Seriously?!

Well boys and girls, when it rains it pours! Tonsillitis.... that's right, I got tonsillitis along with that amazing sinus infection I've been fighting. Lucky for me I now have penicillin which will fix both! I passed on swimming today, because my head was still pounding. I'm hoping to fit in a good run tomorrow, although my legs are quite sore today!

This weekend is going to be fun... I'm going to an Italian Festival! I can't wait!!!

Oh yes, and Happy Halloween to all those who celebrate! Vanilla over at Half-Fast posted a link to find out your own Monster Name. Here are mine!

Get Your Monster Name

Get Your Monster Name

Back to business...

Okay so work-outs this past week were um scarce to say the least due to a busy social calendar. I did intervals on Tuesday and went swimming. The roommate and I did arms and abs Wednesday before swim lessons. We have finally made it to free-style swimming, which is much more difficult than I thought it would be. I need lots of practice with breathing properly. Wednesday night we celebrated Chris' birthday (HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!) at a local martini bar. I will admit that it was the first time I ever had a martini. I tried a "Snickertini" (complete with peanuts around the rim of the glass... YUM!!) and a "Naughty Girl Scout" (chocolate and mint, need I say more??). Thursday the temperature dropped here, which resulted in a killer sinus headache. It didn't fully hit me until late that night when we were out at a Halloween-like party (no, I didn't dress up this year). All I have to say is thank God for Sudafed PE! Friday the roommate and I went swimming, which made me feel a LOT better. Otherwise, I just relaxed on Friday. I needed a recovery day. Saturday was the big birthday celebration which was a blast!!! I had such a great time! Thus Sunday ended up being a recovery day as well...

By this morning my legs were sore and achy from having not run in so long. Today I decided I needed to get back out there! I ran 5K on the treadmill... and it was rough. Rough but AMAZING! It felt soooooo good to run again! I really need to step up my game; the half marathon is coming very quickly. Don't worry, I'll be careful, but I'm determined to do well. So here is the plan for this week...

Tuesday: Intervals and swimming
Wednesday: Arms, abs, and swimming
Thursday: Some type of run
Friday: Arms, abs, and swimming
Saturday or Sunday: a run on one day and resting on the other.

I hope everyone else is doing great! I am wayyyyy behind on my blog reading, so I apologize!

Happy Mole Day!!!

Happy Mole Day to any fellow chemistry dorks out there!

So this past weekend I didn't run at all. I did dance at the wedding, and Sunday I practiced my swimming drills. Yesterday I didn't work-out, but I had errands to run an chores to do. Today I did intervals with Joe then went swimming with Rebecca (unfortunately the roommate is sick). This week's social calendar is looking pretty packed, so I will probably slack on the working-out. But fear not, I think my body is still craving rest and then it will be happy to run 12 miles (my plan for my next long run). Tomorrow I plan to do arms/abs/swimming. Maybe a light run and swim on Friday, and a light run Saturday. Then probably swimming on Sunday.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Pictures from the weddings

With my beautiful cousin, Ashley

You have to love my cousin Dan's shirt... he wore that to the rehearsal dinner. LOL

Again with the Little Cuz

The dress

My absolutely gorgeous cousin and her husband, Corey

My self portrait. LOL

With my aunts

My favorite picture... with "Daddy Warbucks". LOL

My beautiful co-worker, April

With Chris at April's Wedding

I might as well get this over with...

Maybe I jinxed myself with my earlier post today because tonight's run did not go well. I started off physically and mentally feeling great! I met Joe at 7:30, and we started off with a 9:30 pace. Unfortunately the humidity sucked, and I guess it really got to me. I was having troubles catching my breath, and by the time we reached 4.5 miles I had to stop. My face suddenly felt like it was on fire yet numb and tingly at the same time. Then my whole body felt tingly, and I was light-headed. Needless to say, we walked alllllll the way back (a LONG 4.5 miles). I am frustrated and pissed at myself. Per Joe's recommendation, I'm not going to run the rest of the week, but just practice my swimming. I'm afraid of hitting a "wall" an ruining my running, so I'm going to make this week my taper off week instead of next. Hopefully that will help.

