The Big 2-5

So yesterday was the celebration of a quarter of a century of having me around... aren't we all so lucky ;)  Here's a quick recap...

Ice cream cake from my boyfriend! My first ice cream cake ever!

Oliver was super excited about cake

Destroyed the God Father's pizza lunch buffet

My sis, nephew and I at lunch

My sister and B-I-L

I crept on the lobsters while we waited at Red Lobster for dinner
(sorry no pics, had endless shrimp though!)

Brides Maids (CANNOT wait to see this), iPod car adapter and Scheels
gift card from the bf and Applebee's gift card from his parents

My parent's are giving me my gift tomorrow and my sister got me this sweet purse.  Thanks for the great gifts everyone!

What is this creepy gnome doing in my blog you are wondering? 

This is the card my bf got me, I wish I could give you the full effect of this card, but that's kind of tough to do, the volume is not very loud.  Basically you pull the gnome out of the lawn and a crazy gnome birthday song plays.  It is super funny and I know my niece and nephew are going to love it when they see it! The best part about the card... the message inside <3 

Love all my family, friends and blogger friends for making my birthday absolutely wonderful!  

Weekend

I have a really busy day today, so I won't be getting my run in, but that's okay.  I know if I tried to squeeze my run in, it would just stress me out, so I'm better off without for the day.  Tomorrow it's on though!  

Tonight I'll be going to my sister's house for a Thirty One party and then off to Green Mill later to meet co-workers for our member appreciation night.  

The rest of the weekend I will be enjoying the great sports weekend in Wisconsin!  Badgers, Packers and Brewers game!  

What are you doing this weekend?

AWKWARD

No, not the TV show awkward, I'm talking real life awkward.  Being the only person in your yoga class awkward.  No music playing the entire class awkward.  You get my drift?

Anyway, that is exactly what happened to me yesterday morning. I had some extra free time and wanted to hit up a yoga class since my back has been getting sore a lot more than usual lately, so I tried out a yoga class at the Y that I have never been to.  Normally the 10:00 am Wednesday class does not fit in my schedule, but I have been satisfied with all the other yoga classes I have taken there so I decided to jump in on this class since I was free. I got to class about 5 minutes early, just as the class before us was ending. I didn't think much of it when all of those participants walked out and I was the only one left in the room (plus the teacher).  The instructor looked kind of nervous and said, "I wonder where everyone is? There's normally 6 or 7 other people." Well those 6 or 7 other people never showed up and we started the class with just me.

At first I was really uncomfortable, I mean I was the only one there to practice and there was no music playing.  I think the no music thing weirded me out the most, because I'm so used to it, but as we moved along I felt a different sense of peace and relaxation from the absence of music and being able to hear my breathe going in and out.  The instructor did a pretty good job of making me feel comfortable, including practicing with me rather than instructing me. She took me through all 12 yoga postures of a typical Sivananda yoga class, most of which were pretty basic moves, but we did do a couple that were very challenging for me.

Headstand (Sirasana)

Crow Pose (Kakasana)

I have had the opportunity to try the crow pose in a class before (and have never succeeded), but I have never had the opportunity to try the headstand until today. It was really ironic that I happened to take this class in which we tried the headstand, because I just commented on Tina's blog yesterday that I have never tried the move and that it scares the bejeezus out of me! Tina you'll be happy to hear that I did something that scares me yesterday!

After getting comfortable with the situation, I actually came to like my experience in class and was happy that I was the only one there.  Had I not been the only one there I would not have gotten the TLC I did from the instructor during the headstand and crow pose, which if I didn't already mention I failed miserably... something to work on though.

In addition to yoga in the morning I ran 3 miles, went to a Just Pump class and then ran 1.25 miles home.  The run home was killer since it was after lifting, but I needed it since it is a good simulation of what my legs will feel like on the home stretch of the half marathon I have coming up.

Have you ever been the only one in a group exercise class? 
What was your workout yesterday/today?




PS It's my birthday today!  :D

Pretty in Pink

This week is pretty low key for me as far as work goes, so I decided to head out to my sister's house to visit and go for a run (my half marathon is out in the country towards her house, so I'm trying to run parts of the course before hand).  

I'll take hanging out with this ham any day :)  My birthday is on Thursday, and even though I will see her on Thursday, she just couldn't wait and had to give me my present today.  Note: I swear it was her who couldn't wait, not me. Check out what she got me!

She bought me a purse, my favorite color by the way, and check out all the pockets inside! 

I will officially be using this purse everyday for the next 100 years of my life! Love it!

Inside were some goodies: Australian licorice, Kit Kats, Reeses M&Ms, and a coffee cup "cuff".  When I went to Australia a few years ago I fell in love with their licorice (and their Tim Tams) and got my family hooked on it!  They sell it at Walgreens and Target here in the US, I was stoked when I found that out after returning.  I'm sure these goodies will only last about 1.5 days, if that, in my house.  

