It's a Priority.

I hope your St. Patrick’s week celebrations are well under way! I commenced mine over the weekend with the Leprechaun 5-Miler here in Philly. That’s right… racing season has officially begun!

Unfortunately, spring fever had NOT officially begun for the race on Saturday. It was about 35 degrees at the start, and the WIND was insane. As long as you were standing in the sun, after a good 10-minute warm-up, with no wind blowing, you were okay. 

Anyways, this was a fun run and Joe and I were itching to kick-off the spring race season. Joe had a long run scheduled (he’s training for the Poconos Marathon in May) so he logged in 4 miles before the start. I was just hoping to get in a good speed workout myself. I jogged the mile and a half to the start at the Art Museum and did everything I could to keep warm till the gun went off! I’d say there were a couple hundred runners participating in the up-and-back along the Schuylkill.

My goal going in was a sub-35 minute race, more to gauge where my speed was after a low-key winter. I ended up coming in as the 3^rd woman overall at 32:34, averaging around 6:30’s. I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty tough. I’m not used to racing shorter than 10-miles, so the pacing is always challenging. Plus the frigid wind made me feel like I was going to have a freaking asthma attack.

Our running friends, Anne Marie and Devon also ran on Saturday (Anne Marie kicked butt and took 2^nd female overall!) so we decided some post-race brunch was in order. We met up at Devil’s Alley for some grub and mimosas/bloody marys! 

Electrolytes.

Spring fever has officially bestowed herself among Philly, and I only wish I had more free time this week to enjoy it more. Things have been incredibly busy which, I know, is a good thing in the grand scheme. The past couple weeks, I often find myself going to bed at night thinking, “I just wish I had, like, 3 more hours” or even wishing I had another weekday before the weekend to tie up loose ends (I know, crazy right?) I recently read some advice regarding priorities: a smart way to prioritize is to re-word the phrase when you say you don’t have time for something. For example, instead of saying, “I don’t have time to organize that closet,” change the phrase to, “It’s not a priority to organize that closet.” Which might be totally true and you can put that task on the bottom of the list. But, another great example is, “I don’t have time to go running.” If I re-phrased it to, “It’s not a priority to go running,” it would stop me dead in my tracks and alert me that it’s time to shift around some priorities!

Isn’t that smart? I’ve been thinking about that statement all week. Try it.

Thankfully, as busy as things have been, I have been able to keep the training on the top of the list. Sure, I’ve been getting up way too early to mention on here in order to get in my mileage. But, for me, especially when things get crazy, getting my runs in keeps my mind clear and focused, and is the ultimate stress relief.  

But seriously east-coasters, how sweet is this weather? I managed to get in a decent lunch break today to enjoy the sunshine.

Of course, Manny wanted in on this weather too, so we enjoyed a relaxing sunset walk along the Schuylkill.

… And now I’m gonna go have my chardonnay.

Q: How do you stay sane when life gets hectic? Running? Lists? Wine?