Weekend Review: Lululemon Run Om Cincy

Saturday: 13.5 mile run, 90(?) minutes of yoga

I successfully cut back on running last week and gave myself a few complete days of rest.

While my foot is still a little sore, I believe it paid off since I was able to run over 13 miles on Saturday!

Saturday morning my alarm went off at 4:50 a.m. 

Yikes!

Luckily, it was for an absolutely epic event!

The local Lululemon stores put on an entirely free event called Run Om Cincy.

You had the option of running from one of 3 locations for distances of 6, 3, or 1 miles to Great American Ballpark (home of the Reds!) then participating in a 90 minute yoga class on the baseball outfield. If running wasn't your thing, you could just show up at the baseball field for yoga. So many options - definitely something for everyone!

I met my friend Emily at her house at 6, then we ran to the Hyde Park Square Lululemon (1 mile)

We then checked in and waited for the official start at 6:30 before running with the group to GABP.

Lululemon provided yoga mats for all of the runners.
Once everyone got settled, we started our yoga. Several different instructors lead different segments of the class.

It was an absolutely beautiful morning and it was so neat to be lying on a yoga mat in the middle of the outfield.

 Halfway through the class we attempted to break the world record for the number of people doing headstands at one time. The current record was 265. Over 2000 people were participating, so hopefully at least 266 of them were able to do headstands.
I am not one of them.

After yoga we ran back home. They provided bus transportation, but we wanted more mileage and it just felt silly to take bus back!

We ended up running 13.5 miles total. I didn't use my watch for the run to the Lululemon store in the morning, so it was off by a mile.

It was so much fun to see so many people coming together to participate. I hope they do this again next year!

Saturday night we were substitutes on our friend's bowling league.
My husband bowled a 253 one game. Seriously!

Apparently I married a pro bowler!

 The weekend was rounded out with errands, football, meeting up with a friend and this amazing pumpkin turkey chili simmering on the stove Sunday night.
Hello, fall!

Finally Friday

Thursday: Body Blast class at lunch, 3 run mile outside

I planned to attend Body Blast at lunch yesterday and just modify anything that would put too much pressure on my foot; however I ended up doing class just the way it was set up.

Which was a lot of running and lunges.

We went outside again and did lunges, overhead presses and side steps with a weight along the walking path. Then we did sets of sprints, then back to the lunges, etc. And of course we finished up inside with a million core exercises.

Thankfully my foot felt OK. 

 So why not add some running in after work? 

Kelly and I went for a short 3 mile run and took our time. I didn't want to push it since we had sprinted at lunch time too. (Yes, she does Body Blast class with me too!)

I'm still icing at night and I am officially over halfway finished with my steroid Rx.

The swelling is down, but there is still some mild pain and the tendon is red.

Hopefully that red part is normal! It was blue/purple last weekend.

I have a fun event I'm participating in tomorrow morning, so I hope I can make it through!

Here's a hint to the event tomorrow morning!

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Drinking Lately

Yesterday was a rest day for me. I had planned on doing some upper body toning, but work got in the way and I couldn't be late to meet my girlfriends for happy hour!

It had been far too long since all of us ladies had all been together, so I was super excited to meet them.

So, besides the bottle of wine they made me drink last night I've added a few other much healthier beverages to my routine lately.

Each morning I've been attempting to have a mixture of OJ, pineapple juice and apple cider vinegar. 1 Tablespoon ACV and 4 oz of juice (I add a little more juice to make sure I can't taste the vinegar)

Sounds delish, right?!

ACV has been used for AGES -  literally. It's been used by Hippocrates, people in the Bible, the Babylonians, Julius Caesar, Japanese Samurai warriors, the Greeks, Romans, Christopher Columbus...you get the idea, right?

Some of the benefits of ACV are that it increases your metabolism, good for your skin, helps with digestion, prevents muscle fatigue, reduces sinus infections and sore throats, whitens teeth and strengthens the immune system. It is thought to do many more things as well.

If you want to give it a try, just make sure to get an all natural ACV. I bought the Bragg brand at Whole Foods. Don't buy one of the clear processed brands, you want it be brownish in color. And mix it with real juice.

In the afternoons I have been enjoying an Energy Fizz Stick from Arbonne. I am loving the pomegranate flavor, but they also have a citrus one. 

The fizz sticks have antioxidants and B vitamins that help increase energy and alertness. Perfect for that afternoon slump at work! 

I've been drinking it either starting with my lunch or shortly after lunch and it really does help me make it through the rest of the work day.

Maybe eventually this will replace my morning coffee too.

Maybe no, I really LOVE my morning coffee!

What are your go to beverages throughout the day?

A Post Without Sporting Event Selfies

Tuesday: 2.25 mile track work out

Tuesday after work I promptly iced my foot in an effort to be ready to take on the track.

Thankfully the steroids seem to be working and even after a few doses the first day the swelling was way down.

You all know I love me some track workouts - especially 400 and 800s, so I could not miss last night's 4x400 relay competition!

We started with 4 400s (my times were all between 1:27 and 1:32) then switched to 2 800s.

I decided to sit out both 800s. My foot was feeling OK for 1 lap at a time on the track, but I didn't want to push it with 2.

We then did 4 more 400s with the last 400 being the relay race. I ended up doing the same leg as 1 guy that is always just ahead of me and another guy that we tend to take turns of who finishes first.

My team didn't win the race, but it was a lot of fun. It really brought me back to my high school track days. We even got to pass the baton and everything!

Once I got home I iced my foot again while attempting to catch up on Dexter. We've been so focused on Breaking Bad that Dexter has been overlooked for a few weeks. Between K's school, Bengals, Liverpool, Crew we just don't have enough hours to stay up to date on our shows! Thank goodness for DVR and the Roku!

I will say that even though we only have about 4 episodes to go, Dexter has finally hooked me this season.

A little blurry, probably due to the fact that this kid was a RIOT and had my laughing incredibly hard.

Earlier this week I got to do vision screenings for one of the Cincinnati Public Schools.

This guy was totally pumped up to have his eyes checked!

This is seriously one of my favorite days of the year. The kids are so much fun and making sure they get glasses if needed is essential to their future!

Weekend Review: Better Late Than Never!

Saturday: 9.75 mile run outside

It's sad that after 4 days of no posting, I only have one work out to post.

We will get to that in a minute though.

Friday night we had very heavy rain and wind so I was a little worried about what the morning would have in store for us. Luckily it only sprinkled some. Other than that it was great weather for running.

A Physical Therapy group was waiting for us when we returned from our run to treat any of us that have issues or just help stretch us out. I decided to ask about my calf since it's been bothering me off and on for over a month now.

Turns out I am not crazy and there is definitely an issue.

The PT massaged it and tried to release the muscle. It helped quite a bit, but it's such a mess that he suggested Trigger Point Dry Needling. Yeah, I didn't know what it was either!

I haven't decided to pursue this option yet, but I may.

Saturday night we watched the Crew beat the Chicago Fire 3-0!

Then Sunday morning it was up bright and early to tailgate for the Bengals game.

It was one CRAZY game.

One of the craziest and most fun football games I have ever been to.

After my run Saturday my foot was REALLY bothering me. Walking around at the stadiums Saturday and Sunday was very painful. I could pinpoint exactly where the pain was coming from so I automatically worried it was a stress fracture.

Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be a stress fracture - just really bad tendinitis.

I'm icing, "cutting back" on running and taking a steroid in hopes of flushing out the inflammation as quickly as possible.

*"cutting back" were the exact words the doctor used, therefore I fully intend on still running this week.

Fingers crossed since my next race is in a week and a half!

My first trail half marathon!

I have done a 20K trail race before, but that's just shy of a half marathon!

I go back to the doctor on Monday to confirm that it's not a stress fracture (they don't always show up on the x-ray right away).

It was definitely a sports-centric weekend for us. Good thing we both love soccer and football and attending games!

Oh, Garmin, you tempt me with your pretty colors

So yesterday was kinda crazy so I didn't get a work out in, but I have plans to make up for that today. Yesterday I saw that Garmin came out with 2 new GPS watches this week.

My watch is dying very slowly...more and more pixels (is that even the right word?) are gone each time I turn it on.

Sadly, it is much worse than this now.

But it still works and I can still read it just fine, so I still use it!

I am still looking and trying to decide on my next Garmin though.

I thought I had decided, then I saw this week that 2 new ones were introduced.

Pictures from www.garmin.com. 220 on the L, 620 on the R.

I mean, aren't they purdy?

Color screens? Yes please!

The extra features on the 620 are definitely ones I can live without (although they are very cool!).

But the purple 220 is quite tempting!

Decisions, decisions!

Track Party and a Bengals Win!

Tuesday: Track work out

Every time I think life might settle down a little bit, things seem to get just as crazy again.

I suppose that is just how life is, so I should just enjoy the ride!

Monday night the Bengals played the Steelers for their home opener.

Of course the Steelers are a HUGE rival of ours.

Rival + Home Opener + MNF = INSANITY! 

We had so much fun tailgating with our friends.

We grilled, played corn hole, and flip cup.

And we get to do it all again on Sunday when we play the Packers!

 

Hello, football season!

Needless to say, K and I both took Tuesday off. We didn't get home until almost 2 a.m. and we are FAR too old for that!

We enjoyed attempting to sleep in, brunch and a trip to the zoo yesterday.

Such a fun day off!

Then it was time to hit the track!

Yesterday's workout was 2 x 1 mile, 8 x 200s.

I held back a little for the first mile and completed it in 7:30. My second mile was 7:09.

 6/8 200s I finished in 40 seconds. The other 2 were 43 and 44.

And thankfully my calf held up! I really think it was the hills Saturday that aggravated it so much. Unfortunately it's hard to do too many miles in this city without running hills, so we'll see how it does on this coming Saturday!

Weekend Review: Grandpa turns 91!

Saturday: 5 mile run outside, TIU thigh workout x 3

This weekend we didn't have much on the agenda, which was a nice change of pace for us.

Of course, we still managed to stay busy!

Saturday I headed out to run much later than normal. A lot of the women from my running club were out of town for a race, so I took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in a little. It was also MUCH cooler, so sleeping in gave it a little time to warm up outside too.

Yes, 45 degrees at 8:37 in the morning. Hello, fall!

I decided to just run in my neighborhood. I haven't done that in a while, wanted to stay close and thought the rolling hills would be good training for me. I set out for the 2.5 mile loop. I planned on doing that a few times then adding some more, depending on how I felt.

The last .75 of the second loop my calf was screaming at me - I had even worn my compression socks too. I think it was the hills that it did not like. I have mostly been running fairly flat courses lately.

 After my failed run K and I went to the gym.

I did the TIU thigh work 3 times through and ended with a few arm exercises too.

This week I am going to try to lay off the running just a bit and see how it feels. Boo!

Saturday night we celebrated Grandpa's 91st birthday! The family went to Valley Vineyards for dinner. It was a beautiful night out which was perfect since you grill your own fish or steak at the vineyard! They have everything you need to grill and the sides and dessert are buffet style.

It was such a fun and unique dinner!

Sunday was spent doing errands and cleaning and also watching our nephews play baseball.

We had so much fun at both of their games. The weather was incredible and we got to play tag and football and also chat with our family.

Lily and Carson cheering on Danny as he bats!

Such a fun weekend!

9.11 In Honor of 9/11

Wednesday: 3 mile run outside, 6.11 bike inside

Sometimes I get these "great" ideas and before I even tell my friend Kelly what they are, she says she is in to do it with me. I'm not sure who is crazier based on that!

So, when I suggested we do a total of 9.11 miles in honor/remembrance of 9/11 it was no surprise she was game!

The weather was super hot and humid again yesterday, so we decided on a 3 mile run outside then coming inside to finish off the remaining 6.11 miles on the bike.

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Even the measly 3 miles felt hard yesterday, but maybe that is appropriate.

My calf was burning (apparently standing all night on it Tuesday night hurt it just like running on it...), the sun was blaring down on us. It was a hot and hard 3 miles.

After some water we jumped on the upright bikes in the gym and started pedaling away.

The 6.11 on the bike was much harder than I thought it would be too. Of course we were also trying to go as fast as our legs could. My quads were burning at only 2 miles in.

This is when I looked at Kelly and told her not to let me have any "great" ideas ever again.

Clearly I am not a fast cyclist. Maybe I should work on that!

