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.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

Wine Country Check-in

November 13, 2022 by 24 Comments

Hello from California!

After last Sunday’s 10 miler (race recap still to come), the theme for this week was rest, recharge, and wine country! Here’s a quick peek at how the week played out.

Week 45 – Wine Country Check-in

Monday — Yoga for hips and Planksgiving Day 7. Everything felt extra creaky so I stacked some hip-focused yoga classes from the Peloton app. and then threw in some foam rolling.
Tuesday — Planksgiving Day 8 otherwise rest. I was up and out early to commute to the office and it was a long day as I tried to wrap up as many loose ends as possible before my vacation.
Wednesday — 3-mile run, Core (including planks) & Stretch. November weather returned but there was plenty of sunshine when I slipped out for a midday run.


Thursday — 3.5-mile walk & Plank Day 10. The day started at 3:30 am for our taxi pickup to the airport, flight to San Fransisco, and then a drive up to Sonoma. We were eager to get out and about and a walk was a great way to shake out our legs.
Friday — 1.5-mile walk, planking, and then wine tasting! Does vineyard hopping count as a workout? We had arranged for a driver to take us to four different vineyards. Let me tell you this was the way to go! The pace was slow and easy, our tasting hosts were really nice, and the wine was outstanding!

Saturday — Coastline hike & planking day 12. We drove up towards Bodega Bay in search of some hiking and ocean views and we were not disappointed.


Sunday — The plan is to get a run in (distance to be determined) before brunch and a visit to a couple more vineyards 🙂

Keeping things low key fitness-wise has done wonders for my cranky hip flexor, which is great since I have the Philly 8K coming up next. And, to say this vacation was just what I needed would be an understatement. We head home on Monday evening so until then I’m going to squeeze all the goodness I can out of the rest of our time here (I’m not going to want to leave lol!).

So tell me, how was your week? 

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

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Filed Under: vacation, Weekly Run Down

November Coffee Catch-Up

November 4, 2022 by 30 Comments

And just like that October is out the door and November is here. As we usher in a new month, it’s the perfect time for a little coffee catch-up, so I’m linking up with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date. And, of course, it’s Friday so that means another Fit Five Friday link-up! So grab a mug of your fave hot beverage and let’s chat.

November Coffee Catch-Up

Over coffee, I would have to start by mentioning this crazy weather we’re having! The days have been unseasonably warm (upper 60s to mid-70s) – I’m certain we’ll pay for this later, but for now, I’m not mad about the fact that I can still run in shorts and a T-shirt!

Over coffee, I would tell you how much I’m looking forward to our wine country vacation! We’re heading to Sonoma next week and I cannot wait to eat great food, sample wines, and r-e-l-a-x!

Over coffee, I would tell you that I have two races this month. I’m heading out to Amherst this weekend for the inaugural Western MA 10 miler and then the weekend before Thanksgiving my husband and I are Philly-bound to run the 8K as part of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend.

Over coffee, I would also tell you how much I’m looking forward to having my college boy home for Thanksgiving break! I so enjoy this time of year and the holidays and after all of October’s busyness, I’m very intent on slowing down and savoring these last couple of months of the year.

Lastly, over coffee, I would tell you that I’ve jumped into a couple of challenges just to keep things interesting. Inspired by Jen, I’ve climbed back on the planking bandwagon with a Planksgiving Challenge. I know there are various versions out there, but I’ll be following the one offered by Women’s Running. I’ll also be diving into ZOOMA’s Winter Warrior Challenge. I runfess that I couldn’t resist the cute swag!

What would you tell me over coffee? What are you looking forward to this month?

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 remember to link back to your hosts and share the link love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


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

A Mid-Summer Break

July 25, 2021 by 34 Comments

Happy Sunday!

I’m back home after a fun week in Stowe, VT., and am trying to hold on to the vacation vibe before I have to return to work tomorrow. We had so much fun, ate too much, laughed a ton, and completely unwound. While Mother Nature didn’t totally cooperate, this week was a good mix of being active and relaxing.

Weekly Run Down – Week 29

Monday — 6-mile hike

Happy hikers

Tuesday — Rainy lazy day. We snuck in a 3-mile walk and some mini-golf in between showers. Otherwise, time was spent watching movies, playing board games, reading, and relaxing.
Wednesday — Bodyweight Strength, Core, and 3-mile walk. We drove up to Burlington for the day – got to spend some time on Lake Champlain, walked the waterfront, and enjoyed lunch on Church Street Marketplace.


