Where's the Beach?

Hottest Run Ever This morning we were up around 7 am. Guess going to bed by 9:30 will do that to you of course. We had started watching Breakfast at Tiffany's, but just couldn't stay awake. So, up early, Jason decided he wanted to try to get out for a run with me after breakfast. So, we laced up the running shoes (I think it was a little after 8) and headed out for the hottest, most humid, heat index-of-100-degrees run I've ever done. Holy freaking crap. We made it about 4 miles before calling it quits. I will say that it was nice to run up to the top of a bridge and look out over the inter coastal waterways. Now, getting to the top was a bit challenging of course. We also ran through a neighborhood/condo area we've never driven through. So running can be a nice way to really see a city. As long as it's not going to kill you of course. I did hit the elliptical for 5 minutes to sort of ease out my legs then I did abs from Cathe's High Reps DVD. Sun, Sushi

Running This morning I woke up a bit before 7 am. Of course, we had gone to sleep by 9....on vacation no less. I had thought I might try for an outdoor run, but the temps were already a humid 83 degrees by 8 am. So, I took my run to the treadmill. I had the Food Network to keep me occupied for a pretty decent 5 mile run. Running and watching tv isn't so bad ;-) I did 3 miles, then 4 1:00 athletic intervals then finished up another mile to round it out to and even 5. After stretching and rolling (yep, brought my TriggerPoint kit ), we packed up the cooler with lunch and headed down to the beach. Not a bad way to start the day if you ask me. Beach Time & Stair Cardio We set up our little umbrella camp and proceeded to just relax. I was excited to start one of the books I brought along with me: Alice Sebold's The Almost Moon . I've read her memoir, Lucky , and her first work of fiction, The Lovely Bones . . We were out for a few hours before taking a break.

First Beach Day Well, we got into Perdido Key, FL around 2 pm yesterday. Rather than going directly to the condo, unpacking, then heading back out for groceries and such, we stopped at a Walmart Super Center on the way in. It was kind of nice getting that out of the way and only unloading the car once. Though, the car was beyond packed and it took two carts to get it all up to the room Getting the errands out of the way meant we were able to hit the beach on our first day here. Usually it's around 6-ish by the time we've unpacked and run errands and unpacked again. So this was really a treat. Where's the Beach? Right here! Yes, I look confused, couldn't tell if the picture had taken First Beach Dinner Dinner was a roasted veggie salad with tofu. We were both looking forward to eating lots of veggies after being in a car most of the day with only a pit stop at Subway. I did have a salad there, but just not the same fresh veggies I like to use.   It was so n

Well, today I am not exactly able to access my computer as I'll be in the car heading to the beach. We did start the trek yesterday evening stopping and staying the night in Vicksburg, MS (about halfway point). So today won't be too terribly bad. Anyway, there will be no workouts today. I'm not thinking a quick salad at Quizno's will be very exciting to share. And I'm sure you don't want to hear me whine about how I don't like to sit in a car for very long - thank goodness for audio books though. So, I thought it'd be fun to talk about packing for vacations. Jason and I have pretty much gone to the beach ever since we met (waaaayyyyy back in 1995). So we're kind of pros on beach packing. When it comes to other trips, I sort of don't know what to do. Seriously. Seattle, totally confused and ended up wearing pretty much the same thing all weekend. It's like my brain just fizzles. But beach packing...auto-pilot. Now, I do still want to ove

Final Weight Workout (for a week) Today was a weight day for me. I really wanted to get in all my weight workouts before vacation as I won't have access to weights. The condo does have a small gym with elliptical, treadmill, and recumbent bike. I am taking along my resistance bands and a couple of Cathe DVDs ( MMA Boxing and MMA Kickboxing ) along with my weighted gloves. But no real weights. I am looking forward to some beach runs and beach bootcamp workouts (sorry Jason) as well. Do you ever take DVDs, bands, or other workout gear with you on vacation? Do you workout on vacations? Anyway, I wanted to get legs done, but didn't want to be super sore because I knew there would be a lot of sitting happening for the drive. It's not fun to have DOMS going on when you can't stand and stretch. I also wanted to hit back as well, so I started there with a giant set. I kind of messed up the weights so this time it was 3 x (8,6,10). I started with 10 minutes on

Another Two-a-Day While I didn't run this morning, I did wake up plenty early enough to get in weights. I guess it was so stuck in my head that I had been planning on running, I just woke up at that time. Anyway, I did lay there in bed and debate weights for about 15 minutes. I just never feel really strong in the morning. Of course, I do just get up, get dressed, and start the workout. Not really any easing into my mornings, ever. I went with chest, triceps, and abs. I did triceps as giant sets of 3 x (6,8,10) but did chest as a superset of 6 and 8 reps. GS Double-arm overhead triceps extension Lying triceps extension Double-arm kickbacks SS Flat bench chest flye into chest press Chest Press I did abs from Cathe's Power Hour . It's such an oldie workout, but I absolutely love the abs from that one. I always have. The temps were supposed (key word) to be close to 80 today. But, it was mostly cloudy up until later in the day, so that kept the temps hovering a

