Five on Friday

I am linking up for the first time with the lovely ladies that host Five on Friday.  Basically, you just blog about 5 things that are on your mind, you’re in love with at the moment, etc.  Here goes!

{one}  Half day Fridays.  From the middle of May through the middle of August, my work is only open until 12:30 on Friday.  This means I have the rest of the glorious afternoon off! 

{two}  Mowing the lawn and drinking beer.  I love mowing the lawn.  I mean LOVE!  Nick never gets to do it.  I have no clue why I like doing it so much, but I do.  It’s been raining buckets here lately, like shuttingdownmajorstreetsandhighways raining so our lawn has been out-of-control long for the last week and I waited for the grass to dry.  Since I got out of work early today, I FINALLY got a chance to mow it, and surprise surprise, it started pouring rain a few minutes after I finished.  I mowed in record time, with a push mower, because I saw these rain clouds rolling in.  

This resulted in me rewarding myself for my speedy work with an ice cold, refreshing, delicious, New Glarus Spotted Cow.

Worst. Selfie-taker. Ever.

{three} Nick finishing up the bar.  Nick has slowly been building a bar in our unfinished basement for the last few months.  He has done everything, I mean EVERYTHING, himself:  designing the floor plan, framing the walls, the dry wall, painting, electrical, building the actual bar. Everything.  He’s a pretty handy dude, and I’m lucky enough to call him mine.  This is what it looks like so far, and he will have it done next weekend, right in time for my birthday cookout with all of friends and family.  I can’t wait to help him show off his handy work!

{four} Heidi’s engagement.  One of my besties got engaged last weekend, and I cannot stop thinking about how her future nuptials, and how much fun it is going to be!!  I am beyond excited for her, and I cannot wait to start planning decorations, go dress shopping, and talk about all the details with her!!

{five}  Three day work week.  Next week, I only work 3 days.  Boo-yah!!

Have a fantabulous week, everyone!

NSV Link-Up

Living a healthy lifestyle is not just about the number on the scale.  It is also about feeling good physically and mentally.  It is about non-weight related victories.  It is about celebrating the little things. 

I am linking up today with the awesome KTJ and lovely Ashlee to share Non-Scale Victories.   

  

This week, I have two NSVs.  First, the ice cream in the freezer has been calling my name all week so far, but I’ve been able to thwart that evil temptress!!  At one point, I was standing at the fridge, with freezer door open, staring into the temptress’ mesmerizing eyes, about to dish myself up a bowl.  Instead, I snapped out of my trance, shut the freezer door, and went to read a book instead.  Victory!

My second NSV is that I have formed my new marathon training plan.  If you read this post, you know I’ve been slacking, and basically wasted 3 weeks of training.  I was in panic mode about this over the weekend, but I have calmed down, and created a new schedule to follow.  This is my new plan now, and I made a promise to myself that I will up my training, and rock this marathon, HARD!

I am feeling extremely cheery and optimistic, and I just LOVE life today!  I hope everyone else is too! 

Square One

If you read my blog, you know from my last post that I’ve been a Chubs McGee lately.  I am finally finished attending my own pity party, and I’m starting fresh from square one.

Unfortunately, I am basically back to where I was when I first started this blog.  I weighed in at 166.6 today (that 66.6 is quite ominous if I may comment…).  This is my new starting block.  I vow that I will get out of these damn 60’s and will NEVER look back! 

I have a 6 mile run on the schedule today, and I cannot wait to get out and pound some pavement!  It has finally, FINALLY!, stopped raining in my part of Wisco so I can’t wait to actually feel the sunshine on my skin.  My running shoes can’t wait to see the sun either.  They have been sad and lonely, sitting in the dark closet for the last week. 

I hope everyone gets a chance to get out, and get active!

Admitting Defeat

Admitting defeat.  Starting anew by making a new plan.  Moving on. 

