This fun "runner's survey" was posted on a few other running blogs I follow and because I am lacking in posting and decent topics I decided I would join in. Survey's are fun and you know you want to get to know me better. ;)
What is your favorite type of cross training?
spin class. I just recently (after my 13.1 last month) added this to my weekly routine. I LOVE it.
What is your favorite song to run to?
Different songs for different moods and reasons. There are definitely a lot of songs that get me going. I LOVE anything by Pink.
What brand of shoes do you wear?
Asics. My fave have been the 2100 series. I love my 2150s and moved on to the 2160s which apparently have changed a bit and just are not the same.
Do you wear a hat when you run?
I have before but lately I am a headband (BIC or Bondi, please) addict!
What temperature is your favorite for running?
COLD!!! This heat is awful and my runs suck as I get accustomed to it.
Do you have any big races coming up?
Not really big as far as big miles but big as in 50-60k of my closest friends. Peachtree Rd Race - July 4th
What is your favorite distance?
I like the long run. I wish I had it in me to run 13.1 often but so far just the one. I think I would like that to be my "race" of choice one day when I become a real (haha) runner.
Are you a morning, noon or evening runner?
I prefer to run early but usually can be found on the trails in the evening due to my schedule.
Do you run solo or with a buddy?
I do both but LOVE running with buddies.
What's your favorite post run snack?
Hmmm. I don't have a post run go to snack. Usually because I run in the evenings I head straight home for whatever that night's dinner is.
What's your FAVORITE race?
I LOVE the vibe that is in the air at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It's just amazing to see so many people supporting a great cause and the survivors...just amazing.
Do you wear a Garmin? If not, how do you track your runs?
Garmin 305 which my sweet daughter named Mr. G for me.
What is your least favorite race?
This is tough. I don't really have a least fave one because I just haven't ran that many. Sure, I have ran about 15 of them but looking back none of them sucked that bad.
What race is your favorite medal from?
Covenant Health Knoxville Half Marathon....of course it is my ONLY medal. ;) Unless you count the medal from the one time 5k race I ran in Cades Cove, TN.
Who is your running idol?
I don't really have idols but I definitely admire a LOT of runners. Lots of professionals, bloggers and (as bad as it sounds) I find myself a bit inspiring as a runner.
How long have you been a runner?
I started running 2+ years ago but didn't really consider myself a real runner until I started training for the 13.1. But I know I know...running is running and if you run, you're a runner. So I am going with 2 years.
Do you run with your engagement/wedding ring on?
Sometimes.
What's your favorite workout? repeats? long runs? tempo? fartleks?
I use to really hate speed work and hill training but have learned to appreciate those workouts because while they suck at the time they do make me feel great afterwards. And the long run... I just love a good, long run.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
This post contains pain and sadness.
Yesterday was NOT a good day in the life of me as a runner or as a mom.
Our day started with church. Hubby and I planned on a long run after church and arranged for the kids to go out to lunch with the inlaws. So, around 1pm hubby and I got changed and headed to our running destination.
pain
We were aiming for 6-7 miles. It was hot and I was feeling it by 1.5 miles in. A short walk break or two and we were making good timing on hitting 3 miles around 30 minutes. And then the unthinkable happened...
While coming off the brick sidewalk to cross the 4 lane into the rest of the park where we could finish our run something happened and I ate pavement. I have no idea how it happened but hubby thinks I hit the lip of the curb where the brick ends. My big booty was face to face with the asphalt, which was hot by the way, and hubby was yelling, "Get out of the road!" Um, sure...right on that. ;)
He picked my water bottle up from where he was. I stood up and we walked over to the church there...I yelled a bad word then felt guilty for yelling a bad word in the church yard. So sorry, God. I know better. As it was there were no cars coming in my direction so I did not almost get ran over, but that sure would make the story more fun..or something. ;) Coming down the other side of the road was the local rescue squad. Awesome. They turned around and came to see if I was fine. I was.
My hip hurt. My elbow ached. My knees felt stiff and the right one stung from the scrape. My left hand was on fire. BUT I was so thankful that my face was not the first thing to hit. Can you imagine paying $7k on orthondia to have it all jacked up just 2 weeks before getting your braces removed...do you know what my face would have looked like? Shudder.