Thursday — Yoga and 4-mile hike. The weather was picture perfect and we enjoyed a gondola ride up Mt. Mansfield and a beautiful hike in Smugglers Notch. And, yes there was a trip to the Ben & Jerry’s Factory!

One of the falls we came across

Friday — Bodyweight Strength, Core, 1.5-mile walk and then driving home.
Saturday — 4-mile run and core. My hip had been feeling pretty cranky after last Saturday’s run, so I had made the decision to take a week off running knowing that we’d stay fairly active. I think this turned out to be the right call.
Sunday — Peloton ride and Strength planned. At the moment I’m in no hurry to move beyond my coffee mug 🙂

To say I needed this break would be an understatement. I don’t think I realized just how fried I was feeling until I got a chance to completely unplug. I’m also so happy that we got some time away as a family before my oldest leaves for college.

How was your week? Any vacation time planned?

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

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Filed Under: vacation, Weekly Run Down

Snapping out of Vacation Mode

March 24, 2019 by 32 Comments

Yeah, I’m so sure this was my look going back to work on Monday!

Snapping Out of Vacation Mode

After a glorious week in the tropics enjoying spring break with the family, this past week was all about getting back to reality. Here’s how the week went down…

Monday — Being layered up again was certainly a shock to the system! 2.25 mile run done.

From 86 to 26 degrees in less than 24 hrs. – Ouch!

Tuesday — Strength training with resistance bands

Wednesday — 3 miles to usher in the first day of Spring!

Thursday — Caught the sunrise and logged another 2 miles.

Friday — Rest day – I knew this was going to be a super busy day between work and errands getting ready for a big family dinner to celebrate my mom’s birthday.

Saturday — Mother Nature’s antics were in full effect on Saturday. I woke up to snow showers to which I announced (to no one in particular) that I was not running in that sh…um …stuff and went back to bed. The snow didn’t stick around long, but the winds were crazy so I swapped workouts and opted for yoga.

Sunday — Time to make up for Saturday’s run, so I got 3.25 miles in.

Overall, not a bad first week post-vacation. The weather forecast for the upcoming week looks like something loosely resembling spring so hopefully, there will be some decent outdoor running.

I’m joining Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up.

Does it feel like spring where you are? Do you find it easy to return to a routine after being on vacation?

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Filed Under: vacation, Weekly Run Down

Cruising into March Coffee

March 1, 2019 by 20 Comments

Hello March! 

(And February..don’t let the door hit you on the way out!)

Can you tell I’m ready for a new month? 😉 And, since it’s the first Friday of the month what better way to start March than with a little catch up over coffee. So grab a mug of your favorite hot beverage and let’s join  Coco and  Deborah for this month’s coffee date.

If we were having coffee, I would have to briefly whine … er, mention the weather. While we flirted with a couple of mild days in February, there was also a fair amount of ice and some really brutal winds. The weather whiplash definitely had me running indoors far more than I would like. And, given this weekend’s forecast, it looks like March will be coming in like a lion…we can only hope the rest of the saying holds up!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that we finally booked our vacation. We poured over lots of options and even hit a travel expo trying to settle on a plan. I’m happy to say we’ll be cruising again for spring break! We took a cruise a few years ago and absolutely loved it so I can’t wait to get on board!

Looking forward to calling this home for a week!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that this vacation is coming at a perfect time. I feel like things have been crazy busy on all fronts and I’m starting to feel just a little fried. Vacation will be the perfect pause button.

If we were having coffee, I’d ask if you have any good book suggestions? I’m looking for a few titles to load on my Kindle – good pool-side reads…and dare I say it, perhaps something non-running related. While I’d like to do more reading this year I will admit I have yet to pick up a book.

So what would you tell me? Any vacation plans? Ever tried cruising?

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Filed Under: Ultimate coffee date, vacation

Weekly Wrap: Unplugged

October 15, 2017 by 29 Comments

After running around for the past two weeks feeling a little like a chicken with my head cut-off, this week was all about recharging.

I started the week by joining a friend on Monday for dinner and a screening of the film Walk with Me. The film follows Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and explores devoting one’s life to mindfulness. I found it fascinating and a great way to begin my unplugging. (You can view the trailer here)

The next morning J and I got out of town to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, and it was a great chance to leave the demands of to do lists behind – including the training plan. While I did get some running in and time on the Arc Trainer, the workout highlight was time spent hiking the trails.

I’ll be doing my best to hold onto my zen by hitting my yoga mat this afternoon before returning to regularly scheduled programming 🙂

When was the last time you took some time to unplug?

