Weekly Run Down

It’s Getting Hot in Here. . . : 6/29 – 7/5 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 29 Comments

. . . Again!

The heat wave is coming, and it heated up this week culminating in a horribly humid Friday with quite the short storm that night. Lucky for me that ushered in nicer weather for my virtual race the next day.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and finishing my annual Fourth of July race virtually this year.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  3 miles easy, Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min), SB (20 min), Pilates (30 min)
  • Wednesday: 3 miles easy, Dogwalk,  Arms (20 min), Yoga (20 min),
  • Thursday: Dogwalk , Pilates (30 min), Yoga (15 min)
  • Friday: Dogwalk
  • Saturday:  Virtual Firecracker 4 (1 mile WU, 4 miles race, walking back up hill 2.5 miles, 3 mile CD), Pilates (20 min), Yoga (20 min)
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, something more at some point . . .

Mileage: 14 (NC)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

This week it was celebrating seniors

Monday: intention — easy recovery run
This was the earliest I’ve gotten out so far! The rain had cooled things off, too. My focus this week was the graduating class decorations. A decent run, although legs felt heavy. I managed to squeeze in Yoga outside in between rainstorms for the win — but did I mention I got poured on on the run? It’s all good, a warm rain is almost always welcome.

Senior display complete with lights!

Wednesday: truly easy run
I kind of kicked myself for not making today my virtual 4th of July race. Cloudy, cool, just a touch humid — perfect weather for a Summer race. They’d predicted rain in the morning (it did eventually start, after my run) and possible thunderstorms. So 4th of July it will be. Nothing terribly memorable about this run — not always a bad thing.

Catching an eagle & fireworks on the 4th (LOL!). You better believe I ran through every sprinkler I could!

Saturday: intention — Virtual Firecracker 4; pay attention to turnover, breathing, and push a little
My “training” (aka my dry run last week) helped me prepare pretty well for today’s long run + virtual race. I got out fairly early, but of course not as early as I wanted to, mostly because I didn’t want to get up at 4 am — which is probably what I would’ve done had I run the real race.

I took an easy warm up mile. Then I (mostly) ran downhill for 4 miles, although I won’t lie: there were quite a few photo breaks on this run. Which might explain why it was 3 minutes’ faster than last week’s dry run. Overall it was the slowest time for this race, which is hardly surprising. Almost negative splits, and the last mile (with the steep hill) was the fastest mile I’ve seen in a while.

Walked back uphill 2.5 miles (I tracked it this time — just curious). Then I finished with a cool down of 3 miles. Yes, 8 miles running (but not consecutively) + 2.5 miles walking. I lucked out because the cloud cover held almost the entire time I was out there. Not long after I finished it there was not a cloud in the sky. In fact, I finished around the time the race would have normally started.

Love this Skirt Sports top for all the pockets (including this cleavage alley pocket)
My Garmin went nuts on the floors again. I mean, it was a hilly course, but still!

 

Bandit is always happy when I’m back
I know my mom wouldn’t be happy with this photo, but it was good to see her

Favorites of the week
I went to see my mom again this week, by myself. No dog drama, still many hours in the car, but always good to see her. Feels so wrong not to hug her, but I’m grateful that where she lives has kept her so safe through all of this.

I liked the Boco face mask

Bandit has officially been with us 4 years now. I joke it seems like 10. He is not the easiest of dogs, but thankfully has become so much easier with time.

Poor Bandit being tortured by Mr. Judy for a cute photo

It kills me that had he had better care in his first two homes, he could have been an awesome dog. The first owner — well, we won’t go into that. His second owner loved him, but she didn’t give him the structure and discipline dogs need to feel secure. Maybe it was also her husband, she was getting divorced and couldn’t keep her animals, which was how we ended up with Bandit at 8 years old.

He usually only lays with me if I’m sick or he wants something, but occasionally he snuggles — for like a minute

No one meeting him now would ever suspect the dog he was in the beginning. Mr. Judy posted a photo talking about 4 years of begging — only in the first few months it was a struggle to get him to eat at all — I guess I have a longer memory!

Once in a while he still goes on a short hunger strike, but they’re fewer and farther between. Most of the time he spends his days begging for pretty much anything — cucumber or steak, it almost doesn’t seem to matter!

Lola is our old girl now, though (and most of the doghair in the photo is from Bandit — our first short hair dog is also the worst offender when it comes to shedding)

Thanks to Coco @ Runningwithperserverance, I got the bee in my bonnet about Disney+ and Hamilton. Except we don’t have cable, we have a TV, a Tivo, and antenna and that’s it. Thanks to Mr. Judy we were able to sign up and watch it yesterday. He got Disney+ on his laptop and connected it to our TV. We both enjoyed it!

How did you celebrate the Fourth (if you do)? 

Have you seen Hamilton?  Do you want to?

If you adopted your furkid, do you celebrate their adoptaversary?  Bandit’s is easy to remember. It was July 3rd.

GWY Heart's Desire Meditation

ICYMI: Are you pondering life’s big questions, like why are you here? This short meditation will calm and ground you, and get you in touch with your heart’s desire. Watch it here.

Coming up on Tuesday: Do you have pet names for the houses in your neighborhood? We do! On Friday I’ll share some of my Summer running hacks and how I’m adapting to the Summer heat. Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here — inventory & prices are decreasing!

Raindrops are falling on my head: 6/22 – 28 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 35 Comments

We had some really nice weather this week once it cooled down, so I was back outside as much as I could be.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and my training for the next virtual race.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  3 miles easy, Yoga (40 min), Legs (20 min)
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk, Pink Cycling (30 min), Yoga (50 min)
  • Wednesday: 4 miles with 6 x 20ish strides, Dogwalk,  Arms (20 min), Yoga (20 min),
  • Thursday: Dogwalk , Yoga (20 min)
  • Friday: 7 mile LSD (1 mile WU, 4 miles practice virtual race, 3 miles walking uphill, 2 mile CD), Yoga (20 min)
  • Saturday:  Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min), SB Show Tunes Pride (30 min), probably core later

Mileage: 14 (+1)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

Today’s rainbow was my new suncatcher — it came from France!

Monday: intention — easy recovery run — like, super easy!
Although it didn’t feel easy, but it wasn’t horrible, either. I got out earlier, which helped, although of course not as early as I’d planned. I scratched the fartlek and slightly longer run idea in favor of bowing to the weather gods and just taking it easy. Considering the day’s high ended up being 93F, I think that was the right move!

Close up. The light was nice.

Wednesday: intention — pay attention to foot turnover during strides
I got out later than intended (what’s new) but that was mostly because I was debating between treadmill (potential for thunderstorms) and running outside. So glad I #optedoutside — the thunderstorms missed us, and with the cloud cover, it was almost pleasant.

I almost didn’t do the strides at the end; I heard a crack of thunder as I headed back home. I never heard more thunder, it didn’t seem to be darkening (although the wind picked up — which was actually nice!), and since I do them in front of my house, I felt fairly certain I could just head on in if need be. I did forget abut the foot turnover until the last two strides . . . oh well. Another decent run.

Another fountain in the works. It’s been changed, but there are some creative differences going on. Stay tuned.

Friday: intention — dry run for Virtual Firecracker 4
I learned from last week’s long run and took more water with me. I did a dry run for my virtual Fourth of July race (it might actually be the race, we’ll see).

1 mile warm up, 4 miles mostly downhill. Walked about 3 miles back up the very steep hills, then finished up with a 2 mile cool down. Not gonna lie, those last 2 miles were tough. Probably because it was 9 am already.

The weather was really nice for a change (which is why this might be the race I report). I pretended I was hiking in OR (my race would’ve been there yesterday, I would hopefully have met Laurie @ MeditationsinMotion). Ah well, it was not meant to be.
This run was pretty strong and pretty consistent. I didn’t push (well, maybe a tiny bit) but let the downhills carry me down. Right now the Fourth actually looks like good weather, but we all know how that can change!
Animal sightings: groundhog and maybe a bald eagle. I didn’t think it was big enough. I’ve never seen one this close to home. But it was quite large and it had a white head . . .

Lola likes to check out what’s going on on the Yoga platform.

Favorites of the week
I met up with a friend in my backyard again this week. Always good to chat with someone other than Mr. Judy!

Bandit likes to come out on the deck for lunch. He often gets some treats from our meal out there. But he likes to lay on the deck, too.
Drying out my Yoga mat

I practiced Yoga after I walked the dogs this morning. Rain was in the forecast, and yup, it sure did rain. But I chose the location of my Yoga platform wisely — it’s under a lot of tree cover. Yes, I got a little wet, but we don’t melt people! It felt great. Luckily the thunderstorms hadn’t started yet.

I did head on in for the reclined positions at the end, because my mat was getting pretty wet and I didn’t want to lay down on it. I’m still in the clothes I was wearing, 3 hours later — the Go Longer Skirt Sports skirts dry quickly! If you’re an XS or S, you’re in luck, they still have some in stock. I wear a S, but if you’re in between sizes I’d size up.

Is there a planned race you’re mourning right now? 

Spending more time in your own backyard (if you have one)? 

Ever done Yoga in the rain? 

 

GWY Yin Yoga for Mindfulness

ICYMI: I titled this practice Yin Yoga for Mindfulness, obviously, but it is definitely a great practice for runners. It’ll help you get into the fascia that tightens up so much on us. And yes, it will help you really tune into your body, too. Watch it here. This is a longer practice, so if you’re getting rained on like we are, enjoy!

Coming up on Tuesday: It’s time to wrap up June. Friday it’s time to virtually gather over the tea/coffee pot. Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here — inventory & prices are decreasing!

Out & About: 6/15 – 21 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 39 Comments

Well, sort of out and about. We had to go to the bank this week, and I had to take Lola for a long overdue vet appointment. I could almost hear my car sigh with contentment for being driven.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and sharing a decent week of fitness, despite the heat.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Dogwalk,  SB Greatest Showman (30 min), Yoga (60 min)
  • Tuesday: 4 miles easy, Yoga (30 min)
  • Wednesday: Dogwalk, Soul Stroll, Legs (15 min), Yoga (20 min),
  • Thursday: 3 miles easy including 6 x 20ish strides, Arms (15 min), Yoga (15 min)
  • Friday: Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Saturday:  6 mile LSD, Arms (15 min)Yoga (45 min)
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min)

Mileage: 13 (+1)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

My fartlek trees

Tuesday: intention — recovery run + fartlek
I knew this was probably the last nice morning to run this week. I decided to head down towards the college, which was a good move because it’s shady down there and there’s a row of trees I love to use for fartleks.

I found that I my breathing quickly got out of control on the fartlek, so a little later when I used telephone poles for the same purpose I made sure the hard running portion wasn’t quite so hard. This was a nice, strong run.

I may have shared this rainbow already . . . 

Thursday: intention — listen to breath to keep it easy, pay attention to foot turnover during strides
It wasn’t as humid as I feared, and I had nice cloud cover. Took the first 2.6 miles easy, then downhill strides. Today I focused on foot turnover. My cadence tends to be slow. Somehow I finally pushed my V02max up a point. 

Sunday: intention — don’t worry about pace, more downhill training
I did a lot of things right for this hot run: I froze water in my water bottles. I wore my cooling towel. I didn’t care about pace. However, I also didn’t bring enough water (especially because I chose to walk the uphill, which is literally 2 miles). I would wet the cooling towel each mile, which helped, but I also tried wetting my visor — that dried so fast it wasn’t worth the water. 

Plus I started too late, despite the fact that that’s the earliest I’ve started this year. Ah well, lessons learned. It wasn’t a horrible run all things considered, but it definitely took something out of me. It was 80F by the time I finished, and no clouds — not much shade, either, but I was grateful for every piece of shade I found! Not surprisingly, the V02max came back down a point. Frankly, I was surprised it wasn’t more!

That’s what we did with the firepit

Favorites of the week
We now have an inside fountain, a fountain on our raised deck where we often eat lunch (but not today!), and the firepit fountain is out by my Yoga platform. I love them all! You can view the firepit fountain in action in my latest YouTube video (a Down Dog tutorial) here.

The tshirt says “The Dogfather” (and no, I didn’t buy it for him); it was bath day, notice Lola cowering in the background on the right

Not loving: we had to go to the bank this week. We needed to get something notarized, in addition to straightening something else out. We got there and there was a masked security guard standing outside, which was a bit off putting. There was no hand sanitizer anywhere (except on the employee’s desk). There was also absolutely no attempt to clean between the people before us and us. Good thing Mr. Judy brought his own pen!

Seriously that can’t be comfortable

If you’re in the middle of a heatwave too, what’s your favorite way to stay cool? Right now I’m enjoying smoothies post run and smoothie bowls for breakfast.

Taken up any new hobbies? Seriously, I already have too many!

Did you find any good father’s day gifts for the men in your life? 

Coming up on Tuesday: I’m sharing some of my favorite smoothie recipes on Tuesday. After my long run yesterday, I absolutely couldn’t face food — thank goodness for refueling with a smoothie! On Friday I’ll be joining the runfessional — it’s time to get a few things off my chest! Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here — inventory & prices are decreasing!

Solar powered: 6/8 – 14 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 42 Comments

Running this week went much better than it has for a while. Our weather keeps going back and forth between unseasonably hot and unseasonably cool, but so far it’s all good.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and sharing how I “train” for my next virtual race.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Dogwalk,  Yoga (60 min)
  • Tuesday: 3 miles easy, Yoga (30 min)
  • Wednesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min),
  • Thursday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk
  • Friday: 3 miles easy including 5 x 20ish strides, Arms (10 min),  Yoga (60 min)
  • Saturday:  Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min)
  • Sunday: 6 miles LSD, some Yoga and some legwork later, I think

Mileage: 12 (NC)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

Still finding rainbows

Tuesday: intention — recovery run listening to body
I felt as though as I was moving slowly (well, of course I actually was) but when I was done and looked at my stats, it was negative splits. Weird. It was much warmer today, although cloudy, which helped.

Had to capture the beauty of the tree with the sun peeking through it

Friday: intention — enjoy being outside on a beautiful day, but remind my feet they can run fast
Finally! The stars aligned: great running weather and a run that felt pretty darn good. First two miles very consistent, last fast due to strides. V02max still being stubborn, I thought it would go up with this run.

I had wanted to run Thursday, so Saturday could be an option for my long run, but it was disgustingly hot and humid by the time the rain cleared out. No thanks.

Friday’s rainbow
Sunday’s Rainbow: Hope!

Sunday: intention — enjoy the day, get friendly with hills again
Another gorgeous day to run, and another decent run. I went out hours later than I have been recently, which was nice (when I got up it was in the 40s!). I’m planning to sign up for the virtual 4th of July race, and make it a downhill race again — so it’s time to actually start running down steep hills again!

Decal applied thanks to Mr. Judy

Favorites of the week
I was surprised when Mr. Judy wasn’t resistant to a vinyl decal for the wall in my room. He hates putting almost anything on the walls. You’re supposed to apply them not long after they arrive. Oops, a month later . . . it was a challenge but Mr. Judy got it done and I love it!

They just love putting their heads . . . on anything; Bandit blending in to the pillow
Bandit & Lola . . . just cause . . . cuteness

What is brightening your spirits right now?

Favorite uplifting quote? 

Do you just get out there & run good weather or bad, or are you waiting for nicer weather? 

Coming up on Tuesday: The Tuesday Linkup gals (check it out here) are asking us what our training philosophy is. On Friday I’ll be sharing where you can get face masks specifically designed for running — if you wear them for running (I don’t). If you have one you love, feel free to share it in the comments! Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here — inventory & prices are decreasing!

Getting out of town: 6/1 – 7 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 39 Comments

If you read my coffee/tea post here, you already know that I went to visit my mom this week. If you didn’t, don’t worry, I’ll talk about it a bit in my favorites section. 🙂

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and a recovery week with lots of Yoga and some running and neighborhood “clean up”.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Dogwalk, SB (15 min), Yoga (60 min)
  • Tuesday: Dogwalks, Visited Mom, Yoga (30 min)
  • Wednesday: 3 miles easy, Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min),
  • Thursday: Dogwalk, Yoga (40 min), Trying to clean the “new” rug
  • Friday: 3 miles easy including 6 x 20ish strides, Yoga (60 min)
  • Saturday:  Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min)
  • Sunday: 6 miles LSD, Yoga at some point (can’t break the Yoga streak)

Mileage: 12 (-1)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

There are a lot of kid rainbows in the neighborhood

Wednesday: intention — recovery run listening to body
After my slog on Sunday, I knew I needed a slight running break. Despite the long day to visit my mom for an hour and a quarter the day before, I felt much better this morning. It wasn’t fast, but it felt so much better than Sunday, despite the fact that the sun came out — only during my run! V02max inched back up a point.

Another faded rainbow

Friday: intention — listen to my body, but remind it it can run fast
It got really chilly this past weekend (as you can see from how I’m dressed visiting my mom below), and then yesterday was 90F. Looks like this week will go the same way. So it was hot & humid, but thankfully cloudy, this morning. V02max dropped a point again — I thought this was a decent run, with negative splits thanks to the strides at the end. #justshakesheadinbewilderment

More rainbow kid art

Sunday: intention — listen to my body, think about Dad
Almost a repeat of last Sunday: great weather but about midway through this run I got tired. I actually stopped after 4 miles to walk a bit back & forth hoping to shake it off. That worked out well because someone was coming down the sidewalk, but didn’t help with the fatigue.

What gorgeous Peonies! Mine are just beginning to bloom (these aren’t mine)

It didn’t feel quite as hard as last Sunday’s. I thought a lot about my Dad; we were originally planning to hold his burial today. The weather would have been perfect.

A chilly, drizzly day (nicer back home, of course) but first time I’ve been eye to eye with my mom in almost four months

Favorites of the week
We did finally go to visit my mom. 2 hours down (one pitstop at a service area), 2 hours back , about an hour and a quarter chatting with my mom. Next time I’ll probably go by myself, because the dogs were a pain.

Lola can’t settle while on leash, and while Bandit was fine, he threw up just as we got there. Next time we do go with the dogs, I guess he’ll have to go with just one meal for the day; this isn’t the first time we’ve had that problem with him. But sometimes he’s okay.

Let’s just say maybe I should have left the carpet. We’ll see.

I’ve been dumpster diving. Well, no actual dumpsters involved. I carried this rug about a mile home. Unfortunately it’s kind of beat up, but I was thinking I could use it for Yoga students to have a more comfortable place to roll out their mats outside. We’ll see if I can make it presentable.

Then we also took this old fire pit above (had to go back & drive to get that one). Mr. Judy plans to make another fountain out of it. I think it’ll look cool!

Finally, tuna poke is one of my go-to meals for hot days. It’s relatively easy and quick and doesn’t require an oven. Although I used Right Rice (Amazon Affiliate link here) for it. They call it a plant based rice alternative, but a better title would be legume rice –it’s made using lentil, chickpea, and rice flour + pea fiber , but who would eat that?

Mr. Judy didn’t mind it; that’s high praise from him, actually, since he really likes rice. White rice, specifically. Right Rice is packed with 10 gm of protein per serving, comes in several different flavors, and is easy to make — just boil water, add Right Rice, and let it sit covered for 10 minutes.

Ever tried Right Rice? Did you like it?

What’s one of your favorite hot weather meals? I made a Chinese Chicken Salad this week that *I* thought was yummy.  

Do people put out stuff for free in your neighborhood? Ever helped yourself to something?

Coming up on Tuesday: I’m trying to decide if I want to do a virtual race on July 4th. On Friday I’ll be writing about why I’m making my runs intentional. Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here.

Steep, Steep-er, Steep-est: 5/25 – 31 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 31 Comments

I started the week with my virtual Freihofers’ “race”, and ended it dragging myself through a longish run today — despite really great weather. I think my body was protesting having to go up and down hills again, rather than just downhill.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and finishing out my 5ks.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Virtual Freihofers 5k + .9 warmup, Yoga (60 min)
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min)
  • Wednesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min), Full Body ST (20 min)
  • Thursday: 3 miles easy, Dogwalk, Yoga (40 min)
  • Friday: Dogwalk, Bootcamp  (cycle + weights — 30 min), Yoga (60 min)
  • Saturday:  Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min)
  • Sunday: 6 miles LSD, Yoga (30 min — maybe more later)

Mileage: 13 (+.8)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

A different starting line this year!

Monday
After practicing my 5ks last week, I ran my virtual 5k today. It was a lovely day to run — cloudy, breezy, almost perfect weather and I nailed my running outfit, too! It was also a slower 5k (due to nasal breathing), but my fastest 5k of the 4 I ran in the last week. 

I knew it wouldn’t be fast since nasal breathing is still slowing me down, but choosing a downhill course — and the weather — helped a lot. I had nice negative splits (due to the steep, steep-er, and steep-est hills on the route), and the last mile was the fastest I’ve seen in some time.

And nailed the outfit

I set out to make it hard-er training run, but not really trying to race. Somewhere in between. Mission accomplished. It also was not my slowest version of this race ever, so there’s that, too!

So many rainbows in the neighborhood!

Thursday
Just like that, what used to be our highs has become our lows. I got out early, although it never seems early enough. I went out with the intention of a recovery run, and that’s pretty much what happened.

Still haven’t finished cataloging rainbows in the neighborhood!

Sunday
The weather was really great for running today. It cooled off significantly from the earlier heat of the week. For whatever reason, though, my body was just not having a long run today. I finished, because who wants to walk back 3 miles, but it wasn’t pretty.

I tried really hard to concentrate on the beautiful day, but the reality was I just wanted to be done. Some runs are like that.

Bandit’s been a bit clingy lately. No idea why. He usually only climbs into my lap when he’s scared. He goes through periods like this though. You just have to be patient.

Favorites of the week
I didn’t want to join my friends in their social distance run/brunch — I’m sure it’s fine, but it’s just too big a group for me. I got “together” with a friend of mine — first time we’ve seen each other in person in a couple of months — just sitting and chatting in my backyard.

The hard part was that both dogs wanted to investigate her. It was nice catching up with her — as usual, I’m better in a small group. Or one on one.

Love my new Yoga mat!

New Yoga mat! I bought this one on Etsy. I’m forever carting my Yoga mat up & down stairs, so it’s nice to have one on each floor. It’s really pretty (and hand painted), it’s thicker than the one I already own — which means it doesn’t bunch up at all during my practice. The store on Etsy is TheArtofAnsel — I definitely recommend them!

You can see the fountain Mr. Judy is working on for me in the back.

Are you comfortable being in larger groups again? As I said to someone else recently, I have my mom (we plan to visit her next week, but it sucks that I can’t hug her) and others in my life that are at higher risk.

Would you travel by plane to run a race right now?  

What are you looking forward to in June? 

Coming up on Tuesday: It’s time to wrap up May. Then it’s time for the virtual Coffee Date next weekend. Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here.

My Week of 5ks: 5/18 – 24 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 41 Comments

We had a string of beautiful days this week, and trust me, we all needed that for our sanity up here! I love the freedom of living in Skirt all Summer long (with temps going up to 90 next week, yup, looks like unofficial Summer has arrived).

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and sharing my string of 5ks in prep for a virtual 5k — this week, or maybe on Memorial Day.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk, 3.1 miles easy, Bodyweight + Kettlebells (30 min)
  • Wednesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
  • Thursday: 3.1 miles easy with 7 x 20ish strides, Core (15 mn)
  • Friday: Dogwalk, Yoga (35 min)
  • Saturday:  6 miles (maybe not so easy), Yoga (60 min)
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, hopefully Platform Yoga and ST

Mileage: 12.2 (+3.2)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

Another neighborhood rainbow

Tuesday
I kept thinking I needed to do my virtual Freihofers this week, but luckily realized I don’t need to do it until next week. I ran 3.1 anyway, just to have something to report if things don’t go my way next week. Another nice day to run, but I really need to start getting out there earlier.

Today I had to walk the dogs before I ran, as Mr. Judy was waiting for a delivery. Lola, who is 14, just can’t take temps much over 60F, so she needs to be walked earlier now.

Now violet is everywhere it seems!

Thursday
Another great day to run! Of course I stopped to take a photo and while I thought I’d paused my Garmin, I hadn’t. No matter what, nice negative splits. Still slow but those strides always help; I cheat and run down a slight incline in front of my home, pause the Garmin while I walk back to my starting point, and repeat. Maybe not so kosher but that’s how I roll.

A washed out rainbow

Saturday
I decided to try to tackle a 5k as part of my long run. I warmed up with .9 (because 3.1 + .9 = 4 miles). Then I ran down the road on one side of my neighborhood for 3.1 miles. I did stop a couple of times to take photos (and paused my Garmin) so this probably won’t be my official 5k. The pace was decent because it was almost entirely downhill, which the race isn’t. I’m sure the stops helped the pace, too.

Although in typical fashion of this particular race, it was suddenly hot! I got out a bit later than I wanted (but earlier than the race starts). By the time I finished it was in the mid 70s. I haven’t run in those temps in many months. I’ve been lucky if it’s in the 50s!

One of the weirdest things I’ve seen on the run (but not the weirdest)

Of course what goes down must come up. I walked up the very long, very steep hill after I’d finished those first 4 miles. I had zero desire to run up a hill that steep, intervals or not. I ran some more on the flatter parts. Then walked up the final hill, too. I did run it in.

I’d thought I might add a mile to my long run this week, but with the sudden increase in temps, I really just had no desire to. I must’ve gotten in a good couple of miles walking uphill in addition to my 6 miles running.

Lola joined me for a little Yoga

Favorites of the week
I’ve been teasing what Mr. Judy was building for me for a while. Lola and Bandit helped me to christen it after my run.

It’s a Yoga platform in my backyard!

Bandit continues to be my Yoga partner

As much as I love my deck Yoga, platform Yoga is even better! It’s shaded by our pine trees (although those pine needles get everywhere) and there’s a nice breeze back there.

Apparently he’s also my construction partner (he just needs thumbs)

I helped just a smidge: carrying over most of the top boards and tightening up most of the bolts on the corners.

This is where I plan to be teaching my Yoga student — I’m not sure if she’ll be on the ground or maybe with me on the platform. I think there’s enough social distance between us if our mats are turned the other way.

My friends are getting ready to social distance run and brunch (also outside). I wasn’t quite ready, and they decided to run today anyway — I’d already run Saturday. I want to join in, but I’m not quite sure it’s the right thing to do now. I have several people in my life that are at higher risk.

One is my mom, and of course it’s been months since I’ve been in contact with her — but I’m hoping to see her soon. Others are ones I’m in contact with more often. I shared a post on my FB page here this morning on the risks of various gatherings, written by a runner who is also a virologist.

Of course it’s also not great to be isolated. As I said on FB, difficult times and difficult decisions.

Wouldn’t you love to join me on my platform? I can definitely envision filming some videos out there! Too bad the wifi isn’t strong enough for Zooming.

Are you handy?  Me, nope. Good thing Mr. Judy is.

How much of your exercise do you take outdoors? I thought about strength training out there, but lugging the weights out — and back! — didn’t seem enticing. Of course it’s more exercise, but I use different weights.  Although I’m sure ultimately it would feel great!

Coming up on Tuesday: I’m sharing some of my running hacks that make running go smoother. Of course Friday it’s time for runfessions; we all love getting those out there, don’t we? Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here.

Zooming around: 5/11 – 17 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 44 Comments

Finally Spring has arrived! Although in typical Northeast fashion, it looks like we’re going to skip right over Spring and go into Summer. I am not complaining about that at all!

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and sharing what little movement there was this week.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Dogwalk
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Wednesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
  • Thursday: 3 miles easy
  • Friday: Dogwalk, SB (15 min), Bodyweight + Kettlebells (20 min), Yoga (20 min)
  • Saturday:  Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min)
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, 6 miles easy, Yoga later maybe, maybe some ST, maybe both . . .

Mileage: 9 (-3)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

Kind of a rainbow . . . 

Thursday
Body wanted lots of extra rest again this week. The good news is that after all that rest, my runs felt better than any of  last week’s runs. Maybe that was also because I decided to bring back structured run/walk intervals as I continue to struggle|work on nasal breathing. The weather was again perfection, so worth the wait!

Even a pandemic can’t stop Memorial Day prep

Sunday
Running in  skirt. Living in a skirt. I’ve missed that! Cloudy, but great running weather. This run felt hard at times, but that may have been due to the incessant hills. I did both roads that lay on either side of my neighborhood, and they’re both hilly. I think run/walk is the way to go for now.

Not sure why he looked so sad, he loves his walks!

Favorites of the week
I don’t Zoom as much as a lot of people — it’s totally a verb now, right? There was more zooming for me this week than usual. My brother’s 60th birthday call (we did get my Mom on it), blogger Zoom, the Yoga Zoom with friends last weekend. I did miss the Zoom with my local running friends, but what can I say? Evening doesn’t work well for me and I was just especially tired this week.

I made an ecard for my brother’s 60th with a collage of family, too (it was my third in about a week!) but it was fun.

img_7874-1
Auto balancing my chakras below me as I practice Yoga on the deck

There’s been quite a bit of deck Yoga, which has been lovely, especially with the rainbow chimes chiming below me.

Other than that, not a whole lot going on. Although I may be teaching my private Yoga student again in the near future — outside in my backyard. Let’s hope I can find all the dog poop. 🙂

Is it Spring or Summer where you live (or worse, not even Spring yet)?

Any Memorial Day plans?  Not here. Unless we can work out the bathroom situation going to my Moms.

Do you think your furkids will be upset when things get back to normal? Although we’ve both gone out, not at the same time and not as often. I had already said to Mr. Judy that we’ll have to recondition them to us being gone longer eventually.

Coming up on Tuesday: What I can’t wait to experience at a real race (which probably isn’t going to happen for me this year). Friday I’ll talk about the pros of running near to home. Gotta try to stay positive here! Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here.

S is for . . . : 5/4 – 10 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 56 Comments

. . . Spring or . . . Snow????

Yeah baby, it snowed yesterday. Multiple times. No real accumulation, thankfully.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and sharing staying cool. Literally!

Workouts update

  • Monday:  3 miles easy, Dogwalk, Bodyweight/Kettlebells (20 min)
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk
  • Wednesday: Dogwalk, SB (10 min), Bodyweight/Kettlebells (30 min), Yoga (20 min)
  • Thursday: 3 miles easy with 5 x 20ish strides, Dogwalk
  • Friday: Dogwalk
  • Saturday:  Dogwalk, Taught Yoga on Zoom (30 min)
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, 6 miles easy, Yoga later (maybe, if time between Zooms)

Mileage: 12 (+2)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

The Magnolias survived

Monday
I may often miss a Monday, but glad I managed to get out there this morning before the weather went South (or is that North?). It was a beautiful morning, but the clouds moved in, the wind picked up, and the temps dropped. Thankfully it was nice during my run, which was slow, but I knew that’s what my body needed today.

Are you EVER coming back (before I’ve even left)

Thursday
Today was a beautiful day. A bit windy, but nothing too bad. I wasn’t quite sure how strides would work with nasal breathing, which still seems hard. I do my strides at the end of my run, sprinting from my mailbox to a neighbor’s fence, then pausing my watch and walking back to my starting point.

More neighborhood rainbows

That walk back gave me enough time to recover from the harder effort — while still continuing to breath through my nose. Without the strides this run would have been on the slower side, but glad to see I could still incorporate some strides. A girl’s gotta run fast sometimes.

A rainbow AND a letter for Liz @ Librofulltime

Sunday
I was really optimistic about this run. I just had a feeling it would go well. Unfortunately, it was a slog. I think my body was saying no thank you to running long today, but I still finished 6. Not sure why. I spent the last couple of miles in a sort-of fartlek. Maybe I need to go back to run/walk intervals until (if?) nasal breathing feels easier.

Quite a few takes to get a decent photo

Favorites of the week
We mugged for the camera to get the photo above to use in the ecard I made for my mom today. Happy Mother’s Day to all who celebrate! Let’s just say it took multiple takes over two days, but since we don’t have any photos of all of us, glad we persevered.

Not quite as happy? I thought my mom could phone into my brother’s 60th Zoom birthday call tomorrow. Turns out you only get dial in numbers on a paid account — as far as I can tell. Let’s just say Zoom’s support docs leave a bit to be desired.

By the way, Zoom is also now requiring passwords for all meetings.

We haven’t given up, though. She does have a laptop. I’m going to try another test and see if she can actually manage to click through. She’s not tech savvy, it’s hard when you can’t see her computer while trying to help, plus she has a significant hand palsy. If she could manage it, then she could even see us!

bsnowmay20
There have been a lot of times over the years we’ve lived here when I’ve wondered if somehow we got transported to VT. Yesterday was on of those times!

Almost forgot to share our snow yesterday. I mean, it was just a dusting — although we had flurries twice more during the day. I have never seen snow here this late in the year. The good news is it’s slowly going to warm up next week — and it looks like maybe Spring will arrive — and stay.

To end on a happier note, I also taught a Yoga class to Running Buddies D&J yesterday on Zoom. They gave two thumbs up to the Airpods, which stayed connected well the whole time. Zoom also let us chat after for a long time, so win-win! I will probably offer to teach a donation based Yoga class for the Humane Society now that I can communicate effectively. I still need to test them out on FB Live, so I may be starting back there, too!

Real cards or ecards? I hate to slaughter trees for cards

Are you parents hopping on the Zoom craze? 

How often to you go grocery shopping now? Every week I’ve been saying I really need to physically go to a grocery store. Every week I decide not to. Well, this week it was finally time. In fact, I went to two. I should be good for another month or so. Grocery deliveries are always an adventure — let’s just say substitutions can be interesting, and sometimes there are substitutions for no apparent reason.

Coming up on Tuesday: The topic is your worst race experience, but I went with my biggest race pet peeve. Any guesses? Friday I’ll a surprising benefit from good hydration. Don’t forget that Skirt Sports is selling off its inventory, so check out the sale here.

Making God Laugh: 4/27 – 5/3 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 44 Comments

You know the old saying, man plans, God laughs. I had plans for this week. Nothing earth shattering, basically trying to take advantage of the handful of nice days we had.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and sharing how God laughed at my plans.

Basically, my body told me it needed more recovery days this week. So much for my plans to run on the nice days. I only ran twice, so I missed out on some nice weather, but I did get to run Saturday, which was basically perfect running weather.

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Yoga (8 min), 4 miles easy, Dogwalk, Yoga (60 min)
  • Tuesday: Yoga (7 min), Dogwalk, Yoga (40 min)
  • Wednesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
  • Thursday: Dogwalk, Yoga (40 min)
  • Friday: Yoga (90 min), Dogwalk
  • Saturday:  6 mile LSD, Yoga (30 min)
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, Film Yoga Video (60 min)

Mileage: 10 (-7)

JY = Jasyoga
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
YFR = Yoga for Runners*
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
YFPR = Yoga for Pain Relief
YTU = Yoga Tune Up Lower Body*

*Disclaimer: Amazon affiliate links; I will make a small amount of money if you buy through these links

Running Update

Flowers brighten even gloomy days

Monday
Cloudy, windy, chilly. Back to what passes for Spring in the Northeast. Got out for 4 miles & managed to stay dry. Gotta take your wins where you can find them.

This was Yoga on the deck earlier in the week — I may not have run, but I love my deck Yoga sessions! Hoping for one today, too

Saturday
Picture perfect running weather. It would have been a great day for a race! I chose the hillier route since I wasn’t running as long. Yes, the June half is officially cancelled. I had to get off & wait for some wrong siders, but I guess the rest did me good. The pace wasn’t bad.

So not a whole lot of movement this week, but today I’m feeling back to normal so it’s what I needed.

A rainbow in my backyard every day

Favorites of the week
Mr. Judy surprised me with the rainbow wind chimes above. Yes, he reads the blog sometimes.

You can never have too many digital options!

He also managed to revive his old laptop (he recently got a new one). We share our desktop; there’s a lot I can do on my Ipad, but not everything. Not that I can do everything on the laptop, either, but I can do some things I can’t on the Ipad. I spent some time blogging outside yesterday afternoon.

Mr. Judy was my hero this week — he also worked his magic to get me a good deal on  AirPods 2nd Generation. I may look dorky, but it should improve my audio (while I continue the hunt for a wireless microphone at a decent price). I’ll be testing them out on a FB Live soon!

Do you have a YouTube Channel? I’ll subscribe to yours if you subscribe to mine. 🙂

What do you do to make treadmill runs more fun (if you run on them)? 

A long shot, but does anyone have reasonably priced but good quality wireless microphone recommendations? 

b5.1_Social_FinishLine_Split

Coming up on Tuesday: Your race is cancelled. The weather’s no good or you have young kids to keep an eye on. How will you entertain yourself on your treadmill? Friday I’ll be writing a love letter to Skirt Sports; if you haven’t heard, there’s a good chance they’re going out of business if they can’t find a buyer. Skirts (and so much more) are selling out, so check out the sale here.