Burning It Up!

 

Really, who is not enjoying this weather?!

My Princess from Saturday

It is so nice to not have to put a coat on before leaving for work. Willow actually wore shorts for the first time this year today! And if I do say so myself, she was pretty darn cute. I tried to get a picture but she was pouting when I dropped her off this morning.

Since I ran out of my yogurt and banana for breakfast this morning, I went with a Click Espresso Protein drink and a bagel. Probably not the healthiest but it was pretty darn tasty. And I didn't have to drink any coffee since my protein shake had 2 shots of espresso in it!

Is anyone else nervous about running in the upcoming heat? It is supposed to be in the 80's today and a high of 88 tomorrow. I'm hopefully going on a run after work and I am pretty positive I do not know how to dress for this. I have yoga shorts and a loose fitting t-shirt, but nothing fancy or moisture wicking like I should probably have. (Shopping trip??)

I also forgot socks. So I guess that will be on my list of things to get on my lunch break today...I'm not trying to stink up my running shoes more than they inevitability will already.

I did a work out last night, just a mixture of squats/crunches/jumping jacks/weights/planks/etc. I did this for about 30 minutes. Also, I walked to and from work from where I dropped my car off for a state inspection. so that was a little over a mile I walked.
I was bad when I first got home...Willow and I went and played with the neighbors and Amanda and I had some Red Moscato. That stuff is soo good. Seriously going to have to start working out in the morning to avoid the heat and so I can have a glass of wine when I get home some times. ;)

I really really want this kitten.

What is your must have item for running in the heat? Reading up on articles I have these tips to share:



Found at TheBerry.com



1. Always stay hydrated. (Not just water, but electrolytes as well!)
2. Sunglasses are great to keep the sun out of your face, which can be a big annoyance.
3. Its definitely important to warm up and cool down properly
4. Dress as if it were 20 degrees warmer. So, If its 80 degrees out, dress as if it were 100 degrees out. I know, you are thinking WTF?? but seriously, its a nice rule of thumb to go by, and you will be glad you did.

Here are some good articles on running in the summer I found:

Surviving the Sizzle - Women's Running

20 Tips to Stay Cool- Active.com

Spring is Back!

Good Morning You!

It has been absolutely B-E-A-UTIFUL out the past couple of days! I tried a new spot yesterday, The Montpelier Center for my run. Its a lot prettier than I expected and its not far from my house. Willow slept the entire run in the jogging stroller and woke up right as I was walking us over to the play ground (PS. A toddler waking up to a play ground before them is like me waking up to a giant already made cup of coffee: HEAVEN)

It was the first time I actually got to run with her in the jogging stroller and let me tell you, it is much more of a work out pushing that thing. Add that with the warmer temperature, I was in for something some exercise yesterday. Plus, both Willow and  

At one point there was a hawk big enough to have a huge shadow flying over me, and I'm pretty sure he was telling me to just lay down and die. The temperature was very pleasant, if you aren't running and pushing a stroller, and still new to running. Still, I pushed myself and got 3.80 miles done. I felt a lot better afterward, especially when Willow and I went down the slide together.

The rest of the weekend was fun. Saturday our neighbors had an awesome Easter Egg hunt. They had a total of 566 eggs hidden. All the kids had a ball. I ate entirely too much food and candy. Willow and their youngest Son, Grayson who are only 6 weeks apart followed eachother around for most of the afternoon. They even had a little argument over the toy car and it we just let them work it out...we figure they will keep arguing for years to come if they are going to be bf/gf hehe.

Yesterday we met up with Jessica S. and got ice cream and went on an adventure to Garden Ridge. Willow loved the rugs, and I loved the isle of cups. We had a great time with her as always!



I promise I was awake. She was eating some Sorbert her Aunt Jessie got her :)



Tonight I'm going to do some cardio. Whats your favorite workout right now?

How are you dealing with the warmer weather when running?

Have a lovely day! :)

TGIF and a Morning Run

What a great day already, and its barely 8 am!

motivation stolen from theBerry.com

 

I woke up bright and early this morning, a little before 5 and went for a run on the treadmill. It was sleeting out all last night so I waited to do a run until this morning. (Treadmill is outside in detached garage, FYI). I ran 3.1 miles, I would have gone more but time was closing in and I had to take a shower and get Ms. Willow up and make lunches.

I am in such a good mood today! I think it is because of the following:

1. Running at 5 am
2. Getting to giggle with my girl this morning
3. My Turkey Sausage and Egg white bagel from Wawa
4. ITS FRIDAY!

Also, last night I did 2 videos instead of running. They were:

• Cafe Mom Cardio *
• 8 Min Abs
• I added a little bit of weights afterward (4lbs) for my arms

*I only did some of the cool down stretching because I wanted to do 8 min abs before I cooled down.


Remember, its never a bad thing to switch it up and try something new! Thats why I love Youtube, I can find so many different (and free!) option for work out videos.


So we decided that since we don't have any big plans this weekend, we are going to try and get started on potty training Willow. She is having issues with diapers irritating her skin lately so why not give it a go? I'm going to pick up some mini M&M's at the grocery store this evening to give her as treats everytime she uses the potty.

When did you potty train your child? How did you start?


I hope everyone has a great weekend! It is supposed to be REALLY nice this weekend, so I'm looking at doing a long run Sunday :) Anyone want to join?

Her'sday Thursday

Happy Her'sday! :)


Okay, so I lied about doing the p90x video yesterday. I had the full intention of doing so, I even pulled the dvds out. But the only tv with a dvd player was being used by someone else who obviously didn't want to watch me get my pain  sexy on. So I found this on my smartphone instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU6jg-SgEpY

It was actually super hard and at a few points last night I swore my legs were going to fall off.

I'm looking forward to a run night, I'm going to find a good movie and do a long run on the treadmill. I need something to relieve some stress and a good run sounds like just the thing!

In other oh-so-exciting-news, Willow was back to her happy self last night. After reading a few articles, I decided to try something new. I asked her instead of telling her. For instance, usually I say something like "Its time for a diaper change, go get a diaper!" (in a nice voice). Last night I tried by asking her:

"Willow, can I change your diaper? Do you want to sit on the potty?" Which led to her getting all excited and she didn't fight me to take the diaper off, especially since she wanted to sit on her potty. She doesn't quite get the whole potty thing, but she understands that you sit on it and that you put toilet paper in it afterward...thats her use of the potty. Lol.



I didn't get much sleep last night and what I did get it wasn't restful, so seeing this this morning made my day a little better:

 

 



What are you looking forward to on Her'sday? Don't forget to treat yourself! A glass of wine, a good movie, a good run, whatever makes you happy! :)

A "Lazy" Run and The Most Terrible Twos

Yesterday Afternoon I ran in the park.

I completed 2.63 miles in 29.09 minutes at a 11'04" pace. The pace isn't too bad for me but I would have liked to get to at least 3 miles, I just didn't have it in me yesterday, but I will not let myself go under 2.5 miles.


I did try a Click Protien drink afterwards though. I tried the Mocha flavor and that was pretty amazing. I blended it into a frappe type drink. It was gone in no time. When it starts getting warmer out I might even start making that as my breakfast. It gave me a boost too with the expresso shots in it so you know I loved that.

Expresso-Yumminess

I have been avoiding them but I think its time I break out the P90X videos on my no-run days. Starting with tonight. I'll let you know if I make it out alive.

Alert: Rant in 3, 2, 1:

Speaking of making it out alive, I don't know how people survive their child's Terrible Two phase. I LOVE my daughter, but she doesn't not like me right now. She only wants Josh and she will barely let me talk to her in the afternoons. I know she is testing her limits, as well as teething, and I realize that part of it is Josh gives in more than I do. Being a guy, I'm assuming Josh doesn't quite understand that girls will use their weapon of crying/whining/pouting to get what they want, regardless if it is something they need or not. He has that soft spot for a daughter that any father should have. And I have that OMG-why-does-my-daughter-hate-me-guilt that I don't know if its common or not, but I know I inherited it from my mom, shes reminded me of this often.

I know Willow will grow out of it, and don't misunderstand, she is not like this all the time. Just recently she has been very into the "getting her way" thing and lately her way hasn't been the expected way (like playing outside when its 40 degrees and dark)...I can't wait for summer to get here and we can all play outside in the evenings and eat dinner on the back porch.

So, if any lovely mommies out there have any helpful advice, please feel welcome to comment!

Rant Over.

I guess I better get on with my day and do some work, hope you all have a wonderful hump day!

I Want, I Want!

Good morning all!




I need these. If you know me, you know I am obsessed with the following:
1. Owls
2. Cups
3. Coffee


You realize my birthday is this month, right? 18 days. Get on it.



Just kidding. But seriously, I want that cup!

 Last night I did not work out, it was a rest night. I did do a load of laundry and cooked dinner but thats about it. I tried those "unsloppy-Joes" with the Pillsbury biscuits....they weren't sloppy but I couldn't get them to stay shut. They turned out okay though.

Today after work I will hopefully go on a run in the park. Its only supposed to get to 56 degrees today for the high but while running that shouldn't be bad at all. (They say to dress for 20 degrees warmer than the actual temperature while running) I would like to work on my pace some. I would like to be able to be in the top half at my next 5k. That probably doesn't sound adventurous but for me its the next step. The next 5k is on my birthday, I'm running the Color Me Rad. (April 20th). Its the whole reason I started running in January!

I would like to do a 10k in May, but I'm not commiting to anything yet.

I hope everyone enjoys their Tuesday. This is going to be a short blog, I'm still beat and I'm going to go make some green tea. :)

2 Playgrounds, 2 Egg Hunts and Too Much Food!

What happened to the weekend? I seriously thought today was Sunday when I woke up. I was very disappointed.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter, and that you enjoyed time with family and friends!

Saturday went something like this:


Easter Egg Hunting!

• Mid-Morning Easter Egg hunt at a friend's church, Willow especially loved the story time and songs!
• Attempt at running at a track with Jessi H, got about 4-5 laps in before Willow tried to get out the stroller
• 2nd playground of the day, to play on slides too high for Willow and a random lady indirectly calling me overprotective to her husband. (I like my child alive and broken-bone free, thank you.)
• Cook out at my brother's for our dad's birthday. Willow enjoyed rolling in the grass with her cousins.
• Roasting marshmallows at the neighbor's house

To say the least it was a busy day! But we had a lot of fun!

Easter Sunday Mom came over and Josh made his "heart stopper" omelets and Willow stole bites from mine and her Grammy's. She also had a cadburry egg filled with Caramel and tons of other candy. We had lunch with Josh's family and another Easter egg hunt. Lunch was awesome and I was so full I didn't eat again until this morning. 

I squeezed in a run before Easter Breakfast. 3.12 miles on our road. I finally made it all the way to the end and back! It was a small victory. I also did some ab stuff when I got back since I knew it was going to be food over load after! (I had 2 Cadburry eggs shortly after. Those things are addictive.)



I have been exhausted lately, like I'm ready to go to bed at Willow's bed time. I'm not sure why I've been so zapped. I think I'll take it as a sign that tonight should be a rest night. Hopefully it will help, I'm tired of being tired all the time!
***note: on my lunch break I picked up two packets of that Click expresso protein shake stuff...I'm going to see if that gives me a little boost in the afternoon, starting tomorrow. It looks like itd be awesome for run days!

    




Well, I thought there were more but apparently not. We both forgot our phones at home yesterday...whoops!

How was your holiday?