Thursday, August 2, 2018

Coffee Talk: Bottoms Up!


Shall we gather together and chat for a bit? Over coffee?

It's that time of the month for our virtual coffee get-together. Anything you'd like to chat about? What would you share, if we were having coffee together?

There are a few things I could share, and they're not all running-related.....


The Office
First of all, this summer I agreed to take on more hours at work. This is not a bad thing, at all, but it has put a tiny dent in my daytime availability for running. Gone (for the time-being) are the free afternoons and spontaneous early-afternoon runs. Oh well, I'm a pretty early-riser, so I'm just doing the bulk of my running (and cross-training) in the wee hours of the day. Although the daylight hours are starting later and later, I still have the satisfaction of finishing most of my workouts while most of the world is still sleeping. Glass half full, right?
Where has all that daylight gone?
Modern Family
Going along with the theme of early mornings, the hubby has been joining me for some of my early morning walks (on my non-running days). We got into the routine of walking almost every day last summer (when I was not able to run), and that continued into the fall (but died over the winter). In recent weeks, he has started walking with me again. We usually bring Max along with us, too, so we're all getting some early morning cardio.
Trust me, the dog is there...
Breaking Bad
This summer has been all about mixing things up and trying new things to enhance my running game and overall fitness. Enter weekly HIIT workouts and speedwork! I have never been a fan of speedwork, and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) was kind of a buzzword that I hadn't paid much attention to. I have always done strength work, but adding HIIT workouts has been a whole new ball game. I have really developed a new appreciation for speed training as well. Each week, I have been coming up with different variations of "doing speed," and it's been a fun and creative journey. What's more...I've had some decent finish times in races (even in the crazy heat and humidity). I don't think that's a coincidence.
After a recent session of sprint repeats...with several negative splits!
What Not to Wear
Ugh. While in Chicago recently, I became the victim of a major wardrobe malfunction. Apparently some fancy, beaded sandals are not meant for several miles of downtown walking. I have always embraced the notion of Fashion Before Function...but, unfortunately, it betrayed me. And I had to buy a cheap pair of ugly flip flops to get me back to my hotel.
I still haven't been able to throw the defunct sandals away
In Search Of...
After the great July I have had (five pretty phenomenal races!), would you believe I still have not found an August race? I know, I know....things could be much worse. I am officially in full-on  (no pun intended) marathon training, so I'd like to keep my racing momentum going. Stay tuned, maybe I'll be able to find a race before my September 2nd  half marathon.
still searching...hoping for another race...
Anyways, those are some things I'd tell you about if we were chatting over coffee. How about you? Anything you'd like to share? Any fun races you've done? Any races coming up this month?

Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date. What would you share, if we were having coffee and chatting about life?

I'm also inking this with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0. 

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33 comments:

  1. As much as I love cute clothes & shoes, it's form over fashion for me. It's not worth it if it's not comfortable! I can thank running for that -- now it's all about keeping my feet happy.

    I really hate it though when shoes attack you out of the blue -- they've always been comfortable until one day they give you a blister!

    The dogs get walked almost every day -- today looks iffy, it's supposed to be a washout here & they don't do rain.

    Good luck finding your August race!

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    1. These sandals were comfortable...but they totally broke down beyond repair LOL

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  2. I have only done one race in July, and with the way way the heat has been that is good enough for me. However I do have something coming up in August, so hopefully the weather won't be extremely hot that weekend. Good job getting your HIIT workouts in, I do not like those!

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    1. I'm surprised how much I like the HIIT's ;-) They make me feel beastly when I finish ;-)

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  3. I wore a cute pair of sandals in Ft Lauderdale that were always super comfy, but for some reason ripped my feet apart on our first outing there. One never knows. As you are experiencing, speedowrk/intensity will bring out the best in your running!

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    1. I wish my sandals hadn't bit the dust ;-( The speedwork and HIIT workouts have been fun

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  4. hehe, I love how you titled these after TV shows! I'm sorry to hear about your sandals--that really sucks! :[ I'm definitely comfort/function over fashion but it's really nice when all three of em' happen at once!

