Happy Friday! Let’s catch up on all the good things!

Hello friends! It’s been a minute. Sorry. Life and laziness got in the way of blogging. You know how it is.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But let’s catch up!

1. First, I want to share this lovely piece of woodwork I made at AR Workshop in Alexandria, Virginia.

It’s a new piece of office decor and to keep track of all the states I’ve done races in. Some friends have asked what the difference is between the yellow and red push pins: there is no difference. I just ran out of yellow push pins. Lol. Each pin marks a completed half marathon in the state.

Big thanks to the gals at AR Workshop for helping me put this together! They were fantastic. My letters and state lines would have been crooked without them. Haha.

Have you heard of AR Workshop?

It’s a workshop where you can make personalized home decor — wooden signs, trays, canvas pillows, etc. My friends and I celebrated a girlfriend’s birthday there. It was a fun birthday activity — they also serve beer, wine, and even bubbly, if you’re feeling festive, as we were. 🙂 Highly recommend checking them out, if you’re into crafts. They have locations all over the country.

2. Training for the Maine Coast Half Marathon is underway! According to my TripIt app, only 43 days left until I run state #21.

I started training in mid-February. I haven’t been following any particular training program. Instead, I’ve just been increasing my weekly mileage a little each month — started with 20 miles/week in February, then 30 miles/week in March, and now will be doing about 40 miles/week in April. I’ve been doing long runs on the weekends and strength-training two days a week. By the way, I hate strength-training. But I know it’s good for runners, prevents injuries, etc., etc., so I do it. Plus, I’m trying to grow a booty, so it’s also been helpful with that endeavor.

The race will be in Biddeford, Maine, about half an hour south of Portland. If you have any recommendations for things to do, see or eat around that area, please send my way!

3. I’ve weaned myself off the treadmill (aka dreadmill)!

For those that don’t know — I’m a dreadmill queen. I use it when it’s cold out. I use it when it’s hot out. I use it when it’s raining. I use it when it’s snowing. I use it when it’s not the absolute perfect running weather (perfect to me). And if you’re not familiar with the DC area, it’s almost never perfect outside. I’ll admit though, I even use when it IS perfect out, because to me, the dreadmill is easier and more convenient than running outside.

But since last September, I’ve been using the dreadmill less and running outside way more. My new favorite time to run is 5 a.m. before work. Don’t get me wrong, I hate waking up early to run (it’s a struggle every morning), but it is the best feeling to have the run completed before work. Now that it’s getting warmer though, and more humid, we’ll see if I can maintain these outdoor runs.

4. I STILL owe you guys a race recap for AC. It’s coming! I promise. For real.

What’s good in your world? Have you done any fun races or began training for an upcoming race?