Gym Etiquette

Things have been really busy lately.  This weekend I had a whirlwind girls' weekend to shop for bridesmaid dresses for my best friend's wedding!  While it went by way too fast, I was so happy to get to spend some time with my bestie!  We found gorgeous dresses, got a little planning done, and had some fun.  I call it a successful weekend.

The beautiful bride to be!

Today it was back to the grind, and the night ended with a trip to the gym for a 4 mile run.  Here's where the etiquette part comes in:  We're down to one treadmill and luckily when I got to the gym it was open.  After 30 minutes of running the gym was pretty crowded so I turned and asked if anyone was waiting for the 'mill.  I got a bunch of blank stares, so I figured it was ok if I at least finished up my fourth mile.  When I got done with that one, there were a ton of people in the gym who were all doing something or other, but all the other cardio machines were taken.  I get that not everyone is comfortable asking for their turn on a machine, but what is the right thing to do?  Is it ok to keep going or was it better to give it up?  It just kind of makes for an awkward situation.  Hopefully they will get the issues with the other ones figured out soon so that gym goers have more options! 

Have a happy week!

I Really Should...

Lately I've felt like I've gotten a lot done.  I've always found that the busier I am the more productive I end up being.  I need those deadlines to keep me in check sometimes (not that there's anything wrong with lazy days!).  

Another thing that's been helping me is that I've been trying to implement the "if it only takes a minute" rule.  This means, if something is simple to do, then I go ahead and do it.  Example: this morning when I changed pants 5 times, I put the discarded pants back in the drawer.  I put my empty coffee cup in the dishwasher instead of the sink.  Sometimes taking a minute helps a lot.

Today many of my thoughts started with "I really should..." and instead of just thinking about it, I actually did it.  

"I really should vacuum."  Done.  The floors look so much better.

I could probably have another dog based on all the hair my poor vacuum collected.

"I really should bake cookies (come on guys, it was cold outside!), but first I really should do these dishes so I have room to make those cookies."  Done and done.  

"These cookies smell awesome.  I really should wait longer than the time it takes to get them out of the oven before I eat one and burn myself....again."  I read a blog and then dug in.  

Worth the 2 minute wait :-)

"I really should get to the gym."  Unfortunately by the time I bundled up and got to the gym, the one treadmill (WTF apartments, let's fix the other two please) was taken so I hit up the elliptical for a couple of miles.  

"I really should run all 4 miles I planned."  BOOM.  35:12.  Yeah I know.  The elliptical is a good warm up.   I'm trying hard to love it.

It feels good following through.  Happy weekend!!

There's a Reason This isn't a Food Blog

I haven't posted in a few days because honestly, my runs have been nothing to write home about (literally).  I did have some fun weekend plans that made me not worry too much about the lack of amazing runs.

This guy had a play date and got a bath.  It was a big weekend for him.

I was reminded on Saturday why this isn't a food blog.  I took my nice friend to Range for his birthday dinner and half way through our meal I said "OH MY GOSH I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN PICTURES!!!!" because it was that pretty.  I whipped out my phone and tried to discreetly take pictures (it just didn't seem like it was the classiest thing to do), annnnd they are not pretty.  Somehow I managed to make our food look pretty unappetizing.  Oops.  The food was amazing and I will let you picture what you wish in your mind.  I also got to wear this fun dress that has been hanging in my closet for too long.  It was a fantastic night and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone in the area who is looking for a fun place to try.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing at my aunt's house and eating more good food.  I made another recipe from my crock pot cook book when I got home, but somehow managed to get wrong proportions of every single ingredient.  Luckily my lack of recipe attention skills didn't affect the taste, but once again this masterpiece is going without documentation because it just doesn't look that good.

I'm fighting off a cold so going into tonight's run I had pretty low expectations.  I told myself that since I felt so tired I only had to run 3 miles and then see how I felt from there.  When I got to the gym I saw that 2 of the 3 'mils had out of order signs and slightly panicked, but figured if someone wanted mine it would be a good reason to end a little early (I know...).  I took it pretty easy and still felt ok at mile 3 so figured I would get some water and keep on keepin' on for a little bit.  I looked around and the other people at the gym still looked content with their workouts so I figured I'd run a mile more.  People still looked happy so I ran one more mile.  At that point I figured I may as well run the 6 I had originally planned earlier in the week.  This run took a lot out of me, but I'm feeling a lot less congested and will sleep well tonight!

