A new PR

Saturday was the half marathon I've been training for the past few months. I had a few different goals for this; to finish under an 11 minute/mile and to run the whole thing. Well - I finihsed 2:18:22 which equals out to a 10:33 min/mile! This is also 40 seconds faster per mile than my last half!!! AND I ran the whole thing! I was SO excited! I had a friend join me for the run too - that was really nice! When I started to feel like I wanted to stop, she kept me going!

My supportive hubby was at the finish line to take pictures. He snapped me finishing at the perfect time! He said the couple next to him commented that I didn't even look like I broke a sweat! Ha!

I am a total slacker!

It's been over two weeks since I've last posted. I am terrible and I'm sorry. I wonder if people who post frequently (6-7 times a week) have full time jobs... and if they do, where on earth they find time to blog so much? If you are a reader, have a full time job and still blog 6-7 times a week, will you pretty-please share your secrets with me? I REALLY want to blog more often. Although I don't share much 'personal' stuff, it still gives me a sense of release to be able to type on here! 

In fitness news, training for the half is going really well. I ran 12 miles this past Friday. I had a little trouble on miles 1 and 10-11. The longer my runs get the more I enjoy it though. Does that make any sense? During the run I might be hating myself for it (not literally) but when I'm finished I have the greatest sense of accomplishment and SO much energy! It's fabulous! I have already decided I am signing up for another half marathon in the fall. Originally I had someone sign up for this half with me but she is no longer doing it. My original goal was just to finish with her (she has a slightly slower pace than me) but now that she is not doing it, I can't decide if I should set a time goal. I've never run a half marathon before, so regardless, it will be a PR for me :)

On another fitness note, I got Turbo Fire for my birthday and CAN'T WAIT to start the whole program. Seriously, watch the video, it will get you PUMPED! After consideration, I decided it would be too much if I were training for the half and started the program at the same time. So once the half is over, I am going to start the Turbo Fire program. I told my husband this WILL be the year I get a 6-pack! Years prior I've had a goal to be 'more defined' but my nutrition habits would not allow for that. I'm on a much better track for that to be obtainable! I may or may not post before and after pictures. Haha, maybe I'll take the pictures then see if my progression is worth posting!

A while back I wrote how I was on the hunt for a new gym bag. I finally got one. It isn't exactly what I was looking for, but it's actually working out really well for me! The main thing I wanted was for it to be a 'backpack' style and that's the one thing it doesn't have. Oh well. I still love it a bunch! I know you're dying to see what it looks like, right?!? Well, here she is!

a close up of the detail

It's actually a Thirty-One bag, the Cindy Tote to be exact. It gets the job done though!

On to the question you've all been wondering: Where have I been? Well, I've been working, spending time with my husband and family, spending (not nearly enough) time with Jesus, preparing and helping with a 'health' class each Thursday, continuing to train for the half marathon coming up in two weeks (YAY), showers and birthday parties, looking for new (clean) recipes, sleeping and somewhere in there trying to find some 'me-time'. Oh yes, and not in that order. I think about blogging often, the time just hasn't been there. So for those of you who are reading this and have stuck around in my absence, I will return again soon, but for now I leave you with a HUGE



IDS and Registration

In the locker room at the gym they always have healthy tips posted. Right now the tip is regarding IDS and how real it is. For those of you wondering what this mysterious acronym is, IDS = Irritable Desk Syndrome… I kid you not. I googled IDS and got all kinds of crazy finds, none of them being its said meaning. Next I tried irritable desk syndrome. Now I didn’t shuffle through the 155,000 results google found, but I glanced at the first few pages. None of the finds were from medical sites. It’s a scam I tell you. I can understand some of the principles (being so neat and organized as I am ;) ).

IDS can be caused by:
Stacks of paper or folders on your desk
Drinking cups with leftover liquid from days (or more) prior
Too many photographs or miscellaneous items that you do not use
Poor posture

Cure IDS by:
De-cluttering your desk
Keep your work space clean (heard of Clorox wipes?)
Pick a few pictures or items that make you smile and keep them displayed neatly in viewing distance
File all papers / folders / items you don’t use and don’t keep them on your desk
Adjust the way you sit to improve posture
So there you have it my IDS friends – you cam be cured! ;)

Here are a few pictures including my space. What do you think of mine; too messy, too clean or a nice balance?

