So it turns out that burnout is a harsh reality. I had my most active summer ever, only to follow it with my most pathetically sluggish fall ever. I am tired. I haven't been working out at all, and when I do it hurts so much that I don't want to go back. So I just sit at home and eat chocolate instead. It's terrible.
On the plus side, I have been working on things around the house. I sewed some hats and bibs for a co-worker of mine who's having a baby. I am so in the baby mind frame these days. Maybe that's why I'm so hungry...chaneling the wanna be pregnant mom in me. These thoughts of motherhood are uber premature and need to be stiffled. Just having a bit of difficulty with that right now.
Tonight...I'm either going to a step class or staying home to organize my closet. It's seriously a toss up.
I also just had a co-worker (not the one having the baby) told me she has all her christmas presents purchased AND wrapped. Wow.
On that note, must stop procratinating.....
Monday, November 10, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Shifting Gears
I finished my third half marathon last weekend. It was on Mackinaw Island in Michigan so I had a bit of a hike to get there- 9 hours each way! It was the first time I had been back to my hometown without NP since I moved to Duluth almost three years ago. It was a lot of fun. I probably stayed out a bit too late the night before the race, but I still made it! It was 8 miles of crazy hills sandwiched in between 5 miles of flats. I had no idea there would be so many rolling hills. It was a much different course than my first two half marathons! I'm really glad I did it, and I would probably do it again if I feel up for the drive next year.
If I felt like I needed a break from running before, I definitely feel like taking a brake now! I have one more race this sunday. It's just a 5k so I'm seriously planning on just getting through it. No time goal, just wanting to finish. I have a sore calf and seriously sore feet that need some rest. I'm shifting into more of a cross training mode now with more lifting, spinning, and other cardio stuff. It's not any easy shift from running, but it will be good.
I also did a yoga class last night. Ouch! I am seriously one of the least flexible people on the planet. I have decent balance, that's my only saving grace in the class. Otherwise I think they would just ask me to leave. It's obviously something I need to do a lot more of. I'm going to shoot for once a week to start out. I felt nauseous after I left....that's how pathetic it is.
This weekend I need to do some serious home maintenance to get ready for winter. I have some bulbs I have to dig up in the garden, and I have to figure out if you're supposed to cut the greens off the plants or leave them there to decompose??? I'm such a newbie.
Oh- the best thing is tonight. I will be making some scary eyeball Halloween treats! We are having a bake sale at work on Friday. The eyeballs are white chocolate covered peanut butter balls with an M&M on top and red icing for blood vessels. I hope they turn out because they sound really fun! There is a potluck after my race on Sunday so I may take any left overs there as well. Man, Halloween really makes managing my sweet tooth a bitch!! To top it off, I have a dentist appointment on Friday morning. Hopefully that will help me to not shove mounds of sugary goodness into my mouth all day ; )
If I felt like I needed a break from running before, I definitely feel like taking a brake now! I have one more race this sunday. It's just a 5k so I'm seriously planning on just getting through it. No time goal, just wanting to finish. I have a sore calf and seriously sore feet that need some rest. I'm shifting into more of a cross training mode now with more lifting, spinning, and other cardio stuff. It's not any easy shift from running, but it will be good.
I also did a yoga class last night. Ouch! I am seriously one of the least flexible people on the planet. I have decent balance, that's my only saving grace in the class. Otherwise I think they would just ask me to leave. It's obviously something I need to do a lot more of. I'm going to shoot for once a week to start out. I felt nauseous after I left....that's how pathetic it is.
This weekend I need to do some serious home maintenance to get ready for winter. I have some bulbs I have to dig up in the garden, and I have to figure out if you're supposed to cut the greens off the plants or leave them there to decompose??? I'm such a newbie.
Oh- the best thing is tonight. I will be making some scary eyeball Halloween treats! We are having a bake sale at work on Friday. The eyeballs are white chocolate covered peanut butter balls with an M&M on top and red icing for blood vessels. I hope they turn out because they sound really fun! There is a potluck after my race on Sunday so I may take any left overs there as well. Man, Halloween really makes managing my sweet tooth a bitch!! To top it off, I have a dentist appointment on Friday morning. Hopefully that will help me to not shove mounds of sugary goodness into my mouth all day ; )
Friday, October 17, 2008
Lacking Motivation
I haven't felt like doing anything since the half marathon. I got to the gym once this week and I haven't run at all. I know it's going to hurt because just walking is somewhat painful. Running is just going to make it ache. I know I shouldn't be doing another half marathon next weekend, but I'm committed. I'm just going to have to take it easy and get through it.
I'm on my way to Green Bay this weekend for my first pro football game. I'm not really a packers fan, but it should still be a lot of fun. They are playing the Colts so I'll get to see Payton Manning and Lambeau Field. I think we are going to go a bit early to partake in some of the tailgating festivities : )
One of my biggest accomplishments of the week was making a batch of sauerkraut last night. I had 9 heads of cabbage that I needed to find something to do with. I used to make sauerkraut in school all the time for Microbiology classes, but I've never done it on my own. It wasn't too much work- just a lot of chopping. Now I just have to wait about a month for it to get done fermenting. Hopefully I will be able to find lots of hardy sauerkraut eaters at work, since neither NP or me like sauerkraut. I've heard you can can it, but that just sounds like more work at this point.
