On Wednesday Sophie woke up with a horrible cough, some wheezing and labored breathing. It seemed like, at times, she was struggling to catch her breath. Scared the crap out of me so I called in sick to work and made a doctor appointment. They didn't have one till 12:30!! Lots of sick kids out there right now. So by mid morning she seemed to be doing a little better and was running around and playing, so I cancelled the doctor appointment.
Because I'm not a doctor, I self diagnosed her with Croup. Actually I read about it, my sister's kids have had it and when she heard her cough and breathing we were both pretty sure it was croup. Of course if she seemed to not be doing well I was going to call the doctor back, but croup is a virus and just like with all viruses you have to let it run it's course.
Luckily that night she slept very well and sounded so much better the next morning. Poor kid, I hate it when she's sick.
Running has been going well this week, I've mostly forgotten about that horrible run and am moving forward. I am scheduled to do 12 miles tomorrow but will possibly do a couple extra. Just to make sure my base is strong and to make way for the crap ton of calories I will be eating and drinking for New Years. We are having some friends at our house and I am going all out.
In typical Jennifer fashion I have a lot going on in the next few weeks. Charleston Marathon is only 2 weeks away!! I can't believe it!! I'm super excited (because I'm no longer going to think negatively).
Aside from wrapping up training I will be painting Sophie's new room (she'll be "moving in" sometime in Feb.). I will also be re-painting our kitchen because we are getting granite counter tops installed today!! Now I just have to find the time to do it all!!
Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be an awesome year, I can feel it.
Merry Christmas! It has been a fast couple of days and I've been a busy little bee baking my little heart out the last few days.
I am happy to report that I've mentally and physically recovered from my sucky run on Friday. I have come to realize that I pushed it and wasn't in the mood to run that day but wanted to get it done so I didn't have to worry about it over Christmas. I realize that I should have waited a few days. It's all good. I redeemed myself this morning with a 7.5 miler on the treadmill. I had planned on running outside but for some reason the treadmill was calling my name. Weird but I had a great run so that's all that matters at this point.
Sophie had a fantastic Christmas. I think she was very overwhelmed by it all but she made out good with a doll house, Wooden food sets and a Diner stand to cook us up some good "play" food. A bunch of other stuff too. I have pictures I need to download but haven't gotten around to it just yet.
I made homemade cinnamon rolls from the Pioneer Woman. I made them last year and figured these would be my Christmas tradition. They take some time but are well worth it. So yummy and so bad for you but that's OK, it's Christmas!
I was suprised myself this year. My hubby got me an iPhone 4. I think I mentioned it like a month ago that having one would be kind of neat. I just figured the phone and plan were too expensive but when I opened my present there it was! I spent the majority of the moring getting it set up and playing with it. This is the girl who didn't have a cell phone for the longest time and still manages to leave it in my purse and miss a ton of calls and text. But the iPhone is pretty neat and I feel like I'm a little more technologically advanced now.
I got my hubby some fishing apparel, some spiced rum that he likes and he pretty much between his mom, my family, got everything on his list.
Sad that it's my last day off and I have a ton of cleaning to do but it's been a nice 4 day weekend and I can't really say that I've relaxed like I wanted to but that's just the way it is sometimes. I guess when my kids are older and can fend for themselves or at least be a little self sufficient I can relax.
Looking forward to a short work week and then another 3 day weekend for New Years!
I haven't posted anything since last Friday. I'm a slacker. Actually I've just been very very busy with work and then I literally fall into bed when I get my little one to sleep.
In a nutshell here's what my week has consisted of:
-Traveling to Charlotte, NC for "fake" Christmas with my family plus celebrating two birthdays (my Mom and nephew) - pics to come.
- Ran 7 miles on the trail behind my parents house. I love that trail. I miss that trail. It ends right accross the street from a Starbucks and Trader Joes. If I had my debit card on me I would have totally gotten a coffee and gone shopping and just called someone to come get me. But I didn't so I ran back to my parents house.
- Drove home and then had to do laundry, clean and get ready for the work week.
- I worked all week. It was busy.
- Ran during the week at the butt crack of dawn. Scratch that it wasn't even dawn yet.
- Ran 19 miles today and then had to go to my husband's company Holiday lunch (because in this day in age you can't call it a Christmas lunch anymore. Gotta be PC).
About those 19 miles.......
It blew.
I walked.
I cried.
I even threw my water bottle and then sat in the grass and called my sister. I mean who would have thought a 31 year old could throw a tantrum like that. I learned it from my daughter :)
I love my sister, she's always so positive. She's not a runner but she just makes me feel like a good person.
Then I called my husband who pretty much told me the same thing my sister did: Don't quit.
Then I came home and e-mailed a blogger who kicks ass at the marathon and she gave me some awesome advice too. (Thanks Skinny Runner!)
General consensus: Don't quit. Everyone has bad runs now and then. I have trained way too hard and come to far to quit now. I can still do this!
However I had a huge blow to my confidence today. This 20 miler, which actually was only 19, was supposed to be better than the last. I was supposed to feel strong. I was supposed to run the entire time and feel ready for the marathon in 3 weeks.
Instead I felt awful from the first 3 miles till 12 and then had to walk/run the rest if the way. I mostly walked. And cried. I think a biker thought something was wrong because he looked back at me several times. No worries Mr. Bike Rider, just being a cry baby! Thanks though! My stomach was rejecting any water and energy chews. I knew if I ate one more I'd hurl all over the place.
I just didn't have it in me today. I admit I've been feeling very tired and burned out lately. Maybe this is my body's way of telling me to rest. Seriously I shut down physically and mentally today.
So I'm going to take the next couple of days and enjoy Christmas with my husband and daughter. I'll pick it back up on Monday and then enjoy my taper. I will hope for the best on Marathon day. I know I can make it 20 miles and it's ok to walk!
Half marathon is by far my favorite distance so after this marathon I think I will focus on that. I'm still excited for the marathon, just don't feel as ready as I hoped I would.
I mean not that I'm complaining that it's Friday already and we are one week closer to Christmas, but what happened to this week?
Oh yeah, I know. I have been elbow deep in quotes and orders. Which is not a bad thing. I mean really if the company gets orders and makes money that means I get to keep my job! But my theme lately is there is no rest for the weary.
I ran three times this week, yay! I did not make it to Body Pump this week (or the last 3 weeks) boo! And I'm not even sure if I'll get a chance to run this weekend but it is what it is and I have to learn to roll with it. Might be a good time for a small rest before my next 20 miler. My plantar fasciitis in my right heel is flaring up again.
So last night I was supposed to be packing so we could head out to Charlotte today. I'm leaving work early and I wanted to get on the road to be to my sister's house at a decent time. My husband apparently ate something bad yesterday and was laid up in bed by the time I got home from work. He didn't move for the rest of the night which means I had to fly solo for dinner, bath and bed with Sophie. Not a bad thing, it just means that I got zero packing done.
