National Days in November
Before we get any further into the month, let’s look ahead and see what “National” days are coming up- because there’s nothing worse than realizing you’ve just missed, say, National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, RIGHT??? These are from this website, and as there are a lot of them, I’ll just list the highlights. November 5th- National Doughnut Day Oops! We missed it. (See how sad that is?) But there’s actually a second National Doughnut Day, which is the first Friday in June. Mark you calendars now! November 7th- International Merlot Day I think we can all get behind this one. November 12- National Pizza With the Works Except Anchovies Day Okay, this is getting way too specific. But I’ll eat pizza on this day! November 14th- National Spicy Guacamole Day Sign me up! November 15th- National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day Ha ha… I actually participated in this day last year! While I don’t enjoy cleaning out the fridge, it was nice to get it done before Thanksgiving. The problem is… right now, something smells really bad in our fridge. We keep pulling out different containers of moldy food, triumphantly saying “HERE’S the culprit!” but the smell lingers on. My husband thinks we should clean the whole thing out, but I keep telling him we have to wait until the 15th. Not sure we can make it. November 19th- World Toilet Day Ahem. According to the website: “Every year on November 19th, the world celebrates World Toilet Day. It’s not a day to use bathroom humor and is no laughing matter. The goal of this day is to tackle the global sanitation crisis and draw attention to those without sanitation.” Okay. It sounds like an important issue, but I’m going to say if they want people to take it seriously, they should change the name. Also, I’m not really sure exactly how I’m supposed to observe this day. I’ll have to think about this. November 21st- National Gingerbread Cookie Day I have mixed feelings about this. I don’t think gingerbread cookies are appropriate until AFTER Thanksgiving. This one is ill-timed. But I do like gingerbread cookies. Day Before Thanksgiving- National Tie One On Day I got excited about this one until I read the description; “The day celebrates the apron as well as the past generations of women who wore them and it was also created as a day to bring joy to the life of someone in need and celebrate the spirit of giving.” Oh… darn. November 26th- National Cake Day I don’t know… isn’t everyone still eating pie at this point? November 30th- Stay Home Because You’re Well Day I’m not sure this one was well-thought out. I mean, it’s a nice idea but what if everyone did this? This year November 30th falls on the Thursday after Thanksgiving- didn’t we all just stay home a week ago? How about this: I propose that anyone who DIDN’T get to stay home on Thanksgiving should stay home on November 30th. That seems fair! This list just scratches the surface! Check out the website if you want the full list. Sorry to any readers outside the U.S. But Merlot and Toilet Days are international! We can all enjoy those. Do you have any days to add to this list? Header photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown (and a Halloween Miracle!)
Welcome to the Weekly Rundown! If you’re reading my blog because of NaBloPoMo, you might be wondering- why is it called “Runners Fly?” Is this some kind of running thing? Then why isn’t she talking about running? Well… it is a fitness blog. Sometimes. Every Sunday I link up with Kim and Deborah for a rundown of the workouts from the week. Here we go… Monday I started the week with leg day at home- lunges, squats, Runner’s Touch – then got my daughter to school and went out for a 3 mile run. In other news, I’ve declared this month “No Core November.” JUST KIDDING (that would be so dumb!) But I like to fantasize about it. In reality, I got down on the floor for some planks and dead bugs after the run. Sigh. Tuesday Upper body day at home- I got out my pull up bar for negatives and assisted pull ups, and used my 15 pound dumbbells for overhead press. Followed by more dead bugs. Later in the day my daughter had a group of friends over prior to trick-or-treating, and they wanted to try my pull up bar. Two of the kids could do a couple true pull ups, and then we tried it with a close underhand grip- and I could easily pull myself up! I know that’s easier than traditional pull ups, but I was still happy I could do it. Then I showed them how to use the band for assisted pull ups, and two of the kids (including my daughter, ahem) couldn’t even do that. I felt really good- this all made me realize that while I’m not super-strong, I’m semi-strong. I saw how weak I would be if I didn’t work out at all, and it made me encouraged about