10 Thing I am Thinking about Thursday

It is Thursday and for some reason there seems to be a lot on my mind...so I thought why not share at least 10 of these things this Thursday through a post....so here goes!

1. How excited I am to see Craig. It has been 5 days since I have seen my guy. I have been out of town for a conference returned last night, and he had to leave to go for a meeting out of town last night.

I miss this guy!!

2. What I need to start bringing on my trip to Costa Rica, Craig and I leave in a week and a half...so pumped and excited!!

3. How sore I will be from today's workout. I tried the arms/shoulders workout from p90x. Overall the workout was not that difficult, but I have a feeling I will still be sore..there were some moves I have never done before.

4. If I should run a 5 miler tomorrow or shoot for a 6...I know just one mile but it can make a difference, my legs were to sore from p90x yoga to run today...I know YOGA!

5. This killer heat wave coming through Omaha/Blair, today and tomorrow near 100 degrees...hello pool!

6. Today is our last day of summer school...a whole 3 weeks away from kids until I start summer camp for a week...hmmm I probably should have taken more time off this summer but I need the money.

7. We take Cooper in to get neutered next week :( I hope he is okay and recovered by the end of the week, we are taking him off to my parents while we are in Costa Rica.

8. How much I am looking forward to a great weekend on the lake with Craig, friends and Cooper to celebrate the 4th.

9. Weather or not to take a full week off from working out when on vacation. I know my body can use it, but I also know the hotel probably has a sweet gym...I mean if it has got seven bars....

10. How I am going to keep myself busy for the next three hours of this day. Since this is our last day of summer school, we are here till 2 and all my work is done..blog it might just be!!

So as you can see I have a lot on my mind, but most of it is quite exciting and not very stressful.

In other news I am really taking a liking to this yoga thing. Yesterday I took a break from the gym and opted for a light walk with Cooper. I attempted some p90x yoga and really enjoyed it, but I won't lie it became pretty hard. I only made it through the first 35 minutes and my legs were shaking. I stopped due to the fact that it was defeating the whole purpose of me having a rest day.

After yoga I put together a new routine incorporating running/p90x/ and Insanity...a little bit of everything you might say. I might get a good run at it starting next week, but after that I am planning on taking a break during my vaca and then I will start it out when I return. Here is the rundown:

Monday: 3-4 mile easy run, p90x arms/shoulders

Tuesday: Insanity pylo along with cardio abs

Wednesday: Rest or p90x yoga

Thursday: 3-4 mile easy run or elliptical, p90x chest and back

Friday: Kenpo X or Cardio Max plus cardio abs

Saturday: 5-6 mile run

Sunday: 0ff

As you can see from my plans I am allowing myself to rest days. I was a little worried about adding in the runs alongside of a p90x workout, but I was fine today starting my workout with a 40 minute cardio session followed by the arms and shoulders workout. Now keep in mind I am using 8-10 pound dumbbells with these dvds so it is not overly intense. I am super excited to start this new routine...mainly because I can keep my endurance up to around 5-6 miles, work on some lifting and also incorporate some circut cardio with Insanity.

What are your thoughts on my new workout plan, too much??

What are you thinking of this Thursday??

Yoga Anyone??

This morning I woke up feeling much better. I fueled my workout with a quick protein drink and a crunchy apple. It has been a while since I have just eaten a plain apple by itself...usually I always put apples in either a salad or my oatmeal. My workout rocked this morning, started it out with a four mile run on the tm followed by a 10 minute cool down on the bike. After my cardio I did the following: 3 sets of lunges holding 10 pound dumbbell-10 on each leg

3 sets of deadlifts 15 pound dumbbells

3 sets of upright rows with both arms 10 pound dumbbells

3 sets of reverse crunches 25 reps

Post workout consisted of greek yogurt (the off cheap brand but just as good) mixed in with protein powder and an hour later breakfast was oats, protein powder, almonds, flaxmeal mixed in with dried crunchy fruit. I have to admit the Asian pear fruit snacks are not the greatest, but since I purchased a HUGE box of them from Costco thinking I would love them, I am trying my best to finish them off.

