Things that make me go “Hmmm…”

Posted on February 24, 2012 by HHRunner

I had no real intentions of posting today because I don’t really have anything relevant to talk about, but then this happened:

I placed an order on Amazon today for 3 things. Upon checkout, this was the message I received:

WTF Amazon!?! Seriously?! Why would you not just say that all 3 items were shipping between Mar. 1, 2012 – Mar. 3, 2012?!

This is just one more thing I do not understand. Kind of like I don’t understand why my knee refuses to heal. Or how I’m so hungry all the time now that I’m lifting weights. Or how Sean can work out 2 days a week and still be in better shape than me. Or why he’s suddenly decided to take up running now that I can’t. You know, things like that.

Happy Friday friends!

Book Review: The Rules of Inheritance

Posted on February 23, 2012 by HHRunner

A couple weeks ago I was sent The Rules of Inheritance to read and review. And while I chose to participate in the book review I put off actually reading the book for a long time because I’ve always been a little wary of reading memoirs. My favorite kinds of books are usually thick with mystery and murders (like anything by James Patterson), or more on the fantastical side (the Harry Potter series is my all time fave, hands down). Memoirs scare me, I’m always afraid they’ll be boring.

via

When I did actually force myself to sit down and start reading my initial thought was “well this isn’t going to be that fun”. And then I couldn’t put it down. I read the book in 3 days – an impressive feat for me these days when you factor in work, working out, and spending the majority of my time with the boy.

The book takes you through the author’s, Claire Bidwell Smith, experiences battling with her grief and the extreme emotional responses she has when trying to deal with it. She was born into a set of older parents and both were diagnosed with cancer when she was only 14 – her dad first and then shortly thereafter her mom.

Being delivered such traumatic news at such a young age breeds a very rebellious and emotional response from Claire and she answers the news by dabbling in all the common teen rebellions: underage drinking, lying, sex, etc… and while I can identify with the rebellion I really can’t identify with the anger that comes seething off the pages in her earlier years. Then again, I’ve never been given news like that either.

While her dad was the first to be diagnosed with cancer, it was her mom that ended up passing away first in Claire’s early college career. I was heartbroken when this happened – I can’t even begin to fathom losing my mom, and it was incredibly emotional reading about how she dealt with this loss. At times I wanted to reach through the pages and give her a hug. The two bright spots in this were her blossoming relationship with her dad – something that she openly admits would have never happened had he died first – and her really coming into her own, albeit through a lot of trial and error.

The book is broken into five different sections, each named after a stage of her grief, and each section is delivered in chapters that highlight different ages of her life. They aren’t chronological so it does a lot of jumping around, but the end result is a very poignant picture of how every tragedy she faced – and there were many of them only starting with her parent’s cancer diagnosis – ended up shaping her into the person that she is today.

While I wasn’t initially enamored with the book I actually really enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it. It’s not light reading in the sense that there are a lot of heavy emotional topics that surface throughout the book, but it is a fast read – once you start it’s hard to put it down. Everything is so well-written that it’s easy to get swept up in her story.

Over the next several weeks we’ll be discussing the book further at the BlogHer Book Club, so you should pick up a copy (look how easy I made that!) and come join in with us Smile

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own

3 Things Thursday: Thankful Edition

Posted on February 16, 2012 by HHRunner

I’ve been mulling over what I wanted to highlight in today’s 3 things Thursday and then I read Nicole’s post and knew that it was a time to be thankful. I could sit here and complain (again) about not being able to run, but really what good is it? Being thankful is so much more fun!

1. I’m thankful I’m not completely sidelined

Yes, not running is a bummer, but I’m so thankful I can still work out. If I had been sidelined from working out entirely I would be in a much worse place then I am right now – and I’m grateful that I can still break a sweat, burn some calories, and ride waves of endorphins. I still have days where it’s a little rough logging into DailyMile and seeing all the awesome runs that people are having, but then I remind myself that laying off running now will help me have a longer running career later. And every time I finish a work out I rejoice that I was able to do it and wonder how anyone could ever hate working out. While I may still long to lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement, lifting weights and going to hot yoga are a good secondary options.

2. I’m thankful for Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Program

I’m in the process of putting together a post about this, but suffice it to say lifting weights has been a humbling experience that I’m extremely grateful for experiencing and never would have done if I was still running. I’ve realized that I’m not as strong as I thought it was and it’s been fun being sore from lifting. I’ve really enjoyed getting to the gym and trying out new weight lifting exercises that I usually reserve for the boys. I think it’s good to get out of our comfort zones, and running had definitely become a comfort zone and a crutch for me – I was decently good at it and I continued to make it the main focus of my life… not necessarily a bad thing, but I mentioned wanting to get out of my comfort zone at the beginning of the year and lifting weights with the big boys at the gym has done that. Being sidelined from it for the last month has taught me that a little balance is a good thing. And that I have incredibly weak arms.

3. I’m thankful for awesome family members

I never talked about going to see the Rice trainer but I’m so glad my father-in-law was able to get me an appointment there. He didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know, but having a second opinion from a respected sports trainer made me feel better that I just need some down time and lots of foam rolling, stretching, and icing. I’ve used my foam roller more in the past week then I have, well, ever. Also on a high note, I am apparently really flexible for a runner according to both the sports docs I’ve seen, so I’ll count that as a win!

4. BONUS: I’m thankful for early morning workouts

Louie doing a perfect impression of me in the mornings.

I used to be the queen of getting up early and working out but marathon training kind of halted that due to the sheer amount of time running long miles takes up. However now that I’ve joined a gym again and am faced with either waking up early to go to an empty gym or battling mass amounts of people in the gym in the evening I’ve resorted back to 4:45-5am wakeup calls. Completely worth it to go when no one is there. Plus then I’m done for the day and can enjoy coming home with no obligations other than spending time with the boy. Win.

What are you thankful for this week?

Copycat

Posted on February 14, 2012 by HHRunner

I really wanted to post about Live Fit today but I don’t really have all of my thoughts together yet and I tried to take some pictures this morning but they just weren’t turning out right so I’m going to save that post for a later day. Suffice it to say, I am really enjoying focusing on weight lifting thus far, but I still miss running a ridiculous amount. Oh and weight lifting makes me INSANELY hungry.

I may have already mentioned this previously on the blog but Sean and I are not big Valentine’s Day celebrators. We don’t really buy gifts, we don’t get all lovey-dovey, and we rarely make reservations anywhere. It works for us. Naturally, in saying all that, I actually did make plans for us tonight, but involves going to a beer and cheese tasting event at St. Arnold’s. We’ve been trying to do a date night once a month and this month it was my turn to pick and plan – I figured you can’t go wrong with a good craft beer, and who doesn’t love cheese, right?!

And since I am a complete copycat, after reading Tina’s post I decided I should do this little survey that’s been floating around today Smile

Consider yourself warned that there are a lot of pictures.

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
This is a tough one because Sean and I were “together but not” for a good year before we were *official*. *Officially* though, I think we’ve been together since 2006, so, a little over 5 years.

2. How did you meet? {What’s your “love” story?}
Sean lived above me our freshman year of college. Him and his roomies were being super loud one night (they were wrestling or fighting or something) so I walked upstairs and knocked on the door to make sure everything was ok. Sean answered the door, slipped outside to chat, came down and left his phone number on my dorm room the next day, and we’ve been friends ever since.

Fun fact: I told my best friend (since kindergarten… who was also my roomie our freshman year of college) right after I met Sean that I was going to marry him. Determination pays off Winking smile

3. If married, how long have you been married?
Almost 2 years now!

4. Where did you get married? Big or small wedding?
We actually got married 5 minutes away from the house I grew up in. Our wedding was somewhere in between big and small, there were somewhere between 150-200 people there I think.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another?
Not really…Sean calls me “Rache” but that’s pretty standard for the people closest to me. And there’s no real way to shorten Sean. I suppose I could call him Sha. But really, no pet names. (see aforementioned non-romantic nor lovey-dovey).

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
He has been nothing but supportive with everything I’ve wanted to do, he’s practical when I’m being impractical, and he’s not afraid of being silly – he’s my best friend not just my husband. He makes me laugh.

7. Tell us how he proposed!
His birthday was on a Saturday so we both took that Friday off to race go-karts and go up to New Braunfels to spend the weekend on the lake with friends and family. Before we went to the lake we stopped off at the winery we became wine club members of in college and after he poured me a glass of wine he got down on one knee and proposed.

I was so shocked that I just stared at him for a long time before asking if he was serious – I had no idea he was even thinking of proposing.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?
Tina can we be BFF’s?! Sean and I are not really either of those things. Our first Valentine’s Day we ordered pizza and watched a movie. We don’t really do the whole mushy-gushy thing.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?
Movie! Couch! Relax!! Unless we’re in Mexico, in which case then I am totally on board with the sunset dinner on the beach. But really, I live in jeans and converse shoes, you tell me what you think I’d rather be doing.

10. Tell us one thing you’d like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
I wanna go sky-diving. And I would LOVE to backpack through Europe.

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine’s Day.
Like I said before, we’re going to a craft beer tasting tonight at our favorite brewery Smile

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine’s day?
An Amber ale at the brewery? Sean and I don’t exchange Valentine’s gifts… we never have.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Don’t forget to be friends and don’t forget to date. It’s easy to fall into routines when you’re married [or even just in a long-term relationship]. I tell Sean absolutely everything, we still joke around all the time, we still tell one another we’re each others best friends, and we still get dressed up and go out on fancy date nights.

Oh and be supportive. I can’t thank Sean enough for being so supportive all the time in my running/yoga/fitness/job endeavors. I hope I’m as good to him as he is to me.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Always look to the future. Don’t dwell on the past. This was right after we got engaged and taken by two very drunk ladies who told us we needed pictures to commemorate the event. I LOVE this picture.

What piece of advice would you give someone for keeping a relationship strong? Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Infographic Friday!

Posted on February 10, 2012 by HHRunner

You know I love a good infographic, and today is no different! Vibram sent me “The Anatomy of a New Fitness Regime” infographic in hopes that I’d share with all you fitness loving folks out there and I am more than happy to oblige! Enjoy and Happy Friday!!

Any fun plans this weekend?!

3 Things Thursday

Posted on February 9, 2012 by HHRunner

1. The Washer & Dryer Fiasco

Buying a washer & dryer is one of the most stressful things I’ve ever done. Sean and I spent a solid 4 hours running from place to place, comparing prices and models, before finally ending back at Lowe’s (one of the first places we stopped) where we made one of the biggest purchases we’ve made since we’ve gotten married [we bought our house before we got married]. Holy cow I don’t want to do that again anytime soon. I went in with this really strong resolve that I wanted the silver front loading washer & dryer and Sean went in with a very set price in his head. Somehow we did neither of those things. However in a few days these babies will be delivered to our house and I will be one very happy person:

Compromise is the key to marriage, right?

2. Jamie Eason Live Fit

I am extremely excited and extremely nervous about starting the Jamie Eason Live Fit 12 week training program, but I think it’s going to be good for me. Luckily I’m not going at it on my own and Heidi is joining me Smile I’m not entirely sure I’m going to follow a program to the letter though, I think I do pretty clean eating right now so while I am going to clean up my diet I’m not going to obsess over it and I still plan on going to yoga once a week and doing some light exercises on my “rest” days. For all the planning that I do, I’m not always the best at following them.

This is taking me completely outside my comfort zone. That’s probably a good thing. Also, there’s no cardio in the first 4 weeks which means no running. That’s probably a good thing too.

3. The Knee

Tomorrow I’m meeting with one of the Rice University trainers about my knee and I’m a little nervous. I’m going to be devastated if something is seriously wrong. Sigh. Oh knee, you vex me.

Since I imagine you’re sick of seeing the same picture of my stupid knee I figured I’d include this nice portrait of Leo instead. He is quite cute!

When’s the last time you did something completely out of your comfort zone??

Please send me good vibes for tomorrow!

Letting Go

Posted on February 8, 2012 by HHRunner

I’ve realized lately that I am really terrible when I don’t have a plan. I mean, I always knew that I functioned much better when I had a to-do list, but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that I function much better when I have a plan for, well, everything.

For instance:

Marathon Training: I am not one of those people that can flawlessly put together a running plan that effectively incorporates speed work, tempo runs, and long runs with designated paces and succeed. My success hinges on having a well laid plan in place that someone with far more experience than me has put together and told me will work. I excel at that types of training plans.

Strength Training: Exercise DVDs and workout classes are my BFFs. When someone is telling me what to do I blindly and happily follow along. I am not good at showing up at the gym and picking different machines to use or free weight moves to execute. Usually I end up wandering around aimlessly hoping that inspiration will strike until I’ve wasted so much time that I really just need to wrap it up and leave.

Yoga: I never just practice. I wish that I did, but I tend to get caught up wondering what move I should do next. Going to a class or trying a new DVD gives me a calm that yoga-ing on the fly does not, and pushes me to try new things instead of sticking with the same basic flows.

