A (small) good deed

Jon and I went to the laundromat a couple of weeks ago. (Long story: we do have a washer and dryer at our house, but the washer is mediocre at best. It’s a Whirlpool Toploader, and we’ve tried different wash programs and different detergents, but the washer just doesn’t always do a good job. Jon, who does most of our laundry, is very frustrated by it. If you have any other tips we can try, I am all ears! So today, we went back to the laundromat that we used to frequent years ago when we lived in an apartment and didn’t have a washer and dryer at home. 

As we were walking back to the car with our freshly washed clothes, a homeless man approached us and said he had lost his shoes and asked if we had a pair of socks he could have. At first, it didn’t really click for us (the request was so strange), and Jon brushed him off, but then I realized what he was asking. The reason he had asked for socks: he was walking around barefoot/with only one sock, and I realized that when it gets hot here during the day, the street asphalt gets super hot! It must be really uncomfortable to have to walk on it barefeet.

So Jon got a pair of socks from the laundry basket and gave it to him, and the guy was honestly so, so grateful! He thanked us profusely and as we were driving away in the car, Jon said: “I should just have given him my sneakers.” (It broke my heart.) 

The best scone

On a different note: There is a great coffee shop next to the laundromat, where we used to sometimes get coffee or a baked item, and we decided to get some coffee and breakfast there today while waiting for our clothes. I ordered a coffee and a raisin scones and, omg,  it was hands-down one of the best scones I ever had. I didn’t know raisin scones are even a thing. Fresh and crumbly, crispy outside and soft inside. Perfection. 

AI THOUGhTS

I know people have very mixed feelings about AI (myself included) – ranging from excitement to skepticism. Have you noticed the AI-generated images that are taking over the Internet? I am not just talking about the clearly fake AI images that tR*mp posts of himself on his social media, but also AI images that appear much more “realistic” and hard to identify (unless you know better). I mean, you cannot convince me that the photo that was posted of M*tch McC*nnell from the hospital wasn’t AI-doctored (pun intended). He’s never looked that well in his life.

And then there are these images/graphics that pop on social media and Facebook. You’ve probably seen them. They all look kinda the same. Retro themed seems to be the hype right now. I get it: it’s easy to just throw some “instructions” at ChatGPT, or Gemini, or CoPilot (or what have you) and it puts together a graphic in minutes. And maybe for a Facebook post here and an Instagram post there, it’s fine. But is this what we will have to deal with going forward? Someone help us.

Happy Mail

In more exciting news, I got a postcard in the mail! From Birchie! From St. Louis! THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Frugal Wins

I don’t cut coupons – is that still a thing? – unless they’re digital, but I will look for sales and take advantage of other ways to save at the store. Are you shopping at Target? (Yeah, I am shopping at Target again.) Are you a Circle Member (free) and do you take advantage of Circle Rewards? If you don’t, you really should. You just have to check weekly in the app and activate the reward(s), and they’ll be applied at checkout. On my last trip, I was able to snatch up not one, but two rewards ($25 and $20) for a total of $45 in rewards (for future use) during my last purchase of $110. That’s a payback of 40%. Oh, plus an extra 5% off for using my TargetCard.

photo credit: @gaellemarcel via Unsplash

She talked about some recent – or not so recent – encounters with people out in the world. I’d like to say that like Nicole, I am not THAT easily bothered by people and I do a lot of mental gymnastics to justify people’s behaviors. I come up with scenarios and explanations, and always tend to give people the benefit of the doubt.  But sometimes you wonder, are some people a—holes after all? 

When I was out on a run around my neighborhood recently, I was running on the sidewalk and I was approaching an intersection. I saw three women coming from the side street on the right, one of them was pushing a stroller. There were leisurely walking and chatting, they turned their heads and saw me approaching, and I thought they were for sure (!) let me pass before taking a right and  continuing their walk on the main road. 

Imagine my surprise, when the woman with the stroller just looked at me, turned right and continued to completely cut me off and block the sidewalk with her stroller while continuing the conversation with her two friends. I mean, WHAT? 

So I thought, maybe she was so absent-minded, read: so absorbed in the conversation, that I didn’t even “register” on her radar, even though she looked at me as I was approaching. Maybe she has a problem with spatial awareness and thought I’d be able to pass by her and her stroller and her two friends easily (NOT THE CASE, I had to swerve into the street), or maybe she had bad encounters with other runners and she wasn’t going to give an inch for any runner anymore. 

When I relayed the encounter to Jon, he – like Nicole’s Rob – is a little more pragmatic – or jaded, you decide – and he suggested that maybe they were just “assholes”. Touché.

Then there is the situation at my office. In my suite, there are some offices with doors and there are cubicles. I am not paid enough to “deserve“ an office with a door according to the (only loosely applied!) rules, so I am stuck in the main suite in one of the cubicles. At least, I have a window! But I also have to take my Teams Calls with headphones and make sure that I am not bothering other people. (Sometimes I take my laptop and take calls in conference rooms, but that’s a hassle, so I usually stay at my desk.) 

Of course, there are noise-canceling headphones and all that jazz, and I am usually not bothered by background noise, but it feels to me that if you do have the privilege of an office with a door and you are on a Teams Call, maybe out of courtesy, you should close that door so the people in the main suite, who don’t have that option, don’t have added background noise to their own work/meetings. But apparently, that is not something that automatically comes to  the minds of people with office doors. I appreciate when they generally keep their doors open (to encourage socializing), but the difference is that they can close the door for privacy, but I don’t have that option. So when they don’t close their doors when they are in meetings, I am trying hard not to think that they’re doing this because they’re a—holes. I think they just don’t think about the situation the way I do as someone without a door. But a little consideration goes a long way.

