Lift It

So I’ve been trying to ramp up my gym routine a bit lately. Other people are starting to notice the results of my work (woohoo!) and I’m totally encouraged to keep kicking it up a notch. I’ve been wanting to start lifting weights and hitting the weight machines but I never really know what to do.

So I got this:

I’m a little scared.

I’ve seen this book on quite a few healthy living blogs and finally decided to give it a shot the other day when we made an Amazon order. I haven’t started it yet since it just came in the mail but I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Zumba

So last night was my first Zumba class…. and I loved it! Seriously, at one point I caught myself smiling --- SMILING while working out. The old me didn’t realize that was possible.

It was such a great workout. I left there sweaty and tired but feeling great. And it totally kicked my butt, I was ready for bed by 8 last night. I was a little worried that since it has been years since I took a dance class and I’ve never taken a fitness class before that it might be too much but it ended up being fine.

The instructor was great too. Before class started she did a little head count and discovered that I was the only newbie (lovely). So she explained quickly what the class would be like and told me that I didn’t need to worry about getting everything right away and to not even worry about doing any arm movements at first, just focus on the steps. And during the class at various points she showed options for some moves based on how intense you wanted to be (basically beginner, middle, and Fitnessista level lol). I thought this was so helpful and kept me from getting overwhelmed – plus I noticed that I wasn’t the only one doing the simpler moves.

I did end up doing a lot of the arm moves though. At many points they just came naturally to me – especially in the hip hop section (I LOVE hip hop dance). I didn’t want to miss out on the arm workout and really it only took a second to get most of the footwork, so it wasn’t a big deal.

And everyone in the class was really nice. A couple people in the class go every night it is offered – so they are Zumba-ing it up 5 times a week. One lady who talked to me during a water break was saying how she loves to be able to come and have fun and get in a great workout surrounded by other people instead of sweating it out alone. I think I agree with her. Class was way more fun than the treadmill ever is.

I do need to admit that I definitely feel it today though! I woke up thinking “not too bad!” but as the day has progressed I am feeling it more and more. The front of my hip hurts and kind of along the side thanks to lunges I think. Plus I definitely feel the arm moves we did in my shoulders. But I love it because it’s just a reminder that I’m moving my body and discovering muscles I forgot I had.

So I will definitely be sticking with Zumba. I’m signed up for Tuesday nights for the rest of the month and actually kind of wish I would have signed up for Thursdays too. And I will be signing up for next month too (my gym does monthly sign ups). I’m not sure if I’ll stick to one day a week or do two – there’s another dance class I’m thinking about taking. But I’m really excited to keep going with this and can’t wait to shake my tail feathers next week.

Image source

C25k Week 2 & 3 (and 3 again)

Sorry for going m.i.a. there for a bit, life kinda got away from me. So here's a recap on the last few weeks and an update on where I'm at now.

Week 2 went really well. I did not have any problems hitting the set times and felt really great after each session. I was totally loving the program after week 2.

Week 3 was not so good though. It started off badly when my first run was delayed by 3 days. Saturday, which is when I had been starting the weeks, we were out of town all day, so I had planned to go Sunday. But Sunday morning I woke up feeling a little off, but I figured it was because of the junk I had eaten the day before and that a good bowl of oatmeal and a little waiting time would make it all better. Wrong. I ended up getting incredibly sick not long after that bowl of oatmeal (lesson, don't eat oats if you feel wonky) and was forced to spend the rest of the day on the couch barely able to stomach water. Turns out that this nasty little bug had been going around work, and apparently it was my turn. Monday I still felt bad, so no run that day either. I finally got to run on Tuesday and it wasn't great but wasn't horrible: I could feel that it'd been a few days since my last run and that I was kinda dehydrated/rundown from being sick.

My other two runs of week 3 weren't any better. On the second run about halfway through I started getting this shooting pain up the sides of my ankle. So I cut back on the running times and gave myself a day off before run 3. Unfortunately that didn't help and I had the pain again. So I thought maybe a couple days rest and a repeat of week 3 would help: wrong again. I only managed to make it to the gym twice last week and both runs were horrible and painful.

I've felt this before actually, but it's been a few years. In high school I did marching band and started to feel this pain during long parades. It's this horrible burning sensation up the tendon that runs up the outside of my ankle. It goes away shortly after I stop whatever I'm doing, but while I'm doing whatever it is it becomes incredibly painful just to take a step. We never quite figured out what caused it back in high school, but when I became a lazy bump-on-a-log after school I didn't have to deal with it and stopped worrying about it (plus, with the weight I've lost I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore).

I have two theories on it though. One is that it's a type of tendinitis. Some basic Google researching this past week has me thinking this could be it. The other theory though is that it's just another symptom of my messed up legs: my hips and ankles turn (or kinda lean) out, while my knees turn in. When I messed up my knee in high school I had to do physical therapy and the therapist mentioned this the first time he saw me walk, news to me but not apparently to my mom. She told me later that they noticed this when I was really little but my craptastic doctor told them to just put me in high-top sneakers and I'd be ok - wrong! My mom later said that she wishes they would have put me in leg braces or something back then, so maybe I would have so many issues now. Oh, and if you want to see how bad it is, grab a pair of shoes I've worn for awhile and you'll see that my feet go out so much that I wear out the outside of my shoes really quickly.

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do. I've been loving running (up until the whole burning tendons thing), so I don't really want to stop. I know I should go to the doctor probably, but I don't really know if I will - I hate going to the doctor. I may continue to baby my ankles some - rest, ice, etc - and may try to play with the C25k program and fine-tune it to something I can handle right now. I'm really just not sure. But I promise I'll let you know as soon as I come up with a plan.

I'm trying to turn myself from a self-proclaimed non-runner into a pavement-pounder by my first 5k this summer - and I'm doing it with the lovely Breanne of "Bella Vita". Check out my announcement post and Week 1 (and week 1 again) plus check back weekly for my training updates as I make my way through the Couch to 5k program. And if you're a runner with any tips I'd love to hear them!

C25k Week 1 = done

So I officially finished week 1 on Thursday. I ended up changing my plan from running Monday and Wednesday and making it Tuesday and Thursday instead because I was fighting a migraine all day Monday and ended up not making it to the gym.

Days 2 & 3 were still a bit of a shock to my system, even after day 1 and the bonus days last week, but I could feel that day 2 was slightly easier and day 3 was even more so. By Thursday I was really looking forward to getting to the gym and getting going. It's still totally mental and I spend a lot of the time talking to myself and reminding myself that I can do this - but it's starting to feel more natural. Plus one thing that really surprised me is how awesome I've felt the next day - totally thirsty but still awesome. I know that it's still small amounts of running so it seems a bit strange to think that it's having such an impact on me already, but I really swear it is. I've felt happier and more energized the next day and just a lot less blah.

I started week 2 on Saturday and it went well, I'll talk more about it next week. Also, I decided while on the treadmill on Tuesday that when I finish (although I kept saying "if" and having to correct myself to "when") week 3 I'm going to order a Bondi Band. I've seen these popping up lately on quite a few of the healthy living blogs I read and they've gotten really good reviews. I cut my hair a couple weeks ago and it's too short for a ponytail, so I've been having to do pigtails and a headband, but I've just got some thin elastic bands so I still end up with a lot of hair in my face. These Bondi Bands apparently stay in place the whole time you're running, are quite thick - so they'll really keep the hair out of my face, and they wick the sweat away too. The only problem now is deciding which one to get.

Finally, I was pretty bored the other night and was playing around with the flair on Facebook and randomly looked up C25k and 5k flair and found this:

I added it to my board but then got to thinking about the fact that it says "training." It just seems so odd to me that I can say I'm "training" for anything. I even questioned whether I could actually say that. But then, being the nerd that I am, I looked up the definition of the word training, and this is what Dictionary.com says:

Train - verb - "to make (a person) fit by proper exercise, diet, practice, etc., as for an athletic performance."

