So far, this summer has totally cramped my fitness routine. Yes, I tweaked my knee a few weeks ago, which helped me fall off the wagon, but I think it’s largely healed now. Instead, I’ve been hampered by a lack of motivation that seems to stem from: a) not having a carrot to chase (i.e., target goal); b) the heat (I am a whining lump in the heat); and/or c) this whole no-school/summer thing.

Problem A seems easy enough to solve (e.g., signing up for a race) with the exception of Problem B. I ran a 5K a couple of weeks ago and oh my word was it hot and did I feel like dying, and oh my word was I glad that the companion 7.5 miler I had originally signed up for got canceled. Problem B clearly isn’t going away anytime soon, nor is Problem C (though we are in the process of trying to find a sitter since my client work seems to be ramping up, not down, this summer).

An obvious solution to both Problems B and C would be to get up earlier and run while it’s still (sort of) cool out and before Jon and Laurel are up. My Shredheads pal Bill does this admirably (5am…dude!) and I have tried this on occasion, but I can never really stick to it. My body just doesn’t seem ready to go for a run at that time (unless, of course, I am operating on two hours of sleep and wearing a pink sparkle skirt).

So, barring waking up early, I’m at a point where I’ve officially let go of the idea of running 20 miles a week (that’s around where I was when I was training for Eat. Blog. Run.…that’s peanuts to some runners, but was a lot for me as a relatively new runner) until the weather cools down. I’m trying to figure out solutions. Here’s what I have come up with so far. I would love to hear any other ideas you have!

Be realistic. Admittedly, it’s a little hard for someone like me to step down in training, but the way the summer schedule is working out + given the heat, I can’t do the longer runs I did during the school year. So the first step has been to be realistic and adjust my expectations accordingly.

Go for shorter runs. Part of adjusting my expectations involves settling for shorter runs. I will always carry the nugget of wisdow I read in a running magazine: that even a 10 minute run a day is better than nothing (which is the same sort of advice I used to give to my violin students…hmmm). So I’m going to plan on short runs — maybe 2-3 miles — until the heat breaks.

Multitask running. We have Laurel enrolled in a short day camp for a couple of weeks and Jon and I have been struggling to juggle the transit + camp drop off time + Jon’s need to have the car most days of the week. The camp is too far for Laurel to walk so on days when Jon can’t do drop off, I’m going to take public transit to get Laurel to camp, then run home. This kills two birds with one stone (and gets me home faster).

Try intervals. I think another part of my motivation flattening out is I need a new challenge. I’m going to try intervals. Yes, I hear they make you want to hurl, but at least the suffering is brief. For example, starting at the beginner level, an intervals workout could be: (3-5 minute jog) + (1 minute maximum effort/2 minutes easy pace x 5) + (3-5 minute cool down jog) = 21-25 minute workout, including only 5 minutes of major suffering. No problem right?

Go with the yoga. I adore yoga. On Daily Mile when I track my workouts, the data clearly point to the fact that I always feel “great” after yoga, whereas after a run I feel “good,” “alright,” or “injured.” Also, yoga is something I can ease into in the morning if I can manage to get up early, and nothing feels better than starting the day with yoga. And now that I have memorized a practice that I really enjoy and is challenging, I can even do yoga while Laurel is reading a book or working on an activity (or yes, watching a cartoon) near me. In those instances where I want her to work on something independently so I can do the same, she never seems to mind that I’m doing yoga, versus if I want time on the computer.

Be disciplined about the weekend. Unless we’re traveling, weekends are offer a guaranteed time I can get in a workout since Jon can be home with Laurel. I need to be disciplined about working in fitness on the weekends. It’s been too easy to fall off the wagon when the weekdays go to crap.

Map out a plan each week. One thing that kept me on track during the school year was I spent a couple of minutes at the beginning of each week and mapped out a fitness plan for the week. And I actually entered each workout into my Outlook to-do list so it was something I needed to cross off (nothing motivates me like a to-do list).

Have some alternatives at the ready. In general, these days my favorite fitness activities are running and yoga, given that they’re inexpensive and not bound to anyone’s schedule but my own. But I also find it helpful to have alternatives at the ready; so, say it’s downpouring out on a day I had planned to run — perhaps I’ll go back to my Shredheads roots and do a Jillian workout. Or if I don’t have time to do a full yoga practice, maybe do an abbreviated practice or a short core circuit.

