Raves, Running + Training

By kilax, January 5, 2018 7:59 am

This is a sponsored post. Trent & Company, Inc. sent me .35 oz sizes of “Body” and “For Her” Body Glide to review. 

Aww, teeny tiny cute containers of Body Glide!

You guys probably already know this, but Body Glide is a balm you apply on your skin anywhere you think might get rubbed while you exercise, to prevent chafing. I also use it when I am not working out. I keep it in my work backpack and use it for humid walks in the summer when I am wearing a dress or skirt.

So yeah, I already use the regular kind of body glide, “Body,” and it works well for me, except for on incredibly horrible humid summer runs, in which case I also double up with vaseline in my shorts area. Otherwise, it’s Body Glide all the way, because, yes, as it’s advertised, it’s not messy (easy to put on), and I don’t have to worry about it staining my clothes!

I had NOT used the pink “For Her” body glide before, and always kind of scoffed at it when I’d see it in stores, because it would be in a smaller container than the regular “Body” but priced the same. Looking at the Body Glide website now, they have “Body” and “For Her” priced the same, in the same sizes. So that’s good! That really set me off before – like, why do women have to pay more for this smaller pink container?! (And maybe it was the stores doing that?! No idea. Anyway.)

I asked Trent & Company about the difference between “Body” and “For Her,” and here is what they said:

The blue Body Glide is the original – it’s the primary formula, which serves as a base for all Body Glide products.

Body Glide For Her contains Coconut and Sweet Almond oils to better moisturize and protect skin, and is also rich in A, B and E vitamins to promote skin health.

So, it has oils to help your dry AF skin in the winter. The website says it’s ideal for sensitive, dry, cracked skin. That definitely describes me right now. We have a whole house humidifier, but our skin is still suffering. I’ve been using “For Her” for my indoor winter runs (on the treadmill and track), and when I am not working out (on the lovely body areas where my skin folds and it gets irritated, yay!). It’s definitely helping prevent chafing on the runs, and giving me relief on my dry skin in other areas! And bonus tip – you can apply body glide to chafed areas before you shower to cut back on some of the stinging of the hot water hitting those areas.

I have not noticed much of a difference between “Body” and “For Her.” They both feel good, to me. I am hoping using “For Her” is helping my dry skin, though!

A few more things:

• Theses products are listed as vegan, with no animal testing, and using plant ingredients. Yay!
• I actually liked using these smaller containers – it was easier to get in to certain crevices. Ha!
• Looking at their page, I didn’t realize they have so many options besides these two – there’s one for your feet, for outdoors, one with sunscreen, one for the bike, and others! I’d actually like to try the bike one. It claims you don’t have to reapply it during the ride! Wouldn’t that be nice?

Bonus pic of Khali wondering what the heck I was doing:

This is a sponsored post. Trent & Company, Inc. sent me .35 oz sizes of “Body” and “For Her” Body Glide to review. 

Life, Work + Design

By kilax, January 4, 2018 6:17 am

• We recycled our Christmas tree at the local forest preserve Monday, and now our living space feels so empty! But also, feels so nice and clean (minus those few stray needles, of course). Ahh.

• Snow left Tuesday am. He was inside a long time – from 2:00 pm Sunday until 4:00 am Tuesday! The first night he slept under the bed, but the second night, he discovered the joy (really, warmth) of sleeping on top of a human. I didn’t sleep well that night.
• Just as my detail at work is about to end, one of my teammates has come back from maternity leave! I really enjoyed working with her before she went on leave and am glad we get to work together a bit more.
• Data and Khali both ended up liking the cat house Santa brought for them, which made me happy. And I love how they both look sinister in the photos below. Ha!

• Steven set up an old monitor of his at my desk. Yay, I can be more efficient with three screens (it’s often I have to reference three+ applications at the same time for my work)!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 161

Work + Design

By kilax, January 3, 2018 5:17 pm

… of this work detail, that is.

It’s supposed to be over January 21st! Then I go back to my old position.

There is talk of extending the detail, but I highly doubt that will happen (and somehow hope that by posting here that I doubt it will, that the universe proves me wrong).

That’s all fine. I knew I’d have to go back.

But now the question is, how do I find the passion and joy in my old position, that I found in this new one?

Is it even possible?

