What's up Wednesday 5/8

Thank goodness it's Wednesday...only a few more days till the weekend! 

This weekend is going to be so much fun!

[shenanagins with Hollie]

What's up with Marathon training?

Crappy Good old taper time.

Did you see my Acronym for TAPER yesterday? 

Well you should because Emily Blunt made a guest appearance.

Physically I feel...OK right now.

Calves are sore, but I'm stretching them a lot, 

and basically living in compression socks.

That is actually one of my goals right now, stretch more.

I'm horrible about it... I was super proud last night though...

I stretched on the stairs after my run last night forever for 10-15 minutes, AND stretched for 20 minutes later on. My muscles are thanking me for it today.

What else is going on with marathon training? WEATHER CHECKING.

I'm still outside the 10 day weather report but doesn't mean I can't stalk Cleveland.

Still 2 days out from marathon day (May 19th) showing up.
Personally, if it is going to be anything over 65-70 I want a little mist or rain.
I'm not acclimating to the heat well this year, so I really don't want a hot race day.

What's up with Triathlon training?

Short story: I've been slacking on it, but I AM getting in the pool today.

Mentally I just need the marathon to be done,

so I can put 100% focus on tri-stuff.

What's up with my nutrition?

I've been obsessed with salads lately.

And nachos with fresh salsa.

Hell, I have even been adding fresh salsa to my salads.

What's up with Work?

Still doing both jobs but have been doing much less at the restaurant.

2 days of doubles this week. BOO.

As for my Series 7 studying, its going well.

I'm really getting the hang of it and that makes me happy.

There is a TON of material but I've been working hard at it. 

I'll be registering for my exam and hopefully be taking it by the end of the summer.

Good news is I passed my background check 

No drug background, no DUI's, no felony charges and no misdemeanor convictions.

Biggest thing they look for is fraud background

(Lie about it, and you'll get barred by the N.Y.S.E. funny how that works?ha.)

What's up with my ACE education?

This has had to take a back seat to my studying for Series 7 stuff, BUT I have been reading the material and working through it just not as much as I would like right now.

What's up with Wedding plans?

We are pretty sure we found the reception venue we want.

I love love love it :) 

Just waiting to see finalized pricing.

Small world, also found out someone I know well works there, and has major pull.

He has a TON of connections which can help us get more of what we want, 

without breaking the bank!

This is what the place will look like in the fall (our wedding is Fall of next year)
It's on Keuka Lake. The Ceremony will also be on the lake, but at Garrett Chapel.

What's up with my adorable nephew?

His head is what's up.
This little man is already amazingly strong.
Pretty sure he has been doing Pee-wee-90x 

What's up with your life right now?

Anything new and exciting?

Facts Friday

Schedule today will be different than normal, working for a little bit then heading to a local surgical center. J is getting another knee surgery, & I will be there for a few hours then home playing 'nurse Laura' for the rest of the evening! :)

[Basically an excuse to sit in bed with him and watch movies and write down all of the funny things he says while on pain killers... ( I could write a book on the things he said last time!)]

So instead of a 'typical' post, I decided to go with something different, a whole bunch of random facts....enjoy!

DAYS UNTIL......

2 Days until next race 

3-10 Days until my Sister's baby is born (she's convinced he will be early)

8 Days until I get to run with Hollie and eat fabulous food after

36 Days until my first Duathlon

58 Days until Marathon #5

72 Days until my first Triathlon

114 Days until my first 70.3

198 Days until Marathon #6

395 Days until my first Boston Marathon

533 Days until Our wedding*

Good old Google to the rescue! So excited! 2014 is going to be EPIC.

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT MY LIFE

2=Number of Knee Surgeries my Fiance has had in last 50 days (today being #2)

5=Number of people who live in our house at this moment

1=Number of bathrooms in our house(See above statement...yes I'm serious)

3=Average number of chocolate milk glasses I drink I week

4=Average number of PB&J sammies I eat a week

13= Number of times I have checked the weather for Sunday's 30k between last night and this morning

23=Age I was when I ran my first Marathon

4= Number of tries it took me to BQ (based on new standards)

27=Age I will be when we tie the knot (My birthday is 2 days before the wedding!)

3= Typical number of espresso shots I have each day

3= Number of total nephews I will have come June (they're all getting spoiled!)

7= Number of things on my to-do list right now

 3 RANDOM MARATHON FACTS (Reference)

*In 2012 42% of all marathon finishers were female

*In 2011 there was an estimated 518,000 marathon finishers (highest ever)

*In 2012 the Chicago Marathon had the highest number of finishers out of any marathon that year(world-wide)

RANDOM FITNESS FACTS

*Running places up to seven times your body weight in pressure onto your feet. (Justification for expensive supportive shoes...)

* On average, 1 pound of muscle burns 9 calories/day where as 1 pound of fat burns only 2 calories/day. (reasons to be fit....)

*For every minute you spend walking, you extend your life by 1-3 minutes (get moving!)

*Underwater swimming is the only time you should hold your breath while exercising! (I forget this when I lift weights sometimes)

*Regular exercise is linked to better sex, because it can improve body image, energy, self-esteem and overall fitness ( just saying...)

*It only takes 100 too many calories a day to gain 10 pounds/year. (That's not that much...at all...watch what you eat!)

RANDOM HEALTH FACTS (Reference)

*Temperature can affect appetite. A cold person is more likely to eat more food  (Mother Nature, you're a bitch. Winter be gone!)

*Americans collectively consume approximately 900 billion calories each day (That's a lot, like a real lot)

* 2/3 of American's are overweight (We hear this a lot, but not nearly enough..)

*Eggs contain the highest quality protein (good thing I love omelettes)

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT GOOGLE (the all knowing machine) (Reference)

*Google was first incorporated as a private company on September 4, 1998 (that's my birthday!)

*In Feb 2002, Klingon became one of Google’s 72 language interfaces (Seriously??)

*In January 2003, the American Dialect Society voted the word “Google” as the “most useful” Word of the Year for 2002 (I think I say Google at least 10 times a day, if not more)

*“Google knows more about you than your mother.” (so true...)

*The first Google storage was made from Legos. Google needed an expandable and cheap way to house 10 4GB hard drives (as a Lego Lover, this made me proud)

*Google offers full-on gourmet meals three times a day for its employees. Free food is so tempting that Googlers risk the “Google 15” weight gain, which is similar to the “Freshman 15.” (eek, don't let me work there!)

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT WEDDINGS (just because...) (Reference)

*Early Roman brides carried a bunch of herbs, such as garlic and rosemary, under their veils to symbolize fidelity and fertility and to ward off evil. These herbs served as a precursor to the modern bridal bouquet.(Guess I better put some basil in my Bouquet)

*Wedding rings are often placed on the third finger of the left hand because ancient Egyptians believed the vein in that hand (which the Romans called the “vein of love”) ran directly to the heart (aweeeee)

*Nearly all cultures have showered the wedding couple with symbolic food. For example, the French throw wheat, Sicilians throw wheat bread and salt, and the English throw pieces of cake. Early Romans or Greeks threw nuts, dates, and seed-bearing plants. Bulgarians have thrown figs (glad I am not English or Bulgarian...oww my eye! oh that was just a fig)

*Queen Victoria’s wedding cake was three yards wide and weighed 300 pounds (mmmm cake.)

*Because eyebrows are considered intensely alluring in the Orient, historically the bride’s eyebrows were shaved entirely, rendering her powerless to attract a man (All I can think of is Tierra on The Bachelor..."I can't control my eyebrows!" ohhhh the drama!)

Some of these may have been helpful

Some of these may have been useless 

But I hope some were at least entertaining!

Have a great weekend! :)

What are some random facts about you, your life or anything in general that you know??

Runs, Nightmares,Recipes & Random Thoughts.

I'm not sure even where to start on this one. So if you're reading this please assume it is going to be in random order and most likely make no sense. (Not that my normal posts are much different)

Yesterday was a pretty good day, routine day and there is nothing wrong with that. Started my morning with Starbucks and work. Came home to see my H2B (this part isn't normal), he was working from home supervising the handyman he hired. Nice to see him during the day instead of waiting until later. I changed and bundled up to head outside for what was supposed to be an easy 7 mile run. I had a longer hard workout the night before and I have a lot going on this weekend, so easy 7 was all that I wanted and expected.

When my first mile hit and my Garmin said 8:05. I think I literally almost fell from staring at my watch not thinking it to be true. My easy pace is usually between 7:55 and 8:30 and my body and mind are very strong about starting slow and being progressive. I was like DAMMIT, my splits are going to be all over the place today if I am starting at 8.

Miles 2 and 3 were 7:49 and 7:37.  [WTF...okay then I wonder if I can hold this the whole time]

4 and 5 were 7:27 and 7:24 [crap, times were dropping too fast, going to make it harder to hold]

Mile 6... 7:10 [what is going on today]

Mile 7 was 6:54 [well then...]

7 miles in 52:28 for an average pace right around 7:30. No this is not anywhere close to my fastest run, and it is far from my first time running 100% negative splits. But the thing is, there is no way in hell my legs should have felt that good and easy doing that run less than 24 hours after a brick workout (30 Mile ride/3 Mile run/1350 yd swim) that honestly kicked my ass. Part of this run happened because I challenged myself when I saw my paces dropping, wanted to see if I really could do it. I have issues holding back sometimes, sometimes it's just better for me to let it go and do what my body is telling me to do, regardless of what the plan says.

The rest of the day went pretty much as normal, ran some errands, got my stuff organized for today (Friday's I work both jobs, leave the house early and don't usually get home until after midnight). I even got a 2nd workout in, hit the bike in our basement for 45 minute easy ride while reading that Mindy Kaling book I told you about last week. Damn that girl is funny, I was totally giggling the whole time. I even managed to get 10 minutes of core/stretching in after. Ended the night watching "winters bone" (starring Jennifer Lawrence) and relaxing with my foam roller (and J of course). 

My Sweet Tooth was ever-so-achy last night so I went with one of my go-to snacks:

Healthy Sundae 

Ingredients

1 Cup berries (I buy frozen, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries)

Protein powder (I use flavorless but vanilla or chocolate will do)

1 Banana (cut up)

3/4 cup Non-fat Greek Yogurt 

Dark Chocolate Hershey's Syrup

1. Grab a bowl and heat the berries up in the microwave (I do this even if I am not using frozen)

2. Mix protein powder and yogurt together really well

3. Put yogurt and cut up banana on top of berries

4. Top with a drizzle of chocolate syrup

5. Eat your heart out, it's full of tastiness, and protein and it won't kill your caloric intake.

The night/morning is where it got interesting... it was almost midnight by the time the movie was done and I was all ready for bed. I don't even remember falling asleep, I was that exhausted without even realizing it. It was one of those nights where I was so deep in sleep that I kept having crazy dreams. 

1. I meet with my new dermatologist next week, totally had a crazy dream about this meeting.  Don't remember most of the details (I always forget to write them down as soon as I wake up), but I do remember never wanting to go back there. I am pretty sure some random people made an appearance in this dream...like people I haven't seen in a long time, or people I am currently not talking to.

2. MY FIRST TRIATHLON NIGHTMARE. I knew this was bound to happen sooner or later, I just didn't think it would happen until closer to the race in July. My swim was half in the pool then fell off a waterfall and was swimming in the ocean??? I was riding a stationary bike...on the road (not very productive), and I was running in flippers. Maybe it is because my tri-training has been increasing and I have been focusing more on it, maybe it's because I spent 2 hours last night looking at bikes online. I don't know, but it was not a good feeling.

3. I came in LAST in the 5k I am running this weekend. Dear God, you know it's been a really long time since you raced when you start having dreams about messing up a damn 5k. 

Waking up today was a chore, I chose to sleep in a little instead of get up and run a few easy miles (sue me), and I am just not myself today. I am not in a bad mood, I am just sitting here thinking and over-analyzing everything. Actually I am in a good mood, just very deep in thought, even my Starbucks Batista noticed and asked me what I was so deep in thought about. 

A few things going on in my head today...

Tomorrow is my first race of the year, a small town (my hometown) 5k, I am not shooting for a PR (I'm not in shape to go sub-19 right now), but I am curious to see where I am at. What am I capable of running right now?

Oh yeah, tomorrow is also a planned 20 miler... so hmm lets see maybe 5 miles pre-race, 3 miles race, and then another 12 after. Sweet. First 20 miler since last fall, and this is how its going to be? It wasn't the original plan obviously, but I told some people I would do the 5k, and Sunday afternoon is my sisters baby shower and Sunday night J and his twin and I are going to see 'Book of Mormon'. So Saturday is really my only time to get the miles in.

Which road bike do I want to buy? This is going to be a lot of money.... I really like that one, and that one, oh and that one looks sharp. Folks, I can't begin to describe to you the stress of me buying a new bike. This has forced me to make spreadsheets, pro-con charts, all of it. My over-analytic side is really annoying right now.

I really need to finish my sister's baby shower gift. Sometime between running 20 Saturday and going to Syracuse Saturday night (monster truck rally with J's nephew) I will have to get it done. For her other baby shower I got her some big fancy car seat (all the bells and whistles  that thing cost me an arm and a leg... but it will be worth it for my nephew to be safe!). So for this shower I am doing something more fun and goofy. My sister is also a runner, and I am doing a running themed baby gift. ( Just in case she is reading this... which I doubt but you never know) I won't say what it is exactly but I will be sure to post a picture when it is done, all you runners out there will so appreciate this. It's taking me a lot of time and effort to make it happen but it will be worth it.

Why hasn't that place emailed me back yet? It's really frustrating planning a wedding when people don't email you back when they say they will. FYI, if you want my money and want me to use your place, you gotta talk to me. Kapeesh?

Well I suppose that's enough random thoughts for the day...maybe.

Do you have running/racing related nightmares?

What do you have planned for the weekend

 any races or anything fun??

I am Trying, I swear

Ever have one of those days where you really doubt yourself, doubt your ability to accomplish things, doubt the way you look and feel? Those days you are focusing on the things you aren't doing, or the things you are doing wrong. Well the truth is, today is one of those days for me.

And we all know that if you say you have never felt that way, that you're full of crap. Just saying.

Well I am going to try something new today, instead of dwelling on those things, I am going to look at all the things I AM doing and ways I am working to make myself a better person, physically and emotionally.

I am trying to work towards Marathon number 5: This training cycle is different from my others, because I am also training for other things at the same time and I am not training for a PR. BUT I can't let that distract me, I am focusing on the fact that I know if I put in the effort I will get to the marathon and be prepared and cross the finish line, and then bounce back for the things to come after. I have to keep reminding myself that I can do this, it's not my first time and it wont be my last. So for all of you looking to run your first marathon, know that the anxiety doesn't always go away, even people with experience face the same issues you are going through, you are not alone.

I am trying to knock some books off of my reading list: Reading is incredibly important to me, I am always reeling for more knowledge and inspiration. I need a little boost right now, so I am reading some lighter,less serious and more fun reads. I will let you know how they are as I read along. The skinny Bitchin' is a journal type, so I think I'll use that in my blog posts to prompt some post ideas and reader feedback. The Mindy Kaling book is pretty good so far, talks about her struggles with weight as a kid, and her take on life; comic relief is a good way to describe it.

I am Tri-ing...well literally. For those who don't know, I am tackling my first half-ironman(70.3) this July. I don't claim to know very much about the whole multi-sport world, but I will do everything I can to learn. My training for it is going to be....dysfunctional at best. But to be honest that is how most of my training plans look. I have been floating back and forth between feeling confident and feeling completely terrified. So I am going to focus on the things I have been doing to help get to my goal. I have been biking more than normal, I have been trying to bike before my runs, to get the feeling of running after riding. I have been getting in the pool occasionally, I went today (went yesterday too) because I know this is something I really need to do more of. I need to stop focusing on the fact that I am new to tri's and just dive into this head first, no point in sticking your toe in the water first to see if it's cold. I know tri- training is going to be hard, more challenging than just my running, especially since I am training for running specific races at the same time. I am not going into this with the idea that it is going to be sunshine and daisies, I am ready for the challenge I just need to get my head on straight and get my ass to work.

I am trying to plan a wedding...Dear lord who knew this shin-dig would be such a pain in the ass to plan. I give wedding planners credit, it's bad enough dealing with myself during wedding planning, let alone someone else. Screw that! After we got engaged I was all Gung-ho on planning, then the holidays happened, and my sister baby showers that needed planned, and before I knew it....months had gone by and I hadn't gotten much accomplished on planning. Now that I am trying to get back into planning mode again, I just need to get organized and focus on what I have already done, and what the most important next steps are. For the record I have one BIG thing taken off the list... I HAVE MY DRESS :) [now I just need to make sure I can still fit into it next year for the wedding!]

I am trying not to be a self-conscious girl..but well that isn't going so well. I have been struggling emotionally with my weight lately. Before you get all "OH hell no, little white bitch didn't just say she's fat" on me, let me explain. NO I don't think I am fat, but I do think I can work on my body and trim down in some places, and tone others. There is nothing wrong with wanting to better yourself and as long as you are realistic. I am realistic knowing I really don't have a lot of weight I could lose, and knowing that I shouldn't lose much either. I am a girl though, I worry about how I feel, I worry about how I am seen. Although I may not have a lot to lose, I really want to focus on getting more lean and toning some trouble spots that I have. I just need to keep my eating in check and focus on my training. But I am a girl and there will be days things wont fit like I want and day's I'll feel less than fit, but I've learned to use those days as motivation to work my ass off to get to the days where I can look in the mirror and think "Damn I'm good"

I am trying to better myself... as I have said a million times and will continue to say, I am far from perfect. I haven't always been the person I know I am capable of being. I see a therapist (saw her today, she awesome...just saying), and I don't care what people think about that. I have seen one since I was 14 years old and have been judged for it from the moment I started. Let me say this though, we all have problems, no one is perfect, and I believe there are more people in this world who need therapy more than I do. I have issues, but at least I am willing to get help and work on them, work on making myself into a better version of me. I am not hiding behind things, or pretending everything is okay, I am not trying to control other peoples lives simply because I cannot control my own (A lot of experience with someone doing this...it's not a healthy friendship to be in...hence the reason it's done). I work hard every day, to be a good Fiance, a good friend, a good employee, a good athlete, and a good me. I make mistakes, I have a temper, and I can be the biggest stubborn pain in the ass you'll meet, but I am working on it. That is the best that I can tell you.

So basically what I am saying is...
Today was an off day for me, it happens, sometimes you can't stop it from happening. I had no motivation, my clothes didn't fit the way I wanted, I am over-tired and would love to curl up in a ball. But I have learned to make the most of it. I did what I could today, I got my work done, I pushed through a run that I really didn't want to do, I swam again to build my confidence for Tri's, I spilled my guts at therapy, I cleaned out the rest of my apartment, and now I am sitting here writing this. I also plan on getting on the bike later while I do laundry, nothing turns an off day around like endorphins and productivity.