About Me

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Much to Smile About


Have you smiled lately?

This past week had me smiling all over the place. Sure, I'm a glass-half-full kind of person and I usually can find something to smile about. But this week? The smiles just came all on their own.
Care to hear the details?


#nevermissaMonday
After a rather steamy weekend, Monday's morning temps were mild, though still every bit as humid.

I got out the door early and did three medium-paced miles with pick-ups. Nothing super hard, but definitely a worthwhile effort. These Monday morning runs have become a welcome "start" to my week because they usually follow two continuous days of running from the weekend. And when I finish those runs, I know I get a rest/recovery day the next day!
Monday morning sweat equity
Tricky Tuesday
Most Tuesdays involve an early morning walk, and usually a little bit of fatigue from the three previous days. I didn't realize my RUN tank actually kind of looked like it said RUM...It got a lot of laughs on Instagram.
RUN or RUM...which would you choose?
Later, in the evening, I got busy with another HIIT workout, this time in my backyard. I have really been having fun with these! I love the challenge of mixing intense cardio drills (that also have strengthening and toning capabilities) with intervals of less intense free weight moves.

Here's what happened:
30 jumping jacks
20 burpees
20 push-ups
30 squats
20 reps of arm work
20 reps of shoulder work

30 plank jacks
20 burpees
20 push-ups
30 sumo squats
20 reps of arm work
20 reps of shoulder work
**two full sets of each circuit netted me a whole lot of sweating and a night of very sound sleep
HIIT'ing in the backyard
Wednesday workout
I met my friend Barb for our weekly #5at5 (five miles at 5:00 a.m.). This was the first time I noticed that it's already a tiny bit darker at 5:00 than it had been just a few weeks ago.  Thankfully, we had pretty much full daylight for the majority of our run, but still ugh. I don't want my summer to end!
guess how many miles?
A crazy Thursday
We had rain and thunder storms most of the night, and our little Max was not happy. When he doesn't sleep well, the rest of us don't either. Usually, he's really good about staying at the foot of our bed, but he was all over the place Wednesday night, and kept trying to wedge himself between my head and the headboard (yeah, totally NOT comfortable). It was still raining when we got up, and I was less than enthusiastic about attempting speedwork on the wet pavement. I did go for a short walk, though....

...and finally got out around 7:30 p.m. for a couple miles of fartleks. Truthfully, I almost no-showed the fartlek. I had a long day at the office, and we had to pick up the daughter from a retreat she's been at since Sunday (an hour away). Oh, and there were a few tornadoes happening (thankfully, they missed us). My body was feeling a little achy and tired from lack of sleep. I even coined the term DOMS'ing (you know, when you're enjoying a case of the DOMS, but are still doing all the things). None the less, the fartleks were just what I needed to recharge for the weekend.
fartleks for the win!
Finally Friday!
My weekend started with a 2-mile power walk through the hood (in the rain). Fun times, don't be jealous. Little did I know, this was a preview of what was to come...
Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, standing, outdoor and closeup
rain, anyone?
A short while later, I was on a train, and arrived at Union Station in downtown Chicago! I took a pass on publishing a blog post, and elected to relax and enjoy the ride (besides, I knew I was going to be too busy to read and/or reply to other blogs while in the Windy City). There was a big runners-that-blog meet-up happening, and I was ever so excited! The festivities began with dinner (and lots of Chicago walking), in the company of Michelle, Kim and Deborah.
Dinner with Michelle, Kim and Deborah
Sensational Saturday
Momma N gave Chicago some attitude. Saturday morning had a bunch of us running the Rock'n'Roll 5K. There was a little bit of light rain before the race itself. Fortunately, the rain tapered off, but did leave us with some nasty humid air. Alas, it was still Chicago, and there were all kinds of fabulous blogging friends there, so it still was an awesome morning!

