Week in Review (March 7 - March 13)

Tuesday (10,472 steps) - Work in the office. I did my cross training at lunch. Rushed home to take Olive for a quick walk before heading over to the school for A's orchestra concert. I *think* her last concert ever, since they are not offering an advanced class next year, so she isn't taking music :(

Wednesday (19,969 steps) - Work in the office. Walked on the treadmill at lunch while reading. Runners Roost Louisville after work for more hill repeats. And thankfully, Kristin joined me again! It was another gloomy day, but we missed actually being snowed on. (And by missed, we just didn't get snow, we were not sad about it).

The hill repeats actually went REALLY well. 60 seconds does seem a lot longer than 45 though. And the flat 2 minute ones we did were sub 8 pace! Did a couple deliveries on my way home.

Thursday (31,362 steps) - Work from home. Logged in early because I had yet another long run to do at lunch. It was windy, and my heartrate was a bit high, but overall the run was fine. Took Olive for a walk at lunch - and at least it's sunny!

Took Olive to Belmar for run club. There were a LOT of dogs! Olive did puke in the car on the drive home, which was not wonderful. A wasn't home for dinner, so I had a frozen pizza and watched Nip/Tuck.

Friday (14,912 steps) - Wash Park and coffee. Work in the office. Dog walker messaged to let me know that Olive had pooped a few times in her crate - one solid and one diarrhea. She cleaned it up the best she could, but Olive was upset and wouldn't let her take her harness off. By the time I got home she had had diarrhea AGAIN, and this time it went onto the carpet. So that meant carpet cleaning, lots of laundry, etc.  Ugh. I was able to schedule an appointment with the vet, but not until Monday. Between the vomit and diarrhea, figure I need to make sure she is ok.

Saturday (24,146 steps) - I had maybe planned on trying to go to Runners Roost Lakewood's dog run with Ruffwear, but with Olive being sick I decided to skip. And good thing, because Ariel texted that the 3200 was now the first event of the meet, at 8:30 (not 9, like the website said, and not one of the last events like usual). I had to rush out the door to get there, and BARELY made it in time to watch her run. I sat with Gracie's mom and wow, both girls ran soooo strong! New PR (by a LOT) for A, with a 13:48!

She also was running the 4x800, which wasn't even that long after the 3200. She was the anchor and said she didn't run fast, but she looked great and pretty sure she made up time.

I didn't stick around after that because I still had a run to get in, and I knew I needed to get home to Olive. I headed over to Bear Creek and had a REALLY good run! The weather was perfect, even a little warm.

Fake spring

Finished up, did a couple deliveries on my way home, then took Olive for a walk. Did more driving since A was working. Productive night, biggest money-making evening yet!

Sunday (46,199 steps) - Dumb, dumb, dumb daylight savings. Somehow I slept late, and I still had a 4 hour long run to do. I had a quick breakfast and headed up to Dirty Biz for a loop (with the addition of Dowdy Draw). It was cold, windy, cloudy. Even got snowed on a bit about halfway through. And 99% of the trail was in good condition - just a little snow/mud on the Boulder side. The run actually went REALLY well. Like REALLY well. 

This is the second time I have seen bald eagles in this area

Less than 3 minutes of walking for an 18 mile trail run?!?! And the idles time was one bathroom stop and one light I had to wait at

Home to take Olive for a walk and shower. Did a few deliveries and then met Ben for a couple beers at Westminster Brewing.

Monday (23,460 steps) - Work from home. Had to take Olive to the vet - but she actually did really well!

I'm glad I talked to my coach about shortening my runs during the week a bit. It's so hard to get in a few hours of running during the day, especially with my day job and the part time job I also have. Anyway, I had a quite lovely run at the lake (first one in a while since it's been muddy). Fake spring is back for a few days!

After work I did a couple deliveries and took Olive for a walk. Then, it was off to Petco for puppy training graduation!

Ariel had dinner plans, so I took Olive home, fed the zoo, and went out for a few deliveries. I missed my window to get pizza at Costco because I didn't realize they close at 8:30, so I had to pick up a Little Caesars. And all they had was cheese. That'll teach me. Long day.

Stats:

• 170,520 steps
• 46.72 miles run
• 0 minutes of cardio
• 50 minutes of strength training

Week in Review (December 13 - December 19)

Tuesday (15,965 steps) - Work in the office. Headed to Stonehouse for my run since I had an hour on schedule. It felt a lot colder than the last time I ran here. 

I went to Green Mountain Brewery after. Didn't get a beer and could NOT get warm, so I didn't stay for very long. Never gonna survive winter.

Wednesday (19,529 steps) - Work in the office. My neck has been hurting a LOT and I spent a lot of the morning trying to figure out why my HSA debit card would NOT work when I was trying to purchase a heating pad. Even after being on the phone with them twice (for a total of an hour), they couldn't figure it out. At some point they must have done something that worked because I was able to order one to pick up at Target on my way home. I left work a tiny bit early to pick that up, finish my day, and get my run in (75 minutes) before A's winter concert. It was NOT the most fun run I've ever had. I ran north towards the dog park and it was INSANELY windy. I was wearing one of my Smartwool vests, and I never really thought about the newer versions not having drawstrings for the hood, but they no longer do. Anyway, it was COLD and I wanted to keep the hood up and it wouldn't stay put because I couldn't cinch it. The two good things - I did the whole run without walking, which I have NEVER done (thankfully, the no walking is starting to become more of a norm, which I am LOVING) AND, the sunset was at least pretty. 

