Week in Review (December 22 - December 28)

Tuesday (15,962 steps) - With basically no motivation I managed to drag myself out of bed to do a loop around the neighborhood. The loop is somewhat hilly and my legs were exhausted so it took a little bit longer than I expected. It was also warmer than I thought it would be, and I had to take off my hat and gloves. Colorado, in the dark, in December and... too warm? Crazy.

After work I headed home to find Les back at my house finishing the installation of the fans. Hooray!

I made a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner (I'm running dangerously low on food), and then Jessa came over to help me troubleshoot why my TV isn't working. End result? No idea why it isn't working. Sad.

Wednesday (20,061 steps) - Somehow dragged myself out of bed to do a total body strength / HIIT video. This one really isn't that bad (actually it is one of my favorites) and I felt substantially better after getting it done. After work I headed down to Runners Roost for a low-key run club. It literally started snowing about a minute before we started. Maureen and I only ran a few miles because the wind/snow was blowing so hard, not to mention the roads were icy messes. Of course it stopped right after we got back. Colorado...

After years of not liking winter running clothes, turns out I absolutely LOVE INKnBURN tights!

Thursday (18,211 steps) - Sadly, my office was open on Christmas Eve. I knew there would be no traffic so I slept in. We did at least have a half day, so on my way home I stopped at Sloan's Lake and did a few loops.

The sidewalks were mostly clear. I had a good run until I tripped over nothing and wasn't able to catch myself before I fell. Luckily all my INKnBURN was fine, and I didn't break anything. So lame. I stopped and got coffee and beer before everything closed for Christmas. Spent the rest of the day watching TV.
Friday (22,990 steps) - Put off going for my run because it was cold. I wasn't sure how far I wanted to run and I didn't want to do any hills so I drove over to Lake Arbor (flat, flat, flat). I ended up running about six miles. It was overcast so felt incredibly cold. Overall a decent run.

Looking festive!

I went to dinner at Jessa's house. Apparently it snowed a half a foot while we were eating, so my drive home was a bit rough as the plows hadn't been out.
Saturday (18,062 steps) - Started the day with a Law & Order: SVU marathon. After a few episodes I decided to head out for my run. I assumed that by this time (10? 11?) things would be shoveled and plowed. I was wrong. I ran about 4 miles, with all but about a mile being on snow/ice. Boy, I sure love winter.

I spent most of the remainder of the day watching more SVU, but I did do a butt/thigh and abs/pilates video. So I didn't TOTALLY laze around.
Sunday (18,755 steps) - Woo hoo! Snapped marathon on TV! It was super cold out, so I didn't head out for my run until about 10:30. I ended up doing 5 miles. It's amazing what a difference a day can make. Sidewalks almost 100% clear and with the sun out it felt HOT out. I had to take my jacket off after about 15 minutes because I was sweating.

While I easily could have spent the rest of the day watching more tv, I went to Target for a bit. Being in public after 3 days of alone-time in the house was a bit overwhelming :D (Don't worry, I ended the day with more tv)
Monday (17,182 steps) - Exhausted from the weekend of sitting. No workout this morning. After work a few easy miles on the treadmill. Spent the evening packing. It's nice to know that after not traveling in ages I can still cram a ton of stuff into one carry on.

Stats

• 131,223 steps
• 26.8 miles run. And almost all of that was outside. This is my highest mileage week in ages. Totally enough to run an ultra.
• 37 minutes of cross training
• 20 minutes of strength/stretching

Everything Else

• I can't believe this is my last post for 2015! Where did the year go? Seems like it flew by...
• I don't normally make resolutions, and I'm hesitant to do it this year. Suffice to say I will just try to be a bit more consistent in my training. I have been better the last 4 months or so and I think it has shown.
• Next week is my one year anniversary at my job!!!

Week in Review (December 15 - December 21)

Tuesday (15,659 steps) - Woke up to the news that A had a snow day. Immediately checked the weather hotline at my job and... regular schedule. Darn. Cardio & yoga stretching video and texting a few people to get a sitter for A so I could risk my life and go to work.

While the roads were horrendous, at least most people stayed home (wish I could have) so I was only a few minutes late to work. They did let us leave early as a result of incredibly poor road conditions. Ya think??
Wednesday (15,669 steps) - Did NOT get up and do a video. I was exhausted after dealing with the snow and traffic and snoozed until it was time to get up and go. Left the house allowing 30 minutes to drop A off at school before my dentist appointment. The roads were crap and it took 40 minutes for me to get there. My appointment only took a half hour, and then I was on the road for another hour or so to get to work. I am NEVER going to survive this winter. So awful!!! Left work a few minutes early to pick up A to go to run club. It was a Star Wars theme (which was fun).

