Insert Clever Title Here

I kinda spazzed out last night at kickball. There were a few things working against me:

• New medication
• I woke up early yesterday to get in a 5 mile run, since I wasn't certain kickball was going to happen (we've been rained out 80% of the time this season). The rain did not work in my favor this time, however. 
• We had a double header... against the same team, who is pretty good
• Our (2) games didn't start until 8:30 pm... and usually I'm in bed and winding down around 9:15pm, so I really didn't want to be there

It doesn't help that every week, we're always fighting to get enough women to play on our team. We always barely eek by with the required 5 minimum, which means that every single one of us is playing the field every single inning, while the guys get to rotate in and out, and the ladies never get a break. Don't get me wrong, I like to play, but I think I'm going to need to take the next season off to really focus on half marathon training. I'll try to find someone to replace me as short stop.

Running went well yesterday.

No it didn't. It went more like this:

Minus the whole stripping part.

I did find this article about running form interesting. It appears my natural stride is what's going to be most efficient for me after all, and I don't really need to give it much further thought.

Weird dreams continue. Last night, there were a few different ones, but the one that stands out most vividly right now involves me being part of a focus group at work reviewing new commercials where we fired the guy who has been acting as our spokesperson over the last few years... and replaced him with an animated version of him and used his voice. Pretty sure we can't do that. Also, the commercials were nonsense.

I'm so tired today. Here's to a much-earned rest day.

Ninja Turtle

I probably shouldn't have gone running this morning. The odds were against me having a good run for a few reasons:

• Yesterday was "Leg Day" at the gym. I usually don't work out at night, but I had to yesterday because I had a dentist appointment at 8am, which wasn't going to leave me with enough time to do my workout and get a shower in. I don't think I'm doing my leg workouts hard enough, though, because my legs felt just as fresh as any other day when I woke up this morning.
• The weather hasn't been all that great here in "sunny" Florida. Rain ruined my weekend Disney plans, and it's continuing through this week. However, my weather app told me that rain was only a 35% probability between 6 and 10 am today, so I decided to take my chances. The humidity was pretty awful, though. 
• Tuesday nights is typically kickball nights... and this week, my team was scheduled for a doubleheader. So normally, I wouldn't workout on a Tuesday morning because I've gotta be fresh to kick some balls.Yet with the rain in the forecast, I decided to take the risk and go for a run in the hopes that the games would be canceled (and, lucky for me, they were! I'd be pretty useless to the team tonight if they hadn't been).  

Despite having just worked out last night, fighting humidity, and being anxious about kickball tonight, I had a pretty decent run! My Mizunos are working out really well. And I got to see some cool things at the lake:

• I'm pretty sure this turtle I found could out-run me. 
• Remember when I saw a lady walking her cat? I think I ran into her husband, who was also walking a dog and was closely followed by the same cat. I will try to get some video of this next time because it's absolutely hilarious and adorable. 
• Speaking of video, I also saw an otter! My husband captured video of this otter (or maybe it was his brother/mother/cousin... not sure how many otters live in this urban lake in Florida, but methinks it can't be that many...) on his cell phone two weeks ago when we went for a walk. I caught a really quick glimpse of this one swimming today, too quick to get another video. But if I can get my husband to post his otter video to YouTube today, I'll link to it here.

UPDATE: Here he is :)

I'm glad I'm back on a morning workout schedule for the rest of the week now and will head back to the gym for "Arm Day" tomorrow. I know it's Global Running Day tomorrow, but it's going to be raining here and I don't think it's wise for me to have back-to-back running days just yet. It's a bit too early in my half marathon training. 

I may be overdue for a rest day, but there's no such thing as a true "rest day" on the Whole Life Challenge - you have to do at least 10 minutes of exercise every day. I've been sprinkling in walking as active rest in order to get my points for the WLC.

If you're also doing the WLC, leave a comment and let me know how you are handling rest days. Are you active? Or are you just sacrificing points? I'd also love to hear how everyone is celebrating Global Running Day too!

Identity Crisis

2016 is the worst, isn't it?

I'd be way excited that we're in the last month of the year, but frankly, I'm not all that optimistic for 2017 either. I had some time to go back and read a few things I wrote around this time last year. My god, was I naive. I need to be much more analytical about how I do things from here on out.

I've quit running, which was my intention all along for 2016 as shared in my very first blog post. Resolution achieved I guess? I was just hoping to do it after I hit a personal record. I don't think I'm done with races forever - I still think about running the "Dopey Challenge" (a back to back 5k, 10k, half, and full marathon at Disney World) and a Ragnar Florida Keys (if I can get my American Odyssey Relay teammates to think about coming down this way. Or find 11 new willing mental patients to join me).

But I'm going to wait until inspiration strikes before I break out my running shoes again. It might be a while.

So now I find myself with a lot more free time and nothing to fill it with, which has given me exceptional clarity into how much of my identity was tied to hard core fitness routines over the last 15 years. I'm having a hard time thinking of what could fill this void going forward.

I've taken to crowdsourcing ideas, so if you've got one for me, leave a comment. So far, things like knitting, sewing, and quilting seem to be popular responses. It seems as if the only things out there for me are old lady hobbies.

We're both short and old.

And I guess I have to be ok with that. At this point in my life, I can't expect to pick up a new skill and eventually become the best in the world at it.

Blogroll the last

A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer.

Bonus points if you know what song those lyrics come from.

Here's what I've been reading lately:

Train Like an Athlete:

• Quitting running is the right thing to do for some people.
• I can spend 30 minutes each day walking, especially now that they released the buddy feature in Pokemon Go.

Eat Like an Athlete: 

• A 30 second test to see how many carbs you should be eating.
• Apologies to my husband, but this is why I win.
• Finally - an answer to the carbs vs. fat debate? (Just kidding).
• Common myths about eating disorders.

Think Like an Athlete: 

• Thinking it's time to let go.
• Recovery = Resilience.
• Time to stop dwelling on past versions of ourselves.
• How to accomplish something with only 1/3 of the year remaining.
• Let me get this straight... being a perfectionist isn't fun?

Blogroll 14

Look what I captured this week:

Confirming my theory that I am the magikarp.

A recap of the things I've read over the week:

Train Like an Athlete:

• Perhaps I need to move to a state where this is legal.
• I'm a sweaty mess after every workout, and it means jack squat.
• I have used every one of these excuses to avoid running.
• Break a 95 minute half marathon (if you aren't me).

Eat Like an Athlete: 

• You've heard it before - abs are made in the kitchen.
• How psychologists define eating disorders.
• The 80/20 rule is exhausting. Go for 100%.
• Listen to your cravings.

Think Like an Athlete: 

• This article is spot on for me as an INFJ - How each Myers-Briggs Type reacts to stress.
• How competitive people can still have friends.
• How not to get old, even when you just had a birthday.
• Think like a Jedi to meet your goals.

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• 20 things you didn't know about paleo...  like sleep is important. Ok, most of this list is about diet, but I never have any good articles about sleep anymore. If you've got something good, send it my way!
• And the follow up to the above: Is a low carb diet ruining your health? Sleep also gets an honorable mention here. Anyway, I'll be upping the carbs for sure.

Blogroll the 11th

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend. As expected, I'm pretty sore from housework but anticipate being ready for a CrossFit WOD tomorrow. Since I've got nothing new to report, figured I'd share what I've been reading this week:

Train Like an Athlete:

• I don't really need this type of motivation to work out, but definitely curious.
• Reduce running injuries by changing your gait pattern.
• Running in the morning before work makes me better at my job, too.

Eat Like an Athlete: 

• 5 foods that can help you run like Quicksilver.
• Taking back control from food addiction.
• 10 ways to get your metabolism in check.

Think Like an Athlete: 

• "Shine Theory" - can your competitor become your most trusted mentor?

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• Stress keeping you from sleeping well? Here are 5 activities beyond meditation that can help reduce stress.

Did I mention I'm still tickled by all of the Marvel movies I watched in May? At least the last month was good for something!

