“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.” ― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

I love that quote.

I love The Last Lecture. I read that book when I was at the beach during the summer of my 19th birthday. The book is so inspiring and made me want to pursue graduate school and become a professor. Well, those plans didn't pan out, but I simply didn't want it enough.

Source
I try to remind myself of this.
Especially now.

Anyway, I find myself injured again. Right calf, same spot, very frustrating. I have a foam roller picked out and just need to get the go ahead from the master of coin to purchase it. The biggest problem I have is getting too stiff during a workout, both Insanity and running. I've been doing well with running, but the plyometrics in Insanity require a level of flexibility my calf muscles just don't have. My hamstrings are very tight as well, so stretching is a MUST. The foam roller is supposed to help with calf problems, runner's knee, and a plethora of other issues so I'm really looking forward to using it.

Source
This is the one I'm getting since it has a DVD.
I have no clue what I'm doing.

I go back to my general doctor in July/August to check up on my anxiety and blood pressure, and I'm going to bring up the problems with my calves and toes turning blue (freaky, I know). Maybe the doctor will send me for an ultrasound or MRI to check on it since I've injured it 3 times in the past 4 months? Here's hoping that the foam roller therapy works well!

Source
This is accurate of the weekend.

On the food front, this past weekend was just awful. I shoved so much food in my face, especially Friday when I ate 4 pieces of pizza! FOUR! I haven't done that in 6 months. Of course I had quite the tummy ache afterwards so I will not be doing that again any time soon. I ate at maintenance calories since I couldn't control my emotional eating. Whenever I injure myself I get really down and feel like the rest is going to set me back (it never really does to be honest, but that's how I feel) and I'm going to regain all 25 lbs I lost in a weekend. I gained .2 lbs. Not too shabby for a weekend of gluttony.

Just got to keep on swimming, swimming, swimming...

Source

Today I was so bored I made up my own routine of punches and body weight exercises from everything I learned from Insanity and Jillian Michaels. I managed to fill up 24 minutes with impromtu exercise and burned 165 calories. Not amazing, but it is something. Also, I went to the store and it felt great to get out. My calf is a tad sore, but I'm sure getting out and walking helped shake up the scar tissue in there! I bought so many fruits.

Now I'm going to break down some seedless watermelon and pineapple that I got at the store today. YAY!! I'm hoping to go for a slow 1 mile run on Wednesday and see how everything shakes out. Until then, I shall keep waiting and doing body weight exercises. Patience is a virtue that I am learning...unfortunately.

1800 Minute in May Challenge Recap: 1206 minutes
A very respectable number! I'm going to focus on healing and stretching for the month of June. My goal is to do the foam roller 2 times per week to help loosen my muscles. 

“The best way out is always through.” ― Robert Frost

So I keep on keepin' on.

Today I wanted to see how long it would take me to do 3.1 miles on a walk/jog pace. It took me 48 minutes to reach 3.1 and the total distance I went was 3.18 in 50 minutes. I had a panic attack during the last 5 minutes but I had to keep it together since the gym was not deserted today (boo). Marathon man was there and a new girl I haven't seen before was there. I'll call her marathon girl. Marathon girl was most likely wearing perfume because I could smell it 2 treadmills over. Wearing perfume to the gym is something that makes no sense to me. You can't possibly smell that terrible that you need to be all perfumed up to workout. At first I was annoyed by her fit presence striding along faster than I could ever hope to run. Then I started striding along with her (my strides being MUCH smaller and slower) and it was nice. I was mentally beating myself up the entire time (which is why I prefer a deserted gym, but I seriously need to get over it already), but I need to accept the fact that I am responsible for gaining 50 pounds and getting into the worst shape of my life. Now I need to dig myself out of that hole. And since I had a good 40 pounds on that chick (her legs were the size of my biceps...yeah...) I figure I'm doing good jogging along between a 12-14 minute pace.