And then last weekend, when I finally got rid of the Zio patch, I took advantage of the nice weather and spent the afternoon at the neighborhood pool. It was a weekend, the weather was gorgeous and the pool was crowded. Our neighborhood pool is a decent-sized (half-olympic) pool, so plenty of room for plenty of people. Plus, there’s a kiddy pool and a hot tub.

There are usually two lanes sectioned off for people who like to swim laps. Well, I wanted to swim a few laps but there was a guy with two kids  splashing around and blocking the two lanes from being accessible. I thought, “NBD, I am going to swim my laps just on the other side of the lane divider. I wasn’t going for speed or anything and was fine slowing down or even swimming “around” people, but then kids, people with toddlers in their arms, and other adults – with or without floating devices – constantly kept drifting into or crossing my lane, and I was wondering at some point if they were doing this on purpose. I know kids can have a hard time with spatial awareness and don’t necessarily “see you” until you’re right in front of them, but adults? Shouldn’t they be a little bit more considerate? Again, I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but maybe… [you finish the sentence]. 

I am trying really hard not to be an a—hole to anybody, but I am sure I am not perfect either. But life can be hard enough, and I aim not to make it harder.

Nicole wrote, “…other people exist, and when we leave the confines of our own four walls, we have to figure out how to live in the world as it is.”

Well, isn’t that the truth.

I don’t know if this was a message to inconsiderate people (to try and step out into the world with a little bit more kindness and awareness), or a message to herself (to always try and remember to give people the benefit of the doubt), but one thing is true: we all have to coexist.

It‘s officially pull-back week in the Team Wilpers Summer Run Challenge, and I am here for it.  It means, I only had three 45-minute easy runs on my run schedule. Tanja and I also started another strength program, Pump Up The Volume 6 (PUTV6), this week. It adds 20-minute upper body, lower body and full body classes to my schedule. I enjoy these programs because they are structured with progressive overload exercises and I don’t have to think, but just execute. It also leaves enough room to add in classes as I see fit (like a couple of core classes and yoga).

Monday

• 10 Min Kindness Meditation – Kristin (10/23/23)
• 15 Min Morning Yoga Flow – Chelsea (9/5/24) — The Streak
• 30 Min Endurance Walk – Becs (10/2/25) — Move for Life

I had good intentions for some strength work this morning, but I ended up just doing a meditation and a morning yoga flow. Oh well. I also went for a lunchtime walk with my coworker.

Tuesday

• 5 Min Pre-Run Warm Up – Matt (5/14/25)
• TW Summer Run Challenge W4R1 | Endurance Run + Striders
  • 45 Min Rock Run – Alex K (1/27/26) — United We Streak
• 10 Min Focus Flow: For Runners – Kristin (6/7/23) — The Streak
• 30 Min 80s Rock Walk – Jon (4/27/26)

Literally jumped out of bed excited for my morning run this morning (this happens fewer times than one might think!). 45-minute easy pace endurance with some striders? Sign me up!

Wednesday

• 20 Min Upper Body Strength: W1D1 – Rad (3/27/23) — PUTV6
• 10 Min Core Strength – Andy (6/14/26) — United We Streak
• 10 Min Focus Flow: Floor Poses – Denis (6/27/26) — Star-Spangled Self Care
• 20 Min Classic Rock Walk – Andy (3/31/26)

I started the Pump Up The Volume 6 program today with an upper body strength workout, and then I added 10 minutes of core work with Andy. I really liked this class because it had simple, yet effective exercises (Russian Twist, Windshield Wipers, and Plank Pull Throughs). Bookmarked!

Bonus: Tanja jumped on for a “drive-by” high five. She saw (on Peloton) that I was working out and decided to give me a little encouragement. So sweet and motivating! I finished with a focus yoga flow, and also took a lunchtime walk later in the day.

Thursday

• 10 Min Happiness Meditation – Anna (4/2/24) — Star-Spangled Self Care
• 5 Min Pre-Run Warm Up – Matt (5/14/25)
• TW Summer Run Challenge W4R2 | Endurance Run
  • 30 Min INXS Run – JJ (1/28/26) — United We Streak
  • 15 Min 90s Rock Run – JJ (5/2/25)
• 10 Min Focus Flow: For Runners – Denis (4/10/23) — The Streak 

I really enjoyed my endurance run this morning. I picked a Peloton Artist Series Run, and the INXS playlist did not disappoint. One banger after the next! (Go take it, is what I am saying!) I finished with Denis’ Focus Flow for Runners. It is one of my favorite classes (bookmarked) that I often use in place of a post-run stretch. 

Friday

• 30 Min Bootcamp – Callie (1/19/26) — United We Streak
• 20 Min Lower Body Strength: W1D2 – Tunde (3/27/23) — PUTV6
• 10 Min Focus Flow: For Runners – Denis (4/10/23) — The Streak 
• 10 Min Core Strength – Adrian (5/23/26) 

I met up with Sherry for a bike bootcamp this morning. Yay! It’s been a while. I also completed week 1, day 2 of the Pump up the Volume 6 program with Tunde (I was distracted by her supercute sneakers, Nice Metcon 7 amp, the whole time!), a core strength workout, and a focus flow.

