The Blogcation and Indoor vs. Outdoor Running

I've been MIA for a bit. My days are filled with running and afternoons/evenings are filled with job applications. Also, I went home over the weekend to visit my family. I've been eating horribly and because of that gained a few pounds, but I still kept up with my exercise schedule so it's all good.

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Today was a "long" run for me of 4 miles. I was able to do it in under 47 minutes! Woo! Since the humidity is at 90%+ and temps are in the high 90s this week, I'm doing all my runs on the treadmill. Boo. I find it hard to stay motivated on the treadmill beyond 2 miles and found myself lip-syncing to chase away the boredom of it all.

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Any distance over 5K requires pie to heal.

I used to be so in love with the treadmill. I mean, the treadmill is easier on the joint than pavement/concrete and is in a safer environment. After running outside for a week, I fell in love with disconnecting from my Ipod and enjoyed the scenery. I love connecting with fellow runners and running past many adorable breeds of dogs out for their morning walk. Sure running outside is much harder than on the treadmill, but it is worth the extra soreness at the end of the day.

On Saturday I'm participating in a virtual 5K! I'm hoping for a 35-36 min time. If anyone needs a 5K to run this weekend, check it out! The best part? It's FREE!! Complete it on a track, treadmill, or outside. You know you want to do it so get out there!!

Saturday afternoon my awesome friend Nicole from NYC is coming in for the day to visit. I'm beyond excited to have some girl time and catch up with her. We've both had some major life changes over the past year and it'll be nice to chat it out. My favorite change in myself is deciding to go back to work. Also getting back on medication for anxiety was the best decision I've made this year. Thankfully I have a great a great doctor who found a great prescription that works well for me. I'm the most "me" I've been in 3 YEARS. Oh and running helps! ^_^

My body aches so I'm going to get up and move around a bit. Surprisingly my upper body is more sore than my legs and such. Interesting.

How sore are you after a run? How many miles does it take to make you sore (2, 3, 4, 10+!)?

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Happy 4th of July!

Here's some wise words about 'Merica from one of my favorite T.V. characters:

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Nicely said Ron.

My fourth has been nice and relaxing so far. I ran 2 miles today since yesterday I was really sick. I was so exhausted anytime I would move I'd get dizzy and have to sit back down. Walking to the bathroom and back was exhausting. I didn't want to take a second rest day since I did so on Tuesday due to doctors stuff, but I just couldn't move.

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^ all day. that's all i did.^

But today I came back strong! I ran 2 miles at a 11:58 min pace!! 2 miles in 23:55! I can't believe I pushed that hard that long and smashed my records. Sure that is a slow pace for most experienced runners, but for a girl who was over 200 pounds 7 months ago that's damn impressive. And I did so up and down hills. I LOVE hills. My last 5K I didn't like so much since it was rather flat. At the end was a little hill and I loved it. The downhill speeds me up and just feels amazing. I'm weird.

After that awesome run, I started back in with Insanity where I left off at Max Interval Plyo. I managed to work through and crush the workout. It is amazing how much stronger I've gotten and how much pain I can endure. I think my pain tolerance increasing is one side effect of Insanity that I didn't expect. Love it!

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So what was the motivation for the workout comeback? Spirit of the Marathon. Joe and I watched it last night and I LOVED IT! I got choked up when the daughter of the one running was talking about running with her dad. The 9 miler in November is my "marathon" this year. I hope I can do it. I'll finish even if I have to crawl across that finish line!

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I hope everyone has a fantastic fourth! Now off to make burgers, nomz!

What did you do to celebrate the 4th? Any races?

Birthday binges, Running records, and Insanity madness!

My birthday weekend with the parents was amazing. The cake they got me was vanilla with strawberry filling and whipped cream frosting. I ate 2 big slices of that cake. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but I was more interested in scarfing it down than taking pictures. 

I LOVE Hyperbole and a Half!

On Sunday morning I awoke to smells of bacon and french toast. My mom made caramel baked french toast with sliced almonds. The top slice was crunchy and caramel soaked and the bottom piece resembled bread pudding in taste and texture. It was the most amazing breakfast I've ever had. And the best part is it was free! Again no pictures, I just proceeded to feed my face. 

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^ This is what went down all weekend.

Today I decided to check the damage on the scale. I look down and I lost .2 pounds. Huh. I'll take it. "Official" weigh in isn't until Friday so I'm hoping for even more movement on the scale.

YAY!

Some running success today! I ran 2.5 miles at a 12 min pace! I hated every minute of it especially since this is my "hills" day but I did it! I couldn't feel my legs when I was done. It was weird. Then I proceeded to take my 4th Insanity Fit Test. I busted all kinds of records there too! I'll post all the results when I finish in 2 weeks. After the fit test was max interval circuit. All in all I exercised for 2 hours and 5 minutes burning a serious 1300 calories. I'm currently super sore and not very interested in moving much. 

So I have a big life change happening right now! No it's not a child (everyone always thinks that/ asks that now that I'm married). I decided to go back to work and start my career in communications (FINALLY!). For the past 2 years I've lived in a rural town with very little choices for my field. Now that I live smack between two major cities I am overwhelmed by all the opportunities out there! I've applied to 4 positions so far and there is one position I really want. Dream job territory. We'll see what happens.

Since I'm working on tons of job applications, resumes and cover letters, I'll be posting much less. Once I get a job I'll be happy to post once a week until I get used to the new schedule. Until then, I'm working on my running and Insanity as much as humanly possible. Also trying to figure out ways to scale back the exercise to fit a job but still lose weight and stay in shape AND train for my long races in November. 

Being active is exhausting sometimes. 

How do you incorporate exercise with work? Do you prefer morning workouts or evening workouts?