Messy

(source)

Clean

(source)

Mine

 (side note: the rainbow colored smiley faces were there before I was moved here and the shamrocks were placed on my overhead by another employee... they're just seasonal)

After taking this picture, I don't feel like my desk has much character. I think it's time for a desk make-over. Any suggestions?




On another note, I registered for the Pig today… YAY!!!

I’m still enjoying training but trying to be cautious not to hurt myself.

Happy Running <3

Some News

Last year I set a few goals... in 2011, run some 10K's and then a half marathon in the fall; in 2012, run a half marathon in the spring and then a full in the fall.



The half marathon is coming sooner than  I expected. I meet with a group on Thursday nights and we talk not only about nutrition and exercise, but about over-all well being. A few of the girls have decided to walk/jog a half marathon in May. Guess who gets to head it up?!? Yours truly! This will be my farthest distance so far and I have to admit it makes me really nervous. No, I think it's excitement... maybe it's both! Training starts in 4 weeks!

On another note I got my last Christmas present over the weekend! My sister ordered it in the mail and it finally arrived! I CAN'T WAIT for it to get a little warmer outside so I can wear it!!!

Two questions...
1. Can you give me any tips or advice for a first half marathon?
2. If I walk/jog (and not run) the half, can I still get a 13.1 sticker for my car? 

And so it begins...

This weekend starts my Christmas festivities! What better way to start than having the huge snowfall yesterday and making for a white Christmas! I was blessed enough to be able to work from home! Also, my wonderful husband went out and helped his friend do some snow plowing and when he got home at 1 in the morning, he was kind enough to clean off my car. That way I wouldn't have to do it this morning when I left! <3 He is so great!

Back to the festivities... Tonight is a date night for me and the wonderful hubby, tomorrow is Christmas with his immediate family, and then Sunday is Christmas with my extended family. Friday (the 24th) is Christmas with my immediate family, and then Christmas day is with his extended family! Lots of time with family, and we're blessed to not have to make choices on who we're going to spend time with since they're all on different days!

In the midst of all the craziness and GOOD eating, I have to be sure to fit in time for my exercising! I feel very BLAH when I don't!

OH yes, before I forget, Staci at Impossible is Nothing is having a giveaway - check it out here.

What steps do you take to make sure you get in your exercise when life gets crazy?

Good Advice

One of the best pieces of advice I have been given is this...

'at any given point in your life, you should be mentoring someone, and have someone mentoring you'

The advice was given in a spiritual context (and is very true), but I've also found it to be true in many other aspects of life. Work, hobbies, even running and fitness. I absolutely LOVE motivating other people to live an active and healthy lifestyle. I have a group at work, and a few girls I meet with on Thursday nights that I encourage and give tips to.

Lately I've found that I have been lacking the motivation to push myself in my running and exercises. To get out of the rut, I've found someone to mentor me in that aspect. We meet twice a week so she can kick my butt show me different exercises I'm not used to doing. This past Monday was our first workout together and I felt it all the way through Friday! We met on Wednesday and I'm still feeling that one! As much as it hurt, it really felt great! 

(Photo from Veri Good Fitness)



Have you ever tried this piece of advice? If so, how did it work for you? If not, try it and let me know how it works!

What is one of the best pieces of advice you've been given?  

100 Day Challenge 62/100

I’m over halfway through the challenge and things are going well for the most part.
1. Create and maintain healthy eating habits – I’m finding and trying new recipes on a weekly basis, so it’s making it fun and delicious at the same time. I started a new recipe binder that has all of my healthy and yummy recipes in it so they’re not mixed in with the rest of my millions of recipes.

2. Run 20 miles each week- this one is just okay. I’ve reached the goal some weeks and barely made it on others. I’m still trying each week though!

3. Lower BF % - I really thought I would struggle with this one, but it’s actually going very well! I’ve not only lowered it, but have been able to maintain it! I’ll give the final % lost at the end of the challenge!