So, here’s my plan for the next seven days while I have day camp coverage during the weekdays:

Friday: Run home after dropping off Laurel – make it quick as I have a morning call. (DONE! I drafted this post last night but look, I get to check something off!)

Saturday: Yoga (totally chillville…ahhhh)

Sunday: Intervals (good to do something out of the house since we have relatives descending)

Monday: Yoga (try for early morning since I need to be at a meeting by 9:30am and we’ll have company in town)

Tuesday: Short run while Laurel is at camp (good to do something out of the house since we have relatives descending)

Wednesday: Yoga (try for early morning since I have an event that morning and we’ll have company in town)

Thursday: Intervals or Jillian-type short workout while Laurel is at camp

Friday: Run home after dropping off Laurel

Do you think it’ll work? I didn’t build in a day of rest since these runs will be shorter than what I typically was doing with longer runs + a rest day incorporated. And though things will be up in the air after camp ends next week, I’m going to try to stick to this kind of plan. Because, similar to when I started the Shredheads, it has to be possible to give myself at least 20 minutes a day somewhere, somehow….even in this heat.

I just spent nearly four days offline. Yes, I checked in on my Blackberry periodically (though the frequency of checking decreased exponentially as the hours passed), but I didn’t crack open my laptop once during this time (a rarity for me). Prior to these four days I took Laurel with me to New York City for work and wasn’t online much during that time either.

Don’t get me wrong, I love you internet, but here are 10 reasons why I loved being away from you most of this past week:

1. Laurel and I experienced a series of firsts together. It wasn’t our first mom-daughter work trip, but it was our first time riding the Acela, strolling the streets of Manhattan, visiting $5 jewelry street vendors, getting her first manicure (yep, I splurged on the $5 per thumb floral design), and ordering room service together. Also, Laurel got to meet a celebrity, who immediately complimented her on said $5 jewelry. Laurel declared the city that never sleeps too busy for her to live in, but we had a fantastic time visiting.

2. Jon, Laurel, and I enjoyed three blissful days in Maine with some of our favorite friends on the planet (I miss you tremendously already Anne, Michael, Lucy, and Olivia). We built sandcastles, dipped toes (or more) into the frigid sea, walked around town, lounged around the house, sipped cocktails, laughed, talked late into the night, ate marvelous food, did puzzles, and for the most part got to witness kids playing remarkably well together. Also, one late afternoon while we were frolicking along the shore, I saw a seal poke its head up above water, probably about 10 feet from us. I fah-reaked.

3. Because we were a group of four parents and three children who all trusted one another, I could go for a run (a beautiful loop that ended along the ocean) one day, and do yoga the next without feeling pressed for time.

4. I got to watch Laurel fly a kite for the first time. Oh me, oh my, I almost cried.

5. I cooked Korean for our friends. It made me so, so happy. And even the kids devoured the scallion pancakes.

6. Immediately after our return from Maine, my family and I gathered to memorialize the fifth year since my father’s death. I miss my dad a lot and welcome moments where I can reflect and feel grateful for the time I had with him.

7. My family and I went out for an insanely huge Korean meal, then went back to my mom’s house to celebrate my niece Alyssa’s birthday. Given the size of our family, we’re not all together often. In fact, I think it’s been almost a year since the last time that happened. There was so, so much laughter.

8. Alyssa received a spa kit for her birthday and she and Laurel immediately “opened up shop” to clients. It was through this experience that I was reminded of just how much my siblings love these kids. Everyone — men included — agreed to get their nails painted. I love that my brother just laughed and didn’t get mad when Laurel told him he had the “messiest feet in the whole world!”

9. Shopping for Alyssa’s birthday presents in Maine was super fun. Not only did I get to have a little shopping excursion and one on one time with Anne, but while I browsed journals for Alyssa, I decided to buy myself a beautiful journal to record inspiration offline. I don’t think I’ve purchased a journal for myself since high school.

10. Taking an internet break sometimes means that you come back to fun things and surprises. Such as this delightfully fitting post from Gwen Bell about taking a digital sabbatical. Or this post by my delicious foodie friend Rachel, who kindly included me in a roundup of some of her favorite nominees for the BlogLuxe Awards. Or this generous post from Jennifer James, who included me as an example of someone who blogs with focus and professionalism. Or these fun photos from my first time modeling on a runway (as part of Room To Grow’s Fashion Forward event)

Yes, my inbox now overflows, but my work life did not crumble because I was offline. I feel happy, rejuvenated, and ready to rock it. Though I’m still going to take it easy today given that it’s officially a holiday.