Saturday

• 5 Min Warm Up Walk – Jon (6/15/26)
• TW Summer Run Challenge W4R3 | Endurance Run
  • 30 Min Bad Bunny Run – Camila (10/7/22) — United We Streak
  • 15 Min Punk Pop Run – JJ (5/23/26)
• 5 Min Cool Down Walk – Andy (7/6/26)
• 10 Min Restorative Yoga – Anna (6/18/26)

I did my endurance run on the treadmill today because I didn’t get out early enough, and it was 97F outside in the afternoon. I wanted to get some miles on the tread anyway to “calibrate” my Garmin for indoor runs (obviously, it’s not calibrated yet, as the graph obviously shows. The pace was all over the place, and you can be sure, I did not run an average sub-9-minute mile for my easy run. I wish!)

Sunday

• 20 Min Full Body Strength: W1D3 – Ben (3/27/23) — PUTV6
• 30 Min Power Zone Recovery Ride – CDE (3/12/26)
• 10 Min Full Body Stretch – Andy (6/18/26) — Star-Spangled Self Care
  
• 20 Min Restorative – Denis (9/9/25) — The Streak/Serenity Sunday
• 10 Min Body Scan Meditation – Kristin (3/12/24) — Serenity Sunday
• 20 Min 4th of July Run + Walk – Rebecca (7/3/25) — United We Streak

I met up with Tanja this morning for week 1, day 3 of the Pump Up the Volume 7 program. We also hopped on a Power Zone Recovery Ride afterwards. I was looking forward for a little Zone 1 + 2 work, but I ended up having to skip the last zone 2 interval because of a spontaneous nosebleed. I couldn’t breathe properly with my towel pressed to my nose. Haha. (No worries, it didn’t last long.)

I finished my morning workout with a nice full body stretch, and of course, joined some Streakers for Serenity Sunday again in the afternoon. I also went for a little post-dinner walk.

My Garmin said I had a pretty demanding day. I guess it was also counting all the cleaning around the house and on the patio that I did today.

Current Challenges + Trackers:

Streaker365 July United We Streak
Streaker365 July Star-Spangled Self Care
Streaker365 July The Streak (Daily Yoga)
Peloton Pump Up The Volume 6 – PUTV6

This week’s stats:

Running: 15.1 mi
Cycling: 12.2 mi
Walking: 19.1 mi
Bootcamp: 30 min
Strength: 80 min
Yoga/Pilates/Barre: 85 min
Warm up/Stretching: 35 min
Meditation: 30 min

I am linking up again for the Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah.

What is time? We know that an hour is 60 minutes, and a day is 24 hours, and a year is 365 days but the passing of time rarely feels linear. It’s usually a rollercoaster of speeding up and slowing down and I am not sure we ever exist in a moment where time feels appropriately long (or short, for that matter).

It’s been a whole year since my best friend from home (referred to as BF from here on) passed away. Perception is a time warp. It might as well have been five years ago, or just yesterday when I received the dreaded phone call from her mom. I had been anticipating it. I knew her time was coming to an end. And I knew it was going to be a release from pain and long years of battling cancer, a release from a life that she had envisioned so differently in many ways. I wanted so much more for her. And there were a lot of things I wish we could have experienced together and of which we were robbed.

She never got to visit me here in my new home country. We didn’t get to travel much together (I always envisioned we would. The photo above was taken after our graduation on a girls’ trip to Italy.) We missed a lot of important events in each other’s lives because it wasn’t always possible to travel for every single one of them. In a lot of ways, our friendship changed over the many years that her health was declining, and I wasn’t physically there. I still carry a bit of sadness and guilt sometimes, wishing I could have been there for her more when things were tough.

We knew each other since elementary school but became inseparable in highschool. We had always dreamed about living next door to each other. Our childhood homes were less than a mile apart. Putting 6000 miles between us was not an intentional decision when I fell in love with California and a Californian boy, but that is how life goes. She herself (temporarily) moved for love. It didn’t change anything between us. I always knew she was just a phone call away, even though I wished she lived just down the street.

My grief feels a bit subdued and different from people who were able to be with her all the time. I only got to see her once or maybe twice a year for many years, but it doesn’t make the hole that she left behind in my world any smaller. In a way, I was used to missing her, just in a different way. Our friendship was sustained by care packages, phone calls, and later video calls and Whatsapp messages. She loved sending me silly videos and memes.

Our long distance-friendship worked because our emotional connection never faded. Losing her in midlife when those old, reliable friendships feel so very essential, feels extra cruel. 

I’m so grateful for her friendship. Despite the distance, she was always my person, and I was hers. She told me that many times. I told her that one more time when I held her hand for what I knew would be the last time last summer. I am not even sure if she could hear me or if she knew that I was there, she was mostly in a comatose state at that point, but I believe that I felt her squeeze my hand once. She knew. No one can convince me otherwise.

Unfortunately, I don’t know many of her other close friends, the ones who lived closer. Except for my sister, who also kept up with BF, I feel isolated from these other friends that grieve her loss in a similar way I do. I imagine it would be nice to talk to them and reminisice, find out how they’re coping with this loss. 