So, technically I really am training for a 5k. I'm also training to be fit, healthy, and (I've learned this week) happier. So I guess that training badge really does fit. But it still seems weird to me that I can say that - given my past feelings toward all things health and fitness. But it's a good kind of weird.

That's all I've got for now, so see you back next week with an update on week 2. And if you celebrate it - Happy Easter!

I'm trying to turn myself from a self-proclaimed non-runner into a pavement-pounder by my first 5k this summer - and I'm doing it with the lovely Breanne of "Bella Vita". Check out my announcement post here and Week 1 here plus check back weekly for my training updates as I make my way through the Couch to 5k program. And if you're a runner with any tips I'd love to hear them!

C25k Week 1 Day - uhhhh something

So I officially started Couch to 5k this week - twice. The first start was on Monday and it was hard! I made a rookie mistake and kicked the treadmill too fast on my first running session. I made it through that one but by even the second session I was feeling my lungs and legs burn. So I decided that the best thing to do was run for as long as I could and then walk. I kept my walking session times starting at the same time (for example if I was supposed to run minutes 10:00 to 11:00 and then walk but only managed to run to 10:45 I still considered my walking session starting at 11:00 and going till 12:30). It wasn't the best way to do it but it worked for me.

So Wednesday I tried to do it all over again. This time I kept my speed lower but just wasn't feeling it. I was feeling it more in my legs than I was on Monday, which was weird. Last Saturday I ordered some new running shoes from New Balance (I know, I really should have gone to be fitted, but there's no where near me to do it) and they came Tuesday, so Wednesday was the first time I ran in them (walked in them Tuesday). So I don't know if I was just still trying to break them in or what, but my legs felt so heavy and awkward. I kept with my "run as much as you can" plan and was just really happy that I kept myself on the treadmill the whole time.

I tried again yesterday and actually did the entire program the correct way! I cannot tell you how happy I was when that last running session was over. Not because I was happy to be done running, but because I'd actually done it! I was so incredibly excited to actually do it correctly and it gave me such a huge burst of confidence. Now, I have to say that it wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast by any means; but it was completed, and that's the important part. Plus I even managed to stay on the treadmill for an extra five minutes after the time designated by the program to give my legs an extra stretch.

So since I've started this program with plenty of time before my 5k in July, I've decided that I'm going to count Saturday as my official day 1 of week 1 and will go from there with Monday as day 2 and Wednesday as day 3 and just consider last Monday and Wednesday as extra days. I really think it's important to start out with a good foundation to training so I think it's really important that I'm totally comfortable with week 1 before I go on to week 2. So I'll be back to let you know how official week 1 went!

I'm trying to turn myself from a self-proclaimed non-runner into a pavement-pounder by my first 5k this summer - and I'm doing it with the lovely Breanne of "Bella Vita". Check out my announcement post here and check back weekly for my training updates as I make my way through the Couch to 5k program. And if you're a runner with any tips I'd love to hear them!

Leaving My Couch

So let me let you in on a little secret: I'm not a runner - never have been (shocked?). Once, in 8th grade, I got the crazy idea that I was going to join the track team (maybe I had a head injury or something, I don't know what caused the idea). So I went home, laced up my totally crappy tennis shoes and set off..... I barely made it around the corner. My track team dream died that day (tear).

Really though I don't know what I was thinking there. I never liked running, or really any physical activity, growing up. I was the kid who tried to figure out any excuse to get out of gym class - although I partly blame this on being so much taller and more, um, developed then my peers for years and then being heavier when I was a little older. I played some sports growing up, softball and basketball, but not really by choice and finally whined and complained enough that my mom let me quit. I was much happier sitting on the sidelines with the marching band then actually running up and down the court (::cough-nerd-cough::).

