Monday, December 31, 2012

Sushi and snow

Well, we definitely got a nice snow dump this weekend. It's a regular old winter wonderland out there!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Feeling Managerial

Ever have one of those days at work that make you want to haul ass in the opposite direction and never return? Oh yes, that was yesterday. All I have to say is come 12 noon today, I'm out like trout.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

the "four letter" word

Yes...snow. My most hated "four letter" word. I was planning on getting into work super early today to bank some time so I didn't have to use any more of my vacation time to leave early on my last "Holiday Hours" Friday but, Mother Nature had other plans...

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

'twas the day after Christmas and the house was a wreck...

I feel bad for the garbage men come next Monday...So, how was every one's holiday?? We began the festivities Monday evening at my mothers' house. She had about 14 people over and enough food for about 100. ha ha. Seriously, I thought you told me you were having just munchies mom??

Monday, December 24, 2012

'Tis the season!

Happy Christmas Eve! I am, hopefully, being let out of work at around 1pm today. Tonight, we are going to my mom's house for Christmas Eve and then we will be at Pat's parents house tomorrow for Christmas. Pat's two brothers, Chris and Dan,  and my sister-in-law Joanna are here for the next few days so we made sure to stock up our wine fridge accordingly:


Friday, December 21, 2012

oil slick

Soooo happy for Friday! Is everyone still here? I guess the end of the world doesn't happen on December 21, 2012.

Work out of the day: 5:30 am Spin with a focus on heavy hill climb. We had a sub today and she played much better music than the Body Guard so the class went really fast.

Do you ever get ideas stuck into your head and then you have to do what it is? I go through phases of different things I become obsessed with and now my newest obsession is dealing with my oily skin. I'm 31 years old! An esthetician told me that having oily skin will slow the aging in your face. I don't know if that's true or not but I sure am sick of having a shiny face.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Lunch is on us

You know what tastes better than lunch? Free lunch of course! I was given $20 by my company to get lunch. Sweet! Since I was up at 4:50am on Wednesday and did 1 hour of spin (burned 478 calories and biked 21.5 miles), I was super hungry. I did eat breakfast but it never lasts long and if I don't eat a snack by 10 am, I have to eat lunch at 11am or I start to gnaw my own arm off.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Sara the avatar and other musical things

I auditioned for a local company several weeks ago to be an avatar. What's an avatar? Good question! You know those video clips on websites that either explain what a company does or how something works? Yea, that person is an avatar. Companies pay advertising companies to create these videos for their websites and I have been officially hired on as an avatar! I can't wait until I start getting my scripts.


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

I have a 3 year old!

Wow. I can't believe my daughter turned 3 years old yesterday! Seriously, it's been a total blur.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Weekend Recap

I've had quite a busy weekend! My company is giving us "holiday hours" for the month of December so as long I hit 35 hours by 12noon on Friday, I can leave. You better believe I am taking advantage of that! I left work on Friday at 12 pm and headed over to pick up my son for school. This poster was in the hallway:

Ha! Apparently they were trying some latkes in class and then taking a poll. I wondered why my son kept asking me to make them...

Friday a.m. spin was just OK. Not because of the Body Guard but, because I was just tired! I kept checking the clock but I did manage to make it the entire hour. I only burned about 415 calories which means I was completely slacking on the climbs.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

How about a little strep?

Happy 12/12/12! AND Ugh. The cooties got me! My throat is a-blazin but other than that, I feel OK. It's a 10 day round of antibiotics for me. My daughter is the only one left standing in my household who doesn't have it (knock on wood!) and hopefully doesn't get it. She has an important birthday party this weekend to attend; her 3rd!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Living in Midnight

I think the earlier sunsets are finally catching up to me. I swear it was already getting dark at 4pm yesterday when I was leaving work but the whole day was dreary and grey so I felt like I was living in midnight. I'm soooooo glad that we still don't have any snow yet (knock on wood!).

