Catchin' up

Hello blog world. Yes, I have been away for almost a week! I know you have missed me (yeah right! ha). I promise to post a Week Update soon. My brain is still fried from travel, lack of sleep and sickness. I just can't wrap my head around writing a long post at this point. Hopefully I'll get to it tonight or possibly tomorrow. Until then...

photo courtesy of Cute Overload

Things on the Brain

I have a million things going on in my head today.. couldnt decide what to write about, so I am just going to put it all out there.

• I hope I have packed everything I need.. my suitcase sure is big enough

• Charlie dog went to the kennel, I hope he has a good time :)

• I am wondering how I am going to get all my training in this week. Last nights walk was cut a little short because G's legs were really hurting. And I had to pack so I didnt get to do KenpoX. Plus, we are missing a long 7 mile run today because we will be on an airplane! I just hope it doesnt hurt us in the long run. Oh, and I am planning on not doing my P90X while there.. it's just to hard to try and fit in (plus, who wants to pack weights?!)

• I realize that my blog is probably boring but I have reading some posts today from my daily blog reads about how people are leaving mean comments on blogs. I just don't think its necessary. I mean, here we are, the bloggers, deciding to blog just because we like to do it. It doesnt matter if we always have the greatest stories or best advice (or anything else these people were complaining about), but we like to write and feel that we need an outlet. So if you don't like someones blog, don't read it... no need to make hurtful statements.

• That being said, I wish I had more of an eventful life to write about. My day is pretty much the same every single day: Get up at 7, take dog out, go to work at 8, each lunch at home with G at noon, come home at 5, go for run, eat dinner, do P90X, and work on my personal biz. Day in and day out. It's pretty boring really.

• I think I have decided I want to run the Rock N Roll 1/2 marathon in Chicago in August. As one of my goals this year, I want to run 2 half marathons. And I love chicago, so I thought this would be a great weekend trip for us. Haven't registered yet, but seriously deciding. That will also help me keep up my "be fittest you have ever been" goal.

• Those pants, in a previous post, that didn't fit at all?? Are slowly coming around. I still can't believe I could wear them a year ago, and now I can't. It just blows my mind. I dont feel my body has changed that much in a year (and again, VERY frustrating)

• My fast food of choice these days is McDonalds. Maybe this is why my ass is fat, although I only consume it probably 2 times a month (if that). But I just can't resist the coke!! YUM!

• I think G and I are going to back to not eating out all the time. My finance have really been hurting since Feb and I just need to get back on track. Plus, I can eat healthier that way.

• Speaking of healthy, I think I have G wanting to eat better. We are total carb people. I mean we eat pasta or bread at every meal (or some type of starch). I really want to try to get away from it so that I can reach some goals this year. I realize I am putting some terrible stuff into my body, and I want to change, it's just hard to do it alone.

See what I mean.. lots of thoughts.. I could go on and on too, but I won't bore you. I hope to blog while on vacation, but if not, then you know why

Happy Hump Day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

To the most wonderful person in the world..MY DAD!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

This is what I get?!?!?!

(that's pretty much how I feel about you too, Miley!)

I can't remember what I have mentioned and what I haven't so if I am being redundant, please excuse me.

G and I are heading to sunny California on wednesday to visit my sister for her 30th birthday! These next couple of days are going to be LONG during the day and BUSY at night trying to get everything together before we leave. But while we are out there, we are actually going to go to a taping of the Jay Leno Show! Not that I am a huge Leno fan by any means, but it is still a chance to see a celeb up close. haha. So, I have been checking the episode guide since we found out we were getting tickets to see who was going to be taping the day we are going (I figured it has to air the same day it's filmed to keep up with current events). And when I checked today, it said Miley Cyrus and Tom Papa (the host of "The Marriage Ref").

Miley Cyrus? Really?! That is my close encounter with someone famous?! UGH.. She just drives me a little nuts and her voice needs help. I'm being mean, I realize. But couldn't I have gotten, I dunno, Cameron Diaz or something??!?! Miley! really?! Thanks.

I guess I shouldn't complain to much. The tickets are free.. And there is a great possibility we are getting on the guest list because of having a connection with someone that works for the show. It should still be a good time.. I'm just slightly disappointed.

Maybe, I'll see someone cool on my 11 mile run G and I have to do while out there. :)

Week 11 Update

Alright, it's that time again. Another Update. Last week was a pretty good week. Stayed on schedule for most of it and really tried to push myself during the P90X work outs since I had been slacking a little bit.
Here's the week:

Monday- 4 Miles and Core Synergistics (since I didnt do it on Sunday)

Tuesday- 3 miles and Cardio X

Wednesday - 6 miles (this was a very hilly run. But felt good and prepared myself for the race on saturday)

Thursday - 3 miles and Chest, Shoulders, Triceps/Ab Ripper (the back of my arms and shoulders definitely felt it the next day)

Friday - nothing (I was supposed to do Yoga X, but had to go to the grocery and we were having people over for dinner.. it just didn't happen)

Saturday - 10K Race!!
We were up bright and early for our 2nd race. It started at 8 am. Luckily it was a beautiful day with near perfect weather. G and I ran the majority of the race together until I sped it up a bit at mile 5. I was trying to beat my time from last year and only did it by about 1 minute. Which is OK, but I wish I had done better. G did an awesome job. He has never run a 6.2 mile race and he did the whole thing without stopping once... so very proud of him.

Sunday - Legs & Back/Ab Ripper. (I am very sore today! And just an FYI- 100lb labs don't really help when you are trying to work out!)

This should be an interesting week for working out. G and I are headed to L.A. on wednesday night. So we will be missing our midweek longer run. And then we have to do 11 miles on saturday. It is a definite must that we get the 11 miles in, as it will be the longest we will have gone before the half marathon. Also, I am not sure how I am going to be able to do my P90X while I am out there. So, I am going to push as much as I can this week to get in as much exercise and stay on schedule. We'll see how it goes. But I am excited for sunny California!!!

John Paul DeJoria

The other day I was purusing through some blogs, finding new things, taking a peak into people's lives, whom I don't know and I came across someone (I can't remember who at this point) who said she had met John Paul Dejoria, one of the founders of Paul Mitchell hair products. And she had mentioned that he had such an interesting story. So, like the person I am, I googled him and found this really wonderful article:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2009/july/202258.html

It came out July 2009, but it is an interesting and inspiring story of how he got his start. From being homeless at one point with a 2 year old to now owning houses in like 8 different places! It really is amazing. And he seems to be one of those down-to-earth types.

So here is some reading for your weekend! Enjoy!!

Running Music

(side note, it's really hard to pick one picture of JT!)

Confession: I am a top 40 music lover.

Can't help it. It was the way I was raised. I mostly love top 40 pop because I can sing along to the songs and some make me dance. I realize that they get over played on the radio but I'm ok with that. Sometimes I hear songs that I just really like because they have a good beat. Today for instance, my windows were down in my car, had the music going, enjoying the beautiful day and "Carry Out" by Timbaland featuring Justin Timberlake came on the radio. I LOVE IT! Makes me want to relive my college days going to a bar and dancing!! It make me want to jam. haha. I know its going to get played till it dies, kind of like Beyonce's "Single Ladies", but these are songs that I think I will always enjoy.

But here's my point of the post today. On saturday, as you know, I have the 10K to run. My usual running partner for races is not going to run because she has her son and can't leave him while we run for an hour. So, I am going to be by myself. I usually don't listen to music while I run, and I am still debating if I am going to or not (I dont want to carry anything). But today when I heard the JT/Timbaland song, I thought to myself, "you know, I could really run to this"! haha.

So I am looking for some good, upbeat (non- death metal) running songs. I'd like to make a play list. And it can be new, old, whatever. Even to the point where a few years ago, I found that Tom Petty's "Running Down A Dream" was actually the pace I ran.. so it's sure to be on there.

What are your favorite work out song?!?! Help!

Yoga Toes!

Have you seen these things? I bought a pair yesterday to try them out.
They are supposed to help:

• Exercise your feet to stay healthy & in shape.
• Improve & prevent foot problems by stretching & aligning your toes.
• Ease the discomfort of Hammertoes, Bunions & Plantar Fasciitis.
• Recover from stress, strain & overuse.
• Improve foot strength, flexibility & appearance.
• Increase circulation, straighten bent toes, & realign joints.
• Improve & reduce the aches & pains associated with poor posture.

