Hall-O

Here are a few beginning costume ideas for the munchkin - and just a note - it makes it really difficult to decide on a costume when your offspring will absolutely NOT wear anything on their head. So, I guess I need to go with something a) hatless or b) where you still "get it" even if the hat is missing. Oh, Lola...

Too bad I love this one the most! It may be too hot for a (most likely) 80 degree Halloween, though.

Makin' A Difference

Finished this month's 5K with my best time so far. I looked to see what my last official time was and it was 33:49. I beat it with 32:10 minutes. Not my intended goal, but I guess that's okay. It was a small race, so the race wasn't "chipped", or officially timed. There were no place awards, either. Although, I am pretty sure I was the 4th woman to finish. Since the race was so small (about 75 runners at best), it was pretty easy to keep track of the few women who were running. So, if I counted correctly, there were only 3 women who finished ahead of me. Most of the people were walkers, so that's not really saying much!



Now it is time to start preparing for the upcoming Halloween Monster Mash 10K. It is on Halloween morning and I am very excited about it. It will be my first 10K ever! I am trying really hard to convince Max to come with me. I think it would be fun for him and Lola to stroll around and maybe even participate in the small race. We will see.



Speaking of Halloween, I am so excited about this year! Lola is walking and she will be able to go to a few houses to get her trick-or-treat on! We haven't decided yet what she will dress up as, but it's going to be cute whatever it is. I love this time of year! Time to decorate for Fall!

I'm a Slave

Okay, okay, I totally slacked this week! Monday was a definite no-go, as I was still at about 75% recovered from Sunday's hangover. Tuesday, it was raining. BUT, I did get out to Memorial on Wednesday night! It was fabulous outside, I couldn't have asked for better weather OR a better parking space. Did 4 miles, and I felt great! As previously mentioned, I will slowly increase that daily mileage so I can condition for the half-marathon. October will see many 6 & 7 milers.

Make A Difference 5K is tomorrow morning in The Meadows. The Meadows is a neighborhood right down the street from where I grew up. All proceeds are going to the little church/school in the neighborhood so they can build a new gymnasium and tennis court. It is their 1st 5K, so I doubt a lot of people will be running. Probably a lot of kiddos in the kids' 1K race, though. So, I will be waking up at 5:00 AM, grabbing Lola and heading to my mom's house. She never misses a chance to see her little grandbaby. She's going to go with me to the race, but she's not racing this one. She's gonna play with Lola while I run my butt off to try to place! Haha. I don't think that will happen, but seeing as how there won't be many people in the race to begin with, there is a slight possibility of me placing in my age group. That would be fun! I'm looking forward to the race and I am excited to get out to Memorial tonight for a short/easy run.

And just a note...I was totally planning on going out to the park last night, but ohmigod television. I can't wait until we move and we have our ATT U-Verse, where we can record up to FOUR shows at the same time. Ha! No, I currently do not own/or use a DVR. U-Verse will change that, though! That way, I won't have any excuses to not go do something...like exercise. Yeah, so FlashForward. My new favorite show, it was so good. I hope it does well and they don't end up cancelling it! I love it.

Oh man...

What a weekend! I am still not 100%, I guess that's what happens when you get older - the hangovers tend to last a little bit too long. Saturday was obviously a blast! Good times with some good ladies. Sunday, I was feeling the pain, though. Today is a lot better, but I still need a good nights rest before I am up to par again. So, no running for me yesterday or today. I will hit the track on Tuesday with a vengance. After all, my next 5K is this Saturday morning!

Went to Memorial on Saturday morning, though. Ran 4 miles. It was a good run. 40 minutes - not too bad. I am going to try to run at my race pace this week to get ready for the race on Saturday. And, I think it's time for me to do 4-miles on the regs. No more three milers for me. Pretty soon maybe I can make 6 miles a regular thing! So, will update after my run on Tuesday. I really want to go tonight, but my body is screaming, "NO!! Please let me recover."

And, on that note, I don't think I will be partying it up like I did on Saturday for a long time to come...if ever again. The after effect is just not something I can deal with. Especially since Lola requires taking care of, a massive hangover just won't fit into my schedule any longer. Liquor and I broke up yesterday. I won't be seeing him anymore.

Four

Day four! I think I'm getting into the swing of this whole blogging thing. For now, at least.

Update on my run: Memorial last night. Sensor was working again! Yay. Ran 3.15 miles, 34 minutes. I felt very, I guess the right word is, heavy last night. I don't know what it was. My legs just felt like cement. It was weird. But, guess what!? No side stitches last night! I drank my Superpump before leaving the house, allowing the drive time for it to digest. And I also concentrated on my breathing during the run. That and my posture. It was a good run, except for the cement-legs. It was a nice night, lots of people out on the track. I cannot wait for cooler weather. I love running in cold/cool weather. It's the best feeling. And it always reminds me of Chicago. Oh, how I miss Chicago. I need to go back there. Maybe I can sign up for next year's Chicago Rock n' Roll Half Marathon. I will add that to my list of things to do in 2010.

Since we are in the midst of moving residences, I am in full "I want to buy everything new" mode. We are planning on buying a new living room shortly after we move in and get settled. There are a few different options that we are looking into. Rooms To Go has some pretty nice sets, as does Gallery Furniture. We will probably go take a look at Star and Ashley Furniture soon as well. I do know that I will be returning to Target to buy more drapes and other decorative stuff. I think the bathroom is almost done. I am excited to see the remodel complete. I hope it's nice.

So, to go along with my hott chaise in yesterday's blog, these are the new beds I'm looking at:

I think the first one is my fave. I love the intricacy of the design.

Off

So, I always feel a little bit guilty when I don't run. Although every article about running I've stumbled upon insists that you don't run every single day. I just feel like I should have been out there, running. Oh well. I took yesterday off. There are some days that I get home from work and play with Lola and get her fed and ready for bed, that I don't feel like I've even said hello to Max. I try to make an effort to make sure we sit down together as a family, at least once a week. It's been a pretty busy month so far, and I think it's just going to get busier until after we move. So, we went to our fave, Jason's Deli for our family dinner last night. We seriously frequent Jason's Deli and are usually there at least once a week. But, we hadn't been in at least 2 weeks, so I figured it would be a good easy dinner. And let me just say, next time we go, Lola is getting a whole plate of peas. I always get her a little bit of a variety from the salad bar - - cottage cheese, fruit, mushrooms, peas, pasta, tomatoes. I think there were about 10 peas on her plate, and she went directly for them, and popped them all into her mouth immediately. This girl loves her peas! After dinner and getting Lola home and in the bath and down to bed, I was off to watch The Time Travelers Wife. Disappointing. But, I won't get into that...again.

Today my legs aren't sore and I am ready to get to Memorial this evening. A day of rest was good! I hope my sensor starts working again. I didn't have time to go get a new one, dang it!

And, this is completely off the subject, but I lovelovelove this, and I think it will look great in our new deep purple/aubergine hued bedroom:

Sensory

Yes, day two of updates! My groin is sore. Wah-wah. Got to Memorial last night and was roaring to get started. My dang Nike+ sensor wouldn't work! I bought some new Adidas a few weeks ago, which of course, don't have the Nike+ sensor inside the shoe. But, they make these "holders" that tie onto your shoe, so you can wear whichever shoe you please and stil utilize the Nike+ program. It's worked fine up until last night. I don't know, maybe it's dead. I'm going to try again tonight, and then if it's still dead, then off to Best Buy to get a link/bracelet type thing to use instead.

This Nike+ is really great. Since starting using it back in May, it really has motivated me and kept me excited about my runs. If you don't know about it, it is a program that links to your Ipod and you shoe. You place the sensor into the sole of the shoe, and you have a receiver that attaches to your Ipod. Simply download the program onto the Ipod and you are ready to go. It tracks your distance, time, calories, and each workout. It's GREAT. I love it! You can customize your workouts by either distance, time or calories burned, or just a general workout. After your workout, you sync it with your computer, and it stores all of your workouts on the website. It uses graphs, and you can set goals for yourself and keep track of how many total miles you have completed. Me - since May, I have run 160 miles! Woot. Oh, it also tracks your pace and allows you to see where you are strongest in your run and where you lag. It's pretty neat stuff. If you're into running and tracking progress, it's a great tool and I highly recommend.

So, last night's run was good. Went my alternate route to find parking and found a spot immediately. Good stuff. Since my sensor wasn't working, I'm not sure how long my 3-miler was, but I felt good and I think I probably finished in about 32-33 minutes. Ran the first 1.5 non-stop. My biggest problem is side stitches. I could keep running if it weren't for those damn stitches. I know it's probably because I down my Superpump before my run. I think I will try to drink 30 minutes before starting the run. So, after 1.5, had to stop to nurse my cramps/stitches. Started back up and probably ran another .75 before I had to stop again. Walk/jogged the rest of the way; finished the last .25 in a sprint. I need to start some speed training! Sprinting is fun.

New Goals:
Drink Superpump 30 minutes before starting my run. Hopefully will help alleviate side stitches.
Download a speed training workout to use for my Friday run.
Fix Nike+ sensor or buy new one.
Run 6.5 miles Saturday morning.
Run Memorial in 31 minutes.
Finish 5K (09/26/09) in 30 minutes.

Accountability

Maybe I should save that title for a serious blog. Accountability is a heavy subject, and I could ramble on about it for quite a while. But, I'm not in that serious of a mood, so the accountability we are speaking of here, is my own. I've noticed that when I write about my accomplishments, or talk about them, I feel better...der. Doesn't everybody? I just know that when I squeeze in a new entry into one of my three calendars I keep, I feel so dang good writing, "Memorial Run, X miles". So, I thought, "Hey, I got a blog, so get to blogging about it." And this ties in with my previous blog about getting back to bringing it. So here goes --

Last night went to Memorial after a week-long hiatus. Between Lola being super sick, and Max being on vacation and taking his time to work on the new house, and then me getting sick, last week was a bad week for even thinking about getting out for a run. So, I promised myself that this week would be a great week. Lola is all better, Max is on his normal schedule, which of course, means that I am on a normal schedule, as well. Got home, ate some basmati rice - 2 cups, and a little bit of protein. Ate fruit and oatmeal for breakfast, so I was pretty hungry by the time I got home. The rice gave me some good carbs and energy. By 7:00 pm, after Lola was in bed, I was ready to go. Got my Superpump and headed out. The day was overcast, kind of wet, with showers here and there. Took me a good 20 minutes to find parking! I was pretty irritated by the time I actually got out of my car. I always tell myself that I should go a different way because I just know I won't get a spot by the tennis courts. But, I never listen to myself and end up sitting in a line of traffic, 10 cars deep. Anywhoot, got out of the car, did a little bit of light stretching and headed off. Dude! There was a COLD breeze. Yep, not cool, but cold! I shivered. Okay, it was probably just cool, but it was nice. So, yeah, good run for mile 1, kept a constant 9-minute pace. By mile 2, I had to slow it down a bit. I think my pace went up to about 11/12-minute. Ugh. Did I mention I still have a cough/congestion? That, plus the fact that I didn't run for a week slowed me down. So, finished mile 3 in about 33 minutes, which is pretty regular, I suppose. Pushing for a regular/slow time of between 31 & 33 minutes.

I have a 5K in two weeks, so I will be training to beat my last 5K time of 31 minutes. I'm hoping for 30 minutes! I want to finish my 10K in 60 minutes at the end of October. And then, finish the half in 2.5 hours. Those are the goals, folks!

Time to Bring It!

Okay, so I know I've been telling myself this for well over a year, but seriously, it's nigh time for me to get up off my lazy arse and get to taking off this weight. I've been pretty good for the last few months, although I am never too hard on myself for indulging in anything sweet or salty or just plain bad for me. I don't have any excuses left! It's been 15 months since I gave birth and I am tired of loathing the way I look in the mirror and/or pictures. I mean, it's not a constant loathe, just an occassional "o.m.g., fat ass!" I don't understand, I love running - it's actually more of a hobby than a workout. But, it's like I do real well for 2 or 3 weeks and I start seeing results and then something comes up and I get off track a bit and I seem to ruin it all.

Gah-Damn...carrot cake is so good, and my newest object of the crave. But, enough already! I've had you, and I can have you again when the time is right. I think it's time we take a break...

I was so hoping that by this time I would be done with trying to get the weight off. But, I could have worked a lot harder.

So, this is my kick in the butt - my motivation to get off at least a few inches/pounds in the next few months. I don't want to run the half-marathon feeling my ass jiggle! I want 2010 to be a great year. I'll be 30 in December, and I hope that by the time my birthday comes around, I will be in a better place. I want to start the new year right and not have to constantly battle myself to lose weight. Everything else in life is in order, so now it's time to bring sexy back.

(Yes, I am already thinking of 2010, the new year and the holidays...so sue me).

Lo & Behold

This blog is dedicated to Lola. It's my free reign to brag on and laugh about my little monster. She is 14 months now, I guess that technically makes her a toddler. She has been walking since a few days after her birthday and she is really getting around now. If we do not put the baby gate up in time, she is ripping through the house, running around and trying to do everything she's not supposed to be doing. Her favorite spots are of course, the two spots toddlers or children should never be - the kitchen and the bathroom! Luckily, our house is small enough to where she's actually never out of our sight. But, she tries...oh, does she try. I guess because we are constantly telling her no and pulling her away from certain areas that she gravitates towards them whenever she has a chance. It's so fun to chase her around and listen to her babbling. She is always "talking". They tell us at day care that she talks to anyone who will listen. And it's so funny and cute because she makes this little gesture with her hands, where she throws them up, as if to say, "I just don't know." We carry on conversations like this at least 10 times a day.

I know every mother says this, but I really think Lola is the nicest and sweetest baby ever! She waves at and says "hi" to anyone who passes her or looks at her. Walking into day care every morning, she waves and says hi to the old lady volunteer, and then to other parents who are walking out, and then she stops at the first room with the babies and peeks her head in and waves to the teachers there. Once she gets to her room, she laughs and runs and plays with her little friends. It's really the cutest thing. And, apparently, she has no "stranger fear", as anyone who baby-talks her, is instantly her new best friend and she is holding out her arms for a hug or a pick-up. Also, her new thing at day care is waking up every other child in her class from their naps. Since she is usually always the first to wake, she goes through and pats the other children on their backs until they awaken. AND, one more thing she does at day care - she tries to eat the other kids food if they are not finished by the time she is. Meaning, she will scarf down her lunch and try to grab the other kids lunch as well. She is by no means a fat baby! But, damn does she like to eat! You offer her 3 animal crackers, she will take all 3 and stuff them in her mouth and expect you to give her more right away. She does this with practically everything. Made her tater tots the other night - 2 in the mouth (that's all that would fit), and fisting about 3 more, waiting for more room in her mouth. It's great.

It's still amazing to me how much they learn and process during these early years. She goes and grabs her shoes and tries to put them on; she points at her nose (nooo), eyes (ei) and hair (haaa) and can kind of say what each of them are; she can't get enough of the dogs - always laughing and screaming "DOG!" every time she sees them; she can dance, too! You ask her to dance and she will smile and shuffle her feet and turn around in a circle.

These are some great times. I am going to miss them when she is older, and I am cherishing every moment I can with her. She really is the best thing to ever happen to me.