And He Cooks Too!

Last week, I had to go out of town for work (just to San Diego, no big deal) but it meant that I missed our Wednesday night Glee party. I was definitely bummed as I always look forward to Wednesday nights. I asked the Hubs if he was still going to go and he was all, "I'm bringing dessert!"

Well, alrighty then.

He has a few specialties but one absolute favorite are his chocolate-peanut butter Rice Krispie Treats. Oh yes.

Only problem was that when he was melting the marshmallows, he realized he bought the wrong cereal. He needed this:


But bought this:


See the difference? So I ran out and bought the good stuff and he got to work.

Anyone else things it's weird that there's a mirror in our kitchen?

Ohhh yeah.


There were so many leftover, we ate them until we were sick. I love it when he cooks.

And I Thought I Was a Fan

I didn't realize we had so many HP fans on campus.

Workouts This Week

Well, this will be brief since I’ve only done three!

Monday- Totally bailed on p90x. I was still so sore from working out on Saturday (Chest, Shoulders, Tri) that I made the hubs give me a backrub on Sunday night. I’ve also got to be aware of my form when running. I hunch up my shoulders, thinking it will prevent a cramp. You know what will prevent a cramp? Me not taking on more than I can handle and running too fast. That’s what.

Tuesday- c25k Week 5 Day 1. The whole time I was in the running sections I kept thinking, “Clearly you proved you can run a 5k so don’t think you can slack off” and it really helped. It made me think about my pacing and how I don’t need to push myself too fast, too soon.

Wednesday- Shoulders and Arms. I’ve gotten to the point where I just hit the Music and Cues button because Tony Horton talks too much. Anyone who’s done this knows what I’m talking about. I also fast forward through his transitions because he wastes a lot of time explaining things. This cuts down on workout time significantly.

Thursday- c25k Week 5 Day 2. The whole program was 5 minute warm up, run 8 minutes, walk 5, run 8 then cool down 5. I love this program because it isn't so long that I get discouraged. I walked a little bit during the second 8 minute run. I think I have to start fueling better before these runs.

After my run this morning. Ugh.

I also had a thought today that I should really be working my legs as well, not just my upper body. Stronger legs are never a bad thing.

The c25k app on the ipod

I’ve got to learn not to beat myself up for bailing on a workout every once in awhile. I do like the quote “There have been plenty of times when I have had regrets about NOT working out, but I'll never regret working out.” That runs through my mind almost every morning when I’m cozy in bed and just don’t feel like it. Another one of my friends said once, “I’m lucky that I’m able to do these things, so I don’t want to waste that ability.” I am lucky enough that my body can handle these workouts and I need to respect it and take full advantage of the opportunities given to me.

I’m blogging about running mostly to let people know that if I can do it, anyone can do it. I read blogs where there are people my age running marathons at little over 4 hours. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to hit something like that but I want to show what it’s like to take this on from the ground up. I’m also thinking of doing a post on what (minimal) running gear I own and the kind of stuff I use for p90x. Would anyone even care?

Are you looking to start a workout but just don’t know how to get motivated? I have to say, having the Rock n Roll Half Marathon to look forward to next year is really pushing me to get my bootie in gear. I’ve been researching races like crazy and I think I may be addicted!

So, would anyone even care about how to get started and what equipment to use? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? Bueller? Bueller?

Live Ordinance

So, because when I put them in the freezer, sometimes they turn out like this:


I have to start using one of these. 20 minutes, no more... no less.


I married a patient man.

Random Musings

I had the best breakfast today. No really. Did you know that having a great breakfast is the catalyst to having a great day? I think every morning that starts off with a hearty breakfast is just a stepping stone to a brighter morning. Breakfast was a whole apple chopped into little pieces and microwaved for 2 minutes with cinnamon. Add some Greek yogurt, peanut butter and granola and yummmm. My mornings always pass a lot quicker with a good breakfast and my Nalgene topped off with water and Crystal Light. (Our drinking fountain water tastes gross. I needed help.)I honestly wasn't that hungry again until about 3. Kind of crazy.