My goal for today is to get all my stuff done at work so I can get out in time to get in some sort of workout before we leave for Green Bay. I don't know if it's going to happen, but I can try.....
I'm on my way to Green Bay this weekend for my first pro football game. I'm not really a packers fan, but it should still be a lot of fun. They are playing the Colts so I'll get to see Payton Manning and Lambeau Field. I think we are going to go a bit early to partake in some of the tailgating festivities : )
One of my biggest accomplishments of the week was making a batch of sauerkraut last night. I had 9 heads of cabbage that I needed to find something to do with. I used to make sauerkraut in school all the time for Microbiology classes, but I've never done it on my own. It wasn't too much work- just a lot of chopping. Now I just have to wait about a month for it to get done fermenting. Hopefully I will be able to find lots of hardy sauerkraut eaters at work, since neither NP or me like sauerkraut. I've heard you can can it, but that just sounds like more work at this point.
My goal for today is to get all my stuff done at work so I can get out in time to get in some sort of workout before we leave for Green Bay. I don't know if it's going to happen, but I can try.....
Monday, October 13, 2008
Whistlestop
1:57:54!!! I was really happy with this half marathon. I really wanted to get under 2 hours after finishing grandma's in 2:17. I was averaging 8:45 for about the first 8 miles and then I started to slow down a bit. I was okay with that though. My lungs felt great the whole time. Unfortunately, my legs did not. I must have strained my Achilles because it nagged at me every step. I was also running on a packed limestone trail that was much harder than I thought it would be. I could feel every single rock through my shoes. That was painful! I've never really dealt with pain while running before so this was a new one for me. I stuck it out though. I even had a little bit of steam left at the end for the final push....emphasis on the "little".
I have another half marathon in two weeks so I'm not going to be able to give my calf proper time to heal until that's over. This will be the first time I've been guilty of being a the stereotypical runner and running through pain. I think I'm okay with it though, just this once ; )
On the down side. I got stung by a wasp after the race, and NP locked the keys in the car while he was waiting for me to finish. I had to spend the first 45 minutes post race tracking down a locksmith and trying to get the car unlocked. That was unfortunate.
After the race we took the scenic route home through Bayfield. We had lunch at this eclectic old inn and then drove home gawking at all the fall colors. It was nice. We were both struggling to stay awake, but it was still nice.
Sunday was a long day of cleaning. I put off so many things this summer!! The next step will be doing all the outdoor maintenance that needs to happen before the snow flies.....yikes.
This will be the first week without a Wednesday night dollar race since they are switching to Sundays now, bummer. I will just have to run by myself ; (
I have another half marathon in two weeks so I'm not going to be able to give my calf proper time to heal until that's over. This will be the first time I've been guilty of being a the stereotypical runner and running through pain. I think I'm okay with it though, just this once ; )
On the down side. I got stung by a wasp after the race, and NP locked the keys in the car while he was waiting for me to finish. I had to spend the first 45 minutes post race tracking down a locksmith and trying to get the car unlocked. That was unfortunate.
After the race we took the scenic route home through Bayfield. We had lunch at this eclectic old inn and then drove home gawking at all the fall colors. It was nice. We were both struggling to stay awake, but it was still nice.
Sunday was a long day of cleaning. I put off so many things this summer!! The next step will be doing all the outdoor maintenance that needs to happen before the snow flies.....yikes.
This will be the first week without a Wednesday night dollar race since they are switching to Sundays now, bummer. I will just have to run by myself ; (
Friday, October 10, 2008
Buckeyes and Raspberries
I spent my evening last night cleaning out my Refrigerator and making buckeyes. The frige has been a mess since about Labor Day when some raspberries leaked all over. I knew it was going to be a nightmare to get all the red goo out every nook and cranny so I put it off as long as possible. It was hellish, especially when the bucket of water I was using to clean it out got so red it looked like I was sticking my hand in a bucket of blood. I guess that's somewhat appropriate for this time of year.
I also made buckeyes, ever heard of them? They are a bit of a peanut butter cup, but they are round. It was my first crack at them. I've only had my grandma's before. I was thinking about them the other day for some reason so I decided to give them a shot. It was a bit tricky to coat the peanut butter in chocolate since I don't have a double boiler, but I muddled through.
I love to bake. I decided to whip out the buckeye recipe last night to cheer myself up. I've found myself smack dab in the middle of the mortgage crisis, and it is oh so depressing. I spent a good hour talking with bankers yesterday just to find out there is nothing I can really do to shake our shady mortgage deal. Oh well. The treats helped a bit, but it's still a hard pill to swallow.
On another note- Whistlestop tomorrow. The calf is feeling a lot better so I should be good to go! I've heard it's a great race, and I can't wait to get out there and see what it's all about!!
I also made buckeyes, ever heard of them? They are a bit of a peanut butter cup, but they are round. It was my first crack at them. I've only had my grandma's before. I was thinking about them the other day for some reason so I decided to give them a shot. It was a bit tricky to coat the peanut butter in chocolate since I don't have a double boiler, but I muddled through.
