Weather Blues

Good morning from rainy Orlando!

This week has been really stormy and bad out. Constant rain, thunder and lightning. Right now this is passing over us...

So yesterday when it was getting close to 5:00, I went and changed into my workout clothes and started packing up my stuff... then I looked outside at just how bad it was. Rain was going horizontal and the people outside were being blown around by the wind. Scary!!! I started getting that feeling of wanting to just call it a night and go home and snuggle under a comfy blanket on the couch and watch TV for a few hours. I think we've all had that right? Some of my coworkers were saying "You're not going to workout in this weather are you??" That just furthered my desire to just go home! haha. I decided though that I was already dressed and I had to basically drive past the road to the gym to get home, so I may as well try to go (as long as it was safe to do so).

As I was heading to the gym I got a text from my hubby that there was golf size hail hitting our house! I couldn't believe we were getting HAIL in Orlando! I didn't see any from where I was though. Surprisingly when I got to the gym the weather had let up for a brief moment so I was able to run inside without getting drenched or struck by lightning (I have a horrible fear of being struck! I don't even like to use umbrellas because I worry it'll attract the lightning to me).

I tried a new class yesterday called Body Works Plus Abs. Oh. my. GOSH! It was intense! It was all weights and mainly focused on legs, arms, and a little bit of abs at the end. It was the hardest workout I've done in a long time. It's funny how you can think you're in good shape, and then you do a different type of workout and you feel more out of shape than ever! The hardest part was when we did a ton of work on our calves, hanging our feet off a step, etc. I tend to get charlie horses in my calves very easily so I was really nervous throughout doing those exercises that it would hit me and I'd be the crazy new girl who starts screaming and hopping around in class to get rid of the charlie horse. Luckily I didn't get any in the middle of the night last night either as that happens to me sometimes too. They are the WORST!

So I made it through the class and I have to say, I was very proud that I made myself go to the gym even with the weather making me not really want to. Afterwards I was SO glad I went and the class was such a great workout. I definitely plan to do this again, hopefully every Wednesday!

This morning it's still really yucky out... tornado watches and warnings all over the place around here!

This is what it looked like on my way to work this morning!

I made it to my office without getting TOO drenched thanks to my big old dorky looking rain coat and my umbrella. Haha. I had to walk through puddles up to my shin though, so gross!

If you are having bad weather in your neck of the woods, please be careful and stay safe and warm!

Do you have a hard time working out when the weather is bad? How do you motivate yourself to fight through the urge to have a lazy day on the couch?

When things don't go as planned...

Do any of you ever feel like nothing ever goes quite as planned? I am feeling like that is the norm lately!

We have been dealing with a lot of drama with companies since moving into our house... specifically with Rooms To Go (furniture store) and Comcast. I will tell anyone I know to NEVER use either of those two places if you can avoid it. We have spent hours on the phone with both of these places to get no real solution to any of our problems... so much so that now we are over our minutes on our cell phones. Grr.

Oh and not to mention that someone burned down my patio table this weekend! Yes I'm completely serious. Here's proof if you don't believe me!

However, I was thinking specifically about how our exercise plans don't go quite as planned.

For example... on Wednesday I wanted to workout after work but had a last minute presentation after hours that took until 8pm. I don't know about you, but I'm not devoted enough to workout after a 12 hour day- I head straight for the fridge and then the couch!

Thursday I planned to go to spin and made it there right on time- got the last bike! So that day did actually go as planned, and I got in a great workout!

Friday I planned to go to the gym and do elliptical and weight machines. However when I got home my hubby said he'd be up for going on a long walk with the dogs. David has been having back issues for a while and it's been worse this past week, so I dropped my plans because I was SO excited he felt up to and was willing to go for a walk. Also, the dogs really needed the exercise... we are both so busy and they really don't get walked as much as I would like. We walked around 3.5 miles with the dogs at a pretty slow pace so David wouldn't hurt himself. I felt a little bad about myself for not getting in a "good" workout, but for that evening I really had to make David and the furbabies a priority!

