iPhone Workout

So on a whim I downloaded the THI Personal Trainer app for my iPhone. Tonight is Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals for the Stanley Cup (read: I am the biggest Pittsburgh Penguins fan EVER), so I knew I wouldn't be able to get my P90x workout in since I slept in this morning. The app is pretty cool - a ton of preloaded circuit training workouts that time each move for you, has videos demonstrating the moves, and a built-in log for you to track your reps and weight. I really enjoyed it. I felt super strong in the gym today - a marked increase from the last time I did non-P90x training.

Here's what I did (total time - 30 minutes):
5 minutes warmup - elliptical
10 pushups
10 walking lunges
Squat rows (10 reps at 40lbs)
Alternating shoulder presses (10 reps at 20 lbs)
3 minutes rest
Overhead squat (10 reps at 20 lbs)
Squat with shoulder press (12 reps at 10 lbs)
Alternating bench press (7 reps at 20 lbs)
Side step ups (14 reps)
Seated row (12 reps at 50 lbs)
2 minutes jumping rope
Leg curls (8 reps at 20 lbs)
Chest flies (12 reps at 10 lbs)
Back rows (8 reps at 35 lbs)
Anterior lateral shoulder raises (8 reps at 10 lbs)
5 minutes cooldown - elliptical

Food Breakdown 05.11.10

Cals 1286
Fat 35 g
Cholesterol 489 mg
Sodium 4510 mg
Carbs 163 g
Sugars 28 g
Fiber 25 g
Protein 86 g

Carbs 49.73%
Protein 26.24%
Fat 24.03%

Food Breakdown 05.10.10

Cals 1915
Fat 44 g
Cholesterol 60 mg
Sodium 2807 mg
Carbs 240 g
Sugars 41 g
Fiber 27 g
Protein 77 g

Carbs 57.69%
Protein 18.51%
Fat 23.80%

Food Breakdown 05.09.10

Net Cals 732(cals consumed 1490 cals burned 758)
Fat 40 g
Cholesterol 227 mg
Sodium 1807 mg
Carbs 144 g
Sugars 55 g
Fiber 18 g
Protein 93 g

Carbs 44.04%
Protein 28.44%
Fat 27.52%

Food Breakdown 05.04.10

Net Cals 1042 (cals consumed: 1339 cals burned: 297)
Fat 32 g
Cholesterol 380 mg
Sodium 1567 mg
Carbs 107 g
Sugars 26 g
Fiber 33 g
Protein 86 g

Carbs 40.38%
Protein 32.45%
Fat 27.17%

Food Breakdown 05.03.10

It was my wedding anniversary..I deserve a little break!

Cals 1826
Fat 70 g
Cholesterol 415 mg
Sodium 2021 mg
Carbs 169 g
Sugars 70 g
Fiber 29 g
Protein 116 g

Carbs 38.19%
Protein 26.21%
Fat 35.59%

Big Peach 5k

Raced the Big Peach 5k this weekend. The race was about a mile and a half from our house, so we walked to the start and walked home. New PR for me - 34:10..and I did my first split in 10:02. Pretty happy with that. Here's a few pictures the race photographer took and the details of the run

Food Breakdown 05.02.10

Net cals: 1102 (cals consumed 1452 cals burned: 350)
Fat 45 g
Cholesterol 620 mg
Sodium 2497 mg
Carbs 130 g
Sugars 34 g
Fiber 26 g
Protein 115 g

Carbs 37.55%
Protein 33.21%
Fat 29.24%

Food Breakdown 05.01.10

Net Cals (cals consumed: 1584 cals burned: 457)
Fat 49 g
Cholesterol 337 mg
Sodium 1815 mg
Carbs 149 g
Sugars 61 g
Fiber 18 g
Protein 86 g

Carbs 43.16%
Protein 24.91%
Fat 31.93%

Food Breakdown 04.29.10

Cals 1729
Fat 49 g
Cholesterol 92 mg
Sodium 1828 mg
Carbs 132 g
Sugars 44 g
Fiber 28 g
Protein 100 g

Carbs 38.57%
Protein 29.22%
Fat 32.31%

The Magic Vegetable?

I've been getting really frustrated lately. Outside of a few instances, no more than 3-4 in the last six weeks, have I been grossly over my 1200 calorie per day limit. I have not skipped a single P90x workout, and have been running twice per week, with no results. I'm starting to think there is something in my diet that is messing this simple formula up. I am continuing to see strides in my fitness, but not in my jeans, weight, or measurements.

