my week in pictures

Well, it's been a full week since I've posted anything so I'm going to attempt to sum up my week with a few photos!


Last Sunday (5/20)
We went on a little bike ride to the park to play some frisbee and well long story short this happened when 2 bikes got too close:

one week later and it still looks just as bad.

Monday (5/21)

Workout: Easy Run 

Treadmill 44mins, Incline 1.0

4 miles 416 calories

This was one awful run.  I made some bad choices earlier on in the evening and severely paid for it during my run.  I will NEVER go to burger night and then try and do a run an hour later.  It was horrible.  I even had to get off the treadmill and puke about 2 miles in.  Greasy burgers and running do not mix well for me.  So from now on it's one or the other!  BUT I did still manage to complete my 4 miles.  Mainly because I knew I was already half way done so I wanted to get it done and over with and not have to make it up from square one another day!

Tuesday (5/22)

Rest Day.  After Monday night I was still feeling pretty crappy about my run so I decided to take today off and go test drive some cars.  We went to a VW dealership and I drove a few Jettas.  I really liked them.  Anyone ever own one??  Got any feedback for me??

And here's a look at what I worked on all week, tab shoes:

Wednesday (5/23)

Workout: Easy Run

Oustide 3.1 miles

32 mins 400 calories

I wore this:

A little keepsake from my Flying Pig Half Marathon.  You can't see it all that great but it has wings on the back and a little swirly pig tail.  So obviously I felt super fast running with wings on my back.  Not.

Thursday (5/24)

Workout: XT (well was supposed to XT but I still ran 2 miles...on the treadmill, in 20 mins, burning 219 calories)

Strength

45 mins with Damian (trainer)

We went over so much during this time!  Lots of simple moves that I can double up on and work arms and legs at the same time.  Then the second half of my workout was spent on the TRX Suspension Training Equipment.  One word to sum it up: intense.  Read more about it here.  Basically we did all these moves: rows, squats, lunges, pikes, mountain climbers, pushups, etc while being suspended in the air.  Makes you work that much harder.  And let me tell you I was SOOOOO sore afterwards!  I could barely walk to my car.  And even more sore the entire next day.  I hurt places that I didn't know were able to hurt!  So overall, I felt like a complete spaz trying out some of the moves but I think it's totally worth it to feel the way I felt afterwards.  I mean something must've been working right and maybe this is what I need to build up more strength.  So hopefully I'll be able to incorporate this into my workouts at least once a week for now.  That is if I can muster up the balls to go to the gym and try it on my own :/

Then to celebrate my awesome night of working out we headed over to Cafe Hollander and sipped on one of these:

Strawberry Ginger Crush   8.25

Three Olives vanilla vodka, fresh strawberries, ginger beer, and lime

It was pretty good.  Very sweet so I can't imagine having more than one.  But perfect summery drink to sip on while sitting outside on their patio.

Friday (5/25)

Rest Day.  So sore.  Could barely walk normal.  No exercise for me.  But I did manage to enjoy a little of this:

Non-Fat Island Banana swirled with Dutch Chocolate Fro Yo

with fresh Strawberries and a few Choco Chips

DELICIOUS.  If you haven't been to Yo Mamas yet go right now.  I'm so glad it's warm out and Yo Mamas is right down the street :)

Saturday (5/26)

Workout: Easy Run

Treadmill 45 mins, Incline 0

416 calories 4.16 miles

I was still hurting from Thursday and not looking forward to this run.  I was not looking forward to it even more when I woke up and it was pouring out cause I knew that I'd have to run it inside.  But I did it.  And it was tough.  I didn't even add any incline cause my legs felt so heavy as is.  Really beginning to question this whole run-13-miles thing...

Sunday (5/27)

Rest Day.  Pool Day.  Sister Sleepover Day.

Here's what Mal and I made for dinner:

Grilled Corn Orzo Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette

I got the recipe from Iowa Girl Eats a really cool blog with some great nutritional recipes.  Check it out!

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 cup orzo, uncooked
• 2 ears sweet corn
• 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/4 small red onion, minced
• 2 Tablespoons chopped basil

For the Chili Lime Vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

• Cook orzo in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
• Shuck corn then grill for 5-6 minutes, rotating every minute or so to evenly char on all sides. Let cool slightly, then cut kernels off the cob.
• Combine cooked orzo and corn kernels with tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and basil in a large bowl and stir to combine.
• For the Chili Lime Vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve chilled, or at room temperature.

