#FitFiveFriday — Page 12

Runfessions for January

January 28, 2022 by Michelle 13 Comments

It’s time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by Darlene, Renée, Jenn, Zenaida, and me!

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 for January

The l-o-n-g-e-s-t month!
I runfess that January has felt like the month that would not end. I admit that it always feels a little long to me, coming off the holidays and all, but this year has been an especially long rough ride. Thankfully things have started to settle down this week, but still, I’m happy to put this month in the rearview mirror.

Thanks to Cari for sharing this New Yorker Cartoon

In need of a routine
Because January was so chaotic, my workouts were really all over the place – I just fit in what I could, when I could. I runfess that I really miss having my workouts planned out, and I cannot wait to get back into more of a routine.

Distracted drivers
Is it me or are distracted drivers getting worse? I have had more than my fair share of close encounters with distracted drivers lately, especially those who only look left while rolling out of side streets to make a right-hand turn. I runfess that I may have had a few choice words for some lately.

What are you runfessing?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Runfessions

Fit Five Friday – Tips for Winter Self Care

January 21, 2022 by Michelle 8 Comments

Winter weather is in full effect and for some that is a cause for celebration and for many others, it’s a reason to hibernate.

I think this season of frigid temps and shorter days can sometimes be a challenge so for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m sharing a few winter self-care tips.

Fit Five Friday – Tips for Winter Self Care

Be good to your skin — Winter air can really sap the moisture from your skin. Factor in the forced heat of an indoor setting and you can see why your skin needs some extra attention. Now’s the time to swap in a heavier moisturizer for both your face and body. Also, pay attention to your daily hydration – check out my tips for staying hydrated in the winter.

Try dry brushing — I was first introduced to dry brushing while on vacation a couple of years ago. Dry brushing offers a combination of exfoliation and light massage by brushing natural bristles over the skin in gentle strokes. The practice offers many benefits including removing toxins, unclogging pores, improving blood circulation, and relieving stress.

Embrace the outdoors — Grabbing some fresh air is too important to both your mental and physical well-being to skip just because the temperature takes a dip. Unless icy conditions make it impossible to run or walk, I make it a point to get outside daily, even for just a few minutes. Getting outdoors helps to reduce feelings of cabin fever, which is especially important with so many of us still working from home.

Five tips for self care this winter #FitFiveFriday #selfcare Share on X

Find some Vitamin D — Many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is especially triggered in the winter thanks to a lack of sunlight. Just another reason to embrace getting outside; however, you may find that at this time of year, that alone is not enough. Consider taking a Vitamin D supplement or investing in a light therapy box to support your needs.

Declutter your space — While this may not seem like an obvious form of self-care, clutter can be stressful! Decluttering gives you an opportunity to purge things from your living space that may not be serving you anymore. Take advantage of this time of year to clear out your closets, kitchen cabinets, office space, etc. – keep the things you truly love and possibly make room for some new items. Added bonus, someone else may be able to put your donated items to good use!

What do you do to take care to take of yourself during the winter months?

Welcome to FitFive Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please remember to link back to your hosts and to comment on at least two other blogs – don’t just link-drop!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Self-care

Fit Five Friday – The Importance of Building Your Base

January 14, 2022 by Michelle 17 Comments

Whether you’re a new or seasoned runner, base-building is a key component of your training cycle. Consider these five reasons not to overlook the importance of building your base.

Photo by Jeremy Stewart on Unsplash

The Importance of Building Your Base

Improves your aerobic efficiency — Base building is essentially about time on your feet to slowly and consistently increase your mileage without a focus on hitting paces. As you build your mileage base, you can improve both your VO2max (the capacity to take in and utilize oxygen) and your running economy (your efficiency at utilizing oxygen).

Allows your muscles to adapt — As you build your mileage base, you challenge your musculoskeletal system to better handle the stresses of running before moving into phases of harder training. With low running intensity, your muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and fascia have time to adapt – in other words, it helps to prevent injuries.

Provides an opportunity to focus on form — As you slowly build (or rebuild) your mileage, base building provides the opportunity to focus on your running form without the distraction of hitting particular paces in your workouts

Improves your recovery — As you improve your aerobic efficiency, your capillary network expands allowing for more blood supply to the muscles, which helps to speed your recovery.

Allows you to adapt mentally — If you are new to running or returning to running after a break, building your base not only allows your body to adapt, it also gives you the opportunity to mentally adapt gradually to a heavier training load.

Do you take time to build your base or do you dive right into your next training cycle?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Share your fitness-related link, link back to your hosts, and please share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, training

Five Things Over January Coffee

January 7, 2022 by Michelle 20 Comments

Happy Friday! It’s time for another edition of Fit Five Friday! It’s also time for a little catch-up over coffee with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date. So grab a mug of your favorite hot beverage and let’s settle in for a chat.

Over coffee, I would tell you how much I enjoyed having the week off between Christmas and the New Year – it really gave me the downtime I desperately needed. The week off was filled with streaming movies, board games, and just hanging out. We did venture out to see Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, which was fantastic, and to visit one of those big drive-through light displays – otherwise we were homebodies and it was glorious!

Over coffee, I would tell you that my oldest has decided not to return to campus this month. Clarkson has not been a good fit and he wants to transfer. Sadly I think this is the downside of not having been able to make final campus visits before committing to a college (thanks covid!). Nonetheless, I’m glad he told us he wanted a change vs. just trying to stick it out where he’s not happy. He’s already registered for some classes for the spring semester locally and is busy figuring out his options for the fall.

Over coffee, I would tell you that I was offered a new job right before the holidays! I have been craving a change for a while and this new opportunity will be big and challenging in a good way. I start my new gig in a couple of weeks.

Over coffee, I would tell you how excited I am to finally be able to announce that I was selected for the 2022 Brooks Run Happy Team. Brooks has been my go-to running shoe for years so I’m really looking forward to representing a brand I love.

Lastly, over coffee, I would tell you that I’m really enjoying the “Mindfulness and Running” course I have been taking for the past few weeks. The course is offered by my run coach Marc. It’s been a great opportunity to explore different approaches to mindfulness and meditation and how mindfulness can positively support your running.

And now that I’ve talked your ear off, I’ll ask, what would you tell me over coffee?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Run Happy Team, Ultimate coffee date

New Year’s Eve Runfessions

December 31, 2021 by Michelle 13 Comments

Happy Friday and welcome to the final 2021 edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by Darlene, Renée, Jenn, Zenaida, and me!

And what better way to close out this crazy year than with one more trip to the Runfessional? I’m linking up with Marcia to share a Runfession or two…so let’s get started.

New Year’s Eve Runfessions

Weather driven vs. Schedule creep — Mother Nature has thrown a little bit of everything at us and it’s only December! I runfess that I have been letting the weather app dictate when I head out for my runs. Of late I have not been able to drag myself out of bed to run in the cold, dark morning when I can snag a sunny run in the 40s/50s in the mid-afternoon.

On the other hand, I runfess that I so much prefer to workout in the morning that way I know I’m guaranteed to get it done before schedule creep takes over. The dilemma is real.

Still no 2022 goals yet — As most of you know who have been around here for a bit, I’m a big goal-setter. And, yet, I runfess that here we are on the last day of the year and I’m still trying to decide on some fitness goals for 2022. I’ve been noodling around some ideas but still nothing definite. Honestly, I never set any big goals for 2021 – just smaller monthly goals, which seem to work out just fine…so who knows maybe that’s the way to go for 2022.

Time for another sugar detox — I runfess that I have been fully enjoying all the holiday foods and cocktails – no regrets. But I am planning for a mini detox in January to help reset things.

