~*~ Dream ~*~ Believe ~*~ Achieve ~*~ (Comments Welcome)

Ugh- that is the worst!! Our A/C went out the hottest week of the summer a few years ago and it got to 91F in our house. I hope they are able to repair it quickly!!
 
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Our upstairs AC broke. Every AC unit in my neighborhood has faulty AC coils and our warranties will do nothing until they die. It’s a defect from the manufacturer and they refuse to fix. Warranty through the AC company that installed them is only good for two years from your closing date. I knew our luck would run out. Our two years is up on 7/29. We were told yesterday that, yup, we have a leaky coil. It can’t be fixed until Monday, but we don’t have to pay for it. Well, today our downstairs A/C decided it doesn’t want to work now 😭 It was 106 with the heat index today. They can’t get here until Friday to look at it.

Those things always happen at the worst time! Ours always would go out the week of July 4th like clockwork. I hope they get yours fixed soon!
 
This little gadget was delivered yesterday.

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It’s a Garmin Dynamics Pod. From their website:

The Running Dynamics Pod has an accelerometer in the module that measures torso movement to calculate these 6 running metrics:
  • Cadence is the number of steps per minute. It displays the total steps (right and left combined).
  • Ground contact time balance displays the left/right balance of your ground contact time while running. It displays a percentage. For example, 53.2 with an arrow pointing left or right.
  • Stride length is the length of your stride from 1 footfall to the next. It is measured in meters.
  • Vertical oscillation is your bounce while running. It displays the vertical motion of your torso, measured in centimeters for each step.
  • Vertical ratio is the ratio of vertical oscillation to stride length. It displays a percentage. A lower number typically indicates better running form.
  • Ground contact time is the amount of time in each step that you spend on the ground while running. It is measured in milliseconds.
I had looked at it before, but didn’t really want to spend the money. My neighbor got one last week and shared her data with me and it was so cool! I’m using it tomorrow and looking forward to the results.

P.s. trying to come up with a reason to get my DH to go for Mexican for dinner. I’m craving guacamole and margaritas. Margaritas are 2 for one between 5-6pm!
 


Whelp. Used my new gadget and my running form could definitely use some help. Track Shack has clinics for running form so I may try and get into one of them. It will be nice to have someone watch me and tell me exactly what I need to work on.

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Looks to me like your numbers are really balanced when you run fast (looking at what appears to be the strides at the end).
 


I noticed that! So strange!

I think it shows that your body knows what to do when it needs to go fast (lower GCT, longer strides, faster cadence, less vert oscillation, just in general more efficient). And many of the other numbers don't surprise me all that much because the intent was an easy run. I think seeing the numbers for a M Tempo pace or faster will be the most useful because that's when you would be more concerned about efficiency.
 
07/15/19 - 07/21/19
Summer is just flying by and I hate it! My kids go back to school in 3 weeks 😲

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It's still crazy hot here, but I can't believe some parts of the country were hotter than Florida!!!​

Monday
  • Running
    • Plan: 3.5mi @ EA 11:44
    • Actual: 3.5mi @ 11:41
  • Strength
    • skipped
My neck & shoulder were still hurting so I took an additional day off.

Tuesday
  • Running
    • Plan: 1mi WU + 8 x 2min @ CV 8:52 w/ 45sec RI @ WU + 4 x 100m @ R 7:38 + 1mi CD
    • Actual: 4.75mi @ 11:09
    • Splits:
      • CV - 9:00, 8:44, 8:57, 8:46, 8:47, 9:00, 8:45, 9:03
      • R - :28, :27, :29, :28
  • Strength
    • Legs
Ugh...today's run was HARD!!! I just couldn't settle into CV pace and walked after three of the intervals. I jumped into the pool with my clothes on as soon as I was done. My legs felt like jelly and walking up stairs to change into a swimsuit sounded like torture.

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Doing leg day on speedwork day was hard. I had to drop down on weight for squats. My legs were dead.

