Annnnd Im Back!

Sorry for the long hiatus but there was a lot of moving and not a lot of running and since everyone I know hates moving in general (me vehemently included) I figured I would wait to get settled. Plus I didn't have internet for like 5 days. So I will give you all a quick run down of how the past week has gone.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday--Packing, packing, packing. Then my super awesome parents came down to help us move with their truck and they picked up the Uhaul trailer. They had to leave at 2am on Sat morning to get down to MD to help us move that morning. We made a total of 1 Corolla, 2 Patriot, 2 F-150, and 2 Uhaul trips. They even fed us. I swear I have the most amazing parents ever. They left Sunday afternoon.

Always down for a good time :)

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday--Unpacking, unpacking, unpacking. Both Gil and I were soooo sore. I mean my calves hurt just to touch. I really need to get back to the gym and start incorporating Zumba and weight work into my workouts because it took me 3-4 days just to recover from a 2 day move....and my dad and Gil did most of the heavy lifting!

And just because I can't say enough about how great mom and dad are...they celebrated 32 years of marriage on Thursday!

Saturday--Ahhhh back to the good stuff on this blog. Running. The Wear Blue: Run to Remember--Joint Base Lewis-McChord group was running to honor SGT Brandon Maggart. His wife and I run at about the same pace and on Saturdays I would always run with her. They put out a flag with his name on it every Saturday. When she was there she would stop to give it a quick kiss and when she wasn't I would give it a high five.  Her and their son marked out the 4 mile route to honor Brandon. So with that in mind I laced up and headed out the door with 4 miles on the agenda.

(Source)
SGT Brandon Maggart
KIA 22 Aug 2010
OIF

It was hard. I haven't run in a while. Some of that was due to moving soreness and some of it was due mostly to laziness. What can I say? Making a habit of running is hard. Especially when the weather is like 83* that feels like 93* with 90% humidity. Ack. But I am trying. So I mapped out a run to run around town. But on my way down the road I saw a trail!!!! Eeeeekk!!! I didn't even know about this until I saw it!!

It was a Rails-to-Trails trail. For those of you unfamiliar, it is exactly what it sounds like. A railway that is no longer used is paved over and turned into a trail. Wonderful. It even had an old train station. I got to a point where the trail kept going straight, turned left, and turned right onto a gravel path. There was a woman coming from the left walking her dog so I asked her where they all went. On the way back, I ran into her again. Her dog was playing in some water and was so cute. She told me that the gravel trail was recently made and the town puts a lot of work into the trail system. How cool is that?!

Any how I completed 3.94 miles in under 52 min. I stopped and walked and took pictures along the way. Which speaking of...somehow my not-so smart phone lost my all but one of my pictures. Boo.

My ankle hurt a bit while I was running but when I got home I iced and then iced some more. This morning my legs feel good. My calves don't hurt and neither do my feet or my ankle. The only thing that feels a little tight is my inner thighs for some reason. Which is new to me.

Today is my last day before I start work. I am so super excited. I have not worked since April and have not been in school since May. This unemployment thing has really zapped me. Tomorrow I am running 2 miles. I am shooting to run them before work. This whole running and working full time thing for me is going to be interesting but I am ready to give it a go!

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Moving and a New Job!!

I got the job!!! I was offered it yesterday morning. On Saturday, the day after our dinner with the company, Gil and I went to look at a house in the new area. We loved it. So yesterday after I accepted the position, I called the Realtor and we filled out all the lease paperwork for the new house.

My parents are driving down from NY to help us move. We are so excited. The new house is right near a coffee shop and all the little downtown shops.

There is also a running group in the area so I will be continuing running. I should start work next week sometime. I am interested to see how balancing my training for my first half with my new work schedule will go.

In any case, I may be a little silent until we get all set up in the new place. Plans for today include packing, packing, and packing.

Goals

My entire life I have always set goals. I set them to move myself forward and propel myself into new things and challenges. I think having goals helps give me a purpose. Whether it is fitness, academic, professional, or even socially, for me it is incredibly important to give my life direction and organization.

I like to break goals into short term and long term because if I just set long term goals then I would get discouraged with my progress. So just to give you an idea I will list previous goals and current goals so you can share in these with me.