And after dinner we watched The Vow.  Total chick flick.  Kinda wished it would've ended a bit differently though.


Monday (5/28) HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!
Workout: "Easy" Run
Outside 5.2 miles
60 mins 519 calories


This was everything BUT easy.  I was dy-ing.  It was already 81 degrees out at 8AM this morning so I knew it was going to be a bit brutal.  But that was an understatement.  It was pretty horrific.  I thought I was going to die of heatstroke and have to call my sister to come scrape me up off the sidewalk.  I ended up stopping 4 times to walk!  Every time I completed a mile, I'd stop and walk for about 2 minutes which felt very necessary.  I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my life.  Sweat even more than I do after a 90 min Bikram Yoga session!  I took a pic after my run was complete but I'm not going to post it.  It's so nasty and I don't want to succumb you guys to that.  So now I'm definitely having second thoughts about this half marathon.  I mean I think I can do it but I think it's gonna take me FOREVER!  I don't feel fast at all.  Especially not in these hot temps.  It's crazy how my training now is so night and day from what it was before.  Before I was running in Feb-Mar-April which has pretty ideal running temps and now for the first time ever I'm running in 80+ degree temps.  Not a very easy thing to do.  So lets hope that I become a morning runner sooner than later cause I think that's going to be key at keeping up with my training.  There's no way I'll be able to do mid-morning/afternoon runs for much longer.  Anyone have any tips for working out in these hot temps??  Do you run with water??  Take walk breaks??  Find yourself running slower than you thought was possible??  I need some advice.  Bad.  


On a plus note, after my run I spent a few relaxing hours on a boat:

Me & Elly.  On a boat.  In a parking lot.

That was definitely much more enjoyable than my morning "run."  

How did you guys spend your Memorial Day weekend?  

weekend wrap-up

Well, it's been a few days since I've written anything so here's a recap of my past few days!

Thursday (5/17) 

Workout: XT 

Elliptical 30 mins, Level 7 Rolling Hills

2.8 miles 270 calories

Strength Training

15-12-10 sets

20 mins, really sore quads

My work out was challenging.  The Elliptical kicked my butt!  I was dying.  Felt like I was running on empty and sweating profusely.  So after the longest 30 minutes of my life I decided to do a quick strength routine.  It had been awhile since I did anything of that nature so I was feeling it immediately after my workout.  Needless to say, Thursday was a rough work out day for me.  I couldn't wait to get home.

The rest of my night was fairly uneventful.  I made a family favorite TRE (tuna, rice (brown rice!) & egg, watched the season finale of Grey's Anatomy and sulked over it for the rest of the evening.  

Friday (5/18)

Much needed REST day!  And boy was my body aching.  It hurt to do anything!  Especially to sit down so good thing we are on our feet all day at work.  It was a gorgeous day out.  Hot.  I was really glad I didn't have to run in those temps!

Saturday (5/19)

Workout: Long Run

Outside 60 mins

5.0 miles 660 calories

Saturday was a busy but awesome day for me.  I got a lot accomplished.  In fact, I got up at 3 AM to do a sunrise shoot.  Definitely a first in my books.  But it was so much fun and it's amazing how much you can get done in the wee hours of the morning.  And best part about it is that after almost a full day's worth of work it was only 9 AM when I got home and I had a full day to enjoy a head of me.  Since I was on such a great roll I decided to do my long run immediately before I lost any sort of interest in doing it.  And it was supposed to be in the 80s all day so I wanted to run as early as I could to try and 'beat the heat.'  Max was over this weekend and wanted to ride his bike with me while I ran.  This made me a bit nervous since it was my long run of the week and I def cannot run as fast as someone on a bike.  But he did a great job at keeping me at a consistent pace as well as keeping my mind from thinking about running too much.  We talked about bugs, traffic lights, the Avengers, Hero Factories and before I knew it we were already looping around to head back home.  We had a few set backs in our workout: we hit an excessive amount of red lights that we were having to wait for, needed to stop to tie his shoe laces a couple times and were both dying of thirst.  It had hit 78 degrees while we were out there and we could definitely feel it.  But overall, it was an enjoyable run.  We even got to go through a series of sprinklers that felt awesome on our way home.  Running with Max got me thinking.  Maybe I should try and run with someone/people more often.  Maybe at least once a week?  We'll see.  Def something to think about cause like I said it was kind of nice to get lost in convos and not obsessively think about each minute of my run that has passed and each minute that still awaits me.  How about you, do you prefer to work out solo or in the company of others??

