5 Words Per Picture

As I settle in this Tuesday morning I'm enjoying the quiet time post-cup of coffee and currently on a cup of tea before I head into the office. A cold front is supposed to arrive this afternoon. I have mixed feelings about this one. While I do enjoy a few short bouts of cold weather here and there- I am a total Californian (i.e. weather wimp) when it comes to the cold (and the hot for that matter). I enjoy the cold when I can spend some quality time inside with my book and a glass of wine cup of hot chocolate. Since there is that little marathon I'm training for, it means I'm going to have spend a significant amount of time outside- running in the cold. Sounds like fun...(insert eye roll here). But hey- a little cold never killed anyone- and I for sure would rather run 26.2 miles in cooler weather than the heat- so, I'll take it.

A little news on the training front- I'm up to 14 miles (which I'll be back for a recap on that). I'll be up to 22 by January and then I'll start to taper down. My goal for this first race is to feel good when I finish. I don't have a specific time goal in mind- I'll be somewhere in the 4 hour range for sure. But my main priority is to avoid injury and have a strong finish (i.e. I hope to not be dragging myself across the finish line, which could totally be a possibility). All in all, I feel good about the training so far. We've added in some weight training to accompany the yoga, bootcamp and runs throughout the week. I also have a love affair with the foam roller. If you haven't tried one- I highly recommend it. It has been incredibly useful at easing some of my glute pain (because I'm sure you all wanted to know that) and feels amazing on the shins/calves.  Yoga with your foam roller video here.

Okay- onto the pictures:

1. Seen on my long run

 2. Annual Zeta reunion at Homecoming

 3. Dogs dressed in Halloween pajamas

 4. Fall sussies from your mom

5. Reorganized my office at work

6.Old friends at Baylor Homecoming

7. The new Baylor football stadium:

8.We're coming to California for Thanksgiving (6 words I know, but we are excited)

9. Adult beverages with the roomslice

I'm Back

I'm stopping into this (unfortunately) neglected space to wish you all a Happy Friday- and to let you know that I'll be back next week! My professional life has collided with my personal life, creating this equation that is equally parts time consuming, but equally just as fun... nonetheless amounting to very little personal time over the past couple of weeks. We have a big conference going on through next week, and then I'm taking some personal time for me later next week!!! So whatever you decide to do this weekend, whether it be sleeping in, or enjoying a cup of coffee in this beautiful weather- or maybe it's forgoing that extra bit of sleep to spend some quality time in good conversation with friends... whatever it might be..... enjoy! As for me.... I'm about to ignore all that research about how multitasking doesn't work..... and multi-task my little brain away today!

 

Happy weekending! I'll be back next week for an update on my marathon training, why massage works and what I've been up to!

My First NFL Game

My plans for this past weekend were supposed to involve some quality couch time- because my couch time these days is fairly non-existent. I was looking forward to a bit of downtime- and actually sleeping in on Sunday. My first time to do so in quite awhile. I had a massage scheduled on Sunday (a girl's gotta do something for her sore muscles :) ) and was really looking forward to enjoying the beautiful weather that came to Houston this weekend. In peace and quiet. And if you know anything about me- you probably know that my mind is neither peaceful- or quiet. So this weekend was going to be a big deal.

Remember that play hard, work hard mantra? Yep- it happened again. I kissed my quality couch time goodbye- in favor of something SO much better. Aaron told me on Friday that he had 3 tickets to the Cowboys game in Dallas. Not only that, but they were playing the Texans. It was going to be an awesome game.

I have never been to an NFL game and have only become a football fan since I fell in love with Baylor football- so I was excited. So, I sacrificed my pre-scheduled couch plans and canceled that massage in favor of going to the game. Rough life. But in all seriousness- making memories is so much better than some missed couch time (even if you really need it).

Saturday morning: 

Aaron and I started out bright and early for our 10-mile run. And it felt great. I'm feeling more confident with my nutrition in terms of fueling before and during my runs. We have been running in imperfect weather this entire summer. It has been HOT HOT HOT and humid here in Houston. The payoff comes in being able to truly enjoy a long run in the cooler weather. Again, we ran this week's run smart. Started off slow and ran a negative split. No pain and no headache! This week, I tried the pink lemonade Honey Stingers and was pleasantly surprised. Not too sweet and held me through til the end.

Saturday afternoon: 

So- the roomie and I have an strange affinity for all things pumpkin. You've probably seen those people out in the world, grabbing all things pumpkin off the shelves. Well- that's us. And I'm not at all embarrassed to admit it. Hey- fall only comes around once a year, so why not embrace it. We stopped by Trader Joes because word on the street was they got their pumpkin shipment in! One of their employees told me last year, that once items are gone- they are gone. So clearly, we had to stock up. I'll give you the full rundown on the good and the unique in a bit, but for now, I spent way more money than I care to admit on pumpkin items. Photo evidence below:

After that, we watched the Baylor Bears beat UT for the fourth win in the last five games- but who's counting?

Cowboys Game Day

If I wasn't already a Cowboys fan- this game sealed the deal. Krob, Aaron and I woke up at 5 a.m. Sunday morning to make the drive to Dallas. We got in around 11:30 and made it into the stadium right after kickoff. The stadium is beautiful and was filled with fans- seriously- there were fans all the way up to the top. Our seats were amazing, and I got to see some of my real-life favorite players up close and personal- including my very favorite player- Terrance Williams (who happened to score a touchdown)! Can anyone guess why he is my fave? He played at Baylor and it has been so neat to see him really do well in the NFL! I'll let the photos do the talking, but we all had a fabulous time and got home super late Sunday night, but it was so worth it! Oh yeah, and the Boys won!!!

My people!

Baylor Bears cheering on the Boys

Got to see the Boys up close and personal!

T-Wills!!!!

That's for Dez

The stadium is gorgeous!

P.S. the Cowboys have some extra cute game day apparel, courtesy of Victoria's Secret, which I'll share with you in a few.

Tuesdays

I enjoy Tuesdays. By Tuesday, everyone has had a chance to ease into their week. There isn't the unknown that comes with a Monday (what sort of work piled up over the weekend, or how many emails will I walk into?). It's a nice little stepping stone into the rest of the week.

I stumbled across this quote the other day, and it is a great reminder to not limit yourself:

 My boss was gone for a week, so we spent the greater part of yesterday morning playing catch-up on some projects. We focused a bit on one of my projects- the newsletter. When you deal with a bunch of doctors, it's so important to translate their "doctor-speak" into something that is easily understandable and interesting for your audience. So I've challenged myself to think outside the box a bit more when I'm planning and writing content.

Things I'm looking forward to this week: 

1. Sleeping in (finally) on Sunday.
2. Massage Sunday afternoon ( I am a firm believer that incorporating massage as part of a training plan is a must- seriously.)
3. Baylor v. UT game on Saturday

In Fantasy Football news: 

I have two wins, and two losses under my belt. I think my players are just getting warmed up :)

In marathon training news:

We ran 10 miles on Saturday morning. They were an awesome 10 miles. My goal for this particular run, was to run smart. I didn't want to walk away with a headache. We had some gorgeous cloud cover for this particular run and started off slow to warm up. We ran around the golf course at Hermann Park and Rice University. I drank water when I felt thirsty- not every-time we passed a water fountain. I ate my chomps around mile 5. We finished a little over our intended race pace, but felt really good after the run. I made sure to stretch properly, as well as use the foam roller on my muscles following our run. I was headache-free and pain-free after this run! This weekend we are going for 13!

Here is a helpful article I found on hydration!

Happy Tuesday!

Fueling for a Long Run

Fueling is the #1 thing about running a long race that makes me nervous. I'm not one of those that experiences the "runner's flu," or even those other stomach issues mid or post-race. I do, however, experience some crazy bad headaches. Like- almost migraine status headaches- always following long runs.

I think now is a fantastic time to mention that I do occasionally suffer from migraines, but am currently on medication that controls them- and I've been migraine free for several years, and probably average about 1 (maybe) a year. Thank goodness!

Now, for shorter runs (8 miles and under) my headaches are typically nonexistent. But anything over 8, and I can expect to suffer from a pretty decent headache for most of the day. I have found that my GU Chomps, (Cranberry Apple is my go-to flavor because it isn't too sweet) have helped alot, especially if I eat them around mile 8. I don't ever have a taste for anything too sugary mid-run and prefer to keep my running snacks fairly neutral.

A friend told me about the Honey Stingers, so I picked some up last night after bootcamp to try on our long run this weekend! I got the pink lemonade flavor.

 

 Aaron stumbled across the Nuun tablets at this year's Austin Marathon, and we have been hooked ever since. We love them during a bike ride- and Aaron drinks them after a run. I'm more of a water and/or chocolate milk kind of girl post-run.Watermelon is my favorite. They have electrolytes and don't have a ton of extra sugar. And because I think my headaches might be due to a sodium deficiency, which is totally probable- I might start hydrating with Nuun tablets before, during and after my longer runs! They have so many different flavors to choose from- and they even have one that supports breast cancer awareness: 

 What are your go-to methods for hydrating and fueling during a long run? I'd love to know!

100th Post and 5 Milestones I'm Celebrating this September

via

I've officially hit my 100th post for the blog, so it is officially a reason to celebrate! I think it's important to celebrate milestones- big or small. So here are five milestones I'm celebrating this September: 

1. We are officially in the 70's (at least this week) in Houston. I'm not a morning runner, but I sure wished I was able to get up and out for a quick run this morning. I'm so hoping all of our training in the heat and humidity will make us stronger runners in this cooler weather. Oh yeah, and cooler weather means that our fall decorations are finally legitimate. I stocked up on a few more decorations this weekend, and I'll be sharing some more of our fall decor over the next couple of weeks. 

2. Upping our marathon mileage: We are officially increasing the mileage week by week in preparation for the Chevron Houston Marathon. We are at a solid 8 miles and going for 10 this weekend. I'm struggling with headaches after my longer runs (nothing new), which has a lot to do with some fueling issues I need to fix, as well as hydration issues.

Bright colors make me happy during long runs!

• Note: my go-to fuel for long races are the GU Chomps (like little fruit snacks) I swear by the apple-cranberry flavor because they aren't too sweet. They are easy to eat and run at the same time. When I eat these - typically around mile 8 or 9 during a race, I feel much better during recovery and it cuts my headaches down dramatically.  I'll have to do another post on other types of fuel I have experimented with during my runs.

 

3. Pedicures to keep my running toenails under control: You're probably wondering why I'm considering a pedicure as one of my milestones.... Well, you see, my second toenail on each foot, have both been running casualties over the years. I'm sad to say I lost both of them this past December. Sad Days. It really is the strangest thing- it's just those two problem toes. Gross, I know- probably a bit of TMI. I have actually been able to maintain my toenails this time around. Go team! It is almost impossible as a runner to have pretty feet- which is slightly embarrassing, given the fact that I do enjoy wearing my peep-toed heels to work. This time, I was determined to keep my toenails around. They do this really gross thing where they will actually start growing a second toenail underneath, turn completely black and then pop off. (I'm embarrassed I'm even sharing this). My trick this time around? A proper pedicure. Aaron and I have both been getting them- and I've found that by constantly maintaining your toenails has been a huge help at keeping them healthy. They haven't turned black yet! In all honesty, I'm not a huge fan of pedicures, because I feel like they are too time consuming, but this time around-they are worth it. 

 Any other toe-nail-less runners out there? Any tricks you've used that work?

4. A Promotion:

I've always said "work hard, play hard." I am in the school of thought that you need to work hard- like really hard- to get what you want. When it comes to my career, I work as hard as I can- because why wouldn't you? I'm happy to be surrounded by others who share the same philosophy! I had an email pop across my window from my boss a few weeks ago- a meeting invite. Strange. He doesn't normally do formal meeting invites. I thought he wanted to talk about October. Because October- October is busy. Remember that ebb and the flow? Well, right now, I'm feeling like I'm caught in a riptide. And as for the 2x2? There's not a whole lot more that can fit. I thought our discussion would revolve around the logistics of October. But then, people surprise you. He called me in to let me know that he appreciated my work and that I was receiving a promotion. I get to do the same thing, with a little more selectiveness on some of the other activities that take up some of my time and I can focus more of my attention on expanding our content (digital and written) as necessary!

If you're interested, you can see some of my articles on the Huffington Post! (another item on my bucket list)!

Now, it's still kind of on the hush hush, but I'll be official soon. :)

Now that deserves an adult beverage:

Remember this? We finally tried our Dancing Bee Winery wine, and it was pretty delish! This was the driest of the options, and we have one more Raspberry Melomel to try. You can definitely taste the honey (60%). Such a neat concept!

     

5.  I feel physically stronger than I have ever been. I have tweaked my diet a bit, by adding in more protein than I have before, as well as incorporating raw fruits and veggies every day, starting with my morning smoothie. I've seen a huge difference in my performance, as well as in my recovery after a long run. The yoga has really helped with my flexibility and my endurance is improving thanks to stronger muscles from bootcamp. I am looking forward to hopefully achieving that PR during the 1/2 marathon in Dallas in December. My energy levels are fantastic and I feel ready to tackle every day (after my cup of coffee). And as always, my mind is going like 50 miles per hour, that I could probably work a bit on quieting the mind!   

Workouts this week: A fast 5k Monday evening, yoga Tuesday evening, bike-ride Wednesday evening and bootcamp tonight!

Happy Thursday!

Fall Favorites+Marathon Update

I've been trying to hold out until the official first day of fall. I'll admit- I've caved a few times- and had my first PSL of the season at the very beginning of September. It's been a slippery slope since then. I've had a few PSL's here and there and some pumpkin creamer may or may not have slipped into my morning coffee, but this weekend. This weekend- things got real. And by real, I mean the roomie and I got a bit crazy and full-fledged decorated the house for fall. Oh well, in a few days, we will be official.

And by official, I mean- I've already started busting out my neutrals:

This was from my event Monday evening. We brought in a zen master to speak on mindfulness in healthcare!

 Before I launch into the fall pics, let me discuss marathon training. I had a moment a couple of weeks ago, where I was tired of training in the heat, I got pooped on by a bird, and I just wasn't sure if I could up my mileage in time for the January marathon. I wanted so badly to drop down to the half. But, the weather got cooler this weekend, and upping my mileage the past two weeks hasn't been an issue, so I'm back in the right frame of mind.

We knocked out a 6-mile run last weekend and an easy 7-miler this past weekend- and honestly, felt like we could have gone longer. Pace was slightly above my intended race pace. The weather this weekend was perfect for a run. We started off at 8 in the morning, and it was probably about 80 degrees, but it was misting outside, so it felt nice. I didn't have any issues, but probably need to re-think my morning fuel as I increase the mileage. Fueling during long runs is the thing that makes me most nervous during races.

We ended the weekend with a 22-mile bike-ride on Sunday! Yoga was yesterday, and he led us through some great lower back stretches, a run tonight, and bootcamp tomorrow! I'll go anywhere from 8-10 miles this weekend depending on the time I have (I have to work Saturday), and probably throw in another bike ride.

Now, for fall:

And that is just the outside! We've since added some gourds and pumpkins to enhance the curb appeal- and are adding to the inside as well! I'll be back tomorrow with some other fall favorites, as well as some details about the outdoor decor!

Happy Hump Day!