Okay it’s been a week since Huntington WV and now I have to get back into marathon mode. I took almost the entire week off last week! And you know what? I really didn’t enjoy. Instead I felt out of whack, lazy and chunky. I have proven to myself time and time again that I need exercise like I need air to breath. When I don’t work out for a few days I am miserable. This body needs to move people! I took the work week off but I did get out on Sat and Sun for 2 great runs. On Saturday my gal pal Michelle and I headed to Munroe Falls, near Akron, for an Ohio Outside trail race event. It was 5 miles. We had some really weird, unbelievably beautiful weather this weekend. It was sunny and clear and was just about the most perfect day ever for a trail run. There were about 120 runners and everyone got a pint glass with some goodies stuffed inside. I also got a really great gray Ohio Outside hoodie that I love. I got it b/c I signed up for the entire race series, which is 3 races. Unfortunately I signed up forever ago and have conflicts for the other 2 runs, so the November run was the only one I would make! So I basically paid $60 for a hoodie, a pint glass and 5 glorious trail miles. Even though this was a race, I wasn’t treating it like one. Michelle and I lined up in the back and just trotted along and talked for the entire 5 miles. We crossed the finish line right around 50 mins. Which really for a trail run isn’t that bad. The course was 2 loops of 2.5 miles each. The earth was nice and packed, but there were a lot of roots to keep an eye out for. I almost took a fall twice and my ankles were quite sore on Sunday from all the uneven terrain. I am extremely blessed to live in an area with so many wonderful trails. I could probably run a different trail every weekend of the year. Maybe that would be a good blogging journey!

Sunday wasn’t so nice, it was rainy and gray and Harper decided to wake up before 6am! Ugh. So, I laid around with her all morning and then at 9 we had to get out of the house b/c we were going stir crazy. We headed to Joseph Beth and met her little friend and they played in the children’s area for about an hour. I am so sad b/c this is my favorite bookstore and it’s going out of business. I love going into a bookstore and purusing the shelves. Unfortunately most people buy their books online and bookstores are going extinct. So sad. But on the plus side they are going to be having big sales soon and I am going to break the bank in that place. I swear I will buy Harper xmas presents for the next 10 years! Once I got Harper down for a nap, I headed out with Fonzie sans Garmin and ran for an hour. It was so nice not to worry about my pace and to just run. It was cold and gray, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Winter is here.

My plan for this week is to hit 40 miles and then 45 next week. Then a 2 week taper. I am also really focusing on my diet since Thanksgiving is coming up. I want to avoid sugar and see if I can melt a few more lbs before I step up to the starting line. I have been eating relatively well, but the scale is stuck. I am trying not to focus on it, but it is really depressing to know I just ran a great marathon and my weight is up almost 10 lbs since the beginning of the year, boo.