After our cold snap last week, trees are popping out in color all over the place. Way too early, but there’s something about the changing leaves . . . even if I never missed that the 17 years we lived in TX!
Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and running/walking my virtual Dempsey Challenge races.
Workouts update
- Monday: Yoga (50 min), 3 miles easy (with 5 strides at end), Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
- Tuesday: Yoga (30 min), Walk while waiting for Lola @ Vet, Yoga (20 min)
- Wednesday: Yoga (50 min), Dogwalk, Yoga (15 min)
- Thursday: Yoga (30 min), Dempsey Challenge Virtual 10k + .8 mile warmup, Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
- Friday: Yoga (50 min), Dogwalk
- Saturday: Yoga (50 min), Dempsey Challenge Virtual 5k Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
- Sunday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
Mileage: 10 (-3)
JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
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
Running Update
Monday intention: Remind legs they can go fast
An easy run with strides at the end to work on turnover. Another nice day, although I kinda felt like I was dragging. The busyness of September catching up with me, I guess. Still it was negative splits. Last mile pretty darn fast for me (due to pausing my watch when I walk back uphill between strides).
Thursday intention: get stronger + speed
I chose to run my Dempsey Challenge 10k today instead of my usual long-run Saturday, thinking the weather would be cooler (maybe not so much, turns out). We’d still warmed up and it was humid, but not Summer-humid thankfully. I ran .8 mile to warm up, then another 3.1 in the neighborhood (rolling hills).
Then I took off downhill for the second half of the 10k. Yup, the second half was significantly faster. At one point I spied a penny — then another, then another — all in all there were six socially distanced pennies. Weird! Yes, I picked them up.
Then I walked almost 3 miles back up the hills, and then it was another 1.5 mile cool down walk with Mr. Judy and Bandit and stick a fork in me I was done — for the rest of the day! I was tired. I don’t think it was the “race” so much as all that time out in the sun. I felt fine the next day.
If you’d like to donate to my fundraiser, you can (until the end of September) right here. 100% of your donations goes to support services for people battling cancer.
Favorites of the week
In addition to running my virtual Dempsey Challenge on Thursday, we walked 5k on Saturday (the actual day of the road races, normally — there’s also cycling races) with Bandit. He was a bit balky towards the end (we had to pass our house to make sure it was really 3.1).
Best use for beets!
Then there was this red velvet mug cake. It got its coloring from beets. Which I’ve had coming out of my ears with our veggie share.
Lola is better, but she is not amused at all at not being able to go on our walks. If she liked to be carried I’d take her with us that way, but alas, she really doesn’t. Luckily we have a gate that can attach to the top of our stairs, which Mr. Judy did. We carry her up & down those stairs. Sometimes she still goes up and down onto the couch, even though we try to help her and she has steps — she’s still darn fast for just about 15!
Run any virtual races lately?
Enjoying a little Indian Summer? We are for a few days!
What is one thing you’re proud you did this week?
ICYMI: One last Yin Yoga Pre Run Warmup and it’s the shortest one yet! I’ll get you out for your run in just a little over eleven minutes here. All of these practices are great post run, too — or even the night before a hard workout.
Coming up on Tuesday: I’m wrapping up my September. On Friday let’s grab some coffee or tea and get together to share what’s going on in our monthly coffee date here.
Chocolaterunsjudy 
A good week. Have an easy fast if you’re doing it. G’mar Chatima Tovah!
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Same to you, Natalie! We do fast. We often break it early, but sometimes we go the whole way. 🙂
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A good week! Ha love the feather pic, the cats are always appearing with dust on their whiskers and today I found a bit of Willa fur hanging out of the corner of Percy’s mouth: busted! (she was fine, they do seem to shed tufts when they fight).
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Oh yes, sometimes fur would fly between Giz & Simba, too. Never actual bites, thankfully. I was almost laughing too hard at her to get that pic!
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Sounds like a great week and I love the color of your sneakers!
That red velvet mug cake recipe that uses beets sounds really cool! I love adding beets to my salads or drinking beet juice so I would definitely try it!
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I often eat a goat cheese salad (not so much now that it’s getting cooler, but of course right now it’s warm again).
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I’ve been leaf peeping–it’s going to really cool down this week and i think they’re going to pop! Kind of a mixed blessing.
So not a fan of beets. I was starting to like them and then I had a major GI upset after eating them. So much for that!
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Luckily I do like beets, cause we keep getting them week after week (and I’m the only one that eats them).
I was really hoping to get out somewhere next week, but it looks like we have quite a bit of rain in our forecast. They’re so often wrong though!
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oh that beet cake looks interesting! I love how you set intentions for your runs. Great idea!
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The mug cake was really good. Mostly I think you could just add pureed beets to almost any mug cake recipe. This particular recipe — which I only half followed — said it wouldn’t really be that red but it definitely looked like red velvet cake!
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Though Fall is not my favorite season, I do love the changing leaves. Glad I’ve been hiking a lot because they’ll be gone soon.
I’ve been doing some virtuals. Everyone seemed to agree that they’re not races but runs with swag.
Happy Yom Yippur. Hope you break your fast with something delicious.
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We’ll break the fast with the usual stuff: bagels & lox, egg salad, birthday cake (LOL!).
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I had b-day cake today but not really a cake person. Prefer a pie or fruit pastry. Not complaining – it was from Bella Napoli. Rum!!!
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Oh, I never would have guessed that cake had beets in it — what a great idea! I only buy pre-roasted beets to slice for salads because I’m intimidated by them. 😉 We’ve had a pretty wet summer and fall started with rain too, so I’m not sure what our leaf colors will be like.
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Beets are actually really easy, but they do take a long time to roast. I just poke them with a fork like a potato, and then roast them until they’re soft. Time varies with the size. I don’t even peel them.
The beets in my veggie share have gotten HUGE! Although I think this coming week is the first beetless week in months.
It’s waaaaay early for the trees to be turning, but so far they seem to be looking good. I’m pretty sure that unseasonable cold snap had a lot to do with the earliness.
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One thing I’m proud of (for this past week) is the 100 biking miles! That said, that will NOT be happening this next week LOL Like with running, it’s probably wisest to scale back the miles now and then, even if the biking miles are a lot easier to do.
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A little variety in mileage never hurt anyone. 🙂 Yes, you have kept really busy Kim!
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interesting use of beets! The pups are so cute…Bandit looks very cozy and comfortable post 10k/walk. Great job on the race and yes, all the outdoor/sun time can wear you out!
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It was only a 5k for Bandit, LOL — Pretty sure he doesn’t have a 10k in him.
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It got warm here again too. Its nice during the day but for the past few mornings its been really humid for running! I have a virtual 10k coming up. I haven’t decided when I will run it yet though.
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Yeah, mornings have been super humid around here, too! Don’t worry, Fall will come back. 🙂
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LOL on feather, what feather. Glad Lola is on the mend.
Warm/humid here too but not quite 80 so really can’t complain.
No leaves yet 😦
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Lots & lots of leaves turning. And of course falling all over the lawn.
We had a photo of Chester & the acorn (same sort of thing, huge acorn stuck in his mouth & he just tried to look normal, LOL). Mr. Judy actually had it come up as a FB memory recently.
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Haha! Bandit post 5K looks like me post a long run! So happy to hear Lola is feeling better. No virtual races for me as such but I have a 200km Challenge I’m doing for September. I have 30km and 3 days left — so getting a bit nervous now!
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I am willing to bet you finished up your 200km challenge!
With Lola not able to go on walks with us, we’ve been taking longer walks. Actually I’d already started to do that right before she hurt her foot.
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Sweet Lola. Would she ride in a wagon or dog stroller?
I am hopeful to see some fall foliage in about two weeks. In Florida, it’s just not a thing, so it will be a nice change of pace.
That beet cake looks good. I like beets in pretty much everything, so that would be a win.
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Lola would absolutely not stay in anything. She has two speeds: on & off. Off is sleeping for hours, on is trying to play and run as if nothing is wrong.
The vet gave the go ahead to do short walks on grass — but keeping her on grass might be hard. She soooooo wants to walk though.
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I guess we can’t have Indian Summer here yet since we haven’t had frost, but sadly it’s probably coming soon. Our neighbor walks her two little dogs in a stroller. It’s cute but I wouldn’t wanna do it. I love beets but I’m the only one in here who does so usually I skip. Fun mug cake!
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We haven’t technically had a frost either but we had quite a few days with lows in the 30s, now the lows are in the 60s (about to change) — so I’m gonna call it Indian Summer!
I’m the only one that eats most of the veggies in this house, although Bandit likes to help. He actually keeps begging for beets, too, but I’m not giving him any!
Lola would never, ever sit still in a stroller or wagon. It’s just not in her nature. She still wants to go! She wants to go on the walks so badly, she comes running over to the fence, all excited. Poor girl. We can still only walk her short distances on the grass. Which should be interesting.
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Bandit looks so tired. Long day for him!
I don’t think I’ve ever had beets. I know I don’t eat a lot of vegetables but by now I’ve at least eaten a lot of them.
Last week I did fun things for me. I took it easy and relaxed. This week is another story. Not too bad but not relaxing either. Oh well.
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I hear you. My weeks haven’t been super relaxing (until this one). Well, still not SUPER relaxing but better. Maybe because I’m not running. 🙂
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LOL on the feather! My cats will often emerge from a remote corner with fuzz on their face. 🙂
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Animals just have no shame. 🙂
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