Blogroll the 10th

Slammed at work. No time to think or write. At least I can still find a few minutes in my day to read...

Train Like an Athlete:

• I've definitely given myself plenty of days off from training at this point.
• I want to go back to crossfit, especially because of point #6 - just really need to make sure my stress fracture is completely healed.
• Leave your shoes at home next time you go for a run.
• Maybe you need to strength train less than you think.

Eat Like an Athlete: 

• All of these have been staples in my diet (I even started regularly taking maca this week). So now what am I supposed to eat?!
• Oh, here's what I'm supposed to eat.
• Well, that settles it. Never giving up coffee.
• But I'd love to give up sugar... only it seems to be much harder for me even beyond 48 hours.

Think Like an Athlete: 

• I haven't been able to keep up with meditation consistently, but I do have to walk my dog every morning.
• How to stop obsessing about body weight and food.
• Resilience should be the end goal... not necessarily happiness.

Sleep Like an Athlete:

I've got nothing to share here. Sleeping is like my favorite thing to do these days, but...

Alright, break over. Back to work.

Blogroll the Ninth

Happy 200th post to me! Maybe I'm finally running out of things to say.

Can't believe I only have one more workday - then it's off to Orlando for Star Wars weekend. In the meantime, here's what I read this week. To start, two random fun things:

• Find out what year your name was most popular. Nicole - super popular in NJ, especially around 1985.
• Even Disney princesses have to deal with being compared to each other. Although, I must agree that Mulan kicks ass.

Train Like an Athlete:

• Running: Surprise, it's good for you!
• 6 common race day fails - I may not hit my goal time, but at least I'm not guilty of doing any of these!
• How to recover appropriately.
• Practice being your future self.

Eat Like an Athlete: 

• Why some people (sadly, not me) can eat more carbs than others.
• I may very well spend the rest of my life sober.

Think Like an Athlete: 

• Turns out acts of kindness can reduce anxiety.
• I don't know. I do most of these things but my mood is all over the place. 
• Make more "net positive" decisions with the only 7 things you can control in life.
• Why sometimes practicing self-care isn't helpful for someone with anxiety
• I've mentioned it before, but pets are good for you.

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• How to get a good night's sleep.
• Women need more sleep than men.
• Late bedtimes - among everything else on this list, except commuting - are stressing me out.

Today's exercise: 3 mile run
M1: 15:13
M2: 16:01
M3: 15:54

Blogroll the... lost count

I have no good excuses for not writing today. Spelling my name N-i-c-o-L-A-Z-Y.

Train Like an Athlete:

• 10 Things Running Coaches Wish You Would Stop: 2, 3, 5, 6... guilty as charged.
• She vowed to quit marathons... and then found a healthy way to enjoy them again.
• Do these 4 things to become an expert at anything.

Eat Like an Athlete:

• Eat more, move less... have I heard this story somewhere else before?
• Non-scale victories: Not a secret that weight loss is a major goal of mine as carrying extra weight slows you down. But I ditched my scale a long time ago. 

Think Like an Athlete:

• What introverts wish extroverts understood about us. Not totally relevant to this category, just want you to know how *I* think.
• How to know for sure you are making a bad decision. Still gotta work on controlling those emotions...

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• Why early risers tend to be healthier: just don't lose sleep over it...
• ... but here's how you can make it through the day if you do.

Today's Exercise: Rest. But hit 400% of my step goal yesterday traipsing around Disney!

Navigating the Death Star Part II

As I mentioned yesterday, navigating business travel while on the Whole 30 has been pretty difficult. I'm super excited to get back home tonight so I can resume life as normal (although I understand there are many out there who fail to see my life as I'm currently living it as "normal"). Luckily, I got to spend the last 24 hours with a friend who is super understanding, supportive, and patient enough to accomodate my pain in the ass food choices. We found an Italian restaurant on the San Antonio Riverwalk that was willing to cook me a whole 30 compliant meal, but I was less fortunate in my hunt for breakfast this morning. I was really looking forward to trying Humble House at the Pearl Farmer's Market, but when we arrived, they didn't have any options for me. My friend found me a Trader Joe's nearby so I could make my own brunch of hardboiled eggs and a paleo wrap with banana and almond butter.

