52 books in 52 weeks

Weekly Therapy: Happy Shiny New 2018!

- Mel

the week:
I’m still working on my race schedule for this year… which is a little difficult to complete, as I do not have the confirmed dates for my summer internship (for which I’ll travel to the west coast). My goal focus will be my half marathon PR, and I am still undecided if I want to train further than my 20-mile trail race scheduled for summer. I think doing the shorter distances of some local trail races throughout the year would be fun, still keep me in good training condition, and allow me to focus on my graduate studies. I am tentative on a few traveling opportunities later this year (for races) – though my husband and I have two non-running vacations on the calendar!

weekend:
The Health & Fitness Expo is happening at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines this weekend, so I plan to check it out and participate in some of the free fitness sessions (yoga mimosas early Saturday AM, hello!). Also: weekend runs begin again this Saturday for Capital Striders from Drake University!

Meanwhile, I’ll be starting some assignments — winter quarter begins on Monday. YAY!

seven things, seven days:
1. No cavities! Great way to start the year.
2. In 2015, I completed a 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge. While I don’t believe I can complete in addition to all my school assignments, I set 24 (2 books per month) as my Reading Challenge goal for 2018.
3. More yoga in 2018! Keeping with that promise to myself, I went to an amazing Good Vibes yoga session at the Windsor Heights Community Center this week. Every Wednesday, yoga for everyone, donation class. Come out and hug some strangers and connect deeper with your own practice and the Des Moines yoga community.
4. Another visit to the vet for my middle cat child. Because of our adventure before Christmas, I was worried that she was obstructed (given her litter box behavior) and seems the poor kitty’s stress has inflamed her bladder. 😿
5. Want to say “no” more in 2018? The Art of Saying No (to prepare you for saying “yes”). {TED Talk}
6. What are your predictions for fitness trends in 2018? {via Outside}
7. This is an excellent piece from Runner’s World on how to incorporate “gains” into your 2018 goals. All of their suggestions (except for maybe the cold showers, because NOPE I’d rather just run outside) are realistic and easy improvements to goal-setting that I plan to incorporate into my upcoming training schedule.

Weekly Therapy: Fuzzy Lemonades and PTO

- Mel

the week:
Almost done with my second full week of NO RUNNING. And I’m doing a whole lot of… well, nothing else. Though I spent the last two days volunteering at the Principal Charity Classic Pro-Am Tournament, so lots of walking and lifting golf bags and sunshine. I’ll definitely go back next year to volunteer again; I had a blast!

Principal Charity Classic volunteer

I finished Life of the Party: The Remarkable Story of How Brownie Wise Built, and Lost, a Tupperware Party Empire

What an inspiring story about a woman who I hadn’t previously known! As the epilogue emphasizes: This is a story about a courage. Brownie Wise was a strong woman with the courage to change and strive for independence in the 1950s – And not be quiet in a man’s world of business. This is an incredible story of success; I also hadn’t known much on the history of Tupperware (which we all have in our homes). High stars!

weekend:
One more weekend that I won’t wake up for an early Saturday morning long run. I think I may check out the Farmer’s Market, and then spend some time at the club pool. But then again, I finally got my hammock set up at home and I may just dive into that. And this.

And then Sunday, we’re going downtown for Capital City Pride Pridefest and parade.

seven things, seven days:
1. I’m on my 2nd full week of a new work schedule, and it has made me so happy!
2. The Leftovers is over… and it’s exactly how the series should have ended.
3. It’s been over 80º all week, and I have honestly been loving it. Though, in no time, I’ll be complaining about humidity.
4. Another year of no cavities! However, I did get fitted for a night guard for my teeth grinding.
5. How to know when it’s time to quit a workout {via Well + Good}
6. Change at work linked to employee stress, distrust and intent to quit {via APA Center for Organizational Excellence}
7. “Real knowledge is knowing the extent of one’s ignorance.” {via Aeon}

Weekly Therapy: No foolin’ here

- Mel

the week:
Short week for me, as I’m off to Texas! Soon as I fit all this stuff in one bag…

Ragnar Texas blogger

weekend:
I’m doing my first Ragnar race in Luckenbach, TX. And by the time of this posting, I’ll be shoved in a van with 5 strangers who like to run (some, Internet strangers – but still, people I’ve never met IRL) — and on my way to some adventure that I don’t fully understand. Oh, there will certainly be stories and recaps to come.

