A presentation/a paper and a test today. One more tomorrow. One next week. Exciting!
We had our Holiday Party at DG tonight, which was awesome--yummy turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce, stuffing. So much goodness from Toojays! And homemade brownies and cookies...oh my goodness!
And tonight was the Biggest Loser finale--which I love!! It's always so super inspiring--not just because of all the weight all of the contestants have lost, but because of how much they're able to accomplish and how much they've learned about themselves in the process. They all always say that they never thought they could do anything like this, but they did. That really inspires me to keep training and preparing for the half-marathon. I never even imagined that I would someday run a half-marathon, and now I'm running one so soon! Honestly, I don't know that I even ever wanted to run one, but now I do. And I don't want this to be the one and only one I run. I want to keep pushing myself to do more and more!
Speaking of which, I think I'm going to do a 5k on campus Saturday morning!
I did go to the gym today, just a quick, 30 minute elliptical workout post-Biggest Loser.
I've been using Pandora to work out, which is great because I get a really awesome new variety of music, except I can't write things down to remember what songs to make a race playlist from! I have to get that together!
Bedtime now though, test tomorrow--Night!!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Brick Walls
"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people." --Randy Pausch
I'm all about the positivity (and the quotes!) right now. Except that I've been at the library for 11, that's right, count them, ELEVEN hours today. I'm starting to hit that brick wall.
I've been trying to split my time between the presentation/paper I have tomorrow, the test I have tomorrow and the test I have Wednesday. Not working so well. We've been working on the presentation since 3:30. Okay, lies. Presentation is done. We've been working on the final draft of the paper since about then. I did get to flex my creative muscle a bit and make a rockin' (if I do say so myself) cover page for our project. Woo!
I also had a delicious lunch that I've been craving since yesterday (Tijuana Flats power-lite chicken burrito!) and 2 teas (one hot, one iced) from Starbucks--but not both during lunch! :)
I want to go to the gym, but I still have a ton of reading to do, and I don't know if I'm up for the workout I was yesterday. I'm just tired! I hoping this is because I haven't eaten in a while (Starbucks at the library ran out of food sandwiches/salads!) and I just need an energy boost.
Anyway, I'm working real hard to get over this brick wall...
By the way, I find it ironic that the chapter I'm trying to read in my advertising book is on CREATIVITY and it's probably among the more boring ones I've had to read.
I'm all about the positivity (and the quotes!) right now. Except that I've been at the library for 11, that's right, count them, ELEVEN hours today. I'm starting to hit that brick wall.
I've been trying to split my time between the presentation/paper I have tomorrow, the test I have tomorrow and the test I have Wednesday. Not working so well. We've been working on the presentation since 3:30. Okay, lies. Presentation is done. We've been working on the final draft of the paper since about then. I did get to flex my creative muscle a bit and make a rockin' (if I do say so myself) cover page for our project. Woo!
I also had a delicious lunch that I've been craving since yesterday (Tijuana Flats power-lite chicken burrito!) and 2 teas (one hot, one iced) from Starbucks--but not both during lunch! :)
I want to go to the gym, but I still have a ton of reading to do, and I don't know if I'm up for the workout I was yesterday. I'm just tired! I hoping this is because I haven't eaten in a while (Starbucks at the library ran out of food sandwiches/salads!) and I just need an energy boost.
Anyway, I'm working real hard to get over this brick wall...
By the way, I find it ironic that the chapter I'm trying to read in my advertising book is on CREATIVITY and it's probably among the more boring ones I've had to read.
Multitasking
"Multitasking is the art of distracting yourself from two things you’d rather not be doing by doing them simultaneously."
Like I mentioned in the last entry, things are a bit hectic here in Gainesville. Friday was a nasty, rainy day and I saw Brothers with Alison in the afternoon. It was very different than I anticipated, but really good nonetheless, and if you need another reason to be in love with Jake Gyllenhaal, see it for sure. (But really, who needs more reasons?!) Anyway, I wanted to do something Friday evening that wasn't sitting in my apartment or going to the bars, so we went to Gator Nights, which is a free event on Friday nights at the Union on campus for students. We went with the intent to bowl, which we thought was free but wasn't, and ended up walking around and getting some free popcorn and soda. Still worth it. On the way home, we decided on game night! We picked up Apples to Apples from Ali and Tracy's sorority house and had a lovely, hilarious evening playing--once we got more people than the three of us that is.
Saturday was the SEC Championship game in Atlanta with the Gators playing the Alabama Crimson Tide. All that needs to be said is that it did not end well. But as our alma mater says, "Neath the Orange and Blue victorious, our love shall never fail. There's no other name so glorious, all hail, FLORIDA, hail." Yes, I'm cheesy--get over it! :) I will always love them GATORS!