As always, I’m joining Holly & Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Be sure to stop by and show these ladies some love.

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Filed Under: vacation, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap: Catching Up

March 19, 2017 by 25 Comments

Happy Sunday!

I feel like it’s been a while since I joined in on the Weekly Wrap link-up! Thanks as always to Holly & Tricia for hosting the link-up.

So let’s get caught up, shall we? This time last week I was just kicking off 4 whirlwind days in NYC with the family. And I do mean whirlwind! We got in a lot of sightseeing and eating 😉 We even scored half price tickets to the Broadway show, School of Rock, which I highly recommend especially if you have kids – my boys loved it!

It was great family time and a much-needed break for all! The only downside of time away is the chaos that awaits when you return! Thankfully the weekend was close at hand, making re-entry a little easier.

And, since Run to Remember training is officially underway, I did what I could to get some miles in this week as well.

Monday — Cross-training in the form of walking 5+ miles around NYC.

Tuesday — Storm Stella got in the way of my plan to get a run through the city so I headed to the hotel gym, with my mini coach in tow 😉 3 miles done.

Wednesday — More cross-training across the city.

Thursday — The plan called for 1.5-mile intervals, but honestly, my legs were toast and I knew there was just no way speed work of any kind was happening. I opted for 4 easy miles.

Friday — Rest!

Saturday — A trip to the chiro and a 5-mile run.

Sunday — My son’s hockey playoffs dominated the day, but I did make time for the exercises my chiro wants me to do to help keep my hip happy.

This week, work/family schedules will be pretty chaotic, but it’s time to step up the miles for RtR so I’m going to have to get creative to fit it all in!

How was your week?

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Filed Under: Boston's Run to Remember, half marathon training, vacation, Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap – Feeling Recharged

August 29, 2016 by 16 Comments

Happy Monday!

I’m back from a fun family get-away in the White Mountains. This vacation came at a perfect time as I was really starting to feel fried. We celebrated my husband’s birthday, rode the Cog Railroad to the top of Mount Washington, explored glacier caves, zip lined (is that a verb?), and hit the alpine slides and coasters…just to name a few. We came home tired and happy.

I did my best to keep up with my workouts and for the most part it went pretty well. I’m linking up again with Holly and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Be sure to check out these great ladies and all of the other fun bloggers joining in.
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Monday, 8/22:  A much needed rest day.

Tuesday, 8/23: I was hoping to make up for Sunday’s long run, but my tired legs had other ideas. I knew before I left the house that 10 miles was not going to happen, and for half a second I toyed with skipping the run altogether. But it was a rare morning in the low 70s – too nice to miss out on, so I got a solid 5 done.

Wednesday, 8/24: Cross-training in the form of climbing around Mt. Washington

Top of Washington

The amazing view from the top of Mt. Washington

Thursday, 8/25: Hill work was on the plan so I headed to the base of Loon Mountain and found a perfect access road for hill repeats.  5 more miles done.

Friday, 8/26:  More play time with the family!

Saturday, 8/27:  10.5 miles – this was one of the toughest runs I’ve had in a long time. My stomach went south almost immediately – I have no idea why since I didn’t deviate from my usual foods. I was ok for the first 5 miles, but then the wheels completely fell off the wagon. Angry stomach and intense sun = one ugly run.

Sunday, 8/28: Rest day.

How was your week? Do you workout on vacation or just hang out?

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Filed Under: half marathon training, vacation, Weekly Wrap

Back to Reality

June 16, 2014 by 8 Comments

 

After vacation

Ah yes…after a glorious 8 days away, I’m back.

We had a fantastic vacation – spent time in some great tropical locations, got up-close and personal with both dolphins and stingrays, hiked waterfalls, snorkeled, kayaked, and spent enough time in both pools and the ocean that we should all have gills! We each got to try something new – for me it was zip-lining 🙂 And overall, we had great family time – completely unplugged! If you haven’t tried a cruise, I highly recommend it!

OK so before I get completely carried away with exclamation points…

Now it’s time to settle back into reality…and with that some form of a normal workout routine. While I do have the BAA 10K coming up on Sunday, the early weather forecast is showing that it’s going to be a hot one, so this will more likely be a leisurely run through Back Bay. Fall training doesn’t begin until next month, so I plan to spend the next few weeks focusing on core work and cross training and running without much concern for time.

So fill me in…how was your week? When will fall training start for you?

 

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Filed Under: general musings, no training plan, vacation