No single digit temps this past week.  In fact, we saw 40 degrees.

Unfortunately, I was NOT working from home for three days (so that meant a lot of Starbucks).

But the week ended on a high note…

Last Week –

• Sunday – I started the day at the gym.. After using the machines, I walked on the track.  Zumba on Sunday is always below.  One day, I’ll leave my comfortable zone and give it a try…

I had planned on brunch/walk with my BFF and then drinks/apps with a friend in the evening.

My BFF cancelled. Luckily I was able to change my plans and have a later brunch with my friend.

That left me with some free time for errands, stuff around the house and a walk around the mall.

• Monday – WFH so I was able to meet Jenny for a short run at lunchtime.

the sun peaked out for a millisecond… it was cold but not that much wind 🙂

Lucky us.  It started to snow as soon as we were done.

• Tuesday – I hit the gym before work and then for my last WFH day this week, I met Jenny for the same run as the day before.

a big warm up. 30 degrees!!

• Wednesday – Live teaching today… and an extra early day. And a rainy one…

• Thursday – No WFH again today but I did meet a friend after work for a run.  When it’s dark, UAlbany is the safest place to run and the paths are salted and clear.

• Friday- Still not WFH…

pretty sunrise…

A very windy day so I wasn’t sad not to get in a run.

The day ended with mah jongg…

• Saturday – One of my college friends (Valerie) was not able to join us for our reunion back in September.

So I planned another mini one (but it turned out to be just the two of us). The day had a French theme since we went to France together our junior year of college.

Too bad rain was in the forecast…

We both arrived in Manhattan by Amtrak around the same time (Valerie was coming from RI).  Our first stop was the Brooklyn Museum (via the subway) to try to get same day tix to the Monet in Venice exhibit (the online ones were sold out). Unfortunately with subway cancellations, we had to change trains and then walk.  The available tix were too late in the day so we headed back to Manhattan. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked to Bryant Park (since it hadn’t started raining yet.)  We wanted to check out the new French pastry shop there.  Then we walked to the Morgan Library to see the Renoir exhibit (and now it was raining).  We enjoyed it but since we didn’t visit Monet, we had extra time.  So we walked (in the pouring rain) and stopped at the NY Public Library to check out a few free exhibits. Finally we decided to call it a day and walked back to the train station and to hang out at the bar while waiting for our trains.

Well, sometimes things just don’t go as planned but it was fun to spend the day together with an old friend.

• Sunday – WS #3 Race  (5k or 10k). Since I missed my long run this week, I may run the 10k but I’ll decide at the last minute.

In the evening, I have a re-scheduled dinner with two former co-workers…

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – gym
• Tuesday – run
• Wednesday – run
• Thursday – run
• Friday –mah jongg chez moi (and my wedding anniversary – 27 years)
• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch
• Sunday – gym, ??

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – Best of 2025
• Friday – Staying Motivated when it’s freezing

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races?  How did you celebrate NYE  or NYD? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

I do love it when Hanukkah and Christmas are around the same time. Since I celebrate both.

Of course, Christmas is much more festive.

Gotta love ChatGPT!

In case you missed it on FB and IG, here is this year’s card:

Last Week –

• Sunday – Since my granddaughter would be visiting her other grandparents on Christmas Day, we had breakfast with her this morning and gave her our gifts.

After that HUGE breakfast, I was thrilled that my friend Jenny asked me to go for a walk with her.

It was so cold and windy… frozen but we managed to get in 6 miles…

And I worked off enough calories (maybe) to be able to go to my SIL’s for dinner.

lots of food and this was dessert…

• Monday – WFH this week. Hooray.

I started off the day at the gym and then After work, I got in a short run before another predicted snowfall…

same route as last week but this time, Jenny accompanied me…

• Tuesday – I kept waiting for the snow… It never arrived… just  some drizzling so I able to go out to dinner to belatedly celebrate my BFF’s birthday.

• Wednesday – WFH (and I slept in instead of going to the gym although my cat woke me up at 4 am so I didn’t really sleep…)

Today Jenny and I were able to squeeze in a short WINDY run during lunch.

dry roads…

How did I celebrate Christmas Eve?

Eating leftovers and binge watching the rest of the Emily in Paris episodes.

yes, I know it’s very silly and unrealistic but I love the fashion, food and sights…

• Thursday – DAY OFF – Christmas Day!

more help from AI..

Looking ahead to the weekend weather, I decided to get in my long run since my family dinner was not until 3 pm.  Jenny who was training for Tokyo joined me for some of her miles.   She ran 12 miles and I did 8 (with some big hills!!) Thanks again to AI for making it look like Christmas. LOL

• Friday- WFH again… finally dragged myself to the gym.

feels like 1 degree but a beautiful sunrise.

I had planned on skipping mah jongg in favor of a Boxing Day party with the hubby.

But it got cancelled due the impending snowstorm.

• Saturday – LONG RUN and Brunch. Luckily, I had already done my long run on Thursday.

And yes, we did get that snowstorm…

I waited until my hubby cleared our driveway, bundled up (as it was FREEZING) and headed to UAlbany where I hoped there would be a clear path or road to run on.

mostly clear … glad that I remembered hand warmers!!!

• Sunday – Run w/friends, nail appt, ???

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – gym, running group holiday party
• Tuesday – run, walk
• Wednesday – run, NYE dinner out
• Thursday – DAY OFF – WS #2 Race (3.5 m)
• Friday – gym, mah jongg
• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch, hair appt.
• Sunday – gym,??

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – 4th Quarter Update
• Friday – Ultimate Coffee Date

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races?  Any vacations planned?  How did you celebrate the holidays? Have you joined the AI bandwagon? Anyone watch Emily in Paris? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

I’m back in the Northeast and I think it feels colder since I was in Florida for several days…

I’m so grateful to be able to escape for a few days and am already looking forward to February.  I’ll be more than ready to leave these cold temps again.

Last Week –

• Friday – Although due to missing our connecting flight, we didn’t arrive at our friends’ place until 1:30 am, I was up bright and early to enjoy the warmer temps and go for a run.

sunshine & no layers= ❤

Then we went out to lunch and I met up with my ex-SIL (whom I hadn’t seen in over 20 years!)

sisters forever!! (and my favorite shrimp n grits)

For dinner, we carb loaded on homemade pizza and then went to a holiday concert.

• Saturday – RUNFluent Christmas Race. There was a 7k and a 7 hr race.  Heidi, Deirdre and I opted for the 7k which was only one loop.

We decided to stay together and run 30:30 intervals.  The course was flatter and less challenging that I expected… and so much fun!!

After we were done, Deirdre & I went out for another loop and then we hung around to cheer on the other runners,  many of whom completed a 50k.

the guys were running the 50k

Of course, a celebratory late lunch followed and drinks and some hot tub time in the evening.

• Sunday – I had to take advantage of the weather and again went out for an early neighborhood run.

I could get used to this…

After my run, we went out to breakfast.  And in the afternoon, we went to an outdoor bar and played music bingo (nope, no one won) and eventually went out to an early dinner.

We spent a relaxing evening in and watched a Hallmark movie: Oy to the World (in honor of the first night of Hanukkah.)

• Monday – Last day of vacation and last warm weather run.

We were treated to homemade strawberry waffles and then headed to the airport.

No flight drama for our return flights home.

• Tuesday – Back to reality and cold weather.

I had the morning off from work. So I headed to the gym first thing, then some grocery shopping, laundry and cooking.

In the afternoon, I went to the office and eventually to set up for my class the next day.

I met my BFF in the evening for a walk…

• Wednesday – First of 3 days of live classes….

That meant Starbucks on the way…

and to bundle up and search out dry pavement for a post work run…

in town and not as cold as previous days…

• Thursday – Same as the day before except that after work I attended my annual tennis friends holiday party.

fun evening with lots of food, music, gifts, etc…

• Friday- Last day of live teaching and mah jongg in the evening. Though it warmed up, it rained most of the day.  Good news: Snow is mostly gone.
• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch.

Though, the paths were clear of snow, the temps had dropped again and so I was wondering if the rail trail would be clear or would I end up at UAlbany?

phew, clear sailing..

Unfortunately, I had to run/walk my 8 miles solo but met (walking) friends after for brunch.

• Sunday – Plan to play Santa with my granddaughter (since she is spending Christmas with her other grandparents).  Then hit the gym, run some errands and eventually have dinner at  my SIL’s…

FYI:  Had to  join the cool kids with ChatGPT:

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – run 
• Tuesday – run, b-day dinner with BFF, walk
• Wednesday – gym
• Thursday – run, Christmas dinner with the fam
• Friday – gym, mah jongg
• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch
• Sunday – gym, ??

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – RunFluent Christmas Race Recap 
• Friday – Runfessions

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races?  Any vacations planned?  Do you like trail racing? Are you dealing with snow or ice? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

I returned from a work trip to NYC and then packed my bags…

Last Week –

• Sunday – I went for a run since I was going to miss my Monday and Tuesday runs.

doesn’t everyone get ice cream to warm up after a cold run?