I AM EXCITED. (I’m yelling over the nerves.)

seven things, seven days:
1. Provoked by really fascinating webinar sponsored by a women’s networking group, I am reading The Upside of Stress.
2. YAY! My REI dividends arrived!
3. I found these lovely Confidence Prompt Cards.
4. On-Road to Off-Road: Road Running for Trail Runners (I run both!) {via I Run Far}
5. Good Luck, Morons: Lazarus Lake & His Impossible Race (the Barkley Marathon, if you’re unfamiliar) {via Bitter Southerner}
6. Watch some ladies kick ass at Western States (I cried within the first 5 minutes): Life in a Day
7. The secrets to dating a non-runner {via Outside}

Weekly Therapy: CRAZY PANTS.

- Mel

the week:
Oh, hey! I took the last couple Fridays off from my weekly posts to focus on vacation and honeymooning and stuff. And let me tell you, there was NO time for scheduling posts in advance. I was thankful to have the weekend back after traveling to recover from the boat sways and all. the. laundry. Although I came back to a LOT of change at work, including getting a new manager my first day back, and then the office building catching fire a day later. I didn’t go back to work until Thursday.

This week has just been crazy pants. But at least I got to enjoy some of this beautiful weather Iowa is was having!

weekend:
Tell me how to work a 12-mile training run and a hair appointment into one morning? Because I’m not sure why I did that.

seven things, seven days:
1. Pretty sure that I sleep-shopped on Amazon this week.
2. I also finished the WORST book this week. No thanks to Book of the Month Club for that suggestion.
3. We Anchored Down for TRB XVIII!
4. Oh HEY, roller derby retiree finds running (sounds familiar!) {via Oiselle blog}
5. How to get stuff done after work (when all you want to do is watch TV) {via Elite Daily}
6. How to go Faux Pro (Marathon Edition) {via Running Starfish}
7. Willpower is a myth — and you should stop using it as your scapegoat. {via Nautilus}

Weekly Therapy: “There’s a huge difference between losing and being a loser”

- Mel

the week:
It’s time to make the introductory rounds of new doctors in Iowa – I had my dentist appointment this week, and I get to meet my new PCP on Monday (morning. At 7am. WTF was I thinking?!). From that appointment, I need to get referrals for a new gyno, a new dermatologist for my annual skin cancer screening, and a trip to the Ortho (hopefully continuing my luck of having hot sports medicine doctors).

I also apparently got poison ivy while I was on an urban vacation… SERIOUSLY. So I had to cancel my pedicure this week. And there’s a possibility that I might have some kind of stress reaction in my foot. At least there was good news with no new cavities!

tl;dr – I’m falling apart. Bring wine.

weekend:
I got an amazing care package from ToGoSpa this week (their Ice Water EYES product is wonderful!); so in my earlier promise of self care, I will be relaxing with some face masks and bubble baths. I’ll also probably go outside a LOT because it’s 73 degrees and BEAUTIFUL right now.

seven things, seven days:
1. There are 33.814 fl oz in a 1000ml water bottle. #tmyk
2. After a pretty shit week at work, I was SUPER excited to receive an invitation to National Root Beer Float Day (yes, free root beer floats for employees in my department). BEST DAY EVER!
3. We went to an AMAZING Penfolds wine tasting at the country club. And brought home more than a few bottles.
4. Started AND finished “Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?” this week. Probably one of my favorite books of the year. I really loved Timothy Caulfield’s writing style and humor, and his compiling of research really had an impact in how I think about the health and beauty industries (especially the myth of “anti-aging”). 30-something approved!
5. “There is no such thing as perfect”: Female athletes fight expectations for perfection online {via Reebok}
6. Since I’m a creature of habit — and now mostly settled here in Iowa — I’ve been really looking at some of my routines, and if they’re really “working” for me. Here are some signs that your routine might be getting in your way. {via The Muse}
7. James Clear with another wonderful essay: Motivation is Overvalued

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something:: Week 77

- Mel 5 Comments

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately 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.

Catch up and read all of my past Sunday Lately posts and camp out with the Tribe on Facebook!

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…

marathon bib wall workout room 30something

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 Lately for this 30-Something:: Week 76

- Mel 2 Comments

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately 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.

Catch up and read all of my past Sunday Lately posts and camp out with the Tribe on Facebook!

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.

Reading:: I’m in the middle of two different books right now: In the Name of Gucci: A Memoir (hardcover) and We’re All Damaged (Kindle book).

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.

Sunday Lately for this (still) 30-Something:: Week 71 (and birthday week!)

- Mel 1 Comment

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately It’s Sunday morning and the Blogger Tribe is collectively sharing their Sunday Lately posts. Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). The prompts for May 08 (Week 71) :: Planning, Loving, Reading, Wishing, Feeling.

