I’m feeling stronger

(This entry crossposted between Sweets&Sweats and Happiness Awaits)

I think it is working.  I am beginning to notice that I am happier, more aware and slowly, quite possibly, obtaining a level of balance.  We all know this could slip away in a moment but as of right now, I am thinking I am making progress towards my goal.

I had a moment of insight and clarity yesterday evening.  So rare and random.  I was starving and wanting to eat yet feeling guilty about coming home and snacking.  I knew it was because I probably hadn’t eaten enough during the day at work and then it dawned on me, this wasn’t something I should be mad at myself over.  I hadn’t fed myself enough during the day, that was it.  I shouldn’t be angry about that…or the fact I was hungry.  It is what it is.  It means I need to eat more during the day the following day and for today, I needed to get the hunger taken care of. This is an event that shouldn’t cause frustration, it is human nature and something I can’t control.  So much better and easier to simply accept it.

This may seem mundane and simple and obvious to many of you, but for me it was a major step.  Eat the unplanned snack, enjoy it, move on…no big deal.

When Justin got home, we decided to go for a walk.  It was drizzling outside but I think neither of us just wanted to sit around the house and watch tv or something.  So we walked the path that I usually go run on which circles through a little shopping center.  There and back is a 3 mile loop. We ended up stopping and having a beer at Nick’s.  Apparently Wednesday night from 7-9 is happy hour, which means $1 bottles of domestic beer. SCORE!

Last night was low key, we walked back home after our 1 beer in the pouring rain.  Despite the rain and the fact the heels of my shoes were killing me, I had a great time.  I think we may have found our new Wednesday night tradition!  Tonight is still Golfing Thursday.  Hopefully the weather will clear up enough so that we can still go!

I’ve been slow this week.  I’ve been slow ever since my 5K.  I don’t know if it is because I was sick earlier this week or what.  Yesterday I did a 45 minute treadmill session.  I warmed up for 2 minutes, then aimed to run for 35 minutes…but I had to walk for about a minute in the middle there because I got an awful side crap.  Then I did 2 minutes running, 1 minute walking.  I did that twice and finally I walked 2 minutes to cool down.  Average pace: 10:13 per mile. 4.4 miles run in 45 minutes. 

Total for this week (since Monday):12.65 miles, Average pace: 10:30 mile.

(I am aiming to start running between 15-20 miles a week.  This week I may be 20+, which would be great.  If I could get that up over 25 miles a week eventually, I would be very excited.  I would feel like I had gotten back to my pre-knee disaster running love and shape.)

Today I am doing my total body workout.  I think my body is begging for some time off from running.  I’ve run every day since Monday, which is something I used to always do but this is something my body isn’t used to since blowing the knee out.  But the total body workout today is the one that leaves me sore for days and days.  Lets see if I am still as sore for as long or if I am finally getting more accustom to it!

 

Time to settle into the day and hope that time FLIES by!

Wishing I Could Have Hit Snooze a Few More Times

(This entry crossposted between Sweets&Sweats and Happiness Awaits)

I went to bed around 10:30 last night but woke up around 11:30 like I had just laid down for a nap and I was ready to get back up.  Bizarre.  I finally got myself back to sleep but I am paying for the interruption this morning.  I feel like I didn’t get quite enough sleep last night.  I think part of it is because when Justin is on travel, the slightest noise wakes me up.  I definitely have a vivid imagination and it gets running when I am laying in bed in a big empty house. 

I think I have finally kicked this virus.  My head is feeling pretty much fine…I still feel a bit flighty, but well, maybe that is just my reality. I definitely don’t think I have a fever anymore.

Last night I did take advantage of having the house to myself and I went outside and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.  It was a bit too windy, but I survived.

I laid on our little love seat out there and read my new book, Monica Seles’s Getting a Grip.  Apparently she has had on-going struggles with food issues and body image.  It just amazes me because she is someone I have always been amazed by…someone who by the age of 16 was a tennis phenom and was soon there after ranked #1 in the world.  She works out hours and hours  a day..and then gets stabbed in the back at the height of her career.  It goes into detail on her own journey addressing working out, dieting, self image and how she has found internal peace and balance.

So far the book has been quite good and is a great, easy, relatable read.

I didn’t feel like cooking a thing last night, so I pulled out a frozen homemade crab cake and toasted up an Ezekiel Bun.  Added some light mayo, horseradish, lettuce and red pepper slices and we had dinner.

  

So good.

And a massive salad on the side.  Spinach, arugula, edamame, cucumber, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and some avocado.  All topped with a bit of parmesan cheese and some balsamic vinegar.

