Sweat on Deck

To say this morning was incredible would be the understatement of the year!  The weather was chilly but perfect, the people were awesome, the energy was amazing!!  What a fantastic event Lululemon put on this morning!

We boarded the ship around 8:45, set up our mats and took a bunch of pictures of the awesome view we had off the flight deck.  Yep, we worked out on a flight deck this morning!

Boarding the ship, walking through the York town

Flight Deck

Just try to beat that view!

Maribeth and I

Setting up, with 500 other people!!

For the first hour we took a boot camp class.  I assumed that with that many people and no weights it couldn’t be that bad.  WRONG!!  She had us busting our butts for sure.  We did multiple circuits of various arm, leg and core exercises multiple times with little rest.  My push ups were still suffering from my fitness classes I have been to this week.  Nothing like getting back into weight training like 3 days out of the week hard core!  

After our hour of boot camp, we had an hour of yoga.  The instructor was amazing and hilarious.  I just wanted to be her friend!  After so many classes this week and a fairly strong week of running the yoga was very much needed.  I felt so much better when it was over.  I really need to get yoga back into my routine.  My hamstrings will thank me for sure.  

I had one of the lemons get some pictures for me and when I got home and pulled them up I was so happy I did.  The pictures were just amazing, seeing so many people all doing the same poses is a powerful thing.  

Being a very short tree

Love, love, love this one!

Side note, I found this in the hem of my shirt today and thought it was awesome. It also says “Will go the distance for cupcakes!” Brittany (blissfulbritt), this made me think of you!

 

Thank you Lululemon for an incredible morning and workout!!

Time Flies

Today was one of those days that I felt like the sun was going down right when I got up it flew so fast.  However, looking back it was pretty productive and most of it was fun.

First thing in the morning (okay lets be serious, it was about 10:30) I went for a nice long run with my friends Maribeth and Steph.  We ran over the Ravel Bridge to the Pitt Street Pier in Old Mount Pleasant and back.  It was a gorgeous morning for a run like that and it was made much better with friends.  I am glad we got the bridge in but after running and going to another fitness class yesterday my legs are definitely feeling it.

Post run, we decided to go to Persimmon Cafe for a late lunch and a treat which was very convenient because it is IN the laundromat.  I carted laundry from over a month over there, threw it in and had a much more enjoyable wait.

Photo Credit: facebook.com/persimmoncafe

 

We finished off our lovely meal with another Pumpkin Carmel Custard.  MB and I split one again thank goodness.  They are so good I could eat a whole one, but I would feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable if I did so.

Right about the time we were done, all my laundry was dry and I opted to bring it home to fold so I could enjoy some Friends while I did it.  An hour and a half later, I finally had it folded!!

That’s what you get when you don’t do laundry for a month.  Hopefully this is the last time because we got a washer and dryer yesterday!!!!  This is HUGE news for us, let me tell ya!  I used to be a solid every two week laundry kind of girl until the whole laundromat thing happened.

Man that was a lot of talk about laundry…sorry!

The rest of the day (which lets be serious, it was already five o’clock at this point) I ran around and did some errands and before I knew it I was making dinner.  I have really been making a lot off the budgetbytes.com website and everything I have made so far has been awesome.  I made black bean and avocado enchiladas tonight and they were awesome.  Case didn’t even complain that there was no meat in them!

Tomorrow morning calls for boot camp and yoga on the YORKTOWN.  Lululemon is having a fitness event on the actual ship.  There are 400 people taking a one hour boot camp class followed by a one hour yoga.  I am so excited for it.  Hopefully I can get some pictures during water breaks!

You can be Ordinary

I am running Boston y’all, in case you didn’t see that yesterday.  I’m certainly going to be high on this for quite a while.  What some of you may or may not know about me is that I was not always a runner.

In fact, I only started running my senior year of high school when I stopped playing field hockey but wanted to do some sport.  I joined the cross country team and luckily ended up really loving it.  I would like to say I just kept right on running, but not so much.  I felt like I did but now looking back I realize I was a spotty exerciser at best.

Then, my freshman year of college (2007) a friend from high school was hit and killed by a car.  It was one of those experiences that changes your life, makes you realize you aren’t invincible and that anything can happen to any of us at any time.  A year or so later I decided that I wanted to run a marathon for him.  Having such a strong motivation really got me through my first race.  And I serious just “made it through.”  I finished the Richmond Marathon in SEVERE pain in 4:04 (2009).

First race, early on (why I am still smiling)

I would like to say again that I kept going but after the week of euphoria of finishing when we were all planning our next race, I pretty much took a month off from running and then ran maybe 3 times a week on a good week.

Fast forward another year (2011), this was me…

I was training for a half marathon, definitely in the overweight category and just finding out I was anemic.  I would have to say a week after this picture I decided it was time to make a change.

I ran that half and for the first time stuck with my running even when I wasn’t trying to run a race.  I still wasn’t any where near as consistent as I am now but I could count on about 20ish runs/workouts a month.

That December (2011) I ran another half in Charleston and then the spring of the following year (2012) a friend decided to run her first marathon and asked me if I would do it with her.

