adjustedreality.com

Now as I sit here on the last morning of 2009, I’m waxing philisophic about the year, but not quite as much as normal.  You see, it’s been a very thinky last few months.  I”ve mused on my job.  I’ve mused on my weight.  I”ve mused on my running, and come to a lot of conclusions early, so today was just really to put the proverbial pen to paper and commit to what I want to accomplish in the next year.  I feel like I”m forgetting things, but it’s not as if this is my only chance, right?  I mean there is always my annual “before 31 to do list” and mid-year check in, and all that crap.  Man, I make way too many lists.

Anyhoo, let’s get onto it.  I have a house to clean and then copious amounts of booze to drink.

Kekekekeke ^____^ 12-24-08

Last year’s resolutions:

1.  Body: Will continue to eat in a manner that is mostly healthy as I do now and improve when I can, continue improving my fitness, and work on reaching my goal weight, whatever that ends up being, in 2009.  While I’ll always work on improving my muscles and endurance, I’d like to get to the point where the scale is just a double check a few times a week that I’m not way off track, and food journals are a thing of the past, by the end of 2009.

Did I do it?  …sorta.  I’m more into measuring my progress by my running pace, and how my jeans fit now.  150-ish was not what I envisioned my goal weight, but it’s where my body wants to be.  So there.  I am no longer food tracking, and I’m only weighing about 1-2 times per week.  If you don’t count these two weeks of vacation, at least 80% of what I eat, I consider a healthy diet.  So I’m pretty happy.

2.  Fitness: I will do at least one new exercise-y thing a month.  This cannot include running, DDR, yoga, traditional weights, or Cybil the arc trainer.  By the end of the year, I would like to transition 1-2 days per week to something like dance classes or volleyball or some other competitive sport OR seriously start training distance running/triathalons.  By my 30th birthday, I need to pick ONE of these to focus on and concentrate on it (and make ancillary resolutions/goals based on what I pick).  I guess what I’m trying to say is to start working out for a reason that is not just to make the scale go down.

Did I do it?  …well, I didn’t do this exactly, but I definitely went into the year exercising solely for weight loss, and now I approach it as a sport.  If someone told me that running would never take another pound off me at the beginning of the year, I would have probably stopped.  Now, I could honestly say I would continue.  I think that’s what I was really going for here, and mission accomplished.  I also got a bike and rode it a bit, tried dance, zumba, roller skated, did some diving and swimming, and rediscovered my love for circuits.

3.  Soul: I will pick something creative and establish a plan by my birthday to complete a concrete goal by the end of the year.  Decide if I’m going to pursue writing (maybe actually giving a novel or book of some sort a go), songwriting/recording, pick up drawing/painting again, acting, or work on selling my necklaces.  Maybe take up web design and flesh out this site into a pretty one like I used to do and really give blogging a go beyond just using this for personal theraputic purposes.  Realize that I need to pick ONE of these and focus on it or I’ll feel as lost as I did in 2008.

Did I do it?  …eh.  I tried to do the etsy thing and never got off the ground.  I tried to write a novel and got about 30k words in and threw a tantrum.  This blog is still just my soapbox.  I drew a christmas card for Zliten, but that’s about it.  That’s ok.  I at least stuck my toe into the waters here, that’s at least half credit, right?

4.  Get married sometime this year!  That’s about all there is to say on this one…

…hey, 100% there.  Next!

5.  Allow work to be on the back burner one more year. Of course, be open and receptive to any wonderful opportunities that fall into my lap, but work on enriching my personal life and hobbies instead of focusing on promotions, raises, extra responsibility, etc. Realize that having a 40 hour per week stable job right now that I can pretty much just leave at the office when I walk out the door is a blessing that is giving me opportunities to further the work on my body, fitness, and soul.

…hey, 100% there as well.  Maybe even too much sometimes, tee hee.

All, in all, not bad. It was a rough year in some aspects - shakeups at work, a lot of uncertainty with Zliten’s unemployment stuff, extreme frustration with my lack of weight loss.  However, I still have a job at a company with an awesome, successful, and stable product.  I made huge strides in my running, completing a half marathon and improving my pace at both slow and fast distances all year.  Zliten got a job in the industry right when it was looking grim.  We still own our house and make mortgage and the “oh crap” fund is still there.  We’re making it.  2009 was not the best year ever, but it wasn’t so bad.

So what’s up for 2010?

Need more fiber, apparently. 12-24-09

1.  This is the most important and different one for me - for one year, I am going to not attempt to lose weight.  As long as I maintain under 155, I’m going to put any pressure on myself to take off weight.  I’m going to focus on my running, and continuing to eat healthy.  This break really put into perspective how healthy I usually eat - I’m not eating horribly at all, but I’ve been feeling blech from eating not homecooked food for most meals and the sweet crap around the house (popcorn, almond roca, truffles, etc etc).  Now, if I *do* take off weight somehow, I’m not going to be opposed to it, but the biggest present I’m giving to myself this year is the gift of stepping on the scale, and not wanting to be less than I am, for once in my life.

2.  Running - I want to do a half marathon in under 2 hours, and I want to run a full marathon (no pace goal, just run the whole thing… well, who am I kidding, I’ll have a pace goal by the time I finish training, but anyhoo…) this year.  After that, decide what’s next.  Martial arts?  Triathlons?  More marathons?  Ultras?  Also, I want to make sure to not forget stretching and yoga.  That’s when I start getting injured like I am now with hurty butt.

3.  I will dedicate 6 hours per week to writing, revising, reading other books, or outlining.  I want to finish what I started for NaNoWriMo, and then move on to another one.  It would be peachy keen if I could do some necklaces, I would love to start songwriting, but I think this is my year of writing.

4.  I’m not sure exactly what I want to say here, but I want to figure out what’s next career-wise.  I have spent the last few years keeping my head down and trying to stay out of the way so I can support the creatives, get my check, and go on my way.  That is SO not me.  I can’t continue to do that forever.  I might not have the ability to get what I want just yet, but I want to have a direction by the end of the year.

5.  Some one liners: Travel outside the country.  Be more spontaneous.  Continue to whittle down my smoking.  Try something new with my hair.  Continue to draw things out of the magic hat.  Host some game nights at the house.   Attempt to keep a cleaner house so it’s not embarrassing when someone comes over unannounced.  Do more industry events and get over my boredom with networking for networking sake.  Play more games.  Continue to live a life where I can have at least ONE memorable thing I do each month (2009 has many more than 1 per month, but that’s my absolute minimum requirement).

So there, it looks like I have a lot to do, so I best get crackin’.  How was your 2009?  What are you most looking forward to in 2010?  What is your biggest resolution or goal for the next year?

Happy New Years, and I’ll see ya on the other side…

I’m gonna make this pretty short as today’s adventures include cleaning, re-organizing the DVDs, cleaning out the closet, and thrift shopping/donating.  So far, the week has been a little *meh* - I had great sprints on Monday, and then we went shopping all day to spend some Christmas moolah - but Tuesday morning… sigh.  I woke up and sat down on the couch (yes, really), and my back flipped out and I’ve been in some considerable butt pain.  Yes, my LEFT BUTT MUSCLE is pulled again.  How on earth do you look someone in the eye and complain about your butt hurting?  Seriously?

I had to skip my workout yesterday and today isn’t looking good either.  I’m probably not going to be able to make up both my runs at least at the pace they’re supposed to be at - but we’ll see.  I’m not quite as worried about the missed workouts as why this has happened TWICE in the training so far.  This time, I can definitely say that I think it was me being lazy about stretching/yoga, so that’s my smack on the wrist not to do that again.  Hopefully it’s better in the next day or 2 or I’ll go nuts!

Anyway, enough complaining, and onto the food!

Super Awesome Chili:

Note, this is not a vegetarian recipe and probably a little high in sodium for some of you, but it’s also a super quick, easy, and delicious meal that makes amazing leftovers.  And if you’re craving something hearty and warm, this is your meal.

You will need:

-1 lb ground beef.  I use 96/4, I suggest the leanest stuff you have available, it’s plenty flavorful with everything else in there.

-2 small jalepenos (or less if you fear the spicy)

-about half a large onion

-a few cloves of garlic to taste.

-chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper to taste

Saute the onions, garlic, and jalapenos in a pan (I usually just use a little spray butter).  When it smells divine, throw in the beef and brown it.  Near the end, throw in your spices to taste.  You can also add them later, so err on the side of caution here.

Then, in a big pot, add:

-a 6oz can of tomato sauce

-3 cans of beans.  I chose ranch style black beans, ranch style jalapeno pinto beans, and southwest style kidney beans.  Note: this is the part that’s a bit high sodium.  You could use beans without sauce but you might need to add another can of tomato sauce and tinker with it.  I leave that to you!

-a can of corn.  Frozen works too.

-a square and a half of chocolate.  We have this fancy schmancy jalapeno chocolate we got years ago, but no need - I would say about 2 hershey kisses or a handful of chocolate chips would work just fine.

Put these together, bring to a slow bubbly boil, and then simmer until it comes together.  Honestly, it can’t really go too long but I’d suggest at least 20 mins.

Top with cilantro, green onions, and you can also add other yummies like some ranch, shredded cheese, or sour cream.

Cornbread:

Zliten used to tell me that chili and cornbread was yummy together, and I didn’t believe him.  Then, I tried it and crazy enough, it was good!  Again, going with the super easy theme, we snagged a package of Marie Calendar’s Low Fat Southwestern Cornbread from Big Lots.   It’s a little spicy, and it’s not quite as sweet as the normal cornbread, which I like, but most importantly, all you have to do is add water and mix and cook.

The first time we made it in loaf form, as you can see above, but let me suggest mini-muffins - they’re the perfect size for a bowl.

The pictures are from a few weeks ago, but we just remade it this afternoon for lunch.  I’m about to dive into a bowl of it!  Yum!

Deep thoughts return tomorrow…

Wow, this upcoming week’s end marks halfway through.  Crazy.  It’s been… not a breeze so far, but seems like it hasn’t completely eaten my life.  But I know the second half of the training gets up there.  I’m definitely at the point now where the long runs start taking over a bit of my weekend (resting up the night before, getting out to do them for an hour and a half plus, and relaxing after) and some of these tempo runs (8 miles this week and then again 2 weeks from now) and sprints (5×1600 a few weeks before the race) aren’t child’s play either.  But still, it’s nice that I run 3 times a week, non-consecutive days, and I get my weights and cross training on 2 days per week still.  I’m liking this well rounded training.  I’m faster, stronger, and feel way less prone to injuries this way.

But, I’m only at 8 miles.  I still have quite a bit of distance to add before I’m ready.  All I can say thus far is that this training is making me a way stronger mid distance runner.  Hopefully that strength will carry on all the way through 13.1.  This week is another jump in mileage, and it will certainly test me.

As much as I didn’t want a break this week, my body showed me it was for the best.  Most of my runs this week were not exactly top notch, and I was having to expend a lot of effort to keep my paces where they should be, even at the shorter distances.  It’s a little disconcerting, because it all shoulda been easy, but I’ll just be happy that I had an off week on a rest week.  Maybe, just maybe, I’m finding I can settle into a pace during higher mileage runs better?  Who knows.  We’ll see.

By the details:

Monday: 3×1600 sprints - check.  I did these outside on the track and was a dummy and forgot my timing watch.  My tummy was a little upset from lunch and the first sprint was brutal, I almost heaved.  The second and third were better though.  I wish I knew my pace - I’m betting I just ran the first too fast but we’ll never know…

Tuesday: DDR circuits - check.  Didn’t wanna but I did it.

Wednesday: 4 mile tempo @ 8:59 pace - check.  The inside of my pants had a hole in them and I shredded the inside of my leg (it was ALL bruised and raw after), it was super humid - muggy almost, and I couldn’t really find a comfortable pace.  But I finished under 9 minute miles and I think I could have done way better if conditions would have been better.

Friday: 30 mins DDR - check.  I was supposed to do this Thursday but I was feeling crappy (happy fun knock-me-on-my-ass TOM time) so I rested and just got up before heading out to celebrate with the ‘rents.  Wasn’t feeling the weights and didn’t have time for ‘em anyway, so I figured ONE day off would be ok.

Saturday: 10k pace - sorta check.  I ended up running 5 miles around 9:25 pace on the treaddy.  I ended up at the gym less than an hour before closing so I didn’t get a proper warmup (or cooldown), and couldn’t do the full 6.  I’m pretty happy with the pace though.

This week, up, up, and away with the mileage.  Oddly enough, it’s been HARDER to want to run/workout on vacation when I have all the time in the world.  I guess there is something to be said about routine.

Monday: 4×800 sprints.  Debating between outside and the ‘mill.  Sprints seems so much easier on the treaddy.

Tuesday: DDR circuits.

Wednesday: 8 mile tempo @ 8:55 pace - should be able to do this outside.  If I can just accomplish my same run from the Saturday before last, I’ll be happy.

Thursday: DDR circuits.

Saturday: 9 mile long run @ 9:40 pace - hope to do this outside as well.  If I can do Wednesday’s run, this should be a piece of cake.

I might be going out of town for a night tomorrow night/Wed, so if that happens I’ll have to bust out the tempo tomorrow before I go.  Not thrilled because I’ll have to do it inside because it’s supposed to be rainy and not making it out of the 30’s, but such is life.  Looking forward to taking on this week.  Cross your fingers for me!

Thank you first of all to one of my favorite mayors of Blogville, MizFit, for organizing this.   You can check out some of the other talents here.  Now, on with the (freak) show.

So, as a 16-ish year old, I was on my way out of gymnastics but stopped to snap one last picture.

I was originally going to showcase my talent for ridiculous limericks, but realized today that that’s no fun at all.  Well, not as much fun.  I felt the need to step it up a notch.  So what does a pushing 31 ex-gymnastic do for a stupid blogger trick?  While training for a half marathon running like crazy with legs wound tightly like little metal coils?  Who has not worked on flexibility in years?

Try to recapture her youth 15 years later.  As MizFit would say, please to enjoy.  As Quix would say, please forgive the HORRIBLY unflattering outfit.  Thinking I was not.

And just to not dissapoint anyone who wanted a limerick -

There once was a girl named Quix
Who liked to write limericks
She tried a standing split
Then on the ground she did sit
And to console her, a drink she did fix

…yes, it is true, I did fall over right after the last one was snapped.  To quote Toby Keith, I ain’t as good as I once was, but once, I’m good as I ever was.

On that note, Happy Holidays from me, Zliten, and the leezards!

Thus begins a week or two of mostly fluffy posts.  I’m kinda tired of digging in my head, scooping out my brains, and attempting to analyze the contents.  So, enjoy!