So here's a great big THANK YOU to Joe for sticking it out with me. And making me rest when I obviously need it. But next week, it's on! LOL

It's Love Your Body Day!!!

According to MSN, October 18, 2007 is “Love Your Body Day”! I think this is a brilliant holiday, because not enough people truly appreciate and love their bodies. I will be quite honest when I say that do not always love my body. I feel that certain areas of my body could be more tone, trim, etc. (who doesn’t?). However today is “Love Your Body Day”, so I am going to list the reason that I do love my body.

I love that my body is morphing into a “runner’s body”. My legs are strong enough to carry me eleven miles and are on their way to being able to withstand 26.2 miles. My knees have grown stronger, so I no longer need a knee brace when running. For years I have never worn shorts, and I am happy to say that I now wear them when running. Running has boosted my self esteem and confidence. I am learning to love my body more and more every day.

I love that my body is learning to adapt to the water and helping me overcome my fears. I am wearing a bathing suit. In public no less! (Granted I’m still wearing shorts, but eventually I’ll get over that as well.) I love that my body is able to glide through the water and will eventually make it through my first triathlon.

I love that my body has grown physically more powerful so I am able to do the more advanced Pilates moves. My core has become stronger each week, which has also helped my running.

I love that my body is healthy and allows me to enjoy adventures like skydiving, hang gliding, kayaking, and rock climbing. I love that my body has the ability to dance. (Speaking of dancing… it does have many forms… has anyone ever tried one of those “Striptease Aerobics” classes? I’ve read an MSN article about it today, and I have always been curious about trying it… the Carmen Electra videos are pretty fun when no one is watching. lol)

…And with that, I love that my body has the ability to make others laugh. My body may not always be the epitome of grace, but its clumsiness can be quite amusing.

Although I do get frustrated with it, I love my curly hair. I would not be “Jes” without my naturally, frizzy, crazy, curly hair (To Hell with Straight Hair!).

So there we have it. I encourage others to “Love Your Body” today! Appreciate your body for all of its good points and acknowledge its flaws, because that is what makes each of us unique.

On another note, I was asked about exercises and stretches that may be done with the foam roller. I purchased my “GoFit” foam roller at Target . It came with a great DVD that shows you several different stretches that may be done with the roller. I “Googled” foam roller and came across a RW Discussion , as well as a RW article, and another excellent article with pictures from PerformBetter.com. I very highly recommend using the roller, and I’ve heard that the “stick” works just as well.

Time for an update

I’ve been so busy that I’ve fallen behind on my blogging and reading blogs… Man, I have a lot to read! Okay, time for an update…

Thursday
The scheduled 11 mile run. The roommate did not end up going because she had another commitment, but Joe and I headed out for our run at a local park that I absolutely love. We didn’t start our run until later in the evening, but the start was great because we watched the sunset over the little river. Later we even saw a single firework go off. It was nice. I had little energy and my stomach was off all day. I definitely ran slower than usual. We planned on running down the trail to the 5 mile mark then running back and finishing the last mile going the opposite direction. Unfortunately by the time we reached the 4.5 mile mark it was very dark and in order to get to the 5 mile mark we would have had to cross a fairly busy street. We decided to turn back and add in a little extra at the end; however, we did not know how much to add. After the run, we mapped out the distance on Runstoppable and determined that we ran 10.71 miles in 2:06 (that time included a bathroom stop for me and a few water stops since I opted not to carry my water bottle… yeah, I won’t make that mistake again). It is not a great time, but I hope to make up for it this week. I told Joe that I need him to kick my butt this week, because that half-marathon is getting closer! After the run, I convinced Joe to buy a foam roller… I told him it would change his life…. I absolutely LOVE mine!

Friday
I ended up going out of town earlier than expected to attend my cousin’s rehearsal dinner. It was soooo much fun, and there was a lot of delicious food as well. That night we (my aunt, uncle, and myself) checked into the hotel. There was a party downstairs with all the family and wedding party, but I was exhausted and decided to go to bed early.

Saturday
I woke-up early to run in the closet-sized gym at the hotel. My plan was to run 6 miles, which I did. Unfortunately the closet-sized room had a wall that was completely covered by a mirror (probably so you didn’t feel like the walls were closing in on you). Why was this unfortunate? Because I got a nice view of how large my a** looked running on the treadmill! LOL As if that wasn’t bad enough, there was an older woman who was on the other treadmill when I got there. She was still going when I finished (she was run/walking, but her walking was on a super sharp incline and at a fast pace). We chatted for a bit when I finished, and I found out she was 71 years old (with absolutely NO butt by the way… well now fat at all), and she runs 12 miles every day! EVERY DAY!!! She doesn’t race (I asked… I was convinced she was a marathoner.) Yeah, so I got my butt beat by a 71 year old woman.

After my run, I took a shower and went back to sleep for a bit. When the rest of my family woke-up we went down for a delicious complimentary breakfast. This hotel had the best complimentary breakfast ever! They had pretty much any breakfast food you can image (and if you recall that is my favorite kind!) including a station where they were making omelets/pancakes/french toast/etc. I had an egg white omelet with all the veggies (including asparagus! Yum!) and no cheese. Then some fruit and toast as well. It was FANTASTIC! My plan was to eat a nice big breakfast and just a little snack for lunch, because well the wedding was going to be full of food!

After breakfast I was completely lazy! It was wonderful! I went to the hot tub, then took another nap, then talked to my good friend for a few hours on the phone. Finally I was bored, so I decided to get dressed for the wedding.

The Wedding!
The wedding was absolutely magnificent, and it must have cost a fortune! My cousin Ashley, the bride, looked stunning! Her dress was spectacular. The ceremony was wonderful, and was a blend between non-denominational and Jewish (it was quite interesting!). The bride and groom met while attending the University of Florida (he was her TA actually)… so there were plenty of gator references though-out the evening. It was great! I ate a ton of food and discovered a new favorite alcoholic beverage (amaretto and orange juice… nice and sweet and delicious!!!... you have to love an open bar!). I held up well until the father-daughter dance, but that was expected. I did get quite a few compliments on my dress, which made me smile. There was one older guy (from the groom’s side) that came up to me and asked if he could take my picture. I offered to be in a picture with him instead. I asked him his name, and all he would tell me was “Daddy Warbucks”. LOL. He was great! Then there was one lady who kept telling me I should be on the red carpet (she had quite a bit to drink). It was a nice self-esteem boost. I did a lot of dancing as well, and I’m sure I looked just as ridiculous as I felt. I am happy to say that my shoes did not leave any blisters, but by the end of the night the balls of feet were KILLING me. I am not a high heel girl… it was rough. Lol. By the time we got back to the hotel (where more partying ensued), I was limping pretty badly. I imagine that is how I will walk after my first marathon.

Sunday
I drove home after sleeping in for a bit. I got my grocery shopping done and hung out with a particular gentlemen friend. (o: We had some absolutely delicious chinese food!

Monday
I didn’t work out again until Monday. Joe and I decided to go to the lap pool (the roommate had a class, so she couldn’t join us). We got stuck sitting around for an hour waiting for a lane to be free. We only swam for about a half an hour, during which I practiced my drills. It was sad how tired I was after only 30 minutes of swimming.

Tuesday
I told Joe I wanted him to kick my butt this week, and he did! The roommate, Joe, and I did interval running. We started with a 2 minute warm-up, then ran 2 minutes/walked 2 minutes. This run/walk was repeated for a total of 4 times, then we cooled down for a little bit. The entire work-out lasted only 20 minutes, yet I was exhausted! I can see that this will definitely help me, and I have a long way to go. But I will get there. After that, the roommate and I went to the pool and swam for just over 30 minutes. It wasn’t long, but she was frustrated and I was tired. We promised ourselves we’d get in the full 3 hours of practice next week.

Here’s the work-out plan for the next week:

Wednesday: arms/abs and swim lesson
Thursday: 11 mile run (the roommate isn’t running because her mom is coming into town. Joe is supposed to kick my butt again)
Friday: arms/abs and swimming
Saturday (or maybe Sunday): 6 mile run (and Saturday is the second wedding)
Monday: swimming
Tuesday: interval run and swimming
(I am missing spinning and pilates, but there are only so many hours in the day.)

