Hail Mary: 3 Mile Taper Run (The First)

HAPPY MONDAY! TGIM!

Honestly, I know everyone was dreading today, going back to work and all, but I am really happy it’s Monday. Like I said yesterday, I’m bored and anxious, and that was harder over the weekend. At least today I have good plans on the agenda. By the way, thank you to everyone who commented on my post about tapering…so many good suggestions and encouraging words!! I really appreciate it!

I started house-sitting yesterday, and that’s been different! It’s definitely nice to have peace and quiet, although I am not used to living alone anymore and I got a little freaked out by noises I heard throughout the night. To start the week off right, I was bound and determined to be in bed early, up early, and at the gym early! I’m trying to get back to my old bedtime of 11:30/12, which I somehow let slip into 1/1:30. Not good, since I still wake up at 7:30 regardless of when I go to sleep! So when I’m house-sitting, I get to sleep in a HUGE bed, but unfortch it’s still not MY bed, and my mind is racing with thoughts of racing…so I didn’t sleep as well as I would have liked.

I got to the gym at 9:15 for my lil run and the parking lot was so, so full. Oh shit…the Resolutionaries!! Thank goodness my gym is SO BIG though…the Ressies were well-dispersed.

Even though I was looking forward to a relatively short run, the run was not that great. They were blasting the heat in the track, I was tired, I didn’t have coffee, I was cranky…and with shorter runs, you don’t have as much time to get warmed up and really hit your stride. I always Tweet with Lexi about how the first four miles are the biggest bitch of any run, no matter the distance. Well, when you’re only running three miles, you can see how that is a problem!

But of course I survived! And the last mile I felt much more like my old self, thanks to the Broadway playlist. All those musical numbers have really been getting me through! After the run I lifted some weights and did push-ups. So, I was parading around nearly naked while house-sitting last night (yup…this is how we learn to love our bodies!) and as I was checking out my tattoo, I noticed actual definition in my back and shoulders! I hate strength training but it’s working!!! Even the small amount I cut down to last month!!! (Just push-ups some days.) Are you hearing this?? Go do push-ups NOW!!

Anyway, after the strength I stretched for 15 minutes, and I’ll probably do “Yoga for Runners,” tonight. I have been sore and tight lately and of course that’s the last thing I want this week. The house where I am house-sitting has so much room for stretching and so much privacy when I do it! Love it!!

I had oatmeal for breakfast, as I’m supposed to be carbing hard this week. For lunch I scrambled one egg and two egg whites and put in a bagel with a slice of bacon. (Sadly I have no picture to share, as my camera mysteriously just stopped uploading?! GAH.) And I’ve really been trying to stick with the whole winter fruits thing! I’ve been having pears for a bedtime snack and with lunch I had half a grapefruit. When I was slicing the grapefruit, I was hit by how fresh it smelled, and it just tasted so tart and lovely. Eating seasonally is definitely the way to do it!

Exciting plans for the afternoon…first, I have an interview to teach spinning! This is obviously a major dream come true for me because I honestly spend a good chunk of every spin class I take thinking about how I’d teach my own class and what music I’d play. I don’t know a whole lot about the position yet, but I really hope it goes well!! Even teaching one class a week would be the highlight of my week.

After that, I have to run some errands and hit the grocery store! Tonight Julia is driving up and I am making her dinner. (So. Much. Happiness!) I realized that it’s really important to me who have friends who love food and have high metabolisms. Many people would get jealous of friends who can eat whatever they like and not gain weight, but this works out really well for me. I have so much food to go around and I need to bestow it on those who appreciate it, lest I eat it all myself!! Anyway, I’m very excited about what I am making for her! And I know seeing her before the marathon will really help me this week.

So that’s my afternoon! I wish it weren’t snowing, but what can ya do?

Oh and if you’re bored on your first day back at work, some things to share…

I did a guest post for Health Blog Helper about vlogging. If you’re a health blogger (or really any kind of blogger), this site is incredibly useful, and if Shed Theater has you wanting to make your own vids, here are my tips and tricks! And if you love the internet like I do, you can check out my latest for Tech Coquette…should you get a professional picture taken for social networking?

And if you haven’t caught this floating around the WWW, check out this awesome mash-up of the best pop songs of 2009. Pop songs = workout songs, so obviously this makes me hot.

Catch ya later, hotties!

Tagged as: carbs, fruit, marathon training, music, positive attitude, running