Another Blogging Secret Revealed

I’ve almost always written my posts the day (or night) before and scheduled them for the morning. Doesn’t everyone do it that way?

I have no free time on weekday mornings. I roll out of bed @ 5-ish, walk my dog, do my workout, shower, and head to work—usually arriving @ 7:30 am. I write my weekly fitness/life recap post on Saturday mornings—after my run, while I enjoy a leisurely pot of  coffee—and schedule it for Sunday. NaBloPoMo is making me revive my old evening blogging habit—it’s been ages since I’ve blogged more than twice a week. Most evenings I work until 6:30 or 7 pm, scrounge something for dinner, and park myself in front of the T.V. with my iPad for crossword puzzling, doom scrolling, and/or reading on my Kindle app.

One reason I joined NaBloPoMo was to cut down on the doom scrolling, but since I spend my work days reading and writing, I’m not always up for more “content creation” at night. For the month of November, I’ll draw inspiration from other bloggers to keep writing.

I’m participating in National Blog Poasting Month. Learn more and see the list of participating bloggers here.

When do you write?

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Voting In The 2026 Midterm Elections

I think this will be my 4th time serving as an elections officer. The photo above is from my first time in 2024, and since then I’ve worked at two other midterms. It’s an exhausting day, but I enjoy it. To keep things light, I thought I’d share a few things that surprised me (or that I didn’t think of) about this role.

It’s a long day. In Virginia polls are open from 6 am to 7 pm. We have to report to the polling place at 4:45 am and stay until the last voter leaves and all the paperwork is done (which in my experience has been @ 9 pm). We cannot leave for any reason—unless we fall ill (and then we can’t return). The law in Virginia is that everyone in line by 7:00 pm can vote, so the last voter may not leave until 7:30-ish. After that, we follow detailed, step-by-step instructions to close out the voting machines, reconcile the numbers that have to be reconciled (mainly how many ballots we handed out vs. how many ballots were counted by our machines), sign-off on various forms, and break down and pack up everything we set up for voting (tables, privacy partitions, signs, etc.).

The voting machines capture images of write-in votes. We of course never know how a given person voted, but at the end of the day the machines generate a printout of all the votes with a tally of the results. For write-in candidates, the printout shows an image of the handwriting. Apparently voting for Mickey Mouse really is a thing, and one year someone literally wrote “anyone else”!

It’s a heartening scene, even if you are fed up with politics. Our democracy depends on (eligible) voters exercising their right to vote, and this is where it happens. We see older people making the physical effort to vote, young parents with children in tow, 18- and 19-year olds voting for the first time, and people who never voted before finally getting around to it. We are trained to keep things apolitical and the law limits how close campaigners can be to the entrance. Once you’re in the door, everything is neutral—including our clothing (although we are permitted to wear American flag-themed clothes). Since we can’t talk about the candidates (or any other issues on the ballot) and don’t know how anyone is voting, it’s probably the best place to be on election day if you want to escape the barrage of exit-polling predictions.

I’m participating in National Blog Poasting Month. Learn more and see the list of participating bloggers here.

Have you ever served as an elections officer?

The post Voting In The 2026 Midterm Elections appeared first on Running With Perseverance.

A Day Late To NaBloPoMo

I thought I’d start off NaBloPoMo with an introduction, which led me to check out my own “About” page, which I quickly realized I hadn’t updated since 2019. If you check it out, the first part reflects how I might introduce myself today, while the last part tells the backstory I wanted to share when I started blogging in 2011.

To give you more insight into who I am as a blogger, I’ll share how I started writing this post. First, I fretted over starting NaBloPoMo a day late. I’m a Type A person and my job requires me to adhere to strict deadlines, so being late is not something I am comfortable with!

I’ve always loved reading and writing and words, and my head is full of sayings. I can’t think about being a day late without out also worrying about being a dollar short.

I am curious, so once I decided to riff off that idiom for this post, I looked up its origin. Google AI had a quick answer, but I dug deeper and was interested in what The History of English blog had to say. Like Google, it traced the origins back to the early 1900s, and said it likely was coined during the Great Depression. They give some alternate/equivalent phrases that are pretty harsh, like this one:

You have failed miserably, nothing you can do will change things.

