Well it’s that time again. The kids have headed off to college. We did get to have a short family trip this week before they left which was great. But just like summer, all good things must come to an end. We had a lot of fun this summer but I’m still sad it’s ending. This week I ran 38 miles and biked 43 miles. Here’s what went down-
Seen on my run… a timely message about my family perhaps?
We started our week out with a short camping trip to Van Buren State park in South Haven Michigan, along Lake Michigan. This was our first time there and we couldn’t believe we hadn’t been there before. Such a nice place!
Mon – 5 easy miles. Even though it was a little chilly outside, I wouldn’t say this run seemed “easy”. The bike trail was an easy route though, out and back!
We hiked over to the beach. We didn’t go down to the beach because the dune was quite steep, but it looked peaceful.
Later in the day we hung out on the beach and waded out to the very shallow sandbar. We also walked up the big sand dune and ran down it! By the time we were half way up our feet felt like they were on fire in that hot sand. My strategy for overcoming the heat was to run up for 10 seconds and then bury my feet in the sand to overcome the heat. Yikes! It was so fun to run at full speed down!
Tues – 9 miles, 8 at MP. Ok, first I had to figure out what my marathon pace (MP) actually should be. I’ve just been winging it so far and I needed to lock in on a goal. 9:15 is what I came up with, and thankfully that was manageable. When my alarm went off at 7:30am in the camper, it still looked rainy outside and the pillow was still calling my name. By 8am I knew I needed to get up because I’d slept enough!! I think running in different places than normal is interesting, but the miles seem to drag on. It did drizzle most of this run and I was drenched in sweat by the time the run ended. We packed up the camper and headed home after breakfast.
31 miles biking. We were back in time for the taco Tuesday Ladies Ride! I added a few more miles on to the group ride and returned home in the dark! Boo on the shorter nights!
Weds – 2 mile lunch walk with Mom. With the temperatures a bit cooler this week we resumed a park walk.
In the evening we went to a talk by Bill Rodgers. Bill is a 4x winner of Boston and 4x winner of the NYC Marathon. He has a new book. We had an old issue of Runners World that we got signed (it belonged to our friend). He’s 77 years old now and he had some interesting stories!
Thurs – 17 miles long run. I had to work today, but my boss was OK with me starting a little later so I could get this run done. Yay! I saw a couple of curious and cute deer.
7 miles mountain biking. I may have pouted just a bit when my husband said he might not want to go biking… and then he agreed to ride with me 🙂 As promised it was a slow trail ride, just perfect! A family of wild turkeys ran on the trail in front of me too. Not a great picture of them though.
Fri – 4 easy miles. Well, these turned into a little faster miles than expected because I had to get home before my son woke up. Yep, I’m that Mom who still snuggles with her son when she gets the chance. We decided donuts would be a great breakfast and then we started packing up the vehicles for the move to college. I got to squish in his car for the 2.5 hour ride to campus. That was great to chat with him.
He is moving into his first apartment and it was unfurnished. Between the three roommates I think they did get the basics covered but I’m sure there are a lot of things they didn’t think of. It felt like I was getting blisters putting the IKEA furniture together! He still has a way to go to get the apartment put together, but it was coming along. He has a big bedroom and a walk in closet in which he keeps his bike and all of his outdoor adventure gear (climbing gear, backpack, tents, etc).
Sat – 3 miles running. My plan said “5+ miles – track workout”, but when my daughter offered to run with me I gladly obliged. We ran along the river and had a great conversation. When we returned home, it was time to move her back to her college apartment. Waaaa!
Moving day with my daughter was much different than with my son. We had a ton of clothes to unpack, mirrors and frames to hang, and so much more. It was all about the design of the room. Her roommate has a friendly cat so that will be fun. Eventually we made it out for some pizza and said goodbye to her for a while. She lives close so we will be seeing her again soon.
Sun – Sitting around listening to the emptiness of our house. Ok, more like we will be organizing the aftermath of the kids moving out. The house has been in a bit of disarray for a bit so some cleaning is due. Maybe a bike ride too 🙂
Q: Do you have an espresso machine?
