Moving West

Only two more days in Pittsburgh, and we will be on our way to the state of Washington! The past few days have been spent with packers and movers in and out of our house, and now the moving truck is on its way to Washington with all our belongings. We stayed in Gettysburg this weekend to say good-bye to my husband's huge, extended family who lives out there. Then we came back to Pittsburgh to clean our empty house and get it ready for our new renters, who will be moving in on Friday.

My workout today was not miles of running, but was hours of scrubbing every single floor in that house - on my hands and knees! My mom used to call that the German way, after my great-grandmother who came to the United States  from Germany and insisted the only way to properly clean a floor was to get on your hands and knees and scrub it - mops were for lazy people! Well, I can say, I missed running today, but I'm actually sore like I did an insane Jillian Michaels workout or something. This is ridiculous! But you should see my sparkling floors.

My suitcase is bulging with summer clothes that I will need before we get settled in our new home, and tons and tons of running clothes in every color imaginable! I think I actually have more running outfits than I do regular clothes. And honestly, my running clothes are nicer than my regular clothes. I love buying running clothes. I go to Target or Kohl's and walk right past the cute t-shirts, sundresses, and capri pants, and head to the exercise clothes. I'm a bit obsessed.

My husband and I will be driving two vehicles to Washington, splitting the kids up between us.  We will also be taking our sweet time, turning this task into a fun road trip/vacation. Some places we'll be stopping are Cedar Point, Mount Rushmore, Wall Drug, and Yellowstone Park, plus we'll be seeing some friends and family along the way. My plan is to get a run in every evening before dark. I think it will be fun to experience running in different places during the trip - and it will also be a relief to get out and move after sitting in a car all day.

Well, I am going to relax in my comfy hotel room and nurse my achy arms with a Coors Light....

The heat is on!

Some day, I am going to learn to go out for an early morning run instead of waiting until the sun is beating down. It's nice to finally get this kind of weather, after such a long, cold, drab winter and spring here in Pittsburgh, but it is not fun to run in 85 degree sun. Nope. I also need to remember to wear one of my Sweaty Bands, because after my run today, I was literally dripping with sweat and it was rolling down my forehead and stinging my eyes my entire run. I looked like I had been sprayed with a garden hose, and when I walked in the door, my girls cringed and backed away like I had a contagious disease. Wow, I must have looked pretty bad!

Now on another note, I am really enjoying running with my iPod, but it has one flaw: it makes me run too fast. Combine iPod running with a brutally hot sun, and you've got some serious butt-kicking going on. So much that I had to stop running after 1.5 miles this morning because: 1) I am not an 8-minute-a-miler in mild weather, and 2) I am not an 8-minute-a-miler, ever. Well, except today. Because Ke$ha and Taio Cruz and others make me want to run faster than my body can handle! Kinda exciting to this old 10.5-minute-a-miler, because I am wondering if maybe, just maybe, someday I will learn how to run just a little faster. At this point, I can't keep up an 8-minute-a-mile pace for more than one full mile, but maybe someday...I have a little glimmer of hope!