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? 

"Every year on your birthday, you get a chance to start new." - Sammy Hagar

Happy Birthday to ME!

I'm officially a quarter of a century old and I am now firmly in my mid-twenties. So how do we celebrate this momentous occasion? FOOD! My awesome husband is taking me out for some fondue tonight. NOMZ! I've been doing well this week so I feel comfortable letting my hair down a little food wise for one meal. 

I was hoping to hit 30 pounds lost today but no luck there. I'm firmly stuck at 29 pounds lost. My body is doing the "HOLD ALL THE WEIGHT!" thing it did when I started insanity and then I dropped 7 pounds out of nowhere. So I'll wait it out. Trying to lose weight has definitely taught me the virtue of patience!

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So, I had a small revelation yesterday. I think I'll be ready to do my goal race (Run for the Diamonds) on Thanksgiving. Eleven days before that race, I run my first 10K so I should have plenty of time to recover and run the race I've been dreaming of for 20 years. It's going to be REALLY hard. The course is up and down the mountains = MEGA HILLS. And the course is NINE miles + MEGA HILLS. Yikes! I'm stubborn and I'm going to do it. I am going to need a lot of Gatorade and those energy gels to get through it but I want it to happen. Registration doesn't open until September so I have some more time to mull it over and see how I continue to progress with training. Fingers crossed!

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Insanity is going well. I'm 2 days into week 2 of the second month, and I am already seeing a different in my endurance and strength. My arms are getting much more taut and shapely. I'm losing more in my waist and hips, and I can fit in my 11/12 jeans I got a month ago that were a tad bit too tight to button. Win!

Last post I promised to post my recipe for Chocolate Strawberry Protein Smoothie! I looked at a lot of different websites and combined what I liked from all of them to come up with this. The Smoothie is definitely for chocolate lovers. You can sub the strawberries with almost any fruit. I want to try it with bananas next!

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Chocolate Strawberry Protein Smoothie:

- 1 cup of chocolate soy milk (or almond, coconut, rice, whatever-you-prefer milk! I like soy & coconut.)

- 3/4 cup of frozen or fresh strawberries or fruit of choice (I made it both ways but frozen makes a thicker consistency.)

- ~1 cup baby spinach (I just grabbed a big handful)

- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (Optimum Nutrition is my fav!)

- Ice for desired thickness

OPTIONAL: add 1/2 tsp-1 tsp of instant coffee to bring out the chocolate flavor and put some pep in your step! 

Blend and Enjoy!

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There is truly nothing better than chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! You can also omit the protein powder and use a teaspoon of cocoa powder instead. 

I'm tempted to go and make myself one now!

What is your favorite smoothie recipe?

“A bruise is a lesson...and each lesson makes us better.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

This week is the week of PAIN.

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I knew going into the second month of Insanity that I would be sore, but I never expected to be this sore. What is most impressive to myself is that I'm working through it even though I really, really, really don't want to.

The DOMS (delayed on-set muscle soreness) is as bad as it was when I first started exercising over 6 months ago. Yesterday was really sore legs. Today is really sore arms and shoulders. If it doesn't challenge you it doesn't change you, right?

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=)

Today's Insanity workout was Max Cardio Conditioning. I don't know if it was because this was an off day from running or that the workout was only 47 minutes, but I actually had some semblance of "fun." Max Cardio wasn't nearly as bad as Plyo or Interval Circuit. Now next week it starts to be combined with cardio abs so we'll see if that feeling lasts!

People's reactions to the fact that I do Insanity are funny. Most people just don't believe me or think I'm crazy. That's fine. I like doing something that most people won't even try.The biggest tip for surviving Insanity is to take an extra rest break or two (or three!) when you need it. There has been a few times I pushed a little too much and either started dry heaving or had those little black "pass out dots" appear. Unless you faint, puke, or die keep going!