This was the beginning of the me I am now.  Since that race I have run 3 more marathons and 2 more halves and am gearing up to run Boston.

I have taken spills

I still have quite a scar from this one…

had many early mornings and more importantly have lived a normal, fun life along the way.  I will never be the person that doesn’t enjoy a bit of this…

Or this…

Pumpkin Bars…YUMM!

Or this…

to be a better runner.

Just having fun!

The moral of this very long winded story is that I am ordinary.  I didn’t grow up running.  It took six years from starting to run to actually become committed and consistent.  I was not naturally gifted.  I was not born thin or with the legs of a gazelle.  I am a NORMAL person, I qualified for Boston and so can you.  You can start running tomorrow with the goal of running a 5k, half marathon, full marathon or even Boston and you can get there.You don’t have to have a ridiculously strict diet, or not go out or do anything fun to make some seriously awesome dreams come true.  Just stick with it through thick and thin and you’ll get exactly where you are going!

No WIAW this week…

…because

I AM RUNNING BOSTON THIS YEAR Y’ALL!!

Talk about a dream come true.  Starting at 8 am this morning I starting checking my email like a crazy person. Finally at 12:45ish I headed out for a run and when I got home, these lovely words were in my inbox…

No one one home so I just started jumping around by myself like a nut case until Casey got home for lunch!

Now I have to bring myself back down to reality because I have a final exam in the morning but I’m pretty sure I could fail it and still be on cloud 9!

Hope your hump day was awesome!

Every Little Bit

In the August issue of Runner’s World magazine there was an article called Sitting is the New Smoking- Even for Runners.

Photo Credit: Runner’s World

This is the second time I have talked about this on my blog so obviously it made a big impression on me.  Lucky for me this “sitting disease” will only be an issue for me for the next few weeks.  I am fortunate enough to have a job that will keep me on my feet but most people don’t.  I do make an effort in my day while I am still a student to get moving through out my day.

In addition to my 6x 400 intervals today I took four 12 minute bike rides (to and from class twice) and a half hour walk to get back to class one more time.  So after my half hour of running I got a bonus hour and 15 minutes of exercise that I didn’t even think about.  I realize again that this is the luxurious life of a student and this is not realistic for the average person.

So what can people with “normal” jobs do on the reg?  Once an hour try one of these:

• up and down 2 flights of stairs
• 10 squats at a desk chair
• 10 walking lunges
• 5 minute walk around the office
• 20 calf raises

Another trick is to just drink a lot of water so that you have to get up and use the bathroom more often.  These are all quick and simple and won’t take more than a few minutes from your work day.  They will also help you feel more energized and are a more effective jolt than a cup of coffee might!

Every little bit helps, remember that with every extra step you take in a day!

Feel free to leave other alternatives you may do through your day to keep you active at your desk job!

MIA

So I was MIA this weekend.  Wanna know why?  Because I did NOTHING worth telling anyone about!! It was awesome.  I did go to Lindsey’s last shower in Columbia yesterday which was very nice but other than that, we barely left the house.  After two very busy, crazy, hectic weekends of travel (and tons of fun) it was nice to do nothing all weekend long!

Today was back to the grind though.  However I felt invigorated and ready for the week after such a nice weekend.  Plus, IT IS MY LAST FULL WEEK OF SCHOOL EVER!!  Nothing like that statement to motivate someone.

I got out of bed and took a nice easy four mile run.  It was the perfect temperature.  Right around 60; I can finally wear shirts to run again.  No more running naked (just kidding, maybe…).  When I got home, I whipped up some peanut butter, banana and honey oatmeal to help get me through the day.  It certainly does the trick, lunch time came and went and I wasn’t even ready to eat.

Finally at one I forced myself to eat my lunch because I was going to a fitness class with my friend Maribeth and I knew I had to be energized for it.  It was so good to get in the gym and do some strengthening after not doing it for so long.  The class (called Joe-D bands) was great, especially with friends.  We warmed up with two laps around the track and 8 sets of 3 flights of stairs.  Tough way to start.  Then when we got back we did walking lunges until everyone was done.  We did a few other small things before breaking into station groups where we did a strengthening move 4 sets for what I am guessing was 30 seconds each before moving on to the next.  It went so fast and I got a great work out.  My arms are going to be a little unhappy in the morning I am sure.

Just because I never do selfies…haha! After the workout

In case you didn’t catch that, I did a double work out day!! I have never done this before and it wasn’t as strenuous as I thought it would be.

Post work out we went to Persimmon Cafe and got Pumpkin Carmel Custard.  Thats right y’all PUMPKIN CARMEL!!  It was amazing, the perfect workout treat.  And I shared it with Maribeth so we didn’t completely undo our workout.

Just because this is the largest jar of Nutella I have ever seen!  It had a handle on the top!

 

Hope you had a great Monday!

