Back on the wagon

Greetings from sunny Naples, Florida!

We arrived here on Wednesday and have wasted no time enjoying the sun. For me, that meant outdoor runs!!

I'm here with Sam's family, and his younger brother Max decided to join me on my runs this week. On Thursday, I ran 2.5 miles to the beach while Sam and Max biked, then Max and I ran about 0.75 (he ran more later) on the beach.

Man does that beach make your legs sore! It was a great workout.

Splits:

Mile 1: 9:44

Mile 2: 9:48

Mile 3.25: 10:49 (mega workout!)

Afterward I dived into this huge veggie sub Sam's parents got from the deli. It had roasted peppers, olives, mushrooms, pickles, banana peppers, lettuce, tomato and onion. Absolutely amazing. With a Bud Light Lime in a can for vacation's sake :)

Beach lounging commenced. (these are Sam's feet).

Yesterday we spent time with the family and celebrated Christmas eve. We got traditional pajama sets for our long winter's naps...

and later I tackled the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls (details soon!)

For Christmas, we celebrated by dining on cinnamon rolls for breakfast and opening presents. Later, Max and I took off for a 4 mile run. It was fun but really hot at the end! We were running in the sun at 12:30pm in Florida. Truth be told it was only 75 degrees, but we were HOT. Still, we pulled out solid splits.

Splits

Mile 1: 9:40

Mile 2: 9:25

Mile 3: 9:38

Mile 4: 9:40

We were so happy to be done we jumped into the unheated freezing pool. It was deliciously cold. I climbed out and settled for dipping just my head in. Pure bliss.

Gift highlights include an incredibly bright running jacket! I'm so excited to take this back to cold, dark Ann Arbor and give it a whirl.

Also, Sam gave me this great micro-organism 'field guide' that gives details and identification information for human pathogens!! Scienceloveee :)

Now we're settling in for a family game and movie night. It's been strange but nice to be in a warm place for Christmas but I'm so glad we're here. I'm much more excited to run when it's sunny out! Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all !