That right there, is my goal for the week.  My fitness journey has not been going well.  I am back up to basically my original weight.  I have been eating everything and anything, and not tracking my calories.  I have not been following my workout schedule.  I set awesome weekly goals, but then I do not follow through with them.  I have been fairly silent on my blog lately, but that’s because I haven’t had anything positive to reports.  It’s time to get the negative out, and move on.

As much as it sucks, and makes me feel awful to admit this, I have failed my original plan.  I run my first full marathon in just 15 weeks, and I have only run about 6 times in the last three weeks…not good.  My original training plan was exactly 18 weeks long, and messing up those first 3 weeks has really hurt my endurance and confidence.  I have not run over 5 miles in the last 3 weeks, even though I was supposed to do 3 long runs of 10, 11, 8 miles, respectively.  Instead, I made excuses of why I couldn’t go for a run, or how I could make it up later, but that never happened. 

Instead of attempting to make up these workouts, like an addict, I am admitting I have a problem.  Admitting I have a problem is the first step in fixing the problem.  I have lacked the proper motivation and discipline.  When it comes down to it, I am trying to become more healthy for myself, and I am the only one who make myself workout and reach the goal of running a full marathon.

Now that I have acknowledged my problem, I will start anew by making a new training plan.  I will run this marathon.  I will not let myself self-sabotage any longer.  I know my body can accomplish this feat, and I will turn my motivation and confidence around to reflect what my body already knows, but what my mind hasn’t quite figured out yet. 

I will work on a new training plan tonight, and I will NOT miss a workout again.  How do I know I am not going to be defeated again?  Well, I need to prove Nick wrong.  Overall, I am on this running journey for myself, but Nick and I had a conversation last night that really irked me, and now I’m on a mission to show him up. 

I always joke that we should get another dog.  We already have 2, and they are plenty to handle, so I am never serious about wanting a third, it’s just an on-going joke.  I brought it up last night though, that if I complete all of my workouts for 10 weeks, Nick should buy me another dog.  He chuckled when I said this, and said he would definitely take me up on that offer because it would never happen.  I didn’t really realize what he had said until later since we were just joking around, but the more I thought about it, the more it hurt.  My own boyfriend doesn’t have faith in me that I can keep on schedule with my workouts.

That may make Nick seem like an asshole, but trust me, he is nothing of the sort.  Nick is my biggest supporter.  He jogged about 6 miles around a half marathon course just so he could see my pass by multiple times.  Running really isn’t his thing, but he always offers to run with me, if it’s under 6 miles…  He’s crazy about me, and tells me I’m beautiful all the time.  Any time I am down on myself, he tries his damndest to pick me back up. 

If he’s so great, why did the scoff at my goal?  Well, we live together, he’s seen the trend in my fitness journey.  He tries to help motivate me, but when I have my heart set on NOT running, there is NO way to make me run.  Overall, he probably shouldn’t have laughed, but if the roles were reversed, I probably would have done the same.  I think his skepticism was just the kick in the pants I needed.             

Now that I have admitted my failure, and I have started to for m a new plan, it is time to move on.  Dwelling on my missteps is only going to make me feel poorly.  I am not giving up, so there is no need to wallow in self-pity.  I’m moving on.  It’s time for the real deal!

                                                                                  

Productivity and Books

I had one of the most productive mornings ever this morning.  Between 5:20am and 7am, which is when I leave for work, I had already started coffee, took the dogs for 20 minute walk, played fetch with Skittles and drank my coffee, watered and deadheaded the roses, made breakfast (scrambled eggs with tomato, cheese, and mushrooms, and toast) for Nick and I, baked the chicken breast that I’ll be using for dinner tonight for homemade chicken salad, and unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher.  Whew!  After all of that, I had just enough time to get ready like a usually do.  I hope this productive streak lasts all day!  

A perk of waking up early, capturing a beautiful sunrise 

"OMG, mom, you're so embarrassing! Stop taking our picture!"

I found a new link-up that I am super excited to join.  This link up is hosted by Mean Ang and Erin, and it’s about sharing the books you’re reading/have read.  Since I actually have a books tab on my blog, this is the perfect link-up for me!

