Self Motivation

Busy busy bee

2012-01-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

Life is crazy busy yet absolutely fantastic at the moment. Just dropping by to say I am still alive and kicking. (o: Have a wonderful and blessed week!

I am still alive!

2011-11-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

I have not forgotten my blog, and I do miss all the bloggers out there. I have been super busy with school, which is the main reason for not blogging. The other reason is that since I joined the running group and have been running consistently with them, I no longer feel the need to blog for motivation. I am still running. I have let my goal of running three days a week slide a few times, but has been due to injuries and scheduling. I have been consistently running, which was the main reason for the goal, so I am not beating myself up about it. Chris and I have been training for a half marathon that is a week from Saturday, but I just developed a pretty painful injury in my foot, so we will see what happens. Thursday I am supposed to run my first turkey trot, but again we will see what happens.

Since I last blogged, I entered my thirties, and to be honest life is pretty great right now! Life is busy but wonderful! I hope that you all are doing well! Happy early Thanksgiving to you all!

"This has gotta be the good life..."

2011-08-07T17:48:00.000-04:00

There have been recent events that have reminded me just how wonderful life truly is, how important friends and family are, and how important it is to put your faith in God. While I do not wish to go into detail here, the week before I was hit with two very nerve-wracking and scary situations. Both of these events occurred on the same day, and I confided in good friends and prayed for strength and good outcomes. I kid you not, literally the very next day both issues were resolved with good outcomes for us. Thank you God! (It was as though I somehow managed to foreshadow these events with my previous blog post? Luckily, like my previous post mentioned, we were there for each other and made it through the difficult situations.) It is moments like that that help put the world and worries into perspective and make you appreciate life. In addition, I felt like on that very rough day God was reminding me that he is always there... that same day we were blessed with an amazing early wedding gift. One of Chris's dad's patients decided to donate money to our wedding as well as to his sister's wedding (Amy is getting married this October). This was completely out of the blue, and honestly could not have occurred on a more appropriate day. I am so grateful for all the amazing people in my life!

I am currently quite obsessed with the song "Good Life" by OneRepublic.

Life is currently quite fantastic. Chris and I have been meeting up with the running group every Tuesday and Thursday evening. It has been great to meet so many wonderful people. Last weekend we decided to go for our own trail run. I'll be honest, it turned into more a disaster than a nice run, since the trail I picked turned out to be mostly soft sand in direct sunlight. Not to mention we also stayed up too late the night before which resulted in a late start and too hot of weather for our run. In the end, we did have fun and concluded that we would save that particular trail for cooler weather.

Ironically we saw this the same week The Pioneer Woman posted about one.

I nearly stepped on this guy.

This past week we also celebrate his friend's birthday at Dave and Busters, which was a lot of fun (except when the stall door lock broke in the bathroom, and I had to crawl out...it was pretty funny though.)! This weekend we celebrated Chris's mom's b-day and met up with some of friends we have not seen in over a year.

25th... hehe

Chris's dad makes The Best food!

Chris's mom and sister Jessica

I am currently writing this blog in Sarasota, sitting outside on the lanai at his parents' home. I must say that I absolutely could not ask for better future in-laws! Chris's mom also surprised me and gave me the most beautiful watch that belonged to her grandmother. It will be my "something old" for our wedding. I am a very lucky girl. (o:

Speaking of being a lucky girl, I seem to have lost a previous blog post that I had written. I don't know how I managed to do that. A few weeks ago one of my very dearest friends, Alisha, came to visit from Austin with my godson, Nick Danger. (Unfortunately, Nick's dad, Bryan, was unable to make it.) I have not had quality girly time with Alisha in AGES. We had a terrific time! She is by far one of the most brilliant, generous, and kind individuals I have ever met. She and her husband have had such a positive impact on my life and have been there for me through the most difficult moments in my life. While Alisha and Nick were in town, we did lots of wedding planning. I was able to show her our wedding venue, and she tried on dresses since she is going to be my matron of honor. We had a great time! My godson is getting so big, and he is such a little gentleman! (He does have the best parents!) I just cannot say it enough... I am so blessed for all the wonderful people in my life!

Nick at our wedding venue

Well it is quite warm outside, so I think I'll go for a dip in the pool. I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend and will have an even better week!

P.S. Did anyone else absolutely love the I Love Lucy tribute on Google yesterday?!

{blank} is a special occasion.

2011-07-20T09:01:00.000-04:00

As I have mentioned previously, I absolutely love the blog Enjoying The Small Things. Today Kelle posted about the "Life is a Special Occasion" Hallmark Challenge in which she is participating. I decided that I want to participate as well. So I quickly scribbled out a few cards, put stamps on them, and dropped them in the mailbox. When was the last time you received a hand-written note in the mail? I know that when my grandparents send me cards, it completely makes my day.

I also entered the online contest(through Facebook). I thought I would share my entry:

Running with my fiance ...is my any-day special occasion.

As anyone who has ever gone for a run knows, running is not always easy. Running is a lot like life. Some days you are on top of the world, and you know you can accomplish anything. Other days you are struggling to put one foot in front of the other and contemplate just giving up and going back to bed. The great joy about running with my fiance is that I know he is there to cheer me on during my "I feel like an Olympic athlete" days and to gently push me over the hurdles of the "this is too hard; I am not strong enough" days. I love running with my fiance because I know that I am there for him during his ups and downs too. I imagine our marriage to be like one giant ultra marathon race that we run side-by-side. It will be full of "runner's highs" and sometimes lows, but together we will enjoy the journey. Running with my fiance is my any-day special occasion, because it reminds me that together we can do anything.

~*~*~

I hope that you all have a wonderful day and rest of the week! I'm off to work!

Trail run

2011-07-17T20:19:00.000-04:00

Chris and I met up with the running group today for a really fun trail run at Weikiwa State Park. The running path was 5.6 miles, but after doing a little back tracking we ended up running about 6 miles. It was very hot, and we ended up doing a walk/run. We were both glad that I bought my hydration pack filled with ice water. Although running on trails seemed more difficult, I loved it so much more than running on the road. After meeting up with the rest of the group, we all went in the spring which was like an ice bath. At first it was extremely cold, but after you were very glad you got in the water. After the spring, most of us headed out to breakfast. We had a really wonderful time. After returning home, I took a nap which was splendid. I love afternoon naps.

I have a few pictures to share. I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

wild turkey

We counted 9 turkeys

Heading to the trail head

In other news...

2011-07-16T23:12:00.001-04:00

I started running with a running club, and I love it! We meet up twice a week and run and then you have the option of grabbing food with the group after the run. I love running with the group! There are people of all paces, so there is always someone to run with. I love meeting new people, and I was sick of running on my own, so this group is a perfect match for me. Chris and I are running a trail run with the group tomorrow morning. I hope to post about that tomorrow. (I am going to try to blog a little more often.)

Oh yes, and I registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon! I cannot wait! I have been wanting to run this race for two years now.

[source]

In addition to running, Chris and I took a trip to Jupiter to visit my family the weekend before the 4th of July. We celebrated the 4th with our friends Nick and Federica at Lake Eola. I watched the last shuttle launch from the roof of our building at work. Oh yes, and we got evacuated from our building at work due to a chemical spill. Luckily everyone was alright. Chris and I also went to the Winter Park farmer's market.

Our seat for the fireworks.

The best dessert ever! And my awesome Aunt Nora!

I spy strawberries, blueberries, angel food cake, yogurt, cool whip, and amaretto... YUM!

Family picture! We went to visit my cousin's new home.

Lake Eola

The fountain works again!

The last shuttle launch from the roof of the building at work.

Farmer's Market

Chris found some fun glasses at Pottery Barn

All purchased at the farmer's market. Sadly, I already killed my basil plant.

Sadly I forgot to buy balsamic so I had to use some dressing I already had.

In wedding-related news, we have a new wedding date. The new day is Friday, November 9, 2012. We had to change the date in order to get the photographers we really wanted. For both of us, the photography is the most important aspect of our wedding in terms of planning (obviously the fact that we will become husband and wife after exchanging vows is the most important). The photographs will be what is left to remember this momentous occasions in our life, and we have found the most perfect photographers!

And I know that some of you are thinking that our date is pretty far off so planning seems early, but I want to plan as much as I can before defending my dissertation and finding a job. I also bought The Dress! Eek! I tried on several dresses... and I kept comparing every dress to one. This dress makes me feel beautiful! I do not want to say any more, because Chris reads this blog (well sometimes when I bug him enough). Since I fell in love with the dress, I decided I might as well buy it before it is gone. The weekend after we returned from Italy, my mom and Chris's mom came to town and we met up with Chris's sister Jessica, my friend Diane, and my friend Aurora to get my dress. Then we went to show my mom the venue. It was a very nice weekend!

Mom and I after we said Yes to the dress.

Chris and I also checked out Bananas this weekend. It is a really fun restaurant with good food. I want to go back when they have one of their drag queen shows.

I do not know the last time I had cotton candy!

I hope that you all are doing well! Chris and I are going to finish watching one of the Harry Potter movies (we are marathon-ing the movies before we see the new movie). Then we have our trail run in the morning! I hope you all are having a lovely weekend!

Italia (4)

2011-07-16T22:32:00.000-04:00

More photos from our Italy trip here.

Resurrection tapestry in the Vatican

I hope you enjoyed the photos. I cannot wait to go back to Rome... one day!

Italia (3)

2011-07-16T22:28:00.000-04:00

More photos from our Italy trip.

Cleaning Trevi fountain

The cafe lattes were my favorite. Italian coffee is the best!

Gladiator training!

Go Chris!

The oldest lie detector... Bocca della Verita

with my love at the Tiber

Mmmm pizza!

The best sausage I have ever tried!

At the Vatican... this is a painting, not a sculpture

Italia (2)

2011-07-16T22:23:00.000-04:00

More photos from our Italy trip.

My favorite thing about Rome was the water fountains with spring water all over the city. You just needed to carry a bottle.

Oh the bruschetta! The tomatoes were amazing over there!

The Colosseum

at the Roman Forum

The newlyweds!

Nick's brother, Chris, and his lovely girlfriend Leyda

Chris loves ruins!

Italia (1)

2011-07-16T22:16:00.000-04:00

On June 9th we flew out to Italy to celebrate the wedding of our wonderful friends, Nick and Federica. We had the most amazing time! Their wedding was absolutely beautiful! We spent a week in Rome walking all over the place, and also a day bike riding on the outskirts. Chris and I absolutely loved our trip! Rather than bore you with words, I will simply share photographs of our adventure. I am going to split the pictures into a few blog posts. Believe it or not, I am only share a small fraction the photos we took.

Tiramisu

Lasagna - the noodles were extremely thin

The Pantheon

The Vatican across the Tiber River

at the wedding

with the very lovely bride, Federica, and handsome groom, Nick

Our bike tour with awesome fold-up bikes!

