Weekly Rundown- Thanksgiving Recovery Week
Hello! Thanks for stopping by for the Weekly Rundown, hosted as always by Kim and Deborah. It was kind of a weird week- I didn’t exactly feel ill, but I also didn’t feel well. I’m pretty sure it was “Thanksgiving-itis”- I needed time to recover from that holiday. But, there were plenty of workouts, as always. Here’s how it all went down…. Sunday Trail run- 20 miles the hard way. I didn’t sleep well Saturday night; my stomach was not happy, and I was up multiple times to use the bathroom (TMI? Sorry…) I considered postponing this run, but then I thought, what if this happens the night before my race? I’m not going to DNS the race, so I might as well do this run. It actually wasn’t that bad… for the first 17 miles. I got started just as the sun was rising (see top photo- I love my trail!) but by the end, the “feels like” temperature was 88 degrees, and I felt it. But I got it done! Monday I did my usual post-long run walk one mile, run 3 miles. In the past I always took a day off after my long runs, but I’m trying to get my legs used to running the next day. I have big back-to-back long runs coming up (more on that later.) Tuesday Strength at home. Runner’s Touch, work on the pull up bar, overhead press with dumbbells, dead bugs and plank. I know I’m always blathering on about Runner’s Touch, but I love that exercise so much. It involves strength and balance, and I do it without shoes on so it works the muscles in my feet and ankles, as well as glutes and hamstrings. Wednesday WOOHOO! Our “Florida cold” front came through, and it was 54 degrees for this 4 mile run, which felt amazing. Thursday Still in the 50s! 3 mile run followed by planks, dead bugs, and more Runner’s Touch. Friday Gym day! When I got there, someone was using MY SLED. This has never happened before- I figure people use it in my absence because sometimes it’s loaded with different weights (and even that baffles and disconcerts me a little.) Not only was it being used, but it was being used by a GROUP, and they were all taking turns. What? I started off with squats and deadlifts, and then finally my sled was free. But the group had it loaded with an extra 45 pound plate. I usually have two 45 pound plates on, and they had three. I thought, “If they can do it, I can do it! After all, I am a SLED EXPERT.” Well… it was way harder, but I could do it, and it felt exhilarating to have an extra challenge. Just goes to show- sometimes it really pays off to push yourself (or, have others push you.) I finished up with leg curls, leg extensions (still working on that knee) and abs. Great workout! Saturday 5 mile run before work. Ahem. My legs were very sore. And, our heat is back- but that’s normal. It never stays cold down here for long. At night I watched FSU win! Baylor’s season was disappointing (to say the least) but luckily we have FSU to console us. Sunday OFF!!! Sleeping late, waffles, Dolphins game, and the first round of my holiday baking extravaganza. I sat down with my calendar to figure out my long run schedule. I’m leading up to back-to-back long runs on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (rare consecutive days off work for me- I also have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, but strangely I don’t want to do back-to-backs on those days.). ANYWAY, it works out perfectly for me to alternate Sundays and Wednesdays until then- in other words, about ten days between each long run. So next long run will be Wednesday! Let’s all beg the running gods for cool weather. How was your week? Did you need to recover from Thanksgiving? Was your weather seasonal this week? – Ours was about normal for this time of year. December could be 55 or 85- you never know.
