walkers walk… but runners fly

Weekly Rundown- Still Moving

Oh, hello!  It has been… a week.  Running is going well (still following the every third day schedule) and Pumpkin Palooza is in full swing- but somehow I feel like my life is slightly off track.  Well, I’ll just keep moving forward until things start to click again.  I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown.  Here we go…

Sunday

Running day!  I walked a mile and ran two.  Everything felt good!

Monday

No school because of Labor Day, but I had to work. I wanted to go to the gym, but the gym didn’t open till 8, WHAT?  If I have to work, so should everyone else!  Just kidding.  Instead I went for a walk, and I was very glad I did.  Sunday was rainy and gloomy, but today while I was walking the sun came out and I was happy to be out there.  3 fast miles!

Tuesday

This was a strength day at home including hip stability exercises, Bulgarian split squats, and the Caroline Girvan deadbug workout..

Wednesday

Running day!!!  Wednesday is my day off, and I was so happy to run in the daylight!  Yes, it was hot- but so what?  I walked one mile and ran 3 with no pain, woohoo!!!

Happiness!

Thursday

More strength at home.  I did an upper body workout from Sally McRae’s app, and then the Caroline Girvan deadbug workout again.  Honestly, I’m getting tired of this one.  But every time I try a different ab workout, it turns out to be a million crunches that strain my neck, so I keep coming back to Caroline and her deadbugs.

Friday

Finally, leg day at the gym!  I did some single leg balance exercises, then squats, deadlifts, and abs.

After work I had an appointment with my sports chiropractor for another ART treatment.  I’m… cautiously optimistic?  I’ve been through this so many times now.  My calf will feel great- until it doesn’t.  I’m hoping this time it’s finally healing.

As I mentioned in Friday’s coffee date post, this was a tumultuous week.  But you know what?  It’s Friday night, so let’s just relax and enjoy- GAAAAAAH!  My husband brought in the mail and I had a frickin’ JURY SUMMONS.  For God’s sake, what is going to happen next???  I mean, I realize jury duty is not on the same level as someone dying, but I can’t afford to lose two weeks of work in November, our busiest time of year.  Well, hopefully I can manage to weasel my way out of this civic duty- sigh.

Saturday

Alright.  This should have been a running day, but my chiro always wants me to take a day off after a treatment, and the truth is, I was pretty sore.  I enjoyed sleeping in a little before going to work.

In the afternoon I watched Baylor lose, and then my husband and I went out with some friends for a serious attitude adjustment.

I needed this! Actually, I needed two of them.

Sunday

On tap- RUNNING!  Then, pumpkin pancakes and in the afternoon I”ll get some football-palooza going.  Trying to go into the new week with a good mindset!

How was your week?  Do you like getting called for jury duty? (hahahahaha…)

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Weekly Rundown- Everything is Awesome!

I don’t want to say this injury is behind me, because that would be tempting fate a little too much.  But let’s just say “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie has been running through my head, and life seems good!  I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown.  Here’s how it all played out… Sunday I walked one mile and ran 3. Everything felt good! Monday I did lower body strength at home, including single leg exercises and squats.  One of the (few) things I’m proud of from my work this summer is the progress I made in the one leg sit-to-stand.  It’s one of the foundation exercises on Sally McRae’s app and also one of the hip stability exercises from Brad Beer’s book.  You start sitting on a chair or bench, and stand up using one leg, then sit back down, stand up again, etc. only on one leg.  When I first started I could only do five reps on each leg- now I can do 36 reps!!!  At least something has improved. I also did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout..  I’m really tired of it by now! Tuesday I walked 3 miles… … and then did a different core workout!  I did Caroline Girvan’s Standing Abs Workout, and I liked it.  At least, I liked doing something different. Wednesday Again, I walked one mile and ran 3.  Still feeling good! Thursday I did my single leg exercises, and another core workout.  This one Engie recommended, MadFit Standing Core Workout..  I liked this one too!  Then I had time for 20 minutes of walking. At night we watched the Dolphins game, which was a complete fiasco.  We lost, and our quarterback got ANOTHER CONCUSSION.  The poor guy will be out for… ever?  The rest of the season?  I feel really bad for him, and now our season is a shambles after only the second game. Friday Gym day!  It was a very squat-focused workout, because I skipped deadlifts.  My low back is nagging at me again, and deadlifts sadly make it worse.  After squats and Bulgarian split squats I did some core (abs and low back machines.) At night I planned to go to our high school football game, but it rained so much that the band couldn’t play (so I didn’t go.)  They did manage to play in the rain and our team won!  This was our homecoming, and last year’s homecoming was completely rained out.  September outdoor events just shouldn’t be a thing in South Florida. Saturday This was a big day- I walked one mile and ran 4!!!  I’m getting there! At night we watched the Baylor game.  FINALLY.  A game where it didn’t rain, no one got injured, and we WON!  At least the football week ended on a high note. Sunday Off!  Sleeping in and waffles will be involved (obviously.) So, it was a good week.  Moving forward, I’m going to cautiously try running every other day.  Running every third day was great to get me back from this injury, but I can’t do that forever! How was your week?  Were there any moments where you sang “Everything is Awesome?” Top photo by Stainless Images on Unsplash

