Welcome, fall?

*Not a current picture.

We slept with the window open last night! And I put on a coat this morning. But I didn't go out for a run. I'm not sure why. I think that I am reconsidering my attempts to run 5 days a week. It just exhausts me, and my body doesn't seem to like it very much. Additionally, last year toward the end of my training for my first half-marathon, I just started dealing with all kinds of aches and pains and perceived injuries...I think my body has a special way of exhibiting nervousness, if that makes any sense? This year I am not concerned with my ability to run these distances, so I'm trying not to stress too much about it. In other exercise news for the week, I have managed to do my brief 15-20 minutes of yoga a couple of nights, which I'm excited about. Perhaps next week, with fewer social engagements, I'll do an even better job!

Anyway, fall? It's actually supposed to warm up again in the next week as far as I know, but today the high is supposed to only be 70, and it definitely feels like September out there. We had such a long, brutal winter (snow in May), and then pretty much no spring to speak of before we jumped right into a reasonably mild summer, so there's a part of me that's not entirely ready for fall. Still, I think it might be my favorite season these days. There's something exciting in the air, and I love cozy clothes and cozy foods (think hot tea, soup and grilled cheese...). Plus I run better in the fall. I hope it remains nice enough for us to go to playgrounds and parks and do some more grilling before it gets cold. I know that spring is the time of beginnings, but I've always thought of fall that way. I guess it's because you start school in the fall: new relationships, new experiences and adventures...by the time spring rolls around, all of that is old hat. We got married in the fall (8 year anniversary in a month!). We prepared for the birth of our daughter, who was born in early December, during the fall. And so on.

Speaking of grilling, tonight we are going to have apple-glazed pork chops and grilled corn. Can you say excited? Part of the pork chop dish involves actually grilling some apples, which will be a new experience, and a colleague of my husband's gave us some homemade applesauce that we're going to use for the glaze. I often try to plan something a bit more fun/exciting/tasty for Friday nights: weekends are for fun food! Other plans this weekend include a 7 miler (I'm tapering a little for the 10 mile race I'm running NEXT WEEKEND), a Mexican Independence Day celebration with some friends, and maybe a yoga class. Should be a nice, not-too-busy weekend. I'm also determined to watch some movies, since we just haven't been much in the mood lately, and to get started on Great Expectations.

Not much else to report. The weather is kind of the most exciting thing right now. I hope it's like this next weekend for Women Run the Cities!