5 Tips to Sail through your First Colonoscopy

September 10, 2021September 7, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 20 Comments

I promise this post won’t be very graphic, but if it’s still TMI for you, feel free to just skip it — I’ll understand!

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 tips to make that first Colonoscopy Prep easier.

**Soups allowed me to eat some veggies & feel fuller**

1: Soups are your friend
Liquids tend to take up more room in our stomach, making us feel fuller, and like smoothies, the blending of the soup makes it easier to digest. I made some simple carrot soup — a bag of baby carrots, 32 oz of veggie broth, 2 tbsp of ghee or butter (I used ghee), and some spices (ginger, ).

I often had this carrot soup before a meal. It helped a lot! I happen to enjoy it too.

2: What about a post run snack?
I often like to time a run before a meal, but that’s harder to do in Summer. If I drive to run, I really do like to have a small snack right after my run. I couldn’t eat any of the protein bars I usually do — instead I made a smoothie and used one of my pack it bags (Amazon Affiliate link here) to keep it cold — it was a cooler day, but still Summer — although I wasn’t running that long.

This worked perfectly! I made a really simple smoothie using frozen banana, spinach, cottage cheese, and a little water and honey. Blending helps to begin the break down of the fiber in the fruit and veggies.

Cottage cheese tends to be higher in sodium, so I don’t usually eat that much of it, but a little extra sodium after a warm/hot long run is a good thing. I had gotten away from recovery smoothies, for various reasons, but the truth is they’re so much healthier than protein bars.

I suppose jello would have worked well too, actually, but I hadn’t made any yet.

3: Hydrate well all week
Just consider it a long distance race, LOL! You know it’s not the day before that you have to hydrate well, what really matters is the entire week, right? You do not want to be dehydrated on procedure day, although you will be consuming a lot of liquids the day before. Like, a lot. You’ll also be losing a lot of liquids, hence hydrating well all week long.

4: Jello is a clear liquid
Well obviously jello isn’t a liquid, but apparently it’s okay to have on clear liquid day. Or any time during the week before. I had jello for breakfast clear liquid day morning. I was never hungry — it served me well. That was the only thing “solid” I ate that day. Popsicles are okay, too, but I’m not a popsicle person. You can also have hard candies, and I like these honey drops — all the flavors, actually (Amazon Affiliate link here), so I did have a few of those on clear liquid day too.

5: Try to eat lighter the week before
The less you have in your digestive system, the less you have to get rid, and the easier the prep will be. It’s not easy though. I admit to being somewhat hungry because of the low fiber diet. Not all doctors require you to be on the low fiber diet as long as I was (starting a week before your procedure) — but that’s what my doctor had me do.

Especially try to eat lighter the day before clear liquid day, again to make the prep go easily, so to speak.

Bonus Tip: You don’t have to use Gatorade with the prep
One tip I’d read was to mix the prep mixture, which so many people complain about, with cold apple juice instead of the suggested Gatorade. This worked great for me — truly, I just felt like I was drinking cold apple juice and I had no trouble drinking it at all (thank goodness it was summer, but I still felt cold because you’re drinking a lot of it!).

Mr. Judy used powdered lemonade mix, and he didn’t have problems with it either. You can, of course, use the Gatorade if you want to. It’s a really good idea to have some electrolytes because you’re basically not eating for 24+ hours. You can also use Nuun — I did drink a lot of Nuun on clear liquid day (lemon lime, if you’re curious, which you can buy at this Amazon Affiliate link here — no reds, oranges, or blues).

I did end up buying way too much Nuun, because I got worried I wouldn’t have enough. It’s not my favorite flavor, but it’ll get used, don’t worry. I think 2 tubes for clear liquid day would be more than enough!

I chose the apple juice rather than the Nuun for the prep mix because I don’t like Nuun really cold.

Final Thoughts
Of course this is my experience, and not everyone has the same experience. I can tell you for sure that while the prep wasn’t fun, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it’s made out to be, at least not for me or Mr. Judy.

I debated on whether or not to write about the experience, but I read a lot of blog posts on it prior and found useful tips in them, so I thought someone might get some use out of these tips too.

I actually do plan to write a separate post about the experience, again not overly graphic — but people often just don’t really talk about it and that makes it scarier than it has to be. I had a cousin who had colon cancer, thankfully caught early, but he did have to do chemo. No one wants to do that!

Have you had colonoscopies already?

Any other tips to add?

The Laundry Battle is Real: Runfessions August 2021

August 27, 2021August 25, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 21 Comments

Every time I write about my V02 Max, someone is sure to say the Garmin’s version of that isn’t very accurate, and I’m sure that’s true. Keeping track of it, though, actually does give me clues to how I might want to adjust my running — that’s why I continue to look at it after a run. But sometimes I just shake my head and wonder why it does the things it does.

**You’d think 5 would be enough, wouldn’t you?**

I runfess . . .
I love my Skirt Sports Cool It Tops. I wear them on almost every run in the Summer. I have five of them. On a run a few weeks ago, after some back and forth trips to my mom/sister, I realized I better do tops because I had none that were clean for the next day.

As I was hanging them up to dry, there were only four. I thought: great! I must have one that’s clean somewhere (not sure they’d dry in time for the next morning’s run). Nope, the one I’d worn that day to run in was still hanging to dry out a bit in the bathroom. The clean ones did dry in time, though.

I runfess . . .
I can’t believe that my new Mizunos — maybe a month old? — are already wearing around the ankle collar. Good thing they were a good deal, but I don’t think I’d buy them again.

I runfess . . .
It seems that my V02 doesn’t like the pace I’ve been running my longish runs lately. Even though my HR is pretty normal, it keeps dinging me a point (yes, Mr. Judy scoffed at just one point). It’s not as though they’ve been fast, either. When I do my recovery run the next day, yup, I regain that point. This has been a consistent pattern for weeks now!

Out of curiosity I looked up my pace for my long runs at this time last year. Oddly enough they were often a little slower. Not that any of it matters, but I’m always trying to figure things out!

I runfess . . .
I think we need stock in the Treadmill Doctor site (here). This is the third? fourth? time Mr. Judy’s used it to diagnose and then buy the part we needed. Yes, the mill is fixed — even the incline/decline. I am grateful to both Mr. Judy & the Treadmill Doctor! Except, as you know, the last time I used it it still wasn’t right — haven’t had the opportunity to test out the newest fix.

I runfess . . .
I am glad that I didn’t sign up for any races anytime soon. I’d been thinking about maybe a half in December, although they’re still not sure it will actually be run. Then they did open it — wondering what will happen considering what’s going on with other races. My guess is it’s just not the right time for me. I don’t do halfs unless I’ve trained for them — it’s way too easy to injure yourself if you’re not prepared. Been there, done that, don’t care to repeat it.

I did recently have a shorter race pique my interest, but I haven’t made my mind up about it.

Would you fix a really old treadmill or buy a new one?

Do you think running shoes wear out easier these days?

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

I am also linking up with:

Walkway over the Hudson:

August 20, 2021August 17, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 15 Comments

5 Things to Know Before You Go

If you ever find yourself in Poughkeepsie, NY, this is the thing to do. Seriously, there isn’t really that much in Poughkeepsie (where I grew up), although it does give you easy access to things like:

FDR Library
Vanderbilt Mansion
Minnewaska State Park
Rhinebeck, Saugerties, Woodstock (all cute towns)

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 things to know before you go to the Walkway over the Hudson.

**Once you get over the Hudson — zero shade. But a breeze (which might not be a great thing sometimes!)**

1: There’s no shade
Zip, zero, nada. Plus it’s high up, which means it gets hotter up there. I happened to visit it on a perfect day — but we’d been with Lola & Chester a couple of times, I believe — we didn’t get very far.

2: It’s windy up there, too
There wasn’t a whole lot of wind the day I visited, but up there? Yes, there was. I had to hold onto my hat the entire walk — and take it off so it wouldn’t sail away when I took photos. Take #1 & #2 into consideration if you want to run across it.

3: It’s concrete
Initially when I thought about visiting it, I thought I’d run across it. Concrete is just about the hardest surface to run on. I decided to pass on the run and just walk over, although if you choose to run you’ll have plenty of company.

4: The walkway is about 1 1/4 mile long but . . .
. . . there are small areas on either side with restrooms, water fountains, and some food trucks. According to my watch it was about 1.5 mile one way. It does connect directly to the Hudson Rail Trail on the Highland side, so you might use those 1.5 miles as a long warmup and cool down before running on the more shaded, paved rail trail.

5: You can take your dog, but . . .
. . . as I said, it’s concrete. That concrete can get very hot on warm days. Too hot for most dog’s paws. Which is part of why I’d never walked the entire walkway before. There was one self-watering dog bowl on one end, which is nice (no idea if it’s always there).

Bonus Tip: Where to Park
If you park on the Highland side, you have immediate access to the Rail Trail, too. The address to park there is 87 Haviland Road, Highland NY 12528 — it’s in the town of Lloyd (no, you can’t make that stuff up!).

If you park on the Poughkeepsie side, I recommend 61 Parker Avenue. There’s a dirt lot right there that’s free, and there’s a paved lot just a little bit up that you pay for ($5 for 4 hours in 2021). We have actually parked on both side on different trips. I recommend going earlier, because on nice days those parking lots fill up quickly!

Final Thoughts
I’m really happy that I finally got to walk the whole Walkway. I grew up here, but of course the Walkway wasn’t built until 2009 (although it was previously a railroad bridge, built in 1889, which burnt down in 1974 — I have no memory of that, but I was only 12 at the time).

It’s a great view of the Mid Hudson Bridge, which always says home to me when I drive over it. It reminds me a lot of the James D. Pfluger Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge in Austin (which was built in 2001).

The big difference is the size of the water bodies the two bridges span. The Austin bridge spans Ladybird “Lake” (which will always be Town Lake to me), while the Walkway goes over the Hudson River — to me Ladybird Lake reminds me of a creek, not a lake, because the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie is the river I grew up with. I’ve also been to it closer to the source of the Hudson River, where it’s much smaller.

There’s a FAQ here to visit if you ever decide to walk across the Walkway

Have you ever heard of the Walkway over the Hudson?

Does this sound like somewhere you’d like to visit/run? Quite frankly there isn’t much else going on in Poughkeepsie.

5 Ways to Get Through Stressful Times

August 13, 2021August 2, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 20 Comments

The simple fact that my mom is in rehab is stressful enough. Add in the travel back and forth, the packing and unpacking, trying to cram in the things I usually do in half a week (sometimes). Yeah, you might say it’s been a wee bit stressful.

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 I’m coping with that stress.

1: Be Kind to Yourself
If you’re going through a time where you need to do a lot of caretaking, you’re going to have less time to do the things you enjoy. Or even need to do! Don’t sweat the small stuff, as they say. This too shall pass.

2: No seriously, take care of you!
I have to say it: yes, you do need to take care of yourself so that you can take care of others. That may look very, very different from your usual self care though. You just won’t have the time — and maybe not the energy. Do the best you can, and let the stuff that doesn’t really matter go. Who really needs a perfectly clean house anyway?

bcopingwithstress2

3: Download some exercise videos
If you use an app that allows you to download videos so you can practice them offline, do it. You never know when you might not have access to Wifi, or you may not want to use up all your data. Knowing that you can do something will help alleviate the stress of how/when you’ll get your workouts in. Obviously if all you do is run, you might not need this advice.

bcopingwithstress1

4: Bring some healthy food with you
That might mean just some healthy snacks or it might mean bring meals with you. I do both. I am lucky to stay at my sister’s house and have access to a microwave and refrigerator. Even so you will no doubt be in situations where you don’t have healthy options. Eating healthy meals and snacks will help you to stay healthy and cope better with whatever life throws at you.

5: Meditate
I can hear it now: I can’t meditate. I can’t turn off my thoughts. The point of meditation isn’t to turn off your thoughts, though. It’s basically to detach from them so you are able to remain calmer no matter what rabbit hole your thoughts are trying to take you down. The more you do it, the more you’ll be able to drop into a calmer place quickly.

Seriously can’t meditate? Just take 10 deep breaths when you feel like you can’t take it anymore. Notice how you feel once you’re done. Repeat as necessary.

Final Thoughts
No one gets through life without stressful times. There are simple ways to cope, though.

What helps you through stressful times?

What tips would you add?

Long Hair Runfessions July 2021

July 30, 2021July 29, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 21 Comments

Okay, there’s only one runfession that has to do with long hair, and none that involve my Garmin! My ability to misplace things almost always makes an appearance in runfessions, though, and this month’s is no different.

**Every time I put my keys in a different place “just for a minute” it doesn’t end well.**

I runfess . . .
On a recent long run, I opened my trunk to get my stuff out . . . and then couldn’t find my keys when I was ready to run. I checked the lock on the trunk, because sometimes I leave them in there so I don’t forget them (ironic, right?). How about the ignition? Yes, my car is that old. Nope. Seriously, where the heck could they get to?

I had moved the Yaktrax from the passenger front seat into a bag in the trunk. Apparently I had the keys in my hand and that’s where they ended up. I really don’t think I’m going to need those Yaktrax any time soon!

I runfess . . .
I backed into a parking space for the very first time in my life on the Fourth. We had stopped at Olana on the way to my mom, and the place was hopping. I had to back up just to get out of the very small parking lot, and Mr. Judy said you’re practically in the space anyway. Let’s just say my peripheral vision is not the greatest, but with his guidance I managed.

I runfess . . .
I took running clothes with me to my sister’s the first time I went down. The second time I didn’t even bother. Although afterward I began to think about maybe trying to get in a run at the Walkway over the Hudson one morning while I’m there. It’s not a long drive from my sister, although it is concrete, but the views on a nice day might be worth it. Stay tuned!

I runfess . . .
Recently Zenaida wrote about 5 Gross Things Runners Do here. I must runfess that while I will change out of my sweaty running clothes quickly, I don’t always shower immediately after a run. I like to air dry my hair and it takes forever, so on days I need to wash my hair I usually shower in the afternoon. On the days I do shower immediately after a run it feels amazing!

It’s all about the very long hair

I runfess . . .
I am glad that I didn’t sign up for any races anytime soon. I’d been thinking about maybe a half in December, although they’re still not sure it will actually be run. My guess is it’s just not the right time for me. I don’t do halfs unless I’ve trained for them — it’s way too easy to injure yourself if you’re not prepared. Been there, done that, don’t care to repeat it.

Does your hair ever dictate when you run or shower?

Is your race calendar full?

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

I am also linking up with:

5 Ways to Plan Your Next Hike

July 23, 2021July 16, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 14 Comments

Planning your hikes is part of the fun, although being spontaneous can be fun, too. There are so many resources out there to plan hikes these days!

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 (and things to think about) when planning your hike.

1: AllTrails App
AllTrails may not be perfect, but it’s a great help in planning your hike. I like to look at the most recent comments. Is it buggy? Muddy? I always look at the elevation gain, too, because I’m usually hiking with Mr. Judy and Bandit. If you have the Pro version (which I suggest), you can do things like print out trail maps, look to see where nearby rest stops might be, and create lists.

2: Bring Fido
I like to check out Bring Fido if we’re hiking with Bandit. There’s not usually a wealth of information there, but you might find a hike you didn’t know about or a caution about a certain hike if you’re bringing your dog.

3: Actual Books!
Yes, I bought an honest to good, real life book for the vacation that didn’t happen. It has plenty of hikes that are within driving distance of us, so it will be useful and hopefully someday we’ll actually get back to that vacation (or somewhere similar). The book I bought was about hiking with your dog, and it rates hikes by difficulty and also dangers for dogs (among many other features) so very useful.

4: Facebook Hiking Groups
I also got on a local Facebook Hiking Group I’m a member of (and often get ideas for hikes from) and asked for any suggestions on where to eat, parking, and hikes that might meet our requirements. They were very helpful!

5: Yelp
You gotta refuel before or after your hike, right? I use Yelp (and sometimes TripAdvisor) to search out nearby restaurants, and whether or not they’re dog friendly — or at the very least have an outdoor patio. Not all restaurants with outdoor dining are also dog friendly. The one we ate at before our most recent hike was a real winner and even brought water for Bandit.

Bonus Tip: Blogs
One thing AllTrails isn’t always very good at is giving you an address for the Trailhead. We’ve usually had good luck finding something when we search for blog posts on hikes we want to do. Some hikers write really detailed posts that are so helpful!

Final Thoughts
Mr. Judy and I have been hiking, on and off, since before we were married. It all started with a visit to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks when my brother graduated from law school. I remember when we went to Great Smoky Mountains in the 90s, we had a lot more trouble trying to plan and pick our hikes. There’s so much information readily available now!

Do you plan your hikes?

What resources or tips would you add?

5 Sneaky Places Sugar Hides

July 16, 2021July 7, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 20 Comments

A little sugar can be a good thing, especially when it comes to a little energy boost for runners. Although I like to get my sugar boost from honey (aka Honeystinger). Too much of anything, of course, is never good.

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 sneaky places sugar gets out of hand.

Protein Bars
Who doesn’t love a nice chocolate covered protein bar that promises to help you start recovery off the right way? They sure taste good after a run, amiright or amiright? Sometimes those protein bars are just glorified candy bars. There’s debate on how much protein we need, and how much we can use at one time, but you can read this article for a little more information on that, if you want.

What should you look for in a protein bar?

Ingredients you can pronounce
Roughly 140 – 200 calories (higher and it’s more of a meal replacement)
Around 10 gm of protein
Around 7 gm of sugar (hopefully from real sources like honey)
Around 4 gm saturated fat
A ration of 3 or 4 to 1 protein to carbs

The above is a very rough guide. It depends on so many factors! It isn’t easy to find protein bars that are satisfying, not a gazillion calories or packed with way too much sugar. Just be a smart consumer and read labels.

Yogurt
Yogurt will always have sugar in it because of lactose, the sugar in milk. Plain or vanilla flavors typically have less sugar then other flavors or yogurt with added fruit. Women should have roughly 25 gm of sugar a day; (no, I don’t count sugar gms). There are flavored yogurts out there that have almost that much sugar in them!

Salad Dressing
Love your honey mustard dressing? Me too! A little sugar in your salad dressing isn’t going to kill you. Some dressings can way overboard on the sugar, though — because it’s addictive. Most of the time it isn’t even real sugar. Just read labels and choose wisely (around 2 gm per serving or lower).

bsugar2

Bread
Store bought bread is another sneaky spot sugar hides. It can easily be 3 gm or more per slice. Have a sandwich and you’re actually getting more than a teaspoon of sugar with that sandwich. Hey, the more you know!

Pasta Sauce
Tomato sauce is healthy, right? It definitely can be, but it’s another place that sugar can sneak into. Sure tomato sauce is very acidic and a little sugar helps ease that acidity.

Final Thoughts
Manufacturers spend a lot of time finding out what will get you eating their products — and what will keep you coming back for more. Restaurants, too. Usually it comes down to adding too much sugar and fat. We’re just hard wired to love sweet and fatty things.

It’s never about just one thing that you eat. Think about a day’s worth of eats: have some yogurt for breakfast (or a snack), a sandwich for lunch, a protein bar after a run, spaghetti and salad for dinner — and you could easily overdose on sugar despite having what looks like a pretty healthy day of eating.

I want my sugar in cookies or ice cream, not in the “healthy” foods I eat all the time.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.

Do you ever read labels?

Were you aware of how much sugar was in some of these foods we think are healthy?

Any great protein bars with real ingredients that you love?

6 Ways to Keep Your Cool on the Run

July 9, 2021July 3, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 18 Comments

img_8906-2 — **Sometimes a cooling towel makes or breaks a run**

Do you really struggle with running when the heat is on? Sometimes only a cooling towel (or hat, gaiter, skirt) is the only thing that stands between you and melting on the run. I am definitely #teamcoolingtowel. In fact, just the other day I was looking for mine . . . but that’s a tale for next month’s Runfessions. In the dog days of Summer I often sport one while running.

bcoolingoff

Now there are cooling towels, cooling gaiters, even cooling headbands!

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 cooling towels that might just make that next hot and humid run a little easier.

1: Chill Pal Gaiter
I am definitely intrigued by this one — there may be a review in the future! I have a couple of cooling towels, and one problem is they get on your clothes (wet tshirt anyone?) and you don’t really need that! You can buy this here (Amazon Affiliate Link).

2: Mission Multi Cool
Another gaiter! How did I not know these existed? One reviewer claimed it lasted for 2 hours in CO. Mine never seem to last that long. It would be “cool” if it did! You can buy them here (Amazon Affiliate Link).

3: Alfamo Cooling Towels
People gave these cooling towels 2 thumbs way up. One even said her dog loved it. Hmm, Bandit is very heat intolerant — maybe he’d like one? You can buy them here (Amazon Affiliate Link).

4: Ergodyne Chill-Its Cooling Headband
Headbands are not my thing — well, not during running, anyway. I want my face and eyes protected as much as possible! I know many that don’t like hats or visors that do run with headbands. How cute is the stars and stripes pattern? Sorry it’s too late for this year, but maybe next!

Reviews on most of the cooling headbands, including this one, weren’t very favorable (as in they do not cool you for more than a few minutes), and they’re on the pricier side. So do your due diligence. You can buy them here (Amazon Affiliate Link).

5: Syourself Cooling Towel
The reviews on this one say it stays cool for hours, and it comes in a variety of colors at a relatively low price. You can by them here (Amazon Affiliate Link).

6: Mission Women’s Hydroactive Max Laser-Cut Performance Hat
That’s a mouthful! The reviews on this was mixed. Some people said any hat you wet would do as a good a job, others felt it really helped. I think I need to look for a cooling visor next, that’s what I like to wear in the Summer! You can by them here (Amazon Affiliate Link).

**I got this towel as swag. It does help, but needs to be “hydrated” sometimes**

Final Thoughts
I have done a lot of very hot races with my cooling towels. I’ve also done some very hot races without them — and wished I’d brought them. They do help me. Skirt Sports’ Cool It line was made of the same sort of cooling material as most cooling towels, and they became my hot race uniform!

Most cooling towels are relatively inexpensive, but read the reviews: some towels do not live up to their marketing hype.

Have you ever tried a cooling gaiter?

Do you have a cooling towel you love?

What running gear would you like to see in a cooling material?

Morning Runfessions June 2021

June 25, 2021June 22, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 25 Comments

Three months in and I still have runfessions about my Garmin! I’m also coming clean about those early morning runs and my desperate need for a haircut.

I runfess . . .
On a recent early morning hot run, I saw the mama duck and her ducklings again, which I wrote about in that WRD. What I didn’t share? I stopped to take photos and a short video.

I kept messing up pausing and unpausing my Garmin. That first mile came out to almost an 18 mm pace. I have actually run that slowly — but on steep trails when it was very hot. It doesn’t really matter, but it was a little frustrating and for once not my Garmin’s fault.

Oh yes, and I also did that on a recent hike with Mr. Judy and Bandit.

I runfess . . .
I struggle with whether to walk Bandit before my run or run first when the heat is on. There was even one day I wasn’t running but I didn’t want to skip my first thing in the morning Yoga. Usually running wins, but I have been getting out there earlier and earlier — but sometimes he gets walked first.

I runfess . . .
There is a certain satisfaction to having 10k+ steps before 8 am. That’s the reward for those early morning runs. The downside is I find that as the Summer wears on, those early mornings begin to wear me out. I ran with USAFit for several years, and we definitely got out there pretty darn early as the Summer went on to accommodate our longer & longer runs.

I am not missing those 0’dark thirty long runs

On a recent morning there were pine needles all over the driveway. Which is weird, the pines are a fair distance from the driveway.

I runfess . . .
There was a morning recently when a lot of swearing was going on downstairs. Turns out a hornet had gotten into our office, but thankfully Mr. Judy took care of it. Not long after that I put on my shoes to walk Bandit, took a few steps outside, when suddenly there was a stabbing pain in my toe.

My first thought was there was a hornet in my shoe! I kept feeling that pain! I took my shoe off — it was a single pine needle stabbing into my big toe.

I runfess . . .
When we walk Bandit, I put my hair up into a ponytail and stuff it all under a hat. A while ago as I did this I noticed the hair was falling into my eyes, which was annoying. I would have to sort of shove it back under the hat at my forehead.

It’s a clear sign that I am in desperate need of a haircut, and yet I still haven’t made that appointment. It has nothing to do with COVID; I just haven’t gotten around to it.

The hair also annoys me when I have to move it out of the way when I roll over onto a different side in bed. Yet I enjoy throwing it up in a loose bun and having a long braid. I’m a bit undecided how short I want to go, plus I know when I get it cut she’ll go a little shorter than I want — but seriously, this needs to get done!

Drag yourself out of bed early to run or bounce right out of bed?

Couldn’t wait to get back to normal hair or embracing some change?

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

I am also linking up with:

5 Workouts to Ditch the Running Boredom!

June 18, 2021June 12, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 21 Comments

Do you get bored with the same routes, the same distances, the same paces? You can mix it up without working to hard. I’ve got five running “workouts” you can play with the next time your find yourself in a running rut.

Disclaimer: I am not a running coach. These are just fun little workouts I use sometimes to get out of a running rut.

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 easy but useful running workouts to keep in your toolbox.

1: Pick Ups
Every runner is different, but I find I often run at a non challenging pace by default. A lot of runners have trouble running slower, but if you’re more like me and slow is your jam, just literally pick up the pace during a run. For however long you feel like. Usually I’m like that really didn’t feel so hard, why was I running so slowly?

2: Run hard for short distances
Mile repeats? I’ve done them but I don’t like them, gotta be honest. Tempo runs? Not surprisingly I’m not a fan of tempos either! Those longer intervals work. If you’re just looking to have a little fun running faster for a just a bit, go short: 200 meters just might be your sweet spot.

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3: Alternate hard miles
The opposite of #2, this is a strategy I use in longer races and runs sometimes. It’s the longer intervals but with a break in between. Pick up the pace for a mile, then ease off the next — repeat as necessary.

4: Run faster on the downhills
I know some people are afraid of opening up the throttle on a downhill, but running downhill fast has always felt exhilarating to me. Probably why I love downhill races!

5: Add in a little PT
Start off with a little agility — grapevine, anyone? Run a while. Do sideways squats. Run some more. Do some skipping. Run some more. You get the idea. Do some high knees, some butt kicks, some toy soldiers. It would be a great way to get in those drills we know we should do, but then never do. I have to admit I would probably feel too self conscious to do this outdoors — but I have done some variations of this when I’m on the mill indoors.

Final Thoughts
Running can seem monotonous sometimes, but it really doesn’t have to be.

What fun running workouts do you do?

Short of long intervals?

Do you ever do running drills?