So now I have to make it home, pack, load up the car with presents, luggage, child and dogs, in hopes that we can still make it on the road at a decent time. Hubby is still feeling funky so that means I will more than likely be driving and I hate driving at night. This will be fun (and fun = stressful in my world).
Next week I am looking forward to my 20 miler and then a 4 day weekend with relaxing and watching my daughter open and play with her presents as top priority!
I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas and birthdays this weekend. Just wish we had longer (it's my Mom's b-day on the 20th and my nephew is turning 6 on the 22nd).
So fingers crossed that I make it in one piece tonight with my sanity in tact!
Oh and the other day I realized but didn't have time to post, that I run my marathon in one month!!!!!!!!!!
It's been a busy busy weekend. And it will be like this till the end of the year. We have something planned every weekend between now and New Year's Day. I'm going to be exhausted by the time this race comes around. I'm almost looking forward to being pregnant again so I can take it easy. However relax is not in my vocabulary, even when pregnant.
Friday I finished all my painting. Well, not all. I still have other items I need to get done but the bulk of Sophie's furniture is DONE! Headboard, bookcase and a mirror. Whew! All I need to do is the clear coat but it's been a little humid with this rain that moved in, and I didn't want it to dry funky so the furniture is still sitting in the garage till I can do this last step. Pictures to come.
Saturday I ran 12 miles, 1:46, avg pace 8:54. Getting better with this distance. Would love to run just one more before I get pregnant so I can PR again. There is a 15k (Charlie Post Classic) at the end of January and a no frills half marathon (Save The Light Half Marathon) first weekend of Feb. that I'm thinking about doing. We'll see, I don't want to jump hard core into running after my marathon. Body would probably like to recover and we'll pretty much go from marathon to "trying" to get pregnant.
Sunday we woke up and got ready for a Brunch with Santa with a friend of mine at her neighborhood country club. It was a nice spread of food, they had a mini pancake station for the kids and I topped Sophie's pancakes with yummy strawberries, chocolate chips, whipped cream. She only ate the chocolate chips. And some bacon. Mom of the year, right here!
We even got her to sit on Santa's lap for a few minutes. The look she gave him the whole time was priceless.
Not so sure about this guy.
There's a high 5, she's warming up....slightly
After brunch we walked down to a little area near the clubhouse that was on a marsh to take some pictures. They actually turned out really nice and I have to credit my good hair day to my friend who spend 2 hours highlighting my mass of hair on Saturday. Actually my hair is not very thick, just long.
A rare moment - I'm usually behind the camera
My favorite! Love this little girl!! This is a keeper.
Another keeper!! Even if we all aren't looking at the camera we are all smiling.
My loves!
On the way home, little bit feel asleep so we sat through the Starbucks drive through for about 20 minutes. Apparently everyone in our town decided to go to Starbucks at exactly 12:20 Sunday afternoon. We got home and rested/relaxed for a few hours until it was time to head back out for the James Island County Park Festival of Lights.
All the 6 years I've lived here and we've never been. Mainly because it gets packed, there's traffic, a ton of people and I hate all of that. I'm probably the world's most impatient person. But since Sophie is getting older I want to start doing traditions so I decided to suck it up and deal with the mass of people. And we went on a Sunday which was less crowded than Saturday. And we got there right when it opened so we didn't sit in too much traffic.
So basically you drive around the county park and look at all the light displays. The have a Santa's Village you can park and walk to. Includes fire pits for marshmallow roasting, a carousel, Santa of course, food and beverages and a climbing wall (??) Not sure about that last one but people looked to be having a good time.
Getting ready for the lights
Sophie got to ride on the carousel, almost caught my hair on fire roasting marshmallows. Again, letting my child play near fire = mom of the year. Actually she's becoming quite the Miss Independent so I let her try it out. Teach em young, that's what I say!
Fun with Daddy!
Waving at us every time she passed by. It was too cute and I'm so happy she loved it.
All good things must come to and end and she started getting upset and fussy and we knew it was time to go. Sleepy Sophie is not a fun thing to deal with. Luckily we made it back to the car, saw the rest of the lights, and got home before a full meltdown occurred. So I call it a success.
However this morning she was NOT a happy camper to be woken up. Thus I call it a Santa hangover. Poor girl could barely keep her eyes open and fell back asleep in the car. These are the days I feel guilty to be a working mom. Clearly she needs to sleep longer and I felt so bad having to get her out of bed. One day, one day I won't have to do this to her. Hopefully. That's the plan anyway. In the meantime there's money to be made and bills we gotta pay.
Because I didn't get to workout and do my cross training I dragged myself out of bed and went to the gym. Ran 4 miles, 33:49, avg pace 8:27 or something like that. Did some legs, chest and back.
It's a very rainy, cold and dreary day today so I'm anxious to get this Monday over with.
Woke up at 4:30, on my day off, and ran 4 miles in 33:20 and did weights. Actually a stomach ache got me up at that time and since I was already up, hey why not go ahead and go right? Thanks stomach! I owe you :)
So now it's about 38 degrees out, which I find rather chilly, and I need to get started on my painting. I'm going to layer up and head out. Times like these I wish we had a space heater for our garage. Just don't normally need those things down here in South Carolina, but today it would have been nice.
Hope to have a picture of the finished product by the end of the day!
I crashed hard last night. Fortunately so did my daughter so as soon as she was fast asleep I crawled into bed a slept all the way till my alarm went off at 4:00. I hit snooze and passed out again. Next time my alarm went I decided the gym was a no go this morning. My body felt really tired, from the last two days of running and weights. Clearly this is a sign to rest.
I'm laying there, and laying there and am not going back to sleep. So by the time I said "forget sleeping in" I looked at the clock and it was 4:50. Crap, no time to go and get a decent workout in. Hate it when that happens. So finally I must have fallen back asleep because I had a dream and we got a new washer and dryer?? Huh. Weird.
Woke up at 6:15 and realized that I had no gas in my car, which was the real reason why I was going to go to the gym and get gas on my way home. Oops!
Oh honey..... can you go put gas in my car?
Luckily he got a quick shower and ran out for me. Love that man!
My Christmas shopping is about 98% complete! I have just a few more items to purchase, that just required a quick trip out to a few shops.
I am on "vacation" tomorrow and will be priming and painting Sophie's headboard. I'm going to attempt to at least get her bookcase primed but I doubt I will get it painted. Between coats I'm planning on working out, running errands and cleaning.
Saturday I have 12 miles, a hair appointment and more painting.
Sunday we are doing a brunch with Santa with some friends, the Holiday Parade in our town, and hopefully the Festival of Lights and the county park.
