Hello again...

It has been quiet a while since I last posted but man things have just been crazy busy it seems. I am trying so hard to get through this last semester of school. This 4 1/2 years is finally catching up to me but trying to defeat me at the same time. Of course I did not come this far to allow that to happen but it does not make it any easier.

I have put my half marathon training on hold for now because I was pushing myself too hard and I want to be able to enjoy my running and workouts more than stressing over them. My hubby and I have just started Insanity and we LOVE it....It's tough but those are the best workouts!

The weather in FL has been absolutely beautiful this winter and we have some exciting things coming up in the near future but I do not want to jump too far ahead of myself so I am going to just focus on the now, for now!

I hope to have some before/after pictures through my Insanity venture so stay tuned for those!!

Back on track :)

I hope everyone had a good weekend!! We sure did..Hubby had his company holiday part on Saturday night which I dreaded at first because I can be a bit shy at first around people I don't know. We ended up having a great time, made new friends and had lots of free beer. Win-Win!

Because of all that wonderful beer I had to put my long run I was supposed to do yesterday, off until today! I was expecting it to be a lot tougher than it was..It may or may not have something to do with the massive amount of beer carbs consumed this weekend, but whatever it was my run was great and I had a ton of energy left at the end. I am not complaining.

I am learning the importance of the long SLOW runs...I know they are very necessary to build my endurance so I will be able to run over an hour without getting excessively tired.

Pandora thankfully had a great line-up for me today and that is always great!

I am starting to think that it might be time for another trip to the local running store! I have these Saucony Glide 4's that the running store in Austin suggested but I am just not sure if I like them. I got them right after I was injured so I was not able to run in them in front of the girl but she did watch me walk etc. Sometimes they feel a bit heavy and I notice that my left arch gets a little achy while I run. Maybe I just need to stretch more, but I am curious if this happens to anyone else? It's not a sharp pain but it's noticeable.



Please do yourself a favor and do NOT zoom in...I need to shave.

Today's workout also consisted of: ( I supersetted these)

 3 sets of 8  side bends (each side)

 Reverse row or V.

3 sets of 10 lawnmowers on each arm,

3 sets of 10 bicycle crunches.

1 set of 10 suicide planks,

2 20 second planks,and

 3 sets of 10 triceps’ dips

I am addicted...BaDlY

I couldn't do it....I am miserable without my coffee...headache like you can't believe, nausea...it's ridiculous but I do love my coffee!! I rather vow to drink extra water instead! Why didn't I think of that before? Ha!

Random fact: I saw a gator right across the road from where I run! It was a small one just chillin in the water! The housing development we live in used to be an island but the owner cleared it and built houses...there are still bodies of water everywhere so there are going to be gators...I just get excited when I see one!

Another interesting fact: anywhere there is a body of water in FL you can pretty much guarantee there are gators!!

Blaring Music and Coffee Challenge

Oy vey! Today's workout only called for a 2 mile run, no biggie! It's been nice out and hubby has off today so I wanted to run it outside and get some fresh air! Well it was harder than I thought...I was totally dehydrated, my legs/feet felt like bricks, and it was pretty warm...I've been running on the dreadmill mainly and that alone is a huge transition!

I admire those who can run without music but I am just not that person! I have to have it blaring to keep my mind busy and motivated...

The dehydration: I have a hard time sometimes getting the proper amount of water down and it reflects during my runs so this is something I really need to work on...I need more of this:

And less of this:

So...I got this idea off of another blogger and as reluctant as I am to try this because of my addiction..I am going to forgo coffee in the mornings during the week and drink tea (Yummy Peppermint Holiday Tea). I  am going to save coffee for weekend treats (My weekend will be Tuesday and Sunday when hubby is off too since we love to drink coffee together)! This alone is going to be so tough but, I hoping the ditching the creamer during the week will help kick the weight loss! Wish me and my hubby luck lol..

All in all, it was a rough, short run that I started off too fast but I feel good I did it and the next one will be better!

Now I'm off to make Chuck Norris proud and hop on the Total Gym!

Looking forward to 2012!

~2012~

I am excited because tomorrow begins my first day of half-marathon training. OK, technically nothing really starts until Tuesdays because Mondays are designated rest/stretch days but hey, I'll take it.

Part of me is so nervous because of how last year ended up with the injury. Sometimes I can still feel that pain (although not nearly as bad as it was) and I just get scared that I will re injure myself and not be able to finish.

I have intentions of 2012 being a big year for me. Here is my bucket list:

Feb-I will finish my first half-marathon

April-I will finally graduate with my B.S. in Psychology

June-I want to be bikini ready ;)

October: Run the Marine Corps Marathon in Quantico VA (which will be my first marathon)

With *hopefully* some other things sprinkled in there like new job, buy our first house...just small stuff!

What is your New Years Resolution??

Delight yourself in the Lord and HE will give you the desires of your heart

-Psalm 37:4

It's OK!

Looking at my blog title, I got to thinking why I even chose it? To be honest, it was my Myspace (remember that fad?) title for the longest time.

Let's be honest, as women we generally have all these titles that we force ourselves to try to live up to. We *need* to be the perfect wife, girlfriend, mom, athlete, co-worker, boss etc.

Whatever it is, we have this inept idea that we HAVE to live up to these qualifications or we have just blown it. But honestly, do any of these things truly make who we are inside better, or is this what we use as a measuring system to perhaps make us feel better?

On a good day, I may have shaved my legs, washed AND dried my hair, put make-up on and put other clothes on other than my workout stuff and you know what that's OK! Today, I was only able to get a 2 mile run in and it's OK. Running only 2 miles today doesn't make me any LESS of a runner than if I would have put up 10. The same standard should go for every other aspect of our lives.

So what, we didn't get dinner on the table because secretly we may have simply not FELT like it and wanted to go out and have someone else clean up after our messy kids and husbands selves.

I am coming to terms that I am who I am. I, in my own way just as you are in yours, am perfectly imperfect. I will never be perfect and honestly I don't want to be. It's way more fun to not be! 

I have experienced stress at a whole new level in my 20's so far and I am learning a whole lot but the biggest is, I cannot be everything to everyone. I can only be the person that God has created me to be for myself, my kids, and my husband. That's it folks!

Life is too short to worry about pleasing every soul that comes in your life. So with all that said and from the words of the great Kenny Chesney and my next tattoo idea,

BE AS YOU ARE! 

No more, no less and don't be sorry for it either! You are a unique piece of this puzzle God has crafted together. I apply this to every aspect of my life. I can't run as fast as some of the ladies I follow on here and that's OK! I am still a runner, I still love it with my whole life!

So, even though New Year's resolutions are so cliche' I don't care, mine is going to be to strive to be as I am, the me that GOD created. Not the stressed out mom, student, and family member I have become. I also want to make running an even larger part of my life....It's too freeing to not!

So, what about you??

Do you set New Years Resolutions?

I usually do but they never seem to really stick, hopefully this year it will be different.

What does the biggest stressor in your life usually end up being?

Usually the biggest for me is being a people-pleaser! I have to STOP

What does a "good" day look like for you?

Kick depression to the CURB!

It is no secret that getting the blood flowing in your body via any type of workout is better than any anti-depressant out there. Studies have been conducted, particpants have been studied, and the facts are out there.

While that is really great news for people like me who struggle with depression it still isn't the cure-all UNLESS you learn how to apply it. I have never been offically diagnosed with depression, but there is no doubt that it is there. There is a history in my family and after studying it and experiencing it first-hand in my family, it affects me also.

Being depressed does not mean that someone is suicidal or hates the world. It feels more like a trap and can come on at any time. This morning started off pretty great and then it hit me out of nowhere...Feelings of no self worth, wanting to crawl back in to bed and not have to look or talk to anyone (And it's my birthday, who wants to be around such a downer).

I have mentioned before that right now my family and I are in a transitioning period that has been longer and more difficult than I had anticipated and I know that this is the major (current) cause of these very discouraging feelings.

The first thought that popped into my head this time was that I needed 1.) to be in prayer and 2.) to get some sort of workout in. I have always loved the saying that you never regret a workout once you've completed it, it's only when you don't do it you feel those feelings of regret.

The power of prayer is very strong because you don't have to have the perfect words to say or have any standards to live up to. God already knows your heart and your struggles, he is just longing for us to turn to him and hand it over..Kick those feelings right to the curb because YOU cannot be DEFEATED when God is on your side!

The scripture that he has given me this week is:

...do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its owntrouble.   -Matthew 6:34

That has been very encouraging to me and I can write a whole post on that alone. I just wanted to encourage you today if you are feeling depressed or down, take some time out of your busy day and spend it on YOU!! You will feel so much better and your body will love you for it!

Click if you are interested in learning more about exercise and depression

Todays workout:
Ab Ripper X
3 mile interval walk