I am broken up with running in my mind, but I get on the treadmill and I just won't stop trying. I still jog for 5 minutes at a time with various walk breaks. I think it's just so ingrained, I don't want to stop. I'm terrified about the race at the end of the month, but I'm hoping I come in around 45-48 minutes. If I do better, well then that will be a great surprise. If I do worse, well, I wasn't expecting much anyway. Last year the last person to cross the finish line in that race came in with an 18 minute mile so I'm hopeful I won't be the only slow one. Yay!

Yesterday I made Halupki (Pigs in Blanket) Soup for dinner and it was AMAZING. It tastes exactly like a shredded up halupki (piggies, pigs in a blanket, etc.) in broth. Nomz! I grew up in a Slovak-Irish family so anything with cabbage is comfort food to me. So here's the recipe if you're a lover of halupki like me!

Halupki Soup (Pigs in Blanket Soup)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz) of beef broth
1 package (1 lb.) of shredded cole slaw (in the bagged salad area)
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2-3/4 cup uncooked rice (I used 3/4 c. because I like more rice in my halupki)

Directions:
Spray pot with Pam (or use a tablespoon or two of olive oil).

Brown meat, add onions and stir for about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and heat until fragrant (about 30 sec). Add broth, cole slaw, tomatoes, salt, and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a boil.

After bringing the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, add rice, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

And I shall leave you with this:

Happy Fish Fingers and Custard Day!
AND
3 years of being a Whovian!

"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." -William Faulkner

Today was the second time I ran outside. This time around it was 49 degrees instead of 32 and it was sunny, a light breeze and blue skies.

It is a beautiful Saturday in the neighborhood.

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...oh would you be mine..."
I miss this kind of television. 

I think I can safely say I'm done running on the treadmill. I need to learn how to lengthen my stride since I have this tiny little sad shuffle run. Our complex was built on a hill with varying degrees of incline and there are some flat areas, but I have a good feeling I'm going to build serious leg muscles.

I just need to learn how to move my legs.

Sigh. I know, I know...

Running seems like something that should be natural and it's not unless you've spent your entire life doing it. First was overcoming the breathing issues and now I need to overcome the shuffle run. It's frustrating to be able to run 2.5 miles on the treadmill and then transition to outside and run 1.5-2 miles and be exhausted. I just keep telling myself that this is a different animal. There is no belt pushing me forward. I have to rely on myself to keep going. Training is going to get tough over the next month, but I need it to be in order to change and improve.

Positive attitude...positive attitude...

Yoga is my love. I only do quick 10 minute video before and after I run or do weight training, but it just makes my muscles feel so much better. I think I'm one of those people who NEED to stretch or else. I'm going to look for longer routines to do.

Tonight I'm going to try out the one frozen yogurt place in town, Yogi Castle. I'm hoping they have as many yummy flavors as they do on the website. I could go for the green tea flavor with some mochi topping. Nomz!

Looking forward to this...

So here's to the end of "Murphy's Law" week and hopefully next week will be much better!

Mileage: 1.8 running, .6 walking (2.4 total)

"What doesn't kill you makes a fighter..."- Kelly Clarkson, What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)

UGH.

Yeah, I'm a little perturbed today.

So my calf strain healed and I got back to running today. The run went well. Only did 1.5 miles of running to make sure not to aggravate the strain if it wasn't totally healed. Well, after running some errands, and cleaning  much of the apartment (which I did in supportive shoes) I notice my left ankle is sore and stiff. And of course it is the achilles tendon that is sore and stiff. I'm praying that I didn't really hurt it and it is just being sore and a pain (literally).

It's always something isn't it?

That's about right...

I hate being overweight (as I have finally reached a BMI under obese, I can safely say I'm overweight. yay!). Being overweight makes everything harder. Most normal, healthy, semi-in-shape people can start training to run and if they have the right shoe they usually don't come across any injuries until they are going much farther than 2.5-3 miles. Or at least it feels that way! I want to run. I have to run. There are so many people saying I can't and I can not let them win. I will not sit by while they smile smugly knowing they were right all along.

