Week in Review (February 9 - February 15)

Tuesday (12,930 steps) - Work in the office. 

I had plans to meet up with friends at Milk Market for a run after work and to drop off cookies, but they had to bump the run to 5:30 so I ran solo when I was off. It wasn't terrible.

Wednesday( 17,594 steps) - Work from home. Walked Pika at lunch. After work, Ben and I headed up to meet Kristin, Jeramiah and Tyler in Boulder for a run. It was a really pretty evening, and I actually had a pretty solid run. Starting as early as we did, we were able to do the entire run without headlamps!!

We stopped and picked up pho for dinner on the way home. Cold front coming in!

Thursday (10,243 steps) - Work from home. Went on a long walk during lunch. After work did the Fitness Blender barre video (omg, how is this so hard) and rowed for a bit. 

Friday (10,216 steps) - Work in the office until early afternoon when I got an email that A had a positive exposure at school and had to quarantine. I let everyone in the office know and headed home to finish out my shift. Took Pika for a below freezing walk with A after I got off work. 

Saturday (10,022 steps) - Slept in and decided to not run, or do much of anything. Temps were still around 0, so we just took Pika for a short walk. Big excitement of the day was our furnace not working, and it being FREEZING in the house. Thankfully, I have my Selk bag to keep me warm.

Sunday (10,151 steps) - Thankfully, Ben got the furnace working in the morning - temperatures were nearly 10 below when we got up! I did a BodyPump video, which wasn't too bad. Then we had a nice breakfast and Ben gave me a really beautiful flower arrangement.

I took Pika for a walk alone because Ben was too wimpy for the "hovering around 0" temperatures. Didn't do much of anything for the rest of the day.

Monday (15,806 steps) - Work from home. Finally a break in the awful cold temperatures, and since A is quarantined and was at home (also a holiday for her), we went for a run together. It wasn't terrible, thankfully. Took Pika for a walk after that. After I was off work I did the FB barre video again, while A rowed. Then we did some random exercises and stretching. It was fun!

Stats:

• 86,962 steps
• 12.78 miles run
• 17 minutes rowing
• 74 minutes cross training

Week in Review (June 19 - June 25)

Tuesday (13,680 steps) - Barre Express with Gabi. Hadn't planned on running, but then Ang asked if we were going to Sloan's, so we ended up heading over. We started early in hopes of catching up with her, but we never crossed paths. The sky looked pretty sketchy, and we did get rained on a bit, but nothing terrible. While we were waiting for everyone else to get back it started hailing. Thankfully, we were parked in the garage.

It was way more dramatic than it looks in this pic

Wednesday (23,335 steps) - Runners Roost Boulder!

With all the storms that we have had we had to do a weird route that kept us off the single track. I wasn't the VERY last on some of the climbs and had a decently strong back half. After this run they are going to start separating out the slow/fast runners - I think that will ease my stress a bit on these runs as I'm very obviously one of the (if not THE) slowest people here.

Thursday (14,789 steps) - Met up with some people in Berkeley for the Summer Solstice water balloon/gun fight (and also got in a 3.5ish mile run).

A TON of fun, and the gal who was buying some of my declutter stuff met us there, so I even made some money (*which, as a side note, I'll need to use to fix A's iPad - her screen cracked in a freak accident earlier). Womp.
Friday (11,622 steps) - Barre with Kelly. On my way to the studio, I dropped A off at Lisa's house. She was taking the day off work to go hiking, and A got to go with her. While I had to work. Stupid adulting.

Picture of other people hiking...

We hung out with Lisa until about 6, before we left to drop off A's iPad to get fixed.
Saturday (37,011 steps) - We had a chance to run a race for only $20, but it was way down in Castle Rock, so I opted to just run in my next of the woods. I had 14 on schedule (my longest run since mid-May), and thankfully, Kristin said she would join me for 10 of those. I ran a few miles before picking Kristin up, and we magically created a route that was exactly the mileage needed.

I had just enough time to shower before we headed to the Rockies game. We had tickets through my work, which included lunch and $20 per person for snacks/drinks during the game. It was SO hot, but we stayed the whole game. It was a lot of fun!

First 15,000 fans got a cool commemorative jersey!

On the way back to the car we picked up cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory and I grabbed a burger and sweet potato fries from Smashburger (I haven't been there in ages). Bed EARLY.
Sunday (22,981 steps) - Team run! Unfortunately, it was way down in Aurora. Thankfully, Othman was also planning on 10, so we (along with Alex & Stella), ran 10 into the park.

I should have taken pictures on the trail, it was actually really pretty! I seem to only run out there when everything is brown. After the run we took Maureen out for food/drinks for her birthday at Dads and Dudes. Got caught in a nasty rain storm on the way home. A had a Scout meeting. I did (nothing?) except a few Fitness Blender videos (wow, I haven't done those in ages). We had Tokyo Joe's for dinner, and early to bed again.
Monday (16,332 steps) - New Terrain run club! Lisa joined us (I haven't run with her since last summer) - so that was nice. We stayed after long enough for a drink, but left early so we could eat dinner at a "reasonable" hour.

Stats:

• 139,750 steps
• 42.7 miles run
• 2 barre classes & 20 minutes of videos

Week in Review (June 21 - June 27)

Tuesday (29,264 steps) - Now that I have a training plan again, back to regularly scheduled training. I had 7 miles on schedule, and was feeling very apprehensive about my hip/groin. It is tender/uncomfortable even when I'm walking. I was out the door by 5:15, which gave me plenty of time to take it slow. I hit up the Rocky Mountain Greenway again, which was a good choice.

Even after the sun came up it didn't seem too hot (forecast for the day is 99 degrees!) The way out is uphill, and I took it VERY slow and easy.

I got to go out a mile further than the last time I ran this trail, and it's a very exposed trail, but wide and dirt/gravel. Running here will need to be done on cool days or very early in the morning. Emergency stop at the bathroom on the way back, which was a LOT better than the way out. Did some stretching when I got home. The hip/groin is still sore/tender, but it seems that my range of motion is a little better than when I did yoga on Sunday. Spent a bulk of the morning using my Addaday torture device on my hip - hoping whatever I've got going on is just a knot or something. Did the day's videos - warm up, HIIT (lower body/abs) and cool down. This one wasn't too bad. Started packing for our upcoming weekend in Glenwood.
Wednesday (19,632 steps) - Warm up, upper body, cool down. Run club! A said she was tired and didn't want to run far, so we had plans to go to the track nearby. Turns out there were kids playing on the baseball field nearby so we couldn't run there. Ended up running a bit further than if we would have done our normal 3 mile route. Good times running with Maureen, Colfax and Heather. Went out to eat at Old Chicago's afterward.
Thursday (18,621 steps) - Woke up incredibly sore. Not just my left hip/groin, but my inner thighs. Yesterday's super short lower body video apparently kicked my ass. Geez. Cardio (where I had to do a few low impact modifications) and cool down. Since it was Maureen's birthday, we had plans of skipping A's gymnastics class and going to Belmar's run club. We did a super slow (like REALLY slow) walk/jog with Maureen and Colfax.

We went to Rocko's for dinner afterward with the group, where I had probably the best nachos I've ever eaten.

Failure to lose weight is a MYSTERY. Home late, in bed late.
Friday (17,453 steps) - Woke up still sore, so I didn't do the video (which looks like lower body). Maybe will do later at the hotel room. Looks like there is a "beginner" video - which maybe means I can get through it and not be too sore for the weekend? Anyway, up crazy early because I had to get A and her friend Madi to Union Station before 7:30 (which meant we had to be out the door at 6:45) for the Girl Scouts train ride to Glenwood Springs (that they get to attend for selling a jillion boxes of cookies). I was at work before 8, and since I worked through lunch all week I was able to head out around 2 to meet A and the Scouts in Glenwood. There was a frustrating amount of traffic, but I managed to arrive around 5:15. We didn't get around to eating dinner until after 7, but I really enjoyed the pizza and beer.

A and I headed over to scope out the trail head to make sure I knew where I was going. How could you NOT want to run here?

Quick trip to Target to pick up some essentials, and stopped by Dairy Queen. Apparently, along with the rest of the town. Took over 20 minutes to get an Orange Julius and a dipped cone.

Saturday (26,008 steps) - I decided to get up early and run the trails instead of doing a longer run on the bike path. HOLY CRAP WAS THIS CHALLENGING. Previously, I had run up the road, which was pretty steep. The trails were NUTS. I thought I was going to die at some points. One mile claimed to be about 900' of climbing! Anyway, I ran all the way to the top of Red Mountain, past the cross, where I saw a wild turkey. No pics, because it startled me and ran into the bushes before I had a chance to take one. The way down was "easier," but not much faster because it was so steep. I had hoped to do closer to 8 miles, but needing to be back to shower and eat before A's event meant I only had time to the 6ish miles.

After breakfast we drove to the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. We met up with everyone from A's troop (except Rose, who had overslept) and took the tram to the top of the park. I had never been here, so it was fun to go on some rides - the alpine coaster was super fun, and A was tall enough to ride alone. Some of us went on a cave tour, then it was time for lunch (nachos/tacos) and then the awards ceremony. They announced the name and number of boxes of each and every girl that sold 750 or more boxes of cookies. The top seller in the state sold over 7,000 boxes. That's just crazy.

cave bacon!

