Sunday, October 14, 2018

A Roll of the Dice

Disclaimer: I received a case of YQ by Yoplait yogurt in exchange for my honest review.

This week really was up for grabs. Nothing went as planned, but it was a great week. Sometimes that's just the way it goes. I'm not much of a gambler, but a runner's gotta just roll with it. Which is what I did...



Running
I started out the week with the realization that I wasn't going to get in my 3 days of running. Silly me, I scheduled a dental cleaning first thing Monday morning. I considered getting up early on Tuesday to run, but when the alarm went off at 5, I turned it off and went back to sleep. Who am I? A runner who doesn't care enough to head out into the dark, that's who I am. I ran 6 on Wednesday and the heat and humidity pushed me to my limit. I dug deep and got it done.

Owning this Runder Woman shirt that Marcia gifted me.
Earlier this week, I signed up for Lululemon/Strava Ghost Race, planning to run it Sunday but knowing it would be a game day decision based on the conditions. It seemed kind of silly to drive downtown to run a virtual race, but when I woke up the sun was shining and the sky was cloudless. How could I DNS this? I had a cup of coffee and hit the road by 7:30. I parked and was on the Lakefront Path less than an hour later. I walked along Oak Street Beach, looking for the starting line, and once I found it, I headed north. I took it slow, savoring the gorgeous morning and feeling so grateful for everything about this run. On the way back south, the wind was starting to pick up but it felt good. I had a lot of company on the path--I don't know how many runners were doing the Ghost Race. I finished and uploaded my information to Strava. It will be interesting to see what Lulu gives us this time. Hey, if nothing else, the challenge gave me an opportunity to run in a beautiful place on a perfect fall day!



CrossFit
It's always hard and it's always fun at the box and this week was no different. Coach Sammy Jo pushed me through some back squats--I did 3 sets of 5 reps at 115#. Ouch. Then I did a circuit of dumbbell lunges, weighted prowler push, dumbbell box step ups, and ab mat situps. Repeat x 3 total. 

Bootcamp was a dice game, "craps style". Every minute we had to roll the dice and do the activity based on the number we rolled. BUT if someone rolled a 7, we had to drop what we were doing and run 400m. If someone rolled an 11, we had to stop and row 400m. Well, we ran 400m x7. We rowed 400m x 2. I did get in a few rounds of wall balls, goblet squats, overhead plate lunges, v-ups, and push-ups. I didn't expect to do so much running and ended up getting in almost 2 miles that morning. So I guess I did run 3 days this week.  Oh crap!


Yoga
With such a busy week, squeezing in yoga was a challenge. I managed to get in 2 short classes. Erin from 5 Parks Yoga came through for me with a brand new Go With the Flow Yoga Class on Monday and Deep Stretch Yoga Class: Hips and Hamstrings on Wednesday. It's amazing how good you can feel after a short yoga class.

Crow pose with some encouragement from Coach Cocoa
Cycling
Whaaat? Yep, Tuesday I hopped on the bike and went for a spin. I felt guilty about sleeping in, it was 80 degrees, and I got out of work early. The bike was calling me. I headed out to the forest preserve path and rode about 18 miles. While I rode, the sun went behind the clouds and I pedaled quickly to beat the impending storms. Along the way, I enjoyed the fall colors, leaves crunching under my tires, deer feeding along the path, and running into one of my families. Yep, I can't even go out for a bike ride without seeing patients. I don't know how they recognized me, but they did. I completely enjoyed this ride and I'm kind of sad that I didn't do more riding this year.

I love my bike!
Reflecting back on my week, I'm thinking I need to roll the dice all the time. This was a fun week filled with spontaneity. How about you? Are you a stickler for routine? Or do you like to mix it up? How was your week?


When Yoplait contacted me to try and review their new YQ by Yoplait yogurt, I wasn't sure I wanted to try it. I've given up on yogurt. Too sweet and it makes me have to take pit stops on the run... 

