BRH: Week 3 Session 1

Run 3 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat 10 times.

Distance: 3.98 miles
Time: 51:32

I was so proud of myself for doing this run today. The sun was out and gave me the impression that it was slightly warm outside. WRONG! Was still freakin' cold! As I was running up the street I waved at a fellow runner who told me, "It's brutal out here!" This is where I noticed that I had just adjusted my earbuds for the 13th time in 1 block, and I immediately turned for home to grab a better headband and a hat. The headband was to keep my headphones in, the hat was to keep my new hair-do from bouncing around.

I took a new route today. I haven't run through the apartment neighborhood next to ours since June of last year. I knew I had that I'd be covering a lot of ground while running for 3 minutes 10 times. It was a nice change of pace. An even nicer change of pace what that I again left Bentley at home. He's starting obedience classes because I'm fed up with his doggie-diva attitude. He even has a new walking device that will hopefully put him back in the running for my running buddy. Good luck Bentley!

Down side of my run...got chased by a freakin' dog! Not just any dog mind you. But an out-of-control beast! This dog became a problem last summer while I was walking Bentley. We were on the opposite side of the street from its house, and 2 houses down, when it charged at us. I pulled Bentley to my far side and bear-yelled in this dogs face. It backed off, but kept coming back for more. This didn't let up until we were about 5 houses past where it lives. The owner, where was the owner? you might be asking. She was sitting on a chair in the garage, talking on her phone ans smoking. She did nothing. This exact same incident happened another time last summer too. Bentley is terrified of this dog! I just wanted another excuse to beat its puppy-ass.

Today I almost got my chance. I was one house down when I heard this barking noise. I re- focused my eyes to see the dog charging at me. Immediately, I got in attack mode and bear-yelled in its face to back off and kept running. It kept coming back again and again. I was around the corner and about 10 houses away and it was still coming at me. The owner? Dumb-ass was standing in her doorway just watching. I ripped off my hat/headband and chased this dog back into its driveway yelling and screaming. I then ripped this lady a new one for letting her dog chase me down the street.

Our confrontation went something like this....edited of course:

Me: "Are you just going to stand there and let your dog come after me like that?!!!"
Woman: "She doesn't bite."
Me: "I don't care if she bites or not, you shouldn't let her chase people like that!!!!!"
Woman: "She just wants attention."
Me: "That is NOT how a dog asks for attention. It was being aggressive and could have bit me."
Woman: ......stupid blank look on her face......
Me: "You better control your dog. This is the third time this has happened. If it happens again, I will call the police."

I then turned to run off again. The freaking dog kept trying to chase me as she feebly called for it to stop. I have never beat an animal in my life, but I swear I almost kicked the bark right out of that dog! Noticed how she didn't even attempt to apologize.

Now my dilemma....Do I call animal control to report something like that? Or can I call the police? I obviously wouldn't call 911 if it didn't bite me, but can I just call the station? I have never had to do anything like this before. I'm not worried about myself because I will not hesitate to hit/kick the dog if this happens again. But there are tons of kids in the neighborhood who would be terrified to be chased by this thing. I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt.

So, do I call the police station or do I call animal control?

Let's Play Pretend

This week was one of those weeks where I pretended that I didn't actually have goals in my life. I pretended that I wasn't attempting to become a runner. I pretended that I wasn't trying to lose weight. I pretended that no one cares what I look like. I was pretty much a delusional bum.

What I did focus on though was report cards. Report card week is always heck. I have to scramble to compile grades and type them each onto the report card template. Plus battle all the other teachers in the building in an attempt to print them in the library when they are finished. Our library has the only laser printer in the whole building. I would print them in my classroom but my printer broke in December and I was told that they won't replace it until they update the network....in JUNE!@!!!!! Yea....I don't need to print Anything until then! Dumb-shits! I love my school district, except when they do stupid stuff like that.

Hopefully the deep freeze lifts this weekend and I can get back out there. I was doing so well, and then it got fricken' cold again! I've made it a personal rule to only run when the temp is in the 20's. I know I'm a wimp, but I'm looking out for my health here :)

ok.....enough of this. Later kids!

R-A-C-E-S!!!

So....while googling "shin splints" last night I randomly ended up on a Chicago-area races website. I was instantly intrigued.

Here's a sampling of what I found that's close and soon:

Arny Johnson 5K and 10K (This one I'm doing for sure. It's right down the street!)

