The first Ultimate Coffee Date of 2018 - Join Me!

Welcome to the first Ultimate Coffee Date of 2018! I'm so excited to sit back today and catch up over coffee... or hot tea! Did you know that January is National Hot Tea month? I'm more of a coffee drinker but sometimes I enjoy a nice cup of tea as well. What's your hot beverage of choice?

I was sad to miss last month's coffee date, but I was out crushing a half marathon. In case you missed it, you can read my Run Laughlin recap here.

If we were having coffee today, I'd tell you that I'm starting to feel much better about the new year. I was floundering a bit this week focusing on my goals, but yesterday I finally got my 2018 blogging calendar/planner printed out. Just simply having it printed seemed to aright myself and I feel a little less adrift. Now to use it and see this blog grow throughout the year.

If we were having coffee today, I'd tell you that we moved offices at work. We just moved from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor of the same office building. It's a much bigger space, and there will still be some remodeling done to make it a little more our own, but it's not exactly better. At least not just yet. We cannot seem to get the temperature right in the area where I sit, so I've been so cold at work all week! Now, I get cold pretty easily, but you know it's cold in the office when your coworker who is never cold complains.

If we were having coffee today, I'd tell you that I initiated a Fitness Challenge at work. Not everyone opted to participate, but it should be fun! You get 1 point for every 10 minutes of exercise each day. There will be a weekly winner for whoever gets the most points during the week and a grand prize winner for whoever gets the most points over the 4 weeks. It just started on Thursday, but it definitely pushed me to do just a little extra on Thu & Fri. I probably won't win, but I already got the sweet satisfaction of creating the tracking spreadsheet. I made it in Google Sheets. It includes a field that calculates who is in the lead and protects the lines so you can only track your own exercise. No messing with other people's rows! LOL It was fun figuring out the formulas.

If we were having coffee today, I'd tell you I'm both excited and nervous about our next road trip. We'll be driving back to MN at the end of the month for my brother's wedding. We're taking a different route than we have in the past, so that will be fun. But a cross country road trip in January can be dicey. I'm trying to keep very positive thoughts that the weather will be pleasant for the drive - NO STORMS, please!

If we were having coffee today, I'd share a quick weekly wrap with you!

Monday - Final 1 mile run of the #RWRunStreak
Tuesday - TIU Daily Moves (3 rounds of 15 reps); Day 1 of #YWATRUE yoga challenge
Wednesday - TIU Daily Moves (3 rounds of 15 reps); Day 2 of #YWATRUE yoga challenge
Thursday - TIU Daily Moves (3 rounds of 15 reps); Best Detox Yoga Workout;  Day 3 of #YWATRUE yoga challenge; Walk after work with Jeff and Sallie
Friday - TIU Daily Moves (3 rounds of 15 reps); Lower Body Burnout;  Day 4 of #YWATRUE yoga challenge; Walk before work with Sallie

I'm planning on doing the TIU workouts today and tomorrow as well as Days 5 & 6 of #YWATRUE. Maybe throw in a couple extra walks as well to get in more minutes for the office fitness challenge. 😉

And a brief check-in of my January goals:

• So far this week, I haven't done any research on forefoot running, haven't practiced or videotaped my forefoot running form. Fingers crossed I am able to start some of that tomorrow.
• I did massage my feet a couple evenings and practiced toe sitting most nights.
• I haven't missed a day of the #YWATRUE yoga challenge.
• This is my 3rd post of the week. :)
• I have picked out a couple posts to revive but haven't done the work yet.
• I haven't worked on optimizing my PageSpeed or created my GA Dashboard.

So, I'm on-track with some goals and need to up my game on a few others.

Tweet

If we were having coffee today, what would you want to chat about?
If you work in an office, is it too cold, too hot, or just right?
How were your workouts last week?

Thanks for joining me today! Be sure to stop by our lovely hosts Deborah and Coco to catch up over coffee with some other amazing bloggers.

I'm also linking up today with Holly for the first Weekly Wrap of 2018.

Week in Review - 12/31 + December Report Card

Who's ready for 2018?! 🙋I've got big plans for the year, and I can't wait to get started!

