Happy 2017! I took some time off from Sunday Lately posts, but I’m back and celebrating a wonderful new year with my Blogger Tribe peeps. Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe where everyone is welcome to pop a tent and share some S’mores. Come camp with us on Facebook:
Picking out all my winter running clothes, since the belt on my treadmill shit the bed this weekend. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to catch up on Empire now!
Telling off the haters who snark on all the “Resolutioners” at the gym. Be supportive, be encouraging, and dang it, be a friend to someone who is making an attempt to start on their fitness journey!
Debating on what my “word” will be this year. Last year it was “community” and the year before it was “completion.” Do I keep the C going? 😛
Mixing eggnog with coffee… anyone else try this? YUM!
The Pitbull New Years Revolution show has become a new favorite — particularly after last night’s steady stream of classic hip-hop artists. I woke up humming “Joy & Pain” by Rob Base. Side note: I was totally weirded out by how much Coolio’s voice has changed!
First impression: The color is “tie dyed” shades of lime green, which I found to complement my main winter weather gear while also standing out in dark mornings or evenings. The material is thin but so soft — and it feels super cozy when worn.
It arrived right as I was going into my Fall Fun! season, so I’ve been able to test it on runs and races in various temperatures AND use when I forgot my non-running winter gear (this thing is amazingly odor resistant, so there was nothing funky about it when I needed it on a day I forgot my hat at work and the temps dropped 30 degrees in one day).
Keep one in your car, just in case!
Product Details:
100% natural merino wool — Merino Wool’s natural qualities include: water repellent, odor resistant, flameproof, durability, UV protection and natural stretch and elasticity
12+ ways to wear — so much versatility!
Thermal protection from cold & wind
Cool in the summer, extra layer of warmth in the winter
Today’s prompt:: Updating, Remembering, Needing, Wearing, Being
Updating:: Since I’ll be traveling back to Ohio for my grandmother’s memorial service, we’ve updated our travel plans to fly home from Pittsburgh — so we can spend a night there and visit some friends. I’ll be looking for my old running buddies!
Remembering:: my Vitamin D3 supplements. Since establishing new care here in Iowa, I had new bloodwork done, and I’m back to where I’ve started being SUPER low and requiring high daily IUs. Changing my diet hasn’t helped, supplements didn’t work last year either until I increased to 5000 IUs per day (which has its own risks and wasn’t sustainable) — and spending additional time in the sun isn’t recommended given my skin’s preference for burning and my history of skin cancer. But I’m giving the daily a go again, particularly because I’m nervous about being active and the supposed increased risk of stress fractures.
Needing:: to get my butt moving here, and get my long run done. I’ve got six miles staring back at me today. Time to load up on breakfast foods!
Wearing:: With the hype and fanfare of the Olympics right now, I feel like wearing one of my running medals all of the time. Just me?
Being:: super annoyed at the instability of my internet connection this weekend. While it only goes down for a handful of seconds (once, for about five minutes), it’s frustrating when you want to get stuff done. We’ve reset and recycled it this morning, so hopefully the intermittent outages be gone. At least I finally got this post done!
I really look forward to these posts every Sunday. Not only do I have a weekly ritual on Sunday of setting up my week for success, but blogging regularly helps me decompress from the previous week.
The prompts for July 17 (Week 81) :: Planning, Loving, Reading, Wishing, Feeling.
Planning:: My half marathon training! I’ve been working on adding all my runs to my calendar, and searching for races nearby that fit into that training schedule. I’m SO EXCITED to start this training next week!
Also, I’m thinking about what other races I can add into my post-half calendar, since I strongly prefer racing and training in the Fall. I want to enjoy as much of the season as possible (yes, even into the winter months). Have any recommendations for not-to-miss fall/winter races in the Midwest(ish) area?
Loving:: this wildflower bouquet that the boyfriend brought home! It was cut from a local farm (sold at Hy-Vee), and most of these flowers and greens I’ve never seen. It’s really lovely. And yes, you can see my weekend “workspace” at the end of the kitchen island back there. 😉
Sunflowers are my favorite!
Reading:: three books at once again. I’m a couple chapters into Liz Pryor’s book: Look at You Now, and The Three Laws of Performance. I started (finally) reading my Blogging for Books request from MONTHS ago: “He Wanted the Moon,” which… is not the book I expected (nor want to really read when I’m trying to relax), so I’m having trouble picking it up consistently.
Next up, I’ve got Peak (the science of expertise!), Fearless Golf (for golf and beyond!), and the Science of Running (which, awesomely, Amazon sent me a digital copy to download once I purchased the actual book!) — as I’m apparently in my performance psychology space again. When this group of prompts comes around again, I hope to have them finished. 🙂
Wishing:: for another weather day like Friday. There was no humidity at lunch, so our department’s informal Lunch Club ate outside. It was only 73 degrees when I left that day, which felt SO COMFORTABLE! We opened all the windows in the house again, and it was just the perfect evening. It only lasted one day because I went outside for a run yesterday and it was MISERABLY HUMID once again.