Catch up and read all of my past Sunday Lately posts and join camp with the Tribe on Facebook!

39th birthday cake 30something therapy

Planning:: BIRTHDAY WEEK! And then, I guess, planning the 52 weeks remaining in my 30s. But today, planning a drive up to Pella to check out all of these tulips! I know that we missed the Tulip Time festival, but maybe we can catch that celebration next year.

Loving:: I am way over-in-love with a pair of blush pink accent chairs that I found online, which have been delayed since MARCH. When I logged on this morning to see if they were, in fact, shipping this week (finally) as their customer service agent told me in April, imagine my anger when I see that they were delayed once again — and back-ordered to June. This particular site was even charging us for shipping, which was around $160. SO MAD.

Imagine my delight, however, when I get an email that the EXACT same chairs were in stock on Wayfair and shipping around May 19 with FREE SHIPPING (the actual product was a few bucks cheaper, too, which is saving us almost $180 overall). Man, I LOVE these chairs, and while I understand that I’m in no rush to get them… well, I kind of am because I can’t find any other blush chair and I want to finish my living room dot tumblr dot com.

Reading:: “On the Verge” by Cara Bradley (my bedside book) and “Troublemaker” by Leah Remini (my treadmill book)

Wishing:: The boyfriend surprised me yesterday with a HUGE gluten-free carrot cake from Sweet Rewards in Waukee (above picture), which he also put candles on, so that I could make my birthday wish. It’s SO GOOD.

Feeling:: Really loved. And content — not the least bit mad or sad or old about adding on another year.

Sunday Lately: Week 56

- Mel

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately And we’re back! After missing last week’s prompt, I’m catching up here with Week 56. Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). Every Sunday morning, the Tribe shares a small glimpse into the last week — and I’m sharing along, too. Every week, a new theme is release for all of us to post and share your link through one of the host’s post. I’m so happy that I found this amazing community of bloggers! All are welcome, so click through and join us in the Blogger Tribe Facebook group.

This week’s themes: Planning, Loving, Reading, Wishing, Feeling.

Planning: Another closet purge. I definitely fall into a “sunk cost” loop and really struggle with getting rid of things that I spent a good bit of money on (a pair of bright blue Hunters, a pair of too-big winter Sorels, two pairs (!!!) of Jeffrey Campbell platforms, and a Banana Republic wool coat, for starters). I haven’t had much luck on Poshmark aside from BUYING MORE, and then there is the annoyance (and expense) of shipping {my invite code is HPGQA if you’re interested in signing up and getting $10 for downloading the app!).

But I definitely do not feel joy by looking at these items, hanging out unworn.

Loving: I LOVE winter, so I am loving this recent snowstorm. Comfy PJ pants, good books, cats on laps, lots of hot chocolate… after running around like a crazy person outside first, of course!

30something wine book comfy pants

Reading: Speaking of good books, I borrowed “The Girl on the Train” from my neighbor after seeing a lot of great reviews on Goodreads, and it’s been a really enjoyable and interesting read (so far). You know, since we’re snowed in here in Pittsburgh, the weekend calls for this kind of cozy.

Wishing: Too much to wish for another snowstorm? 😀

Feeling: A little stressed from big decision making. I feel like I can’t adult. Maybe I need to read “The Paradox of Choice” again.

52 Books in 52 Weeks: 30s Life List and Reading Challenge

- Mel

I read 52 books in 2015, and it’s something that I can finally cross off my 30s Life List. This was no small feat, as for most of the year I was reading my textbooks alongside reading for pleasure (and writing papers and running marathons). For the purpose of this project, I did include my textbooks because I read that shit at length and in full!

My Top 3 favorite books of the year:
#1 Elite Minds by Stan Beecham
#2 My Year With Eleanor by Noelle Hancock
#3 So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

And the WORST:
#52 Five Weeks in the Amazon by Sean Hayes
#51 The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane von Furstenberg (so bad that I had to go back to look up the title!)
… and the several books that I started (one, I even got 35% into) and never finished.

Book that surprised me the most (AKA: Fiction that I actually liked):
Judy Blume’s “In the Unlikely Event” — to be honest, I had low expectations of this book upon receiving it in a PopSugar MustHave box, aside from being a total fangirl of Blume’s books from my childhood. But I sincerely loved this story and its characters.

Book that I really, really wanted to like but really, really didn’t (AKA: the MEH Award):
Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck

I likely won’t pursue quite so lofty a reading challenge in 2016, but this goal had a purpose of getting me back to books and loving reading again — and that’s exactly what I accomplished.