I think in attempts to get some holiday cheer (and humor) for a relatively low overhead, we attended not one, not two, but THREE white elephant parties.  We brought just about the same presents for each one (except the first, because it was 15-20 dollars, and present was only 10 - and it was my work one - so I didn’t want to look like a cheapskate and splurged on the 16 dollar DISCO BALL at Big Lots).

My present:

Zliten’s present:

For those of you who don’t know what a White Elephant gift exchange is - essentially you bring a silly present of some variety (hence, our gifts above).  Sometimes there is a dollar amount set, sometimes there isn’t.  You draw numbers and when it comes to your turn, you can choose to unwrap a new present, or steal one that has already been unwrapped.  Most often, the rules are the gift can be stolen 3 times before it’s out of play.  It’s a bunch of laughs, because you would never ever elsewise see grown humans fighting over a snuggie.

The first party was, as I said, at my work holiday party.  Near the end, we all converged around the stage and started the game.  I got a fairly early number, walked over and almost tripped and fell (just call me grace) and picked out a present.  I unwrapped it and HOLY FUCK it was a leopard print snuggie.  After a few glasses of wine, that was THE COOLEST PRESENT EVER in my eyes and I gave everyone the stinkeye if they looked around the room for things to steal.  It worked for a while.  Being the boss has its benefits.  However, someone got brave enough and purloined my snuggie right at the end (yes, a dude) and then one of the BIG bosses stole it.   Who knew that would be such a hot commodity?

Zliten ended up with a magnetic dartboard (that is soooo going to my office in the new year for some stress relief) and I ended up with a pretty ornament that’s now on the tree.  The guy that ended up with fake voltron wasn’t too happy but one of our artists loves the disco ball and it’s at his desk to annoy everyone at the office.

Next was a sponsored party at one of our favorite bars downtown (though we don’t go often cause it’s semi-pricey).  Open bar, sponsored goodies, an arts and crafts table, free hair styling and makeup refreshes, and of course, a table full of presents to pick from.  Some were from sponsors, and they were supposed to actually be pretty cool (some jewelry, gift certs, etc).  The rules were different (I mean, there were at least 100 people there) - you give a present, you take a present.  That’s all.  No steals, but consensual trades.

For a while, there was just too much to pick from so I waited and sipped on some free mint margaritas.  After a little bit, Zliten decided to be “that guy” and picked up the biggest, heaviest package on the table.  Here is the definition of literal.

Yes, Zliten picked the WHITE ELEPHANT (wearing a tutu, no less) at the white elephant party.  We ended up finding a seat and meeting some very cool people who want to be nerd friends with us.  They also ended up with Zliten’s robot and loved it.  Other presents around the table included a half eaten box of chocolate, embroidered christmas tree button covers, and then I realized I need to pick something as the present table had dwindled.  This is the gem I ended up with.  Here is the story:

…and the present:

Well, at least the next door neighbors have doggies, and can use the jerky.  Then, we proceeded to have a wild and crazy night.  Which ended way too late for a school night.  Which made the next day hell.  But hey, I went full holiday and looked festive.

The next last one was Saturday night, with a few friends.  This one was pretty low key, but the hilarity factor was definitely there.  Presents included a foot massager, some cheesy porn, a yanni CD, a sarcastic magic 8 ball and more.  Zliten picked early in and ended up with some cat figurines and cat food (which is ironic because ALL OF OUR friends have cats, and he is terribly allergic) and I ended up with a poop calendar.  Yeah, you got that right.  A POOP calendar.  Every month, a new poop.  It is SO going up in my office.  Also, the gnome and the robot were both stolen gifts, so they were a HIT!

But the pictures are not of a cat.  A deal was brokered later over some beers, and Zliten ended up with this:

So all the holiday parties (not including our traditions Christmas Eve and the family Christmas) are done, and we ended up with, among other things, two heavy ceramic figurines.  Way too fun!  What is the craziest holiday gift you’ve given or received?

FYI, the pantry is clean from Monday’s hat draw, today (Tuesday) we picked Mini Golf which was a BLAST, and tomorrow is a BBQ adventure in Lockhart (the BBQ capital of Texas, apparently).  So excited!

Aaaah, vacation.  Being able to run outside in the mid-afternoon when the sun has warmed everything up into the 60s if it’s too cold in the morning.  Being able to not feel rushed out the door, and having the time to do a nice, lengthy stretch before getting cleaned up.  Moments like this could make a gal want to quit her job and…

…yeah, reality check.  Never gonna happen.  But I am certainly going to enjoy the hell out of it for the next 2 weeks.  The only problem is once I get into “relax on the couch” mode, sometimes it’s hard for me to wanna get up.  I could easily sit here and continue to be a lump on the couch and play video games all day, but it’s a nice sunny day and as soon as the sun does it’s warm up thing a little more, I’m gonna head out to the track and do some sprints.

So, last week.  I posted a lot about it.  I always have this weird feeling when something’s good, it’s hard to believe it’s gonna last.  Week 3 I felt so damn strong, finally.  I figured week 4 was gonna trip me up.  Go back to being rough.  Hey, sometimes you just have to have a little faith, I suppose.  I didn’t just continue, I blew the last week out of the water.  Now, week 5 is supposed to be a recovery week.  I’m almost sad - I don’t feel like I need it.  This 3-day a week training keeps me feeling rested, I’m never running and feeling worn down, I’m rocking some of the most amazing paces I ever have, and I like it.

By the day:

Monday: 6×400 sprints  @ 1:58 pace - check.  Not much to say about these except it seems weird when my sprint days feel like my easiest.  Oh well, I’ll take it.

Tuesday: DDR circuit - check.  I probably need to vary my cross training a wee bit more, but for now it’s working.  It’s not as if I’m lacking cardio on the other days…

Wednesday: 6 mile tempo @ 8:55 pace - check (technically 8:56 but who’s counting).  Oh hell yah.  I was dreading this, and it was ROUGH, but I made it.  And I think I could probably tack on another 2 miles if I promised myself something REALLY nice after.  Pain by Jimmy Eat World is always my last song on the playlist for these for a reason, tee hee,

Thursday: 30 Day Shred Level 2 - check.  Had to be up early and off work early so I only had time for a short workout.  For the 30 mins I put into these, I always feel pretty worked.

Saturday: 8 mile run @ 9:40 pace - check.  More than check.  I have NO idea how I accomplished this, but I ran this at a 8:50 pace.  Maybe it was finally getting to run outside.  Maybe it was the gorgeous 60 degree weather.  Maybe it was my awesome new playlist.  But I finished my 8.03 mile course around the neighborhood in 71 minutes.  And - I wasn’t feeling AT ALL like I was on the treadmill.  It was a fast pace that was pushing me, but not uncomfortable and no head games needed.

So, this week is recovery week.  I *almost* wanna keep the building going for the next 2 weeks since I have the time and recover AFTER vacation, but that kinda sounds like playing with fire to me.  So I’ll kick off the first vacation week with a low mileage week to boot.

Monday: 3×1600 sprints (and I even get to do them outside yay!)

Tuesday: DDR circuits

Wednesday: 4 mile tempo (chance of rain that day, but it’s supposed to be warm, so maybe I can squeeze it in outside)

Thursday: 30 day shred/DDR circuits (depending on how the day goes, this is my one 3-ish hour workday)

Saturday: 10k pace (hope to run this outside, but it IS supposed to be chilly that day - I’ll wait until mid-afternoon and see if I can tough out the 50s, heh)

This is all sorta subject to magic hat picks.  This week I hope works out just about the way it should above, because I’ve got set plans on Christmas Eve and Day.  Speaking of magic hat picks, we drew the first one today and it is…

…wait for it…

…wait for it…

CLEANING OUT THE PANTRY!!!  WOOHOOO!

Heh, well, at least I have plenty of time to relax, wake up, and run when it’s warmer.  Well, I’m gonna keep things short and sweet because as I mentioned a few times, it’s vacation.  Happy Monday, everyone!

Glad I posted yesterday.  This one is going to be short.  Last night was a late (epic-ly fun) night, and I’m paying for it today.  I’m not sure at WHAT point last night I forgot it was a Thursday and not a Friday night, but that’s the only possible explanation.  Just another reason why I am not a role model.  Pictures next week when I sum up all the white elephant parties.  This was number two, number three happens tomorrow.

So, anyhoo, every time we have time off at home over the holidays, we have *big plans*.  We never travel anywhere because traveling this time of year is for the crazy, and our families are both firm believers in “it’s a holiday when we visit no matter what time of year”.  So both in San Diego and Austin, we’ve had a week off (at least) together each December’s end.  And nothing major to do.

We say to ourselves - this will be the year we do <insert lots of random awesome plans here>.  We do one, maybe two things, and then end up with our butts planted on the couch, playing video games and watching movie marathons.  Soul soothing in it’s own right, sure, but not very memorable.  I can honestly not remember much about those weeks beyond takeout, the couch, and the TV, and alcohol.

This year, I’m not settling.  Oh, there will be all those things above, for sure, it wouldn’t be Christmas without it.  Some people think of Santa and presents and reindeer and crap, my favorite holiday tradition is the week of freedom and loafing after the Christmas Stouffers lasagna is consumed.  However, upwards of two weeks of it sound like excess.  I want stories.  I want something blogworthy and more important, memorable.  Without leaving a reasonable driving radius.  So I present to you our concept: the magic hat.

We will be picking one thing out each day and doing it.  Most are fun things, a few are just things we need to get done, but they’re all going in a hat.  We’re not being super strict on it (because what fun would that be), so if we pick something that just doesn’t make sense (a bike adventure after a long run day) or the weather isn’t cooperating for (a day roadtrip on a crappy rainy cold day) or we just plain don’t feel like it, (a beautiful day we wanna get outside and we pick something that doesn’t have us leave the house) we can put it back.  Or save it for tomorrow.  Or something, we haven’t figure out all the rules yet.

