Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Ultimate Camping Adventure

This weekend I was spoiled! I went shopping. And bought a lot of stuff BECAUSE....

The Hubby and I are heading out on a crazy three-week camping trip on Saturday. And by crazy I mean more than 4,000 miles with stops in 7 states!



The thing with being in the military is that we don't live near our families. His family lives in Kansas and mine in Oregon. So instead of flying to visit each family, we decided to make a road trip out of it.

It is going to be awesome! (Remind me that at the end of June) Among the best stops are: The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks.

I am not only excited for the adventure itself, but the fact that I will have new running scenery for 3 weeks. This is just beyond exciting.

That's all for now. Short blog post because I have to take Annie (my xterra) in for some preventative maintenance.

You may all commence telling us how crazy we are now.

What is the craziest trip you ever took?

Ever been to the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone? (I've been to Yellowstone, but I was like 10)

Friday, May 27, 2011

Long Run and a Hangover

My plan today was to run at least 7 miles, with a goal of 8 miles.

I did 8.4 miles! I was slow but I was fighting through 30 MPH+ winds.

Sometime it amazes me what I am capable of when I actually try.


The good news is that I feel much better than I did last week after my LR.  

Using everyone's advice I took gatorade and a GU with me. I was worried about drinking anything while running because I didn't want liquid sloshing around. I was careful to just take sips and didn't have any problems. I took my GU at about an hour and within 5 minutes I felt much better. My head was clearer and I felt I had more energy.

I know this stuff isn't new to most of my readers, but it was eye opening to me. Last week I was so sick I couldn't eat or move around without the feeling of nausea. Today I ate lunch and feel just fine. I might even head to the gym and work my arms.

Might go see the Hangover II tonight... 

The reviews are all over the place. But we'll probably see it anyways. After all it is an excuse to have popcorn.... and I deserve it! 

Will you see The Hangover Part II?

Did you have a breakthrough run that caused you to realize how much you were actually capable of?

Thursday, May 26, 2011

I Run so I can Bake

Yesterday as planned I lugged myself over to the track. The whole way there all I could think was negative things...

1. I hate running in circles.
2. I despise running the 800m

But I went there knowing that if I ever want to improve my time, I had to do it.

I was scheduled to do 6x800m with 400m recovery.

I only was able to do 4. My legs started to feel like jello because I had run five miles and done a lower body workout the day before.

But I am proud of my times.

1x800 4:37 (9:14 pace)
2x800 4:34 (9:08 pace)
3x800 4:40 (9:20 pace)
4x800 4:39 (9:18 pace)

My usual runs are about 11:00 pace, 10:30 on a good day. So I think I did good pushing myself. I wasn't sure how much you were supposed to increase you pace by. Any advice?
















After my workout I made some delicious spicy coconut shrimp 
with mango salsa and coconut jasmine rice.


Today I am going to attempt to give my legs a break in preparation for my long run on Friday. I think a walk with the dog would help loosen them up.

Also in the plans today:

**Read a book outside in the sun. (I picked up "Born to Run" after hearing how good it is)

**Learn how to make scones.


**Maybe yoga class tonight. I wish it was on the beach like this!


**Find some new music. Any favorites your loving right now? I need some new artists!

Do you bake? What is you favorite pastry to make?
Do you do intervals? 

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

School is out for the summer!!!!

I took my last final this morning heck yes! Since the final I had today was not important, in my mind summer started yesterday.

So far summer is AWESOME.

I worked out twice yesterday.

5 mile run in the AM (well it was one in the afternoon. I'm working on this morning thing.)


For some reason I really struggled with this run.

Maybe because of this sign...                                                                                Or maybe these trees....





















Either way I was really struggling with my breathing. I felt myself reverting back to my old self and playing mind games. The thoughts kept creeping into my mind that if I kept running I was going to have an asthma attack. I don't know why I started thinking about this again. I haven't had any problems since I started running. It took nearly three miles to calm down and get in a groove. Do you guys ever have a run where you feel like you're fighting with yourself the whole run? Uhh. It was frustrating. Regardless, at least I got in my scheduled five mile run.

