What I love about running in the freezing cold...

On Friday, Kim @ Running on the Fly wrote about how she loves cold weather running. She much prefers the heat, but finds many things she loves about cold weather running.

I'm a lot like Kim. I LOVE running in the scorching heat. However, I will happily run through the dead of winter, even in single digits.

Having the right gear makes all the difference. I would never put myself through running in crazy low temperatures if it weren't for the proper gear.

The number one thing I love about running in the cold is what I love about every change of season... THE SMELL! There is a certain type of smell associated with the freezing cold and I love it. It reminds me of my childhood. It reminds me of happiness. It makes me feel really good.

Is there something you love about running in the cold?

Speak up for yourself!

This week, I went to the eye doctor for the first time in seven years! I have glasses for far away things and for nighttime driving, but I never wear them. (I have a very weak prescription I'm blind without them.)

My old glasses are so out of style! Check them out...

I'm sure they were tres chic in 2011... 

My insurance covers and annual eye exam and contributes money toward frames, so I figured I may as well go get a check up. The doctor was very nice and informative. But there was two times during the appointment I had to speak up for myself.

Near the end of my exam, the doctor said the last thing she had to do was look behind my eyeballs. I had the choice between getting my eyes dilated (which was covered by my insurance) or having her look at the pictures she took of my eyes (which would cost $39). I hate having my eyes dilated, so I told the doctor I would just pay the money and have her look at the pictures.

Then it dawned on me... Do I HAVE to do one or the other? Does she NEED to look at the back of my eyeballs? I asked her politely whether I could do neither, and she said of course, it was my perogative. Awesome! Now I didn't need to get my eyes dilated or pay the money to have her look at the pictures! I'm glad I thought to ask and wasn't forced to choose one or the other.

The second time I had to speak up was when I was choosing my frames. Right away, I told the girl who was helping me that I was looking for frames that were covered by my insurance. She explained to me that they don't sell the Davis frames (the ones my insurance covers) because the frames are not as good of quality. The frames my eye doctor does carry start at $120 and my insurance will contribute $60 toward any frame I pick.

I did not like the sound of that. I was not in the mood to pay money for frames if I didn't have to. So I asked the girl if she knew of any places that carry the Davis frames so I could get them there.

What do ya know... She happened to have some Davis frames in the back. (Funny how that works, right?) She brought out at least 12 frames and helped me pick out ones that would look good on me. I got a brownish/blackish pair that aren't to aggressive or big because I have a small face. They will be perfect for the small percentage of the time I will actually wear them.

Of course I forgot to take a picture... but I will show you them as soon as they arrive!

The reason I am sharing all this with you is because it's always nice to be reminded that we can say NO to things in the doctor's office and we can inquire about other options.

I recently decided that I am going to decline being weighed at the doctor except for certain circumstances. For instance, I am getting a physical in a few weeks, so I will let them weigh me and ask for them not to tell me the number. On the other hand, if I go to Urgent Care for poison ivy or strep throat or something random like that, I will ask to not be weighed. (Getting weighed gives me anxiety, even if I ask them not to tell me the number, I sometimes accidentally see it on my paperwork and it affects my mental health a lot.)

Have you ever had your eyes dilated? Was it uncomfortable?
When was the last time you said "no" at the doctor's?

Weekly Workouts!

I had a variety of workouts this week and LOTS of trail running!

Saturday- Zumba, deck of cards, another circuit, and a 3.5 mile walk with Bree. It was an ADD exercise type of day! My lower back felt a little tight from all the dancing and jumping.

Sunday- 7 miles on the AT. My back felt awesome all day. My hammy felt pretty good on the trail though, I just didn't want to push things by going longer.

Monday- Lifting at Planet Fitness. I basically did My New Gym Routine. I haven't lifted in awhile so I needed the pump!

Tuesday- 6 neighborhood miles. My back felt awesome! I stretched it after and I felt a TEENY bit of tightness but it went away. 6 miles on the road is a good test for it. Hammy felt a little wonky later in the day. If it's not one thing, it's the other...

Wednesday- Deck of cards workout, 2 treadmill miles, 10 minutes on the stair climber. I would have loved to run longer but I want to give my hammy a break. It did not hurt during the run or later in the day, so that's good. I took a 1/2 sick day from work since I only got 3 hours of sleep... for the third night this week. Paul wanted to hike so I agreed. We did four miles and it was a bloodbath. I laid on the couch the rest of the night. I was spent. And my knee was sooooo sore. Freaking A!

Thursday- 6 miles on the AT. I had a bunch of doctor appointments, so Paul and I hit the trail. It was a beautiful day and I had a pain free run! No back pain. No hammy pain. No knee pain. The universe is a strange thing...

Friday- Lifting at PF and a deck of cards workout. Nothing special!

How were your workouts this week?

What I Wore AFTER Work This Week!

Friday!? Already!?

I am linking up with Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness!

Last week I showed you what I wore to work each day. To show you the other side of the coin, I'm going to show you what I changed into AFTER work a couple days this week.