I’ve kept in regular contact with her mom though, and it’s been good for her and for me. I think we both struggle with the fact that life just moves right along. We talk about BF. I send her old photos from a time when things were happy and carefree. We don’t shy away from mentioning her name, like people are sometimes prone to do after someone passes away. I understand, it’s awkward and they don’t want to trigger a wave of emotions. But sometimes I’d rather be triggered than pretend that nothing happened. I feel an obligation to BF to bring up her name and talk about her, lest she thinks she could ever be forgotten.

I talk to BF sometimes. I take her along on my runs, show her around my neighborhood, and tell her about my day. Grief sometimes overwhelms me in the most unexpected moments.

Grief, in its many forms, is pervasive. It doesn’t simply go away after a prescribed period of time. We don’t get over grief. We carry it with us throughout our lives, another rock in our proverbial backpacks. I know BF’s backpack was heavy, and she carried it with so much dignity.

When we lost Jon’s mom and BF in short succession last year, something shifted in me. Do you know that feeling when something that you knew on an “intellectual level” finally clicks emotionally? I still feel young with plenty of years ahead of me, but nothing is ever guaranteed. As I am grieving the loss of my longtime friend, someone my own age, I’ve been made strangely aware of the many more griefs I will experience in my life, in a way I didn’t understand before. And now more than ever, I feel the urgency to live every day with intention and to cherish every moment with the people I love for as long as they are – or I am – here.

I couldn’t let today go by unacknowledged. One year without BF. We were friends for 40+ years. I still cannot imagine a world without her in it.

I’ll leave you with a quote that I have come back to many times in life when saying goodbye – for periods of time, or sometimes forever – was hard to do.

HOW LUCKY I AM TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT MAKES SAYING GOODBYE SO HARD. – A. A. MILNE

Here we are in July, entering the second half of this year. This week, I completed week 3 of the Team Wilpers Summer Run Challenge and started new (Streakers365) trackers. I am trying to be mindful and will only aim to complete three trackers this month because I also want to keep up with strength training.

Monday

• 20 Min Bodyweight Strength – JJ (5/20/25) — Move for Life
• 10 Min Focus Flow: Healthy Back – Anna (6/23/26) — The Streak
• 30 Min Endurance Walk – Logan (10/2/25) — Move for Life

In an effort to keep the sweat level low (only 6 more days with the Zio Patch!), I did a little bit of body weight strength and a yoga flow in the morning. I added some more extra steps with an after-dinner walk. 

Tuesday

• 5 Min Pre-Run Warm Up – Matt (5/14/25)
• Team Wilpers Summer Run Challenge W3R1 | Endurance Run + Strides
  • 45 Min Outdoor Run Club Run – Hannah F (5/16/26)
• 5 Min Post-Run Stretch – Joslyn (6/10/26)

• 45 Min Outdoor Walking

• 10 Min Pilates – Kristin (1/5/23) — Core before S‘More
• 5 Min Restorative – Nico (4/5/26) — The Streak

I started my morning with a 45-minute endurance run and completed 4.6 miles/7.4km of the 20 km that I pledged for the goals at the Germany World Cup game on Monday. It was once again a beautiful morning for a run through our neighborhood.

I also went for a nice lunchtime walk (+ lunch) with my coworkers and ended the day with Pilates and restorative yoga.

Wednesday

• 10 Min Daily Meditation – Anna (5/31/26) — Star-Spangled Self Care
• 20 Min Bodyweight Strength – Robin (4/27/25) — Move for Life
• 10 Min Morning Yoga Flow – Chelsea (9/27/23) — The Streak

I started the first day of July with a meditation and some bodyweight strength and yoga. Just a sweet and short workout stack.

Thursday

• 10 Min Restorative Yoga – Kristin (4/12/22) — The Streak

Today was a complete rest day. I barely moved from the couch.

Friday

• 5 Pre-Run Warm Up – Matt (5/14/25)
• Team Wilpers Summer Run Challenge W3R2 | V02 Max Run
  • 45 Min Outdoor Run Club – Joslyn (2/21/26)
  • 10 Min Cool Down Run – Alex K (6/22/26)
• 30 Min 4th of July Ride – Emma (7/4/24) — United We Streak
• 10 Min Focus Flow: Quads – Kirra (12/22/25) — The Streak

I had a V02 Max interval run on deck today. These intervals were out to get me, but I crushed them. I love the interval runs, but 3 minutes at V02 Max pace are no joke, but I added another 5.8 mi/9.3 km for the 20 km that I pledged for the four goals at the Germany World Cup game on Monday (which brings the tally up to 16.7 km).

When I returned home, I pounded some electrolytes and then jumped on the bike for a 4th of July ride with Tanja and Lindsay. It was more like a “cool down” ride for me (I just pedaled) but it was fun. I hadn’t done a 30-minute ride in a while.

Saturday

• 5 Min Pre-Run Warm Up – Matt (5/14/25)
• Team Wilpers Summer Run Challenge W3R3 | Endurance Run
  • 45 Min Pop Run – Matt (7/2/26) — United We Streak
• 5 Min Post-Run Stretch – JJ (7/1/26)
• 20 Min Yoga + Pilates – Greta (3/23/26) — Star-Spangled Self Care

I slept in a little bit and headed out for my easy-pace endurance run around 10 am.

