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!