Some are all day adventures (or even overnight).  Some are just an hour or two, so if we’re feeling frisky, we might do two in one day!  I do have to work half training in there, but considering that’s my ONLY obligation, I’m feelin’ pretty confident I’ll be ok.

The Awesometastic Holiday Magic Hat Bucket List of Awesomeness:

-Beer and Breakfast in Fredricksburg (like bed and breakfast, but better!)
-BBQ in Lockhart (apparently this is the best place in Texas to get BBQ)
-Salsa dancing at Copa
-Regular silly dancing at a random club
-Gaming all day, ordering delivery, no interruptions, no leaving PJs
-Rock climbing
-Bike adventure
-Roller Skating
-Watch all 3 lord of the rings in one day
-Go to a museum (Austinites, any suggestions?)
-Clean out the pantry (exciting I know)
-Space museum in Houston
-Steak and crab night
-Make a movie
-Upscale thrift shopping (not an oxymoron, I swear.  Hitting the cute little second hand boutiques I see everywhere)
-Esther’s Follies (a comedy show downtown we’ve wanted to see)
-Afternoon cocktails somewhere

We’re adding to the list as we think of things, but that’s what we have so far.  So, I ask, what’s in your bucket?  Any suggestions (keep in mind we are broke so the cheaper the better) for what I should add to mine?

Happy weekend.  Just found out my vacation begins tonight (the shippable is delayed, which is yay), so after last night, I’m thinking the perfect way to kick off vacation is dinner and card games with the parents.

So I swear it’s been at least two days since I posted.  The last few days before vacation are just DRAAAAGGGGIIIINNNGGGG along.  So even though I rarely post on Thursdays, I figure I might as well give it a go.

I ROCKED MY 6 MILE TEMPO RUN!!!!

I want to shout this from the mountain tops.  This is a HUGE breakthrough for me speed-wise.  I shattered my previous 10k record by over THREE minutes (my best 10k is 56:54 and I ran 6 miles in 53:36 yesterday - I know not QUITE a 10k so it’s probably less than 3 minutes better but DON’T RAIN ON MY PARADE, ok?).  And normally I have trouble keeping my pace under 10 minute miles when I hit 6 miles and above.  So I’m incredibly thrilled.

However, unlike last week, this was a freaking test of my mettle.  So many points, I wanted to slow down.  The first 5k I slogged through ok but mile 4, it seemed like the treadmill just forgot to add distance at some points.  Mile 5 I just kept repeating to myself that I could do anything for 1.4 miles (and somehow tricked myself that at .6 miles to go I had to start INCREASING the speed, and not decreasing).  Mile 6 I just repeated to myself that it was the last mile and I wasn’t quitting now and somehow got through the speed increases up to 8.0 again and BAM!  Another tempo in the books.  And actually, I started a little faster so I knocked my pace down by 1 second - 8:56 miles.

It’s really coming into focus how mental running is.  I mean, not so much on those nice, easy, enjoy the weather runs.   Those are just lovely.  I miss those, but it’s fun to dive into something completely different.  I’m realizing my body is capable of so much more than my mind gives it credit for, if I’m able to push through some mild discomfort and doubt and fear.  I’m always scared I won’t be able to duplicate my effort or improve on it.  For these crazy runs, so fucking what?  The more miles I can pile on under 9 minute pace, the better.  The only thing I can do is get my ass on the treadmill when I’m supposed to, push the buttons to make it go the speed it’s supposed to, and work through my mental running demons a step at a time.

Next week is a recovery week at 4 miles, but the week after is 8 miles.  What happened to 7?  This is going to be brutal.  But ya know what?  I can do anything for 2 more miles.  And if I can do 8 miles at that pace, why can’t I do 13.1 close to it, right?  I get a warmup on Saturday of 8 miles at 9:40 pace.  After the rest of this training, that’s going to feel like skipping through the park (or I can hope).  I am going to run that one outside so that will bring challenges of its own, but I’m looking forward to it.

That, a weigh in on Tuesday of 153.0, and the fact that I’m sitting here munching on a bag of raw california stir fry (broccoli, carrots, and pea pods) the way I used to mow through a bag of chips 3 years ago?  It’s been a pretty awesome week healthy-wise.

Your reward for making it to the bottom of the post?

Happy Thursday. May it finish swiftly and without incident so we can go about getting our Fridays on.

Since I haven’t been pulled in one way or another with a post to write today, I think I’m going to pull out a 5 random things day and hope y’all will forgive me.

1.  I rocked the sprints Monday.  I actually ran them at 1:57 per 400m because that’s the closest I could do via the treadmill.  7.7.  Is it odd that my EASIST days are my sprints?  Today, I’m going to tackle a 6 mile tempo and feeling really nervous even though I rocked the 5 miler.  Can I add a mile and still maintain my pace?  We shall see.

