Hey friends! I’m linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for the Weekly Wrap.
It seems as if the weekend absolutely flew by. How does that always happen? It was a pretty uneventful weekend as far as planned activities go. I was totally fine with that.
Saturday morning I headed over to Running Wild for the group run. There are two half marathon training groups going on right now, and so there were lots of people there for the group run! I love it. It was super foggy out when we started and we could feel dew drops on our eyelashes. People did varying distances. I ended up doing nine miles with Lizzie.
Later that morning, mom and I got in one final walk before she had to head back home. We will sure miss her! My mom is really stylish (thanks to Lizzie’s help) and I had to copy her outfit (Brooks tights, Saucony vest and Lucy long-sleeved top). No shame. Daniel thinks it is really fun to take pictures before we are ready ..
There were better ones, but that one was just too funny. I think we were both getting on to him for taking pictures before we were situated! Now that I think about, I am probably just reinforcing the shenanigans by using that one. Oh well. We set out on a walk with a mission. We walked up to a local cafe and got breakfast. You can purchase a coffee mug for $16 and then every time you go to refill, it’s only 50 cents. We’ve got two mugs. Hopefully we will use them enough to make it worth it. Seems like a pretty good deal to me!
I was pretty lazy the rest of the afternoon (I mean I guess it doesn’t really count as “lazy” since I ran and walked prior to said-laziness set in). We managed to get some grocery shopping done, so that was productive and we watched the sermon that we missed last weekend because of the relay, so that was also time well spent. I got a glorious little nap in. This week wore me out! I needed the extra rest for sure.
We grilled out (steak, grilled chicken and a sweet potato) and made a fire Saturday evening. Has anyone cooked sweet potatoes on the grill successfully? We definitely don’t have that mastered. It didn’t get near cooked enough. I am so spoiled with the crock pot sweet potatoes, though. It would be hard to cook them as good as the crock pot does.
Brooks likes to just hang out under the grill, hoping someone gives him some food!
Daniel built a blazing fire (I know my dad will be proud)! We sat outside and enjoyed the fire for a while.
This morning it was time for second workout slash long run of the week. The schedule called for 20 miles total with the first 16 easy and the last 4 at 6:40 to 6:50. I had really good company for the first 16 miles and the time absolutely flew by. We ended up averaging just under 7:55 for those miles. The crisp air kept us swift.
The wind was absolutely out of control! You can kind of tell from the looks of the bay in the background, but it was crazy. It felt so cold out there, especially right on the water. After we finished 16, I had to resist the urge to call it a day. I’m so glad that I finished up my workout. I needed to prove to myself that I could! I averaged 6:50 for the last 4 (the first two were a little faster and the last two were a little slower) and ended the run at Coffee Loft, to meet back up with the rest of the crew. Whew.
I’m leaning more towards doing the half at New Orleans instead of the full at this point, but I haven’t made the final decision yet. Just coming to the realization that I don’t have to do the full has made a huge difference in my outlook towards training. It even makes me kind of want to do it more. Goodness. What a mess. I know.
Today we continued the series on fear, specifically the fear of failure. Fear of failure causes you to miss opportunities for success. Here are a few more takeaways:
- We are called to take action to advance the kingdom of God.
- A life with no action is a sign of a life with no God.
- We must have a Biblical understanding and definition of success, which comes from studying the Word, surrendering to the Word and following the Word.
- Our lives should emphasize character over achievement. I love this! It’s about the person you are (becoming), not the things that you do.
- Our lives should emphasize management over ownership. The things that God has given us are not our own.
- Our lives should emphasize both weakness and strength. I also love this. I think that transparency with our weakness can open so many doors if we let it and it helps us to learn and grow.
- Our faith must lead to action as we leave fear behind.
It was a great message and Pastor Chris really challenged us to get out of our comfort zone and take action with our faith.
I got in another nice nap this afternoon! I’m ready to tackle week #3 of tax season now. This week is going to start getting a little bit crazy I have a feeling. We’ll see.
Experiment #2 is currently in progress in the dehydrator. We are making banana chips. They’ve been cooking (I guess that’s technically not the correct terminology) for quite a while and aren’t entirely crispy yet. They already taste good as they are though, so I guess it’ll be successful even if they don’t get crunchy.
We just got home from a wonderful dinner and evening with our friends, Molly and Keith and their son, Miles. Brooks got to make friends with their dog, Pacer.
We played life-sized Jenga! It was so much fun.
What was the highlight of your weekend?
Is the Running Wild group training for one (or more) of the Gulf Coast series? I’ve done their Pensacola race before. I love cooking in the crock pot and I love sweet potatoes so you’ve got to tell me how to do that. I think they would take all day long on a grill. The picture of you and your Mom is adorable. It’s funny how when we let go of an idea, we often go back to it — without the stress it had before. I’m sure you’ll know what to do very soon. Thanks for linking with us Sam. Have a wonderful week.
