Mom in Training

Mic Check 1-2-1-2

2011-11-18T13:04:00.003-05:00

Hello. Hello. Is this thing still on? It's been months since I blogged and I am contemplating coming back to it.

You see I lost my mojo for awhile. A lot has happened since I regularly blogged. We moved houses, but that didn't work out very well for us. We basically ended up buying a money pit and a lot has gone wrong. I was also not very happy in my work life. So, things were stressful at work, stressful at home and I let it derail me and get the best of me. However, I'm back, baby. And I think I may blog about it. I still have lots to do and many more races to conquer.

I am finishing up my last week at my current job and will soon be embarking on a new adventure. I have found my way into a work from home job and I cannot even believe it. I am super excited to get started and try my hand at a new career (sales!). Plus, the extra time at home is going to reinvent my workout life and give me more time with my daughter.

Today I "started over" for the millionth time in my life. I have put on about 6-8 lbs and look forward to getting them off. I recently bought a groupon for 6 weeks of unlimited bootcamp at BCOR. I am going to the Solon location. My alarm went off at 4:10am, groan, but I rolled out of bed ready to get back on the proverbial horse. The class started at 5am. It was a good workout. I am so out of shape. The trainer is good, the music was great and he kicked my butt. Nothing too out of the box, lots of lunges and squats and plyometrics. He essentially ran us through 2 different circuits and we did each one 4 times. The 45 mins flew by and I can totally feel that I am going to be sore with a capitol S tomorrow. But I miss that feeling and welcome it!

I have signed up for the Louisville marathon in April and will probably do the Wine Glass marathon in the fall. I want to do 2 others as well.

Hope all my bloggy friends are still out there and doing well!

Tofu Xpress = Awesome!

2011-08-18T20:11:00.006-04:00

Ack. My how time flies! Life has been so crazy with the move. I feel like we are finally settled in our new house. My eating has been all over the place and I am trying to clean that up and get more into cooking. Being a vegetarian I have gotten really boring with my eating. Think lots of frozen veggies and pasta. Whenever we eat out I always hit up asian places b/c I love to get their stir fried wok tofu. Love it! But every time I try to make tofu at home it is an epic fail.
So, I did a little research and found out about tofu presses! voila. I am a tofu making genius. Here's a little blurb from their site-

"The TofuXpress is designed to be the vegetarian’s kitchen tool! It presses water effectively from a standard size brick of commercially made tofu so you can change its texture and add flavoring. Tofu is a great source of vegetarian protein. By using tofu as a substitute for meat

protein we can conserve the amount of natural resources needed to produce our protein sources. It is estimated that every family that replaces 1 pound of meat for 1 pound of tofu will conserve 20,000 gallons of water per year."

Using this little doohicky is what

was missing. It shrinks the size of my tofu and makes the texture so much better. I've been making my favorite tofu recipe which I am pasting below from Peas and Thank you, my absolute favorite website. She just came out with a book, you must get it.

Hoisin Ginger Tofu with Smoky Tahin

Slaw

by Mama Pea

Prep Time: 45 min.

Cook Time: 12 min.

Ingredients (2-4 servings)

For the Tofu:

One 15 oz. package extra-firm tofu, pressed and sliced into 1 x 2 inch slabs
2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T. hoisin sauce
1 t. lemon juice
2 T. water
2 t. minced ginger
2 t. minced garlic

For the Slaw:

4 c. shredded cabbage
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 large bell pepper, julienned
2 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 T. tahini
2 t. minced ginger
1 t. agave or stevia to taste
salt and pepper to taste
3 slices tempeh bacon, cooked and chopped into pieces

Instructions

To make the tofu, drain and press and cut into slabs.
Prepare the marinade, by combining soy sauce, hoisin sauce, lemon juice, water, ginger and garlic.
Reserve half of the minced ginger for the slaw, if you are making it as well.
Add tofu to the marinade and lightly toss.
Allow tofu to marinate for anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight.
Meanwhile, prepare slaw by placing cabbage in a large bowl.
Add shredded carrots and bell pepper strips.
For the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, tahini, ginger, sweetener of choice and salt and pepper.
Drizzle dressing over the top of the slaw and toss until evenly coated.
Top with tempeh bacon, if using. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
Preheat broiler to prepare tofu.
Remove tofu from marinade and place on a cookie sheet that has been spritzed with oil or sprayed with cooking spray.
Drizzle tofu with any remaining marinade and broil for 5-6 minutes on each side.
Plate tofu with slaw and serve.

An Epic Day: Sunburst South Bend IN race recap

2011-06-05T16:41:00.002-04:00

I am super busy packing up our lives into cardboard boxes so that we can make our move in 2 measly weeks, but I have to write a quick update on the race I ran yesterday. Sunburst South Bend IN marathon.

I left work at noon on Friday and made what was supposed to be a 4 hour drive with my friends, married couple RH & KH. RH was running the full and KH was running the half. The trip to the race must have been an omen as it took us 5.5 hours and we sat in standstill traffic twice. Once b/c Obama was in Toldeo and they closed the high way and the second time b/c people were gawking at a horrendous wreck on the opposite side of the highway. We got to South Bend at like 5:30 and headed to expo. The expo was very small, about 5 booths, but it was super easy to find out race number and get our packet. I also really liked the shirts b/c they had women specific tech shirts with a nice clean design on white. I am sick of stupid shirts that are made to fit a man, so I was pleased to get a shirt that I will like to wear. From there we rushed to our hotel, had about 20 mins of downtime and then made the 20 min walk to where we were meeting our other 3 friends who came to town for dinner. The town of South Bend is super cute and I wish I had more time to explore. Dinner was okay, we ate at an upscale Italian place called Ciao's. I am not a big Italian fan anyway and there wasn't much on the menu that looked safe for my belly. So, I had a piece of tuna steak that was really good and some rice and veggies that was way too butter soaked for my taste. My crew walked back to the hotel and we got there around 9:30. I laid all my stuff out and was in bed by 10 for my 4:45 wake up call!

On Saturday the race started at 6am! That's a little early for my taste, but thank goodness it did. This was the first marathon I traveled too that I didn't get to stay in a house, so I learned a few important tips about mary traveling. I wasn't prepared properly for breakfast. I brought oatmeal packets, but had no where to get hot water and no spoon! So, I ate my oatmeal using nasty hotel room coffee machine water and used the end of my toothbrush to shovel it into my mouth! Our sub par hotel had no continental breakfast, but they did sit out fruit and water.

We walked up the street at 5:40 and met our 3 friends who stayed at another hotel. J and B were running the full too, the other friend was just watching her boyfriend. At this race the mary and half start at different times and run different courses, so it was a relative ghost town since only about 1000 people were running the full. We got in line at the start w/o issue and used the portapotties without a line. It was very nice. The race start at 6 was an anti climatic cap gun and we were off. I was in no way shape or form in top marathon shape. So, my plan going in was to run an easy race, stay around a 10 min pace and just have fun. Our friend B was running his first marathon even and hoping for a 4:30 and honestly I just would have been happy with that. RH and I stayed together at the beginning as the course wound through nice, quaint neighborhoods and a park along the water. The first half went perfectly fine. I felt good, I could have gone a little faster, but we were trotting along and talking to everyone along way. We crossed the half at 2:12.

At the start the temperature was 69 degrees. As we ran I felt a little more humid and sweaty than I would have liked, I started to worry. I was sweating very salty. We had such a cold and wet spring that I had only really ran in the heat once or twice. At 13 my shoulders started to cramp. I ate my GUs, I walked through the water stops at 13 and 14. By the time we got to 17 I knew things were not going to get better. I started to take walk breaks. Finally I convinced RH to go on without me. I met up with a nice gal at 18 and we walked together for awhile. We started helping each other along. Talking each other into running a few mins and then taking a walk break. We ran/walked our way back to mile 20. At this the race clock had been running for about 4:10. We started to do the math and decided that we might as well just power walk the rest. Every time I started to run I would get really nauseous and light headed. when I was running it was about an 11 min pace. We were able to walk at about a 14 min pace. Everyone was walking and I mean everyone. From mile 17-20 it's an out and back in a very nice park along the river. A lot of us ran into the park, but were walking on our way out. Once you leave the park at mile 20, you go back into town and run on the asphalt. There were sporadic little groups of people walking. At the mile 20 water stop the volunteer told me they had "red flagged" the race b/c of the heat and that we could take a shuttle back. My new friend and I decided to finish it out, I wanted an official time for the 50 state club! We picked up another women as we walked in and caught up with my friends J & B who were also now walking for the most part. The next 6 miles were a blur, but my little group of ladies busied ourselves talking and pushing each other on, we all would have love to quit.

At mile 25 a guy with a walky talky told me the race was closed, the race director had black flagged it. He said that we could go on at our own discretion. The Notre Dame campus was in eye shot at this point, so of course we had come that far we were going to finish! You finish on the Notre Dame football field and get to run through the tunnel the players do and onto the field. I started running again once i hit mile 26 and ran onto the field. Only to be met by everyone packing it up. It was 5:15 at this point, I wasn't directed to the finish, but over to get water. But they did call my name as I ran onto the field. I did end up backtracking and going through the finish, but the clock was off. Turns out they turned it off at 5:08 and rolled up the mat! I don't disagree with the director's choice to close the race, it was 95 degrees out and way hotter on the asphalt, but I am very peeved that they didn't let those of us within a few minutes get a chance to officially finish. It was quite a day. There were so many sad people, one women was crying b/c she had just done her 3rd marathon in 90 days and was trying to get into the marathon maniacs club. W/o official results, she might not be able to. It was not the end to my race that I was hoping for. But I know it's not the end of the world. Another state done, another marathon and this one will hopefully be the worse race I ever run.

Hitch up your britches and get back on the horse

2011-05-27T08:16:00.002-04:00

I am a healthy person who loves to talk about good eats, exercise, marathons, triathlons and juggling it all while working full time and mothering a 2 year old. But the truth is that I’m a bit of a phony. I don’t really practice what I preach and I haven’t for a long time. I don’t know at what point I got soooo out of my routine. I started back to work full time last May and Harper was 13 months old. I managed to change my stay at home mom routine to a 5am workout schedule and held on to it through a fall marathon in West Virginia. Things derailed after that. I had another marathon a month later in Delaware and the 4 weeks between I barely ran and it showed in Delaware, that mary hurt! I then switched to P90x, but only managed to stick with it for about 4 weeks. I have been completely running on auto pilot since January of this year. I am just going to be honest and put it all out there! I have only worked out on average 3 times a week. Up until this point in my life, aside from pregnancy, I always worked out at least 5 days a week. Once I started training for my June mary, those 3 workouts were just running and occasionally I threw in an abs DVD. I am soft, I am undertrained and this is the perfect prescription for an injury. I have a marathon staring me in the face on June 4th. No amount of work this weekend and next will make up for my running sins. I am running a marathon with an average weekly mileage somewhere in the 20s. I did get in all my long runs and they weren’t that bad, but South Bend is going to be a huge mental challenge.

Why am I blabbing about all this? It’s just for myself. Getting it out there and now holding myself accountable. Because here is one thing that I know for sure, one huge truth that I have proven to myself time and time again – I am not a nice person or a happy person when I am not working out. I fall into a rut that snowballs and this has been one huge snowball. I do not like this Monica and I am going to change it. I am going to get through this marathon, give myself a week off running and then I will be back with a vengeance. I have 2 fall marathons and I am not going to let myself be this soft. I am going to hit the track, pick up the dumbells again, I am going to do abs every other day and I am putting my pushup bar by the bed and doing pushups before bed every night! Fonzie will be happier too, he's only getting like 1 run a week, poor dog and he is showing his distaste with extreme obnoxiousness.

What gets you back on track after a hiatus?

Is spring here!?

2011-05-19T15:37:00.002-04:00

Hey there Bloggy friends. A lot has happened since last we met. I ran a sub par half marathon at Cleveland this past weekend. I finished in 2:08 in change. Seeing as my fastest half was only last fall at 1:56:06 I really wanted to be better this year. But I’m not. Not even close. But I cannot be mad about it b/c I have not put in the time. I have barely been working out. I am doing all my long runs and that’s almost it weekly. So, I should be happy that I can run under a 10 min mile for that long at this point. But spring is here and change is in the air. I am feeling a renewed devotion to running thanks to an activity that I have been working on. I can honestly say that this winter/early spring I have worked out less than ever in my life. I have to change that soon.

I have said here before that I plan to run a marathon in all 50 states and I am happy to have a partner in crime in a friend from my hometown Twila, she blogs over at Twila runs 2010 in 2010. You can read her recap of the Cleveland marathon. She came to stay with me for the weekend and tore that course up and got a big fat PR, despite gross weather conditions. It was cold and rainy and all day. But anyway I have been working on a spreadsheet of all the races I want to run and it has been fun. I have been reading reviews and trying to find a balance between big city races and small scenic routes. If you have run a marathon that I should put on my list, please leave me a comment.

In other news our house drama is almost done. We move into our new house on June 16th and I am looking forward to the next chapter of our lives in our Lucky Bell Lane house! I will miss my running hood, but look forward to exploring our new neighborhood. I will also be closer to South Chagrin Reservation which is quite hilly. So, I look forward to alternating my long runs there and know those hills will only make me stronger. I have really slacked on the running front and look forward to making up for lost time.

I am now blogging over at Unmiserable Cleveland as well. I am really excited. I have loved that site and what my friend who started it has done with it and I am honored to be able to post there. My posts are under the handler mhn, have a look!

I am in taper mode now and South Bend is quickly approaching. I wish I could say I am excited. I really am not b/c I haven’t trained and I really would have loved to get a PR. But I am just going to try and enjoy the race and run with my friends. One person in our group is running their first full and just looking to do it in under 4:30 and I hope to help them to that goal.

So tell me, is it finally spring in your neck of the woods? Are you looking forward to getting back into the groove or have you been trucking along all winter despite the unfavorable weather?

Saturday procrastination

2011-05-07T05:56:00.005-04:00

It's 5:56 am right now, I got up about 20 mins ago. I have 22 miles on the docket for today and only have company lined up for 10-12 of those miles. So. I am procrastinating. I will give myself until 6:20 then I MUST be on my way. My throat hurts and I don't wanna go! My goal is to only have 3-4 to do by myself after I meet my friend at 8 for the 10-12.

A few random notes:

* I did 20 miles last weekend with a friend. We kept our pace steady around 10:20 and it was a gorgeous, enjoyable run. I really think for South Bend since my training has been so spotty I am just going to run with this friend and not even worry about time. I will still finish in under 4:30. It won't be a PR, but I have not been training (aside from long runs) so I cannot complain.
* Today is day 3 of my cleanse. I didn't start on Monday like I was going to b/c I had the week from hell at work. BUt days 1 and 2 were not hard at all. There was even an amazing crepes buffet set up at work on Friday and I breezed on by it. Today we have a communion party and that will be tough, my plan is just to eat beforehand. I know they are having salad and veggies so I can load up my plate with those.

* Harper made me the most adorable card and little box with her picture on it that she painted at daycare. I about cried. I need to post pictures. That kid just gets more awesome all the time.

* I am so so so ready for all the house stuff to be done. Our home didn't appraise for what the guy offered to buy it for so now he wants some money off of our agreed upon price. It sucks though b/c we basically got screwed on the appraisal and they guy wrote that mold COULD form in our basement b/c we had water in our root cellar after about a month straight of rain and then it was a hot day so the walls were covered in condensation. We have never had mold or water damage. And the comparable properties he chose were not really comparable and they sold for less and sold months ago. The whole thing just stinks and I am ready to be done. We move on June 16th and I cannot wait!

* And this photo is of Harper and my monster cat. Harper has her on a diet of bananas (not really).

May is wellness month!

2011-04-29T14:32:00.004-04:00

I am on the wellness committee at work and May is wellness month. I am super excited for all the great things that we have planned. I arranged 3 great “lunch and learns” which are basically presentations over lunch. The first week we have someone from NEO Team in Training coming to tell everyone about TNT and what you can get if you sign up to train with them. Then next week I have a lovely yoga instructor coming in to walk people through yoga poses to help undo the stress of sitting all day. And then for weeks 3 and 4 we are going to screen the movie Food Inc in 2 parts! How fun is that. Don’t you wish you worked here. On top of that I managed to gather 8 people who are interested in doing a cleanse with me! I am going to lead the group, so I think that will be the right amount of motivation to stay on the cleanse. In fact I am going to start on Monday (instead of Friday like them) so I have a few solid days under my belt. The cleanse will be based on the book Quantum Wellness, I did this cleanse once before, but only made it 15 days. But this cleanse is what solidified that I could be a vegetarian and I haven’t wavered on that once since I made the decision early last year. I will blog about the cleanse for anyone interested. Here is an email I sent out to the group today:

“Hi cleanse group members! If you are going to go shopping this weekend or early next week to prepare for the cleanse, below are some shopping items you will want to stock up on. All of these foods are approved on the cleanse. I am assuming no one has read the book yet, so I pulled this from the website, with some notes from me. When I did this cleanse last time I lived on popcorn, rice noodles, hummus and steamed veggies with different spices on them. Trader Joes has really great, cheap, spice grinders. I am in love with their lemon pepper and 21 spice salute.

The Quantum Wellness Cleanse Grocery List:

The items on this grocery list are specifically outlined for the “Quantum Wellness Cleanse” which precludes sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, and all animal products. This does not mean that all of these items are not vegan, rather these items are specifically for the 21 day cleanse.

Irish steel cut oats (for most people, this is tolerable insofar as gluten; unless you are particularly sensitive, ok to use), mixed grain hot cereals, gluten and sugar (maple, honey, etc.) free

Rice cakes

Flax crackers

Gluten free bread (vegan) (MN: Check out the brand Ezekiel, they make many types of sprouted breads that are gluten free)

Sweet potatoes, yams-Grains: brown or wild rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, corn, buckwheat, corn

Nuts: almonds, walnuts, cashews, soy nuts, macadamia nuts, filberts, etc.

Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame

Nut or seed butters: peanut butter, almond butter, tahini, cashew butter (unsweetened)

Vegan butter (earth balance, soy garden)

Vegan mayonnaise

Non-dairy protein powder (Solaray strawberry is a tasty sugar free one), also others that are pea, rice, and soy based are good (MN: Whole Foods has a very tasty banana pea/rice protein powder)

Beans and legumes: black beans, lentils, chickpeas, lima beans, adzuki beans, black-eyed peas, edamame, fava beans

Tofu-Tempeh-Faux meats: burgers, sausage patties, "meat crumbles", "chicken" patties (make sure gluten free)

Artichoke/rice/quinoa pasta (MN: Trader Joes has some yummy and cheap rice stick pasta)-Pasta sauce (no sugar added)

Vegetables: kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, brussel sprouts, zucchini, eggplant, collard greens, butternut, spaghetti, and acorn squash (MN: Check out the frozen ones at WF, my lunch staple will be various frozen veggies with different spices)

Mushrooms: shitake, hen of the woods, etc. (grilled, they make a great centerpiece for a meal)

Salad "fixins": arugala, raddichio, endive, mixed greens, peppers, avocado, tomato, etc.

Fruits: apples, cherries, peaches, blueberries, goji berries

Lemons, limes for sparkling water cocktails. A splash of unsweetened pomegranate juice-Coconut water

Teecino (coffee substitute), rooibos tea, herbal teas

Rice, almond, soy milk (unsweetened) (MN: Both TJS and WF have their own unsweetened brand of Almond and soy milk and its way cheaper than the name brands. I personally like almond milk way better than soy)

Stevia, agave nectar to sweeten smoothies, milks, cereals, etc.

Extra virgin olive oil, expeller pressed organic canola, high-oleic versions of sunflower and safflower oils

Garlic, ginger, tamari, Himalayan crystal salt, pepper

Flours to cook or bake with: bean, pea, soy, potato, buckwheat, tapioca, nut and seed, arrowroot

Popcorn

Corn chips (MN: TJs has a very tasty veggie flaxseed tortilla chip, its great with hummus or homeage guac)

Guacamole

Hummus

Soy cheese (no rennet or casein)

Frozen spinach (to throw into smoothies… you won't even taste it!)

Flax seed oil, freshly ground flax seeds

Vegetarian stock for cookingPre-prepared foods at health food stores are often tasty and nutritious. Visit the "raw" section and deli/salad bar area”

Cleveland 10 miler race report, kind of

2011-04-26T15:25:00.001-04:00

Well I had a race. Or maybe I should say I had a run. I decided as I slogged through this year’s Cleveland 10 miler, that I am a runner, not a racer. I love to run. I only hate it when I worry myself about pace and about how I am not logging enough miles (which I am not at all by the way!). So, why in the world do I put the pressure on myself? I am an 8 something miler at best, I am never going to win a race, so why not just enjoy it. My overall goal is to finish a marathon in all 50 states, I don’t have to finish them in under 4 hours! Or even in under 5. Sure I would love to think that someday I can go to Boston, but not at the rate I am going.

So, the theme of the Cleveland 10 miler for me this year was relax and run. It was an impressive turn out with 2300 runners. I really like this race b/c it goes through a very pretty part of Cleveland’s west side that I do not visit often. For the most part the race is flat and you get a nice downhill right at the end. Parking is plentiful and you get to walk up a big hill to pick up your packet and move to the start line, which is a nice warm up. My best pal Michelle and I met up at 7am to be at the park by 7:30 for packet pickup. I was disappointed to see that this year’s shirt was the same as last years and I hated last year’s shirt! Hated it. It has stupid stripes on the sleeves that make them poke up at the shoulders, it looks awful on me. Oh well. Last year, this was a break through race for me, I ran it in 1:28 and it was the very first time that I maintained an 8something min mile for that long. I was so proud of myself. So, going into the race this year I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to do as well. However, I was pleased to finish in 1:30. I didn’t think even that was possible and it was super-hot and I felt overheated the whole time. I can honestly say that I gave the race my all and worked through moments where I really wanted to just say Screw It and walk.

If you want a total confession I have honestly only been running 2 times a week on average. I mean can you believe that I am training for a marathon on 2 measly runs a week! I will be lucky to finish South Bend, it’s not like I can make up for it now, the race is 5 weeks away. But I can promise myself to try harder for Eerie in Sept. If I can manage a 9min pace for 10 miles with barely training, then I know that if I train properly this summer I very well may be able to break 4 hours at Eerie or Chicago. And if I don’t? Well guess what it doesn’t matter. By the end of the year I will have another 3 states marked off the map and that is the goal, isn’t it!'

In other news, Harper rocked Easter and totally enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt and multiple Easter baskets. That kid is cute! Even if she refuses to smile in pictures. Check out her dress! I want one.

2 years old already? Happy birthday baby.

2011-04-19T10:55:00.002-04:00

730 days ago you came into the world without a sound. No screaming, no crying for you. You just sat back and took it all in. This new shiny world, and that is how you have remained. Happy and calm. I never knew that one’s heart could be so filled with love for someone else or worry about all the bad that the world could drop on you. Not until you entered the world. I cannot even remember what life was like before you were there, always at my side, my constant companion, my shadow. I cannot wait to see what unfolds in this next year. You are changing so quickly that I want to grab the clock and tell it to stop, to hold on just a few more minutes. All of a sudden you are a big girl, standing 3 feet tall and full of words. Able to maneuver the playground equipment all by yourself and walk the entire mile around our block. You help with dishes and like to vacuum. You love cottage cheese w/apple sauce and frozen peas. You tell the dogs to cut it out when they are playing and corral the cat into your lap for cuddling. You brush your teeth and sporadically go on the potty. You hug like you mean it and give the sloppiest kisses and you love to hold my hand. I hope to remember what you were like at 2 for always b/c right now you are the most amazing child that ever walked the earth, I just know it! Happy birthday Harper.

Feeling MUCH better~!

2011-04-18T16:23:00.003-04:00

All the house stresses are almost behind us! Everything is done on our home, officially sold! Inspection went just fine. We have bought a house! Just got the signed contract in my email. We still need to have the inspection this coming Friday, but barring any huge issues, we will be living in a rural farm town called Newbury that is very close to my very favorite down town area ever - Chagrin Falls. It has 4 bedrooms, a 3 season porch, awesome master bath and a finished basement! We will have 2.5 acres and I am totally going to learn to garden! Here are some pics:

Oh and I had a pretty decent 18 miler this past weekend. So, I am going to go ahead and power through my June 4th marathon. It will not be my fastest race ever, but I am just going to try and have fun.

Funk Soul Sister

2011-04-09T08:04:00.002-04:00

Anyone still here? I haven't posted in awhile, mostly b/c my life has been one huge jumbled ball of stress and negative attitude and I don't like to post when I am in a funk. So what's "wrong"

1. Well our house went up for sale 2 Saturdays ago. And in the one week it was on the market, we had 1 realtor open house, 1 public open house, 5 showings and 2 offers. The 2 p

eople bid it out with 1 guy being the victor. Now that sounds like good news right!? Well of course I am not going to complain about my house selling so quickly. But it was very stressful to have to run home from work to show the house. It was hard keeping it clean and it was torture driving around with Harper and the dogs in the car. To make matters worse it rained all week.

2. So, now the house is "sold" and we have a contract. Well on the contract we wrote in some comments on the date that the guy could have the house and then he said he wouldn't sign. So, long story short we ran around like idiots all day looking at our "favorite" houses on our list and we didn't like them. So, we told the guy to tear the contract up and he changed his mind. But it was the most stressful day.