But seriously, HOW does a 32 year old woman FALL.DOWN while running? Isn't that what toddlers do??
sadness
I would post the whole story about the sad part of our day but it's just too much, so if you want to read it . The short version is that I will not be training our new pup, Aspen, to run with me. After 11 days with us, her little sweet life ended suddenly last night. The vet suspects it was some sort of cardiac issue. 4 other hearts broke in a million pieces, too. I know she was young and I hope since she was so playful and happy the entire time we had her, showing no signs of ill health that there was no suffering with her.
Our day started with church. Hubby and I planned on a long run after church and arranged for the kids to go out to lunch with the inlaws. So, around 1pm hubby and I got changed and headed to our running destination.
pain
We were aiming for 6-7 miles. It was hot and I was feeling it by 1.5 miles in. A short walk break or two and we were making good timing on hitting 3 miles around 30 minutes. And then the unthinkable happened...
While coming off the brick sidewalk to cross the 4 lane into the rest of the park where we could finish our run something happened and I ate pavement. I have no idea how it happened but hubby thinks I hit the lip of the curb where the brick ends. My big booty was face to face with the asphalt, which was hot by the way, and hubby was yelling, "Get out of the road!" Um, sure...right on that. ;)
He picked my water bottle up from where he was. I stood up and we walked over to the church there...I yelled a bad word then felt guilty for yelling a bad word in the church yard. So sorry, God. I know better. As it was there were no cars coming in my direction so I did not almost get ran over, but that sure would make the story more fun..or something. ;) Coming down the other side of the road was the local rescue squad. Awesome. They turned around and came to see if I was fine. I was.
My hip hurt. My elbow ached. My knees felt stiff and the right one stung from the scrape. My left hand was on fire. BUT I was so thankful that my face was not the first thing to hit. Can you imagine paying $7k on orthondia to have it all jacked up just 2 weeks before getting your braces removed...do you know what my face would have looked like? Shudder.
But seriously, HOW does a 32 year old woman FALL.DOWN while running? Isn't that what toddlers do??
sadness
I would post the whole story about the sad part of our day but it's just too much, so if you want to read it . The short version is that I will not be training our new pup, Aspen, to run with me. After 11 days with us, her little sweet life ended suddenly last night. The vet suspects it was some sort of cardiac issue. 4 other hearts broke in a million pieces, too. I know she was young and I hope since she was so playful and happy the entire time we had her, showing no signs of ill health that there was no suffering with her.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Just in case..
So, if you watch the news, read the paper or even frequent Facebook you know the world is set to end tomorrow at like 6pm (EST) and Jesus is coming back. Seriously, it's what I've heard on the radio, in the news (thanks Fox...lol) and my trusty Facebook friends. I knew I could count on all the most trusted sources of info.
So, what did I do today to prepare myself??
Why I had my favorite food (pizza) and dessert (cupcake!) with my hubby today (YAY for the last day of school and a lunch date).
I realize this goes completely against anything health related but you see I believe in enjoying life and if it were my last day the two things I would choose to enjoy putting in my tummy is pizza and a cupcake. And who else to spend such an important day with than the love of my life.
But don't worry folks.
As much guilt as you all know I will feel about my food related decisions today rest peacefully in knowing that I have a date this evening too! Yes, yes, I will be at the gym getting friendly with the ARC Trainer and other things.
It's all a balancing act. Have a great weekend!!
So, what did I do today to prepare myself??
Why I had my favorite food (pizza) and dessert (cupcake!) with my hubby today (YAY for the last day of school and a lunch date).
I realize this goes completely against anything health related but you see I believe in enjoying life and if it were my last day the two things I would choose to enjoy putting in my tummy is pizza and a cupcake. And who else to spend such an important day with than the love of my life.
But don't worry folks.
As much guilt as you all know I will feel about my food related decisions today rest peacefully in knowing that I have a date this evening too! Yes, yes, I will be at the gym getting friendly with the ARC Trainer and other things.
It's all a balancing act. Have a great weekend!!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
TTT - will power, skin, schedule
1. Will power
I'm often told how "amazing" I am or how far I've come, how great I've done with this whole weight loss/running/exercise/healthy thing I've been working towards for the last 2 (+) years. People even say, "I wish I had your will power or dedication." Well, folks, you can. But let me say this first... I don't always have the best will power. Sometimes it fails me. Actually sometimes *I* fail me. Sometimes my so called will power finds me putting chocolate candy bars, chips and cookies in my grocery cart and that in turn leads to my will power shoving said junk in my mouth. Honestly, I cannot blame my will power or anyone/thing else for doing such besides myself and my lack of control at times. I KNOW what things I should be putting in my cart and mouth other than those little junk treats (if you will) but there are times the human in me comes out and I fail. So, the truth is YES there are times when my will power is excellent and there are times when it is not. In order to reach my goals I have to have complete control over my will power.