Feeling:: As I mentioned above, I’m feeling really pumped about my upcoming running season, since I didn’t get much of anything done in the spring (and totally flaked out on marathon training). I’m reading all the articles about time goals and speed work — and even reached out for possibility of working with a coach this year. I feel like I have a constant runner’s high!
The prompts for July 10 (Week 80) :: Completing, Visiting, Repeating, Writing, Scheduling
My favorite part of road trips: Finding random giant objects!
COMPLETING:: my last day of vacation. Bummer, man. Nine days off seemed like so many when I started…
VISITING:: Taking a road trip to a few of our nearby cities was a really fun way to see different parts of our state (and cross another state off the map). We’ll definitely be making future visits to Kansas City and Omaha — and I’d like to go back and check out Council Bluffs, since we skipped that part of our adventure on the way home.
REPEATING:: Going through the motions of another Sunday, preparing for my work-week with meal planning and scheduling my workouts and putting together outfits for the week. I have a little variety planned, so it won’t feel like I’m being too repetitive and inflexible with my habits (and just returning to work as I left it). That’s probably the worst thing for returning from vacation — to just drop back into your old routine without giving a little pause to reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and how to manage your time even better.
WRITING:: So, I’m writing out a plan of action for my work week to include what days I need to pack items/bring things with me to work — and actually SETTING THOSE ITEMS ASIDE and/or putting bags in my car. I really have a tendency to make big plans and get progressively overwhelmed by the novelty or preparation as the week builds, so taking some time to plan in advance to help prevent the potential burnout from making too many decisions during the week. Sunday is really a great day for me to GYST (aka: Get Your Shit Together).
SCHEDULING:: Sleep! I’m nowhere near “fixed” on my sleeping schedule that started falling apart before vacation. If last night’s awful cycle is any indication, this is going to be a ROUGH week. Not to mention that I also have an appointment with a new dentist. :-/
The prompts for July 03 (Week 79) :: Updating, Remembering, Needing, Wearing, Being
Enjoying a vodka lemonade at last weekend’s Arts Festival (in a perfect-length maxi dress that I got from StitchFix!)
Updating:: my shampoo. Random response to this prompt, but I finally consulted a hairdresser for help with my scalp. I get the worst acne — washing my hair every day isn’t helping to get rid of these painful pimples (neither was NOT washing every day). So I was recommended a product to help balance, and, hopefully, help me out with this 30-something problem.
Remembering:: Well, trying not to remember that we were supposed to be in Belize right now. While we ultimately made the correct (adult) decision to cancel the trip, my friends are still there and I’m feeling kinda bummed out about it.
Needing:: some time off, despite our trip cancellation. How convenient that I kept this week off? 🙂 I was incredibly lucky to get a job so quickly after relocating, but I still have some unfinished business from moving. Also, can you believe that we’re closing on FOUR MONTHS of living in Iowa?! I still haven’t got my new ID here yet!
Wearing:: SWEATPANTS. After having 90+ days for most of June, this weekend’s temperatures in the 60s feel like winter. I’m not mad — it’s going to be gorgeous fireworks weather. Bonus: last night, I watched FIVE DIFFERENT displays from my bedroom window. Monday is going to be so awesome.
Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). And the rest of us in the Blogger Tribe are sharing our posts today, too. The prompts for June 26 (Week 78):: Creating, Finding, Switching, Forgetting, Craving.
Creating:: an action plan (and riding map) for today’s bike-riding adventures (see: Forgetting).
Finding:: We had a pretty bad thunderstorm roll through last night (at around 2am). I got out of bed because it was so loud and so bright (and we were expected to get 50mph wind gusts), and and I could not find my 17-lb. cat. Like, anywhere. His storm spot is usually on the landings in between floors but he was nowhere (I even checked behind shower curtains in the bathtubs lol). I don’t know how cats can hide in plain sight sometimes.
Switching:: I went to the driving range yesterday to work on some of what I’ve learned in my lessons, and switching between clubs (specifically the 9 and 7 irons) really derailed and frustrated me. It took me a while to “fix” my driver stance and swing, too, but I ended up with three great shots (and then put my clubs away because let’s end on a high). I have my third lesson this week, so I can give her a little more feedback about how things go when I’m on my own. I feel as though my studies in applied psychology will be put to the test in this endeavor.
Forgetting:: Keep forgetting that my car is still downtown. I guess that’s one way to provoke a bike ride on a Sunday afternoon when you’d rather be lazy drinking grapefruit mimosas and wearing pajamas all day.
Craving:: BURGERS. We went out for dinner last week and sadly found Exile was closed on Monday nights. They are my favorite place to get burgers because they have gluten-free buns AND everything they fry is gluten-free friendly. Alas, we ended up at a place that cooks their burgers to a medium-well and just… NO THANK YOU. So, I’ve been craving burgers for a week, and we’re grilling out tonight. I don’t know why we didn’t just add burger night to our downtown adventures for today. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). And the rest of us in the Blogger Tribe are sharing our posts today, too. The prompts for June 19 (Week 77) for this 30-Something Iowan:: Doing, Appreciating, Designing, Humming, Expecting.
Doing:: I’m finally decorating my workout room! I’ve got my bibs up, my 50 States medal holder and a GIANT corkboard-slash-inspiration board hung… I seriously get so pumped when I walk into this room now. I still need to add another shelf for awards and derby stuff, and maybe include some rods to separate out my medals per race distance, but it’s coming along exactly how I envisioned. Now, to fill out that bib wall…
Appreciating:: A DAY OFF. I’m so glad that I finished much on my to-do list yesterday, so that I can legit chill out and read a book today (which I can totally do while the laundry is getting done).
Designing:: Guys, I changed all my living room furniture around again. And took off the slipcover that didn’t look right. I think that I’m finally understanding why the balance was off in the room, and I (think I) finally have some design direction. I really wish that my custom-ordered blinds would get here already!
Humming:: I was randomly in the mood for some old-school The Prodigy on Friday morning, and I haven’t been disappointed one bit revisiting The Fat of the Land. My heart still belongs to 90s Techno/Electronica.
Expecting:: Well, I was expecting to get a pedicure today and the spa canceled my appointment due to a scheduling conflict. >:-( Really bad first impression of this place.
Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). And the rest of us in the Blogger Tribe are sharing our posts today, too. The prompts for June 12 (Week 76) :: Planning, Loving, Reading, Wishing, Feeling.
Planning:: out my running bibs and medals wall! I’m so excited that I have the space to put up all of my memories in my workout room, and I’ve already made some purchases to help pull this whole thing together. There was a lot of great inspiration out there on Pinterest, and I can’t wait to lay mine all out. I also plan to include some items from my roller derby days. It will be an inspiration wall to hopefully lead to motivation in keeping my new goals on track!
With that, I’m also starting to plan out my training for the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon in October, including finding some run groups and group runs in the area.
Loving:: I am loving the crap (pun intended?) out of my morning coffee routine. So much so, that I find myself willing my brain to sleep with the promise of waking up to the warmth of a delicious black drink. I’m still mostly keeping to my “no coffee after noon” rule at work, but LOVE weekends when IDGAF I’M DRINKING MORE COFFEE.
After finally catching up on my Shape and Running World magazines last night, I’m also reading about some TRX upper body workouts to crank out this week, now that I finally set up the system in my workout room. NEARLY A YEAR AFTER BUYING IT.
Wishing:: that I could figure out my living room arrangement. I spent an hour making minor chair adjustments… and something is just not working. I bought a slipcover for the black leather sofa, but it’s much more blue than gray, which probably has something to do with throwing off the color balance in the room. But it feels haphazard and OMG it’s what I struggled with for the duration of the time in our Pittsburgh house — it never felt right!
I’m considering pulling out the leather sofa to see how the room feels without it (which would then both leave us with less sitting area and an empty space along the window). And then it might be another call into 1-800-Got-Junk. I HAVE NO IDEA.
Feeling:: I’m feeling a little nervous about this bike ride we’re doing next weekend. While it’s a day-long event with multiple stops along the route (BACON!), it’s still 78 miles in total, and uh… I haven’t been on a bike at all this season.
It’s the freakin’ weekend, and the Blogger Tribe is collectively sharing their Sunday Lately posts (and I’m getting back to my normal routine, after skipping last week). Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). The prompts for June 05 (Week 75) :: Completing, Visiting, Repeating, Writing, Scheduling.
Completing:: I never finished the laundry that I started last week that’s still hanging all over the laundry room. Whoops! I have a pretty long cleaning to-do list for completion today, which I will be stretching out over the course of a couple of mimosas. 😉
Visiting:: We’ve got a couple of barn swallows that keep visiting their nest that they’ve built under our deck. I’m pretty sure there will be baby barn swallows soon, but any time we attempt to go over to check the nest out, these birds start swarming and dive-bombing us — and they bring their friends! And they were super mad about the cats being out on the upper part of the deck this morning.
Repeating:: the word COMPLETION. It’s kind of been a mantra to me lately, to provoke more of a sense to do things now / finish that now, instead of my usual habit of “I’ll get to it later.” Little things like “throw this away now” or “rinse this oatmeal bowl now” and “put these shoes away now.” I just say the word COMPLETION out loud and do that task right away. And then it’s something that I don’t have to add to my aforementioned to-do list.
Writing:: Finishing up my race recap of Dam to Dam! I wanted to write the post while everything was still fresh — it will be posted tomorrow morning.
Scheduling:: I signed up for golf lessons, and my first scheduled lesson is tomorrow! Learning something new is always fun (yet scary!), and considering the boyfriend golfs a lot (and we joined a club), it made sense to finally get out there and actually learn how to swing properly. I’m a little nervous because I’m terribly inconsistent and ball sports for me have always been a challenge.