Is the Running Wild group training for one (or more) of the Gulf Coast series? I’ve done their Pensacola race before. I love cooking in the crock pot and I love sweet potatoes so you’ve got to tell me how to do that. I think they would take all day long on a grill. The picture of you and your Mom is adorable. It’s funny how when we let go of an idea, we often go back to it — without the stress it had before. I’m sure you’ll know what to do very soon. Thanks for linking with us Sam. Have a wonderful week.
I usually get my sweet potatoes too done. Tell ya what we’ve done a few times camping. Next time you have a nice fire. Wrap up your potatoes in twice the amount of foil an put them right in the coals. Turn a few times an they’ll be done in no time. You try that an I’ll try them in the crock pot. I hope to run into you in NOLA no matter which you decide. Appreciate you linking. I use to work in a cpa firm so I know exactly how this season can be.
Wow! Thanks for the fire idea. We are going to try that next time for sure! For the crock pot, you just do low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. They turn out perfectly! It would be awesome to meet you in NOLA. Maybe we have a blogger meet up!
I would love that Sam!! I’m trying my best to get Holly and her husband to come too, maybe you could help me encourage her 🙂 Have a great week!
I usually get my sweet potatoes too done. Tell ya what we’ve done a few times camping. Next time you have a nice fire. Wrap up your potatoes in twice the amount of foil an put them right in the coals. Turn a few times an they’ll be done in no time. You try that an I’ll try them in the crock pot. I hope to run into you in NOLA no matter which you decide. Appreciate you linking. I use to work in a cpa firm so I know exactly how this season can be.
Wow! Thanks for the fire idea. We are going to try that next time for sure! For the crock pot, you just do low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. They turn out perfectly! It would be awesome to meet you in NOLA. Maybe we have a blogger meet up!
I would love that Sam!! I’m trying my best to get Holly and her husband to come too, maybe you could help me encourage her 🙂 Have a great week!
Dehydrated banana chips sounds great, you’ll have to share how they come out! Great work with your 20 mile run. It makes it so much better to have company for the majority of it. And that mug deal sounds great at the coffee shop – I would totally get my money’s worth. Have a great week 🙂
Thank you! They ended up turning out really good! Nice and crispy, but it took about 12 to 16 hours for them to get there 🙂
Dehydrated banana chips sounds great, you’ll have to share how they come out! Great work with your 20 mile run. It makes it so much better to have company for the majority of it. And that mug deal sounds great at the coffee shop – I would totally get my money’s worth. Have a great week 🙂
Thank you! They ended up turning out really good! Nice and crispy, but it took about 12 to 16 hours for them to get there 🙂
My husband loves to cook sweet potatoes on the grill and he mixes up spices to put on them. First he prepares the sweet potatoes in slices, then puts them in a bag with olive oil and the spice mix. He grills them in a basket type thing made for the grill. And it took him a few times to perfect them….temperature I think is moderate.
That’s a good idea! I’m sure slicing them helps them cook faster. Thank you so much for the advice 🙂
My husband loves to cook sweet potatoes on the grill and he mixes up spices to put on them. First he prepares the sweet potatoes in slices, then puts them in a bag with olive oil and the spice mix. He grills them in a basket type thing made for the grill. And it took him a few times to perfect them….temperature I think is moderate.
That’s a good idea! I’m sure slicing them helps them cook faster. Thank you so much for the advice 🙂
I’ve never tried sweet potatoes on the grill, but I love to cook a batch in the crock pot and take them for lunch at work all week. I can never quite get the cook time right in the microwave. They always end up dry and bland.
Glad to hear you are feeling better about RnR NOLA- good luck whether you run the full or the half! I’m running the half, but I’m only racing against me (and the rest of the middle of the pack!) 🙂
Have a great week!
Yes. Microwave is a no go for me too. They just aren’t the same. The crock pot cooks them so perfectly though! I love the NOLA race! It’ll be so much fun 🙂
I’ve never tried sweet potatoes on the grill, but I love to cook a batch in the crock pot and take them for lunch at work all week. I can never quite get the cook time right in the microwave. They always end up dry and bland.
Glad to hear you are feeling better about RnR NOLA- good luck whether you run the full or the half! I’m running the half, but I’m only racing against me (and the rest of the middle of the pack!) 🙂
Have a great week!
Yes. Microwave is a no go for me too. They just aren’t the same. The crock pot cooks them so perfectly though! I love the NOLA race! It’ll be so much fun 🙂
Looks like a great week of running! I love that pic of you with your mom. I love running with my mom, but right now she’s overcoming an injury. It’s not the same without her. Life size Jenga looks like fun! Good luck making your decision about NOLA! I’m sure you’ll do great no matter what distance you decide to run!
Looks like a great week of running! I love that pic of you with your mom. I love running with my mom, but right now she’s overcoming an injury. It’s not the same without her. Life size Jenga looks like fun! Good luck making your decision about NOLA! I’m sure you’ll do great no matter what distance you decide to run!
My highlight was spending a lot of time with my kids… celebrating 2 birthdays ! Love the picture of you & your mom. Its fun, which makes it real ! Have a great week.
My highlight was spending a lot of time with my kids… celebrating 2 birthdays ! Love the picture of you & your mom. Its fun, which makes it real ! Have a great week.