Pull up a chair and mug with Cocoand Deborah and me and a bunch of bloggers for the ultimate coffee tea date: I’m sharing all my any cute shoes are gathering dust. But first . . .
Fanny packs: Yay or Nay? | Photo by Johnny Edgardo Guzman on Pexels.com
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . Have you noticed fannypacks making a comeback? I’ve noticed quite a few runners/walkers sporting them. I’m happy that my Skirt Sports provides me with #allthepockets and I don’t have to sport that look.
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you we did find someplace local to donate clothes/shoes. There is more decluttering to be done (seems like an endless job) but it was nice to get rid of quite a few bags I’d accumulated to donate.
You can’t see anything — other than sunscreen it’s all me under that hat!
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you in that I rarely wear any makeup these days with the exception of lip balm (it’s got SPF in it). Seriously, what’s the point? If I’m going out, I’m most likely just putting on a mask at some point anyway. I have to remind myself not to put on the lip balm if I know that I’m going to be wearing a mask!
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you along with the makeup, I rarely wear anything other than running shoes, Oofos, and sneakers I use for walking or very occasionally hiking shoes. So every once in a while when we do go somewhere, I make a little effort and wear some cute sandals (but no makeup).
#itsthelittlethings
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . I’d tell you I rarely wear any earrings, either! I have to remind myself to put in some earrings once in a while so my holes don’t close up. Usually when I go see my mom.
Our glasses and dishes are in these cabinets. It’s so awkward getting in there. Excuse the dirty floor! I blame it on the dogs. Except they’re constantly trying to help me clean the floors.
If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . . Finally, I’d tell you I have one of the most awkward kitchens. My dishwasher is almost in the corner by the fridge, with a lazy susan cabinet and some drawers in between — it’s a very tight space.
I’m constantly banging against it when emptying it. I recently knocked my ankle against it good. I had a bruise that hurt for week. Heck, even my foot hurt when I ran for a little while and my gait was slightly altered. Thankfully it did heal up on its own, but I’ve been super careful since then — until the next time, of course.
Do you miss dressing up?
Do you put on makeup even if you’ll be wearing a mask?
I got in on the very last day for a 90 day free Peloton app trial. I have recently finished that trial, and I’m staying on. I actually took some form of class every day in July except for one.
Everything a runner & cyclist needs in one app
What I liked about it:
The variety: there are classes in: Strength, Yoga, Cardio, Meditation, Running, Outdoor (audio classes), Cycling, Stretching, Bootcamp, Walking. There are different kind of classes within each category, too (warm up, low impact, etc.).
The instructors. There’s someone for everyone, and they’re all very encouraging and upbeat. You may not jive with everyone, of course, but there’s enough instructors that you’ll find someone you like.
Music. I think that’s one of the key draws for Peloton — there’s music with all the classes, and you can choose what sort of music you want.
You can preload classes. I did that so I could take a warmup when I drove somewhere to run and it worked fine for me. And I have an older iphone that can be balky about connecting.
You can bookmark favorite classes.
You can filter each type of class: bookmarked, taken by you, length, class type, instructor, music, and difficulty.
When you filter classes, you can also sort them by: new, trending, popular, top rated, easiest, and hardest.
If you’re motivated by challenges, there are quite a few to choose from. I have not joined a challenge yet (lone wolf that I am!).
There are a variety of classes linked together into what Peloton calls “programs” — these are usually multi week programs with a variety of instructors on a common theme: strength, training for a 5k or marathon (hello, what about the other distances?), meditation, core, and a whole lot more.
Then there are collections. Don’t ask me what the difference between a collection and a program is, they seem rather similar to me.
Finally there’s a schedule of upcoming live classes to choose from. I haven’t tried a live class yet.
The community. Actually I haven’t really done much at all with the community aspect of the app, but it’s there. If you want to connect with others to motivate you, it’s possible.
What I didn’t like about it:
This is my biggest complaint: there is no way to search!Seriously? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to search for something, like when it was mentioned that there are some foam rolling classes on the app. Darned if I’ve been able to unearth them.
Sometimes things just weren’t where I expected them to be, and of course I couldn’t search on them, since there’s no way to search (unless I’ve somehow missed the search function?). For instance, I expected a run warmup to be under “running”. I suppose it makes sense for it to be under “stretching”, but that wasn’t intuitive to me.