After reading more about the product, I was intrigued. YQ by Yoplait is low in sugar with only 9 grams per serving, high in protein with 17 grams per serving, and essentially lactose-free, using a special ultra-filtration process to remove 99% of the lactose. Plus it's made with cane sugar, not artificial sweeteners or HFCS. I want you to know that I am a fan. I love the taste.YQ by Yoplait isn't sweet, but it's not so tart that you'll be puckering up. The consistency is creamy. All the flavors are delicious. Most of all, this stuff agrees with my sensitive tummy. 

I'm happy to be able to eat yogurt again. Have you seen this product in your local grocery store?



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55 comments :

  1. Look at Coach Cocoa - ahhhh! We have protein yoghurt here in the form of Skyr, not sure this brand has hit us. Great news.

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    1. I like it! Although I couldn't find it at the grocery store when I went to buy some.

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  2. I haven't seen that YQ stuff yet. It'll probably take forever to get out here. Small towns are always last. LOL

    I LOVE those dice workouts at the gym. It's so much fun with the unpredictability, although sometimes you do run nearly 2 miles. Haha.

    Great job on those squats! *high five*

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    1. I felt like it was a spadework session instead of bootcamp! Oh well, I got some miles in!

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  3. I can't wait to hear what Lulu offers for the Ghost race. Fun that they marked the path. I missed my bike ride this weekend. It was raining Saturday morning when I was going to ride. It turned into a gorgeous day but by then I was committed to errands and chores by then.

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  4. I did not do the ghost race this year bc it was in DC and early too. I think ours was a more organized event though with lots of people. I will check you that yogurt-like you, I find it hard to find a yogurt that is low in sugar and tastes good. Loving this fall weather!

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  5. That dice workout sounds really fun. I kind of like that you got to run so much. 400s are my fave. Love me some rowing too! Lulu was supposed to have swag out there for the Ghost Race. Any luck?

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    1. Nada. I was pretty disappointed. But the weather and the view made the trip down there worth it.

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  6. Rolling the dice can work wonders ;-) Glad you had a great week (I bet you slept well).

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  7. Coach Cocoa might be the cutest.
    The Ghost Run was a disorganized mess here so I skipped it.
    Loved your description of the sighs & sounds of the bike ride

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    1. There was nothing to be organized--our Ghost Run was virtual. You just showed up at the start line and ran it. I had hoped for more perks, tho.

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    2. Ours had a couple of meetups around it, apparently. But like I said, disorganized mess.
      LAst year was the gift card, right?

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    3. I don't know! I didn't run it last year. I did the 80k in January and they really let us down this time, with a discount coupon. The year before we got a whole outfit.

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  8. Sometimes its nice to just go with the flow and not stick to a set schedule! It looks like you had a perfect day for your ghost run in Chicago. I'm intrigued by that yogurt. I don't really like plain yogurt and I try to avoid the flavored kind because of all the added sugar!

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    1. I really like this yogurt! I have trouble with milk, so this one being lactose free is a win.

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  9. Cycling season is coming to an end here quickly too - I’m going to try and do some indoor cycling this winter but outside is so much more enjoyable!

    I’ve never heard of lulu’s ghost runs but I will check it out!

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  10. Sounds like a fun week! Sometimes you need to shake things up.

    I haven't tried that yogurt. I like Greek Yogurt & I read labels so mine rarely has more than 9 gm of sugar in it (sometimes even less). I actually gave it up for a few weeks, wondering if it was contributing to some struggles at the scale, but it obviously wasn't the culprit so I'm enjoying it again. It helps me get in that protein!

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    1. I loved Greek yogurt--it's so low in sugar--but it caused me a lot of GI issues. So I'm hoping this YQ will be my thing.

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  11. You had an awesome variety fo workouts this week Wendy - nice job!

    I wish I had a Ghost race near me because I definitely would have participated. I can't wait to see what swag lulu gifts you for completing the run.

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    1. It was worth it for me to drive downtown for that beautiful morning run! Seriously!

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  12. I have never done a virtual race, before. Happy to read about your experience. Wonder what your swag will be.
    Crow pose is my absolute favorite yoga pose. I LOVE to play around with it.
    Great workouts this week!

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    1. I've done virtual races before, but I never had to travel to an official course to run it!

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  13. I didn't sign up for the ghost race after the disappointing prizes back in January. Hopefully they changed it so you get something good!

