Black Friday Runfessions

Does anyone else feel like Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on them? In general, I feel like the fall has gone by in a blink, but these last few weeks have been a blur.

Now it’s the last Friday of the month which means Marcia has opened the runfessional. It’s also time for another Fit Five Friday hosted by DarleneReneeJennZenaida, and yours truly, so let’s get started.

Black Friday Runfessions

I’m sure that I have runfess this before, but I am not a fan of Black Friday mania. While I love a good deal, I want no part of the frenzied shopping in crowded stores – especially these days. Thanks but no thanks – I’ll stick to shopping from my couch.

And, speaking of shopping, I runfess that I’m am struggling with gift ideas for my teenage sons. Honestly, they have what they want, except for the ridiculously elusive Xbox Series X which is sold out everywhere and has been for months.

While I am usually an early morning runner, I runfess that I have been fully embracing the midday run lately thanks in large part to the weather. We’ve had a string of unseasonably warm afternoons that have been too tempting to pass up (<30 in the mornings vs. upper 50s and 60s in the afternoon). Mother Nature is starting to make it clear that this weather trend is coming to an end, but it was fun while it lasted.

What are you run-fessing? Do you shop Black Friday sales?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to link back to your hosts, and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!


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Spooky Runfessions

It’s Friday and I’m so excited to be leaving today for parents’ weekend to visit my college boy! But before I pack up I’m making a stop at the Runfessional with Marcia.

It’s also time for another Fit Five Friday hosted by Darlene, Renee, Jenn, Zenaida, and yours truly, so let’s get started.

Spooky Runfessions

Since we’ll be traveling this weekend to visit my oldest we will basically be missing Halloween festivities. I runfess that I’m not upset about this! While I do enjoy handing out candy to little ones in their costumes, I’m not really much of a Halloween fan. There…I said it. Scary movies, blood and gore, haunted houses? Just not my favorite thing.

This weekend also marks the last couple of days of my 14-day sugar detox. The first week certainly had some ups and downs, but I really feel like I hit a groove by Saturday, and this week things have felt pretty smooth. Having said that I runfess that I cannot wait to put a little sugar in my morning coffee again! That is one thing I truly miss…that and a nice glass of wine 😉

Are you a fan of Halloween?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Share your fitness-related link (exercise, wellness, mental health, nutrition… the possibilities are endless!), link back to your hosts, and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers! Please don’t just drop a link.


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Some September Runfessions

OK, I feel like I’ve said this a lot this year, but seriously, where did the month go?!

Somehow here we are once again on the last Friday of the month which means Marcia has opened the runfessional. It’s also time for another Fit Five Friday hosted by Darlene, ReneeJenn, Zenaida, and yours truly, so let’s get started.

Some September Runfessions

Canceled Race — This week I received an email from race organizers announcing that Boston’s Run to Remember scheduled for November has been canceled. All registrations are being moved to Memorial Day Weekend (the traditional race date). While I was initially surprised and disappointed (I’ve always wanted to run this course in cooler fall temps), I runfess that I was also relieved. I had been agonizing over how far behind I was in my training plan thanks to my cranky hip, and wondering how I was going to pull this off without pushing too hard to make up miles, and risking further injury. Crisis averted!

Pain tolerance — Following Monday’s cortisone shot in my hip I got my first chance to take a run on Wednesday. I runfess that I don’t think I realized just how much discomfort I’ve learned to tolerate – running felt smoother and lighter…how nice to be able to say that!

Shoe Challenges — Back in July I runfessed that I had been holding off on trying out the new pair of Brooks Glycerins I won in a giveaway for fear that switching shoes would only add to my hip woes. Well, I finally took them out on the road a handful of times and I runfess I don’t love them. I’ve run in Glycerins before – in fact, the 17s were my marathon shoe and I loved them. The current model (19s) has more cushion than I would like – they feel, for lack of a better word, mushy. Whomp, whomp.

What are you run-fessing? 

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Share your fitness-related link (exercise, wellness, mental health, nutrition… the possibilities are endless!), be sure to link back to your hosts, and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

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End of Summer Runfessions

Today is college move-in day for my oldest son!

By the time this post goes live, I will be knee-deep in lugging boxes and bags into his dorm. I cannot believe the summer has passed so quickly and here we are on the last Friday of August!

Marcia has opened the Runfessional and the Fit Five Friday crew is ready to go…so let’s get started, shall we?

End of Summer Runfessions

Referral bureaucracy — I runfess that I am completely frustrated with the new practice my doctor recently joined. The referral process to get in to see the sports orthopedic has been a complete cluster. After much back and forth, and jumping through several bureaucratic hoops, I finally have an appointment on 9/1.