I only ended up needing my headlamp for maybe the last mile, and even then, it was more for the neighborhood section so that cars could see me. I had just a few minutes at home before heading to the school. This concert was pretty enjoyable, they sounded better than the last one. No matter where I sit I never seem to be able to get a good picture of Ariel, she is usually blocked by the cello. I got one afterwards and she's not looking at the camera. But - proof of life!

Thursday (8,257 steps) - Work from home. Spent a decent amount of the day working from bed with the heating pad. NOT FUN. (And no, I don't think that running made it worse. Just a dumb sleeping injury). I had cross training on schedule and did upper body, legs (for the first time in a VERY long time) and Peloton. Nothing else?

Friday (10,020 steps) - Wash Park with the gang! Not a ton of us were there, and it was deemed to be too cold for dogs, but it was a good walk. PLUS, Pete made mini pumpkin bread loaves. 

After work we had dinner and then A was going to put highlights in my hair. She started the process but I was doing some research on the dye while she was working and we realized we needed developer, which we did NOT have. Ugh.

Saturday (9,314 steps) - A surprising off day from running! I slept "late" and did Peloton (found a FUN Linkin Park lane break ride) and some strength training. Then I went to Sally to get the developer and the library. A did the highlights on my hair. We had lunch, showered, and then it was time to get ready for my work holiday party! We were both pretty excited since it was going to be at the aquarium!

Pleased with hair AND dress!

We got there after cocktail hour, but since I wasn't planning on drinking anyway, that was fine. The venue was much smaller than what I'm used to in previous years. The buffet was crowded and hard to navigate, but it was delicious!

And have you ever had a mashed potato in a martini glass? I haven't. Nicole and her husband, Jordan, sat with us and we decided to all go together to walk around the aquarium. It was neat, I don't think I had been there since A was VERY small. The tiger was not out (sad), but we were still able to pet the stingrays, which was neat!

Me and Nicole with our CEO on a mermaid body, haha

By the time we got back to our table it was already after 9. We scoped out the dessert table (that was almost completely gone (waaaah), and then we were ready to head out. It was nice getting home at a reasonable hour. We watched some tv and were still in bed relatively early. 

Sunday (16,938 steps) - I had a run on schedule but I was feeling pretty lazy, so I put it off a bit longer than I should have. The run itself was fine once I finally got out the door. After I got back I took a shower and got ready. Ben picked me up and we went to Boulder to walk around and have lunch. We couldn't decide on what to eat and eventually picked sushi. The place was ok, but the sushi wasn't wrapped well and everything fell apart. That was annoying. Ben dropped me off around 4. A was working a double shift, so while she was at work in the evening, I got the rest of the presents wrapped. A little weird not having a tree this year, but oh well. 

Monday (16,095 steps) - Work from home. I had a tempo run that was scheduled for Tuesday, but I had talked to Greg and told him I was going to switch it so that I could do it during the day so it would be warmer. I opted to run on the south side of the lake and NOT take the easy way out by doing the paved route I normally do. I had 15 minute of warm up, 10 at 75% effort, 15 recovery, 10 @ 75% effort, 15 cool down. I hit all my paces for the first 50 minutes, but ended up walking a tiny bit after my second interval because my legs were shaky from pushing so hard. Still an improvement from other speed workouts when I have had to walk even in the recovery sections. 

It seems that Robin's eye isn't doing much better, so I made an appointment for a follow-up. Unfortunately they didn't have anything on Thursday when I'm normally at home, so I had to schedule for Tuesday.

Stats:

• 96,118 steps
• 21.23 miles run
• 60 minutes of cardio
• 45 minutes of strength

Week in Review (October 25 - October 31)

Tuesday (7,899 steps) - Work in the office and a walk at lunch. I dropped off my ballot on the way home - yay early voting! 

Ariel had her first orchestra concert of the year. It was a bit depressing seeing how many kids have decided to not choose instrumental music after the school got rid of the full time teacher at the end of last school year. (I apparently didn't take any pictures, but this is a still from the video I took). This is all the kids in the WHOLE SCHOOL that are in orchestra - ALL levels. Sad.

Wednesday (18,105 steps) - Work in the office. Left a few minutes early so I could get my run done before it got dark. Of COURSE there was an accident that caused me to get to Boulder more than 20 minutes later than usual. My run actually went really well, but the last 15 minutes or so were in the dark. That'll teach me to not have a backup headlamp in the car! 

Thursday (11,907 steps) - Work from home and FINALLY got around to packing for Javelina pacing.  I did some grocery shopping (I will admit, I have NOT missed doing that AT ALL) and made a new crock pot recipe of vegetarian chili.