Saturday I had to do a presentation for 100 screaming middle schoolers... fun times! I still did the 6 Week 6 Pack on demand workout but felt like I needed to do more... just no time.

Sunday I decided I was going to go for a run. I was determined to have a good run with no knee pain and was hoping for 5 miles. That didn't go as planned either... I ran 3.8 miles and had some knee pain (not bad enough I couldn't run though) starting at mile 2. At first I was really upset. I really had set myself up thinking this would be the day all my it band issues would just magically go away... then I realized that wasn't really realistic. Yes, I've been doing good with my it band exercises/stretches and foam rolling, but really only consistently for a couple weeks. I also wasn't able to use the knee strap I had planned on using that I bought from Running Warehouse because it had disapeared after our housewarming party... pretty sure it accidentally got thrown away (another thing that didn't go as planned).

I put myself in a better mood and realized it's just going to take time, and I just need to stay strong and be consistent. In the time being, I went ahead and ordered another knee strap, and I even hit up a Pilates class after my run on Sunday! I loved the class and I know it'll be good for me since I really need to build up my core strength to combat ITBS. I was beat afterwards! I also made sure to foam roll of course!

I am feeling better today and ready to take on the week! I'm hoping to try a few new classes at my gym this week too. :)

What do you do when things don't go as planned? How do you prioritize your exercise plans with other life plans that also need to get done?

ITBS= Too Many Excuses...

What is ITBS you ask? If you don't know what it is, consider yourself extremely lucky!

First of all I will say, I am not a doctor so please consult your doctor if you are dealing with an injury such as ITBS for more information/treatment.

From what I have researched, ITBS, or iliotibial band syndrome, is a common injury in runners. The IT band begins in the hip and goes down the thigh, to the knee and into the shin. The most common symptom of ITBS (and the one I've continually experienced) is pain on the outside of the knee. This is often worse when running up or down hills. I have also found it to be worsen while doing sprints, or increasing mileage too quickly. From an article in Running Times (see here), it is discussed how many runners lack strength in their core and hips which can lead to issues with the IT band. Overtraining or doing too much too soon doesn't seem to be a good idea either!

So why am I telling you all of this? Because ITBS has been a frustrating injury for me since January 2010. Over a YEAR now!

My first half marathon was the Disney Half Marathon in January of 2010. I did really great in training up until about 3-4 weeks prior to the race. This is due to that fact that I was finishing up my masters degree, interviewing, then accepting and then searching for a place to live near my current job at UCF in Orlando. It was a very hectic time! The half went decent with no injuries during the race (had a GREAT time running with my awesome RB-running buddy, Karen!). It was still a little slow because Orlando was experiencing record lows and it was pretty miserable in that regard. However, a few weeks later during a short speedwork workout, I noticed a sudden, sharp, and EXTREMELY painful stabbing sensation on the outside of my left knee. Ever since then my runs have never been the same! 

I rested and recovered for a while, then commenced the strengthening exercises, stretching and foam rolling that I feel like I will now be destined to do for the rest of my life. It was frustrating as I would think my knee had gotten better, and then go out for a run and EVERY time right at .65 of ONE mile the stabbing pain would return... I couldn't run through it, it was too painful. After a few months of very little running and a lot of walking, exercise videos, combined with the IT band exercises, I was running again. I was still a little nervous but decided to give another half marathon a shot. I signed up for the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon in October of 2010.

I decided that I would take it VERY easy and if I had ANY knee pain I would back off and I'd just take my time with it. Training went great... I actually made a new friend right around this time who ran with me through a majority of my runs- I don't know how I would have gotten through it without her!