We didn't get there in time to do the group run, but there was also a "vertical climb" challenge. It was as awful as it sounds. 5 minutes at 15% incline. The first time around A challenged me. She was able to jog the entire time. I went out too fast and almost died, having to walk the last minute or so. After having some "Nothing Bundt Cake" red velvet, 2 pieces of pizza, a tiny grape nuun-tini and a beer, I decided it was obviously a good idea to try again because it was the only way Heather would do  it. Pretty much covered the same distance, but at least this time I jogged the whole time. After we got home we make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
Thursday (15,803 steps) - There was a HIIT video on schedule. I had zero desire to do HIIT, so I surfed around until I found an upper body video. Ah. Much better. After work I picked up A and we headed down to Belmar for the cookie exchange at the Lakewood Runners Roost. I had almost planned on running, but it was like 10 degrees and we were late anyway. We ate a billion cookies and then went to Rocko's (a delicious Mexican restaurant) for enchiladas and a beer.

What's a group picture without me shoving food in my mouth?

Friday (15,743steps) - I could NOT drag myself out of bed. I did a very short run outside - and I'm glad I did, because I got to see a really gorgeous sunrise.

Seriously, there are no filters used in this picture

After work we headed over to Jessa's house to celebrate Jackson's birthday. Pizza, German chocolate cake, bowling and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer karaoke. So fun!! Only issue was not getting home until midnight. I'm too old for this!

Saturday (20,067 steps) - Christmas Carol 5k.

We went to Qdoba for lunch, and while I took a short nap A made Christmas cards. Then we headed to the airport for her trip to Texas. This is always my least favorite day of the year.
Sunday (27,794 steps) - It was a cold and gloomy morning, but I still went out and ran 10ish miles (after a TON of procrastination).

After I showered I went over to the Arvada Beer Company to sample chili in there cook off. There weren't too many options and after getting creeped out by an older man, I quickly headed home. I met up with my friend Amy for dinner and drinks at Chili's.
Monday (17,560 steps) - ZERO DESIRE TO GET UP AGAIN. I did a short run on the treadmill during lunch. And it was not the most fun. Legs were sadly pretty sore from my "long run." Womp. I hate not being trained. When I got home my friend Les (and his girls) were preparing our bedrooms for ceiling fan installations. I made a quick trip to get pho and then read in the basement until they were done working for the night (which ended up not being until after 8 pm).

Stats

• 128,295 steps
• 22 miles run
• No cross training
• 63 minutes of strength/stretching

Everything Else

• Nothing new, but I guess I'll pose the question... WHERE DID THIS YEAR GO? Can't believe it's almost 2016!

Christmas Carol 5k (Race Recap)

Saturday, December 19
Denver, CO
Weather - chilly, but sunny

We originally registered for the Christmas Carol 5k as our "holiday" race with Heather. She had to go out of town so it was just me and A.

With a 9:00 start, we didn't have to leave the house until about 7:30. We found a parking spot near the high school and walked over to get our bibs. It was incredibly icy on the course and on the sidewalks. Yippee... running/walking while always imagining falling. Sounds fun!!

After picking up our bibs we went back to the car so we could warm back up - it was chillier than we expected! We headed back out to the race with about 15 minutes until the start. We ran into Maureen and Colfax in the bathroom line and we agreed to run together.

Like most races at City Park it was a bit congested at the start, which was FINE since the entire course was a sheet of ice. Maureen and Colfax chose to hold back even more than we did so it was A and I on our own. Neither of us fell, although we both had to stop and tie our shoes.

A just before the aid station at mile 2

As I had hoped, it wasn't nearly as cold as we thought it would be once we got running and I actually took off my gloves because my hands were sweating. We crossed the line of our 5k only moments before the 10k winner. Apparently HE didn't fear for his life, lol.

Thanks to Laurie's boyfriend for this picture heading into the finish

We met up with Maureen and Colfax, and since the weather had warmed up we stood around and chatted for a bit before heading home.