3. We still have to get through inspection and I have a 1920s house and we are worried that something may come up that will be costly or scare the guy away. So, our house is not sold yet.

4. But if our house IS sold, we have to be out by June 30th. And we have nowhere to go. We haven't liked any of the houses we've looked at and I am getting really nervous. We are looking at 6 houses today, I hope something is better in person than it is online. But I certainly don't want to settle. The bottom line is that I am really second guessing our decision to move and I kind of wish I could take it all back. But it's not possible at this point, so I am trying to stay positive and just move forward.

5. All the house stress has made me fall into bad behaviors with my eating. Way too much sugar, way too much food. I feel gross and bloated and tired.

6. Bad eating leads to bad exercise habits.

7. So all in all I am a total mess. At least I have been for about 3 weeks. My marathon training is just ridiculous. I am running 2-3 times a week. Although my long runs have been okay. I did a half marathon last weekend, not a PR by any means, but I was able to stay steady at around a 9:30 pace.

8. This is the end of my list of whining. Tomorrow I start my mary training "again". I have to do 16 miles. It will be great, I just know it, lol.

In other news, Harper is almost 2!

I love you Sun!

2011-03-17T13:27:00.002-04:00

I’m in Love, I’m in Love and I don’t care who knows it (said in my best Will Ferrell a la Elf impression). I am in love with the sunshine that is out today. After a long, perilous Cleveland winter the sun has showed up this week. I am going to put up my blinders and ignore the fact that it is back in the 30s next week and soak up every minute of this cold weather reprieve. Yesterday it was 45 after work and I harnessed up the dogs, strapped Harper in the BOB and took them all for a 2 mile walk. Then I let the kid out of her restraints and we ran back up and down our street. Harper was so cute in footy jammies and big pink snow boots. We splashed in puddles, picked up rocks and took sticks and stuck them in the remaining snow mounds. Then I even let the kid stomp around our mud pit of a backyard, that’s how geeked I was about the weather. I didn’t even care that her hands were covered in muds and her boots now resembled mud pies. It was fun!

Fonzie and I have had 2 wonderful 5:30am runs this week. I have also gone out on lunch and walked 2 miles twice. See I freak out a little when it warms up and take as many steps as humanly possible. I am looking forward to taking the dogs for another long walk after work and letting Harper walk alllll the way to the swing set for some fun. How are you enjoying this break in the weather?

READY. SET. GO!

2011-03-14T12:34:00.004-04:00

It's March 14th people and do you know what that means? My offical marathon training starts TO-DAY! Wow, I do not feel a bit like I am capable of running a marathon in 3 months. I picked a 12 week plan b/c I thought I would have my normal base mileage already ramped up. BUt if you read my last 5 whining, bitching posts about how I am constantly sick and never run you can find out how my winter has gone.

So, today I start off my marathon training with 3 5 milers and a 10 miler. So 25 miles. After running 9 last week, 10 the week before, 0 the week before that and so on. Basically this is a recipe to get hurt, but I am hoping the cross training I did this winter will carry me through. We shall see!

Monday - Weights, 30 min. spin on bike

Tuesday - 5 miles (hill repeats), abs
Wed - plyometrics DVD

Thurs - 5 miles (tempo run), abs

Friday - Weights, 30 min. spin on bike

Saturday - 5 miles easy, abs

Sunday - 10 mile long run

This weekend my friend and I went to see the Roller Derby. It was pretty entertaining and its always nice to do something new. We matched a match of the Cleveland Steamers against the Hellbombers. I so rarely do things on the weekends, aside from running, that it always feels foreign. It was nice to get out and do something with another adult that doesn't require running 10 miles. I had a margarita and popcorn, it was lovely.

One lucky lady!

2011-03-12T07:40:00.004-05:00

I was going to blog this morning about how the doctor told me I had the flu. How down I feel about my gained winter weight and my failed marathon training (thus far), but you know what it really doesn't matter. It doesn't at all when you realize that there are much bigger and worse things going on in the world. My heart and prayers go out to the vitcims of the tsunami. Such tragedy is hard to even wrap your brain around. I look at the pictures, but it feels like a movie. Like its not real. Today I will choose to focus on whats good in my life and just how lucky I am.

2011 pretty much blows so far

2011-03-09T08:43:00.001-05:00

I am declaring this the year of SICK. I cannot catch a break ya’ll. I have jumped from one bad illness to another. I had a sinus infection in Dec. Then got knocked down by another sinus infection and double ear infection in Jan that had me off my game for almost 3 weeks and now I think I have the flu. These lovely illnesses all come to me after taking care of a sick toddler. So, I suffer through the fun that is a whiny, snotty mess of a kid and then become one myself. And as any mom out there can attest, it doesn’t matter how sick you are, moms DO NOT get a day off. I could be bleeding out of every orifice and I would still be the one who needs to walk the dogs, do the dishes and make sure Harper’s not pulling Fonzie’s tail. I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown I am so sick of being sick. I wonder if I would care so much if I wasn’t someone who regularly works out? Because that is what really upsets me, I don’t work out much when I am sick. I am already calling my marathon in June doomed b/c I haven’t been running much at all lately. I need a few good solid weeks of 20-25 miles and I haven’t had it and next Monday is day 1 of my official 12 week training plan. Yes, 12 weeks, an abbreviated plan b/c I assumed I would have my normal running base. Ack.

I do have to say that I had the most AMAZING 5 mile run on Sat. It was raining and unusually warm and Fonzie and I tore it up. Even with his million pee breaks we held close to an 8 min mile for all 5 miles. Harper had come home sick from school on Friday, so she was pretty sick Friday and Sat and I woke up Sunday with the worst sore throat and it has just gone downhill from there. I went out for a 10 miler on Sunday and called it quits about 4 miles in and then had to run (walk!) 2 miles back to my car in the ridiculous 3 inches of snow we got overnight.

Also on a positive note, I joined my works wellness committee. I had previously mentioned how we are participating in the Virgin Health Miles program where you track your steps for a year and you also get points for all other kinds of workouts. It’s a lot of fun and the committee put together some really cool prizes for each level you reach (2-5, everyone starts on 1, duh). We are also going to pull together monthly lunch and learns. We have one lined up where we will get our body fat calculated and then we’ll have the guy come back at the end of the year so you can see your progress! And I am putting one together on desk yoga! Fun stuff.

Toddler mom running

2011-02-27T07:19:00.006-05:00

This is my first winter having a toddler and trying to stay in a running routine. I am finding it next to impossible. The only solution is to get a treadmill I am saddened to say. Here is my dilemma, weekends aside, I can only run when it is dark out. My running choices are either 5:30am or 8pm. I have to run before Harper is awake, that is my rule. I only see her about 3 hours a day and I am not going to "waste" one of those hours running. This winter has been the iciest and coldest in a really long time and it just doesn't feel safe. Now I will admit I let myself get out of the running habit and wasted a few decent days, but for the most part, it just hasn't been possible. So, in our new house I will be getting a treadmill for sure, so next winter I will have to learn to use it, ugh. I never run on the treadmill, I hate it with a ridiculous passion. I will do an alternate exercise before I get on that hamster wheel. But I will learn, I have to. In the spring I will just take Harper with me and not feel bad b/c we can sing songs and talk and it's good for her to get some fresh air. Do any of you have the BOB weather shield? If so, at what temp do you think its safe to take them running?

I have only been running 1-2 times a week for well over a month which is not acceptable. However, I do have to say that my longs runs have been going really well. I had an awesome 10 miler with my hometown friend Twila last weekend. I visited KY with Harper to see my family. We had glorious weather, a taste of spring was much appreciated. But I am really sore after these long runs. My hamstrings especially, I can totally tell how much running strength I have lost. I just hope I have enough time to get it back before my races. I have a 10 miler in April, a half in May and a full in June.

I am heading out for a 12 miler this morning. Fonzie got skunked first thing this morning. Luckily it was just his snout, but our whole house stinks. Poor guy. I inhaled so much of it that I found myself dry heaving over the kitchen sink shortly after bathing him. Good times! Here are some lovely pics from our KY visit last weekend.

I'm back bitches

2011-02-11T11:58:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone. So, I was away reinventing myself. Imagine that. A psychiatrist would probably love to read this blog and identify my ridiculous repeat phases. Phase 1 – go gung ho. Phase 2- start to get tired of the routine. Phase 3 – completely quit working out for a week, gain all the weight you lost in that single week, stuff your face. Phase 4 – wallow and hate yourself for a few days. Phase 5 – find a new routine!

So, I do love P90x, I do. But it’s just not working for me right now. My weight has gotten really high. I weigh more than I ever have as an adult, aside from when I was pregnant. None of my pants fit and my thighs are rubbing together. I am disgusted with myself and wishing there was some fast fix. Alas, I am smart enough to know there is not. So, I have gotten over my wallow phase and made a few choices.

· I need to run. I miss it. I had a kickass 8 miler last week, plus I have a marathon in 17 weeks and running once a week isn’t going to cut it!
· I am going to follow a 12 week marathon training plan. That gives me a month to get back to running 3-4 days a week, no exceptions so that I am ready to start the plan with a long run of 10 miles.
· I will keep doing P90x, I do not want to lose the muscle I have gained. I can see a difference in my arms and waist for sure. My plan is to run 3-4 days a week and do 3-4 P90x DVDs, I will rotate them. I will likely do core synergistics and plyo each week and then 1-2 of the upper body routines.
· I work out on lunch twice a week, that is going to be ab ripper
· Food. No more sugar. I am swearing it off for awhile. I am going to participate in a diet challenge group that Whole Foods is putting on based on the Engine 2 diet. The challenge starts next week. It is a vegan diet. No oil, sugar or white flour. So basically I will be drinking shakes and eating veggies, fine by me.
· This challenge will force me to pre plan dinners, which will likely save us some money anyway.
· Oh yeah, and I am going to start growing my hair out. Yuck, it’s going to be awful. But I don’t have enough self esteem right now to rock the Halle Berry hair.

In other news the house selling is coming together. We are listing in March. Hubby is almost done with our bathroom rehab. I have packed up pretty much every non necessary item in our house. We are looking at houses starting this weekend. Exciting and stressful times.

Just another manic Friday

2011-02-04T14:09:00.003-05:00

Good day Bloggy friends. I have been crazy busy and haven’t had time to blog. I went to Vegas for work last week. It was great to get to go to Vegas for free, but a bummer b/c it was over the weekend and I lost out on much needed family snuggly weekend time. The weather was gorgeous. I didn’t do so great with P90x that week b/c I took the DVDs with plans to work out all 3 days and they wouldn’t play on my laptop! So, I ended up only doing 2 P90x DVDs (plyo and arms) and running 3 times. But I am okay with that, I contemplated doing week 5 over but decided against it. I have to start marathon training soon and the sooner I am done with P90x the better. I am rocking week 6. Although I have to say that I have not made my 5am wakeup call one time this week. I have been stuck doing the workouts in the evenings and I hate that. I do not look forward to working out at 8pm at all. I have done them for the most part around 7 when Harper is awake, but feel bad from taking time away from her since I only see her about 3 hours a day. The first 20 mins or so of a workout, she likes to play along, run in place and do her own little downward dogs. It’s pretty funny to watch her mimic me. But then I have to keep pausing it to deal with whatever tantrum or bad thing she is getting into and my 58 min workout takes 90 mins. Seriously, last night I ended up doing the sneaky lunges while HOLDING her! So, all those lunges on my toes holding a 30 lbs kid on my hip. But it is what it is, you make do and get it done. Here is my schedule for this week:

Monday – rest
Tuesday – Chest, Triceps, Shoulders/ Ab Ripper
Wed- Plyo
Thurs – Legs and Back/ Ab Ripper
Fri – Kenpo
Sat – Yoga and 4-5 mile run
Sun – Biceps, Back/ Ab Ripper and 8-10 mile run

Now on another front, my weight has shot back up. I am back to 137 and spitting mad. I can tell a bit of a difference in my body. Mostly my stomach doesn’t seem as big, but I am so sad when I see that number on the scale. I will keep forging ahead. I can work on cleaning my diet up a bit, but there’s not much to clean up (disregard the 3 donut holes I had this morning please). I still 6 more weeks of P90x and I pray that things start to change on the scale. I hope that adding in the miles from here on out will not mess with my weight further. I swear I am the only person in the world who has a harder time losing weight when she is working out. I honestly think I am cursed with one of the world’s worst metabolisms.

It is February and that means that I have got to get back to running. This week aside b/c the weather screwed me, I need to try for 3 runs a week. Usually that will be a Sat/Sun and one week night run. My June marathon will be here before I know it!

A Winner! And a downer of a post!

2011-01-27T08:45:00.003-05:00

And the winners are! Organic Warrier and Clare. Congrats! Thanks for playing everyone. So, I’d like to sing the praises of the CVS Minute Clinic for a minute b/c not a lot of people even know it exists. Did you? It is a doc office at your local CVS! You will see either a medical assistant or a RN. You don’t need an appointment and it costs the same co-pay with most health insurances. Since I started going to CVS I haven’t been to my doctor in 2 years! I still see my lady bits doctor, so I figure this is a fine arrangement. The clinic workers can write you a prescription and you can sit there while it gets filled. I have never had to wait for than 30 mins to get in and I can’t even say that about my regular doc when I have a stinking appt! I love you minute clinic. I got a prescription of anti-biotics which are slowly taking my cold away, but on the downside my stomach is now a wreck. So, I stopped at the store this morning and picked up some probiotics, hopefully that helps.

This time of year is a tough time for me. My dad died 3 years ago tomorrow. You would think time would make it easier, but it really hasn’t. If anything the pain, grief, hole in my heart, whatever you want to call it has gotten worse. I think that has to do with being a mom now. To know that Harper will never meet her grandfather really bothers me. A lot about my dad’s last few months on earth bother me, I said some really not nice things to him, believe me all well deserved but it has hung on my conscious like 20 extra lbs. I don’t remember my last conversation with him and I hate that. When someone dies unexpectedly you find yourself spending way to much time on the shoulda, woulda, coulda's. I wish I had a better picture of his last days on earth, I wish I had picked up the phone, I wish a lot of things. But most of all I wish he was still here.

P90X Week 5, Day 1 and 2 - It hurts!

2011-01-26T16:06:00.002-05:00

Oh it hurts. Sitting, standing, bending, lifting my arms. You name the body part and it hurts right now! And only from 2 days of working out. Monday was a whirlwind and it regretebly became my rest day. I had to finally break down and get some meds for this never ending cold. So, I spent my evening at the CVS minute clinic and found out I had a double ear and sinus infection. Oh joy!

Tuesday was Day 1 of Week 5 and I got to do a new DVD – Shoulder, Chest and Triceps. Here are the excercises:

Slow-Motion 3-in-1 Push-up
This workout wastes no time in wiping out your pushing muscles! The 3-in-1 Slow-Motion Push-up is a slow 4-count on the way down, and then a slow 4-count on the way back up. You do that from a wide push-up position, a standard width push-up position, and a military style (hands close to body) push-up position.
In & Out Shoulder Fly
This is a basic front shoulder raise with a dumbbell in each hand, and then immediately doing a lateral (side) raise with the same weight. As always, you want to use a weight that will get you to your goal number of reps (8-10 for size, 12-15 for leaner muscles), so choose a weight that you can do that number of reps with while still keeping excellent form.
Chair Dip
This is just a standard dip.
Plange Push-up
The Plange Push-up is kind of weird, but it does a great job of working your pushing muscles from a different angle than they are used to. Different is always good when it comes getting results! For this movement, you keep your hands very close to your body, right near your rib cage, and you have your fingertips facing out away from your body, rather than forward as in a normal push-up.
Pike Press
The Pike Press is a GREAT exercise for your shoulders! Basically, you bend over at the waist, and go up on your toes while your hands are on the floor in front of you. As you drop down, you keep your face towards your legs and drop the top of your head towards the floor. I was able to do 1! Yes 1, suck it Tony Horton.
Side Tri-Rise
For this you lay on your side and try and use your tricep to push yourself up. It’s a toughie, you do it on both sides. I can eek out 15 of these, but it is hard.
Floor Fly
This exercise has such a simple name, but it does OH SO much! Basically what you are doing is putting a towel, plate, piece of cardboard, or something else underneath one of your hands, and sliding that hand out before going down into a push-up. You then slide it back, do another push-up, then out for another push-up, etc. This is an awesome exercise because it works the entire chest area, not to mention the triceps.
Scarecrow
With a dumbbell in each hand, you bring your upper arms up and parallel to the floor, and let your lower arms hang at a 90-degree angle, perpendicular to the floor. Picture a scarecrow and you'll have the general idea. From there, without moving your upper arms, you twist the dumbbells all the way up until your palms are facing forward, then all the way down again until they are facing backwards. I tried to do this with my 10 lb weights, which was impossible. I need to get some 5lbs.
Overhead Triceps Extension
This is a pretty standard triceps movement because it is such an effective exercise. Hold both dumbbells overhead with your arms completely straight, then unhinge your elbows, bringing both dumbbells down behind your head. Lift them both back up to full overhead extension and repeat. If you have dumbbells that have flat surfaces, you can keep the dumbbells touching during the entire exercise.
Two-Twitch Speed Push-up
Going back to slow-motion push-ups that were done earlier in this workout, now we also add in fast push-ups as well. You do 4 fast push-ups (all the way down and all the way up), and then you do 3 slow-motion push-ups, using the 4-count on the way down and on the way up.
Y-Press
This is like a standard dumbbell overhead press, only you push up at approximately a 45-degree angle, rather than pushing straight overhead. Love it.
Lying Triceps Extension
This is another classic triceps exercise, and it is very effective as long as you perform the movement with perfect form. You are on the floor on your back with 2 dumbbells held up at arm's length. One at a time, you drop one of the dumbbells down to the opposite side of your head, close to your ear, being sure not to let your elbow flare out to the side. You can also do this exercise with both dumbbells at the same time by dropping them down towards the back of your head, but again, don't let your elbows move at all.
Side-to-Side Push-up
Another awesome push-up variation, you basically "hop" one leg and one arm out to one side, do a push-up, and then return to center briefly before going out to the other side and doing the same thing. At this point I was D-O-N-E and could barely do 5 of these.
Pour Fly
Time to put the pride away, because you won't be doing this exercise with very much weight! Basically all you do is stand with a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended fully out to both sides of your body. Without moving your arms at all (keeping your shoulders in a static contraction the entire time), you twist your wrist to bring the dumbbells perpendicular to the floor, then back to parallel to the floor. Again, I am going to need to get 5 lb weights for this. 10 is too tough.
Side-Leaning Triceps Extension
This is another overhead triceps movement, only this time you are sitting in a chair and leaning on the back of the chair away from the direction that you'll be pressing the dumbbell up overhead. The idea is that by leaning away from the direction of the exercise, you'll be able to push the weight up more effectively, only without letting your elbow flare out to the side.
One-Arm Push-up
This is just like it sounds, and yes, it IS that hard! LOL, I just skipped this, as if, said in my best Clueless impression.
Weighted Circle
This exercise is basically doing the arm circles that are normally done during the warm-up sessions, only now you are doing them with dumbbells in your hands. Once again, light weights are called for here, and if you try to go heavy, you'll never last.
Throw the Bomb
This is a cool twist on a standard overhead triceps extension. You do one arm at a time, and with the other arm, you point forward as if you were pointing to a receiver down the field that you were about to throw a football to. Press the dumbbell straight up in the air and be sure to stop when you get to the top! You aren't actually throwing the dumbbell, but rather modifying the move so that you can put a slight hip twist into it.
Clap or Plyo Push-up
There are 2 version of this exercise, and you should try them both to see which is better suited to your present (but growing) level of fitness. The plyo version is basically just pushing yourself up off of the floor when you get to the top part of a standard push-up. The clap version is pushing yourself far enough off of the floor so that you can clap your hands and then get them back underneath you before you face-plant on the floor. Again – AS IF!
Slow-Mo Throw
This is very similar to the Scarecrow that you did earlier in this workout, only this time you raise your arms straight out in front of you. From the up position, you then rotate at the elbow to bring the dumbbells back to your ears, then rotate forward to the straight arm position. Drop your arms briefly to your sides, and then repeat.
Front-to-Back Triceps Extension
This is a one-arm overhead triceps extension, only the front-to-back portion is thrown in to work the muscles from a slightly different angle. You basically extend the dumbbell up, then drop it down in front of your face, and then extend it up again before dropping it down behind your head.
One-Arm Balance Push-up
This exercise combines a push-up with the Yoga X one-arm balance pose. You do a standard push-up, then - while still in the up position - roll over to one side while stacking your feet on top of each other. Keep your hips up as high as you can by engaging your core muscles, and raise one arm all the way to the sky. Roll back down into the push-up position, do another push-up, then repeat on the other side. Say it with me – AS IF!
Fly-Row Press
The Fly-Row Press actually combines 4 different exercises: the Dumbbell Fly, the Upright Row, the Overhead Dumbbell Press, and the Reverse Curl. You do the fly first, then drop your arms back to your sides before doing the upright row. Without coming out of the up position of the row, drop your elbows and push the dumbbells up overhead, then bring them down and do a reverse curl, ending the movement in the starting position for the next repetition.
Dumbbell Cross-Body Blow
This is the final exercise in this routine, and by this point, you are very, very tired. Grab two dumbbells of a reasonable weight, and then get on your back on the floor. In a pseudo-punching movement, you punch one dumbbell then the other across your body.

I like the videos that have this kind of format, as opposed to the repetition format where your repeat the excercises. I feel like this goes faster. After completeing this workout I still had to do Ab Ripper! So, that was a tough day. This morning I got up and did Plyometrics and boy was I tired and sore. I still do love Ploymetrics even though I suck at most of the moves.

LAST CHANCE ON MY CONTEST! ENTER BELOW.

Phase 2 of P90x! Start of week 5.

2011-01-24T11:09:00.001-05:00

Did you enter my awesome Saffron Rouge giveaway? If not, scroll down, it’s in the last entry.

I made it! Woohoo. The first 30 days of P90x are complete and I now move on to Phase 2. I should have made myself a little hat and gown to celebrate such a momentous occasion. If you ask around, you will find a ton of people who have done P90x, but when you ask a few more questions, you soon find out that what they’ve done, is in fact a few P90x DVDs here and there or that they started the 90 day journey and got only 10 days through. It’s not easy yo. But I am truly loving this journey and I am excited for Phase 2.
First let me reflect on Phase 1. It did not go really how I wanted. I give myself a B-. I was inflicted with too many nasty petri dish daycare diseases. A stomach bug for over 2 weeks and now the head cold from hell, seriously I am snotting fire, oh no that’s just another bloody nose from the damn medicine drying out my sinuses. Out of the 4 weeks I have done so far (really 5, I repeated week 3 after all) I would only give 2 of those weeks an A effort (week 1 and the repeat week 3), meaning I hit every workout and I did it right. The other 2 weeks were relatively half assed. I started this journey hovering on the scale back and forth between 137.6 and 136.4. I have now seen 133.2 or 133.4 for a few days straight. It’s not as big of a weight loss as I would have liked, but I am okay with that. I can totally see a difference in my body. My love handles have retreated from whence they came and my belly is flatter, plus my guns look and feel stronger. I am getting round shoulders! I do plan on sharing pictures, but not quite yet. Maybe after 60 days, maybe after I get back below 130 where I belong. I am very excited about the progress made. For the rest of this journey I am going to commit myself to the diet more, I have not been really watching what I eat and it shows. I mean who ate 2 Trader Joes pumpkin spice whoopee pies for lunch yesterday? That would be me J and I loved it. But what I love even more is being able to wear all my damn clothes, so its 125 or bust people.

Week 5 starts today and I overslept! Again, did I tell you I’m sick? I was up in the middle of the night b/c Harper is having some sleep issues and then I couldn’t go back to sleep b/c I couldn’t breathe. So, the 5am wake up call was not happening. So tonight I try a new arm DVD and I am looking forward to it. I added in 2 lb weights to kenpo this weekend and whoooobooyyy are my arms sore, in a good way. Putting on a shirt hurts and I admit my sadistic butt kind of likes that! These muscles are here to work! I am hoping in this next 30 days I can get down to 128. Things are about to get tougher for me b/c in Feb I HAVE to start running again, 3 days a week. In terms of p90x, that may mean that I skip the Kenpo workout for a long run some weeks, but I am going to try my hardest to just do it all P90x and the 3 runs. Although I will admit I am a yoga slacker, I hate that the DVD is 90 mins and I think I am just going to swap it out for another yoga workout. Mamma doesn’t have 90 mins unless it’s for a 10 mile run.

And Bloggy friends I am raising money through my marathoning for a great cause! How about you skip that $5 latte this week and give some funds to keep an animal happy and warm in 2011! https://www.firstgiving.com/monicaonthego.com

A giveaway! A giveaway! Saffron Rouge, alert the presses!

2011-01-21T11:36:00.006-05:00

It’s been a long while since I have done a giveaway on my blog, so whadayasay, want to have one! The good people of the awesome website Saffron Rouge sent me a little care package. I told them about the harsh Cleveland winters and my ridiculously dry skin and all the aches and pains that P90x is leaving me with. They listened and sent me some awesome body balms and Badger sore muscle rub. My favorite thing they sent me was the Evolving Body Balm. It smells delicious and is the perfect under eye cream. I put it on before bed the last few days and despite this shitass cold, I still look half way perky! Plus, it smells good enough to eat, like honey and roses made a baby and melted it and you rubbed it on your face. Okay that was kind of gross. I apologize for that.

