Xena enjoys 'Hero Season'

[Xena]

It's finally getting into good running weather around my neck of the woods. Sept-Nov are when you reap the reward of slogging through the rest of the year, so I'm planning to enjoy it! Sometimes we call it "Hero Weather"....when the conditions are good, you feel invincible!

 

 

 

Goals are pretty typical Xena-ish goals.

 

1. Run 125 miles. It will probably be more. I just do what my coach says, but I want "credit" for it. My biggest race of the year will be the Monumental Marathon in Indiana in early November.

2. Cross train 3x per week. This is strength/mobility stuff. I've made a list of things that count: gym sessions, yoga class, some at-home workouts. Whatever I choose to do is fine. Success = at least 12 workouts during the 5 weeks.

3. Calories under 2300 at least 16 days. This goal has been working really well. I'm on the upper edge of my goal range right now. Want to get down about 2 more pounds and then will be onto the harder job of maintenance.

4. Deep clean the dining room and closets. My living room cleanup goal from last challenge was the most helpful one I've had in a while. This goal includes: scrub floor, move paddleboard to store outdoors, Mari Kondo coat closet and utility room, take any junk to the dump, get carbon monoxide detector, dry down and dispose of old latex paint, dust furniture and lamps, try to remove spot on dining room table, clean sliders (glass and screens).

 

Leftover goals

100 pushups (at time of writing up to 61)

50 chin up negatives (currently at 12/50)

Sushi list...one lingering item left and then will write a new one.

 

 

[Xena]

Personal zero week mini-challenge:

• 5 strides (tack in to the end of a run this week)

• Get to the gym once

• Finish will except sign/notarize (check over and print all forms)

• Darebee yoga or other with Upward Bow (want to work on this pose during the challenge)

• Night-time routine (working on some skin care stuff)
• Leave the house clean (have some short travel....5 chores I like to have done before I leave)

• Submit paper (work goal to finish before I leave)

Getting myself a new gym shirt if I finish all these things.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following!

[Novaurora]

Looks great!  Following!!!

 

[Jean]

I'll be  for the sake of Mr. Coffeemaker's soul.

[Maigs]

Following along. I like "Hero Season". Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, and I feel I'm one of the few who say that and couldn't care less about Halloween

[Xena]

4 hours ago, Jean said:

I'll be  for the sake of Mr. Coffeemaker's soul.

 

[for people new to the thread, my coffeemaker really sucks and may be possessed...I can have a new one when I finish my darned pushups]. My arms were too tired for pushups today...hopefully tomorrow. The big news is that I have bought a new coffeemaker. I was buying some other stuff and wanted to save on shipping. I figure it's ok as long as I leave it in the box until I've earned it :-)

 

16 minutes ago, Maigs said:

Following along. I like "Hero Season". Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, and I feel I'm one of the few who say that and couldn't care less about Halloween

 

It has completely grown on me.

 

Today was good. 12 miles with a friend in the morning. Then almost 4 more later in the day helping a friend get ready for an upcoming trail race.

[DarK_RaideR]

On 9/7/2019 at 7:38 PM, Xena said:

Goals are pretty typical Xena-ish goals.

Seriously, you type that all casual and then drop those goals like

[Novaurora]

9 hours ago, Xena said:

my coffeemaker really sucks and may be possessed...I can have a new one when I finish my darned pushups]

Goid luck!! If you can't depend on your coffee maker, what CAN you depend on, ha

[GoodDoug]

A French press never goes on the fritz...

21 hours ago, Xena said:

my coffeemaker really sucks and may be possessed...

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

2 hours ago, GoodDoug said:

A French press never goes on the fritz...

 

[Xena]

2 hours ago, GoodDoug said:

A French press never goes on the fritz...

 

 

Truth. But I have various issues with the french press. Chief among them, I don't like cleaning it.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I use a simple pour over drip
https://www.amazon.com/Clever-Coffee-Dripper-Filters-Included/dp/B00BCS13IW/ref=asc_df_B00BCS13IW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167147331067&hvpos=1o11&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5518111704071737875&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019660&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-312206736183&psc=1

Sorry about the giant link. I’m on Tapatalk.

Mrs. Sloth swears by the aeropress
https://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker-Bitterness/dp/B0047BIWSK

We also have a basic espresso machine (among several other ways of making coffee) that is super easy to use and clean.

French press is about my least favorite method. Mostly because I can’t get it not to be gritty.

[DarK_RaideR]

6 hours ago, Xena said:

Truth. But I have various issues with the french press. Chief among them, I don't like cleaning it. I'm too jacked to slowly press down on it and make coffee

FTFY

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

12 hours ago, Xena said:

 

Truth. But I have various issues with the french press. Chief among them, I don't like cleaning it.

Do you have a garbage disposal on your sink? When I use ours I just pour the grounds down that, rinse out the carafe, rinse off the plunger, and send the grounds to a horrifying slow tortuous death turn on the disposal. It's easy, I just don't use ours often because we have a Keurig. In fact, we have four ways to make coffee. The Keurig, two different french presses, a drip coffee maker, and an espresso machine.

 

 

 

I think we like coffee.

 

Edit: After posting this I got up and made another cup of coffee.