A nice plesant evening that ended with me catching up on my Gossip Girl…are Chuck and Blair getting back together???? And then 1.5 episodes of Heroes.  Oh Heroes is my dirty little obsession.  And is it wrong that I think the villain is the hot one?  I think it is that I’m more intrigued by all the personality shifts.  Ahhh, Zachary Quinto.

 

But he is playing Spock on the new Star Trek which definitely kind-of kills his appeal.

Okay, I’ve digressed enough.

Yesterday I hit the gym over lunch and got on the treadmill.  My knee has been hurting me lately…ever since the 5K. I am not liking this.  It only aches at night and a bit when I run.  I tried to listen to my knee and take it a little slow today.  I did 35 minutes running (I actually walked once or twice in there when my knee started screaming at me) and then did 6 minutes of a 1 minute walk/1 minute run combo.

4.13 miles in 40:55.  Mile average: 9:54 per mile.  Not too shabby…glad I listened to my knee.  Hopefully it’ll feel better today!

 

The weather is awful here today. I am hoping that it will at least wash away some of the pollen.  It made the solo commute in semi-miserable.  It always seems to rain when I’m not HOV.  At least I have my sweet new ride to keep me comfortable.  When I saw how crappy the weather was, I knew I wanted a nice warm bowl of oats to wake me up.  I have to say, I think this combination may be my all time favorite.  It is just so comforting and so simple. Nothing too fancy, nothing too sweet….just simple, standard ingredients that really hit the spot.

1/2 cup of oats, 1/4 cup of egg beaters and 3/4 cup of water.  Cooked at 80% for 3 minutes.  Then I mixed in about 1/2 cup of almond milk, 1T of flax seed and 1/2 a Nature’s Valley Oats and Honey granola bar.

Simple and divine.

 

Have a great day!  Can you believe it is almost May?!$%!  Today si going to be another treadmill day at the gym…and Justin comes home tonight!

Not 100% but i’m better

(This entry crossposted between Sweets&Sweats and Happiness Awaits)

I think I am sick.  No, I don’t have swine flu, despite everyone in my life being adamant that I do.   Got to love the media on this one.  Anyway, the migraine is still around.  It was worse yesterday..today it has just become a dull throb.  When I was at work yesterday, I went and got a Coke Zero hoping it would help.  I took about 2 sips and felt VERY nauseous….I figured it was time to head home from work and work via my couch.  I took my temperature when I got home and I was running a low grade (99.5-99.9) fever all day.  I didn’t take it this morning before I left.  The headache is still there but much better and I think my appetite is back (too bad!).  I think I am going to try and take it fairly easy again today and hopefully will completely kick what ever it is that has invaded my body.

Justin is on travel and I really don’t want him to be!  I am already lonely and he left this morning! I think it is because I already am dreading the drive home and spending the evening in an empty house.  As much personality as our cat has, she isn’t as good of company as a real person.  There are definitely times when our house is just too big to only have one person in it. 

Yesterday afternoon I was getting really antsy to get outside and move around. I had switched what was suppose to be a cardio Sunday for my Tuesday lifting plan.  Already changing up one day was difficult for me and then yesterday…I didn’t think I could do anything and that really was upsetting me and making me feel guilty.  So I told myself that I could go for a walk and see how my head felt.  I took a big bottle of water with ice along with me…and I made sure to wear a hat to keep the sun off my head.  I didn’t feel any worse while I was walking, so I decided to jog some.  I ended up doing a walk/jog switch.  I basically would jog until I started feeling a bit nauseous and then I would walk.  I think it helped…I did feel better yesterday afternoon.  And more than anything, it did help TONS mentally.

Not too bad—I did 4.11 miles at an overall pace of 11:24 per mile.  Took 47 minutes. 

 

And we have continued our battle against the ants.  On Sunday we went and bought a whole arsenal of supplies to combat the ants.  We sprayed the inside of the house, the perimeter of the house, and put down these granules outside of the house that are supposed to help.

Because of this offensive, the ants launched a very respectable defensive attack.  They went for my pantry!!!  The horrors!  So, so, so gross!  We cleaned out the pantry, threw out just about everything that was open and attempted to kill all those little buggers.  Now they have found that there new favorite place which is a line from our kitchen sink, across our countertop and back into the wall.  We keep attacking back but they continue to come with numbers.  I hate spraying my kitchen with Raid and all this other stuff, especially knowing my cat gets up there and then licks her paws.  (Too bad I couldn’t just find a way to keep my cat off the countertops!!!) 

