Poco a Poco: Weekends Are for Long Runs

It's no secret that I love running. Morning runs are my time away from responsibilities and dusty old buildings. I love breathing in fresh air, even if I'm huffing and puffing toward the end of a run! I am thankful that I've been able to keep a regular running routine, even with the busyness of graduate school. Some days I have to opt out, and that's okay, too. Yesterday in studio performance class (I made it through my first performance of the semester!), Dr. L, my studio professor, told us all to get outdoors this weekend. She recommended time outside as the best thing for our pianistic development. I love that!

Of course it helps that Dallas is giving the best it has to offer right now. This Florida girl was a bit chilly running in fifty-degree weather! Time to start shopping for running leggings!

Fall is here!

The purpose of this post is to share four pieces of exciting news with you (I'm feeling very direct after writing an abstract of my research project and five bibliography annotations):

1. I found a running buddy!

Meet Mary Anna, a fellow SMU piano grad student. Somehow we realized we share a mutual enjoyment of running! I'm sure I was bragging on Brooklyn's mad skills, or something. MA is training for her first half marathon this month, so I've been organizing weekend long runs for us. She is going to rock her first race! Oh, and did I mention we live in the same neighborhood and run the same pace? That makes it easy to schedule runs. In case you didn't guess, MA is happy to have Brooklyn along, too!

2. Brooklyn set a new distance PR!

Actually, MA did, too! We parked about a mile from the lake, ran the nine miles around, and then ran back to our car. This was my first double-digit run in a while. It was 54 degrees when we finished our eleven-mile run. No wonder we were energized and speedy. Time: 1:32:28. That's an 8:24/mile average, folks! We'll take it!

3. I am officially signed up for a half marathon later this month.

I've been dying to register for a race ever since we moved. (Actually, ever since I didn't run my marathon.) I feel there's no better way to get to know your city than to explore on foot, and it's just more efficient if you're running. :) My wise husband knows me so well and so advised me not to commit to any races; he knows my tendency to overcommit and self-destruct. When MA and I began intentionally extending our long runs, I knew I'd easily be ready without any excessive training. Because of this, and the fact that I'll get to race alongside MA, Ty officially gave me the green light! I am stoked about the race course, which tours different districts of the city. Should be spectacular! October 25th, here we come!

4. Company Cafe is still my favorite place to dine!

After our long run today, MA and I felt hungry (duh) and deserving of delicious food. Since Brooklyn was with us, we sat outside on the patio. Neither of us thought through the fact that it was still only fifty-five degrees outside. That's a lot colder when you're sitting instead of running. Hot coffee and a hot meal helped, but it's worth noting that we were the only ones on the patio. Can you say Dee-Lish-Us? Bottomless coffee and gluten-free french toast bites cooked to perfection.