Workouts for the week 2/28 - 3/6

Monday -- 4 mile run
edit 2/28 -- 4.5 mile sweaty treadmill run
Tuesday -- Yoga
edit 3/1 -- 30 minutes of yoga
Wednesday--6 mile run
edit 3/2 -- 6.2 mile run (in 1:02.10!)
Thursday -- strength and 2 mile run
edit 3/3 -- 15 squats, 15 pushups, 15 jump squats, 15 back flys (10 pound weights), 15 lunges (each leg), 15 triceps dips, did circuit with no rest between exercises, once finished I rested 2 minutes and then did circuit again. finish with 120 crunches. Then I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill at 4.0mph at a 5% incline.
Friday -- off
Saturday -- 10 mile long run
edit 3/5 -- 10 mile run; legs felt kinda sore from the squat fest I had decided to do on Thursday but still a pretty good run
Sunday -- 3 mile run
edit 3/6 -- 3.3 mile run outside and it was gorgeous!

Houston Rodeo Run 10K

Saturday B and I ran in the Conoco Phillips Rodeo Run. B ran the 5K and I ran the 10K. We ran the 5k last year and it was the first one we had ever done and really enjoyed it so decided to do it again this year. Last year I ran the 5K in a very speedy 44 minuts :) this year I ran the 10K in 1:01.30 which is a new PR for the 10K. My goal was to finish in an hour but I didn't really factor in the hills I would struggle through going over the viaduct, so considering that I'm very happy with my time.

B ran the 5K in 33:59. Not bad since he only started running again a couple of weeks ago and had been suffering from shin splints this week. I'm so proud of him!

Very foggy when we first arrived. It was also pretty warm considering it's February (humid at about 70 degrees) It's a point to point race with the start in downtown and the finish at Minute Maid park. We parked close to the ballpark and then walked (less than a mile) to the start. The 10K started at 9:35 and the 5K at 9:45.

runners in Alice in Wonderland costumes

The run starts off the beginning of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo parade. All of the floats were lined up behind the corrals of runners. Since the run is HUGE (about 15,000 people) we arrived about an hour early and walked around and looked at the floats.

The crowd is crazy at the beginning because everyone is there getting ready for the parade and around mile 2 it thins out a little bit.

At mile 3 we started going over the viaduct and that was pretty tough. It's about a mile of steep rolling hills (steep for me considering I hardly ever run hills), and then a big loop and we headed back over the viaduct and back towards Minute Maid park where the finish line was.

It's a good race, very well organized, and lots of good people watching which is my second favorite sport.

Workouts for the Week of 2/21 - 2/27

Monday 5 mile run
edit 2/21 -- 5 mile run outside; gorgeous weather right now
Tuesday Yoga
edit 2/22 -- 1 hour Yoga, 15 minute yoga abs; pretty much did the whole workout except for a few balance poses at the end.
Wednesday 6 mile run
edit 2/23 -- 7.2 mile run outside.
Thursday strength and 3 mile run
edit 2/24 -- 2 mile run; 30 pushups, 30 squats, 100 crunches, 6 scorpion flips(from the Biggest Loser on tuesday!)
Friday off
Saturday Conoco Phillip Houston Rodeo Run 10K
edit 2/26 -- 6.2 miles 1:01.30
Sunday strength and 3 mile run
edit 2/27 -- took the day off

Total for the week: 20.4 miles

March and April

When I turned 30 in July I challenged myself to run at least 1 race, any race, every month for 1 year. So far I have been successful in the challenge. My next race is next Saturday, the ConocoPhillips Houston Rodeo Run 10K.

Here is what I've got coming up in March and April:

MARCH

March 19th, I'm going to do 1/2 marathon (it'll be my 3rd 1/2 marathon in 2 months!). It's on trails which I've never really done before so I need to get some trail training in pretty quick like.

APRIL

April 30th

Hell Run in Austin. B is actually going to do this run with me and we haven't decided between the 3.45 mile obstacle course or the Super Hell Run which is a 6.85 mile obstacle course. We've looked into several of these type of runs (warrior dash, mud run, diva dash) but this one was one that we could both do and looked like the most fun to us. Can't wait.

3.45 mile course map

Runner's Guilt vs. Mommy Guilt

Whenever my first baby, Will, was born my whole world was flipped upside down (in a very good way). But I had to very quickly become accustomed to a brand new way of life. Every decision I made I always worried that I was making the wrong decision. I would second guess myself about everything: whether to keep nursing or switch to bottles, which diapers to use, which formula, should I keep swaddling him, the list could go on and on and on. This is called Mommy guilt. If you don't get it under control quickly, it can consume you. Even when Ella came along, and I thought I was an old pro at this baby stuff, the Mommy guilt was still there, and this time it was worse. Now I was worried I was making the wrong choices for 2 other lives not just one. At some point I do believe B actually told me I needed to chill out (gasp, the horror! now I know why my mom use to get so mad when we told her to calm down, or as my dad would say "calmy downy"). I believe that Mommy guilt is something that I will always have to contend with, but eventually I had to realize that I was doing the very best that I could (I actually did need to chill out), I wasn't always going to make the right decisions, but so goes life.
When I became a runner (runner? jogger? whats the difference really?) I began to feel a similar feeling that I came to know as Runner's Guilt. This is when you have your training plan all set out, a mileage goal that you want to reach, and then this thing called Life gets in the way and you miss a run or two, and feel guilty about it. Now, this may just be me. Other runners may not feel this way and just skip a run and not feel one bit sorry about it. I'm crazy though, and in my crazy mind this all makes perfect sense. Now, when I first started running, the guilt hit me HARD. If I missed a run I would be devastated and think that all of my training and hard work had gone to crap. Pretty irrational, I'll admit. Eventually, just like with "Mommy guilt" I had to, dare I say it, CHILL OUT! One missed run was not going to be the end of me. Sometimes I just have to give myself a break. I am, however, my toughest critic.
I promise, I have a point:
So last night I had 3 miles on the plan. Got home from a birthday dinner for my mom. The plan was to put the kids in bed and then run. But then my princess wanted me to rock her, and keep rocking her, and keep rocking her. Well folks, I'll be the first to admit, that rocking my sweet girl is going to beat running any.day.of.the.week.
Mommy guilt trumps runners guilt