Since my 20 miler I'm recovering well. I ran 5 miles on Tuesday and 4 miles this morning. I had planned on going to Body Pump tonight since I haven't been in two weeks but I decided to be a nice wife and let my husband go to the gym tonight. He hasn't gotten to go since Sunday and since he would be picking my daughter up for me to go, I will be picking her up so he can go.
Plus I wasn't really feeling it today. Maybe it's the PMS. Yep, it's that time again. Evil Jen is back. I hate this time of month, my hormones get all wacky and I get in BAD moods. Not fun.
So I'm feeling sort of blah this week but trying to contain my emotions. That could have a negative impact, if I don't release it I'm going to have a breakdown. Yes, it gets that bad and no I DO NOT want to be on birth control or any other mood altering medications.
There are just some days where every one around you would be safer if you just stayed home. I'm kidding of course.
Luckily I have Friday off to refinish the furniture I bought for my daughters new room. Since I have to prime I'm going to do a coat first and then possibly head to the gym for a quick workout and then come back home to paint. There's two body pump classes I could go to in the morning that may work.
So I started thinking about the topic of music while running. I can't run without it. My iPod to be specific.
Music motivates me and distracts me. I've tried running without music and I just don't seem to have the same drive and energy level as I do with my tunes blasting in my ear.
I think anyone who can run without music is awesome. To be able to tune everything else around you out, I cannot do it.
I tired at the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon for a while, just to see, and all I could hear were people coughing, snorting, spitting, grunting, and farting.
Yep, that pretty much just did it for me. Ear buds back on.
I've even tried to tough out a run when my battery has died and I could barely get 3 miles.
I'm just not that runner and that's OK. It' whatever works for you.
The reason this popped into my head to write about is because there's a man I see at the gym and he's that guy that wants to talk to you. He'll talk to anyone.
Last week I was the only person on a set of treadmills and he got on the one RIGHT NEXT to me. That irritates me.
Well he got on the one right next to me so he could talk, loudly, to the woman on the next set of treadmills. They had about a 20 minute conversation. Why he couldn't go walk next to her is beyond me. I've stopped trying to figure people out.
Anyway this morning I put my water and earphones on a treadmill and the went to the locker room to blow my nose. When I came out the a**hole guy, same guy, moved my stuff!!! To use that treadmill to talk, loudly, to the same woman as last week (poor woman).
So I got my stuff and gave him a dirty look and found another one. Of course after he comes up and apologizes for moving my stuff which I appreciate but seriously people! If I saw someone's water on a treadmill I would probably think someone was going to use it and find a different one.
Anyway, my little rant is over. Back to music, thank goodness for iPods!!!!! Music on and I'm rocking out 4 miles and I don't have to listen to annoying guy's hour long conversation.
Some of my favorite songs to run to:
Anything by Muse
Coldplay - loving their new song "Paradise." Anyone seen the music video? I thought it was hilarious.
I've got some old school like Pink Floyd "Run Like Hell"
I like the hard stuff, got some Tool, A Perfect Circle.
There's a guitar song by Rodrigo y Gabriella called "Buster Voodoo" that had an awesome beat and I like to do some sprints to this song.
It's hump day and I'm looking forward to my day off. It's the last one till Christmas but, as always, I'll be busting my behind to get stuff done. Relax apparently is not in my vocabulary.
However instead of cooking for Christmas Eve I'm going to suggest to my husband we got out to dinner. I really don't want to be stuck in the kitchen all day, I want to enjoy my weekend too and cooking, for me, is stressful. We'll see what he says... or what's open.
I first want to start by saying that I am amazed by people who can run a marathon fast. A lot of the blogs I read, these ladies are fast. They run a marathon in the time I ran 20 miles. However, this is the longest distance I've ever run and I'm just proud that I did it.
I woke up Saturday morning to cold temps and frost on the ground. When I got to the start of the trail it said 30 degrees on the thermometer.
I had on my ear warmers, gloves, Nike tech capris (which surprisingly kept my legs warm) a long sleeve shirt and a fleece. No picture of this lovely sight as my hubby was still sleeping when I left.
When I started running I could not figure out why my hands were numb, literally freezing, until I realized my hand held water bottle lid was not on tight and water was splashing all over my hands. It was cold but I warmed them up by putting them under my shirt - body heat is awesome.
Once I got going I started to warm up nicely and the cold air didn't really affect my breathing at all but my nose was running like crazy.
I stopped around mile 5 at a gas station to pee and take off the fleece. In a nutshell my run went very well until about mile 16 I started to feel very tired. I did stop at mile 12 because I was back at my car and needed more water (since most of it leaked out before I started running).
So mile 16 I start getting tired and then I get more and more tired as the miles go on. By 18 I had to stop and walk. I didn't even know if I was going to finish 20. I guess this is what people mean by hitting the wall. I wasn't really cramping I was just tired.
I walked for about a minute and told myself to get my butt moving. My pace was so slow towards the end and I wondered how in the hell am I going to make it 6 more miles?
The last .3 miles I ran as fast as my little tired legs would go, which really wasn't that fast at all, but I got 20.12 miles done! Barely!
Avg pace was 9:59. At least it was under 10 minute mile.
My "I'm so happy it's over" pose.
Even though I have never run 20 miles before and am proud, I'm slightly disappointed that I started to crap out at mile 16 and 17. Did I not eat enough the day before? I thought I did, which could have also been the problem...maybe I was too full and sluggish. Who knows.
What I do know is I want to run a little faster than that on race day. I don't want to feel like crap and feel like I'm not going to make it, question why in the world I decided to do this.
So I'm going to do another 20 miler in three weeks - Christmas Eve or the day before. I feel like this one doesn't fully prepare me.
The good news is I was not as sore as I thought I was going to be afterwards or the next day. Some of that is due to me wearing my Recovery Socks right after I got home. We even went out to dinner that evening with friends and I stayed up till 11:30! What!? Ha.
I did cross training yesterday and I could tell my body was tired so I tried to keep the weight light.
Today is a rest day and I'll be back at it tomorrow morning.
Since my last post I've barely logged onto a computer and happy that I've had some time away. I've been feeling very overwhelmed with life and this marathon training. I think last week was one of the first times that I honestly thought about quitting.
Then I woke up Thanksgiving morning with a sore throat and realized that this was the reason I was feeling so run down, I was getting sick.
Luckily someone in this world invented Airborne and after 2 days of eating those nasty chews I was feeling so much better.
We went to my sister's house in Charlotte (well small town outside of Charlotte, Stanley to be exact). I did not brave the Black Friday crowds because I never go and I was feeling crummy. We did go out later in the day to a few stores but the spectacular deals were already over.
I'm a believer in Airborne. I started eating the chews Friday night and by Saturday morning sore throat was gone and runny nose was not as snotty.
Saturday we drove home and went to friends house to watch the Clemson vs. Carolina game. I could care less about football but the hubby had fun, I caught up with some friends, and Sophie got to play. Everybody wins!