Monday, December 10, 2012

Sugar Rush

Well, there ended up being two people in my household, my son and my husband, who got strep throat on Friday! Pat was incapacitated for most of the weekend and my son, even with the sore throat, didn't seem too bad. He only had a mild fever on Friday but after his first dose of antibiotic, felt much better Saturday morning when he woke up. My babysitter said that three of her granddaughters had strep throat once and it ended up heading down south. Is that possible?? Yikes!! I guess viruses can travel. My throat is sore today...

Friday, December 7, 2012

A Fantastic Friday!

Well Hello Friday! I have missed you! 5:30am Spin was tough, as expected. I biked around 21 miles and burned about 498 calories in an hour. I know for sure that the spin instructor is, in fact the Body Guard. But don't worry Mr. Body Guard, your secret is safe with me :-)



Thursday, December 6, 2012

My morning commute in pics

My alarm went of at 5:45am this morning. I did not want to get up! Are your mornings hectic too?? 5:45am gives me just a little over an hour to get myself dressed, kids up, dressed and fed and all of our stuff packed to  be out of the house by 7:05am. No wonder I'm tired already! (I just noticed that I forgot my lunch today...)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Up for a little celebration?

Truth time! Some days, I just don't want to be at work. This is what I stare at for the majority of my day:

I know what you're thinking, Is that your very-talented art work on the wall? Why no, it's my children's but thanks for noticing!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Go Bananas, Choose Yonanas!

Back to the Grind

I can't believe it's Monday already! How on earth do the weekends go so fast?? Sundays are almost always filled with a lot of unplanned activity and somehow, the day goes by super fast and I find my 5 am alarm going off waaaay to soon.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Saturday, December 1, 2012

A bathroom for me, a bathroom for you

The wine tasting last night was great! It was held at a local establishment called Four Seasons Spirits & Wine Cellar, Inc. There were about 23 different tables that represented different wineries and distributors. I had ALOT of tastes and the place was packed. Before we left the house :



Friday, November 30, 2012

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Thursday Thoughts

I made juice this morning and I have decided to juice for the next thirty days and see if it makes a difference in my energy levels.
This contains spinach, one pear, about 10-12 baby carrots (all I had left) and lots of celery. Yum!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

this tastes like...garbage!

I'm on a medication right now that I have to take for 90 days and one of the side effects that can happen is loss of taste. Well, I started noticing something a little "off" a few weeks ago. Things weren't necessarily bad at this point but obviously heading in that direction. The fruit I have been eating began to taste odd. It's hard to describe....

Thursday, November 1, 2012

As of late

What's been happening?? I have a 20k race scheduled for Saturday and the weather looks questionable so I am betting on the fact that the trails will be muddy and I'm going to get drenched. I've been sticking with mostly Body Pump and Spinning since I'm pretty burnt out on running right now from training for the Mega.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

My Ode to Spin and other fun workouts

I've pretty much been obsessed with spin for about a month now. I used to supplement my running with elliptical workouts but switched it up with spin class. The great thing about this indoor cycling class is the fact that everyone can do this. I've seen people in my classes as young as 14 and as old as 70.I should point out that your class experience will depend on your instructor. I have been in classes with instructors who have horrible music and no energy. Ugh. The class drags. I really like three of my current instructors and try not to attend the classes of the other ones. I usually bike about 26 miles per class. I am loving it!

So, this picture here:

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Arms a Blazin

Ever been to a Body Pump class? Love it! Bodypump is a full-body workout; a mix of aerobic exercise and weight training. During a 1 hour (or 45 minute) class you will target all your major muscle groups using a barbell, bench and weights. All movement is choreographed to a music track which is especially designed for the classes.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Megatransect 2012 Recap

I completed the 26+ (I clocked 29.44 miles) Megatransect in Central PA on September 29, 2012. Check out this topographic map:






Thursday, June 28, 2012

Salt! Friend or Foe?







Salt. Friend or Foe? I've been experimenting with lowering my sodium intake quite significantly since sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure/ hypertension. Last Summer, when I was training for the Rochester Marathon, I just kept my sodium intake normal and didn't really think much about it. I think I started this reduced sodium diet around February while also in the midst of increasing mileage and beginning to train for the Mega. The result; is not what I had expected at all. It seems now, that any salt intake immediately results in water weight, bloat and retention that just doesn't go away. I honestly think a low sodium diet and marathon training is not working for me. I'm slowly starting to go back to my normal salt intake and get my body back to being able to process the salt and not bloat me up like a whale. The combination of glycogen storage in my muscles after long runs, bloat from sodium and tired legs is making for one grumpy runner. There is nothing worse than running 40 miles a week and gaining 4lbs of flab, which seems to just love hanging out on my face and abs. Joy! Retention, in any form, is not comfortable. I've increased my sodium intake a little this past week alone and I've already noticed a difference. My sausage fingers are gone!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Why I Love Running


Ah Sweet, Sweet Serenity. Running, to me, is like a meditation. Most of the time, I am thinking about all sorts of weird things (i distinctly remember itemizing all the things I would do with my 205 million dollar lottery winnings during my run on Sunday) and sometimes, there's literally nothing going on upstairs. Both are fine. I'm running, on average, around 128 miles a month right now. That's a lot of meditation. Chemically, I am addicted to the endorphins released in my brain while running (Hello Runners High!) and physically, running is the only thing that feels like a true work out. (Sorry Elliptical, things just aren't working out...haha) I do, however, supplement with the Elliptical during the week. My reasoning is simple:

1. I feel that I'm saving my joints a little bit by doing some of my mileage on the Elliptical and then, years and years down the line, when I am still running, my knees, ankles, hips will still cooperate.
2. Running shoes are damn expensive! Again, I'm cheap. I'm stretching my dollar just a little bit by supplementing with the Elliptical and lengthening the life of my shoes.
3. Sometimes it's nice to hop onto the Elliptical and watch a show while I work out. (even if it's Jersey Shore...)

I still feel like I'm cheating on running but running will just have to understand. Variety is the spice of life.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Run Sara Run

Word of advice; if you think you're shoes are shot, they are shot. Don't try just one more run in them. R.I.P. adidas trailrunners, size 7. My new ones!:




adidas Women's THRASHER TRAIL ShoeThese should be arriving by Friday. I can't wait! Getting new shoes is the BEST. I feel like I'm running on a cloud. The tread looks pretty hardcore on these so I should be flying on the trails.

Last weeks Thursday night trail run was a total bust. I was already thirsty before the run started and it was hot and humid out. Plus, the normal run leader wasn't there for that run so the other guy that lead was way too fast and his trail was disorganized and he didn't stop enough to wait for the people in the back. I ended up walking a lot of the run and then just getting lost in the woods. Fun. Oh and my mild thirst turned into down right dehydration. Blech. Total bust. I still ended up at around 6 miles but there is a HUGE difference between a good 6 and a terrible 6. Tonight,  is the Corporate Challenge (so no Thursday Night Trail Run) but since I'm not part of the Corporate Running World (or actually my company is not into running ) I'm going to run with my dad. I'll end this week with about 35 miles.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Medved Trail Run

This is me after finishing the Medved Trail Run. I ended up clocking 16.79 miles after getting mildly lost on the third loop...yes, lost again but not as as bad as the previous year! I can tell that I am in way better shape then I was this time last year. I breezed through these loops like nothing! This race, I switched up from my usual Clif Gel Blocks to Jelly Belly Sport Beans. At first bite, I thought that these were too hard to chew while running. The Gel Blocks sort of dissolve as you chew rather quickly and these took alot more effort to break down and eventually swallow. I ate three beans and then put them back in my camelback. I was not impressed but I started to hit a shallow point in my run so I took them back out and trudged through half of the pack while finishing my second loop. About 5 minutes after I ate half the pack, I could feel the energy boost. Hmmmm...so, I walked up a huge trail hill and ate the rest of the pack and within 10 minutes, I had a HUGE surge of energy. Ok, so NOW I am impressed! The Gel Blocks were effective but took much longer, in my opinion, to provide me the much needed energy. These sport beans were fast and effective! I flew through the last loop, the few moments of being lost and crossed the finish line with a smile! I am totally sold on these beans and will be using them from now on. I bought the fruit punch flavor and they were fantastic! Anyone who knows me, knows how obsessed I am with fruity, chewy candy and these taste just like a candy treat.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Countdown to Medved Madness!!

