Merry Christmas!

12 things at Christmas (yep, it is becoming an annual tradition!):

1.  Quick trip to Oregon this weekend to see my parents, but sadly my Dad had to stay home due to bad weather and housesitter problems.
2.  Mom's trip also got scrambled, but it was nice to have her camped out on the coach during her Seattle layover.  It has been a long time since I have seen my parents on Christmas!
3.  David went crazy with the Christmas gifts this year: hair salon, yoga, and a terrarium!
4.  I passed my 1st CEBS test, still pretty thrilled about that!
5.  After working 70 hour weeks, and being so stressed about that test, I am feeling a bit lost to not have to multi task every minute.
6.  I am really looking forward to starting marathon training.  Crazy, I know.  :)
7.  I am also really looking forward to running my first marathon.  It is amazing how perspective changes in just a year.
8.  My motto for 2012 was that I could do anything.  I really taught myself that.  ♥
9.  My motto for 2013 is to be kind to myself, and thankful for each day, each adventure, each friendship and each relationship.
10.  I really hope to end 2013 in the 180s.  I can do 10 pounds, see, I am being kind to myself!  :)
11.  I am really hopeful for the new year.  I get antsy at this time of year, I always feel ready to go!  And this year is no different, 2013 is going to be beautiful, wonderful, I can feel it.
12.  I missed my coffee this morning and have spent the entire day really looking forward to tomorrow's cup.  :)

2013

2013 has been on my mind today.  What can I say, I am a planner! 
For the coming year my goal is to just try to relax, enjoy this year, to be thankful.  I would like to travel, date myself, and date my love more.  Go to hot yoga (often) and end the year another ten pounds lighter.  I will become a marathoner, visit my home state and see friends from long ago.
I will find time to kayak the lakes, and yes, I need to take the water taxi to the beach. 
I am going to rock this new job of mine, watch my love graduate, and become (I am certain) an amazing chef.
In 2013 I hope for dinners and time with friends, wine country, apples, a Christmas tree, I will make time for the holidays and traditions with David.
What do you have planned?

I passed!

My life lately has been a series of 70 hour work weeks, studying for a required test, not really having time to eat (coffee!  Weight loss!), workout, or take care with myself.
But today, all of that work paid off, and I an so happy to report that I passed the 1st of 8 tests needed for my CEBS designation.  I really almost cried, I wanted to scream and shout (not at all appropriate in a silent testing center), and am still utterly amazed by that stamped and sealed page issuing congratulations.
It is amazing to me where this year has taken me.  So far away from where I thought I would be, but it isn't a bad place.
I feel like I have made it through the rough bit, at work the stage where yes we have given you the job, but have you lived up to criteria set forth in the offer letter to earn that raise?  And will you be able to accomplish a designation required in order to keep that fancy new job?
Today the answer is yes.

Month of November

The last month has brought late birthday cake, and sunny winter walks.  Too much work, and not enough play are pushing me close to burn out, but I am managing with a newly discovered a love of hot yoga, and a few short runs in the cold.

David's cooking has gotten even better - we discovered persimmons (yum!), made fresh pasta, shellfish, sausages, cheese, flan... and I'm sure there are a million other things, it is amazing the food coming out of this tiny apartment kitchen.  :)

I am proud to say that I have finished and mailed all of my Christmas cards!  I think we may forgo a Christmas tree this year, but I am making peppermint bark snowflakes to take into work, and giving my staff movie tickets.  I will probably bake some cookies and I have quite a few jars of jam - that should take care of everyone.  :)

In two weeks I have a major test to take for work which I am not feeling prepared for, but once that is done I should be able to enjoy the last of the year.  Christmas with David, a quick trip to see my parents in Oregon, and then celebrating New Year's and our anniversary.  I can't believe it has been 5 years!