That phrase reminded me of a favorite video game I played way back in the early ‘90s. The games were primitive by today’s standards, but I will never forget the taunt at the start of each round:

You are pitiful and weak and I will destroy you!

Even Google AI can’t identify what game it was. I am 100% confident I was not playing Mortal Kombat with my toddler around!

One last ramble before I let you go….I usually am a dollar short and never have cash on hand, but last weekend I got $4 back in cash from the grocery store when a BOGO offer wasn’t applied at check-out. Sadly, that won’t even cover my grande Americano at Starbucks these days.*

*My love for Starbucks is probably one more thing you should know about me.  

Do you carry cash?

Would you ask for a refund if a sale price didn’t ring up correctly?

Did you play video games as a kid?

The post A Day Late To NaBloPoMo appeared first on Running With Perseverance.

Trick-or-treat here if you dare!

Halloween In My Hood

Since I walk Scooby at dark o’clock in the morning I appreciate neighbors who keep their displays lit up overnight.

How does a full graveyard impact home value?

Not your friendly neighborhood ghost.

Call the exterminator!

I think this decoration is scarier than it’s intended to be.

Are these kittens cute or creepy?

This cute cat pops out of the pumpkin

The scariest thing about this house is the table saw on the other side of their front yard. I’m not sure if it’s part of the display or a sign of more to come.

This house is a good reminder you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.

Weekly Run Down

Compared to my neighborhood, I’m kind of disappointed in Peloton’s Halloween offerings this year. They didn’t drop new classes until Wednesday even though most were pre-recorded, so I’ve only had a chance to take a few. They didn’t have any Halloween strength classes or any short classes. They did add short “scenic ride” and “scenic run” classes that look pretty cool/creepy, but I haven’t have a chance to take one yet.

With my recently diagnosed DVTs, I eased into the week but was able to run pretty comfortably by the end of the week.

Monday: 10 min Core + 20 min Glutes + Legs + 20 min Low Impact Ride

Tuesday: 20 min Bodyweight Strength + 20 min Walk + Run

Wednesday: 10 min Core + 10 min Arms + Shoulder Strength + 30 min Ride

Camilla as a siren luring us all in with different genres of music.

Thursday: 10 min Warm-Up + 30 min Halloween Run

Hannah and Susie had a lot of fun with the cat vs. dog theme.
Even the playlist has alternating cat/dog songs.

Friday: 20 min Full Body Strength + 30 min Halloween Ride

Ben and Liane as ghouls on the one night of the year
they are allowed back into the disco.

Saturday: Gorgeous 4,3 mile run with Scooby! I was able to run without walk breaks, but let Scooby take his time on his “sniff” breaks.

Nothing scary about this run!

After it warmed up a bit more, we donned our lederhosen kits and got a lot of smiles on our 30 mile ride on the Washington & Old Dominion trail.

A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.

Did you get a lot of trick-or-treaters this year?

I made a last-minute decision to join NaBloPoMo, so if you are finding me through San’s list of participants, come back tomorrow for a proper introduction.

This Friday Deborah and I will be co-hosting the monthly Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up, so come back for that as well!

The post Halloween In My Hood appeared first on Running With Perseverance.

You also may be joining the Fit Five Friday Link-Up with Darlene, Michelle, Renée, and Jenn.

Spooky Runfessions

I runfess, when I travel I am pretty good at doing at least a short pre-run warm-up and pretty terrible at doing any post-run stretching. Since I usually am heading out right after rolling out of bed, I know I need to do something to warm-up, but I runfess I usually “forget” to stretch afterwards.

Guess my favorite pre-run warm-up!

My usual post-run routine includes a stop at Starbucks—yes, even in Copenhagen—and by the time I get back to my room I am ready to hop in the shower and get on with my day.

I coffee-fess that the main reason I trekked to the Starbucks at the main Copenhagen train station was so I could have cream with my coffee instead of milk. Now that I am home where half-and-half is my norm I am missing the extra deliciousness of “full cream”!

