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I am in the middle of World Cup craziness (both working and watching all the games) and hope to get back to posting again soon. But to show that I am still alive, I wanted to post a quick photo from a pinch me moment. I got to go to the first Argentina v Algeria game.

That's the game Messi scored a hat trick. Of all the games to luck into, that was a winner!

Hope to be back to posting again soon.

I finished my 5k race on March 15 and saw a number on the scale that made me cry.

Then Bug came home for spring break, where we took a trip to sunny Oregon Coast.

Lots of eating out, road food, and treats as we tried to pack in a few things while she was home. Then I saw a number on the scale that was super shocking.

Add a pissed off rotator cuff and this past week was miserable. But, I spent 2 days on a diet of ibuprofen plus tracking what I ate and things are getting better. Last night I slept through without my right shoulder waking me up.

Today's weigh-in had me back to pre-Bug visit weight which is huge. It will be a few weeks before I get back to 5k training weight but I feel on track for that.

I also was able to lift heavy legs on Monday and Thursday with a lighter arm workout on Tuesday. Now with race training over, I plan on strength training 4x a week.

Spring has sprung and is beautiful here in the Pacific NW.

Holy crap, I averaged a 9:49 pace???? My treadmill runs have been at a 12-minute pace so I am truly shook . Guess I really wanted to be done freezing in the cold!

Well, that's the icing on the cake for my last race for the year.

Shamrock Run 5k with a finish time that wasn't too shabby, considering I've done zero speed work. It's my only race of the year, and it will take the rest of the day for me to warm up from a very chilly morning. That's a wrap on my latest run journey.

Another bib and medal to go up onto the medal rack.

About October is when I started my return to running. And that's when my weight slowly started creeping up.

Not a lot but at 5 ft 2 in, every pound shows. This Sunday i'll run a 5k with work and to be honest, that will be the end of a return to running. When I regularly run, I unknowingly eat more and it just won't go away. Heck my highest post baby weight was after marathon #3. Not sure if it's the extra stress on the body or just comfort eating when i'm tired but the data doesn't lie.

I still see myself doing 1 mile runs for cardio once or twice a week but no more regular training plans. I want to return to a 4x strength plan and focus more on balance/mobility. My strength has suffered as I ran 3x a week, and now I want to get back to the gains. And holy moley, does your balance struggle in your 50's if you don't add stability work!

It looks to be a proper downpour on Sunday but i'll still enjoy it, knowing it's my last race in a while.

Did I mention I picked up a pair of soccer cleats? I am going to keep my eyes open for pickup games at work.

It's been a week. I haven't taken lunches all week due to projects, so I'll log off at 4:30 to take a mental health run in the sun. I love working for a company that values employees to take time out for runs/workouts!

Tomorrow i'm driving to see Bug for the day. Its 2 hours each way but it's kind of nice to just drive and listen to music or podcasts and not really think about work. Got to take brain breaks when I can.

I decided to take Friday off from work for a mental health reset. Work has been great but intense and phase 1 of a large project just finished. Since Friday was going to be quiet, I took my first vacation day since I started in August. Phase 2 starts on Monday.

Besides having lunch with John, my only other goal was to hem 3 pairs of trousers. At 5ft 2in, it's fun trying to find trousers that fit so I decided to just start hemming and stop missing out on some items.

I got ready to hem, pinning the pant legs and ironing the folds to set the new seams. When I pulled out my sewing machine, I noticed an ant on my desk. Then I noticed a few more ants

Thus began the deep clean of the office, spraying chrysanthemum oil where the ants were coming in, wiping all surfaces down with Clorox wipes, and then rewiping them all down again a few hours later with vinegar to destroy the pheromone trails. After about 8 hours, I saw my last rogue ant. This morning there were zero ants.

So now I am putting my office back together which is giving me a chance to declutter, file papers, and do some reorganization. It needed to be done anyways but I guess I needed a push to actually do it.

And I did hem the 3 pairs of trousers with still one more day to go in my extended weekend. Guess tomorrow is when I clean the rest of the house since now I want to make sure the house is clean and ant free!

Do you have a comfort movie when feeling sick or off?

One of mine is Scott Pilgrim.

My body hit "done" today so I am couch rotting with a movie while working on my laptop to clean up old files. That's the most I have the energy for today other than walking Baxter.

Just wondering what other people's comfort movie is for when you want to couch rot.

Current vibe via my work gym. I've been super slammed and busy and found the after work gym session as my happy place.

I swear i'll post an update soon but 2026 has just kept me beyond busy! So here's just a tiny check-in for now.

How to say I'm a sports fan without saying I'm a sports fan.

While doing my treadmill run, I was watching a Liverpool game recap on YouTube while also following the College Playoff game in Glendale. For the record, I'm hoping for an Oregon v Miami final.