 

 

If they don’t get better soon, then we are going to have to cave and call an exterminator.

 

And here is an update on the 10 Week Challenge:

Hey-I almost think it is an impressive goal for myself that I haven’t been on the scale in weeks.  I have had moments where I am tempted.  And well, I just really want to know how much I weigh seeing bathing suit season is staring me down…but I won’t let myself.  I know that if I get on the scale and I don’t like the number then it will upset me SO greatly and I am not ready to lose a day to being angry and upset due to my scale.

 

Today I am hoping that I can make it to the gym over lunch and get on the treadmill.  I also am aiming not to work too late and get home and enjoy myself this evening….another good night of sleep to help kick this little virus.

Thoughts…

(This entry crossposted between Sweets&Sweats and Happiness Awaits)

I really don’t have anything to write about…I started catching up on my blog reading from the weekend and started with Jenna at Eat, Live, Run’s blog.

 

And I have no words to write.  She lost her younger brother, who a senior in high school, in a very tragic accident this weekend.

It really just shows how short life can be and just how unexpected everything is.  You never know.

Another reminder to live life to the fullest and to appreciate all the people around us.

Incredible Weekend

(This entry crossposted between Sweets&Sweats and Happiness Awaits)

Wow what a weekend.  It was so amazing.  I can’t believe I fit so much into 2 days!  I definitely am not ready to go back to work tomorrow, that is for sure.  Well you already know about the 5K from Saturday morning, so lets do a recap of what has happened since then.

After my post Saturday afternoon, we headed back out to do some car shopping.  I test drove more vehicles.  And then I test drove the car that would become my baby.

 

Mercedes Benz 2007 C-280 4Matic.  Only around 25,000 miles on it.  Looks and feels basically brand new.  I love it.  I ended up with a more practical car than I was pushing for at the end of last week but it no way doI feel let down.  This car is incredible.  I am SO excited and happy by it!  The whole experience at the Mercedes Benz dealership in Tyson’s Corner was perfect.

 

After we closed on the car and got everything taken care of, we dropped the other car off at my office and headed up to Merriweather to see the Fall Out Boy concert. 

(Justin doing his blue steel impression.)

There ended up being about 5-6 different bands that played. They were Cobra Starship, All Time Low, Metro Station, Hey Monday, 50 Cent and Fall out Boy. Justin and I felt like we were the oldest people there, aside from all the parents that had brought their teenagers.  I personally thought the best band there was All Time Low, who I had never heard of before.  Fall Out Boy was pretty good and had a good stage presence but they were really quiet in all honestly.  It needed to be louder…or maybe that is just because they went on after 50 Cent.

50 Cent was really good.  It was almost entertaining because a lot of the songs that Justin and I knew the rest of the crowd were in Elementary school when they came out.  The concert was General Admission and we definitely weren’t fighting our way up close, so we just hung out in the grass and enjoyed the evening.

I had started getting a headache while we are at car dealership and by the time we got to the concert it had turned into a full blown migraine.  I had told Justin I would be the DD for the night, so he had had a few to drink so he obviously wasn’t driving us home.  It was a VERY LONG and DIFFICULT drive home with my skull feeling like it was going to pound right out of my head.

I got home and took some meds and prayed that I could sleep through the night.  I woke up quite a few times and when I woke up this morning, the migraine was still there.  I ran a few errands and finally had to lay down it had gotten so bad again.  I don’t know what is causing it.  I think it is my allergies.  I have taken all my medicine but I just don’t think any of it is strong enough.  It isn’t because I am dehydrated…Yesterday I had at least 3 bottles of water after the race, 1 propel, (2 diet cokes), (2 beers), 1.5 Gatorades.  And I ate plenty.  Frustrating!

After waking up, I decided to go do some strength training because there was no way I could run with how my head felt, especially in the 90+ degree heat.  I lifted in our basement which was nice and cool! I did my core workout so I know I will be feeling it tomorrow!

After that, I weeded the front flower beds and then we decided to enjoy the rest of the evening on the front porch.  Look at the gorgeous sunset!

Justin moved the grill up to the front porch and cooked dinner up there.

(got to love the empty lots next to ours and then the house that’s being built.  We will be SO happy when our neighborhood is completed!!)

Here is the new outdoor furniture we bought last week:

It was just a great relaxing night out there

 

We had a few beers and stayed out there until it got dark.

Now I am laying down on the couch trying to motivate myself to head upstairs and rinse off and get into bed early.  I have had a jam packed weekend, I am sure a good nights sleep will help the Monday morning blues.

Oh and I still have the migraine.