Things I Love

• Having sweet coworkers that I actually like hanging with
• Apricot wheat beer
• Being in the middle of a cuddle sandwich with the boyfriend and the pup
• Spring weather in January
• Catching up with friends & ladies nights

• Trying new restaurants
• Mozzarella cheese
• My new kicks and super strength sports bra
• Feeling like a boss during a 3 mile run
• A long hot shower after a workout
• Super smooth, fresh shaved legs
• Flannel sheets
• A big glass of ice water
• Sex and the City reruns and how I never get sick of them
• Getting in bed nice and early

I hope you had a fabulous Tuesday.

What are you loving right now?

Half Marathon Training: Week 4

Week 4:
- Tuesday, 2 mi treadmill run, 21:05
- Wednesday, 4 mi run on the Perkiomen Trail with a new running group, 42:00
- Saturday, 3.85 mi loop run with Dave through Valley Forge National Park, 40:00
- Sunday, 18 mins on the elliptical and various weight training (arms, legs, abs)
- Total Mileage = 9.85 mi

2 runs outside in January?!  3.85 and 4 mile runs?!  Aw yeah buddy.  This week was mixed with awesomeness and some disappointment.

Disappointment:
- Tuesday I thought, oh I ran 3.5 miles last week, 2 will be a breeze, I'm going to try and do it a bit faster.  I felt like crap!  I even had to walk part of the second mile.  I think it was a combination of things like starting out too fast, lack of fueling (I had pizza for lunch and nothing for hours before running), and dehydration.  I was having so many good runs that I thought I'd never hate running again and then this run totally owned me!
- I finished my run Tuesday night with some pain in my hip.  I figured my hip flexor was a little sore, no biggie.  But when I ran on Wednesday, it really started to hurt.  I wanted to run 4 times this week, but when walking hurt my hip on Thursday I decided to skip running Friday to rest.  I think it was a good decision, but I was still disappointed.

Awesomeness:
- I met up with some ladies from the running group I found on the internet, Ladies Who Run, for a trail run Wednesday night.  Before the run I was SO nervous.  I hadn't run with a group since I quit lacrosse in 9th grade!  I was worried they were going to be too fast for me (even though they posted the pace on the event invite), that I wasn't going to click with a group of people that were already friends, that I was going to hold them back, and that I might pee myself during the run since my nervous bladder was betraying me beforehand and I was stuck in traffic so I didn't get to stop at the Wendy's next to the meeting location.  When I got there my nerves were first calmed by the bathroom in the meeting place!  Thank goodness.  Then once we started, all of my worries vanished.  The pace was perfect, the women were great and gave me tons of running tips, and the miles ticked by with ease.  I loved running with this group and I will definitely go back!  This will be such a great resource, especially when my runs get longer and longer.  Who wants to run 10 miles alone?  Not me!
- I bought another pair of compression pants.  2 out of the 3 pairs I bought at Old Navy are capris and they're fine for the gym, but if I'm outside and it's under 50 degrees I want long pants!  They were 17 bucks at Ross.  I also bought a long sleeve shirt and a heavy duty sports bra at Target.  The shirt was only $15 but the bra was $23.  My girls need to be supported and I usually wear 2 cheap bras, but I think it's time to upgrade my life.  Yay for cheap running gear!

So I've been training for four weeks and I'd been thinking about getting some new running shoes and with the pain I experienced this week, it seemed like it was finally time to make it happen.  I'd heard great things from multiple people about North Wales Running Co. so I decided to check it out.  Apparently my feet are pretty neutral, but I have a little bit of pronation in my right foot, which could have caused my hip pain. After trying on six different pairs of shoes and spent time in each walking around the store and doing some running on the treadmill there, I finally decided on these bad boys!

They are the Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 and I'm in love with them.  I can't wait to go for a run!  I spent 115 bucks, which is definitely the most I've ever spent on a pair of sneaks, but I think they'll definitely be worth it in the long run (pun intended?!) and hopefully help me avoid injuries!  I also picked up some fancy sweat wicking socks.  The man who helped me at the store was awesome and I had a great experience!

Do you splurge on your sneaks or do you look for what's on sale?

Read more about my training here.

Happy Friday!