Note to self - puffer jackets make me look chunky.
I assure you the kids had a blast, even though it doesn't look like it on their faces.
Sunday I did 12 miles in 1 hour and 51 minutes, avg pace 9:11. Felt really good overall. It was a cool morning but I got warm quick!
Later I went to the gym to do some elliptical and weights. Kicked my butt and I was tired when I got home. And hungry. Like I hadn't eaten enough the previous 3 days.
Monday I had the day off so I:
1) worked out - ran 3 miles
2) Ran errands - shopped, went the the grocery store
3) put up Christmas decorations - still need to do the tree
4) cleaned
5) started my nephews dinosaur painting
6) cooked dinner
7) crashed
So a vacation day isn't really a vacation at all. I busted my tail and was exhausted when the day was done.
Back to work Tuesday, which is what I've been doing since. Not that exciting but I have been super swamped with end of year stuff, which is one reason why I haven't posted anything lately.
December is going to be a super busy month and I'm stretching myself really thin. I think maybe I'll get to relax in March. Hopefully by then I'll be knocked up so I'll have an excuse to rest more.
Saturday I have 20 miles! AHHHHHHHH!! So intimidating to say that but I'm ready to tackle it. Then I'll have to come home and take a nap because we are going out to dinner with friends that night. A night out with my daughter spending the night with the grandparents. Oh the possibilities. Honestly I see myself crashing early but I'm hoping as long as I take a nap and drink lots of water I should be fine.
Next week I'll be working on painting my daughters furniture to start getting her "big girl" room ready. I have a lot to do but she's 2 and doesn't care if it's not all complete at once.
Weekend after we'll be back in Charlotte to do "fake Christmas" with my family. That plus it's my mom's and nephew's birthday that week so it's Christmas and birthdays all in one.
Then the next week is Christmas. I might be able to relax a little because the only thing I have to do is cook something Christmas Eve and make breakfast Christmas morning. My new tradition is to make cinnamon rolls from The Pioneer Woman. I made these last year and they are so good.
So you see, there is no rest for the weary. I feel like I'm at the peak of training and I'll start to taper soon. 20 miles this weekend and then I'm going to do another 20 - 22 miles on the 23rd (I have off and Sophie will go to school that day for her Christmas PJ party). Then I'll taper off and be ready for the race.
So happy that Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I'm looking forward to have a few days off of work. It's been crazy busy at my job the last week. Sales reps are trying to get those end of year orders in and sales reps can be very needy.
I decided at the last minute to take Monday off because no one else did and I just felt like I need an extra day. We are down one team member who's out on maternity leave but it'll be fine. Everyone needs a break now and then and I've been saving the last of my vacation in case Sophie gets sick.
I plan on getting some things done around the house, maybe a little more Christmas shopping (I'm almost done!) and possibly some Christmas decorating. I will be able to do this because I'm sending Sophie to school. I know, bad mommy but she'll probably have more fun there anyway.
This morning I was supposed to do 8 miles. Then I decided I only had time for 7.
I ended up only doing 4. I was tired and my legs were just not moving. Lead legs.
My body seems very tired ever since I ran 19 on Sunday. I rested Monday and ran 6 miles yesterday and I plan to hopefully get up tomorrow morning and do a quick 3 miles before we head to Charlotte.
I am not planning on bringing any running clothes with me, taking this time to rest, relax, eat and enjoy my family without worrying on when I'm going to get my run in. I will do my 12 miles on Sunday (we're getting back into town Saturday afternoon).
However if I don't make it up tomorrow then I will probably try to squeeze a run in Friday or Saturday. Haven't decided yet.
I really don't have anything really interesting to say.
I'm in a funk.
For some reason the Holiday's get me down. I really don't know why other than I work and don't have a whole lot of vacation time (I'd rather take my vacation in the summer and go to the beach). So I don't feel like I get to enjoy the Holiday's. I'm stressed, running around like a crazy woman to get things done, and by the time I have all my decorations up, baking done, home from visiting family, it's time to clean it all up.
So I put on my happy face for my daughters sake and smile my way through it. Honestly if I could just sit and relax and not worry about a tree, decorations and all that crap then I'd do it.
But I do it for Sophie because I remember growing up how my mom was always so festive and it made me happy.
Maybe next year if I get to finally be the stay at home mom I want to be I'll have more time.
Thursday we'll be heading back to Charlotte, NC to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. It's so hard with two families, who gets to spend time with who, then traveling. I really just want to sit at my house and go out to eat. I sound like a Debbie Downer right now. Like I said I'm in a funk.
I never thought I'd hear myself say this but I think I'm getting burned out of running. Between training, working, being a mommy, Holiday's coming up, I feel stretched really thin and starting wondering if this was all a big mistake.
I know I don't have much longer to go and if I quit now I'll regret it for the rest of my life, well until kids are old enough to be self sufficient and I can leave them at the house while I go run. But I'm not a quitter so that's not an option. I want that medal darn in. I want Sophie and my next child to know that Mommy ran a marathon. It's important. So no, I will not quit.
I'm not sure where the statement above come from other than I was so tired after my 19 miles yesterday. But I got it done and I am proud.
I got a later than normal start, about 7:45 I made it to the trail. It warmed up quick too so I was immediately not liking the heat and sun. Plus I had to pee from mile 1 to 5. I am so thankful for that gas station that's close to the trail at mile 5. I felt 5 pounds lighter after. Relief!!!
I stopped again at mile 13, at my car, to get more water because I was out and it was so warm.
I continued on to finish the remaining 6 miles. Finished 19.05, 3:06, avg pace 9:48. Slow. Painfully slow but considering I have never run 19 miles before I'm happy that it was under a 10 minute mile. Barely.
Actually the whole run I felt tired and sluggish, probably because of the weather. It was 75 when I got back in my car.
Today I'm a little sore and taking a rest day. Actually I was supposed to do Body Pump tonight until mu husband forgot that he had a dentist appt. and couldn't pick up Sophie. Oh well, I wouldn't have been very good tonight anyway, I feel so tired today.
I must have a case of the Monday's to feel so blah today. I'll be a bit more peppier tomorrow!
All because a truck catches on fire. 3:00 this happened and it's 4:30 pm now and this is just getting cleared up.
Better be gone by 5:00 or I'm going to blow my top. Seriously.
In happier news I ran this morning and felt great. 5 miles in 42:33, avg pace 8:24. I alternated slow and fast miles to help pass the time.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to do a short run early before my husband has to go into the office and then when he gets home I'm going to hit the gym to do a light weight workout and some cross training.
I should have known last night when my husband told me he had to get out of the house by 5:45 am that things were going to go to hell in a hand basket this morning.
Good things never happen when he has to leave early. I am not exaggerating this.
I needed to run this morning so he told me as long as I was home by like 5:30 it wouldn't be a problem. That means I'd have to be to the gym no later than 4:15, be up about 3:45. No biggie, I've done this before.
