A Coffee Chat Thaw-Out

Wow, is this ever a great time for a coffee chat!

Actually, anytime is a great time for gathering over coffee (or any beverage-of-choice) and chatting with friends. This particular coffee chat, though comes after a doozy of a January.

All I can say is, "Whew, we made it to February!" That's certainly cause for celebrating!

What ya say? Are you game for some coffee chatting, as the snowy remains of January thaws and melts away?

Here goes...

At our coffee chat, I'd start with a show of my January stats. As mentioned, this month was a doozy. The 22+ inches of snow threw a nasty wrench into my fitness regimen, at least in regards to running and walking. Instead, much of my time and efforts were pivoted to the Great Snow Removal of 2024. Alas, it is my off-season, so I had no specific goals for mileage...but I definitely didn't sit idle, LOL.

Piggy-backing off the aforementioned weather, I'll add that I've never seen so much snow in such a short time span, The first "dumping" started the evening of the 8th, with a good 5-6 inches by the next morning. It didn't stop there, as we received close to 12 total inches by the end of that day. A couple days later, we got even more of the white stuff, complete with temps well below freezing and -30F feels-like temps with crazy wind (nice bonus round, huh!). Wait - there's more - another storm blew through the following week, I kid you not. My driveway saw pretty much daily shoveling for almost two solid weeks. Thankfully, Momma N relented, and gifted us with above-freezing temps for the remainder of the month, melting away much of what she so generously had given us the two weeks prior.

my driveway: before, during, and after

A by-product of all that shoveling was the wear and tear on my arms and shoulders (shoveling is heavy work, especially when the snow is wet, just saying). I scaled-back most of my strength work (via weights, etc.), in the past couple weeks, but things are still in a slight state of DOMS. Although I'm mentally eager to resume my regular strength regime, my "physical" enthusiasm is compromised for the time being. I've kept quite active on the bike, the elliptical, and the stairs, as well as periodic stretching and Barre workouts. No worries, I'll be good as new soon.

staging a return...

Did you catch my mention of the stairs? Yes, it's that time of the year again! The Fight for Air Climb is April 7th, in Des Moines, and I'm back in the swing of training. This year's climb encompasses four buildings (all in close proximity to each other) and 85 total flights of climbing. BTW, if you're interested in supporting my efforts in raising funds for the American Lung Association, the link to my fundraising page is HERE).

Finally, I'd tell you about my sugar-fast (of sorts). No, I have not eliminated sugar from my life (as if, LOL). I have made a very disciplined and concerted effort, though, to cut back. I've kept my hand out of the candy jar at work, and the only sweets I've allowed myself have been by way of a coffee mug (I cannot let the hazelnut cappuccinos or chai latte's go) or a random M&M from a hand-grab of trail mix. Amazingly, it really hasn't been that challenging of an endeavor, and I wish I would have done this sooner.

no thanks!

Anyways, I think I'm due for a refill (did I mention how much I love my daily cappuccinos...especially that bonus mug-of-indulgence, following a post-workday run). I'll grab another drink and let someone else have the floor.

Your turn! If we were gathered together, chatting, what would want to chat about? What would you be drinking? How did your January play-out?

 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.

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