Category Archives: Christmas

Close of 2012

Posted on by

4

What an amazing year… how can you begin to cover the highlights of such a fabulous year?

At midnight tonight, the gorgeous ball will drop in Town Square, and we will toast to a New Year! We’ve got the wine chilling, the treats tucked away in the fridge, and our bags packed to head back to Virginia in the morning. I love the holidays, but I also love the chance to a new beginning. I know that while 2012 was amazing, 2013 is also going to be phenomenal. One of the reasons is because I was able to graduate with my undergraduate degree this December, and I am truly able to begin afresh in January. So, while everyone is wildly excited about our new year: 2013, I’m still recovering from 2012!

So I’m gunna go ahead and brag (haha),  you can see why it’s been an exhausting year.

Here are a few highlights:

  • got a great promotion at work
  • ran two awesome half-marathons
  • did a little traveling
  • completed my undergraduate degree
  • ran over 500 miles (which was my goal)

Needless to say, I’ve spent my Christmas break sleeping! Regardless of all this, I still reached my goal of running 60 miles in December… Despite all my days spent traveling :) They were mostly short runs, around three miles, and my longest run was five miles. Considering most people drop off the fitness planet in December, I’m pretty happy with it!

December Run Goal
I’m planning on posting all my New Years goals later this week, things like the races I want to run and PR’s :) My goals aren’t just about fitness, but about keeping my life balanced… so keep posted for all of that!

Some of our New Years Resolutions

Some of our New Years Resolutions

The Fartlek

Posted on by

0

We get it. With traveling and family coming into town, the amount of time to run and workout is severely impacted. So instead of an hour workout, you’re lucky to squeeze in twenty minutes!

You hate them. You dread them. You gotta do ‘em. Fartleks.

Fartlek: Swedish for speed play, alternating easy and hard running.

This allows you to gradually increase speed and intensity for a short period of time.

Incorporating Speedwork into your Runs

This can turn a 20 minute run into that intense workout you need to stay in shape for that spring race you’re training for. Since its the holidays, it might be exactly what you need. You can get some intense sprints in, leaving you with more time with the people you love. Experiment with different paces and go as hard as you can for a 20-30 minute run, you’ll not only increase your stamina, but you’ll burn off a lot more of that egg nog and rum!

Here are some options from Runners World:

5k-10k:
• 8 to 12 x 1 minute hard/1 minute easy
• 6 to 8 x 2 minutes moderately hard/1 minute easy
• Descending ladder: 6 minutes, 5 minutes, 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute. Start at 10k pace and slow to 5k pace.

Half and full marathon:
• 4 to 8 x3 minutes moderately hard, 2 minutes easy
• 3 x 5 to 8 minutes comfortably hard with a two minute jog between each
• 2 x 10 to 13 minutes at half-marathon effort with a 2 minute jog between each

Fartleks - Speedwork

Fartleks – Speedwork

Surviving the Holiday 15

Posted on by

0

With only a week before Christmas, who doesn’t dread the part of the Holidays that endorses unlimited eating, forgotten workouts, and the dreaded Holiday 15!?! It’s almost become a part of life, “gain the weight in December, work all year to lose it”. It’s a North American rule. Sound familiar? I think some of us may do the same thing with credit cards… but back on point.

How do we enjoy the holidays without ending up feeling like bloated whales by the time it’s all over? Well, we can be strategic, set some goals, have a few guidelines, and we’ll be sure to Survive the Holiday 15:

Keep moving.

1. Switch it Up.
Take the stairs, get up and get water, park a little farther from the mall. With the added stress of the holidays, we need to keep moving. It’s okay to shorten your Cardio if you can’t fit it in, instead of the gym, try a yoga set on YouTube.

2. Involve the Family.
This season is about family right? Encourage healthy living by involving the whole family! Go for walks with the family through the Christmas tree farms. Park at the end of the street and walk through the lighted neighborhood with hot chocolate. Bundle up and hit up an outdoor skating rink.

3. Try some at home strength training.
Between commercials during your favorite Christmas music, alternate with sit-up, push-ups, burpies, squats and stretches. I’ve found this to be the very best way to fight the urge to munch throughout the entire movie.

Just take time to enjoy the peace and love during the Holiday Season

Just take time to enjoy the peace & love during the Holidays

Watch your Eating

1. Eat before you go. If you are planning on hitting up a really great Christmas spread, make sure you eat before you go. All those little appetizers are not as safe as you think, and the salad you ate on the way out the door will help cushion the little treats you may indulge in.

2. Pick a Treat.
Once you make it to the party, make sure you get a drink in your hand (tea or water), which will limit your handling capacity. make the rounds and decide on your selected treats. You know your limits. Make sure that every piece of food has been considered (and don’t just eat chips… what’s so special about that?). Ps. Skip the egg nog, at up to 350 calories a cup, it’s just not worth it!

