Sports Injury boo!!

Well... it finally happened. :(
I had my first ever sports injury. But no worries - it's not that bad or tragic, I promise. Here it is...

Sadly, it happened during my second lap around the track no less! So pathetic. I was thinking about some friends who recently ended their relationship and wiped out because I wasn't picking my feet up like I should have. My own fault.
My instructor said in a way it's a good thing because it's showing that I can think about other things while I'm running and I'm not as focused anymore on how fast I am going. I slammed onto both knees, pulled myself up and kept going. The guys were worried but I knew that if I stopped, it would hurt and I might cry so I just kept pushing myself.
When I got home I realized how bad it actually was. ha ha Oh well.
We had another harder class today but I am pretty damn proud of myself for giving my all. We did a 1-2-3 lap set, jogged (which KILLS me!!) a full mile non-stop and then did fartleks like last week
but I am happy to say that I did even better.  I did 3 sets with Jeff, then 2 by myself while he biked and then we did the last 1 together.  He, as usual, kicked my but on the last one.  I think he saves all his energy up just to do that. ha ha
  And I got some good news this morning.  We are going to continue our class this summer!!  I get one week off because the gym will be closed and then we'll go into summer training so my goal will be to run 3 miles non-stop before the summer ends.  I think it's pretty reasonable since I can run 1.5 already so it's just a little more.  I want to be able to run a FULL 5k without stopping to walk at all.
  Kinda nervous and excited about next weekends race and glad I chose not to race this weekend, especially with my knee busted now.  And at least it's a minor injury - I have no space to complain when others, like my friend MAS, have suffered major knee issues in the past and are running farther and better than me.  It's all just part of the game. :)

I'm a Running Nerd. :)

So you know you are a running nerd when...

You get super excited because your running journal arrives in the mail! :) I finally signed up for Runner's World magazine so I can learn some new things about running since I'm getting back into it this year. As a bonus, if you paid an extra $10 or something you get a running journal so I did.



It's pretty cool. You can record your running times, length of run and how you felt as well as read tips about food and positive running quotes (I also get the quotes delivered via email 3 times a week - they do help).

I also received "Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven" - figuring it may be a good read for me since I'd like to have kids in the next 2-3 years and then I'm going to pass it off to my bestest who IS a veggie-head and is planning on having kids soon (so she hopes) figuring she may get better use out of it.



So crazy, but I'm happy. Now I'm just waiting on Skinny Bitch journal to arrive and another book about food. :) Yay for Amazon and cheap books!!

Oh Diet Coke...

  It's pretty amazing when you realize how much you don't miss something when you bring it back into your diet and what it does to your body and overall health.
  As many of you know, I gave up Diet Coke for Lent.  Partly because I needed to (I was drinking basically 2 liters a day or more!! and Lent is all about the struggle) and because I wanted to see if it would make a difference with my body.
  Boy did it!  To be honest, I didn't miss it nearly as much as I (and others) thought I would.  I missed the Starbucks I also gave up much more.  But the first thing I noticed was I was constantly tired for the first 2 weeks.  So tired that I'd leave work and sleep on my couch for an hour or more then go to bed a few hours later.  It was crazy!  Then after about 2 weeks I slowly started getting energy back and enjoying life again, running better and going back to the gym.
  I waited about 2 week after Lent and had my first Diet Coke.  It was ok.  I missed that burny sensation when you get a good glass of it.  I've had a few glasses since then and I've noticed a change already - I'm getting more sluggish again and not working out because I'm so tired.  This is not good.  So, I'm going to do my  best now to try to cut it completely out of my diet.  If it's doing this much damage already... not ok.  Esp. when I want to keep myself healthy for my race in 2 weeks!
  Speaking of... I've decided not to do the race this weekend (very sad!).  My instructor said racing 2 weekends in a row is probably not the best idea and I don't want to screw my knee up before my big race so... I'm just going to do a regular run this weekend and get ready for the 8th's Full Moon Run!

Thank God for Running!