Friday Coffee Date!

Hey, it’s Friday!  Pour yourself a beverage in your favorite fall mug (wait- you do have one, right?) and join me. Let’s talk about the weekend!  Tonight is another high school football game, and I will be there.  The last two weeks have been away games, so I’ve missed going.  But you know what that means- it’s time for Homecoming!  My daughter decided to go to the dance with a group of friends, and we started thinking about what she would wear.  But let’s back up for a moment… The high school concert band uniform is tuxes for the boys and long black dresses for girls.  When my daughter was a freshman last year, she said she would prefer to wear a tux. Now, I wasn’t entirely opposed to this, but I just preferred that she wear a dress… like all the other girls?  I told her that whatever she decided to do was fine, but there’s a reason boys usually wear suits and girls usually wear dresses.  Girls are more curvy, so dresses flatter them more.  My daughter is very curvy, and I thought a tux would just make her look kind of big all over. She decided to wear the dress, and I thought she looked lovely!  Then I was telling my friend about how well I handled that situation, and she thought I was VERY WRONG.  Why, she asked, did it matter how she looked?  Why did I make that the most important thing? Er- good question.  When it was time for New Year’s, my daughter wanted to wear a suit to the party.  I agreed immediately, and she actually looked kind of cute (not that it mattered!) Later I asked how she liked wearing the suit, and she said “I loved it.  I felt really confident.”  Okay then. Back to Homecoming!  My daughter said she wanted to wear a suit, and we got to work on her outfit (I was tasked with finding her some new pants, which was surprisingly hard.) Then yesterday she went to the mall to help her friend find a dress, and came home with… a dress, which she is now wearing to Homecoming. You guys, I can’t keep up!  Girls are so hard!!!  Boys are so. much. easier. Anyway, while my daughter is at the dance on Saturday night, my husband and I will be watching the Baylor game!  I have a fun fall-themed dinner planned, with some new things to sample from Trader Joe’s. One last thing- I’ve submitted my request for postponement of jury duty.  Weirdly, the request had to be submitted in writing, and by that I mean I had to write a letter and mail it through the U.S. postal service.  When was the last time you did that? I was so confused.  I couldn’t even really remember how to do it.  When I printed out my letter, my husband looked at it and said “You didn’t leave room for your signature.”  Oh yeah- I totally forgot.  Then I had to find an envelope and a stamp, and take it to the mailbox… I mean, don’t we have more modern methods of communication nowadays?  Anyway, I hope it gets there, and I hope I get my postponement (actually, I’m hoping they forget all about me, but if worst comes to worst I’ll take a postponement.) That’s it for this week! When was the last time you mailed a letter?  I don’t mean a greeting card or postcard, but like an official letter?   Do you think I was wrong to encourage my daughter to wear a dress?  How much does appearance matter? What are your plans for the weekend? Top photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Reading and Eating

I finished Winter of the World, which will from now on be referred to simply as WOW.  It was so, so good, and I’m getting ready to start the third book in the trilogy!  It starts in 1961, where the second book left off. But let’s go back to last week- I had my trip to the used bookstore.  It was everything I hoped it would be (look away, Engie!  I’ve discovered that Engie does NOT like used bookstores!) As I hoped, I did leave with a stack of books. Some classic murder mysteries- I can never resist- and more Ken Follett.  I have no plans to read The Pillars of the Earth anytime soon, but I know I’ll read it eventually, and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get a used copy in good condition. Eating!  Once again, I did not do any meal prep on Sunday so we’re limping through the week.  The good news is, I think I’m training my husband and daughter to expect less and less in the dinner department.  I mean- we do eat.  It’s just not fancy. Sunday morning I made gluten-free pumpkin pancakes from Running on Real Food.  First, let’s look at a picture from the website: And here’s, ahem, mine. All that garnish aside, mine look really weird.  But they did taste good!  Chickpea flour is my new favorite flour.  By the way, if you’re making pumpkin baked good this fall, don’t forget the formula to make them really flavorful- double the amount of pumpkin spice, and add a pinch of cloves.  And whatever you do, do NOT forget the salt! What are you reading now? Top photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Getting Back on Track