More Spinning Today ended up being another spin day for me. It was super windy and muggy out (we have a major storm system heading in the evening), so it worked out nicely that I wasn't planning to run. Though, I was sort of putting off weights today. It was a good class today, same old track, but good sweatfest nonetheless. Of course, the extreme humidity might have something to do with the excess sweat too ;-) I was planning on getting up and running with my friend again in the morning. Really looking forward to it even though it meant getting up before sunlight. But, he had to back out (sigh). He ran today and is planning on doing an 8K Saturday morning (woohoo!!), so he needs to rest more than he needs to run. I am absolutely ok with missing out on the run if it's for a good cause. Unfortunately, we'll be on the road Saturday morning so we can't be there to cheer him on (or run ourselves). Storms & Stir Fry It looks like we're in for a really bumpy

Two-a-Day Tuesday This morning I did indeed get out of bed and get in an early morning run. It did help that I had a running date with a friend. Jason was going to bike while our friend Thad and I ran. I finally had a really great outdoor run too. Maybe it was the cooler temps (only about 64 degrees), being completely over the sinus infection, or the good company. Either way, I'll take it. We got in 5.4 miles. We had to turn around just a hair early because part of the path was flooded. I was ready to run, not swim this morning. I have to give major props to my friend Thad. I know he's been worried about going out for a run with me, thinking I'll just run off and leave him. But we were there to run together. I let him pretty much set the pace, and he's much faster than he gives himself credit for. So high 5's Thad!!! Today was another 2-a-day Tuesday. I am trying to fit in all of my weight workouts before we leave for vacation. So I decided to go with bicep

Sunday Night Scramble  Last night we ended up having breakfast for dinner. This is a real rarity as I've never been a big breakfast foods fan (other than say oatmeal). I made up an easy tofu scramble with bell peppers, onions, and spinach. I served up some tempeh bacon and half a bagel with peanut butter. Super simple.   I am going to have to remember this meal more often. It wasn't too heavy and you can change out the veggies in the scramble for endless combinations. Monday Spin Today ended up being spin class for me. We had rain chances in the forecast, plus it was going to be too warm and muggy for a run. I was supposed to meet a friend after work for spin, so it was all sort of decided ahead of time: Monday = Spin. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make it. But I went anyway. It was a pretty good class despite the fact that I've done this one track at least a million times. My legs were talking to me the whole time though. I think they were more tired from

Birthday Party I really appreciate the comments from yesterday's post . I know it was a long one, so thank you for sticking with it. And thank you for sharing your reasons for moving as well. Thankfully, the rain moved out so both events we had to attend yesterday were rain-free. The first event of the day was my nephew's 5th birthday party. They had those bouncy things for the kids. The favorite was the bouncy slide though. I can't believe the air these kids were catching!   They were having so much fun that we had to take the gifts outside to the birthday boy to even get him sidetracked long enough to open them. Bouncy contraptions also almost trump birthday cake and ice cream too! It took a lot of coercion to get everyone inside for the blowing out of candles. Of course, once they got their cake, they were happy campers. It really turned out to be a great birthday part (hectic as hell as you can imagine). But all the kids seemed to be having a great time. Even m

Background for Post Today is going to be a super hectic day for us in terms of two events in two cities. My nephew's birthday was Thursday, and his party is today in one city (an hour away). It's supposed to be from 12-2. Then we have a wedding to attend back in our city at 4. So, I'll pretty much be gone all day today. Alison had a post recently ( Just *move* ) that sort of got me thinking about why I (or we) workout the way I (we) do. I have had chats with my friend Jessica talking about concerns about people maybe thinking I'm too over the top with workouts. I get comments about being a machine or hardcore. Sometimes that can sound more like insane and over doing it. She thought maybe I should do a few posts on over-training syndrome, because I mentioned I've been there and never want to hit that spot again. I've posted about it in the past, and maybe I'll revisit that again. But, then Alison replied to my comment on her post and that

Leg Day Don't know about you all, but I sure am happy Friday finally arrived. Today I decided to hit the gym for legs. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and we're super busy so no long run. Hopefully I will be able to run on Sunday instead. Soooo, that means today was ideal for legs. I didn't want to go super heavy as my legs have been plenty tired already this week. I did 10 minutes on the elliptical to warm up then the following supersets. SS#1 Squats with low-end pulse - 3x10 Plie squats - 3x10 SS#2 Stiff-leg deadlifts - 10, 8, 8 Alternating front lunges - 3x16 (8 each side) SS#3 Calf raises - 3x15 Alternating side lunges - 3x12 I finished with another 10 minutes on the elliptical then a stretch. I gotta say, this wasn't the most stellar leg workout I've had recently. I really felt weak and worn out to be honest. Just wasn't clicking for me at all. Fun Facts Friday - Running Must Haves I feel like I've been somewhat of a complainer late

Letters are Fun So glad you all seemed to enjoy the Letters to Self yesterday. I really enjoyed reading yours as well. It was kind of fun writing those out, may need to do that more often. Last night was low-key after the migraine. We did meet up with friends for a pre-wedding happy hour. She's getting married on Saturday and there aren't any bachelorette plans. So one of our mutual friends wanted to just gather a few people to have one last happy hour with Gwynne before the big day. I wasn't able to stay long as I wasn't feeling super fantastic. But it was still nice to show up for her at least. Jason made some quick fajitas for us, and then I was in bed snoozing by 9. I actually only woke up only once during the night. For me, that's the equivalent of sleeping through the night. Guess I needed the rest! Hot Running I had really and truly wanted to get up early this morning for a run for two reasons. One, it's supposed to be in the low 80's this aft