Aside from a few sh*t days, I’ve been much happier at work and in life since I started this detail. I’d love to stay that way.

We shall see!!!

Unrelated photo I took outside the office today

Life

By kilax, January 2, 2018 4:33 am

I got to do something yesterday I have been looking forward to since August – use my new “The Little World of Liz Climo” page-a-day calendar!

Who knew the first cartoon would tie in so well with my one goal for 2018? (Sadly, Holey Moley was closed yesterday – we thought about going!)

This will be the third year in a row that I’ve texted the calendar each day to Steven and Mom. I enjoy this ritual!

The last two year’s calendars were all quotes, and we would sometimes have discussions about the meaning of them. I’m curious what kind of discussions we will have about these cartoons. Hopefully something… I will miss our chats if we don’t!

I’ve saved my favorite quotes from the 2017 calendar throughout the year, and non-surprisingly, they fit in to two categories: work ethic and attitude.

Work Ethic:

I love “Dream a little and work a lot.” It’s a good reminder that getting what you want often requires HARD work – not just daydreaming about it! You can see that’s the theme in these five quotes – work for what you want, and don’t stop working. <— not saying I am an example of that, but that I aspire to be that way!

Attitude:

I don’t know about you, but I can always be reminded to be more positive and patient, and try to find the wonder (the little joys) in life!

House, Life

By kilax, January 1, 2018 9:17 am

Steven and I had a productive New Year’s Eve planned out – exercise, house projects, put away Christmas decorations, and work. Then we were going to treat ourselves out to dinner!

But our dinner plans went awry! We had a visitor over mid afternoon and THEY NEVER LEFT. And they didn’t want to go out to dinner with us, sigh. So we stayed in.

Ha ha ha. That guest was Snow.

I brought Snow in around 2:00 pm so Steven could work on insulating the sliding glass door around Snow’s house. Snow was doing okay, sitting with me and being petted, but then he started to get antsy about going back outside. But Steven had to close the door to Snow’s house to work on it, and we didn’t want Snow out there, unable to go inside his house, so we kept him in.

Snow, Khali, and Data watching Steven work

Snow waited by the door to go out (rather patiently, actually), but eventually tired of that and went upstairs to hide under our bed.

When Snow’s house was ready for him to go back outside, we called for Snow and he didn’t come. So we shook the dry food container, and Data and Khali came running downstairs immediately. Snow slowly came out of the bedroom, came downstairs, and walked right by where Steven was holding the door open for him to go outside… then turned around and ran back up the stairs. He’s usually super eager to go back outside!

I think Snow may be done with winter! And done with his surprise visitors outside.

Photo from Christmas Eve. We were all watching a movie inside when Andrew saw this coyote running around in our yard! I took this photo of him right by the patio that Snow’s house is on.

Snow then camped out under the bed, FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT! At first I thought he was scared, but then I realized he’d let me pet him and get all purry, he’d eat food, and he played with a mouse I put under there for him.

Yeah, totally done with winter.

He picked a good time to spend the night – it’s -8°F outside as I write this (the first floor of his house is 40°F, second floor is 75°F).

We don’t mind if he’s inside, but we would like to be inside when he is (to monitor what he’s up to), since he’s not fixed, doesn’t have shots, and has all his claws (we’d never remove them – just mentioning that because he could hurt Data or Khali during play, accidentally). So… we may be home for a while. But again, it is -8°F out!

In other news, I stayed up until midnight! Woo hoo! We watched a movie until 9:30, then Steven worked, and I did some computer stuff, then tidied up and cleaned to stay up. Ha!

And one last cute cat pic from the day:

Running + Training

By kilax, December 31, 2017 4:49 pm

Highlight of the Week: Running with Andrew on Christmas Day / running outside in the snow & cold / a tough fitness boxing class / running with Bobbi!