  This morning started very rough.  I set my alarm for 9am with the idea of going to the river for a good morning run before it got too hot.  I woke up before it went off and then it took me about an hour to finally climb out of bed.
  But, I did!  I got dressed (I smartly had everything folded all nice on my dresser so there was NO excuse. :)
  Checked my email and then headed out to my car... where I found a ticket and a tow warning.  I was mad!  I was told by security 2 weeks ago I could park in that lot over the weekends because they don't ticket and I didn't want to park off campus as I have awards in my trunk and I didn't want to lose them (not that I would but still...).
  I went to talk to security and the woman was not very helpful so rather than saying something I'd probably get fired for, I jumped into my car and drove to the river for a long run.
  And run I did!  I walked .5miles, ran .5, walked .5 again and ran again.  When I got to the 1 mile marker, I turned around and ran a straight mile and then walked/jogged for the final mile.  I felt so much better about my day, my weekend and myself.
  I then went to get my nails taken off and get a manicure.  It was yet another horrible job.  I feel like people in my area who do nails just suck - and this was a different place even!  WTF?  I don't want to spend money if it's not worth it.  I ended up coming home and re-clipping and filing my nails after I left.  Ugh!
  Now I'm relaxing, watching Jamie's final episode and waiting for my 3pm Zumba class.  I'm going to be so exhausted tonight after all the exercise I'm doing (2 hours!!) plus the awards ceremony tonight.  Hopefully I'll finally be able to sleep before midnight tonight!!
  I hope your weekend is going well too!  Weather is beautiful here... hope it is for you as well! :)

Fartleks and pushing as far as I can go!

  So far today has been off to a great start!  I love days like this - esp. when I fell asleep almost straight away last night, got just under 8hrs of good sleep and even (oops...) hit snooze before finally getting up for class.
  I still got to class 5 min early and had time to check my email before I left.
  But anyway, it was once again just me.  Mary's morning shift were both sick so she was covering the desk and Jeff has been dealing with an injured child at home and a ton of work here so he hasn't been able to make it.
  It makes me sad when they can't make it to class, but at the same time, it's nice because working one-on-one has really helped me to push myself and improve my running.
  Today we ran around 3.1 miles.  I really need to buy my gps that I want so I know how far we run exactly but anyway...
  We started with our usual 2 laps (walking the ends, running the straight aways) and then went into stretching.  The actual running started around 6.45am and we ran pretty much non-stop until 7.17am.  Today was supposed to be a "medium" day but it was by far my hardest (but in a good way).
  We started with a 5-4-3-2-1 set.  That's in minutes but since I'm up to about a min a lap I actually did 5-4-3-2-1laps as well. :)  Yay for going from a 12min mile to right around a 10!!  Then came the hardest part of my life!
  Eddie decided to help me build my strength and endurance we are going to start Fartleks.  If you have no clue what that is, it is when you run a certain distance at your highest speed and then run slowly and then run the higher speed again.  For example, he had me run the straight aways as fast as possible and then slowly jog the corners.  I had to do it 3 times (I was shooting for 4 laps but I would have literally puked on the track had I done that).
  Then after I'm almost ready to die, we run another 3-2-1.  Sadly, I was exhausted by then so I managed to barely squeeze out 6 laps but I made it.
  And I surprised myself because after all that, we walked 2 laps and I felt refreshed and ready to run a few more laps (but I didn't).
  I can't say enough how much I love starting off my day with a good run in the morning.  I just wish I could drag my butt out of bed more often to do it!  But I was very happy to learn that Mary convinced Eddie to do 2 classes this summer!  He's going to do the class I'm taking now and then one for us that will focus on getting us to fully run a 5k and I think look towards higher goals.  I'm super excited to start that!!
  Further good news when I got home... I did my weigh-in on the wii and it said I've lost another lb since Sunday!!  That made me feel like all my hard work is paying off - esp. since I haven't run since Thurs (due to my knee) and I wasn't pushing too hard at Zumba on Sun (also bc of my knee).
  Yay for having a great start to the day!!

My knee... :(

  So I had an up and down day today.  Upside was weighing in this morning.  I lost another .3lbs so I'm down to 152.3 (according to the wii).  Pretty exciting.  Very odd how this week I'm not as active and the weight is slipping off but oh well.
 Bad side... my knee is still in pain.  I may try to schedule an apt. with the on-campus dr. tomorrow and have them check it out.  I iced it a little bit tonight after a 2 mile walk (hurt at the start but then was fine) and that seemed to help a little bit.
  Talked to Joey about possibly running with me for the Cinco de Mayo race.  I got a "possibly" which is better than a straight out "no" so I'm going to keep working on it. :)  The main reason I want someone with me is because I want an excuse to party afterwards and if I'm alone, I'll just leave after the race rather than celebrate (which I deserve to do since it'll be my 3rd in as many months!).  We'll see... I'll keep you posted. :)
  Other than that, just spent as much time in the sun as possible today since we had rain all weekend and are expecting more from Wed-Friday.
  Hopefully the weather is staying beautiful wherever you are!!

  So I was reading meganerdruns this week and thinking about how lucky I've been that I haven't had any major fitness injuries.  I push myself extremely hard most of the time and I've been very lucky.
  However, I feel like I may have spoken too soon after this weekend.
  I had Zumba today and my right knee was throbbing most of the class.  It felt slightly week during and after Friday's class and today it just hurt non-stop so I wasn't able to push myself as hard as I like in class.  I'm going to ice it tonight and keep an eye on it.  I am also thinking of buying a running brace for it hoping that helps with the pressure.  The last thing I want to do is mess it up before my 5k.
  I'm having second thoughts about doing the Cinco De Mayo one.  I just learned that it's a night race and since I'd be running it alone (none of my friends want to run 5k's with me) I'd feel really stupid running the race and then having no one to hang with afterwards so I may just focus on training more for the full moon run that I'll be doing the following weekend.  I'll also have to find another run to pick up (which won't be hard) to make up for skipping that one.
  My goal is 5-5k's before August so I'm already almost half way there.  The Full Moon Run (which my friend Chris may do with me - esp. since it's also a night race) will be my half-way mark and then it's all downhill from there.
  I'm also going to start looking at running the BOK center race.  Basically you run up 30 flights of stairs rather than running a race.  My instructor told me even he couldn't do it but of course, that only makes me want to achieve it even more.  Apparently they do it almost every month so I'm probably going to shoot for running it in June or July if they offer.  Pretty excited. :)
  That's about it - not much this weekend since it's been crappy and overcast/rainy all weekend.  If it's sunny tomorrow I'm planning to hit the river for a short 2 mile run.  Otherwise I'll run at the gym and do some weights.  We'll see.
  Hope your weekend was more successful than mine was!! :)

Pain...

  I am in some pain right now.  After a super hard weekend last weekend (really, who freaking runs a 5k and then dances for 3 hours? Oh yeah, my dumb ass!) I took a few days off from the gym and focused on walking and staying slightly active.
  Today I had Zumba, which was good because I was bad and ate 2 cupcakes today (but they were sooo good!).  I most def worked them off... and then some!  Today she did the hard exercises again - the hard one being ending with jumping jacks/squats/push ups/crunches.  I hate that damn song now "this is the song that will make you sweat."  Damn that stupid song!
  She quit at 9 today which made me laugh because I totally could have done the 10th set.  Oh well.  But the combination of that routine along with the other squat moves she used today really hurt my knee.  Just my right one.  Which sucks because all night it's been kinda throbbing.
  I am planning on hitting the gym tomorrow to actually use the machines (exciting!) and possibly hitting the river later for a solo run.  We were planning on going tonight but the weather dropped down to 60 and it's been raining on and off all day so instead I went shopping and bought myself some groceries and a new set of much-needed pots and pans. :)
  Yay for considering grocery shopping as fitness!  But it got me up to walking 5 miles today so it's all good. :)

So you know you are crazy about running when...

  I am officially insane. :)  I had a super stressful day today and worked through my lunch break.  All I thought about while I worked was how badly I wanted to hit the gym and get either a run in or workout on the machines.  When I got home from work I was starving so I made dinner right away and then rested for an hour so I didn't upset my stomach.
  Finally decided to hit the gym around 6.30pm and got dressed.  Had my bag packed and was about to walk out the door when one of my staff says "Hey, we are going into the woods tonight.  Wanna go?"  Me, not thinking, was like "why would we go into the woods?  And where are the woods?" and then I realize she means the play on campus.  I say sure and she says "ok, meet us upstairs at 7.30pm.
  I look at the clock and see it's 6.55pm.  What to do, what to do.  I could skip the gym and just get dressed... or I could miss the play and go workout.
  Instead, my crazy ass throws my bag behind the desk, stretches against the park bench and gets a 1.4mile run in 16 minutes, stretches again, runs back into my apt and changes in time to make it to the play.
  Yeah, I am that crazy.  But the run felt good - even though it is still burning my chest.  I'm not used to running with the wind here and it always seems that it's windiest right where I live.
  Oh well.  Tomorrow Joey and I are planning to hit the river for a 6mile walk/run.  My goal is to get us running ever .5 miles (they have markers) so we'll get about 3 miles running/3 miles walking.  Will be a good after-Zumba workout either way. :)

Good Morning!

  I almost went to my office at 7.30am when I got back from class to update but decided I needed a shower (and nap!) so here I am, blogging between working on my to-do list for the week!
  Our instructor has a huge race in CA this week so he sent his fiance to train with us again.  I really like her - she's a very sweet girl.  Today we did 4 laps - 1 lap at race pace and then once you finished the lap, you very slowly recovery jog to the next corner and start your next lap.  This is a good way to actually get in 5 laps and convince yourself it's only 4 (as I later realized when Mary mentioned that).
  So, what should have been a 1.5 mile run ended up being over 2 miles (plus the walking laps and 2 starter laps).  I think at the end we hit about 2.5 miles give or take.  Pretty good for 6.30 in the morning!
  One of my favorite things about my Wednesdays is looking at my pedometer on my walk home.   I always love seeing that I've already had over 4,000 steps before 8am!  That's 2 miles (more technically since I was running, not walking).  But it gives me that surge for the day.  Also makes up for my slacker day yesterday - only just over 5,000 steps (ewwww!!!).
  I also weighed in today on my wii.  As I mentioned, over the weekend with all my activities I lost 1.2lbs... well I lost another .2!  I was very excited!  I feel like I'm getting back on track again which is always a good feeling.
  And I was proud of myself yesterday - I went to our Spring Fest where there was a TON of free pizza.  Instead of just grabbing a quick piece, Jessica and I walked back home and I ran into my apartment and grabbed some cottage cheese, and a Nature's Own Sandwich Round with Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter.  So yummy!  Jessica laughed at me but I enjoyed my yummy snack as we sat on the swing and talked (and I tried not to fall asleep).
  I went out to dinner with Joey the other night and realized that watching  Jame Oliver's Food Revolution and reading Meganerdruns.com on a daily basis has really changed how I view food and what I put into my body.  For example we were sitting next to a set of grandparents (maybe early 60's) and their grandkids.  I watched what they ate - 2 dishes of chips and queso (which I love, don't get me wrong!) along with their meals!  The kids were probably early pre-teens - the girl had trash fries and fried chicken and the boy had smothered fried chicken and fries.  Not one person had anything fresh on their plate - not one veggie on that table.  Don't get me wrong - I enjoy treating myself - I don't pass on the occasional cookies or brownie.  However I do try to have some sort of veggie with at least one meal if not both meals.  I have found over the years that when I eat veggies and fruit with at least one meal a day 5x a week I tend to lose weight more quickly and easily along with working out.
  I also started taking One-a-Day for Women.  I guess it's finally time to give up the Flinstone Vitamins.  Now the doctors won't laugh at me anymore.  I took that "real age" test and although it says I'm younger than my age, it also said I needed to increase my Vitamin D, E and Calcium and these pills should.
  I am hoping to make it out to Fleet Feet to register for the 5k at the end of April and see if they are running the 5k for my final.  Pretty excited to see how well my times are 2 weekends in a row.  And that will  make race 3 & 4 so one more after that and I'll hit my goal.
  I was also excited to learn that a good friend of mine from when I lived in NC is going to be in the area and probably crashing at my apartment so depending on when he arrives, he may even run the 2nd 5k with me so that will be fun.  It'll be a big surprise for him since the last race we ran together I was second to last to cross the line and my time was in the 40's.  Looking forward to showing my improvement! :)
  Anyway, time to get back to work (and it's almost lunch time! yay!).  Hope your day is great and that the weather holds up! We are expecting 83 today!

I'm getting too old. :(

  I am exhausted today!
  I went for a 3.2 mile walk after work which was really nice but probably a big mistake.  I'm still very, very sore from the weekend and at this point in time, to get up from a couch or chair is horrible.  I'm actually laying in bed right now and my upper legs (both sides front/back) are covered in Mineral Ice.  I'm in that much pain.
  I know it's a good pain but ugh!  It sucks.
  It's also made me realize that tomorrow I need to skip the river walk and hit the gym.  I need to start cross training again.  Walking and running are great however I need to really get my upper leg muscles in check and keep working on my upper arms (still too much flab!).  I want to set up a schedule where I hit the gym and also walk at nights.
  I'm thinking of maybe (finally) working out that schedule where I hit the gym for like 30 or so minutes before work and then walk/run at night.  I need to get into the gym more - I've been slacking and really can't afford to do that before bathing suit season!
  Speaking of... our pools open on Thursday so I'm super excited!  I get to tan now!!  But... I'll have to be careful.  My favorite tat is losing some of it's color because it's the only one you can see (my bikini covers my other two quite nicely) and I don't want to deal with faded nasty looking work. :(
  I'm hoping that this weekend will provide me with a much needed chance to lay out on the lawn and relax and get some sun along with a few 3+ mile walks. :)  We shall see!

what a weekend!

So I jumped on my wii fit today to check my weight - this weekend alone I lost 1.2lbs! That's so crazy!

But, it's honestly totally believable when you look at my weekend - Relay for Life (walked at least 3 miles if not more), my 5k Sat morning, set up for the formal, shopping for the formal, the formal (3 hours of dancing), tear down and Zumba today. Wow.

Can you say exhausted? I slept so well last night - passed out around 2am and then woke up dead awake at 9.30am... so I moved to the couch, put on some old dvr episodes of Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth (my favorite shows EVER) and promptly fell asleep for another hour.

I woke up when one of my staff knocked on my door and asked about an event I was planning on going to... but pretty much slept through instead. Oh well.

I did make it to Zumba... where she kicked my butt again. I missed Friday due to interviews and somehow it felt like I was starting from day 1 again. I actually had to stop and get water twice between songs! I haven't done that in forever.

And of course she chose today to do the jumping jack - squat - push up - curl combo to end. I barely made it through abs but it was worth it!

After Zumba I went back to my apt, got dressed and made my way to my co-workers engagement party. Had some cake and snacks there and then went to dinner where I ate a horribly bland grilled chicken salad.

Oh well... such is life.

But anyway... on to some photos. I may add more later, but as promised earlier...

My uncles lumenaria from Relay in front of our table (the always amazing Buffy moved it for me)

Me all nasty and sweaty (and as 2 friends said... very butch looking) after my run Sat morning

Me later that night at the formal

  So we'll see how well this goes - I got nails put on for our formal tonight and they are already killing me.  I hate typing with them - they get in the way - esp the thumb nails.
  Anyway, on to what's important.
  I walked about 3 miles last night for our Relay for Life event.  Had a great time - helped my girls get 3rd, 2nd and 1st place in some of the olympic games.  And had a blast talking to some of my current and future staff members which is always nice.
  I also finally had a chance to pay for a lumenaria to honor my uncle Lonnie who passed due to cancer years ago.  His death wasn't sudden yet was - he had secluded himself (due to his choice of wife) for a number of years and when I finally saw him, the cancer had taken full effect and he actually ended up dying a few hours later.  I'm very thankful I had that chance to say goodbye so last night I paid my respects again.  We even moved his lumenaria in front of our table (I'll add a photo later) so he could be near me. :)
  This morning I ran my 5k.  I worked on practicing what I'd learned in class this week - instead of walking, running at a slower pace until I can move up again.  It worked slightly however I was kinda doomed from the start.
  They shot the gun while I was trying to yawn (when I'm worried about a race/run I ALWAYS start yawning! It's really annoying and caused me to have a hard time breathing the entire run.  I also screamed a lot last night at Relay so that didn't help my throat or breathing either.
  But, I ran as hard as I could today and made it in across the line at 31:31 (their score online says 31:49).  It was 16 or so seconds more than last run however this one also had 3 hills which I wasn't prepared for.
  Yes, I am making excuses.  I was very disappointed in myself today - should have kept my throat in better condition but that's life.  I learned for next time and now know not to participate in a huge event the night before.  And it's still good time for me - something I can totally be happy with so that's good.
  Now, I am off to get ready for the formal we are having tonight.  Hopefully everything looks great when we get back there (we set up around noon).  Excited and nervous - we've been planning it since Aug and I just want everyone to have fun.

Sorry for so many posts in one day!!

Today has been a crazy day! The weather has been all over the place and when I got off work, the wind was just too strong for me to feel comfortable walking next to the river tonight. So, instead, I stayed home to support my staff (they are, as usual, doing a ton of events tonight). Downside... I ate way too much and now I have an uncomfortable belly. But... that's what I get so I have to suffer. :/

On a happier note - I registered for the RIGHT 5k today! Silly me - I thought the heart walk was the 5k we were doing... NOPE!! I was a little embarrassed when I learned that but now I'm all good. I paid my $25 and got my t-shirt...

Sorry - I know the photo is really dark. I need to get a new battery for my camera so the photo was taken with my work cell.

And my race number...

I am really excited about this race. My instructor told me today he really believes I can run the race in under 30 minutes. I'm not sure but we'll see. I'm shooting for my 31 minutes again.

I also realized my late April 5k is the weekend before the race we have for our "final." I want to do both - so we'll see. I'll keep you posted!

  This morning... did not want to get up at all.  After last nights semi-run I was exhausted this morning and almost did not make it.  I even hit the snooze (which I never do) but alas, I made it!  I threw some cold water on my face, got dressed, checked email and then headed out (and still made it 10 minutes early!!).
  Walking the little bit of campus early in the morning is kinda... scary.  I've been usually taking my music but last week I didn't and it was creepy quiet.  Today I brought my music so I wasn't creeped out again. :)
   Today's class was once again a one-on-one class.  Mary walked the whole time (she had surgery earlier and wasn't up to running again) so we worked on teaching me how to 1) jog and 2) instead of walking on my down time jogging.
  We did 5 4min laps - ranging from fast start, easy middle, fast end or slow start, easy middle, fast end.  I ran between an 8.45min mile and finished just over a 10 min mile.  I was pretty proud of myself - I am going to keep pushing myself as hard as possible.  My goal is to lose the walking and just work on jogging between hard runs.
  I also want to start testing myself on weekends at Riverwalk - pushing myself to run better time between the 1/2 miles to test my endurance.
  I almost died when I finished today though.  I was heaving and if I was by myself - would not have done it.  He wanted to see if I could finish my 1/2 mile and I did it in just over 5 minutes.  I about passed out afterwards so we walked 3 laps so I could get my heart rate down.  At least I didn't throw up though!  No urge ha ha.  That's a big thing for me! :)
  Going for another long walk tonight after work then hitting events with my girls.  Looking forward to relaxing a little bit later tonight and sleeping until 8am tomorrow. :D

  I am going to be in massive amounts of pain tomorrow morning and hating myself when I get up at 6.30am.
  We went on a 6 mile walk tonight.  Took just under 2hrs.  We ran (I tried really, really hard to jog...) 1.5 miles and walked the rest at a pretty decent pace.
  My upper thighs hurt so bad.
  After I drove to Target and bought some spinach and an apple (to eat on the drive home) for some green monsters this weekend. :)
  We'll see if I can make 3 miles tomorrow morning... :(  But I did great with the 1.5 and would have ran farther but didn't want to push myself the night before I run.  Already learned that lesson the hard way...

  So today I had a great self-esteem day, which I've been needing since some videos were posted of me on facebook and they were less than flattering. :(
  We were in the caf getting lunch before my one-on-one's started and Joey looks over and sees some guy eying me hard. I laughed so hard.  I mentioned (a little louder than needed) that I wasn't a student and we started talking about work but I don't think he got it.  Later I went to get ketchup for my lunch and he was there, smiling at me again and saying hello.  Um... no.
  But it made me feel good about myself since I was a little self-conscious about my outfit today - a cute (tight) purple shirt, purple tank underneath (to hit my very white bra - can't find my black one!) and shorter khaki shorts.
  Looking forward to my walk on the river tonight and hopefully a Whole Foods run after!! :)  Yummy salad for dinner and Caitlin's awesome dressing.  Perfect!

  Got in almost 20,000 steps today!  That's so crazy!! That's almost 10miles.  Granted, I walked 5 miles after work for exercise so... :).
  Joey and I went back to the river today to go for a walk and vent about our long day.  I was really excited - we ended up walking about 5 miles in prob around an hour and a half give or take.  It was pretty windy and looked like it was going to pour down any minute but we kept going.
  Afterwards we treated ourselves to McAlisters - I got a half grilled chicken spud and half grilled chicken salad. I was sooo hungry!  After I treated myself to half a driller while we walked around Target.
  We are going to try to go to the riverwalk as much as possible to get exercise in.  I'm excited because it's a change of pace - I think I'm going to start running it on weekends.  And unlike the 'burg, there are a ton of places to park right on the river so I can choose which way to walk/run.  And there are a few bridges across the river to change the pace a little bit too. :)
  I am hoping the weather holds up tomorrow so we can go back.  We'll see!

  I am going to try to go to bed early tonight and possibly get up at 7am tomorrow for an early morning run (since I slacked and didn't run all weekend).
  And I am soooo sunburnt from today.  Even the back of my "calves of steel" (as my staff calls them) are burnt!  What the heck!  Guess I'm going to have to break out the sun block next time.
  And quick note - if she keeps her promise, Joey's agreed to walking with me at 7am (except on my running days).  I'm totally down for starting my day with a 2 mile walk!  That would be a great start.  Then after I drop her off, maybe getting a quick 1 mile run in. :)  I never take longer than 30min to get ready in the morning so I could totally do it. :)  We'll see...

  Today is such a beautiful day!  It's 84 degrees and just a slight wind.  Couldn't ask for a better day.
  And as many of my friends know, Sunday is always a hard day for me.  I usually spend it going to Zumba and then relaxing the rest of the day which then doesn't help when I try to go to sleep later that night. :/
  Well, today I decided to take the time to enjoy my day!  I text messaged Joey and we decided to take our usual 2 mile walk.  About half way through I said "we should start going to Riverwalk to do this" and she said "why don't we?" so we walked back to my apt, grabbed my keys and headed over.
  When we got there, we were going to rent bikes and bike for an hour but unfortunately, the machine wasn't working. :(  So, we decided to walk.
  We got a great walk in - another 2 miles easily. It was nice because there was a good breeze from the water and felt really good on my back.  My inner thighs were burning a little bit but nothing I couldn't handle.
  Registered for the Heart Walk on Sat.  Pretty excited.  Still have to register for the 5k at the end of April but I want to wait until all my bill payments clear before I do anything with that.
  Hoping to really get the exercise in this week because I finally bought my dress for our formal this weekend.  It's cute, black and strapless so I'm really nervous/excited to wear it. :)  I'll post photos once the event is over.
  Have a great Easter!!

  Been a busy week here.  A lot on my plate work-wise which has prevented me from getting to the gym a lot this week.
  But, happily, I made it to Zumba today.  Which saved me - I was super stressed this morning as a project I had been working on hadn't worked out as planned (I missed a step and had to go back and correct it) while I was trying to focus on 2 other projects.  We are also interviewing this week so I had 2 hours where I was in the interview so I had very little time to accomplish all that I wanted and was super stressed.
  But I made the time to go to Zumba for 40 min. and it was the best decision! I got back to work and completed everything else I needed to, chatted with 2 of my staff while I finished working, calmed one down about a situation she was facing and am in SUCH a better mood! 
  I love love love how exercising can make you feel so much better and put you in a better mood.  It's so wonderful!
  Zumba has been cancelled (understandably) for this sunday so I think we're just going to take a computer downstairs and do a class off youtube that my SRA found.  That way we can still get our workout in. :)
  I made a super fun purchase the other day and can't wait for it to come in!  I can't go into too much detail now since I bought one for my ex-roomie and one for a very good friend of mine (MAS) who just completed her first 1/2 marathon - both really deserve it for all their hard work. :)  I can't wait to receive them and then send them off to the girls. :D
  And I am just amazed each down by how much I actually walk!  Today I'm already up to 6 miles (1 of those miles is thanks to Cat's call tonight - I always pace when I'm on the phone hee hee).  I've set my goal for 320,000 in 8 weeks and I'm already up to around 218,000 miles and I still have 6 weeks to go!  I'm so gonna get that heart rate thing! :)
  And I was going to get up and run at 7am... until I looked outside and saw it was raining horribly and so windy.  So the goal is to try again next week and run Mon/Wed (class)/Fri at 7am so I can get back and get ready for my 5k next weekend.