Mid-year Check-in and July Goals

July 7, 2020 by 12 Comments

6 months down…6 months to go.

While I would have much preferred to have trained for and participated in the races I had on the calendar for the first half of this year, I have found a bit of a silver lining that I’m holding on to.

In the absence of racing, I have had the space to step back and let my right hip heal. I’m especially grateful that I was able to safely visit my physical therapist – I have no doubt that being able to work with him made a big difference. Without a training plan, I ran when I wanted to, and when it felt good to do so, and I really embraced my walks. I made weekly time on my yoga mat a thing and enjoyed a range of at-home strength workouts. I logged just 260.3 running miles for the first half of the year and I’m a-ok with that.

I can now go into the 2nd half of the year, feeling healthy – and that’s always a good thing.

So now what? My goals for July are pretty simple:

— Finish the Great Run Across Massachusetts with my family (we have less than 100 miles to go at this point)

— Complete the Crush Your Core program on Peloton

— Stick with my monthly goal of at least 50 run miles

— Foam roll and stretch daily

Have you found some silver linings so far this year?

I’m linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up.

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Filed Under: goals, Tuesday Topics

Running into July

July 5, 2020 by 29 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Did you have an enjoyable 4th? Mine was very low-key. After completing the June Summer Streaker Challenge (1-mile run or 20-minute workout each day), I took my first complete rest day. I did nada, nothing….it was a gloriously lazy day hanging with the family, capped off with a big lobster dinner on the deck. And, dare I say that I didn’t really miss seeing fireworks this year.

Here’s how this my week of workouts went down…

Monday — 1.25 mile run plus a couple of strength workouts via Peloton.

Tuesday — 1- mile run plus Peloton flow yoga for hips

Wednesday — 3-mile run

Thursday — 1.25 miles plus PT exercises and core work

Friday — 3-mile run

Saturday — Rest!

Sunday — 5-mile run

In my efforts to find my next summer challenge, I embarked on a mini run streak this week (actually from last Saturday through Friday). While I’ve done workout streaks or run/walk challenges, I have never attempted a run streak – so I tried one on to see how it would feel. The result? It was fine, but not inspiring enough in and of itself to continue. I crave variety in my workouts and the thought of “I have to run today” to keep a streak going just didn’t do it for me. One good take away from this little experiment was my dedication to daily rolling. Knowing that I was going to run every day really motivated me to hit the foam roller – that’s a habit I want to keep up!

How was your week? Have you ever tried a run streak?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Ultimate Coffee – July 4th edition

July 3, 2020 by 28 Comments

Happy Friday!  It’s a long holiday weekend and I am kicking things off by joining Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date. I’m lazing on my deck with a mug of Starbucks French Roast, so let’s chat a little…

July Ultimate Coffee Date

Over coffee, I would tell you that while I’m really happy to have a 3-day weekend it doesn’t at all feel like the 4th of July. With no fireworks, holiday races, nor other big gatherings, this will be a very quiet 4th. I will miss heading to Gillette Stadium for the Finish at the 50 race and the fireworks that follow. Instead, we’re planning to cook some big meals, laze on the deck, and enjoy some fires on the patio – much more chill but still nice.

Over coffee, I would tell you that one thing I am looking forward to is watching Hamilton on Disney+ tonight!

Over coffee, I would tell you that last week I had my first outdoor dining experience at a restaurant. Actually it quickly turned into an indoor experience thanks to a freak rainstorm. I had met a friend for a walk and lunch – both of us had agreed that we were not ready to try indoor dining but would sit out on the restaurant’s patio where tables were widely dispersed. Well Ma Nature has a sense of humor and 20 minutes into our meal the heavens opened up and our waiter hurried out to usher us in under umbrellas. Thankfully, there were only a couple of tables with customers so we were able to stay well spread out. All-in-all, I’m still going to stick to the great outdoors for dining out for the foreseeable future.

What would you tell me over coffee? Any plans for the 4th?

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Hello Summer!

June 28, 2020 by 31 Comments

Heat and humidity are the names of the game around here this week as we close out the final days of June. It is crazy to think that we are almost to the halfway point of the year. Now seems like a good time to take a step back, reassess, and set some new intentions. And, with the short work week ahead and the holiday weekend, there will be plenty of downtime to just that.

But before I put June in the rearview mirror, here’s how this week’s workouts played out…

Monday — Yoga by Peloton. For the past couple of weeks, yoga has been my Monday thing, and this week was no different.

This was a great combo to release the stress of a Monday!

Tuesday — 3-mile run
Wednesday — 1-mile walk and PT exercises
Thursday — 2.25-mile walk
Friday — 5.4-mile walk catching up with a friend
Saturday — 2.3-mile run followed by a couple of hours of yardwork
Sunday — 3.5-mile run

Despite the heat and humidity, I tried to get outside most days, with an almost even split between running and walking miles. Sleep has been evading me once again, leaving me feeling sluggish many mornings with no desire to run. But, time outdoors is good for the soul, and I really enjoyed my walks.

Always good to opt outside as much as possible!

Today marks day 28 of the Summer Streaker Challenge, and my family team is more than halfway on our out-and-back across the state for the Great Run Across Massachusetts. Challenges like these have been fun and definitely help to keep the motivation up when the dew points get high.

How was your week? Are you embracing the summer weather?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: summer mode, Weekly Run Down

Let’s runfess, shall we?

June 26, 2020 by 20 Comments

Happy Friday!

How are we at the end of June already? It’s the last Friday of the month and once again Marcia has opened the runfessional! So before we step into the second half of 2020, let’s take a moment to cleanse our soles/souls. 😉

I runfess that with every passing year my desire to run during the summer shrinks exponentially! Seriously, looking back I have no idea how I ever made it through Chicago Marathon training last summer!

Having said that I runfess that I have been thinking more and more about running another marathon next year. That means I’m either looking at late spring (May?) or late fall (like November late).

I runfess that I’m going to need to find a few more challenges to push me out of my comfort zone and to help keep my run motivation up. Don’t get me wrong, I will always work out and run but I can also see how easy it will be to fall into a running rut without a training plan to push me out of my comfort zone.

Technically I still have the Detroit Free Press Half on the calendar for October. Amazingly it has not been canceled. Race organizers recently sent out a survey to gauge runner interest. I runfess that it took a high level of self-control to not reply “What are you nuts?!” in the comments section. Instead, I checked the boxes indicating that I had no intention of being there and voted for deferment over virtual.

So tell me, what would you runfess? Do you have any races left on your calendar? Any good challenges to suggest?

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Filed Under: Runfessions

Mid-month check-in

June 14, 2020 by 24 Comments

Happy Sunday!

While things have been fairly quiet here on the blog lately, if you follow me on Instagram you know that I’m still plugging along with my workouts. Working out continues to provide a much-needed escape from all that continues to challenge our country at the moment. It provides a quiet space to process thoughts and feelings and is also a very important piece of self-care.

Today is Day 14 of the Summer Streaker Challenge – the goal is 1 mile or 20 minutes of working out each day. I’m happy to say that I’m still on track. Over the past couple of weeks, running has been a fairly low-key affair with most runs hovering around 3 miles. My right hip’s been fairly cooperative until yesterday’s run – a reminder to not neglect my PT exercises or foam rolling! After some extra care yesterday, I had a solid 5 miler today to complete another Un-canceled 8K.

My husband, brother, oldest son and I just signed on for The Great Run Across Massachusetts. We’ll be running out and back across the state for 235 miles, which nets out to 58.75 miles each, but I know we’ll each be vying for bragging rights to see who’s going to carry the team. I’m still looking for my running mojo to kick in so I’m hoping this challenge will be the added boost I need, plus it supports some worthy causes.

Aside from the running, I’ve made good use of the Peloton app for strength training, found my way on to my yoga mat a couple of times, and got out for a few walks with friends. All-in-all it’s been a decent couple of weeks of workouts. The plan for the next couple of weeks is more of the same, except that I’d like to start to stretch my weekend runs a bit longer.

How is June treating you so far? Do you use challenges or virtual races to stay motivated?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: #UnCanceledProject, Updates, Weekly Run Down

Connecting over June Coffee

June 5, 2020 by 26 Comments

It’s the first weekend of a new month which means it’s time for the Ultimate Coffee Date with Deborah and Coco. Given all that going on in the world right now I doubt if anyone would fault me if I dropped a little something (Kahlua, Bailey’s anyone?) into my coffee.

Let’s chat a little…

 

June Ultimate Coffee Date

Over coffee, I would first ask you how you are doing. To say that watching where we are in this country right now is weighing heavily on me would be an understatement.  Yesterday in honor of George Floyd, I sat for silence in 8 mins and 46 secs and held him in my thoughts. I cannot begin to put into words what this experience was like. I invite everyone to do it – I will tell you 8 plus minutes never felt so long.

On a much, much lighter note, over coffee, I would tell you that we celebrated my middle schooler’s graduation yesterday. There was a parade, a Zoom ceremony, a celebratory taco bar dinner, chocolate cupcakes, and lots of laughs. Not the celebration we had hoped for but I think my son had a good day. And, now I’m trying to wrap my head around having two high schoolers in the house!

All my son will allow me to share is a photo of the balloons.

Over coffee, I would tell you that with school over for both boys, summer has officially arrived in the RWA household. While this is definitely not going to be a typical summer, we’re still creating our annual bucket list and plan to make the most of it. Personally, I’m looking forward to dinners on the deck, evening fires on the patio, and venturing out a little as stay-at-home restrictions start to ease here.

And, speaking of the stay-at-home restrictions, over coffee, I would tell you that phase 2 here begins on Monday and the thing I am most excited about is getting my hair cut! My appointment is booked for next Friday.

