Albinos, Painted Deer — What’s Next?: Tea/coffee Date July 2021

July 2, 2021June 26, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 33 Comments

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Thanks, Coco and Deborah, I’m sitting here with my hot chocolate (whether it’s cold or hot outside!) and I have a lot of unusual animal sightings to share with you this month.

**Photo credit Lloyd Litt. Albie. Yes, his eyes are pinkish!**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I we did see the Albino squirrel again. He was hanging out in one of our pine trees grooming himself in a rain storm. Unfortunately Mr. Judy was unable to get good photos this time — although he actually went out in the rain to try!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you Mr. Judy also noticed a deer in our yard. The first time we’d ever seen a young deer in our yard was last year; we figured he’d gotten lost and we never saw him again. This was a doe and her adolescent fawn.

The interesting thing was that the doe had white blotches, kind of like a pain/pinto horse. I’ve never seen a doe that looked like that. They were running through the neighborhood too fast for Mr. Judy to take any photos, alas.

We joked what’s next? Bear? Tigers? Elephants?

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I was very excited when I saw this bird hanging out on top of the kennel. I thought maybe it was a baby hawk. My birder friend informed me it’s a fledgling Robin. Can you believe I’ve never really seen one? And he was big!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that a long time ago I had wanted to try an Amazon Firestick (we don’t have cable) but never did buy one. We got the light version of it on Amazon Prime Day. It came with several free months of both Disney+ and Hulu. We’re almost set for the Summer now.

We watched Nomadland, which I’d wanted to see. It was slow, and although I adore Frances McDormand, I was actually rather shocked she won the Oscar for that performance. It was still an interesting movie and I’m glad we watched it.

We have started WandaVision (we’re big Marvel fans) — I’d heard so many raves about that show, and I’m enjoying it so far. I also enjoy that the episodes are short!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I still want to get HBOMax so I can see “In The Heights” before it’s gone (7/11, in case you were wondering). My sister didn’t think it was that great, but I still want to see it and I think there are other shows on HBOMax we’d enjoy. My sister and my cousin both recommended Mare of Eastown..

Seen some unusual animals in your neighborhood recently?

Anything to recommend on Disney+ or Hulu?

Have you seen In the Heights? What did you think?

Also linking up with:

Case of the Mysterious Disappearing Tulips: Tea/coffee Date June 2021

June 4, 2021May 29, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 29 Comments

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Thanks, Coco and Deborah, I’m sitting here with my hot chocolate (whether it’s cold or hot outside!) and ready to share one of my pet peeves.

**The red tulips got moved from the back of the house to this plantings area up front — & now they completely disappeared from there, too. Weird.**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you on one run a while ago I watched a woman planting a bunch of red tulips. The next week I ran by the same home, and they were all gone — with other bushes planted in their place.

Mr. Judy has suggested she moved them to another planting bed — but why go to all that effort? ETA: it appeared she moved them to the planting bed above, but then they promptly disappeared from there, too.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I do not like invisible fences. They often don’t work (the dog is willing to take the shock to get at what it sees near its lawn) and it doesn’t protect the dog from being attacked by people/other animals.

**These are big & determined dogs (Bernese Mountain Dogs)**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you one house in our neighborhood put in an invisible fence. I never saw the dogs out in the yard. I have seen the dogs basically eating their actual fence, and I know how expensive fences are!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that another house in the neighborhood put one in, and their dog was still hit and killed by a car. Now the house across the street from the house where the dog was killed, which doesn’t have a great track record with dogs, is trying one.

They had an elderly (sweet) cocker spaniel who was forever getting out of their fenced yard. Then they had a Border Collie puppy pretty much doing the same, and that dog disappeared and we never found out what happened to it.

There were no dogs for a while and now apparently they have a new (large) puppy, and they’re trying the invisible fence. Another reason I don’t like invisible fences is that the dogs can run right up to your dog while you’re walking, if it takes the shock, which is exactly what happened to me on two walks with Bandit so far.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you we had these sorts of situations plenty of times with both Lola & Chester, and Bandit & Lola. It is not easy when there’s two of them, but much simpler one there’s one. The puppy and Bandit seemed fine, but Bandit is almost 13, and you never know when an older dog’s gonna get annoyed by a dog suddenly running up to it and getting all up in their business, even if they are both polite.

The woman came over and said they were trying to get the dog used to the invisible fence. I couldn’t see if the dog was wearing the shock collar, but it sure didn’t make a difference to this dog. This house is basically on almost any route we take with Bandit.

Ever had an invisible fence?

Ever had a run-in with dogs that have an invisible fence?

Any landscaping antics from neighbors that make you go — whaaaaaat?

Also linking up with:

Raindrops falling in containers: Tea/coffee Date May 2021

May 7, 2021May 3, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 47 Comments

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Thanks, Coco and Deborah, getting us altogether virtually for a coffee date. Raindrops aren’t falling on my head, they’re falling into glasses around here. Confused? Read on!

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If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you on our last get together I was telling you about all the vaccine appointment hoops I had to jump through. While my reaction to the vaccine wasn’t fun, it was relatively short. Since this time I knew it was coming, I also planned on some rest in the days after. I actually think that did me a lot of good, the aftereffects didn’t seem to linger on quite so long.

**It took all 3 of these to water about 5 plants**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you about one of my newest projects: rainwater harvesting. Never heard of it? Well, it’s simply collecting rainwater. I made it really simple and just put out containers I already had. It also took almost 24 hours of some pretty heavy rain to fill four of these containers.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I used the rainwater I “harvested” to water my indoor plants — just a few of them (plants, that is). It used up almost all the rainwater I “harvested”.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I also found out that in CO it’s illegal to harvest rainwater. I didn’t know you could legislate something like that!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
We are taking our first “trip” in 2+ years this weekend. Unfortunately it’s to finally bury my Dad (who passed away in January of 2020). My parents’ cemetery is on Long Island, which is a longish drive from here. I finally convinced Mr. Judy to rent an AirBnB.

I figured if we have to go to Long Island, I might as well get to be by the ocean!

Have you ever heard of rainwater harvesting?

Are you gearing up for any trips?

Also linking up with:

All the Seasons of Spring: Tea/coffee Date April 2021

April 2, 2021March 24, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 36 Comments

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Thanks, Coco and Deborah, getting us altogether virtually for a coffee date. It may be Spring, with all that applies — swinging back & forth between Spring & Winter — so I’m still drinking hot chocolate. 🙂

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If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you a couple of weeks ago I was having serious vaccine envy. It seemed as though everyone I know — aside from my sister & BIL — is vaccinated. I whined to everyone about it and I apologize! The next week they opened it up to 50+.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you the day I learned that I would be eligible to try to make a vaccine appointment the next day — (3/22) — was also the first day I was able to use the Yoga platform in 2021. I got a little goofy trying to take photos of my wrap after I wrapped that practice. It was a good day! My appointment is 5/29, although I’m hoping to move that closer.

ETA: the day after I made the 5/29 appointment (3/24), I made an appointment for 4/26. It was at a site a bit over an hour from me; the 5/29 appointment was much closer. Then I made one for 4/15 (same place, longer drive). This was all the morning of the 24th. Then Darlene told me there was a more local place that had a lot of appointments for that day (the 24th — are you following all this?).

Yup, I made an appointment for that afternoon and prayed I wouldn’t have a reaction so I could go visit my mom the next day as planned, which also happened to be my Dad’s birthday. My mom is pretty stoic, and rarely mentions those sort of anniversary dates. Still I thought it would help brighten her day to have a visit. I knew it would brighten her day to hear I’d had my first vaccine!

On top of all that, my brother is in the middle of getting his vaccinations, and planning a trip out to see my mom in June. He hasn’t seen her in over a year. Plus I also have to fill out a jury questionnaire by the beginning of April; I don’t know when/if I might be called, but the thought of jury duty was definitely freaking me out. As long as it’s not on the date for my second shot . . .

**This photo was less than a week before the photo above — Spring is nothing if not changeable!**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I’ve been doing my best to ~~drag~~take Mr. Judy out for hikes. Any day that is even reasonably warm and dry (and by warm I’m including windy, cloudy, and about 50 sometimes). Bandit doesn’t need any prodding.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I have been jonesing for a cookie. I’ve also been busy and not baking. Then I spied a container in the freezer — lo and behold, it was brownies! I’m usually fairly good at mentally keeping track of what’s in there, but I had no clue they were there — and so happy they were!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
We started to watch Upload (Amazon Prime). The first episode was silly, but mildly entertaining, and it’s definitely light fare, but it got better after the first episode. Although I’m beginning to think we should consider an HBO subscription. You’d think Netflix and Amazon Prime would be enough, wouldn’t you?

Does your beverage of choice change with the seasons?

Have you been able to put away Winter running clothes? At least I’ve fairly certain I won’t need the stuff for 20 and below anymore, but I don’t want to jinx it!

What are you watching these days? Always looking for recommendations.

Also linking up with:

Signs of Spring: Tea/coffee Date March 2021

March 5, 2021March 1, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 42 Comments

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Thanks, Coco and Deborah, getting us altogether virtually for a coffee date. I may have to stop drinking hot chocolate as we move into Spring. Yeah, not happening, bwahaha!

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**The long & winding road up. Yes, this day was 50F!**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you the first time I stopped at Olana on the way to my mom since being sick, I had to pause to catch my breath multiple times on the very steep uphill back to the car. Normally I can make it without stopping at all.

Last week’s visit there was no stopping, although I did walk up the other side, which I think is less steep. My V02 MAX has continued to rise into a more normal level for me.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I wanted to get the Saucony Peregrine Ice shoes I heard about. But I couldn’t make up my mind. I couldn’t figure out what the right size was, and some reviews said they weren’t really that great on the slippery stuff anyway. Now we’re close enough to Spring, maybe I just have to make up my mind what I want for next year and see if we can get a deal.

**Eagle? Turkey vulture? Just a very large hawk?**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I spied a really large bird in the trees across the street last week. I often see hawks there in spring/summer/fall but I haven’t seen them recently. This bird seemed much larger. Mr. Judy got this photo but even with his big digital camera it was pretty out of focus. I think it was a young male bald eagle! So that was our excitement last week.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you we are really hoping that things will have settled down enough by the Fall so that we feel safe to travel again. We already have a loose plan for our anniversary in October. By that point in time it will be close to three years since I’ve had an actual vacation; of any length.

It will also have been almost a year and a half since Mr. Judy has seen his mother. She’s significantly younger than my mother, but she’s still no spring chicken!

**I wonder if he’ll stop the snuggling when it’s warmer? Apparently yes, he’s already mostly stopped**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you Bandit likes Outlander. I will sometimes watch an episode right before making his dinner. He’s taken to laying next to me and snuggling during it. I’m sure he’s just waiting for his dinner, but he lays quietly next to me so it’s all good.

Are your furkids snuggly — or only when they want something, like Bandit?

Do you have special running shoes for Winter?

Are you ready to plan something — anything?

Also linking up with:

Last year in the 50s: Tea/coffee Date February 2021

February 5, 2021February 1, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 34 Comments

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Thanks, Coco and Deborah, for inviting me and all the other bloggers to get together with the warm beverage of our choice and get caught up in what’s going on in our worlds.

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If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you the last couple of years have changed my relationship with running. I don’t know if it will change back when things are finally more normal. I never lived to race. Do I miss it? Sometimes. Sometimes not. I haven’t even really missed running much — not running opened up a lot of time to work on my passion projects and I got so much done — while still staying fit with other fitness pursuits.

**Winter running can be peaceful. It can also test your limits. Some embrace the cold; some “run” from it.**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you part of the reason I probably don’t miss running so much right now is it’s Winter. A relatively mild Winter in these parts (until this month, of course), but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some bone-chilling cold days and snow. Usually for me Winter is a time for maintaining my base.

Although I have been known to train through Winter, most of the time when I’ve done it I swear never again! I’m a sucker for a race around my birthday, though, which is next week. That means travel. Because who wants to run a half marathon in Winter in upstate NY even when times are normal? Well, some people do, but not this girl!

**Mason jars make me happy. Mason jars with healthy food even happier.**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you these brightly colored mason jars filled with healthy food: parsley — used to make pesto, not pictured but it’s also in a mason jar!, home made chocolate cashew milk, greens soup, vegetarian chili, cauliflower (which has been transformed into cauliflower leek soup), home made chicken bone broth — they make my heart sing every time I open the refrigerator door.

I’d also tell you somehow I got 2 things of parsley into my grocery order, and because every time you go back to adjust an order with that company, you have to enter your substitutions all over again, I just let it be. Then when it came, there were three things of parsley! One was used for the greens soup, another for the pesto, and I guess I’ll just have to make more of my greens soup!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I hurt my shoulder doing Yoga last month; the first time I was able to resolve it pretty quickly with self myofascial release (SMR), even though it was so painful I could barely lift my arm past shoulder height.

The second time also resolved pretty quickly, for the same reason. Although I had one night, after it was almost all better, when oddly I had a terrible time sleeping because I couldn’t get comfortable — despite the fact that during the day it was feeling pretty good. Weird! Luckily it was fine by the time it snowed and shoveling didn’t bother it.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I turn 59 next week. Of course I can’t tell you how I’ll feel when I turn 60 in 2022, but right now it doesn’t bother me. I think that’s because I’m the baby of my family — both my immediate and my extended family. Also there’s the fact my sister is 7 years older, so obviously she turned 60 long ago, although sometimes I swear I feel like the older sister!

How do you feel about big birthdays?

Oldest, youngest, middle child or only child?

What would you do with #alltheparsley?

Also linking up with:

5 Reasons to Love Nuun

January 15, 2021January 14, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 19 Comments

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I am so happy to be back as a Legacy Nuun Ambassador! Legacy means that I’ve been representing Nuun for 4 years (or more). I have actually been using Nuun for running for much longer than that. When you find something that works for your running, you don’t often stray from that product: today I’m sharing five reasons I love using Nuun.

Fairytales and Fitness

Run cramp free
I had some terrible problems with cramping in my toes while running a few years back. I also often had problems with cramping in my hamstrings after a run. I had started out using Nuun, but had gotten away from it. When I went back to using Nuun, the cramping mostly disappeared.

Clean ingredients
I am that health nut that pretty much always reads the labels. I try to get my family to read labels, too! Ingredients are important to me, and I like what Nuun puts in its electrolytes (you can buy Nuun Sport here):

Nuun drink tablets are made with plant-based ingredients. They are gluten free, dairy free & soy free.

They are also sweetened with stevia, so no sugar highs and crashes. Some versions of Nuun Sport also include caffeine from green tea — I love to use that before a race!

bnuun2 — **Making sure I stay hydrated before a humid Savannah race**

Convenience
Plop. plop, fizz, fizz — I probably just really dated myself there. Just drop a tablet into water (or your beverage of choice) and wait a few minutes for it to completely dissolve. Recyclable plastic tubes make Nuun easy to travel with — and I have traveled all over the country with Nuun!

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It’s not just for sports
Those Nuun tubes? My husband is always commenting on how often they appear empty on the table. I give them to him, he usually finds some uses for them, although they are recyclable (except for the tops).

You would think after 4+ years he’d have gotten used to the fact that I use Nuun most days. On the days I’m not running — especially in 2020 and this year — I’m drinking Nuun Immunity (buy Nuun Immunity here). Nuun Immunity includes things like zinc, vitamin c, elderberry — and a lot of other ingredients to help you stay healthy.

Nuun Immunity has been a staple for me for years. I take it before, during, and after a racecation — when I was able to to race and travel — I look forward to getting back to that!

It’s about more than just electrolytes
Nuun is about more than just hydration. It’s about getting out there and muuving, as the CEO likes to say. They offer free plans for strength and Yoga — running is coming. You can sign up here.

What are your favorite running products?

Have you ever tried Nuun? If yes, what’s your favorite flavor?

My favorite tends to change but right now it’s Strawberry Lemonade!

I’m also linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Runs with Pugs, Zenaida and Run Laugh Eat Pie for Fit Five Friday

5 Reasons Clear is . . .

January 8, 2021January 6, 2021 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 6 Comments

. . . My Word for 2021

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Clear:

1. 1. 1. 1. Remove an unwanted item
        
        Pure & Intense
        
        Away from
        
        Get over something safely

Synonyms: wholly, strip, remove, crystal clear, straightforward

I struggled with picking a word for 2021. I came this close to going with Aware, aka mindfulness. Sometimes I’m a very mindful person — and sometimes I’m really not. I get caught up in the “I’m so busy” trap, which never ends well. Somehow I knew it Aware wasn’t quite right.

One morning, as I was doing some Yoga, I was thinking about the Yamas & Niyamas (which I actually am writing a post about for the Website/blog I’ve been mightily resisting creating for my Yoga, and finally realized I really need to do). Clean actually popped into my mind suddenly, and then Clear just popped in.

In some ways it still doesn’t feel like “the one”, and yet my gut says it is.

Fairytales and Fitness

Clear away what is not serving me
We all have things that aren’t serving us. Sometimes they’re just habits. Sometimes they’re inertia: much easier to keep a status quo than do something about it..

Clear away more clutter
I worked really hard on this in 2020, and made a lot of progress. I’ve been on a hiatus from it because the end of the year just always does a real job on my energy — and that’s in a good year.

There is more work to be done, though, and I want to clear out my Yoga room more. I already feel a sense of peace when I step in there, but there’s also still some clutter that needs to be cleared. That’s not the only space in my house where more clutter needs to go.

Be clear on my goals
Yes, I’ve started to use my Simple Elephant planner — even though we all know what happened to planning in 2020 (I can no longer find this planner on Amazon, but this one is similar — Amazon Affiliate link here).! The planner lives up to its name: it is, indeed, quite simple.

This makes it a lot smaller than my Clever Fox planner from 2020 (see my review here) — which I never did completely fill, so I’m using it for note taking right now, LOL.

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Clear my mind regularly
Ok, I already do this. When I first started to meditate, it was an on again off again thing, but it’s been a daily practice for several years now. It can make such a difference in your day to start it off with some meditation. You don’t have to sit for 20 minutes! Even just 5 minutes of calm can make all the difference in how you face — and embrace — your day.

Cue Yoga classes clearly
Clear cueing is not my strong point. It’s something I’m continually working on. I also tend to trip over my words when I’m just doing vlogs, too — which I’m pretty sure is always going to happen. I intend to audit another teacher training that I’ve heard really helps with cueing.

Do you pick a word for each year?

What is your word for 2021?

Even if you don’t pick a word, what would you like to see more of in 2021?

Do you believe?: Tea/coffee Date January 2021

January 1, 2021December 28, 2020 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 29 Comments

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Pull up a chair and mug with Coco and Deborah and me and a bunch of bloggers for the first ultimate ~~coffee~~ tea date in 2021. I know we’re all crossing our fingers that 2021 will be a much, much better year. I definitely feel I’m overdue for a good year.

What else has been going on in my world?

Pull up some hot chocolate (because that’s my favorite hot beverage in the Winter) and I’ll listen to what’s going on in your world, then tell you what’s going on in mine.

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If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you Mr. Judy never seems to believe me, like the time I told him some states you can register to vote on election day — 19, in fact, and the District of Columbia — or the time I told him my Tracfone app said I have 40,000 minutes left on my plan. He was so sure I meant 4000, but nope, 40,000 is what the app said.

Out of curiosity I asked Alexa how many hours 40,000 minutes is: 666. We almost died laughing when we heard that! Yes, it’s a glitch in the app, I don’t have quite that much time.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you the story behind the scarf in the photo above, since I got a lot of admiring comments on it. Many years ago, while we were still living in TX, I tagged along on a business trip to Paris with Mr. Judy. A week in Paris? Yes please!

I had a lot of fun traipsing all over Paris, mostly on my own, since Mr. Judy was working. One day I took a walking tour of Montmarte, which turned out great, because it ended at Sacre Coeur Cathedral in such a way that you don’t have to climb up all the steps (if you’ve been, you know what I’m talking about).

There just happened to be a craft fair around the outside of the cathedral that day, and that’s where I bought the scarf. I don’t wear it often because it’s not very long, but I was so glad I wore it in the photo above because it was in the 30s that morning and quite cold hiking around Olana!

**Doesn’t seem that long ago we were eating outside but now it’s my fireplace (we don’t have one)**

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that the infrared patio heater I bought for Mr. Judy for his birthday back in September, the one that Lola enjoyed so much in her last few weeks . . . I’m enjoying it right now. I’ve got it next to the recliner I usually sit in at night when we watch tv, and you better believe I’ve been basking in its glow! Supposedly there are a lot of health benefits to infrared heat, such as:

Improve blood circulation and skin complexion.
Strengthens cardiovascular system.
Improve detoxification.
Wound healing.
Relaxation and pain/aches management.
Immunity boosting.
Cancer support.

I’m not sure this heater does all that, but it does feel nice.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you when I got the humidifier from Doterra I’d ordered (which you can put essential oils in), I immediately showed it to Mr. Judy, although it wasn’t yet Hannukah. He’d been talking about buying a humidifier for years. He promptly showed me the humidifier he’d bought.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you don’t worry, the house is more than big enough for two humidifiers. Mr. Judy has his running 24/7 and he’s having to fill it every day. I only run the one in the bedroom for a couple of hours before bed, so it lasts a few days. I use lavender essential oil in there and have definitely noticed I sleep better when I run it.

Have you ever bought the same present for a loved one they bought for you?

Ended up using a gift you bought for your significant other?

Is there something you look for when you travel? For me it’s usually scarves, mugs, and earrings.

I am also linking up with the Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness from Fairytales & Fitness.

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Finally Coming Clean: Runfessions December 2020

December 25, 2020 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 20 Comments

I come clean about something that’s been bothering me a long time. Then there’s tech issues (because when isn’t there?). Then finally there’s some animal shenanigans — because isn’t there always when you live with furkids?

I runfess . . .
I’ll open with a whopper: my achilles tendon started acting up about mid Summer. It went back and forth for a while — sometimes it would painful enough that I would limp after a run (it would be fine after just a few hours), other times I’d feel nothing wrong with it at all.

I’m not 100% sure what caused it, in the end, although I suspect it may just have been shoes with too many miles on them. There were those downhill races — but I’ve run down mountains and not been bothered it at all. There was one particular virtual race where it was very painful the next day and I was limping for a while. That’s when I decided to drop my mileage, and it’s taken me until now to feel almost normal again.

I’m also not quite sure what I did to fix it — like many aches/pains, I did a variety of things. Even now sometimes it’s a case of one thing is not like the other (it’s only on the left leg, which is the leg susceptible to all those sorts of thing) but most of the time it feels just fine. Hopefully this runfession is now firmly in the rearview mirror!

I runfess . . .
I’m okay with the treadmill — up to a certain point. I don’t want to do long runs on it (although I have). I don’t want to do every run on it, either. I’m very happy that it keeps ticking along. The Peloton app definitely helps me feel more comfortable on it, as you can see from my review of the Peloton Road to 5K Program here.

**No treadmill for Bandit. He’ll just drive us crazy wanting to go out every 5 minutes. Don’t let that sweet face fool you!**

I runfess . . .
Speaking of the treadmill, we got the idea to try to train Bandit on that. Let that sink in a minute. I started it on the slowest speed, with me also standing on it. I forgot, though, that because of its age and multiple repairs, it starts out way faster than what it’s set to and then slows down — so now imagine poor Bandit sliding off the back of the treadmill . . . yes, he’s just fine.

We actually tried it again with it already running, but although he got up on it again, we still didn’t have success. Okay, buddy, you can just suffer with cabin fever — and he is, because the cold + the Nor’easter means he wasn’t walked for days last week. We did spend more time playing with him & doing some training, which he loved. It didn’t make him any calmer in the “long run” though.

I runfess . . .
My Vivoactive 3 suddenly stopped syncing with the Garmin Connect app not too long ago. I updated the app. I deleted the app and then reinstalled the app. I checked to see if there was a software update for the watch but there wasn’t. Nothing seemed to be working. The watch isn’t that old.

Then I turned the watch off and back on — the standard fix — and voila! I never turn it off because it’s also my fitness tracker. The updated app now breaks down my sleep into light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep, and awake. For some reason I find that kind of fascinating. Skimming through it, looks like my patterns seem relatively normal (now, wasn’t always the case). I found this interesting post on sleep, its stages, how much you should get in each stage here.

Then I had to turn it on and off to get it to sync again this week. I hope this doesn’t continue!

I would’ve never seen these muskrats(?) if I ran indoors, although right now I assume those paths are buried under snow & it’s hard to find places to run outside! ETA: with the warm weather and rain the past couple of days, most of the snow is gone. For now.

I runfess . . .
It felt good to run outside more after I finished up the Peloton 5k training program, but I also runfess I’m still perfectly happy to run on the treadmill on bad weather days (like today). And by bad weather I mean too cold, too hot, too windy, too wet, too slippery, or anytime I don’t have too much time, LOL!

Have you ever had your dog run on a treadmill?

Any tech problems lately?

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

All kidding aside, despite the trials and tribulations of 2020, I have much to be grateful for, not the least is a healthy family so far, knock on wood. I know for many, myself included, Thanksgiving wasn’t what we expected or wanted, but I hope you found it in your heart to be grateful for what you have. Ditto with Hannukah/Christmas/whatever you celebrate at this time of year.

GWY Sleep Course 3

ICYMI: my gift to you — the third short Yin Yoga flow + meditation (if you choose) to help you sleep better tonight. Give yourself the gift of relaxation! Practice with me here.