And just like that, MAYhem is over! May is always our craziest month of the year. As if it weren’t crazy enough with kids activities and end of school year, it’s also my busiest month of work with our annual meeting and then I travel out of town. 

May was a pretty good month – here were some highlights, both running and non-running related:

• Great month for work: After months of prep, I had a successful work trip to Orlando!
• Great month for racing: I completed the Cleveland Marathon Challenge Series for the half marathon, finishing the 5K and half marathon with times I haven’t seen in 5+ years
• Lots going on with the family: The month included a ballet recital for LM, GM concluding his first soccer league, FW’s first piano recital, FW’s first communion, plus plenty of other activities like weekly ice skating lessons for LM, baseball games starting for FW, plus wrapping up of soccer for FW (we end in June)
• LM’s birthday: We celebrated LM’s birthday with a fun day of mother-daughter activities, plus a birthday party with friends and then a get-together with family
• Total Miles Run: 140+ miles – despite everything going on, I had many long runs as I got ready for race day and had a great month of miles!

I’m not going to lie, I think it’s all been catching up with me because this week I found myself barely able to get out of bed and I was TIRED! That meant a little less than usual in terms of workouts because I snoozed too long and ran out of time. Also, LM was off school, so that meant not much time for mid-day walks. With that, here’s how the week looked:

Sunday: 6.22 miles –  Even after having a lot going on Friday and Saturday, I woke up feeling really good. I was glad to get in a 10K run unexpectedly, and felt good the full time!  That night, I was able to somewhat unexpectedly meet up with my friend Katie from college – we hadn’t seen each other in several years, and she was in Cleveland visiting another friend and we were able to grab drinks and catch up. We stayed up talking until after midnight, which was late for me and I knew I’d be tired Monday.

Monday: 3.18 mile run and 2 mi walk with GM – I was tired after staying up so late, but was glad to have the day off to “sleep in” (until 6:45). I had the day off for Memorial Day, and got in a short run before a day’s activities, which included a Memorial Day parade and BBQ at B’s parents’ house. I walked to the parade with GM in the stroller, getting in a few miles of walking before the parade started.

Tuesday: 5.07 miles running and core workout and 3.25 mile walk – I passed out early Monday night, and was able to get out of bed Tuesday and get in a full run. Yay! It felt good and I was able to run fast (for me). I also got in 2 walks during the day, which hasn’t happened in a while.

Wednesday: 4.01 miles running and 1.45 mile walk – I was TIRED and barely made it out of bed. I have no idea how I still got in a 4 mile run – I’m lucky that I set my alarm super early and was able to flex my time to get in a run, even if I ended up running late. I was also able to get in a short stroller walk with GM and LM before school

Thursday: 4 mile run, short core workout and ~2 mile walk – I was barely able to wake up, I was so tired! I was glad to be able to get out for a run, but I didn’t have enough time for what I would’ve really wanted to do. I got in about 2 miles of walking before work started, which was great. ALSO  of note – the sun was coming up as I finished my run! It was great to finish during daylight, vs. all darkness. I can’t wait for summer runs!

Sunrise on a run! 

Friday: 8.03 mi run and planking and stretching – After a week of too short workouts and rushed mornings, I was determined to get in a little more miles, so I set my alarm for a little earlier, made sure I was in bed by 9:30 (it was close!) and was able to get out of bed by 4:30 for my run. I felt really good and actually even finished in less than 10 minute/miles which is faster than any of my training runs during my half marathon training cycle. I made sure to stretch after the run and then was on to my day!

Saturday: 6.2 mi run and ~2 miles walking  – I woke up with a desire to get in a short run, but while I was on my run, I was feeling pretty good and getting in less than 10 min/miles, so I decided to go a little longer. Getting in a 10K (unplanned) on a beautiful Saturday morning was the best start to my weekend! I did a little planking and stretching when I came home. Later in the afternoon we found ourselves with NO plans somehow (no soccer, baseball, ballet, etc.) so we took a walk to a community garage sale going on at some local businesses (including a local toy store) and the kids had fun playing with all the toys. It was great to take a walk with the family on a beautiful day!

Total: 36.68 mi of running

Questions for you:

• How was May for you?
• Is it light or dark when you run?

I am linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.