The husband is convinced it's my lack of vegetables. Now I eat my veggies like anyone else, but apparently in smaller quantities than I should be. So I've agreed to drastically increase my fruit and vegetable intake for the rest of P90x (2 months) and see if that changes anything. If not, I'm going to have to do some serious evaluation. It's just not humanly possible for me to be doing all that I'm doing with no results.

Food Breakdown 04.28.10

Cals 1662
Fat 52 g
Cholesterol 168 mg
Sodium 2184 mg
Carbs 137 g
Sugars 10 g
Fiber 7 g
Protein 98 g

Carbs 38.92%
Protein 27.84%
Fat 33.24%

Food Breakdown 04.27.10

Net Cals 1140 (cals consumed 1472 cals burned 332)
Fat 47 g
Cholesterol 288 mg
Sodium 2209 mg
Carbs 131 g
Sugars 33 g
Fiber 10 g
Protein 119 g

Carbs 36.82%
Protein 33.45%
Fat 29.73%

Speed Intervals

Finally got out and focused on speed intervals today. Started with a 5 minute walking warmup, then booked it for 2 minutes, walked to recover for 2 minutes, and continued until it started pouring (in other words 2.15 miles and 24:11 minutes). The rain felt great, but the fact I had my iPhone with me made me nervous, so I tailed it inside. I'm having issues with asthma once I finish again..just a lot of wheezing, so a new RX is in the works. I'm still having that struggling feeling with running, which I haven't had in months. My coach thinks I'm overtraining between the P90x, work, school, and running and she may have a point. But I'm willing to let my running suffer to graduate P90x.

Details on the run here.

Food Breakdown 04.26.10

Cals 2092
Fat 54 g
Cholesterol 154 mg
Sodium 2763 mg
Carbs 244 g
Sugars 29 g
Fiber 17 g
Protein 93 g

Carbs 53.22%
Protein 20.28%
Fat 26.50%

Rest Week

So this has been a rest week for P90x, which includes nothing but yoga, stretching, and an odd (but good) collection of moves called Core Synergistics. I've also taken a few days off of running after the 10k, but did sign up for the Big Peach 5k that is this weekend. Goal is to finish in 33 minutes.

Went out for a hard, 1.5 mile tempo run at 10 minutes per mile. I wasn't feeling up to the run in the first place, and it was hard. Not sure which came first, my bad mood towards the run or how hard it was to do, but either way I wasn't happy with it. Of course I was happy with the pace and time, but still. Hoping to get out of that funk soon and hoping it's not an indication of over-training.

Keep tossing around the idea of showing up to a running group soon, but with school never-ending, there is always a lot of excuses. I'll have to see. I'm starting to feel I need to run more with a group to push myself and not just "phone it in" when I run by myself. Doing two interval sessions on Tuesday and Thursday today to help get my legs ready for the quicker 5k, and then heading into one interval session and one long session per week as P90x picks back up and the Peachtree gets closer.

Details of the run here.

First Ever 10k

Sorry for the delay on this post, but I was waiting on this lovely image to be able to share with everyone. This picture was taken right outside the finish line, as if you couldn't tell by the look on my face. And I do apologize for the watermark on my face...I'm not in the mood to pay 12 bucks for a jpeg.



I was horribly under trained for this race, as the P90x has been consuming all of my time. The last run I did before this race was a 5k 10 days prior. Not a good idea. The run was hard, but I managed to finish. Pace was just under 12 minutes per mile and my 5k split was just under 35 minutes. No great figures there, but about average. I guess the bright side, outside of the fact I FINISHED A 10k!, is that I didn't lose that much of my time from not running in the last month. I tend to average an 11-11:45 ish pace, so 12 wasn't too out of the normal realm for me.

I have one more 10k lined up for this year, the famous Peachtree Road Race. I'm also signing up for the Big Peach 5k May 1st, and am looking forward to dropping back down to 5k range. I would like to work on improving my speed instead of adding more distance, so I'll be forcing 2 runs a week into my P90x training.

I couldn't have ever imagined running 6.2 miles (actually this course was 6.46, but who's counting) at any other point in my life, so I am simply relishing in that fact. I feel like I'm standing on top of a mountain, looking at how far I've come. It's a great feeling, and know that only good can come out of getting out there again.

