Week in Review (November 25 - December 1)

Tuesday (10,503 steps) - Peloton and Olive walk before going to work in the office. With it being a holiday week, there wasn't that much traffic, which was nice. Gym at lunch - VERY long StairMaster session and some strength training, plus a quick walk on the treadmill since I struggle to get steps in on indoor work days. 

Must have had dinner and watched Absentia.

Wednesday (20,001 steps) - Olive walk before going to work in the office. 

Had to do a picture because I actually dressed professionally for once

We were going to have an early release for Thanksgiving and since I had a hike/run on schedule, Olive went to work with me. Very slow day, walk at lunch. 

Lower lobby of our building

We headed over to Green Mountain after work was out and did a hike up the fire road and then ran down the single track. There were a decent number of bikes, but people were pretty polite. Olive does not seem to want to run on wider/rockier trails, but she did pretty good on narrower trails. 

We finished a bit later than planned, but at least it was still light out. Dropped Olive off at home and then met Ben at Torchy's for dinner since we wouldn't be going on our normal day. Absentia.

Thursday (12,105 steps) - Up early(ish) for the annual Louisville Turkey Trot. With Ben being sick, he wasn't going to be running, but still wanted to socialize and visit the beer tents. I didn't really have any goals for running - other than NOT getting stuck behind a bunch of kids and/or families and possibly running a course PR. It was chilly(ish) but I was glad that I decided last minute to NOT wear my jacket as I did start to warm up. I was a bit sad I had forgotten my gloves, but the shirt I was wearing had thumb holes so my hands didn't completely freeze. I had a pretty good first mile, but knew that the bigger, long hill was coming in mile 2. I had hoped to avoid walking, but meh, walked a minute or two total and then had a pretty strong mile 3 and finish. Faster than last year, but just a tad slower than two years ago. 

I do have to remember that it hadn't even been 2 weeks since finishing Florida! Found Ben, got a NA beer and then moved off to the side. 

Kara and me

Larry found us and then eventually we found Kristin and her dad. I rushed us out just before 11 since I knew we had a lot of cooking and prep to do. Unfortunately, Ariel was going to be working an afternoon shift, so we had to do Thanksgiving as a late lunch. I took Olive for a walk (mostly to stay out of the way). Food was delicious - this year we picked up "ready to go" food from Sprouts, so all we needed to do was heat things up. 

Definitely less dishes and Ben said it was easier. I am sure that we watched tv after Ariel went to work, but I have no recollection of what we watched. We did go to bed early since Ben wasn't feeling well AND he still had to work on Black Friday :(

Friday (22,046 steps) - Planned to be hanging around the house at least until 10 am since someone from Schomp was supposed to be driving the loaner car to the house and bringing Blue-C back for service since there still seems to be some issues with the battery and brakes. At 10 I called them and what a surprise, the "morning got away" and no one was even on their way yet, which means I was still going to be stuck at the house for at least another hour. SO MAD. Ariel and I decided to go to Dutch to get coffee while we were waiting - that ended up being a disaster since they were doing a mystery ornament drop. Even though we were gone until nearly 11, there was no one waiting for us when we got home. Finally, around 11:15, the guy from Schomp shows up - dropping off the biggest Mini ever (seriously, it's a Countryman and seems to be as big as the Jeep I used to own). Olive and I got ready and headed out to White Ranch for the activity of the day. I had mapped out what I thought was going to be just under 7 miles, but I got the routes confused with the upper trail head. 

Our hike/run ended up being 8 miles. I was glad that I had brought Olive's water bowl because the water access was dried up and we stopped twice to hydrate. Dropped Olive off at home and went to 4 Noses to meet up with Ben. We had Ninja Ramen for dinner - the best food truck! 

Watched Bad Guys 2, a pretty silly movie that we both liked. 

