A Couple of July Runfessions

July 28, 2023 by 10 Comments

It’s hard to believe that we’re at the end of July already! And, since it is the last Friday of the month, Marcia has opened the Runfessional!

It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday! So, let’s get started, shall we?

A Couple of July Runfessions

Listen I know it’s Summer and it’s supposed to be hot, but I runfess that the humidity is really taking a toll on me. I had promised myself at the beginning of the summer that I would not complain – I’m failing miserably.

I runfess that the weather forecast for Alaska makes me giddy! We leave tomorrow!

And speaking of my upcoming Alaskan vacation, I runfess that I’m leaning towards leaving my run gear behind. If you follow me on Instagram then you know that I’ve been dealing with a cranky right quad. I figure we’ll be more than active enough and honestly a break from running will probably do my leg a world of good.

Do you take a break from running when you’re on vacation? Any runfessions to share?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!
Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to show your hosts some love and visit some of the other bloggers in the link-up.


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Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Runfessions

Fit Five Friday – Favorite Recovery Tips

July 21, 2023 by 6 Comments

Welcome back for another edition of Fit Five Friday. Today we’re talking rest and recovery an important but often overlooked component of training. (Of course, you’re welcome to link up with any fitness-related topic). This post contains affiliate links.

Five Favorite Recovery Tips

Rest! — Let’s start with the obvious – my favorite rest tip is to actually rest! I see a lot of people struggle with the idea of actually taking a day off from running/working out. I embrace my rest days where the most activity I have is a good stretch, especially when that day comes before a long run. I say listen to your body and take those rest days when you need them, no guilt!

Sleep — I’ve written several times about the importance of sleep as a recovery tool. Full disclosure I struggle mightily with my sleep, but when I do capture that good night’s sleep there’s nothing like it!

Electrolytes — Especially during these hot summer months, rehydrating with electrolytes will help you to bounce back after a workout. There are lots of great options on the market. My current favorite is LMNT.

Mobility work — Over the past few months I’ve really come to embrace the mobility classes offered on the Peloton app. The classes focus on joint and muscle range of motion and remind me of some of my best physical therapy sessions.

Oofos — Oofos are marketed as recovery footwear and I’m a firm believer! The Sports Flex slides and the OOriginal Sport Sandals are my personal favorites. I reach for my Oofos as soon as I kick off my running shoes and they’re always in my post-race gear bag.

What is your favorite recovery tip? 

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!
Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to show your hosts some love and visit some of the other bloggers in the link-up.


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Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Recovery

Am I Running or Swimming?

July 16, 2023 by 20 Comments

Oh, the humidity! I’ve been trying oh so hard to not complain about the weather, but this week truly tested me. The humidity was, quite simply soul-sucking but I managed to get my runs done outdoors – though it felt more like swimming than running. There was a lot of self-talk and some cursing 😉 Here’s a quick look at my week in fitness.

Am I Running of Swimming?

Monday — Extra early commute + long day in the office = Rest day
Tuesday — 2-mile walk and Full Body Strength
Wednesday — 4 miles & Core


Thursday — 2- mile walk & Yoga
Friday — 5 miles & Core
Saturday — College tour with my son = 4 miles of walking according to Garmin
Sunday — 4 miles

Perhaps it was re-entry after 9 days off from work or the impact of the humidity or probably a combination of the two, but things just felt off this week. The weather forecast is showing more of the same…sigh. If only there were a way to arrive at the starting line of a fall race without summer training LOL.

How’s the weather been where you are?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: Summer running, Weekly Run Down

Enjoying a Mid-Year Break

July 9, 2023 by 23 Comments

I’m soaking up the final day of a 9-day break from all things work-related! My office has an org-wide shutdown for the week of July 4th so I’ve been blissfully logged off my computer since end-of-day June 30th! I runfess that leading up to the time off my fuse was getting a little short – so this mid-year break couldn’t have come at a better time! I’ve used this staycation to catch up with friends and family, do some remodel-related shopping, read, lounge on the deck (when the humidity would allow), and generally just recharge.

And yes, of course, there were workouts – here’s a quick peek into how this week in fitness played out.

Enjoying a Mid-Year Break

Monday — 3 miles. My youngest decided to join me – so fun!


Tuesday — 1.5-mile walk, Upper Body Strength & Core
Wednesday — Rest day – I was feeling super lazy so I embraced it and spent the day reading and lounging. No regrets!
Thursday — 3 miles & Core
Friday — 2.5-mile walk, Lower Body Strength & Core
Saturday — 6 miles. The humidity was absolutely soul-sucking – this was definitely a character-building run

A sweaty mess at the halfway mark!

