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 (November 26 - December 2)

Tuesday (11,120 steps) - I had messaged Amber to ask if it was ok if I came into the office a bit later so I didn't have to get up as early and fight with traffic. I still logged in at my usual time, but just waited a few hours before I drove in. When I got to my desk, I saw that Joyce had left an adorable advent calendar for Olive!

Took Olive for a walk after work.

Wednesday (11,787 steps) - Work in the office. With Ariel home for break, I didn't have to talk Olive for a walk early. I got off early for Thanksgiving, yay!! We went to Torchy's for dinner since they were going to be closed on Thanksgiving. 

Thursday (11,605 steps) - Up early for a Turkey Trot! We signed up last night, and I had zero idea how it was going to go. We arrived an hour early since I remember how hard it can be to find parking. We literally got the closest spot possible to the start line.

Used the bathroom a few times and lined up. PS, this was Ben's first ever Turkey Trot! 

I didn't want to be up close because I had no idea how the day was going to go, but I remember what a cluster the first mile is with kids and families and walkers. We did have to do a lot of weaving and pretty quick I realized I was going to pass out, haha. I think I made it a mile in before I had to walk. I also got really hot and took off my top layer (thankfully I had a tee on under). 

After walking (about 4 minutes total), I felt a lot better and had a great last mile and sprint to the finish.

Stats:

3.07 miles, average pace 11:15 (not bad just a few days post 100 miles). Mile 1 - 11:06, Mile 2 - 13:10 allll the walking, Mile 3 - 9:41 and sprint 8:19.

We walked to the beer tent, skipping Liquid Mechanics and going right for Gravity Brewing. We found Larry and Terri and stayed around chatting until everything was torn down.

Accompanied Terri to Crystal Springs before heading home.

Ben started on the ham and I took Olive for a walk. We had Thanksgiving dinner (I guess I took zero pictures?) with Ariel and her friend Mari. After dinner we watched "Free Birds" and a few episodes of Ted Lasso.

Friday (12,792 steps) - I had the day off, but I still went to Wash Park with Olive. It was fun seeing almost our whole group, but later in the morning. I ran some errands and went to Parry's for lunch.

Took Olive for a walk.

Saturday (10,380 steps) - Did a short Peloton ride so I wouldn't blow my streak. Ben and I took Olive for a bit of a longer walk. We were hungry when we got back and spent a bit of time trying to decide what to do for lunch. Ariel and Mari had plans to go back to school so we went to Malone's.

Noses? Dog walk? Zero idea of the rest of the day.

Sunday (13,635 steps) - Took Olive for a walk. Ben and I went to Rock Creek for a run. Pace was slow, effort seemed high. Glad that was done.

We went to Mudrocks afterwards and happened to run into Larry!

Did some shopping and then a stop at Noses again.

Ariel and Olive both got to do day 1 of their advent calendars. Not sure who was more excited. 

Monday (14,745 steps) - Work from home! Olive also enjoyed advent day 3.

Went for my run while Ariel finished up doing laundry and taking a shower. I had a short run on schedule, but it still felt horrible. Shorts were cute though.

Took Ariel back to school, took Olive for a walk and went to King Soopers to pick up groceries and lunch. Yum, sushi.

Did some driving after I got off work and then met Ben at Salsa's for dinner.

Short Olive walk and more Ted Lasso!

Stats:

• 86,064 steps
• 9.03 miles run
• 16.34 miles walked
• 10 minutes of cardio
• 0 minutes of strength

Week in Review (November 21 - November 27)

Tuesday (15,348 steps) - Peloton before work... where I already got my prize for winning the fitness challenge! I wasn't wearing the right shoes for it in this picture, but HR wanted a picture of me using it for the email blast, haha. This is a pretty cool gadget, and only minorly irritating to move out of the way when I would rather be sitting.

Gym during lunch for full body strength training - gonna feel that for a few days. Oof, when will I learn.

Wednesday (29,538 steps) - Work in the office. Walked on my new treadmill quite a bit while working. Was very happy the weather was nice for my run! Left work a few minutes early and headed to North Table. Ugh, as soon as I saw the parking lot I knew I made a mistake - nice weather equals WAY too many bikes. I used to run these trails all the time, and just hate coming here because 90% of the bikes are soooo rude and have no trail etiquette. There was a LOT of jumping off the trail because only maybe 5 bikes stopped, and only a handful slowed down. UGH.

Ben also got off work early, so he met me for a beer at New Terrain. Thankfully, we got a table near the door since there was also a live band. 