Gelato... mmmm!

Member of the mile high club

2011-07-16T20:58:00.000-04:00

And by mile high club I'm referring to the fact that I can now say I've run in the Mile High City. What were you thinking??

The first weekend in June I flew out to Denver, Colorado to present my research at a conference. Since my adviser was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, we decided I should present a poster rather than a talk which was fine by me. This was my first conference that I traveled to on my own; however, I was fortunate that a girl I knew in high school happened to live in Denver. When I mentioned my trip on Facebook, she suggested we meet up. Serena met me at after I check into my hotel, and we decided to check out the Denver Zoo (sadly, the US mint is closed on weekends). After having lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, we spent a wonderful afternoon at the zoo followed by her showing me around town. Denver is quite beautiful! The air was so incredibly dry (much better for my curly hair!), but that left me extremely thirsty. I am Florida born and raised, so the elevation difference was pretty extreme. The next day, I had to work the registration desk at the conference, so that morning I went for a run. Many people warned me to make sure I did not overdo it, since I was not used to the dry climate and the altitude. I carried a water bottle and did a nice walk/run for about 3 miles. Working at the conference went very well. I met a lot of great people! The next day I presented my poster, and that went very well. Then I had to rush to get to the airport for my flight home. Sadly my flight did get delayed slightly, and at that point I was really starting to not feel well and just wanted to go home. I eventually made it, and was happy to be home with Chris and my fur babies. Sadly, the run in Denver was the only run I did that week, because the trip left me feeling very under the weather and I wanted to recover before flying out to Italy (I returned from Denver around 1 a.m. on Tuesday and flew out to Italy at 9pm that Thursday). But no worries, I made up for the lack of running with all the activities and walking in Rome (more about that in my next post).

I do hope that I have a chance to return to Denver. I really enjoyed it. Here are some pictures from my trip:

I love window seats on airplanes. (o:

Ice crystals on the window

Denver airport

My awesome room

Beautiful city!

Conference sign! Yes, I'm a dork.

Off to the Denver Zoo with Serena

I want one.

The bear that peeks into the convention center.

Me and Serena, a friend from high school

Running path

At the conference

The bear from the inside.

Cute, a bit scary, and a bit creepy... but mostly cute.

Bronco on the drive to the airport

I am alive!

2011-07-12T08:57:00.001-04:00

And I promise picture-filled blog posts soon! I miss you all!

Pics from my phone of the babies.

Ashe sleeping on the laptop case

Kirby snuggling with his momma

Zack extra comfy on the couch

Leaving for Italy tonight!

2011-06-09T11:04:00.000-04:00

I am still alive! My trip to Denver was wonderful, but I started to feel ill on Monday before my return flight. I chose not to run additional days this week and to focus on getting a lot of rest before our Italy trip. No worries though, I intend to make up my runs in the future. I am very much looking forward to our trip! I cannot wait to share photos with you all! I hope you all are doing wonderful!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my wonderful Aunt Nora! And Happy Sort-of Birthday to my little Zacky! I found him 3 years ago today! He was less than a week old.

5K PR and upcoming travel

2011-05-29T19:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Chris, Ryan, Caitlin and I ran the Greater Oviedo 5K which we have run several years in a row. The race was wonderful as always, although starting at 7:30 was bit late for this Florida heat, in my opinion. One of my goals for this year was a sub 27 minute 5K, and according to my Garmy I ran 3.12 miles in 26:59! I met my goal just barely, but I am still so excited! Unfortunately, they seemed to have an issue with the timing chips, because according to mine I ran the 5K in 23:51, and I know that is not accurate.

Other than the race, I have been keeping up with my goal of running three days a week (see my DailyMile widget) and doing arm and ab work-outs. I have also been working a lot to get ahead before my trip. I am flying to Denver on Saturday to present at a conference on Monday. I fly back Monday night only to fly out to Italy Thursday night (EEK!!!). And now, at the end of the month of June, it looks like I will be flying out to L.A. to run samples in a laboratory out there. I am soooo excited for all three trips! I cannot wait to share my exciting trips with you!

I hope that you all are doing wonderful! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

I seriously love this blog...

2011-05-20T09:49:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to share with you one blog that I look forward to reading every morning. It is full of happiness and inspiration. This blog is the reason I want to learn photography, in hopes of one day capturing the lives of my children in photographs like these.

Enjoying the Small Things by Kelle Hampton

Happy Friday to you all!

Updates!

2011-05-15T20:26:00.000-04:00

Well after 70 consecutive weeks of running at least three days a week, I had to break the streak due to an injury. The week before last I only made one run. I most likely tore my plantaris tendon in my left calve. It resulted in a very sore calve and a limp for a few days. Luckily, after a week off, my leg was back to normal! I even ran the 1st Operation Give-Back 5K yesterday with Chris! I did not PR; instead, Chris and I just ran the race together for run. The night before we were out late visiting with my oldest best friend, Clare, who I had not seen in over three years! We did not get to bed until late and knew we would have a busy day at my friend's wedding, so we decided to just enjoy this run. I am back to running with three runs this past week. (o: I have also been keeping up with my arm and ab work-outs. Push-ups are getting easier, which is proof that my weekly work-outs are making progress. Yay!

I know I haven't been blogging much, but I have been busy with research, wedding planning, and just hanging out with Chris. I haven't been in the mood to blog as much, but I am sure that will change soon. In very exciting news, Chris graduated with his Master's Degree in Computer Engineering! I am sooooooo proud of him!!!

Now here are some pictures from the past few weeks:

Ashe's new mat

Zack getting his chin scratched

Kirby in his new bed

My super hot and brilliant fiance, Chris.

Family pictures!

Very poor picture of my computer monitor where I watched the royal wedding live. (o:

My pineapple growing.

Orlando Magic game!

Easter egg hunt the adult way. (o;

Breakfast night at Caitlin and Ryan's

Crazy cute kitties at the pet store

Yummy Infusion Tea!

He prefers meat. LOL

Pineapple getting bigger!

Graduation Day!

With my Clarey!!!

Chris and I with Clare and her bf Louis!

at our friend's wedding

Love the photo booth!

with my love. (o:

Funny research error in MATLab. "Transpose help"

4 generations!

Beautiful bride and handsome groom!

I hope that you all are doing well! Have a spectacular week!

I found THE DRESS!

2011-05-11T10:21:00.000-04:00

[source]

Okay I have a ton to update about, but for now just a quick post to tell you that I found THE DRESS! That's right, my wedding dress! We are currently planning a day to hopefully get my mom, future mother-in-law, and my aunt all in town to see it when I actually purchase the dress. I am sooo excited! And yes, I know it is early.... but when you know, you know. (o:

Eeeek!

Croom Fool's 16 Mile Run Race Recap

2011-05-01T21:53:00.000-04:00

Hello all! I hope that you are doing well. I have not forgotten my blog, I have just been busy. I will catch up on what I have been up to another time. For now, I want to finally post my Croom Fool's Run recap from my race on April 9th!

This was my very first race that I ran on my own. Friday evening Chris and I met for dinner, then I drove an hour and a half to my motel. I have to admit, staying in a motel by myself was a bit creepy. However, I did enjoy having a king size bed to myself. I did miss Chris and my snuggley kitties though. When I checked in, I asked the woman at the front desk what time she though I should leave for the race. She informed me that every nearby hotel was booked at that the roads would be packed in the morning. I hate being late, and it is known that I have the worst sense of direction ever! For these reasons, I decided I wanted to leave extra early. For my 7am race, I decided to leave by 5 (my mapquest directions said it would take 30 minutes to get there... and I was anticipating packed roads). I woke up at 4:45 am, threw on my clothes, and brought my bagel and banana to eat on the road. I arrived by 5:30 am since there was no one on the road. The 50 mile race started at 6 am, so there were some people there. I ended up taking a nap in my car. This was easy to do given that we were in the middle of nowhere and it was very dark. In fact, I do not remember the last time I saw so many stars! It was pretty amazing!

At 6:30 I stood in line for the restroom which was where I met Kris and Denise. They came from New York to run the 16 mile race had not run in temperatures above 40 degrees F! When they heard I was running alone, they invited me to join them. I was so glad I did, because it was nice having someone to talk to for those 16 miles. We followed their training plan which was to run a mile then walk for a minute and to walk up any hill that water could easily run down. Every time we walked, I made sure to drink from my hydration pack which had a combination of water and gatorade. I also took a gel or a shot block every 5 miles.

The weather was perfect that day! I'll admit that I was warm by the end, but it definitely was not horrible. The scenery was beautiful! We ran though an old sink hole that was grown over. However, I did pay more attention to the ground than anything else, because I was worried about tripping. I love trail running!!! The only downfall of the actual race was that a whole group of us got lost. Rather than running 16 miles, we ran 16.69 miles.    Even though I was not well trained for this distance, my knees did not hurt at all! In fact, the next day the part of me that was the most sore were my arms... go figure!

I definitely want to do some more trail running! All in all, the race was fantastic! Getting home on the other hand was not so fantastic... My car Garmin told me to turn down a dirt road that was very narrow. The road was two miles long and a mile down the road I got caught in a loose patch of sand. My car stalled. I spent several minutes putting my car in reverse then forward. I kept stalling, but I did eventually make it. I was praying pretty hard that I would be able to get out, because it was pretty scary being stranded in the middle of the woods. I did see wild turkeys and a huge black snake on my drive out of the woods though. I was very happy to arrive home to Chris, the kitties, and my own bed.

My goal was to go out and just have fun, and that is exactly what I did for this race. We finished in just under 4 hours. While the pace was not record-breaking, I had a wonderful time! I would run the Croom Fool's Run again in a heartbeat. And who knows, maybe one day I'll run the 30K. Next time, I will remember to run with my camera. The photos of the race from below were taken by the husband of one of the amazing women I ran with. I absolutely loved running with Kris and Denise! Racing is a wonderful way to make new friends! And if I had not run this race on my own, I may never have met them.

I hope that you all have a fantastic week! I will leave you with photos from the race.

My motel room

Ready for race morning

Heading out

I had to leave an OperationBeautiful note. (o:

Finishing

An orange has never tasted so good!

I think this was at mile 8

Starting back up after a short break

Right before the race started

bbq at the end

My shirt!

I survived the race!

2011-04-10T19:47:00.000-04:00

The race was wonderful! Getting home was a challenge. I am quite sore today however. I will fill you in on all of this later this week when I get some race photos from new friends I met on Saturday.

Everything is going well here. I've been busy with work/school. I hope you all are doing great!

More blonde

2011-04-03T17:17:00.000-04:00

This week we had some serious rain! In with the rain, out with the 12 mile run I had planned. I technically could have run it on Friday or Saturday, but I was really tired after work Friday and ended up hanging out with a friend all day Saturday. Honestly, I am no longer concerned. I will run my race on Saturday and have fun. I did manage three 3-mile runs (Thursday-Saturday in 33:20, 29:54, and 30:52). I also did a very quick arm and ab work-out. I'll admit, it was a pretty lame work-out this week.

