Weekly Workouts (No back pain!)

I had an AWESOME week with very ZERO BACK PAIN! I have not had back Pain in over a week! My hard work at PT is finally paying off!

Saturday- 8 miles on the AT at a sub 10 min pace. My friend Allison is speedy! We met the ARC group at the Boiling Springs Tavern and did 3.5 miles out and back on the AT. Then I went out for an extra mile by myself. I did not do any PT work today. This is my second day of skipping PT work, but that isn't so bad considering I have been in PT for 3 weeks.

Sunday- 8 miles on the AT with Allison. We met at Pine Grove Furnace State Park and got on the AT from there. Allison promised me we could run slower today, and and we did. I broke out my tights for the first time since last year. I did do my PT exercises today.

Monday- A really weird and fast 5 miler (and a mile at PT)! I don't know what got into me, but my first mile clocked in at an 8:16 pace (over a minute faster than my normal pace these days) and it just felt effortless. So I thought maybe I should take advantage of this feeling and push the pace a bit! 

My splits were: 8:16, 8:11, 7:47, 7:46, 7:36

Who am I!? Dang, I felt like myself! And I had ZERO back pain during my run or at work!

Freaking bad ass.

I had PT after work and it was a great session. He keeps advancing my exercises. I'm going to tear up Planet Fitness!

Tuesday- Lifting @ Planet Fitness. I am having fun working my PT exercises into my lifting routine! I did split squats, thrusters, and some tricky planks.

 I sent this selfie to my aunt. We were messaging back and forth that morning and I wanted to crack her up with a tootsie roll picture!

Wednesday- 8 miles on the AT after work! I never run after work, let alone on the AT. But these 8 miles were a great decision! The weather was perfect, the trail was dry, and my back didn't hurt at all! Recap and more pictures here.

Thursday- Lifting at Planet Fitness. I have been changing up my routine a bit and plan to do a post about it soon! You will notice there is one thing I don't change up- my gym outfits!

Friday- Deck of cards and then 2 speedy miles around my hood. It was chilly. Luckily, Chrissy gives me warm hugs when I get home! It's getting to the point where it's dark during my whole run...

How were your workouts this week?

What I Wore to Work This Week (Friday 5!)

Hey all! I am linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 5 2.0!

Today I Have the 5 outfits I wore to work this week! These posts are always fun and I hope you enjoy seeing me out of my running clothes for once!

Maybe next week I will do a "What I wore AFTER work" post... I feel like that would get some laughs!!!

~ Monday~ 

Today I wore basically what I wore to Andrea's baby shower the day before but with more work appropriate pants.

This sweater is from a thrift store! Thrift stores are the best places to get sweaters because you can get them for like $5!

You can appreciate the colors better in this pic:

The pants were a steal from JCP a couple weeks ago- $14.99. They are St. Johns Bay brand. They are stretchy and feel like leggings, but they have pockets on the back so they look like dress pants. They are basically leggings that you don't have to worry too much about how long your shirt is when you wear them.

Then of course I gotta have the bling!

Excuse my bad complexion... I am phasing out makeup at work! The kids don't care.

I splurged on these cool booties from TJ Maxx last year. I'm so glad I bought them because they're perfect for September-November.

~ Tuesday~ 

I was super comfy today! It's almost a crime to be able to wear leggings and a baggy sweater and still look professional! These are different leggings from yesterday. They're the basic cotton kind that leave little to the imagination and require a shirt that covers the bum and crotch.

A better picture for color:

Minimal jewelry, just some chunky earrings.

Look at the lines on my forehead. That's what I get for being so freaking EXPRESSIVE all day long.

I love these boots I got at Target several years ago! I won a 5k and the prize was a $20 Target gift card, so they were nearly free!

You never know what may be under my boots...

~ Wednesday~ 

Today was all about comfort. I wanted to wear my sneakers. Luckily, I think I found a way to wear sneakers and still look professional!

And of course some statement jewelry...

A kindergartener told me she liked my necklace.

Of course she does.

~ Thursday~ 

Today, I broke out a dress with a really busy pattern. I always feel like I'm going on a safari in this outfit.

Paul said, "That's a CHUNKY necklace." Indeed!

Same gold bling I always wear!

Same shoes from Monday

Thursday after work!

Since I didn't have time to put on my Friday work clothes and take pictures, I will show you what I wore to my hair appointment after work! Yeah, I had to get the haircut from hell fixed...

Super athleisure. And I put on make up for the first time in a week! I feel better at hair appointments when I have make up on.

Do you like my necklace?

Oh, here is my fixed up hair do!

It's a little short but I wanted it that way. I want it to last for a month at least!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is your favorite look on me?
What look are you most likely to wear?

Something I never do: Run on the AT after work!

99.99999% of the time, I run before work. The reasons are abundant...

1. I wake up early anyway.
2. It helps me regulate my eating.
3. It regulates my bowls.
4. I get some "me" time before I have to give everything I have all day long.
5. It relaxes me before work.
6. I am tired after work.
7. I don't have time after work.

But yesterday was my first Wednesday in a long time without PT, so I decided to take advantage of the daylight, the beautiful fall weather, and log some miles on the AT. This is something I never do. And you know me, I am such a creature of habit. I almost felt like I was doing something wrong by not driving to PT or straight home after work!

I parked at Sherwood and started my run going North. This section of the trail was SUPER muddy the last time I was there, but not today. For a little over a mile, the AT winds along the Conodoguinet Creek before getting to Scott's Farm, which is an AT Trailwork Center.

Then I crossed the creek via the road and hopped back on the AT. There are some boardwalks at this section because it can get pretty wet. The trail goes between the road and the creek and it gets a little rocky. That's okay, I'm good at tippy toeing over rocks.

After about a half mile, the trail goes through some fields. In the summer, I hate fields because the sun beats down, the grass is high (snakes) and I get itchy. But today, the fields were fine. In fact, it was beautiful!

Sometimes it's hard to find the trail in the field, but the posts with white blazes are plentiful. It's almost impossible to get lost on the AT. At least in my opinion.

 After about a mile of fields and then crossing a bridge that goes over Interstate 81, the trail goes back into the woods. I wasn't sure how far I would go into the woods because it makes me nervous not to be close to a road. (The next road I'd pass would be in nearly two miles.) But I passed a couple of men who were hiking, so I felt better that I wasn't all alone out there. (They weren't just rando hikers. They had big expensive packs, sticks, boots... they weren't out there to murder me.)

This section was a bit rocky, but I was wondering... why the sign!? Who put it there!? And why!?

At one point, the trail crosses the PA Turnpike via a bridge.

Eventually I got to one of my favorite parts of the trail. This section gets so green and looks magical. You may recognize it, as it's where one of the pictures at the top of my blog was taken.

After I clocked four miles, I turned around and ran back to my car. On maybe way back, I saw 8 deer total! They were all within the last 3/4 of a mile of my run and they were so beautiful!

Do you like to run in the morning or after work?
When is the last time you changed up your routine?