Not to beat a dead horse, but there’s so much available it can be hard to remember where you found it — or find it in the first place. Because there’s no way to search.
I guess I’m old enough that a lot of the music doesn’t really appeal to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve found plenty of classes whose music I enjoy. I’ve also looked at a lot of classes that look interesting, only to not be excited by the music choices. Sometimes I take them anyway, but more often I keep searching until I find something with music that I’ve at least heard of.
The instructors have a tendency to talk too much for my taste. Hey, I came for the music, let me actually listen to it! OTOH, they usually have inspiring, upbeat messages.
I’m not a big fan of the strength classes. It’s not that they’re not good (most), but I find most of the instructors are rushing through it too quickly — and sometimes, quite frankly, using bad form. They will admonish you to take your time and then they’re actually kind of throwing the weights around — it’s a recipe for injury for those who don’t know better.
Why no Pilates? You know I love me some Pilates. There’s a Crush Your Core Program, and that is somewhat-Pilates based. There’s also a lot of crunches in that program. Crunches work mostly the superficial muscles in the abs — the showy 6 pack abs, not so much the deep abs that really give you core stability. Otherwise there’s no Pilates. Yet, anyway.
Sometimes I wanted longer classes. Why are there no post run stretches longer than 10 minutes, for instance? I totally get a short pre run stretch, in the summer I rarely do more than 5 minutes — but after sometimes I do want a longer stretch. There are also no strength classes longer than 30 minutes — which is fine by me, and you can stack classes together; still, sometimes it left me scratching my head.
Lots of variety
Final Thoughts
You can see that I liked more things than I didn’t like. I didn’t mention that you get badges as you complete a certain number of classes, or particular series — it’s cute, and I know some people are really motivated by it.
There are a lot of things I haven’t even tried: walking, running (yes, since I had been trying to do my runs outside), cardio, outside.
I think the two things I love most about Peloton:
The music: before the app I was rarely on my stationary bike longer than 20 minutes and I wasn’t getting that productive a workout — I’ve definitely felt some of those cycling workouts! Music definitely motivates me, but on my own I rarely use it for my workouts. That has its advantages too; music can keep you too disconnected from your body — but it definitely has advantages.
The instructors: you have to find the instructors that resonate with you, but they all have such upbeat, inclusive messages. There’s no shouting or no pain, no gain attitude.
It always come down to: would I pay for it? Obviously my answer is yes.
One last thought: yes, I think I would love a Peloton treadmill. Mine is ancient. Of course $$$. They stopped selling them for a while because they come with in-home setup (nice!), but they are being sold now. I haven’t really researched them to see what people really think about them, but I know many bloggers who love their bikes, so I have to imagine the treadmills are good too.
What’s your favorite fitness app?
Are you intrigued by Peloton now?
If you’re on the Peloton app — or lucky you, own a bike or treadmill — what’s your favorite thing about Peloton?
Garmin was back up. Temps were just a little down. The makings of a great running week, right? Except I knew I needed a break from most activity — and I took it. After several days I felt a whole lot better, but I still had little desire to run. Or really tax my body in any way. It was a little staycation from fitness, and it was needed.
There was some Yoga, one long run, and a fair amount of easy walking. Plus one half day trip.
*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links
Running Update
I always wonder how these apples taste (it’s in my neighborhood)
Saturday intention: duality This run was great . . . for the first mile. It was actually a decent day to run by Summer standards — that is, low humidity. It was also pretty much cloudless, and buggy. Why is it that I seem to be one of the only ones dealing with gnats? Is it because I sweat so much?
I spent a lot of this run trying to figure what I need to do in August to bring back some joy to my runs. The early mornings and Summer temps have just been soul-sucking for me. I’m not sure I have a plan yet.
I also spent some time thinking about dualities:
Bugs (annoying) vs low humidity (more comfortable)
Run interval seems forever and the walk interval flies by
Intention to take it easy but just want to get it over!
Intention to clear my mind yet writing blog posts as I run
You have to appreciate the good and the bad, and practicing doing just that helps you become more resilient (so those soul sucking runs aren’t as draining — although my main problem has been that the runs have been physically draining).