The weekend is here, we survived!  Every week I dream of this day and the potential the weekend brings.  Catching up with friends, staying up late, sleeping in, doing something productive around the house, enjoying the daylight, brunch.  Getting paid today is the icing on the cake!

This week has been a solemn one.  My facebook has been flooded with thoughts about Joe Paterno and my heart is definitely in State College.  Yesterday I listened to the memorial service online during work as I awkwardly tried not to try in my cubical.  It still feels so surreal.  I know most people don't quite understand the intensity that PSU alumni feel towards the school and the town, but when you leave Happy Valley you are a Nittany Lion for life.  Joe Pa was like a grandfather to the university and the entire town and it was so sad to see his legacy unravel over the past few months.  He was a great man and I'll be praying for his family and Nittany Lions everywhere.

 (source)

It's almost 60 degrees here today, absolutely unheard of for PA in January!  This weekend and part of next week will all be in the 50s and I couldn't be happier.  I'm hoping to get out for a run tomorrow to enjoy the temps.  The rest of my weekend will be filled with dinner dates with friends, a little shopping trip in KOP with Heather, and hopefully peer pressuring Dave to throw out some junk in his house.

Do you feel a strong connection to your school?  Will you keep going back throughout your life?

Do you wish it was actually cold?  Or are you enjoying the warm temps?

A Case of the Mondays & Tom's Bday

The start of another five day week.  Woof.  I am dreaming of my next vacation day... since that's Memorial Day (the same weekend as my half), I know that's not for another 18 weeks.  Double woof.  Today was gloomy and gross but I was still pretty pumped up from the huge Giants win last night!  Some coffee may have helped too.

(source)

Tomorrow is my brother's 20th birthday, Happy Birthday Tom!  Tonight we went out to celebrate at his favorite restaurant, Applebee's.  I bet the employees wish that everyone would get so excited about their corny birthday song.  He clapped along with the whole thing and hugged some of the employees on the way out of the restaurant, I'm not even joking.



Since I'm avid over planner, I spent some time this afternoon creeping on the menu ahead of time.  I was pretty shocked to find zero vegetarian choices on their menu.  Literally none.  Usually most restaurants at least have a meatless pasta or salad, but nope.  It's funny how I never noticed that until now.  I was thinking about getting one of the pasta dishes and skipping the meat, but I wasn't excited about it.  I ended up picking the shrimp fajitas.  Not veggie, but I did eat vegetarian for the rest of the day.

I watched a documentary called Earthlings this weekend with Dave.  It's a real life horror movie about the various ways humans mistreat animals that made both of us cry.  Humans are so greedy.  I know I've been talking about this subject a lot lately and a lot of times people don't want to hear it.  But I think it's important to educate yourself, so if you have an hour and a half this video will definitely open your eyes.

Have you watched any worthwhile documentaries recently?

Half Marathon Training: Week 3

Week 3:
- Monday, 2 hours of volleyball
- Tuesday, 1.5 mi treadmill run, 14:15, 15 mins biking, 5.3 mi
- Thursday, 2.33 mi run outside in 32 degree weather, 25:00
- Sunday, 3.5 mi treadmill run, 36:08
- Total Mileage = 7.33 mi

This was a big week for me!  After buying a bunch of new gear on Thursday, I was feeling inspired to brave the temps and run outside.  I never run in the winter, I repeat never.  I hate that awful feeling you get in your ears when running in the cold.  But I signed up to do a group run with some ladies next week, so I was thinking I should probably get outside to do some miles before I run with them.  So I suited up and headed outside.  When I first started out I kept thinking, have I lost my mind?  But then once I got going I realized I felt fine and I just kept thinking, I'm a fricken boss!

I also ran my farthest run to date!  I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill today and I felt great.  I stopped to walk once, but my time was pretty good and I wasn't full of hatred watching the minutes tick away.  The Kardashians and some Ridiculousness helped.  Yay for TV distractions!

My goal this week is to fit in 4 runs.  I think it will be a challenge, but I need to make it happen.  This may involve an early morning run before work, ew.  We'll see.  3 weeks down, 18 to go!

On a side note, rest in peace Joe Pa.  Super sad to hear the news, he was an amazing man.

