Fickle Shoe Love

You may recall when I got new shoes here and here.  I have fallen out of love once again and returned the last pair of shoes and bought a new pair.

I took them for a spin on the treadmill last night and they felt pretty good.  Well, two spins actually.  I ran a quick 2 miles, hopped off to do some weight training, and then ran another slower two miles (because squats make my legs angry!).  I was very happy with the way my leg felt during both runs.  I'm hoping this is a long and loving marriage for the next 300-500 miles. 

I think the answer to my leg issue is to run outside more.  I went for a run with my dad over the weekend and felt really, really good!  The best part about it all was the I was too busy focusing on the not tripping over roots and rocks that I wasn't over thinking my stride/gait/whatever.  My leg never bothered me or crossed my mind once!  I tend to focus on how I am feeling and try to make too many adjustments in my stride when I am running on the treadmill...and I don't think that is a good thing.

Anyway, after my workout, Julia and I enjoyed a delicious, peach-strawberry smoothie :)  Alex had gone out for the night to a Hokie event so it was just a girls night in.  I have to admit some of my favorite moments are the ones where it's just the two of us.  What can I say?  I'm selfish and love having her all to myself (when she is behaving, happy, and quiet) ;)

Back to my usual self after I finish this smoothie!


Do you have fickle shoe love?

What's your favorite time with your kid(s)?

Operation BAM: Day Four with some Jersey Shore

Yesterday didn't start off as BAM-errific as I wanted but I let the excuses keep me in bed until six so I can't blame anyone but myself.  I did get home and jump on the treadmill though :)  It was a quick three miles but I am going to go ahead and pat myself on the back anyway.

I don't love running on a treadmill because it's boring, duh.  To mix it up a bit, I left the lights off and tried a few Jersey fist pumps.  Having the lights off was ok but I got spooked a bit with the shadows coming in from the window behind me.  I saw the shadows of my neighbor going passed the window behind me and I got so spooked trying to check behind me that I nearly fell off the treadmill.  I should invest in some curtains.

What was an exciting discovery was the exhilaration that I felt while Jersey fist pumping on the treadmill.  It's amazing that I didn't go flying off the treadmill in my Snooki endeavors.  This will probably be a move that I keep to the privacy of my own home for now.

I'm still working on the necessary muscles

What do you do to get pumped during your run?

Operation BAM: Day one

Thank you, Kara, for giving me a name for the goals I have for this week :)  I loved your comment yesterday

I do want to be a badass mommy!  I gave it my best effort this morning.  I ran three miles in 29:53, which is just under 10min/mile overall.  I actually walked the first couple minutes and then ran very slowly for the first quarter mile and then bumped it up to 6.5 miles/hour (9:13 min/mile).  I should have run a longer distance but unfortunately, I snoozed a few too many times and then had to get my running clothes together.  Tonight I will be getting my running gear together BEFORE bedtime.  Oh, by the way, I fell asleep before ten o'clock last night and got into bed by 10:20pm.  I missed some key dances on DWTS but I feel great today!

Let's get onto to some more feel good stuff ---Things I am thankful for!

• Running Ricig's giveaway of a noodle hugger
• Febreeze!  (I must saturate my back seat when I get home)
• Concealer (hello, under eye bags)

I'm pretty excited for teleworking tomorrow because I am going to run outside on my lunch break and it is going to be infinitely better than running on a treadmill.

Are you a BAM?

What are you thankful for?

A Month of Thanks

Good Afternoon!  Halloween is always a fun holiday for me but not only for the dressing up and candy.  I love Halloween because it is the official kick-off for the holiday season!  I really love Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I have previously mentioned that one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is participating in Turkey Trots.  I also have another tradition that I write three things that I am thankful for each day in November. 

I really love the opportunity to refocus on the great things in life because it is all too easy to complain about what's not right, fair or good.  I'm going to share these on my blog (lucky you!).