Stressed —Between the countdown to college, trying to make time to explore some new career options, and life in general, I runfess that I’m feeling just a tad stressed out.

Mileage? What mileage? — With the combination of the soul-sucking humidity that has been ever-present these last few weeks (er… whole summer?!) and the mini run-break for my hip, I runfess that I am not where I wanted to be in terms of a solid base on which to start my half marathon training. Sigh…it is what it is. My half isn’t until mid-November so there’s time to pull together a decent training plan. Of course, I’ll also have to wait and see what the orthopedist has to say.

Scaling back — But, on a similar note, I runfess that the virtual 15K I’m planning to run next month as part of the Back on My Feet Summer Running Festival will most likely become a 10K instead.

Slightly obsessed — I have been looking for some easy ways to help boost my protein intake and I runfess that I have become slightly obsessed with Quest Chile Lime Protein Chips. These satisfy my salty/crunch craving while delivering 20g of protein.

Source – Quest Nutrition

It's time for another edition of #FitFiveFriday and I've got some #Runfessions to share! Share on X

What are you run-fessing? 

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Who’s ready for some fun?

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Time for Some July Runfessions

It’s the last Friday of the month which means Marcia has opened the Runfessional!

It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by DarleneRenéeJennZenaida, and me! So, let’s get started, shall we?

July Runfessions

Vacation Re-entry — Can I start by saying this week felt so l-o-n-g! Why is it that re-entry following a vacation is always so hectic?! I runfess that I didn’t realize just how much I needed this vacation until I actually got a chance to step away. While I enjoyed my staycation in May, nothing can beat time away. I’m determined to strike a better balance between work and home life moving forward.

New Shoe Delay — You may remember that I was lucky enough to win a pair of Brooks Glycerins as part of a Dick’s Sporting Goods giveaway. When they arrived at the end of June I couldn’t wait to run in them. Then my hip started acting a little wonky and I got skittish about changing shoes. Well, call me paranoid, but I runfess that I didn’t take them out for a run until just this past weekend.

Weather fatigue — OK…you know it’s coming so I’m just going to say it… I runfess that I am so over this weather! We had one of the rainiest Julys on record, and when it wasn’t pouring, the humidity was off the charts. I bracing myself for August.

Ready for training? — The time off from running while on vacation seems to have done my hip a world of good! But now with my fall races on the horizon, it’s time to start to increase my miles and I runfess that I’m a little nervous to see how my hip responds. I’ll be building some extra time into my schedule to return to some of my key PT exercises and I runfess that I’m willing to sacrifice some miles, if necessary to keep injury at bay.

It's time for another edition of #FitFiveFriday and I've got some #Runfessions to share! Share on X

How about you – any runfessions to share?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Who’s ready for some fun?

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Runfessions – June edition

It’s time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by DarleneRenéeJennZenaida, and yours truly! And, since it’s the last Friday of the month, I’m linking up with Marcia for Runfessions. I’ve got a few things to share so let’s get to it!

Runfessions – June Edition

I runfess that I panicked a bit when my hip gave me trouble on my run a week ago. I’ve been working hard to keep up with my strength training and stretching – an injury after this effort would be so frustrating! I continue to stretch and roll like it’s my job and keep my fingers crossed.

I runfess that I am running out of patience for my Garmin. I mentioned back in April that my Forerunner 235 was occasionally finicky. Well, it’s getting worse not better as it becomes more and more temperamental. Clearly, its days are numbered, so I need to hurry up and settle on a replacement.

In an effort to give my eating a boost in the right direction, I runfess that I have returned to counting my macros. I have a love-hate relationship with this process. On the one hand, tracking has proven to help me to be more mindful of what I’m eating – on the other hand, the tracking is oh so tedious. But, for now, my clothes are fitting better so there’s that.

Any runfessions to share? 

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!
Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to show your hosts some love and visit some of the other bloggers in the link-up. Who’s ready for some fun?

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Runfessions for May

Happy Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by DarleneRenéeJennZenaida, and yours truly! We appreciate all of you who have joined in to support this link-up!

And, since it’s the last Friday of the month, Marcia has opened the Runfessional. I’ve got a few things to share so let’s dive right in!

I runfess that I have slacked on post-run stretching and foam rolling lately and I think there’s a direct correlation to the ITB flare. Needless to say, I’m back on all my post-run recovery work like it’s my job.

A new gym recently opened where our former gym once stood. They are, of course, offering great deals to entice people to sign up. My husband and boys are all fired up to check out the gym and get the details on their family membership package. I runfess that I’m not as enthusiastic. Access to a greater range of weights would be great, but I must admit that I’m still a little leary of the idea of indoor workouts with random other people.

