Blueberries and Trail Running

Yesterday  I went blueberry picking. I went to a farm out in Holmen that I had found online. Thankfully my GPS was able to get me there. Without a GPS i’m not sure if I could get anywhere when in the country. I filled an ice cream pale like the picture above with blueberries, so that was awesome. We’ve just been eating them or putting them in greek yogurt, but I need to try some recipes soon.

I went to the farmer’s market on Friday after work, and they had people doing yoga (like at least 50 people there) in the grass park…I’m a sucker for things like that. music, vegetables, exercise? pretty sweet. I’m really trying to get out and enjoy La Crosse this summer with or without my husband (like this week when he has to study).

Yesterday afternoon I went running in the hixon forest trails. I seriously had no clue there was that many trails there. I’ve been up the TNT bluff before but not on the trails. Well, my goal was to get up to lookout point. I brought a map with me since I know I’m very directionally challenged. The map looks so easy, but nothing is really marked, so when you get out there it’s different. I was running and was getting tired, so I figured I would just go back down and followed a trail that I thought would bring me down but instead it brought me to the lookout point, so in the end I went where I wanted too. I think I’ll pick up trail running because it will help strengthen the muscles I need strengthened to do road running. With trail running because it’s mostly up hill and rough ground you have to take smaller strides so your motion isn’t fully heel to toe.  It’s more flat-footed so to speak which build different muscles. Since I did have to watch my step it wasn’t such a mental game compared to running on the road. My breathing was rough, which will improve the more I do it. I did get a side ache going down, but next time I just need to make sure I have more control in my downhill form and speed. I was drenched my the end of the run, my whole shirt was wet…not that you cared to know that.

Well enough about that.

Did I ever write about my garden? Well I have a small little garden this summer. Our landlords are moving come August, so they weren’t using the space this summer, and told me I could. I have two tomato plants, two pepper plants, and some peas. Well, I think my peas are toast, and until the drought my other two plants were doing fine, but it may be a bummer of a year. oh well, it’s been interesting, the soil is kind of sandy so that doesn’t help…oh well.

I’m going to the Hunts this afternoon and need to get some things finished before the work week starts again…how lovely.

July

Seriously, where does the time go? I feel like I just wrote the previous post, but it’s been almost a month ago. Here’s a quick update because I have to go take a shower and my computer battery is getting low.

Jacob’s in the middle of studying for finals next week and finishing up projects for the summer semester. The poor dude has gotten home late every night due to group projects and studying. Next week continues the same for him with finals and classes. After that he gets two weeks off, which he’ll enjoy I’m sure. It’s been a busy summer for him. Come August he’ll be at his clinical in Rochester for the month.

We went to Milwaukee this past weekend and Nathaniel and I did our relay triathlon so that was interesting. There was some confusing on how the relay was broke up into the different legs, so in the end he swam the 1/4 mile, I biked 16 miles, and he then ran 3.1 miles. We placed 35 out of 159 for the relay teams. Nathaniel has so much energy; we decided that next year he’s doing the whole thing by himself. The bike route was super hilly, so that was tough, but I made in just over an hour. I really don’t like biking (maybe if my bike was better then I would), but I would rather run than bike. It was still an interesting experience. We also got to meet brandon’s girlfriend this past weekend as well. The weekends go by way too quickly.

Otherwise, not a whole lot else going on here. I have to work extra this week because another coworker is on vacation which it’s a good week to do it because Jacob is so busy.

I go in spurts of listening to different music on my itunes and currently I’m in a sara groves kick…she has such good lyrics.

good night, i think i hear that Jacob is home.

p.s. I’m going blueberry picking this weekend.