Friday, August 16, 2019

Random Friday Thoughts

Guys, I got nothing for today except a bunch of random thoughts that alone don't add up to a whole blog post. It's been a busy, big couple of weeks. This week has been all about recovery--both physical and mental. Indulge me while I share some of my ruminations from Wednesday's run.



Have you ever been SO BUSY that you crave routine? As much as I love all the travel and adventures I've been having the past 4 weeks, I am so ready to get life back on track. The dilemma is that it's mid-August and for midwesterners, that means we only have a few more weeks left of summer fun. Don't get me wrong--there's fall fun--but it's just not the same. So do I continue to push myself hard over the next couple of weeks? Or do I enjoy some downtime at home this weekend?

I mean, I could stay home...
I ask this because I'm exhausted. Between my busy weekends and the craziness at work that is the back to school physical season, I've hit a new level of tiredness. While it's a "wake up with determination, go to bed with satisfaction" kind of tired, I just want a couple of days to sleep. Pushing myself this hard makes me fearful of waking RA from hibernation. I've had some protests from my joints. Fortunately, nothing has flared up. Let's keep it that way, 'k?


My house is a mess. The laundry basket is overflowing with clothes that need to be folded and put away. Dust bunnies peek out from my bed, threatening to overtake me. I still had all that swag from EMPOWER Summer Camp sitting on my kitchen counter. My husband kind of glared at it as he walked by. The good news is that my cleaning lady comes today, so I had to put it all away. Do you clean before the cleaning people come to your house?


The other bit of good news here is that relief is coming in the form of decreased hours at work. Earlier this summer, I requested a change in my schedule. This puts me at 3 days per week. Why would I do this with a kid in college? Well, it's only 4 hours less per week but that means a whole extra day free to get stuff done.


Like shopping and food prep. Right now, I'm kind of obsessed with Panera's Modern Greek Salad with Quinoa. The salad is served over kale and romaine and tossed with tomatoes, olives, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, feta, and sliced olives.  Ordering from Panera can expensive, so I've started making my own interpretation. Dare I say I think it's better than Panera's? I've learned how to massage kale and if that sounds wrong, I say get your mind out of the gutter.


With Mondays free and running not bringing me joy, I'm going to go to CrossFit twice weekly now. Who am I? I may not be crushing the miles on the road but I've been making gains at the box. Oddly enough, this past week several of the women at the box told me I need to start doing the WOD. Again with the innuendos. Drinking the Koolaid one sip at a time.

Finally, and this is totally random, but have you ever thought that Google is listening to you? I don't own an Amazon Echo or Google's Alexa, but recently I've noticed that when I start searching in Google, topics I've talked about show up in search results. How does Google know what I'm looking for? Like the Ryan Gosling meme? How did Google even know to connect him with kale...


If massaging kale and doing the WOD are wrong, I don't want to be right! /via @oldrunningmom #runchat #crossfit #randomthoughts

Have you ever been so tired that you passed on something fun? Clean house or messy house? Would you rather have Mondays or Fridays off? Not that I had a choice... Ordering out or recreating a favorite dish at home? Have you ever massaged kale? WOD: Rx or Scaled? Do you think Google spies on you?

I'm linking up with Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness.


33 comments :

  1. OMG, I had that salad last night! It would have been better if they massaged the kale, but I'm not sure I want someone else massaging my kale .... I know it's hard to be on the outs with running, but I think the crossfit/strength workouts are so good! You are strengthening all your muscles and probably finding ones you wouldn't use otherwise.

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    1. Haha! I am with you on someone else massaging my kale, especially since about 10 years ago I got food poisoning from Panera!

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  2. That salad sounds yummy! I may have to go soon and get one. There are times in which I am feeling great doing everything I possibly can and then boom, I am so exhausted I don't want to get out of bed. I spent 2 days organizing my classroom and skipped so many runs because I was so tired. I would like to have Fridays off.

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    1. That was the dilemma. I wanted Fridays off too. But so did one of the doctors...

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  3. I haven't ran anything more than 6 miles in forever. I don't know if I just got bored with it or what but I wasn't enjoying it like I used to. I started lifting weights and running shorter HIIT style workouts and I really enjoy it. I also joined an Orangetheory a little over a year ago and try to do that twice a week as well. It's weird cause even though I'm probably in the best shape of my life, I feel guilty for not running long like I used to. I'm thinking I will get back to it at some point but for now I'm enjoying getting stronger. Great post! I'm in the Midwest as well!

