Five Things Friday, ep. 25.

1. I hit 30 weeks this week. 30 weeks pregnant! That's a long time, no? I could have trained for two marathons in that time. Instead, I'm making a human. Nice trade-off.

2. My MIL, BIL and niece are visiting this weekend so we're taking them to the Saratoga Race Track. Fortunately, the extended heat wave has broken and we're supposed to have highs of only 80* this weekend. Such a nice treat after weeks and weeks of high heat and humidity.

3. I hosted a gold party earlier this week because my friend just became a gold specialist. People bring their gold to the party, she checks it out, weighs it and then writes a check. A few people went away from the party with $500+! It was kinda exciting, actually. The upside for me is, having had the party, I now have a little extra money that I can bring with me to the race track for betting. I hope I don't blow it all . . .

4. My new giveaway is up over here. Shoes, shoes, shoes!

5. And you have until 8/1 to enter to win the $100 Visa gift card here.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

4.1.

Another milestone last night.

My friends, Bridget and Janis, who just started running in March are training for a 10K in October. They've run two great 5Ks and now they've set their sights on the longer distance. So, last night, they wanted to run a 4-miler -- their longest distance -- and asked me to run with them.

We set out around 8:20 and it was still about 85* and humid. We were sticky by the time we reached .25 miles. Yuck! As the miles ticked by, the sun set, the breeze picked up and the temperature dropped -- maybe a degree or two. Still hot but the humidity started to go away so it felt better.

By the end of the run, it was dark and we were a sweaty mess. Three hot (literally) mamas, 4.1 miles, one awesome run. It was the longest run that Bridget and Janis had ever done and they rocked it!

I know it was hard, and there were probably times when they felt like stopping. But I also know that they felt proud of themselves when they were done, as they should! I remember those feelings well: Struggling to extend my mileage and feeling totally burned out yet very accomplished at the end.

After the run, they made comments about not knowing how they'd get to the 6.2 miles but we talked about how they said the same type of thing when they were training for the 5K. They didn't think they'd be able to run 3.1 miles when they hadn't even run a full mile. And now, here they are running 4. Soon to be 4.5 and then 5 and then . . .

The funny thing (to me) about their training for this 10K is that it takes places 3 weeks after my due date. It feels weird to be talking about their race and how they will train and what the weather will be like and how they'll feel -- all while knowing that, at that time, my life is going to be so different. I may not yet be in post-preg running shape. I definitely won't be racing. Will I even be walking? Sleeping? Who knows!?! I may still be a hormonal mess, trying to just make it through the day.

Whatever, I'll be rooting for my pals on race day, whether in person or in spirit. Now, we've just got to stretch those 4.1 miles to 6.2! They can do it, I'm sure.

~ Felice

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday.

Yesterday we went to our beach for a few hours. It's just a little beach on a little lake, but it's close to our house, inexpensive and offers hours and hours of summer fun.

Conal at the beach.

Conal with his pals.

The scene.

There's a playground and a pavilion in the back.

Happy Wednesday!

~ Felice

Packing it in.

It was a nice weekend around here. I packed in a few runs, including an awesome 4.5-miler Saturday morning before the heat and humidity (and the half-hour heavy rain storm) made it unbearable to be outside. I was happy to get out early for a change.

Owen went out of town Saturday afternoon for a friend's 40th birthday party so Conal and I occupied ourselves and I was able to get some solid work time in Saturday evening after he went to bed. I know, exciting Saturday night, huh? But, I did get a lot of work done and since I have two deadlines right before I'm due to have this baby, I need to work whenever I can.

On Sunday, I squeezed in a quick run after Owen got home and before we left to have a family dinner at my parents' house.

Overall, nice weekend.

Which led to yesterday and some more success. My mom watched Conal for a few hours in the morning, so I worked some more and, in a fit of efficiency, I also ran 2.5 miles. Woo hoo! Three days, three runs -- 9.3 miles total. Today, I'm off for sure and feeling very deserving of the break!

In other news, anyone need a gaudy suit of armor or decorative urn? Yikes.

And in even more (this time running-related) news, I have a super-cool giveaway coming up later this week at my other site. We're talking free shoes! It's very exciting. Almost as exciting as the giveaway I've been running all week over there. If you haven't entered to win the $100 gift card and read my ramblings, please check it out!

Well, I'm off to the beach. Hope you all have a great day!

~ Felice