thankful thursday #4.

look at me all on time this week:) its the last round for the month of november and i have to say its been really fun!

1. our troops

i am an american through and through, which means loving our military! the sacrifice they and their families go through to protect our country is amazing. please keep all those home and abroad in your thoughts. make sure you always thank a vet or active service member:)


seriously one of my favorite pictures.source

2. coffee
i am a total addict and wouldnt have it any other way! i didnt really start dabbling coffee until i was in my senior year of high school and that wasnt much. in college though it really started turning around then working at old navy i started making my own at home finally. i love that it brings people together and just the smell alone can bring a smile to my face:)


peppermint mochas:)

 3. the holiday season

it really is my favorite time of the year! from the week of halloween to the new year there is so many things to do and fun events to participate in. plus it just makes me happy:)

have you ever been to the conservatory
at the bellagio at christmas time??
its my favorite:)

4. traveling

one day i would love to do more of it and more often, but i have been so fortunate to do quite a bit of it all my life! ive done runcations, study abroad, visited family and friends, international, and road trips galore. one day i would love to drive across the us and i definitley want to visit every state in my lifetime. dont worry, international is on there too! its so cool to go to other places and see new cultures, taste new food, and see different things everywhere you go:)

you never know where the travel might take you...

5. a return date

ive been keeping this one pretty close to the vest because it has changed so friggin much...but we have an official return date and time for my brother to come home!! im not sure that i can totally tell you what this yet, but know that it is very soon. we are so excited and very lucky to have him home safe soon and for the christmas holiday this year!


when we picked him up from bootcamp graduation.
check out those glasses!!

thanks for reading along everyone!! here is part 1, part 2, and part 3 in case you missed them:)

thankful thursday #3

wow oh wow am i late with this one! so we will call it thankful thursday on a tuesday instead:) here is part 1 and part 2 if you need to catch up!


1. family getting together

this last week we were incredibly lucky to get almost all our family together for the thanksgiving holiday in southern california! we did miss a few people but had a blast. my family is big and loud and in everybodys business and crazy, and i love it:) 

2. being independent

just recently my parents and i were talking about the things they were hoping to teach their children. my dad taught me to be strong and sporty they decided. and my mom taught me to be smart and independent. i am so grateful for all the qualities they passed along! while my independent nature has definitely gotten me in trouble and is sometimes seen as me being too headstrong, i love that it is one strong feature i have. maybe one day ill find someone who will love it as much as i do...(hey a girl can dream, right) 

 

3. enjoying the little things

whether its grabbing a cup of coffee with friends, having no plans at all and loving every minute of it, or a late night giggly-girl phone call with your best friend, or being able to meet a great group of runners on monday nights that are there without fail. its important to step back and remember those things are so great. its not always about stuff, but the things and memories we get to create everyday!

 

4. traditions

this is a season full of all kinds of things that only happen once a year and i am so excited to get some of them started this last weekend! a few we have literally been doing as kids and i wouldnt trade it for the world. we definitely missed my brother throughout the weekend, it was a little weird i wont lie to not have him there for things like rogers garden and playing on the beach. we still had such a great time and are gearing up for our fun christmas ones over the next month, i cant wait! 

its never officially thanksgiving at grandpas
house without the eggnog!

rogers garden:)

5. somewhere to lay my head

this last month or so has been some big moves for me in more ways than one! my parents were amazing and invited me back home to get myself back on my feet. they even have helped me move a few times over the last few weeks. i really got some good ones:) it may not be ideal to move back home at the age of 27, but sometime you gotta do whatcha gotta do.

 

this thursday i will post the final thankful thursday, i promise it will really be on thursday this week;) its been fun to take out time and actually write down all these things. i know some of them may seem silly or not as important, and thats ok. sometimes we are all a little too serious and you have to take a step back to say thanks!

the october 2012 running recap.

total run mileage: 81.85 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 25.12 miles
# runs: 13
# rest days: 18

# xtraining workouts: 1 <-oops.

favorite run: the nike womens ½ marathon of course! although i do have to say that saints & sinners was a close 2^nd because of that sub-2 hour.

most hardcore run: the run i did in between nike and saints & sinners. i was determined to do 10 miles and it was tough mostly on my mental game. must remember to take a buddy next time.

current reads: where we belong by emily giffin. i actually started and finished one! emily giffin, one of my absolute faves, came out with a book at the end of the summer. i got it for my birthday but things had been pretty crazy so i was finally able to finish it this month. omg, soooo good. didnt end quite like i thought or totally would have liked, but it was good.

source

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: thinking about all those gorgeous fireman at the nike race. jessica and i have really wondered how many phone numbers they got that day…



seriously.