Saturday (14,827 steps) - We managed to sleep in until almost 8. That's unheard of for us, especially with the animals. We all took the loaner Mini to get Dutch (no crazy line this time), which was fun. I had a run on schedule and literally spent the entire morning putting it off. It finally seemed a bit warmer around lunch, so I sucked it up and went out. I almost thought I overdressed, but I think I layered perfectly and there were even times that I felt like I could have been wearing MORE. Overall, the run wasn't terrible. As soon as I got home I grabbed Olive and took her for a short walk. Then I took a hot shower and we went to Rails End for treat town. I was starving, so happy to see that the creole food truck we like was there. Tried the NA Stout, and it was ok. Hard to believe how much my beer tastes have changed over the years! 

Back home and read for a bit. Ben went to Costco to pick up a pizza for dinner, even though neither of us was hungry after our big lunch. We watched a movie "Sovereign" - which was ok. Maybe more Absentia?

Sunday (10,744 steps) - Managed to stay in bed relatively late (for us). Tried to start the discussion early on of what our plans were going to be for the first very cold day of the year. Somehow convinced Ben to join me and Olive for a longer walk to the lake - it was very chilly! Ariel showed up at the house right before we got home and we spent some time with her before she went to work. Headed up to Rails End for indoor treat town with Olive for a bit, watching some of the football games that were on. Took Olive for a a walk when we got home and then settled in for the afternoon. Did some reading and then did my yoga video and a quick jog around the block (had to get my steps in!), Ben made dinner and we watched most of the Broncos game before switching over to Absentia. 

Ariel came back after she got off work to use my laptop to work on a paper. Goodbye long weekend!

Monday (10,330 steps) - Work from home. Took Olive for a walk and decided I would move all my workouts around for the week. Instead of doing my run at lunch I rode the Peloton, used the rower and did an upper body video. 

Most updated picture of the basement/workout area

In the afternoon I took Olive for another walk. After work I met Ben at Costco so we could do some much-needed grocery shopping. Cooked dinner, read my book, watched an episode of South Park and started the second season of Absentia.

Stats:

• 100,556 steps
• 20.33 miles run
• 10.97 miles walked
• 101 minutes of cardio
• 60 minutes of strength

Week in Review (February 18 - February 24)

Tuesday (13,394 steps) - Peloton and Olive walk before going to work in the office. Gym at lunch - StairMaster and strength training. 

As an aside, for the last 3-4 weeks, I am suddenly having issues with the Peloton app freezing mid workout - claiming I don't have any phone service. It's totally bogus because I have full bars... going forward I am going to download the workouts beforehand so I don't have this issue. Walked Olive when I got home. Handmaid's Tale!

Wednesday (22,558 steps) - Olive walk before going to work in the office. It's been freezing (like at or below 0) for days, so I had plans to do my SECOND treadmill run in 6+ years. I was not looking forward to it. Even though I have calibrated my watch to the treadmill, everything seems way off. Anyway, I watched the new Gabby Petito documentary on Netflix while I was running and it wasn't as horrible as it could have been, I guess. Walked Olive when I got home.

Thursday (12,165 steps) - Peloton before logging in for the day. Took Ariel to get coffee and then Olive and I made another visit to North Table for some vert. It was still really chilly, so I expected the trails to be pretty deserted, especially for late morning on a weekday. 

There weren't a ton of people, and it was surprisingly muddy on the west side - especially considering how cold it's been and no sun for days. The big excitement was seeing a skunk - very close up. 

Did a strength video in the afternoon.

Friday (12,771 steps) - We ended up getting about 8" of snow overnight, which was more than I expected. Took Olive for a snowy walk before bringing her into the office for the day. Did some driving after work and actually got some decent orders before meeting Ben for a beer at 4 Noses.

Saturday (28,622 steps) - Up early to drive down to Roxborough for the Far Out "Ten Miler" (in quotes because the route was short. We met up with Christina and found out that Wayne was letting people start early. Probably not a great idea because we ended up breaking trail for the first few miles. I have run out here before in the winter and it's tough because if there is any snow it's very tough to run in. 