How are you bringing in the new year?  :)

Birthday girl

One of my friends posted on FB:
‘As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to realize that what makes birthdays remarkable isn’t the fact that they commemorate having occupied the corporeal world for one more year. After all, every single day you are exactly one year older than you were 365 days ago. What makes birthdays so great - and It’s taken 30 years to grasp this - is that for one day, every 52 weeks, everyone you”ve ever loved, liked and respected tells you that they feel the same way about you, or at the very least want you to be happy. THAT is some kind of magic. And if the long-lived are to be believed, that specific kind of magic, plus a few extras (sunshine, physical activity, a bit of romance, copious wine) puts life in your years and adds years to your life.”
That totally changed my perspective today. :)
This year my birthday was simple, but I loved the day.  I took the day off work and ate breakfast in bed (homemade granola) while reading facebook birthday wishes.  Took the bus downtown, picked up coffee at my fav Italian place (cafe senso unico),  and ran to the spa for a body scrub, massage and facial.  What a treat!  Bought myself some cute jeans, and was supposed to go to a super fancy dinner, but after spending an hour trying to get home in the rain I just didn't want to be fancy!  Lol... David teased because if he had suggested going to a place that was anything less than fancy I would have been sad, it is my birthday!  But casual is sometimes perfect when it's your own idea.  :)
We ran through rain puddles to a new favorite date night spot, had the best time chatting and eating sushi with our fingers.  Crossed the street for birthday pumpkin gelatto, and home again to calls from loved ones.
Today.  I loved life.  I loved my life.
Today I was so happy, and that was the best way to spend the day.  :)

New job, long to-do list :)

My days are currently a series of lists.  Trying to learn a very big job, managing a department, something bigger, more important than I have ever done.  Previous applicable experience, yes.  But not in a situation that would actually impact someone's life if I fail.  Hotel management is not the same thing.  If your room reservation is lost or incorrect it is a small window of your life that will likely be effected.  Not the case with the current job, now we are talking about all of your retirement years.  I will learn, I can do the job, I care about it enough.
And I don't want to be the person I was while managing hotels, I want to work smarter.  I do not want to be at work all day every day. 
I will allow myself dedication to learning, but I have learned the value of life (outside of work).
Good thing international travel and vacation is encouraged.  Yes, I asked before accepting the offer.  :)
This list, perhaps not as happy as the last that I shared, but it ends well.  :)
review emails
pick up lulu pants
vote
ck for maintenance guy
pull and review third quarter calls
make processes for everything. and link to database
update phone list with data links
as of 11/01:
book exam
laptop?
hw training
train on call programs, pull calls and review fourth quarter
post ad for new rep
12/01:
Cross train
discuss workload shifting
movie tickets and popcorn for gifts
update Garmin so displaying correctly
Make lemon curd
Make 2012 video
2013 - make a weekly 'my everyday life' post for blog, pics and little happy things for 52 weeks
Register for the hot chocolate run (03/03/13) and the lake union 10k
Make marathon training plan, road id, hydration pack, make a shirt with my name and a quote 'do something that scares you'
change hotel reservations, book massage
Anchorage - botanical garden and market -www.anchoragemarkets.com
hike outside of homer
Buy Australia ticket, and australia race?

Zion National Park

Fall? Leaves are falling and I have pulled my coat out of the closet, but I am still having a hard time adjusting to the idea that it is no longer summer here in the PNW.

It is pretty much my own fault though; I just got back from an amazing weekend hiking in the sun at Zion National Park in southern Utah. The sunshine, and lingering scent of sunscreen, is leaving me longing for just a few more weeks of summer. :)

Zion though? It was amazing. I spent much of the trip in awe of the landscape around me, feeling like I had traveled to another country with scenery and hiking terrain dramatically different than the mountains near Seattle. Heather and I trekked up to Angle's Landing, waded through the Narrows, and lived to tell tales of the Subway. Though we had read summaries of each hike, watched YouTube videos, and seen pictures, I don't know that any of the hikes were what we expected. We are in good shape!  She just hiked a mountain in one day, and I just ran a half marathon, but 5 miles really did take 5 hours and 9 miles really did take 9 hours.  Every hike seemed more extreme than I expected… Zion challenged me, taught me to boulder and certainly made me more confident in my balance! :)

Mongolia 12k, Run the Bluff

Yeah.... they really aren't kidding when they say 'run the bluff', it is an intense (up, down, and back up the bluff) course that I can't say I was really prepared for!  And though I finished at the tail end of the pack, I was really happy with my time and pace.  :)
location:Seattle, WA
gender place:129 out of 136
time:1:30:30
pace:12:09

A race behind in my postings!

Lake Union 10k!  This was easily my favorite distance, I didn't train, I didn't worry, and I rocked the whole thing! 
Is there such a thing as a cake run?  :)

My 'to-do list' is making me happy

It goes like this....
Zion trip - pack toothpaste, snacks
October:
Apples, a pumpkin
Send halloween cards
10/30: 5 mile run, fremont coffee (seek out fancy coffee design for birthday treat), maybe Seattle Tilth for dinner? , chocolate anglefood cake with whipped cream and raspberry sauce
10/31: cafe, spa - body scrub and facial
Make cranberry sauce
Make lemon curd
Make 2012 video
Sign up for Anchorage marathon and buy airline tickets, road id
Buy australia ticket
Look for a destination race or yoga retreat for alone vacation
2013 - make a weekly 'my everyday life' post for blog, pics and little happy things for 52 weeks
....what is making you happy?  :)

Today I ran my first half marathon.

Wow!  I started the day taking the bus down to the Seattle Center.  The bus was full of runners and I kept thinking 'these are my people!'  Silly I know, but so fun to share something so positive with such a huge group.
People were friendly and chatty while we waited our turn to start.  I talked with a woman, Gail, who in her 70s has done 15 half marathons with several more planned for this year!  And the ever so sweet Melinda and Melissa in their purple tutus!  They really helped calm my nerves and before too long coral 30 was off and running through downtown Seattle.  One of my co-workers came to cheer me on (which was so amazing!) and before I knew it we were out of the city headed south.  I had a pretty crazy side cramp from miles 2.5 to 3.5 - in all of my training I haven't had any cramps!  It kind of made for a rough start but the side stitch finally went away after a bit of water and gatoraide.
Miles 4 through 11 I loved!  The weather was beautiful, the scenery amazing, I didn't have any blisters, and couldn't have asked for a better run.  I took in almost a full pack of strawberry cliff shot blocks and drank water at every station.  I took pictures, a little movie, I just had a great time!  That is until we hit the viaduct.  That is were things went downhill oh so very quickly.
Now don't get me wrong, running along the viaduct was beautiful, but it was like the concrete had been worn away and the remaining rocks in the road KILLED my feet.  I was in so much pain I felt like I was going to be sick.  Everyone was walking around me, miles 12 and 13 were brutal!  I jogged as much as I could, but it wasn't as much as I would have liked, especially coming from miles 10 and 11 which were amazing!
Anyway, I talked myself through finishing, got my metal (!!!) and had my picture taken.  At this point I was really wishing David had been able to be there, because finding my way out of the Seattle Center was just overwhelming, I was so very tired.  But thankfully once out a bus came right away and I could sit down.  I don't know that I have ever been so happy to sit down in my whole life.  :)
All and all running the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon was an amazing experience!  Thank you Seattle for not raining on us, I am forever grateful!  (Lol... and yes, it started *pouring* as soon as I walked in the door!)

Race countdown!

Have I mentioned how excited I am?

Feeling better :)

I have just decided that the half marathon is going to be emotional, and that I just need to go with the flow a bit. 
My ear is feeling better.  I have discovered that strawberry cliff shot blocks are super yummy fantastic.  And I bought some running socks which are meant to prevent blisters.  These things relieve my fears greatly... and really make me want to sign up for another half marathon I found in July!  lol.... no, I promised myself that I would get through this one first, but now that I have cut out some of the worries I am starting to get excited!

Taper!

I don't know that I am feeling super race ready or confident, but all of the months of training are quickly coming to a close. Two weeks to race day!

