5 Fitness Hacks, Courtesy of the Stairs

The stairs have it and they’re waiting for you.

What’s that, you say? The stairs?

I’m always looking for new or creative ways to work-out at home. I’ve come to realize a stairway is a pretty decent “fitness hack,” all on its own.

Care to hear why?

Not a setback, but a lesson in Gratitude

Have you ever been sidelined?

As runners, and athletes in general, I'd wager most of us have claimed "sidelined status" at least once.

Myself? I'm no exception. In fact, I was sidelined for three months, a few summers ago. THREE MONTHS! During the SUMMER, my favorite season for all things running and fitness. Not only did I live to tell about it, I am grateful for all that I learned about myself (and others) while on my running sabbatical.

Winter: We got this!

And, so it begins.

Another month, that is. It's hard to believe we're already a full month (and two days) into 2020.

Although February is pretty much a repeat of January, in terms of cold weather, it doesn't usually seem as painful. Granted, it's a shorter month, but it's also that much closer to Spring and warmer days ahead...eventually.

Runfessions and Coffee Talk

So, what exactly happened to January???

For one of the longer months (31 days, after all) and a cold time of year, January actually went rather quickly. No complaints on my part. The temps were actually more mild than extreme (unlike a year ago). Although I can tolerate the cold, I'm eager to move closer to Summer (well, and Spring, too).

Anyways, shall we gather for a warm beverage and chat a bit? Better yet, shall we share a few runfessions? Surely I'm not the only one with a few of those...

Winter Iowa Games 5K

There's a first time for everything, right?

Since 1987, Iowa has hosted the Iowa Games. Similarly to the Olympic Games (but obviously on a much smaller scale), there are summer events and winter events that take part over the course of a couple weekends (in each season) encompassing various sporting events.

I have participated in the Summer Iowa Games, doing the 5K and 10K road races in 2016, 2018 and 2019. It's never fit my schedule to take part in the Winter Iowa Games, but that all changed this past weekend.

Back Outside Never Felt So Fine

Back outside never felt so fine!

You gotta believe me on this. After three of my last four runs had happened indoors (from the previous week), I desperately needed a sabbatical from Dear Old Milly (my not-so-beloved treadmill). Thankfully, this week's weather was much more bearable and allowed me to take most of my workouts back outside.

This week threw me a lot of challenges. We're talking time management, social obligations, appointments, you name it. I'm thankful I didn't have to deal with more Milly time as well...

Tackling the Treadmill Turmoil

The treadmill has been my nemesis for quite some time.

I'm not afraid of it. I'm not intimidated by it. I'm certainly not in a battle with it. But I avoid running on it at (almost) all cost.

A bigger-than-BIG goal of mine, this winter, is to have a much more open mind and a welcoming heart when it comes to indoor running. Heck, if I can make it through a Polar Vortex (and endure upwards of 20 Milly runs, all in one season), I can probably survive most any (near) catastrophic experience.

That's not an exaggeration.