DC has finally transitioned to fall, and the weather has been glorious.



You wouldn't know it's fall by the colors of the leaves though. I took this picture on my walk home from work last night. The trees still look like it's summertime.

I've been taking advantage of the cooler temperatures to increase my running frequency.

Remember a few weeks ago when I said I was finding the balance between barre classes and running -- that sweet spot where my hip was happy?

Well I think I might be on the right track.

I'm transitioning from 3-4 barre classes and 1 run per week to two barre classes and two runs per week. My hip doesn't hate it and so far, I'm doing an OK job juggling the workouts and other stuff in my schedule.

My runs are slow and steady, typically still with a little bit of walking mixed in. But the weather has been so perfect lately that I've been really enjoying running again.

It's the first time in a long time I can say that.

I've also had some success finding new running routes that generally feel pretty safe. The last few weeks I've been doing my runs after work, which isn't my preference. But when I'm experimenting with new routes, I like when there's solid daylight, so I don't find myself somewhere questionable when it's dark and there is no one else around.

I think the handful of new routes that I've run will be OK even in the early morning, pre-dawn hours. I'll still be doing those runs without music so I can always be aware of what's going on around me, but I don't think I will be unsafe.

So as long as my hip keeps cooperating and I establish a somewhat consistent workout schedule, running a 5K in December should be a realistic goal.

September seemed like a slow reading month to me because I felt like I had no time to sit down and actually enjoy a book. But when I looked back in to my Goodreads account, it turns out that I somehow managed to finish four books in September. That's on the low side for me, but it's definitely more than I thought I read.

And it turns out all four of the books I read were pretty good too!



The Power by Naomi Alderman
This book was so thought-provoking, and I'm dying to find some friends who read it too so I can discuss it with them. The general premise is that women suddenly discover this weird new power that tips the current societal power struggles in their favor. You get to follow a handful of different characters over the course of a decade and see how their lives and the world change as a result.

Marriage Vacation by Pauline Turner Brooks
I just started watching the show Younger earlier this year on Hulu, and this book is mentioned in season 4. It's supposedly written by the ex-wife of one of the main characters and the book is supposed to be fictionalization of their marriage. In reality, this book is a fun read about a woman who realizes after many years of marriage, she's lost sight of who she is. So she takes an unplanned trip to Thailand to find herself. It's a fun read, probably more fun if you watch the show.

When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger
This was a fun and light-hearted read bringing back some of the main characters from the Devil Wears Prada.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
I overall enjoyed this book, even though I sort of figured out the big twist at the end. I still enjoyed hanging out with this group characters and getting to know them.

Despite all the craziness with my schedule in September, I decided I wanted to try to rebuild my running base. So midway through the month, I started slowly adding more regular running back in to my routine.

I was setting my alarm for 5:45 a.m. and getting up to get my miles in before work. My plan was to start slow, increasing speed and distance as time went on.


Washington Monument in the morning fog.

In the first week, I did three short and slow runs with lots of walking mixed in, and by the end of the week, my hip was feeling a bit wonky. It wasn't hurting quite as much as it did last year, but I was definitely feeling something.

I dialed it back a bit the following week, and I think I only ran once or twice and mixed in a lot of walking. But man my hip flexor was really nagging at me.

It wasn't the same hip pain I was experiencing last year. This definitely felt perhaps like it was more muscular and less torn labrum-y (at least that's my hope).

One thing that I really noticed was that my hip joint felt much more stable and I had much less pain/irritation in my hip flexor after I did a Barre3 workout. I know I've mentioned before that I picked up Barre3 through my ClassPass subscription last year after I realized a lot of the exercises were similar to what I was doing in physical therapy.



So I'm hoping this most recent episode of my hip flaring up is a result of muscle weaknesses and imbalances -- something that I can "treat" on my own with barre classes and doing my old PT exercises at home.

I'm trying to avoid going back to the orthopedic doctor because pretty much my only next step from a medical perspective is surgery, and honestly, I'd like to avoid that if possible.

I'm currently trying to figure out what ratio of barre classes to running I need to have to give me the strength and stability in my hips to not cause pain. Right now, I've done 2.5 weeks of zero running and 2-3 barre classes per week. My hip feels good now, and my hope is to try to do one run later this week to see how it goes.

From there, I think I'd like to target 2 runs and 2 barre classes for the next two weeks, with the goal of eventually getting back to three runs per week. If I can get to a place where I can comfortably do three three-mile runs per week without pain by Thanksgiving, I'll consider that good progress.

There's a 5K I'm eyeing in early December, not necessarily to race, just to run for fun, and I'm hoping that with a focus on balancing running and strength training, this hip flare up will go away and I'll be able to do it without a problem.

The Currently series is supposed to publish on the first Wednesday of the month, but I'm clearly a slacker. Or in actuality I started a new work assignment last week that has me reporting to a different office three days per week for the next month. My schedule is all thrown off, and I'm still trying to get my bearings juggling two jobs plus my other life responsibilities. So I sort of just lost track of time. Better late than never with this post I guess.

Anyway, here is what I'm currently up to.


Feeding adorable baby goats on a farm.

wearing: Unfortunately still all of my summer clothes. I love summer, but I've been wearing the same outfits for too long and I'm ready to transition to my fall clothes. DC weather is having none of that though. It's going to be in the 80s for pretty much the rest of this week. I'll dig out those cute new booties and other fall gear at some point, I hope.

collecting: Ideas for blog posts. I've been trying to get back in to some regular writing (I feel like I've said that a lot lately), and I'm trying to keep a good list of ideas so that when I want to write something, but don't necessarily have a ton of inspiration, I can pull from the list.

making: Meals in my crockpot. Seriously, the crockpot has to be the world's best invention. I'm pretty sure I'd starve without it. Here's one of my favorite fall favorites. It's a butternut squash curry. (And yes, I'm cooking fall food even though we don't have fall temperatures).

taking: Time out to breathe. August and September were brutal months for me, and while October is busy, it's not the same terrible pace of the last two months. So I'm trying to find time to breathe again. Sit down and read a good book. Fit in a work out. You know, all the things I do for self-care when I have a free minute.

planning: A wedding. I guess I never did blog about getting engaged, but that happened this summer. So now I'm planning a wedding. It's been mostly OK. Do people want me to blog about this? I'm not trying to turn this in to a wedding blog, but if people are interested, I could share parts. (I know with this little blurb, I make it sound so very enticing).

So that's pretty much my life lately. I'm planning a wedding, trying to figure out this new part-time work assignment, and trying to make sure I actually get to enjoy the month of October instead of watching it go by in a blur like August and September did. Oh yes, and trying to blog more -- we'll see how I do with that last one.