Happy Friday all!

With the weather finally warming up around here, school done for one son and quickly winding down for the other it’s starting to feel like summer! So I’m linking up with the fun ladies of the DC Trifecta (Mar, Cynthia and Courtney) for a Friday Five summertime theme: “This summer I will_____________”

This Summer I Will….

Travel  — With our vacation starting tomorrow, I’m off to a good start on this one!    We’ll also be looking to get some shorter day trips and overnighters throughout the summer.

Learn a language  —  Or more specifically brush up on my very rusty Spanish.  After getting to try out 3 languages this past school year, my son settled on Spanish and he’s inspired me to join him!

Train for the Fall –With two half marathons and a PR to chase, training will start in earnest in July!

House Projects — There are a number of projects I’ve had on the backburner, but with more free time available this summer I’m hoping to conquer some of them. At the top of the list – declutter and build out our mudroom.

Relax and Have Fun! — Summer is such great time to slow down, re-group and re-connect. I’m looking forward to lazy days at the beach, meals on the deck and lots of time with friends and family!

What’s on your must do list for summer?

There are so many great bloggers joining the DC Trifecta link up – be sure to stop by and check them out!

It’s Week 11 of the One Small Change Challenge! This has been a great challenge – some of the changes have definitely been easier to stay on top of than others. Here’s what I’ve taken on so far:

Week 1 – Daily plank routine

Week 2 – Keep my often-cluttered coffee table clutter-free

Week 3 – Increase my daily water intake

Week 4 – On hold

Week 5 – Daily rolling of my very tight quads and hamstrings

Week 6 – Take time each morning to set my plan/intentions for the day

Week 7 – Plan my strength-training workouts

Week 8 –  On hold to re-group

Week 9 – Meal planning

Week 10 – Eliminate late afternoon snacking

I was helped a lot with week 10 by grabbing a mug of green tea in the afternoon – it helped me to slow down and be more mindful and stop picking at my sons’ snacks while helping with homework.

So now for week 11 – Turn off the electronics at night. I’ve gotten into the habit of being on my laptop/iPad/phone way too late into the evening – that much screen time makes it tough to wind down. So the goal this week is to unplug earlier and get some much needed sleep!

Do you find you’re “plugged in” late into the night or are you good about turning your electronics off? 

If you want to help the Sandy Hook victims and their families, here are some ways (thanks to Beth at Shut Up and Run for posting them).

• Sandy Hook Elementary School Fund: Chris DeLetto of Champaign, Ill., started this fundraiser on Crowdtilt, hoping to raise $50,000 in 30 days.
• Help for the Sandy Hook Elementary School Families: Raising money for the Sandy Hook Parent Teachers Association.
• Sandy Hook Elementary School Victims Relief Fund: Raising money for the school’s PTSA organization.
• Secure Schools: Becky Hoover launched this campaign to get security systems in place in all U.S. schools, including pass-key systems with cameras.
• Wall of Love: This interactive website, designed following the tragic shooting, wants to show everyone affected by the tragedy that there is more love than hate in the world.

 Wishing you peace,

Since wrapping up my last big race of the fall a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about this past training cycle

Working with a coach was one of the best decisions I could have made. Throughout the 19 week plan that Coach Bennett Cohen designed for me I was pushed well outside my comfort zone

One of the big questions I’m trying to figure out is what to eat before and/or after a run. Most of the time I don’t eat in the morning before I run and occasionally I’ll try half a banana. I’m wondering if I’m hurting my ability to run stronger or faster by not eating before hand? I feel pretty dehydrated after the run and drink a ton of water….should I be downing a sports drink instead? Usually I feel ok post run but find I’m crashing late in afternoon.