Dogs, Running, & Food Trucks

I had an earth-shattering epiphany this week: maybe if I ran steadily, I wouldn't be in soooo much pain after I decide to run a race.  I was thinking this as EVERY muscle in my body from my ribs down were boycotting life on Monday and Tuesday.  So, in order to remedy some of that, I have ran every night this week!  I have ranged from 1-2 miles and they have been just slow and steady...definitely not breaking any speed records or coming close to my race times, but just an easy pace to get back in the swing of things.    It has actually felt really amazing (except on Monday and Tuesday, that completely sucked, not going to lie) and it makes me happy getting back into running.  I have been more focused on lifting and exploring exercises with weights that I have let running slip on by (that and it was 100+ degrees everyday in the summer).  I still lift after my runs, but it just makes my heart happy to be running steadily once more.

On Saturday, Phil and I, along with some friends, went to Wichita Falls, TX to just poke around.  And to participate in the Food Truck Fest! I have never really eaten from a food truck and I see them on cooking shows all the time, but haven't ever eaten at one.  But you bet I got a street taco from a legit food truck on Saturday!  It was so fun to mix and mingle and people watch! The hardest part was choosing which truck I wanted to eat from!

Once the school year starts, I have a hard time fitting in any reading time.  I read a lot and it is one of the ways I unwind and relax, and I (as well as Phil) can always tell when I haven't been reading enough.  This week I destroyed this book:

It was really good and the first of a series!  I have the next one arriving on Monday...happy day!

Max is also obviously, very excited...

Speaking of Max, we also have had the pleasure of having a guest dog in the house!  His name is Bear and he is amazing...literally! He and Max had their first playdate last week and Max has been a whole new dog having Bear here in the house.  He has been back to his happy self and this dog mama couldn't be happier!

It has been so fun having them both here, definitely contemplating that second dog now! Maybe over Thanksgiving or Christmas Break...

Max is now snoring on the couch as he has played more in the last few days then he has in months!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! :)

Anyone have any cute fall decoration ideas for outside?  Phil and I are thinking of decorating the outside of our house and any ideas are appreciated!

Linking up with Bianca!

Early Mornings, Visits, & Running

So back in the winter I was trying that whole "workout before work" thing in order to fit extra training in for our half marathon on Super Bowl Sunday.  Once that was over, I dropped that like a hot potato and gained an extra hour or so of sleep in the morning.  That being said, for the past three weeks, I have been getting up at 4:30am to hit the gym before work.  It has just seemed a lot easier because after school I have cheer practice (I am the assistant cheer coach at my middle school) and by the time I get home from that, all I really want to do is eat and sit on the couch until I can go to bed.  Surprisingly, I really LOVE getting up and hitting the gym early!  It is not the struggle it was in the winter at all! I start the day feeling super productive and awake! And having my metabolism revved all day is a nice side benefit.

Max typically isn't a fan of that alarm, but he doesn't like any alarm, so there's that.

Speaking of Max, he got to have a great play date with his new doggy pal Bear!  This was so awesome because I think Max is going through withdrawal from seeing all of his friends (and girlfriends) at doggy daycare, so this was much needed!  Phil and I got to have a people date with our friends, and our dogs got to run around like crazy, sniffing and licking everything...it was pretty great for these dog parents!

Look at that doggy grin!

Phil had signed us up for a 10k race up in the city this morning about three weeks ago.  Now in the time he told me about it, signed us up,  to this morning when the race actually occurred, I ran a total of ZERO times.  I had every intention of running a bit to keep in shape and all that jazz, but it really just didn't happen.  But, this morning I actually had a great race!  I hit a PR and placed third!  I am super happy about that, because somewhere around mile 4, I was really thinking of how I wanted a drink and to stop.  I shut down that negativity in my head, and just kept plugging away and it actually worked...who knew?

I think the best part of the race is Phil's outfit...

Phil and I are doing the dance where we think about getting a second dog again.  Normally, we dance, I overthink, and we move on.  However,  lately, it does feel like Max is just sad or lonely and it is really starting to get to me!  Does anyone have any advice on getting a second dog?  Max will be 4 years old in December and it probably won't occur until after school is out for the summer, but did anyone overthink as much as I do?  Did your dogs get along?  Is it better to get a girl since we already have a boy?  So many questions!

Any advice is appreciated!! :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! :)

Linking up with Bianca!

Friends, Leaks, & Life

People often say, "When it rains, it pours" and that was definitely the case here in Oklahoma for the past week.  Rain fell out of the sky every single day.  It was insane!  I of course was not super prepared because I did not have rain boots or a rain jacket (that was rectified this weekend...I now have amazing Hunter Rain Boots!).  All was well until I woke up to this disaster at 5am....

I was not excited to say the least, and Phil was still out of town at that particular moment.  Isn't that always the way?  He leaves and everything decides to start a mutiny and add chaos to my life.

But, we are getting that assessed on Monday (Phil is back and scheduled that appointment, woohoo!) and it has stopped raining (so far) so it can actually get fixed!  You cannot fix a roof leak while it's still raining, makes sense right?  It only stopped raining today...

Max was super stressed about the rain:

As you can see, he was completely beside himself about the leak in the roof...

I am super excited that my friend Maddy and her husband are moving here to Oklahoma!  They are getting stationed here and will be in the same brigade as Phil! Maddy and I met at a Family Fun Day in Colorado Springs and have been besties ever since! So I am super excited that we are going to be reunited!  You can check her blog out here!

I am super proud of Phil as he did the Bone Frog Obstacle Course Run while he was home and took home first place in his age group and placed 9th overall!

He and I are signed up for a 10k race next weekend (probably should start running a little for that...) and he is searching for obstacle course runs for us to do as a couple....definitely need to continue hitting the gym to find my upper body strength.

I am so glad he was able to go home and visit his family, but boy am I happy to have my man back!  Not just because he had sweet tea waiting for me when I got out of work/practice on Friday, or that he is meeting with the maintenance guy this week, or that he's taking Max to the groomer on Tuesday (he is pretty amazing!!), but because it just feels awesome to be able to go on our "adventures" and have him by my side (and driving) like normal

I like nothing better than to just ride around with him and Max enjoying the day :)

Note sweet tea cup...addiction is still holding strong.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!! Happy first day of October!

Does anyone else have any experience with obstacle course runs?  I think I will actually need to put in some training time for those...


Linking up with Bianca!