Fast forward to race day... I was once again running with my RB! Things were going great, I was excited, thinking this will be the half I'll really be able to push it and get a good time (while still getting pics with characters of course!). Well it was too good to be true. Right at mile 8.5 while running on some small hills (which I had not incorporated into my training- stupid me!) my RIGHT knee got the same stabbing pain sensation. I had to walk the rest of the half marathon. Thank goodness I have the great running buddy who stuck with me the rest of the way- I would have just wallowed in self pity the entire rest of the way if not but we still had fun with it and got lots of character pictures. I was mainly worried about keeping up the 16 minute mile pace required to get your medal, but we did it, gimp knee and all! I would be lying if I said I wasn't upset afterwards though... I bawled my eyes out in the car on the way home. I had JUST gotten over my ITBS and now it was back??? I had done all my exercises, stretching, foam rolling.. why did I deserve this??

 After this injury my knee was in pain for a few days even when I wasn't running, which was new. However, after a few weeks my right knee never seemed to really hurt again. Now my LEFT knee is actually acting up again at the moment...

Due to ITBS I have made a lot of excuses in the last year as to why I need to go slow or why I can't run or do certain workouts. I am DONE making excuses! While I will of course not do anything to hurt my IT Band or anything unsafe, I need to get this under control. I have not been doing my IT Band exercises or foam rolling for the past month with the crazyness of moving and I can feel that affecting my knee.

Here are some things I plan to do from now on to keep my IT Band from being an excuse:

1. Do my IT Band exercises, stretches, and foam rolling at least 4 times a week.
2. Always stretch after a run and warm up properly.
3. Slow down if my knee is in pain and make sure I'm doing enough stretching, etc.
4. Incorporate hill and speed work into my running routine
5. Embrace cross training (such as spin class, workout videos, elliptical, etc.)
6. Do more core work- such as a pilates class
7. Look into getting sports massages for my IT Band if necessary (this will honestly be a last resort as I'm just so cheap, but if I need it I will get it)

 I hope that in the next few months I will be feeling better! I don't necessarily want to get over ITBS to do another race (for now at least), but just so I can stop making excuses because of this. Even without ITBS I still want to always incorporate cross training and things other than running to keep it fresh!

 So with that in mind- I did a workout video today through Exercise TV! I love doing the on demand workouts through Exercise TV- check it out if you have digital cable or go to their web-site. I did Jillian Michael's 6 Week 6 Pack video so I could work on my core strength. It is HARD but felt good!

 Even though these are super dorky and embarassing, I thought I'd post some silly pictures my husband took of me during and after. Don't laugh at me too much! :)

Me saying "Why are you taking pictures of me? I'm gross and sweaty!" lol

:) I'll keep y'all posted on how my list goes! I am hoping to see improvements that last.

Good night everyone and thanks for reading!

My Zoo!

So for those of you who don't know, I have 3 furbabies (1 cat and 2 dogs). As much as I complain about them sometimes, they are my WORLD and I love them like they are truly my children. They are my best friends!

I have a cat named Starla who is about 11 years old. I adopted her through Petsmart- they work with local cat and dog rescues/humane societies. Poor thing had been given up by her family... I just cannot imagine ever doing this! She is the sweetest cat and snuggles with me every single night (she is the only furbaby allowed on the bed... unfair, I know lol). Sometimes I feel really bad because I don't talk about her as much because she is just such a GOOD girl there is never anything bad to say like there always is with my dogs.  haha.

Then I have Princess. She is about 5 years old and a husky border collie mix (we think). We adopted her from the Jr. Humane Society in Pensacola, FL. She really is a wonderful dog. She was already housetrained and knew basic commands when we adopted her. She never has potty accidents. Her biggest vice is getting into the trash... if you leave any type of trash out, she will destroy. Chocolate is another weakness of hers- she once ate around 100 hershey kisses....

Here is Princess (or Princey, Prince, Princey Wincey, Princey Poo Poo Face.. etc. lol) on the day we adopted her. I was SO excited. When I was growing up we didn't have any pets. I have always been an animal person and would BEG and BEG for a dog every year for my birthday, Christmas, you name it! I remember crying when we would walk through the pet aisle because I wanted a pet so bad. So once my husband and I lived in an apartment where we could have a dog I adopted my first dog!