Soaking Wet Sunday
Sunday morning was the Rock'n'Roll 10K and Half Marathon, and Momma N's rudeness really came out in full force. First, she fooled us into believing all the "scattered showers" showing up on our weather apps would be a no-show...only to dump the first of several showers on us just as the race was beginning. The rainfall kept coming intermittently, leaving all of us extremely wet and our clothes water-logged. Stay tuned...the recap of the weekend is coming!
Elvis lives!
So, as I mentioned, there was plenty to smile about this week. I had a lot of great workouts (daily planks, push-ups, leg work, an intense HIIT sweat session, a rewarding fartlek run, and a whole lotta fun in the Windy City. My running mileage totaled out at 26, and my walking miles tallied at 30 (we did a lot of walking in those two days in Chicago, just saying).

In case you missed out, here's my two posts from last week:
In other news:
My #FridayFashionFlair (on my Instagram pageactually featured my Thursday outfit. Although I'm all about bright colors, I do love a crisp white piece of fashion now and then. And who doesn't love some distressed denim? How about cheetah-print shoes?

Have you seen the commercials about the right vs. the left pieces of Twix bars? I tried each, and I don't know...I might need to sample a few more before I reach a decision on which "side" tasted better...

Our son turned 21 last Monday. Do you ever look at your "kids" and wonder how they have become adults practically overnight? I can remember, in great detail, the day he was born (sigh...).

While in Chicago, the 5-minute Plank Challenge was still going strong. In fact, Michelle and myself made it a point to do our daily 3-minute plank together. Have you ever planked while in Chicago?


And, finally, this beautiful lily. It came with our house (when we bought it 16 years ago). It used to bloom every summer, but has been dormant for a few years. Last summer, about a week after I came home from that unfortunate surgery ordeal, this lily bloomed for me. Well, it bloomed again this past week. 

Anyways, that's the latest! Lots of fun, great workouts and fabulous friends.

So tell me, what has made you smile lately? Great workouts? Fast runs? Fun races? Rainfall?

I'm linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap. This weekly check-in is such a great place to connect with fellow fitness-minded peeps. Please join us!

43 comments:

  1. Your weekend sounds like so much fun! Glad the festivities weren't "dampened" by the rain ;)

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    1. There was way too much fun to let the rain interfere ;-)

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  2. Wow - you have SO MUCH energy! No rain here, alas, well, a little on I think Friday but not enough to make a difference. A little cooler last week, up to about 84 today and looking at Holly's Dew Point post, no wonder I've been feeling so wiped out by my runs! Lovely to see so many folk meeting up in Chicago - how exciting!

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  3. Wasn't it crazy how the downpour started as soon as the race did?? Ha! It was an epic weekend nonetheless and always great to see you.

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    1. Ditto to seeing you, too! I'm already for the next adventure...

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  4. I"m so glad you made it to Chicago for the race. It was fun to see you again! Next time, keep the rain in Iowa, tho... :p

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  5. Your post has ME smiling now! Such a happy week - the rain definitely didn't put a damper on the mood! Happy Birthday to your son too - my oldest is only 6 but I found myself looking at her the other day and thinking "When did all this growing happen?!"

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  6. I am still smiling about all of the fun we had! So fabulous to meet you and hang out all weekend. Can't wait until the next one

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    1. It was awesome to meet you IRL, too! Although we never quite got around to a serious coffee chat... we'll just have to this all over again.

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  7. You had a great week - all t hat activity!!

    So lucky to make it to Chicago and meet all those bloggers IRL. Too bad about the rain. Can't even blame it on me (I usually bring the rain.)

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    1. The rain was an annoyance, but it was worth it for all the fun we had anyways.

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  8. GAH, the FOMO was strong this weekend! Sounds like a ton of fun despite the dampness. (It poured here all day Saturday. I confess I did not run in it. So, when are you coming to DC???

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    1. I may be venturing your way in the spring #staytuned ;-)

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  9. Sounds like a great time in Chicago in spite of the rain! I smiled a ton at the concert I went to Friday so that helped with handling all the rain we got later in the weekend :)

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  10. I had dinner with my cousins last night and we laughed a lot. It's always good to smile. Glad you had fun in Chicago, despite the rain.

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    1. I always have a lot of fun when I see my cousins, too. Best of times!