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    1. Yes, it's great when all the fashion/function stuff works out LOL

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  5. Too bad about the sandals. They were so cute!

    I can't find an August race either. Except the marathon I'm runnning in Washington the middle of the month. I would like to do some shorter, more fun races, but none have tripped my trigger. Oh well, I guess I am on a little bit of a break!

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    1. Well, you will be tapering for that marathon, so that's a plus ;-)

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  6. Oh no! Those sandals are super cute too. We have been on vacation in Cape Cod the past couple days and while waiting for the ferry, I was having so much fun looking at everyone's fashionable sandals. I love the birkinstock ones that are making a fashion comeback (I remember them being popular when I was in HS) but I feel like they will draw too much attention to my toes and my toes are ugggggly.

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  7. I have fancy flip flops, and learned a long time ago not to walk too far in them. My feet end up hurting, and I want to take off the flip flops and walk barefoot.

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    1. These sandals were comfy...just not intended for so much walking LOL

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  8. My first half marathon is this month!!! In two weeks. Everyone pray that I'm ready haha. I'm jk, I think I could do this race tomorrow if that's when it was. In a week I might think differently.

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    1. Best of luck at your half marathon! That's exciting ;-)

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  9. I hate how work interferes with my running. I wish I could get up early and run before work as you do.

    Cute sandals. I love cute shoes. I h ate when they all of sudden get uncomfortable...it's an age thing I think.

    I am sure you will find your August race.

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  10. How great that you got your hubs to start coming out with you in the morning. Still cannot get my hubs to anything at all! Thanks for joining up for coffee

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    1. I'm thankful my hubby is interested in doing some fitness stuff with me. I think the one marathon he did, though, is a once & done thing LOL

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  11. Ugh, I hate it when a beloved pair of shoes, especially sandals, breaks. That happened to me one time: my the heel of my sandals got caught in a revolving door while I was holding my son, who was a baby at the time. Not only did I have to shuffle along until I could buy a pair of flip flops, but I had to do so while carrying him!

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    1. I was majorly shuffling along until we found a CVS so I could score a cheap pair of flip flops...I'm glad I didn't have a baby to carry LOL

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  12. I love HIIT and Speedwork! My mom was a professional soccer player so I grew up watching her do a lot of both and enjoy it over steady state cardio.

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    1. I still like my steady cardio (#longruns), but the other stuff has been a fun change of routine

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  13. I have so many shoes I don't like to wear but are too cute to get rid of -- I really do need to get rid of them though! I have NO races on my calendar, but I think we are going to sign up for a metric century on August 26.

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    1. I wish these sandals hadn't bit the dust...they were comfy!

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  14. Those sandals were cute - the Chicago streets were not kind to them. Good for you for embracing the speedwork!

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  15. Those broken sandals would have been the perfect excuse for me to buy new ones!

    And now you know the secret to running--it's all about pushing yourself through intervals!

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  16. Now that my IM is over, I'm looking to try new things like HIIT!! Your sandals are so cute, sorry they broke! I tried to wear some cute shoes last month and ended up with some blisters...YIKES!!!

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  17. Catchy subtitles there ...very creative. :)

    I used to be all about fashion over function ...and I still am to a degree. But as I've gotten older and my feet more cranky, I just can't walk for hours in cute shoes. I'm envious of those that can. If you can't bear to part with them, take them to a shoe repair guy ...I bet they can be fixed.

    Good luck with the August race hunt ..I have no doubt you'll find something fun!

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  18. Shoes breaking are the worst! I have had that happen a few times and it is always frustrating!
    So great that your HIIT workouts are helping you out!
    Hope you have a fun August!

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  19. I've always been fashion before function until I started the long distances... now my shoes need to be comfortable too (not the easiest feat to find cute and comfortable shoes). Those sandals are cute, I'd have a hard time throwing them away too!

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  20. Those sandals are so pretty! I'm sorry they betrayed you. May your "fashion over function" days continue for years to come. I have hallux rigidus in my right big toe and so "function over fashion" is the new norm for me. Enjoy those fancy shoes :)

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