Author: Chocolaterunsjudy

5 Ways Strength Training Could Make You Faster

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 11 Comments

Spoiler alert: there does not really seem to be a consensus on whether or not strength training will actually improve your speed as a runner. That being said, there are possible benefits to strength training for runners. Read on to find out what they are!

bfitfivefriday

I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Runs with Pugs, Zenaida and Run Laugh Eat Pie for Fit Five Friday. Today I’m sharing 5 reasons strength training might help you become speedier. Keep in mind I am not a researcher, doctor, or personal trainer.

1: It makes you powerful
Building the right muscles will help you to get explosive — aka fast. This can help you start strong — and stay strong — and ultimately run faster. If this is what you’re after, try plyometric exercises.

2: It can help prevent injuries
Think about what happens when you run: you are essentially hopping from one single legged squat to another. If you’re legs aren’t strong enough to perform these movements, or fatigue quickly, what do you suppose your chance of injury might be? 

If you dig online, you will of course find those that say strength training really won’t help you as a runner, but you will also find many, many reputable experts that insist that it does. I say try it for yourself and see what you think. IOW, don’t knock it til you try it!

3: It improves running economy
Running economy means you use less oxygen to maintain your pace. 

Can strength training improve my running form? | Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

4: It can improve your running form
Every notice how your shoulders creep up towards your ears by the end of a race? Yeah, that’s poor running form. When our running form falls apart, we’re usually tensing up somewhere — and that can use up the energy we want to use for running.

If form is important to you, make sure you do those core exercises — everything moves from our core. A weak core can mean your running form will fall apart sooner rather than later.

5: It may help you hold off fatigue
This comes back to point #4 — strong muscles will not fatigue as quickly as weak ones, allowing you to hold a better running form longer. This means your run will feel easier. You’ve run hard and easy runs — which feel better to you?

Final Thoughts
I personally do think that strength training is important for everyone, but in my research I also came across an interesting article (to read it click here) that claims strength training won’t improve your running, and may even hinder it. The author makes some interesting points, and hey, if you don’t want to strength train, you’re gonna love this article! 

The jury is still out on whether strength training will make you faster, but I believe that the benefits of strength training are important for everyone:

  • Helps you in your functional fitness in your day to day life
  • Helps improve bone strength
  • Maintain or build muscle, which we tend to lose as we age
  • May help increase your cognitive ability
  • May help you sleep better
  • Helps improve blood sugar control

This list is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of strength training. I don’t know about you, but these all sound like really good things to me!

You do not have to spend hours at home or at the gym,, either. Just 10 – 15 minutes a day could make a huge difference in your life. Check out these workouts from Confessions of a Mother Runner here, or from Coach Debbie Runs here.

Share with me a story about strength training & how it’s helped your runs

How do you find the time to fit in strength training?

What types of strength training do you enjoy?

Is it ever too cold for running?

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 25 Comments

Some people will tell you that as long as you have the right gear, it’s never too cold to run. There is a kernel of truth to that statement, but there are truly dangerous conditions when you should either reschedule or take it to the treadmill — or do some other type of inside cardio instead: stationary bike, rowing, rebounding are all good choices if you have the equipment.

If you don’t have any indoor cardio options, all you have to do is turn to the numerous apps available online.

When can it be too dangerous to run?

Blizzard conditions
You may not mind running in the snow — maybe even in deep snow — but you have two choices outside:

  1. Drive to a (hopefully) cleared path
  2. Run in your neighborhood

Both choices are dangerous in a blizzard. Running in your neighborhood might be an option, but then you have to hope that cars don’t go off the run and hit you. Driving somewhere to run (some gyms even have indoor tracks) might work, but then you have to worry about yourself skidding off the road, or getting into an accident.

Not to mention the chance of a fall and injury.

It’s not worth it!

It’s not just the temp, it’s the conditions
Hypothermia can set in even if the temperature is well above freezing — especially if it’s wet and windy. If you can’t stay dry, it’s very cold, and it’s windy — it may be time to reschedule that run. Especially if you’re running solo, because you’re unlikely to realize you’re becoming hypothermic.

