Apple Picking

Today we are trying something new in our neck of the woods. We are going to visit our local apple picking orchard, Carter's Mountain. I have been asking Matt for years to go and visit and we just haven't. Yesterday he asked what are we going to do for today. I said I had some errands I had to take care of. He had a brilliant idea of, why not go apple picking?

HE is so smart! That sounds great to me. Funny thing. We are actually going to be there next week for our family pictures. So we are going to check out the place today and have fun and that way we can focus next week on taking pictures and trying to get THE PERFECT PICTURE!

Super excited for today and apple picking. Great non stress, no exercise, rest day activity to help me rest for tomorrows big race! Pictures to come later!

QOTD: Do you visit your local orchards to pick fresh fruit?

Something New

(source) 

I tried something new yesterday! I tried yoga. I have never done a class setting. Only by DVD. Thought I would give it a shot. It was actually really cool and I guess the DVD's did help me a little. I knew the names for most of the poses already and was able to hold most of them. It was a beginning super easy class. And to top it off.. I was the only one in there. I guess the cold rain kept everyone away from the class and I got an hours worth of personal instruction from the teacher. It was really neat!

I did the class to help me stretch a bit before Sundays run. I am feeling more relaxed and stretched and ready for the run. It is going to be a COLD morning and possibly rainy still. Looking forward to it.

QOTD: Any advice for cold rainy runs? 

Burnout?!?

Seriously! Already! It has been a hard 6 weeks for me. I miss the motivation I got by going every week to the women's 4 miler training program. I had set goals. I had to meet said goals to accomplish what I wanted to do. Currently, I have been my own trainer. I set myself to run 2 days a week and Saturdays are my long runs. Saturdays are going well, and I generally do the 2 day runs a week but the other 3 days of cross training, not so much.

So how do we get out of a rut? I just read an article here that I felt answered a lot of my questions and actually defined what I was going through. Yesterday I just thought I was getting lazy, today after reading the article, I AM BURNED OUT! I need something new. I know I have races coming up but I need that drive, push and motivation I felt with the 4 miler to get me going!

Sunday is my 10k. This past Saturday I did 6.5 miles out on the road with a friend. I did really well as that was my first time EVER doing that distance. So I know I will be fine on Sunday for the race. I just want to stay under 15 min/mile. That is my goal. Actually I want to finish the race upright but would like to be under 15 min/mile.

In a few short weeks I will begin my new training program for the C-ville 10 miler. I am excited for that and I think it will give me the drive and push I am missing.

I am going to try an incorporate some of the items in the article above to help get me going again. We all go through these times. It is ok. We just need to change our game plan a little to keep it fresh and new.

Thanks for hanging in there and still reading my blog!

QOTD: How do you stay motivated? 

October? ALREADY!?!

I can not believe that we are already into October. It is by far one of my favorite months of the year. The cooler, crisper air. The leaves changing. Apple picking season. And the jumpstart to the holiday season. I LOVE OCTOBER. In AZ, where I grew up I loved it when the nights were getting colder when I opted to keep my marching band coat on instead of nicely folding it inside out and stashing it somewhere on the stands. (Yes I am a band geek, don't judge!) Being in VA we get the wonderful season of the things I mentioned above. Today for the first time in the 6 years we have lived in this state we are going to the State Fair. Super excited.

Another great thing about October. Pretty much across the country it is getting cool enough to run outside, almost any time during the day. All my AZ buddies are super excited to get out of the gym and out on the streets pounding the pavement. Last Saturday I went on a very early morning run out on the street with a good friend. It was chilly, but so much fun running in the early morning watching the sunrise over the beautiful are we were in. This Saturday we are starting WAYYYYYY earlier, 5:30am, and doing a beautiful 6.5 miles. I am thankful for the people in my life that support my running and I am so glad to help support them too.

If you are in the C-ville area and want to join us, send me a email or msg me and I will certainly pass on the details. We are doing a nice slow steady pace so don't worry we won't leave you in the dust.

QOTD: What is your favorite fall activity?

Training Programs

~Me with 2 of my running buddies and Sarge. T (rainbow skirt) one of the pink ladies in the Women's 4 Miler Training Program~

I am so excited to begin my next training program. It gives me the drive and push to actually run, and to run during the week. I have fallen off the wagon a little this past month. I didn't run at all this past week but I was taken it easy. I did do 3 miles today out on the road with a friend and it went fairly well (especially for slacking this past week.) But there are going to be weeks where we don't run all that much, and weeks that we just kill it! It is OK! The point is to KEEP ON RUNNING! 

Ok back to topic, training programs. The Women's 4 miler training program was awesome. Had running buddies every Saturday morning. We all suffered through the heat and humidity together and got through it. 

In about a month from now is my next training program for the 10 miler. I am excited but slightly nervous as it is going to be frigid in the morning runs. (it was fairly cool this morning too and I was shivering until my body warmed up at about mile 1.) 

Look for a training program or group near you. They help you with your form, keep you motivated and just help encourage you to keep on moving. Do not worry if you can't run very well. Most TP will will have different running groups. The super speedy Gonzales' and even the groups where people are just getting back into running or learning to run for the first time. 

If you can't find one, make one with you and some other friends that have wanted to go running, or would like to go running but just don't know where to run or where to start. Be the leader. It really does make the time go by nice and fast too! 

Just the key to running, keep on moving! You can do this!

QOTD: Have you been part of a track club or training program?

Premieres All Around

Off normal exercise topic and this topic is what can lead to much inactivity in a week...you have been warned!

I LOVE THIS SEASON where all of my favorite show come back and I can get back into my regular TV viewing schedule. I know, this is putting me in front of the TV on my extremely comfortable couch but come on you know you have 1 or 2 shows that you love and are totally looking forward to their return. Shows that I am looking forward to the most:

Bones
Revolution
Once Upon A Time and OUAT Wonderland
Glee
Nashville
Totally enjoying Sleepy Hallow too!
Vampire Diaries (Oct)
Originals (really looking forward to this too! Oct.)

I Hulu everything since we don't have cable in our house so my viewing is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during "mommy quiet time". (best thing ever. Lock the kid in the room with his tablet and he will play for awhile then nap for another while. It is amazing! He loves it, I need it, BEST THING EVER!)

My goal is to exercise first in the day then rest and relax watching my favorite shows. So excited for all the new season!

QOTD: Has your favorite show returned this season? 

Picture borrowed from Once Upon A Time Facebook Page. Visit hyperlink on picture to visit the ABC Website for the show.

SAHM In Home Exercise- DVD's

I'm a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM). And there are just some days that I can not make it to the gym. So what is a Mommy to do??? I would love to just sit down and watch TV all day and eat bon-bons but my bum bum would grow to outrageous proportions! Thankfully, I have an energetic little guy around to keep my butt in gear and getting me moving around the house. So here are things I try to do if I just can't make it to the gym.

1. Clean house- I do a top to bottom clean of my house. I have 3 levels if you include my basement which is a very, very large area to vacuum. So I pick up all the toys, clothes and whatever will accumulate around the house and then just vacuum away (chasing and playing with Mason the whole time too). Normal weeks where I do go to the gym, I try to clean one room a day so this is definitely different for me.

2. Chase my kid- around said clean house. Now that there are no obstacles for him or me for that matter, to trip over we run, spin, or push him in his car. Lots of giggling will ensue!

3. Hike the stairs- over and over and over and over! 3 levels means lots of stairs. I try to avoid the stairs, stay in one level if I can because it is a lot of stairs, but nope Mace and I will go up and down as much as possible on no gym days.

4. Take a Hike- go for a walk. The dog and the kids will love it.

5. Pop in a video- AN EXERCISE VIDEO, not the 6 hours long BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. ( I do like to watch this often but maybe after an actual gym day or else I might not do anything else!) There are plenty of exercise videos out there. I know you have at least 1. Most moms or women have at least 1. Try it out. Push yourself. You can do it! **Hulu and Amazon have them on their sites too!**

Couple of things, look how many things I am doing with my son that day. I am the one wearing him out. He loves to go to the gym day care because all he does is play and play and it is good for him to socialize with other people. Some days it is just fun to just go crazy with him. Then after all the crazy time we "try" (meaning me mostly) to pick up the toys and "try" (like totally not working most days) teach him to keep the house clean.

So next time you just can't make it have some fun in your own home! Go on I dare you!

QOTD: What is your favorite activity to do at home to work out?

I Can Do IT!

~Cute pix of Mason playing in the rain this evening! AZ baby at heart!~

I am doing it! I ran 5.5 miles today, again on the treadmill. I ran a comfy 15 min mile. Well actually I did more walking today than running but I am keeping my walking at a faster pace. I am currently in the process of getting a more comfortable cruising speed for running. It is hard but it is totally worth it.

I have now lost 8 lbs from my heaviest in the last 2 months. I have lost an inch from my waist, tummy and hips. My thighs are more toned with less "stuff" on them that I have been trying to get off since I had Mace 2 years ago.

I have more energy most of the day, I do crash a little later in the day but that is ok. I feel better overall. I am recovering faster after my runs and I AM DOING IT!

~Me after my 5.5 miles. Sorry for the bad lighting but I AM STILL SMILING!~

Forget About It

Great thing I have finally found with exercise is that I can drop all the things that are weighing heavily on my mind and just focus on what I want to accomplish that day during my run or exercise of choice.

I have never truly been able to experience this freeing feeling before where I just forget about all the stuff that just bog me down. And have actually been able to solve some of the problems through clearer thinking.

I am so excited for this new experience I am having with my exercise to help me have a healthier body and state of mind!

QOTD: Do you leave everything at the door of the gym?

Feeling The Burn!

OOOO! Don't you just love it when you feel the burn in your muscles that tells you that you are working, and working it hard! Firing up your muscles! I LOVE IT! That is the point I know that if I push just a little longer it will make me stronger! I felt it today with my run as I upped the speed on the treadmill for my run. So when I was running, I was running faster than usual and forced myself to just go a little farther.

Burn is different than hurt! Don't hurt yourselves but it is ok to get a little burn going. So excited that my training is going well and that I am still running even after the 4 miler. I have new goals and will keep going!

Speaking of being on FIRE, GO SUN DEVILS (my alma matter) on their win this past weekend!

QOTD: When you weight train do you feel the burn there too?