Apparently we’re trend setters again — good thing we got out here before it was on the news today!
Favorites of the week
We hit the road again. Another outdoor (free) sculpture garden. There were actually quite a lot of people there, but for the most part it wasn’t hard to social distance (I never even had to put on my mask, although it was in my pocket). There were quite a few dogs, there, too — thankfully on leash.
We made a stop at a preserve on the way back, and some waterfalls close to that preserve — sadly the waterfalls were almost completely dry.
Lola spends a lot of time down here these days
I think the next day trip we take the dogs need to stay home. It wasn’t that hot, but we had to cut it short due to Lola. Even Bandit seemed to struggle with the temps. Which is so weird, the last time they did so well.
I already have a possibility lined up for our next trip — not a sculpture garden!
Our little science experiment
I had several potatoes/sweet potatoes that were growing eyes. I mentioned to Mr. Judy that I wanted to see if I could grow potatoes. Next thing I know there were potato bags showing up. I think the biggest problem is that they need quite a bit of time to grow — I’m hoping we have just enough time before the first freeze.
Can you remember the last time you took a fitness break?
What’s keeping you motivated to keep up with exercise?
Have you been able to go exploring anywhere?
ICYMI: I am tackling irritability this week. Bandit plays a starring role — he stayed with me the entire practice. These poses will get into your hips, groin, and inner thighs deeply, so I take a lot of time warming those areas up — and didn’t hold the peak poses quite so long. As always, I encourage you to pause the video and hold longer where it feels right to do so. Watch it here.
ICYMI2: Don’t forget that 100% of your donation to my Dempsey Challenge fundraiser goes directly to benefit cancer patients, survivors, and their families. If you’d like to donate, you can do it here. Thank you!
Coming up on Tuesday: I’m sharing my thoughts on the Peloton App. Friday we’re getting together virtually for a coffee date here. Join us!
The main theme of my runfessions for July is the bugs, heat, and humidity. Ants don’t bother me on the run, but they do sometimes bother me on my Yoga mat (outside). Summer puts a lot more meaning into the phrase “what’s bugging you”, right?
They’re so tiny. Yet so annoying. | Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
I runfess . . . Nasal breathing does not protect you from the bugs. You’re not going to eat any bugs, but bugs will go for any orifice they can squeeze into. Yup, I’ve had bugs trying to fly up my nose! I’m not sure which is worse: having an insect fly into your mouth or your nose.
I runfess . . .
I thought I had had some major chafing underneath one of those pockets on one run. Nope, that’s where my frozen water bottle was and it was just red from the cold, LOL!
I runfess . . .
Even running just 3 x week it seems to be hard to get all my runs in. I guess if I didn’t care about rain, or humidity, or too much sun . . . just call me a picky runner.
I runfess . . .
I wasn’t super worried about Garmin going down. Of course then I read about how it’s also used in the aviation industry. Then I worried about my data being stolen, but heck, that’s just par for the course these days it seems. I do think the error message on the Garminconnect app shouldn’t have say “we’re down for maintenance, check back shortly” after 3 days . . . (or a week later — I’m still getting it sometimes).
So over early morning runs that leave me looking like my top!
I runfess . . . I had made a pact with myself to get in my runs outside — pretty much no matter what. Until that last week in July, when I felt run down — not that I ran inside; I just thought why are you torturing yourself with more early, hot, steamy runs when you feel so run down?
So I didn’t. I realized that I did want to break up with running — just briefly (I wrote about not wanting to break up with running here). I still had to get up and out early to walk the dogs, but that is far less involved than getting up and out early to run.
Sometimes you need to break up with something to appreciate it again. No worries, I’ll be back out there again, sweating and slogging with everyone.
How do you enjoy your runs with the gnats buzzing around your head?
Do you get out early to embrace the heat, or just endure it?
What are you looking forward to in August?
What do you have to runfess from July? Come join us
July was actually rather busy. A 30 hour meditation course. 2 trips to mom. A fun daytrip. Family Zoom call. Routine vet visit for Lola (Bandit needs one, too). Filming videos (which lately seems to always be a struggle).
Myself and my loved ones are healthy. My mom tires a lot easier — as does Lola — to be expected at both their ages, but not always easy to witness.
