Let's Do This.

I'm ready. I've got the track jacket to prove it. Let's do this thing.

Hospital Hill (and all those other little hills marked in green along the way...) here I come.

Let's Hydrate. With water that is.

4 days and counting til I head to the start line. I did a barre class today (didn't really give it my all...I'm pretty sure she noticed) and I'm hoping for a short jog tomorrow or maybe just 2 more days of resting these legs. The forecast is looking pretty good. I was nervous it was going to be hot and after a freezing cold/snowy/rainy spring my body is not really prepared for hot. But it's looking like 60's and sunny, atleast for now.

My race week email came with some words that should put my mind at ease.

I am not going to wish you good luck; luck has nothing to do with race day. You are prepared! You are ready to conquer the Hill!

Let's hope that email is right!

My goal for the rest of the week: WATER.

This should probably be a lifetime goal for me...

Someone told me to try and drink a gallon a day until race day to get super hydrated. Guess I could replace a diet coke or 2 with a glass of water. Just this week. :)

Workouts:

Today - early a.m. barre class

Tomorrow - hoping for a couple miles

Friday - REST!

Saturday - RACE!

Time Flies!

I love a long holiday weekend! Coming back to work on a Tuesday instead of a Monday is a beautiful thing. Today is my littlest man's 2nd birthday. It reminds me how quickly the years fly by and how much changes in just a short amount of time.

Just a little peek back in time to where I was exactly 2 years ago and then today :) Whoa belly....

And on another fun note, 3 months seems like it has flow by and it's finally RACE WEEK! I am currently in the process of testing out some outfits. Because what you wear is half the battle, right? Narrowed down to these 2 as of now, I think a black tank is a must, and I need a fun pair of shorts so my boys can find me in the crowd! Both tested great. Will see what color mood I wake up in on Saturday morning (leaning green...)

Mother Nature is proving her point over and over again that this half marathon is not for the weak in strength or spirit. We have had some nasty weather for our runs and the icing on the cake had to be our final long run yesterday in pouring rain, topped off with some thunder and lightning. But we did it, and dropped a few minutes off our time thanks to the lightning!!!!

Weekend Workouts:

Saturday and Sunday - REST

Monday - 6 miles, final long run

And for the rest of this week, mostly rest :)

Throwback Thursday

I made a last minute decision to take a much needed day off work which resulted in an 8 mile run (at 8am instead of 5am which is something I could get used to), Walmart by myself (dangerous), a massage, then pedicure and topped off with a nap. It's like a holiday for me!

In honor of my race which is only 9 days away, I dug up an old picture. Last time I ran Hospital Hill I was 25 years old with no kids and a much younger face and set of legs! A friend took this picture of my hubs and I around mile 11. I look very happy... either the race was not as bad I am expecting it to be or I was just really happy to be 2 miles from the finish. Either way, it looks like we survived so that is great news.

Workouts:

Yesterday - early a.m. bikini boot camp

Today - 8 miles (the ones I missed last weekend)

Count 'em up.

Do you count your calories? Well, I do. Not really all that obsessively, sometimes a little more creatively (like I leave out the snickers bar on "accident" or maybe an entire weekend) but overall I like to keep track. Generally I eat a lot of the same things over and over so its pretty easy to estimate where I'm at for the day, or if I really can afford to eat some ice cream after dinner!

I use a free app on my phone (wish they would endorse me!) It's cheap, convenient and (I think) the best way to stay on top of your weight. If you don't know what you are taking in, how in the world do you know what you need to burn??? Works for some people, not for others, but if you believe that losing weight is a simple math problem of calories in, calories out, then this might be the way to go!

Today's Workout

early a.m. fusion class

*type that into the calorie app and you gain an ice cream cone :)

Life gets in the way

Monday has come again. On the bright side, it's a short week for me with Friday and Monday off for Memorial Day weekend! Race training is tapering down and for the first time in 3 months of training I missed my weekend run :( Saturday morning there was work, then t-ball, then who knows what else... then Sunday morning came and went with thunderstorms all day and ended the weekend short 1 workout. And once again, real life gets in the way. I was kind of bummed about it but reminded myself that I have prepared, my body is as ready as it will get at this stage of my life and missing 1 long run won't be the end for me. But I'm still a little bummed.

Less than 2 weeks and counting til race day. I am literally counting the days.