With Maureen and Colfax

With a random INB fan (who told me - I know you! I follow you on Twitter!) at the finish

With fellow INB ambassador Laurie

Garmin time - 35:45
Garmin distance - 3.14 miles
Garmin pace - 11:23
Mile 1 - 11:19
Mile 2 - 11:51
Mile 3 - 11:21
Mile 3.14 - 8:49

Thoughts:

• This was a well-organized race. I didn't take a shirt, and I think I got $5 off my registration for that. 
• Registering about 6 weeks prior to the event was reasonable - $25
• There was an unexpected medal at the finish (of course I don't have a picture)
• Noosa at the finish line is always great, especially when they insist you take more than one!
• Parking is not too bad, especially if you allow extra time for it.
• Not specifically related to this event, but running the entire distance with A I can really notice a BIG difference in her running over the last 6 months or so. While she occasionally wants to take walk breaks, there is no more "begrudging" and she seems to be enjoying it more. (And to be fair, why wouldn't she, when she tries, she is faster than I am now).
• I don't know that I would run this particular race again, but with a 5k and 10k option, it's a good event for mid December.

Week in Review (December 8 - December 14)

Tuesday (18,863 steps) - The wind woke me up around 4 in the morning and I tried to go back to sleep and fail. So I got up and did alternating dumb bell workout and then walked a few miles on the treadmill while watching Breaking Bad.
Wednesday (20,352 steps) - Abs/obliques video. After work I picked up A and we met at the Ale House at Amato for the Runner's Edge annual holiday lights run. I was afraid to tell A that it was 4.5 miles. Turns out that it didn't feel anywhere close to that long with stopping at all the lights downtown and taking pictures. The night was unseasonably warm (like 60??) and I was almost too hot in a thin long sleeve INKnBURN shirt and skirt. In December. After the run we had dinner with Heather and Maureen. Great evening!

Thursday (18,976 steps) - HIIT/Butt and Thigh video. With the weather still nice I did a run to City Park during lunch again.
Friday (20,844 steps) - Cardio and upper body video. Happy to be going to work for a short day - we had our holiday party in the afternoon at Maggiano's on the 16th Street Mall. A was at a holiday party with her Girl Scout troop until 8:00, so I made a quick trip to the gym. Which turned out to not be the best idea... I had eaten waaay too much.
Saturday (18,421 steps) - Up early for the Sweaty Sweater run in Fort Collins.

We had to leave the after party before it was quite over because A had yet another Girl Scout activity. While she was learning how to make some crock pot recipes with Chef Bob, I had coffee with Rose. And if that wasn't enough, A then had a birthday party. In my three hours of freedom I met up with the guy who is going to install the overhead fixtures/fans in our bedrooms and finished the book I was reading and gassed up the car. I'm so exciting.
Sunday (17,122 steps) - I threw a new lasagna recipe into the crock pot right when I woke up. A and I headed down to Snooze to meet up with Heather, Dan and their friends Ann and Paul for breakfast. I got breakfast tacos and was envious of everyone else that was smart enough to get pancakes. I wanted to get a run in and since the sidewalks were fairly dry, so I did a quick run on High Line Canal and Big Dry Creek. In tights and a thin long sleeve I was severely overdressed. SO HOT!!

We quickly baked a batch of peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies for Heather and Jake, who joined us for lunch. The lasagna was SUPER delicious. We did nothing the rest of the day.
Monday (16,190 steps) - Cardio and total body strength video. With snow in the forecast, I definitely wanted to get a run in outside and did the usual to City Park. I was wearing tights and a very thin long sleeve and it was a pretty good choice, I didn't feel like I was overheating.

Even though it looks super snowy out it wasn't too slick on most of the sidewalks. I would much rather run in the cold than in the hot weather anyway!

Stats

• 130,768 steps (almost identical to last week)
• 22.4 miles run
• 31 minutes of cardio/HIIT
• 116 minutes of strength/stretching

Everything Else 

• Not a whole lot happening right now. It's been a busy few weeks with tons of holiday events and spending time with friends. Looking forward to it being over and having some low key weekends. I'm not supposed to be worn out from my time off!

Sweaty Sweater Run (Race Recap)

Saturday, December 12
Fort Collins, CO
Weather - Overcast and snow

The Sweaty Sweater race was brought to our attention when we ran the Donut Run over Thanksgiving Break. It sounded fun, and it was inexpensive, so we signed up.

