Monthly Archives: January 2012

Happy Monday!

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I recently found this mantra on facebook, and fell in love with it. I’m often accused of overdressing. I LOVE pink… clothes, nail polish, shoes, scarves, shirts, and note books.

Obviously laughing is much more fun than running, and it burns a heck of a lot of calories!

Kissing makes me the happiest girl in the world, and I beleive it’s the best medicine for our marriage :)

A pretty girl turns BEAUTIFUL when she laughes, so I’m going to try laugh at everything… jokes, myself…

And this isn’t on the list, but I believe you can get whatever you want with a heck-of-a-lot of work, and I’m not afraid to step up to the plate and go get it! I’m determined to be strong when everything seems to be going wrong, and see the good in it. God’s in control and he won’t let anything happen to us outside of his plan.

Hope this makes you smile like it did to me, and make your day a little better!

Treadmilling

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 Until it warms up out there, I’m tread-milling it. It’s painful and frustrating, but I’m not going to give up on my training because it’s freeeeeezing out there! Granted, I’m running a total of 2 or 3 miles when it’s supposed to be about 5 or 6 at this point, but I’m doing all I can do!

It’s easy to give up on our workout plans in the winter, give the excuses: that it’s too cold, I don’t feel good, or that it’s dark outside… but you CAN NOT give up on those New Years Resolutions that fast. Or let those pesky Christmas pounds stay attached. Or undo all the hard work you did last summer/fall.

Just incorporate your workout into your day. Don’t think of it as an inconvenience, but an opportunity. An opportunity to unwind, get all your frustrations out, concentrate on your dreams, watch your favorite show, listen to your new workout music… instead of plopping yourself down on the couch after a rough day.

And if it’s too cold to get outside and run, get creative! If you’re like me, you HATE the treadmill with a passion… but I’ve decided to suck it up and pound out some mileage on the machine. Sure, it’s not ideal, but I feel so much better after sweating out 30 min or 4 miles on that bad boy before work or supper. When my half marathon gets here, I might not be in perfect shape for it, but I’m sure not going to let the winter blues keep me from working out! My goal is to run the Shamrock 1/2, and I’m not going to let anything hold me back. 

How do you motive yourself to get out there and workout during the cold, dreary, winter months?

Getting through the semester

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I’m already in my third week for my semester, and I feel like I’m drownding! Thankfully last monday was Martin Luther King day (a holiday!) and I was able to dedicate an entire day to school and catching up. I knew this was going to be a challanging semester, but I’m determined to keep my head up and get through it without complaint!

All this to say, that if I can balance a crazy work/school schedule and incorporate running into my schedule, I know you can too! We all seem to lead crazy busy lives, and I just want to be an encoragement to those out there that don’t feel like they can fit their workouts into their schedule.

Last week, instead of doing my horrid three four mile run on the treadmill, I said hello to my adopted neice that was born last weekend! Shout out to Ella <3 Unlike some wrinkly babies, she has hair and already smiles. I’m tellin ya, she’s precious and I wish I could take some aunty duties (we live in different countries)!

So after spending an hour on skype with Ella’s mom, I went and did a short little spin session on the bike in the gym. By this time it was too late and I was too exhausted to lift weights, so that will have to done tonight. I’m determined I’m going to life weights one day per week so that I can get some of my upper body strength back. Starting yoga has shown me how weak I am!

New-found love for Y O G A

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Let’s face it. I’m married, working almost full-time, taking full-time classes, while training for a half marathon. The Shamrock 1/2 Marathon is a mere 10 & 1/2 weeks away, and I’ve slacked off during my entire Christmas break. Well, that’s not entirely true… I spent at least an hour and half (combining my three, 3m runs) on the treadmill, which is almost as painful for me as pouding my head against the wall for the same given time period. Plus another outdoor run for also 3 miles.

See, I’ve got my work cut out for me! I better be hitting the gym hard- which is what I’m aiming to do. It’s too cold (and dark) for me to run outside after work, so my outdoor runs are going to be on the weekend.

And on the treadmill during the week.

While I’m training hard for this 1/2 Marathon, I’m also incorporating Yoga into my workouts. I’ve been a closet yoga-er for about 2 months now, and it’s been wonderful in relaxing my muscles, stretching my hips, and dealing with overall pain I feel in my joints and muscle from running.

I found a little quote on Yoga in the Magazine Runners World, January Edition:

“More than just stretching, yoga gives you whole-body strength, especially in the hips, core, and upper body,” says Sage Rountree, Ph.D., a yoga instructor, USA Triathlon-certified coach, and author of The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga. “Yoga’s mental training is ideal for runners because it teaches you to be present and breathe fully even in the face of intensity.”

Now just to clarify, the classes I’m attending are at LuluLemon store (free!), and we get a different instructor every week… and they haven’t incorporated the ‘spiritual’ part of yoga… which I’ve really appreciated. I wouldn’t still be going if they did. It’s a community event, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know women in my community, strength training and stretching out my hips.

Happy New Years day!

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We had the most wonderful Christmas holiday with my husbands family! We flew into Dallas 2 days before Christmas and have been incredibly busy watching old movies, spending time with family, eating the most amazing food in the world, playing cards, and yesterday I even brushed down a horse!
I’m so grateful for my amazing new family, and love getting to know all the cousins and aunts and uncles.

 

Annnnnnd our New Years Kiss :)

This hasn’t been the best running weeks for me… I’ve done about four 3mile runs since Christmas, which is a far cry from the 1/2 marathon training I hoped to do! But all the unhealthy food I consumed made it almost impossible to do anything more than what I did!

How was your Christmas? How did you guys do with your holiday health?
Here’s hoping for a butt-kicking year, with two half marathons in view! Good luck to everyone with their New Years Goals :)