July’s song is Fighter by Christina Aguilera. I don’t really know many Christina Aguilera songs, although I do know she has a powerful voice. Has anyone else noticed how much this lyric resembles Kelly Clarkson’s “What doesn’t kill you”?
Makes me that much stronger Makes me work a little bit harder It makes me that much wiser So thanks for making me a Fighter
2020 has not been kind to us, and yet — it’s the hard times we go through that make us grow. As much as we might wish we didn’t have to go through hard, painful, times, they shape the people we become.
A little irony with the “happy” in the paragraph below — my face matches my top!!!
Getting in scheduled runs I’m still happy with 3 x week for the forseeable future. It gives me more time for my stationary bike, strength training, and Yoga. I kept thinking I would go a little longer for my long run, but then someone turned the thermostat to hot and humid.
Except I started to feel run down last week, so this last week of July I’m going to skip a run. Or two. We’ll see. Trying to get ahead of whatever is going on.
Grade Earned:A
Recording my runs Yeah, still not happening..
Grade Earned: F
Dynamic Warmup I was doing great with this — I’d even say I was on a streak. Until a couple of very hot and humid days when I totally skipped the warm up. Bugs may have been the reason.
Grade Earned: A-
Foam Rolling
Still only rolling before a run — at least that it something that I have not skipped (so far).
Grade Earned: B
Nutrition Nutrition has been pretty good, but as always, room for improvement. The older I get the less I can eat. It is what it is.
Grade Earned: B
Support
Massage? Nope. We all know why.
Chiropractor Appointment? See massage.
Do I need a hair appointment? This could end up being the longest I go without a haircut — which is saying something, I’ve actually gone 5 months before.
Grade Earned: F
Just chillin’ with Bandit & Yoga
Cross Training
Cross training is my super power, apparently. Yoga, strength training, Pilates, stationary cycling.
Grade Earned: A+
June 2020 gets . . .
. . . an A. A couple of Fs again, but mostly July was a busy month and I did the best I could with the time I had.
July Goals:
Continue exploring Peloton App. Y. I’ve tried one class (at least) from a lot of the different categories, although there are probably some categories I won’t try. There’s definitely still more to explore.
Continue running 3 x week. Y. I have continued my outside running streak. Definitely not always easy with this hot summer! I’m giving myself a pass on skipping a run/s this week. It was needed.
Set an intention for each run. Y. I won’t lie: sometimes I struggle with coming up with an intention. Sometimes I struggle with remembering what the intention was! (read more about intentions here).
Continue almost daily foam rolling. N. I foam rolled before my runs. That’s all.
Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y.Weight is basically in maintenance mode, and that’s okay.
Learn more about meditation.Y. I took a 30 hour Beginning Meditation Coach course, which I really enjoyed.
Extend either a weekday or long run. Y. I signed up for virtual trail runs this month (with the swag being pottery), and we’re assigned a different distance each week.
Complete virtual July 4th race.Y. I even managed to do it on the fourth.
Which leads me to August Goals:
Run 4 x week. I plan to take some of the Peloton bootcamps, and that will involve treadmill running. So it won’t be a lot extra, and it’ll be mill miles, but miles are miles. Doesn’t have to happen every week but that’s what I’ll shoot for. Gonna be flexible with it – depends how I feel.
Set an intention for each run. I enjoy this goal!
Finish the irest course I started. I’ve been into something called Yoga Nidra for a while. It’s part relaxation, part meditation. irest is a particular form based on Yoga Nidra — and I signed up for the Great Courses for free so I could take this course. But I only have a month! I’m halfway through so I’m sure I’ll finish it before my free trial is up.
Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.A permanent goal.
Add in more Pilates when I can.I really enjoy Pilates. There’s a lot of benefits to runners from practicing it. Even just 10 minutes. It’s just hard to squeeze in. Strength training was a bit lacking at the end of last July, and with less going on in August, I’d definitely like to be more regular about it.
It was a busy week. A visit to my mom. 2 zoom calls the next day, one to wrap up a course I was taking, the other a family call — some of my cousins were in on it this time, so that was nice (haven’t seen them in years, all the West Coasters).
That was all followed by a couple of days fighting with technology — and of course then Garmin went down. Not a big deal, really. I thought it would delay getting a signal for my long run, since I couldn’t sync — nope, got a signal immediately!
