I'm not sure what to title this post, but my first thought was something like where has winter gone!? I can't believe that tomorrow is March 1! I normally get all blah in February, but not this year, it just flew by. I managed some great ski days, great dinners out with friends, some speed workouts on the treadmill and a few yoga classes. I also gained some weight, but that's I guess normal for this time of year for a carbaholic like myself? This is probably the time to remember my definition of insanity post...
Progress not perfection.
The last 2 weeks I have been in a much better exercise groove - a few morning workout outs which are getting easier and some strength. I'm about to start formally getting in gear for a few half marathons I have coming up (still TBD, but most likely the Long Island Half in May and maybe the Suffolk County in March as well as Fairfield in (I think) June).
I haven't forgotten about my ultimate bikini goal, so in honor of March 1, I'm gonna go work it.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Tonight
Tonight I am going to kick ass in the gym.
I'm either going to spin or run - hoping to spin but I may not make it home in time from my hour long commute....oy!
Then I am going to do Ashley's 35 minute full body workout which I'm pretty excited to bust out.
Operation pre-season in full effect.
Full report tomorrow.
I'm either going to spin or run - hoping to spin but I may not make it home in time from my hour long commute....oy!
Then I am going to do Ashley's 35 minute full body workout which I'm pretty excited to bust out.
Operation pre-season in full effect.
Full report tomorrow.
Friday, January 25, 2013
The Definition of Insanity...
...is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Yup, that about sums up my week in food! Why do I make the choices I make when the better option is so much better? When will I ever learn? Sigh....
Operation "Get Moving" is taking effect pronto. The now job and hours has really put a damper on my exercise routine. I went from a 5 day a weeker to barely 3. YIKES. Mornings in the winter are tough, I keep promising myself that tomorrow will be different, but I end up sleeping in. I guess I'm going to have to power through evening workouts or plan 2 days a week to work out near work. We have a little gym in the building and there is a Soul Cycle just down the LIE. No matter what, I have to get my workouts in, I miss the feeling of a good sweat session! Or a brisk night run. The truth is I'm afraid that I'll get to a point where I won't do anything, and that is not cool. I can see how easy it is to slip back to old school ways, and for me that is super scary.
I need to be bikini ready this summer. I have been saying that for probably forever and I'll be mad if I don't get there this year. There I said it: BIKINI READY. Goal of the year (err...Century?)
Ok, enough about that.
On a fun running note, I ran the Sayville Running Company 10 mile Run to the Brewery this past weekend. Not a PR, but not a bad run either. I think I averaged a 9:56 pace, I felt great and was pretty happy with myself. The last time I ran 10 was back in November so to be able to cover the distance was ease was pretty awesome. The after party was not too bad either!
Not sure what is up next, aside from eating better and working out, but for now that should be enough!
Operation "Get Moving" is taking effect pronto. The now job and hours has really put a damper on my exercise routine. I went from a 5 day a weeker to barely 3. YIKES. Mornings in the winter are tough, I keep promising myself that tomorrow will be different, but I end up sleeping in. I guess I'm going to have to power through evening workouts or plan 2 days a week to work out near work. We have a little gym in the building and there is a Soul Cycle just down the LIE. No matter what, I have to get my workouts in, I miss the feeling of a good sweat session! Or a brisk night run. The truth is I'm afraid that I'll get to a point where I won't do anything, and that is not cool. I can see how easy it is to slip back to old school ways, and for me that is super scary.
I need to be bikini ready this summer. I have been saying that for probably forever and I'll be mad if I don't get there this year. There I said it: BIKINI READY. Goal of the year (err...Century?)
Ok, enough about that.
On a fun running note, I ran the Sayville Running Company 10 mile Run to the Brewery this past weekend. Not a PR, but not a bad run either. I think I averaged a 9:56 pace, I felt great and was pretty happy with myself. The last time I ran 10 was back in November so to be able to cover the distance was ease was pretty awesome. The after party was not too bad either!
Not sure what is up next, aside from eating better and working out, but for now that should be enough!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
I'm Not Dead
WOW. It's been awhile. Sorry about that!
Ok, where to start...
I needed a break after Chicago, then came Hurricane Sandy, then came the job search because I got the boot the Fri after Sandy, then came the job search that led to a job 2 weeks into unemployment then the holidays.