Many of these which I have. Plus the fact my feet have been sore from running so much and not being able to get my shoes to fit 100% comfortable. I hope they work. I need them to badly.
Has anyone else used these? Back when I went to New Orleans for my bachelorette party, a friend of mine busted out a pair of these and said she really liked them. You can get them online or I just found them at the local walgreen's.

Cross your fingers.

Week 10 Update

Just 6 weeks left to go!
Another successful week has passed for us in our training. I can't express enough how impressed I am with G and myself for doing so well in our training and keeping on schedule. It will definitely help our half mile run at the end of this journey.
Here's how the week broke down:

Monday - 5 miles and Chest, Shoulders, Triceps & Ab Ripper

Tuesday - 2 miles and Yoga X (I actually really tried to do the whole thing correctly! haha)

Wednesday - 5 miles (so nice not to have a P90X after a long run)

Thursday - 3 miles and Legs & Back/ Ab Ripper

Friday - Kenpo X

Saturday - 10 MILES!!!! We finished a little over 10.5 minutes miles, which for us is pretty fantastic. We only stopped and walked a couple times and it was no more than a few minutes. I ended up with some blisters and a sports bra burn, but nothing major! Feel really good about that run.

Sunday- nada, too hung over from the St. Patrick's Parade festivities.

All in all, a GREAT week for us. This saturday we have our second race in the the Triple Crown. It is a 10K (6.2 miles). I am hoping, again, to beat my time of 1:02 of last year. Since my race partner R won't be doing this race, I am curious to see how I do on my own. Usually when I run, I am with someone and/or have a dog in tow. I wonder how much of a difference it will be when I am really left to my own ability. I hope I can keep up.

P.S. Sorry for not posting yesterday, it was a crazy day at the office. Happy Tuesday!

Running Routes

I thought I would share a bit of advice for my fellow runners out there that may, or may not know of 2 great sites.

I am apparently "in charge" of find our running routes for our little team of runners, or some days just me and G. And I dont mind to do it, but sometimes it can be tough to figure out 10 miles (which I have to do for tomorrow). So a couple a years ago I came across www.walkjogrun.net. This is a completey free service to use. It is basically set up in google maps, but you can create your own routes and it will tell you how far you have gone. Or, if you dont want the task of marking it out yourself, there are saved routes from other people that you can view and use. I think this is a genious idea and definitely beats driving in your car to figure out 10 miles.

Another great site, that does the same thing is www.usatf.org. The great thing about usatf.org is that they are the people that actually create the routes for official races (like half and full marathons). It's a little harder to find the maps on this page. So here are the steps: click "sports" on upper right on bar. Click "road running" on the pull down menu. Click "running routes" on left column. And from their you can either select "find a route" to view others saved routes or click "create a route" to create a new one just for you.

Happy Running!

Bathing Suit Season?

The air is warmer, no more snow.. I think it's looking like spring. And what does spring mean?! It means, it's almost time for bathing suit season. I try to get a new suit every year just because I think that is what you are supposed to do ;) Plus, I always find a few that I like and must have at least one of them. I do keep suits for several years, basically till the butt falls out of them, so it's not like they go to waste.

Plus, as I have blogged about before, I am heading to sunny, southern california (Los Angeles) in like 2 weeks!! I am ultra pumped about this mini vaca. And while out there, I am sort of wanting to hang out on the beach one day.

So here are some that I have found for this year:
all from J.Crew















Or this from Target.

In trying to get this post together, I didnt find too many suits that I liked. I dont know if it's because the season really isn't here yet or what. So now, I need some help. What sites are good for suits? I have looked at Victorias Secret and really just didnt like any of them. I am not sure where else to go. I love the J.crew ones, but they are sort of on the $$$ side for a little piece of fabric.
So, help a girl out.. where to go?!

