Smelly Shelley

I made the mistake of trying to re-wear my workout clothes yesterday from the day before - oh lord they stank! And they were still damp...I don't know what I was thinking...just being too lazy to pull some clean workout clothes out of my drawer, and trying to reduce laundry. I use to be able to get away with this, but I really don't think I have ever sweated as much as I have in the past couple weeks. I am working out 6 days a week a minimum of 45 minutes and up to 1 1/2 to 2 hours - pro: I am losing weight, con: I stink.

I'm thinking this is why my closet doesn't smell to good, despite the fact that my husband put an air freshener in there (You think he was dropping a hint).

I guess I need to do laundry more often - but if you have any ideas of how I can get out of that (short of burning my workout clothes and buying new gear every week), let me know.

Tag - Your It

First things first, Nikemom has a T-shirt design contest going on. So for those of you who are creative, or if you know someone who is, check it out.

I've been tagged by Eurydice with a meme, so here goes.

The rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.

2. Share 5 facts about yourself.

3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names, linking to them.

4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.



Five things about me:

1. I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Not that I could kick anyone's ass or anything. I took up Tae Kwon Do when my oldest daughter was about 5, she wanted to try it out so I did it with her. I didn't actually test for my black belt until I was 5 months pregnant with my second daughter. My husband was super nervous about me sparring while pregnant, but they were gentle with me - so I was safe. Then in the ceremonies I started BAWLING my head off because all those pregnancy hormones were kicking in - pretty funny.


2. Speaking of bawling, I cry super easy. I've gotten worse since my sister died 5 years ago, but really I have always been the first to cry in any room. When I took my daughter and nieces to see Iron Giant (long time ago) - I cried, none of the kids did. A touching commercial comes on - I cry. So every time something comes on that is emotional, all of my family looks at me to see if I'm crying yet. Really annoying.


3. I technically have 10 brothers and sisters. Technically because my parents divorced when I was six and both remarried and my dad had two more kids with my step-mom and my mom adopted six kids with my step-dad. A few of the kids my mom adopted had a lot of issues (their parents were into drugs, abusive, etc.) and we don't really have contact with them at this point because they are going through some self-destructive stuff (I think one is a crack whore, sad). But yeah, they still are family.


4. I taught myself how to spin yarn last year. This was an offshoot of my goat farm - I raise Angora goats that produce mohair. The goats are sheared twice a year, and the mohair can be used for spinning yarn and other crafts. I also like to crochet, so I have made a couple items (hats, scarves) from raw wool to end product - pretty cool.


5. I'm a hermit - I really get very anxious when people come to my door. I feel like my house is too messy (it isn't), I won't know what to say, the list goes on. I have been known to hide when I see someone before they see me...both out in public and at my house. I usually assume people won't remember me if I've met them say once before - and I feel like I will be imposing on them if I try to have a conversation with them. I know it's a little crazy, I inherited this wonderful trait from my paternal grandmother - luckily on a scaled down version.

So in tagging five other's my craziness mentioned in #5 above kicks in - hope I'm not bothering any of you by tagging you. Since I'm new to all of this, I am going very random in my tags. I'm tagging Lesley (she has been a little to absent lately), Nikemom, Fatinah, SeaBreeze, and Non-Runner Nancy (because we are split aparts, and she doesn't have enough to do :))

Memorial Day

Yay, today is a rest day for me - and a day off from work since it is Memorial Day - and a weigh in day. I am down 1.5 more pounds! woo hoo! I totally kicked butt on my goals last week with some very intense workouts. My body really needs a rest today. I also check my measurements and my waist and hips are down an inch, my thighs are down 1/2 inch. Boom chicka wow wow!

So I'm planning on keeping the same goals for next week - it's working, so why mess with it.

No big plans for the day other than a BBQ at home. Probably play some Wii fit with the kidlets. Still trying to talk the hubby into stepping on the board, he much prefers sitting on the couch and telling everyone else what to do -put your money where your mouth is babe.

What's for dinner you ask? We are having Portabello Mushroom Burgers (one of my favorites), and Sweet Potato Oven Fries. Yumm!

If you haven't tried Sweet Potato Fries, I highly recommend them. They are healthy (packed with lots of vitamins, not deep fried only lightly coated with olive oil), easy to make, they taste sooo good, and are a great substitute for real fries. I use this recipe from Food Network, only I substitute Emeril's Essence (Paprika, sea salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder) for the taco seasoning. Really, these are just fabulous, you have to try them! My kids like them, and that says A LOT! I have to trick them into eating healthy.