Then I did some errands and even went to the gym.

I also finished decorating for the holidays… (Just a few shown below… I celebrate BOTH holidays…)

• Monday – I took an early train to Manhattan with Heidi, Deb, Stan and Sherry.

After I dropped my bag off at my hotel, we had a quick lunch and then headed to Radio City to see the Christmas Show (with the Rockettes).

Our next adventure was to take the subway to Brooklyn for a walking tour of the Holiday Lights in Dyker Heights.

After a quick dinner, we headed back by subway to Manhattan to check out the Holiday decorations around Rockefeller Center.

it was a cold day but we had loads of fun…

Last stop before my friends had to head home was a ride on the Christmas Carousel outside Macys 

we ran out of time although we did have tix.

a holiday drink at the bar at the train station (instead).

• Tuesday – A long work day. Subway to Jamaica, Queens. Work all Day. Subway back to Manhattan and then Amtrak home.
• Wednesday – I bailed on a short run after work (It was snowing, windy and very icy.)

and instead I packed for my Florida trip.

• Thursday – I got up to again snowy icy conditions…

and waited a bit before I ventured outside (with my trail shoes on)…

cold and windy… I froze (can you guess which snowman is real?

then worked a half day before I boarded a plane (with my friend Heidi) to Tampa, FL.

Our friends Deirdre and Kevin picked us up at the airport and drove an hour back to their home (where we would be staying until Monday.)

I’ll recap the rest of the week in my next WRD.

Check out IG and FB for photos.

weather looks much better than up North!!!!

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Friday – hanging out with friends, meeting my ex SIL for lunch, concert in the evening
• Saturday – RUNFluent Christmas (Trail) Run (7k)
• Sunday – hanging out with friends
• Monday – run, fly home
• Tuesday – run, walk w/BFF
• Wednesday – PM run?
• Thursday – run?, tennis holiday party
• Friday – gym, work holiday meeting, mah jongg
• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch
• Sunday – breakfast w/granddaughter, gym, dinner with the fam

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – 2025 in Photos
• Friday – Motivational Quotes That Keep You Going

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races?  Any warm weather vacations planned?  Do you enjoy checking out holidays decorations in your town?  Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

Yup, looking ahead to tomorrow’s work trip to NYC where I plan to check out ALL the holiday decorations..

and then on Thursday, I leave for Florida to visit a friend (and run a Christmas Trail Race).

Last Week –

• Sunday – I started the day at the gym and then went for a walk…

and it was soooo cold!

I started getting ready for the holiday… a little decorating, wrapping, addressing cards…

• Monday – DAY OFF – With the predicted snowstorm on its way, I knew I had to go for a run.

I met up with my friend Sue and after our run, we got coffee and tried to figure out our flights for the Asheville HM that we are running together in March.

One of our running friends (in black shirt) is moving to Tacoma, WA so we had a farewell party for her in the evening..

• Tuesday – Jenny & I tried to beat the snow with our early morning run.

and we did!! Barely…

It snowed the rest of the day.

In the evening, I was supposed to go to a special showing of Wicked 2 movie (sponsored by the the UAlbany Alumni Assoc.) but it got cancelled due to the snowstorm.

• Wednesday – Lots of snow!! But I was able to get out and drive to the gym.

we got about 6″

The main roads weren’t too bad so I went to the office…

’tis the season for egg nogg latte

Then I stopped at UAlbany to check the path conditions and get some steps in…

and then went shopping for some last minute gifts (ha ha, it’s only Dec. 3!)

• Thursday – WFH morning

coffee at home with some holiday spirit..

and then I met Jenny for a short run at lunch time.

snowing and windy. Brrrrr!

In the late afternoon, I met my BFF for a re-scheduled movie date.

• Friday – I didn’t even want to leave the house…

Eventually after work, I went to the gym when it warmed up to a balmy 20 degrees…

Mah Jongg in the evening…

• Saturday – Long Run and Brunch.  Too early to have to plan where to run before of the snow. 😦

Unfortunately we are limited to UAlbany loops or the roads.  This weekend, we chose the roads. (Smaller attendance than usual due to the weather and the holidays. I ran 7 miles with Barb,. Sherry & Stan ran on their own. Of course, brunch followed. (Sorry I forgot to snap a pic.)

In the evening, I got to baby sit for my granddaughter!!

4 hrs of Disney movies…

• Sunday – Gym visit planned and then packing for NYC trip (and maybe start for the Florida trip… holiday decorating too.