Because they're not.

Who wouldn't want to be a unicorn?

Sure I might not keep my commitments, change my mind easily, and make crazy impromptu decisions, but this is one decision, one dream, I REFUSE to give up on. I have a huge race in November I WILL RUN. I need to learn how to run hills without pulling my muscles because this race is hill crazy! I'm just thankful that I have a great running store very close by with staff that have done marathons to get advice from. I'll wrap my legs up in whatever I need to as long as I can continue training and getting better without injury. I'm sure I'm not the only fat runner they've ever had.

Slow and strong, baby!

I'm trying, I'm concerned and I want to be better. That has to count for something, right?

My apologies as that was a bit of a rant [understatement of the year], but I really need to reassess and remember why I'm doing this. I'm doing it to stick to something for once in my life. And it will happen, it will just take a lot of time and work.

Time, time time.

The food front hasn't been good either this week. I had 2 failed recipes one right after the other this week. I'm hoping tonight's dinner goes well. It's basically a mexican inspired frittata, and I can cook eggs well so fingers crossed! I found a lot of good recipes online and next week is looking much more promising than this week.

This week has just been a knock down, drag out, Murphy's law kind of week. Definitely looking forward to my Friday beer tomorrow. Well, the "beer" will actually be cider. I have a new Woodchuck Cider to try, nom nom!

If only... :)

One day I'll look back at this time and (hopefully) be able to say this was my fork in the road, my turning point and I decided to keep going. I know there are a lot more forks in the road and injuries and setbacks, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

New Doctor Who: 23 days

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Mileage: running- 1.6, walking .6

"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."- Joshua J Marine

So this weekend we went to visit my husband's family. It was also the start of my outside training. And of course it was snowing.

Did I wuss out? Did the snow and laziness of a Saturday after 3.5 hours in the car get the better of me? 

HECK NO!

I got suited up with a few layers, borrowed some gloves and earmuffs, strapped on my new HRM and got out there! And the hills...oh the hills! I managed to suck it up and traverse the hills slowly while making sure I didn't fall on snow or ice. After going up and down hills the part of the road that was flat felt AMAZING. I ran about 2 miles but boy was I SLOW! I logged 15 minute miles. Ugh. But for my first time on hills, outside, in the snow, I'd say that was rather good. 

Courtesy of blog.saucony.com

Now the first 10 minutes of the run I wanted to turn around and go back. It was cold, my eyes were stinging and watering from the cold wind and my lungs didn't want to cooperate. After the 10 minute mark, I started getting a good pace and my body was warming up. The worst part was running into the wind, but I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. The last 5 minutes I couldn't feel anything below my belly button. I'm planning on getting real running tights this fall since my pants were victoria's secret skinny yoga pants that kept falling down. Oh I must have been a sight with my belly sticking out, ha ha! 

At least I did it.

Sadly, I pulled my calf muscle. I didn't feel it until the day after. I thought I was just sore, but when the pain persisted today and I couldn't bear weight on it without it buckling on me I knew I strained it. I was beyond angry this morning because today is beautiful and sunny, mild temperatures, and a perfect day to run outside. Grumble grumble. 

So today instead of running, I decided to do some weight training and focused on the upper body so as not to aggravate my leg any further. I could be angry with myself for not preventing this little injury, but instead I'm using this rest time to get back into weights and strength training. I hate strength training because it is so much harder than cardio, but the hard truth is that I need it. I need strong muscles to help prevent injuries. I need less body fat. Also, I would like to have some semblance of upper body strength. 

All in good time I suppose. 