They are only little once!

When I see this princess:

I still see this little baby:

And my big boy:

Will always be this chubby cheeked baby:

the sleeping princeBrother and sister love

I want to be on the Biggest Loser!!

I am a HUGE fan of the Biggest Loser. I've watched almost all of the seasons and it's so amazing to see the transformation of these people from beginning to end. Sometimes I think it's a little unrealistic with extreme calorie counting and obsessive amounts of hours in the gym, but for the most part I think it is very motivating and inspiring.
As the years have gone by, and the Biggest Loser has grown in popularity, the starting weight of the contestants they've picked has grown as well. Women in the high 200's and 300's, Men weighing in at over 400 pounds with a few in the 500's! That is jaw dropping. And completely amazing to watch these people push themselves out of their comfort zone and become healthier people both inside and out.
When the Biggest Loser first started, the seasons were shorter because they did not know if the show would be a success (boy were they wrong) and as a result the contestants were not as large starting out.
During Christmas break in 2009 I was watching a Biggest Loser marathon that was on WE or Oxygen, I can't remember which channel it was. As I was watching the opening episode (the season where a guy named Eric won) a couple of the girls starting weight was between 215 and 220. At that time that was almost how much I weighed and I was floored. They were on the Biggest Loser, they were making positive changes in their life, taking their life back and becoming healthier. Hey, I want to do that too?!?!This was the moment the light switch came on (and I really started to make the changes that I needed to). In January of 2010 a brand new season of the Biggest Loser started and every Tuesday I would only let myself watch it if I was on the treadmill. I've been even more obsessed the Biggest Loser ever since! (I have every single Biggest Loser book that has been published!!)

I have a major girl crush on trainer Jillian Michaels. When I first started exercising I mainly stuck with cardio workouts. Running or walking 5-6 days a week. The more I read and researched, I realized that doing strength training (weights) wasn't going to make me gain huge, manly, body-builder muscle like I had always thought. If you want to burn calories around the clock, you have to build some muscle. Enter Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.
I really enjoy doing my strength training with some kind of DVD. It makes me feel like I'm taking a body-pump class at the gym or working out with a personal trainer. It's a whole lot better for me than just working out with free weights which I'm just not that great at. 30 day shred is my go to weights work out. I love that incorporates cardio intervals and is only about 20 minutes for a quick workout.

For Christmas, B got me 2 of the new workout DVD's from the other Biggest Loser Trainer, Bob Harper. I needed to take a little break from Jillian, because the Shred wasn't as difficult anymore, and it's always good to shake up your workout routine every once in a while.

The Cardio/Conditioning DVD has 2 workouts. An intense hour long workout and a 25 minute quick strength workout. I'm going to start by doing the 25 minute workout after my 3 mile run on Thursdays.

The 2nd dvd that B got me was Bob Harper's Yoga for the Warrior. It has an hour long yoga workout followed by 15 minutes of yoga abs.

So sexy and focused

I did this dvd last night. Holy quads Batman, this was a super good workout. I think that I have tapped into an intense love for yoga. Lots of planks that had my arms shaking, low sitting lunges that hurt my quads, and the abs workout was killer! I'm definitely going to try to incorporate this on a weekly basis. It was awesome. There were several poses that I couldn't do, and I kind of wanted to punch the 2 girls on there because they made it seems so effortless to twist themselves into a human pretzel and balance on one hand and stuff. I won't ever be that good but I think if I could improve my balance and flexibility it will definitely help my running and recovery from running.

Team Bob or Team Jillian?

It's a toss up for me, but I think my love for Jillian's tough love will always win out. Plus I want her abs!!

I read a lot of different blogs. Running, fitness, health, food, family, even decorating blogs (hoping it'll rub off on me but no such luck yet). I saw this on a regular blog I read and thought it was too awesome not to share....

Everyone Needs This List
The most destructive habit – Worry
The greatest joy – Giving
The greatest loss – The loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work – Helping others
The ugliest personality trait – Selfishness
The most endangered species – Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource – Our youth
The greatest shot in the arm – Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome – Fear
The most effective sleeping pill – Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease – Excuses
The most powerful force in life – Love
The most dangerous pariah – A gossiper
The world`s most incredible computer – The brain
The worst thing to be without – Hope
The deadliest weapon – The tongue
The two most power-filled words – I Can
The greatest asset – Faith
The most worthless emotion – Self-pity
The most beautiful attire – A Smile
The most prized possession – Integrity
The most contagious spirit – Enthusiasm

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