Sunday, November 29, 2015

I Was Thankful... (WW # 17)


This weekly linkup is hosted by yours truly and my good friend Tricia @ MissSippiPiddlin.  The purpose is to connect with and support other active women.  We want to hear about your adventures. 

You can summarize your whole week or just a small portion of it.  It's up to you!  Race recaps are also encouraged!   {See rules}

If you are visiting, Welcome!  Tricia and I would be honored if you would link with us here on the Weekly Wrap. 




I was thankful to rest Monday and Tuesday after the torture I put my old body through over the weekend. I was feeling recovered by Wednesday and biked 15 predawn miles.  My heart rate averaged 156.  I was treated to that beautiful orange glow of sunrise at the end.  Pictures never do it justice.





On Thanksgiving morning, I gave some extra thought to what I was thankful for during my 25 mile bike ride: 
  • strong legs pedaling beneath me
  • beautiful blue cloudless sky
  • ability to be outside on such a gorgeous day
  • family at home getting ready for travel
  • knowing everyone is healthy, relatively speaking 
  • freedom and the good old US of A
  • my MIL still hosts Thanksgiving
  • smell of turkeys being smoked outside
  • scrumptious peanut butter GU I ate at mile 11
  • dinner plate sized leaves all over my street 
  • knit gloves to catch nose drips with
  • extra Watergate salad and peanut butter balls
  • I do not go shopping on Black Friday !!


Friday I was thankful our kids helped me decorate the inside of the house...after bribing them with gingerbread hot and fresh from the oven.  Around noon I went out for a run/walk, intending to walk more than run.  That didn't happen.  I ran 3 miles alternated with walking for a total of 4.5 miles.  I was aware of a weak feeling and occasional slight discomfort in my foot {along with the feeling that I weigh 682 pounds}.  I enjoyed this run very much but will wait a few days before I run again.  I was thankful  I didn't feel hobbled by it Saturday morning.



Saturday I rode 45 miles, a new personal distance record on the bike.  It was a shorts-and-tank warm beautiful day, but somewhat breezy.  This mileage took slightly over 3 hours and my HR averaged 151, a bit lower.  Later we watched the Iron Bowl and I was thankful our team came away with a victory.   Roll Tide.


Sunday we were busy at a family function and I was thankful to skip pool running this week.  We finished up our outdoor decorations later in the afternoon.  I had time to squeeze in a 3 mile dog walk before it got too dark. 

In summary, I cycled 3 times for 85 miles, ran/walked 1 time for 4.5 miles, dog walked 1 time for 3 miles, and pool ran zero.  And that's a wrap!


Tell me something you were thankful for this week!


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A Reminder... 

 As a special thanks to the supporters of the Weekly Wrap and our hope for continued success, we are giving one lucky linker a $75 gift card.  Each week you join here through the December 13-16 link, earns an entry for this prize. You still have an opportunity to earn 3 more entries!   The link opens on Sundays at 6 (CT) and stays open for three daysYou still have time!

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Don't forget about the Thank You To My Follows holiday giveaway hop. 
There are a lot cool items you can win!  Click on this image!

http://hohoruns.blogspot.com/2015/11/holiday-giveaway-aurorae.html





Friday, November 27, 2015

Five Runfessions (November)


I found this poor little lonely discarded guy lying in the street on a ride about a week after Halloween.  I looped by several times before finally deciding to stop.  After inspection, he didn't appear to be smashed or tampered with.  I fess up...I planned to eat him.  After all, I had eaten zero candy on Halloween. Alas, he mysteriously disappeared from the kitchen counter before I got around to it.




Speaking of candy, I went for a hair cut recently.  My boys had been in a couple of weeks prior to me.  When I got ready to leave, my hairdresser said "I heard you like Almond Joys" and dumped a big double handful of fun-sized (not the minis!) in my purse.  They rode around in there very nonchalantly for several days, maybe even a week.  And then one day >>> BOOM.  They spoke to me.  I fess up...I ate them all in one sitting.  {Sometimes you feel like a nut...}
 

I saw the oddest thing on a bike ride recently.  A lady was vacuuming her lawn.  I fess up...I stopped and stared.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing!  Am I missing something?   Is this a new fun thing that I am way out of the loop on?  Should I stop what I'm doing and go vacuum my lawn?  

After last weekend's 41 miles on my bike and then the next day's half marathon in the pool, I was whipped!  My legs were certainly feeling it so out came my trusty (perhaps too tight) compression sleeves.  I fess up...I think it is so cool that "MOJO" is literally embossed into my skin when I take them off.  That's the name of one of my dogs.
  



I fess up...I'm having a hard time wanting to get up on weekdays at 5:00 to cycle in the cold.  For me, riding in the dark already necessitates a put-your-big-girl-panties-on, suck-it-up-buttercup, mentality.  But add the cold to it and, UGH.  I need a good mantra to get me up and moving. Any suggestions?


