Daytrips, blogger meetups, and running, oh my!: 6/20-26 Weekly Wrap

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

The summer has been busy — in a good way.

The weather really cooperated with everything I had planned this week. I got to meet up with another blogger in RL, had a daytrip into NYC with Darlene, and Lola got her claws clipped and dremmeled and did a little agility — that’s the short story.

I’m behind at getting back to your comments — again! — but hopefully today I’ll catch up with some blog reading/commenting. This post is going to be photo intensive — next week should be quieter!

I’m wrapping it up  with the Weekly Wrap from Holly @ Hohoruns and Tricia @ Misssipppiddlin. Share your healthy lifestyle with us and find out how other women are keeping active this summer.

WeeklyWrap

Workouts update

  • Monday: Dogwalk, 3.5 miles easy, Emom Bodyweight from Summer Sweat Series, Ab Accelerators
  • Tuesday: YFR Hamstrings, 3.5 miles easy (including 4 hill repeats and about .5 mile at tempo), Dogwalk, Bike WU (10 min), Strong Arms from Summer Sweat, Ab Accelerators
  • Wednesday: Holly Mosier 10 Minute Yoga, Dogwalk, 10 Min Bike WU,  Lower Body Plyo from Summer Sweat,  30 miunutes swimming
  • Thursday:  Dogwalk, 10 Minute Bike WU, Strong Arms from Summer Sweat, Ab Accelerators
  • Friday:  3ish miles through Central Park, Walking around NYC (roughly 11 miles)
  • Saturday: Charity Dogwalk & not a whole lot else
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, 15 Minute Bike WU, Danette May Arms, Chest & Back

Mileage: 10 (-1.32)

TIU = Tone it Up
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links
Love running skirts & summer running


Running update
Monday was a busy day, the normal stuff plus a dentist appointment and potential jury duty. I had to get Lola walked in the morning because it was forecast to go up to 90. So I did my run on the treadmill in the afternoon (because yes, it was hot).

Tuesday my running group was getting together for our first hill repeats in the evening, but I opted out and did them in the morning instead. They went well — but then I totally ran out of steam the last half mile of my run. My legs felt like they were in cement, despite it being a lovely morning. The run turned out to be a decent pace for me, but it sure didn’t feel like it.

Hello, summer running!

I thank you for all the suggestions about my ankle, which I wrote about in my Runfessions on Friday. And speaking of weird, it’s been quite good this week. Some aching after back to back running days Monday & Tuesday. After our running tour + walking around NYC for 11 miles? Perfectly normal. Which totally shocked me!

And speaking of summer running, Friday Darlene and I went into NYC. The purpose of the visit was mostly to meet Karen @ Frenchinspiration Blog — she knew Darlene was coming; I was a surprise. While they were busy planning the meetup, I was doing my half in May and then going to Seattle to visit family, plus Mother’s and Father’s Days — it’s been a busy couple of months.

So I invited myself along, but we kept it a secret from Karen.

Start of our Central Park Running Tour. Look how tan Darlene is; believe it or not, I actually do have a light tan. Yes, I’m very fair & I try to keep out of the sun because I burn easily (and cancer runs in my family)

Darlene had booked a running tour of Central Park, so I joined her. In an odd twist of fate, our guide from City Running Tours grew up just a bit north of where we live.

Bethesda Fountain & a ballerina

Even though it wasn’t super fast (for Darlene) and we did a lot of walking, I kind of struggled with it. It was midday, although it was really a pleasant day, but you know how I suck at heat — especially when I’m running at a faster than normal pace for me. And even though we did a lot of walking, I didn’t do run/walk while running, so maybe that had something to do with it too.And maybe the hills. And all those steps we walked up and down, too.

The only time you’ll see Darlene & me neck & neck

Darlene said I should have told them to slow down, but I slowed down when I needed to (like when they were running below a 10 mm pace), and she had a really hard week (you can read about it at her blog), so I wanted her to enjoy her tour. It’s not like it was as bad as my last half, but it was a bit challenging for me.

