The Sun Sets On January

That’s right! January is over. And I’m entering into the busiest month of my life to date! Eek!

Sunday

Cardio: 2.59 miles, walking + 3.29 miles, Death To Dementia

Sunday dawned, and we were slow to crawl out of bed. the mornings start super chilly and then heat up fast. I went out for a walk, but Mr PugRunner got up in enough time for us to get to the Death To Dementia walk at the Palms Pantry wine bar in Jax Beach. The owner has started an initiative to spread dementia awareness with a walk the last Sunday of every month, and we were super happy to join.

Monday

Cardio: 5.87 miles, running + .6 miles, walking

The day opened with rain. Booooo. I suffered through it, but it wasn’t fun.

Fortunately, things cleared up enough for my dog walk to be dry and pleasant. That makes a difference, for sure. And it did get colder as the day progressed, so it was absolutely soup for dinner. I really love soup too much.

Tuesday

Cardio: 4.62 miles, running + .86 miles, walking

This was an exciting day! I got up and moving as early as I could manage, so that I could get my morning run out of the way, pack my bags, organize the house, and get to my dog walk.

And then we loaded up the car for our three hour drive to Crystal River! We got a great deal on a hotel that was still renovating from hurricane damage, and we were ready to our manatee adventure! After we checked in, we got wine and dinner at a local restaurant with a beautiful sunset, and then it was off to bed.

Wednesday

Cardio: 1 mile, walking

It was manatee day!!!!! We were so excited, but I was also super nervous. I had no idea what to expect, and it was 29ºF when we woke up. Fortunately, we had opted to upgrade to the heated boat, departing at 6:30AM, so we got dressed, packed our gear, grabbed a quick bite at the breakfast bar, and headed to the dive shop.

Our group got suited up, and we were on the pontoon by 7:20AM.

I cannot even begin to describe to you how incredible this experience was. As one of the first groups in the water, we were so fortunate to have clear views of these beautiful sea potatoes. Some were sleeping, but others were incredibly curious and interactive. It’s a criminal offense to touch, bother, or otherwise harrass the manatees, but they are allowed to touch and interact with you (if you get uncomfortable, you can gently detach and float away). The water was 72ºF, but it felt great with the wetsuits, and we just snorkeled our way through the morning. Amazing.

We were off the boat by 9:30, which was plenty of time to take a hot shower at the hotel, have breakfast, and then head home.

I kept my streak going by making my way to a client for a walk that night. Perfect.

Thursday

Cardio: 4.55 miles, running + 1.31 miles, walking
Strenth: upper body + standing deep core, 40 minutes

Speed work day! Good times. I worked my way through the run, went to a dog walk, then the gym, then another dog walk. The fresh air is really doing a number on me.

And then of course, it was time for more soup: chicken tortilla this time!

Friday

Cardio: 5.02 miles, running

TGIF! I started the morning with a chilly run.

And then I met up with some clients, one to drop off a key, and the other to go over notes for my next visit. All was going pretty smoothly, until our washing machine crapped out again, right in the middle of a load. Bizarrely, my friend’s washing machine did the same thing at the same time! What? We have a service call scheduled and laundry service set up, but it’s annoying.

Oh, and Luna had to go back to the vet. She’s been super itchy and we needed to get that taken care of. She’s on meds to help the situation.

Saturday

Cardio: 3.68 miles, walking

We are getting ready for our next freeze, and maybe even flurries! In this moment, it was decent, so I headed out for a few miles. I was trying to be good about the clothes I grabbed because we are sending our laundry out.

When we got back to the house, we got ready to go try a new-ish bagel place by us. These are cooked hot and immediately bagged and sold. It’s a unique concept where you choose from five flavors of bagels, and several different “schmears.” Instead of cutting and spreading, you rip and dip your bagel into a variety of cream cheeses, and butters. Not the norm, but it worked.

We did some shopping and in the evening, we went out to celebrate my stepdad’s birthday!

Thoughts + Goals

Has this been a wildly long month for anyone else? I feel like January lasted a freaking lifetime!

I’m a little stressed about the upcoming month. I’m only home three or four days in February, which is just insane! I’ll figure it out, but I’ll also be living out of a suitcase for a bit.

We are also celebrating my stepdad’s 80th birthday, and enjoying some wind ensemble concerts. I love marching band, but I might love wind ensemble even more.

I’ve got a race scheduled for the end of the month, and I’m ready to do this thing!