Protect the digits . . .
. . . and the feet, nose, and ears. Those are all likely spots for frostbite. You may have your hands and feet covered, probably your ears, too. Your nose can be covered by a mask or well fitting gaiter — but just remember, that frostbite can occur with just half an hour exposure in temps below 0F/-18C.

Ice is definitely the most dangerous condition to run in | Photo by Nadine Wuchenauer on Pexels.com

Icy conditions
There are ways to get better traction in the ice:

  • Trail Shoes (bonus points for waterproof)
  • Screw shoes (read the instructions here)
  • Yaktrax or Nanospikes

I have used all of the above. They will definitely help, but none of the options available can 100% protect you from slipping and injuring yourself. You still have to weigh the danger from drivers whether you stay in your neighborhood or drive somewhere.

Final Thoughts
Yes, you can, with the proper gear, run in almost any weather, but sometimes you have to ask yourself is it really worth it? What am I risking if I reschedule my run? What am I risking if I fall and injure myself?

Runners are a stubborn lot, and yes, I’ve run in some pretty bad weather conditions. Definitely some I shouldn’t have run in. Just know before you go and weigh the risk vs reward for you. Don’t be swayed by your running friends if your gut is just telling you it’s not the right day for you.

How low will YOU go?
Have you ever had frostbite? I’m happy to say I haven’t!
What’s your favorite gear for staying upright in slippery conditions?

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Slowing Expanding: 1/10 – 16 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 36 Comments

I am determined to respect my body and give it the rest it wants — while trying to move gently, too. I seemed to find a good balance this week. What I didn’t find? Myself, outside, as much as usual. The ice stuck around for days because of the the mostly cold temps — I went food shopping one morning and getting back up the very icy driveway (we live on top of a small hill) was definitely tricky.

The subject also refers to our slowly expanding daylight!

bwrd

I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and moving and resting in equal-ish measures.

Workouts update

  • Monday: Yoga (30 min) AM, Yoga Midday (20 min)
  • Tuesday: Yoga (40 min), 2 TM miles, Yoga (20 min)
  • Wednesday: Yoga AM (40 min), Yoga Afternoon (20 min)
  • Thursday: Yoga (30 minutes), 2 miles easy, Dogwalk
  • Friday: Yoga (45 min), PB Walking with Weights (25 min), Walking around Olana
  • Saturday: Yoga (35 min), PB Cardio Toning (25 min)
  • Sunday: Yoga (20 min), 2 TM miles, PB ST (25 min)

Running Mileage: 6  (+2) 


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

Running Update

This photo wasn’t actually taken on this day, but it’s our bathroom window. Yeah, it’s been a very cold most of the week.

Tuesday Intention: take it easy
It was cold and windy, and if I were feeling normal maybe I’d run outside. Still fatigued but wanted to run so it was a treadmill run. Did the Rent run — but failed to notice that it was only 20 minutes & an outdoor workout as well, so also had to tack on some cool down. A rock musical is a good soundtrack to run to. Felt good after, seemed to feel okay the next day. #sorrynotsorryiranonthemill

No, I didn’t have the gaiter over my nose while running. Notice the ice on the side of the road. That’s what my entire driveway looked like, and probably will look like again after tomorrow’s storm.

Thursday Intention: still easy
After days of cold, wind, ice — or all three at once! — I finally got outside to run. I had to gingerly walk down the driveway because the ice hadn’t yet melted, although it was gone when we walked later in the day. It was slow, I felt tired, but it was definitely nice to be outside.

Sunday Intention: a slight push
I did the Peloton ABBA run today, so there were some surges and some hills. I also tacked on some strength training post run. Tomorrow I’ll probably be doing some shoveling. I can remember long ago watching Mama Mia while running on the treadmill (it was still negative temps when I ran) — it’s another great soundtrack to run to! Even though it was going to be very cold today, the wind was absent and the sun wasn’t, but I didn’t want to wait until later in the day when we actually had some degrees.

There will probably be a lot of photos from Olana this winter

Favorites of the week
Hard to believe it had been almost three weeks since I’d visited my mom. It wasn’t much of a visit, really, as I had some important stuff I needed to take care of for her which had me in the business office for much of the visit. I got it done, but no doubt the insurance company will come back with more requests. Truly hoping I’m building up some good karma so someone’s gonna help me out with this stuff when I’m her age!

