Fit to Wed

I've moved!

2010-06-10T10:25:00.003-04:00

Hi friends! I've pretty much fully transitioned to the wordpress site- I'll be blogging from there from here on out because it's so much easier! I still need to add all of my favorite blogs and finish some of my tabbed pages, but come over and check it out! Don't forget to update your readers :)

New Site: Legally Fit- http://legallyfitkatie.wordpress.com

See ya on the flip!

Exciting Stuff!

2010-06-03T11:39:00.002-04:00

Hi friends! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. I purchased a new smartphone yesterday- the motorola droid! I love it. I went with verizon for the free skype aspect- skype will be my main source of communication with Bri when he is overseas. Speaking of Bri, I get to see him tonight!! Yay! I miss him so much.

The new blog transition is going well. My next post will be the one announcing the new site! And thanks for your comments on my last post- switching to wordpress simply requires the push of a button! Wow :) I am in the process of transitioning my reader over from my old google account to my new google account but I'm almost there!

I saw SATC 2 on Memorial Day and I was NOT a fan. Samantha really bothered me. It also irritated me that they were essentially promoting Suz*anne So*mmers and all of her hormone added craziness. Miranda was amazing though. One good thing that came out of the movie is that they showed the preview for Eat, Pray, Love, which inspired me to go purchase the book. Wow. I am a third of the way through it and I love it. So far I highly highly recommend!

Have a great weekend lovelies! I'm excited to see Bri but at the same time very sad... he is headed to war! Hopefully this year will fly by quickly...

Destined Not to Race

2010-05-27T16:01:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! Long time no talk, er type. Things have been super hectic round these here parts but will slowly start to settle down in the ensuing weeks. Then it'll be back to a normal blogging schedule (3-5x per week). I truly admire those who can post multiple times a day, or even daily. I'm not that creative!

I was perusing through my honeymoon photos last night before heading to sleep and came across this one: Duuude I want to go back! Please? I miss my husband! The good news is that I will get to see him for a day or two before he ships out. Yippee! The time frame in which this will occur happens to be the same date that falls upon the Freihofer's 5k. Since Bri can't come to me, this means I can't run the 5k with Christina. Hence the faux drama of my post title. Ragnar didn't work out due to my work conflict. However, this reason is MUCH more acceptable. I can't wait to see him!! :) :) I will have to find another 5k to run so I can try to hit my goal of sub-30.

In other fun news, I'm in the process of transitioning the blog over to wordpress! Okay, that's kind of misleading. I'm in the process of starting a new blog to reflect this new stage of my life. The current blog name doesn't really fit any more, seeing as how I've been married for two months (today!). Additionally, I get very jealous at the wordpress bloggers' ability to use strikethrough font and reply to comments directly, among other things, so I'm excited! I don't think I'm going to shift my blogger posts over to the new wordpress site because I don't know how and, quite frankly, it seems like so much time and effort! For those of you that have transitioned over to wordpress, how was it?

So, be on the lookout in the next week or two for the new bloggie! I'll post a link here once it's finalized. I should have a cute new custom designed header, seeing as I won one at Ange's shop 4 a cause 2 auction. Woohoo!

Things have otherwise been going well. I have to go grocery shopping tonight (meh) for supplies for this weekend. I'm heading to Christina's inlaws' cabin "upstate" (it's south of here... don't ask) and it should be a great time! Do you have any fun weekend plans?

On that note, I'm out! Have a fantastic holiday weekend friends!

Thumbs Up Thursday- Coconut Style

2010-05-19T20:52:00.005-04:00

Hi friends! Happy Thursday! How is everyone doing? I am feeling unnecessarily stressed for whatever reason. I have a feeling hot yoga will remedy that this evening. I skipped attending this past Tuesday and instead left my conference and came home and SLEPT. It was glorious. Presenting always seems to take a lot out of me, and I hadn't been drinking as much water as usual due to being at the hotel. So, today is hot yoga day :)

In other news, I've been acting as a running coach of sorts! On Monday we got a little break in the conference so my co-worker and I went for a run around congress park. It was really fun! My co-worker says that she will only run "if she is being chased" so I was surprised when she suggested we run together. She did incredibly well! We ran for a mile, walked for a tenth, ran another mile, walked for a tenth and then ran another half mile. She did WAY better than I did when I was first starting out. Maybe she will stick with it! :)

My bestie Christina and I met for a run yesterday at the local park in the cold rain. It's super hot today; upstate NY is schizo. In any event, Christina trained for and ran her first 5k back in December but then kind of fell off the wagon. I drafted a running schedule for her to follow to get back into 5k shape for the Freihofer's Run for Women on June 5. She did great! We ran two miles together (which her training plan called for) and caught up on things. Me and Christina after the two miles in the rain.

We ran into some geese and their babies. Geese are probably my least favorite bird (I love birds but Bailey tries to eat their poop, it's nast) but the babies are soooo stinkin' cute.

Actually, I wouldn't call these guys babies. More like teenagers! The mother goose was hissing at us as I tried to take a picture. I have never seen one hiss! Too funny. After Christina left I ran another mile. I'm kind of all over the place with running lately and I'm excited to start following a training plan this Sunday (for my upcoming 15k and half marathon... woot!)

So today's thumbs up Thursday relates to a product I have been using for well over a few months now:

Coconut Oil. Coconut oil can serve many functions... coconut butter, smoothies, sauces...

Nutritional Stats:

However, my use of coconut oil is not for nutrition. Nope, not I. Well, not that I'm opposed to it. I just haven't gotten around to cooking with it yet. What do I use it for, you ask? MOISTURIZER! I first saw these lovely ladies using coconut oil as a body moisturizer and I have to say, it piqued my interest. I purchased this container for ten dollars at the local health food store and it does not disappoint!

As you can see, the texture is hard but not too hard, meaning that I can break it up with my fingers to use as a moisturizer. When I first opened the jar I was surprised to find the solid consistency- I was expecting oil! It does tend to soften up if I don't use it for a few days (I don't bring it along while traveling, as it's fairly large).

So how does this fare as a moisturizer? It's awesome! A little bit goes a long way and it makes my skin uber soft. Surprisingly, there really isn't an overwhelming scent to it. And I have to say, I love the ingredient list: organic cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil. That's it! It doesn't get more natural than that.

I give the coconut oil as a moisturizer two thumbs up! I have read on some blogs that people do not use moisturizers, which I find hard to fathom. My skin is dry but not super dry, and I would feel crackly if I didn't put something on my skin! I have seen lots of other uses for coconut oil on other blogs- as a conditioner, face moisturizer (I'm not that brave) and cuticle softener. Like I said earlier, I've had the oil for well over four or five months and the jar isn't even half gone. Pretty good ten dollar investment if you ask me. What are your thoughts on coconut oil? Would you ever use it as a moisturizer?

Enjoy your Thursday and I'll see y'all tomorrow with a photo Friday post!

Yoga Pose May- Staff Pose & Giveaway Winner!

2010-05-18T07:20:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm super excited to be participating in Tina and Kate's Yoga Pose May challenge, as yoga has become one of my favorite physical activities (aside from running, of course!). The pose of the day today is "staff" pose, which is a strength pose. There are a few variations of the pose, but after perusing Yoga Journal online my interest was piqued by the four-limbed staff pose, or chatarunga dandasana. According to the site, staff actually refers to the spine, or strength of the body, which makes sense, as this pose definitely requires a lot of strength! I still have a little lower to go on my chatarunga but I'm getting there!**

To start, come into downward facing dog by placing your feet about six to eight inches apart, your booty in the air and your hands on the ground (pants on the ground?) out in front of you. Your weight should be evenly distributed in your hands and feet. Make sure that all five fingers are pressing into the ground, and really try to extend your shoulders so that your back is long. Your tailbone should be pressing back towards the wall behind you. I'm working on being able to get my feet flat on the ground. Almost.

Then, shift your weight forward so that your shoulders are in line with your hands. This brings you into plank position. Your core should be tight (and feelin' the burn!) and your booty should be flat. If it is in the air it makes the pose easier and you're not really getting the full benefits of the pose.

Now comes the really fun part. Slowly lower yourself towards the ground, with your elbows IN next to your rib cage. Your back should be as flat as possible. It's essentially a sloooow burning close grip pushup.

Then, continue towards the ground and sort of push through and up into upward facing dog or cobra pose. I always go with upward facing dog.

Hands directly below shoulders, slight arch in back, legs slightly lifted, tops of feet flat on the ground.

Optional- take a picture with your yoga assistant afterwards. Bailey does a mean downward dog but I can never catch him in action!

So there you have my interpretation of the staff pose. Thanks for coordinating this, Tina and Kate!

And now for the winner of my Yoga Journal Subscription/Luna Bar Giveaway: Comment number 5, Danielle of Coffee Run! Danielle, email me your mailing info (fittowed@gmail.com) and I'll get the package sent your way! Also, are Luna Bars vegan? If not, I will grab some other type of fun bar for you. Thank you to everyone for participating in the giveaway and thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer- I'm not a yoga instructor nor am I a certified personal instructor. This post is merely a demonstration of how I interpret the staff pose. :)

Photo Friday- For My Pup

2010-05-13T21:16:00.008-04:00

Hi everyone! Happy Friday. First and foremost, thank you to everyone for all of your comments regarding the relay. It worked out for the best for the team, so I am very happy about it. Team BAD is currently out running their hearts out; wish them luck!

I've had a quiet couple of days, which I wasn't anticipating as I thought I'd be getting ready for Ragnar. Given the huge conference I have from Sunday to Tuesday, it's likely a good thing. On the exercise front, I completed a hill workout on Monday (on a college campus, where it was finals time. Oh the good ol' days), hot yoga on Tuesday and a 3.5 mile run/pushups yesterday. Yoga on Tuesday was interesting. It is Bikram style but not exactly since I think we only do the positions once and incorporate some other moves. Man, it was effing HOT. It was my fifth class and by far the hottest. During the last 10-15 minutes I kind of laid there in child's pose because I couldn't move- my limbs were literally numb, particularly my hands. I think it's because I ate too close to class; the blood was going to my digestive system as opposed to where it should have been.

I intended on completing four miles yesterday but I started experiencing the familiar IT band twinge around 3 miles (wtf!). So I stopped to stretch and continued on for a half mile, then came home and foam rolled the bejesus out of my legs.

This weekend should be great. I'll be running through my presentations (eh), meeting up with a bestie that's in town tonight for drinks and discussion (yay!) and hot yoga and a run tomorrow. I have to work on Sunday but it's all good :)

So today's photo Friday is dedicated to my pup, Bailey. Bailey is a 4 pound yorkshire terrier and the sweetest boy ever. He turned four this past Christmas and we celebrated our four year "anniversary" on May 1 (I got him on May 1, 2006). At certain times in my life I can be quite spontaneous and getting Bailey was one of them. He's camera shy.

I had wanted a yorkie for a LONG time (my mom used to breed them) but my dad always advised me to wait until I was done with law school. At the end of my second year of school, I was at my friends house when she mentioned that she thought her neighbor had yorkie pups. Sure enough, they did. I came home with Bailey that night :) It was literally right before all of my finals; I remember waking up to go to my Commercial Paper final to find out that Bailey had peed all over himself inside of his crate. I still got an A on the final :)

I am so glad to have my little guy. He is so sweet and brings so much joy to my life. I love to sing him songs, substituting his name for the actual lyrics ("if you like it then you should have put a Bails on it"). He is the pup of many names- Bailey, Bails, BB, Bailey Blu, Beedle, Buckets, Bucks, Mr. Bs, Bailface...

How about you? Do you have a pet? If so, are they like a member of your family?

Have a great weekend and don't forget to enter my yoga/luna bar giveaway!

Change of Plans...

2010-05-12T09:47:00.002-04:00

So, due to some things with work, I'm unable to take this Friday afternoon off, which happens to coincide with the Ragnar Relay. At first I figured I could commute back and forth, which would have been quite challenging to coordinate for the team. Thankfully, another fellow awesome blogger volunteered to step in and take my spot. I'm super bummed but relieved for the team- Suzy is awesome. I guess there is always next year! :-/

Yoga Giveaway!

2010-05-09T20:09:00.004-04:00

Hi friends! Happy end of weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there (Hi Mom!). I've had a great weekend; hot vinyasa yoga yesterday plus a three mile run that culminated in me BOOKING home after getting caught in a thunderstorm. I had coffee with one of my besties and got together with my grandmother and some family members that I haven't seen for years for a Mother's Day dinner. Good stuff.

A few months back I won a giveaway from the lovely Shannon over at the Daily Balance. I recently received the goodies and I got some great stuff! Thanks Shannon!! :) Cashew butter (holy), teas, mission skincare items AND a one year subscription to Yoga Journal. Being the magazine addict that I am, I already have a subscription to yoga journal (and glamour, and shape, and fitness, and self, and health...). So, what better than to pass the subscription along to one of my readers?! Source

So, I'm going to give away a one year subscription to yoga journal PLUS a box of my new crack (also known as chocolate peppermint luna bars- to die for!). As a reader of yoga journal I can attest to its awesomeness. There are lots of informative articles that make you stop and think, explanations of poses and how they impact your body, healthy recipes... all sorts of goodness!

Are you a magazine addict like me? Or addicted to the deliciousness of luna bars? You can enter to win three ways:

Leave a comment letting me know your favorite yoga pose
If you aren't into yoga, leave me a comment with your favorite way to get active
Follow me on twitter @ fittowed and leave a comment letting me know!
Tweet about the giveaway!

I'll announce the winner next Tuesday, May 18. Enjoy the rest of your weekend friends and again, many thanks to Shannon for all of my fantastic goods!

Thumbs Up Thursday- Yogitoes!

2010-05-05T23:19:00.004-04:00

Hi friends! I hope your Thursday is going well! Mine is zipping by! I'm trying to finish up the last of my three presentations- it's a doozy! I took yesterday as a rest day and it was fantastic. I met my friend Kara at her house for dinner and drinks, but was able to squeeze in a mani/pedi before for 35 dolla! Ah, bliss. I picked a light lavender color but it kind of looks bubblegum pink. Oh well, it's still springy! Unfortunately, I already have a chip on one of my nails. Without fail, whether I do it myself or go to a salon, this always happens so quickly! Grr. I love the look of nail polish but the chipping=high maintenance, which I am not. What about you? Do you wear nail polish or not so much?

Tonight's plans WERE to do a hill repeat workout (Ragnar in one week, eek). I'm seriously getting addicted to hot yoga though and may just get a 3 miler in after work and then head to class after that. It's okay though, I could be addicted to worse things :)

Speaking of hot yoga, this brings me to my Thums Up Thursday item of the day: yogitoes!!
During my first hot yoga class I was a hot mess (literally). I had brought a regular old bath towel to put on my mat. Yeah. I was slipping and sliding all over the place. I looked over in envy at the girl in front of me, who appeared to have a towel that was specifically designed for her yoga mat and that stayed in place! After class, I became a girl on a mission to get one of my own! Luckily, I didn't have to look very far, as my yoga studio sells them at a very reasonable price. What's the secret to yogitoes? There are little almost plastic like nubbins on the bottom of the mat, so it literally does not move during the entire class.
I've tested it out twice and am thoroughly impressed. It made concentrating on the postures SO much easier, since I didn't have to worry about the towel sliding everywhere and skidding off of the mat. I especially like the little guy on my towel- it's a good focal point when I'm trying to focus on the postures and not faint.

Apparently he/she/it is ganesha, the God of knowledge, wisdom and wealth, Lord of success and destroyer of all obstacles. The mat is machine washable and I think you can even put it in the dryer, although I didn't.

Today's verdict- two enthusiastic thumbs up!!

What are your thoughts on hot yoga? Have you tried it? If not, would you?

One last thing- Julie over at Julie's Running Blog is hosting a sweet giveaway in celebration of having 100 followers. It doesn't surprise me that she has so many followers; she is so sweet and encouraging and a great runner to boot! Go check out the giveaway! :)

Have a great evening :)

Feelin' Good

2010-05-05T10:30:00.005-04:00

Hey y'all! Happy Wednesday... almost the weekend! Since I last posted I've had a great couple of days and workouts. Friday evening I hit up a new Italian restaurant with my bro, his gf and the 'rents. Bri was sorely missed but when he gets leave this December I plan on taking him :) I tried an amazing eggplant rolotini (?) appetizer. I definitely have a new favorite go to dish!

Saturday was my second ever hot vinyasa yoga class. SO awesome and challenging. I can easily see how the heat becomes addicting. I feel so much more limber and can sink deeper into the poses. Speaking of yoga, I'm participating in Tina's Yoga Pose May yoga challenge so I'm excited about that! Be on the lookout for a pose come May 18th ;)

Monday brought an amazing six mile run. I headed to a local park after work and just ran. The weather was SO beautiful- low seventies/upper sixties with just the right touch of wind. Six miles is the farthest I've gone since the 14k back in February! It was markedly different from the 5 miler I did the week before in VB. I'm telling ya, I'm not a hot weather runner! Give me the cold any day. What temp would you rather run in- hot or cold?

Last night I attended hot yoga again. It was different than vinyasa in that there was a lot of Bikram elements, which I've never done. The room was also heated to 105 instead of 95. I was sweating SO much before we even began. I don't mind though, because my skin has seriously NEVER looked better.

My poor pup has something going on behind his ear so I made an appointment to take him to the vet. Poor lil' guy. Here he is (on the right) with his best friend Molly:

Hopefully it's nothing but I'm still worried!

On Sunday I met with my Ragnar team and got the overview of the legs I am running:

Leg 4- 2.7 miles. Extremely hilly. Awesome.
Leg 16- 5.8 miles. Fairly flat.
Leg 28- 3.1 miles. Easy day.

The only one I'm concerned about is the first leg. I'm glad it's the first leg though, since I'll likely have the most energy for that one. I'm starting to get really nervous!

I have been thinking a lot lately about blogging. I have a lot of ideas for future posts, including:

My bucket list (via Wendy)
A ten year review (again, via Wendy :) )
Eating well while on the road/driving looooong distances
Bri's guest post on fitness
A fun topic inspired by Runner's World
My ten basic essentials for a professional wardrobe

I have some other ideas floating around too. As you can see, they're all random. I don't consider myself to be "fitness" blogger, I'm definitely not a food blogger (although I love reading those blogs!)... I don't really know what I am. I'm just trying to live healthfully and interact with like-minded persons! What kind of blogger do you consider yourself to be? What steered you in that direction?

In any event, it's time to get back to bidness. I hope you're having a great week! See you tomorrow with a new thumbs up thursday post!

Photo Friday- College Edition

2010-04-30T10:34:00.004-04:00

Hi bloggies! Happy almost weekend! This weekend happens to be my alma mater's alumni weekend which, sadly, I'm not going to be attending. I could really go for a slice of Mia's pizza right now. Yum. Anyway, it's also my sorority's 25th anniversary weekend- yay AOPi! Naturally I'm feeling a little nostalgic, so here's a photo from the good ol' days: College graduation, circa 2004. My friends Nicole (best friend growing up for years- we went to high school, college AND graduate school together, although for different professions), Kristin (one of my bridesmaids) and me. I can't believe it's been six years since we graduated. My high school ten year is this November! Crazy how time flies. I also can't believe how blonde my hair was. Yikes! Granted I had just gotten back from Cancun but still. When did you graduate from college?

Yesterday was another 3 mile run, although it wasn't as glorious as the last one. It was really hilly, which is good for the relay, but my shins were screaming during the last half mile. Wtf! I've never had shin issues and hopefully am not going to start having them.

Any fun plans for the weekend? I am going to hot yoga tomorrow and I can't wait! Other than that I'll be dogsitting, thank you note writing and running. I've also been drafting a blog post in my head regarding the reasons why I blog/what I hope to get out of it that I would like to hopefully write this weekend. What are your reasons for blogging? Have a great weekend everyone!

Wedding Recap- Rehearsal Dinner!

2010-04-29T09:08:00.004-04:00

Hi friends! Happy Thursday :) I was totally feeling Debbie Downer last night but all is well now. Such is life, right? :) I am skipping thumbs up Thursday this week because I had a fun one planned (bar review- not the bar exam kind, hahhaha) but I haven't tried all of the bars I wanted to. Given that Bri and I had our one month wedding anniversary on Tuesday (yay!), it's probably time for me to start the recaps, eh?

On Friday, March 26th the day was spent running around like a crazy person getting various tasks done prior to the rehearsal (ie mani, pedi, etc... the important stuff people!). Rehearsal was at five and after a minor emergency around 3:30 (Bri's mom's car broke down. Yikes!) everyone was at the church and situated. You could tell that the priest had done this before. We had a large bridal party and he was barking out orders like a drill sargeant! It was kind of nerve-wracking but I was starting to feel so excited- it was really happening!

After the rehearsal, we headed over to Longfellow's Restaurant in Saratoga. I cannot rave enough about this place. We also had my shower there and they are very attentive and the food is awesome! There was approximately forty friends and relatives there. My beautiful matron of honor Christina (I was the maid of honor in her wedding) and I! I'm wearing the dress from Ann Taylor Loft- loved it!

My gorgeous bridesmaid Kristin, who came in from PA. She's from around here but recently started a new job (she's a librarian at a university... ow owww). I miss her terribly!

Once everyone arrived we got the seating situation settled and the party started. I didn't really drink because I wanted to be fresh for the wedding! The food was a buffet of salmon, sirloin, chicken and amazing stuffed pasta. Can you tell which dish was my favorite? Hahaha.

Some of my bridesmaids. Kristin, Christina, me, my bridesmaid Jenn (sorority sister!) and my maid of honor, Kelle.

After dinner we moved on to the cake. Coccadotts really outdid themselves with the cake. Which is why I'm not holding a grudge at the fact that our wedding cake was slanted like the leaning tower of Pisa. It's alllll good. :) Anyway. I wanted to do something fun and unique for the cake and since Bri is into Crossfit, I figured a kettlebell could be cool. When I originally talked to the cake shop they made it seem like it would be a flat cake, with the kettlebell laying on its side. My dad picked it up for me and gave me a call saying "you have got to see this thing!"

The picture is kind of small but yeah, the cake is like a real life kettlebell! It says Crossfit around the 50lb mark. It was so cool! The inside was a rasberry vanilla swirl cake with a bailey's frosting in the middle. Delicious! After cake Bri and I introduced the members of the bridal party and told everyone how we knew them.

Don't forget to say this, honey!

Afterwards Bri's father gave a touching speech.

At that point it was time to call it a night and head to the pub (family, friends and bridal party) and the hotel (Christina and I).

We had a big day ahead of us the following day, and I needed sleep! Don't mind the red face in the above picture, I think I had been crying (seems to be a common theme lately) at one of the toasts.

If you're married, did you have a fun rehearsal dinner cake? Have a great Thursday peeps!

