Week in Review (December 16 - December 22)

Tuesday (10,631 steps) - Peloton ride and Olive walk before going to work. Went to the gym at lunch and did strength training and fast hiking on the treadmill with incline. Ben and I (mostly Ben) did the initial cleaning and organization of the basement in prep for my Chrismukkah present to myself. We got some Cupbop delivered in. Absentia, I think.

Wednesday (15,878 steps) - Olive walk before going to work. I think it was busy? I had planned on going to the gym at lunch and then an Outlook reminder told me I had a Qdoba lunch, woo!!! Home to let Olive out and get ready for the annual Runners Edge holiday light run - back after sadly skipping last year. Kristin picked up Tyler, Ben and me for the drive to the new start location of Crazy Mountain. After a week (or longer) of some pretty intense training, this did not feel quite as "easy" as a fun social run should feel! It's been insanely windy all week, but thankfully we only had a few sections that were windy during the run (and those felt like being sandblasted). Overall, a great time! 

We stuck around for a beer and BBQ - plus the mac and cheese was SO good. It was a very late night for us, I don't think we got home until 9:45??

Thursday (10,885 steps) - Work from home. I had the sauna delivery scheduled to be between 8 and 12. I finally got a call around 11 that they would arrive in 10-15. They DID show up, but unfortunately they only had one of the three boxes I was expecting. UGH!!! They seemed to think that the other boxes could be delivered another day without me needing to be home and that dispatch would be contacting me. 

MOM, TIME FOR A WALK, GET YOUR COAT

Took Olive for a long walk to the lake, then did the 45 minute Taylor Swift Eras ride - I haven't done a ride that long in AGES. By 3:45 I still had not heard from the delivery company, so I found all the numbers I could and made a bunch of phone calls and the only person I was able to get a hold of said I had to call my "local" warehouse and then proceeded to give me number with a Dallas prefix, which no one answered. Torchy's! Finished Absentia and then started a new show, Black Rabbit. Not sure if this one will stick or not.

Friday (11,629 steps) - Skipped the morning walk since I thought "just maybe" I would get a call and need to be home in the morning for the delivery. No one called, so when Olive and I got to work I made MORE phone calls and sent an angry email. I FINALLY after almost an hour got someone from the Denver warehouse on the phone and she said the boxes were out for delivery now. Ok, well no one called me, so I am at work. Not kidding that a few minutes into the call, but the guys showed up to bring the boxes. Ben talked to them through the ring and they left the boxes in the yard. Goodness. Took Olive for a walk at lunch. After work, dropped Olive off at home and then went to 4 Noses to meet Ben. Had an NA and tried out the new food truck. The brewery has stopped contracting trucks and have their own now. Food was pretty good - burger, fries and cheese curds. 

Took Olive for a walk when we got back and then an attempt at movie night - the new Knives Out, but we only made it about halfway before going to bed.

Saturday (38,372 steps) - Tyler picked me up just before 7 to go down to Denver for our long run "with" Runners Edge. I use quotes because we were running longer than everyone else and starting early. I had some major GI distress a few miles in, thank goodness for a bathroom (!), but after that I had a pretty great run! It was definitely cooler than I expected it to be and I kept my jacket and gloves on the whole time. 

Honestly, probably the most solid 16 mile run I've had in a VERY long time. Tyler and I had both thought we were going to breakfast, but everyone else had things to do, so we just headed back home. Ben had assembled the sauna while I was running (YAY). 

After a shower I had the inaugural sauna session - I AM SO HAPPY!! 

Olive is unsure what is happening but wanted to be nearby?

Took Olive for a walk. Did some reading and watched Gossip Girl while Ben went shopping. Pizza for dinner and we finished Knives Out - which got more interesting the longer we watched it. 

Sunday (17,825 steps) - Lounged around and did some cleaning before we headed up to Boulder for our activity of the day - a repeat of last week, but going up a bit higher for more elevation gain. 

The weather was nice (not windy, yay!) but I swear I am just colder this winter. We stopped at Rails End on the way home for a snack. 

Did a yoga video and sauna time before dinner/couch time. Watched "Fight or Flight" - which was pretty decent.

Monday (19,958 steps) - Work from home. We decided to not get a Christmas tree this year, so I set up the little one that we used to use before Ben lived with us. I think it's adorable!

Ariel went with me to take Robin and Olive to the vet. Robin needed a follow-up from her eye appointment last week (it's MUCH better) and Olive just had her annual appointment and had to get some shots. 

We stopped at Dutch Bros on the way home. Took Olive for a walk and then went for my run. It was low 70s - VERY warm for December. Unfortunately, it was very windy by the lake. 

Did a delivery after work and then took Olive for a walk, did some stretching and sauna time before dinner and Black Rabbit.

Stats:

• 125,178 steps
• 31.61 miles run
• 11.31 miles walked
• 60 minutes of cardio
• 65 minutes of strength
• 75 minutes of sauna

Week in Review (December 2 - December 8)

Tuesday (17,005 steps) - Olive walk before going to work in the office. 