After she gave me my sweet present we packed up Oliver and put him in the bike bugger to head out on a bike/run.  Britt biked while I ran, we took a 4 mile loop.  Running out on the country roads is definitely different than running on the city sidewalks and trails... going to have to head out there at least a few more times before my race in October! 

What is your favorite color? 

What is your favorite candy?  Have you ever tried Australian licorice? 

Bridal Show Sneak Peak

As I previously alluded to in my blog and via Twitter, I was part of a bridal show today!  I got to be one of the "brides", Kate Middleton to be exact :)  My boyfriend was unable to get any good pictures of me on the runway, so I don't have any pictures of my full getup, however I did snap some shots of my dew when I got home.

I love getting my hair done....mostly because I cannot do anything to my own hair, so it's fun to get all prettied up. I can't even get my own hair to hold a curl, lame.

I tweeted this before the show....

I'm happy to say I made it out without any falls, scrapes or bruises.  I did have a couple incidences coming up the runway stairs with my dress snagging, however, that made me a little nervous.  

Don't worry I jumped right into my game time gear when I got home.  Go Pack Go!

One of the other bridal girl's boyfriends took pictures of all of us, so more pictures of my whole outfit will be coming.  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Kick Your Butt Workout

This is going to be short and sweet, here is yesterday's workout.  It was really just supposed to be 9 x 400, but I decided why not through in some abs and strength moves during my rest periods.  400s were done in 2 minutes-ish, with a rest period of 2 minutes, exercises were done for 1:30 minutes. 

400m 

Tube choppers

400m 

Ab Triples

400m

SB lockout

400m

Tube curls/triceps kickbacks 

400m

Whippers (large ropes)

400m

Spider push ups

400m

BOSU plank

400m

Mountain Climbers

400m

Toe and heel taps 

I'm heading out the door right now to run my 3 miles and then later this afternoon I'll be doing either this Jump & Pump workout from Katy or this one from Midwest Fit. 

New Goodies!

Yesterday was a perfect day!

Workout.

6 miles in my new shoes!  Which I can't believe I've had them for a week and did not show them!

Experiment. 

I made pumpkin butter to take to my grandpa's 71st birthday party.  I used a recipe from Angela over at Oh She Glows, and was it ever fantastic!

Family.

We went for a walk in the rain after dinner.  

Goodies!

The two small jars are salsa that I helped my sister make.  I didn't get to stay for the whole process since I had to work, but I helped enough that she gave me some :)  Clearly I liked it, since it's a third gone just from last night.  The large jar in the middle is sweet relish (salsa) that my grandma gave me as an early  birthday present.  I have been begging her to give me the recipe for it for a while, so she decided to not only give me the recipe, but make me some!  Gotta love your grandma!

Doesn't Get Any Better Than This...

Life doesn't get any better than this...

 Oliver getting ready to "go to school" just like his big sister!  His sister just started her first year of kindergarten this year and he clearly admires her!  I'm loving his backwards hat, not sure where that comes from. 

Stopping to play a little ball on the way out the door. 

Looking for bugs!  Notice his camel toe from his flip flops he put on over his socks!  Oh... and they're on the wrong feet HAHA!  Love this goofy boy!

Working hard like his daddy!

Or this...

This has been my go-to breakfast lately.... 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, vanilla yogurt, chia seeds, fennel seeds and peanut butter...Delish!

Or this...

I stole Tina's idea and it totally worked!!!  This is officially the way I make my coffee from now on!

Or this...

Pumpkin pecan concrete mixer... enough said. 

Or this...

My official CSCS certification came in the mail!  Wahoo! 

What was great about your Friday?

Good Bye Summer + Book Reviews

Early morning at work (4:45am) makes for a very hungry girl at breakfast time (8:30am)!  So much so that when I stopped for gas on my way home from work I grabbed one of these...

I know... I was really hungry!  It wasn't too bad, but my homemade version is SO much better!

When I go up this morning to head to work I was shocked with how cold it was outside. I wasn't expecting the cold to come so quickly.  When I finished at 8:30am it was still really cold!

BRRRR!

Good bye summer... it's been fun :(

<3

Book Reviews
As you may know I love to read and since I passed my CSCS I have picked up my leisurely reading quite a bit!  I recently finished reading these two books!

Beginner's Half-Marathon Trainer & Run!

Beginner's Half-Marathon Train: The 14 Week Program (Jon Ackland)
This book is an awesome guide!  I've run a half before and I know some of the things to expect and feel, however, for all the things I read that I already knew, I learned one new thing or was given a wonderful reminder of something I pushed to the back of my mind. One of the things that has been most beneficial for me are the technique tips given in the reading.