20 Miles/week goal for last week:

10/18 Monday – Goal Rest – accomplished
10/19 Tuesday – Goal 4mi – 4 accomplished
10/20 Wednesday – Goal 5mi – 4 accomplished
10/21 Thursday – Goal 4mi – fail
10/22 Friday – Goal 3mi – fail
10/23 Saturday – Goal 5mi – 5.6 accomplished
10/24 Sunday – Goal rest – accomplished

20 Miles/week goal for this week:
10/25 Monday – Goal 4mi
10/26 Tuesday – Goal 4mi
10/27 Wednesday – Goal 4 mi
10/28 Thursday – Goal 4mi
10/29 Friday – Goal 4mi
10/30 Saturday – Goal rest
10/31 Sunday – Goal rest

I had a very good reason for skipping my Thursday workout this past week. A friend went in to labor, so I was at the hospital from 1:30PM – 12:30AM… Look how precious Lilly Grace is…

Update…

Last week went really well with my miles…

10/11 Monday – 3 miles
10/12 Tuesday – 6 miles
10/13 Wednesday – Rest
10/14 Thursday – 3 miles
10/15 Friday – 4 miles
10/16 Saturday – 5 miles
10/17 Sunday – Rest

21 miles total and I threw in a few Ab exercises and strength training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

This week is going to be tough but I’m going to do my best. My goals:

10/18 Monday – Rest
10/19 Tuesday – 4 miles
10/20 Wednesday – 5 miles
10/21 Thursday – 4 miles
10/22 Friday – 3 miles
10/23 Saturday – 5 miles
10/24 Sunday – Rest

Goals for the week…

Last week was really rough for running… Aside from the fact that my schedule was crazy busy, I was sick from Thursday – Sunday. Those days are really hard. I feel like I should be up doing things (if I’m at home, I should be productive) but then I know I need to rest too; it’s really a struggle sometimes.
On to a new week though. Here are my goals for the week

10/11 – 3 Miles

10/12 – 6 Miles

10/13 – Rest

10/14 – 2 Miles

10/15 – 6 Miles

10/16 – 3 Miles

10/17 – Rest

Race Update and Miles for this week

This past weekend was the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Can you see me? I'm about the 10th row back in the middle in the pink shirt. You can't miss me ;)

I was really excited for this race! I've wanted to run it for quite some time now, and I finally have! It was great and I plan to do it again! The course had more hills that my last two races, and my training last week was not so great. My goal was just to finish. I got to minute 28 and started coughing a bunch (I need to get my asthma checked again). I started walking because of how bad it was, and two people came up behind me. They said "come on, you've only got about two minutes left, you can do it!" (I love races). So I kicked my butt in to gear, ran my little heart out, and beat my last PR by 49 seconds =o) Woo-Hoo! My next 5K goal will be to run it sub 30! That's one (of the many) thing I love about running. While some people may not be as fast as the 1st place runner (he ran it in about 16 minutes), we each have our own goals and have others there to support us and encourage us along the way =o) 

Now... on to my plan for this week. I will not recap my miles for last week because I may, or may not have only run 3.1 miles the ENTIRE week! No need to dwell on the past though, so on to this week! 

27 Monday - 5 miles  (check!)

28 Tuesday - 6 miles

29 Wednesday - 5 miles

30 Thursday - Rest

1 Friday - Rest

2 Saturday - 4 miles

3 Sunday - Leisure run

Have a great week!

<3

Challenge Update 30/100 + 3 Things Thursday

Here are the updates on my 100 day challenge with Courtney from Run, Courtney, Run:

1. Create and maintain healthy eating habits
I’m doing good on this one and kind of excited about it. I grabbed a Vegan Cookbook to get some clean recipes. I’m not going Vegan and will still eat eggs and such, but I figured it’d be a great way to find new recipes. That and the blog world has a ton of good ones too! I will do a post about one of my new favorite blogs really soon!

2. Run 20 miles each week
Goal #2 is going to be a HUGE FAIL for this week! Seriously, I think I’ll be lucky if I hit 5 miles.

3. Lower my body fat %
I’m doing great on this one too! I have to admit, the past few years it’s only moved up or down about 1%. I’m really seeing progress now and I love it!!!!

Three Things Thursday

1. I can’t express how busy it has been this past week. I’ve decided that I need to step down from a few things to get my sanity back and to not always be crazy busy. I let one commitment go this week and next week will be my last week for another commitment. After that, instead of having commitments Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I’ll only have my Wednesday, Thursday commitments. I’m SOOO excited about these two things! More on those things in a later post!

2. This past Tuesday we had another team building exercise with work. This time we went to the park, grilled out, and played volleyball! SO much fun!

3. I’ve been tossing around the idea of getting a certification in Nutrition & Wellness. I don’t want to use it to change careers. I just want it to be more knowledgeable for myself and to be able to help others achieve/maintain their goals. Any thoughts or advice?

Hope you’re having a great week!

My failed attempt

Here was my plan for this past week and how I actually did.


13th Monday rest actually completed rest

14th Tuesday 5 miles actually completed 0

15th Wednesday 5 miles actually completed 3

16th Thursday 5 miles actually completed 6

17th Friday rest actually completed rest

18th Saturday 3 miles actually completed 4.15

19th Sunday 2 miles actually completed 0

Total Miles: 20 Total Completed: 13.15 – FAIL



UGH. Some good days, some bad… I very much a creature of habit, I need to use that to my advantage. When I am scheduled to do miles on my lunch, I tend to not want to get out of my ‘work’ mode.



Here is the Plan for this week.

20th Monday 5

21st Tuesday 5

22nd Wednesday 5

23rd Thursday rest

24th Friday rest

25th Saturday – 5K RACE

26th Sunday 2

Total Miles: 20

Miles for last week and this week

Here was my plan for this past week and how I actually did.
6th Monday 3 miles       actually completed 3
7th Tuesday 5 miles       actually completed 5
8th Wednesday 5 miles  actually completed 5
9th Thursday rest           actually completed 4
10th Friday rest             rest
11th Saturday RACE (5K) actually completed 3.1
12th Sunday 4               rest
Total Miles = 20.1         Total Completed: 20.1

Blue represents the days I met or exceeded my goal. I switched my rest day but I made it for the week. Woo-hoo!

Here is the Plan for this week.
13th Monday rest
14th Tuesday 5 miles
15th Wednesday 5 miles
16th Thursday 5 miles
17th Friday rest
18th Saturday 3 miles
19th Sunday 2 miles
Total Miles: 20

NEW PR!!!

This morning's race was for the NOCC to raise money and awareness for Ovarian Cancer. The course was mostly all flat with one big hill. It started getting really dark and cloudy as we lined up to start the race and wound up raining most of the time we ran. It was a good run over all. I wound up setting a new PR :) I was SO excited and couldn't stop smiling for quite a while.

Time: 31:23 - 1:05 better than my previous record!
Placed 4th in my division (there were 13 in the division)

Race for the cure is in two weeks, so I hope to beat my time from today. I'd like to go sub 30 and eventually be right around 25. I wonder if I can do it?

Challenge Update 16/100

Here are the updates on my 100 day challenge with Courtney from Run, Courtney, Run:
My goals for the challenge are:


1. Create and maintain healthy eating habits
I'm still doing good on this one. Not as good as I'd like to be, but good none the less :)

2. Run 20 miles each week
I should have hit my goal last week but I didn't. With family activities toward the end of the week and over the holiday weekend, it didn't happen. This week, I'm a sure hit though. I'm already at 14, I have a 5K on Saturday, and I'll just have to get 3 more miles in somewhere else.

3. Lower my body fat %
Well, the number hasn't gone up, so that's a good thing right?!?

Another Week Gone By!

Wow! This past week has FLOWN by!


Here was my plan for this past week and how I actually did.
30th Monday 4 miles Actually Completed: 0
31st Tuesday 3 miles Actually Completed: 5
1st Wednesday 3 miles Actually Completed: 5
2nd Thursday rest Actually Completed: 3.1
3rd Friday 5 miles Actually Completed: 0
4th Saturday 5 miles Actually Completed: 0
5th Sunday rest Actually Completed: 0
Total Miles = 20 Total Completed: 13.1

Blue represents the days I met or exceeded my goal. I was A LOT of miles short… Not to throw out excuses but we had a lot of family things going on with the holiday weekend. I need to kick into gear!!! I’m doing pretty good so far this week! Tomorrow and Sunday I have to be sure to get my miles in. Saturday is a definite and I’m going for a PR! Wish me luck!

Here is the Plan for this week.
6th Monday 3 miles – already completed
7th Tuesday 5 miles – already completed
8th Wednesday 5 miles
9th Thursday rest
10th Friday rest
11th Saturday RACE (5K)
12th Sunday 2

Challenge Update – Day 9/100

Here are the updates on my 100 day challenge with Courtney from Run, Courtney, Run:

My goals for the challenge are:

1. Create and maintain healthy eating habits

I’m doing really well on this one!!! My mom’s birthday party was this past weekend so I had 2 pc of pizza, small sprite, 2 small pc of cake and half a cupcake. Other than that, the rest of my days have been good. It’s amazing how good you feel when you eat clean. I felt miserable after I ate all that stuff. I have more energy when I eat clean and I don’t have as many tummy problems (EXTRA BONUS!!!)