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  4. Funny, I am feeling many of the same things. Always massage your kale! That is a given. :) I also think I can make salads better than most places too. I crave the schedule that fall brings. I take my youngest back to school in a few days so that will help. Yes I clean before the cleaning lady comes as well. I have no idea why! Have a nice relaxing weekend

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    1. Even after a good massage, that kale is still pretty chewy! :p

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  5. Two late nights (back to back) at the Iowa State Fair (for two awesome concerts, so I"d gladly do it all over again) have left majorly groggy. And, I'm the one who usually thrives on little sleep....well, not this week LOL Booo to summer winding down.....

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  6. I TOTALLY THINK GOOGLE SPIES ON US. I could be talking about some topic and then the next time I open my phone, I will see an article on that same topic or I will get an ad on Instagram for the topic. I use to think that was weird but I think our phones are listening to us..haha.

    I love summer but sometimes I understand the need to get back to a routine.

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  7. I love the greek salade and just in this period I must eat more vegetables and fruit than the usual. There are periods when we are exhausted and a little of relax helps. I mean mind and body relax.

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  8. Yep, I clean the house before the cleaning people come over :) It sounds weird but it definitely helps.

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  9. We still have an Alexa dot because I think we could use it with our fire tv but of course I haven't explored that yet, and last Christmas our kadults talked us into getting the Google system. Yes I think they listen to us because sometimes they will answer the TV's question. I tried to get them to talk to each other but they won't do that, LOL.

    You are tired. Embrace the summer of your childhood, where you stayed home and got to sleep in as long as you wanted and then ate a bowl of Trix while watching TV. Do the adult version to restore your body...I'd hate for you to get an RA flare now!

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    1. That's funny that Alexa won't talk to Google! Yet they know everything about us...

      You are so right about needing rest. But I just don't want to miss a drop of summer. The struggle is real!

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  10. We do have Alexa, but even before that it seemed like someone was listening to us. It's creepy!

    Either i clean or it doesn't get done. No cleaning person here but me and let's just say that might be a runfession at the end of the month (with a photo!).

    Of course I've massage kale. Generally we go out to eat once a week. And I like that break from cooking, even though I like to cook. Mr. Judy also grills as long as he can, and that's a break, too!

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  11. It sounds like you need some r&r days!! And yes, I clean before our cleaner comes. It's a good motivator. lol

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    1. It is such a great way to get on top of the clutter, isn't it?

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  12. I have never tried Panera's Modern Greek salad, but I LOVE their regular Greek salad. It's unusual for me to crave food from a chain restaurant, but I make an exception for this salad. In fact., I think I will ask Bill if he wants to go there for lunch today! :)

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    1. I just love this salad! But now I like my homemade version even more!

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  13. Google is definitely spying. One day I had a conversation about Stouffer's pizza verbally with a friend, and later that evening Stouffer's showed up in an ad in my Instagram feed. I NEVER have google-searched for Stouffer's for sure (I'm a vegan) so that one really, really made me wonder!

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  14. It's not just Google spying. I received in email from Suunto about upgrading my watch. They were offering $150 off for previous owners. I browsed the site and decided I didn't want to spend the money since I had a perfectly fine watch already. The next day said watch died mid bike ride. It worked great for about 2 weeks. I left a comment on a blog about the Suunto 5 - the next day it died mid ride again!! I went back to their site and saw they were having a flash sale (it was Amazon Prime Day.) I was able to combine both discounts for a total of 60% off. I paid less for the new watch than I did 6 1/2 years ago for the old one. It was still kinda creepy.

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  15. I stay away from Alexa and stuff like that-- a bit too creepy for me. And I believe there have been a bunch of articles on Google spying on people which is even creepier. I get you about being super busy-- July and August passed in the blink of an eye!

    Angie (https://24theroad.com

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    1. Summer always just flies by! What happened to those lazy, crazy days of summer?

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  16. We've had a poorly pet cat and a lot has fallen to the side, including laundry and unfortunately reading, running and yoga. Trying to pick things up now. Hope you can get some good rest times, too.

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    1. Right now your priority is your kitty! The housework and blogging can wait. <3

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