Good news, since I have nothing to do all day, I had time to go to the gym with hubby.

That's right folks, workout number two.

Workout went as followed:

15 min bike warm up, 4.2 miles
Kettle Swing/Squat
Smith Squats
Leg Extensions
Calf Raises
Hip Adduction
Hip Abduction
Prone Leg Curl

I did 3 sets of 15 reps of each exercise. I also did 25 Jumping Jacks in between each set of each exercise (that's 300 JJ's!) to keep my heart rate up. My heart rate increases and decreases really easy so to keep it up, I usually incorporate either jumping jacks or jump rope.


Today's plan in to head to the track and do an interval workout.
6x800 m
400 m recovery

I am also headed back to the gym to work on my arms and back today.

Did I mention that I love summer? Nothing to do but workout!

What are your plans this summer?


For those of you with the summer off, do you intend to increase your training?

Monday, May 23, 2011

Race Recap & Beautiful Santa Barbara Hike

Saturday I ran my second race. Yay me! It was a 4 mile run through the town of Goleta (just outside Santa Barbara for you Cali readers.)

This time the hubby and puppy got to come cheer me on. It was exciting to know that I had someone waiting for me at the finish line. During my first race, the hubby was still deployed, so I was lacking a support team.

The race started about 15 minutes late because they were still letting people sign up. Usually this would annoy me, but we had rushed all morning and it gave me some time to calm down.

When the race did start I felt really good. My calf had been bothering me all week, but miraculously it went away when the race started. It was only four miles so there isn't too much to report about. They did have a water station, and although I didn't need water at that point, I took some just to practice the act.

The race was mostly on the road and through the neighborhoods. Some neighbors had their kids out along the race and were cheering us on. It was cool. Made me excited for big races with lots of people on the sidelines.

I finished at about 40:55. I was very proud of that time. My usual pace is around 11:00, so I was expecting 44:00. My goal was 40:00, so I almost made it.

Hubby was there to get some awesome errr funny pictures.


I must work on looking happier when I run.

Puppy Lexie had a lot of fun. Pre-race I turned 
around and my hubby was surrounded by 
20 high-schoolers drooling over the puppy.

After the awards ceremony was over the hubby and I went to Freebirds to get amazing burritos.

 Freebirds is in Isla Vista which is where UCSB is. Needless to say we say a lot of interesting characters.

A lot of drunk/hungover people. It made me happy to know that while these kids were suffering through a hangover, I had already raced and was getting ready to go hike another 6 miles.


One of the creeks







  








The hike was beautiful!! We saw a ponds, creeks, waterfalls, and the best was the view from the top. We could see all of Santa B. including the pier and state street.



The whole day was just pure awesomeness. I was so proud of myself for racing and then hiking. I could easily say that I am in the best shape of my life (cardiovascular wise.) I am already looking for my next race and our next hike.  

Awww.. family photo

                                                                           
What did you do this weekend to be active? 
Do you hike?


Friday, May 20, 2011

Crampy Calves and Race-Day Saturday

Ever since my long run on Tuesday my left calve has been cramping off and on.


I have hydrated, eaten bananas, taken ibuprofen, iced, and illicited numerous massages from the hubby.

Nothing has helped.

I need some help here people...

On a happy note, I have race numero dos tomorrow :)
It's another shorty, only 4 miles BUT it's for cancer and that is all that matters.

Hubby gets to go this time so I'm stoked to have a personal cheerleader at the finish line. The puppy is coming too:)

After the run, we are planning a short hike in Santa Barbara. A run and a hike? Heck yes!

Do you have any races planned this weekend?
Any advice for my cramping calves?

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Coffee difficulties, AKA "Stupid Barista!"

This morning I was hurting from lack of sleep. Well not so much a lack, I did get 7 hours which is great for me. However, my sleep was restless. My body was still rebelling against my awesome PDR yesterday. I went to bed still feeling a little sick which luckily has gone away. I did unfortunately wake up in extreme pain. My calves were cramping like crazy and they woke me up.