Food Breakdown 04.15.10

Net Cals 1212 (cals consumed 1612 cals burned 400)
Fat 46 g
Cholesterol 458 mg
Sodium 1791 mg
Carbs 148 g
Sugars 79 g
Fiber 11 g
Protein 134 g

Carbs 38.39%
Protein 34.76%
Fat 26.85%

Food Charts and Trends

So I've been tracking my food diligently for the last six months on Livestrong. I love the ease of the program, and the iPhone app is great. However, until I started posting my stats on my blog and started focusing on my percentages, I never really looked at the trends of my eating. I always look at the day as it progresses, tweaking what I will eat based on where I stand at that moment.

So I went back and did some analysis, and I was pretty surprised at what I found.(Click here for the graphs). The red lines are the recommended daily allowances scaled down to my personal selection of 1200 calories per day. My net calories (calories consumed - calories burned) is pretty much in line as well as my fat and sodium intakes. I always am exceeding my protein requirement as well which makes me happy. My carb intake could use a little focus, but isn't that far off base.

However, my sugar, fiber, and cholesterol figures are consistently out of whack. The sugar is the most concerning, as my biggest diet success was with South Beach, which severely limits sugar intake. My cholesterol I'm not super concerned about, since with the scaled versions, one egg puts me over my daily intake. I'm going to be focusing much more on the whole picture and the trend of my food instead of just the day to day. It's been an eye opener.

Food Breakdown 04.14.10

Cals 1520
Fat 68 g
Cholesterol 167 mg
Sodium 2840 mg
Carbs 115 g
Sugars 23 g
Fiber 10 g
Protein 111 g

Carbs 30.34%
Protein 29.29%
Fats 40.37%

Food Breakdown 04.13.10

Net Cals 1197 (cals consumed 1547 cals burned 350)
Fat 32 g
Cholesterol 179 mg
Sodium 912 mg
Carbs 140 g
Sugars 68 g
Fiber 14 g
Protein 118 g

Carbs 42.42%
Protein 35.76%
Fat 21.82%

Food Breakdown 04.11.10

Cals 963
Fat 47 g
Cholesterol 337 mg
Sodium 1035 mg
Carbs 59 g
Sugars 33 g
Fiber 3 g
Protein 84 g

Carbs 23.72%
Protein 33.77%
Fats 42.51%

Ab Ripper X

Seeing more gains in my P90x as the days go on. Here's my log for Ab Ripper X (click to see full size). I'm sure happy with the changes!

Gains and Losses

Pushed myself super hard last night for Chest & Back. Maybe it was the fact we worked out in the evening instead of first thing in the morning (Tony Horton does little to motivate me at 6 am), but I increased my pushups and pull-up reps by 20% across the board. Add an increase of 60 ab moves during Ab Ripper X from last week and you've got a girl who feels pretty good about herself.

Took my measurements today for the 1 week check in. Weight was the same, but lost a full inch off my waist, half inch off my chest and hips, and increased in my bicep by half an inch. A few other increases sprinkled in there (I don't have the figures in front of me) and I am a happy camper.

Plyometrics was today and I was exhausted and my arms and back felt like lead. However, I was able to wake up, get moving, and finish the DVD without a problem. Interested to see how my calves feel - they were super tight after Plyo last week.

I have to work all weekend so Arms & Shoulders is going to have to be done about 10 pm tomorrow night after having worked since 4 AM. That should be fun. Yoga will also have to be late on Sunday after a third long day of manual labor. Oh well, I committed. Looking forward to a run on Tuesday. I'm not sure I'll be able to drag myself out of bed on Monday morning to do a run before work and classes until 10 pm. I am realistic..albeit a little crazy.

Food Breakdown 04.08.10

Net Cals 1252 (cals consumed: 1702 cals burned: 450)
Fat 64 g
Cholesterol 473 mg
Sodium 2557 mg
Carbs 165 g
Sugars 73 g
Fiber 19 g
Protein 119 g

Carbs 38.55%
Protein 27.80%
Fat 33.64%

Week 2

So after two days off, we're back to P90x today. The first three weeks are repeats of each other, followed by a 'rest' week of mostly core work and yoga, and then we move into another combination of workouts for the next three weeks. Things have been crazy in my neck of the woods, so we're working out this afternoon after work instead of this morning. Can I say I'm looking forward to it? Gasp!

I've been working with my nutritionist to figure out ways to cut down my carb percentages. I've been hovering around 45-50% and that's too high for me. I will be updating my weight and my measurements tonight on my P90x excel sheet, even though the husband complains they want you to weight/measure yourself too often.

Outside of the fact that my diet/fitness is a part time job, I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying the change of pace and am actually looking forward to getting back to running with a vengance once P90x is over. I have my first 10k coming up this weekend, and I haven't run more than 4 miles in the last two weeks at one time, but I'm confident I will be fine. My endurance has really taken me by surprise (in a good way!) so hopefully my confidence will carry me through those last few miles. It's all an experience.

P90x Day 5

So I've discovered the weakest part of my body is my calves. Since plyometrics on Friday (which I kicked ass in by the way) my calves have been so tight and sore I look retarded getting out of bed in the morning. Saturday was Arms and Shoulders which was a great workout, but I need to buy some heavier weights. We also took the dogs hiking in Sweetwater Creek State Park for about 4 miles which was a lot of fun.

Sunday we woke up, ran 5k, did the Yoga X, and the Ab Ripper X from yesterday. Even all the yoga didn't fix my calves. Today was Legs and Back..another great workout. My legs are tired today, but not totally burned out. Tomorrow is our long run day in lieu of Kempo and then Wednesday is our rest day. Who hoo! Week one is almost in the bag!

Food Breakdown 04.04.10

Happy Easter!

Net Cals 558 (cals consumed: 1612 cals burned: 1054)
Fat 57 g
Cholesterol 652 mg
Sodium 2376 mg
Carbs 181 g
Sugars 66 g
Fiber 13 g
Protein 95 g

Carbs 44.77%
Protein 23.50%
Fats 31.73%

Food Breakdown 04.03.10

Net Cals 885 (cals consumed: 2013 cals burned: 1128)
Fat 45 g
Cholesterol 281 mg
Sodium 1862 mg
Carbs 236 g
Sugars 113 g
Fiber 12 g
Protein 116 g

Carbs 52.07%
Protein 25.59%
Fats 22.34%

Pylometric Accomplishment & The Grumble of the Before Pics

Woke up today feeling a lot less sore than I thought I would from Day 1 of P90x. Back, tris, and shoulders hurts but chest and abs were fine. Today I rocked plyo like it was my job. I've never finished that DVD before, but I conquered it today. So happy! Had a protein shake right after and felt great, but started to get exhausted after 2-3 hours. A walk around the block with the dogs helped, but I do feel drained. Forcing myself to study for my PHR probably doesn't help, but it needs to be done. Looking forward to a good night sleep and back with Tony for Arms & Shoulders and Ab Ripper X in the morning. Day 2 is in the books!

I'd also like to say I went through the horribly self-deprecating process of recording my weight, measurements, and before pictures. The hardest thing about this for me, is I took "before" pictures back in August, when I started running and doing the Jillian Michaels' program in October. The pictures don't look any better. That really pisses me off.

Here I am averaging 8 miles per week (no I know that's not a lot but hell it is for me!), working out 5-6 times per week this whole time, and tracking every bite that goes into my mouth and THE PICTURES DON'T LOOK ANY BETTER! Ugh, so frustrating.

Go ahead and tell me that it took me longer than 6 months to put the weight on, that my cardio is so much better or that I added a few years to my life. I've heard it all. Just give me a minute to be pissed that I don't look any better after over 100 miles. Then I'll pick my chin up, lace up my shoes, and get back to it.

Food Breakdown 04.02.10

Net Cals 1004 (cals consumed 1604 cals burned 600)
Fat 47 g
Cholesterol 340 mg
Sodium 2546 mg
Carbs 167 g
Sugars 97 g
Fiber 13 g
Protein 106 g

Carbs 44.09%
Protein 27.99%
Fats 27.92%

Food Breakdown 03.31.10

Cals 1483
Fat 42 g
Cholesterol 157 mg
Sodium 700 mg
Carbs 184 g
Sugars 62 g
Fiber 23 g
Protein 91 g

Carbs 49.80%
Protein 24.63%
Fat 25.58%

Tony Horton..Bring It

First day of P90x is in the books and I am really happy to report it is so much easier this time than last time! Tony Horton is the most annoying creature on the planet, and the husband yelling back at him to shutup makes for interesting mornings to say the least.