In more exciting news, I tried on wedding dresses for the first time this past week. I wanted to get an idea of what styles I liked on me, and I had originally intended to go by myself. I ended up being very happy that Caitlin convinced me I should have someone go with me. She ended up going with me, and I would have felt very overwhelmed without her there. I learned I definitely like an ivory color better than a pure white. That was on Thursday.

On Saturday, I decided to lightened my hair. I got several highlights put in my hair, and I love them! My hair has been slowly getting darker as I get older, and it was time for a change. When I went for my much needed hair cut, I just decided to go crazy and highlight my hair (well that is crazy for me!). As usual, just a trim of my hair makes it look so much shorter (darn curly hair!), but hopefully it will grow out fast. After getting my hair done, I met up with a friend for lunch and a fun afternoon of window shopping. We ate at a delicious turkish restaurant in Winter Park.

Then when we were walking around, we happened to walk by a bridal boutique and decided to go in. I found a dress that I loved! I dislike the picture of the dress online, but I really loved it on me. I have plenty of time, so I am not going to quit looking yet, but it was exciting to find a dress I loved.

My pineapple is growing!

I hope that you all have a wonderful week! I cannot wait to write about my race on Saturday!

Lots of exciting news!

2011-03-27T15:45:00.000-04:00

Before discussing my exciting news, let me get the running-related updates out of the way. After blogging last weekend, I decided that I should get my 10 mile run finished as early in the week as possible. Sunday night I packed everything I would need to run right after work the next day. Monday evening I drove to a nearby bike/running path and set off. I ran 10 miles in 1:44 (avg. 10:22 pace). Unfortunately, that night I started to feel kind of bad. I then spent the rest of the week sick due to allergies. My nose was running, my head had sinus pressure, and I was coughing. I am mostly recovered now, but I do still have a cough at night. I did manage to get in two three mile runs on Friday and Saturday. Friday my Garmin was dead, so I am not sure how long it took, but Saturday's run was in 30:19. I also did a very easy arm and ab work-out this week. My run on Friday was a bit interesting. I kicked a squirrel. Don't worry, he seemed to be okay. The little bugger darted in front of me and before I could jump out of the way my foot collided with him. I know what you are probably imagining, but no, he did not go flying. He simply darted up a tree. I am pretty sure he was alright. On Saturday I had a bumble bee run into my right leg, bounce into my left, then bounce back into my right before flying away. I think he was alright too. I hope. Oh, in a completely different topic, can you believe I have had tinnitus for a year now? Luckily it is not as bad as it was at the beginning, but unfortunately it is in both ears now.

In wedding-related exciting news, last Tuesday we went to check out a wedding venue which was holding an open house. Chris and I went along with his mother, his sister Jessica, and my good friend Caitlin. We enjoyed delicious food and meeting various vendors. Ultimately, we decided that it is where we want to get married, and we reserved our date! That's right, we officially have a wedding date! Sunday, November 4, 2012! The venue is perfect! It is a bed and breakfast in a historic local inn. It has a delightful intimate feel that I wanted as well as a courtyard which is wonderful since I love the outdoor feel. We will hold both our ceremony and reception there, and will have our ceremony standing in a gazebo (a childhood dream of mine). I absolutely cannot wait! I personally did not want the traditional giant banquet room reception and while we are both religious, we do not belong to a local church. This venue just fits perfectly! I took a lot of pictures, but I am not sure I want to share them just yet. It would take away from the surprise feel of it all.

Now that we have a date, I feel that I can finally officially ask my bridesmaids to be my bridesmaids. I have come up with an incredibly nerdy way of asking them, which I cannot wait to share (obviously after I ask them... since some of them read this blog). My idea is inexpensive, but absolutely dorky like me. I am sure it will make them laugh. I also know that my lovely niece, Joy, will be my flower girl, my godson, Nick Danger, will be my ring bearer, and his two newly adopted brothers Jay and Kobe will be ushers. I am sooooo excited that two of my best friends now have a house full of boys!

The boys! Photo taken by James at Portrait Innovations

Yesterday Chris and I celebrate three and a half years of dating! We made a delicious dinner at home and had wine from the San Sebastian winery. We also went to see the movie Hall Pass which was funny. Additionally, we are planning for a big trip, which is the last of my exciting news. We are going to ITALY! Our dear friend Nick and Federica were married nearly two years ago, but they never had an official ceremony. They have decided to have the ceremony in June in Italy, where Federica is from and where her family live. Chris completely surprised me by telling me he would buy us tickets to go to the wedding. I am so completely excited! We went to a local camera and hobby store today to look for a new camera bag, but they were closed. Then we went and had tea at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. This was our first time going there, and we enjoyed it.

Life is just absolutely perfect right now! Back to working on my bridesmaids questions. I hope you all have a splendid week! I shall leave you with some pictures of my little Zack sleeping next to me on the couch.

Weekly post

2011-03-20T19:07:00.000-04:00

I did not blog this week because I was super busy with work. I love it when my research finally starts cooperating again! I found out a new trick that just turned my usual 4 hour experiment into a 10 minute experiment! SWEET! We also celebrate our friend Nick's birthday, which was a lot of fun.

That being said, I did manage three runs this week, but the farthest was only 3.58 miles. I was hoping to do 6 miles, but it just did not happen. When I set out for that run it was far too hot outside. By three miles I felt a bit light headed from the heat. Better not to push it in the heat. But it's okay. I am aiming for a ten mile run this week no matter what. I have 19 days until Crooms 16 mile run. Will it be my best run in terms of time? Absolutely not. But that was not the goal of this run. The goal was to have fun, and I will! I have been wanting to get into trail running and this will be it. I wish I had run on more trails before hand, but oh well. I'll survive. I just booked my hotel room for the night before the race (thank goodness I finally found a hotel that was not fully booked!) This will be my first race that I am going to completely by myself. My poor Chris is not only going crazy trying to get the last project of his college career finished, but he is also sick this weekend which means he is not being as productive as he would like. He will have to spend every weekend trying to finish this project. But that's okay. I fully understand.

As far as my runs this week, on Monday I ran 3.58 miles in 32:40, Friday 3 miles in 29:06, and Saturday 3 miles in 28:53. My other goal of an arm and ab work-out was accomplished but by a bare minimum. I did some crunches and push-ups. Not much but better than nothing. I refuse to get stressed out over not working out as hard or as much as I want. When life is busy, you just have to roll with it.

I would have run this morning, except I had wayyy too much fun last night! I went to a friend's bachelorette party complete with a drag queen show as well as lots of drinking and dancing! I had a wonderful time (minus the male genital paraphernalia... not really my taste, but I went along with it for fun). I slept in for a while this morning, then I spent the day grocery shopping and cleaning. It feels good to relax now that all the cleaning is done (minus putting away the laundry.... I hate putting away laundry!)

This coming week will be busy yet again but will also be exciting! On Tuesday we are going to check-out our potential wedding venue. Well we already went to see it once, but on Tuesday they will have the entire place set up as though a wedding is taking place. All of the vendors will be there for you sample their food, etc. I cannot wait! Chris's mom is coming into town to go with us, and I think that his sister is going too.

I hope that you all had a wonderful week last week and will have an even better week this week!

Hello all!

2011-03-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

Today marks one month since my first marathon. I am scheduled to run the 16 mile trail Crooms Fool's run on April 9th (26 days!), and I have not run farther than 3 miles since the marathon. I also have not been running on trails. I am a bit nervous about this, but school has kept me busy, and I am trying not to stress too much. I have been maintaining at least 3 runs a week at least. I intend to run at least a 6 mile run this week, a 10 mile the following, and hopefully at least a 13 the next week. I wish I knew someone else who was running this race well. I still need to make my travel plans.

Life has been fun and busy, and I am hoping that I will keep up with blogging more regularly now. Here is a recap of the past two weeks: Last Saturday I did a 3 mile run before meeting up with Chris, my Aunt, and my Uncle for breakfast. Then Chris had to go back to his parent's house to work on homework, but I got to spend the day with my aunt and uncle. We went to Venice beach and collected shells. It was so nice. I had not been to the beach in ages. Later we hung out on this 102ft yacht that my aunt works on. We met up with Chris and his family along with the captain of the yacht and his two super adorable little girls for dinner. There we celebrated Uncle Bill's 50th Birthday! (Which was on the 11th, the same day that Ken, of Barbie and Ken, turned 50!) Those girls were my instant best friends. After dinner, my aunt and I went to the marina bar to have a drink and do some dancing. That is where the weekend got amusing. We were offered several free drinks. In fact, I even had a guy buy me a drink, ask me how committed I am to Chris, and offer to buy me a ring full of blue diamonds and to take me to Australia. When I politely explained that I already found my knight-in-shining-armor, he told me that he would give me jewelry and trips and that if I did not have dinner with him before I got married that he would be absolutely crushed. That is when he gave me his business card. We had a good laugh about it after he left. Now the night went from creepy amusing to fun after my aunt and I met this 76 year old man who offered to buy us drinks (we were drinking water, but for the record he was not hitting on us.... this guy was so sweet!). He and my Aunt Nora had a great time on the dance floor while I was dancing with a Canadian gentleman. He told me that he was married for 50 years and lost his wife 6 years ago. He gave me the following marriage advice: (1) Trust 100% or get out now, (2) Never go to bed angry, and (3) Take trips every year. I think the man is brilliant. All-in-all, the weekend was absolutely wonderful! I had the best time with my family and Chris's family. I really am so blessed!

Dolphins playing

Celebrating Uncle Bill's 50th Birthday!!!

The singer came and sang to me 5 times.

That's the creepy guy with my awesome Aunt Nora

Aunt Nora and the super sweet guy who gave me marriage advice

The room I slept in on the boat

My bathroom on the boat

My first pineapple on my 6 year old plant!

This past week I did two good arm work-outs with 5 lb weights and ab work-outs. I did not feel like running at the beginning of the week, so my runs happened Thursday (3 miles with Chris), Friday (3 miles on the dreadmill), and Saturday (3 miles with Chris). This weekend we went to see the movie The Adjustment Bureau, which I really enjoyed!

Now I am off to do some relaxing before heading to bed. I hate losing an hour of sleep, but I am happy that I will be able to run on my own (in the daylight) after work! I hope that you all have a wonderful week. Oh, and please keep Chris's family in your prayers. His grandmother on his dad's side passed away.

AMAZING!

2011-03-04T07:16:00.000-05:00

TGIF!!!

Quick work-outs

2011-03-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

Both yesterday and today, Caitlin and I ran 3 miles (yesterday in 31:35 and today in 30:22). Today I also did an awesome arm work-out with 5 lb weights and some ab work.

And that is about all I have tonight. Time to enjoy some mango keylime pie with my sweetie.

Have a wonderful night all! I will leave you with an adorable picture I found on Pinterest (seriously love this site! Let me know if you want an invite).

Baby fox... Don't you want one now? [pin source]

ABCs list about me

2011-03-01T08:39:00.000-05:00

I thought I would take the time to fill out another post that has been going around the blogosphere.

A. Age: 29 (last year until what I am determined will be an awesome new decade)

B. Bed size: Queen. But I cannot wait for a king. My handicapped kitty, Kirby, loves to sleep with us, and he prefers to take up as much room as possible.

C. Chore you dislike: Putting away laundry! I rock at washing it... but then it stays in the basket forever.

D. Dogs: I really, really, really want another dog. That being said, not until we have a yard for a dog.

E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast and caffeine.

F. Favorite color: Purple!

G. Gold or silver: I think with my hair and skin color that yellow gold looks best on me, but I love white gold too (and rose gold while I'm at it).

H. Height: 5’5”

I. Instruments you play(ed): None. I'd love to learn the piano. And I intend to take lessons one day.

J. Job title: Graduate research assistant

K. Kids: I love my niece! Especially when I can give her back to her mom when she's fussy. I look forward to having my own kids one day.

L. Live: Good ole sunny Orlando.

M. Mom’s name: Cheryl.

N. Nicknames: Jes

O. Overnight hospital stays: Only as a baby. I was born 2 months premature.

P. Pet peeves: Close-minded people. And Chris putting the toilet paper roll on backwards.

Q. Quote from a movie: I'm terrible at remembering quotes.

R. Righty or lefty: Righty.

S. Siblings: step sister named Charlotte (29), full sister Renee (almost 27), half sister Clara (18), half brother Robert (16)

T. Time you wake up: Monday through Friday–6:30 (usually, but not always). Weekends - whenever I want.

U. Underwear: I wear it.

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Peas. Gross.

W. What makes you run late: Chris.

X. X-rays you’ve had: My hand when I was younger (some bone age scan thing I had done), teeth, foot (was not broken)

Y. Yummy food you make: Smoothies. Random meals. I do not have a specialty... yet.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Penguins and otters.

Nearly covered in tiger urine

2011-02-28T20:50:00.000-05:00

You read that correctly. Saturday, a 600 pound male tiger nearly sprayed me with his 10 foot stream of cat urine. You see, on Saturday I went hashing with Caitlin and Ryan. I had not been in nearly 3 years (for those who have been following me that long, you may recall my hash name, and for those who have not... you will most likely be amused). The trail ended up being 6.5 miles, and it was hot with tons of shiggy (brush, woods, basically areas where you are pretty much forced to walk because running would most likely mean tripping and falling on your face. The sweating, bug bites, and scrapes were all worth it for the end. You see, we ended at a rescue that had bears, panthers, leopards, tigers, monkeys, and more. Caitlin and I were trying to take a picture with the big tiger that was out in the play area, which was when he lifted his tail and decided he was going to spray. Luckily, another hasher warned me, and I moved out of the way just in time. We watched all of the big cats get fed (horse meat.... made me sad). The owner provoked the tigers a bit so we would hear them growl. She said they really are sweet, but should never be pets. Some of the animals were rescued from homes where people tried to keep them as pets and others were from cheap circuses.

Some of the group. (BN=Beer near)

Random hot tub in the woods. We also saw jet skis, toilets, and other random items.

Caitlin and I right before "the incident that almost was".

Bear is just chilling on his pool.

She jumped at the fence when I went to take her picture.

He broke his teeth chewing through a toy.

In the tub.

On Sunday, I got a new phone! I switched from Verizon to AT&T. We concluded it would save us money if we put our phones on a family plan. I just got my first super awesome phone! I got a htc Inspire 4G, and I LOVE it! Cannot find my phone? No problem! HTC has a website that will allow me to force my cell phone to ring even if it is on silent. I can also track it by gps, and if I discover it has been stolen, I can wipe my important data. How cool is that?!

Even more fun than a new phone, Chris and I celebrated 6 months of being engaged yesterday. And by celebrated I mean it gave me a perfect excuse to cook steak and drink wine. (o;

In running related news, this past week I ran and walked 3 miles with my co-worker Bala. I also ran with Chris on Friday night (3 miles in 27:21), and my third run was the hash on Saturday (6.55 miles in 1hr 46min... there was quite a bit of walking and climbing through some crazy terrain).

I have also concluded that I am going to be even more picky than usual about the races I enter this year. I am signed up for the 5K that we run annual which only costs $12 when you register early. I am also planning on running next year's Disney Princess Half Marathon. As far as more races this year, I will probably aim for a 10K and maybe a half in the fall since one of my goals this year was to increase my speed. Otherwise, I want to spend my money on non-running related activities. I know, can you imagine?! But I do have other interests that I really want to explore. For instance, I am wanting to take a photography class and try my hand at painting again. I would also like to slowly add some new clothes to my wardrobe, and the big reason is that I am saving for a wedding.

On a sad note, today marks two years since I had to put my dear golden retriever, Syd, to sleep. I still miss him. Here is my tribute from last year.

I hope that you all had a great weekend and that he week is even better (if that is possible)! Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Updates

2011-02-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

Last week I had to fit in two more runs after the marathon in order to keep up with my 2011 goal. On Thursday and Friday I ran/walked 3 miles. My hamstring was sore, but it really seemed to help stretch it out. Earlier in the week I did some push-ups and crunches.

Saturday morning, Chris and I went to look at a wedding venue (more about that in another post... hopefully this weekend when I have more time). Then we drove to my mom's house to visit with my grandma who was visiting from Pennsylvania. I had not seen her in 8 years. It was sooo great to see her! We met with my sister and niece and got photographs taken at JC Penneys per my sister's request. My grandma, mom, sister, and niece took some beautiful four generation photos. We took several other pictures including a group photo with Chris too. I cannot wait to get my copies of the pictures.

Joy was playing ball with Chris

Opening a present from her great grandma

with Grandma (aka my mommy)

Sunday Caitlin and I went to an art festival. We each bought prints of paintings of Lake Eola, and I bought an awesome glass "comet" for Chris. Then Caitlin and I met with her boyfriend Ryan for lunch. That evening, Chris and I met up with them and more friends to celebrate Caitlin's 25th birthday. HAPPY (belated now) BIRTHDAY, CAITLIN!!!

Tea light candle inside

Lake Eola... where Chris and I had our first big date

Oh! I also received my give-away win AloSport shirt from Katy at Katy Loves. I love the shirt! And I am growing my very first full size pineapple! My aunt helped me plant this pineapple plant in the summer of 2006. I have waited and waited and waited and waited and waited... and FINALLY I see the beginning of a pineapple! I am so excited!

Well now I'm off to play on Pinterest (my latest obsession) and hang out with my love. Have a wonderful weekend all! And thank you so much for all the comments about my race recap! You all are amazing!

Our group race photo

2011-02-23T13:52:00.000-05:00

Jes, Caitlin, and Ryan

You can read about my race recap here!

26.2 with Donna Race Recap

2011-02-21T22:57:00.002-05:00

My first (as in not the last) was amazing! Before I give the entire recap, I want to remind you that this marathon is called 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. I ran this marathon in honor of my mom's good friend who was a family friend... Linda. Linda passed away from breast cancer on January 15, 2010. She will never be forgotten.

Linda, her daughter, and her grandson

Pre-race

Prior to the race, I had three different goals. My first goal was to finish the marathon. My second girl was to finish the marathon in five hours. My secret if-it-happens-to-be-a-super-awesome-race-day time was 4:30. My December half marathon time was 2:02:43, so I was pretty certain I could reach my 4:30 goal; however, that half time was prior to my injury.

The week before the run, I did a 3 mile run really pushing my pace. My idea was that running my goal pace of 10:18 at the race would not feel so bad if my legs could remember having to push for a much faster pace (well, it worked for my half marathon). I ate pasta for at least one meal for the four days leading up the race. I also drank a lot of water and got plenty of sleep.

Friday night I was freaking out, when I realized race day was going to start with the weather in the 30s! Luckily, Katy and Chris reassured me that everything would be fine. I made my sign to wear in my shirt on race day.

My name is Jessica. This is my first marathon! I am running in memory of Linda Franasiak.

First thing Saturday morning, I drove to Sports Authority and picked up a new long sleeve running shirt. After, Chris and I drove to Jacksonville where we met up with Ryan, Caitlin, and Katy. We all went to lunch, walked along the water, and went to the expo. The expo was amazing! They gave us really cool bags filled with goodies. Chris bought me my Valentine's Day gifts early.... a really awesome 26.2 with Donna technical shirt and a Christmas ornament to go with our collection. Chris is the best! I also purchased a few magnets for my car. Then we met up with my old roommate (my original running partner) and her boyfriend. That night Chris, Ryan, Caitlin and myself met up with my old roommate, her boyfriend, and her sister for a pasta dinner. Then Chris and I ran by Wal-mart so I could pick up a cheap sweatshirt that I could toss, we got everything ready for race morning, and we went to bed.

Me and Chris

Caitlin and Ryan

Me and Caitlin... sideways. I cannot figure out how to fix it. )o:

Me and Katy

Adding to the signs

Seriously, not sure why the pictures with Caitlin keep uploading sideways. Does anyone know how to fix this? Darn Blogger!

The race poster... also sideways

Donna

Donna's husband, Tim. He wore a skirt during the race after raising a lot of money for charity

I love my shirt!

Christmas ornament

Race shirt!

Race Day

Caitlin, Ryan, and I woke up at 4:30 am. (Chris had a ton of homework, so rather than making him stand outside in the freezing cold while I ran, I told him I'd meet up with him after the race.) Although I did not sleep well, I felt quite awake. We got dressed, and I ate a bagel and a few bites of a banana while we waited for the bus to take us from our hotel to the start. It was really cold outside! After arriving at the start and checking out bags, we headed to the race corral where I ate a goo. When I signed up for the race, I hoped for a 5 hour finish, so that is the corral I was in. Up ahead, I saw the flag for a 4:30 pace group, and I knew I wanted to catch that group. Just before the race started, I made a bathroom stop. In the line for the bathroom, I met a 53 year old woman who was preparing for her 15th Boston marathon. Yikes!

The race start was pretty emotional. We were surrounded by pink and signs honoring all of those who survived or were lost due to breast cancer. I saw many signs on the backs of people's shirts. I even saw a sign on a father's back about his 6 year old daughter who has breast cancer. I saw a young woman running with a "super hero cape" that was pink and had a sign that said she was running in memory of her mother.

When we started, my feet were numb for the first 2 miles, which is around the time I finally tossed my sweatshirt. Below my sweatshirt was the sign I made for Linda, and I have to say that I am really glad I made the sign. All throughout the race, people were telling me "good luck" or something of the sort. It was really nice. I also loved that our race bibs had our names on it, because hearing people cheering for me and saying my name was very encouraging. I seriously have never smiled so much during a race. I was feeling energetic but made myself hold back a bit.