Not bad for taking it easy.  

Happy Inauguration Day MLK Day Monday! :-)

11 Things

Lisa from Lisa Runs for Cupcakes linked me to a post about the "Liebster Award."  Straight from her blog, this means:

Liebster is German for “dearest” and this award it given to fellow bloggers with less than 200 followers as a way to spread the “new blogger” love! The guidelines are that you must:
1.  Write 11 random facts about yourself;
2.  Answer the 11 questions set forth by the nominator(s); and
3.  Write 11 new questions for 11 new nominees!

I think it's a fun idea and a great way to get to know a little more about fellow bloggers (thanks for including me, Lisa!).  Feel free to play along and spread the love :-)

11 Random Facts
1. I love corgis.
2. I am a hot mess without a vat of coffee in the mornings.
3. Dolphins, zebras, and donkeys are my favorite animals.
4. On the donkey note, I really want to get one and name it Burrito.
5. Speaking of burritos, I'm pretty sure I could eat Mexican every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.
6. If dishes, cost, and grocery shopping in general weren't factors I would cook ALL the time.
7. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.
8. I love dresses.
9. I also love scarves, especially my zebra scarf :-)
10. I'll spend way more on running shoes than any other pair of shoes I want.
11. I love to read.

Random picture of Maddux to break things up.

11 Questions from Lisa

1.  What is your favorite pair of sneakers?

I love both pairs that I'm rotating right now--Saucony Guide 5s and Guide 6s.  

2.  If you could run a destination race anywhere, where would you have the race?

I really want to run another Disney race!  It was so much fun seeing all the characters and running through the parks.

3.  What is your favorite race distance?

I've only done a couple, but I really love 10ks.  They aren't too short, you can fit in training for them a lot easier than longer races, and you still feel like you're getting a good workout in. I will say the half makes you feel more badass though... ;-)

4.  Who is your favorite Disney character?

ARIEL!!!!!  Second place goes to Kronk from Emperor's New Groove.

5.  What is your race preference? Out and back or point to point?

I like the loop.  I want to end up in the same place, but don't necessarily want to think about how far I still have to go.

6.  What is your favorite thing about blogging?

I have somewhere to post all my pictures of Maddux :-)  But seriously, I really like getting all my thoughts out.

7.  How do you stay motivated in the winter months?

Hot chocolate, cute running clothes, and a hot shower. 

8.  What races are coming up for you in 2013?

Rock n' Roll DC, Nike Women's Half, ZOOMA Annapolis 10k! I have a few other smaller ones, but those are the ones closest on the radar.

9.  What is your favorite city and why?

Oh man, I can't pick.  I love pretty much any city I go to.  I <3 Dallas, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, and Savannah, just to name a few.

10.  What is your favorite way to cross-train?

Walking my my pup!  I really like fitness classes, but haven't done any in a while since I don't have a gym membership. 

11.  Which flavor cupcake and icing do you like best?  

At my birthday race they had a delicious cookies and cream one.  To be honest though, I'm really not picky about cupcakes as long as there is chocolate somewhere.

Maddux loves snowman cupcakes best.

My 11 Questions

1. What food can you not live without?

2. Where is your favorite place to exercise?

3. If you could have any pet, what would it be?

4. Favorite music to get you pumped?

5. What's one weird food you've always wanted to try?

6. What did you want to be when you were little?

7. What is one thing you NEED for a workout?

8. What is your favorite color to wear?

9. What is your favorite pair of shoes?

10. What is your go to meal? 

11. What is your typical Starbucks order?

11 Bloggers

Honestly, I have to limit myself as to how many blogs I can read or I would spend even more time procrastinating.  I'm sure I could find 11 to share, but I'll give you two of my favorites that don't have thousands of followers, but should.

Travels with Barley: The Quest for the Perfect Pup

Pursuit of Sweetness

Happy Wednesday!  We're almost to the weekend!

Random Updates

First of all, I wore SHORTS and a T-SHIRT on my run on Saturday.  It was awesome.  I had anticipated just doing a quick run, but felt so good I ended up doing 5 miles in my neighborhood.  When it feels right ya gotta keep going, you know?  I was excited to use my Garmin again since I've been stuck with the 'mill lately.  When do the days start getting longer again?

I wore this same outfit on my run.  I wish my bro was visiting.

Second piece of news is that I registered for the Zooma 10k.  I connected with Lisa from Lisa Runs for Cupcakes through the Sweat Pink Ambassadors and she offered me a discount code (she's an ambassador for the race!) so I felt like the timing was just right.  

