Random Thursday Thoughts

If I blogged half as often as I think about sitting down to write a post, you would be so sick of me.

We're having a freak week of summer this week. My car said it was 94 this afternoon, which I am definitely not ready for. Fortunately it is only supposed to be in the upper 70s tomorrow, so at least it isn't sticking around.

I signed up for Jay Johnson's semi-personal coaching for my fall marathon. I'm so determined to feel good about my race this year.

Unless I can't count (which is entirely possible), marathon training starts up next week! It feels really early to be starting, but my training plan is 20 weeks long, so it makes sense.

The pooches have been joining me for some long walks lately. They love it. Scout doesn't know what to do if I stop to let them take a break and I end up tangled in leashes.

He's also super helpful when I try to stretch.

This is the floor of what will eventually be the hall/guest bathroom. We've kind of been ignoring it for a while.

I decided to pretend I know what I'm doing and made a little progress last weekend.

I ran out of thinset, and needed a break, so I didn't get it finished. Once we get all the little squares filled in it will be ready for tile!

Let's not talk about the fact that we also have the area around the tub/shower to tile, or the fact that we haven't even started on the master bathroom floor...

Have you used Thredup? I have bought a few things from them, and today I sent in my first "cleanup bag." It's basically an online consignment store. It got a bunch of clothes out of the house and may bring in a few dollars. Feels like winning to me!

Indoor Cooking!

I haven't really been running the last week. Getting sick really wiped me out, and after teaching my classes in the mornings, I haven't had a lot of energy left for anything else.

I did get a decent run in on Saturday, and am planning on jumping back into my half marathon training this week. It's easy to say that on a Monday - those are cross training days.

I did yoga.

Scout looks enormous in every picture I take these days.

He and Buddy have been enjoying the freakishly warm weather we've been having lately. They love the sun!

And in house news, we can finally cook inside!

That's right, we're civilized now. ;)

Long Time No Post

Hi!

Well, I definitely did not plan on taking quite such a long break from blogging, but here we are.

Some things that have happened since we last talked:

I ran the Sleepy Hollow 10k right before Halloween. It was raining, but it was actually a lot of fun. Mostly I just wanted to share my costume. Laziest costume ever, and I have to say, it's pretty fun to run with a cape!

Tom built a new wood shed. It's pretty fancy. 

Tom convinced me to try some cycling. I started in running shoes and my old roller derby helmet, and now have an actual bike helmet and fancy cycling shoes. I just started liking it when winter hit, so I haven't ridden in a while. I will definitely be picking it up again this spring!

I can use my treadmill again! Tom got an indoor trainer for his bike, so we have a little workout area out in the garage now. It's not exactly climate controlled, so there are days I'm out there in a jacket and gloves, but I love having it as an option. Plus I really do enjoy a little Netflix and treadmill time.

Tom also convinced me to try skiing! I have taken a few lessons, and have moved from the "carpets" to actually taking the chairlifts and ever so slowly making my way down the green (easy) runs.

Aaaaand Scout has gotten huge. The last time we weighed him he was about 70lbs. He's lighter, but taller than Buddy now. He will be a year old next month, so he's probably not going to get much bigger.

I'm not making any promises about how consistently I am going to be posting, but I am going to make an effort to post more often than once every 3 months ;) 

Probably...

New Floors and a Rainy Run

Tom started putting in the hardwood floors in our new master bedroom the other day. They're SO pretty! He finished up most of the bedroom and hallway and will probably have time to get the rest of it finished later this week. 

Buddy does not like all the sounds involved in installing hardwood floors.

He does like when he's allowed on the couch.

This is pretty tasty. The tangerine flavor is subtle, which I like. Some fruity beers taste like juice mixed with beer.

I finally had a successful run on Sunday. I actually felt mostly normal again. It was drizzling a bit when I left, but at mile 3 of 4 the clouds opened up and a serious downpour started. I stood under some trees until it got a little less intense and then did a little speed work for the last mile home. I beat the first rumble of thunder by about 5 minutes.

I tried to take a picture to show how rainy it was, but mostly that's just runoff from the roof since the addition doesn't have gutters yet.

Buddy loves when we have the windows open so he can check out all the smells from the comfort of the living room.

He's pretty cute.

A Really Annoying Mystery

I've been happily living in denial for about the last week. Turns out that's not the best method when it comes to injury prevention.

It's weird though, there is no swelling, no hot spots when I foam roll, nothing that hurts when I'm walking around. But when I run, the first 20-30 steps turn into a ridiculous hobble-run where I have pain from the back of my right heel all the way up to the back of my thigh. If I push through those awkward first steps (because distance runners are like that), I have been able to run a decent amount without pain.

I have been stretching and rolling (foam roller and stick roller) and it mostly feels better...sometimes. I had a perfectly decent 4 miler on Monday and then barely finished a miserable 2 miles today.

The problem is that I don't know what this is. It's not a problem I've had before, and anytime you mention heel pain online all that comes up is plantar fasciitis (which this is not). I'm starting to think that it's something to do with my achilles, but it isn't swollen, tight or painful to the touch.

Mystery.

Really annoying mystery.

I don't have a race until the middle of June, and after that I will be switching over to marathon training, so I would rather take some time off to sort this out now.

In house news: we got the hardwood flooring that is going to be in the master bedroom and the new hallway in the addition. It's currently acclimating to the house so it behaves itself (no buckling!) when it's installed.

We have also been looking at tile for the new bathrooms, but we haven't found anything yet.

Buddy is no help at all, but he sure is cute. I swear he doesn't sleep all day.

Sometimes he stares sadly out the window because Tom is outside without him.

Any idea what my mystery injury might be?

Painting Madness and New Shoes

I've been on a mission to get the rest of the addition painted this week. I painted the master bathroom and ALL the white in the last few days.

Today I taped and painted the accent wall in our new bedroom. It still needs another coat, but it's starting to look really nice!

I decided it probably wasn't the smartest thing in the world to be teaching classes in my retired running shoes. My calves/shins have been unhappy with me lately, even with my zero week, so I'm wondering if that's a contributing factor. I ordered a new pair of work shoes while I was stuck on the couch last week.

I also got new running shoes and promptly realized that my pink Saucony Zealots might be on their last leg, even though they only have about 300 miles on them. Comparing the new ones to the old ones really shows how much they've broken down.

New shoes are so pretty!

And because no post is complete without Buddy: