Leaves are a’popping: 9/21 – 26 WRD

September 27, 2020September 27, 2020 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 33 Comments

After our cold snap last week, trees are popping out in color all over the place. Way too early, but there’s something about the changing leaves . . . even if I never missed that the 17 years we lived in TX!

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and running/walking my virtual Dempsey Challenge races.

Workouts update

Monday: Yoga (50 min), 3 miles easy (with 5 strides at end), Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
Tuesday: Yoga (30 min), Walk while waiting for Lola @ Vet, Yoga (20 min)
Wednesday: Yoga (50 min), Dogwalk, Yoga (15 min)
Thursday: Yoga (30 min), Dempsey Challenge Virtual 10k + .8 mile warmup, Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
Friday: Yoga (50 min), Dogwalk
Saturday: Yoga (50 min), Dempsey Challenge Virtual 5k Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)
Sunday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min)

Mileage: 10 (-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

Monday intention: Remind legs they can go fast
An easy run with strides at the end to work on turnover. Another nice day, although I kinda felt like I was dragging. The busyness of September catching up with me, I guess. Still it was negative splits. Last mile pretty darn fast for me (due to pausing my watch when I walk back uphill between strides).

Thursday intention: get stronger + speed
I chose to run my Dempsey Challenge 10k today instead of my usual long-run Saturday, thinking the weather would be cooler (maybe not so much, turns out). We’d still warmed up and it was humid, but not Summer-humid thankfully. I ran .8 mile to warm up, then another 3.1 in the neighborhood (rolling hills).

Then I took off downhill for the second half of the 10k. Yup, the second half was significantly faster. At one point I spied a penny — then another, then another — all in all there were six socially distanced pennies. Weird! Yes, I picked them up.

Then I walked almost 3 miles back up the hills, and then it was another 1.5 mile cool down walk with Mr. Judy and Bandit and stick a fork in me I was done — for the rest of the day! I was tired. I don’t think it was the “race” so much as all that time out in the sun. I felt fine the next day.

If you’d like to donate to my fundraiser, you can (until the end of September) right here. 100% of your donations goes to support services for people battling cancer.

Favorites of the week
In addition to running my virtual Dempsey Challenge on Thursday, we walked 5k on Saturday (the actual day of the road races, normally — there’s also cycling races) with Bandit. He was a bit balky towards the end (we had to pass our house to make sure it was really 3.1).

Best use for beets!

Then there was this red velvet mug cake. It got its coloring from beets. Which I’ve had coming out of my ears with our veggie share.

Lola is better, but she is not amused at all at not being able to go on our walks. If she liked to be carried I’d take her with us that way, but alas, she really doesn’t. Luckily we have a gate that can attach to the top of our stairs, which Mr. Judy did. We carry her up & down those stairs. Sometimes she still goes up and down onto the couch, even though we try to help her and she has steps — she’s still darn fast for just about 15!

What are you looking at? Feather? What feather?

Run any virtual races lately?

Enjoying a little Indian Summer? We are for a few days!

What is one thing you’re proud you did this week?

GWY Pre Run Yin3a

ICYMI: One last Yin Yoga Pre Run Warmup and it’s the shortest one yet! I’ll get you out for your run in just a little over eleven minutes here. All of these practices are great post run, too — or even the night before a hard workout.

Coming up on Tuesday: I’m wrapping up my September. On Friday let’s grab some coffee or tea and get together to share what’s going on in our monthly coffee date here.

Roatripping: 8/10 – 16 WRD

August 16, 2020 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 44 Comments

Some people are effected more by heat than others. I remember once, in TX, we’d been out to a memorial service. It was hot and humid. As we sat in the car afterwards, trying to decide what to do, the sweat was rolling down my face. But not Mr. Judy’s.

I’d rather run outside than on the treadmill, but for me, I’d come to the proverbial breaking point between the heat, humidity, and early mornings. Embracing the treadmill again this week helped. A lot! Originally I planned to run today, too — inside or outside — but I took a long walk instead. You’ll see why.

I’m not trying to tell you to run on a treadmill, not at all. Just reminding y’all that we’re all different. The most important thing is to just keep moving by whatever mode works for you.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and easing back into running and embracing my treadmill again (a little).

Workouts update

Monday: Dogwalk, 3 ish treadmill miles, Filmed Yoga video (50 min)
Tuesday: Dogwalk, Peloton Bootcamp (2ish? mies + ST — total 45 min)
Wednesday: Dogwalk, Walking around historic sites & over bridges
Thursday: Dogwalk, Yoga with Weights (20 min)
Friday: 8 mile LSD, Yoga (20 min)
Saturday: Dogwalk, Yoga (20 min), Soul Stroll
Sunday: Dogwalk, Long Walk in a New Place

Mileage: 12 (+.9)

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

Monday intention: try something new
My first running class on Peloton. I did a 10 min running warmup + a 30 min running class (beginner) + 10 min walking cooldown. Apparently the incline is broken on my treadmill again. Not the end of the world. Garmin is notoriously inaccurate with indoor runs, and of course ancient mills aren’t so accurate either. So not so sure how far I ran, but I know it was fine and definitely hit some paces (for a brief time) I wouldn’t have if I’d slogged it out outside.

Tuesday intention: nasal breathing
I did my first running + ST bootcamp with Peloton App. I chose a beginner, 30 min bootcamp. I definitely liked the running portion — perfect way to get just a little bit of running in and I was able to push the pace while running (it used run/walk intervals) and maintain nasal breathing — something I just haven’t been able to do outside during the Summer, although I keep trying!

The strength portion was good, but again, I really felt like it was rushed.

Scooooore! Rabbit in front of goal amused me

Friday intention: support women with breast cancer
It was much warmer than predicted this morning. I wish I’d worn my cooling towel. The roads seemed choked with wrong siders, but most crossed when they saw me running towards them. I tried hard to stay with my run/walk intervals (not throwing in extra walk breaks) and mostly — but not completely — succeeded.

I spent some time before this run thinking about my intention, and I pulled out the 5 whys (ask yourself why you’re doing something, then ask 4 more times). Finally I came up with dedicating this run to the women battling cancer and the virtual Dempsey Challenge I’m training for to raise funds for them (If you’d like to donate, you can do it here. Thank you!).

I got it done. I have to admit the run took a lot out of me, but then I thought about the women battling cancer. The ones that don’t win their fight. The ones that battle through all their treatments. Running 8 miles in heat & humidity seemed a small thing to do.

Scenes from my side trip on my way to visit my mom

Favorites of the week
I decided to break up my drive to my mom on Wednesday with a small side trip. As much as I like seeing my mom, these trips are also tiring. The side trip (made easier by no husband or dogs in tow) was well worth the extra time — even if I was really feeling the need for a bathroom by the time I got home!

Today I am off to pick up my bowl/mug for me and my friend from our virtual XC series in July. I found what sounds like a nice rail trail close to the pickup location.

The rail trail was very nice! So is the new mug.

He looked left, then right & I captured both

Lola spends a lot of time just staring into space

What have you been doing to have some fun this Summer?

Do you think you can’t meditate? There is no can’t, only won’t!

What was the highlight of your week?

ICYMI: I had a video on balance done early. Except I hadn’t uploaded it to YouTube. Then our desktop crashed and died yesterday. So it’s stuck inside the desktop. I made a quick vlog on my walk today about the many benefits of meditation. Watch it here.

Coming up on Tuesday: Strength training — why I do it and where I do it. On Friday I’ll be thinking about what good things have come out of the Pandemic. I hope anyway, everything takes a lot longer on my phone/tablet. It’s probably going to take me longer to comment on blogs, too.

A Buzzzy Week: 8/3 – 9 WRD

August 9, 2020August 10, 2020 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 39 Comments

We’ve spent way more time eating & relaxing on our deck this Summer than we ever have. In the past, heat (it’s off of the second floor) often prevented us. Of course we’ve had plenty of heat this Summer, but with two umbrellas instead of just one, we’ve been out there more.

The other limiting factor was always the wasps/hornets (what’s the difference?). There have been some this Summer, but I’ve managed to control my freak out until this week.

We were eating dinner, and I had my bare feet up on a chair when a hornet landed on my foot. Do you know how many nerve endings there are in your foot? Somehow I managed to brush him off without getting stung after about a minute, but that was it for me that night.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and easing back into running and embracing my treadmill again (a little).

Workouts update

Monday: 3 miles easy, Pilates Stretch (8 min) + Yoga (50 min), PM Dogwalk (tropical storm moving in for Tuesday)
Tuesday: Peloton Bootcamp (1.13 mile + ST), Dogwalk rained out by Isaias!
Wednesday: Dogwalk, Pilates (30 min), Soul Stroll
Thursday: Roadtrip with lots of walking
Friday: 8 mile LSD, Dogwalk
Saturday: Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min)
Sunday: Dogwalk, Yoga (15 min), Walking with a friend later, Full Body ST (25 min)

Mileage: 12.13 (+5.13)

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

Monday intention: body scan
It’s clear I’m not going to find much joy in runs in the heat, but I continue to try to tune into my body and try to figure out what would make it better. I spent a lot of time trying different things and seeing how it effected my hamstrings, which are always slightly achy when I run — even slowly. I’m not sure I have answers yet.

It was warm and humid and not as cloudy as I’d like, but it was a nice, consistent run and after about an hour back in the coolness of the house I felt re-energized (not right after the run!).

The strength portion was good, but again, I really felt like it was rushed.

**Third time I’ve caught a rabbit in this spot**

Friday intention: be kind
It wasn’t supposed to rain that long or that much when I went to bed, but by morning things had changed. The good news was the comfortable temps. The rain came & went (mostly came), but stayed between a drizzle and more steady rain. In fact, when it went I was not happy — but it came back!

I had paused my Garmin to take this photo (no, not downed from Isaias, grooming for returning college students) when my Garmin just decided my run was over. Too bad I was still a couple of miles away from home.

I did feel kind of tired. Technology was rebelling all over the place. My Garmin kept moving data screens, and finally decided to end my run at one point when I paused it to take pictures. It was super annoying.

Still, I’ve been at 7 miles for weeks so decided to try for 8. I’m not sure that was really being kind to myself, but oh well, I did it.

**I felt as thought I was inside a Van Gough painting**

Favorites of the week
Oops! We did it again! Another road trip. Darlene @ Myfirst5k posted photos of a beautiful field of sunflowers, and I knew I had to go see it. It was cooler, so we took the dogs (who did fine this time).

This was the other buzzy part of the week — we could hear the sunflower field just buzzing with bees! They left me alone & I left them alone.

We also stopped at a couple of pocket parks in a different town, ending up at a surprise covered bridge (close to vehicular traffic! Yay!).

**I bet Darlene knows exactly where we were 🙂**

Ended with lunch at a popular farm which I’ve only ever run at before (once) — there was a takeout window and picnic tables to eat at. The first time we’ve done anything other than delivery in forever.

Isaias knocked out power to my mom for days. No phone. No internet. There is a generator there, but it only powers the essentials. Because she rarely uses her cell phone — and I’m not sure she actually hears it ring — no way to contact her. They finally got everything up and running yesterday, so we got to talk.

**Bandit was the only one that enjoyed the hammock, sadly. It leans to one side. Any advice?**

**Bandit also makes Yoga challenging some days**

**Lola will come say hi during Yoga, but she never stays**

Do you have a getaway planned? Nope, not me.

What about short day trips? Yup, I’m embracing them while I can!

Any advice for the unbalanced hammock? It has really hard slant to the side, making it uncomfortable.

gwy personal oasis

ICYMI: I have a short meditation (roughly 10 minutes) that will help you build your own personal oasis you can visit anytime you need to escape it all. Watch it here.

ICYMI2: Don’t forget that 100% of your donation to my Dempsey Challenge fundraiser goes directly to benefit cancer patients, survivors, and their families. If you’d like to donate, you can do it here. Thank you!

Coming up on Tuesday: I’ll be talking about how you can take Yoga off your mat and out into your life. Friday I’m sharing my thoughts on four of the masks I use regularly — all are appropriate for running. Or are they?

Just what the Doctor Ordered: 7/27 – 8/2 WRD

August 2, 2020August 2, 2020 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 42 Comments

Garmin was back up. Temps were just a little down. The makings of a great running week, right? Except I knew I needed a break from most activity — and I took it. After several days I felt a whole lot better, but I still had little desire to run. Or really tax my body in any way. It was a little staycation from fitness, and it was needed.

There was some Yoga, one long run, and a fair amount of easy walking. Plus one half day trip.

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and getting lucky with the weather for my runs this week. Mostly.

Workouts update

Monday: Dogwalk
Tuesday: Dogwalk, Yoga (30 min), Dogwalk (the morning dogwalk was intentionally cut short due to a thunderstorm)
Wednesday: Dogwalk, walking around while Lola was a the vet (routine visit)
Thursday: Dogwalk , Filmed Yoga Video (60 min)
Friday: Dogwalking Half Day Trip
Saturday: 7 mile LSD
Sunday: Dogwalk, maybe some Yoga later

Mileage: 7 (-6)

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

I always wonder how these apples taste (it’s in my neighborhood)

Saturday intention: duality
This run was great . . . for the first mile. It was actually a decent day to run by Summer standards — that is, low humidity. It was also pretty much cloudless, and buggy. Why is it that I seem to be one of the only ones dealing with gnats? Is it because I sweat so much?

I spent a lot of this run trying to figure what I need to do in August to bring back some joy to my runs. The early mornings and Summer temps have just been soul-sucking for me. I’m not sure I have a plan yet.

I also spent some time thinking about dualities:

Bugs (annoying) vs low humidity (more comfortable)
Run interval seems forever and the walk interval flies by
Intention to take it easy but just want to get it over!
Intention to clear my mind yet writing blog posts as I run

You have to appreciate the good and the bad, and practicing doing just that helps you become more resilient (so those soul sucking runs aren’t as draining — although my main problem has been that the runs have been physically draining).

**Apparently we’re trend setters again — good thing we got out here before it was on the news today!**

Favorites of the week
We hit the road again. Another outdoor (free) sculpture garden. There were actually quite a lot of people there, but for the most part it wasn’t hard to social distance (I never even had to put on my mask, although it was in my pocket). There were quite a few dogs, there, too — thankfully on leash.

We made a stop at a preserve on the way back, and some waterfalls close to that preserve — sadly the waterfalls were almost completely dry.

**Lola spends a lot of time down here these days**

I think the next day trip we take the dogs need to stay home. It wasn’t that hot, but we had to cut it short due to Lola. Even Bandit seemed to struggle with the temps. Which is so weird, the last time they did so well.

I already have a possibility lined up for our next trip — not a sculpture garden!

I had several potatoes/sweet potatoes that were growing eyes. I mentioned to Mr. Judy that I wanted to see if I could grow potatoes. Next thing I know there were potato bags showing up. I think the biggest problem is that they need quite a bit of time to grow — I’m hoping we have just enough time before the first freeze.

Can you remember the last time you took a fitness break?

What’s keeping you motivated to keep up with exercise?

Have you been able to go exploring anywhere?

Irritability Yin Yoga

ICYMI: I am tackling irritability this week. Bandit plays a starring role — he stayed with me the entire practice. These poses will get into your hips, groin, and inner thighs deeply, so I take a lot of time warming those areas up — and didn’t hold the peak poses quite so long. As always, I encourage you to pause the video and hold longer where it feels right to do so. Watch it here.

Coming up on Tuesday: I’m sharing my thoughts on the Peloton App. Friday we’re getting together virtually for a coffee date here. Join us!

The Runaround: 7/20 – 26 WRD

July 26, 2020July 26, 2020 ~ Chocolaterunsjudy ~ 42 Comments

. . . Or GarminGate?

It was a busy week. A visit to my mom. 2 zoom calls the next day, one to wrap up a course I was taking, the other a family call — some of my cousins were in on it this time, so that was nice (haven’t seen them in years, all the West Coasters).

That was all followed by a couple of days fighting with technology — and of course then Garmin went down. Not a big deal, really. I thought it would delay getting a signal for my long run, since I couldn’t sync — nope, got a signal immediately!

bwrd

Joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and getting lucky with the weather for my runs this week. Mostly.

Workouts update

Monday: 3 non technical trail miles, Yoga (50 min)
Tuesday: Dogwalk, trip to mom with 2 more short walks
Wednesday: 3 miles easy
Thursday: Dogwalk , Filmed Yoga Video (60 min)
Friday: Dogwalk, PB ST (25 min)
Saturday: 7 mile LSD, Abs (10 min)
Sunday: Dogwalk, hopefully some SB, ST, & Yoga

Mileage: 13 (-.24)

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

Looked threatening but I stayed dry

Monday intention: find the joy in this run
It wasn’t easy. The bugs were relentless again. It was mid 70s and very humid at 6:30 am. I knew Tuesday would be much nicer, but I was going to see my mom.

Despite another night of interrupted sleep (thanks for walking us at 2:30 am, Bandit), the run itself was pretty strong — I couldn’t hold onto my nasal breathing as much as I want to, which just means I was running too fast, but I was okay with that — I just wanted to run away from the bugs!

I did my best to try to find the joy in this run:

Clouds
A little bit of sunshine on the water
My coolit top & skirt really did help to keep me cooler — at least if felt as if it did. And they helped keep the bugs away from my torso. Now if I could just keep them away from my head!
I didn’t take any extra walk breaks.

**Instead of rainbows I give you #alltherabbits**

Wednesday intention: listen to my heart
I knew I was tired from the trip to my mom’s + several weeks of not so great sleep, so I didn’t set an alarm. I was rewarded with a really good night of sleep — I also got out about an hour later than I have been, but lucked out because it was cool, cloudy, and just a little drizzly.

I knew I needed to take it easy, which is why I made the intention of listening to my heart/intuition (not literally watching HR). I walked a bit more when I felt the need. The first mile was slow. The second mile was also slow, but not as much. By the third I felt okay and knew I could achieve negative splits if I put my mind to it — so I did & I did.

Saturday intention: easy/self care
Although I’d had a few nights of really good sleep this week, Friday night was not one of them. The weather was pretty good for Summer running — not too humid, although warm (mid to high 60s), and sunny.

Exercise is most definitely a form of self care — when you don’t take it to extremes. So I ran by feel, I walked a lot, and yeah, the last couple of miles were draining. Pace all over the place. Still slightly encouraged since I ran at this pace in the Spring — when the weather was much cooler.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the weather cools down again — not wishing for Summer to go away, for sure, but less humidity and a bit less heat would be welcome. Too bad we’re going into August and the dog days of Summer.

**. . . speaking of dogs, Bandit being tortured by Mr. Judy again**

Favorites of the week
Although it’s draining to be back on the road to my mom more often, it’s also good to see her more often. It was also nice to see my cousins and hear about what’s going on in their worlds.

**No idea what I was saying, but look — something other than Oofos on my feet! Picking up our veggie box.**

Second veggie box had corn in it. So we enjoyed our first grilled corn of the Summer. It was good – but not great — corn. Probably just too early. So far I’m quite pleased with the veggies and we managed to eat up all the lettuce. There were lots of salads!

Unfortunately we ended up with two things of lettuce again. The window to swap out veggies was very narrow (about 4 hours) this week, and I happened to be at my mom’s. Oh well, it’s gonna be hot again so I’ve no doubt I’m up to polishing all the lettuce off again this week!

What comes to mind when I say “self care”?

Are you all about the salads in Summer?

Are your furkids polite beggars?

gwy cooling yoga

ICYMI: I already shared a Cooling Yin Yoga practice here, but this week it’s more slow Yoga/Hatha style — IOW, more “regular” Yoga. There’s an extended Savasana practice (roughly 10 minutes). I know it’s tempting to skip, but I really encourage you to take some time for yourself and stick it out! I think you’ll come away feeling much cooler (literally and figuratively) and calmer. Let me know! Watch it here.

ICYMI2: For years I’ve wanted to join friends for the Dempsey Challenge, a run that supports Patrick Dempsey’s Cancer Center in ME. We thought this would be the year, finally — well, you all know what happened: like everything it’s gone virtual. I am going to join this year — as a virtual run — and I am fund raising (even though this year they waived the fund raising requirement). 100% of your donation directly benefits cancer patients, survivors, and their families. If you’d like to donate, you can do it here.

Coming up on Tuesday: It’s that time of the month (no not that time, I’m past that time) — time to wrap up July! Friday we’re all gathering at the runfessional here. Join us!