A Fantastic Run and Lots of Stuff

2010-04-28T20:13:00.003-04:00

Hey hey! I can't believe it's been a week practically since I posted. Things have been crazy! I feel like they aren't going to settle down for a while. Virginia Beach was great this past weekend but man, saying goodbye to Bri (I'm not sure if I'll get to see him while he's in training prior to deployment) was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I don't think I've ever cried that hard! Anyway...

I had a nice run on Friday. Well, it was nice when it was over. I ran five miles in the afternoon sun in VB, and I'm not going to lie, it was difficult. I would much rather run in cool weather. On Saturday our parents came to help us pack up the condo and all of that. Afterwards we had the most amazing nachos I've EVER had. Nachos aren't the healthiest obviously but it was a special treat! Although if the restaurant were in my neck of the woods I'd be in trouble. The nachos had shrimp, crab meat, a little bit of hot sauce, cheese and all of the other standard fixins. AMAZING. Woo.

I got in LATE Monday night after an emotional and tiring nine hour drive. Tonight I am dogsitting for my best friend for the week/weekend. She and her husband have a sweet one year old chocolate lab, Sadie. I love to watch her but I feel so discombobulated. I need to be home and get organized! The Ragnar Relay is in two weeks and that Sunday I have a huge work conference, where I'm putting on three presentations. I guess I'm just a bit overwhelmed and posting will be a bit sporadic (although, when isn't it, hahaha).

I did, however, have an awesome run after work! I headed over to a local park to get in a quick three miles before heading over to take care of Sadie. It was windy and slightly hilly and I wasn't even trying to go fast, but I did! For me at least, ha. I had negative splits for the first time in my life!

Mile 1: 9:58
Mile 2: 9:53
Mile 3: 9:22

Yippee! I totally see a sub-30 5k in my future.

I hope everyone is doing well! What have you been up to?

Thumbs Up Thursday- Juice Beauty Edition

2010-04-22T10:29:00.004-04:00

Happy Thursday Friends! Today is technically my Friday, since I'm taking a half day to drive down to VB to help Bri pack up the place before he leaves for training. I can't wait to see him! :)

Yesterday's run was interesting. I decided that I needed to get a few trail runs in before the Ragnar Relay, since one of my runs was going to be entirely on a trail (that is, until the race directors decided last night to add 8 miles to the race and change ALL of the legs, less than a month out... WTF Ragnar, wtf!). Anyway, I found out that there was a trail less than a mile from my house, and that there was virtually no way to get lost, since the nature preserve was enclosed by four roads, like a square. Sweet! After work I set out in my new trail shoes and running capris (love them, btw), intending to get in four miles. About a mile in I was feeling nice and exerted, as this trail has a lot of HILLS! Anyway, I get out about two miles and then turn around to head back towards the direction I came from. Yeah. a half mile later and I have no idea where I am. Blair witch kept running through my head (I'm weird!) and I didn't want to be stuck in the woods after dark. So I hightailed it to the nearest road, which was about a half mile from my car and up a MAYJAH hill. I used one of Lily's tips and pumped my hands like I was pulling myself up a rope. I felt weird but it really helped and I was able to get up the hill no problem! So thanks for the tip, Lily :) So it ended up being a three mile run, 2.5 on trails. Next time I plan on bringing some pepper spray, for safety purposes. I run without my iPod so I'm aware of my surroundings and all but I would just feel more comfortable with some sort of protection. If you run alone, do you carry protection with you?

On to thumbs up Thursday- Juice Beauty Edition. I first read about Juice Beauty products on Gina's blog. I am very protective of my skin and try to take good care of it, so naturally a more "natural" facial moisturizer without all of the yucky chemicals piqued my interest. I headed to Sephora and came home with the Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer with SPF 15.

From Sephora's website:

Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15
What it is:
A nutrient-rich daily hydrator that offers SPF 15 sun protection.

What it is formulated to do:
Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15 offers a bevy of skin benefits. It guards the complexion against UV damage with a chemical-free, full-spectrum SPF shield. A brightening, hydroxy-acid complex of certified organic apple and lemon juices, age-defying peptides, DMAE, alpha lipoic acid, co-enzyme Q10, and vitamin antioxidants revitalizes and restores skin. The result is optimal antiaging power that keeps skin youthful and healthy.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates

What else you need to know:
This advanced skincare essential contains pure essential oils of mandarin, may chang, and ho wood—concentrated sources of nourishment.

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I have combination skin type, meaning that I tend to break out along my chin, nose and forehead. Overall, my skin is pretty dry. I have been using this facial moisturizer consistently for about three months and I have to say, I love it! It is fairly pricey at $38, but I think it is a great investment- proper skincare is essential! I use one tiny pump of it after washing my face. It smells fantastic, like Trix (remember that cereal? hahaha). My skin is super soft and I am not breaking out as much. I used to use Oil of Olay and while it worked fine, I am really happy that I made the transition. I eat organic foods, so shouldn't I try to use products made with organic ingredients if they are going directly onto my body? The product has Sephora's "naturally sephora" green seal of approval, which isn't exactly a USDA organic seal of approval but is still legit nonetheless. Do you use green products? If so, which kinds?

The only negative that I can think of is that it may make one's skin look oily if they don't have normal-dry skin. Overall, this is a fantastic product that smells delicious and really hydrates your skin. Plus, it has SPF 15 to boot! I give juice beauty green apple facial moisturizer two thumbs up! What are your thoughts on skincare? What facial moisturizer do you use?

Well friends I'm off to VB! Have a great Thursday :)

The Accidental Pescetarian and Some Honeymoon Pics!

2010-04-20T10:48:00.004-04:00

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday. My legs are STILL sore from my hill workout on Sunday. I guess that means I really worked hard? Haha. Yesterday I took a much needed rest day. I could probably still go for one today but I have my normal vinyasa yoga class, which will probably help work out the kinks.

Things have still been pretty hectic 'round these here parts, so I haven't composed a proper honeymoon recap yet. I'm not really good with recaps or reviews I think- I get impatient! Anyway, here are some of the pictures (we [Brian, aka Mr. Camera Happy] took over 600!).
At the indoor(!!) luau. We were bummed that it was indoors but apparently the weather called for rain. It didn't seem as authentic, although the performers were amazing. One of the dudes pulled me up onstage to do some sort of Polynesian dance, which was hilarious.

Hiking the Kalualua trail. The trail was SO beautiful. I didn't pack my hiking boots so my running shoes are now stained with red dirt. It adds to the hardcore-ness, right?

Double rainbow!!! We took a catamaran cruise to the Napali coast, which resulted in some of the most amazing photos EVA. Like this one:

Beautiful sunset!

So back to the topic currently on my mind- FOOD. This past weekend I was thinking and I realized that I had not had ANY meat, all week. This wasn't intentional; it was simply how my eats worked out for the week. My standard day of eats is typically:

Breakfast: Greek yogurt/granola/coffee

Snack: Bar of some sort (Larabar, Luna bar, Kashi bar)

Lunch: Amy's Cheddar or Southwestern Burrito/Amy's cheddar veggie burger

Snack: Apple/PB

Snack3(if heading to gym): half a bar

Dinner: Random. It depends on if I've meal planned for the week. Last week I had haddock, sushi, and Annie's whole wheat mac n cheese with peas and edamame on the side, among other things.

Snack: glass of wine/piece of dark chocolate

-I also drink at LEAST 64 oz of water

As you can see, there is no meat in there! I realize a lot of the foods are processed but I do try to incorporate fresh foods into my dinners, which usually results in leftovers. What do you typically have for lunch?

Anyway, yesterday I decided I was due for steak. I had steak, one clam casino, sweet potato fries and zucchini/squash. I felt so gross afterwards! I probably only had three ounces of steak and it was sitting in my stomach like a brick. Blech. This morning I still felt nauseous! I love a great cheeseburger, but this experience has me contemplating seriously cutting red meat out of my diet. Currently the only meat I do not eat is pork. I think the transition to a non-red meat diet could be difficult but after analyzing how I'm feeling this morning coupled with how awesome I felt last week, maybe it won't be! What's your eating style? What has influenced your eating habits?

Thanks for your tips on running hills! And Wendy, the juicer is NOT difficult to clean. The pulp is virtually dry so it's super easy. However, I don't know if I would call it dishwasher safe. I also don't mind handwashing dishes, so that is something to take into consideration.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Weekend Wrap Up

2010-04-18T20:46:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! Is it me, or did the weekend fly by? My weekend has been quiet but eventful! Yesterday started at the vet, where Bailey got two vaccinations (rabies and lyme disease) AND blood drawn. The vet we go to now keeps him in the room while he does the shots, and Bails didn't make a peep the whole time! He is such a brave little guy.

After the vet, I zipped over to my first hot yoga class. It was a 90 minute "hot vinyasa" session. Holy. I have seriously NEVER sweat so much in my entire life. The class was awesome! The room was heated to 95 degrees, as opposed to 105, which I believe is the temperature during Bikram. The instructor asked if we were familiar with David Baptiste, because her style was similar. There were women (and a man!) of all levels in the class, which made me feel super comfortable. The class was really intense, in a good way. I had to stop at a few points because I was starting to feel light-headed. Hot yoga is no joke, and I am officially addicted! I felt amazing afterwards and last night I noticed that my skin was incredibly soft. Simply amazing! I can't wait to attend more classes.

After yoga, I hit up the grocery store to get some goods so I could put one of my fave wedding presents to use:
Isn't she lovely? Into the juicer went:

1 cucumber
2 granny smith apples (no coring necessary with this baby!)
1 lemon
Ginger

My take on juicing: yes, please! The juice was fantastic and cleaning up was relatively easy. I like it so much that I had to make some more juice this evening:

1 grapefruit
1 pear
blackberries

Ummm, I think I'm in lurrrve!! My dad tried the juice concoction from yesterday and actually liked it (this is huge, considering the look on his face when I asked him if he wanted to try a green monster). Do you juice? If so, any combos I should try?

This morning I met up with my fellow Ragnar Relayers to discuss the race (we are less than a month away!!) This was extra cool because I got to meet Amanda, the inspiring blogger at Manderz Journey to a New Life! She is running a half marathon next weekend after just running the Disney Princess last month. Hardcore.

Our race legs were discussed, and I realized that one of my legs was going to be entirely on a trail. Since I've had issues with my ankles in the past (not running thus far, thankfully) I headed over to Fleet Feet after the meeting to pick up these beauties:

The Asics Gel Trail Attack! They are really comfortable, although I am now questioning my decision to go with an 8.5. I normally wear that size but the last time I purchased my running shoes, the lady told me I was actually an 8. Maybe I am just used to the tight feel of my running shoes? I'm thinking I will need more room in the shoe anyway. We'll see!

Random sidenote: look what I received the other day!

The officers in Bri's command had flowers sent to "Mrs. H" (me, yay!) welcoming me into the Navy family. How sweet, right?!

Anyway, back to the weekend haul. I have had a giftcard to Dicks burning a hole in my pocket since Christmas. I have been looking for a pair of running capris but all of the stores I've looked at have always been out of my size. Today, I was in luck:

The running capris, AND a new under armour shirt in a wicked bright orange. I plan on wearing this during the relay- I want to be super bright!

After that, I headed over to a local college campus that is known for being hilly to do some hill training. After coming across these articles, I decided to do 10x100 meter repeats (sprint up the hill, walk down, repeat). I am pretty sure I saw two college students smoking in the woods. Whatever floats your boat. I applied some of the tips I read in the article and it wasn't too bad! I stared straight ahead while running up the hills, and this really seemed to help! After the repeats I jogged around campus (feeling wicked old) until garmie read 3 miles. It was a great workout! Do you hill train?

How was your weekend? It's time for me to decompress with some wine. Have a great night!

Working Out on Vacay

2010-04-16T13:38:00.006-04:00

**ETA- Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments on our wedding pictures! You guys are the best! :)**

Hi friends! Happy Friday! The week seemed to go by so slowly but now that it's Friday, it went so quickly! Gotta love that :) I am starting to feel back into the swing of things. My workout schedule has been kind of off the past month or so, first with the mandatory week off before the wedding the get rid of the upper respiratory infection and then all of the wedding shenanigans. I still worked out and ran a bit but not nearly like I had been while I was on a training schedule. Which is kind of frightening, since the Ragnar Relay is only a month away! Eep!

This week I got back into it with a three mile run on Sunday, which was painful (breathing wise) for whatever reason, yoga on Tuesday, one mile run (all I had time for) and body sculpt on Wednesday and a glorious, glorious four mile run yesterday. Originally I intended on taking a rest day yesterday but it was BEAUTIFUL outside and the weather for today/this weekend called for cold and rain. My last few runs have been tricky (it was HOT and hilly in Hawaii) and my confidence was low. Yesterday's run was just what I needed to build my confidence! I have been running lately sans iPod and I'm really getting into it, especially after starting to read "Zen and the Art of Running". My mom purchased this for me (I think she saw it on Linz's blog) and it is really interesting. Yesterday's run was especially cool because I saw the most interesting bird ever (at least for upstate NY). I was running next to a pond and saw what looked like a very large crane, aside from the fact that it was grey. A neighbor later commented that he thought it was a heron. How cool! I definitely have an abnormal interest in birds, which Brian can attest to after witnessing how fascinated I was with all of the wild roosters in Hawaii (they are EVERYWHERE!)

This weekend I'm going to try Hot Yoga (yesss!!!) and get in a hill training run in preparation for Ragnar. For those of you that do hill training, what exactly do you do? Should I do hill repeats or just find a hilly course? I'm out of my element!!

I'm going to do a honeymoon recap this weekend (it was sooooo fantastic, and it's easier than the wedding recap at the moment because all of the photos are in once place!) but first I wanted to hear what your thoughts are about working out while on vacation. While in Hawaii, Bri and I attended a yoga class, went on an arduous hike, went scuba diving (burns like 1200 calories or something ridiculous!) and ran two times. Another hike would have been great but other than that, it seemed like the perfect balance of relaxation and activity for me.
Enjoying a lava flow poolside after our yoga class, which we went to our first morning there.

What are your thoughts regarding working out while on vacation? Do you prefer a balance of activity/rest, to be constantly on the go or are you more "hey, I'm on vacation, I'm not moving a muscle"! For my married ladies, did you stick to a workout schedule on your honeymoon?

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

Back!

2010-04-13T16:33:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone! I am officially back from the honeymoon and am slowly getting settled back into my normal routine. Well, technically we got back early Friday morning. Bri stayed with me until he had to head back to VB Sunday to begin packing for his IA. It was incredibly difficult to have him leave. Yesterday work was super crazy yesterday after been out for two (glorious) weeks. I have SO much to write about (rehearsal dinner, wedding, honeymoon!!!) and a lot to catch up on in my reader. I came back to over 800 unread posts! I will be back at the end of the week with a proper recap... for now, here are some pictures from the wedding day that my awesome photographer posted on his blog.

Getting ready in the bridal suite! I loved my gown :) It has a lace up back so it took my matron of honor a long time to get it situated. She did an amazing job though!

My girls and I. Love them!

Some images from our first look.

Formal portraits!

Bridal portrait!

I loooove this image. I think I may use it on our thank you cards.

Sitting in front of fountain. Well, an empty fountain. I was nervous to do this because it was super muddy and we hadn't had the ceremony yet. I am glad we did though!

My handsome husband (yay!) and his brother David and best friend Jay before the ceremony. I think the photographer used a fish eye (?) type of setting or something.

My dad walking me down the aisle :)

The ceremony!

Just, you know, twirling in the park.

One of my faves!

The venue. It was amazing.

About to make our entrance as Lt. and Mrs. H!

First Dance :)

All of the rings.... Navy style!

I hope that everyone has been doing well! What's new in your world? I'm still on Hawaii time, haha. I'll be back and commenting on all of your blogs soon!

Married!

2010-03-28T15:15:00.003-04:00

We're married! It was an amazing day! We are heading to our honeymoon tomorrow morning and I still have to pack :) I'll be back with lots of photos soon! via Joe Elario Photography (best photographers ever!)

Sickness, Wedding Planning and Rehearsal Dress!

2010-03-16T10:29:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! It's been a while. I was sick for most of the weekend and finally sucked it up and went to the doctor yesterday. He put me on antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection and told me that I can't work out. Dang it! I suppose it is better now than during the wedding or honeymoon!

On Sunday I did a bit of research and decided that since my symptoms were mainly above the neck, I could go workout at the gym. I hopped on the treadmill and was feeling really good the first mile. All of a sudden it hit me and I could barely keep up a jog. I got off after 2.5 miles and tried some strength training but then decided it was probably better to rest. I guess it is a good thing that I tried to work out, as it gave me the impetus to get to the doctor. Do you guys have a hard and fast rule for when/when not to work out when you are feeling off?

On Saturday I had my final dress fitting! We are getting married in 11 days; craziness! I found some fun stuff for the out of town bags, including Saratoga Salsa Co. Bloody Mare Mix (saratoga is horse country!) and Saratoga hot fudge. I am also going to include water, vitamin water, tylenol, saratoga potato chips, sugar cookies, candy and maps of downtown. Here are some of the other last minute deets I am working on:

dance lessons with my father. My stepmom really wanted him to get them and it is actually kind of fun, haha.
seating chart. We have approximately 181 adults and 9 children attending.
Place cards. Sooo excited for this (YUCK).
Table card numbers. I've assembled pictures of Bailey to use and my co-worker is going to put numbers on them for me.
Schedule last minute spa appointments.
Order food (sub platter/bagels) for the suite for the bridal party while they are getting ready.
Day of schedule? Not really sure if I want to be this anal but I need to coordinate 12 women getting their hair done. Yikes.
Programs for the ceremony. To do this, we still need to pick out three readings. Nothing like procrastination at its finest :)
Pack for honeymoon!! :)
Book excursions for honeymoon. I booked the luau, but we are also diving two of the days, going on a hike and taking a sunset catamaran cruise. Yay Hawaii!

I did get a big check off of the list this weekend: my rehearsal dinner dress! I have been on the lookout for quite some time now, to no avail. Anna mentioned that Ann Taylor Loft had some great spring clothes in so I headed over to check them out. Success! I purchased this dress:

to wear with a gorgeous necklace. I am going to rock my neutral shoes that I wore to the shower with it. Yay! What do you guys think?

I'll be back later this week with a guest post from my guy (on his definition of fitness) and whatever else I can fit in during this crazy time. I hope that everyone is doing well, and know that if I'm not commenting, I'm still reading your fantastic blogs! Happy Tuesday! :)

Thumbs Up Thursday- Who Got the Booch?

2010-03-11T14:18:00.002-05:00

Hola bloggies! Happy Thursday...the weekend is almost here! Does anyone have any fun plans coming up? I'm heading to a dance lesson tonight with my dad and stepmom so we can work on our father daughter dance, which is too funny. I think my dad is nervous about the dance, which is why my stepmom is insisting on lessons. I think. In any event, I am torn between two songs- Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl" and Billy Joel's "Lullaby (Goodnight my angel)." Then my dad mentioned version of "What a Wonderful World" by Katie Melua. It's beautiful! We may end up going with that one. If you're married/getting married, what father/daughter song did you end up choosing?

So today brings us to the first edition of thumbs up (or down) Thursday. I have been trying some new products that I want to share my experience with. Today's selection: Kombucha! What is kombucha? It's pronounced kom-booch-a, so whenever I think of it that song from the nineties (who got the hooch? baybaaay) always pops into my head. That's an annoying aspect of it :) The company describes kombucha as "a handmade tea that is delicately cultured for 30 days. During this time, essential nutrients form like: Active Enzymes, Viable Probiotics, Amino Acids, Antioxidants, and Polyphenols. All of these combine to create an elixir that immediately works with the body to restore balance and vitality."

Hmm, sounds good to me. Apparently, Kombucha also supports digestion, metabolism, immune system, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging (all over that), cell integrity and healthy skin and hair (sign me up!). Basically, a miracle in a bottle. I don't know how much I buy into it but I was intrigued enough to try it when I saw it at the health food store the other day. A few other bloggers have raved about the booch on their blogs so I finally bit the bullet and dropped the $3.99 for a bottle of it.

After debating the many flavors, I purchased the synergy organic and raw raspberry flavor. I shook it up (big no no) and it proceeded to explode slightly in the car. So far, the booch was a major fail. Anyway, I got back to the office and realized duh, you aren't supposed to shake it. I tentatively sniffed the drink and was overcome by the scent of vinegar. At this point I was highly skeptical. I took a few sips. The verdict:

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up! After the initial shock from the vinegar-like smell, the drink became incredibly refreshing. So much so that I mosied on over to the health foods store today to purchase four more bottles. I am currently drinking the strawberry serenity flavor and it is even better! This habit is going to get expensive!

Drink stats (per bottle):

75 Calories
16 grams of carbs
8 grams of sugar
25% daily folic acid requirements
20% Vitamins, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12
Tons of Probiotics and Antioxidants

Has anyone tried Kombucha? Would you? Any thoughts on all of the drinks claims?

Have a great rest of the week! :)

Race Schedule!

2010-03-10T09:37:00.006-05:00

Hi everyone! It's been quite some time. Things have been sooo hectic lately! I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm getting married in oh, seventeen days :) There are tons of last minute deets to work out. This past weekend my mother and sister in law threw me a bachelorette/shower in Philly. My matron of honor and one of my bridesmaids came and it was super fun. Oh annnd I'm marrying the greatest guy ever. When he realized my mom couldn't come to my shower in my hometown because of weather, he secretly arranged to fly her in (from California) for the shower this past weekend. I was very shocked when she walked in the door, to say the least! She left her house at 2 AM on Saturday morning to get to the airport and fly into Philly. Thanks so much for coming mom! :)

The bachelorette party was hilarious. My mom was like the paparazzi. When she emails me the photos I'll post some- there is nothing too crazy... right, Kristin? ;) There was a bit of drams at one point but Christina (my matron of honor) handled it like a champ. She rocks!

When I got back on Sunday night, I immediately drove to my co-workers house. She and her family are in Florida for the week so I am house/petsitting her golden retriever for her. Her internet connection isn't working so I don't have any time in the evening to blog/upload photos. So that, coupled with the fact that I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off, has led to my lack of blogging. Once I get home this weekend I will be back to posting and commenting :)

Before I get into my race schedule, I have to talk about my favorite gift of the weekend:

The Breville Juicer!

Don't get me wrong, Bri and I got sooo many amazing gifts. However, I was ecstatic when I opened this one up. After seeing some of my bloggers post their amazing juice concoctions, I knew I had to get one. Do you juice? If so, have any recipes for me? :)

Okay, enough randomness from me- onto the race schedule! In the past I had mentioned partaking in a triathlon this summer. After thinking about it, I decided that I'm not ready for that yet. I would like to focus on my running and get into half marathon shape! So, here is the plan:

May 14-15- Ragnar Relay! I haven't been assigned my legs yet, but I'm hoping it's nothing too crazy. There are a TON of hills on the course. I've never really hill trained so I need to get on it!

June 5- Freihofer's Run for Women 5k- I'm hoping that at this race I will be able achieve my goal of a sub 30 5k!

