May Runfessions and Running for a Cause

However this happened, in the blink of an eye it’s June 1st, and I’m taking my coffee into the runfessional with me! What’s in your cup? I’m having Mexican coffee today. Well, not exactly Mexican coffee. It’s Dunkin’ Donuts coffee that I brought from home, but I am enjoying it on the deck overlooking Banderas Bay in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. See? Mexican coffee! I’m linking up with Marcia for Runfessions, and with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date! I’m also linking up with Meranda and Lacey for the Friday Five!

Over coffee, I would runfess that I’ve been almost completely off of the social media grid for the past few weeks and I don’t feel a bit of guilt about it. I returned home from London on April 29th and entered the whirlwind that was May. We had our youngest son’s graduation from Indiana University on May 4th, my cousin’s daughter’s wedding the following weekend, the Byline Chicago Spring Half Marathon the weekend after that, and then our flight to Puerto Vallarta just six days later! Throw in those annoying things called a job and a business and every other obligation I am constantly juggling and well, you get the picture. I spent the good part of yesterday catching up on things so I’m hoping to make a reappearance on the social media scene in the coming weeks and months.

I would also runfess that I finally started to knock off some of this excess baggage (as in junk in the trunk) I’ve been talking complaining about for way too long. As I mentioned in my last Runfessions post, I have no medical reason excuse to have piled on the pounds, and with Puerto Vallarta’s bikini weather looming, it was time to kick it into gear. As I’ve mentioned previously, strict low-carb is my magic and with my iron will I can stick to anything once I put my mind to it. I knocked a good 12 or 13 pounds off in the three (yes, three!) weeks before our trip. I’ve been pretty good about sticking with low-carb over the week we’ve been here [as in I had my first and only margarita (so far) on day four of the trip], though the past two days I’ve been a little more lax. We return home on Monday, and I plan to work hard to get back to my comfortable weight.

I runfess that taking part in (and completing) the Strava BibRave Run Streak Challenge was indeed a challenge! With my crazy-busy May schedule, it was difficult to keep up, but with the generous minimum requirement of just one mile per day, I was able to get it all in. As some of you might have seen on a recent Instagram post, we hiked up a mountain the other day and were rewarded with an amazing view of my heaven on earth. What a wonderful place to complete the month-long challenge!

I’ll also runfess that I am part-way into the amazing opportunity to receive online coaching from none other than Jared Ward and his Endure Strong Team! I have a customized plan to help me meet my goal for the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon on July 21st. I’ll post more on that later. While with my busy May my plan has gotten off to a slow start, I am jumping back on when I get home from Mexico.

Last, over coffee I will runfess that I am once again running for charity. I will be running the New York City Marathon on November 3rd as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training! Team in Training has been around for more than three decades and has helped raise more than a billion dollars for blood cancer research. Having the opportunity to run the New York City Marathon for such a great cause makes this upcoming race that much more special to me. You can find out more information here, and if you’d like to join the team, you can save $100 off using code NYCBIBRAVE!

What would you runfess over coffee? Be sure to check out Marcia’s, Deborah’s, Coco’s, and Meranda and Lacey’s weekend posts, and check out some of the other linkers! You might just find a few new online running friends!

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On Sunday, November 3rd, I will be running the New York City Marathon as a charity fundraiser for Team in Training, an organization that helps The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) support cutting-edge research projects in the most promising areas of cancer research. If you’d like to contribute to my fundraising efforts, you can still do so by clicking on the link below. Any donation, big or small, will help and is greatly appreciated!

Click here or on the picture to get to my fundraising page!