Sunday — Yoga and Hip mobility work

This weekend marks 12 weeks until the TC 10M. It feels good to be starting this training cycle already at 6 miles for my long run – I can ramp up gradually taking the weather and my upcoming vacation time into account. I plan to stick to running 3 days a week so I’ll also start to add a bit more to my weekday runs. I also just picked up a pretty new yoga mat which I hope will inspire me to get in at least 1 yoga session a week to complement my daily stretching and hip mobility work.

How was your week? Are you training for a race?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: Summer running, Weekly Run Down

Five Things Over July Coffee

July 7, 2023 by 30 Comments

And just like that it’s Friday again – these weeks are just flying by! It’s time for another edition of Fit Five Friday and since it’s the first Friday of the month I’m I’m linking up with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

Five Things Over July Coffee

Over coffee, I would tell you that I’ve been enjoying a lovely stay-cation this week. My office has an org-wide shutdown for the week of July 4th so I’ve been blissfully logged off my computer since last Friday afternoon! It’s been a fun week of catching up with friends and family, time reading and lounging on the deck, and generally just recharging. I was feeling fried and this mid-year break couldn’t have come at a better time!

Over coffee, I would tell you that I’m knee-deep in design decisions and I’m loving every minute of it 🙂 We’re anxiously awaiting our appearance before our town’s conversation board but with lead times being what they are we need to work on parallel tracks to settle cabinet/appliance/countertop etc. decisions.

a wine dispenser sounds like a necessity, don’t you think?

Over coffee, I would tell you that once again I did not get into the London Marathon. Can’t say I’m surprised, but I always hold out a little hope. Maybe it’s the Universe’s way of reminding me that, at least for right now, I have no interest in running more than 10 miles and that I have too much on my plate to take on marathon training.

Over coffee, I would tell you that we’re 3 weeks away from our family vacation! I’m looking forward to seeing the glaciers, wildlife, whales, and all the amazing landscape Alaska has to offer.

Over coffee, I would tell you that I’ve momentarily jumped on the Threads bandwagon. I’m pretty sure I don’t need another social media app but admit that curiosity got the better of me. So far it reminds me of the early days of Twitter but there are features missing that would help to control what shows up in your feed. Apparently, more features are coming…we’ll see if it lasts on my phone.

Will you join Threads? Any vacations or staycations planned? 

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!
Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to show your hosts some love and visit some of the other bloggers in the link-up.

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Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Staycation, Ultimate coffee date, vacation

Runfessions for June

June 30, 2023 by 18 Comments

Happy Friday! It’s time for another edition of Fit Five Friday – and since it’s the last Friday of June, I’m linking up with Marcia to share a couple of Runfessions. So let’s dive in!

Runfessions for June

Did the race even happen if you don’t write the recap? I runfess that on more than one occasion I sat down to write my recap of the Run to Remember 5M but inevitably got distracted and never got it done. Then time passed, there wasn’t much blogging in June and it was only just the other day that I realized I never got back to finishing the post. Oh well, I’ll at least share the medal 🙂

I runfess that I need a more focused approach to my strength training – I used to map out my workouts on Sunday evenings, planning my stacks in the Peloton app. Well, there was very little (read no!) planning this month, leaving me feeling like my workouts were a bit haphazard. I’ll be returning to my planning ways in July.

Do race registrations come in bunches? I runfess that no sooner did I receive the confirmation email for the Twin Cities 10M than I started contemplating what else I might run this fall.  Gotta love a runner’s thinking, right?

Any runfessions to share? 

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!
Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please be sure to show your hosts some love and visit some of the other bloggers in the link-up.

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Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Runfessions

A Fall Race on the Horizon

June 25, 2023 by 30 Comments

Well, it’s been more than a minute since I last checked in with a weekly update. Life’s been busy but good – blogging has just taken a backseat. The workouts have pretty much been on autopilot but thanks to the Run Happy Team, I finally have at least one fall race on the horizon so in the coming weeks that will change. But for now, it was a pretty basic week…here’s a quick peek into how this week in fitness played out.

the view from Tuesday’s run

A Fall Race on the Horizon

Monday — Full Body Strength & Core
Tuesday — 3 miles & Core
Wednesday — Rest day
Thursday — 4 miles and a much-needed sports massage
Friday — 2-mile walk, Core & Upper Body Strength
Saturday — 2-mile walk, Full Body Strength & Core
Sunday — 6 miles & Hip mobility work

Medtronic TC 10 Mile

So thanks to the Brooks Run Happy Team, I was gifted an entry to the Medtronic TC 10 Mile which is part of the Twin Cities Marathon race weekend. I make no secret of my love for 10M races and this one has a reputation to be a good one! I was excited to be able to skip the lottery (yes it’s that popular) and so now I’ve got at least one fall race to look forward to!

