To Lunch or not to lunch?

As I made my morning walk from the parking lot and up the stairs I looked around the hall way and thought “It’s a Christmas miracle!” Someone came over night and decorated the entire floor so much work just for one day who is crazy enough to do that?  As I walked further I saw stickers on the window I thought Purchasing Dept stickers does that mean they’re the ones who did all this decorating for us?  Then as I was about to put the key in the door to the office I noticed someone I didn’t recognize go in the other door…. Hmmmm  I had exited the stairwell on the second floor not the third floor!!!!!  I snuck out before anyone could see me but was laughing hysterically as at myself and the person passing me in the stairwell looked at me funny so I just said “Merry Christmas!”  It’s a ghost town here and most are already on vacation and those who aren’t physically are mentally, hence the above story.  As the brave few still left sit around discussing whether we’ll get that delightful e-mail from the prez telling us we can leave early and to have a happy holiday!  So I ask myself do I lunch or not?  Will they let us leave or not? 

Fa la la la laaa la la la laaaa!!   That’s all that’s going through my head.

Ok so Monday was a weird workout, I was scheduled to do 50 minutes of cardio.  I started on the treadmill, 10 mins. Felt funny so took a bathroom break, step machine 12 minutes still felt dizzy and lightheaded so went to the mats to do some crunches then pushed through another mile on the treadmill.  All in all only managed to get about 35-40 total minutes at the gym (including the crunches) and went home.  I don’t get why this randomly happens to me I ate well that day I’m gonna have to start taking gel packs to the gym even for short workouts, ridiculous!!  It happens to me about 2-6 times a month for no apparent reason…  Tuesday on the other hand had an awesome plyometrics and weight workout that totally made up for Monday.  Burned over 400 calories and felt awesome.  Wed. had an indoor soccer game that we brutally lost but we were short subs so I did A LOT of running!  Today if we get out early I will go for a hike with my wonderful doggie and my bf, yes he’s wonderful too we just have a difference of opinions from time to time ;-)  Then to go grocery shopping to prepare for a fun filled Christmas weekend.  Extra bonus my good friend since 7^th grade will be in town with her new hubby and we will be seeing the Luminarias together!!!  I’m so lucky to have the friends and family that I have surrounding me!!

Menu:

Friday -  BF = Eggs or Tofu with grits (tortilla for D), "soy bacon"
             Lunch = Steak or Vegetarian Meatloaf, mashed potatoes
             Dinner = Salad and/or leftovers
 Daytime hike or sledding and snowplay with Lexi
 Friday night we will go to Old Town to see the Luminarias then drive around to see Christmas lights (S & Fam joining us)
 Saturday - MERRY CHRISTMAS!
 BF = Berry Tasty Breakfast Cups
Lunch = Sweet Potato Casserole (w/some set aside for D to be made with marshmallows), Rice and artichoke salad, crescent rolls, Couscous loaf, corn on the cob (or some type of grilled vegetables), Mom's choice of dessert
Dinner = Leftovers or Salad
 D & N 12 mile run, someone else could walk Lexi
S and Fam to stop by in the afternoon for hot chocolate distribute neighbors gifts....

Sunday - 
BF = Hot Cereal (or left over crescent rolls for egg sandwiches w/soy sausage
Lunch = Spaghetti w/Marinara Sauce (Mom's Style Sauce) and Garlic Bread
Dinner = Salad, Leftovers or sandwiches
 9am spin class or other activity

Monday -  2 hour Volunteer w/Road Runner Food Bank first thing in the morning.....

Yes this is an actual email I sent out to my family, I know I have a problem with planning ;-)  See prior post…

Fun in the snow!

Finally got some snow in the mountains.  Two hour delay for work which is funny cause the roads in town were fine but I'll take what I can get.  Had a great 8 mile run on Sat. (recovery week) then went to the east mountains for some play time with good ol' Lexi.  Sunday did a spin class to help keep my muscles from tightening up and wow what a good idea!!  I felt so great!  I had been taking Sundays off due to hurting so bad from Sat. long runs and because usually had to catch up on errands but I loved it!  What do you think would spin class help also after the longer runs?  hmm....

