I’m excited to be writing a Runfessions post knowing that it means that March is almost over and it’s officially early spring. We all know the weather this time of year can be (and has been) all over the place but I think we are all pretty desperate for some nice weather right now! As the start of spring has finally brought some more sun and warmer temperatures, I’m hoping that the cold and wind is gone for good. Let’s jump right in to some early spring runfessions!
Drafting Blog Posts
I runfess (blogfess?) that I’ve be drafting my blog posts really far in advance. My Runners Round-up posts for about a month were done by mid-March. I had most of my Friday posts done around that time too. Of course, the Weekly Wrap can’t be written far in advance.
My mom has been away for a few weeks and knowing I wouldn’t have childcare I wanted to get as organized as I could with blog stuff. I knew that I’d be doing work at night when I usually spend some time blogging. It felt good to have so much done ahead of time but also a little confusing! I always find that no matter how far ahead I get there is always more to get done.
Cold and Windy Stroller Runs
I runfess that lately I have just been going out for stroller runs as long as it’s not raining. When the weather was cold and windy last week I kept the runs shorter but still got out there. Pushing the stroller in the wind is hard, but worth it to get out of the house. It also means I don’t have to run super early in the morning.
If only Grayson would let me dress him appropriately, I think he would be just fine in there. But he has his opinions, as two year olds do, and I don’t fight him too much. If I could put the wind cover on he would stay really warm. Since he won’t wear gloves and hates having the mittens on his bunting over his hands, I just cover him with a blanket.
Running Clothes
I am so ready to run in shorts and tank tops (or long sleeved shirts) and say goodbye to tights and layers. Also, I desperately need to clean out my running clothes, but who has time for that? I did donate about 9 old pairs of running shoes to my local running store last weekend!
Race Planning
Like many other runners right now, I’ve been thinking about when and how to run a live race. I really can’t travel anywhere at this point, and it just doesn’t seem like live races are happening in Maryland just yet, at least that I’ve seen.
Last year I was supposed to run a half-marathon in May. It was postponed to the fall, and then they gave us the option to run virtually or defer to 2021. I chose to run it virtually. All spring they have been planning to hold it live but I keep getting E-mails that they don’t have city approval yet. This week they announcement it’s being postponed to July. I’m glad I didn’t defer to this year! A July half-marathon around here sounds pretty brutal. And who knows if it will even happen at that point.
Running Hills
This week I shared the first of 3 posts about hills. I runfess that I don’t think I will ever like hills. Even after writing so much about how important they are, I still complain about them and avoid them. I’ve been doing this for years so I’m not sure it will ever change.
I still need to make it a point to run them more. Well, I can’t really not run them because I live in a hilly area. But run them more intentionally so I get better at them. Maybe then I won’t hate them quite as much?
You may also like:
5 Tips for Choosing a Spring Racing Goal
5 Workouts For Speedy Spring Running
What I’m Looking Forward To About Spring Running
Do you write your posts in advance?
Have you donated running clothes or shoes?
Are there live races happening where you live?
I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday and Marcia’s Healthy Slice for Runfessions!
I have tried drafting blog posts in advance, and it sometimes works, sometimes not. It depends on the topic LOL It’s nice to get to the posting date, though, and have it ready to go. I just had a half marathon announce it would be live (on April 18th). I’d registered several months ago (early-bird awesome promo) knowing it could happen. Now, I’m in a scramble to get the mileage/training in without over-doing it…which is a good problem 😉
It definitely depends on the topic! For my Runners roundup alot of them are just informative posts that can be shared at any time (not like a race recap or something). Wow, thats exciting that your race will be live this month! But that is a quick turnaround for training!
If I can get my posts done a week in advance, that’s about it. For ZOOMA though, I’m working on summer stuff. It’s weird to work ahead then come back to the present. It must be crazy for retail buyers to purchase so far in advance. Hills are so rare here I have to be very intentional about going to the ONE around here. So I pretty much don’t. Ha! Thanks for linking!
It is weird to think so far in advance! But the topics I write ahead of time can really be shared at any point. That’s kind of nice that you don’t have to worry about hills!
I try to write posts in advance but I’m not that far in advance! Most feel good.
I live in a hilly area too. I sort of like hills, in a love-hate sorta way, LOL!
It is amazing the way I see adults dressed on cold days. The kids — I don’t even understand! I’ve never liked the cold! Maybe they’re all more warm blooded now.
I usually just write them a few days in advance, so this was alot for me!
Sometimes I think that the people we see when we are running are probably judging me for not dressing my son warm enough. If he was really cold he would just use the blanket I give him. I guess kids are just more resilient than adults!
LOL on two year olds and their opinions — they do have some strong ones! When I pre-write blog posts sometimes I forget what I’ve written — I’d especially feel that way writing a few weeks in advance, but if you have the time it is nice to get ahead!
I definitely have forgotten what I wrote! I did a series of posts about hills, and I don’t remember which information went into which post, lol.
I will write my book reviews in advance because I don’t always trust myself to remember my insights if I wait, lol. But otherwise, I don’t do much ahead of time except plan. I’ve got great post ideas, lol…
That’s definitely smart to write your book reviews in advance! I would have a hard time writing them later on too.
