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

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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!

Yoga Revisited

So here is the long awaited update on my first time to do yoga. Ameera and Reshma had already been before- and promised that this was a good class for "beginners." I'm not quite sure if I fit the category for beginner- there must have been some prerequisite I missed- everyone in the class could at least touch their toes - much unlike myself. Let me remind you, I begged my friends to bypass the class they refer to as "sweaty yoga" to let me try out yoga at a normal temperature. When I walked in the room, I thought I had been tricked- by normal temperature, they really meant at least 80 probably hotter. Not an ideal temperature in which to exercise for a California girl like myself.  So, I tried to put my mat at what I thought would be the back of the classroom to avoid embarrassment as much possible- oh no... the teacher invited us to come forward, and before I knew it, we were in the 2nd row. AWKWARD.

I rolled out my yoga mat, which I had purchased especially for this occasion. Unfortunately, the only ones at Target had symbols on them- mine has a tree- save your laughter for later please:

 

Yoga is a quiet exercise, which allows you to focus on breathing. Some people are very good at it- others are very loud at it. Before the class even started, the woman in front of me (who looked like she had been yoga-ing for years) started what I will refer to as "loud-breathing." I'm not talking breathing that sounds like a loud sigh- I'm talking about deep-down guttural breathing. I felt like such a pansy with my normal quiet breathing!!!

So, the class started- the first instruction was to lie down on my back- so I was feeling pretty good about this one- maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. We did some more breathing- then... the stretching started. 

Long story short- we were asked to flex our bodies in ways that my poor body had never before flexed. I was sweating (I thought this wasn't supposed to be the sweaty yoga class) and my poor muscles were shaking. I took quick peeks around the classroom while in the "downward facing dog" position. In case you don't know what this pose is- it's when you get on all fours, and thrust your hips into the air while facing downward. I'm pretty sure you AREN'T supposed to peer through your legs at the person behind you. Oh well- I had to assess my lack of ability- and the downward facing dog seemed like the prime time to look at the person behind me. 

Ameera and Reshma were more flexible then they let on.... I looked at Reshma once- during our "pigeon pose" and she looked like a pro. While I was struggling to manipulate my body into the proper form- she was making it look easy. 

Needless to say- my favorite part of the hour long class was the end- not because I could put my body out of its misery, but because I got to take a quick nap during out final breathing exercise on our backs. I'm not sure you are supposed to nap, but the room was hot, I was tired and the lights were off- it had been a long week. 

This is NOT the traditional form of exercise I am used to. I run- outside- and listen to rap music while I do it. I have never before taken the time to breath, stretch and listen to "yoga music" to get in my daily cardio. All in all- I was SORE the next day. Muscles that I didn't know existed, were hurting- but I felt good. Needless to say, I would try it again- maybe this time, I will set my goals high, and try to touch my toes without bending my knees. With my life as crazy as it is right now, it was nice to take an hour out of my day- and really focus on other things besides graduating, finding a job, my masters report and all of the work I still need to do. Reshma and Ameera were great yoga partners- and we have plans to do it again soon!!!!

A little relaxation...

Well.... Kind of. Life has been crazy- period. In between trying to do my master's report (on the nursing shortage), I have also been working/interning at two internships and going to school. I'm normally pretty good at handling the stress, but I've decided it's time to try out some yoga- it couldn't hurt, right?

So, Ameera and Reshma talked me into trying it out. This could get interesting people! I am SO not flexible and I have the tendency to have inappropriate laughter- where it doesn't belong. I'm concerned. They wanted me to try out a little something called "sweaty yoga." Oh balls- sweaty yoga?!?! Can you SEE me trying to do SWEATY yoga??? They stick you in a hot room, to sweat and stretch for an hour. hmmmm.... so I talked them into taking me to Vinyasa yoga- which is supposedly a good class for beginners. Much more up my alley. (I hope). I'm going tonight at 5:30, so I'll give you an update on my very first yoga class.

If it's anything like the time Kim and I tried out Pilates- it should be interesting.... I'm hoping for a small achievement- maybe something like touching my toes.