I am very grateful that the treadmill is an option again. Even though I’m not training for anything, I still want to run, and super cold weather and lots of ice has made that difficult lately.

I have also observed the longer daylight and that makes me happy too! It’s not getting dark until almost 5 pm now. Don’t laugh, for us in December it’s full on dark by 4:30 pm, so this is a welcome sign of the warmer, longer days ahead. This week I’ve slowly been feeling better, and I’m sure the slowly expanding daylight is also partially responsible for that.

Probably a lot of bored Bandit in the coming weeks too. Although I do try to play with him more since it’s mostly been too cold to walk!

ICYMI: It’s all about the hips & glutes this week guys — I might even sing. Just a tiny bit. I go a little bit deeper into what Satya is in this week’s vlog.

Yin Yoga for Hips & Glutes click here * Satya vlog click here

Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: Tuesday: is it ever too cold to run outside? I started to write this post before all the cold descended on us! Friday: will strength training make you a faster runner?

5 Ways to Connect Body & Mind on the Run

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 13 Comments

bmindbody

Why do you run?

Maybe it’s to get out of your head. I think a lot — so sometimes it’s nice to just not think so much. Not thinking as much while running can be a form of meditation — which is just one reason that running can leave us feeling so darn good.

Maybe you are chasing that runner’s high (again, trying to feel better than when you started). 

An even better goal is to get into the flow state. You know the flow state — when everything just seems to flow easily. It’s not just for athletes, either! Performers, crafters — anything you enjoy doing that makes you lose track of time is basically the flow state (sometimes referred to as in the zone).

Overthinking things keeps the flow state away. Concentrating only on how your body feels might also keep it away — you start thinking that this feels hard, or you distract yourself with thoughts of what you’re going to eat after your run. 

Connecting your body and mind allows you to stay present. Thinking about the future can feel pleasant, but in the end, you’re not there. You’re losing the pleasure you could get in this moment.

Right here, right now

Ruminating about the past — that fight you had with your friend or kids, the things you didn’t get done — that’s also going to rob your from the pleasure you could get, right here, right now.

bfitfivefriday

I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Runs with Pugs, Zenaida and Run Laugh Eat Pie for Fit Five Friday. Today I’m sharing 5 ways you can use running to connect your body and mind and hopefully find joy on the run.

1: Notice your breath
This is probably the easiest way to connect mind and body. When you bring your attention to your breath, your breathing will naturally slow down — although maybe not so much on the run! When your breathing is slower, your thoughts will also slow down. You can even try to take your attention to where you feel your breath in your body (nose, chest, belly?).

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2: Yoga Warmup
Taking the time to practice some Yoga before you start your run will not only help you warm up your body, it will also help connect your body to your mind.

3: Practice a Body Scan
Start at your feet and work your way all the way up to your head. Where can you relax, even just 10%? Muscle tension means you’re using up some of your precious energy that would be better spent propelling your run.

4: Sigh
I read an article about how sighing can help you to connect body and mind, and unfortunately I didn’t save it and haven’t been able to find it again. However I came across an interesting post (click here to read it) that talks about the mental and physical effects of sighing.

Sighing allows an extra burst of oxygen to enter our lungs, which leads to improved blood flow, feelings of relaxation, and lowered levels of stress.

Feeling stressed out by your run? Try a sigh and just let it all go!

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5: Run outside and look around!
It’s so easy to develop tunnel vision while running, especially if it’s a hard workout. When you spend some time noticing the sky, trees, flowers, other people out there, animals — you are taking some of the effort out of your run. While you’re at it, why not concentrate on the rest of your senses:

  • What do you smell?
  • What do you taste?
  • What do you feel touching your body?
  • What do you hear?

Final Thoughts
You probably do use running as a moving meditation sometimes, without ever calling it that. It’s okay to get lost in our thoughts, maybe even better sometimes to turn our mind off completely (well, maybe not completely so you get lost!), but I think you’ll reap even more benefits from your runs when your mind and body are connected.