I’ve had that I (heart) Brugge sticker ever since I studied abroad in Austria in 2003. The top sticker is so worn from repeated washings that I should goo-gone it off but I don’t have the heart. This water bottle and I have been through a lot and honestly, I can’t believe I still have it.

I did have a snack though.

Ok, enough yakkin’ about my water bottle. I’m super excited for Thanksgiving because my mother-in-law is coming to visit! She’s an awesome woman and I’m stoked to have her here but I have to confess an ulterior motive to my excitement. Our guest bedroom has been a dumping ground for anything and everything that didn’t have a home in our house. Random bookshelves? Check. Printer? Check. Desk no one uses? Check check check. So I’m excited to have an excuse to dress it up and really make it a bedroom.

We inherited a day bed frame from my parents. It used to be mine but then it was passed to my aunt who passed it back to us. I’m not sure if we’re going to use that or the Hubs old bed. The daybed has hearts on it so I think that one might get vetoed. PLUS, the mattress we’re going to use is seriously the most comfortable thing ever. I can already seeing myself going upstairs and taking a nap on it. Yum.

I ordered new curtains for the room yesterday and Bed, Bath, and your Mom. I’m planning on getting a new lamp and dragging up a night stand from the garage. A lot of the crap is going to get moved out back to the garage and possible take out one of the bookshelves.

It’s just time this room got a little bit of attention. Hubs painted it last year (it was BRIGHT blue before) and we still call it the blue room even though it clearly isn’t anymore. But I’m anxious to clear up some clutter in there and get things settled in their proper area.

Here's the crazy thing. I was going to take pictures for you all to see but Hubs had the day off and when I went home for lunch, he already moved the mattress upstairs and a couple pieces of furniture were already in the garage! I shouldn't wait so long next time.

Do you have any big projects you’re working on? Anything lighting a fire under you to get it done?

5k and a new PR

I wanted to tell you all about this 5k that I did this morning. There were some awesome things and definitely some weird things.

I got up around 6:15 after sleeping horribly through the night. I had dreamt that I already ran and ran it in about 10 hours. Yikes. I also dreamt that I slept through my alarm. Ugh. I eventually just gave up, got up and got dressed.

Breakfast was a bagel thin with peanut butter and some water. I showed up and got registered and got a sweet shirt. Although, I think I might have misjudged my size. Oh well.


And my number, of course.


And wanted to take a nap since I was there so.early.


See that water on the back window? Yeah, it was drizzling which is completely fine by me. Much better than blazing hot.

I was a little bummed because I didn't know anyone there. There were only about 100-130 people there total, which was the first weird thing. I couldn't believe the group was so small. Also, a lot of these people looked like pros. You know how at some 5ks there are groups of people who are just there to walk it? Like, putt along plugged into their ipods? Yeah, there were about 5 of those people. The rest were track teams and triathletes. Kinda crazy.

We take off and I'm running a pretty steady clip but I'm noticing that I'm falling further and further back in the crowd. I just had to keep reminding myself that I was running my race, not someone else's. I got super excited at the 1st mile because I hadn't stopped running yet!

Another nice surprise at mile 1 was seeing the Hubs at the corner, in our giant lawn chair with the camera! I had left him about an hour before, all curled up in bed. I got a huge smile on my face and it gave me a big boost of energy that pretty much got me through to the end. I thought I would see him at the finish line but it turned out to not be the case.


See that couple in front of me? I paced off of them. They were running at such a good rate that in keeping up with them, I managed to run the whole. thing. I only stopped to walk for about 5 seconds but I was feeling so good that I realized I didn't need to.

That was the cool thing about this 5k. I felt amazing the whole time. I didn't cramp up, my legs didn't hurt and I didn't feel tired. I wasn't even really out of breath the whole time.

I finished and started looking around for the Hubs but it turned out he didn't know where it ended and just went back home. Totally fine by me, it wasn't like I was stranded or anything and I was just so excited to see him there!