Sunday

• 30 Min Arms & Shoulders Strength – Adrian (12/31/25) — United We Streak
• 10 Min Standing Core Strength – Erik (7/5/26)
• 20 Min Restorative – Aditi (6/28/23) — Serenity Sunday
• 10 Min Calming Meditation – Anna (3/9/21) — Serenity Sunday

I met up with Tanja this morning for some strength training with Adrian. His classes are sneaky, because he’s always sweet and all smiles, but the workout always packs a punch. It was good, though and the 30 minutes flew by quickly. That’s what you want from a great workout. I added a bit of standing core afterwards, and did some restorative yoga and meditation with some fellow Streakers for Serenity Sunday.

Today was also the day I was able to take of the Zio Patch and I swam some laps at the pool in the afternoon, now that I was allowed to get in the water and take a full shower again.

Current Challenges + Trackers:

I picked three trackers for July. The (fun) United We Streak tracker with a bunch of different classes, the Self Care tracker, and as always my personal streak tracker (my daily yoga).

Streaker365 July United We Streak
Streaker365 July Star-Spangled Self Care
Streaker365 July The Streak (Daily Yoga)

This week’s stats:

Running: 14.9 mi
Cycling: 7.7 mi
Walking: 16.2 mi
Strength: 80 min
Yoga/Pilates/Barre: 95 min
Warm up/Stretching: 25 min
Meditation: 20 min

I am linking up again for the Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah.

Uff, and then life got away from me and May and June were different from what I was expecting… and here I am summerizing my last two months of goals again. 

PERSONAL

• Read 2 books a month.
  Yeah, no. I did not read anything in May, BUT I picked up books again in June (actually finished three). I am calling this a win. 

• Use facemasks weekly when I do my Sunday meditation.
  It’s not a weekly habit (yet), but I manage to do it once per month. If nothing else, it feels good right after I take them off.

• Prioritize sleep and rest.
  After my incident in May, I am even more actively working on sleep and rest (especially the „rest“ part). I did hit my sleep goal of 7.5 hours and was even able to improve it in June. I mean, I’ll happily take more sleep. I also received 22 high or very high sleep scores in May, and 24 high or very high sleep score in June. I feel like overall, I cannot really complain about my sleep.

• Regularly walk with a friend (virtually or in person).
  Yes! I continue regular lunch walks and I’ve started after-dinner evening walks (since my episode of palpitations in May). 

• Find a running group, book club, or knitting group locally.
  No progress made on that front. I really have to figure something out. I’d like to have some new local connections (I know I keep saying that, so don’t even listen to me. Haha.)

HEALTH/WELLNESS

• Complete (another) 365 Peloton Streak.
  I am keeping my streak going and have earned a “blue dot” for 2014 consecutive days.

• Hit a weekly (not daily) average step count.
  As a reminder, I am aiming for a weekly step count of 56,000 (an average of 8,000 daily steps). I stopped running for a couple of weeks in May and even though I tried to go for more walks, I didn’t quite hit my average step goal of 8000 steps. It’s ok, because I was able to pick it put again in June. I am not really paying attention to my daily steps, but just try to get into the mindset of running or walking most days.

• Keep up my yoga streak.
  I missed a couple of days, but I am keeping my (almost) daily yoga going.

RELATIONSHIPS

• Date nights with Jon once a month.
  Jon is hard to get out these days, but we went out for a nice dinner for our anniversary in May. We also had a takeout night in June.

• Visit Boston and meet up with my friend from Sydney.
  As you know, that didn’t happen and I am still very sad about it. I will have to put this back on a future goals’ list.

• Reach out to friends more.
  Yes, I’ve been making an effort to set up calls with my (overseas) friends more often and it’s been nice to feel a bit more connected. It’s still hard sometimes to find times that works for both parties. Because of the time difference, calls have to take place on the weekend.

• Continue monthly Teams Calls with Ingrid 
  Yes, I’ve been checking in with Ingrid both in May and June and we always have lots to talk about. I hope we will be able to continue our calls for a long, long time.

HOME

• Estate Planning
  I met with an estate planner/trust attorney but we mostly discussed the current status of my mother-in-law’s estate and I got some guidance on that situation. We are planning to go back and meet with them to discuss our own estate planning.
  
• Declutter/organize garage
  Nope.
  

BONUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I payed our quarterly estimated taxes. Not something I was looking forward to do, but it’s checked off my to-do list.
• I had lunch with my co-workers and we went for many lunch time walks over the last two months.
• After my health incident in early May, I’ve made changes to my workout and work schedules and I’ve been trying to focus on listening to my body and finding more pockets for rest and recovery.
• I caught up with my ex-coworker and it was nice to hear about their new job and how things are going.
• I started making my own granola again (variations of this recipe).

SOME NEW GOALS FOR JULY

• Try three new recipes.
• Keep up reading.
• Run the Davis Moo-nlight Run.
• Follow-up with my primary care doctor.
• Go to the pool four times.

How was your May/June?

Hey, are you up for a little coffee chat? Good, because I am.

If we had a coffee chat today… I would mention again that I am wearing the Zio patch right now, and while I was fully expecting to wear it for two weeks without an incident because they’ve been so far and few between, I was (almost) happy that I had a brief episode of racing heart on Saturday. (The emphasis is on almost, because nobody likes to have heart palpitations.) It wasn’t as bad as previous episodes, just a very short period where my heart rate sped up out of nowhere (and at rest, again). Thankfully, no lightheadedness. It wasn’t even „official“ tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) because my HR didn’t even go over 100 bpm, but I still felt the racing sensation, as my resting heart rate is usually <60 bpm. I logged the symptoms in the Zio App and I am very curious if the doctor will be able to “see“ anything on the ECG results, or if it was just a random occurrence. Needless to say, I still went for my endurance run in the evening.

