Zooma Holiday Challenge, Week 5

Week five of the Zooma Holiday Challenge has come to a close, and I feel good. Surprisingly strong and balanced. In the past, challenges have burnt me out, but this time I feel like it's actually laying a foundation for long-term commitment without the stress that usually accompanies it.

This week included the majority of Chanukah. I always feel like taking the time to celebrate counts as self-care, and I spent week five feeling deeply fulfilled and content.

Movement 1: I started the week with a bang, completing a three mile run, an arm workout (Peloton), and a core workout (Coach Marcia). I had finished week four feeling so motivated that it carried right into week five.

I think I'm starting to see some real physical results from my dedication, and seeing results motivates me to do more.

Movement 2: Matt and I took an evening walk (a little less than two miles) to get some fresh air and stretch our legs.

Movement 3: I completed a 30-minute Peloton ride. This was my first ride in my new spin shoes and it was fantastic! Being clipped in REALLY makes a huge difference; I was able to come out of the saddle with proper form and push for a faster cadence. I'm so glad I got a pair of shoes for myself!

They're functional and pretty!

Movement 4: I attempted a four mile hill run, but it turned into 3.3 mediocre miles. My legs were too sore after the Peloton to really dig deep for this run, so I called it early.

One reason I've always avoided cross-training is because I worry it will affect my running. This does seem to be the case if I'm not careful about how I plan my runs. I need to be more intentional about planning for hills, flat runs, and the bike.

Movement 5: My legs really needed a rest. I completed two Peloton app workouts — arms and abs. The arm workouts have really proven to be effective; I'm always sore for days after.

I didn't love this ab routine. It's the first Peloton workout I've done that I gave a thumbs-down.

Self-Care 1: I splurged on Black Friday and bought myself some new makeup, so this week I broke out my stash — which I haven't used since March — and did a full face. I listened to music and just pampered myself. It was fun to experiment with my new eyeshadow pallet, and I had forgotten what I look like in mascara!

We took our evening walk after this, and I've made a mental note to buy some waterproof mascara. The cold wind did a number on my eyes!

Self-Care 2: As usual, I repainted my nails.

But also, I finally set up a time to Zoom with some friends back home! It was so fun to see their faces and chat in real time. I have decided I need to be better about actually choosing a day/time to call, not just saying, "Oh hey, we should Zoom sometime..." That's something I'm going to work on.

Week six is the final week of this challenge, but because I signed up for the full Winter Warrior package, I have the Love Run challenge coming up! No rest for me!

ABK

A Brand New Garmin

I've had a total of three Garmin watches and none of them came to me brand new.

The first, a Forerunner 410, was a hand-me-down from a friend in the Sub-30 Club who knew I was looking for a GPS watch but wasn't sure what I'd like. He was upgrading and sent me the FR410. It turned out to be a little more watch than I needed at that point in time (I didn't even know Garmin Connect existed or how to look at data), and I started looking for a different one about a year later.

My second Garmin was a gently used Forerunner 10 from another Sub-30 friend that was more my speed and served me well. At the time, I was still using the Nike+ app, but it began to get really screwy. Once it flaked out on me mid-race, I decided to give up the app and go full-Garmin. However, once I made that switch, I soon realized the FR10 wasn't quite enough for marathon training, and I started to look for an upgrade.

That upgrade came in the form of Kristina's old Vivoactive. It's just been good luck that every time I look to get a new watch, a friend is also in the market and is kind enough to pass one on to me. The Vivoactive has truly served me well these past two years, but with my new legs and my running mindset, I felt it was time for a new watch, too.

The VA was the first Garmin I truly felt 100% comfortable and happy with. It helped me get used to running with a watch instead of an app.

Now, I always return the favor of passing along my old watches. The FR410 went to Matt before he started using a Speed Coach, a dedicated device meant for paddling craft. The FR10 went to Elizabeth so she could track her distance when we weren't running together. And the Vivoactive will go to my brother, who has taken up kayaking and has started using Strava to track his miles, but is in need of a GPS watch.

Elizabeth used the FR 10 well into her pregnancy!