the progress I’ve made. Wednesday NO SCHOOL FOR THE KIDS. It was a Halloween miracle! OR, maybe it was the end of the trimester for elementary school and therefore a teacher work day. Either way- no school the day after Halloween is probably the best thing that’s ever happened. Now we just have to work on making Super Bowl Monday an official holiday, and we’ll be all set. This meant I could get up early and start my long run! I ran the first six miles in the dark and was treated to a lovely sunrise. Then I swung by my house to pick up my double hydration vest. I had one bottle filled with water and the other with Tailwind, which I was trying for the first time. I liked it! I wouldn’t want to ONLY carry Tailwind though, because after a while I was craving plain water. But it’s a helpful way to get in more calories. I ordered two sample packets- this one was orange flavored, and the other one is raspberry and contains caffeine. I’ll try that one on the next long run! 16 miles total. I tried to run on grass as much as possible, including a cross country trail in a nearby park (my race in February has a lot of grassy running, apparently.) I probably ran about 6-7 miles on grass for this run, and the rest on pavement. Thursday Ouch. I woke up REALLY sore. Alarmingly sore. I definitely didn’t feel like this after my last long run, and that one was 15 miles. But it was entirely on trails, so the only thing I can think of is that my body didn’t appreciate all the pavement this time. Duly noted, body! I’ll try to complete all future long runs on the trails- which only makes sense, since my race is a trail race. I walked for one mile and then ran for three, and by the end I felt much better. It gave me hope that I WILL be able to complete back-to-back long runs later on. Friday Okay, still sore. But it was leg day! I got myself to the gym and started with sled pushes and pulls: Followed by squats and deadlifts. And of course… core. I did regular planks and side planks with leg lifts- ouch. Still hard. Saturday A lovely 5 mile run before work! It was dark for most of this run, and when it did get light it was cloudy and gloomy. Yes, please! The temperature was comfortable at 70 degrees. I threw some strides into this run, because I did no other speed work this week. Sunday OFF! Oh yes- sleeping in BECAUSE WE FINALLY TURN THE FRICKIN CLOCKS BACK! No more driving to school in the pitch dark, WOOHOO!!! And then… Watching the NYC marathon. GO DARLENE!!!!! Her info is here if you want to track her. Weirdly, the Dolphins are playing the Chiefs in Germany and that game is on at 9:30 am. I saw “weirdly” because when was the last time I had TWO sporting events on a Sunday morning??? The marathon takes precedence, but I’ll be switching over to the Dolphins game afterwards. In the afternoon I’ll be taking down Halloween (sigh!) and putting up Thanksgiving decorations (hooray!) I’m so excited- in two weeks, my son will be home. Big shoutout once again to San, our fearless NaBloPoMo leader! Check out her website for a list of participating bloggers. How was your week? Did you have a fun Halloween? How’s your weather? – Let’s just say we’re finally entering the time of year where I’m glad I live in Florida!
Highs and Lows
Hey there, fellow NaBloPoMo’ers… how’s it going? I hope everyone is having fun so far! Before I get to the main point of this post, I want to share a huge high from my week. November 1st fell on Wednesday, and as luck would have it, I have Wednesdays off from work. This Wednesday I went for a nice long run, then came home, got into my pajamas (not the pajamas I actually sleep in, my daytime pajamas- you DO have daytime pajamas, don’t you???) lit a scented candle (pumpkin spice) and settled down with my tea TO READ EVERYONE’S FIRST POSTS of NABLOPOMO!!!!! I just loved it so much. I’m excited to reconnect with old friends, and discover new-to-me blogs (and bloggers who will be future friends.) Yes, I know it’s a lot of work- but it’s so worth it. I also want to give a special shoutout to all the people who are not formally participating in NaBloPoMo, but are reading and cheering us on from the sidelines. THANK YOU! At first my intention was to make this post a list of highs and lows from the week. But to be honest… I didn’t have any serious lows. Okay, my thumb hurts a little and the cat threw up on my shoes… but overall, it’s been a great week. You’re probably thinking I’m like the guy from the Lego movie (“Everything is awesome…”) and yes, I do sing that song occasionally! But along with the highs come some pretty deep lows. I get really sad when things end. I hate coming home from vacations. I get down when the Super bowl is over. The first time the Starbucks barista hands me my drink in a plain white cup after Christmas feels like a