Wedding #7 ... check

Well, I'm proud to say I continued my quest to get back into shape this weekend.

Saturday morning, I got out of bed, had a small breakfast and headed to the gym. I didn't have a lot of time because wedding #7 was at 1 pm and it was about an hour away. I did 2.5 miles on the track (can I say again how much I LOVE my lap counter) in approx. 9:10 pace. The first 2 miles were awesome, the last half... not so much. It was tough, but I kept pushing myself to just finish it. Building the foundation back is never easy. I didn't have time for extra cardio or lifting, but I figured getting in my run could count as a success.

Wedding #7 was beautiful. The reception looked like a Winter Wonderland and was complete with a martini bar, ice cream station, soft pretzels for the late night snack, and photo booth. The photo booth was the most fun! It took a series of four pictures and you got to keep one and the other copy went into a scrapbook for the new couple. As the night progressed, I'm sure the photos become more and more, eh, creative. The bride and groom also surprised us all with a very fun first dance. They started with the traditional love song, which quickly broke into a choreographed old-school montage. It was a fun night and JP is happy that we don't have anymore weddings to go to this year.

Sunday was cold (about 30-degrees), but sunny. So, I made the most of it and headed outside for a "long run" of 3 miles. It felt great to be outside, my legs were responding well and my foot was able to take the mileage. I opted to go without my iPod (I desperately need to upload some new songs), and it was really nice to just think and enjoy the scenery.

The gym bag is in the car and I'm ready for another great workout tonight!

Shoeless Joe (or Joanne)...

Okay, so I've been going to the same gym for nearly 2 years now. And, there's usually this one woman that I always notice. I've tried to keep my mouth shut, but it's Friday and I feel like letting my hair down a little and being a tad snarky. (I'm really a nice person. I promise.)

She's a middle-aged woman, that seems to work out all the time. She always wears baggy sweats and a zip up sweatshirt, with the sleeves pushed up over her elbows (that alone drives me crazy for some reason). Since she's in baggy workout gear, I can't really see her body but she doesn't seem to have the killer body you would expect from someone that works out all the time. She's thin, but that's about it. Okay, so why do I notice her? Because she always wears these black socks, that are so worn thin on the bottom they have huge holes in them. How do I know that? BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T WEAR SHOES WHILE WORKING OUT!

Go ahead and call me a gym snob, but it drives me insane and I have to let it out. The folks that wear the canvas shoes to work out in bug me, but this pushes me over the edge. She does classes, with her shoes neatly lined up next to her mat. She rides the bike, WITH NO SHOES ON. She runs (well, shuffles really) WITH NO SHOES ON. I've never seen her lift weights, but I'm guessing she'd do that with no shoes on either. I don't know why none of the trainers have said anything to her. I mean, it really isn't that safe to be working out without proper shoes on.

Admitedly, I've gone running without shoes... When I've done workouts on the beach or sprint drills on the football field. You know, in safe environmenets where the workout is geared to help you improve. Grrrr.... It probably bothers me way more than it should, but what can I say? It apparently is a hot button with me.

Okay, I feel better.... :)

I had a good workout last night. Another 2 miles (about 9:10 pace), some time on the eliptical and an ab workout. Felt good and my body is responding well. Plus, my foot is doing really well. Still taking it slow, but I'm so happy that it looks like I've made a full recovery. Rest day today and I'm planning on a 2.5-3 mile run on Saturday. Yay for the first week of my comeback. :)

The tough choices in life... gym or bar?

Last night I was faced with a big dilema: Go to the gym or go to the bar. Now, before you tell me this is a no-brainer, let me explain.

Getting back into shape is at the top of my priority list. I love the feeling of being not only in shape, but being in kick-butt, what's a 15-mile run, I look freaking awesome shape. I feel like I haven't been in that condition since right before my unexpected surgery a few years ago. Looking back at pics during my marathon a few weeks before "the incident", I have to admit I looked great. Plus, I just felt so great being in the best shape of my life. So, dedication I must have.

But... being a CMU alum, the big MAC game between Central and Ball State was last night. One of my friends called to say a bunch of folks were meeting up at the bar to watch the game. Hmmm... what to do.

I'm proud to say I was dedicated and did my workout at the gym, with the thought that I could possibly catch the second half of the game afterwards.

So, I got my 2 miles in (approx. 9 minute miles - felt much better than Monday's run) and then jumped on the elipitcal for another 45 minutes. I just felt like I needed to get some more cardio in, but didn't want to risk putting too much stress on my foot. Then, I hit the weights and got a good lower body workout in. My quads were SCREAMING on the leg extension bench, but I just took that energy in and turned it into more determination to get back those killer legs. :)

Afterwards, I quickly ran home for a shower and made it over to the bar. My former trainer would be proud - I only had ONE beer. Didn't want to totally undo what I had just worked on for nearly 2 hours. It felt good to be out and among friends, kicking back with a cold one. (Life has been more stressful than I could ever imagine right now. I'm directly tied to the auto industry. There's a long, insightful post coming in the near future, I'm sure...). I got to bed much later than I would have liked, but it was totally worth it.

Looking forward to another great workout tonight. Ab/core work tonight... wish me luck!

Lots of Laps

Last night, after work, I went to the gym determined to get a killer workout in. It's been a little while since I've been able to workout so I need to get back into the swing of things.

It was a little sad that I couldn't run outside, but it was dark, cold and snowing. On the bright side, I finally got to use my little lap counter that I bought this summer. I HATE having to count laps and usually forget which number I'm on. Then, to make sure I dont' slack, I run more just to ensure that I get in the desired distance. Grrr.... Anyway, it worked great! I forgot to start my watch to time my goal of 2 miles, but I guess it's better that way. I'm working on getting back into shape, not speed ... yet...