The other major challenge I ran into was sticking to my training plan. I had originally intended to run on Thursday and Saturday morning, but my plans fell through. 3 areas to blame:

• Weather: There was NO WAY I was running at MAF using the hotel gym. My colleagues are kind of all crazy athletic - every year I attend this meeting, I run into my team at the gym at the crack of dawn. If they saw how I "run" now compared to how I used to train, they'd never let me hear the end of it. So I was planning on doing my runs outdoors... until I woke up to rain on Thursday. Ugh. So I had to alter my schedule a bit.
• Heels: I work from home in Florida. It's either flip-flops or nothing most days of the week. So when I have to break out the heels for professional meetings, my feet get really angry with me.
• Exhaustion: I was in back-to-back meetings during the day, catching up on my real work during "breaks", and out til way past my bedtime socializing with my peers. I slept 9 hours over the course of 3 days. 

So running was kind of low priority over the last few days, but I did happen to get out for at least one shorter run yesterday first thing in the morning. It worked in my favor that we were staying at the Westin, a hotel chain that places a great deal of importance on guest health. You can get a map at the front desk that outlines local 3 mile and 5 mile running routes:

I didn't say it was a *good* map, but it was something.

It was a really slow run, but I couldn't be too bummed. It gave me a chance to do some awesome sightseeing at a really peaceful, quiet hour of the morning.  I usually only stop my run for sunrises and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, but I made an exception since I'm not entirely sure when I'll be here again:

I was really excited to be getting home tonight to catch up on some sleep... and then remembered we're losing an hour tonight. I'm just going to have to dig deep for some of that resilience I've been relying on a lot lately.

Today's Exercise: Rest.

Blogroll the Fifth

Remember that hot air balloon ride I was supposed to take in January? My husband and I had rescheduled it for today. We were up and out the door by 4:45, at the meetup spot with the balloonist by 5:30, waivers signed and good to head to the launch site by 6, and then on our way back home by 8.

Everything happened on schedule... except for the actual balloon ride.

Unexpected winds interrupted our plans. Boo.

Alright, that's not true. We'll try again in another month or so.

Anyway, here's another roundup of my favorite relevant things on the interwebs from this week:

Train Like an Athlete:

• Why some runs just suck.
• Should you be worried about your running form? I'm worried about mine!
• Building a running base - note this advocates a different approach from what I have been doing over the last few months.
• Are high levels of intense exercise damaging your heart?

Think Like an Athlete:

• What you should read based on your Zodiac sign. As a Leo, I'm supposed to read Gone with the Wind*, but I'd much rather be a Virgo.
• Moms and body image issues - Mom, don't read too much into this, just thought it was interesting.
• 14 free personality tests, including a few Emotional Intelligence (EQ) resources.
• Slideshow: 10 ways to stop stress.

Eat Like an Athlete:

• One person's story about how giving up alcohol for 30 days changed her. Even after my Whole 30 is over, I'm planning on staying dry until after the half marathon.
• Mindful eating as a weight-loss strategy. 
• Why people choose to go low carb - I can certainly share that I have better craving control eating the way that I do now.
• Foodie Bucket List: I'm lucky enough to say that I can check almost everything off on this list, except for South American fare. My opinion? Pho is worth the splurge, beignets are not (unless they can figure out a way for the powdered sugar to stay on the pastry and not get into my hair.)

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• Where does your state rank in terms of adequate sleep?
• 20 really good tips for sleeping better.
• Why evening routines are just as important as morning routines.

*Amazon Affiliate Link. This means that if you click a link to Amazon through my site and buy something, I may earn a commission. Much obliged.

Today's exercise: Rest

Blogroll the Fourth

11 miles yesterday left me a little more sore than I thought it would, so I took a break today. Gotta go help my mom figure out how to install a new TiVo tonight (yes, I'm pretty sure she's their only customer), so here's another roundup of all the stuff I thought was relevant this week.