[GoodDoug]

15 hours ago, Xena said:

Chief among them, I don't like cleaning it.

After over twenty years of daily cleaning of the French Press, I believe I have it down to where I can do it in my sleep... in fact I've probably done it in my sleep. But I understand where you are coming from. I forget that people don't like cleaning it, but with a little practice, it becomes almost as easy as dumping the filter on a traditional coffee maker. Yes almost is still not perfect, but I never worry about it not working. Though I do worry about breaking the carafe.

No judgement, whatever gets you that coffee rush... 

[Xena]

On 9/10/2019 at 11:53 AM, GoodDoug said:

No judgement, whatever gets you that coffee rush... 

 

Thanks!!

 

On 9/10/2019 at 3:11 AM, DarK_RaideR said:

I'm too jacked to slowly press down on it and make coffee

 

I'm gonna keep telling myself that.

 

Today was good. Had to lead a big day-long meeting at work. It went well, and I'm glad it's behind me. Interval training this morning ("Yasso 800's." I talked about this one last time...it's a classic marathon training workout. If you want to run a 3 hour marathon, you do 800's in 3 minutes (with 3 min recovery). If you want to run a 5 hour marathon, you do them in 5 min (with 5 min recovery)). Up to 14/50 chinups and 65/100 pushups. The new coffee maker has arrived and is taunting me from the box. Maybe I'll put it on the floor in front of me next time I do pushups.

 

By the way, in case my challenge seems boring, maybe it is. It literally includes watching paint dry. Part of my cleaning goal is

On 9/7/2019 at 12:38 PM, Xena said:

dry down and dispose of old latex paint

 

I've been putting it out in the yard every day to evaporate and bringing it in at night, so it doesn't get a bunch of condensation. Yeah, basically watching paint dry.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I’ve heard of people pouring it over gravel to dry or pouring in cat litter to harden it fast. You’d lose the drama of watching it dry though.

[Xena]

13 minutes ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

I’ve heard of people pouring it over gravel to dry or pouring in cat litter to harden it fast. You’d lose the drama of watching it dry though.

 

I actually have an extra bag of litter in the lab (in case of a particular chemical spill for a chemical we aren't even using any more). I need to try this. Then I can liven up my challenge with extensive descriptions of paint being absorbed by kitty litter. Maybe even photos.

 

I hadn't heard of this, but it makes really good sense. Thanks!

 

And yes, I have a cat, but he uses the crystal litter. That stuff is too expensive to waste on dealing with old paint.

[Xena]

Just talked with my running coach. Feeling much more positive :-)

 

I'm bad at running in the heat, and every summer I get discouraged. I know this about myself, but it's still hard to see past it sometimes. I dug out the email I wrote to my coach last November when I first started working with him. I described the exact same problem. Now that it's cooler I'm finally starting to be able to run better. The coach is pretty happy about the solid base I've been putting in over the past several months and thinks things will start coming together in the fall. He gave me that common advice (that many many people need including me) of taking my easy days easier. He also gave me some advice about pacing during my long runs.

 

Anyway...I'm now feeling good about where I am with things.

[Maigs]

1 hour ago, Xena said:

1 hour ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

I’ve heard of people pouring it over gravel to dry or pouring in cat litter to harden it fast. You’d lose the drama of watching it dry though.

 

I actually have an extra bag of litter in the lab (in case of a particular chemical spill for a chemical we aren't even using any more). I need to try this. Then I can liven up my challenge with extensive descriptions of paint being absorbed by kitty litter. Maybe even photos.

 

I hadn't heard of this, but it makes really good sense. Thanks!

I bought a small bag of cheap-o cat litter to dry out the old paint left in my garage from two owners ago. I tried leaving it open in the garage for a few days first and it did literally nothing. Cat litter worked like a charm.

And in true Maigs fashion, this is on my to-do list again since we're done painting our house and have only small amounts of paint and primer left in each container that's not worth keeping

[Jean]

6 hours ago, Xena said:

Maybe even photos.

 

Please, do! More of us need to watch painting dry. Time's running by fast, let's fix the moment in cat litter (in case it isn't apparent, I'm being serious about the pics, I've never tried that method and am curious about the results).

 

 

5 hours ago, Xena said:

I'm now feeling good about where I am with things.

 

Glad to read that, and very good advice on rest days from your coach. As you say, this is hero season for running. Train hard, recover harder, you've got this.

[ElizeElvinFoxRyder]

On 9/9/2019 at 2:08 AM, Xena said:

The big news is that I have bought a new coffeemaker.

Here to encourage you to earn that coffeemaker! Well to get you to a place where you can take it out of the box and actually use it. My coffee-loving-heart is really rooting for you!

[DarK_RaideR]

10 hours ago, Xena said:

The new coffee maker has arrived and is taunting me from the box. Maybe I'll put it on the floor in front of me next time I do pushups.

Actually, why not put a cup of coffee on the floor and take a sip with each rep? Instant motivation and optional steamy face spa!

[ElizeElvinFoxRyder]

35 minutes ago, DarK_RaideR said:

Actually, why not put a cup of coffee on the floor and take a sip with each rep? Instant motivation and optional steamy face spa!

Seconded!