I wrote in Sunday’s post that I’ve been feeling like my life is just a little off track.  Then I looked around my house and realized one of the reasons is that I’ve been half-assing my beloved Pumpkin Palooza.  I had some, but not all, of my fall decorations out, and then a summer-y wreath was lying on the table.  Furthermore, I hadn’t had one special meal or snack to celebrate the start of football season. This was all wrong!  I needed to rectify the situation right away.  I lit a fall candle… …and got out all the rest of my fall decorations while watching the first half of the Dolphins game.  At halftime I put together a little charcuterie board… …and then we watched the Dolphins come from behind to win the game.  Fall is back on track! Let’s move on to running.  SIGH.  So far, my calf seems to be better, but my race plans are in tatters.  Back in May, I signed up for a race on November 9th.  It’s a trail race, and you run as far as you can in a certain amount of time.  I chose the 12 hour option. Hahahahaha.  Even if everything goes perfectly from now on, I’ll have no business running a 12 hour race in two months.  I guess the good news is, it’s a 4.5 mile loop that you run over and over again.  I can go and just run a couple loops.  That would be kind of sad- but maybe less sad than not going at all?  I’ve already paid for the race so if I can run at all, I’ll probably go. Now let’s deal with this jury summons.  I know it’s our civic duty, but I think it’s unfair that it creates more of a financial hardship for some people than others.  Additionally, some people never get called for jury duty, and some people get called all the time!  Luckily I’ve come up with a great solution. My plan is, all registered voters would be required to submit a form every five years, indicating the time they would like to do their jury duty.  That way, people would be able to pick a time that works best with their work schedule, and have time in advance to arrange for childcare, etc. Of course, if everyone chose July of 2027 it would be a fiasco.  But I have solutions for that too!  People who are retired, independently wealthy, or who have a very flexible work schedule could volunteer to be “swing jurors,” willing to be called at any time.  There could be incentives for people who serve in months like December (which I’m guessing would be the least popular)- like if you sit on a jury in December, you’re exempt for the rest of your life. I’ll be submitting my request for a postponement- do you think I should include my detailed plan for an overhaul of the entire system?  Haha, that might get me excused permanently (“Don’t let this woman near the courthouse- she’s obviously a troublemaker!”) Anyway, I’m starting to feel a little better.  As long as I can continue to run and nothing else goes wrong, I think I’m back on track. How do you like my plan?  Would you volunteer to be a “swing juror?” Top photo by Redd F on Unsplash  

44 Responses

  1. steady progress in running! very happy to see that.
    I’ve only seen jury duty in TVs, does it mean you wont’ be able to work? does the government compensate for your income loss? how does it work?

    1. Oh, it’s so complicated, and I think every state and county does it differently. You do get compensated but the amount is tiny compared to what I would make at work. Hopefully I can postpone it.

  2. I also received a jury summons for next week, but I have plans to go out of town, so I sent in a written request to be excused. Life happens!

    I’m so glad to see you’re feeling better!

  3. I see those miles! I have a good feeling that this is finally the end of Calfgate.

    What you said==>it would be a financial hardship to miss two weeks of work during the busy season. Just write that on your response and ask to defer your service to some time that’s not November. The first time I was summoned back in the 90s I asked to be excused because not getting paid is, you know, a financial hardship, and that worked but I heard that our court system stopped taking “I don’t get paid” as an excuse – not sure how it is where you live. Later on I was summoned when I was in grad school, and asked to have my service deferred until after the semester, which got me out and they didn’t call me again to serve. More recently I’ve been summoned and would be only too glad to serve to get out of work, so of course they didn’t select me.

    1. Ha, I’m going to play the “financial hardship” card and see what happens. I’ll ask to be postponed until the summer (and then hope they forget about me.)
      I’m hoping your “good feeling” is correct. I’m ready for Calfgate to end.

