Weekly Wrap: Fall Fun

Fall color at Brant's Apple Orchard

I'm linking up with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin to for their Weekly Review. I ran my goal race last weekend, so I'm not training for anything at the moment.

Week of October 17-23
Monday: walk to work + dog walk w/Alex
Tuesday: 2 mile run + walk to work
Wednesday: walk to work + dog walk w/Alex
Thursday: 2 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: Bridge2Bridge 5k (recap)
Sunday: cemetery dog walk + dog walk at Lake Erie Bluffs

Total (running) miles: 7 miles (!!)
Elevation gain: 0 ft
2016 total: 817.7 miles

It took me a longer than normal to recover from last week's race. I tried to walk to work every day, but my legs felt tired. Longest recovery of the year. I was initially bummed I didn't run more because I was considering a "redemption race" in November to get another sub-2, but after enjoying a pretty low-key and relaxed week, maybe I'll kick back for the next few weeks and leave it at that. We'll see.

My training pace group had their end of season get together on Tuesday at a restaurant called 101 Beer Kitchen. Right up my alley. It was fun to hear everyone's stories from their goal races. A few still have to wait for Marine Corps or NYC, but a majority of the team ran Chicago or the Columbus Marathon. Next season starts in January and I'm not sure what pace group I'll be in. I got conflicting advice from the coaches, but I'll figure it out.

Walking the dog

I kept active this week with a few dog walks with Tobias and Alex. We went 1.2 miles on Monday and 2 miles Wednesday. We also did two mini-hikes/dog walks on Sunday. 

On Thursday I went out for 2 miles with Alex between rain storms. I told him we had to go "slow" (for him, which is fast for me). By the end we had an 8:30 pace and I was beat. I couldn't fathom running a 5k in two days! My legs and lungs were tired. Luckily he didn't want to go farther than 2 miles so we called it quits.

We both had Friday off to drive to Ashtabula (his home town) for a family fall weekend. We took our time getting up there, then relaxed at his parent's house until packet pickup for Saturday's 5k. We went to dinner after (pizza), relaxed in front of the TV, and went to bed around 10. I was dreading the 5k start. It was going to be 40-something and potentially rainy.

The newest covered bridge in Ashtabula 

Saturday morning came quick. After I finally settled on an outfit, Alex's dad dropped us off at the start. Luckily, the race began at a library and we were allowed to stand inside to keep dry/warm. It started raining as soon as we stepped on the starting line, but the sun was peaking through the clouds, so the rain didn't last the entire race. You can read my recap here. The rest of Saturday included seeing a new covered bridge, time for freshening up, meeting up with Alex's sisters, a trip to Laurentia Winery, and a fancy dinner at Rennick Meat Market. Afterwards, we watched the OSU / Penn State game, which ended up being a waste of time because OSU lost. ;)

Laurentia Winery

We got a relaxed start to Sunday (mainly due to the late football game), but Alex and I ran a few errands, then walked the dog in a nearby cemetery. Once his family was ready, we went to the local apple orchard for more tasty apple cider donuts.

Brant's Apple Orchard

Afterwards, we went to Alex's cousin's wedding celebration at Lake Erie Bluffs (the reason for the weekend trip). It was a great location. The shelter house was gorgeous and right on the lake, so after dinner we took a short hike down to the beach. It was Tobias's first time on sand and I don't think he was wild about it. After the celebration wound down we made the 3 hour drive home. We were pooped and ready to relax after our action-packed weekend.

Lake Erie. Not quite as pretty as Lake Michigan in August. 

Is it peak fall color where you live? 

What are your favorite fall activities?