Connecting body and mind is a skill, and like any skill, it becomes easier with practice. Remember, it’s not about how often you fail, it’s about how often you try again!

Do you use running to tune out or tune in?

Do you ever think about your mind body connection?

What makes a run great for you?

Move More, Exercise Less

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 32 Comments

bmovemore

Yes, I totally stole the subject “move more, exercise less” from a Peloton instructor. No, I don’t know which one. I embraced it in 2021, too. Which meant that while it was one of my lowest mileage years in running miles — although not the lowest — I still kept busy moving.

Pacing
I pace around while my tea is brewing (3 minutes for green, 5 for herbal) and I drink a lot of tea. You’d be surprised how many steps you can get in by doing that! Most of the time I will pace while talking on the phone, too. Some days I get in roughly half my steps just by pacing.

bmovemore2

Walking/Hiking
We walk Bandit almost every day. When it was warmer we actually tried to walk him twice a day. It’s not long or fast, but a short run and a Dogwalk will always put me over my steps goal for the day.

I don’t do crazy long hikes because I just don’t have the time (or I’m with Bandit and the hubs). Even just a 2 or 3 mile hike can rack up a lot of steps, though.

Strength Training
Strength Training generally doesn’t get me a lot of steps, although I do enjoy walking with lighter weights with Pahla B (good to do at my moms when the weather is bad, too — see her YouTube channel here). It isn’t about the steps, but it is about movement — as well as trying to retain as much muscle as I can.

Yoga
Yoga most certainly isn’t about steps, but it is about movement. I am on my mat daily, sometimes a few times a day, almost 365 days a year.

underwater photography of swimmer
It won’t get you steps, but it will work your heart & the rest of your body | Photo by Heart Rules on Pexels.com

Swimming
Swimming was a victim of the loss of a community center and the pandemic, although thanks to a friend I did get to swim quite a few times this Summer and it felt so good (thank you Running Buddy J!). I hope someday when we move there is a place for me to swim.

Final Thoughts
Would you believe that I’ve never run 1000 miles in a year? It’s true. I’ve come close. My walking + running this year did put me just over 1000 miles (combined).

I don’t really care, either. If it motivates you, that’s great, as long as you stay healthy and uninjured.

There are so many different ways to move — I’ve barely scratched the surface! The beauty of concentrating more on movement, less on exercise, is that if you can’t do one form of exercises, there’s always a way to move.

Recently I read an article in the NY Times about how 10k steps is a really random number and most of us don’t really need that daily. My base is 8k. Most of the time I’m over, occasionally I’m under — there was a time when that bothered me, but I’ve come to realize that for me, anyway, it’s much more about moving to counteract the sitting.

I think I’m a happier person because I don’t really care so much about my steps — I still track them — I’ve just come to realize that pushing myself to some arbitrary goal isn’t always the best thing for me. YMMV (your mileage may vary), as the saying goes.

Are you an exerciser or are you a mover?
How do you get more movement into your day?
Is your yearly mileage important to you?

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Decluttering & Organizing: 1/3 – 9 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 34 Comments

I didn’t feel great in the beginning of the week (left over from last week), rested but did stuff (more on that in the Favorites of the Week), felt better, got more active — and then had to rest some more. I still learned a lot this week and accomplished a lot while moving (some) and some major rest, too.

bwrd

I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and organizing for a new year.

Workouts update

  • Monday: Yoga (30 min) AM, Yoga Midday (20 min)
  • Tuesday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk
  • Wednesday: Yoga (40 min), 3 TM miles easy, Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
  • Thursday: Yoga (40 minutes), 1 mile recovery run, Dogwalk, PB Weights (25 min)
  • Friday: Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk
  • Saturday: Yoga (20 min), Dogwalk, Moved Treadmill — that was a workout!
  • Sunday: Yoga (30 min), perhaps a walking workout inside later, we’ll see how I feel

Running Mileage: 4  (-4) 

Not off to a great start, but hoping I will get in a few more miles next week.


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

Running Update

It was another blustery, cold day. Treadmill came at right about the right time!