If we had a coffee chat today… I would cry about the fact that Germany had to exit the Men’s Soccer World Cup yesterday when they lost against Paraguay (the underdog). I would not have been surprised if I had had an episode of heart palpitations during that game because… OMG! My nerves are not made for this. The game went to overtime because of a questionable referee decision (which erased the 2:1 lead Germany had) and then Germany lost 4:5 in the penalty shootout, when the game should have been a pretty solid win for them to begin with. So damn frustrating and a real bummer. I was hoping they would make it a little further than just out of the group stages. All of my sports teams are not doing well this year. The Red Sox are also at the bottom of their group standings.

If we had a coffee chat today… I’d have to profess that my cousin and I pledged to run 5k for every German goal during the game yesterday. Who could have predicted that they’d have a penalty shootout! Guess who will be running 20km this week? (Luckily, I’ve been planning to run anyway and it won’t be much of a heavy lift.)

If we had a coffee chat today… I’d share with you that I am working a 4/10 (10-hour day) schedule again this week because I want to get an extra long weekend. Since July 4th is on Saturday, the holiday is observed on Friday, but I can take the Thursday off, if Friday is not a work day for me. The perks of a maxiflex schedule.

If we had a coffee chat today… I‘d tell you that I am making really good use of my hammock (but you know that already). I read, I blog, I nap in the hammock. I’ve been trying ton encourage Jon to use it (I don’t understand why he hasn’t yet), but then again, if he doesn’t know what he’s missing out on, I won’t have to compete with him to use it.

If we had a coffee chat today… I’d tell you about my trip to Trader Joe’s last weekend where I was once again complimented on my bagging skills. It reminded me of the conversation we had in someone’s comment section recently about bagging skills. The young woman at the checkout winked at me and said I was better than most professional baggers and wanted to know if I had worked as a bagger before. When I said no, she said “so you’re just one of these organized, efficient people”. Haha, yes, that’s exactly who I am. The other employee who came over to offer help took one look and said “Oh, I see, you got this”.

(But honestly, I don’t know if I can take any credit. Did you know that grocery baggers are not a thing in Germany? I always joke that this is why we’re so proficient at bagging our own groceries because we grew up with it. It was just a necessity to get ‘fast and efficient’ with it, because the cashiers are usually quick.)

If we had a coffee chat today… I’d confess that I am in a bit of a blogging rut right now. Is there anything you would you like to read about? Or do you have any random questions, I can answer? My inbox is open. You can submit any questions/topics for July here.

photo credit: @gaellemarcel via Unsplash

I can’t believe this was the last (full) week of June. Time is just flying by. I completed week 2 of the Team Wilpers Summer Run Challenge, (almost) finished my June (Streakers365) trackers, and participated in SUMMIIT Stride event. I also finished the 4-week Pump Up The Volume 5 (PUTV5) strength program. Does this sound like I am doing too much again? Haha, maybe. But I swear, I’ve been dialing it back by doing either strength OR cardio (not both), and I am being smart by “double-dipping”, which means I make workouts “count” for multiple trackers/challenges.

Monday

• 20 Min Focus Flow: For Runners – Denis (and Matt) (6/7/23) — The Streak/Sizzling Self Care
• 20 Min Full Body Strength: Week 4, Day 1 – Andy (3/13/23) — PUTV5
• 10 Min Barre: Core – Leanne (7/15/25) — BBQ Burnout/Core before S’More
• 30 Min Endurance Walk – Susie (10/2/25) — Move for Life

I started wearing the Zio Patch yesterday and because I wasn’t allowed to shower for 24-hours, I opted for a lighter workout this morning in the hopes that I wouldn’t really break into a sweat (Andy’s full body strength class was borderline, though.) I also enjoyed a nice evening walk after dinner when the sun was going down. 

Tuesday

• 5 Min Morning Meditation – Chelsea (6/18/26)
• 15 Min Focus Flow: Core – Kristin (8/9/21) — The Streak/Core before S‘More
• TW Summer Run Challenge 2026 W2R1 | Endurance Run + Strides
  • 45 Min Outdoor Run Club – Matt (5/2/26) — BBQ Burnout
• 30 Min Endurance Walk – Mariana (10/2/25) — Move for Life

I started my morning with a quick meditation and a (great!) focus flow for the core (with Kristin McGee – oh, how I miss her at Peloton! I hope they’ll never purge her classes). Then I put on my running shoes and went for a 4-mile endurance run, including some strides. It was a beautiful, cool morning and I really enjoyed the easy miles. 

WednesdaY

• 10 Min Leveling Up Meditation – Cody (11/5/21) — BBQ Burnout
• 5 Min Get to Know me Yoga Warm Up – Mariana (2/9/25) — The Streak
• 20 Min Bodyweight Strength – Rebecca (5/26/25) — Move for Life
• 10 Min Core Strength – Logan (12/28/25) — Core before S’More

• 10 Min Extra Steps Walk: 1200 Steps – Jon (3/23/25)

I started my morning with a meditation and then had a bodyweight class and core strength class on my workout plan. I also went for a short post-dinner walk in the evening.