So much on my mind

Days filled with holiday parties and special events keep me busy and tired but still happy!  Have the local Roadrunners Christmas party tonight which is always fun and the chance to win running related gifts is an added bonus (last time the runners bracelet I won was awesome).  So thankful that my new workplace is considerate of vegetarians, twice they made accommodations without me having to ask, yesterday vegetarian red chile and squash enchiladas and today veggie delight sandwiches from Subway!  WooHoo…  we won’t mention the cheesecake I had afterwards…  Had a nutcracker “experience” and we’ll just leave it at that, then helped the bro pick up some wood flooring and tonight the party, when is a girl to work out!!!!  Tomorrow is a rest week in my marathon training, 8 mile run.  We were going to do some hill running but it has since snowed so think we’ll stick to the city.

Recertified again with NASM as personal trainer, I keep doing it “just in case”.  I did let my USAT triathlon coaching cert. lapse though.  I’m thinking of maybe picking up a few clients on the side, make some extra cash.  Personal training was the funnest, most enjoyable ,and rewarding job I have ever had.  I just couldn’t quite make ends meet with it at the time cause I tried going back to school again at the same time.  But I figured this way I get the best of both worlds.  So with my new job I get 1 week and 1 day off for Christmas wow!  I didn’t plan a trip anywhere b/c the bf would have been jealous.  So instead I’m going to do a boot camp for myself with at least 2 cardio workouts and some weight training each day!  I will also take that time to register myself as a business so I can start the personal training.  The catch is I don’t quite feel like a trainer.  I mean I am still in shape but about 15 lbs heavier than when I was a trainer before.  Maybe it’s just the motivation I need to stop shoving those extra calories down my throat, he he he....  Losing that weight would sure make my running easier too!  Gotta pull out the “Racing Weight” book again and start reading.  But I get so tired of keeping a food log L  No one ever said it was easy right, ok I will practice the speeches I use to give to clients on myself.  I will also start a mirror of motivation like I had done when training for my Ironman (I’ll post a picture once I’m done with it).  So I never like to do New Year’s resolutions but I do like to set midyear and annual goals for myself, do here it goes:

1)      Get to my “race weight” or as I prefer to call it my “fighting weight”

2)      Register for at least 8 triathlons in the local challenge series

3)      Register myself as a business and acquire a few clients

4)      Not injure myself this year with skiing, running, soccer, etc

Goal date: March 2010  Will keep you posted!

I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful (repeat)

As I started off on last week's long run (16 miles) Saturday morning I started on my usual routine of chanting in my head.  For the first half I chanted "I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful."  Over and over and over, it also helps when you envision Bill Murray repeating this as he rubs his temples at the beginning of "What about Bob?"  The first 2.5 miles were an uphill warm up not bad just a little slow, then the next 5.5 miles felt really good but I had to keep reminding myself not only was I going slightly downhill but the wind was at my back pushing me along.  Then as I was looking for the bf at the turn around I became concerned.  I didn't see him and he had been quite a ways ahead of me the whole way there.  So I thought maybe this wasn't the turn around so I kept running.  Finally, I gave up and turned around (probably added about 1 extra mile to my run).  Then the wind hit me full blast and so did the slight uphill.  At about mile 11 I had to start walking more often and for longer periods of time.  It was pretty miserable but I knew I couldn't stop.  I kept having to take stretch breaks.  Then the final 2.5 miles were downhill and the most brutal on my sore leges! 

As I got closer to the end I kept thinking ok if the bf is already done why hasn't he come in the car to check on me.  Also when ever the times get tougher I usually switch chants.  I start chanting "Come on (insert name), you can do it, put a lil' pooowwweerrr into it! and move 2,3,4 and move 2,3,4"  and I repeat that over and over then there comes the point where it becomes so painful I become present and that is the worst during a long run.  When you are not present it is easy to get through the run and minor uncomfortableness due to fatigue.  I realized how funny I sound sometimes when I tried telling my bf about this practice of chanting and how chearleader like it sounded at least it gave him a good laugh.  Turns out he finished behind me somehow we have no idea how cause on the way out he looked so strong.  We think that during the time I ran an extra mile at the turn around he had dodged in to McDonalds to get a cup of water (he had to ditch his belt at the start of the run) and we must have missed each other.  That still doesn't explain how I got so far ahead to where I was the one in the car picking him up (he only had about 1/2 mile left when I picked him up).  But we made it we did our long run.  Sunday we were soooo exhausted though.  All I managed to do was walk my dog for about 2 miles.  I have said this before and I stick to it WIND is my LEAST favorite element!!