I took a goo at mile 5. While the race does hand out GU every 5 miles, I personally prefer the PowerGel brand, and I carried those in my SPIEbelt. Then we ran 2.5 miles on the beach, which was beautiful. It was there that I finally caught up to the 4:30 Galloway pace group and passed them. After the beach, I was starting to feel a bit tired. The fact that I had not even reached the half way point made me feel nervous, but then at mile 9 I saw Katy! She was there cheering on myself and all the other runners! That really lifted my spirits! I seriously cannot thank her enough! (You can read Katy's race recap here.) After that, I just kept telling myself, "I am almost to the half way mark and it is all downhill from there" (little did I know that was completely wrong about the downhill part). I took another goo at mile 10.

Awesome beach shot Ryan took of Caitlin (in pink). The boards led us across the soft sand to the packed sand.

Picture Katy took. My favorite picture from the race! Way better than any of my other race photos.

When I reached the half mark (at 2:09!) I took some advil and stretched. I just kept telling myself that I was half done. At mile 15, I took another goo and realized that I was on track to hit 4:20, so that became my new time goal. Shortly after that, I was really starting to get tired. Thank God for Katy at mile 17! She really lifted my spirits, yet again! By the time I reached mile 20, I was getting really hot. I made it just past the photographers, then stopped to take another goo. At that point I spilled orange gatorade all down my shirt, and felt like an idiot, but I was just so hot. It was then that I told myself, "You only have a 10K left! Just 6.2 miles!"... at that point it dawned on me that I had at least another hour of running. I had a split second where I thought I would cry, but then I just kept reminding myself that it was only 6.2 miles.

Those last 6.2 miles seemed to never end. Thank goodness for the crowd support! During the entire race, I must have said, "Thank you" over 100 times. I seriously attempted to thank everyone who was cheering, because my race would not have been as fabulous without them. The last few miles my Thank You's had less of a smile and sounded rather pathetic I'm sure. I ran a few miles chatting with a man who has completed two Ironmans! He was very encouraging.

The last couple miles were the worst. I had to run on a highway ramp which meant that the road was slanted and was killer on my legs, especially my left hamstring/butt. Mile 25 was nearly at the top of an overpass, and it really was rough for me. The last mile was in slow motion. And not in a movie-magic kind of a way, in a slow oh-my-goodness-will-this-ever-end kind of way. I kept hearing people yelling my name, and I saw the clock and knew I could just beat my new 4:20 goal (official chip time 4:18:03). It was hard not to cry as I crossed the finish line. As soon as I crossed, they put a medal around my neck, and a few feet later there was someone who wrapped ice around my knees. I'm pretty sure that saved me the next day.

Final stretch. I felt as dreadful as I look.

It turned out that some of those people calling my name at the end I actually knew. I believe one was Katy, although unfortunately I never was able to meet up with her at the end. Another was my sister Renee and my niece Joy. Renee completely surprised me! Joy just wanted me to hold her, which was difficult but melted my heart. Renee took some pictures while I stood in front of the banner for the finisher's photos.

With Renee and Joy

The cutest niece ever!

Then I used Renee's phone to call Chris who was only a block away trying to get to the finish line to surprise me. My sister had to leave shortly after Chris arrived, because my niece was fussy, but I was so happy that she came! Chris and I met up with my old roommate (who ran the half), her boyfriend (who ran the full in a great time...3:40 I think), and her sister (who came to cheer).

with Chris and Joy

with my old roommate

I did not get to see Caitlin and Ryan finish, because I was on my way to get more ice, but I heard their names being announced with an amazing time of 5:22! I immediately went to meet them. I am sooooo proud of Caitlin! I could not have run this marathon with Caitlin and Ryan! (I am afraid I do not have a picture on my camera from after the race with Caitlin and Ryan. But we did take a group race photo that is awesome! I will post it as soon as it comes in the mail. I don't want to get in trouble with copyright issues.)

I will definitely run another marathon! And I would love to run this same marathon again. It is for a wonderful cause, and it was extremely well organized (including the expo, race start, plenty of port-o-potties before and along the race, lots of water, gatorade, and GU, plenty of support at the end of the race including the ice, and great medal and race photos).

Here are my mile splits from my Garmin:
Mile 1: 10:46 (still in a big crowd and my feet were numb from the cold)
Mile 2: 9:53
Mile 3: 9:57
Mile 4: 9:41
Mile 5: 9:33 (chip time 49:17)
Mile 6: 10:00
Mile 7: 9:52
Mile 8: 9:49
Mile 9: 9:38
Mile 10: 9:38 (chip time 1:39:05)
Mile 11: 9:30
Mile 12: 9:46
Mile 13: 10:16 (stopped and stretched twice) (chip time for 13.1 2:09:39)
Mile 14: 9:37
Mile 15: 10:08 (chip time 2:28:16)
Mile 16: 9:42
Mile 17: 9:43
Mile 18: 9:21
Mile 19: 9:54
Mile 20: 9:45
Mile 21: 9:49 (chip time 3:17:08)
Mile 22: 9:56
Mile 23: 9:58
Mile 24: 9:50
Mile 25: 9:52
Mile 26: 9:38
Mile 0.28: 9:28 (I think that extra 0.08 was at the very beginning trying to get around people)

This is just proof that training for distance and not speed on the long runs and doing a bit of speed work really pays off! Our long runs ranged between a 11-12:30 pace depending on the day, which was absolutely great because it was a pace where we could chat and keep ourselves entertained. In fact, our friend Kyle pointed out to me that my half marathon time (2:09) was exactly half of my full marathon time (4:18). I am proud that I was able to stay so consistent.

Post Race

After the race, we went back to the hotel and showered. Then Chris and I stopped for food and headed back to Orlando, where I slept in the car. I was most definitely sore the next few days! And speaking of the next day... On Monday (the day after running a full marathon), Caitlin successfully defended her candidacy! I am so proud of her!!!! She is officially a doctoral candidate now! This day was also Valentine's Day, and Chris and I opted to eat in and enjoy a relaxing evening at home. It was perfect! He even brought me home roses! He is the best!

Last week and this past weekend have been very busy. I will post more about them later, but for now I am going to head to bed. I am putting together a collage to remember the race, and as soon as it is done I will post it. I cannot wait to show you all the cute picture that Caitlin, Ryan, and I got at the end (it was one of the professional photos, and I ordered it... should be in the mail soon).

I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement! I could not have done this marathon without you either! I love the blogging community! I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Race recap coming...

2011-02-18T07:36:00.000-05:00

I have not forgotten about my race recap. My sister and niece surprised me at the end of the race, and my sister took pictures of me finishing and pictures with her. I have been holding of publishing until she sends me the photos. My grandma is coming to Florida today, and I have not seen her in about 8 years. My mom and sister have been getting ready for her visit. Chris and I are driving to Jax to see my grandma tomorrow (after we visit our potential new venue.... you know, that visit that I mixed up a couple weeks ago? Oops!), and I will get the pictures from my sister then. My recap will be up by Sunday.

I am finally walking normal, although my butt muscle is hurting again. My left hamstring is also sore, but probably because it had to do extra work that my gluteus minimus could not do. Yesterday I did a run/walk for 3 miles. It was at least 40 minutes (I forgot my Garmin). I also did some push-ups and crunches last night. I plan to do another run/walk this evening.

I hope you all have a fun weekend. Mine is going to be busy yet fun! Venue and grandma on Saturday then celebrating Caitlin's 25th birthday on Sunday. TGIF!!!

Please keep our friend in your prayers

2011-02-16T19:15:00.000-05:00

[source]

Our good friend Diane lost her father today to colon cancer. I just want to wrap Diane in the biggest hug. He was diagnosed two weeks ago yesterday. His passing was sudden and of course very painful. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

26.2 with Donna Chip Time

2011-02-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

Official chip time: 4:18:03 (avg 9:51) SWEET!!! I surprised even myself! Although now I'm walking like this (living on a 3rd floor without an elevator totally sucks right now:

26.2 with Donna The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer could not have been a better first marathon race! Race recap will be up in a day or two. I just want to give a huge shout-out to Katy for cheering for me! She is amazing!!!

Katy and I in Jax on Saturday [source]

I also want to congratulate my very good friend Caitlin for her first marathon finish and Ryan for his 8th! And better yet, Caitlin ran her first marathon the day before having to defend her candidacy (GOOD LUCK TOMORROW CAITLIN! I know you will rock it just like you rocked the marathon today!). I will put up pictures from the race including all of our group photos tomorrow, because I don't feel like digging my camera out of my bag. I just stole the picture above from Katy's blog. hehe.

Thank you all for your support! I'm going to continue icing my knees while bumming on the couch and watching a movie, if I don't pass out.

I'm going to freeze!

2011-02-11T21:54:00.000-05:00

I was all prepared to write about how excited I am for the marathon. I was going to take pictures of the clothes I packed. But then I looked at the weather forecast again and saw the temperature is supposed to range from 40-55F during the time period I hope to run the marathon. I do not know what to wear! I prefer shorts, a t-shirt, and gloves if necessary. I know that I will warm up. I just worry about wearing a jacket or sweatshirt then having to take the time to move my race bib to my t-shirt when I want to discard my jacket.

I really feel good about the race itself. My ultimate goal is to finish. My next tier goal is to finish in 5 hours. I also have another "this-just-happens-to-be-a-super-awesome-race-day goal time" that I do not want to reveal, since it is not the main goal. I know they say not to set a time limit for your first marathon, and really all I want to do is finish, but I am a numbers girl. I can't help but set time goals. Call it a fault.

We are heading to Jax in the morning. Then meeting up with Caitlin, Ryan, and hopefully Katy for lunch. Then the expo! I'm so excited! Oh and possibly Sports Authority for a jacket. We will see. I am not sure if I will have time to blog tomorrow, so I will probably be writing my race recap next. Eeek! Have a wonderful weekend all!

Being silly with Chris

2011-02-10T21:26:00.000-05:00

Chris and I occasionally send messages back and forth throughout the day using instant messenger. I copied this conversation from last May and intended to put it in a blog; however, I forgot and just found it in my drafts.

Chris: i forget
Chris: why is it called "Hot Yoga"
Jes: b/c the room is hot
Chris: do you do the yoga nude ?
Jes: lol you wish

Finding this inspired me to share a few silly moments that Chris and I have shared. For instance, this year we purchased a "one sketch a day" journal where each day we write a message to each other and draw a little picture. We compliment each other and write silly things that have happened during the day. It's a fun new tradition we are starting. I think that one day looking back and reading them will be amusing and fun. I want to share a couple days with you:

Great way to start a new year!