My taste in literature is varied and quite wide.  I devour anything from historical fiction to memoirs to fantasy to classic literature to horror.  As long as the first 10 pages keep me engaged, I’m usually hooked.  If the first 10 pages fall flat, it’s usually a lost cause to me.  That being said, I am not sure if the books I will be sharing today are considered “hot summer reads,” but I do think they are worthwhile books to check out.

First off, after about a year and a half, I finally finished the 14 book (15 if you count the prequel) Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, and later, also Brandon Sanderson.  Each book is between 650-1000 pages long, so this series definitely takes time and commitment to get through.  This is an epic fantasy series that I think closely parallels the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, which I have also read.  A couple of the books become a little slow and tedious, but the plot and character developments are phenomenal.  I really got into the story, and I felt like I personally knew the characters because of all the rich descriptions.   

If you have read Goodkind’s series, or like Lord of the Rings, I highly recommend checking out the Wheel of Time.  Book one is titled The Eye of the World.  

Another book that I want to share today is what I am currently reading, White Teeth by Zadie Smith.

I am only on page 70 at the moment, but I find the story so heartbreaking thus far, yet, so hopeful.  Each character has such a unique personality and characteristics.  At the moment, I have no idea what direction this story is going to take, and I find that very intriguing.  Not knowing what is going to happen is really what makes a book engaging.  

Since I am not very far into the book, and I'm not quite sure where it's headed, here's the blurb from the back cover so you get an inkling of what it is about.

"One of the most talked-about fictional debuts of recent years, White Teeth is a funny, generous,big-hearted novel, adored by critics and readers alike.  Dealing with - among many other things - friendship, love, war, three cultures and three families over three generations, and the tricky way the past has of coming back and biting you on the ankle, it is a life-affirming, riotous, must-read of a book." 

Happy reading, my friends! 

    

Weekly Goals

It’s another Monday, so that means it’s time to link up with Jess over at Operation Skinny Jeans to talk about weekly goals.

My goals from last week went pretty well, at least better than they have been going lately…

No candy.

I did have a Take 5 on Friday, but that’s they only time I slipped up so I consider it a win.

Follow my meal plan.

The meal plan pretty much went out of the window this weekend because  A LOT of this happened...

During the week though, I did a good job.  I did stray a few times during the week, but I usually made healthy choices when I did.  I wish I would have done better with this goal, but overall I’m pretty happy with how I did.

Stretch. Every. Single. Day.

I did awesome with this one.  I stretched for at least 10 minutes every day, and my muscles have thanked me for doing so.  I finished Week 2 of Livefit, and my muscles were less sore this week because of all the stretching I did.  I increased my weights a little from last week so I was working my muscles even harder than I did last week.  It was great that I wasn't constantly sore thanks to stretching.

Here are my goals for this week:

Try two new recipes.                    

                                                                                    

Lately, Nick and I have been in a dinner rut.  It seems that we are constantly making the same meals, which are delicious, but I’m ready to try something new. 

Do two long runs with week or 10+ miles.

I still feel guilty for missing my long run last weekend so I have decided to try to fit in two long runs this week. 

Walk the dogs every day.

I feel like such a bad dog mom sometimes for not walking the dogs every day.  It just becomes too easy to let them out the back door to do their business.  The weather is beautiful though, and they love their walks, so I need to do it every single day!  Plus, Skittles is still a puppy so she has a ton of energy she needs to burn.  Even if it's just around the block, it's better than not going at all. 

Good luck on your goals this week!

Wednesday Link-Ups!

Tuesday Workout:

40 min walk with dogs – 2.4 miles

3.09 mile run – 27:14

30 min strength training – chest & triceps

Happy Weigh-In Wednesday, my lovelies!  Last week, I weighed in at 164.7, and today I’m at 164.  Not quite what I wanted to see, but it’s a loss, so I’ll take it!!

I had a GREAT run last night!  My mile average was 8:49, which is the fastest I’ve run 3 miles so far.  It was quite toasty out, so I was extra sweaty, but I felt awesome once I finished. 

