Thursday, July 3, 2025

A Star-Spangled Coffee Chat


All is well, and there’s a big USA holiday to celebrate!

Shall we have a quick coffee chat before the festivities commence? Even if we don’t have much time to catch-up, it’s great to have this (virtual) time together. 

So, let’s gather, and share a few laughs and some conversation…

At our star-spangled coffee chat, I’d start by sharing my June stats. Despite my strong showing at DAM to DSM Half Marathon (recap) on May 31st, my running kind of tanked thereafter. I took things easy, recovering, the week following the race. My hips (and vicinity) had been feeling cranky, so I continued with scaled-back mileage and even took a week off near the month’s end. Fortunately, walking and biking came to the forefront and kept me plenty busy. Entering July, things are feeling MUCH better, so onward!


At our star-spangled coffee chat, I’d also show you my Garmin badges from June. Ha! Garmin kept busy throwing badges my way, and it was fun seeing them show up following the various activities. Granted, I was aware of most of them, but a few were there by surprise. 


At our star-spangled coffee chat, I’d tell you about a nice means of environmental repurposing. My running group sponsored a 5K race recently at Adventureland, an amusement park in Des Moines. A few years ago, the park took down its long-standing Flume ride. I had not visited the park in several years, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they had converted numerous “log boats” into planters! This ride had been a crowd favorite! I immediately recognized the log boats, and seeing them brought back so many fond memories.


At our star-spangled coffee chat, I’d tell you about a new challenge I’m doing for July. While my abs aren’t flabby, they definitely are my least-favorite body part. They are in dire need of some toning, LOL! Although I do periodic Peloton core workouts, I like the added boost from taking on a short-term challenge: enter the 3-Minutes-a-Day Challenge. I’m bringing back the daily side planks, and doing 1-minute holds on each side, and also adding a 1-minute wall sit to the mix. I actually kickstarted this challenge on June 30th, and took measurements. Stay tuned…hopefully this will keep me accountable!


Finally, at our star-spangled coffee chat, I’d share an (almost) embarrassing runfession. June 29th was the eighth birthday of Voldemort! We’re not speaking of Harry Potter stuff, but the nasty scar on my knee that was named after the evil character from the HP series. This all came about from a misdiagnosed injury that warranted emergency surgery for a staph infection (more details HERE). I can’t believe I let that day slip by without any flashbacks or Facebook memories popping up (I know, #FacePalm). My knee still has some minor residual discoloration, but the scar is barely noticeable now. I’m ever grateful for the full recovery I was afforded, and the love of walking that ensued (during the nearly 3-month recovery period). 

Volde…now and then

Anyways, that’s my contribution to our star-spangled coffee chat. Besides, I think I’m due for a refill before I head out and hit the trail (my bike, and some friends, are awaiting my attention!).

What would you bring, to the (virtual) table, if we were gathered? Any 4th of July plans?

Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date


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18 comments:

  1. I am definitely a fan of daily core work. My abs are also my least favorite part of my body. Switching up your workouts to more cycling over the summer can’t be bad! Happy 4th

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    1. I need to be more disciplined with daily core work! Ugh, it’s so boring (to me), and often tough…but definitely necessary.

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  2. Glad to hear your hips are feeling better, and that biking and walking kept you going through the downtime.
    And kudos on kicking off that 3-minute challenge. Side planks and wall sits sound deceptively simple…until the seconds crawl by. Cheers to July starting strong!

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    1. Thank you, Catrina!! The wall sits are going well…I’m tempted to extend the minute to a longer time span (?), or maybe just add a second wall sit throughout the day.

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  3. Happy 4th!!! I'd like to join you with some planking and wall sit efforts. I had fallen off the pushup wagon, but I'm solidly back on, so it feels like I should be able to add in some "just a few minutes a day" stuff.

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    1. Yay, do join the planking/wall sitting party! I need to get back to the daily push-ups. I have been slacking on those recently…

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  4. I started doing daily core with Emma’s Crush Your Core program back in 2020! I will skip it once in a while but I feel like something is missing when I don’t do it!

    Love the repurposed log flumes!

    Happy 4th!

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    1. I did Emma’s program a a few years ago…it may be worth revisiting to keep me disciplined.

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  5. I think my abs are fine- it's just all the, er, fluffiness surrounding them that are the problem. I'm pretty sure all the planks in the world aren't going to get rid of that. But! A big YES to side planks! I'm convinced that my side planking (with added lieg lifts) is what fixed my hamstring issue.
    Enjoy the day- Happy 4th!

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    1. I don’t mind the side planks (in addition to my daily forearm planks), but am not sure how they kind of disappeared from my routine…

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  6. Amazing that it's been 8 years!

    Glad to hear your hip is feeling better!

    I've let my daily core slip lately - I need to get back to some planking!

    Happy 4th!

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    1. As much as I dread daily core work, I really think it needs to come back to my life.

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  7. I must confess that I had no idea that Voldemort, your knee injury's name, came from Harry Potter. I agree with Jenny, I think my abs are good, it's just the fluffiness surrounding them that I don't like. ;-)

    I hope you have a wonderful ride with your friends. Happy Independence Day!

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    1. Yes, Harry has a lightning bolt scar (on his forehead) from a curse from Voldemort…and Deborah suggested the name for my scar ;-) It seemed perfect!

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  8. I love all of those Garmin badges! I rarely pay attention to the ones I get. I need to you that abs challenge with you. My abs/stomach is my least likable area. It is all thanks to menopause.

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    1. My abs are feeling kind of soft, so it was time to bring back some side-planking. I hope you join me!

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  9. Booooo! Voldemort! And look how you recovered and overcame! I'm funny about scars. I kind of hate them, but I also kind of love having a visual representation of the struggle.

    Look at all those badges! How cool!

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    1. I agree with the scars being valuable reminders of all the setbacks or battles we’ve overcome.

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