Balance-   It is important to learn to balance the vertical weight of your body over your skeleton.  When tired a lot of people tend to "sit in a bucket" (I totally do!) which means that extra weight is being carried by the muscles rather than the bones. Doing this may increase your risk of injury, reduce your speed and make you fatigue sooner.

Foot Contact- Your foot should contact the ground directly beneath you.  This one I had to work on hard core, especially on hills!  When your foot lands ahead of your body, you experience a braking effect that slows you down (you don't even notice this, it just happens).  Keeping your pelvis directly over your feet will help you and it totally works your ab muscles.   Fun fact noted in the book...In a typical half-marathon a person will take approximately 21,00 strides, if you don't have proper technique you are wasting a lot  of energy!

Stable Platform- Good core stability will help you run faster! You ab muscles will help hold you pelvis more firmly, and if you paid attention above, that will make your foot contacts more fluid and reduce braking.  By holding your pelvis firmly you are able to use that energy towards running on the road rather than using it to counteract your pelvis rocking/dropping.

If you haven't perfected these, which I haven't but I am working on them, get going!  They will help you run with more fluidity and faster!

RUN! (Dean Karnazes)
While the previous book is more of an instructional book, RUN! is an inspirational and motivational book about an incredible runner! If you haven't read his Ultramarathon Man book, I highly recommend it, because it is also amazing. I believe he has a third book as well, which I have not read, but look forward to.  This book shares 26.2 stories about his life and running adventures.  It's an incredibly quick read because the stories capture your attention and the stories are very short.  Need some inspiration, here's some from Karno's book...

"Runners have some of their most profound revelations in the darkest grips of pain. What if we were to shift our mind-set and invite pain into our lives, welcome it and meet it head to head on our own terms rather than pop a pill to try to avoid it?... After all, pain is inevitable. Suffering, however, is optional."

"The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life." -Sheehan

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity for growth" - Einstein  

"There's a magic in misery."  

"Life is a series of obstacles and setbacks; living is overcoming them." 

If you want more inspiration, check out his book!  Totally inspiring and his life in general is an unbelievable story!


3 miles and some lifting ahead of me!  PS I am still incredibly sore from my workout on Monday... but it hurts so good :)

 

Enchiladas!

Workouts have been great for me this week, yet somehow I feel bloated and sluggish... ugh! Yesterday I tried a workout that I learned about from Fit In Heels, I know I'm the last one to hear about this... 99 Workout!

I started in right after work at 11 yesterday and gave myself 55 minutes to do the workout, because I wanted to make it to pilates at noon.  In that 55 minutes I only completed through 66!  That means I did 99 jumping jacks, 99 crunches, 99 modified push ups, 99 second plank, 99 squats...88 of all the exercises..77...66...times up!  I could not believe how fatigued I was and how long it took me to do only a potion of the workout!  I thought for sure I would get it done in an hour, clearly I was long.  If you haven't tried it out, I dare you, it's such a challenge!

Dinner


ENCHILADAS!  They were so simple!  Brown a pound of hamburger, add a packet of taco mix, stir.  Add a can of tomatoes with green chilies.  Lay out the wrap and spread refried beans and anything else you would like on it.  Then add some of the hamburger mixture.

Put some enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan (to prevent sticking). Wrap 'em up and lay them on the sauce.  Pour the rest of the sauce on top of the wraps!

ENJOY!

Are You Ready For Some Football?!

Last  night marked the kickoff of the NFL season, and it just so happened that my two favorite teams took part in that game... the Packers (my #1) and the Saints (my #2)!  

Go Jordy!

I am a Packers fan because I grew up in WI.  Granted I was born and raised the first 10 years of my life in Minnesota, my parents and grandparents are from WI and we were raised with green and gold in our blood.

Who Dat!

I am a Saints fan, mostly because of my bf.  He taught and lived down south and was a Saints season ticket holder and fell in love with the people, the state, the culture and the team.... I found myself doing the same thing! I have taken three trips to New Orleans... 1.) When I was in middle school for a basketball tournament 2.) Vacation 3.) NIRSA conference (Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV).  During my vacation there my bf and I were able to catch a Saints game, which was really what won me over.  Lambeau Field has an awesome atmosphere, but the Super Dome has a completely different feel.  Not only is it a constant party, but walking into the stadium I was overwhelmed with emotion thinking of this very space being used as an emergency site during Hurricane Katrina.  Not only that the people at the game were the most hilarious and friendly people ever!  All three were amazing experiences and quite frankly I would love to move to New Orleans!  

So last night was really going to be a win-win for me, regardless of who won.  

In the spirit of the Saints, we made beignets, a doughnut type pastry from down south!  Last time I was down there I picked up a box of Cafe Du Monda beignet mix to make back home.  Mmm mmm mmm!

Hope you all enjoyed the game as much as we did! Who is your favorite team?

Smile it's the weekend!