It's Official! Summer Has Started!

Let's see, where to start?

The family and I went camping last week.  Not in a tent, which I am sure some of you might say is not "real" camping.  It was real enough to me.

We stayed in Glen, NH at a campground called Glen Ellis Family Campground.  We rented a camper that they had there on the property.

Packing for camping is crazy.  I was a bit overwhelmed by all the stuff we had to bring. Towels, sheets, food, condiments, booze.  Stuff we wouldn't normally pack for a stay at a hotel.

We pulled George out of school a little early on his last day as we had a four hour drive ahead of us.  The plan was to pack up the truck, pick him up and get on the road. However, while putting the bikes on the rack, Mr. RWM threw his back out and ended up on the floor in the garage.  I honestly thought our trip was over.  He is, thank God, Ok and an hour past our original leaving time, we were on the road.

As soon as we pulled into the office parking lot to check in, it started to rain.  Awesome!

Our camper was a bit bigger than I thought it would be.  Mr. RWM and I had our own room with a queen size bed and the kids room was the opposite side of the camper with bunk beds.  There was a small bathroom, kitchen and sitting area.  Bonus, there was A/C.

Our friends, Ozzie and Harriet, that we were doing this adventure with and more experienced campers, arrived the day before.  We unloaded our truck and walked down to their camper.  Dinner was already cooking and they literally, handed us a drink as we were saying hello.  Best friends ever!

The first night was good. Cooler than I thought it would be but sitting around the fire was awesome.  The kids rode their bikes through all the mud puddles and George thought that was the best thing ever.  We also had a ton of glow sticks left over form the Glow Bash and the kids were thrilled to decorate their bikes and ride around.  I also learned that if you put glow sticks in the freezer, they last longer.  Who knew?

Ozzie and I had planned to run the next morning.  Well, we slept in a bit longer than expected and when we woke up, Ozzie and Harriet had a nice breakfast waiting for us.  I was ready to run though.  We decided on a four mile run and soon after breakfast, we were off.

It was a humid but no sun which helped.  Ozzie had run 12 miles the day before, so this was a nice easy run for us.  In mile two, The Conway Scenic Railroad Dinning Train passed us and I waved to all the people riding by.  I got lots of waves and smiles which made me smile too.

At the end of mile two we snapped a pic and headed home.

Me and Ozzie

We showered, had lunch and then headed to Diana's Bath.  Not my video but it is better than me trying to explain it to you.  It's on You Tube so it's legal to use right?  It would of been awesome if it was warm, but it was a little cold which didn't bother the kids. No worries, they had a great time and they were why we were there.

Later, another nice dinner, more drinks, family bike ride, and sitting around the fire.

Thursday, I biked 4 miles and then we headed to Story Land.  The kids had a blast and it was a nice day.  No rain and very little sun.  It was not too hot to walk around.

Gracie, Ricky, Humpty, George and David

Ricky and Gracie with Mother Goose

Friday, we packed up, went out to breakfast and headed home.  All in all it was a nice time.  The bugs were a little killer even with the bug spray and the rain put a little damper on things.  I would probably do it again but I am in no hurry.

My shower when I got home was the best shower ever and we were all happy to be in our own beds Friday night.

Now, on to training for the Philadelphia Marathon.  For me, picking a plan was very time consuming and confusing.   It reminded me of putting my birth plan together, which was shot to hell when my 9 pound George flipped into the sitting position one week before my due date.  That is another story all together.

I have decided to go with Hal Higdon's Novice 1.  I really thought I was going with Run Less, Run Faster but after a final look at all my notes and books last night I changed my mind.  RLRF is a pretty serious plan which I am sure would work for me, but I wouldn't use it as it is directed and I don't want to mess with what is written too much.  Hal has worked well for me in the past and even though it is 4 days running instead of 3, I think I will be ok.  If my back acts up, I will bike or just take an extra day off.  I am not worried, this is going to work for me I have no doubt.

It is an 18 week training plan and will start on July 14.  A couple more weeks and I will be ready to go!  I am excited and terrified at that the same time, but I have no doubt that this is my time and I am looking forward to ever step.

Have you stressed over training plans?  Do you have a favorite?  Any exciting Summer plans?  

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole