Three Way Time!

Tuesday p.m.: 3.5 mile treadmill run; weights

The plan was to run outside.

Then this happened.

Yep, I wussed out because of rain.

Mostly because I had a long drive home and was still planning to lift weights too. Running in the rain isn't so bad if you can get warm and dry and cozy for the rest of the night.

So I hit the treadmill for a quick 3.5 miles.

My friend Kelly was on the tread next to me, so we still got to talk and help the time go by.

Lifting felt very hard last night. Maybe because I haven't lifted since last Thursday? Luckily it was a fairly short lifting session.

 

So, it's not quite official yet because I haven't registered yet, but my plan is to do the 3-Way for the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. I do plan on registering this week though!

What is a 3-way?

Via

Made Cincinnati-famous by Skyline Chili of course!

This is the 15th year for the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, so they added on a few special challenges.

The 3-Way is completing the 5K and 10K on Saturday then completing the half marathon on Sunday. Sound fun, right?!

I feel this is exactly what I was looking for.

I didn't want to commit to a full marathon so that I can enjoy getting married and all the craziness that goes along with it, but one half marathon just wasn't enough for me either.

If I wasn't getting married I would be all about the 4-Way: 5K, 10K and full marathon!

I think this challenge was created just for me!

Insane for a Few Days

Tuesday a.m.: Insanity Cardio Power and Resistance

It's sad but true, I've missed our Insanity workouts over the last two months.

I've even missed being annoyed at the things Shaun T. says.

Via

I really do like the speed of the workouts.

And the fact that I'm barely awake so it's over before I even know what I've done.

I do not enjoy setting my alarm for 4:50 a.m.

It is nice to get one workout out of the way for the day. I feel accomplished by 6:30 a.m.

The plan for tonight is a weight workout. I just checked it out on ActivTrax.com and it looks fairly short. I think my body will like that after 2 days of Insanity.

Sadly enough this might be our last day of Insanity together this week.

 

My boss stopped by my desk yesterday and hung up this cartoon.

I'm not sure how to take it, but she did hang it up at hers too. It did make me laugh.

I've decided on my spring race, so make sure to check back tomorrow for the announcement!

Weekend Review

Saturday: 6ish mile hike
Monday a.m.: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

I picked up HTB after work on Friday and we headed down to Red River Gorge in Kentucky for the weekend.

After all the work moving, organizing, cleaning, etc. that we have done over the last several weekends, we were ready for some R&R and I can't think of a better place.

After a relaxing Saturday morning sitting on the porch watching cows, chatting, and relaxing we went for couple of hikes.

We had to check our our wedding ceremony location, so that was first.

Maybe one day I'll comb my hair before pictures. HTB is one lucky guy!

The weather was absolutely beautiful - 50 degrees and mostly sunny skies!

After checking out the ceremony location, we headed to the suspension bridge hike. The scenery was beautiful and the bridge was just a tiny bit scary!

Can you spot the Piper dog leading the way?

Saturday would down with the obligatory DQ Blizzard and grilling out and movie.

It was quite the perfect weekend!

I was able to meet my morning workout buddy for Insanity this morning. Her schedule hasn't allowed for many morning workouts lately so it was fun (yes, I'm crazy) to do Insanity together again.

It was a good way to start the week after a relaxing weekend!  

A Little R&R

 

We will be nestled away in the woods this weekend for some much  needed R&R. 

I couldn't be more excited!

Enjoy your weekend, see you Monday!

Routine & A Giveaway!

Wednesday: weights
Thursday a.m.: 3 mile treadmill run

It was hard to get up so early this morning, but I managed to get myself to the gym with enough time for a quick 3 miles on the dreadmill. I'm glad I did it and now I won't feel so guilty indulging in a 'rita with the girls tonight!

 

HTB and I have settled into a pretty nice little routine over the last two months.

Some may say routine is boring, but it has helped me get my workouts in, sleep better, eat healthier and feel less stressed.

I'm pretty sure even the dogs are happier now that they have more of a routine also.

They have started playing chase every night before we are trying to go to sleep.

I'm pretty sure this isn't a coincidence that it started right after we stopped letting them sleep in bed with us.

Pugalicious hides under the bed (it's up REALLY high) then eventually ends up on top of my gym bag.

No Uggs this time though.

I think he wanted to sleep there.

He clearly did not want to sleep in any of these:

Yes, three empty beds for two dogs. #spoiledrotten

Do you like yoga? 

Interested in trying it at home or on the go?

Check out Jen's review of the Yoga Studio App and enter for a chance to win a download!

It's almost Friday! I am soooo looking forward to this weekend.

I see some much needed R&R for HTB and I!

Ice Cream Trumps All

Tuesday: 3.5 mile run outside

Why run on Monday when it's 50 degrees outside when you can wait til Tuesday when it's in the 20s and there are 30 mph winds?

I kept looking out my window at work all day yesterday watching the tree branches get whipped around by the crazy winds and thinking how much I absolutely DID NOT want to run after work.

Luckily, Kelly and I both never want to be the one that says no.

So off we went!

I ended up throwing on a fleece at the last minute too (there are 3 layers on top already)

We did decide to keep it short since she had been sick all weekend and it was so windy. The wind has to count for an extra mile, right?

We were both pleasantly surprised at the conditions outside. Yes, it was very windy and we ran straight into the wind for the first mile, but we've run in MUCH worse. It really wasn't that bad and we were happy that we pushed each other to get out and run.

I threw together a quick dinner of leftover enchilada chicken, brown rice and roasted veggies. I LOVE roasted veggies. I think i could eat them every day.

They are so pretty and colorful too!

 We had planned to do a weight workout last night too, but HTB has had a few LONG days at work (and played in 2 soccer games Monday night) so when he suggested ice cream instead...of course I said yes! And I fell in love with him all over again.

So we relaxed and indulged in another episode of Homeland along with our ice cream.

Speaking of which, did you know they make chocolate cookies and cream now?

Via

It's amazing.

I should know better than to go down the ice cream aisle at Kroger.

Weekend Review: A Day Late

Friday: weights
Saturday: cleaning and moving
Sunday: weights

We were very bees this weekend! Friday seems like ages ago and all I remember is that we still started the weekend off right with a nice weight workout.

Saturday we cleaned and moved All. Day. Long. I'm not going to lie. HTB did the hardest work i.e. moving 3 beds. We felt so accomplished by the end of the day though. What a great feeling!

Max the Cat enjoying our his "new" bed and the fact that the dogs can't get on it

We tried out a new place for dinner Saturday night- we deserved a nice treat after all that work. The Wine Guy did not disappoint. 

The wine was delicious and they serve complimentary warm pita bread with sundried tomato cream cheese. 

This was amazing

  I had a hard time deciding what to order but settled on the Margherita Flatbread pizza. It was definitely a good choice!

We brought some fabulous cannolis home for dessert and of course had to wash them down with some more wine.

More wine at home while we watched Homeland #partyanimals

Sunday was an errand/relaxing day. 

 I might have finally picked up my wedding dress!!!

We also finished season 1 of Homeland (I'd already seen it, but HTB hadn't) and started season 2! We're totally addicted.

The pug is feeling motivated for the gym...or should I say Pugs in Uggs (or fake Uggs) #puglife

 I'm feeling slightly unmotivated with the workouts lately. Maybe it's the dreariness of February? 

Hopefully I figure it out soon!

One Year Ago

52 weeks...

366 (leap year!) days...

8789 hours...

What a difference a year makes - regardless of how you measure it!

I don't even have the words to describe what happened a year ago, but what amazes me the most is that how in such a short time something that felt like the worst thing in the world has come to be meaningless. Almost insignificant.

Its only significance is that it allowed me to meet HTB, the man of my dreams.
And now we are engaged and planning our life together!

And for that I am very thankful.

 So, here I am, living proof that things get better, there is a plan and there is always hope.

You just have to have faith.

Photos by Ashley Kempher

So, today I will celebrate!

TGIF!

Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: 30 minute intervals: 10 treadmill, 10 stairmill, 10 treadmill

Wednesday evening we were both a little worn out, so we made it our rest day.

Turned out it was a brilliant choice as the gym was practically empty Thursday night after work!

Thank you, Valentine's Day!

If I'm being totally honest, stairmills creep me out.

I mean, they are stairs that don't go anywhere. That's creepy.

But, I wanted a variety and everyone says they are a great workout. So I gave it a try.

My 2 stints on the treadmill totaled just over 2 miles and I think I climbed 75ish "floors".

HTB manged to sneak home between work and the gym and left me a nice surprise of wine and flowers! He is the best. I feel very lucky.

I'll spare you the pics since the entire world posted pics of flowers on every form of social media available yesterday.

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mr. Pugalicious (aka Hugo) wanted to give you all a nice big pug smooch for Valentine's Day!

 
I hope you have an amazing day and know how much you are loved.

Three-A-Days

Tuesday p.m. workout: 5.2 mile run outside 
(total of 8.35 miles for the day!) and weights

Three workouts in one day. Why?

Because I'm crazy.

 And yes, I am the crazy person that LOVED soccer two-a-days in high school.

 Since I didn't get a long run in this weekend, I decided to do a longish one yesterday.

For the sake of time though, I split it into two runs - one in the morning and one after work.

I got 3.15 in on the treadmill yesterday morning then met my friend Kelly after work for another 5.2 miles. I am so glad we were planning to run outside - it was 51 degrees and sunny!

We did a fairly flat 5.2 loop. Nothing too crazy. It felt pretty good!

 I ran from work then went home, picked up HTB and headed to the gym for some weights!

My workout was a shoulder one, thankfully not a legs one!

I really didn't do 1015 front deltoid reps on my third set. Oops!

I can definitely feel it in my shoulders today!

I am still really liking ActivTrax. I can definitely tell I'm getting stronger on some things and the variety is really nice too.

I think I am going to attempt some variety and throw in some workouts from the Nike Training Club App - maybe substitute some of my morning workouts with that since I am not doing Insanity anymore.

I haven't tried the app yet, but I've heard great things about it from a few people, including Jen. You can read about her experience here.

I'm excited to give it a try!

Third Time's a Charm

Tuesday a.m. workout: 3.15 mile treadmill run

This week is off to quite a start!

I took advantage of a night at home last night and before 7 p.m. I had cooked 2 dinners (mushroom and onion crustless quiche for last night and turkey meatloaf for tonight), packed 2 lunches, hard boiled eggs and cleaned up the kitchen.

I'm tired again just thinking about it!

Liverpool played yesterday, so I kept an eye on the game while cooking and cleaning then finished watching it with HTB while we ate dinner. We probably shouldn't talk about the game though.

Via

We started to watch The Five Year Engagement this weekend, but we both fell asleep. Yes, we are THOSE people. Sunday night HTB finished the movie, but I fell asleep yet again. I have this problem quite often. I am just not used to sitting still for that long!

I am happy to report that I FINALLY finished the movie last night! Third try's a charm!

It started out very cute and funny. Then it got weird for a bit.

The ending was cute and cheesy though, so I would say it's worth a watch!

I felt like I could have run a whole marathon on the treadmill this morning.

For some reason it just felt easy and I managed to not feel bored at all. Granted, it was only 3.15 miles, but if I would have had more time, I would have liked to see just how long that feeling would have lasted.

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Is anyone giving anything up for Lent?

Weekend (And Last Week) Review

Thursday: 2.5 mile run outside
Sunday:  3 mile treadmill run & weights
Monday: 3 mile treadmill run

Somehow last week got a way from me and it's Monday already!

Quick recap from last week:

Thursday: HTB and I got out and enjoyed the 60 degree weather for quick 2.5 mile loop around the neighborhood. I was a little whiney last week and didn't feel like doing anything, so 2.5 miles was good enough in my book! I'm glad I did it, but I was also happy it was short!

Friday: No gym date night. Sadly enough, I was a little disappointed by this.

Pugalicious in his new cave bed

Saturday: Woke up with a bad headache and since a bad headache made me really sick last weekend, I didn't want to chance it with running, so I skipped running club. We ended up having such a fun day with an impromptu visit to HTB's brother's house. We had so much fun hanging out with him, his wife and their 3 adorable kids. Five hours later we finally let them have their Saturday back.

Sunday: Lots of work got done around the house! Combining households is kind of a pain, but it will be worth it! We organized the whole kitchen yesterday. The best part was that HTB started it while I was still sleeping! I think I'll keep him!

I only took one after photo, but wish I had more. It felt good to get everything cleaned out and organized...now we just have to finish moving my things over! We also attempted to teach Pugalicious Hugo how his cave bed works. See picture above.

I had to be coerced in to going to the gym Sunday evening. Not really sure why, but I just haven't felt like working out lately. HTB convinced me to go, and I am definitely glad I did.

Quick treadmill run, then a leg weight work out.

I put my big girl pants on and made it to the gym bright and not as early as I hoped this morning for another 3 miles on the treadmill.

This is the beauty of not running a marathon this spring - no long run this weekend and it doesn't matter! Even though I do feel fairly lazy because of it!

Herding Cats

Wednesday: weights, 1.2 mile treadmill walk

Well, it only took me 30 minutes to get this sweet angel in the cat carrier so I could move her to her new home. And she only hissed at me about a billion times.

The one on the left is my cat, Scurry. Phillip is on the right, he belongs to my former roommate.

She actually came out of the cat carrier very easily and seemed very interested in checking out her new surroundings. I was expecting her to just go straight under the bed and hide for the rest of 2013.

We are allowing her to adjust in peace in the guest bedroom. We will eventually introduce the other animals, but that plan is still in the works.

After the big move, we headed to the gym for a weight workout.

There's nothing I love more than going to the gym at 8 p.m. or later every night.

Maybe eventually we'll get the timing thing figured out a little better.

