The BIG Runfession....

It's the last Friday of the month, can you believe it? I had a feeling March would just fly by and I was right!
We got a taste of Spring here and I'm seeing buds on trees so I'm excited for April!.  But first, lets see what we have to Runfess for March.


1. Downloading my run stats from my Garmin and then recording them in my running journal use to be my favorite thing to do. I enjoyed that time post run to relax , get out all my gadgets, and reflect on how it went. However, I Runfess that I haven't recorded any runs since December (maybe even before). I haven't done a lot of outside runs this winter so I may only have a dozen or so to go through.


2. I Runfess that last 10K I ran (The Lucky Charm), was a real hit to my ego.  I thought I was trained well enough for a 10k. It was a mostly flat course and I wasn't even injured. I really wanted to do well but that just didn't happen. I wonder if this was a result of maybe being under trained and being the first race of the year, or if this is my  new reality now of being a year older?

3. I can also Runfess that I finally tried out my Flipbelt pants I got for Christmas!  I wore them to the Lucky Charm race, and I slipped the flipbelt water bottle right in! I didn't feel it at all. In fact I didn;t even remember it was there. I didn't actually need water when on the course but I was so glad to have it at the finish!

4. I will also Runfess that I am just TIRED!  I don't even know how to explain this one but I've just felt like doing nothing lately. I've got a comfy couch, a really soft blanket, a cuddly yellow lab and a TV that plays Judge Judy and it just sucks me in!  I need to break out of this rut!

5. Okay, now here is the BIG Runfession of the month.

Since we all have very busy lives (blogging, running, work, family, etc) and we want to be able to do it ALL, time is of the essence, is it not?   For this reason,  we decided to try something new with the Friday 5.  You know originally the Friday 5 was suppose to be a quick list of 5 things (sometimes on a particular topic). This made it a fun and easy format to get through as many blogs that linked up.  However, over the years, the Friday 5 kind of morphed into other things.  The 5 format was not always followed and it kind of became just a place to drop ANY blog post and that was not our intention. 

We are still continuing to host the Friday 5 but now the 5 stands for (5 minutes). Please link up a post that will take no longer than 5 minutes to get through.  This could still be done in a quick 5 list format if you wish, but we will not be providing topics.  This is not the link up to share a long race recap, an in depth book review, or a long weekly wrap.  We are excited about breaking the confines of  5 things about a specific topic and we can not wait to see what you all come up with!

We will be trying this for the month of April (and hopefully going further) but we appreciate any feedback you may have on our changes.   


When was was the last time you recorded your running stats? What do you think of the Friday 5 Changes? Do you like not having a specific topic for your 5 things?  Do you like not having to come up with 5 things? -M





34 comments:

  1. I like the new concept for Friday Five and I will try it out next month for sure!

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  2. I like this idea- I think it will be easier to read more posts! Thanks for continuing to host:)

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    1. Yes, hopefully with shorter posts,people will be able to get through more posts.

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  3. I'm looking forward to the new Friday Five format and actually participating in the linkup next month! Also, I totally get when a race hits the ego hard, it used to be hard for me to move on from it but now I use it as a learning tool for what I can change for next time--and for what it's worth, I don't think aging up has anything do with with race performance :) Happy Friday!

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    1. Yes, it was definitely a learning experience. I need to work harder.

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  4. I think the new format should be fun! I hope it will encourage more bloggers to take the time to read and comment on the other posts that are linked ;-)

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    1. Yes, hopefully by posts being shorter,people will be able to get through more of them.

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  5. I know I"m guilty of not following the suggested topics because a lot of times I couldn't come up with anything that fit! I don't know if I'll be able to do a 5 minute post, especially on book club Fridays, but I'll try.

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    1. I've been guilty of not following the topic a time or two as well. Now that we are eliminating the topics everyone's posts will fit!

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  6. Hmm. I have trouble writing short posts. :) I will try though I make no promises. Obviously I rarely joined in on topics, though.

    Sometimes races are just bad and there's no explanation for it. I'm pretty certain that one year older wouldn't make a big difference though.

    I haven't raced this year. At all.

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    1. I think people will be relived to not have to conform to a certain topic.

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  7. I think if you're tired you need to rest - but maybe the spring weather will energize you. Or maybe spring allergies will wear you out? I like the new focus for Friday Five!

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  8. You just reminded me that I was supposed to receive a pair of the flip belt pants to review and I never got them. Glad to hear they worked well for you. Looking forward to the new format for Friday

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    1. I like them but they are thinner than other running pants I have. I don't think they will be for winter running.

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  9. I think the change to Friday 5 sounds great. It'll definitely mix up the variety of posts and I do struggle with writing to a theme when everyone else is writing about the same thing.

    I've been pretty tired lately too. I really wish I could get more time to RELAX!

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    1. It's funny though because the more I relax the more I feel like doing nothing.

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  10. I love the change to the Friday 5!

    Don't stress the 10K not going as you had planned. Sometimes races just don't go well for whatever reason - and it makes the ones that too go well even more special!

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    1. It's just a bummer because it was a great course and had all the potential of a great race.

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  11. So glad you loved your flip belt! I haven't tried mine out with water bottles yet but I love that it's an option!

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    1. I do have a flip belt but these were actually the flip belt pants.

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  12. Yeah for the end of March, bring on April. I to used to love recording my states but it has fallen by the wayside. Maybe because it was so close to the same thing month to month that it feels useless. I guess I need to change things up.
    I like the new Friday format! I always make sure to visit EVERYONE that links up and it is taking me so long to read all of them and comment (which I do love to read, so don't get me wrong anyone PLEASE) But I do have a busy schedule and this should make it easier to visit everyone.

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  13. I definitely like the new idea for Friday 5 since I find it boring to read 20 posts about the same topic. (Even though not everyone follows the topic, many people do and then it gets boring you know.) I like the 5 minute idea as it will eliminate all the lengthy posts.

    My initial thought of the 5 minute thing is that 5 minutes still is a pretty long post! I think I will try to do a list of 5 things OR just try to stick to like 2-3 paragraphs, a super quick read as a way to change it up!

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    1. Yes, I think even a 5 minute post for a Friday link up is too long but hopefully everyone gets the idea and makes quick reads to link up.

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  14. One race does not define you as a runner...BELIEVE ME! You were just rusty for outdoor running. I'm sure you'll get your mojo back soon.

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    1. Thank you Shelley. I'm going to chalk it up as just being rusty for the first race of the year too!

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  15. Good to know those pants worked out like they should!
    That's an interesting change. But I kinda like the idea of fast reads for Friday.

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  16. I like the idea of the 5-minute Friday Five because I usually don't have that much to say! I'm tired all the time. My mom and I got sucked into watching North Woods Law for six yes SIX hours the other day! I'd never heard of the show. It's dangerously addicting!

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  17. I like the idea of the new 5-minute format! Quick reads on a Friday sound like a good fit!

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  18. I like this idea! It actually takes a lot of pressure off trying to come up with a longer post!

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  19. You are so funny with your Flipbelt! The new Friday 5 format sounds great! I'm all for being brief!

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  20. I like the idea of the new Friday 5, and...I did the Lucky Charm too! It's part of a new challenge to myself to run a 5k every month and try to get faster. I had not run a 5k in over 2 years! Don't fret over 1 disappointing race. It was early in the season, and sometimes it just isn't our day to race. This may be the race that inspires your training!

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