I’m Amazed…

at all the cool stuff that I’ve learned today!

1. I read Dean Karnazes’ blog today at Runners World. He was right on with the news he shared and I’m so excited that this is what the world is coming to! In his latest post, State of Running, he wrote about how much the sport has grown and how the industry has really thrived in good economic times and in bad. The BIG takeaway I got was…

Several recent polls have shown that during this unprecedented global economic maelstrom, people have begun to reevaluate their priorities. The shift is fittingly captured by the recent New York Timesheadline, “Health is the New Wealth.” This “new wealth” is defined less by an individual’s material accumulations and more by his or her physical state of being. I, for one, would argue this is a good thing.

Isn’t this great! I read this article as part of my daily news read/blog read/coffee guzzle and it made my day.

2. Later in the day, I got a call that my glasses were in! I had my first eye exam last week and went to pick out two pairs of glasses. They were ready today and I promptly went to pick them up. I got a brown pair and a funky red pair my hubby picked out.

 

Putting these glasses on taught me that I couldn’t see JACK before :)

I’m excited to start reading all night again and typing on the computer for work all day without getting a headache from squinting.

3. Last but not least…I finally tried Exercise TV! I’ve heard about it before from Caitlin’s blog and today created the perfect opportunity to try it out. I overslept and missed my 6am Boot Camp class at the gym. I had a mentor meeting for lunch so no running happened then. My plan C was to take the Chisel class at 6pm but Kevin and I were talking and all of the sudden I realized I was late for that class too. At this point, I normally would have admitted defeat and called it an off day but Kevin was heading out for the night and I was determined to get my SWEAT ON! I got my ATT UVerse remote and after what felt like forever searching…I found it.

Exercise TV is a listing of a bunch of FREE workouts from various trainers, including Jillian Michaels. I got right into her 30 Day Shred routine and it definitely met my required sweat quota for today.

It’s always a great day when I learn something new and I’m glad I didn’t let life get in the way of my workout today. Tomorrow I’m planning a shorter run and I hope Jillian’s ETV workout didn’t “SHRED” my legs too much :)

Stomach Ache

I didn't complete the 4 miles I had planned. I did run 2 miles to the gym and do a little more running/biking there before I met Kevin in the jacuzzi.

Tonight was my first run outside where the weather was cold enough to make my lungs hurt. Allison's Bosu class also made every abdominal muscle God created me with ache while I was running tonight. Part of me is disappointed that I didn't do the other two miles. However, I was running at 5:30 at night and I have Boot Camp class at 6am so I'm sure I won't have those same feeling tomorrow morning. With my luck, Allison will focus her whole entire Boot Camp routine on Abs :(

I just made one of my hubby's favorites for dinner! I took Mediterranean whole wheat flat bread and made personal pizzas with turkey pepperoni, onion, green pepper and cheese....YUMMY! Now we are closing out our evening with an episode of House!

Getting In a Groove

This seems like a long day but it’s gone by at a nice steady pace. I woke up at 5:15 and quickly got dressed and turned the coffee pot on. Luckily, I prepared my gym bag the night before so all I needed to do was remember to take it with me :) It felt like I was doing ten things at once while I was driving down the road to the gym. I finished my coffee, gulped some water and devoured my peanut butter toast just in time to park and get to the 6am Bosu class.

Allison’s teaching style and ever-changing routines keep me coming back for more. I can count on her to give me a great workout and the right mix of exercises both in and out of my comfort zone. I drove separately this morning because I knew C would leave early for work and I was dying to spend a few morning minutes in the sauna before my day started.

I know I’ve been logging my workouts on the right side of the blog so you can see what my week looks like, but I also know how important it is to share my plan for the week so that you all can help keep me accountable. So here goes:

Monday	Bosu
Tuesday	3 – 4 mile run
Wednesday	Boot Camp
Thursday	4 mile run
Friday	Rest
Saturday	Long run…hoping for 7 miles
Sunday	Trail hike or light run

Our of the whole week, I really want to complete the 7miler.

My Question For You…Our of the entire week, what one workout do you really hope you complete?

Already?

That’s what I’m asking myself this very moment. Am I ALREADY starting to eat everything in site under the veil of the ‘holiday spirit’? Our wonderful weekend kicked off Friday night at 80’s night! Our church hosted an 80’s concert and since ‘we know the band’…we decided to come in style. I’ve been planning my 80’s get up since Halloween.

Kevin went as the Transporter and I wore more make-up and glitter than ever before.

That outfit was a little racy for a church concert so I changed it up for Friday night. C and her hubby got decked out too! Here C and I are in the lobby waiting to find our seats.

There’s my hubby Marty McFly sitting between me and C in our front row seats! The concert was a blast.

