Workout Recap - Week 23

Sunday, June 1st – 10 mile run

Monday, June 2nd –  7 mile bike ride

Tuesday, June 3rd – 4 mile run

Wednesday, June 4th – 8 mile run

Thursday, June 5th – 4 mile run

Friday, June 6th – 16 mile run

Saturday, June 7th – Rest day

Well, I guess I can let the cat out of the bag... I am no longer working at Running Center. It was a great five plus years, but it's time for me to spread my wings and go elsewhere. I am going to use the summer to figure out what I want to do next/ where God is leading me. With that said, I was able to swap my long runs around a bit and now plan to do them on Fridays when the hubby is working (at least while I am on "summer vacation"), hence my 16 miler on Friday. I'm happy to report that this week was a lot less chill than last week (meaning I didn't lose my phone, get "lost" or have to hop the fence to break into the house), but I did tweak my back. Not actually sure if it's my fibromyalgia or if I did something to it during my Friday run, but I am definitely feeling something not so great in the middle of my back right about now. Here's praying some rest, a decent amount of time laying on the heating pad and popping a Tylenol here and there will 'do a body good'.

How were your workouts this past week?

Workout Recap - Week 22

Sunday, May 25th – 2 hour run

Monday, May 26th –  7 mile run

Tuesday, May 27th – Rest day

Wednesday, May 28th – 3.11 mile run

Thursday, May 29th – 3 mile lunch run

Friday, May 30th – 50 minutes on the stationary bike

Saturday, May 31st – 7.5 mile trail run with the hubby

Oh, golly gee, this was quite the eventful week. Sunday's long run was an adventure. The hubby and I were going to go look at a truck about 15 miles away from the house. On the calendar I had a two hour run, so I thought I could probably get in 12 of the 15 miles by the time I was calling it quits. The game plan was the hubby would track my phone and grab me at that two hour mark once I called him. Well, loandbehold, somehow my phone came out of my pack along the way and I didn't realize until I had finished my run and went to try to call him. Thankfully a biker picked up my phone (which is also my wallet and has my id and credit cards in it) and rode it to our house. The hubby was confused and worried at how I had passed him on the route and got back to the house, so he came home, met the biker and then went searching for me. My thought was to turn around and start retracing my steps - in hopes of finding my phone and the hubby. A mile of going backwards on the route and I saw a fire station. I decided to stop there and ask for help. The kind folks let me use their phone and call the hubby (thankfully we have each other's phone numbers memorized). Like I said.... eventful ;) Oh yeah, and then on Wednesday our app to open our garage door wouldn't work and I had to 'borrow' the neighbor's patio table to give myself a boost and jump over the fence so I could get in the house through our backdoor since I was essentially locked out! Here's to hoping next week we are back to our regularly scheduled (aka "boring") runs ;) 

How were your workouts this past week?

May Book Recap

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 didn't 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 like it, but, whatever the reason, I'm glad I challenged myself to add the goal of reading 17 books in 2017 (which became 88 books in 2017, 77 books in 2018, 67 books in 2019, 66 books in 2020, 67 books in 2021, 41 books in 2022, 98 books in 2023 and 224 books in 2024). The majority of my "reading" has been listening to audiobooks since I haven't had as much time to sit and read physical books once I started working again full time out of the house. Even still, holding a physical book is my JAM and I hope can add more physical reading vs listening. Just like in years past, writing a monthly recap of the books I finish is a great way for me to both record what I'm reading and to stay accountable. So, here are the books I completed in the month of May:

• All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani - I had come across this book when I was scrolling through the YA genre on my Libby app and thought it looked interesting. I mean, it's playoff basketball season, so it makes sense to listen to an audiobook that centers on two high school basketball players, right?! I think so ;) I thought this one was sweet. As per usual, I really enjoy the books that are told from multiple perspectives (and when those different POVs are read by different actors on the audiobook). This story felt real to me. Some of the YA books are too perfect, but this one was raw and had lots of drama - relationship, family, sports, etc. Oh yeah, and one of the main character's name was CARLI (I know, it was spelled differently, but it sounds the same on the audiobook ;))! I would say this skewed a little on the older edge of YA because there was a decent amount of cursing and talk about sex, but I am mature enough to handle that, hehe. The dialogue was great and it reminded me of first loves. I felt like I was there and feeling all the feels with the characters. I could totally see this being made into a teeny-bopper type movie (and I would be eating it all up!). I would give it a 9 out of 10. 

• Say One Kind Thing by Susan Verde - I'm not sure how I got this book on my 'for later' list, but it became available on my Libby app and at some point I thought it seemed interesting, so I snagged it. The author of this book normally teaches mindfulness and yoga to kids, so this was a little outside of her wheelhouse, but interesting nonetheless. I felt like it read more like a memoir than a how-to type book. The goal seemed to be to get folks to speak to themselves with compassion and acceptance - all great things. Each chapter ended with a manta or intention that wrapped up the section of the book. It was a quick read, so the essay like chapters kept me engaged without too much woo-woo. I wouldn't say this was really my jam, but I enjoyed it enough. I appreciated the 'expert' not always practicing what she preaches and being willing to share that because it felt more authentic (and reminds us why it's called "a practice"). I would give it a 7 out of 10.

• Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter - After I finished the first book in this series last month, I hurriedly added the second to my hold list and got in line. As you probably know by now, sequels aren't normally my jam (as they rarely compare to the goodness that is the original), but I really enjoyed this one. There was just enough time between the first and second books (two years and quite a bit of life lived) that it felt real and not rushed. All of the cutesy nods to other romcoms were still there (with quotes at the beginning of each chapters) and there were plenty of 'awwwwww' moments throughout. I could totally see this becoming a summer Netflix release (and hopefully a mini series rather than chopping the 10+ hour book down to a 90 minute movie :)). Because I love love, I sort of wish the two would've made up earlier in the book (oops, that might've been a spoiler, but it was also pretty obvious that it was going to happen too so hopefully not too much of a shocker). It was cheesy, it was cute, it was witty, it was relatable, it was satisfying, I heart it. I would give it a 9 out of 10.

• Betting On You by Lynn Painter - I was stoked that while I was listening to the previous book another one of the author's titles became available on my Libby app. Another young adult romcom was exactly what I was looking for (sometimes fluff is what you need ;)). This time around the story centered on two characters that couldn't have been more different. Bailey was a very rigid Type A personality (and I say that in the most loving way because I know that is me too ;)) while Charlie is a fly by the seat of his pants sorta guy. Bailey loves following the rules while Charlie is a cynic (and a bit of a smart @$$) through and through. I really enjoyed the way these two vibed together, but at points I would say they seemed like they were older than the 17 year olds that they were supposed to be. I also would have liked a little more from Charlie's perspective, but that was just my opinion. The pacing kept me engaged and overall I really enjoyed it. I would give it an 8 out of 10. 

• The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown - Last month, when I shared what I had finished reading in April, a friend mentioned that she was reading this book and suggested I check it out. Thankfully my Hoopla app had it available, so once I had finished the first few books of the month on my Libby app, I downloaded this one. This book is about "special" (magical books). There are these books with powers that allow the holder of the book to "magic" when holding them - for example the book of joy allows the holder to have complete joy, the book of despair allows the holder to take away all hope of the person they touch, the book of shadows allows the holder to become invisible and slink away in the shadows, etc. The book that this story centers around is the book of doors, which allows the holder to turn any door into another door. So, say the holder wanted to go to Rome, they could open their bedroom door while holding the book and imagine a door in Rome and walk through from their room to Rome. Think of it sort of like a portal. Well, not only can the holder use the book to travel to any door in the present, they can also use it to travel through any door in the past, so this portal becomes an option for time travel. Of course there are a select few people who know about these books and covet them - think book collectors, criminals, people who want all the power, etc. Well, as you can imagine, drama ensues when magic is afoot ;) There were a few parts of the book that were a bit too fantastical for me (like where the books were created), but for the most part I was swept up in this magical world of books. I really enjoyed how all of the stories were woven together. I would give it an 8 out of 10. 

• Swedish Death Cleaning by Cloe Hampton - I had heard of the concept of Swedish Death Cleaning from one of the YouTube channels on minimalism I had watched. The premise is that people go through their things in a mindset of what will happen with all of this once the person passes away (for example, will someone else find joy or use out of this particular item). This was a quick listen (only about 90 minutes, which meant more like 50 minutes since I listen to my audiobooks at 1.75x speed) so I thought I would give it a go to see if there were any nuggets of wisdom I could take into my own life. Let's just say I want my hour back. This book was poorly written (I'm not sure if it was translated into English and not everything was a perfect translation or what) and I didn't gleam any information from it. It sort of felt like it was an AI summary of what a book on Swedish Death Cleaning would've been. I probably should've guessed from the sexist subtitle... I would give it a 2 out of 10.

With that, May 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? 

Workout Recap - Week 21

Sunday, May 18th – 13 miles (8 miles of running, 5 miles of walk/ run)

Monday, May 19th –  Rest day

Tuesday, May 20th – 3 mile run

Wednesday, May 21st – Rest day

Thursday, May 22nd – 3 mile run

Friday, May 23rd – 45 minutes on the stationary bike

Saturday, May 24th – 7 mile run (5 miles with the hubby, 2 solo miles)

This week was less than stellar. Mentally I just wasn't in it to win it... Sunday's long run I didn't feel like I could do 13, so I ran eight and then switched my watch to walk and ran/walked the last five miles. I was supposed to have a seven miler on Wednesday, but I just couldn't get my butt in gear to do it before work. Instead I snuggled with a wiener dog, wrote some snail mail cards and sat in the sun. Maybe I need to reassess this 50K training. I'm not sure if it's just too much too fast or if mentally I'm just not there. Whatever it is, everything this week felt like a slog and I wasn't excited to get out for any of it. 

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 20

Sunday, May 11th – 8 mile run

Monday, May 12th –  45 minutes on the stationary bike

Tuesday, May 13th – 3.1 mile run

Wednesday, May 14th – 6 mile run

Thursday, May 15th – 3 mile run

Friday, May 16th – Rest day

Saturday, May 17th – 6 mile run (4 with the hubby and 2 solo miles)

Running is hard and starting over (or what feels like starting over) sucks. My miles have been slow, but I've been getting them in. I'm thankful when the hubby wants to join me because then I don't feel as bad going at a slower pace than I use to go (I know, I know, I shouldn't compare myself to others, to myself of the past, etc, but sometimes I just can't help it). 

How were your workouts this past week?

Workout Recap - Week 19

Sunday, May 4th – 90 minute run

Monday, May 5th –  Rest day

Tuesday, May 6th – 3.1 mile run

Wednesday, May 7th – 6 mile run

Thursday, May 8th – 3.1 mile run

Friday, May 9th – Rest day

Saturday, May 10th – 6 mile run 

Running is hard... Saturday's run contained quite a few more walk breaks than I would've liked, but at least I got it done. (It didn't help that the temps were already in the 80s when I had started.) Starting over sucks, but hopefully sticking with my training plan will have me ready to RUN a 50K come October, because right now that goal feels so out of reach!

How were your workouts this past week?