  4. I have never been summoned for jury duty and I don’t know what I would do if that happened because I could not miss 2 weeks of work – or it would be terribly hard. I would just hope to get dismissed. That is what happened for a woman I work closely with that puts in a lot of hours and is so busy. She could work in the afternoon after she was dismissed each day but it was stressful. And that does not work for you since you can’t just show up at work since appts need to be made based on your availability! You could try to defer for financial reasons. I think you get at least 1 deferral? That’s what I would try for sure.

    Yay for pain free running!! I am so thrilled to hear this!!! I did my last long run (8 miles). I debated adding on and making it 9 but I was running a bit behind and Phil needed to get groceries that morning. But I feel like I am ready for 10 miles and am not looking to set any sort of PR. I just want to finish and have fun!

    Enjoy football watching! I will be curious to see how the Vikings do with our new QB!

    1. Yes, I don’t know what you would do either. I do have some ideas about how this jury selection process could be overhauled (like everyone could submit a time that would be good for them and that way, make the appropriate arrangements long in advance) but I have a feeling no one will listen to me.
      I’m excited for your race- when is it? Coming up soon, right?

  5. Virginia lets lawyers opt-out of jury service (probably bc most lawyers wouldn’t want a lawyer on the jury panel) so I’ve never had to do it. My husband has done it a few times. The way it works here is that you call the night before and they tell you if you need to come in, but I guess even that wouldn’t work well with your job.

    Good news on the running. Are you walking a mile before you run or working in walk breaks?

    1. I’m walking a mile first- that way I get a nice warmup before I start running.
      This jury summons is different than last time I did it (yes, for the record I HAVE done jury duty before!). They’re telling me that I’ll be on standby for two weeks, and will call every evening at 5:30 to find out if I’m needed the next day. It absolutely, positively won’t work with my job. I really hope I can get out of it.

  6. I had a jury summons once went in and sat there all day and they never picked me for anything. Annoying but none the less it is our duty. Glad to see you are starting to feel better!

    1. That’s what it was like last time I did jury duty- one full day and then I was done. I would be okay with that, but this time it seems different. Two weeks??? I don’t know.

  7. Jury summons! Ai-yi-yi. I know some people who absolutely are fascinated by the process – my grandma had a lifelong dream, never fulfilled, of being on a jury – and I could not relate less. I feel like if I got called for a jury – which I did once but was dismissed – probably it would be some horrific rape or murder or something and I’d end up psychologically scarred. I hope you get dismissed, because what a pain. You’re in Florida, there have got to be a lot of retired people who would love to serve!

    1. YES. Now if I were retired, I would be happy to go, and to be honest I did do jury duty many years ago and it was interesting (I didn’t get picked for a jury though, which I was happy about.) That’s funny about your grandma- what a shame! Think of all the disgruntled people who would have been glad to give her their spot.

  8. I have been picked for jury duty numerous times, in EVERY place I’ve lived, except my new place (…shhh! Don’t tell the jury gods, or that’ll change within a few months). Umm yeah, football was a bit of a busts this weekend, huh! Fingers crossed this recent series of treatments is working some serious magic for you!

    1. I’ve only done jury duty once. I would love to keep it that way! I mean I’m willing to go in again, if I don’t have to lose a ton of money.
      The Dolphins pulled out a victory after a shaky first half- so the weekend was redeemed a little bit.

  9. Ugh jury duty! I’ve been called three times but haven’t had to serve. The first time I was in college and had to stay the whole first day but was dismissed. The second time I ended up not having to go in at all which was a relief because the court was an hour+ drive away (our counties here are very large)! And the third time I had just moved to a new city/county so I had a valid excuse that I was no longer qualified to serve. Hopefully you can defer your summons to a less busy time!

    I’m glad running is going well for you and hope it continues!

    1. Thank you Ashley! Oh, and that’s another thing- the courthouse is also very far away from me, same kind of situation as you. Why is this always such a nightmare???

  10. Oh, I have written about it on my blog before, I have jury duty PTSD after serving on a murder jury at age 18. Nightmare! And I keep getting called, it makes me crazy. Yes, civic duty, etcetera, but it was traumatizing.

    That said, when I was last called in Florida, I didn’t have to go in, just checking the night before for a week or two, but I know that wouldn’t work for your job, so I hope they listen to you!

    I also hope your calf stays calm. Come on, calf, you can do it.

      1. No kidding! One of our neighbors was a high-level lawyer and he said (pompously), “No attorney in his right mind will pick an 18-year-old for a jury.” Well, proved you wrong, unfortunately. The defendant was on the younger side, so maybe they thought a younger person would sympathize (I did NOT).