 (source)
 

How did you push yourself this week?

How Rude

Dave and I never go to the movies.  If we stay home we can watch our Netflix movies for cheap, lounge on the couch in our sweats, and pause the movie when we need to refill our cocktails.  But once in a while there's a movie that catches our eye and we will treat ourselves to a night out.  Last night we went to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

(source)

We saw the first one on one of our first dates two years ago and we both enjoyed it, so we thought we'd go check this one out.  What a waste of 23 bucks!  The movie was ok.  The action scenes were entertaining, but the plot was lacking and the movie was so all over the place I actually had trouble following the story.  But that wasn't what ruined my night.

It was the group of a dozen of the most rude kids I've ever encountered in my life.  It started with them showing up 5 minutes after the movie started and meandering around the theater in search of seats that did not exist.  Then they talked throughout the whole movie, loud enough that everyone could hear them across the theater.  The girl in front of us kept shooshing them, to no avail.  I was so bothered that I actually yelled shut up during the movie (I was so angry I couldn't help myself!), which apparently did not affect them either.  Then someone actually stood up, walked down to their row, and yelled at their entire row standing directly in front of them.  This did not stop them from continuing their conversations and getting up and walking in and out of the theater for the rest of the movie.  Kids were even sitting on the floor in the aisle.  I was just in disbelief.  I guess they didn't care because mommy and daddy paid for their night, but if they wanted to go run around and talk, why didn't they just go to the mall, for free?  I was so annoyed that I paid $11.50 for each of us to have our "night out" ruined by a bunch of disrespectful kids.

Sorry for the vent!  It just drives me crazy that people would think that behavior is acceptable.  It makes me feel pretty old being so annoyed by those damn kids.  But even 11 or 12 years ago when I was their age, I would have never acted like that.

Anyway, Happy Saturday!  Our big plans of the day are to stay in and relax.  I have a lot going on next week and I wanted to use today to catch up on some laundry, try out a new recipe, and watch some movies.  We got a few inches of snow last night so I couldn't think of a better time to hibernate.

Tomorrow I'll be headed to church to see Dave as this week's worship leader.  I love seeing him speaking in that role.  I'll also be screaming at the TV cheering for my Giants!  Yay for relaxing weekends.  I hope you're having a good one too.

Do you have any fun plans for this weekend or are you hibernating too?

Are we addicted to meat?

Lately I've been reading a lot about eating a vegetarian diet.  There are so many sources out there that discuss the negative environmental impacts that come from the meat industry, as well as all the health implications.  There's also the whole disconnect between animals being raised and slaughtered in conditions no one wants to think about when they go into the grocery store and pick out their nice little packaged portion.

(source)

So I've been ordering vegetarian lately, a veggie saute at the Chinese place, a vegetarian burrito at Chipotle.  And then last night I was at a dinner for a professional society, in a really nice ballroom of a hotel.  When I'd attended similar events in the past, they always asked what your dinner preference was usually giving you three choices, a beef dish, some kind of chicken, and a vegetarian option.  I was thinking about choosing the veggie option, depending on if it sounded good.  But they didn't ask at this dinner, apparently they just assumed everyone was going to be ok with their only choice, a big plate of beef.

Once the beef was in front of me I couldn't turn it down, but one of the guys at our table doesn't eat red meat.  Well I guess they didn't consider this because it took them 20 minutes to produce a vegetarian option which was penne with a generic red sauce.  It looked pathetic on his plate and seemed like a complete afterthought since it took so long to come out.  Didn't anyone realize that some people don't eat red meat?  That some people don't eat meat at all?  I've always read about how it can be challenging to eat out as a vegetarian, but I had never really witnessed it like this.

(source)

Now, I'm not sure if I'll ever eat 100% vegetarian, I'm still trying to sort through all of the information.  But whenever I mention anything about a vegetarian diet, more often than not, I get very passionate opposition!  Never eat meat again?!  NO!  It's the end of the world, it tastes so amazing!  I definitely like the taste of meat, don't get me wrong, but if not eating it has such a huge positive impact on the world, helpless animals, and my health, then isn't that worth something?