But in the last year or so that has really started to change. As I've slowly gotten more active I've also developed a bit of a love for sports (can I blame this on BWW and their 8 million tvs?). Now I look forward to going to the gym and moving my rear, I turn on Sports Center if I see that it's on, I read the sports section of the newspaper, and just the other day at work I was telling a couple coworkers that I think it would be fun to be a sports reporter (wait, who am I??!). So, basically I'm starting to love all those things that I absolutely despised and schemed to avoid as a child. Better late than never I guess, right?

So, where am I going with all this? Remember in my last post how I mentioned that there was possibly something in the works? Well, the time has come for me to let the cat out of the bag.

My friend Breanne of "Bella Vita" and I have been emailing back and forth about our trips to the gym and our fitness goals. Breanne is trying to lose the weight she gained when she had her adorable little girl, Bella (have you seen this kid? freaking adorable). In one of our emails I mentioned that I was thinking about starting the Couch to 5k program to give me something to focus on and work toward (I do better with a goal, but that's another blog post). Breanne said that she'd thought about the program too and thought she might look into and maybe we could do it together. Then she came back and made me put my money where my mouth (typing finger?) is..... she asked if I actually wanted to do a race. And, wait for it, I said sure (seriously, who am I??)

So, this July Breanne and I will be doing a 5k right here in my town (which is conveniently close to Breanne's town). I'm planning to start the C25K program this week so that I have plenty of time and can 1. repeat any days or weeks if I need to and 2. have plenty of time to run 3.1 miles before the big day. I'm really, really nervous (have I mentioned that I've never been a runner?) but am also really exited to have a goal to look forward to. I know in the blog world sometimes a 5k is considered child's play, but crossing that finish line will be a huge deal to me, and getting to that point is going to be a lot of work. But don't worry, I'll fill you in on every detail of that work (you were worried, right?)

So, expect a report on Week 1, Day 1 later this week. And if you never get it someone check the wall behind the treadmills at the gym and make sure I'm not splattered against it.

Anyone out there a runner? Got any tips for a total newbie?

Working it with Oprah and Tim

So I went to the gym this afternoon (yay me!) and when I walked in there were 4 men, two older & 2 young-ish, scattered across the treadmills, bikes, and elliptical. So I grab the open treadmill in the middle, put my headphones in, and start walking. Then I look up at the tv on the wall and notice that it's on (first time I've seen it on). So, what are these men watching? Oprah. Oprah and Tim Gunn (from Project Runway) doing makeovers on viewer's husbands, to be exact.

Yep, all these men and the tv is on Oprah. I was totally shocked. Then I noticed that the remote was in one of the cup holders on my treadmill. So I'm wondering if maybe the person who turned on the tv had been on my treadmill before all these guys came in. Or, maybe they were watching whatever was on before (what's on before Oprah?). Or, maybe these guys just like Oprah. Who am I to judge, right?

Anyway, I had a great workout. Once I hit my goal time I realized I was really close to a mileage marker, so I decided to go to that number (it was a .5 mile marker). Then my stubbornness kicked in and I decided to round that number up to a whole number. I'm quite sure that is the most I have ever actively walked (minus theme parks and things). At that point though I knew I should stop before I totally overdid it, which is a good thing! I got off the treadmill and had to stand there for a minute because my legs were totally shaking. It was so strange, I felt just fine on the mill, but as soon as I was off my legs were like jelly. Doug yelled at me when I told him and told me not to overdo it, but I promised him I didn't do it on purpose and that I felt just fine until my feet hit the ground. Who knows, guess I need to watch it.

As a side note, I realized that I really need to get some new socks. The ones I wore today moved around a lot while I was walking and really bugged my feet. Any recommendations for good walking/running socks?

Also, there may be something really cool in the works with one of my blogging buddies. It's not set in stone but I'm really excited at the possibility.

Card Carrying Member

As of this week Doug and I are officially card-carrying gym members. I've never belonged to a gym before but am actually pretty excited about it. I'm really looking forward to having some cardio options other than walking/running outside. I went for the first time today and totally broke a sweat and got my heart pumping. Oh, and I learned a few lessons too.

