My Birthday Gift To You

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Coco

Today is my birthday, and if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know what’s coming, but please keep reading. Recently I’ve had several unwelcome reminders of how precious life is, how unpredictable life is, and how everything can change in an instant. There’s a lot we can’t protect ourselves or our loved ones from, but one thing we can do is take care of ourselves. Even when we are busy. Even when we are tired. Even when we’d rather ignore the issue and hope it goes away. 

Take Care of Yourself (3)

Five-year old me wants you to take care of yourself!

My biggest lesson on the importance of taking care of myself started on my birthday in 2008. I refer to that birthday as the birthday I skipped, since I was travelling to Australia and “lost” that day with the 15 hours flight and 16 hour time change. Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness, Life | 17 Comments

How To Make Your Healthy Holiday Wishes Come True

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Coco

I really am not ready for the holiday hype–it’s not even my birthday yet! I’ve already had to dust off the #RespectTheBird hashtag to protest early holiday shopping, and I don’t care how cute that Target ad is, it’s still too early! That said, it’s not too early to start planning for a healthy holiday season, so I’m joining the Friday Five link up hosted by Eat Pray Run DC, Mar on the Run and You Signed Up for What?! to share my tips.

Healthy Holiday Wishes
My top five tips have a common theme–take care of yourself! It seems so simple, but talk to me three weeks from now when I “still” haven’t done anything to get ready for Christmas and ask me how I’m holding up!  Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness | Tagged | 17 Comments

Take Time To Honor Veterans On Veterans Day

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Coco

Veterans Day is one of those holidays that don’t get the respect they deserve. It always is observed on November 11, which means it can fall on any day of the week. It’s a Federal holiday and a bank holiday, but many offices and schools are open. Still, it’s important to take time to honor veterans on Veterans Day.

Iwo Jima Memorial

The Marine Corps War Memorial At Dawn

In the Washington, D.C. area, there are many opportunities to observe Veterans Day, including a wreath-laying ceremony at 11 am the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, and a Color guard and wreath-laying ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at 1 pm. Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged | 8 Comments

Racing To End Women’s Cancer

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Coco

This weekend I ran in the National Race To End Women’s Cancer 5K, which I was offered an entry to in exchange for telling you about the great cause it supports. It was a beautiful November morning in Washington, D.C., and the fast, flat course helped me earn a PR, slicing 90 seconds off my last 5K time.Love Your Lady Parts

The race had a 9:00 am start time and easy logistics, so we left the house around 7:30. I was a bit concerned about parking, but we snagged a spot on the street about 1/2 block from the start! We arrived just in time for the pre-race program, where we heard from several survivors of gynecological cancers, and observed a moment of silence. Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness, Race Recaps | 14 Comments

November Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Coco

Welcome to the November 2015 Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up! It seems like it’s been ages since we’ve gotten together. And no wonder–in October I went hiking in Colorado, almost PR’d at the Army Ten Miler, squeezed in one more business trip to Chicago (and found The Bean!), and cheered on friends at the Marine Corps Marathon. What have you been up to lately? 

The Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up

Use the code above to grab the Ultimate Coffee Date badge for your blog.
New to link ups? This post has my top tips for making them work for you.

Continue reading →

Posted in Coffee Date, Fitness | Tagged , | 28 Comments