How was your week? Any Fall race plans?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: 10-mile races, fall racing, Run Happy Team, TC10Mile, Weekly Run Down

Five Things I’m looking forward to this summer

June 23, 2023 by 6 Comments

The Summer season is officially here – though you’d never know it based on the current thermometer reading. Nonetheless, I’m ready to embrace all that this summer has to offer. For this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m sharing just a few things I’m looking forward to this summer.

Five Things I’m looking forward to this summer

Vacation! — We’ve booked our Alaskan cruise and I cannot wait! I’m looking forward to seeing the glaciers, wildlife, whales, and amazing landscape.

Brooks Hype Fest — I’ll be headed to LA in August for the Run Happy Team retreat. Added bonus will be getting to spend time with Wendy!

Catching up with friends — Between life stuff and my work schedule over the past couple of months, I’ve not spent as much time with friends as I’d like. So I’m changing that! I caught up with some friends for dinner earlier this week and have booked a number of lunches/ coffees/dinners/hangouts for the upcoming months.

Time at the beach — I love the beach and yet sadly did not get any time on the sand last year. I’m hoping to change that this year.

College visits — I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my youngest son is now a senior and applying to colleges this fall.  It’s been so fun to watch my high schooler come into his own during his Junior year and I can’t wait to visit campuses and see what resonates with him.

Bonus item! — Breaking ground for our remodel! We’re scheduled to go before our town’s conservation committee in a couple of weeks and if all goes well we’ll be able to break ground this summer!

Tell me – what are you looking forward to this summer?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

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Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Run Happy Team, summer mode

Fit Five Friday – Summer Fitness Goals

June 9, 2023 by 16 Comments

With the summer months laid out before us,  I’ve been thinking about what my goals will be. So for this week’s Fit Five Friday, I’m sharing some summer fitness goals.

Fit Five Friday – Summer Fitness Goals

Have a Healthy Build-up for Fall Racing — While I haven’t landed on a fall race calendar, I have several options I’m considering. I shared over coffee that I’ll be working with Coach Marc again – my goal is to reach the starting line (s) healthy and feeling confident.

Acclimate & Embrace the Heat — I make no secret that summer running is my least favorite, but I’m going to do my best to navigate summer running by focusing on my hydration & electrolyte intake and getting out extra early.

Daily Stretching/Mobility Work — I’m already off to a good start with this one so the goal is to keep this streak going all summer long.

Dial in My Nutrition — While I don’t like to focus on the number on the scale, I can feel that I’m carrying more than I’d like. I’ve let my chaotic schedule get the best of my eating choices over the past couple of months, so now I’m going to make the most of the season’s farmers’ markets and grilled proteins to get back on track.

Have Fun/Try Something New — Summer is about having fun and I’m here for it! I’ve been thinking a lot about getting out of my comfort zone and joining one of the local run groups. The thought of running with others is intimidating to me (cue the “I’m too slow” voice) but I’ve also been craving building some new connections – and why not through running?

Tell me, what have you got planned for the summer? Registered for any fall races yet?

Welcome to Fit Five Friday!

Join My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida every Friday for Fit Five Friday! Please share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!


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Filed Under: #FitFiveFriday, Friday Five, goals, Summer running

Shifting into Summer Mode

June 4, 2023 by 17 Comments

This week I got a real taste of summer running as temps touched the upper 80s a few days this week. My high schooler wrapped up classes and finishes his last exam on Monday. I started June off with a long weekend, taking both Friday and Monday off, giving me some quality time on my deck and in my garden…so yep starting to shift into summer mode around here. I was definitely feeling a little out-of-sorts this week (allergies? poor sleep? the heat?) so I appreciated the shortened workweek. My workouts were pretty low-key…here’s how the week played out.

Shifting into Summer Mode

Monday — 2.5-mile walk, Core & Hip mobility work. I woke up feeling every bit of Sunday’s five-mile race and the afternoon of gardening that followed, but getting some movement helped.
Tuesday — Rest day.
Wednesday — 3 miles & Core. OMG, was it a steamy run! This will be my last midday run until we’re well into the Fall!
Thursday — Lower Body Strength.
Friday — 4.5 miles & Core. With the forecast showing the possibility of reaching 90 I made sure to get out in the early morning for this run!
Saturday — 2-mile walk & Yoga.
Sunday — 3 miles & a couple of hours of gardening.

Overall an easy-peasy week. The temps are supposed to drop a bit this week so I’m hoping to start to bump back up my weekly mileage.

In case you missed it:

An Iced Coffee Chat for June

How was your week? Did you do any racing? Have you shifted into summer mode yet?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: summer mode, Weekly Run Down