current obsession: the new taylor swift cd. i really love her.

current drink: water, a lot of it. with the 2 races this month its pretty much all i drank.

current song: tragic by taylor swift. have you bought the new cd? seriously, do it now if you havent.



source

current wish-list: a new iphone. no really this time. my phone has been dropped enough and is old enough that i think it really is time for a new one. but i believe im gonna go with the 4s, im not super wild about the 5 to be totally honest.

current need: to keep looking forward. with the holidays coming i have some really cool things coming up with family, friends, and traveling. i need to focus on these things coming up when the other stuff gets dark and gray.

current triumph: breaking the sub 2-hour mark! this is seriously huge. it took 10 ½ marathons and 3 years, but i did it:)

1:57:12

current bane of my existence: being an adult and having to make grown up decisions.

current goal: to get through these days one at a time. october was a huge month. it had some really great highs like san francisco and nike and some not so fun lows. i know im going to need awhile to recover from the lows. that means starting to get through the days one step at a time.  

current indulgence: fun coffee. ie starbucks, coffee bean, holleys (a local place by my parents house). ever since the end of nike i have totally been finding excuses to have it:)

delish. and great company:)

current excitement: thanksgiving is coming! its one of my favorite holidays because my whole family actually gets together. we are big and loud and crazy. theyre the best and it makes you really feel loved.

the september 2012 running recap.

total run mileage: 72.88 miles
highest weekly run mileage: 19.99 miles
# runs: 11
# rest days: 15

# xtraining workouts: 4

# pt sessions : 8

favorite run: my hilly 9 miler with jenn! somehow i convinced her running at 5am on hills was a good idea haha. it was my first long run with a friend ever and im so glad i finally broke that streak! seriously, such a blast to have someone to run with.

most hardcore run: my flat 10 miler. which should sound a lot easier than it should have been. i took a few extra days off that week after i lost a toenail tuesday night and for some reason that meant that distance was tough. im pretty sure it was all in my head which sometimes i think plays more tricks on her mind than just about anything else.

current reads: it happened again:( all my homework should be no excuse for not reading anything outside of schoolwork. i promise, october is going to be the one i get back on reading track!

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: the creamer i add to my coffee hehe. joanie really tried to break me of this one and i do have more days that i add almond milk rather than creamer. but i just cant give this one all the way up!

in one of my favorite cups:)

current obsession: stalking the shelves for anything pumpkin. see even though its still hitting 100* a few times a week here, everywhere else it is fall. which means i am starting to see TONS of pumpkin pictures from all over the place and i am ready for it here.

current drink : same as august, lots of water!

current song: pontoon by little big town. its the perfect song to send off summer!

current wish-list: some extra cash to buy new running clothes. not really cause i need them, but cause i want them:) who says no to new clothes?!

current need: the weather to cool so i can wear boots! ooooh im so ready to bust them out of my closet!!

its fall time inside, now it needs to be outside too!

current triumph: my final results from joanie!! in case you missed them…

17 pounds lost! (its now 18)

43 inches have disappeared!

29% body fat->19% body fat!

current bane of my existence: that racing is expensive! i have been compiling a life bucket list lately and a race bucket list and man do those races start to really add up! ok, so the actual race really isnt that expensive but the travel and staying wherever definitely adds up quickly. we should start a runner exchange in peoples houses, where you can switch places for race weekends to save on cost! if that wasn’t potentially so creepy or scary i would be all over it haha.

current goal: keep up the great things i started with joanie. its actually been easier to stick on the plan than i thought. but now its about planning for the long term. i can do this!

yum!! i miss these healthy
meals when i dont have them.

current indulgence: my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies i baked the other day! they are low fat with no butter or oil. if i can fit them in my daily food i am definitely having one!

current excitement: the san francisco trip is planned! richard and i sat down last weekend and decided on the things we want to do after the family leaves. so we are officially all ready! we tried to leave things open a bit the whole weekend so if we see something we really want to add we dont have to sacrifice anything.

the training plan.

runners very much have a love/hate relationship with training plans. some days they are great and keep us on track. other days they are the bane of our existence, making us getting out of bed and not party as hard at a friends birthday. some use it as a guide, some use it as a bible.

personally i use mine more towards the middle. to follow it to the "t" is the ultimate goal, but sometimes it just doent happen. i start the training process 4 months before race day, im gonna use my upcoming october race for timeline purposes. so heres what the basic breakdown looks like:

4 months till race day (june) = training 3/days a week.
   ~that usually looks like 2 days running and 1 day cross-training
3 months till race day (july) = training 4/days a week.
   ~during this month i typically add another cross-training day.
2 months till race day (august) = training 5/days a week.
   ~add on that last day of running.

this training cycle though, i did it a little different. in june i chose to run 3/days a week, adding 1 cross-training day in july, and my 2nd cross-training in august. this is where you stray more to the guide side of the training plan. something just felt right about running 3 days in the 1st month, so i went with it. here is what my training plan week by week looks like for this cycle:

  

click to view!

i didnt really realize how crazy this is until i sat down and wrote it all out again. i got this instant feeling overwhelm and panic looking at the excel spread sheet. i had to take quite a few deep breaths and close the workbook for awhile before opening to look at it again. once i opened it again i was able to look at how much i had already done. i think that is very important. while august and september look terrifying on the graph, i am already done with june and july, and i survived. its a tough cycle and trying to fit it all in with life is the biggest challenge.

with each training cycle comes some sacrifices...
2 months before race day-august 1st
   ~give up starbucks, alcohol, and fast food.
1 month before race day-september 1st
   ~continue with the first 3 things and give up pizza, anything fried, and ice cream.

it sounds drastic, i know. but the reward is so worth it. feeling so clean and healthy in that last month is super important. i had a run last week when i ate mcdonalds the night before a run and my stomach was screwed up for the whole day. its hard to give up those things, yes. the alcohol isnt too hard except for when i go to bars, etc with friends. pizza is by far the hardest! i love pizza, seriously i do. and it is everywhere. all the time. ice cream is a very close second, mostly because i love it so. but the clean feeling is so worth it in the end, i promise!


my love.

a runners training plan is deeply personal. i go into my races wanting to finish them. the goal is to not get picked up by the bus (if you are not keeping pace there is a bus that will come to pick any stragglers and you do not officially finish!). i care about my time, but i dont plan for one. i dont do speed work to improve my time. or push my body to the ultimate extreme for a minute off my previous days run. i run for me:)

3rd place in my age group!!

the country adventure.

once i really began racing i knew that one day i wanted to go back to nashville for the race they hold every year.  the first year of racing the timing just didnt work out.  so i made sure it worked its way into the second year.  i already had an offer of a spare room for the weekend and could not wait to go back!  when richard and i started dating i wanted to take him with me hoping he would fall in love with the city too.  finally in 2011 it all fell into place. 

we began looking into tickets and hotels pretty early in the year hoping to score some sweet deals.  after weeks of checking we finally decided to buy.  thank goodness we did since tickets spiked$30 each way the next week!  i started training back in january for the race and was well prepared by the time it arrived.  we were both so excited about taking a vacation away.  this would also be the first time we would go to a race by ourselves. 

we left on a thursday evening since the race was on a saturday (seriously best idea ever).  we ended up driving to the airport ourselves since it was in the middle of the day and we were coming back pretty late on sunday night.  it wasnt my favorite idea ever, i wont lie, but it turned out to be a lot easier.  our flight was delayed about a half hour and by the time we finally landed in nashville the airport was about to close (who does that??).  we found a few people on our flight that were also going out for the race and i was getting more and more excited!

after picking up our rental car and heading to the hotel that was literally 2 minutes away from the airport we should have been exhausted.  except we had both slept in that day and the time change had really honked up our bodies.  i needed to get some decent sleep so my body could adjust and be ready for the big race on saturday.  we finally fell asleep watching the coverage of the royal wedding, even though i was dvring the whole thing at home.

friday morning came faster than we thought.  we woke up a little early so that we could eat breakfast at the hotel then went back to our room and were mesmerized by the replay of the royal wedding.  ok, maybe that was just me.  but richard was so sweet to leave the channel on so i could drool all i wanted:)  ps did you know the new princess and i have the same name, catherine elizbeth!  ok she spells it a little different.

 

we headed out to our first stop of the day, the race expo.  it is hands down one of my favorite parts of race weekend.  you are able to pick up your bib/race chip and wander around hundreds of booths filled with everything running.  its fantastic.

look out 1/2 marathon #4!

only runners think this is funny, its hilarious.

we headed back to our car with full intent to head out to the jack daniels distillery, until we found out the tour was $45 each!  that was a little rich for our blood but decided to still head out to murfeesboro so that richard could get his fast food fix.  we had found out there was an exit on the way that had a chick-fil-a, a white castle, and a steak shake all in the same shopping center and richard had been salivating ever since.  luckily there was a panera bread right next door so i could eat too.  we started at white castle.  and well...

