What is on your Christmas list?

I just got done reading Amanda's new post from Amanda@runninghood and LOVED her quote!

"Obsessed is how the unmotivated describe the dedicated"

Absolutely 100% true! No matter what it is about. Whether it be school, work, or in my case running/working out. We used to call the kids in school that got 99% on the exams "overachievers" because they ruined the curve. No, they were not obsessed overachievers, they were just dedicated. I am not obsessed with running, but I AM a dedicated runner who strives to become better. Why does that make me obsessed? :D

AND

 Yes, for Christmas, this obsessed runner wants new running gear and accessories. WHO CARES? ;)

Number 1 on my list is a good pair of compression socks. Last year I bought this cheapo pair from the local Walgreens and they help a little but are not very comfortable, and I think are too small. I get serious indents on my feet from these suckers. So, Santa, please put these under the Christmas tree this year!

Number 2 on my Christmas list is one of these bad boys:

 

I want this black and purple one! My 2 favorite colors! On my long runs I usually carry my handheld water bottle which has only a big enough pocket to fit my Gu Chomps and my car key. So no phone :( Unless I am wearing a jacket with pockets. I saw these on many blogs and wanted one immediately! Especially for races. Last year, I had to ask a stranger to use her phone at the finish line because I couldn't find my husband! Plus, the hubby likes to have a way to get a hold of me when I am gone for my long runs. 

The iFitness belt is made of a water resistant neoprene pouch that will stretch to hold your phone, keys, ID, and any other little things that you carry on your run. There are also 2 reflector strips in the front, and 1 on the back for night time runs. BIG PLUS for the hubby! ;) There are also 2 toggles attached to the front to secure your race number. No more safety pins on your expensive running gear! YAY! So there you have it...my top 2 runners accessories on my Christmas list this year. I CAN definitely add more...I always LOVE new running clothes! ;)

Another Give Away!

I'm sure some of you know that I am participating in the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge hosted by Amanda at  

RuntoTheFinish. Well she is hosting an amazing giveaway where you have the opportunity to win some FREE ALO gear. Check out the company HERE. They have some really nice looking gear. It would be great to win some! :)

Visit Amanda's give away! ALO Give Away

Winner selected 12/22!!!!!!!

iFitness belt GiveAway

I have been wanted to buy one of these bad boys since after racing my 1st half marathon last year! 

I tried the whole stashing you phone in your sports bra thing...and BOO on that, I ended up handing my phone to my hubby when I passed him at mile 3! Then for my 2nd half marathon, I had to ask someone at the finish if I could use their phone so my hubby could find me! So, I really really want to either win one or get one for Christmas...hint, hint :)

Kim from (Just) Trying is for Little Girls is having a giveaway! YAY! Check it out!

Contest ends 12/24!

Make it snow...on your blog!

Lauren from 26.2 is the new 30 posted this morning a really cool and easy tutorial on how to make it snow on your blog. I tried it but since my background was white, you couldn't see it. So I found a new blog design and now it is snowing on my blog! SO COOL! Especially for me, since this southern California girl never sees snow! ;) 

Oh, and by the way, I want to steal her new blog name...I absolutely love it! Especially since I am planning on doing my 1st marathon the month before I turn 30!

http://www.whatmakesblog.com/2010/10/how-to-create-falling-snow-effect-into.html

Holiday Bootie Buster Week 2 & 3

I needed to do this post but have been having horrible migraines lately and to top it off, a slight sinus infection and cough. SUCKS! But I have still been keeping up with the challenge :) Proof that it is a GREAT motivator!
Week 2  (Nov 27th-Dec 3rd)
I earned 22 exercise points. Not as much as week 1's 28, but this was the week that I was quite sick with a 3 day migraine and sore throat. So not bad. I'm pretty sure that I m that I also ate my 7 servings of fruit and vegetables 1 day (better than none!) but I can't remember exactly what I ate, so I didn't count it in my points.
I did 2 kick boxing classes(an hour each), and ran 10 miles total for the week. (2,6,2) I made this week a cut back week instead of next, due to being sick...so it worked out!
Week 3 (Dec 4th-Dec 10th)
So far I have earned 16 points. I did an hour kick boxing class and then ran 9 miles today. I also ate 7 servings of fruit & veggies on Monday...yay me! :) The plan is to end the week with 28 points again like week 1. I still have planned to do a recovery 2 miles tomorrow along with a weight lifting class, then on Friday another hour of kick boxing.