Why can I now pass on the Vivoactive? Because for Hanukkah this year, Matt got me an ACTUALLY brand new Vivoactive 3. My secondhand watches have always worked just fine, and I am grateful that I've been able to test out a few different iterations without committing to an expensive watch all this time...But I am so excited to now have a brand new Garmin of my choosing!

Yes, we are using all three menorahs this year.

I took what I knew from my experiences with my other watches, did my research, and picked out what I think will be the best for my running lifestyle for a long time to come. Right now, admittedly, it may be more watch than I need, but that means I'll be able to grow into it as I continue to grow as a runner. (Read: Once I get back into full marathon training and aiming for a PR.)

LOOK AT THE SCREEN CLARITY OMG

I chose the VA3 because I liked the touchscreen on the VA, it's loaded with all kinds of features, and it's a smartwatch (not just a running watch). I'm thinking it may replace my Apple Watch completely. I was worried it would take awhile to get used to some of the features, but after about 15 minutes of playing with it, I've got most of it figured out.

Wednesday I went for my first run with the new watch and I am in love. The screen is so easy to read! The data fields are so easy to program!

This is my first watch with a built in HR monitor, so my dashboard not only shows my run data, but also my heart rate and stress level, among other things. In theory, I could start training using my VO2 max!

Some shots of the Garmin Connect app dashboard with all the new data available. I like the weekly Intensity Minutes goal, too.

It's super lightweight and soft. Like, weirdly soft. The band is unlike anything I've ever worn on my wrist before. I've never had such a comfortable watch!

Basically, I am 100% happy with it, and for my first official new GPS watch, I feel like I couldn't have made a better choice!

ABK

Chag Sameach & Happy Hanukkah!

It's rare that Hanukkah falls so late in December that it overlaps Christmas. It's even rarer that it begins on Christmas Eve, but this year, that's the case!

Matt and I are spending this evening making latkes, exchanging gifts, lighting the candles, and seeing my family.

Growing up, we got one present a night. My parents would always give us our biggest gift on the first night, but then we were allowed to choose what to open. We'd line up our gifts in the living room and wait impatiently for dad to get home from work so we could light the candles (the holiday begins at sundown, so I never minded Daylight Savings and early evenings!) and open gifts.

Here's a picture of my siblings and me celebrating Hanukkah in 1995. Be nice.

The best Hanukkahs were the ones when my sister and I both loved American Girl dolls. We'd circle everything we wanted in the catalogue and then each night we'd get a new accessory for our dolls. These days, we don't get eight gifts, but it's nice to continue the other traditions.

Matt isn't Jewish, but he likes celebrating with us. When he first did Hanukkah with us, I wrote down the prayers (which are said in Hebrew) phonetically for him, but now he remembers them by heart. I'm very proud.

If you don't know much (or anything) about Hanukkah, Mental Floss did a nice little write-up on some of the important (and less-important) aspects of the holiday.

Finally, I thought I'd leave you all with this, which made me laugh because it's just so damn accurate:

I hope you all have a joyous holiday, however you celebrate!

What are your holiday plans?
Do you have any unique traditions for the holidays?

ABK

Christmas & 3 Gifts I'm Already Loving

This year, Matt and I were able to split our time nicely between families for Christmas Eve and Christmas. On Christmas Eve, I ran in the morning (the longest I've run since BDR) and then we went to his mom's and helped cook dinner and spent the evening together.

I saw lots of deer on my run, and they stood still and made eye-contact with me while I stopped to get pictures. Deer are considerate like that.

I enjoyed a nice sunrise and 5 miles.

Christmas Eve dinner!

On Christmas, we spent the day with Matt's dad's family and got to see his cousins and Nana. It was a very full (and fulfilling) day.

A very green Christmas.

After dinner with Nana!

This year, it was clear to me that no one is easier to shop for than runners! We're drawn like magpies to new gadgets and accessories. I don't usually make a post about "gifts to get your runner this Christmas" because I feel like the internet is full of them this time of year, but this holiday season, I've received three gifts I really wasn't expecting and already love, so I had to share my delight!