The last of my long runs are done, I ran 9 miles around Greenlake on Saturday, and 3.5 around Ballatd on Sunday ... but, truthfully, after just 9 miles I was beyond exhausted and that scares the crap out of me. I know I can walk forever. I know I can hike almost as far, hell three months ago I was hiking some serious Peruvian mountainsides. But *run* 13.1? I'm shaking in my boots sneakers.

I need to remember to take in more calories, but now is too late in the game to practice this... Lol... good grief! I feel like I need new socks, I have been getting blisters, I need more sharkies, I need to figure out clothes and bus schedules, my ear is totally hurting, the Dr. said that it is probably just stress! Lol.... the fear/nerves may be silly, but I can't seem to shake them! I really want to rock this, I want to be proud of the accomplishment. I will be by myself on that day, I asked my family to come, but they couldn't make it, and my boyfriend is working, no one to take me to the starting line and hold my extra clothes, take my picture, or cheer me on with wacky signs, this is just about me.

Yikes.

Healthy goal setting

I follow ... well a lot of blogs on facebook, and recently added Nerd Fitness (what can I say, I really like the lego action figures!).  Todays post on building healthy habits hit home so I am checking in on my goals for the year.
My goals this year mainly revolve around getting healthy and FINALLY reaching a healthy weight.  But as the year has progressed I have found myself refocusing a bit -
I have mentioned my desire to lose another 40 pounds.  I have been making time for exercise and finding things I really WANT to do.  Not just talking about, doing!  Running (races are fun!), and hiking (Zion at the end of September!) top my list and I have been making time for one or both each weekend.  I have also been taking about 15 minutes or so each evening to do some sit-ups, push-ups, a few minutes to work on balance and flexability.
I want to be able to take a fancy hiking picture in wheel pose and in tree pose!  I want to work on my balance and flexability.
Something I am proud of, is that these goals really relate to what I want, what I think would be a cool accomplishment, these are not goals imposed by outside influences.  Well, the yoga poses while hiking started in Machu Picchu, so maybe Heather has a bit to do with those.  :)
I have also changed the name of my savings account to 'Christy's Travel the World Fund' and am seeing the the balance grow.  :)

Race for the cure 5k

Yesterday we hiked up a mountain, David's first hike with me and .... well,  we got to the top just in time for a downpour!!!  Lol.... I could only laugh, I so wanted him to fall in love with hiking just like I have, but Rattlesnake Ledge let me down!  Lol....

Anyway, this was another weekend of hiking and racing, today I ran
the Race for the Cure 5k - and was pretty happy with my time!
Location: Seattle, WA
Overall place: 263 out of 353

Time: 36:44

Pace: 11:50

All and all I loved this race, and felt like it was really well supported.  They had the streets closed off for us, and there were tons of people cheering along the sidelines!

I ran this one for my Mom (who is an amazing survivor!!!), and for myself, every mile makes me healthier!  But I have to tell you, running along and seeing all of the girls 'running for Mommy' was really moving. 

This race challenged me, but I made it without crying!  :)

Hiking - Twin Falls

Hiking is maybe my favorite form of exercise (tied I think with boxing, yoga and running tied for second place lol....).  Sunday morning I hiked the short and sweet Twin Falls trail with some friends from work.  We had a few sprinkles, but the pack of bernese mountain dogs (and their owners) hiking just ahead of us kept us going.  Busy weekend!

Seattle's Best 15k!