I am attempting to link up for the first time with Skinny Meg to share Jamie Eason’s LiveFit program, but I can’t get her button to show up on my blog.  Since I can’t get the button to work, make sure you check out her awesome blog by clicking here!  I am into week 2 of LiveFit, and all I can say is that I love this strength program!  The moves are easy to follow thanks to pictures, and videos, and the reps are more than manageable.  Since I am only on the second week of the program, I have not noticed much change in definition yet, but my arms do feel less flabby and jigglely.   

I have decided to start taking pictures of my arms to help see if I am making progress.  Pictured below, is me flexing my left arm because my left arm is weaker, and already a bit less defined so I think it will show my progress better.  I am also right handed, and my left hand is not very coordinated, so trying to take a picture on my phone with my left hand was basically out of the question.  That being said, the picture is still pretty shitty.  Next time, Nick will have to take it for me.  

I can’t wait to start selling tickets to the gun show!!

Happy Monday

Happy Monday everyone!  It’s a new week, so that means it’s time to link up with the fabulous Jess at Operation Skinny Jeans to review last week’s goals, and create new goals for this week.

These were my goals from last week:

Complete every scheduled workout.

I didn’t ace with goals, but I also didn’t do too badly.  I FINALLY completed week 1 of LiveFit, and now I’m really excited to work through the entire program and develop some baller muscle definition.  I did miss one of my 3 miles runs though, and my long run from yesterday… Missing a long run sucks, but my weekend ended up being jam packed with social events so I didn’t have the time.  

No alcohol. 

Once again, I was not perfect on this goal, but I did really well.  I did end up having a couple beers on Saturday, but in my defense, we were at a brewery.  How am I supposed to hang out at a brewery and not drink?!

Get Nick to go for a walk or bike ride with me each day. 

This only happened 3 out of the 7 days.  Not great, but not a complete failure!

New goals for this week:

Do not cheat on my meal plan. 

I wrote out a complete meal plan for the entire week, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  My goal is to not deviate from it unless it is necessary.  I didn’t calculate the calories yet, so if I end up being way under on calories one day, it is ok to eat something extra that I didn’t have planned, but I need to make sure it is something healthy!

Stretch every day.

Stretching is important, and I should already be doing it every day, but I am awful at it.  Now that I have incorporated strength training into my fitness routine, my muscles are sore more often.  This means it’s even more important to stretch to keep my muscles healthy and prevent injuries.

No candy.

My candy eating has gotten out of control again so I need to nix it from my diet for a while.  When I am craving something sweet, I’m going to go with flavored tea or gum instead of reaching for a candy bar.

Good luck to everyone on their goals this week!

Why I Run & Weigh-In

Workout:

5 mile run – 47:41

45 minutes of strength training – back & biceps

Today is National Running Day and I represented the great sport of running by doing a 5-miler in the rain.  It was my first run in over a week, and it felt great.  My legs were a little tight, but overall the run was amazing.  It felt awesome to run in the rain too. 

Following the trend of other blogger’s today, here is why I run.

I run to be healthy.

I run because it makes me happy.

I run because I like to eat.  A lot.

I run to be an inspiration

I run because it makes me feel like a mother fuckin’ rockstar!

In other news, I finally stepped on the scale this morning for the first time in a couple weeks.  The number I saw wasn’t great, but it was not as bad as I thought it would be.  Whew!

164.7 is the magical number this week.  If I don’t get into the 150s soon, I’m going to lose my bananas!

Marathon Training Begins

Today is day one of marathon training!  I have exactly 18 weeks to train for my very first full marathon that I will be running on October 6, 2013.  I will be following Hal Higdon’s Intermediate 2 training program, which is 18 weeks long so I don’t have room to slack. 

After I ran the half marathon on Memorial Day weekend, I decided to take a full week off from running.  A week off from running unfortunately turned into a week off of exercising in general.  Besides not exercising, I've been eating like a little fatty too.  This combination of a sedentary lifestyle and no diet plan, has led me to basically fail at all of the goals I came up with last week.  Here’s a reminder of what those were.

