Ah man! With National Running Day, then National Donut Day, now I want to celebrate more!!! Let’s just celebrate that I made it in to work today 😉

It’s Monday and it’s raining and I got to bed really late (we’re talking 3am!) after going out with friends to a concert last night.

Sevendust @ the Starland Ballroom Photo @ C. Cerzosie

Sevendust @ the Starland Ballroom — Photo @ C. Cerzosie

But I had my coffee so I’ll live 🙂

TLC-mug

Ironically it’s the travel mug I got when I “graduated” from physical therapy last time I had ankle tendonitis. I need to go back! Hoping foot doc says I can when I see her on Wednesday. I remember this stage all too well. The foot is like 80 percent better but it needs some deep massage, ultrasound treatment and strengthening now more than ever. And I hope they still give these mugs as graduation gifts because it’s the only one that never leaks on me. I’d love to get a second. 

Duncan wasn’t thrilled with this rainy Monday either.

lazydoodle

Yesterday I got in another 8.5 miles on the bike. Apparently i was on a peaceful bike route 🙂

Bike path for peace!

Bike path for peace!

While I was riding I passed this parked car:

eyelashes on the headlights. LOL!

eyelashes on the headlights. LOL!

Yes, those are eyelashes on the headlights of this car. Hysterical!

It was a real summer day yesterday with temps in the 80s so after my bike ride I decided to wash the car. It was so dirty I was embarrassed to take it to a car wash.

carwash

Duncan was just chillin’ in the shade enjoying the mist from the hose as it floated his way.

carwash-rainbow

Ah! Life IS good!

Not to mention since I didn’t get all the dead bees off from that crazy experience a couple of weeks ago I had to pull out the big guns to remove them buggers from the headlights and grill.

bugandtarWell today makes 30 days without running. I go back to the foot doc on Wednesday. I’m hoping she lets me ease back into running. I’m in the bargaining stage. Just let me run 1X per week for the next 2 weeks so I can complete the two 10Ks I’ve registered for! =)

Did you have coffee yet today? Are you a coffee drinker?

Anyone else only get 4 hours of sleep last night?

Any National Holiday that we can celebrate today? 

 

 

Happy Thursday! My favorite weekday because I’m off =)

I got up early, showered and got dressed.

i run like a girl

reminding myself i am still a runner

Yup, foam roller and heating pad in the background. #injuredrunner

Then headed out with a friend to buy my very first adult bike.

Schwinn Riverside

Pretty hot pink accents =)

new bike

My first time riding a bike since I was 15!

So I’m so short that I had to bring the seat down all the way! I practiced quick in the parking lot and was surprised I didn’t fall. I’m shaky for sure but it’ll come back to me right?! =)

The bike was a bargain at $129! I can always upgrade to a fancier bike if I stick to it.

Next up was grabbing lunch at Harold’s Deli. They’re famous for their World’s Largest Pickle Bar

Harold's Deli

Pickles, corned beef and turkey on rye and cole slaw!

They’re also famous for their oversized desserts. We were pressed for time so I got this oversized black and white cookie to go…

black and white cookie

Now that’s a cookie!

Once I got home I set out for my first official bike ride. I’m still nervous so I rode around my development and to a church parking lot near my house just to get used to it.

 

route-bike

 

I hope I get a little faster! I run faster than that lol! But I did go up a big hill and that felt good.

So here I go! I’ve taken the mental training wheels off and I’m ready to embrace the next 3 weeks of not running.

Have you ever been nervous to do something but once you tried it you loved it?

I noticed some tightness in my left hammy after my back to back weekend runs. As of yesterday I was planning on skipping today’s 4 mile hill workout. But last night I bounced on my trampoline to warm my muscles and then did some stretching and today I felt good. So I packed my gym bag (and didn’t forget anything this time!) and at 11:45 am left the office with my new found excitement for a treadmill workout. Conspiracy theory??

This is what I saw:

photo 4

renovations…without major interuption in service!

“Without major interruption in service”….um…I’m sorry but when all treadmills (we’re talking 30+) are unavailable on a day I arrive to do a running workout that IS major interruption in service to me thank you very much.

photo 5

it’s an elliptical treadmill pile up!

Ironically I took it very we’ll and immediately conjured up a plan B!

I remembered reading somewhere that the stepmill is the closest in comparison to hill running so I jumped on and climbed 188 floors!! (That’s more than the Empire State Building according to the little computer cues) 25 minutes later and I was soaked.

photo 3

I got to put my initials in for one of the best climbs of the week. I guess there aren’t many members of this gym who like to climb…

I finished out my session with 15 min of easy biking to complete a total of 40 min which is what my 4 mile run would have taken me anyway. Sometimes the world emphasizes what decisions we need to make 🙂 (And I’m not just talking about workout swaps…I’m deep!)

And wow did I forget how sweaty a stepmill workout can make me.

I’ve decided I am going to start adding in some mental workouts into my training.

photo 1

clear the mind

All kidding aside I want to start a little positive affirmation journal of some sort. I need to keep working on that inner strength. 🙂 UPDATE: I just added this page to the top nav bar of my blog for some visual inspirational quotes. I’ll let you know as I add more. This seems like a good place to start.

I came home to a package of goodies that I ordered. I’ve been treating myself to a lot of goodies lately. Eh, I’m worth it =) Fancy swiss hair care and skin care products. I’ve used most of these before but I did buy a few new items. Can’t wait to try out the hair masque! The cold dry winter air is doing a number on my curls. They need a good quenching. (anyone else think quenching is just such a weird word?).

photo copy

product!

Well now that it’s 1am I better go to bed or I’m gonna need toothpicks to keep my eyes open tomorrow. (where do these expressions come from, right??!!)

Happy Hump Day!

Question: What positive quotes help you get through your day or your workout?

Happy Monday everyone!

It was a rough start. Duncan seemed to have a boo boo on his eyelid…I saw some dried blood on his fur and panicked. Luckily it looks like he’ll be just fine and we can avoid a vet visit. I’m NOT good with Duncan boo boos!

Next up was the rain. It was pouring so hard AND the wind was whipping. I stood at the bus stop and battled my umbrella best I could but by the time the bus came my jeans were sopping wet from the knee down as were my feet:( Traffic was bad and I was over a half hour late to work.

But my boss helped me find our little space heater in the office closet! I sat and dried out the sopping wet feet and jeans.

photo 4

Dear space heater: I love you!

Within 30 minutes that debacle was a thing of the past. (Well my hair was tragic but when you have naturally curly hair you just learn to accept tragic hair on rainy days).

Then I found out my friend’s dog crossed the rainbow bridge:( She was 15 and I guess we knew her time was near, but it’s never easy to say goodbye to a furry best friend.

So my Monday was definitely starting off on the low end. A friend mentioned later in the day that today is actually called Blue Monday: the most depressing day of the year. I get it.

Thank god I had so much fun at my friend’s Little Christmas party last night. (It’s gotta be at least 10 years that I’ve been going. A few highlights:

  1. The menu. Beer was kept cold in the snow on the back deck (genius!). There were also plenty of beverage options inside. Dinner was a petit filet steak for each person, broccoli, green beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes and jambalaya.
    photo 3
  2. The “Wrapped Crap” exchange: I received a “ZePad”. It was a $20 fake iPad that was actually purchased as a decoy for my friend’s daughter by her boyfriend so that he could eventually surprise her with the real iPad later on. They both knew I would get a kick out of it so they re-wrapped it and ensured that I was given that package.
    photo 4
    photo 1
    It’s actually like having a very old computer. It plugs in….even takes pictures.

    photo 3

    archaic group shot

    We tried to connect it to the internet but unsuccessful at the moment. I refuse to throw it out though. This is one wrapped crap gift I’ll be keeping even if it’s just to use the calculator function. LOL! There was also a bottle of French shower gel and in French it is Gel Douche. Yes we giggled like teenage boys.
    photo 3 copy Other wrapped crap classics….a stinky candle, and some mismatched glass coasters and a gaudy holiday coffee mug.
    photo 5

  3. The conversations: I don’t get to see these girls often so it’s nice to talk about some funny stories of our past. One big topic of discussion was about signs we get from people who have died. Ladybugs, butterflies, feathers, coins, numbers, scents, songs, electronics going haywire. I think we were all in agreement that our loved ones continue to let us know they’re with us once they’ve passed on.
  4. The S’mores Dip: I did it again! I made a stellar dip. Actually I think my ratio of melted chocolate to toasted marshmallow was better this time around.

    photo 2 copy

    beautiful, perfectly browned toasted marshmallows combined with the right balance of melted chocolate. I approve!

I was so busy bitchin’ about my crappy monday that I forgot to mention I wore my pedometer today for the first time (you can read this post to see how I won it). While the rest of the blog world is testing out FitBits and Polar Loops, I’m going old school =)

photo 5

I am actually impressed that I made it to almost 5,500 steps. Duncan and I didn’t do our normal morning walk of 20-30 minutes and I didn’t go far at lunch because of the rain, so I’m guessing most days I probably make it to 7,500. I think they recommend 10,000 steps a day so I’m not far off. Tonight is cross training night so I’ll be bouncing on the trampoline for a bit. Tomorrow i’ve got a plain ole 3 mile run to do. I love week 1 of marathon training =)

I mentioned in this post that I’m getting ready to repaint all the rooms in my house. Well, I have been looking for new bedding for my bedroom. Today, I felt the need to cheer myself up so I finally pulled the trigger and ordered 2 different duvets and a decorative pillow. Here’s a little picture showing the purchases and also I tried to make a little representation of what the final product will look like. I’m painting my bedroom walls gray. My headboard is white and i’m planning on mixing the black and white toile duvet with the teal colored one…shams too. And then I got this cool petal covered pillow too.

bedding-ensembleSo that’s that. I’m off to bounce now. Have a great night.

Question: Do you like your current bedroom bedding or do you feel the need for a change? What are your colors?