You can't win them all...

So my big plans for this afternoon didn't happen exactly as planned... I thought I would finish work, roll by to see the hubby at work, then come home & get in a nice 5 mile run. Well most of that happened except the 5 miles. Apparently, Spring not only sprung, but it has evaporated into summer! I am not sure what I was thinking, with all my knowledge about physiology, how heat effects the body and exercise... why did I think that after only consuming a pop tart and a cup of coffee since 10am, that I could just dash out at 230pm, in 80+ degrees and put in 5 miles? Yeah, I'm not sure either... So lesson learned as I hit 2 miles, and then 2.5, passing my street unwilling to give up, trying to push through, only to decide to loop around and just complete 3.1 and not 5 :(

I will say this, my age predicted max is 185, and my heart rate at the end of my run was about 176... I was so hot, so overheated, I thought, Hope your a dumb ass! On the bright side, I walked by my moms, stopped in to shoot the sh*t, chugged some water and finally grabbed my bike out of her garage... so now I can fix my tire and start riding again!

So I guess tomorrow morning (before it gets too hot) I will head out again, in hopes of logging a 5 mile run at with a sub 10 average pace... Not sure if I can make the run at 7am with the Grand Strand Running Club, all depends on my little angel :)

I guess I subscribe to the theory that we don't make mistakes, we learn lessons... so here it is, eat enough food to sustain the activity you plan on doing, drink plenty of water so your little muscles and more importantly your big muscles can carry your sorry arse where you plan on going and for the love of petes sake - wear sunscreen!!!

Happy Weekend!

The end in sight...

Ok, this week has been one of those weeks - yes, one of THOSE weeks... Work has been insane, school is coming to an end quicker than I can type (and I type pretty friggen fast!) and the stress level has been through the roof!

I have been juggling so many things for so long I wonder what will I do with myself after 8pm on May 4th (my last final will be done!)... To be honest, I don't know! I am typically always on a quest for balance, but I am either going 100 miles an hour or curled up in the fetal position...

This week for school, we had our client presentations for our Fitness Leadership class. I enjoyed this project so much, it really didn't feel like work at all... BTW, Christine, I am not just saying that so I'll get an A, I am about 99% sure Heather & I rocked it! Anyway, it really got me thinking about the future, once I finish this degree, how am I going to use my powers for good? I guess for starters, I am going to take the Health Fitness Specialist exam so I can be "Official", then I am really hoping to be able to start helping other people realize their fitness utopia... ahhh....already sounds rewarding, doesn't it?

Honestly, anything to get me out from behind this desk, where the only thing I have managed to accomplish is secretary butt... well, that's not true, I am awesome at my job but I want more... then again, don't we all? So the plotting and planning begins. The hardest part of anything is getting started. I figure once I start talking about it to people, I will be compelled to achieve it.

On a side note, I am totally stoked about my run last night! Everything just felt right, and I have managed to complete 3.1 miles with a 9:42 avg pace, this makes me want to get back outside and do it again! The baby slept from 730pm until 4am, well we woke her around 930pm for her last feeding, but I can sense my morning runs are not too far off in the horizon! Oh happy day!

So another day in the books, only one more assignment due for my online class, it's due on Saturday, and then my last final... and then... and then... well I'm not sure! No race this weekend, 5k on May 7th & Mud Run on the 14th... and I am sure somewhere in between will be yard work and laundry!

Reminiscing for Future Success

I know I can NOT be alone on this one. Reminiscing about how things used to be, and trying to get back to the point where things were just that good. Unfortunately, human nature rarely allows us the ability to bask in the glory of our current achievements,  - we are too busy not yet being good enough for the next best thing that we want to happen for us... So as I looked back at all my runs that have been collected on my nikeplus account, I reminisce about how awesome it felt to run an 8:30 min/mile, why didn't I appreciate my gazelle (ok, well it was gazelle for me!) type speed? Oh right, because I was too concerned with why I couldn't do an 8:15 min/mile!

Now as I wallow in my 10:15 - 10:30, I long for the days when I could move along in my runs, thinking to myself, damn your good...lol I know, I just had Gabriella 5 months ago, but come on, I am like superwoman, I should already be back to peak condition right? so wrong... I am sure there are others who would have or proved to be better than I am at getting back into it, I feel like a slacker but this is reality.