When I woke up I of course had to pee and jumped out of bed. BAD IDEA. My legs almost gave out. And my knee screamed at me. Stupid knee! Needless to say, I had a hard time getting back to sleep. (I feel fine now. Just normal muscle soreness)

Short story made super long, I was in dire need of coffee this morning.

I was too busy getting ready for school  hitting snooze that I didn't get to grab some at home.
Enter story about my anxiety of ordering coffee at a shop.
First there are way too many choices of what to get. Then once you finally decide what you want they ask
"What size?"

I swear my heart rate increase tenfold when they ask (maybe one day I'll wear my HR monitor and test this out)

For the life of me I can't remember the fancy names for the sizes. Yes I am a blonde.
                                                              Source

So I ordered a Medium.... enter stupid barista, 
"You mean a grande?"
Yes you idiot I said medium! (Don't worry I just thought it)

It's finals week starting tomorrow so give me a break for the crankiness. Maybe I need more coffee.

Or maybe I am cranky that I have to cram (yes, cram b/c I waited till the last minute to study) for a final at 8 AM (WHAT?@!!) tomorrow.


But I don't want to study!
                                 Source.

Do you procrastinate?  
Do you have a problem with ordering coffee or any other issues you would like to rant about??

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

PDR, heck yes!

What an awesome gloomy, rainy day. It was nasty outside and although I really should have been studying for finals, I did what any sane person would do... I went for a run. I got all geared up and decided to knock out my long run today. I have a race on Saturday so I wanted to make sure I got the long run in.

When I left the house, I wanted to do at least five miles but was hoping for six (which was my furthest distance to date). I had been feeling in a distance rut lately. I have gotten very comfortable running five miles.

Of course as soon as I left the house, it started to rain. But I embraced the rain. After all, it did keep me cooler.

I really tried to channel my inner child and enjoy the rain.
Despite the rain, I found myself pushing to go faster. And then I was pushing myself to go further. Each time I got to a turning point that would head toward home, I opted not to take the turn.

Once I got to six miles, I almost started to cry. I realized the moment my GPS six miles, every additional step was a PDR. I could have quit at 6.1 miles and still been happy. But something inside me was on fire.. I channeled EMZ and her mantra.. "you.FREAKING.got.this!"
I wanted to push myself. And push I did.

7.2 miles!!!!!

The last half mile, I started to feel a little dizzy and mildly disoriented. But I finished it out strong.
As soon as I got home I jumped in the bath to make sure my legs got some love. I wish I could have taken an ice bath, but I have never taken one and I am so scared it'll be painful and really cold.


For some reason, I have felt so sick all night since I have gotten home. Very nauseous. I think from now on, if I run that far I will need to take some type of fuel with me. I'm not sure what though. Just a gatorade? Something solid? Anyone have any tips as to when to fuel and what to fuel with? I have never even brought water with me. But I think the delirium was a clue that 7+ requires something.

My next goal:

What's the furthest you have run? How far is your long run scheduled for this week?
Any tips on fueling during long training runs?

The cost of healthy

Random post of the day... blog about running still to come.

First off, I lost a follower today :( If you guys have any recommendations for blogging ideas, pass them along.

Now to the real post, as I have mentioned a few times now, the hubby is home from his deployment. With that, brought a lot of adjustment.

While he was gone I really focused on eating healthier. More fruits, veggies, and lean protein.

The first week he was home, we had a difficult time figuring out what to eat. I didn't want to give up my healthier foods, yet he wasn't convinced he needed or wanted to eat healthier.


Fast forward three weeks and he is hooked on eating healthy. His words this morning were, "I'm getting really addicted to eating healthy. I couldn't imagine anything else."






     And I have actually seen this change in him. It is so exciting when someone you care about comes to a healthy living conclusion on their own. I mean my hubby went from being the guy who packed a hotpocket to eat during his night shift to packing fruit, almonds, ect.

     What I don't like, is the cost of eating healthy. Especially the cost of fruits, veggies, and most importantly, greek yogurt. Ooo Greek Yogurt how I love thee... I think I have an addiction. We seriously spend like $15/week on greek yogurt alone. On yogurt people... that's nuts!!!

