Weekly Wrap - This Is What You Came For

It was really kind of the perfect week. I made it to two strength training classes, ran, hiked, and did some yoga. On Friday when I was able to book a Bodystep class (after more than a month of conflicts), it was my 5th workout of the week and my body was starting to feel it.

It was a tough class. My muscles were already sore from Bodypump. Our instructor challenged us with a couple of tough one minute circuits and I really had to dig deep. During one move (bench jump squat with a snatch) she came over to me and said, “I think you need this” and handed me a medicine ball. I did not want that medicine ball. At all. I was dying. I wanted the circuit to be over.

During the quick break, I realized that my instructor did me a favor. She pushed me when she knew that I could handle it. I survived the circuit and even did it a second time with a different mind set. Yes, it was hard. Harder even than the first time. But pushing myself, not quitting, that’s what I came for.

This is what you came for is my mantra for 2018. It will help me stay focused on my goal to keep moving. Whenever it feels like I‘m thinking about giving up or looking for an excuse to stop/skip a workout, I will repeat my mantra.

Here's how my week shaped up:

Monday - Rainy day spent in Central - lunch and Escape Room fun

Tuesday - Bodypump

Wednesday - 5K run and hike

Thursday - Bodypump

Friday - Bodystep

Saturday - Took littleC to the airport then yoga - I had planned on run #2, but my legs were tired. With a very bad knee, I can’t afford to take chances.

Sunday - Rest day: with a big chunk spent sitting in a salon chair enduring my routine Keratin treatment (only worth it because it makes my life easier for the next three months!)

And just like that another week of 2018 is over and done. Not only that, it was time to put littleC on a plane back to the US. She was happy to spend her final week with us moving at a slower pace, which I appreciated because it gave me (and her) plenty of time for workouts.

Do you have a mantra or word for 2018?

I'm linking up with Holly  and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!

Hong Kong Stay Warm Running Tips

After running my way through more than one winter in New Hampshire, I considered myself a Winter Warrior. It took some practice though. I had to learn how to embrace the frigid temps, wicked winds and foot after foot of snow. There were actually piles of snow everywhere on my last run before we moved to China. Eventually I could layer up with all my favorite gear (like Polartec tights - affiliate) and run in the middle of a snow storm if I wanted to.

My idea of cold has changed a lot in the last 2 1/2 years. Cold for me now is anything under 60F degrees, ha! At it's coldest, the temperatures in Hong Kong can dip between 30F and 40F but they don't stay there very long. No matter what your cold feels like, I think it's important to think about how to stay warm.

Here's how I keep warm on cold weather runs in Hong Kong ---> remember it's all relative:

1. Long sleeve tee or capris - when the temperature drops, the first thing I change is my running outfit. My first go-to change is to try a long sleeve tee with shorts because once I get used to running in shorts I don't want to give them up. If it's too cold for the shorts, I'll dig out my running capris.

2. A hat - I usually hate wearing hats, but they really do work for keeping warm. Since I don't have to worry about my ears freezing, I can usually throw on any old ball cap to do the trick.

3. Heavy duty layers - on the rare really cold day (like my recent feels like 47F 5K), I pull out the winter training gear and layer up. This year I have a new favorite warm top (affiliate) from Athleta. I actually have a ton of gear in storage in Massachusetts, but I didn't think I would need any of it here.

4. Arm warmers/compression socks - sometimes it's only feeling chilly at the beginning of the workout and that's when arm warmers come in handy because you can roll them down once you warm up. Compression socks are great for those in-between shorts and capris temps (or for those of us hanging onto our shorts a little longer). I actually don't remember to wear either of these often enough.

5. The treadmill - when all else fails and I reach my cold weather tolerance limit, there is always the trusty treadmill at the fitness center. I'm pretty sure that only a cold wintery rainy day will force me to run indoors while I'm living here.


How do you stay warm on cold weather runs/days where you live?

I'm linking up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0 and Nicole for Fit & Fashionable Friday 

Three Running Guilty Pleasures

Sometimes I think running is my guilty pleasure since none of the friends I've made in my Hong Kong neighborhood are into running or have stopped running because of a bad knee, ankle, hip. Being able to run and get that "me time" definitely feels like it should be a guilty pleasure because it makes me so happy.

When I think about it, my running guilty pleasures (the things that I like that maybe not everyone else does) not only make me happy, but also motivate me. 

1. New Running Gear

Spending money on new running clothes that I absolutely do not really need but find a way to justify is definitely a guilty pleasure. Fortunately mrC does not give me a hard time about this. I only feel guilty until I actually go for a run in the new gear though. Like today - it was really cold and I almost gave in to my body's desire to stay in and stay warm, but then I remembered that I had a new top from Athleta (affiliate) to wear along with a new pair of Lululemon tights. Since they both kept me warm and cozy, I can now justify the purchase.