If you look close, you can see the hawk in the tree

Dressed nice AGAIN today, kinda fun to have picked up some nicer work clothes again.

Went for my run at lunch, an "easier" speed workout. I realized during the run that the city has apparently removed all the port-o-potties of the season. I had to do a lot of run/walking during my cool down until I made it to Union Station to use the bathroom!

Took Olive for a walk after work. Dinner and Absentia.

Wednesday (11,084 steps) - We got a ton of snow overnight and it was still snowing when we got up. Did a Peloton ride and somehow the morning got away from me and I didn't really have time to take Olive for a regular walk so we just walked around the block, no one had shoveled and we had to walk in the street. I was only a few minutes late for work, and most people actually came in. 

Went to the gym at lunch and did a short StairMaster workout, strength training and a walk on the treadmill with incline. 

Drive home took forever and I took Olive for a walk. 

At least one of us is excited for snow

Dinner and we watched "Black Phone 2."

Thursday (17,452 steps) - Work from home. I waited a bit before heading out for my run so it could warm up. Did some laundry, ran the dishwasher, vacuumed, then finally figured I better go in case my car was going to be done. I wore a fleece-lined pullover and tights and was actually pretty comfortable most of the run. I had planned on running on the trails, but since no one had really been out yet I was not enjoying the deep snow and opted to run up the road. 

I unfortunately ended up on the south side and that was relatively icy. The path was ok, but any time I crossed a road or driveway it was like a death trap. I stopped at the library to use the bathroom, but otherwise it was a pretty good run. Immediately took Olive for a walk when I got home. My car was FINALLY done around 3:30 so I had to drive down to Highlands Ranch to pick her up since the dealership didn't have a valet available. I ABSOLUTELY HATE the drive to/from Schomp. Hate it. Met Ben at Torchy's for dinner. Absentia.

Friday (12,488 steps) - Finally made it to the Wash Park walk! A bit chillier than I expected, but it was good to see people again. 

Took Olive for a shorter walk at lunch. Dropped Olive off at home. After Ben got home we turned right around and headed to RiNo to meet up with Heather! We went to Lefthand - which is relatively new. We had to pay for parking, which was annoying. When we first got there it was basically deserted, but it filled in quite a bit because there was a show (rave?) next door at the Mission Ballroom. 

I guess we didn't take any pictures. Also, these were my first beers in weeks, and I definitely felt it!

Absentia?

Saturday (22,771 steps) - Kristin picked me up and we headed down to south Denver for Runners Edge! I had a few hours on schedule and figured the miles would go by quicker with friends - which it did. We ran on the Highline, which is never overly interesting, and I was really surprised by the amount of snow/ice that was still on the trail. 

We listened to the Western States lottery, and I did not get selected, again. Headed home, took Olive for a walk and then went up to 4 Noses to meet Ben since his truck was getting work done next door. I was starving, Ben ordered Panda for lunch, which was delicious as always.

We went back home when it was still not finished after an hour. We went to pick up the truck and I did a delivery on the way home. Watched Sinister 2 - which how had we not seen this? It's an old movie? I think some Absentia after.

Sunday (25,943 steps) - Dutch Bros to get coffee before going to Runners Roost for the "year end party." Walked with Mo and Colfax. 

After we were done, Ben and I took Olive up on the trails for the "real" activity of the day - getting in a hike with some vert. The trails were INSANELY icy and it was a good reminder that I need to put my spikes in the car. 

We also saw about 30 wild turkeys! I have only seen them one other time in Boulder, so this was pretty special (and thankfully, Olive did not try to chase them).

Stopped at Rails End on the way home. Watched the first half of the Broncos game and got some delicious food from the food truck, but it ended up giving me a stomachache that last the rest of the night. 

More Absentia. 

Monday (18,628 steps) - Work from home. Super windy, so I procrastinated before taking Olive for her walk. Kneejerk reaction was to overdress for my run. It was cold enough that I felt fine for the first half (which was uphill and a headwind), but I definitely warmed up by the time I turned around. Run wasn't bad! After work I went out to do some driving but stopped after one because traffic was a nightmare. Ben got pizza for dinner. Absentia.

Stats:

• 125,371 steps
• 30.89 miles run (wow, big week for me, haha)
• 12.36 miles walked
• 27 minutes of cardio
• 31 minutes of strength

Week in Review (March 16 - March 22)

Tuesday (12,007 steps) - I was supposed to be working in the office, but since our street didn't get plowed, the Mini Cooper couldn't get out, so I was working from home. Ben and I took Pika for a snoooowy walk at lunch.

This woman was walking her dogs near us and they were off leash. The smaller one decided to chase a flock of geese and actually jumped off the cliffs! Lucky for him we had a few feet of snow or he might not have made it out. It was pretty scary. After I got off work Ariel and I alternated Peloton and rowing.

