Are you planking?

I am and have to confess it is because of twitter influence. How could I resist the draw of #plankaday any longer when I was seeing the progress so many others were realizing? I was certain I would incorporate more strength training and cross training in this round of marathon training but I'm not. I completely flopped on the Ab Challenge at Run to the Finish since getting online to see the daily task was too much for me. I know, it sounds silly but it is true. But how could I flop on a plank? It is easy. I don't need to look up what to do. I can do it anywhere. And how could I not add a minute or so to the end of my running time for some planking?

And today I got darling daughter into the action and she planked with me. Although her form could use some work it was nice to have a plank buddy! And I got a nice tweet too to keep me encouraged!

But now onto running talk...

My goal was to wake up at 4:00 am and run at home to maximize my time with the family. Thing is, darling daughter woke up at 4:00 am as well and I knew if I got up, she would get up. And she needed more sleep. So we both went back to sleep and I secretly crawled out of bed at 5:30 am to do my run. My goal was 1 hour. It didn't take long before darling daughter, dear hubby, and my mom emerged from their rooms to join me. Okay, they didn't start running but I got to watch them stir when I wasn't looking out the window watching the sun move across the land and ocean.

My run felt relatively effortless as I took an easy pace on the incline treadmill. My legs are feeling exceptionally strong. And I turned to a little bit of diluted nuun every 15 minutes or so since I tend to turn into a sweaty mess when running at home. I ended up running 5.5 miles in just over an hour before cleaning up and heading out with darling daughter and my mom. After going to the chiropractor for a check and adjustment, we headed to the nearest Safeway and I finally scored and found some Cheribundi to try. I got TruCherry and have to say, it is as good as everyone is saying!

Now I need to find a way to resist all the sugary treats my mom keeps tempting me with and to stick to a tight budget and not go on vacation spending mode while mom is here. Wish me luck!

Daily Gratitude: I am thankful that things always seem to work even if it defies my reasoning.

Daily Affirmation: I accept responsibility.