Workouts:

Weekend - None

Today - early a.m. fusion class 

+ maybe a 3 mile jog to pick up kids from school

Maximize Your Life

Somehow it's already Thursday and I haven't even had a chance to recap Jillian! Saw her on Mother's Day with my mom. It was a great way to celebrate and we even learned a thing or two!

Jillian's words that inspired me:
1. Every day there is some good and some bad, only you can choose to win more than you loose.
2. Eat less, move more. Enough said.
3. What is your "Why?" If I asked myself why I drag my tired buns out of bed so early every day, eat healthy, workout almost daily and push myself so hard?

My WHY

My amazing family

My love for skinny jeans, bikinis and workout clothes

I want to feel strong, sexy and be able to keep up with these guys

Oh, and she said I never have to do cardio again. Why am I running this half-marathon again???? She is a big fan of interval training. And now, so am I.

This week has been one of my busiest at work, early morning and late nights, which means zero workouts. So we will leave that section out. Hoping to get a few miles in tonight!

Workin for the Weekend

TGIF! I have been busy working hard all week and looking forward to this weekend. It's going to be a good one. For starters, I am going to knock out my 11 miles bright and early tomorrow and push through the peak of my training. I have to admit, I am a little nervous. 10 was ok, 11 sounds like an awful long ways to run. Only a couple taper weeks left to go after this. Phew. Have I mentioned I might be totally over this running thing?

Sunday is Mother's Day. Traditionally my mom and I plant flowers and lounge around in the sun every year. This year we are taking it up a notch and post-planting, I am treating myself and my mom to a little Jillian Michaels show. She is coming on a speaking tour and I CAN NOT WAIT. Have I mentioned she is my idol??? Highlights to come next week.

Workouts:

Yesterday - REST!

Today - early a.m. tabata class

Tomorrow - 11 miles!

The Early Bird...

The perk of waking up before the sun? When the sun comes up you get to see things like this on the drive home from the gym!

No great inspirational thoughts today, I'm just happy it's Wednesday and we made it to the hump! Of course, with my beautiful rainbow comes rain, which means tonight's miles on the treadmill. Ugh.

Healthy Wednesday Light Lunch

375 calories

Turkey Roll Up (wheat tortilla, cheese, turkey)

Veggie salad

 

Today's Workout:

early a.m. barre class + a few miles on the treadmill after work

Tuesday Treats

All this running would sure be a lot more effective if people would stop bringing these into the office.

But I wouldn't want to be rude when it's someone's birthday, so of course I would love a donut...

All this running is really wearing me out. Less than a month until its race time. Until then I just keep running and running and running. Atleast the sun is shining so far this week and hopefully I can stay away from the dreaded treadmil. I am going to adopt this attitude for the month of May:

I am starting to brainstorm new ways to stay in shape post-race. Hopefully my hunger will settle down a bit when I'm not running all the time (currently I feel like I am eating like a horse!) Signed up for 3 months at Fusion. Maybe start doing some walking? Back to lifting weights? Hmmm. So much to think about. For now, I guess I will just keep running!

Workouts:
Saturday-8 miles on the treadmill.

Monday- early a.m. fusion class + 4 mile run

Tuesday- early a.m. fusion class

Planned for Wednesday - early a.m. barre + a few miles if the sun is shining!

TGI Friday!

I love Friday. But who doesn't? This week has been especially tough mainly due to the fact that on Monday in Kansas City it felt like summer and today there is snow on the ground. Not what I expected for May 3rd (at it makes everyone grumpy). I decided this was Mother Nature's way of telling me to lay off the running for a week and give my body a break. It felt good. Back at it tomorrow with a lovely 8 miles (taper week) on a treadmill due to travel + bad weather.

Cheers to the last month of training... and maybe the last month of running I do in a very, very long time :)

Workouts:

Yesterday - none

Today - early a.m. tabata class

Tomororw - 8 miles on the tread, I hope.

Happy May Day!

It's May 1 already??? That means summer is on its way, well of course it might snow here tomorrow... But this week has felt very summery and reminded me that there is a bathing suit in my near future.

It's time to get serious.

My goal is to try and make it to a barre class every week, I love the extra attention to the inner thighs and hips right before pool season. I snapped this one this morning while I was working very hard :) Have you ever worked out with the purple ball? It's torture, but it works! Squeeze on that thing for awhile and I should have legs like a Victoria Secret model, right????

This Week's Workouts:
Yesterday - early a.m. fusion class, afternoon 3 mile walk/jog + some intense yard work

Today - early a.m. barre class