Wednesday
  • Running
    • Plan: 3.5mi @ EA 11:44
    • Actual: 3.5mi @ 11:39
  • Strength
    • Back & Biceps
Thursday
  • Running: off
  • Strength: off
Friday
  • Running
    • Plan: 3mi @ EB 10:57 + Strides
    • Actual: 4mi @ 10:44
  • Strength
    • skipped
Ran one too many miles today. I thought I saw 4 miles when I glanced at it. Oops. That's what happens when you don't wear your glasses. I just wasn't feeling up for strides today, but did them anyway. I missed the gym since I had to sit around and wait for the A/C guy to show up. It was monthly Bunco night. We didn't have enough ladies for a game so we just hung out, drank wine and talked. I had too much wine.........

Saturday
  • Running
    • Plan: 4mi @ LR 10:40
    • Actual: 4mi @ 10:38
  • Strength: off
I had planned to get up early and run outdoors. Too much wine had me shutting my alarm off, going back to sleep and running on the treadmill instead.

Sunday
  • Running: off
  • Strength: off
My baby girl came home!!! She was gone for two weeks and I missed her so much. We were those dorks running to each other through the airport for a giant hug :hug:

Coming Up
Mon - EA
Tue - CV + R
Wed - EA
Thu - Off
Fri - EB + Strides
Sat - LR + HM Tempo
 
Here are the stats from my CV + R run today.

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During the cool down mile I was playing with arm position seeing how it affected my gait. It’s interesting how small a change can affect which way you lean. I think I found the right arm position for myself. I was able to maintain a very good ground contact balance towards the end of my Cool Down Mile.
 
07/22/19 - 07/29/19 - Part 1
This was a crazy busy week with missed runs, shortened runs and a lack of strength training.​

Monday
  • Running
    • Plan: 4mi @ EA 11:44
    • Actual: 4mi @ 11:35
    • Splits: 11:40, 11:43, 11:26, 11:33
  • Strength
    • skipped

Tuesday
  • Running
    • Plan: 1mi WU + 6 x 3min @ CV 8:52 w/ 60sec RI @ WU + 4 x 100m @ R 7:38 + 1mi CD
    • Actual: 5mi @ 10:51
    • Splits:
      • CV - 8:38, 9:00, 8:43, 8:44, 9:12, 8:47
      • R - :28, :30, :27 :31
  • Strength
    • Legs
I find that I have more motivation on my run when I leave my neighborhood so I ran a little ways into town. These CV segments were hard and I always wonder how I'm ever going to be race ready. Somehow it all comes together by the end of the plan so I just need to keep reminding myself of that. Saw some of my chicken friends!

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Wednesday
  • Running
    • Plan: 3mi @ EA 11:44
    • Actual: skipped
  • Strength
    • Back & Biceps
Today was just stressful. I was pretty beat from the previous day's workouts so I slept in which was a huge mistake. I went to the gym with plans to use the treadmill later in the day. Well, that didn't happen. I went to the gym, Eliana had a horseback riding lesson, we picked out kitchen cabinets, had another meeting for house renovations & looked at flooring again. By the time all that was done I was mentally checked out and just wanted my pajamas.

Thursday
  • Running: off
  • Strength: off
Stalking the SWGE AP Preview thread paid off!

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Friday
  • Running
    • Plan: 6mi @ EB 10:57 + Strides
    • Actual: 4mi @ 10:38
    • Splits: 10:55, 10:56, 10:52, 9:52
  • Strength
    • skipped
I had to cut this run short today. Eliana had an early morning riding lesson then we were leaving for a trip to Amelia Island. One of the perks of Rob traveling so much is that we accumulate mega hotel points very quickly. We were staying at the Ritz Carlton on points. We were offered champagne upon check-in and this was the view from our room.

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We went to a seafood restaurant for dinner. I love raw oysters.

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Driving back to the hotel we came across this, um, interesting Tesla. This is taking Rose Gold to a whole new level.

