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!!!
Monday, November 30, 2009
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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