needless to say he was a little excited

after stopping by chick-fil-a to take back to the hotel for a late night snack, we headed back the 30 minutes north to nashville.  except we didnt really have anything to do.  we had planned on the jack daniels tour and hadnt really made a back up plan.  we decided to visit the gaylord opry hotel, allowing me to cross one big thing off my list.  and oh let me tell you, i fell in love.

the stairs of my dreams, thanks to beauty and the beast.

the location of my imaginary wedding!

of course i found the red barn on the property.

we kept the evening simple and headed back downtown to find a restaurant i could carb up in and something we didnt have at home.  however we didnt really take into account the fact that there were 30,000 runners racing the next day and the restaurants were packed!  after an extremely long wait we had a really great dinner at the big river brewery, seriously delicious!  afterward we headed back to our hotel to try and get a good nights sleep before that awfully early alarm started blaring.

430am the next morning i was rolling out of bed to starting putting water in my system and food in my belly.  the weather was looking fanastic.  sunny with a high in the 80s.  it was actually the warmest day of the week.  with the location of our hotel we only had to walk up a small hill to get to the shuttles that would take us straight to the starting area.  if you ever have the opportunity to take a shuttle and not have to worry about parking...do it!  it is so worth the money.  

arriving at the start area was a little overwhelming.  being in a new city i didnt really know where i was going.  and this race had a separate start and finish line.  that meant that richard had to navigate his way from one end to the other, also not knowing where he was going.  i pretty quickly got in line for the bathrooms that were lined up everywhere in the large field at vanderbilt university.  that of course took forever!  and i was not willing to pay for vip porta potties. 

we make a lot of bathroom jokes.

before i knew it we were lining up.  which made the race time real and the fact that i was really hoping for a sub-2:14.  i had said it out loud only a few times and was ready to give it a go.  i gave richard my phone with directions to the finish line, kissed him for good luck, and told him to find me!  as i lined up in the corral he started walking.  except that i sent him in the wrong direction.  good thing he realized pretty quickly that his dots were not lining up and he turned around.  

richards adventure from start line to finish line. seriously best support team ever.

this was definitely one of the funnest races ever.  every stretch of the course was filled with cheering spectators!  they were out on their porches drinking and spraying hoses for the warm day.  then there were the hills.  holy crap!  this was the hilliest race i have ever ran and it was seriously tough.

source

every corner i turned i kept looking for richard but couldnt find him anywhere.  one of the coolest things was running over the freeway and looking down to see so many ups trucks (with all the checked runner gear) with a police escort headed toward the finish line.  the bands were great and the course was never boring.  and for the first time ever i actually stopped to use the bathroom at mile 10 because i literally couldnt hold it anymore!  

as we got to the split for the full and 1/2 marathon i knew we were getting very close to the finish and i literally only had 2 full miles left.  it was really starting to get warm out and i was ready to be done.  i also knew there was one more big hill.  and i still hadnt seen richard anywhere.  but if i was going to get my pr i knew i had to keep going and stop looking for him.  somehow though i knew exactly where he was without even seeing him.  

he caught me turning the corner toward the finish line.

i crossed the finish line almost right after this and found richard almost immediately.  i was ready to stop right there, except since there were so many runners i was literally almost getting run over so i had to keep moving.  it was the longest finishers chute ever with not really good food or drink.  plus i was dying to know my time.  i found richard outside the runner area and he was concerned with stretching/making sure i was ok (so good to me) and all i cared about was my time.  finally the text came through...

2:13:22!!

i was beyond excited and could not believe i finished in that time on such a tough course.  then the hurt set in.  we made our way toward the shuttles and i bought a finisher shirt on the way.  i was definitely ready to get out of there and eat some serious food!

my original food plan post race was to find somewhere to get chicken and waffles.  after that didnt really happen we ended up at the waffle house across the street from our hotel.  OMG it was amazing!  the best part was when i ordered tea they instantly asked "sweet or unsweet?"  i was in heaven.  after a good shower and quick nap (that richard fought in the beginning then kept asking to continue sleeping) we were back out to explore downtown nashville.  my friend jp had invited us to a bbq later that night with his runner group so we still had some time for ourselves.  

we walked very slowly, mostly because i walked like an 85 year old woman and because there were sooo many people!  all i wanted to do was eat.  i had gone 2 months without starbucks, fast food, and alcohol.  on top of that i hadnt had ice cream, pizza or anything fried for a month.  ice cream was definitely the top of that list!  we found mikes ice cream on broadway.  heaven.  the long line was 1000% worth it.  we souvenir shopped (mostly unsuccessful) and people watched a lot.  