Here's the weird thing. I don't think my finish time was that slow... 32:37. I had run a 5k two years ago and it was something like 45:00 but there were TONS of people behind me. When the Hubs pulled up and set up his chair, he caught sight of the first runners. So many people passed by him that he thought he missed me. I guess the crowd had really thinned out by the time I rolled by which made it look like our group was going super slow.

I think it was just the fact that there weren't a lot of people at this race. I mean, I was getting passed up by people with prosthetic legs, for crying out loud, so I know there were serious athletes but I also know I'm not super slow.

Another weird thing was that it was also a triathlon. Almost EVERYONE who was there was participating in it. Except for me and a couple of 8-year-old kids. So yeah, it just seemed like I was one of the only amateur runners out there.

My husband thought it was because there was no "cause" we were running for, like breast cancer or AIDS walk and that would explain the lack of a crowd. It's also only the 3rd year of the event so that could mean something as well.

Whatever! I had fun, felt great and got a new personal PR which I'm proud of. I came home, showered and went to church but I was clearly dehydrated and hurting. I have had a ton of water, took a quick nap and just made Branny's sweet potato and black bean burritos for dinner. Yummmmm. Back to new and proud of myself for branching out and trying something on my own.

Workin' on my Fitness

About a month ago, I just got sick of it. Sick of feeling like a blob, or a plop as my former coworker would say. So I decided to change that and really get back into a routine. Hubs and I were faithfully doing p90x for about a month and a half and then it got insanely hot here so we stopped.

My job has me coming in at 9 which is perfect for me since I like to work out in the morning. I was thinking some people might be interested to see how I mix up my fitness routine. I skipped 3(!!!!) days last week and I felt horrible. I'm pretty sure it added to my spectacular snit last weekend. Seeing those effects, I'm more committed than ever to keep up with this routine.

Monday: Wake up at 7. Throw on work out clothes. Stagger downstairs and do a session of p90x. I'm not really doing any of the cardio ones because I'm running as well. I'm mostly working on my arms, shoulders and back. Finish at 8. Hop in the shower. Run downstairs and make breakfast. I get into food ruts and this week has been a bagel thin with microwaved egg whites and onion. I'm pretty sure that will get old fast.

Tuesday: Wake up around 7:15. Throw on running gear. Grab ipod. Do C25K. I'm on week 4 right now... almost at week 5! I have my 5k coming up on November 14. Finish around 7:45-7:50. Hope I'm not locked out of the house. (Note to self. Get another house key made) Same morning routine as Monday.

Wednesday: p90x

Thursday: C25K

Friday: Rest day! This is the only day I have to come in at 8am so I just use this as my rest day.

Saturday: I will either do p90x or C25K depending on when I wake up and how hot it is.

Sunday: Whichever work out I didn't do on Saturday, I'll do it today. Get ready. Go to church. Conduct the children's choir. Come home and do copious amounts of laundry and grocery shopping. Football is playing in the background (actually very soothing).

So yeah, I've got my fitness all worked out but I really need to work on nutrition and fueling my body in the best way possible. We still have crap lying around the house and I've been on the road 3 out of the 5 work days this week. I've been trying to make the best choices food-wise but it is kind of difficult. I should start packing my own lunches for when I'm on the road.

Half of this battle is just being prepared. I really like blogs like nhershoes and meals and miles because they show what they eat throughout the day.

UPDATE: Dude! I just got an email saying we're having a 5k on campus this weekend. Where the heck was I and why didn't I get the memo? I think I might sign up for it since it's only a freakin' mile away from my house. I think Active.com really needs to work on their race listings. I know of 2 in my area that aren't listed on there.

Are there any sites that accurately show what races are in your area? What are your favorite healthy things to eat? We go through bell peppers, avocado, onions, cucumbers, and spinach (especially when our blender was working. womp womp. Someone ::cough:: me ::cough:: broke it)