Running after work at the on-site gym is a double win. Besides the run, I'm also waiting for the evening traffic to die down beforei start my commute home. I have another gym membership with LA Fitness that ends next month so I'm there on Mondays and then T-Th at the work gym (I work from home on Fridays). Just another perk with this job.

There's a chance I may have to travel to Miami early Feb for work. Its full winter here in the Pacific NW and I'm not sure if my body is ready to jump into summer clothes. Hence the steady workouts and healthy eating i had to jump into this week. I mean I always aim to get back on track after the holidays but now I have a firm reason to!

This year's transition feels a bit different. I usually work on a New Years list of things I want to accomplish which usually falls in the following categories:

1. Weight loss/fitness goal

2. Career goal (new certifications or project)

3. Some sort of Journaling or creative goal.

This year I have nothing on my list.

Maybe it's coming from two layoff/job hunt cycles and now a non-permanent contract role but this year feels different. Maybe two years of wiping the slate clean and starting over makes me gun shy about making any plans or having any visions of what I want to accomplish next.

I've been in a cleaning and purging mode. Like I am evaluating what I bring with me into 2026. I've been purging my clothes and shoes, getting rid of items from past jobs, bought new bedding and organizing items (shelves and storage caddies). Old sweaters with holes that were still comfy? Gone. My home needs to be a reflection of what I want, not what from my past I keep holding on to.

I was going through a stack of Conde Nast Traveler magazines I had to do vision boards and I just ended up recycling them all. I can't imagine traveling for fun again until I'm in a more permanent job. Any vacation I take now I have to either make up the hours or I get a reduction in pay so that puts a damper on any travel plans.

Eckhart Tolle's writing focuses a lot of living in the Now and I feel that this is my only plan for now. I need a year of stability or even a move to a permanent role with benefits before I can stop living day by day and start on planning again.

Maybe I need to use Baxter as a guide. His only focus right now is whether he wants to nap on the floor or in his bed.

Just focus on simple decisions.

Christmas is over and these pets reflect how exhausted I feel. Bug and Hammy (the Hamster) went back to college today and I was hit with a sudden urge to clean. Baxter is now napping after a couple of late nights of movie watching with Bug home.

Fridge is cleaned out (shelves and drawers washed), floors vacuumed and mopped, home office half cleaned with new shelving put up, and linen closet gone through. Did I know I have 5 sets of sheets for our bed?

Still more to do but I'm done for today. I'm reading this book with a cup of tea:

Not a great fan of the movie and never saw the play but I still want to know the storyline.

Tomorrow I get back to my workouts, healthy eating, routines (on PTO through Thursday) etc. Being off for a week and eating every sugary carb known to man was fun but I'm kind of over it now.

I've been running for decades. And I'm still learning things. My past few runs have been audio free. Just me and my thoughts.

Today thought I would start an audio book during my run. First 1/2 mile was OK. Next full mile was a car wreck. I ached, had no energy, had to go to the bathroom, all the things. The wheels were definitely falling off. I couldn't figure out what was going on other than too much Thanksgiving celebrating and late nights as Bug was home.

Then I turned off the audio book and just ran. The next mile was back to normal. I realized that I kind of zone out through rhythmic breathing when I run. Breath in for two steps breathe out for two steps. Like a machine. Suddenly I went from wanting to call the rum after a mile to running 3.16 miles.

So, no audio on my runs. I don't even want to try music as today's audio book experience was really unpleasant. And I used to always run with audio, so I guess things change.

I did a post Thanksgiving Zumba class at the gym this morning to take advantage of the day off of work. Man was the class packed! I really like the instructor but unfortunately he only teaches at times I can't usually go to due to work.

How I think I look like doing Zumba.

How I actually look like.

New 5K PR since my return to running!

The 5K Turkey Trot was actually 3.6 miles in the end so luckily I was able to grab my 5K time from Strava. Since I ran during work hours, does that make me a paid athlete? Oh I'm just going to enjoy my imagination for a bit.

They had a hot chocolate bar for everyone, including kids who came with their parents, plus pastries. I did enjoy a post run pastry back at my desk. Now at home, I need to do some stretching as man, I feel old!

Ever have one of those runs where you just clock it as time spent in your running shoes? I was fighting a cold this week and took the week off from exercising to help my body keep the cold from getting worse. But I have a 5k Turkey Trot at work on Tuesday so today was making sure I had some road miles clocked this week.

Guess something is better than nothing. My goal is a 38 minute 5k time. My PR is 29:56 but that was 10 years ago and I was 10 pounds lighter in weight. So setting my expectations as realistic for now.

Last week's long run.

This week's long run.

It's an improvement so I'm happy. Currently doing some post run recovery to help prevent bone ache in my legs.

Baxter is also helping me recover by keeping me company.

Tried to catch him mid yawn. I'll take all the help I can get.

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