2. Skin
If you have been reading my blog a while you will know that I have lost about 70 lbs in the last 2 years. If you haven't been reading long well, now ya know. I've gained muscle (hopefully) and lost lots of fat (again, hopefully) but what I gained is lots of sagging skin. I'm not going to brave it and take pics for the blog but let me say...I could blanket a small animal with my skin. It's gross. I hate and lately the skin hanging from my stomach is REALLY starting to bother me. Sure, I can tuck it in my jeans (no joke folks) or my running tights but it's still obvious that it is there. I noticed such tonight while I was doing lunges at the gym. Apparently my compression tights aren't compressing everything I thought they were. Darn those mirrors at the gym! If I was a rich girl (nanananana see I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy gir-ir-ir-ul..sorry gotta give a shout out to Gwen!!) I'd go ahead and make an appointment with a surgeon and take care of that mess but...sigh...I am not. Maybe one day though.
3. Schedule
Last year I ran a whole lotta 5k races. I had them planned out and registered as early as I could for most of them. Going into each race my goal was a new PR. I achieved that at each race. This year the only race I had planned as of Jan was the half marathon. Done. But now what? The only other race that is confirmed on my schedule is the Peachtree (10k) and most of the 5k races I ran last year won't even appear on my schedule this year! Shocking. Instead here is my tentative race schedule...
July - Peachtree Road Race in ATL 10k
Sept - Marine Corp Mud Run Knoxville
Oct - 13.1 ATL
Nov - another local (Knoxville) half marathon
Maybe, if time and $$ allows, I will throw in a 5k somewhere..just because.
I'm often told how "amazing" I am or how far I've come, how great I've done with this whole weight loss/running/exercise/healthy thing I've been working towards for the last 2 (+) years. People even say, "I wish I had your will power or dedication." Well, folks, you can. But let me say this first... I don't always have the best will power. Sometimes it fails me. Actually sometimes *I* fail me. Sometimes my so called will power finds me putting chocolate candy bars, chips and cookies in my grocery cart and that in turn leads to my will power shoving said junk in my mouth. Honestly, I cannot blame my will power or anyone/thing else for doing such besides myself and my lack of control at times. I KNOW what things I should be putting in my cart and mouth other than those little junk treats (if you will) but there are times the human in me comes out and I fail. So, the truth is YES there are times when my will power is excellent and there are times when it is not. In order to reach my goals I have to have complete control over my will power.
2. Skin
If you have been reading my blog a while you will know that I have lost about 70 lbs in the last 2 years. If you haven't been reading long well, now ya know. I've gained muscle (hopefully) and lost lots of fat (again, hopefully) but what I gained is lots of sagging skin. I'm not going to brave it and take pics for the blog but let me say...I could blanket a small animal with my skin. It's gross. I hate and lately the skin hanging from my stomach is REALLY starting to bother me. Sure, I can tuck it in my jeans (no joke folks) or my running tights but it's still obvious that it is there. I noticed such tonight while I was doing lunges at the gym. Apparently my compression tights aren't compressing everything I thought they were. Darn those mirrors at the gym! If I was a rich girl (nanananana see I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy gir-ir-ir-ul..sorry gotta give a shout out to Gwen!!) I'd go ahead and make an appointment with a surgeon and take care of that mess but...sigh...I am not. Maybe one day though.
3. Schedule
Last year I ran a whole lotta 5k races. I had them planned out and registered as early as I could for most of them. Going into each race my goal was a new PR. I achieved that at each race. This year the only race I had planned as of Jan was the half marathon. Done. But now what? The only other race that is confirmed on my schedule is the Peachtree (10k) and most of the 5k races I ran last year won't even appear on my schedule this year! Shocking. Instead here is my tentative race schedule...
July - Peachtree Road Race in ATL 10k
Sept - Marine Corp Mud Run Knoxville
Oct - 13.1 ATL
Nov - another local (Knoxville) half marathon
Maybe, if time and $$ allows, I will throw in a 5k somewhere..just because.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
New running buddy?
So, last week was wild and crazy at my house. And YES I say that often, but it is true! We are go go go 99% of the time and can just never tell what might happen around here.
Tuesday my hubby had the bright idea of adding a new member to our family. It fell through and my heart broke but by the next evening he had plans set in place to make it happen. Period.