Are people addicted to meat?  Sometime I feel like I might be, hello bacon!  We hear about the negatives, but would rather not believe them because why, the taste is that good?  Beef, it's what's for dinner.  Are we brainwashed by advertising?  Would we rather live in blissful ignorance, and then die of cancer?  People don't like change, but it doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing.  Every little bit helps and maybe it's time to shake things up a bit.  I'm not saying everyone should go vegetarian tomorrow, but I think people should at least educate themselves and know where their food comes from before it arrives at the grocery store.

Do you know where your food comes from?

Retail Therapy, Healthy Habits, & Something Shocking

Hello!  Happy gloomsday Tuesday!  It was a cold and rainy one here, but nothing a little retail therapy couldn't fix!  I stopped at Old Navy on my way home because I knew they were having a sale on all of their activewear.  I never really understood the importance of special running clothes, but now that I'm running three times a week I've really started to notice how much my shorts are riding up my crotch while I'm on the treadmill (tmi?)... like running itself wasn't enough to endure!

So I picked up 3 pairs of compression tights one pair was $15, the other two were each $19.50.  One of the pairs was originally sold for 45 bucks!  I win.

I also got a pair of capri yoga pants for $12.50 and a super comfy sweatshirt for $6.64.  Six dollars people!

And this shirt was $3.84, I couldn't resist!

And after my shopping trip, I headed to good old Globo Gym (aka Planet Fitness) to get in my run.

Today's workout:
1.5 mi on the treadmill, 14:15 min
5.40 mi on the bike, 15 min

I felt so great during my run!  I really pushed the pace because the run was short and I definitely had to be my own cheerleader in my head to keep up, but I realized that my legs felt good and I didn't get a side stitch or anything, so it was really just a mental game with myself.  I've read blogs saying long distance running is definitely mental, so hopefully I can keep the positive vibes going in my head!

This week has been a pretty healthy one.  I played some volleyball last night at Dave's church, yay for cross training.  I also made enough Green Monster to have some as a post volleyball treat and for bfast today and tomorrow.  This one contained some fresh strawberries, a banana, some orange/strawberry/banana juice, some ice, and some spinach of course.

I know, I know... it looks gross, but yum!

I even had a salad for dinner after the gym!  And guess what I did...

I tried tofu and LIKED IT.  I ordered a veggie saute at an Asian restaurant not realizing it included tofu.  So when the dish came and the little chunks of tofu were staring back at me, I decided I would at least try it.  I was shocked!  I never thought I'd like tofu, I thought it was something only those crazy vegetarians ate, I thought it would be gross.  But it was good, it was creamy and took on the taste of the sauce, and I liked it.  Who am I?????

What's something you thought "wasn't for you" until you tried it?

Half Marathon Training: Week 2

Week 2 is in the books!

Week 2:
- Monday 1.5 mi treadmill run, 15:24, 45 mins cross training
- Tuesday, 2 mi treadmill run, 20:49, 30 mins cross training
- Saturday, 3.1 mi treadmill run, 33:05
- Total Mileage = 6.6 mi

I was going to run on Thursday but I did a bunch of squats on Tuesday (with 20 lbs weights in each hand) and my butt/legs were killing me until Friday.  So I decided it would be best to take a rest day and do a ton of stretching.  My training plan includes 4 runs per week, but so far I've only done 3.  I'm really not worried about it because some of the training plans I used to develop mine only had 3 runs per week and I'm just starting out, so I know easing in slowly is a good thing!

(source)
 

I really loathe the treadmill, I just get so bored and want to stop.  I always stare at the screen hoping the minutes will somehow go faster, but on Saturday I covered the screen with my sweatshirt and it really helped.  I really want to run outside.  I was really thinking about it on Saturday, but I just couldn't bring myself to brave the temps.  I am a wuss.

Thank you all for your encouraging words!  I really never thought I would be training for a half marathon, but since putting it out there everyone has been so supportive.  So thanks for all the motivation and keep it coming :D

Half Marathon Training: Week 1

Training started last week and it's going well!  I'm logging my miles over at Daily Mile, come be friends with me there!