Here is a more recent picture of Princess. She seems to be bigger and even cuter now, and has really come into her own!

Then there is Paisley... our most recent addition. She has certainly kept our lives interesting! We adopted her from Florida Little Dog Rescue. They are an AMAZING organization here in Central Florida that has saved 940 dogs since June 2009. They are a non-profit group who rescues dogs from animal control, backyard breeders, etc. and gives them a second chance at life. They place the dogs with foster parents to work with them until familes adopt them. You can donate on their web-site to help save a dog from death row and give them a second chance!

Paisley is about 1 year old and is a poodle bichon mix (again, we think). She was not fully housebroken when we adopted her and we are still working with her on it, but she has gotten MUCH better. She is definitely very mischevious and will get into something she's not supposed to if you're not watching her for a second! However, she is such a sweetie and loves to snuggle and give you kisses. Her and Princess play like CRAZY and tear apart the house (and now lawn!!!).

Here is Paisley after she was rescued from death row- she was soooo matted. She had to be shaved down (see picture on the right) and that's how she looked when I first adopted her.

                              

Here she is now with me, so much fluffier and cute!

And all 3 of them together... Starla is a lazer kitty!

Obviously I could go on and on about my babies.

However, the reason I wanted to post about them is because they have been causing so much mischief lately in the new house! This is definitely something I will have to get used to and they will need to adjust to as well. This morning Princess ran smack into the screen door and it pulled up from the bottom- not sure if it's ripped or if I can fix it easily... we'll see when I get home. They have both also discovered toads that have been coming into our backyard. I really believe Paisley just wants to play with them and doesn't quite realize when she steps on them with her paw, it squishes them. She seems confused when they don't move anymore. Oops. :( They both have taken to digging too which is extremely frustrating and then they come in with wet, dirty paws and track it all over our brand new carpet! I also discovered a yellow patch in my grass this morning that I can only assume is from them doing their business out there. Grr.

Even with all the frustrations though, I know that my life would not be the same without them. I love them all so much! They (usually) brighten my day and always make me laugh.

For those of you with pets out there- any advice for a new homeowner on keeping my home clean? Tips/tricks for having a nice yard? How do you keep yourself from getting stressed out when accidents happen?

Spin Class- Sounds Easy Right?

For any of you who have never been to a Spin/Cycle class... it probably doesn't sound that bad right? Just having fun, pushing pedals for an hour or so- nothing to it right? HA! So not true!

I found spin class during my undergradate at my school gym. I still remember the first time I went- during the warm up song I'm thinking "oh this is fun!" and after about 5 minutes I wanted to cry and walk out. I didn't understand why ANYONE would willingly come to spin class, let alone continue to come back week after week! Even more difficult for me to comprehend were the crazies who would do the 5:30 spin class and THEN do the 6:30 pilates class after. Little did I know I would soon become one of those "crazies!"

Spin class to me is one of those classes that gets better everytime you go. During that first class I basically thought I was going to pass out and die the whole time (ok maybe that's a little dramatic), and afterwards I wasn't able to sit without discomfort for probably close to a week. After that FIRST class though I really came to enjoy and love the class. Now I find even if I go for months or even years, I don't have the horribly painful feeling "below" like I did that first time or as much soreness. I actually find if I go a long time without spin class I REALLY miss it! I find it such a great workout. Nothing is quite like it, and it fits in well with a lot of my training plans I have done for running races as a good cross training activity.

So since graduating with my Master of Education in College Student Personnel Administration in December of 2009, I have been sadly without a real gym. I had the gym at my apartment complex before we bought our home, but it just had a few rundown treadmills, 2 ellipticals, a few weight machines, etc. It wasn't bad but it didn't have what I really wanted... fitness classes... specifically... SPIN CLASS!

