Where's the Beach?

Running & Lifting Let's just say today was a long one. This morning I set the alarm for 5:15. Jason and I were tentatively planning to run depending on the weather. They've been calling for rain all day today. It was not raining at all at 5:15 am (or even at 12:15 pm for that matter). So, no excuses. We got up and got ready and headed out the door. It was definitely cooler (only 70 degrees) but a bit muggy. But, with the sun not yet up, it definitely felt pretty nice compared to my more recent runs. The first mile was a slow one for sure (9:26), but I chalk that up to just waking up. The first mile is usually warming up anyway. Not sure what happened, but we kicked it into gear during mile 2 for an 8:50 pace. Mile 3 was just a tad slower, but we were taking more turns, curves, and crossing roads, but still not bad at 9:11. Mile 4 was 8:58. I felt like we were zooming along, but that was another point where we were having to do some meandering through a park (sharp ri

Gym Day Today was a gym day for me. I would have loved to have gotten out for a run instead, but it was raining at the time of my break. Of course, the rain would have felt pretty good during a run I must say. I went with supersets of 3 x 8 for back and triceps today. I should have added in chest but was being a bit lazy I'll admit. And, I'm kind of glad I stuck with back and tris because the weight area got crazy busy with a bunch of guests from a nearby hotel. A little annoying. I think I say that a lot huh? Anyway, I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical than ran over to claim a spot before all the benches were taken. I did have to shoo two guys off the assisted pull/chin up machine. They were just standing there leaning on it looking out the windows. SS#1 Assisted wide-grip chin ups Double-arm overhead triceps extension SS#2 Double-arm row Triceps pushdowns SS#3 Pullovers Double-arm kickbacks I also added in 3 sets of 10 reps of low back extensions. I

No Parties  Yesterday was a good day - no Memorial Day parties or cookouts. I needed to try to get myself back into "reality" mode post vacation. It's always hard to do. Jason and I managed a 4-mile run despite the 90-degree temps. It wasn't easy. I swear my Garmin was lying to me about mileage. I thought it was never going to buzz at mile 4. Longest mile ever! After the hot hot hot run, I spent some time in the yard pulling weeds and trying to pull up trees that keep trying to grow (thanks to acorns from our Oak tree). Luckily, the front yard is mostly shaded and there was a nice breeze so I wasn't melting like I had been on the run. I spent about 45 minutes in the front yard before heading to the back. I got rose bushes deadheaded and some more weeds pulled, though there are still plenty more left. I am officially waging war on the Bermuda and Crab grasses that are creeping into the flower beds. My hands were definitely sore after all that. I got more l

Leaving the Beach Our last night at the beach was spent in the company of amazing friends (and hosts). Our friends that have a house on the intracoastal waters (mentioned in previous post) have been talking about a place called Joe Patti's Seafood for ages. So, the plan for Friday afternoon was to head over to their house then head over to Joe Patti's. Of course, the seafood part wasn't exactly appealing to me, but that's ok. I was along for the experience. The smell was really over-powering for me. But, they had several different areas other than just the fish market. So I milled around checking out a variety of sauces, salsas, condiments and more. Some made there, some made in the area, others were known brands. But I love sauces and condiments, spreads and salads. So it was fun for me looking through, getting recipe ideas. Joe Patti's also has a really nice wine store. They definitely carried many wines that we can't get at home. Jason picked out a re

Last night I made some pizzas using Flatout Wraps . Super simple and tasty. I loved how crisp they were as a crust. And of course we enjoyed dinner overlooking the ocean. How could you resist? This morning we woke up pretty early. But, even at 7:45 am, the heat was already on. Actually, I think it was really more the humidity and beating sun. But, we headed out for our run anyway. I was planning on trying to get in 5 maybe 6 miles. We did take some new routes and got in some new views at least. We both enjoy gawking at gorgeous water front homes. But the heat was really zapping both of us. So, we ended up calling it done at 4.7 miles and I am absolutely fine with not pushing just a hair more for 5. We were done with all caps. And here's the sweaty mess #PROOF After the run, we cleaned up and hit the beach once again. It was our last beach day, so we wanted to make the most of it of course. We're about to go meet up with our friends again, so I guess I'll leave yo