Thursday

• 5 Min Get to Know me Yoga Warm Up – Chelsea (2/9/25) — The Streak
• TW Summer Run Challenge 2026 W2R2 | V02 Max Run
  • 45 Min Outdoor Run Club – Becs (5/30/26) 

I was excited for the V02 Max intervals this morning. They’re are challenging, but entertaining and make the workout fly by. (And one of these days I’ll figure out how to correctly set up the workout in Garmin Connect, so that the target pace line (white) matches the actual workout plan. Today was not that day. Haha.)

Friday

• 10 Min Morning Yoga Flow – Chelsea (6/25/26) — The Streak
• 20 Min Upper Body Strength: W4D2 – JJ (3/13/23) — PUTV5/BBQ Burnout
• 15 Min Core Strength – Tunde (2/12/26)

• 30 Min Endurance Walk – Alex K (10/2/25) — Move for Life

I warmed up with a morning yoga flow and then met up with Tanja this morning for some upper body and core strength work. I also went for a 30-minute walk in the evening to get some more steps in (after sitting at my desk all day).

Saturday

• 5 Pre-Run Warm Up – Matt (5/14/25)
• TW Summer Run Challenge 2026 W2R3 | Endurance Run
  • 45 Min Endurance Run – Matt (5/26/26) — SUMMIIT Stride
• 10 Min Focus Flow: Foor Poses – Denis (6/27/26) — The Streak

I finished week 2 of the Team Wilpers Challenge with an endurance run. I was busy in the morning, so I did a (rare) evening run today. It was actually quite pleasant after the sun starting going down. It was also SUMMIIT Stride Day, a virtual running event, and of course, I pledged my miles for our Streakers365 team! It’s always fun to “run with friends”.

Sunday

• 20 Min Lower Body Strength: Week 4, Day 3 – Jess S (3/13/23) — PUTV5
• 10 Min Core Strength – JJ (4/7/26)

• 20 Min Restorative – Chelsea (3/25/25) — The Streak/Serenity Sunday
• 10 Min Kindness Meditation – Ross (3/5/23) — Serenity Sunday

I met up with Tanja in the morning to finish out the Pump Up The Volume 5 program (PUTV5) and we added a little bit of core work. Later in the afternoon, I also joined my Streakers365 team for Serenity Sunday with some yoga and a meditation.

Current Challenges + Trackers:

I (almost) finished up my June trackers. I have one core class and two yoga sessions left. I am looking forward to the new trackers for July. They’re always so fun and keep me motivated.

Streaker365 June Core before S’more
Streaker365 June Sizzling SelfCare
Streaker365 June Father’s Day BBQ Burn Out
Streaker365 June The Streak (Daily Yoga)

This week’s stats:

Running: 19.2 mi
Walking: 13.1 mi
Strength: 115 min
Yoga/Pilates/Barre: 75 min
Warm up/Stretching: 15 min
Meditation: 25 min

I am linking up again for the Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah.

FEELS LIKE SUMMER

We’ve officially entered summer. I am not here to remind you that we’ve passed the longest day of the year already and days are getting shorter again from here on out. I’ve been enjoying the longer mornings and evenings – even though we get almost 2 hours less daylight than in Germany. Did you know that because of its location at a higher latitude, it stays light there until after 10 pm? Nothing beats these long summer nights! 

ZIO PATCH

I received the Zio Patch (ECG monitor) in the mail last weekend and started wearing it on Sunday. I am probably going to write a blog post about my experience with it (I found it helpful to read about other people’s experience beforehand). So far, it’s not been too bothersome. It’s relatively small and light-weight, so most of the time, I don’t even feel that it’s there.

The thing that sucks is that I can’t go to the pool with it and even showers have to be brief. Oh yeah, and I am not supposed to sweat if I can avoid it. (But did I mention that I live in the Central Valley of California, where it gets really hot in the summer, and I also like to work out and that I am the sweatiest person ever? Haha! (I know Nicole can relate.)) Well, the patch will hopefully survive. Today is day 5 and I have nine more days to go. 

FRUGAL WIN

I don’t usually shop during sales just to shop during sales, unless it was already on my “to buy-list”, but I will also not pass up something for free. Kohl’s offered free shipping (no minimum purchase required) and a $10 off coupon (no minimum purchase required) yesterday, which means I was able to snatch up a (discounted) summer top – that I already have and like – in a different color completely for free.

TRADER JOE’S WILL TEACH YOU DETACHMENT

I saw this Reel the other day and it made me laugh hysterically and cry at the same time, because this man speaks the truth. If you like something at Trader Joe’s a little too much, there is a good chance it’ll be discontinued. This has happened to me quite a few times.

So, the actual explanation that they often discontinue stuff is not because it doesn’t sell, or to aggravate their customers, but because the distributor raises prices or discontinues a product. If they don’t find a competitor with the same or better price, they just let the item go. I am always a bit afraid which product it might happen to next. In their defense, they always come out with new exciting items all the time, too and I can’t stay mad for too long, although I occasionally still miss their Everything Bagel Chips. They were amazing.

TIPS AND TRICKS

It’s possible, even likely, that this Instagram (iPhone) hack is old news to you, but I’ll share it anyway. Just in case, someone is late to the party like me. Did you know that you can “pinch” the screen and watch IG reels without all the icons on the right-hand side? Did you also know that if you tab + hold above the “heart” (likes), you can increase the video speed up to 2x?