Life: When I say that I live by to-do lists I don’t just mean that I write things down in a planner and then cross them off. I mean that I write things down in a planner and then I make a sub-list when I get to work and then I make another list when I get home and then I make a master list for the week and then I think about things that I want to do in the upcoming months and write those down in my planner… (longest run-on sentence ever).

Sometimes I wish I were a little more spontaneous, but I really do just function better when I know what’s going on and how to handle things.

Sometimes life throws a wrench in things and I have to plan quickly. For instance, this injury is forcing me out of what was my plan. Our washing machine broke on Monday night (mid-wash, no less) and now instead of buying a new mattress that we so desperately need we’re having to figure out how to buy everything (savings? credit card? checking account? black market?)

I thought I’d be breaking my half marathon PR this month. It’s been a long time coming. Instead, on Monday I’m going to start the Live Fit program. I thought I’d be finished with our gym and working on finishing up the guest bathroom and hall closet by now, while instead I’m still struggling to put the finishing touches on the gym.

I thought that I had everything figured out. Life and God have a funny way of reminding me, even if it’s in the slightest of ways, that I do not. And that’s ok.

When’s the last time a plan you thought was perfect went completely wrong?

Dramatics

Posted on February 7, 2012 by HHRunner

Maybe I’m being overly dramatic. It’s possible… I do have a knack for overreacting to situations, responding emotionally and immediately, and then looking back and thinking that I might have overdone it just a bit. If the husband is reading this right now, he’s shaking his head and voicing his agreement, I’m sure.

I think I get it from my dad – the whole letting my “right now” emotions control me – at least that’s what my mom tells me. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am easily swayed to tears when I’m sad or mad. I can’t say that I’m necessarily proud of this fact, it’s just the way it is. Oddly enough, when I’m really really happy I don’t cry at all, which is contrary to what most people expect. Case in point: I didn’t cry at our engagement or our wedding, I just smiled and laughed… a lot. And maybe let out a squeal of delight or two. However while I was watching Switched at Birth (don’t judge me, guilty pleasure) at work on my lunch break today I may have teared up at some of the more emotional parts. Maybe.

But I digress… The whole dramatics thing and what it relates to… it’s nothing that is really important, in fact I think it’s quite petty. It’s that stupid knee injury. I’ve really handled it with quite a bit of finesse (is there a sarcastic font?) and maturity. It’s pretty much gone a lot like the 5 stages of grief:

1. Denial: this is where I continued to attempt to run on my knee time after time, praying that it would somehow suddenly be better. I was convinced that it was just a fluke, something that would, uh, work itself out. It didn’t and it hasn’t.

2. Bargaining: ok, you’re not getting better. We shall traipse over to see the chiropractor/sports conditioning specialist and he will make everything better and I will be back in my running shoes immediately. I take care of you, you take care of me, my dear knee. I then proceeded to work out like a maniac to compensate for not being able to run, and pretty much ran myself into the ground.

3. Depression: After running (pun intended) myself ragged working out the first week, I then shifted into a very depressed week full of mediocre workouts and bad moods. I cried my eyes out all last Saturday morning when I tried to run per the doctor’s orders and it failed miserably. I am a real gem to be around when I’m not high on endorphins. I may have done some binge-eating in there also. Can’t confirm.

4. Anger: After I got done crying I immediately shifted over into a really mature, adult-like session of being really angry. I was home by myself at this point and I may have kicked the wall and slammed some doors. I then may have cried some more, yelled at Sean when he got home, and then shot things in our backyard with the BB gun before proceeding to drink away my afternoon and night. Like I said, I handled things in a very mature manner.

5. Acceptance: ok, I’m down for the count right now. I get it. I’m going to see one of the trainers for Rice University and hopefully they’ll pinpoint what’s wrong. Until I know what’s wrong I’m going to get in solid workouts and focus on what I can do: strength training. I’m toying with the idea of doing the Jamie Eason 12 week training program that every other healthy living blogger is doing right now – if I can’t run I can at least be in ridiculously good shape, right?

The truth is, I know that this is just a minor blip in (what I hope to be) a very long and fruitful running career. I’ve been kind of debating publishing this post because I know that I’ve been overreacting about the whole thing and that the whole thing sounds really immature. But, the next time I’m injured, at least I’ll be able to look back and see how gracefully I handled this injury.

Ever completely overreacted to something minor?

Don’t do it.

Posted on February 6, 2012 by HHRunner

THIS…

…will make you want to gouge your eyes out the next day.