I sound like a broken record I'm sure - but today started off pretty much the same way it's been starting while on vacation. Wake up, get in a workout of some sort, then hit the beach. Jason decided to go for a run with me today. The plan was 5 miles. But it was already way too warm. I knew the minute we started running that it wasn't going to be easy. The humidity was really high, so breathing was tough. My legs felt incredibly heavy too. The first mile wasn't great, but I finally started to at least get into a rhythm. And for whatever crazy reason, we started speeding up. Maybe it was just a subconscious desire to be done. Mile 1 was a 9:17 pace, Mile2 ended up at 9:04 and Mile 3 was a stupid 8:50. It definitely slowed after that point. Jason and I were both struggling. The heat was zapping our energy. The sun beating down furiously. We ended up agreeing to walk for a minute to just cool down, but even then Mile 4 was still 9:13. Clearly we were on a mission to

Today started off pretty much the same way as it has been starting since on vacation. I didn't really need to try to run again today. I put in 11.5 miles in two days and I know that's pushing it with my injuries. So, the plan was to just do the elliptical for a bit and watch a bit of Food Network before Jason got up. But, the elliptical is really basic (aka crappy) so I lasted about 30 minutes before moving to the treadmill. Normally I loathe the treadmill, but if I can watch something on TV that I want to watch, it makes it so much easier to handle. Yes, I just said I should not have been out running. So I did keep it scaled back. I only did 2.5 miles on the treadmill. And actually, I think it was maybe a good thing. It was a softer surface than the hard pavement I've been pounding. So for that reason, running inside wasn't such a bad idea. And it wasn't long. No intervals, no hills, nothing crazy. After the run, we packed up the cooler with lunch, lots of wa

Perfect Evening Last night we had dinner at our friends' home. They finished building in December, and we couldn't wait to see it. As expected, it was perfect. The kitchen, dining room, and living room are all one open space. And from the oven/stove, you look straight out onto their huge balcony that overlooks the intracoastal waterways.   This is the view we enjoyed while visiting and eating dinner. As always, they were incredible hosts. We enjoyed much laughter, good food, and good wine. You just couldn't ask for much more than that. Just Another Day at the Beach This morning I got up and headed out for a run right at 8 am. The sun starts to rise so much earlier here than at home, so 8 am is already starting to get warm. Not only do you have the heat, but the humidity and no shade. Yesterday there was a breeze to help keep us cool. Today? No breeze. In fact, the air was so calm, the ocean looked more like a massive lake with virtually no waves. That would b

Saturday Well, I won't talk about the drive down to the beach, that wasn't super exciting. Well, we have been listening to the Hunger Games, I guess that could be exciting. We're both really enjoying the first book. So much so we almost just sat in the car when we arrived to finish it. We're here (Perdido Key, FL) and settled into our condo. The weather is incredible. It's actually a bit cooler here than back home. Only rain in the forecast for Wednesday, and that's just 30%. So I'm thinking lots of butt on the beach time is ahead. Last night I just made veggie burgers with sweet potato fries. I had made up some lentil and quinoa burgers before we left and brought some with us. This was simple. The kind of meal you need when you just want to enjoy the beautiful ocean views and not fuss with making an elaborate meal. We enjoyed it on the balcony and spent the rest of the evening just relaxing. Sunday This morning we got up and headed out for a run.

Today we're heading out for vacation. While Perdido Key, FL (Gulf Coast) is only about 8 1/2 hours away, we decided to get a head start. We're driving halfway today, then finishing up the drive tomorrow. It'll be nice to break it up, especially since prolonged sitting aggravates my piriformis/sciatic issues even more. This of course means no long run for me tomorrow. And probably no long run until I get back actually, unless I can find a route with some shade, because it'll be hotter and more humid there than it already is here. While on vacation, however, I always try to stick to workouts. I rarely am able to do weights - most condo gyms or hotels don't have weights - but a week off from weights will actually do me good. It's been probably a year since I've taken a rest week. Since I can't run every day unfortunately, I'll take some low-impact boxing & kickboxing DVDs, and I've already written out some beach HIIT workouts to try. You k

Morning Run The 5:15 wakeup call came awfully early this morning. I did not want to peel myself out of the warm, comfy bed, but Jason and I had a rundate scheduled. The temps are starting to get too warm, too quickly to get in a lunchtime run. I mean, we could...it'd just be unpleasant. I'll take 66 degrees at 5:30 vs 80 degrees at 11:30. We definitely didn't try to push the speed today like we did the other day, and we avoided the route with the insane number of non-stop, where did they come from hills. The first mile was the slowest (it almost always is) at 9:22. We picked it up a little bit, but nothing crazy. Although, there was one hill at mile 5 that we were pushing through like crazy fools - 8:05? WTH? Not sure why, but we have a tendency to power up hills. It sucks. It hurts. We bitch, moan, complain, but we go faster. Clearly we have some issues, but at least we're in sync I suppose. Overall, we averaged right at a 9 min pace for 5.5 miles. Not too sha

