Brie Fit

Down, up, down, up, rinse, repeat.

At least our kitties (and kitty houseguest) are cute.

Lunch was another Branny burrito (yum!), a salad, a teeny tangerine, a teeny cheese, and Fage with cherries.

I really, really, really love Fage.  There’s just something about the texture and flavor—it’s super creamy, but doesn’t really have a huge tang like a lot of Greek yogurt, and the topping is just enough to make it sweet without being overwhelming.

Unfortunately, it’s the most expensive yogurt at the grocery store.  It was on sale this week, though!

Nana and PB snack:

Leftovers for dinner.

So, I had another shitball workout today. 

I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately.  For the last two weeks, I feel like my only good workouts have been lifting.  My running and other cardio has just sucked.  I hate it.  I stare at the clock on the treadmill/my Garmin and just will it to move faster. 

And a million tiny little things are always wrong.  My shins are sore and I’m afraid they’re going to get worse.  My asthma flares up and my throat closes.  Today, I forgot my water bottle, and my mouth was painfully dry to the point where I felt like I was choking.

It’s just stupid.  I just feel like I want every run to be over before it even starts.  And then I feel even worse because I get lots of people who say I inspire them, and I feel the furthest thing from an inspiration right now. 

I’m not really sure what I need, but I’m running a half marathon in a week and a half.  I’m hoping for a decent long run on Friday, and hoping that my base will power me through.  But I hate that approach, you know?  I wanted to really be able to train hard for this race, but God knows why, it just isn’t happening.

Here’s what I WANT to do for exercise:

• Spinning classes with a fun, motivating instructor and great music
• Sweaty power yoga
• Lifting in a place that isn’t packed like sardines
• Kickboxing/boxing classes
• Work with a personal trainer for the first time
• Crossfit style workouts
• Run, sometimes, when I want to.  Train to improve speed.

Here’s what my current gym situation allows  me to do:

• Outdoor track running
• Treadmill running
• Track running
• Ellipticaling
• Lifting free weights in a packed weight room
• Weightlifting machines
• Stationary biking
• Swimming

See the problem?

My gym offers classes, but they are at times I can’t go and extremely expensive.

My gym is extremely cheap and I don’t feel comfortable spending more money.  And I don’t feel comfortable getting into a new contract with a gym since we may be moving this year.   And there aren’t any great options near our house or my office anyway.  I liked the gym I went to when we first moved here, but given where we live, and where I work, and where the gym is, I’d never get there. 

The only new option I haven’t tried yet at my gym is swimming.  I think I would like swimming, and I can swim, in the very-poor-form-freestyle vein, but I feel like embarrassment at my lack of skill is holding me back. 

Anyway.

I can’t decide if my workouts are sucking because I’m feeling bored and unmotivated, or because I’m not eating enough, or because it’s just a slump, or because I need to take a rest week, or what.

But they are sucky lately and I’m sorry.

(Today’s workout: run 1.35 miles on treadmill.  Die of dry mouth.  Get water.  Run .5 miles on track.  Shin starts to ache.  15 minutes on elliptical.  Leave.)

At least there was this funny sign that made the trip almost worth it:

WTF?  Who is lubing up in the weight room?  On the rubber floor? 

Does not compute.

How do you get over a slump?  Do I need a rest week?  Do I need to eat more?  Do I need a new gym?  Should I take a swimming  class?  Do I need to suck it up and just make it work?

So, yesterday, I bought my first ever LivingSocial deal.

For $13, I got one CSA organic delivery box from Door to Door Organics!  Today I scheduled it to be delivered on Monday, January 3rd and I am crazy excited.  This is a sample of what we might get:

Pretty good deal, huh?

Anyway, I am admittedly terrible at buying and consuming enough vegetables, largely because the ones at our grocery store never wind up being all that great, and I’m not adventurous enough to try ones I’ve never cooked before.  We’ll see how we like this first one and then may see if we want to continue it.  It would be about $50/month to get a box every other week, so not cheap, but not insane, either.  I’m excited!