finally came richards favorite part...the bbq he had been waiting months for.  we had gotten many recommendations about jacks and made our way into line after awhile of wandering downtown.  the line was through the restaurant, out the door, and down the block.  let me tell you though, totally worth it.  now richard was in heaven.  you can order as many meats and sides as you like.  there are divider plates, the sauce comes on the side, and the sweet tea comes right out of the jug!

we made our way to east nashville after that to meet up with jp and his runner group.  everyone was nice and welcoming, very southern hospitality.  richard and jp finally got to meet and i got to see what a real runner group looked like (it was awesome). 

we tried to convince jp to come out with us, it didnt work very well.  he gave us some great recommendations though of places to go and said he might meet us later.  richard and i headed back to our hotel to change and see the nightlife downtown.  all the bars were free to get in and i was ready to drink, plus there was a last call!  we only went to a few before the wear of the weekend set in and we ended up back at the hotel munchin on fast food right after last call. 

sunday we stayed in bed as long as we could and opted for a late check out.  we packed our things slowly, that day i walked around like a 75 year old woman, and made our way to the car to head out for pizza.  we had been saving pizza for the last day.  richard always likes to try pizza in the new cities we go to and i was dying for some.  jp had recommended pie in the sky near vanderbilt and when we arrived there wasnt many people there.  richard was weary, but we didnt know where else to go.  so glad we stayed!  you could order any salad on the menu as a side salad and the pizza was fantastic!  the longer we stayed to eat the more people showed up.  by the time we were leaving the place was getting pretty full.  i had found out where the pizza place was the day before and foundthat my favorite coffee place was just a few miles away, we had to go.  it was the first coffee i had in 2 months that was frilly and girly.  bongo java, also in heaven.  amazing!

we made our way back to the airport shortly after that so we could catch our flight.  i couldnt believe the trip was over.  it had been so much fun and a great getaway for the 2 of us.  maybe it will even be on the move to list one day...

the coffee.

i am an avid coffee drinker.  there is no denying it.  however, i am picky.  i used to only drink the frilly drinks from starbucks.  that is until i started working at old navy north mesa and was introduced to the wonder of flavored creamer.  after that i purchased my own small 4 cup coffee pot and a rotating stock of creamer for home.  i figured this way i would save money on coffee, i mean i was damn near going to starbucks everyday on the way to work.  i also realized how many calories i was saving by drinking coffee at home. 

the absolute best time of the year for coffee is the holidays.  first because starbucks comes out with holiday drinks, i am always up for a grande nonfat no whip peppermint mocha, and they are made in the fantastic red cups.  i have had holiday drinks in the regular white cups and they really just dont taste the same.  also the pumpkin spice creamer comes out right before halloween, that is the best grocery shopping trip.  trust me, if you have ever been on the phone the first time i see it, you would understand. 

now, there are millions of people all over the us that drink coffee everyday.  some cant start their day properly until there is coffee involved.  i can make it through the day no problem, long about 230pm though, i get a nasty headache.  plus, the day just goes so much smoother with coffee. it smells good, it warms your heart and your throat, and its like a comfort food.  most of the mornings when i make coffee at home i get in the shower and make my first cup once i am out.  it starts brewing while i make my lunch so i am very close and can begin pouring as soon as i am finished.  i wander around in the closet getting dressed and in the bathroom putting on my makeup with my cup in hand.  when i make the starbucks run i wake up 15 minutes early to make sure i leave plenty of time for the stop on the way to work. 

my family just came to understand these things.  my dad always drank coffee growing up, i always thought it was really gross and smelled awful.  i started drinking the frilly coffee in my senior year of high school and now it is an everyday thing.  however, now that i live with a non-coffee drinker its a little more entertaining.  i will never forget the look on his face the first time we went grocery shopping and i needed coffee and it was about $10 because it wasnt on sale that week.  i thought he was going to throw a fit in the grocery store.  he doesnt quite understand the big deal with having coffee every morning.  one day he even asked, "you are already up, why do you need to have coffee?"  i chuckled all day from that one. 

in the beginning of november is the fateful day that starbucks comes out with the red cups.  i found out from a friend via facebook, where else, the day before they were released.  now that i am counting calories i had to factor that cup in, but man it was soooo worth it.

thats right i even took a picture.  that morning i came home from the gym all excited to leave a few minutes early to stop for red cup.  richard looked at me the whole time in my giddiness like i had lost my mind.  i mean yes, it is a pretty silly thing to get this excited about, but im easily amused.  as i was running out the door richard just stood there smiling shaking his head at me.

i realized this is another thing you have always had as part of your person, but for the person you live with it may be something entirely new.  its one of the quirks that you learn about each other when you live together.  who knew coffee would be so entertaining.