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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