Friday Funday

No, not in real life**. Just on the blog!

Last Sunday, I mentioned that we got to go bowling with the neighbors across the street. This was Ava's first time bowling, and I think she liked it!

I only took a handful of pictures, which is so unlike me! I need to get back in the habit of taking more. Anyway .... I leave you with bowling picture goodness!

Daddy showing her how to do the granny throw between her legs

getting ready! Love the grin.

I think the ball was slightly too heavy for a granny throw, so push it she did.

watching with such anticipation

hilarious that the further the ball got down the lane, the more she leaned forward!

enjoying herself!

we tried the ramp, too. she went back and forth from using it and not.

Ava and Hunter, the 4 - going on 5 - year old that lives across the street!

It was enjoyable, and is something we will have to do again! Added bonus? The reduced prices they have on Sundays!

----

**I sort of lied. Today is a fun day in real life, too. Nama Jayne and Papa Brian will be here this afternoon to spend the weekend with us!

Up Tempo: Marathon Pace

For the longest time, I had no concept of what it felt like to have a 5K pace, a 10K pace, half-marathon pace, or marathon pace. I ran at one steady pace. All the time.

I still struggle to adjust my pace during runs, and don't incorporate enough tempo runs or speed work into my running. However, I am starting to understand that different distances do in fact have different paces. I set two 5K PRs last year, and know it is one thing to hold that pace over 3.1 miles - and nearly impossible for me to hold that pace over 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

Obviously my ultimate goal for Grandma's is to finish all 26.2 miles. Of course I have other goals in mind, too. The pace I need to be at has had my thoughts a little up tempo lately! Especially given the way I felt after last Saturday's long run.

And yet, that pace is right where I need to be - but with no wiggle room! Yikes. I would like to finish this marathon in less than 5 hours (11:27 average). 4:30 (10:18 average) would be nice, but is likely too fast to maintain through all these uncharted miles. The latter is not even a split I hit on a regular basis right now, so clearly out of the question. 4:40 - 4:45 would be a more realistic goal outside of the beating 5 hours one.

Last fall, over a month after my second half-marathon, I headed out for a 10 mile run. I ended that run with 10.3 miles in 1:58:01 - an 11:23 average. I hit the 10 mile mark in 1:52:55 - the first time I finished 10 miles in under 2 hours (and the last time I ran double digits). My fastest mile was mile 9 of that run! October and November had me seeing some of my fastest runs and average paces. I think a lot of it was due to cooler temps than I've had over the two summers when I was training for races, and due to not having been training at the time; that meant there was no pressure! When I look at the Activity log on Nike Plus, during that time frame I have 6, 7, and 8 mile runs with average paces of 11:01, 10:56, and even 10:50.More important than the pace of those runs, was the way I felt afterwards. Nothing beats that on-top-of-the world feeling.

Now I know that maintaining a pace over 8 miles, or even 10 miles, will not compare to trying to maintain it over 26.2 miles. But you have to start somewhere, and use current data to base the goal on, right? Above anything else, I hope that I end the run on June 21 knowing I gave it my all and left it all on the course.

Time to keep the pressure off  - and go for the goal!

Counting Calories: Part 1

A few weeks ago I talked about my weight journey. After gaining back 10 of the 27 pounds I lost, I was just stuck there for at least six months. Then I lost 10 pounds in three months time; but again have found myself stalled for almost another three months. In the previous post, I said I was thinking about adding some calories back into my diet. Having done that, I realized I wasn't sure how many calories I was eating each day. So, I decided to take the time to add 'em up! I am breaking it into three separate posts, mainly because I just have counted everything up yet.

Breakfast seemed like the most obvious place to start.

I am on week three of eating (drinking?) the make-ahead oatmeal smoothies. My favorite thus far is the apple cinnamon peanut butter ones. Trust me, it tastes much better than it sounds.

Here is what was in the last batch:

1/2c Oats - 150 calories
3tsp chia seeds - 90 calories
2c milk - 220 calories
1/2c yogurt - 105 calories
1 1/2c applesauce - 270 calories
5tbsp peanut butter - 450 calories
cinnamon

Total calories: 1285 divided by 3 smoothies =  428 calories

I also figured out that each smoothie has 14.8g protein, 17.1g fat, 7g fiber, 55.6g carbs

----

I wasn't sure how those numbers stacked up to where they should be. So, I plugged them into Spark People (which I haven't used regularly for a long time).

