Greetings from beautiful Virginia!

Even though Hubby and I made a quick pit stop on our way back to the West Coast, we’ve been ramping back up to “real” life — which means returning to work and training this week with a renewed focus and a fresh perspective.

Thankfully, though, week four of the plan is still a mileage-building phase. So here’s a look at how I’m wrapping up the first month of training.

Although we’ve been able to stick to a good schedule while on the road, I am starting to notice some loss of strength and flexibility from my usual cross-training routine.

Frankly, I’m a little antsy to get back at it, but it’s good to take a break every now and then. Especially when it includes another change of running scenery to explore.

Running has not only been a convenient way to work out while traveling, but it’s also been an excellent way to get to know all the towns we’ve visited these past few weeks (photo recap to come!).

And, let’s face it: Having a training plan all mapped out ahead of time can be a saving grace on those days when both your mind and body are in vacation mode and motivation is waning.

Physically, though, I’ve been dragging a bit this week due to jet lag, a migraine and a nagging case of plantar fasciitis, so my goal was mainly just to get the miles logged safely and uneventfully.

Oh, and there was also a little bit of sleep deprivation after visiting a neighbor’s (haunted) house one evening to hear a handful of local ghost stories. But so worth it!

My favorite part of running here? The fact that, more often than not, we can set off down the road and back and not see a single car or human for miles.

My least favorite part? Some of the critters who share the road with us — namely this Virginia Timber Rattlesnake we spotted from the car mid-week. Needless to say, I’ll be watching my step very carefully from here on out!

Stay tuned for week five as I head back to the West Coast and start the second month of training — where the more challenging parts of the Hansons’ training plan start kicking in…