Shamrock Shuffle (I hear the South Side around St. Paddy's day is insane!!)

Race to Wrigley (My hubby might do this with me. He's a big Cubs fan!)

St. Paddy's Day 5K


Help me choose!

BRH: Week 2 Sessio 3

Run 2 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat 10 times.

Time: 45:00
Distance: 3.57


Wow. This was hard. I was tight from last night despite stretching. This was my first longer run without Bentley. What a difference not having him pull on my left side made! I felt like I could actually control my movements. It was a little harder to push hard all the way through the workout without him pulling me along. He was upset with me when I got home....he'll get over it.

Rest day tomorrow. Everything from the hip down on my left side felt tight. After 4 sets I felt dull stabbing pains on the front of my hip, and just to the inside of my ankle. I'm going to stretch everything out and take a break tomorrow. No staff meeting on Monday, so I should be able to get a good start on Week 3.

PS....I want to start telling everyone about my running playlist. I will start with my #1 Kick-Ass motivation song. Now, you've seen my picture, I'm cute. My favorite band in the whole world is Sister Hazel.

All that said...my favorite running song is....Remember the Name by Fort Minor.

"10% Luck, 20% Skill, 15% Concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain and 100% reason to remember the name."

It's not as hard-core as I think it is, but I can't help but knuckle down and run harder when I hear it. :)

BRH: Week 2 Session 2

Run 1 minute. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat 10 times.

Time: 48:00
Distance: 3.01 miles

Felt good to finally get out there again. The weather hasn't cooperated as much as I wanted it to this week. Plus I barely had any time to get in a complete workout.

I was in a hurry today. The husband and I are planning another date night and I needed to get a run in, get showered, make dinner, and get beautiful all in 2.5 hours. I ran fast for no reason. I can't possibly make 1 minute go by any faster. The only thing I ended up doing was making my legs sore from moving so fast! But it still felt good. I have another run scheduled for tomorrow morning; bright and early. I need to get it in before my weigh-in at 9:30....oh yea, I forgot to mention that I joined Weight Watchers again. I lost 4lbs last week!!! I'm hoping for at least 1 this week because I ate poorly last weekend. But I was successful last year and I know it will work again!

7 Random Things

I've been tagged by Lisa to share 7 random things about myself.

Enjoy :)

1. I love Fraggle Rock! I named my cat Doozer and have had my class watch season one on DVD for inside recess!

2. I’m terrified of looking out the windows at night. I’m afraid I’ll see someone staring back at me.

3. In high school, I joined the cheerleading squad for the sole purpose of dating a football player. Got one my sophomore year. Married him 6 years later.

4. I want to be a princess when I grow up.

5. Popcorn is my obsession. The popcorn bowl at my house holds 7.5L of popcorn. I can eat all 7.5 L by myself in 20 minutes. I am a machine.

6. I once stole magazine cut-out photos of Devon Sawa from my friend’s locker in 5^th grade. When she asked me if I did it, I blamed someone else in class. I framed them when I got home and hid the frame whenever she came over so she wouldn’t find out. Those pictures are now in a box in my parents’ basement…still in their frame.

7. I was held captive by illegal African immigrants for 10 minutes on Montmartre in Paris, France. They ambushed part of our tour group, slipped string bracelets on our fingers and started braiding. The rest of the group disappeared up the hill into the crowd. When the man finished, he tied the bracelet to my wrist and started screaming in my face to give him 10 euro. Seconds later, he takes out his pocket knife, cuts the bracelet off, and runs off down the hill. Scariest moment of my life.

Now I'm supposed to tag people...

I don't have a ton of followers, so I'll tag everyone who hasn't done this already :)

Melissa a Crazy or Determined?
Kristen at Kristen Keeping Up
Jill at Life in Charleston
Katye at Live, Love, Run, Pray
Mo at FFF Diva


I think I got everyone who follows me and hasn't done this recently. There are blogs I follow that don't follow me. I don't want to tag those people because they won't know they've been tagged. If you follow me and I didn't tag you, let me know and I will.

BRH: Week 2 Session 1

Run 2 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat 11 times.

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 48:26

I felt great! Can't believe it was that far. My cardio endurance is horrible! Around set 6, running for 2 minutes was getting tough. I started strong for each run, and ended weak and glancing at my watch. I need to work on cardio for my x-training days.