Any runfessions to share? Anyone else dealing with crazy weather? Have you set any 2022 goals yet?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Runfessions

Last Minute Stocking Stuffers for the Runner in Your Life

December 17, 2021 by Michelle 14 Comments

Anyone else in a last-minute scramble to finish checking off their “gifts to buy list?” (Please don’t tell me it’s just me!)

If you still find yourself with a runner on your gift list, here are a couple of last-minute stocking stuffer ideas. This post contains affiliate links.

Photo by David Everett Strickler on Unsplash

Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Runner in Your Life

OCOPPA Rechargeable Handwarmers – I have shared this before and it continues to be a favorite! As someone who suffers from Raynaud’s, my biggest challenge for winter runs is keeping my hands warm. This rechargeable handwarmer offers 3 heat settings and fits nicely in the palm of my hand.

Balega Running Socks – Seriously what runner doesn’t need a pair of high-quality socks? Balega is one of my favorite brands – their comfort and durability cannot be beat!

Flex Fixx Foot Care – And speaking of taking care of your feet, this 3-piece foot massage set is the perfect solution for over-worked feet!

Looking for some last-minute gift ideas? Check out my 5 stocking stuffer ideas for runners! #FitFiveFriday #RunnerGifts Share on X

Audible Gift Card – While I admit that I prefer to listen to music when I run, I have been loving listening to audiobooks on my walks. Audible has thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and original content so there’s bound to be something to fit everyone’s tastes, with a choice of 1, 3, 6, or 12-month memberships.

Knuckle Lights Advanced — This is actually on my wish list 🙂 I’ve had Knuckle Lights as part of my gear for as long as I can remember. This newer model features an ultra-bright, wide flood beam making them the perfect companion for a walk or run.

What’s on your wish list?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Gifts for runners

Fit Five Friday – 5 Benefits of Cross-Training

December 10, 2021 by Michelle 19 Comments

Runners, obviously, want to run and often forgo all other activity in the name of “logging all the miles”. With winter weather settling in (at least here in the northeast!) and many runners shifting into the “off-season”, now is the perfect time to incorporate some cross-training into your weekly workouts. So for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m sharing 5 reasons to cross-train.

Fit Friday Five – 5 Benefits of Cross-Training

Reduce your risk of injury – Many running injuries are the result of overuse. Runners tax their Joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons through repetitive, linear movement. Cross-training provides the opportunity to engage a variety of muscle groups, giving those overused running muscles a break while awaking and strengthening some under-used muscles. Better muscle balance helps to reduce your risk of injury.

Improve your overall strength – Cross-training via some strength training provides runners with multiple benefits to improve overall performance. I’ve shared the benefits of core work before, but runners can also benefit from both bodyweight workouts and lifting weights. Studies have shown that incorporating resistance into your cross-training can improve your running economy and your overall performance vs. just running exclusively.

Maintain or enhance your aerobic capacity – Many cross-training options provide a great cardio workout so you can maintain or maybe even enhance your aerobic capacity without taxing your joints.

Provide active recovery – Many runners struggle with the idea of taking a rest day so low-key cross-training can be a great alternative. Moderate cross-training helps to promote blood flow to your muscles, aiding your recovery.

Avoid Burnout – Cross-training gives you a great opportunity to explore other workouts apart from running. This helps to keep things fresh and helps you to avoid both mental and physical burnout.

Of course, cross-training is not meant to replace your running, but to supplement it with workouts that will hopefully help to make you a stronger, well-rounded athlete.

Do you consistently cross-train as part of your routine? What’s your favorite cross-training activity?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Cross-training

Fit Five Friday – December Coffee Catch Up

December 3, 2021 by Michelle 13 Comments

It’s that time again for a little catch-up over coffee with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date. And, of course, it’s Friday so that means another Fit Five Friday link-up! So grab a mug of your fave hot beverage and let’s chat.

Fit Five Friday – December Coffee Catch Up

Over coffee, I would tell you that I’m looking forward to slowing down and embracing this time of year. 2021 was another wild ride, and while we’re far from “back to normal”, I’m all in to enjoy the holiday season as much as possible!

Over coffee, I would tell you that I am giddy at the thought that my son will be home in just two weeks for his winter break! It felt so good to have him home for Thanksgiving, but 4 days was far too short of a visit. This time he’ll be home until mid-January.

Over coffee, I would tell you that I’m excited to see the Van Gogh Immersive Experience later this month.

Over Coffee, I would tell you that while I love seeing all of the 2022 race announcements arriving in my inbox, I’m holding off on taking advantage of all of the “early bird” registration specials. I am optimistic that there will be many more in-person races next year, but given all that is happening in the world right now, I’m taking a wait-and-see approach before shelling out money for registrations.

Over Coffee, I would tell you that I’m teaming up with my brother to run the Great Wall Virtual Challenge. The Conqueror Virtual Challenge always comes up with creative medals! We thought this would be a fun way to log some miles as the winter sets in, especially since my brother has visited the Great Wall in person.

What are you looking forward to this month?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Challenges, Ultimate coffee date

Black Friday Runfessions

November 26, 2021 by Michelle 21 Comments

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 Darlene, Renee, Jenn, Zenaida, 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 More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs 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!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Black Friday, Runfessions

Fit Five Friday – National Running Safety Month

November 19, 2021 by Michelle 27 Comments

This post was originally published on November 7, 2014, and updated on November 19, 2021, and contains affiliate links.

November is National Running Safety Month. While I’ve previously shared some running safety tips in the past, with the recent end of Daylight Saving Time, I thought some of these tips were worth re-visiting.

Fit Five Friday – Five Tips for Runner Safety

Light It Up — It may seem so obvious and yet I continue to see runners pre-dawn (and well after dusk) running with absolutely no lights or reflective gear on. The little reflective strip on your running shoes is not enough – lighted or reflective vests, armbands, and the like are a must. I’m a big fan of my Noxgear vest. Carrying lights or wearing a headlamp also makes you visible, with the added bonus of lighting your path as you run.

Find a Buddy — There’s always safety in numbers. Find a running buddy or try running with your dog.

Tune In — As much as I enjoy running with music, I think it’s so much more important to be completely tuned in to your surroundings, especially when it’s dark. If “running naked” is not an option for you, then run with just one earbud in and keep the volume low, or wear try open-ear headphones, like AfterShokz.

Carry your Phone & ID — If you run alone, bring your phone. Hopefully, you won’t need it, but it’s always better to have it. Also, be sure to have identification on hand. I never head out without my Road ID! In the event of an emergency, an ID could be your most important piece of gear.

Share Your Route — Always make sure someone knows your route, when you’re leaving and when you expect to be back. I have a handful of favorite routes and my husband knows them as well as I do. Also, consider using a tracking app like Garmin’s LiveTrack or Life 360.

**Bonus tip: Try to vary your route and time — I know this one can be hard, especially if you’ve got to get your run in before work or the kids get up, but be careful not to follow such a pattern of behavior that someone can pick up on your schedule.

How do you stay safe on a run? What’s your best safety tip?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, early morning runs, Friday Five, National Running Safety Month

Runfessions for January

Runfessions for January

Fit Five Friday – Tips for Winter Self Care

Fit Five Friday – Tips for Winter Self Care

Welcome to FitFive Friday!

Fit Five Friday – The Importance of Building Your Base

The Importance of Building Your Base

Five Things Over January Coffee

New Year’s Eve Runfessions

New Year’s Eve Runfessions

Last Minute Stocking Stuffers for the Runner in Your Life

Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Runner in Your Life

Fit Five Friday – 5 Benefits of Cross-Training

Fit Friday Five – 5 Benefits of Cross-Training

Fit Five Friday – December Coffee Catch Up

Fit Five Friday – December Coffee Catch Up

Black Friday Runfessions

Black Friday Runfessions

Fit Five Friday – National Running Safety Month

Fit Five Friday – Five Tips for Runner Safety

Hi, I’m Michelle

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