Week 9 Update

Wow, week 9! I am always amazed at how far we have come. We are definitely over the half way point and starting to mentally prepare for the long, 13.1 mile run. Some days that seems like an easy task, like I have prepare myself enough to be able to handle it. Then other days, it seems sooo daunting, especially if I have an "off" day running, I think "how the heck am I ever going to run 13.1 miles!?!". But hopefully, we will have prepared ourselves enough to finish.

This past weekend also marked the first race in the Triple Crown series. We will do a series of 3 races before the big Half Marathon. The first race was a 5k (3.1 miles). I ran the race last year, and G did too, so our goal for this year was just to do better than last year. My time for the 2009 race was 31:12 (did I ever say I wasn't a fast runner?). So this year, I just wanted to break 30 minutes.. and HOT DAMN! I DID!! :) I am so proud of myself. I ended up finishing in 29:02. A whole 2 minutes faster than last year and under a 10 minutes mile, so I was very pleased. G even did better by 2 minutes than last year! So now, we are gearing up for the next race in 2 weeks which is a 10k (6.2 miles). We have already run a 9 miler and this saturday we will run 10, so hopefully the 10k comes easy.

Here is how the rest of the week panned out:

Monday: 4 Miles and Cardio X
Tuesday: 3 Miles (was supposed to do Yoga X today to completely finish out my Phase 1, but I really dont like the yoga dvd, so I ended up skipping it all together.. oops!)
Wednesday: 5 Miles
Thursday: 3 Miles and Core Synergistics
Friday: nada (was supposed to do Cardio X, but just needed a day off)
Saturday: 5k!
Sunday: Cardio X

I am about 1 day behind on the P90X schedule, so I will have to do 5 miles AND Chest, Shoulders & Triceps/Ab Ripper tonight.. not really looking forward to it.

Oh, I have failed to mention that the weather has been much better lately and we have been able to do all of our runs outside! (Tuesday I got my hair cut, so I had to do it inside but that it just because I don't particularly like running in the dark). Running outside is SOO much better for me and the Dog likes it too!

Happy Monday!

Just Couldn't Do It

I had mentioned earlier this week that I was going to post pictures from the end of Phase I of P90X. I had all intentions of posting and showing my "amazing progress" since I feel like I have done really well.

But, I took my measurements first, and was pretty disappointed at the numbers. Nothing went up, but nothing really went down either. I am a little amazed because I "feel" like I have lost inches but the tape measure was not helping me out. But this could also be due to the fact that I had just run 5 miles and eaten dinner.. I dunno.

I also know, that I have not lost any in the weight department... so I think. When I first started, I had an old scale, that i am not sure ever gave the correct weight. But, I am an avid weight-checker, as the scale is in my bathroom and just so easy to step onto, so I check it about every other day.. and dont see any real improvements.

So when I took my pictures, I was just hoping to see the physical change.. not so much.. if anything, in some pictures I think I look bigger. So I am going to hold of on posting pictures right now till I feel there is a dramatic of enough difference to show. And I hope this comes with the next round. As I have said before, I pretty much work out 6-7 times a week, majorly focusing on cardio but still have weight training, so I am not exactly sure where the problem is, but I do know I eat alot of carbs. I guess I need to work on that.

It's still part of my 2010 goal to be in the best shape I have ever been in, so I am just going to push on and believe a change will come soon enough.. wish me luck!

New Shoes!!

I had to go out and buy new running shoes today. G had bought me some back at the end of October because the ones previous to that were seriously worn out. He bought me a different brand than I had currently been wearing because the store was out of the "usual" brand and these were comperable. I have worn them since then but they havent been exactly right, and since beginning the training I have had blisters on my feet. Plus, the right shoe never seemed to fit right. And the final straw was after my run last night, I had developed a lovely blood blister. I like the shoes, but it was definitely time for new ones. So here are my new, shiney, VERY BRIGHT, running shoes!

I am not so thrilled with the coloring on them but you kind of don't get a choice when you are trying to find shoes that fit your feet correctly. And I am a very big supporter of the correct shoes for running. If I can give any tips from my running experience, it is to get shoes that are fitted to your feet.... spend the money.... they will last you and your feet, knees, ankles, hips and every other part of your leg will thank you for it!

And for those who are curious. I am an over pronator. Meaning, I roll my foot toward the inside. Therefore, I get extra support through the arch of my foot. My new shoes are Asics GT-2160 and I have been fitted for this style of shoe several different times.

New Do

Do we like? I basically just got about 2.5" cut off, slight layering at the bottom so it "cups" under. No cutting of the bang area. And made it a whole lot brighter. I went in not really knowing what I wanted. Yesterday, I had looked through a whole bunch of old pics of me, with my variety of hair styles from very short, to very long... and just couldnt make up my mind which way I wanted to go. I was very in the middle. So, I decided to stick to what I had originally planned. I just hope I am not getting to "mom-ish"! YIKES. Maybe next time, we will add more layers,go longer and get a little "funkier" with it. It's such a tough decision.


PS... I hate pictures from the computer.. YUCK!

Tuesday Thoughts

• I really need to quit talking about people in a negative way. I have been so "negative nancy" lately it's gross. Just saying caddy things and unnecessary things. Do other people struggle with this? It's so easy to talk about someone and then think no one talks about you! HA! yea right. So maybe, if I quit talking about others, the good karma will come back around to me?!

• I need a good book to read. I haven't picked up a book since our honeymoon almost 6 months ago!! I especially will need one for our trip to L.A. I get anxiety on planes these days, so anything to keep my mind off of it for a 4 hour flight would be fantastic!

• Speaking of Los Angeles... I am SOOO PUMPED about my trip. I am so glad that my sister lives out there to give us a tour of the city. I want to do some touristy things too. ACK! I can't wait. Hello California!

• I am getting my hair done today, and have no idea what I want to do. Right now it's all one length just below my shoulders. I am kind of liking the one length, but I think I want it about an inch above my shoulders, in more of a bob. And my color just needs some HELP! It is sooo blah these days. I wish I had someone to come style my hair everyday for me.

• I have to remember to go to the bank today!

• I need to figure out my weekend plans. I have 2 different things to do saturday night and I can't decide. One, I dont really want to do, but feel like I should since I already said I would. And the other would be more fun, but I just want to stay home. Both activities are out of town. Plus I have a shower on sunday that I need to be back for. Ugh. Decisions, Decisions

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Week 8 Update

I can't believe it, we have made it half way through our training schedule for the Derby Half Marathon. In some ways, it feels like it has taken forever, and then in some ways it feels like it has flown by. I am still VERY proud of my hubby G for taking this journey with me. It is completely hard, and sometimes ridiculous, but he has done an amazing job (and even dropped quite a bit of weight!). Here is what last weeks schedule looked like:

Monday: 5 miles - we did 5.5 since we got to run outside, it was great day!
Tuesday: 2 miles & Yoga X (I am not liking the Yoga X workout. Tony does WAY TO MANY freakin' downward dogs! I swear that is all you do for the 1st 45 min. I fast forwarded through some... oops! ;) )
Wednesday: 5 miles & Core Synergistics (I think this was another 5.5 since we did the same route as monday, only going the other way. It was also much coooolllldddeeerrrrrr this day)
Thursday: 3 miles & Kenpo X (on the treadmill, it was too cold)
Friday: was supposed to do X Stretch, but decided to push it back a day, and take the day off
Saturday: 9 MILES!!! & X Stretch (we ended up running part of the mini marathon route this morning, and basically went up hill for 4.5 miles and back down to complete the 9. It was bitterly cold and snowing. And while I didnt do as good as I wanted to - I was way too stuck in my head about it - I completed the route and was happy to be done.)
Sunday: nada.. just couldn't do it.

So I feel that I have to pick it up a little this week. I have slacked a little bit on the P90X. I have done all of the scheduled workouts, but I may have fast forwarded through some parts I really dont care for. oops! I need to "bring it" a little more and really get the benefit out of the DVDs. Plus, I am a little discouraged that I really havent dropped any pounds since starting all of this. It's disappointing but I guess I just need to keep truckin' along. I will have completed Phase 1 by the middle of this week and I plan on taking new pics and new measurements, so hopefully then I will see some sort of difference. I know there is a difference in my arms, and I think my butt is getting smaller, but we shall see if that is all true, probably thursday. I'll keep you posted.

Happy Monday!