As far as training for my half marathon in January...after this week is over, I have 6 weeks until race day! I am up to 9 miles and feel pretty confident in my training so far. I find it strange to me that treadmill running slows me down. Not sure why, but when I do my long runs on the treadmill, it takes much more effort to sustain my goal pace than it does on the road. So the longs runs that I do on the treadmill are always around a 10:05-10:20 pace; and my road long miles are in the mid 9:30's. I always thought that it was the opposite. Oh well, it is a confidence booster in this case, as it it easier to keep my 9:23 goal pace on the road. Below is the link to my next 6 weeks of training! I'm, getting excited! I really really want to beat my last years time!
Last 6 weeks of training

Holiday Bootie Buster Week #1

Hey guys,
Just wanted to check in with any of my friends who are doing this challenge with me! This week I logged 28 activity points! YAY! So happy! I could have done better (35 points) if I ate my 7 servings of fruits/veggies per day...but that is something I need to work on!
Here is how I got my points:
Saturday 11/20:        Ran 2 miles+ 20 minutes of weights= 3 points
Sunday 11/21:          Rest day = 0 points
Monday 11/22:         5 miles= 5 points
Tuesday 11/23:         2 miles + 45 minutes of kick boxing= 5 points
Wednesday 11/24:    2 miles + 15 minutes of weights & 5 minutes of stretching= 3 points
Thursday 11/25:        8 miles + 1 1/2 hours of cooking & cleaning for Thanksgiving= 11 points
Friday 11/26:             Rest day= 0 points

You can check in with me via DailyMile:
DailyMile

Next week, my goal is to keep of the activity points but add a few days of points earned via eating 7 servings of fruits/veggies! How are you all doing it?! 7 seems like soooo many!

Funnies

Ha Ha! I thought this was pretty funny!

Thanksgiving

This year was absolutely AMAZING! (except for the fact that my parents were in Hawaii...so jealous, they are so lucky!) I was able to start of my morning with a freezing  refreshing 8 mile run by the beach! I took a photo, but it is on my phone, the thermometer in the car read 48 degrees. AND for Southern California, that is pretty darn cold...plus it was kind of windy. Despite being chilly, it was so beautiful out! The sun was shining, the waves and ocean were beautiful, and there were tons of families out walking. It was definitely a reminder of how thankful I am for family and my health! 

After my run, the hubby and kiddos and I drove over to his parents for Thanksgiving lunch. He has a large family, so there were about 32 people there and we have an awesome potluck lunch. All the kids played and swam in the jacuzzi while the adults visited. What was most amazing, was my husbands Grandmother who has been in and out of the hospital since Halloween and who is currently doing hospice home care was able to make it over and spend her last Thanksgiving with all her family. It was so amazing to have her there! We love you Obachan! 

I hope all my blogger friends and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you were all blessed with much to be thankful for! I will be doing a week 1 Holiday Bootie Buster recap tomorrow! How was everyones first week?!

"Long" run for the week

Unfortunately, my long run for the week had to be done on the treadmill again. :( the hubby got off work late and he doesn't like me running very long in the dark. Was an ok run. 8 miles/1:20:45/10:05 avg
Looking forward to my next long run of 9 miles which is scheduled for Thanksgiving morning @ the beach for sure!

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Andy Irons Memorial - Kauai - 11/14/2010

Just wanted to quickly share a clip from my friends husbands memorial that took place on Sunday in Kauai. What a beautiful memorial. He was truly loved by many, and will be remembered forever. RIP Andy!

Andy Irons Memorial Video Clip

I Heart New Workout Clothes

Is it just me or are new workout clothes the best!? I was at Ross the other night with my husband and the kiddos and found these

for ONLY $9.99!

I didn't have a chance to try them on, so I didn't buy them :( BUT, I went back today and bought them. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. They are actually very flattering...even on me (and I have a big butt and bigger than average legs). I tried them out on my recovery 2 mile run today and I really liked them. For $9.99, you can't beat it! I may just go back and buy 1 more :) The only thing is that they are 92% cotton. So, I am not sure how they will be for long runs, but for the gym they are great!