The night before the race there was snow in the forecast. We got up a little bit earlier than planned, just in case. It was not snowing when we left the house, embarking on our 60ish mile drive to Fort Collins. By the time we got about halfway there huge snowflakes started falling. Even after Siri directed us in the wrong direction we arrived with over 30 minutes to the start. The only complaint I have was the lack of signage for the race instructing people where to park. Luckily, we were able to get in the correct lot with pretty much the closest parking spot to the building.

We picked up our bibs, hit the bathroom a few times, took a few pictures, had a few last minute wardrobe changes, and then headed out for the run.  By now, the snow was really coming down and it was pretty slick outside.

A took off in the first quarter mile. I was having one problem after another with my bib coming off my belt, so there was some stopping and readjusting. I was glad to have decided to ditch my jacket at the last minute. I was fine in my INKnBURN "ugly" sweater. There was one aid station on the course at mile 2. They had both hot chocolate and water, but the idea of hot chocolate was not appealing so I skipped that. Heather had numerous catastrophes during the run, both involving her jackets and her shoes coming untied.

Still a fairly decent time, and A found us right away at the finish (she beat us old ladies by about 4 minutes).

I don't think she takes bad race pictures

"Where is the finish line? The snow is blinding me"

My crazy eyes here are the perfect example of why I normally wear sunglasses

We waited for Dan to cross the finish line and then went in for the after party and fashion show. The race was at the Anheuser-Busch facility and we all got two beer tickets (which turned out ok since apparently they own Shocktop, and I had a twisted pretzel wheat). There were also pancakes, although the line took almost 45 minutes to get through.

Modeling for the ugly sweater contest

We had a great time socializing with our fellow Roost teammates. A was a bit bummed that she a). didn't win something in her age group and b). she didn't win the fashion show.

Garmin Distance - 4.0 miles
Garmin Time - 44:58
Mile 1 - 11:53
Mile 2 - 11:20
Mile 3 - 11:18
Mile 4 - 10:26

No official results unless you placed in your age group.

Thoughts

• This was a really fun race. And the weather actually made it better. Running adjacent to the interstate is probably not the most attractive view, the snow made it somewhat majestic.
• Cute shirt, gender specific (no picture of course). It is a long sleeve tech with various animals wearing ugly sweaters. I'll actually keep this one.
• Free race pictures posted same day to Facebook. Huzzah!
• The race had a contest for the ugly sweaters. Top prize was $500! Next year maybe I'll go for the gold!
• It was a bit of a drive for only 4 miles, but the after party and company was great. I maybe would run it again.

Week in Review (December 1 - December 7)

Tuesday (12,417 steps) - Back at it. I looked at the wrong video before I went to bed so I was very distraught to see that I had a HIIT video on my schedule. Warm up (this is the REALLY LONG warm up that I find pretty unnecessary), HIIT (for a HIIT video it actually wasn't that bad) and cool down. Super unmotivated the rest of the day.
Wednesday (18,925 steps) - Thankfully a better set of videos (I really DO prefer the strength videos over cardio/HIIT - I just can't seem to stick with a good training plan if I do those exclusively). Warm up, upper body and cool down. I went for a run to City Park during lunch. With temps back in the mid 40's, that means it was tee shirt weather!

It was a bit of a struggle.When we went roller skating last my feet literally slid out from under me and I landed right on my tailbone, which was still sore. I was also sore from the HIIT video I did on Tuesday. Blah. I'm so weak. The best part of the day was that my microwave finally got installed!!! (Although I'll admit that I prefer the taste of my vegetables that are cooked on the stove top).

Thursday (23,683 steps) - Cardio (the first half is blah, I kinda  like the second half) and cool down. Lunch run to City Park - loving this warmer weather!

After dinner we made more Thin Mint mini cheesecakes for our Saturday holiday party. I'm getting a hang of this baking business.

Friday (19,720 steps) - HIIT and lower body strength. This one isn't bad. Well, except for the HIIT. I hate hate HATE broad jumps and star jumps. YUCK. After I picked up A at school we went over to the high school for the "Empty Bowls" program. Kids from around the school district make clay bowls, which people then purchase for $5. Parents and teachers donate crock pots of soup and chili (and there were also food donations from King Soopers - bread and deserts). All proceeds raised are donated to the local food bank. It was actually pretty fun and I enjoyed sampling various soups.
Saturday (23,065 steps) - Up early to go to Runners Roost for the special Runner's Edge "Toys for Tots" run. Instead of paying the nominal drop in fee, we were to bring a toy to donate. Since A and I were both running, I brought three. We chatted with Lisa and Jandy before the run started. They were planning on running 20 (and we were not). The weather was a bit chilly and some of the roads were still icy, but it was a great run with Heather. We ran 5 miles, which is A's longest training run ever! (She has done a 5 mile race, and two 10k's, but otherwise, this was a pretty big deal for her!)

