Hello, dear readers!

Today’s post is about my complicated relationship with running. However, if you’re here for some delightful food content, you’re still in luck. I have started this post with a preview of a tart I’m making this weekend AND a video of icing cookies for a talent show. Without further ado…

In Food News:

• I made Toast Biscuits (pictured above) for the first time (my mother in law is visiting this weekend and she likes them).
• I am attempting a Roasted Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart this weekend for her birthday. Pics next week for sure! For now, enjoy this majestic rhubarb I scored from Farmhouse Delivery!
• I entered a Faculty Talent Show at ACC. Here’s my video.

Fun Fact: I competed in a talent show in Elementary School where I just did the running man to Mariah Carey’s banger Someday. I did not win AND someone said “cool dance moves” on the playground later that day. That was officially the day where I understood sarcasm.

Now, back to gym class…

So, I did not get to run with people in Montana. I did Orangetheory and Crossfit, which both had running elements. But it wasn’t my main focus. When we moved back to Austin last summer I ran a bit, but spent most of my time weight training and doing WODs. I began the Trans Texas Virtual Run on February 1st… the race goal is to run/walk 634 miles by December 31st, though I am hoping to make that happen by my 40th birthday in October.

Most of this mileage was earned solo. However, things have changed post-Moderna vaccine.

Now I run with people again! Hooray for people! Real humans. There’s proof below. The pictures are of (from left to right) Rogue Running, November Project Austin, The Morning Jos, and Comedor Run Club. I would like to walk through why I like these groups and they will be part of my regular running rotation.

Rogue Running: This is a twice a week activity. The weekday meetings are the gym class stuff: drills, fartleks, time trials, etc. Then the weekend is a long run. I am doing a free month at Rogue but plan to continue because I am not sure how to build endurance/speed on my own. So, I am officially going to PAY for gym class. lol!

The Morning Jos: This Tuesday morning run ranges from 3-5 miles. I have only done the 3 mile version. To get to 4 miles you run behind the Capitol. For me, this is like the horizon in The Truman Show- for all I know this is a painted wall. But I am sure I will get to that route eventually. For now a big reason I do not do the full loop is because of the pace thing. Most runners at my pace do the 3 miles and it is still dark (we begin the run at 6am). Once I can can catch up with the peeps who run behind the Capitol I’ll move up to 4.

November Project ATX: This is the running group I’ve been with the longest! They are fun and inclusive. The timing doesn’t work as well with my work schedule, so unfortunately this will likely be my least consistent group. Mileage at NP varies because there’s a lot of body weight movement interspersed and sometimes a game or activity. Fun times!

Comedor Run Club: This club meets M/W/F, but I can only do Fridays because of my work schedule. This is the most intimidating run of my week. Not because of the people- all SO NICE! But because it is a 3 mile run and people wait for everyone to finish before high-fiving taking a group picture. I will inevitably be the last person to get high-fives for the foreseeable future. Did this make my pace faster? Yes. Does it make me nervous to keep going? Also yes. This image is what I keep thinking of when that fear creeps in:

This struggle will always be a part of my running routine. I am not a fast runner and will never be a sprinter by any means. The hardest part of this is keeping the energy up to go anyways. For most people in these groups an “easy pace” is a 9-minute mile and I have been logging in the 11-12 range. I was able to keep a pace of 11 minute miles at CRC last Friday, which included the traffic lights and me forgetting to turn my watch off when I stopped. I am hoping to be in the 10s tomorrow.

That last sentence might make people say “it sounds like running with people is improving your running pace” and I would agree with these imaginary readers/speakers. However, the “can’t” and “should” monsters tend to worm their way back into my thoughts and it is annoying. Something that has helped?

Taking Time to Enjoy the Little Things

As cheesy as that title is, I have been working hard to live in the present. As an anxious person it is easy to live in the past or the future. Those are generally where anxiety thrives. So noting a beautiful moment like the wildflowers in the breeze or a solid message is nice. Stopping to take a picture to remember those times is a great way to connect with the present.

I also took a picture of this delish beverage I had at the Run of the Year event last weekend. We ran a 5K for Lymphoma research, which is important to me (my dad died due to cancer). The beverages served help support addiction recovery, which was an added bonus. I am sober and do not use recovery services or anything. But I like that people can access those easier because of this company. Yay for that!

Today I saw a little lizard AND a tortoise/turtle. See if you can find him- he had stellar turtle-flage.

I decided it would be fun to get to the 200 mile mark for this post (while working on it I realized my 3 miles would get me over the milestone). So, cheers to 200 miles, y’all!

XO,