It’s a new month. While I’m not wild about it being August already, I do enjoy sitting down and catching up over a cup of joe. I’m linking up with Deb and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.
I’m going with my usual: Coffee with 2T Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate mixed in. I’ve been drinking my coffee this way for a few months now and the benefits are significant! Better hair, skin and nails, less joint pain, and greatly reduced post-workout muscle soreness to name just a few. Try it for yourself and save 20% with GLGRunDefinitely20.
Heaven help me.
(Google images)
Over coffee I’d tell you I’m questioning my parenting. We allowed Thing 1 to attend Lollapalooza, a 4-day music festival in Chicago’s Grant Park with her friends this weekend. While I trust her judgement, I definitely don’t trust what goes on in a mosh pit. It’s all part of growing up, right?
Over coffee I’d tell you high school orientation happens on Monday. The kids’ summer break is dwindling down to the final days. Ugh. I really really wish they could get out of school a little later in the year and go back later as well. Even when I was out of school and didn’t yet have kids, I found this time of year sad. Maybe nostalgic is a better word. Although it’s really a beautiful time of year, watching summer wane and fade into the shorter days of fall is a constant reminder of the passage of time. Of age. Of how fleeting life is. As much as I’d like to dig my heels in the sand and hit pause, we have no choice but to keep moving forward.
Over coffee I’d tell you I’ve gone back to work part-time (in addition to run coaching) and I couldn’t be more excited. We’ll see how that plays out with blogging. I’ll be rebalancing for sure.
Over coffee I’d tell you I’ve been enjoying seeing the planets this summer. First it was Venus and then Saturn and now Mars. Makes you realize how much bigger the universe is than just us here on Earth. I’ve been geeking out with an app called Star Chart. You simply point your phone at the sky and it sort of labels what you’re looking at. Very cool.
Over coffee I’d tell you I finally got new running shoes. While my long run shoes are still fresh (because I haven’t exactly been running long) my speed/tempo shoes were overdue for a refresh. Since the Wave Sayonara had been discontinued, I went to Roadrunner Sports hoping to try on whatever Mizuno’s replacement for it was. Except they no longer carry Mizuno in that store. When I switched my focus to New Balance, since I loved my Vazee Pace, my request was met with a vacant stare. Then the guy tried to lure me over Saucony and Brooks, which don’t work at all for me. I sat there waiting while he attended to another customer and got pretty irritated when I noticed there were two other salespeople doing nothing besides staring at me from the doorway to the backroom. Finally one of them attended to me. She had zero knowledge of the New Balance line so I just went with New Balance 890’s, knowing they had a 90 day return policy. So far I loved them on the track. I’ve yet to wear them on the road.
What would you tell me over coffee? Do you try to buy your running shoes locally? Do you get irritated by poor service? Have you or your kids ever attended a multi-day music festival?
I’m linking up with Meranda, Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five.
COngrats on the new job! Good luck finding the balance
It’s crazy that its already back to school time! Schools here started going back after Labor Day but in return they had to give up their spring break. Meanwhile new teachers start next week so for me the summer weeks go so fast (we do lots of training for staff over the summer, and it never feels like there is enough time!) Congrats on the job- hope it goes well!
Oh my Lolla. You are best off sending her out the door and then greeting her when she comes home, and leaving it at that. Just remind her to hydrate. It’s going to be so stinking hot. My 24-year old has a 4-day pass and my 21-year old and his friends are driving in to the city tonight and going tomorrow. They’ll be staying at the 24-year old’s house. At least they’re all of age and none of them will be driving.
My youngest will be heading off to his senior year in college in less then two weeks. Talk about fleeting.
I ordered my GL Collagen the other day. Can’t wait to start using it regularly!
You are a better woman than me. I would have walked out of the running store.
Yes, letting your kids go to concerts is a part of parenting — as it second-guessing the decision but knowing it was the right one. 😉
I’ve had similar experiences at our RRS. How odd that they don’t carry Mizunos! I usually shop at Pacers, which is a local chain here. In fact, I might go there this weekend since it’s tax-free weekend here in Va and running shoes count!
You do have to let them stretch their wings & fly — but I’m sure it’s not easy to do.
Over here they do start & end earlier (end the end of June, almost, and start after Labor Day). I always found it kind of weird with the early start, early end in TX.
I try to buy shoes from the local store about once a year. Just to try new stuff. I swear most of the salespeople take one look at my gray hair & unathletic body and make assumptions — although they don’t ignore me, at least! — until we start talking.
