Friday, December 14, 2012

Christmas Woes, Crossfit, and a 5k for Pepper

Last night we had our typical Thursday night run. Since I won't be doing my usual long weekend run due to our Blogger Brunch (#CRBHolidaze), I wanted to go a little longer. I didn't want to push it, but Maggie and I ran 6 miles. I wasn't even paying attention to our pace as we were deep in conversation. It really is great to have a running buddy, especially in the winter, for accountability and to help make things less boring.

Christmas is around the corner and I still have so much to do. This seems to happen every year, despite how much planning I try to do beforehand. Although, this year, I didn't get the chance to do much pre-planning. The tree is up, about half the presents are bought, and I still have a long ways to go. Oopsies. Part of the reason is that I don't know what to get folks. I often go the giftcard route if I can't decide, but I try to think of an actual gift first... And now it is also getting to be crunch time for the "free shipping" at various online retailers. And now I am anxiously awaiting several packages, hoping they arrive on time. Why do I always leave things to the last minute? My goal this year is to not have to shop on Christmas Eve. This usually ends up happening, but I'm going to try and avoid it this year, honestly. Are you a last minute shopper like me or do you get things done weeks (or days) in advance?

And I've finally decided to try Crossfit. (Although, I've heard that "You don't 'try' Crossfit. You either do it or you don't.") There is one by my house that is only $10 a try and I plan on going the week after Christmas. I could hate it (I think I might hate it) but I want to give it a try anyways (just to curb my curiosity, if anything else). If you have any tips for newbies, please let me know.

This winter I would like to have my little pup, Pepper, complete her first 5k. There have been a couple races where I've thought about it, but there ended up being not-so-great weather, dogs weren't allowed, or I wanted to PR and knew she couldn't keep up. Pepper was totally jealous of Waffles and Rex completing 5ks this past year, so we are in the search of a small, local, dog friendly 5k. If you know of one, please let me know! (If you're not sure if it is dog friendly, but it is a small and local race, I have no problems emailing the race director to ask.) :)

Goldendoodles think they are lapdogs.
I guess I help perpetuate this thought.
Since every post needs a photo, here is one of me with Pepper on my lap. Yes, she tries her darndest to sit on my lap and loves the extra pets and cuddles that ensue. I think she believes she is still the same size she was when she was a puppy. Obviously, that is not the case.

21 comments:

  1. I will keep my eyes peeled for any upcoming dog friendly 5k's!

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  2. Ooo! I am excited for Pepper's first 5K!

    And excited you are trying CrossFit. I bet you will really like it. It looks fun.

    I hope your packages come on time! I have most shopping done, just a few things left to wrap.

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  3. Thank youuuu! Who knows, maybe Waffles and Pepper can run the same race! :)

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  4. I think a 5k with Pepper would be a lot of fun. I think she would absolutely love it!

    I, of course, will talk about my crossfit experience once it happens! The intensity is what kind of scares me, but I want to know if I can hang and how it would be! Lol

    I also hope they come on time! *bites nails*... There are a few that I'm waiting for and I have to go to the mall and Target to find the rest. Ugh.

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  5. That's awesome that Pepper still thinks she is still puppy-sized! Great picture of her in your lap!

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  6. I *think*I am done shopping. I'd better be since my first family Christmas event is a week from tomorrow!

    I really loved CrossFit but with my current hip injury I can't do it. This makes me sad. But $10 to try it out is something that I wouldn't pass up if I could!

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  7. I also want to try crossfit ... like really bad! lol

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  8. I'm for sure going on Thursday December 27th, after our group run... If you're interested!!!! :)

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  9. I'm jealous that you are already done shopping. I need to get on that!

    I may be asking you some questions about Crossfit this weekend!!

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  10. Haha, she loves sitting on laps because that means extra snuggles and pets. She is kind of a brat, but we love her anyways haha

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  11. I love our Thursday night runs! Also, I have zero desire to try Crossfit. My gym offers a good variety of group exercise classes that focus on strength training, and I enjoy those. Especially Pilates, I love me some Pilates.

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  12. My gym doesn't offer any classes. They have a few random ones at another location, but I have yet to be able to make one of them. Maybe over the winter I will have the chance to! :) I followed along with a pilates video a few years ago. It was quite interesting, I will say that.

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  13. Yeah we pay a little more for a gym that includes group exercise. That and a pool for lap swimming are my two requirements for a gym, which of course means we join the expensive gym. But it is more motivation for me to go to the classes as often as possible, to get the most bang for my buck.

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  14. I enjoy CrossFit. I'd suggest wearing long pants because there's a lot of squatting and jumping and I like to protect my shins. And don't be afraid to scale back the workouts. I've yet to complete a workout at the weight they prescribe.

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  15. Ah, good point. Thanks for these tips! There might not be a bunch of folks in the class when I plan on going, either way, I'm excited to try it.

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  16. I got half of my shopping done before December. I was sooooo proud of myself. But now, here I am, scrambling for the "biggest" items on the list. Fail... maybe next year I'll be better...

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  17. Haha, that sounds like me! All of the best intentions, but not always great execution.

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  18. I want to try Crossfit too, now that you mentioned it maybe just out of curiosity. Can't wait to see you tomorrow!

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  19. I love love love the pic of you and your pup. She's truly a doll!

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  20. Such a great pic! Can't wait to hear about your Crossfit experience - I've been contemplating it myself!

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  21. Aw, my dogs both think they're lapdogs too... and they each weigh at least 70 pounds!

    You might try the Ravenswood Run in April - it's a super small neighborhood race, and it seems like the kind of run that might allow dogs, though I can't remember if any were running last year or not. I definitely saw dogs at the Lincoln Park Turkey Trot, if Pepper can wait until November.

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