Friday, January 6, 2023

Coffee Chatting in January


January is here, and so are the chilly temps of winter.

Thankfully, the (current) temps are tolerable and not the arctic gut-punch conditions that took us through Christmas. That being said, I don't need frigid weather to enjoy a hot beverage...but a toasty drink sure feels good after a cold endeavor outdoors. Even better? Having conversation, sharing a few laughs and high-fiving some friends (virtually and otherwise) during a coffee chit-chat session.

Shall we make it happen?

Allow me to go first...

If we were chit-chatting over coffee, I'd start out by sharing my December stats. Ugh, even with the run streak in full motion, the running miles were very minimal. Truthfully, I'm alright with that because all of those miles were pain-free and most were run at a very conservative pace. The walking took a major hit (I blame the 10-ish days of extreme cold). The biking, though was stellar. In fact, these December miles were the third highest of the entire year (behind June and July, which had me training for my first century ride). 

While we're on the subject of December fitness, if we were chit-chatting over coffee, I'd pelo-fess that I inadvertently missed a day of Peloton action. Quite honestly, I was in shock and disbelief when I received my December Pelo stats, because I do not know how I let this slide. Looking back at my workout log, I did a stair workout and five miles on the indoor bike on the morning of December 19th, then a short streak run over the noon hour. Why I didn't do a Pelo cycling workout (while I was already on the bike, LOL) is beyond me. My Pelo daily streak had been going strong for over a year...but, alas, a new streak is now underway. I know, this is totally a first world prob, so I don't plan on losing any sleep over it. But still.


As far as numbers and stats go, if we were chit-chatting over coffee, I'd briefly give a mention of my 2022 totals. Hands-down, biking dominated. Passing the 3K mark was a pretty sweet accomplishment, via various sets of wheels (a mountain bike, two different hybrid bikes, and two different indoor bikes as well). I was hoping to pass the 1,000 milestone for walking, but came up short. Although there was inclement weather at times, I blame my ego (and stubbornness) for not accessing the treadmill a little more often. Finally, the glute/hamstring issues robbed me of some valuable late fall/early winter miles in the running shoes. All things considered, though, I had plenty of fitness to keep me busy and content. I'm not losing any sleep over any "lost" miles either. 


If we were chit-chatting over coffee, I'd share an update on the ugly sweater projects. Sweater #1, for the younger Iowa State daughter has been finished. Sweater #2, for the Iowa Hawkeye son, is well underway (I'll share an in-progress pic in my WRD post on Sunday). Sweater #3, for the older Iowa State daughter is still in the "planning/designing" stage. Stay tuned... 


Last but not least, if we were chit-chatting over coffee, I'd tell you about Thursday's full moon run! Barb, Allison, and myself have been doing these full moon runs since May of 2021. We've been pretty lucky in that we've only had the moon hidden a few times. There have also been a few times where I had to run solo, or one of the others had a scheduling conflict. This particular run was a big reunion run, because it had been a few months (since October, I believe) that all three of us were able to run as a group. The sky was clear, the moon shone bright, the cold 25F (16F feels-like) temps weren't too uncomfortable, and the conversation was wonderful. Runner friends are the absolute best! 


Well, I've chit-chatted long enough...your turn! What would you bring to the table, if we were having coffee? Did you have a productive December? Was 2022 kind to you? Any full moon adventures to speak of?

 Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.


I'm also linking this with MichelleReneeDarleneJenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.


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26 comments:

  1. Nice work on those miles--that's a lot of biking miles! Do you think you'll continue to focus on the bike in 2023?

    That 'ugly sweater' is not one bit ugly! Your kids are lucky to have them!

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    1. The biking will definitely be a huge part of my fitness regimen; hopefully "equal parts" as my running ;-)

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  2. Very cute sweater Kim! You are so talented! Thing 2 has taken up crochet and wants to make her own clothes. We'll see how that goes. Nice work on all the miles!

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    1. I know how to crochet, but knitting is my preference (probably because I know a lot more of the stitch patterns). I also know how to "plagiarize" patterns if I see a neat sweater in a store or in a catalogue/magazine (shhh, that's #topsecret).

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  3. I love that you run by the full moon. We've had a lot of cold rain, so no desire to do it myself but I think it's a great idea anyway.

