Wednesday Wish List: Get it DONE!

Alright, so my 20 miler Sunday didn't happen. I know, I'm bummed too. What did happen is that Saturday was my big event for school and I knocked it out of the park. Then I slept for 3 hours, then watched Louisville lose in the Final Four and sleep some more. Sunday morning I woke up early and started laying out my running gear. I knew before I opened the blinds that I wasn't going to make it. Rain. Lots of rain. I waited 45 minutes, hoping that I could just wait it out. Then the lightning and thunder came. While I was prepared to do just about anything to get this run in, I just don't run in thunderstorms.

Determined to get something comparable in, I headed to the Y. I hadn't made it to Yoga in awhile and was really happy that I went. The class was challenging, fun, and of all things playful. I even managed my first inversion!

After Yoga I had almost 2 hours to kill until my first sand vball game of the season so I hit up the Elliptical & the treadmill. Overall, nothing hardcore but I was moving or working from 12 - 4:30, which is just about as long as my 20 miles.

So far this week has been about maintaining. Now that I'm officially in 'taper' (despite my little 20 mile blunder) I'm trying to reap the benefits: lots of water, lots of rest, lots of stretching, good miles.

There is only one thing on my wish list this week: 20 miles on Saturday! My hamstrings are still sore from Sunday's yoga, which totally surprises me, so I'm trying to take it easy a little bit. Getting my 20 in is a must for my confidence for the race. 

I looked at my training log for the 2009 Flying Pig and was surprised by a few things: one month before the race, i was only averaging 18.8 miles/week with a total of 224. This time I'm averaging closer to 21 miles/week with a total of 277. Prior to the flying pig, my log says my longest run was 14.5 miles. Already I've done 17.5. Knowing that I won't be as fast this time around, feeling confident in my training is going to be a big help come race day. 

I couldn't be happier with March. 

I feel horrible about not mentioning this, but I think I was worried about jinxing it: I won a sweet giveaway a month or two ago! I won the new C9 by Champion for Target line from Ashley @ HappyHealthierBear.  If you don't already read her blog, check it out. Her thoughts on moderation and her truly interesting approach to running make for a really great read. So after some haggling and some size exchanging I'm outfitted in the newest line of C9 clothing!

The lighting is horrible - the clothes are fantastic!

Is there anything better than new (free!) running stuff? 

Tonight Josh and I are going for a walk in our new neighborhood! We solved our housing problem and found the best rental house ever in a perfect neighborhood. Pictures to come :) 

Happy Running!

First Quarter Report

I can't figure out how it happened, but March has (almost) come and gone. Realizing that the first Quarter of 2012 had come and gone, I thought about the goals that I'd set only 3 short months ago.
Run a Marathon

- Derby Festival Marathon April 28 2012 - 29 days away! Registered and ready to go

- Create a training plan and post it on the fridge (DONE!)

   This has been a HUGE help! I see it every morning when I wake up (and every time I go to the fridge to get ice

    cream...err....)

- Find a running group/partner to complete long runs

     I've largely abandoned this one and for the long runs, I don't mind the long runs alone, and it would've made

     things more difficult. I HAVE been running with Josh during the week, so I'm counting that!

- Run at least one 20 miler

- Use the blog & daily mile to keep me accountable for my training

   I've made positive gains in this category, with room for improvement. I don't blog enough - which I hope will

   change the minute most of my major obligations drop off here in 2 weeks. Dailymile is a GREAT tool for this

   though, and I really think it's kept me on track!

Healthy Body for the Wedding

(Best way I could think of to say 'lose weight' without actually saying it)

- Maintain free lifetime Weight Watchers membership in 2012 

   Still free through March 2012 AND I've actually LOST more than 1/2lb for the first time in years. 

- Try new vegetables and recipes! Add good finds to the blog

   We've been trying new recipes for sure. I haven't had much of a chance to comment on or play with them, so

   this is one I want to keep working on

- Take stock of what I'm eating, how I feel, & how it effects me 

   Completed the 30 day food journal challenge in January and it was a GREAT start to this goal! I also

   (finally) broke down and saw the Gastroenterologist, so I think I'm on the right track here

- Continue my effort to take the word "Fat" out of my vocabulary

   Huge leaps! I don't know if it's the endorphins or just general joy of training, but my self-confidence has been

   great and my ability to deal with those feelings of self doubt have gotten better.

Keep the Apartment Clean

(this one is my adult goal, mostly because having a messy apartment stresses me out!)

- Start from a "clean" slate by floor to ceiling scrub down (Done!)

- Bi-weekly cleaning on Sundays   - needs improvement.... 

- Empty sink at night (no dirty dishes in the sink overnight!) - Room for work, but better than in 2011

Overall  - I'm happy with how things are going! I need to start setting some fitness goals for after the Derby Marathon in April. I'm really really really thinking Triathlon, but the lack of bike seems to make that difficult (but not impossible!).  

Bring it on, April! 

Do you keep track of your goals throughout your year? 

Are there any goals or resolutions that you've decided to abandon?

The End is in Sight!

This week has been a whirlwind. I guess maybe if I posted more than once a week, I wouldn't have mammoth posts about the million things that have been going on. But that's not the way life is (right now) so lets see.....

First and foremost, it is an amazing time to be in the bluegrass. While it may not be a huge deal to many (most) of you, Louisville is in the Final Four of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Not only that, but Louisville is playing arch rival, mortal enemy and number one seeded Kentucky. I can't explain Bluegrass basketball to you in this paragraph, but it's something special. 2012 is such a special year to me for so many other reasons (graduating law school, taking/passing the bar, getting married, apocalyptic birthday, etc.) but  being able to add "University of Louisville goes to Final Four" is something truly special.

Secondly, I went out for my longest long run since my 2009 Flying Pig marathon on Sunday! I'm happy to report it was one million times better than last week's 10 miler. The weather was much cooler and nicely overcast. I set out with a vague idea of where I needed to go to get in all my miles, and ended up spending almost all 17 miles within 2 miles of the river

Yep - I went through three different cities and 2 different states. Something about that always just tickles me. Heading out on long-runs like these Josh tends to get a little nervous. He (rightly) insists I take a cell phone in case of emergency and lately I've been sending him photos along the way. Though I do it to ease his fears, I love that I have something to share from my beautiful morning!

I guess I got too tired after 10 to keep taking pictures!
oh and the last one is taken in front of the KFC Yum! Center, i'm bad at cropping

Because I know you're super attentive readers you may have noticed my long run was on a Sunday rather than my usual Saturday. Excellent explanation - fun happened. Friday night was our "Barristers Ball" which is essentially Prom for law students. Saturday morning I was so tired and sore from all the fun I'd had - there was dancing, there was good food, there was an open bar - I just knew I couldn't run. There are seldom excuses as great as this one to move a very important run. 

If being awkward was a job, we would be fully employed

After such a great weekend Monday was a horrible dose of the reality that is the next three weeks. My 20 miler is scheduled for Saturday, but alas, so is the major event I'm in charge of throwing. Sunday is the opener for my summer sand Vball league, so I think i'll just have to risk playing really horribly in order to get in my 20. Which brings me to...

Depending on which calender I look at, I'm about [ ] close to tapering! I planned it so that I could get my 20 miles in this weekend or next weekend, depending on how the schedule fell. Depending on how this weekend goes, I may or may not do another one. So my wish for the week is to plan my taper! I want to make it fun and yet keep it challenging so I'm fresh but strong on race day.

Happy Running!

And then there's Summer

Thanks for all of your input, sympathy and advice about this week's long run. I decided to go the 'make it up as I go along' route and just let my body dictate everything. I didn't end up running Saturday but I did manage to get a lot crossed of my to-do list. Saturday I went out for a 10 miler around 10am. Almost every single step- save maybe the middle two miles - were awful. C'est la vie - I did it, it's over and I'm stronger for it.

The biggest difference between this run and all of the others? The weather. We here in the Bluegrass have lucked into a very mild winter (more of an extended fall, really). Temperatures have averaged around 40 since November. Most weekends I would wait until around 10 or 11 a.m. to head out on my long run.  Not anymore.

Almost overnight we switched from winter(fall) to summer! When I headed out on Saturday I wasn't expecting the temperatures to be quite so warm, and was totally unprepared. Time to clean out the running bag - my favorite old ASICS backpack - and reconnect with all of my warm weather running stuff!

Here are a few of my "must-have" warm weather items

1. BodyGlide
     I'm not ashamed to admit it, I love and depend on BodyGlide in the hot summer months. Heck I slather it on in the winter too. This stuff does what regular vaseline can't - it protects all your delicate skin from chafing and blistering despite gallons of sweat. If it's raining or particularly hot I'll coat my feet in it to keep from getting blisters. If you have anything that rubs, sticks, or itches when you run this stuff will save your life.

2. Bondi Bands
     Now I love my Active Bands - they're cute, they keep my hair back, and they fit great. But when it's hot and I'm sweating so much that I no longer look like a human being, this is my go-to headgear. I'll even wear it under my hat/visor so that when I take it on and off my wispy little hairs stay back and out of my face. Or dunk them in water and just wear them around my neck. Amazing.

3. Nuun
    I became a Nuun convert during the last of my hot summer training in the run up to the Chicago Half Marathon last year. What I love is that it has absolutely zero sugar. Sugar seems to be the trigger for my mid-run GI distress so finding this little gem was particularly awesome. Easy to use, lots of electrolytes and has just a fain taste. We all know how awesome yellow-powdered gatorade mix tastes round about mile 25. Yeah, not good. Tri-Berry is my fave, citrus is not my fave, and if my kroger doesn't start carrying Tropical I might have to order it online. yummm.

4. A good solid everyday waterbottle
    A good daily waterbottle is something all runners and athletes should have and carry with them, but in the summer time it's a must. If your schedule is anything like mine, sometimes you just have to get a run in at a minutes notice. Since that makes it hard to plan for fuel and hydration, it's important to stay hydrated all day. Find a waterbottle that suits you - it sounds stupid, but don't get a big 64oz Nalgene if it's too big to put in your purse. Better to get something small that you can always keep with you, even if you have to refill often. Personally? I'm in love with my Camelbak Eddy.

5. Sunscreen (no, seriously)
    This is one of those things I'm making an effort to keep in my bag this year. Not just because my wedding dress is strapless, but because I know limiting exposure to harmful UVA/UVB rays is good for me. I like to keep a generic sweat-proof spray on around because it's so easy. May not be the best coverage, but it's better than nothing (which is my current alternative).

lets be honest though, it's all because I want to avoid this

6.  Hat/Visor
    I hate wearing sunglasses while running. Anything that bounces, rubs, moves, or does anything like that annoys the crap out of me and I spend the whole run - no matter how long - thinking about it. Thus, a visor. I won an Asics Everyday II Run Visor at a volleyball competition (runners up got a giant bag of swag, including visor, winners got a volleyball. Suckers). It's light, it fits my dainty lady head, and effortlessly protects my eyes from the gallons of sweat seeping out of my forehead. Sold.

7. Cheapo Beach Towel from the dollar store
    Have you not picked up that I sweat like a 400lb dude? If it's over 75 degrees I need something to put between me and my upholstered interior lest I permanently dampen the seat. I keep these cheapo towels in my car like Kleenex.


These are just some of the things that make summer running tolerable down here in Kentucky. Before we know it, I'll be reminiscing about 80 degree days and talking about how I've got the vapers and what not in the 70% humidity and 110 degree heat. Until then, whew, pass the ice water!

What are your hot/warm-weather must haves? What changes do you make to your training when the temperatures start to climb?


To everyone who raced this weekend - YOU ROCK! I've loved looking at all of the pictures and seeing you in all of your green-glory.

The Other-Other F Word

It happens to the best of us, and usually hits like a freight train carrying a whole load of acme anvils. The flu. No, I'm not talking about the cold/flu viral sinus thing (I was lucky enough to kick that sucker back in January). No, I'm talking about the other Flu. You know.

Sunday I was riding the high of my Saturday run and excited to start a week of "spring break" wherein I would be responsible for one class and no work instead of 3 classes, work, and an externship. I made a fabulous recipe I'd been DYING to try, and some ridiculously gluttonous Oreo-Chocolate Chip cookies. perfection.

And then Monday morning I woke up and got so sick I thought my insides were going to be on the outside. I threw up for 5 hours straight, took phenergan, then threw up for another hour before finally my innards finally gave up their siege. Needless to say - it was not what I had planned for Monday. By the time Tuesday rolled around I'd survived entirely on Gatorade and stubbornness. Tuesday was lost to recovery.

Wednesday I was feeling a lot stronger and got so far as to eat some fruit snacks (YES!) without any issue. Excited by my progress but not quite ready to run, Josh and I took a nice long walk. I was famished. I turned to my favorite sure-fire "easy belly" meal - a plain white bread sandwich with turkey only. It tasted amazing.

This morning as I packed my running bag for a nice after school run....well, I thought Monday might repeat itself. I felt nauseous, my stomach cramped, my arms and legs were heavy. I searched the pantry for anything that sounded or looked appetizing. Fruit loops? Nope. Granola bar? Nope. Et tu, applesauce? Yeah...definitely not. In short,  today has been a big step back. Back on the hydration train so hopefully the guts get what they need to start chugging along the solid-food highway again.

So here's my question to you!


I have to competing interests/feelings at the moment:

1. I've accepted the fact that there's absolutely no way that I will be getting my 35-38 miles in this week; BUT
2. I have a 17 mile long run scheduled saturday and I don't want to "lose my fitness"

Of course I'm aware that missing one long run won't screw me out of 11 weeks of relatively good training. On the other hand, there's only 6 more weeks of training and this 17-18mi long run is a big step to getting me to my goal of 20 pre-marathon miles. Some options I've considered:

• Do it - Do the 17 and don't worry at all about how long it takes. Stop when you need to, drink lots of water, and walk if you have to
• Spread out the mileage - do 9ish on Saturday and 9ish on Sunday
• Maximize Minutes - Don't worry about mileage, focus on minutes. 17-18 miles would take me roughly 3.5 hours. Rather than get in "miles", focus on spending 3.5 hours doing some kind of cardio
• Get over it - After a week of not running at all, trying to get in 3.5 hours of cardio of any kind is kind of stupid. Do what you can, worry about the rest next week. 
• Move the step-down - Next week is a "step-down" week with a goal of 14mile long run. Move that up to this week and do 17 next week. 

I'm thinking some kind of combo of Move the step down and doing the cardio rather than all running. But I want to hear from you! What's your gut reaction?

Throw it out there (or up there, har har) and let me know what you think!

Looking Up

What a difference a week makes!

First and foremost, thanks for your kind words and encouragement. When family gives me that kind of pep talk, I manage to ignore most of it. But when a group of (almost) complete strangers says it, voila! Inspiration. The interweb is a mysterious place.

Anyway, this week definitely far better than it began. The weather certainly turned around. After a couple days of gross, cold, raininess it's finally looking like spring in the bluegrass. Despite the insufferable allergies and general schizophrenia of temperatures there is no better time to be in Louisville Kentucky than March, April, and that first week in May. Of course, this is always possible:

Thursday I managed to get in my best week-day run in a long time: a 7 mile tempo run with the tempo @ marathon pace. I was ecstatic! Add in the extra mile I walked (UofL vs. Seton Hall in the BET...can't get off treadmill) and I hit a high for weekday mileage. Not to mention it felt pretty good the whole way through.

Fast forward to Saturday morning and I wasn't quite prepared for my long run. We'd been up late Friday night to watch Louisville beat/crush Notre Dame and stayed in bed a lot longer than I'd anticipated. I was in full-on avoidance mode. 15 miles? Yikes. After having only run 5k the weekend before, I'd forgotten that I was capable of that kinda thing. I told Josh "I haven't run this far since 2009." "Ok," he said, "so you've done it before then. There ya go." and then he kicked me out the door.

I'm a firm believer that mental toughness is almost as important (if not more so) than physical training. You can have the strongest legs out there but if you can't talk yourself through a cramp, or a boring stretch of road, or the dreaded 'wall', then you aren't going to accomplish anything. I try to practice this in every workout, but long runs especially when it's just you and the road for hours at a time. I set up a route that kept me around people and places I liked - capping off with my favorite trek over the bridge and back. Lots of flats but some hills throughout to keep the legs fresh.

The first few miles were rough - my head and chest were not cooperating and I felt totally congested. I had to make an uncharacteristic bathroom stop and needed a lot more positive reinforcement early on. But then I had the magical moment where I just kept going. Every once in awhile the thought of Josh having to come get me crept into my head but I just pushed it out.

Just before mile 11 I was on the bridge over the Ohio river. The concrete was killing my feet and I started to feel the miles. I imagined the Gu I'd taken was seeping into my legs, building them up. I mentally described the feeling of getting stronger from my hips all the way to my toes, joint by joint. It made such a HUGE difference. I physically felt stronger and before I knew it, I was off of the bridge and back onto the nice cushy asphalt.

I got home and felt exhilarated. I also felt exhausted. I curled up in an armchair and passed out the minute I got out of the shower. Josh took a sympathy nap (which lasted 3 hours. geeze!) Ended the night with Sushi and beer while watching Louisville win the Big East Tournament. Perfection? Pretty close!

Is my stomach better? No, not really. But I got the guts up to schedule my procedure and I've found a random combination of foods that seem to be Ok.  Are there going to be hard weeks ahead? Absolutely. But hopefully when I start thinking that they're too much to handle, or feeling overwhelmed, I can come back and look at this and remind myself what I'm capable of.

And then, there's always all of you random "strangers" :)

Happy Running!


Are you a "mental" runner? Any tips or tricks you use to get through tough workouts?
What about schizophrenic weather? How is mother nature treating you this March?

Hello! My name is Negative Nancy

While I am 100% aware that "you are in charge of your reactions/emotions/feelings," there is a subconsciously negative drag on my emotions lately. Maybe it's the weather - the constant back and forth between 75 & 35 degrees - or the stress of trying to do 850,000 things all at once. Whatever it is, I've had my negative nancy costume on for the last couple of days and I'm headed straight to Debbie Downerville.

Saturday after running a 5k with Josh I set out on a search for a dress for this gala we're going to. I know, fancy right? Who would've thought that at 25 I wouldn't have a little black dress for this kind of crap. Well, believe it. I know why, though - because after 6 hours, two malls, and a million stores I hadn't found ANYTHING to wear that didn't cost a kidney. Worse yet, I was in pain. My right foot, right knee, right glute had had enough.

Sunday I'd planned on getting in some extra miles to compensate for such a short Saturday run and to celebrate Jamie @From Couch To Ironwoman's birthday. That was not to be. My right leg mounted a coup against me. Refusing to submit to the prospect of a "0" day - and mount my own resistance against my warring limb - I went to a Piyo class at the Y. It was every bit as challenging as I thought it would be, but not all that bad.

Have you noticed that I pretty much constantly complain about my knee? Don't worry, I've noticed it too. I want nothing more than to head straight into my doc's office and get some answers about what makes my knee such a pain in my ass (literally, sometimes). Unfortunately, my knee is low on the priority list at the moment in terms of health care, which leads me to the primary source of negativity right now!

I may have mentioned that last year my gallbladder and I ended our tumultuous 24 year long relationship. It was a less than amicable breakup, to say the least. Even after I had the thing removed it still played rough. It enlisted my pancreas to exact its revenge and finally after 4 days in the hospital without food or water, I was "cured."

Fast forward a year and I still have trouble eating and digesting just about anything. Particularly: whole grains, peanut butter, nuts, fats, fried food, or spicy foods. If you're relatively healthy or training for anything I dare you to try to find a protein bar or "healthy" food that doesn't have one of these in it. Spoiler Alert: you can't find one. So I have to go back and have another endoscopy, which I can tell you I'm not that excited about. I cried when they told me and poor Josh, he's such a trooper. If you find a man who demands to go with you to appointments where 99% of the conversation is about your bowel movements and menstrual cycle, hang on tight.

So that's where I am with that. Constantly stressing because I feel like crap or simply because this isn't something I can control. When my workouts suck, I can look at the problem and fix it. When my weight goes up, I can look at what I'm eating/doing and fix it. I have no real control over this (right now, at least) and it's K I L L I N G M E.  Oh yeah, and I got this in my email the other day:

I'm all for starting early, but how about you let me graduate from law school before you start getting me "pumped" for an exam that's in July mmmmkay?

But it's not all bad. Saturday was the Anthem 5k, the first leg of the Louisville Triple Crown of Running.    It was my second race with Josh and since he had been having some back trouble all week we were running just to finish. It was a really nice experience to be out there running a race for him and not for me. I wasn't concerned with my garmin or my stride, just being with him doing something I love. Our clock times even read the exact same - 31:43. Can't beat that!

I'm 99% sure he would absolutely not love me for posting this :) 

One thing that has kept me positive is reading all of your blogs! I love how everyone is going through different things at different times - there's always someone I feel like I can relate to, and someone who is inspirational. We all take our turns, I think. Don't get frustrated if I become an uber-commenter during my time of negativity. It's my coping mechanism.

Happy Running!

I have a lot to blog about but no time at the moment. However, I do have something to post! Thanks to Ali Mc I've become a Picnik fanatic (because I needed something else to be obsessed with!). I made this as a reminder of all the fun running can be so that when I'm feeling crappy and crabby, I don't forget.

Happy Running!

Beat the Boring in the Pool

Anytime I post about swimming I almost always get three general answers:

1. I don't know how to swim
2. I don't cross train
3. It's so boring

For me, cross-training is a mandatory part of my training program and the only way I can really keep from being injured. Swimming is a natural part of my cross-training regimen since I grew up swimming competitively. But as to the 'boring' argument, well, I have to totally agree. Unlike running, swimming can only be social to a point. If you're a lap swimmer like me, there are no trees to look at, no roads to pass, just lap after lap staring at the same tiled floor. Bo-ring.

For me, swimming was missing one element essential to my workouts: Music.

After doing some research I found the Interval 4G by H20 Audio. According to the website,

"The Interval is the only waterproof iPod case designed just for swimmers! If you’re an iTunes user, there’s no better way to bring your own personal soundtrack into the pool. The waterproof case for the iPod shuffle 4th generation has integrated Surge 2G headphones and easily attaches to almost any swim goggle"

Lucky for me, Dana at H20Audio was gracious enough to let me try one to use with my Ipod Shuffle! The day it came in the mail I squealed I was so excited I danced. I was worried that it would be difficult to set up, but after only 20 minutes I was in the pool ready to go.

The Interval includes 5 sets of earbuds that you can play with to ensure you get the right fit. Once you affix the Interval to your favorite goggles, the earbuds fit snugly down into your ears and you're all set to rock out to your favorite music as you count the laps. Plain & Simple!

What I loved - 

• It was beyond easy to set up! The instructions are written for normal non-technical human beings so they're really easy to understand
• I never have to worry about my Ipod getting wet/ruined. The instructions suggest you test the Interval in water prior to using it in the pool. Once I did that and realized how solid the construction was, I don't have any worries about taking my Ipod underwater with me
• Lots & lots of earbuds - while some regular earbud headphones only come with sm/md/lg, the Interval comes with 5 different sets. This means you have a ton of freedom in terms of finding the ones that fit best for you!
• The sound quality is excellent. It's just as good (if not better) than my regular headphones

What I'm still working on - 

• Finding the right size earbuds may take you some time. I've found that one ear-hole is smaller than the other, so it's been quite the Goldilocks experiment to find just the right sizes. Don't let it discourage you from continuing with some trial & error
• I'm a fidgety person by nature, so I generally pull & tug at anything on my head/ears. Teaching myself to just leave the Interval alone is still a work in progress!

Overall, I really like this little device. This morning I felt stronger and more rhythmic in the pool with music to guide me. Just like my Ipod helps push me through the last few miles of a tough run, the Ipod+Interval combo gives me the extra oomph needed to gut out a tough pool workout. 

Wanna try out the interval? You can buy it with or without the Ipod Shuffle from www.h20audio.com. They also have great waterproof gear for runners, including headphones and Ipod/Iphone cases. If they're anything like the Interval, you won't be disappointed. 

Happy Miles/Laps!

*Disclaimer: although I was provided the Interval to test the opinions are entirely my own. I was not endorsed in any way, I'm just providing my own humble opinion as to my own experiences with the product. 

Wednesday Wish List

It seems like every time I open a webpage - particularly one that sees high volume - I see something like this:

Did you hear that? I can eat like a 15 year old boy, get little sleep, drink little water, and with these 8 simple tips I can have abs. 


It sounds stupid, but I hate these things. I used to be a slave to the tips in magazines like Women's Health (which I still read) and other "Women's" websites which professed "easy" and "simple" ways to get that perfect body. Like clockwork I would head to the gym and give the workouts my best effort only to find, shockingly, these are hard! 


Being fit is hard. Living a healthy life and taking care of yourself, and your children, parents, siblings, spouses, pets and home is hard. While some of these little tricks may actually work for awhile, they inevitably fail if you're not ready to commit yourself to being fit, and being healthy. It's a commitment that changed my life, and one I certainly struggle with every day. For the record: I'm on my couch eating lindor truffles after skipping my workout....see? struggles!

One thing I love about being a runner is that as much as I may complain and whine about it sometimes the hard is what makes it great. Gutting out one last interval, digging through that last rep at your max weight, pushing one extra mile when the tank is on empty, leaving every ounce of sweat and willpower on the street; that's hard, and it's great. 

By putting this wish on the blog  think I fall into the category of "preaching to the choir". Either way, I wish more people would accept the challenge and learn to find the same power and fulfillment in it that I do. Sure, sometimes it really just is hard and it sucks, but that's what community is for. There is no greater reward than finding out that something that used to be really challenging is now a breeze. Whether you're just stepping off the couch, pushing for that sub 6 minute mile, or working towards your first Marathon/Ultra, we can all respect the 'hard', and we can all know the joy and exhilaration at beating it. 

Happy Running!

Home Alone & An Unexpected Awesome

I can't remember the last time I had a Saturday that was so quiet. Typically Saturdays are the only days Josh and I have to spend together, what with the ridiculousness of our schedules. Lately we've been spending a lot of that time relaxing, but it's still exhausting going back and forth between our two apartments (a million times), running errands, doing homework, etc. In an effort to preserve some sort of relaxation on Saturdays - and some "together" time for me and Josh - I've been moving my long runs to Sunday lately. Still, it's hectic.

How am I supposed to say no to this handsome guy?

So when I dropped Josh off at the airport on Friday morning I was left with a wide-open weekend (of crying and counting the time until he returned, Josh would want me to say). I started off by heading to the local market and picking up some new food. In an effort to be adventurous, I picked up some things I'd never tried before. For instance, Naan. And boy oh boy oh boy is it good!

This morning I slept until I didn't feel like sleeping anymore. I fixed a big breakfast, adding blueberries to my oatmeal as a special treat (yum!) and hunkered down on the couch to be as lazy as I damn well pleased. Suffice it to say, it was glorious. The plan was to head to the gym for the UofL game at Noon and get in 2 hours of cardio. I was pretty specific on the time because 2 hours is what it takes me to run 10 miles. Since I hadn't run much this week I wasn't really anticipating stepping foot on a treadmill at all.

And then I accidentally ran all 10 miles straight on the treadmill. Whoops? It sounds odd, but it just sort of happened. On the way over I thought "I need 120 minutes. Why don't I try to get 40 minutes - a third - of that on the treadmill and then I can switch to the elliptical." So I started on the elliptical and, well, I just never switched. It felt really good to be running and having the game on was a great distraction. There were some iffy moments, and I've been babying my knee ever since, but all in all a pretty great run!

So now I'm rewarding myself with more naan, beer, and season 2 of The Wire.

After a 2 week hiatus I'm returning to my Sunday Yoga class tomorrow and I can't wait! I've also carved out some time to hit up my local running store before I go...good thing I have money left over from Christmas!

Do you get to relax on Saturdays or do you find you're usually really busy?
What do you do when you want to relax or get away from all the stress?

And then there was no coffee

I stumbled out of my nice warm bed this morning and into the freezing kitchen this morning to find this

no...coffee....??? AHH!

Not having coffee is an apocalyptic event in my life. I hardly ever drank coffee before law school and now in my 3rd and final year I require a cup of hot strong java goodness before I can tie my own shoes. It's not the caffeine so much as it's the ritualistic aspect of waking up crusty-eyed and sore on any morning and feeling the sweet release of warmth from a big happy mug. Well, except for today obviously. Coffee is essential when you have a schedule like mine has been.

I'm happy that so much of my 'busy' has been fitness & food related. For starters, I'm in week 6 of my training plan and my long runs have been going GREAT. My weekly mileage, on the other hand, has been struggling. Looking at the schedule I noticed I haven't had a step down week yet, and I'm not due for one until Week 9. Lately my body has been telling me that maybe this is a mistake. I've decided this week I'm going to get my workouts in based on time rather than miles and see how I feel. Since I'm only about 1/3 of the way through, I'm going to focus on staying strong and healthy this week rather than logging every single mile. We'll see how this plan works!

In other news, I've been experimenting with new foods/recipes in an attempt to keep up with my raging appetite. I definitely spent twice my January grocery budget, but I justify it by feeding Josh too. Unfortunately, I haven't had as much luck in the "trying new things" category. Have you ever looked at a recipe and though "mmm YUM!" and then, upon taking a bite, though "uuuugh yuck!"? That happened to me with several things lately. Maybe my taste buds just aren't ready to surrender to some of these things. Then again, I don't know why I thought I'd just love recipes based on egg-whites and pumpkin when I don't really like egg whites or pumpkin. Oh well - I'll keep trying!

Wednesday Wish List
This week's wish list is simple: blog more! I've been (trying) to keep up with you all and had no time to update myself. This week, I'll be working to fix that. Thanks to Jen @ Running With the Girls I've been tagged in the 11 Random Things post that's been going around. What a great way to keep up this "wish". So stay tuned to 11 random things about yours truly!

This & That

When I started blogging I'm not sure how often I anticipated updating, but I know once a week wasn't what I had in mind. That being said, once a week feels pretty damn current at this point. I've developed this thing during my runs, though, where I'll start plotting the blog I'll write about that run or workout as it's happening. Then I don't write it. C'est la vie. So rather than regurgitate a week's worth of mental blogs, I'll give it to you short and sweet.

• My life doesn't start before 9am these days. While I know I'll look back on this and say "wow, why didn't you enjoy that more?"for now I feel lazy and dumpy sleeping in so much and not doing anything productive. Example? I've slept through my alarm for my Saturday running group every week now. whoops...
• Despite sleeping through the alarm I managed to get in pretty awesome long run on Saturday! I was supposed to do 7 miles but the only route I knew was an 8 miler so....8 it was!

I wish the garmin elevation charts showed hills in
level of badassness          

So much for 12:40 pace...

• I have my first blister of the training season. I'm kind of glad to get it out of the way. 
• I want a dog so bad I physically can't stand it. I think this is the way girls my age are supposed to feel about babies. You can keep your baby, I just want a dog. The minute J and I start cohabitation there will be a dog. We're naming him Arthur. This is who I dream about on my long runs

• I'm starting to get a marathon appetite to go with marathon training. I could eat everything in sight if I let myself. Hopefully this week there will be pictures of all the awesome new recipes I'm trying!
• If it weren't for running (and school...and work...) I probably wouldn't leave my couch. Someone should have told me that starting Downton Abbey and The Wire at the same time wasn't a good idea. 
• This morning my good buddy Carter and I went for a run together. We haven't seen each other - let alone run together - in far too long so it was a great way to start an otherwise boring Wednesday!

• Wednesday Wish List - I really want to change up the blog a little bit so it looks more awesome like all of yours. Specifically, I want to add an awesome title Banner with pictures instead of just title but....I'm at a loss for the skill. Any suggestions?
• I'm loving Dailymile and the fact that I can keep up with everybody and get new workout ideas. If we're not already friends on dailymile, fix it! (Jenn S.) 

Happy Running!

So many of you have been sick! Are you feeling better? REST & eat your veggies/fruits!!

Do you have a 4 legged friend? Will you loan/him or her out so I can cuddle?