Was Completing My First Stair Race In Over A Year A Terrible Mistake? (Cincinnati Fight For Air Climb Race Recap)

I was woefully under-prepared, and nursing an injured foot. Why did I sign up to race up and down thousands of stairs?

This morning I collapsed on the grass (actually, it was turf), after a job well done, and felt a specific sense of pride that I haven’t felt since February 2020. It’s a mix of accomplishment, exhaustion, pain, and invincibility – and I only experience it when I complete a stair race.

So, the answer to the question at the beginning of this blog post is… Because I love stair races. Period.

February Weigh-In and Update

Happy February, everyone! I wanted to start this post with a correction. I track my workouts, and last month, in my 2020 Year-End Progress Report, I said that in order for activity to count, for me, as exercise, it needed to “be activity where the sole purpose is to get exercise.” Well, there’s an exception to that rule… shoveling snow.

(There’s actually probably more than one exception, but, for now, I’m going to focus on this one.)

There’s a very practical reason why people shovel snow –

I Need Some Silliness Right Now

After the seriousness of my last few posts, and remembering the time and effort that went into crafting them, I need to post something simpler, and sillier. Richard Simmons action figure to the rescue!

I pre-ordered this action figure in the summer, and then completely forgot about it, until it showed up on my front porch six months later. Yup, it’s a Richard Simmons action figure. Yup, it’s official – Richard signed a licensing deal so this company could make and sell this.

Thanksgiving Rewind 2020

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! Mine was very quiet and nice, and full of good food and quality time with my parents, because, due to the pandemic, it was just the three of us. Oh, and JJ. Can’t forget about JJ! Here he is licking his lips as my mom bastes the turkey.

I’ve been making good progress in my quest to lose weight, and I refuse to let a food-based holiday derail everything. That’s why I

Recommitment: Week 1 Update

I started a new chapter last week. I recommitted myself to my weight loss efforts, vowing to tackle the things that I’ve let slide. I’m now one week in, and that first week went pretty well!

My meal prep worked wonderfully. It was great to have the lunches and dinners that I prepared last Sunday all week long, and I spent a good part of today

3WAYS2 Gussy Up Your Hard-Boiled Eggs in the Blink of an Eye!

I have some great tips on fun ways to eat hard-boiled eggs, but first, a quick shout-out to my pal Dawn Jackson Blatner, because she inspired this post. I met Dawn at the Fitbloggin’ conference a few months ago, and she had sets of three simple tips and tricks for everything. It was very impressive, and rather brilliant: It’s easy to remember three ideas, and easy to share them, too.

So I devised 3WAYS2, which I’m planning on making a recurring post on this blog. These posts will be devoted to sharing 3 ways that you can make positive changes in regards to your health and weight loss efforts. They may be about

Cucumber Radish Salad

First things first. I’m feeling a lot better since my last post. I’ve spent time with family I don’t see very often, had some good workouts (including the run I made myself do after writing that post), am eating ok, and have kept busy, which helps my mind from wandering down dark and depressing roads. This little lady has been helping out, too:

It’s Luna! She’s my pal Tavi’s dog, and I

A Hike in the Mountains, A Walk on the Beach

While racing up a 52-story building certainly burned a lot of calories, it wasn’t the only exercise I got during my weekend in San Francisco. In fact, it wasn’t even the only exercise I got that day!

2 Days, 8 Climbs, 320 Floors (Seattle and Portland ALA Fight For Air Race Recaps)

WHAT A WEEKEND. On Saturday and Sunday, I competed in back-to-back stair races for the first time. Just the thought of waking up and doing a grueling stair race, after doing an equally grueling stair race the day before, made me anxious. But it happened. And while I’m glad it’s over, I’m so glad I did it.

The first race was in Seattle, and it was held in one of the most interesting buildings I’ve ever seen. It’s called the Rainier Tower (on the left), and the base is a narrow 11-story pedestal. The building looks like it’s defying the laws of physics. It’s very cool. I’m in love.

My favorite vantage point is just outside the front doors. You look up to see

This Vegetable is Dangerous. Seriously. It Will Hurt You.

My friend Jen was at the supermarket when she saw something she knew I’d love. So she bought it for me. There was just one problem: it’s really hard to handle, because it’s covered in thorns. And they hurt.

It’s called a thorny chayote, and the thorns are no joke. Jen wrapped it in a towel to bring it to my house, and the only I could manage to hold it, even for a little while, was to