I also splurged on this running jacket at Target because it was on clearance for $20.98

• Water Resistant
• Slim fitting
• Light weight
• Reflective strip above elbows
• Small zippered pocket on upper arm
• Side zip pockets
• THUMB HOLES :)

Even though the weather here in So Cal isn't very changing, I DO need a water resistant jacket in case it rains. Last year it rained the whole week before the race and I had NO running gear that was rain ready! What do you wear for your rainy runs?

Giveaways Galore!!!

I am on a blog roll today! Boya! :) Tons of giveaways this week!

#1 Below is a cool giveaway that I found via another blog this afternoon. Who couldn't use $5,000 or a new Garmin? Come on?! Heck Yes!

Saucony Giveaway!!!

#2 Kiesha over at Fitness Junkie is doing a reflective armband giveaway...but hurry, it ends today! 

These are Brooks Night Life Bands.

• They are super reflective with 3M Scotchlight retro reflective film
• You can wear them on your wrist, arms, or legs.
• The hook and loop closure makes them easily adjustable.
• They will fit over any thing you are wearing, (i.e. long sleeve, jacket, coat, snowbibs if you live in the Rockies, etc...)

#3 Running Diva Mom is having a bunch of giveaways this week!

• First, is a Go Head Band Give Away.

Ends 11/17

• Second, Flash Bright Reflective Gear Giveaway

These I LOVE! So cool!

The patches are self-adhering shapes made of Scotchlite 3M retroreflective material and can be seen over 1,000 feet away.

Some of the fun shapes include:

Hearts
Skulls
Flowers
Flames
Dogs
Cats
Halloween Designs

• Third, CEP Compression Sock Giveaway

Ends 11/11
I am most excited about this one...mainly because I have been wanting these socks since I was training this time last year for my first half marathon. Once I got to my long training runs...I really could have used these.

Prevent:

• Shin Splints, Cramps, Achilles Issues, Fatigue, Micro Muscle tears, Vibration trauma, Blisters, Blood clots from travel

Check them out...hopefully I can ACTUALLY for ONCE win something! ;)

Truely perfect

I came across this quote this morning on Mel's Blog. 

I absolutely LOVE this quote! 

We waste so much time trying to make things/ourselves/others perfect...when in reality, it is the imperfections that make us all who we are.

Right now I am in a Women's Bible Study and we are doing the study called Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore. Last night we were all talking about how easy it is for people (especially women) to get caught up in constantly  trying to win the approval and affirmation of people instead of God. It really hit me...WOW, my happiness shouldn't be dictated on how perfect I feel that I am as a a wife, mother, person in general. I DON'T have to be perfect! That striving to be perfect in all areas of my life makes me a slave to those people that I am trying to seek approval from. We all need to embrace our imperfections and not be a slave to others!!!

2010 Holiday Bootie Buster

What a GREAT idea for this holiday season! I love taking part in challenges...it really keeps me motivated since I have to share my results and be accountable. I participated in this summers SOWL challenge and had great success! I came across this Holiday Challenge on Kim's Blog and signed up immediately!

Come join the rest of the 200 people signed up for the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge!  Amanda at Run to the Finish is coordinating.  The contest runs from 11/20 to 1/7.  Click on the link above to get the rules and access to the spreadsheet.  This is how you are not going to gain 5lbs this holiday season AND win some cool prizes for working out and eating right.

It sounds really cool, because you not only gets points for running, but for ALL types of exercise. You can also get points for eating right & for completing challenges! 


WHY PARTICIPATE?? 
The involvement from everyone and encouragement is amazing. 
It kept folks from gaining holiday poundage
Some seriously good prizes…Sweaty Bands, Once Again Nut Butter, Lara bar, New Balance Shorts, Oiselle Running tank, CEP socks, green teas, yoga bag…to name a few…more details to come.