Muscle rub is my best friend nowadays and this badger one is good. It is made of cayenne and a lot of other spicy stuff and makes your muscles glowwwww with warmth. I prefer it to my normal go to Icy Hot, the smell isn’t quite so old folks home.

Seriously, I am not just saying this b/c they gave me stuff. Saffron Rouge is a great website full of lovely organic bath and body products. Stuff you won’t just find at your local CVS. Plus, orders over $50 get free shipping ANNNDDD you get to choose 2 product samples with every order. Who doesn’t love samples, for real, who, they are crazy. Tell them I said so.

I’d would like to give some of my lucky readers their own little winter beauty treatment. So, go on over to Saffron Rouge and have a look around and leave me a comment telling me which product you would buy if you were so inclined to buy something today! I will pick 2 lucky comments and send you some Badger Muscle Rub and/or Balm Balm. Either way you will be super lucky and smell good. Good luck. Contest is open until next Thursday morning, say around 9am. Leave your email address in the comment so I can track you down.

In other non free stuff news. I officially signed up for the South Bend Indiana marathon on June 4th. Those crazy F-er's have a 6am start time! And I just learned that sign up for Chicago is Feb 1, yay! Unfortunately that race coses $145. Yuck.Guess I better stop spending all my paycheck at Whole Foods on my lunch break every week. Week 4, the so called rest week of P90x, is going, this cold has caused me to miss a workout or two, but I am not stressing, just want to get better.

A mistake has been made!

2011-01-18T15:49:00.002-05:00

A mistake has been made. I went out on my lunch break to get some drugs, fed up with this awful, horrible head/chest cold. I have one of those awful colds where you feel like you are underwater. I couldn’t hear, my head was throbbing, my throat was sore and I couldn’t think straight. I got in line at the CVS pharmacy to pick up some of the good stuff that you cannot buy off the shelves anymore thanks to the ingenious meth dealers. I grabbed a card off the shelf, showed some ID, and walked back to my car with Aleve-D. The D on the box is embolden and red, surely that means this stuff really works! Right on the front it says one pill will work for 12 hours. Great! So, I down one and head back to work. By 2:00 nothing has happened. Nada. My head still feels like it is full of concrete and I can’t seem to get any work done. So, what do I do? I pop another one. Sigh. Now I sick here at my desk feeling like a junkie. I can breathe, oh yes I can breathe, but I am completely tweaking. I hope I come down a bit so I can drive home at 5! If I have to call the husband to come get me b/c I overdose on Aleve- D, I think I may get a talking to. Oh yes a mistake has been made, send help and glow sticks. I am going to go listen to Phish on Pandora now and relive my glory days from 1999-01.

Week 3 Done - recap

2011-01-16T20:21:00.004-05:00

Well as I mentioned the kid has been super sick, turns out she has RSV. She then passed this dreaded viral scourge on to me and Gary. I feel like I can't catch a break lately. I had the stomach ick for weeks on end (cutting out dairy completely has taken care of that matter) and now this. I feel pretty awful. Luckily it didn't hit me until Friday afternoon and I had most of week 3 under my belt. I ended up skipping yoga on Sat for a 4 mile run instead. It was a sidewalk run with the dog in really deep snow. Tough stuff. I felt good while I was doing it, but man did my lungs burn afterwards. Today was my rest day, but I did a ton of packing and house work and moved a bunch of fire wood out of the garage over to my neighbors house. So, all in all I consider week 3 a solid one. My weight isn't down anymore, still holding steady at 134.7, but I can really tell a difference. My love handles are going away, my arms are more cut and my stomach is flatter. Yay! Have I mentioned I love P90x!

Pic is of Harper and her older cousin Colleen, ignore the food on her face! I just love how both of them are like "huh".

P90x Week 3 - going strong

2011-01-13T11:41:00.002-05:00

Hey there Bloggy friends. I am almost done with week 3. I am so glad I decided to have a do over, I have been having some kickass workouts. After Back & Chest/Ab ripper on Monday, I did Plyometrics on Tuesday, Shoulders & Arms on Wednesday and today I did Kenpo X and plan to do Ab ripper on lunch.

I am getting much better at the Plyometrics DVD. It is so damn tough, but I love it. I really plan to keep it in my weekly plans after P90x. I have a lot of improving to do and can’t imagine I will ever be able to do all the moves as well as Tony. Boy is that man flexible! I did Kenpo this morning and it makes me feel like a uncoordinated oaf. I just focus on the punching, I cannot get the foot movements down to save my life. I really cannot express how much I am loving P90x. I love not having to go out in the cold and run, I love that I get to sleep in a little in the morning, I love how sore I feel all over my entire body! However, I do have creeping feelings of worry about my running. I have only run 4 times since Dec 11! That is unheard of for me, it’s very weird and I cannot shake the feeling that I am going to regret this. I really do need to make sure I am running more than once a week and I will do that moving forward. But it’s cold out there ya’ll!

My weight is finally starting to go down and I can tell a difference in my arms for sure!

My poor little monkey is so sick. I stayed home with her the past 2 days from work and Gary is on duty today/tomorrow. She has had a really high fever and has been so lethargic. It is heart breaking. She is taking about a 3 hour nap, so I had time both days to do some more cleaning and organizing of the house. This weekend we are meeting with realtors, I am so excited! Have any of you sold your house recently? Any tips or questions you think I need to ask?

P90X Week 3, day 1 & Virgin Health Miles

2011-01-10T08:55:00.001-05:00

Good morning Bloggy friends. I started my day the right way with Back and Shoulders followed by ab ripper. This is the 4th time I have done this DVD. I think I am getting a little better, but I can still only do about 20 pushups and 25 pullups for each exercise. I cannot even fathom doing these pushups on my toes. Maybe I would be better off doing 10 and doing it on my toes? I have found with this tape especially, that Tony talks too much, so if you fast forward the workout really only takes about 48 mins as opposed to 55. I usually do ab ripper in the evening, but I knew that tonight was going to be busy b/c G and I have been cleaning out the basement, so I opted to do it this morning. Ab ripper is so tough. You are supposed to do 25 of each exercise, but I manage about 20. I used to be able to do this DVD no problem, but now that all my muscles are fatigued it’s not so easy. I think standing most of the day is contributing to muscles fatigue as well. Lord knows I haven’t been running!

My company signed up for a year long health initiative called Virgin Health Miles. Basically we got a pedometer and you can upload your steps to the Virgin website. Your steps equate to points. Once you accumulate a certain number of points, you move up a level. There are 5 levels. You also get points for other exercises like P90X, but only 10 points, you basically get the points for logging your exercise. So, today I would get my steps, and then 10 points for Back/Shoulders and 10 points for Ab ripper. Updating your health profile gets you points as well. We get prizes for getting to levels 3, 4 and 5. And then there will be competitions internally that we can get points for. The prizes are TBD. My goal is to get 7K on days that I don’t work out and over 10K on days that I do. I mean I should be walking the dogs for at least a mile a day. Unfortunately standing at my desk and moving my feet does not seem to update my pedometer. Boo.

P90X Week 3: FAIL!

2011-01-08T07:56:00.004-05:00

Sorry I have to submit you to this nasty photo, but come on turds in the bowl are funny. I feel like a bit of P90X turd in the bowl right now. Week 3 didn't go as well as it should have. I have my list of excuses - work was busy, I got into a car accident on Thursday (minor, my fault, boo) and that consumed me that day. Most of all, Gary and I made the big decision to really try and sell our house this spring and I got super excited and started packing stuff up so that when the real tors come next week our house isn't a disaster.

I also got addicted to a book - The Walking Dead compendium 1 - which is a compilation

of 48 issues of a zombie graphic novel and I was up too late reading it. I have never read a comic book in my life, but I loved the AMC show so much I had to check out where it came from. So, so good. The books are a bit pricey and hard to come by, I ordered the compilation from Amazon, check it out. So, getting up early was tough.

I missed 3 workouts this week and since I missed one during week 2, I am going to do this week over. No biggie. I did do plyometrics, shoulders/back and arms/shoulders this week. Still tough, but getting a bit easier b/c I know the workouts. Tony really does talk

too much, so I found myself fast forwarding through some of his long winded explanations. Long week. I am looking forward to getting my shiz together next week, I have to get up early to get it done, no other way.

On another note. I have started standing up most of my work day. I know I look a bit wierd, but if you google it, you will find that standing at work is much better for you and actually burns about 120-140 calroies an hour! I have been doing it for 3 weeks now. I started with 2 hours a

day and now do 4-5. I'm sure a few peo;le think I am just trying to be odd or get attention, but I really like it. I can already tell huge improvements in my posture. To do it, all I did was prop my laptop up on a banana box I snagged from the office recycling bin! I need to wrap it so its more pretty. Check out this article from the NY times to learn more.

My race plans for 2011

2011-01-03T13:56:00.007-05:00

I am feeling fast people. It’s imaginary. I’ve only run 3 times since my marathon on Dec 11th! The horror. But I am feeling fast and hopeful for a year of racing. Here are the races I plan to do this year:

Feb 19th – Chili Bowl 5K (maybe, depends on weather, but haven’t done a 5k in over a year!)
March 12th – St. Malachi 5 miler
April 23rd – Cleveland 10 miler (hoping for a big fat PR, my best 10 mile time is – 1:29:42.68 )
May 15th – Cleveland half mary (again hoping for a PR, best time is 1:56:09)
June 4th – South Bend IN full mary
Sept 12th – Eerie PA full mary
Sept 24th – Akron half mary (maybe, only if my Brother in law wants to do it again)
Oct 6th – Chicago IL full mary
Nov 27th – Fall classic half mary (if I don’t do Akron)
Nov or Dec – another local 5K, probably pigskin classic or Reindeer Run

I would love to get my half time down to 1:51 in the spring and under 1:50 in the fall. I think for the 10 miler I can get it down to 1:25, I hope. Overall I just hope to get my times for distances from an half and under closer to 8min/mile. For fulls I hope to break 4 hours next year, which means my avg. pace will need to be as close to 9min miles as possible. Likely under 9min miles for the first half to allow for some dropoff at the end. I am not a negative split kind of lady.

If I complete this list I will be up to 6 states by the end of 2011. I may be able to squeeze in a May marathon in MI if my training comes together, but not sure with P90x if I can make that happen.

P90X Week 2 recap

2011-01-03T13:32:00.002-05:00

Well I finished off a second week of P90x on Sat. I must say that this past week was a bit half assed. I wasn't feeling well, had a stomach bug, and that made it pretty hard to do the jumpy around warmups and abs. My week looked like this:

Sunday - Rest
Monday - Back/Shoulder
Tuesday - Plyometric
Wednesday - Shoulders/Arms & Ab Ripper
Thursday - Legs/Back
Friday - 8.5 mile run
Saturday - Yoga X & Ab Ripper

So, I skipped Kenpo in favor of a long run and I didn't get one of the ab rippers in b/c of stomach pain. But I am happy with the week. It felt good to have a long run. I haven't run much in 3 weeks and I am looking forward to getting in some miles again starting this week.

Start Weight - 136.7
Week 1 - 135.4
Week 2 - 134.7

I can tell that my stomach is flatter and I am starting to see some definition on my arms already. Tony Horton I love you! I plan to really "Bring it" this week to make up for my halfassedness of last week.

My Husband is a Turd, Happy new year.

2011-01-02T08:29:00.005-05:00

Did you have a good new years eve people?! We sure did. Up until the last minute we didn't think we had a babysitter, but then grandpa came through at the last minute. It was raining so going to Progressive field for sledding was out. So, we dropped Harper off at the in - laws and we were free! But what to do? After much discussion about all the places we knew we couldn't get into, we decided to try Marbella on Chagrin Blvd A long time ago I had the best meal of my life at their sister restaurant downtown Mallorca. Both restaurants boast large menus full of Latin inspired meat and seafood dishes and generous portions. Since I still eat fish this was a good spot for me. However my meal at Marbella was a mixed bag. The sangria was fabulous and the calamari appetizer was some of the best, non greasy calamari I have ever had. The bread was gross, cold white bread, the salad was at least nice and green, but nothing special. I ordered crab meat stuff shrimp. The shrimp was chewy and the crab meat was bland and salty. The family style sides of mixed veggies and rice were no better than something i could make at home. Gary however got some giant piece of roasted pork and he enjoyed it, he said it tasted like stew, it was one of the nightly specials. Luckily, like I mentioned, the sangria was divine, so I was tipsy by dinner's end and didn't care so much that I had wasted $27 on shrimp that tasted like it came from Denny's.

Since it was a ugly, rainy night we wanted to head somewhere close to home for drinks. We live very close to Melt Bar and Grilled and decided to settle in there. I was surprised at how slow it was. I guess most people don't want to go to a grilled cheese bar on NYE. However they have such an extensive beer list. I enjoyed 2 different wheat beers, both were pretty good, one was an apricot beer from Pyramid. That was a bad idea b/c it has malt in it and I had quite a hangover on Sat. Boo. We also split the Peppermint sugar cookie bread pudding at Melt and it was just awful. We are bread pudding connoisseurs and that mushy loaf of sugar was no bread pudding. Imposter.

We rang in the new year by finishing up the second half of a movie we couldn't stay awake for on Thursday - The Girl who Played with Fire. We were asleep by 10:30! Happy New year from 2 old farts. Why is my husband a turd? B/c I want to get some decent pictures of us, we have none. Why, b/c as you can see from these photos, this is what he does. His punishment is having the pictures posted on my blog!

Look out 2011 Here I come

2010-12-30T09:01:00.003-05:00

Ahhhh a new year. For those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time you know that I love calendars, I love making lists, I love plans. Do I stick to them? Not usually. But I love the process of filling out a blank slate, plotting out my plans. I’ve been blogging for many years now. When I started blogging back in 2007 it was b/c I had Ironman dreams and I wanted to track my progress. Over the years I completed a few sprint tris, did a few marathons, took a few vacations, lost my father who I miss every day in an accident, changed a few jobs and most importantly I became a mother. If you were to click back through my posts most of them would not be worth reading, they aren’t interesting. They are just posts where I talk on and on about what I ate, how much I weigh and how much I ran. I have thought often of abandoning my blog. But I keep coming back, I enjoy the outlet. My goal for the new year is simple, be nicer to myself. I have spent the last 3 years blogging about it and many more years before it worrying about 10 lbs. 10 lbs that I want to lose, but 10 lbs that always seem to come back. And so what, it is what it is. I know that I am strong and I know that these tree trunk legs can get me through a marathon, they can swim/bike and run their way through a middle of the pack tri and best of all they can squat down and pick up my bundle of joy and carry her around the house. And really isn’t that what matters? Isn’t this what makes life interesting: This blog is going to become much more interesting, I promise you that. There will be more life antidotes. There will be more talk about being a vegetarian and how hugely important that has become in my life b/c once those meat eating blinders are off, how can you ever look back? Meat is mean people plain and simple. I am going to be working on converting Harper to a vegetarian, but first I have to become a better well rounded veggie cook. I will be leaning on Peas and Thank you for that. I want to embrace Cleveland and learn to love it like my good friend over at Unmiserable Cleveland. I want to get out each weekend and do something, not just run and sit around the house with the kid. So, watch out 2011, watch out Cleveland, here I come.

On a P90x note, I have 2 more workouts to complete this week. I wasn’t feeling well, had a stomach bug, so the workouts have been a bit half assed this week. But I have still gotten through them. I am attempting an 11 mile run with some friends tomorrow to ring in the new year. Hopefully the frozen rain goes away.

Press Pause while you puke

2010-12-28T09:16:00.002-05:00

Let me tell you something! The second week of P90x is no easier than the first. Last night I pushed myself through Back & Chest, while fighting with Harper over my resistance bands and this morning I sweated and almost puked (still not feeling great) my way through round II of Plyometrics. I learned that no matter what I need to get up at 5am. P90x requires my full attention and doing it while Harper is awake it too difficult. Although it is super cute to watch her run in place and try and do the warm-up with me. But after the warm up she quickly loses patience and wants to steal my weights, pushup bars and resistance tubing. I felt like a bad mom several times as I just let her cry while I worked my way through my set up mock pull-ups before returning the tube to her. LOL.

I believe this year we are going to get a babysitter (grandma) for NYE. We usually don’t do anything special, but I really want to work more on being a strong couple (not just Harper’s parents) in 2011 and what better way than to ring in the new year on a date. I found the perfect event! I am starting the day with an 11 mile run and pancakes with friends, so this will be an awesome way to end the last day of 2010.

Snowfest 1.0 is open until Jan. 2, including a “Snow Year’s Eve” celebration. It’s tubing, skating, dinner, dancing and fireworks at the Jake…, I mean, Progressive Field on New Year’s Eve. The fun stuff happens on the field; the party spins at the Terrace Club. Good news is tickets are fairly a la carte — you can buy a complete package, just dinner and dancing, tubing or skating tickets — to suit your new year’s groove.
Tubing and skating on the field run 10 a.m. until 1 a.m. with 2-7 p.m. Happy Hour. Snow Year’s Eve dinner begins at 7:30 p.m. The party starts at 9:30 p.m.
Snow Days at Progressive Field (2401 Ontario Street) tubing and skating tickets start at $25. The Snow Year’s Eve party-only ticket, which includes a DJ and dancing, fireworks, champagne, cash bar, dessert, breakfast buffet (see the menu), parking and favors, runs $49 per person. Dinner-and-a-party tickets feature a prime rib dinner buffet (see the menu) in addition to the party outlined above and cost $99 per person. See the Snow Days site for complete details.

Week 2 let's get started!

2010-12-27T10:46:00.001-05:00

I hope that everyone had a great holiday. We sure did, but the running around was relentless and the kid got way too many presents. I did manage to get everything put away for the most part so I don't look like I am living in a Babies R' Us hurricane anymore. Sat was my rest day from week 1 and I took it. There were very few hours to spare in that day. Sunday morning I woke up early with the plan of going for an 8 mile run. Unfortunately a stomach bug hit me Saturday night and the run sucked big time. I made it 3.8 miles and headed home. It was a touch 3.8 miles b/c it was all in the snow. I was set to start week 2 and do the Back and Chest DVD, but ended up laying around and resting the rest of the afternoon. I also overslept this morning! So, tonight I will have to do Chest and Back as soon as I get home and ab ripper after I put Harper to bed. Then tomorrow morning is plyo. I still don't feel 100% but I am not going to let it deter me. I will give it my all. Whatever my all happens to be today.

Anyone doing anything good for NYE? I think Harper is going to spend the night at the in-laws so I need to come up with something to do!

Power Yoga X - Week one recap

2010-12-24T08:33:00.003-05:00

This morning I got up at 6am so that I could get through most of the 90 mins yoga DVD before Harper got up. I got through about 70 mins before she got up. I am not new to yoga. I honestly wasn't looking forward to a 90 min workout, it just seemed too long. But it went by quickly. You basically spend the first 30 mins doing a chataranga vinyasa flow with various version of warrior thrown in, then you move on to standing balance moves, then down to the floor for some yoga abs, then some bridge and wheel and plough moves, then cool down stretching. I think Tony's yoga workout is a very well balanced one, it hit all the major moves. My only complaint is that he calls some of the moves names that I don't believe to be correct. But maybe I am wrong and crow pose is also called crane? He also doesn't tell you the name of a lot of moves and for people new to yoga I think that would be beneficial. You hold all of the moves a decent amount of time, you don't have to flow to quickly. Overall I give it two thumbs up. I originally said to my friend that I was only going to do this tape once and then sub in a 60 min DVD, but I take it back. I am going to stick with Yoga X through the 90 days, it is really good.

Last night I had to do ab ripper X again to complete by day and boy was it tough. I had misplaced the DVD, so earlier in the week I did 2 other ab DVDs that I had to sub in for Ab ripper X. Well i found it yesterday when I was cleaning and did it and boy did I suck. I have done this DVD several times before without a lot of issue. It's 11 exercises for a total of 339 crunches. I will admit that I didn't get through many of the complete sets. My body is just tired from working out this week. I feel beat for sure.

Tomorrow is a rest day and I will do the Xstretch DVD. I also plan to take a short run today and tomorrow and a longer one on Sunday, combined with Day 1 of week 2, back and chest again, ugh.

Week 1 of Power 90x

In a few words - I love it, I feel so much stronger. I feel like I am standing up straighter and my muscles that had gone dormant from doing nothing but running feel awake and engaged. My stomach isn't pooching as much b/c the abs are active under there. I feel great. I am very sore. Not horribly sore though, its not limiting me in any way. But as I do each workout, I can feel the pain a bit.

I will only mess with measurements every 30 days, but I weighed 136.7 on Monday and this morning I weight 135.4. My weight was a bit higher than normal, so I'm sure a lot of that was bloat and sludge from too much holiday food over last weekend. But I will take any loss. I really desperately hope to be under 130 at the end of the 30 days.

Day 5 - Legs and Back

2010-12-23T09:48:00.002-05:00

Do your best and forget the rest. That is Tony Horton’s favorite saying from his P90x videos. He repeats it often and I think it’s just a great saying, and a very good mantra for life.

I mixed the designated order of the DVDs slightly and swapped Kenpo for Yoga. I want to do the Yoga DVD on the weekend since it is 90 minutes long. I overslept yesterday, so I ended up doing abs in the AM and Kenpo after work. Kenpo is really just like Taebo, lots of punching and kicking. It made me feel kind of stupid as I am incapable of mimicking feet and hand movements at the same time. I tried to focus on the punching and pulling the punches from my abs, then just kind of jumped around on the bottom. I’m sure I looked super boxer scary. Harper joined in for most of it, showing off her downward dog skills and quick feet movements. One thing I really love about these P90x DVDs is the great warm up and cool down. I am horrible about stretching and this makes me do it. I am sore as hell, but actually feel loser and better than I have in forever.

From the Beachbody website – “Kenpo X was created to give P90X users a high-intensity cardiovascular workout packed with lots of punching and kicking combinations to improve balance, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. During this workout you'll learn some of the most effective ways to defend yourself, while at the same time getting your body in peak condition.”
This morning I got back on the early morning train and did the Legs & Back DVD. Hoo boy this was touch. Lunges on your toes, jumping squats, come on Tony, it’s 5am! Wah. I did it though. I subbed a band over the doorframe for a pull-up bar and I really think that it will work out just as well for me. If I ever go through multiple P90x cycles I may upgrade to the pull-up bar, but for now this is good. I didn’t use any weights for this workout today, but next week I will pick up my 10 pounders for sure. Here are the exercises.

Balance Lunges. Imagine a lunge, with your back foot supported up on a chair. This exercise is 25 reps for each leg.
Calf Raise Squats. A squat that is followed by a calf raise. 25 total reps.
Reverse Grip Pull Ups. Giving the legs a break, you jump on the pull up bar, remember to modify as needed. I wrote quite a bit about how to modify pull ups in the P90X Review for Back and Biceps.
Super Skaters. Interesting and challenging balance move. 25 reps each leg.
Wall Squats. Wow, is about all I can say on wall squats. You’ll be here for 90 seconds total. You’ll spend 15 seconds in each position. One position is with your back against the wall, in a sitting position, with your quads and knees parallel to the ground. The second position is a little easier, you raise up slightly to about a 120 degree position.
Wide Grip Pull Ups. Back on the pull up bar.
Step Back Lunges. Just as it sounds, stepping backwards to a lunge, with 15 reps per side.
Alternating Side Lunges. The same thing as step back lunges, except you step to the side this time, 12 reps each side.
Close Grip Pull Ups. You’re hands are very close together on the chin up bar.
Single Leg Wall Squat. Even more challenging then the wall squat. This time, you get in a deep wall squat and lift a leg, alternating between each side every 10 seconds, for a total of 60 seconds.
Dead Lift Squats. Just like a squat, except you lower into the squat with only one leg, the other is off the ground behind you. 20 reps each side.
Switch Grip Pull Ups. The switch grip pull up is challenging. You’ll do 2 reverse grip pull ups, then switch and perform 2 regular chin ups. Switching until you can’t do any more. 3 Way Lunges. On this move, you will lunge straight forward, step back with a kicking move, then lunge to a 45 degree angle, step back with a kicking move, then lunge to the side, and another kicking move. You will repeat these three moves for 5 total sets on each leg.
Sneaky Lunges. Walking lunges, but you will stay on your toes the entire time, 20 total reps.
Reverse Grip Pull Ups. Just do your best.
Chair Salutations. This move is like sitting in an invisible chair. You’ll do two of these, for about 30 seconds each.
Toe Roll Iso Lunges. I’ll let this one be a surprise. 20 reps each side.
Wide Front Pull Ups. Pull ups again, you know you love them.
Groucho Walk. Another surprise for you.
Calf Raises. This move is a total of 75 calf raises, in 3 different positions.
Close Grip Pull Ups.
80-20 Speed Squats. This move has you doing 30 speed squats on each leg. Imagine about 80% of your weight on one leg, and 20% for balance on the other leg. Then you squat at a quick pace. Add some small jump moves at the end for added intensity.
Switch Grip Pull Ups.

Banner Blvd

2010-12-22T16:36:00.001-05:00

So let’s talk about my fancy new digs shall we? I wanted to update my blog so badly and I have tried so many times to update the HTML myself by downloading free blogger skins and something always gets screwed up. So, I decided to spend a few bucks and have someone help me. I searched on Etsy for Blog templates and was surprised to find out that there are lots of graphics people on Etsy selling their wares! After purusing the various shops, I reached out to Banner Blvd for help. The designer there is a married mom of 3 from Atlanta named Tajuana, who used to run track and has recently taken up running again. She was so great work with. If you don’t believe me, check out all her positive feedback here . I told her how many columns I was looking for, emailed her some pictures and she emailed me mockups the same day. The same day! How is that for quick. I had some feedback that she quickly addressed, a color change here, a different font there and voila the new Mom in Training skin was born.