 

Apparently, an upside down/sideways cave selfie!

1,039 boxes sold!! Woo hoo!

A's whole troop - all girls sold over 750 boxes to attend the event

We went on a rides until about 5. The tram line was FOREVER LONG, so it was about 6 before we got done. We went to Vicco's Charcoal burger drive in for dinner. Wait was long, food was delicious.

I had been texting with A's dad about pick up for her going to Texas. He decided to drive out this year, which worked out nicely because I had some work around the house (plumbing) that needed to be done. However, he showed up early, and told me over the phone that he only had Sunday to work on the house because he had told his job he would be at work Tuesday, so he and A would need to leave early Monday. URG!!!!!!

A and I headed to Glenwood Brewpub for me to check out the local beer, then in bed fairly early.

Sunday (32,238 steps) - Up before 6 for a quick breakfast at the hotel, load up the car and go to Hanging Lake. We had hiked it recently, in April, but were hoping to hike without all the ice. At 6:45 the parking lot was already pretty full, so I was glad to have the early start. Everything was really green, but I have to say that I think the lake itself looked "cooler" in the winter.

We were done in just under two hours, and on the road to get to the metro area as soon as possible. Stopped at the Yeti's Grind for coffee and breakfast. Traffic on the highway was a headache around Idaho Springs, but we got home just after noon. A's dad looked at my plumbing issues and wrote out a list of items I would need, we went to lunch and bought all the things. I tell you, if you know someone who is a licensed plumber and is willing to do work for you, you're lucky. He fixed my three major issues in just a few hours, and all it cost me was about $60 in parts. I would have probably paid a random person over $1,000. In the mean time, I was doing laundry and A was packing.

At 4, we headed out to the latest installment of Trails & Ales. Good thing we left early, since we went to the wrong lot/trail head. I had never run at Mt. Falcon, and was anxious to get a good run in. Newton was there to demo shoes (I didn't especially love the ones I tried), and Smartwool was there giving us free socks! Yahoo! A decided she would rather hike with Maureen and Colfax, so I headed out alone. HOLY MOLY. Yet another super challenging trail! This was just climb after climb... Was supposed to be a 3 mile loop, and I grew concerned when it was about 1.8 before the descent finally started. With my hip still being a bit wonky I wasn't able to bomb the downhill as much as I would like, but it wasn't too bad. I got to the bottom and didn't see Maureen and A, so I filled up my bottle and headed up the reverse way, thinking I would run into them. I got a text when I was almost another mile up that they had just done an out and back and they were almost back to the trail head. Ah well, I got in 5 miles instead of 3ish.

Love this picture! That windy road down there? That's pretty much where the trail head is - and Red Rocks (a concert venue) is also in the distance. Apparently "Widespread Panic" was playing!

We all went to the Morrison Inn afterward for Mexican food and a beer. We didn't get home until after 9, and then it was more packing and laundry. EXHAUSTED.
Monday (27,010 steps) - I had told A's dad I would be up by 7. For some reason he heard 6, so I was awakened earlier than I planned. They headed out around 8. Sad face. After work I figured it would be a good idea to get a trail run in. I didn't want to run too far, so I went to Apex. I got out of the office a bit late and it was 6:15 before I got there. I hadn't been there in a few years, and the lower lot was now open, but the trail was of course the same. I had forgotten all the climbing on THIS one, as well. There weren't too many mountain bikers out and I got 5.5 miles in.

By the time I stopped at the grocery store, it was after 8 before I got home. Shower, dinner, an episode of "The Vanishing Women," and 20 minutes of reading.

Stats:

• 170,226 steps
• 30.5 miles run
• 173 minutes of cross training (HIIT, cardio and hiking!)
• 31 minutes of strength/stretching
• Weekly loss 0.8 (126.8)

Everything Else:

• Blah. So A left this week. Now, it's nice that I can finally hit the trails, but I'm just so used to her being around, really going to miss her!
• The hip is still not GREAT, but it is way better than last week. Taking it very easy right now and trying to ensure my gait doesn't get all screwed up.

Week in Review (June 14 - June 20)

Tuesday (18,955 steps) - With A having to be at camp super early I haven't even been bothering with getting up to work out. Sleep is more important! Super slow short run after work. Still having some pain in my left groin, and thighs still very tight from Revel.

Also did a short barre video and an upper body tabata video that I haven't done in a while.
Wednesday (24,004 steps) - It is a ZILLION degrees in Colorado right now. With A getting out of camp before 4:30, we headed right down to Runners Roost and got there just after 5. We planned on doing our run early since there was a fun event planned. We barely made it our 3 mile loop. The heat is so draining!