Once we got home I had about 5 minutes to change and head downtown for a meeting.  It was finally time to solidify Class Reunion Locations.  And let me tell you what a huge relief that is.  It's all slowly starting to come together and I hope it only gets better from here on out.  Now the biggest challenge is simply going to be getting people to RSVP and PAY!  Did any of you go to your class reunions??  What were the highlights/low points of the event??  I need to know what we def should be doing and what we could afford to possibly leave out.  

After our meeting we continued on with our day at Bel Air Cantina.  If you live in the Milwaukee area, I highly recommend it.  It has a fun vibe, great food and at a good price.  Here's a link to their menu: Bel Air Cantina/Food.  I had the house salad with grilled spicy shrimp:

House greens with sweet onion, tomato, avocado and tequila lime vinaigrette / 5.39

Sooo good.  And after lunch we did some bumming around at rummage sales and antique shops.  Then I was ready for a nap!  

Sat night I went out with my friend Katie (the one running the Half with me!) for her birthday.  Here's our night in a nutshell:

Yes.  That is Yovani Gallardo from the Brewers.  We were pretty much treated like we were ballers' all night long and it was great.  So much fun.  Aaaand Happy Birthday to Katie Kool!!

Today/Sunday (5/20)

Another much needed REST day.  And thank goodness cause it was 86 degrees out by 10 AM!  I had a really relaxing Sunday.  And that's my fav.  We went for a little bike ride, threw the frisbee around the park til we were all sweaty and tired, grilled out and napped.  Perfect way to end the weekend.  

Now I'm mentally preparing myself for my upcoming week's worth of workouts, which actually shouldn't be too bad.  No mileage increase this week.  Just maintaining what I've already reached.  This past week I logged 13 running miles (not including miles logged on Elliptical/Bike): 2- 4 mile runs and a 5 mile run.  This week I only have to do 2- 4 mile runs and a 3 mile run!  So I'm gonna enjoy it while I can because two weeks from now I'll be attempting my first 6 mile run in almost a YEAR!  AND it'll be a great week cause it's only a 4-day work week...wooo hooooo!!!  

Ok, hope you all had a great weekend.  

OH!  Almost forgot!!  Thank you to those of you who actually gave me some blog title suggestions!  My brother was gracious enough to let me know that "Meghanhastheruns" is still available and another fav that was suggested is "RuntilyouHURLey"...thank you Liz and Jesse for that one!  Very catchy and personable, I like it!  So keep the suggestions coming.  I love hearing what you guys have to say!

Now I'm done for real.  I'll leave you with one last photo.  This guy moved in this weekend:

Donnie Cat.

and so I ran...

Just so you all know, that's what I originally wanted to title my blog site instead of "an' here i go again" but it was already taken.  Boo.  In fact every title I was coming up with was already taken.  And the crappy thing is that they were taken and haven't been touched in almost 5 years.  So lame.  One of my favorite blog's (and it happens to be a running blog as well) is skinnyrunner.com.  What a clever name right?!  And this girl is hil-arious.  I love it.  She's got great advice, is funny, relatable, and of course a ridiculous runner. So I have a challenge for you all: create me a fun/catchy/not-too-wordy blog name!  Yeah?!  Sound fun?!  I really, really would appreciate some comments on this.  My brain hurts from trying to think of something.

But, there is some meaning behind "an' here i go again."  It's the lyrics to one of my favorite running songs, Whitesnake's Here I Go Again.  I don't know why but ever since I started running, 1 year and 8 months ago, I get pumped up when I hear that song.  And it makes me want to run faster!  Not sure if I actually do run faster during that song...but I feel like I do!  Do you guys have any songs that you love to run or work out to??  I'm always looking for new songs to add to my playlist or new Pandora stations.