Week 1:
- Tuesday, 1 mi treadmill run, 9:44
- Wednesday, 2 mi treadmill run, 21:00
- Saturday, 2.25 mi trail run through the park, 22:00
- Total Mileage = 5.25 mi

I ran 3 times in one week, I rock!  I haven't done that in a long time.  My training plan called for 4 runs, but I only missed 1 mile and I think it's probably better to ease into it anyway.  Week 2 is already starting out strong, I got a run in yesterday and I'm planning on hitting the treadmill again tonight.  Next week is looking more busy, so I'm thinking I might be forced to *gasp* get up in the morning and run!  That will be a giant hurdle for me, but I know I'm going to have to suck it up and make it happen.  I can do it :)

Have you been getting your fitness on in the New Year?  Do you ever workout in the morning?  How do you drag yourself out of bed?!

Whirlwind Weekend

The past few days have been busy busy!  I have been running around like a crazy person.

My great grandmother passed away at the beginning of last week.  She was 92 and died in her sleep, I can only hope to live such a full life!  Rest in peace Babci.  So Thursday I left work and headed to New Jersey for the viewing.  Friday was the funeral, it was a beautiful service and we couldn't have asked for better weather.  Her death was without suffering and it was great to celebrate her life and spend extra time with my family.

Immediately upon getting home from Jersey, Dave and I left for a night out in Philly!  Our first stop was Tony Luke's for some really Philly cheesesteaks.

The cheesesteaks were pretty tasty, but I am still on the quest to find my favorite cheesesteak in Philly!  Sorry, no food porn because we ate our cheesesteaks in Dave's Jeep in the parking lot of the stadium.

We had tickets to see the Adirondack Phantoms play the Hershey Bears on the ice rink they created for the Winter Classic.  The weather was amazing, the Phantoms won in overtime, and there was an amazing fireworks show after the game.  We had a great time!

Our weekend continued with a masquerade party!  Saturday night was filled with friends, dance parties, games, a bonfire, some live music, and some epic masks!

Sunday was a day of recovery, some family time, and a big Giants playoff win!  It was a wonderful weekend.

How was your weekend?  Did you do anything fun?

Holy crap, I'm training for a half marathon!

Ummmm, who am I?  Seriously.  I thought a 5K was the farthest distance I would ever be capable of running.  I thought double digit miles were for crazy people that were obsessed with running.  I never thought a half marathon would be in my future!

But apparently all these healthy living blogs have sucked me in!  I started thinking about a half marathon a few weeks ago and I googled "my first half marathon recap."  Suddenly I was reading all these posts from people that started out barely being able to run a mile, but they trained and worked their way up to the half.  I read about how rewarding the race was to them, how it changes so many of their lives.  I felt so inspired.

Next I started googling training plans and races in the area.  I was really starting to think, hey I might do this.  Add in even more inspiring race recaps and finding the ODDyssey Half Marathon in Philly.  I started telling people I was thinking about it.  I posted on my facebook that I was debating signing up and I got an overwhelming amount of support!

I want to change my life. I want to push my body and challenge myself. I want to commit to fitness and clean eating.  So today, January 3rd, I officially signed up for my first half marathon!!!!!

The ODDyssey Half appealed to me for many reasons.  It's May 26th so I have a full 5 months to prepare.  Most training plans are around 12 weeks, but expect you to start with running 3 miles multiple times a week.  Because I have an extra 2 months, I have plenty of time to work up to the mileage needed to start a training plan.  I also think the weather in May should be ideal for running (aside from some possible rain).  The race also includes a costume contest, optional fun obstacles, live music along the course, and a pint of beer at the end with a glass I get to keep!

After googling some half marathon training plans, I decided to create my own based on a few different plans and my upcoming schedule.  It's kind of hard to see pasted here as a picture, but it starts out nice and slow and builds up each week.  My biggest fear is to get injured and not be able to train, so I'm going to build my mileage slowly, spend some time cross training, and I know I can afford to skip some runs if I need to rest.  I also added in some races I'm planning on running and some scheduled rest days (for example, I already know I'm not going to do a long run the day after St. Patty's so I put that in the schedule).  My first week of training is this week, starting with 1 mile today!

I guess I was a little overconfident, because I did 15 minutes on the elliptical and lifted my arms before my run and then I decided since it was only a mile I was going to try and run it super fast.  Well I ran it in 9:44 and 1 mile kicked my butt.  I had a wicked side stitch halfway through and decided that a huge chicken parm sandwich a half an hour before my workout is probably NOT the best way to fuel.

