New Year Brings Sickness: Day 5

Day 5

I meant to blog everyday. . .and I will get better. Unfortunately that minor head cold I had on Tuesday was a full blown cold on Wednesday. So in an effort to run everyday, I ran in place for 1 minute (Day 2). I know it's not exactly what I meant by running, but I can't afford to get sicker. It paid off though, I am almost completely better today! 

Day 3: Not only did I decide to try and sweat things out again, but I caught Michael right after his strength work out and convinced him to do a short HIIT workout with me. In an effort to get my speed back to what it was a few years ago, I have been working on 1:1 during my HIIT runs. This means I am sprinting for a minute and walking for a minute. I was incredibly proud of myself for getting my sprints back up to 10.0 mph and keeping my walking between 4.0 and 4.3 mph. I was only able to get 2.25 miles because I was running in between Personal Training sessions, but I was happy with it. The funniest part of the run was hearing Michael on the treadmill going "oh screw it", him speeding up on the treadmill, and then saying "it won't go any faster!" Hahaha, I would have been laughing if I wasn't focusing on staying on not tripping during my sprint.

Day 4: Yesterday I had nothing to do after work (seeing as Michael worked all night, everyone else is coming down with some nasty virus, and I don't have school), so I spend a couple hours there filling out paperwork and working out. I didn't feel like working out, so I had convinced myself to at least run 1 mile and complete an ab circuit. I ended up running 2 miles and this is what my workout looked like when I was finished:

(I actually only did 2 sets of the abs and the upper body)

Right now I am training for a 5k and a Half Marathon. I haven't found a 5k to run yet, but I know I am going to be running the Abraham Lincoln Half Marathon again this year. Michael is running it too. . .slightly involuntarily. . .but he is a good sport, he'll do just about any race or physical challenge if asked (he may be slightly competitive).

That's all I've got for now. Going to enjoy a relaxing evening in my sweats, with a wonderful chicken-topped salad, a diet coke, and the entire collection of Friends.

365 Days of Running: Day 1

Day 1

I really had to talk myself into running today. I have been fighting a head cold and have been feeling drowsy and sluggish all day. Since I spent most of the day at the gym as it is (as a Personal Trainer, I spend a lot of time there), getting on a treadmill is typically not exceptionally appealing to me. However, it was only 22 degrees outside and I really do not want my measly little cold to turn into something worse. 

The secret to running/working out when you aren't feeling like it? Remove possible excuses and prepare for success! I had a three hour break this afternoon from work in which I could have worked out, but I was feeling overly drowsy and lightheaded. So I headed home to eat something to give me some energy later, took a nap, relaxed, and made sure my bag was packed with my workout clothes (and cold medicine).

So when I finished my last session this evening 30 minutes before the gym closed, I quickly changed into my workout clothes and hoped on the treadmill, mentally reminding myself that I just needed to get a run in and not overdo it since I am sick. Although I only had time for a 20 minute run, I felt so much better afterward. I had a little more energy, my head wasn't quite as clogged up, and I felt a personal sense of achievement for making myself get up and sweat. Not to mention, I maintained 8:34 miles for most of the 2.25 mile run, which is great considering I haven't done a lot of running over the last month (and ate a lot of cookies)!

Another secret to motivate yourself to run? New and/or awesome workout gear!

My pretty new {Christmas} shoes! LOVE THEM! 

(I never liked how Nike shoes fit me in the past, but I absolutely LOVE these shoes! They are lightweight, narrow fitting, and supportive! And my boyfriend even picked out my favorite colors!)

Happy Running!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013! 

I cannot tell you how many times I have written/typed the year 2012 in the last 24 hours!

Looking back I feel like the last year flew by so quickly, but I also can think about days, weeks, and months that were full of challenges that seemed to drag on.

2012 held many challenges, being the hardest year of school I have experienced since I started working a full-time job (sometimes overtime) while still taking a full load of classes. I have never struggled so much to balance life and a schedule. I also ended up in the emergency room for the first time due to a terrible kidney infection (which we thought was appendicitis) that knocked me off my feet for nearly 3 weeks. 

This year was also full of personal accomplishments:

Running my first half marathon (with my incredible boyfriend)!

Completing my first Tough Mudder (wouldn't have finish without him)!

Passed my CPT exam (and landed a job at a gym)!

2012 was definitely a year of discovery; discovering a career path that correlates with my passions, discovering how hard I can physically push myself, discovering new sports, discovering a path to a healthier body, discovering what trusting truly means (people and God), among many other things.

Although I am sure this will change, 2013 seems like it is going to be a year for new beginnings and commitment. If you know me, you know that I have a short attention span. Its not that I get bored with things, but I get interested in too many things at one time and end up overwhelmed or forgetting about something. I struggle to commit to certain things. . .like committing to fold my laundry everyday (haha, this is just a lost cause), blog everyday, pre-cook meals every week, etc.

This year I am going to teach myself to be more organized and stick to my commitments. 

My top 5 goals for 2013 (I'll post the entire list as soon as I finish):

1. Run 365 days, everyday this year (doesn't matter how far I run, I am sure there will be short days).
2. Run a half marathon and beat last year's time (02:07:43)
3. Run {five} 5k races and PR in at least one (current PR 23:29)
4. Persistently pursue couponing, budgeting, and saving
5. Be personally responsible: keeping things clean and organized