But quietly, I was super stoked at how much less I was about to puke, curl up in a ball, and scream for mercy after the first few exercises. Granted, I still am pretty tired and will be sore as can be tomorrow, but right now I'm enjoying the first time I've really seen progress lately. Tony Horton - you've got nothing on me. Bring it.

Enjoying the Springtime

So the weather finally turned here in Atlanta (no more snow in March!) so in lieu of going for a run, I decided to slow down and take the dogs for a nice walk. All photos taken with my iPhone.

Food Breakdown 03.30.10

Cals 1247
Fat 32 g
Cholesterol 253 mg
Sodium 1980 mg
Carbs 146 g
Sugars 57 g
Fiber 11 g
Protein 93 g

Carbs 46.95%
Protein 29.9%
Fat 23.15%

Still in Love with the 30 Day Shred

I did level 1 of the 30 Day Shred yesterday during lunch here at the office to get a bit of strength training and circuits in that wasn't Yoga Meltdown. I got the DVD over a year ago and was a little confident that I wouldn't have a problem with Level 1. Ugh was I sweating and tired by the time I was done! I was able to hang with Natalie which was great, but I am sore today for sure. I love that DVD.

Having to take the next 2 days off since I have to travel for work tonight into tomorrow evening. I could probably use the break to be honest.

Food Breakdown 03.25.10

Give me a break..it was my birthday! :)

Net Cals: 1678 (cals consumed: 2002 cals burned: 324)
Fat: 47 g
Cholesterol: 347 mg
Sodium: 1058 mg
Carbs: 194 g
Sugars: 72 g
Fiber: 13 g
Protein: 113 g

Carbs: 47.0%
Protein: 27.38%
Fats: 25.62%

Food Breakdown 03.24.10

Net Cals: 1029 (cals consumed: 1580 cals burned: 551)
Fat: 37 g
Cholesterol: 230 mg
Sodium: 1345 mg
Carbs: 148 g
Sugars: 32 g
Fiber: 22 g
Protein: 89 g

Carbs: 46.21%
Protein: 27.79%
Fat: 26.08%

Food Breakdown 03.23.10

Net Cals: 1075 (cals consumed: 1421 cals burned: 346)
Fat: 51 g
Cholesterol: 244 mg
Sodium: 1607 mg
Carbs: 127 g
Sugars: 25 g
Fiber: 11 g
Protein: 71 g

Carbs: 40.61%
Protein: 22.70%
Fats: 36.69%

Note to Self:

Need motivation? Watch this again, and again, and again.

Food Breakdown 03.22.10

Net Cals: 1074 (cals consumed: 1319 cals burned: 245)
Fat: 32 g
Cholesterol: 212 mg
Sodium: 1404 mg
Carbs: 153 g
Sugars: 34 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 112 g

Carbs: 45.4%
Protein: 33.23%
Fats: 21.36%

The To-Do List

The goal is to get a strength training workout in today, but with a to-do list like this to just catch up (not even get ahead), it's no wonder I had to take the day off of work.

Friday Gym Dates

The husband and I have an outstanding weekly gym date on Fridays after work. I get out at 4, so I came home and did level 2 of Yoga Meltdown. I'm enjoying this DVD the more I do it. I've done it about 8 or 9 times since I got it 3 weeks ago. Then I started dinner and we headed out to the gym.

Traffic was horrible (what else is new in Atlanta) so we took advantage of the nice weather and walked the mile to LA Fitness. I got a half hour in on the elliptical, just shy of 3 miles. Felt good, although my legs were kind of tired from all the lunges and squats in Yoga Meltdown. Walked the mile home and then had some roasted chicken and veggies. Overall, a productive day.

Need to find a upper body P90x tape for today. My legs are fried so a run or a Jillian Michaels are out. Heading to the park with the dogs to enjoy the weather, have a picnic, and get some studying done. Looking forward to it.

Details on the elliptical session here.

Food Breakdown 03.19.10

Net Cals: 846 (cals consumed: 1448 cals burned: 602)
Fat: 35 g
Cholesterol: 145 mg
Sodium: 1907 mg
Carbs: 179 g
Sugars: 23 g
Fiber: 15 g
Protein: 67 g

Carbs: 55.12%
Protein: 20.63%
Fat: 24.25%

Speed

I had way too much going on yesterday and I knew the only way I would get any form of exercise in was to get up at 5:30 in the morning. I am NOT a morning runner. Heck, I am not a morning anything. But necessity has forced it upon me. To combat the fact I hate everything before 7 am, I did 2 miles of speedwork. Instead of doing intervals, I simply ran faster. I usually keep my heart rate around 165-175 on my runs. On this run, I kept it at a 182-185 pace and I was able to keep it going for the two miles. It left me with a 9:24 pace, which is much better than my usual plodding. I should do runs like this more often. It was quick, slightly painful, and I felt like I may have accomplished something.