    

Saturday I got up early and enjoyed a 6 mile run at the Sand Run Parkway Jogging Trail. It was a cold, but beautiful morning and I had a great run. My legs were sore from dancing in high heels the night before, but they felt fine by mile 4. I had no idea at that point that those 600 calories I burned would barely put a dent in the amount of Great Lakes Christmas Ale, movie theater snacks, French fries, pizza and Mexican food I would inhale this weekend. :( Oh well, better luck next time.

Today was a rest day in preparation for tomorrow’s 6 am Bosu Class! I think I’m driving separately so I can roast in the sauna for a bit afterwards.

Apologies and A Yoga Mat

First things first…I apologize for not taking pictures last night during our hike. You didn’t miss much. For one thing, now that it’s winter, it gets dark so early that half way through the hike we could barely see anything anyway. We’ve decided that 5:30 hikes on the weeknights just won’t work. We’ll start hiking on the weekends now for the rest of the Fall Hiking Spree. We hiked the Schumacher Trail which takes its place as my least favorite so far, but it was only a few minutes up the road from our house so it was convenient.

In other news, I’m so glad I went to Boot Camp yesterday! C and I left early because she had to get to work. That meant we missed the stretching/cool down part and then I didn’t make up for it when I got home. Needless to say, I’ve been on my yoga mat all morning paying for that mistake. I woke up feeling sore in all the usual places. I’d really like to run today with the dog so I needed to stretch out and get back to normal. Let’s hope that works.

I’ll leave you with my Runner’s World Quote of the Day that comes to my inbox every morning:

I really look forward to a hearty long slow run. You feel good while you're doing it, and get to feel good about yourself all day long after you're done.

 

Jennifer Van Allen, Special Projects Editor, Runner's World

Jennifer, you hit the nail on the head! This is the exact reason why I’m dying for a long run…hopefully this Saturday.

No More Bird Virus!

Ok I haven’t been blogging the last few days because I felt like…

I didn’t have swine flew but a sore throat, sore body and cabin fever was not good :(

This morning I woke up feeling better and rushed out the door to pick C up for 6am Boot Camp! This was my second time at this class. I met some more regulars and got my sweat on! I had a bit of a dizzy spell during the last set of speed drills, but it passed quickly.

Allison focused on super sets and exhausting one body part at a time. I really liked that type of workout.

Ok folks, I’m back at it and just in time for Wednesday’s Fall Hiking Spree!

Tuckered Out!

I was secretly planning to do a long run today but my weird sleep schedule threw me off! I woke up with just enough to time to change before we headed out the door towards Canton to find breakfast and run errands. We completely got sidetracked, but that’s what Saturdays are for!

We got home and decided that since we’ll be out most of the evening at a costume party, we should take Mina to a trail and get a good hike in.

I fell in love with this trail when my friend, K, and I used it to complete my first ‘long run’ in my half-marathon training.

                  

Mina is now passed out on the sofa and I have a hunch she’ll be there the rest of the night!

Old Flames

It’s 3:49am. I don’t know if I went to bed too early or ate dinner too late or if it’s simply a combination of those things that has caused me to be wide awake at this quiet, dark hour. I’ve got one light on in the living room and I can faintly hear the rain outside.

Most nights that I find myself awake at this hour are a result of some random marketing ideas that pop in to my brain and cause me to pull blank paper from my nightstand and write for a bit. That ides turns into another variation and so on. Soon, it’s time for the coffee machine to come on. However, that’s not what has happened tonight.

Tonight Last night we celebrated TGIF by meeting four other friends out at a bar called The Winking Lizard. It’s a great place for socializing, great beer, a long wait on a Friday, and some would even say…great food. If you would have asked my opinion a few years ago, maybe even last year, I’d agree wholeheartedly. Now, it’s 4 in the morning and I’ve had a slight epiphany.

I really don’t like that food anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, I think I like the food. That’s why I order it. I usually close out a week of hard work and great workouts with dinner out. And, I usually like it. So naturally, I ordered what most bars take pride in making, a burger and cheese fries. I ordered precisely what my hubby likes and thought I’d give it a try.

I can’t say that it wasn’t prepared wonderfully, but I can say I wasn’t excited when it was placed in front of me. It was greasy and heavy and it really didn’t taste as great as I’d expected.

Dear Burger and Fries,

It’s me, not you! I’ve been eating cleaner foods for over a year now. I’ve always allowed myself a rendezvous every now and then with a great American classic, but you just didn’t do it for me. I should have ordered the crispy chicken salad with one of those great dressings! I should’ve enjoyed a nice amber lager! Don’t take offense, I just don’t find your kind of food satisfying anymore. I hope you live a great life.

Love, Me