2.  It seems that the closer to Christmas you get, the more CRAP FOOD is around.  And by crap I mean so-yummy-but-bad-for-you.  So far, some gourmet popcorn, a few rum balls, and a small tin of homemade Christmas cookies have made it into the fortress of casa de Quix and Zliten.   I’ve decided it’s not the end of the world.  Yesterday I had a cookie and a rum ball while the rest of my food was totally rockin’ (protien bar, homemade chili, the rest of the bag of carrots, super veggie homemade chicken noodle soup, blackberries, and a laughing cow, melba toast, and turkey summer sausage).

Today, I had half a tiny piece of cake for desert with lunch, and I will probably allow one tiny cookie after a healthy dinner.  I think the key is not to try to stoically deny myself, but definitely limit myself.  I think denying myself now will backfire once next month hits and the mileage goes up.  THAT is when I will need the most resolve, when I actually feel the hunger and my body crying out to feed it sugar.   But who knows, maybe training this way will cut out the desire to stand in front of the freezer and shovel in chocolate chips and make me crave more sane things like whole cows and 1 lb bags of veggies.

3.  I’m trying to look forward to Holiday break, but today I’m in limbo because I don’t know what day it starts.  I was originally going to be off starting Friday (minus Christmas Eve - they are not giving it to us off, but typically send us home at lunch…I live 5 minutes away from work so I’ll come in for 3 hours and save the time off for a full day, thank you very much).  However, I have a deliverable that MIGHT be due 12/22 or it might be delayed until next year.  If it’s not delayed, I’ll work 12/21 and 12/22 at least half days.

Hopefully I’ll know within the next day or 2 so I can really and truly look forward to a certain date!  One of the things I love about vacation is the anticipation counting down the days before and the “last day of school” feeling when you walk out of the building on the last day (I’ve been known to do that toe-tap jiggy thing before on my way out).  I’m really looking forward to some quality time off without traveling or obligations - just FUN TIMES.  Well, we might do a night stay somewhere, but nothing crazy.

4.  I’ve been doing a lot of navel gazing lately so I’m going to spare you a 2009 wrap up (this week at least), but I have started to think about what’s next.  The half marathon and marathon for sure.  Finishing what I started during NaNo and getting myself on a consistent schedule with my fiction/memoir/whatever writing.  Then there are the unknowns… should I give myself a year off really pushing weight loss and maintain and work on my running and my head?  I think it’s about time to start figuring out what’s next career-wise.  Do I want to stay here and gun for a promotion?  Do I want to stick my toes in somewhere else?  Back to school?  I do know it’s time to at least coast towards a path.  I’m 30 - no longer a spring chicken.  I have lingered in lower-middle management long enough.

And what do I want to do with this blog?  I love my lovely gaggle of wonderful people that comment here, but I feel like I’m doing something wrong because sometimes I feel like the dorky kid with the glasses and the braces that gets picked last for teams.  I’d love to have a bit larger exposure on the interwebs simply because I am a closet fame whore, but I just haven’t figured that one out yet.  And I’m not sure the level of effort I am willing to put forth to make it happen.  And I’m not sure even WHY I want this, as this place just started as a soapbox for me to shout on.  Maybe it’s that I feel like it’s not worth as much not shouting AT anyone.

Yeah, ok, expect a 2009 wrap up and 2010 resolution post coming up.  There is obviously more for me to say here.  We’ll just call this Navel Gazing December.

5.  I hope to wrap up all that navel gazing soon, and will be taking things a little lighter during the next 2 weeks.  What that means is I have a bunch of recipe posts I’ve been meaning to do.  I’ve even got a fashion-y one planned.  I think I’m going to try and join in MizFit’s virtual talent show.  So what am I saying?  Expect some fluff starting next week through the end of the year, and if you get super awesome well-thought-out posts, be happy!  Because this one is so well thought out and intelligible.  MMmmmhmmm.

I guess that about wraps up my world.  Off to finish out the day, knock out my tempo (cross your fingers I don’t die at that pace), clean more of my messy house (love when my parents want to drop by randomly on a Friday), make some dinner, pack my lunch for tomorrow, and fall down tired and zonk out!  At least tomorrow = happy fun white elephant party and Friday should be pretty mellow.

How is your week going?  Got any ideas for posts for me so it’s not all recipes all the time?  Crazy questions or stories I should tell?  Wanna tell me how to become one of the popular kids?

I want to bottle this feeling I had about this week’s runs.  Just the sense of pride I have right now.  Week 1 of training was a little mixed up because of the Turkey Trot.  Week 2 was screwed up because of illness.  Having the first two weeks not go as planned did not do well for my confidence.  The training plan I picked makes each and every run TOUGH.  In these 12 weeks, there are no happy fun lazy runs around the neighborhood.  The SLOWEST goal pace is 9:40, and that’s on my long runs (which are 8-12 miles here on out).  My tempo runs, which are up to 8 miles, are at 8:55.  The sprints are even faster and get longer and longer.

