This Summer I Will... - Friday Five

It's that time of the week, Friday Five linkup. This week's Friday Five was one of the more open ended topics. It covered a list of things you'll do. I thought of making it all goals, but that wasn't as much fun. I decided to include some things that are going to happen, some of which are very exciting and some of which are things I will be working around living through (see #3). This week's topic is

This Summer I Will ...

1... see my daughter earn her first "ornament"

This summer, thanks to the lovely folks at Potomac River Running, my 2 1/2 year old daughter will get to run her first race. Not only that, during this children's fun run, all the kids get a bib and medal, which my daughter lovingly refers to as "daddy's ornaments". I'm excited because many times she says "I have to run in da race like dad". Now she'll get her first chance.

2... have a 4th member added to our family

This July, we'll be having our second child. I say "we" but let's be honest, my wife is doing the bulk of the work on the "having". I can't wait to see who they'll be. My daughter has been obsessed with babies for a while (trust me, her daycare teachers say so too), so I'll think she'll be good with the role of big sister.

3... run on much less sleep 

See #2. This will be both figurative (operating coherently) and literally (I must keep up my training, which includes running).

4... buy a jogger stroller

As mentioned in #1, my daughter asks to come run with me some days. To help include her, we've been looking into investing in a jogger stroller. We've been watching the requisite Craigslist and eBay for one of the higher end brands (such as Bob) at a more affordable price level. None have really been in our price range, so we'll go with more mid range and a better price. When #2 occurs, it will also help keep #3 on track while giving mom some time with just the little one. Keeping #3 on track will help with #5...

5... lose 20 pounds

This is my initial goal for the end of the summer. I actually don't know summer's actually "end" date without looking it up, so it might not be exactly the summer. However recently I've started making good progress in my weight loss. I want to keep this up and keep going strong. I will stay strong. I will put my WeightWatchers point counting and run walk training to good use as a power tag team. My long term goal is more than this, but this would be a huge accomplishment, getting me back to where I was last time I lost weight which was leading into my wedding. Of course, that's not the end goal, but the first check mark.

A Note on Kids Running in Northern Virgina

Are you in the NoVa area? Do you have a young'n who wants to run? Maybe they have the bling fever too? Well, it's not too late. First, I would like to direct you to Potomac River Running's Mighty Mile. This is a kids race series, with a mile run (in several age waves) for kids 6 - 14, a half mile for 4-5 and even a tot trot for those younger. There are 2 more dates coming: 6/29 in Fairfax and 9/7 in Leesburg. It's all about the kids. They even get swag in the form of a t-shirt and finisher's medal.

In addition, you can check out the PR Races page for their full schedule of races they're involved in. They are a part of a lot of really good ones. Many have a kids fun run associated with them. Some, like the Firecracker 5K that I'll be at (per #1), has a fun run where the kids run "a couple hundred yards", get a bib and finisher medal AND there's even an inflatable obstacle course to play on and face painting afterwards. Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Jealous of the inflatables too? I thought so. Plus, this race will have me.

Linking Up

Check here for some links out to others sharing, staring with our three lovely hosts: Courtney, Cynthia and Mar. Check their posts (Eat Pray Run DC, You Signed Up for What?! and Mar on the Run to see the full set of links). I will add some others, usually randomly, as I read them to share the love. Go visit and keep reading!

Our hosts:

Mar on the Run

Eat Pray Run, DC

You Signed Up for What?!

Some other good reads, pulled from the link up

Run Jenny Run

Running Muffin

Grab Your Kicks

Got2Run4Me


Image Credit: Mighty Miles - Potomac River Running