I did not capture the size of the GIANT Santa - it was two stories tall!

 

We stayed at the store for a bit, socializing, and then we went home for lunch. After lunch I took A to meet her grandma at the Arvada Center to see "White Christmas." In my kid-free time, I drove up to Boulder and went to the Newton store to get the "ugly" socks (that are NOT ugly). I picked up A and then we drove down to a friend's house for yet another holiday party.
Sunday (16,417 steps) - I woke up fairly early (not by choice) and once again, put off my run. I finally headed out around 9 and did a random run to try to find Big Dry Creek trail. Which I did! I can access from two different places (one way from the dirt road by the lake, and the other on the Farmers' High Line canal. This is good information for when I want to do a "long run."

For this day, 5ish was plenty. A made me breakfast, and then we went to our friend's house for a "Pink Papaya" party. I like using the products, I just don't like the price tag attached. Womp. We hit up Chili's for dinner since I still have a gift card I'm trying to finish.
Monday (16,236 steps) - Actually did not get out of bed. I did not sleep well. Again. So I skipped my daily video. Lunch run to City Park again - this time in a tank top and shorts!

And the snow is melted! Practically summer...

It was in the 50's, but overcast, so it was actually perfect weather. We had our weekly dinner of Tokyo Joe's. I decided to do a new Fitness Blender video (that was blissfully short and did not involve HIIT).

Stats

• 130,463 steps
• 23.1 miles run
• 63 minutes of cardio/HIIT
• 68 minutes of strength/stretching

Everything Else

• Nothing much... it's been a crazy month with tons of activities. Even though I am not racing as much it seems we are cramming more and more into the weekends. I think I am DONE with holiday parties for the year (with the exception of my work party), which means I am DONE with baking mass quantities of things (for now). 
• Nothing else... 

Endurance House Turkey Trot 5k (Race Recap)

Thursday, November 26

Broomfield, Colorado

Weather - Cold. Snowy and windy

As an alumni, I was able to register for this race MONTHS earlier. A wanted to just do the 5k (which, turned out to be a great idea with the weather). I had run the 10k twice in the past and knew that it was well organized. And this year, there was even a medal!

We were up early so that we would have time for coffee and to ensure we would get a parking spot close to the start. I wanted to spend as little time as possible outside.

We found Heather and Dan right away and sat in their car (with the heat blasting) until about 5 minutes before the start. Heather got a cute picture of me and A next to the inflatable turkey. See the snow falling? (And yes, we zipped up our jackets right after this was taken).

I used the bathroom and then we lined up. A and Dan ran together and I ran with Heather. The first mile felt pretty good, and then I felt my calves tightening up. BOO. I haven't had that happen in a while. Ended up walking quite a bit trying to work out the tightness. It was not fun. I did not want to be walking in this horrible weather. I always had A in my sights, and honestly, I was surprised she wasn't running faster. Even though it was snowing, the roads and trails weren't slick.

Garmin time - 34:01 (womp)
Garmin distance - 3.14 miles
Mile 1 - 9:48
Mile 2 - 11:51
Mile 3 - 11:08
Mile 3.14 - 9:06

After we crossed the finish line we were in a crowd trying to get the medals. I should have taken a close up of it. Endurance House has a series of races and the ribbon was attached to a GIANT medal that you could dangle smaller medals from as you completed other races in the series. Seems weird to automatically include that big pieces as I doubt many people are going to do other races.

Anyway, it was FREEZING, so we did a quick group shot and headed out. Brrr.

Thoughts:

• This is  good race. This was the first year that we did not stick around for the raffle. In the past they have given away great things. It was way too cold.
• One aid station on the course (at least for the 5k) and it was well stocked.
• Course was marked well.
• Lots of goodies at the finish line, including Noosa, Kind bars and pumpkin pie. 
• Plenty of bathrooms (at least for the 5k). The 10k started a half hour earlier.
• I may or may not run this one again. Maybe I'll do a new race next year!