Sometimes I will juxtapose it with my work outfit, just to fully appreciate the difference between Work Megan and After Work Megan!

~ Monday ~

I got a lot of compliments on my outfit! I had to tell everyone the skirt was a hand me down and my top was from Good Will! It does not have to cost a lot to look put together!

After work, I wore my favorite pj pants, an ugly sweatshirt, and ugly socks! I did a lot of cooking and I was comfy. That's all that matters!

~ Tuesday ~

(I forgot to take a picture of what I wore to work, so you just get the after work picture.)

I had piano lessons after school today, so I couldn't go "full" jammy mode right away.

Luckily, my piano clients do not care if I teach in my sweats!

Of course I changed into "real" jammies after piano lessons to watch the election results. It was stressful!

~ Wednesday ~

Despite only getting three hours of sleep, I looked very put together.

I took a 1/2 sick day because I was so tired. This is what I wore later...

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What do you change into after work?
Do you wear "real" clothes at home?
 I NEVER wear "real" clothes at home!

Random & Updates!

1. I finally put my fall wreath on my front door! I am annoyed that I forgot to put it up at the end of September. Now I only have about three weeks before I switch to my Christmas wreath.

Wreaths are expensive. Tip: Go to The Christmas Tree Shoppe! This was $19.99! It's big!

2. I've been drinking Strongbow Artisan Cider and the nutrition label says it has 181 calories. I am annoyed with how precise that number is.

3. The Dems took The House! THANK YOU, AMERICA!!! Many of us can finally breathe. There is now a check on Trump because Dems have subpoena power and can open investigations. Now that midterms are over, I have a feeling we are going to be hearing more from Robert Mueller...

This is Chrissy watching the election results come in. He was so chill about it. Wolf Blitzer was getting my HYPE though!

4. My neighbors have up their Christmas lights! I'm not complaining. I love it. (And I'm secretly relieved I wasn't the first one on my block this year!)

5. I went to the dentist for the first time in a little over two years. (I know, very irresponsible of me. I was not raised this way!) I still don't have any cavities, which is a relief.

My dentist asked me if I clench my jaw or grind my teeth because he saw signs of that. I told him if I do it, I'm not aware. So I scheduled an appointment for six months out and walked out of the office with the intention of being in tune with my body to see if I clench or grind. Well, as soon as I got in the car I clenched my jaw. Then I realized, OMG I CLENCH MY JAW ALL THE TIME! I spent the rest of the day trying not to clench my jaw. This is bad, guys...

6. The sleep issue has been getting worse. I have an appointment with my PCP next week to discuss my options. Yesterday morning, I caught my new favorite TV show, the emergency alert system, for the third time in two weeks. Sigh.

If you ever wonder what I'm doing in the middle of the night, it's probably a puzzle. This one was very fun.

7. The nail biting thing has been going well! I took Susan's advice and painted them. That really helps. I have taken the polish off once and repainted them. Look, you can see white!

Dang, I have to give up biting my nails AND clenching my jaw? I don't know how much I can take!!!

Do you clench your jaw or grind your teeth?
Did you hang a fall wreath?
Do any of your neighbors have up their Christmas decorations?

I'm A Questioner. (4 Tendencies)

A few months ago, my friend Cat recommended the podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin. The podcast clicked with me right away. I love Gretchen and Liz's Happiness Hacks, Try This At Home tips, and their discussions on The Four Tendencies.

What is the Four Tendencies? It is a framework that describes how we each respond to outer and inner expectations. Here is a description of each tendency straight from Gretchen's website:

Upholder: “I do what others expect of me—and what I expect from myself.”

Questioner: “I do what I think is best, according to my judgment. If it doesn’t make sense, I won’t do it.”

Obliger: “I do what I have to do. I don’t want to let others down, but I may let myself down.”

Rebel: “I do what I want, in my own way. If you try to make me do something—even if I try to make myself do something—I’m less likely to do it.”

From Gretchen Rubin

The other night (when I couldn't fall asleep!) I finally decided to take the Four Tendencies Quiz to find out if I was an Upholder, Obliger, Questioner, or Rebel. My result came loud and clear. I am a Questioner. And after reading the description of a Questioner, I wholeheartedly believe the quiz got it right!

Here are some characteristics of Questioners:

(From Gretchen Rubin)

• Questioners only respond to expectations that make sense. Expectations must be inner expectations.
• Questioners resist anything that lacks purpose.
• Questioners are motivated by reason and fairness.
• Questioners tend to be intellectually engaged and will do research.
• Questioners tend to only take direction from people they respect.
• Questioners dislike being questioned themselves. They feel they consider their decisions carefully and don't want to justify them.
• Questioners will stick to a new habit if they find it useful.

Now go take the Four Tendencies Quiz (it takes like 5 minutes) and let me know what you are in the comments!

Vote!

Don't forget to vote in the midterm elections today!

Check if you are registered.

Find your polling place.

Research your candidates.

If they try to turn you away at the polls claiming you don't have the right ID, your name is not on the voter rolls, etc, ask for a provisional ballot. That is your right!