I should've just worn a light jacket OR dealt with the wind and cold at the start. This hoodie got incredibly hot within 15 minutes

Christina and me

Anyway, the way back to the start was a bit better because the sun had come out and the trails were packed down a lot more. 

I had also been testing out a new UltrAsprire belt, the Stinger, and it was pretty great! I think it will be a good addition to my 200 mile pack set-up, possibly will even use it to hold my Kogalla.

We stopped at Parry's on the way home for a beer. Took Olive for a walk and then we picked up food from Taste of Philly on the way to 4 Noses. Olive had her grooming appointment and we left shortly after she was done because it was crazy on the patio with the warmer weather. She is always SO HAPPY to be done with these appointments.

Handmaid's Tale!

Sunday (20,979 steps) - Slept a bit later than usual, had breakfast and took Olive for a walk. I went for my run that wasn't that bad - especially since the sun is finally out, shorts and a tee shirt! Took a shower and then we headed up to 4 Noses for a lunch at Ninja Ramen and had a beer. 

Relaxing afternoon/evening of Handmaid's Tale.

Monday (17,090 steps) - Took Olive for an early walk while it was still REALLY windy. Went for my run at noon when it was a little less awful, although right before my turnaround it felt like I was running in place. Had my first eye appointment in almost a decade, sad that my Lasik finally seems to be wearing out a bit. More Handmaid's Tale!

Stats:

• 127,579 steps
• 31 miles run
• 14.3 miles walked
• 60 minutes of cardio
• 60 minutes of strength

Week in Review (January 21 - January 27)

Tuesday (14,378 steps) - Peloton ride and walked Olive before work. I wore the new scarf that Ben's mom made for me and it was nice and warm! Plus, I love the colors.

Gym at lunch, another HIIT on the StairMaster. I think this one was level 5 (?) and it was definitely challenging! The easy is so easy (at the start), but the faster paces are rough!

Also did an upper body video. Driving after work. 

Wednesday (23,601 steps) - Walked Olive before going to work in the office. Went for my run at lunch. It was chilly, but not awful, and thankfully no ice on the path.

I had a great workout and hit all my paces, for once running every rep faster than I was supposed to. YAY!!

Took Olive for a walk after I got home and did some driving.

Thursday (11,066 steps) - Work from home. Used the rower before I logged in for the day. Took Ariel to get coffee, took Olive for a long walk, did a Peloton ride and a full body strength workout. Driving after work and Torchy's Thursday!

Friday (13,679 steps) - Since I had a signing, I walked Olive before going to work, skipping the group walk at Wash Park. Took her for another walk when I got home. Met Ben at 4 Noses for a NA beer. Pizza and Squid Games.

Saturday (18,321 steps) - Snowed a decent amount overnight. Put Olive's boots on her hind feet (she hates them way too much for me to deal with them on the front).

She had a great time playing in the snow! Playtime was interrupted when we saw a few coyotes near the path, which is rare.

Got dressed for our run, stopped by the rec center to recycle our Christmas tree (RIP, Bruce Jr.) and then drove up to Boulder to meet up with Larry and Terri. I had thought that even with the recent snow that Terri's hill would be packed down, but as we would discover, it is was... Pic at the start of our run, Ben is not amused.

We saw a whole herd of deer, which was fun. They were jumping and prancing and generally enjoying the morning.

Due to conditions, we were only able to do two repeats (which was fine with all of us, since it was cold and snowing).

After we finished we went to Murphy's for lunch and beer (for everyone but me, still doing dry January). I had a delicious club sandwich.

We stopped at Sierra on the way home because Ben wanted to get some tall socks to wear with his work boots. Squid Games?

Sunday (15,423 steps) - Did some cleaning and had our Dutch Bros. before going to Big Dry Creek to get our run done. For some reason both of us were dreading it, although it wasn't that bad. We went to 4 Noses and got food from Ninja Ramen. Yum!

