7 Tips for Treadmill Shopping

December 7, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 23 Comments

It’s been about 20 years since I bought my treadmill. I did a lot of research at the time, even though I was not yet running — not even close. I wanted to be able to walk more during the heat of a TX Summer (and not be eaten up by mosquitoes!).

If you’re shopping for a new treadmill like me this holiday season, here are a few tips on what to look for:

A motor with a CHP of 3
CHP stands for continuous-duty horsepower. The least that you can probably get away with (as a runner) is 2.5 CHP.

Belt Size
Look for around 55″ in length and 22″ in width, although I’ve always found I really don’t need a belt that long, being quite short. If you’re taller, you might want to see if you can find a longer belt around 60″.

Belt Thickness
Look for two or four ply for more durability and a quieter run.

Roller Diameter
Larger rollers put less stress on the motor and help extend belt life: look for about 2.5″.

What accessories do you have to have?
I personally didn’t need a lot of accessories, but many treadmills these days come with bluetooth, a holder for your tablet, sometimes a USB connection so you can charge your tablet/phone while running, and fans.

Many also come with some sort of app and built in screen. They’re often free for maybe a year, and then there’s a monthly fee. I use the Peloton App on my tablet, which quite frankly is way cheaper than paying for it on a Peloton bike or tread. Nordictrack has an app it comes with free at first, too, and then eventually it becomes a monthly charge.

Just figure out what are deal breakers for you!

Delivery/Shipping
Higher end treadmills often don’t include the shipping, so make sure you know how much extra that will be. In addition to shipping being extra — which I suppose is understandable because these things are heavy! — you generally either have to assemble it yourself or pay extra to have someone assemble it for you.

Delivery also doesn’t mean that they will actually bring the treadmill into your home, where ever you want it to live (or at all, really). Usually it means that they’ll get it as close to your homse as possible, and it’s up to you to get everything inside. Did I mention how heavy treadmills are?

In fact, I remember all those years ago that’s exactly what they wanted to do, just leave the treadmill on the driveway, basically. Somehow I managed to sweet talk them into bringing it into the house. Maybe it’s my diminutive stature. There’s occasionally perks to that.

Warranties
A lifetime warranty of the frame and motor is great, but they should at least offer a 10 year warranty on these parts. Look for 5 years on electronics (that’s what had to be replaced on my treadmill — multiple times, but obviously mine is way out of warranty) and 2 years for parts and labor.

Hanging On By a Thread: 11/29 – 12/5 WRD

December 5, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 33 Comments

I knew going in this would be a tough week; luckily I didn’t know just how tough it would really be!

I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and sharing moving through some major stress.

Workouts update

Monday: Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk
Tuesday: Yoga (60 min), 5 mile run
Wednesday: Yoga (60 min),1 mile recovery run, Dogwalk, PB ST (25 min)
Thursday: Yoga, (40 minutes), 2ish mile hike at Olana
Friday: Yoga (30 min), 2ish mile walk at mom’s
Saturday: A walk at mom’s
Sunday: Yoga (40 min), 2ish mile hike at Harrier Hill Park

Running Mileage: 9 (-3)

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

Running Update

**Am I the only one that sees a face in this tree trunk?**

Tuesday Intention: go long-er
I started the week knowing that a long run probably wouldn’t happen this week. So I decided to see if I could get the miles in with two long-er runs this week — first up was 5 miles. My pace went back and forth the entire run — I’ve no idea why! It was also quite cold, but not nearly as brutal as last week’s long run.

Snow continues to taunt me. We’ve had snow showers for several mornings in a row, and it can be lovely to run in a light snow shower. Only the snow stops every time by the time I’m starting my run.

Wednesday Intention: recover
I started Tuesday with a tweaked shoulder, no idea why as the day before was a rest day, but by the end of the run yesterday it was gone. Tested out new Saucony trail shoes. Oddly enough the first time I wore Saucony was for trail shoes, and I had to go up a half size (different model). I decided to try my regular running shoe size and I think it’s okay, although they do seem a bit short. A dull, gray run — Winter may not technically be here, but the weather has mostly felt more like January than late Nov/early December lately.

**Scenes from Olana, my mom’s menorah, & a very muddy hike today**

Favorites of the week
I was able to get in a little hiking this weekend, with varying results. i stopped at a new park which had lovely views on one side, and lots of mud on the other — and not many views, either, although there were supposed to be. Apparently I didn’t take the right trail. Thank goodness for wool socks.

I wasn’t able to get in much running, though. I went on Thursday to take my mom to her cardiologist. On Friday there was an assessment for Palliative care, which apparently is a branch of Hospice, but she passed right over that and qualified for Hospice. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing (remember two years ago my father was on Hospice, but very different reasons).

After the assessment a nurse basically does another assessment, and hopefully gets the go ahead to admit her onto Hospice. That appointment hadn’t been scheduled yet, as the initial assessment was relatively late on Friday.

Unfortunately much later that night my mom had a panic attack. Because she hadn’t yet been admitted onto Hospice, we couldn’t get help from them. The aide and I spent several hours trying to calm her, which worked at first but she got worse and worse and I finally had to call 911. My sister met her at the hospital while I worked the phones at home, and I’m so grateful that we were able to get an appointment for later on Saturday to get her admitted to Hospice — rather than to the hospital.

If this sort of thing happens again, at least we now have some meds at home that might help her calm down, and also can have a Hospice nurse come out and access her needs.

Needless to say, it was a very grueling four days, with not a whole lot of sleep either. Fingers crossed that things will begin to stabilize for her now and she will not be so anxious.

ICYMI: I know 18 minutes isn’t really a “short” warmup, but for Yin Yoga it is! I really like doing Yin Yoga before a run when I have the time.

18 Minute Yin Yoga Runner Warmup click here

Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: Tuesday it’s what to look for if you’re shopping for a new treadmill. Friday I’m sharing my top five Yogi Tea flavors.

Vacation Tales: Tea/coffee Date December 2021

December 3, 2021November 28, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 25 Comments

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Recent vacations — ours & then Mr. Judy’s — provided plenty of fodder for the coffee klatch, although of course I’ll be drinking hot chocolate. Thanks, Coco and Deborah, for the opportunity to tell some tales from vacations — his & ours.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I have been looking for my walking stick for like 6 months. I know one place I saw it in the past, but it’s most definitely not there. I expanded the search to the entire house before we left for our trip. I never did find it, but I did find the Yoga book that had been missing for a while. I found a reasonable pair after Black Friday, but decided to wait until Cyber Monday. It’s not like I’m going to be using them much over the Winter, even though there are plenty of Winter hiking people in these parts.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that we had bad (as in not well marked) detours coming and going from our trip to Lake Minnewaska. One had me driving down a very bumpy road, only to have to turn around and backtrack less than half a mile from where we were supposed to turn.

bteadec21b — **I know I have a lot of gray hair, but I’m used to people thinking I’m younger than I actually am, not older! And Bandit, seriously, you’re supposed to protect me.**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you the second day we were at Lake Minnewaska the attendant asked if we were from NY, and said we could get in for free by just using our license. Turns out you had to be 62 (next year — for Mr. Judy). She said how much she loves the “active seniors”. Not sure how I feel about that!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you Bandit has always had a delicate stomach. Our first day we were going straight to the park, so any food we had with us basically had to be okay for a few hours without refrigeration. Normally one can is three meals for Bandit. I decided I’d just split the can in half.

Which was fine the first morning, but the second morning he ate about three quarters of it and then stopped. Bandit is a mysterious dog.

She used to lay like this, curled up next to me, as I sat here reading or eating

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that Mr. Judy’s recent trip out West was the first time I was home alone with just Bandit. I definitely missed Lola, who was more cuddly than Bandit. Plus when Mr. Judy came home very late at night, Bandit never made a sound. Some guard dog he is!

If you have a dog, do you think he would sleep through someone coming into your house at almost midnight?

Would you happy or a bit disturbed for someone thinking you’re older than you actually are? I might have been okay with it if we actually had gotten in for free!

Tell me something you’re looking forward to in December!

Also linking up with:

Becoming Clear on who I am: November 2021

November 30, 2021November 28, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 34 Comments

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As you become more clear about who you are, you’ll be better able to decide what’s best for you — the first time around — Oprah Winfrey

I love the above quote. Being clear on who you are, what your values are, what feels right for your body — it’s a journey, to be sure, an ever changing journey. It’s worth it, though, because that kind of clarity often brings peace of mind.

Getting in scheduled runs
I did pretty well. Spoiler alert: most weeks were only 3 x week. I knew that I might have to take a week off due to jury duty (and no available treadmill), but it didn’t happen. I managed to get through an entire month of potential jury duty and not be selected. It’s a Thanksgiving miracle that I am deeply grateful for!

Grade Earned: A-

Dynamic Warmup
The dynamic warmups are mostly getting done, although I must runfess I’m sorely tempted to skip them on short recovery runs. Post run stretches are usually happening — except maybe a few particularly nasty days weather-wise.

Grade Earned: A

Foam Rolling
Foam rolling is rolling along. Sorry, couldn’t resist. Usually it’s just calves and feet, unless I feel the need somewhere else. About once a week I try to do a full body rolling routine.

Grade Earned: A

Nutrition
It was a stressful busy month. There were times I was busy enough that I didn’t have a lot of time to eat during the day, and by the evening I just didn’t want to make anything. I did notice, though, that when I can eat what I want (Mr. Judy out of town), things actually tend to be more healthy. Not sure what to do about that!

I seemed to find my sweet spot between healthy and indulgence this month, and I dropped a few much needed pounds. I feel better and my clothes fit better. Winter is never an easy time, but for now, I’m happy at how November played out on the nutrition front.

Grade Earned: A

Frog Squats. A great Yoga Asana for runners — it’s not static, either.

Cross Training
Lots of Yoga, ST, hiking. Strength training kind of took a hit but I tried.

Grade Earned: A-

bhikingnov21 — **Still lots of hiking in November. I think that’ll be going away in December.**

November 2021 gets . . .
. . . an A. Hiking has definitely wound down, although I did visit a couple of new places when visiting my mom (along with a couple of visits to Olana). Running was less times per week but mostly trying to slowly inch up mileage — and I do mean slowly and inch, LOL!

Let me be clear, though, this time of year is the time I always struggle with my mood. The short days tend to leave me more tired and irritable in the best of times. I keep trying to figure out a way to get through the short Winter days and feel at least somewhat energized and happier — it’s slow going, though. Pun intended.

November Goals:

Run 3 x week. Y. I thought I’d changed it to four times, but I guess I was smart & knew it could be difficult this month. Grateful I didn’t have to take a week off.
ST 3 x week. Y/N. ST was kind of hit or miss this month. One week none, one week only two times, but I’m still trying.
Get back to a different course that’s been on hold for a while. N. I’ll be bringing this one back in December!
At least one hike. Y. Not as many hikes as October, but I explored several new places.
At least one real rest day a week. Y. I think I did slightly better on the rest days than I did in October.
Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. Weight is still higher than I’d like, but I’m happy that there’s been a little bit of downward momentum.

Which leads me to December Goals:

Run 3 x week. 3 x week is usually doable, although sometimes even that can be hard. Hence the low mileage!
ST 3 x week. I have one visit to mom that will require several nights there (that I know of so far). I’m usually quite busy when I’m there getting stuff done for her. When I just go for the day my fitness doesn’t take as big a hit. I think this will be doable most weeks.
Continue to work on a new Spring challenge. Yup, gotta start this far in advance! Stay tuned.
At least one real rest day a week. Often my rest days aren’t very restful. I’m either catching up on stuff or going to my mom. I continue to make it a priority.
Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Can I keep up my downward momentum with Mr. Judy home for the foreseeable future?

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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Free at last!: 11/22 – 28 WRD

November 26, 2021November 28, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 31 Comments

I managed to escape completely unscathed from jury duty! For the last 30 years, I’ve been called regularly and usually picked. Very grateful to break that cycle. No Turkey Trot for me since we were on the road by the time any race would have started.

I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and ramping things up just a bit before cutting back next week.

Workouts update

Monday: Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk, 1.25 recovery mile, Yoga (40 min)
Tuesday: Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk
Wednesday: Yoga (60 min), 3.5 mile with fartlek, Dogwalk, 1 mile recovery, PB ST (25 min)
Thursday: Yoga, (45 minutes), Multiple short dogwalks on the way to & at moms for Thanksgiving
Friday: Yoga (40 min), Yoga Booty Ballet (a blast from the past!, 30 min)
Saturday: Yoga (45 min), 6.41 miles, Yoga (20 min)
Sunday: Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk, 1 mile recovery run, ST & Yoga later

Running Mileage: 12.16 (+2)

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

Running Update

**Who has to be up late to catch the moon?**

Monday Intention: recover & endurance
I often miss a Monday — but not always. Just depends how running works into my week. Added a quarter mile to my recovery run — no walk breaks — just working on endurance. A little. Because running has been on the back burner a long time. I actually don’t see that changing anytime soon, but we do what we can when we can.

**This tree always made me smile. It was a showstopper when the sun hit it just right.**

Wednesday Intention: a splash of speed + adding distance
I wanted to go somewhere new to run, but I also had things to do, so I settled on a route near my neighborhood I hadn’t run in a long time. I threw in a fartlek by the row of trees midway, and just decided to go a little bit further, too. It was a surprisingly good run with negative splits, too.

**When your boat is bigger than your house**

Saturday Intention: increase time on long-er run
I met my intention and increased this run by 5 minutes — but I gave myself the grace to quit earlier if I wanted to. Because this was a very cold, very windy, very tiring run — even though it was just shy of 7 miles! One tiny bit of black ice (even though I waited til the afternoon to run) threatened, but I managed to get through it unscathed. Pace was all over the place.

**This glove was on the street, then someone put it on this bush — and there it stays**

Sunday Intention: recover
I got in my four runs this week, knowing getting in three next week won’t happen — which is okay. This was a slow one but that’s okay. It’s all about recovering and working on endurance (no walk breaks).

Favorites of the week
We decided to give Bandit a bath before going to my mom for Thanksgiving. It was much needed — I really didn’t want do it; it’ has been a busy day but it needed to be done. Normally we bathe him outside, but it’s too cold for that now. I actually think it might be easier doing it inside, although getting him dry took forever.

**Another week, another stop at Olana, still playing with new zoom.**

**It warmed up later in the day, but the morning was chillier than expected! I had to borrow some gloves from Mr. Judy**

**The only photo I took. My mom wasn’t feeling great & I was busy doing things for her.**

I’m not sure it was really a favorite, but I’m glad that we were there for my mom for Thanksgiving. Just me, Mr. Judy, my mom’s aide, and Bandit. Despite not having to cook, between cleaning up and doing my mom’s meds, it was a busy day. My brother came the next day, and my sister and her family also came up to visit the next day. The weather was decent on Thanksgiving, but I don’t think we would have wanted to drive down the day after, which was a mix of rain, sleet, and snow.

**She enjoys having Bandit around, not sure he feels the same way, although he always cozied up to my Dad**

I am glad we could be there when the rest of my family couldn’t be. I am also very grateful that there was little traffic — both going and coming.

ICYMI: I am sharing exactly how I stretch in bed & get energized in the morning this week. It’s a really short practice. Bandit totally got into the act, which he actually doesn’t do in the morning! I have a couple of videos dropping on Thanksgiving Day, too.

Morning Energizing practice click here

Live now:

Guided Gratitude Meditation (filmed by a waterfall!) click here * Flow for when you’ve overeaten click here

Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: Tuesday it’s time to wrap up November — and I have begun contemplating a word for 2022. I haven’t picked one yet, but I have considered a lot of words starting with C. Stay tuned on that. Friday I’ll be joining up with my hot chocolate in hand and sharing the other odds and ends that went on in November.

Will Shop for Chocolate: Runfessions November 2021

November 26, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 25 Comments

bshopforchocolate

We are fast approaching December, so some shoppingfessions have crept into this runfession post. Mostly revolving around food & drink, but I could certainly share about all the clothes I have bought recently. All the sales in November and December always seem to get me.

I shoppingfess . . .
I went to the grocery store one morning because I was out of my favorite chocolate. Do I have other chocolate? Of course! The heart wants what the heart wants, right? It wasn’t the only thing on my list, but I probably would have put off the trip until another day if I’d still had my chocolate.

btjtea — **I really need to go back & get a few more boxes so I don’t need to ration again this year!**

I shoppingfess . . .
I have become a hoarder. Of my favorite decaf green tea from Trader Joes. I was haunting the store for weeks waiting for it to make its appearance. Then I snapped up nine boxes. I’m hoping they still have some left so I can make it an even twelve (you know, twelve months).

I runfess . . .
Between helping my mom and the hiking the last few months, I haven’t been hitting those four runs a week. There will be more time in Winter, when I’m not hiking — assuming we get that new treadmill.

gwy yin pre run warmup — **Working on hamstrings & hip flexors**

I runfess . . .
I had some great runs last week. I also did way more Yoga than normal because I was trying to take advantage of Mr. Judy being out of town and filmed a lot of Yoga videos.

gwy digestion2 — **More leg strengthening**

I even got to film early in the morning, when there’s almost no chance of the phone ringing (which had happened on a few other videos recently).

I runfess . . .
I have had to pull out my short sleeve Wonder Wool running top from the dirty clothes at least once. It may seem like I have lots of running clothes — and I do! — but there are some things I only have a few of. Good thing that wool really does wick away sweat, dry quickly, and usually not get smelly the way regular running clothes do.

Do you ever wear the same running top more than once? Not me usually, but with wool, I runfess occasionally

What one thing would get you to the grocery store if you ran out of it?

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

I am also linking up with:

Do you need to dress differently for a short run?

November 23, 2021November 20, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 28 Comments

I mean a recovery run — which will be much shorter than even your easy runs. It should be much slower than your easy runs, too. Many runners start streaking at this time of year, trying to make sure they keep up their fitness through the holidays. Often that means quite a few days will be a very short run.

Will that change how you need to dress?

Dressing is a highly individual subject for runners. Some runners hate to be hot, some runners hate to be cold, and some runners fall somewhere in the middle.

I embraced the recovery run this year, and I have run quite a few 1 milers and 2 milers. During the Summer there’s no need to change your dressing. In the cooler months you may — or may not — need to adjust your running.

Why I’ve had to adjust how I dress on recovery runs this Fall
The reason I dress differently for a recovery run in the Fall than I might for an easy run:

The slower pace & reduced distance means that I won’t get warm as quickly

I need to dress warmer than I might if I were running three miles; you may not need to. I still do a quick dynamic warmup while my Garmin gets a signal, and I still include a very short cool down walk.

Final Thoughts
It’s personal, I get that. Just throwing out some food for thought if you decide to do short recovery runs or streak as the weather gets colder (and colder, and colder . . .).

I think we’ve all seen the graphics urging you to dress as if it’s 20 degrees cooler than it actually is (for regular runs). That doesn’t work for me even for regular runs. Maybe it does for you. You might want to experiment with an extra layer that can be taken off when you get too warm but put back on as you go home if very short runs will be in your future.

Does the length of a run make you dress differently?
Have you ever noticed how different the same temperature in different seasons can feel?
Where are all my streakers — any input?

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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If it makes you happy. . .: 11/15 – 21 WRD

November 21, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 27 Comments

You may notice there was a lot of Yoga video filming going on this week. Even very early in the morning. That’s because for the first time in almost 2 years, Mr. Judy went to see his mom and sister (who live outside of Seattle). We’ll get to the stuff that made me happy this week in the Favorites section!

I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and enjoying the some extra time to get things done — at least for part of the week.

Workouts update

Monday: Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk, Filmed Yoga Videos (60 min)
Tuesday: Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk AM & PM, 3 miles easy, Filmed Yoga Video (60 min)
Wednesday: Filmed Yoga Video (60 min), Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk, 1 mile recovery, Walking with Weights (25 min)
Thursday: Yoga, (45 minutes), Dogwalk
Friday: Yoga (40 min), Cardio Toning (20 min), Short Dogwalks throughtout the day (going to mom)
Saturday: Yoga (45 min), Dogwalk
Sunday: Yoga (45 min), 6.22 mile long-er run, ST & Yoga hopefully later

Running Mileage: 10.22 (+.5)

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

Running Update

**Hey, if it makes you happy—moving right past Thanksgiving to Christmas**. **Quite a few houses have Christmas lights up, too.**

Tuesday Intention: easy
Gotta say I wasn’t feeling that great this morning, but even before I started to run things felt easy and this run just flowed. Not fast, but faster than I’d been dragging myself around lately. Go figure. Another bell curve run with the last mile the fastest.

**Fall is hanging on . . . by a thread**

Wednesday Intention: recover
This run was absolutely a surprise — again! Was it the almost 2 mile walk with a friend beforehand? Was it the Yin Yoga video I’d filmed early in the morning? Of course I’m not trying to run fast — and this didn’t feel easy like the day before, although not truly hard — but this was the fastest 1 mile I’ve run in a month. Now I’ll take a feels-easy-faster long-er run this weekend, thank you very much. Of course I’m gonna take whatever actually happens!

I couldn’t figure out what these were. They almost look like Christmas ornaments, but could they be black walnuts? They were quite high up in the tree & I know there are black walnut trees on this path.

Sunday Intention: go long-er for 80 minutes
This run did not have that flow state, sadly, but it wasn’t bad either. There was weird stuff up in those trees at the end of the run. Things that make you go hmmm.

**Also wondering what’s locked up here?**

**Zoomed in photos definitely come out better on the new phone. A quick pit stop & walk at Olana on the way to mom’s**

Favorites of the week
A happy occasion to visit mom: my SIL, nephew and his new bride (whom we hadn’t yet met) were visiting so we went down to meet & greet. Hadn’t seen any of them IRL in a long time.

Got together with a friend for a very chilly walk — it almost didn’t happen. I had contacted two different friends on getting together for a walk this week, but it seemed like nobody’s schedule was meshing with mine. Finally made it happen; luckily this friend doesn’t mind walking with Bandit.

Finally I am three for three on jury duty — that is not being selected. I actually did request to be excused while Mr. Judy was away. I’ve put in another request for the next doctor appointment I need to take my mom to. Maybe I’ve aged out, which would be a-ok by me!

I have a bonus inspirational saying from my tea this morning (see the others in this post here): Celebrate your successes and failures; both required great courage. Perfect for runners!

Bandit patiently waiting for my friend to arrive so we could walk. We started before she got here because I figured that would pacify him. Then he got balky in the beginning when my friend got here & we started the walk over.

Morning Energizing practice click here

Live on Thanksgiving Day:

Guided Gratitude Meditation (filmed by a waterfall!) click here * Flow for when you’ve overeaten click here

Coming up on Tuesday & Friday: Tuesday should you dress differently for short runs — like recovery run short? Friday it’s already time to runfess and come clean for November!

Reading the Tea Leaves

November 19, 2021November 18, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 20 Comments

Can you get inspiration from a teabag? I think you can — and I gathered up five (plus a bonus sixth) messages from my tea that are perfect little inspirational quotes for runners.

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 teabag quotes that will inspire runners.

1: Be guided: listen to the whispers of the universe
The universe does talk to us, but we often don’t want/like to listen. It often starts with a whisper, let’s say a little niggle. That niggle turns into more intense pain, but often we try to run through it. Finally that pain can turn into an injury. Much better to take a couple of days — even a week! — off of running than having to take months off or having to constantly run in pain.

2: Accept who you are in this moment, but acknowledge who you want to become
This is a great quote for the runner who is returning to running after an illness or injury. We want to pick up where we left off, but that may not be wise to do. Accept yourself, give yourself grace, and set goals that will drive you forward.

3: Your inner self is your inner guide
Deep inside all of us is a voice. Let’s call it your inner wisdom. Your inner wisdom knows when it’s time to rest and when it’s time to push. Spend more time listening for that little voice inside you, and you will become a stronger runner . . . and person.

binspirationfromtea2

4: Be kind to others, but always be compassionate with yourself
Most of us are way harder on ourselves than we are on others. We will be quick to console the runner who didn’t snag that PR they worked so hard for, who didn’t run the race they wanted — didn’t even start or weren’t able to finish.

That inner voice? Sometimes it can be a real bi#*! Treat yourself as you would treat your best friend. Notice how everything becomes easier when you work on this.

5: You are unlimited
We are all capable of a lot more than we give ourselves credit for. Dream big. Go for the gold. Just remember the first four points!

Bonus quote: We can always start again
It’s a sign of greatness to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over again. As the proverbial saying goes, it’s not about how many times we fall, it’s about starting over again after each fall.

Final Thoughts
I drink a lot of different teas, but one of the staples is Yogi Tea. I’ve been drinking that since long before I became a Yoga teacher. They just have flavors that I love!

Fun fact: Yogi Tea was started by Yogi Bhajan, who is credited with bringing Kundalini Yoga as we know it today to the West; read more about him here if you’re interested. As with many of the well known Indian “gurus”, there was eventually a lot of controversy surrounding him — but there is little doubt that as a businessman he was very successful.

Which of these quotes most resonate with you?

If your teabags have quotes, do you even read them?

My Biggest Takeaway from My Worst Race

November 16, 2021November 15, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 34 Comments

Eight years ago I ran my worst half marathon. It wasn’t just one of my worst finish times, it was hands down the worst half marathon I ever ran — and I’ve run a few doozies! Including the race pictured above. I didn’t injure myself, but I had GI issues, which I never have — except for that one race.

I thought I trained really well for this race. Race day dawned with perfect running weather — and that has happened very rarely in the 20 or so halfs I’ve run. Mr. Judy, Chester, and Lola were with me at the start line — the only race the dogs were able to come to the start. The course was relatively flat for New England.

The catch? Despite what I thought was a great training cycle, two weeks before the race my knee started to hurt. I didn’t seek advice from anyone. I didn’t really have a running support system — I’d only been running halfs for two years and hadn’t had any real major problems before.

I decided on my own to just stop running the two weeks before the race in the hopes that whatever was bothering my knee would simply go away.

Big mistake. Huge.

**A beautiful day & dogs at the start. What could go wrong?**

So how’d the race go?
It started out just fine. It continued just fine for the first six miles. I remember running past a house with spectators on the front porch relatively early in the race.

By mile six the pain came back. By mile ten I was walking, and every step was more and more painful. Running was out of the question. I remember coming back by that same house with the same spectators still there, encouraging me to run. Except of course I couldn’t.

I actually called Mr. Judy. Not to come pick me up, but to let him know what was happening and that I would finish much later than expected.

Was it worth it?
In a word: NO!

We had booked an AirBnB on Cape Cod (remember, this is eight years ago!), and Mr. Judy was very excited to go to an ice cream place for a sundae post race. Except you had to walk to it, and I was in way too much pain to walk. No sundae for me.

I remember laying on the couch with Chester, my little shadow, curled up beside me.

It would be months, really, before I was able to run pain free again. I’d signed up to run with a group in the Fall, but I wasn’t signed up for a race. At first I couldn’t even run a mile without pain.

Every week, though, I was able to run a little bit further pain free. By the time I got to a 7 mile run, I knew I could do it and I signed up for a race. It was a redemption race, and I snagged a PR — pain free.

smuttynose — **I learned from this race and snagged a PR at the next. Run Happy, indeed!**

Final Thoughts
Your running support system is crucial. I should have seen a doctor or a physical therapist, although I actually never did — not for that pain. I should have already been going to a chiropractor for maintenance. I should have at least asked for suggestions online (although that can be a bit dangerous).

Most of all I learned that sometimes, it truly is better to never even start — to DNS. Ignoring problems don’t make them go away. Had I gotten diagnosed, I either would have had the advice to not run the race — or gotten the advice I might have needed to run the race without injuring myself.

Finally I learned that it is definitely possible to come back from a really bad race and have a great next race!

Was there ever a race you toughed out, but shouldn’t have?
What did you learn from your worst race?

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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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