5 Things I Loved this Summer

~ Chocolaterunsjudy
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Why yes, running an 18 mile race & finishing within the time limit was another thing I loved this summer!

This week was a tough week. I had another topic in mind, but I didn’t have the time to write that post and do it justice, so I am joining the Friday Five 2.0 from Fairytales & Fitness and Rachel @ Running on Happy and sharing five things I loved this summer. Because yes, technically, it’s still summer.

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bkillerbody
Beginner? Ha! But it will work!

Killer B Sale
I’ve written before about how much I love Pahla B’s workouts (read it here) and I own several of her workout guides. They are very simple: a few tips, suggestions on how to use the guide, and then a schedule with links that will take you to the suggested workout on Youtube.

Pahla ran an awesome sale over the Labor Day weekend and I picked up a couple of more guides: right now I am working my way through The Killer B Guide to Your Killer Body. Don’t let the length of these workouts or the fact that many are bodyweight only. You’re not going to change and Pahla is a genius at getting you sweaty in a short amount of time.

When I checked yesterday the sale (50% off) was still going on.

All the Nuun
I cramped up after we walked back to our hotel after the 1812 Challenge. Why? Because I totally forgot to drink my Nuun when we got back there! D’oh! Drinking Nuun before and after most of my runs this summer have meant almost no cramping at all, and as soon as I drank it (and ate a little Pirate Booty), I was perfectly fine.

I’ve also been “enjoying” the Nuun Immunity (Amazon Affiliate link). Do I like the taste? It’s just okay, I’ll admit. But I drink it before, during, and after a trip. Does it make a difference? I don’t really know. But I haven’t gotten sick.

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Hands down my fav skirt of the summer

Skirt Sports Cool It Skirt
You knew it was coming, right? So why do I love this skirt so damn much?

  • It got me through both my half and the 1812 Challenge with no chafing — from the skirt, anyway.
  • It has four pockets.
  • The shorties stay in place.
  • It has a vent for ease of movement.
  • It’s so damn comfortable.
  • Does the skirt really keep me cooler? I don’t know, but I’ve done quite well in quite a number of hot races in it this summer, and it’s definitely nice and light weight.
  • It’s a solid — I love my skirts in prints, but it’s really nice to have a solid to go with some of the tops in prints!

Use code 522CRJ for 15% off — and yes, that code now works on sale prices, and yes, the Cool It Skirt is still on sale here.

Good Day Chocolate Melatonin
I’ve written about this supplement before, but it bears repeating. It won’t just knock you out. You won’t wake up groggy. It tastes like the blue M&Ms (seriously!).

It’s been a tough summer for sleep, between travel, altitude, a dying AC in one of our hottest summers here, and at the moment, Lola has bronchitis and has the cough from hell.

Good Day Chocolate Melatonin (Amazon Affiliate link) has helped me get more sleep in the midst of chaos this summer.

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Olly Protein + Slim Boost Bar in Salted Caramel Chocolate
Why is it when I talk about favorites it’s almost always about food? I picked these up at Target once on a whim. Also the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar which sadly didn’t do it for me but boy this one did!

I love the taste of the Olly Protein + Slim Boost Bar (Amazon Affiliate link), but it’s cheaper at Target). I also love the fact that they’re only 180 calories, just 3 gms of sugar, and 12 gms of protein. They’re chocolate coated so you can’t leave them in a hot car unless you really enjoy having that melted chocolate get all over everything. It’s still a treat, though — while a lot better than many so-called protein bars, it’s still pretty processed. But as an occasional indulgence to boost the protein — yum!

Everything in moderation, right?

What did you love this summer?

What can’t you wait for this Fall?

Do the darker mornings make you change your running schedule?

30 thoughts on “5 Things I Loved this Summer”

  4. In spite of our ridiculous heat, humidity, and rain, I had a fantastic summer! I got in almost everything I wanted to do. Even got to waterski here in addition to Alabama. I’m still running and that’s a win.

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    1. Well, for me, there were definitely some high highs this summer, but also a lot of ongoing stress & some low lows.

      I am grateful that I got to do the things (like my races & vacation) that I had looked forward to since 2017! Because they were in jeopardy for a while.

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  5. I don’t run in the mornings so I haven’t noticed that they are darker yet!

    Please make sure your vet does x-days on Lola because we thought Baylee had bronchitis too ( and it was this time of year too) so we thought it was due to air conditioning. She sounded like a goose when she coughed. It turned out to be a more serious problem. As dogs get older their airways shrink and that could be causing her coughing too.

    I didn’t realize that the different colored m &m s had different tastes!

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    1. I don’t run super early in the mornings, but I am almost always up super early, and now it’s dark when I get up.

      We did get xrays for Lola. She does have bronchitis, and maybe some more serious stuff going on too, but we won’t know for certain until November. I’ll write more about it on my Weekly Wrap.

      Remember, I’ve had a lot of senior animals — all too familiar with some of the things that can go wrong. 😦

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  6. I run after work during the week, so the darkness doesn’t affect me there. It does make getting up difficult, and it’s times like this I wonder why my body clock has me being an early bird. It is nice to see the sunrise when I’m driving to work, and today it was burning off low clouds so the Flatirons looks quite pretty.

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  7. you can definitely get a great workout with just body weight. The best workout is the one you enjoy doing right? I have not tried any of PB’s yet thanks for sharing. I also have not tried the cool it collection shirts yet-seriously what is wrong with me!

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    1. Did you mean skirts, not shirts? I don’t have any of the cool it shirts, just the skirts. I really can’t emphasize how much I love them!

      And absolutely the best exercise is the one you enjoy! Although PB’s workouts are HARD!

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  8. Darker mornings do make me change my running. But it might be more that my kids go to school so I can run in daylight again. I love that the sun comes up early in the summer and I can get my run out of the way, but sometimes it makes for a long day!

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  9. The dark mornings kind of just creeped up on me. It seems like one week we were running our five miles at 5:00 with almost total daylight, and then a week later it was dark for the first couple miles, then (without warning), it’s now pretty much total darkness. WHAT???? Granted, it’s been cloudy and /or foggy the past three weeks…so it seems darker than it actually is, but UGH. I have not changed my plans around the darkness, but I am not happy my long days of summer have pretty much ended ;-(

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  10. I’m an afternoon runner but I hate it when we turn the clocks back.

    I love the hot weather even though it makes me run slower.

    I have not tried the cool it collection. The price and the colors were a turn off. I am fine with the gym girl.

    I’m a big melatonin fan. But I buy the gummies. Buy one get one big jar free in CVS. I take them most nights.

    What did I love this summer? Sunshine and being outdoors on the weekend. Weekends away with girl griends. I had 3.

    I didn’t race much this summer. At least nothing more than a 5k. So I’m looking forward to more races and going to France.

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      2. If you already like what you’re taking I wouldn’t think you’d need to try it — most likely it’s more expensive that what you take. Plus chocolate isn’t your thing (you need to find chocolate milk with melatonin).

        But if you want to try it I can give you a couple.

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  11. I do like Nuun, but honestly haven’t used it much in awhile because I’m such a Gen UCAN girl now. But, I have soem tubes and need to add it back into the mix! I’m definitely all about electrolytes in my water, especially this time of year. It’s so so vital in this heat!
    Okay, I may have to break down and try the Cool It skirt because I hear nothing but raves from all of my fellow Skirt Sisters. I am just so addicted to my GGU! 🙂

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      2. Gym girl doesn’t have grippers, but most people don’t have problems with the shorties moving. I love mod quad, but not as much for running — but that’s based more on the old grippers.

        I also highly recommend the lotta breeze skirt. No grippers, but again, for most people the shorties don’t move & I find it to be very comfortable. I also always recommend reading the comments.

        I’m a M in Gym Girl, but a S in Lotta Breeze & Cool It.

        I also recommend the pocketopia capris (no skirt). Again, I have to go up a size because I tend to be between sizes.

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