*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links
Running Update
Looked threatening but I stayed dry
Monday intention: find the joy in this run It wasn’t easy. The bugs were relentless again. It was mid 70s and very humid at 6:30 am. I knew Tuesday would be much nicer, but I was going to see my mom.
Despite another night of interrupted sleep (thanks for walking us at 2:30 am, Bandit), the run itself was pretty strong — I couldn’t hold onto my nasal breathing as much as I want to, which just means I was running too fast, but I was okay with that — I just wanted to run away from the bugs!
I did my best to try to find the joy in this run:
Clouds
A little bit of sunshine on the water
My coolit top & skirt really did help to keep me cooler — at least if felt as if it did. And they helped keep the bugs away from my torso. Now if I could just keep them away from my head!
I didn’t take any extra walk breaks.
Instead of rainbows I give you #alltherabbits
Wednesday intention: listen to my heart I knew I was tired from the trip to my mom’s + several weeks of not so great sleep, so I didn’t set an alarm. I was rewarded with a really good night of sleep — I also got out about an hour later than I have been, but lucked out because it was cool, cloudy, and just a little drizzly.
I knew I needed to take it easy, which is why I made the intention of listening to my heart/intuition (not literally watching HR). I walked a bit more when I felt the need. The first mile was slow. The second mile was also slow, but not as much. By the third I felt okay and knew I could achieve negative splits if I put my mind to it — so I did & I did.
. . . and more rabbits . . .
Saturday intention: easy/self care Although I’d had a few nights of really good sleep this week, Friday night was not one of them. The weather was pretty good for Summer running — not too humid, although warm (mid to high 60s), and sunny.
Exercise is most definitely a form of self care — when you don’t take it to extremes. So I ran by feel, I walked a lot, and yeah, the last couple of miles were draining. Pace all over the place. Still slightly encouraged since I ran at this pace in the Spring — when the weather was much cooler.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the weather cools down again — not wishing for Summer to go away, for sure, but less humidity and a bit less heat would be welcome. Too bad we’re going into August and the dog days of Summer.
. . . speaking of dogs, Bandit being tortured by Mr. Judy again
Favorites of the week
Although it’s draining to be back on the road to my mom more often, it’s also good to see her more often. It was also nice to see my cousins and hear about what’s going on in their worlds.
No idea what I was saying, but look — something other than Oofos on my feet! Picking up our veggie box.
Second veggie box had corn in it. So we enjoyed our first grilled corn of the Summer. It was good – but not great — corn. Probably just too early. So far I’m quite pleased with the veggies and we managed to eat up all the lettuce. There were lots of salads!
Unfortunately we ended up with two things of lettuce again. The window to swap out veggies was very narrow (about 4 hours) this week, and I happened to be at my mom’s. Oh well, it’s gonna be hot again so I’ve no doubt I’m up to polishing all the lettuce off again this week!
What comes to mind when I say “self care”?
Are you all about the salads in Summer?
Are your furkids polite beggars?
ICYMI: I already shared a Cooling Yin Yoga practice here, but this week it’s more slow Yoga/Hatha style — IOW, more “regular” Yoga. There’s an extended Savasana practice (roughly 10 minutes). I know it’s tempting to skip, but I really encourage you to take some time for yourself and stick it out! I think you’ll come away feeling much cooler (literally and figuratively) and calmer. Let me know! Watch it here.
ICYMI2: For years I’ve wanted to join friends for the Dempsey Challenge, a run that supports Patrick Dempsey’s Cancer Center in ME. We thought this would be the year, finally — well, you all know what happened: like everything it’s gone virtual. I am going to join this year — as a virtual run — and I am fund raising (even though this year they waived the fund raising requirement). 100% of your donation directly benefits cancer patients, survivors, and their families. If you’d like to donate, you can do it here.
Coming up on Tuesday: It’s that time of the month (no not that time, I’m past that time) — time to wrap up July! Friday we’re all gathering at the runfessional here. Join us!
Last week I wrote about running not always being fun (read that post here). Lately running has actually been fairly strong for me, but the bugs! They’re not even biting bugs and they’re still sucking the life out of my runs. Or making me faster because I want to be done, LOL!
What can you do when it’s not fun?