Lisa's parents are in town this weekend for her dance show so we went out to breakfast this morning (Sunday) at Peach Valley and I had a delicious egg white-spinach-tomato omelet. Yum-sauce! After that, and a few errands, I made my way to the library for the next few hours to read a few chapters for my advertising test on Tuesday. At 4, I had an orientation for my upcoming trip to Israel (Dec 22-Jan1, I am soooo excited!!). I then went back to the library to switch gears to my public relations project/presentation, also on Tuesday. My PR group met at 7 and at 7:45, Ali and Tracy picked me up for Lisa's 8pm dance show. After the show, which was so good--I love seeing Lisa dance--I got some quick dinner, came home, ate, digested, and headed to the gym far too late--around 12:15. Yikes.
This is the multitasking part! I really need to be studying, it's my first priority, but I also don't want to let my training fall to the wayside. Before I went to the gym, I brought up the race to my friends again, but no one is up for it. (If any of you guys are reading this, please don't think for a second that I'm venting about it--this is a really big personal decision and I completely understand and respect your decision!) Anyway, so they all have really valid points and reasons for not wanting to do something like this, with such a large commitment, in such a short time period, but I'm really hoping that I can keep positive and do this. It's hard to describe exactly why I feel the need to do this or what it is that's keeping me motivated, but I need to really focus on that and concentrate and just work work work until I am ready--which I will be. It's all about POSITIVITY! So instead of just going back to the library to read more advertising and not going to the gym because I have reading to do, I decided to take my book to the gym and read while I was on the treadmill. In the past I've had some issues with headaches when I try to do cardio and read, but I figured if I could pace myself and not be too bouncy in the walking/jogging, I knew I could do it. AND I DID!! Of course, this chapter happened to be one of the longest, with the least pictures, but that's probably even better. While reading, I split the time between 3.8 and 3.9 mph at a 2.5% grade. I finished the 30-some-odd page chapter in about 53 minutes, after speed walking about 3.4 miles, so I decided to go for gold and finish out the four minutes. WHICH I ALSO DID!! All said and done, I walked/jogged 4 miles in 1:02:21, which is just over 15 mi/hr, which includes multitasking and reading a book--a textbook nonetheless. It felt A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! Tonight completely rejuvenated me to get ready for this race!
Now it's 3 am and I should be sleeping, but I am in bed, updating this, and watching Love Actually. What could be better?
Off to the library in the morning, and definitely more gym tomorrow.
Onward and upward...or forward for running I guess....
Friday, December 4, 2009
Training in Gainesville
Now that I'm back in Gainesville and my schedule is getting crazier (it's exam time!), and finding time to update this isn't easy, hence writing this at 12:40 in the morning.
Anyway, I did get back to the gym on Monday morning. I woke up early before class, but not too early and didn't have adequate time to work out. This is the reason that I prefer working out in the evening. I always overestimate how long things take and don't work out for as long as I'd generally like to. So Monday morning, I cut it a bit close, between working out, showering, breakfast, doing something about my crazy wet hair, getting lunch at my sorority house, working on a presentation for class and actually going to class. I did only run for 15 minutes on the treadmill, but I managed to pull a 14:08 min mile! Yay! I did some weight machines also--leg press, reverse leg press, hamstrings, quads. Not bad, not bad! I also did a quick set of ab crunches and obliques.
Tuesday is always a longer day--more class and such. I also had a meeting at 6, went out to dinner after (Leonardo's Pizza--one slice veggie, one spin tom--had half of both and brought home leftovers)! Always so yummy. I didn't make it to the gym though, sad.
Wednesday I gave a presentation in my class and did some studying/problems for managerial economics. The day that class is over will probably be one of the happiest days of my college career, seriously. I went to the gym in the evening, the one on campus with nice equipment, and did 30 minutes on the Stairmaster (my favorite!) and 20 on the elliptical. That is definitely my all time favorite combination of cardio. Between the two, I had a calorie burn of 360, but I don't know my distance. It felt so good to get back into that extremely familiar routine! Glee last night was incredible, and a great post gym treat, with Alison and Matty!
Today (Thursday) was a moderately busy day. I woke up with a sore throat, which is never a good sign. I had a few hours of work/class this afternoon, ate the most brilliant, delicious Subway sub (6 in tuna on wheat, with american cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green pepper, pickles and oil & vinegar), and then came home and took an oddly long nap. I knew this sore throat was not a good sign this morning! After dinner (homemade mac and cheese from DG and a veggie burger on a wheat bun), Alison and I decided to take a walk. The weather here has been gorgeous, so it seemed like a great idea--and it was! We walked 3.58 miles through campus (and around) in an hour. It was a long walk, but so nice out. We didn't rush it but still made great time! Something that this Florida girl still has to learn--just because it's a bit chilly out doesn't mean that you won't get warm from working out and the sweatshirt over the long sleeve shirt may be hotter than is comfortable!
I was pretty impressed with our walk though, and I hope we keep doing these walks!!
Tomorrow, Friday, I have no class (yup, it's already the weekend for me!) so I'm sure I'll get a good chance to have a nice long workout!
Goodnight for now though!
Anyway, I did get back to the gym on Monday morning. I woke up early before class, but not too early and didn't have adequate time to work out. This is the reason that I prefer working out in the evening. I always overestimate how long things take and don't work out for as long as I'd generally like to. So Monday morning, I cut it a bit close, between working out, showering, breakfast, doing something about my crazy wet hair, getting lunch at my sorority house, working on a presentation for class and actually going to class. I did only run for 15 minutes on the treadmill, but I managed to pull a 14:08 min mile! Yay! I did some weight machines also--leg press, reverse leg press, hamstrings, quads. Not bad, not bad! I also did a quick set of ab crunches and obliques.
Tuesday is always a longer day--more class and such. I also had a meeting at 6, went out to dinner after (Leonardo's Pizza--one slice veggie, one spin tom--had half of both and brought home leftovers)! Always so yummy. I didn't make it to the gym though, sad.
Wednesday I gave a presentation in my class and did some studying/problems for managerial economics. The day that class is over will probably be one of the happiest days of my college career, seriously. I went to the gym in the evening, the one on campus with nice equipment, and did 30 minutes on the Stairmaster (my favorite!) and 20 on the elliptical. That is definitely my all time favorite combination of cardio. Between the two, I had a calorie burn of 360, but I don't know my distance. It felt so good to get back into that extremely familiar routine! Glee last night was incredible, and a great post gym treat, with Alison and Matty!
Today (Thursday) was a moderately busy day. I woke up with a sore throat, which is never a good sign. I had a few hours of work/class this afternoon, ate the most brilliant, delicious Subway sub (6 in tuna on wheat, with american cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green pepper, pickles and oil & vinegar), and then came home and took an oddly long nap. I knew this sore throat was not a good sign this morning! After dinner (homemade mac and cheese from DG and a veggie burger on a wheat bun), Alison and I decided to take a walk. The weather here has been gorgeous, so it seemed like a great idea--and it was! We walked 3.58 miles through campus (and around) in an hour. It was a long walk, but so nice out. We didn't rush it but still made great time! Something that this Florida girl still has to learn--just because it's a bit chilly out doesn't mean that you won't get warm from working out and the sweatshirt over the long sleeve shirt may be hotter than is comfortable!
I was pretty impressed with our walk though, and I hope we keep doing these walks!!
Tomorrow, Friday, I have no class (yup, it's already the weekend for me!) so I'm sure I'll get a good chance to have a nice long workout!
Goodnight for now though!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Gator Gameday!
Gator Football is a religion in Gainesville. Every Saturday in the fall, and even Friday nights, we think, breathe and live it. Nothing trumps gameday. Nothing.
So to make up for it, I woke up early (like, 9 am), ate a small breakfast of Kashi Heart-to-Heart cereal and watched some "Say Yes to the Dress." I then went to the gym for a morning workout, and ran 2.11 miles in 30.34 minutes, for a cal burn of 283 and an average speed of 14.3 mi/hr. It was pretty intense, speed walking at 4.1 mph and doing 30-45 second sprints at 5.1 mph. I've obviously got a long way to go, but I'm still happy with how it's been getting back into working out.
And okay, so I only worked out for 30 minutes, but I then walked approximately a mile, probably a bit more, to the stadium, stood for 4 hours, and then walked home.
The game was incredible. It was our last regular season game, and my (and Tim Tebow's) last home game at the Swamp. So crazy--where have the last 4 years gone?! But this gameday, I didn't drink any beer (all those carbs I saved) and resisted the game day classics of burgers/hot dogs with buns, and all those stadium faves--small pizzas, hotdogs, nachos, etc. Trust me, it wasn't easy. It all smelled sooooo good, but I'm working on my willpower here! We didn't leave the stadium for about 30 minutes after the game ended. It was just so spectacular and exciting and bittersweet.
After the game, my roommate, Tracy, and I made a Publix run for a "few essentials" and ended up with A TON of groceries. I got some serious healthy yummies, and I can't wait to eat them all. And then we went out. And we walked out and back, and around Midtown a bit, so considering I didn't drink beer and did all that walking (and didn't drunk eat a Jimmy John's BLT, my weakness, or anything else...) I feel pretty good about the night all in all.
Today, Sunday, I didn't wake up early, nor did I do much anything that was very productive. I did have a delicious breakfast of Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt with cut up banana and mango. Soo good! I didn't go to the gym today either, but I think yesterday was pretty good. My roommate told me about a 5k near here in February that I think we're going to do. More to look forward to!
I'm also excited to get back into the gym tomorrow!
Goodnight, and GOOOOO GATORS!!!
So to make up for it, I woke up early (like, 9 am), ate a small breakfast of Kashi Heart-to-Heart cereal and watched some "Say Yes to the Dress." I then went to the gym for a morning workout, and ran 2.11 miles in 30.34 minutes, for a cal burn of 283 and an average speed of 14.3 mi/hr. It was pretty intense, speed walking at 4.1 mph and doing 30-45 second sprints at 5.1 mph. I've obviously got a long way to go, but I'm still happy with how it's been getting back into working out.
And okay, so I only worked out for 30 minutes, but I then walked approximately a mile, probably a bit more, to the stadium, stood for 4 hours, and then walked home.
The game was incredible. It was our last regular season game, and my (and Tim Tebow's) last home game at the Swamp. So crazy--where have the last 4 years gone?! But this gameday, I didn't drink any beer (all those carbs I saved) and resisted the game day classics of burgers/hot dogs with buns, and all those stadium faves--small pizzas, hotdogs, nachos, etc. Trust me, it wasn't easy. It all smelled sooooo good, but I'm working on my willpower here! We didn't leave the stadium for about 30 minutes after the game ended. It was just so spectacular and exciting and bittersweet.
After the game, my roommate, Tracy, and I made a Publix run for a "few essentials" and ended up with A TON of groceries. I got some serious healthy yummies, and I can't wait to eat them all. And then we went out. And we walked out and back, and around Midtown a bit, so considering I didn't drink beer and did all that walking (and didn't drunk eat a Jimmy John's BLT, my weakness, or anything else...) I feel pretty good about the night all in all.
Today, Sunday, I didn't wake up early, nor did I do much anything that was very productive. I did have a delicious breakfast of Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt with cut up banana and mango. Soo good! I didn't go to the gym today either, but I think yesterday was pretty good. My roommate told me about a 5k near here in February that I think we're going to do. More to look forward to!
I'm also excited to get back into the gym tomorrow!
Goodnight, and GOOOOO GATORS!!!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Shopping: My New Cardio
Oh, Black Friday. 5 am, freezing cold, joining the rest of the "nutters" outside Macy's--it just never gets old. Stephanie and I were champs today. I shopped from 5am-1:30 pm, no I'm not kidding, and I got some seriously cute stuff (including some awesome Nike running shorts for the incredible price of $8. Unreal!)! I'll post pictures later, along with the Thanksgiving food pics. It seems like a cruel trick of nature that the biggest shopping day of the year is also the one directly after the biggest meal of the year. Just wanted to note that.
From shopping, Mom, Grandma and I got some lunch (falafel and hummus pita, yummm-sauce) and then I headed straight back up to Gainesville. After the 4 hour drive, which felt like 14, ended, I stopped at Target to see if there was anymore black friday shopping I could take advantage of, got a streaker (no tortilla) joey jr. burrito at Moe's (no chips or cookie) and enjoyed every bite of it!
Surprisingly, the first thing I did after I ate was unpack/organize/clean my room. For anyone that knows me, my room (at home at least) hasn't been reallyyy cleaned since at least sophomore year of high school. Whoops! So what was different about today? I figure that the discipline I'm using to train for the race can also be used in every other aspect of my life. There will be a lot more examples of this coming up, I promise! I was walking out the door to get in a quick gym sesh before the roomies got home from so. fla. but as I walked out, they walked in. We sat and talked for a bit and then took 7 hours (okay, not really, but it was at least an hour) to decide what to wear for what we thought would be an empty night out in Gainesville. We were wrong. I drove because I'm trying to cut down on drinking as much, and tonight it just wasn't necessary. Anyway, every bar in Gainesville was packed and it's a good thing I had a car, because we were able to get around much easier. It was a weird kind of night here, mostly because of all the people from other school's in town for the FLORIDA V. FLORIDA STATE game tomorrow! GO GATORS!!!
I was a bit upset because I didn't get to the gym today, but I shopped for almost 9 hours. That's some damn good cardio. And I drove practically across the state--that should count for something! I will be at the gym bright and early tomorrow morning though, and I'm actually really looking forward to it!
Goodnight for now!!!
From shopping, Mom, Grandma and I got some lunch (falafel and hummus pita, yummm-sauce) and then I headed straight back up to Gainesville. After the 4 hour drive, which felt like 14, ended, I stopped at Target to see if there was anymore black friday shopping I could take advantage of, got a streaker (no tortilla) joey jr. burrito at Moe's (no chips or cookie) and enjoyed every bite of it!
Surprisingly, the first thing I did after I ate was unpack/organize/clean my room. For anyone that knows me, my room (at home at least) hasn't been reallyyy cleaned since at least sophomore year of high school. Whoops! So what was different about today? I figure that the discipline I'm using to train for the race can also be used in every other aspect of my life. There will be a lot more examples of this coming up, I promise! I was walking out the door to get in a quick gym sesh before the roomies got home from so. fla. but as I walked out, they walked in. We sat and talked for a bit and then took 7 hours (okay, not really, but it was at least an hour) to decide what to wear for what we thought would be an empty night out in Gainesville. We were wrong. I drove because I'm trying to cut down on drinking as much, and tonight it just wasn't necessary. Anyway, every bar in Gainesville was packed and it's a good thing I had a car, because we were able to get around much easier. It was a weird kind of night here, mostly because of all the people from other school's in town for the FLORIDA V. FLORIDA STATE game tomorrow! GO GATORS!!!
I was a bit upset because I didn't get to the gym today, but I shopped for almost 9 hours. That's some damn good cardio. And I drove practically across the state--that should count for something! I will be at the gym bright and early tomorrow morning though, and I'm actually really looking forward to it!
Goodnight for now!!!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thanksgiving
I love Thanksgiving. Waking up early (and by early, I mean 9 am, but I can get away with that because I'm a college student!), watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, flipping through ads and cooking. What a perfect way to start the day! Of course, because we're in Florida, it most certainly is not as cold as it should be, but that's okay, maybe next year. I finished making my Thanksgiving goodies today, all of which will make photo appearances later in the weekend. But I'll tell you now, they were yummy!!! We missed some of the family tonight, but will be seeing them soon at the next family get together hopefully. I got to make homemade whipped cream with my 3-year-old nephew, which was just precious! Dinner was so delicious--we have a tradition in my family that everyone brings their own dishes so we get a little flavor of everything! After dinner, I took a mini-snooze, another tradition of mine. There's nothing better than eating a delicious meal, spending time with family and then cuddling up with the pupster on the couch. :)
I was a bit upset that I didn't get a workout in today, but considering that I stood cooking for 6 hours today, I think I'm okay with it. I also didn't stuff myself at dinner, which is a great feeling to get up from the Thanksgiving table and not want to fall over. One thing I will note that I didn't yesterday is that I noticed, disconcertingly, that very few women do strength training, at the gym here anyway. From where I was on the treadmill (looking over the weight machines), there were only about 5 women using free weights or machines. I don't know if it was because of the time (6 pm--dinner time, stereotypical, but it's just an observation) or because we just aren't necessarily taught how to use them properly. That's definitely a goal of mine--to really learn how to strength train.
The good news is that I wasn't that sore at all following the last few days of working out! Whoo!
It's just after midnight now, and I need to be getting to sleep because I'm waking up at 4 am to get some early morning shopping in with Stephanie at Macys. It's a weakness.
In honor of the holiday though, I do just want to take a minute and think about what in life I'm thankful for. First and foremost, my family and friends mean the world to me. I could not ask for a better group of people to surround myself with, to support me, and for me to support in return. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for any of them, because I know that they'd do the same for me. I am so thankful for the opportunities I've been given in my life, for the chances I've been allowed to take and the things I've gotten to experience. I know that as I get older all of these things will stay with me and I am so grateful to have had these experiences. I'm thankful for my health and for the everyday miracles that pass us by so often. I hope that in the coming year I'll be able to truly appreciate these things even more.
And now I actually do need to go to sleep. I hope that everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving with your loved ones and take a minute to really reflect on what you're thankful for and the blessings in your life.
Have a shop-tastic BLACK FRIDAY!!!!