Everyone remembers in their own way on special days like this. I tend to do it through exercise because it gives me time to reflect and clear my head. I get to think about how grateful I am to be here, able to run and bike...remember the drive home from white water rafting in 2001 listening to the radio and trying to figure out what was happening.

It may not be much, but it's the way I choose to remember and reflect.

So, I completed my 9.11 miles, sweaty and absolutely exhausted, but mindful of the day that forever changed us.

Dos a Cero in Columbus Again!

So no workout happened Tuesday.

But that's OK. I did stand up and jump around like a crazy US soccer supporter, so that counts for something, right?

We originally did not get selected to be able to buy tickets to the US vs. Mexico world cup qualifier in Columbus. We were totally bummed about this. We had a blast last year watching the US play Jamaica and were looking forward to this game for a while.

But, husband came to the rescue and managed to get us tickets!

We took a half day off work and headed up to Columbus early to avoid some traffic.

We had a great lunch at North Market (more on that later) then headed to a bar across the street to entertain ourselves for a while.

We found a bar with multi person skee ball and a beer pong machine!

I didn't even know they existed!

Then it was off to the game.

We were already hot and sweaty at this point. It was 95 degrees. Hello, Ohio, it's September, did you forget?

The patriotism is AMAZING - it brings tears to my eyes. The National Anthem was sung louder than I have ever heard it before.

Once again the US beat Mexico 2-0!

It's the 4th time the US has beaten Mexico in Columbus with the exact same score!

The crowd was INSANE and the experience was absolutely incredible.

It's definitely a night I will never forget!

A Trip to Young's Jersey Dairy

Monday: TIU thigh work out (x 3), 3 mile run outside

 It was super hot - 93 degrees on our run last night, so we just took our time.

There's not much else you can do when the temperatures soar. 

Ben and I hadn't run together in a few weeks so it was good to catch up. His wife joined us on her roller blades so of course we were heckled about being so slow.

My quads were burning at the beginning of our run. We always start uphill and we also had a headwind to contend with.

It was only 3 miles, but we were very happy to be finished and get some water!

Over the weekend we visited Yellow Springs and Young's Jersey Dairy.

It's been on our list of things to do since K had never been and we both love a good ice cream place!

It is a working dairy farm with tons of activities!

You can watch them milk the cows, feed and pet the goats.

It's all fun an games until you think a goat is about to eat your hair!

They also have miniature golf, batting cages and seasonal activities such as a corn maze and pumpkin patch.

We ate our ice cream so fast that we didn't get any pictures - oops!

If you order the flavor of the week, you get your second dip free! You better believe I took advantage of that - especially since last week's flavor was cookies and cream! Yum!

We were a little obsessed with the animals, but all the other activities looked fun too!

I see many more trips to Young's Dairy in our future!

Weekend Review: The Birthday Couple

Saturday: 6.3 mile run outside, hiking (roughly 3 miles)

Well, hello Monday morning! You arrived quite quickly this week!

We had quite the busy weekend: 3 birthdays to celebrate, a memorial, and an engagement party. 

Since mine and K's birthdays are 2 days apart, we split the difference and celebrated together on the day in between. We took a trip to Yellow Springs and spent the day exploring.

More on that later. For now, here's some of our weekend in pictures!

More on our adventures later! I'm still recovering!

Dance Party With a Toddler

Thursday: Body Blast at lunch, 3 mile run outside after work

Today will be a much needed day of rest, yesterday totally kicked my booty!

I quickly realized Wednesday night that jump roping was NOT a good idea for my calf.

It hadn't been bothering me much at all, so I didn't even think about it while I was jumping.

I managed to get through Body Blast without doing any alternatives and sucked it up for a quick 3 mile run after work.

I've been loving these shorts from Target.

They are super comfy, wide waist band and i love the gray in the back and black in the front.

And I wore them for my 4 minute and 40 second half marathon PR!

 

Now it's back to almost 24/7 compression wear though. Ugh!

I did spend the rest of the evening in the most comfortable running pants I own.

Gap gfast leggings

The actual ones I have are no longer available - I got them on clearance, but they are the gfast lightweight ones. They are amazingly soft and comfy. 

 Mine have these awesome stripes on them too. I'm pretty sure K made fun of them last night, but I love them.

I spent the rest of the evening with this lovely little lady.