Running since the race has been interesting. I've been pushing hard to get comfortable at running 12:30 minute mile. I did 2 miles at that pace and was in the land of side stitches. Maybe in a month things will be easier? I sure hope so.

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For now with running,  I'm going to start focusing on increasing distance and endurance over speed. The big event of this year is the 10K in November. I went race shopping crazy today and signed up for two races in September. The first race is September 22nd and is a 7K. The second race I thought was a 5 miler but it is actually a 5k is September 28th. I'm super excited for both but nervous because they are smaller races so you can't hide in the crowd as much! No matter what happens I'm going to own each and every mile! Side stitches or not!

In the far future I want to do a 10 miler and then a half marathon (my ultimate goal!). It is going to be a long, hard road to get to each goal race, but I'm learning to embrace pain. Sore muscles and pulled muscles are just part of this lifestyle. At first I was very freaked out by the little aches and pains. Now I'm starting to realize that there are going to be days/weeks of pain, but there will also be those days/weeks of feeling strong, awesome, and powerful. Right now is a week of pain. This too shall pass.

I'm debating on getting up super early on Saturday and going to the lake for an easy jog. I've been waking up every morning at 6 am feeling wide awake and usually fall back to sleep until 8. With it getting hotter during the early afternoon, I need to do early morning runs. I run HORRIBLY in the heat. Anything above 70 degrees makes me feel awful. I cannot wait for fall and winter! I've never said that in my life, but I feel better when it's cold. Summer is my self-proclaimed off season for races. I'd like to do some races with my friends but July and August are completely off limits. Unless the race is in Canada or the very northern US states.

I'm exhausted! Time for a dark chocolate strawberry smoothie! I'll share the recipe next post.

Do you like running in the heat or the cold? Why?

Color Me Rad Recap & Insanity Month 2, Day 1

The weekend was a BLAST!

On Saturday morning, we headed out to Philly to meet up and hang out with my friend who I've known since I was in preschool. It has been over 2 years since I last saw her, but you'd never know it! It makes me sad that I can't see her more often, but that's what road trips and races are for! Through her, I met a TON of new people and amazing runners. With all the excitement from the weekend, I was out like a light by 10 pm on Sunday night after resisting sleep for as long as I could.

Now for the race!

Pre-run cleanliness!
I'm the one with the black shin sleeves and hat.

The day was overcast, light drizzle on and off, and rather muggy and warm. I felt decent and had time to warm up and stretch well. There were so many people all over ranging in athleticism. We were packed in at the starting line like cattle and finally got to the open road after a few minutes. The group I was racing with was much faster than I was (about a 9-10 minute mile pace, maybe less) and I lost them after 10 minutes. I decided to just go as fast as I could and play catch the people in front of me. I had side stitches the ENTIRE race. I could really feel that I was pushing it, but due to the race not being timed and no one had a watch, I really couldn't tell what my pace was. I finished really fast but the course may not have been exactly a 5K.

The powdered color stations were horrible and I was happy that I had a handkerchief to cover my mouth with. Two of the color stations were liquid color sprayers, which I liked better but it stained my skin a lot worse than the powder. The finish line was a giant blinding burst of purple powder as I hacked and sputtered and tried not to slam into other runners who couldn't see either. I made it through the wilderness of purple haze and picked up a color packet to throw at my friends. We had a lot of fun with that.

After the race, we color bombed each other, we participated in the giant color release. That was so cool even though my lungs are probably technicolor. And the pictures that my hubby got are awesome!

OoOo pretty!

When we had enough color, we all clambered back to the car, put a tarp on the back seat and tried out best not to get color on the car. Traffic was horrible and we seriously considered running back to the apartment. Instead, the police opened up traffic to go two ways on a one way street and we were out of there! We were all glad to get a shower since we felt like we crushed up sidewalk chalk and rolled in it. I scrubbed as much color off as I could but the purple, blue, pink, and orange that got wet from the rain and my sweat stained my skin. I wasn't happy about that, but I was too tired and hungry to really care what the outside world thought of my new colors.