Belvedere Castle. I recognized it from “Stepmom”

And hey, she also got me to NYC for the first time in 7 years! And I love NYC. So I’m grateful, and yes, it was a very fun day.

Apparently ballerinas are the thing in street performers now

 

We visited Central Park zoo afterwards; I’d never been before

 

It was great meeting Karen in RL!

Favorites of the week
Obviously, the trip to NYC was the highlight of my week. It’s been too long! And meeting Karen in RL (and we should meet again in November — how she does all that travel and remains so perky is just beyond me).

Earthquake Cake. Totally worth it.

Dinner was awesome, too. And dessert. When Darlene told me the restaurant, she just said it was a wine bar and gave me the address.A few days before the trip I finally got around to looking it up. It was a wine and chocolate bar! Score. Ayza. So I saved myself for dessert, and it was totally worth it.

Bye bye, NYC! 

 

She was behind Mr. Judy’s shorts originally; until she saw the camera

Saturday, despite my 4 hours of sleep,  we did our local Paws in the Park walk. This walk benefits our local Humane Society, and just happens to very close to where we live. We had Lola’s nails clipped for a $10 donation.

Then we waited around about half an hour to run through the agility course. All the dogs doing it had never seen one, of course, except for us. So it took them a looooong time. I think the trainer was so pleased to have a dog who had actually done some agility and Lola had a great time zipping around the course.

 

Hmm. Even the poop bag matches. Definitely not planned!

And Skirtsports made both the trip to NYC and the charity walk so much easier; the happy girl skirt has a pocket on each leg and one zippered pocket in the back. That and the fact that Darlene knew where a free coat check was in Macys. We checked our backpacks (and small crossbody bag for me), but I had some bars, some carrots, my phone, my ipod, some antichafe cream in a ziploc, some single packets of sunscreen, and my keys stuffed into those pockets.

Saturday I had my phone, some cash, and my car keys in that back zippered pocket (which is why it’s sticking out so much). Dog treats, poop bag, and my ipod went into the pockets on the shorties.

And that’s a wrap!

I love to hear from you! Answer me one of the questions below in the comments, or just comment! Let me know what you think or what’s on your mind.

Any special tricks for carrying what you need on an urban daytrip?

Have you ever been to NYC? Any hidden gems you know of there?

Is your dog a water dog? Lola has made it very clear she isn’t — except for drinking it

49 thoughts on “Daytrips, blogger meetups, and running, oh my!: 6/20-26 Weekly Wrap”

  4. Wine and Chocolate Bar SIGN ME UP!! Oh my yum!! What a cool thing to do, take a running tour of NYC! I took a bike tour in Alaska and it was fabulous, I can only imagine how nice your run was. My brother lives there. I should tell him to start running and map out some fun sights for me!! That’s cool that you and Karen met. She is sure always on the go and yes, so energetic and happy. Enjoy your week and I hope your ankle stays strong!!

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    1. And Darlene isn’t even really a chocolate fan. Her loss. 🙂

      Our tour was just Central Park, not the entire city!

      Yes, it was super fun to meet Karen. Hoping to have a few more blogger meetups this year, too!

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  6. Your trip into NYC sounds like so much fun. I’d enjoy a running tour of Central Park. I ran there years ago just casually with my Sister. It’s a favorite memory. Meeting Karen I know was a great bonus for you and Darlene. Yummy for the wine and chocolate bar. I’m impressed with Miss Lola and her agility! Thanks for linking with us Judy.

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  7. How fun to to meet Karen! and it so cool you did a running tour, I thought you all were doing a race, I was confused from IG LOL I got it all straight now;) I have not been in NY since 1992 or 93 I think…I am not a big traveler. I would love a running tour though. That is great your ankle is cooperating 🙂 Fingers crossed.
    I love the wine color top on you, that is a great color. We will be white together, I had Basil cells I don’t sun on purpose ever, just stay white all the time.

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    1. Karen raced, we did the tour. 🙂 Karen was working while we got to play!