Week 5 of training

Well, I am currently in week 5 of my 15 week training program for the Carlsbad Half Marathon in January. I had a GREAT tempo run yesterday that really gave me my hope back! I had a rough week last week and I was starting to doubt myself. But thankfully yesterdays run went well :)
This week:

Week5

11/8 11/14

Tempo Run Dist: 4-5 m. 3 mi @ 9:15-9:25 ⇃ 4.5 miles with 3 miles @ tempo pace (9:23,9:14, 9:23)

Kick Boxing ⇃ AND 6 min. HIIT workout

Long Run Dist: 6-7 mi @11:00 or “steady” (9:33-9:50)

Triple Fat Burner Class @ Y

Kick Boxing Class

Rest WORK

Rest WORK

10 -12 miles

So, tomorrow I have my "long" run for the week. And I am debating running it at a steady pace or a slow pace. Any thoughts? The only reason that I ask, is I am kind of using 2 different training schedules and 1 says to do the long run at an 11:00 pace (smartcoach) and another calls for a steady pace. According to the McMillan calculator, my steady pace is 9:33-9:50. Hmm, decisions, designs! Plus, I have to do this "long" run on the treadmill tomorrow, so I already know that the run is going to be tough...I hate doing anything over 5 miles on a treadmill...but I have no other option :(

SPI belt giveaway @ skinnyrunner

Check it out...Sarah is having a SPIbelt giveaway! This is actually on my Christmas list of running gear I need! I never carry my cell phone with me because I have no where to put it....really sucks for races, because it makes it so hard to find people after!

GIVEAWAY

Where did Fall go? AND please pray.

Southern California can NOT get its' seasons right! July was freezing! Now, come November it was 97 degrees today! WTF?!!!! Luckily I got my 6 mile run in on Monday when it was NOT in the high 90's...but today I did have to put myself through treadmill torchure! I had to run 4 miles in my garage (with the door shut)! It was absolutely the worst run EVER! I wanted to quit after the 1st mile...wait who am I kidding, I wanted to quit after the 1st lap. But I couln't, I mean, wouldn't let myself not be able to put that check mark on my training schedule. Ya know?! ;)  Hopefully it cools off soon! Anywho, training is going ok. I am only 3 weeks in and my longest run has only been 6 miles; but I have gotten in a few decent tempo and hill runs. So event hough I have had a sucky week in the running department, I am optimistic. I HAVE been keeping up with all you ladies, I have just been slacking on posting.

Kind of a wierd request...but the more prayers the better. Please pray for a friend of mine, who lost her husband yeaterday and is due with their first child next month. I pray that she finds comfort and peace so that her baby can continue to stay strong and healthy. I'm sure some of you may have heard about the story.

Pro Surfer Andy Irons, RIP

Trying to figure out a training plan

As I start training this week for my 4th half marathon, I can't decide on a training plan! I need help! The first Half Marathon I did was when I was 20 years old (now I am 29!), the 2nd one was in January. I think I followed Hal Higdon's beginner plan, which was great, but I struggled the last 2 miles...so for my 3rd half in April, I vowed to run my longest long run and did 14 miles. That REALLY helped me, and finishing that half was a lot easier. Both training rounds I only ran 3 days per week, and that seemed to work for me. Since May, I have continued to run, but only averaging 35 miles a month.  This go around may be different than the last one.

Here are my issues:

This summer I joined the local Y and have been LOVING all the cross training, and all the classes. Especially Kick Boxing. I look forward to my scheduled 2 classes per week, and don't really want to give those up. I also have been doing a muscle max class once per week, which has greatly improved my strength and I don't want to give that up either. So I found a training plan that rotates running 2 and 3 times per week. That way I can still fit in all my other stuff. I figure that on a lot of the training schedules there are a few "easy 3 milers", I figure that i could substitute those days for my 1 hour kick boxing class. 1 hour of kick boxing is like doing a 5 or 6 miler! Here is the training plan that I found to kind of mold my new training plan. I really like that it incorporates tempo runs, fartlek runs, tempo runs, long run, AND most importantly gives the option of cross training instead of running. 

Tentative Training Plan for Carlsbad Half Marathon 1/23/11

PLEASE tell me what you think! 

I was also thinking of concocting a training plan that incorporated smart coach. Hmm...can't decide!

OH, and just so you know....I incorporate 3 days of REST days because 2 of those days I work an 8 hour waitressing day, and I can't imagine running even a mile after a shift. So I really only have 1 REAL REST day per week! ;)

Here are the kiddos @ Disneyland a few weeks ago. My parents were generous enough to take them both for the weekend! They had a blast!

