Bandit

Life hasn’t changed too much: 3/16-22 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 46 Comments

Yet. After a lot of back and forth (I’d feel perfectly fine, then not great — never terrible, by any means), I do believe I turned the corner — finally! this week, and feel 100%. Or maybe 95%? My life hasn’t changed that much. Not yet, anyway. Of course there are changes, but in general, being an introvert and a homebody has served me well.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and sharing more doggy cuteness, because why not?

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Dogwalk
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Wednesday: 4 miles easy, Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Thursday: Dogwalk, Pilates (15 min), Yoga (30 min)
  • Friday: 4 miles easy, Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Saturday: Dogwalk, PB Walking + Toning, Yoga (40 min)
  • Sunday: 7 miles easy, no doubt some Yoga later

Mileage: 15 (+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

Sorry for the graininess, didn’t want to disturb them too much

Wednesday
I figure as long as I’m able to get out for a run, I will try — there could come a day when we’re not supposed to at all, as I’ve read has happened in some places in Europe. We had walked the dogs at the trail by the river on Monday, so I made plans to come back and run there. It’s a very short, packed dirt with a little crushed gravel trail.

It was a beautiful day, perfect for running, and I enjoyed this run greatly. There were feathers on the trail that looked like eagle feathers. I’ve never seen an eagle there, but I’m sure they are probably around. A little further down, though, I almost literally ran into 4 chickens. This would not have been at all odd when I lived in Austin, but this is something I’ve never run into before here.

They definitely didn’t look wild. I’ve always wanted to have chickens . . . anyway, as I continued on pondering whether or not I should call animal control or grab one on the way back, by the time I got back to that point on the trail they’d vanished. You just never know what you’ll see when you #optoutside!

I may have been rained on, but I enjoyed this run

Friday
Today I had to try to outrun the rain. Spoiler alert: I didn’t. It was a warmer day, but my run was in the morning and it was only in the 50s with wind — and yes, light rain. It was still a good run!

Path angels at work!

Sunday
I headed up to a path I haven’t been to since last year. I guess I’d forgotten it was mostly uphill the way out . . . but of course that means mostly downhill on the way back. Path angels were busy with postive chalk art messages & I loved them!

Hidden in a tree

I didn’t notice this leprechaun in the opening of a tree, but some walkers did and I asked them what they were oohing & aahing over. Of course I waited until they had moved on to take my photo.

Palak Paneer &  Potato Cauliflower Fritters (Aloo something?)

Favorites of the week
You can still get delivery/take out from restaurants. I have always made about 90% of my own food — that includes way back when I worked outside of the home — but I like a break once in a while. This week it was Indian food, last week it was Chinese, I guess we’re doing a virtual world tour. I was surprised the Palak Paneer was in a cream sauce, I haven’t had it that way before. It was very good — no doubt pretty fattening too!

The bakery is open for takeout
Such yummy goodness

Part of the protein bar, a little bit of the scone, and some of my mom’s birthday cheesecake (remember, her birthday was the 10th!) just may have been lunch. Don’t judge. The brownie will probably get frozen. I don’t think I need all that and the cheesecake. Not for 7 miles.

I called my order in, and then I didn’t have to wait online. It was ready & waiting for me when I got there. Easy peasy.

I lured him with a protein bar I was eating, then didn’t share. Bad Mommy.
Finally found a relatively cheap quilt at Target. We’d been using an old sheet, and that was beginning to tear. So far Lola hasn’t decided to eat it. That tail, though!

Are you having to learn new skills now?

Are you working from home?

How are you destressing? 

Coming up on Tuesday: I’m gathering up some of the many low cost and free resources that are being offered. Seriously, there are just so many things you can do to keep fit at home!

ICYMI: I uploadeed this meditation to help you reduce anxiety here. I’m working on more meditations. I have a lot of ideas and a couple already sketched out! If you do like these meditations, please press the like button — it helps me continue to bring everyone free videos.

Be the first to know when I release new videos: sign up for my newsletter here to find out when I add new videos, and you’ll receive a free Self Love Affirmation PDF and a bonus audio-only version of this self love meditation.

Aging isn’t for sissies: Tea/coffee Date March 2020

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 29 Comments

btea320

Mr. Judy and the dogs are once again front and center if we were getting together over a hot beverage. Aren’t they always?

Ultimate-Coffee-Date-1-300x300

Pull up a chair and mug with Coco and Deborah and me for the ultimate coffee tea date: can we talk? Especially about the damn menopot!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I would tell you Mr. Judy was away last week at a conference. I finally got my alone time. Somehow I accomplish a great deal more when he isn’t home. I am, however, very grateful that we were not clobbered with a big snowstorm this time.

Mr. Judy has gone to this conference many times, and we’re almost always hit with a big one while he’s away. I didn’t have to shovel once!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that I am all care-giver’d out. It’s been one thing after another since we moved to NY 11 years ago: parents and a whole string of aging furkids. Lola was having stomach issues while Mr. Judy was gone. She was waking me up several times a night to go outside. I am quite grateful that she didn’t just do something inside, but still.

One night it was so bad that I left the back door, the one with the pet door that we usually close at night, open. I knew it was the only way I was going to get any sleep.

Aging is not easy, in humans or animals. Good thing they’re cute.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that it is also ironic — and sad — that 4 years ago Lola was the one that had to be admonished to slow down on walks because Chester was in heart failure and couldn’t walk that fast. Now it’s Bandit who has to slow down for Lola. She’s not in heart failure, at least not yet, but she is old (14) and definitely showing it.

No worries, I still have plenty that fit & are flattering.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I have a large pile of jeans to donate. They actually fit — my guess is that I am probably thinner now than I was when I bought them — but let’s just say things have shifted and a lower rise does this middle aged body no favors. Damn menopot! Do you feel me? I know some of you do, anyway.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that something is going on with me and soap lately. I brought a different brand of dishsoap. In trying to get it going the first time, I ended up with soap all over my sweater. I was not pleased. I won’t be buying that brand again.

Then I was reaching over to get the cup that holds our toothbrushes so I could wash it, and I knocked the soap container into the sink, where it proceeded to break into a million pieces.

I scooped up the pieces to throw out in the garbage in the kitchen, unwittingly trailing soap across the bathroom, the hallway, and the kitchen floor. There’s a trash can in the bathroom. Don’t ask me why I didn’t just throw it in there. Maybe sleep deprivation The soap container was cheap, but I really liked it. I almost bought two at the time . . .

Is your body shifting (but maybe not your weight)?

One word to describe 2020 Winter so far? I admit I don’t know what I’d pick, so I’m interested to see what you pick.

Do you buy multiples of things you like? 

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

bfridayfairy

There’s a little dog in all men: Tea/coffee Date January 2020

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 38 Comments

bdogstomen

Mr. Judy and the dogs figure largely in what I’d tell you if we were meeting up for some hot beverages today. I’ll bet you’re really shocked — not!

Ultimate-Coffee-Date-1-300x300

Pull up a chair and mug with Coco and Deborah and me for the ultimate coffee tea date, while I forgive the dogs for the disgusting things they do because they’re cute. And maybe Mr. Judy, too.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I would tell you Mr. Judy was going through some old stuff, and came across some papers from his Dad (who also suffered with dementia).One was a list of passwords. One was JLITT.

We had a good laugh when at first I was puzzled about why he would use my name as a password. His first name was Jerry. I needed that laugh!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that Mr. Judy got a bee in his bonnet about making latkes (potato pancakes) from scratch. Yes, Mr. Judy can cook, but doesn’t do it a lot, so it’s often filled with me finding almost everything for him and some swearing. If you’ve never made latkes, it’s a labor intensive procedure and this fell in the week we were moving my Dad to the nursing home.

I made the frozen latkes from Trader Joes — as did one of his aunts and his sister — but that wasn’t good enough for him. I runfess I’m glad he did it while I was away from home.

It’s a good thing they’re cute

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I came home from yoga last Sunday, put away the groceries, sat down and talked to Mr. Judy a bit. Got up to make myself some tea. Walked back over and . . . someone had thrown up.

Lola has done her share of “redecorating” as I euphemistically call it

My money is on Bandit. Lola had just gotten up on the couch, and I think we would have noticed if she’d gotten back off.  I don’t remember Bandit getting off his couch, but he is the one that randomly throws up.

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t there when I was talking to Mr. Judy, we didn’t hear anything (Bandit tends to do it pretty quietly). It wasn’t me and it wasn’t Mr. Judy. Good thing the dogs are cute, and at least this time they missed bedding, furniture, and carpeting.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I have actually gone from someone who loved to bake, and often baked simply because I enjoyed it and found it stress-busting . . . to someone that doesn’t bake so often anymore.

Could that be part of the secret to being able to maintain my weight without tracking? It’s mostly been that I am just too busy with other things. You know how when you’re really engaged in something and you don’t even think about eating? Yeah, it’s kind of like that.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that starting my YouTube Channel (you can check it out here) has been hard! I seriously knew nothing about editing video before I started. It seemed like with each new video a different problem would pop up.

In my latest video, I’d recorded an intro to it — at the moment I film using my Ipad — and for the first time, for whatever reason, the audio came out completely garbled. Unusable. Hence no intro to that video.

In that same video, I recorded the audio early one morning. It’s a longer video, clocking in at almost an hour. I finished, hit done, and poof! No audio. I simply didn’t have another hour to sit & re-record it. As I was venting to Mr. Judy, it finally appeared. I guess it just needed some processing time.

What was the last good laugh you had?

What was the last thing you had to learn that really challenged you?

What was something you used to really enjoy doing that you no longer do? 

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

bfridayfairy

Summer slow down: 8/5- 11 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 33 Comments

Quite a bit of rain this week, although my treadmill runs were just due to circumstances, like going to my parents and knowing it takes me less time to run on the mill — and wouldn’t ruin my hair, either.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner and just sharing Summer activities.

briots

And linking up with Jenn @ Runswithpugs, Brandi @ Funnerrunner, Anna Louise @ Graciouswarriorprincess, Briana @ Matsmilesmedals, Meghan @ Meghanonthemove, and Elizabeth @ Trainwithbainfor RIOTS(running is our therapy)

Workouts update

  • Monday:  3 miles easy, PB Strength + Cardio (30 min), Yoga (30 min)
  • Tuesday: Dogwalk, TM Speedwork, Yoga (15 min)
  • Wednesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (20 minutes), PB Cardio + Weights  (30 min)
  • Thursday: TM Speedwork, Yoga (30 min)
  • Friday: Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
  • Saturday: 7 mile LSD, Yoga Workshop Hips & Glute Medius (2 hr)
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, Rest day!, some yoga . . .

Mileage: 16 (-.5)

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 Updates

That heron enjoys the lake

Monday
Actually a cool morning so I didn’t have to rush out early. A nice easy run at the park. Loosely based on heart rate, a bit slower than I’ve been running lately. No doubt due to a couple of nights of bad sleep last week, even though I’d slept ok. This week promises to be relatively busy.

Tuesday
We went to my parents and that meant treadmill speed intervals again — again in a ladder format. Pushed the pace just a little bit faster, felt ok — tempting to keep going with the pace but I think next week it’s time for some easy running.

Thursday
Friends were meeting for trail running, but with thunder rumbling and a long drive out there, it wasn’t my cup of tea, although they were able to do it, no FOMO here. Because of said thunder and not being able to run til later in the day, I kept to the treadmill. Second speedwork of the week, only because I find just running steady on the treadmill monotonous.

Catching up

Saturday
Not running as long as my friends, so I could show up later. Actually, I got there before they’d started, but they didn’t see me and I made a pitstop, so I was behind them a few miles. Really nice running weather. Where was this weather when I was training for 18 miles last summer?

My heart rate was a bit higher than last week (slept badly), so I took it really slowly, although in the end it was just a little faster overall than last week: I’d run a few miles with a friend who is getting back into running last week, and they were really slow — unfortunately she’s now injured herself again.

I may not drink, but I do like grapes!

Favorites of the week
We stopped at a winery on the way to my parents this week — we thought it was close by, but it turned out to be a bit more out of the way than anticipated. It was very peaceful, as most wineries seem to be, although we didn’t spend a lot of time there.

Mr. Judy finally found me a pair of Newton Motions on Ebay! He’s snagged a few Distance models at really good prices, but Motions remained elusive. This wasn’t a really good price, but it was a good price, and it’s my favorite model of running shoe — find out why in Tuesday’s post.

Bandit & I still enjoying the $5 lounge chair.

The look of love (me or the lounge chair?)
The dogs “helping”

Practicing my practicum. I have to video myself teaching a 20 minute yoga class that I design. Let me just say it’s taking a ridiculous amount of hours for me to do this! This was my first time running through it with my friend. I know that with experience it comes easier, but it’s humbling, to say the least.

Yesterday after the long run I rushed home (while everyone else was enjoying breakfast), foam rolled, showered, ate lunch, and then headed out to a 2 hour yoga workshop on the hips and gluteus medius. It was really good (even if I had to circle around about 3 times before I figured out where the damn place was). The first half was active poses, while the second half was restorative/yin.

I wish the teacher had had a handout. I took notes, but some of the flows were pretty complicated and there was just no way to actually try to write it all down. Still learned some new stuff to try at home — especially loved doing a yin pigeon (yin is when you hold poses for a long time to really relax into them) on a bolster.

What was the last thing that humbled you?

What was your last find that didn’t cost much but brought joy into your life?

How’s your summer going?  

Snuggles & Synchronicity: 4/29-5/5 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 41 Comments

Absolutely no acitivity to report (and if you follow me on IG here or read my Coffee/Tea Date post here, you know why). The very short story is I was pretty sick this week. Came out of nowhere.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner and just sharing some thoughts & dog pictures.

briots

And linking up with Jenn @ Runswithpugs, Brandi @ Funnerrunner, Anna Louise @ Graciouswarriorprincess, Briana @ Matsmilesmedals, Meghan @ Meghanonthemove, and Elizabeth @ Trainwithbainfor RIOTS(running is our therapy)

Workouts update

  • Monday:  Sick, fainted, trip to ER
  • Tuesday:  Admitted overnight, released midday
  • Wednesday: Rest
  • Thursday: Rest
  • Friday: Yoga
  • Saturday: Yoga
  • Sunday: Yoga, Dogwalk (if it ever stops raining)

Mileage: 0 (-15)

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 Updates

Nothing to report. Didn’t even join Mr. Judy for the dogwalks. I just left this in so I can do my usual format for next week — I’m expecting to start running again at some point next week. And rebuilding. Again. Sigh.

Monday

Tuesday

Friday

Saturday

Some snuggling

Favorites of the week
There were lots of doggy snuggles. Now the truth is Bandit is not a particularly snuggly dog, as I’ve written about a few times before.

Usually he is laying in a bed at my feet or on the other couch so he can keep guard over me

He was unusually snuggly on Monday. While I was gone that night, Mr. Judy said that he got up every time he (Mr. Judy) did, and would go to the staircase. I’ve been gone before (under much less dramatic circumstances) and he’s never done that before.

A running joke the rest of the week was that any time he did snuggle with me we had to worry. Because it truly seemed as though he sensed something was up on Monday. Even though I’m still not completely well, he’s mostly gone back to his non-snuggliness (why yes, I completely made that word up).

Lola, OTOH, enjoys a good snuggle

Lola didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, she was just very happy when I reappeared.

More than happy to snuggle with a human

All the training with the dog door paid off big time Monday. We’d already fed the dogs (but not ourselves). We were gone more hours than we’ve probably ever left them since we took Bandit in. They were able to go in and out to the yard.

They’ve pretty much mastered the door. They don’t always want to use it, but that just means they probably don’t really want to go out. We no longer have to hold it up for them, and most of the time they push through it no problem. The timing was perfect!

It also seemed like every show we watched this week had something to do with hospitals or fainting, hence the synchronicity. I also found us a new pet sitter for next weekend (Mother’s Day) that is literally just a little over a mile from our house. They have four chihuahuas. Meant to be, right?

We’ll see. We’re a little bit concerned as we’re their first customers — and they have a pool. We really need a backup sitter, though, and this would be so convenient so fingers crossed.

Do you board your pets, or have someone come in for them?

Doing an anti rain dance? Seriously, we’re plenty green now!

Any synchronicity in your week?

Rookie Mistakes: Runfessions April 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 26 Comments

brunfessapril19

I’m joining Marcia @ Marcia’s Healthy Slice a little ahead of time, because she’s running just another marathon. Well, not just another, she’s running London to wrap up her quest to run all 6 major world marathons — how awesome is that? Let’s all send her some great running vibes! Marcia’s moved the Runfessional to next Friday, along with our Coffee/Tea dates, but since I’d already written this post I’m just going with it.

So tired of being cold — thankfully we’ve had some warm weather

I runfess . . .
It’s Spring. Sort of. No blizzards here, but we still had a lot of rainy, very windy, and some days almost winter-like temp during April — even some snow in the beginning. Motivating myself to run outside, when there are no goal races out there, has been hard.

Most days when I do get out there, it’s really not as bad as I think it is (although some days it really is). I also know my body actually appreciates some treadmill runs. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

By the end of the month we got some beautiful Spring weather, allowing me to run outside and shun the treadmill again, but it’s still back and forth (hello 30s overnight a couple of nights ago). There’s a lot of rain in the forecast this weekend . . . stay tuned.

More likely to skip the post run stretching than the foam rolling!

I runfess . . .
The debates on foam rolling rages on. Some Doctors swear by it, others say it’s a waste of time. On the few days I run and skip it (yes, it happens), I absolutely feel much tighter the next day. Foam rolling won’t cure everything that ails you, but it helps (and my chiropractor agrees with me).

I runfess . . .
I thought I would be doing a 5k before the 5k in June that I’m mentoring for. I haven’t found one that really calls to me on a weekend that’s good for me. I do kind of want to run the inaugural one mile race in May — hey, it’s a guaranteed PR! — but none of my running friends seem interested and I wouldn’t be able to run the race and mentor that day.

I found another race I thought could be fun this weekend, a nice little road trip, and then the forecast got pretty crappy. I would like to find a race in May . . . somewhere.

Why are they doing this to me?

I runfess . . .
We are trying to teach some old dogs some new tricks. We have repurposed Gizmo’s kennel for the dogs, and put a dog door into our storm door. The hope being that we can be out longer without having to worry about accidents. It also allows the dogs some access to grass while still being somewhat protected.

Bandit, luckily, is not the problem when it comes to accidents. He does have separation anxiety — heavy emphasis on the anxiety. He doesn’t have accidents and he’s not destructive, but you can almost see him heave a sigh of relief after running around like a nut when we come back from being out.

Lola is a different story. She’s 13, and she’s always had those once in a blue moon accidents. As she gets older it’s harder on her when we’re out. Sometimes I’d like to be out for more than just a couple of hours!

Lola is a little familiar with a dog door (although it was a cat door) from our time in TX, and tried to get out that way a time or two when we lived in TX. She’s taken to the new set up fairly quickly, but we still have the flap tied up so they don’t have to push through (as I’m writing this the flap is now down, and she still goes through like a champ). Unfortunately she doesn’t want to actually use the kennel for pottying (although she has a time or two).

Bandit is somewhat balky about going out through the door, even with the flap tied up, but once he’s out there he’ll pee on most anything. Boy dogs.

We have upped the treats we’re using. High value treats are always very important when training a behavior that is hard for a dog. We used them to get Bandit used to the crate initially — he loves it now. A little hamburger is working miracles. If we hold the flap just slightly and entice him with hamburger, we can get him in and out.

Lola will actually go in and out on her own sometimes if it’s a nice day. Will she realize that she can just go out if we’re out and she really needs to go? Stay tuned!

Smiling before the death march of the next two miles

I runfess . . .
On a hot steamy run last week I made every rookie mistake:

  • I waited too long to get out the door. 10:30 on a hot day, anyone? Thank goodness it was cloudy!
  • I way underestimated the way the sudden humidity would make me feel.
  • Because of the point above, I did not have enough water with me, and I sure felt it. I should have had double the amount. Thank goodness the water fountains are now on.
  • Not only did I not have enough water, I should have done half the run, stopped to refill my one very small water bottle, and completed the rest of the run.
  • I should have worn an even lighter top — I have one, but I just didn’t anticipate (again) how much a humid 70F run was going to effect me.
  • I probably could’ve nixed the compression socks — no doubt they contributed to the feeling of overheating.
  • I didn’t bring sandals to change into after the run.

Ever taught a dog to use a pet door? Any tips?

What was the last rookie mistake you made in running?

Do you get out too late and really regret it afterwards?

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

Runfessions

I am also linking up with:

Spring Cleaning: 4/15-21 WRD

~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 36 Comments

A “big” jump in running for me (it’s all relative) and the first 4 x week in a while. I was so happy to be able to run in a tank and skirt finally; not so happy about the humidity.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner and wishing those who celebrate a Happy Easter & Passover.

briots

And linking up with Jenn @ Runswithpugs, Brandi @ Funnerrunner, Anna Louise @ Graciouswarriorprincess, Briana @ Matsmilesmedals, Meghan @ Meghanonthemove, and Elizabeth @ Trainwithbainfor RIOTS(running is our therapy)

Workouts update

  • Monday:  2 miles + 1.5 miles easy while FTC Mentoring, Dogwalk
  • Tuesday:  3 miles with 6 x 30 sec-ish hill repeats
  • Wednesday: Yoga/Pilates (20 minutes), Dogwalk, Yoga Feet & Ankles (15 min)
  • Thursday: ST Arms (15 minutes), Pilates Core (10 minutes), Dogwalk
  • Friday: 6 Miles Easy, Dogwalk
  • Saturday: FTC Mentoring 2 miles, Runner’s Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk
  • Sunday: Dogwalk, Rest Day

Mileage: 14.5 (+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 Updates

Monday
Got in 2 speedy miles before mentoring for roughly 1.5 miles. Got rained on a bit before the mentoring, but it was fine, and stayed dry during the mentoring run.

Hill repeats (didn’t need the vest really — again!)

Tuesday
It may have been windy, but it was finally a pretty day to run. I chose to do some hill repeats. Small, short hill repeats. They add up fast, though! Ran one mile. Stopped to stretch. Ran up and down a hill 6 times (almost .75 miles, as it turns out) & continued til I hit another mile.

Small break. Then finished up with one more mile — originally I was just going to do .5 mile but figured it’s a nice day why not go the whole mile. I felt tired & sluggish, but it turned out to be the fastest mile — all three were relatively consistent, though, surprisingly — even the hill repeats.

As seen on the run (well, after the run)

Friday
Holy humidity, batman! I got out far too late for this run. I decided I would take a walk break each mile for water. Well, that turned into longer and longer walk breaks and then multiple walk breaks per mile disintegrating into run/walk intervals for the last half mile (and that last mile was way faster than the previous two, go figure).

Beginners warm up with a “brisk” 5 minute walk

Saturday
We were threatened with rain and/or thunderstorms. What we got was hot & humid with a few sprinkles at the end, which worked out because today it was 25 minutes of straight running and that’s a big jump for these ladies. Later it poured buckets!

Pre-bath. Yup, he got me with that tongue!

Favorites of the week
The Spring cleaning refers to giving the dogs baths today. We’ve finally found Spring, so we could do it outside. They do not enjoy it, but they’re generally pretty good about it. Which is why small dogs are a favorite of the week — they may squirm away, but ultimately there is no escaping the inevitable.

Matzo Brei. I did not take photos this year. Search my site and some will come up. Essentially it’s french toast made with crumbled up matzo and it’s my favorite thing about Passover. I wish I could eat it ever.single.day. I’ve even been known to make it after Passover is over, just to use up leftover matzo. It makes great running fuel — for me anyway.

I hope whether you’re celebrating something today or not, that you to enjoy a nice day (or cozy up inside).

Talk to me:

Do you still do baskets even if your children are grown?

Still in Winter or has Spring found you, too?

What was your favorite run of this week?