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – Train to NYC, Radio City Christmas Show, Dyker Heights lights, more Manhattan holiday lights…
• Tuesday – work in Jamaica, Queens, train home
• Wednesday – PM run
• Thursday – AM run, PM fly to Tampa, FL
• Friday – hanging out with friends
• Saturday – RUNFluent Christmas (Trail) Run (7k)
• Sunday – hanging out with friends
• Monday – AM run?, fly home

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – My Race Bling of 2025
• Friday – Must-Have Accessories Under $30 

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races?  Any vacations planned?  Do you enjoy checking out holidays decorations in your city?  Have you seen Wicked Part 2? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.

I started the week cheering on my 3 friends who were running the NYC Marathon and ended it today running my own race, a local 15k race!

Last Week –

• Sunday – Four of us boarded the train in Albany to go to Manhattan. As soon as we arrived, we dropped off our bags at the hotel (though it was not my hotel), picked up Deirdre’s SO and took the subway to our 1st meeting point (mile 7 in Brooklyn).

Perfect weather for both runners and supporters!! So lucky!

Cheering is hard but so rewarding (esp. for the BOP runners). After we saw all 3 runners, we left Brooklyn and took the subway to Manhattan – 1st  Ave (mile 18).

Our runners changed order and things were not going as planned for two of them but we cheered loudly and supported as best as we could.

We were able to walk to our next stop – 5th Ave (mile 23).

The sun was going down but still not cold. At this point, we were hopeful that all 3 would indeed finish.

After our last friend passed us, we had to cut through the park (in the dark) to catch the first one to finish.

Eventually, they all exited the park and we found them!

We had dinner reservations so we took the subway back to the hotel, checked in and quickly walked to the restaurant.

We had a lovely dinner/drinks.

My hotel was downtown so I had to retrieve my bag and take the subway there.

Believe it or not, we arrived at 11 am and I didn’t get to my hotel until 11 pm.

A long day so so worth it.

before, during (top) and after (more pics on FB)

• Monday – I took advantage of being downtown and I went for an early morning run (along the East River & the Financial District).

After I checked out of my hotel, I headed uptown to Central Park. While the runners got their medals engraved, a few of us had drinks and then we all met up and went out to lunch.

I was taking a later train than the others which gave me time to go exploring…

I noticed that some places like Macys and Bryant Park were getting ready for Christmas.

Cari recommended a cool museum that was near my hotel, I headed there before I needed to pick up my bag and go back uptown to Penn Sta,

more pics on FB

• Tuesday – I started out the day with a run with my friend Jenny. I was loving the extra morning daylight and WFH this week.

glad we went out early because it got sooo windy later in the day…

• Wednesday – This morning I went to the gym before work… and got treated to a beautiful sunrise…

After work, I was supposed to run with the STEM group but they cancelled due to high winds forecasted. I decided to go right after work since it didn’t seem to be windy yet… it wasn’t though it was raining lightly

**********yes, someone has their tree lit already… Nov 5?

• Thursday –  I had an early morning dentist appt but since it was near the rail trail, I did my run there before returning to work…

so windy and cold heading out but warmed up when I turned around (at least it was sunny

After work, I met my BFF for our bi-monthly walk and chat.

such a pretty night…

• Friday – Back to the gym and after work I met a friend for dinner before my weekly mah jongg game.
• Saturday – Since I had a race the next day, I was planning to just walk but my friend Deb had no one to run with so I accompanied her…Then of course, afterward, there was brunch.

Before brunch, I stopped off to pick up my race bib and shirt for the next day

…got my nails done, did some grocery shopping and finally planned my outfit for the next day (with rain in the forecast 😦 )

so hard to decide what to wear this time of year

• Sunday -Stockade-athon 15k!
  

Barbara and I plan to carpool… fingers crossed that we don’t get too wet…

This Coming Week on the Run – 

• Monday – gym, walk
• Tuesday – DAY OFF – run
• Wednesday – Last STEM mentor run
• Thursday – run
• Friday – gym, mah jongg
• Saturday – Run/Walk and Brunch.
• Sunday – Upstate Classic 5k (supporting STEM runners), anniversary mah jongg dinner

This Coming Week on the Blog – 

• Tuesday – Spectating at the NYC Marathon
• Friday – 5 Ways to Give Back to Running

Happy Running! Training for any big or small races this fall?  Ever spectate at a big marathon? Any holiday lights up yet? Please share.

I am linking up with Kim and Deborah for

I encourage you to do the same. Grab the graphic, drop your link on the host blogs and play along! Please be sure to always comment on the HOST’s blogs, as well as visit and comment on as many other blogs as you can.