Green Lake - I Ran and I Wave Ran

I really like this whole writing silly poems thing. (See my last post for the poem about this past weekend's long run.) So I've decided to write a few Haikus about our 3 days in Green Lake.

First and foremost, my running for the past 2 days:

Four point eight miles

On Sunday. Then on Monday,

Four point five miles.

Aunt Bernadette and I went out Sunday evening for a run around the country roads. It felt good and we just chatted a bit and saw some of the Smith cousins' and Great Aunt Rosemary's lake houses. That's how we found out about this nice lake/area of Wisconsin.

I can't even remember the last time I ran in a cotton t-shirt. And I hope to not do it again anytime soon, or ever.

On Monday morning, we all woke up and decided to do the 7 minute workout, twice. Basically it is a bunch of basic exercises (planks, crunches, jumping jacks, wall sits, etc.) for 30 seconds and then a 10 second break/transition. It was a fun way to start the morning.

After that workout, Aunt Bernadette and I went out for our run while Mom and Aunt Mary Ellen walked. The ladies don't like pictures of them working out, so here's a nice dinner picture from Saturday night:

And here's some of the fun stuff we did (in more haikus and pictures...but not all the haikus coordinate with the picture below them...I tried my best, but I just don't have pictures of everything.)

Exploring the town

Of small Green Lake, Wisconsin

Lunch - Hot dogs and brats.

Time to go tubing

Katie and I together

A little painful

That's Shannon, Michael, and Katie on the wave runner. I went out on it a few times also. I got to drive a little under Uncle Joe's supervision but I went pretty slow and no sharp turns. It was scary when Michael drove with me and Katie on the back because I had no idea what he was going to do next!  My life was in the hands of a 17 year old boy.

Happy hour fun

Chips, salsa, drinks, and convos,

All outside in sun

Nighttime campfires

With s'mores, games, and laughing,

Don't forget bug spray

Saturday night we went to dinner at a bar down the street. They had free popcorn. And I had an amazing BLT sandwich with sweet potato fries and a mango margarita.

Sunday was chilly

Sucked it up and went skiing

Arm and leg workout

That's me skiing. The last time I skied was the last time we went to Pennellwood 7 years ago. I have to use 2 skis, but Katie (and all the Colmones) are really good and just do one ski.

Overall it was a lot of fun family time. Besides the outdoor activities, we also did some indoor board games and playing cards. My pictures and poems don't even capture all that we did. Right now I'm sitting out in the sun on the dock as I write this :) So now I think I'll get back to my sun-bathing until I have to get back to real life tomorrow.

Sweet 16 Miles: A Poem

To tell you about my long run today, I decided to write a little poem.

Sweet Sixteen Miles

I woke up so early that it wasn't even light out,

To do a long run on a somewhat planned route.

I took off from the house at exactly 6,

With my Garmin, iPod, and sweet running kicks.

The first few miles felt relaxed and easy,

And luckily the weather was a little breezy.

I ran all through Des Plaines to Maine West,

And as much as I wanted to, I didn't stop (yet) to rest.

Cath and I ran cross country camp there in high school,

Talking about iPods and how Kenny Chesney was so cool.

Then I did a loop around a small lake,

And stopped to take this pic and a short stretch break.

A few miles later I stopped in a McDonald's for some H2O,

And took half of my Gu so my legs wouldn't slow.

By this time I was really starting to tire, 

But I knew I felt better than on my long run 2 weeks prior.

I stopped at the YMCA for water break number 2,

To get ready for the last few miles and take the rest of my Gu.

I once again finished at the house at exactly 16 miles,

And came inside to breakfast and smiles.

So there you have it, in poetic form. But I'll give you a few more details too.

My plan was to do 18 today, but I was happy enough with the 16 today. I definitely felt a lot better (both during and after) than I did during the 16 mile run I did 2 weeks ago. Didn't necessarily feel great, but at least better. Most splits were right on 7:55-8:00 with a few faster and a few right over 8 minutes.

Some jams that were really getting the job done today:

- I Be Goin Hard

- Counting Stars

- Safe and Sound

- Teenage Dream (as always)

- Snap Yo Fingers

So when I said I came home to breakfast and smiles, I unfortunately did not eat any of the breakfast. As delicious as it looked, I was not hungry right after I ran and we had to get on the road to Green Lake, WI. So here's the breakfast I had in the car.

We are about 2 hours into the trip now with this guy behind the wheel. Dad insisted that we take the back roads through Wisconsin to make sure we take in all the scenery.

He was a tad happier then than he is right now after a few unexpected detours and A LOT of group text messages among all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. But I'm sure we will be all smiles again once we get to the lake. :)