Half Marathon Training Week 12 In Review

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Dina

You can follow my previous weeks training and current DVD rotation on my Workouts page.

Sunday: Yoga 60 Minutes

Monday: 30 Day Shred Level One 20 Minutes

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 3.03 Miles

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: A 5K That Was Not 3.1 Miles 2.35 Miles

Thoughts:The rain derailed my running this week. I felt pretty unmotivated last week in general because of some work stress but feel that the slower week was beneficial. This week, I am feeling renewed and ready to stay strong for the next few weeks leading to my first Half. Even though my 5K on Saturday wasn’t , I was on pace for a PR and was faster than my training plan calls for to run a 2:45 Half. Even though time is not important to me, I am in it to finish, it still feels good to be on the right track.

Some of you may remember how much I disliked the picture on the cover of Steve Jobs biography Steve Jobs.The picture bothers me. It is creepy and the eyes follow you like in a horror movie. (I of course am deeply sorry for Steve Jobs’ family and their loss but I could not resist sharing the two pictures below.)

{Source}

J actually sent me this picture below. It is of Frank Gorshin who was the The Riddler in the original TV Batman. I cannot believe that this pose is a common one for book covers.

I would like to put it on official internet record that if I ever am on the cover of a book (not sure why I would be but lets pretend), I will find a way to pose that is not obnoxious.

How has your training gone this week?

Anything silly bothering you that you would like to get off your chest?

Congrats to Becca who won a copy of The Swiss Cheese Theory Of Life. Please email your address to DinaRuns@Gmail.Com.

Gratitude Birthday Style

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Dina

My 30th birthday celebrations have so far been amazing. (I say so far because there is a fancy schmancy dinner coming up for the weekend. Stay tuned.)

J gave me my gift on Saturday after the race.

Words cannot express how excited I am to be able to take better pictures for this blog and to actually learn how to use this camera. (If you are a regular reader, please brace yourself for lots of cat pictures. They are the only people in my house who will let me practice on them.)

On my actual birthday, my friends at work cooked up an elaborate scheme including a fake fight and pretending to forget. to get me out to lunch. Well the pretending to forget was ruined when a coworker came up with a balloon and donuts while wishing me a happy birthday. It was pretty funny because no one knew what to do. Continue with their elaborate ruse or admit defeat? So surprise ruined but there was still more to come.

At noon we drove over to Saffran, a new Icelandic restaurant in Orlando. It is an interesting concept, all the menu items are less than 685 calories and they do not use any white sugar, white flour, or artificial additives.

When we got to the restaurant, I was met by these smiling faces.

Wendy and Norka.

Jen, Me, and Emily.

They even yelled surprise when Norka and I walked in.

On the table was another surprise.

It says 30 Sucks!

It was made by the very creative Emily (who I would totally let decorate my house) and filled with 30 maple syrup lollipops. This New Englander loves all things maple, so that was a wonderful surprise.

I also got a card with a cat on it. Maple candy, healthy food, and cats, they know me well.

When I got home, there was a surprise on my desk.

J and I were lucky to get two HP Touchpads during the great fire sale but only one showed up. J told me the order for the other one was cancelled but it wasn’t. I am having a lot of fun playing around with this new toy.

I finished my day by attending a yoga class at Groundwork Yoga. It was supposed to be a beginner class but by popular request, it was a Yin Yoga class. The class was interesting because you hold the poses for three to five minutes and this is supposed to help with flexibility and brings a kind of meditative quality to the practice because of the stillness. I really enjoyed the class and it did wonders for my super tight runners legs.

I have so much to be grateful for. Wonderful friends, a great husband, and my health. It has been a very happy birthday.

What are you grateful for?

What is you favorite type of Yoga?

Fears And My First 15K

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Dina

My first long race is tomorrow and I am nervous! I feel prepared (enough) but anything new can be scary. I thought it would be fun to look back at my first race in January 2011 and remember how freaked out I was.

I wrote about my fears, the night before that first 5K. It was pretty standard fare, falling, feeling foolish, being last, and not being able to finish. Pretty similar to how I feel about the upcoming race. Then there were also the fears of the logistics, not knowing where to line up, hoping my D-Tag was on correctly, do I drink the water at the water stops, and assorted other issues that you eventually learn the answers to. (Can you tell that I am a worrier? It might actually be more frantic in my head than I am able to share here.)

Luckily, I loved the race and it made me want to keep running. Finishing that race, even though my time was slow and I walked some of it, was euphoric. I hope that tomorrow’s Miracle Miles will be similar, euphoria and pride for finishing (plus a personal distance record).