So, Thursday evening the hubby came home with...
Aspen Rose Dwyer is her name and she is almost 10 weeks old. She's been a lot of fun so far. We realized tonight that she has finally gotten use to living in the Emert house as she has been pretty hyper the last couple of hours.
I'm wondering how hard it would be to train her to become my running buddy once she is a little older!? Hubby tried the leash with her tonight and she was NOT having it. The plan is some puppy classes this summer to get her good and trained and behaving like a good little girl. ;)
Anybody with any doggie running training info???
Tuesday my hubby had the bright idea of adding a new member to our family. It fell through and my heart broke but by the next evening he had plans set in place to make it happen. Period.
So, Thursday evening the hubby came home with...
Aspen Rose Dwyer is her name and she is almost 10 weeks old. She's been a lot of fun so far. We realized tonight that she has finally gotten use to living in the Emert house as she has been pretty hyper the last couple of hours.
I'm wondering how hard it would be to train her to become my running buddy once she is a little older!? Hubby tried the leash with her tonight and she was NOT having it. The plan is some puppy classes this summer to get her good and trained and behaving like a good little girl. ;)
Anybody with any doggie running training info???
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Three Things Thursday
1. I forgot to title my last post. Too bad because I was going to try hard to come up with a funny title regarding my crappy run. haha Oh well.
2. I skipped running outside again yesterday because it was so hot and humid. I know that I will have to get out there in the heat/humidity in order to get use to it. I hate that I keep putting it off. I ran on the treadmill though. 4.5 miles 44:27. Now someone force me out there so I can make the same distance/time! I have a race in July and want to meet my goal.
3. I keep saying how I am going to get so serious about working out my abs and other trouble areas. Now is the time. I HAVE to get serious. Anybody got a good ab workout?
2. I skipped running outside again yesterday because it was so hot and humid. I know that I will have to get out there in the heat/humidity in order to get use to it. I hate that I keep putting it off. I ran on the treadmill though. 4.5 miles 44:27. Now someone force me out there so I can make the same distance/time! I have a race in July and want to meet my goal.
3. I keep saying how I am going to get so serious about working out my abs and other trouble areas. Now is the time. I HAVE to get serious. Anybody got a good ab workout?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I said I was going to get better at posting. Sometimes I tell little white lies. haha
I ran a few times last week. Some good, some fun, and some were crappy. Literally.
Good.
Last night we had my Peanut boy's last soccer game. I was dressed to run so that I could hit the gym right after the game was over. It was warm out and humid so I opted to just get on the treadmill rather than hit the trail. I pushed myself really hard and got my 5k in at 29:45. I have high hopes that one day I will run a 5k outdoors in under 30 minutes. For now I will just be proud that I had a good run and managed under 30 for my 5k even if it was on the treadmill. Still a good run!
Fun.
I met for a run on Friday after work. The weather was great and the company was even better. We had no set mileage to cover or a pace. I think we had done about 4 miles in roughly 43 minutes before we both kind of slowed down for a walk break that ended up being another 2.5 miles. It was nice to chit chat and just walk though. Thanks, Kelsey for meeting with me. Can't wait to run with you again! Always fun running with friends!
Crappy.
Saturday I had planned on meeting my friend, Terri, for 6 miles at the greenway near my gym. We met at 8am. She had tummy issues on the way and we actually ended up running a little over .10 before Terri needed to turn back for a pit stop. No problem! I went with and all was fine in just a few minutes and we were back on the trail running at a decent pace. I started having my own set of tummy issues about 2.5 miles in so we made a decision to turn back and just try to get in 4 miles. I had a walk a few times and even came to a dead stop around 3.6 miles before really needing to call it a day on the running. I had a whole other set of "running" problems to deal with now. I told ya, some runs are just crappy...in every sense of the word. Go ahead laugh. I am laughing now that it's over. Thanks, Terri, for joining me and understanding! We'll definitely get back to the long runs soon!
And that is how it went with my last 3 runs! I printed off a 10k training plan though deep down I am not sure I really need it for training purposes as I think I could go run a 10k tomorrow if I needed to, but I thought it would be helpful in having a true plan to stick to. I'm hoping to get a decent time (my wish is under an hour..lol.. but I will be finen with anything under 1:05) for the coming up in July. Fingers crossed the heat and humidity doesn't get the best of me!
I ran a few times last week. Some good, some fun, and some were crappy. Literally.
Good.