Sleeping soundly when I hear crying and "Mommy? Daddy?"
So I go in and Sophie is laying in her bed crying. Looks like just a little nightmare. Well she gets out of bed and wants to go watch cartoons. I think she's still half asleep so I try to convince her that it's still night time and we need to go back to sleep.
Not having it. She starts to meltdown.
So we go in the bonus room and her eyes start to close. So we then go back to her bed and she lays down.
And it takes forever for her to fall back asleep. At one point I think she's out and I get up only for her to roll over and start crying again.
Once she's really asleep I go back to bed and realize that it's 4:15 am. Damn. I missed my time and that means I cannot go to the gym now. So I go back to sleep.
About 45 minutes later my husbands alarm goes off and that's it. I'm awake.
He leaves and I start to get ready. I turn on the news and hear that there is a multiple car wreck on one of the bridges along my route into work. Then I hear there is a wreck on the other side of the bridge, then 2 more along my alternate routes.
So in short, anyway I go to work there is a wreck.
I decide to call my boss and tell her that I'm just going to be late. There's no way around it. I'm going to take my time, drink my coffee, and let Sophie sleep in some (she was exhausted after finally going back to sleep). Boss is cool with it.
So luckily it all worked out because by leaving an hour later than normal I missed all the traffic.
But bummed that I didn't get to run. However I did go to Body Pump last night and I went a little heavier with the weight and had a really good workout.
There is always tomorrow. And Saturday. Long run has been moved to Sunday because Ricky is on call Saturday, which means he has to work half a day. It's always something to juggle.
But it sure doesn't feel like Fall. It's supposed to get up to 83 degrees today. It was 70 degrees when I left my house. And muggy too.
Ran 5 miles this morning on the treadmill and my knee felt good. There were just a few moments where it felt a tad funky but I would say 99% of the run my knee felt just fine. Plus walking last night and today at work I feel no funkiness.
Tonight is Body Pump if I am up for it. As I've done the last couple of weeks, I have my gym bag sitting right by my desk for me to stare at and feel guilty if I start to not want to go. I have a free night, husband is getting daughter and making dinner, so I really have no excuse to NOT go other than the usual tired and hungry.
In other news there's not much else going on unless you want to hear about how much a washer disinfector for a hospital costs.
I did finally get my car back from the body shop yesterday. It's all fixed and clean. If you live in the Charleston area and get in a wreck, call Norton and Richardson in Summerville. They do awesome work (for the 2nd time for me).
Potty training continues to go well. Sophie went all day with out an accident until late in the afternoon she did a deuce in her pants. It's OK though because it's going to happen and she knows she needs to go in the potty because as she's getting cleaned up she goes "you poo poo in the potty." Just have to get her to tell us before hand, which she does a good job for the most part. Either way I'm proud of her. She's doing awesome. I never did buy the small potty, mainly because I didn't want to have to clean it each time she went. Instead I bought the seat that goes over the big toilet seat so we could get her going there, learn to flush and all that. It's worked for us.
Now it's lunch time and I need to figure out what to eat because I didn't have any leftovers to bring. My choices are...Subway and that's about it. Not really crazy about Subway so I might have to venture over the bridge to find something.
I made the decision last night to not run this morning (even though I set out my clothes just in case I woke up anyway). My knee was still giving me a little trouble yesterday. When I got home I did a little jog down the street and it didn't feel quite right so I made the wise decision to rest it another day.
I'm glad I did that because as of this morning it's feeling much better. Last thing I want to do is injure myself. So tomorrow morning I will attempt to run and see how it feels. Plus it felt kind of good to sleep in.
I did my ab ripper ex DVD when I got up. I haven't done it in a while and it was tough. See my husband and I tried P90X starting in January 2010 (when Sophie was 7 months old). It was going really well because we would put her down early (that's when she would go to bed early) and then we'd workout and be done by like 9:00.
We made it to week 5 and then I got sick with 2 stomach bugs in March 2010, could barely eat for pretty much the whole month, and we never really got back into it. Bummer because I was a fan. Now it's all I can do to get Sophie into bed by 9:00 and then I'm pooped. I'll save it for after baby no. 2.
Anyway, tomorrow I will run and see how the knee is doing and then I should be able to go to Body Pump tomorrow night. It's becoming a Wednesday ritual.
Yesterday Sophie went ALL day with NO accidents. Way to go girl!!!!!!!
I sacked out at 8:45 last night. Sophie was out by 8:30. I was going to watch some TV but decided that last night was the rare occasion that I can get into bed early so I figured why not. I'm the early to bed early to rise girl and I need my 8 hours last night.
I was up by 4:15 to go to the gym. Happy Monday.
Actually I wanted to run at least 3 slow miles but my knee started hurting so I stopped and got on the elliptical for 15 minutes and then the bike for 10. The pain is behind my knee, where the hamstring meets the calf. If I turn the wrong way I get this stretchy tender feeling (if that makes any sense). It's not a sharp pain but a "watch it" pain.
I did mostly upper body weights and a few light weight leg exercises. My knee is not currently bothering me only when I step a certain way. So I will ice tonight and hope it's all better tomorrow morning.
I need it to please hurry and get better because I'm too far into this training to get injured.
My brother e-mailed me this morning and asked if I wanted to go see Roger Waters The Wall next year. Tickets were going on sale at 10 am.
I'm a big Pink Floyd fan. I grew up listening to classic rock courtesy of my dad. It stuck. I dig some Journey, Moody Blues, REO Speedwagon to name a few.
So July 10, 2012 I will get as close as I can get to seeing a Pink Floyd show live. It's not Pink Floyd the band, just Roger Waters who was an original band member, I believe he owns the rights to The Wall which is why he can tour and so the show.
Show is in Charlotte so we'll have to work out the logistics of travel later (kid and dogs). And I'll most likely be pregnant but pregnant women can still rock out to some Pink Floyd.
It's almost the most wonderful time of the year and I'm making great progress with my Christmas shopping. Not quite done but I still have a few more weeks before my own personal deadline.
Saturday morning I ran the Thunder Road Half Marathon in Charlotte. It was rather cold out, I think at the starting line temps were about 30 degrees. I had a great race. Another PR! We're back home and I'm worn out. No cross training today because by the time we got home and unpacked the car I wasn't feeling it. Plus my knee has been bothering me since about mile 6 yesterday so I'm resting today. And eating. Can't seem to stop eating, and that would be things that I shouldn't be eating (cookies damn you!).
Friday was a whirlwind of packing in the morning, potty training (2 for 2 - two accidents and two tinkles on the potty). By Noon I was tired and ready for a nap. Same for Sophie.
We got to Uptown Charlotte, the Charlotte Convention Center, about 3 pm. We parked at the Nascar Hall of Fame and I went accross the street to get our race packets (Ricky was running the 5k). Ricky stayed in the car with Sophie and the dogs.
The expo wasn't very busy at all so I got our packets right away. I even lingered to buy a few items. I wanted to browse longer but I knew our dogs were probably barking at every person that walked within 15 feet of our car so I cut it short.
Then we were off to my sisters house in Stanley, NC (which is a small town outside of Charlotte). I have no pictures of anyone in my family because I suck at remembering my camera and it was somewhere at the bottom of my bag.
It was a hectic night of trying to get Sophie to sleep in a bed that wasn't hers but she eventually fell asleep with me and Ricky. We didn't attempt to move her.
5 am my alarm went off and I was getting ready. We needed to leave the house about 6:15 to make it downtown (it's really uptown), park and get to the starting line. Weren't sure about traffic and finding a place to park.
It ended up being very easy to find a parking spot at the Westin Hotel parking garage. They even opened up their lobby for runners to find warmth and use the facilites. Thanks Westin!
We made it to the starting line and I got into my corral. I chose the 2 hour pace time because I just wasn't sure how this was going to go. Charlotte has hills and I didn't have the greatest week so I was playing it safe.
I tossed my fleece and the gun went off. As usual the start is very crowded so I had a hard time getting around people. I even ran past my old office building. I miss it. I used to work for Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) in one of the high rise buidlings uptown. They've done a lot to the area, it's so nice and clean, I really miss it (did I mention I miss it?).
Mile 1 - 9:02
Mile 2 - 9:10
Mile 3 - 8:51
I have to say I was worried about hills but at the start we went downhill a ton. This was nice but I knew those hills were coming at some point. I felt good at the start.
Mile 4 - 8:48
Mile 5 - 9:08
Mile 6 - 8:55
Somewhere between mile 5 and 6 I tried to side step some water cups and I felt something funky in my left knee that had me slowing down. Didn't hurt as much as it felt like I twisted something so it felt....tender I guess is a good word.
Mile 7 - 8:48
Mile 8 - 8:59
Mile 9 - 8:36
I ate some of my engery chews early on, I think about mile 4 because we encountered some hills. I ate two more at mile 7 to help me with getting over the hills.
Mile 10 - 8:33
Mile 11 - 8:38
Mile 12 - 8:46
I took two more energy chews at mile 10 and then two more at mile 12. Miles 11-12 were mostly uphill and I think I possibly groaned out loud at some point. It really felt like it was never going to end. Mile 13 was tough too because you rounded a corner and went up again until you finally saw the finish line.
Mile 13 - 8:28
.1 - sprint to the finish - 7:31
Done!!
Garmin:
13.22
1:56:27
avg pace 8:48
Chip Time:
13.1
1:56:23
avg pace 8:53
Overall Place 868 / 2494
Gender Place 296 / 1353
Division Place 59 / 256
I'm thrilled to PR again. I really was shooting for 2 hours but when I hit 6 miles and still felt strong (aside from the knee thing) I knew I could beat my previous half marathon time.
Ricky and my dad were there at the finish (still no camera, darn). We walked through the victory village, grabbed some free stuff and food and then headed home to hang out with the family.
This is my last race till the marathon and I really want to try and find one more half to run because I'm having a great time with it. It almost, ALMOST, makes me want to change to the half marathon in January and really focus on running it faster. But I know I'll regret it if I do that.
Parking garage picture when I realized I had my camera.
Supposed to run 8 but only did 6 miles this morning, 53:12, avg pace like 8:41 I think. Oh well, at least I dragged myself out of bed and went to the gym.
I did make it to Body Pump last night and even managed to squeeze in 2 miles before class.
So I guess between last night and this morning it equals 8 right?
Can't decide if I'm going to run again in the morning or take it easy since I have a half marathon on Saturday. I'm still feeling a little icky so I'm basing it on how I sleep tonight and if I can make it up in the morning.
We are leaving for Charlotte, NC around lunch and originally I was going to work half a day but after yesterday's morning traffic fiasco I decided to take the full day off because I deserve a stress free day sometimes. We were having a difficult time working out the logistics of whether Ricky was going to take me to work, pick us up and then hit the road. What about the dogs? I have to get everything packed up and ready to go tonight....it was starting to stress me out so I just decided to take the whole darn day and pack in the morning at my leisure.
See, I try to be conservative with my time off because now that I have a child, it's not really my time off but it's mine plus Sophie's because I need it if she gets sick. Which happened quite a bit that first year and a half of her life.
So around Noon we'll be on the road with plenty of time to stop by the expo and then head to my sister's house to hang out with the family before we have to get up Saturday morning. Sounds much better than trying to work half a day.
I think this is one the first Wed. runs I missed training yet. I am bummed.
When my alarm went off I struggled to get out of bed when I realized that I had cramps (and we all know what that means). So I felt really blah and uncomfortable (you know, the feeling like your uterus is getting squeezed). I reset my alarm, took some Advil and went back to sleep. I hated doing it. I really should have made myself go but I couldn't muster up the energy or the will power - which is the reason I'm bummed. I wimped out.
I still feel blah and uncomfortable. The first two days are usually like this and then by the third I'm fine. I guess this is the reason for my mood swings the last couple of days.
And I cried this morning on the way to work because there was a 5 car pile up so I sat in a ton of traffic. Then Sophie told me she pee pee'd in her pants and that's when I started crying. I almost pulled into a gas station to change her but I was almost past the wreck plus I figured if she sat in her pee and didn't like it, maybe she would learn to hold it. I don't know.
When we got to school I pulled out an extra pair of pants and undies, got her out of the car seat and realized....she was dry. She didn't pee pee her pants. Huh. Maybe she had to urge but either way I praised her for not tinkling in her car seat.
So I'm all frazzled when I get to work, Advil has worn off and cramps are coming back. Luckily I just ate a turkey and veggie sub and took some more Advil.
Luckily tonight is Body Pump class and I have my gym bag sitting right next to me. Ricky is getting Sophie from school and I am determined to make it to the gym tonight. I'm going to try to get in a few miles before and after class. Then tomorrow morning I should be able to get up and do my 8 miles.
Just a little snag in the schedule and I have to learn to roll with it and stop getting so upset if I miss a run or workout. But in my defense my time is limited so it's not like I can just do whatever whenever, I got mommy duties and a job so when I miss my run I am very hard on myself.
Either way I'm hoping that I don't feel crummy this evening but if I do and for some reason turn right onto the interstate instead of staying straight towards the gym. It'll be OK!
Yesterday at daycare the teachers introduced the potty. Most of the kids have either started or are already potty trained so Sophie is sort of one of the last one's. I'm OK with that, I've learned that all kids are different and some take a little longer than others to get persuaded to wear big girl panties.
She sat on the potty but never went, except for in her pants :( It's all good, it's her first full day. It takes a while for them to get the concept and she'll get it in time.
She did make it the whole way home without going in her pants (I have a plastic grocery bag on her car seat just in case) and when we got home she sat on the potty for about 5 minutes reading a book. I don't know if she went or not because I had to let the dogs out.
After dinner she was playing with Daddy. I was upstairs when all of a sudden I hear "Mommy, you need to come down here...."
So I go down and Sophie is jumping up and down all excited. She pooped in the potty! That's my girl!
So even if she doesn't pee pee in the potty maybe we can get the poop part down. I can handle pee.
I ran 5 miles this morning, 42:10, avg pace 8:24. I did the first 3.5 miles with hill intervals and the last 1.5 miles of speed work (on the treadmill of course). Regardless it was a good run.
After the run I didn't have much time to do weights so I did some kettle ball lunges and planks. Then it was time to head home with the sun starting to rise. So nice.
I was planning on getting up and running this morning. My week is going to be kind of messed up because Wed. (my 8 miles) my husband has to be out of the house by 5:30 am so there is no time to run unless I get up at 3:30 and make it to the gym right at 4:00 when it opens.
That's still an option.
Last night just as I was roasting some red potatoes and getting ready to fire up the grill, my husband got the dreaded call that shit was spilling into the river. Literally, shit.
Because I don't know too much about the specifics, I do know that it means that the pumps he rented to the customer failed or didn't turn on like they were supposed to, to pump the sewer, which means it started flowing into the river. Not good. At all.
I rarely see my husband get so stressed out but at this point I thought he was going to have a heart attack. Because he is the sales rep, he must go and do damage control with the customer. So he takes off about 6:30 and it's just me and Sophie for dinner. I ending up eating a sandwich and Sophie chicken nuggets (mom of the year award right here).
Poor guy didn't get home till 1:30 am (Columbia, SC where his customer's site is located, is about an hour and a half away). Once he got home and into bed I had a hard time getting back to sleep and then my mind kept racing for some reason. Anyway we both didn't sleep well, I'm sure he was having nightmares about last nights fiasco.
So today ended up being a rest day like originally planned, which turned out to be a good thing because I am sore from yesterdays weight session.
I did cross train but I also ran 2 miles - sort of a recover run - and did the elliptical and then weights.
So tomorrow I will run and then see what to do about Wed. I have another half marathon on Saturday in Charlotte, NC - the Thunder Road Half Marathon.
Charlotte is home to the Lowe's Motor Speedway and Nascar Hall of Fame so that is why it's named Thunder Road. Plus we have Paramounts Carowinds theme park and there's a roller coaster called Thunder Road. But I don't that the race is named after the roller coaster.
So I need to make sure I don't over do it this week because Charlotte has a lot of hills. Plus we'll be traveling with child and dogs so it's not like it's going to be easy going, it's going to be tiring and stressful but we're staying with my sister so it's automatic baby sitter while we run (Ricky is running the 5k).
Ultimately I'm glad things worked out like they did, I needed the rest anyway. My right heel has been bothering me ever since the Mrytle Beach Mini Marathon.
Time change is both good and bad. I love when the sun rises early, helps me get out of bed. However getting home when it's dark out is going to be a little depressing. Grin and bear it, that's what I do.
Potty training blitz starts at daycare this week. So this past weekend I was trying to get Sophie all excited and get her in "big girl panties." She tells me "I not a big girl, I'm a baby." This isn't a good sign.
How much do you push till you realize maybe she's just not ready? Maybe daycare will have luck. She likes the fight me tooth and nail while she seems to tow the line with her teachers. This will be interesting.
Last night when she was bathed, dressed and ready for bed. We snuggled. It was wonderful. I cherish these moments.
Day 1 - Sunday
Cross Train: 15 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the stair climber. Weights (legs, upper body and some kettle ball exercices).
Day 2 - Monday
Rest: Halloween! Trick or Treating with my little black cat. I was sore from the previous day's workout so this was a nice day to take it easy. Of course I was rushed trying to get home, cook dinner, get Sophie ready for trick or treating, and making sure the decorations outside were all set up.
Day 3 - Tuesday
4 miles, 33:08, avg pace 8:15. When I was on my way home from the gym I realized that I was supposed to run 5 miles this morning. Oops.
Day 4 - Wednesday
8 miles, 1:07, avg pace 8:27. Body pump class in the evening. My first Body Pump class in like 3 years and it was great! Looking forward to doing these more often as long as the hubby can get Sophie after work.
Day 5 - Thursday 5 miles Rest: I could have gotten up but my body was tired, not so much sore, just really tired.
Day 6 - Friday Rest 5 miles, 43:05, avg pace 8:47. Taking it easy since I had my long run the next day. Ab workout after the run.
Day 7 - Saturday
18 miles, 2:55:56, avg pace 9:46.
I was not looking forward to this run for 1 reason: Wind.
The weather forecast was calling for windy conditions today 15-25 mph winds with 35 mph + wind gusts. Lovely. Not only the wind but it was pretty chilly this morning, which is not normally a big deal. but when you factor in the wind it was cold. I'm a whimp when it comes to the cold, but this was bone chilling.
Starting out was a little rough because my hands were freezing and I didn't bring my gloves, because I figured I wouldn't want to wear them very long anyway.
Before long I started to warm up slightly but was still wearing my fleece. I was a little afraid I was going to get to warm but when I was in the shade and the wind wipped through the area, I was glad I kept it on.
So I felt good overall except for when I was running head first into the wind. That just made me feel slow and cold and towards the end of the run I kept saying "effing wind" for the last 4 miles.
I was keeping about a 9:30 - 9:40 pace until...the last 4 miles (effing wind). I was getting tired and it was just a blowing. Plus I was on a different part of the trail and there were a ton of leaves covering the path and I almost tripped over a few branches that had fallen so I slowed down to make sure I didn't bust my butt.
Mostly I was getting tired and I was out of water. The annoying thing with all the wind is my lips were dry as crap and my mouth was getting dry too. I think for the race Ricky is going to have to meet me somewhere around mile 20 and give me another water bottle. I did really well with my water until mile 17.
I ate some of my power bar enery chews throughout the run as well as some peanut M&M's (don't judge - they were good at mile 12).
Last week I felt a little dizzy around mile 12 from being hungry I think so I made sure I had something with me just in case. Not sure it was the right thing but I figured the peanuts would help. Sometimes when I eat the energy chews I get sick of the taste but I hate gels. Not sure if the M&M's did anything for me but it was a nice snack to have (sorry Sophie - I stole them from her Halloween candy stash).
Regardless of the wind, I'm glad I got out there and did it. I really wanted to wimp out. The time was slow but then again I've never run 18 miles before so I'm proud all around.
Of course when I got home it was nap time for Sophie and I was looking forward to laying down with her while my husband went to the gym to do his workout. This would be the day she doesn't want to nap. I was half asleep when I felt like I was being watched.
There she was sitting next to me going "get up Mommy, I not tired, no nap." I tried for about 15 minutes to get her to lay down but she was not having it. So tonight it's almost bed time and I have a feeling I'm going to crash hard.
I did a slower run this morning, 5 miles, 43:05, avg pace 8:47. Did some abs after.
To be honest I wasn't really feeling it this morning. I didn't sleep well but I knew I would regret it if I didn't at least get some miles in today.
Once I started running I felt good but decided to keep it a little slower because tomorrow I have to do 18 miles.
Even though it's cloudy, rainy and cold today, tomorrow is supposed to still be chilly, sunny and WINDY!!!
I think I read where it's going to be 35 mph wind gusts? Um not cool. I hate running when it's that windy because it makes it harder and it's going to be a cold wind. Not excited.
Last week it was rainy and windy and this time it's just going to be windy. It's OK I will get it done, I have to. Can't do it on Sunday.
I always go by the rule of thumb that what if these are the conditions on race day? I must tough it up and get out there and be blown away! I will try to not look at my watch because then I'll get frustrated.
Other than my run we don't have a whole lot of plans for the weekend. I'm going to attempt to get some projects done around the house and then have dinner with a friend of mine who I have seen in a few months.
My good friend Pam and former running buddy (I say former because she's not really running right now, trying to get preggers!!)
Losts of races this weekend and sad that I won't be doing the James Island Connector 10k tomorrow but it doesn't fall into my training plan. Good thing too with the wind. Up a bridge over the water can not be ideal running conditions but it'll be challenging for sure.
Last night I went to the gym that's close to my office for a Body Pump class. I haven't done Body Pump at this location in three years (since my last job that had a corporate membership with this gym).
Speaking of my last job, I worked for a software company that did online health benefit enrollment for insurance carriers and their employees. I was a Data Analyst and this is what my resume says about my previous position:
· Primarily responsible for ensuring the integrity and synchronization of the data provided to the insurance carrier and aide in the transfer and exchange of electronic health data.
· Other responsibilities include handling changes in healthcare data made by the HR Administrator and researching issues during data transmissions.
· Ongoing correspondencewith the insurance carrier to ensure the appropriate information was received properly.
It's all very technical so I won't go into detail however my Art degree came in very handy for this job let me tell you. Actually when I interviewed my soon to be manager laughed and sort of made fun of my college education. He wasn't a very good boss to say the least. I kicked ass in that job. I worked long days with no overtime and was stressed to the max. I had never experienced anxiety before until I worked for this company. It was very demanding and it was the happiest day of my life when I left.
Anyway, when I was employed at this company I went to the gym and did Body Pump twice a week. This really helped my weight loss before I got pregnant. I missed it greatly.
Now that I have a corporate membership through my new company I am able to go again, just not as frequently.
For example last night Ricky picked up Sophie so I could head straight there but because he travels and is the bread winner, I pick her up most nights.
I used to think Body Pump was so hard but that was at a time where I wasn't doing much weight training. Last night I noticed that I have come a very long way. I probably could have gone a little heavier than what I did but decided to keep the weight kind of light because I didn't want to be too sore for my long run on Saturday but I had just enough to make it a little challenging while not overexerting myself.
Had a great workout and I was STARVING when I got home.
This morning my alarm went off at it's usual 4:00 but I decided to rest today. I wasn't really sore but my body felt tired so I will run tomorrow.
My husband asked if he snored last night because he was out of breathe right strips. I didn't hear a thing, I slept like a rock.
Over the last few months I've made the switch from my regular yogurt to Greek yogurt. It's been difficult for me to find a good tasting fat free brand.
I'm not a fan of Chobani at all. I think it's gross and has a funky taste. My coworker eats the fat free plain. She must not have any taste buds.
I tried another brand, Fage, but wasn't a fan.
Finally I found my brand:
It's a little pricey, at my supermarket it's 3 for $7.00 but so worth it!
Vanilla bean is my favorite flavor, not so much a fan of the fruit ones but strawberry will do when they are out of the vanilla bean.
They also have a Greek yogurt parfait (yogurt plus granola that you mix together) and it's delicious but I can't seem to find it on their website.
I try to eat yogurt at least once a day. I have found it very beneficial and because I don't drink a ton of milk, I have to get calcium in me somehow.
My daughter drinks a "yogurt smoothie" every morning when she wakes up. When she was an infant she battled oral thrush which is common in babies. It was a pain in the ass to treat and turned into a yeast diaper rash (because as we were killing it in her mouth with medicine it got into her intestinal track - yuck). It was not a fun experience especially for a new mommy.
Because her tummy was so upset from the whole ordeal the doctor told us to by a special formula with probiotics to help get her all regular and kill off the bad yeast and stuff. It worked. With in a few days she was much better. After that I bought a powder probiotic to add to her formula.
Ever since she was old enough to eat yogurt I bought Yo Baby drinkable yogurt and put it in her sippy cup. It's been our morning routine for the last year and a half. Sophie calls it "gurt." :)
I really feel this has helped keep her regular and helped her recovery quickly from stomach bugs. Plus when she had all her ear infections and was on an antibiotic more than I would have liked her to be, the probiotics helped keep all the good bacteria in her tummy - which killing it off could lead to thrush again and antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria. I did a lot of reading on this when she was younger.
And because she's going through a "don't want milk" phase I know she's getting some from this.
I'm an advocate for probiotics.
Did 8 miles this morning, time 1:07, avg pace 8:27.
Tonight my plan is to go to the gym after work for a Body Pump class at the gym near my office. My husband is going to pick up Sophie for me. Hopefully I will have the energy to do so. If the day goes well and I'm feeling good later, and the stars are all aligned I will do it.
I have my gym bag right by my desk so I don't forget!
Trick or Treating was a success! I'm so proud of the fact that she wore her costume with out a fuss, let me draw her whiskers on her face, and actually walked up to the doors and said "trick or treat" and "thank you" every time she got candy.
Happy kitty ready to get some candy.
If you look closely at my car you'll see the nice dented tailgate and bumper from my accident - that's finally getting fixed next week.
She carried that pouch of candy the entire time.
Went to maybe 10 houses and then headed home so we could get Sophie ready for bed. I'm happy she had a great time and look forward to next year. Now she realizes she got a bunch of candy, it was the first thing she asked for this morning so we hid it.
This morning I ran 4 miles, 33:08, avg pace 8:15. As I was doing weights I realized that I was supposed to do 5 miles. Oops.
I was going to do an extra mile after weights but then I ran out of time.
I also realized that this weekend daylight savings ends. Bummer!! I hate getting home from work when it's dark out. Makes me feel like I missed the day. However I do like it getting lighter earlier. I've been having such a hard time getting out of bed on the weekends because the sun doesn't rise till about 7:15 or so.
