I THINK I'm back!!

So I'm slowly but surely getting back into the swing of this running thing.  I ran Thursday morning when I got home from work.  It was only 1.6 miles, but it was after a 12 hour shift....and at least half of it was uphill.  I never really realized this uphill part until that morning, because I rarely run this same street more than once, but I made loops around the elementary school and the back side is up hill! Man did my legs BURN!!

Friday night I talked The Hubs into running with me instead of going to the gym : )...He loved it, don't let him fool you!  There is a small lake in his division at work that we keep talking about running, so we decided to give it a try.  The plan was only 2 miles, but we were curious how far it was around the whole lake and decided to just go for it.  Well it was a great trail, minus the fact that half of it is under construction so you have to run around the "cement trail" in the grass...HOLEY, WOBBLEY GRASS.  I hate running on unflat surfaces....especially when it's dark...I'm accident prone!! Oh well it was actually a pretty decent run. 

I definitely feel like I'm improving with each run, and improving a lot quicker than I expected to.  I guess this time I'm not starting from scratch.  I have a strong running base....it's just been a while!  I ran the first mile at a really good pace, and talked the whole way.  The only reason we stopped was we ran out of trail and into a fence....so we had to figure out if there was a way to keep going!  I honestly don't know how much I ran straight the rest of the time, I was trying not to look at my Garmin....and just keep with the flow of things.  I'm trying really hard to listen to my body and not push myself to far to fast.  I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job of that!

Now I just have to figure out how to fit running, weights, sleeping, eating, and social time all in with my work schedule.  I guess I should probably make some room for that HEAPING pile of laundry I keep putting off?! 
Any suggestions on squeezing it all in?  On the days I work I go to work at 6pm, get home around 7:30am.  I have been working on running when I get home in the morning.  If I go straight to sleep I can get up around 3ish (used to be when I ran, but now it's to hot at 3pm to run!...and when I wasn't running I went to the gym at this time) I try to be home by 4:30 so I can shower/get ready and eat dinner before work.  If I run when I get home I'm not in bed until 8:30-9ish.  I eat a snack after my run and shower, then go to bed.  If that's the case I get up a little later..... I don't have kids yet but already feel like there's not enough time in the day!

3 Miles of pathetic-ness

BLAH! I ran 3 miles yesterday.  It.Was.Not.Pretty....AT ALL!!  But hey at least I did it!!

My plan was to start "training' on Sunday, then life happened.  The Hubs best friend from highschool was visiting!  He flies standby, and his flight was supposed to land at 5.  Well I was out of town floating the river with some girlfriends until Saturday afternoon, so I layed around and recovered from my lack of sleep the day before (I worked Friday night, left at 8:30 Saturday morning, slept approx. 2 hours in the car, then was up until after midnight, and awake by 9am) then showered and got ready, just to find out he didn't make it on his plane.  Then the next flight....we ran some errands, grabbed a bite to eat, then headed to the airport...for no reason...he never told us if he made it on the second flight, and his phone was going straight to VM, so we figured he made it.  NOT SO MUCH!  Right as we pulled into the airport he called to say he wasn't landing until 10.  GEEZ!!  So my original plan was to pick him up, grab dinner, chat for a bit...then run.  Needless to say I never got the run in because we couldn't make solid plans until he made it on a plane!

Monday we went to the lake after the boys woke up (The Hubs worked Sunday night and his friend did a ride along!)  We played at the lake for a few hours, then headed to the grocery store for stuff for homemade wings!  I make a KILLER wing sauce from scratch!!  So Monday was full of spending Q.T. with our friend.

Tuesday we made our way into Dallas to play around for a while.  We had chips and salsa, queso, and sopapillas, then I got some girls together to run a trail we've never tried before.  Conveniently there is a bar with a huge patio and a walkway to the trail, so I chugged water and waited on the girls while the boys enjoyed cheese friends and beer.  TORTURE!  It's ok though, I promised myself I was going to get a run in.

So when the girls arrived we started on our run.  LOVED this trail!!  It's flat, shaded, and full of skinny athletic people which = motivation to keep running!  However did not love my run.  I felt heavy (hmm could it have been all the chips and salsa I ate? NO never!!) and super duper slow.  One of the girls I was with told me she didn't think she could finish 3 miles. HA she SMOKED me....big time!  My friend's fiance is crazy fast and can run forever, even if he hasn't ran in 6 months.  He's Bosnian...we blame it on him being foreign!  He stayed back with me and kept me running for the first 1.5 miles.  It was funny, he kept telling me not to spit, that my spit was my hydration, and that pigs can't run because they're missing a bone in their neck to keep their head up, and i needed to keep my head up, and my shoulders back, and my arms loose.  All good advice, it was just funny!!

I made it 1.5 then caught up to the girls on their turn around.  We walked for a few, then they blazed off without me again.  Damn.  What happened to me?  I ran a Half Marathon in May and then I got what I call "fat and slow" and now I suck at 3 miles! 

Oh well at least I ran....and I was sore today.  So I'm running again when I get home from work in the AM....MUST.RUN....and not suck at it!

I.Need.MOTIVATION!

AAAAAHHHHHH is how I feel about my running right now.  I suck...and I just flat out have not been running.  What the Hey is wrong with me? I WANT to run...I'm just not.  I have a list of a million excuses.  Ridiculous.  I "start" to get back into it (AKA I ran 3.1 on the treadmill last Sunday...Ridiculous I know.  3.1 on the treadmill? Woo Hoo...NOT!  And I have not ran since.)  I need a serious dose of motivation.  There are all these races in the fall I want to do...and have my running buddy thinking about running a Full in December.  I WANT to do these SO BAD...I just can't find the motivation to do it.  HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! 

I'm going to the river to float....well mostly walk because it hasn't rained in Texas in who knows how long....and will be back on Sunday.  I AM GOING TO START TRAINING on Sunday, no excuses.  I might need some bloggy buddy motivation.  I am also going to get back into blogging.  SO PLEASE HELP!!! Thanks love you!!

Military famlies are amazing....

So lately my running has still been sucking....or just not happening!  I keep trying to have run dates, but the running gods just aren't working with me!  There's a little in this post a bout my running issues...and a lot about a new found respect....

Last night me and O-No were meeting in Dallas for a 4 mile run at White Rock Lake.  O-No called me when I was about 2 miles away and said she was just a little ahead of me, but with a flat tire!  We attempted to change it ourselves....Yah that was funny....and ended up waiting on AAA.  Once AAA changed and put her donut on we made our way, in the opposite direction, to buy a new tire.  Well our boys are out of town, and we had no clue what we were doing....so needless to say with some serious time and frustration later we were done.  And it was dark...and we were hungry....SOOOO we had dinner and margaritas instead.  Oops!!

Tonight there was more drama, and our run date turned into dinner and a movie on my couch...then I got called into work.  DANG IT!  Another disasterous run date!

Oh well.... this post has another point besides my lack of running....or how my muscles are getting cut and bigger!!

This post is about my new found respect for MILITARY WIVES.... I have always had a respect for the men and women who fight for our country, and leave their families behind to protect us....and I've also always respected the famlies they had to leave, but I have an even greater understanding now.  Let me start this by saying I'm the lamest cry baby ever! 

My hubby went on a vacation with his guy friends....a "guys only" trip.  I feel like I'm a pretty cool, understanding wife, and when The Hubs asked if I cared if he went...all I could say was have fun!!  I'm seriously jealous and a little bitter about not getting to go, but understand at the same time. I cried when I said goodbye to him (a few hours before he left, because I had to go to work.) How super lame am I?  I'm an adult, and married, and cried when my husband was leaving....for less than a week!  I had a few days off and seriously was hating being away from him.  We've been together for over 9 years, and have not been apart for more than a weekend since probably freshman year of college, 4+ years ago, when we went to different schools.   Sometimes I feel like a seriously clingy wife, because I love to spend time with my husband.  But at the same time I feel like thats a good thing...Right?  I'm happily married to a man I LOVE spending time with.  He enjoys spending time with me too...at least he doesn't complain or try to do stuff without me often. 

So I want to tell all you military wife bloggy friends (5MilesPastEmpty...you amaze me!) how truly amazing, strong, and encouraging I think you are.  I hated being away from The Hubs for 6 days, I couldn't imagine 6months or more.  You are truly strong women and I envy your strength!  Just know that thinking about all you have to sacrifice is what has kept me sane all week!  Thank you for all you do, for moving away from your famlies,  for keeping your famlies put together, and supporting your military spouses so we can all live in FREEDOM! 

I guess this kinda doubles as my Happy 4th of July post too!  Thanks to all our military men and women, and their famlies for everything you do!!

Long time no blog!

So I clearly go through spurts of blogging/stalking but forgeting to update my own blog!

I was out of town for almost a week...My BEST FRIEND and my FAVORITE COUSIN married each other!!!  I was home for their wedding, stressful visit....but it was fun too!  Their wedding was GORGEOUS and so much fun!

Again my running is slacking off.  I'm not being completely lazy though...I am still working out with the Hubs and feeling really good about it!!  We go to the gym 4-5 times a week, and he pushes me to do my best with strength training!  I have been doing good even when I'm working a few days in a row!!  He motivates me a TON and I love that about him.  He's even been pushing me to get back into my running routine...such a FANTASTIC hubby!!

I ran once while I was in Oklahoma.  One whole mile....  But that's the past and I'm moving on in my running future!

I was home alone last night, well just me and Knox and his girlfriend Ella (we're dog sitting!!) and decided a run was much needed....especially after a bow making marathon (I'm going to start selling my bows for a little extra income...I'll send pictures if you're interested!!)

I decided to get  back into things nice and easy.  2 miles.  I left the house with no specific goal in mind, but it was 10:30pm and still 100 degrees outside (Thank You TEXAS SUMMER!) I havn't ran around the new neighborhood in the dark, so I decided to start the way I had been running during the day, up the highway access road into another part of the neighborhood.  I ran 5 minutes walked 1 minute for 2 miles.  I hadn't really hydrated a ton, and passed a man on the access road who said "be careful" and that kinda creeped me out so I decided to head home.  I was pleased with my pace, my breathing was a little out of whack, but I did it.  Now to start building up my distance again. 

I'm thinking about signing up for The Hottest Half in Dallas in August.  I feel like signing up for a race helps keep me motivated.  I trained for my last Half in 2 months, and that was starting from scratch.  What do you think?  Think 2 months is enough time to get myself back up in the heat?!

Also where do you find your motivation?  I'm totally un-motivated in the running department and need some help!!!

Now that's more like it...

So I decided to try something different to help with my running rut.  At work Thursday night I decided to SUPER hydrate myself (I'm talking 160oz of water in 12 hours, which = peeing every 30 minutes at work....) then decided to try running when I got HOME from work instead of when I woke up at 3 in the afternoon.  Let's just say this was a SUCCESS! 

I had a cup of coffee around 5-5:30 so I was good and awake when I got home.  I let the dog out and fed him then changed and grabbed my Garmin.  The Hubs and I worked out legs on Thursday afternoon so my legs were sore and tired, but felt surprisingly good.  I went out of our neighborhood but turned a different direction this time....and of course, within the first half a mile I had to run up a hill.  It wasn't a big hill but when you worked out legs the night before it sure feels like a HUGE hill!  So I ran a little over a mile, walked 0.15 miles, then ran another full mile.  I did 2.20 miles total, and made sure I ran a full 2.  The only reason I walked the 0.15 was it was up another hill and my legs just couldn't take it! 

I felt GOOD when I got home.  I was tired and my legs were sore but I finally got that ENDORPHIN HIGH I've been missing!! LOVE me some endorphins!  The Hubs got home just as I was filling up my water, it's always a funny conversation when I just get done running because I'm rocking my runners high and he thinks I'm a crackhead!  Oh well!! 

When we woke up we did chest and triceps at the gym.  Again I'm not a real big fan of his while he's making me look awesome in a bikini...but soon I will get over the hate and will be worshiping his workout technique and thanking him for giving me a ROCKIN' body!!

So our lifestyle change is still going good...I had 2 pieces of wheat toast with honey after my run, a protein smoothie on the way to the gym, then grilled chicken, white rice, and asparagus for dinner before work.  I did cheat and eat one of those baby carrott cake cupcakes from Starbucks (I think they're like under 300 calories or something?  Not terrible I guess...) and then had a craving for some salty chips.  I got a bag of black pepper and sea salt, but when I started eating them I realized I didn't need them, or really want them (mostly because there was 16g of fat for the whole bag, and they just weren't good enough to waste 16g of fat on!)  Kinda proud of myself for making the decision to stop eating them!! I can think of a million other  things I would rather waste the fat on....MEXICAN food or a hot dog at the Texas Rangers game on Monday in particular!!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!!

Its HOT!

Ahhh my runs are getting better (as far as not feeling like a total failure/wanting to quit before I start) however they are still short.  I did 2 miles yesterday, in the middle of the day, and it was 100 degrees outside!  Let's just say I ran in a sports bra, but probably am not in good enough shape to do that without a little embarassment yet.....but it was THAT hot!  I probably would have ran farther but I ran out of water.  My handheld is a bit small...I need a bigger one if I'm going to survive this Texas heat!

I have a new personal trainer....and I hate his guts while I'm training even though I love him with all my heart the other 23 hours of the day.  Yup The Hubs.  He's mean....but I will look A-MAZING in a bikini by the time he's done with me!  I decided I needed a little more of a push when it comes to my pumping iron routine.  I don't push myself enough or make myself do enough reps/weight.  So I enlisted the help of my husband, who looks amazing.  He's been working really hard on his "summer body" and it's been working!  His arms are huge! : )  He kicks my butt BIG TIME when we work out together.  Lets just say I almost cried by the time we were done with legs and abs today.  He's such a great encourager, helps me push myself, and tells me its ok when I can't finish my 10 reps (which just makes me push to finish them even harder!!)

I'm LOVING our quality husband/wife time at the gym!

Also we are doing pretty awesome at our life-style change!  We have been eating at home, eating really healthy, and are being more creative when it comes to healthy meals!  We had a pool day on Monday, and went to dinner with friends afterwards.  We went to a burger place called Twisted Root (Also A-Mazing!!) We both ordered Buffalo Burgers (a very lean, very yummy alternative to beaf!!) and we split a side of sweet potato chips (normally we would have each ordered one...baby steps here people!!)  We went to a Mexican Restaurant last night....my FAVE,....and I only had a few chips, their margaritas are made the skinny way, and ordered a SALAD...GASP! I ordered salad at a Mexican restaurant?  But it was totally worth it and super yummy!  So yummy I recreated it at home for lunch today!

So far our summer body/stregthen my muscles to make me a better runner plan is working!!

I am thinking about registering for a 15K in July....we'll see if my distance increases any time soon, and if I can handle running in this HEAT!!