I runfess, as much as I’ve been plagued with running injuries, running forces me to pay more attention to my overall health.

I will ignore a lot of symptoms until they interfere with my running. This summer I noticed my heart rate was higher than usual while running, and that turned out to be a sign my over-active thyroid needed to be reined in. More recently, when my calf started aching more and more during my runs, that was the final nudge I needed to get screened for deep vein thrombosis. So, despite all the orthopedist and physical therapy appointments, I still think running makes me healthier.

Would your post-run routine scare a physical therapist?

The post Spooky Runfessions appeared first on Running With Perseverance.

Erica is a great friend and fantastic photographer!

That Was Fun While It Lasted

Honestly, I’ve been wondering if I might have a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in my right calf ever since I used an orthopedic boot while recovering from the infection I got hiking in soggy boots in Ireland.

Note to self: do not do this again!

I was thisclose to going to the ER that weekend in August, but decided to try stretching and resting my calf in case it was just residual trauma. It took a while, but it did start to feel better. I mentioned my resolving symptoms but lingering concerns to my pulmonologist, and he wrote me an order for a doppler/sonogram study, but when I called the scheduling line the earliest available appointment fell during my Copenhagen trip, so I decided to wait.

When I was back, my pulmonologist chased after me to get it done, so I called the scheduling line again. This time my choice was between an appointment in November and going to the ER. I made the appointment, but then on Monday decided to go to the ER before I had to get on another plane the next day to Chicago. I had felt fine running in Copenhagen, but running last weekend my right leg felt heavy and my calf felt tighter and tighter. Between that and all the attention Jalen Hurts’ SVTs, DVTs, and PEs were getting, I wasn’t comfortable waiting 3 more weeks.

I questioned my use of ER resources, but invoked my history of DVTs and the heaviness in my leg to justify my visit (mainly to myself, the ER staff was very kind). Then while I was waiting for the doctor to see me, these results popped up on MyChart. I was glad I hadn’t wasted their time, but not so glad the imaging showed several occlusive clots.

Since I don’t have any pulmonary symptoms, they sent me on my way pretty quickly and even said I could keep running as long as I started Eliquis first. (I’ll see a hematologist in November.)

Weekly Run Down

Instead of a detailed recap of my week, I’m going to share more pics from my run with Erica and one amazing Peloton class.

Erica and I met up @ 6:30 am and ran down Michigan Ave to the Lakefront Trail. Since we started so early, we got to see the sunrise over Lake Michigan.

We mostly chatted about life as we ran, but Erica made sure to take some iconic pictures.

It was a fantastic way to start my day in Chicago!

My other favorite workout this week was Robin’s Space Ride with Dr. Jessica Meir—filmed a few months ago while she was serving as a commander on the International Space Station!!!

The class starts with Dr. Meir floating to the “bike” and strapping herself in. Throughout the class, she is pedaling along while telling us about life in space and other fascinating aspects of her career. She said they have to exercise 2.5 hours a day just to maintain their muscle mass and bone health, and have a hydraulic weight system and treadmill as well as the “bike” (which does not have a seat). She shared that working with astronauts from other countries has shown her that people from all backgrounds can and do get along when they are focused on common goals, and being in space and seeing the earth from that perspective (!!!) drives home that we are all in this together. Whether you take this class as a workout or just tune in to see Dr. Meir, it will be inspiring!

A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.

Are you handing out candy for Halloween? 

The post Well That Was Fun While It Lasted appeared first on Running With Perseverance.

The iconic Nyhavn views are irresistible!

Running In Copenhagen With My Boo

My first run in Copenhagen was Monday morning (after our Sunday arrival). I was determined to get out for a run before my first meeting, and let my husband sleep in. My hotel was close to “the lakes,” so I did that loop as my first run in Copenhagen (without my boo).

I also chose this route because I knew I would not get lost!
It was about 4.25 miles. 