This week I finally got the chance to do a normal week of training.  Monday, it was sprints. which is honestly the thing I am MOST confident with keeping the required pace.  This week, it was mile sprints.  I have to say, I LOVED this workout.  It was difficult but the rest intervals made it tolerable.  The first mile was felt great.  The second and third was TOUGH by the end but not falling-of-the-treadmill hard.  It’s going to be brutal to tack one and then two more mile sprints at the end of this, but I look forward to the challenge.

Wednesday was COLD as HELL (ok, I don’t want to hear from you people with windchills below 0, it’s cold for me) and was in the low 30s in the morning.  I was planning to get up and run.  I even got dressed in my running gear, poked my head outside, and went right back in.  I left my running gear on, put a sweater over it, packed my bag, and headed to work.  I would conquer the cold at lunch.  I ended up out in about 40 degree weather.  At first it was a little chilly, but it was a huge breakthrough - it wasn’t that bad at all!  Also, I had planned to do my 5 mile tempo but ended up actually going 7 (my route went NOTHING as planned because of construction and I ended up on the other side of our office area at 5 miles so I just kept going).  I really enjoyed knocking my long run out in the middle of the week!  The mileage was estimated - I spent a lot of time running circles around parking lots - but I was bookin it and ran for 70 minutes.  I definitely don’t PREFER running in the cold (give me a 70 degree morning ANY DAY) but I felt awesome that I conquered my hesitation to run in winter temps.

By Friday, I was SO dreading this run.  Five miles.  Under 9 minute pace.  I didn’t even get that on race day.  It was Friday night, I was a little bummed that we were missing a fun-sounding holiday party, but I just kept telling myself that I had 5 miles between me and my weekend.  And if I made my pace, I would celebrate somehow.  I did a 5 minute warmup, reset the treadmill, and started again at 6.0.  I decided that I was gonna attempt a true tempo, so after the first .75 of a mile of ramping up, I hit 6.7 and just WENT.  I felt strong, I felt confident, and most importantly, I felt like I could hold the pace even if it was tough.  So I did it.  For 3.5 miles.  Then, at 4.25 miles I knew I had some time to make up, so I started ramping it up again, and by the end I was going 8.0.  My final pace? 8:57 miles.  Under 9.  I beat my race time 2 weeks ago by 1:05.

Then, we made amazingly delicious homemade pizza for dinner/breakfast the next day, which was much better than any crazy holiday party.  Or at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

The DDR circuits were in there too (Tuesday and Thursday) and I yoga’d Monday.  I meant to do another yoga session but got busy with holiday stuff.  Oops.  MUST YOGA TWICE THIS WEEK SOMEHOW.  I stretched well after each run but I can still feel tension.  MUST YOGA.

I went into this week scared.  I am coming out of this week feeling like a badass.  I am ready to conquer these next 9 weeks because I have it in me.  Sub 2 hour half, here I come!

Training for week 4:

Monday - 6×400 sprints @ 1:58 pace (with one mile warmup and one mile cooldown and 400 rest in between) = 5 miles

Tuesday - DDR circuits

Wednesday - 6 mile tempo run @ 8:55 pace

Thursday - off (holiday party)

Friday - 30 day shred (need something effective and quick as I have dinner plans)

Saturday - 8 mile nice outside long run @ 9:40 pace

Sunday - rest

Next week in theory should start my holiday break and I should be back to 2 weeks of training on whatever schedule I want, but since I have a shippable at work I’m in charge of that has to be done by the end of the year, I might have to work some half days that week.  But we shall see.

This is the week where the appetite starts to kick in too.  I can already feel it.  At least this time, I’m craving boatloads of protien, more dairy, and veggies instead of all carbs all the time.  I’m sure that will come later, or perhaps training this way is changing the way I crave.  It could make sense.  Each workout is brutal, so protein/dairy helps build my body back up stronger, but I have enough rest time that I don’t need to be pumping constant FUEL ME NOW energy into my body.

The problem is I’m sitting here at my desk, having eaten a 20g protien bar this morning, a huge buffalo chicken lunch meat sammich for lunch, and I’m currently destroying a full 1 lb bag of baby carrots.  It is not long for this world, folks.  And I’m pretty sure before the workout, I’ll be digging into the pistachios and the blackberries too.  I mean - it’s all ridici-healthy and all (minus the nummy onion bun instead of the normal horkin’ fiber bread), so I can’t be too upset.

The plan is to really watch it this month.  Eat super healthy on most days so I can just kinda let myself graze until I feel fueled without being restrictive.  On days I have holiday plan-type-things, make sure I watch my portions and fill up on all the healthy stuff I can.  Or moderate.  Like last night’s party where there were 4 appetizers and 3 desserts and NOTHING was healthy and the meatballs actually ended up being the best option.  Or Saturday night when bacon fudge made an appearance.  It was AMAZING.  I broke my no sweets/drinking in the same day rule twice this weekend, but it was totally worth it.

So I’ve got my playlists set, my gymbag with me, and I’m ready to rock some sprints tonight.  Hopefully I can stop shoveling carrots into my mouth by that time.