July 15- Boilermaker 15k- I've heard that this race is super fun, and I know some fellow bloggies have mentioned that they ran it in the past. If you're planning on running this, let me know! We can meet up afterwards :)

And lastly, the big one, which Molly of I'm a Sleeper Baker clued me in on:
The Mohawk Hudson River Marine Corps Half Marathon on 10/10/10! I didn't even know that there was a half marathon in my hometown around the time that I was looking to run one- this works out perfectly!

I am very excited for all of the upcoming races. I am going to continue my weekly workout schedule until the wedding (run 3x week, body sculpt class, jillian michaels circuit workout, yoga) and then start training for the 15k (I will likely follow the same training plan as my 14k) mid-April. I will throw hill workouts in there for Ragnar and speed workouts for the 5k. Then, once the 15k is over, I will transition into full on half marathon training. I am excited! What is everyone else's race schedule like?

One last thing... even though Jillian sold out (sooo disappointing) I still have to admit that she is hardcore. Or maybe I'm a sucker, because as soon as her new yoga dvd came out I wanted it! My mom ordered it for me (yay!) and I am anxious to try it this week. I'll let you know how it goes. Have a great rest of the week!

I Think I Should Go Play the Lottery

2010-03-05T11:00:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday friends! Blogger ate one of my saved posts (my race schedule- grrr!!). Ah well, I will rewrite and post it sometime this weekend. I have a lot of fun races in my future! I made it to the gym in the morning yesterday and got in a 3 mile speed workout- it was awesome! The funny thing about this waking up super early business is now my body is getting used to it! I woke up naturally this morning at 5:37. I contemplated going to the gym but today is typically my rest day. So I went back to sleep and had strange dreams. I would have been better off at the gym!

I'm thinking that I should go play the lottery today. Why, you ask? I won TWO awesome giveaways from two fantastic blogs! The beautiful Skinnyrunner (btw, you should totally check out her blog- she is super funny and wicked speedy) was hosting a giveaway on her blog to celebrate the amazingness of billion hits (or half a mil, who's counting). I won a ten dollar gift certificate to chocomize chocolates! I am super excited because I think I may use the chocolate bars as wedding favors. The site looked so awesome that I ordered a chocolate bar before winning. I will be trying their dark chocolate/oreo/marshmallow combination. I emailed the company and they told me they could give me a sweet discount and customize the labels and whatnot. I am thinking of creating a his and her bar- half of the guests will get a chocolate bar "Katie style" and half will get one "Brian style." I encourage you to check out their site! What chocolate creation would you purchase?

I also won the gorgeous Shannon's Fashion Friday giveaway! Yay! That girl is one serious fashionista. I love her outfits! I am excited for the yoga subscription, nut butter and tea assortment. I am feeling pretty lucky today! Do you consider yourself to be lucky?

Does everyone have fun weekend plans? I am heading to lunch with my Matron of Honor to give her her gift for being in the bridal party- I can't wait to give it to her! :) Then I am meeting my little brother at a local wine bar to meet his new girlfriend. So cute. Tomorrow I heading to the Philly area for my bachelorette and bridal shower take two! Bri's sister and mother are throwing me one so his side of the family can attend some festivities. How lucky am I? Annnd, I get to see Bri! He is driving up to see me since he couldn't make it last weekend due to the weather. :)

Starting today I am implementing Photo Friday, where I post one of my favorite pics. My photographer recently posted this one on his blog. Have a great weekend everyone!

Exciting News!!

2010-03-02T10:03:00.005-05:00

Good morning everyone! I hope your Tuesday is off to a swell start. Mine definitely started off on the right foot- I bounded out of bed at 6 AM (okay, dragged ass is more like it, work with me) to hit the gym for a 5k tempo run. I warmed up for a quarter mile at 5.5, then upped it to a 9:40/mile pace until 2.8 miles, where I finished the remaining .3 miles at 8:00/mile pace. Total time for the 3.1 miles: 29:40. Yesssss. I am definitely going to meet my goal of completing a 5k (race) in under 30 minutes!

In all of my excitement, I forgot to grab my pre-packed lunch AND dinner that I put out on the counter. I won't even be able to salvage it! I made a huge batch of my shrimp/whole wheat penne/creamy nutmeg concoction on Sunday to have for lunch and dinner on the run. I am volunteering tonight so I wanted to be frugal and meal plan ahead- I have savings goals in mind! I also won't get to enjoy my eggplant/roasted red pepper/goat cheese/tapenade on foccacia for lunch. Boo! Ah, sometimes even the best laid plans can't help you. Do you meal plan? If so, what's your strategy? The good news is that my favorite cafe has my favorite sandwich as their special today- turkey and cheddar with sliced apples and a maple glaze. I'll get over forgetting my food :)

Speaking of saving, for eight months out of the year last year I tracked my finances to the last penny using pearbudget. I cannot say enough good things about pearbudget! It essentially is a budgeting program where you set the budget, input your daily expenses and track what you are doing. There are monthly analyses/charts/all that good stuff. It might seem a little anal to some but it really helps to keep me accountable to my savings goals. Their customer service is top rate. A few weeks ago I emailed pearbudget to let them know that although I loved their service, I was no longer tracking my finances, and would they be willing to refund me my $30 (my subscription renewed automatically after a year)? Charlie from Pearbudget emailed me back less than ten minutes later letting me know that my account had been refunded. Then, a few days ago I decided that I was going to start tracking my finances again as of March 1. I emailed Charlie yesterday to see if they could "recharge" me and he got back to me within 5 minutes, suggesting I utilize their free month (there is no initial charge to use pearbudget- you try it for a month to see if you like it. If you do, it's thirty dollars for the year or three dollars a month) and go from there. How awesome is pearbudget!! So, if you are interested in budgeting/tracking your finances, check it out! **By the way, I am not affiliated with pearbudget at all, nor are they offering me anything to spout my praises about them. I am just a really satisfied customer! :) Do you follow a budget? Does it work for you?

Okay, what was the point of this post? Oh, right, exciting news! A few weeks ago, my good friend Laura indicated that her husband Jim was looking for some runners for the 12 person Ragnar Relay being held in New York the weekend of May 14-15. I have read about Ragnar in the blogworld and it definitely piqued my interest! In any event, Jim contacted me on Sunday and as of right now I am set to be on the Ragnar relay team! Eeep! The Ragnar Relay is a 12 person overnight relay race across 178 miles. Each team member runs three legs of the race, each with varying difficulties.

source

I am really excited for this challenge but also fairly nervous- I don't want to let anyone on the team down! Have you participated in the Ragnar Relay? Would you? My friend Laura is coming along for the ride to provide support- I am excited!

I hope that you have a great Tuesday. Later this week I'll post my new race schedule and a full bridal shower recap. Have a good one!

Heartfelt Thanks and Bridal Shower Fun!

2010-02-28T21:10:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday lovelies! First off, I want to thank each and every one of you for your comments on my last post. I was still in a bit of shock when I wrote it. The support of the blogging community has brought so much to my life. One of my fave bloggers even touched on these feelings in a recent post; check out Wendy's post from Saturday. She is simply amazing!

I am feeling much better about it; I know that we can get through it! I think I just needed a day or two to wallow. I feel like I'm back to my old self again. So let's get to some shower pictures! My work shower was this past Friday and my bridal shower was on Saturday. Both were outstanding! My matron of honor reaaaalllly outdid herself with my bridal shower. We still had a great turnout despite the not so great weather. The shower was in a room called "the wine cellar" and it was decked out like, you guessed it, a wine cellar! It was awesome! Right up my alley :)

The flowers (I have pics but not on my work computer) were stunning! Christina had them done by the florist who is doing my wedding. They were white hydrangeas with pink roses in square vases with pretty stones in them. I brought one of the centerpieces to my office today :)

Some pictures: Modeling my outfit!

With my lovely matron of honor in front of my wine table. In addition to all of my gifts, each guest brought a bottle of wine. I am a lucky girl!

Very excited by all of the wine! I think I have around 25 bottles :)

My beautiful bridesmaid Kristin and Me

The best matron of honor ever!!!

Modeling the rehearsal bouquet of bows. Super hot!

I'll be back later with a more thorough recap. I just wanted to express my gratitude to all of my fellow bloggies out there. You guys rock! Have a great Monday everyone :)

Some News

2010-02-26T19:12:00.006-05:00

"Hey, Katie, are you in there?" The receptionist's voice came through on my office phone.
I didn't think much of it. One of the main components of my job is to answer legal inquiries from our members.
"Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"
"It's Brian."
"Ohh, okay, put him through, thanks". He must be calling to see how the work shower went, I thought, smiling to myself.
"Hey honey, how's it going?!". My standard greeting for him.
"It's going, how was the shower?"
I chatted on excitedly about how great it was, how fantastic my co-workers are.
"I even got a red velvet cake in the shape of an engagement ring!!". Red velvet is my favorite cake.
"So", he says, "are you ready for this one?" He sounded anxious. My heart dropped. I sat back in my chair, gripping my desk. I knew. We've been waiting to hear.
"Yeah", I said nervously, "what's up?"
"I got my orders. I leave in April. 365 days. Afghanistan".

Approximately 30 days after becoming husband and wife, my new husband will be traveling halfway across the world, to a hostile country, for over a year. Thousands of brave soldiers do this each year, and we go about our daily lives, appreciating it but not necessarily feeling the impact. Until it hits home. And it sits pretty heavy.

Trial Run

2010-02-26T09:31:00.000-05:00

Hi lovelies! It's almost the weekend, hooray! This has been the longest week evah. Probably because I had to work on Sunday. I wanted to thank everyone for their comments last night; you guys definitely know how to make a girl feel better! I am in a much better mood today :-)

For the lies and one truth- a lot of you thought I was born without wisdom teeth (including Bri!!). I got all four of them out during law school, not fun. I learned how much I hate the way pain killers made me feel. Necessary evil at the time! Julie, I was very flattered that you think I could do a back handspring :) My one truth is that I practiced Gaelic in a pub in Dublin with an old drunken Irishman. It was hilarious! Slainte! Ashley and Lily, you were right! :) There were cows across the street from our b&b and my friend Kristin and I may have wanted to pet them, but we didn't. Ha. I am not a fan of white zin- it is waaaay to sweet for my tastes. Give me red any day! And yeah, I really cannot sing. I got cut from chorus in fourth grade when there were no cuts, if that's any indication of my abilities ;) I will never try bear. I know people that have though. Eek.

So last night was the trial run for my hair and makeup. I am soo happy with how it came out. Now for some pictures. Bri, if you are reading this, you have to stop reading now!
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Hair from the back:

From the front- it looks a little messy because it was pouring out (this is back at my house). Sorry that it is blurry!

Side view- hair and makeup.

Again!

I'm trying to go for a Grace Kelly-esque look. Sophisticated, elegant and not too over the top. I am loving everything, aside for the lipstick. I think it may be too pinky for me. I am going to go for a more peachish color. My makeup artist is amazing- she did something to my eyebrows and I have never seen them look better! I need to learn her tricks. I slept in the makeup last night (I know, typically this is bad) to see how it would hold up and it still looks great! Which works out perfectly, since my work shower is today :) My bestie and matron of honor Christina is going to be my guest of honor at the office since Bri can't make it. I can't wait!

Okay, and now for a wedding planning tip- make sure that when you send out the invitations, you number the back of the response cards. Keep a spreadsheet with the names of guests and the number on their response card. This will come in handy if you get a response card and the writing is illegible or the person doesn't write their name in the appropriate place. This helped me out last night! I received a response card from someone who merely wrote "will attend". No name, no nothing. I flipped the back of the card over, saw it was number 18, referred to the spreadsheet and figured out which guest it was. Crisis averted!

What do you guys think of the hair and makeup? Any fun weekend plans? Have a great Friday!

Some Lies, a Truth and Feelin' the Blues

2010-02-25T16:20:00.005-05:00

Hi beauties! I hope that this post finds everyone doing well. I have my hair and makeup trial tonight for the wedding so I will be sure to post some pics tomorrow. I actually have a very exciting weekend coming up- my bridal shower is on Saturday (which, by the way, also marks one month to the wedding)! My awesome matron of honor, Christina has been hard at work to put together something great. Annnd, tomorrow my office is throwing me a shower! I am one lucky girl.

The only damper on the upcoming festivities is the dang winter storm that is hitting the Northeast. Bri was supposed to come up for the weekend to attend the work shower (it's customary, I guess) and to see me. The weather is preventing that. My mom was flying in from California, and she had to cancel her flight due to weather issues. Other friends/family members from out of town are likely to not come to the shower because of all the snow. I have been pretty bummed about that for the past two days. What do you guys do to get yourself out of a bad mood?

I am a very happy person and to me having a bad mood almost seems indulgent- like, get a grip Katie, there are people out there that struggle with real problems. On the other hand, I tried everything I could to lift my mood yesterday- watching funny youtube videos, thinking about upcoming events- to no avail. Perhaps sometimes out moods are beyond our control? I did start to feel better after my body sculpting class. It always kicks my booty!

In any event, I made a kick ass dinner yesterday- whole wheat pasta with shrimp and basil in a "creamy" nutmeg sauce. One of these days I will actually take a picture of my food and post the recipe for you guys- it's really delicious! In fact, I'm currently eating some of the leftovers now for an early dinner before my appointments. I'm feeling very frugal in packing my dinner and eating it before I leave work.

One of my fave bloggies, Lindsey @ Eat Read Run passed along the "creative writer" blogger award to me.

Now I am supposed to list six lies and one truth about myself. Y'all have to guess which one is true!

I was almost bitten by a cow in Ireland when I tried to pet it.
I've practiced speaking Gaelic with a drunken old Irish man in Dublin.
I can still do a back handspring.
I was born without wisdom teeth.
The most adventurous/out there food I've ever tried is bear meat.
I was the lead vocal in my high school musicals.
I love white zinfandel.

Now I am supposed to tag some peeps, but I have to head off to my appointments. If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged and play along!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, and I'll be back tomorrow with some trial run pictures! Happy Thursday :)

Sunshine and Shoes!

2010-02-23T11:55:00.004-05:00

Afternoon bloggies! I apologize for the MIA-ness, it's been super hectic 'round these here parts. We had a big event at work that ended today, which meant that I had to work on Sunday. However, before work on Sunday I put in a last ditch effort at the mall to find something for my bridal shower this coming Saturday (yay!). I have been looking on and off without much success. I wasn't even going to stop at Banana because their dress selection has been lacking lately but of course, I couldn't help myself. I'm glad I did! They got in a new shipment this past Thursday and I am now the happy owner of this lovely wrap dress:source
It is a lilac/grey/tan pattern. I love it! It is very flattering and lays quite nicely.

I have to say that I am even more excited for the shoes that I purchased at Banana. Behold: source

They are so cute on! Plus, everything in the store was 25% off when you spent $100, so I got a major deal. It seems that lilac and grey are going to be huge this spring. I am contemplating whether to get a lilac cardigan to wear over the dress. Decisions, decisions.

In other news, I have been getting up before work to hit the gym! The fact that I am keeping this up is monumental. I was supposed to go yesterday morning, but postponed it to this morning due to all of the craziness with work. Which just means I will be "two-a-daying" it and attending my yoga class tonight as well. On Sunday, I put myself through a kick-ass Jillian circuit. I was going to write out the first circuit workout listed in her making the cut book. However, I remember that my mom had purchased her "hot bod in a box" cards, which basically is just a set of cards with a bunch of workouts on them. Coincidentally, her first circuit workout card (with everything already listed out) happened to be the first workout listed in her making the cut book! So I just grabbed that and hit the gym. There were many sprints (on the treadmill), burpies and jumping rope to be had, interspersed with strength training. It was awesome! Do you circuit train?

The lovely Suzy at Running on My Time and Molly at I'm a Sleeper Baker nominated me for the sunshine award! Thanks ladies! I sure could use some sunshine in my life right now! I am supposed to pass the award on to 11 blog friends and let them know via a comment on their page. I tag:

Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg! I love reading Anna's blog. She's a college professor, which I think is super cool. She also posts beautiful pictures and has the most creative vegetarian recipes!
Danielle @ Coffee Run. I find it so hard to believe that Danielle is still in college- she possesses such wisdom and maturity already! I wish that I shared her healthy habits in college. She is very inspirational and her food photos are amazing!
Lily @ Lily's Health Pad. I love Lily's blog! She is super nice and has a lot of great budgeting tips. She's provided me with a lot of encouragement running wise, which I am very grateful for!
Wendy @ Give Love, Create Happiness. Wendy is quite possibly the sweetest person ever. Her blog inspires me to be a better person and find peace within myself. I went to high school with her (she was a few years older) and can attest to the fact that she has the most gorgeous hair on the planet.
Lindsey @ Eat, Read, Run. I want to meet up with Lindsey and hang out in real life! She's from upstate NY living in NYC and is currently training for her BQ. She is totally going to qualify for Boston- she is sooo speedy! She is also a fellow bibliophile, which I always appreciate.
Linzi @ Destination 26.2. Linzi is in the process of training for her first marathon, which I find to be super inspiring. She is also dating a military man, so I identify with her in that respect. She also participates in a running club called "Will Run for Wine". I could totally be a member of that club.
Katharine @ From A to Pink. Katharine is currently training for her first 5k. I was in that boat last spring/summer so I know how she feels! She is a great writer and comes across as being very fun and vivacious.
Julie @ Julie's Running Blog. Julie is so sweet! She just ran her first two half marathons (and did incredibly well, I might add). She brings so much support and fun to the blogging community with her posts. I look forward to reading her blog! She also has the cutest running gear!
Meredith @ Balance for MEre. Meredith's blog is one of the first blogs that I began reading. I finally de-lurked once I started my own blog. She has been a source of inspiration for me, as she just celebrated her running anniversary this past December and, in the meantime, ran a super speedy 10k! She has lots of great ideas and is a great writer- it must have something to do with being a teacher!
Yelena @ One Healthy Apple. Yelena's blog is too cute- I love the background! She is newly married and she and her husband are adorable- I remember at one point he guest posted and referred to her as BWE- best wife ever. So cute!
Lee @ In My Tummy- Lee and I are in the same boat- we are both planning a wedding in the spring and running a half this fall. I may even venture down to Atlanta to run one with her! Her blog is very real and fun.

I could go on and on, but I do have to get some work done. Thank you to all of the bloggers out there for being a constant source of inspiration and motivation!

Adapting Goals

2010-02-18T15:25:00.005-05:00

Good morning beauties! I am feeling fantastic today because I started off the morning with a "speedwork" treadmill workout at my gym! I didn't really want to lug myself out of bed this morning at 5:55 (I like odd numbers) but I'm glad I did! I'm currently trying to improve my 5k time (I'll get into that in a bit) so I started with a mile warm up at 6.0, then rotated a quarter mile at 6.7 with a jogging recovery period of 5.1 for two minutes. I did this until about 2.6 miles and then finished off the workout with a cooldown from 5.5-6.0 until I hit 3.1 miles. It was a fantastic workout and went by super quickly! I was a sweaty beast by the end. :-) I came home and stretched, rocked out 25 "jumping pullups" (ha) on the bar in the basement and called it a (workout) day. This working out in the morning thing is great!

I was at Barnes and Noble this past weekend with Bri and I picked up the "Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running." I first saw this book on Linz's blog and thought that it looked really interesting.
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I have to say that so far I am impressed with the book. I wanted to share a quote I came across that I found to be really inspiring:

"Not meeting a goal is not failure. In fact, if success were a certainty, you wouldn't have much of a challenge to begin with. There is little point in setting an easily attainable goal. Goals are meant to stimulate and inspire greatness. A goal that is obviously attainable is without value. That means that any worthy goal comes with the implication that you may not meet it. Learning and growth come only in the struggle to attain your goal." (Emphasis supplied).

This quote really struck me for some reason. You set goals to see if you can achieve them. Once you meet (or don't meet them), you reevaluate where you're at to figure out your next steps, which is where I'm at now. In my pre-running past, my goal was to run a 5k. Once I met that, I was officially bitten by the running bug. I set my sights on longer distances to see what I could accomplish. My ultimate goal running-wise is a half marathon, but I may or may not be putting that on the back burner, given certain life circumstances. I originally planned to run the VB half in September but that may pose a minor inconvenience, location wise. Let's just say I've fallen into the role of military wife quite swiftly ;)

Technically, I could continue on from my 14k training and run a half marathon somewhere in May. However, with the wedding coming up and the honeymoon after that, I don't necessarily want to be worried if I can't get the miles in. So, my goals from here on out to the wedding are as follows:

Run 10 miles a week, with a "long" run of at least 4-5 miles to maintain endurance
Attend yoga every Tuesday
Attend body sculpt every Wednesday
Complete two of Jillian's Making the Cut workouts per week
Work in the 100 pushups workout
Continue with "jumping pullups"
Ensure that at least one of the runs is a speed workout to increase my 5k speed

Once I get back from the honeymoon, I'm going to start working on my running game again. I definitely plan on running the Boilermaker 15k in July. I am contemplating doing the Iron Girl sprint triathlon (!!!) in Syracuse on August 7th. Ideally, I would like to run a half in September or October. For whatever reason, running a half in Chicago sounds awesome to me. Does anyone have any recommendations for a half?

How is everyone else doing? Have you had to change your goals because of changes in your life? I hope that everyone has a great weekend! I get to spend some time with my girl Kristin so I am super excited :) Happy Friday!

Virginia is for Lovers 14k Recap- Splits, Swag and After Party!

2010-02-17T10:17:00.001-05:00

Good morning lovelies! Thank you to everyone for all of your congratulations and well wishes on my last post- it means a lot :)
Isn't the medal from the race lovely? I was looking at my splits yesterday on garmie and though the course was 8.67 miles, we ended up running 8.73. Definitely a PDR for me! :) I feel somewhat lost now that I'm not following a training schedule. I'm probably going to work on my 5k time until I start training for the half in June, but that's a story for another post. The splits were as follows:

Garmin Total- 8.73 mi/1:29:09/10:12 mi average

Mile 1- 10:34/mi
Mile 2- 10:19/mi
Mile 3- 10:14/mi
Mile 4-10:08/mi
Mile 5-10:20/mi
Mile 6-10:04/mi
Mile 7-10:30/mi- you can tell that I was battling the elements here. It was so windy!
Mile 8- 10:10/mi
last .73- 6:46- average 9:17/mi

Max Pace 7.8 mph during the last .73 :)

Thoughts on my splits: It would have been nice to have negative splits, but overall I am happy with my performance. I was trying maintain a slower pace in the beginning in order to not tire myself out. At one point Bri told me to stop worrying about the garmin and to just run! I felt really strong and often looked down to see my pace hovering around 9:40/miles. When I saw this I forced myself to slow down. I think my pace slowed on mile 5 because I was distracted by all of the great signs. Mile 7 was definitely the worst. That was when the snow was coming down pretty hard and the wind was whipping! Bri definitely pushed me to finish hard at the end. The last mile or so was the only point when I felt truly exerted. Now that I know I have built up some endurance, I am going to work on really challenging myself speedwise in the future. To me, this means running consistently at a 9:00/mi pace :-)

At the finish line, we were handed our medals, a flower (females) and this drink coozy:

The phrase "Run Passionately" was everywhere throughout the race. It is even written down the side of our long sleeve tech shirts. Which, by the way, flipping rock- see for yourselves:

Super cute, right? I didn't wear the tech tee the day of the race, as Bri seems to think that you can't wear the shirt until you've run the race, and I tend to agree with him. Do you feel the same way, or is it not really a big deal to you?

