As much as I love this time of year for the holiday season … it’s my least favorite season for running. I hate the icy roads, the slippery sidewalks, etc. Bah hum bug? But it’s okay – because it’s still almost the holidays and I can cheer about that! So despite it being cold and slippery, I still got in my workouts this week, by opting inside.
So this week included a lot of treadmill time, some weights, and lots of baking! Oh, and I did force myself outside for a walk two days but it was slippery! So here’s what the week looked like:
DECEMBER is here! Yahoo! I’m so glad we’re finally almost to the holidays, it really is my favorite time of year. Well, except for running-wise, we already got some snow and ice in Cleveland, so I am already stuck inside. Ick! But the good news is, I felt good almost all November and am back at running! I’m trying not to overdo it, and taking some days off and not running 2 long runs a week. Which is easy-ish because of how busy we are! But it’s worth it – I love all the Dec. things.
But first, here’s what November looked like:
114.6 miles running with some run/walks thrown in
some untracked walks
weight lifting
1 race (Turkey Trot!)
Here’s what the week looked like — spoiler alert, there was a lot of indoor running so my pictures aren’t really of running because all I did was treadmill running! So here we go:
Hi friends! Grab a hot beverage because it’s cold outside (at least it is in Cleveland) and let’s catch up for a virtual coffee date! As I did last month, I’m joining Coco and Deborah for their virtual coffee today, while also sharing a fitness update for a fitness linkup. I can hardly believe we are at December! Looking at my calendar is a little frightening, but honestly, I love the chaos of the holidays. So, if we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that …
I’d tell you that we just wrapped up Thanksgiving travel. We spent more than 20 hours in the car for a four-hour meal, but it was worth it. I saw my aunt, two uncles, and cousin that I only see once a year. I also got to see my parents quickly! I’m so grateful B does all that driving while I maintain my passenger princess status.
I’d tell you that I’m still injury-free and even got to run a Turkey Trot in Connecticut with my son, which is always such a fun tradition. Running with him makes me so proud. I wonder if my daughter will be ready for three miles next year? At their ages, I could barely run one mile!
Speaking of running, I’d mention that it’s almost time to sign up for spring marathons and half marathons! I enjoy this off season (for me) and focusing on strength training and running when I can … but before I know it I’ll be ready to train for the Cleveland Half Marathon again!
I’d tell you that December is packed with fun holiday activities. Book club, a Nutcracker viewing with my daughter and her friends, a band concert, two school holiday concerts, a piano recital, and more. It’s busy, but it’s the best kind of busy.
I’d tell you that speaking of a crazy calendar, tonight we’re doing something fun! We’re going to see The SpongeBob Musical at the Beck Center. We’re taking the whole family, and it will be GM’s first time seeing a show in a theater. I’m so excited for him to experience it. We even got comp media tickets, so we’re making a night of it with dinner out and then the show.
Photo credit Steve Wagner
I’d tell you that we recently saw the new Wicked For Good movie. I took all three kids while B stayed home to work on the basement (he’s been working on finishing it as much as we can — new ceiling and walls). It was so fun. While the first movie was undoubtedly better, I love the musical, and seeing it brought to life on the big screen was amazing.
I’d tell you that the kids are off school for something like 17 days over the holidays. It sounds like a lot, but I do enjoy the extra time with them. By the time school starts again, though, we’re all ready for the routine.
I’d tell you that we just finished decorating for the holidays. There are two types of people: those who decorate right after Halloween and those who wait until after Thanksgiving. My husband is firmly in the second camp, so we just got everything up. The house feels so cozy now, and I love having holiday music playing in the background.
I’d tell you that I’m ready for holiday baking season. Last year I baked nine different types of cookies plus buckeyes, Chex mix, chocolate pretzels, and fudge. I’m not sure if I’ll hit those numbers again, but baking cookies is one of my favorite traditions. I’ve started making a list and I’m going to try to be a little more organized this year to keep track of everything I make and when. I already made my favorite graham cracker toffee and shared it with some friends, and we did some cut out cookies.
That’s what’s going on in my world. What’s new with you? How are you kicking off December?
What is your go-to holiday cookie recipe? I always want new baking ideas!
When do you start decorating for the holidays or listening to holiday music? Do you wait until after Thanksgiving?
Have you ever seen the SpongeBob Musical? What was the last live musical you saw?
We did it! We made it through November without an injury. AND we made it through a crazy week of travels, AND I still got in some activity. It wasn’t a high week, but it wasn’t a low week and I’ll take what I can get.