Any advice for building cardio endurance? I do not have a gym membership or any exercise equipment of my own. I won't be getting a membership until the summer because I just don't have time to go. Any DVD suggestions would be great. Also, Wii games will be welcomed too. Oh yea...and I have a bike.

Plans to run again tomorrow or Thursday....probably Thursday.

BRH: Week 1 Session 2

Run 1 minute. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat 9 times.

Time: 36:37
Distance: 2.67 miles

I felt great on this run. It wasn't too cold or windy. I kept from being bored by running around the neighborhood for the first 5 sets, and then ran back the other way for the last 4 sets. I would have run the neighborhood twice if I kept going. Boring!

I need to find a better place to run. This neighborhood is getting to me. I would drive and park by a trail, but I have issues with driving myself to go for a run. Plus, by the time I get home, get changed, and get out there it's practically dark. I like that I'm always just a few blocks from home if something were to go wrong. If I had to drive back home, I don't think I'd like doing that in the dark. There's a great bike path I'm planning on checking out when it gets warmer and brighter outside. Only a few weeks left until the light starts to last again!

I can't wait for spring! Winter is by far my favorite season, but I can't stand it after a while. Bring on slightly warmer weather. I always look better in cold-weather clothes :) Summer isn't my best look.

My husband and I are hoping to check out a hockey game tonight. Our house is a freakin' mess and we have a busy weekend planned, but we've been wanting to go see a game all season. Maybe the magic fairy maids will clean my house for me....

___________________________________________________________________

Running related question:

Are running socks a must?

I've been reading a lot of posts on other blogs about how amazing running socks are. I have never had a problem with regular socks before. I ran track in high school, wore regular socks, and never had a problem. When I ran for a bit in college, I wore regular socks, and never had a problem. When I ran last spring (before huge life drama caused me to stop), I wore regular socks, and never had a problem. So far this winter I haven't had a problem either.

What's so special about these socks? Other than they are expensive.

Is it just because I haven't run far enough yet? I have never run more than 4 miles at one time in my life. Would I need these "magic socks" if I run more than 4 miles? My husband and sister-in-law ran a half-marathon last summer while wearing regular socks and didn't get a single blister.

What's the big deal?

Guess What I Did?!?!?!?

I finally got off the excuses bus and ran!

When I got home today, the temperature wasn't horrible (25 w/ wind chill of 15) so I decided to suck it up and go for it. Besides, Bentley was jumping in circles and whining and totally creeping me out. He was going stir crazy being cooped up in the house because of the cold!

Ok, so, the run. I am now following the 10K plan from the Beginning Runner's Handbook. I will be using this blog as a training log. I have no 10K in my plans, I just want to be able to run that distance before I start training for my half.

BRH: Week 1 Session 1

Run 1 minute, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 12 times.

Time: 45:49
Distance: 3.01 miles

Felt great! The body was a little sore because I hadn't used those muscles in a long time. Hopefully I can keep my New Year's goal of running 2-3 times a week. The actual temp is supposed to be in the 20's this week (w/ windchill it won't feel like it). I don't have any evening plans except for Wednesday, so I should be able to do this again :) Yay!

So glad I got back out there!

"borrowed" this idea from a new blog I found, GISrunner

It has all the words from my Tasty Tuesday post...funny.

still stuck in the mud....good news though, it's supposed to warm up on Monday! 
I smell a run on my horizon!

PMS Attack

I have fallen off the wagon.

Not only have I fallen off the wagon, but I have rolled down a hill and have gotten stuck in the mud under a bridge.

That's right, after being insulted by my Wii fit last night, I realized that I've come to a very low point.

The darkness, cold, and snow are starting to get to me.

Tasty Tuesday

Here is one of those "days with a focus/purpose" I talked about in my New Year's Goals post. I wanted to do something like a Music Monday or Sunday FunDay, but those are already being done. So I setteled on Tasty Tuesday. In these posts I will highlight, with pictures, one of the meals I cooked this week.

Here is the first recipe:

Taco Soup:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of ground beef or turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can chili beans
• 2 cans Mexican style chopped tomatoes
• 1 can of corn
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 package ranch dressing mix

Directions:

• Brown beef or turkey in a large skillet (I put the onions in here too and season w/ pepper and some Lowry's seasoning salt)
• Drain grease
  
• Pour beef/turkey into large pot
• Add all other ingredients (I don't drain the cans. You could if you'd like to)
• Simmer for 1 hour

*Enjoy***If you live by yourself, this makes a ton! It's great to portion out and freeze. That way you have something quick you can toss in your lunch or thaw out for dinner. I never have enough left overs because my husband eats it all!**

So there you have it. My first recipe! Now I cannot take credit for the invention of this recipe. It is an old Weight Watchers recipe that my mom had given me. It's supposed to only be 3 points for 1 cup of the soup! You can also make this as spicy or as mild as you'd like. It's a challenge for me finding all the of the ingredients in a gluten-free variety. I end up having to cheat because I haven't found gluten-free ranch dressing mix. I guess I could just stick in a tablespoon or so of actual dressing. I also like to serve it with Tostios chips.

Please post your reviews of this recipe. If you try it, tell me how you or your family liked it. If you make alterations to it, let me know how it goes and I'll have to give it a try.

Happy cooking!

Whittle My Middle II

January 4, 2010
Exercises Completed:
-Front Plank: 60 seconds
-Side Plank: 40 seconds each
-Torso Twists: 30 reps
-Plank Ups: (my shoulders were too sore today for this. a combination of stress and this exercise is causing a lot of soreness.)
-Boat Pose: held for 40 seconds
-Side Plank Twists: 10 reps each side (still tough. fell over on my first one)
-Bicycle Crunches: 3 sets of 25

Almost didn't do this one. But, since I'm too chicken to run in this frigid weather, I have to do something.

Back to School

Today marks the end of winter break. I was really dreading going back to school today. I only planned half of my lessons and wasn't sure what I was going to do this morning. But, overall, today wasn't a total loss. Actually, I kinda missed my students. Because it was the first day back, the kids were good and they listened. I also felt like I explained things well too. Let's hope tomorrow goes as planned.

Remember those New Year's Goals I outlined a few weeks ago? Well, I started working on one of them today! I washed the dishes after dinner! My husband unloaded the dishwasher as I cleared the table. He then swept the floor as I rinsed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. Just so you understand how important this is, I haven't seen the bottom of my sink since before Christmas break! Yea, I'm lazy.

My goal of running 2 to 3 times a week is on hold this week. The temperature isn't supposed to climb out of the teens until next week. Now, teens temps aren't bad, but the windchill is supposed to be single digits or negative numbers! Brrr!!! I know I have cold-weather running clothes now, but this is crazy! But I will be doing the Whittle My Middle II workout and some Wii Fit!

Look for a "focused" post later this week :)

Happy Monday! Stay warm!

Whittle My Middle II

January 3, 2010
Exercises Completed:
-Front Plank: 50 seconds
-Side Plank: 35 seconds each
-Torso Twists: 25 reps
-Plank Ups: 12 reps (Didn't raise my legs though)
-Boat Pose: held for 35 seconds
-Side Plank Twists: 10 reps each side (still tough. fell over on my first one)
-Bicycle Crunches: 2 sets 32

Condition: I can feel the soreness in my stomach. Feels good!

Giveaway!!!!!

Robin at Running Circles Around The Turtles is having a pretty sweet giveaway. I cannot begin to describe all that she has in store for the lucky winner! I would love to be this winner. But, everyone deserves their fair chance. So, click on over and enter her giveaway!

Whittle My Middle II

I found a blog that has a challenge I am sure I can accomplish.

The challenge: Whittle My Middle II from Jan. 1st through Jan. 31st
The blog: Oh She Glows by Angela

Now, my middle is my biggest problem...second only to my thighs. I'm pretty alright with everything else on my body. Everything starts looking better when I do exercises that focus on my trouble spots :)

So. For the next 30 days I'm going to do my best to follow and keep up with the WMMII challenge. I'll be posting my workouts on here so you can cheer me on, or try to beat my reps/times.

We're supposed to keep before and after records. I took a picture of myself (front and back) this morning to visually compare my results on the 31st. I will not be posting said picture because I'm not a big fan of it. But I will post it at the end of the challenge with a new picture of my whittled middle. I also took measurements of my waist and hips. Those I will post. You can then use your imagination to come up with a image of what I look like in that unposted picture....or don't. Probably safer if you don't :)

Measurements:

• Smallest part of waist: 31"
• Widest part of waist: 34"
• Hips: 36"
  

Lauren at Reading and Running Lauren is the one who clued me into this challenge and is doing it as well. Little does she know (or will after reading this post) that I'm using her as my competition (he he he). I'm going to do my hardest to do more reps and hold for more seconds that she does. She, I'm hoping will then up her game and I will be challenged to do even more. This could get ugly folks.

Here's the log of my first workout:
January 2, 2010
Exercises Completed:
-Front Plank: 45 seconds
-Side Plank: 30 seconds each
-Torso Twists: 20 reps (I used my cat as the weight because she was pestering me. She stopped pestering me after this)
-Plank Ups: 10 reps (Didn't raise my legs though)
-Boat Pose: 2 sets of 10 reps (second set was rough on my hips)
-Side Plank Twists: 8 reps each side (wow. those were tough)
-Bicycle Crunches: 2 sets 30 reps

So. Wish me luck. I'd post a run from the Beginning Runner's Handbook, but I didn't run today. When I woke up at 8:00, the current temp was -3 with a wind chill of -19. The high for today is 4. That's too dangerous for me to go running outside. Brrr....So I will whittle instead.

Join me, won't you?

The Santa Inventory and my first Goals Ever!

And 2010 begins! My husband and I went to a fancy party to ring in this new decade. We usually spend New Year’s Eve at a friend’s lake house in Wisconsin. This has been a tradition since high school. There’s beer pong, tons of food, tons of alcohol, ice fishing, and a room full of snoring drunks. I’m so glad our friend’s wife had a baby three days ago and we didn’t have to go this year! I hate sleeping with the snoring drunks.

Well…..like most everyone else in blogging world, I too have decided to detail my Christmas list and elaborate on some goals I have for myself this year.

First off: What Santa brought me:

- A Wii fit! I’ve been wanting this since we got our Wii last year.

- A Garmin! For my car, not my wrist. Do you name your car Garmins? Or just your running buddies?

- Slippers and a robe

- Clothing and jewelery

- 2 pairs of fleece lined running tights!

- 2 fleece running tops

- A new cold-weather compression shirt

- An HP wireless printer

- A Kindle! I was not expecting this, but my dad thought I’d enjoy it. I was skeptical at first, but now I’m in love. Expect a book review of Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See in a few days.

- And lots of other random knick-knacks that my mother is famous for stuffing stockings with: Tervis Tumblers, note pads, ornaments, candy, etc.

Next: Some goals for the New Year:

I have never before set a New Year’s Resolution. Heck, I don’t even set goals. I’m terrified of failure. What better way to keep from failing than to not give yourself any expectations at all. That in itself is a big FAIL. So I’m going to give this a try.

So (insert nervous whine here) here we go:

1. Wash dishes after every meal.
• Now, before you laugh, hear me out. I hate, hate, hate, hate washing dishes. My husband has no concept of washing dishes at all and just leaves his stuff all over the house. I have adopted his attitude toward dishes and just set them on the counter when I’m done using them. I figure, if he’s not going to care, why should I? I now realize that I need to be the bigger man. I need to actually wash them, and make him at least bring them to the kitchen when he’s done.
2. Run at least 2-3 times a week for the rest of the winter and then increase to 4-5 times in mid-March.
• I would love to run every day, but life tends to get in the way. With it still being winter, and the worst winter is yet to come. January in Illinois is brutal at times. If I can make it through January, I can make it through anything. I’ve purchased the Beginning Runner’s Handbook and will be following that program.
3. Bring a focus to this blog.
• Right now, I’m still learning how blogging works. I’ve seen how organized the other blogs that I follow are and I want to do the same. They have things like “Music Monday,” “Three Things Thursday,” and “Sunday Funday.” Now, I don’t want to copy everyone else, but I’m going to “borrow” a few of their topics. I have a few of my own which I will share with you as they come up.
4. Take time for myself.
• I am always doing something for someone else. Cleaning up after other people, making lessons plans, shopping for dinner, etc. I rarely take time to relax and unwind. This constant attention to others is taking its toll on my health. Reducing my stress will hopefully eliminate my headaches and help me sleep better.

I know I’ve only set 4 goals for myself, but I must start somewhere. Walk before you run, look before you leap, put your pants on before you leave the house, etc. Look for goal updates throughout the year.

Keep your fingers crossed and send motivation my way!

PS…..I keep seeing commercials for the Winter Olympics. I’m so excited! I’m such an Olympics nerd! Pretty sure I kept the guys who lived below us last year up all night after the men’s swim relay pulled off that win in the last seconds. They could hear me screaming down the street! I backed up my DVR for days with Olympic recordings! Go USA!