then we had a movie night and I used my rapid recovery boots.  I haven’t used these beauties in over a year (hence the dust ha) but I’m excited to have them out again as my training gets going.  My legs feel so much better after I use them and you can read my review of them here.

IMG 9471

We finished off the day with the hot tub and Andrew wanted me to let you know that the flash made him look more tired than he is;)

IMG 4881

It was a great weekend all together and our only one with everyone this month so we really made an effort to soak it all in…

IMG 4869

——————————————————————————————————-

Just a friendly reminder today that your body is allowed to change.  I heard this the other day (I wish I remember where!) and it hit me hard.  Our bodies were designed to change over time but somehow media/product marketing has conditioned us to think that we are supposed to fit in our jeans from a decade ago or that wrinkles mean you are doing this life thing wrong.  It’s not true.  Our bodies are constantly going to be changing and let us lovingly allow them to just like we do when the little one’s in our world are growing and changing.

You have permission to change, don’t let media tell you that you don’t.

Let this sink in for a minute if you struggle with body image issues… go experience the world in your body that will always be changing!

IMG 8832

——————————————————————————————————-

What is something that you have read or heard recently that really meant a lot to you?

What is your current #1 donut choice?

What is your personal distance record lately?  Did the last year of change in the world have you running more or less?

What was the best part of your weekend?

You May Also Like

22 comments

Reply

This last year has allowed me to run more than I would have, and to enjoy the runs more. My running friends and I were talking about that this weekend! How more time and less things to go do allowed us to run longer, explore more, enjoy the process, get breakfast after together. It’s been so nice!!

Reply

Mariah. I am So happy that you had such a good year of running (I seriously can’t believe it has been a full year since everything started!). “Run longer, explore more, enjoy the process, get breakfast after together” = heaven. Have a beautiful day friend!

Reply

Hi Janae! Long time reader over here with a very random question–we are building a house, and I love the paint color on your walls. Do you know what color/brand it is?? Who knew there were SO many paints to have to pick from! (I misclicked and posted this on an old post, so sorry it shows up twice!)

Reply

I am SO so excited for your new house, you are going to have to send pictures. I just asked Andrew and he is trying to find it! I’ll get back to you asap. Have a fabulous day Nikki.

Reply

I heard a podcast with James Lawrence (Iron Cowboy) where he said when he was doing his 50.50.50 he SLEPT in those recovery boots! I wonder if he’ll do the same for his Ironman adventure.
Love the thoughts and quote about our bodies. It’s so true! Thanks for sharing.

Reply

HE SLEPT IN THE RECOVERY BOOTS?! HOW? I guess he was so beyond the point of exhaustion that it makes sense ha and I do remember dozing off for a few minutes once while wearing them:). Thank you Jenny, have a beautiful Monday!

Reply

I heard this saying recently, which I really love: “Don’t worry about the future, it makes you anxious, don’t dwell on the past, it makes you sad. Be in the present.”

I had 2 great outdoor runs this weekend, so I’m still riding that high. :)

Apple fritters are my favorite, from our local place, Pat’s Donuts & Creme.

Reply

That saying is perfect. Such an important thing to remember, thanks for sharing Amanda. SO glad you had two awesome outdoor runs this weekend… just the best. I hope you get an Apple Fritter from Pat’s Donuts & Creme asap! Happy Monday Amanda!

Reply

Oh that is such a good reminder! Our bodies are constantly changing! Thank you for sharing that. Steph Bruce wrote something similar on her IG yesterday, and I just really needed to read that too.
I know I’ve said this before here, and I know you all think I’m weird, but I am not really a donut fan… Ha ha. But if I ever do have one, most likely it’s a maple bar.
Awesome job on your run on Saturday!
It’s funny, I ran more this last year during the pandemic, but I never did a run over 9 miles. I’m not sure why, but I just never did any double digit runs. Weird. But that is something I am wanting to do now. Planning on 8 today (I didn’t run long this weekend), but maybe I’ll keep going if I’m feeling good.
Best part of the weekend was running with my hubby on Saturday! We haven’t done that in a while. And then getting yard work done felt really good too. We didn’t get out for our hike yesterday, but that’s ok. We sort of all had a good lazy day, which I think was needed!
I looks like you had a really great weekend. Here’s to a great week ahead ?

Reply

Off to go check out Steph Bruce’s post… thanks for telling me! Hahah do your boys and husband like donuts? Thank you so much and I am so glad you were able to get in a lot of running this last year. Maybe it was because there were no marathons to train for so it felt pointless do run double digits? I’m excited to see how double digit runs go for you after all of your strength and pilates that you have done. Running with the husband = the best. Thanks Wendy, you too!

Reply

I definitely ran less but 14 miles has been my distance record. Most weekends I run 10-12 though and that works well for me. Though finding motivation without races is tough lol. Maybe I will just have to make up my own race lol.

Congrats on your distance record and sounds like a great weekend!

