Quick Updates

I'm not even going to apologize for my scant posting this time - I haven't been writing because I've been out LIVING!  My weekdays are full of work and meetings and classes and running and playing with Kaalia, and my weekends have been packed with races (both worked and run) followed by concerts, boating, pig roasts, hiking...  All kinds of things!  Even my Instagram account, which usually gets at least one post per day, has been slow, because I've been putting the electronics down more often to sink deeper into some of the amazingly fun experiences I've been having.  The coming July 4th weekend promises to be equally exciting, with a Wish You Were Here concert on Saturday, a full day on the lake scheduled for Sunday, and possibly an Indians game (first place, eh) on Monday night!

Despite the excitement, I have still been training, racing, and working on some posts that just aren't quite ready yet.  Here's a quick synopsis of some of my fitness happenings lately in case I don't get a chance to finish those for another few days:

Camera caught me dancin' after the race, ha!

Hill Yeah Half Marathon: As the name would imply, this was a crazy hilly course!  It's out in the beautiful Lake Metroparks so while the elevation was challenging, the scenery was lovely - even in the crazy rain that plagued my first few miles.  Fortunately I spent most of the hardest rainfall under the trees of Chapin Reservation, moving a little slow as I stuck with one of my running community connections who was nursing an almost-healed injury.  When the rain let up, though, it was time for me to pick up the pace, and even with the hills (and some stomach troubles) I managed to finish under 2:30.  Pretty happy with the race, overall, and will definitely finish my full recap soon!

Half Fanatics: Upon crossing the Hill Yeah finish line, I had officially qualified for Half Fanatics by completing three half marathons in three months!  I joined HF pretty quickly after qualifying, and am now proudly Fanatic #15011!  Next level needs six half marathons in six consecutive calendar months, and I know I can get at least five straight, so that's the new goal I suppose...  I just have to figure out how to get one in September, which will be a very tough month as a race manager.  We have OUR big half marathon in September, so I'm hoping there's some way I can work at the starting line until the race begins, run the race, then help post-race with cleanup and whatever else is needed.  Busy day, but that would be my sixth month!  I'll have one in October for sure (exactly 5 months and 29 days after my first half this year) but it HAS to be consecutive months to count...

Towpath 10-10: I actually ran another race in June, and it was the first time I've ever repeated a race.  This one was the Towpath 10-10, which was my first race after returning to Cleveland, and the connections I made at this race last year helped me get through the murky waters of divorce misery AND launched me into my dream job!  So running any Towpath race has a special place in my heart, especially this one.  It was a very HOT day, but the race started at 7 so we had an hour of slightly cooler temps and I took full advantage, running the first half of the race over a minute per mile faster than the pace I'd need to PR at the ten mile distance.  After it warmed up, I only slowed a little, and that was mostly to stretch out a tight hamstring with two miles remaining.  I crossed the finish line in 1:37, which is a PR by over seven minutes, and twenty minutes faster than I ran this same course last year!  Definitely pleased with this performance, that's for sure!

Hydrus Performance Hydration: Over the past month and a half, I've switched my hydration strategy a bit to feature a new product I've been trying, called Hydrus.  It's a liquid concentrate to be added to water, comes in orange and lemon-lime (I love the orange), and can be purchased in bulk bottles or in individual-serving packet boxes.  I've actually met with the minds behind Hydrus, and learned a lot about why I've seen so many positive effects, not just with running hydration but with managing my electrolyte balance day-to-day as well.  This is a company that is definitely going places, and I'm excited to have Hydrus in my arsenal as the summer gets hotter and hotter!

Gypsy Runner Shorts: At the Rite Aid Half Marathon a few months ago, I fell in love with a pair of galaxy print running shorts at one of the expo stalls, and had to try them.  With a longer inseam than most of my shorts, and huge pockets on either side, they seemed to be the perfect solution to some of the issues I've had with other running gear.  After many short runs and several long ones (including that PR at the 10-10), I can confidently say this is the best pair of bottoms I have in my entire fitness wardrobe!  Check out the awesome running gear from the Gypsy Runner, including shorts, skirts, tops, compression gear, and more, I'm sure you'll love it!  And when I manage to get my full review up, you might even be able to snag a discount...

There's so much more to share, but there's precious little time for sitting at a desk in front of a screen when the world is out there all warm and sunny and full of adventure!  The house hunt looms on the horizon, and once there's a place to settle down a bit, I'll be able to organize better, but for now I'm going to let my semi-nomadic life situation take me wherever it will, and I plan to thoroughly enjoy the ride.  Lots of training posts yet to come, new products I've been trying, etc etc - I'll get to those when I can, but hopefully y'all are able to go enjoy YOUR life away from screens while the summer is in full gear too!

So, how HAVE you be living life this summer?  What adventures have occupied your time?