     I think I might need to get a job to keep buying my beloved yogurt. (Who am I kidding, me work?)





Am I the only one experiencing this nonsense? 


Monday, May 16, 2011

Something New

   Are you sensing a theme on my titles here? Totally un-related posts but the tittles worked. This title should properly be named "I LOVE my husband!", but I thought that was too mushy and worried you guys wouldn't read it.

    Before I get to the good stuff, lets cover some back ground info first.

    I am a slacker.......

I also tend to quit things when I don't see the results I intended to. These two horrible traits together have many times resulted in me quitting a fitness program. I have always had short term goals: getting bikini ready, weddings, photos, ect.


   When I decided to start running I had no short term goals other than distances. It was no longer about the numbers on the scale which to be honest I still check habitually, but I feel nothing when I see the numbers. It's also not about my pant size (I mean I wouldn't mind being smaller, but that's not my focus.) My goal is to be the healthiest I can be and to enjoy any activity that helps me get there.

   With all that said, I still know my bad traits are still just under the surface. That's why, when I started to pursue my running goals, I told myself I didn't get to buy all the sweet swag I wanted up front. So I set distance goals that I had to meet in order to buy certain things.


  • First 5k race resulted in a visit to the Nike Outlets and the purchase of a new outfit.
  • Sticking with running for two month garnered me new running shoes and special socks.
  • For my first half I had planned to buy a Garmin or similar..... Enter story about AMAZING hubby.


    On Saturday afternoon I had to spend hours studying for my oral spanish exam with a partner. Hubby had a few errands to run so he took me into town. Hours later when my head hurt from studying too much and the hubby came to pick me up. With. A. Present.

   Lovely hubby had picked me up the Polar FT60 G1. Heck ya! Heart rate monitor + GPS!
                     O geez, that's a lot of electronics... I'm going to be picking up alien frequencies!

   I tried it out Sunday. Did I like it? Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. We'll save that for my next post..

What's the best running-related gift you have received?

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Something Borrowed

Since the hubby finally has to go back to work on Sunday, (he's been on leave for 2 weeks following his return from deployment) we decided we deserved a date night.

That gave me a chance to get all dressed up and put on something besides workout clothes.
Note the stacks of shopping receipts... guilty!

This also meant we got to go out to eat. And I was mostly a good girl, but I mean it was Red Lobster and they have had delicious biscuits!

And then we went to the movies. We saw "Something Borrowed" 
We both really liked it and they did a decent job of sticking to the storyline of the book. I'm curious if they will make a movie of "Something Blue"....

So, speaking of something borrowed... I need more blogs to follow. So who's your favorite? For those newish runners like me, who do you find inspirational?


Did you see "Something Borrowed"? Did you like it?

Friday, May 13, 2011

Fantastic Friday

     What an awesome day. I LOVE Fridays! I don't have class and since I don't work, I get to do whatever I want (I should be studying for finals... can we say procrastination???)

     The day started off with yummy eggs and veggies while we caught up on the latest episode of "The Real World." That show is soooo stupid that I have to watch it.

     Then it was time to hit the gym. Instead of being a lazy bum, I decided I would run to the gym. This idea spurred the idea of having the hubby take action photos. It didn't go well. I look like a crazy person when running. But here is the best take. We'll have to work on this.

    The 2.5 mile run was a good warm up for my weight workout, as well as a good way to loosen up some sore muscles. After completing my workout, the hubby wasn't quite ready to go. So crazy person that I am I jumped on the treadmill. It wasn't a long run yet it was fantastic.

    I alternated running at 5 mph for 1 min. then 8 mph for 30 sec. It was crazy to see that by the end 5mph felt sooo slow to me and 8mph felt good. It was a total confidence booster! To be honest when I set the treadmill to 8mph the first time I was a little uneasy. But hey, it was only for 30 sec. at a time. But it's good to know that my body is able to run that fast. I felt strong. Like really strong. Like wonder woman.


What makes you feel strong? A specific workout, a certain distance?