On the food front I have nothing to share as of yet, but I do have a lot of new recipes to try out this week! Tonight's dinner are cheeseburgers with  baked sweet potato fries. I've been craving a burger but can't do fast food burgers anymore due to stomach issues and I didn't want to spend $14 on a burger in a restaurant. I'm super hungry today so I'm looking forward to getting it started shortly! 

Can anyone recommend a good scale? My scale has seen better days and is no longer giving me anywhere near accurate readouts. 

Now to rest for 10 minutes and on to dinner prep!

Countdown to new Doctor Who: 26 days

Courtesy of Doctor Who and the Tardis by Craig Hurle

“If you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? ---- Carpe -- hear it? – Carpe, Carpe Diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.” ― N.H. Kleinbaum, Dead Poets Society

Man, I have to watch Dead Poet's Society again!
Such a good story.

Oh Captain, my Captain!

Well, today was semi-stressful. The husband and I went to the DMV to get all the new documents we need for living in our lovely new state. In total it took 3 hours and considering the average wait time is 4 hours, I'd say we got lucky! The worst part was waiting to get our licences, which took about 2.5 hours of the 3 hours we were there. Then they transferred us over to get the rest of the paperwork done and it only took 30 minutes between the two of us from there on. Overall, not a bad experience and it went rather smooth.

And our new licence plates are cute. ^_^

After spending our morning at the DMV and being terribly hungry we tried one of the 10 food trucks that line our road. My husband got a beef burrito and I got pork and cheese pupusas. It was AMAZING! My husband's burrito was the size of what you would get at Chipolte or Qudoba but mostly made of huge chunks of steak. Good, slow cooked steak. I've never had a pupusa before and I am now a huge fan. The pupusas (3 for $5) came with some pickled onions, carrots, and jalapenos and some curtido (cabbage salad). The flavors just blended together so well and was just delicious! For a total of $12 we had a great tasting, filling lunch. Nom nom nom.

I forgot to take a picture but this is what they look like!
Courtesy of  nahrendt.wordpress.com

I love my new neighborhood.

So I didn't get to my run until 3pm. The gym was all but deserted except for myself and a guy I call "marathon runner" because he's pretty tall, has lots of lean muscles but not ripped and he hauls arse on the elliptical! So myself and marathon runner got our sweat on. Today I pushed myself just a few minutes longer and now I am back on track! I'm officially on Week 8 of C25K. Week 9 is the end so I'm almost done. Then I have a 10K training plan in tow and some hill work to start. The run today was really really hard. I wanted nothing more than to throw in the towel at minute 15 but I kept pushing. Today I really needed my ipod and was glad the music was there to get me through the run. My leg was bothering me most of the time, every muscle fought against me, and I swear I could feel every extra pound that is on my body as I plodded on. Some days, like Tuesday, I feel powerful and light as a feather. Other days, like today, I'm happy just to get it over with. I know my sluggishness today was caused by the pupusas, but there are going to be days when I can't eat exactly how I want before a run and I need to learn how to run through feeling like a lard.

I want this shirt!
Courtesy of urbanfitstudio.blogspot.com

Fun times.

This weekend I'm going to visit my family-in-law. They always have such delicious foods around, but I swear I'll try and be good! I am taking my running gear. I planned to start running outside this Saturday and I want to stick to the plan. My husband's neighborhood is rather nice and should offer an array of small hills and flat roads to give me an idea of how prepared I'll be for the race in April. From here on out I really need to stick to outside running. I'm still trying to find a good area around my neighborhood to run that I won't get hit my a car. It is nice to live on a main road, but it is a VERY busy main road with busy connecting roads.

We shall see what happens!

Oh before I forget... good news! My Polar HRM came in today! So now I can run anywhere, anytime and know my pace! Can't wait to try it out on Saturday!

Awesome sauce!

Well February was a good month. Farewell February and bring on some warm March weather!

connect.everythingzoomer.com

Minus the wind...

Mileage: 3.06

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” ― Pablo Neruda

TODAY WAS FANTASTIC!

