Chipping Away at To-dos: 8/1 – 7 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

Except for the heatwave a relatively quiet week. My to-do lists were quite long, but my motivation wasn’t strong — I blame the heat! Good thing I prioritize the three most important things. They usually get done. I chip away at the rest.

bwrd

I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and easing back into running and strength.

Workouts update

  • Monday: Yoga AM (20 min), 5 miles easy, Yoga PM (20 min)
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk, Yoga AM (20 min), Cardio Toning (25 min), Yoga PM (20 Min)
  • Wednesday: Yoga AM (20 min), 5 miles easy, Yoga PM (20 min)
  • Thursday: Dogwalk, Yoga AM (20 min), Swimming (20 min), Cardio Toning (25 min), Yoga PM (20 Min)
  • Friday: Yoga AM (20 minutes, Dogwalk <== rest day
  • Saturday: Dogwalk, 3ish TM hills & speed, Yoga PM (20 min)
  • Sunday: Yoga (20 min), Dogwalk, ST of some sort (25 min)

Running Mileage: 13  (+13) 


PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike

Running Update

Bad Great Blue Heron photo. This guy was in the same place when I ran by — and when I turned around & came back.

Monday intention: find the joy
I think I managed to find joy for the first three miles but the last two were a struggle. It was warm and humid, even though the trail I was running was shady. I slept really poorly the night before, basically waking up at around 2 am and just laying in bed until I got up around 4:30 am. I felt kinda beat the rest of the day, too, not gonna lie. I decided to ease back into running with two five mile runs and one speedwork session this week. This allowed me to have decent weekly mileage while also honoring the fact that I’d taken a week off everything except walking and Yoga last week.

The parts without algae are so pretty

Wednesday intention: find the joy
Yes! You know those rare almost perfect runs? This was that. It was cooler and less humid. I slept much better the night before. I had a different breakfast. I saw Great Blue Herons flying around multiple times, and one Great White Heron. My pace every mile was faster than Monday’s run. I wasn’t completely drained the rest of the day, either.

Saturday intention: work on speed
It’s actually been quite some time since I ran on the mill, but with Mr. Judy occupied today and the heat, I got out there to walk Bandit early. I had some trouble getting myself to get on the mill, but once I did, this was actually a good run. Unlike the last time I ran on the mill, I felt pretty good — as good as you can doing hills, speedwork, and leaving a puddle of yourself on the mill, LOL!

My view while meditating. Would you stop to enjoy it?

Favorites of the week
The first run back definitely wasn’t a favorite, but the second one was — and I stopped at the dam above to sit and meditate a few minutes. Yes I did, in the middle of my long-er run. It was glorious. If I park in a different place the dam is only a mile down the trail, and that would be a great end to a run!

There was an amazing amount and variety of birds flying around this preserve

I am still enjoying time out in the back, pretty much daily, despite the heat and a few storms. We’re still dry here. Grass everywhere is brown. Although as I put some finishing touches on this post the night before, it’s raining. We need it!

ICYMI: I swear I didn’t intend to do two Yin Yoga practices for neck & shoulders two weeks in a row! Practice with me here, August is going to be all about finding your edge — an important principle in Yin Yoga and running. This week includes a short vlog on edges here and a meditation on finding your edge (also useful for runners) here.

Coming up on Friday: Friday I’m going to share the rule of thirds, which I got from Alexi Pappas’ book Bravey (Amazon Affiliate link here). I listened to the audiobook — let me just say it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Still taking a little blogging break to concentrate on some other things.

25 thoughts on “Chipping Away at To-dos: 8/1 – 7 WRD”

  1. Glad that you did fund joy in the run.

    I can’t say that about my runs this week. All I remember is heat and humidity.

    But this will end. Not complaining since we have lots of daylight and sunshine.

    Our lawn is green in the front because we water it. But the back is ugly brown. But why do the weeds not need water to flourish?

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      1. Just wish it didn’t take up so much time. As you said, they are out of place so you have to pull them or they take over.

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  2. We have at least two great blue herons in the creek behind our house and sometimes they stand in one spot for hours. Other times they walk up and down the creek hunting for fish with their funny bird walk. I could watch them for hours from my kitchen window.

    Don’t you just love it when a run feels almost perfect? Glad you experienced one last week!

    Have a great rest of your weekend, Judy!

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    1. Your observations of the herons is fascinating! We don’t have water in our neighborhood except one very small stream that isn’t close. Imagine my surprise seeing a great blue flying through our neighborhood not long ago! But what an awful screech they make!

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  4. I’m not a meditator but I would stop to savor the beauty of that view! For me, the best part of trail runs is soaking in all the beauty around me.No need to push the pace (unless I’m being chased by flies!0

    There is a blue heron in my preserve but he never stands still long enough for me to photograph him. There is also one at Holly’s house and her dog likes to bark at him. We had one in Florida at the house we used to vacation at and named him Harry. So all herons I see are called Harry…

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    1. There was a nice breeze too! Oddly enough it’s not very buggy (yet) & I am very grateful for that. There were quite a few herons flying around on one run, but the other one he just sat there.

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  6. How nice to have a magical run! SO nice when they happen! That’s a gorgeous spot for some contemplation. We’ve got blue herons and egrets right here in our yard because we back up to a pretty large body of water. They fun to watch!

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  8. Your views are amazing! I love the photos as always. I think the treadmill is a good place for speedwork! Or rather, if you’re running on the treadmill, it’s a good time for speedwork- it makes it less boring.
    I loved Bravey!!! Yes, the rule of thirds is good.

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  10. Yay for a great run! My 8-miler, yesterday, was kind of one of those. Granted, it was horribly humid, and I could feel my feet shuffling (I blame the lingering DOMS in those first few miles). I was crazy tired afterwards (I blame the humidity for that), and I succumbed to a mid-morning nap…but felt great, regardless. I love the pic of your meditation view…breathtaking!

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  12. Lovely heron, and I’d have totally stopped there, too. Very hot here again this week so minimal running unfortunately. Just can never get acclimatised to the really high temps as we have them so rarely.

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