2. Reality TV

One thing I loved about running on the treadmill (which could be my least favorite thing at times) was watching trashy TV. There's nothing like a good reality tv show to make the miles fly by. Since I used to have the basement TV (or laptop) to myself, I never felt bad for watching multiple episodes in a row. Especially Real Housewives of ANYWHERE. I love the ridiculousness of these shows because they are real, but not really real. If I could get the Bravo app to work without a cable subscription, I would still be watching whenever I run on the treadmill.

3. The Runfie

This is sort of my way of saying, hey look how far I ran today! Or look where I got to run today! I'm 100% a visual person and I love taking pictures, so I love my selfie run pics. It's fun to scroll through my Instagram and reminisce about runs at the Cape or with littleC in Budapest. It's totally a walk down memory lane. I also love looking at other people's pics too. Seeing their photos can motivate me to get out there if I'm in a run rut.

Every runner has guilty pleasures right? Music, food, pricey race photos, bubble baths...it can be anything. You can check out the Tuesdays on the Run link-up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia  for a bunch of us sharing ours this week.

What is one of your running guilty pleasures?

Hiking: Discovery Bay to Mui Wo via Tiger's Head

Just two days after hiking Dragon's Back, the kids decided that they wanted to tackle Tiger's Head ---> a peak that looms over us here in Discovery Bay. The name Tiger's Head comes from how the peak looks from the top - what do you think? Does it look like a tiger is watching over DB?

The best way to describe our hike from Discovery Bay to Mui Wo via Tiger's Head, is to break the 9km into three parts:

The first 3km was all climbing and I mean serious climbing right up to Tiger's Head peak at about 460 meters. It is hard work (made easier than our first time by the cooler weather) and in some places it feels like you are going straight up. But if you take breaks, it is completely manageable.

Lucky for us, we had a beautiful day to hike. The reward for the climb is the amazing views, especially once you push past Tiger's Head up to the ridge of Lo Fu Tau Country Trail.

For the next 3km we followed the Lo Fu Tau Country Trail across the ridge to its beginning. This part of the hike was pretty easy since the trail was mostly flat. We soaked up the views and the sun and didn't even let the crazy trail runners bother us ;)

Along this part of the trail we found the famous rock formations: turtle rock, sword sharpening rock and peach rock. According to online articles, none of these are man-made although they look like it.

The final 3+km began around the junction of Lo Fu Tau Country Trail and Olympic Trail. We took a short snack break at the pavilion before starting our descent into Mui Wo.

On this part of the hike there is lots of shade, at times it felt like we were walking through a forest. We spent a few minutes at Silvermine Cave and Silvermine Waterfall Garden before finishing up in Mui Wo.

We celebrated our hard core hiking skills with lunch at our favorite spot in Mui Wo, The Kitchen.

Other Discovery Bay area hikes:

Hiking Discovery Bay: Lookout Point Loop

Hiking: Mui Wo to Discovery Bay

Hiking: Tiger's Head - Lo Fu Tau

Weekly Wrap - Pile on the Miles

We spent the better part of the two week holiday packing in all kinds of touristy activities while both middleC and littleC were here together. Now that middleC has returned to the US, things have slowed down a bit. Fortunately, littleC also has a passion for all things fitness.

I'm super excited to be kicking off 2018 with a couple of good runs after taking an unintentional break (my last run was the Santa Night Run). Without setting any specific goals, I do hope to continue my healthy running streak. If that means I end up logging more miles than last year, great. If not, also great. As long as I'm running I'll be happy.

And being able to run with littleC while she is here definitely makes me happy! On Wednesday I took her on my favorite 5K loop along the water and through the park. It was a tough run for me. I had trouble getting a comfortable breathing rhythm and ended up with a very painful side stitch.

On Friday, I ran that same route but stopped at the fitness center to meet mrC and littleC for an hour of fun tennis. This run was much, much better. I have a couple of ideas for why that is: 1) I ran faster (true), so I had less time to think about how hard it was (ha), 2) it was cooler (66F versus 72F), 3) I got about 3 inches of hair cut off so I was lighter on my feet (haha) 4) (and probably the most likely reason) it was just one of those good run days.

The rest of the week looked like this:

Monday - Sightseeing with the kids: Big Buddha and Tai O fishing village

Tuesday - More sightseeing: ding ding tram to a rooftop lunch and a spin in the Observation Wheel

Wednesday - Took middleC to the airport and family 5K

Thursday - GRIT class

Friday - Two mile run and one hour of tennis

Saturday - rainy day bowling

Sunday - Rest day

Most of the weekend was rainy and a winter monsoon (strong winds) is causing Hong Kong temperatures to drop rapidly starting today. It might actually get below 50 degrees!

How was your week?
Did you have guests over the holidays?

I'm linking up with Holly  and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!