Weekend Review: Celebrating Life

Saturday: Stairmill, ArcTrainer, weights
Sunday: 8 mile run outside

 Friday I was able to spend half of the day with one of my best friends who is in town from Texas.  We shopped, talked and laughed. And we had so much fun we decided to make reservations for dinner too.

We went to one of our favorites WG Kitchen and Bar

See that plate? That's a honey and ricotta jar and absolutely to die for.

I haven't stopped thinking about it since Friday night.

And as you can see it was a gorgeous night so we sat outside.

We each had a wine flight of our choice as well. All of our food was absolutely delicious!

WG has not disappointed us yet!

Saturday morning we hit the gym, then I met Sarah and her mom for lunch.

That evening we headed to my bro-in-law and sis-in-law house to celebrate Kelly's birthday.

Kelly is my husband's sister who passed away last September. She would have been 39 on Saturday.

All 17 of us wrote notes to Kelly and attached them to the balloons to be taken to Heaven.

It was a beautiful tribute to her and it was so great for the family to be together on this day.

Some of the kids even drew faces on the balloons.

The balloons on their way to Heaven

Sunday morning I went for my "long" run.

Only 8 miles, but I think it's the longest I've run since the Flying Pig Half Marathon in May.

Oops!

I felt pretty good after the first 2.5 miles. I headed to the park behind our neighborhood and ran on the bike path. Just an out and back course, but I haven't run on the path in a while so it was nice and felt different. I added a loop in the neighborhood on the way back to hit 8 miles so of course the last 2.5 miles were rather hilly! 

Thankfully it was only 58 degrees when I started! It certainly didn't feel like late July, but I'll take it!

Sunday afternoon we got to celebrate the birthday of my friend's (from Texas) son and a couple of his cousins as well.

And I forgot to mention my brush with fame on Friday!

One of my favorite bloggers shared my story on her FB page!

Her story gave me hope so by sharing my story, maybe I can touch someone's life too.

My Very Own Boot Camp

Wednesday: TIU 4th of July workout
Thursday a.m.: 3 mile run outside

First, I must say I FINALLY got some sleep last night and boy do I feel better today!

After waking up at 4 and 1:15 the previous 2 mornings, my 5:15 alarm certainly felt like sleeping in.

Wednesday evenings workout consisted of what I have dubbed Bethany's Boot Camp.

My friend Kelly just does whatever I say, it's great!

Honestly, I just combine some of the different TIU workouts and sometimes throw in a few of my own ideas.

She was brave enough to try this thigh exercise I was too scared to try on my own.

We had contests to see who could stay on the longest.

She totally kicked my booty.

I'm just glad I didn't fall on my face and break my nose.

After working out I made a big trip to Meijer for some party supplies. Thankfully the Hubs met me there because there was no way I could have handled the 2 full carts we had.

 

This morning I meant to get up at 5:15, but laid in bed a little longer. I finally got out the door about 5:40 for a run. Given the time I only did 3 miles. Better than nothing!

And still incredibly hot and HUMID!

High is 95 today with a heat index of 102.

I'm glad I got some miles in early!

Bad Weather Running Buddies

Monday: TIU workout, 3 mile run outside

Some of us are fair weather runners or have training partners who are.

I, on the other hand, have a bad weather training partner.

It never fails that we make plans to run together in the worst of weather. Snow, ice, rain, 100 degree heat. 

And of course we are stupid crazy enough to run even knowing the weather is not even somewhat decent.

At least we get the runs in!

Because of the heat we kept it short - a 3 mile loop. Unfortunately this route has very little shade, so I decided to take a half full water bottle with me. I didn't use it until we were finished running though. It was nice to have as we walked a little bit in an attempt to cool down.

This is my new Costco workout shirt. I decided to give it a try because SkinnyRunner buys a lot of workout tops there and if it's good enough for her, it's definitely good enough for me!

I've worn it twice now and really like it.

This pic was pre run during my TIU workout.

It was perfect - all I needed were a few weights and the ball. I only did 2 rounds even though it says to do 3. I was on a time crunch, but I still felt the burn!

This was the last part of the circuit, but I was too chicken to try it. I am such a klutz so I feared this would have a disastrous ending.

Maybe I'll get brave later this week!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

Runs and Guns

Tuesday: 5 mile run outside, weights (and of course a walk with Piper dog)

I met Kelly right after work for a run. It's so much easier for me to run right from work, almost like it's just part of my work day - I can't go home until I run first.

If I get in my car and drive somewhere, it's much more tempting to just go home or once I get home it is so much harder for me to get dressed to run and back out the door.

 After walking Piper I did get back out the door for some weight training. For some reason (most of the time) it's easier for me to get back out for weights than cardio.

I wore my Save Second Base shirt in honor of my PSA post yesterday

I'm still doing ActivTrax and loving it.

It's so nice not to have to think about what exercise to do next and it is enough variety that I have not gotten bored yet.

At first I had a hard time feeling like lifting was a work out since I don't get very sweaty while lifting, but now that I can feel some of the results I am totally loving it.

Pretty soon I might need Skinny Meg's shirt.

 How cute is that?

 

Pugalicious is not the only furball in our house (we won't get into how many we actually have...), he is just the easiest to photograph. 

The other night I tried to get a pic of Big Dog (a.k.a. Merlin). Here are the results:

He does not sit still for more than 1/100 of a second.

One of these days I'll get a good picture.