3 Things Thursday

1. I'm reading The Thirteenth Tale right now.  It's a really good book so far.  I'm about mid way through it.  Grad school reading takes up way too much time though and so I'm slowly getting through this one.  Seriously, I had to read about 45-50 pages this week for class last night.  It's one thing to read them, it's another thing to read and comprehend it!
2. I have run clinic tonight!  We're going off track for about 3 miles.  I'm pumped and ready to run!  Btw, a little update on my dad and his running.  He's doing excellent!!  He's lost a little over 30 pounds so far and can run a mile straight now in about 12 minutes.  Go dad!  He's so funny though, he has made our celebration 5k on April 30th into a challenge and we keep telling him that we are running WITH him - no matter the pace or if he walks the entire way.  But instead of actually hearing that, he keeps insisting that he will beat us even if it kills him... Oh lord... We have a little competitor on our hands!  Now I know where I get it! ha!
3. I stepped on the scale this morning and I've lost a pound this week so far!  Woohoo!  Hello, 141 pounds.  It's so nice to see you again.  Where is your friend 139 at?  ha!

Wordless Wednesday

My very first time to use all of my letters on one word!  Yay!  Sadly, I'm losing this game now.

Speed Work

Last night was my group's speed work night. 
Here's a breakdown of what we did:

.25 warm up walk
.50 warm up jog
6 x 200's sprints
.25 cool down jog

For a total of 2.50 miles.  I wrote down my splits on dailymile, but I can't remember them to put them here (and I'm being lazy).  But, they were all from 1:02 to 1:10.  I was pretty consistent, so I was pretty proud of myself.  Plus it was freaking cold and windy out!  :)

Today I'm DRAINED.  I didn't get hardly any sleep Saturday night and I think my body is still paying for it.  I could use a giant Coke Zero and about 12 Twix Bars please.  But, I'm refraining.  Those aren't on the diet.  Plus, I've already had my 12 oz Diet Mtn Dew that I've allowed myself.  Darn it. 

Tonight's agenda will be house cleaning and catching up on homework (since school resumes tomorrow night).  Fun stuff, right?  Blah!

Paleo Week 1 Results

So, last Sunday we started the Paleo diet.  Here's how our week went as far as "cheating"......

Sunday - did awesome
Monday - did awesome
Tuesday - had Sonic for dinner
Wednesday - did awesome
Thursday - did awesome
Friday - had Larrys Pizza for dinner
Saturday - did awesome
Sunday - had Sonic for lunch and some choc chip cookies....

As you can see, we had some setbacks.  We had only planned one cheat meal and that was Friday.  The other two days just happened.

Now for the results....
I was down 4 pounds for most of the week, but as of this morning I'm down just 2 pounds.  Considering how I ate yesterday, I'll take it!  Also, I'd like to note that my mood was amazing this week.  I was so happy for most of the week and for no apparent reason. 

And if we're being honest, the only reason we cheated on Sunday is because...
Hubs had to work Saturday.  He left at 7:30am Saturday morning and didn't get home till 8:30am Sunday morning.  Yes, you read that right.  Hubs is in the IT world and this type of thing happens about once or twice a quarter.  So, I didn't sleep all that well due to waking up to see if he had made it home yet.  So when he finally did make it home, I slept for some time and he slept till 2pm.  We were both starving and sleep deprived when we woke up - so that definitely called for Sonic.  Now about those chocolate chip cookies... don't ever go grocery shopping when they're remodeling the store because you'll leave beyond irritated and grouchy...which calls for cookies! :)

And That's How You ROCK Hill Repeats

We ran a mile over, did our repeats, and ran a mile back!  3 miles total!  I can't tell ya'll the time, because I left my watch running for a long time!  But those repeats....oh how I ROCKED those hill repeats!!!


The hill was .10 long and a steady climb.  The goal was to hit it between :55 and 1:05 and to stay consistent.

Climb 1:  1:01
Climb 2:  1:02
Climb 3:  1:03
Climb 4:  1:03
Climb 5:  1:07   <--I was tired and they said we didn't have to rock this one, we just had to get over the hill to start our mile back to our cars.

I was/am so happy with myself!  My mojo is returning!!!!

Happy Friday, ya'll!  I'm hoping to get another run and maybe a bike ride in over the weekend!

A Great Run!

Yesterday we had another house showing so I had to be out of the house for a while.  So, I decided to go run a couple of miles.  I'm glad that I did!  I had the BEST run that I've had in a long time!

I did 2 miles in 23:04 WITHOUT STOPPING!!!!  I haven't been able to do that in quite some time.  I'm finally getting my running mojo back!  YAY! 

See?  This diet isn't hurting a thing!  LOL 

Tonight is a clinic night.  We're doing hill repeats.  I'm kinda excited!  :)

What They Say Is True

I promise I'm not going to blog about this everyday.  But, I had to share this.

Yesterday I woke up in a decent mood, but by the time I made it to work, I was feeling SO GOOD.  They say that after a few days of eating like this, you start to feel really good.  Well, I thought that was a lie.  It had to be.  But friends, it wasn't.  I just felt really good and was in a pretty dang good mood.

Then, last night we went to look at a few houses.  Time got away from us and it was 8pm and we were 20 minutes from home.  Well, we broke down and had Sonic.  I know, horrible.  Don't get me wrong - it tasted great.  But, about 15 minutes after eating it, I felt sick to my stomach.  I was tired feeling almost instantly and I was so, so sick to my stomach.  Then, the hubs tells me he's never doing that again because he felt "drugged."  I'd read that you'd feel this way after eating a meal that was totally off the plan, but I didn't think it would happen to us - I mean, we were only on day 3!  But, yes, it did.  (And, btw, hubs hadn't read that.  So, there is no way his mind was playing tricks on him.  He really felt that way.)

This morning we're back on the wagon.  I'm going running this afternoon after work, too.  And to answer a question, the bowels hold up just find with all of the raw vegetables.  I was nervous, too.  But, it hasn't seemed to affected my bowels or my running.  Thank goodness!

Thanks for the anniversary wishes - we acknowledge March 22nd, but really celebrate April 13th.  :)

Entering Day 3

Today marks Day 3 of the Paleo Diet.  So far, so good.  I haven't had any major screw ups yet.  I haven't felt any major differences in how I feel just yet.  I was very anxious about my run last night and I came home and had some almond butter.  Well, I was so anxious that I was going to feel tired that I over did it on the almond butter.  Note to self:  too much almond butter causes stomach pains.  I still went to clinic, but I stayed behind with another group and tried to do 4:1 intervals on the track.  Let's just say I did 2.13 miles in 30 minutes.  Yeah, I walked a lot.  But it wasn't because I was tired! ha!  It was because my stomach hated me!

Otherwise all has been going good.  My starting weight on Sunday was 144lbs.  I weighed this morning at 140lbs.  Trust me, I'm aware that it's water weight.  But, I'll take it. 

I received a few questions yesterday about grains.  Grains are not on this diet at all.  I believe it's because of how grains affect your digestion system.  I'm pretty sure that's what I read.  So, rice and all that jazz is out.

If ya'll have any other questions, let me know.  I'm definitely not an expert, but I'll try to answer what I can.

On a completely different note... Today is the hub's and I's 3 year LEGAL anniversary!  We don't celebrate this date, we celebrate the date we had our wedding ceremony in Mexico.  But still, 3 years!  :)

The Paleo Diet

After reading several "success stories," hubs and I decided to try the Paleo Diet.  You might've heard of it as the caveman diet.  You basically eat like a stoneage person.  You eat nothing but fruits, vegetables, and lean meats.  You can also have some nuts thrown in there, too.  All processed items are out the window.  No bread, no dairy (although we will have a yogurt every now and then), no pasta, nothing boxed, nothing canned, and nothing manufactured by man. 

Now, before you freak out (which suprisingly my FB friends have), we're giving this a go-round for 30 days and we'll go from there.  We want to see how we feel without all the processed foods in our diet.  And actually, I'm pretty proud of our decision.  Yes, it's difficult having to actually cook, plan, and think about what you'll be eating, but we're eating better.  I've never actually consumed so many servings of fruits and vegetables in one day.  Plus, we're reintroducing ourselves with fish.  Yes, fish.  Which is something I've not eaten since childhood, because I don't really like fish.  But, I told hubs I'd give fish another chance.  So in our fridge right now is some Salmon and Tilipia.  I'll let you know what happens with that!  I'm actually a little scared!

But, I plan to document our diet and how it's working for us here every now and then.  Oh, and in case you're concerned that we wont be getting enough Calcium from our diet since we're cutting out dairy, don't worry we've been taking a Calcium and Vitamin D supplement for over a year now and we're going to research to see what other foods have Calcium in them.

So for breakfast this morning (right now), I'm eating scrambled eggs with bell pepper and onion and some strawberries and grapes.  I see nothing wrong with that....so I'm not too sure why people are freaking out on me on FB...........

TGIF

Finally, it's FRIDAY!!

Once again, we have a busy weekend upon us!  :)

Last night our running group did 2.5 miles.  I started off really well - 11:45 pace for the first mile.  I felt really good at that pace and I could've pushed it more.  But after that mile, it's like all the energy was sucked right out of me by aliens.  LOL  I think it was the heat.  I know, I know, it's not even the summer yet.  But stick with me... Monday night it was 45-48degrees.  Last night it was 81 degrees.  It's gonna take my body a little bit to get back used to the warmer temps.   I know I'll get back used to it.  I also need to remember to hydrate better.  I need to start chugging some more water during the day, because I sweat a ton out there running!

Anyways, 2.5 miles in 31:39.  That's not my best, but it's not my worst.  So, I'll take it for now.  It's improvement from last week!

Happy Friday!

3 Things Thursday

1. First off, Happy St Patrick's Day!  Nope, I'm not wearing green.  I had a green shirt laid out, but didn't want to wear it.  Then as I was leaving for work, I remembered why it was laid out.  Oh well.
2. I made a 95 on my paper and a 90.5 on my midterm exam!  So, so far I have an A!  Hopefully I can keep it! 
3. I've become obsessed with DailyMile.  I've been adding people as I've come across ya, but if you're on there and we're not friends - add me (click on the link).  I'm trying to find more time to run, but the past 2 weeks have been hectic.  But, next week is "Spring Break" so I'll have more time in the afternoons next week!  Also, the book I ordered, Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance, came in yesterday!  I'm gonna start reading it during lunch today!

The Track

I'm loving speedwork right now.  I guess because I know that I've slowed down the past 6 months and I'm trying to get back to where I was last summer.  But, seriously, I love speedwork.  When I'm "flying" down the track, I feel like all of you speedy gals out there.

We did a half mile warm up, then did 4 x 200s (while walking the rest of the lap), and then another half mile cool down.  I watched my garmin during the 200s (I should've hit lap for all of those, but I wasn't thinking...) and I did a 8:29, 9:29, 9:59, and 10:00 on the sprints.  So, I really need to work on consistency!!  You can definitely tell that I got tired and slowed way down.  But, I still loved doing the speedwork and can't wait until next Monday night.  This Thursday my group is doing our run off the track.  I believe we're going 2.5-3 miles.  I'm pretty excited, except for the fact that I'll be towards the back and I just hope I'm not way behind.  We have some speedy ladies in our group this year!

As for tonight, there will be no running.  We're going over to hub's meemaw's house for dinner.  :) YUM!

Monday Musings

We had a very jam packed weekend!  As always, Mondays are crazy for me, so I'm going with bullets...

• Friday night, we went out to eat at Larry's Pizza.  That's kind of our tradition on Friday nights.  I also gave hubs his birthday presents.  I got him a workout shirt, a massage that's booked for this weekend, and two birthday cards (one is from the dogs). 
• Saturday morning I ran a little over 2 miles around the neighborhood while hubs went to the gym.  Then we met my side of the family and headed over to Oaklawn (horse races).  There we met hub's side of the family, too.  We all had a very good time.  The best time yet actually.  My dad said it was a proud moment when he taught me how to bet - the lingo and all.  I was placing mine and hub's bets all day.  I even won on my first bet!  $24!  By the end of the day, my siblings had placed multiple bets - so my dad was extra excited because he "had all the kids gambling."  LOL 
• Then about 5:15 we left and drove back into LR and had dinner at Olive Garden. 
• Sunday morning I finished up the house work and went grocery shopping.  Then we met hub's dad and stepmom at Carinos for dinner. 

So, as you can tell, we had a busy weekend that was full of eating out!  That's what happens when your spouse turns 30!  You celebrate by eating out! ha!  Tonight we have the run clinic and I'm super excited to get out and run.  I did a few sprints up a nice incline Saturday morning - I'm loving speed work right now. 

And last but not least, I bought this book this morning....  I'm pretty excited!  It will be here Wednesday!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my husband's 30th birthday!  I know he wont read this, but I just wanted to wish him the best birthday and year ever!  I'm so very fortunate to have found him and I'm so very blessed that he has remained by my side {even though I'm crazy from time to time}.  I hope this year brings all the things he desires and much more!

3 Things Thursday

1. I've been MIA due to stress.  Plain and Simple.  Between work, a midterm exam, house stuff, and the fact that hubs turns 30 tomorrow (and I don't have a single gift yet....), I'm just a tad stressed.  But the good news is there's hope and everyone's healthy.  I have to remind myself of that from time to time.  :)
2. We have a very, very busy weekend and week ahead of us.  But, it's all in celebration of the hub's birthday - so I'm completely okay with it all! 
3. I've been running!  Monday night my group did sprints and I did great!  I kept a nice 7:21 on the straight stretches of the track a few times.  That's excellent in my book!  I'm running again tonight - if the schedule allows it.  Crazy schedule tonight and I'm kinda stressing out about it right now.  Seriously, when will the stress subside?!?!  Sorry for the crazy post ya'll.  I swear I'll be a sane woman sometime soon!

My Life Lately

&

Crazy Train, Party of One

I'm trying to remain upbeat and calm, cool, and collected, but there are things that are stressing me out.  Let's make a list...

• Midterm on Wednesday over 7 chapters, 7 articles, and a case study.  Complete with 4 short answer questions, an essay, and 50 multiple choice....on material that all sounds the same to me.
• A work re-org that takes my dept and combines it with another dept.  Which means new schedules, new supervisors, new information, and a HUGE learning curve. 
• This house stuff.  We're toying with the idea of building.  But, we'd really like to know what month exactly our house would sell - HA!  I could go on and on with this subject....

So, with all that being said and the fact that I'm working on a Saturday.... This is convo took place last night after coming home for dinner.

Me:  Why is this rotting peach still on the counter?  Are you going to eat it?  If you're not going to eat it, throw it away.  Are you going to eat the peach??

Hubs:  Did you seriously just ask me if I was going to eat a rotting peach?!

Me:  Yes.  Well, are you?  If not, then throw it away.

Hubs:  No, I'm not going to eat the peach - it's rotten!!!

Me:  Fine, then I guess I'll throw it away if you're not going to eat it.

Hubs:  Um, it's rotten.

All aboard the crazy train....

Food On Friday

So, you'll notice that we had Taco Bueno for dinner on Monday.  That's what 10 hour days and a house showing will do to your dinner!  :)  But, 1857 isn't THAT horrible... it could've been worse!

Tuesday, I didn't do all that bad.  You'll notice that I've started adding 100 calorie packs into the rotation.  I went to Sam's and got a jumbo box of 100 calorie snacks. :)  For dinner, I had sketti.  Mmmm, sketti.

Then on Thursday I wanted to eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT.  Seriously, I was so so so hungry all day long.  I tried to remain somewhat good though.  You'll notice the Hardee's Fries... the hubs got those for me and I had a very small serving of sketti with that.  Yes, sketti and fries - my kind of dinner!  ha!

I know all of that is kinda boring and ya'll don't really care about what I eat.  But, I wanted to show ya'll that I do eat bad things and that I'm normal (at least by my standards, ha).

Edited to Include:  I *usually* leave dinner off of these, because I don't have the info with me when I'm completing these.  I *usually* make Weight Watcher meals or grilled chicken, etc.  I try to keep dinner less than 600 calories.  Therefore, I'm shooting for 1200-1300 calories per day.  Do not be worried that you are only seeing 647 calories :) I just didn't put dinner on there.  One day I promise to actually write it all down as I'm adding it to the skillet and show ya'll my dinner cals as well. 

3 Things Thursday

1. Went for a short 2 mile run yesterday.  Note to self:  Don't drink a protein shake before a run.  I felt like I was going to puke the entire time.  Not cool.  But, the best part of the run was that there was a group of middle school boys on the trail running their timed miles and there was one boy who was near the end of the pack and he was walking.  He looked defeated and just overall unhappy.  As I was jogging past him, I told him "Don't give up.  You've got this."  He smiled and started running again.  Made.My.Day.
2. I'm going to give that run another go round tonight at Women Can Run (a local running group).  I'm pretty excited, but we'll see what happens!  I'm gonna be running late, so I hope I make it there in time.
3. The two house showings didn't lead to any offers.  Darn.  But, honestly, I'm not bummed about it at all.  I fully trust God and His timing on this.  Now if I could work that into other areas of my life.

Excitement is in the Air!

• Hubs and I are officially registered for The Ranch Ride!  34 miles cycling on a hot June day...here we come! 
• I found tanning for $10 a month unlimited!!!!  It's at the place where last year I was paying $30 a month - so this is super!  I just happened to luck out and they were running a special - I had to sign a 6 month contract, but I figure even if we do move before then, I still go to school in our current city and it's only like a 20 minute drive from where we'll be moving one day.
• We had TWO house showings yesterday evening!!!  Who knows what will become of those, but a girl can hope!  I think I'm gonna try to talk hubs into doing a little bit of yard work this month sometime.  Don't worry, I'll be out there helping him.  :)  Since things are turning green again around here, it's time!
• I'm off work tomorrow (because I have to work Saturday).  I have plans of getting my hair cut, tanning, running OUTSIDE, and studying for my midterm that's next week!