Noah's been doing really great with track this year! He'll never be the fastest on the team, because he just doesn't want to commit to the type of training that would take, but he's certainly improved a lot since last year. Yesterday, he did the 70-meter dash and came in second place. I'm not sure where he placed in the long jump, but he is one of the best out of probably 25-30 kids that do it.
He also participated in a 400-meter relay (four kids run 100 meters each, passing a baton, around the track). He was the "anchor" on his team, meaning he was the one to run the final 100-meters of the race. I was super nervous for him, because that's a lot of pressure!
His team was in the lead, and then the baton was passed to him. He kept first place until the last 10 meters or so, when someone pulled in front of him. But he gave it his all, and he did so great!
Judging by the shorts he chose to wear, you would have no idea that his mom is a running coach ;) (He has running shorts, I swear!)
On the way home, I was trying to think of what I could make for dinner that would be super fast. I ended up making homemade macaroni and cheese. It didn't use up many ingredients from the pantry, for the no-grocery-shopping challenge, but all I could think of was eating at that point. (I was too hungry to stop and take a picture.)
Our challenge has been pretty tough for me the past few days because I don't have my daily "treat"--typically, I buy what I'm going to have each day, so that I don't have a stockpile of junk food in the house. Since I'm not buying groceries, I don't have any treats to look forward to each night! I will probably end up making a batch of cookies or something this weekend. I'll just have to be very careful not to eat more than one or two each evening. Yesterday, I ended up eating three single serving bags of Skinny Pop popcorn (300 calories total) but I still just didn't feel satisfied. I need my dessert! (As I typed this, rice pudding popped into my head--maybe I'll make that. I haven't had that in forever!)
This morning, I went out for a sunrise run. There is a badge on Smashrun that you earn for doing 10 runs during sunrise (the run has to start before sunrise and end after sunrise). Sunrise was at 5:59 this morning. I woke up at around 5:40, and decided I didn't want to get up and out the door, so I closed my eyes to go back to sleep. About five minutes later, I was still awake, so I made a split-second decision to go run.
I leapt out of bed, threw on my clothes and Garmin, gulped down a cup of water, and headed out the door. I ended up starting the run at 5:53, so it was just in time. Instead of doing an out-and-back, I decided to run back home on the marsh trail. It's only half a mile of trail, unfortunately, but it sounded good for an early morning run. And I wasn't disappointed!
The trail has gotten very narrow with all the grass and weeds growing in. (You can see it toward the right side of the picture.) It was humid this morning!
When I got home, I saw that I had spiderwebs all over my legs--one of the downsides to running the marsh trail first thing in the morning, I guess. But that was nothing compared to what was waiting for me on the porch!
I've been seeing this spider every night on our door, and I'm always careful to avoid it. This morning, he certainly caught himself a big breakfast in his web. Spiders gross me out.
I now have 3 runs out of the 10 needed for for the Sunriser badge on Smashrun. It's kind of fun to work on earning the different badges! It gives me something to think about that's not related to pace or distance--just the time of day. (There are badges that focus on pace and distance, but there are a ton that aren't.)
I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but I decided not to do the Michigan Ragnar this fall after all. Captaining a team is a TON of work, and I'm just not up for it right now. Maybe I'll do it next year. Several readers asked about joining my team, which is why I wanted to make sure I posted here that I'm no longer planning to do it. If anyone else is forming a team, however, and you need another runner, I may be up for that! I just don't want to do the planning ;)
Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Don't forget about the reason behind Memorial Day. Every Memorial Day, I am so thankful that I get to see my younger brother on a regular basis; it breaks my heart that some families of veterans aren't so lucky.
It amazes me that your family eats dinner so early! Not in a bad way at all, but it’s just so different from my household. I love learning about the commonalities and differences between families. Yay for Noah sticking with track! Speed doesn’t matter in the slightest- as long as h is taking care of his health and having fun, that’s really all that matters! :) Also, loving this grocery challenge! I am an RA at my university so I've had to work around a meal plan for so long and see what does and doesn't work with the allotted amount. I like the challenge! Hope you have a great rest of your weekend, Katie.
ReplyDeleteI know--I never intended for our dinner to get earlier and earlier, but once the kids were in school, they wanted to eat dinner right when they got home. It also works out well with Jerry's odd work schedule, so we just stuck with it. I find I'm much less hungry in the evenings when I eat dinner early, too!
DeleteOh my goodness, that spider looks huge!
ReplyDeleteIt was!! I took the picture through the glass, so I wouldn't have to get that close without a barrier, haha.
DeleteFor your evening treat, you should look up "cake in a mug". It's a single serving microwave cake. It's satisfying and portioned out already.
ReplyDeleteGood idea! I've seen those on Pinterest, but I've never tried making one. I'll have to see if I have the ingredients to whip one up :)
DeleteI remember when I was growing up my dad would be home at 4:30 and that is when we ate dinner. I'd eat dinner at 3:00 if it meant having the kitchen cleaned up and more time to relax ;). Can you mom bring you a treat everyday? Technically it's not shopping, moms are just good at filling holes :).
ReplyDeleteMy oldest daughter is in 7th grade and joined the track team this year for the first time. So far she really likes it. She's doing mostly short distances and hurdles. I love the idea of eating dinner early. Especially with 4 kids in after school activities, it would help to have dinner early. Maybe I'll try that this summer since our days are less hectic...(Usually)
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