Top 3 Books I Read in 2018!

Happy Friday-eve! I am so glad today is Thursday. It’s the end of the year, which means absolute craziness at work at the moment and I cannot WAIT until Friday night when our year will be over (in terms of work, I mean). Anyone else feel this way when it comes to work & end of the year tasks? Phew. It really is exhausting! I’m getting to the gym early this morning so I can get my run & strength in early before getting into work early as well. Trying to finish out the year AND month strong!

OK so you probably already know that I set this goal to read 12 books in 2018 and I surpassed it (currently at 18 for the year)! SO I figured I would give you my top 3 favorite books I read this and would LOVE to know what the top three favorite books you read this year were!

3. North by Scott Jurek & Jenny Jurek- This book was incredible. Reading more about Scott’s journey and his development with running gave me so much more respect for him and I also could relate to him a lot. It resonated with me on so many levels how he started running because of his mother’s MS and how that was a big push for him to find new challenges. I also really loved his book Eat & Run. Both are excellent reads.

2. Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor- This book was amazing and I will absolutely be re-reading here shortly when I’m in the thick of marathon training. I love her tips and tricks for long runs, approaching running in a new viewpoint and challenging herself when things got tough. I honestly feel like I need to take notes when reading this because it was THAT GOOD.

1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book. I really cannot recommend it highly enough. To put it over Deena Kastor’s book is pretty high (it’s honestly a tie for me, but this one had that extra suspense throughout it because I didn’t know his story). I would love to read this book again right before traveling to Eugene because it’s got so much great history about Nike & Nike HQ & its beginning. I honestly had no idea half of what happened to the business and while I don’t necessarily support its practices now (being such a large chain and all), I completely respect the entrepreneurial spirit of this book.

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What books were your favorite reads of the year?

End of the year- what are you most looking forward to on NYE & in 2019?

Any big plans for New Years?!? —> we always go to bed early, but I think we’ll try doing an ‘appetizer’ dinner for something fun!

More SNOW, The Best Soup Ever?, & Book Review!

Happy Friday! What is the weather where you are? It came in snowing yesterday afternoon and didn’t stop for most of the night (definitely was not in the weather forecast too!). While I LOVE the snow, where we live now (about 30 minutes outside of town), it makes for a very long commute. Growing up in New England, they would cancel classes and people would be able to show up a few minutes late to work if the roads were really bad or icy - here in Colorado, drivers are CRAZY. Any condition, they drive so fast and pretend like an icy wind-swept snowstorm is just another bluebird day on the roads.

This pretty much accurately describes how I feel driving in the winter months here in CO.

SOURCE

At least the snow made for a beautiful 5 mile run yesterday afternoon though! I also clearly need to work on my photo taking skills mid-run. Definitely will not be winning any awards for this one!

Thank you to my STABILicers for making it a possibility to still run outside. Without you, I would be stuck indoors most days (or slipping and falling on the ice while attempting to run).

Made one of my favorite soups ever last night - Rainy Day Onion Soup! I got the recipe from this cookbook and it took 20 minutes from start-to-finish to make. So easy and also this cookbook- we have had an amazing meal from it every single time (no joke). It would make a great gift to a fellow runner in your life as well!

Got up early this morning to get in a nice 35 minutes of strength (at home), yoga, and 20 minutes of hiking on the treadmill! I got in a little over a mile in 20 minutes at 3.5mph and 10% incline. I'm on my way to building up my strength for my TBD 50-miler next year!

Also- Stella’s first selfie. She actually was just begging for my breakfast of granola, so it’s pretty easy to pose her when there’s food nearby ; )

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I finished my 16th book for 2018 last weekend and I can’t believe that I actually read this much this year (possibly the most I’ve read in a year in a really long time)! It really helps that we’ve started reading for ~30 minutes before bedtime- it helps me relax and fall asleep faster (than watching TV).

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When Life Gives You Lululemons was a cute and fast-read. It actually had a few of the same characters that The Devil Wears Prada has, which I honestly had no idea that was book before it was a movie! This wasn’t my typical type of book that I like to read, but seems like it would be a great read for the beach or vacation. Something where you don’t have to think too much and can kind of just breeze through it.

It wasn’t a page-turner (by any means) and didn’t have a crazy plot (also I could kinda tell where it was leading before things actually happened), but certainly had some relatable parts (a lot of women wearing stretchy pants (i.e. “lululemon clothing”) worrying about their careers, sex-life with their S/O, or growing old/stale). I would give it 3 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed it and never found myself bored with the storyline, just not necessarily the type of book that i gravitate towards.

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Anyone else like reading before falling asleep?

Best last book you’ve read?

Favorite cookbook?!? —> Reading cookbooks is definitely also one of my favorite past-times. Yeah, I know. I’m weird.

Photos From Our Long Weekend & Shoe Dog Book Review

Happy Monday! How was your Holiday weekend? I cannot believe that it’s the last weekend in November?!? Also we got a BUNCH of snow Saturday- finally our first good snowstorm in what feels like at least two years. We couldn’t even remember getting this much snow last year at all. Today is also a great day because I’m going to start running again! I’m building back up slowly and for the next 4 weeks (basically until Christmas), my mileage won’t peak above 33 miles per week and I think the longest run I’ll have is 7 miles. Much needed break before I begin my marathon training for Eugene! Let’s catch up on the long weekend shall we and then I’ve got another book review for you too.

Gym time. Mainly lifting some lift weights, lots of lunges, ab work (most days during the week), and balance-related things (I’ll post my full strength workout tomorrow!).

Longest plank held EVER!! So close to getting my 4:00 plank hold goal for this month!

Made our own movie theater with some popcorn (we did it on the stovetop in a pan and it was both equally fun + scary) and candy! Rented Wonder Woman at our local library (it was blue-ray which made the quality even better and a free resource for us!).

Lots of kitty cuddles.

Working on another goal for the month! I crocheted a coaster!

Lots of snow on Saturday. We did a long snowy walk and then spent the rest of the day cuddled up by the fire. It was MUCH needed!

New training plan is ready to go for Eugene- following Hanson’s Marathon Method again. I’ll share my plan on Thursday with you and also my goals for the late-Spring race!

Shoe Dog By Phil Knight Book Review - 5/5 stars

Normally sports books are some of my favorite (also really love reading autobiographies), so I knew that once I was able to read this one it would be something I enjoyed. However, I had NO idea I would like it this much. I know sometimes that autobiographies (especially ones when the author is a ‘business tycoon’ may be filtered, so obviously everything read needs to be taken with a grain of salt) can be really ‘in favor’ of the author, however the story behind Nike is mind-blowing.

I had NO idea how his idea came to become (he also has an MBA, so I felt like I could relate to him on some level) Nike, how many times they almost went bankrupt, and how they made their ideas into reality. It also centers around Eugene/ Beaverton, OR (which is where my marathon will be held in April), which got me even more excited my race knowing more of the history behind the city (along with Nike itself).

I did think that the ending felt a bit rushed, but the entire journey from its fruitition to becoming a multi-million dollar company (and beyond by now) was amazing. Phil also blends in how running helped him brainstorm, relive stress, and work out business deals- also something I could easily relate to. This book was definitely a page-turner for me and I already can’t wait to re-read it (probably right before the marathon ; ) ….). I’ve never been a huge fan of Nike (and definitely still have some qualms), however this did provide me some appreciation for it!

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Ever read Shoe Dog?

Five things you did this weekend?

Snow- do you love it?! Anyone else get a snowstorm this weekend?

Book Review: Eat & Run By Scott Jurek

Happy Tuesday! Only one more work day for me this week- YAY! Does anyone else have a long weekend? Anyone traveling? I’m definitely missing my family this time of year, but also happy to not have to have the stress of traveling this time of year. Let’s recap my yesterday, shall we?

