7 Wants

Kristen @ Sweat Courage started a new blog series- 10 Day You Challenge.

Today is 7 Wants!

Obviously, there are many serious things I want. A clean bill of health for Paul, world Peace, my cats to live forever... you know, that type of stuff. I will instead go the more practical, tangible route and tell you about some actual "things" I want/need.

1. A new lawn mower. We have been borrowing our friends' lawn mower for the past several weeks but we need to get our own. The one I am using now is electric- which is very interesting. I am actually getting really good at navigating around the two long extension cords I need to mow my lawn. My neighbors probably think I'm crazy but I have mastered the art of flipping the flippin' extension cord out of my way! When we get a new one, an electric one isn't out of the running- it's much lighter to push!

2. A pull up bar for at home. If I had one, I bet I could get away with only going to Planet Fitness once a week. Think of all the episodes of Nancy Grace I could catch up on if I could do pull ups at home!

3. Mizuno Wave Rider 15s. Unfortunately, they don't make them anymore. I hated the 16s and didn't even try the 17s. Maybe I should try barefoot running? Just kidding. But seriously, I need to figure out my shoe situation within the next month or so.

4. More cats and/or dogs. I love my cats with all my heart, but there is always more love to go around! I would love to get two more cats and a dog. The only problem is, the cats would get insanely jealous seeing the dog go outside to use the bathroom. And I am not sure I want to put Christmas and Jelly through that! They don't even like when Paul and I go outside. They feel jilted.

5. A motor home! Okay, I am going a bit over the top with this one but I don't care! How awesome would it be to travel around the country with Paul and the cats all summer long? We would have the time of our lives!

6. I want to move to Colorado. We love it there.

7. Front row tickets to a Madonna concert. It has been my dream since high school! However, I have been lucky enough to go to two of her concerts... just not in the front row!

If you could have front row tickets to any concert, what would it be?

If you could have any piece of gym equipment for you home, what would you pick?

Weekend Wrap Up!

I just wanted this week to be done. I feel like I say that every week… and if I don’t say it, I’m thinking it. The weeks can just be so monotonous, and that is my fault. You know what Dr. Phil says? Bored people are BORING.

I went to Planet Fitness bright dark and early to workout on the arc trainer. It wasn’t that chilly, but when I stepped out of my car, I smelled the cool air and immediately it reminded me of Christmas. I felt an instant yearning for the holiday season. If you are newish to my blog, you may not know how much I love Christmas. I do not mind if there are Christmas decorations out before Halloween. That is totally fine with me! Anyway, I am already very excited for the holiday season!

Work was long. I have nothing to say about work other than when I got in my car at the end of the day, I looked in the rearview mirror and noticed I had a big piece of chocolate from a protein bar stuck on my lip. So let's see, I ate the protein bar around 2:00 pm... that means it was there for an hour and forty-five minutes. 70 students and several adults saw me in that amount of time and no one mentioned the piece of chocolate? So embarrassing!

I did wear my sneaks again. You see, I'm so stylin'!

The best part of my day was when Paul made me dinner! I really was not in the mood to make it myself and just wanted to lay around. Paul to the rescue!

Chef Cooney!

Turkey burger, and 7 tortilla chips with melted cheese. Yes, I told him I wanted exactly 7 and he obliged. What a good husband!

Before I went to bed, I started rereading a Christopher Pike book. I have read his books so many times. I was obsessed with them in high school. Looking back, they are a little silly, but still entertaining to read as an adult!

I slept for 12.5 hours on Friday night so I figured I'd better make up for my sloth-ness by going for an awesome run. The weather was GORGEOUS- very warm. I went for an 8 miler (7:54 pace) and my foot felt better than yesterday. I am certain I do not have plantar fasciitis as it is still just a little tender on the side of my foot- not my plantar fascia. Good news!

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the famous Falmouth Goat Races! Yes, you heard that right. They RACE goats! I can't describe it adequately with words, so I will let the pictures do the talking...

Oh yeah, something horrible happened on Saturday. I picked up two cartons of this at the grocery store...

CINNAMON BUN ICE CREAM!!!!

AAAAAUGHH!!!!!!!!

When I woke up Sunday morning, I caught Jelly on my computer... he is obsessed.

