A few years before the pandemic, I decided I wanted to build a home gym. For the first time in year, I had space for one - the kids no longer had "toys", preferring instead to be on electronics or out with friends. I was tired of paying for a gym membership, and even though the gym was less than a mile from my house, I had a hard time finding time to get over there as my work life got busier. And of course, I've been so glad to have it during the pandemic. Here are the five things I use multiple times a week... (This post includes affiliate links) Bowflex bike - This is the newest addition to my home gym. I've had a "deskbike" for years, but I finally bit the bullet and chose a spin bike. I'm not big on attending classes (in … [Read more...]
A little coffee with friends
It's been a long time since I had coffee in person with someone. Even thought it was never a regular thing for me, I miss it. But I'll settle for virtual coffee today with Deb and Coco and my friends inside the computer. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I miss my pre-pandemic work life. In some ways, things haven't changed. I've worked from home for 10 years, so working from my dining room or my couch is nothing new. But two big changes have affected my life. 1) Video. Pre-pandemic whenever I had a meeting it was a phone call. I used to walk during calls or ride my exercise bike. Heck, once I even took a call from an ice bath after an 18 mile run. Now I have to sit still and look somewhat presentable. (And let's not … [Read more...]
February Runfessions: The Longest Short Month Ever
You know how short weeks at work often feel longer than a normal week, just because you still need to do the same amount of work in fewer days? Well, February always feels that way for me and this February was no exception. It's been... a month. I'm joining Marcia to runfess my sins (and maybe do a little "lifefessing" as well.) I must runfess that I couldn't help myself and when Runner's Club registration opened for MCM, I jumped on it. It's currently virtual, but in order to run it in person if it should switch, you have to be signed up for the virtual. I don't actually hold out any hope that an in person race will look like it did in the past, but if Beer Geek and I are both vaccinated, I'll be happy to run any version. Maybe this … [Read more...]
January Runfessions: Month 13 of 2020
I can't believe we are already at the end of January! It's been a jampacked month of work and kids and house stuff and, sadly, not a whole lot of running. But I have high hopes for February on the running front... Today I'm joining Coach Marcia (you know she's ZOOMA's coach, right?) for some 'fessions. Runfessions and lifefessions ahead... We are only a month into the year and I must runfess that I'm already struggling with one of my goals. I signed up for Run the Year 2021, with a plan to run 1200 miles and walk the remainder. This month I haven't even hit a combined 100 miles yet. (In my defense, Michigan was way slippier than I expected). I do have to run a 25K this weekend (I NEED the pint glass), so I'll break 100, but I have … [Read more...]
Kicking Off 2021 with a Big Ole Cup of Coffee
I'm not one to stay up super late on NYE, but ironically, last night I was up late thanks to insomnia. Thank you 2020 for one last kick in the teeth. So, I'm up a bit later than normal and sucking down caffeine like it's my job. Seems appropriate to hook up with Deb and Coco for a coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that normally I spend December wrapping things up here on the blog and setting up my goals for the next year. Last year was so weird that I just couldn't seem to wrap (ha!) my head around it. I'm pretty sure I didn't run a single in person race. I ran a ridiculous number of virtual races, but I never got more than 4 miles from my house in any of those races. I even ran a 50K in 2 mile loops near my … [Read more...]
Last Coffee Date of 2020
2020 has been a year of major ups and downs. In some ways, it's been the hardest year of my life, but there have been some really amazing things as well. Beer Geek and I got to go on vacation in Bermuda before the world shut down and we celebrated 25 years of marriage. Jones graduated high school and got a major scholarship to college. Shoo finished middle school and is actually doing surprisingly well with online high school. So, when I struggle to not slide into darkness, I have to remind myself that not everything sucks. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I continue to struggle with running. It's not the actual running that's a problem - it's the motivation to do it. Once I'm out there, running itself is usually fine. … [Read more...]
Seed Probiotics: a science based approach
I'm a big believer in probiotics. I have taken various ones over the years and have definitely felt better when I'm taking them consistently. And if you do any research, there are plenty of studies out there that confirm the potential benefits of probiotics, such as supporting gut health and vaginal balance. But the hard part is figuring out *which* probiotic actually has the right strains in the right amounts. Seed probiotics takes care of that for you. I recently got the chance to join up with Seed as an influencer. I'd been considering trying Seed for a while as Mamavation had done a report on the best probiotics and they were one of the few that stood out in her study. While I am fortunate enough to be generally healthy, I was … [Read more...]
November definitely needs more coffee
6 days into November and I'm about ready to mainline coffee. That's a thing, right? OK, probably not, so I'll just make another big cup to get me through the day while I join Coco and Deborah for a little chit chat. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I'm so glad to finally finish the Marine Corps Marathon Trifecta. Who knew that getting that last 10K in was going to be such a challenge? I actually had a good run once I decided to do it, but it took me FOREVER to motivate. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I randomly jumped on a Ragnar So Cal virtual team. Thankfully, Ragnar has made all of their virtuals free and teams can be random sizes. The only goal is to run 3 times in two days. Apparently I'm addicted … [Read more...]
October Visit to the Runfessional: Exhaustion
It's that time of the month again - time to confess all of our running/fitness sins with Marcia over at Marcia's Healthy Slice. I must runfess that I have been meaning to write more than twice a month for a while now, but I'm finding that I'm definitely suffering from pandemic brain. I only have so much focus in any given day and I'm pretty much done by the time I actually have time to write a post... I must runfess that I ran both a 50K and a marathon this month and still only barely managed to break 100 miles. I was horribly undertrained, so "ran" might be an exaggeration. I will post an actual recap soon, but let's just say I'm happy to be done and hella surprised that I was not sore after either race. I did, however, manage to … [Read more...]
Meeting up for Virtual Coffee
Ok, let's be honest, the meetup may be virtual, but the coffee is absolutely not. I'm pretty sure I would not survive without coffee to start my day. I'm joining Deb and Coco for a virtual meetup - some day I'll get to meet up for real with people again. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I signed up for another virtual challenge. Some of you may remember my 7 half marathons in 7 states in 7 days that I've done in the past with Mainly Marathons. Well, they offered a virtual where you can run up to all 50 states between October and February. I decided to aim for 15 states. Why that number? That's the option that is just over what I have left to run a half marathon in all 50 states. Running them virtually is not the same, but … [Read more...]
September Runfessions: Getting Ready to Run ALL the Miles
September is usually one of my favorite months (October is my #1 favorite), and this year that holds true, sort of. The weather in Virginia has been awesome, but so many other things have been challenging, that it's hard to appreciate the weather. I'm joining up with Marcia for a few runfessions (and maybe a few "lifefessions" as well.) I must runfess that I've been struggling to increase my mileage. Some of it is physical - I've never completely gotten rid of the upper hamstring issue that started last summer. Some of it is mental - even though I have "races" coming up, they are virtual and I can't get myself to care enough to really stick to a training plan. I even downloaded Hal Higdon's "training for geezers" to at least get sort … [Read more...]
Give me ALL the coffee, please!
I can't believe it's September already. In some ways, it feels like it's been years since life was "normal", but in others, it feels like the year is just flying by! I also can't believe I haven't posted since the last time we had coffee. Gone are the days when I posted 5 days a week. I'm hoping to get back into a rhythm of posting once a week, but we'll see if that actually happens. Anyways, I'm raising a coffee cup with Deb and Coco to kick off September. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I'm super thankful that the run across Tennessee is over and that I decided to do a multi-sport team for the Circumpolar Race Around the World (CRAW). I moved my exercise bike into our living room because the kid now has my workout room … [Read more...]
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