Ok, now onto my workouts.

Yesterday, May 15th:
Workout:  XT
Elliptical 33 mins, Level 8 Random
3.15 miles 300 calories

Bike 12 mins, Level 7 Random
3.01 miles 81 calories

Today:
Workout: Tempo Run
Treadmill 44 mins, Elevation 1.0
4.1 miles 430 calories

No big revelations or outstanding questions came up during my last two work outs.  And overall, both work outs felt great.  I, like usual, didn't feel like working out but once I got to the gym it felt good to sweat for a bit.  And I've been sore every day this week.  Which I think is a good sign?  It makes me think that I'm doing my part by pushing myself daily- watch my times, try and be consistent, try not to stop to walk, add more hills, switch up my XT routines, etc.  I've also been trying to be aware of my food choices more this week.  More salads, less grease.  More fruit, less Nutella.  And one of my happy finds this week is the Iced Skinny Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks.  A grande is only 140 calories!  Not bad for an occasional sweet treat.  What are your favorite low fat/low cal treats??

Last, shout out to my Uncle for responding to my last post regarding the "ch***ing" issue.  He said:

Try body glide to prevent chaffing, lanacane anti-chaffing gel to heal, and maybe even compression shorts


So I will def take note of this.  And to answer your question, yes, another one of my fast friends, Kevin, signed up to do the Half.  Kevin is a crazy runner.  He already likes to run 13 milers on random days of the week for fun.  And he's super fast.  Hopefully he sticks around for another hour or so on Race Day to see me cross the Finish Line :)  But other than that I don't know anyone else doing it yet.  You want to sign up ?!  It's not too late!  Bring Auntie Linda!  And Connie too!  Now that she's graduated there'll be no school getting in her way of training!  Think about it ;)

Ok, I'm starting to smell myself.  Time to shower!  Laterrr!

thunder thighs :/

What an awful title for a post right?!  I had to do it.  Cause that's how I'm feeling right about now.  I actually had a pleasant run- minus my thigh issue.

Workout: Easy Run
Outside 46 mins
4.0 miles 519 calories

I don't know why, maybe because I went into this run with a better attitude, but it felt 10x better and "easier" (used loosely cause running never seems easy to me) today than it did on Friday.  The temperature was awesome- 70 degrees.  The sun was still shining and Pandora was blasting the LMFAO station (laugh all you want but it seemed to have kept my spirits up!).  RunnersWorld recommended my Easy Run to be ran at a 12:30 min/mile but that seemed rather slow so I knocked a minute off of there and ran 4 very comfortable 11:30 min/miles.

Onto my issue at hand: thunder thighs.  I ran in shorts for the second time this year (rather than my usual GapFit capris) and by mile 3 my thighs were aching!  I know the technical term for this is "chaffing" but I really hate that word.  I don't know why but something about it grosses me out.  Maybe cause the thought of my thighs rubbing together also grosses me out.  I don't really ever remember having this issue before which makes me feel like my thighs have gotten even bigger (I didn't think this was possible!) forcing them to rub up on one another!!  Ewww.  So I need help.  WHAT DO I DO TO STOP THIS AWFUL FEELING?!  I don't see any "burn" marks as of now so I guess that's good but I really do not like this.  Have you had chaffing issues before?  What did you do to prevent it??  If anything I think this means I need to get back to the trainer at the gym and have him give me some workouts to get these puppies toned up.

Because I was feeling semi-good when I got home (the thigh thing really has me in a tizzy) I decided to do "The All New Muffin-Top Workout" from my Glamour Magazine.  Here's what it entailed:

A couple of the moves felt a bit awkward but overall I didn't mind it and it was pretty quick.  If I feel anything tomorrow I think I'll start trying to do this a few times a week.  I'd hate to have a muffin top to compliment my thunder thighs.

That's really all I got for you tonight.  I've got to heads to my first official High School Reunion Planning Committee Meeting...fingers crossed all goes well!

broken rules.