I have a 15 mile trail run coming up on May 6th. These are the things I will change this year:

1. Water Water Water. I, naively, thought that there would be adequate water at the water stops. Nope. Some turds decided to dump the water out of the cooler onto their heads, leaving no
water for anyone to drink. I didn't bring water with me as I ran. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. This year, I will be wearing my camelback with a gatorade mix in it and using the water stops as a supplement. I also became really dehydrated and my legs were cramping badly and still had around 3 miles to go.

2. Don't get lost. Somehow, on the final loop of the run, I missed a marker and went way off the trail path. I ended up running an extra 2 miles on top of the 15 trying to find my way back. This year, I will not get lost!!

3. Snacks as I go. Last year, I was still trying to grasp the whole "adequate water intake" as I run and "what to eat before" and I didn't really think about fueling while I ran. I know that I can easily digest clif gel blocks and clif goo. This basically is just pure carbs. I've been really loving the banana/date combo before runs so I think I'll eat 1-2 bananas and maybe 6 dates a couple hours before and then gel blocks and goo packs as I go. They also offer bananas, cookies, pretzels etc at a few stops during the race. I cant tolerate anything too heavy in my stomach before i run. The night before, we will probably eat some sort of rice or pasta.

4. Get a better "After Pic" this year! Dear God!! Look at me!!! HAHAHA

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

It's getting hot in here!

Yesterday was my first official run out in the heat. I was going to do a light 4 miler on my lunch break but I wasn't paying attention as I ran and took my route too far so I ended up at almost 7 miles. (I'm at 14 miles already for the week!). It was a freak warm, humid day yesterday and I didn't realize how humid and warm it was until I hit the road. It was 86 degrees...um, yikes! The first few runs out in the heat always kill me. I pretty much felt like crap for the rest of the day. By the time I got home from work, my muscles were killing me and I had to take tylenol just to be able to walk around and then I HAD to go to sleep. My kids went down around 7:30ish and I immediately went to bed. This morning, I woke up with my lower back killing me so I ended up just doing weights and abs at the gym. Every time I up my miles, or do a longer than normal run, my weight jumps up the next few days.
Obviously, your muscles get freaked out at the added stress from an increase in exercise and hold onto water and sodium. Oh, it also doesnt help that I've been eating a fiber cereal every morning that has 60% of your daily value of fiber...plus all the fiber I eat during the day. I'm kind of ingesting all this fiber for the past few days without a return, if you know what i mean. I feel sooooo uncomfortable right now.
Today, I have a super green juice feast made of kale, spinach, celery and cucumber and a very veg juice feast of carrots, kale, spinach. I freaking love my juicer!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Almost spring!!

Ever have one of those totally unexpected terrible weekends?? I'm talking two small kids (4 and 2) with ear infections and a puking stomach virus?? Yea. That was my weekend. Fevers, puke, whining, crying ...insanity. ATLEAST the weather was nice and we were able to get outside a little bit and get some fresh air. I only managed one long run on Sunday (somehow!) and just did weights this morning. Tomorrow, I'll do a longer run on my lunch break since the weather is cooperating this week.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

"Get Ready for the Beach" Update Two

I ran a 5 miler on my lunch break today and couldn't wait for it to be over. I was going to run outside, in the gorgeous 55 degree sunshine but for some reason, I convinced myself to go to the gym on the treadmill so I could watch the latest "Desperate Housewives" episode while I run. ha! We're now into Week Two of "Get Ready for the Beach" and I'm getting used to my normal days worth of blandy goodness. Basically, right now, I'm having high fiber oatmeal for breakfast with 1 tsb of peanut butter mixed in or Ezekial Sprouted Grain bread toasted with PB and sliced banana on it, fruit for snacks (i've been eating an apple, a banana and some melon through out the day), baked chicken and veggies for lunch and some sort of chicken/veg/grain combo for dinner. I also take a multi-vitamin, an Omega supplement and calcium. I'm trying to cut out Diet Soda so I've tried "Zevia" which is all natural and has no fake sugar in it. I drink one maybe every other day now so that's good and I also drink a ton of water every day. I also eat as much veggies as I want and I'm finding all of the added fiber is really filling me up. My candy cravings are finally going away!! (Seriously, I feel like i'm a crack addict except with gummy candy.) We also give ourselves one "cheat" meal a week to keep the sanity. I'm thinking of just having dessert this weekend as my "cheat". How good would a freakin icecream sundae be?? YUM.

