Tag Archives: running

Messin’ with my Schedule

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Good morning! Woot, it’s Thursday!! I always love Thursdays. Every week this day brings me a sense of relief since the weekend is within sight. Love it! Plus that sense of relief invokes a good mood. No grumpy cats around here!

Grumpy-Cat-PurinaHAhahaahah. Sorry. I love that poor little cat.

I didn’t get a chance to check back in for another post last night because a lot of action was happening in my kitchen.

photo(85)Yup, that right there is diabetes in a pan. Looks yummy right?

photo(86)Halloween Chex Mix made an appearance! Other goodies did as well, but I will wait to post pictures until I get them iced this evening.

I rarely cook up these types of treats in my kitchen, but this weekend brings up good reason for celebration and goodies are necessary! Nick, Mac, and I are heading to St. Louis to visit his family to celebrate several upcoming birthdays. My birthday is Nov. 1. His father’s birthday is Nov. 4. And his brother’s girlfriend’s birthday is Nov. 8! I had to make this Chex mix and lots of cookies last night to take along for our weekend fun. Yay for a little reason to splurge!

We are leaving right after work tomorrow evening and will stay through the weekend. Hence the reason for the post title – this trip will be messin’ with my schedule. Big time.

I LOVE Nick’s family. Love them. To pieces. Really, I do. So I can’t wait to go visit and spend lots of time with them the next few days. But since I just started out on this Half Marathon training plan, this trip will put a little kink in the regularly scheduled activities. I also have to get my Friday night and Sunday morning Jazzercise classes covered for me. When did weekend trips have to become so complicated?!

Luckily, I easily got my classes covered by my fellow instructors. Now I’m just trying to find a good way to squeeze in my weekend workouts and runs while in St. Louis! I have time on Saturday morning to attend a Jazzercise class at a local center close to Nick’s parents house and to also go running. But first, I have to figure out where to run and then how to get myself there. I’m terrible at driving around up there!

I’ve mostly stayed on track up until today, as far as my training plan is concerned. I started yesterday with a nice run. I was scheduled for 5+ miles, so I awoke bright and early and told myself I would run for 1 hour and just see how far that got me.

photo(84)It was stinkin’ cold outside! I think my body was in a bit of shock, and my pace was slower than normal. But I still made it almost 7.5 miles which set me off on the right foot for the day.

Today’s schedule is where it started getting funky. I should have started today with a shorter run (around 3-4 miles), but I instead taught the 5:40 AM Jazzercise class (I switched for my Sunday morning class). Tonight I will teach my normal class time at 6:45 pm. So today has become a cross training day, and tomorrow will be a shorter run day. I’m going to wake up early tomorrow to get out there and hit it hard before this fun weekend begins! I have a 3 hour car ride after work to rest my tired body and relax so waking up early is an OK compromise by me.

Soooooo, here’s another fun roundup of my upcoming weekend activities…

  • Make it to St. Louis by 8ish PM tomorrow evening
  • Dinner with Nick’s parents
  • Saturday morning Jazzercise class
  • 6+ mile run (somewhere?)
  • Meet my girlfriend Emily for a late lunch in the city
  • Relax at home (fingers crossed!)
  • Dinner out with Nick’s whole family
  • Sunday morning shorter run

And that’s about it, folks. I know I shouldn’t worry so much about all the small details, but I love making lists and staying organized.

Have a great day, and I’ll check in with you later!

Weekend Full of Productiveness

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Hello there! It’s been a fun weekend, but I’m exhausted! Thankfully this evening has consisted of Nick and I having a quiet dinner at home and relaxing. I’m lovin’ it!

Parlor 88

Friday night started off with a Jazzercise class right after work, and I arrived home around 7. Nick had been home a while and wanted to go out to watch the Cardinals baseball game. So I quickly showered and pulled together a comfy outfit and a wet, messy bun because the game was starting at 7:30!

IMG_2328We went to Parlor 88 – a cute little martini bar that has 2 locations here in Springfield. We’re lucky and have one close to the house, so we arrived a few minutes after the game started.

Since it’s not technically a sports bar, they weren’t busy at all but had the game on every TV around the place. It was nice to be able to sit and watch the game in a fun environment without a bunch of drunken fraternity guys in the background screaming the whole time! Plus my favorite part? The huge indoor firepit that we love to sit around.

IMG_2330It was a rainy and cold night, so I was extra happy to see all the empty seating around the fire. So warm and cozy!

We had some appetizers and drinks for our dinner. My favorite part was the tomato and basil pizza that I ordered.

IMG_2338Sorry – it was super dark in there! They had a balsamic vinegar reduction sauce drizzled on top. I wanted to lick the plate clean! The crust was super thin and the cheese was pretty thin too. This was perfect for my post workout/lactose intolerant tummy. I love cheese, but it does not love me! Luckily the cheese didn’t bother my stomach too much that night.

IMG_2336Haha don’t you love the lady warming her hands in the background?? We stayed until the Cardinals had a huge lead and then headed home. I was getting tired and had an early morning ahead of me! Plus the Cardinals won as soon as we got home. WOOHOO!! GO CARDS!!

Saturday Errands & a Long Run

So remember my ramblings on Friday about all the stuff I needed to get done on Saturday?? Well I got MOST of my list done!

I got my car dropped off at the dealership by 8 AM to have it serviced. My warranty is getting ready to run out, so I wanted to get my car completely checked over before that happens! Everything checked out great, and I got my oil changed and tires rotated. Yay for one less worry on my mind!

Nick was nice enough to pick me up and let me borrow his car while my car was being serviced. He had his best friend pick him up and the boys went off to a local gun show while I headed off to teach a 9:15 Jazzercise class. I had a big class of energetic students and had a blast subbing this class for another instructor!

After this class, I rushed home to freshen up so I could go get my license renewed. I dried my sweaty hair and put on some lipgloss and mascara so my picture wouldn’t look too terrible….but I think those drivers license photos are bound to be terrible no matter how much effort you put into it.

I passed my vision test and the road signs test with a breeze and was outta that place in 10 minutes flat! Woot! Picture isn’t awesome…oh well though. It’ll only haunt me for the next 6 years. 🙂

Back home I headed to put on some fresh workout clothes suited for cool running weather. It was about 38 degrees outside, and I was determined to get in 8-10 miles! I headed out to the Galloway Greenway trail where I parked at the trailhead and started off on my longest run yet.

Picture 4I almost made it to 10 miles! I was beyond exhausted but very happy with myself. My pace was 8:20 so I was booking it! This long run makes me confident that my half marathon in January will be awesome! I’m excited to start my first official week of training this week. Only 14 weeks to go!

And if the run didn’t have me feeling good enough, I came home to a package..but not just any package. My new boots from ShoeDazzle had arrived!

photo(88)These were my reward for not collapsing during my long run. 🙂 Mac thought they were pretty too.

photo(87)He’s such a little stinker….always trying to steal the show in my photos! I’m already obsessed with these boots and have worn them nonstop the past 2 days. I think they’ll be my go-to boot this winter!

La Hacienda

The rest of my plans on Saturday kinda fell through after this run. Nick wasn’t feeling awesome when he arrived home, and I was spent from my run, so we just relaxed at home until I started getting my appetite back around 5:30. Then we hit up our go-to dinner – Mexican food!

IMG_2341Guacamole! I gladly ate every last bite of this fresh guac. My body was ready for some healthy fats! The rest of my meal consisted of 3 enchiladas, which I ate almost every bite of!

photo(86)YUMM! I loved it! The chicken enchilada was the one in the middle, and it was my fave. It was exploding with tons of pulled chicken in a spicy red sauce. Next time I may just get 3 of these instead!

Today was a little less busy than Saturday, and I made another easy Crock Pot dinner for Nick and I. I’ll post the recipe soon! Have a great evening – I’ll see you tomorrow!

Frostbite Half Marathon Training Plan

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Happy Thursday! I’m ready for the weekend, and I can guarantee you all are too. 🙂 It’s been a busy week!

I’ve taught back-to-back Jazzercise classes each night (except last night), and the Jazzercise marathon will continue this evening right after work for another double-header. Woo! I’m just about jazzed out for the week. I teach one class after work tomorrow night, and then I’ve promised myself a completely lazy and relaxing evening after that. Nick should cook dinner for me, right?! Right….I’ll pass along the hint. HA.

Breakfast + Short Run

I’m going to technically start my 14 week training plan for my half marathon starting next week. But this week, with the days I had left, I was trying to squeeze in a couple runs to stay on track with my training that I was already kinda doing for my 10K last weekend. Having to teach 2 classes tonight kinda threw of my game plan, so I woke up with enough time to squeeze in a 3 mile easy run with Mac this morning.

We woke up around 5:30, and Mac was busting out the door before I could barely get his leash on. Over the past week, I’ve realized Mac can actually run fairly long distances as long as it’s not super hot. He’s been on two runs with me now (3.5-4 miles each), and we’ve only taken 1 walking break each time, aside from the multiple potty breaks which are a must for him!

We set out on a 3.5 miler that we took pretty easy with a 1 minute walking break. I didn’t want to kill myself, so he keeps me at a nice, steady pace. It felt good to wake up my sore legs from my longer run yesterday though, and I was nice and sweaty when we returned home. The temps were in the mid-40’s – nothing terrible. I’m hoping for some cooler temps this weekend so my body can get used to running long distances in cold temperatures.

Once Mac and I made it home, I took a super quick shower and got him ready to go again as he had an appointment with the groomer, a.k.a. doggie spa day! I always drop him off on my way to work for his 8 AM appointment, and then I pick him up during my lunch hour. I’ll have to post the fresh and clean Mac photos later – this doggie momma was rushing around and forgot to take pictures of my handsome boy!

Breakfast was once again quick, eaten at my desk, and I was still loving my Luna bars this morning!

photo(74)Peanut butter cookie Luna bar definitely gets an A+ in my book. And I also threw together a quick mix of Multi-grain Cheerios and peanuts to snack on mid-morning.

photo(75)Yum! No matter how short the run, if I run in the morning before work, I’m starving and needs lots of little snacks to make it through until lunch time. This mix did the trick!

Frostbite Half Marathon Training Plan

Since I had the night off last night, I decided to take some time to sit down and make up a training plan for my first half marathon!

Like I mentioned yesterday, I signed up for my first half marathon this week. I’ll be running in the St. Louis Track Club’s Frostbite Series on January 25. I’m beyond pumped, and I’m really excited to start training as well. It will be my biggest feat yet when it comes to fitness, and I can’t wait to stomp all over my main goal: finishing the race!

I’ve read a lot about running my first half marathon, and I think it’s best for me to not set any goals for my finishing time. I just want/need to focus on finishing the race and having fun with it. I figure Nick will come on some training runs with me to help push me along through these cold months of running I have ahead of me.

While I was making up my training plan last night, I knew I would have to incorporate my Jazzercise classes as my ‘cross-training’ days. I looked up some other plans, like Hal Higdon, etc., and I’ve loosely based my personal plan off of others I came across. This is what I came up with!

trainingplan600Download a large jpeg here. Or download the Excel version here!

I’m doing a 14 week half marathon training plan, but this week currently marks 15 weeks til race day, so I went ahead and put my runs on there from this week and marked it as my ‘start’ week. Just because! I also marked my upcoming 24th birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s! The holidays could make my training a little difficult for a few weeks, so I hoped by marking them way in advance, I’ll be able to make plans to fit them in somewhere.

I want to be able to run 4 days a week, and possibly 5 on Monday evenings depending on how my body is feeling. For now, I am scheduling cross-training on Tuesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays, I always teach 2 Jazzercise classes, and on Fridays, I have 1 class right after work. Then on Sunday mornings, I also teach 1 class, but I’ve often gone for a shorter run before teaching and have felt awesome during class. So I want to continue this during my training. Saturdays will be my ‘long run’ days because I don’t teach at all and should usually have time. But if not, I can always shift my long runs to Sunday if needed.

Is this more info than you bargained for? Probably. But I’m just trying to justify the reasoning behind my plan. 🙂 Plus looking at this plan makes me a little nervous, so just ‘talking it out’ helps me the most!

BTW, this is off subject, have you guys been indulging in any of the Halloween candy??

photo(78)A lot of this has been happening lately around my office. Sugar highs for everyone! Woo! I’ve successfully stayed away from most of the terrible-for-you candy except for the candy corn. I can’t help myself!

Well I hope you have a wonderful Thursday! Like I mentioned, I’ll be teaching 2 classes right after work, so you won’t see me until tomorrow. Have a great evening!