I'm back to normal, feeling good, and back on track with training. I'm using the rest of the week to finish up week 7 of C25K that I missed out on last week and then I'm right back on track. I had to push back training outside until next weekend since we're going to visit family, but I'm going to try and sneak my running shoes in the suitcase and get outside if the weather cooperates!

I'm just so happy to be back to normal.

Now for some food stuffs! I made what is possibly my favorite chili ever! Today for lunch I baked some homemade tortilla chips to go along with it. Simply amazing! Interested? Get the recipe here.

Mmm, tasty food!

I don't believe in eating boring bland food while losing weight, and I would NEVER stick to it for life. I'm not dropping the weight for a month or two, I'm going to stay down for good. There's no good reason to be super restrictive unless it is medically necessary. Long live tasty food!

Mileage: 2.87

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” ― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

I'm baaaack!

Where have I been? Well, my body decided it would be a good time to get sick Thursday of last week. I didn't agree with it, but it convinced me that it would be a good idea. My body betrayed me.

Anyway, time to share some yummy recipes I have found! I love food. I love to cook and bake. It's about time I dedicate a post to food. Nom nomz!

First is Bolognese sauce. It was a fairly easy recipe but it has to simmer for 1.5-2 hours so make sure to start it ahead of time!

^Sauteed veggies and center cut bacon. Mmm bacon. ^

^ Look at that delicious sauce. Almost done!^

^And it's all done! I should have wiped the dish but I was just too hungry!^

Another great recipe is Skinny Chicken Pesto Bake from skinnytaste.com! It is a bit time consuming since you make your own pesto, but I made mine well ahead of time and it still tasted great!

It was super delicious!

Now, my favorite lunch food. My take on a frittata. I take some of my roasted veggies that I make ahead of time and throw them in a frying pan to heat them up (medium heat) with some cooking spray or olive oil. In this picture I also added 3 slices of center cut bacon. Then pour in 1 scrambled egg (or 1 scrambled egg + 1 egg white, or 2 egg white, or 2 scrambled eggs) and pop on a lid. Once it is almost set on top after a few mintues, I added 1/4 cups of 2% milk cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice) and pop the lid back on top until the cheese melts. Finally, slide onto a plate! Salsa or ketchup goes well as a dipping sauce if you like. Depending on what I add in (veggies, meats, etc) it is usually around 300 calories.

^ Ignore our 1970s plates, lol. This is tasty tasty stuff.^

Tonight I'm making beef and bean chile verde. It is going to be a tasty week!

Stay hungry my friends, stay hungry.

Mmm fish fingers and custard.

Sunday mileage: 1.6 (recovery run)

"She said that you were a Mr. Hottie...ness. And that she would like to go out with you for...texting and scones." -The Doctor

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Best valentine card ever right up there.

Any who (ha ha who, Doctor Who...I have issues...), today was a lovely sunny day that woke me up bright and early with the sun shining in my face. I love that it is sunny every day or every other day, but the blinds in our place don't block light very well. And I hate curtains.

At least it is sunny!

Today's run was interesting. I started off strong but lost steam about 20 minutes in. By the time I was warming down, my stomach was demanding food. I've never had hunger pains during exercise. As soon as I got my post workout snack in everything was fine. I ate the same for breakfast as I normally do. Something new I guess?

Everything is changing.

I have a defined waist and an hourglass figure again. My arms aren't as doughy and shapeless. Sadly, I lost a cup size so bra shopping is in my future. I have calf muscles! It's crazy. I'm ALWAYS hungry.

Interesting stuff.