I might try running outside tomorrow morning since its supposed to warm again.

Update: I did run outside this morning at 5am and ran 6 miles! The weather is cooperating and it was around 50 degrees this morning!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Weekly update

Well, Week One of "Get in Shape for Bathing Suit Season" was a success...a boring success but a success nonetheless. Who would have thought eating baked chicken everyday could possibly be boring?? Yesterday's 8.5 mile run kicked my butt so Saturday will be my rest day. I think my body is releasing a lot of bloat since I haven't had much salt this week because I've been waking up to pee several times a night. I'm so glad that Spring is right around the corner! I seriously need some sunshine and warm weather. I'm getting really sick of being trapped inside the house with the kids and I know for sure that they want to be outside playing. Not much else to report right now!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Let the blandness commence!

Starting March 1st, my household will once again begin our "get ready for the beach" diet and fitness regime. Pretty much clean eating and lots of exercise. I've also started upping my mileage for training purposes to around 25 miles a week which, in turn, makes me super hungry!! I find, personally, eating more lean protein keeps my sugar monster at bay during training so I'll have to keep up with that. I'll keep everyone posted as to how this goes. I've taken a "before" pic so we'll see how I progress!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Killed It!

Today was a 6 miler day. I'm not sure what happend but it flew by like nothing. It must have been the perfect combo of great workout songs, pre-workout breakfast and coffee and taking off yesterday. (I actually should have ran yesterday...ah well.) I had planned on running outside today but we got hit with a little bit of snow and colder temps so I decided to hit the gym. Oh, maybe this good run could have also succeeded so well because my daughter got up every hour last night and I was completely delirious...maybe?? ha ha. Perhaps I just had no clue what the heck was going on but whatever the case, I killed it! This is me in my post run glory. Hard Core! Now, the wee ones are napping and I'm lounging on the couch about to watch some "Colbert Report" on Hulu. I freakin love the weekends!!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Bounce back after Baby!

Alot of woman have babies, gain weight and then think that there's nothing they can do to get their body back after pregnancy. I had two pregnancies, each time I gained around 50lbs. No joke!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Stress

We all have stress. Many events that happen to you and around you -- and many things that you do yourself -- put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. Consider the following:
  • Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
  • Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
  • Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
  • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
  • The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.
 Exercising is an amazing stress reliever. Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to weightlifting, can act as a stress reliever. If you're not an athlete or even if you're downright out of shape, you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management. I find that when I run, my mind literally goes somewhere out in the ozone and I forget about any issues or problems and just enjoy running or weight training. Even a simple 15 minute walk can help relieve stress. Understandably, a trip to Aruba would be a GREAT stress reliever but exercise is something that we can do on a daily basis...in between trips to Aruba :-)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Baking frenzy!

I love baking and decided to tackle bread making this weekend with huge success! I seriously can't believe how easy it is to make whole wheat bread. My first bread was a whole wheat flax meal bread. I have a kitchen aid mixer and put the dough hook on it and let the mixer do the work. The bread rose for about an hour and then right into the oven. The next bread I made was a whole wheat sunflower flax bread. The recipe I used made two loaves. I ended up making three loaves of bread for around $1.00 total. I plan on making bread every weekend. It really takes me no time at all. I can't believe I waited so long to do this!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Weekend Groceries

Do you think eating healthy is not affordable? This is what I purchased this past weekend:

 

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

How to Keep Your Ticker Ticking












How do we keep our heart in tip top shape? Here are four strategies to keep your ticker ticking:

Friday, January 20, 2012

Oh that caffeine addiction!

How many of you have a daily caffeine habit? I definitely do!! Coffee and me are long lost soul mates. Without it, I never would have survived the four years of interrupted sleep that my little ones have given me. (yes, both kids were TERRIBLE sleepers!!) The question is, How do you partake of this addiction?

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Keep at it!