For the past few months I have been researching gyms and trying to determine if I really thought it was worth the price. Do I really need a gym? I can run for free outside, why should I spend money on a membership? What about contracts? What if I just buy a treadmill? The questions go on and on... However I decided to do some research and find out pricing so I could get back to fitness classes!

Throughout my research I kept coming back to LA Fitness. One of my coworkers joined and she had great things to say about it and the price seemed right up my alley. My friend Jen mentioned she had been interested in joining a gym as well, so she agreed to go with me to check it out and see how we liked it. Well turns out there was a spin class being offered right at the time we were planning on going! Perfect!

Wow. Lets just say spinning was even HARDER than I remembered. During the class I got increasingly worried that Jen was never going to speak to me again after I forced encouraged her to take the class with me. I have to say that I am very proud of her though- she made it through the class with flying colors! She didn't look nearly as bad as I'm sure I looked during my first spin class! This is the same friend that ran her first 5K ever with me last month (see picture). She's had a great year so far- Go Jen! I felt completely exhausted after the class was over, but in a good way. A way that reminded me of how great it felt to push my body in that way, that in my opinion, is so different than running. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE running, but I have also always loved having diverse workouts and not doing the same thing over and over. This was just the change I needed from what I have been doing lately!

I am excited to say I do plan to join the gym and am looking forward to a LOT more spin classes (as well as yoga, pilates, kickboxing, etc) in the future! Now if only I can convince the hubby to come to spin class with me too... ;)

Healthy breakfast... at McDonalds?

OK so the title may be a little misleading. I'm not trying to say that a breakfast (or any meal at McDonalds for that matter) is super healthy or good for you. However I do believe in a little junk food- all in moderation. ;)

That being said, I tried the new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal this morning when I was in a pinch for breakfast. I am normally a creature of habit for breakfast and wont feel right unless I start my morning with a big bowl of the Publix brand version of honey bunches of oats with skim milk. I forgot I had ran out of cereal and was running late to work this morning.

I remembered hearing a lot about this new oatmeal at McDonalds and decided to give it a try since there is a McDonalds right next to my new home (not a good idea...)

I have to say, I really liked it! It was light but still filled me up, which I was worried it wouldn't. From the McDonald's web-site, several nutrition facts web-sites, AND the back of the container (which I appreciate!) they claims that it contains 100% natural whole-grain oats, brown sugar, a "touch of cream," (their words, not mine) diced fresh apples, dried cranberries and two kinds of raisins (regular and golden). You can also get the oatmeal withOUT the brown sugar (which is what I did) which lowers the sugar count from 32 grams (eek!) to 18 grams. Still high but considering it has a LOT of apples, raisins and dried cranberries in there, I didn't think it was TOO bad. It also lowers the calories from 290 to 260 for the cup (40 calories from fat) and lowers carbs from 57 grams to 48.

So while I wouldn't call this necessarily a super healthy breakfast, I think it'd be a good last minute grab for breakfast on the go in a hurry. Definitely better than opting for the Sausage, Egg and Cheese McGridle (not that I've ever eaten one of those or anything...whistle.... lol) coming to 560 calories (290 of those from fat). It also boasts 1110 mg of sodium... yuck!

So I'm curious to hear- what are your thoughts on somewhat healthy meals at fast food places? Do you think there is such a thing? What are some of your go to meals to grab in a hurry? Do you think I'm totally crazy in thinking this meal is somewhat decent? :)

And lastly... I'll leave you with a picture of my backyard this morning... the sky looked really neat with all the rain we've been getting so I had to get a picture of it!

I'm Back!

So for any of my followers if I still have any.... lol... all I can say is I'm sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER, but I am back!

I hope to give my blog a fresh new start (there will probably be a lot of changes in design, templates, etc. in the next few days/weeks) and get back to posting regularly!

Be on the lookout for lots of stories on my healthy living activities (of course running!), as well as the adventures of David and I as HOMEOWNERS now (scary!)!!!

For now, I will leave you with a picture of David in front of our new home!