Good afternoon, my friends! ☀️

It’s sunny and very warm here in Atlanta as I write this to you, and please accept my apologies for being a little late sending it out today. Family things took up most of my time this weekend, which was what I’m calling a “Jurassic weekend” for my son, as we saw the new Jurassic World movie Friday night and took in a brand-new Tyrannosaur exhibit at our Fernbank natural history museum yesterday. Needless to say, there was a LOT of loud roaring going on.

Also yesterday, I picked up two brand-new pairs of running shoes — it’s time to get back in the saddle, and I hope to run at least three miles today. My feet are feeling much better — I stopped wearing flip-flops, which I think is a primary cause of the pain I’ve been feeling — and I’m usually without pain now. So it’s time.

I also found a lot of inspiration (and good advice) in this New York Times piece that somehow I missed last month, about getting back to running after a layoff:

If an injury, pregnancy or busy work schedule got in the way of your passion for running, you may wonder if you’re now too out of shape. Will your body even remember how to run a certain pace? Or will your legs feel weak and wobbly? And how many times do you have to pound pavement or hop on a treadmill before it feels fun again?
The good news is that your muscles retain a memory of their former strength, which can make it easier to bounce back than if you were starting from scratch. If you were sidelined for only two or three weeks, you may not even notice a significant change in your running performance, especially if you remained physically active during your time off.

I’m already looking forward to it — and to being back in a routine with you all, even though we’re separated by nearly a continent in many cases!

Now, on to this week’s race list…

Oceanfront races you might love running

Hemingway Sunset Run

Key West, Fla. | Saturday, July 23, 2022

If you’ve ever seen a Key West sunset, then you know there are few better places on Earth to watch one, especially in the thick of summer when the days are at their longest and the sun slides ever-so-gradually into the horizon over the ocean. That’s what you’ll get to take in at this 5K that’s part of Key West’s annual Hemingway Days festival, which celebrates the life and work of the Nobel Prize-winning author. It’s open to runners, walkers and even paddle-boarders — who start the race from the sands of Southernmost Beach, and complete their 3 miles in the ocean before finishing back at the beach.

$59 and up | Sign up here

3 Beach Minimum Half Marathon

Hull, Mass. | Saturday, September 24, 2022

Run this gorgeous, scenic route along the South Shore of Massachusetts, a string of beaches, inlets and bays that stretch all the way from Boston to Cape Cod. Why is it called a “three beach minimum”? It begins just south of Hull, a small peninsula town that separates Hull and Massachusetts Bays, where runners start looking out onto Nantasket Beach. From there, the course heads onto Jerusalem Road, known for its stately mansions that sit atop big green lawns overlooking the rocky shoreline of the beaches below. Later, the road unfolds past Black Rock Beach, Pleasant Beach and Sandy Beach.

$95 and up | Sign up here

The Half Marathoner

Cape Cod, Coronado, Gulfport, Hampton Beach…

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