I usually have issues on portion control. So lately I’ve just been saying no to things I know I will not stop eating until I’m super stuffed (peanut butter and chocolate fudge/brownie goodness). Since all of this is new, I want to hold off a little bit until I think I have more control. I figure I will allow myself to indulge a little bit once or twice a month

I tweeted about this, but maybe one of my blog readers will know the answer. I gave up drinking (skim) milk because it hurt my stomach. I switched to Almond Milk and it’s still hurting my stomach. Any idea what it could be from?

2. Run 20 miles each week

I’m doing okay on this one. Last week I was a little short. This week, I’ve run 10 miles in 2 days, so I think I will hit my goal. YAY

3. Lower my body fat %

This one is going to be a slow process. I know scales are not very accurate for this, but that’s what I’m using to measure. The scale says I’m slightly lower than I was when I first started, so it’s a move in the right direction.

QOTD: How often do you let yourself ‘indulge’ in regards to food?

Slacking Already?

Yesterday I was supposed to get 4 miles in. I didn’t do any. I went to the grocery since I didn’t go on Sunday (my usual shopping day) and it took me a little longer than normal. I found a few new recipes that I wanted to try so I had to get all the ingredients. I’m not a big cooker/baker (yet) so I didn’t know what all the ingredients were. It probably would have helped if I would have looked the ones that I didn’t recognize up online before going. It probably would have saved me time. I finally got home and unpacked everything which was when I should have head out for my run. Instead, I was SO excited to make Baked Cherry Pie Breakfast Pudding that I stayed home and did that instead. YUM!!!

I made up for it a little bit today. I got 5 miles in instead of my planned 3. I’ll get there!
On another note… I joined in on the great thing that they’re doing at Operation Beautiful. I love this site and am really excited for what they are doing! In today’s world younger girls see models and TV actresses and think they have to look like them to be beautiful. I’m hoping this wave covers all women but mainly the younger girls who might be struggling! It’s simple, leave a note somewhere, take a picture of it, and send it to them!

Week at a glance

Here was my plan for this past week and how I actually did.

23rd Monday 5 miles        Actually Completed: 5
24th Tuesday 2.75 miles    Actually Completed: 2.75
25th Wednesday 5 miles   Actually Completed: 3
26th Thursday 2 miles       Actually Completed: 3
27th Friday rest                Actually Completed: 0
28th Saturday 2.75 miles  Actually Completed: 0
29th Sunday 3 miles         Actually Completed: 3.5
Total Miles = 20.5           Total Completed: 17.25

Blue represents the days I met or exceeded my goal. I was 3.25 miles short… I’ll do better this week!

Here is the Plan for this week.
30th Monday 4 miles
31st Tuesday 3 miles
1st Wednesday 3 miles
2nd Thursday rest
3rd Friday 5 miles
4th Saturday 5 miles
5th Sunday rest

QOTD: Is there a strategic way you should plan out your miles?

Planning My Week

I like to be a bit of a planner almost always sometimes. I feel like if you don’t plan to make time for certain things, the hours tick away and before you know it you didn’t accomplish anything you wanted. The same thing goes for your running schedule. If you don’t plan when you’re going to get your time in, the week kind of trickles away and you didn’t get out as much as you wanted.


In a perfect world, this is how my weekdays would go…
Wake up
Breakfast
Spend time reading
Workout +/or run
Work (although if this is a perfect world, this part is debatable)
Spend time with friends/family/volunteering
Dinner and hang out with my hubby
Get ready to do it all over again

I don’t think there are enough hours in my day right now to get all of this accomplished. For one thing, if I don’t get at least 8 hours of sleep I’m not fun to be around. Also, I’m A-ok for the morning workouts, but not the morning runs. I still haven’t figured out the proper fueling to have the energy I need.

I have started just planning my miles a week in advance. Not too far out, and for the most part, I should have a good idea of the events that are taking place that week.

Here’s the plan for this week (in regards to running)
Monday 5 miles
Tuesday 2.75 miles
Wednesday 5 miles
Thursday 2 miles
Friday rest
Saturday 2.75 miles
Sunday 3 miles
Total Miles = 20.5

I started following a 5K training plan, but I didn’t feel like I was running enough. So I kind of altered it. We’ll see how that works. Do you plan out your weekly miles or do you just wing it?