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?

Workout Recap - Week 24

Sunday, June 5th – Rest Day

Monday, June 6th – 2 miles of walking

Tuesday, June 7th – 8 miles with 1 mile walk, 6 miles jog, 1 mile walk

Wednesday, June 8th – 8 miles with 1 mile walk, 6.5 miles jog, .5 mile walk

Thursday, June 9th –  10 miles with 1 mile walk, 8 miles jog, 1 mile walk

Friday, June 10th – Rest Day

Saturday, June 11th – 6.6 miles of trails with the hubby

So Monday's 2 mile walk was supposed to be a 4 mile run, but the back of my left knee started "clicking" so I decided to call it about a quarter mile into the run and just walked the approximate amount of time it would have taken me to tackle the distance running. I was a bit nervous, but come Tuesday morning everything went fine (it may have helped the I started with a walking mile on Tuesday and tried to reign in my pace a bit more, but whatever the magic was it helped ;)). I swapped my runs around a bit because the hubby and I (plus the pup) went camping in Mammoth so I wanted to get my "longer runs" (on a cut-back week I don't have anything longer than 10 miles) before we made our way to elevation. We got in a trail run together on Saturday which was nice (even if it was a bit more difficult due to running at almost 9,000 feet above sea level ;)). Part was on a paved bike path and part was on dirt - it was a great mix and we loved every moment. 

How were your workouts this past week?

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?

Workout Recap - Week 23

Sunday, May 29th – Rest Day

Monday, May 30th – 4 miles with the hubby

Tuesday, May 31st – Rest Day

Wednesday, June 1st – 8 miles with 1 mile walk, 6 miles jog, 1 mile walk

Thursday, June 2nd –  Rest Day

Friday, June 3rd – 30 miles of 1 mile walk, 5 miles jog and repeat

Saturday, June 4th – 20 miles of .5 mile walk, 6 miles jog and repeat

As I'm sure you can tell from my workouts, this week did not go how it was supposed to. First, I was supposed to have 30 miles on last Saturday and 20 miles on Sunday. I talked it over with my PT and we decided for my 12-hour event on Saturday that I'd shoot for 50 miles and then take a rest day on Sunday - which is what I did. I moved up my runs a day this week because we were having guests this weekend and I wanted to get my long runs out of the way before they arrived on Saturday morning. Monday's short run was a bit rough (my left shin felt tight {I was attributing to my shoes being dead that I ran the 12-hour run in} and the back of my knee on that left leg was achey) but thankfully the hubby is all about walk breaks so we were able to get it done together. Tuesday was supposed to be a 15 mile run, but when I woke up to get it done before work I could tell it would be less-than-stellar so I decided to listen to my body and get some extra rest instead of potentially injuring myself. I ended up tackling my Wednesday day run much better than I was expecting and attribute it to the rest day I took. My long runs with weekend were okay. I made a rookie mistake on my 30-miler and didn't take enough hydration (especially with how humid it was). I could tell I was getting dehydrated by mile 20, but was able to gut it out until 28 before I had to throw in the towel and walk it home. Don't worry, I wasn't going to make the same mistake two days in a row, so ran a route with plenty of water options. The 20-miler was fine but my body was TIRED (and not just from the miles, but also because my alarm went off two days in a row at 2am so I could get in these longer runs). I'm STOKED next week is a cutback week (and the hubby, pup and I are going camping in Mammoth for the weekend).

How were your workouts this past week?

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?