We played and danced, danced and danced some more. We were laughing so hard and her laugh is just so contagious. For some reason I taught her how to do "the car wash" dance. Just thinking about it makes me laugh. She's quite a little dancer!

I loved watching her show her mom and dad her new dances moves when they came home!

Next time you've had a rough day or in a bad mood, grab the nearest toddler and teach them your favorite dance moves from the 1970s! It's sure to put a smile on your face.

And that was definitely a third work out for the day. I was exhausted!

Enjoy your weekend!

Race Decisions

Wednesday: TIU Jump Your Heart Out and Thigh work out

Who knew 15 pound dumbbells, a mat and a jump rope could be such torture devices?!

OUCH! 

I really like the variety that TIU has given me. I would never pick up a jump rope on my own, but, boy is it tough! I don't think my calf liked it too much though - oops!

I really can't decide about a full marathon for this fall, so I'm looking at other races. Maybe I'll just go half marathon crazy instead! Here are some potential races, let me know what you think!

White Tail Trail Half Marathon

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 This is dubbed one of Ohio's most scenic races. It takes place at Caesar's Creek state park in the beginning of October - so I would imagine the fall colors are stunning! I absolutely loved doing the 20K trail race in Hocking Hills a few years ago, and I believe this would be similar.

Cincinnati Half Marathon

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I am very partial to the Flying Pig Marathon, but this race came on the scene a few years ago and promises to be a flat course (unlike the Pig!). I have not run it yet, but of course it's close to home and I like the idea of flat race downtown -  not easy to come by!

Mason Half Marathon

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This race is even closer to home and is also rather flat! I have not done this race as a half marathon - it used to be a 15K and I ran that a few times. It's hard to pass up a half only 20 minutes from home!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Which race would you do?

Track Party

Tuesday: Track: 5 sets 800 - 200. 1/4 warm up and cool down

Tuesdays at the track are becoming my favorite work out lately.

I love the feeling I get when I know I'm pushing myself and the reward of getting faster or hitting your times consistently each time.

We had much cooler temps  last night - what a difference that makes!

Here are my 800 splits:

1: 3:24 (oops, clearly held back too much!)

2: 3:13

3: 3:17

4: 3:13

5: 3:16

My 200s were pretty much the exact same each time. I'm clearly more concerned about my 800s.

Pre and post track work out. Still smiling.

And I got to try out my new shorts (New Balance)!  

Then it was time to watch the sunset and have a little dinner.

I ran out of room for the kale pre-blending, so I added it in late.

The goal for this month is to foam roll! Especially after sessions at the track.

Weekend Review: Labor Day Shenanigans

Saturday: 5.6 mile run outside; weights at gym
Monday: Elliptical and weights at gym

Oh, I LOVE long weekends, but I absolutely dislike the day after long weekends!

Oh, well, they are inevitable, so might as well make the most of them!

We started off the weekend with a date to the movies.

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We don't often go to the movies, but we do enjoy it when we do.

I just can't wrap my head around spending so much money to be annoyed by people kicking my chair, using their cell phones and talking when i could enjoy the movie in just a few months from the comfort of my living room.

#iamanoldlady

We were in the mood for a comedy, and We're The Millers did not disappoint!

**If you are easily offended or did not enjoy The Hangover or Bridesmaids, this movie is probably not for you**

Saturday morning was a very humid run. I saw lightening on my way to run and during the run I was hoping it would start raining. I got to run with Sarah and my friend Helen who I have not seen since I got married! It was fun to chat and catch up while we sweated buckets.

First run in my new purple Kinvaras

Finally got to try out the new Kinvaras I bought a few weeks ago.

Totally love these shoes. I think this is my 5th pair of Kinvaras. They are amazing.

After running I picked up K and we headed to the gym together.

He got in some cardio while I did some some TIU toning.

We also went on a little trip up to Columbus to cheer for the Crew (and to see Clint Dempsey #2). It's a shame he plays for the wrong team! There was an almost 2 hour delay due to lightening. Thankfully before the game we fueled up on Jeni's ice cream. Doesn't K look so thrilled that I took his picture!? I had to - it was his first time having Jeni's!

The rest of the weekend was filled with family, friends, stuff around the house and another trip to the gym. We also purchased the materials for next house project and we are excited to start it soon!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day!