It was my turn to bring a snack in to work this morning and I brought humus.  It is amazingly quick and easy to make and you can add all kinds of twists to it.  Today I made the basic humus.

Humus
1 can (14oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
Lemon Juice (1 lemon)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup plain fat free yogurt (or soy yogurt, or olive oil depends on if you are trying to cut out fat or dairy products)
2-3 tablespoons sesame seed paste (tahini)
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt
Throw all of it in a food processor and blend till smooth (add water if too thick)

Some of the things I might add (but not all at the same time just depends on what flavor I'm looking for) are: fresh parsley, green chile, chipotle powder, sun dried tomatoes or avocado.  You could drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top and some people put chunks of white onion sticking out.

It's the small things in life that make me happy!

I'm so happy I can find joy in the small things!  Some may call me kooky or quirky but that makes me happy too so I'm ok with that.  Today's small things:



Making sure Toys for Tots had plenty of bikes to give away!



 



Dog in a box = hours of laughter!



Lots of colorful pens so that my work and to do lists aren't boring...

Pipe cleaners to give out to ppl that need something to do.. or kids that stop by

TootsiePops for anyone that has a meeting with me to complain about their boss this always helps!

And of course every time I have an awesome workout like last night.  Tonight is sprints in the gym!  What makes you happy?





What a difference a night makes (zzzzzz)

Ahhhh, got to bed early last night (9pm) tossed and turned for bout an hour but then once I finally fell asleep, wow, what an awesome night of sleep, beautiful sleep!!!    Last night I went to my soccer game thinking I'll sit out a lot cause of how I was feeling.  But everyone else was also tired and it was a TOUGH game so I ended playing a lot and doing extra running.  Second half we were short by 1 girl for 2 mins. as a penalty for her cussing but that team was playing rough so we gave it right back ;-)   I got 2 bruises and a swollen ankle and leg.  Full force close range ball to the thigh then a kick to the inside of my ankle that already has problems.  We lost our first game of the season and we had been in 1st place before this.  But hey we're still doing way better then last season.  All in all I felt good and I'm glad I played as much as I did even though I was exhausted! 

Today I feel so refreshed and not only am I caught up at work but ahead.  I am looking forward to an awesome plyometrics and weight lifting workout tonight!  The new Juanes CD came out today and excited to add it to my playlist!  On the menu tonight Vegetarian Posole, hoping if I make it extra spicy it will clear out the last of the congestion.  The new trick I'm going to attempt is cooking it in a pressure cooker so it will be done faster.  Only attempted using it once before for risotto but ended up burning it so let's hope this experiment turns out better.

Good and tired.

How do you people do it?  I mean keep a social life, manage the household and stay in tip top racing shape?  I will always be an average athlete and proud of it...  Over the years when I set my race goals I always meet my goals but never improve on them.  My over all goal is to keep racing local events to be able to associate with fellow athletes and to remain healthy, not to actually be competitive, because of weekends like this last one I realize my limitations. 

This weekend was fun filled yet exhausting and I'm DRAGGING at work today.  All I can think of is my nice comfy bed at home that I can't wait to crawl in to but I have a 7:30 pm soccer game I have to participate in and buy the last two items on my Christmas shopping list before that happens.  Sat/Sun I organized the house and especially my home office, finished putting decorations up, wrapped gifts, bought more gifts, cooked, got a surprise visit from a really good friend, went bowling, stayed out too late Sat. ran more errands, volunteered at Toys for Tots Sun. morning took a nap that threw my schedule off but boy did I enjoy it, ran 10 miles with my bf, did laundry and fell asleep in front of the TV Sun. night before prepping my lunch and gym bag for the next day.