What would you tell me over coffee?

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MAYhem Done – Hello June!

May 31, 2020 by 26 Comments

It’s the last day of May and my first thought is Hallelujah! Somehow I went into this month believing that without all of the traditional school events and both of my sons’ lacrosse schedules to contend with that this would be a low-keyed month…Boy was I wrong! This month felt hella long, and the events of this past week just about pushed me to my limit –  I am ready to say buh bye to this edition of May Madness.

Before I move on to setting some June goals, here’s a brief rundown of the last week of May…

Monday — 30-min Slow Flow Yoga courtesy of Peloton
Tuesday — Lower body strength training on the Bosu

Wednesday — 3 miles, plus 1 hr session with the physical therapist
Thursday — Rest day
Friday — 3.5 miles
Saturday — More yoga – seriously, who am I?!
Sunday — Uncanceled Project 8K. After suffering through ridiculous humidity all week, being outside this morning felt glorious! The peace of the early morning was also a welcome retreat from the heaviness I feel every time I think about all that is consuming our country at the moment.

With a major work project still kicking my arse, this week’s workouts were nothing wildly exciting. But they were done! And, I’m happy to say I hit my May goals of getting back to running at least 50 miles/month (I eeked out 50.6!) and completing the Family Plank Challenge!

So what’s on tap for June?

  • Continue daily planking (hopefully, I can get my family to keep playing along!)
  • Continue PT exercises 3x’s/week (This was also a May goal that fell apart as the month wore on)
  • Increase my monthly mileage to 65
  • Complete Run the Edge’s Summer Streaker Challenge (1-mile run or 20 mins of working out each day)

How did May treat you? Any big goals for June?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: #UnCanceledProject, goals, Weekly Run Down

A Few May Runfessions

May 29, 2020 by 8 Comments

Happy Friday!

It’s the last Friday of the month which means Marcia has opened the Runfessional and I’ve got a couple of things to share.

Mother Nature flipped the humidity switch this week and decided to go right for “oppressive” levels with a dew point of 70. I runfess that every year I say that I won’t whine when the warmer temps arrive, and every year I lie…this year will be no different.

I runfess that the new Adrenalines my boys got me for Mother’s Day have become an instant fave! Given that this pattern is a limited edition I runfess that I may or may not be stalking websites in search of an extra pair to store away.

I runfess that I have mixed feelings as things here enter “Phase 1” of re-opening. We’re still two phases away from gyms and fitness studios being allowed to open their doors, and while I was loving my OrangeTheory workouts pre-shutdown, I will admit that I am in no hurry to rush back. I runfess it could a summer of running and at-home workouts for me.

I could be spending a lot more time with the Peloton crew

So tell me, do you buy extra pairs of a favorite shoe? Are you embracing the heat and humidity?

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Weekly Run Down Memorial Day Edition

May 24, 2020 by 27 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Wrapping up week 10 here on the Corona trail. While it was another stress-filled work week, knowing that I had the 3-day weekend coming helped to make it more manageable.

I’m happy to say that the Family Plank Challenge is still going strong. Here’s a quick rundown on this week’s workouts…

Monday — Triple Tabata workout courtesy of Marcia’s new YouTube channel. If you haven’t checked out her workouts yet, you really should!

Tuesday — Rest day. This was not planned rest day, but a restless night of sleep put me behind the eight ball and while I kept promising myself I’d find time for the workout later in the day, it just didn’t happen.
Wednesday — 2.5 miles plus PT exercises. I wasn’t able to connect with my PT this week for our usual Wednesday session so I made sure to dedicate a solid 30 minutes to try to keep the hip happy.

Chasing my shadow on an early morning run

Thursday — 3 miles.
Friday — Yoga.
Saturday — Strength training in the form of yard and garden work. J and I planted 19 plants plus started beds of lettuce, trimmed a couple of overgrown decorative trees and shrubs, and took out one monster of shrub with a root system that seemed to go on forever! (Note~ this is what happens when you neglect all gardening in favor of marathon training like I did last year – everything gets unruly!)

Sunday — Virtual 5K for the Un-Canceled Project. Oh my goodness everything hurt when I got out of bed this morning. I like that I had this 5K scheduled or I might have punted on running. There were certainly no land speed records set with this run, but it felt good to complete my third Un-Canceled run.

Some positives for the week…

…this week was a wrap for my high schooler and now he’s officially a senior! My eighth grader will wrap up this upcoming week and his school finally announced plans for the virtual graduation ceremony for the first week of June.

…our new washer arrived on Wednesday. Delivery and installation were easy peasy. At some point, I’ll have to make time to figure out what all 14 cycles do! 😉

…one more week of madness and some major work projects will wrap-up. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

How was your week? Taking on any major house projects?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: #UnCanceledProject, gardening, Weekly Run Down