May. You’re Packed.

this month is going to be NUTS. and I mean NUTS. we have something on the books pretty much every weekend this month. There is one weekend that is 100% free and unscheduled, but I know we will make it busy.   Is it too early to be grateful that it is a 5 weekend month – even though that really will not make a difference.

WEEKEND NUMBER ONE:
Kyle’s Mom and Step Dad are coming to Georgia to visit.  We will have them in town all weekend (+ a few work week days), not sure what all is on the schedule or what we are going to do.  at that point, I will be 31 weeks pregnant – so who knows how I will be feeling, but I am hoping for good! I have been feeling good 90% of the time so far but I am also well aware that my luck can turn whenever.  But we will have to get the grocery shopping and laundry in the mix somehow which is always a challenge when you have people in town.  But. it will be good  to see them and I know kyle will enjoy having them in town and catching up.

WEEKEND NUMBER TWO:
This weekend is going to be oh so fun.  Not that having Kyle’s family in town won’t be fun.  But by bestie Heather is coming in town and we are going to the Braves game with a group of people & we get to meet her mysterious boyfriend.  And… this is her 1st Braves game so of course we have to make a big deal of it.  …and they have a built in DD!  Plus – it will just be fun to hang out and catch up with her.  I adore her and do not see her enough!! 

WEEKEND NUMBER THREE:
We have Kyle’s 1st 5K on the schedule and I am planning on walking it with a good girlfriend of mine.  Granted – it is in the morning and we will have a full afternoon I am pretty sure Kyle and I will need a nap afterwards.  That is after we probably grab brunch.  from there – we need to get the car seat installed in our car (WHAT?!) in case anything happens and we need the car seat before July.  Then that night is my friend Afton’s birthday bash – dinner, drinks, and dancing.  And seeing how I will be 33 week pregnant at that point and exhausted from the 5K, I think I will be excusing myself after dinner.  And this will be the 1st weekend with a free Sunday, so I predict I will be working around the house and Kyle will do yard work on Sunday.

WEEKEND NUMBER FOUR:
We have our first baby class – the baby essentials one that teaches you well, all the baby essentials.  Like bathing, feeding, soothing, diapering, dressing, all that jazz.  it is only a 3 or 4 hour class on Saturday, but I think it starts pretty early.  Sunday is unscheduled so far – which is good.  But it will be used for errands and chores around the house and yard work and baby stuff more than likely.  This is a shorter class so we will have lots more time on Saturday to do other things. 

WEEKEND NUMBER FIVE: 
Saturday is an all day event at Northside Hospital.  We have our birthing  class from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.  So Saturday is shot.  The poor pups will have to be locked up all day long – and by locked up I mean have free reign of the upstairs.  Sunday is a free, unscheduled day but well. I think you know how it may be spent.  Yard work. Errands. Baby Stuff.  Plus this is a holiday weekend and we wanted to go see if we can get  a furniture deal to work on turning Kyle’s man cave into our family play room. 

our May is pretty action packed and revolves a lot around the baby.  which is to be expected as we are in the home stretch {which is crazy to me because I feel like we were just announcing the news}.  But. I think we will have time to fit some other things in.  I still want to do the laundry room make over, but I predict that being tabled till June {if done at all} because May is full and I cannot see us fitting in IKEA unless we go on a Sunday.  But… with all this on the schedule, May will just FLY by.

may recap.

sorry. just a tad late. vacationing took my mind away from knowing that may was ending. but better late than never right.

May was a bad month for running, better than April, but still pathetic. 25.53 miles total  but I added things to my training & experienced new and wonderful things so I am happy with May and that is all that matters!  I celebrated 1 year of running … don’t quite call myself a runner yet … but i have been at this for a FULL YEAR!

First – I added Saturday swims. I am unsure how beneficial they are going to be and I think they may be better suited for a workout after a long run, but to make that switch it is going to have to come to me persuading Kyle to let me have Saturday mornings for long runs rather than Sunday.  Back to swimming… I am getting better and I have not drowned yet and that is all that matters.  Second – I had my first ever trail run while at home in Northern VA.  And wowzas did it kill my legs, definitely used muscles that are not normally used when on the pavement.  But, I liked it, it was a total full leg workout, and now I wish I lived in VA and could run at Burke Lake all the time.  Anyone know of any trails in Atlanta? Third -  I put spin classes back in my routine.  Like swimming, I am unsure how this will work for me and if it will at all… but anything to strengthen my lower body and anything to make me faster… I will try it.  Fourth – I ran a Saturday at Stone Mountain.  Awesome but killer. Once my miles increase I will run there more. Hold me too it!  Fifth -  I discovered Lululemon super short running shorts and fell in love. I was also introduced to a new pair of Wigwam running socks and have switched my loyalty to another line (but still Wigwams).

I have been tossing around the idea of getting involved with an organization here in Atlanta called Girls on the Run … they have them all over the place.  I need to decide if we’re staying down here or moving back to NoVA before I make a decision… they have a chapter up there too… I want to dive in heads first and be able to stick around. So that is up in the air….

I am super pumped because Lori gave me a training schedule thanks to Team in Training that will help build my endurance which is going to help with Marine Corps.  Back to low 3 or 4 mile runs (SCHEDULED!!!) and not stressing about 7 or 8 mile Saturdays for a month or so.  Thanks Lori, you rock! :o)

I have another half marathon on my schedule, which I signed up for in May but will run it in September.

running music discovered in may and stuck on repeat:

1. “Can’t Be Tamed” –Miley Cyrus
2. “The Instrumental” –Lupe Fiasco
3. “Airplanes” –B.o.B ft. Haley Williams
4. “No Other One” –Tiao Cruz
5. “I Like It” –Enrique Ingelsias

also. this past month i have been approached by a lot of people in regards to raising money for races (both asking for donations and wanting tips) and as someone who was begging for money is a tough economy just 1 year ago the biggest tip I have been sharing is to THANK THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONATED.  It seems so simple but it is often forgotten.  :: cue mini-rant ::  I have donated to quite a few races in 2010 for many non-profits and not a single person has sent me a thank you note and only 1 has given me a verbal “thanks”.  If you’re gonna ask people to dig in their pockets when everyone is watching their budgets, the least you can do is send someone a thank you note, let them know you appreciate them working your cause of choice into their budget.  As a 26 year old, my budget is tight and sometimes my donation to you and your cause means I cannot grab dinner with a college friend to catch up.  Not trying to say that I do not think my donation went to good because it did and i know it did … but take some time to thank the person who donates.  We dug in our pockets, you can dig and yours for a stamp and a thank you note.  Without that show of appreciation what is going to make someone want to donate the next time you ask?  or maybe i am the only 20-something left that writes thank you notes still…  rant over.

Other than having a lack of shoe hitting the pavement, May was not so bad and I for once didn’t fret over my lack of running.  I understood that life just got busy and embraced it for once.  Soon enough my life and work load will level out… I can just feel it!!

how did your May turn out?!