Tomorrow I told my brother I'd help him go to pick up the last of his wood floors that finally came in, Wed. there is the Nutcracker that my bf wants to see and Fri. friends birthday dinner followed by a musical, anniversary on Sat.

Now to find time to fit in all my training, I'll have to do a few at lunch and a few late night workouts.  I know it is worth it in the end because I get to see the smiling faces of my friends and family.  But through all of this the last month or so I keep feeling like I'm fighting off a cold even if I stop to take some rest days.  Ok I will suck it up and go on my merry way!

On a roll...

It's kind of weird that while I'm being asked if I'm coming down with a cold I'm on this awesome workout streak!  I love getting on a roll like this I feel awesome!  Ok, so I may sound congested because I am, my ears are plugged, I have a bad sinus pressure headaches but when I get off work and hit the gym it all goes away.  Yesterday I did about 4 miles total: 1 mile treadmill warm up, 5 suicides on the basketball court 2 x high knees, butt kicks, skipping, thn was kicked outta there so went back to do 1 minute sprints on the treadmill x 5 followed by a 1 mile cool down.  The bf did maybe 1 mile of sprints on the treadmill then did the elliptical for 10 mins he seems to be having knee problems....

I think I have finally jumped on board with my training/healthy living plans.  I'm back to my normal self!  Today I'm going back for some more plyometrics as well as weight lifting.  Friday is going to be my day off followed by a 10 mile run on Sat.  The high temp on Sat. is supposed to be 45 so I will have some time to run errands in the morning while I let it warm up a lil.

Had the most awesome homemade salad for lunch today and came in about 450 calories with dressing and all.  Some of my favorite salad toppings are baby corn and avocado yum!  Sometimes I splurge and and get palm hearts or artichoke hearts. My favorite dressing is so simple: 1 tblsp olive oil, 1/2 lemon juice, 2 tblsp balsamic vinegar, crushed gralic clove and italian seasoning. 

On my mind...

I love blogging on my lunch breaks it gives me something to look forward to.  Not to mention the fact that if I did it from home in the evenings we only have the computer hooked up on the big screen and I don't like writing while someone is watching my every word, is that weird?  (I need a laptop!).  Last night's workout was awesome!!!  The only thing that was changed was instead of doing the mile run after I was doing sets of stairs in between sets of weights.  Stayed well below my calorie limits for the day in meals.  The trick I need to stick to is usually I would write down what I ate for dinner in my food log after the fact.  I find that if I log it before I eat it I have to think do I really need those extra calories?  Success!

Today is sprints but it is so cold outside I am going to do 1 mile warm up on the treadmill run sprints in the basketball court then cool down with another mile on the treadmill.  Goal for today is to walk the dog as soon as I get home from the gym I don't care how cold it is.  She is so much happier when I exercise her and I just have to remember how I feel on the days I don't get to exercise and I can't do that to her....   I'm feeling like I'm trying to fight off another cold but don't think I'll actually come down with anything.

Just got a txt from the bf informing me he was going out for some drinks with co workers on Fri.  I reminded him we have a long run on Sat.  Now what I need to remind myself is a) I am not in control of his training and b) he is not in control of my training.  I am going to have faith that he is going out for 1-2 drinks and will still make the Sat. run with me.  HOWEVER, if not I will not let this anger me or affect my own Sat long run I will do what I am scheduled to do with or without him.  Any takers on a bet?  When he started this training I told him most people run around a 4 1/2 hr first marathon with proper training.  He said he'd have that beat and place in his AG.  Then he says ok I won't place but I'll still finish in less than that.  Now it is becoming ok I'm definitely going to finish the marathon.  I hope he does but at this rate neither one of us is doing well in the training.  The difference is I have realized this and am taking owner ship of my shortcomings and catching back up.  We'll just have to wait and see....

My favorite shoes to run in are New Balance I love how they fit my narrow foot and it's an extra bonus that they carry lines made in the US sweatshop free!