My reality is wake up calls at 2am, sometimes earlier and more often than once a night. It's having to be up and out of the house by 7:15am to drop the little bit at daycare and the bigger bit at high school, oh and be to work by 7:45am! Getting home at 5:30-6pm and knowing I have bottles to wash, reload with all the pumping I did at work (I am fairly awesome at multi-tasking) and prepare everything for the next morning... Run? When? Yeah, it's not easy... I did join an adult running clinic so I could have no excuse but to run on Monday nights, then I am supposed to do at least 2 more runs during the week. Night time running sucks (in my opinion anyway) because I feel so blah by the end of the day - I want to stay in with my family, watch old Seinfeld & King of Queens, and eat dinner...lol

So here I am thinking about how awesome I once was, and trying to use it to my advantage. I guess it's kind of like getting older, all those things you used to do, stay up all night, drink until you puke, get in at 4am, up by 8am feeling great - ok, well somethings we can't or don't care to relive... but that 8:30min/mile, You are on my radar! I am taking this reminiscent state of mind and I am using it as my motivation....go ahead and tell me it can't be done - I dare you... It will only make we work harder just to prove you wrong!

It's going to take some time, and outcome goals aren't really my style, so first stop on the "I'm about to be awesome again" tour, sub 10's, consistantly for at least 5 runs... then we will reassess, and then on to the next stop! I tell you what, with all this goal setting, I just might get back into all my pre-wedding clothes...lmao!!!

My new toy thanks to my wonderful husband!

Earlier this week, my husband asked me to pick up the baby from daycare because he wanted to go to the store and pick up a watch he could wear to work and not worry about messing it up. So that was no problem, of course I can do that... Well I am home nursing my angel when he gets home. He comes in and shows me his new watch. I tell him it's a nice watch. He says, I think it has GPS on it, you want it for your runs? I thought, you got a GPS watch for $40? I declined, it's your watch honey, I have my ipod and nike plus sensor...

My newest toy, thanks 
to my wonderful husband!

Next thing I know, he turns around, hands me a box and says, How about this one, it has GPS too! I thought I was going to cry... call it hormones, call it a sappy moment, call me a runner... I was teary eyed! He had bought me a Forerunner 110, I just couldn't believe it! Talk about being supportive of my running, he gets the 'best most supportive hubby ever' award! What more can a girl ask for?

What was also exciting was that I was starting my Adult Running Clinic that evening, couldn't have been better timing! I was a little bummed that I couldn't use it because I had to charge it fully first, but I was so happy to have a Garmin - I plugged it in to charge right away!

On Wednesday, I made it out for my maiden run with my new Garmin... I probably should have read the book or something because I was skittish to touch any of the buttons besides 'start' and 'stop'... I did use the lap button to time my 4:1's - it worked beautifully! It's amazing how something like this can motivate you to do more, push harder and want to get back out on the road again... tomorrow is the Krispy Kreme Challenge, I signed up for the 10k, but not to eat the donuts... just to run. I am so looking forward to getting out there and logging some miles!

I really am a lucky lady, as I sit in bed watching funny animated videos on YouTube about running, only to look over and notice he is putting on his headphones in order to listen to his stuff... I guess that might be a hint to me...lol

Stephen is a very patient man with a heart the size of California... which leads me to my next desire, I just threw out the idea of going to the Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon in Jan 2012 over dinner, I wonder if I am pushing the envelope??? 

The Heat is On!

Oh it's that time of the semester when all our projects are coming due... talk about just a little stress! Every semester is the same thing, so why am I always feeling the same way? First, I am nervous before it starts, then freaking out until I have taken at least the first exam. Followed by weeks of, "will this ever end" syndrome, only to be smacked in the face with "That is due when???"... This week is my marketing plan which has been brewing in my head for weeks, next week is my lesson plan, that is a thorn in my backside... then the following week will be client meet & greets, followed by assessments, and a final packet to present to the client... I think my blood pressure and body temp just jumped up thinking about it!

The sad part of all this is that I am so close to the end of finishing this degree and I am like the little blue engine before he picked up the 'I think I can' mantra... I am overloaded, overwhelmed and almost out of gas... I don't want to quit by any means, but I am burnt the hell out! I need to find that last little push of motivation to finish this semester, then I have the summer to rest up for Fall... I hate wishing time away, but sometimes I think, I just can't wait for it to be done!!! A Masters Degree in my future, highly unlikely...lol

You ever feel like you're treading water for so long, you just don't know how much more you can do? That is how the past week or two has felt... I have so much going on and it's like I don't want to not do it all, but I just really don't know if I can do it all...I keep going because it's a challenge and I want to say, I did it... but will it really be worth it? I have been taking some seriously big deep breathes lately, I just hope I can keep it together... Just a few more weeks right? I got this... >>>Deep Breathe<<<

p.s. I ran in the Building Futures for Autism 5k this weekend. I improved my overall time by 7:30min... just 2 more minutes to drop per mile...but no stress on that!