Today was my last full day here in Lincoln for my teacher conference. I swear if I have to look at one more statement starting with "By the end of 3rd grade this child will be able to..." I will scream! Today's session was to be over by 4, we were out at 2 so I had to find some way to entertain myself until dinner time. I found a local YMCA about 1 mile from my hotel, I decided this would be a perfect opportunity to try out some yoga since I had already got a good workout in the morning. If anyone says Yoga is not a workout...well they are wrong! Considering my legs were stiff from my lunges and running this morning, all the balancing and lunges were a bit hard for me. Overall...I liked the experience and it really seemed to stretch my body out. I am excited to try out the P90x yoga that I have at home.

After yoga, Panera was located right across the street from the Y so I walked over and ordered a huge Asian Chicken salad with some cookies for a treat for Craig when I get home. I added some green beans to the side with string cheese and pita bread.Tomorrow can't come soon enough. I am here for one more meeting in the morning and then I home bound to my puppy and Craig. Can you believe tomorrow is already Wednesday??

Do you enjoy yoga?

First experience not that bad, I can see why people like it as a form of relaxation

If you had a 25 dollar stipend a night to spend on dinner where would you go?

I kept it simple with Panera and ordering speciality fish from a local market here in town...I am not a big fan of a huge steak meal

Salads and Vitamin Water

What a day! If you have ever spent 8 hours closed up in a FREEZING hotel room with over 100 teachers listening to what kids should or should not be taught, I do not recommend it...unless you want to be bald by the end of the day from pulling all your hair out. Remember though, I am getting paid 150 bucks a day to sit on my butt so I really should not complain. Last night I had a horrible nights sleep. One it was pouring down rain, two I was not in my own bed, and three I was homesick. Yes...homesick! Really, it has only been 1 day away from Cooper and Craig and I could already cry because I miss them so much. I managed to get a few good hours of sleep this morning when my alarm blasted at 5:00am. I hit up the hotel gym for a good sweat. Something just was not in me this morning, I was almost sick to my stomach throughout the entire workout. When I got back to my room, I was just all out of sorts...just did not feel right. I woke up Sunday feeling this way too, I am thinking I caught a little bug and my body is slowly fighting it off. Bring on the Vitamin Water!!! I do have to give my body a little bit of credit though, I have gone through a car accident, a 6 mile hard run, and then worked out again for over an hour this morning off of very little sleep...

My Hotel

I have enjoyed some huge take out salads the past two nights. Tonight I opted for a salad bar and bought some salmon lox to top it off with pita bread

Last night I walked down the street to Panara and enjoyed their Asian Chicken Salad with pita bread on the side.

I know I am crazy, I have all the choices in the world to eat and I choose salads. I just love adding different proteins in them and also they fill me up. Tomorrow I have another LONG day of meetings. Depending on how I feel, I am going to try to hit the gym up again in the morning. I would love to say I am out experiencing Lincoln, but I am kind of on my own here. Most of the other teachers are alot older than me, and there is no one from my District here. I have done some walking around the downtown area, but Lincoln is not very new to me...Craig and I always seem to be down here during Husker football season to tailgate.

I am going to finish stalking other blogs for the next few hours and enjoy the Bachelorette, Ash just kicked off Bentley, way to go girl!!

Have you ever dated a bad boy like Bentley?

Back in my early days of dating I always seemed to fall for the bad guys, don't know why they just attracted me. Craig is total opposite of a bad boy, but I could never be happier!!

What do you think of going to different gyms?

The machines at this hotel are so much older than the ones at my gym, they were actually more of a workout because it took more force to move them lol!!

10k Race and Packing Up

Cooper was not to happy I had to leave this morning for my race bright and early. The night before I got some packing done for my 3 day stay in Lincoln Nebraska. Some may call me totally obsessive, but I prepare for my workouts when I pack. As you can see below here are my must have essentials:

• EAS and Myloplex shakes for pre/post workouts
• 100 calorie packs of almonds and mixed nuts
• Packaged oatmeal and protein powder mixed in zip lock baggies ready to throw in a bowl for breakfast
• Lots of dried fruit to bring along to snack on during the long meetings I have ahead of me and also to throw in my oatmeal
• Whole wheat wraps to have along side a salad
• Chewing gum
  

Once I arrived in Lincoln I discovered that my hotel had a fridge!! I hightailed it to the local Sun Mart and picked up some fresh veggies as well as some greek yogurt. Most of my meals should be covered for the next three days, but I like to have veggies and snacks on hand just in case.

Back to today's 10k race. I woke up this morning around 6:45 and felt kinda funky. I had a really deep nights sleep and it was hard to wake up, usually I am roaring to go. Today was not the case. My throat was a little raw and my neck still throbbed from my car accident on Friday. Once I stepped outside the weather sure did not help my mood...it was raining and muggy!!

As you can see from my expression I was a little scared to run this race. Luckily, the course is a course that I grew up running many long miles on, Zorinksy Lake. The race turned out to be a smaller race, only about 200 people or so running the 10k.

As I awaited for the race to start, I sat in my car and devoured my oats and yogurt with pb. This seemed to kick in and woke me up a little. If you are wondering, yes I was out here all by myself. My boyfriend Craig is out of town this weekend, and my real close friends are not to much into the running world as I am, so I was a little lonely this morning.

I can say, I have ran better before...much better then today. I started off real slow, my legs were very stiff and my knees were a little sore. I thought I would have all the energy in the world considering I took a complete rest day yesterday..not the case. My legs did not kick in until mile 3, and finally I felt like I was at a good pace. The time....shamefully 1:02....pretty sad. I don't know what it is about running races, but I am so afraid of starting out to fast because I will feel like I will burn out...in the long run this hinders my time at the end. After the race, I knew I could have ran a lot harder by the way my body felt. I was still able to head home and run Cooper for a while. Then again, have I really put all my time and effort into just running...NO! I have been doing A LOT of cross training and Insanity. I really can't feel sorry for myself, if I want to become a better runner...well then I have got to focus on just RUNNING. This is hard for me to commit to because I like variety.

Before leaving to Lincoln this afternoon, I made a Tuna Wrap. I forgot how good tuna is...it has been forever since I have had tuna. I checked into my hotel around 3 this afternoon. I was able to walk around and scope out the place. The workout facility is pretty small, has your usual cardio machines and just one set of hand weights. Thankfully I brought my Jilian Micheal's Shred book and I am going to try to put a workout together for tomorrow morning. Considering I am in a hotel for the next three days with no friends, no Craig or Cooper, and no family around me...I am going to have a lot of free time on my hands.

My Hotel Room-not to shabby!!

Have you ever had to travel for work by yourself? How long, what did you do to keep yourself busy?

When starting races, do you worry about starting off too fast?

A Black Letter Day

If you have ever heard of a "Black Letter Day," it is a day when something horrible happens and you don't see it coming. I have read the book "Night of the Twisters," to my third graders numerous times and the character describes the day the twisters hit as a "Black Letter Day." Yesterday was my black letter day.

I started out the morning with some chopped apples and oatmeal before hitting up the gym for a 3 mile run with intervals, followed by some cycling with an upper body lifting workout.

I had to eat lunch pretty early because I had to run into Omaha to pick up my race packet for Sunday's run at Peak Performance and then be at the pool by 1 to meet up with one of my friends that I have not seen in over a year. Lunch was a hard decision for me so I mixed it up. I wanted something sweet so I made my usual pita chips and I also wanted a sandwich so I made a wrap using broccoli and chicken with light mayo. I love Joseph's Flat Out Wraps. Not only are they low in carbs but they are HUGE and big enough for me to cut in half. I topped off my lunch with my usual yogurt to dip my pita chips in. Perfect, settled both of my cravings!!

After lunch I quickly hurried out the door. I was a little unsure of where Peak Performance was, I had never had to pick a race packet up there before so I googled it and wrote down the directions. Once I got close to the street I was looking for, it w as a little tricky to find and I quickly turned not seeing the huge Dodge Ram in my blindside....BAM! Yup, the truck slammed hardcore right into my driver's side. I don't remember much, it was almost like I had closed my eyes and the awoke to airbags and shattered glass. I was so scared I tried opening the door and it would not open so I crawled over the seats and the glass which cut my poor legs open to get out of the car. I took my cell phone and called Craig bawling and he said he would be there immediately. Minutes later, the cops arrived and blocked off the intersection. I was pretty shook up and I didn't notice my legs were bleeding from the glass. The officer asked if I needed an ambulance and I said I would be fine. My head ached from hitting the airbags and my arm burned badly from the force of the car hitting my side. All in all, it was my fault and I felt so ashamed and almost dumb. Craig reassured me that things like this happen and we are not perfect...life goes on. The ironic thing is I just bought out my car! My car was towed away and we finished up the paperwork. Luckily, Craig owns a second car so I will have a car to drive. The accident really made me think how fast things can happen and all it can take is one time for us to get seriously hurt or killed...we really do not need to take things for granted.

I am defiantly glad things are over. I went to the clinic yesterday to get checked out and besides the cuts on my legs and the burn on my arm he said I should be fine. I had a pretty bad headache yesterday and this morning and my neck is stiff, but other then that I am pretty lucky with the shape I came out in. I have to wait until Monday to find out if my car is totalled or not.

My race is still on for Sunday and I am thinking I will be just fine to run in it. As for today, lots of rest and relaxation. I have to start packing, tomorrow I head to Lincoln for three days to help with some state math testing for school.

Have you ever been in a car accident? If so, was it serious and how did you deal afterwords?

What are some "Black Letter Days," you have had?

Wednesday!!

It's Wednesday, which means What I Ate Wednesday! I really wish I had more creative photos to show, but I eat what I eat :) Here are some of my meals today.

Lunch consisted of a blueberry salad with Swai fish and a bagel thin with string cheese.

Dinner was grilled salmon and a huge side of roasted vegetables. I love roasted tomatoes on the grill. I think in reality I just love crispy food, so crispy veggies I adore.

Here are 5 things I am loving this Wednesday....

1. That is is Wednesday, which means only 1 more day of Summer School this week and no more tutoring for the week

2. The weather forecast calls for today being the LAST rainy, cloudy, chilly day this week

3. 4 more days until my 10k run

4. My new book that came in the mail today...

5. I re-stocked my order of Protein powder, Cinnamon Bun and Peanut Butter

5 Things I am Not So Loving this Wednesday

1. A call from my car dealership claiming they have not received my cashier's check that was over-nighted over a week ago

2. My room for summer school is so muggy that my students papers are actually damp

3. How sore and tired I am from this weeks past workouts...calls for a rest day tomorrow

4. I went to turn in clothes to Plato's Closet (a retail store that buys back old clothes) and they gave my 4 bucks for a HUGE bag of clothes...and I even had a North Face Fleece in the bag that I bought this year!

5. Today's weather, to yucky to even take Cooper out on a walk

Today's workout was a light 45 minute elliptical workout followed by some abs. I woke up this morning very tired and worn out, I should have been better about listening to my body and staying in bed...live ya learn. Tomorrow is 100% rest and start fresh on Friday.

What are some things you are loving/hating this Wednesday?

How many rest days do you take?

I try to take at least one rest day a week, but sometimes I need more then that if I push myself to hard.