For brunch, we went to this awesome restaurant that offered crazy amounts of beer and sangria that looked amazing. I was sad since I'm not really allowed to drink anymore due to the new medication I'm on. And I LOVE sangria. So I ordered myself some brioche french toast with fruit and ate EVERYTHING. Everyone probably thought I was odd since I didn't participate in any discussions. I just closed down and dug into my brunch. There was only the food and that was all I cared about. I didn't realize that I did that at the time, but my husband pointed it out to me later. When my body wants to eat, it eats and nothing else matters. All I remember thinking was I'm tired...so tired...I'm hungry...Where's the food...I really want a sangria, damn meds...food is here...EAT ALL THE FOOD!

Due to the traffic and craziness on the way home, I didn't get to nap like I planned. Instead I spent the 2 hours being a backseat driver and yelling at my husband to slow down. I was a cranky pants. At a rest stop I decided I was hungry again and got a chicken quesadilla. BAD DECISION. I woke up early this morning and spent 2 hours expelling it from my body. I cannot eat fast food of any kind whatsoever. I thought I would be safe with that. Apparently not. I got a quesadilla in the mexican airport and nothing bad like that happened! But that was before I started eating well, eating out less often, and making my own food. My body wants no part of fast food trash anymore. If it makes me that sick now, I can only imagine what it was doing to me before when I could down 2000+ calories in one meal of my fast food of choice.

I woke up today around 9 (after getting back to sleep once my stomach had stopped revolting) and just felt exhausted. Part of the exhaustion was from the race and travel, and part of it was from the early morning surprise. I managed to convince myself to just do Insanity and that running could wait until Wednesday. Besides, Insanity keeps me in amazing cardiovascular shape so I wasn't concerned.

Today was the start of month 2 and my third Fit Test. I went all out on the fit test and beat all of my second test records. I'm learning that I'm extremely competitive and pushed through what I thought was my limit a few times. After the fit test was Max Interval Circuit. When the video started, I saw that it was 60 minutes long, and after pushing myself hard for 25 minutes I wanted to cry. I got about halfway through the workout and my body was exhausted! I paused it and grabbed the electrolyte fizz tablet that I got at my first 5K and popped it in a big glass of water. I took a gulp of of fizzy water at every water break and it really helped me get some energy back. At times I would just collapse, but I made it to cool down and was so very happy to stretch out.

Currently, I feel like every muscle in my body is lead and I know tomorrow I will be experiencing some DOMS for sure. I'm ready for bed and just wanted to get this post written, since tomorrow I will be in considerable pain due to the dentist. I'm happy in a way since after these fillings I'll be done and just have to protect my teeth from now on. Hopefully. It's still not fun and it is going to be painful, but in 24 hours it'll all be over and I'll be very relieved. Wish me luck and effective Novocaine!

Scale Victory and Second Race Excitement

"Running has taught me to be patient, to trust the process, that anything worth doing is worth training for and doing well. It has made me a better wife, co-worker, friend, nurse, sister, daughter, and person in general."  ~Andi Ball, Runner's World Challenger of the Week 

Thought you'd get away without a quote? NEVER! 

I'm beyond excited for the race on Sunday! I have just about everything set aside so now all I have to do is pack. Tomorrow we'll be clambering in a car for a short drive and enjoying the day with one of my awesome friends I haven't seen in so long. We go way back to grade school. I can't wait!!

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I had a great scale victory today! I lost 2 pounds in a week. TWO! I'm down to 176.8 now. I am beyond shocked. I haven't been really strict and I've been eating chocolate (skinny cow cookies and cream bars...SO GOOD). Only 1.8 pounds to go until I have lost 30 pounds! It has been A LOT of hard work, but it was 100% worth it!