All is not lost on your not-so-fun (let’s face it, miserable) runs. Here are a few tricks you can try to at least make it bearable:
Distract yourself with nature. Notice the wildlife, the sunshine, the water, the trees, the beautiful sky, the flowers. You probably will see at least one of those things!
Take more walk breaks. I’m specifically talking about Summer here. Summer can suck the life out of you quickly, and even if it doesn’t, most likely you’ll be running slower. I’ve often (but not always) found that more walk breaks don’t even effect my pace all that much. That’s the whole purpose of intervals, by the way — take the break before you’re tired.
Run by effort. When it’s hot and humid, running the same pace you normally do can cause you to crash and burn quickly. Forget the pace, and just tune into how you feel. Adjust accordingly. It won’t always be this hot|humid|sunny.
Listen to music. I don’t personally run with music, but it can definitely be a great distraction. Or a podcast, or an audiobook.
Shorten your run. Sometimes it’s really the smartest thing you can do. Live to run another day.
Devote your run to someone in need. This works year-round. Sometimes concentrating on others takes our mind off of ourselves.
Count your footsteps. Another thing that can be done year-round. Thankfully I haven’t had to do this in a long, long time, but it can work to get you through a run when you really don’t want to.
Concentrate on your breath. It turns your run into a moving meditation. Is it smooth? Choppy? Shallow? Deep? Where do you feel your breath in your body? Really concentrate on your breath, and it will help to take your mind off of your physical body — and really ground and center you.
The only thing sure about Summer running is that some runs are going to be pretty miserable. You can let yourself wallow in that misery, or you can change your thoughts and try to find the joy in every run.— Chocolaterunsjudy
Ever seen the show or movie “Rent”? Then you might recognize my title. That’s how many minutes there are in one year. How will you spend them? Will you spend them in fear? Or flying past the fear?
It’s easy to be fearful
I know that some of the people in my life think I’m too fearful. That I should be joining groups, or not worrying so much about what’s going on in the world.
I don’t make my choices from a place of fear — although I will readily admit that fear has at times kept me from doing things. I think we’ve probably all fallen prey to that.
The choices I make now actually come from a place of love. Of trying to do the right thing for the people in my life that I love.
What if fear is holding you back from living your life?
We all know when we’ve given in to a fear that is holding us back. The challenges we are too fearful to conquer. The missed opportunities. The fear that there won’t be enough for everyone.
When it’s a matter of the “what if” fear, not the “yes, this is actually going on” fear, then it’s time to put the fear aside. You don’t know until you try. You may fail; in that case, you will learn and get stronger.
You may succeed — imagine how good that would feel!
There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly? — Erin Hanson
The most important thing is to take that first step
We runners know that the best and worst runs begin by simply taking that first step. We set a goal, and we feel the fear, and we do it anyway. Not taking that first step? Not an option. We can always stop. Stopping is an option. Not starting? Not happening.
Fear is a good tool when it prevents us from hurting ourselves. Fear is a bad tool when it’s used as an excuse to not live to our fullest potential. — Chocolaterunsjudy
What do you fear?
Does fear hold you back in life?
What has happened in your life when you felt the fear & did it anyway?
*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links
Running Update
#allthebugs
Monday: intention — attention to breath & foot turnover Well, that was the intention. Except it was so buggy that this short run was actually torturous. The upside was that I ran faster trying to get it over. The downside is I can’t easily run that pace using nasal breathing — but you do what you gotta do.
I ate my post run snack (which was basically breakfast) outside afterward, but because of the bugs, it just wasn’t pleasant.
He tried to blend into the tree
Wednesday: pick it up + breath attention (always) I worried that I got out too late & would need the cooling towel I didn’t take. I knew it was cooler — but how long would the sun stay hidden? Thankfully the entire run. This was the nicest day I’ve had to run in a month!
I took advantage of that to consciously pick up the pace. It was still slow, of course, but a steady first two miles and slightly faster the last mile. I had to breath through my mouth on some of my walk breaks & my V02 Max remains stuck, but I’m ok with both!
This guy stayed put as I ran past him twice, and I swear he was still in the same place when I walked the dogs this morning!