Short Term
Run 1 mile without stopping
Run a 5k
Run a 10k 
Run a 5k under 30 min (only happened once and it was freezing temps)
Run the Skinny Turkey Half Marathon
Run the Marine Corps Marathon 10k
Run 366 miles in 366 days (by Dec. 31 2012)
Graduate with my Bachelor's
Find a job
Get my national certification
Make a new friend
Move into a new house
Get a dog
Lose 10 pounds
Do 20 push ups in a row
Do 15 leg lifts in a row
Cook something new

Long Term
Graduate with my Doctorate
Run a 5k under 29 min
Run a bunch of half marathons--don't really have any in mind yet
Run a marathon
Qualify for the Boston Marathon before I turn 31
Run the Boston Marathon
Run the Paris Marathon
Run the San Francisco Marathon
Run the Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon
Run the Marine Corps Marathon
Get another dog
Lose 15-20 pounds
Do 50 push ups in a row
Do 30 leg lifts in a row
Buy a house

As I said, I set goals because it helps give me direction, but it also feels great to be able to literally cross things off of a list. I know there are a lot here and they will constantly change so I will update them periodically.

Any goals that you have? Do you set goals?

Interview Update and the Olympics

Sorry for the silence. The company that I am trying to be hired at took Gil and I out to dinner at a place in Annapolis called Jalepenos. It was a great time. The owner of the company and one of the employees that does the hiring took us out. I did not want to freak out my future employer by taking pictures but both Gil and I ordered the chicken enchiladas with mole. A-MAZ-ING! I highly recommend this place if you happen to be in the area. I was warned, however, that if you do go, especially on a Friday or Saturday, you will need a reservation for anytime after 6pm. We concluded the evening on a high note with them saying that they will contact me and returning home for the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

As soon as Gil took off his shirt Kieran proceeded to climb under it and hangout.

"Guys. It will fit if we tailor it a bit"

On the running end of things, my ankle is still aching. I ended up setting out for a 3 mile run yesterday but only completed a slow 2 miles. I also switched from my Brooks Pure Cadence shoes back to my New Balance 870s for extra cushion. I love both of my shoes but after running in my Brooks since January I now prefer them over my NB shoes.

Pond near my run

The 2 miles I did was to honor

SFC Ofren Arrechaga

KIA March 29, 2011

OEF

You will see SFC Arrechaga's name come up frequently as his wife is a friend of mine. He is always on my mind when I put on my Blue shirt and so I run for him quite a bit. 

The majority of the weekend and today were spent engrossed in the Olympics. Despite a relatively disappointing (in my opinion) opening ceremony to the games, I have been watching them every day. As a former gymnast I of course love gymnastics, but I also enjoy track, beach volleyball, diving, swimming, canoe slalom, and rowing. 

(Source)

Last night when watching the woman's gymnastics qualifying competition, my heart broke for Jordyn Wieber. If you don't know, she was a victim of a terrible rule (and questionable judging--shocker) that only allows the top 2 gymnasts from each country to compete in the All Around competition. She is undoubtedly one of the best gymnasts in the world and will not get to compete. That is a travesty. 

(Source)

On a random note, Kieran has been super clingy. This morning he decided to sleep on my lap while I hopped on the computer. 

"It's easier to type this way, I promise"

Later on in the day he switched to the top of the couch to bury his head in my hair and sleep. 

This looks comfortable, right?

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. 

Any favorite sports in the Olympics that you like to watch?

A Walk on the Beach

Today we took shelter from the ridiculously high heat in our nice cool apartment. We did not have much on the agenda other than to run to the grocery store. But after much lazing around, Gil got a little bored so we decided to venture out and drive around the area for a while. We ended up near a string of restaurants on the Chesapeake. There weren't any cars around cause it was a Thursday night so we parked right on the water and walked to a little beach nearby.

The view was beautiful, it almost made me forget about the crazy oppressive heat.

After walking around a bit we sat down on some rocks and put our toes in the water, which was so warm it felt like bath water.

The views were so relaxing.

And there were seashells everywhere.

After hanging out on the beach for a bit we went to Safeway for dinner and some needed groceries. I came out of the store with a pesto pizza for dinner and an interesting cherry chia juice. The pizza was excellent. It had peppers, chicken, cheese, and in place of sauce there was pesto. It was great!

The hubby even surprised me with one of those little single serving chocolate pies! Definite brownie points.

The juice on the other hand tasted fine but the consistency was awful. I could not get past the slimy little chia seeds. But I kept it because I can add it to smoothies and it will work out fine.

Running on the other hand was not in the agenda today. After last nights run, my ankle was not thanking me. So instead of running it was ice. I will do my 1.5 miles tomorrow as long as everything is feeling better. When I first sprained my ankle they said that because of the abnormal location (inside of my ankle as opposed to the outside) it could take a long time to feel better. I was cleared to run but its still not normal yet.