After the race, we headed into the large tent for the after race festivities. It was WARM (which was awesome) and the band was playing music.

Bri immediately headed out to the car to grab our wallets. There were booths selling race gear and of course, I couldn't resist. I have a bit of a coffee mug addiction so purchasing this was a definite: I also purchased a long sleeve navy cotton tee that I didn't get a chance to photograph. It's very cute though!

We were stoked to find out that every person wearing a race bib was entitled to two free yuengling beers and food from Moe's. I love Moe's, so this was awesome (even though it was only 10 in the morning)!

The pic is dark, but I'm enjoying my free yuengling. I only had a few sips, being that what I really wanted was WATER! Bri and I both got burritos and nachos. I didn't eat much of it, but I still thought it was cool! We mingled about for a bit, roaming around all of the vendor booths and listening to music. The Rock 'n Roll VB peeps were there, so I picked up information to register. If you register for the Virginia Beach Rock 'n Roll Half before March 31 (I think) using the code "Boardwalk" you get a discount on your registration fee. Sweet!

At this point, my left knee was killing me, so we called it a day, headed back to the car and went to the Exchange to pick up Season 5 of The Office. :) Bri was very embarrassed because I insisted on wearing my medal in the store. Haha :-)

So, there you have it. All in all a fantastic race, cold weather and all! Thank you for following along with me. I can't wait for next year!

Virginia is for Lovers Race Recap

2010-02-13T16:56:00.007-05:00

Happy (day after) Valentine's Day! I hope that everyone had a great day surrounded by people you care about. Bri and I started off the day right with brunch at this local restaurant on the water. You can't go wrong with $2.50 mimosas and $3.25 bloody marys! So let's get to this race recap, shall we?

I had been checking the weather for the past week to determine what gear I should bring down with me to VB. The temps were looking chilly so I brought all of my upstate running duds with me, just in case. I am glad that I did! I checked weather.com on Friday evening before the race and they were predicting snow, with temps of 19*! Accordingly, I wore my running tights, fleece pants, coldgear compression top, under armour tshirt, lululemon sport jacket, gloves, hood (!!!) and fleece headband.

The race was set to start at 8 A.M. It was approximately 20 minutes away so we left the house around 6:30. Bri had picked up our race packets on Thursday, which was fantastic. I was already pinned and chipped up! The sun was still rising so there was still a sliver of darkness. It definitely made me feel hardcore to think that I was going to be running almost nine miles before a lot of people had awakened to start their weekend!

All geared up!

The race took place around the VB Ampitheater, so there was more than enough parking. We parked and headed over to a large tent, where all of the pre-race festivities were taking place. The tent was awesome because it was nice and warm! There were a ton of vendors, a band warming up, and overall just an excited, happy vibe. There were three ways to participate in the race: the 14k (8.67 mi), a 1.4 mile fun run or a 14k relay, where one partner ran 4 miles and the other partner ran 4.67 miles. Those partners that were running the tail end of the relay were taken to the transfer point via a shuttle provided by the race.
This was the long line of porta potties provided for the runners. I am glad that we got to the race early, because there was a huge line 20 minutes prior to the race. I had to force myself to use them, as I didn't want to encounter any "issues" during the race. Speaking of, I didn't see any porta potties along the race, although I know the information packet indicated that they were out there somewhere. I did see a girl run towards the trees around mile 3. Bummer, but it happens!

Everyone started heading outside around 10 of eight, when we were informed that the race was going to be starting 15 minutes late because of traffic issues. The directors wanted to ensure that everyone who signed up for the race would have the ability to participate, which I thought was nice.

There was a ton of Valentine's Day related regalia inside the race tent, so we used the extra time wisely and took some goofy pictures. I was really excited!

At 8:10 everyone lined up at the start. There were a lot of couples, some with some really cute tshirts. Bri told me that if I designed a tshirt like that for him to wear he wouldn't wear it, but he totally would ;) The horn sounded, and we just kind of stood there- getting to the starting mat was kind of slow going. There were approximately 3,000 runners and, with no corrals, it took a bit to get situated. Once we crossed the start line (I think it took around two minutes) we were good to go.

Miles 1-3 literally flew by. My foot felt great, but I was trying not to think about it. It was freeezing! There was a DJ playing tunes and shouting encouraging things at the runners, which was pretty cool. Around mile 2, I heard a girl say to someone she was running with "only four more miles 'til cupcakes." lol, whatever it takes to get you motivated! There was a water station at mile 1.5, which we just skipped.

Throughout the whole race there were super cute Valentine's Day/love related signs posted. There were signs saying "I love you" in different languages, quotes from romantic movies, conversation hearts, random love facts- they were all on the course! It was very entertaining.

Approaching mile 4 were signs (very well marked) for the relay race handoff. This didn't interfere with the actual race at all, as those who were switching off had to veer to a parking lot on the left. It was very well done. We then ran past a water station (which we skipped) and encountered Lover's Lane. Lover's Lane was this super cute part of the race where signs that friends or relatives had purchased to display for the runners. The ones that stick out in my mind were "Jen, forever isn't long enough" and "Christopher, congrats on one year of running!" So cute! At this point, there was another DJ playing music.
This is the entrance into "Lover's Lane." I'm running in all black. Don't mind bri's finger ;)

After Lover's Lane we hit mile five and ran around a bunch of sports fields- I think Bri said they were for field hockey. Which would make sense since we ran past this mayjuh looking field hockey training facility. At this point I noticed that there were indoor bathrooms available! I didn't have to use them, thankfully, but if I had I would have been grateful for that. I took one shot block at mile 5.5.

As we approached mile six, we knew we were coming close to the cupcakes. It was an out and back course, although it wasn't too bad because there was no definitive turn around spot. I decided that I didn't want a cupcake, as I didn't know the effect it would have on my stomach and I had just taken a shot block. Bri was not deterred and grabbed a cupcake. They were bite size and looked really good! Most people stopped to grab one and walk while eating it. There was a water station at mile 6.5. At first I didn't think I needed to stop but there were enough tables to convince me. I grabbed a cup, walked for about five seconds to drink it, threw it out in one of the many trash bins placed out (loved that!) and continued about our merry way. There were more signs posted, like "the first recorded death by chocolate occured in 1276." Fun stuff

At mile 7, it started to get ridiculous windy and snowy. I was not a fan of the wind. I could tell by my splits that the weather slowed me down, but I was excited to almost finish. To distract myself, I took another shot block at mile 7.5. I'm glad I did, because it gave me a burst of energy, just in time to tackle the sole hill on the course at mile 8. We had to run into and through the ampitheater, which was cool but the hill was not a fun surprise.

Bri was motivating me the whole time, but he really kicked it up during the last mile. He could tell that my energy was starting to flag. He is an awesome running buddy! I was so excited to see this:

Yay! We crossed the finish line and I was immediately handed a flower, cute medal, and drink coozy. I'm so discombobulated after the race that I'm just staring off to the side- LOL.

A race volunteer offered to take a photo of Bri and me, which was super nice. We went to this hanging fabric thing to take a race photo in front of it. I was having a tough time walking- my left knee was killing me for whatever reason.

I'm going to cut this post short, as I've been traveling all day and need to get to sleep! I'll be back tomorrow with my splits, the review of the after-race festivites and photos of all my swag! I'll be back to reading and commenting on your blogs tomorrow- I've missed everyone!

Virginia is for Lovers 14-Complete!

2010-02-13T16:52:00.002-05:00

Happy weekend bloggies! We completed the Virginia is for Lovers 14k today during snowy, windy weather (it's colder in VB than upstate!) Chip time: 1:29:05 (10:13/mi)

Full race recap to come tomorrow!

Two Days and a Swollen Arch

2010-02-11T11:13:00.003-05:00

Happy Thursday friends! I am happy to say that the wedding invitations are in the mail... finally! Not without a hitch though. I get to the post office yesterday to mail out the 130 invites. The post office worker takes one look at them and says "you don't have enough postage on these." Ummmm, wtf, I had them weighed on Monday! He asked me which post office I went to to weigh them and when I told him he called them a bunch of idiots and said that they didn't check to see if the invites would fit through this thin slot thingy (technical term). Apparently, the bow on the invitations made them just thick enough to require an extra twenty cents worth of postage. So there I sat at the post office, placing two ugly ten cent stamps on 130 invites. I was so annoyed with the dang things that I was just throwing them in the box to be mailed. It probably didn't help that I hadn't eaten lunch yet and my blood sugar was getting low. But yay, they are done! Now the RSVPs can start flowing in and the real fun can begin (seating charts... shudder).

Thanks for all of the well wishes about the kidney issue. My doc said that the ultrasound revealed healthy kidneys so he is befuddles as to why red/white blood cells were showing up. I have to go back next week to get retested and if there is still no answer, I may have to go to a urologist. Weird. My back pain is no longer so I'm thinking it was just a fluke. My cholesterol is super low! I'm so excited- diet and exercise really does work, y'all (I have to practice my southern-ness, I'm crossing the Mason-Dixon line tomorrow). Three years ago my cholesterol was 210, with my bad cholesterol at 140 (bad bad bad). Now, I am within the healthy ranges- total cholesterol of 171, with my bad cholesterol at 99- yippee!!

It's finally here:
The big race is on Saturday at 8 am! Bri is picking up our race packets tonight. I am so excited! The race is sold out, with 3000 runners running. Hopefully my foot will hold up. I wrote earlier this week about foot pain I've been having. I ran two miles on Tuesday to test out the foot. The run was great, but after I stopped running it really hurt. I'm glad I ran though because I was able to pinpoint the pain- my left arch was swollen! I'm glad it isn't a bone or anything but still, it was pretty painful! I have very high arches so that probably has something to do with it. After the race I am going to go buy inserts and new shoes (I'm due for new ones, I think) and hopefully that will remedy the issue. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

My mileage has definitely tapered down this week, as I want to have fresh legs for the race and don't want to irritate my arch. It is driving me nutso! I feel like I'm being lazy because I've only run two miles thus far this week. I was tempted to wake up early this morning to jump on the elliptical to get some cardio in but I told myself to stop being a crazy person. My foot needs rest! Do you find it mentally hard to ease up on the cardio when your body needs the rest?

I completed a quickie strength workout last night. I first put myself through a self-guided yoga workout for about 15 minutes- lots of downward dogs, high pushups, warriors and half moons. I then did the following:

-3 sets of 20 bridge ups
-3 sets of 20 donkey kicks (per leg)
-25 stability ball jacknifes
-20 stability ball hand to foot ball pass
-10 pushups

I was going to do day 3, week 1 of the 100 pushups workout but my chest was still screaming from my strength workout the other day. I'll get to that tonight. How are my pushuppers doing? :)

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week. I'll be back soon with a recap of the race and a guest post from Bri!

8 Miles (!!) and a Short Hiatus

2010-02-08T22:11:00.006-05:00

Hi friends! How is everyone doing? Apparently I decided to take a blogging hiatus for bit. I have been in wedding invitation hell but if all goes as planned, they should be ready for mailing tomorrow! That will be a huge weight off of the shoulders. I've also determined my least favorite part of wedding planning- the invitation process. Corralling the addresses, labeling, tying bows... good times! If you're married, what was your least favorite part of wedding planning?

This past weekend was great. I hit up Chowderfest in Saratoga on Saturday with my co-worker Jennifer and her family and had the most amazing chowder at The Parting Glass. It was something along the lines of lobster crab chowder with sweetened corn bread in it. Amaze! After that, my co-worker, her four year old daughter and my stepmom and I went over to the dress shop for my fitting. The little one was in awe of my dress- it was so cute! I purchased a fun accessory that I won't describe in case Bri is reading this but it is realllly awesome :)

Okay, let's get to running! On Thursday I had a four miler on tap. I woke up early before work (again, yay!!) and hit the treadmill at the gym. I generally start at 5.6 for the first minute or two and then complete the run at 6.0. That was getting boring so I decided to mix it up with high intensity interval training (HIIT). I pumped up the speed to 7.5 and did that for about a minute and half, and then slowed down to 3.2 for two minutes. I did this for a majority of the run for a grand total of 4 miles at 10:30/miles. Sweet! Do you incorporate HIIT into your runs? I am going to incorporate HIIT into my workouts more after the race this Saturday (!).

On Friday I left work because I was having kidney issues. Apparently I may have a kidney stone or something. I'm heading back to the doc for my yearly physical so I'll find out then, but my back pain has gone away so hopefully it was nothing! When I left the doctor, it was too late to make the drive back down to Albany, so I headed home and decided to bang out my long run. The results:

I did it! 8 miles in 1:24:48, which I think worked out to 10:36/mi, which is right where I wanted to be. The splits were fairly good. I had some issues during mile 3 and 4 that left me wishing for a bathroom (tmi!) but I ignored it and it went away. I took three clif shotblocks in wildberry during the course of the run- at miles 4.1, 5.1 and 6.5. My stomach felt weird after taking the third shotblock, but I don't think the shotblock was the cause. I think I like the Gu Chomps better. The flavor of the clif wildberry was good, but the blocks were slightly larger and stickier, making them harder for me to chew. I may or may not have almost choked on the last shotblock ;). The shotblocks are organic though whereas the gus are not... so I haven't made a final decision as to my preference. The weather was chilly but I felt great.

Here I am after the run:

Exhausted, red from the cold and my eyes are black hollow holes but hey, I ran eight miles!!!! I haven't run since Friday. Saturday evening I started feeling a slight pain between the ball and the arch on my left foot. It still hasn't gone away. I can walk on it fine but I am a little concerned, as the race is this Saturday. Eep! I am going to try to run 4 miles on it tomorrow to see how it feels, and then rest on Thursday and Friday.

I am sooo excited for the race! Bri told me that I won't need my gu or anything because they hand out cupcakes at mile 6! Crazy right? I am even more excited to see Bri this weekend :) What is the craziest thing you have ever gotten at a race?

In between stuffing envelopes last night I decided to get some strength training in. There are a ton of weights and a pullup bar in the basement, so I did 25 "jumping pullups" (read: Jump, grab bar, lower self down. Chin is nowhere near the bar.), chest press and flys with 12#, bicep curls and tricep kickbacks with 10#, renegade rows with 10# and a boat pose. Wow. Let's just say I was trying to wash my face afterwards and couldn't even bring my hands to my face. Water was all over my shirt because I was basically throwing the water at my face. It was so foolish that I was laughing at myself. Gotta love it!

After the race this weekend I won't be following any sort of training plan. It will be six weeks from the wedding and I need a training plan to follow! I was looking at my copy of Jillian's Making the Cut last night and I think I may follow her workouts four days a week and work on my 5k speed two days of the week. Do you guys have any suggestions or thoughts?

What's new with everyone? I feel so out of the loop with all of the wedding planning going on! Let me know how you are doing, and I promise that even if I'm not commenting, I'm still reading your wonderful blogs :) Have a great Tuesday!

Cupcakes... and a Co-Op Find!

2010-02-03T21:27:00.003-05:00

Good evening bloggies! I've been super busy with wedding things this week (and I haven't even started tying the bows on the invites, sweet!) I had to miss my weekly yoga class yesterday (tear) in order to meet with the organist for our wedding. She is soo adorable. She played all of the choices available and I am super excited with my selections! I have to say, I teared up a bit listening to the recessional song- it's the first song bri and I will hear as husband and wife! Okay enough cheesiness ;)

Since I missed my yoga class, I completed yogadownload's Yoga for Runners. It is a great workout that seems like the perfect complement to my running! Today called for two miles on the dreaded track and my body sculpt class. I never thought these words would leave my mouth (er, keyboard) but I think I am starting to prefer the treadmill to the track. I can watch television and it seems to go by more quickly. With that being said, today's run and class were great. My instructor is really starting to show in her pregnancy; she is so cute!

Today on my lunch break I ventured over to a local food co-op to pick up some items to make for dinner tonight (I made a rocking shrimp pasta dish that I didn't photograph but trust... it was awesome) and looked around in awe. This place is a gold mine! I easily could have dropped tons of dinero in there. There was grass fed beef, organic EVERYTHING, hard to find teas... I could go on and on. I have to share a picture of my favorite find: Hazelnut agave nectar!!! I am SO excited to put this into my coffee tomorrow. :D Are you a fan of agave nectar? If not, what kind of sweetener do you use?

Speaking of sweets, I went to the bakery yesterday to order our groom's cake. It's going to be a kettlebell. Bri will love it! This bakery is seriously amazing; whenever I go I always purchase cupcakes because they look so amazing, and I'm not even a sweets person!

Hello, lovah:

Red Velvet awesomeness.

Oreo cupcake. Holy yumtastic. Surprisingly, I haven't busted into these yet. I will though!

This post is so disjointed... I'll be back soon with thoughts on conquering my 8 miler and other adventures (chowderfest this Saturday, yippee!) . I'm waking up early again to get my four miles in. Pushup challengers, let me know how you are progressing! I'm going to do day two of week one tomorrow.

This is Baya looking mighty satisfied with herself, as she had just licked my entire face right before the pic was taken. I'm mid-laugh and my eyes are practically shut, but I think it's a funny pic! Do you have any fun pics with pets? If so, post them! I love looking at them :)

Good night!

Early Riser + Treadmill Conqueror

2010-02-01T15:05:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon blogfriends! I hope that everyone had a restful and relaxing weekend. Mine was so much fun! On Friday I began the weekend with a seven mile run, with hopes of conquering this: The initial plan was to do half on the treadmill and half on the track, so as to avoid boredom. I ended up running four on the treadmill, ran to use the restroom, and then continued upstairs to finish the run on the track. Um, wow- it was super weird. Running on the track after running on the treadmill must mess with your head, because I was feeling SUPER dizzy and weird. I lasted for a lap before I ran back downstairs to finish the run on the treadmill. The miles were a bit disjointed, but I conquered the mill! Have you ever split a run between a treadmill and a track? If so, did you experience the same funky feeling that I did?

The next morning I got up bright and early to head down to Long Island to visit my friend Nicole. The train ride was nice and quick but effing HOT. Amtrak definitely needs to work on their heating/cooling issues. After meeting up with Nicole, we set off to go wine tasting in Long Island. We hit up about five places and it was really fun! Nicole's husband came along and played DD so we both got to enjoy the wine. Wine tasting may be one of my favorite things to do! On the ride back home I housed a ton of cheese, which I was really pissed off about afterwards because of all days to do that, I had to do it two days before I got my bloodwork done to check my cholesterol... oh well! Have you ever been wine tasting? I've gone wine tasting at Niagara on the Lake, Sonoma County in California, a bunch of times in the Finger Lakes and now Long Island.

We were so sleepy from all of the wine that we were in bed by ten. Party animals!!! The next morning we headed to the gym so I could make up the run I missed Thursday. I ran 3.5 on the treadmill, bringing my January running total to 64.1 miles. Yippee!

Nicole has a really cute german shepard pup named Baya who is almost a year old. She took a picture of Baya and I that I was all set to post- it's hilarious because Baya had just licked the side of my face before the picture was snapped so I am laughing and she is looking at the camera with a devilish look. The file size is too big to post- I need to figure it out! Baya's head is as big as Bailey's whole body. I'm not used to big dogs!

While I was on the LIRR train heading back to Penn station to catch the train upstate, I caught a conversation between two women next to me. An older woman that spoke broken English was very distraught and confused because she was on the wrong train but didn't know which train she should be on to meet up with her daughter. The younger woman that was sitting next to her asked her where she needed to go, and then called the woman's daughter on her cell phone to help the older woman figure it out. After that, the younger woman gave her detailed instructions to help her navigate the train system to get home to her daughter. This younger woman's act of kindness really inspired me. Taking the train can be stressful, especially if you have no idea where you are going and are unfamiliar with the system. This young woman's act, which only took up a few minutes of her time, saved this older woman from a lot of stress and confusion. Incidents like these that make me believe in the good of human nature. Have you witnessed any acts of kindness lately?

As I alluded to earlier, I had to get bloodwork done this morning for my physical next week. Since I am meeting with my caterer tonight, I have no time after work to get my 4.5 miles in. I realized this last night and decided that I MUST get my butt out of bed early to get the mileage in before my 8:05 appointment. I am happy to report that I did it!! This is major for me, as I love sleeping in as much as I can and have always been an evening exerciser. It felt great to be at the gym with a different crowd and to have the sun streaming through the windows. I'm going to do this more often! Are you a morning, mid-day or evening exerciser? Do you think working out at certain times of day impacts your body differently? I've read various articles that seem to suggest this. I want to look into it more!

I'm excited to start the 100 pushups challenge today! I did the initial test last night and got up to 11. I could have done more but 11-20 pushups fall in the same column so I decided to call it quits at 11. Lame, I know. I'm going to create a spreadsheet after work and will share it with everyone interested in participating.

Oh, and for those of you who asked- Bri and I are having our reception at the Canfield Casino in Saratoga. I love it!

Have a great Monday!

Less Than Two & Pushup Challenge!

2010-01-29T10:10:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday bloggies! I meant to post last night but I got home from a delicious sushi dinner with my friend Laura around 8:15 and was literally asleep by 9. Party animal! Laura is leaving next Thursday for her destination wedding in Maui; I am so excited for her! We had a lot of wedding-related items to chat about. Speaking of weddings, this past Wednesday was the two month mark. Which means there is 1 month and x days to the wedding.... holy! On March 27th we will be getting married here:

source

I looooove our venue! I was sold on it by the photographs alone, but it's even more impressive in person! I had a task list of everything that still needs to be done, which I seem to have misplaced. Uh-oh. This week I mailed in the remaining deposit owed on our venue, and made appointments for the following:

Meeting with caterer next Monday to go over final menu options
Meet with organist at church next Tuesday to go over ceremony music
Scheduled bussel (sp) appointment for dress- somehow I magically don't need any alterations!

I also have to print out mailing address labels, because our invitations (finally) came in the mail! Yippee! They are really gorgeous- I'll post pics once I assemble them. I have a feeling it is going to get very old tying the bows on the invites.

For whatever reason I am most looking forward to assembling the out of town bags for our guests that will be staying overnight in the hotel. We are going to do a lot of Saratoga themed items. What would you guys want to see in an out of town bag? We are going to include Saratoga water, Saratoga potato chips, gatorade and tylenol (for the next morning ;)), some cookies, chocolate and maybe some coffee. Would you guys recommend anything else? If you are married, what was your favorite wedding to-do to handle?