Train Like an Athlete:

You have another shot at getting one of these medals...

• Disney re-opened registration for the Star Wars Dark Side Half. So now you have another opportunity to join and see me revel in sub 2:00 glory or wither under the crushing agony of defeat. 
• The running trifecta - more about food, training pace, and stress.
• To-do's if you are chained to a desk all day like me.
• Good advice from a first-time half-marathoner. Except for #5 - I ran my first half without any fuel, you can do it too.
• Why Some Runs Just Suck. Spoiler alert: Warming up and recovery are important.
• The Biggest 10k's in the country - I did the Inaugural Across the Bay 10k (#6 on the list) a few years ago, big thumbs up.
• 10 Tips for Becoming a Morning Exerciser - I made the transition from evening to morning training a few months ago and have less stress because of it. Hoping I can continue once Daylight Savings Time begins.

Think Like an Athlete:

• Why everything is my husband's fault. Not really.

Eat Like an Athlete:

• 9 Ways You're Sabotaging Your Weight-Loss - with a nod to getting enough sleep.
• And another article about losing weight that leads with the importance of getting sleep.
• Why having more fun may end my emotional eating problems.
• It's ok to eat the same thing every day - which is why you see a lot of eggs, chili, and tuna in my meal logs.

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• See what happens when you don't sleep.

54 days left.

Today's Exercise: Rest

Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
3 Eggs w spinach, coffee	Chili w/ guac, TJ's Kraut	2 tbsp coconut butter, EPIC bison bites	chicken apple sausage, cauliflower, mint tea

You have to relax for a moment

Usually, at some point during my daily runs, my mind always wanders to the list of other things I should be doing: housework, projects for my employer, taxes, cooking, running faster, etc.

And that didn't happen today. At least not as much... I found I was instead thinking about how much I appreciate the ability to live where I do and run where I can.

I don't remember when the last time I stopped mid-run to take a photo was. I'm always in too much of a hurry.

I see a sunrise like this almost every day I run, but thoughts about stopping to take a picture get pushed aside by reminders that I have to hurry up and get home, get back to work, get back to the stuff that counts.

But taking a pause in your day to relax counts for something too.

Here are my three favorite ways to slow down and relax:

1. Meditation: I used to be really consistent about incorporating this into my routine, but have lost my way a bit. And it really doesn't take that much time out of your day to do. See: What Might Happen if You Start Meditating
2. TV: Just an hour each night, though. I am a cable cutter, so I only get whatever is on Hulu/Netflix/borrowing HBOGo from my dad/etc. I won't get into my entire list of favorites, but my top three right now are The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and House of Cards. Jessica Jones is good. And can't wait for Silicon Valley to come back. There's a lot of good TV out there right now.
3. Sauna/Hot Tub/Warm Bath: I love using the sauna after a workout at Globo Gym, but I find myself going less there now that I don't like to use the treadmill anymore. Now that I've moved into my new house, my soaker tub is a good alternative! Doing bath time right includes candles, a good book, and some of these:

Note that "food" is not on my list of ways to relax anymore.

Looking for any ideas or suggestions about other easy ways to incorporate relaxation into a typical day - leave a comment and let me know what you do.

55 days left.

Today's Exercise: 11 mile St. Pete run:

M1: 15:15
M2: 15:02
M3: 15:13
M4: 15:07
M5: 15:07
M6: 14:45
M7: 15:27
M8: 15:42
M9: 15:43
M10: 15:48
M11: 15:56

Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
3 Eggs w spinach, coffee	Chili w/ guac, TJ's Kraut	2 HB eggs, 2 tbsp coconut butter	Tuna salad, mint tea

My Yoda Moment

Despite yesterday's weirdness, I woke up at 5:30 this morning feeling really awesome. Like I was totally going to rock my run. I'm coming off of two days of rest, I'm on day 4 of my Whole 30, and I'm one day closer to the weekend.

I decided to drive across town so that I could run on the Pinellas Trail again this morning and get some sauna time at Globo gym afterwards. I hit the trail feeling like I was totally in the zone, ready to find my best pace yet.