And tomorrow is FRIDAY!! I have been waiting on this day for 2 weeks!!! My stint in unemployment may or may not be coming to an end tomorrow. We will see. Stay tuned!

Shower before or after?

Today was just like most except the humidity was way low and it was a nice humane temperature out. We Gil even got the lawn mowed. We haven't been able to because it has been raining off and and on for a while now. This is the first house we have ever lived in so this is the first time we have ever had yard work....oh the joy.

I was quite lazy today and didn't bother to take a shower until about 5pm tonight. I know I am quite classy.

This also means that I took a shower before going for a run. My husband, mother, father, sister, etc. all think I'm crazy. This has been a life long thing for me. Even if I work out later in the morning or afternoon, I still want a shower before hand. Here is my reasoning.

1. I hate feeling gross. Working out makes me feel sticky and gross. Not showering makes me feel sticky and gross. I don't want to compound the sticky and grossness. 
2. Look better, feel better, perform better. 
3. If I were to run a race on a Saturday morning, I would take a shower before hand. Why not practice that way?

Of course the downside is I tend to go through shampoo and soap quicker than normal but it's not an everyday occurrence. 

Kieran's point of view.
(Source)

Anyhow I headed out for my run around 7pm and it felt seriously wonderful out. I mean look at those relative humidities!! In the yellow!!

(Source)

And it was beautiful.

Tonight I ran around a nearby neighborhood. I like running that specific neighborhood because there are lots of military associated people living there and it reminds me of being in Washington (state). 

The only thing was I didn't have a fabulous run. I had a snack less than 2 hours before I ran. Generally I like at least 2 hours or more between any food and a run otherwise I cramp and start getting sick to my stomach. I know everyone has their eat-before vs. eat-after rules so there is mine. Additionally there was small hill right when I was hitting my groove.

I know it doesn't look like anything but I swear it is a hill.

Which made me feel like this. 

I know classy--see above.

Overall I completed a total of about 3.3 miles mostly running with some walking in there. So I call tonight a success. Now for another shower ;-)

Fish Eggs and Chicken

I didn't post yesterday because I was still feeling ill and Gil was coming down with something as well. We spent most of the day sleeping in the living room and watching TV and I really didn't think anyone would care to hear about it.

Kisses for his sick momma...yes I know I'm a cat lady

As far as running goes, I was scheduled to run 1.5 miles which I obviously didn't. When it comes to running when I'm not feeling so hot I follow some simple rules.

• If I have a fever, I don't run. 
• If I would miss school or work for it, I don't run.
• If I think that it is a sinus infection, I don't run.
• If I think rest would be more beneficial than expending the energy to run, then I rest.

For me, if it feels like a sinus infection it is really important for me to be proactive about it because my health can easily spiral out of control. Part of running is about having a healthy lifestyle. I did not hit the genetic jackpot when it comes to health and there are lots of things that I need to be proactive about. It isn't just about running, it's about total body health, inside and out. If I think that resting instead of running will be more beneficial, then that is exactly what I do and I don't feel guilty about it. And in this case it worked because I feel pretty darn good today.

Lunch came together pretty easily today. Since I had the time and extra quinoa left over from my quinoa 'n cheese I got a little creative. I cooked up some of these Tyson Chicken Bites.

In the meantime I chopped up some baby carrots and a small zucchini. I made a bowl of quinoa that I sprinkled with poultry seasoning, garlic and onion powder, and some salt and pepper. I mixed all the veggies in and microwaved it all together. 

When the chicken was done I added it to the bowl. It was good and I filled up quickly so I even had left overs :-) In case you are wondering what Gil thought of my wonderous creation, he said "Let me see. Hmm. Fish eggs and chicken. Not what I would have gone with but whatever." 

Fish eggs and chicken

Tonight I did a 1.5 mi run around the neighborhood. It felt good to get out there and move my legs after 2 days of resting on the couch. 

Resting w/ Kieran. What? This doesn't look look comfy?

Running doesn't come easy to me. Not 3 miles or 1 mile or even a 0.5 mile. I run because it feels good at the end of the run to know I accomplished something under my own power. Plus the only things I really need are my sneakers and a good sports bra. It was a little soupier out than I would have liked but there was a breeze and it was a beautiful sunset, not to mention I felt really good tonight.

Picture running down this plus a breeze...so nice.

Now on to dinner. Hope everyone had a good run today!