	CALORIES	CARBS	FAT	PROTEIN
Totals:	428	56	17	15
Your Daily Goal:	1,200 - 1,550	135 - 252	27 - 60	60 - 136
Remaining Today:	772 - 1,122	79 - 196	10 - 43	45 - 121

I would say the only number that looks high to start the day with is fat. I would also say depending on where the numbers end up at, I can make changes by using skim milk, sugar free applesauce, and a low fat peanut butter.
----

I will add up lunch, snacks and dinner to see where I am sitting total, and make changes as needed.

----

What are your daily totals? How have you overcome a weight loss plateau through either diet or exercise?

Three Things: 2/25/14

Happy Tuesday!

1. I saw these goodies pictured in the grocery ad last Friday, and the hubby took it as a hint to come home with some! I didn't really intend for that to be my purpose, but I wasn't going to make him return them! I didn't even know they made candy corn outside of Halloween season?!!? So far I have only had some of the "pastel" ones, which honestly didn't seem to have much flavor. I wonder if the carrot cake ones are actually intended to taste like carrot cake?

2. Ava got money in the mail last week from both grandparents to pick out something for Valentines Day! We took her shopping over the weekend. She seriously would have been happy with anything - she plays with anything from Barbie, to dolls, Legos, colors and paints, books, puzzles, musical instruments, or any of her three play sets (think Fisher Price houses and figurines - she has a Disney castle, Dora house, and Sophia the First castle). And outside. She loves playing outside. So while we could have let her pick out anything, she has always shown an interest in cars and trains as well but doesn't have these toys! So, we led her to get a Thomas the Train wooden train track set. She seems to like it thus far!

3. I had picked up some bananas to put in smoothies, but then also ended up getting a mixed bag of frozen strawberries/bananas. What do you do with extra bananas? Why, bake banana bread of course! In the past, on the rare occasion when I would make banana bread or muffins, I used a mix. I just assumed that banana bread was difficult to make! Then I came across this recipe, and have used it several times in the last year. I want to say the recipe is from All Recipes, but I can't be certain. In my world of baking, this is as "from scratch" as it gets! Probably not as healthy as I would like to think, but - oh, so nummy!

Ingredients:
3-4 bananas mashed*
1/3c butter melted
1c sugar
1 egg beaten
1tsp vanilla
1tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2c flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*. Mix butter into bananas. Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle in baking soda and salt. Add flour last. Pour into loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!

 notice the proper mashing technique! :)

 

*I used 4 bananas this time, and will not do that again. It is mushier that I would like it to be, but clearly, based on color, I couldn't cook it much longer. 

----

What randomness is going on in your corner of the world?

Motivational Monday: 2/24/14

Sums up my feelings as I wrap up week 1 of marathon training!

----

Grandma's Marathon Training: Week 2 - The Plan

Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: Interval Conditioning (kettle bells)
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 3 miles and Interval Conditioning
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 9 miles
Sunday: Strength Routine

We have a wedding in the Twin Cities on Saturday, so while I would typically plan something else for cross training on Sunday, I already know it likely won't happen. Once we get back from the Cities, we will visit with my parents, who are staying with Ava, and still have Sunday chores to do. To be completely honest, fitting that in may or may not happen. I am going to keep it in the plan and strive to achieve it!

----

What is your goal for the week?

Weekly Re-Cap: 2/17-2/23

Week 1 of marathon training in the books!

 

Monday: planned 3 miles; actual 3.27 miles. I think the hardest part of starting a training program is sticking with the shorter runs and letting the mileage build. I don't go out for very many 3 mile runs anymore! 4-5 is a typical short run for me. I thought about adding the miles on, but know this weeks planned total of 19 would end up being the most I have done in a few weeks (maybe even a month). I didn't want to get to the end of the week and feel spent. I also thought about pairing it with some cross training or strength training. There were two classes at the Y I considered, but I didn't make it on time for either one! I decided to shovel snow instead; however, when our neighbor offered to use his snow blower, I quickly gave in! Oh well. I ended up pushing myself to maintain a faster pace considering I knew I was coming in on fresh legs. My goal for the three mile mark was 34 minutes, and I hit it in just over 33! Looking back it was my fastest pace since January 9; but really I haven't held that average pace consistently since I moved my training indoors for the winter! When all was said and done, I ran 3.27 miles in 36:07, an 11:02 average. Couldn't have asked for a much better run to start the official training program!

Tuesday: planned Interval Conditioning (kettle bells); actual IC with kettle bells. Right after I got done saying I felt like the instructor had backed off on cardio since incorporating kettle bells into class, she made me eat my words. I wonder if she was around the corner and heard me say it? The worst part of class was the burpees. It was either 4 or 5 sets of 10 of them. Let me show you this pin. It explains how I feel about burpees.

So maybe not everyone feels that way about burpees, but I do. I also know they are a killer exercise. We did some squats, lunges, some arm work, and of course swings. Including a swing tabata - 20 seconds hard, followed by 10 seconds of active recovery x 8 rounds.

 

 

Wednesday: planned 5 miles, actual 5.04 miles. I don't know if it was the third workout this week, on a week where I am coming off of a not-so-good week or what, but it was not an easy run. It was odd actually. My legs felt heavy. Yet I still felt like I was maintaining an okay pace. However, every time I would look at my app, I was surprised how slow I was actually going. Once I get through my warm up, I have been maintaining 10:40/10:50 with relative ease. Tonight I was between 10:50 and 11:05 more often than not. I would have liked better, but it wasn't the worse. Ended with 5.04 miles in 57:31 (11:24 average).

 

 

 

Thursday: planned 3 miles and Interval Conditioning; actual strength training.

 

This was the Facebook status shared around 10:00am Thursday morning;

 

IMPORTANT CANCELLATION & CLOSING INFORMATION

The YMCA of Austin will be closing at 3:00pm today, Thursday, February 20th. All youth programming scheduled for today is cancelled.

 

At least it took away my guessing game and internal debate that was to happen! I knew I didn't want to let the day go - that happens too often when day gets interrupted. So, I decided to combine the stability ball workout, inner thigh workout, and the arm workout. I added in some bursts of cardio, too. The arm workout had 10 exercises, leg 4, and stability 6 - I added a few leg exercises, took out one of the stability ball moves, and grouped them all into 5 separate sets. The final workout looked like this:

5 minute warm-up (did some jumping jacks, squats, lunges, mountain climbers, skaters, burpees, high knees, butt kicks, etc. for about 30 seconds each.)

15 shoulder presses
15 tricep kickbacks
30s plank
20 heel raises (each side)
1 min jumping jacks

20 push-ups
15 shoulder flys
20 crunches
20 leg raises (each side)
1 min mountain climbers

20 bicep curls
12 lying tricep extensions
20 knee tucks
20 scissor kicks
20 frogger kicks
1 min burpees

20 upright rows
15 chest presses
20 hamstring curls
20 hydrants (all four position, lift leg 90* angle) (each side)
1 min squats

15 tricep dips
20 lawnmowers (each side)
10 ball passes
20 clams (each side) (saw this online this morning and just threw it in)
20 donkey kicks (each side)
1 min skaters

REPEAT

5 min cool down/stretching

It was tough, but not exhausting. A few of the reps noted above I switched up based on how I was feeling. Total this took me 1hr, 18 min. I took seconds of rest when I needed it, I checked on Ava a few times, etc. and that is all included in that time! If that matters. I could see doing this series, or something similar, again!

Friday: planned Rest; actual Rest! Although I did struggle with feeling like I should make up the 3 miles I didn't get to do yesterday. In the grand scheme of things, I figured 3 miles missed is better than going on a 11 day streak until my next rest day. Chances are I would have ended up missing another workout. I can be proud I did something yesterday despite the weather!

Saturday: planned 8 miles, actual 8.01 miles. I've known for months my plan started at 8 miles, so I have been trying to keep this distance feeling comfortable. I looked back and the last time I ran 8 miles was January 25. My period started this morning. I didn't hydrate well this morning. And after deciding to run errands this morning I went out later than I planned. I should have known this run wasn't going to go as well as planned, or as well as hoped. The run started pretty sluggish feeling. The middle felt pretty good, and the end was miserable. Especially when on the track at the Y, I walk a lap every few miles. Today I planned to walk at 3, 5, and 7. I ended walking at 6.1(ish) as well. Total mileage was 8.01 in 1:32:07 (11:30 avg). As sluggish as it felt overall, I can't complain too loudly. My most recent half, I was thrilled when I hit 8 miles in 1:32; and really my only goal for this marathon is to come in under 5 hours. All in all, it is not a bad starting place.

Mile	Time	Change	Avg Pace
1	12:38	--	12'38"/mi
2	23:27	- 1:50 (14%)	10'48"/mi
3	34:19	+ 0:03 (-1%)	10'52"/mi
4	45:51	+ 0:40 (-7%)	11'32"/mi
5	56:42	- 0:41 (6%)	10'50"/mi
6	1:08:27	+ 0:54 (-9%)	11'44"/mi
7	1:20:04	- 0:07 (1%)	11'37"/mi
8	1:31:58	+ 0:16 (-3%)	11'54"/mi

Sunday: planned swimming or Boot Camp; actual strength training. I was all prepared to go to Boot Camp, until Chad told me the neighbors across the street invited us to go bowling with them this afternoon. So, I agreed. (pictures forth coming of Ava's first time bowling!) When we got home, I did the same strength training routine I did on Thursday - with a few minor changes. The 20 upright rows turned into 15 two-legged dead lifts with a row. I added oblique crunches in at the same time I did crunches. Instead of burpees, I did lunges. I left out the clams. Everything else stayed pretty much the same. Some of the reps went up to 20 or 25, and some went down from 20 to 15 just based on how I was feeling. Total time was 1 hour, 20 minutes. Again, a few interruptions by my favorite 3 year old - but that is to be expected. At least she didn't trip me with the super balls she was playing with!

----

Totals for the week:
3 runs for a total of 16.32 miles in 3:05:45
1 Interval Conditioning class for 40 minutes
2 strength training workouts for a total of 2 hours, 38 minutes

If I can do the math right, that is 6 workouts, and 6 hours, 18 minutes of training.

Go me. :)

----

What was good about your week? My favorite part was Monday's run.
What would you change about your week? I would have got in the 3 miles I missed thanks to the blizzard of 2014!





Routine

The last time I wrote a post documenting our daily lives was in April 2012.

I have found it is fun from time to time to document what a day looks like and what our current normal is. Surprisingly, not a whole lot has changed. At least not as far as our day-to-day activities. We have moved since then (not as big or as far as the first time we moved, but still), and, somewhat unexpectedly, I switched jobs.  So without further ado:

3:00am - that is the time Chad gets up and gets ready to go to work. I don't know how he does it. Not only is that insanely early, but he gets up and gets to work early every day! At that hour I would totally be sleeping until the last possible minute (I do that anyway!).

4:00am - the time Chad actually starts work. He continues to work 4:00am - 2:30pm four days a week, with overtime hours available on Friday every few weeks. This has worked well for us over the last two years.

5:45am - this is when my alarm starts going off. I say starts because I am one of those people who needs to set alarms at 5-15 minute increments before I am actually able to get up and get moving. I am sure it is a mental game, and something I just let myself believe instead of it actually being true.

6:20am - the time I actually roll out of bed most days.

7:00am - is when I am typically finished getting ready for work. If Ava has not gotten up yet, I will wake her up. Chad gets his first break of the day at this time and will call to check in with us (mostly Ava). Sometimes I try to use this as a motivator and tell Ava she should try to get dressed before Daddy calls. It doesn't always work. Again, tends to depend on when she got up.

7:20am - if we aren't gone yet, this is when I start getting anxious. I try to leave by 7:15, but can admit most days it is usually rushed. I have lost Mom of the Year award on more than on occasion in these last few minutes of our morning. I know this could be avoided if I got up earlier. Old habits are just hard to break! Thankfully, day care is one block behind us and I still get to work most days by 7:30/7:35.

----

2:30pm - Chad gets off work and heads home. With his 20 minute drive, it is usually 3:00 before he gets home. I try to be understanding of the insane time he wakes up and not care that he will take a nap. Yet I have hounded him on occasion about having 1 - 1 1/2 hours to himself and how he could use that time to get things done! :)

4:15/4:30pm - Ava gets picked up from day care, usually by Daddy but from time to time I will leave work and get her.

5:00pm - typically, I am home already but if not this is the latest I will leave work by. At my previous job, I stayed until 5:00 nightly just to stay on top of paperwork. At my current job, if I am caught up on things 4-4:30 is sufficient usually. Lately it has been 5:00 more often than not just because it is that time of year! And I have stayed until 6:00 a handful of times this year, too. It just depends.

5:00-6:00pm -  there is usually some sitting and relaxing, checking in with each other, helping each other get supper ready, eating, trying to pick things up, etc. This hour goes pretty fast! Right now on Tuesdays, Ava had dance from 5:15-5:45, so we are out the door by 5:00 and home around 6:15.

