lifestyle

28 Minutes 55 Seconds.

Every now and then.. I'll stop by this blog and give it some love.
At one time or another, I thought it would be a great idea to keep these two blogs separate. I mean, who wants to hear me ramble on about my runs, bike rides, or races... So at that time, I thought it would be neat to keep it separate from my creative and family lifestyle. But somehow they just merge... and keeping the two has become harder than I thought. Some days I only have the energy to write in one blog. But I'm gonna try.

Look at that.. 7-0-4
My man.. got his shining moment!
I'm so envious. If you only knew how long I've been combing through these photos to find a piece of me in there.. and I did find one. Only thing you'd need a magnify glass to see me! (aarrgh)

But the proof is in the.. time chip :)

My goal for today was to try my damnest to make it under 3o minutes.
And finally after my 4th (?) 5K.. I did it!
And much like anything you are passionate about... I was indeed proud of myself.. BUT it left me wanting more. I kept thinking how I could've done so much better if I only did this or did that.

For one thing, when the gun went off, I booked it! Not  good. So when I saw that hill ahead... I felt like I was dying. And like all my runs.. that first mile and half, always kills me. Then my body starts to warm up and I feel freaking fantastic. I should've jumped around a bit jogged a little prior to the race. This time, I did dress less. I actually wore shorts in 35 degree weather. But I ended up doubling up on my top... and I wish I just wore a T-Shirt! I notice, I do so much better when I don't feel like a portable heater.  The other day I did a 7.7 mile run and I felt great because I dressed very lightly. I ended up taking my second layer off.  But that feeling you get on your last leg of the run, when you know just around the bend, is the finish line.. all of a sudden, that adrenaline kicks in and it's like someone just a lit your behind on fire. It felt amazing!

But I'm craving more.
I want to do better.
I want to challenge myself even more.
I want to do the things I never thought I could do.
I want to be like that girl who was already finishing up when I was only halfway through.

That's the thing with something you are truly passionate about... you're always wanting more.

 

RunKeeper.

So I've been bogged down with cold/flu like symptoms. I spent most of my Monday and all of Tuesday in a horizontal position on the sofa or in bed.  And 2 days of rest and more rest, can be a bit to much for my busy body.  I know that I needed it, so that's why I took it easy on Tuesday, but come Wednesday, I really could not stand laying down for another day. I got up and took care of the kids (better), did a couple loads of laundry, went to the grocery store (in desperate need of drinks, OJ, milk, and water bottles!) cause no one really had a hefty appetite these past few days.

I actually decided to go out for a quick run and enjoy that bright shining sun. Although I did enjoy that ray of sun, I did not enjoy the slick sidewalks.  We've had some warmer weather, so snow was starting to melt.. followed by freezing temperatures, so all those puddles of water, froze over. So I had some tricky ice patches to dodge. And no amount of studs on your shoes is gonna grip slick ice. So I spent most of my run, dodging ice patches, and walking over frozen puddles, then wiping my dripping nose and watery eyes.  I was left wondering, "Oh my this is taking more work than enjoying..." Regardless, I did it.

Then I downloaded another new app (as if I need more) called RunKeeper, read it in an article. It's much like my Nike Plus but it tracks a bit more and you can use it for other activities, such as biking, hiking, cross country skiiing, skating.. etc. Of course, I'm excited.

But here's a map/info it provides once you are done with your activity:

I love how it shows your run in GPS form and how it shows the elevation levels on a few of the spots (like that little hill on Provider. 

I called this run my "Sick-Run".. cause even though it felt good to get out there, my nose was running, my head so stuffy, and my body still hurt...

Imma Be...

feeling good today...

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits,
and keeps the mind in vigor.
-Cicero

Got some much needed R&R over the weekend, which is exactly what I needed. And I enjoyed a brisk and steady 8.84 mile run over the weekend. It was exactly what I needed to kick start my week. Now I'm ready to face this week head on.  Looking forward to some gym time this week and weekend. 

Another Milestone.

Nothing like something like this to boost up my self esteem and give myself a huge pat on my back.  I still can't believe this was done by me, the girl who hated PE growing up and would find any excuse to miss those 1.5 mile runs at school. I am so proud of myself, it makes me want to push even further.

---------------------------

I went for a run today, despite the cooler (cold) temperatures. I think it barely reached 40 degrees! I came home from work (and being up at 5 am) and i just pushed myself. Sometimes I think I push myself too hard. I did not want to stop, even though I really should've with this one bad left knee. But I kept going, and now I am sitting on the sofa, wishing I had turned around 3 miles earlier..

I'm gonna have to push myself to take it easy on my knees tomorrow. I'm excited because both hubby and I are off from work, and we have set out to go for a run initially, but may settle for our day at the gym. I'm off to limp my way to the car to pick up hubby.. (Did I mention, we are still a one car family.. This is not working out!) LOL!!

You Spin..

...my head Right Round, Right Round!

After half an hour of having a heated debate in my head about whether I should go to Spin Class solo this morning, or not, I decided to just go ahead and do it, knowing that all the times I "Just Did It" I always felt like a million bucks after!  Obviously I don't like doing things alone, Steph couldn't make it with me (but she went by herself without me the other day)  so that alone was a deciding factor .  Going alone, I actually felt really nervous cause it was a new instructor and besides who would pick me up if I fell off ?  LOL! 

It turns out, I had a great time.  I had my heart rate monitor this time and I have never pushed to my max heart rate like I did today!!!  She kept me going with her music choice.  (Note to self, that music is a big factor in whether I can hang on or not..)  I notice in the last leg of the exercise when I would rather walk out, I pushed extra hard and stayed off the saddle and stood the entire time with a pretty tight tension, cause Flo Rida was singing "Right Round" to me, quite fitting for a spin classs, don't cha think? She also had on Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and Paramore!  Perfect!

I'm glad I went.  Another great workout! Cheers! It really helps with my mood, the kids came home to a "relaxed, unstressed, and happier" mom.  I made their favorites to snack on as they came home from school, fruit smoothies, chicken wings, and some rice crispies.  Me? I had carrot sticks!  :)

I did it anyway...

After just a few hours of sleep.  (Stayed up a little to late on Friday night.)  I rushed over to work on Saturday morning. But not without my tea from Starbucks and I even bought a Lemon/Raspberry bar.. but DID NOT even touch it.  Why do I do that? I think I need sweet stuff and opted for the bagel I packed anyway.  So I threw it away, may as well throw $3.00 away!  So I did good for breakfast.  But the hours past and I could not find time to squeeze lunch in! I get so busy at work that before I know it, it's 2 pm and I'm almost ready to go home!  So needless to say, lunch was skipped.

I rushed home at 3 pm, already grumpy and tired.  The kids have been home alone and all they wanted to do was go to the gym.  Ugh, I thought.. first of all I'm hungry, tired, and now whiny!  But I did it anyway.. rounded all the kids + one (Mason, the neighbor kid.. he tells everyone that my boys are his step-brothers! LOL) I got my gym clothes on and went to the gym.  The kids hung out downstairs at the basketball courts and I took 40 minutes to myself.  I must've been either frustrated or really into Beyonce, cause I did a couple of miles in a matter of minutes.  And I just did not want to get off, it felt good to sweat like a mutha, and feel my legs hurt (from the other day of Spin Class), and in an odd way.. I enjoyed the pain! 

I just hope I remember this feeling of ... "no matter what, just do it anyway".