Over the last few days I broke many of my personal rules.  Beginning with Friday.  My ultimate rule of "no working out on Fridays" was shattered around the 1 o'clock hour.  But for good reasons.  I was going to be out of town the rest of the weekend and wanted to be sure I got my long run for the week done.  So I took a half day and as soon as I got home logged my first 5 mile run in a loooooong time.  And not going to lie, it was tough.  Felt like I was out there for a lot longer than 5 miles.  And because of this the thought of 13 miles sounds quite terrifying.  Here's a quick summary:

Workout: Long Run
Outside 58 mins
5.2 miles 657 calories (according to my RunKeeper App)

Part of the reason I think it was a crappy run was because mentally I wasn't into it.  I was trying to get it done because I knew I needed to get home, pack, shower, get ready, call friends, eat, get on the road, etc.  And it was warm out.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the warm weather but I'm not fully adapted to running in it.  This is something I hope to quickly adapt to since the majority of my training is going to be done over the Summer months.  Luckily it looks like the warm weather will be sticking around this week so let the adapting begin!!

Broken rule #2:  I did an awful job at eating on Friday...I had 2 hard boiled eggs for breakfast and then didn't eat again til almost 8 o'clock that evening.  I was so rushed earlier on that I just didn't get a chance to do it!  And after a 5 miler I was running on empty.  But on the bright side, when I did eat it was delicious.  And it was spent with good company, my friends Katie and Kristy, at a BYOB Italian Restaurant in Chicago.

Broken Rule #3: Saturday was filled with lots of fun festivities.  We were in town for a Wedding Reception (we went to Cabo for their wedding this past Fall) that had an open bar and lots of yummy hors d'oeuvres.  But long story short, we definitely did not eat enough and ended up getting some late night McDonalds...but at least it was the Rock'n'Roll McDonalds...another Chicago first for me :)

Broken Rules #4&5: Sunday.  The Aftermath.  After a great weekend with great friends we began our trip home which began with ANOTHER stop at McDonald's for some egg mcmuffins and a Diet Coke.  Once we got home, we napped and then went to Red Robbins for bottomless baskets of fries and burgers.  Then we napped again and ORDERED PIZZA for dinner!!  For real.  No joking here.  And to be honest with you all, I didn't regret it that much.  Today I'm feeling it a little bit but it all tasted sooo good and I promise you I don't eat like that often.  Depending on your interpretation of the word "often"...

So that's it in a nutshell.  I'm getting back on the wagon today.  Starting now with a variation of my green juice:
6 kale leaves
1/2 cucumber
2 pears
1/2 lemon
4 celery sticks

AND even with all that crappy eating I did still manage to get all my workouts in for the week and logged 12 miles total.  Plus, I had tons of fun.  And that's what really matters right?!

sweat it out!

Workout: Speedwork
Treadmill 43 mins
Elevation 1.0
4.13 miles, 456 calories

Much like yesterday, today kinda sucked.  And to top it off, I knew I had a 4 miler waiting for me as soon as I got off work.  Which surprisingly ended up being a blessing in disguise.  I realized I had some major steam I needed to blow off and what better way to do it than by running!  Much like my plan suggested, I did a 1 mile warm up, followed by 2 miles @ 10:29 pace and then a mile cool down.  One major accomplishment of mine during this run was that I did it, nonstop, for real.  I tend to get bored running after a mile or so just cause my legs feel tired and heavy so I let myself walk for a few minutes and don't think much of it but then I realized that I can't do that with a Half Marathon.  It would take me all day to finish the run if that were the case!  So I'm starting off with little incriments- the other week I made myself do 2 miles with no stopping, last week I did 3 and this week I was able to do 4.  "You go gurl"- I know that's what you all are thinking.  It's a little accomplishment but I feel really good about it.  Probably the highlight of my day!  For the most part my run was alright, borderline enjoyable.  Mainly cause I knew that as soon as it was done I had more work awaiting me at home.  So in some way, I savored every minute of it.  One of the things I need to start getting better at though is keeping hydrated every day.  I learned on laurenconrad.com (yes, I read her blog daily but only because we are bffs, duh) that you should drink at least an ounce of water for every pound you weigh.  So needless to say, I should be drinking water from sun up til sun down!  Kidding, kinda.