Chris's rendering of me cooking with the grill which set off our three very sensitive smoke detectors. The best part is that there wasn't anything on the grill, and it's electric so there is not a flame (obviously, since it is an indoor grill)

Ever since I saw that epic T-mobile commercial, I love to tell him that I think he's super delicious. Check out the commercial... I love it!

And on a side note, while I am sharing YouTube videos... has anyone seen the CBS Cares video?? I seriously laugh every time I see it!

Last weekend Chris and I used a Daily Dealz coupon for a dinner date. We went to Press101 and both enjoyed it. The pictures are dark, because the lighting was terrible, but the food was great! (Except I learned I really dislike goat cheese.)

Blurry photo of me getting ready to go out. Chris was not feeling photogenic.

And a glass of Moscato wine.

Build your own bruschetta. Tomato with onion and basil, sauteed mushrooms medley (we excluded the blue cheese that usually comes with it), artichoke tapenade, and sliced baguette brushed with evoo.

I had the grilled vegetable panini which contained eggplant, squash, zucchini, portabello, red onions, red pepper with pesto and goat cheese on ciabatta.

The side salad was delicious.

Peanut butter explosion! Moist chocolate genoise, rich peanut butter mousse garnished with peanut butter cups.

In other news, this week has been pretty good. The lovely Katy gave me a wonderful shout-out this week which made my day! I love bloggers! I look forward to future blogger meet-ups! I also finished my three runs for the week. Tuesday was 3 miles in 29:25 and Wednesday was a 3 miles walk and run in 33:12. Now I am taking three days off before the marathon. I am really excited for the marathon and a bit nervous. I will write more about my marathon thoughts tomorrow. For now I'm going to watch some Big Bang Theory with Chris and get ready for bed. Have a great night all!

Love the Volkswagen commercial!

2011-02-08T08:46:00.000-05:00

Another reason (see a previous reason here) I know Chris and I are perfect for each other? We rented a movie during the Super Bowl. I love him. But I do also love this Volkswagen commercial, which I saw the day after the Super Bowl.

I imagine this was Chris when he was younger. I was told he was Darth Vader for Halloween one year when he was younger. In fact, my favorite story that his mom tells is about his first day of kindergarten.

The parents were there with their kids, and the teacher was calling each kid by name. The child was supposed to raise their hand when called. The teacher called out, "Christopher _(insert last name)_?".

No response.

"Christopher _(insert last name)_?"

No response.

"Christopher _(insert last name)_?"

At this point, young Chris raised his hand and said, "my name is Hans Solo." To which his mother replied, "we'll be back next year."

Young Chris. He was born to be a super hero.

Less than a week!

2011-02-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

Less than a week until my first marathon! I am so excited!

I am trying to make sure I get enough sleep this week, so I am going to make this a quick post. First, I want to thank you all for being so supportive about my mistake post on Sunday. Luckily the venue was very kind and allowed us to reschedule. We are going to visit our potential wedding venue on Saturday the 19th. I cannot wait to tell you about it! Second, I am super excited to say I won an amazing scoop neck tank top from a give-away over at the lovely Katy Loves blog.

In running-related news, I have not run beyond 3 miles since my 22 mile run, but I am still feeling confident about my race. I have noticed that running short distances for a while makes me crave a long run. I am spending the week hydrating, increasing my carb intake, getting extra sleep, stretching, and foam roller-ing. Last week I ran with Caitlin Wednesday (33:29), Friday (31:31), and Saturday (32:11). The first day was a bit slower because I had an upset stomach. Before the half marathon in December, I did a three mile run on the beach with Chris where I really pushed myself. I think it really helped my half marathon, because maintaining my race pace did not seem so bad compared to the faster run a week prior. For this reason, I decided to push myself today for my 3 mile run. I ran it in 25:06 (8:22 average pace). I actually slowed down a bit at the end, because I felt myself getting a cramp. I did not want to push through it and end up with a sore spot for the marathon. I plan to run tomorrow and Thursday but at much easier paces. Then Sunday is the marathon! Eek!

Well I'm off to relax with Chris and watch Gossip Girl before heading to bed. Have a wonderful week everyone! I will leave you with a cute picture.

Worst morning

2011-02-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

I held off blogging until after our meeting today. I woke up early to get ready to go see a new potential venue for our wedding (more about that later). I was soooo excited. While in the shower it dawned on me that I had the date wrong, and it was supposed to be yesterday. So not only do I not have an opportunity to see the venue for 3 more weeks, but now I feel/look incredibly irresponsible. This really blows.

I was enjoying sleeping in, until my cat threw up on me....

2011-02-01T23:36:00.001-05:00

Since my Saturday morning Facebook status ended up so popular, I decided to make it my blog title today. Yes, it is true. My dear little Kirby threw up on me Saturday morning. After it was cleaned up, he was very happy to finally get fed. I hope this is not going to be his new way of waking me up in the morning.

Work has kept me really busy the past two weeks. My co-worker and I spent Friday attempting another organic synthesis (with a new procedure) which we thought failed, but it turned out it did work! Our product was hidden inside the not-so-delicious-looking black sludge pictured below. We worked until 8 pm yesterday trying to isolate our product and conduct our experiment. Our signal was still too low, so we are doing more work-up. Tonight we left the lab at 11 pm. Thank goodness for delicious Pei Wei, lots of caffeine, speakers, and Pandora! Ah, the life of a chemist...

In running-out related news: After my 22 mile run the Sunday before last, my butt/hip/IT band area was sore for a few days, so I did not run. Actually, my gluteus minimus is still sore (by the way, Thank you ~~Christine~~ (Correction: Stephanie! I just realized my mistake!) for the recommended stretch! I'm so happy you read the article and thought of me and my butt. hehe. You rock!). In fact, I did not run again Friday. I ran with my co-worker (3 miles in 30:54). I also ran Saturday on my own (3 miles in 26:37) and did an arm work-out with 5 lb weights and some crunches. As excited as I am about the marathon, I am also feeling a little bored with running at the moment. I am hoping it passes soon.

On Friday night, Chris and I went out with Caitlin and Ryan. Ryan told us that he got accepted to do the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon! The race is described on the website as:

The 2011 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon will take place June 5, 2011
The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon includes a 1.5 mile swim from Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. The race continues with an 18 mile bike ride out the Great Highway, through the Golden Gate Park, and concludes with an 8 mile run through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The finish is at The Marina Green.

Entries are limited to 2,000 competitors each year. Athletes may compete in the following division: Professional/Elite, Age Group Amateur, Challenged Athletes, Open Relay, or Corporate Relay. Participants must either qualify for Escape from Alcatraz through the Escape to Alcatraz Triathlon Series or register for the Random Lottery open December 1, 2010.

Since 1980, the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon has enticed top professional and amateur triathletes to attempt the impossible – ESCAPE from Alcatraz. The course has remained virtually unchanged in its 30+ year history. The course and the lore surrounding it brings top competitors back each year to try and get their top finish added to the annals of Escape history. This is not your average triathlon and it never will be. This event prides itself on the sub average water conditions, rough road terrain and sandy climbs that one must endure to complete this race. Successfully finishing this event guarantees bragging rights among fellow triathletes and will leave even your most athletic friends in awe!
Touted as a "legendary” race within the triathlon community, the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon traditionally draws top international triathletes to the competition.

So exciting (and crazy)! He wanted to do the race to celebrate his 30th birthday. The race will be in June, and he told me he would write a race recap. I cannot wait to hear all about it! On Saturday, we had lunch with our friend Diane. We were right next to a flash mob (in the mall and we were eating at a restaurant attached to the mall). I am so sad we missed it! Participating in a flash mob is on my bucket list! You can see the YouTube video here:

Then Sunday I went to lunch with my friends Kyle and Erin while Chris was doing homework (which aside from lunch with Diane he also worked on all day Saturday... poor guy!). I had a wonderful time with them! Erin is actually going to make our wedding cake, which I am wayyyyy excited about!

Pictures from Kyle and Erin's wedding November 2006

Well I'm off to try and sleep. I hope you all are having a great week. Oh, and the comic below seems to fit me so well at the moment.

[source]

Great quote...

2011-02-01T21:51:00.000-05:00

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on." ~Havelock Ellis

I love, love, love this quote! Kind Over Matter is a wonderful source of inspiring photos and quotes.

Less than 2 weeks!!!

2011-01-31T12:17:00.000-05:00

I feel like I have been training for this marathon FOREVER (30 week plan)... I am so excited that it is less than 2 weeks away! I cannot wait!

More later.... Have a great day!

For all the science grad. students out there....

2011-01-27T15:37:00.000-05:00

My co-worker showed this to me today, and I could not help but share. Too funny! I think every graduate student probably feels this way at some point when hitting a hurdle in their project.

Wedding photographers & narrowing down a date

2011-01-23T20:57:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, Chris and I met with our favorite wedding photographers (name to be revealed after they are officially booked... just because I like to tease). I really love photography, so I subscribe to a few photography blogs, and yes some of those were wedding blogs even before I was engaged. Once Chris and I got engaged, I expanded the list of blogs. Our friends Caitlin and Ryan attended Ryan's cousin's wedding, and she told me about their fantastic photographers. I instantly added their blog to my list. I was in love with their work from the beginning, but was not sure of their prices, so I didn't know if I'd ever be able to afford them.

When we decided on a venue (to be revealed when it is officially booked), another photographer was suggested to us. A few months ago, we met with the photographer and his wife, and they were very sweet. While we really loved how fun they were, we just did not think they were the perfect match to us. One thing we knew we absolutely wanted was a dvd of our photographs, which was not part of their package. I also still had my heart set on the other photographers.

After my candidacy was completed, I had a bit more time to think about wedding ideas. We decided to contact our favorite photographers. After meeting with them Tuesday, we are convinced that they are the perfect photographers for our wedding. They are a husband and wife team with amazing personalities and talent. We love their style!

Meeting with them really got us talking about potential wedding dates. Originally, we both decided on the month of March. My birthday is in September, Chris's is in October, then the holidays... March was away from all that and during the spring, which I love. Since we are planning an outdoor ceremony, the summer was out of the question (way too hot in Florida!). Now, I am trying very hard to graduate at the end of this year, but naturally that decision is up to my adviser and based on when he feels my research is complete. But knowing how research is, I know that there is a very good chance that my research could roll over into 2012. I absolutely do not want to worry about a wedding and a dissertation in the same semester. I suggested March 2013, but my wonderful fiance does not want to wait that long. He randomly threw out the idea of October or November of 2012. The odds are good that I would be done with school by then. While we were originally avoiding that time of year, Chris pointed out, "why not?" So why not?! I personally would rather the weather be more on the chilly side then on the hot side, so November seemed perfectly. Plus, I mentioned that I love spring..... but in Florida, in November the flowers are still blooming in the garden we have chosen for our venue. It will still look like spring.

