Hello!

It’s Tuesday already! I feel like I have no time these days which is ironic since my running mileage is practically nothing at the moment. 🙂 Speaking of running, here’s how my first few days of training (Take 2!) have been going:

I ran 1 mile on Saturday and then walked a mile back home. No ankle issues.

1 mile run

Sunday, Duncan and I went on a challenging 2+ hour hike with a bunch of other dogs and their owners. It was a great way to cross-train physically and clear my head mentally. My balance was a little shaky and I found myself using my hands to brace myself when the terrain got challenging and I was super careful where I placed my bad foot to ensure I didn’t twist any part of it. It started to get a little achy toward the end but the next morning it felt absolutely perfect.

at times we had narrow rocky paths to navigate through

at times we had narrow rocky paths to navigate through

That's Chester....the daredevil dog of the pack.

That’s Chester….the daredevil dog of the pack.

I love looking up and watching the sun filter through the leaves of the trees.

I love looking up and watching the sun filter through the leaves of the trees.

Me and the doodle hopping across the the rocks. I kept my feet dry! Unfortunately the doodle misjudged on one of his final steps and one paw landed in the water. He wasn't happy.

Me and the doodle hopping across the the rocks. I kept my feet dry! Unfortunately the doodle misjudged on one of his final steps and one paw landed in the water. He wasn’t happy.

Duncan in action

Duncan in action

hiking

we hiked near this cute little babbling brook

labradoodle

dirty doodle post hike

This morning I got up at 6 am and I ran another mile pain-free. Then I took the doodle for a ride in the Subaru to the park and we walked around for a bit. So far so good!

photo 5

another mile….pain free!

photo 1[2]

photo 4[1]

I might actually turn tomorrow’s 2 miles into 3…livin’ on the edge! With the hike on Sunday and the early morning walk today Duncan is exhausted! Good thing because I’m meeting my running peeps after work tonight to go over some details about our upcoming Ragnar Relay. I promise I’ll get a very useful post up about relay races and best way to approach them. I’ve done 3 already and have learned quite a lot!

sleepy doodle

sleepy doodle

I’m loving Forest(er) and have already put on 300+ miles in just 3 days. I went to my folks house over the weekend and snapped this shot from their porch.

photo 2[2]

Inconvenience VS Adversity

The other day as I thought about all the inconveniences that I was experiencing (small stuff) like nails in tires, car breakdowns and such, I reminded myself that I am lucky that is really the worst of it for me these days. Compared to some true adversity happening with close friends and family and in the world in general. I mentioned back in this post about my friend whose mom was just recently diagnosed with ALS. Well if you have seen the ice bucket challenge (#IceBucketChallenge #StrikeOutALS) going around on Facebook it is to raise awareness about the illness and encourage people to donate to the ALS Association. I was challenged by my sister-in-law and accepted! Here’s my little video… (I did donate but ice bucket part is what makes this campaign so viral and attention grabbing so I agreed to do both. apologies ahead of time about the video….it was unrehearsed and i didnt’ have time to make it too polished).

If you feel compelled to participate please share a link to your video in the comments. I’d love to see others continue on this campaign and the awareness that it’s bringing to a dreadful disease. And please donate if you can. ALSA.org

So how’s your week going? Is there a specific charity that you are passionate about?