You can check out Banner Blvd by clicking here . Oh and the BEST part, she logged into Blogger and took care of all of it for me! All my links were saved, my comments, etc. I didn't have to do a thing. Rad.

And just for Mom in Training readers she has extended a special coupon code for 10% off a custom blog or premade blog. You can enter coupon code BannerBlvdmonica when checking out. Now until Dec.31. So, what are you waiting for? If you’ve been itching to update your blog, this is a great deal. Her packages are mostly under $35, with many less than that. Go do it! Do it now I say.

P90X day 3 - Shoulders and Arms

2010-12-21T09:39:00.002-05:00

Today I did the “Arms & Shoulder” workout. I really liked this DVD. The exercises are below. I felt like I could handle it and none of the moves were hard to understand. I was able to push myself and get 1 or 2 reps past where I normally would have stopped. I have absolutely no cut to my arms, they are just thick slabs, so I am really trying to give the arms workouts my all. Today I feel beat up and pleasantly sore. Everything hurts a little. But not in a horrible something is ripped way. Getting up and sitting down cause me the most issue right now. But I’ve also started standing up at work for a few hours a day, which is contributing to my legs feeling sore. I get a few funny looks, but I am committed to standing at least 2 hours a day. I just put my laptop up on a box. It works out well. I spent my whole day typing on a computer, testing software or on calls. There’s no reason I can’t do that standing up! It burns twice as many calories as sitting. Bonus if you rock back and forth. I have gotten a few odd looks and I’m sure some people think I’m just doing it for attention, but I think it’s a great way to live a healthier life. I plan to sit on my ab ball for another 1-2 hours, but I need to remember to bring in my pump b/c it is flat.

Workout
· Warmup
· Alt Shoulder Press
· Bicep Curls
· In & Out
· Two-Arm Tricep Kickback - (repeat)
· Deep Swimmer's Press
· Full Supination Concentration Curl
· Chair Dip - (repeat)
· Upright Row
· Static Arm Curl
· Flip Grip Twist Tricep Kickback - (repeat)
· Seated Two Angle Shoulder Fly
· Crouching Cohen Curl
· Lying Down Tricep Extension - (repeat)
· BONUS ROUND
· Straight Arm Shoulder Fly In & Out
· Congdon Cur
· Side Tri Rise - (repeat)
· Cooldown/Stretch

Get ready to Bring it!

2010-12-20T15:51:00.003-05:00

I started P90X on Sunday. I am so excited for this journey.

Sunday I did the chest and back workout, which is nothing more than push-ups and pull ups in different positions. Tony encourages you to do your best and just do as many as you can. Usually there were 30 seconds per exercise. I borrowed a set of perfect pushups from my Bro in law. They made doing the pushups with good form much easier. I admittedly did all the pushups on my knees. For the pull-ups, I just used a band that was over a door, it worked out just fine. If you can get the band in a secure place, like the hinge of the door, you are able to pull down and out and almost recreate a pull up. I think I am going to get a pull up bar, but not 100% sure yet b/c the band certainly left my back sore.

The chest workouts include:
· Standard Push-Ups
· Wide Front Pull-Ups
· Military Push-Ups
· Reverse Grip Chin-Ups
· Wide Fly Push-Ups
· Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups
· Decline Push-Ups
· Heavy Pants
· Diamond Push-Ups
· Lawnmower
· Dive Bomber Push-Ups
· Back Flys
The program is divided into two separate rounds where you run through each exercise twice. The second time around they rearrange the order of the exercises. I was scared of this workout b/c I suck at pushups and cannot do 1 pull-up. But it wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be. I did all the pushups on my knees and cannot even image that I may be able to get through a round on my toes, but maybe by the end.
I was also supposed to do the ab ripper DVD yesterday, but I was in KY for early family Xmas and had inadvertently left in back in Cleveland, so I will be adding it on today.
This morning I did the plyometrics workout. I had heard word that this was the toughest of the P90x workouts. I had a half day off work, so I dropped Harper at daycare and came home to put myself through some pain before work! This workout is no joke. I was sweating my butt off within 5 minutes. I just ran a marathon last week and this DVD made me feel as though I am the most out of shape person in the world. But part of me loved it!
Plyometrics, also known as jump training, has been proven to dramatically improve athletic performance. So, I will be interested to see if my running improves from this.

Here is the list of moves after the warm up and stretch cycle
· Jump Squat 30 secs
· Run-stance Squat 30 secs
· Airborne Heisman 30 secs
· Swing Kick 60 secs
· >> 30 sec Break – Then Repeat Above Sequence <<
· Squat Reach Jump 30 secs
· Run-stance Squat 30 secs ·
· Double Airborne Heisman 30 secs
· Circle Run 60 secs
· >> 30 sec Break – Then Repeat Above Sequence <<
· Jump Knee Tuck 30 secs
· Mary Katherine Lunge 30 secs
· Leapfrog Squat 30 secs
· Twist Combo 60 secs
· 30 sec Break – Then Repeat Above Sequence <<
· Rock Star Hop 30 secs
· Gap Jump 30 secs
· Squat Jacks 30 secs
· Military March 30 secs
· >> 30 sec Break – Then Repeat Above Sequence <<
· Run Squat 180 Jump Sequence 30 secs
· Lateral Leapfrog Squat 30 secs
· Monster Truck Tire 30 secs
· Hot Foot 60 secs
· >> 30 sec Break – Then Repeat Above Sequence <<
· BONUS ROUND
· Pitch & Catch 60 secs
· Jump Shot 60 secs
· Football Hero 60 secs

I was completely unable to do the pitch and catch, lol. It requires you to pretend to pitch a ball, which I have never done in my life and have no idea how to do. So, I just did some jumping twist back and forth while they threw fake balls.

It’s going to be a long 90 days, Tony Horton is super annoying, but thus far I still find him humorous. I’ll let you know if I still have that opinion come March!

Xmas in KY with the family was awesome by the way. I just do not get to see my family enough!

A Handmade Xmas

2010-12-17T10:00:00.006-05:00

Oh ETSY how I love thee. I made it a point this year to try and buy a lot of handmade gifts. Hopefully none of my family is reading this b/c I’d like to show off a few.

Felted Soaps from Art By LisaK

For most of the ladies in my life, they will be getting some felted soap in yummy flavors such as rose, almond and lavender. What is felted soap you ask! Well its soap wrapped in felted wool. I actually saw some at Anthropolgie and thought it was a great gift idea. But figured I could find it much cheaper on Etsy and I was right. I messaged the seller and she was nice enough to combine shipping as I ordered 6.

Body Wash from Gudonya (good on you)

My mother in law loves Chai tea. So, I thought chai tea body wash was in order. I got myself some too and boy oh boy does this smelly good stuff sud up nicely. I got myself pumpkin cheesecake, which is a great way to start off the day when you have a sweet tooth like me. She also makes shampoo and I am definitely going to be trying it out.

Linen Applique Russian Matryoshka Bag from Robins Egg Blue

I actually got my sister this cute little bag for her birthday. It was a little smaller than I originally thought, but so super cute and well made that it made up for it. Plus the seller happens to be from Cleveland. Bonus.

Funny 2011 printable Calendar from Neat Things

I decided at the last minute that I really should have gotten some of my co-workers Xmas gifts. Everyone seems to hand out food, so I wanted to do something different. Since I left it to the last minute I don’t have much time. So, I decided to order a PDF of this hilarious calendar. I am going to print it out on high quality paper stock and tie it with some pretty string. Voila a office Xmas gift people might actually want. Although at the last minute I realized that Oct’s quote talks about 20something whores. Oops. I will have to include a note saying not to display Oct. I actually messaged the seller to see if he could change that page for me. We shall see. I happen to find 20something whores hilarious, but HR might now, considering the median age at my company is 30. Lots of 20somethings. Who probably do dress naughty for Halloween.

Let the Games Begin

2010-12-17T08:05:00.002-05:00

I took my before pictures last night. That was not fun. I will post them, but I think I will wait until I have my 30 days comparison shots. Normally I would just put them out there, but b/c I talk about my blog on Facebook and have some co-worker facebook friends I feel weird posting shots of me in a bikini. But I do want to show the progress for those interested in P90x, so bear with me, there will be pictures at some point. I took my measurements as well and I almost cried. I don’t know how I managed to get back to this place. I have officially gained 10 lbs since May. I feel like I did when I was trying to lose the weight from being pregnant. I put on 4 of those lbs since the beginning of Nov, which really upsets me. I was upset that I was backsliding at that point and I did nothing to stop it. I am a perfect example of how endurance running does not naturally equal skinny. It is not in my genes to be on the slim side, I have to work my butt off to stay trim. When I step back and logically think about it, I know why I have gained the weight. I went vegetarian early in the year, which has steered me to a very carb laden diet, I went back to work which cut down the amount of miles I was walking the dogs each week (walked them like 10-15 when I was staying at home and now maybe 5), and I had some serious stress in my life over the last few months. So, it is what it is. I am so sick of being obsessed with what I look like. I’ve had this blog going for a few years now and every other entry is bemoaning my sweet tooth and thick belly. So, I want it to stop. I want to blog about more meaningful things. I want to get back to listing out recipes and things I do with my family. I do plan to blog about P90x and I really hope it is the magic bullet I need to get control of my body. What I have been doing thus far is not working.
I am heading to KY to see my family for Xmas after work today. I am very excited. I haven’t seen 2 of my sisters and their kids in a long time. It will be nice spending time with everyone. I plan to start P90X on Sunday. So, when I get home I will blog about the first 2 workouts. Let the games begins.

Pre Power90X measurements:

Bust: 34
Bicep: 15 on both sides
Upper waist (under ribs): 26
Waist at belly button: 31.5 :(
Hips at butt: 38
Upper thigh: 21 on right, 21.5 on left
Lower thigh: 17
Calves: 15 on both side

The stomach has a lot of room for improvement, my belly is normally around 26-27, so I hope to see that number go down quickly.

Like my new blog makeover? I will be doing a write up soon on the gal that did it, but you can check her out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/bannerblvd. To leave a comment right now you have to click on the title of my post and go to that specifc page, I believe she's going to fix that soon. She's been awesome to work with and turned this update around so quick!

Anticipation!

2010-12-14T15:42:00.000-05:00

Anticipation…..I am so geeked to get started on the P90x series. I plan to post every day and give you guys an update on the program, the good, the bad, the ugly. I will take before and after pics, but I likely won’t post the before pics until I have made a little progress! LOL. Right now I am carrying a huge layer of muffin top fat and I super eager to see it disappear. I am spending this week getting myself motivated by reading success stories and watching before/after you tube videos.

I plan to follow what is called the Classic P90x routine. I will be doing the DVDs once a day. On top of this I will maintain a long run on my rest day and hopefully 1-2 midweek runs with Fonzie. But one day a week will just be the yoga DVD. If anything has to give that week, it will be that DVD as I do not want to lose my running fitness. I hope to keep my long run between 6-10 miles. I am going to take the fitness test tonight or tomorrow night. I need to take my measurements as well. I may post those…may….be. I need to stock up on some high protein snacks and I also need to get the pull bar to mount in my doorway. I was contemplating not messing with the pullup bar, but I want to do the program 100% and pull-ups are part of the routine.

I am also planning on following the meal plan as well as I can being a vegetarian. I found a modified plan online. There are several plans included within the P90x materials, but I am going for the portion plan which doesn’t require much calorie counting. I haven’t followed a real diet in many many years. I hope I am able to stick to it. The diet is basically broken into 3 phases:

Level 1 (1-30 days)
Proteins 2
Fruit 2
Vegetables 2
Fats (omega-3) 1
Carb one (legumes) 2
Carb two (grains) 2
Snacks: double (or two singles), Vegan Recovery Drink
Condiments 1

Level 2 (30-60 days)
Proteins 3
Fruit 3
Vegetables 3
Fats (omega-3) 1
Carb one (legumes) 2.5
Carb two (grains) 2.5
Snacks: double (or two singles), Vegan Recovery Drink

Level 3 (60-90 days)
Proteins 4
Fruit 3
Vegetables 5
Fats (omega-3) 2
Carb one (legumes) 3
Carb two (grains) 3
Snacks: double (or two singles), Vegan Recovery Drink
Condiments 3

Here are some of the common foods I will be eating:

Protein Portion List
Hemp protein powder – 100 calories, depending on brand
Rice and pea protein powder – 100 calories, depending on brand
Seitan – 3 oz.
Soy burger – 1
Soy cheese slices – 5
Tempeh – 2 oz.
Tofu – 3 oz.
Veggie burger – 1
Veggie dog – 1
Carb Two (Grains) List
Amaranth – 1 cup
Whole grain bagel, medium – 1
Bran muffin (2.5 oz.) – 1
Whole-grain bread – 2 slices
Whole-grain cereal – 1 cup
Whole-grain couscous – 1 cup
Whole-grain crackers – 12
Whole-grain English muffin – 2 halves
Oatmeal – 1 cup
Pancakes (3.6 ounces) – 3
Whole-grain pasta – 1 cup
Quinoa – 1 cup
Rice, brown or wild – 1 cup
Whole wheat tortilla, large – 1
Whole-grain waffles – 2
Wheat berries – 1 cup

Carb One (Legumes) List
Baked beans – 1 cup
Beans (kidney, black, etc.) – 1 cup
Hummus – 1 cup
Lentils – 1 cup
Peanuts (raw or home-roasted) – 1 oz.
Refried beans, nonfat – 1 cup

Fat (Omega-3) Portion List
Flaxseed Oil – 1 Tbsp.
Pumpkin Seed Oil – 1 Tbsp.
Walnut Oil – 1 Tbsp.
Canola Oil – 1 Tbsp.
Chia Oil – 1 Tbsp.

Single snacks
Dried fruit – 1 oz.
Frozen fruit bar – 1
Fruit – 1 medium piece
Rice cake – 1
Peanut butter (with celery sticks) – 1 Tbsp.
Popcorn, air-popped or light – 3 cups
Soy nuts – 2 oz.
Seaweed – 10 oz.

Double snacks
Bean dip (with 4 oz. chips) – 4 Tbsp.
Hummus (with carrot sticks) – 1 oz.
Pumpkin seeds – 2 oz.
Raw nuts – 1 oz.

Rehoboth Beach Marathon Recap -

2010-12-13T09:13:00.000-05:00

(Monday Dec 13) I had such an amazing weekend! I got home just in time, right before a huge snowstorm hit Cleveland. Glad we landed safely on Sunday.

I headed to Rehoboth Beach DE on Thursday. We flew into Baltimore, and landed at 6. We headed to Annapolis to have dinner at some historic restaurant that George Washington used to frequent. One of my travel companions is a huge history buff. Annapolis is such a cute little town, I wish I had more time to explore, but it was still a 2 hour drive from there to our rental house. We didn't get to our weekend home until after midnight, I was exhausted. The house was super cute though. There were 9 of us total staying in the house. Everyone had their own little area, there were plenty of bathrooms and my trundle bed was super comfy!

On Friday we walked the mile into town and had lunch, did a little shopping and picked up our race packets. The weather was great. Low 40s and no wind. Being so close to the ocean I was worried that we'd have wind to contend with. I only knew 2 of the people I was traveling with before the race and I was a little worried about traveling and staying with a bunch of strangers. But we all got along great and I definitely have some new friends now. The guys I went with do a lot of races together and I can see myself traveling to some more races with them in the future. They are working on 50 states, but all have close to 30, so are way ahead of me! They've also been doing marathons about 10-15 years longer than me. We had a lot of fun, some good food, some good laughs and all headed to bed early Friday night.

I could write a super detailed race report, but I don't feel like it, so I will keep it simple. The race was small, about 1000 runners, including a half. Packet pickup was easy and well organized, short sleeve tech shirt was nice. The starting line was right on the ocean and watching the sun come up before taking off for 26.2 was amazing. The course was really nice, it is one of my favorite races for sure. The course was pancake flat, the weather was perfect, no wind, the ocean views were breathtaking. The race did not go great for me. I felt sick from mile 1. My stomach was upset, I didn't handle my eating well thew few days before, lesson learned. My stomach calmed down at about mile 9, but then my legs started complaining. I kept a 9:24 pace until; about mile 15, then I just really started hurting. I started getting charlie horse pains in my hamstrings it was super painful. I wanted to cry at a few points. I toughed it out, but just kept getting slower. Once my pace got past 9:30 I knew my PR was out the window, so I really just kind of gave up. I tried to relax, slow down and just take in the scenery. But I couldn't do it. I kept trying to slow down to about an 11 min mile and just toddle in to the finish. My pace just stayed at 9:30ish so I had to take walk breaks. The last 5 miles were really mentally challenging. I finished in 4:26. I caught up to my friend Robin at the end and crossed with him. I wish I had just stayed with him the whole time so at least I could have talked to someone, but they went out slower than I was wanting too. As I said it was a bad day and a very mentally challenging day. But I am kind of glad it was. It's races like Saturday that make me a runner, that give me the mental chutzpah to get through other races. After having such a bad race and still running a 4:26, I know I can break 4 hours in a marathon.

The after race party was great, with a big spread of food and really good beer. We just hung out the rest of the weekend had a good dinner at Dogfish Head Brewery Sat night. All in all a fabulous weekend that I will not forget for a long time.

Impending Doom

2010-12-01T09:27:00.000-05:00

I have this overall feeling of impending doom. I am inserting a picture from a happy summer race to motivate me, lol. I have to be honest, I really don’t feel like doing this marathon in 2 weeks. I feel like I have barely run since my race in Nov. That’s not entirely true. I took the week after the race almost entirely off and only logged 10 miles. The next 2 weeks I logged in the low 30s with a solid 16 miler and 12 miler. I wanted to log more miles, yes that’s true, but it didn’t happen. Now I am in a 2 week taper. I feel fat, bloated and out of shape. This is how taper usually goes, I know this, but the fact is that I am kind of fat, lol. I have unfortunately let some real life stresses and drama get to me and resorted to some old ways of burying myself in food. Which is embarrassing to admit here amid all my claims of “this is it, I’m finally going to diet and do it right”. But I try to keep it real as I know many woman struggle with this same up and down. This is the first time in a long time that my weight has creeped up to the point that my pants don’t fit and I am trying really hard not to get too down about it. Trying hard to combat the “I’ve failed once again” thought. How in the world I ever let myself get 5 lbs over my highest “ok” weight is beyond me. It happened very quickly. And I am taking it really hard. I am a very short person and I have gained 10 solid lbs since I started back to work in May and I do not like the way I look right now, at all. I know it’s not the end of the world. I know the facts of why this happened – I sit more, I work out less, I eat more. I know, I know, I know. But it doesn’t stop me from doing the internal hate talk, etc. However, when I take a step back I know it is what it is and I know what to do and I just need to do it. But being that it is taper week I can’t bust my ass too hard. I can’t cut my calories back too drastically and I need to rest my legs. I am so ready for this race to be over. I hope to have a good race, but I honestly have a feeling that I will run it slower than I did Huntington and if I do, I am okay with that. Anything under 4:20 I will be happy with.

I am so ready to start P90x. I am probably putting way too much weight into it being some magic formula, but I am just ready to try something new and mix things up. To be able to stay inside my house when it’s cold outside and to cut back on my carbs, drastically! For those of you who have done p90x, did you use the pull up bar? I saw one at CVS of all places last night and am wondering if I need to buy it or if I should just go with the resistance bands.

What a weekend!

2010-11-22T15:48:00.000-05:00

Oh the fun that was had on this strange spring weekend. The weather in Cleveland was off the hook yo. It got up into the 60’s on both Saturday and Sunday and I for one refuse to think about the global warming implications! I took the day off work on Friday as well and used that time to get in a 15 mile run and clean my house top to bottom. Saturday I was able to take Harper out in the stroller for another 8 miler and then Sunday Harper and I took a hike together at the Shaker Nature Center, raked leaves and took the dogs for a 2 mile walk. There was also time for numerous errands and a playdate at the Joseph Beth book store's train table. It is supposed to snow on Friday though, so back to normal. Here are a few pics from the Nature Center.

But I don't want it to snow Mom!

Riding on logs is fun!

Here is a spit bubble for you.

Vino, Vegan Vinyasa night at LuLuLemon

2010-11-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

A few years back Cleveland got a trial LuLuLemon store. IT was set up in a yaunchy apartment complex and was a really small room. Shortly after LuLu graced our town with its presence I scooted myself over there for the complimentary Saturday yoga. For those of you who don’t know, all LLL locations have free yoga on Saturday. How wonderful is that. Generally they rotate various teachers from local studios. It’s a great way to get people into the store to buy their beautiful overpriced goods and it’s a good way to give exposure to the local studios and their wonderful teachers. Well, I went the one time and then I never went back. It was extremely crowded and due to my long run schedule I could never make it back. Eventually they got a permanent store and LLL now resides at Eaton on Chagrin, tucked in the alley between Fleming’s steak house and Pentsky’s spices. For well over a year I have been on their email blast. They send out updates on new products and the weekend Community classes. They also have a lot of special events on Wednesday night. I have always wanted to go. But balancing my life of marathoning, mommying and working and not making my husband feel like our daughter’s full time nanny is a tough job. I have always felt that if he has to wake up early every Saturday and watch Yo Gabba Gabba in jammies with Harper while I am out running for 3 hours, that that should be it for my weekly ventures. He doesn’t make me feel that way necessarily, it’s just the way I feel. But anyway I digress, I have always wanted to attend these events and this week I couldn’t resist – Vino, Vegan, Vinyasa! It was a vinyasa class taught by Parker Bean from Cleveland yoga, who if just a great teacher and very funny, followed by vegan desserts and wine. How can I miss that?

So I met up with my friend Rebecca at 6. Class started at 6:30, but I knew from the one time I had been there before that it gets crowded and I wanted to make sure we got spots next to each other. The new location is almost as tiny as the first, yet they managed to cram 40 or 50 of us in there. You literally have no room, your mat is right on top of your neighbors and you have feet all around you. I am not a fan of feet so being this up close and personal with the feet of others really bothers me, but hey its FREE yoga. Yoga classes are stupid expensive, so I will take what I can get! Parker led an awesome class, she really kicked our butts, lots of chair poses and holding twist for what felt like forever. I honestly haven't done yoga once since August and haven't practiced regularly since last winter. So, I was pleased to know I can still do crow pose, but I still suck at Eagle. Towards the end of the workout she made us do to 100 reps of bicycle. I had just done 500 situps and 100 pushups on my lunch break, so I was having a hard time throughout the class. My muscles were zonked. The classroom got so hot, that it might as well have been a Bikram class. Sweat was literally dropping off my face and my muscles were so warm. Unfortunately heat makes stinky even stinkier. I must have a very sensitive nose b/c I was having a very hard time handling the smell in the room. I could absolutely smell the lady next to me and I had to keep turning towards my friend Rebecca and taking big gasping breathes. It’s not that this lady was horribly stinky, she just had probably been at work all day in heels and her feet stunk. I’m sure mine did too, but I couldn’t smell myself, thank god. The food afterwards was awesome. The chef Amy C runs a vegan catering company and she brought a bunch of desserts. I had a mini pumpkin chocolate cupcake and some sort of flourless chocolate cake. YUMMM.

I cannot say enough nice things about LLL. While I think their clothing is just offensively overpriced, I think what they do for the yoga community is amazing. I would love to be able to afford their clothes b/c they make some really droolworthy stuff. Eventually I will splurge for a pair of their pants b/c I am constantly told by my LLL sporting friend Ilana that their clothes really hold up well wash after wash. I guess maybe in this case you get what you pay for. I would like to start going to the free classes every Sat, but I am not sure how to get past my issues with the smells? Maybe set up my mat in the far back of the room near the door and hope there is a draft!?! Maybe rub some sort of essential oils on the front of my mat? Any suggestions?

And if you have LLL in your area, totally sign up for their email blast, they have so many fun FREE events:

http://lululemon.com/cleveland/clevelandshowroom

Eye of the Tiger is playing on loop in my head

2010-11-15T09:51:00.001-05:00

Okay it’s been a week since Huntington WV and now I have to get back into marathon mode. I took almost the entire week off last week! And you know what? I really didn’t enjoy. Instead I felt out of whack, lazy and chunky. I have proven to myself time and time again that I need exercise like I need air to breath. When I don’t work out for a few days I am miserable. This body needs to move people! I took the work week off but I did get out on Sat and Sun for 2 great runs. On Saturday my gal pal Michelle and I headed to Munroe Falls, near Akron, for an Ohio Outside trail race event. It was 5 miles. We had some really weird, unbelievably beautiful weather this weekend. It was sunny and clear and was just about the most perfect day ever for a trail run. There were about 120 runners and everyone got a pint glass with some goodies stuffed inside. I also got a really great gray Ohio Outside hoodie that I love. I got it b/c I signed up for the entire race series, which is 3 races. Unfortunately I signed up forever ago and have conflicts for the other 2 runs, so the November run was the only one I would make! So I basically paid $60 for a hoodie, a pint glass and 5 glorious trail miles. Even though this was a race, I wasn’t treating it like one. Michelle and I lined up in the back and just trotted along and talked for the entire 5 miles. We crossed the finish line right around 50 mins. Which really for a trail run isn’t that bad. The course was 2 loops of 2.5 miles each. The earth was nice and packed, but there were a lot of roots to keep an eye out for. I almost took a fall twice and my ankles were quite sore on Sunday from all the uneven terrain. I am extremely blessed to live in an area with so many wonderful trails. I could probably run a different trail every weekend of the year. Maybe that would be a good blogging journey!