6:00-6:30pm - if it is not an Interval Conditioning class night, I will try to leave to go for a run in this time frame. If I can get out the door, it allows me to try and be home for bed time. This changes in summer especially when I have to wait until later in order for it to cool down (looking forward to that about now!) If it happens to be Tuesday or Thursday, I will leave the house about 7 - unless I try to run before class. No matter what, it is about 8/8:30 when I get home. I try not to feel guilty about missing time at home; this is my 1 - 1 1/2 hours, but any Mom will relate when I say it is not always easy. I often wish I had a schedule that allowed me to do this while she was still in day care. As a working Mom, I really do struggle to find the time to do it all!

Bedtime - Chad will go to bed anytime between 8:00 and 9:00 depending on when I get home, what show is on tv and what time Ava goes down! Ava does not have a set bedtime.  As a baby and into the toddler years, we snuggled each other at night and that probably continued too long. Sue me! :) So, it is still a challenge to get her to go to bed in her own room and on her own. A challenge that we just haven't picked. Some nights it is in our bed. Some nights it is snuggling in the living room. Most nights she is out between 7:00 and 8:00, though once or twice a week it will push 8:30/9:00. We try to not have it get to that point. As for myself - it really varies with the season and what my workouts look like, what time I am getting done, etc. Right this moment, with the Olympics on, it has been after 11 for the last two weeks. Between 10 and 11 is more typical.

----

There you have it. A basic glimpse into our daily lives. As I was writing this, I couldn't help but think I will have to re-do this several times in the next several months. I am a teacher, but I switched majors a few times, finished a different degree first, but finally went back to college and made that a reality, and then I was working in a year round school for two years (three summers since I had started in June). So this summer is going to be so much fun! I could and should work for the extra money, but I am going to soak up the time with Ava. Then in Fall, Ava will start pre-school! It is shaping up to be an exciting year around here!

----

Anything unique about your daily routines? Does it switch often and stay pretty stagnate?
How do you balance each of your roles?

Snow Day

All week the weather talk had been about the storm that was to hit on Thursday (today!). Forecasters were calling for a wide range of snow; they finally settled on 5-10 (I think - I don't even remember as I write this!) The real story was the rate at which the snow was going to fall and the high winds that were to follow. This all led to a Winter Weather Advisory from 3am - 9am, and starting at 9am - 6am Friday a Blizzard Warning. (I have not lived here for long, but the openness of SE MN seems to lend itself to more blizzard-like conditions than I've experienced in the past. The wind does dangerous things, especially out in the open, with the blowing and drifting!)

That is how it sat on Wednesday evening anyway. No travel was to be advised, etc., etc., etc. Our Superintendent, and many others in the area, cancelled school by the end of the day Wednesday for Thursday. That is a decision I would never want to make - there is no way to please everyone!

I turned my alarm off, and didn't wake up until my live alarm clock tapped me on the back at 6:53. I told her to look out the window to see if it was snowing. Which sounded like a great idea until I remembered snow on the ground to her is snowing. No, nothing had happened over night. An hour after waking up it looked like this:

 

By 10:30 I could hear rain slushing when people drove by, and saw their wipers on. It looked wetter out when I peered outside, but clearly the photo didn't capture it!

 

 

 

We spent the morning lounging around and seeing if her bangs were long enough to stay in a pony tail yet. :) Isn't she precious? Am I biased? (Yes, and yes!) 

 

 

 

Just before noon, I decided we should go enjoy the snow we already had while waiting for the blizzard. As you can see, we built a snowman and marveled at the size of Max's prints in the snow.

 



 

 

 

By the time we (she) had quit tantruming about having to come in, the snow had finally started. It was just before 1pm!  

 

 At 2pm, it already looked like this!

 

 

 



 Another hour of steady snow had it looking like this out our front door:

 

 

After waiting for Chad to get home from work, hearing about his drive home, and getting a work out in, I took another picture at 5:00. You can see it is higher up against the bank from where we plowed previously, and if you look real close you can see the tree across the street is sagging pretty good. It is a wet, heavy snow.

 

 

That was the last picture I got before Chad went out and plowed. It is still snowing. They say it is not supposed to quit until nearly 9:00 tonight. They are still saying blizzard like conditions through 6am tomorrow morning; I guess 50mph hour winds will be able to move it around easier that the snow blowers I have been watching out the window.

 

I am curious to see what will happen with school tomorrow. I'd be okay with a four day weekend at this point; although I do have work that I need to do with students (testing and observations). The paper work I can do from home!

 

At the very least I am predicting a 2 hour late start. I'll keep you posted!

 

----

 

Did you have a snow day today? When did it start snowing by you? How much did you get?

If no snow, what is the weather by you?





Workout Wednesday

Sticking with the workout Wednesday theme, and again just going back through some of the workouts I have pinned on the ever loved Pinterest!

After focusing on a stability ball routine (I have not determined if I want to call that a core workout or not; it really does work a variety of muscle groups but is not necessarily full body), and then a leg/inner-thigh routine, it only made sense to choose an upper body strength training routine to try this week.

(for the record, the pin redirected me to a blog, not to the original source)

 

 

I am actually really excited to try this workout. When I look at each of those exercises individually, I am confident I can complete each move. Putting them altogether? I am in for a good upper body workout.

 

I am sure many of you are more seasoned in these moves than I am, but just in case. Most of those, I think, are self-explanatory. I did google a few to make sure I knew which moves they were:

 

- shoulder fly:
- lying triceps extension:

 

 

 

-lawnmower:

 

 

 

- chest press:

 

 

If there are any others you are not sure about, I highly suggest using google!

 

 

Now that I have focused on each of the main strength training sections, I should be able to put together quite the strength training session!

 

I will keep looking for ideas, because nothing is worse than boredom! Plus, in the next week or two, I plan to share a pool workout. I would love to incorporate swimming on my cross training days.





Three Things: 2/18/14

1. Recently, I was trying to share the description of the Interval Conditioning class I go to on a regular basis, but said all I could find was the description for the Pilates Mix class it replaced. Well, that is because I was looking at the Membership Brochure that only comes out once a year. Imagine there is actually a link that will bring you to the group fitness class descriptions .... and it is updated!

INTERVAL CONDITIONING :

This workout is great for overall fitness, speed, coordination, and core stability. It includes a good mix of body weight and strength training, combined with cardio intervals. This class uses a variety of equipment.

 



2. What are your thoughts on homemade/natural cleaning solutions? My sister has been making her own laundry soap for a long time, and uses vinegar for general cleaning. Just over a year ago, she gave me a gallon of detergent to try. At first I was sold! It lasted me 4 1/2 months and didn't include any added in scents or chemicals! Then I tried making my own. The first batch turned out okay; but was much thicker/clumpier than the batch I had been given. It lasted me 3 1/2 months, but was TWO GALLONS worth! I tried another batch in September, another two gallons that lasted closer to 5 months. Generally speaking, it was still thicker/clumpier than I would want it to be. When I was making it, I was disappointed that my washing soap and borax had gotten really hard, and if I have to buy that stuff each time I make it, then am I really saving the money? Long story short, I have Tide in my house for the first time in a year, with mixed feelings. I am proud that I actually tried to use it, but also feel like I should keep trying to perfect it in order to keep unnecessary chemicals away from my family.



Here is the link of the recipe I followed when I made my own. (her picture, too)

I have since found a powder one I want to try. Just haven't done it yet.

While we are at it, here is where I found the recipes for some of the other natural cleaning solutions I have been using. However, I have since used a different dusting one.

 

 

 

3. Now that those thoughts are out, let's move on to what it feels like to expect to wake up feeling sore, but to feel nothing! Sunday, I did a stability ball workout and some inner-thigh conditioning. The same stability ball workout had me feeling sore through my upper abs and rib area for three days last week! Combining that with the leg work, I didn't know what to expect. I definitely felt it during the workout! Shockingly, my abs feel fine and my legs only hurt if I flex the thigh/quad muscle in just the right way. More mixed feelings. Maybe repeating the workout told the muscles what to expect, and my legs are more toned that I think. Or maybe  I didn't work as hard as I thought I did. Sometimes it is nice to feel the burn, isn't it?

----

What are your three random thoughts of the day?

Motivational Monday: 2/17/14

This beauty came in the mail back in December, but training officially starts today! 18 weeks from now, I will be running my first 26.2. How is that for motivation?

I am more than ready to take this next step, cross an item off my bucket list, and follow through on a personal dream. I'm sure it will be a fantastic ride.

---

I will be following Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program; however, I am going to follow the long runs from the Intermediate 1 program. This will allow me to focus on just four runs a week, but to run two 20 mile long runs. I will feel more comfortable going into my first 26.2 with a bit more "experience".