I actually had a fairly short workout last night, but HTB's was rather long. After I finished up my weights I jumped on the treadmill for a walk. I only walked for a few reasons:

1) I didn't feel like getting sweaty (lame, I know)

2) I needed steps on the pedometer so I didn't want to get on the elliptical (not quite as lame)

3) I had old running shoes on without my inserts so I couldn't run (the least lame excuse)

Tonight's plan is cardio, cardio, cardio!

And hoping the cat has forgiven me for moving her again!

Random News Wednesday

Tuesday: 3.65 mile treadmill run

It took every ounce of motivation I could muster yesterday to make myself walk straight to the gym after work and get on the treadmill.

But, I did it!

This has been one of those weeks that I am just absolutely exhausted.

As usual though, I didn't regret working out once I did it.

Since I've been so worn out this week and after my bout of illness Saturday evening, I decided not to work out in the mornings this week. I'm trying to be smart and listen to my body.
This is not always an easy task for me, but I'm trying!

I do miss the morning workouts, but I think my body is enjoying sleeping in until 6:30 a.m.!

I'm hoping to hit the weights after sorting out the kitchen in the old apartment tonight.
Kitchens are the hardest part to move!

I also get to move my 14 year old cat to our house tonight. This could get quite interesting!
Maybe I'll just bribe her with some catnip!

P.S. My wedding dress has arrived!!!!!! Yipeeeee!

Cooking Up A Storm

Monday: weights

Remember those resolutions goals for 2013 we talked about a month ago?

I'm proud to say that we have been doing really well with some of them!

Most notably the following: 

• Waste less food
• Cook at home together more often
• Meal plan
• weight train consistently

We have been very successful with meal planning and cooking together at home which has helped us not to waste as much food!

Last week we did not eat dinner OR lunch out once! Go us!
 

Typically while eating breakfast on Sunday morning we figure out some meals to make for the week and write our grocery list. We like to go to the gym later in the day then swing by the grocery store on our way home (late enough that it's not quite so busy anymore!).

I really despise the grocery store on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Last night I had a few bananas that needed to be used up so I made these banana muffins. 

Via

I used plain greek yogurt in the muffins instead of banana.

I bet banana or strawberry yogurt would be delicious though! 

I've enjoyed trying new recipes in our effort to cook more too. We've found quite a few that are making their way into our regular rotation now!

Did you make any goals for this year? How are they going so far?

Snowy Weekend Recap

Friday: weights

Saturday: 13 mile run (in a snowstorm)

Sunday: Rest

Really? It's Monday again?

Why does this keep happening?

We had a nice date at the gym for some weights on Friday.

Then we completely undid the work with some pizza!

Snow was predicted starting around 3 a.m. Saturday morning, so I wasn't sure what I would wake up to in the morning - besides really cold temps.

Our winter wonderland neighborhood

Sure enough, it snowed! And was still snowing on my way to running club.

Luckily I had an escort ahead of me on my drive.

Yes, that's a blurry salt truck.

Luckily I didn't have any trouble arriving at running club. It snowed our entire run. All 13 miles. I thought I would only do 6-8 since it was so cold out, but I got talked into more. 

It was so pretty peaceful out though.

The first 11 miles were fun. The last 2 miles were not so fun. 

At that point I was pretty wet and cold and couldn't feel my fingers.

I wore 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of gloves and 2 pairs of socks.

Thankfully we had hot chocolate and coffee waiting for us back at Mojo. I think it was the best hot chocolate EVER. Once I got home and took a hot shower I climbed back in bed to warm up under the covers for a while.

Sunday we decided to make a rest day. I wasn't feeling so good Saturday night - horrible headache and nausea. We did get a lot done around the house and also did our fair share of laying around.

I had a few apples to use up and I've been wanting to try this recipe from Pinterest, so I threw it all in the crock pot last night and voila - breakfast was ready in the morning!

It was super easy:

Slice 2 apples, throw them in the bottom of the crock pot.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar on top of apples.

Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

2 cups of oatmeal

Pour 4 cups of water on top.

Do NOT stir.

Cook for 8-9 hours.

Yum!

Hope your week is off to a great start!

It's Going to be a Cold One!

We had a fabulous night at our friends house complete with a (fake) hot dog social followed by an ice cream social. 

 While we were enjoying our not dogs and ice cream a snowstorm moved in! We got about an inch very quickly. It's crazy cold and windy too - 30 mph winds and feels like -10 degrees outside.

I skipped the gym this morning, but I'll get my fill on our Friday night gym date tonight.

Yes, we are wild and crazy!

Saturday morning's forecast

I'm really looking forward to running club tomorrow in this weather!

I think I'll have to break out the hot pink coat.

It's not really a running coat, but I think negative temperatures call for it.

This might be a 2 pair of tights kind of run!

Stay warm and be careful out there!