My longest distance to date! 
While my time was very slow compared to the rest of the runners today I was pretty happy. 
Seattle's Best 15k!
9.3 miles finished in: 1:55:54 with an average pace of 12:26.
I did learn a couple things today though,  so it really was good practice for the half marathon... 
My watch was dead, I must have left it on after my last run, here on out I will be charging it before long runs, I spent the whole run wondering if I was going too fast or too slow, it really messed with my head!
My shoes were too new and tied too tightly, my feet kept going numb.  I'm not too worried about this for the half marathon though, I feel pretty confident that my shoes will be well broken in by then.
David met me at the finish line and took pictures but they didn't work!  I was too tired to suggest using my phone, but for the half I need to make the effort!  I was really disappointed to find I didn't have any pictures from such a big day.  I would also like to try to take some video while running the half.  :)
Fuel! I had my fuel belt today, both bottles filled with juice and water which is what I train with and I like, but I had some sharkies and didn't eat them!  This was a bad move on my part, because I was nautious by 8 miles and then had a pretty hard time forcing myself to eat and drink once home.  I am going to need to take in fuel at 6.5 miles, and maybe again at around 9.5 miles.
So a few problems today, but at the end of the day I finished, I did it!  Oh, and I certainly can't say that it was totally awful because tomorrow I am going hiking! Lol.....

Adding miles

With the half marathon looming I have been really good about getting in all of my long runs.  The short ones?  Not so much.  ...and that is a bit scary.  My distance pace isn't where I thought it was going to be, I was really hoping to be running 10 minute miles by now, but for anything over five miles I am doing closer to twelve or thirteen minutes per mile (well, I do a bit better when I am not getting lost in a very scenic neighborhood filled with dead end streets lol....). 
Next weekend is the Seattle's Best 15k.  Goal #1:  have fun, enjoy the scenery, be thankful when you finish.  Goal #2: finish in under two hours.  Goal #3: try to finish in under 1:45 (this is a stretch, but I really want to push myself and be proud of my time in the end).

Peru and Machu Picchu!

Before I head off on my next adventure I wanted to post a bit about Peru, becuase well... I loved it there.  I have been a few places in the world, done a little traveling, and while this was maybe the hardest trip I have ever taken, it was by far my favorite.  There were times I questioned myself, my relationships, and my determination, but in the end Peru reminded me how far a smile can get you, how nice it is to travel with one of my very best friends, and how strong I really am.  It seems a surreal experiance in retrospect, and has only increased my desire to travel everywhere.  lol.....  Thank you Peru, you were beautiful in both landscape and spirit. 

Leif to Leif 5k!

Leif to Leif 5k! It was fun windy, cold, and an AWESOME hill workout! Woo hoo! Lol….

Half way through week four of half marathon training and my pace is FINALLY getting back to pre cold levels!!! Today was lunchtime treadmill intervals for 3 miles in 36:40. …and afterwards I wanted to eat EVERYTHING! lol…. I was starving!

Today was crazy. After a month of interviews and craziness, I got promoted. Wow. It seems pretty surreal, I didn’t tell anyone I was working toward this because I wasn’t at all sure that I would get it, but I did.


That, and I saw the Hunger Games which was great (!!!). Then on the way home I had a completely scarry bus ride, I got off and waited for another I was so freaked out. Yeah, crazy crazy day. :)

Flowers in the air

Slow, and I spent the entire run blowing my nose because EVERY tree is blooming lol…. but it was so nice to run outside!

Handstands?

OMG (yes, I am 33 and just typed that lol….) I need to be able to do this on all of my hikes! (and not fall down the mountain)

Dinner ideas?

This weekend was all about cleaning and exercise. Two yoga classes, boxing and a clean house! This week I have oats for breakfast and salads for lunch. Dinner is trickier, but we have lots of eggs and veggies. I just need to be strong enough to pick healthy things when my partner is eating fettuccine every night.

Have you ever dealt with this? He tries to be supportive, but is enrolled in a sustainable culinary program, so my go to sources of lean protein are tossed out the window as inhumane and unsanitary, and he is making pasta! Lol…. I’m trying to be supportive of his program/education and truthfully I make almost every ‘processed’ thing that we eat, baked goods, bread, granola, jam - all from scratch.

But I am finding limitations such as no ground meat (I really need to buy a meat grinder! Lol….), and no products owns by pepsi (even if organic) to be difficult!

Help! Lol…. I need some lean dinner ideas. What are your favorites?

Week two, second run this week! Quick lunchtime run (while watch the 300 hee hee!) Ahem, anyway, speed was a bit better and just two walking breaks, but I felt good! No soreness before or after. Saturday I have another run scheduled and am going to try to catch yoga again. Last week I made the class, picked up a super yummy protein shake and a few groceries, ending the day with this awesome feeling of ‘this is how I want to start rewarding myself’, a feeling I used to only associate with eating an entire cake.

Half Marathon Training!

Making a training schedule for my upcoming half marathon has been on my 'to do' list for a while,  but today I actually finished it and my first 2 mile run!  I'm feeling productive!

Ok boys, don’t read this (possible TMI )

Yesterday I learned a very important lesson: When the doctor that you actually trust, one that takes the time to listen to all of you symptoms, tells you that she really thinks the reason that you are having difficulty losing weight might be related to your birth control, do not poo poo said doctor. The very next piece of mail you get may be a letter from your prescription drug provider indicating that there is a RECALL on your birth control (oh, and yes at least the last three packs were in the effected lot). Good times.



I feel like an idiot. (but am really hopeful that my now required change may make things easier!)

One more thing this evening, when asked could you say what makes you happy? 
This is a tough question.

Relax.

My dr. is encouraging a low sugar, high protein and add in a little fat diet.  And I am to really focus on lowering my stress levels.  While my blood work was pretty good, she is thinking that my emotional state and difficulty losing weight is mainly due to stress.  Ugh. 
So this weekend I have: gone to yoga, sat in the sun (hours on the patio reading my book - in February!), cleaned my house, worked in some salad, did (and paid - yuck!) my taxes, bought two new pairs of running shoes, biked 20 miles, stick fighting with D, baked bread, ate frozen yogurt while taking a bubble bath, read a book on Peru, and watched a Felicity marathon.  What a weekend!
This week may be pretty stressful, but I have a date with some girlfriends on Saturday,  am going to work in some running days, make my half marathon training plan, and one day this week I am going to check out the flower and garden show (dorky, I know, but I LOVE it and go every year).  I can do this!

My dr. is encouraging a low sugar, high protein and add in a little fat diet. And I am to really focus on lowering my stress levels. While my blood work was pretty good, she is thinking that my emotional state and difficulty losing weight is mainly due to stress. Ugh.




So this weekend I have: gone to yoga, sat in the sun (hours on the patio reading my book - in February!), cleaned my house, worked in some salad, did (and paid - yuck!) my taxes, bought two new pairs of running shoes, biked 20 miles, stick fighting with D, baked bread, ate frozen yogurt while taking a bubble bath, read a book on Peru, and watched a Felicity marathon. What a weekend!



This week may be pretty stressful, but I have a date with some girlfriends on Saturday, am going to work in some running days, make my half marathon training plan, and one day this week I am going to check out the flower and garden show (dorky, I know, but I LOVE it and go every year). I can do this!

January 2012

I'm tired.  There, I said it.  :)
I feel like the last 6 months have aged me, both mentally and physically.  I'm trying to fight it, but I think big life change just stresses me.  I have taken up running, added a little yoga, am trying to save save save (or at least not spend so much on groceries! lol....), but I can feel the tension in my life.  Do you know what I mean?  Where you just stop calling friends and family (all I want to do is whine a bit, and who wants to listen to that for six months in a row?).  And when they start calling to check in, you just try to focus on them (because they usually have non-whining things to discuss which are significantly more uplifting), but then after a while they notice!  (Pesky of them, isn't it?)  That you have nothing to say (my mother taught me to keep the snarky stuff to myself), and you've been saying 'fine' for an awfully long time.  But when pushed there isn't MORE to say or do, sometimes maybe there isn't an around, perhaps just a through, as in we will work through this.  Hopefully you will find us stronger soon.