Back in the pool yesterday for the first time in over a month! 30 minutes and almost 3/4 of a mile swam!

They’re patently waiting for Alex to get home from Salt Lake today….

Grown-up grilled cheese (I added spinach & avocado so it’s grown up now ; ) …) for dinner because I’m an adult and that’s all that sounded good.

Yoga & Coffee to kickstart my Tuesday morning (followed by an epsom salt soak)!

I recently finished Scott Jurek’s Eat & Run and I really LOVED it. I actually devoured it in less than 2 weeks. This book was so enlightening on his chidhood (I really enjoyed the section on where he talks about his motivation to start running & also on his mother’s MS diagnosis/ treatment & his journey towards obtaining his Physical Therapy degree).

I felt like I could relate to Scott a lot throughout this book and it was also amazing to read his journey with food and how it affected him. It really got me thinking about trying to go heavier on certain food groups and less on others (dairy mainly I think) to see how it helps my athletic performance. I also really enjoyed to read about ultra marathons through his eyes. He’s super open and honest throughout this book and I’m definitely thinking about adding a 50-miler to my race calendar next year!!

​I really enjoyed his book that came out earlier this year (North) and glad that I read them in this sequence- although I think either way the books really mesh together nicely. I’m not a huge fan of anything in really “diet” terms, but the book is so much more than just food-related. Highly recommend if you’re interested in running, ultras, veganism, or Scott himself.

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​Ever read any of Scott Jureks books?​

​Are you able to swim outside in the winter?​

​Grilled cheese- yay or nay and favorite way to eat them? ​

Weekend Recap & Another Book Review!

Happy Monday friends! I hope you had a great weekend. Ours wasn’t too eventful, but it was perfect. Filled with watching the RED SOX in the World Series, a whole weekend off of social media (for me), lots of reading (I hit my 12 books read this year goal on Thursday!), and kitty cuddles.
Let’s rewind to Thursday night- Brady clearly telling us that he was NOT going to share the pizza.

13.61 miles for my last run over 11 miles before Vegas on Friday morning! I have 10 miles on the schedule this upcoming weekend, but they will be nice and easy miles : )

This is my “I finished my 13+ mile run 10 minutes ago and it’s Friday and I’m just over doing my hair” hair.

Watched the Red Sox Friday night (I did NOT stay up until 1:30am to watch the full game, I only made it to the 9th inning ha). Saturday morning was filled with sleeping in until 7:30, cinnamon rolls for breakfast, strength, and enjoy the beautiful weather that we’re having here in CO with an easy trail run down at the lake.

Watched the full Red Sox game Saturday night and then slept in again until 8am Sunday! 6 easy miles on the treadmill, some recovery yoga, and epsom salt soak.

Followed that up with some yogurt and bananas for lunch with my new book that I’m really loving right now! : )

Took Stella for a walk Sunday afternoon and finished up a few chores before watching the Red Sox Sunday night!

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I also finished ANOTHER book (THANK YOU Librarys for forcing me to read this book in two weeks).

I had previously started Matt Fitzgerald’s How Bad Do You Want It a year ago when we went to Vegas, but I’m pretty sure that I left it there because it’s been MIA since then : ( SO I was really excited to find that the library had it.

This was a great book for anyone looking to up their mental game. It really does combine two of my favorite interests- sports and stories of athletes succeeding! Fitzgerald does a great job of blending in research-based facts along with the athletic feats. It never felt too scientific for me (although I do love researchy type books like that as well) and I honestly had a hard time putting it down!

Here are a few passages from the book that I LOVED:

YES.

THIS.

Have you ever read any of Matt Fitzgerald’s books?

3 things you did this weekend?

Are you a fan of baseball- did anyone stay up to watch the 7+ hour game Friday night?!