You Dirty Dog

It's terrible when winter is so long and cold that you have to wait for a day above freezing to give the dogs a bath. Our two bassets were stinky and itchy and in need of a good clean up. Yesterday it was too windy and cold to go for a walk but it was warm enough to take a bath, get towel dried and hang out in the house. I got off at 4:30, threw dinner together, started laundry and then got both our dogs into the tub. Everyone smells nice and fresh and I think they are less itchy! While they dried out I spent an hour on the trainer and then I finished up my Business Intelligence class and worked on the music for my final project in Innovations. This morning I was 2 pounds lighter!!! Success!!! Now I just have to keep it off. I'm trying to cut back further on my salt so we'll see if that causes a consistent change. It looks like we are gearing up for another snow storm, which means more running in the basement. The Songza and I will have to come to an agreement!

90210 Slumber Party

I realized that I never even talked about my Monday workout I was SO annoyed with the scale! Monday I did Tracy Anderson's Beginner for the first time. I was surprised that it is a COMPLETELY silent workout. She's talking, but there is no other sound and she talks about working out and not watching television, reading a book, etc. Since I much prefer to exercise outside I totally get it! The workout didn't seem hard while I was doing it but my entire body was HOT afterwards and my hip flexors were killing me yesterday. Last night when I got home I changed into spring running clothes (an orange shirt and peachy shorts) and headed down for a run in the basement. The Songza and I are working on our relationship - I started with a 90's dance fest and eventually traded it for a 90210 Slumber Party. I'm not sure why I like to run to a bunch of old Rap and Hip Hop but it definitely keeps me moving. The last two laps the dogs spread out to become basset hurdles. I am going to start incorporating more pictures into the blog. Even though the weight isn't coming off it was cool to wear the spring running clothes because this is the first time they have ever fit - and I bought them 2 years ago!!!!!

Weight Gain and Half Marathon Training

Completely ridiculous I know. I gained two pounds over the weekend and haven't gotten it off yet. I know it's only Tuesday but I seriously feel like I am working all the time!!!! I have read a few articles about weight gain and training and muscle mass and gorging after runs. Using My Fitness Pal has helped a lot with identifying my nutrition goals. My current allowance is 1300 without exercise and then I usually burn 800 or a so a day with my Fit Bit and then a workout on top of it. I think this week I'm going to try to lock down at 1500 calories a day regardless of exercise and see if that will make a difference... so tired of feeling fat!

I Ran FOUR Miles

I know this isn't a big deal for most people training for their first half marathon, but this is the first time I think I have ever run 4 miles without stopping!!!! Friday I got off work early, met Brian for a lunch date, took the dogs for a long walk and rode the trainer for 30 minutes. I did homework too - but that's every day for me! Saturday morning we got up and took care of groceries. I was getting more and more nervous about the run so finally I just put everything on and went for it. I did a Rocktane GU (awesome!!!) before I left and everything went well. In the afternoon we took the dogs for a short walk to pay the gas bill and then spent the rest of the day inside. Sunday morning I woke up to some exertion rhabdo urine so yesterday I took things easier, drank lots of water and ate a lot of protein. As far as I can tell everything is fine! In the afternoon I did 60 minutes on the trainer and watched most of a bad movie. I need to plan ahead for what I want to watch while I'm on there!

I Am Out of Free Skips for the Month on Songza

Yesterday it was warm enough to run outside (44) but we had this freakish snow and ice in the morning and there were 45 mph wind gusts, so I tried out the running shorts again in the basement. Running in our basement has parts that are good and bad. 120 laps equals 2 miles! I pulled up my Songza and flipped it onto the TV. I almost always opt for 90's music or R&B to get moving. Yesterday I used up the rest of my skips for the month and declined to pay the $3.99 a month to have unlimited skips. I didn't bring my iPod down so I spent some time changing the stations. I can say yesterday was the first time I've run to Mariah Carey AND the first time I've ever heard 4 Non-Blondes remixed by a DJ. It was good and I was glad to be done. We had a quick dinner of sauteed zucchini, steamed spinach, cantalope, chipotle salmon and 10 minute farro cooked with vegetable broth. I had a little brain fart while I was cooking and completely spaced making a starch to go with our dinner so I had a plate of veggies and fruit followed by carbs and protein. Brian was gone at church and scouts all night and I finished the last 50 pages of my boring Innovation textbook!!! A little more reading, one more post, two projects and I will be done with grad school!!!!

Veggie Patch Pizza - And a Ride in the Basement

Wednesday is usually my LONG day at work so I closed up the office at 4:30 and while the dogs were outside for their potty break I threw on my walking shoes and a hoody and took them for 3 miles. We didn't run into ANY other dogs while we were out so it was a good experience for all of us. We still have tortillas leftover from graduation so we made veggie patch pizza on flour tortillas. It took care of my pizza craving and got rid of leftover veggies and cheese. I take a half sheet pan from Sysco and place three taco size flour tortillas on it, then spread on pizza sauce (or sliced fresh tomatoes) toppings and a little cheese and toss them into a 400 degree oven for 5-7 minutes. You have to watch them but I like it a little crisy. Last night we topped them with sliced mushrooms, diced red pepper and diced green onion. After we ate I slipped down for a 30 minute ride on the trainer and alternated between "My 600 Pound Life" and a re-run of "The Big Bang Theory" and spent the rest of the evening with my textbook.... which is never as fun as it sounds!

Sock It To Me

Yesterday I did a two mile run in the cemetery. It was sunny and 65 degrees so I put on my favorite running knickers from Nike and a t-shirt and hit the road. On our trip to Minnesota I picked up some running socks to try. I got a pair of Merrill's Running Socks at Mall of America that make my feet SO HAPPY. They are cushioned and have a little compression and are seriously the cats meow. I also picked up 4 pairs at Adidas. The Adidas runnign socks are very pretty but I learned yesterday that they don't come up very high on the back of my heel and since everything is melting, I need something to absorb the splashes to keep my shoe from rubbing. I am going to try them again in "dry" conditions and will test them on the bike to see if they will work well for that. They do have a little extra "support" in the arch so I appreciated that. After the run I took the dogs for an hour walk and then packed up for my very last class in Omaha!!! 10 more days of class work and I will be done with my graduate degree! Even more good news? I broke my plateau and lost half a pound - after hovering at this weight for so long I'll take it!