This is particularly fitting after this weekend spent fighting, battling my weight.
You see, though I weigh just over 200 pounds now, I have lost 80 pounds. The thing that motivated me to lose that first 80 was just that I was so tired of hating myself, so tired of being uncomfortable in EVERY circumstance, but I’m not that girl anymore, I hike and bike, I RUN. And now I don’t know how to find the motivation to keep trying to lose weight. I read all of these things about loving yourself enough, taking care of your body and what you put into it, my partner begs me to be healthy for a long life together, but that 80 pounds was two years ago, and for the last two years I haven’t lost anything, I have fluctuated within the same 5 to 7 pounds. I feel like if I could just get to 190 I could really make it, but that just seems so far away.
How do you decide to be thinner than you have ever been? All of the women in my family are obese, I don’t have any idea what I would look like, what my life would need to be like. I read lots of fitness things, I workout like crazy, can lift like one of the boys, I have muscles. No, scratch all of that, I have MANY things to be thankful for, grateful for, and even proud of… but how do you decide to be something you’ve never been before?

Slow and icy - bad run to match my bad mood, but at least I put the miles in.

Friday 5

I love that everyone has been posting positives lately - my friday five:




1. My partner is so confident in my baking skills that we are baking mini pies to take to a bakery to see if they will hire me.

2. Though I kind of freaked out making the pies (not feeling super confident), David has been really kind and helpful. :)

3. My Mom had knee surgery this week and is already feeling less pain.

4. I got to play in the snow for a week, and now it is melting so we can go back to normal life.

5. I am also really thankful for and looking forward to my trip to peru coming up in april. Thankful that I can and that I have friends to travel with. :)

Snow!

Can I tell (whine) you that it is cold? Really cold. Did 1.5 hours at the gym lifting with David yesterday, and am at about that long on the bike today - all indoor workouts this week! :)

Today scared me into reading symptoms of iron deficiency online which is never a good idea (lol…), but actually made me feel much better. Out of the list, I have been feeling most, including aching joints which I didn’t even think could be related. So continuing with the high potency multi including iron, and supplementing with spinach salad for dinner. :) This is a weird place for me, I have always had high levels of iron (blood tests and semi frequent blood donor), I specifically avoid vitamins with iron, and now I seem to NEED it. sigh Running, diet and nutrition working together sometimes still seem like a foreign concept to me despite how much I really try to avoid these very scenarios. I like to feel strong, powerful and capable, I despise huddling on the couch like a frozen lump.

I made a workout plan but haven’t done it. Work is completely overwhelming and I am just exhausted. Plus the scale said 202.5 this morning which completely bummed me out. I have said this before, but I need to actually do: just weight myself once a week and stop with this daily business. Anyway! So tired I feel almost depressed or something, but I am sleeping and eating well so I took one of David’s vitamins (which turns my pee day glow! lol….), and am hoping my body just needs a little boost. :) Off to bed, night all!

“You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted. You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you. You ran. 5ks, 10ks, 26.2 miles. Some days more, some days less. You rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you. Sun tried to microwave you. Snow made you feel like a warrior. You cramped. You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games. Put your heart before your knees. Listened to your breathing. Sweat sunscreen into your eyes. Worked on your farmers tan. You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be a man about it. You decided to be a woman about it. Finished what you started. Proved what you were made of. Just kept putting mile after mile on your internal odometer.”

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”


Maya Angelou

I would really like to do this Yosemite hike!

Work can only currently be labeled as madness. Yesterday meals were skipped, I was grouchy. Today I was determined to keep my goals in mind, to love myself, to make time for myself. And today I learned that when you need to work through lunch, you still have time for 30 kettle bell swings and a 15 min run. :) Good stuff, I’m telling you. :)

Date a girl who runs

http://thebullrunner.com/2011/03/29/date-a-girl-who-runs/#.TwUcrhpZ7lZ


I love this. :) …and yes, when David asks me why I love it so much, I tell him it is because I can (that this is finally something athletic that I love, that I’m pretty good at, and it is something that I am going to be great at!)

Breakfast

Making use of down time before we head to the gym :)

January 1st run!

Yesterday involved too much champagne, and not enough water (our anniversary and new years eve <3). I was feeling it this morning, but this is longer and faster than my last run over 5 miles!