So when I was alerted at mile 1 that my pace was 16:52 minutes per mile - almost two minutes slower than I expected to be - I was totally crestfallen.

W.T.F.

I kept at it, thinking maybe it was an anomaly, maybe I'd find my stride at mile 2, but nope... mile 2 was even slower.

So whatever. Baby, I'm just gonna shake shake shake it off. Have at it again tomorrow and hope my body was just playing a practical joke on me. Real funny, Nicole. Get it out of your system now, the race is in 58 days.

I sauna'd and showered at the gym before work, and as I was in the locker room brushing my hair, a girl in her - oh, late 20's I guess - bounded in announcing "Man, I am feeling so sore but can't wait to be even more sore!"

I looked at her. And saw my past self, the 27-year-old me that picked up running for fun and eventually let it turn into punishment.

And I was all:

"Oh, sweetheart," I said. "If you're sore, why not give your body some rest? Use the sauna or the hot tub or whatever you want, but recovery is part of training too."

She looked at me and laughed. "No way, love the endorphins!" and made her way out to the gym floor.

Sigh. The path to the Dark Side. Who's to say she'll end up like me, though? Even so - I'll keep an eye out for her and pass her a business card to my blog.

58 days left.

Today's Exercise: 4 mile "WTF" run w/ core work:

M1: 16:52
M2: 17:04
M3: 16:17
M4: 15:28

Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
3 eggs with spinach, BP mocha	Tuna salad, TJs Kraut	2 tbsp almond butter	Chili, tea

Double digit run

Yesterday was a milestone run for me (at least in 2016) in that I hit double digits.

10 miles! It took forever, but I did it.

I was in a good mood, it was a holiday, the weather was perfect - I set out not really caring about my pace, just determined to hit a distance record. I left my Garmin watch face settings exactly as I set them on Saturday - no feedback about pace, just time and heart rate.

I think it helped me have a more even, consistent run than Saturday. Things are far better when you aren't getting beeped at every other minute.

Here's a graphical representation of Saturday's run - blue indicates my pace, red indicates my heart rate. See how choppy it is? When I said I was running - then walking - every other minute, it wasn't an exaggeration:

Average pace on Saturday was 15:14 min/mi

Now take a look at yesterday. Better - fewer peaks and valleys, at least until the very end there:

Average pace on Monday was 15:42 min/mi

So I learned I *can* run more slowly.

But what I think this is also telling me is that I can walk faster at a lower heart rate than I can run. Because even with all of that walking on Saturday, I was 30 seconds faster per mile than I  am during a consistent run.

After three days of running and covering 20ish miles, my rest day today was definitely earned. Hitting the pavement again tomorrow morning  - and tomorrow night is monthly massage night, woo hoo! (And if you are keeping track, note that I'm counting this early February massage towards January. I'm still not spoiled.)

I've also decided to jump into my 3rd Whole 30... er, might just be a Whole 24. I have been thinking about  doing this for a while - given I'm no longer running myself into the ground like I was during my prior two Whole 30's, something tells me that this is the time I could very well see some life-changing results. I still don't have a good 30-day challenge-free window to get this done before the race. I'm worried about a business trip I'm taking in March at day 24 - but I'm gonna try my hardest to see it through.

60 days left.

Today's Exercise: Rest

Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
3 eggs with spinach, BP mocha	Beef, spinach, mint tea	2 HB eggs, pumpkin seeds, kraut	Beef, spinach, mint tea

Blogroll the third

Not much new to report on plus I'm flat out at work today.

So figured I'd share yet another list of things I read this week that I find relevant.

Train Like an Athlete:

• Why runners don't lose weight.
• The biggest 5ks in the US - I'm dying to do the Gasparilla (see: Pirate Christmas) Distance Classic, but I don't want to do anything to mess up my Star Wars training.
• Why stress management is an important part of your training plan.

Think Like an Athlete:

• Running makes you sexy AND smart.
• Even incredibly fit people aren't perfect.

