There are not enough weekends in the summer, and there are far too many Mondays on which to lament the passing of yet another bygone couplet of free days — or, in my case this past week, four  free days. I was fortunate enough to take off last Thurs and Fri and head up to the lake on Wednesday night. Needless to say, after an incredible time at this Heavenly place, there were some tears on my Sunday afternoon train back to NYC. It’s too hard to know this exists and yet have to leave it behind.

Taken from my lounge chair on the deck, where I spent a good portion of my weekend lost in this poignant novel about love, loss, and stories of the sea:

Seemed quite fitting to read lake-side, with its watery setting and the quiet brilliance of a young girl’s coming-of-age. I’m hooked.

It was my parents’ 35th wedding anniversary (!!!), so Ry and I took them to Creo in Albany on Friday night. Definitely one of my fave restaurants in the area, I can’t rave enough about the food, the service, and the atmosphere. We all loved our meals (fish for the ladies, steak for the gents) and can’t wait to return. They also gave the ‘rents a complimentary anniversary dessert!

Then, on Saturday morning, well-rested and happy after a delicious meal, I set out to run my furthest distance yet: 15 miles. Of course, it always feels like longer running upstate due to all the hills, but I was hopeful and excited.

Shots from my country/lake region run:

Funny little story: see those fake cows hanging out in the field? A few years ago, someone stole them in the middle of the night. How ridiculous, right?! It seemed hilarious, but the dairy owners were obviously quite upset and begged for the cows to be returned. Apparently they were brought back unscathed, because the next thing we knew, there they were again. Too funny.

I absolutely adore running upstate in the nice weather. The clean, clear air; the wide expanses of blue sky and green fields; the winding back roads — it’s so picturesque and quaint, and I am able to just let go and lose myself in the beauty of nature. I think I need to keep going upstate every weekend during my training to do my long runs, because I was certainly happy with my accomplishment this weekend:

Fifteen miles at an 8:27 pace, with lots of hills thrown in there, makes me one happy girl. I continued to remind myself of how blessed I am to be able to run, to choose to run, and prayed for a positive attitude, no injuries, and the ability to enjoy every second of it. I’m really loving this training and pushing my body to new limits, and I’m hopeful that I continue to feel this strong and content.

One final lil shot of a special darling in my life, just because she always makes my days that much brighter:

Have a great Monday, friends.