I have so much to learn!  I'm still pretty intimated by a lot of things.  Am I running in the right sneakers?  Do I want to purchase a Garmin?  How will I fuel during long runs?  But I know I will figure things out as I go and I have so many resources at my finger tips!  The blog world has given me so much inspiration and I can't wait to share my journey!

Seriously, have I lost my mind?  Do you like racing?  Have you ever done a half marathon?  Do you have any tips?

2012 New Year's Resolutions

Here we are, January 2nd.  This whole week, the blog world has been buzzing with everyone's New Years Resolutions. Honestly I can't even remember if I made any resolutions last year.  I'm looking forward to documenting them in ye old blog this year, so I can easily look back to see what my goals are and track my progress along the way.

Fitness

• Run 6 races throughout the year
• I've been eyeing up some races in the Spring.  I think training for specific events will be more motivating than just saying I should probably go workout.
• Run a half marathon!
• I've run 5K distances before, but I really want to challenge myself!  I believe this goal is obtainable but I will really have to commit to my training plan.  I'm looking at the ODDyssey Half Marathon in Philly on May 26th.  More about this in another post!
• Workout at least three times a week
• This will be easy during my half training, but I will have to work at it for the rest of the year.

Eating

• Eat less meat
• I want to learn to make more vegetarian entrees and change up some meaty meals using some portabellos or homemade veggie patties.
• Eat more whole foods, less processed junk
• I will get rid of processed junk foods and prep fruit and veggies for easy snacks.
• Eat more veggies and fruit
• I will continue to try new varieties and find new ways to incorporate them into my meals
• Eat less cheese
• I'm addicted to cheese!  I need to cut back!  I will try things I normally eat cheese on without, and try to use less in my cooking.

Life

• Stop snoozing my alarm, get up the first time it goes off
• I am the worst at this.  Sometimes I snooze for an entire hour when I either could've got up and done something, or I could've actually gotten a good hour of sleep.
• Be more productive at work
• I need to keep my focus at my new job and show them why they hired me.
• Take another grad class
• I've taken three so far and my new company pays for one a year, so I might as well fit one in.
• Create a budget and save money
• I need to map out all of my expenses and figure out how much money I can save a month while still paying my bills and school loans.
• Give the blog a more permanent makeover
• The blog has been changing with the seasons and I really need to upgrade the layout to something more professional and classic.

Well there they are.  I'm super pumped for 2012, yay for a fresh start!

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

2012, oh my goodness!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a good time ringing in 2012. I started off NYE making brunch for myself, Heather, Ben, and Dave. I knew the rest of the day wasn't going to include many healthy eats, so I wanted to get some fruit and veggies in early. We had onion, pepper, and mushroom omlets and some green monsters with spinach, frozen pineapple and strawberries, and some OJ. It was Ben's first green monster and he was pleasantly surprised. Yay for open minded eaters!

After we dropped Ben and Dave off at the train station for their man date, the Flyers alumni game, Heather and I spent the day exploring Phoenixville.  Our first stop was Petal's Consignment Boutique where I found an awesome purple tweed blazer and a long sleeve sweat wicking Mizuno t-shirt with the tags still on it, which apparently retails for $40 and I got it for 8 bucks!

Next we headed downtown!  We stopped in a few shops but we were really excited when we found the Black Walnut Winery storefront.  We stopped in and found out that they were doing free wine tasting!  The tasting included 7 wines and our host recommended sharing each taste so we got to try 14 different wines!  We had a blast trying all the delicious wines they had to offer and neither of us left empty handed, we couldn't help picking up a few bottles.

The rest of our afternoon included some trashy tv, getting gussied up for our New Years celebrations, and chowing down on some Five Guys burgers.  After we picked up the boys, Heather and Ben went home and Dave and I headed out to a party.  We celebrated with funfetti cupcakes, champagne, a cotton candy maker, singing, a bunch of friends, an epic spread of cheeses, some wild puppies, and games.  We had an awesome time!

I'm currently working on my New Years Resolutions, there will be a whole post about them later!

How did you ring in the new year?