Lol on Lolla. You’ve taught her right… she’ll be fine! (Lolla is like the third circle of hell in my opinion but I wouldn’t have said that 30 years ago!)
When I want to try new shoes, I go to Fleet Feet. They have all the brands and knowledgeable sales people.
Thanks for the Star Chart recommendation. That sounds so cool! I will definitely have to give it a try.
I can remember agonizing over parenting decisions I made when my boys were growing up. Hy hubby tended to be more strict than I with them, and I worried about saying “yes” to too many things, but I trusted them, and they have to grow up.
New shoes feel great, don’t they? I always feel like I’m bounding down the street when I get new ones. (I actually do more of a slow shuffle)! 🙂
I always buy local if possible! As a local business owner I know how important it is!
My parents would have never let me go to….well they never let me do anything.
Aw good luck to Thing 1! I’m sure that is nerve wracking because you trust your daughter but probably not other people! I hope she has fun and stays safe. 🙂
I buy some shoes locally but to save money, then I look for the same ones online. It does annoy me when I get a young kid salesperson who knows little about running and my old feet.
I cannot believe it is August. The summer has gone by so quickly. I need to get moving on those miles if I want to run half marathon in Sept.
That’s odd RRS acted like that. At the store near me, i always have salespeople addressing me right when I walk in. I hope those NB work for you. I have the NB 860s, and have been on the lookout for the new model. It always makes me nervous, since they always seem to make changes.
I’m with you on the whole passage of time thing…I feel the same way about this time of year.
I do my best to support my local running store but cannot deny trolling the internet for sales once I find a pair I like. I’m actually venturing to mine this weekend for some new kicks – fingers crossed!
I also can’t believe it’s already time for the kids to go back to school! I’m looking forward to the fall weather and the colors changing, but I’m not looking forward to shorter days. Have a great weekend!
It’s so hard to let them go off to parties and concerts in high school (and heck even in college) but it’s part of growing up. Good luck with the new job! Thanks for joining for coffee date
I usually get my running shoes at a store an hour away (the husband and wife who own it are awesome!). I do, on rare occasions, get my shoes online. The first time we let the oldest child go to a concert with friends was nerve-wracking…but that quickly waned (some).
I never buy my running shoes locally when I can get the same pair online for a third of the price. I have used collagen in my smoothies before but haven’t felt or seen a difference. Maybe I haven’t used it enough.
Lou!! You are working part time? Please tell where!! I hope it doesn’t hinder Philly….
So, the 890 is a support shoe, not a neutral shoe like your others. Just in case they didn’t tell you. It causes you to supernate if you aren’t a pronator. The Mizuno Shadow replaced the Sayonara. They also have a super light racing shoe called the Sonic, which would be good on the track (but not good for long distances). I hate that chain shoe stores have zero clue.
Hope Thing 1 has a good time – you’re a great momma!
I get my running shoes directly from Altra, but use RRS for my kids. I’ve generally had good experience there except for them always wanting to sell their stupid inserts. So usually only go when I need to get one of the kids measured and buy online. I love my local running store, but they don’t carry most styles of Altras.
I did not know you went back to work! We’ll have to lunch so you can tell me more.
Tom is at Lolla too, and I have all kinds of visions about bad things happening! He’s gone the last couple of years and it’s been ok. I’m sure Maddie will have fun and use good judgment. She is your daughter after all…
Best of luck to you in going back to work! I need to check out that Star Chart app–I’ve been wanting to go to the observatory for months with my friend but every single time, it’s either raining or it’s randomly closed or my schedule blows up and I can’t go. :[ So sad!
I’m intrigued by this new job! What will you be doing? I will admit that it took a couple of months for me to settle back in to a work schedule, but now I find that I really enjoy it and like feeling like I’m a contributing member to society again. Lol
As to the multi day music festival ….I’ve allowed two of my boys to attend one several years. I appreciated that they were very responsible by taking Uber’s to and from each day and only experienced minor incidents …that I know of. Hmmm…
I am really not looking forward to school starting… not because I have kids, but because that means the little respite we have in traffic will have ended. I can’t tolerate bad service… I probably would have either walked out or called the store tel# to ask someone to help me.
I actually left two stores before buying my running shoes- It kills me that they only sell sneakers and know nothing about them…irritating, yes! I have had some great experiences too of course, and those just make the others look even worse! I am a total wimp about concerts and kids, so I am amazed you let her go- good for you and her!