Wednesday Intention: take it easy
It was cold and blustery, and as I was finally feeling a bit better, I wanted to stay nice and warm inside. I did a couple of the Taylor Swift runs (one run, one cooldown run) and I enjoyed both. I took it very easy and am glad to report I felt no worse for wear the next day — okay, maybe some slight muscle protest at being used again, LOL!

It was pretty cold today, too, but far less windy. Roads were okay & I got myself out to a park I hadn’t been to in a while.

Thursday Intention: recover
After quite a few days at home, except for walking Bandit, it was time to bust out of the house! I decided to take a short walk around a local park and take photos, and then do my recovery run there. We’d had a dusting of snow overnight which allowed me to try out my new hiking boots and I used screw shoes for the run, just in case.

I doubled up on jackets while walking around, and I was fine — except for my hands! I’d chosen my medium weight convertible gloves and my hands were so cold. I ditched the overcoat & grabbed my heavier gloves — and of course you can do anything for a mile. On the faster side for a recovery run but it was nice to walk around and look for photos.

Despite the smile this was quite the project!

Favorites of the week
Although I wasn’t filling great in the beginning of the week and rested a lot, I also got a lot of stuff done: decluttering digitally and in the house., and worked on the Spring Yoga Challenge I hope to offer.

I had also signed up for a iphone photography course, and I did a lot of that when I was relaxing, too. I was trying out some of the stuff I learned during the week. I learned a lot but I’m not quite sure my photos improved! I had fun taking photos though.

Here are a few of my photos this week (as seen on FB here too):

We had some really stunning sunrises & sunsets this week. I climbed all over Mr. Judy to take these photos.
So nothing truly amazing but I did learn a lot & am still absorbing it. You have to take a lot of photos to get one really good one; I don’t think I got a really good one this week but I did take a lot of photos, LOL!

ICYMI: If you want to wind and calm down so you can sleep deeply, I’ve got the perfect practice for you! The holidays are over and it’s time to go inside, destress, and practice a little self care. I also have another very short vlog with the two questions you must ask yourself each morning. This is quick, folks!

Deep Sleep Restorative Yoga click here * 2 Must Do Morning Questions vlog click here

Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: Tuesday: do you really need to exercise so much? Friday I’m sharing five ways you can connect body and mind while you run — and why that’s a good idea!

Culinary/Garden musings: Tea/coffee Date January 2022

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 36 Comments

bteajan22

Ultimate-Coffee-Date-1-300x300

Welcome to 2022! I know that this will be another hard year for me due to my mom’s failing health, but even so, there’s always something hopeful about the start of a new year.. Thanks,  Coco and Deborah, for hosting us — I’m ready to get together over hot drinks and let you know what’s been going on in my neck of the woods.

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Christmas Cactus, beautiful sunset, don’t mind the crystals “charging”

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you my Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years Cactus has brought me much joy this year. Yes, it’s been blooming through all those holidays. I also found it was like the Fall: there was just a few blooms at first, then different clusters over the next couple of months, rather than most of the flowers blooming at the same time.

What we couldn’t save? Our raised planters! We noticed that the side of one was slowly sliding down. Then the bottom completely fell out of the other one one day. Finally the bottom fell out of the second one, too.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that I had totally forgotten about the Rosemary plant we had on the deck, through one or two freezes. I finally brought it inside, and it seems to be surviving. It’s even blooming. 

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that we got some Parsley in one of our veggie boxes in the Fall. I stuck it in some water in the fridge, with plans to make Pesto with it, and there it sat . . . and sat . . . and sat — until it totally dried out. I can use dried Parsley, though, it’s just a pain stripping it off its stems — I’ve done some of it, but about half is still sitting in its mason jar on the counter.

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If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d show you this is how my body reacted to my COVID booster. I found it amusing because all I did all day was rest!

bplannerlists
At least it’s getting used

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that undated planner from 2021? It’s hosting my packing lists as I go back and forth to my mom in recent months. Hey, at least it’s getting some use!

Are you making big plans and dreams for 2022 or just waiting to see what happens? 

Do you have any indoor plants bringing you joy right now? 

How did you ring in New Years Eve? 