While I’m considering a couple of races for the fall, I runfess that the recent burst of summer weather has left me wondering just how far I want to be running during the next few months. If only there were a way to arrive at Fall start lines ready to go without enduring the summer slog.

Any runfessions to share? Do you make time for post-run recovery? Are you ready for summer running?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!
Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to show your hosts some love and visit some of the other bloggers in the link-up. Who’s ready for some fun?

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Some April Runfessions for Fit Five Friday

It’s the last Friday of the month which means Marcia has opened the Runfessional! It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by DarleneRenéeJennZenaida, and me! So, let’s get started, shall we?

April Runfessions

I runfess that I think I have a psychological block when it comes to mileage goals. I’m fine when mileage is part of a challenge (like run across the state, etc), but as a stand-alone, run XX miles goal for the month, not so much. I’m not a fan of feeling like I “have to run” just to hit an arbitrary target.  So for now, I’m letting go of any thoughts of annual mileage goals and the calendar math that goes with it, and we’ll just see how things play out in the end.

I runfess that the minute I made this decision earlier this week, I felt less stressed.

While I absolutely love the abstract pattern and purple color of my new Adrenalines, I runfess that it sometimes bothers me when they clash with some of my running outfits. Hmmm, do you think it’s time to do some shopping?

Now that our governor has given a green light to the return of road races, I runfess that I’m a little giddy to see the flow of race emails hitting my inbox. I already had plans to run one of my favorite 10Ks this summer, and now I finally feel like I can do some fall race planning.

Any runfessions to share? Do you set mileage goals? 

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!
Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Who’s ready for some fun?

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A Runfession or Two

Happy Friday and welcome to another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by DarleneRenéeJennZenaida, and me!

It’s the last Friday of the month, so I’m linking up with Marcia to share a Runfession or two…so let’s get started.

March Runfessions

I runfess that I am in a running rut…on the one hand, I have no complaints because my runs have felt pretty good! But on the other hand, the runs are all starting to feel and look the same. I need to mix up the distances, routes, paces…something. It’s time to shake things up a bit I think.

I runfess that I decided to take the deferral credit on my entry in the New England 10 Miler Series. While this race series had announced a tentative in-person schedule (after being postponed from 2020), I shared over coffee that race organizers have already had to alter the schedule given COVID restrictions. With still so much uncertainty around when I will be vaccinated and varying state restrictions, I opted to take the deferral credit. The credit gives me the option to register for any of the races offered by this race group later in the year or in 2022. I runfess that I’m happier not stressing about if and when these races might go off. I’m still fairly confident that we won’t be racing in this area much before the summer.

In the battle between wearing multiple layers and catching the sunrise vs fewer layers and warmer afternoon sunshine, I runfess that the warmer temps are winning. I’m just tired of wearing all the layers so, for now, I’m letting the weather app dictate the time of day that I run.

Any runfessions to share? Do you let the weather dictate your runs?

Welcome to FitFive Friday!

Join My First 5K and MoreRunning With AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Who’s ready for some fun?

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Sharing Some February Runfessions

Happy Friday!

A big thank you to everyone who’s linked up or stopped by to support the new Fit Five Friday link-up! My co-hosts Darlene, ReneeJenn, Zenaida and I really appreciate the support!

And, speaking of link-ups, it’s the last Friday of the month, so I’m linking up with Marcia to share some Runfessions…let’s get started, shall we?

February Runfessions

I runfess that I am winter-weary. While I love cold weather running, all of the snow and ice this month have made outdoor running really challenging. I’ve done my best to take it all in stride, but I’m really ready to move on.

February wraps up this weekend and with it, the enCore28 daily core challenge. After my daily yoga challenge in January, and now this core challenge, the obvious question is what’s next? I runfess that after two months of daily challenges, I’m kinda looking forward to having no daily “challenge” on the plan for March.

I runfess that I have finally put an in-person race on my 2021 calendar –  the Narragansett Summer Running Festival! This is a great local race and I’m psyched that they’re making a go of it this year. I also runfess that what sealed the deal for me was the RD’s promise to offer a full refund and to not go virtual if COVID restrictions prevent a live event from taking place. It’s not until July and more and more things are opening up here in MA, so I’m hopeful!

Lastly, I have been jonesing to buy a new pair of run shoes. I runfess this is not about need, my running mileage has been on the low end and I have a couple of pairs in rotation…and still I stalk the websites.

Any runfessions to share? Have you registered for or run any in-person races yet? How many pairs of running shoes are too many?

Here are the guidelines:

  • Your link should center around some kind of fitness (exercise, wellness, mental health, nutrition… really the possibilities are endless!)
  • Please link back to your hosts! It’s the right thing to do!
  • Share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!
  • Feel free to share about Fit Five Friday on your social media! Tag #FitFiveFriday to get the word out!

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