Sunday, March 17, 2024

Workout Recap - Week 11

Sunday, March 10th  8 mile run

Monday, March 11th –  60 minutes on the stationary bike

Tuesday, March 12th – 4 sunset miles

Wednesday, March 13th – HIIT workout

Thursday, March 14th – 60 minutes on the stationary bike

Friday, March 15th  Rest Day

Saturday, March 16th – 3 mile run with the hubby

Sunday's "run" was rough. I hadn't gotten great sleep the night before (had driven home from Mammoth most of the day), was grieving a friendship lost and was in a funk, but I told myself I'd at least finish the eight miles. I'd say it was probably half walking and half running, but some days you just have to take what your body will give ya. Tuesday's run didn't feel a ton better, but I could understand the heavy legs seeing I had been at work on my feet since 10am. [Don't worry, I had my reflective vest on for the run so all the drivers at dusk could see me.] Thankfully my run with the hubby felt great (could also be the fact that his pace is a bit slower than mine so it felt more casual than my runs earlier in the week). I'm stoked to be back on track (even if workouts seem tougher than I'd hope) and working to get this routine back as the norm.

How were your workouts this past week?

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Workout Recap - Week 10

Sunday, March 3rd  60 minutes on the stationary bike

Monday, March 4th –  HIIT workout

Tuesday, March 5th – Rest Day

Wednesday, March 6th – 60 minutes on the stationary bike

Thursday, March 7th – 60 minutes on the stationary bike

Friday, March 8th  Rest Day

Saturday, March 9th – Rest Day 

We had our giant parking lot sale on Sunday, so I was working all day and figured I'd just jump on the bike when I got home from being at the store all day. The hubby and I (plus the pup) went up to Mammoth for the weekend after I got off work on Thursday, which is why Friday and Saturday turned into "rest days". The hubby was snowboarding all day, while the pup and I chillaxed in the trailer reading and napping. Sometimes you just need days like that. And although the week may not have panned out how I would've liked, I got in what I could, when I could and tried to not focus on the "should". 

How were your workouts this past week?

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Workout Recap - Week 9

Sunday, February 25th  4 trail miles with the hubby

Monday, February 26th –  60 minutes on the stationary bike

Tuesday, February 27th – HIIT workout

Wednesday, February 28th – Rest Day

Thursday, February 29th – 5.75 mile run

Friday, March 1st  60 minutes on the stationary bike

Saturday, March 2nd – 10 mile run 

Minus the fact that I swapped a couple days around (took my rest day on Wednesday instead of Friday so pushed back my Wednesday and Thursday workouts), I'm stoked I got it all in. This week I was chatting with a friend about potentially putting a race on the calendar that ended up eventually not working out, but it still reminded me how I love being "marathon ready" so I could technically jump into a race at any time and be confident I could finish it. I might not be following a set-in-stone training plan right now, but I am hoping that I can start inching up my long runs (while still fitting in some fun runs with the hubby and strength training I normally skip during other plans). Onwards and upwards! Let's go!

How were your workouts this past week?

Thursday, February 29, 2024

February Books

Can you believe that reading wasn't my jam growing up?! Clif Notes were my best friends in high school - I'd "read enough" to get by, but other than that I did not enjoy the act of reading so never did it... like ever. Maybe I wasn't reading things that held my interest or maybe it was because it was "required" so I didn't find it enjoyable, but whatever the reason, I'm glad I challenged myself to add the goal of reading 17 books in 2017 (which turned into 88 books in 201777 books in 201867 books in 201966 books in 202067 books in 202141 books in 2022 and 98 books in 2023). The majority of my "reading" has been listening to audiobooks since I don't have as much time to sit and read physical books once I started working full time (not to mention I walk to work and walk on my lunch break so have two-ish hours a day I can listen to something). Even still, holding a physical book is the bomb dot com and I hope to get back to adding more reading vs listening. Just like in years past, writing a monthly recap of the books I get through is a great way for me to both record what I'm reading and to stay accountable. So, here are the books I finished in short month of February:

  • Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman - I had traded some nutrition for this book at the beginning of the year and finally got around to picking it up. [Side note: I really love reading physical books, if only there were more hours in the day...] I will be honest, I was expecting more. The reviews make it seem part memoir, part manifesto, which I guess it is, but (and please do not take this the wrong way) the story has sort of been told before. I know that sounds terrible, but especially being a woman in the running world (whether professional or not), it is very obvious that this environment was not made for girls/ women to flourish. With all of the exposes about how runners (especially females) are treated by some coaches/ brands {cough cough... NIKE}, the lack of support or even penalty for life events such as pregnancy, etc, this felt a little more like I had heard this story before. I am in no way minimizing Lauren's story or trying to say she doesn't deserve to share her voice, but I guess I was just expecting a little more that would make it stand apart from some of the other professional runner's recent books. With that said, I'm stoked to hear about all of the mentoring and advocacy she's doing around females in sports. I would give it a 7 out of 10 (a good book on its own, but I was wanting more).

  • Black Girls Must Have It All by Jayne Allen - I came across this book under the "Black History Month" heading in my Hoopla app. As soon as I saw the cover and read the title of the book I remembered that I had already read the first two books in this trilogy. As with the first two books, I really enjoyed this one. The story from the first two (Tabitha Walker juggling life, relationships, work and the desire to have a baby - to have it all) continued right along in the final installment. At this point, Tabitha has had a baby and is struggling to do it all as a new mommy. I don't have children (nor do I want to), but I can only imagine how chaotic your life becomes once you bring a child into this world. I felt as though the author did a great job describing everything, seeing as when Tabby was overwhelmed, I felt it too. I really think these books could be made into movies or a series. The stories all touch on such important topics while feeling easy-breezy. I would give it an 8 out of 10.

  • Glitterland by Alexis Hall - This popped up under the "new and trending" page of my Hoopla app and the name had me curious so I gave it a download (who doesn't love glitter and sparkles?!). Let me just start by saying, I had no idea what this book was about but did appreciate the trigger warnings given before diving in. The story was about a writer who was struggling with his mental health (manic depression) and a previous suicide attempt. During this time, he met someone in a club one night (when out for a friend's bachelor party) and they hit it off. What was supposed to be a fling turned into a lot more (and more than either bargained for). I'll be honest and say the plot was great (the characters were all well developed and I appreciate the representation of mental illness in mainstream media) and I felt like I could really picture everything (very vivid and colorful language), but it was a bit "too much" for me. I normally stick with the YA genre and this was EXTREMELY THE OPPOSITE. I may or may not be a prude, but I don't love hearing/ reading about extremely detailed sexual acts. Also, when the "f word" is used to describe sex, it's not my jam. Anywho, if you can overlook the vulgarity and tons of sex, you too may enjoy the underlying plot and characters. I would give it a 7 out of 10.

  • We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride - This showed up in the Young Adult section of my Hoopla app and the cover caught my attention so I decided to try it out (normally I don't do super short books because I only get so many downloads a month and if I do short books I run out of audiobooks very quickly). Let me just say - WOW! This book is written a bit more like a poem than a traditional story and although that sometimes means having to read between the lines of metaphors, it was absolutely beautifully written. This is a story about depression and healing from trauma. Feelings like sorrow are personified and loss is a common thread, but weaved throughout is hope. Not only do I appreciate the author for writing about difficult subjects (such as clinical depression, cutting, suicidal thoughts, etc) but also including fairytales from different cultures. There were a few spots where I lost the link that tied the different levels of the forest or the different folklore together, but, in my opinion, the characters helped make up for those points of slower plot. I would give it a 9 out of 10.

  • Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian - This book popped up in the "award" section of my Hoopla app and it caught my attention so I thought I'd let it be my final download of the month (somehow between January and February I went from eight checkouts a month down to five... BOO!). I love books that are told from different character's perspectives and this was exactly that. The story is about three generations of Iranian men - a grandfather, father and son. I really enjoy seeing how each person experienced things and how their stories may or may not overlap. The cool thing about this one was that the three different perspectives were all about the same timeframe in each one's life (somewhere between 17 and 20ish). Obviously exterior forces were different during the different times (I mean, we're talking about the 1930s vs 2017, Los Angeles vs Iran), but still the same. I can totally see why it won awards, I found it wonderfully written with amazing character development (and containing many more than just a single beautiful moment). I would give it a 10 out of 10.

With that, February is done-zo. If you have suggestions, let me know! I'm always looking to add to my "must read" list! 

What's the best book you've read lately? 

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Walt Wednesday

Some people do a "Wordless Wednesday" post, where they simply share a photo or image, but I thought I'd make a little series out of my Wednesdays. And since I love alliteration so much, why not go with Walt Wednesdays (obviously everyone can use a little break from the seriousness, scariness and sassiness of life - and what better way to help put a smile on your face than with a cute wiener dog picture, am I right?!)... So, without further ado...

WALT WEDNESDAY!

When life gets overwhelming, how do you de-stress?

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Workout Recap - Week 8

Sunday, February 18th  Rest Day

Monday, February 19th –  60 minutes on the stationary bike

Tuesday, February 20th – HIIT workout

Wednesday, February 21st – 60 minutes on the stationary bike

Thursday, February 22nd – Rest Day

Friday, February 23rd  60 minutes on the stationary bike

Saturday, February 24th – 6 mile run 

Only one running day isn't what I was hoping for when I was originally planning this week, but you gotta take what you can get. We had some rain at the beginning of the week and I've been dealing with some fibro back pain, so trying to stay dry and listen to my body were my priorities this week ;) The hubby mentioned he wanted to get back into running, so maybe I can get him out with me for some runs in the coming weeks (which will hold us BOTH accountable - it'd be a #WinWin!).

How were your workouts this past week?

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Walt Wednesday

Some people do a "Wordless Wednesday" post, where they simply share a photo or image, but I thought I'd make a little series out of my Wednesdays. And since I love alliteration so much, why not go with Walt Wednesdays (obviously everyone can use a little break from the seriousness, scariness and sassiness of life - and what better way to help put a smile on your face than with a cute wiener dog picture, am I right?!)... So, without further ado...

WALT WEDNESDAY!

When life gets overwhelming, how do you de-stress?