So I hope everyone who has the day off today has a great holiday. Today isn't about the right or wrongs of war - it is about the people who sacrifice their lives, body parts, families, etc. to protect others, even people they have never met before. Thank you to all the soldiers who have served and to their families and loved ones who have suffered as well.

Bullet Brainwork

I'm too tired to form complete paragraphs today (not that I am normally very good at it anyway) so I'm sticking to bullets today.

• I have been going non-stop this week, waking up at 6 or 7 am and staying up until midnight or 1 am. I just have tons of stuff going on - same old, same old too much stuff to do and not enough time to do it, so I do none of it well.


• I have been doing GREAT on my exercising. It would have been easy to not make time for this since I have been so busy, but I decided that it needs to be a priority, so I am not going to use my busyness as an excuse. Besides, if I take care of myself, I should feel better so I can do everything else better. I am right on track for meeting my exercise goals this week and haven't missed a single workout.


• Do you ever wish your life was a musical? When I hear a song I like I always imagine lip syncing it at a party, or some other occasion to put on a fun show. Like I wanted to lip sync Elton John and KiKi Dee's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" at my wedding 7 years ago. Of course we didn't end up having a big wedding and my husband wasn't up for the fun, so we didn't...but I had it choreographed and everything in my mind. I also have a vision of doing a version of "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" and several other songs - but so far no takers on performance partners. I guess I'm lame.


• Word of the day: Beplane - this is how 3 and 5 year olds in my house pronounce complain...and I listened to them say it a gazillion times this morning as they argued about who was "beplaning" the most. I seriously think they have a plot going to drive me crazy so they can get away with more stuff. Yes, drive mommy to start drinking at 9 am, or better yet send her to the insane assylum and we will have complete freedom! Boowahaha.

Week in Review

So I lost another pound! Which is good, but I can't help thinking - "only one pound! - crap!"

So here is how I did with my goals last week:

1. Three butt-kicking, 1,000 calorie burning workouts (incorporated into my regular workout schedule of three short runs, one long run, and two cross-training days). Goal met - I did my final long run of 8 miles which capped off my 3rd 1,000 calorie burn.
2. Two strength work-outs Met
3. Drink at least 48 - 64 ounces of water each day Easy peasy
4. Stick to my 5-4-3 diet plan (no alcohol in the evenings because then I just snack) I did good on this until Saturday - I didn't totally blow it, but my sister and her family did come by and i did end up having some white wine (which hit me really hard - downside of not drinking much, or upside depending on how you look at it), so I ended up not eating as well as I should have, but not horribly. I did better Sunday, but I wasn't feeling so hot (white wine really doesn't agree with me), so I wasn't as stringent as I usually am.

My plan for this week is to keep to the above mini-goals for another week, only hopefully do better on the weekend with my eating. Plus I am going to shoot for 30 miles of running this week. I don't know why because that will be a little tough to achieve. Well I do know why - Runner's World magazine said that women runner's who gain weight need to increase their mileage to 30 miles/week on average to lose weight. I don't know how accurate that is (30 miles is a lot!), and if I actually qualify as a runner, but I figure what the heck I'll give it a shot. Maybe I should re-read that snippet to make sure I got the facts right before I go all crazy.

Friday Stats

Since it is still super hot outside, we had cold soup for dinner - Garden Gazpacho. Yumm, and super easy - basically fresh crunchy vegetables in a tomato base and chilled.

You can use any vegetables you like, this is what I used.

• 3 cups low-sodium V8 tomato juice
• 1/2 red onion chopped
• cucumber chopped
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• red, green and yellow bell peppers chopped
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• salt and pepper if desire
• combine and chill (at least one hour - the longer the better though for flavors to blend)
• chopped cilantro also adds a nice touch, but I didn't have any

Perfect for a hot day, and low cal too.

I've stuck to my calorie plan everyday so far this week. Been able to get in all my water, and today I did my cardio cross-training for 1 hour 45 minutes for my second 1,000 calorie workout. My long run on Sunday will make my 3rd 1,000 calorie workout for the week, so I am on track!

Bonus: 3 people today told me I looked thinner, and my pants felt loose today. Yeah!

A Little Touched in the Head

IT IS HOT HERE.

100 or so degrees yesterday, suppose to be 100 today too. It is only MAY - what the hell.

So a sane person would hang out in an air conditioned room, right? What do I do? Run another 5k in the trail run series. Not in the morning when it is still semi-cool, but at 6 pm, when it is hottest. Yes, I'm a little touched in the head. Running has made me do crazy things...I guess I'm addicted.

Pictures from the run of the narrow, dry, hilly, rocky trail:

Another view from the levy of the ridge we run up and around

This hill is at about mile 2, not so bad...we turn around shortly after coming up it

Then we get to climb this hill...I hate this hill, it sucks. It sucks even worse when it is 100 degrees. It is actually much longer and steeper than this picture lets on, at least in my mind...
Folsom Lake, just on the other side of the levee we run next to.

Pics for the 'Rents

Picture's from a gathering we attended at Chuck's co-worker's (Sherbert) house. The photos are courtesy of Sherbert's brother. Mostly for the grandparent's enjoyment so indulge me.

Charlotte on the garden bench with Sherbert's dog Blue whacking the pinata, serious business
Delaney's turn at the pinata, she really got her whole body into it!

with her loot hidden in the hat

Guarding her loot with her skank eye

My oldest daughter Elli.

Me hiding behind flowers (it hides the double chin).

I don't think Chuck would like me posting his pictures, so we will leave it at that.

Wednesday Stats

Meal plan: Perfect!

Water: I think 52 ounces - yeah!

Ran: 4 miles on treadmill with 4 quarter mile hills.

Elliptical: 35 minutes

Strength workout: check

Total workout calories burned: 1,000 +

Summer Challenge Update

I've been pretty much stuck the last couple weeks and not lost any weight...my excuse...I haven't been working out as much as I had planned, nor following my diet plan as strictly as I should since I wasn't feeling too well.

I decided I should make some mini-goals to try and obtain the big weight loss goal and give me a boost. My mini-goals this week.

1. Three butt-kicking, 1,000 calorie burning workouts (incorporated into my regular workout schedule of three short runs, one long run, and two cross-training days).
2. Two strength work-outs
3. Drink at least 48 - 64 ounces of water each day (better get started on that one today)
4. Stick to my 5-4-3 diet plan (no alcohol in the evenings because then I just snack)

I know, boring update...I'm still swimming in kid puke so I don't have time to be more creative. Next week though, we will see some progress!

Cavepeople Unite 10k on the 10th Race Report

Saturday, May 10, 2008:

7 am - woke up and put on my running shoes so I could get my 10k in for Nancy’s Cavepeople Unite 10k on the 10th Virtual Club Run. Delaney had a softball game at 9 am so I needed to make it quick so I had time to get cleaned up and her to her game with time warm.

7:05 am - Delaney wakes up complaining about her stomach and promptly throws up in the sink – not a huge amount, but she says her tummy still hurts so we decide to keep her home from the game. Run postponed, but I think I can still get it later in the day or evening.

12:00 pm – Delaney says she still doesn’t feel well, we are supposed to go to a friend’s college graduation party. Delaney says she is well enough to go, she has a low-grade fever and she hasn’t thrown up anymore, I give her some kid’s Advil and we get ready to attend the party.

1:15 pm – We arrive at the party and within 5 minutes Delaney pukes about 5 gallons all over the kitchen floor, my leg, my shirt, etc…oddly I didn’t notice until the second convulsion because the smell blends with the smell of potato salad that is being prepared....yummy.

By the time we get home Delaney’s fever has soared to 102 – I won’t be running.

Sunday, May 11, 2008:

7 am – woke up, but I’m in no hurry. I know my family has plans for me today and last night was a restless night of sleep – but thankfully no more vomit. Delaney’s fever seems to have broken, and she proudly announces that she isn’t sick anymore at about 7:30. I decide to crawl back into bed for a little more sleep.

9 am - In my head I'm thinking I’ll get my run in then we can do some family activity…but the family wants to go to the coffee shop and grab a bite, then we go for a hike at Folsom Lake. It was really cool hiking with the girls...and we saw a horse that had bucked off its rider than ran miles riderless to get back to its home. It was really nice family time...and the hiking wore the girls out (added bonus).

3 pm – Finally I get to my run…and it was worth it. I totally BEDROCKED it…for me that is.

My pacer: I obviously needed Superhero power to get me going on this run. So I asked Captain Caveman to join me.

Nothing exciting happened during my run, just some great stats for me –

mile 1 - 10:54 - just warming up, keeping it slow
mile 2 - 9:46
mile 3 - 9:26 - this is where I realized if I pushed it I could get a sub 60 minute race in, I started out thinking I’ll just try and get a really good 10 min pace in and be at the top of my group…but we all know personal achievements are much more rewarding…so I decided to go for the sub 60 and really started pushing myself.

mile 4 - 9:20
mile 5 - 9:13 WTF! Who knew I hadit in me!
mile 6 - 9:11 Okay, I'm tired now! But I think I can do it...I can make it...
mile 6.2 - 1:45 Holy Freaking Crap, I did it!

total time – 59:35 average pace: 9:37 – watch out 8 minute cavechicks, next time I’m breaking into your group!

Alright, Cavey and I are going poolside for a beer…and back to being a mom, now Charlotte has a fever…it never ends.

Happy Mother’s Day to all…because everyone out there is a mother in one way or another.

Torture

I went to the doctor's office yesterday - he confirmed I'm sick and have a temp. Thanks for telling me what I already know.

I really hate going to the doctor's because they tell you NOTHING. I have been not feeling well for about a month now, but he kept saying: "You've had the fever for 5 days, virus' last between 7-10 days. Once you are past that, if you aren't better we will do more tests." No you idiot, I have been tracking my fever for over 7 days now, and I probably had it before that I just didn't take it. I have been feeling achy and tired for going on a month now. LOOK AT YOUR DAMN NOTES FROM MY LAST VISIT! Okay, I didn't say it that blatantly, but I felt like it - and I did correct him on the 5 day fever about four times. So he ran some blood tests and I'm waiting to hear back.

Following my doctor's appointment, I went to the second trail run series race - I know, I don't know why I didn't skip it, but I signed up for it so I mentally just HAVE to do it. I can miss work when I'm sick, but I feel like such a loser when I miss a schedule run because I'm sick. I actually sat at the start saying to myself "Why do I torture myself this way?" My time was pretty much the same as last week, slow - at least I am smart enough not to push it too hard when I'm ill. I'm going to have to go take some pictures of some of the hills on this trail and post them- it is brutal.

Oooh and worse - there was a guy there snapping pictures of people while they were running - somehow my running skirt rolled down while I was running and I didn't notice, so all the pictures of me show this gap with my belly roll hanging out - real attractive. Yeah, I won't be getting those pictures...they would make good before pics though. I'm so tired of not looking like a runner...it has been a year already, come on body get in shape! I started running so I could look hot! Geez.

My Very Own Personal Trainer

I decided to try out my new shoes tonite despite the fact that I still have a low-grade fever after a week (ugh)...I wanted to break in the shoes a bit before the second race tomorrow nite in the trail run series...can't miss that for anything. Maybe I'll win something else!

Delaney decided to join me in our gym (garage) and this is how our conversation went:

D: Why are you going so slow?
M: I'm walking to warm up.
D: When are you going to go fast?
M: In a minute
D: Are you going fast yet?
M: No, not yet
D: Tell me when your gonna go fast
M: kay
D: Why aren't you going fast yet?
M: I'm easing into it since I'm not feeling well - kay, I'm going faster now
D: No your not, you should go faster.
M: Just relax
D: When are you going to go fast
M: Now

I guess I must have satisfied her because she finally backed off the incessant pestering. She should be a trainer, and she is only five...then after a few minutes she comes up with this gem.

D: Mom, when you die can I buy your house?
M: Sure
D: Thanks mom, your the best parent ever.

Glad she is planning ahead...and glad she likes our house

Then she left the workout - thank god!

Shoe review: Pretty comfy! The forefoot is just about the right amount of spacious for me and noticeably cushy! Love that. I didn't experience any knee pain, so I think I am still getting the motion control I need. Overall I am pleased, I actually think I like them better than my Mizuno Wave Alchemy 6's which desperately need to be retired.

New Shoes

The shoes I won...

I ended up with New Balance 1011's - they are suppose to be pretty good shoes so I'm looking forward to trying them out. Hopefully they treat my knees good.

I have been super wiped out this last weak. Can't shake being tired and I have a constant dull stomach ache. Not so good for the working out and diet motivation.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Yesterday I entered a local trail run race that is part of a series of races that will be held every Thursday evening in the month of May. They have a 5k and a 10k option and I did the 5k since this was my first real trail run...and I won! a raffle that is...a new pair of New Balance running shoes of my choice. I've never had New Balance shoes before so I'll need to do some research before I go pick out my shoes, but I am super excited! Anyone have any experience with New Balance shoes?

We were just standing around prior to the start and they were raffling off their prizes, the last prize was the shoes and I say to my friend, "I want some new shoes." Voila, they call my name. I did my little woohoo happy dance, no one else reacted when their names were called - I guess I'm not cool.

The run itself was challenging...lots of hills, rocks to dodge, fallen trees to navigate, a little dry and dusty...but I did enjoy and am hoping to do it again next week - maybe the 10k this time.

On the diet front, I've been doing pretty good overall, but I did have some wine and chips on Wednesday night which sort of got me off kilter yesterday. I'm back on track today though. I didn't lose anything this past week...maybe because of my one night splurge? maybe because I'm feeling a little ill with a tummy ache. If I keep plugging away though, I will see a difference...I will.