Weekend Review: Friends & Family

Saturday: 10 mile run outside

I only got one workout in this weekend, but that's OK.

The rest of the weekend was spent with friends and family!

Temps were pretty good Saturday morning for our run - a little chilly and breezy at the beginning, but it warmed up by the time we finished. I felt really good and could have kept going, but this is race week, so I didn't want to overdo it! 

The last part of our run followed the route for the Little League parade.

We picked up a few treat along the way!

I fixed my inserts so my new shoes felt better minus the bloody spot they rubbed on my achilles.

Oh well, you win some and you lose some!

I met a friend and her daughter for lunch that afternoon.

Old pic, but who can resist lunch with this cutie?

Saturday was topped  off by dinner with my former roommate and her hubby.

They are expecting a baby girl in just 2 weeks! I can't wait to meet her!

Sunday I got to celebrate our upcoming wedding with all of the ladies in my family.

I am truly blessed to have such a great family and becoming part of another amazing family.

The boys had a lazy day at home while I was celebrating!

Oh to be cat (even a one-eared one) or dog!

The Best Laid Plans

Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: weights
Friday a.m.: 3.5 mile treadmill run

Wednesday night HTB and I were beat, so we made it our rest day!

Yay, for flexibility!

We made quesadillas at home then laid around and watched some shows.

Glorious laziness!

 Thursday morning did not go as planned.

A dead car battery threw off my day.

HTB to the rescue though, he drove me to work! It was nice to have a chauffeur - even if it was only for a day!

We still made it to the gym in the evening for some weights! 

Here is a sneak peak of my new Boston tank that arrived this week. I'll write more about it later!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Friday morning I made it to the gym for some abs, squats and 3.5 miles on the treadmill.

I finally got to try out the new shoes!

 I put new inserts in them too - I was probably WAY overdo for them - and they felt a little weird.

I'll have to play with them this weekend and hope they feel a little better!

Have a great weekend!

New Shoes Make Me Happy

Tuesday p.m.: 3 mile run outside, weights

I am a sucker and can't say no to a run, so I ran last night even though I wasn't planning on it.

I'm also strange and almost ALWAYS have an extra pair of workout clothes with me...

We did an easy 3 mile loop around work.

I'm still amazed that Kelly is running.

Today  marks one week since her first chemo treatment.

I forgot to enter my ActivTrax workout on Friday so I ended up with the same weight work out last night. The site froze on my phone and I haven't fixed it yet, so I'm back to the old fashioned paper and pencil method then entering it on the computer.

The good news is it felt easier last night than it did Friday!

I picked up my new running shoes last week, but still haven't worn them. Oops!

I have them with me today, but the weather isn't the best, so if it doesn't clear up by this afternoon I'll be wearing my old shoes.

They aren't my preferred color, but the Kinvara 4s are coming out soon. I'll just make sure to order a pair right away and stash them in my closet until I'm ready for them!

These are the first shoes I've bought numerous pairs of. I am totally in love with them.

Snooze

Tuesday a.m.: 2 mile treadmilll run, squats

Goal for the rest of this week:

Don't hit snooze.

Way harder than it sounds.

I've been getting to the gym so late in the morning I don't have much time to run. It is better than nothing though!

I did intervals of running and squats to make sure I got both in this morning. 

Thankfully I didn't fall off the treadmill getting on or off for the squats!

  

I think it might be another coffee-in-each-hand kind of day!

I can't believe the Flying Pig events are less than 2 weeks away! I thought I might go for a PR in the half marathon on Sunday, but now I'm not so sure.

We'll just have to wait and see how I feel!

Weekend Review: Wedding To Do's

Friday p.m.: weights
Saturday: 8 mile run outside
Sunday: dog walking
Monday a.m: 2 mile treadmill run

Monday, Monday, Monday!

It was difficult to get up, but I greeted this morning with a very short workout.

A quick 2 mile treadmill run then squats. I am up to date on the squat challenge!

I'm a little behind on my trashy mag reading at the gym - I've been too addicted to news.

Saturday's running club was quite touching. Words can't express how amazing it was just to be with my running family.

#bostonstrong

 

 One of our members made the blue and yellow ribbons for each of us to wear. I got to run with my friend that started chemo last week and my friend that finished the Boston marathon just minutes before the bomb went off.

I felt very lucky to be able to run with them.

 

This weekend we also crossed a few things off of the wedding to do list!

Saturday we found my wedding band! I was stressing about this since we are only 39 days away from the Big Day, I am relieved it is taken care of!

I really didn't care about the wedding band since I LOVE my engagement ring so much, but it was still one more item to do and therefore I stressed.

We had a nice dinner at Wine Guy Kitchen & Bar then hung out with my brother and sister-in-law and the niece and nephews. They are too cute and so much fun to be around!

HTB had to work all day Sunday. I did all the fun errands (Target and grocery shopping) before my dress fitting appointment.

Sorry, this is all you get to see!

After HTB got home he settled in to watch the Liverpool game and I made some homemade pizza for dinner. I finally tried Trader Joe's pizza dough. It's delicious. Inexpensive. And super easy to use.

I may not make my own dough ever again.

I hope this week is less hectic than last week!

What A Week!

Thursday p.m.: weights

I feel like I have been on an emotional roller coaster all week!

I am looking forward to unwinding and relaxing tonight.

Some vino might be in order.

And possibly a date out to the movies.

I am completely wiped out, so that's all I have for today.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Sole Sisters & Squat Challenge

Thursday a.m.: 2 mile treadmill run, squats, abs

Thank goodness it's Thursday! This week has worn me out and Thursday means only one more day with a 4:45 a.m. wake up call!

Knowing I have a wedding dress fitting Sunday has made it easy a little easier to get out of bed each morning though! 43 days until the Big Day! #butwhoiscounting

I wasn't quite on time to the gym, so I did a shorter workout, but since tonight is a weight night at my other gym, I'm totally OK with that.

Source

I've seen this going around quite a bit, so I figured why not?!

We'll see how long I stick to it though, I don't always have the long term motivation for these type of things.

Last night we had the second meeting for our newly formed women's group part of my running club - Sole Sisters. We met a cute little book store and cafe.

It's been fun getting to know these women not in running clothes for once!

I'm super excited to see where this group goes!

I Love My Running Accessories!

Wednesday a.m.: weights

Since I ran the past two days, I decided this morning was a weight day.

I was unable to do the one leg press because my work gym only has one leg pres machine.

 

 Woohoo, I've reached the highest automatic weight increase. That's means I'm ripped now, right? Ha.

I am obsessed with running accessories, but honestly haven't been buying too many lately.

#tryingtosavemoney #wedding

 

I was in need of some new headbands though and saw that Owl Be Sweatin' is donating to Girls On The Run this month!

Perfect excuse to shop!

 Of course as soon as I saw the pink sparkly one, I had to have it!

My favorite thing about these headbands?

They are adjustable!

World's worst pics...and I'm actually posting them?

I'm totally IN LOVE with these headbands.

They stay in place and are super cute!

I'm going to be placing another order very soon!

My Heart Is In Boston

Monday p.m.: 5 mile run outside
Tuesday a.m. 4 mile treadmill run

As much as I don't want to write or think about the tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon, it doesn't seem right to talk or even think about anything else.

Fortunately, all of my friends that were there running and cheering are safe.

I continue to pray for those that are not, their friends and family.

I cannot even imagine what it was like to be there to witness.

#bostonmarathon #brokenheart

This morning, I stopped after 2.62 miles and said a prayer for all those affected.

And for the police, firemen, doctors and nurses.

And also to catch my breath from running hard and choking back tears.

 

When I don't know what else to do, I run.

It has been my safety net that picks me up when I am down.

It has been how I celebrate many things.

It is how I made new friends. 

I met HTB through running.

And of course, how he proposed.

The running community is strong.

Our will cannot be broken by such a senseless act, even if our hearts are.

Hug the ones you love and continue to pray for Boston.

Marathon Monday

Happy Boston Marathon Day!

I'm cheering for my USA ladies today, of course!

Source

Shalane Flanagan

Source

A few of my friends are running today too and I am cheering them on from afar!

Go Megan, Maureen and Paul!

Kick some Boston booty!

The Master's Mario Style

Happy weekend!

We had a lovely evening with our friends last night celebrating the start of the Master's by playing Mario Golf - of course!

Source

I'll be honest, I've never played Mario Golf (or any video games pre Wii) and it showed.

Luckily I brought my caddy (HTB) and he was gracious enough to set up all of my shots.

I had a caddy and 2 coaches.

It takes a village...

And I still lost.

Apparently high score does NOT win.

We laughed and had a blast though.

I'll just have to work hard and maybe I'll earn my green jacket next year.

 

Picture Sources Here

This year I'm cheering for Guan Tianlang.

I mean, he's 14 and I love his sense of style.

I love bright colors!

Vacation Recap: Hanging with the Stars

Wednesday p.m.: 4.5 mile run outside

Thursday a.m.: 3 mile treadmill run

There was a high of 80 yesterday so Kelly and I took full advantage of it and went for a run after work.

It's always a hard adjustment back to running in warm weather. You would think I would be used to changing all the time since I live in Ohio, but every year it is hard.

It felt so good though to be in shorts and a tank.

Feeling the sun on my arms and legs and knowing my face was as red as a tomato. 

A red face is a true sign of working hard.

I was in love with this tree at the cemetery

Now for the last (I think) vacation recap. I can't believe we've only been back for 2 weeks!

HTB's dad took us to a little cemetery in L.A. right behind the building where his office used to be. It was so pretty and peaceful.

HTB's dad used to eat lunch with Marilyn. Now Farrah Fawcett is here too.

We were able to visit so many famous people - all in one place!

Jack Lemmon, Marilyn, Mel Torme, Ray Bradbury, Dean Martin and many more.

It's well hidden and I'm sure in the days before the Google tubes it was quite the hidden gem.

 

We also hit Hollywood and the TCL Chinese Theater and the Dolby Theater.

Hello Harry Potter, George Clooney and Michael Jackson!

Of course we had to lunch at In & Out Burger!

One the way back to our condo we went to Santa Monica. We watched the sunset, saw the end of Route 66 (I have a picture somewhere...) and hung out on the Santa Monica pier.

It was a beautiful day.

It also happened to be our 1 year anniversary of our first date!

I hope all of our anniversaries are this pretty and fun!

Random Wednesday

Tuesday: dog walking
Wednesday a.m.: weights

Happy hump day!

I get to run with my friend who has been off work for 2 weeks for surgery tonight, so I did my weight work out this morning. It was my first one with the higher intensity.

Boy, was it tough!

My arms feel like jell-o.

Last night we wanted to take advantage of the amazing weather (thank you mother nature for dropping us right into summer with 80 degree temps!) so we walked the dogs and did some yard work.

I'm sure the excitement will wear off rather quickly, but I am loving the idea of yard work. Owning a house is fun, right?! I'll let you know how I feel any different in a month or two!

I also made another batch of the 2 ingredient banana cookies last night. They are so delicious. I can't get enough of them! It's hard to believe they are healthy.

And because any post is better with a picture of a Pug...

A snug pug on a rug.

Not really, he's in his bed, but he is pretty stinkin' cute.

Two Single Girls

Monday p.m.: weights

After work HTB and I hit the gym for a weight session.

My weight work outs have gotten much harder since we started (thanks, ActivTrax!), but I decided to go ahead and up my intensity anyway.

It's totally  normal to take pics of yourself in a gym mirror, right?

If I get weights and cardio in tonight it will be my first higher intensity weight work out.

Hopefully it doesn't make me too sore to walk!

The last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about what was going on a year ago.

March 24th was the anniversary of my first date with HTB.

March 29th was the day I moved in with my roommate last year.

Two single ladies moved in.

1 married and expecting and 1 engaged moved out!

It's been fun reminiscing about our first few weeks of dating.

And of course how he hung up on me the first time he called me too.