Sunday wasn’t so nice, it was rainy and gray and Harper decided to wake up before 6am! Ugh. So, I laid around with her all morning and then at 9 we had to get out of the house b/c we were going stir crazy. We headed to Joseph Beth and met her little friend and they played in the children’s area for about an hour. I am so sad b/c this is my favorite bookstore and it’s going out of business. I love going into a bookstore and purusing the shelves. Unfortunately most people buy their books online and bookstores are going extinct. So sad. But on the plus side they are going to be having big sales soon and I am going to break the bank in that place. I swear I will buy Harper xmas presents for the next 10 years! Once I got Harper down for a nap, I headed out with Fonzie sans Garmin and ran for an hour. It was so nice not to worry about my pace and to just run. It was cold and gray, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Winter is here.

My plan for this week is to hit 40 miles and then 45 next week. Then a 2 week taper. I am also really focusing on my diet since Thanksgiving is coming up. I want to avoid sugar and see if I can melt a few more lbs before I step up to the starting line. I have been eating relatively well, but the scale is stuck. I am trying not to focus on it, but it is really depressing to know I just ran a great marathon and my weight is up almost 10 lbs since the beginning of the year, boo.

Post marathon Glow and work husbands?

2010-11-09T10:46:00.000-05:00

Feeling good today! I have some residual soreness in my hamstrings and my knees ache a little on the stairs, but overall I do not feel like I just ran 26.2 (26.5! on my watch) miles this weekend. Good, good. So, I rested yesterday and today and I plan to run 3 tomorrow morning, 5 on Thursday, a 5 mile race on Saturday and then hopefully 6 on Sunday. Next week I am right back into my training plan. I hope to get in 40ish miles the week of the 15th and the week of the 22nd, then taper back to 25-30 the next two weeks leading up to DE. My weight is ridiculous, it has gone further up into the 130s than I am comfortable with, so I am really hoping to curb my sugar over the next 5 weeks and get the weight back below 130 for DE. That alone should help me a lot for race day.

Those of you who have read my blog for awhile know that I love a plan and looking ahead. But of course I am just as quick to change the plan that I was just preaching about. That being said, here is my plan as of today! Power 90X starts on Dec 20th and I want to follow it to the T. 6 days of P90x and hopefully 2-3 runs, not going to sweat the running. I do want to keep a weekend long run that is over an hour. P90x will be done in March and I am going to jump into marathon training for a June race in South Bend, IN. I am thinking that I will get a few 13 milers in for my long run after the new year and that I should be able to do about a 12 week marathon plan. That will hopefully hold my interest better than 16 weeks, I always get lazy somewhere in those 16 weeks. Then in the fall I am thinking Chicago. If Chicago doesn’t work out, then Marine Corps. Both of those races fill up quickly so I will be signing up for one soonish. Well, I am also entering the lottery for NYC again, you never know 2011 may be my year. I would really like to get sub 4:00 next year, but a crazy big race like NYC or Chicago is not a good place for me to do that. So, I need to think on the fall race a little bit more. If I do super well in DE, I may think I can break 4 in South Bend, but a June race could be awful weather, you just never know. All I know is I want to mark 2 more states off next year. I may do back to back ones in the fall again. I need to cram some states in before we start thinking about another baby! That is at least a year away, we want to move homes first and I need to be at my job for 2 years.

On an entirely different note, I was watching last week's episode of 30Rock, love that show, and they were talking about work husbands. I don't believe that I've ever personally had one, but I can look around and identify several “couples” in my current office and knew of some at my old. Do you have a work spouse? What are your thoughts on the topic, it seems dangerous to me, but oh so common.

Healthy Huntington Marathon Race report

2010-11-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I took a little 4 hour drive to Huntington West Virginia to do their marathon. My co-worker Wendy who is from WV asked if I wanted to tag along with her for the weekend. She had actually ran the race before and graduated from Marshall University. Wendy is on the 50 state quest as well, but she already had WV, so she was just there to run it for fun and help me with my pace. I was happy to have her as she is very good talker and we chatted happily for the first 22 miles and once the pain really set in, she knew I needed time alone in my head!

Overall I would give this race a C+.

A few pros:
· It’s in Nov, so I could train after summer’s hottest days were done,
· Swag – you got an awesome zip up fleece as your swag
· Small crowd- only 500 people ran the marathon (1000 in the half) so the start wasn’t too congested
· Course details - the course was very well marked and had enough porta potties and water stops.

On to the cons:

· Course - well there really isn’t much to see. The Marshall campus is nice, and there is a pretty park you run through twice, but aside from that you are just running up and down rundown city streets.
· Street Crowd - There is no crowd support to speak of and some of the areas were just downright dirty and desolate. Huntington is a small town that has seen better days. I knew this going into the race though and just wanted to do it to mark WV off my states list.

The race started at 7 am and boy was it cold. I wore some thin pants, a tank top with sports bra built in, a zip up pullover and my favorite vest along with throw away gloves and an ear band. I was dressed perfectly for the start, but by mile 18 was really wanting to ditch my vest, but it’s my fav and I wasn’t going to throw it away. You start in the street that is part of the campus and then you work your way past fast food restaurant and other city scenes. There was no timing mat at the start, so everyone had the same start time. However, Wendy and I were not very far back, we were probably 45 seconds back in the pack. It was such a small race it was humorous to see how close together the pace signs were. The crowd broke up by mile 1 and I was able to keep my pace below a 9 min mile for the first 3 miles. We hit the 5K mark a hair under 27 mins and I made the conscious decision to pull back a little. My game plan was to keep my pace consistently below 9:15 until mile 20 b/c I knew at 20 I would slow down and I was hoping for an overall pace of 9:30. I was almost able to do that, my overall pace was 9:33. I don’t think I had any miles that went over the 10 min pace. Because it was such a small race, we were able to chat with various people and we ran around the same faces the whole race. As I said there was a nice break from the streets when you ran through a park on a dirt/crushed limestone trail, but that only amounted to about 4 miles overall. You also ran along the water for about a half mile twice. Other than that it was just dirty house and at one point an old amusement park! I had to stop for the port potty at mile 10, but just to pee! I made it through this whole race without stomach issues and I cannot tell you what a big thing that is for me. Usually I am wrecked by stomach pangs and portapotty stops. After that stop I was good the whole race. I ate some sports beans, some shot blocks, a clif kids bar and one GU and it was the perfect combo. I will be repeating it at Delaware in a few weeks. I felt pretty good up until mile 16, then the doubt and pain started creeping in. I’ve been having some issues with my feet and my right leg and they really started to hurt at this point. I was just chugging along praying for mile 20. At mile 20 I always get a sense of relief, this is almost over, even though I really have like another hour to go! But something about mile 20 makes me very happy. By 20 I was hurting, but not too bad, things didn’t really get desperate for me until mile 23. Every step after 23 really hurt and it was a mental game to just get it done. I knew I could do a 5K, I knew I could push and not let my pace drop too badly. I really wish I could have dug a little deeper at the end, but I was done. You finish in the Marshall stadium and that was great, except that you have to run down a steep short hill to get onto the field and it hurt after 26 miles. Wendy and I both pretty much stopped and walked down it. Official results aren’t up yet, but my clock time was 4:11:31 and my Garmin was 4:10:55. So, somewhere in between there.

Up next is Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. I am looking forward to it and really think I can run under a 4:10 for it, as long as it doesn’t get too windy.

P90X fo sho'

2010-11-05T14:42:00.000-04:00

Well after a day of deliberation I decided to go with P90X instead of the HIM. On one hand I am sad that I won’t be marking the HIM off my bucket list, but I am mostly very happy with my decision b/c there are a long list of pros to go with it:
1. I can get up later in the morning b/c I will be working out at home and not scheduled to meet anyone
2. I can stay indoors more this winter!
3. I can sleep in on the weekends and so can Gary!
4. I will build some much needed muscles

The only cons are that I will lose some running endurance and will have to work really hard to stay motivated and make myself workout everyday. I hear Tony Horton is super annoying. I am chomping at the bit to get started, but I really can’t do it until after my Dec 11 marathon and I don’t want to start it and half ass it. I do plan to still run 2-3 days a week while doing P90X. I also hope that I’ll be able to take advantage of the free yoga classes that LuLu Lemon has on Saturdays since my schedule will be more flexible. I will have a weekend long run with friends that will just be fun. My hope is that I can commit myself to P90X from Dec 20th – March 18th and come out on the other end a much trimmer person. Then I can kick up my running and maybe even be ready for a May marathon. If I keep my long run 8-10 miles it may be do-able.

Second thoughts

2010-11-04T13:38:00.000-04:00

I was very stoked to try and train and do the HIM in June. It’s an accomplishment that I have always wanted. However, what I have always really wanted more than anything is to slim down. It is so frustrating to run marathons and still have a gut and muffin top. If I do the HIM I have to jump right into training after this weekends marathon and I am having second thoughts. Part of me wonders if I shouldn’t really give p90x a try. Doing P90x would allow me to sleep in on the weekends. It would allow me to just go for runs for fun with friends. It would give Gary a break from having to wake up every Sat so I can go train. I have been training for some race or another for pretty much 4 years straight. Maybe it’s time I take a step back? On one hand I think that the HIM training will help me slim down and will keep me regimented. On the other hand P90x is giving me pie in the sky dreams of switching things up and busting through a weight loss rut to lose some serious weight and come back to running in the spring at 120. What do I do? What would you do?

Muscles are sexy

2010-11-03T11:42:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a nice Halloween. We sure did. Harper and I visited my family from in KY and it was a lot of fun. Harper had her first trick or treating experience at the Louisville zoo on Friday. It was a lot of fun to watch her “get it”. At first she was nervous and didn’t want to go up to the people handing out candy, but after 3 or 4 times, she was running full speed ahead, throwing up her bucket and getting her treat. She had an adorable unicorn costume on, it was just a lot of fun. My hometown had their trick or treat on Sat, so she got to do that as well. Sunday we drove home and she got to T&T in her own neighborhood. She’s a pro at it now.

My adventures in weight loss have not been as successful as I would like, I’d give myself a B-. My eating while I was at home was just off, just a lot of empty carbs and convenience foods. I wasn’t too bad with the candy though. However my husband did cook 2 pumpkin pies in the last week and I may have eaten pretty much a pie myself. As I mentioned in my past post a change is needed. A big giant kick in the butt change. If you know me, you know that I love a plan. I really wanted to give the P90X series a try this winter. I wanted to stop running and throw myself into it. I truly believe that it works. However, I instead proceeded to sign up for a Dec marathon and a June HIM, so I do not have the “luxury” of 3 months to give it a go. Sara has been having a great time switching it up and doing P90X and reading her blog makes me want to do it too. So, I have reached out to a few people on craigslist and plan to buy the DVDs. After my marathon is over on Sunday, I plan to take a week to just rest up and then come Nov 15, here is my plan. I do have a marathon on Dec 11, but my hope is that I will still be in shape from the Nov marathon and that adding in biking and deleting some running won’t affect my performance.

Until Dec marathon is done:
Mon: AM- swim, PM short bike
Tues: AM – short run, PM P90X
Wed: AM – P90X
Thurs: AM - run
Fri: AM - swim
Sat: AM – Long bike
Sun: AM – Long run, PM P90X

After marathon until I start following HIM training plan in Feb. Since I suck at swimming it’s going to be my top priority workout, I want to get the Sunday swim up to 3500 yards. So essentially each week I want to get in 3 swims, 2 bikes, 2 runs and 3 P90X workouts. When it’s time to start following my HIM training plan, I will just shoot for 2 P90X workouts.
Mon: Rest
Tues: AM – run, PM- P90X
Wed: AM – swim, PM - bike
Thurs: AM – run, PM –P90X
Fri: AM – swim
Sat: 2 hour biking class
Sun: Long swim, P90X yoga

Chocolate face plant

2010-10-25T15:37:00.000-04:00

T-minus 14 days. This is it bloggy friend. Only 2 weeks until my big race. I am so ready for it to be over. I really let life get in the way these past 3 weeks and my pitiful long run yesterday really hammered that fact home. My husband got pneumonia and was hospitalized for a few days 3 weeks ago so for that week I was a single mom and could only get in a few runs with the kid between working and going to the hospital. Then that weekend I couldn’t leave him with Harper b/c he was feeling so weak and not sleeping well, plus she got really sick with a double ear infection. So, I chose to call that week a rest week and just ran two 6 milers that weekend, instead of the 16 I was supposed to. The next week I got hit with an awful sinus infection and slept through most of my weekly runs, then when the weekend came and I had my last 20 miler looming over me, I bagged it at 11 miles. I just felt awful and knew that if I pushed it I would be worse off the next week and decided to push the run to this past weekend and shorten my taper. Fast forward to this past week and pure laziness just set in. I allowed myself to get off track for 2 weeks and then getting up at 5am became too hard. I had two short runs mid week and was going to do 20 miles on Sat. I was all set, but then our grandma babysitter got sick and couldn’t watch Harper and we were getting windows installed in our house, so Gary was too busy to watch Harper that day. So, I had an awesome 7 miler with the stroller and pushed the 20 miler to Sunday. Gary slept awful Saturday night and I felt bad getting him up early so I let him sleep and decided to do the run whenever Harper went down for her nap. I headed out later than normal, which meant my nutrition was off as I hadn’t eaten lunch, plus it was unseasonable hot. I was a salty mess by mile 10. My plan was to run the 20 around my neighborhood to cut out the normal 40 min round trip commute I have for my long runs at the park. I took my dog out for 2 and took him home b/c it was so hot. Then a friend joined me for the next 4. After that I was alone. Thank goodness for an ipod. Only 6 miles in and I already felt off. My legs were just hurting. I was sweating profusely, I kept getting kind of lightheaded. I decided to make it into an adventure and ran to a completely new area and explored a little retail area I never really visit (Larchmere Blvd) and over to Shaker Square to refill my camelback, then I ran around the Fairmount Mansions streets. I kept to streets I never run on to keep it interesting. But the entire time self doubt was creeping in and my legs just really hurt. Normally I don’t have any pain when I run but my calves were screaming and my hamstrings were tight. After 15 I really start to walk here and there and by 16 I thought I should just go home and call it a day. I figured at that point I was doing more harm than good. For whatever reason I had to do 2 more and made it 18. I doubt that I walked more than 1 mile. And my pace when I was running was faster than I wanted it to be. I kept telling myself to slow down to a 10 min/mile as that is what I like my long runs to be at, but I was well below 10 min pace the whole time. I think I was hurting b/c I was going a bit too fast, I was dehydrated and I didn’t eat enough beforehand. Aside from the weather being gorgeous, the run sucked. If my marathon goes like this I am in huge trouble. But I do think that I am going to be well below my last marathon time of 4:29, gawd I hope so.

In other news. I weighed in at 130.7 this morning. Hopefully that isn’t b/c I am dehydrated and will still be there. I am really trying to be mindful and watch my nutrition and eat as cleanly as I can so that I feel good race morning. I am so scared of the Halloween candy. I hope I can prevent myself from jumping headfirst into chocolate and derailing my other good choices. Harper and I are heading to KY this weekend to see my family. Hopefully I can keep myself from spiraling out of food control. Wish me luck.

Let's get real

2010-10-20T10:04:00.001-04:00

Hi bloggy friends I am looking for some suggestions. I am obviously someone who works out and it is something I love, I am lucky in that regard. I would say I work out 7-10 hours a week right now. I am marathon training, but even when I am not, 7-10 is my average. I am 5’2 and usually hover around 130 lbs. I carry a lot of muscle and I don’t think I look like I weigh as much as I do. However, there is room for improvement and I do believe that I could get myself down to 120. I have big plans people, Half Ironmans and lots more marathons, with the hope of someday qualifying for Boston. The fact of the matter is I want to lose 10 lbs, yes to look as great as I feel, but also for racing reasons. Not carrying around as much weight will translate into these legs moving faster. But what do I do to get there? If I am being honest I would say I eat really good, nutricious food 80% of the time. I have a horrible sweet tooth and have been known to have many more desserts in a week than really necessary, but I am working on it. I think in order to get down to a weight of 120 I really have to mix things up and “shock” my system, but what is a good way to do it? Some thoughts that are swirling in my head:
· Lift weights more, do less cardio
· Do speedwork on a track at least once a week and do hill repeats once a week, then the other run keep long between 6-10 miles
· Do yoga 5 days a week before bed
· Switch to vegan
· Switch to drinking shakes for lunch 5 days a week…
· Just tri train, the cross training will do it

Does anyone else have any ideas that have worked for them when they really needed to change things up? Right now I still have 2 marathons on the horizon and then I will be tri training for my first HIM, which means at least 3 swims a week, 2 bikes, 1 brick, 2 runs. Maybe that alone will do it? All I know is that I am no capable of calorie counting or writing everything down. I do better just avoiding sweets when I can, but it is tough.

Muffin Toppers Unite

2010-10-19T09:38:00.000-04:00

So after 3 days of watching my food intake the scale is moving down. I was greeted on this cold Tuesday morning with 131.6. That is almost a lb down from yesterday. I am not going to weigh myself again until Friday. I have 2 friends that I am checking in with as we all try and lose those stubborn last 10 lbs. I decided to set a weekly non weight related goal. Mine for this week is to focus on 3 meals and 3 snacks, no more, no less. So often I just kind of graze all day and those calories add up. It is hard at work. I sometimes have to do a lot of data entry type work and it is hard to not sit there and snack on crackers or something along those lines as I type away. I stocked my cube with crunchy, carby, yet nutritious snacks and have been enjoying them. I picked up some crackers made out of almonds and super thin “rice cakes” made out of quinoa and sesame. Good stuff. Monday was a rest day, so no real exercise yesterday aside from some lunchtime stretching with a friend. On Sunday I did enjoy a wonderful 7 mile late afternoon run with the Fonz. When I run it is either dark and cold early morning or long slow runs with friends. It’s good to get out by myself every now and then during daylight hours and run as fast as I can. I kept an eye on my watch and made myself stay under a 9 min mile even though it was uncomfortable at times. I really want 9 min/mile to become my comfortable long run pace. I want all other runs to be somewhere in 8s, hopefully next year I can do a race where I am much closer to 8 even per mile, as opposed to the 8:47-8:52 I have done on my last several 10 milers and halves. Baby steps folks. Reading about my super speedy friends who do amazing things like come in second overall for females in Columbus (that’s you E-speed) or first female at the towpath marathon while pregnant (that’s you Salty) motivate me and give me hope that I too can be much speedier. I never would have believed that I could run under a 9 min mile for a distance race, never ever and yet I can now. I look forward to a 5K this winter. I don’t do a lot of 5Ks, I don’t like to run fast. But I know I will shatter my old PR of 25 and change soon. But I digress, I’m here to talk about my muffin top.

Weight is down today, I hope the trend continues. Gary is out of town today and tomorrow. I hope to get a short run in tonight with the kid and dog. Tomorrow morning will be yoga since I am home bound and hopefully another short run. Thursday morning I am taking my maiden early morning bike ride with my friend Natalie. I can’t lie, I am super scared. It was my idea and yet I am a wreck over it. I see people biking in the morning and I thought that I should really do that, but not alone. So Natalie is crazy enough to agree to meet me and bike in the dark. We obviously only have a few more weeks that we can even do this, but hopefully in the spring we can pick it back up. We are going to stick to well lit roads. I have 2 new lights to put on my bike. Friday is a run and Sat is my last 20 miler. Hoorah. I am sick of marathon training. I still want to do several marathons a year, but I think I want to switch from 16 & 18 week training plans to a 12 week plan. I keep myself in good enough shape that I think it should be sufficient.

Guess I better do some work. Have a great Tuesday!

Big Loser. I hope.

2010-10-15T15:49:00.001-04:00

Bloggy friends I’m sure you are sick of reading this. I have made this declaration many a time in the past. But I am making it yet again. I have to lose some weight. Pronto. Before the holidays creep up. I had really hoped to get to the starting line of my marathon a slim, lean, running machine. When I started back at work full time in May I was 125lbs. I’m only 5’2 and this was honestly the lowest my weight has been in a long time and guess what…I was fast! And I felt and looked great. Seriously I had an amazing 10 miler and half marathon while I was weighing in at 124/125. Never in my life had I held a pace under 9mins at that distance and all of the sudden I could. Then I went back to work and then I started marathon training and the next thing I know I am back up to 131. 130-132 seems to be my natural weight. I don’t have to do much to stay there, but unfortunately I have to work hella hard to stay below it. I am so sad to see that I have managed to gain almost 10 lbs. And I can feel it. I feel gross b/c all my clothes are tight. I am sitting at my desk today with my stomach is just hanging over my jeans. I know some people are reading this and rolling their eyes b/c I am perfectly aware of the fact that I don’t look that bad and there are plenty of people who would be happy to be in my jeans. However, when you factor in that I run 30-40 miles a week it is really annoying. So, I am announcing it here. I weighed 132.7 lbs this morning and I fully intend to get down to 125 before the New Year, hopefully much sooner. Watch me. I am bound and determined and it’s going to take some serious work on my part. Here’s how I’m going to do it:
1. Stop JUST running. I have been awful about cross training lately, so I will make sure to hit the pool and my bike once a week
2. Ab work, I will do an ab routine off of exercise tv 2-3 times a week
3. No more junk miles, each run has a purpose and I forget this and run the same pace every time. I will run 4 days a week, one long, one tempo or speed, one hill repeat and one recovery.
4. Quit being a lazy vegetarian, I eat an endless stream of carbs and have gotten very lazy at making salads, etc for lunch
5. No snacks after dinner, I will “fast” for 12 hours, so if I eat dinner at 7pm, I can’t have breakfast until 7am
6. No more diet coke or splenda, I truly believe the fake sugars are way worse for you than the real stuff, yet I continuely let it back into my diet. For shame

I am always down with weight loss buddies, if anyone wants to join me on a 10 lbs pre holiday bust ass lose weight plan, just let me know. Every couple of days I will check in with my progress. I think I will make Monday my official weigh in days. I am hoping to get down to 130 pretty easily, that a few lbs are just bloat. I’d like to be 128 by Nov 7 for my first marathon and 125 by Dec 11 my second marathon. We’ll see! Then I start seriously training for my HIM and I really hope to see some changes in my body. Wish me luck.

ooohhhh and i'm totally getting that bike! yikes.

Race Rinse Repeat

2010-10-12T13:38:00.001-04:00

There is never a day that goes by that I don’t have to stop and take a breath and wonder how I am going to continue to do all of this. ALL OF THIS being work full time, be a devoted mom and wife and continue to train for marathons and triathlons. Yet, somewhere in the back of my brain I still have IM dreams. When I am bored at night I look up training plans and wonder if I could ever do it. I watch Kona videos and think I could be an Ironman, surely I could. But who has the time!?!

I love to run. I truly do. I spend way too much money on races and deprive myself of sleep to run, but I can’t lie. I am really looking forward to my two marathons being over. I am ready to immerse myself in HIM training. One big reason is I won’t have to suffer through many outdoor winter runs. Mostly I will be tucked safely inside on my trainer watching trashy reality tv or swimming at the gym. But also I secretly am hoping tri training will do for my body what running never has. I weigh too much and my weight has been creeping up. How can my weight go up as my mileage does. It’s so frustrating and it’s not just muscle b/c my belly is hanging over my jeans right now. Ugh.

I really hate to spend the money but Gary just got a brand new amazing Jamis bike and I am now drooling over it. I want a carbon road bike so bad and I have my eye on two that are just incredibly good deals. They are a year old, so the price has dropped drastically. I know I shouldn't do it, that my 2003 Jamis Ventura is just fine, but I want it! So, I may be getting a new bike soon. At least it should be motivation to stay on my trainer for hours this winter. The picture is of the bike I will probably get, the other option is a Specialized Ruby Compact.

So what about you, how do you do it? How do you fit it all in? Sometimes I wish I was just a gym rat who didn’t have all these racing needs, like certainly would be easier. But would it be as much fun?

Akron Half Mary and Fall fun

2010-09-27T11:44:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I ran the Akron half marathon with my brother in law Tim. Do you guys remember Tim? He lost a tremendous amount of weight and started running about 2 years ago. Last Sept was his first half marathon at Akron and he did so awesome. He loved it so much that he then signed up for Columbus and went and ran that course 10 mins faster. So, this year he wanted o revisit the course and we were met with wonderful weather. I love the Akron marathon. They do such a great job. Great course, an amazing amount of spectators, great gear, great food/medal at the end; the whole event is top notch. My only complaint is it starts at 7am, ugh. So, we had to get up at 4:30!