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    1. I'm not holding my breath! But it was a good excuse to run along the lakefront.

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  14. Sounds like the perfect fall day to get outside. I had that yesterday and had to remind myself I'm taking a short break. I had to get a lot done though with the snow we get overnight.

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    1. Sundays are busy here too, with preparations for the week. But sometimes you just have to take advantage of the good weather!

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  15. It sounds like you had a fun week! I've never done a virtual race, but I know some people love them. The boot camp game with dice sounds like a great way to add a little fun. I've done something similar with a deck of cards.

    I can't go anywhere without seeing people I know from the gym or one of the gyms I've worked at in the past. My husband is amazed at how many people I know (or at least recognize and wave to).

    Thanks for the linkup!

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    1. After that, I ran into another patient while I was on my run. Apparently, they live in my neighborhood!

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  16. I haven't seen the YQ in our grocery stores yet ...but will definitely try it when it makes it here. I love the pic of you on the lakefront ...what a beautiful place to run!

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  17. I prefer to have a plan to follow, if not exactly a routine - but currently trying to mix it up, since I don't have a choice!

    I haven't seen YQ around. I wonder how they filter out the lactose while leaving protein & fat - those molecules are bigger, right? Clearly it's been a long time since I took organic chemistry.

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    1. The information they sent me says the product is filtered to concentrate the protein while removing the lactose. No idea how they do that! I'm glad they do because it definitely agrees with me.

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  18. I was thinking about doing the Ghost Race, but I have to do site visits every day this week, so I don't know if it is going to happen before the deadline!

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  19. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous - a perfect day for the race! I hope you get some good prizes from it, especially after the disappointing January challenge. I saw YQ in a grocery store this week and was curious about it - thanks for the review!

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    1. I saw some girls posted on IG that there was a free vending machine with Lulu swag. I saw no such thing. I'm pretty sure that Lulu is going to disappoint me. At least I got a run along the lakefront!

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  20. Nice week of rolling the dice! I wish I had a nice path for a bike ride. It's kind of an ordeal to get to my route; which is just in a neighborhood. I like yogurt. It's what I eat before a short race because it's easy on my tummy. I always pick the Greek style brands with lower sugar so I need to look for YQ.

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    1. I'm pretty fortunate to have some good options for bike paths. I do have to risk my life by riding on the roads to get to them tho. Even in the little neighborhoods.

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  21. I never even heard about the ghost run. Well, until yesterday when I seems that half my running friends participated. #clueless I love that photo with the city in the background. Very pretty.

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    1. I missed it last year but somehow word came my way. I was pretty disgusted with the winter run but you know me, I can't pass up the chance of freebies. We'll see if that actually materializes.

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  22. When I'm training for something, i don't like when my plan gets thrown off. But outside of that, I can definitely appreciate spontaneity!

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    1. I should be training for my upcoming half. But hey, I can't pass up fun!

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  23. Glad you even got out for a bike ride! Might as well woop it up before your snow comes, right?! I've never biked in the snow before. That YQ sounds tasty. I'm not a big fan of super sweet yogurts, but YQ is worth a shot! Not sure I've seen it in our stores here though.

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    1. I'm pretty much a fair weather cyclist--so once it gets below 60, I'm not too excited about riding.

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  24. You had a great mix of workouts - your bootcamp session sounds like one heck of a workout! I'll be curious to hear what Lulu will be handing out for prizes.

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  25. I hadn't heard of this virtual ghost race...sounds interesting! I like the idea of Strava allowing for "proof" of a race, technology is so impressive.

    Great week for you!

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    1. I did a 2 week Lulu/Strava challenge in January, running 80K during that time. Last year we were rewarded with an outfit. This year we got a 25% coupon. I'm not expecting much but I did enjoy my run along the lakefront!

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  26. I try to keep a schedule, but that's pretty close to impossible with my husband's travel schedule, our son, and my own work craziness. Sigh. Good job rolling with an unpredictable week.

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    1. As long as I get to move, I'm good. Sometimes you just have to go with what the day gives you!

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  27. That dice workout sounds intense!! And yay for sleepingin and getting in a bike ride- that sounds so glorious!

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