5 Ways To Stay Safe While Running Alone: A Reminder

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Last weekend, I ran with my Weekly Wrap co-host Holly while visiting her in Alabama. When I asked her to take me for a run on one of the local trails, she told me she rarely runs on those desolate trails, citing safety concerns. It wasn't the possibilities of encountering alligators that concerned her, it was possible encounters of the creeper kind.

While I know that we runners can never let our guard down, I've become a little lax when running on my local paths. I run alone almost exclusively on my local bike paths and forest preserve paths. I had an incident earlier this week reminded me that complacency on the run is never a good idea.

More Than a Runner

"🎶 More than a runner...more than a runner to me...🎶 ~Apologies to the Bee Gees. 

This post was originally scheduled to go live Sunday from Montgomery, Alabama after a fun-filled active weekend with my co-host, Holly. As much as we tried, we just couldn't finish our posts and do them justice in time to open the Weekly Wrap on Sunday as we usually do. We debated about this all Sunday morning but on the drive to the airport, we finally made the decision to defer the Wrap to Monday morning. We hope y'all understand!

For me, it's been a busy couple of weeks. Yes, I was just in Wisconsin last week. And yes, I ran a race with Holly and a bunch of other blogger friends 2 weeks ago. It's been a busy couple of weeks. I even squeezed in a couple days of work between all this activity. Full disclosure: I also had more than a few "what was I thinking?" thoughts cross through my head. More than once.

It was all worth it.

If runners are good at anything, it's learning to roll with life. That's what I did and I've had a really fun couple of weeks--although I am pooped! I need a vacation...

Ok, let's wrap it up!

Weekly Wrap Announcement

Hey y’all!

Holly and I have been having too much fun to wrap up our week here on the blog. The link up will open tomorrow, Monday, August 6 at 7 am central time. We know you understand and are sorry for the inconvenience. See y’all tomorrow!

Coffee Talk

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Even though the past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind for me, I always have time to sit down and chat over a cup of coffee! Today I'm having coffee with Holly. How fun is that? What will you be having in yours? It's been cooler so I'm back to hot coffee with half and half. Always with a spoonful of GLG Collagen.

Let's all catch up and talk about what's happening off the road!

Running is an Amazing Adventure

This week was all about recovery. I felt surprisingly well after last Sunday's Rock'N'Roll Chicago Half Marathon. I thought I'd be really sore but mostly I was tired.  While there was some running, I did nothing for time or distance. The fun part about recovering from a race is not having training goals to meet. Instead, I took my time and soaked in everything around me.

Whether you are training for something specific or just running for fun, running is an amazing adventure, isn't it?

Runfessions: July

Ok, where is the summer going so fast? Can you believe August is right around the corner? The end of the month means it's time to runfess. This month, I've got some gems. The runfessional is open and I'm looking for absolution. Let's get right to it.

Race Recap: Rock 'N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon Weekend

Disclaimer: As a Rock'N'Blog Ambassador, I received a free entry to the Rock'N'Roll Chicago Half Marathon. My experience and my opinions are my own.

To think I considered not running this one at all. My knees had been bothering me and my endurance was AWOL. With so many blogger friends heading to my hometown to participate in the Rock'N'Roll Chicago weekend, I had to make a decision. Do I drop down to the 10k? Drop out? Who me? I contacted my rheumatologist who recommended steroid injections in my knees. Following the procedure, Mother Nature gifted us with some cool, low humidity days which led to some nicely paced, pain-free runs.

It's funny how things work out, isn't it? With some success on the road and a boost in my confidence, I stuck to my original plan to run the half marathon. I knew it would be tough. I made a race plan to use my 4:1 run/walk intervals. I set a goal finish time of 2:11 but realistically figured I'd finish around 2:15.

I was ready.