Goodnight :)
I was a bit upset that I didn't get a workout in today, but considering that I stood cooking for 6 hours today, I think I'm okay with it. I also didn't stuff myself at dinner, which is a great feeling to get up from the Thanksgiving table and not want to fall over. One thing I will note that I didn't yesterday is that I noticed, disconcertingly, that very few women do strength training, at the gym here anyway. From where I was on the treadmill (looking over the weight machines), there were only about 5 women using free weights or machines. I don't know if it was because of the time (6 pm--dinner time, stereotypical, but it's just an observation) or because we just aren't necessarily taught how to use them properly. That's definitely a goal of mine--to really learn how to strength train.
The good news is that I wasn't that sore at all following the last few days of working out! Whoo!
It's just after midnight now, and I need to be getting to sleep because I'm waking up at 4 am to get some early morning shopping in with Stephanie at Macys. It's a weakness.
In honor of the holiday though, I do just want to take a minute and think about what in life I'm thankful for. First and foremost, my family and friends mean the world to me. I could not ask for a better group of people to surround myself with, to support me, and for me to support in return. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for any of them, because I know that they'd do the same for me. I am so thankful for the opportunities I've been given in my life, for the chances I've been allowed to take and the things I've gotten to experience. I know that as I get older all of these things will stay with me and I am so grateful to have had these experiences. I'm thankful for my health and for the everyday miracles that pass us by so often. I hope that in the coming year I'll be able to truly appreciate these things even more.
And now I actually do need to go to sleep. I hope that everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving with your loved ones and take a minute to really reflect on what you're thankful for and the blessings in your life.
Have a shop-tastic BLACK FRIDAY!!!!
Goodnight :)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Rainy Days are Best for Baking...
Oh, the joys of South Florida weather. Yesterday when I went for my walk at 4pm, it was sunny and probably about 75 degrees (aka far too hot for two days before Thanksgiving). Today, it rained all afternoon. Yuck. I did a little bit (more) mid-afternoon Thanksgiving food shopping and picked up some lunch. I wasn't going to, but there is absolutely nothing in my house to eat except for Thanksgiving goodness and my Mom will not be happy if I eat it. Anyway, so I picked up this delicious lunch from Panera--a "You Pick Two" with the Frontega Chicken Panini and Vermont Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese. Yummy! and most definitely more calories than I even want to think about.
I got a head-start on some cooking for tomorrow while my iPod charged in preparation for the gym. All my recipes are from Food Network, I just love the variety of the dishes you can get from there. Every holiday I try to choose some different recipes to try, to expand my cooking/baking portfolio, if you will. Today I made the Cranberry-Pear Relish and Tyler's Ultimate Pumpkin Pie. I don't particularly like pumpkin pie, but my Grandma does, so I made it for her, and even though I don't like it, it looks delicious! I'm definitely going to have to try it, especially when I add on the crunchy pecans and dried cranberries AND just to make it irresistable, Rachael Ray's Almond Spiced Whipped Cream on top. WOW. It's unfortunate that Thanksgiving has fallen in the same week as me deciding to train for a half-marathon! And if you were wondering, the relish was delicious. :) Tomorrow's cooking/baking includes my great-grandma's apple pie, Apple Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers and Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter. Okay, I'm done making you hungry now. Sorry, but you know it sounds good!
Anyway, after baking the pie, I headed out to the gym and I'm pretty pleased with how it went. I speed-walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes, at 4.0 mph (15 min/mile), with 30-45 second sprints every "lap" the machine has (.25 miles) at 5.0 mph or 12 min/mile. My total distance was 2.04 miles and I burned 204 calories. My total speed was 14.38 min/mile! I probably could have kept going, but my legs (and my blisters) deserve a rest. I was having some side cramps while running, but I followed a tip I recently heard about slow deep breaths and it really did work. Good stuff! I did 3 sets of 20 on the hip abducters and adducters and on obliques. All in all, a perfectly successful gym day. I love getting back into working out (and blogging)!!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
I got a head-start on some cooking for tomorrow while my iPod charged in preparation for the gym. All my recipes are from Food Network, I just love the variety of the dishes you can get from there. Every holiday I try to choose some different recipes to try, to expand my cooking/baking portfolio, if you will. Today I made the Cranberry-Pear Relish and Tyler's Ultimate Pumpkin Pie. I don't particularly like pumpkin pie, but my Grandma does, so I made it for her, and even though I don't like it, it looks delicious! I'm definitely going to have to try it, especially when I add on the crunchy pecans and dried cranberries AND just to make it irresistable, Rachael Ray's Almond Spiced Whipped Cream on top. WOW. It's unfortunate that Thanksgiving has fallen in the same week as me deciding to train for a half-marathon! And if you were wondering, the relish was delicious. :) Tomorrow's cooking/baking includes my great-grandma's apple pie, Apple Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers and Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter. Okay, I'm done making you hungry now. Sorry, but you know it sounds good!
Anyway, after baking the pie, I headed out to the gym and I'm pretty pleased with how it went. I speed-walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes, at 4.0 mph (15 min/mile), with 30-45 second sprints every "lap" the machine has (.25 miles) at 5.0 mph or 12 min/mile. My total distance was 2.04 miles and I burned 204 calories. My total speed was 14.38 min/mile! I probably could have kept going, but my legs (and my blisters) deserve a rest. I was having some side cramps while running, but I followed a tip I recently heard about slow deep breaths and it really did work. Good stuff! I did 3 sets of 20 on the hip abducters and adducters and on obliques. All in all, a perfectly successful gym day. I love getting back into working out (and blogging)!!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A Win is A Win
I may not have actually "won" anything today, but I may as well have! I'll get to that though...
Today started off as a pretty lazy day. I woke up around 10:30 and lounged around reading "The Tipping Point" (by Malcolm Gladwell--I highly recommend it, by the way). With the amount of activities packing my schedule in Gainesville, this is the only chance I've had in quite some time to catch up on my reading. I then made my way downstairs (all that reading & lounging was in bed, it's just so nice to lay around under the covers for a few hours!) and spend the better part of the early afternoon searching for running blogs and training tips for new runners. I found a lot of great tips and resources and I keep getting more and more excited to really get into this half-marathon journey I'm embarking on. I had a delicious and filling lunch of Reduced Fat Wheat Thins and tuna fish.
And here comes the exciting part of my day...
At around 4 p.m. I decided to take my pupster, Pacey, for a walk. I intended to only walk 2 miles roundtrip, but once we got out and going, the extra mile seemed like it was really worth it. All in all, i walked 3 miles in 48 minutes!! (For those of you who don't feel like doing the math, that's a 16 minute mile, which is what I'm going to need for the half-marathon!!) Granted, this is excluding some waiting for cars to pass so we can cross the street, stopping for the dog to rest, and a ponytail adjustment. But, I feel much better about it because I've just started training and, even though I wasn't really speedwalking, let alone jogging or running, I wasn't that winded. I did have a very tired Pacey at the end of it though. And some not-so-good blisters on my heels. That's what I get for leaving my good sneakers in Gainesville.
Just knowing that I can walk a 16-minute mile and knowing how good it feels to reach a goal (like walking three miles today) is keeping me energized to keep on going!
I really need to put some new music on my iPod, although I did enjoy my playlist today. (It's got a little bit of everything--country, pop, rock--anything to keep it varied and enjoyable.) I found what sounds like a pretty baller playlist though, courtesy of thefitnessista.com (http://fitnessista.com/?page_id=791). It was part of my blog search this morning, what can I say?
Mom and I went out to do some Thanksgiving shopping at Publix in the evening and stopped for a quick dinner at an Italian restaurant, where I ate more bread than I needed to, but not as much as usual, had a delicious side salad (with oil and vinegar, one of the things I picked up in Europe) and an even more delicious Cappellini Caprese (angel hair pasta in a light white wine sauce with fresh tomato and mozzarella pieces on top). It's after a meal like that when I want to go back to Rome the most!
]Thanksgiving is this week--I'm psyched to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade/Dog Show/try out new recipes like I do every year!
Basically, I'm loving life, inspired by running/fitness/doing a half-marathon, excited for the holiday and missing Europe.
Until next time (tomorrow, hopefully)...
Pacey, very tired but still happy
Today started off as a pretty lazy day. I woke up around 10:30 and lounged around reading "The Tipping Point" (by Malcolm Gladwell--I highly recommend it, by the way). With the amount of activities packing my schedule in Gainesville, this is the only chance I've had in quite some time to catch up on my reading. I then made my way downstairs (all that reading & lounging was in bed, it's just so nice to lay around under the covers for a few hours!) and spend the better part of the early afternoon searching for running blogs and training tips for new runners. I found a lot of great tips and resources and I keep getting more and more excited to really get into this half-marathon journey I'm embarking on. I had a delicious and filling lunch of Reduced Fat Wheat Thins and tuna fish.
And here comes the exciting part of my day...
At around 4 p.m. I decided to take my pupster, Pacey, for a walk. I intended to only walk 2 miles roundtrip, but once we got out and going, the extra mile seemed like it was really worth it. All in all, i walked 3 miles in 48 minutes!! (For those of you who don't feel like doing the math, that's a 16 minute mile, which is what I'm going to need for the half-marathon!!) Granted, this is excluding some waiting for cars to pass so we can cross the street, stopping for the dog to rest, and a ponytail adjustment. But, I feel much better about it because I've just started training and, even though I wasn't really speedwalking, let alone jogging or running, I wasn't that winded. I did have a very tired Pacey at the end of it though. And some not-so-good blisters on my heels. That's what I get for leaving my good sneakers in Gainesville.