There are two paths around the lake—a packed dirt path for walkers and runners close to the water, and a paved path for bikes. I ran the loop counter-clockwise. On my way “out” all the street crossings were at grade, so I got caught at a few traffic lights. On my way “back” the trail went under some of the road crossings, so I could keep going.

You never know when you’ll encounter art in the city!

Copenhagen seamlessly mixes modern and classic architecture.

On Wednesday my husband joined me for my second run in Copenhagen. I really wanted to take him for a run around the Kastellet (“star fort”), but doing that loop from our hotel would be at least 6 miles, which would push both of our limits—and take too long on a workday. Carianne had reminded me that there’s a train station near Kastellet, and our hotel was right by a train station, so we hopped on a 6:50 am train and took it two stops before starting our run.

Love that Garmin map!

The top of the fort walls has a park-like atmosphere—and a windmill!

Since we were so close, we headed over to the (very) Little Mermaid statue. At 7:30 am you get the place to yourself. A few hours later there could be tour buses to contend with.

We hit 3.25 miles as we got back to the train station and only had to wait a few minutes for the next train back to our hotel.

For my next run in Copenhagen with my boo, we ran through a business district and then along the water to Nyhavn.

This was another 4-ish mile route.
I like this map because you see all my other routes too.

We made it to Nyhavn and went part-way across a pedestrian bridge
to enjoy the view.

So lovely! 

Our flight home Sunday wasn’t until early afternoon, so I got in one more run—doing the same out-and-back to Nyhavn on my own. It was a lot quieter on Sunday morning, but I was happy to be soaking in the views one more time.

I’m really grateful my husband was willing to go running with me in Copenhagen. I didn’t have to feel guilty about heading out on my own, and I enjoyed sharing my favorite routes with him. I also have to thank Cari for alerting me to the Starbucks in the main train station that was only a 5 min walk from our hotel. I ended all my runs there so I could get an Americano with cream.

On the days I didn’t run, I started my day with a brisk walk to get my coffee and my Peloton dot. That discipline paid off, because I was just a few days away from my 2300 day streak!

^^^^

Back at home this week I did more strength and Peloton rides than runs, but I did take Scooby out twice.

Friday morning dark o’clock run (4 miles)—so humid!

Saturday morning post-rain run (5.5 miles)—cool and crisp, but still t-shirt weather.

This week I have a trip to Chicago and hope to meet up with Erica—maybe even for a run!

A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.

Has the weather turned where you are yet? 

The post Running In Copenhagen With My Boo appeared first on Running With Perseverance.

Soretober!

Taking Coretober To Copenhagen

I remembering doing the first week of the first Coretober in a hotel room in Colorado. We were visiting my daughter for the first time since the pandemic started while it was still warm enough to spend most of our time outside. Our hotel room had a nook with a seating area, so I did body weight exercises there instead of risking encountering an infected stranger in the hotel gym. Remember those days?

This trip will be quite different, although I did get my covid and flu vaccines a few weeks ago so my immune system will be primed before I get on a crowded planes and trains.

Weekly Run Down

I did another round of Tunde’s Split + Ride program, with two runs with Scooby and two rides with Hannah F. on the other days. Of course, I also started Coretober. I’m feeling stronger and more “myself” than I have in a while, and it feels so good!

Sunday I took Hannah’s first 1:3:5 Ride.

My class data explains the programming. The class starts with 1 long low/moderate intensity steady-state block, the next block has 3 moderate intervals, and the last block has 5 shorter/more intense intervals. She explains it as a buffet with a bit of everything: steady state, moderate intervals, and HIIT-style intervals.

My data shows how much my heart rate has settled down since a few weeks ago.

It’s much more balanced!

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: I followed Tunde’s Split + Ride Program again.

Tuesday: I charged up my headlamp for a dark o’clock run with Scooby. It was cool but humid. I’m back to my full weekday loop — about 4 miles.

Thursday: The weather was about the same as Tuesday—mid 60s but humid. After feeling so good on Tuesday I was afraid this run would be a disappointment, but I felt just as good and realized I was even holding slightly faster paces.