Lesson #1: Always take your bottle of water in with you. Leaving it in the car is stupid and you'll spend the last 10 minutes on the treadmill lusting after it.

Lesson #2: Take a towel. I never understood why people took towels to the gym or why articles on gym etiquette talked about cleaning up any sweat you dripped - I always wondered how people could be sweating so much. I get it now and will be taking a towel with me from now on.

Lesson # 3: Being stubborn isn't always bad. I'm a typical Scorpio in that I'm totally stubborn and this paid off today when I kept thinking "I'd really like to get off this thing" because then I'd think "No, I haven't hit my time yet" and "That old guy over there hasn't stopped yet and he's been on here longer than you!" Yeah, sometimes stubborn = good.

Lesson # 4: The elliptical is hard. Seriously, really hard. First it took me a minute to figure out how to get the dang thing to go, then my arms and legs were not wanting to work together and kept all trying to go in different directions. Once I finally got it figured out I realized that the machine is just hard in general. I thought I was going to fall off, or at least my legs were going to fall off. Needless to say I didn't last long on there, but never fear: I will conquer the elliptical. Mark my words.

I Could Walk 500 Miles

Well, I could, but apparently it would take me awhile.

When I started my new job they gave us all pedometers as a welcome gift from the wellness division (would it surprise you right now if I mentioned that I work in an offshoot of health care?). Well, I brought it home that first day and sat it on my desk. The other morning I just happened to see it sitting there and decided on a whim to wear it and have done so a few times since.

Let's just say the numbers have been much lower than I expected. I already knew that it would be lower than the recommended 10,000 steps, but I didn't expect to only get a quarter of that amount the first day. And when the second day was even worse I was really sad. How am I this sedentary? How?? Today has been better but that's mainly because I spent the morning hitting some local stores with the fam instead of sitting at a computer all day.

So I realize that I really need to do something about this. Thankfully it is warming up here and the giant piles of snow are almost totally gone, so I should be able to start walking Grux in the evening now, without either of us freezing or having to climb massive snow mountains, which should encourage our walks to be longer. Plus we're planning to check out a local gym soon, so that's good.

I think I'm going to keep up wearing my new accessory to keep an eye on how I'm doing, and I'll be sure to report back: there's no better motivation than putting things out on the Internet for strangers to read. :)

Not a Brazilian Dancer

So apparently at the start of the year Fit TV launched some new shows. I set the dvr to record some of them that sounded interesting. The first one I recorded was an episode of Bollywood Dance Workout.... and I quickly deleted it. It had all these facial moves and funny grunts and sounds right at the beginning and I knew I couldn't do it. I can't feel stupid while I'm trying to workout (even though the only one here was the dog), I just can't do it - I just totally shut down.

The other one was an episode of Dance and Be Fit. It featured a Brazilian dance called the Capoeira. This was sooooo hard! I took dance lessons when I was a kid but nothing can prepare you for this. I really think the instructor was on something with the way she was going soooo fast and was jumping soooo high and kicking soooo much. I could.not.keep.up. It was fun and was definitely a great workout, but I felt so completely uncoordinated and geeky, as if I was in high school and was trying to keep up with the dance team while in my color guard uniform (don't laugh!) - but seriously I just felt completely in over my head!

So, lesson here? Brazilian dancer is coming off the list of potential things I want to be when I grow up. And I think I'll stick to walking/running and yoga... and the occasional episode of Shimmy (I've got to keep in touch with my totally uncoordinated side somehow!) ;)

My Current Playlist

I know playlists are always popular on healthy lifestyle blogs, I know I love seeing them. So I thought I'd post mine, although I'm about due for a new one - and the Itunes gift card I got for Christmas will help with that!

So, here's my list. What's on yours?

Stand Up For It - DMB

Long Way to Happy - Nelly Furtado

Lala - Ashlee Simpson (don't judge!)

Hey Mama - Black Eyed Peas

Aphrodisiac - Bow Wow Wow (Marie Antoinette Soundtrack)

Don't Cha - Pussycat Dolls w/ Busta

Who Knew - Nelly Furtado

Heartbreaker - Danity Kane

Louisiana Bayou - DMB (studio version)

The Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim

Natural's Not In It - Gang of Four (MA soundtrack)

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

I'm Not Dead - Nelly Furtado

Hello Again - DMB

Toxic - Britney Spears

My Current Workout

So I've been so busy with packing that I haven't had time for a regular workout. But what I have been doing has resulted in me being a tired, sweaty, sore mess. This is my current routine:

Cardio:
Acquire multiple cardboard boxes. Pack your belongings in them, go lite on number of books per box, but really stuff everything else in. Tape closed. Repeat until you have packed everything you own, or you run out of boxes.
Move all boxes onto your front porch.
Run each box down stairs to the ground, lift and shove into vehicle. Run back up stairs. Repeat until all boxes are placed in vehicle and you are sweaty, worn out, and slightly sore.

Strength:
Fill more cardboard boxes with items you want but don't have room for upstairs. Place in basement, allow to get very dusty.
Pick a very hot day and go into basement, it's best if there is little to no airflow there.
One by one, carry each box over to stairs, lift over head and place on platform of stairs where your partner (husbands work well) can grab it and throw it outside. Continue until every last box is out. This is best if you can find many (lets say 7) boxes of books that your husband packed incredibly full and if you have some heavy and awkwardly sized camping supplies.
Drag self up stairs (oh! added cardio!) and then proceed to help carry each and every item to awaiting trucks, lift onto insanely high tailgate. Repeat until all boxes are in trucks and you are sweaty, tired, and slightly sore.
Now go to your inlaws home and help unload every single box and place in their garage. You will again be a tired, sweaty mess.

Yeah, so that's what I've been up to. What about you?

Getting My Glow On

Do you see the newest edition to the sidebar over there --> ? That cute badge will take you to the main page of Angela's (from Oh She Glows) Summer Glow Boot Camp (SGBC), which is her second boot camp. I started reading her blog about halfway through her first boot camp, so I didn't get to do it. So I'm super excited to do this one.
The boot camp features a handy calendar that tells you what days to do what exercises, when there is a new giveaway (and there are some awesome ones!), and what the main theme is for the week (among other cool things). This is a very cool way to spend the month of July.
Now, you might be thinking that I'm nuts for doing this during the same month I'm going to be packing and moving, but I think it's a smart idea. It will be really nice to have something to focus on other than the upcoming move, and really that will only make the last week difficult, and I figure by then I'll be so addicted to this program that I will find the time. Not to mention the added moves for SGBC aren't that time consuming.
So, click the button and check out the SGBC and Angela's site. And let me know if you're getting your glow on too!

My Legs Are Like Jelly

Ouch, I'm really sore right now! I did 30 minutes of Namaste yoga this morning and then 30 minutes of Shimmy - FitTV's belly dancing workout. And seriously you guys my legs hate me!

The yoga workout was all floor work basically - lots of cat rolls and downward dog. It also included a one-legged downward dog, which I seriously surprised myself by being able to do! This is the description for the episode (the Sunbird episode) from FitTV:

The Sunbird sequence wakes up the spine, and energizes the limbs. All levels will enjoy this energy-freeing sequence, which includes Cat rolls and Dog poses.

I really did enjoy this workout. It was probably the hardest yoga workout I've done to date but it felt so incredibly good! My shoulders are starting to hurt too, I have a feeling I'm going to be very sore tomorrow.

Apparently the Shimmy episode was Episode 17, this is the description:

Dancers teach a new sequence of moves including head-slides, hip-circles, and the more challenging shimmy-layered hip-circles, tremor figure-eights and sa'idi turns. The combined moves are demonstrated in a choreographed dance.

It was hard too! Not really strenuous but just difficult to get down. The tremor figure-eights really are hard! I love this workout though, it is so much fun, which I think is really important when you are trying to add working out into your life. If you enjoy what you are doing you are much more likely to do it often, at least in my opinion.

And luckily I am really loving both of these workouts! Now, if you'll excuse me I'm off to make my legs hate me some more by running to the basement to get the laundry (ouch).

I Didn't Blow Away!

Well we survived the storm last night. After all that waiting for it to get to us it was actually fairly weak when it finally did. We had some impressive lightening (which we watched out the window for about 20 minutes) and a lot of (unneeded) rain that came down fast. But that was about it, thankfully! This is what we saw from our porch, it's hard to tell but this is rain pouring down so hard it turned our road into a river.

This morning we woke up to a cloudy day but it quickly turned bright and sunny, but a little cool. Doug worked a later than normal shift today so I got up, read for a bit and then made us

breakfast instead of heading out first thing. After he left for work I ran to the grocery store to get some mangoes for the Fresh Mango Bread I'm making tonight for Tuesdays with Dorie and then came home and got ready to head out for my walk.

It was cool enough out that I actually dug around for some long pants to wear instead of my capris or shorts. I'm happy to report that I even threw some jogging into my walk! It felt great to really get moving, although I think my form needs some work, who wants to come teach me? :)

It was so nice out I thought I'd snap some pictures with my phone to show you what I see. 

This is near the start of where I get on the walking trail. It's hard to tell but it's where the railroad next to our house splits off to head north or northeast. The walking trail was actually placed on what used to be a railroad track. The train went through the middle of our hometown (about 15 miles away from us now) years ago but those trains had long since stopped, so a few years ago they turned the path into a walking and biking trail and parts of it even allow horses. The part I walk on is paved but parts of it are just gravel. 

This is a pretty tree (bush?) that crosses into the path. See, it's not just a trail, it's an obstacle course!

You can't really tell here, but this is me looking up from the trail to the road above. This part of the state is where you start to get some hills and the path is no exception.

Interesting note, right after I took this picture I happened to look off to the other side and saw a very mean looking pit bull looking at me from one yard over. He was sitting down but right after I saw him he stood up and I think I saw another one behind him. Now, he was chained up, I do like dogs, and I know dogs are only mean when they are trained to be that way but I kinda got freaked out. I was really close to where I had intended to turn around and head back and I really wanted to reach that goal but I had to think. I was close enough that I was going to pass back by the dog very soon and the yard the dog was in was open to the path for quite a while. So this is when I decided to be a chicken and just turn back now. I didn't want the dog to think I was teasing it (or trying to play with it) by walking back by very soon, so I just turned around and casually started walking back the way I had come.

I'm sure the dog was totally harmless, I just didn't want to chance it. 

Finally, this is how I've been carrying my house key. I'm often out when Doug's at work and I don't really have anywhere else to carry the key. I've been wearing a jacket (today a fleece even) that has pockets but 1. they aren't very deep and 2. it's going to be too warm for that soon. My shorts have a pocket but it's shallow and my capris don't have any pockets. I still need an arm band for my ipod and saw one at Target that had a little zipper pocket on it that might hold my key, but the day I saw it the only one on the shelf had been sliced into and the clear cover on it was ripped.

So question, how do you runners/walkers carry your keys?

Now I'm off to read A Breath of Snow and Ashes, I've caught up with Jess, last I knew, but knowing Jenny she's probably done. And Father of the Bride is on, so I might watch part of that, even though I've seen it a million times. Maybe I'll catch the hot dog part, so I can commiserate about the ratio of hot dogs to buns. 

A Perfect Day, A Great Walk, My Happy Place

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day yesterday and that their Monday was bearable!

I just got back from a walk to my happy place and seriously my favorite place in town: the library! I'm such a total bookworm that my happy places mostly consist of libraries and bookstores (with a few non-literary places as well). We recently got a newly updated library here after they had been working on it for a couple years, and now I love it even more! This town had a very small library before that had a horrible selection, nothing like the great library in the town I grew up in. But now that this one is bigger and better it has a lot more room and a lot more options, although I still have to request a lot of things.... but maybe that's just because I read strange things, lol. As a matter of face the item I picked up tonight, Eat, Pray, Love on cd, had to be ordered in from another branch.

It was a great walk too. The weather is perfect today; 70 degrees, sunny, and barely a cloud in the sky. This was actually the first time I'd walked right to the library and straight back, I usually do some more past the library, but tonight I wanted to get my walk in and get home. I knew about the decent size hill on the way to the library, but I hadn't realized there was such a big hill on the way back too. My legs were screaming at me, so I ended up just running up the hill to try to get up as quickly as I could before my legs rebelled and started kicking me or something, lol. But I did learn that this is a great way to go for a good workout!

Now I'm off to make a quick dinner, watch the season finale of Big Band Theory and then How I Met Your Mother (my new loves), and then read A Breath of Snow and Ashes. I'm supposed to be doing a little read along of this with my friends Jess and Jenny, but Jenny is a crazy speed reader and is leaving us (ok me, Jess is pretty far too) in the dust. 

Have a good night everyone!

I Need to Know My Limits

I'm really starting to get into this whole working out thing, which is awesome. However I seem to think that I'm superwoman and can jump straight into crazy distances without working my way up to them. I think it may have something to do with all the awesome fitness blogs I've been reading that talk about all the crazy distances they ran/swam/biked (Meghann ran 18 miles Saturday!) But I have to remember that these people have all worked up to this point and I have not.

I did finally try out the walk/bike path in town tonight. I'm not quite sure why I ignored it and started walking downtown right away, I mean I can almost see the path from our porch. But I will definitely be doing this path a lot now, the trail is really nice and the hills on it aren't too bad. My original (crazy) plan had been to walk from the house down to where the path crosses the highway and becomes a dirt/rock trail again (it's paved up until then). Well I think my goals were a little too lofty. I got really close though before I convinced myself that I needed to turn around. If I hadn't had to come back home I would have been fine, but the whole getting-back-to-the-house part was torturous. But I made it! And after my muscles stopped screaming at me (must stretch more!) I felt pretty awesome. 

I think it helps that the weather is awesome, it's actually not raining! And it's not supposed to tomorrow, which is awesome because we might be going to look at a house. I'll keep you posted!

I love Saturdays

Good morning! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday. I love Saturdays. It's not my "chore day" (that's tomorrow), you don't have work hanging over your head like you do on Sunday, and it's the day I get to go see my peeps (if I choose, lol).

I started this morning off all eager to get up and get going outside on my walk. Um, yeah that didn't last long. I got dressed in my workout gear, hopped on the computer for "a minute"..... and just kinda stopped. So I decided to check some of my newest 

obsession, health and fitness blogs (there are a couple over there ---> under blogs I follow) and it worked! I downloaded my new fitness playlist to the ipod (I'll post it soon!), threw on my sneakers, stretched and was out the door. Go me! This whole working out thing is still kinda new to me, so I've been walking because 1. it's pretty easy and that's good for my knee (I'm trying to work up my poor knee to harder things) and 2. I can trick myself that I'm just taking a nice walk around town (apparently I'm all about tricking myself). So I took an awesome walk (the weather is kinda cool and overcast this morning but once I got going it was

 perfect) and came home and showered, ate breakfast, and jumped back online for some more blog reading.

Later I'm heading over to my bff Sarah's house to help her make cupcakes for her darling son's first bday party tomorrow. His bday is today, so I'm planning to shower the bday boy with lots of attention. I absolutely adore him and his big sis, I think I may spoil them at times, but oh well, that's what an "aunt" it for (I'm not a real aunt but Doug and I are both only children so Sarah made us "aunt and uncle" to the munchkins).  It's hard to believe this was a year ago!

   

 I have no idea what we're doing tonight after Doug gets off work, hopefully something fun! Right now I'm icing my knee and then I'm off to find some lunch and enjoy this awesome day.