Sadly my daughter took hers back to college so I don’t either! But it was fun learning how to use it!
I know, bummer on the shorter daylight and having to do part of your ride in the dark. 🙁
It sounds like you had a fun camping trip to Michigan. It and Wisconsin are two of the states we haven’t visited.
It’s always a little tough when the kids go back to college in the fall. I always found that getting things whipped back into shape after they left helped get my mind off the quietness of the house.
To answer your question, my husband has an espresso machine, but since I don’t like coffee…
Day one of empty nest and we had a very productive day of cleaning up stuff and putting the camper back in storage for a little while. It was a good day 🙂 I suppose we’ll move on to fixing thing around the house next. LOL!
I’m also not a fan of the shorter days now that summer is winding down. With school starting this week my runs will be done in the dark until we get to next spring! Hopefully you’re getting used to the quietness of the house. And we do have an espresso machine, but I’m not a big coffee drinker. I bought it for my husband for Father’s Day a few years ago and he uses it for himself.
Ah yes, I have dodged the school bus this past week around the neighborhood. Our school system started this week. The shorter days aren’t great, but the cooler weather this week has been much appreciated!
Always love your family adventures It is bittersweet to send the kids off but he is happy! Have a great week
Hard to see the kids go, but it is rewarding to see them enjoying school and thriving 🙂
Aww… I know it’s hard having them leave! Well, actually I don’t really know because my daughter is still here. In two years we will have an empty nest though! At least your kids are close enough to come home on a regular basis (but I know- it’s not the same as them actually living in the house.)
Sounds like your training is going great! And… BILL RODGERS! How cool! He has a new book? I’ll have to check it out!
Bill actually ran with everyone after the talk but we had already run in the morning. And, I wanted to go home and be with the kids more before they left 🙂 He was a very friendly guy.
Bill Rogers is. A net guy! He’s been at the Bix n Davenport numerous times (almost every year, I believe). He’s a former Bix champion, and there’s a statue of him (and also of Joan Benoit Samuelson) near the race course finish line! I hope the empty nest doesn’t feel too lonely…
Ugh…autocorrect fail. I meant to say Bill Rogers is a NEAT guy, LOL
Bill did make a few comments about Joan, so now that makes more sense. He joked that he “hates Joan” because she can still run a lot!
I don’t love the shorter days, but I do love the idea of cooler days and cozy blankets, and falllllll!
No espresso machine here. We actually don’t even have a real coffee machine. Mr PugRunner can’t drink it, and I have a premade cold brew that I use (I can’t make a cold brew in any coffee maker that tastes good to me).
Love all the adventures you had before the kiddos headed off again!
It has been a fun summer. There were a few things we didn’t get to do, but oh well, we did a lot! I do look forward to all things fall too. I’m excited to wear some long sleeve clothes and pants again 😉
Aw, that empty nest time of year is hard. It takes a lot to furnish a whole apartment, but I bet your son’s place will come together soon. LOL on your daughter getting the espresso machine. I prefer brewed coffee myself.
You logged some solid miles with everything else going on — yay for a boss willing to accommodate your long run!
I am very fortunate that my boss is a runner too… and heck, he follows me on Strava so he’d know if I tried to call in sick and went for a long run instead so it’s best to just ask to come in late!
So hard to say goodbye to the kids! My youngest and his girlfriend were here yesterday evening-I love spending time with them. Do we ever get used to the empty nest? It’s great that you and your hubs do so much together!
I’m glad my kids stay in touch and they are fairly close by. I can’t imagine what it was like to have kids in college without texting and FaceTime!
Enjoy your time alone… they’ll be back for vacations.
I go in coffee cycles.
Yes I have an expresso machine. I used to use it and foam my milk.
I have a regular machine too as well as a coffee press.
I got lazy and now I use Keurig and different flavored creamers.
When i do not WFH, I splurge and get a fancy Starbucks cold brew
I was excited that my daughter’s espresso machine had a milk foamer, but we never ended up using it! She did leave her moka pot at home so I might get brave and try it.
Lovely to have a happy close family and seeing you all helping each other.