An Olympic-Sized Coffee Chat

How about an Olympic-sized coffee (or caffeinated beverage of choice) to withstand the current status quo? 

Yes, please, and thank you.

When it comes to the Olympics, I'm not a huge diehard. That said, I've been serving my time on the couch, this go round, and my entire routine has been temporarily upended. Not necessarily in a bad way, thank goodness.

All that aside, shall we grab our mugs, cups, or glasses and have a quaint little virtual gathering? I'm game, are you?

I'll even start the conversation...

First up...these late-summer mornings. What can I say? I'm doing my best to get outside each and every day to soak up and enjoy each and every remaining moment of Summer. But, ugh. Just this week, I noticed the early-morning darkness was lingering much longer. Also, with the recent drop in temps, it has been feeling a bit chilly for some of my outings. I'm so not a fan...

Next, I'd tell you about my nostalgia for sunrise rides. It's been almost a year since the derecho (August 10th), and my subsequent stress fracture (August 19th). Granted, I was riding  my bike, a lot, prior to being side-lined from all things on foot. After my diagnosis, though, Gustavas became my BFF (Best Fitness Friend, in case you were wondering LOL), and we rode daily for the next 100+ days. During that time, there were many sunrises to behold, and they were much more appreciated than the ones I'd seen prior because I was so grateful to be in motion while my foot healed. So, I have been making a concerted effort to get in a few more sunrise rides recently...and they are every bit as beautiful as I remembered.

As mentioned, the Olympics have been cramping my style, quite literally. I keep crashing on the loveseat (sideways, with Max nestled under my propped-up feet) and waking around 1:00AM, only to see more Olympic action taking place on the (still turned-on) television. So, I take a quick glance, and (45 minutes later) finally drag myself to bed. My sleep has been pathetic at best, and my back is feeling cranky 24/7 from the not-so-ideal sleep position. This Olympic hangover won't last much longer, though, and it has been worth it for every time my back has made me grit my teeth. But, Simone ((sigh)) had me blubbering as she did her thing on the balance beam. And all those speedy peeps sprinting around the track have left me in awe and wonder, marveling at their finesse.  

Last month, I mentioned my crossroads (so to speak) with the Instagram reels.  For the most part, I'm still not a fan of them. Well, let's just say I finally drank the Kool-Aid, and have started posting some for my #TalkToMeTuesdays series anyways. I'm still keeping these simple, with more of a conversational slant (as opposed to just a bunch of loud music) since my hope is to garner more interaction than just "viewing." So far, so good! It's not the first time "never-say-never" has bit my buttocks LOL. Here's my first-ever reel, from a couple weeks ago: 

Finally, I'll share my stats from July. Yikes, things got a little intense, but that's to be expected with that little marathon on the horizon. I'm pretty sure it's been almost two years since I've had a century month (for running mileage)...no surprises there since it's been that long since I've trained for a marathon. The continued biking has really been a game-changer for me, though. Who would have thought all those extra miles, pedaling, could actually make my legs feel so good? Things that make you go hmmm.

And that brings us to August. Yowza, and we're already almost a full week in! I don't know about you, but I'd like Summer to stick around just a little bit longer. The Iowa winters are too long and too cold for my liking, and once Fall arrives it's a quick fast-forward to the "other season." 

So, tell me...if we were gathered for a coffee date, what would you be drinking? How's your summer going...too fast or not fast enough? Any big events on tap for Fall?

 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 Michelle, Renee, Darlene, Jenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.

By the way...are you following me on social media?

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