Last night we had my Peanut boy's last soccer game. I was dressed to run so that I could hit the gym right after the game was over. It was warm out and humid so I opted to just get on the treadmill rather than hit the trail. I pushed myself really hard and got my 5k in at 29:45. I have high hopes that one day I will run a 5k outdoors in under 30 minutes. For now I will just be proud that I had a good run and managed under 30 for my 5k even if it was on the treadmill. Still a good run!
Fun.
I met for a run on Friday after work. The weather was great and the company was even better. We had no set mileage to cover or a pace. I think we had done about 4 miles in roughly 43 minutes before we both kind of slowed down for a walk break that ended up being another 2.5 miles. It was nice to chit chat and just walk though. Thanks, Kelsey for meeting with me. Can't wait to run with you again! Always fun running with friends!
Crappy.
Saturday I had planned on meeting my friend, Terri, for 6 miles at the greenway near my gym. We met at 8am. She had tummy issues on the way and we actually ended up running a little over .10 before Terri needed to turn back for a pit stop. No problem! I went with and all was fine in just a few minutes and we were back on the trail running at a decent pace. I started having my own set of tummy issues about 2.5 miles in so we made a decision to turn back and just try to get in 4 miles. I had a walk a few times and even came to a dead stop around 3.6 miles before really needing to call it a day on the running. I had a whole other set of "running" problems to deal with now. I told ya, some runs are just crappy...in every sense of the word. Go ahead laugh. I am laughing now that it's over. Thanks, Terri, for joining me and understanding! We'll definitely get back to the long runs soon!
And that is how it went with my last 3 runs! I printed off a 10k training plan though deep down I am not sure I really need it for training purposes as I think I could go run a 10k tomorrow if I needed to, but I thought it would be helpful in having a true plan to stick to. I'm hoping to get a decent time (my wish is under an hour..lol.. but I will be finen with anything under 1:05) for the coming up in July. Fingers crossed the heat and humidity doesn't get the best of me!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
May Goals
We are 5 days into May and I decided now would be a good time to discuss goals for the month. I had goals for April but never got around to posting them. And since May is quickly passing I better get on to posting my goals for this month or it'll be over quicker than I can run a mile. hahaha
Anyway...
I haven't blogged in like a week. While I have slacked in that area of my life I have not slacked in others (well, except for keeping up with the house...laundry, sweeping...all the fun stuff!). For now I won't bore you with details of my running (like 9:40 min/miles) or my eating (healthy food is a bore) so let's get on with the goals!!
1. Get back to the long run. I haven't ran anything over 5 miles since the half marathon. Saturday will be a 6 miler with running friends. I can't wait. I hope to increase my long run mileage 1 mile each week to work my way back up to the half marathon distance.
2. Lose 5lbs.True 5 lbs is not a lot. True, I have lost 70 lbs in the last 2 years.
BUT.... I still want to lose another 20 lbs, which again considering what I have lost and my current weight, is not a lot. However, it IS a lot for me because it's been a while since I have been able to lose without gaining. Clear as mud, huh.
3. Refocus my eating.
The last few weeks have been stressful for me. My eating has been healthy for the most part but it's been sort of sporadic throughout the day. This is mostly due to my work schedule/stress. This week I swore I was going to refocus and get back on track and I did....for 2 days. Oops. So, the goal for the rest of the month is to refocus and stay focused.
Anyway...
I haven't blogged in like a week. While I have slacked in that area of my life I have not slacked in others (well, except for keeping up with the house...laundry, sweeping...all the fun stuff!). For now I won't bore you with details of my running (like 9:40 min/miles) or my eating (healthy food is a bore) so let's get on with the goals!!
1. Get back to the long run. I haven't ran anything over 5 miles since the half marathon. Saturday will be a 6 miler with running friends. I can't wait. I hope to increase my long run mileage 1 mile each week to work my way back up to the half marathon distance.
2. Lose 5lbs.True 5 lbs is not a lot. True, I have lost 70 lbs in the last 2 years.
BUT.... I still want to lose another 20 lbs, which again considering what I have lost and my current weight, is not a lot. However, it IS a lot for me because it's been a while since I have been able to lose without gaining. Clear as mud, huh.
3. Refocus my eating.
The last few weeks have been stressful for me. My eating has been healthy for the most part but it's been sort of sporadic throughout the day. This is mostly due to my work schedule/stress. This week I swore I was going to refocus and get back on track and I did....for 2 days. Oops. So, the goal for the rest of the month is to refocus and stay focused.
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