Also linking up with:

bfitfivefriday

10 Most Viewed Posts in 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 49 Comments

btop102021

I started to work on a “top 10 videos of 2021” video for my YouTube channel, so decided it would be fun to have a look at the top 10 posts on this blog. Only it’s a personal blog, with no plugins, so not so easy to see the most viewed posts from just 2021. Feel free to let me know if you know a way — I searched a bit but didn’t really want to devote that much time to it. Remember, personal site not business site.

You can, look at your Stats and that will give you a list of your most viewed posts this year. It just so happens that many of my most viewed posts (but not all) on that list are quite old!

10: 5 Simple Tips to Sail Through the Holidays
There actually was another Weekly Rundown Post here — and my home page is not surprisingly my most viewed page — this was the runner up for #10. Which surprised me a little considering it’s a recent post. Read the post here.

9:  How I Defeated Achilles Tendonitis
I suppose this should read how I mostly defeated Achilles Tendonitis. It still aches (like a 1 on a scale of 10) once in a while. I noted it didn’t ache at all last week when I mostly didn’t run — although it felt okay after I ran my long-er run after not running for a week. I’ve had a lot of aches like that over the years, and usually at some point they do just disappear completely. Read the post here.

8:  What to Say to a Slow Runner . . .
This post was written in 2018, but I got a very nice comment on it this year! Yes, speed is relative, but things can be different in the BOTP. Read the post here.

7:  Waterfall Chasing
It seems slightly odd that a Weekly Run Down post ended up in my top 10 viewed list this year, but there ya go. Maybe everyone just loves a waterfall! Read the post here.

6:  Brash: Ok or Not Ok?
Another blast from the past that oddly got more views this year than it did when first published in 2018. Read the post here.

5:  5 Tips to Sail Through Your First Colonscopy
We’re all different ages here, but apparently this ended up being a popular post. You’re welcome. Read the post here.

4:  Fearless: A Good Thing or a Bad Thing?
This post goes all the way back to 2016! It was gaining momentum through 2019, and now the views are dropping, but still enough to land it midway in my most viewed posts of 2021 (not sure what that says about my writing in 2021!). Read the post here.

3:  About Me
I haven’t looked at that page since I first wrote it — I guess it’s really time for an update. I waffled a bit whether or not to include non running posts, but I just decided to go with it. Read my About Page here.

2:  Danette May 30 Day Challenge
Another golden oldie (from 2017) that probably also needs an update, has something to do with fitness but not so much running, but because of the large Danette May group perennially gets a lot of views. I still love Danette May, by the way! Read this post here.

Drumroll, my most viewed post of 2021 was:

1:  I Tried It: Peloton Road to 5k
Thanks, Peloton peeps. This post was written in December of 2020, but it’s been gaining momentum all of 2021.  Read this post here.

Final Thoughts
Interesting to see that roughly half the most popular posts are relatively old, while one that’s very recent made the list! It’s a mixed bag, to be sure, but kind of fun to see what people are looking at.

Have you ever looked to see what your most popular post are?
Do you ever compile a list of your favorite posts from the last year?
Are you still looking back at 2021 or forward to 2022?

btuesdaytopics

Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner

This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.

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Getting What I Need: 12/27 – 1/2 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 34 Comments

Pretty sure I’ve used that title before! I was supposed to be at my moms for New Years. Then a couple of days before there were several cases of COVID in the workers, the day before more and cases in the residents as well. It was a difficult decision, but I decided to stay home. The upside to that was I was already feeling very run down, so I have been able to rest a lot.

bwrd

I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and trying to welcome a new year — cautiously.

Workouts update

  • Monday: Yoga (40 min), 1 mile recovery run, Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min) <== Treadmill Arrives!
  • Tuesday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk
  • Wednesday: Yoga (40 min), 5 miles easy, (20 min), Dogwalk
  • Thursday: Yoga (40 minutes), 2 mile treadmill recovery run, Dogwalk
  • Friday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk
  • Saturday: Yoga (60 min), Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
  • Sunday: Yoga (30 min), probably more Yoga later & hopefully it stays dry enough for our Dogwalk

Running Mileage: 8  (+3) 


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

Running Update

Because we all need more joy

Monday Intention: Recover
It was a cold one with no sun, but also very little wind. I was tempted to go more than one mile, knowing this week would still be iffy weather-wise and travel-wise, but I felt that after a week of little running better to be cautious rather than push it.

