Happy belated Thanksgiving! I’m feeling extra thankful this year, because for the first time in five years, I was able to spend time with my extended family and celebrate Thanksgiving with them.  Thanks to the pandemic, it had been several years since we were able to go back to Connecticut and spend Thanksgiving with my family and I am so grateful for B and the kids for driving 20+ hours just so I could see my family and also get in a Turkey Trot.

In honor of our trip, here’s a non-running blogpost about what our adventure included:

We left Ohio Tuesday evening, and drove about 5 hours to Pennsylvania. We stopped for dinner along the way, and after that, most of the kids were able to sleep during the ride thankfully.

Wednesday morning, we got in hotel breakfast (yay for waffle makers, cottage cheese, and hard boiled eggs!), and then a nice trip to the hotel pool. The kids all had a blast splashing around. After we checked out, we walked around the downtown of the city we had stayed in, stopping in a coffee shop and book store, which was apparently one of the oldest independent book stores in the U.S. We of course left with new books to keep us entertained in the car for a little.

Wednesday’s 4+ hour car trip was a little more eventful. We hit traffic, so I found us a local road, which ended up being windy and left FW and GM feeling sick. GM ended up getting car sick, so we had to stop along the way to clean him up, and then a few more stops to help FW feel better. Eventually, we made it to Connecticut, and I was able to pick up my race packet just before they closed down. Then, it was time for dinner! We were able to meet up with my extended family for dinner at a local Asian restaurant.

Thursday morning we got up early for the Stratford Turkey Trot! I’m so grateful for B and the kids for putting up with my crazy running needs. The race had a free kids run that I ended up signing FW and LM up for at the last minute, which I’m so glad I did! They had a clown and a turkey warming the kids up at their starting line, and then giant turkey-themed medals at the finish!

Then it was time for my race! The course was around the neighborhoods of Stratford, and while it started out crowded, it ended up spacing out during the course and was an enjoyable race. It wasn’t my fastest 5K by far, but I finished and felt good.

After that, we headed back to the hotel to get in some pool time before Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle’s house. Dinner was great – my parents had gotten into town and again, it was so great to see my family.

Friday morning, the kids got in one more trip to the pool while I got in a short treadmill run before getting on the road again. This time, we were driving to New Jersey to visit my aunt, my cousin, and her two kids. I hadn’t seen her since 2019 and was excited to introduce her to our newest baby as well as meet hers (again, thanks pandemic!).

After spending the afternoon with my cousin in New Jersey, we got back in the car to make the drive to upstate NY to spend the night at my parents’ house.

Saturday morning, I got up for a run near my parents’ house, and then we all headed to a nearby playground to let the kids burn some energy before we got in the road just in time for naptime.

The ride back was long, and we decided at the last minute to push through and get home Saturday night late. We didn’t get to bed until after midnight, but it was great sleeping in (and waking up in) my own bed Sunday morning!

We did it. We survived 20+ hours in the car with three kids, including a 16-month-old. I don’t recommend it, but it was worth it.

And now…. let the holiday season truly begin!

Oh my goodness. It is ONE WEEK until race day! That’s right, the countdown is here – next weekend, I’ll be spending my Saturday and Sunday running the Cleveland Marathon Challenge Series.

I can’t believe how fast the training cycle went – it seems like only yesterday I was starting out with my long runs of 6-7 miles. But here we are, last week I ran 11 miles and I’m hopefully ready to pound out 13 miles on the pavement.

This week was a little different with training. I was out of my routine, because I was traveling for work. This was my first work trip in three years and it meant a few early mornings, long days, and some uncomfortable shoes. But. I was still able to get in some runs most days. I didn’t follow my typical training plan, but I wasn’t beating myself up too much – at this point, I’m not sure how much of a difference it makes in my performance next week.

Here’s how the week looked:

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Reader Advisory:

The following may be TMI  for the average reader who comes here to hear about my race training and workouts. It is a post about our newest arrival – GM! Before having kids, the thought of reading a birth story was strange to me. I didn’t understand why people shared them and what the point of documenting them was. But I’m so glad I captured LM’s (here), and I’m happy to share GM’s too. So, if you aren’t interested, please feel free to stop reading now 🙂 

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This week, I was lucky enough to get away from home for a few days and enjoy a short vacation with the family. We decided to take one last family vacation before the new baby comes, so we packed up the car and headed to Chicago!

We had a great time, and it was wonderful to spend some time with B, FW and LM. Work has been really busy lately, so having quality time with everyone was something that I don’t take for granted. And, I was able to get in some running with a change of scenery, which was definitely needed. My favorite places to run are along water, but also in cities – and Chicago has both! So I spent most of my days running along the lakefront trail. And this week I hit a milestone and goal I had set for myself recently – 400 days of my running streak!

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This post was supposed to just be a post about books I read this year, but as I wrote it, I couldn’t help but think about my uncle who recently passed away. One of the people I would typically enjoy comparing book notes with each year was my Uncle Barry. He – along with my parents – is one of the reasons I’m such an avid reader today (he was a reading teacher and always bought me his favorite books when I was growing up). And this time of year, as I’ve grown older, we typically talk through the latest books we’ve read and what we’ve enjoyed over the past year.

I wish I had a chance to share with him my reading list this year. It is much larger than other years, thanks to the pandemic. I would’ve loved hearing if he had read any of these, and see what he would’ve recommended I start with next year. But instead, I’ll be sharing my recommendations with you. And, I hope you can share yours with me, too! I know I’ll be needing some new ideas as I continue to read/listen my way into the New Year.

*Note: These are all Amazon affiliate links. But if you have a local bookstore near you, PLEASE consider purchasing from them! I took most of these out from my local library, but the ones that I purchased I did so from my local store, Appletree Books. If you’re local, they offer free delivery AND make the purchasing process so easy!

In no order:

Half of a Yellow Sun

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This past week I hit a running milestone I never would’ve imaged (or strived for) — I made it to 200 days of my running streak!

In 200 days, here’s what running has looked like:

Total miles:

• Average mileage: 5.75 miles
• Number of races: 3 (all virtual)
• Number of stroller runs: 10
• Number of treadmill runs: 8

But, I think my days of streaking are coming to an end. The mornings are getting colder and some days I think about how nice it would be to just let my body rest, especially as my plantar fasciitis has been hurting on and off for the past few months. But until then, here’s how my week looked:

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It’s fall! And with the cooler temps, means that I’m READY for all the fall baking! This weekend, we baked some apple cinnamon bread and pumpkin whoopee pies. Both recipes were good, but the whoopee pies were requested by B and they came out SO good. I highly recommend that if you find yourself a can of pumpkin (which is hard these days!) you make these.

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Is anyone else starting to feel the let down of the end of the holidays? I definitely am. I spent a week in New York with my family to celebrate the holidays, and it was great. We had decent weather (some snow to get into the holiday spirit, and one warmish day), and had tons of fun with the kids. Here’s a quick look at how we spent the past week with my family:

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