Life's a Beach

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I started my week with winter giving what I hope was its last snowy gasp and I ended my week in sunny Florida! This was a short getaway, but very much appreciated. Sometimes you just need a break from the everyday routine, right?

I also impulsively signed up at the last minute for the Sarasota Half Marathon, which took place earlier today. I had some unfinished business with this race and wanted to revisit it. I didn't tell very many people that I was running it, but the few that I did (except for Holly) told me that I was nuts for signing up the week of the race. It's not the first time I've jumped into a half marathon at the last minute, but those races were local and I didn't have a flight to catch home the same day as the race. 

I prepared this post prior to the race, so if you want to see how it went, you can check my Instagram or my Facebook. I'll share a recap later in the week. Meanwhile, here's how my week went down:

Running

I got myself up before the dawn on Tuesday and did 4 miles around my neighborhood. It was cold, but it was calm and clear, with a gorgeous crescent moon above. Friday was an almost 7 miler under the beautiful Florida sunshine.

Yes, this is posed. Action shots + darkness=no bueno

Yoga

On Tuesday, I did Five Parks Yoga Full Body Deep Stretch Basics. Much needed after my weekend runs and Rachel's burpee extravaganza, I felt a whole lot better after going deep. Even better, on Thursday, Mary Beth (remember her from Tutus and Tennies?) came to visit me on the island where I was staying and joined me for a SUP yoga class. While the poses were just the basics, what makes SUP yoga challenging is trying to stay upright on the board--you use a lot of core strength while moving and holding the poses. Both MB and I completely enjoyed Rachel's class and if you ever visit Anna Maria Island, please sign up for one of her SUP yoga classes. You won't regret it.

CrossTraining
No CrossFit this week and I all but dropped out of Rachel's Total Body Challenge after that extreme soreness I experienced last weekend! What I did decide is that I will continue doing those run/burpee/walk EMOMs I started last week--I felt that they were beneficial not only for strength but also my endurance.

MB and I took a very long walk on the beach and to the shops after our lunch on Thursday, bringing our total steps for the day to almost 11,500--which according to my app was about 9.6 miles. I'm not sure if I believe that but we did a lot of walking!

Randoms
I'm published! Last week, I submitted my post 5 Positive Ways Rheumatoid Arthritis Turned My Life Upside Down to The Mighty, a chronic illness website. They accepted it and published it!

Knuckle Lights

For that pre-dawn run, I finally was able to try out the Knuckle Lights that I won from Darlene several months ago. I'm not a fan of early morning runs in the winter--for one thing, it's cold but it's also slick from ice and snow. I have a headlamp that I've used in the past, but I liked the idea of the handheld lights. The LED lights are really bright and the straps are adjustable, fitting around my hands comfortably. Since I run with my fists partially closed, running with the Knuckle Lights didn't bother me at all. The lights have a wide beam, I was able to see the road clearly and was visible to drivers who were driving towards me. The Knuckle Lights use AAA batteries. There is a rechargeable model as well.  When not in use, there are magnets that hold them together. Overall, I really liked them and will use the Knuckle Lights any time I run in the dark!

And that's a wrap! How was your week? Any spring breakers out there? I know a lot of people had races and I'm looking forward to reading recaps all week. Did you race? Tell me something exciting about your week!

It's the Weekly Wrap! If it's your first time linking you can check out the rules under the WW tab at the top of the blog. Both Holly and I were out of town this week (not together), so please be patient with us as we work our way through all the posts! Meanwhile, we'd be so grateful if you'd take the time to visit at least 3 of the links so everyone feels the love. Don't forget to link back to and comment on the hostesses' blogs. We so appreciate all the support of our fitness bloggers. Have a wonderful week!

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