I love to bake. I decided to whip out the buckeye recipe last night to cheer myself up. I've found myself smack dab in the middle of the mortgage crisis, and it is oh so depressing. I spent a good hour talking with bankers yesterday just to find out there is nothing I can really do to shake our shady mortgage deal. Oh well. The treats helped a bit, but it's still a hard pill to swallow.
On another note- Whistlestop tomorrow. The calf is feeling a lot better so I should be good to go! I've heard it's a great race, and I can't wait to get out there and see what it's all about!!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
My aching calf....
Alright, I'll admit that I have the lowest pain tolerance in the world. But still....I'm pretty sure I've done something wrong. My calf felt a bit tight after I ran on Tuesday, but I thought it would losen up during my run on Wednesday at Hawk Ridge. Um, no. It hurt, the whole time. When I was done, it hurt just to walk on it. I went home and iced a few times. I was really hoping that I would wake up this morning and it would feel fine, funny huh? It feels better, but I've got a long ways to go if I'm going to run 13 on Saturday!!
On the plus side, the race was pretty fun last night. The first mile or two was on the rode, yuck, and up hill, double yuck. But after that, we turned off on to a beautiful trail that made it all worth while. The trail was a bit muddy with all the rain we've had this week. Some people were really hung up about getting dirty. I was too tired to really care. It worked to my advantage a bit anyway. I was ahead of the evil blonde woman that always beats me for the second half of the trail. Unfortunately, she turned on the nitrous in the last 100 ft, sprinting past me to beat me by ONE second. That stung a little. NP said it was my own fault because I "let" her beat me, but I'm just not into that sprinting at the end game. I don't know.
I was feeling pretty tired when I got home so I tuned in to the biggest loser. I know, it's a stupid reality show, but I get sucked in every year. This season seems to be a bit less eventful that most. It's all women! What are there, like two guys left now? I know Ali won last year, but the guys are usually the ones dropping 100 lbs. That's fun to watch! It also reminds me, for a brief moment, to put the doughnut down!
Here's to a long day of RICE-ing. Oh and work, did I mention work?
On the plus side, the race was pretty fun last night. The first mile or two was on the rode, yuck, and up hill, double yuck. But after that, we turned off on to a beautiful trail that made it all worth while. The trail was a bit muddy with all the rain we've had this week. Some people were really hung up about getting dirty. I was too tired to really care. It worked to my advantage a bit anyway. I was ahead of the evil blonde woman that always beats me for the second half of the trail. Unfortunately, she turned on the nitrous in the last 100 ft, sprinting past me to beat me by ONE second. That stung a little. NP said it was my own fault because I "let" her beat me, but I'm just not into that sprinting at the end game. I don't know.
I was feeling pretty tired when I got home so I tuned in to the biggest loser. I know, it's a stupid reality show, but I get sucked in every year. This season seems to be a bit less eventful that most. It's all women! What are there, like two guys left now? I know Ali won last year, but the guys are usually the ones dropping 100 lbs. That's fun to watch! It also reminds me, for a brief moment, to put the doughnut down!
Here's to a long day of RICE-ing. Oh and work, did I mention work?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wednesday Blahs.....
It's been a long week already and it's only Wednesday. I'm feeling a bit unprepared for the Whistlestop Half Marathon this Saturday so I went out for a run yesterday. I meant to go in the morning, but I'm horrible about sleeping through my alarm. So that left me with a run after work.....in the rain. It rained all day so there was no waiting it out. I did about 8 miles on a trail that had the most tree cover that I could think of. Running in the rain is really not that bad. It's like a built in cooling system. The most challenging part was when it started getting dark.
Today my calf is a bit tight, but hopefully it will feel better by tonight. There is a trail race at Hawk's Ridge that I am really looking forward to. The weather has done a complete 180, and we are experiencing one of the most beautiful fall days I've seen in a long time. I was up at Hawk's Ridge a few weeks ago and I thought it was spectacular...imagine how it will be tonight! If I were more motivated, I would head up early and take some pictures of the leaves before the race.
I just finished off my second bag of chips today (the little ones), but still. I don't even really like salty stuff and I have two bags of chips in one day! I attribute the need for chips to the somewhat trying morning I had at work. An hour long presentation that turned into two hours followed by a lengthy tour of the poop plant- yay! Hence the blahs......
Is this week over yet?
Today my calf is a bit tight, but hopefully it will feel better by tonight. There is a trail race at Hawk's Ridge that I am really looking forward to. The weather has done a complete 180, and we are experiencing one of the most beautiful fall days I've seen in a long time. I was up at Hawk's Ridge a few weeks ago and I thought it was spectacular...imagine how it will be tonight! If I were more motivated, I would head up early and take some pictures of the leaves before the race.
I just finished off my second bag of chips today (the little ones), but still. I don't even really like salty stuff and I have two bags of chips in one day! I attribute the need for chips to the somewhat trying morning I had at work. An hour long presentation that turned into two hours followed by a lengthy tour of the poop plant- yay! Hence the blahs......
Is this week over yet?
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