Driving down to the race my stomach was starting to feel kind of icky. This is always my issue and it did bother me throughout the run that day. However, I have certainly battled worse stomach issues and after a potty stop around mile 6, I was fine the rest of the race. Maybe I’ll gloss over the fact that that stop wasn’t in an official porta potty, it may have been behind an abandoned building with a guard dog barking at! LOL. Going into the race, I had thought maybe we could break 2 hours, but I forgot how dang hilly the course was. I knew there was a major hill at mile 11, but there are several good rollers throughout the course. This is not a PR course by any means. I tried to use the Garmin and really keep our pace steady. I knew that I wanted us to stay under 9:30 and we did. We averaged between 9:12 and 9:30 the whole day, except for slowing down on that last mile 11 hill to more like a 10min mile crawl. It is a hell of a hill. We finished in 2:03. Which is a course PR for me, as the faster I ever ran there before was 2:04. I had a lot of fun running with Tim and playing coach. Several times throughout the morning I was able to think strategically and tell him we needed to pick up the pace or slow down a bit b/c we were going too fast. It was nice to think about something besides just finishing. I was really excited to see him get a PR and am so proud of howww far he has come.

The next day I went out for an 8 miler and my body would NOT cooperate. I ended up only running 4. My legs felt like tree trunks and I could not get my breath. What the heck is up with that? We had such a nice weekend overall though. On Sat. we met my in-laws to go apple picking. Harper had some much fun running up and down the orchard and chowing down on some fresh golden delicious apples. Gary even made a wonderful pie for us! I am not usually one for fruit pies, but with a little tofutti ice cream on top it was pretty darn good! Sunday I took Harper to the Lake Park Farm. They were having an antique tractor show and fall festival. She got to pet animals at the barn yard, play on a swing set, run around a hay bale maze, and play in some leaves. It was an amazing mommy/Harper day. The photos from this weekend are in the post and one of me and Harper from a recent birthday party that I really like.

miles and miles to go before i sleep

2010-09-21T14:49:00.001-04:00

Oh my the running that has been going on! I am so behind on my blog. But I have big plans! Big plans I tell you. First up, let me catch you up.

Race for the Cure!
Backtrack to the weekend of Sept 11. Harper, Gary and I ran our first family 5K! We did the local RFC to benefit Breast Cancer. Running is a bit of an overstatement. It was so dang crowded, there were almost 45000 people in downtown Cleveland. Despite the madness we managed to come in under 30 mins and I was pushing the jogging stroller! This was my first race with the stroller. It wasn’t a lot of fun though b/c I was so worried the whole time that I was going to clip someone the huge front wheel on my BOB stroller. But I love the idea of family 5Ks and I hope we have many more in our future. I can’t wait until Harper is old enough to try some of the little kid dashes. Harper was really good too. We were downtown for a long time b/c it was so crowded and I think she enjoyed looking at all the people and chaos.

River Run Half Mary
The next day I woke up bright and early to run my first half marathon since May. My friend Amy was running her first half ever, so I was really excited for her. This race is one of my favorites and I have done it 4 or 5 times. The course winds through a beautiful park, is point to point and mostly downhill! I had big hopes. I really wanted a PR. My last half was 1:56:50. I knew I had a faster half in me. But ultimately I wanted to beat the time my husband ran his one and only half mary in – 1:54 and change. I figured a 1:53 would do it. He says he’ll do another race when I beat him. I would love to do another half together! But unfortunately it just wasn’t in the cards for me. I have had worst races for sure. But I just didn’t feel great and no matter what I did I couldn’t pick up my pace. I ended up finishing in 1:56:06. Which I can’t be mad about; it’s almost a min off my last race. But I kept yelling at my legs to pick it up and I couldn’t. However. I had no taper. I am training for a marathon and I ran an 18 miler the previous weekend. So, I keep reminding myself that I will get a 1:50 half marathon someday, but it won’t be on dead tired legs.

Running Miles and Miles
I hit a big milestone for me last week. I ran 40 miles! Usually I run somewhere between 30-35 miles a week and cross train a lot. But I am trying to switch it up this marathon season and I am trying to run more like 40-50 miles. I plan to add a few more miles each week until my taper. I am still strength training 1-2 times a week and usually doing yoga once. This past weekend I ran 21 miles on Sat and another 7 on Sun. I haven’t seen my bike or a pool in wayyy too long though. This weekend I have the Akron half mary. I am running it with my brother in law and don’t have any big expectations. My legs are very tired and the course is hilly. I just hope I can get him in close to 2 hours if not a hair below. That would rock.

Race plans
I also did something a little crazy and signed up for back to back marathons. I am a little worried, but super excited to see how I do. My friend JenC has also talked me into a June HIM. Ack! June. HIM! It’s called Race for Recovery and it’s in Monroe MI. What attracted me is that the swim runs parallel to shore and you are never in more than 6 ft of water. That sounds like a perfect induction into Half Ironman territory for me. However, I still have to get through a 1.2 mile swim, I can’t walk it. So, I must get back to the pool soon. Once these marathons are over I will hit the pool 3 times a week. I have a lot of work to do. I like having a plan though and races on the horizon, it keeps me busy.

The cute kid
Harper is awesome. She just turned 17 months. She continues to amaze me every day. She is one smart little cookie. Lately she is really into snuggling. She likes to lay on a pillow next to you and “cozy down” as her dad calls it. She laughs a lot and when she gets excited she opens her mouth really wide and lets out a shriek of delight. She seems to really like going to school and loves to color with crayons. Terrible twos are coming our way though. Girl definitely has an opinion and wants what she wants RIGHT NOW! Don’t think about taking something from her or telling her no or you are in for a serious meltdown, look out!

Running Mojo

2010-09-10T15:40:00.000-04:00

Oh my life is tough when you are a full time working mom who just happens to like to use all of her spare time to train for endurance events. Blogging has fallen by the wayside, but I am not ready to give up my blog just yet. I have a new goal in life people. It is so large that it just sounds silly to say it at this point. I want to run a marathon in all 50 states. Umm…1 state down, lol. I actually have 2 friends who are working on this goal, one has 13 states and one has 36. I think it’s a great bucket list lifetime goal sort of thing. I am signed up for 2 marathons before the end of the year, Nov 7th in Huntington WV and Dec 11th in Rehoboth DE. So my 2011 I will have racked up 3 states. I have my eyes on April in Louisville KY and May in Pittsburgh PA. So, if all goes as planned, by my 32nd birthday in June I will have racked up 5 states. Not too shabby. To join the 50 state club, you have to have 10 states. I don’t think 4 marathons a year is realistic long term, but I hope to do 2 a year.

I have a half marathon this weekend and I am really excited to run it. My long runs have been really good lately. This has been the best season of running I have ever had. Think becoming a vegetarian has anything to do with it?

Harper is doing awesome. She is getting so big I just can’t take it. She has a huge temper, but is mostly sweet. But when she is mad, look out! Just like her mom. She will be 17 months soon. It just doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. She loves to dance, loves animals and unfortunately tv!

Have a heart

2010-08-17T09:49:00.000-04:00

So I’ve been vegetarian for 4 months now and I am working myself towards vegan. I don’t think I will ever be 100% vegan, I can’t see myself reading through ingredient lists and getting rid of anything that has milk in it, but I am lactose intolerant, so going from vegetarian to vegan isn’t that big of a deal. But I will miss eggs. I will say that I feel good. I feel really good about what I have done and I feel healthy and skinny and happy that I am no longer eating beings that I would totally have as pets. But at the same time when I stop and think I get overwhelmingly sad. I am sad that it took me 31 long years to make this leap. I am sad that I live in a world that is so content to look the other way and I wonder how I looked the other way for so long. It’s like all of a sudden I am completely raw to animal suffering. I want to help them all and know that I can’t. But I am happy to do my small part. I am helping to stop the suffering of at least a few animals in my life time and lessening my load on the environment. I wish I could convince everyone to make the same decision. Going vegetarian is not as difficult as you may think. Harper is a vegetarian at home, but I haven’t asked her school to stop giving her meat yet. I may in the future. I don’t believe you need meat to be healthy by any means and she gets a multivitamin and lots of calcium from all the yogurt and cheese she gorges on daily. So, I think when she moves classrooms I will make the switch for her. I think that Harper will be happy to pass up meat when she learns where it really comes from. I am lucky that my husband is not a picky eater and has been totally cool with no longer having meat at dinner. I did buy him chicken last week at the grocery and it is still sitting in our fridge, lol. I will make him cook it though, I don’t want those birds to have died to just be thrown away! How about you, what stops you from making the leap?

My running is going pretty well. I did run a 10 mile race in extreme humidity this past weekend and almost quit. It was my worst race ever and took me almost as long as a half marathon. I dry heaved on the side of the road at one point and hit the portapotty twice. It was brutal. I have 14 miles on tap for this weekend, I look forward to some nice long fall runs. I signed up for the Huntington WV marathon, it is Nov 7. I haven’t been on my bike or in the pool since my last tri in late July! Bad Monica. For now I am content to just run. I am also going to start trying to get yoga in 2-3 times a week.

Up before the sun and on my way

2010-08-03T08:30:00.001-04:00

My alarm goes off at 5am. Usually my eyes pop open a few minutes before and I lay there debating trying to sleep for 8 more mins or just getting up so my alarm doesn’t wake up Gary. Fonzie seems to be able to sense as soon as I open my eyes and immediately he is up, ears perked, breathing in my face, wondering if today is his day. Today, will he get to run? I peel myself out of my cozy king size bed and tiptoe past Harper’s room down our creaky wooden hallway and stairs. Down to the bathroom to pop in my contacts, brush my teeth and get dressed. Grab a banana and leash up the dogs and I am out in the pitch black of my neighborhood streets by 5:06. I walk the dogs down the street and back home to allow them time to go to the bathroom and to get my system up and running, get my blood pumping, shake off the sleep. Some days I then go to the pool, other days I run. Today was Fonzie’s lucky day b/c Tuesday is a running day. By 5:23 we were in the car driving the mile up the street to the CVS parking lot where we meet our friend Bruce. Most days we head over to the track and run laps trying our darndest to go fast enough to call it speed work. But some mornings like today we head North up Fairmount, turn on Richmond and run into the Beachwood park. As the sun starts to come up we are greeted by rabbits, deer and the occasional skunk! By 6:20 we are heading back into the CVS parking lot, 5 miles under our belts, exhausted Fonzie at my side, I am ready to start my day. I get home and usually Harper isn’t even awake yet. I have just enough time to make a shake and grab a shower before greeting her. There is no greater joy in the world than seeing the genuine smile on your child’s face when they see you first thing in the morning. Today I was met with a huge smile, and a book being eagerly jammed in my face. So, we sat down in the rocking chair and read Brown Bear, Brown Bear before the crazy morning get ready for work in 30 min routine set in. Usually I have her and I ready by 7 and we then take the dogs for a half mile walk and I drop her off at daycare around 7:30. I am at my desk by 8.

I made it through day 1 of my cleanse! It was a little tough. I craved sugar at least 2 or 3 times, but here is what I ate, for anyone curious: protein shake (hemp powder, almond milk, unsweetened PB), 2 slices whole grain toast with Earth Balance soy “butter”, banana, pear, 2 veggie burgers dipped in some olive oil salad dressing, carrots, a few mary’s gone crackers flaxseed crackers, popcorn, dinner – scallops w/corn on the cob and roasted potato/fries, peach. Not so bad right?

I'm back and training!

2010-08-02T08:37:00.001-04:00

Hi there Bloggy friends, hopefully some of you are still out there. I had thought I’d abandoned this blog, but I think I am back as there is a lot going on in my training and eating world right now! Since I last left you I went through a bout of the stomach flu, had a great weeklong visit with my mom while the husband was out of town for 10 days, chopped off all my hair (allll of it) and donated it to Pantene Great Lengths, picked a fall marathon and I competed in the Fairport harbor sprint tri.

First up, the Tri. If you’ve been reading my blog you will know that me and open water swimming are enemies. But the weekend of this race I met up at the beach with a swim teacher and my friend JenC and I had a swim lesson. I must say it really helped me a lot. The main thing she taught me was to not breath when I sight. To just sight with my eyes up like a crocodile (well the reptile image came from Jen). It was like a light bulb moment. I had a great lesson and even though I was still sick from a stomach bug I decided to go through with the tri the next day. Mother nature had a different plan and as I drove the 45 mins that Sunday back to the beach the clouds rolled in and sprinkling began. The water was looking very scary and the sky was dark and cloudy. Needless to say I was scared. The race directors kept threatening to cancel the swim, but eventually about 30 mins late they called for the waves to get in the water. Standing on the shore I was shivering in the cold rain in my tri shorts and sports bra, but once we were corralled into the water it felt great, the water was as warm as a bathtub. I had to stand in the water for 15 mins while the other waves went off. My nerves were building up but by the time they told us to go I was just ready to get it over with. The race director cut the swim in half, so we only had to swim a measly 250 yds and then run up the beach to transition about .25 mile. Now normally I end up breast stroking my way through the whole swim, but not this time! I did start off with the breast stroke, but once I got some space around me I was able to freestyle and sight off of a lovely lap line they have at this beach. I did go back into breaststroke a few times, but I would venture to guess that I swam freestyle for at least 175 yards. I was really proud of myself! The rest of the race was just okay. My stomach was kicking and I felt pretty week, I finished around 1:20, which is nothing to write home about. But for me it was a win. Now I had contemplated doing a oly triathlon in Sept, but I just have too much going on running wise to get the training in. So, my plan is to swim hard all winter and next summer I will do a few oly’s and international tris.

My running has been going great. I decided to do the Huntington WV marathon on Nov 7. I have a friend from work who is doing it. I have a small dream of doing a marathon in all 50 states, so you won’t see me doing any more OH marathons. I hope to do WV this fall and one in MI next spring. I am saving NY in hopes that one day I will get in the lottery for NYC marathon. I just started up my training and had a great 10 mile run yesterday. It’s been awhile since I ran double digits, but it felt great. I really do enjoy distance. I have 2 half mary’s in Sept. I have been doing speed work at least 3 times a month and I have high hopes that my next half mary can be close to 1:50, if not under! 4:15 fall marathon here I come.

I am looking at buying a new all carbon road bike if I can get the bike shop to come down on the price, as it’s an ’09. It’s a Specialized Ruby Compact. I am excited. I hope they will take the price I offered. If I get it I may sign up for another sprint tri just to race on it this year.

So, like I said I chopped off all my hair. I am getting used to it. The guy who cut it (Shawn Paul at Cedar Hill salon for you locals) did an awesome job, but sometimes I look in the mirror and it takes me by surprised. But I am loving the quick morning shower and not having to deal with all my hair under my helmet and swim cap. It’s hard to feel sexy with short hair, but I feel spritely and cute at moments. Plus short hair makes me feel skinny, lol.

Speaking of skinny. Ugh, I have put on a few lbs and have been eating sugar like it’s going out of style. So, today marks day 1 of my attempt at a 21 days cleanse. I have done this cleanse before, it’s based off the book Quantum Wellness, but I have never made it 21 days. Last time I lasted about 17 days then ate a bunch of cupcakes the day before a half mary and got horribly sick! I am excited. I have been a vegetarian since mid April and I think this will be easier for me this time. Basically I will not be eating any animal products, added sugar, or anything processed or chemical laden. Good bye diet coke :( This cleanse is also supposed to be gluten free, but I am not going to be sticking to that. I did last time and I found gluten free products horribly expensive and not very tasty. But I will be sticking to rice and oats for my grains for the most part and they are gluten free. But if I want a piece of toast with soy butter on it I will have it! Being vegan is only hard for me when it comes to cheese. I already don’t drink dairy b/c it makes me sick. The sugar is the big thing for me. Today will be hard, but by Wed I know I will feel wonderful. I am excited to get rid of this sluggish belly feeling and have my energy shoot through the roof like it does when I eat strictly whole foods. Why oh why do I always go back to the processed crap!?! I am going to reread “The Quantum Wellness Cleanse” and “The Kind Diet” as motivation.

A plan boss, a plan

2010-06-29T10:53:00.001-04:00

Tuesday June 29 - So I have a plan. Not sure it will work out. But I swiped a 16 week training plan offline for an Olympic distance triathlon. The one I have my eye on is Portage Lakes on Sept 19th. Has anyone done that race? If so, please tell me everything you can about the swim. Do you start in deep water? Do you have to go very far out in the lake?

I only have 12 weeks until the race, but I am already beyond where I should be for this plan for week 5. But starting today I am going to train according to this plan. It calls for two a days twice a week, ugh. But I can do anything for 3 months. The plan basically looks like this:
Monday – Swim & Run
Tuesday – Bike
Wednesday – Brick (bike/run)
Thursday – Swim
Friday – rest
Saturday – Bike
Sunday- Run

I am not sure about the midweek Brick. I will likely swap the Sat bike with the Wed brick as the Sat bike next goes beyond 90 mins. But the brick goes up to an hour bike followed by a 45 min run. To complicate matters further I have a few races in between:

July 25 – Fairport harbor spring tri
August 7 – 10K corporate challenge with work
August 15 – Perfect 10 miler
Sept 12 – River Run half marathon – which was my A race, I really want to rock it, but if I do this Oly, it’s the week before.

I would be so pleased to do an oly before, I have never done longer than a sprint.

Happy Trails to you....

2010-06-28T08:43:00.000-04:00

Monday June 28th: Hi Bloggy friends! Our computer is dead, dead, dead. We had ordered a new computer last week and then our laptop pooped out on us the next day. It’s like it knew we were done with it and it was its final F you. We decided to get a MAC. It’s our first, I hope we like it. MAC has a great deal right now where if you buy a Macbook, you get a free Ipod touch. Pretty nifty. So, anyway, I have some great pics to show you from this weekend, but I can’t until I have a computer.

I did the Munroe Fall Summi sprint tri this weekend. It was a 400 yard swim/12 mile bike/5K run. I finished in 1:27. It’s funny. This was my second tri ever 2 years ago. I finished that day in 1:27 and some change and got 3rd in my age group. 3rd! I thought they’d made a mistake. I finished the same this weekend and was 155th overall. LOL. Oh well. There were about 200 people; so not a very stellar performance. The stupid swim took me 10 mins and I was almost last out of the water. I had very respectable times on the bike and the run. I managed to go about 17mph on the bike and it was a little hilly and my chain came off which cost me a few minutes. On the run I was below a 9min pace. My transition times were a little slow. But that swim…oh its weird to be almost dead last out of the water. But the thing is, even if I had been in the first group out of the water, I would have only gained about 3 mins. I breast stroked my way through the swim. I tried to put my face in and hammer out some free style, but just couldn’t do it. My breathe gets too short and I panic. I hate open water swimming, what am I to do? I have another tri in July and my goal is to just finish the swim in under 10 mins. Modest goals. I also need to learn to not wear a wetsuit for such short swims. I am not alone though, there were plenty of people with wet suits on. If I really want to do tris I need to dedicate myself to swimming. My goal this winter is to really get used to swimming and hopefully join a master’s group again. I can also improve on my brick times for sure. I can’t be upset with my time considering I barely trained. There is an oly tri in Sept that I would really like to try. But I am not sure I can breast, side, fake my way through a 1000 yard swim….any tips?

After the tri we took Harper to Happy Trails animal sanctuary. It’s in Ravenna and they were having a 10th anniversary party. They rescue abused and neglected farm animals. It was horridly hot, but we had so much fun. Harper was thoroughly delighted to pet the pigs, rabbits, horses and goats. And she got a kick out of looking at all the different kinds of chickens. I loved it to. I am in love with pigs, how did I ever eat them! They are so loving and intelligent. They have mini pigs, but also big 1000+lb pink pigs. If you live around here, you should really check this place out. They are only open to the public for events, but are happy to show you around if you give them a call. They are doing great work and if you are looking for somewhere to donate a few dollars to, they could really use the help.

31 years ago today

2010-06-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

I was born! My how time flies. I must say that my 30th year was the best year yet. So, I bet this one will be even better. I have a tri this weekend. I am not really looking forward to it, not sure what I was thinking signing up. I have only swam for 4 weeks and only 2-3 times a week. Yikes. The most I have swam is 1500 yds. I know I can get through 500 yds, but I think I am going to be pooped. Last time I did this tri I got 3rd in my age group, so I am setting myself up to be disapointed. I am far enough off my pregnancy now that I am not amazed by every little thing that I do, lol. Oh well I will just treat it as a good workout.

This past weekend I met up with the lovely Iron G and we rode our bikes on the Mentor tri course and swam in the lake. My first open water swim in 2 years and I still have absolutely no ability once a wave of any size is near me. I do really love biking though and am so happy I got back on my bike. I honestly figured I never would for awhile, that I would just run. But I am a much better biker than runner and I hope Gary and I are able to bike together every other week and on the in between weeks I can meet my awesome tri gal pals.

On the food front, I am still eating vegetarian and having no issues whatsoever. I do have fish here and there, so technically I am a pescatarian. I am also eating pretty closely to vegan since dairy bothers me anyway. I feel really good. And I feel horrible when I do indulge in sugary treats. Which has been a bit too often since I got back to a desk job. It's amazing the difference in my body now and how much sugar really bothers it since I started eating really clean back in late April. Sugar is evil ya'll and so are animal products! They wreak havoc on your systems.

I put an excercise ball at my desk and sat on it this morning for about 2.5 hours. I can already tell that that was a bit too long for the first time. My back is killing me!

Have a great weekend bloggy friends, what are you getting into?

Clean it up!

2010-06-17T08:06:00.001-04:00

Work is kicking my butt right now. I have been going in early, staying there late and checking email from home. But it’s not going to always be this way I am just in the middle of a large product launch. Hopefully by next week the dust will have settled. Unfortunately when I get stressed I don’t watch what I eat. I wish I could be one of those people who barely eat when they are stressed but I am the opposite! I had 2 candy bars in one day this week! Ack. So, today I am embarking on another cleanse. Vegan, sugar/processed food free, mostly gluten free. I am not too concerned about the gluten, but will do my best to mostly have oats and rice as my grains. I am excited. My stomach feels rotten and I feel so so good when I eat this way. Goodbye diet coke. Goodbye splenda. Hello water with cucumber and pure maple syrup.

I got in a 1 swim, and 2 good runs of 4-4.5 miles each so far this week. I really don’t think I have it in me right now to marathon train and tri train. So, I decided to just focus on the 2 tri’s and the half marathon. My runs will be up towards 13-15 miles in Sept for the half. When I do my tri at the end of July I will decide if I want to marathon train or International distance tri train. One or the other, I am not going to try to work full time and do both. Remind me to come back and read this later.

I packed my nice little cleanse lunch up in my awesome new Tupperware set. I had my mom buy me new Tupperware for my bday and I threw out every last piece of my old one (well I recycled them actually. I love my new Tupperware and I am trying not to use Ziploc bags in an effort to be more green! I started my day with a coconut milk, amazing grass, hemp protein powder shake and some blueberries. For lunch I have tabouli and Mary’s Gone Crackers (yummy gluten free crackers) and a veggie burger, for snacks I have an apple, kiwi and carrots and hummus. Not bad!

I’ve been reading The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone (Love Clueless!) and it is a really good read. If you’ve ever thought seriously about going vegetarian, I highly recommend it.

You can't always get what you want

2010-06-14T18:54:00.000-04:00

Boy did I have a mess of a workout weekend, but some good came of it. I was very much looking forward to a strong, long stroller run on Sat and then my first real brick as preparation for my tri that is approaching way too quickly. I met my neighbor on Sat morning at 8am with Harper and the dog. My neighbor has her daughter as well. She is a bit faster than me, the humidity had to be at 100% and I went out way too fast. This equaled basically the run from hell. I was trying out a new waist belt with Fonzie and we were just a mess. We kept getting tangled. He was having a hard time with the heat and so was I. I think I also went out too fast to try and keep up with her. Needless to say I bonked miserably. By mile 4 I was doubting I could take another step. I dropped Fonzie off at the house, but I only made it 1 more mile without him. So, I did not get my 8 and I felt stitchy and sick. Just a bad run. But hey, it happens sometimes! So, I decided to eat something, drink a ton and go hit the pool to salvage the day. Well, don't you know I get to the pool and stinking water aerobics had just started! grrrr. So, I decided to buck up and take the water aerobics class as I was dressed for the pool. Honestly, I really really liked the aerobics class! So much that I would love to incorporate it in weekly, but just not sure I can fit it in. IT was really tough, lots of plyometric jumps and twisting core work. Loved it! So, the moral of the story is that you have to be flexible. Are you listening to me Tim!!! I think sometimes we get so caught up in our training schedules that we forget this is supposed to be fun!

Saturday night Gary and I dropped the kid off at the inlaws for her first overnight visit! We headed to Blossom to see my all time favorite band, Phish! I loved every minute of it and had so much fun. However, even though we were in the lawn, the smoke was out of control and I felt so ill from it being puffed in my face constantly. I don't know how in the world I worked in a bar for all those years. I cannot stand to be around smoke now. I thought I was going to puke. But we walked a ton and danced like crazy. We didn't get home until 1am. When I woke up around 8am on Sunday morning storms were rolling it. So, it was all too easy to skip my brick :( I am bummed now. But I enjoyed the rest day.

Work is super crazy so I am sickkkk of the computer. Hope you are all doing well bloggy friends.

Preparing for the MOMA DANCEEEE!!!!!

2010-06-11T09:51:00.000-04:00

I keep looking over at my calendar and freaking out. I have a tri in 16 measly days. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. I have ridden my bike 2 times outside, 1 time on the trainer and been in the pool 3 times so far. Ack. I did have a good swim today. I managed to get in 1200 yds in the time it took me to do 1000 on Monday. I had a kickass 4 mile track workout this week as well. I overslept on Thursday, but for the most part the AM workouts are getting easier. The only think I am slacking on is weights, must figure out a time to get those in. I think that is the hardest thing about tris, fitting in any kind of yoga or weights. I mean honestly when do you have time? Hopefully swimming will keep my arms toned, but I do need to at least do some sit-ups and pushups before bed. I’ve been putting a lot of thought into my training and schedule. Trying to figure out how to do the tris and still train for a marathon is hard. B/c honestly the tris are short distance, swimming and biking can’t overshadow the miles that I need to get in. So, here is what I am going to try and do from here until after the tri in July. At which point I will decide if I want to go for the International distance tri at Greater Cleveland in August or just focus on running.

Mon: Swim
Tues: Track workout (3-5 m)
Wed: Brick (20-30 min on trainer, 3m run)
Thurs: Swim, pm weights/yoga
Fri: Easy run or rest day
Sat: Long brick (60-90 min bike, 30-40 min run)
Sun: Long run (10-22m)

Just typing that tires me out. The Sat/Sun workouts will flip around, depends on when I have running or bricking dates. I also hope to get in the water once over the weekend, but hopefully open water, hoping to do that every other weekend.

Work is going pretty good. I am happy I chose the job that I did. That being said, I ended up getting a job offer the other day that was more money. Ugh. The job offer was 3 months after the interview mind you. What’s up with that.

I am super pumped for this weekend! We are going to see Phish on Sat night. I used to follow ***Phish*** around in the summers during college. I haven’t seen them since 2000 so I am super excited. I was just reading over some set lists and can.not.wait! I hope Gary likes it. It’s certainly an acquired taste of music. On top of that Harper is doing her first overnight with the in-laws while we go to the concert. I hope I am not nervous about that the whole time. I’m sure she’ll do fine. She is such a big girl I just can’t stand it. Yesterday was her first day fully weaned. No boob at all! I am happy to be done with the breastfeeding, but honestly it made me a little sad too. I will miss that cuddle time. I know for now I won’t be able to snuggle her up to me before bed b/c she will be expecting to nurse. But I hope once few months past and she has totally forgotten that I used to be her main food source (!) we can get back to sitting in the rocking chair and cuddling before she goes to bed. I miss her so much. Seeing her 3.5 hours a day is just not enough. And at some point I’m sure I will have a longer commute to work. Being a working mom is a tough thing…

Shut it and just sign up already!

2010-06-07T16:10:00.000-04:00

Good morning Bloggy friends. I hope you had a great weekend. We certainly did. Saturday morning started with a bright and early 12 min stretch tape. Then I got the kid and husband up and we went to the North Union Farmer’s Market at Shaker Square. I’ve been to this market a few times, but considering I live 4 miles away, I haven’t been enough. The weather was overcast and threatening to rain on us, but we still managed to scoop up some goods including: free range eggs, homemade strawberry jam, some banana bread, asparagus and peas. From there we stopped by a few yard sales. We are in need of a cute dresser for our downstairs bedroom. We didn’t find anything. Once home, I headed to the pool and managed to swim 1000 yards in 28 mins. Not too shabby right!?! I lounged in the sauna afterwards and only let the totally naked woman, who insisted on laying down without a towel under her (ick), creep me out a little. The rest of the day was spent lounging and then I met a few friends including Trisaratops for a beer on a rainy patio at Brennan’s Colony. Good times.

Sunday morning I woke up to more rain, yuck. But Michelle and I managed to hammer out 4 miles together and then I did 2 more after she left. I played a game with myself and tried to run the last 2 miles in under 16 mins. and I did it! Well I did stop to catch my breath at the turnaround and stopped my watch, but still, I kind of did it.

Now it’s Monday and we’re back to the grind. I got up at 5am and headed to the pool. I was worried that the pool would be packed. I used to swim at the JCC in the am and I always had to share a lane and circle swim. I hate to circle swim. But today I was in luck, there were 3 other people there, but I had a lane alllll to myself. I again did 1000 yards. I am going to start to keep track of my swims so I can keep an eye on my progress, today I did:
200 kickboard warm up with fins
100 breast with fins
100 free with fins
100 breast
200 free
150 of 25 breast/25 free (did the free as fast as I could handle)
50 kick cooldown

I took a HUGE plunge and signed up for 2 triathlons today. I am a nut. I have been on my bike twice and in the pool twice in the past 2 years. Oh well, I know I can breast stroke my way through 500 yards. I signed up for the Summi Tri (where I got 3rd in my age group last time, despite breast stroking the swim) on June 27th and the Fairport Harbor Pirate tri on July 25th. I am very nervous about that Fairport one b/c it is in Lake Eerie. Which makes me want to pee my pants thinking about it. But everyone raves about this tri and it’s in the break wall so it’s not wavy. This will be a huge step to help me overcome my fears I think. In the meantime I better get out to Mentor headlands at least twice to practice swimming with no goggle visibility. Yuck.

If I make it through these without drowning hopefully I can do the oly at the Cleveland tri, but again that’s in Lake eerie, so I don’t know….

Also on a foodie note, I have been a vegetarian for over a month now. I am madly in love with these 2 soups and have had them a few times a week. If you’ve never tried them, get yer butt to Whole foods.

Sunday Goal day

2010-06-06T07:46:00.000-04:00

As I was swimming yesterday for the first time in 2 years. I took the quiet time to myself to #1 reflect on how bad I am at swimming, lol and #2 come up with some goals. There are a million things that I want to do, a faster marathon, a faster half marathon, a half ironman, learn to flipping swim fast, do a 100 mile road ride and do P90x to finally get buff arms. And of course I want to do them all righttttt now. But that is just not logical at all. I am the mother of a 13 month old busy busy monkey, I work full time and already have to get up at 4:50am to do the workouts I already do. So, here are a few things that I want to do this year.

#1 - A fall marathon well under 4:29, I really think I have it in me to get under 4:10, but just want to do better than I did last time.

#2 -Smash my recently obtained half mary PR of 1:56 and change. I did that on a really bad stomach day, so if I could get to the starting line without self inflicted cupcake GI issues, then surely I can do more like 1:51, if not better! I mean hell I lost 3 mins for a porta john stop and 2 mins hobbling with a side stitch to get that 1:56.

#3 - do a late summer, fall sprint tri

So there you have it, goals for me to focus on between now and Thanksgiving. The marathon I have my eye on is Oct 3. If for some reason I have a really bad day out there and feel the need to try again I can try Philly in Nov. But in reality Corning NY is my only shot this year to get under 4:30. I have a half on Sept 26th, if something goes wrong there I can try again at a local half that is right before thanksgiving. I haven't picked a sprint tri yet, but I really want one that doesn't swim in Lake Eerie and swims in an inland lake. I really like the sprint I did at Munroe Falls a few years back, so I may see if I can do that one.

In order to make these goals I am obviously going to have to focus on my running. I plan to run 4 days a week, one of those being a track workout. One being long, one being a tempo with the dog and stroller and then one other shorter recovery run as part of a brick. I plan to do 3 - 20 + milers. Running 4 days a week will allow me to swim 2-3 times and I will probably only bike outside once and then indoors once. But to do a sprint that is suficient.

Once these goals are over I am going to spend the fall/winter months focusing on swimming and I want to try P90X. Next year I want to do a half ironman and can do a 100 mile road ride as part of my training. Soooo there you have. Think I am taking too much on, lol. That's how I've always been, I'm not happy if I am not working towards some sort of goal. But I will be doing all these workouts at the buttcrack of dawn, to make sure I have plenty of Harper time!

Concrete gut

2010-06-04T16:46:00.001-04:00

Hey there Bloggy friends. I am sooo ready for the weekend! Aren’t you! It’s going to be hard to top last weekend. My mom visited and we had a built in babysitter so the hubby and I took 2 long bike rides, ran a 5.25 mile road race and saw a movie. It was great. But this weekend, its back to the norm. My plan is to get into the pool tomorrow. I am so nervous. I wonder if I can even make it 100 yards! Then on Sunday I have an 8 mile trail run planned.

Not too long ago I did a vegan, gluten, sugar free cleanse. My goal was 21 days, I never made it that long. But I made it 14 days twice. I haven’t had meat since I started with those cleanses. So, it’s been about 6 weeks since I had meat. Anyway, my point is that I feel yucky. I keep eating junky carbs and it is amazing the effect you can see once you have cleansed. My energy level is so different and my gut feel sluggish. I almost wonder if I don’t have a gluten intolerance. I know I have a dairy one. I threw away the meringues and mini biscotti I had in my desk and I need to really try to back away from the packaged foods again. Yuck.

What is your favorite vegan snack?

Mic Check 1,2, 3

2010-06-03T09:33:00.001-04:00

Testing 1, 2,3. Does anyone still have me on their blogroll? I decided to give up monicaonthego.com and come back to my nice free easy to use Blogger address. I just couldn’t stay away from talking about myself :) To bring you up to speed. I am not back at work full time and Harper is going on 14 months. Oh my goodness does time fly. She is a wonderful little girl and doing great at daycare.

I have kept up my running and even did a marathon 6 months post partum and had a fat PR at the Cleveland half marathon a earlier this month. I am currently training for a half marathon in Sept and maybe for the Wineglass marathon on Oct2nd. I am not sure if I will really get all my miles in now that I am working again, so not sure if that will pan out.

Just this past weekend I got on my bike for the first time since before I was pregnant (so almost 2 years!). I forgot how much I love biking and really how “good” I am at it. I was never super fast, but biking comes a lot easier to me than running. I did a hilly 21 miler on Saturday and then a hilly, rainy 23 miler on Monday. It was great. Biking is in itself a lot scarier than running and I did fear for my life on the Monday ride since we were on a small street with steep downhills. But being out on my bike made me miss tris….so maybe a tri is in my future. Let me get back in the pool first!

monicaonthego.com

2009-12-08T09:48:00.000-05:00

Hi there Bloggy friends, I am making the move from blogspot to my very own Blog. I am going to try really hard to do this blogging thing for some extra income. First step is to get my site up and running and people reading it, then try and round up some sponsers. So if you would please update your blogrolls to reflect my new site I would really appreciate it. For those of you who do a blogpost introducing my site I will send you a special gift in the mail (some food items), just please leave me a comment that you did so.

monicaonthego.com

Also - I am going to move my blogroll over, if for some reason you don't want to be on it, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Clean it up Day 2/14 - Dec 7th

2009-12-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

Good morning Bloggy friends, it's looking to be cold and clear here in Cleveland today, but the snow is coming soon. Ugh. It stinks for me when it gets cold out b/c the dogs are going to want their walk and it will be getting too cold to take Harper. How cold is too cold? I have a snowsuit for her, so I don't worry about her body, but her little face gets so red. I put her in the baby car seat and zip the bundle me around her too, I feel that is more protection than just hanging out in the jogging stroller. Anyone else walk their dogs with the baby everyday? I could just wait until G gets home of course, but it is dark by then. On the agenda for today is Beamfit class at the gym, followed by Hard Core class. Then I need to get a few things at the grocery store and maybe head to TJ Maxx to finally finish up the Xmas shopping. Just a few more things to get. Maybe I'll be really ambitious and start wrapping today, although something tells me that may be a task better suited once grabhands Harper goes to bed...

Breakfast - 1/4 cup ricotta cheese mixed with 1 egg, 2 egg whites, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice, coffee with 1 stevia and soy creamer , cliff Z bar on way to gym
1 hour Beamfit & hard core class
Snack - Raw Revolution Live food bar (I had the hazelnut one and it tasty and had a nice moist almost brownie like texture) & golden delicious apple
Lunch - cup of pumpkin curry soup from whole foods food bar & Quorn Guyere "chickn" cutlet
Snack - Wallaby down under yogurt & a piece of toast with smuckers premium tart cherry jam
Dinner - Chicken breast simmered in curry sauce, 1/2 cup Quiona w/celery & carrots, beets soaked in balsamic vinegar
Snack-

Have you ever had Quorn products? They are made of fungus. I like them more than soy chicken products. They are low calorie and have a good amount of protein. I like the plain ones with ketchup on them, I like ketchup on pretty much anything though. Today was the first time I tried the Gruyere cutlets and they were delicious!

Prepare to be bored - 12/6

2009-12-06T06:55:00.000-05:00

In an effort to shame myself into not eating huge quantities of cereal and wendy's frosties on a daily basis I am going to start making a daily post about what I ate today. Not much is going to be off limits except for cereal and true junk food. Why cereal you may ask? Because I eat it 2-3 times a day, for real, small bowls usually, but still I want to completely give up cereal and have it out of my life. Years ago I never ever ate cereal, I picked up the habit when I was pregnant. I am going to post a food log for at least 14 days to try and make myself more conscious of the worthless food I put into my body. Not worried about calories at all, just about putting nutritious, clean fuel in. I get sick too much, maybe if I ate a little better that wouldn't be the case.

Breakfast (pre run) -
1 packet quaker high fiber oatmeal and 1/2 packet quaker simple harvest oatmeal, coffee with 1 stevia and silk soy creamer
8.15 miles run
Snack - Cliff Z bar & banana
1 hour power yoga
Lunch -
1/2 cup quinoa prepared with chicken broth, carrots, celery & craisins, garden salad w/radishes, beets, chickpeas, goat cheese and balsamic vinagrette
Snack: True North pistachio crisps (yummy cracker alternative, check them out) & 2 slices of very holey deli swiss cheese, big pear
Dinner: 2 tilapia loins sauteed in orange juice and rosemary & green giant frozen veggie mix that had cauliflower, carrots and cranberries in a light butter sauce
Snack: newmans own simply salted popcorn & carnation instant breakfast (was craving chocolate) made with skim milk

I haven't had the popcorn yet, but that is my plan in a few hours. I need some sort of after dinner snack around 8, that's just how it is, usually its cereal. I would give today a B, I overdid it a bit with the true north crisps, but then again I excercised a lot. If you've never tried the True North products you are missing out, they are all really yummy. Target usually has them. You can get a $1 coupon on their website. Time to put Harper to bed!

Reindeer Run 5K - 12/5

2009-12-05T16:32:00.000-05:00

Well no PR today, but close, I ran it in 25:45 , and the best I ever ran was 25:23 at that same race 2 years ago. But for me any race where I maintain under a 9:00 pace the whole run is a big success to me. I really didn't feel well out there today, I felt nauseous and really couldn't seem to push myself. One of these days I will feel great and get below 25, its coming soon I know it. Maintaining 8 and 7 something miles is getting easier for me and I really think a lot of it has to do with running with Fonzie. I got to do a little warm up with the super fast Salty and Eva who still beat me even though they are over 20 weeks pregnant, lol. Oh well they were twice as fast as me not pregnant, so it makes sense. Espeed had a PR and got 1st for females. So happy that everyone had a good day out there today. Afterwards we hit up the Original Pancake House and I ate as if I had just run a marathon. I can't pass up pumpkin pancakes, just can't do it. In the pic everyone is pregnant except for me (black hat/vest, Espeed in the front on the right and Christina, teeny one in back row all the way to right). There is something in the water around here!' In total I ran about 5.5 miles today and tomorrow I have 8-9 planned and power yoga.

Right now I am sitting in the kitchen next to Harp in her high chair and she is trying desperately to feed herself puffs, but just can't quite get it. Too cute. G is playing golf, when he gets back we are going to go see Santa at the mall, should be interesting!

Friday, Dec 4

2009-12-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

I have a 5K in the morning. I am a little nervous. It is my last race of the year (out of 4 total, wowza ) and I really hope to have a good PR. It would be a nice way to finish out the year. After the race I get to have some breakfast with some other ladies I know from tris/running/blogging and I am really looking forward to it. 5 of them are pregnant right now, 2 with their seconds. I guess they're all drinking the same water, I better watch out. My goal was to run 4 days a week and with the 5K tomorrow I will reach it, I ran with Fonzie on Sun, then on the treadmill due to rain/cold on Wed & Thurs. I also hit up a weight lifting class and balance/pilates class. Tomorrow we are going to take Haper to get her santa photo...should be interesting.

One gut buster down, one to go - 11/29

2009-11-29T08:10:00.001-05:00

I kind of don't like the holidays. I mean don't get me wrong. I love being around my family and the togetherness of the holidays, but I don't like the food. I am one of those people with absolutely no willpower. I am strong enough to not bring junk in my house, but if I am around it I mindlessly stuff myself. Anyway, I am glad Turkey day is over, now just to make it through Xmas. We only go to my Family's place on T-giving, whereas at Xmas we hit up 3 family houses and then 2 other extended family parties. I hope to be down to my goal weight of 125 by Xmas so that if I gain a few, it won't put me back up into the 130s. I stand firm at 128 right now and I barely worked out this past week. I got in 1 good run while I was home with my BIL, we ran a cross country course. I very rarely run on grass, nice to mix it up sometimes. T-giving was great, my sister made a weight watchers pumpkin pie that was yummy and I didn't overdo it too bad on my moms olive cream cheese dip and candied sweet potatoes! Today I am back on the wagon, but unfortunately I am sick AGAIN.

I am so sick of being sick, do any of you take any good immune system boosters? I take a pre natal vitamin and an Emergen C packet (most days, when I remember). But this is like the 6th time I have been sick in 2-3 months, its getting in the way of my training for this Jan half mary! I was supposed to go do the course yesterday but woke up with the worst sore throat and a nose full of cement, so back to bed I went. Ugh. I must say I have been running really strong though. I did a 5K the other day and did it in 26:03, which is my second fastest time ever. I am doing another 5K this weekend and I really hope to get in the low 25s. I was supposed to do a half marathon last weekend, but changed to do this 5K for charity (girls on the run) but then there was a snafu and I didn't get a partner so I just raced the race. I wish I had done the half, just to see where I am now speed wise. I am about 10 lbs less than I was for the Akron half. There is a 30K in PA in the spring that I might have to go do...I am contemplating doing either the Pittsburgh or Cincinnati marathon on May 2. I won't sign up for either until much closer b/c admittedly if I end up back at work, I may not get enough miles in to worry about a full. But if I am still at home most of the training time, I might be able to pull off one more 26.2 before going back to work. Seeing where my body is now at 128, I really think I can get closer to 120 and I think that will help my race times dramatically. I hope so! Looking forward to getting my runs up to 5 days a week. Starting this week I will make sure I run 4 days a week and then in Jan, add that 5th day. That's my plan for now.

These pics are from Salty's son's 1st b-day party. How cute are those babies! Yummy. Also my neighbor took a bunch of wonderful shots of Harper to try and help me get a xmas card shot. Below is the one I chose to send out! It was the first time her ever shot an infant and he did awesome! Last but not least, big shout out and good luck to IRONTRISH who is doing Cozumel today, can't wait to see her finish.

Letter to Harper: Month 7

2009-11-21T07:32:00.000-05:00

On the move. Baby I cannot make you sit still anymore. You have places to go and people to see. In the last month you have perfected rolling across the floor and now get that rolling gets you places, it's not just something to do back and forth to get stuck against the crib slats. You really want to sit up on your own and are starting to grab on to me to pull yourself up, but can't quite do it yet. Just a few days ago you started getting up on your knees and rocking your cute little tooshy back and forth. Crawling is not far away and I must admit I dread it. Why? B/c you are obsesses with the dogs and I know that as soon as you can crawl you will be crawling after them. Which would be fine if you would pet nice, but instead you pull and pinch. Mostly Fonzie, who I of course trust the least. Although he really seems to love you. You can say the dadadad sound now and do it over and over again, as well as blowing air out of your mouth in little quite pah, pah sound that you seem to find amusing. Right now your favorite toys are anything hard, as your bottom teeth seem to be driving you crazy for months now, but they just won't pop out. You weigh 20 lbs and are 27 inches tall. I had to raise your excersaucer the other day to the next level so your feet don't drag on the ground. You love to pull socks and shoes off of your feet, so mommy had to splurge and buy you cute little pink pumas that velcro. Sleeping is still about the same. Most nights you mornings you wake up around 5, but will go back down until 7ish. Some days though you sleep all the way until 7 and I thank you for that! We are trying new foods everyday and getting the sippy cup drinking down. What a fun month this has been.

Wednesday 11/17

2009-11-18T08:33:00.000-05:00

This has been the sickliest fall ever. I have a sore throat and an awful rattly cough and Harper has the cough, so surely her throat is bothering her too. It hit me Sunday night, so I skipped the gym Monday, ran yesterday and guess we are skipping the gym again today b/c she keeps coughing. You aren't supposed to bring your kid if they have a cough. I can understand that of course. Sick of being sick. My eating has been atrocious lately, I seriously had fish sticks and onion rings in the same day the other day...made at home! So today I am going to start writing down what I am eating until I get down to 125 (130 today). I need to seriously up the veggies and lower the carbs. Not going to worry about Thanksgiving though. Started the day off with a berry protein shake. Also on my mind is my running. I have had some good long runs lately, but have really been slacking during the week. I think by Jan I want to be running 5 days a week. I know before I have always said 3 days is enough for me. But I think 5 will really help me get faster. Since I am only worried about half marathons those runs don't have to be especially long, 4-6 miles for3 of the run, 6-8 for another 1 and then 10-13 for my long. So from now until Jan I need to work on getting that 4th weekly run in that I sometimes get in. Wish me luck.

Sunday 11/15

2009-11-15T18:10:00.000-05:00

What a nice weekend. I am convinced it is the nice weekend we will see around Cleveland until May. So, I made sure to get out there and enjoy it. On Saturday I drove down to the Buckeye Trail to meet up with Sara and Harley to run part of the half marathon course we'll be doing in Jan. It's part of the Run for Regis 50K, but we are obviously doing a shorter option. It was an absolutely glorious day out, sunny and warm. I took Fonzie and he made it through 9 ridiculously hilly miles. I planned to do 13, but the 9 took too long and I ran out of time b/c I wanted to be home by noon. We had to stop a lot b/c we didn't know the course and there were a lot of places to take a wrong turn. I am confident that next time we run it we will be much better off. But oh the hills. All the minor muscles in my lower legs are aching so bad. I also wore my new trail shoes that I just won and that didn't help matters. I am walking like I ran a marathon. I should have taken an ice bath. I am really digging running with Fonzie. I am trying to be careful, I don't want to take him further than I should. But I figure if he is still pulling than he has energy to spare. By the end of this run it had gotten pretty warm and I could tell he was done. I really need to find a better harness for him and a leash that is reflective. I have good running gear, its only fair that he does too. Last week he ran 13 miles with me. I am going to shoot for 1-2 more miles until he gets up to 18-20 miles a week, that will be great motivation for me. Any of you run with your dogs? How far do you take them? The rest of the day I was pretty lazy, but we did walk to the playground and push Harper in the swings. I am so glad she is biggest enough for the swings now. I didn't realize it, but I met Salty and her son for a run on Thursday and we put them in the swings afterwards. What a big girl I have!

This morning I drove out to Rocky River and met TriSaraTops for a run/walk. I pushed Harper in the stroller. We covered 4 miles and then went to First Watch for some yummy breakfast. Then this afternoon I popped over to the neighbors for a dog playdate. Now the hubby and I are chilling with Harper watching a Ben Harper concert on HDtv.

Speaking of Harper, as I said above I pushed her in the jogging stroller twice this week. I am bummed I didn't do it sooner. Truthfully I never really had the need b/c G watches her when I run, but it was much easier than I thought it would be and really didn't impede my speed at all. So I am going to try and get as many runs in with her as I can before it gets nasty out.

We have a winnneeerrr

2009-11-12T08:31:00.000-05:00

I never win anything! I can't think of once in my life that I have won a contest, aside from when I was in middle school and I won 2 tickets to an Ozzy Osbourne concert (no more tears tour), my sister couldn't take me so my mom did. But that's another story. Anyway, last night I went to a ladies night at a local running store (Vertical Runner) and I won a free pair of Brooks Cascadia trail shoes. Woohooo. These shoes are $100. I was so happy I did a little dance. And I got my body fat tested last night and it was really low. So low that I don't even believe the lady. But seeing the number sure made me feel good. I am hanging around 128-129, I managed to keep a little of the stomach bug weight off. Hoorah.

Speaking of running shoes. Aside from my weekend run I haven't been very good at getting the miles in. I am going to try to up the weekly mileage next week, I have a half in 2 months. A hard hilly trail half. I don't want to die in the snow out there. I'm also signing up for the Lexington KY half mary (near my hometown) in March and the Cleveland half in May. That should keep me motivated through the winter. I hope.

Sunny Saturday

2009-11-07T17:06:00.000-05:00

What a gorgeous day we are having in Cleveland. I fully believe it will be our last nice weekend until ohhhh June. So, I made sure to take advantage of it. I started the day with a 7 mile trail run at North Chagrin Reservation. Met a few friends and took Fonzie. I was afraid it would be too much for him b/c he's never ran hills and only ran 5 miles, but he handled it like a champ and could have gone further. He had so much fun. Too bad he tried to bite my guy friend, sigh, this dog is a nipper, really have to figure out how to break that. He was fine with everyone as long as they didn't mess with him, but the lone guy (hes not big on strange men) went to pet him and he tried to nip his leg, but I gave him a leash jerk first, shoo. He doesn't aggressively go after people, but gets a little scared and slowly nips. It stinks. Anyway, the run was great. The leaves were gorgeous and it was like 55 degrees and sunny. The run felt good and I was worried b/c I am just getting over being sick. But I was able to run fast without a lot of effort and bounded up the hills. Woohoo.

When I got home G and I headed to Chagrin Falls with Harper and did some window shopping and strolling. We also shared some Carmel corn and a milkshake. So much for those lbs lost while I was sick! Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

Back among the living

2009-11-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

Finally I am feeling better. Still a little weak from not eating much for a week, but unfortunately my appetite is back in full force. I still think I will manage to keep a few lbs off from this. Trying to see the silver lining from such a rotten week. Yesterday I went to the gym and did my weight lifting class, but Harper got fussy so I didn't get to do the full class, missed tris and a set of abs. I seriously love my urban iron class. It's an hour and you lift with a bar and various weighted plates. When I lift on my own, I never push myself as hard and worry that I missed some muscle group, this class ensures I get a good total body worout. You do 1 song for each muscle group and the instructor changes the tempo throughout the song, so you may lift for 3, lower for 1, then even it out 2/2, etc. It goes like this:

Back -deadllifts, rows, clean & presses
Chest- chest presses down laying on step
Set of abs - bicycle and crunches
Legs - squats and plie squats
Biceps - just normal curls, but lots of them
Shoulder- delt presses, side and front raises, shoulder presses
Triceps- skull crushes down on step, tri presses
legs - lunges and squats
Set of abs - pilates 100s and bicycles

Every 6 weeks they change the music and format slightly. I luv this class and credit it for being more in shape now than I was before baby, even though I still have a bit of belly flab that I only notice if I lean in unflattering ways :)

Anyway, today I am going to try to run. Probably just like 4 miles, see how it feels. I haven't ran in at least a week. Later today we have new moms group, which I love, it really breaks up the day.

As much as I love being home, I am starting to get more serious about thinking about work. One day I am convinced I need to just go back now before it gets any harder, then the next day I convince myself to wait until spring. I am just sick of worrying about money, we've had some large bills (cat vet bills, need new tires) lately and I hate to see the savings account go down, down. I wish I could find a job that was 2-3 days a week, that would be so ideal. I have been applying even for full time ones that seem really good. It's going to be hard to find a job, but I'm glad i have room, at least for now, to be picky. #1 goal if I go full time is a job that will let me work outside the normal 8-5 or 5:30. That is tough b/c my job expertise is in account management and when you work with clients, it can be hard to be allowed a flex time schedule. Maybe I can find an internal project management position, that would be great.

I'm sick of this already!

2009-11-02T07:41:00.000-05:00

Enough is enough. I am so sick of being sick. This weekend I felt okay, still a little weak and sick to my stomach, but last night was full blown attack again. I spent the entire night on the toilet or on the couch writhing in belly pain. I feel like I have a beetle with little horns making his way slowly through my intestinal track. Sorry for the TMI. Other than the belly issues the other symptoms are all gone, no body aches, headache or fever. Still don't know if I even have the flu. All I know is I feel like a poop sandwich. Sigh. I haven't worked out since last Tuesday and that is not helping with the crank factor. How much longer could this possibly last? Now I have a day of being a mom in front of me, on about 3 hours of sleep. On the good side, at least that kid is CUTE, too bad I can't kiss her.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T14:25:00.000-04:00

I am feeling a lot better. Still weak and icky in the tummy but about 80% better than I was on Thurs. I have been on tamiflu since Thurs night. The bummer is that I still don't know if I have the flu. I hate to take the meds and pass them on to Harper if I don't even have influenza, but its better safe than sorry at her age. Supposedly the medicine is safe for her...supposedly. I was supposed to have my flu swab results today, but the lab is so backed up I probably won't have them until Monday. It really stinks b/c I was supposed to go to a baptism and party tomorrow, but don't want to go now b/c if I do have the flu I have no business being around babies. I also had to skip a much needed ladies fun run & breakfast 1. b/c there was no way my belly could handle a run and 2. b/c several of the ladies are preggo and don't need the flu. I was really looking forward to that :( On the good side, Harper still appears healthy so hopefully she will stay that way. My symptoms showed up on Tuesday, so 5 days later she isn't sick yet. KNOCK ON WOOD.

It's very very odd to not be running on a Sat morning. I haven't not run on a Sat since before Harper was born. I went to Starbucks this morning and saw all the random people in their running gear and felt so jealous and wanted to yell out "hey, I'm a runner too!". I have no idea why. It doesn't help that the last 2 days have been absolutely perfect running weather and there won't be much of that left her in Cleveland. Oh well, hopefully I will feel all better tomorrow and can start my 600 min a week workout challenge again. Thanks to the flu I start a few lbs lighter, but I'm sure those will come right back.

Gary took Harper to his dad's today. That is a truly bizzare feeling. I have never been away from Harper except when running, how funny/wierd is that? Aside from maybe a quick trip to the library or drugstore. So I ran errands and they were much quicker w/o a baby, but not as much fun. No one randomly talked to me, lol. You are much friendlier when you have a baby b/c everyone wants to talk to you and you get used to it!

I bought candy today, it was funny what was left. I am stuck with chewy nerds, laffy taffy and pixie sticks. I actually like sugary crap like that better than chocolate anyway. We get a ton of kids. Harper is a spider. Her costume isn't' all that exciting. I wasn't going to dress her up, just put her in a pumpkin onesie, but picked up this costumer at goodwill for $2. Not bad.

Uh oh

2009-10-29T18:58:00.000-04:00

I thought I had food poisoning, now its looking like the flu. Great. I went to the doc, but won't know if my swab was positive until Sat. Gary stayed home today, I feel awful, he can't stay home tomorrow b/c he has a project to finish up. Oh oh oh I hope Harper doesn't catch this from me. Is it inevitable? She had a flu shot a few weeks ago.

Bad luck Wed

2009-10-28T16:19:00.000-04:00

Ugh, I am having a little bad luck this week, lol. I feel horrible today, absolutely horrible. It's all tummy related. I had pizza last night and didn't realize it had garlic on it and I don't handle garlic well at all and I have been hunched over in sick pain all day. Not fun to take care of a 6 month old on the move when you don't feel good. Oh well. My own fault. On top of that, I totally overdid it at the gym on Monday (in weight lifting class, used too much weight big time) b/c I was so gung ho to get started again. I can barely sit on the toilet from doing squats. I have been hobbling around for 2 days. I went to the weight lifting class again this morning in hopes my nausea would go away and getting my muscles moving would help. No such luck, I was a sweaty mess the whole class and almost threw up and couldn't handle more then 5 lbs on each side of the bar and couldn't get through the squat set. Eieiey. I hope I feel better tomorrow. I have missed a run nd need to run tomorrow for sure.

Here is a pic of Harper and her playmate Nate. Every week my friend Salty and I get together to babysit each others kids while the other runs. Nate will be a year old in Nov. The pics are a little blurry, but I just love Harper's faces

6 week countdown to the elusive pair of skinny jeans

2009-10-25T08:52:00.000-04:00

Sunday, Oct 25 - I know I declared the other day that I was on a diet & giving up sweets, unfortunately I haven't been very mindful of my diet...at all. The scale said goodbye to 130 & planted me back at 132, so 7 lbs that I want to lose. Starting over again today. I am going to try and lose these 7 lbs over the next 6 weeks. I know that seems a little ambitious but you don't know all the stupid things I've eaten (hello pizza for dinner last night& giant creme puff) or the weights I have been slacking on. I have a pair of skinny jeans that I want to get into and I think it would be great to wear them on Thanksgiving to prevent me from overeating...I start anew today with a 75 min power yoga class. Here are a few goals I am going to try and stick to and be mindful of:

1. Work out 10-11 hours a week, this counts dog walks
2. Get more fruits & veggies, I have been awful about this and it used to be the easy part for me
3. On days that G gets home from work before 5 take the dogs for an extra walk even if its just half a blocl
4. Get to the gym classes at least 3 times a week, important for me and also for keeping Harper used to the playroom
5. After Harper goes to bed get on bike in basement a few times a week and watch one of my many shows that I DVR

Here is my workout plan for this week, not counting dog walks, they get one every day, varying lengths depending on weather, baby mood, etc:
Today - 75 min yoga class
Mon - Urban Iron or BeamFIT class and 5 mile run
Tues - 5 mile run, abs DVD
Wed - Urban Iron class, 2o mins on bike
Thurs - 5 mile run, yoga DVD
Fri - Urban Iron class, 20 mins on bike
Sat -6 mile run

Letter to Harper: Month 6

2009-10-23T14:24:00.000-04:00

Six months ago today you were finally cleared to come home from the hospital . When we brought you home we sat your car carrier on the coffee table and looked at each other like - what do we do now? Well some how we figured it out and 6 wonderful months later you are doing awesome. You are so smart and so full of personality. Thankfully your mild nature has continued on and for the most part you are always happy. You are sitting up and rolling over both ways now. You eat solid foods 2 times a day and so far you will eat pretty much anything. Looking at the dogs and trying to touch the kitties is one of your favorite pastimes, so is sitting in front of the full length mirror trying to get the baby on the other side.

6 months went way too quickly and I am so sad b/c I now have to start thinking about going back to work. I'm not quite ready yet, but I know it will take some time so I keep an eye out for job listings. Going back to work will be the hardest thing I ever have to do for sure!

Oh hey there

2009-10-20T20:31:00.000-04:00

Hi there bloggy friends. I fully enjoyed my week off post marathon. I made it to the gym once last week and other than that all I did was walk! It was nice. As for my no sugary junk for 14 days challenge, I failed. I made it a week, but then the husband went and made pumpkin pies. Pumpkin anything is my Achilles heel. So I started over on Monday and now hope to make it to Halloween with no junk. I will have some candy during the trick or treat, we get a ton of kids in our neighborhood. I love Halloween.

I went out for a 4 mile run yesterday, the first run since the marathon. It felt great. My legs felt fresh and springy. Today I walked 6.5 miles. 4 miles with a group of moms from my new mom group and then 2 with the dogs. I got Fonzie a backpack and can't wait to try it out on him. He is never tired. I am hoping that the backpack will help wear him out after a few miles and also calm him down on the walks. Supposedly a backpack gives a dog a job to do and makes them more calm and mindful. I don't believe anything can get him past his squirrel freakouts, but we shall see.

Harper is 6 months. Egads where does the time go. I need to do my letter to Harper, but will have to get to that later this week.

Pre Preggo weight!

2009-10-17T15:53:00.001-04:00

For 2 days in a row I have weighed in at 130.5. I was hovering between 130 and 133 when I got pregnant, so yay! Pre preggo weight. I wanted to do it by 6 months and lo and behold Monday is her 6th month bday! I hope I can get a few more lbs off. I have enjoyed this week off. I worked out once. Starting tomorrow I am back at it.

Harper is sick. She got super stuffed up late yesterday and we were up all night. She didn't fall asleep until 11, in the swing, after screaming for an hour. She hasn't slept all day. I keep getting her to fall asleep, whether by rocking or feeding her, but then as soon as I lay her down, she is right back up. She is in good spirits for the most part if you are holding her. I hope this cold doesn't last 2 weeks. If she is sick next week I will go to the gym when G is home from work I guess. I am not taking any more time off the gym.

On the tattoo front, I made up my mind on the 3 little birds. But I also have to hold off until summer, as the lady doing the tat said that I really shouldn't get a foot tattoo in the winter and that she doesn't offer her retouching guarantee on foot tats during cold months. But I did promise my friend I would get inked with her after our marathons, so I think I am going to get the symbol for mother in kanji on my rib. Or maybe that little round owl. Although my hairdresser has the astrological signs of her kids on her back and that's a great idea too.

Input, opinions, bring it on

2009-10-14T20:24:00.000-04:00

I think I am getting a tattoo. Picking a design is such a hard decision to make. I have some links below to tattoos that I like and I would love any input or opinion you have. I have a few ideas floating around my head:

1. 3 hearts all linked together or overlapping to symbolize each member of my family
2. An owl just b/c I love them and have done Harper's nursery in owls, so it would be a little harper tribute
3. 3 little birds, I love the song so much and always have, it makes me smile whenever I hear it and has such a nice message, I picture three little fat birds sitting atop my toes

now where to get it, rib, back of neck and foot, leaning towards foot, but maybe a symbol for mother on my rib.....

I love this quote, ignore the butterfly part :)
http://beautifultattoos.blogspot.com/2009/05/quote-tattoo-and-geisha-butterfly.html

Cool star
http://www.checkoutmyink.com/tattoos/acda/one-of-the-better-stars

Love this trail of stars tattoo:
http://www.checkoutmyink.com/tattoos/cindyyyy/my-1st-tattoo-64

This tattoo is shitty, but I like the premise, Harper's name in a star shape
http://www.checkoutmyink.com/tattoos/emma-jane-m/childrens-names-in-star-shape

If I go with an owl, I like these:

This one I like, but muuuccch smaller, but I like the style
http://www.checkoutmyink.com/tattoos/adidas2366/owl-14
cute and simple owl:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellomorning/3762031873/
I wouldn't do the circle, but love the owl in the middle:
http://www.checkoutmyink.com/tattoos/cego_tattoo/109028

If I go with the three little birds, the little bird on this card is cute and I could do different colors, maybe a polka dot one, a striped one and a solid blue one?
http://www.amazingpaper.com.au/persistent/catalogue_images/products/LITTLE%20BIRD%20CARD.jpg

This is a neat tattoo - a swallow:
http://www.checkoutmyink.com/tattoos/itseasybeezy/swallows-38

Getting down to business

2009-10-13T20:26:00.000-04:00

Sorry running and triathlete buddies this blog is now switching gears to full fledged diet blog until I am 125. Well in a round about way that is running related, I don't think I want to try another marathon until I am firmly planted in the 120s again. I felt the extra 10 lbs I was carrying on Sunday for sure. I stepped on the scale this morning and it told me - 134. So, 4 lbs over what I weighed when I got preggo. I look fine, I no longer feel like I look like a lady who just had a baby and has that extra tire, wider booty, etc, but I know that I look and feel so much better 10 lbs lighter. And I think my running will get an extra boost from the weight loss as well.

Today I started my own version of a diet. The only rule is no sugary junk food for 2 weeks. Aside from the obvious no ice cream, cookies, etc, there will also be not one chocolate chip granola bar, bowl of lucky charms, or sugar laden yogurt. So, I will stand firm and strong for 2 weeks to get myself over the daily habit of sugar. Once I go a solid 14 days, I will then allow myself 1 weekly dessert that I will plan for and savor for all it is worth. Its time to start looking at the labels again when I buy things like cereal and yogurt and I will only be buying the product if it has under 10g of sugar in it. Hello fiber one honey flakes, goodbye peanut butter puffins - goodbye lemon yoplait, hello chobani, etc. I also need to dial back the diet coke and splenda. I firmly believe that the fake sugar makes me crave sweet things. Aside from that I am going to try and make my snacks veggies instead of cheese & crackers which have become a staple for me. Honestly my eating has been such a mess that I think a few tweaks should put me well on my way to 125.

I am feeling mostly back to normal. My knees are a little sore and my calves hurt if I lift myself up on them to like reach an upper cabinet, but mostly feeling good. I am going to go to the gym tomorrow and take my urban iron class, but I am only going to use light weights on the upper body and no weights on the lower, but I need to get back into the swing of the gym. So does Harper. It's been pretty much a month since she went to the gym 4 days a week and I need to get her used to that again.

So here we go, wish me luck. If all goes as planned I should see 125 before the new year.

So I ran a marathon

2009-10-12T14:20:00.000-04:00

(Monday, Oct 13) Other alternate titles for this entry could be - "I have no business running for that long", "Ow, seriously Ouch" or if I am being kind to myself "17 minute PR bitches". I woke up at 5am on Sunday to leave my house for the race at 6. When I stepped into my backyard it was around 45 degrees out. Thank goodness I "overdressed" b/c when I got down to the valley for the race it was more like 40 and freezing. I wore capris, a long sleeve shirt, a vest and gloves, it was perfect. I couldn't have asked for better weather. I hit the portapotty twice before the race and got lined up at 7:40ish. Since it was such a small race, I saw everyone that I knew that was going to be down there. I thought there were 500+ runners, but in looking at the results it looks more like 350ish.

My goal going into it was to just run as hard as I could and feel as good as I could at the end. I started off kind of fast. I was watching my average pace on my Garmin and I knew I didn't want it to get over 10:13. That was my pace for the half mary two weeks ago. I managed to keep that avg pace under 10 all the way to mile 18! I was very pleased about that, but everything kind of fell apart after that. I stopped to use the portapotty and my avg pace fell from 10 on the nose to 10:06. I managed to keep it together until the turn around at mile 21, then my legs just kind of quit. I hobbled my way the last 5.2 miles and watched my avg pace slowly creep higher and higher to 10:20. Oh well. I finished in 4:30:31. Which met my original long shot goal, but since I ran so hard (for me) and strong until mile 21, I would have really loved to get in under 4:20.

I would say that I really did feel just fine, 100% okay until mile 16. Then my stomach starting bothering me. I made a decision to stop at the porta potty at mile 18 and stomach was better after that. After mile 21 I started imaging my body was made of glass at that at any moment my hips and back were going to shatter. That's how bad I hurt! Mostly it was in my hips, knees and lower back, well and my feet, of course. Around mile 23 I probably slowed down to between 11-12 min miles and I REALLY wanted to stop, but I didn't. I made it through the whole race without walking, which was a goal as well. So, I am happy about that. After 23 I was counting 1, 2, 1, 2 in my head, one more step, one more step. Luckily I knew the towpath really well, so I was able to tell myself I just need to make it to lock 29, or the cut over to the falls, etc. Then I got near the finish line and I could hear everyone cheering. And there was Gary with Harper in a stroller, holding a sign saying GO MOM! It almost made me cry. I wasn't expecting them to be there, so that was a nice surprise. I picked it up a notch and really ran as fast as I could to the finish. My brain wasn't working at that point, I was shaky and totally out of it. Thank goodness a banana and orange took care of that. I was so glad to be done! I made it. I wish I could say I felt good and strong and I did think the whole last 5 miles if I ever really want to do this again. I am doing something wrong in my training to fall apart that bad. So, I need to really spend some time thinking about that. I know for a fact that I felt the extra 10 lbs and will not even contemplate a marathon until I am firmly back in the 120s.

I really hurt bad when I got home and felt like crying the rest of the day. I took a long ice bath and a lot of aspirin, that helped. Today I just feel like I got beat up, that's all :). I must say that part of me wonders if my skeletal system is fully recovered from Harper. My hips etc felt like they took such a beating, I wonder if it is b/c the relaxin has left my body completely, etc. Just a thought, maybe I am just a big ol wuss!

Nervous Energy and looking forward

2009-10-08T08:48:00.000-04:00

Thursday 10/7/09 (I just realized my journal doesn't record the date!)

I hate taper. I feel so unprepared for Sunday, I feel like its been a year since I ran 22 miles. In reality I know I will be okay out there. I am running this marathon off of the long runs. Which is not ideal for a fast time, but will be fine for finishing. When I decided to do this I of course hoped to train hard, but with Harper my mid week runs were a little shorter than they should have been. I managed to run between 30-35 miles a week for the last 6 weeks, along with cross training 3-4 days, but I don't feel fast....b/c I'm not. I finished Cleveland in 4:47, so I will be happy with anything under that, I would love around 4:30. But anything under 5 hours will be on par with how my long runs have gone. No point worrying about it, I just need to get out there and do it, maybe I will surprise myself. Hopefully I will wake up that morning with out this unending blah I have had ever morning since the weather changed, sore throat, upset stomach, icky general feeling.

I am really looking forward to the race being over. I keep stepping on the scale and its going nowhere, but I will fully admit that I have been eating like a madwomen. As soon as I get through Sunday I am back to journaling what I am eating and shunning sugar. I have had enough frosties, cookies and cereal to feed a small country that last 2 months. I can't imagine the shape I would be in if I could ever perfect marathon training and sane eating. 125 here I come. My plan is going to be to cut the running back. I have two half marathons, one in Nov and one in Feb that I want to do, so 20-25 miles a week will be sufficient On top of that I want to get to 1 spin class and ride my trainer at home once, hit the 2 weight classes religiously and try and get a yoga class in as well. So, I think my week will look like this:

Mon: BeamFit (balance with weights, 40 mins) and HardCORE (15min abs) class

Tues: Run 6 miles

Wed: Urban Iron class

Thurs: Run 6 miles

Fri: Spin class

Sat: Run 8-13 miles

Sun: Power Yoga class, and spin at home

I'm also toying with the idea of two a days 2 or 3 days a week and getting back in the pool so I can get back to some sprint tris next summer, but still thinking on that. I really have an issue with the open water swimming and I will probably be back to work, so I am wondering how realistic tris are for me with baby and working....part of me loves multisport, but part of me is loving the simplicity of just focusing on running. I have no doubt someday I will come back to tris, but I think I really want to worry about being a faster runner.

It's fall

2009-10-02T13:56:00.000-04:00

Boy fall blew into Cleveland in a nasty, blustery way. It is cold and rainy and ugly out. Yuck. I am a bit under the weather, I think its just the change in weather, so I have been lounging around most of the week. I have gotten 2 runs in, I am running 15 tomorrow, and then I'll run a few on Sunday to make sure I get 4 runs in this week.

Harper is having a really bad day, I think she is teething. She has been crying nonstop and only stops if I am holding her or shove something in her mouth to chew on. Any tips on keeping her happy while this is going on? I can kind of see that her bottom gums are whitish, so I think the teeth are close to popping through. I hope this is short lived. We started solids a few days ago, that has been fun. We started with squash & rice cereal and today we tried pears. She loves it.

Body by Baby

2009-09-30T08:47:00.000-04:00

I'll admit it, it sounds horribly superficial, but one of the main reasons I really wasn't sure if I wanted to be pregnant was that I didn't want to gain the weight. I really wasn't sure if I could handle getting heavy and if I would lose the weight. I had grand plans to be the healthiest pregnant person you ever saw and those quickly flew out the window. I stopped weighing myself once I had gained 50 lbs, who knows in the end how much I actually weighed. All I know is that now, 5 months and 1 week post partum, I only have 5 lbs to go to pre preggo weight. Woohoo. I did it. I got my 5'3 body dangerously closer to 200 lbs than it should ever be and I almost back to the 120s, almost. I'm sure the last 5 lbs will be stickers, but I am okay with that, I know they will come off. I really was scared that I wouldn't return to a life of exercise, but I have. And I honestly think that once its all said and done, I will actually have a better body than I did before, thanks to twice weekly weight classes since Harper was 6 weeks old. There is a little extra skin on my belly maybe, but nothing to be too upset about. It would have all been worth it, even if I stayed in those much lager jeans I bought right after Harper was born, but I am glad that I am back in my old pants. And so happy that all the people who said I'd have a hard time losing the weight because of breastfeeding weren't right, at least for me.

Next week is my marathon and while I would much rather be running it 10 lbs lighter, it shouldn't be too bad if my half mary pace is obtainable. It's a completely flat course and the half was hella hilly so hopefully holding between 10 and 10:30 will be possible. I was 10:13 at Akron. Unfortunately I am feeling really sick, I think its the change in weather, gets me every year.

Letter to Harper: Month 5

2009-09-28T11:31:00.000-04:00

This is a little late b/c we've been super busy lately. This 5th month has been the best, little lady. You have learned so much and are really becoming your own person. In the past month you have had your first real cold (it lasted 2 weeks and was awful), but through it all you remained happy and smiley and chatty and even though you couldn't breathe you weren't that much fussier as I would have expected. We went through a bump with you sleeping through the night b/c of the cold, but you are now back on track. You made your 2nd (for a wedding) and 3rd trip (for the Constitution Square festival) to Danville to visit family and slept almost the whole way both times. You can now stand really well and the Excersaucer is your new favorite thing in the whole world. We call it your office and you can spend up to an hour in there playing around. You are still sitting well assisted and I think in the next month you will be able to do it on your own. You now look at books and can turn the pages, but mostly you just shove everything and anything in your mouth. I've taken to calling you my zombie baby b/c usually when I pick you up your mouth goes straight to my face to chew on my cheek or chin or neck or ear. What mommy and daddy are eating is really starting to enthral you, so soon we will start real food. Maybe your weight gain will slow down once we start the real food, you are over 18 lbs at this point, a really big girl!! Can't wait to see what month 6 holds!

And I have to post this picture, how uncomfortable does this look!

Another Race Report!

2009-09-26T19:09:00.000-04:00

Today I ran the Akron Road Runner Half mary. We really lucked out b/c there was a 70% chance of rain and we managed to complete the race w/o getting wet! Well besides sweaty of course. When I say "we", I mean me and my BIL Tim. If you remember Tim has lost almost 200 lbs and taken up running in the last few years. Because the race was in Akron we had to get up in the 4 o'clock hour and I feel absolutely strung out at this point. I used to be able to come home from a race and just nap the day away, but not anymore now that I am a mom, oh well it is worth it.

I finished the race in 2:13. I really wanted to finish it in under 2:10, so I didn't make my goal, but I am okay with that b/c I didn't feel well at all and my legs were killing me. I stupidly took a new class at the gym on Thursday and it wreaked havoc on my calves they are tender to the touch. I ran as hard as I could, by mile 8 I was pretty sure I was going to puke, I just didn't feel good. But I made it through w/o puking! So yay for that I guess. As always Akron put on a great race, 11000 runners, tons of crowd support and bands and music along the way. Plenty of water stops, GU and portajohns. WE did make one potty stop. I was surrounded by tons of runners the whole race and since my name was on my number I heard lots of Go Monica, which is always nice. At Akron you finish in the minor league baseball stadium which is neat b/c you get to run in to a huge cheering crowd. It was a good day. I wish I had felt better, but they can't all be "A" races. Tim finished a minute faster than me and had a great first half mary experience. The towpath full is coming up in a few weeks and of course I don't feel confident for it at all, but nothing new there.