Favorite donuts sprinkle and maple glaze. So good. also I have had eggnog cream

Reply

HEY KRISTINE!! 14 miles is AWESOME and those weekend runs are so great… with no races on the calendar you have been rocking it! Sprinkle and maple glaze sounds delicious to me. I hope you are all doing well today!

Reply

Slept through the night??? Wow! Tell me your secret, ha. Do you feed beck on a schedule or on demand during the day? And what time is he down for the night usually?

Reply

Hey Hailey! I spoke too soon and last night was rough ha but for a few weeks leading up to last night (maybe this is his 4 month sleep regression?) he was going down at about 8-8:30 and sleeping until 5ish (and sometimes I would wake him up to eat at 6 before I ran). He does on demand feeding through the day because our schedule is so all over the place. I think he has just been a very sleepy baby and he eats a lot during the day! I still swaddle him and he has a sound machine and I wish I had more secrets ha… the girls didn’t sleep through the night that early! Good luck, I hope you get some sleep soon!

Reply

Hi Janae! One nice thing about the past six months is that I have been able to run more. I’ve been working from home for a year but the first six months I was recovering from an injury so I ran less I am lucky to be able to work from home and my schedule is flexible enough that I can run during the day. It’s really nice to save that commute time. I haven’t been training for anything though so just doing lots of easy runs and getting a bigger base.
Happy women’s day!! Hope you have a great one!

Reply

HEY AMY! YAY for a flexible schedule and no more commute. Any word from your work about how much longer you will be working from home?! Thanks friend! YOU TOO!

Reply

I am now fully menopausal, so my body has changed a lot! Unfortunately, the roller coaster ride was a tough one and I picked up quite a bit of weight. I’ve now lost 15 pounds since the first of the year and I’m feeling SO much better! It’s not entirely about the number on the scale, but not carrying that excess weight has made running so much more enjoyable. My longest distance for the year is now up to 10, but more than that, they were strong miles with my last two being my fastest! That being said, donuts are not currently part of my life. While I would love to say I can eat whatever I want, reality says my body can’t handle nearly as much sugar as it use to. I have learned that I feel 100% better when I eat high quality carbs vs. low quality. I’ll never cut any food group out completely, but I’m working to make sure treats are just that, treats.

This might sound kind of weird, but the best part of our weekend was a memorial service we attended on Saturday. This was a friend who was a month younger than Les, so it hit pretty close to home. But it was a beautiful memorial with so many friends and family members there. It really made us stop and think about how thankful we are to be healthy.

Reply

I bet menopause feels like quite the roller coaster! You are doing an amazing job and I love how active you are Kathy! TEN TEN TEN!
I am so so sorry that you lost your friend. I’m thankful it was a beautiful service and I’m sending love to you, Les and everyone else that was close to this friend!

Reply

What is something that you have read or heard recently that really meant a lot to you?
Your last thoughts really resonate with me and it reminds me of what I recently have been reading a lot of books on – hypothalamic amenorrhea – as it was something I have previously dealt with prior to having my son in 2017, and I had noticed I still wasn’t quite right with my cycle (after coming off BC back in June to prepare for a possible 2nd). I know you have dealt with it in the past (and Tina Muir), so I wanted to remind myself of what ACTUALLY matters. All the reading and listening to how important it is to minimize stress, fuel our bodies for the work we put it through, and just enjoy what God has given us (even in the tough year we’ve all just had), I was able to regain my cycle just this last week after focusing on what’s important the past 2 months.
With that being said, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying weekly donuts with my hubby and son – and I think my favorite will always be an apple fritter (hopefully that counts haha!).
In terms of distance recently, back in October, I ran a marathon which earned me a BQ, so I definitely ran A LOT last year. Since December, I reduced my overall mileage and focused on my health instead. Obviously you see that did me good haha. I did, however, PR in the mile just working on shorter distances (6:03) – so I was pumped about that!

The best part of my weekend was just lounging around all day on Saturday with my husband and son – playing piano, reading books, and watching a movie together. <3
=

Reply

Hey Elizabeth! Wow, I cannot thank you enough for sharing this with me. I am so happy for you. You did the work. Please keep me updated with how you are doing and as you are getting ready for a 2nd child wahoo! Keep enjoying those donuts together and apple fritters are absolutely donuts! CONGRATS on your crazy fast mile PR recently, you are amazing! I hope you get some more lounging around all together this week at some point too! Thanks for taking the time to write to me and I’m cheering for you!

Reply

Hi Janae! I have heard things similarly to that, but you’re right it really resonates that our bodies are allowed to change … maybe quite a few times!

Sometimes when I feel like I am a little softer than I used to be (I had my fourth baby 5 months ago), I just think about how much nicer that must feel for my kids to have a slightly soft, cozy and HAPPY mom! I would so much rather have a changed body and be content and show my kids that I am confident and don’t take my looks too seriously. I know you set a great example for your kids too, and for your readers! Thanks for sharing.

Reply

Latest personal distance record 48 miles in 48 hours!

Best part of my weekend….finishing that 48 miles ?

It was a great reminder that I can do hard things ?

Thanks for all the running inspiration!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *