Weekly Rundown- A Reset
Well… this week definitely did not go to plan. I’ve been feeling a little down lately, and I think the universe said “You’re complaing? I’ll give you something to complain about!” It wasn’t what I wanted, but maybe this week was a much-needed reset for my mind and body. Thank as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown! Okay… let’s get into the gory details. Sunday This was a planned 17 mile run, but from the beginning I could tell something wasn’t right. My left hip had been vaguely achy all week, and now the pain was in my hamstring. I tried to run through it, but cut the run short at 10 miles. Ugh. Monday Sigh. I got out for a 2 mile walk, and then did the Caroline Girvan deadbug workout. Tuesday Hamstring is still achy. I wanted to do a lower body strength workout, but not Caroline Girvan. I didn’t want any fancy-pants moves like lunges or RDLs that would possibly hurt me, but I figured I could do squats, and I was right. I did a workout consisting of squats and hip stability exercises, and THEN… I was luckily able to get an appointment with my sports chiropractor. Remember my achy low back? He thinks the hip/hamstring problem is actually coming from my low back, which he described as “jammed up” (whatever that means.) He did ART on my hip and hamstring and adjusted my low back. MUCH better! Wednesday I was pretty sore from a) all those squats and b) the ART treatment, so I got out for another 2 mile walk. Then I did a Caroline Girvan HARD Upper Body Workout (ha- that’s actually the name of it!) I was scared of this one, because I think ALL her workouts are hard. This one was extra-hard. Thursday Running! Let’s try it. I ran 3 miles and everything felt pretty good! I followed this run with the Caroline Girvan Tucked Abs Workout. Friday I have a new gym! My daughter wanted to join EoS because thats where her friends go, and somehow we ended up with a family membership. This would have been the perfect day to go, but I had no car. My son was home (yay!) to take some auditions, and he needed my car for the day. I ended up doing my hip stability exercises before carpooling with my husband to work. Saturday 4 mile run! Things felt pretty good. My hamstring was a little achy later in the day, but I have an appointment for another adjustment next week, and I think that will resolve the issue (don’t worry, Darlene- I WILL be running that race with you!) Sunday Okay, seriously- I have to go to the gym. I currently have TWO gym memberships (I haven’t canceled YouFit yet) and I can’t seem to get to either one. This is preposterous! Today is the day. Anyone else go to EoS Fitness?- I’m paying a little more, but I’m getting a lot more, like a pool (!) and sauna (I won’t use the sauna- I get enough heat just stepping outside.) Did your week go smoothly, or did you hit a glitch like I did? Top photo by Vladislav Bychkov on Unsplash
FIG-y Friday and Bloggerpalooza!!!
Well, thank goodness for Elisabeth and her Finding Joy in Gratitude (FIG) collective. 2025 so far has not been a high energy year for me- I feel like I’m moving in slow motion. I use all my energy to get through the day, and by evening all I want to do is get in bed with my book. The good news is, I’m sleeping more. The bad news is, I still feel blah and lethargic. What’s up with that? After my post earlier this week, several people commented that they felt the same and also were having trouble setting goals for 2025. Maybe we need a goal-less support group! And- this week was especially challenging, because I didn’t run for three days. More on that coming up in the Weekly Rundown (I think everything is fine now, phew.) Let’s just say I needed to look for little joys this week- but they’re always there, right? Here’s my daily list: Saturday, February 1st! I had a LOVELY couch nap after work. Couch naps are the best! I was sitting there reading, and my cat came and snuggled on my lap. I got sleepier and sleepier, and finally laid my head back- I love the moment where you just give up and let yourself drift off. Sunday I took myself out to Starbucks, where I got a treat- instead of my usual plain Earl Grey, I got a London Fog- Earl Grey, oatmilk, and half a pump of vanilla. I sat there for about an hour and read my book. Monday Another book-related FIG. My book is so good, I absolutely can’t wait to see what happens next. I love it when a book is that engrossing! This is the third book in a trilogy- the first book was good, the second was great, and this one is so fascinating I can’t put it down. It’s hard to find a book like this! Tuesday I grumpily took myself out for a walk instead of running… but at the very end I saw the sunrise. I don’t think it’s possible to see a sunrise without feeling at least a little joy, and nowadays it reminds me of Barack Obama’s quote (the day after Trump was elected in 2016) “The sun will rise again tomorrow.” Wednesday BLOGGER MEETUP! So, what are the odds of this: Lisa and Birchie were both in Ft, Lauderdale for work, and Sarah and I both live in the area (we actually live about 40 minutes from each other but had never met in real life.) HERE WE ALL ARE! Every time I meet a blogger in real life for the first time, I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity, ha ha. We had a lovely lunch, talked and talked and talked (you can imagine) and then Lisa had to leave for the airport. Sarah had to get back to her writing (she’ll be submitting her final book draft soon!!!) but Birchie and I had more time, so we continued our meetup at a nearby park. So many things to love about this day. The weather was beautiful (we arranged it especially for the out-of-towners!) The restaurant was right on the water. The conversation was amazing- lots of talk about non-blog-able topics (oooh! Fun…) The time flew by. We will meet again, ladies! Thursday My son came home! Only for two days, for some grad school auditions. But it’s wonderful to have him here. Okay… I guess it was a pretty good week. I’ll report on another week of FIGS next Friday! Are you participating in Elisabeth’s project? Top photo by Tijana Drndarski on Unsplash
Hello, February…
Well, so far 2025 is kicking my ass. I thought I just got off to a slow start in January, but I can’t shake this feeling of lethargy. Where are my goals? Where’s my 25 for 25 list? I can’t quite seem to get it together. All I feel like doing is reading my book… I have a “FIG-y Friday” post coming up, where I’ll list all my FIGs for the week (if you’re not familiar, I’m participating in Elisabeth’s FIG Collective– Finding Joy in Gratitude. where we find something that gives us joy for each day of February.) Not to get ahead of myself, but today’s FIG is being in the middle of a book so good, you can’t wait to find out what happens next. The problem is, while this book is fascinating and gripping, things are not going well for the earthlings in this story. It makes me anxious, and I emerge from the book thinking “Phew, that’s just a story- look, everything is actually fine! Oh. Wait…” I try not to see any news, but of course it seeps in, and things are consistently disturbing. I know I still have to live my life and find joy, because it’s there. I have to go back to my 2024 mantra of “Every Day Counts.” These days count too! I know that intellectually, but I’m finding it hard to put into practice. Well- this too shall pass! I have some fun things coming up this week- a blogger meetup (!) and my son will be home for a couple days. When I finish this book, I have a stack of books I can’t wait to read. Everything is objectively fine. Get it together, Jenny! How is your year going so far? Top photo by madeleine craine on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Heating Up
After our “Florida cold” spell last week, our temperatures are back up. The iguanas are happy! I’m missing the cool running weather, but c’est la vie. This week I moved my long run from Wednesdays to Sunday and battled an achy back (again.) I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown- thanks, ladies! Monday A dark and “chilly” 4 mile run- early morning temps were still in the 50s. Tuesday I continued the Caroline Girvan Advent Series with an arm and shoulder workout, followed by the deadbug workout.. My back is really not happy. After work I got a massage, focused on my back, glutes and hamstrings- it felt amazing! Wednesday My back was feeling so much better that I didn’t think twice about cueing up an Advent Series leg workout, which was described as “squats and RDL’s.” In the middle of the RDLs I thought, ‘Wait- is this a good idea?” but then continued on…. and by the end of the workout my back was all jacked up again. So much for the massage- sigh. After I took my daughter to school, I took my achy back for a 4 mile run. LUCKILY my back doesn’t keep me from running. I even did a little speed work- good run! Thursday Hmm. My arms were still sore from the workout two days ago, my legs were sore from yesterday’s workout, and my back was sore from… life. There was only one thing to do- get out for a 2 mile walk. Then I did Caroline’s deadbug workout, because it always helps my back. Friday Another four mile run, followed by the deadbug workout! There are other core workouts in the Advent Series, but I didn’t want to take any chances on something new that could hurt my back- I knew the deadbug workout would help, and it did. At night I did a lot of stretching, which felt really good. Stretching is good for you! (did you know that?) Ha- I’ve been neglecting it but there’s nothing like pain to remind you to get out the yoga mat. Saturday Day off! I slept in as late as possible before work. At night- lots of stretching. Sunday On tap- 17 mile run! The heat is officially back- it’s supposed to get up to 80 today. I’ll be up and out nice and early for this run. How was your week- did your weather heat up? Do you stretch a lot?