Sexy Beasts

Helllooooo! 

I haven't died or stopped running! I've just been an extremely busy little bee. I had a craaaappppp ton of school work, house sat for a friend (which involved two dogs, a cat, a chicken, a fish and several plants), worked 20 days in a row with 1 day off, and I had to move the same week as finals. I packed my entire two bedroom apartment in one day by myself and then moved it all and cleaned the whole place the next day. It was intense. All on top of which I've still be climbing, hiking and running. I don't know how. I really thought I was going to die for a little bit there. 

But alas! I have resurfaced to the world with a little bit of breathing time. I'm still unpacking, but I'm not going to kill myself to get all of it done in one day. It's nice to be back to just having to work and train, without having to worry about school. By the way, got 100.3% in one class and an 88% in the other :) Score! Was pretty hard but I champed it up like a boss. 

Anyway, just wanted to send out a quick hello and to say I haven't given up! I am still very much in training. The more I think about running the full marathon, the more I freak out because I don't know if I can do the whole distance. I looked at the half marathon map the other day...yeah...barely even want to drive that much let alone run it! haha It should be interesting. I know I can do it though. Just have to keep training and believe. Alright, well imma leave with a nice little photo of my new sexy climbing shoes! I'm super excited to break them in this week :)

Fyah

Today I did some pretty intense pilates. I also tried another workout I found on the internet that works abs and arms. It's pretty hard. You have to stay in the plank position the entire time, even when resting between circuits. My abs are on fireeeee. Feels good though! Good workout. Welp, off to go do homework, get some sleep, wake up for school, go feed animals I'm housesitting, go to work...rinse and repeat every day. So tired.

Yadda Yadda

Soooo I was suppose to run my 5 miles this past Saturday. But I was just so extremely exhausted from working 9 days in a row, going to school and doing all of that intense homework crap, taking care of my kitty, doing laundry, cleaning the whole apartment, yadda yadda yadda. It just all hit me. I was laying in bed when my alarm went off so I could get up and run before work, but I literally felt like I was going to throw up if I moved. So I stayed in bed until I had to start to get ready for work. And I'm so glad I did. 

I think it's really important to listen to your body when training for something so intense as a half marathon and a full marathon. Sometimes you just need a break. Saturday was my break and I really needed it to rejuvenate myself. I did do pilates since I was running. I felt like I could do half an hour after work without dying.

So yeah, I moved my run from Saturday to today. Yeah, I didn't want to get up and go run 5 miles this morning either, but I did it. And it felt good. This is the first time I've run a longer distance and haven't had my side hurt. I think my new breathing method is helping a lot and I kept my brain distracted a lot today so I wouldn't focus as much on running and being tired. I feel good about how much I've done so far. I honestly don't know how I'm going to do the marathon though...let alone the half marathon haha Guess we will see!!

Oh, note to myself: Do not drink the chocolate milk protein drink too fast after running. You will feel like your stomach is going to burst or like it will come out your nose. Must drink slowly. 

Well, it's off to take care of the animals and plants at the house I'm watching this week and then off to work and then to come home to do homework and laundry! I know you're jealous of my fun life. Ha.

Fishy Fish

Another short blog post. Did about an hour of pilates today after work. I also made some Mediterranean crusted salmon, steamed green beans and some brown rice for dinner. Pretty impressed with myself if I do say so! I don't really like salmon but I'm trying to force myself to like it since it's so good for you, especially after hard workouts. Let's see if I can make it happen.

Boo

I'm super exhausted so this will be short. Ran 4 miles. Died a little on the inside. I need a break from life for just a little bit...blaahhh

Poor Pinkies

Today was a great workout. I went bouldering with some guys from work, Andy, Kawain and Drew. We tried out a new gym that has a cave you can boulder up from them first floor to the second...holy crap. It was awesome. But ridiculously hard! 

We climbed a bunch of routes downstairs and upstairs, then we tried to tackle the beast cave. I got almost half way up one of the routes and both my pinkies decided to surprise me by having two huge blisters pop! I fell and my poor little pinkies cried a little. They wouldn't stop burning so I ripped the skin flaps off and rubbed chalk in them. That hurt even more but after a few minutes the burning stopped. 

We kept trying to get at least one route on the cave done, but we were too tired from doing some harder routes earlier. We're going to go again next week and we will tackle one! It's super fun in the cave but you have to be really strong since you're practically upside down the whole way and just hanging by your fingers. I think I got those three hooked so now I'll have even more climbing partners :) Can't wait until we can do all the routes in the cave!


Alright, well it's off to work now. Should be so much ffuuuunnnn. Not.

Mental Game

Did my 3.5 mile run today and it felt great! 

Running offers me some time to just think. Actually that's what helps me get through the run is to think about anything but running. Good time to work through a lot of thoughts that have been jumbled up in my head for awhile. 

I'm starting to feel like I'm finding myself again. For a long, long time, it has felt like I haven't been myself or really know who I am. I'm becoming okay with just being by myself. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone. 

Anywho, running is a total mental game. I noticed today that the first 20 min or so of my run is the hardest part for me for some reason. But once I get past that mark, I feel like I can run forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but it becomes so much easier and enjoyable. I'm always proud of myself for pushing myself past the point where I think I can't go on. I'm excited to keep on training and getting better and better. 

Well, time to go finish my lab reports for class tomorrow. It's been a loooonnggg day. Can't wait for bed!

Bouldering

Bouldering is awesomeeeee. I'm addicted. I went today with Drew, one of my friends from work. I think I got him hooked too. He did great for his first time! And he had an intimate moment with this fish haha 

It was the first time I went to this gym and it was pretty nice. They had some pretty difficult routes which was great for training. Bouldering really is a great all over body workout. Legs, arms, abs, everything gets worked. Especially your hands. Mine are beautiful...

Okay, maybe not beautiful haha. I'm saving up to get my own bouldering shoes..can't wait! I did find a few new people that will go with me 2-3 times a week and I'm stoked about that! I'm super excited to get better at bouldering. Can't wait until the day comes that I can do one of the hardest routes like a boss. Every time I go to the rock gym I get amazed by all the amazingly crazy strong people there. They inspire me to push myself harder and it's great to be around people who enjoy the same thing as you. I'm going to go again Wednesday and Saturday...hopefully the climbing tape I got today will help save my hands a little! I'll keep you updated with my progress.

Dinnah

Today I ran 5 miles. Pretty proud of myself since I'm actually keeping up with training. It didn't feel so good running today though because I pulled my calf muscle when running down the mountain the other day :\ Hopefully that'll feel better quickly!

Afterwards I had a day full of errands and homework, then I got to have a nice dinner with my parents at their new place. It's pretty weird and nice to look out and see green and water instead of dead desert in their backyard. I even made some homemade apple pie!

 I think it turned out pretty well! Especially since it was the second time I've ever made a pie. Om nom nom. We even got surprised by some fireworks over the water!

 Well, I'm going to go cuddle with my kitty and watch You've Got Mail because it's only one of the best movies ever. Be jealous of my awesome night.

Hike

Woke up early today. 5:30am early. Ouch. But it was worth it because I went hiking with one of my friends. It was pretty nice outside when we first started out...but it quickly became an oven as Arizona is known to do. Soooo hot. But thankfully I remembered sunscreen this time! After going to the top, we ran down the mountain and all the way to the car which was pretty fun. I did have a moment when I almost had a face full of cactus though haha Downhill running + slippery gravel + cactus around a surprise turn = close call. Good training today. Super tired still from this whole week though. Hopefully I can rest a bit tonight and regain some energy for my long run tomorrow.

Zonked

I don't know what is up with this week but I am feeling weak. Feels like all my energy has drained completely from my body. Today especially was really long. Woke up early, had to fast before class so we could test our glucose, went to class all morning and afternoon, ran a bunch of errands, went to work for 6 hours and it was pretty busy, and finally got to go home to do a crap ton of homework, but only after I ran. I couldn't believe I actually got out the door to go run 4 miles after everything. Go me. Time to go finish the rest of my hw and then get a few hours sleep. Booooooooo.

Surround Sound

Today I ran 4 miles. Not too long, but I'm impressed with myself because I was super tired and running was the last thing I felt like doing. But I did. It really does help motivate me by being around people who are active too. It pushes me to keep going. Ahhh well, time to do lots of homework. Chit chat ya later.