Basically the cutest picture of Batman yawning ever

Also got in all my cross training - rower (first time in 6+ months, woof), Peloton and some strength training, plus a walk. Finally turned on the heat because Ariel thinks wearing a coat in the house is ridiculous. *eye roll*

Friday (15,927 steps) - Wash Park CHILLY walk with the gang and coffee. Work in the office until 2. Walked to Union Station, caught the train and met up with Terri near our gate. Flight into Phoenix was uneventful and Kristin and Tyler picked us up so we wouldn't need to rent a car. 

Hung around the house a bit, picked up groceries and went to bed early. (Too bad we weren't staying longer, the back patio was fantastic!!)

Saturday (21,346 steps) - "Slept in" until after 7. I hadn't been feeling wonderful the night before, could feel some congestion coming and and was very restless all night, so didn't feel very rested. Spent the morning lounging around before heading over to the race start with Doug chauffeuring us. 

Got everything set up in the tent. After we saw Kristin come through we decided to get some lunch off site. I picked something called "Wicked Six" - which was a pub - apparently on the golf course, so it was a good thing they let us eat there how we were dressed, haha. 

Headed back to the race and managed to get there in time to see friends coming and going. Kristin and Joe looked a bit rough heading out for loop 3, but we got them onto the trail. 

Tyler came in looking and feeling great and left with Terri pacing for loop 4 around 9:15. I figured I needed to start being ready for him around 2-2:30 am since I was pacing the last loop.

Sunday (61,621 steps) - There was no way I was going to be able to sleep, so I was basically just passing time. Doug had gone to take a nap in the car, and I spent a bit of time with Cooper after he finished his race. He finally left around 11 so he could get some sleep before coming back to get me and Terri. I was alert and awake to see Kristin finishing!

Shortly after she came through, Terri and Tyler came through. He was still looking really good and was obviously well ahead of cutoffs. We got him ready to go and headed out for the last loop just before 3:30 am. I was worried that I was going to be tired since I'd been up all night, but I was feeling ok. I had no idea what kind of pace he was going to want to do, so I power hiked all the climbs and ran the downhills and flats, which he seemed fine with. He got pretty sick at the first aid station and was really apologetic about it. I'm like, dude, you are the one puking, I am fine! I gave him some tums and the medic gave him some gum and we headed out, deciding to stick with his Spring Energy gels for the remainder of the race. 

The "worst" part of the loop was the 6.5 miles into Jackass Junction. For me, having only to do it once, it really wasn't that bad. We walked most of it, and it was "hillier" and more rocky than other sections. We also had the treat of one of the most beautiful sunrises I have seen in a LONG time. It lasted for about an hour, starting with the red/purple sky and morphing into oranges and yellows. Cathartic.

Once we got to Jackass, we were more than halfway done with the loop!

I had hoped for a bit more running on this "downhill" section, but we still walked quite a bit. Once the sun was fully up it did get a bit warmer, and I had to take my jacket off and tie it around my waist. We stopped at the last aid station only to use the bathroom and then it was less than 4 miles to the finish! Tyler seemed content to walk it in, but I made him do run intervals, and then run all the way through Jeadquarters - but it worked out, his first 100 mile completion had him finishing in 26:30, with his last loop a whole minute faster than his 4th! So proud of him!!

We still had to clean up all our gear and load it all up, which took a pretty long time. Cooper agreed to go to lunch with us, and we found this delicious Mexican restaurant, Salt & Lime. I ate this entire plate. It was fantastic. 

Our flight wasn't until 7:15, but Cooper dropped us off very early, maybe 2:30? There was no line at security, but apparently my dragon costume flagged things in security and I was molested by a TSA agent, and then my bag was also flagged. Exciting stuff. I may have actually dozed off for a bit waiting for our flight, but most of the time was spent charging my phone and catching up on Facebook. My cold that I had felt coming on hit full force and I was so congested and sniffly and sneezy. Gross. Flight was not bad at all, and we even landed early. Unfortunately there wasn't a gate ready for us, then people were super slow getting off. I moved very quickly hoping to get an earlier train, but missed it by a few minutes. By the time I took the train, walked to my office and drove home it was after midnight. Downed some cold medicine and took a quick shower and passed out.

Monday (14,564 steps) - Work from home -THANKFULLY. Also.....

So I was about 99% sure I couldn't do this. I know it sounds ridiculous, but my drinking has been pretty out of control for years, and I haven't gone longer than 3-4 days without drinking in probably 10+ years. Felt pretty pleased with myself for sticking to it. Ironically (maybe insert eye roll here), I am feeling better, my sleep is better. 

Anyway, I was really tired all day. I spent the first part of the morning working from bed. Went for my run, then a walk at lunch. A had plans for the night and I went to Kristin's for the annual Trick-or-shot, and yes, I still stayed sober and just had some hot tea. Came home around 8 and tried to watch a movie on Netflix but kept getting interrupted, so I just went to bed early.

Stats:

• 151,369 steps
• 29.51 miles run
• 40 minutes of cardio
• 30 minutes of strength training