How was everyone’s weekend? It feels like Spring has settled in here in the Northeast, which I could not be more glad about. The sunny weather makes me happier and I love being able to just go out to run without having to layer up like crazy.
We had a lovely long weekend in Philadelphia, visiting my friend, Chris, who I met while we were both studying to be trainers. He lives out in Philly with his gorgeous wife Jen and their wee boy Jamie. (Chris is Scottish and I find I start using adjectives like ‘wee’ and ‘bonny’ when I’m talking about him!)
Chris and I got out for a good run on Saturday. I didn’t bother bringing my Garmin and Chris only runs for cardio, not for training, so he bases his runs on time. It made it super fun – we decided to go out for just a quick half hour and I just followed Chris while he made up a route as we went. At one point I asked him if he’d ever tried trail running – he said “No”, then proceeded to lead me into Carpenter’s Woods for a half mile or so of trails. Perfect weather, nice and hilly – two thumbs up for Philadelphia running!
Traveling with a baby means your schedule works around their nap times and meal times, which was exactly what we wanted anyway. We spent a lot of time catching up, playing with the kids, checking out the local playgrounds and just having a relaxing stay. Like, reeaally relaxing!
Jen had invited us to come stay so we could run with her and some friends in the Subaru Cherry Blossom 5K in Philly on Sunday. Originally Fran and I were both going to run, but I didn’t want to lump Chris with babysitting duty of two rampaging little dudes and Fran has really been working hard on training for the race, so I opted for cheering duty. It was so much fun! The weather was lovely, the spring blossoms were gorgeous and it was just fun to be cheering for total strangers who would smile and wave as they went by.
Jen was happy with her time – she has been working out 5 days a week on the elliptical, so she wasn’t sure how she would do, given that the best way to train for running is…running! Fran was not so happy with his time. It wasn’t because he felt like he could have done better on the day, more like he was remembering back when he ran a lot and a 5K would have seemed much easier. On the plus side, it definitely motivated him to continue working out and getting back into running.
Luckily, with Spring sprung, it’s racing season again, so he’ll have lots of opportunities to try his hand at a race again.
Do you have any races coming up?
What season do you prefer to run in?
