Summertime Madness

This morning was crisp. Cool. Breezy. It was a better day to run than bike but after logging miles Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, my legs craved a break.

Thanks to some newly available free time, Mark was kind enough to take my bike off the trainer and change the rear wheel. He pumped up three sets of tires and hooked up the Burley Bee trailer. I filled bottles with Nuun and cups with snacks. We dusted off helmets and adjusted straps.

At 7:45 a.m., nearly an hour later than we'd set off on foot, we put shoe to pedal and headed off.

We rode 2.5 miles to a tucked away play area where Miles could run and swing and slide to his heart's delight. I hovered a bit, still unable to believe that my little baby is not really a baby and is more than capable to scale tall ladders and high steps. There were walkers, runners and cyclists out on the trail, waving as they passed by. I marveled that it could be quiet and busy at the same time.

Quiet and busy, I thought. Such is summer life in our house.

With Mark, a teacher, home for summer, the mornings become relaxed. An extra pair of hands means that I can prep meals or get ready on my own. My list of to-do's gets a bit shorter as Mark volunteers to help a bit more, giving us time to can run or cycle, head out on errands. On the best days, we simply sit in the backyard and sip coffee as Miles plays.

The leisure time, though it seems plentiful now, is limited. In two weeks, exactly, we will kick off one of our busiest summers ever.

• June: Hare & Hounds XC 5K (Saturday); ZOOMA Napa Valley racecation (27-30).
• July: Daycare vacation (7-11); Miles' 3rd birthday + party (7); Runners on Parade 5K (12); road trip to Colorado.
• August: Cincinnati trip/wedding party (3); out-of-town visitors; to-be-scheduled trip to Chicago; return to school.  

If anyone is going to be at ZOOMA Napa or is local to Boulder/Denver ... and wants to hear me tell bad jokes, let me know. I'm hoping to find some run buddies to keep me moving at altitude.

Tell me: What do you have planned for summer?