Track everything I eat: I ate basically anything that was placed in front of me, so tracking was tedious and I was in denial about what I was eating.  I started tracking, but by the afternoon, I would be over it and would quit.

Go to the gym 5 times:  I made it once…just once….

Complete week 1 of LiveFit: I only went to the gym once…I’m sure you can figure out whether or not I accomplished this one…

Like I said, now that marathon training is here, I need to set goals and actually follow through with them.  If I don’t, I’m not going to do too well with this whole running a marathon thing.  So here are my goals for this week, which I will rock!

Complete every scheduled workout I have this week.

M – Cross Train & Day 1 of LiveFit

T – 3M Run & Day 2 of LiveFit

W – 5M Run & Day 3 of LiveFit

TR – 3M Run & Day 4 of LiveFit (This is roundout week 1 of the program)

F – Rest

S – 5M Pace Run 9:00/Mile

S – 10M Run

No alcohol.

I’m a beer lover, but the beer doesn't necessarily love me back.  Limiting my alcohol intake will only help my training.  There is no way in hell I could cut out alcohol for the next 18 weeks, but taking a break here and there will have its advantages.

Get Nick to go on a walk or bike ride with me every day this week.

I love my pookie to pieces, but he has been packing on the pounds lately.  I am not the only one to notice.  He has also been complaining about how his clothes are getting tighter, he’s always tired, and how he just feels fat.  Hopefully if I get him into a routine, he can pick it up himself, and work on getting healthier. 

Besides working harder to accomplish my goals, I will also be restarting Weigh-In Wednesday.  I took a break from weighing myself because the scale was just bringing me down.  I’m nervous for my weigh-in this week because I know I’m up.  I did a lot of damage this week in the diet area, so it’s not going to be a pretty number.

    

Habitat for Humanity

What a productive weekend!  Along with some of Nick’s coworkers, we volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity build on Saturday.  We were there from 8:30-3, and our group worked on building wall frames.  We almost got the entire first level of framing up because Nick and his coworkers do this stuff for a living/understand construction.  Nick has a degree in architectural engineering, and another one in construction management, and works for a general contractor.  His coworkers have similar educational backgrounds, so we had a power team!   Another girl and I had no construction knowledge what soever, but we caught onto our task quickly.  We were even trusted to measure and cut, with a powered circular saw, 2x4s all by ourselves! 

Receiving my first lesson in Power Tools 101

The future homeowner was actually at the build too so it was really exciting to meet her, get to know her, and work on her future home with her.  Her and her family won’t be moving until next year because the house will not be move-in ready until March. 

When we arrived at the site Saturday morning, there was only the house foundation.  By the end of the day this is what we had accomplished.  All of the 2X4s you see were put up by us.  

We built the frames in sections, sawing the boards and nailing them together ourselves.  There were power saws, but no nail guns.  Every single nail in the frame was put in by hand with someone wielding a hammer.  Next, a foam sealant layer had to be stapled along the bottom of the frame, and holes for the foundations bolts had to be drilled in their proper places.  Once that was finished, our team would lift the frame together, no cranes or pulleys in sight, all raw man-power, and would affix them to the foundation bolts.  

I still cannot believe how much the 6 of us, and the homeowner, and the HFH coordinator got accomplished.  I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride that my time, efforts, and even sweat, went into helping provide a home for a family in need.  It was a truly rewarding experience, and Nick and I will definitely volunteer with Habitat for Humanity again.  I cannot wait to see the progression of this build, and hopefully we can work on this site again since we got to know the homeowner.  

Sunday was productive too, but not nearly as rewarding.  I spent the entire day doing stuff around the house like mowing the lawn, washing all the bedding, washing all of the other laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the kitchen, etc.  I cleaned our house from top to bottom.  It felt go to get all those chores taken care of, but I felt much more accomplished after helping build someone's future home instead of cleaning my own home :)