Back on the horse...

So, this morning I had pretty much convinced myself that I was not going for a run.....I was tired and cold and tired.  I was really tired. Then I started thinking about a breakfast burrito......So, I thought if I want one of those I better run or else my entire day of calories is blown!!  The plan was to pick up the burrito after dropping off daughter's class pet back at school (It didn't die!!!), but I drove right by Durango Joes and thought...yea I don't NEED  a burrito.  I had to run to the store real quick and get some gloves though and ear warmy band thing because as I said I was COLD.  I also got some cottage cheese and apple cider tea. YUMMMY.

perfect for grumpy cat mug!

I also found these things:

I grabbed them because they were just $1 and I thought they might be good to keep me from snacking while working.  These suckers taste just like eggnog!!  Awesome!! I had one and I felt like I just had dessert.

When I got back home I headed out for my run immediately before I lost motivation.  I started the 5k to 10k training program.  It was 10 minutes of jogging alternating with 3 minute tempo runs.....definitely different for me.  It was hard.  I was going to try and do a virtual 10k in January, but I think that might be too soon!

THIS!!

This made my morning:

<3 Gunny!

Pile on the Miles in November!!

PS- Today Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for Pile on the Miles!!!!!!!

Happy Halloweenies!

Happy Halloween to you all!!!  Here are our pumpkins this year.  I helped my 4 year old carve his (aka I did it for him) and for some reason my pumpkins always end up looking alarmed.....

My run yesterday was the worst I've had in a while.  I started out fairly strong but by about 10 minutes in I felt awful, super hot, pukey, etc...I took Gatorade with me this time instead of water and that was a BAD decision.  My mouth tasted sickly sweet and I wondered if that was the problem.  I only got in 1.5 miles before I HAD to stop.  As I was walking home I realized that <<gasp>> my husband was right....I do not drink enough fluids. I can go all day without drinking anything and that's just no good!

When it interferes with my runs that's when I gotta fix it!  I downloaded an app on my phone called Drink-O-Matic.     Hopefully this helps!!  Today is a rest day, which is good because the trick-or-treaters start early here and I don't want to have to dodge them for 40 minutes of running.  This week has been stressful so far, so I told hubby that we should take a shot every time the doorbell rings. LOL.  We'd be loaded about 20 minutes in because we get about 200 trick-or-treaters here on Halloween!!  I am having a beer though and some chocolate!

Goal met!

Love the fall colors!

This was where I started my run this morning.  I didn't really start out with any specific goals in mind.  Just knew that I wanted to run for longer than 22 minutes without walking.  It was kinda rough at first, not gonna lie, because the air was COOOLD.  It took me a good 10 minutes to get adjusted to that.  Once I hit 25 minutes I was feeling invincible lol (endorphins maybe??)  I was struggling to keep myself from dancing to the music on my iphone. At that point I think I decided it would be REALLY AMAZING if I could run the entire thing and text husband at the end that I had done it.  That's what really made me push through and run it all.  I ran 3.11 in 40:08.  I really was hoping at the end to get it done in under 40, but that's okay!  That gives me something to shoot for next time.

Anyhow, I'm super excited and proud of myself that I accomplished a goal I set for myself (running an entire 5K).  I took great pleasure in marking it DONE on my Pinterest board. LOL. :) It's the little things right?

Happy Thursday!!  Taking little man for an ice cream cone after preschool (I might have bribed him to go to school without a major hissy fit....)

Tuesday shmuesday...

Excellent run today!  I did not get to run last night because hubby's work is batshit craycray right now and he didn't get home until after dark.  :(  I need to up my runs to four times a week to meet my goal of 30 miles in October I think.

Big weekend coming up!  A friend is coming in from out of town.  I haven't seen her since August!  She actually went to highschool with husband, but through the modern miracle of Facebook I am able to steal all his old friends! ;) (Or at least that's what I'm accused of lol).  I am hosting a Pure Romance party on Saturday, which surprisingly is a lot of fun and classier than you'd expect.  You can google Pure Romance if you wanna.  It's basically an adult toy party.  Like Tupperware but with dildos.....BUT I swear it's classy!  I have to come up with some fun snacks and cocktails to make.

Then Sunday we are going to hit up a pumpkin patch!  It's a yearly tradition.  Today I leave you with cute kitty back end.  This is Milo sleeping between plants on the window seat. He's a weirdo.

Get Pinked Fools!!!!

Today was the Get Pinked 5k.  I was having MAJOR, MAJOR anxiety about it.  It was my first solo 5k and I was terrified for some reason.  I didn't sleep well at all last night!  I woke up at 3 a.m. and thought "Oh no it's time to get up and I don't want to gooooooo." Then I checked my phone and realized I had 3 more hours of sleeps. WHEW.  Then I just kind of tossed and turned until 6 a.m.  I took my sweet time getting ready (I even put on make up lol). Hubby said:  "Who wears makeup for a race?!?!"  lol  People who are procrastinating do!  I finally forced myself out the door and drove to the race venue.  After I went in and got my packet I felt HEAPS better.  I was proud of myself for showing up. lol.  I pinned my bib on and got back in the car for a bit.

I watched people walking in and out and texted with a friend who majorly calmed my nerves.  (Thank you Roni!!!)  I finally got out of the car and went and lined up.

I'm a few rows back checking my armband lol.  The people in the front were doing a 5 mile run!  They rock!     I think I started a little too fast, so I had to start taking it back a few notches.  My goal was to run 10 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 10 minutes etc.  In the midst of my first 10 minute running stretch someone honked at me and I looked up to see my hubby and kids parked across the street waving at me.  That was the best feeling EVER!!  I know I smiled so big!  That was probably my favorite part of the race.  I was able to run for 10 minutes and then I started walking and at the 5 minute mark of walking I wasn't ready to run again lol.  I ended up walking for about 10 minutes because the route went up into the hills which were sandy and rocky and I didn't want to twist my ankle.  Once we hit pavement again I ran for another 10 minutes, walked for 5 and then ran the last 8 minutes or so.  I finished with a time of 43 minutes (gotta check the official time when the post it).  As I ran through the finish line a friend of mine I haven't seen in at least a year was standing there and she gave me a big hug!  THAT was awesome! Her husband ran the 5 miler and he won 1st place!!  Anyhow I grabbed a Gatorade and a Cliff bar and sat down to process what had just happened.  

I'm pretty proud of myself!  I wanted to at least finish in 45 minutes so I did that!  I am way  more proud of this 5k than the Dirty Dash because I feel like I really did my best on this one!  I'm contemplating running the Turkey Trot 5k in November!  Woohoo!

Gear

I figured I should tell you guys about some of the gear I've discovered (so far) that I LOVE and cannot live without.

I have 3 pair of running capris that I alternate.  I like all of them, but I LOVE my Victorias Secret Knockout Crop pants.

They are awesome because they do not skooch down when I run.  They are super comfy and thick enough that they don't show every little thing.  <3 them!!!  I need to order another pair in grey!

My second favorite pair are the Victorias Secret Supermodel Capri. 

I love the waistband of this pair, it's so cute!  It also has a secret pocket in the back of the waistband (inside) that I only discovered recently.  I don't love this pair as much though because the waistband is more stretchy and therefore slightly loose.  I have to pull them up A LOT during a run.  Not fun.  I have another pair that is New Balance (I think).  They  are alright but not as thick as these others and the waist band pinches so I don't really wear them unless both the other pairs are dirty.  

Now, for boobage! I have several sports bras.  Most of them are cheapie  Hanes  Fruit of the Loom jobs that I got from Wal-Mart years ago.  They get the job done for my barely there bust.  However, my FAVORITE sports bra EVAR is from Old Navy.  I got it in the clearance section, and they do not sell this color anymore (it's more orangey than the picture) but they do sell the same style.  It's very supportive and it makes me look less flat chested than most other sports bras I've used lol.  The color looks really nice with my skintone too. :)   

Now for one of the most IMPORTANT pieces of running "gear!!" SHOES!  When I first started running I had a pair of Reeboks that I randomly purchased because I needed sneakers.  After a month of running in them my ankle got sprained.  At that point I decided to invest in some good running shoes that were suited to my high arches.  After an exhaustive internet search I settled on Mizuno Wave Riders 15.  They have a really good test on their website for determining what kind of shoes you need!  I REALLY wanted the bright yellow pair, but the only pair my local shoe store had in stock was way less flashy :(. They were on sale though!!  

These shoes are AWESOME.  AWESOME.  I love them so much.  My feet do not hurt anymore while running.  They have plenty of room in the toebox.  I wore them for the Dirty Dash and they cleaned up really well too!  The meshy-looking parts are very "ventilating."

Another piece of gear that I could not live without is my iPhone.  I use it to track my miles, speed, calories, etc., and I also use it for music (without which I might die from boredom).  

Pretty early on in my running I discovered that I cannot run very far without water.  At first I was just carrying a regular water bottle with me, but being a gear junkie I decided to upgrade.  I ordered this ProForm Squeeze bottle from good old Wally World.  

It holds about 16 ounces of water which is perfect for my 3-ish mile runs.  It has a stretchy band that keeps it in your hand without the effort of holding it, and it has a little pocket on the front for stuff.  This has made running easier and I'm definitely taking it with to the 5K on Saturday!  

That's all for now!!  I also recently purchased a foam roller, but I haven't really used it much....I think it might be more beneficial when I'm running longer distances.  

Happy Hump day!!

Happy October 2!

Great run last night!  I walked for 10 minutes (ran into chatty neighbors) and then ran for 8 minutes, walked for 5, ran for 8 and then walked for 5.  The awesome thing is that at the end of the 8 minute stretches I felt like I could have gone on for a lot longer.  My breathing was great and my legs were not hurting.  It is so totally a mental thing!

(Pinterest goodie!)

I have to make cupcakes this morning for a neighbor and get some work stuff done.  I was contemplating going for a run midday, but I don't want to push too hard.  I guess we'll see if I have the time and the inclination. :)  

One more thing:  DA BEARS!!!! Awesome game last night!

13.1 in 2013!!!

Today while taking a shower (all the awesome ideas happen in the shower!!) I decided I am going to run a half-marathon in 2013!  So appropriate! 13.1 in 2013!!

At the beginning of this year I promised myself that I would spend this year working on me (inside and out).  As it turns out building self confidence is harder than it seems!  I cannot remember a time when I had a healthy self-esteem level.  I decided to start a blog to help me keep track of my progress, etc. 

I am a 32-year-old, work-from-home mom of two children (an 8 year old and a 4 year old).  I have a wonderful husband who puts up with all my craziness, two kitties (<3) and 3 dogs.  As I said, I have never had great self confidence, but working from home has really taken a toll on the little confidence I did have.  First of all, with sitting at a desk for eight hours a day I gained some pounds!  We won't  talk about how many...  Also, when you work from home it's very easy to isolate yourself and never leave the house.  That's a bad thing, and that is what I have done over the last 2 years of working at home. 

In January and February I did some crash dieting, no bueno!! Around May I realized that I really needed to work on myself on the inside too.  Hubby had just run the Warrior Dash, and I was so jealous that I couldn't do it with him.  So, I started one of the couch to 5K programs.  I really enjoyed it and got up to running 7 minutes at a time (on the treadmill) when I hurt my ankle.  I had to take a month off to let it heal and then we went on vacation, yadda, yadda, yadda, and that puts me where I am now.  It's October and I still cannot run a full 5K!! 

Hubby and I did the Dirty Dash in September, and I realized just how much work I need to do!  I was so slow!  Also, I felt like I didn't let myself enjoy it as much as I should have because of anxiety about my slowness, my lack of self confidence, etc....BUT the one thing that I have realized is that running really works wonders for your self esteem!  After I finish a run I feel a little bit better about myself, and looking at pictures of myself from the Dirty Dash makes me realize I'm not quite the GIANT COW I feel like I am. :)

I figure with a year to train that I should be able to get to where I want to be for a half!  We shall see!