One of the reasons this week has been so chaotic for me is because I'm in the midst of planning my 10 Year High School Reunion.  And well, you'd think that this should be a fun event and somewhat enjoyable but guess what, it's not.  And because of facebook I think it's even worse than it needs to be.  Has anyone ever planned one of these things???  Got any advice for me??  And if you haven't, I now know why.  Do people even go to these things??  I guess after all this work I hope they do.  And I hope they have one heck of a time!  BUT on a positive note, things are starting to turn around as of this evening.  Thank you Jordan, Lisa and Marie for making me feel a bit more at ease and for taking some of the weight off of my shoulders.  It means a TON!

On another note, my Uncle tried to comment on my blog but it wouldn't post for some reason (which sucks cause I love posts and that means people are actually reading what I have to say!) so he relayed his post to me in a text.  Here's what he had to say in a nutshell:
-that I should increase the amount of juice I intake but keep in mind my calories in case I'm trying to stay within a limit (which I do try to do- I'll save that post for another time)
-that I should prepare mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks to keep me going (and I'm guessing he meant something healthy and not cookies)
-last he shared that he's able to work out in the morning since he has to take Emma (his dog) for a 10-15min walk and then runs a 5k after that

So I guess this means I need to get a dog.  And the ironic thing about this is that I've been researching dogs whenever I'm not styling, running, blogging and reunion planning because I've been seriously considering getting one.  However, I am going to be a bit picky about this.  I want a loving, cute, cuddly dog that likes to go on short runs with me, who is not overly hyper (puppy phase- fine, but for life- no thank you) and that does not shed a lot.  Anyone have any suggestions??  Dogs that I should look into or stay away from?  I've grown up with Golden Retrievers and love them but I don't like the massive hair balls that they leave, everywhere, and I cannot imagine Bella making it through a 1 mile let alone 3 mile run with me.

I planned on this being a really short post about my workout but one glass of Chianti later this has turned into quite the post.  So thank you for reading!  And write me comments.  I like to hear that people read this thing :)

Oh yeah!  I almost forgot!  This is another reason I liked going to the gym today :)

a case of the mondays...on tuesday.

Workout: XT
Elliptical 35 mins
Random Hills, Level 7
3.61 miles, 325 calories

Today was a long day.  Work was slow, I was hungry and I had a headache.  The last thing I wanted to do tonight was work out.  But like always, when I either go straight to head home or have to turn left to go to the gym, I automatically turned left.  That dang guilty conscience kicking in again...always puts a damper on things...like my relaxing evening of television awaiting me.   With my head not really in the game I decided if I could suck it up and sweat it out for at least 30 minutes then I could go home, enjoy a bowl of pasta and watch 90210 (yes, I still watch that show).  And that's basically what happened.  I had taken the day off yesterday and haven't felt sore in awhile but my first few mins on the Elliptical were a bit brutal.  My calves were extremely sore.  But after a bit they warmed up and felt fine.

Today I've also began mentally preparing myself for my 4 mile Tempo Run that awaits me tomorrow.  I was hoping to get up bright and early and run it at the track down the street.  Sounds like a good idea right?!  Too bad I've only gotten up and ran before work only about 5 times in my entire life.  So in reality, I'll be running it post work tomorrow and maybe at the gym.  Not gonna lie, the track and all those high schoolers after school intimidate me.  And I'm not ready to run with that crowd, yet.  Does anyone have any great ideas/motivators that help them get up early to work out??  I'd LOVE to be more of a morning person but I just don't think it's in my genes.

On a plus note, I had one of my favorite fresh juices this morning:
2 carrots
2 apples
1 inch of ginger

Regarding juicing, one dilemma I have been having is that this amount of juice does not fill me up from breakfast to lunch.  Some recipes I've followed produce twice as much juice as this, does anyone know what a healthy recommended amount of juice is for breakfast?  Or does anyone eat other things with their juice?  Since I had my one cup of juice this morning I was starving by lunch and hit up the salad bar, hard.  Made a bigger salad than I'm sure I needed to and then followed it up with 2 cookies.  Oops.  Another temptation I'm trying to have some more control over.

I'm hoping that by exposing some of my bad habits on here it'll help me kick them to the curb...or at least gain better control over them.  But I'm also posting them to be honest with you all and myself.  Yes, I work out a lot but that's because I like to eat, a lot.  And speaking of that, I think I'm going to go get ready for bed and brush my teeth.  That's one way to keep me from eating anymore this evening (cause I'm too lazy to brush twice in one night!).