But first, let's wrap up 2017 with a quick review of this past week along with December's Report Card and a final check-in with my 2017 goals.

My week wasn't too crazy. Unlike many people, I worked Tue-Fri, so it was a pretty typical week. Except that we moved offices from the 1st to the 3rd floor of the same building. I got to work from home Tue-Wed while we waited for the WiFi to be set up. They'll be doing some remodeling in our new offices over the next few weeks, but the space is definitely bigger than where we were. It should be quite nice when it's all finished. I'm just excited about all the extra steps I'll get in taking the stairs at least twice a day. 🤣

Running 
Christmas morning 10k run along the Strip in a Santa hat. I've been doing this the past several years. It's my one Christmas 🎄 tradition. Also, I kept up with the #RWRunStreak with at least 1 mile a day.

Tone It Up
I did TIU workouts on Tue, Wed, & Fri. DOMS were definitely present most of the week.

---

And now for a look back the final month of 2017 and how I did on all my goals for the year.

General Running/Training (25%): A

I ran an amazing half marathon on the 2nd. I did a week of yoga. I did quite a few days of Tone It Up workouts (which left me SORE)! Throughout it all, I've even kept up with the Runner's World Run Streak.

Run at least 600 Miles (25%): A

I DID IT!! On Christmas Day I breached my 600-mile goal for the year. There were a few months when I kind of doubted myself, but the two RW Run Streaks and fall half marathon training really helped me to kick it out. I'm pretty psyched that I accomplished this goal. 🏃🎉

Be More Active in the Local Running Community (25%): B

December flew by! I really thought I'd have no problem making it out to one more group run, but it just never worked out. I was all set to meet up with the Tues night group the day after Christmas but they skipped that week. 😞 There was a group run yesterday morning, but my warm bed won out. Ugh. I'm still happy with my 7/8. It's way more than in past years, so though I didn't meet my goal, I still broke out of my comfort zone.

7 of 8 group runs completed
3 of 3 times volunteering at a local race 🎉

I'll be volunteering at my 3rd race of the year this afternoon. Woot woot!

12 Trails of 2017 (20%): B+

Jeff hurt his toe/foot early in the month, so we never ended up going for a hike together. I did do a new trail with Kristy after the half marathon, so I'm going to count it. My goal, my rules, right?!

There's a scenic drive just outside of Laughlin called Christmas Tree Pass. It's a 12-mile gravel road with some gorgeous views. About 2 miles in we pulled off to hike Grapevine Canyon. It's filled with cool petrogylphs. I was pretty tired after my race, so I didn't take too many pics of them, though.

Since I allowed this trail for December, I'm modifying my no-trail in February. The goal was supposed to be a new trail to both me and Jeff that we hiked together. Back in February, we didn't hike a trail together, but I did run some new trails on my own while training for an ultra (that never happened).

ALL DONE!

Current Events Night (5%): F

I don't know where the month went, but it sure wasn't spent discussing current events. lol

Final Grade for December: B+

December started out really great and then kind of fizzled by the end. Work was a bit crazy with lots of people on vacation (myself included) that it often wiped me out by the end of the days that I worked.

Final Grade for 2017: A

I had a couple rocky months at the beginning of the year, and if you averaged my final grades, it would have been a solid B for the year. I'm bumping it up to a solid A, though. I had a lot of great training throughout the year. I hit 600 miles. I discovered 12 new trails. I turned 40 and had a fabulous birthday - complete with a fitness challenge, a visit from family, and a few other surprises. There was a long road trip in October. Looking back I really had a great year!


Even though I didn't have any blogging goals in 2017, I still thought I'd share my Top 5 posts of the year.

How to: Sun & Moon Salutations → This post is actually from 2013. Wow!
The Why's & How's of Foam Rolling
Celebrate with Me! → An invitation to my 40th birthday fitness challege.
Staying Fit in Sin City
Running Mistakes: Proper Fueling → The importance of food, water, and sleep.
Tweet

To see my grades from all year:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

I'm linking up today with Tricia & Holly for the final Weekly Wrap of 2017. Have a fantastic New Year!! 🎉🎉

What's been going on?