Finally another race

Yea, Yea...I know, I have been a super duper slacker with my blog. I guess since I haven't been training, I have nothing to say. Wait, that's not true! I have just been a lazy blogger. :) But....I will have much more to blog about soon, as I registered for the Carlsbad Half Marathon today. It is January 23rd, 2011. I am excited for this race because it is the first half marathon that I ran this year after a 9 year hiatus! Plus, I am for sure running it with a high school soccer teammate whom I ran a 10k with back in May 2009. She will definitely push me hard! She pushed me to run a 9:17 pace 10k....which for me at the time was super duper speedy!
I also just called my sister who lives in Hawaii to see if she would want to run it too...and she is looking into airfare as we speak! If she can get out here and do it with me, that would be AWESOME!!!!!! So yea....soon you will be hearing much more from me! ;)
~Kelly
Oh, and don't think that I haven't been keeping up with you ladies....I have!

Where the heck have I been?

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I have posted...I guess I have been busy! But doing what? Hmm...just trying to get into the whole school routine thing. My daughter started Kindergarten at the end of August, so we are FINALLY on a schedule now. AND she just started her first season of hockey! We actually had her first game of the season Saturday! The hubby and I are so excited for her. He played inline and ice hockey since he was little and all through high school; and I played field hockey in high school! She looks so cute in all her gear! She is the only girl on her team, but there seems to be at least 1 girl on each team. Her 2 cousins are on her team too and her uncle is the head coach and my hubby is the assistant coach. Did I already say that we are excited! :)
I have still not been training for any races...which has been nice...just doing a bunch of cross training. In August I joined the local Y, so I have been consistently going to the kick boxing and muscle max classes. After checking DailyMile, I only ran 30 miles in August! YIKES! Oh well, it has been a nice change and my body seems to like it...I have lost 7 pounds since starting the SOWL challenge and only have 2 more to go to get to my goal! YAY! I was contemplating running a November Half...but I am not really feeling it, so I think I just may be doing The Carlsbad Half Marathon in January with a goal of beating this years time. So that would mean that training would start mid November...I think I can handle that! ;)

apple toast

here is my new yummy breakfast that I made this morning! it was so yummy!

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Since I've Been Gone

Well, I never made it back to post last weeks Summer of Weight Loss update...I had been battling on on and off sore throat/cough...and I worked more last week than i usually do, so that kind of took it out of me. I did weigh myself before weigh in day and I was up about 1.5 lbs! ;( Probably was from Saturday bday celebration with all my friends. We had tons of sushi, snacks, and I had a few glasses of champagne. PLUS I didn;t work out as much that week. Oh well....you win some (weigh in's), you lose some! ;)

This week however, I did pretty good. I lost that "gained" weight! Down even .3 pounds from the gain week. So that means so far on the challenge I have lost 4 pounds! 5 more to go!!!!!

I just made an AMAZING breakfast! It was posted on my new favotire workout site bodyrock.tv and let me tell you, it was delicious!

All it is is a piece of whole wheat toast with grated apples that I cooked up in a pan with a little butter, cinnamon, ginger, and brown sugar. On top were a few pecans! SOOOO good! I will post a picture from my phone soon. Hope everyone had a great week and how are all the SOWL "losers" doing???? ;)

SOWL Challenge

Weekly Summer of Weight Loss Challenge:

SOWL CHALLENGE

What are your motivators? What gets you out the door or to the gym? What makes you think twice about buying that suitcase full of Peanut M&M's at Costco? Write about it on your blog or, if you don’t blog, leave it in the comments below. 

Well, well...to be brutally honest, like Kerrie admitted on her blog, I too initially have those shallow motivators. Like, wanting to look good in my jeans...more so, a bathing suit! And, YES, these types of shallow motivators do help get the job done; but, I honestly am also motivated to lose the weight healthfully so that it doesn't have to be a constant struggle in the future. I want my kids to know what it is to be healthy, and in a GOOD way! I WANT to be here to see my kids get married, and have kids, and do all the things that I have done in life. I want to be here to see them succeed and be happy in life! I whole heartedely feel that if I do this in a healthy way, that I will change my life for the better and not constantly be struggling with the "weight issue".