The 2 miles were a little tough, and I sadly realized how out of shape I really am now. In the past, when I didn't work out for one reason or another, I was at least still active. With that dumb stress fracture, I literally sat all summer. Slow and steady. I'll get there.

After my 2 miles, I did an upper body lifting workout. A little sore this morning, so I know I'll be hurting by tonight. But, looking forward to a great workout tonight!

St. Louis

Super delayed, but here's some photos of St. Louis. We had such a great time... so much that our bodies rebelled against all of the fun we had that we both got sick upon arrival back at home. I'm feeling much better now and JP is just getting back on his feet.

We left last Thursday night and got in a little late. Just enough time to grab a late, late dinner at the bar and head to bed.

Friday morning, we meet the groom and his family (who I've known for years) and went to the famous Blueberry Hill resturant for lunch. Not sure why it's famous, but it is. From there, we went to see how Bud Light is made. Excellent tour and the tasting afterwards was obviously the best part. I tried this holiday ale that doesn't hit store shelves until Dec. 1. Can't remember the name of it, but if you see it, I highly recommend it!

That night, we went to the rehersal dinner in the suburb, Clayton. If you haven't heard of it, I can sum it up in a few words. Gated streets... filled with beautiful mansions. Yep, I said mansions. To put it in perspective: Dinner was served, buffet style, in the front, formal dinning room. We then walked to the back of the house where several long tables were set up. On the indoor basketeball court. Yeah... The people were super nice, the bar was well stocked and we had a wonderful meal. Afterwards, tons of us headed to a local bar. Thankfully it was within walking distance of the hotel. :)

After dancing our butts off, catching up with old friends and making new ones, we walked back to the hotel. We were starving and I was put in charge of ordering pizza. There were about 8 of us, so I just asked for the biggest pizza they have. Apparently, I ordered the biggest pizza in the world. Seriously, look at it! It was nearly the size of a small bar table!!! It was so good!!

Saturday, JP and I went to the Gateway Arch and went up for the view. JP had never been there before, so he can now check off one more thing on his "Tourist Spots Across the U.S." list. (NOTE: I look a little rough... we didn't get much sleep the night before...)

The wedding that evening was beautiful and the reception was at a lovely country club. We had a great time -- again, the bar was well stocked, danced our butts off, caught up with old friends and got to know our new ones better. Of course, after the reception, the party moved to the hotel bar. Not sure what time we finally made it back to the room but 7 a.m. came pretty early for us to get up and catch our flight. It was pretty brutal, but we had a wonderful trip!

This weekend was pretty low-key in comparison. Thank goodness!! One more wedding of the season... on Saturday... This one is in town and JP has limited me to 3 weddings next year. :)

Heading to the gym tonight! Yay!!!!

sick

feel like crap. working from home. will have to update you all on my kick-butt weekend in St. Louis later. (I know you're all anxiously waiting...)

more hot tea, OJ and vitamins in my future...

1.5 miles down...

... and a walk during lunch and yoga. Holy cow! Yay, me! :)

Monday, I was very ambitous and happy to be in the land of the running. I gathered the girls with I was walking with during the summer and we put on our running shoes and had a great power walk during lunch. Note: I am not one of those unstylish gals walking around in a skirt, tights, bright white socks and tennis shoes. :) We walked for about 45 minutes and I felt so great. I was never big into walking, but I have to tell you I could tell a HUGE difference this summer. I just felt better and I was more productive in the afternoon. It was nice to be at it again, plus the catching up with friends that I'd been missing out on.

After work, it was way too nice to go to the gym. It's going to be cold and snowy soon enough, so I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to do my 1.5 miles outside. It felt great!

Afterwards, while dinner was cooking on the stove, I decided to do the yoga session I had snoozed through earlier that morning. (Always sounds like a great plan the night before, but when taht alarm goes off I'm wondering what posessed me to set my alark any earlier than absolutley necessary!). My flexibility has sadly reduced, but a little bit at a time and soon enough I'll be crushing those downward facing dogs!

Yep, it was a lot to do in one day and yep, my foot was a little sore that night. Good news is that I was great the next morning so I can continue to build my mileage. The doctor said as long as it was okay the next day, I was free to continue going (cautiously).

Yesterday, I got up at 5:30 a.m. and rushed to get ready so I could be at the polls early. I was in line by 6:20 a.m., had my registration checked by 6:35 a.m. and ready to rock and roll promptly at 7 a.m. I was #34 in line to vote and the process was so smooth. Props to the volunteers in my area! I was out by 7:35 a.m. and waiting for my mom to come over. I had the day off, so we decided to stimulate the economy by doing our annual mother/daughter shopping trip. Had a fabulous time and the weather was PERFECT!!!! Lots of walking, so I consider that my exercise for the day.

Looking forward to a good run outside again today before it snows this weekend! Yikes! :)

1 mile down...

The doctor gave me the okay a bit ago to start running, but life took over and I haven't had a chance to get out and run. This weekend was beautiful and we actually didn't have a ton of things planned. So, I got up early Saturday morning and went for my prescribed 1 mile run.

It felt so great to be out there! It was only a mile, but I was given strict instructions that the first run was to be 1 mile, the second run 1.5, etc. Sadly, I was a little sore the next day, but still smiling for being out there.

Didn't get my 1.5 in yesterday, but my gym bag is packed and waiting for me in the car. No excuses -- I am going to the gym tonight!

Hello, body... I'm back! :)