Sunday was a GET. SHIT. DONE. day. I cleaned, grocery shopped, did all the wash, cooked food for the week... all that fun stuff! However, I did manage to do 3 extremely fun things...


1st Extremely Fun Thing - I went for another gorgeous run- 10 miles @ 8:00 pace on the dot!


2nd Extremely Fun Thing - I went for a walk with my dear friend Bree!


3rd Extremely Fun Thing - My niece, Ellie, turned 2, and the family celebrated with a birthday party. I was very excited to see my niece and very excited to see my family!

But of course, all the pictures I took were of Ellie!

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Have you ever been to a goat race?
Do you ever reread books you read in high school?

Sunday Funday - Creative Core Exercises!

What is Sunday Funday you ask? Well, it's the day of the week I will share some new ideas for workouts. Most of you have your RUNday on Sunday. So after your long run, kick back with some carbs and check out the Sunday Funday workout you can use later in the week!

When I stepped away from my computer, Jelly hijacked my Sunday Funday post!

Don't worry, I got it under control.

Today's Sunday Funday features some Creative Core Exercises. (Don't you just love alliteration?)

Note: This video is raw. We do it in one take, for better or worse!!!

Stability Ball Pull Ins
Plank Knees
Stability Ball Pass
High Knees
Push Ups
Mountain Climbers
Squat w/ Kick

**Note, I said I was doing 6 exercises but I actually showed you 7!
**Also, listen @ :42 you can hear Jelly crying from the window!

Enjoy!

What are your favorite core exercises?

Disclaimer: I am a personal trainer, but I am not YOUR personal trainer. These exercises are not prescriptions. Please check with your doctor before starting any workout program.

My favorite pictures of me and my MAN!

I talk about Paul so much on my blog, so I thought I would share with you some fun and meaningful pictures of us and the stories behind them.

This is the day we met Christmas for the first time. Can you believe he was that tiny? Can you believe how young Paul and I look? We got Christmas when my friend's cat (named Miss Marbles) had kittens. He was the runt of the litter.

This picture was taken in our back yard during Paul's Beer Fest party.

Guests who came were supposed to bring a 6 pack of fancy beer so that everyone could sample all different kinds. I don't drink beer, but clearly I was still having fun! I like this picture because it was taken not long after we moved into our house and we just looked so young and carefree.

This picture is from my friend Maren's wedding in Baltimore! I just love this pic because it not

only includes my husband but three of my dearest friends- Maren, Luke, and Randy.

At another wedding. I just think we both look good (and tan!) in this one!

Plus, I like Paul in a suit.

I like this picture because it shows how silly we are!

We were at a rehearsal dinner that was a COSTUME rehearsal dinner since it fell on Halloween. We went as nerds- clearly. Paul still wears that shirt. It says "Sea World Camp".

This is us before the start of the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon.

Paul supports me at all of my races! He is my biggest fan.

This is Paul running through the tunnel at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado.

It's pure joy!

Paul went to The View with me a couple years ago! That's payback for all the football games and stadium tours I went to!

We went to San Francisco a few years after we got married and it was the best trip of our lives!

Me and Paul on our wedding day.

Enough said!

What to do when you think you *might* have plantar fasciitis!

**Fun Fact: The first time I made this imagine, I spelled plantar fasciitis oooooh so wrong!**

I think it may be experiencing the beginning of plantar fasciitis... but I don't know for sure! I have had PF before, but it has always been on the bottom of my foot. The little pain/tingling I feel right now is more on the outside. I don't even know if PF can be on the outside? However, I am very afraid of being injured, so I am treating this as if it is the beginning of PF. Better to be safe than sorry!

As soon as I stepped out of bed yesterday morning, I felt it. I was supposed to do 400s, but I am not one to run through injury- or pre injury, so speed work was definitely not in the cards that morning! 

I suffered from full blown plantar fasciitis two summers ago and I feel like I know enough about it to give you some awesome advice to get rid of it as fast as possible! (Although apparently I don't know enough about it to actually know whether or not I have it right now... so take this advice with a grain of salt!)