Anyway, I feel like I've been forced into cross training lately.  I know that it's good for me and what not, but when I have it in my head that I'm going to run I want to run.  I'm not always the most patient person when it comes to getting what I want.  Even though the 10 minutes I spent on the elliptical felt like they lasted forever, I think it ended up being a pretty great warm up because I ran my 4 miles in 35:22.  You know how sometimes it takes a little bit to get into your run because your body is getting warmed up?  Well when you elliptical before you run you get all that junky feeling out so that you can rock your run.  I suppose it's a win.  

The rest of January is going to be pretty jammed packed so it will be interesting trying to adjust my schedule (and also working around the new users of the gym--yay resolutions!) around Maddux's new class that's starting up and wedding festivities!  Rock n' Roll DC is coming up fast, so I need to work smart.  

Although he looks like a perfect gentleman, he is headed to Basic Manners soon.

Happy Monday!

What Curious George Taught me About Running

So sometimes I text my nice friend when I don't want to do something, but know that I really should.  For example, today I looked out my window (yes, I know that's creepy) and saw all the treadmills were full, but the ellipticals were open.  I knew if I didn't go ahead and go I probably wouldn't ever make it out the door, but I really, really didn't want to elliptical.  So I texted.  And I got my answer.  I went to the gym.

I ended up ellipticalling (spell check says that isn't a word, but what else would you say?) for about 15 minutes while I waited for a 'mill to open up.  I didn't try too hard, but I got nice and warmed up for my 4.25 mile run.  Overall, it was a great run (my Guide 6s finally got their first awesome run!), but the best part was that the kids who were waiting for their mom to finish her workout were watching Curious George.  The episode was called something like Curious George the Personal Trainer and I learned some valuable lessons from it.

Source

Anyone can run.  The episode started off with something about "Look!  The doctor who said she can't run is running!"  I'm not sure why she had to run, but she was upset and it seemed like something bad would happen if she didn't run the race. At first the only subtitle for the longest time was "panting."  That made me laugh, but I mean how true.  I still suck wind every time I run.

Wear the right clothes.  The first time the doctor ran she ran in her lab coat.  She didn't like her run.

Make running fun.  The doctor said that she found running boring.  George was upset because he couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't want to run.  Then he thought about all the reasons he loved running and shared them with the doctor.  She had a lot of fun running around an amusement park.  At one point they got balloons and kinda floated.  That was cool.

Don't give up.  Like she wouldn't finish her race.  It's a kids' show.  That would be a bad example.  At first I was appalled because the doctor pealed off right before the finish line.  She looked like she was going to die.  I mean she literally could have fallen over and gotten to the finish line, she was that close.   Then, she grabbed George and said she wanted to finish the race with her trainer.  She didn't care about her time, she just wanted to finish and have fun.

Kids should really accompany their parents to the gym more often if they are well behaved like these kids and watch inspirational shows.  There was also a corgi at some point (not sure how it was related) and I squealed a little.  Sorry fellow gym goers.

Happy Thursday!  It's almost the weekend!!

Two Reasons I'm SO Glad I went to the Gym and Good News!!

My gym experience was not as pleasant as I would have liked, but let's cover some highlights of the week so far.

On Saturday my nice friend and I went to his work party.  It was really fun getting dressed up and the company had the sweetest idea.  They had a build a bear station so that you could make a stuffed animal for a sick child in a local hospital.

Guess which one was mine!

I was pretty tired (cough lazy) on Sunday (this grandma is not used to staying up so late!), but I managed to make a delicious new recipe (not pictured because it looks about as appetizing as my soup) and run 5 miles.  Guys, I thought I was going to DIE on this run.  I never really got into my groove and just struggled the whole time.  I ran the 5 miles in 45:24.  I have a lot of work to do.  That shouldn't have felt so hard.

Today I wasn't feeling a run at all.  I knew after Sunday's run that I desperately needed this, but it took a lot to get out of the door.  When I finally got to the gym I thought I was going to pass out it smelled so bad.  Ok, I know I smell nothing close to roses and sunshine at the gym, but come on macho men, at least try.  Wear some deodorant, please.  I am begging you.  After I got over the intense urge to run right back out the door,  I hopped on the treadmill for some incline work.  After warming up for 5 minutes, I ran 2 minutes at 1.5 incline, 2 minutes at 2.0, 2 minutes at 2.5, 1 minute at 3.0, 1 minute at 3.5 and then back down the same way.  I finished the last 10 minutes of my 30 minute run nice and strong.  I made a new running playlist and it really helped having some new tunes to jam to on my run.