knife through my soul. Let’s not even talk about December 26th. So much sadness. I was intrigued by B’s post yesterday where she explained that she doesn’t celebrate any holidays. Her reason is that she hates the commercialism (well…I can’t really argue with that.) I know someone else who doesn’t celebrate holidays and for him it’s a spiritual practice. He doesn’t believe extreme highs and lows are healthy, and prefers to live his life on a more even keel. Then there are people who celebrate holidays, but in a more casual way. My husband likes Christmas, and Thanksgiving. He also likes Labor Day and Memorial Day. They’re fun, but not worth getting TOO excited over, or too depressed when they’re over. He’s always ready to move on to the next thing. I’m pretty sure if I tried to live that way, it just wouldn’t work for me. I would feel like I was missing out on all the fun, and then when the holidays were over, instead of thinking “Ah, well at least I stayed on an even keel!” I would regret not having experienced it to the fullest. I don’t know if it’s the way my brain is wired, or if it’s just from years and years of doing it this way, but I’m doomed (blessed?) to live with my extreme highs and lows. Luckily the lows never last too long- the next exciting thing is usually around the corner. How about you? Are you a “B” or a “Jenny?” when it comes to holidays? Or somewhere in between? VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION- is it “pajamas” or “pa-jah-mas?” – Let’s not have any nonsense over this. I’m from the midwest, and we say “pajamas” THE WAY THE WORD IS SPELLED. Do you spread “jahm” on your toast? Of course not! Have we suddenly become British? No! (Any readers from outside the US have a pass to pronounce it as you please.) Header photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash
November Coffee Date!
Guess what time it is? Time for the Starbucks holiday cups! AND, it’s November, which means I’m joining San and our intrepid crew for NaBloPoMo; AND, it’s the first Friday of the month, which means it’s time to join Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date. Phew! Best Friday ever. If we were having coffee together, the first thing I’d tell you is that I’m NOT drinking my normal Earl Grey tea. Instead I’m drinking what I like to call a “poor man’s chai tea latte.” The regular chai tea latte from Starbucks is delicious, but so sugary. This is what I do instead: have them make a tea with their chai tea bags, steamed soymilk, and two packets of stevia. Yum! The next thing I would talk about is the update to my race in February. You might remember I had a hard time choosing a winter race, but finally settled on the Forgotten Florida 50 Mile.. I didn’t originally want a 50 miler- I was looking for a 50k- but this race sounded so incredible I couldn’t resist. Well, first we found out the date has been changed- then we got an email announcing that this year’s race will be the last one. The race goes through Seminole Ranch and Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Areas, and they have decided not to allow any running on their trails after this race. Wow- I’m SO GLAD I picked this race and didn’t save it for another year, because there will be no “other years.” It also occurs to me that if I get injured during this training cycle and can’t run, I will never be able to run this race- it’s now or never. The stakes are high this time. Switching gears! The first week of November has special meaning for our family, as it’s “All-State Results Week.” A couple months ago I mentioned that my daughter was auditioning for the jazz band on guitar, and the concert band on flute. She had the bold notion that she was going to get into the jazz band, even though they only take one guitar FROM THE ENTIRE STATE, and she’s just a freshman. I felt she was making a mistake by prioritizing her practice time on guitar, and not working hard enough on flute (she made the middle school all-state band on flute last year.) Well… she didn’t make the jazz band. But she did make the concert band on flute!!! Apparently she knew what she was doing all along, and I should just shut up from now on. The first thing she said when we got the results was “I’m so relieved.” She would have been very sad not to make all-state at all. And the second thing she said was “Maybe I can make the jazz band next year.” The dream lives on. This means we will be going to Tampa again in early January! I had so much fun last year, so I’m very excited about this. What would you tell me over coffee? Do you like the Starbucks holiday cups? Does this Forgotten Florida race sound fun to you? Or are you like my husband and can’t imagine running on trails? If you have kids, do they play a band instrument? Did you play in your high school band?