Good fortune.

Saturday morning, I rolled out of bed at 6:00 so I could meet some friends for a 14 mile run at 6:45. Super early for me, but I did it. And I'm glad I did.

First, we met at the bike path, which is flat, so my legs were ever so grateful for the break. Second, I got to run with Melissa and I'm always happy to do that! And, third, I met a very inspirational runner who proves that a) you're never too old to run fast and b) limitations are only limitations if you let them be.

The runner in question is a 64-year old woman named Sue.

Sue started running when she was 58 -- after she'd had breast cancer and a mastectomy. She ran a 5K and was hooked. She's since run several marathons -- under 4 hours -- and some 31-mile ultras. She's super nice and she shared tips with Melissa and me.

And she's fast. Not just fast for a woman. Not just fast for a 64-year old. Not just fast for someone who's overcome cancer.

Just plain fast.

It was a pleasure running with Sue. The run reminded me that I'm fortunate to have found an activity -- running -- that I love. I'm just as fortunate to have the ability to do it and to have the support system -- family and friends -- to make it possible and more enjoyable. You never know what can happen in life, so why not make the most of it?

Which is what I did on Saturday.

I already told you that I ran 14 miles with friends. But when I originally made the plan, I wanted to run 10. Melissa told me she and another running friend, Jenny, were planning on 14.

Well, why not run 14? I thought. I ran 12.5 last weekend so 14 would be fine. Go for it, Happy Runner.

So I went for it and told the group I was in for 14. And here's what the run looked like:

Mile 1: 9:41
Mile 2: 9:44
Mile 3: 9:28
Mile 4: 9:27
Mile 5: 9:29
Mile 6: 9:31
Mile 7: 9:38
Mile 8: 9:44
Mile 9: 9:47
Mile 10: 9:35

Just before mile 10, Jenny met up with us and then we hit the turnaround. Jenny needed some water, and the others needed a walk break (don't blame them -- Melissa and Jenny had run 9 miles the day before!). I needed to keep going and did. Since I was no longer talking, I picked up the pace and made the most of the last 4 miles:

Mile 11: 8:23
Mile 12: 8:13
Mile 13: 8:24
Mile 14: 8:38

Total negative splits, right there.

What a great run! A perfect start to the weekend that included a super fun 40th birthday party with good friends:

Allison, Monique, Stacey, me, Janis at Bridget's house for her husband's 40th birthday party!

Making the most of it. On the run and off!

Did you make the most of it this weekend?

Hope you all had a great weekend!


~ Felice

And then I took a break.

 . . . from just about everything, except some great girlfriends and FUN.

That's right. Last weekend I left my husband and two boys and headed north to Lake Placid with nine of my wonderful friends. We had a blast! Words cannot describe the fun. For real.

We ate. We drank. We laughed. We danced. A lot.

Seems the only thing we didn't do much of was sleep. But who needs sleep when you're having that much fun? Not us, apparently.

This was us, Saturday night when we hit the town:

Someone -- not us -- had a huge limo.
We thought we were pretty hilarious posing in front of it.

 

Everyone has to have a "caught by the paparazzi" shot, no?

All of us!
Bridget, Monique, Lisa, Stacey, Kara, Karyn, the bartender (!), Gina, Janis, me, Jen

It was . . . worth it. Worth everything. To get a away with good people and have fun moment after fun moment is one of the best things ever. This weekend was the first time I'd ever been away from Niall for any extended amount of time and I admit I was nervous. But, he had stopped nursing on Tuesday and had done well with Owen putting him to bed on Wednesday and Thursday so I had hope that everything would be fine.

And, of course, it was. My guys had a good weekend together without me. That's important, too. Boys need long periods of time with their dads -- without mom butting-in all the time. Ha!

Oh, and, yes. If you're wondering, I did run. Saturday morning Bridget and I went out for a nice little run around town and Mirror Lake. It was beautiful and the smell of pine trees was invigorating. This happy runner can't possibly go out of town and not run! Just doesn't happen.

*     *     *

On another note . . . thank you all so much for your comments on my Lyme-ish post. I really appreciate all of your kind words. I tried to really put that whole situation out of my mind while I was away and I mostly succeeded. Sure, all of my symptoms are bugging the heck out of me now but, again, the weekend of fun was worth it all.

I hope you all had a great weekend, too. Giveaway tomorrow -- check back!

~ Felice

Recharge.

Yes, indeed. Wednesday's run was just what I needed.

After that tough 12-miler on Monday, I did some cross-training on Tuesday and had an easy run on the schedule for Wednesday. I needed the run to be good. I didn't want to have to slog through some miles feeling tired. I wanted to recharge my run and make sure that the 12-miler wasn't ushering in any sort of slump.

Well, if a recharge was what I wanted, a recharge was what I got thanks to my pals Karyn and Danielle.

I haven't run with a friend in over a month so it was a treat to run with two friends. And the best was that they came to me and ran in my hilly 'hood! Thanks, ladies! You rocked that run!

An easy 4-miler made easier by company. Love it. Now, my mindset has been reset: Bring on tomorrow's long run!

Last night the recharge continued as I enjoyed margaritas with three good girlfriends. OK, Bridget and I enjoyed the margaritas, our girls Janis and Monique stuck with the Coronas. But they still had the spirit. Summer laughs. Summer fun.

That recharging run and night out were pretty important this week -- not just because of my cruddy run on Monday. My boys are still both suffering from this summer cold. Boo! Hiss! Day 5 today. Not a lot of fun in that. I'm hoping they turn the corner for real this weekend.

*     *     *

On a somewhat related, but not quite, note . . . I was invited to try out Recharge Natural Sports Drink Mix recently.

It's good! They use dehydrated fruit juice concentrate and other all-natural ingredients to make the powder and don't add any sugar (each tube of the powdered mix is only 10 calories). The sports drink is designed to replace vitamins and electrolytes lost while exercising.

When I use a sports drink, though, I look for a little more sodium than what is in Recharge because I'm a super salty sweater. So, I probably wouldn't use Recharge during a run but I have enjoyed drinking it earlier in the day before a tough run. And, my 4-year old loves the stuff. I try to keep him away from juice but I couldn't say no to him when he begged to try the stuff. He gave it two thumbs-up.

You can visit the web site HERE for more information.

Have a nice weekend, everyone. I've got a fast run on the schedule tonight, long tomorrow and a (yay!) dinner party tomorrow night.

And, oh yeah, an anniversary on Sunday!

Keep cool --

~ Felice

Review disclosure: I was sent samples of Recharge to review. I was not otherwise compensated and the opinions expressed are entirely my own. 

Wordless Wednesday. (Almost.)

Stacey, Janis, Jen, Bridget, Kara, me

Night out with some of the best friends a Happy Runner could have! Lots of laughs, lots of fun.

(We have a standing monthly night out. It is the best thing ever. I highly recommend standing dates with your friends -- do you do that sort of thing with your pals? Got any good ideas to share? I'd love to read them!!)


Have a great day!

~ Felice