I might have eaten all of the banana cookies I made on Sunday already. Oops!

Good thing they are healthy!

Weekend Wrap Up: Spring Has Sprung!

Friday: Rest
Saturday: 11.5 mile run outside
Sunday: Dog walking
Monday a.m: 4 mile treadmill run

Monday, we meet again!

Thank you for at least being springlike even if that includes a little rain.

This weekend FLEW by!

Our yard got a little spring makeover!

I made Friday and Sunday "rest days" since I was running longer than I have in two months.

Saturday morning I headed to running club bright and early. I was a little nervous about the distance since the last time I ran that far I ended up with a migraine and puking.

I still don't think the two were related, but still makes me nervous nonetheless.

Maureen is running Boston one week from today, so she was in taper mode while I was in longest run before the race mode. Luckily, we both needed 11-12 miles so we were able to run together the whole time.

It was beautiful in the morning - clear and cool (48ish degrees when we started).  Perfect running weather.

Spending it catching up with a good friend made it even better.

Post-run compression sock recovery time

It was a pretty good run!

No giant hills, I never felt overly tired and my body felt great.

The last two miles weren't easy, but they weren't hard either. I could have gone faster, but I'm happy with what we did.

Sunday began with a Liverpool game and lots of cooking!

I had been meaning to make these 2 ingredient banana cookies all week and hadn't gotten around to it yet, so what better time than Sunday morning!

The ingredients, pre baking and post baking. Yum!

 Sarah made these last week and inspired me to try the craisins. Definitely a good add-in!

I also made crustless egg white quiche for breakfast. It is one of our go-to recipes (for breakfast or dinner!), but this is the prettiest it has turned out, so of course I had to take a pic!

Egg white, mushroom, green pepper cheddar cheese quiche

Sunday evening we took the pups for a walk with their new harnesses. They made a world of difference - I see a lot of walks in our future.

We must have worn them out, because even Merlin actually got IN his bed last night!

Pardon the creepy eyes. Stupid cell phone pics1

Did you notice his spring hair cut? He looks like a respectable somewhat normal dog now!

I hope you enjoyed the weather this weekend!

Ready for the Weekend!

Thursday: 4 mile run outside, weights

Thank goodness it is Friday!

What a crazy busy week, but it was fun and I got to see a lot of friends!

Opening Day 2013

I also had my first bridal shower thrown by some amazing coworkers!

I feel very blessed and lucky.

Thursday evening I got a nice 4 mile run in outside - in beautiful weather - and also did weights!

I had some time to kill before meeting a few friends to plan another shower, so it worked out perfectly.

I ran alone and it was nice to have some peace and quiet since this week has been so busy.

I'm not gonna lie though, it felt HARD at times.

How does 8:20 feel ridiculously hard then all the sudden 7:30 feels so easy in the same run?

And no, I was not on a hill!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I think I'm going to get talked in to a long run tomorrow - which I desperately need!

Vacation Recap: Whale and Dolphin Safari

Wednesday p.m.: Weights

I decided to "sleep in" Wednesday morning and just do weights after work.

Of course I still woke up a little before 5. Oh well!

While we were in California we went on a whale and dolphin tour with Captain Dave in Dana Point.

Wow, am I glad we did this! It turned out to be my favorite part of vacation.

Before this trip to Cali I had never seen whales before. We saw them from the shore just about every night and using the binoculars we spotted a few from our balcony. The Gray Whales are making their yearly journey from Mexico to Alaska.

We saw 4 Gray Whales and one Fin Whale.

The whales are very fun to see, but that was nothing compared to the 1000+ dolphins that ended up surrounding us. As far as you could see there were dolphins jumping out of the water.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like this, but it was quite some time. The dolphins were playing with us - swimming right along the boat, looking at us and making their sonar sound (does that even make sense?!).

It might have been the coolest thing I ever witnessed.

After the whales we saw the second set of 2 Gray Whales. 

I finally got my tail pictures!

This one is my favorite. 

If you find yourself in the area, go visit Captain Dave. The crew was great and they do wonderful things for conservation and rescue of the whales and other sea life.