After the gym I was walking home and some sketch guy in the parking lot said, "hey good looking," as I walked by.  Dude.  Come on.  If you think this girl looks good after an incline treadmill workout you are seriously deranged. What really appealed to you?  My sweaty locks plastered to my forehead or my oh so pleasant stench?

Despite both stinky and sketchy men, I'm glad I ended up getting my run in.  I pretty much always feel better after a run and I needed it.

On to my good great awesome fabulous news!  Maddux is officially healthy and heart worm free!  We went to the vet last night for a blood test and got the good news.  9 months of stress and worry are over!  I cannot tell you how happy I am about this.

Look how healthy he looks!  Yay!

Have a happy week!  May your runs be amazing!

Running Anew

Someone must have decided that I like running or something, because a lot of my gifts this year were running focused.  I think they are definitely going to be great additions to my running!

Garmin Forerunner 10

I've always been a Nike+ girl, but I've gotta say, I am LOVING my Garmin so far.  It was significantly less expensive than the Nike GPS watch and I really like how it is pink.  It's easy to use and having a backlight option is nice.  I'm assuming since it has the GPS it's pretty accurate and it beeps at every mile which is cool.  I need to read up more so I can get the most out of it, but the basics are amazing.  I haven't looked too much into the online part, but I will say that I like my Nike+ dashboard more.  While I'm still using my Nike+ until at least April, too, I will miss how it's so easy to see how your year has been.  Garmin gives you a ton of information, but Nike gives you all kinds of charts tell you your weekly, monthly, or yearly mileage, the kind of terrain you ran on, and time of day you ran.  Granted, I've been used to this for years, but it was fun to see.  Maybe I'll be that girl who wears two different watches at all times.  Who knows.

Knuckle Lights

I'll be the first to admit that I kind of laughed at these the first time I saw them, BUT now that I've used them I am hooked.  I used them on a couple night runs in my parents' neighborhood and they are amazing.  I think the thing I liked best is that I knew cars could see me coming.  I also liked how they stayed put so easily (you don't have to grip them, they just stay and don't slide) and you can easily adjust the light (high, low, flashing) with a push of a button without having to take them off.  I got the purple ones (which say pink on the website???  What??) so they are fun.  My mom said she had to go back to the running store three times before they had them in stock.  If you see them and you run at night at all I recommend them!

Saucony Guide 6

These are the upgrade from my Guide 5s which I have an obsession with.  My parents figured I could use an alternate running shoe to prolong the life of them and as the guy at the running store and I agreed, if you find a shoe you like, why change it?  The thing that really sold me on these shoes is the coloring.  I LOVE this design. They are really comfortable, and unfortunately the couple runs I have had in them haven't been so hot (definitely not the shoes' fault I'm sure).  I'm looking forward to having some redemption runs soon.  

I'm curious to see what other fun running gifts people got this year!  Happy running!

2013 is Here!!

2013 is off to a great start.  I ended the 2012 with a not so great run and started 2013 with an amazing one.  I feel like it's a good foreshadowing of things to come ;-)  I made my resolutions for this year a little broader so I have no excuses not to kick their butts.

• Run Two Half Marathons.  I already have two on the books.  As long as nothing goes wrong I'll have this one checked off on April 28.

• Run Three Different Race Lengths.  I know of at least two 5ks I'll be taking on this year so now I just have to find one more.  I'm leaning towards the Zooma Annapolis 10k, but we'll see.

• Try 3 New Recipes.   I have no problems with my usual recipes, but I often get stuck in food ruts.  I got a new crock pot cook book for Christmas, so now I just have to commit.  

• Teach Maddux a New Trick.  We're going to class next week, and although it's not a tricks class, I'm hoping we'll learn something cool.

His Aunt B did teach him how to wobble board, that counts right?

• Volunteer with Lucky Dog at Least Three Times.  I need to do it more.  They were the ones who put Maddux in my life and I can't thank them enough for that.

• Try a New Form of Exercise.  I really, really want to take a spin class and a body pump class.  This summer I'm totally finding some classes.

• Go Somewhere New. Anywhere.

•  Go on Vacation.  

There they are.  Shiny, new, and ready to be conquered.  I hope everyone has a fabulous 2013!