According to some of the Insanity reviews I've been reading, you really start losing during the second month so it's right on time. I just finished off recovery week (hah! It was still hard.) and will start month 2 on Monday. It'll be rough and I might still be sore from the race, but I got to do what I got to do. Tuesday is the second dentist appointment for the rest of the fillings I need. I'm ready to get it over with, but I know I'll be doing nothing but laying around and putting a warm compress on my sore jaw. It'll also be a small mileage week due to recovering, but the following week I'll be back to 10K training. 

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Today I did a short run of a little more than a mile and a half, but I ran at a 12 minute mile during the whole thing. At first it was a bit tough, but my body really started getting into the groove about halfway through. I've been working on the treadmill to work on my running form so I can stay away from calf injuries. I've been trying to change my foot to a mid foot strike instead of a forefoot strike. Running with the mid foot strike seems to work best with my legs and knees. 

Overall, I'm just amazed that I'll be running my second 5K this Sunday. I've always stood on the sidelines of my dad's races thinking to myself, "Okay, this year I'll get in shape and do this." But the year came and went with no progress. It wasn't until I hit absolute rock bottom that I found the courage and determination to actually commit to running. I won't really feel like a true runner until I run a half marathon. My mother thinks that I'm absolutely insane for wanting to be a distance runner like my dad. I've done the research and I know that even though it may be stressful for my body, in the long run it is better for my body than not. And with a family history of bad knees and heart disease, I need all the help I can get to stay healthy for as long as possible.

I want to wish my father a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! He is my hero and the reason I race. On Sunday I'll be running this race for him. I hope that one day in the future he'll be on the sidelines cheering for me as I cross the finish line of my first marathon. I know that would make him so happy (and a bit concerned since he knows how hard marathons are). I love you dad!

Like father, like daughter...

"I want to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. I want to get more confident being uncertain. I don't want to shrink back just because something isn't easy. I want to push back, and make more room in the area between I can't and I can. Maybe that spot is called I will." ~Kristin Armstrong, Mile Markers blog, Runner's World.com

I signed up for runnersworld.com quote of the day and I am loving it! I have a thing for motivational quotes if you couldn't tell.

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Anyway, today's run was FANTASTIC. After dealing with side stitches during each of my last two runs, I finally was free of them during today's run. I felt light, airy and really motivated. I rocked out to every song on my Ipod, and I'm sure the people who walked past the gym thought I was nuts since I like to lip synch. I didn't care. It has been a while since running felt that good, that easy, that free. I decided since I was having such a good time I'd see if I could run a 5K. I finished the 5K and then some. I am extremely happy since I was really getting nervous about the race. 

Now I'm excited for the race! I'm sad my Dad won't be running this race with me, but I'll be racing with some pretty cool catz so it's all good. Bring on the color!!

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This week in Insanity is "recovery" week. Uh huh. I put the DVD in expecting Shaun T to have a yoga mat and a recovery shake. Nope. I was thoroughly disappointed. Yes, it was easier than most of the routines from month one, but it still leaves you breathless and burning! I was worried that my calorie burn would be low, ha ha ha. I'd say it's about 50 calories lower than my usual burn. I'm excited to be at this point, period. I never thought I could take on this challenge. The body is an amazing thing. 

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My legs are doing okay today. I really love my foam roller. The foam roller is going to be my BFF for however long my body will let me run. If you're having issues with muscle strains, do yourself a favor and get one. Foam rolling can be really uncomfortable, but it helps more than it may hurt. Mostly it just feels weird. 

I'm trying to figure out what to get my Dad for Father's Day. I think I'm going to print out one of the pictures of us from my first race and frame it. I want to put on the frame, " #1 Dad" on the top and "Thank You" on the bottom. I really think he'd like that and it's from the heart. Something along those lines. Sounds like tomorrow is going to be a crafty day! 

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Amen. My Dad is the reason I run.

What are you doing for Father's Day? Any races coming up?