      I do get tan from running, but I am careful to use sunscreen. I was thinking I’d try out the town pool recently, but they don’t open until midday!😡

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    1. I’m sure Lola thought we were going to give her a bath when we put her in that kiddie pool; she hopped right back out!

      It had been 7 yrs since I’d been to NYC, but I actually did run in Central Park the last time I was there.

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  12. Awesome pics!!!! I’d love a day trip to NYC…but given my current locale, it’s not likely to happen. I have my usual purse I use for everything, it’s a cross-body bag so it’s convenient (and it’s small, so that limits all the junk I can stash in there). I also (usually) bring along a draw-string bag (I have an abundance of them from races) to wear on my back.

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    1. I do have a cross body bag and a draw string back from a race with me. 🙂

      Luckily I was able to leave those in the coat check and just carry what I needed with me for the run in my pockets. 🙂

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  14. I love the idea of Central Park running tour. I haven’t been to NYC in a couple of years, so I’m looking forward to getting back there and eating lots of yummy food at cool restaurants. So great that you got to spend the day with Darlene AND Karen. Great reason to get back to the city! I love all the pockets on the Skirts Sports too. I’m just not a fan of belts…

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    1. Belts are find for races, but I’d prefer not to wear one all day if I can avoid it!

      It had been sooooo long since I’d been in NYC. I wish I’d had more time, but the weather was great & we had a fun time!

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  15. Super fun! I am a total NYC girl – I grew up about 30 minutes outside of Manhattan and it’s one of my favorite cities in the world. I also love running in Central Park. There’s so much to see and I love the different terrains.

    The pugs don’t hate water (they are fine in the bath), but they’re not really built for swimming either LOL.

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    1. I grew up in Poughkeepsie, my parents are from the Bronx, so growing up going into the city was a normal thing for me.

      Then I moved to MD, then VT, then TX . . . it was too far away. Except for my 40th birthday — I told my husband I wanted to go into the city for it since it had been so long & at the time my parents had a time share.

      Lola really just does not like water at all. She tolerates baths quite well, but she makes it clear she doesn’t like them. And she hopped out of that kiddie pool as soon as I let her go!

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  16. What a busy but really fun looking week!! Whenever I go on a day trip I carry my essentials in a shoulder sling–I like Patagonia Atom Sling-it’s small but holds way more than you think it would 🙂

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  17. It’s so odd to me that sometimes our legs just feel like concrete for no apparent reason! It’s even odder when they feel so heavy and inflexible, yet our pace in the end is okay. We all experience that, so it must be kind of normal, but it’s definitely frustrating and annoying.

    That earthquake cake!! OMG, I want that!

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  19. Great week! I love meeting blogger friends! I’ve only met people when at races, but I’d love to go for a run with some friends!

    Your dog is just incredibly adorable!

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    1. Lola says thank you. 🙂 She’s actually been kind of depressed lately. She didn’t seem to miss Chester when we lost him, but lately she’s been acting out & I’m a bit concerned.

      We put in our hats to foster, and heard about a few opportunities, but they didn’t pan out. We just got an email today about a dog who sounds like he could be a good match, waiting to see what my husband thinks.

      Meeting up with bloggers is so much fun! Of course, aside from Darlene, I’ve only met a couple so far. I’ve plans to meet a few more, hopefully, before the year is out.

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  22. Loved meeting you last week ! So glad you invited yourself along. I had fun running in Central Park on Saturday, maybe sometime in the future we can run together.
    I am glad that you had no problem with your ankle, with all that walking. On Saturday, between the race and walking, I did close to 13 miles. Boy was I stiff when I got off the plane the next day !

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    1. In fairness to Darlene, she asked me early on, but I was too deep in planning our 2 trips in May.

      I felt oddly fine on Saturday, but I didn’t have to spend time in an airport or on a plane — makes a huge difference.

      Until Nov. 🙂

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    1. Anywhere I go, I typically put in either running tour or walking tour. 🙂

      I had actually signed up for one in NYC when we first moved here and my husband had a conference there, but it got canceled because the guide got an acting gig!

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