Took Olive for a walk. No recollection of the rest of the day at all. Squid Games.

Monday (18,610 steps) - Work from home. Took Olive for a walk and went for my run. I expected the trails by the lake to be muddy, so I opted to run the road - it wasn't bad at all!

Did a few deliveries after work and then took Olive for a walk. Squid Games!

Stats:

• 115,078 steps
• 20.01 miles run
• 15.52 miles walked
• 80 minutes of cardio
• 40 minutes of strength

Week in Review (January 7 - January 13)

Tuesday (10,167 steps) - With Olive's paw still hurting, no walk before walk. I did do a row session (and starting Squid Games 2) before going into the office. Went to the gym at lunch. Did a HIIT on the StairMaster, which was kinda fun. Also strength training. 

Still no walk with Olive after work because she is still limping a bit.

Wednesday (23,925 steps) - Work in the office. Did my run at lunch. Speed work, but not as horrible as what I've done recently. I would 100% rather do sprints vs. long and sustained paces. Like Ben says though, that is my weakness, so I guess I have to work on that. 

I still think something is wonky with the paces though

Olive was feeling better, so I took her for a walk after work.

Thursday (10,737 steps) - A half hour on the Peloton before logging in to work at home. Took Ariel for coffee, took Olive for a walk, rowing and some strength training. Busy day! Olive had a fun time doing "workouts" with me.

Friday (12,919 steps) - The group decided it was too cold to go to Wash Park, so I just took Olive to work again. It was a very busy day, as is evidenced by my messy desk.

Started a new series "The Day of the Jackal."

Saturday (35,463 steps) - Headed to Boulder to meet up with Terri and Larry for a day of adventuring! I had 3.5 hours on schedule, and I had created a somewhat beefy route. It was sunny, but windy out. 

I wasn't feeling spectacular, yet again. I wonder if I will ever feel rested and "in shape" again.

Once we passed the spur for Fern, I made the executive decision to do the Shanahan loop FIRST - it always sucks and leaving it until the end seemed like we would end up bailing. I like this picture of Larry:

This felt hard, hard, hard. We opted to cut out some of the miles we had planned since it was already taking longer than we planned. We headed towards Shadow Canyon, which unknowingly added back in the miles we had taken out earlier AND added more vertical gain. Oops.

We are all VERY happy to have this done. It was a long, tough day. Good company, though. We went to 4 Noses afterwards. I had an Athletic Brewing Hazy IPA and a Topo - plus the BBQ food truck was there again, which we like. Went home to walk Olive. I suggested to Ben that we go sit in the sauna at the rec center because I still couldn't warm up from being so cold all morning. We had a soft goal of a half hour. I am pretty sure I have never sat in a sauna for that long and I thought I was going to die and/or pass out.

Home to shower and Ben made dinner. Yum!

More Jackal.

Sunday (17,752 steps) - Took Olive for her first long walk in ages. She had a great time!

We still had a run to do, and neither of us was looking forward to it. I thought I was overdressed in a fleece-lined long sleeve and vest. By the time we started the run it was breezy and cloudy and I was NOT overdressed. I slogged up the first hill (but ran the whole thing). This actually was not anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be, so that's good. Slow, but ran all the hills.

Stopped at 4 Noses. More NA beer for me and the Ninja Ramen food truck was there and I got a very delicious "power bowl." 

We were basically done for the day. More Jackal. We had a late dinner since we were still full from lunch.

Monday (14,587 steps) - Work from home. I had to go for my run early, but thankfully it was only 45 minutes, and it wasn't terrible. 

Immediately took Olive for a walk after. Worked until I had to go to the dentist. Did some deliveries after work. Ben made dinner while I took Olive for a walk. Jackal.

Stats:

• 125,550 steps
• 26.99 miles run
• 13.69 miles walked
• 75 minutes of cardio
• 47 minutes of strength