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We went for a walk on the beach and I was a bit bummed that there was nowhere to run that had a view of the ocean.
 
07/22/19 - 07/29/19 - Part 2

Saturday
  • Running
    • Plan: 7mi @ LR 10:40 + 1mi @ HM Tempo 9:23
    • Actual: 8mi @ 10:28
    • Splits: 10:37, 10:42, 10:39, 10:42, 10:34, 10:34, 10:38, 9:20
  • Strength: off
The temp wasn't bad and there was plenty of cloud cover, but the humidity was so horrid. My clothes, socks and shoes were wet by mile three. There was a nice running/walking/biking path that I ran along. It was very pretty in most areas.

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I was so in the zone that I managed to take a turn when I should have gone straight. I didn't realize it until there was no more sidewalk. Oops. The Ritz had towels, bottles of cold water and apples, oranges and bananas at the front door.

I had bought Rob tickets to a bodybuilding contest for Christmas. He went to the prejudging while I hung out with Eliana at the hotel. We explored the hotel, ate garbage for lunch then decided to head to the beach.

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Unfortunately it began to downpour with thunder and lightning. It stayed that way all afternoon so we watched TV, read and took a nap. I ordered room service for Eliana for dinner then went to the final judging and awards show with Rob. This Bentley was parked in the garage at the show and I wondered if it had the same owners as the rose gold Tesla.

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The show was interesting. I'd never been to a bodybuilding competition before. It was cool to experience, but not something I'd like to do on a regular basis.

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Dexter Jackson is 2008 Mr. Olympia and holds the record for most professional bodybuilding titles. The man was huge. We were sitting in the second row immediately behind his family. He received a surprise induction into some sort of bodybuilding society. I don't quite remember. His daughter and parents presented his awards.

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Look at the size of the overall mens winner!

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Sunday
  • Running: off
  • Strength: off
Rob and I went to breakfast while Eliana slept in. It was so good. I'm not normally a fan of buffet food, but this was excellent. They had lots so much to choose from. I had cooked to order over medium eggs, thick cut bacon, roasted red potatoes, fruit and a pecan sticky bun (not my pic). I could have eaten that entire pan of sticky buns.

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We went back to the room and got Eliana up so we could go check out Fort Clinch. I love history so I was really looking forward to it.

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While exploring the turrets that looked over the ocean I saw two dolphins!!!! I have never seen dolphins in the wild. It was amazing. It was over so quickly that I didn't have a chance to get my phone out for a picture. We got our Florida Parks Passport stamped then got some lunch. We really wanted to go to the beach, but it started raining on our way back to the hotel. It poured all afternoon again. We hung out in the room for a bit just relaxing then went to the arcade and played video games (free), air hockey and checkers. We checked out the stores and I drooled over a Lilly Pulitzer dress, but choked at the price. I have Lilly Pulitzer dresses, but got them at TJ Maxx which is more my style. We wandered around the other stores, but didn't buy anything. It cleared up a little bit so we went down to walk on the beach. The surf was way too rough and dangerous to be swimming in which was a bummer. We went to the lobby bar to have a drink and listen to the music. We headed back to the room and when I walked in I saw a shopping bag waiting for us. Rob had somehow arranged for the purchase and delivery of the dress! We ordered room service for dinner and called it a night. Rob had an early morning flight to Seattle and I wanted to run before heading home.

Monday
  • Running
    • Plan: 3.5mi @ EA 11:44
    • Actual: 3.6mi @ 11:42
    • Splits: 11:46, 11:39, 11:41, 11:42
  • Strength
    • Back & Biceps
Rob was out the door very early. I said goodbye, dozed a little longer then watched the sunrise from the balcony with a cup of coffee.

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I ran and showered then got Eliana up. We finished packing and drove home. Amelia Island was okay. Rob and I commented a few times about how we preferred Jekyll Island in Georgia where I ran a half marathon last fall. The Ritz was so isolated from the rest of the island in a residential area and nothing was within walking distance. Jekyll Island has some resorts that are walkable to the downtown restaurants and shops and there is a running path along the beach.

