11.10.2014

Looking Back: October

November is well under way, and like many have said before, October was a full and busy month, which of course made it go by quickly!

Reading: October was not a great reading month; I finished two books, which I liked, and started two books, which I could not get into and did not end up finishing. The two books I read were Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, which was a fun book about the juxtaposition between computers and books, and And The Mountains Echoed, which was good but not as good as A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Running: I am having issues with my Garmin; first the strap fell off and now I am having trouble uploading it to Garmin Connect, but I think my mileage was around 170 miles for the month of October. I had one 50 mile race, but other than that, I think I did not have a run longer than about 15 miles. It feels nice to take it easy a bit, but I do feel my waistband getting a bit tighter! This is what happens when you are still eating as if you are running long runs every weekend (aka candy and snacks right before bedtime!) but you are not running as much.

Near Sonora Pass


Travel: I met up with my Mom twice (along with Dad, brother and his lady once) in Auburn, where we took a nice hike and swim on the Western States Trail and then had brunch in the town. For those who don't know, the Western States is a 100  mile race from Squaw Valley (Tahoe) to Auburn, and it was fun to take my family on the trail and show them a few miles of it. We also swam in the American river twice, the last time being on the 19th of October. It was not very warm, but it sure was fun to be able to swim in October! Auburn is a cute little mining town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and we found a great breakfast (brunch) place where we ate 4 egg (I know!) omelets with pancakes and biscuits and gravy.

Schat's Bakery
I also went to Santa Rosa and hung out with Broski and the lady a couple of times. First was the day after my 50 mile race, and Broski punished me by making me hike straight up a hill in 90 degree weather. The other time was during the World Series when I went to their house to have dinner and watch the game. They came down to the city for game 6 (the one that we lost) as well. Broski has been doing harvest (he is a wine maker) and so has been working 24/7, so it was nice to see him and his lady a few times!

Lastly, my Dad, brother and I made a trip to Mt. Whitney, where we had a great time hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which we consider our "backyard". We had a great time in Lone Pine afterward, wandering around and watching the World Series in a town where most of the locals are Braves fans. We also stopped in Bishop at the Schats Bakery for some sheepherder bread and pastries on our way out, as well as stopping near the Sonora Pass for a quick run/hike to stretch our legs after being in the car for a while.

In addition to all of that, there were many week night activities in October, which made it feel as if I didn't get much of a break. I am currently reading the book Quiet, and in it, it talks about how introverts need to be alone to recharge. I definitely do! Hopefully November will have a few more days for "recharging"!

How was your October? What is your favorite thing about Autumn? Have you read any good books lately?

5 comments:

  1. Wow, you did pack a lot into October! Bummer about your garmin not working well for you right now.. Mine died on me this summer so I had to buy a new one but I love the one I have now as it has bluetooth so uploads my workouts to my phone/Garmin connect without me having to plug it in!

    October was a very hectic but fun month for me. I had 3 different visitors and lots of other social obligations. It was made more hectic by the fact that I had water damage early in the month and the repairs of that stretched out all month - and are just being wrapped up tomorrow, actually (5 weeks after the damage occurred). I told myself that November HAD to be quieter after October because as fun as the month was, it was just too much as I wasn't enjoying the things I had planned as much as I should because I was just too overwhelmed by the go go to schedule. So far November has been very quiet, with the exception of Julia Child Night, and I am SO glad about that as I need some time to recharge (I am also an introvert).

    The best book I've read lately is the one I read in San Francisco - The Storied Life of A.J.Fikry. I recommend that one!

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  2. Sounds like you had an action packed October! I tried to get into The Mountains Echoed and just couldn't. Not sure if I wasn't in the right mood or what.

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  3. Now I want a 4 egg omelet. thanks for that. And that's a solid month! I am now overrun with halloween candy and my waist is telling the tale.

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  4. One hundred and seventy miles still seems like a lot to me :)

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  5. I'll have to check out the bookstore book and the Bishop bakery for that bread if I ever make it back again!

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