What makes you think twice about buying that suitcase full of Peanut M&M's at Costco?
I always contemplate buying things like this at Costco, but knowing that it will most likely be ME that will eat them all, makes me say "HELL NO!" Even when I go to the grocery store, I buy pre-baked cookies for my husband and kids lunches, I end up eating most of them! Go figure! 
Anywho, that was the challenge this week; to ponder your real motivators for losing weight and being healthy. What are yours?
p.s. I have fallen behind this week on my weigh-in...I will update the challenge hopefully tonight! But since last week was a big loss, I am not expecting ANYTHING!

SOWL update week #3

This will be a quick post, because it is my birthday(OMG, I am actually 29!), and I need to get ready to go out to dinner. 

The result:

I lost 2.2 pounds this week! I am soooo happy! All the work the last few weeks has paid off and in the last 3 weeks I have lost 3.6 pounds. Which is GREAT and I did it in a healthy way! :) Hope every one else participating in the challenge had a successful week as well! Now, off to dinner! YAY!

testing mobile blogging

just sitting here eating my yummy salad updating my phone apps while the hubby is laying on the couch and my son is brushing my hair. love it! updated my blogger-droid and wanted to test it out on my phone!

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SOWL update week #2

Good but not great, I lost another .7 pounds! ;)  Just another 6.5 to go! I was hoping for almost 2 this week, but oh well! I had a great week of exercise and my calories were where they were supposed to be. I think because since my kidney stones, I have been drinking a BUTTLOAD of H20, which is maybe making the scale a bit skewed (hey, this is my excuse, don't ruin it!) Hehehe. 

Here is what my week looked like: *by the way, for those of you who don't recall, I am using my bodybugg to track my calories burned and consumed*

Tuesday: *weigh in day is Tuesday for me*

Exercise: ran 2.5 miles & did 12 min. interval workout

TOTAL calorie burn: 2745 calories

TOTAL calories consumed: ~2140 

Wednesday:

Exercise: ran 3 miles & did 20 minute interval workout

TOTAL calorie burn: 2646

TOTAL calories consumed: ~1563

Thursday:

Exercise: ran 2.5 miles & did 10 minute interval workout

TOTAL calorie burn: 2254

TOTAL calories consumed:~1921

Friday:

Exercise: ran 3.5 miles & 12 minute interval workout

TOTAL calorie burn: 2713

TOTAL calories consumed:~1608

Saturday:

Exercise: 6hour waitress shift, Kick boxing 45 minutes & 12 minute interval workout

TOTAL calorie burn: 3090

TOTAL calories consumed:~1456

Sunday:

Exercise: 6 hour waitress shift

TOTAL calorie burn: 2763

TOTAL calories consumed:~1376

Monday:

Exercise: ran 3 miles

TOTAL calories burned: 3101

TOTAL calories consumed:~1643

So, according to my bodybugg program, I should have lost more weight. :( Oh well, I am feeling good and stronger! I seem to not be able to get myself under 1300 calories for the day, so I am trying a new protein shake that i got at Costco to have for lunch during the week. It is a soy protein meal replacement shake and i had it today for lunch and just blended it up with water, ice and a few berries. It was delicious! AND, only 150 calories !!!! Anyone have success with not only weight loss, but overall health using protein shakes??? I have heard that Shakeology is a great product too. Anyone try that brand?

I can't believe I turned it down...

If you remember, my goal for the year was to complete the Triple Crown. Three races here in southern California. Well, I completed 2 and didn't register in time for the 3rd. I was desperately trying to find a bib to transfer before the 15th...well, I found someone on facebook yesterday morning and they emailed me for my number. So sad.....

I had to email them back to say that I had to pass. SAY WHAT?!!!!!!!!! After discussing it with my hubby, he asked, "well, can we really afford it right now?" "Aren't you already scheduled to work?". My response was... well i guess not, AND yea...that sucks!

But after thinking about it, I had no one to race it with...and I can do them all again next year. Hopefully this time with some more friends. I did the first one with 1 girl friend of mine, but the second one I did alone, and I'm not gonna lie, it kind of sucked doing it alone.

Positive note: I went to the Dr.'s yesterday for a follow up on my emergency room trip 3 weeks ago, the Doctor was really concerned that the Urologist couldn't see me until the 26th, so she is putting in an urgent refferal for a new Dr. to see if he can see me before the 26th. Hopefully so, I just want to see if everything is ok. I still have some back pain around my left kidney that concerns me. It doesn't hurt when I run, but in certain postions it really really aches, it is just not normal pain for me :(  

Still havn't found a new fruit or vegetable to try...I need some ideas here people! ;)

Hey, at least I worked out...