On the agenda for this week:

Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: Interval Conditioning (kettle bells)
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 3 miles, Interval Conditioning
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: Boot Camp or Swimming

Hal's plan actually calls for runs on Tues, Wed, and Thurs, with rest days Mon and Fri. At least for the time being, it is easier for me to run on Monday nights. When Ava's dance season is over at the end of April, I may switch to running on Tuesdays. For now, I will try to keep both IC classes, but if my legs start feeling fatigued from them, I will cut one out.

Pretty manageable to start with; hope I find some early success and can let go of any unrealistic expectations in order to enjoy the journey.

Weekly Wrap-Up: 2/10-2/16

Monday: planned 5 miles; actual 0 miles. I don't know if it was the Monday blues or if I was just thrown off from running both Saturday and Sunday, but I just didn't have it in me. I also had paperwork to work on for Tuesday - I'm just in a rut at work! So, I did some work from home, caught up on dishes, watched the Olympics, and vowed to make the rest of the week better.

Tuesday: planned Interval Conditioning; actual Interval Conditioning. Felt like a beast in this class! Right now the heaviest kettle bell they have is 18 pounds (they are ordering heavier ones), which I thought for sure were too heavy for me. After talking to my instructor last week about how I felt after working with KB and doing swings, she suggested I go up to the 18s. So I did! Nice confidence booster.

Wednesday: planned 7 miles, actual 5 miles. When a friend sent me a text to wander ShopKo with her, I couldn't say no! I got in 5 miles before taking advantage of being child free for the night and taking in some adult conversation! Final distance was 5.05 miles in 57:49 (11:27 average).

Thursday: planned 3 miles and Interval Conditioning; actual Interval Conditioning. I am such a sap when it comes to being away from my sweet girl. When I got home to see her, I just couldn't pull away again so soon. So, we wrote out Valentines, snuggled, and took our time changing into pajamas and putting lotion on. The first few sets of kettle bell swings after putting on lotion were interesting. We also had four sets of tabatas (if that is how you spell it) that included KB swings, skaters, floor jacks, burpees, plank elbows to knees, mountain climbers, jump lunges, and jump squats. Lots of ab work in between the sets of tabatas. Oh what fun it was.

Friday: planned Rest; actual rest. My mistake was asking an almost 4 year old if she wanted to go to the Y with Momma or play outside. I did spend about 15 minutes pulling her on the sled if that counts for anything.

Yes, she is most likely wearing her boots on the wrong feet. When I tell her she says, "But that's ok, Momma. Right?"

Saturday: planned 5 miles; actual 0 miles. Ugh. So, so disappointed with how today turned out. With Chad out of town, it was just a matter of trying to squeeze everything in. The day care at the Y opens at 8:30; as much as I tried to plan my morning out to be there right when it opened, once I factored in a one hour run, travel time, getting in and out, showering, etc. - I just didn't see us getting out the door to make it to our 11am baby shower. Would it have been different if Chad was home and I didn't have to account for both of us? No promises, but I would have had the afternoon to work with as well (day care hours only went until 1). So our day consisted of a baby shower, time at the library, an early supper date, Candy Land, popcorn and a movie, and falling asleep together in the living room. Yes, I had it in my head I could do Jillian Michaels in the living room after she fell asleep, I just can't help myself. We get too comfortable sometimes!

she loves the play time at the library as much as she does bringing the books home. her new thing is wanting to play the computer games; but she likes to try without help. it's a process.

she always wins.

Sunday: planned Boot Camp or swimming; actual 55 minutes strength/conditioning. Another day that I am not thrilled with myself over. I had decided I was going to go run 7 miles when Chad got home. As it would be, I was finishing up our taxes and paying bills when he got home. Part of it was I was just completely out of normal routine, and part of me had given up on the week. About 3:00, I decided I wasn't going to go run, but I was going to do some strength training at home. I combined the stability ball workout I did last week with the leg workout I posted about on Wednesday. I did 3 sets of each move. It didn't feel like much the first few reps, but the last few reps of each set were killers. While it was obviously not a cardio workout, let me assure you my legs were a little jello-wobbly afterwards! I don't know if it would have been a 55 minute workout, but I was doing a little coaching on the side ....

planks - 

crunches -

 



 

hamstring curls -

 



 

scissor kicks -

 

she did a few more moves with me, but was done after the first set! :) Love her! <3
----

Totals for the week:

1 run for a total of 5.05 miles in 57:49

2 interval conditioning classes (80 minutes total)

and 1 strength/conditioning session (55 minutes)

Make-Ahead Oatmeal Smoothies

Have you heard of these, or better yet, tried them yet?