Monday | December 25, 2017: 1.7 m run (w/Andrew)
Loc: Van Patten Woods, Temp: 16°, Time: 21:30, Pace: 12:39 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Tuesday | December 26, 2017: 20 mins strength + 10 m bike + 1.5 m walk
Indoor Bike Time: 41:44, Pace: 14.4 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, sweaty!
Wednesday | December 27, 2017: 4.5 m run (incl. 3×800 & 4×1:00)
Loc: Treadmill, Time: 51:40, Pace: 11:29 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: good
Thursday | December 28, 2017: 15 m bike + 3 m run (incl. 5×1:00 hills @ 3,4,5,6,7) + 1 m walk
Indoor Bike Time: 59:16, Pace: 15.2 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: Treadmill, Time: 33:00, Pace: 11:00, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: good
Friday | December 29, 2017: teaching strength class + 1,176 yd swim + 4.7 m run
Strength: medicine balls, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Loc: FitNation, Time: 25:29, Pace: 2:10 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great
Loc: VP Woods, Temp: 14°/15°, Time: 53:08, Pace: 11:18 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: happy to be outside! (and hungry)
Saturday | December 30, 2017: 3.5 m run + teaching fitness boxing
Loc: hood, Temp: 1°/1°, Time: 35:24, Pace: 10:07 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, until legs turned to ice cubes
Strength: bands, core, and boxing, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: good! felt the band workout RIGHT away!
Sunday | December 31, 2017: 11 m run (parts of laps 16-52 w/Bobbi)
Loc: Waukegan Field House, Time: 2:05:36, Pace: 11:25 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: really good, glad for company!

Notes:

• We had some nasty temps with low windchill this week, so I actually ran on the treadmill! Woo hoo, go me! I run quite a bit slower on our treadmill than I do outside, but that doesn’t bother me. It’s harder for me to run on it than outside, so I feel like I’m getting quite the workout. However, I can feel it tweaking my body – specifically my right glute and behind my left knee (like, where the skin folds on the back of my leg). I set up a massage for next Friday.
• I wasn’t planning on cycling Thursday morning, but one of the cats had a hack attack so I was up. Thanks, cats! Eyeroll.
• On Thursday I planned to run outside on lunch break, when it was light out and a bit warmer, but my one hour 10:00 am call lasted until 12:30 pm and I couldn’t anymore. Grr. Treadmill again!
• But I got to run outside Friday and Saturday. Yay! (I shouldn’t have Saturday – it was 1° with 14 mph winds and a feel of -20°).
• My fitness boxing students are SO strong and hit SO hard. Ha. I thought I was going to wake up really sore from boxing on Sunday, but luckily, I was fine.
• I forgot to mention a few students gave me holiday gifts this year, which I thought was really nice!
• I ran on a new-to-me indoor track on Sunday. I could have run outside, but I wanted to run double digits and it just didn’t make sense for me to do that when it was 2° out. And Bobbi joined me for a few miles in the middle. Yay! And the run lane is on the outside, so I didn’t have the bruised elbow issue. And… this place was by a Starbucks, so win win, all around!
• It’s monthly recap time. In December I ran 135.8 miles (28 runs, and my highest mileage month of the year! (by one mile over last month, ha!)), cycled 73 miles (6 indoor rides) and swam 3,192 yards (3 swims). My coldest run was 1°F and my warmest was 62°F. I did 4 hill sessions and 3 speed sessions. I taught 7 strength classes, and 4 fitness boxing class. I did 2 strength workouts at home.
• I could add a 2017 recap here, but this is long enough!

Link to Training Week 427

Life

By kilax, December 29, 2017 7:54 am

Everyone knows about SMART goals, right? SMART goals are:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic/Relevant
Time Bound

Setting goals that meet these five criteria makes you more likely to achieve them because it forces you to actually plan out how you are going to meet the goal, instead of just daydreaming about it. It also forces you to make sure it’s, yes, attainable and realistic.

I’ve been thinking about it for a few months, and I have one SMART goal for 2018:

TO EAT A VEGAN DONUT

Guys. I have been craving a vegan donut for months. It is time to MAKE this goal happen in 2018!

I know I can do it, because I’ve done it before (but it’s been awhile, so I’m a bit unsure of myself). So, it’s attainable and realistic. It’s relevant, because I have an interest in donuts.

It’s specific. Eat ONE vegan donut. That’s all I have to do. And it’s measurable, at one donut.

Now comes the tricky part. Making it time bound. Eating a vegan donut requires travel to either Chicago or Milwaukee. Preferably to Holey Moley Doughnuts in Milwaukee. I was hoping I would meet this goal this year, if my in-laws traveled to Milwaukee airport and we stopped for donuts after, but alas, they went to Midway (in Chicago).