So, a lot has been going on.
But I've been reading a ton of blogs, just not commenting or writing. I'm not even sure why exactly. I guess I just needed a break.
I also ate a lot of cookies and saw a decrease in my running since I've been back to work and it's cold and dark out.
Which means I'm successfully limiting my carbs - specifically no more bread and all things that I love. I know, been there, done that. But I seem to be making progress so wahoo to me.
What to expect now? Hopefully some worthwhile posts, a few race recaps and the normal crap I post.
Feels good to be back!
Oh, and Happy New Years friends! And I promise to not post my resolutions or goals, at least for today :)
Ok, where to start...
I needed a break after Chicago, then came Hurricane Sandy, then came the job search because I got the boot the Fri after Sandy, then came the job search that led to a job 2 weeks into unemployment then the holidays.
So, a lot has been going on.
But I've been reading a ton of blogs, just not commenting or writing. I'm not even sure why exactly. I guess I just needed a break.
I also ate a lot of cookies and saw a decrease in my running since I've been back to work and it's cold and dark out.
Which means I'm successfully limiting my carbs - specifically no more bread and all things that I love. I know, been there, done that. But I seem to be making progress so wahoo to me.
What to expect now? Hopefully some worthwhile posts, a few race recaps and the normal crap I post.
Feels good to be back!
Oh, and Happy New Years friends! And I promise to not post my resolutions or goals, at least for today :)
Friday, October 19, 2012
Almost 2 weeks out from race day and I'm feeling really good about my time! Rather than dwelling on not hitting my goal, I'm making a plan to DEMOLISH that goal next year in NY. Positivity people!
I realized I had a bunch of pictures that I never shared. Chicago is a great little city, lots to see and do between the actual city, the waterfront, all of the parks and the fountains and art all around. Definetly an A+ for awesome sights to see!
We also ate a few great restaurants:
Yolk for breakfast, great vibe, super busy but well worth the wait! Get the pancakes! All of them!
Giordano's for deep dish which we ate like savages a few hours after the race.
Chicago Firehouse for our post marathon fancy schmancy dinner. So amazing and definitely worth the price!! The waiters were awesome, the food was great and atmosphere was a little uppity, but not stuffy, perfect steakhouse vibe. We found out that they do a pre-race brunch for all runners which I thought was really nice, they also gave out water on the course. It's nice to see local business get out there and support the local running scene!
Here are a few pics from the weekend...
I realized I had a bunch of pictures that I never shared. Chicago is a great little city, lots to see and do between the actual city, the waterfront, all of the parks and the fountains and art all around. Definetly an A+ for awesome sights to see!
We also ate a few great restaurants:
Yolk for breakfast, great vibe, super busy but well worth the wait! Get the pancakes! All of them!
Giordano's for deep dish which we ate like savages a few hours after the race.
Here are a few pics from the weekend...
 |
| On our way to the corrals |
 |
| On our way to The Magnificent Mile |
 |
| Finishers gear at Niketown |
 |
| Cheese! |
 |
| Loved this sign at the expo |
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Chicago Recap (A Million Days Late)
Sometimes I need some time to process....I feel like I'm still mulling over Chicago, the race, the tears... the everything.
To start, I had a 9 minute PR but I missed my 4:30 goal. My official finish was 4:41:19 and I might still be a little disappointed. I may have also cried when it was over, twice. But, to be fair, I'm also really proud of myself and super grateful that I'm even able to run.
This WILL NOT be a whiny post, even though I'm sort of blah about the whole race. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and totally well organized, but it just lacked something for me. Maybe I had too much build up going on? Maybe I knew what to expect already having run a marathon? Or maybe it was just no NYC Marathon? Because as we already know NY was the BEST day of my life!
To say that I wasn't and am still not bummed is an understatement. I really wanted that 4:30 finish, I felt ready for it. I had a lot of little missteps though that were part of it: I think I went out too fast (although I was only just under a sub 10 pace, I should have stuck with a 10:10 pace) with too few walking through water breaks, my garmin was not really working - I had a hard time catching satellite and when I finally did I lost it completely, I had to pee 3, yes 3 times and the last 2 times I had stage fright and couldn't go (WTF!!).