Eat Like an Athlete:

• I've mentioned struggling with binge eating disorder, but not so sure my struggles cleanly fit in that category - so found this article on "Other specified feeding or eating disorders" (OSFED) relevant.
• High fat, low carb diets make you more sensitive to leptin (the "fullness" hormone) - and
• Fats make you lean.

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• What might happen if you only get 6 hours of sleep each night.
• Taking naps makes you more productive.

64 days left.

Today's Exercise: Rest

Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
3 eggs with spinach, BP coffee	TJ's chicken burger and baby spinach, tea	TJ's Kraut, 2 HB eggs	Shrimp salad, TJ's Dark Chocolate

Blogroll the Second

Travelling this weekend, so once again short on time and leaning on other writers this week as I did last week.

On the move again... no time for blogging.

Here are all of the things I read:

Train Like an Athlete:

• Weight gain does not call for beating yourself up.
• The 10 Commandments of Race Day for Runners - the first one applies to me every day.
• The Best Podcasts for Runners - surprisingly, only one is actually about running. I'd like to suggest Active add this one and this one to the list.
• Expert tips for meeting your running goals - I'm a fan of 5 and 7.
• Good news if you ruin your feet while running barefoot on the beach - it takes a while to get out of shape.
• 5 bad running habits and how to break them - #4 has always been an issue for me.
• How to know if you got a good workout - even I used to think that you needed to be sweaty and sore to know your workout worked (see here). 
• Does too much exercise ruin your teeth?

Think Like an Athlete:

• Why "living in the moment" is flawed advice.
• You don't need to pay for a life coach - just ask yourself these 4 questions.
• How to meditate as told by the Mouse.

Eat Like an Athlete:

• Stop eating on autopilot (side note - I did read Mindless Eating* by Brian Wansink a few years ago, a good one to check out if you are like me and struggle with food).
• How to lose those last 10 pounds... and... if that doesn't work...
• 10 other ways to lose those last 10 pounds.

Sleep Like an Athlete:

• Sleep naked - this only works if you have your own room or if your roommate is ok with it.

*Amazon Affiliate Link. This means that if you click a link to Amazon through my site and buy something, I may earn a commission. Much obliged.

70 days left.

Today's Exercise:  Rest... lots of walking

Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
2 HB eggs, coffee	HC Latte	Breve latte... don't judge, had no time.	Hops Burger Bar... I had the Diablo. Bunless, of course.

The Force Awakens... just not that early.

Not counting one particularly stressful night, I've slept like a rock star since moving into our new house.

That's probably not the right analogy. But sleep. It has been glorious.

Backing up for a second for newbies to the blog - ever since I moved from New Jersey to Florida, sleep has been troublesome. Stress. Uncomfortable beds in temporary apartments. Dramatically changing my diet. The reason for my chronic insomnia isn't totally clear, but when I found out we were finally moving into our new house, I vowed it would end.

Sleep deprivation drove me to promise my firstborn to the local mattress store in exchange for the Cadillac of mattresses. Rhymes with shempurpedic.

Worth. Every. Penny. Except I now get separation anxiety whenever I need to part with my bed in the morning.

Speaking of sleep - while I love my new Garmin FR 230 and its consistent/reliable heart rate monitor, the sleep tracking is wonky:

According to Garmin, I must have been sleep walking while moving and unpacking on Saturday. Of course I need to be uber-productive even while sleeping.

Garmin also tried to tell me I slept just fine during that one night I mentioned earlier:

Garmin, now you are just making me look lazy for not getting up for my run. Why you gotta be like that?

But I digress. I'm travelling this weekend, and really hope my new bed hasn't spoiled hotel beds for me. Travelling also might mean two weeks in a row where I miss a day of blog posting. That just doesn't jive with my OCD, but I'm hoping not to lose sleep over it.

72 days left.

Today's Exercise:  Treadmill run and core work @ Globo Gym:

M1: 15:26
M2: 15:11
M3: 14:41
M4: 14:53

Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
Chili w/ guac, coffee	Chili w/ guac, coffee	peppermint tea	Sausage And egg Grits at Waffle House