Sunday, January 24, 2016

Have you smiled lately? I have!


What's been happening lately?

 Well, I have been smiling a lot (even more than usual) this past week.

Why?

For one reason, the weather. Yes, it was frigidly bitter last weekend (temps had a high of -6 ... yes, you read that correctly, BELOW ZERO), but with that cold weather I actually had a couple of decent workouts....inside...on the treadmill (yes, you read that correctly, too. I used the words "decent" and "treadmill" both in the same sentence).

Inside miles....
 Another reason for the plentiful happiness was due to celebrating our dog's birthday. Max's birthday is on January 19th (according to the papers that came with him when we adopted him).  I tried really hard to get that perfect selfie with him, but he kept trying to kiss me, and wouldn't look at the camera. After several "failed" attempts at that perfect picture, it dawned on me that sometimes the "outtakes" actually are quite perfect in their own right.

With the birthday dog...6 years old
 My daily yoga pose challenge (on Instagram, at @runningonthefly) has been going well!  I'm not the most flexible person, but I'm working on that. I've been having pretty good luck with the timer on my phone capturing me at the precise moment...and the filters certainly are a fun way to "artsy-up" the images.

Crow pose....a quick successful hold of this difficult pose
Bow pose...another challenging pose, especially with a stiff, just out-of-bed back

Forward fold...even in my jeans, this always feel oh-so-good
 By Thursday, the temps had reached the mid 20's, which actually felt like a tropical paradise. My friend, Barb, and I went out around 8:15PM (following the Iowa Hawkeye basketball victory!) and enjoyed five miles under the streetlights. The thing I especially love about winter running is that it is so bright outside! Even if the moon is hidden, the snow reflects the light from streetlights, creating a very serene setting. You really don't even need a flash light (or head lamp) to light your way, but you still need to have reflective clothing (or some source of light) so you can be seen by others.

Barb and myself...in our Vizi Belts and bright clothing
 With the slowly rising temps comes a bit of a thaw...which then freezes overnight. Thus, the morning brings with it all sorts of beautiful, frosted objects of nature.

Aren't the frosted berries beautiful?
 I'm also smiling because of my weekend running. I got out Saturday morning for a just-for-fun 5K run on a route that goes right by my house. The temps (high 20's) felt amazing, and my body felt even better. I managed  a 26:40 finish time. Not a PR, by any means, but definitely the fastest 5K I've run in awhile.


All smiles after a fun 5K and a successful tripod
I came home from that 5K, and noticed the daily pose challenge called for a headstand. UGH. It's been a few decades since I've even attempted a tripod, say nothing about a fully-extended headstand. Well, the tripod was a no-brainer. I took it inside, though for the headstand. Amazingly, doing it near a doorway (with some assistance from the door itself), I was able to do it. I actually was able to hold it, albeit ever-so-briefly, without assistance.

With Max as my witness, I did it!
 Sunday brought with it decent temps again. Some local people were meeting up for a group run, so I joined them and knocked out another four miles. The streets had some slick spots, but I managed to stay vertical! Typically, I don't do back-to-back runs on consecutive days, but I just couldn't resist the urge to get back out on the streets.


Another great run, with a near-tempo pace...followed by a twisted triangle pose for cool-down
Also, Sunday was our one-year anniversary of adopting Max (our adoption process recap is HERE).We rescued him from a nearby shelter on January 24th of last year. It's really hard to believe we've had him an entire year! We can't imagine life without him.
The bottom pic is from last January, the top left is from the spring, and top right is recent
So, that's a brief wrap-up of what's had me smiling recently. I'm linking up with Holly from HoHo Runs  and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin for their Weekly Wrap. Head over and check out all the other blogs, featuring the latest and greatest happenings!








27 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, your Max is so sweet! I love the selfie of y'all on his birthday! :) My dog rarely looks at the camera for a selfie so you're not the only one. Your yoga poses are amazing! I'm really working on integrating more yoga into my workouts since I'm struggling with a knee/hip injury and have generally been feeling very tight lately. Have a great week! -C

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been doing yoga (albeit NOT consistently) for several years. I don't especially love it, but I definitely like it a lot. It has helped my balance ;-)

      Delete
  2. I love that Max hangs out with you when you do yoga! Cleo used to do that too...I keep finding pictures with her photobombing. You are really rocking the yoga challenge and your pictures looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. photobombing is the perfect analogy!;-) The yoga challenge has been fun...it's kind of liberating when the poses are "assigned" each day (and I don't have to "choose" one). The pics are a work in progress, I like to "enhance" them, but no so much that it's obvious they've had a lot of work LOL #balance

      Delete
  3. awh, Max is too darn cute trying to help you with your headstand!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Speaking of same sentence, mid 20 and tropical paradise is not something I'd use together, it makes me cold just thinking about the temps of last week where you are minus 6 Oh my geeeeze! I can hardly get good pictures of our dog with me so I usually end up with ones of only him. Happy Birthday to Max!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dogs just don't seem to care about the "perfect" shot as much as the one photographing them. After several attempts, I realized the one above was precious, the way he was looking up at me. I'm glad I stopped obsessing over it ;-)

      Delete
  5. I envy how flexible you are. You would laugh if you saw any of my yoga poses. And a handstand? Never!!!

    Congrats on getting in your runs. it is cold here. I hate it but it's better than the treadmill.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm getting more flexible, but am nowhere I'd like to be (I still cannot do split, for example LOL)I think everyone's body is unique...some poses come easy and I can stretch/extend...others leave me feeling like stubborn (tight) rubber band. It is what it is ;-)

      Delete
  6. Yay for all the smiles! Do you always wear Mizunos? I just noticed them in your TM pic. I'm a big fan of their Inspires. I'm impressed with your head stand! I'm not sure what would happen if I attempted one. But, I can assure you my two dogs would be all over that! Max is adorable. I adopted both of my dogs and can't imagine not having them. They rule the house, don't they? Thanks for linking with us Kimberly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My first pair of Mizunos were the Wave Inspire 8's (I think). I totally LOVED everything about them....they got me through my first two marathons. A year ago I got two pairs of the WI 11's. I liked them a lot, but just not as much as the WI 8's. Last fall, I was recommended Brooks Adrenaline GTS...and those babies are currently what I'm using. I still use the WI 11's for short distances now and then, but I think their design was altered a little (from the previous model). I'm eager to see what the next version of the WI is like...I may be back ;-)

      Delete
  7. Indeed, lots of great reasons to smile ! Looks like you had a great week despite the weather.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. and we are getting more snow (with ice underneath) as I type...looks like another #nevermissaMonday run inside tonight.....

      Delete
  8. Happy Birthday to Max! He is so stinkin' cute and one lucky dog to be rescued by you. Great work on the yoga. The moon has been amazing at dawn and dusk lately.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The yoga poses have been fun! It's kind of like hand-writing....we all do them a tiny bit different, but we all are able to know what each other is doing. #namaste ;-)

      Delete
  9. the "cold" weather really felt great last weekend. This week, well it's been a little different story. The air has been damp, so it feels a lot colder. I LOVE being out there in the brisk air, though! It's so tranquil on a sunny day ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. that is a week to smile about! Love all the added dog pictures, nice he helped with the headstand! Stay warm lady!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our week progressively warmed up...and we're due to get dumped on (again!) Monday. I think I heard we could get as much as 12 inches! with near white-out conditions! YIKES!!!!!

      Delete
  11. Oh, Max is so cute! We adopted our dog from the animal shelter in January, so we celebrate that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay for rescue dogs and the families who are blessed with them ;-)

      Delete
  12. You have a great smile! Lots of great running and happy birthday to Max! Glad you had a nice week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you ;-) We've been celebrating with Max all week LOL

      Delete
  13. Isn't it funny how temperatures in the 20's can feel amazing after having temp's below zero? It's all about perspective!

    Max is a cutie!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The temps certainly are all about perspective.....today it was in the mid-40's, and my friend and I ran in capri's and single-layers! And we were warm LOL. We didn't even have gloves along with us ;-)

      Delete
  14. Keep smiling, girl! Especially with that sweet pup. Max is so cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!! We're very lucky to have Max...we always say that he "rescued" us ;-)

      Delete