That plus Yoga Meltdown Level 2 in the evening gave me a little over 400 calories burned for the day. Not bad considering the crazy schedule I had.

Details of the run here.

Food Breakdown 03.18.10

Net Cals 875 (cals consumed: 1318 cals burned: 443)
Fat 44 g
Cholesterol 278 mg
Sodium 1542 mg
Carbs 140 g
Sugars 42 g
Fiber 12 g
Protein 107 g

Carbs 40.46%
Protein 30.92%
Fat 28.61%

Food Breakdown - 03.17.10

Cals 1285
Fat 41 g
Cholesterol 758 mg
Sodium 1175 mg
Carbs 123 g
Sugars 50 g
Fiber 9 g
Protein 108 g

Protein: 33.41%
Carbs: 38.05%
Fat: 28.54%

Back to it

The Bahamas was amazing. I debated not coming back and just opening a non-profit in Nassau, but alas I am back in Atlanta. I didn't get any workouts in while I was on the trip, endulged in a Kalik and conch fritter or two, and didn't give a crap. Now I'm back to real life, although I am trying to keep this stress-free lifestyle.

Did Yoga Meltdown Level 2 and then went for a 4 mile run yesterday. I'm actually a little sore this morning (gasp!) but everything felt good. Pace still sucked at 11:30 per mile average, but whatever.

I have a group meeting for school tomorrow after work, so getting up at 5:30 for a quick 5k before work. Need to get the miles in. Shooting for two 5k's per week and one long run thrown in there. This 4 mile run yesterday put me over 100 miles since I started tracking my running. That's pretty cool to me.

As a side note: I SIGNED UP FOR THE PEACHTREE ROAD RACE TODAY!! I'm so excited =)

Details of the run here

Food Breakdown - 03.16.10

Cals 1424
Fat 39 g
Cholesterol 657 mg
Sodium 1083 mg
Carbs 135 g
Sugars 48 g
Fiber 9 g
Protein 110 g

Protein 33.06%
Carbs 40.57%
Fat 26.37%

Slime...green slime

Ugh, so the run yesterday was tough. I felt like I was running in slime the whole time. And not just any slime, but the green slime that got dumped on little children on Nickelodeon all those years ago. THAT SLIME. My ankles and calves were screaming the entire time and after 3 miles, which conveniently placed me back in front of my house, I went inside, defeated. But hey, pace was good and I'm glad I got out there. Heading out again today, and then Jillian Michaels' Yoga Burn level 2 and kickboxing tomorrow.

I've decided I am going to do the P90x system starting April 1st. We got through a few weeks of it the end of last year, but never more. I pick up the DVDs once and a while for a quick cardio session or some yoga for something different, but Tony Horton and that crazy russian woman who can do 600 pullups have been calling to me. I plan on going through the schedule and finding ways to incorporate my running training in some of the "easier" days, and we'll see how that goes. I just need a new challenge that doesn't involve running, and hopefully this is it. I will probably babble about my experience if for no other reason than to hold myself accountable. From April through July, Tony and I will be BFFs.

I also follow a wonderfully inspiring blogging couple, Kristen and Cory, who have gotten into Crossfit. I'm not at that point yet, but Crossfit endorses a Paleto diet, and Kristen and Cory are on the diet for the month of March. I am debating doing it for a week if I can scour enough information online about it. Sounds pretty simple: fruits, veggies, lean meats and fish. No salt, dairy, sugar, carbs (outside of the fruits/veggies), starches. I may use it as a detox sort of thing. They seem to be doing well with it and are seeing improvements in how they feel and how their workouts are going. It's peaked my interest.

Details on the run here.

Now it's official

41 days and counting. Heading out for my first attempt at 6.2 this afternoon. 5 felt pretty good, so we'll see how 6.2 feels. I should point out that the moment doesn't escape me that I never thought I'd hear myself say: "we'll see how 6.2 miles feels since 5 miles felt pretty good." Maybe I'm actually turning into a runner.

Thursday Haze

I worked out twice yesterday, doing Jillian Michaels' new DVD at lunch and a kickboxing class at LA Fitness after work and before class. I need to try level 2 of Jillian's DVD before I totally wrote it off, but not too happy with it so far. I feel like it is destined for the "I only ran a 5k today so I may as well cool down with a half hour of Jillian's yoga". Sad, considering that woman elevates my heart rate like no one else can.

So today I am sore as can be, have no motivation to do anything, am seriously contemplating reheating the leftover Chinese food when I get home and calling it dinner, and am already looking forward to going to bed. I think instead, I will force myself to go to the gym for an hour long elliptical session, cook up some chicken breasts, reheat the butternut squash risotto I made the other night, sautee some spinach, pour myself a glass of wine and call it a day. Wishful thinking perhaps.

Made it out for a long run yesterday. It's amazing how antsy I was not having run since Tuesday. I am enjoying that feeling. I have been exhausted lately (need to start taking my iron pills again..) and convinced the husband to go to bed with me very very early on Friday night. He fell asleep, and I was wide awake. Damnit. So I get up and debate between a glass of port and Crime 360 or planning out my run tomorrow. I map out 5 miles and laugh at myself. My lack of sleep is getting to me. I post about it on Twitter and Facebook to hold myself accountable and stare at the wall for a few more hours until I am tired enough to go to bed. Yes I know, I should have been studying or doing something productive. Bite me.

The point to the story is I completed 5 miles for the first time...oh ever yesterday. The run felt great, the weather was nice, and overall I was very very very happy. Details of the run here.


I've also picked up a book called Grow Great Grub: Organic Food From Small Spaces which has inspired me to plant seeds this year instead of just buying seedlings and trying not to kill them. So far I've planted a lettuce mix, spinach, and chives and my lettuce mix is already starting to germinate. Squee! I am way too easily entertained lately.

Back to studying for my midterm on Monday...procrastination has become my middle name.

Why hello stranger

It's been quite a while since I've been on here. I can explain. It mostly has to do with (1) working full time (2) getting my MBA on a mostly-full time pace (3) studying for my PHR exam (4) training for a 10k (5) that whole "I am forced to pay attention to my diet and exercise for my entire life so I don't turn into a squishy donut" thing (6) an epic battle with the flu (7) planning our second annual Sweetwater fundraiser for the MS Society (8) the loving husband, my long dogs, and the fact the house never stays clean and the dishes never wash themselves.

I sure keep my plate full. I have had a lot of success with my running as of late and am up to 4 miles. Let's forget about my 5 AM run this morning that felt like death and I only went 3 miles at a 12:40 pace, shall we? Other than that, I'm feeling great. I have flagged a 10k in April that I want to run, so having that looming over me is a plus. It's getting frustrating at how MUCH time it takes to run (about 45 minutes for 4 miles right now...I know I'm slow as molasses) and how little time I have to run it in with all my other obligations. I think after the 10k I am going to keep my mileage in check and pick up something else. I want to do a half marathon, but I can't keep increasing my mileage (and therefore time commitment) until I'm done with school. There's just no time. I'm thinking about maybe swimming. Who knows. Let's get the 10k under me, dance around with a sense of accomplishment, and then check my calendar to see how much time I have before my next appointment.

The weight is hanging in there too. Down 10lbs since I started and I have mini-muscles for the first time in a long time. My butt and legs have been very happy with all the running, which makes my jeans happy. It's all a happy-fest. It's just a big time commitment. I've come to the sad conclusion that I will have to track my food, sweat like a pig, and wear a heart rate monitor for the rest of my life just to keep up. Thanks Dad :)

School is insane, but moving along. I graduate in December (YAY!!!). I was convinced by a few trusted HR friends and professors that I need to take my PHR (Professional in HR designation) before I graduate. Basically, I need to take it before June or I can't take it for 5 years. Stupid system. So yea..three MBA classes AND a PHR to study for - I think 2010 is going to kill me.

But....we go to the Bahamas in 3 weeks. That is about all that is keeping me sane right now. Event season is about to start (read: my weekends will be consumed by work from March - May), midterms are around the corner, and I swear we couldn't have planned this trip at a better time if we tried. I'm about ready to drop dead. I think tall nonfat caramel macchiatos are about the only thing keeping me going. And I'm pretty okay with that right now.

Recap of my run this AM here.