Weeks in Review (November 17 - November 30)

I need to never ever try to do two weeks at a time again. This was really hard to remember and reconstruct.

Tuesday (23,101 steps) - Upper body video. This one is ok, but the overhand reps are super awkward and I'm not sure they do me much good. And in preparation for a huge blizzard, my work instituted a late start. The storm ended up being minimal up north where I live, so A still had school on time. I dropped her off, went straight to work (in practically zero traffic) and ran 6 miles in my new INKnBURN holiday skirt! What a great way to start the day.

Wednesday (16,418 steps) - Cardio video. Not super crazy about these "cardio" videos - but it's part of the #FB30, so I did it anyway. We skipped run club because A had a "nature night" at her school. There were tables set up in the hallways for the state parks, the bird sanctuary, Butterfly Pavilion and more. There were tons of activities to interact with different aspects of nature, including bird watching:

and archery(?):

There was also free pizza and giveaways (A did not win anything). It was a pretty cool event.
Thursday (18,721 steps) - Yoga/Pilates video. Blah. I don't know, I find these videos kinda boring. But stretching always feels good. The weather was pretty nice so I decided to do my run outside. Ran all the way to the pavilion in City Park and got in 4 pretty good miles.

Friday (17,267 steps) - Today was technically a day for an "assessment" of my progress over the last 8 weeks from my last #F30 program. I didn't do the first day, or this one either. I did, however, do another set of super awesome pictures.

The best part about the day was it being the start of THE WEEK OF NOTHING. I took off the entire week of Thanksgiving, and we planned on doing (basically) nothing all week. When we got home we made another new dessert - Thin Mint cheesecake cupcakes! (And before you ask, YES, I still have some in the freezer from February).

Saturday (18,156 steps) - Up early for the Pumpkin Pie 5k.

Immediately after leaving we stopped at Sbux (and changed clothes in the bathroom) on our way to Children's Hospital. We met up with A's Girl Scout troop to prepare "Kits for Kids" - bags of medical supplies that get sent all over the world for children/families that don't have the money or resources for items as simple as combs or toothpaste.

After finishing up with the Scouts we drove to our friend Heather's house in the mountains for our Gingerbread house party. Have you ever made a gingerbread house? I hadn't, and I found it infuriating. The frosting was not holding the house together and every time I took my hands of the walls it fell apart. After a lot of cursing and anger, we finally got our house and train (yes, they are Halloween themed) built. Great evening with great friends.

Sunday (18,341 steps) - Up early AGAIN. This time for the "Donut 5k" in Fort Collins. A had her heart set on running this, even though it wasn't a "real" race. I can't blame her, donuts are pretty great. Although it was sunny, it was pretty chilly. Our Roost teammate and fellow INB ambassador, Lisa, also drove up from the metro area.

Me, A, and a random INB fan

The trick to this race was that it was a prediction race, so we weren't allowed to wear a watch or carry anything to time ourselves. The prizes were turkeys, so I'm kinda glad we didn't win, because then I would have felt obligated to cook it.

I struggled through this one (and my skirt kept riding up), but A had a great kick at the end. (I'm not sharing my pic, I look sad and pathetic).

Stuck around waiting for awards. Turns out I ran a 33:17 (which was a minute slower than I predicted). The winner was DEAD ON. How does that even happen? We went grocery shopping on the way home so I could make "pepper jack" meatloaf. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Meatloaf stuffed with pepper jack cheese. It was delicious - A loved it too. 

We played some Mario Kart on the Wii U and started a game of Monopoly. I hate Monopoly.
Monday (18,908 steps) - I decided to take the week off from doing cross training. I tried to sleep in, but failed. Apparently 8:00 is an unreachable goal. I went for a quick run over to the lake - it was GORGEOUS outside.

A wanted to use her birthday money to get another controller and some games for her Wii U. Thankfully, Target was running a 10% off sale on electronics, so we didn't have to risk waiting until Black Friday to pick up some bargains. After lunch we met up with Rose, Madi and Chloe at the skating rink. Free skating during the week of Thanksgiving!

AND THEN MORE MONOPOLY.
Tuesday (21,634 steps) - Still unable to sleep in. I knew a cold front was coming in so I wanted to get in another run outside. I went on the trail behind my house to see where it went, and to the east, it basically ends. (Not really, but I don't want to run on (or have to cross) any major intersections. Heading east, I ended up in the middle of the lake, so I just finished out my run there. WINDY WINDY WINDY, but tee shirt and skirt weather!

After lunch we went for a walk around the lake (we had been hoping to go the the wildlife refuge, but it was closed) and nearly got killed by swarms of geese. (Not really, but there were TONS OF THEM).

We stopped at the library on the way home (it had been so long since I went last that my card expired??) And then? The next baking project. A way more in depth cheesecake for Thanksgiving! It made a TON, so we ended up making little cupcakes too!

We drove up north to pick up our packets for our turkey trot - stopping at Old Navy afterwards. I manged to pick up some super cute running gear for A for incredibly low prices. The running vest she got is super cute.
Wednesday (14,490 steps) - With the cold front definitely headed in, we went on a very short run to the lake. Already hat and glove weather...

Another trip to the skating rink (free, remember?)

We ran home to grab some cheesecake cupcakes and then drove down to Denver for run club. It was cold and windy and we just socialized. No running. Stopped at Heather's house for some pizza and then went home.
Thursday (15,562 steps) - For the first time ever, I think, the weather was awful for the turkey trot. For at least the last 4-5 years I've worn a tank top and skirt. This time I was wearing tights, 2 shirts and a jacket. And I was still cold. We met up with Heather and Dan around 8:00. Sat in the car until about 2 minutes until the start. I ran with Heather and A ran with Dan. My legs sucked, I had calf cramping that I haven't had in a while and had to walk a lot. At least we looked adorable. (Full recap to come - I'm incredibly behind).

Headed home to shower and get pretty for all the Thanksgiving festivities! First we took our cheesecake over to Jessa's where we sat around and chatted for a few hours - then we drove down to Denver (in awful weather) to The Oxford Hotel. Heather had been kind enough to get us reservations at McCormick's for Thanksgiving lunch (which was soooo good) AND a night's stay at the hotel!

A had a fun time coloring everyone's hair, we played many games of Apples to Apples and in general had a fantastic time. Probably the best Thanksgiving we have ever had!

Friday (13,422 steps) - We awoke to MORE snow...

We walked to Union Station and hit up Snooze for breakfast. Which, by the way, was the most delicious EVER. A tried to eat a burrito the size of her head (and failed), and I had an incredible pumpkin pancake with bourbon syrup.

A few more games (including Jenga, which of course, A won) before we had to check out.

We went home to shower and feed the cats, and then we made a run to Target. Not my best idea ever, Black Friday is the worst. Only thing we bought was a copy of Jurassic World. Not many deals out there unless you are shopping for a giant TV?
Saturday (21,595 steps) - I wanted to get a longer run in, so we went to the gym. I hadn't been there in almost three weeks! We were on a bit of a time crunch, so I only got about 7.5 miles in. A had gotten a gift card to the movie theater for her birthday, so we went to see the Peanuts movie. She thought it was ok, I thought it was boring... I honestly cannot remember what we did the rest of the day, other than finally finishing that terrible game of Monopoly, which A won.

Sunday (17,681 steps) - Hemmed and hawed forever about going out to run. It was hovering around 20 degrees and it was overcast. As the temperature continued to drop I decided I better go out. Since it was still pretty icy out, I ran on the road on the south side of the lake. Pleasantly surprised with my pace, considering I took numerous walk breaks.

After I got home I showered, we had a quick lunch, and then we went skating. Yes, again. Then we met up at Hu Hot with my friend from high school. Two hours just FLEW by. And just like that, I'm sitting there watching the Walking Dead and wondering how on earth the Week of Nothing was over.
Monday (16,554 steps) - It had snowed a bit Sunday night. Not that much. It was a light fluffy snow. AND YET, it was the worst commute I can remember in ages. It took me an hour and a half to get to work - which is less than 10 miles away. And about twice as long as a normal drive. After I picked up A at Scouts we went to the gym, but I was tired and not in the mood for running so we left. Stopped at Tokyo Joe's on the way home and watched "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." I love that movie.

Stats

• 130,912 steps (week one) and 120,938 steps (week two)
• 21.9 miles run (week one) and 24.1 miles run (week two)
• 24 minutes of cross training (week one) and nada week two
• 63 minutes of strength/stretching (week one) and nada week two

Everything Else

• Not sure that I have ever taken a "staycation" - but I think I'll do it again. For planning NOTHING, we were incredibly busy all week long.
• As I write this, it is December 1. Where did this year go? The year seriously has flown by.