Schoooooools OUT…for the summer!!! No more packing lunches. No more alarm clocks. No more fussy bed times.
For some of you this means very little because your work and work out schedule does not change. But for hundreds of parents out there it means an opportunity to get fit. For myself, it means that I can go to my favorite running group at Running Wild. Six at six.
Six at six? No that does not mean that you do six push ups every six minutes (but hey, that could actually be a good idea for the stay at home mom that is trying to manage six activities at the same time every 5 minutes). It is running six miles along a beautiful course showcasing the Bay, downtown, and East Hill urban running. We leave Running Wild at EXACTLY six a.m. While this free and very popular run happens every Tuesday and Thursday morning all year, (excluding Thanksgiving and when it falls on Christmas morning and New Years Day), the number of participants tend to rise in the summer months because…well, school is OUT! Do you have to run six miles? No. You can run more or less, but that is the typical distance and most runners are finished by 7 a.m. so there are some runners that will leave a few minutes early. What makes six at six particularly awesome is that because there are so many runners, there are so many abilities so you will have the fast collegiate runners and swagger marathoners in a faster pack and paces falling all the way back to a 12 minute pace or slower. Most of these people find that after a few months of consistent running, they are running stronger and faster and their day because much more productive. And some are very content to stay where they are and that is just fine, too.
Another thing that I am excited about for summer fitness running is being able to finish a master swim class. I usually have to slide out of the pool early so that I can get my kids up….wait!!! What am I saying?!?!?!? Now I have to stay through the entire class!!! Oh No!!! Well, past experience has shown that after a few weeks of consistent swimming it actually becomes fun because we live in such a fun community and I love my lane partners. There are numerous places you can plug into for developing your inner mermaid just for the summer or even year round.
Ahhhh Summertime! So much fun! For those of you who like triathlon, Tri Gulf Coast puts on an amazing training program on early Sunday mornings at Pensacola Beach. It’s called Mere Mortals and you will find the very newest people to the sport side by side with some fabulous triathletes that are volunteering their time to help newbies. Look into their web site and check it out. For those of you who go to church on Sundays, you can still make it on time! They have showers on the beach to rinse off and beautiful bathrooms to change into church clothes and you are off.
The summer fun just goes on and on: Stand Up paddle board, yoga, biking, cross fit, sailing, and rock climbing are naming just a few activities to keep your heart healthy and enjoying life….but right now I am going to make lunches for my kids because….School is out for the summer and it still has to get done.
Play hard. Run easy. Repeat for years to come.