Night y'all!

Brewers Mini-Marathon Training Program

Here's my tentative Training Program:
Brewers Mini-Marathon Training Program

I'm definitely going to try my hardest to stick as close to this as possible.  I may have to do minor tweaks like swap Sundays/Mondays etc.  BUT no matter what I'm going to make sure that I hit my weekly mileage totals.

It's funny because I was just rereading some of my past entries and here I am an entire year if not more later and I still feel the exact same way about running.  It's HARD.  Whether I'm indoors, outdoors running 2 miles or 4 miles, every time I do it, it's still such a challenge for me.  Yes, I may be able to run a 5K a minute or two faster than I could a year ago but I feel like after all of this work I should be able to shave 10 minutes off my time!  So this time around with my training I'm going to pay extra attention to my speed workouts/tempo runs/suggested mile times from RunnersWorld.  I'm also going to try and watch what I eat/drink a little better than before.  It's so easy to get caught up in the idea that, "hey I just ran 8 miles and burned 800+ calories so that means I can indulge in 800 calories worth of cake!" I got a juicer for my birthday this year so I'm hoping to learn how to replenish my body with fresh juices instead of sweets (well, most of the time).  My aunt and uncle are avid juicers and have shared some of their favorite recipes with me but if you have any PLEASE SHARE!  I'm always looking for something new to try.  And I'll post some of my hits and misses just in case someone might want to give it a shot (or not).

Ok, I wrote more than I planned on for this evening.  And just so you know (cause I already feel a tad bit guilty about it) I did not do my 3-miler today BUT I did do it yesterday (since I knew I had prior arrangements this evening).  And those arrangements involved going to Build Your Own Burger Night...delicious...but dangerous.  It was a friend's birthday so I had to!  And if there's one thing I've learned these past few years it's that indulgences are great, in moderation of course.

Alrighty, bye for now!

for realz.

Well ladies and gents, I'm baaaack!  It's been ONE WHOLE YEAR since I've blogged and I figured what a perfect time to start up again because I just signed up for my SECOND HALF MARATHON!!  Eeek!  I don't know what has gotten into me because to be honest with you, I haven't ran anything over 5 miles since I completed the Flying Pig Half last May.

I've been running pretty regularly but mostly only variations of 2,3 & 4 milers.  And mostly on a treadmill.  While I watch the Nightly News with Brian Williams.  I try to run/XT anywhere from 3-5 days/week.  But even after doing this pretty regularly for the past year and a half, running is still sooo hard for me!  And I'm still not fast.  However, I am able to find enjoyment in running (some times, def not always) like today for instance, wicked storms were a brewing and I thought it'd be fun to try and get a 3 miler in before the rain came.  And I don't know what it was- the dark skies, the gusty winds, cracks of thunder and flashes of lightening- I felt super motivated to run, hard and try and beat the storm.  Part of me was really excited to run in the rain but that didn't happen.  I beat it.  Just in time too cause I probably would have been washed away and never have made it home.

But back to my recent shenanigans of signing myself up and paying to run 13.1 miles.  I told myself last year that I'd like to do a Half every year.  But when the winter rolled around I was not excited one bit about signing up or training for a Half.  So I didn't.  And I kinda just thought that my one-year streak was simply just that.  THEN out of the blue I heard about the Brewers Mini Marathon and got a really unfamiliar feeling- I wanted to run.  13.1 miles.  Something about the course, it being an inaugural run and the tailgate afterwards made me pull the trigger.  And my fast-friend Katie (who ran my first 5K EVER with me, and who recently got engaged AND who asked me to be in her wedding next year!) will be doing it too, making it that much more enjoyable.  If anyone wants to join us, here's the link http://www.race-brewers.com/!  And it's 138 days away so there's still plenty of time to train!

Speaking of training, I know it's pretty far out (approximately 20 weeks away) but I've already began concocting a training schedule.  Once I have it more ironed out I'll post it on here so you can all hold me to it!  And seriously.  Yell at me if I don't stick to it!  Cause this run is going to be hard.  And I need to begin building up my endurance stat.

Alrighty.  I think I've blabbed enough for now.  We've got lots to catch up on since it's been an entire year and I'm sure I'll catch you up on more than you ever wanted to know before ya know it!