I have seen them all over Pinterest, as well as Facebook, and have wanted to try them for awhile now. Even with about double the calories I get in my yogurt breakfast, there are some good health benefits to these smoothies. Plus I thought maybe they would help curb the hunger pains I've been feeling throughout the afternoon especially.

The link I used for my recipes (and the above picture!) is this one. The two I made for this week are the Strawberry Banana and the Apple Peanut Butter.

I did find those lids at Walmart, along with canning jars to freeze them in. I made 6; 3 of each because that it was fits in my blender. I left the first three in the fridge, and will pull the others out of the freezer a day ahead of time.

After drinking one of each, here are my initial thoughts ...

Strawberry Banana - This is one I thought I would like for sure, and I was surprised I don't love the taste. There is a bitterness to it that I wasn't expecting. I have it narrowed down to either the bananas, orange juice, or chia seeds. I don't even know if chia seeds have a taste? I do think I might try it without the OJ next time.

Apple Peanut Butter - this one was better, although towards the end had a bit of the same bitterness. Since there are no bananas or OJ in this one, it could be the chia seeds? Or possibly it is the milk. I don't love milk, unless it is on cereal!

I can't say I have loved them, but I won't give up on them quite yet either. I think these have good potential, I just have to figure out tweaks I can make here or there to adjust the taste.

----

Plus, who can avoid making something a 3 1/2 year old loves to help with .... she LOVES to help me in the kitchen. "Momma, I pour that?" or "Momma, I can stir it." or "Momma, can I have one taste?" An added bonus is that helping make them has made her want to try them! I am all for getting her to eat healthy since she has quite the sweet tooth! (She has taken a sip or two and then been done with them!)

----

What are your smoothie secrets? How much do you let your toddler help out in the kitchen?

Currently: 2/13/14

trying make-ahead oatmeal smoothies for breakfast, and

planning to share the recipes in an upcoming blog post.

catching a case of spring fever; I swear if it is not cold, it's snowing.

continuing to prep for lunches every Sunday night.

feeling like I will never catch up at work, but know at some point it will all be done.

fighting daily to get our almost 4 year old to eat something besides candy.

wondering where she gets her sweet her tooth? (well, maybe just the lack of self-control!)

prepping to do our taxes this weekend.

watching the Olympics.

needing to edit 2013 pictures and upload them to Snapfish.

saving for the camper we plan to buy this spring and looking forward to camping this summer!

wishing houses kept themselves clean.

thinking our lives aren't that exciting after all!

-----

"Currently" is just a glimpse into our daily lives! What is going on in your world right now?

Workout Wednesday

Last week I shared a stability ball workout, that I chose for the focus on abs and core.

In keeping with wanting to target my problem areas, about an inner thigh workout to try? Again brought to you by the ever time-consuming Pinterest.

I know that is probably hard to see. HERE is the link I got from the pin.

This doesn't look to be a time consuming workout, but could still help me work towards my goal of a little less jiggle, and maybe feeling comfortable running in shorts. I never run in shorts, just pants or capris for me. Mainly because I hate how shorts ride up and then my legs rub together.

I like that both this one and the one I posted last week are easy enough to throw in after a run.

What are your go to conditioning moves?

Three Things - 2/11/14

 

1. I was going to share a video of Ava's dance show from February 1; but realized it is too big for Blogger's likes. So, I leave you with a picture of her instead; because few things are cuter than little girls in tutus.

 from her show in December.

 

 

2. last Thursday, Chad picked up Chinese food for supper. I kid you not, this was the fortune I picked. What does something like this even mean?

3. Saturday afternoon, after going to Target to pick up a baby shower gift for this coming weekend, Ava and I went to Sassy Strawberry. It is one of those frozen yogurt bar chains, where you pay by the ounce and choose from lots of delicious toppings. Can you believe I had never been to one before? We liked it! Only thing I would have changed was the fact that half way through Ava switched bowls with me, and she had strawberry syrup on hers. Not my favorite.

4. a bonus number 4 for today! In just about 10 weeks, I will be running the Earth Day half-marathon. I've mentioned before this will be my fifth Earth Day run, but my first Earth Day half. This is their 15th year. By the looks of this beauty they previewed for us on Facebook, I picked a great year to move up races!

And that wraps up my completely random list for this week!