Last night's dinner was great. However, it slightly interfered with my training plan in the sense that I was scheduled to run 3.5 miles. Instead, I took it as my rest today (as opposed to today) with the plan of running the 3.5 today after work and then running the 7 as planned tomorrow. However, my train to Long Island (I'm visiting one of my oldest friends for the weekend, yay) leaves at 8:05, which means I have to leave the house at 7. I'm not a morning runner, nor do I think it is the best idea to do my longest run ever in the morning. So I'm thinking I will run the 7 tonight after work and forego the 3.5... I feel really guilty about it. Do you think this will make or break my 14k?

Speaking of the 7 miles, thinking about running them on the treadmill or the track makes me want to cry with boredom. I've come up with the master plan of running on the treadmill until I get bored (at least 3.5 miles) and then finishing up on the track. Does that still count? It better! :)

In my last post I mentioned that I did 50 pushups- mind you, this was 5 sets of 10. It would be awesome to do 50 in a row. My ultimate goal is 30 for right now, since I already met my goal of 20. I've been able to complete so many pushups because of the 100 pushups training program. The premise of the program is to do an initial test to see how many pushups you can do. Based upon that number, you follow a level based plan doing five sets of pushups three times a week. For instance, if you can complete less than five pushups, you follow the sets indicated under level one. At the end of each week you move on to the next level. When I first completed this program, I repeated weeks 2 and 3 twice. I repeated week 4 I don't even know how many times... by the end, I went from being able to doing 3 pushups in a row to over 20, completing 80 pushups in a workout.

Since I haven't been focusing on my pushups as much, I'd like to reintroduce the 100 pushups challenge into my life.

100 Pushups Challenge! source

Starting on Monday, I'm going to begin at week 1 and follow it to a "T" until the wedding. It is a great challenge in the sense in that it adds strength training to your life and doesn't take up much time! You can easily add it to the end of any workout. Let me know if you want to join the challenge with me! If so, leave a comment and I'll compose a google document for everyone to add their pushup stats to. Here's to doing 30 pushups in a row! :)

Like I mentioned earlier, I'm heading to Long Island this weekend to visit my friend Nicole. We are going to hit up some of the wineries down there- I can't wait! Do you have any fun weekend plans?

Have a great Friday!

Me + Yoga= Calm

2010-01-26T20:40:00.003-05:00

Good evening everyone! I hope that you are having a wonderful start to the week. Can you believe that it is almost the end of January already?! It's like I blinked and now it's almost February. Which means we are that much closer to the wedding :-)

Yesterday marked my return to a full week actually in the office. That hasn't happened since before the holidays, with all of the traveling I've been doing! I headed to the gym after work to trod out four miles on the track. I've decided that I really hate the track, although I don't hate it as much as the treadmill. I had big plans to wake up early yesterday and complete my run outdoors, but the rain got in the way of that. I love running in the rain, but only when it's 60 degrees out. 35 degree rain + 6:30 in the morning = turning off the alarm and going back to sleep! I'm all about equations in this post.

Four miles at the track at my gym equals 36 laps. To try to distract myself from the fact that I was running in so many circles as to make myself dizzy, I usually count the laps until the 9th one (1 mile) and then start over. Yesterday I was not feeling that. I was having some stomach issues so I used the restroom after a mile and came back with a new strategy. Count down from 27- each lap is a lap closer to the finish! Right? RIGHT! Ugh, I so could not psych myself up. I slogged it out but it was not pretty. How do you distract yourself during treadmill/indoor track runs? Sometimes I evaluate people's strides, but even that gets old.

After the run I completed 50 pushups and did some core work. I was tired after that! I added the mileage to my monthly running log and I am at over 41 miles for the month! If I keep up my scheduled runs (which I will, obvi) I will have run over 50! That is huge for me. I really feel like a runner. If you are a runner, how many miles do you typically accumulate each month?

Work was pretty relaxed today, aside from some moth infestation (under control) and skunk spraying in parking lot (which I'm glad I wasn't around for!) Today I finally made it to my Vinyasa flow yoga class at the studio I go to. I haven't been since before Christmas, since the class falls on a Tuesday and I had been on the road for the past few weeks. I had been doing yoga all by my lonesome and, while I love yoga download's workouts, sometimes you just need to get into the studio!

Today's practice focused mainly on leg strength and stretching. I could tell that it had been a while since my last studio class; my legs were screaming! I definitely worked up a sweat. The instructor had us in warrior poses, yogic squats, prayer pose and the like. She also incorporated one of my favorite poses, the triangle pose: Source

I really really love this pose. It is a top contender for my favorite. What I love about it is the amazing stretch that you feel in your legs couple with the intense opening on your side/rib cage. What is your favorite pose?

I practice yoga for many reasons, although I am by no means a yogi (yet!) I love how flexible it has made me. I can also feel the balance it gives me- it presents a nice congruity to my weekly running. Most importantly, though, is the calmness that I feel both during and after. Even if you are one that cannot shut off your mind, yoga forces you to focus on the pose, focus on your breathing, focus on yourself. Do you practice yoga? If so, what is the main reason you practice for? If not, why don't you?

Speaking of yoga, the fabulous Shannon at The Daily Balance is hosting an amazing giveaway for a yoga mat sling. Sign me up please! She is hosting a yoga week on her blog; stop by and check it out!

I'm about to settle in with a red blend and some magazines (ahhh, bliss). Have a great night!

Six Miles!

2010-01-24T21:04:00.003-05:00

Happy (or unhappy) end of the weekend blogfriends! This weekend seriously flew by. I wanted to thank everyone for your input regarding what incline you keep the treadmill on while running. I generally keep it at 1% myself, but it felt super hilly on the treadmill I was on so I dropped it down to .5%. Or it could be that I hate running hills (of any sort) ;) I did go to UB Law school- I love Buffalo! It's a great city- fun sports teams, active nightlife, and it's right next to Niagara-on-the-Lake (awesome wine tasting), among other things. There is such a sense of community and pride. Plus, there are numerous Tim Horton's and Wegmans! The only downside is the economic downturn the city is facing.

Bri arrived super late on Friday evening, because he got tied up purchasing our new truck! He traded in the 'stang and we are now the proud owners of a 2010 Toyota Tacoma truck. Sweet! It drives just like my 4runner (Faith, I miss her) used to. I promptly named the truck Taylor, although I think Tristan may be more appropriate. Bri looked at me like I was crazy when I asked him what name he liked better for the truck. Cars need names! My current car is Cameron the Camry. I like alliteration. Do you name your vehicle?

Yesterday started bright and early, as we had to be at pre-cana for registration at 8:30. The whole day wasn't actually that bad; it was sort of odd at times and I got frustrated with some of the chauvinistic aspects, but overall it was fun to discuss issues with Bri. We went to this great coffee shop for lunch during the break and encountered one of the biggest DB college students I've ever come across. The dude was seriously dropping (make that screaming) F-bombs left and right. Mind you, there were adults and children around. Clueless!

The great thing about pre-cana was that they let us leave at 3 PM! This meant that we would be able to get my long run in before dark. I was so relieved over this because I originally thought I would have to complete it today which, technically, is the start of a new week. Maybe I'm anal but I wanted to get my miles in for the week!

We arrived home and dressed for the weather. Or, I should say, I dressed for the weather. Poor Bri must think he is running in VB, as he only packed shorts and zensah tights for his calves. His legs were numb by the end of the run!

We started the run in Saratoga Park. It was beautiful but so cold! We ran through the park and into downtown Saratoga, circled around our wedding venue :) and continued uphill. At this point (probably 2.5 miles in) I really had to pee. There were tons of places (gas stations) to stop in, but Bri told me it couldn't count as a long run if I stopped because it would be too long of a stop. He's hardcore! So I tried to forget about it and eventually it went away!

About 4 miles in we each took a serving of these bad boys:

Gu Chomps in the cranberry apple flavor! They were hard to get out of the bag with my gloves on, so Bri took one for the team and took off his gloves to dispense them. One serving of four chomps has 90 calories, or 22.5 per chew. These things were awesome! I don't think I necessarily needed them for a six mile run but I have to say, they perked me up! It was nice to look forward to something to break up the run, and the flavor was delicious. They are super easy to chew- I definitely recommend them for any long runs that you may have coming up!

We finished the last of the six miles strong. Bri had never run over five miles either so we PDR'd together! Running with someone (especially Bri) always makes the run go by much more quickly for me! Do you prefer to run alone or with someone? For me, it generally depends on my mood. I enjoy solo runs and running with a partner too!

After the run we decided to go to a nice dinner at Chianti, my favorite restaurant. However, we got there and the place was bumping! An hour and a half wait for two people. Yeah, we were about ready to chew our arms off so that wasn't happening. We strolled over to Grey Gelding Restaurant, and they were able to seat us right away.

source

It was an amazing dinner! We shared a bottle of delicious pinot noir from Chile. Bri got the filet in an island type dressing (jalepeno and coffee) which was so good! I got a cheesy pasta/asparagus dish. So fun!

All in all it was a fantastic whirlwind of a weekend and I was sad to see Bri leave today. The next time I see him will be our engagement anniversary/valentine's day/Virginia is for Lovers 14k weekend! How was your weekend?

Have a great evening! :)

Missing In Action!

2010-01-22T21:15:00.003-05:00

Hi blog friends! I've missed you! I was all set to write a post last night but my exhaustion got in the way. Then, I figured I would write one when I got a second at work today. Well, being out of the office conducting seminars all week= a million bajillion emails and calls to get back to. By the time I left the office today I still had 11 emails to respond to (that can wait until Monday :) ) It was fun to read all of your comments on the issues you incur while running-I'm glad I'm not alone!

All of my seminars are done, yippee! No more public speaking engagements until our June meeting (which occurs in May, strangely). I think I am doing well with my goals; I definitely feel much more comfortable in front of an audience.

My travels took me to the city of my law school alma mater, Buffalo. I was very excited to attend one of my favorite sushi places, which apparently closed down. Dang, I only graduated 2.5 years ago! But, no matter, I was still able to go to Tim Horton's. I woke up extra early to get some coffee and a delicious breakfast sandwich before the seminar. I documented my excitement:

Right before I ordered. Can you see the excitement in my eyes? It's almost kind of sad. And holy closeup batman.

Hello, lover:

Yes, that is a starbucks cup in the background and no, I'm not cheating on Timmy Hos. I had a calm tea the night before ;)

After my seminar in Buffalo, I hightailed it to Syracuse for the next seminar, checked in to the hotel and changed into my workout gear:

I had two miles and a strength workout planned. Wow, treadmills suck. I got it done but I didn't like it! Question for the treadmillers- do you put the treadmill on an incline at all to mimic the outdoors?

After the workout. Yellow totally matches pink, didntyaknow?

After the 'mill I incorporated some of Fitnessista's Winter Shape Up challenge moves into my workout. Loves the renegade rows! This was followed by dinner at Dinosaur bbq- if you're from upstate you know what I'm talking about! I had fried green tomatoes for the first time- wow!

I left Syracuse yesterday around 1PM, tired and exhausted. I got home around 3:3o and the last thing I wanted to do was go for a run. But, I made myself put in my four miles- I have a 14k to get ready for! At this point I truly feel like a runner; before, if I was tired I would have just rested! The run was fantastic. My iTouch was dead so it was just me and the pavement (and garmie). It was nice!

Bri is coming tonight (yay) and we get to attend pre cana tomorrow. joyous! Apparently we even get to watch a video on the joys of natural family planning. Why am I not eloping and getting married on a beach again? I apologize for the disjointed nature of this post; it's been a long, stressful day! I'll be back on Sunday with my long run (six mile) recap and various other adventures!

Do you guys have any fun weekend plans? Enjoy the rest of your Friday!

Four Miles and Allergic to Running

2010-01-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

Good morning bloggies! I wanted to thank everyone for their comments on the engagement post; you guys have very sweet husbands! I enjoyed reading your stories. I'm heading out on the road again today to finish up the last of my seminars. I will be so excited once Thursday is over! The good thing about my travels is that they are bringing me to the land of Tim Horton's and Wegmans. So excited!

My weekend was incredibly restful and relaxing. I've been reading The Kind Diet and I have to say, it is evoking a lot of emotions in me. I definitely will not be going vegan; I think it's great decision for some, but not me. Alicia talks a lot about how amazing you will feel once you get meat and dairy out of your system- but I already feel pretty amazing! I've never had any stomach or digestive issues. I think my main problem is with the food industry in America. In any event, I'll post my review of the book at the end of the week once I finish my travels. How was your weekend?

Yesterday was a day off for me, so I was able to complete my four mile run outdoors as opposed to on the track at the gym. Yippee! I again wore my zensah sleeves, running tights, coldgear top, northface shell, gloves and ear warmers. It was in the upper 30s and I think I was actually overdressed for the run. The run itself was okay. I was having trouble regulating my breathing, and I'm attributing it to all of my core work from the day before. My abs were sore!

When I picture an awesome run, images of the sun shining and great paces pop into my head. Kind of like this:
Not like this:

I was reading some articles and came to the conclusion that I may, in fact, be allergic to running. I swear it's not an excuse! I say this because every single time that I run, my nose starts to run too. It doesn't matter if I am indoors on the track or outside on the road, hot or cold- my nose just runs! It's realllly annoying. According to this article, I may have a condition called "exercise-induced rhinitis", a fancy term for "your nose runs when you exercise." According to researchers, exercise-induced rhinitis is fairly common among athletes. As a general rule, when I see people running they don't appear to be dealing with a runny nose. The only remedies appear to be taking a nasal saline spray (no thank you, I HATE anything touching my nose, nevermind something being injected up the airways) or running with tissues.

It's strange because this only happens to me while I'm running. It does not happen when I engage in any other sort of exercise. It looks to me like my only option is to just suck it up, because it's not like I'm going to stop running over a runny nose. Although running around with a box of tissues could be quite humorous for bystanders. Do you have exercise-induced rhinitis? If so, do you just deal with it? If not, are there any other mysterious ailments that strike you while running?

Have a great Tuesday!

The Engagement Story

2010-01-17T20:34:00.006-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone! It feels like a Saturday to me because I am one of the lucky ones with tomorrow off- Bailey is going to be happy! Do you have tomorrow off? I have a nice four miler planned. It's supposed to snow in the morning but get sunny in the afternoon so I'll hold off until then. Today was a rest day for me. My legs were pretty sore after the five miler yesterday so I foam rolled them into oblivion for a bit, then banged out 40 pushups and did some ab work.

I've been reading The Kind Diet and I have to say, it's very interesting. Definitely opening my eyes to a lot of things. I'll probably finish it within the week and will be sure to post a review! Also, I am absolutely loving the Juice Facial Moisturizer I purchased at Sephora yesterday. I can already tell a difference in my skin- it is so much softer- even moreso than it usually is after getting a facial. It's only been a day but I highly recommend!

I made my way to Broadway in Saratoga for my weekly pilgrimage to the coffee shop. For those of you are unfamiliar with Saratoga, it's a quaint main street in the city where people are always milling about, regardless of the weather. Today I saw a group of 14 year old girls standing on the corner dressed like they were going to a nightclub in Miami. Mind you, it was about 35* today. They started walking in front of me and I noticed one girl wearing a sheer top that fell to just under her waist, with black stockings and booty shorts. However, to my horror I realized that the booty shorts were not shorts but were the control top part of the stockings! wtf! This young girl was literally walking around outdoors with no pants on. I feel like I'm getting old but man, kids these days! It makes me frightened to have a daughter. Is it me, or are the younger girls growing up a little too quickly these days?

I thought I'd share with you the story of mine and Brian's engagement. We got engaged last February (February 15th, but whose counting) after dating for approximately a year and half. Bri and I were together for about a year before he left for boot camp in September 2008. From September 'til the following January, he was stationed in Rhode Island, first attending boot camp and then Naval Justice School. I made the trip over to RI a lot, and we talked about our future and getting married quite a bit. It may sound cheesy, but I knew he was the one from the start. I distinctly remember my friend (and maid of honor) Kelle asking me how I felt about him after we had been dating for around three months. Without hesitation I told her that I would marry him tomorrow if he asked. I had never felt that way about anyone, ever! I guess it's a good thing I roped him into marrying me ;)

After January, he got stationed in VB. I helped move him down there and then purchased a ticket to come over Valentine's Day weekend. My flight was supposed to leave on Thursday, but there were crazy wind delays. I was nervous to fly with the aid of his mother got a refund and began the drive down to VB. His mother lives in PA at the halfway point, so I drove to her place and left for VB the following morning.

That weekend, Bri left the house early to "go to work". Little did I know that the jeweler had messed up the ring setting and he was frantically trying to get it fixed. Bri actually wrote out our engagement story for our wedding website, so I'll let you read it from his point of view, with one caveat- I really would have taken a piece of string!

From Bri:

I knew I was going to propose to Katie from the moment she told me that I was going to. No, in reality, I knew it all along and wanted to make it special for Katie, even though she falsely stated that she would be happy with a "piece of string." It took me about 3 months to pick a ring and about a week to throw any shred of discipline out the window and propose to her. I had a lot of ideas about how to pop the question, but I ended up choosing on a February walk on our beach. I picked this proposal because Katie and my relationship has never been anything more than a true love of each other and an extravagant dinner where I would propose was not really appropriate.

So, the day came and it was a little chilly but the sun was shining. We walked and the whole time I figured she had me pegged and knew I was going to propose. I thought this because I had to get a new fitting on the ring at the last minute and I was in and out of the house with no explanation of where I was going. At one point during the walk, she even asked to put her hand in my jacket pocket, but like a gentleman, I told her NO because I did not want her finding the box. I may have even swatted at her hand. At that point, I knew that things were going downhill, so I could not wait until the end of the walk when I would propose. While we were still on the beach, I nervously searched to make sure we were alone and I got down on one knee and asked "Will you," holding the ring out for her to see. Katie, being the astute attorney, immediately asks, "Will I what??" which I had to clarify to be marriage. I could tell she was shocked and I think she said yes as she jumped up and down. Well, she accepted the ring and, to be sure, I later asked if it was a yes. Katie called a lot of people to tell the news, and I personally was relieved to know that she had a long drive back to New York happily engaged.

----

It was such a beautiful proposal- just he and I on the beach. I knew that he was asking me to marry him, I just wanted to hear the words from his mouth! Then I definitely started jumping up and down like a little kid. I regret not taking a picture on the beach after we got engaged. Bri very stealthily suggested that I take my camera and my phone "in case I wanted to call anyone" when we went on our walk. I wish I had taken a photo! I'll leave you with some of our engagement photos from our awesome photographer:

If you're married or engaged, how did your guy propose?

Have a great evening everyone!

My First Five, a Facial and a Purple Monster!

2010-01-16T20:17:00.004-05:00

Evening bloggies! I hope that your weekend is going well. I've had a fantastic day. Last night I went to sleep nervous about my five miler in the morning, mainly because I wasn't sure if my IT band was going to let me run the whole five. This morning I woke up to a balmy 39 degrees! My achilles tendon/calf area was feeling sore from my 2 mile run and strength training last night, so I made the executive decision to wear my zensah sleeves underneath my running tights. I'm so glad I did- my legs felt amazing!

I wore the tights and zensah sleeves with my nike tempo shorts (keeps the bum warm), cold gear top, northface shell, gloves and underarmour headband. It was perfect for the 39* weather.

I'm happy to say that I was able to run the entire five miles without having to stop and stretch my IT band! Yippee! The run itself was fairly decent- not my best and not my worst. I felt kind of tired and was battling wind (although the wind was not nearly as ferocious as the wind bri and I ran against in VB). I finished the run in about 53 minutes. I think the key to my knee not bothering me is my foam roller. I foam rolled last night and again this morning before the run. It always hurts like a beotch but I'll take it if it allows me to run!

Five miler down- 14k here I come!

After the run I came home to shower quickly and made some oatmeal to take on the road. It's tricky to eat oatmeal while also attentively driving, but it can be done. I got a facial at my favoritest spa ever, which was ah-may-zing. I want my skin to look great on the wedding day so I have been getting facials once a month for the past few months. Have you ever gotten a facial?

I then zipped over to the mall to spend some of the gift cards I had acquired for Christmas. I looked at Victoria's for some bathing suit coverups but they had nada. I did some major damage at Sephora though. I picked up some Juice Beauty Facial moisturizer that I had been eyeing, as well as new eyeliner, eyeshadow, nail polish and lipstick. Normally I have huge issues with lipstick- whenever I put it on it looks like I am wearing lipliner (even though I'm not- it's awful!). However, I found this sheer, pinky color that Sephora makes that I think will work on me! Do you like Sephora? I always have to laugh when I walk into the store because there is always some guy outside the door waiting impatiently for his significant other.

When I got home, I decided it was time I had a green monster. Linz talked about her purple monster the other day, and I thought it looked really good! Enter: The goods. 2 cups spinach, 1 banana, half a container of plain greek yogurt (added protein kick), half a cup of milk, handful of blueberries, squirt of agave nectar and ice.

About to be blended:

The final result:

A purple monster! It was really good. Have you ever had a green monster?

Now I'm about to dive into the book I purchased today: source

I saw this at the bookstore and, as I had seen it throughout the blogworld, it piqued my interest. I started reading through the first chapter and it seems like it will be really interesting. I have no desire to go vegan, but I am toying with the idea of a flexitarian diet. Once I finish the book I'll be sure to review it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I Love My Spibelt!

2010-01-14T20:09:00.007-05:00

Hi bloggies! I feel like I've been gone forever and it's only been a few days. I missed reading and commenting on your blogs! I finished up my last seminar for the week today. Tomorrow is Friday and then it's a three day weekend! :) I am very excited to relax and just be.

I had a nice time in Long Island (aside from a sketchy incident at the hotel that I won't get into). There was pretty much no traffic getting there, so I arrived at 4:30- just enough daylight left to get in my 3.5 mile run! It was actually ten degrees warmer in Long Island, so I only wore my running tights, cold gear top, lululemon jacket and hat and gloves. In hindsight, I probably should have worn my fleece pants too, as it was pretty windy.

I was also excited to give my spibelt a go! I've been looking for some sort of storage mechanism to take on my runs that would hold my phone and keys without being bulky and annoying. I had read about spibelts throughout blogland so when I saw them at the local running store in Virginia Beach I knew I had to pick it up. Gear junkie for sure.

I purchased a pink and black plaid pattern- isn't it cute? So it looks very thin and small. I placed my cell phone, debit card and room key inside, and they all fit very comfortably.

With all of the items inside:

I placed in on the side of my hip and made sure the belt was very tight.

I have to admit that I was skeptical of spibelt's claims. I figured that there was no way I wouldn't be able to tell this pack was sitting on my hip. Well, now I am a believer! I seriously forget that I was even wearing it during my run. It did not shift at ALL. I love this thing! If you are in the market for something of this nature, I definitely recommend giving spibelt a try.

The run itself was beautiful, aside from my IT band acting up around 2.5 miles. I stopped and stretched and was fine, but it still gives me pause for concern. I hope I can continue my training for the 14k! I banged out 3 miles today without an issue, so I guess the telling factor will be my 5 miler on Saturday.