Have you unplugged lately? I hope you’re planning on it soon!

Let’s be perfectly clear. I love sleep. Like, have-a-big-smile-on-my-face-when-I-bury-my-face-in-the-pillow-at-night love it. And I alternate between states of grouch and zombie on the days following a short night’s sleep.

But it’s remarkable what the body can do when tasked to rally. For example, on a weekend where you fly 3,000 miles across the country, get up close and personal with a group of people you mostly don’t know, and run 200 miles non-stop together on about 4 hours of sleep and erratic nutritional intake. Operating on fumes and adrenaline, you forget about your typical grumblings and march forward.

That was Eat. Blog. Run. And I need to detail the journey here because I never, ever want to forget this experience. (For detailed updates from Van #2, check out the links here.)

I left Boston on Friday morning. My flight left on time and arrived 45 minutes early (good omen, I thought). The weather in San Francisco was beautiful. I connected with Carrie and Kelly, who I absolutely adore. They’re both laid back (as in, laid back enough to leave their luggage sitting at baggage claim while they left the airport to explore downtown San Francisco) and funny. It was great to have a chance to bond with them after we picked up our Acadia and drove to the hotel since they were in Van 2 and I knew I wouldn’t have much en route time with them.

We arrived at Country Inns & Suites and it was great to find various teammates — all of us were on the same floor and arrived around the same time. I knew Marie and Heather already (and it was awesome to see Allison, who came and helped volunteer), but everyone else — runners Sherry, Samantha, Linsey, Kelly, Meg, Kari, Brenna, Emmie, Carrie, and drivers Jane and Jill — was new to me.

We enjoyed our team dinner (courtesy of the rock stars over at GM) and then the vans split up to grocery shop and get organized. Despite our best intentions, we didn’t get to bed until about 1am and were up by 3:30am to hit the road (the start line of The Relay was a couple of hours north of our hotel and we clearly needed the extra time to get lost several times). Detours aside, the drive up was beautiful — particularly through Napa; I want to return with Jon and Laurel some day. We got to the start line and got our van sorted and waited for things to start (7am). It was strangely desolate due to the staggered start times (slow teams like ours started earlier in the day than faster teams) but still festive.

And then the madness and hilarity began. The basic plan was that the 12 runners (6 per van) run one after another, repeating this cycle 2 more times for a total of 36 legs. I think it’s safe to say that, in general, Van 1 had less speedy and experienced runners than Van 2 so we were prepared to stop frequently along the route to check in with the runner re: moral support, fluids, etc. But apparently we were tired, confused, clueless, and somewhat disorganized at the start. Sherry was our first runner out, and after we sent her off with a bang, we proceeded to go to a coffee shop, lose track of time, forget to check in with her en route, and almost miss meeting her at the end of her leg to swap in Marie. OOPS. We eventually got into our rhythm though and all 6 members of Van 1 ROCKED their first leg. I was elated about my first leg; it was definitely later in the day than I normally run (around 3pm EST) and it was hot, but I felt comfortable and happy. I even picked off a few runners along the way. I clocked 5 miles at 9:30 minutes/miles, which is much faster than my normal pace. We changed over with Van 2 ahead of schedule.

The lovely ladies of Van 1

Van 2 then proceeded to run their legs while we reorganized our van, got some lunch, and attempted to nap on the grass at the next van crossover point (this didn’t work for me). At various points in this part of the course we lost mobile service so we weren’t sure where Van 2 was and just waited, somewhat confused and disgruntled by our inability to tweet, DM, and IM. When our teammates rolled in (around 7pm or so), we learned that our amazing teammate Kelly — a super fast runner who injured her hip a week before the race — still insisted on running the first and last miles of her first leg (clocking a speed way faster than I can achieve on a healthy day…), with Carrie filling in the remaining miles (crazy amazing). There was also the additional craziness of Brenna (our fastest runner with the hardest course) proceeding along her extreme leg (almost 9 miles, very hard) and going an extra mile out of her way due to poor signage.

The lovely ladies of Van 2

Van 2 departed for food and a few hours of sleep under the Golden Gate Bridge and Van 1 headed out to track our runner. And at this point, it looked like things might be going down the crapper. We didn’t start until around 7pm or so and night was setting in. I’ll admit that I was really nervous about running at night for fear of getting lost and/or attacked (part of my route went along a bike path) but I tried to breathe deeply and buck up. Sherry was our first runner of the night and she slipped on a narrow shoulder, tumbled into a ditch, and dislocated her shoulder. It was a blessing that two men driving the other direction (not affiliated with the race) saw her and got out to help because she couldn’t move. It took three tries to pop her shoulder back in, then a fourth to pop it back in again when it popped right back out after attempt #3 (shudder). But that woman is AMAZING. We learned about all of this at the pre-determined meetup one mile into her route and she brushed us all off and KEPT ON RUNNING with one arm pressed against her body.

We were all a little rattled after this and agreed to hang behind the runner for a while instead of advancing immediately. Sherry thankfully finished her leg without further incident. Marie was up next and we waiting for a bit before rolling up to connect with her, and then saw her down on the side of the road. She had rolled an ankle due to poor visibility + an unexpected drop in the shoulder. We were all freaking out, but she shook it off and KEPT ON RUNNING. It was a struggle but Marie was determined and finished her leg; she refused to give up.

By this point I was a huge bundle of nerves. I stated out loud that I was setting positive intentions for our team for the remainder of this crazy night leg. Samantha and Heather proceeded to rock their runs, which left me feeling hopeful about my upcoming leg.

But truthfully, I was still scared. I think I would have felt better if my route was through neighborhoods and town centers (where I could at least bang on a door if I needed to), but my leg either ran on an access road parallel to the highway (but not immediately on it, so I couldn’t flag anyone down if I needed to) or ran along an isolated bike path where — if I got attacked — I would be done for. The van could not follow me through this leg so I took a walkie talkie and hoped for the best. I thought, okay, maybe the leg will be populated with other runners.

It was around midnight when I started my leg alone. I held an easy pace, hoping one of the other runners I saw back at the exchange would catch up with me. Soon I was relieved to hear another runner behind me — it was a man and I joked that I was glad he was there so I could follow him and not get lost. However, he blew past me. So I picked up my pace and tried to keep up with him, desperately chasing the blink of his headlamp. This proved to be a bad move (re: burnout) but I kept pushing. As I saw the flicker of his headlamp get further and further away I felt more and more panicky. But I kept running, trying to keep up, even as my run started to go up a huge hill (so much for the leg being labeled easy). By the time I got to the top of the hill, the road split in two and my runner was gone. I felt doomed.

I decided to go to the right because I thought that was how the course map read but in another minute I heard another runner behind me shouting, telling me to go the other way (I owe that dude big, whoever he was). By this point my legs were burning and my brain was totally fried from the stress, but I tried to pick up the pace and keep up with him, once again following the blink of a headlamp. But he kept getting farther and farther away and as we entered onto the bike path I felt as if I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I was all alone and every time I saw or heard movement that wasn’t mine, I panicked. I felt a little bit like I was in that scene of Watership Down, in which the rabbits are trying to gain ground at night and are beyond twitchy about getting picked off by bigger animals.

Under different circumstances, the bike path would have been beautiful. The moon was huge and the view beautiful, but the path was isolated and pitch black (except for my headlamp). At one point I caught up to another woman runner and another one came up from behind and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and commiserated about the fear of being attacked and also, what the hell was up with the giant dude allegedly walking his dog in the middle of the night a half mile back? We ran together for a bit and I checked in with Van 1 via walkie talkie briefly but the reception was not good (so much for that safety plan). Unfortunately, by this point my legs were toast (from trying to keep a fast pace with the other two guys) and I had to drop back and walk. I was all alone again. I kept looking over my shoulder, wondering if I could even sprint if I sensed an attack coming on.

It was basically the longest and most stressful 4.9 miles I have ever run. I wish my mindset had been better — it was a beautiful, perfect evening. But it was what it was and I just did my best to walk/run the remainder to get off that desolate path as fast as I could. I was hurting and a bit demoralized but ultimately glad to get the leg over with. If I had had any water left in my body at the end I would have cried tears of relief.

Linsey proceeded to rock the final night leg of Van 1 and I was so, so happy for her. She ran across the Golden Gate Bridge and I regret that in my post-run exhaustion I didn’t really even have a chance to debrief with her about the awesomeness of that experience. We changed over with Van 2 at the bridge, gave them a quick update to alert them about safety (though by this point it was starting to get light again), and then decided that it was worth driving back down to the hotel to sleep in real beds vs. camping out in a gymnasium. Good move. We all slept like rocks for about 2 hours, before getting up to do it all over again.