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  11. Despite Mama N refusing to cooperate there was just so much to smile about this weekend! I'm still grinning :)

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    1. The weekend was amazing!! It was so great to finally meet you ;-) Although, that darn umbrella....

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  12. I loved all your Chicago posts! The rain would have been a huge deterrent for me, but it looks like everyone had so much fun!

    Poor Max. We get storms all the time down here, and I'm very lucky that one of the pugs is deaf, one is oblivious to everything and one just doesn't care. Things would be a lot more challenging if they were all terrified.

    21 years old! It goes so fast! Little man is at his first ever sleepaway camp this week, and I am counting the seconds to Wednesday when we can pick him up. You can bet we will be the first ones there on Wednesday to get our kid.

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    1. Max was a nervous wreck! I've never heard him panting so much...like right in my face LOL

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  13. I'm obsessed with your Friday fashion posts - I really want to work on dressing up a bit more regularly. The other day I work a dress for work and my son said "why are you wearing THAT?!" because he sees me in workout clothes everyday, LOL. That white shirt with denim is super cute.

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    1. Thanks!! I used to do fashion consulting (many, many years ago), and I learned that it's fun to dress "less casual" even if I'm just hanging at home LOL

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  14. I finally got to meet the other Kim! :) Oh how I enjoyed this entire weekend. You were just as kind and friendly as I thought you would be and I can't wait to meet up with you at another race!

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    1. Well, it must be the name because you were just as kind and friendly as I'd imagined, too. It was great to finally meet you (and your sweet mom)!

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  15. How fun for you all to be at the same race! Even if it rained lol. And it was only a matter of time before Instagram caught wind of your awesome fashion. Glad the summer is going so well for you!

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  16. I have never done any HIIT workouts outside. That would be much more exciting than doing one in front of the tv. You guys look like you had a blast all weekend!

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    1. Now that I"ve done some HIIT's outside, it's gonna be tough to be stuck inside...

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  17. what a week! and so so happy you got to meet up with everyone (but me *sniff*) in Chicago! I am going to get back to an AM workout in August. I miss it, I've been lazy(tired) and it really helped. I've got my room now, so why not? I don't think I've ever planked while in Chicago :D I did run when I was there for Ron's marathon - down a bit of Lake Shore Drive and in Boy's Town and of course the Int'l 5K. Happy Birthday to your son - it's CRAZY how fast the time goes and how grown up they seem! My step-kids are 20 & 17 so I totally get it (they were 6 & 3 when I met them!). Love your Thursday outfit, down to the shoes. If my foot ever stops being weird I'm going to get back to cute flat shoes again!

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    1. Yes, it was fun meeting all these fab gals...but your name came up several times...all of us are waiting for you to make an appearance over here, on this side of the Atlantic ;-)

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  18. Well I guess your rainy Thursday sure did serve as a prelude to the weekend! So glad to have met you and everyone. Can't wait to read everyone's recaps!

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  19. My Mojo hates bad weather too! If it storms during the night, he stands in front of my face and pants heavily. LOL. So happy I was finally able to meet you after bailing on LV! There was no way that rain was putting a damper on our fun! Is that a variety of daylily? I have a big bed of them that bloom every year while I'm at the beach. Argh! Thanks for linking!

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    1. Honestly, I'm not sure what kind of lily it is...it has a single stem with numerous leaves down it...almost like an Easter Lily. When it blooms, it's only in bloom for a few days. I'm glad I got that pic of it because it was all done when I got back Sunday evening ;-(

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  20. You certainly had a lot to smile about last week. The blogger meet up sounds like it was quite epic. So many familiar faces in that group. ��

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  21. I loved seeing all the Chicago pics from the blogger crew!
    I have done planking in Chicago when I used to live there :)
    One of these years I will get back for the R'n'R race!

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  22. Oh man, yesterday I was thankfully over the DOMs but incredibly exhausted, but there's a new race to train for so what's a girl to do? It was HARD!

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  23. I can’t plank anywhere near three minutes! Wow!!

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