Weekly Wrap..July 1..My Favorite Weekend

This is probably my most favorite time of the year.  This weekend was the Monumental Mile Race, the Veteran's Parade, and picnic / pool party with my family. Not to mention I am probably in the minority with loving the heat. Aww, all the essence of summer right here!


Because I've been so focused during the month of June on my triathlon, I did not really do any speed work to practice for the Monumental Mile.  I did exactly 2 runs.  I was extremely happy with my effort last year during the Monumental Mile race but was doubting I would do as well this year.  I figured as long as I could keep my pace around 8 minutes, I'd be happy with that.



Saturday Morning I picked my Pappy  up to take him to the parade.  For the past several years, I have driven my Pap in the parade and never had a problem getting to where we needed to be. This year it was a complete disaster!  Once we got into town, EVERY SINGLE road we needed to turn on was blocked off with barriers.  People directing traffic weren't even real friendly about helping us either, they just told us to "keep going", even thought we clearly knew we were going the wrong way.   We ended up having to drive around the college campus and were directed back up onto the highway (which we did NOT want to do).  We finally came to a side street we needed to be on (which was of course blocked off), but some volunteers had moved the blockade for an ambulance to get through, and when they saw that my Pap was a Veteran, they moved the blockade for us too. I was SO thankful for those volunteers being there, because had they not moved the barriers, we would have never been able to get to our pre-parade parking spot.


Okay, so anyway we were in our parade line-up spot.  We had to put the patriotic decorations on our car, and I had to get myself to the start line of the race which was 2 blocks away. I didn't have time to decorate the car so I told my Pap I would do it as soon as I finished the race.

The night before I was actually debating if I even wanted to run this race or just skip out. My foot was hurting a bit and I knew it was already going to be in the 90's at the time of the start. Also, I remember  last year how much I had to rush to get back to the car afterwards.  But I already paid so I was going to run.  I was already running late and when  I approach the last block, I saw runners already lined up in their start position. Before ya know it, they were off. I had missed the race. For a split second I thought about just jumping in and running with them. But then 2 things crossed my mind. One, do I really want to run in this heat and misery just for fun?   And two, would I get in trouble for running without a bib on (even though I was registered)?    So with that, I walked back to the car and helped my Pap put the decorations on. I told him I missed the race and he said he was worried about me running in this heat anyway. 



 At first I was a bit bummed that I missed it but it's probably a good thing I didn't end up running because it was only with in minutes that the parade was underway and we had to be in our car.

By the time we were through the parade, we still had enough time to go sit with our family and watch the rest of it.




Afterwards we had a picnic and pool party at my house.  My cousin recently got a Golden Doodle puppy, so this was her first experience swimming in a big pool.  Later that evening we went back into town for the Fireworks show.

This is clearly my favorite weekend of the year, but I need to have a better plan for next year. I don't know if I will attempt the race again or just do the parade, but I do know that I will need to get there much earlier.  Of course I wasn't running late on purpose, But I purposely did not want to get there too early because I did not want my Pap to be out in that heat (in his full uniform) any longer than he had too.  The road closures had never been a problem before and that right there is what threw us off.  I guess I will know better next time!

Have you ever been in a position like this?  What was the highlight of your weekend? -M

Thank you to Wendy and Holly for letting us share our Weekly Wrap with them!

18 comments:

  1. I love this time of year too! And I am with you- I don't mind the heat! I mean it definitely makes running more challenging but I've just been trying to embrace it. Sorry you missed the race but it sounds like everything worked out!

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  2. That had to have been a tough call, but it sounds like you made the right decision. I'm sure it was somewhat disappointing, though.

    We have a race on the 4th -- it's almost always warm, but this year it's going to be pretty ridiculous. There's supposed to be a large group of us going, but I'm thinking some might bail -- and I have to admit it's rather tempting even though it's one of my favorite races!

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  3. I hate missing out on a race, but I bailed on this year's local 5k/10k here. I didn't register, figuring I could sign up the day of. But it's just too hard to run in this heat. I hope it isn't like this for my half in a couple of weeks. It could be tough.

    Your town looks so cute! Proud of your Pappy!

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  4. What happened to you at the race/parade sounds like one of my "miss the race" dreams. i think its a wonderful thing you do for you Pap and I know he enjoys spending that time with you too! July 4th is not my favorite as I always remember my father who passed away on that day many years ago. But I do enjoy summer (in general) playing in the back yard or at the lake! Got to have some water around. LOL. Thanks for linking!

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  5. Sounds like you made the right choice and I bet your grandfather would agree! Those memories will last forever

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  6. I was looking at races for this year's 4th, and I opted not to. Not only am I just getting back to running, I want to enjoy the festivities on the 4th and not worry about needing waking up early. My neighborhood is doing a bike parade that I want to see.

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  7. I agree with HoHo Runs' comment, your experience sounds like my pre-race anxiety nightmares! But it doesn't sound like you're too upset about it and you still had a fun-filled memorable weekend :) Good to hear!

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  8. So, they have the parade the same time as the race? or just get all the parade entrants lined up during the run? Too bad they don't have a little bit later start for the parade (or an earlier start for the race). It sounds like you made the best of the situation, though! A huge thanks to your granddad for his service!!!!!

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  9. The puppy looks adorable in the pool!
    Sorry to hear the race/parade logistics didn't work out, but looks like you managed to have a wonderful day.

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  10. Summer races were not my favorite because of the heat, even though I ran every single one "for fun" ;) I think you were right where you should be, driving your Pap and enjoying his company. What a great tradition you have with him <3

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  11. Oh my gosh, that golden doodle is so cute! Maybe if your car were decorated already people would have been more helpful in getting you to the parade spot? It sounds like it all worked out even though you didn't do the race.

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  12. I'm sure it was a hard decision but it looks like you made the right call.

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  13. Sometimes the best decision is to not run! Sounds like you made the right decision!

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  14. What a rigamarrow! I'm sorry you missed your race but I do see your concern about not wanting to get there too early and have your Pap getting hot. The heat has been dangerous these past couple days.

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  15. That experience driving to the parade sounds so frustrating. I'm glad you found volunteers who let you in. And that photo of the Golden Doodle is so cute! Did she stay on the raft or was she able to get in the water too?

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  16. What a frustrating experience! At least you got to relax afterwards with the picnic and pool party. What an adorable dog in the pool!

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  17. I love that picture of you and your Pap! And I agree, you are in the minority with loving the heat!

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  18. Awww, I remember last year when you wrote about your pap and the parade. What a special thing the two of you have with participating in the parade together every year. Please thank him for his service for me! Happy Independence Day!

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