I will post some pictures from both weddings next week. I figure it would be easier to put the pictures all in one post. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

How did I miss that?!

Seriously, how did I miss what has to be one of the best holidays ever?! I just read in the Runner's World Beginner's Forum that yesterday, October 10th, was National Angel Food Cake Day! That is my FAVORITE cake (very, very, very closely followed by chocolate cake with chocolate icing).

What are the odds the wedding cake this weekend will be angel food cake? (o;

Funniest Blog: Vote for Amy!

I just read that Amy has been nominated for the Funniest Blog Award! I have mentioned her blog, The Lawsons Do Dallas, quite a few times. Her blog is one that I look forward to reading every day! So please, check out her blog and vote for her by clicking on the Funniest Blog Award link (scroll down to the comments until you see "The Lawsons Do Dallas" then click the plus sign).

Go Amy!!!

Swim Lesson #1: I Survived

The week did not start out well. Why you may ask? Pink eye! that's right. I got pink eye! What a terrible way to start the week! I went to the doctor's and got some medicated eye drops. He said he's seen quite a few cases of pink eye lately. Bleh. I'm not allowed to wear my contacts for a week... well I refuse to wear glasses to the wedding, but otherwise I am sporting the glasses this week.

Yesterday I only had time to run a mile before pilates due to a meeting at work running late. To make up for yesterday, the roommate and I decided to run 2 miles before heading to swimming. Then we headed to swimming...

The instructor is great. She really knows her stuff, and is a certified swim instructor. She is also a triathlete coach. She is teaching us total immersion swimming (click the link for a great three-part article I found online). She told us that she was going to make us unlearn the free-style techniques we already knew then build us up learning the total immersion method (no problem... I don't have a style). According to the hand-out we received, "Total Immersion concentrations primarily on making you balanced and aligned so that you can slip effortlessly through the water. It imprints correct technique on the nervous system through a series of drills that are a lot of fun to do but that break the swim stroke down into manageable parts. Each drill builds on the one that preceded it."

The first thing we had to do was swim the length of the lap pool (25 yards) and back free-style. I seriously have not actually tried to swim since... well since I was a kid. I looked TERRIBLE. I felt TERRIBLE. I came very close to tears before making it back, gasping for air. The entire time I was thinking, "What the h*** was I thinking?! I can NOT swim! The instructor is going to ask me to leave!" I eventually made it back and waited while someone else went. I felt sick.

I was expecting the instructor to ask me to leave, but instead she continued with the lesson. The first drill we learned was called "Back Balance". I had tried this previously with Rebecca, so I felt a little less nervous... and it helped that everyone was doing this and not just me, like when we did the free-style swim. After that we "found our sweet spot" with drill two. This led to another drill and then another. Basically we learned how to swim on our backs and side with our bodies relaxed in the water, using our hips for kicking, not using our hands, and practicing breathing.

The instructor gave us tips, and by the end of the class I felt a LOT better. I felt more comfortable in the water, and although I need lots of practice, I felt fairly comfortable with the drills.

Since I don't usually swim, wearing goggles was new for me. I really liked being able to see under the water. I think that it will help me get over the fear of drowning. (I must mention that not being able to wear glasses or contacts left me pretty much BLIND today. I tried to watch the people demonstrating the moves, but yeah... they were pretty much just a blur.)

Our instructors are to practice for an hour three times a week. We can only practice our drills. Absolutely NO freestyle.

I survived.

I am DETERMINED to be a triathlete... I CAN do this!

I applaud those who raced in the Chicago marathon!

I am happy that those who ran in the Chicago marathon are alright. I was worried about all of you. You all deserve a great big round of applause!!!



Hehehe.

Spinning is great!

For me, spinning is a great way to release aggression and put me back into my "happy place". There's something about loud angry music, an assertive instructor, and me sweating my butt off that just works magic on my mood. I woke up in a "bleh" kind of mood thanks to a bad dream and an aching side (I'm still feeling a constant pain from where my side cramped-up on Saturday). The crappy mood persisted through the day. I was feeling pretty tired and my legs felt dead. I considered skipping spinning; however, I realized that would only make me feel worse. Off I went to the gym, did a quick ab work-out then went to spinning. As soon as the lights went out and the music was turned up I was in my zone. I rode out all of my frustration and my bad mood. By the middle of the class I was smiling. It was great! Here I am now in a wonderful mood!