Criag and I have been discussing rings over the past month. Well today my Mom happened to be going to Borsheims, Omaha's best jewelry store, to re-size her diamond. I had mentioned this to Craig and he told me to go ahead and pick some rings out and take some pictures so he would have a good idea if I found one that I liked. That is exactly what I did! I was a little overwhelmed with the selection, but surprised myself by narrowing down my selection to just two.The pictures are not the best of quality, but you can kind of get an idea of my choices. Once I choose these two styles, she went ahead and emailed me these pics along with prices and my ring size, and we forwarded the email to Craig as well...makes this real easy for him, hint hint :) I really like the thicker band for some reason. The first pic I would get a band with it and the second ring I was told would not need a band because of its size. Now, when it comes to diamond size I know I want to start out at 1 carrot, but I am leaving the size of the diamond up to Craig depending on how much he wants to spend. I am happy with whatever he chooses :)

Going to Borshiems today with my Mom was a little surreal. Two years ago, I would have never imagined myself looking at wedding rings. Things just happen so fast, and I could never be happier. It is amazing how I prayed for so long to find a soul mate, and out of the blue Craig comes along and we just click. It is proof that God does exist and there is someone out there for everyone.

I branched out a little for lunch today. Instead of eating my usual lunch meat or chicken with veggies and pita bread, I made some fresh fish. I tend to eat fish at night, well last night I thought I might as well make twice as much for my lunch today. The fish I had was Swai. It is pretty lean, 4oz only 80 cals. Which means I can eat twice as much of it!

Along side my fish and veggies I had a bagel thin with jelly and 2 Laughing Cow wedges to top it with. This was the perfect lunch, filled me up quite a bit!

Yesterday I had a stellar 4 mile run on the TM and today I did Insanity Pure Cardio. Not going to lie, the video kicked my rear once again. I think a little too much, I was pretty in and out of fatigue all day long. Looking forward to some easy, light cardio tomorrow.

How close are you and your Mom?

My Mom is like my best friend, we do everything together...during the summer we get together at least 3 times a week and during the School year we meet every Friday for coffee to vent about our week as teachers.

How difficult was it for you to pick out a ring? Did you do it with your significant other or did he surprise you?

I was glad when Craig said he wanted to look at rings together, I just think he would have been to overwhelmed with the selection and where to start.

Happy Father's Day

10 Reasons Why I Love My Dad

1. He is very responsible with his money. He always makes sure his bills are paid on time, he puts money away from savings, and never buys on impulse...very different from me!

2. I can always count on him for car troubles. My Dad is a parts manager at Huber and can usually solve any car bind that I am in.

3. He is someone I can always turn to for advice. Weather it be finical, car, relationship..I can always turn to him.

4. He lives simple. Yes, folks my Dad has no cell phone, no DVD player, and keeps the same pairs of shoes for years.

5. He spoils my Mom. I always hope that I have a marriage like my parents one day. My Dad is always there to take care of my Mom, and also treats her to vacations and fancy dinners.

6. He is a runner...need I say more :)

7. My Dad loves to be clean, something that I try to take into account myself.

8. He has put up with me through all the stages of my life, through hormones and being a teenager to being a crazy college kid breaking curfews and drinking underage

9. He likes to stay busy. My Dad is always the type to be up early and keep himself productive.

10. I know someday when I have kids he will make a great Grandpa!!

Happy Father's Day!! Today was a little rough for me. I headed back to Columbus yesterday to meet with Craig and we went to a small town street dance. We did not make it home till 2am last night! I had to be up and ready to leave by 9am to meet with my parents for Father's Day in Omaha, which is an hour and a half away. Yes...I was a little tired, but it turned out to be a wonderful day. We ended up driving downtown near the river to eat at one of our favorite Restaurants, Rick's Boatyard. The flooded river near the restaurant

Dad and I

Mom and I

Rick's Boatyard

The restaurant is known for great seafood and is located right on the river. It was quite the popular place today. If you happen to be a HUGE baseball fan, the College World Series are going on right now in Omaha. We have a brand new stadium built and Ricks happens to be located right by all the action. Well I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day!!

