3 Things I Love About Autumn

Au revoir Summer!!!!  Bonjour Autumn!!!!  *speaking with a Parisian accent*  Without further ado and in no certain order, the following are the 3 Things I Love About Autumn (not Fall, but Autumn):

1. First Day of School

Technically, the first day of school is still in Summer.  (But just go with it, okay?)  Parents, let’s be honest.  We absolutely love it when our kids go back to school.  A little more “me” time for us, am I right?  Just kidding.

In all honesty, as we watch our children learn and grow, we should also make every effort to do the same.  Learn new things.  Try new things.  Every.  Day.

With that, I’ve met a number of wonderful people at Fleet Feet Sports who have passionately taken on new challenges.  Diana K. just completed her first duathlon and triathlon, and Cheryl C. is hooked on stand up paddleboarding and is training for her first JFK 50 Mile Run.  Absolutely inspired.

As the school year begins and as Diana K. and Cheryl C. have both shown, we should follow our kids’ leads and never lose our sense of adventure and the joy of learning and doing new things.

2. Races

With the arrival of Autumn, there’s a whole host of fantastic races to choose from.  Our No Boundaries runners (who are amazing, by the way) recently completed their 5K Training Program, and kicked off the Labor Day Weekend at the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K.

The awesome group of No Boundaries Runners who completed their
5K Training Program at the Kentlands Lakelands 5K on August 31st.

The motivated runners in our 10K Training Program and Full Marathon Training Program are gearing up for the Home Run 10K/5K and the Marine Corp. Marathon respectively.  And Fleet Feet Sports’ new 10 Mile Training Program covers those who have 10 milers scheduled on their race calendars.

On Sunday, I’ll be running the Parks Half-Marathon--the goal race for the Half-Marathon Training Program.

Confession.  I registered for the race on somewhat of a whim.  Mel B. and I were just chatting about upcoming plans, if any, and the next thing I know we agreed to run it together.  (Still unsure how that happened.)  All the same, we’re really looking forward to seeing everyone there.

3. Change of Season

Most consider the New Year as the most fitting time to make changes.  A New Year.  A New You.  However, use the colorful and vibrant changes of Autumn to inspire you, and resolve to make positive changes now.

Take out your personal roadmap and see what you can do to be better.  If there’s one thing I’d like to change in my life is the way I eat.  My eating habits suck.  While at Fleet Feet Sports, I’ve been encouraged to consider healthier options such as “clean” eating and gluten-free and vegetarian diets.

How about other forms of training to improve your running?  Yoga?  Yes!  Flexibility is important because it promotes greater and a more natural range of motion.

Our marketing director, Brittany (pronounced briTH-tuh-nee), is dedicated to all things CrossFit.  For me, this is something worth exploring since she can bench and deadlift more weight than I can.  Who doesn’t want to be a stronger runner?

So, wave a bittersweet goodbye to Summer, and embrace Autumn with all your heart.  You’ll be better for it.  Just ask Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character in the movie (500) Days of Summer.  (Watch it.  It’s a really good movie.  Go on, watch it.)