The Best Life

In every way that sums up what our focus is on this month. I know this is a fitness oriented blog, and it always will be. I don't' talk much about our "life" outside of our running, diet, and adventures.....but there is a lot of "other life" going on amidst all the fun things I blog about here.
But for this month, our lives will be very busy on weekends, and not with racing.
Brian and I both had more than a few moments this weekend of walking down the street with our kids, in the sun, having that calm, peaceful feeling of knowing we have a pretty amazing family, and a pretty amazing life, and we were having about as perfect a weekend as we could possibly have!
Besides putting in long days in the special activity we are doing, we also managed to put in the beginnings of a huge garden! I also got some plants in the ground along the back of the house, which really brightened things up back there. We also put in a fire ring on the far side of the house for camp fires. Yesterday I dove into what was the last major area that needed overhauled. The side of the house. (see pic on left for a before) It had been taken over by some sort of weed/plant that looks like a wild geranium of some sort??? ( I should mention we have only lived in this house for a few months, so I am still not sure what is growing where) After about 6 hours of weeding, it looked wonderful and clean! We attempted to have a fire last night, but due to some green wood I put in from the trees I trimmed, it was mostly smoke and not fire....but we are looking forward to spending many evenings out around the fire in the future!
As far as running/working out goes...I started off the week great! Did a 5 miler on Monday and again w/Angela on Tuesday. I then spent 3 hours in a squatting position (I have since learned to sit down on the ground) weeding the garden bed. I have never had such sore hamstrings!! Not even post marathon. I knew they were getting a workout as they were quivering towards the end, but I wanted to get it all the way weeded, so I kept going. I tried to run again on Thursday w/Brian, but barely got 1/4th of a mile and I knew I couldn't push through. Friday and Saturday went by, still sore. I had Brian roll them out with a rolling pin (we don't' have a foam roller) which usually helps, but it didn't. By Sunday evening though, I was running no matter what, and we got an 8 miler in. It was a great way to wrap up an even greater weekend!
In a week and a half we will be printing out our next marathon training schedule!! I am so excited to get back into our training routine! I have seriously missed the structure and discipline it brings. I can't believe we are starting training for San Fran already as it seems like yesterday that we ran that marathon. I remember the details so vividly it's hard to fathom we are already starting training again, a year later. I have not had a single leg cramp of any kind since the morning of that marathon....hopefully it will feel like a totally different race this year!
Our plan of attack as far as training will be totally different than last go round, but I will post more on that when the time comes!

Myles and me on our 8 miler Sunday evening. He insists on wearing one of my foil race blankets everywhere he goes these days : )
More pictures from the weekend here.