Just knowing that I can walk a 16-minute mile and knowing how good it feels to reach a goal (like walking three miles today) is keeping me energized to keep on going!
I really need to put some new music on my iPod, although I did enjoy my playlist today. (It's got a little bit of everything--country, pop, rock--anything to keep it varied and enjoyable.) I found what sounds like a pretty baller playlist though, courtesy of thefitnessista.com (http://fitnessista.com/?page_id=791). It was part of my blog search this morning, what can I say?
Mom and I went out to do some Thanksgiving shopping at Publix in the evening and stopped for a quick dinner at an Italian restaurant, where I ate more bread than I needed to, but not as much as usual, had a delicious side salad (with oil and vinegar, one of the things I picked up in Europe) and an even more delicious Cappellini Caprese (angel hair pasta in a light white wine sauce with fresh tomato and mozzarella pieces on top). It's after a meal like that when I want to go back to Rome the most!
]Thanksgiving is this week--I'm psyched to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade/Dog Show/try out new recipes like I do every year!
Basically, I'm loving life, inspired by running/fitness/doing a half-marathon, excited for the holiday and missing Europe.
Until next time (tomorrow, hopefully)...
Monday, November 23, 2009
Day One
I woke up at 7:30 this morning to go to the gym. I'm too tired to come up with a more creative blog post title.
Okay, in all honesty, waking up that early wasn't thaaat bad, but I can assure you that will not be happening often! Even though people say you should work out in the morning to make your metabolism be more effective and all that, I just like working out in the evening better. I have my reasons, and besides, I like to be different!
Anyway, I didn't have a ton of time at the gym this morning, especially because LA Fitness tried to turn my guest pass into a full time membership and wasted 15 minutes of precious training time. I did manage to get a full 30 minutes on the Elliptical though, doing a cross-training program. Considering it was the first time I've been at the gym in, well, longer than I'd like to admit, I was pretty pleased with how natural it felt being back on the elliptical. Although I don't think it's a particularly comparable exercise to actually running, I did go about 2.5 miles, which I think is a pretty solid starting point.
I'm in Miami for the night visiting my best friend, but I'll be back at the gym tomorrow night, so stay tuned! In the meantime, I'm still looking for some awesome work-out music, so if you have any suggestions, drop me a note!
Okay, in all honesty, waking up that early wasn't thaaat bad, but I can assure you that will not be happening often! Even though people say you should work out in the morning to make your metabolism be more effective and all that, I just like working out in the evening better. I have my reasons, and besides, I like to be different!
Anyway, I didn't have a ton of time at the gym this morning, especially because LA Fitness tried to turn my guest pass into a full time membership and wasted 15 minutes of precious training time. I did manage to get a full 30 minutes on the Elliptical though, doing a cross-training program. Considering it was the first time I've been at the gym in, well, longer than I'd like to admit, I was pretty pleased with how natural it felt being back on the elliptical. Although I don't think it's a particularly comparable exercise to actually running, I did go about 2.5 miles, which I think is a pretty solid starting point.
I'm in Miami for the night visiting my best friend, but I'll be back at the gym tomorrow night, so stay tuned! In the meantime, I'm still looking for some awesome work-out music, so if you have any suggestions, drop me a note!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
As of Today, I'm a Runner!
I have never particularly enjoyed running. On a treadmill, yeah I can do it, and even enjoy it, but outside running is just not my thing. But yesterday, my sister-in-law, Michelle told me about the Disney Princess Half-Marathon in March, and it just hit me that this was going to be my next challenge. It's going to be an intensive 102 days (14.5 weeks), but I'm up for it. I will be running my first half-marathon on March 7, 2010! I can't think of a better goal to set for myself in my last semester of college (besides doing well in school, graduating and getting a job of course)! It will also be the best platform to jump in and get in shape and lose some weight along the way, just in time for spring break, nonetheless.
So what comes next? Well I'm not really sure, but I intend to do a lot of reading on training for a half-marathon, getting myself some proper running gear and doing a LOT of running over the next few months!
Here goes nothing....
The Race
The Course
So what comes next? Well I'm not really sure, but I intend to do a lot of reading on training for a half-marathon, getting myself some proper running gear and doing a LOT of running over the next few months!
Here goes nothing....
The Race
The Course
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