Tell me why you love your Dad??

Dirt in My Mouth-Yuck!

I completed my 6 1/2 mile run this morning, and it sure was a run! I decided to run on the back country roads because it is so peaceful out there. I forgot my sunglasses in Craig's truck, I was a little bummed to run without them. I ran 3 mile out to the nearby golf course and then 3 miles back and took the loop around my back apartment to finish off a 6 1/2 mile run. The run out towards the golf course was great, the run back....well that is another story. Every time a truck or car would drive by dust flew up in my face. It was pretty nasty...never again with NO sunglasses. Besides the dirt, I had a great run..completed the entire run in 1 hour and 5 minutes. My legs are pretty stiff and sore, but this has been my longest run for about a month or so (I have been sticking to 5 milers). I always feel so amazing during my runs and want to push myself harder and harder. Hours later I always think to myself "why did I push myself so hard."

After returning from my run, I walked into the apartment to find this wonderful mess of fuzz covering my carpet! Cooper had destroyed his toy football :( I texted Craig a picture at work and he called me back immediately laughing...apparently a mess he does not have to clean up is funny. After cleaning up Cooper's mess I grabbed the first thing to drink in the fridge..yes I know it should have been water, but I was craving something sweet...calorie free Lemonade. I look a little out of it here, the lemonade plus endorphins must have been getting to me.
I finished recovering with a huge scoop of L-Glutamine Powder

and....my all time favorite Vanilla Protein shake with peanut flour, rice cakes and raspberry yogurt mixed in...yum!

Lunch could not have came sooner...blueberries, ham and almonds all mixed into a salad...don't knock it tell ya try it. I also finished off my third container of yogurt for the morning with pita bread to dip it in.

Well, it is Friday night...legs are sore and I am a little lazy blogger right now. Craig had a surprise birthday party back home tonight for one of his 45 year old customers. I was so HAPPY when he told me I did not have to go. I know I would have been pretty cranky standing in a dive bar all night with a bunch of farmers I have never met. It is crazy, but when it is summer for me it feels as if every night is a Friday night, so the desire to get out on Friday night does not really appeal to me so much as it does during the school year. I am pretty content watching Lifetime and plotting my butt on the couch.

Are you lazy the day you do your long runs or workout hard?

Do you always feel the need to go out and be social every weekend?

Another Summer Day

I can officially say that I am a proud owner of my '08 Jetta. After countless hours in car dealerships, the best option was to break my lease and buy my car out. I really have no complaints. My car is in excellent condition, and only has 38,000 miles on it. Plus, by taking out this car loan my payments will be $100 less a month. After signing my loan for the day I needed to de-stress so I turned to...the pool! Since I was in Omaha for the afternoon, I went to my friends house who owns a pool as well as a tanning bed. She has let me use both whenever for years. Enjoying the hot summer sun
After some swimming, I needed to refuel so I jumped right into my chocolate protein cookies while I drove. I then realized that I really wished I had a cup of cold milk to go with these cookies.

When I arrived home this little burger was waiting for me eagerly for a walk. My legs are super tired today and need some rest for my 6 mile run tomorrow so we went for a short 10 minute walk outside.

Came home and enjoyed another grilled chicken salad with roasted grilled veggies!

I am a little disappointed, the forecast calls for rain tomorrow morning and I was really looking forward to getting outdoors to complete my 6 mile run. I am hoping it will hold off until I get my run over.
Tomorrow is Friday...and since it is my first officially free Friday this summer...that means GARAGE SALES with my Mom.

Where do you go to de-stress?

Summer I head to the pool or go for a long walk with the puppy. In the winter I like to go and get a hot cup of coffee and have a chat with my Mom or take a nice warm bath.