This week's work-out plan:

Monday: Spinning (check!)
Tuesday: Run 5K (assuming the cramp goes away) and pilates
Wednesday: My first swim class! (and hopefully spinning)
Thursday: 11 mile run (again, assuming the cramp doesn't interfere.. grrr)
Friday: Rest day. Head out of town for the wedding.
Saturday: 6 mile run. WEDDING!
Sunday: Recovery from wedding

The day of accomplishments

Accomplishment 1: A new PR (?)
This morning was the free 5K run on campus. As I mentioned previously, I really wanted to beat my time, but I wasn't sure I could. The race did not end up starting until 9:30 am, and given that it rained during the night, it was humid, hot, and just gross. There were no mile markers, so I couldn't judge my pace well. I couldn't catch my breath during the entire race. (Have you ever tried to yawn while running?) This was the first race that I had to stop and walk due to a cramp. In fact, I had to do that three times. I didn't walk for long at all, but I still had to stop. I was hot and grumpy that I wasn't going to beat my time. I caught up to Joe who was going slow because his hamstring was really bothering him. We finished the race together. Just before the end I was about to stop and walk because my side hurt so bad, but Joe helped me sprint to the end (THANK YOU JOE!!!). Now according to the people at the race, we came in at 28:22. My previous record for a 5K (back in May) was 28:35. Did I really reach a new personal record even after having to walk? I'm sure that my pace was a bit better than it was back in May. I mean back then my longest distance I had run was 5 miles. Now I'm at 11. But I did have to stop for about 10 seconds three different times. I don't know... Since they claim it was 5K and that was my race time, I'm going to accept it with a smile, and hope that my next more official race proves I really have improved by a little bit.

Accomplishment 2: I actually put on the bathing suit and got in the pool.
After the race, the roommate, co-worker (Rebecca), and myself went to the pool. This was the first time I put on all the swimming gear (bathing suit, shorts, goggles, and one of those cap things that makes me look like I have a bald, grey head). Rebecca showed us the basics of what we would be learning during our swim lessons. I think that it really helped me feel a little more confident and not so overwhelmed about the class on Wednesday. This is definitely going to be a difficult, and I am going to need a lot of practice. I WILL be a triathlete!

Accomplishment 3: Not eating all the delicious-looking breakfast foods.
Once we finished at the pool, the three of us were starving so we went to the cafeteria area on campus for breakfast. If I haven't mentioned it already, other than seafood, breakfast food is my absolutely favorite! They had everything you could imagine! I ate a pretty large breakfast, but I managed to stay away from all the sinful treats that were calling to me (croissants, bacon, scones, amazing chocolate rice krispy treats). It was difficult, but I did it. (One week until the wedding people! I need to be somewhat good since I've been enjoying treats this past week. lol)

I hope everyone's weekends are going well. (o:

Marathon Cheers!!!

I just want to say GOOD LUCK to my fellow bloggers Doug, Jess, Ali , Tom, and Lisa who are running in the Chicago Marathon!

Also, good luck to Pieces of Me who is running in the Long Beach Marathon!

And this last picture is just for you, Vanilla... he is not running a marathon, but in my search for marathon pictures I found this.

My longest run to date

Today I reached two personal records. First, I successfully (and painfully) completed my longest run to date... 11 miles. Second, I ran for 2 hours and 35 minutes! I never would have thought that I could "run" for that long (there was some jogging in place, but I never stopped at least). Here's the summary:

The night before and earlier in the day I was concerned that Joe would not be joining us, because he injured his hamstring the night before. Lucky for me he's tough and came along for the run anyway (THANK YOU JOE!).

I didn't think that we were ever going to reach 8 miles, but we finally did at 1:57. My body was aching at that point... arches, knees, hips, butt. lol I am very, very proud of my roommate for finishing. This was her longest distance.  (oh yes, and in the first 8 miles I saw a guy skipping. It was amusing! So was the big guy walking a tiny little dog with one hand and holding a second little dog, with a pink bow, in the other hand... that was great!)