Will we really drive to Milwaukee, just to get donuts? I think yes, because we’ve done it before. But I am setting a high bar here, and saying we will do this by the end of January. I am counting on all of you to hold me accountable.

After I accomplish this goal, I will reassess and see if it’s something I think I can do again in 2018. Maybe eat more of them? Maybe have more than one a month?! Who knows! But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

On to bigger and better things in 2018!

Books, Life, Running + Training

By kilax, December 28, 2017 6:23 am

• A lot of my holiday wishlist was books and I am excited to have a stack to read! I’ve started with What Made Maddy Run.

• It’s so cold here, that the door hinges inside the house have frost on them. Ha. (That may be because this door isn’t insulated for crap, though.) It’s been in the negative digits (with colder windchills) when we wake up. I am happy to report Snow’s house is in the 40s on the first level, and in the 80s on the second level!

• I signed up for my goal 5K in April! My older brother said he and some of his family may do it too. Yay!
• I’ve been having a lot of fun at all the holiday (and other!) celebrations, but now I am a bit socialized out! My brain can’t seem to make much more conversation. I am looking forward to a quiet New Year’s Eve!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 160

Health + Fitness, Rants

By kilax, December 27, 2017 6:39 am

People are already mentioning their anticipation of “resolutioners” crowding their gyms after the new year.

Sigh.

There must be something I am missing, likely because I only go to a large gym to swim, and teach at a small studio – the crowding tends not to affect me. (Is that all it is? People using the equipment/machines you want to use?)

But why all the grumbling, and meanness, toward someone who is only trying to get healthier? Someone who could potentially be a new friend? Someone you could potentially help out, and in turn, help them stick to their fitness goals?

Don’t dread the “resolutioners”!

I wrote about this two years ago, and I still feel the same way:

For the entire year, but especially January:

To all the friends/family/acquaintances/strangers you see beginning or restarting their fitness journey – BE ENCOURAGING. BE KIND. BE PATIENT.

People succeed when they’re part of a supportive group of people sharing a similar goal (in this case, becoming healthier). Be part of that group for them. It’s hard enough to be consistent with a fitness routine. Don’t make it more intimidating for beginners.

If you’re working out for the first time, starting up again, or trying to ramp intensity up – BE ENCOURAGING, BE KIND, BE PATIENT – with yourself.

It will be hard at first. Know that with consistency, it becomes easier. Don’t dwell on what you could do in the past. Life is static and we change. How boring would life be if we didn’t have continual hiccups giving us an opportunity to demonstrate our resilience?!

You can see the rest of that post, here!

Life

By kilax, December 26, 2017 12:10 pm

How is the holiday already over? I don’t want to go back to the daily grind <— said everyone.

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration with Steven’s dad and brother. We ended up getting a few inches of snow here Christmas Eve, then the temperature dropped quite a bit Christmas Day (and today!), so we stayed warm camped out inside the house!

A white Christmas after all!

I mentioned my brother-in-law, Andrew, and I had an ongoing joke that all gifts were going to be porg-related. After I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi and thought the porgs were adorable, I said to Steven, “I hope Andrew actually does get me something porg-related!”

Oh, he did.

Porg poster, porg pin on briefcase, porg mug, and porg on board.

That poster was the first thing I opened, and I said my Christmas was pretty much complete, right then and there. What else could I possibly NEED?

I should probably actually put ornaments on the tree next time… it looks a bit bare!

Santa brought gifts for the kitties, too! Khali hid under the bed most of the visit. Sigh.

No porg-related gifts for Steven (or his dad)! I had been stoked for a few months to give Steven this custom illustration of our house I ordered from Cape Horn Illustration, and Steven really liked it, yay!

We had lots of jokes about eating porg too… we even did porg two ways at dinner! Hee hee.

In reality, we had a Tofurky roast and a ham, and the ham was a surprise hit. We made it with pineapple and weren’t sure how it was going to turn out, but we both really liked it! I was all about the mashed potatoes though. AND PUMPKIN PIE. Nom. We didn’t make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, so I’ve been craving it since then!

Gah, just writing about this food, I want to eat it all again. It’s lunchtime as I write this and my stomach is actually growling, so that’s a good sign – I wasn’t sure I’d be hungry AT ALL today.

What a fun visit! And now it’s two and a half weeks until our next holiday celebration /William’s first birthday party, with my family. Yay!