    I'll see your low mileage -- I can go lower. :) Wasn't planned, but I know it's what I need right now and I know I'll be fine and get back to running.

    I had a 51 week Peloton streak going (I don't use it daily) -- and then BOOM! Forgot it on week 52. Can you imagine?

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  4. That sweater is gorgeous, Kim! You are so talented!

    I am so sorry about your missing blue Pelo-dot. :-( When I have an early flight I worry I will forget to do something later, so try to remember to do a walk or standing yoga at the airport.

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    1. What annoys me (well, that's an exaggeration, LOL) is that I actually DID do a bike workout that morning...no idea WHY I didn't just do a Pelo class???

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  5. Kudos on the ugly sweater! All of the cool kids are wearing them.

    As always, you get the gold medal for consistency and variety in your fitness. I can't wait to see where your journey takes you in 2023!

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    1. Awh, thank you!!! It's crazy how in-style these "ugly" sweaters are now...hoping that trend continues for a few more years because I have a lot of time invested in making them!

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  6. You had some awesome mileage across the board for 2022 - congrats!

    I missed one of those little Pelo dots back in October - I walked but didn't turn the app on (facepalm)! Like you said, first-world problems, but still...

    That sweater is fantastic! I had no idea you are such a talented knitter :)

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    1. Isn't it crazy how easy it is to forget to use the Pelo app...when we use it daily anyways? Yes, #FACEPALM!!!

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  7. Nice job on the sweater it looks great and its not ugly at all! I have no skills in that area. LOL on the Peloton streak

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    1. I'm grateful for the ability to knit and create these sweaters. My art geek self LOVES doing stuff like that ;-)

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  8. That sweater is far from ugly.. love it.

    No streaks for me... I just run 4x a week... I was not training for anything so Dec was a slow month compared to others. But I reached 1000 miles for the year... I'm happy with that.

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  9. That sweater is ugly-beautiful! I don't knit, but it seems like a complicated project. It came out really nicely.
    Crazy about that missing pelo-dot. It's not like you didn't work out that day! Well, as you said, a new streak has begun.
    I'm glad you had a beautiful full moon run to start the year!

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    1. The moon was beautiful last night, and looks even bigger and brighter tonight!

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  10. Congrats on your miles for 2022, especially those biking miles! I bought a bike in 2021 I think? And I've barely gotten it out of the basement, so shame on me!

    I have never been able to do a full week streak on Peloton, though I'm trying to do it for January...but I still feel your pain!

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    1. My mountain bike sat in storage for many years before I finally dusted "him" off and got better acquainted. Once I got the hang of it, I really grew to appreciate how easy it was to go for short rides after work. Then, I started to notice how much the cycling was enhancing my running (building leg strength), as well as for a great recovery vice on non-running days.

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  11. We finished 2022 with pretty much the same number of biking miles and need to get going on our 2023 miles. Do you want to meet one morning next week? I'll text to see what days work for you.

    Your daughter's ugly sweater turned out great! How many hours does it take to knit one with that much detail?

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    1. I have no idea how many hours, but A LOT. All the colors involve several "working" strands of yarn, and they are constantly getting twisted as I work the different stitches of different colors. It gets a bit tedious, but that's also part of the allure (believe it or not).

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  12. your stats are great even if you feel you fell short. injury sucks for sure. great that you've become such a cyclist though! strange how you missed a peloton workout day! I'd say i'm at peace with my stats but I definitely want to see an increase again in all the things that I enjoy!

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  13. Those are impressive totals! Since adopting my dog, I've definitely been doing wayyy more walking -- I should track this year's miles just to see how much I do! :P

    That full moon run with friends sounds awesome! That's cool that you meet up regularly for this! :]

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  14. I love the idea of a full moon run. I just hate night running. Bummer about missing the Peloton day! I hate when that happens. I love the sweaters!

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  15. Kim, those are not ugly sweaters. I think they are beautiful! Great job on your stats! Bummer on that streak but glad you will start another one. I am on day 7 and want to make it to one year. We can do this!

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  16. I actually feel your pain of that break in the peloton streak especially as you didn't realise you'd missed it! 3K in biking miles - just wow!! And finally, what a beautiful reunion run under that full moon!

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