1. The Apple Watch. Now, it's no Garmin, but for me, that's a plus. I love that the Apple Watch lets me access my apps and has a workout app of its own. I can dictate texts through it, which is a must for me, and it's so pretty!

I've been playing around with the workout app vs. Activity vs. Nike+ via the watch, and all three have their benefits. 

Yes, that's a picture of a picture of a picture ad infinitum.

I love that the Nike+ app lets me track my pace during runs and brings up the cheers as they come through, so I can see who's cheering as I go instead of when I'm finished. The display is easy to read and the watch itself is super easy to use.

I also like that I can use the watch as a remote camera, which I know will come in handy once I practice working with it more.

2. The Palm Massager. Steph surprised Matt and me with this mini TENS unit, but Matt is a little skeptical about giving it a try so it's mostly mine for now. When I was in college, I had really bad migraines and used a TENS unit as treatment, so I'm familiar with it and already know how it works for me. I know the effects might be mostly psychological, but who am I to knock the power of placebos? If nothing else, it feels nice to have a little electric-massage after tweaking a muscle.

Who's up for a little light electrocution?

I've started my 30-day cross-training challenge, and Tuesday my back was a little sore from all the core work. After 30 minutes with the Palm Massager, I felt better. Not perfect, but much less stiff! This is definitely a gadget I wouldn't have even thought to get myself, but it's going to become a recovery staple for sure.

3. The Lululemon Wild Tank. This was a gift from Kristin and my first piece of Lulu apparel. Kristin owns it in multiple colors and I always comment on it when she wears it; the strappy bra and the low back is just really cute! Most of my running clothes are pretty basic and utilitarian, so it's nice to have something pretty, eye-catching, and fun in my drawer.

Lulu isn't something I'd ever splurge on for myself, so I'm especially grateful that Kristin snapped it up for me! I wore it on my Christmas Eve run and during my core workout afterward and it was so comfortable.

I received some other wonderful gifts, like a daily running calendar I can't wait to break into on January 1st and some decorative accents for our house, but these are three gifts I wouldn't have thought to get myself and they're fast favorites. I guess my friends/family know me better than I know myself!

Did you receive anything surprising this year?

What is your favorite kind of gift to receive?

Are you a good gift-giver? Admittedly, I'm not great at it. That's why I always include a handwritten card - I work much better in words than gifts sometimes!

ABK

The Holiday Season

Last week we went up for the last night of Chanukah and Christmas. It was so nice to light the candles at my parents' house using the menorah we've used since I was a kid.

 Steph sent a box of awesome gifts, including a foot massaging ball and a SUP ornament for Matt to match my runner girl from last year.

Match made in heaven.

 I got myself a little gift as well!

Christmas was a lovely, laid-back affair this year. Matt and I went to his dad's early for breakfast. Tammy really outdid herself this year; we had hash browns (prepared as a casserole for all the gluten-y folks), eggs, bacon, sausage, OJ, and coffee.

How cute is that mug?!

After breakfast we opened gifts. Our presents this year definitely say a lot about where our lives are right now. We got lots of things for the house - decorations, a deep fryer, a comfy afghan, and gift cards to home improvement stores - and Matt got me a bluetooth keyboard (so I can write on my iPad) and Jaybird bluetooth headphones.

I'm not sure why Matt is blurry in this one!

We got Dave and Tammy a Chromecast and spent the morning setting it up and playing with it. My parents and I got Matt a GoPro and some of the necessary accessories, which he immediately tried out.

This year I didn't run on Christmas. For some reason I just haven't been very motivated. But lately I haven't done much running - the holidays, travel, and house updates (more on those later) have gotten in the way - and I'm okay with the time off...But I can't let it go much longer. It's time to get serious again. Kristin and I are debating running the A1A marathon in February, and if I decide to sign on for that I'll need to get back into training.

I know after all the yummy holiday goodies I've been over-indulging in, my waistline will thank me.

I hope you all had wonderful holidays!

Did you enjoy the holidays?

What was the best gift you gave this year?

Did you receive anything you know will be put to good use?

ABK