So I have another A-mazing recipe to share with you. Skinnytaste.com is my new favorite recipe site! I made  Chicken Rollatini with Spinach Alla Parmigiana, which is a fancy way of saying chicken parmesan stuffed with spinach and cheese. This recipe came out amazingly well! The only thing I changed was putting onion and garlic powder in the filling. I'm glad I did because it added so much flavor!  Also, I had to cook it for 30 minutes instead of 25 because my chicken was a little thicker. The chicken came out juicy and tender. I don't know what more you could ask for. Here it is: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/chicken-rollatini-with-spinach-alla.html

For dessert I picked up some caramel peanut chocolate gelato and we're having Young's Double Chocolate Stout with 2 oz of Framboise raspberry for a tasty alcoholic treat! We got the idea from The Perfect Pour (an amazing wine, beer and liquor store).

What a lovely end to a good and sunny Valentine's Day.

Mileage: 2.5

I want a burger...and a beignet.

HAPPY MARDI GRAS/ FAT TUESDAY EVERYONE!

Hope y'all are having a great day. Today was a good day. Week 6 of C25K has commenced. The run was pretty good. I've gotten used to running on the small incline and I pray that's going to help when I transition to the road shortly. On Sunday the gym in my apartment complex (it's free and decent so why would I pay to go somewhere?) was busy with myself and 4 other people. Now to be fair, it's a small place compared to a Planet Fitness or Gold's Gym, but it felt great to have other people around me! Today I had one other lady working out with me. I LOVE having other people around working out with me. Although, a few year ago I would always get discouraged and try to beat out other people. Now I just feel this wonderful sense of community and seeing all body types makes me happy. No matter how big or small, slow or fast, toned or not, we're all there to improve ourselves in some way.

"You, you may say 
I'm a dreamer, 
but I'm not the only one..." ~ John Lennon, Imagine

I haven't been so happy, positive, and optimistic in a long, long time. Whether it is the running, better food, or both, I'm going to try and stay this way for as long as possible. I'm expecting to hit a wall when I transition to running outdoors since it is much harder, but I'm ready for it. 

So how's the dieting going? Ah, well, yeah...going I guess? I'm stuffing my body with better foods but the past week I kept waking up between 1-4 am STARVING. No, I'm not being a drama queen. The hunger pains were so bad I tried going back to sleep for an hour before giving up and going to get some cereal (fiber one, mmm) and OJ. Within 30 minutes, my stomach stops hurting and it is time for me to go back to sleepy land. My whole weekend was the attack of the stomach pains. So I upped my calorie intake 100 calories and now I'm just praying I'll be able to lose weight. I was scared going from 1550 to 1750 calories when I first started and it worked like a charm. Now I'm at 1800 cal a day. A day?! OMG...I'm going to be so massive I mean really you can only lose weight on 1200 cal a day riiiiiight?!! Naw, eff that. I like food.

I'd love a juicy cheeseburger and some kind of fried dough dessert right now. So why don't I go get one you ask? Well, I don't know who has a good burger around here. At home, it was ALWAYS the Ale House. Those burgers...oh yums! Fast food burgers? I do have a Burger King AND a McDonalds within a 2 minute drive. The problem is what my body does with fast food burgers. It's fine when I'm eating. It's the hour or two after that isn't so fine. My body still tolerates Arbys (mmm roast beef), but it isn't a juicy cheeseburger. I'd make one but I forgot to get ground beef at the store. -_- I'm too lazy to go and fight the crowd to get some.

Who'd have thunk that my laziness that helped me gain weight, now helps me stay away from fast food? Not me, captain, not me.

So the scallops and creamy orzo I made last night will have to do. Seriously, spend the extra money at the seafood counter and get the fresh stuff. The scallops are so sweet. Here's a link to the recipe: http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2013/01/creamy-orzo-with-bay-scallops-asparagus.html

Now to make that recipe not so fatty, I substituted fat free half and half (who knew they made that? I didn't!) for the heavy cream and used only 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil. When I ran it through the calorie calculator it came out to be 466 cal per serving and it makes 6 servings. So tasty!

Well, hope everyone enjoys their Fat Tuesday! For the love of all the is good and holy, someone eat a fried dough product for me today! Mmm.

Mileage: 2.80