Sore, Slow, Hot and Tired

I have had to make some adjustments to my running schedule to accommodate the 5k's I've registered for so yesterday instead of 3 miles I ran 4. The first mile was pure torture. My left hip is still feeling a little cranky, but not near as bad as it was two weeks ago. I'm a little nervous that it's sciatica, but now that I'm running I understand the fear of advice from a medical professional to rest.... so I'm stretching, popping ibuprofen and taking in plenty of fluids. I know it won't help/cure it if that is the cause, but it distracts my brain in the interim. It's only 3 more weeks until the half marathon and then I'll rest a few days and finish training for my triathlon in June. I do more stretching post run than I do pre-run so maybe I'll add a few more hip and back stretches before to see if that helps!

Long Days - Spring Nights

Yesterday I worked a regular shift and then went to church to help with a funeral. It was a beautiful service but I was completely zapped after and Brian had a meeting at church in the evening. Usually Monday night is aerobics but since I don't have access to Ellen Barnett and I didn't think I could keep up with Jillian Michael's or Tracy Anderson I decided to take the dogs for a long walk. I had a really light dinner (fiesta lime chicken salad for 300 calories) so hopefully I was able to burn enough to work some of this fat off! I took in a LOT of sweets yesterday (a cupcake at work, followed by an oatmeal cookie and a pumpkin bar at the funeral) so the walk helped get the sugar out =) Spring allergies are in full effect in Lincoln which means itchy dogs and sleepy/sneezing humans. Hopefully we'll get some rain to settle it all down!

Rest - Run - Rest

Friday after work I got home and dove into some housework before taking the dogs on a long walk to pay the cable and gas bills. Because of trail construction we had to extend our route and ended up going a little over an hour. They were worn out and it was a beautiful spring day. My mom and Roger were out of town for the weekend so we also took care of her dogs. Saturday morning we got up early to do communion prep and then I ran home from church. 9 MILES!!!! My official time was 2 hours and 3 minutes so I had another very consistent run. The first three miles I felt a little overwhelmed and I was annoyed by the wind in my face but once I headed west and started thinking about how far I have come the last 8 weeks I felt pretty inspired to finish strong. I won't lie, there were plenty of runners who passed me on Saturday, but I finished and it was very empowering. Sunday we spent the entire morning at church and then gave the dogs baths and took them for a walk to return the Wolf of Wall Street. While I'm sure that it was true, the movie was very intense and kind of gross. I won't watch it again, and it's nothing that you can watch with kids. Overall it was a nice weekend. I feel really non-productive being out of school and it has been hard to tire my brain out and sleep. I've been having lots of funny, vivid dreams. While I will begin studying for certification very soon I am looking for something else to challenge my brain before I start a new job!

A Run and Some Gratitude

Yesterday was cold and wet - day 2 of 3 =( so I ran 3 miles in the basement - the first one with my new purple Nike's, and the second and third with my black and neon pair. My feet were a little tender this morning but I feel better now that I've been up and moving. After dinner (Cajun brats, rice, asparagus, spinach and strawberries) Brian had a Bright Lights meeting and Boy Scouts and I ran errands and wrote graduation thank you cards. We have two gifts that we don't know who the giver was, so hopefully people don't think we are rude.... If you gave us Chocolatier Blue or a bottle of white wine for graduation speak up - I would like to drop you a note!!!

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

Brian and I both have a soft spot for peanut butter and jelly. Some of our early dates were shared in the back both at Bison Witches over grilled peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches. It's a family affair, and Erik loves PB&J for lunch, or a bedtime snack. Last night Brian went to Honest Abe’s Burgers and Truth to get us their peanut butter and roasted grape burger and an order of truffle fries.... SO delicious!!!! After dinner I spent an hour on the trainer with Cold Justice (my new favorite show) and my 600 pound life, which always helps me finish the workout. It rained overnight and looks like another cold day today.... won't spring ever make it to Lincoln?

More Tuba

April Fool's Day was so busy! I was able to get off work at noon and meet Brian for lunch - and the most amazing BROWNIE cheesecake for dessert. Then we changed clothes and packed up to meet the LSE Tuba's for Happy April Tuba's Day surprises. We did 4 houses and the kids played the Oompa Loompa Song and the Storm Troopers March from Star War's. We finally got them back to school at 5:30, prepped dinner, ran 3 miles in the basement, Brian fertilized at all three houses and then we got cleaned up and went to bed. My run started a little rough last night breaking in new shoes and new running knickers and my hip was still a little sore. Today everything feels much better. It is cold and blustery again so I'm praying for spring!

Wait - Let me Take a Rest Day

Even though I laid around all afternoon Sunday, my legs were still exhausted yesterday. We took Angel (the cat) to the vet in the afternoon and are still waiting for lab results. After her appointment Brian and I feasted on leftovers and then he went to a meeting at church and I took on the grocery store and wrote all our birthday cards for April. Shortly after that I dozed off on the couch and Brian woke me up about 8:40 to go to bed. This is the second true rest day I have taken since July of 2013 and it still feels really weird. I know it is good for your body, but I really want to keep moving forward!