Source: flickr.com via Emilie on Pinterest

Source: busybeingfabulous.typepad.com via Emilie on Pinterest

How do you feel the night before a race?

Is Your Family Making You Fat?

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Dina

I love my husband.

He is kind, considerate, and just the nicest guy you will ever meet but is he making me fat?

This week I have written a lot about motivation because I had none all week. Would I be more motivated to run if I had a partner to run with? Is it easier for couples who both enjoy working out, to achieve their goals?

J loves sweets. Cookies, candy, and ice cream are always in our house. I usually have little interest in eating them and fill up on healthier fare but sometimes it is hard. Would it be easier to kick back on the couch with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s instead of all the hours in the kitchen I spend prepping healthy lunches and dinners? Probably. Is that how I want to live? No.

Don’t get me wrong, J is very supportive of my running. He understands my going to bed early on the weekends and getting up super early to beat the heat. He waits for me to finish my workouts after work so we can eat together. It really is all I can ask for but I wish sometimes he was out there with me and that there was not a lifetime supply of Australian Liquorice in my kitchen.

When you add kids into the mix, I do not know how some people do it.

Is this what the new SJP movie is about?

(Source)

How do you balance family with your fitness goals?

Is your family making you fat?

Race Bucket List

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Dina

If you had unlimited money, time to train, and vacation time from work, what races would you run?

1. Marathon De Paris Paris is my favorite city and any excuse to go, I would take. This race starts on the Champs-Elysees and goes across the city, hitting most of the big landmarks.

(Source)

2. Athens Marathon I have never been to Greece, so that’s one big fat reason. Another reason is the history.

According to legend, it covers the same ground that the Athenian messenger Phiedippides ran when he brought news of victory from the battlefield of Marathon 2,500 years ago. When you run the Athens Marathon, you run in the very footsteps of the ancient gods and heros that gave birth to western civilization. The finish line is in Athens’ magnificent Olympic Stadium, the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games. (From the Athens Marathon site)

What could be cooler than ending a race in Olympic Stadium?

3. The Great Wall Marathon It is amazingly beautiful and such a unique, once in a lifetime experience.

(Source)

4. Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Marathon A marathon in the mountains that starts in a famed lost city and takes you past ruins and fortresses from a great civilization.

(Source)

This post is participating in the Fitness Friday Blog Hop. Please click below to join.

Vacation

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Dina

Today I got in the car and left two little monsters at home. I did squeeze in an early three mile run though.

I snapped some pictures in the car.

Crazy multi-colored ice cream place that I need to keep in mind for later.

We had dinner at the Sign of the Mermaid.

It is a kitschy local place in an old house.

They had an interesting imported beer selection. This was a dark German beer that was really good.

We had clams and muscles in garlic butter broth to start. They were delicious.

We both had salads and J had French Onion soup. He said it was the best French Onion soup he has ever had.

The Lady Wellington for J which is lobster, shrimp, and scallops baked in phyllo dough.

I had shrimp stuffed with spinach and goat cheese.

J and I both give the Sign of the Mermaid two big thumbs up.

After this massive amount of eating, we walked around and explored the area around the hotel.

In honor of the Fitness Friday link-up, how do you stick with your exercise routine and eat healthy while on vacation?

I plan on running most days while we are here because running by the beach is such a treat. We also packed healthy snacks for the car ride and the beach.

A Few Things for Friday

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Dina

1. Pinterest. Not sure if I am late to the party here but I just got an invite and am blown away by the beauty an inspiration on the site. It is a collection of boards where you can pin (get it?) items from the internet and group them together. It can be anything from clothes you like to inspiration for decorating your home.

There is also a social component in which you can follow other peoples boards and look at what they are pinning. At this point, you can join by signing up and waiting or getting an invite from someone who is already a member. If you would like an invite, please leave me a comment here with your email address and I can send one your way. If you are already pinning away, you can follow me here.

2. The Runner’s Kitchen wrote a post that is really thought provoking about the idea of exercising so you can eat a piece of cake (or ice cream or a donut) and not have guilt about eating “bad” foods. It is the combination of guilt and exercise that is teetering on disordered eating.

Exercise (especially running) makes me feel empowered, strong, and helps with stress. I do not do it for vanity (even though I would rather look toned than not) or so I do not feel bad about myself if I snack or eat dessert. If food was my sole motivation for working out, it would be difficult to continue to do it.

Do you agree that this type of motivation with food is borderline disordered or is this a factor for you in working out?

3. Fitness Friday. A collection of exercises to target areas where I need it most.

Triceps

Biceps

Hips

What area’s are you focusing on?