May 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 for a paper or test, 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 2017, 77 books in 2018, 67 books in 2019, 66 books in 2020 and 67 books in 2021). In the last year or so, especially since going back to work outside of the house full-time, the majority of my "reading" has been through audiobooks since I don't have as much time to sit and read physical books (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 diggity 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 May:

• Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune - I was so excited when I saw this book hit my Hoopla app. TJ's previous book, The House in the Cerulean Sea, was one of my favorites that I read last year and is on my short list of my favorite books ever. I have been wanting to check out this new one for months now, but it hadn't been available as an audiobook and I realistically haven't had time to read a physical book recently. All that to say I was stoked to finally give this title a listen. Truth be told, because I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so much, I probably had unrealistic expectations for this one, but I am happy to report I really enjoyed it. I know some folks have said they like this one better, but I think I still prefer The House in the Cerulean Sea. This one is definitely awesome and kept me interested the entire time, but I think I liked the "subject matter" of the previous one better. Although the genre is not normally my go-to, I still enjoyed the book immensely. I would say that it felt a little predictable, but who doesn't love more of a happy-ever-after ending, #AmIRight?! Here's to hoping that TJ puts out another book sooner rather than later ;) I would give it a 9 out of 10.

• Dolly Parton, Songteller - I'll be honest, I haven't been super inspired by the books I have saved in my Hoopla app. I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but I actually didn't finish ANY books in April! I still scroll through the app frequently to see if something catches my eye, but for the past 6 or so weeks I haven't been excited by what I see. I thought I'd change it up a bit and go for more of a biography this go around and picked one my Dolly (she also reads the audiobook, which is awesome!). #RealTalk I am not much of a country music fan, so I don't know a ton of songs that Dolly sings, but this book is not only about the songs she sings, but also about the songs she writes, her creative process, those people who have shaped and impacted her music, etc. I definitely walked away with a deeper appreciation for this woman than when I started. Also, I sort of LOVE that when she's talking about a song she often will say it's her favorite. I don't even know if she realized she was saying it every time. Obviously they can't all be her favorite, which is why it made me smile every time she said it. (Although, she described her songs sort of like her kids - you love them all even if they aren't perfect ;)) Note: if you are interested in this one, I'd totally recommend listening to the audiobook if possible because it plays a portion of the song she is talking about at the time. Also, Dolly's voice just makes me smile! It "reads" more like a long interview than I was expecting, but it kept me engaged and smiling the entire time (with a career as long and successful as Dolly's, she definitely has some stories to tell). I would give it a 8.5 out of 10.

With that, May has come to a close. My reading may not be going gang-busters like it has in the past, but I hope it never completely stops. If you have any suggestions, let me know! I'm always willing to add them to my library wait list! 

PS I created an Amazon list that includes all of the books I've read and would recommend to others. Check it out!

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

Workout Recap - Week 22

Sunday, May 22nd – 15 miles of walk 1 mile, jog 6 miles, walk 1 mile, jog 6 miles, walk 1 mile

Monday, May 23rd – Rest Day

Tuesday, May 24th – 4 miles (my PT gave me the go ahead to JOG IT ALL, but it had to be on flat ground)

Wednesday, May 25th – 15 miles of walk 1 mile, jog 6 miles, walk 1 mile, jog 6 miles, walk 1 mile

Thursday, May 26th –  5 miles of .5 mile walk, 2.5 miles jog, 2 mile walk

Friday, May 27th – Rest Day

Saturday, May 28th – Nanny Goat 12-Hour Race

Well, let's just say this week did not exactly go how I would have liked. Last week I had the Bishop 53K on Saturday and then ran 15 miles on Sunday. They legs felt much better than I was expecting. At PT on Monday I did strength and weight training (which went well, but I could tell my legs were fatigued). As you can see, by my Thursday run my legs were donezo. I was supposed to have 6 miles (.5 mile walk, 5 mile jog, .5 mile walk), but as soon as I started my jog portion I knew I was going to have to cut it short. My hammy was acting up and with my 12-hour race on Saturday I needed to listen to my body. When I went to PT after my "failed" run, she worked on my leg a bit and I was hopeful for Saturday's event. My PT did mention that had it been last week she would have been fine with me shooting for 62 miles (100K), but with the issues that I ran into on Thursday she thought I should probably pull the plug once I hit the 50 mile mark - which is what I did. My body definitely wasn't at 100% during the race (more on that in the recap that I still need to write ;)), but now it's time to recover and train smart for these last 6ish weeks before my 100-miler. #WhereHasTheTimeGone

How were your workouts this past week?