Snow had melted by the time I finished

Wednesday Intention: go long-er
I again missed the gently falling snow of earlier in the day. I wore trail shoes, just in case, and there were some snowy patches going out, which were almost all melted by the time I came back. Took exactly as long as last week’s snowy, slightly slippery in spots run. Slow but upright.

Who doesn’t have two treadmills in their family room? I still manage to practice yoga in there too!

Thursday Intention: recover & treadmill test
Yup, I have a functioning treadmill again. It goes up and down, too (the old one stopped doing that years ago). Man, this slow run on it still felt hard! But quieter. I actually used the incline with the Peloton recovery run I did. I even made it 2 miles because there still wasn’t a whole lot of running this week.

No, we didn’t go to an actual theater | Photo on Pexels.com

Favorites of the week
We did watch some of the new movies released to streaming this week. Mostly hits, with one big miss: Don’t Look Up (Netflix). Well, if you enjoy dumb humor and a boring movie — seriously, I didn’t even want to finish watching it. And it was a long movie. Such a waste of talent!

We enjoyed Unforgiveable (Netflix). We also enjoyed Being the Ricardos (Amazon Prime) — Javier Bardem totally nailed Desi Arnez.

There was also the annual viewing of Love Actually last week, and I also watched Sleepless in Seattle too.

Having a functioning treadmill again is definitely a favorite!

ICYMI: I got talkative this week! Above is the thumbnail from post-run where I’m talking about what you can do instead of resolutions (although resolutions are fine too). I also counted down my top ten most viewed videos in 2021, with a few surprises — to me, anyway. Another short talk about how to battle the loneliness of the season, and yet another one about how to do a quick morning routine.

Top 10 videos click here * What will you resolve vlog click here
Feeling Lonely vlog click here * Quick Morning Routine click here

Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: Tuesday borrowed from my Channel video countdown and am sharing my most viewed blog posts in 2021. Friday of course I’m grabbing some hot chocolate to catch up with y’all!

Always something to learn: Runfessions December 2021

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 29 Comments

balwayslearning

I may not be running a lot but that doesn’t mean I can’t come up with things to runfess.

I shoppingfess . . .
My Black Friday purchases were Nuun and running shoes. On Cyber Monday it was hiking poles. You know you’re a runner when . . . 

I runfess . . .
On one particularly brutally cold and windy run there was no dynamic warmup. There was barely a cooldown — because seriously, I was already cold! I definitely did not stick around to do any post run stretches, either. 

I runfess . . .
The day before Thanksgiving I chose to run in the neighborhood, rather than driving somewhere to run, because the leggings I chose to wear had no pockets. I didn’t have enough pockets to stow my keys. I do have plenty of leggings with pockets, but these very old leggings were just the right amount of warmth without being too hot. Cold weather dressing is a constant challenge!

I runfess . . .
A couple of weeks ago, the week I got my booster, I knew I probably had to get my runs in during the week. I had planned out T, W, and F. Then I saw that Thursday was supposed to be unseasonably warm, so I changed the plan to T, Tr, F.

I further runfess that I really wanted to get the booster on Friday so that by the next Monday I would feel good enough to run. I needed to go down to my mom for several days on Tuesday, leaving me little time to run at all the following week — but I just couldn’t get an appointment close to home on Friday. Instead I got to drive in a snowstorm on Saturday. Good thing I didn’t take the appointments that were further away.

balwayslearn1
So that’s what they’re for!

I runfess . . .
I casually mentioned to Mr. Judy one day that I wondered what the metal thing in the middle of the bike paths were for. They were usually up, but sometimes down. Of course he knew. They can be put down to let the maintenance vehicles get through — I presume they are usually up so that no one actually tries to drive on the path. D’oh! I had no idea and always wondered about that.

What have you learned about running recently?

What do you have to runfess from December? Come join us

Runfessions

I am also linking up with:

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