Impromptu Fun

Since my race I hadn’t really logged any major runs.  So when my friend Maribeth asked me if I would do a long run with her today I jumped at the chance.  I was supposed to do a 60-75 minute LSD type run on Sunday but I pushed it up to today so I could go with her.  She is training for two halves: one in Columbia, SC in November and then Kiawah in December.  I am still deciding if I am going to do the Kiawah with her…it just gets so expensive!

Our run was great, though a little hotter than I prefer.  It is amazing how much faster 9 miles goes by when you are chatting with a friend the whole way.  I have to say I was a little nervous for this run.  It hasn’t even been two weeks since the marathon but I already feel out of shape just because I am trying to do the right thing and come back slow and let my body repair, blah, blah, BLAH!

When we made it back to her apartment we were sitting on her awesome balcony sipping some water and chatting about plans for the evening and we decided to go to a local bar at Folly Beach called Sunset Cay.  We picked up a friend and met another friend and her husband there and just hung out for a few hours and had a few beers and a hummus plate.

The views there were gorgeous and it was so fun to get out and have some good old fashioned, spontaneous fun!

Sunset

View from the bar! I am so spoiled living here!

 

Hope you had a great Friday!

What I Ate Wednesday

After a weekend of eating a lot of crap, I was ready to eat some healthy, well balanced meals.

Breakfast: I started my day with Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Oatmeal, always a good one when I know I have a full morning ahead of me.

Lunch: After class and my first short intervals (4×400 at 5k pace) since the race I need a protein packed lunch.  I made an egg white scramble with 2% american cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions.  A great recovery meal, also we don’t have a lot of food at the moment so I am really improvising.

Afternoon Snack: I did a little shopping for a shower gift for Lindsey in the afternoon so I grabbed some grapes on the way out the door to tide me over!

Dinner: I made some amazing Pad Thai.  Casey won’t eat this usually because of the peanuts in it (for some reason he doesn’t like them in this particular dish) so when I make it at home I just leave them out and he LOOOVES it!

Dessert: Fat free vanilla yogurt with Naturebox Cranberry Macaroon Granola

It feels so good to get back to eating well after a few days.  As much as I enjoy eating the “crap” food, I certainly do not enjoy how it makes me feel!

Bachlorette Day Two

Day two held all the really fun activities!!

We went to a place called J. Christophers.  I had this thing called a skillet with potatoes, onions, jack cheese, avocado, eggs and smoked turkey.  It was arguably the best breakfast I have ever had!

Lindsey’s outside the restaurant

Still waiting

My skillet….AMAZING!!

I highly recommend this place for brunch if you are ever in Savannah.  It was in an old auto garage and they had mismatched mugs which I loved.

After breakfast we headed home and got ready to hit the beach at Tybee Island.  We only stayed about two hours but it was really nice and relaxing.

Linds kicking it on the beach

When we came home, we all took turns showering and spent some time getting dolled up before heading out downtown.  All the restaurants were crazy packed so we ended up going to a burger joint, which is really Lindsey’s favorite anyway so all for the best!

One of my favorite qualities in Lindsey: she eats sandwiches with a fork…I LOVE IT!!

Before Dinner

With the lady of the weekend!

After dinner, we headed to Club One.  It is a huge gay bar and there was an absolutely amazing drag show.  We had planned to start there and then head a few other places.  We stayed there from about 10:30 until 3 when the bar closed!  We had such an incredible time.

Lindsey behind the scenes!

On the dance floor!

 

Looks like we are having a horrible time…

On the way home we ran into a Bachelor party and sang christmas carols for quite a while.  Frosty, Jingle Bells, Rudolph, you name it!!

Walking home

 

Sunday morning wake up came really quickly.  We had a quick bite at the same restaurant we ate at after the Savannah Marathon and then headed back to Charleston.  I am still catching up on sleep but what an incredible weekend.  I think (at least I hope) Lindsey had the time of her life!!

Scarlett Turned One!

I promise to get the rest of the Bachlorette recap in tomorrow but it had to get put aside for a very special day!  SCARLETT’S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!

I can’t believe my girl is already one.  I feel like we just got her and now she is a full grown dog.  However in her head she is still two months old so we have a two month old in a giant, still clumsy, one year old body.

We planned to take her to the beach tonight and go for a run on the beach all together but we had a HUGE thunderstorm right when we were about to go! 😦 We still took her for a run, but we stayed downtown because it was already starting to get dark when we were leaving.

While we were in Savannah this weekend Lindsey and I found this store called The Grateful Hound.  It was the cutest store with some really awesome stuff.  I immediately assumed it would be completely outrageously priced because it was such a cute little boutique but it was pretty reasonable.  The best part…they have toys that Scarlett hasn’t been able to destroy!!  She hasn’t had a toy in months because its hard to buy they for her when they only last an hour.  They are called Fluff & Tuff and they are awesome.  I got her two because I knew we wouldn’t be back and the store owner said they are the best toys on the market right now.  I am so glad I got two now because they are still going strong (I know it hasn’t been long but we are already breaking records over here).

With all of her things!

I also got her a cupcake there.  Carrot Cake and Peanut Butter.  She loved it!

I can’t believe I turned into the person that has a birthday party for her dog, but what can I do.  She is the greatest!