The Book Of Esther (Book Review)

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Coco

If you are looking for some good books to throw in your beach bag for your last trip to the beach or last day at the pool, I have two good ones for you. The first is The Book Of Esther, which I reviewed for Blogging for Books. The second is A Hologram For The King, which I read after enjoying The Circle so much. (You can read my review of that book here.)

The Book Of Esther Book Review

As with most of my book review posts, this post includes Amazon affiliate links.
If you click through and make a purchase I will receive a small commission. Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | 10 Comments

Reston Half Metric Century Ride Recap

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Coco

It’s that time of year when I really wish I’d taken a vacation, but I haven’t. Facebook rubs it in by reminding me of past August vacations–trips to the beach and last year’s amazing trip to the Grand Canyon. Between not wanting to leave Tiger Lilly and a hectic work schedule, a vacation just wasn’t in the card this summer. I’ve been making the most of my summer weekends, though, by getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things, like indoor climbing and my first organized bike ride. 

Reston Half Metric Century Ride
This weekend I joined Deborah on the shorter course of the Reston Bicycle Club Century, braving another ride on open roads, this time without my husband (and excellent bike mechanic) by my side.
Continue reading →

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The Spirituality Of Running

Posted on August 28, 2016 by Coco

I bristle when people refer to their gym as their “church”–what are they worshiping in the weight room? The Apostle Paul did tell the Corinthians that “the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,” so maybe they are heeding his call to “glorify God with [our] bod[ies].” Since I found Christ long before I found fitness, I don’t consider exercise as a way to worship God, but I do believe that exercising can be a spiritual experience. spirituality of running

I often listed to Krista Tippet’s show On Being as I’m getting ready for church. Last week’s episode was called Running As Spiritual Practice. It opened my eyes to the many different ways in which running can be so much more than putting one foot in front of the other, nailing a PR, or adding another piece of bling to your medal rack.   Continue reading →

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Is Summer Over Yet?

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Coco

It’s hard to believe that next weekend is Labor Day Weekend. Where did the summer go? They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I have had a lot of fun this summer. No, I haven’t taken a vacation, but things have been pretty good at home. Before I declare summer over, I am going to take one last dip in the pool and come clean with a few runfessions.

Runfessions
Since I’ve got five things to runfess, I’m also linking up with Courtney, Cynthia and Mar for the Friday Five Link Up. Check out both of these great link ups for motivation, support, and camaraderie. Continue reading →

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Favorite Fitness Classes

Posted on August 21, 2016 by Coco

Back in the day, the only exercise I got was at a weekly step aerobics class. It was the late 90s, so I didn’t wear leg warmers, but I might have worn a one-piece, short-sleeves + shorts unitard. (Thankfully, there are no pictures!) After I took up running, my Saturday long runs replaced that 8:00 am aerobics class, and I got used to working out on my own. I gradually built up a relatively well-equipped home gym, and enjoyed the convenience of rolling out of bed and heading out the door for a run or down to the basement for a strength workout. Favorite Fitness Classes

I still do most of my workouts on my own, but now there are three different studio workouts on my schedule! How did I become such a fitness class junkie?  Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , | 27 Comments