After the first 8 miles, Joe and I had another 3 miles to go. The last 3 miles were run in the dark... it was creepy. And dear sweet Joe was a trooper. He put up with all of my whining and complaining. I am quite grateful for him being there to help me finish, and for not tripping me after I laughed at him swallowing a bug (hehe). I am happy to report that we did finish the 11 miles, even though it was 2:32 when we did.

I came home, barely walking (hips and knees quite sore), took a wonderful ice bath, ate some cereal, stretched, and now here I am blogging away an watching tv (I'm too tired for pilates tonight). I have a feeling I am going to be going to bed early.

I hope that I will be feeling alright for my race on Saturday. I really, really want to beat my previous 5K time, but who knows. The roommate and I are meeting with a co-worker at the pool after the race. She is going to show us the basics of what we are going to be learning (she is a triathlete and is the person who told us about the lessons). I am hoping that meeting with her will make me feel a little less nervous before our first swim class on Wednesday.

Okay, I think I'm going to use the foam roller then head to bed. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hot spin instructor? I think not...

Yesterday was a scheduled 5K run on the treadmill then Pilates. Despite feeling tired (and lazy) I did manage to complete both. I felt great afterwards. Later, the roommate and I had our swim meeting (the lessons start next Wednesday people!!). I left the meeting feeling nervous. It doesn’t help that the only class we could sign-up for was the “advanced class”, and even though I live in Florida, I do not swim often. Okay, let me be honest… other than just goofing off in the pool with friends, I cannot even remember the last time I actually swam. Yeah… I might be screwed. Luckily I have some friends/co-workers willing to help me. Two of them are triathletes and have been doing an excellent job at keeping me motivated (thank you Rebecca and Joe!). I am hoping to get in the water a couple times before next Wednesday. I’ll keep you updated. I have a feeling that this is going to be a challenging, embarrassing, and rewarding experience.

Yesterday, I also found out that today the roommate and I have to stay later at work (yes, we work together too), because our lab is going to be toured by some big time lab directors. In order to fit in our work-out, we decided to hit the gym in the morning. I didn’t want to miss my spinning class, so we decided to go to the 9am spin class. I noticed that the instructor listed to teach the class was the only male spin instructor. I had never taken any of his classes, but I was told by another co-worker that the instructor was quite easy on the eyes. I was excited to see this for myself.

So this morning the roommate and I woke-up early and hit the gym. We started off with arms and abs then headed to spinning. The instructor was late. Not only was he late, but my co-worker could not have been more wrong. I mean sure the guy had a nice build and beautiful arms (I’m a sucker for nice arms)… but well that was it. He was your stereotypical “frat boy”**. Not only was every other word out of his mouth a curse word (yeah sure every now and then is no problem… but he really needed to tone it down about 5 notches!), but he just sounded… well… let’s just say I did not get the impression that he was very intelligent. And then there were those girls that would giggle whenever he said something I can only assume was supposed to be funny. I am cringing just remembering it.

Although I found the instructor to be extremely annoying, I must admit that I did get a great work-out. In fact, he kicked my butt. The five song climb at the end pretty much killed me, but I am feeling good.

It is time for me to get back to work.

**note: I must mention that I do know guys in fraternities who are quite brilliant and most enjoyable to be around… and being a blonde, I understand how stereotypes are not always correct. (Hopefully that will keep me out of trouble. lol)

Runner's World Daily Quotes ***Updated 10/01/2007***

When I started this blog, I posted my favorite daily quotes that I received from Runner's World. I figured it's time to update:

***Updated 10/01/2007***

"If you want to win a race try the 100 meter. If you want to win an experience try the marathon." Emil Zatopek

"I'm going to beat my body up for a couple of months, and make it my slave." Josh Cox, 2:14 marathoner

"The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." Robert Frost

"I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." Jesse Owens

"I run because it's my passion, and not just a sport. Every time I walk out the door, I know why I'm going where I'm going and I'm already focused on that special place where I find my peace and solitude. Running, to me, is more than just a physical exercise... it's a consistent reward for victory!" Sasha Azevedo

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." Lou Holtz