We are in the process of seeing when both the venue and photographers are available. I am so excited about almost having a wedding date! And it is close yet still far enough away that I feel like I can keep my focus on school and still plan without too much stress. Not to mention we have an amazing support group! I will keep you updated! And I cannot wait to reveal the official details!

Thank you all for reading!

22 miles!!!

2011-01-23T19:53:00.001-05:00

This week was pretty busy. On Tuesday we met with our favorite wedding photographers (more about that in my next post). Now on to my runs for last week and today. Wednesday night I ran 3 miles with Chris, but my stomach felt like a soda bottle that had rolled down a hill. I had to take several walk breaks. Total time was 31:02. My second run was on an easy 3 miles with my co-worker Bala on Friday. The total time was 31:02. The last run of the week was on Saturday, with Chris, and was 3 miles in 28:45.

Today Caitlin, Ryan, and I ran our last long run before our marathon. Caitlin and Ryan ran 20 miles, and I ran 22, simply because for me the marathon is all a mind game. And telling myself I have already run 22 and only need to run 4.2 more sounds better in my head then adding on a 10K. I woke up at 5 am, met them at 5:30, then we drove out to Clermont. It was 39 degrees Fahrenheit for the first 5 miles of our run, then it slowly warmed up. Since we were wearing multiple layers and were not sure if we wanted to shed layers, we did 2.5 miles out then back to the car then repeated the other direction. For the last 10 miles we ran 5 out and back. Then I ran an extra 2 miles. Unfortunately my run literally was a pain-in-the-butt. We had to stop several times so that I could stretch. The entire left side of my butt/hip/and IT band seemed to tighten up quite a bit. Stretching consistently really seemed to help. I had a GU at mile 5 and at mile 10. Then at mile 15, Caitlin and I split a really delicious Clif Bar. We ran with a water/gatorade mix in the hydration pack.

Here are the splits:
(Note, times below include only running, not the times that we stopped to stretch or use the restroom).

Mile 1: 12:03
Mile 2: 11:58
Mile 3: 11:49
Mile 4: 12:11
Mile 5: 11:53
Mile 6: 12:16
Mile 7: 11:55
Mile 8: 11:55
Mile 9: 11:35
Mile 10: 11:38
Mile 11: 11:56
Mile 12: 12:27
Mile 13: 11:50
Mile 14: 13:50
Mile 15: 12:20
Mile 16: 12:18
Mile 17: 12:14
Mile 18: 12:55
(here I handed off the hydration pack and ran the rest by myself. I felt bad because I mentally really needed to run 22 miles, but Caitlin and Ryan only wanted to do 20. I knew Caitlin wanted to get home to work on her candidacy, so I really pushed to finish my last 4 miles as quickly as possible.)
Mile 19: 9:05
Mile 20: 9:02
Mile 21: 8:46
Mile 22: 8:37
Total time running: 4 hours and 14 minutes.

I completely surprised myself with the last 4 miles! I am feeling really confident for the marathon! I am so excited for the marathon and the expo.

In regards to my 2011 challenge, both last week and this week I have done short arm work-outs and some crunches. Like I said, I intend to increase the intensity after the marathon. I do not want any more injuries.

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! Did you do anything that pushed your limits?

Addition: I want to thank you all so much for your support! You really helped me get pumped for my run! Thank you so much!

Wish me luck!

2011-01-22T19:22:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I am running 22 miles.... Longest run yet, and last very long run before my marathon on February 14th. Eek!

Blog posts coming tomorrow! Both work-out and wedding related.

I hope you all are having a great weekend!

I will not wear cute shoes...

2011-01-21T08:22:00.000-05:00

[image source]

...until after the marathon! My gluteous minimus had been feeling a million times better since my injury, until this week. I made the mistake of wearing a cute pair of wedge shoes all day Wednesday, and now my butt hurts again!

I have been super busy as of late, but I promise that this weekend I will sit down and blog about our super exciting meeting with the photographers and other details.

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend!!!

P.S. Tomorrow....

2011-01-17T21:37:00.000-05:00

[image source]

Tomorrow, Chris and I are meeting with our favorite wedding photographers! We are in love with their work and cannot wait to meet them at their studio.

I have managed to refrain from posting pretty much anything about our wedding planning, since we are not officially planning. I say that because we do not yet have a date, since one of the pending factors is my graduation (which is really up to my adviser). The great thing about not "officially" planning is that we are having the fun of planning without the stress. While we do not have a date, I am collecting information about all of my favorites. This way we know how much to save for deposits, and how early we need to book to get what we really want.

I love being a fiance, and I am really looking forward to marrying the man of my dreams. While part of me wishes I could rush out and marry him tomorrow, I know that we are going to be together forever so there is no need to rush. All in good time... all in God's perfect timing.

Crazy fun weekend!

2011-01-17T21:36:00.000-05:00

First of all, I cannot believe that it is less than a month until my marathon! Eek! My butt/hip are feeling better. On Friday I did a solo 10 mile run (in 1:34:50). Here are the splits:
Mile 1: 9:25
Mile 2: 9:42
Mile 3: 9:41
Mile 4: 9:54
Mile 5: 9:40
Mile 6: 9:25
Mile 7: 9:29
Mile 8: 9:18
Mile 9: 9:12
Mile 10: 9:06

After the run, Chris and I headed to Jupiter to visit my Uncle Bill and Aunt Nora. We had an absolutely wonderful weekend! On Saturday the four of us went for a really fun bike ride through trails in Loxahatchee, FL. We ended up going 7.3 miles, and had a great time. After the bike ride, Chris and I ran 3 miles so I could get in my last run for the week. My run was 29:37, and my legs felt like logs for all the back-to-back work-outs. Aside from working out, we had an awesome time hanging out with my family, including my cousin Dan who came up to visit. We also went to a sea turtle rescue facility. I will share the entire weekend with you in pictures.

Smoked sailfish. Caught and smoked by my uncle. So good!

Saturday morning before breakfast.

with UB

with UB and Aunt Nora

Love this blue crab statue!

Sandhill crane

Chris and I rented bikes

Love them!!!

Love him!

with my "little" cousin, Dan

Hilarious bumper sticker!

Mimosa

Relaxing in the hot tub. So wonderful!

New decorations for our bedroom.

I hope you all had an amazing weekend!

Feeling under the weather

2011-01-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

Chris luckily is all better, but now I am feeling sort of "off". As soon as he ended up sick, I made a point of eating more fruits and vegetables, taking my vitamins (although that is a daily habit), and getting plenty of sleep. Perhaps it is this sudden freezing cold weather in Florida. No matter what, I am not feeling 100%. I left work with my face feeling really flushed and my stomach not feeling great. My Aunt Nora suggested I take some Airborne (and told me to drink it in juice or something with a good flavor to mask the flavor of the Airborne).

Luckily I do not have a fever, but I am going to stay in on this cold night and run tomorrow. I have on my new super comfy socks that Chris's parents gave me for Christmas.

The inside of the socks.... so soft!

Chris is super sweet and is bringing home some California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. Yum! We love their Margherita pizza, and I love their Tuscan Panzanella salad which comes with Cannellini beans, cherry and yellow grape tomatoes, lightly toasted croutons, red onion, cucumber, beets, fresh avocado and basil tossed in their homemade red wine herb vinaigrette. (Random fact: The first time he referred to CPK, I was trying to figure out why he was talking about a Cabbage Patch Kid.)

I hope the rest of you are feeling 100%! I plan to be that way tomorrow!

Frustrating week in research

2011-01-13T08:08:00.000-05:00

I do not have any runs to report at the moment. The last two days I have spent long days at work. I really need a good mid-length run right now. I plan to run either tonight (pending plans with a friend) or tomorrow.

[image source]

I spent three long days this week working on an organic synthesis for school/work only to discover yesterday that it did not work. We have successfully done this synthesis twice, and then the last two times it has not worked (and these two times were spaced a month apart). Even my adviser who helped us with the synthesis has no idea why it is not working. Long story short, I need the the synthesis product to do an experiment and nothing is working at the moment which has left me very frustrated. Frustration is a part of research, and while last night I was frustrated beyond belief, I deep down still absolutely love my work. I live for a challenge.

Some quotes from some very wise men:

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." ~Thomas Edison

"If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?" ~Albert Einstein

Last night I went home and had a very nice dinner with Chris which included a much needed glass of wine. Then I went to bed and slept for nearly 9 hours. Now I am up, feeling refreshed, and ready to face the challenge again. Thank you for allowing me to vent. Off to do more research! How do you face mental challenges? Have a wonderful day!

P.S. On a positive note, my butt is feeling better (Thank you for asking, Christine! You're so sweet!). There is still a dull pain, but is much better compared to last week. Yay!

The dreaded treadmill

2011-01-11T08:13:00.000-05:00

I forgot just how much I hate the treadmill until yesterday. I ended up working late so it was dark by the time I got home, I didn't have anyone to run with, and it was rainy outside. Chris recently got us a key for the gym in our complex, so I decided to utilize that. I did 3 very long and hot miles in 28:45. The entire time I was face-to-face with a woman on an elliptical, and I was watching some really horrible Spanish soap opera (Unfortunately... or maybe in this case fortunately...I do not understand Spanish.)

After finishing, I made sure to stretch, went home, showered, ate, and went to bed. Pretty exciting stuff huh?

I'm off to work. Have a great day!

A work-out with Serena Williams and a blogger meet-up!

2011-01-09T21:07:00.000-05:00

Friday I chilled with Barbara Walters while she took my vitals, and yesterday I worked-out with my old friend Serena Williams. Okay, so it is an iTunes card where the voice of Serena Williams instructs you through interval training. It counts. My legs were pretty sore from the run the day before, so my intervals were not very intense at all (3 miles in 31:22). But I did them.

hen I came home, showered, and went for my massage. When I explained my situation, the gentleman who was my masseuse suggested that I get an all over massage to help me relax, then he would focus on areas around my legs/butt. I was actually very relieved that it did not turn into a deep tissue massage. I'm not going to lie... having someone massage my butt was awkward, but at the same time it really did help with the pain. He also focused on my shoulders, since that is where I carry all of my tension. This is my third massage where the masseuse was unable to remove all of the knots in my shoulders. He suggested for both my pulled butt muscle injury and my shoulders that I heat them. He said to heat for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes every hour. He told me that heating beyond that amount of time would result in inflammation, which would not help. I have been doing what he said, and it really seems to be helping! My gluteus minimus is still sore, but it definitely feels better than a few days ago. I am going to be good and not do a long run for at least week, even though I want to. (I had really been looking forward to my solo 15 mile run, just to prove to myself that I could do it.)

As far as my weekly challenge, I made my goal! I ran 3 days (it was 3 miles each day). Given that I injured myself by incorporating a new work-out into my routine, I have decided to keep my upper body and ab work-outs light and build up until after the marathon. Call me paranoid, but I do not want another injury. One day I did 10 push-ups (on my knees... but they were still challenging. I have lost all of my strength I gained during my 100 push-up challenge). Another day, I did a single set of various arm exercises with 5 lb dumbbells. My arms were not very sore, so I will probably add another set next time. In terms of abs, I did one day where I did a plank for a full minute and then a half a minute. A little is better than nothing!