Wednesday (16,729 steps) - Work from home. Another snowy Pika walk at lunch. Peloton ride on a break and then after I got off work Ben and I started our Power Abs program. Ben hasn't done any form of cross training in a hundred years and it was hilarious watching him try to do stuff. I'm really happy he decided to try this with me! After I was off work we went to Boulder, thinking the trails maybe would be better and more packed snow. We were wrong. It was MISERABLE. No mud, but the snow was very wet and loose and running was basically impossible. 

We cut our run short and stopped at 4 Noses for a "St. Patrick's Day and Happy Two years of officially being in a relationship" beer.

Picked up Pho for dinner on the way home.

Thursday (18,330 steps) - Work from home. LONG walk with Pika on the sidewalks to avoid the slush. Clocked out a tad early to do my run and managed to run into Ariel's track team (although I didn't see her). The run was actually pretty great, with the exception of one mud patch. Felt good the whole time. After I picked A up from practice I did a Peloton ride and an upper body video. Did Power Abs with Ben after he got home from work. Phew!

Friday (11,368 steps) - Work in the office. I was CRAZY BUSY after being out on Monday and then working from home instead of the office on Tuesday. Ben came downtown to meet me for lunch at Rock Bottom. I can't even remember the last time we had a "date" like that - it was a lot of fun! 

Flowers from Ben because he knows how much I love sunflowers!

After I (finally) got home from work we did our Power Abs video and then took Pika for a walk around the block.

Saturday (22,040 steps) - A's first track meet of the "season." (I say season because it's technically off season for her school, but she's been training for months with the track club). Her meet was way down in Littleton and I wanted to get a run in before her race, so I dropped her off around 9 and then did a route I literally found that morning on Strava. I had stupidly glanced at the Highline while driving in and it looked fine, so I picked a loop that included a few miles of the trail. It was ok in some sections, but a lot of it was either muddy or snow-packed and icy, which wasn't fun. I started the run in my R1 but got hot after a mile or so and did most of the run in a tank top! I did recognize some streets as places I used to run when I trained with Runners Edge. The route I picked also managed to have all the climbing at the end and I was really pleased that a). I didn't walk at all the entire run, and b). that I didn't have any idea what my pace was (I had my watch on the map screen the whole time) and managed sub 11 overall pace. Woot!

Ariel sent me a text to let me know where the spectators were, but I couldn't figure out where she was talking about. When I was wandering around trying to find her coach, I ran into Megan, and we chatted for a bit. A's coach had her running the 1600, which she wasn't thrilled about. I was worried that the wind that had picked up would be a factor for her race, but she said it wasn't.

I knew that she didn't meet her time goal, but I thought she ran really well. She said after the race that she felt really good the first few laps but then was having some trouble breathing. We may have to look into it to see if she has sports-induced asthma, as she has mentioned this more than once. After she did her cool down we went to Breckenridge Brewery to meet up with Jandy (to finally deliver her Girl Scout Cookies) and Maureen. We only had one beer and then headed up to Edgewater Marketplace for lunch with some of the Belmar gang.

With the weather being so nice (seriously, I actually got a sunburn) we invited Tyler over for beers in the backyard.

Sunday (20,675 steps) - Drove up to  Boulder to meet Tyler for a run. Inadvertently, the store was doing their bi-weekly trail run, but I wasn't ready to go for it knowing how crappy the trails had been. But Nate did want us to get in their picture:

We had planned on 6 miles, and in my head, the loop we were planning was about 5, so we opted to do a loop around the lake first, to get an extra mile.

We then headed towards South Boulder creek path (that we like to call the cow trail) for the loop. 

Ben had never run over here and we promised him cows - and there were NONE. I literally have never NOT seen cows on this route, so that was pretty weird. Also weird was the pop-up driving range on the bike path near the highway. Of course Ben decided it would be a wonderful opportunity to hit a ball...

It was also at about this time that we realized this route was going to be substantially longer than 6 miles. Turns out it was 7.6... oh well. We had hoped to find a place in town for food and a beer, but nothing in the area opened until noon and we didn't feel like hanging out for an hour. We did check out the new Whole Foods, but weren't super impressed. Took Pika for a walk before the snow hit and did our Power Abs video. Ben got a craving for nachos and margaritas, so we did a carryout order from Chili's. First time in bed before 10:00 in ages.

Monday (10,021 steps) - Work from home. We actually got a decent amount of snow overnight so I thought it would be ok to walk Pika at the lake at lunch. I was wrong.

See? Lots of snow!

See? MUDDDDDY because it's been so warm

The walk was pretty miserable with the mud, and a good reminder that this time of year we just have to stay off the dirt. Sigh. Rowed a bit on my afternoon break, then did a Peloton ride. Ben and I did our abs video after he got off work. 

Stats:

• 111,170 steps
• 20.99 miles run
• 55 minutes Peloton
• 26 minutes rowing
• 60 minutes cross training