What to do when you think you might have plantar fasciitis:

1.DON'T RUN. The worst thing to do when you think you have PF is run. It will make it worse and it will take longer for it to heal. I know it's hard. I was going back and forth yesterday morning deciding whether to run or not, but in the end, my brain won out.

2. WEAR YOUR BRIGHT YELLOW RUNNING SHOES TO WORK. I wish I had a picture of this for you- my bright yellow sneakers paired with my black leggings and blue tunic dress. Let's just say, the kids really liked my outfit! When I think I have an injury, I don't mess around. It's sneakers to work. I want the support. I don't care that technically I am not allowed to wear them. (I'm sure if I had a doctor's note I could.) But I had 10 classes yesterday! That's a lot of time on my feet.

3. STRETCH YOUR FOOT MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY! Especially in the morning before you get out of bed. When you are resting all night, your plantar fascia is repairing itself from the wear and tear of the day. With the first few steps of the morning, the plantar fascia becomes torn again. Stretch your foot by flexing it several times.

4. ICE, ICE, BABY. I have not done this yet because my pain level is at about a 2 right now so I don't even know if that warrants ice? If it feels worse, I will definitely ice.

5. PLAN SOME AWESOME LOW IMPACT/NO IMPACT WORKOUTS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS SO YOU STAY SANE. I know that if I can't run, I will automatically want to run a million times more than I normally want to. But obviously, there are lots of other ways to train.

For instance, this is what I ended up doing on Wednesday morning instead of my 400s...

And this is what I'm doing this morning at Planet Fitness:

Hopefully tomorrow my foot feels better, or at least not worse. Otherwise I will have to go to my chiro for some ART and I really do not feel like squeezing that into my schedule...

Have you ever suffered from PF? What helped you kick it?

My motivation is lacking…

Dear Readers,

I have a confession. My motivation is lacking, particularly in the strength training department. I still love strength training, but I am losing my motivation to go to the gym in the morning. I have been feeling like a homebody lately and don’t want to spend three mornings a week at Planet Fitness. I do have weights I can use at home, but Planet Fitness has heavier weights and better equipment. For me, it’s truly more effective to go to the gym than workout at home.

I need to get back on track and into the groove of getting my butt to the gym in the morning, whether I feel like it or not. I don’t know if there’s any other way to do this than to just suck it up and do it. My hope is that if I just suck it up, after a while, it will become routine again and I won’t give it a second thought.

What do you do when you lack motivation?

10k Training: THE MOST AWESOME ACCIDENTAL SPEED WORKOUT EVER!!!

On Saturday, I was going to run long, but I spent so much time farting around in the morning (aka, blogging) that I only had time to do my neighborhood 5 mile run.

Well, it turned into a "progression-ish" run which I am going to count as speed training!


Check out my splits!

Mile 1 - 7:37
Mile 2 - 7:17
Mile 3 - 7:08
Mile 4 - 6:56
Mile 5 - 6:57


This is an average pace of 7:11! Which means, if I can maintain that pace for just another 1.2 miles, I will reach my goal of running a sub 45 minute 10k on October 19th!

This should not have been a good run. It should have been horrible. First of all, the night before, I had a hot sausage, french fries, a donut, and ice cream for dinner. Probably not the most wholesome food to consume if I want my body to perform the way I want it to. Then, I got my period that morning, which means not only was I gassy (sorry to the two dudes that read my blog) but my lower back was hurting like a mother-effer!

All signs were pointing to it being a pretty shitty run. I don't know why it turned out so well. I'm really excited for the 10k as I will eat better, hopeully not have my period, and I will rest for several days beforehand to make sure my legs are fresh.

I guess I should be prepared to have a crappy run soon! That's how it works, right? Sometimes we are surprised by an awesome run and sometimes we are surprised with a crappy run! It all evens out. As long as my crappy run isn't on race day!

If you eat crappy food, does it affect your run? If I eat a lot of it, it does. If I don't overdo it, I'm fine.

Did you ever decide mid run that you were going to do speed work?

When was the last time you had a GREAT run?

Running "Never Have I Ever"

Today’s post is inspired by Courtney @ Running for Cupcakes. Recently, she wrote a running “Never Have I Ever” post. I thought it was really fun so make sure you read it.