Today I am thankful for my treadmill, Japanese peanuts and microwavable meals.  First of all, without my treadmill I wouldn't be as physically fit as I am.  I love my treadmill.  I actually got up this morning at 4:30am and got a tiny three mile run in before getting ready for work.  I have said it too many times to count but if I don't exercise in the morning, it probably isn't happening.  I will not run outside by myself in the dark.  Not happening.  That really limits the window of opportunity to go out for a run during the winter time when you work a full-time on top of being a mommy.

Secondly, I am thankful for Japanese peanuts.  A coworker from Arizona brought these to our office on a visit and I was instantly hooked.  These suckers are good.  They have a hard candy-like shell on them so they are super crunchy and they have the perfect balance of sweet, salty and spicy.  They are definitely one of my favorite snacks after working out!

That's right, Japanese peanuts made in Mexico

Lastly, I'm thankful for microwavable meals.  I would spend hundreds of dollars and gain millions of pounds without them.  It makes life so much easier to just grab one out of the freezer and head off to work.  These meals are already pretty affordable PLUS you can always find coupons for them and they go on sale frequently too.  They are a complete lifesaver for the busy, single mom on a budget!

What are you thankful for?

Federal Pacific

Ever heard of Federal Pacific?  I never had either until the breakers in my house started shutting off an refusing to turn back on.  I had an electrician come over last night to take a look and his exact words were "oh yeah, it's cookin' in there."  Great.  Apparently, Federal Pacific breaker boxes are huge fire hazards and mine is ready to go at any minute.  The proposed fee for fixing this problem a mere $1100.

This is potentially the inside of my box

WTF.  Welcome to real home ownership. 

So currently half of my house is without power and the other half is ready to go at any minute.  Has this inspired me to go out and get flashlights?  Nope.  Instead, I have perfected brushing my teeth and locating items by feel.  The other thing is that the treadmill isn't working without electricity either.  No thanks, I'm not going Fred Flintstone style or attempting to run out in Dale City at four in the morning.  Maybe I'll get lucky an get home early enough tonight to run outside???

Do you know a good electrician that is buying his way into heaven through pro bono work?

Would you have someone do electrical work on your home without obtaining a permit?

Wednesday Recap

So today I tried something new and split my run into two parts.  It's a simple thing really that has never occurred to me until I read Kara's blog.  I actually liked breaking the longer run into two mini-runs.  Both of the mini-runs were done on the treadmill and I kept myself at a 10 min/mile or better the entire time.  I was pretty pleased with my performance.

To celebrate a run well done, I decided to make some delicious pumpkin bread with Julia.  It's a recipe that I saw on the Fitnessista's Blog and modified it a bit.

Pumpkin-Almond-Chocolate Bread

Ingredients:
-2 cups whole wheat flour
-2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
-3 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
-1 cup pumpkin
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 cup milk
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1 teaspoon molasses
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup chopped almonds

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add the chocolate chips and almonds and stir.  Next, add in the remaining ingredients and mix to fully incorporate all the goods.  Bake in a loaf pan at 325 degrees for one hour.

Julia is a fan

It would have been soo much better with walnuts instead of almonds but I didn't have any :(  Oh well, perfect excuse to try the recipe out again!  I now have a big can of pumpkin that needs to be used up so I see some pumpkin pancakes in my future too.

I am finally feeling like the start of the holiday season is upon us.  I put up my Halloween decorations, cooked some pumpkin bread and made some circus squash for dinner.



I absolutely love baked squash with a drizzle of honey!  This was a circus squash that I got from the farmer's market last weekend.  I don't think I cooked this one quite long enough so it still had a bit of crunch to it.  I liked it and Julia seemed to like it too.  I served up some chicken pasta and squash for dinner and the only thing left on her plate were a few bits of pasta :)

Today was overall pretty good.  I felt like I got some stuff accomplished and got to spend some quality time with Julia too.  Now it's off to bed!

Do you split your workouts into multiple parts? 





The Confessions of Silence

It's often the case that when I don't tell you what I am doing to work out, I am simply not working out.  For a while, I was doing an amazing job getting up at 4am and logging miles on the treadmill.  The lazy switch is apparently suck in the "ON" position, as I have not been able to get up that early to save my life.  The unfortunate thing is that if I don't exercise in the morning, the likelihood of exercising at all that day is slim to none.  Yesterday was a none day...Oh well.  I will make sure that I get on the treadmill for the five miles that were scheduled!

Why don't I own this???

I really have no excuse for not working out in the evenings.  Alex is wonderfully accommodating when it comes to me working out!  I'm sure tonight will be no exception!  Tomorrow I will do another three miles, Friday will be a 30-minute tempo (?) run, and Saturday is a seven mile run.  Woo!  Of course, the weekday runs will be logged on the treadmill but the Saturday run will be alfresco.  I will be planning it out ahead of time so I know exactly where I am going.  I do much better mentally when I know where the finish line is located!

Other fun plans for my weekend will include hot yoga :)  I know where to go now so I should be able to attend without any further incidents.  I'm thinking about hitting it up a couple times this weekend since we have a long, holiday weekend and Julia is going to visit her cousin in South Carolina.  Better start drinking extra water now....

Do you have Columbus Day off?  How are you spending the weekend?

~Andrea

First day of 15k!

Good Afternoon!  Today marks the first day of my Hot Chocolate 15k training.  I found a training plan by Hal Higdon that I am following and today's three miles can be crossed off!

I didn't run yesterday so I decided to do today as "Monday."  I ran three miles on the old dreadmill.  I have a meeting with Patrice tomorrow morning so I am not going to worry about strength training because I know she'll take care of business in that department.  I am more than likely going to do the four mile run tomorrow and possibly skip "Wednesday" but it's all still up in the air. 

I felt pretty good about my run this morning.  I just really prefer to run outside, but who doesn't?  I'm dreading the winter since I have to leave for work when it is dark and won't be returning until it's dark as well :(  I am not brave or fast enough to be running by myself in the dark in Woodbridge!  I'm a member of a local running club too but they changed their meeting time and I can no longer meet up with them.

So it's a little embarrassing that I haven't really unpacked from my business trip, but I have rummaged in the suitcase a few times and my Nike+ is MIA.  I fear that I may have left it in a hotel somewhere in Arizona.  I really hope that's not the case!  If it is the case, let it be known that this is on my Christmas list .  Please :) 

Have you started your Christmas list yet?  Only 7 paychecks before the big day!!!

~Andrea

My IPOD is breaking up with me

Anger does not make me run faster so it was a slow run this morning.  I do not know why but my IPOD has decided to hate me.  The screen doesn't light up anymore and the right ear bud refuses to stay in my ear.  Here's my run:  right, left, right, push ear bud in, left, right, left, push ear bud in, etc etc etc.  I was so annoyed.  If I was outside running, I would have thrown the IPOD by the wayside.  Instead, I was running on a treadmill and I couldn't bear the thought of my IPOD mocking me from the floor for the rest of my run. 

I'm pretty sad about it all.  Next to my dad, my IPOD has been my greatest running partner.  We have shared many highs and lows together.  It's the end of an era :(  Maymont is going to be tough without some tunes.  My run ended up not being too bad, even though it was slow.  I completed four miles in forty-eight minutes.

The sun setting on my IPOD's life

Today I made some pretty good food choices.  I am finally feeling like my body is getting back into the normal swing of things and I love it!  First of all, I don't think I was drinking nearly enough water so water has been the most delicious thing EVER lately.  Second, I have been missing my veggies!  Most of the veggies I ate on my business trip were lettuce and tomatoes on my tacos.  I'm definitely not my brother; my body cannot handle just meat and carbs.

Mmm mashed potatoes with rolls....

Tomorrow is a rest day for me.  Apparently, I will drive down Saturday morning to do my run.  I hope I won't be too tired.  So after I finish that race, what's next?  I recently found out that my friend Jenny is doing the Hot Chocolate 15k.  I will need another race to train for...why not one with chocolate?  If I decide to do the 15k, I think I will sign up for daily mile to keep me accountable and motivated.