While I was running, Ariel took Olive to get a new outfit. OMG it is the cutest ever. Lambchop is her favorite toy, and now she can dress like her buddy. (As an aside, I'm glad I read the reviews since it runs very small - she had to get a large!)

Thursday (14,752 steps) - Up early since Kristin was going to pick me up for the Louisville Turkey Trot! This event used to be free with food/clothing donation, but it's up to $25. At least the money goes to a good cause. I had chosen bare legs because it seemed warm(ish) at home. Once we got to the start, it definitely was colder.

We wandered around the start area, used the bathroom and decided to go back and sit in the car until it was closer to time to start. We headed BACK out with about 10 minutes to the start (of the untimed, non-bib "race") to use the bathroom one more time. I lined up with Kristin and Lisa. There was, as expected, a TON of weaving around big groups of people and walkers in the first mile. After a few minutes, I spotted Larry! We ran together for a few minutes, until I pulled out ahead. (Optimistic, but didn't really work out for me. By the hill that started somewhere around the first mile, I was already struggling. I wanted to maintain my pace, but I did end up walking a bit. Shortly before mile 2, I saw this cute spectator:

I was finally comfortable (not too cold/warm) and thankfully the last mile is downhill. I did stop for this:

My (somewhat pathetic) "A" goal was to run under 35 minutes. I'm happy to say that I did that, haha. The course ran just a bit short, but average pace of 10:27.

Garmin distance - 3.06 miles

Mile 1 - 10:31

Mile 2 - 11:03

Mile 3 - 9:53

Mile 3.06 - 8:55 pace

Headed immediately to the Liquid Mechanic free beer, where I found Larry in line. We all socialized a bit at the finish line until we were all too cold and then dispersed. When I got home we took Olive for a walk before the weather came in. Brrr.

Deidre had invited us over for Thanksgiving, which was wonderful! They always have such delicious food (plus, we didn't have to cook!)

Pretty sure we watched a movie. Maybe this was the night we watched Descent 2.

Friday (10,750 steps) - "Slept in." Thankfully, a rest day as it had snowed all night and it was ridiculously cold. Went to get Dutch Bros. since they were giving a shoe charm (jibbitz). On the way home we stopped at the grocery store to get some necessities. We took Olive for a long walk and it was freezing.

Torchy's for lunch, then up to 4 Noses so we could do a flight of all the new stouts. (Thankfully we split all these, because I think they ranged from 11.5-15ish%. Oof.)

Another movie? Maybe this was Meg 2 night - which was actually a pretty decent/fun movie.

Saturday (19,630 steps) - Still snowing. I was originally supposed to have a 3+ hour run on schedule. Since the real feel was in the single digits, I switched with Sunday, at an hour-ish run. It was "fine" I guess, glad to get it done.

Took Olive for a walk, lounged around and in general the day just disappeared. We did go to Pho for dinner.

Sunday (29,202 steps) - Should've been doing a 3+ hour run. I made the choice to go to Rock Creek. Within about 10 minutes I decided we would max out at 10 miles, whatever that ended up being. The first part wasn't was bad, but man, the 4 miles or so towards Stearns Lake was miserable. The snow was not packed down and it was chunky and felt like a Herculean effort. I have no regrets about turning around sooner.

Smiling, but only because we are halfway done

The way back wasn't as bad because it's a gradual downhill, and it did seem a bit more packed down (maybe melting since it was actually sunny?) We stopped at Ziggi's so I could get a protein smoothie. Went to 4 Noses so Ben could get a beer. Home to walk Olive and shower while Ben went to Costco to pick up a pizza for lunch. When Ariel got home we all went to get the Christmas tree. Welcome to the house, Bruce the Spruce!

We started watching Fargo over the weekend and it's a pretty fun/interesting show.

Monday (19,487 steps) - How is it Monday already?? Work from home. Did some cleaning and waited a bit (it seemed sunny?) to head out for my run. I was worried I was overdressed, but I actually selected my clothing perfectly. 

I was undecided if I was going to try trails or not, and luckily the trails were actually perfect! Cold enough the dirt was not muddy and all the snow was packed down. It's been a bit, but finally an easy run that was easy! Turned right around to take Olive for a walk.

Ariel randomly was working for the evening and we still had not gone grocery shopping. I convinced Ben we should try the sushi restaurant down the street. It was REALLY good.

More Fargo.

Stats:

• 138,707 steps
• 30.3 miles run
• 30 minutes of cardio
• 30 minutes of strength