Week in Review (July 28 - August 3)

Tuesday (18,933 steps) - Work in the office. No running today, just the regular walks. Big excitement was Pika spotting a coyote on our evening walk. Otherwise... nothing.

Wednesday (40,692 steps) - Work from home. Actually did THREE ten minute videos - the same "magic" three that I did years ago when I got thin. (Abs, upper body and lower body). North Table with Tyler and Mike! It was CRAZY windy on the mesa, but stifling hot everywhere else.

Action shot!

It was Colorado pint glass day at all the breweries, which is why we had picked going to North Table, we thought we would be able to get our glasses at New Terrain. However, they were already out. We went to Odyssey instead - aren't the glasses nifty? Ben met us there after work.

Thursday (19,337 steps) - Work in the office. Picked up cheesecake after work because apparently it is National Cheesecake Day!

Walk at the lake - although we only went for the "small" loop because it was getting late and I still had ALL my packing to do.

I was able to get all my packing done while Ben made dinner. Excited for a weekend out of town!

Friday (10,320 steps) - We were up relatively early (although not as early as if I had to work). Ariel and I took Pika for a walk while Ben started to load up the car. We actually got out right when we planned, at 9:00. The drive was, of course, VERY long. We stopped along the way for Pika to take a few breaks, and stopped to get tacos in Ridgeway. By the time we got to Heather's it was basically dinner time. We settled in and watched the humming birds and had some food.

This was soooo delicious!!

We took Pika for a walk on the trails behind Heather's house. So pretty!!

Finalized everything for our race, yes, a RACE.

Saturday (52,134 steps) - Bridal Veil 30K! 

After the race we sat on the patio and had a few drinks. I finally got an order of sweet potato fries. Once Ross finished we decided we should head out. Ariel had left with Heather, so it was just me, Ben and Pika left. Initially we were trying to find a bakery that had cupcakes, but the two in town that were open didn't seem to actually know what they had, and we got frustrated. Stopped at the grocery store and got some cheesecake instead. Heather made a delicious pan of nachos for dinner.

We sat on the patio and chatted for MANY hours. It's been a long time since we socialized with anyone "new."

Sunday (11,071 steps) - Our only plan of the day was a drive over Imogene Pass. We took Pika for a walk and waited for Heather to get off work so we could head out. We all loaded up into Josh's truck, which was quite an accomplishment with 5 adults and Pika. I had never been on Imogene Pass, and I was a tad surprised to learn it was basically a Jeep road. We probably never went over 10 mph, and the road was super sketchy. I also learned that Ben is almost cripplingly afraid of heights - especially if he is not the one driving. More than once he got out of the truck and walked behind because he felt more comfortable.

The views were truly amazing and we were able to see a bunch of sights that we had not seen during our run, and from across the valley.

We barely made it to the summit before the weather came in. We had about 6 minutes to take pictures, have a snack and drink a quick beer before we heard thunder and figured we needed to get off the mountain.

Sure enough, within a minute or two of getting back in the truck it started to rain, and quickly turned over into either hail or snow, we couldn't really tell.

We were still taking it super slow down the other side of the pass on the way to Ouray, and took time to get more pictures.

It is still "snowing" and I think that is why I'm squinting at the camera

We got passed by a group of ATVs, and not more than 5 minutes later, we came across an accident. The last vehicle in line had somehow rolled over. 

Both Josh and Ben have EMS and medical backgrounds and they quickly sprung into action. The vehicle had been driven by an elderly couple and they helped them out of the vehicle and did an assessment. The man was 88 years old (!!) and had hit his head and possibly fractured his arm. The couple couldn't leave their vehicle up there since it was not a rental and they didn't have a way to tow it down. Josh ended up driving it down and Ben drove the truck down. By the time we got to Ouray it was HOURS later than we planned. None of the restaurants in town would allow dogs so we had to keep going to Ridgeway. We got pizza and beer from Colorado Boy and then headed back to the house.

I took Pika for a quick walk since I knew the sun was getting ready to set. I managed to have a tree branch stab me in the foot, so there was some emergency medical work done. Ouchie. We stayed up VERY late chatting with Josh on the balcony.

Monday (13,163 steps) - Slept WAY later than planned. Guess that's what happens when you stay up until almost 2 am. Heather convinced us to go for an "easy" run (that wasn't easy). She is lucky to have such a diverse and beautiful trail literally in her backyard.

Heather made a ton of food, so  I had a delicious plate of curry and spaghetti squash before getting on the road for the VERY long drive home.

If possible, the drive home seemed twice as long as the drive there. We were all a little cranky and tired, but we managed to get home before 9. Instead of cooking, we picked up pizza. Longest shortest travel/vacation weekend ever (I know I say that after every weekend, but this seemed especially short).

Stats:

• 165,650 steps
• 29.2 miles run
• 30 minutes of cross training (!)

Week in Review (March 24 - March 30)

Tuesday (17,821 steps) - With A on spring break in Moab and no plans (I'm super lame), I still headed to the gym. Walked about an hour on the treadmill. Still taking it easy after Moab.

Wednesday (13,738 steps) - Super weird freak snowstorm/blizzard-like conditions in the morning, and then by the time I got out of work and headed to run club it was nice and sunny. Colorado, you so crazy! Run club was a lot of fun, I tested out some Hokas (which seemed so cushion-y) and did a few slow miles with Heather. There was of course beer! Then Dan and Heather let me tag along with them to get some Pho for dinner. I was out waaaaay past my bedtime (like 9:30!)