I decided I needed a little bit of structure in my life again and joined the Team Wilpers Summer Run Challenge that started on Monday. You know, I’ve done quite a few of these mini 6-to-8 week run challenges in the last few years when I was not training for a race. They keep your training structured and purposeful, and I like that. You can generally choose between different options, both in intensity and how many runs you want to do per week. I chose the moderate 3-runs-per-week plan which include two target runs and one endurance run per week. That feels like just the right amount of “challenge” for me right now, moving gently but regularly. while finishing up the Pump Up the Volume 5 Strength program.

Monday

• 15 Min Climb Ride – Bradley (2/23/26) — BBQ Burnout
• 20 Min Full Body Strength: Week 3, Day 1 – Andy (3/6/23) — PUTV5
• 10 Min Rock Core Strength – Andy (1/8/26) — Core before S’More
• 5 Min Full Body Stretch – Andy (1/28/26)

I got on the bike today! It’s been a while. I opted for a 15-minute climb ride with Bradley. I wanted something short and sweet (to re-familiarize myself with the bike), but also a bit of a challenge, and climb rides are definitely that. I also added 30 minutes of strength training before jumping in the shower. (Not going to draw attention to the fact that I forgot my yoga class in the evening. Gah.)

Tuesday

• 5 Min Pre-Run Warm Up – Susie (6/10/26)
• TW Summer Run Challenge W1R1 | Progression Run
  • 30 Min Rock Run – Becs (5/21/26) — BBQ Burnout
• 10 Min Core Strength – Matty (6/12/26) — Core before S’More
• 20 Min Endurance Walk – Matty (10/2/25) — Move for Life
• 10 Min Savasana – Anna (1/31/24) — The Streak 

I started the Team Wilpers Run Challenge this morning. It started with a progression run. I didn’t do the 20-minute distance test, but used my “old” training paces because I feel they’re still pretty accurate (we’ll find out – fingers crossed!) I added a quick core class and then headed to work. 

I got a few more steps in with my coworkers when we went for a little lunchtime walk, and I didn’t forget my restorative yoga class today. 

Wednesday

• 10 Min Core Strength – Callie (2/15/25) — Core before S’More 
• 20 Min Upper Body Strength: Week 3, Day 2 – JJ (3/6/23) — PUTV5
• 10 Min Focus Flow: Hips – Denis (12/19/23) — The Streak
• 20 Min Endurance Walk – Olivia (10/2/25) — Move for Life

Some strength training in the morning and a nice after-dinner walk at night.

Thursday

• 5 Min Pre-Run Warm Up – Matt (5/14/25)
• TW Summer Run Challenge W1R2 | V02 Max Run
  • 10 Min Warm Up Run – Matt (9/23/24)
  • 30 Min Rock Run – Matt (6/11/26) — BBQ Burnout
• 5 Min Post-Run Stretch – Joslyn (6/10/26)
• 10 Min Core Strength – Andy (1/13/25) —Core before S’More
• 10 Min Focus Flow: For Runners – Kristin (5/16/24) — The Streak
• 20 Min Endurance Walk – Olivia (10/2/25) — Move for Life

Oh, how I was looking forward to this V02 Max intervals run! I’ve really missed the structured runs with some faster pace intervals. The graphs are so much more fun, too (just ignore that I didn’t set my easy pace when I created the workout and therefore the target pace line (white) drops off uexpectedly. I know it bothers nobody but me!)

Friday

• 10 Min Yoga Flow – Denis (6/27/13) — The Streak
• 20 Min Bodyweight Strength – Ben (6/1/25) — Move for Life
• 5 Min Upper Body Stretch – JJ (3/3/26) — Sizzling Self Care

Saturday

• 5 Min Pre-Run Warm Up – Matt (5/14/25)
• TW Summer Run Challenge W1R3 | Endurance Run
  • 45 Min 90s Run – Susie (5/30/26)
• 10 Min Pilates – Greta (1/24/26) — Core before S’More

• 20 Min Endurance Walk – JJ (10/2/25) — Move for Life/Sizzling Self Care
• 10 Min Restorative – Anna (6/18/26) — The Streak

This was supposed to be a nice, steady, easy-pace run… but this is what happens when you run in a neighborhood with traffic lights: you can never keep a steady pace. Haha.

Sunday

• 15 Min Low Impact Ride – CDE (3/4/24) — BBQ Burnout
• 20 Min Lower Body Strength: Week 3, Day 3 – Jess S (3/6/23) — PUTV5
• 10 Min Standing Core Strength – Rebecca (5/28/26) — Core before S’More
• 20 Min Restorative – (3/31/22) — Serenity Sunday/The Streak
• 10 Min Meditation – (3/25/25) — Serenity Sunday
• 20 Min Endurance Walk – Susie (10/2/25) — Move for Life

I hopped on the bike this morning for a quick low impact ride before I met up with Tanja for a little lower body strength and core work. I love when we get to work out together.

I joined the Streakers365 in the afternoon for Serenity Sunday and went for a little after-dinner walk again. Like Birchie said, the perks of a dog owner without having a dog! Haha.

Current Challenges + Trackers:

Streaker365 June Core before S’more
Streaker365 June Sizzling SelfCare
Streaker365 June Father’s Day BBQ Burn Out
Streaker365 June The Streak (Daily Yoga)

This week’s stats:

Running: 12 mi
Cycling: 7.8 mi
Walking: 19.7 mi
Strength: 130 min
Yoga/Pilates/Barre: 80 min
Warm up/Stretching: 30 min
Meditation: 10 min

I am linking up again for the Weekly Run Down with Kim and Deborah.