When I originally started this post, I was writing about how it was good to have a full, normal week. Well, that unfortunately changed. GM once again had to have surgery — so Friday we spent the day again with him under anesthesia and having surgery. This time it was for his ear (he had a hole in his ear drum and they had to repair that and then remove his existing ear tube that had fallen through the hole into the middle ear). While it was a minor surgery, having 2 surgeries less than one month apart, was stressful for me as a mom. He did great (he’s so brave!), but I am hopeful that we will have a “normal” week again sometime soon. And fingers crossed this is our last surgery/anesthesia/etc. for a LONG TIME!
This week featured a little of everything – some hot weather (in Sedona) and cold weather (back in CLE). Some sunshine and some snow. Some running and some hiking. A day of vacation, and then back to work. It really was a mix of everything, and I’m still recovering from it all!
This week was fun — and a little out of the norm! While I stayed active, a few things kept me from my regularly scheduled workouts this week:
GM was still home from school, which meant my days were filled with working and hanging out with him. It was a little crazy so some mornings or even lunches when I would normally be working out, I was instead catching up on work and life stuff to accommodate being with him most days
I headed to Sedona for a girls trip! This meant no normal weight workouts or runs for the long weekend – but instead, lots of fun and catching up with girl friends, which I can’t complain about.
Hi friends! I can’t believe we’re in NOVEMBER and already thinking about the holiday season! I’m here for it. I’m joining Coco and Deborah for their virtual coffee today, while also sharing a fitness update for a fitness linkup, so I’m excited to share what’s going on over here.
Here’s what I’d tell you if we were chatting in real life:
I’d tell you that I’m ready for the holidays. I know, I know… we just wrapped up Halloween, but I can’t help it. I love the holidays. The cookies, the baking, the time off work, and most of all, seeing the magic of the season through my kids’ eyes. It’s pure joy. I’m already counting down the days until Christmas! And don’t tell my husband – but when he’s not home we’ve even started listening to some holiday tunes.
Bought him a holiday shirt on one of his days home this week
I’d tell you that Airline travel recently started stressing me out. I’m traveling this week and airline travel has been stressing me out lately. I’m not sure when this started, but I’ve been feeling more anxious than usual, especially with all the flight delays and cancellations due to the government shutdown. I’ve been triple-checking my itinerary, and even though I know I can’t control it, I’m still nervous! Anyone else get travel anxiety?
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you how wonderful it was to have my parents in town last weekend. The kids were so excited to have them here, and my parents were all in on Halloween with carving pumpkins, handing out candy, and all. It rained pretty heavily the first day they were here, but we lucked out with sunshine on their last day and snuck in a beautiful fall hike. The leaves were beautiful and it felt like the perfect way to wrap up their visit.
I’d also share that I saw an author talk this week! A fellow mom at the school my kids go to gets tickets through her work to see authors speak on occasion, and she texted me last minute with an extra ticket to see Liz Moore (author of God of the Woods) speak on Monday. I am so glad I went – she was a great speaker (really down to earth) and now i want to read some of her other books!
If we were having coffee, I’d share some good news. GM is on the mend! After his surprise emergency appendectomy, he’s finally cleared to go back to school next week. I’m feeling so grateful that B took him to the hospital when he did. His recovery has been smooth, and I’m just so relieved everything turned out okay. It’s one of those moments that reminds you how quickly things can change and how lucky we are when they go right.
We have played a lot of Play Doh this week
If we were having coffee, I’d also tell you how happy I am to be running again. After dealing with a hip injury, I’m finally back out there. It’s slow, and most days it’s still a run-walk combo, but I’ll take it. I’m just so glad to be moving again and not just walking or stuck on the indoor bike. There’s something about being outside, even for a short jog, that lifts my spirits. Especially on the weekends when I can run in daylight! I even got in a 3 a.m. treadmill slow jog before a flight this morning. So happy to be back at it!
Happy Hallo-weekend! We had a great time celebrating Halloween despite everything going on (including my son and his appendix taken out last week) and I truly can’t believe we’re in NOVEMBER.
October was an interesting month – I was coming off an injury and starting to run again, we had two fun races, and I continued lifting weights and walking. It’s the first month in a while that I actually have running mileage to report! While not my traditional numbers, I’m still pleased that i got in some runs. Here were some October highlights:
I did 2 races! I got in the Happy 5K and Bulldog Bolt 5K with my son – we ran/walked them as I was recovering from my hip injury.
I kept up my weight training.
I started running again – I’m still recovering and trying to walk/run as much as I can, as well as not run daily. But that’s hard!
While I’m still recovering from my hip injury, I’m mostly taking it easy on my runs. But this week included an unplanned rest day on Friday — not related to anything with my body. Instead, my youngest was in the ER for an emergency appendectomy so we spent the day (and night before) at the hospital. Anyway, I digress – besides that, we had an uneventful week! And now we’re focused on recovery, and relaxing, enjoying some (hopefully) good fall weather.
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