So tired today! Yesterdays workout kicked my butt, and I felt it today! I was really debating working out or not today, but I knew that I would feel better once it was over. So I took the kiddos outside and set up all their bikes and toys and hopped on the treadmill. Did a recovery 2.5 mile run...was debating doing some time on the elliptical, but wanted to still do a little interval training, so I opted out on the elliptical. Did a quick and shorter version of bodyrock.tv's 20 minute workout. I cut it in half and only did 10 minutes. (but still a great workout)! Here is what it consisted of: (if you are interested!) ;)

1. One leg mountain climbers 
2. Modified push ups
3. Sliding lunge with lateral arm raise
4. Abs- cross knee ups with weights
5. Side slide lunge with bicep curls

I did each exercise for 20 seconds then a 10 second rest and I did that 4 times for EACH exercise.

I have good news! ;)  I finally got a Dr.'s appointment with my primary Dr. (not the urologist) today at 3:15. So hopefully he can refer me to a GOOD urologist. I will keep you posted!


SOWL (Summer of Weigh Loss) Challenge for the week is to eat a fruit or vegetable that you have NEVER eaten before...I am having a hard time with this. Any suggestions?????

Workout Wednesday

Last night was my Dad's 57th birthday...so me and the family went to their country club for Taco Tuesday. Yum! 

2 tacos, 2 Diet cokes, and a piece of Key Lime pie later....I ate too much! AHHH! So today was Workout HARD Wednesday for me! It was great though to see my Dad having a great birthday celebration...made me happy :)

So, for my workout today I did:

1) Tempo run on the treadmill:

     1/2 mile warmup

     2 miles at tempo pace of 9:31

     1/2 mile cooldown

     TOTAL= 3 miles in 29:03

2) Bodyrock.tv workout 20 minutes

This workout consisted of 5 different exercise that I did for 4 minutes each in the 50 sec. max rep/10 sec rest interval.

• 10 high knees and drop down=1 rep
• Side to side pike jumps
• Reverse crunches
• Side step ups onto a chair
• Super girl push up

*** Let me tell you, this workout kicked my ass! I was exhausted and could really tell that it was working me! Someone out there in bloggyland, please try this workout and  tell me that i am not crazy for hating liking these interval workouts!

P.S. My body bugg said that I burned 560 calories in my workout today ;) YAY!

HERE is the workout link. It has the video and photos of each exercise. 

I will also post the youtube video.

Weekly Weigh in #1

Well, today was the first weigh in since starting the SOWL Challenge and i am proud to say that even though I ate a ton of crappy food on Sunday AND was in bed for the majority of the day yesterday with a migraine, AND my "monthly friend" visited this morning.............I am down .8 pounds! It is NOT the 1.5 pounds I was striving for, but hey...I will take it! ;) I am hoping that this low loss will result in a BIG loss next Tuesday :) I did an okay workout today of 2.5 miles on the treadmill, and then did the following interval workout from bodyrock.tv



These types of workouts from bodyrock.tv will be scheduled in my workouts 3 times per week, so I will be sharing them with you all and hopefully some will join me...the workouts are great! AND most are only 12 minutes long!!!!

Summer of Weigh Loss Challenge

Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July weekend! I have decided to join Kerrie at Mom vs marathon in her Summer of Weight Loss (SOWL) challenge. Check it out! We all will be cheering each other on and supporting one another from now until September 22nd in our weight loss journey. She will also be posting challenges every Wednesday! ;) So here goes....

My goal is to lose 10 pouinds!

Here are my measurements (I can't believe I am posting these!!!!)

 Chest 32"

Waist 30.5"

Hips 43"

Midway 38.5"

R-Thigh 24" L-Thigh 23.5"

R-knee 16" L-knee 15.5"

R-calf 14.5" L-calf 14.5"

Arm both were 11"
* If you need help doing your measurement, Kerrie posted a good link on her SOWL post above, check it out!

I AM NOT POSTING MY WEIGHT! ;).......But here are before photos.