With her permission, I am sharing my own running “Never Have I Ever”. It was actually pretty hard to write this as I feel like, for better or worse, there is not much I haven’t done! But here ya go…

Never have I ever… worn compression socks.

Never have I ever… run a Disney race.

Never have I ever… flown to get to a race.

Never have I ever… DNF’ed. (Although I’ve had a lot of Did Not Starts haha!)

Never have I ever… ran/raced in another country.

Never have I ever… thrown up during/after a run.

Never have I ever… forgotten something extremely essential for a race. (AKA, shoes/sports bra)

Never have I ever…  worn a running skirt.

Never have I ever... put a running sticker on the back of my car.

And just to even things out, some things I have done during a race/run!

- Worn a prom dress

- Tripped

- Peed my pants

- Got lost

- Ran in the snow

- Ran with a scratched cornea

- Did a cartwheel as I crossed the finish line
- BQ'ed

- Lost toenails

- Ran in a relay

- Ran 50 miles

- Got snot rocketed on (Philly Marathon)

- Raced in the dark

- Ran on the Appalachian Trail

- Tried Gus (ewwww never again!)

- Ate pizza and drank Mountain Dew (during my 50 mile ultra)

Your turn! Fill in the blank, "Never have I ever ___________"

Do we have anything in common that we did/didn't do?

Weekend Wrap Up: Cheetahs and Primates and Zebras- OH MY!

 

The week seemed to drag on forever, so by the time Friday rolled around, 

I was so excited to relax and do something fun with my hubby!

After work, we headed up to the teeny tiny town of Gratz for the 141st Annual Gratz Fair! Gratz is about 25 minutes from my hometown, and the fair is a pretty big deal around those parts. All the schools in the area even close early on Friday for "Gratz Fair Day"!

The Gratz Fair is a great place to people watch. It is also a great place to inhale secondhand smoke. Seriously, I smelled more smoke on Friday night than I smelled in the past year.

The tractor may as well have been the mascot of the fair!

Unfortunately, the insulting clown was not there! Next year.

We ate amazing food. We shared the best hot sausage we ever had in our lives. Seriously. It was the. best. hot. sausage. we. had. in. our. lives. We also shared the famous Williams French Fries. For dessert- an Amish donut and homemade peanut butter ice cream.

 

It was a great night!

On Saturday, we went to the Philadelphia Zoo! We got to see tigers, cheetahs, all kinds of primates, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, zebras... of course we skipped the reptile building.

The Philadelphia Zoo: For just $55, you and your loved one 

can get rammed by strollers all day long.

We couldn't wait to see the CHEETAHS!

It was really crowded, but I guess that is to be expected for a Saturday with nearly perfect weather. Also, it was Tantrum Day at the zoo. Every freaking kid was throwing a tantrum. I would love to go to the zoo on Adult Day. I wonder if that exists?

Oh! I forgot to tell you the best part about Saturday! Had an awesome tempo run that really made me feel confident about my 10k. I will tell you more about that tomorrow. But let's just say, I'm feeling really good about how I am progressing!





Sundays, whether I want them to be or not, are my days to do what I please. Paul watches football all day, so I am lucky if I can even snag him for a game or two of cards!

First, I went on a "long" run of 10 miles. It was pretty hot, but I was able to hit an 8:18 pace pretty comfortably. I just ran around my neighborhood a bajillion times. Nothing special.

Then, I went on an epic grocery store trip. But of course, there are at least three things I forgot and I will have to go again on Monday after work. Sigh.

After that, I met my sister-in-law at a park to hang out with her and my nieces. We were supposed to be watching my brother play in his soccer game, but it turns out, that is nearly impossible to do when there is a two year old and a newborn involved. I had fun chasing Ellie around, and she even let me snap a picture.

I can't leave you to get on with your Monday without sharing a few cat pics from the weekend... ENJOY!

We weighed them. Remember how they have been on a diet for almost a year now? Well, they haven't lost any weight. We can't get Chrissy below 18lbs and we can't get Jelly below 14.6lbs. We seriously count their calories EVERY FREAKING DAY. I don't know what else to do. It's too bad they won't use a harness. I could take them for walks...

 

Tell me something wonderful about your weekend!

Any tips to help my kitties lose weight?

Do you live near a good zoo?