Weekly Run Down and Runfessions: Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone


Hello, friend! This week I am combining my weekly wrap up and Runfessions. I have lots of homework for my MBA and this is the only chance I will have to do do this.

I runfess that, while a few posts ago I wrote about going for a run, I think I have been running twice in the past month. But this past week, I finally said enough and pushed past my fear of this virus and hit the trails (plus I signed up for the Un-canceled challenge). To be clear, my fear is of selfish people not taking precautions to protect others. I wear my mask when in public, carry hand wipes and and a sanitizer pump. So it upsets me when others don’t seem to care. Grocery shopping has been the only reason I have stepped out. I do everything else from home. But the weather has been so beautiful that I just could not stay home.

I runfess that people are annoying. Refer to my comment above about protection and put that in a trail setting. A couple of days ago, we had 57F weather and while I knew there would be people out, I was surprised when there was nobody in the parking area. Boy did that change once I hit 2 miles and turned around. A ton of people on the trails without masks, wanting to talk and not practicing social distancing. I was being super anti-social (sorry, peeps) and I was glad I brought a mask. Of course, as soon as I got home I took a shower and proceeded with my immune support routine: had some elderberry syrup followed by the echinacea tea. I also drink tulsi tea. If you are not familiar with tulsi, commonly known as holy basil, is actually a member of the mint family. And it is said to help with respiratory problems, digestive issues, relieves inflammation and joint pains, in addition to other benefits. My mom swears by it.

I runfess that , for the first time since my husband and I retired from the Army 4 years ago, we decided to do a ruck march. What was I thinking? I am the runner but he is the ruck marching king as the Infantry officer that he is. Ruck marching in my combat boots always killed my feet and this was no exception (I blame my socks). Here is the thing— ruck marching has the ability to zap me of my energy. We only ruck marched 4 miles, each carrying a 30 lbs ruck sack, but i was dead the rest of the day. That being said, I think we are going to incorporated into our fitness routine. I need to get my hubby active and he loves doing this, so I am going to sacrifice myself…lol.

I runfess that life is pretty surreal right now. If you ask me, the quote below (which I saw on Instagram) pretty much sums up my life right. Yes, I dress office casual when I have conference meetings via Zoom, but once those are done, leggings and shirts are my uniform. #SorryImNotSorry. Plus after the day I had two Fridays ago, nobody can blame me. That day not only was it the 7th anniversary of my dad’s death, but on top of that I found out that I am going to be temporarily furloughed from work due to COVID for the next 3 months. I hate this because I love my job, but we are blessed that we are doing great in the farming side, so that we don’t have to worry about finances. My heart is heavy, though, for the thousands who depend on that paycheck to survive.

 
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As we go into this summer I can sulk or make the most of that time away. So, I am choosing to look at the silver lining and making the most of it. First, I am taking this next three months to do something I have wanted to do for years— dedicate myself to nothing but training. I have always wondered what it would be like to focus on running training only and I am going to do just that. This three months will also allow me to also focus on my online MBA classes and an online training workshop I am doing on starting my vegetable garden— because one thing this crisis has taught me is that we need more food security. And as someone on a plant-based diet, it just makes sense. And last but not least, I get to catch up on reading books I have been wanting to read (have you checked my books website?) and spend time with my doggie, Riley. He is a lover and a snuggle bug, and now that I am at home, he is taking full advantage of that. Probably more than my family. :)

One runfession I need to make is that I have finally joined Strava. lol. I must be the only runner not on that platform. We will see how I like it!

And last but not least— I runfess we had snow last week and I AM SO OVER WINTER. GO AWAY!

Ok, I am all runfessed and caught up on my past week! What are you up to?


Joining these awesome link-ups: Friday Five 2.0 / Tuesday Topics/ Weekly Run Down / Runfessions