We got back right at 6 and met up with Maureen to walk Colfax and his friend, Ty. Then it was time for the real fun, the Brooks "Sip and Paint." I haven't painted in MANY years, so I was looking forward to it. (Well, the painting and the catered food and drinks). Such a fun night! I don't think I really followed the instructions all that well, but I think our paintings are pretty awesome.

A was awarded the "Run Happy" award. Bed as soon as we got home (which wasn't until 9:45!)
Thursday (25,210 steps) - I set my alarm to run in the morning. HAHAHAHAHA. Went back to bed. So then, I had to do my run AFTER work. My phone says it was 90 degrees, but it seemed MUCH warmer. Now that the signage is up for the new "Rocky Mountain Greenway," I wanted to see where exactly the trail goes on the north side of the lake. It was hot, the run did not go well.

Fiery ball in the sky that was trying to kill me

Thankfully there were bathrooms near where I turned around. Made it home with just enough time to shower before taking A to gymnastics. Tokyo Joe's and early to bed.
Friday (18,910 steps) - Rest day!! After I picked up A from camp we headed to the mall where I picked up a few cute dresses from Banana Republic and some shorts on sale from Lucky. "Mom shorts," according to A. Basically shorts that have longer than a 2" inseam. Grocery shopping and TV rounded out the evening.
Saturday (41,138 steps) - Even though it is summer, A had yet another Girl Scout event late morning. That meant that in order to get all my scheduled miles in, I had to head down to Aurora at FOUR IN THE MORNING. Well, 4:15 to be exact. It already felt hot and muggy to me, and I wasn't feeling great. All week I've had kind of a nagging pain in my left hip/groin area. I was running slow and trying not to run with an awkward gait. Ran 5 miles before meeting up with the rest of Runners Edge.

Heather and I had plans to run 10 more, but with as slow as I was going, we ended up only doing 9. Oh well, 14 miles is my longest training run since... March? I'll take it. I had just enough time to drive home, shower, grab A, pick up breakfast at Einstein's and meet up with her Girl Scout troop at Elitch's at 10 am. I was pretty disappointed with the Girl Scouts, there was only one table of activities, which they finished in less than 10 minutes. With that said, it was a ridiculously hot and sunny day (mid 90's?), and the park was actually not that crowded.

We ended up staying until about 3:30 in the afternoon. Other than the roller coasters, most of the rides didn't have long waits, so they actually got to go on a lot of rides. Spent the remainder of the day in the air conditioning. Oh, summer.
Sunday (23,523 steps) - Up at 6 am, arriving at Lair o' the Bear just before 7. A and I did 7 miles - her longest "fun run" yet (her words, not mine).

Saw my buddy Rob (he's the tiny one on the left)

 It was a gorgeous run, but already hot by the time we got back down at 9:00. Went to breakfast at IHOP (for pancakes, of course), and then most of the day on the couch. Did some cleaning, a yoga video with A, and then we went to Jessa's house for a few hours.
Monday (21,282 steps) - Heather decided to do one of the 8 week #FB30 programs. I offered to join her. Normally, I don't do the first day of the programs because it is a "fitness test." We decided it might be "fun" to do the fitness test. I told A that one part of the test was a timed mile. She wanted to join me (obviously because she knows she can run faster than me). We got up early, jogging to the middle school to run on the track. The entire jog over my hip/groin was aching. I was dreading the mile. It was just as awful as I anticipated it would be. Well, all but maybe the first 15 seconds. I was able to maintain a sub 9 pace for the first half mile or so, but barely finished in 9:27. Shameful. Back in the day, I could easily run that pace for a whole half marathon. It felt like an "all out" effort, which is really the point. Meh. (A, by the way, walked a few times and finished around 9 minutes, and said it was "easy.")

Walked back home, and did the rest of the test - push-ups, squats, static plank, and sit and reach. For "funsies," I also took some measurements. Nothing else the rest of the day.

Stats:

• 173,022 steps (up significantly from last week)
• 33.2 miles run
• No cross training
• 73 minutes of strength/stretching
• Weekly loss 0.6 (127.6) - Was pretty conscious of food/drink consumption over the weekend. I'd be happy with a pound a week loss, close this week.

Everything Else:

• My freakin' bathtub is leaking again! So many plumbing issues, grrrr. "Luckily," my ex was amenable to driving out to pick up A for their summer visit and spending a day or two here doing work on my house. I figure, it's the least he can do.
• A finished up a super fun week at camp. She attended the ENOR camp, put on by 4-H. Every day they were doing activities outside - hiking, visiting a mine, Red Rocks, sliding down a snow field... She was EXHAUSTED every single day when I picked her up, but she had a great time. The camp was separated by grade, so she was with kids her own age.