A half marathon in July sounds just awful around here! This is exactly the type of race stress I have been writing about lately! It’s nice that you can still go on the stroller runs. My son would not sit still at that age and was climbing out! I am ready to ditch the winter clothes too but not ready for full on summer!
He tolerates the stroller runs but its getting harder. He squirms so much I feel like he is moving the stroller on me lol!
I’ve been really bad about writing any posts lately. It seems like I’m always doing something else.
I too need to purge my running clothes.
It can be hard to keep up with blogging! Since I am a cohost on Wednesdays I feel committed to keep up with those. And I like the weekly rundowns because they are easy to write. And Friday posts are just fun:)
Work has been so crazy for me lately that I find I’m writing every blog post right before I publish. I think it’s great that you’ve been able to plan ahead – I’d like to get back to that!
The situation you described with your half marathon is exactly why I just took a race deferral until next year. I feel for RDs because so much is out of their control. I just don’t want to deal with the worry about whether a race will go off or not.
I’m right there with you on hills. I cannot avoid them, and while I try to embrace hill repeats when I’m training I know I will probably always complain about them LOL!
I do feel bad for the RDs but I also kind of wish that decisions could be made in advance. I know they are really trying to hold in person races but all the back and forth gets stressful. I kind of feel like if it can’t be decided than maybe its not safe enough right now.
I do write my posts way in advance…It feels less time consuming that way.
It is so hard on RDs. Race are still being postponed until fall but then there will too many.
We have one company that is offering a few – t hey are very safe so I am running them.
Hills – avoid them totally if I can.
If I can set aside an hour or two and bust out a bunch of posts, that works best for me.
Yes, these race decisions are so hard on the RDs. There are already so many big ones planned for the fall!
My goal this year was to be more on top of blogging and getting it done in advance, but a lot of my deadlines have slipped and I keep postponing certain posts. Great to hear how organized you’ve been!
Grayson is always keeping you on your toes in the stroller lol! Baby E doesn’t like gloves either so I’ve been only taking her out on the warmer days where I don’t have to worry about her hands.
Yes, these races are getting frustrating. I know they are trying to be optimistic but I’d rather they just stop with the false hope and wait until things are better.
Exactly! I mean if it can’t be determined easily that its safe then maybe its not safe enough just yet. I know some races are requiring proof of a negative covid test or proof of a vaccine, which is an interesting way to go about it. I wonder how that will go. I wouldn’t mind it since I had the vaccine, but I know not everyone has had the chance yet.
I pushed a stroller once in a race for my friend, and I don’t see how you young moms do it. It is HARD to run and push that stroller at the same time! Kudos to you, especially in the wind.
When I get blog posts done ahead of time (which is almost never), I feel so accomplished and proud of myself. Usually, I am scrambling at the last minute to put something up. Good for you for being so organized!
The wind makes it so hard, but its really nice to be able to run with him and not at 5am every day! It also gives us a reason to get out of the house.
I’m not always this organized with blogging! Sometimes I feel like the busier I am the more organized I get because I have no other choice.
I really want to try to write more posts in advance. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans. I just did a big donation of running clothes, and I always donate old shoes.
Well just when I feel like I’m all caught up with blog posts I’m sure I will fall behind again!
Sometimes I write posts in advance. However, sometimes I work better under pressure. I am off this week for Spring Break so I am hoping to write a few posts in advance. I am also ready to run in shorts and a tank or short sleeve. That is my favorite running outfit!
Its nice to have some posts done in advance when you have extra time! It’s so much easier to dress for running in warmer weather. Hopefully we are almost done with all the layers for this year!
I runfess that I will never be a great blogger because I just can’t write too much in advance. I don’t have that much to say! and while I’d love to have great ideas for the Friday posts, sometimes I’m just not inspired. How do y’all have so much time to write? I feel like there’s not enough hours in the day! Maybe if I wasn’t watching netflix I’d have more time? ha!
I do donate shoes and if I’m not mistaken we recently did give an entire bin bag of shoes to our local runnersworld shop. Or it’s still in the car to be donated! I really need to get rid of some of my running clothes though.
I just moved to one of the hillier parts of my city. I keep telling people to stop saying the Netherlands is flat! It’s not! there’s not any direction I could go from my house without hitting a hill almost immediately!
Live events just aren’t happening here. Maybe if we are lucky in the fall. But I don’t think so. We’re about to get the third wave and haven’t even gotten through 2 million people vaccinated yet (out of a population of 17+ million). *sigh*
For blogging, I usually spend some time each morning working on blog stuff before I run while I drink my coffee. It’s not much but it adds up across the week! And then I do some writing at night and on the weekends.
Sorry that races aren’t looking good for you either! I am not sure what will happen here. Our numbers our going up but I feel like eventually we are just gonna get back to doing things “normally’ anyway.
I have not done any live races since beginning of 2020. I have not even signed up for any. Hopefully this fall. I also hate doing hill workouts. I intentionally will go longer distance just to avoid the hills…ha.
My last live race was September 2019. That feels so long ago! I am hopeful for the fall as well. We’ll see what happens.