Rawr

So today was my first day of summer school. I'm taking a human nutrition class and I'm actually super excited for it. The online part is the more informative and labor intensive part, but the in person lab is going to be awesome. We get to apply everything we learn to ourselves and analyze our bodies and diets. This is going to help me a lot for training for the half and full marathons! I can calculate how many calories I need to take in every day so I can be healthier and run better. Should be interesting!

Today I did some pretty intense ab workouts. Definitely going to be feeling it tomorrow. I might be weird, but I actually really enjoy doing ab workouts. They're a lot of fun to me for some reason.

This post just goes to show how nerdy I am hahah Oh well. I don't care. I love organizing, math, working out and being weird. Hear me roar!

Be Better Than Yesterday

Today has been a fun day so far. I woke up this morning and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was only 88 outside! Beautiful and rare for a summer day in Arizona. That definitely motivated me to go for my 4 mile run today. It felt awesome. And I'm starting to learn how to breathe deep and controlled so I don't get side stitches. Making progress, slowly but surely. Now it's time to go out with some co-workers for a surprise birthday party. Should be fun :)

Splish Splash

Today was a perfect day for cross training in the pool. I had the whole pool to myself and I have to say this was the first time I've ever gone swimming completely by myself. I felt kind of weird at first, but it was actually really nice. It's nice to have some time to yourself. And I absolutely love swimming. I've always loved the feeling of being able to float through space. I had a good time today and it felt amazing on my legs. Looking forward to my run tomorrow!

New Kicks

Productive day today. I got some cleaning done, ran a bunch of errands, got some coffee with a friend, signed up for summer school, and ran 4 miles in the new shoes I bought today!

Aren't they pretty? And they feel amazing! It felt like I was running on clouds. It was such a nice change compared to my old biking shoes I was using. I'm looking forward to running more in these babies. Good day today. Looking forward to snuggling my kitty tonight and sleeping!

Moving..not any more

Ahhh...I haven't loved my bed so much before. 

I spent the last 14 hours helping my parents move. I really thought it would never end and we were stuck in some sort of twisted time warp that kept repeating. But at last, it finally did. And it was a joyous moment and my feet wept. I am glad I could help though. My parents have always helped me move, so it was time I repaid them. I can tell you one thing, I will never complain about moving my stuff ever again haha! 

I am sad to see the old house go. We spent 12.5 years there. There are a lot of memories that were created there..but I know the new owners will create a lot more new ones and enjoy the house. I do like my parents new place that they're renting. Hardwood floors, view of a lake, flowers and grass, and a great smelling gardenia plant! Plus, they're actually by civilization now. Hopefully it'll work out well! 

But for now, I am going to go pass the f out. Definitely got my workout in for the day. And I have to go back tomorrow morning to clean the old place for 6 hours then go to work...yaaayyy haha Commence pillow snuggle time!

Get Running

That quote is so true. I feel like a lot of people, including myself, make up excuses for being "too busy" to exercise or go running. In reality, it only takes on average 30min to an hour to do it and the benefits are totally worth it. I feel so good today after running. I've been so busy lately and working so much my body is really tired, but I am really glad that I pushed myself out the door today to go running. So if you're reading this, spend a little less time watching tv or on the internet tomorrow and go do something active.

Solar Eclipse

Happy Solar Eclipse Day! 

It was pretty cool to see this at work today. I haven't seen a solar eclipse before! Hurt my eyes a little, but it was worth it. It made me kind of sad though..some people at work were saying they didn't know why people were going so crazy over it. I wish people would stop and enjoy the small things in life more. It makes life so much happier to find joy in little wonders and to look at things in a different way to see their beauty. Every day I try and appreciate something, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem, it makes you be more great full for the day and life. That's why I love photography so much. Being able to find joy in seeing beautiful light...that's amazing to me. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else. I just wish people weren't so materialistic and caught up in what's cool...take a second and enjoy the world and everything around you and to actually experience it. 

On that note, today I decided to do some yoga for my cross training, followed by some intense P90X ab workout moves. I love doing yoga because it really relaxes you and clears your head. Greatly needed that today.

Get Out

That statement is so incredibly true. Today was a long and busy day, followed by a long and busy night at work, which resulted in me getting home late and having no motivation to go running whatsoever. I got home, exhausted already, and sat around for 30 min, pep talking myself in just getting out the door. I did. And I'm really glad I did. Even though I was really tired from the rest of my day, running always makes me feel better. I'm glad I'm sticking with this.

3.13

Today was my easy 30 min run. I ran a little over 3 miles and feel really good about it. I am wondering how I'm going to tack on another 10 miles to this without stopping...but I know I can do it one day.

Camel Conquered

I am exhausted. 

Camelback Mountain kicked my butt. I hiked up Echo Canyon to the top of Camelback with my friend Kevin. In the beginning you're faced with nearly vertical climbs..there's even a handrail because it's so steep! The rest of the hike is enjoyable though. Lots of bouldering which is challenging, but definitely fun. All the sweating is totally worth it though when you reach the top. The view is unbelievable. 360 view of the whole valley...it's amazing. Definitely something I'd come back for. 

After hiking, I went to my parents to help my dad with the last of packing. Lifting huge catalogs after that hard hike wasn't so much fun...but I guess it was a good workout! After packing, my dad and I went to dinner and had a great chat. I love hearing my dad's stories..he has done so much in his life and always has an adventure to talk about. Tonight he mostly talked about his time flying. He started flying when he was 16 and was the youngest and only person to get his solo license in only 5 flights at his airport. He flew private planes, sailplanes, flew competitions across the country and even taught. He's so inspiring to me for all that he has accomplished. He pushes me to do the most I can with my life. Listening to him talk, it really hit me just how many lives he has touched. He inspired so many people and changed their lives. I hope that one day I can inspire someone too. I hope I will be remembered in some way, as little as it may be. 

With all that talk about flying, it really made me want to take flying lessons. I had thought about it before and have always wanted to learn how to fly...maybe I'll make that my next project. 

Hmm...okay. Well, it's time for me to get some quality cuddle time with my pillow. Adios.

 

Baby Steps

Today was my rest day. 

It ended up not really being so restful though. I went to my parents house to help them pack. They sold their house and need to be out by Tuesday, so we've been packing like crazy the past few weeks. We got a lot done though. It seems like packing will never end, but I think the end is finally in sight! Hallelujah!

After packing for most of the day, I just went to work. Nothing exciting. I felt super down today though. I think everything that I've been cramming away into a dark corner in my brain is finally making it's way to light...and I don't like that. There's a lot I need to sort out. I've been avoiding it, but I think it's finally time I just get it over with. Time to stop pretending I'm okay. I will be. Just not right now. Thankfully I have marathon training because it's my escape. This marathon is going to help me in more ways than one.

I'm excited for tomorrow though. I'm going hiking with one of my friends I met in one of my photography classes at school. I can't wait. It should feel great and be an adventure.

Well, I'm going to catch some z's. Here's to making baby steps towards a healthy mind and body. 

Cruise Control

Today has been kind of blah. I don't know why but every once in awhile I feel like I'm just going through the motions of life and not really experiencing it. Lately, that's how I've been feeling. Maybe because I have a lot going on right now and I don't know how to feel about any of it. And because I just don't want to deal with any of it. I think my brain is overloaded and has gone into cruise control.

I know from playing soccer for over 12 years that running helps me escape from myself, so it was nice that today was my running day. I ran a mile and a half in 11 min. I'm pretty proud of myself especially because I haven't gone running for quite some time, so 11 min. isn't too shabby to me. I'm hoping to improve on that time significantly in the weeks to come though.

Hmm, yes. That's about it for today. I'll leave with this thought that sums up exactly what I need to do:

Run Forrest Run

Today I officially begin training to run my first marathon. 

I have always wanted to run a marathon, but for some reason I have never trained to actually do it. Well, I've finally found my inspiration to push myself. I've been going through a lot lately and it has really made me think about what is important. I've realized I usually do what will make other people happy and whatever they want to do, without ever taking into account my own feelings or desires. So, in order to start living my own life and making myself happy for once, I'm going to focus on myself and do something that's just for me and no one else.

This will be my little space where I will share my progress and randomness. Feel free to read on and maybe drop some encouragement. It won't be completely boring and just about me sweating to death. I'm sure there will be some entertaining stories of me falling into a pothole or something...it's happened.

Here's to new beginnings, new challenges and most importantly, being happy.

Let's Get It Started