Wordless Wednesday

Training Update

Ok, I’m not technically training for anything. I guess I’m training to be ready to train for a race, if that makes any sense! I’ve definitely been feeling very sorry for myself, I’m not gonna lie, but it’s time to pull up my big girl pants and start posting about it.
My walks are slow and my rides are deliberately slow, but I’m getting there!

Monday:
PT. I pretty much dread this, it’s sometimes painful to do, and almost always painful the next day, but it’s so worth it! I’m up to 9 exercises, and usually do a combination of 6-7 of them every other day. I have to do them 3 times a week, so I mix it up however I feel at the time.

Tuesday: 20 minute bike ride and a 10 minute walk

Wednesday: taught yoga on Zoom and then did PT. Definitely sore after, but only temporarily!

Thursday: 1.25 mile walk 

Friday I took a rest day. 

Saturday, I went for a thirty minute ride. It felt amazing and I had a pain free day for the first time since November! Fabulous!

Sunday was my third PT day, and a low pain day which was great!

Also on the horizon.... I ordered a Peloton! I’m so excited, but I’m dying because I have to wait for it to be delivered! To keep me going, I’ve been shopping for the things I’ll need and also making a Pinterest board with setup ideas. It’s the little things. I’ll leave you with the countdown...

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Lincoln Park Zoo's Run For the Zoo Virtual Race

I received entry into the Run For the Zoo Virtual Race as part of being a BibRave Pro (ambassador). Check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews. 

I adore the Zoo. Any zoo, honestly, so long as the animals have room to run and play. I have been talking with my good friend Lissa, aka RunNerdGirl about doing one together. And by together, I mean that we will run the same race, but she will be finished and on her second beer when I finish. Lissa and I are both Pros together, but we were friends first, so running a race together happens a few times a year. I am hoping that we will be able to run this one together!

OK, I have been using the word run, but in reality, I am currently walking. I actually plan to train as if I am walking this 5k. There is also a 10K option, which I think Lissa is doing, but I likely won't be able to pull that off.

What's a virtual race? I used to host them for charity, and that link explains it all, but I will recap here!

You can run, walk, crawl the designated distance wherever you choose. 

Use your GPS watch or an app to record your time. (Some races require it, others don't) 

Take pics, have fun, finish strong.

Upload proof of time if it is required. 

Put on your bling for more photo opportunities.

Brag.all.day.

Drink a beer and eat all the foods.

Fun, right?

Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago is having a virtual 5k/10k and you get a tech tee with your registration!

You can get the bling below with an extra donation.

 Race is June 7th, and they are even providing you with a virtual race bib that you can print out and wear on your race day!

Proceeds will keep the zoo up and running!

There is a kids' race as well!

First place male and female runners for each distance will receive a plush animal from their gift shop. A trophy you can cuddle with!

In honor of the 42nd year of Run for the Zoo, the 42nd-place male and female runner for the virtual 5K and 10K races will each win a membership to Lincoln Park Zoo. (This will be based on the honor system.)

In honor of the 152nd year of Lincoln Park Zoo, the 152^nd-place male and female runner for the virtual 5K and 10K races will each win a large animal plush from the Gift Shop. (This will be based on the honor system.)

Check out their facebook event page for even more details, and when you register, use BIBRAVE10 for 10% off. 

I am looking forward to ramping up my one mile walks (I have PT permission to start going 1.25 miles at a time right now) so that I can do this fun run/walk for the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Who is joining me?

Fiction Friday, March Recap

I read 11 books in March, mostly Joanne Fluke, I'm not gonna lie. I read some serious books in between, and I tried to start Les Mis. Y'all, it legit made me want to die.

 I have read some pretty serious books inb my time, but this one. It was supposed to be my new Chunkster Challenge, having finished the Stand. A Chunkster is a book that has roughly 1000 pages or more, meant to be read in chunks, not all at once. I read the Stand for one hour every time I finished another book. When I started Les Mis, I could not even read it for 30 minutes at a time. After several tries, I put it back on the shelf and picked up the Fireman by Joe Hill. I didn't realize it was another plague book, but I am loving it anyway.

Other thought on my March books:

I did not care for Hidden Figures. I still want to watch the movie. The book was slow at parts and didn't flow at all.

Dear Edward was for a book club that never met because of the virus. I adored it, could not put it down!

The Origin was really good. I just love this series of books. They are not something I would normally read, and I am glad that I gave that first one a try.

Before We Were Yours was suggested by a friend, and I really enjoyed it. There was truth to it and a mystery throughout, and the characters were amazing. 

Okay, let's look at challenge progress! 

Pop Sugar spans too many pages, so I will just say that I have read 21 of the books so far! I am determined to finish the entire challenge this year, including the advanced prompts!

I was able to add one more to the Modern Mrs Darcy challenge in March (and one more so far in April). If I don't hit on those last 4 by November, I will go looking for book to fill those prompts. 

Booked 2020 officially ended in March, but I finished back in January. I am already halfway through the Spring prompts.

I have 36 out of 52 books read for the 52 in 52 challenge. Some of these will take a little work to finish, but I am hoping to be done before November.

ohhhh this was a last minute challenge I did last week on Litsy. I finished with 27 hours and 2 minutes. Whew! I found out on Sunday, and it started the previous Friday. Luckily, Bookly keeps me on the ball with time spent reading. I hadn't read at all on Saturday (my birthday) so I had to make up that time. It was a fun challenge that kept me away from the TV all week.

Mount TBR. The biggest challenge there is. Read books that have been sitting on the shelf for at least a week. I finally hit Pike's Peak and I am halfway to Mount Blanc. Being on Stay at Home orders has been super helpful with this. I am not at the used bookstore every Tuesday and I haven't randomly passed any Little Free Libraries. I have one Stephen King new release coming for April and that's it! 

A to Z Challenge: This is getting harder! It goes by the author's first or last initial. I still need J, O, Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z. should be interesting once I get to October or November and have to start choosing books by the author's name!

USA Challenge. This one is harder than it seems. It is amazing how many books take place in California or New York! The ones in colors are erasable ink, because the book takes place in multiple states. The Chunkster is New Hampshire, so I will have1 more checked off soon. 

These are my April Bookspin books, another Litsy challenge. You choose 20 books from your TBR shelf and the host chooses 2 numbers at random. the first is your bookspin (Goldfinch). The second is your optional Double Bookspin (Bazaar of Bad Dreams). In April, with everyone being stuck at home, she added a Triple Bookspin (little House, which I may have read already!)

The Hogwarts Challenge!I have completed Beauxbatons and I am one away from Ilvermorny. It takes three schools completed to be a Tri Wizard Champion, all 8 makes you a Supreme Mugwump. I am aiming for Tri Wizard, and then we will see about Mugwump! That would be 56 prompts. 

My April book goals. I am halfway through, at least. This does not count the Bookspin books.

Book BINGO. I have two bingos so far, and will have 3 when I finish Goldfinch. 

The Color Coded Challenge. I actually think I finished this already. hmmmmm please hold.....

YUP! A Joanne Fluke book that I read in January has yellow on the cover! I completed this challenge on April 8th! Woohoo! 

I have 2 new challenges coming up. Bookly is hosting a #StayAtHomeReadathon next week. You can choose to either read 3.5 hours per day or 25 hours for the week, which is what I chose.

April 24-26 is #24B4Monday, where you try to read for 24 hours in 3 days. I have never managed this, but I am going for a record! My best time is 17 hours and 3 minutes. Hopefully I can beat that!  It's easier when everyone else is off doling their own thing, but now that they are all here almost all the time, it is a bit harder. 

Any book suggestions or fun challenges to share?