  11. Ugh jury duty. I had to call in last time each day and didn’t have to go in luckily (For me at least). It’s so hard for me to do jury duty and be home for the kis when they’re home from school! Hoping your calf stays better — good luck!

    1. Yes, I can’t see how you would do it with small kids- I think you can usually get an exemption if your kids are young enough. Unfortunately it doesn’t work if you have a teenager though!

  12. Each time I’ve gotten jury summons, I was never called and then you’re good for 6 years. Fingers crossed that is the case for you.

    I love that you are running with NO PAIN! It seems that ART is working.

    My week sucked as you read.

    I haven’t run since Monday and skipped my 14 miler this weekend… kinda nervous if I can run without pain and if I can get it back on track.

  13. Yes, your week definitely sucked. I guess you’ll be able to tell soon if you can run without pain and get back on track. And- I should have listened to you in the first place and gotten ART right away on my calf, instead of waiting so long.

    1. I never would have tried ART but I went to a race (that I couldn’t run) and cried to a coach about my upcoming NYC half. She referred me to a certified cHiro who specializes in ART and said she has cured everyone I’ve sent her to. Otherwise I would have done things on my own and probably wouldn’t have be able 7 weeks later to run 13.1 miles pain-free.

  14. I *feel* like I’d want to do jury duty. But I think I’m romanticizing it and not thinking through what I’d do about work, the trauma, etc.
    I’m (fingers crossed) so happy about the running successes! Boo about Baylor, but yay for the Dolphins!!
    I’ve heard so much about the deadbug from you and Engie, I’m going to go look it up…

  15. Glad you’re pain free! I am doing OK with my knee, esp now I’ve started doing my physio exercises again.

    When I went full-time self-employed, I resigned from work in the November with the aim of leaving at the end of December. I got home to a jury summons for the first two weeks in January! It was actually OK as I wasn’t called and kept getting sent home, but I was panicking as you needed to have accounts done by an accountant to claim back money and I did my own!

  16. I have never been part of a jury. I feel like it’s not as common in Canada because I literally only know one person who has ever been summoned? And the one person who was part of a jury had made it a life goal to be on a jury (like it was one of her dream scenarios…??). I’m still curious how she managed to get summoned, but I was glad for her in a way since she was so set on being part of a jury! Maybe she loved Judge Judy or something?

  17. OMG, I am such a lunatic – I want to serve on a jury so badly! I got called in FINALLY and I couldn’t serve because it was when my husband was going through his medical crisis and the doctor on trial was at the practice he had an appointment with. I was so embarrassed to have to share that info that I cried, and I think the judge just pulled me from the lineup entirely.

    That being said, they will usually let you go if you talk to them and/or take a deferral. Sometimes they have short cases too.

    1. Jenn, that’s a weird story! What are the odds of that??? Anyway- I hope you get called again. I can see you really loving jury duty.

  18. I’ve had jury duty three times and only had to go in for two days once and one day another time. The third time I never got called in at all. You can probably defer to a less crazy time.

    If you’re getting tired of CG’s dead bug workout, might I suggest MadFit’s 15-min standing ab workout with dumbbells. It’s effective and you don’t do it on the mat, so there are no crunches. I, too, have a special snowflake neck, so I am super into standing ab workouts.

  19. That’s great news about your calf. Hope it continues to respond well to treatment.

    I’ve been summoned many times for jury duty, but always dismissed the night before when I called to check in. In Virginia you can be excused once you turn 70 – that’s only three more years for me and a reason to rejoice getting old. LOL

    1. Ooh, I hope Florida has the same rule. Although- people in their 70s usually aren’t working, so they would be ther perfect jurors! I wouldn’t mind doing it if it didn’t screw up my work so badly.

  20. I am glad this week went well and your calf is behaving!
    I haven’t been called for jury duty in a while. last time I was dismissed before I even had to show up at the courthouse, so that was nice. If your employer doesn’t compensate you for the jury duty, isn’t it fairly easy to get out of it? Working for the government, I would have no excuse LOL

  21. Good to see some progress on the calf. Slowly but surely I hope! I have been to jury duty a few times. It was quite interesting, but also very sad and gross! I had to listen to a murder case which still gives me the creeps. Hard to believe there are people like that out in the world. I hope this week is going well for you and workouts!

    1. Wow, I haven’t even thought that far ahead, of actually getting put on a jury. The only time I did jury duty, I spent the day there and was dismissed. That does sound sad and gross!

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