Today I tried Susan’s 30 Minute Full Body Weight Lifting Workout.   If I’m being honest…I wasn’t feeling it.  It wasn’t the workout, I was just kind of blah.  Oh well.  You win some, you lose some.

Now, we’re packing up for our Christmas trip!  We work all day tomorrow, fly to Chicago late tomorrow night, and will be driving to Indiana to stay with family on Thursday.  We’ll return to KC Tuesday morning…I can’t wait!

So, I will be MIA until then, so, Merry Christmas!

What are your holiday plans?

How about a vintage holiday photo to get the week started out right?

Me and Alf.  I loved that show.

So, I was MIA all weekend, as usual, doing all kinds of holiday things.  Highlights include…

Friday: Ran a strong 4.5 miles after work, then baked the most incredible chocolate bundt cake ever for a holiday party.  (Throw some crushed peppermints on it to make it EXTRA festive!)  Run and bake, yo.  That’s how I roll.

Saturday: Grocery store, last minute Christmas shopping, Christmas party with Tim’s family where I bring said bundt cake.  Holiday merriment ensues, including discovering a wonderful Christmas song that involves Toto’s Africa.  Win.

Sunday: Clean house, watch The Wire (seriously, fantastic show, Netflix it NOW.  And pay attention!), chill.

Today it was back to work.  It’s absolutely dead.  And that’s okay with me!

After work, I ran a reasonably-paced, strong 5 miles.

I keep kind of forgetting I’m running a half marathon at the end of February, and I’m okay with that.  I keep going, “Yeaaaah, I’ll make a training plan one of these days” and then I don’t.  I’ve done the serious training plan thing, and they kind of make me hate running.  So, I’m going to do a loose training thing for this race.  Here’s my “this is not a training plan” training plan:

• Run 2-3 times a week.
• Make my long run longer each week.   I did 5 miles this week, will do 6 next week.
• Cross-train once a week.  Elliptical, rowing, biking, my friend’s fun Crossfit workouts.
• Weight train twice a week.  I feel infinitely stronger and better about my body when I’m lifting. 
• Stretch.  Like, for real.  Don’t skip.

The name of the game is “well-rounded.”  I’ve done the “run 4 times a week and do nothing else” thing, so now we’ll see how this goes.  Should be fun!

Anyway, Shelby tagged me today, so here goes.

1. Vacation: beach or mountains?

Beach.  I don’t have the constitution for camping.  Being allergic to trees and grass tends to be a problem.  I’m not actually a giant beach fan, either, as I tend to burn easily and don’t like getting sand in my crotch, so my ideal vacation is probably something like Napa…lots of delicious food and wine and shopping, relaxed pace, et cetera.

2. Luggage: check it or carry it on?

You guys, I feel very emphatic about this.  CHECK THAT SHIT.  I exclusively fly Southwest, which has a wonderful “check two bags free” policy.  I loathe hauling bags around the airport into the frigging bathroom stall with me, and shoving them into tiny crevasses on crowded planes.  Check it and forget about it.  Even if I’m flying on a quickie overnight trip with a tiny bag, I check it.  Seriously, it doesn’t wind up taking all that long, and makes airport wandering much more fun.

3. Bed: make it or leave it a rumpled comfy mess?

Somewhere in between.  In our house, we tend to pull the comforter up enough so the cats don’t get hair all over the sheets every morning, and that’s about it.

4. Races: smaller or bigger?

Bigger.  I like nice t-shirts, swag, tons of aid stations and fans.

5. Toilet paper roll: over or under?

I’m fine with either.

6. Pancakes: thick and fluffy or thin and crepe-like?

Thick and fluffy!  With chocolate chips.

7. Alarm: get up or hit snooze?

This is the #1 worst habit Tim has gotten me into.  I used to hop out of bed as soon as the alarm went off, but he’s a snoozer.  And now I’m a snoozer.  Our alarm goes off at 6:05 am every day…and I don’t  get out of bed until at least 6:30.  It’s bad news.

Please leave your responses to 1-7 in the comments!

Guess what I did yesterday and today?

I went to the dentist!

I’ve honestly put this off for way too long.  The last time I went to the dentist…we lived in Iowa.  So, about a year and a half since my last cleaning.  Sad, I know.

I was a wee bit annoyed that new patients have to have two appointments.  They explained that this is usually because the new patient comes in, has dental issues (cavities, etc), and needs much more than a cleaning.  However, the dentist called my teeth “exemplary!” and said I really did need just a cleaning.

So, I missed work again this morning to get my teeth cleaned. 

The dental hygienist agreed that my teeth are pretty fantastic and told me not to change a thing about my dental routine.  (If you care: brush twice a day with a soft toothbrush, floss once a day, Crest Pro-Health mouthwash after.)

You know, it’s silly, but some days, it’s nice to know you’re good at SOMETHING, even if it’s just taking care of your teeth.

Exercise updates:

Yesterday all the treadmills at the gym were full so I did a fairly satisfying, relatively intense elliptical workout for 45 minutes.

Today I was going to make up for yesterday’s lack of running by, well, running, but due to various lady issues and an asthma flare-up, I lifted instead.  Specifically, Susan’s Leg Killer II workout.  I’m already feeling wobbly.

Do you love or hate dentist visits?

I’m pretty much just going to start calling November “Weightlifting Month” from now on.

2.26 miles.  Asthma attack.  Elliptical.  Sound familiar?

I should really just not run until December 1st.  It’s like clockwork.

Anyway, whatever, it’s exercise.  On days like today, I just remind myself “some exercise is better than no exercise.”  I need to learn that November is just not my month for running.  I just continually feel like I’m being choked and that’s not cool.

Oh, yeah.  The weekend was good.  I got my hair cut and colored, my brows waxed, and did a little shopping.  And went on a date with my husband, and slept late, and didn’t clean my house.  Good times.

So this is my last week on the road.  I’ve been a little absent from the blog lately because, well…I’m trying to keep the rest of my life balanced.  I fly out Wednesday night to Boise, Idaho, fly home to KC Thursday night, fly out to Houston Friday night, then fly home Saturday night.  (Yes, I realize I should have just flown KC to Boise to Houston and back, but hindsight and  all that.)

And then it’s done and work calms down drastically for the holidays.  I’m taking a five day weekend for Thanksgiving (Th-F-S-Su-M off!) in which I will cook and enjoy spending time with Tim’s awesome parents and see the new Harry Potter movie and eat turkey until I sprout feathers.  I’m just feeling a wee bit rundown and stretched too thin these days!

Still waffling on that marathon.  It’s hard to commit when my runs have been so consistently sucky lately.

What’s your favorite season?   I love winter!

Today, post-work, I put my music in my ears and said, “I’m just going to run until this playlist is over.”

And I did.

And it was lovely.

I didn’t stress about pace, or hitting a certain distance, or really anything but not having a crazy asthma attack and enjoying the new Glee “Teenage Dream” remix.  A lot.

I’m waffling.  I really enjoy this kind of workout, and running on my own terms, when and how much I want.  But on the other hand, the itch to run another marathon is definitely there.  I want to run a race that isn’t blazing hot, where I know I can finish.  And I think I’ve picked one out.

Enter:

The Oz Marathon.  Remember my first half marathon?  Well, they did some re-branding and changed it from the (boring-sounding) Garmin Olathe Marathon  to the much cooler-sounding Oz Marathon, complete with a super-cute website that has sucked me back in.  I like the idea of a small, local marathon—part of it is on a paved trail, which I think would be nice, it’s relatively flat, and the pacers were very nice last year.  As much as I bitch n’ moan about having a set training schedule…it keeps me moving, and most importantly, gives me a self-esteem boost I’ve been missing a bit lately.

So…I’m thinking about it.  I want to do it.  But I’m not sure I’m ready to pull the trigger yet. 

Maybe I need some wine.

Also, black bean quesadillas are my new favorite food.  And Parks & Recreation is my new favorite show.

TGIAF, friends.  Thank goodness it’s almost Friday.  I am very much looking forward to two full days at home after traveling the last two weekends!

What should I do?  Jump in headfirst and deal with the ramifications or wait until I feel 100% confident and prepared?

Also…latest food/TV obsessions?

Sorry for no update yesterday.  I’m kind of fried these days.  I’ve basically been spending the last two days driving a few hours to one location, frantically running around doing stuff, then packing up and doing it again. 

Yesterday began with voting.

And then caffeine.

(Nail polish: Essie’s In Stitches…it’s lighter in person.)

Unfortunately, the parts of the Earth I’m driving around don’t have real coffee shops—it’s gas station fare or nothing.  So coffee-in-a-can got me through my three hour early morning slog through rural Missouri.

Anyway, I did my thang, and managed to grab Subway between my two stops.  Can I just shout out to the Subway people out there?  While I in no way believe Subway is HEALTHY (I’m sure it’s full of preservatives and HFCS and whatnot), I do know that it at least keeps me from a major calorie bomb of fast food.  I had Subway for lunch on both Tuesday AND Wednesday!

See?  This is what my lunch options look like on a given day on the road.

I’m not even joking.  Welcome to Arkansas. 

Yesterday I did 35 minutes of elliptical intervals in the (nice, well-equipped) hotel gym.

Today…well, I ran for 5 minutes, and recumbent biked for 10.  And then I said, “fuck it,” and left.  This was seriously the most awful gym I’ve ever been in.  The elliptical was made for someone about 4’10”, and I kept bumping my knees on it.  The treadmill belt was like running on an oil slick, and it was clearly calibrated very, very wrong (I do not sprint at a 10:00 mile pace, thankyouverymuch).  And the recumbent bike seat didn’t lock and kept sliding around.

Just…awful.  Points for trying?

At least I got to watch Cash Cab.  I love Cash Cab.

Anyway, tomorrow I get to sleep in my own bed!  (For one night, then it’s off to Atlanta.)

Are you a coffee drinker?  How do you like it?  Favorite fancy Starbucks drink?

Sorry for no update yesterday.  I’m kind of fried these days.  I’ve basically been spending the last two days driving a few hours to one location, frantically running around doing stuff, then packing up and doing it again. 

Yesterday began with voting.

And then caffeine.

(Nail polish: Essie’s In Stitches…it’s lighter in person.)

Unfortunately, the parts of the Earth I’m driving around don’t have real coffee shops—it’s gas station fare or nothing.  So coffee-in-a-can got me through my three hour early morning slog through rural Missouri.

Anyway, I did my thang, and managed to grab Subway between my two stops.  Can I just shout out to the Subway people out there?  While I in no way believe Subway is HEALTHY (I’m sure it’s full of preservatives and HFCS and whatnot), I do know that it at least keeps me from a major calorie bomb of fast food.  I had Subway for lunch on both Tuesday AND Wednesday!

See?  This is what my lunch options look like on a given day on the road.

I’m not even joking.  Welcome to Arkansas. 

Yesterday I did 35 minutes of elliptical intervals in the (nice, well-equipped) hotel gym.

Today…well, I ran for 5 minutes, and recumbent biked for 10.  And then I said, “fuck it,” and left.  This was seriously the most awful gym I’ve ever been in.  The elliptical was made for someone about 4’10”, and I kept bumping my knees on it.  The treadmill belt was like running on an oil slick, and it was clearly calibrated very, very wrong (I do not sprint at a 10:00 mile pace, thankyouverymuch).  And the recumbent bike seat didn’t lock and kept sliding around.

Just…awful.  Points for trying?

At least I got to watch Cash Cab.  I love Cash Cab.

Anyway, tomorrow I get to sleep in my own bed!  (For one night, then it’s off to Atlanta.)

Are you a coffee drinker?  How do you like it?  Favorite fancy Starbucks drink?

So…just as a warning, these next few weeks are going to be crazy.  I have to work weird hours, including a 10 hour day the next 3 out of 4 Saturdays.  I’ll be flying to random places, driving to the middle of nowhere, and racking up the Holiday Inn Express points like it’s my job.  It’s travel season!

Today, I visited my favorite blogging personal trainer Susan yet again for workout inspiration.  If I’ve learned anything these last few weeks, it’s that I need to have a written-out plan when I hit the weights—otherwise I wind up making a mess of things.  Today I decided to do do her Full Body Workout #3 with a few modifications.  Like so:

Squats: 3 sets of 10 at 95 pounds, 105 pounds, and 115 pounds

Superset, 3 sets of 10

Wide grip lat pulldown: 36 pounds, 41 pounds, 46 pounds

Bulgarian split squats: 30 pounds X 3

Superset, 3 sets of 10

Barbell bench press: 45 pounds, 55 pounds, 55 pounds  (sidenote: is anyone else absolutely terrified of being crushed by the bar?  Just me?)

Good morning: 45 pounds X 3

Superset, 3 sets of 10

Dumbbell shoulder press: 20 pounds X  3

Reverse lunge w/ forward reach: 20 pounds X 3

Superset, 3 sets of 10

Dumbbell bicep curl: 20 pounds X 3

Plie squat: 20 pounds X 3

I can already tell my legs are going to feel appropriately wobbly tomorrow!

A few random observations:

1. College dudes just don’t know what to do with a woman in the weight room who is clearly not a  fellow college student trying to flirt with them.
2. Dude, I was using the squat rack first.  Wait your turn.  And don’t stare at me while you do so.
3. I didn’t realize how mismatched my body was, but my left side is much weaker than my right.  It feels weird to have the same weight in each hand, but feel the left shoulder struggle to push it up and the right shoulder pop it up with no trouble.  I wonder why that is?
4. My gym actually plays good music. 
5. The German version of 99 Luftballoons is much better than the English version.  (No, I don’t speak German.)
6. I’m okay with grunting in public.  Always have been, always will be.  I am also apparently missing the “afraid of the weight room” chip that so many females have.  I don’t get the BFD.
7. I am kind of terrified of exercises where I feel like I could drop the bar on a vital body part.  I had small panic attacks while doing the barbell bench press and had the weight much lighter than I could probably handle because I kept envisioning dropping the bar and crushing my chest.  That is also why I omitted the skull crushers in the third superset.
8. I will do anything to get out of ab work.  Anything.  I hate it.  A lot.
9. I don’t rest between sets.  I have places to go, people to see.
10. I love Zappos.  I ordered a pair of shoes from them last night at 8 pm and they were delivered, free, this afternoon.  Best customer service ever.

I’m off.  I have to be at work an hour early (UGGGG) tomorrow.

What random observations have you made lately?

Today at the gym I felt like I was back in college.

Here’s the thing—I’ve pretty much always worked out.  Okay, I stopped for a year or so in law school, but in college, I’d usually head over to the campus gym, in ugly plaid flannel pajama pants and a sorority t-shirt, and leisurely chill on the elliptical or recumbent bike for about half an hour while flipping through a magazine or book. 

Then I’d go back to my sorority house and eat a gigantic dinner cooked by our amazing chef, topped off with a huge bowl of fudgy cake or Alpha Chi Pie, and then go pound Jungle Juice all night at the frats.

True story.  (Spoiler alert!  That was not a sound plan.)

Today, I just browsed through a magazine while on the elliptical.

I actually upped the resistance quite a bit and got a decent workout. 

Oddly enough, though,  I think the reading+ellipticaling combo made me motion sick.  After about 25 minutes, I started feeling nauseous, so I stopped.  I decided to run a quick mile on the treadmill (9:00 flat) and then head home (I was hungry!).  I’m still holding off on longer runs because my foot still doesn’t feel 100% better yet.

Can I mention again how much I am loving the flexibility of going to the gym and saying, “Hmm, I think I’ll do THIS today?”

Speaking of flashbacks, please tell me someone else remembers the greater moments of Full House as well as I do.  Like this:

What were you like in college?  Did you exercise?