What are you training for?

~Andrea

Hello, Reality...We meet again...

I wish I was still traversing the Arizona mountains or the hills of Blacksburg; but alas, I sit taking redundant calls from US citizens and international visitors all day.  Now that play time is over, it is necessary for me to get back to reality.  First on the agenda, get back to healthy eating and start exercising!

Yesterday started out much better than Monday.  I still hadn't put everything away from our beach trip so I spent Monday morning cleaning my house.  Yesterday morning I got on the treadmill :)  It has been way too long since I have done that!  It felt really, really good.  I still did some cleaning when I got up so I only did thirty-five minutes (3.3 miles).

This morning I let my alarm go off for a while before setting it for a later time.  NO exercise happened.  I don't know what the deal is but I am exhausted and have no motivation to workout.    I need to somehow "reset" my motivation.  Any ideas? 

Eating has been OK.  I did a really great job of eating well for breakfast and lunch on Monday but then I got home extra late and Alex came home with Thai food.  It wouldn't have been too bad except I was beyond tired and had the self-control of a two year old and ate everything in sight.  Yesterday was much better although I went out to dinner with my family to celebrate my brother Sean's birthday.  We went to a buffet but I was able to keep myself under control :)  Of course, there was cake and I had a slice in support of Sean's twenty-two years on Earth.

I have to bowl tonight to make up for a day I missed last week...does that count for exercise?  Some would say yes...

Did you choose sleep or exercise today?

~Andrea

Rainy days at the beach are the best!

Happy Hurricane Day!  My vacation is officially over and I am completely thrilled to be back home!  I was not able to go ocean kayaking because of our uninvited guest, Irene.  Alex wanted to go for a helicopter ride but had the same problem.

Instead, we decided to hit the gym.  I was extremely happy with my short run on the treadmill.  I usually keep a very modest and slow pace of 5.5 but I was rockin' it at 6.5 mph.  It really felt great :)  Alex wasn't feeling well so he left the gym early to grab us lunch while I finished my workout. 

I rocked out with some walking lunges with twenty pound weights, squat jumps, chest presses, shoulder presses, and abs galore.  Patrice would be proud!  One thing that Patrice has taught me is that you need protein after a good workout so I couldn't wait to get home to some BBQ.

Gotta keep the guns loaded!

Alex and I found a really great BBQ place that is conveniently located across the street from where we stayed.  I may go visit my sister in the future just for the chance to eat there again.  We had tried the pulled pork and loved it so Alex got some more of that plus some beef ribs.  I came in and he insisted on putting a plate together for me so I waited patiently at the table. 

He put my plate down on the table and I couldn't wait to dig in.  So I started off with a hush puppy dipped in honey, cinnamon butter....mmmmmm.......

Then he handed me a napkin.......

He got down on one knee, grabbed my right hand, and asked me to marry him.  After I switched my right hand out for the left, I said yes!!!!  He originally wanted to propose on the helicopter ride but the weather ruined that plan.  I love BBQ and I love him, so this was perfect ;)

What's your proposal story?

~Andrea

Goat Cheese!

Hello :)  This morning I made the most delightful and quick breakfast.  I purchased some grilled zucchini and egg souffles from Costco.  Just heat up in the microwave and eat!  I topped it off with some delicious chipotle and green onion goat cheese...mmmm.....  I got the cheese from the farmer's market and I will definitely be going back for more!

So it's been a miserable fail on the ten o'clock bedtime.  In an attempt to get some extra sleep under my belt, I have been sleeping in until *gasp* five o'clock!  So needless to say, I'm still very tired.  I did not help this situation by jumping on the treadmill at quarter-after nine tonight.  The good thing is that I ran five miles!  It was miserable and boring, but I did it :)

I'm hoping the weather stays cooler for the weekend so I can get out and run outside.  I definitely prefer pounding the pavement rather than the rubber belt.  Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!!

What are your plans for the weekend?

~Andrea