Saturday: intention — time on my feet, taking it easy Friday was so nice and cool (mid 60s — I actually wore a hoodie to walk the dogs), I wished I’d felt up to running Friday morning. I haven’t been sleeping great for a few weeks — due to heat & dogs — and I knew I was better served by a rest day.
It wasn’t really quite that hot — but it felt like it was!
Saturday was relentlessly sunny, but thankfully the humidity hadn’t been turned on yet, and I chose a route that had a fair amount of shade. This was a surprisingly strong run, relatively steady, with the last mile being the fastest.
I took it relatively easy because of the heat and sun, but while certainly not fast, it was quite a bit faster than most of my long runs have been recently — despite more walk breaks when I felt like it.
We all explored a sculpture garden
Favorites of the week
We headed out and about on Tuesday — the heat had subsided briefly, and I needed to escape from home! Other than going to my mom, the last time we went anywhere further than our town was 8 months ago.
*I* had a lovely time. Mr. Judy tolerated it (although I think the ice cream at the end helped). The dogs did quite well. I think Lola’s serious hiking days are over, though (there were no serious hikes on this trip).
I had downloaded the Hamilton soundtrack to play as we drove. Which was a lovely bit of synchronicity, as we drove through Schuylerville and close to Philip Schuyler’s (Eliza Hamilton’s father) house — I knew the house was closed, although unsure of the grounds, so we didn’t stop there. Maybe another time.
We got our first CSA (community supported agriculture) box this week. Mr. Judy will need to step up his veggie consumption!
Not always easy doing Yoga around the dogs!
A impromptu photoshoot on the Yoga platform. Bandit was briefly my Yoga buddy again this week when it was cooler. When it’s hotter he comes and checks on me, but doesn’t hang out with me.
So you or have you done a CSA?
What was your last daytrip?
Got a non-DEET bug spray that actually works? I’m still looking.
ICYMI: You’ll need a mirror for this 15ish minute meditation. If you’ve been feeling scattered, alone, and unconnected, this meditation should be a lovely practice. Excuse the skirt. Last time I’ll film a video in skirt! Watch it here.
Coming up on Tuesday: Dealing with fear. On Friday I’m thinking about ways you can make hard runs more fun. Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here — inventory & prices are decreasing!
Wendy @ Takingthelongwayhome recently made the comment of why do it if it’s not fun (or words to that effect) when she decided to drop down from a 50k to a half.
This is not a rebuttal to Wendy’s post — we all have our reasons for training or not training, for skipping runs or not, for dropping distances. Hers were very valid! You can read it here. It did, however, spark the idea for this post.
Some days I’m really glad I’m not training for anything
Some days it’s just not fun
I’ve been getting out there earlier and earlier this Summer. Mostly it’s been hot & humid & it’s just what I had to do to make my runs more funcomfortable.
I made the decision early on during this Pandemic to do my utmost to run outside — unless there was truly dangerous weather or real stay-at-home orders were enacted. So far, so good.
It isn’t always fun, though. I do my best to get out on the most runner-friendly days of the weeks, but most of us have been experiencing an unseasonably hot Summer, and even upstate NY is not immune.
There have been days it’s so buggy I must look like an insane person while swatting constantly. There are days that have been so hot|sunny|humid — or worse yet, all three! — that I feel as though an elderly grandmother using a walker could pass me.
I keep running because some days I end with a smile on face
So WHY am I out there anyway?
I say it frequently on this blog: your why is the most important thing in anything you choose to do. It’s what will keep you motivated. It’s what keeps the tough going when the going gets tough.
I am out there because I don’t want to break up with running. Oh sure, some days for sure I do want to break up with running. Ultimately, though, I want to keep running the rest of my life — even if I am never able to race again.
Running has taught me so much, has made me so much stronger, has shown me that I am stronger than I think I am. I hope to keep adding states to my tour of the States eventually. It’s all part and parcel of why I keep running, even when it’s not fun.
Just Keep Running
Some days it won’t be fun. Some runs you’ll think running is really stupid and ask yourself why you’re torturing yourself this way. The answer is simple: because some days running is just what the doctor ordered. Some days you’ll feel like you can conquer the world because you ran.
Keep running through the bad runs so you can run through the great runs.— Chocolaterunsjudy
What is your WHY?
Has your why changed because of the pandemic?
Have you ever considered hanging up your running shoes? Have you ever actually done it?
