Feels Like Fall

The first official day of Fall isn't until September 22, but I've got it on my mind. It is, after all, September. And it feels like Fall because pumpkins are making their presence known in the grocery stores and on food blogs. (I've already had my first Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks.) And the temperatures are, well...falling. It's also football season, a season which I so readily participated in this past weekend.

I grew up in South Bend, so The University of Notre Dame has always been a big part of my life. I sold candy at tailgates for my gymnastics team when I was in grade school. I made yearly trips to the Notre Dame bookstore for brand-new school supplies and sweatshirts. I gathered with family every Saturday of basically every year of my life to cheer on the Irish football team. (I still do, really.) And although I didn't go to school there, I did study at Saint Mary's College. It's right across the street, and ND loved us SMC-chicks enough to give each of us a set of season tickets to the games.

Of course I wanted them. And I still want tickets, which is why I jump at the opportunity to go watch a game if and when such an opportunity presents itself. In this weekend's case, my mom had a set of tickets and my dad hates going so I went with her. It was a beautiful day, and a delicious hot dog:

Don't judge. It's the one and only time you'll ever catch me eating a hot dog. I don't know if it's a stadium thing or a Notre Dame thing, but man...they're so good. Ketchup and mustard and onions and relish IN MY MOUTH. It immediately made my stomach churn. I dealt with it. I dealt with the weather, too. Not that I had to.

The gorgeousness of Saturday carried right on through the rest of the weekend. So I went for a run.

I still haven't planned out my training program for the Hot Chocolate 15K, but I an 5 miles yesterday. I intended to go six, but I could feel my back screaming a little (which it tends to do if I get overzealous). Back aside, it was still a good run. Things I thought about while running:

• My route: I switched it up and it made all the difference in the world. How often do you switch up your route? If you're feeling sluggish in your runs, try doing so and see what happens. The new scenery inspired a new bit of focus, which was great. (And I passed by some roadside pear trees which I really wanted to climb and pick from, but I held back. Although, I might go back.)

• My shoes: I wear my running shoes when I work, which means they log action not otherwise associated with running. Die hard runners know that this isn't necessarily the best thing, mostly because it wears the shoe down quicker than quick. And technically speaking, you only get so many miles out of a single pair of shoes. I've had my running shoes since January, and I think it's time to switch. And I'm thinking I'll keep my current pair for work and buy a new pair just for running. Any suggestions? I'm still loving my Nike brand.

• My bike: I haven't been on it since before I was pregnant. So that's two summers without much riding, which is just awful and sad for my poor, lonely Jamis the Bike. But I got it off the hooks yesterday and dusted off all the cobwebs.

I even took it to work this morning . Round trip, it's like three miles (if that) but it felt great to ride again. I used to ride my bike to work all the time,—that was before Hannah. But since I go to my 6:00AM class without her (because she's still sleeping), I decided to take Jamis. Our running stroller will attach to my bike, but she's still a bit small for that I think. Perhaps someday. But I think I'll keep riding to my 6:00AM for as long as the weather will allow me.

And that's that.

Now, here I sit. With two giant baskets of laundry calling my name from the other room. So I'll leave you with this, my lunch. Because it was that good today:

Oh, and this flower picture. Because it's that pretty:

Question: What's the one not-good-for-you thing that you look forward to splurging on maybe once or twice a year?