I will say though that I felt AMAZING the first 13 miles, around 14 I started to walk the water stops, not because I felt bad, more because I wanted to conserve energy, by 18 I felt like crap due to the bladder/stage fright issue. I felt better around mile 22 even while knowing how far off I was from my goal. Mentally and physically I felt ok and tried to push those last few miles. I wish I had the data to see my pace for the end! Damn satellites! Was it a good race? Absolutely! Did I learn anything....absolutely! I need to lose weight. I know my 160# frame is holding me back from really hitting my potential.
This whole training cycle was a tremendous learning experience. I got through the heat, the tears and 3 20 milers! I also proved to myself that I'm a runner. That I want to continue running (remember, I'm a former fat, drinking, smoking, hanging out not even thinking abut running type of gal) and that I'm not too bad at it!
While I didn't quite recreate that best day ever feeling, I felt ok with the disappointment, Ok with my race...OK with the fact that I'm a 2x marathoner who has nothing but time to get better. So while I cried for a minute, I also cried over the fact that I just finished something that took 16 weeks to prepare for - successfully! I used to be afraid to set goals for fear of not reaching them, so maybe not running a 4:30 was the universe's way of letting me know that failure won't kill me?
To start, I had a 9 minute PR but I missed my 4:30 goal. My official finish was 4:41:19 and I might still be a little disappointed. I may have also cried when it was over, twice. But, to be fair, I'm also really proud of myself and super grateful that I'm even able to run.
This WILL NOT be a whiny post, even though I'm sort of blah about the whole race. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and totally well organized, but it just lacked something for me. Maybe I had too much build up going on? Maybe I knew what to expect already having run a marathon? Or maybe it was just no NYC Marathon? Because as we already know NY was the BEST day of my life!
To say that I wasn't and am still not bummed is an understatement. I really wanted that 4:30 finish, I felt ready for it. I had a lot of little missteps though that were part of it: I think I went out too fast (although I was only just under a sub 10 pace, I should have stuck with a 10:10 pace) with too few walking through water breaks, my garmin was not really working - I had a hard time catching satellite and when I finally did I lost it completely, I had to pee 3, yes 3 times and the last 2 times I had stage fright and couldn't go (WTF!!).
I will say though that I felt AMAZING the first 13 miles, around 14 I started to walk the water stops, not because I felt bad, more because I wanted to conserve energy, by 18 I felt like crap due to the bladder/stage fright issue. I felt better around mile 22 even while knowing how far off I was from my goal. Mentally and physically I felt ok and tried to push those last few miles. I wish I had the data to see my pace for the end! Damn satellites! Was it a good race? Absolutely! Did I learn anything....absolutely! I need to lose weight. I know my 160# frame is holding me back from really hitting my potential.
This whole training cycle was a tremendous learning experience. I got through the heat, the tears and 3 20 milers! I also proved to myself that I'm a runner. That I want to continue running (remember, I'm a former fat, drinking, smoking, hanging out not even thinking abut running type of gal) and that I'm not too bad at it!
While I didn't quite recreate that best day ever feeling, I felt ok with the disappointment, Ok with my race...OK with the fact that I'm a 2x marathoner who has nothing but time to get better. So while I cried for a minute, I also cried over the fact that I just finished something that took 16 weeks to prepare for - successfully! I used to be afraid to set goals for fear of not reaching them, so maybe not running a 4:30 was the universe's way of letting me know that failure won't kill me?
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Marathon Numero 2 Done!
Oh Chicago Marathon, how do I sum you up?
First off my time was 4:41:19 - a 9 minute PR but not a 4:30:00 fiish which was my goal. I'll take a PR anyday so it's time I get over it! In all reality, I was bummed, I cried but I had an awesome marathon despite not hitting my goal and I still want to go out there and run....so all in all it was PERFECT.
I'll follow up with a real race report tomorow. I'm pooped!
First off my time was 4:41:19 - a 9 minute PR but not a 4:30:00 fiish which was my goal. I'll take a PR anyday so it's time I get over it! In all reality, I was bummed, I cried but I had an awesome marathon despite not hitting my goal and I still want to go out there and run....so all in all it was PERFECT.
I'll follow up with a real race report tomorow. I'm pooped!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)