By this point we were all running on fumes. Everyone was better for running in the daylight, having had a proper breakfast and a couple of hours of sleep, but the miles still seemed long and the sun was getting hot. However, in general, I think everyone’s experience on the final leg was better than on the night run. My final leg was very hard — 1000 foot elevation in 3 miles, but I survived. I was alone for almost the entire thing but daylight made all the difference. I ran the first mile or so but otherwise had to walk. I never train hills and the incline was so steep at points that I was huffing and puffing and my legs were burning just walking, much less attempting to run. And I felt like less of a wuss having had cheetahs like Brenna (who eats hills for lunch by the way) encourage me earlier to walk the crazy inclines. But I finished. And due to the kindness of Charlene (former teammate who had to drop out due to injury…she brought a couple of frappucinos) and Samantha and Sherry (who picked up sandwiches), I could celebrate finishing my part of the relay with some of life’s luxuries.

Now, lest you think we rested on our laurels for long, things once again got a little crazy for Team EBR. There were lost keys that need to be reunited with drivers. There was our Acadia so low on gas that we had to cruise down the hills in neutral. There was more poor signage that resulted in one of Van 2’s runners running 3 extra miles. There was Carrie closing in on 25 miles total since she was running extra miles for the injured Kelly, who we all insisted should not run any further. And it was getting late. It was looking like we would not finish until 9pm (our projected finish was 6pm).

But while Heather, Linsey, and Marie were waiting for me at the end of my leg, they heard from relay officials that we could run some of the remaining legs concurrently instead of sequentially so we could get done closer to target. And so commenced Team EBR’s leap frogging. Van 2 started with this plan (dropping the first and second runners off immediately, then doubling back to pick up the first runner, etc.), and in a moment, of “Holy crap we need to get this done,” Van 1 decided to tag team Kelly’s final 6-mile run because none of us could fathom the Van 2 ladies — who had already been running extra miles — intentionally or due to poor signage — running another 6 miles on top of what they already had done.

So we each decided to take one mile and do it all concurrently. Thanks to Heather’s brilliant plan, we rallied the team members, drove to the end of the race, then dropped each runner off in reverse order so the preceding runner would know where to stop and wait to be picked up. The idea was that we would all record our times for our mile then add it all up to submit for the final leg data.

And though crazy, in a weird way, I was pumped and ready and excited for this extra mile. Not only did I want to help (seeing the Van 2 ladies log all those extra miles was inspiring), but I was also in need of some redemption after the unusual circumstances of my 2nd and 3rd legs. My knees were burning and I was beyond exhausted but I was ready to rock it.

Which I did. In 8:30. The fastest time I have ever posted for a mile. I was overjoyed. I could have run the last 3 miles to the finish.

Van 1 finished — overjoyed and proud — and then we waited. And it took a while. Finally, the impressively patient kids of Sherry and Samantha, Linsey, and our amazing driver Jane were losing it and had to pack it up and go. We so badly wanted a team photo at the finish line but totally understood. We said our goodbyes, then Heather, Marie, and I waited for Van 2.

And minutes later, just like that — like so many moments on this race — things miraculously worked out. Sherry called us saying they spotted Van 2 coming to the finish and that they (and Linsey’s family) were turning around. We all got to cross the finish line together as a team and take pictures. We collected our medals together. It was amazing and euphoric. And we even got to go out to dinner and debrief on things and just enjoy some downtime together in our sparkly skirts and knee socks. I felt so grateful to be amidst these old and new friends. The experience was a remarkable testament to the power of friendships via blogging.

If anyone ever asks me why I blog, I will probably just point them to this post. And probably to this one too. And all of the ones here. After a lifetime of declaring that I was incapable of running, it’s pretty safe to say that I never would have started this running journey without my blog peeps, never would have stuck with it without the continued support of my blog peeps, and never would have signed on and experienced something like Eat. Blog. Run. without my blog peeps.

Yesterday I went for my first run since returning from California. And I kept waiting — hoping — that I’d turn the next corner and magically see my teammates cheering me on. I was sad that that vision never came to fruition, but I have a feeling we’ll all meet again on another course in the not too distant future.