Yesterday, the lovely and talented Katy from The Singing Runner was in town for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. You can read her awesome race recap here, and also see her awesome pictures from our meet-up (at yummy PF Changs). I had so much fun meeting with her! She is such a sweet heart!

We did not order these, but they brought them to us. I tried a lettuce wrap, and it was pretty good.

I loved these green tea noodles. They were different.

Photo op!

Not a great fortune but true.

Have you ever participated or would you participate in a blogger meet up? Were you nervous? Personally, I get nervous and shy (which tends to equal chatty), but I really enjoy them! I love meeting new people!

Have a wonderful week all! Today Chris and I bought a ninja! But more about that in a later post...

Forget Google, See a Doctor

2011-01-07T20:19:00.000-05:00

My butt hurt pretty bad this morning, so I started Google-ing running-related injuries and butt pain. Before I knew it, I was convinced that I would not be able to run my marathon and probably had a chronic injury (I tend to have a flare for the dramatics.) After my freak-out moment earlier this afternoon, I decided to make a doctor's appointment. While I sat in the waiting area, I thought of writing my next blog. I would try to be positive while writing about breaking my weekly running streak the first week of the new year, and writing to remind myself that the point of my goal was to keep me running consistently, and the smart thing to do is to rest when injured.

In the middle of mentally writing my blog, the nurse called me back to check my vitals. Her name was Barbara Walters. No lie. Fortunately, my blood pressure was great and so was my temperature (my poor Chris has been home sick with a fever for two days). Then I met with the doctor who I believe was a sports medicine specialist. I gathered this from him telling me about tips he tells his elite athletes. The doctor poked, twisted, prodded, pulled, and pushed my legs/butt/hip and determined that I have a pulled gluteus minimus. The injury most probably occurred during my hot yoga class last week. The doctor told me that he advises his elite athletes to not do anything new four weeks before a race. For example, not trying GUs for the first time, but apparently it also means do not go to hot yoga six weeks before a race when it is not something you do regularly. The very good news is that he said my butt pain is curable. He said that I can still run my marathon, although it may hurt. In fact, he told me to run today. He said for a week or so to focus on speed work and intervals. Then when I feel up to it to try an endurance run. This means I will not be running 15 miles tomorrow; instead, I will be doing a shorter speed work-out. I can live with that.

Tonight I ran 3 miles doing intervals. Chris needed a gallon of water and wanted to get some air, so he walked to the grocery store while I sprinted ahead then back to Chris. I would walk and sprint (but not too fast... I didn't want to push it the first day). I hit 3 miles at 30:36. Then there was a very short walk after that.

The doctor also mentioned that my hip flexors were well stretched, but my IT band is tight. In addition to the stretches I mentioned the other day, he said to also do the stretch where I was sitting up but at the edge of the bed and then to lay back on the bed. He told me a good stretch, which I have tried to show in pictures. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, Chris is sick, so I tried to take the pictures myself.

Welcome to my bedroom. Lay on the edge of the bed, bend the top leg behind you and hold your ankle with your hand.

While holding your ankle, bring your other leg so that its ankle sits on top of the knee of the other leg. You will feel the stretch on your top hip.

View from the top.

Another stretch.

And another.

The doctor also told me that heat and ice probably wouldn't penetrate deep enough. I asked about a massage, and he told me that he wasn't sure if they would be able to massage deep enough, but studies have shown that massages reduce pain. I booked my first sports massage for tomorrow afternoon, and I am honestly nervous about how much it is going to hurt but hoping that it helps. I will let you know how it goes.

This experience has taught me a few lessons:

Ignore Google and just go see the doctor
Do not try something new right before a big race
Do not push the limits too far in hot yoga

Have a wonderful evening!

P.S. And the ladies are probably the only people who want to read this paragraph.... also asked the doctor another question. This is totally one of those TMI moments, but it really freaked me out, so I figured someone else may benefit from this knowledge as well. After our 18 mile run, when I was undressing to take a shower, I noticed a small amount of spotting (very small amount). I asked the doctor about it, and he said that it is perfectly normal. In fact, even more spotting is common. Like I said, TMI, but if any other women out there have had a minor freak-out session, know that it is normal. Of course, I would still consult with your doctor.

Butt pain

2011-01-07T11:40:00.002-05:00

Okay so my butt (left side only) was feeling better yesterday. I decided to foam roller again and noticed that the muscles were still tight. This morning it has been hurting. I'm afraid to run. My marathon is only 5 weeks away. Basically, I'm freaking out!

It hurts so good! & Surprises

2011-01-06T20:14:00.000-05:00

I ran with my co-workers on Tuesday. We did a very easy 3 miles in 33:59; unfortunately, my butt/leg/hip (somewhere in that area) started hurting again. Since then, I have been foam roller-ing like crazy! All I can say about that is that it hurts so good. It's like massaging out a very painful knot. On a good note, it seems to be working. As much as I wanted to run today, I told myself I'd give my butt/leg/hip another day off. I plan on a very easy run tomorrow. Then Saturday will be my 15 mile solo run... my first time running so far on my own. But I will have something to look forward to.... a blogger meet up! I cannot wait!

Speaking of meet ups, I had two surprise meet ups this week. My youngest sister was in town for a couple days visiting some of her friends. We met up for dinner before she left. We went to Brio, and I had a delicious chicken and sweet potato risotto. Who knew I loved risotto! My super awesome sister even gave me a super awesome gift... a personalized mug. I love it! I took it to work today. Today we also had a brief meet up with Chris's mom who was in town to bring something to his sister. It was really great to see family this week that I do not usually see on a daily basis.

This week I also tested out my new super awesome tea kettle! The temperature really does change the flavor of the tea.

Finally, my mom sent me home with a package of Dove Dark Chocolate. Dove chocolate usually has little messages written on the inside of the foil. I had two pieces as dessert and discovered a message that I thought was great.

Miracles aren't limited to the holidays.

I hope you all have had an awesome week so far. Did you have any nice surprises this week?

Stretches and date night

2011-01-03T20:41:00.001-05:00

First I want to thank you all for the comments. I have followed the stretches recommended by Christine in my comments on the last post.

Excuse my expression. Chris caught me between smiles.

I cannot get this image to stand upright. Oh well.

The stretches really seem to be working! I am going to foam roller some more tonight and do more stretches. I have an easy run planned for tomorrow with Caitlin and two of our co-workers.

For lunch I had a delicious salad that I made with my new food processor. It contained cucumber, tomato, red onion, black olives, avocado, feta, butter beans (my first time trying these, and they were great!), and some italian dressing. I ate it on pita bread. Very refreshing.

Chris had the day off today, which means he was actually home when I got home. We decided to make it a date night and went out to dinner and then walked around a local lake. It was wonderful. I tried to get a picture, but it did not turn out. After we got home, I was craving something sweet and decided to make a smoothie. Unfortunately, my blender seems to have died. My smoothie was rather chunky and more like ice cream, but it was still delicious. Guess I need to go out and buy a blender now.

I hope that you all have had a wonderful day. I am going to finish watching Dexter with Chris then read some of my fun book before bed. I love Jeffery Deaver! Who is your favorite author?

Pain and tea

2011-01-02T18:40:00.000-05:00

During my run on Friday, my left hip hurt a bit. I actually think I may have pulled something during yoga, because the muscle right where my butt and leg meet was sore before my run. I have stretched, used some Ironman muscle cream, and used a heating pad. It is still a bit sore, so I am going to take another day off of running. I plan to run Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of this week. And Saturday is scheduled as a solo 15 mile run, since Caitlin will be doing her Ragnar run this coming weekend and is running 15 miles total.

Yesterday, Chris and I went to Teavana where I purchased a delicious chai mixture like what Chris's sister, Jessica, had. I also purchased a delicious herbal tea which pairs well with the Moroccan mint Jess gave me. I tried the chai this morning, and it was delicious! We spent today cleaning. I have a bit more I want to do before bed, but I love the feeling of a nice clean home to start the new year.

My plan is to enjoy my last evening before heading back to work. I hope the new year has been good to you all!

Just registered for Croom 16 mile Fools run!

2011-01-01T14:59:00.001-05:00

Ever since I heard about the Croom Fools Run I have wanted to participate. I just signed up for the 16 mile run on April 9th. The race is described on the website as:

This race takes place at Croom which is within the Withlacoochee State Forest. The forest was named one of the 10 coolest places in North America. PLEASE REGISTER EARLY AS THIS RACE WILL SELL OUT - it is limited to 250 runners.

This is a wonderful course that is mostly a great single track running trail that winds through outstanding Florida terrain and most of the trail even has tree canopy to keep off the sun. If you have never run this race, you need to experience one of the great places to run trails in Florida.

I have really been wanting to get into trail running. After my marathon, I intend to find trails and run on them. I want to try trail running this year in my Vibrams (as of right now, I don't really have a desire to wear them on the road/sidewalk, but we'll see what the future holds).

Is anyone else interested in running the Crooms 16 mile race? (I know the pictures show 15 miles, but the race site says 16 miles...) Perhaps we can meet up. For those who are interested in something a bit longer, there is also a 50 K and a 50 mile race. I considered the 50 K, but decided to stick with the 16 miles since I will be new to trail running. I am so excited!

Welcome to 2011!

2011-01-01T13:01:00.001-05:00

So far I have started my new year by sleeping in with my love and relaxing. Later I plan to finish cleaning and unpacking from our traveling as well as going to the tea store for some more loose leaf tea. I am on the hunt for a nice bedtime tea.

For those who have missed it, I reviewed my top posts of 2010. I have a feeling that this year is going to be amazing! I am looking forward to accomplishing my work-out goals. Do you have any big plans for this wonderful new year?

A review of my 2010

2010-12-31T22:37:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve to you all!!!

My year has been pretty fantastic. In terms of blogging, I have posted more blog posts in 2010 than in 2007-2009 combined. I intend to keep it up for2011!

I have composed a list of highlights and favorite posts of 2010 (with links to the original posts):

January

Decided on a marathon: 26.2 with Donna The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer

We saw The Phantom of the Opera

February

Discovered Operation Beautiful

Discovered the deliciousness that are Green Monsters!

March

The ringing in my ear started (Not a highlight of the year, but it was a significant change in my life. By the way, my right ear is still ringing, and the left rings on occasion as well.) [source]

April

I tried acupuncture

May

I won a print by an amazing artist, Rob Kaz.

As part of an experiment at work, we dug up pig bones.

5K PR!!

June

My little sister graduated from high school.

My niece turned two.

Saw the play Chicago.

Discovered Hot Yoga. [source]

Met an amazing woman.