Do you have anything you need to fess up?
   


I'm linking up with Marcia today from Marcia's Healthy Slice
Please stop by and join in with your Runfessions!



 

I'm also linking up with the lovely ladies of the DC Trifecta for Friday Five.


Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC,
Mar from Mar on the Run!.



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Don't forget about the Thank You To My Follows holiday giveaway hop. 
There are a lot cool items you can win!  Click on this image!

http://hohoruns.blogspot.com/2015/11/holiday-giveaway-aurorae.html





Monday, November 23, 2015

Holiday Giveaway - Aurorae


It's time for the Thank You To My Followers holiday giveaway hop.


It's Thanksgiving week and a wonderful opportunity  to say Thank You.    If you follow my little blog or if you've ever read and taken the time to comment, I truly appreciate it.  I've enjoyed connecting with all of you since beginning this journey last year and hope to meet many more

Disclaimer:  I was provided with an over-sized Beach/Swim towel from Aurorae in exchange for an honest blog post review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

"At Arorae Aqua, we aspire to offer products that enhance your life by enhancing your experience with water...whether it be for sport and fitness, leisure, or relaxation."   Check-Check-Check.


As much time as I spend at the lake water skiing, floating around in the backyard pool, at the beach, and now crazily pool running -- I always need a good towel.  On summer weekends, our pool gets pretty crowded.  Of course, everybody wants a nice dry towel.  {Picky, aren't they?}  So when anyone asks me about gift suggestions, I always say "Beach Towels"!

As I do with anything new, I washed this towel prior to use.  No problems there.  The towel did not look very big in the package, but I was amazed by how large it unfolded to be -- 32 x 68.  That's larger than my other beach towels.  The towel was quite thin and I wondered how absorbent it would be.  However, I thought the folded up compact size would be perfect for the boat! 


I tucked the towel into a small bag and took it with me to the Y for pool running.  After being water logged for over 2 hours, it felt nice to wrap up head to toe in this soft microfiber towel.  And, no worries about the thin profile -- it was very absorbent.  After completely drying myself (because it was cold outside!) this towel didn't feel heavy or even that wet   My traditional cotton towels get soggy and heavy. When I returned home, I hung it on the railing and it dried quickly.  This feature will certainly be a huge hit in our back yard next summer.

The only negative thing I can say about this towel is...it made me want to go to the lake!

The wonderful people at Aurorae were very generous to allow me to give a towel to one lucky reader! They make these towels in beautiful shades reminiscent of waterfront locations.  The one I received is called Sanibel Sunrise, a lovely light gold hue.  Their logo is also prettily embroidered on the towel.  I thought that was a very nice touch!

Please enter the giveaway below so you can experience these wonderful towels for yourself



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to our host Runaway Bridal Planner 
and co-host Tutus and Tennies for organizing this hop!


Make sure you hop by all the bloggers listed below.  
You'll have many great opportunities to win.


Sunday, November 22, 2015

Not Gonna Do It (WW # 16)


This weekly linkup is hosted by yours truly and my good friend Tricia @ MissSippiPiddlin.  The purpose is to connect with and support other active women.  We want to hear about your adventures. 

You can summarize your whole week or just a small portion of it.  It's up to you!  Race recaps are also encouraged!   {See rules}

If you are visiting, Welcome!  Tricia and I would be honored if you would link with us here on the Weekly Wrap. 



Yippee!!  A new distance record.

I rested on Monday and Tuesday, per my usual I'm-killing-myself-over-the-weekend training plan.  When I woke up Wednesday morning, the wind was howling due to an approaching storm. Nope. Not gonna do it!  {Think Dana Carvey as President BushThe weather forced me to cut back this week, probably a good idea since I've done nothing but increase since the injury.  

Thursday morning I rode for 18.5 foggy and chilly miles.  It was mostly dark and there were a lot of limbs and debris in the road from the storm!  I was happy to finally see daylight.  My average HR was around 160 but since I forgot to stop my Garmin (it is so frustrating when I do that!) I'm unsure.  

Saturday I rode for 41 miles. This is my new distance record.  My HR averaged 155 and speed 14.70 mph.  I think that's pretty OK for a recreational rider like me and especially at that long of a distanceI was curious and checked Garmin Connect for my top speed.  It was 22.4 mph.  And, I have no idea what all of this means!  I do know it was a beautiful day to be outside!
 
 
How can you not be outside on a day like this?



Saturday afternoon was pretty quiet.  We didn't have our normal house full of people and our college football team whipped their opponents easily.  The game wasn't very interesting but other games surely were.

Sunday morning I decided to walk the dogs.  I wanted to test my left foot in preparation for the impending first post-injury run that I was planning for next week.  I purposely wore blue jeans and a heavy jacket, so I wouldn't be tempted to run.  Nope.  Not gonna do it.  Umm...that didn't work.



