A little busy

Work, enjoyment of life, running, the need to eat...all things that keep one busy and away from a Blog.  The rest of my week was pretty good.  I ate at this terrible restaurant last night, but made up for it by eating at the Thai restaurant right by my apartment.  My Friday was set after that! :) 

I don't have much to say because I am tired and just want to lay down and go to sleep.  

Tomorrow we are going to Napa to attend the Marathon college, run two miles of the 5K course / strides, and just enjoy the rest of the day (or study if I were Phill...).  I'm looking forward to the weekend, but I do feel some apprehension because I know I am entering a race.  I just need to stick with goal number one: 

Have Fun. 

I will let you all know how the weekend and race goes. 

Have a good weekend, readers! 

Dunsmuir's Birthday

If you had not already picked up on this, I love bunnies and I love making cards for people.  Well, Dunsmuir is our bunny and has enough personality to be a person and, therefore, deserves a card on his 2nd birthday! 

I've attached a video of him enjoying his honey-laced card - I hope you enjoy this as much as a few of my co-workers did! (The card wasn't incredibly creative, but he can't read so...)  The wheat grass attached itself after the fact.  I wish I thought of that! :P 

Anyways, yesterday I did an easy 20 minute run.  My legs felt pretty good.  When I got home from my run, I stretched and rolled. 

Watching Grey's Anatomy with my Mom was fun.  The episode was a good one.  I really appreciated the message it sent. It was nice to see my Mom, too. 

Today I will run for 30 minutes. I will do a few strides within the run.  Then, I will make sure to do some core work, stretching, and roll. 

It is Wednesday, so I may try and watch some Law and Order, SVU tonight too! 

Sunday is the 5K, but Phill and I are coming into the race on Saturday.  There is a Marathon Expo on Saturday, which includes a Marathon College.  Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, and Don Kardong are speaking - and I am going to make sure I see this!  Along with many other accomplishments, Frank Shorter won the 1972 Marathon and placed 2nd in 1976 (http://frankshorter.net/olympics/).  Bill Rodgers is a well-seasoned marathon who has won Boston and established records during his career (http://www.runningpast.com/rodgers.htm).  Don Kardong, a Stanford University grad, ran in Olympic Marathon in 1976 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Kardong). I can't wait to see these guys talk! :) 

I don't have much else to say today!  The day is going pretty well.  My projects at work are moving along as expected and receiving some pretty great accolades. 

FOMO

Yesterday, I took a dive. I am taking a temporary break from Facebook and Instagram. I am doing this in part as an experiment and in part for my own good.  

I would not call myself a Facebook or Instagram addict, as my posts are infrequent and are generally links to an article I read, a picture of Dunsmuir, a post about the dinner Phill and I made, or a post about my run.  Additionally, I would not call myself a "Fear Of Missing Out" addict...entirely.  I am more FOMO on my family's lives, which is ultimately why I am on Facebook and Instagram in the first place.  

My two Sisters and Nephew live in Ireland, and communication on the phone is hard to coordinate and expensive.  Additionally, my Mom travels to Ireland pretty often so it is a great way for me to keep in touch with her as well.  Social Media is cheap and easy, and I get to see adorable pictures of my Nephew! 

But, I find myself wanting to be connected a little too much - and I don't really think that is incredibly healthy, family or not.  And, I have to admit, I am feeling pretty FOMO today.  Feelings of curiosity and anxiety that I haven't spoken with my family today are floating in the periphery of my focus...it is distracting.  Not being connected via Facebook or Instagram makes my family feel even farther away. I don't really like how this feels. I am sure this will get easier, and I will find better, more meaningful ways to keep in touch with my family (and friends). 

Yesterday, I did 30 - 40 minutes of core work.  I did sit-ups, planks, push-ups, squats, and other misc Pilates moves.  I am feeling a lot stronger, especially on the push-up front. 

Today, I will run 20 minutes, easy.  Then, it's eating dinner and watching Grey's with Mom! :)  

It is also Dunsmuir's 2nd birthday.  I plan on making a card for him after my run.  The card will include little tastes of honey spread throughout the card...so he can have fun tearing up the card to get to random dots of sugar!  I'll try to capture this in a photograph, and share. 

Longest Run to date!

Hi All 

This weekend was pretty good - spent most of it at home, doing errands, or running. 

I began my weekend with a 3.2 mile run, and also a lot of walking. Phill and I went for a night time walk around our neighborhood.  The run was very easy going, and the walk was really nice.  Phill and I spent a good 3 - 4 hours watching Breaking Bad, season 3.

Saturday Phill and I went for another easy 30 minute run (probably 3.2 miles) in the afternoon. The run was around Santa Clara University campus and back home.  We watched another 2 hours of Breaking Bad, too. 

Sunday Phill and I went out for 55 - 60 minutes of running (6 miles was the plan).  Both of us felt really good, and ended averaging 6.17 miles in 8:39 pace - it the pace was very easy.  We then jogged for another half mile and then walked the rest of the way.  In total, we did 7 miles, running 6.67 miles.  This is the longest run since my injury, which is really awesome. 

I did 31.9 miles last week.  24 of that was running miles.

In addition to running on Sunday, I made enough spaghetti sauce for at least 3 days.  I'm happy to say I might have saved us money this week. :) 

Here is my running plan this week (it's a pretty low key week this week): 

Monday: Off / Core / Foam Roll
Tuesday: 2 miles, easy / Foam Roll
Wednesday: 3 miles, moderate; with strides. / Foam Roll
Thursday: 3 miles, easy / Foam Roll
Friday: 2 miles, easy
Saturday: 2 miles, easy
Sunday: 5 - 6 / Race Day!  (This is the course map: http://nvm.tummeling.com/wp-content/uploads/5k-Map.pdf ) 

Tomorrow my Mom is coming over to watch Grey's Anatomy and eat dinner.  I'm looking forward to seeing her.  I hope the episodes aren't too sad - I might end up breaking down this time. 

Goals this Week: 

• Read at least one more chapter in my book 
• Take a look at opening an account with a Credit Union
• Continue to slowly get the house unpacked and organized

I'll keep you posted on how much I get accomplished this week. :)

All Aboard!!

Well, it took two hours to get to work today!  Train delays due to mechanical problems and then, causing further delays, there was a car accident right over the railroad tracks.  I was so nervous because the timing of my trains getting to work and getting home from work is very narrow.  If miss a train getting home due to getting to work late, then I might have to wait a full hour for the next one!  Anyways, I found a solution - and it's because I have an excellent boyfriend that will pick me up from another train station further from our house. Such is the transit life!  Without this morning's delays, I would never had heard, "Allll Abooooardddd!!!", actually said out loud...so that's cool. :)

Anyways, my run yesterday was 20 minutes and super easy.  My legs felt okay, but a little bit tired from Wednesday's workout.  I also walked 1.7 miles (my walk to / from train).  After my run, I rolled for about 5 minutes and stretched. 

Today, I'm scheduled to run 25 - 30.  If feel good, then I'll do 30.  I feel pretty good right now, so I'm probably on track for a 30 minute run. :)  

At around 5:45 this morning, I did 10 push-ups.  10 push-ups should not have affected my left arm in the way it has...I think it was the stress of the train and all the computer work I need to do for work that is causing tight elbow pain.  

It's Friday - I'm looking forward to my weekend plans to do more work on the apartment, run and watch Phill study. I will also continue to read, "The Social Conquest of Earth". 

Enjoy the weekend, readers! 

Going to Ireland

I am going to Ireland in May because my middle Sister is getting married.  May is just around the corner, so I can imagine my Sister is feeling excited and overwhelmed all at the same time! 

Since I expect to be in better shape in May, I'm starting to look for places to run while I am staying in Cork. Based on several sites, it appears I will have a lot of options! 

Additionally, it appears there are few races in Cork based on this website (http://corkrunning.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html). The prices of these events range from 8 Euro to free!  And one of the events is on a Friday night. What?!  

I may have to check one of these events out if I have the spare time. I may also check this route out: http://corkrunningroutes.blogspot.com/2011/12/blackrock-mahon-5-mile-loop.html  .  Running always gets me to understand the layout of the city, so this may be one of the first things I do. I've been to Ireland many times, but I haven't spent too much time in the Cork area.  

My workout yesterday went really well.  Both Phill and I felt stronger than last week's fartlek, and the 5 min effort went by very quickly.  The SCU Rugby team was out doing sprints around their sand path, so the workout was on the sidewalk around the perimeter of the school.  We did our last two minute and one minute efforts on the sand path, as they were done with their workout by the time we got back around campus.  Our last one minute "on" effort was probably more like mile pace, but the effort was fairly easy and controlled. 

Today is 20 - 25 minutes, easy, and light core work.  I'll get that done as soon as I get home. I'm definitely going to roll tonight - my lower back is a little sore from sitting at my desk today. 

Chia Seeds

I didn't sleep very well last night.  But, when I did, I dreamed my house flooded with chia seeds.  The whole house - and extensions of my life too because my backpack (I wear backpacks??) and purse was overflowing with the stuff  - was just completely flooded in this gooey-seedy healthful slime!  I have no idea what this dream means.  It can't possibly mean I am eating too much chia.

Anyways, I had a nice run on Tuesday.  Just ran 3.1 miles around Santa Clara University, and during it, thought about the kind of pace I'd like run my first mile in at the 5K in Napa. I think I'd like to start really conservatively so that mile 3 feels pretty good. My plan is to treat this 5K like a progressive run or a tempo.  

I missed running with Phill yesterday - we are good running partners because we almost always have something to say and he doesn't really care what pace we run! We ended up walking for about 30 minutes later in the evening, when he go home from school. 

Tonight - Phill and I will run our Fartlek tonight, probably on Santa Clara University campus again.  I look forward to moving my legs a little faster tonight! :) 

Here's to sleeping tonight...and dreaming about unicorns or bunnies! 

Getting fitter

Well, all of my clothes are starting fit again. This fact alone is a sign of fitness!  I have lost 13 pounds since my last doctor's appointment in November.  Great news! 

I am happy to say this weight loss is likely more due to healthy eating and cutting out sugar than anything else.  Prior to this, I was a pretty healthy eater but I didn't realize HOW MUCH sugar I had been eating. There is so much sugar in yogurts - oh my goodness.

The rest of my running week last week went as follows: 

Thursday: 2.1 miles, really easy. 

Friday: 3.1 miles, easy with Phill. 

Saturday: 2.1 miles, easy with Phill. And another 1 mile walk from Peets back to the apartment. 

Sunday: 6 miles, at moderate to easy pace.  Felt very hot on Sunday! 

Total miles for the week: 23.9 miles (not including additional walks to and from train station)

*This is my highest mileage week yet! 

Monday's are my "off" day, so Phill and I walked for about 20 minutes and then did about 20 minutes of core work. 

Here is this week's running plan: 

Tuesday: 30 minutes, easy; roll / stretch.

Wednesday: 10 minute warm up, 1 min "on", 1 min "off", 2 min "on", 2 min"off" x 2 sets, 5 min "on", 3 min"off", 2 min "on", 2 min "off", 1 min "on" , 1 min "off".  Total "on" time: 13 minutes, 10 minute warm down. "On" pace will be 10K and progressing to 5K pace at end of workout.  (Remember, I have no idea what these paces mean right now so I'll do  it based on effort and feel).

Thursday: 20 - 25 minutes, easy; roll / stretch / core.

Friday: 25 - 30 minutes, easy; roll / stretch.

Saturday: 25 - 30 minutes, moderate pace; roll / stretch.

Sunday: 6 miles, moderate - easy / this week will be on trails; roll / stretch.

12 days until the 5K in Napa, so week of 02/23/2015 will be an easy week. I can tell I am getting fitter - less residual soreness from runs and also just a better sense of well being.  It's a wonderful feeling! 

I had the day off yesterday.  I spent the extra time organizing our kitchen / pantry, playing with Dunsmuir, catching up on some TV, and resting.  It was a very nice day! 

I hope to be able to write more this week, but we will see how busy I get!  

Progress!

Yesterday evening, Phill and I went out for our run as planned.  We warmed up from our apartment to the sand running path at Santa Clara University, which took 12 minutes.  Then, we began our workout of 6 x 2 minute on, 2 minute off around the sand running path.  

"On" meaning 10K - 5K pace, depending on what number rep we were on and also how we felt. "Off" meant a slow jog recovery.  When I saw 10K - 5K pace, I really just mean what pace I "think" I could run a 10K or 5K in.  I think our pace ended faster than current 5K pace, but we both felt pretty good so we were happy.  

This is our second fartlek style workout and I know that paces will get more and more accurate as we get fitter and more accustomed to doing workouts again.  March 1's race will probably give us a little guidance as well.  

After the main workout, we warmed down for 10 minutes and then walked until we got back to the apartment.  

I then walked over to get some Thai, while Phill started to hit the books again. Nothing beats veggies, tofu, and some pad thai on Wednesday night.  Phill and I also shared a Crispin Cider, and it was very tasty.

I woke up with no muscle tightness or soreness, which is a really great thing.  This means that my diet, stretch and rolling might be doing good things to my recovery process! 

I don't have any other news today...and I also need to get back to 9 - 5!  Or really...the 7:30 - 4!

Getting Organized

It appears there is a relationship between how much you like a person and the length of time it takes to get organized after a move.  The more you like a person, the longer it will take to get unpacked and organized. Or maybe there is no correlation at all...and we are just kinda busy.

Phill and I are still getting organized and unpacked - 13 days into our new apartment.  And this weekend's progress halted as soon as we had to resume work and school.  Our weekend's progress was slow as well.  If our weekend was a meal, the ingredients were 1 cup fun, 1 cup running, 1 cup Dunsmuir (our adorable rabbit), 1 cup unpacking, and half a cup of studying (Phill, only).  But hey, things could be worse - we could find ourselves miserably unpacking and spending our days griping about it.  

Despite a dead car battery this morning, I am happy to say this week's been pretty good.  Monday and Tuesday mainly consisted of taking the train, working, and running, but I'm grateful that the commuting via train is easy, my job is going relatively well, and that I am getting stronger and stronger each week. 

Here is what I've done so far this week, exercise-wise: 

Monday: 3 miles walking, stretch, and 25 minutes of core

Tuesday: 3.2 miles running @ easy pace, stretch

Today's plan: 

10 minutes warm up, 6 x 2 on, 2 off @ 10K - 5K pace, 10 - 15 minutes warm down

So far, I'm keeping to my goals. I read 3 pages of my book (I know, it ain't much...), kept to my running plans, and identified another project at work.  

I've attached a cute picture of our little Dunsmuir (one of his many Christmas pics).  He's loving the new place - it has carpet instead of hardwood...so his binkys and random sprints are the new norm. 

T.I.R.E.D

Oh my goodness.  I am tired!  The train I need to take to get to work leaves at 6:25AM.  This means that I need to wake up at around 5:00 and leave the house by 6:00, so that I can walk to the train station in time to catch the train. An adjustment for sure!

Here was my running week:

• Monday: 2.1 miles running, 30 minutes of core and light weights in the gym at the new apartment
• Tuesday: 2.1 miles running on treadmill at office, 20 minutes of core and ankle stability exercises
• Wednesday: 3 miles, very easy because I was not feeling well
• Thursday: 4 miles running around the new apartment’s neighborhood.  Foam roller was a friend to me and Phill on Thursday (NOT!)
• Friday: Day off
• Saturday: 3.1 miles, easy around Santa Clara University. Foam roller and stick.
• Sunday: 4.8 miles, easy. Foam roller and stick. 

Most of the weekend was spent organizing the house. We are almost all unpacked and organized.  I really hope this is the last move for at least another two years! 

My running plans this week: 

Monday: Day off from running.  Elliptical or stationary bike, and core. Stretch.

Tuesday: 3 miles, easy. Stretch.

Wednesday: 5 miles total - 6 x 2 on, 2 off @ what I would imagine10K pace feels like with warm up and cool downs. Stretch.

Thursday: 3 miles, easy, and core. Stretch.

Friday: 2 miles, easy. Stretch.

Saturday: 3 miles, easy to moderate. Strides. Stretch.

Sunday: 6 miles, east to moderate.  Maybe some hills. Stretch.

I can’t believe we are in the second week of February!  In just 3 weeks, we will be in Napa running the 5K.  Time crept up.  I just need to stick with my plan of trying to have a good time during the run.  I’ve never been to Napa, so I’m going to treat this like a Vacation more than a race.    

This week's goals: 

• Continue to read my book (The Social Conquest of Earth)
• Stick to running plan
• Brainstorm another project for work (I finished my last project...)

Move is Done - Unpacking and Organzing Begins

Well, the move went relatively well.  A little slower than what we would have liked, but that is partially because we were so busy before our move we just didn't have enough time to prepare for it.

Phill and I started to unpack yesterday, but it went pretty slowly.  I think we were initially feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of boxes surrounding the apartment.  We also have a small closet space problem, which I hope to fix by combing through my clothing one more time and giving the excess to Goodwill, and also putting some of my clothing into to storage. 

I am very much looking forward to be all unpacked and organized.  That way, we can settle in and call the new apartment home.  Right now, I feel like I am living in a hotel because it feels so different.

I am a little bummed out that I didn’t get to run during our move.  I was definitely busy and on my feet most of Friday and Saturday, so I guess technically I did workout this weekend.  Yesterday, my legs and feet so beat up that I didn’t think it would be a good idea to do any running. 

Today, I feel better so I may start my running week off today with 2 – 3 easy miles and some light core work.  We will see how I feel this evening because right now I feel pretty exhausted – but post-lunch office work is also pretty exhausting.

Goals this week: 

• Unpack / organize the new apartment
• Order an awesome shower curtain for our Bathroom
• Run 20 miles, do second Fartlek workout (2 on / 2 off x 6), and perform at least one day of core excercises
• Continue to read my book