December Coffee Date
Well, I just completed NaBloPoMo2023- 30 blog posts in 30 days. You’d think that on December 1st I would close my laptop and collapse in a heap, but no! It’s the first Friday of the month, and that means it’s time for Coco and Deborah’s Ultimate Coffee Date- I can’t miss THAT! Do I still have anything to talk about after 30 straight days of blog posts? Let’s find out… If we were having coffee together, the first thing I would tell you is that South Florida got an early Christmas present of beautiful weather this week! For three whole days we were able to turn off the AC, open the windows, and breathe a collective sigh of relief- “THIS is why we live in Florida!” Of course it won’t last- we’ll be back to mid-80s this weekend. But it looks like another cooldown is coming our way next week, and I am LOVING IT. The next thing I would share over coffee is that while unpacking Christmas decorations, I found the box of cards I bought last January. Yes, I send out old fashioned Christmas cards, as opposed to photo cards. Does anyone remember the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon where they get Calvin’s school pictures, and he’s making a horrible and ridiculous face in every one of them? The mom says “We can’t put these in our Christmas cards! People will think it’s sacrilegious!” Well, it’s not quite THAT bad, but I’ve learned that photo cards don’t work with our family. The last thing I would tell you over coffee is, now that NaBloPoMo is over, I can’t wait to FINALLY finish my book. I started reading it three weeks ago, and I like it- but I just didn’t have the time this month to read much. Once again, I was on track to read 50 books this year- until November came along and killed that dream. I’ll be happy to get back on a normal reading schedule. How is your weather? – As always, feel free to send some cold air our way! Do you want to exchange Christmas cards? – I think last year I sent out an all-time low of three cards. This year will be much better though. Knowing that you’ll just be getting a plain old everyday card, send me an email if you want to exchange cards!
November 30, 2023
All right you guys, let’s wrap this up! NaBloPoMo is done. Now, you might be thinking, “Hey! What about that grandiose theme you had? Every Day Counts? I thought we were going to hear all about the meaning of life, and all we got were a bunch of posts about cats and pies.” Well… yes. I really intended to write much more about my theme, but as the month went on I just found myself going with the flow. I learned I don’t like to be too strict with a theme, because I love to get inspiration from other bloggers (and podcasts, articles and books) during the month. But I did think about my theme a lot, and have been trying to come up with my “word” for 2024 that embodies the same idea. Nothing really seemed quite right, and then I suddenly realized- instead of a WORD for 2024 I can have a THEME for 2024… and that theme will be “Every Day Counts.” Duh. So I will be revisiting this idea, and I really mean it. I’m not pulling a bait and switch this time! A big thanks to everyone who read and commented this month, and I want to give a special shoutout to our “NaBloPoMo Angels,” those who weren’t participating in the writing part, but read along and commented regularly. I could name names, but I’m afraid of leaving someone out. You know who you are! Lastly, a tremendous THANK YOU to San for organizing NaBloPoMo and bringing us all together! I’ve met most of my favorite bloggers through NaBloPoMo, and the list is growing every year. So… thank you, San. Phew. That’s a wrap!
Caffeine-Fueled Deep Thoughts
You know how people are always talking about cutting back on caffeine? Well, sometimes I think I should increase my caffeine intake. I don’t drink coffee, but I do drink black tea every morning. Some mornings I have two cups of tea, and then I feel the buzz! This morning I had a little extra time, so I sat in Starbucks, drinking tea and working on a blog post. It was incredible! Profound and philosophical. Just think, if I actually drank coffee– I would turn into a genius! OR, an insufferable bore. Later on when I read the post I was like “Um…. what?” I couldn’t figure out how to put it together in a coherent post. Sigh! The second-to-last day of NaBloPoMo is like when you’re doing an interval workout at the track- the penultimate lap is always the hardest. So in lieu of an “amazing” post full of deep thoughts, I present you with some questions. Would you continue to blog if no one was reading? I wouldn’t. I guess it would be nice to have an online journal, but for me the real satisfaction is in the connection with other bloggers. The same way I wouldn’t do my own version of NaBloPoMo in July- the fun is that we’re all doing it together. How are you feeling about NaBloPoMo ending? I’m guessing most people feel the same as I do- sad, but relieved. I’ll miss it- I’ve been loving all the daily posts. But I’m tired! I want to just curl up on the couch and binge watch episodes of “Christmas Cookie Challenge.” Or, finally finish the book I started three weeks ago. If you’re a non-blogger (hi Ashley!) or someone who reads but doesn’t comment, would you say hi in the comment section? I would love to hear from you! I’ll be back tomorrow for NaBloPoMo2023 wrap-up! Header photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash