Turning Up the Heat

After a brief reprieve from the weather by a mid-summer polar vortex (ok maybe it's not really a polar vortex, but I like saying it), Louisville Summer is back up and running. It's been hot. Hot and Humid. This week also happened to be a really difficult work week week for me. I was in trial on Wednesday and Thursday, which also coincided with the Hubby's birthday. Lets just say there was more celebratory cake and commiseration pie than I'd planned for.


This week's training

Via Daily Mile

Not too shabby!

Monday - 5 min walk, 2.5 mile run @ 10:46. Finished with stretching & Click Mocha
Tuesday - 1 mile walk with Ellie around the neighborhood while I finished trial Prep
Wednesday - Full day devoted to trial & Josh's birthday
Thursday - 5 min. walk,  mile-ish. Overall pace 11:28 min/miles. Finished with stretching
Friday - No organized activity. We did walk to dinner and back though
Saturday - 5 min. walk, 2.5 miles @ 10:49, 5 min cool down walk and stretching after + Click Mocha
Sunday - Rest day

Totals: 9.30 Miles, 1:56:18, 1,165 calories

This Week's Nutrition

Up & down week. Wednesday & Thursday my meals were sporadic and sparse. Though we did have curry & cake. 

Don't mind me, I'm just sideways

I am proud of myself for some food choices on Thursday. I was dying to emotionally eat and wanted to be super gluttonous. Rather then reach for the supreme fattiness I wanted - chicken fingers, fries, hamburgers, chocolate cake - we had sushi. I felt decadent, I felt special, and I did not feel gross afterward. Problem solved.

Next Week

• 8th out of 9 weeks of Couch to 5k! I've really really enjoyed the program. It's ending right in time because we registered for the Urban Bourbon Half Marathon on October 25th! I'm going to complete the three workouts and spend some extra emphasis on stretching this week
• Food-wise my mind is on FRUIT. If you'll recall I have a goofy, lazy, no good stomach that really doesn't do well with raw fruits or vegetables. At all. So I've stocked up on Fruit Buddies, a lovely "Baby-food-esc" fruit product that I've really come to love. I think I bought 10. I want them all gone by next Sunday. Bold challenge? Yes! Lets do it!

Are you an emotional eater? How do you handle extreme situations that trigger emotional eating?

Cake preference: Yellow/Chocolate/White? Buttercream/chocolate ganache/cream cheese? 

Expectations

When I saw that my last post was November, 2012 I was, honestly, surprised. Did I really miss all of 2013? Apparently so. 

So why blog?

- Accountability: I don't think it's a coincidence that some of my best training and greatest fitness accomplishments coincided with my actively blogging. Knowing that someone is going to read my progress - or lack thereof - is a big motivator. After all, no one likes to tell the world they missed a work out. 

- Community: being a part of the online running community is something I truly enjoy. I'm not part of one here in my hometown (though there are plenty) & I love reading about your accomplishments & your races. 

- Proof: something for me to look back on and say, "yep, I did that." 

So What Am I Going To Do?

Blogging on the same level as I used to just isn't an option right now. I struggle with maintaining a running regime alongside a ridiculous work schedule & family. I don't want to pretend I can update every day. I also don't want the pressure that comes with that. So what do I want? Here it is:  

- Update at least once weekly. Include mileage & weight. 

- Post monthly goals. I've been doing "monthly goals" since March and posting them on my bulletin board at work. It's been super helpful. I want to share them with you guys. Keep me accountable. 

- Read your blogs once a week! I don't make enough time to keep up with you all and your adventures. I want to make time to read about you & your running journeys. 

Let's see if we can do it. New beginnings start now!

Thanksgiving & Humble Pie

I checked the blog to make some layout changes earlier today and realized that the last time I posted was October 11th. Well....whoops. Suffice it to say, work has been absolutely ridiculous. Sworn in October 4th and then BOOM, immediately in the deep end. It started out harmless enough, and then somehow within the last 3-4 weeks I've been working 11 hour days Monday through Friday and Sunday afternoons.

Ron, thoughts?

Last time I posted, I was still "Undecided" about the Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon. Suffice it to say, I made a decision: I did not run. It was one of those things where I knew there was only one right choice, but it didn't make it any easier. I've never quit a race I entered or failed to finish one that I started. I sold my bib to a friend who wanted to run, so at least it didn't go to waste. Still, it was a big, steaming slice of humble pie that was very difficult for me to choke down.

Since then, my running has been minimal at best. The first week or two I was working this schedule I was absolutely wiped out once I got home. I can't express how hard it is to be a newlywed, let alone a runner, when you work 8-7 and fall asleep on the couch at 9:30. No, I'm not exaggerating....that's really how it was. Very very unglamorous.

Sleepy Puppy, Sleepy Mom

Never fear, however, because I'm finally back in the groove. I'm finally starting to get the schedule under control - or at least being more comfortable with it - and working exercise into the routine. At first I felt really guilty for leaving work at 7 and going to the gym for an hour: I have a husband and a puppy at home who miss me so much and I'm going to further delay my arrival? After the first day or two though it started making sense: workout after work, stay up later and enjoy more quality family time (and be a nicer person around said family). We're still adjusting, but it's been really enjoyable having an hour to "detox" from work before I come home.

The rebirth of the Runner-Me couldn't have come at a better time! Last week marked the beginning of the 2012 Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge. Last year was my first experience with the Challenge and it gave me the kickstart I needed to stay honest and motivated over the holiday (Read my turkey day wrap up from LAST year here!). The challenge is exactly what I needed to get me back in the habit of exercising and generally being good to my body (which I've not done at all lately).

Like most people, Thanksgiving is a real test of both my willpower and predisposition towards Gluttony. One of my favorite traditions for years now is participating in a Turkey Trot. I used to run by myself at my local Y but now that we spend the Feast Weekend with Josh's family, we've joined in on their fun. The Boston Marathon it is not, but it is a lot of fun and an awesome excuse to wear a ridiculous hat.

Much to my family's embarrassment, I wore the hat the whole way!

We ran 10:09 min/miles which is better than I could've asked for considering my complete lack of preparation, minimal water intake the day before, and lack of breakfast or fuel. Not too shabby.

So what's on the docket for this week? Trying to earn those coveted HBBC points of course! First and foremost though my main goal is DRINK MORE WATER. I've been indulging in too much soda and coffee to get me through the day rather than giving my body proper hydration. To fix that, I've packed several small water bottles and removed all the soda-machine change from my bag. Bring it on, Monday!

Thursday Quick Hits

After catching up on your blogs I felt sad about my poor inert status. So, since I only have 20 minutes before I have to be in court, here are some quick hits:

• I passed the bar exam! It was super dramatic (Josh & I were in a bank opening our joint account when we found out on our iphones). I was a ridiculous mix of relieved and overwhelmed. Thank God I don't have to do that again
• Along those lines, I got sworn in as a member of the Kentucky Bar! Not just me, but Josh too. As of last Thursday we're both Attorneys and I'm an Assistant Public Defender and he's a Jefferson County Prosecutor. We're a sitcom waiting to happen.
• My back is back to 100%. Once I realized that I needed ice not heat, it healed really quickly. Talk about feeling like an idiot. Oh well, hindsight and all that
• With my back "back" in gear, I continued with my training for the Nov. 3 LSC Half Marathon. It's more difficult than I thought to get back in the habit of running 4 days a week, but not unpleasant
• A lot of my runs lately are run/walks with the puppy. I say puppy, but at 7 months old she has a level of strength and endurance that is astonishing. She loves to go for runs with me and gladly lets me take my walk breaks. I've found a lot of joy in taking her after I know she's been cooped up in her crate all day.
• Did my first "long run" Saturday and made it 6 miles! Can't tell you how happy I am about this since my last "Long" run was a 5 miler before the wedding (so....back in August). I took walk breaks every five minutes for thirty seconds and felt strong and comfortable at the end. 
• I"m still undecided about this half Marathon next month. My work schedule is starting to pick up and I'm just exhausted when I get home at night. I think if I do run it I'm going to have to seriously reevaluate my goals. Not a bad thing, just something to think about. 

So that's what's been up with me - What about you?!

Happy Running!

So that's what that feels like

More often than not, when I take time off from running my first run back is a complete disaster. For instance, you may recall this lovely little run a few weeks back:

That first run after time off usually feels as awkward, exhausting and just plain weird as it can get. Add to that the fact that I haven't taken more than one full week off from running since....well, I don't know, and you can understand why I was a little apprehensive about resuming training this week.

Josh went for his run first and I stayed with the puppy and the whole time I thought "ugh, this could be bad." What feeble attempts at running I've had in the last 3 weeks have been just that, feeble. Nonetheless, I laced up my shoes and headed out the front door as soon as Josh came in the back.

What I got? A beautiful run! The weather was perfect and my legs steady and overall it just felt like a lovely little afternoon trot.

Despite today's awesome effort, I'm feeling more and more unsure about this November 3rd half Marathon. Last week I had an appointment with my friendly Sports Doc. and got both good and bad news.

Good: my back is just a bad muscle pull. He gave me some exercises (that I was already doing) and prescribed a muscle relaxer. Unfortunately, you can't drive or really do anything while taking said prescription, so I haven't even had it filled. We'll see how long this "hold out" lasts. Two weeks later and my lower back is still one big ball of OUCH 

Bad: I finally got my knee looked at. While he could definitely feel the swelling and tell there were differences between my legs/knees, he couldn't figure out the cause. Luckily none of the ligaments or muscles appear torn and the structure of my knee is intact. Unfortunately, he wants me to get an MRI. With work the way it is, the likelihood of me actually getting said MRI before Veterans Day is unlikely. On a positive note, he didn't give me any restrictions - manage the pain as best I can and just don't do anything more than what I've been doing. Since "Marathon" is on my list of "recent physical activities" I'm pretty sure I'm cleared for anything

So in light of these most recent developments, I've basically scrapped my original training plan. Lucky for me there was a great article in the August issue of RunnersWorld (I'm a bit behind!) tailored for just this situation. You can find the article here and while it's listed under the Beginners section, I think it's applicable for just about anybody. So in accordance with their advice and my desire to actually heal, here's the plan for the week:

Monday - Check! Tuesday, I'm coming for you next!

Have you ever taken a significant amount of time off? How did you recover?

Happy Running!

September Setbacks

Sometimes life hands you lemons and you make some lemonade. Then there are times when life hands you a triple fudge sundae with nuts, caramel AND a cherry on top and you just eat the damn thing and ignore the consequences. September, it seems, has given me both of these.

September started off with my triple fudge sundae - I got married! The event we'd been waiting for these last 16 months finally came to pass and it was wonderful. Hurricane Isaac's threat to ruin the entire (outdoor based) day, but ended up causing nothing more than a very stressful week and a little bit of mud. We had a blast, the Cards beat Kentucky, and I'm now officially a Mrs.

Best of all, the morning of the wedding my mom and I got to put aside all of the craziness and do what we love to do: go walking. The rain kept us out of our favorite park, but we headed to the mall and churned out three mindless miles. We talked about so many random things and window shopped and laughed. After what was a pretty stressful lead-up to the wedding, this was a great start to the day. For those of you who don't know, my mom got me into running initially. When my weight started to get out of control back in college she and my grandfather started making me walk with them on Saturdays. What started as a (somewhat) painful chore became two marathons and five half-marathons. Walking with mom on my wedding day was an amazing way to reconnect to that memory, and to honor both our relationship and my grandfather at the same time.

However, one thing got sacrificed for the good of the wedding (and the honeymoon that followed): my training plan. There are 2-3 weeks that are just blank on my calendar. Does this bother me? Yeah, it does. I'm a type-a runner girl and it annoys me to have stretches without training before a race. Will I get over it? Absolutely. I'm glad I was able to put aside my often neurotic need to run in order to enjoy the occasion. When life hands you the perfect sundae, you don't stop and worry about how it will effect your waist line, you eat!

Top Left-right: in front of the Shedd Aquarium, On the Willis Tower Skydeck
Bottom Left-Right: with the Lions of Tsavo @ the Field Museum & dinner @ the Capital Grille

September has also brought some damn lemons my way. Last week during volleyball my back started getting super tight. Sometimes I get lazy and don't really bend my knees when I play (whoops!) and end up stretching my back out. Usually the soreness goes away after a day. Not this time. Within 3 hours of playing my back was totally locked up and any bending was searing, needle-like pain. Slowly over the week with the help of a good heating-pad and lots of Motrin things started to ease up. Thursday morning I felt good enough to take Ellie for a walk before work and a nice 2.4 miler afterwards. Unfortunately Friday was back to square one.

I've never had a back injury so this is all new to me. I have no idea whether to stretch or heat or ice or immobilize or what. I have no way of knowing whether it's a strain, sprain, or what. Unfortunately, a visit to the doctor is almost completely out of the question since I just took a week of unauthorized time for my honeymoon (worth it!). I'm hoping that more Motrin, some light stretching and heat heat heat will help.

All in all - I'm still up on the month. My first priority right now is to rest my back and make sure I'm completely healed before I do something stupid. My second priority is to dive into YOUR world and find out how things are going for you! Whenever I need inspiration, you guys are always there to lend some (in a big way!). For instance, knowing that my dear friend Julia @Pain Pride & Perseverance finished her first UltraMarathon yesterday has kept a smile on my face all weekend.

Keep up the good work everyone! You're all so wonderful :)

Happy Running!!

Pet Peeves

Being an only child who is relatively high strung, I've been known to have a bit of a temper. I'm one of those people who has sarcastic one sided conversations with other drivers whenever I'm driving (despite the fact that they cannot hear me, nor do they care). So it's no surprise that there are some things about running that really burn my grits. So here, in no particular order are my running Pet Peeves:

1. Sidwalk Hogs

Get it?

Where I grew up in Suburban Ohio, sidewalks were 2-way streets. Though sometimes narrow and uneven, one endeavored to be aware of his/her surroundings and allow others room to go about their business. This is apparently not the case around here.

Nothing bothers me more than when two people who are walking/running together choose to take up the ENTIRE sidewalk and force others onto the road/grass to pass them. I walk as much as I run, so I understanding taking a leisurely stroll with a friend or loved one and wanting to focus on just that. However, that doesn't give you the luxury to take up the whole 'road' and prevent anyone else from sharing it. Case in point: the other day these two (morbidly obese, yes) women were walking at the park and an older man was walking behind them. The two women saw him coming, saw that he was about 150 years old, and yet did not shift aside or give him any room to get by. He was forced into the grass where he tripped on a tree root. True story. Don't be a sidewalk hog.


2. Crazy Dogs and Clueless Owners

This one goes hand in hand with the sidewalk hogs. I despise it when people use their dogs to hog the sidewalk. If you are walking on the right hand side of the sidewalk/road, do not let your dog wander around on the left hand side. Not only are you taking up too much room, but you're a trip hazard!

Similarly, people need to accept the fact that not everyone loves dogs. Now I think I've made it clear I'm kind of obsessed with my puppy. That doesn't mean that I'm oblivious to the fact that she can be absolutely horrible on a leash. While I realize my 14", 16lb beagle isn't going to put anybody in the hospital, I get that some people just don't want her jumping in their faces and love-biting their noses (why not is a mystery to me, but I digress). Lately it seems owners are oblivious to this little fact, letting their dogs run leash-free or on an unlimited amount of retractable leash. Lady, I realize not all pit bulls are blood-crazed killers, but I really don't know anything about your dog and you don't want me to have to punch you. Don't act shocked when I tell you to control your loose Mastiff in a public park, dude.

3. Lack of Race-Day Port-o-Potty Etiquette

Port-o-Potty's at a race event are a hot commodity. I've waited in line for an hour before the start at bigger events, and I was happy to do so. While I don't mind waiting in line for a potty, what really gets me is the clueless person in front of me who doesn't seem to realize said line. Maybe you'll remember my port-o-potty incident at the KDF Marathon this spring (which I wrote about here). No joke, it cost me 5 or so minutes waiting for Mrs. Clueless to realize the potty was open and then get in.

All I ask is this: Be aware of the line! If you see the potty flip to vacant, go! Don't stand around and stare, don't be chatting with a friend - GO! On the same note, once you flip the potty to vacant, don't just stand in there fixing your hair or race belt - GO! I don't expect rocket speed, just awareness and a little quickness, please.

Oh, and heads up if there's no TP. Just a courtesy thing.

4. Awful Running Attire

Probably runs a 5:20 mile

Newsflash - I'm going to judge you if you're running in cutoff jean shorts and Toms shoes. I can't help myself, it's my natural reaction. That being said, I applaud everyone who takes the plunge to get into running and takes positive steps to ensure good health. That doesn't mean I won't judge you though.

Also, I don't care how hard you worked to get that marathon/5k/Ultra shirt - if it's 100 degrees outside and you're wearing a long-sleeved shirt, I'm going to roll my eyes at you (and make sure that you see it). This isn't a "peeve" so to speak, It's more of a "what the F#%@?"


What about you?!
- Did I miss anything? What are some of YOUR pet peeves?
- Am I wrong? Too harsh? Let me have it - change my mind!

Where-O-Where

I've had this post written forever but no pictures to go with it.  Call me lazy, but I just haven't had any motivation to do much of anything, let alone copy and edit all of the ridiculous photos that could accompany this otherwise boring post. So we'll just add some random pictorial interest points in along the way.

Where I've been

It's been almost three weeks since the bar exam! At the end of the day, it was exactly as horrific as everyone had told me it would be. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like my months of study really got me anywhere (and I'm not alone in feeling like that). Oh well - I find out in late September whether I get to do it all again. 

Since then, I've been doing a lot of nothing. It's been glorious. I wake up, drive Josh to work and go to the gym where I immerse myself in Olympics coverage. Then I come home and spend most of my time like this:

Or sometimes this:

There are days that I feel really guilty about Josh going off to his 9-5 and me turning around and going to the gym or back to the house to take the pup to the park. But mostly I'm just trying to enjoy this lull while I've got it.

Where I Am
I started training for the Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon last week! After a few weeks of sloth & gluttony it's really nice to have some structure - and just to be running again period. I've decided on ____ key markers to gauge my progress through this training cycle. I'm hoping by focusing on a few key things I can see gains overall at the end and not just in my splits or my overall time (which will be badass, of course). They are:

Speed

Stepping back from running this summer has really upped my speed. During the exam period it was too hot to get any real distance in so short runs were all I could muster. I'm really going to try to focus on speedwork this time around to keep my legs peppy. I'm going for an A time of 2:20 (10:41 min/mi) & a B time of 2:24 (11:00 min/mi) both of which I think are really do-able.

Flexibility

The big gains I made in flexibility over the spring were lost over the summer. I'm just barely able to touch ye-old-toes. How important is flexibility in running? Not too much, truly. But being flexible makes me feel strong, and it really helps me release tension. A flexible back and shoulders is important in keeping me calm and relaxed, so I definitely have some work to do here.

Weight Management

I am a champion stress eater. I could stress eat this guy outta this world. That being said, the exam was definitely a set back for this particular fitness point. But I'm back on the healthy body bandwagon and making strides!

Endurance

Despite the recent need for speed, my lungs and legs have kept some of their stamina up. I can get in five miles (about an hour of activity) without feeling 'tired'. I'm interested to see how my first 5+ miler goes!

Recovery

Active recovery is the name of the game this time around. I've been using my HR monitor to keep me on track, making recovery runs actually restful. Nothing really to report on this point right now because I haven't done much that would require recovery :)

Where I'm Going
79 Days until my next half marathon! I'm so excited I could burst. It feels like the Derby Fest was so long ago and I"m eager to get out and race again.

Just before the bar I got hired on to my dream job as a public defender here in town. I can't tell you what a blessing this was, as it was the only job in the world I wanted (besides professional pool lounger, of course). I start on the 27th and I'm eager to figure out how to work running into my new 60 hour work week :)

Perhaps the biggest destination on the horizon....Marriage-ville! We're only 18 short days away from the nuptials and I couldn't be more ready to go. We're also 18 short days away from the start of UofL Football season. If I told you how many people have complained that the two days are the same, you wouldn't believe it.

Happy Running!


Where have you been? I'm trying to catch up!

Bracing for July

Does anybody know what happened to June? It seems to have up and disappeared on me. 


As promised, I'm back in action! We're T-Minus 22 days to D-Day (aka the Kentucky Bar Exam) and I wish I could say I was feeling (at all) confident about it. Now that we've entered the month of July it's time to put my head down and focus. Because the exam is as much about physical endurance (two consecutive 6 hour days) as it is about legal knowledge, I'm trying to incorporate as much exercise and healthy eating into the mix as possible. Positive thinking will always prevail!


With July also starts a new quarter of 2012. What better time than to check in on my 2012 goals!

Run a Marathon

- Derby Festival Marathon April 25 2012 (DONE! - You can check out my recaps HERE and HERE) 

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

- Find a running group/partner to complete long runs 

- Run at least one 20 miler (DONE!)

- Use the blog & daily mile to keep me accountable for my training (Work in progress :) still love it!)

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 June! Truly proud of this)

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

    I'm particularly happy with how this goal is going! We recently purchased a little grill and we've been trying new things! Earlier this week we had shrimp, pineapple and mixed veggies and it was delish. Still looking for new creative ways to incorporate different foods into "our" diet. Cooking for two is still so new!

- Take stock of what I'm eating, how I feel, & how it effects me (30 day food journal challenge)

   I'm continuing to track through weight watchers and it's helpful with the new medication. Still trying to gauge how new/different foods effect my system and what tends to set me off. I'm still pretty obsessed with ice cream, but at least now I"m having salads for lunch and ice cream after :) 

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

    My attitude about my body lately has been awesome. Even on days when I feel rather gross, I have managed to change my mindset to keep in mind both the day-to-day changes but keep focused on the long-term goals. 

- Note: This goal has been working so well that my wedding dress is having to be altered! It fit perfectly in January when I picked it up but she's having to take it in! I'm so excited I could die - huge accomplishment! 

So obviously things have been going pretty well so far in 2012! I've managed to accomplish most of my concrete goals and made a lot of progress on my on-going goals. So here are some updates to the goals list!

- Run A Sub 2:30 Half marathon

- Try at least one trail run (thanks to Julia for inspiring this goal!)

- Get married/pass the bar/get a job

New Plan

I've been beating myself up over the last week about my complete lack of running, run blogging, or fitness in general. While June has brought many awesome things into my life, running has hit the back burner as I try desperately to get ahead in other (awesome) things.

Yeah, your'e reading that right

So here's the plan: I'm out until July 1. No blogging, no training runs, no nothing. I'm not going to put any pressure on myself to do any of it. If it happens I'll be thrilled but for the most part I'll have my head in a book until June is out of the way.

Hopefully once we get this silly month over with, I'll be able to downgrade some priorities and upgrade running! I had the realization this morning (in the shower, of course) that running (and blogging about it) don't need to be things that stress me out. Instead, I'm going to be confident in myself and my ability to embrace it again in two(ish) short weeks.

I'll still be blog stalking, but not as much. Good luck to all the summer racers out there! And to everyone else battling heat, injury, family issues, work stress and life in general - you constantly inspire me.

Happy National Running Day!

Happy National Running day everybody. It couldn't be more beautiful here in the Bluegrass and I hope wherever you are that it's a beautiful day for a run :)

Now that life is "calming down", I'm feeling like I'm getting into a bit of a groove. Like most of you, by 'calming down' I don't mean there's less going on I just mean I'm getting more capable of coping with it.

For instance, this whole bar prep/bar examination thing has been a whirlwind to get used to. I have class (mostly) Monday-Friday for roughly four hours until the first week of July. This class - like a bad coach - imparts two kinds of wisdom: (1) don't stress! Take it easy, chug right along and (2) spend every waking moment working on this. It's like the training plan that says "for novice-beginner runners" yet has you logging 40 miles a week. Contradictory, at best. For instance here's a sample 'schedule' one of our academic advisors gave us:

7:30-9:00am - shower, breakfast, dress, and travel to bar review class
9:00-1:00pm - Bar review class
1:00-2:00pm - Lunch Break
2:00- 4:30pm - review and consolidate notes from morning's session; make flashcards
4:30 -5:00pm - break
5:00-6:30pm - work through MBE questions in subject you're studying
6:30-7:30pm - dinner break
7:30-9:30pm - work through another group of MBE questions OR 1-2 essays
9:30-11:00pm - review materials for the next day's bar review session

Does that look realistic? No? I know.  I'm not phased though - I'm treating this like I would any race: get a good base, build up endurance, train hard, don't peak too early, save some gas for the finish line.

Aside from the above ridiculous schedule and working, I've been trying to figure out how to incorporate some more running back into my life. I need goals to be successful - or to even be motivated! - and my primary goal of "must look good in wedding dress" wasn't doing it. Luckily Beth @Running Around My Kitchen wrote this great post with tips about how to get out of a rut such as mine. Beth had great tried and true ideas about how to get myself ramped back up about running. Not being one to just pick and choose, I decided to go all in and ramp it up a LOT:

1. I FINALLY got new shoes! 

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12

I've been dying to step down into something more minimalist, or at least less bulky, for awhile now. These little changes to my stride have been helping and a shoe that facilitates those changes would be great. At the end of the day though, I just wanted shoes to run in NOW. Seeing as though my MAJOR problem has recently (read: always) been blisters, I wanted told the friendly ladies at Blue Mile Louisville "Give me the widest toe box in the world." They did not disappoint. So far I'm really happy with these babies, but only time will tell.


2. I signed up for a race!

Louisville Sports Commission Half Marathon
November 3, 2012

I'm one of those runners that needs a race to actually go out and run. Granted, I've gotten a lot better recently about running just to run, but if there isn't something on my calendar then running always manages to slip to the bottom of my priority list. Trying to work around the July Bar Exam and our September wedding made things a bit difficult. So November it is! I"m really looking forward to doing a half again - I think I can really rock this flat, urban race if I just stay healthy.

It's a good thing I've gotten back into running, too, because I've gotten back into eating BIG time! This past weekend was filled with parties: wedding, birthday, graduation, you name it. We had three separate cakes. But it's not all bad: living in the new house and having someone to cook for has been amazing! Josh is really open minded about things and will try just about anything I make. Monday night I tried a new weight watchers recipe I'd been eyeballing.

Shrimp & Spicy Tomato Sauce nomnomnom

I served it with Penne pasta & some good french bread and it was delish. Want the recipe? You can find it right here - there's lots of room for variation. I'm sure you more 'seasoned' cooks out there will scoff but hey, it was my first venture with shrimp!

Oh yeah, we still have the puppy. Despite her penchant for pooping (everywhere) and her bitty little puppy teeth, we've somehow totally enamored with her and just can't live without her.

Happy Running!

Are you running on national running day?
Any of my Louisville folks running the LSC (Half) Marathon?!

The "Get To"

Well this morning I checked one of my goals for this week off the list by getting up early and going for a morning run.

I'd been thinking a lot about how I was going to make it work. Our (mostly) sweet Ellie wakes up around 6 a.m. every morning and our alarm is set somewhere around 7:30. One of us wakes up with her at 6:30,  takes her out and then crashes on the couch for another hour or so (all while a crazy "morning puppy" is biting, swiping, and jumping all over you). While Josh can pass out on the couch almost instantly, I don't go back to sleep so easily. So this morning I got up and tossed her outside and then Josh slept with her on the couch while I ran.

It worked like a gem! I got to go for a 2 mile run (not used to that only taking 20 minutes) and I came home to a sleeping man and biting puppy. Perfection.

Thought I was going to get puppy kisses - got puppy bites instead

The rest of my morning was spent in a Bar Review lecture. The topic was ok - criminal law, thankfully - and the lecturer did his best not to be dense but lets face it: 3.5hrs of anything is going to be boring. He surprised me at the end though by offering us one last piece of advice. I was expecting "get a good night's sleep before the exam" or "take this studying seriously" or even just something totally silly. Instead, he said:

"Everything in life can be broken down into two categories: things you have to do, and things you get to do. Remember that this is something you "get" to do. You'll do far better if you think of it like that"

I know we runners talk about the power of positive thinking all the time, so I won't belabor the point but I will say this: there are so many things in live that we have to do. We have to pay bills, we have to change diapers/take out the trash/clean the floors/go to work at a job - or two, or three - we hate. At the end of the day there are so few things we "get" to do. Even then, they can sometimes become a chore.

So if nothing else, don't let running fall into the "have to" category. Even if you feel like you "have to" get in x number of miles, or hit a certain pace, remember that there are so many people who wake up every morning and don't even have the option to run a step. It's easier to remember when we're injured, or when we're coming off of a great race - it's a lot harder to remember when we're in a rut. Running may be a natural part of the human condition, but being a runner certainly isn't. At the end of the day, being a runner is a privilege we've earned by having the courage to try it, and because we love it. We run because we love it, and we get to.

Keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow brings another opportunity for a morning run. Whatever the case, tomorrow's miles will be for all of you out there who can't run today or tomorrow. And because I get to.

Happy Running!

Five Quick Updates

Lets just start by saying that these last two weeks have been absolutely crazy. If you follow me on DailyMile you may have noticed...

Or if you realized I haven't posted in a week

I'm going to do this in some sort of orderly way lest it devolve into complete long winded chaos (too late? too late).

1. Last Friday Josh's whole family rolled into town and we celebrated our graduation from Law School. On Saturday, we actually marched across the stage and received a piece of paper that tells us how to receive our actual diploma at a later date.

(Juris) Doctors!

2. When we were not celebrating we were moving into our new house. I don't care how far you're moving, it's always stressful. Granted it was only really Josh moving (I'll move in at some later undetermined date) but it still managed to stress me out. I have had the opportunity to do some running around the new neighborhood though (not really reflected above). We're only 2 miles from my favorite park so I'm pretty excited about the possibilities.

Upside? Awesome new bloggy space in the new house!
(Including giant new computer thanks to Josh's folks)

3. I'm LOVING my new job! It is mindless, friendly work that doesn't require any added responsibility or outside work. It's perfect. The only downside is the standing. For those of you who work in the service industry and spend so many hours on your feet and still manage to run so far and so often...I salute you! After a 5 hour shift last night my feet were so sore and tired and my legs were beat up this morning. It's a nice challenge, but definitely hasn't helped my running motivation.

4. Miss Eleanor has been a joyful - and exhausting - addition to our lives! The vet thinks she's mixed with basset hound by the way and thus the really huge looking feet (which are actually just really low knees). We took her on a long walk Thursday and she's a perfect lady on a leash. So excited for her to get big and strong so she can go exploring with me.

But we like being lazy too

5. I'm setting some goals for the upcoming week. Not knowing my new surroundings - or how my legs are going to feel at any given moment - I'm going to go based on time this week. Goals include,

• 150 Minutes of Cardio
• At least 3 Runs
• At least one run in the morning
• Getting my new running shoes!!

I think it's equal parts challenging and doable

That's it for me! We're off to Lowes to pick up an air conditioner and yard tools. All of the sudden we're so domestic. It's not too shabby.

Happy Running!


Anybody raced lately? How'd it go?
How do you manage your fitness/running in the midst of chaos?