Not much, really.

I guess I kind of went radio silent after my amazing half marathon on Dec 2nd.

Here's what's been going on.

Workouts

Running
The #RWRunStreak is still going strong! I haven't missed a day since Thanksgiving. Most days have been the minimum 1 mile, but I've done a few longer runs as well.

Yesterday was the last day of the #CharityMilesCheer challenge as well. It was fun and extra motivation to get out the door!

I love the CharityMiles app! I tend to stick to a few favorite charities, but the badges from this 12-day challenge made me realize just how much good the app does and the variety of charities available.

Yoga
After my race, I did a week of yoga! Below are a few of the videos I did on YouTube.

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 10

If you follow me on IG, then you already know how this ends. :-)

I had the best half marathon yesterday - and not just because I got that PR was I hoping for. It was a gorgeous course, and I was just having a great time for all of the miles. I'll have a full recap on Tuesday, but first, here's how the final week of training went down.

Training Recap Week 10: 11/27 - 12/03

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 9

After today's long run, I'm not quite as confident about Run Laughlin next weekend as I was after last weekend's long run. I'll go into more details down below, but I hit a wall today. HARD. I specifically chose a route today that started with a good sized hill, because Run Laughlin has some hills at the start. It became pretty evident that I didn't do enough hill training during this training cycle. :-(

Not all hope is lost, though. I know I'll still have a good race on Saturday. Come back on Tuesday to read about my race day strategy and goals.

Training Recap Week 9: 11/20 - 11/26

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 8

I had a really fantastic week of training this week! Plus that pesky scale actually went down a tiny bit. Yay for the small victories, right?!

In addition to what I share below, I also did a bit of foam rolling before and after a few of my runs. I think that helped a lot. I did have a little knee/shin tweakiness, but I'm just chalking it up to the point in training when it's getting a little more intense and it manifests in my legs.

Less than two weeks until race day...

Training Recap Week 8: 11/13 - 11/19

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 7

Another week. Another 1.5 lb jump on the scale. :-( I know I said I was going to do better with my eating last week, but I didn't. I need to get it under control! Other than that, it was a pretty great week of training. I did have a few motivation issues, but I was able to get in all my workouts plus a few extras.

Training Recap Week 7: 11/06 - 11/12

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 6

As far as workouts go, I had a great week! So, it was a little disappointing to step on the scale this morning to find a 2lb weight gain. :-( I wasn't so good in the eating department and it showed on the scale. I really hope to be better this week. I'm not letting it get me down though, it was still a great week!

Training Recap Week 6: 10/30 - 11/05

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 5

I would say this was a good week of training! But, I really struggled to wake up too many of the days. I miss the days when I could just pop right out of bed when my 5AM alarm went off. I want to get back to those days. Part of it is actually getting to bed on time, which I have been slacking on a bit. :-(

Training Recap Week 5: 10/23 - 10/29

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 4

Week 4 was pretty much a success! I got all my runs in plus a couple yoga sessions. I need to get back in the habit of early to bed, early to rise, though. The mornings were tough this week. :-(

Training Recap Week 4: 10/16 - 10/22

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 3

Week 3 of training wasn't much better than week 2. Unfortunately. :-( My toe was still hurting, plus my road trip was still happening. Since my toe was hurting, I didn't even pack running clothes for my trip. It turned out OK because I didn't really have time to run. Plus, it was quite chilly in central WA. I did manage to get in 10k steps each day, though many of those steps were upper body only. I did manage 2 runs this week, so I think I'll be able to get back on the training track for Week 4.

Training Recap Week 3: 10/09 - 10/15

Run Laughlin Half Marathon Training Week 1

As I mentioned in last week's Week in Review post I've decided to actually train for Run Laughlin - instead of just showing up on race day and winging it. I'm excited for the race but also excited to follow a training plan! It's been awhile.

I'm doing a Nike+ training program, which is a mix of recovery runs, speed, tempo, and long runs. There are a few NTC workouts sprinkled in as well, but I plan on adding in additional strength workouts and some yoga (of course). The Nike+ programs adapt to you. As you do your runs, it uses the run data to suggest paces, etc, for the rest of the training program. I've never followed one of their programs to get ready for a race but I have done one of their other plans and really liked it.

