In Love With The “Ber” Months

Friends, the “ber” months (September, October, November, and December) are my time. I love the cooler weather, and the smells of apple cider and cinnamon, and all the coziness. For me, this is the time of renewal and excitement, and I am all in!

Sunday

• Cardio: 4.63 miles, walking

Happy Sunday! The threat of rain was heavy in the air, so I set out, hoping to stay dry. I did and it ended up being a good walk.

I was in and out all day with dog drop ins, and then we had dinner with A and his girlfriend. It was so nice having her in town for the weekend. And of course, he was so very happy!

Bedtime came early because I had a race in the morning. I was out of practice, but I think my flat runner turned out perfectly.

Monday

• Cardio: RunJax Labor Day 5K

I got up early to make my way to Jacksonville for my first race in about six months. Eek. I got a great parking spot, picked up my packet, and settled in to wait for the start. I’ll do the full recap on Wednesday, but it wasn’t the best 5K of my life. That being said, I got it done and can’t wait for the next one.

Mr PugRunner wanted to do something for Labor Day, so we ended up going out for Detroit style pizza and ice cream. It was good to get out, even though my ankle was hurting terribly.

Tuesday

• Cardio: 5.7 miles, running + .6 miles, walking

I thought I would be hobbling around this week, but my ankle felt magically better when I woke up, so I put it to the test and ended up with a fairly decent run. What a relief!

Since my running photo wasn’t entirely impressive, I’m sharing a photo of the pugs running. How adorable are they with their ears bouncing in the breeze! I rounded out the day with a nice walk with my puppy client.

Wednesday

• Cardio: 6.24 miles, walking

Wednesdays are for active record and I got in a really great walk. I even got to see J again! All good things!

Since it was kind of a lowkey day, I took the opportunity to do some real recovery with my new Thermo Life Red Light Therapy Knee Massager (you can use code RUNSWITHPUGS with this link if you want to give it a try). I’m going to do a full review in a couple of weeks, but this was a lovely way to do a little self care.

Thursday

• Cardio: 7.66 miles, running

Today, I dug in on some speed work. For the moment, I’m doing about 30 minutes of sprinting for one minute and recovering for one minute. It’s a start, and it felt good.

In the meantime, Ms. Luna had to go to the vet. We found a bump on her head, and didn’t know if it was a bug bite or a mast cell tumor. It seemed like it was there for quite some time, so we decided to play it safe. Turns out it was just a scab, and needs a topical ointment to be treated. Whew. In the meantime, she also got her glands expressed, her nails cut, and her vaccines. And we are now all sleeping with one eye open, because this cutie pie was PISSED.

I had to hustle for the rest of the day. First, I treated myself to a fall coffee and empanada at my favorite coffee place. Then I got my nails done, and then Mr. PugRunner and I went to lunch at a waterfront restaurant, and out for some Halloween shopping. There wasn’t a ton we loved, but I did get a few cute things and can’t wait to finish decorating.

Friday

• Cardio: 8 miles, running + walking

I had a good run, followed by a solid walk, and then I just gave in to all the laziness. I’m tired, my hips have been a little stiff, and I just needed to decompress.

We are looking at a mostly calm and quiet weekend, with the exception of a date night on Saturday, so I will take as much advantage as I can.

Saturday

• Cardio: 5.51 miles, walking

I started a little later than I wanted and that’s ok. I sought out some shade and just went for it.

Then I picked up A from his morning and tried to wrap up all the rest of my work so we could head out for a fun date night.

Thoughts + Goals

I know, I know. No gym. But friends, your girl is tired and needs a break.

I actually have a kind of lowkey week coming up. It’s homecoming, and I do have my repeating client to walk, but other than that, my time is my own! We shall see what I accomplish.

I’ve been a menace about cleaning the house, too. This past week I did windows and baseboards, and this week, I went through all the old dog toys. It feels so good to get things thinned out and tidied up.

Now, I’m decorating for Halloween and fall and really trying to stay on top of all the things. I’ve watched a few spooky movies, including old favorites like Nightmare Before Christmas and Practical Magic, but I also watched Sinners (incredible) and the 2025 version of Wolf Man (terrible). I am trying to watch the new Nosferatu but it is so literally dark that I can’t actually see anything that is going on! I also watched the Netflix documentary “Unknown Caller” and holy moly!

In Case You Missed It 

• Falling Into The Daily Routine
• Songs That Are Always On My Training Playlist
• Toxic Running Phrases We Need To Retire (And What We Should Say Instead)
• The First Coffee Date Of Fall

How was your week in training? Do you use red light therapy? Have you seen any of the shows or movies I listed?

Weekly Rundown

I am linking up with the Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly! Check them out!