Hi! I’m linking up with Tara at Running ‘N’ Reading again for this week’s weekend update.
Happy Monday, everyone! “Happy” anything is my go-to greeting, but I feel like it’s a little harder to feel on a Monday morning for those reading this from their desk at work after a great weekend. I’m flying back to DC this afternoon from Ohio and still have a little over a week to enjoy before starting my research assistantship and jumping back into a regular schedule (also known as learning to train before and after work like a normal person). I’ve been spoiled with the time to see my family and enjoy DC since returning from Italy. Here’s a little of what this past weekend was like…
As you know, I flew to Ohio last week, and due to the short-notice nature of my trip, I had to fly out of Baltimore for the cheapest flight. I took an Amtrak train from Union Station in DC to BWI, a bus from the BWI train station stop to the airport, a flight from BWI to CLT in Charlotte, another flight from CLT to DTW in Detroit and finished it off with the 50-minute car ride down to Toledo. Let’s just say I was thrilled to be home, especially since my seat mate traveling to Detroit was exceptionally rude to the flight attendants, and it infuriated me to no end. It takes so little to be kind! At least I had the latest copy of Runner’s World to keep me company 🙂
Friday was all about celebrating my twin siblings’ 17th birthday: complete with a morning wake-up call with cake, lunch out during the school day, a screening of The Avengers, and dinner out with the family.
As you might have read, my plans for a run through my neighborhood Metropark was cut short, but I took full advantage of the bike trail on Saturday afternoon with a nice 11-miler. When I was hurt last summer and took a break from running, I was a champ on a bike, powering up hills and through the city center, but I have lost that kind of stamina. My legs were definitely not used to working some of those muscles, but that’s what made it so worth it. I cured my antsy-ness, gave my legs a rest from high impact-exercise, and I got to enjoy a beautiful day outdoors.
My mother is in full-gardening mode right now, and the garden will be blooming in no time at all. It’s amazing how luxurious things like front and backyards feel after leaving the city for a weekend. DC isn’t lacking greenery, but a grassy yard of any sort is a rare site.
Leaving you with a little Monday morning inspiration:
“Artistic discipline and athletic discipline are kissing cousins, they require the same thing, an unspecial practice: tedious and pitch-black invisible, private as guts, but always sacred.”— Leanna Shapton
How was your weekend? I’d love to hear about it!