DON’T DO IT.

No matter how good of an idea it may seem like at the time, no matter how much fun you’re having hanging out with your mother-in-law, husband, and husband’s old family friend, it is NOT WORTH IT the next day.

Especially when you have to work.

You’re welcome in advance.

Gettin’ Hydrated

Posted on February 3, 2012 by HHRunner

I drink a lot of water. Almost an unreasonable amount. You can just ask my coworkers, I’m always either refilling my water cup or running to the bathroom.

Many moons ago (no? does that not work here? you’re right.)… Several years ago I gave up soda, sugary coffee drinks, and honestly pretty much everything else that wasn’t black coffee, hot tea, or water when it came to drinks that I drink during the day. Over time soda will occasionally creep back in (FACT: Sprite cures just about everything) and I definitely indulge in a Starbucks latte after a long run, but I pretty much still adhere to a strictly black coffee and water liquid diet (unless you’re counting alcohol, in which case I am a wine-beer-and occasional vodka tonic/martini-person).

Now for the most part I love water on its own, but every so often I want to spice things up a bit. Which is how this post is coming into play.

This is also the part where I admit that sometimes I am a terrible blogger.

A million and a half years ago Crystal Light sent me some samples of their Crystal Light Pure to try out… They sent me three different flavors: mixed berry, strawberry-kiwi, and grape.

At first I didn’t think much of it – in fact I told Sean he could help me test them out because he loves stuff like that – and then I kind of forgot about them. Wrought with good intention I threw a couple in my purse and… they got knocked down to the bottom of the bag and forgotten. I also was a little wary because I am not a fan of grape-flavored things… True story: I don’t think I ever have even tried grape jelly because something about grape flavored jelly just grosses me out.

However I did finally try them and let me tell you mixed berry knocks my socks off it’s so good. I love it and I drink it all the time now (I’m actually sipping on it while I’m writing this… and by sipping I mean chugging). And, despite my worst fears, I actually loved the grape flavor too! In fact, I’ve been so hung up on those two flavors that I still haven’t tried the strawberry-kiwi, but I have no doubt it’s going to be awesome.

With the upcoming Super Bowl these are a great option for having a flavored drink during the game OR for using them as a drink mixer (I know Paula does that Winking smile ) OR for re-hydrating the next day Smile

When I was talking with the folks over at Crystal Light they also included some tips for staying hydrated, and I’m passing those on to you so you can implement them during the Super Bowl this Sunday:

Hydration Tips from Crystal Light Pure Spokesperson Molly Kimball, RD

1. Keep a Tally

We can’t actually tell how well we’re hydrated by how thirsty we feel. For many of us, by the time we start to feel thirsty, we’re already dehydrated, but just how much water is enough when it comes to staying hydrated? Keep a running tally of how much fluid you’re getting and aim for half of your body weight in ounces of fluid per day, plus an extra 16 ounces for every pound of sweat lost during exercise or work in the heat.

2. Flavor Up to Drink Up

Want to drink water to stay hydrated, but hate the boring taste? Add the flavor you want and none of what you don’t by sipping on naturally sweetened Crystal Light Pure. It’s got no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or preservatives and is sweetened with sugar and Truvia, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant. It’ll give your water light, refreshing flavor with just 15 calories and 4 grams of sugar per serving. And the Grape and Strawberry Kiwi flavors have the added bonus of electrolytes!

3. Don’t Forget about Food

Staying well-hydrated is essential for maintaining optimal energy levels, preventing muscle cramping and headaches, and more serious issues like heatstroke. But that doesn’t mean you have to force down gallons of water or bottles of sugary sports drinks. Any type of alcohol-free beverage can count toward your fluid intake – and even some foods! Some of the top electrolyte-rich, hydrating foods include all types of fresh fruit, soups like gazpacho and Greek yogurt.

4. Watch the Caffeine

For years, the widely-held belief was that caffeinated beverages were dehydrating. An abundance of research has proven otherwise, however. The amount of caffeine typically found in standard servings of tea, coffee, and soft drinks appears to have no diuretic effect, meaning that these beverages don’t cause us to lose more fluid than they provide. But remember that you don’t want the majority of your fluids to come from caffeinated drinks since most health organizations recommend we limit our caffeine intake. Instead, try to vary what you’re drinking.

Disclosure: I received a sample of Crystal Light Pure from Kraft Foods for free, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Are you a strictly water person, or love sugary drinks?