Coming Up
Tue - CV + R
Wed - EA
Thu - Off
Fri - EB + Strides
Sat - LR
Sun - Off
 
I also skipped running to stalk the Dis and snag the Sunday 9am preview! If you see an overheated mom pushing a double stroller of crying 6yo girls it is me! They aren’t going to want to go so I’m not going to make them walk, and hopefully the promise of colored milk for breakfast will win me a little bit of grace.
 
I don't know if you have ever been before or not, but if you like Jekyll and Amelia Island I think you would love Kiawah Island off the coast of Charleston. You can ride bikes everywhere on the island and it is absolutely gorgeous. We plan to go back again this year because we loved it so much! Glad you got a spot for SWGE!
 
I also skipped running to stalk the Dis and snag the Sunday 9am preview! If you see an overheated mom pushing a double stroller of crying 6yo girls it is me! They aren’t going to want to go so I’m not going to make them walk, and hopefully the promise of colored milk for breakfast will win me a little bit of grace.

I chose the morning hoping to avoid the worst of the heat and miss the rain showers! I’m so excited to see it. I want to try the blue milk!

I don't know if you have ever been before or not, but if you like Jekyll and Amelia Island I think you would love Kiawah Island off the coast of Charleston. You can ride bikes everywhere on the island and it is absolutely gorgeous. We plan to go back again this year because we loved it so much! Glad you got a spot for SWGE!

Charleston is on my bucket list and from your pics it looks like Kiawah Island is somewhere we would enjoy!

Sounds like a fun little getaway!
Can't wait to hear what you think of SWGE- glad you got in. :)
I’m so excited! I missed out on the Pandora and Toy Story Land previews.
 
Big news! We closed on our house on Tuesday!!!! I had power of attorney because Rob couldn’t get out of a work trip. When a C-level executive personally extends the invite and says you will add lots of value, you drop what you are doing and go. My hand was so tired after signing “Brianna Xxxxxx, as Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of Robert Xxxxxx” everywhere it required his signature.

Demolition began bright and early this morning. Our realtor is a personal friend and also does home remodeling to flip homes. We have seen plenty of his work and it’s always been high quality. We usually stick to the mantra to not mix friends and money, but after the crazy bids with exorbitant labor built in to them he offered to be our General Contractor and use his subs for the work. One of our bids had 100K of labor in the quote and that was with US doing all the demo work!!! That’s ridiculous and price gouging, IMO. Demolition started today on the kitchen and bathrooms. Our friend wanted the cabinets and counters for one of his rental properties. The changes we are making are pretty big and I’m so excited to see the end results.
 
Before pics........

Kitchen
We are removing the wall with the doorway to open it up and getting rid of the stupid angle.

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This wall is going too.

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The pantry is being removed and the slider will be replaced with a single door to give more wall space where we will install the fridge, stove & wall ovens.

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The bar will be replaced with an island with seating. We are installing cabinets behind the seating on the opposite wall of the stove.

New floors are going in the entire house too. The current floors are so outdated and the grout is disgusting.
 
Master Bed & Bath

We are turning one side of the house into bigger master suite. We are turning a bedroom into a walk-in closet. The current closet is being removed to give more space in the master bath and bedroom. Not quite sure of the layout yet since we need to move a wall and reconfigure door ways. All new cabinets & sinks, new tile in the shower and a freestanding tub will be put in.

This weird alcove has the doorway to a bedroom and to the master bed.

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Future closet

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This door hits the current sink area. Poor design!

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This closet will most likely go away when we configure the bathroom.

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Current master closet with entry from the bathroom. When the bifold doors are open it's hard to get in and out of the bathroom.

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New Office Space & Dining Room

We are going to use the formal living room as the dining room then turn the dining room into an office. The current dining room wouldn't even fit my table!

It really bothers me that the door and windows were not centered in this space. Look at that view though!

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This space will be made into an office with barn doors.

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