Thursday (13,720 steps) - For weeks Lisa and I had planned on going to Denver Beer Company for the untapping of a new beer - the Cocoa Creme Graham Cracker Porter. It didn't disappoint! It's so bizarre going out during the week. Miss seeing her during work so it was fun to catch up for a few hours.

 

 

 

Friday (13,581 steps) - Nothing except.... PIZZA FRIDAY!

 

Saturday (24,024 steps) - Headed out bright and early in the morning to do some miles at Sloans Lake. Legs help up pretty well, and I was happy to get the run over early as it was supposed to be HOT later in the day.

A and I had plans to go to Runners Roost for a special event with Frank Shorter, Healthy Learning Paths and Newton running. Unfortunately, we found out after we got down there that Frank had cancelled due to a family emergency. We enjoyed hearing about the Healthy Learning Paths program and spent some time with a Newton elite doing some activities. I am SO LAME for not remembering what his name is! We walked away with free entries to the Healthy Learning Paths 5K, some Newton socks and A also got a trucker hat (so cute!). A tried out the Boco shoes and is already wanting a pair... "thankfully" Newtons don't come in kid sizes. Although in the next year or two she will likely be wearing those sizes.

We went to Fuzzy's Tacos for dinner, got some ice cream, and stopped for a beer at Arvada Beer Company - where we played some Sorry! (I did NOT win, A beat me, and my next draw gave me second place).

Sunday (22,6776 steps) - A and I got up relatively early and hit up Sweet Tomatoes for breakfast. Can't even remember the last time we did that! Then we headed down to Waterton Canyon for a run/ride. The sheep were out and the weather was great! However, I should know better than to have a big breakfast and then exercise. It was a bit tough getting those 7 miles done. Good news is that I just had some "normal" fatigue and not fire calves.

A and I went to the cheapo movie theaters and saw "Night at the Museum 3" - which was actually really cute. We played with her Minecraft Legos for a bit and then I was super motivated and actually did a leg video and an arm video. All that really told me is that my lack of strength training over the last year or so is very obvious. I cannot even believe how HARD these were. So sad.
Monday (23,193 steps) Super motivated! Did a not-so-awful hill program on the treadmill, cranking out 5 miles.

• 128,753 steps
• 19.4 miles run
• Some walking, no real cross training
• 20 minutes of strength training

Everything Else

• A and I "finally" finished cleaning her room (meaning - donating and trashing a lot of stuff that she has been hoarding) - it's so freeing and wonderful to have it done!
• I have also been going through my things and have been letting go of a lot of excess.
• Nothing else.

Week in Review (February 17 - February 23)

Tuesday (16,916 steps) - Treadmill run, just over three miles. No hills, just taking it easy.
Wednesday (15,700 steps) - I had ordered the Garmin 920XT a week ago and it finally came in! It was a bit sad to drive to run club and not be able to stay. Womp. 5K at the gym.

Batman Sour is suspicious of watch. He was swatting at it like it was a snake

Thursday (17,609 steps) - Hills, glorious hills. I am sticking to my guns on this and getting at least one hilly run a week. This one wasn't too bad, and I appreciated not having the biggest inclines at the end.

And then I HAD to go out and do a super short test run with the new watch. Just to make sure the blue tooth and uploading was going to work ok for my next "real" run. I love it! It's a bit confusing as the start button (actually the "enter" button) is in a completely different place than my beloved 220, but I'm sure that will just take some getting used to.

Friday (10,419 steps) - PIZZA! Oh, and Ariel and I worked the first Girl Scout cookie booth of the season. Did you know that Denver has a cookie shortage??? We ran out of thin mints troop-wide and were unable to get more. Do you know how hard it is to sell Girl Scout cookies without thin mints? We still sold almost 500 boxes over the course of a few hours. People were stocking up for snowpocalypse...
Saturday (19,059 steps) - It DID snow a decent amount overnight, but A and I were determined to get our run done. It wasn't that cold, low 30's/upper 20's and we knew we were supposed to get more snow overnight.

And then I met L at the gym for some CrossRamp time and almost died in the sauna since I was still wearing ALL THE CLOTHES from running outside.

We stocked up for the snowpocalypse by ordering ALL THE PIZZA.

Man. It was really the most delicious ever. I hadn't eaten at Pizza Hut in ages. Did you know that you can get custom sauces and crusts now?? If you haven't had the honey sriracha you should try it. IT IS THE BEST EVER.

Sunday (5,681 steps) - The worst snowpocalypse ever. We didn't get anywhere close to the amount of snow needed to cancel work and school. I did not leave the house all day, although A did go out and shovel our entire driveway and sidewalk. #motivated (as you can tell, I was NOT motivated. Literally sat on the couch ALL DAY).

I also made a crock pot of turkey chili. WOW. Could this be any easier to make? What is it, like four ingredients? Yum.

Monday (20,182 steps) - Managed a FULL HOUR of hills on the treadmill. That last incline is 4.5% (crying). So hard! Impressed with my motivation, I normally stop under 4 miles.

Miles Run - 18.1

Weekly Steps - 105,566

Minutes of Cross Training - 45

Minutes of Strength/Stretching - 0 (oops)

Everything Else

• No closer to recovering anything from the Kilimanjaro scam. Wheee. Thanks a lot, scammers.
• I PAID OFF MY CAR YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!
• Work is going well. Really getting into a good groove. Keeping busy more and learning more things. I have been asked if I mind learning/doing some paralegal work. The best thing about being a secretary is that I don't have "billable" hours, so I *can* bill, but an evaluation on my job performance doesn't really depend on it.
• Nothing else. Except it is finally winter here and I'm over it. Already.
• Weigh in from the Dumb Challenge is on Friday. Can't wait to see how much not caring has gained me (literally).