This weekend I did my first "long" run in ages.



Granted, it was only six miles, and fairly slow, but that's definitely the farthest I've run since I've been out of the air cast.

It was slow going, but I managed to run the whole time, except for the few times I got stuck at traffic lights.

I even took a little detour off my normal six mile loop, so I could scope out one of the condo buildings I'm considering moving in to when my lease is up this summer. I've been stalking condos in a few of the buildings near me on Zillow for weeks, but couldn't quite place in my mind the location of this building.

I was I got the chance to scope it out as part of my run.

I was also surprised by just how sore I was after the run and even yesterday. I remember when six miles was something I could have done in my sleep. I know the rebuilding process is slow, but at least I'm making progress!

And it felt really good to be out running slightly longer distances again. I'm realizing that I missed it a little bit, and I'm looking forward to the weather getting nicer so I can get back into it on a more regular basis.

This weekend my CrossFit gym held its biannual Throwdown event.



What's a Throwdown you ask?

Well it's a five-event lifting competition that the gym holds twice a year. It's a chance for people to measure their progress, hit PRs and bring out a bit of friendly competition.

There are also prizes for the men's and women's winners...in the form of WWE championship belts.



I didn't sign up to compete this year because I wasn't going to be around Saturday morning, but plans changed last minute, so I decided to go over and watch/help judge the competition.



These are the events people competed in:

• Handstands - for time


• 20 dumbbell snatches, 10 burpees - 3 rounds, no rest


• Deadlifts - 3 rep max


• Pushups - total number possible in three minutes


• Row - as many meters as possible in four minutes; then Goblet squats - AMRAP in one minute

The competition lasted from 10 a.m. until a little after 2 p.m. and it looked like so much fun.

Well, except for the part where people would collapse on the floor after an event and lay there for a while so they could recover.



Being there definitely made me wish I were competing instead of just watching and judging. It's kind of like spectating a race. You go to watch and cheer, and the minute you get home you're signing up for the next event you can find.

As long as I'm not on vacation, I'll definitely be signing up for the summer throwdown. There's absolutely no chance that I win, but again, just like racing, the competition is more with myself than with anyone else.

Congrats to everyone who competed on Saturday! You're all awesome!

I didn't read nearly as much in February as I did in January (unless you count paper grading!), but the books I did finish this month were more quality reads than several of last month's books.



The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge
I loved this book and couldn't put it down. It's a bit of a strange story, but the writing was so captivating and intriguing. The main character in the book is a professional matcher maker. She's set up dozens of successful couples that led to happy marriages, so when she finds out her terminal cancer has returned and is spreading, she sets out finding a replacement wife for her husband for after her death. The underlying story is obviously very sad, but it's such a great read.

This was the only book I read on my Kindle this month. The other books I read were in hard copy from the library.

Night Watch by Linda Fairstein
I discovered Linda Fairstein's books when I was in college, and tore through them all in a matter of weeks. They're basically like Law and Order: SVU stories, but in book form instead of TV show. The main character in all her books is Alexandra Cooper, a Manhatten District Attorney in the sex crimes unit. In the most recent story, Alex and her colleagues Mike and Mercer unravel a series of murders surrounding the opening of a new restaurant in the city. The most recent book was good, and I read it pretty quickly, but I didn't think it was quite as great as some of her earlier books.

The Last Man - Vince Flynn
Matt introduced me to the Vince Flynn books a few years ago, and since then I've loved following the missions of CIA operative Mitch Rapp as he fights bad guys across the globe. In this book, Rapp is on a mission to find another CIA operative who has gone missing. Rapp must find him before he spills American secrets. I thought the latest book in the Rapp series was excellent. I love DC suspense/thriller type books and this one didn't disappoint.

Have you read any good books this month? Do you like authors that have continuing characters?