3. Keep your eating clean at Home.
Just because it’s a big party out there doesn’t mean you have to forget about healthy eating at home. Keep the carrots, celery, oranges and apples handy this Christmas. This is one of the best ways to balance out all those Christmas parties, meals and celebrations.

We hope you take time to spread love and peace during the Holiday Season.
Merry Christmas!

Christmas Update

Posted on by

4

So, this blog is dedicated entirely to my Christmas life.

1. Decor has been up for a while. Cheers. Say hello to the adorable little tree and please note my complete laziness in not even getting up to take the picture… I just was too comfy snuggled up on our couch! tree

2. Presents have been thought about. People that need gifts have been kind of terrible about getting me their gift lists. Ugly sweaters it is. Take that!

3. We’ve kept up with the traditions pretty well! Went to Williamsburg, VA to check out the Christmas wreaths (Yes, we go there to strictly look at wreaths. Best. Tradition. Ever.)

williamsburg

Christmas Wreaths in Williamsburg

Went to the Hollydazzle in Newport News, VA (Hollydazzle?!? LOVE that name!) and had the BEST time watching the Christmas fireworks/light-show, set to Christmas music. We went as a group, and had a blast!

hollydazzle

HollyDazzle in Newport News

 

Exactly 17 days till Christmas and only 7 more workdays until I’m off for Christmas break! I couldn’t be more excited to sleep in AND go for my long runs in the same day :)

What are your Christmas plans and traditions? I’d love to hear about them!

Thanksgiving in the Rear View Mirror

Posted on by

2

With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, and the few pounds we gained still hanging on for dear life (what’s a post thanksgiving week without running off the weight?), but in my case, and my co-workers case, there is no shame! Between the turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole and cranberry bliss bars, I had a delicious holiday and there wasn’t tooo much damage done!

Before our game. I was all smiles, having no idea how terrible of a game would ensue!

Later that weekend we went bowling and Black Friday shopping, (scored some awesome deals!), and of course, I ran. Not as many miles as I wanted to (I had these high and lofty goals of running about 20 miles. hah). Instead I did about 13.
I’m getting a little faster, this week it’s been about a 9:35 min/mile compared to last week, I ran about a 10:08 min/mile. I’ve been moving faster, breathing better, and feeling stronger! Granted, I had some longer runs last week (like 7 miles) compared to my longest run this week being 4 miles, and I generally take my longer runs slower. At this point I’m 12 miles away from my goal (of running 70 miles in November)- meaning I have 4 miles/day to run. Urg. It’s so cold in the mornings!! :( BUT I CAN DO IT!

On a non-running note, I am SO excited for Christmas! Because I work in higher Education, my office CLOSES for the week between Christmas and New Years so I’m lounging around (aka going on long runs) and relaxing!

I know this sounds strange, but I do more running on holidays than I do during regular life because not working actually gives me time to go on those long runs! Anyone else feel the same way?

Happy New Years day!

Posted on by

2

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 :)

It’s beginning to look alot like Christmas…

Posted on by

2

We had the most amazing weekend EVER! We spent Saturday in Williamsburg… which included several destinations:

Williamsburg Antique Mall
We spent about 2 hours wandering around the Williamsburg Antique Mall… truthfully, I read most of a Nancy Drew while Tyler looked around (haha). It was really fun wandering down the aisles and tucked away in a corner reading a book!

Williamsburg Premium Outlets
This place, unlike Williamsburg Antique Mall, was PACKED! After spending about 20 minutes looking for parking, we scored a sweet spot RIGHT in front of the Coach store. Except, they had a line out the door and around the store, so we went to cheaper stores (since Coach is a little out of our Christmas gift budget!).

Yankee Candle Store
Next on our stopping list was the Yankee Candle Store because:
1. We’ve never been there.
2. We wanted a candle.
3. It’s decorated AMAZINGLY for Christmas.
4. It was on the way :)
We were SHOCKED at how cool it was inside and store, and it’s obviously going to be a future stop every time we’re in Williamsburg!

 

 

Mermaid Bookstore
This is one of our favorative stops in Colonial Williamsburg, we purchase our cups of coffee and head over the fabulous little bookstore. We exchanged numbers with the owner so he could give us a call if he has any old Jane Austin books come in!

Colonial Christmas Shoppes
We checked out about 10 little Christmas shoppes, doolled over the ornaments, bought chocolate peanut-butter fudge and cumin gouda cheese. Mmmmm…

then on Saterday…

We went ICE SKATING! This picture is mere proof that we made it onto the ice! Tyler and I skated around hand in hand for nearly an hour, and he did SO well for the first time on the ice. I was so proud  of how wonderfully he did. His brother and girlfriend also came along and they had the best time too (and we even caught them kissing!). Afterwards we found ourselves some hot chocolate and told family stories. I’m so grateful for the amazing family God’s put me into, and thank him on a constant basis for His faithfulness in my life!