Training Recap Week 1: 9/25 - 10/01

Week in Review - 9/24

This week was even more stressful/hectic than the week before! Next week will hopefully be better with my co-worker's return on Monday. I'm her backup, so it's been double duty for me while she's been out. I'll definitely be glad to see her tomorrow. :)

I took it pretty easy this weekend. Rest day yesterday. Light yoga today. I just needed to recharge before beginning half marathon training tomorrow. Yep, that's right. I've decided to actually train for my Run Laughlin half marathon in Dec. It's 10 weeks away, so a pretty doable training cycle. If you're looking to add a fall race (Dec 2nd is technically still fall and will still feel like fall in southern Nevada), you can save 15% off registration using code VegasCD.

Week in Review 9/18 - 9/24

Week in Review - 9/17

In the history of weeks, this certainly won't go down with the best of them. :( Lots of stress at work; not enough working out. But it ended (spoiler alert) with a pretty kick-ass half marathon, so I'm happy again. Fingers crossed next week will be a little better on the work front.

Week in Review 9/11 - 9/17

Week in Review - 9/10

Looking back at this week, I'd have to say it was a pretty good one! Maybe it was the 2 long runs. Or the slightly cooler weather. Or the super short work week. There were a few issues that I'm not going to mention because I don't want to dwell on the negativity. Let's just focus on the positive, okay?

Week in Review 9/4 - 9/10

Week in Review - 9/03

Remember last week, when I said it's always something? Well, today, my phone decided to go kaput. Out of nowhere, it just attempted to restart and got stuck on the Google logo. Over and over again. I managed to log in for a few minutes, and then it happened again. After troubleshooting a couple more things, I hopped on a chat with Project Fi Support. Pretty painless and a new phone has been ordered and will (hopefully) ship tomorrow. It says it will ship tomorrow, but I'm not 100% convinced since it's a holiday and all.

Since it's a new month and new season (fall unofficially starts tomorrow, right?!), I'm switching up the format of these weekly posts. Hope you enjoy!

Week in Review 8/28 - 9/3

Week in Review - 8/27

With new carpet being installed this past week, our apartment was a bit disheveled. My workout clothes were inaccessible a couple of days. 😲 So, most of the week I felt a bit like a schlub. I'm starting over and next week is going to be a good one!!

Week in Review - 8/20

After last week's post, this one is gonna seem pretty tame. It took me most of the week to fully recover from all the birthday fun. I was pretty tired all week, so my workouts were, let's just say, lackluster. 😊

Week in Review - 8/13

I know, I know. I normally post my Week in Review post on Sunday, but it was the last day my sister was in town and I was still having too much fun celebrating my birthday. My 40th birthday is definitely one I will always remember. It was so special to have my family come to visit, and we had a great time!

We crammed in so many fun activities! Walking the Strip {a lot}, a helicopter tour, a pool day, hiking in the mountains, Hoover Dam. There were some very, very late nights and some early{ish} mornings. But mostly, there were good times catching up with my family that I haven't seen in way too long. Read my highlights below. 😊

Week in Review - 8/06

This past week started out very stressful with some plumbing issues in our apartment. Sparing you the real gory details, because of where our apartment is situated in the building, if other apartments get clogged, it causes back-ups and issues in ours. This isn't the first time it's happened. But, it was the worst time it happened. It was bad enough that we secured a hotel room for the night.

If we hadn't been dealing with a lot of issues in our complex this year, it wouldn't have been so stressful. But, it was kind of a last straw type of deal. The stress came because we were fed up and we really wanted rashly break our lease, find a new apartment ASAP, and move this weekend. It wouldn't have been ideal with family coming in soon, but I was just so tired of dealing with all the shit (pun intended). So, we kinda made it a bigger deal than we probably should have. Ultimately, we calmed each other down and decided against such a rash move.

Despite all that, it was still a decent week! I had to skip a few workouts, but there were definitely some highlights, so be sure you read on to find out what they are. :)