I planned my run strategically so that I would finish in front of the local starbucks. There, I got a "calm" tea and a fruit and cheese plate, which rocked my socks.

Yum! It was my pre-dinner dinner, as I later met Nicole at Novita, an awesome Italian restaurant near her. I didn't take any pictures but trust me when I say amazing lobster pasta was consumed.

When I got home today I decided to see how many energy gels I could fit in the spibelt. I have quite a few of them in my stocking from Bri at Christmas. I'm not running enough miles to warrant using them yet, but I'll get there.

So, I started with 4 gus and a pack of gu chomps:

and they all fit!

The only downside is that there is a slight tear in it already (boo). I don't know if you can see it- it's to the left of the stitching in the middle.

On another note, Suzy from Running on My Time tagged me to list ten things that make me happy right now. They are:

My lavender chamomile aromatherapy candle
My I love running water bottle
Red wine (currently drinking pinot noir)
The fact that my pup only had an ear infection and not something more serious
My presentation yesterday was my best one yet
I get to see Bri next Friday!
My upcoming three day weekend
Reading blogs!
My three mile run today, despite the fact that it was bring your family to the track and walk in the running lane day
The Naked Green Machine drink

Thanks for the tag, Suzy!

I'm off to go catch up on my blogreading and foam roll into oblivion. Happy almost weekend everyone, I missed you!

A Change of Plans, My Default "Power Suit" and Food Judgment

2010-01-11T20:45:00.003-05:00

Good evening! Today was day one of my three seminar stretch for the week and I have to say, I'm exhausted! Putting on a seminar for two hours is more draining than a run! I had this fantastic plan all mapped out for my run today. My seminar was ending around 3:30, so I'd get home around 4:30, leaving me with plenty of daylight to run 3.5 miles outdoors in the glorious above freezing weather. Sadly, this got put to a halt as I was needed back at the office. Which meant that I wasn't getting home until at least six. To darkness. So my only option was going home, getting my gym gear and going to the track at the gym to bang out 3.5 uneven miles. I then realized that the only things I had eaten all day were greek yogurt and two oatmeal cookies at the hotel (I tend not to eat before a presentation). Soooo, I made the executive decision to instead come home, whip up a batch of Annie's organic white cheddar whole wheat shells with peas (loves!) and drink a green machine drink. Instead of running I did 30 minutes of hip opening yoga, and I'll get my 3.5 miles in tomorrow (outdoors, woot!) since I'll be arriving in Garden City around 3. Sweet!

Whenever I have to present I always seem to fall back on one particular suit. I think I own somewhere around 15 suits. Classic fashion advice seems to suggest that a woman should own at least one suit; I would up that requirement to three, even if your office is business casual. I purchased my new favorite suit last summer at Banana Republic- it was so new to the store that they had it available in my size in the jacket, pants AND skirt. If you ever have the option to purchase a suit with both the pants and the skirt, do it. It gives you more bang for the buck in the sense that you can work more outfits out of it!

I really love BR suits. They are cut perfectly for my frame! The only drawback is the fairly steep price; I try to buy them in classic cuts and prints so that they will be worth the investment.

My latest BR love:
You can't really tell from the picture, but it's a medium grey with a thin white stripe.

Close up shot of the color:

Sorry for the random weird picture of my leg. I'm going to wear the same suit on Wednesday with the skirt.

When wearing a suit I rarely (if ever) wear a button up collared shirt with it. That's what I typically did in the past and it is such a pain to finagle with the collar over the jacket. I generally wear thin shells, camisoles or thin sweaters underneath my suit jacket. This way I never worry about whether or not my collar is sticking out!

Do you have to wear suits for work? How many suits do you own?

So when I was at the grocery store earlier purchasing my Naked Green Machine drink, the cashier gave it a weird look and said "that looks healthy". I told her that it was actually quite good. She said that she could tell from the contents of my shopping basket that I eat healthily. I asked her if she evaluated customers' purchases on the regular (I always wondered that!). The cashier said that she did and that you wouldn't believe some of the stuff people buy. She said it made her the most angry to see families with overweight children purchasing a bunch of "crap", like oreos, ramen and the like.

I hate to say this but when I'm at the grocery store I tend to look at other people's carts to see what they are getting. When I see someone with a cart full of nutritionally void food, I get very judgmental. Why are they purchasing that stuff? Do they want to have a heart attack? Then I feel guilty, because who am I to judge? It's not like I eat perfectly. Do you guys find yourself evaluating other people's food choices?

Have a great evening everyone! I'm meeting up with one of my oldest friends tomorrow (she recently moved to Long Island) and we are hitting up a delicious Italian restaurant. I can't wait! Night!

When Life Gets in the Way of Your Training Plans

2010-01-10T10:50:00.006-05:00

Good evening blog friends! I hope that your weekend has been fun and restful. Today has been fairly low-key for me; I've been running through my presentation, updating some blog stuff, reading blogs and eating. :) I added a link to my exercise log in the right-hand column of the blog, and figured out how to import my 14k training plan. I'm going to add an "About" page in the near future too. They are one of the first things I look at when I first stop at a blog so I should probably get on it!

Today started off fantastically (is that even a word?) with homemade blueberry pancakes topped with chobani pomegranate yogurt. I love adding greek yogurt atop pancakes- it makes them nice and creamy and gives you an added 14 grams of protein. Yum!

I also added a bit of organic maple syrup. I cringed at the price while purchasing this at the grocery store. However, the ingredient list sold me:Pure maple syrup. None of the HFCS badness. Do you pay extra for better quality foods? Or can you not justify the cost? It's frustrating to me that the items that are better for your body are more costly.

Today marked the start of week 4 of my 14k training plan. The 14k is only one month and three days away! I am hopeful that I will be able to do well (IT Band, I hope you're listening... stop acting up) and think that I am capable of reaching what once seemed like an impossible distance because I have following my training program consistently. With that being said, I have only finished three weeks of training and have already had to alter my schedule each week. By way of example, my training schedule provides that every Friday is a rest day. However, this did not coincide with what my "real life" schedule called for; my New Year's Day 5k was on a Friday morning! Instead, I swapped Friday's rest day with Thursday's three mile run. This past week I had my hair appointment on Thursday night (which I could NOT miss, Kisori books months in advance) so again, Thursday was my rest day and I ran 3 miles on Friday and 4.5 on Saturday.

I have missed one training day, unfortunately. Last Sunday I was going to cross-train at home (elliptical) once I got back from Virginia Beach. Instead of taking 8 hours the trip was delayed to a little over 13 hours, so by the time I got home at 11 PM I literally could not muster the energy to jump on the elliptical machine.

This week is a busy one for me. I'll be traveling a bit for work (hello Long Island), so I'm forced to take my training to the road. Tuesday is typically my yoga class (essential for stretching out my tight muscles), but I'll be driving and then checking into my hotel that evening. I adjusted my schedule and am prepared to practice yoga in my hotel room- I am packing my yoga mat and downloaded a new class from YogaDownload. Sure, I'd rather be at my class, but sometimes life gets in the way.

I think the key to any training program is flexibility. As long as you are getting in the requisite miles and aren't lumping all of your long runs together (so as to avoid injury), moving around your workouts isn't going to hurt you. Another key to training are scheduled rest days. Rest days are essential to allow your muscles to recoup and give your mind a chance to rejuvenate. Rest days are also good in the sense that having them in your schedule allows you to finagle it around a bit when something comes up.

Have you followed a training plan? If so, do you follow it to a "T"? What works best for you?

This afternoon I made it to one of my favorite places- Saratoga Coffee Traders:

I love this place. All of the coffee is fair trade and organic, and they have amazing lattes and delicious breakfast sandwiches. I pulled a little breakfast for dinner action and had egg and cheese on a bagel.

The counter in the coffee shop is really cool- it is covered in old coffee bean bags. Very green and somehow pretty chic too! I'm thinking of getting individual servings of the coffee to put into the out of town bags for the guests at the wedding. My co-worker thinks a gift card to the 'bucks would be better. While I get the appeal of the convenience of just grabbing a coffee with a gift card, I think it is more fun to get unique coffee that you wouldn't find elsewhere (plus, it goes with my Saratoga theme!) What would you do?

Lastly, I noticed that Target was having a sale on their champion sports bras, so I hightailed over there to pick some up. Anything to delay the doing of laundry (more sports bras= less need to do laundry) is A-ok in my book. The damage:

Okay so I have some beef with Target. The C9 bras that I usually buy were not on sale. I still bought one anyway (the purple one) but that was some misrepresentation in the flyer! I guess I shouldn't complain, because the polka dot sports bra (lovessss) was only ten dolla. I also snagged a yoga tank (17.99) to work out in. Hi, my name is Katie and I'm a gear junkie.

The rest of the evening will be spent prepping for tomorrow. I have to give presentations in front of large groups fairly regularly for my job. If you had told me in law school that this is what I would be doing I wouldn't have believed you; public speaking truly terrified me. Thankfully, I got over that fear (perhaps because I was forced to do it so much in law school?) but I still get on edge. Some of the tips I've learned in the past few years:

Encourage audience participation. If you just sit there and talk at them, people are likely to get bored. During my presentations, I stress the point that if anyone has any questions to just raise their hand and interrupt me. The questions generally get a good dialogue going and gives you a chance to regroup.
Know your audience and use real life examples to demonstrate points. In my line of work, I answer legal questions from our members on a daily basis. Oftentimes situations come up where while it may have only happened to one of our specific members, it may happen to another in the future. I use the past problems our members have encountered and explain how they dealt with it. Because, let's face it- the law is the law and all, but sometimes what happens in real life situations may, um, differ from what the law suggests. By the way, how many times can I saw real life in this post...yikes.
Try to focus on each member of the audience at a different point. When I feel my eyes darting about the room I start to get stressed. Instead, I tell myself to relax and look towards a friendly face. If there are no friendly faces, run from the room screaming (kidding).
Fake it. If you appear confident, people will be more receptive to what you are saying and are more apt to see you as authoritative.

Have you had to present in public recently? Do you enjoy it?

I'm off for some cross-training- have a great evening everyone!

A Chilly 4.5 and Bridesmaid Dresses!

2010-01-09T19:18:00.007-05:00

Happy Saturday evening everyone! My Saturday has been surprisingly productive. Earlier this morning I met with Christina, my matron of honor, for coffee and breakfast. I ordered my caramel brulee latte at Starbucks and the barista looked at me strangely and said "they'll be back next Christmas." Dude, if that's the case, why does the sign still say enjoy our holiday lattes?! Grr. I settled on a caramel macchiato, but not without pouting.

After grabbing coffee we headed to Bruegger's Bagels for brekkie. I got one of my favorite indulgences: the cinnamon sugar bagel with maple cream cheese. Heaven in bagel form.

It was so bright in there that Christina had to rock her shades indoors, celeb style:

Isn't she cute?

We then went to pick up her bridesmaid dress! Can I just say that the prom dresses out this season are fugtastic? Holy bedazzling batman. Yick.

Back in my early days of blogging I wrote about how I was torn on my color scheme. I had originally settled on navy dresses with dark pink flowers as an accent color. This got thrown to the wind after seeing this champagne and light pink scheme on the knot. I am so glad I changed the colors; the dresses are fabulous!

The official color of the dress is "latte".

Excuse the wrinkles dress, the lovely (dripping with sarcasm here) dress shop takes really good care of the dresses. They have a sweetheart neckline and an almost trumpet-like skirt on the bottom.

I love the ruching on the dress!

What are your thoughts on the dress? If you are married, what was your color scheme? If not, do you already (secretly) have one picked out?

While I was at the 'bucks I noticed a new Kind bar at the register and, being a bar sucker, clearly purchased it. I have to say that I am a huge fan of Kind bars. They have a short ingredient list and are generally very delicious. Today's purchase (mango macadamia) was no exception! You can't really go wrong with mangoes and macadamia nuts. I could eat an entire jar of macadamia nuts if left to my own devices.

So fruity and delicious! I fueled up on half of the bar before my 4.5 mile run. Yesterday the temperature was predicted to be 0, so I was going to do it at the gym. However, today was practically a heat wave- 20 degrees and sunny! I put on all of my winter gear and got to it. The first few miles felt amazing, which I was happy about. I ran three on the track at the gym yesterday and my legs felt like lead. I did encounter some technical difficulties on today's run at first because I pushed the lap button on the garmin (hereinafter garmie) instead of the start stop. Oops. I went back and ran the distance so I could know what I had covered.

I encountered some issues with my knee about 2.5 miles into the run. In the past my IT band has acted up so I was fairly concerned, but it was only a minor twinging and I was able to continue running after a few stretching stops. Yippee! I then came home and foam rolled my IT bands into oblivion. Hurts so good.

The only thing left on tap for this weekend is to prep for my upcoming seminars next week. Eek! I've done them before but I like to have my presentation absolutely memorized, which is difficult when it's 2.5 hours.

Anyone else run in the artic temps today? Any fun plans for the rest of the weekend?

Have a great night!

Unfortunate Food Evening

2010-01-08T11:12:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday everyone! I can't believe the weekend is here already- the week flew by! Normally this would be fantastic but I have a lot to do before my seminar on Monday. My weekend will consist of a long run (4.5 miles), meeting with my Matron of Honor to pick up her bridesmaid dress and getting ready for next week! Do you have any fun weekend plans?

Last night I had an appointment with my hairdresser (finally!) It wasn't until 6:30, so the original plan was to eat a clif bar at 5 and then eat dinner when I got home. This plan was foiled when I tried my clif bar of choice- banana nut bread. Holy disgusting batman! I nearly spit it out it was so gross. I then scoped out the area surrounding my hairdresser and settled on Bountiful Bread. Their cranberry chicken wrap looked awesome! I even decided that I was going to play food blogger and take pictures of the wrap in public! I got the wrap and realized that it was a chicken salad type wrap. I'm usually not a fan of such. I finished half of it and it was fairly good. Nothing to write home about. I go to take a bite out of the other half and saw a short, curly black hair amongst the chicken that looked suspiciously like the dude's hair that prepared the wrap. Ugh! Normally I would have just thrown it out and left but I was hungry! I was able to exchange it for some tomato bisque soup but my appetite suddenly left me once I received it. Ew. All in all, an awful food night. I did take a picture of the wrap (and received some strange looks), but I'm not posting it. Take that, evil wrap! Have you ever found something gross in your food? If so, what did you do about it?

Moving on to the hair. At least that turned out okay! My hair has been so annoying lately- I've been shedding like a banshee (seriously, my hairdresser asked me if I was stressed because so much of my hair was falling out) and it was just waay too long. This is what I typically look like five minutes after arriving into work, pre-haircut:
Hair back in a messy bun. I can't stand to have it all up in my grill! Uber professional, no?

Hair down, pre-cut:

I hate taking self-portraits, so logically I went the gangsta look route.

After:

Yay! No more roots and I am three (hair) inches shorter! The only negative about getting my hair done is that it takes forevs. I was in the salon for over two hours. Not fun.

In other news, I was one of the random recipients of the Beautiful Blogger award from the lovely Susan at The Great Balancing Act!

I'm excited because this is my first blogger award! Yippee! In receiving such, I'm supposed to list seven random facts about myself. Here we go:

1. I used to consider myself to be quite unadventurous, but recent events have led me the other way. Namely, I got certified to scuba dive (in the murky, freezing Lake George waters, no less) and went midnight tubing in the Hudson River in the Adirondacks. Yes, that's tubing in a river in the pitch black; it was exhilarating yet terrifying. All of this from the girl who ran screaming out of the ocean because there were "sharks" (read: dolphins) while Kristin ran IN the ocean to play with them.

2. I have a tendency to trip quite a bit; as in, I'll be walking down the sidewalk in flats and my ankle randomly gives out. I'm not uncoordinated, I swear! I think it's because I have broken/sprained both ankles so many times that my ligaments have just given up on me.

3. I never drank coffee until second year of law school, when it became necessary to drink in order to stay awake. The only things that I really drink are coffee, water and red wine.

4. I have a true obsession with Tim Horton's and Wegman's, which are the two things that I miss the most about Buffalo. Tim Horton's coffee is like crack. If either entity came to the Capital District, I would most likely die of happiness.

5. My favorite movie, among others, is The Wedding Singer. I think it's the 80s music, because typically I'm not a chick flick kinda girl.

6. I can read ridiculously fast. I've been known to finish more than one book in a day. My dad probably spent thousands of dollars on books when I was growing up. Okay, at least a thousand. My stepmom donated my childhood/adolescent book collection to the library, which made me very sad. Probably my own fault for putting the books in the basement. Bring back the Sweet Valley High books!

7. I am in love with San Diego. You can't get a better climate!

So now I'm supposed to pass the award along to seven other lovely bloggers. I'm going to tag:

Julie @ Julie's Running Blog

Ashley @ Fashionably Fit

Christina @ Building the Nest

Wendy @ Give Love, Create Happiness

Danielle @ Coffee Run

Linz @ Destination 26.2

Tricia @ Endurance Isn't Only Physical

I can't wait to read your seven random facts, ladies!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Running is (umm, should be) Cheap

2010-01-07T10:02:00.001-05:00

Good morning! I don't know about you but this week is flying by for me. Usually this is a good thing but I feel like I have a lot to do before my seminars next week!

The gym last night was awesome. For whatever reason the commute home was quicker than ever (I'll take it!) so I got there in time to rock out two quick miles before my body sculpt class at 6:30. The class was great! There wasn't too many new people and there was more than enough room to run around. And, my instructor is pregnant! She is so cute- I am so excited for her! Anyway, she put us through an intense full body workout. My favorite part (not at the time, so hard!) was when she had us doing a zillion squats holding weights. She then had us pause in squat position, then pulse up halfway three times, go up back to standing and repeat. It burned so good!

The other day I was in my bedroom, which I noticed was quickly being taken over by all of my running gear and apparel, particularly now that it is a frozen tundra outside. If you think about it, running is extremely low maintenance; all you need is a pair of running shoes and the ability to run. Cheap, right? Right. Well, hypothetically it is. It is not cheap if you are a gear junkie like myself. I thought about everything that I have either purchased or received as a gift relating to running since I started last May. I was shocked by the total cost. Let's break it down:

Adidas Supernova Glide Sneakers- $110
Garmin Forerunner 305- $179
Running Tights- $40
Coldgear Cold Weather Hood- $30
Coldgear Cold Weather Fleece Pants- $55
Coldgear Compression Top- $50
Coldgear Gloves- $20
Coldgear headband- $15
Lululemon Running Jacket- $100
Running Socks- $20
Nike Tempo Track Shorts- 4 pairs- $100
Extra Sports Bras- $70
Race Entries (to date) $145
Oakley Sport Sunglasses- $170
Running Fleece- $10
Moisture Wicking Tops- $60
Foam Roller- $25
Road ID- $30
Spi Belt- $20
Zensah Socks- $20
iTouch Armband Holder- $20
Reflective Waistband- $10

Grand Total: $1299, or approximately $1300 dollars spent on running!

Arguably, I could use some of the gear for other activities, but their primary purpose is for running. For instance, before I started running a lot I had around four sports bras (some since my volleyball days back in high school!) However, running a ton required me to either do laundry all of the time or purchase more. Clearly I opted for the latter. I am a huge fan of the Champion sports bras at Target. They are relatively inexpensive (about $15) and provide great support (I'm a C).

Are you surprised by the amount I have spent on my running habit? How much have YOU spent on running (or any other sport/hobby that, on the surface, is inexpensive)?

I am finally getting my hair cut and highlighted tonight- yippee! It will be my last cut and color before the wedding. My hair is getting waaay too long; this appointment is long overdue!

Also, I broke down and joined twitter. It's fun! You can follow me @fittowed.

Lastly, for some pics. My maid of honor Kelle has been asking me to forward her a picture from my bachelorette for the longest time. I'm kind of bad at emailing pics to people. So Kelle, here you go!

Me and Kelle at my bachelorette- wine tasting in the finger lakes! Kelle had just dyed her hair from blonde to a beautiful brunette.

For a frame of reference, here is Kel as a blonde:

Me, my bridesmaid Jenn and Kelle as a blondie in summer '07. I had just finished studying for the bar in Buffalo (read: no sunlight) which is why I am so pale. Who am I kidding, I'm always pale!

Have a great Thursday! Let me know your thoughts on running and/or fitness costs!

My (Blue) Wedding Shoes

2010-01-05T21:38:00.012-05:00

Good morning blog friends! Today is going to be a great day, I can just feel it! The Governor is giving the state of the State, which as a general rule means that the commute into Albany will be nasty. So, preparing for that, I awoke at the crack of dawn (6:50 AM is the crack of dawn) and left my house at 7:40, prepared for a stressful commute. Usually I'm just waking up at 7:40 (to leave my house at 8:10- what can I say, I'm def not a morning person!)

The commute was glorious! I feel like such a tool saying that but there was hardly any traffic and I arrived to work over a half an hour early. Loves it! I swear, the sun was even shining differently (which, uh, makes sense, since I left 45 minutes earlier than I usually do). The sky was so pretty! Can you see the hearts and flowers flying around my head yet? I'm practically annoying myself with how happy I am.

Another reason the commute was so great was because I listened to some great music. When I was driving home last night, Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" came onto my iTouch and hearing the early chords of the song literally brought a smile to my face. Probably because it is still new to me (I don't really listen to the radio so if I get sick of a song, it's because I have played it to death, not because the radio is playing it every five minutes). I love this song for some reason! Lady Gaga is a hot mess, her lyrics are strange at best and I can barely understand what she is singing at some points but her music makes me happy! I played Bad Romance on repeat for a while this morning. Are there any songs out there that put a smile on your face when you hear them?

Last week at yoga class my yoga instructor said something that really resonated with me. Since it was still the holidays, she decided that she wanted the class to have a "giving and receiving" theme. In addition to various poses that incorporated the theme (ie, partner shoulder stretching), she read some passages that applied as well. One spoke to ways that we can easily give to others. The example that she described and applied to our every day lives applies to something we all do every day- driving (even yoga ties in with my commute!). You know how sometimes when you're driving along and someone wants to merge in or merge over and you speed up so that they can't pass you? We are all probably guilty of this (at least I am!). My yoga instructor said that an easy way to "give back" to people without exerting any effort is to just let those drivers in. Everything is so rush rush these days but really, what do you have to lose by doing this? Not a thing. So, thinking about what she said, I applied this to my commute this morning. It left me smiling to let in other stressed drivers, and my drive did not take any longer than usual. If you practice yoga, do you try to incorporate it in other ways into your daily actions?

Yesterday was a long day. After work I attended a legal clinic and put in some pro bono hours. I really enjoy doing this. Last night I met with two women and they really just wanted someone to talk to and some reassurance. Doing this sort of thing really puts things into perspective for me. I am so... I don't even know how to put it. I don't want to say "blessed", because I think that term is kind of overused. I am so grateful for everyone and everything that I have in my life. I am thankful that I do not have to stress out about whether I can afford to purchase six dollar medication. There are people out that there that struggle with these sort of issues every day.

Okay, anyway, I thought this was a post about my fabulous wedding shoes? Oh, riight. So I'm just going to come out and say it. I hate (hate) white shoes. Yick. I don't know why; I just do. This presents a problem for the traditional wedding shoe since they are, well, white. However, after seeing Carrie Bradshaw get married in her blue Manolos, something must have stuck with me, because after I got engaged, I KNEW that I had to have blue shoes (navy, to be exact).

Source

Thus began my search for the shoes that didn't exist, or so I thought. I googled the shoes that Carrie wore (not that I was trying to buy $895 Manolos) and saw that they were not navy, nor were they peep toe, which is what I was looking for. My hopes sank. I perused various shoe sites (Zappos, I heart you but your blue wedding shoes were fug) with no luck. I was looking on Macy's website at shoes when I saw a red pair that they "suggested", with the always encouraging "more colors available" link underneath. There they were, and under budget ($99, my budget was $100) with free shipping to boot! I hemmed and hawed about ordering my wedding shoes when I hadn't even tried them on, but I just took the plunge and ordered them.

Behold:
Oops, kinda blurry.

Navy blue satin, peep toe, adorable ruffles- what's not to love?! I tried them on and fell in love. The final test was trying them on with my dress. Originally I was going to have to have my dress shortened a little because I planned on wearing 2 inch heels. These babies are about 3.5 inches. The 3.5 inch heel went PERFECTLY with my dress; it needs no alterations! I'm just under 5'8", so with the shoes I'm at about 5'11"ish. Bri is just over six feet tall so they are perfect!

These aren't the comfortable two inch heels that I was originally hoping for, but it's okay. I decided last night that I had to start breaking them in.

Yes, I wore them around my house with my pink pajama pants on. It was super hot.

So what do you think of the shoes? If you are married, did you wear colored shoes? If not, would you on your wedding day? And should I invest in a pair of ballet flats for the reception?

Tonight my training plan calls for a two mile run and my beloved body sculpt class. If the class is packed to the gills, I swear, New Year's Resolutioners' heads will roll. Kidding, kidding. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to revive (okay, begin) my love affair with brussel sprouts with a recipe that Wendy from Give Love, Create Happiness shared on her blog the other day. It sounds really delicious, and hopefully it will will take the bittah out of the brussel.

Sorry that this post is all over the place. I'm random. Have a great day!

My Default Dinner Recipe

2010-01-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Good morning blog friends! I hope that you are transitioning well back to the first full work week of the new year. I spent the day catching up on missed phone calls and emails and now have the rest of the week to devote to getting ready for my upcoming presentations next week.

Yesterday at the gym was, um, interesting. The parking lot at my gym was insane and the track was filled with people just walking about in the running and jogging lanes. I am all for getting healthy and fit but WHY do we have this tradition of starting on the first of the year? I know it's about starting anew and all of that, but why limit it to January 1? Okay, rant over. Moving on...

My 3.5 miles went by fairly quickly despite all of the new members in attendance. During the run, I decided I wanted to make my old standby for dinner- Lemon Artichoke Chicken. I LOVE this recipe. It is fairly simple and easy to make. I found it over a year ago on Cooking Light and adapted it along the way to come to the ultimate recipe. You'll need:

-1-1.5 pounds organic chicken breast

-1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

-14 oz organic chicken stock

-2 cups instant brown rice

-2 T olive oil

-1 can (14 oz) quartered artichoke hearts

-1 medium sized yellow onion

-salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste

-parmesan cheese

-approximately half a bag of frozen peas

Optional: 1 Glass Red Wine to ease the cooking process

Loves.

Also optional- puppy photo shoot.

Bailey always sits like a gentleman- I love it!

The goods, minus the brown rice

You'll need a dutch oven or similar baking pot to make the lemon artichoke chicken.

-Cut the chicken and onion in bite size pieces. If I can do this, anyone can do this. I seriously have issues when it comes to knives. Challenged, if you will. It took me a few tries but I can now cut an onion fairly decently.

-Once you have the chicken and onion cut, place 2 T olive oil into dutch oven and place on stovetop over medium high heat. Saute chicken and onion for 5 minutes. Stir throughout the 5 minutes, like so:

After the five minutes is up, add the chicken stock, lemon juice, brown rice, peas, salt, pepper and onion powder to the mix. Stir, and bring the mixture to a boil. This usually takes a minute or two.

After the ingredients reach boiling point, reduce heat to medium, COVER and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once this is complete, stir in the (drained) artichoke hearts and let sit for a minute.

Add parmesan cheese and feast!

The finished product.

I really like this recipe because it is easy, has a relatively short ingredient list and keeps well. The rice takes on an almost risotto-like texture. The recipe makes 4 servings (at least), and I've been known to eat it for days on end. The original recipe calls for green peppers instead of peas, but I decided that I like peas better and they are easier to deal with (no cutting!). I think they add a nice flavor to the dish.

Do you have a default dish that you always turn to?

While at the grocery store, I also found that I have an addiction. To bars. I can't seem to stop myself from going down that aisle. I went to the grocery store near my gym, which I haven't been to in years. I've been missing out. They have not only the peanut butter and jelly larabar flavor (which I've been dying to try) but also this new organic clif bar that is made of fruit and nuts. I had to purchase three. The bar damage:

Do you have a favorite "bar" brand? What is your favorite Larabar flavor? Right now mine is cinnamon roll but that is subject to change!

Have a great Tuesday!

Goals and Sigg Om Water Bottle Winner!

2010-01-04T10:10:00.005-05:00

Good morning! I'm currently typing this as I ride the train back to Albany on Sunday evening (so pictureless post, sorry!). It was really sad to leave Bri today. We got to spend so much time together; it provided a nice little teaser as to what married life it going to be like- awesome! He is coming up to Albany in a few weeks so we can attend pre-cana, and then I'll see him two weekends in February. After that, it's wedding time and we won't have to do distance any longer. I can't wait. My heart hurts when I have to leave him.

Note to self when traveling on trains in the future: pack more snacks! I attempted to walk to the snack cart earlier, which is no fun when the train is wobbling all over the place. When I got to the cart, it was "temporarily" closed. Dang it! I eventually made my way back later and purchased two bottles of water and a cheese plate. That coupled with a honey wheat bagel and some dried mango slices doth not a balanced diet make. It's easier when driving to pick up somewhat healthy snacks (nuts, bars, etc) but the train is so much more convenient. So, moral of the story is next train trip I am packing lots of healthy goods and a big bottle of water.

It's Monday, which means I'm back to work after over a week off. I am excited to get back but January is going to be crazy! I am traveling around the state putting on three seminars by myself and two additional seminars with my other co-counsel. This means a lot of workouts on the road (I still have to train for the 14k!) and making healthy eating decisions on the road. Anyway, since it's the beginning of January, I was thinking about things I'd like to accomplish this year. I don't really "do" resolutions; I just want to think of ways to become a more well-rounded person.

Goals: Professional

1. Complete at least 50 hours of pro-bono work
a. This will not further my legal career in the field that I am in (municipal), but I think it is important for attorneys to volunteer their services to those who may not have representation otherwise. I was hesitant to do pro-bono work at first because my area of expertise doesn?t really lend itself to pro-bono cases. I was nervous that I would be in over my head handling Family Court cases and the like. However, the organization that I found provides you with clients that oftentimes just want an ear to listen to and a general overview of their legal rights. The clinics are twice monthly for approximately three hours a time, so I am hopeful that I will reach my goals.

2. Become a better small talker and more confident in social situations where I do not know anyone
a. In my job there are lots of networking events where we put in face time with our members. I am not an outgoing person by nature so when I first started (back in September 2008) I put on a brave front but was often very uncomfortable. I have gotten much better in approaching people and making conversation, but I still have room for improvement.

3. Improve my public speaking abilities
a. I put on a lot of presentations. I have seen tremendous improvements in my speaking abilities since starting my current job. My boss serves as an amazing motivator; I have never seen a more confident, engaging speaker. I would like to be at that level someday. Until then, I would like to continue making strides forward in feeling more comfortable in front of the podium.

Goals: Health and Fitness

1. Complete the Virginia is For Lovers 14k
a. I am really excited for this race. On the day of the race it will be a PDR for me. Not only that, it's on Valentine's day, which is the weekend Bri and I got engaged last year. It's a couples race and all of the female finishers get roses at the end. I'm so excited!

2. Complete the Rock 'n Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon
a. The half marathon is the ultimate distance for me. I really don't think my body can handle a marathon; I love running but it is hard on the body and I already had hip issues before running came into the mix. If I could run a half I would be so happy!

3. Attend a yoga class at least once a week in a studio
a. I love doing yoga at home, for the convenience and cost-saving factor (yoga classes are pricey!) However, there is something to be said for going into a studio and getting taught by a knowledgeable instructor that can help your form. If I can't attend a class because of travel, I have to at least practice yoga once a week on my own.

4. Run a 5k in under 30:00
a. I know I can do this! My last 5k was 30:37. I need to push myself harder to go faster and, of course, do some speedwork. I am confident that I will reach this goal this year!

5. Continue overall strength training at least once a week
a. Right now I'm mainly getting strength training in through pushups and my body sculpting class. I love my body sculpting class so much that I've incorporated it into my training schedule. I would like to maintain this at bare minimum, and hopefully incorporate more strength training into my life.

6. Complete at least 30 pushups in a row
a. When I first started engaging in healthy living seriously, I could not even do one regular pushup. It was a struggle for me to even do modified pushups with the proper form. I read about the 100 pushups workout and started it after I got through the shred. I have yet to get past week 4 (I've repeated it so many times) but I'm able to do 5 sets of pushups totaling around 70, and can do about 20 without stopping. I'd like to up that number to 30.

7. Incorporate more veggies into my life
a. I am NOT a veggie person. I tried brussel sprouts for the first time in a while the other day and nearly gagged. I need to find a way to make them more appealing and thus up my intake. I do love peas though. Yum! I've been putting peas in annie's organic white cheddar shells and the kick it up a notch, both nutritionally and taste wise!

Goals: Personal

1. Cook a new dish at least once a month
a. Once I find something I like, I tend to stick with it. It can get pretty boring. So, forcing myself to cook something new at least once a month can get me out of my cooking rut!

2. Do more sweet things for Bri
a. Bri is such a great guy and I am a lucky girl. I want to do more sweet things for him to show my appreciation.

Goals: Financial

1. Save at least $10,000 to put towards an emergency fund.
a. In the personal finance world, your emergency fund should cover three to six months of expenses, with three being very conservative. As it stands, my fixed expenses (student loans, car, insurance, cell) total about $1,000 (gotta love those law school loans). I do have additional variable expenses, so that coupled with the fact that Bri and I are merging finances, I want to have a healthy cushion of at least $10,000.

Wow. I didn?t think I a lot of goals but this list is quite extensive. I am excited for 2010 and can't wait to start making these goals reality!

Now for the fun part- the winner of the Sigg Om water bottle giveaway! I would like to thank everyone for entering. It means so much to me that you took the time to comment and read my blog. I wish I could give everyone a water bottle! The winner, per random integer.org, is:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
15
Timestamp: 2010-01-04 13:07:35 UTC

Comment Number 15, which is Ashley over at Fashionably Fit! Congrats Ashley! Email me at Fittowed@gmail.com and we'll get the ball rolling on your new sigg water bottle!

Is your 2010 off to a good start?

Exercise Log

2010-01-01T14:27:00.004-05:00

Friday, January 1- Run 3.1 miles- Hair of the Dog 5k

Saturday, January 2- Vinyasa Flow Yoga- 1.5 hours, Run 2.5 miles

Sunday, January 3- Rest- Travel Day

Monday, January 4- Run 3.5 miles, 4 Boat Pose holds

Tuesday, January 5- Hip Opening Yoga @ Home, 30 Minutes

Wednesday, January 6- Run 2 Miles, Body Sculpt Class, 60 Minutes

Thursday, January 7- Rest Day

Friday, January 8- Run 3 Miles, 3 Sets 10 pushups

Saturday, January 9- Run 4.5 Miles

Sunday, January 10- Xtrain- Elliptical, 30 Minutes

Monday, January 11- Hip Opening Yoga @ Home, 30 Minutes

Tuesday, January 12- Run 3.5 Miles

Wednesday, January 13- Rest

Thursday, January 14- Run 3 Miles

Friday, January 15- Run 2 Miles, Strength- First half of NMTZ

Saturday, January 16- Run 5 Miles

Sunday, January 17- 40 pushups/ab work

Monday, January 18- Run 4 miles

Tuesday, January 19- Hip Opening Yoga

Wednesday, January 20- Run 2 miles, winter shape up strength workout

Thursday, January 21- Run 3.5 miles

Friday, January 22- Rest

Saturday, January 23- Run 6 miles

Sunday, January 24- Rest

Monday, January 25- Run 4 miles, 50 pushups, core work

Tuesday, January 26- Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Wednesday, January 27- Run 2 miles, body sculpt class

Thursday, January 28- Rest

Friday, January 29- Run 7 miles

Saturday, January 30- Rest

Sunday, January 31- Run 3.5 miles

Monday, February 1- Run 4.5 miles, 100 pushups workout W1D1

Tuesday, February 2- Yoga for Runners

Wednesday, February 3- Run 2 miles, body sculpt class

Thursday, February 4- Run 4 miles

Friday, February 5- Run 8 miles

Saturday, February 6- Rest day

Sunday, February 7- Rest/100 pushups workout W1D2

Monday, February 8- Strength workout- 25 "jumping pullups", chest press, chest fly, bicep curls, tricep extension and renegade rows

Tuesday, February 9- Run 2 miles

Wednesday, February 10- 15 minutes self guided yoga, strength workout

Thursday, February 11- Rest

Friday, February 12- Rest

Saturday, February 13- Virginia is for Lovers 14k

Sunday, February 14- Rest/100 pushups workout W1D3

Monday, February 15- Rest/travel day

Tuesday, February 16- Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Wednesday, February 17- Run 1 mile, .5 mile intervals, total 1.5 mile, body sculpt class

Thursday, February 18- Rest Day

Friday, February 19- 3.1 mi speed workout, 25 jumping pullups

Saturday, February 20- Run 3.5 miles, strength workout

Sunday, February 21- Jillian Michaels Making the Cut circuit 1 workout

Monday, February 22- Rest

Tuesday, February 23- Run 3 miles, yoga for runners

Wednesday, February 24- Body sculpt class

Thursday, February 25- Rest

Friday, February 26- Run 3.1 mi- speed workout

Saturday, February 27- Run 4 miles, 100 pushups workout W1D1R2

Sunday, February 28- JM MTC circuit workout 2

Race Recap- Hair of the Dog 5k

2010-01-01T12:51:00.005-05:00

Good afternoon and happy 2010! I hope that everyone had a fun and safe new year's eve. It's hard to believe that 2010 is already here!

Instead of going out last night, Bri and I stayed in, made a fire and watched season 3 of the Office. Holy H is this show awesome! I bought Bri seasons 1 and 2 for Christmas. We finished those and had to go out and purchase season 3. I love Dwight, but I think Angela may be my favorite character. How have I gone so long without watching this show?!

It was a chill NYE but I loved it. We watched the ball drop and then awakened bright and early this morning for our 5k! I initially planned on wearing my running tights and lululemon jacket but those plans were quickly squashed when I discovered that they were still wet from being washed yesterday. Dang. Instead, I wore my under armour fleece pants, cold gear top, wicking t-shirt and a white fleece. Last night the weather called for upper forties but it was chilly!

The Hair of the Dog 5k was at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach. Apparently Mount Trashmore used to be a landfill. Yum. It is now covered with sod (?) and grass and just looks like a huge, random grassy hill. Suprisingly, there is no odor emanating from the depths of the grassy knolls. The premise of the Hair of the Dog is to show up after a night of festivities and run the 5k, hence the 10:00 AM start time. The race even had a formal wear division, where people showed up to race in what they were wearing the night before. Some of the costumes were pretty funny, although I doubt that all of them were worn last night... no one really wears a hideous 80s looking prom dress for NYE, right? I even spotted a few tuxes.

Bri and I arrived fairly early, having not partaken in the "festivities" aspect of the hair of the dog. We walked to get our bibs and disposable chips and it was super windy and freezing! The winds were about 12 MPH, according to the race summary email I later received. I put on my ear wrap and gloves and felt okay, but a lot of people were not dressed for the coldness. We went back to the car to put our race shirts away which, by the way, are actually super cool- black long sleeved with no sponsor bs all over it!

We then headed to the start. Walking to the start line. Lovely Mount Trashmore is on the right.

There was a nice warm bathroom near the start, which I took full advantage of. I definitely wanted to avoid the mishaps of my last race. I won't go into detail but yeah, my stomach hurt at the end of my last race.

At the start line the vibe was really fun. A lot of people were wearing 2010 regalia and shouting happy new year. I was happy to see this, because some of the people we walked past on our way to pick up the bibs were just plain rude. People from the North get a bad rap for being unfriendly when they really aren't, in my opinion.

I was super happy to see a timing mat at the beginning of the start line. I have run four 5ks, and although all of them had timing chips, this was the first race that had a timing mat in the beginning. What is the sense in having a timing chip if they are just going to time you from the gun time? Anyway, the gun went off and we crossed the mat pretty quickly. Initially I was pleased that we were not going to be running through the puddles that I saw on the trail, although this would not be the case later on in the race. We were about a third of a mile in maintaining a 9:30/pace when I saw runners running back on my left. What the H, were they doing an out and back or something? Apparently so. It was strange to have a turnaround so early on, and especially one that didn't leave much room for doing the turnaround. It was fine for the number of runners at the race (480) but any more and it would have been really tight.

The first mile was nice and quick. I stuck to the inside of the course and was able to maintain a steady pace. The only downside to the first mile was a little kid at the beginning that was just kind of bobbling around in front of me- I almost ran into him at one point.

Mile 1-2 went by in blur. There was a water station around 1.5, which was nice. I tried to drink from the cup without much success. We started running around a beautiful lake and saw a pelican flying overhead, which was really neat. You don't see many pelicans in New York.

Running around the lake. Looking nice and exerted.

Miles 2-3 were okay. I started to drag down to a 10:00/mi pace, which is fast for me normally but I needed to keep up the pace if I wanted to finish under 30:00. I got a second wind and picked it up. I got my second wind by playing the game of looking at people ahead of me and trying to pass them. It's a nice distraction. Around mile 2.5 I saw the aforementioned puddles, and there was no avoiding them. I followed a girl ahead of me that ran to the side in the grass, which resulted in some nice mud covered shoes. My socks started to feel wet, which was disconcerting.

As we approached mile 3, I started to feel myself lag. This happened to me in my first race as well. I told Bri I felt myself dragging and he told me to kick it up. I sprinted for the last .10 and crossed the finish line with a chip time of 30:37, averaging 9:53/mile. So close yet sooo far to the sub 30 5k. I am still very happy with my time; I am improving constantly and know I can get there soon!

After we crossed the finish line we were handed a finishing "medal", which I thought was cool given that it was a 5k.

Hair of the Dog 5k dog tag. Cute, right?

After the race they were offering instant coffee (blech) and instant gatorade, so Bri and I left and went to a bagel shop to refuel.

Final results:

30:37, 11/28 Age Group (25-29), Overall 219/480.

Overall, this is definitely a race I would run again. There were some minor snafus that were beyond the race director's control (puddles much?), but as a whole, great race.

Positives:

-fun, friendly vibe

-well-directed and well marked

-nice race t-shirts

-water station appropriately placed

-timing mat in the beginning of the race

Negatives:

-puddles/mud

-out and back in the first half mile

-instant coffee- blit

Happy New Year everyone! Enjoy the rest of your holiday!

Did you run a New Year's Eve/Day race? If so, how'd it go? If not, have you ever?

About

2010-01-01T10:42:00.001-05:00

Hi! I'm Katie, a 27 year old attorney living in upstate New York. I graduated from SUNY Geneseo in '04 and UB Law in '07, where I developed a Tim Horton's habit. If a Tim Horton's location scouter happens to be reading this, please come to the capital district.

I started this blog to chronicle the adventures I embark on while planning a wedding, training for races, having a career and maintaining some semblance of a social life. I recently married the love of my life and couldn't be happier.

One of our engagement photos from our awesome photographer

Me and two of my favorite things- red wine and Mr. B.

When I was 19, my doctor told me I had high cholesterol. Granted, I have a family history, but there is no reason for a 19 year old girl to have the beginnings of heart disease. After this diagnosis, I took no steps to counteract what was going on in my body. I ate what I wanted, with abandon. I told myself that I was healthy because I was thin. This continued until I met Brian. He showed me the benefits that healthy eating has on the body. I was no longer tired all of the time from eating all carbs. I had more energy. I started craving healthy food. Now, I would say that I eat relatively well. I try to eat a balance of protein, healthy carbs and fat at every meal, although this doesn't always happen. I'm cleaning up my diet and embracing wholesome, organic food. I truly believe in balance; if I want something, I'll eat it. And my cholesterol is now in a healthy range :)

For as long as I can remember, every New Year's I set a goal to run a 5k. However, I was never a runner and did not take the steps necessary to achieve such a goal. Last May, I decided that I was tired of just talking and not doing. I began the Couch to 5k and completed my first 5k in September. I am a huge advocate of the couch to 5k program, it transformed me from a complete non-runner into a runner.

Finishing my first 5k.

I've now run 4 5ks and ran the Virginia is four Lovers 14k this past February. At first, the distance seemed insurmountable, but I ran it and ran it well! My races this season are the Ragnar Relay (184 miles, 12 people, 24 hours, insanity), the Freihofer's 5k for Women and the Boilermaker 15k. My ultimate goal is to run a half marathon, and I have my sights set on completing this goal in the fall.

In addition to running, I like to engage in a variety of other activities, like hiking, yoga and strength training. My newest addiction is hot yoga. It is an arduous workout and my skin has never looked better!

Thank you for reading!

Wedding (Planning) Stress

2009-12-31T11:24:00.004-05:00

Good morning and happy new year's eve! 2009 was a great year but I am so excited for 2010! I will be posting my 2010 goals (not resolutions) soon.

Yesterday I met Bri and some of his co-workers for lunch at an Indian buffet. I'm not too sure how I feel about Indian food. It's okay but doesn't knock my socks off like Thai or Japanese food.

After lunch I went back to Bri's office for a bit while he finished up some work. I started reading Persuasion by Jane Austen. Good stuff! My training schedule called for a four mile run but by the time we got back it was already dark out. Enter: the headlamp!
Yes, that is a headlamp. Super hot, right? Truth be told it wasn't that bright. I think I needed to place it a little lower on my head. Bri brought along a flashlight so we were fine. When we first went outside we could see our breath. I remember saying "Who AM I? We are running outside, in the cold and dark, with a headlamp on my head!" I love it though.

The four miles were great (and another PDR! Every "long" run from here on out will be a PDR until the 14k), aside from a few pine cones that got in the way. It was chilly but I warmed up quickly with all of my gear. Also, how could I really complain that the temps were in the 30s with the frigid cold going on in upstate NY?
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Bri and I are getting married in less than three months. Holy! I haven't really talked about wedding planning on here because timing wise, everything had fallen into a lull. I had heard that this is pretty common; once you get the big things out of the way, it doesn't really get crazy again until right before the wedding. Well, the other night I got to thinking about everything left that I had to do and couldn't fall asleep. It got to a point where I had to get up and write everything down so that I could ease my mind. Enter:

My midnight list of things that I need to do for the wedding. As I was writing things out, things just kept popping into my head. Ummm, I have a lot to do! Writing it out made me feel better, but I am a little overwhelmed.

For those of you that are planning/have planned a wedding, how were the last three months for you? I have all of the big things done- it's the little things that stress me out (pick out a cake topper? Contact the organist?)...eep!

For everyone- if you have a hard time falling asleep because your to-do list keeps running through your head, do you get up and write it down?

Have a great New Year's eve and don't forget to enter my Sigg Om water bottle giveaway!

Sigg Om Bottle Giveaway!

2009-12-30T10:21:00.005-05:00

Good morning lovelies! I have been alluding to a giveaway, and now it's here! One reader (US or Canada, except for Saskatchewan) will win a Sigg Om water bottle! I just received one for Christmas and am in love with it. It is so fun, bright and cheery.

Why Sigg? Sigg water bottles are PVC and BPA free, so no harmful chemicals are potentially swimming in your water. The water bottle holds a ton of water, allowing you to easily meet your recommended 64 ounce daily requirement.

So, do you want to win one? You can enter four ways:

Leave me a comment telling me which sigg bottle you would choose (you can see the options by clicking here)
Add me to your blogroll
Follow me!
Link back to this post on your blog

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. I will announce the winner (via random integer drawing) on Monday, January 4th. Good luck!

*Please note that this giveaway is subject to availability. If the water bottles sell out before January 4th, you will still win an equally sweet (but different) Sigg water bottle.

Happy Wednesday!

Crossfit is Intense and a Refreshing Run in VB

2009-12-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

Good morning (afternoon?)! I'm spending my week off in Virginia Beach doing one of my favorite things- sleeping in! I've always wished that I could be one of those people that jumped out of bed at 6 am, raring to go. Alas, such is not the case. Are you a morning person? If so, can you pass it along to me?

Right now I'm drinking Tim Hortons coffee (I love me some Timmy Hos!) in the new coffee mug that Bri got me. How cute is this mug?I love it!

Last night was so great. Bri and I haven't been able to spend more than four consecutive days together since he left for bootcamp a year and half ago, so this is a real treat. We started the first fire in our fireplace:

And then tried to get some pictures in front of it (don't mind the new VS pajamas I'm rockin')

Oh wait, we should probably get the fire involvedAnnnnd I need a haircut.

Bri surprised me when he came home from work with some beautiful flowers. I love gerber daisies!

And then we feasted on a delicious sushi dinner.

I love edamame, and it's a great source of protein to boot!

The goods. It's hard to believe that a few years ago I was such a nervous eater that I would only order grilled cheese or pasta in restaurants. In fact, when I was around 13 years old I went on vacation with my best friend and her family. We are at this somewhat fancy restaurant, and all of the entrees scared me. I ordered grilled cheese and her stepdad was flabbergasted. Then he got pissed. lol. Her stepdad is one of the most peaceful, calm people that I know, so it was pretty funny. Moral of the story is that I've come a long way! Now I'll try anything. Are you an adventurous eater?

I had a great run yesterday. It was a balmy 40 degrees in Virginia Beach. Seriously, 40 degrees is warm when the temperature in your hometown is -9 degrees. Yikes. I'm not sorry I'm missing that weather. So, my training plan called for a quick 2.5 mile run. It was sunny out so I quickly warmed up in my running tights, gloves and lululemon jacket. There was a bit of wind on the way back, which I actually enjoyed because it cooled me off. I also learned that it is probably a bad idea to run past construction zones. Mental note for the future- avoid that street! I felt very safe with my new Road ID. I had been putting off getting one because I'll be changing my last name in March. Bri got me one for Christmas with my current and new last name on it! He is such a sweetie. I also love the phrase he put on the band: "Enjoy Each Run". He said that he chose that because sometimes I get down on myself if my pace isn't as fast as I want it to be or if my knee starts to hurt, etc. He wants me to appreciate the fact that I can just get out there and run, and I do! The reminder is nice though. It makes me appreciate what I have and what I can do.

The only downside to the run was that my sneaker was rubbing against my Achilles heel, causing some blistering. I love my sneakers (Adidas Supernova Glide) and this is the first issue that I've had with them. I think it may have been because my tights were somehow caught between my sneaker and my sock. I finished the run by walking over to the ocean and sitting on the beach where Bri proposed. It was so peaceful. The beach looked like it had sustained some damage from the hurricane a month ago, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

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On Sunday I mentioned that Bri was going to put me through a Crossfit workout. That he did. It was awesome! The thing I love about Crossfit is that you get a total body workout, exerting both your aerobic and anaerobic capacities, in a short period of time. The workout on Sunday called for 100 jumping jacks, 75 body weight squats, 50 (real) pushups and 25 burpees, for time. You can't move on to the next exercise until you finish the one before it. Wow. This was tough. It may sound easy but trust me, once you get going, it is intense! I can usually bang out 50 pushups in no time (thank you 100 pushups workout) but when I got to the pushups during this workout, they were killing me. Afterwards Bri explained that my body was taxed from the jumping jacks and squats, making the pushups that much more challenging.

I finished the workout in 12:05, and then worked on a few boat poses. My abs are still sore today!

Some information about Crossfit:

It is incredibly popular amongst the military and law enforcement personnel
Anyone can do it- the workouts of the day (WODs) are structured so that beginners can scale them down to their ability
The aim of Crossfit is to forge a broad, general, and inclusive fitness, involving constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement
Crossfit WODs work to strengthen the ten recognized general physical skills- cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy

Have you ever tried Crossfit? Would you?

We are off to a yoga class tonight- I can't wait! Have a fantastic day, and check back soon for an awesome giveaway!

Favorites of 2009, Part II

2009-12-27T12:51:00.007-05:00

Good afternoon! We are currently in Pennsylvania at Bri's mom's house celebrating Christmas part V. We had an excellent "Christmas" breakfast that involved mimosas and (disgusting) spiked egg nog. The only meat options were sausage and bacon. I recently gave up pork so I stuck with all of the non-meat foods: quiche, bagels and lox. Yum!

My training schedule calls for crosstraining, so Brian is going to put me through a crossfit workout. Should be fun! Yesterday we went for a 3.5 mile run (PDR!) and about two miles into the run it started sleeting. We finished the run soaking wet- it was awesome!

Continuing the recap of my favorite products that assisted me in my healthy living journey (If you miss part I, you can find it here):

Balega running socks
I purchased a pair of these socks at my local Fleet Feet store and I have to say, I'm in love! At first I was skeptical that a pair of socks could make a difference in my running, but they do. These socks are thin, lightweight and super comfortable. I am also a huge fan of how breathable they are. If you are in the market for new running socks, I highly recommend!

My Garmin Forerunner:

I love my garmin forerunner! I was torn between the newer model (405) and the 305, but after reading numerous reviews I went with the 305. It is awesome! I love that I can go out for a run and know the distance I've gone without having to map it out beforehand. It also helps me pace myself; before I purchased it I wasn't sure what pace I was running at. I'm also a big fan of the garmin training log. When you hook the forerunner up to your computer, it automatically logs the date of your run, the number of miles ran, the average pace, number of calories burned, etc. It is so helpful in my training. I can't rave enough about it!

Nike Tempo Shorts

Nike tempo track shorts are fantastic! I think I own around six pairs. They are lined on the inside, should one choose to run commando (which I don't, but the option is there!). The shorts are the perfect length for running- not too short yet not so long as to interfere with running. These shorts are great on the milder winter days to wear over your running tights- they definitely help keep the tush warm!

Oatmeal

Oatmeal. Oh oatmeal, how I love thee. I can't believe I only stuck to instant oatmeal packets before. I was missing out! There is nothing better on a cold morning than oats with walnuts, a bit of maple syrup and peanut butter. Super healthy and it keeps me full for hours to boot. Speaking of peanut butter:

Mighty Maple Peanut Butter! This seriously may be the best peanut butter on the planet. It tastes amazing in oatmeal, with apples, pears or just by itself! I limit myself to one tablespoon a day, and usually eat it with an apple. Amazing!

Foam Roller:

I started running this past May. I broke into easily with the Couch to 5k training plan. By September I was running approximately 3 miles four times a week. Around this time I started having some serious knee pain on the top of my right knee about 2 miles into each run. So much so that I had to stop running once the pain started because it was that intense. After a bit of googling, I diagnosed myself with iliotibial band sydrome, where basically your IT band becomes increasingly tight and rubs on your knee, causing a sharp pain. I went to an orthopaedic doctor, who confirmed my suspicions. He recommended a number of stretches and the foam roller. WOW. The pain from the foam roller is intense, but in a good way. If you have ever experienced IT Band issues, the foam roller definitely helps work out some of the kinks! I am happily back to my pre-injury running distance, and I am certain that the foam roller has a lot to do with it.

Greek yogurt:

Greek yogurt is amazing! I was a huge fan of yogurt from the get, but after looking at the ingredient list of some of my favorites, I saw that a lot of them were full of HFCS and unhealthy, unnatural ingredients. I had been reading about greek yogurt in blogland, so I decided to give it a try. Delicious, creamy and tons of protein. On the days I don't have oatmeal for breakfast, I have greek yogurt with granola and fruit. Chobani, Fage, Stonyfield- I love them all! I also use the plain greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute. It's fantastic!

Google Calendar. My fiance actually introduced me to google calendar six months ago. I use it to monitor my work events, social events, and to track the workouts I have completed. Not only does it keep me organized, it also serves as a great motivator. I love to look back and see all of the workouts I have done, and I get a great sense of satisfaction in writing (typing) down the workouts I have completed.

So there are my favorites of 2009. What do you think? Anything that you would add to the list?

Merry Christmas, a Three Mile Run and Delectable French Toast

2009-12-25T12:09:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas! I love the holidays. The weather is actually pretty mild around here (about 33 degrees). Yesterday Bri came (yay!) and we had an awesome three mile run. It was about 32 degrees- I wore my under armour cold gear top, Reebok running tights, under armour gloves and my ear cover and I was good to go. The cold air is seriously so refreshing! 32 degrees is the perfect winter running temperature- I'm convinced of it! Today is a rest day and I am super excited about it. My legs are sore and it means I get to drink mimosas with Christmas breakfast :)

So today is a very special day. In addition to Christmas, my little guy turns four today. Happy birthday Bailey! Bailey's birthday and Christmas goodies

He approves!

It's become somewhat of a tradition for me to make my "special" french toast on holidays. The recipe is from our Williams Sonoma Bride Groom cookbook that we got at our engagement party (thanks mom!)

The recipe calls for:

-a day old loaf of French bread

-4 large eggs

-1 egg yolk

-2 cups milk

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 tsp orange zest

-2 T fresh orange juice

-4 1/2 tsp sugar

-3/4 tsp kosher salt

-butter for the pan

The goods:

Slice the loaf into approximately 20 pieces. Beat together the eggs, yolk, milk, vanilla, orange juice and zest, sugar and salt, blending well. Pour the mixture into a large dish.

Prick the tops of the bread with a fork. This allows the bread to better absorb the egg mixture. Then place the bread into the egg mixture.

Submerged bread

The recipe says to let the bread sit for 15 minutes. I, however, am impatient, and the bread usually sits for five or ten minutes when I cook.

Next, melt some butter on either a cast iron skillet or a griddle. I used a griddle this morning and found it much more convenient than the skillet method, namely because it is more efficient!

French toast cooking

Flip the bread occasionally, until each side looks like it's done (generally about 5 or 10 minutes). Then feast!

Finished product.

This french toast may not be the healthiest, but it is super easy to make and is perfect to break out for special occasions. The addition of the orange zest and vanilla really takes it a step above normal french toast.

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I made out like a bandit today! I am so spoiled. Bri got me a ton of running stuff, including a gorgeous lululemon zip up, pink zensah running sleeves and a running log :) My parents also got me my awesome Sigg I love running waterbottle!

Modeling my new goods. And I may or may not be hosting a giveaway involving one of the aforementioned items in a future post ;) I'm very excited about it!

Christmas eve was a blast yesterday. Bri and I started the day off at Christina and Rob's, then made our way over to my grandmother's house.

My brother modeling one of Matthew's presents.

My brother, grandmother and I

Christina and I with our pups.

Family pic!

Brian and Rob- they love each other.

Sadie wasn't sure if Bailey was a dog or a toy.

Happy holidays!

Seeing Stars + Dinner with a Bestie

2009-12-23T22:10:00.006-05:00

Good evening! First and foremost, Bailey would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas Eve eve.

He NEVER sits for me like that when I take his picture. I always have to bribe him with a treat and even then he looks away at the last minute. He must really like the new treats I got him from Sloppy Kisses. They are the cutest, teeniest little *bacon* flavored gingerbread men.

Anyway- today's training day called for a two mile run plus strength training. The run was great. There weren't very many people on the track and I spent most of the first mile laughing to myself thinking of an earlier conversation with one of my co-workers. I love it when funny things happen that still have you laughing later in the day. Needless to say, the run went by quickly and smoothly. Speaking of quick, I swear every person on the track laps me like none other. Granted, running is only a sport against yourself, but are ten minute miles really that slow?

For strength training, I took my weekly Body Sculpt class. I LOVE THIS CLASS. Well, except for tonight. The instructor is really great- she changes up the class every three weeks and we are always utilizing different equipment while getting a total body workout. Basically it's like the shred on crack, kind of.

Today the instructor wanted to "kick it up a notch" and bring out the crazy stuff since she will have to tone the class down once the New Year's Resolutioners (totes just made up a word) start pouring in. At one point during the workout, she had us doing these arm workouts that started at a bicep curl, up to a shoulder raise, extend the arms upwards fully, back down to shoulder raise, forearms meet in the middle, back to start (sorry if that sounds confusing, just imagine an intense shoulder workout). I had the brilliant idea of grabbing ten pound weights which hey, seems pretty light. Yeah, with all of the reps, not so much. I literally started seeing spots/stars during the workout and thought I might faint. I had to actually stop and go grab a drink of water in order to not pass out. It was kind of disconcerting because I've eaten a ton today. It's not like my blood sugar was low. I have to admit, I felt a little down afterwards. That is, if I can't even get through a 2 mile run and then a body sculpt class without feeling super exerted, how am I supposed to get through a 14k? Oh well... I didn't quit, and that's what counts right?

After that lovely class (I still love it!), I met one of my besties, Kristin, at Panera. Kristin recently moved to PA so I don't get to see her nearly as often as I'd like. Sad face. It was fun to catch up in front of the fireplace.
I do feel bad that I wasn't more normal energetic self- the class seriously wiped me out.

Kristin and I closed the place out at 9:30 PM. Crazy party animals! A little different from when we used to close out the bars in Geneseo ;)

Tomorrow I'll be back with the rest of my favorites from 2009! Have a great evening!

Have you ever doubted yourself during training?

My Favorites of 2009, Part I

2009-12-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

Good evening! Tomorrow is my last day of work until January 4th- after Christmas Bri and I are heading down to Virginia Beach and we get to spend the week together! So excited. We haven't spent more than four days together consecutively since he left for boot camp last September ('08).

Yoga was excellent tonight. I know it isn't hot yoga (it's a vinyasa flow class) but damn, the studio gets super hot. I dig! For whatever reason I was having a harder time doing the balancing poses on my right side. Kelle said that it was probably one of the best classes she has ever attended! I'm so happy to have found this place.

So I was thinking about the past year. On New Year's day 2009 I resolved to finally run a 5k. I had made this resolution for oh, the past five or six years. I had never been a runner, so the 5k seemed like the epitome of healthiness to me. However, I never took any steps to implement my goal; it was just something I thought and then subsequently forgot about. I am so happy to say that this year was different.

Bri and I got engaged in February 2009, and I think a lot of people attribute my newfound working out/eating well habits to "wanting to look good for the wedding". Well, I would be lying if I said I didn't want to look good on my wedding day, but that is not the driving factor behind my new lifestyle. Bri was and is a huge source of inspiration (but again, that's a story that deserves its own post) but, quite frankly, I was tired of being skinny fat. I was tired of not being able to do one "girly" pushup with proper form. I was tired of not being able to run around the track at the Y without feeling winded. I was tired of people's looks of shock when they found out I had high cholesterol, because how could I be thin but have such an unhealthy condition? I was tired of inaction; I wanted to change for me. I wanted to live a long, happy, healthy life with my future husband. Sitting around eating cheez-its was not going to help me achieve that goal.

These were the thoughts that were swimming around my head when I made the decision to start training for my first 5k. Taking those first steps in May were painful but inspiring. The training acted as a gateway to fun, new, active activities and healthier eating.

So, what helped me along the way? I have come across so great, new (to me!) things that have assisted me in my, for lack of a better term, journey.

1). Jillian Michaels
Oh Jillian (or Jilly as Kristin likes to call her), you have kicked my assets many a time. Because of you, I was able to do my first real pushup! When I first did the shred, I thought I was going to pass out. Then I moved on to No More Trouble Zones- now that is no joke! I have to admit, I am slightly put off by your recent "selling out"... supplements? Come on now. It's okay though; you'll always have a place in my fitness heart.

2. My iTouch

I absolutely LOVE my iTouch. I especially learned this after I took it running in the rain and found that technology and the rain do not mix. I felt lost without my couch to 5k podcasts! So much so that I had to purchase another one. Expensive lesson to learn.

3. My coldgear running hood:

This is a recent addition to my running aresenal, but a definite necessity. The hood enables me to continue running outside in the winter without freezing to death, which is awesome. In all actuality, I really enjoy the fresh air while running and I would be less inclined to go running in the sub-freezing temps without the hood.

4. Cold gear shirts Once mid to late fall hits, it gets a bit nippy in upstate New York. The coldgear shirts are fantastic at keeping me warm without making me feel constricted.

5. Dark Chocolate

I don't really have a sweet tooth but I love me some dark chocolate. A square of dark chocolate and a glass of red wine while relaxing before bed is the perfect indulgence for me. Because it's all about moderation, right? ;)

What inspired you to live a healthy lifestyle? What products have assisted you along the way?

Stay tuned for Part II of my 2009 favorites!

A 2.5 Mile Run and a Pumped Up Playlist

2009-12-21T16:46:00.013-05:00

Good morning! Can you believe that there are only three days until Christmas? Where does the time go?! It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating last Christmas and making resolutions for 2009.

Yesterday's training run called for a quick 2.5 miles. Since I'm not a morning runner and it gets dark at oh, 4:15 PM, this meant running around the track at the local Y. I suppose I could have gone on the treadmill but I try to avoid them unless there is no other option. 2.5 miles on the track is approximately 23 laps, as 9.1 laps around = 1 mile. Although it gets somewhat repetitive, the track loops around the aerobics studio. Yesterday I was entertained by the kickboxing class. Instead of the normal two blocks on their steps, the instructor apparently amped it up a notch, since the attendees were stepping onto platforms that were about 8 blocks high. It looked intense and made me happy that I was running.

The run was uneventful aside from the beginning: when my right foot first struck down, I felt a searing pain on the top of my right foot. This has happened only once before, and it kind of freaks me out. It goes away after a few steps, but it's something that I'm going to keep an eye on.

Yesterday's workout totals:

2.5 mi run at ~ 25 minutes
4 sets of 10 pushups
4 boat pose holds

A crucial element of getting through indoor (read: boring) runs is a great playlist. I have a fairly eclectic taste in music inasmuch as I like pretty much anything. Well, except for classic rock (sorry dad). I could never get into it. Anyway, I look for songs to keep me motivated and entertained during the run. Sometimes I think my fellow gymgoers thing I'm a crazy person, since I love some of the songs so much that I can't help but mouth along (silently- no one needs to hear my frightening singing voice- let's just say I was cut from chorus in grade school when they didn't make cuts) when my favorites come on.

My current quick run list includes:

Little of Your Time, Maroon 5

B.O.B (Bombs Over Baghdad), Outkast

Let's Get It Started, Black Eyed Peas

'Til I Collapse, Eminem
Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying From You, Jay-Z & Linkin Park

Pump It, Black Eyed Peas

Know Your Enemy, Green Day

Viva La Vida (Live Version), Coldplay

Can't Stop, Maroon 5

Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z feat Alicia Keys

I compiled this list when I ran my first 5k back in September (aside from the new addition of Empire State of Mind- I don't think it was out yet) and I still am not sick of it. My absolute favorite on the list may be Viva la Vida (live). I am a huge coldplay fan after seeing them in concert this past fall (for free! but that's a story for another post) and the live version has the crowd cheering and really puts a kick in my step.

What songs are on your go-to playlist?

Today my training schedule calls for a vinyasa flow yoga class, which I am attending at my yoga studio with my friend Kelle. It's her first time checking it out. I've been going to the studio for about six weeks now and it has really grown on me.

Because no post is complete without pictures, here are a few of my favorite holiday pics:

Me, Kristin, Kelle and Jenn at the Roosevelt in NYC, Christmastime 2008 Bailey in front of the fireplace

Happy Tuesday!

What I'm Wearing- Monday

2009-12-21T09:25:00.007-05:00

Happy Monday! My commute was joyous today (no traffic on 87, what!). I'm assuming it's because lots of lucky peeps took off the days leading up to Christmas. Whatever the reason, I'll take it.

Today is the first day of winter, aka the shortest day of the year and my dad's birthday! Happy Birthday dad :) From here on out the days get longer, which to me is fantastic. It is depressing to leave work at 5 pm to pitch blackness. More importantly, it means I can resume running outside during the week again! I applaud those of you that can wake up before work to run outside during the daylight hours. I wish I could be that hardcore! Alas, I'm not, so until the daylight extends its hours to 6:30 pm, it's the YMCA track for me. Which gets pretty boring but it gets the job done.

Anyway, what I'm wearing today... my office is business professional, which I've interpreted to mean that cardigans can count as jackets. I have a LOT of suits (at least 15 I think) but wearing them day in day out gets super boring. Today's 'fit:

Pinkish cardigan: J Crew Factory Store

Black tulip skirt (with pockets!): Banana

Black tights: Apt. 9 (Kohl's)

Berry colored patent leather Mary Jane heels: Aldo

I usually hate wearing skirts. Hate. I think it stems from the fact that I have fairly large birthmark on my leg that caused a lot of teasing when I was little. However, I love the birthmark now- I'm definitely unique! Anyway, this season I have discovered tights... I love them! They pull the outfit together and provide much needed warmth during the winters in upstate NY.

Do you wear skirts in the winter months? Or do you put it off until the weather is more forgiving?