By the time I finished stretching it was full daylight

Saturday I woke up to unexpected rain predicted to last through the morning, so I opted for Hannah F’s new ride with EVE in studio. It was a tough class but the great hip-hop playlist kept me going.

I hope to get out for my favorite running routes in Copenhagen. The forecast is calling for morning rain most days, but I’ll have to suck it up.

A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.

Will you be celebrating Coretober? 

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You know how this works—grab the badge, link your post, and comment on the other blogs in the link-up.

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Anniversary Coffee Date

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my anniversary didn’t really sneak up on me, but I’ve been so swamped at work I haven’t had time to think about it. Since we got married 5 years after we started dating, we’ve actually been together 43 years!

From our 20th

I’ve also been blogging long enough to have an anniversary-ish post from our 23rd and the photo above from 2008. Maybe this weekend we will put on our lederhosen kits and get out for a ride!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that since I got back from Ireland I adjusted my morning routine to stop at Starbucks on the way in. It’s a bit of a hassle and probably adds almost 10 minutes to my commute, but for now it’s worth it. I hear they are closing 250 stores this week, but this neighborhood store is not on the list I saw.

I’ve also upped my order to a venti
although I often don’t drink it all.

Talking about closed Starbucks, if we were having coffee, I would tell you they did take out the Starbucks in the Safeway in the same shopping center. I don’t shop there, but it has a Quest where I get blood drawn for my thyroid checks. I went there twice last month and it was only on the second trip that I noticed it was gone!

If we were having coffee, I would share this cute puzzle I finished with a scene from Copenhagen.

I had to get it done because next week I’m going to Copenhagen for work. I’m kind of bummed my client meetings didn’t align with Carianne’s trip, but I’ll catch up to her one of these days!

Do you have an anniversary tradition?

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Face It Until You Make It

So, what did Marcel mean? The first point is that when it comes to fitness—and running in particular—you can’t really fake it until you make it to the level you want to be. You might be able to “fake” a faster pace for a few minutes, but unless it’s part of an intentional intervals program, running faster just because you have a certain pace in mind is not going to help your body be in condition to run faster. You’re more likely to burn out too soon and not be able to finish your planned run at any pace.

The second point is that if you do face where you are, and do the work it takes to get from where you are to where you want to be, you will make it. You can’t really fake it until you make it, but if you face up to it you can achieve your goals.

I’ve shared similar messages from Jess Sims—I guess great coaches think alike, or maybe they just all know how stubborn runners can be.

Weekly Run Down

Continuing my mission to find a Peloton program that works for me, this week I tried Tunde’s Split + Ride program.

This program ticked several boxes: the classes are 45 minutes, there are only 3 classes per week, and the cardio is on the bike versus the treadmill. Each class has about 20 min strength paired with a 20 min ride, programmed to complement the strength focus. Monday is lower body + climb ride, Wednesday is upper body + progression ride, Friday is full body + intervals ride.

I liked it enough to plan to do it again next week.

Sunday: I finally took Hannah F’s Carnival ride. She shared that the “tradition” of having a Carnival ride started during Covid, when the IRL Notting Hill Carnival celebration was cancelled and she wanted to bring some fun into what was really a dark time.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: I followed Tunde’s split + ride. I find it much easier to transition to the bike and get pedaling than getting going on the treadmill.

Tuesday: I hit the snooze button hoping the rain would move out so I could take Scooby for a run, but once I realized that wasn’t going to happen I took him for a very wet walk and then hopped on my tread.

I took the walk breaks in Andy’s walk + run class, but shortened them to ~ 30 seconds and ran at a very easy pace until the next “run” interval.

Thursday: OMG it was in the low 50s! I know I run in short sleeves at that temperature, but it takes some convincing ever year when the seasons change. I opted for light-weight long sleeves that I didn’t regret because it was really breezy.

Saturday: We are only supposed to get the remnants of the Nor’easter pummeling the Northeast, but I watched the clouds rolling and felt a steady wind on this run. Other than that, it was a great run—I’m definitely making progress from where I am.

LOL at my crazy hair!

A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.

Can you believe it’s almost time for the October Ultimate Coffee Date? Please join us on Friday! 

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