These were taken on Friday July 2nd
Tuesday (today) is my offical weigh in day...so I will post my progress for the week as soon as I get to a scale...I am not expecting a loss on the scale this week, since this weekend i TOTALLY ate way too much, and my good old "monthly" friend visited today. But we shall see. Hope everyone else's first week went well!

New Workout Plan/Weight Loss Goals

For starters, I am feeling much better from my incident with kidney stones other than a sore back; I am just waiting on a call back from the Urologist to see what he finds in my CAT scan. So, praying that everything is clear! 

As far as training goes, I am pretty sure that I will not be getting a spot in the America's Finest City Half Marathon in August! ;( There are multiple people asking to buy peoples bibs on both craigslist AND facebook. Some people are even willing to pay $200! CRAZY! SO.........

I'm going to be changing up my workout routine and setting new goals for the summer until I start training for the Long Beach Half Marathon in October. I feel that posting these goals here somewhat keeps me more accountable since I have to report my progress.

Overall Goals 

1. Continue to exercise at least 4 times per week.
2. Keep my overall fitness up so that when training resumes in late August early September, I will be ready and not "starting over"!
3. Drink AT LEAST 60 ounces of water per day.
4. Try new exercise routines, mix it up!
5. Start tracking my calories more diligently.
6. Lose these last freakin' 9 pounds that have been plaguing me since having kids. 

***I mean I know that I will NEVER be at "wedding weight" ;) but I REALLY want to be at pre-kid weight. I wanna fit into my pre preggo clothes so that I don't have to throw them away. Yes, i am being whiny over here, but who cares?!

Anyone else have summer goals they want to share? Please do! I would LOVE to see what new workouts everyone is doing so that I can maybe try them.

Kidney Stones....REALLY!?

Well this weekend was just fantabulous! (MUCH sarcasm here). To start off on a positive note, training for the week went really well. I completed all my runs, and even went over my mileage by 1 mile ;) 

Monday:           3 miles easy

Tuesday:           6 mile "long" run

Wednesday:      REST

Thursday:          5 mile Tempo Run

Friday:              Supposed to be cross training...ended up being day spent in Emergency Room

So....Friday morning I woke up before the kids got up and made coffee and got on the computer to pay some bills. The usual stuff. As 7:15 rolls around, I get a sharp pain in my tummy (kind of like diarrhea cramps)...yea, sucks! Then, within 3 minutes (seriously) I start sweating like no other. I haven't sweat this much in my ENTIRE life. I saw beads of sweat on places I didn't even know i sweat! Then I just started throwing up :( and of all things to throw up...coffee! I couldn't drink coffee for a few days, let me put it that way! Great, I thought to myself that i must have food poisoning. I just kept saying to myself, let's hurry this up, let me barf and you know what and get it over with before the kids get up! NOPE. Kept throwing up and the cramps got even worse, it was starting to feel like intense labor! Between bouts of throwing up, I manged to call the hubby and told him to come home, that I was really really sick. Thank GOD, he was home within 20 minutes, as my oldest daughter was waiting outside my bathroom door and my 2 year old was banging on his bedroom door.

More puke, more stomach pains, and now my lower back was in horrible pain. I couldn't get into a comfortable position, and I couldn't stop throwing up. The hubby is an ex paramedic and kept telling me that we should go to the hospital. I kept telling him no, that it was just food poisoning, and that I would be fine soon. As the hours pass, I am NOT getting better, just worse...can hardly even walk from bedroom to bathroom. I FINALLY give in and we call the mother in law to come get the kids, and we are off to the Emergency Room. The whole ride there was excruciating. The car ride made the pain even worse and all that I could think about was getting pain relief. 

After checking in and getting the usual IV and blood drawn, I got my pain medication (THANK GOD)!!!! I am telling you that it was WORSE than labor and I pray that I NEVER have to go through that again! After getting a CT Scan, turns out that I have kidney stones. Say What?! I thought that only old people got that! :) So after a morning full of excruciating pain, and 6 hours at the hospital, I was sent home with drugs and a strainer to pee into until I pass the kidney stones. So yes, I had a wonderful weekend! I AM feeling a lot better, still just tender in my kidney area on my back, and still no passing of these killer stones. I keep waiting for it to happen, but I was also told that they may disinagrate. Who knows...anyone have this before? I would love to hear your story, and your advice so that I NEVER EVER have to go through that again!

~Kelly