Ah yes...the "boring 4". I made it! A typical week right now is one long run on the weekend, one day of weights and abs and three days of 4 mile runs during my lunch break. I've been taking Wednesday and Saturday as rest days. As I get farther into my training, my long runs will get longer but my lunch hour runs will stay the same. Does that seem like alot to you? I assure you that its not and its not at all a hassle to my day to day routine. It's just a nice part of it :-)



A good tip for keeping at your fitness and nutrition is to keep a log or diary of what you do and eat each day. That way you can see how your nutritional profile stacks up. I recommend cronometer. It's really easy to navigate and breaks down your daily nutrition right down to the last macro-nutrient. There is also a complete user guide on the website so you will be able to navigate easily and efficiently.This is especially important if you really have no clue what nutritional content are in the foods you eat. Be honest with your food tracking too! That way you can really see what you consume in a day and where you need to improve. I know a big downfall of mine is to take bites of my kids leftovers. (or eat almost half a sandwich off their plates if its left over!). That, in itself, might not sound like a lot but if you add that into the rest of your food intake for the day, it can quickly add up.In order to lose weight, you need to create a deficit and if you're honest with yourself and track accurately, you might realize that you are eating way more than you thought you actually were.



Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The importance of proper hydration



I was super thirsty after my run on Sunday and I couldn’t drink enough water. I finally became sufficiently hydrated by 6 pm that night and then spent most of the evening running to the bathroom to pee. Why is hydration so important? Your body depends on water for survival. Did you know that water makes up more than half of your body weight? Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function correctly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. Water is essential for good health.  You lose water through sweating, breathing and going to the bathroom. When you don’t replace the water that is lost, you become dehydrated.
So, how do I know if I am dehydrated?

Sunday, January 15, 2012

10K Snow Shoe Race!

Well, I made it! It took me around 1 hour and 30 minutes to finish the entire course. These are the shoes I ran in:


















Saturday, January 14, 2012

Winter Blah’s and Keeping Fit


This winter has been quite a blessing for me! Last year, it started snowing in October and didn’t stop for 6 months. It was awful. Getting to work was miserable. It was such a huge pain in the butt to go anywhere with small children since they were bundled up in puffy coats and could barely walk through all the snow in their clunky boots. Is it possible to still work out in the great outdoors during the cold winter months?

Friday, January 13, 2012

The Biggest Loser


Have you ever watched this show? They are now broadcasting “The Biggest Loser Season 13” with trainers Bob Harper 














and Dolvett Quince.















Jillian Michaels (doesn't she look HOT??)















was a trainer on the show from 2004-2010 (with some breaks in there).

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Nike +


You all know that  me and the treadmill have a hate/hate relationship.  I am an outdoor runner through and through but I also hate running when I don’t know how far I’ve actually traveled.  The Nike + was the perfect solution for me.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Why hello there white teeth!

I tried the Rembrandt 2 Hour Whitening Kit this past weekend. This product works great!

Masks

Are you really comfortable in your own skin? If not, why not? Are you
hiding behind a mask and not really being who you are? It amazes me
the amount of information that we find out about people in the public
eye as their lives become on display. Maybe we need to understand that
there is no "perfect" person. We are all human and if you strip away
the masks, we're not very different, fundamentally speaking. Our basic
needs are the same; food, shelter, warmth, sleep. Think about a
newborn baby. Those are the basic human needs for a newborn.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Run Sara Run



                           Hmmm...sideways yet again. I am obviously very good with computers :-)

 

Oh Tready, you bore me so. Why can't you be the nice open air and blue sky?? Do you have a Planet Fitness near you? I highly recommend this gym. The one I go to is open 24 hours Monday-Thursday and open from 5am-9pm on Fridays and 7am-7pm on the weekends. You can get a membership for as low as $10 a month!



6:20 am



Apparently my camera was as tired as I am this morning! ha ha. Vid quality is not looking so good but hey, its 6:20 am :-)

Motivation

What exactly is motivation? People are motivated by all sorts of things…money, love, sex, prestige, body image, self image, power, etc. It can be something as small as one thought or as large as something that changes an entire nation. You have the power to motivate. You have the power to change what’s in front of you. I come into contact with negativity everyday. There are a ton of “I can’t” and “You can’t” people out there. I say to them “Why can’t you and why can’t I?”.  I call bullshit. What holds us back is fear. We have let fear become some sort of black shadow that hovers over us and guides us away from things we really want. Fear is a de-motivator. Fear is a crutch. Fear is why you haven’t reached your full potential. During my Sunday run, I thought about the difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn’t. What’s the key element that differs the two? The successful one made it happen. They stopped listening to all the “You can’t” that was thrown at them and said a big “F-U” to their crutch. I ran a marathon last September. I work a full time job and I have two full time little kids. There’s no messing around with marathon training. No one can train for you. You will absolutely not be able to finish that 26 mile run if you don’t put the effort and time into the training. My motivation for that process was to run a marathon and to finish it. Were there days that I didn’t want to train? Abso-freakin-lutely!! You think running a 20 mile training run in 80 degree weather is fun? We had (and have) limited amounts of time where people are available to watch our kids so we can train. It just so happened that the one day we could get in our 20 miler was a ridiculously gross humid day. Such is life. Suck it up and get it done my friend. I took the same approach to that run as I did during labor with my kids. Each minute that goes by is one less minute left but one minute closer to the goal. Being in labor, in my humble opinion, is the worst. Seriously. I hated everything about it. The doctors checking you, the hospital, the pain, the IV…pretty much the entire experience. What’s the end result to all of that? The baby, of course. That baby is the goal. So my advice is to look at your situations as they arise and figure out what your goal is and to figure out your path to your goal. What’s your motivation for getting there? How are you going to keep yourself going in the right direction? I’ll give you an idea of my fitness goal. I want to be 80 years old and still running. I truly believe that fitness and good nutrition are the true “fountain of youth”.  Today, I challenge you to do 20 minutes of exercise, in any form that you can fit into your day.  That 20 minutes is for you. Clear your mind. This is the medicine for the mind, body and soul. Really feel you body moving and remember that our bodies love motion.

Monday, January 9, 2012

What the heck is the Megatransect??

Megatransect

Here's a quick youtube vid for your enjoyment.

And here's my dad climbing one of the Boulder Fields:














That's a fairly easy looking terrain, right?? :-)

Here's the 9 mile aid station and my dad eating a PB&J:




















This year's entry sold out in 90 minutes!!

No Excuses!

Yes, that's the phrase of 2012. The Biggest Loser is using that mantra this season as well. This is my work out check in:
yea yea yea...its sideways :-)  I'll get all these kinks worked out as I go. Bottom line is, we're all busy. We all don't have time. We're all tired. We're all sick. blah blah blah. I didn't want to run 4 miles today. I certainly didn't want to run 4 miles yesterday but I stopped my whining and did it. I'm not telling anyone to go from not working out to training for a Megatransect but everyone can walk. Everyone can try to eat better. When I run, I daydream. I think about all sorts of things. Yesterday, I ran outside, which I prefer. The treadmill is just torture for me. I literally have to do every single thing possible in order to distract myself from the fact that I am running on it. I cover the time and miles with a sweatshirt. I listen to dance club music because the quick beats help me keep pace and I don't let myself look at the time or mileage until I've heard 7 songs. That's distraction at its finest. Yesterday was 28 degrees and overcast but for January, it's like heaven. The first mile is usually the time my brain tries to convince my body to stop running. "You're really tired" "What good is this 4 mile run gonna do anyway? You could get away with 2" "You have a million other things to do today" I keep running. Shut up brain. After around 2 miles, some sort of lovely chemical washes over my head and I sort of have an out of body experience. It feels like my body is no longer connected to my head and I don't feel the tired muscles anymore. I'm just a conscience floating around the street. Ah, the Runners High. It's legit. Then I start thinking. Sunday's thoughts involved a lot of "life thoughts". I know that the only person you can truly count on in life is yourself. You are the only one that will look out for your best interest and you are the only one that can take steps forward to accomplish what you want. My run mimicked this basic concept. Each step I took, was once step closer to my goal and to accomplishment. I stopped whining. I ignored my own negativity. I finished what I started. No Excuses!!