On a quiet, chilly, windy November morning on a walk with my dogs, I ran.   With one dog pulling me ferociously from the front and me dragging the other one lagging in the back, I ran.  (I'm sure we made quite a sight.)   In bulky street clothes and with coffee sloshing in my belly, I ran.  Slowly and purposely for 3 separated laps, I ran.  Without any thought or planning, I ran.  For one mile, I ran.  I guess I should mention, I also walked another 2.5 with the dogs. 

With the realization that the Disney Marathon is only 7 weeks away, it was enough motivation to return to the pool for a 140 minutes pool running session. Two.Hours.And.Twenty.Minutes. BAM!  My HR averaged 139 (so close to the targeted 140!)

The Thank You To My Followers Holiday Giveaway Hop has kicked off and runs all the way through December 6th.  I hope you will stop by for a chance to win a wonderfully huge Aurorae Aqua beach and swim towel. 

http://hohoruns.blogspot.com/2015/11/holiday-giveaway-aurorae.html

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DON'T FORGET
  • As a special thanks to the supporters of the Weekly Wrap and our hope for continued success, we are giving one lucky linker a $75 gift card.  Each week you join here through the December 13-16 link, earns an entry for this prize.   
  • You still have an opportunity to earn 4 entries!   The link opens on Sundays at 6 (CT) and stays open for three daysYou have plenty of time Please link!

*************************************************************************


In summary, this week I cycled twice for a total of 59.5 miles, pool ran once for 140 minutes, and I RAN once for 1.0 miles.   And that's a wrap!


Tell me something good!



Thursday, November 19, 2015

Five Things



I'm participating in the Grow Your Blog Hop hosted by Runaway Bridal Planner.  Today is a spotlight day for me.  If you are new here, I certainly appreciate you stopping by and hope you'll return.

In the spirit of getting to know one another, I thought I'd share a few things about me.  It's also time for the Friday Five, so let's just kill two birds...so to speak.





I Was Raised On Country Sunshine (Dottie West)

I was born and raised in the rural south.  We had a large garden and summers were spent picking, shelling, shucking, and snapping.  We had a pumpkin patch long before that was considered cool.  One of my favorite things was to feed the cows with my Grandfather.  He let me sit in his lap and drive his truck to the pasture.  We had no cable TV, certainly no video games.  We did have a telephone...and it was on a party line (Google that!). 

I liked to read and we'd go roller skating in town, but we (kids) were often bored.  The standard response to our complaining was "Go Play Outside".  So we did.  We biked the rural roads and trails in the woods.  We used an old swing set frame as a gymnastics apparatus.  Ask me how many times I've had the breath knocked out of me {with chocolate cake in my mouth too!}  We played on the tractor.  We played in the dirt.  We used our imaginations.  Even in my 50's, my favorite thing is to Go Play Outside. 


River Bank (Brad Paisley)

Although I had many years of piano lessons and a few years of dance lessons {...bahaha}, I was a tomboy.  Weekends were spent in a cabin on the backwater.  I played, fished, swam, and water skied with such vigor that my lungs would ache.  But, I would not tell my Mother for fear she'd make me stop.  I'd fall into an exhausted sleep and do it again the next day.  Later we spent summers and holidays at the Gulf of Mexico.  It's abundantly clear where I get the urge to be in-near-on a body of water! 

It's All About The Spray




Young at Heart (Frank Sinatra)

I met my husband on Halloween.  He was Dracula and it was love at first bite (sorry, couldn't resist).  We have three sons, one DIL, two grandkids and two weird dogs.  I have a BS in Business Management, not to be confused with Human Resources.  My education was all about numbers.  I've worked in Accounting/Finance all of my life and run a specialty finance company.  {Yawn} 

Our house is the hub of family fun and chaos.  I wouldn't have it any other way. We spend warm weekends in the backyard and on the lake.  I still slalom waterski.  Who's old?  Fall weekends are focused on college football.  Winters usually still include a Disney visit, even though our kids are not little anymore. We take a few yearly trips and still frequent the Gulf.


CCAD 5k -- 2012


Running Down A Dream (Tom Petty)

Although I water skied every Summer and had quite the collection of Kathy Smith workout videos (anybody?), it wasn't until much later in life that I became more active and eventually discovered running.  I started on the gym's treadmill in the Winter of 2008, after getting bored with the elliptical machine.  I was amazed that this gawky girl with the gangly arms and legs who was excused from PE all of her life could run!  I credit our love of Disney World for the motivation to run my first half marathon -- also the first race I ever signed up for.  I received an email about the WDW Marathon and Half.  "What's that?" quickly became "I can do that!"  And that, I did. 


The Race is On (George Jones)

Viking Half Marathon -- 2015


I've run 142 races of varying distances but the half marathon is my favorite.  I've run 36 halves, completing 17 in 2014 alone.  I am currently finalizing a foot injury that caused me to DNS the Chicago Marathon.  I've cycled and run crazily in the pool to maintain my fitness.  I'm curious to see how well that worked as I'm registered for the WDW Marathon in January.  {Fingers crossed!} 

I currently co-host the Weekly Wrap with my friend Tricia.  It was created with the goal of connecting with and supporting other active women. The link is open from Sunday through Wednesday evenings.  We'd be honored for you to join us.  You just might meet a friend for life!  As a bonus, you can also earn multiple chances to win a wonderful prize. 


What motivates you to try something?



I'm linking up with the lovely ladies of the DC Trifecta.

 
Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC,
Mar from Mar on the Run!.










Wednesday, November 18, 2015

I Cherish...


I cherish the solitude of my quiet early route
I cherish cold air, not the heat, no doubt

I cherish the blood that pumps through my veins
I cherish the aches, the joys, the pains

I cherish the sweat that drips from my chin
I cherish a slow run, a PR, a win

I cherish the friends I've been honored to meet
I cherish smooth pavement under my feet 

I cherish the music that plays in my ears
I cherish the strength I've gained through the years

I cherish the ladies all nodding their heads
I cherish the support, the kind words they have said

I cherish the smile that it puts on my face
I cherish the adrenaline, excitement...the race
  
I cherish THE RUN that will come soon I know 
I cherish the fact that I'll be able to go



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Thanks for humoring me.  I realize it's so...
difficult to take serious a poem by HoHo. 


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What do you cherish?
Feel free to add a line!



I'm linking up with Deb @ Deb Runs for the Wednesday Word.

Please visit Deb and the other participating bloggers.  It's fun!














Monday, November 16, 2015

What's Playing?


Music is such a huge part of my life.  As a child, I took 12 or more years of piano lessons, was a band member from the sixth grade on, and sang in the choir.  There is always, ALWAYS a song playing in my head, even when I'm asleep.  Just ask me what's currently tuned in up there. 

This is the one time of year I actually enjoy sitting down at the piano to play a little too.  I simply can't imagine a life without it.  To me, music equals memories.   


  • She's Country (Jason Aldeen) = my first half marathon 
  • Boogie on Reggae Woman (Stevie Wonder) = running in the Magic Kingdom
  • Sunshine on my Shoulders (John Denver) = the death of my brother
  • I Feel Fine (James Taylor) = snow skiing in North Carolina
  • All Summer Long (Kid Rock) = being at the lake
  • I'm Getting Stoned (Eric Church) = running in the Colorado Rockies 
 

I listen to music everywhere!  In the car.  At work.  In our backyard.  In the boat.  On the beach.  When I run.  When I cycle.  And yes, when I do that crazy pool running thing!  

I didn't grow up listening to country music, though.  I disliked it for most of my life, actually.  Earlier this year, I wrote about how and why I changed my mind about that in Running CountryYou can check that out and also see my favorite five country "oldies but goodies" songs for running.

http://hohoruns.blogspot.com/2015/05/running-country.html

 

PoPo is a die-hard fan of rock.  We mostly listen to that genre in the boat, after all he is the driver.  Our boat is pretty tricked out with speakers.  I'm afraid you can hear us coming.  If I'm skiing, all I hear is wind noise but he is up there rocking out.

I'm not extremely picky about my music.  If it has a good beat, I like it.  If I can chill to it, I like it.  If it feels fun, I like it.  So what I end up with is an extremely eclectic selection of music on my phone and iPod shuffle.  Here is just a little sample:



Buy Me A Boat                              (Chris Janson)
Crazy Train                                   (Ozzie Osbourne)
Dance The Night Away                   (Van Halen)
Don't Be Cruel                              (Elvis Presley) 
Fat Bottomed Girls                        (Queen)
Georgia                                        (Ray Charles)
Give Me One More Last Chance       (Vince Gill)
I Don't Need Your Rocking Chair     (George Jones)
Mama Told Me                               (Three Dog Night)
Mambo No. 5                                (Lou Bega)
Nothing Else Matters                     (Metallica) 
Ride The River                              (Eric Clapton)
River of Dreams                            (Billy Joel)
Save It For A Rainy Day                 (Kenny Chesney)
Stitched Up                                  (John Mayer & Herbie Hancock) 
Superstition                                 (Stevie Wonder)
The River is Wide                          (James Taylor)
When You're Hot You're Hot           (Jerry Reed)
Wipeout                                       (The Ventures)
Your Mama Don't Dance                 (Poison)



Does anyone have a match for the win?



Thanks to the wonderful hosts of Tuesday on the Run:

Patty @ My no-guilt life!
Marcia @ Marcia's Healthy Slice
 Ericka @ MCM Mama Runs,