Back & Shoulders Today was a gym day for me. I think it's not so much the lifting that I'm bored with so much as my warm up and the scenery. Lately the music has been blasting so that listening to my own iPod is futile. It's hot as hell and fans are scarce. And the weight area has been more crowded. I guess that's because there are virtually no classes so people are either on the cardio equipment or in the weight area. I am growing to loathe the elliptical for warm ups too. The only good thing is that I can read a magazine while I'm on there. Or, maybe I'm just becoming an old grump....I mean, I'm really lucky that the door to the gym is still open right now. So I should change my attitude huh? Source: favim.com via Nour on Pinterest Anyway, today was back and shoulders. I decided to not do any dropsets this week, so back to regularly scheduled programming - meaning 3 supersets done with 8 reps, 3 times. SS#1 Assisted chinups Arnold p

More Running Last night I set the alarm clock for 5:19 so we could get up for a morning run. I won't lie, part of me wanted to change the time when I woke up for the 4th time at 3:45. But, I'm glad I didn't reset it. While it wasn't easy getting going this morning, it was worth it. It was only 61 degrees when we started our run. There was a steady breeze so it was chilly at the start. Of course that change within 5 minutes. It always does. For the first 3/4 of a mile we didn't say a word. I don't know why we take this particular route, it's nothing but a long, steady incline. Actually, pretty much any direction we start out puts us hitting an incline early on. So I guess it's best to just suck it up and get it done. We hit the first mile at a 9:14 pace. Not too bad for just waking up. I commented on how light it already seemed. Funny how it's so gradual that it sort of sneaks up on you. The good thing about early-morning runs is that there is ve

Rambling & Lifting  Since I ran the past 2 days, I figured it'd be smart to hit the gym today and not test the running gods. Though, my heel and piriformis feel surprisingly good today. Of course, had I run, that might have changed. In fact, my legs don't feel at all like I ran 10 miles yesterday. That got me to thinking about when I first started adding up the miles. My recovery was so much harder. Even after 7 or 8 miles I remember feeling pukey, my legs shaky and exhausted, muscles already getting sore. I figured out my fueling so that took care of the pukey feeling. I also figured out how to better stretch and roll out my muscles post-run, so that now, I can still move the rest of the day and the day after. It's a great feeling honestly - to know that my body is so capable now. That I'm comfortable in the miles (well, for the most part). I think I coming back from injuries makes the miles somehow more special too. If that makes sense. I know some people q

Saturday Yesterday's long run didn't quite happen, but I still got in a really good 4.5 mile run with Jason. It was pouring rain when we got up. We had plans to go to our hometown to visit our moms, so I really needed to get my long run started by 9 am. At 9:30 it was still raining though. So, we went with Plan B - short run. When we headed out it was still sprinkling a little bit, dreary looking, 63 degrees, and full on humidity. Yes, you can sweat buckets in the rain. I found that one out. There was definitely a time when I never would have happily agreed to set out for a run in those conditions. Clearly times have changed. After the run, we got cleaned up then headed out the door. I met my mom at Cafe 1217 for lunch. I absolutely love that place and sure wish we had one here. They always have such unique dishes. For example, I got the sample salad plate where you can choose 3-4 items. I got green beans with almonds and cranberries, wild rice (loaded with veggies)

That'll Wake You Up Well, today is a much-needed rest day for me. My legs aren't nearly as sore today as they were last week. Kind of funny how doing the same workout just twice and the muscles already are more used to it. I guess that says volumes about needing to shake things up. I did wake up super early though. Jason got up just before 5 am for his master's swim class and I never fell back asleep. I thought I'd do myself a huge favor and try a yoga workout. Jason has a DVD - The Athlete's Guide to Yoga. I really don't like yoga, but I keep trying because I know it'd be so good for me. So, I was up, why not give it another go? Only the ancient DVD player wouldn't work. It's been giving me fits, but then started to work ok. So, I thought it was just because it hadn't been used a lot. Apparently it only plays Cathe Friedrich DVDs. No joke. I tried the yoga DVD, another totally different yoga DVD. Nope, nadda. Stuck in a Cathe DVD...played p

Running Originally, Jason and I had planned on running early this morning. But, we did have quite a cool down (so it wasn't as necessary to get out before the sun came up) and Jason has been up to either swim or run all week and was wanting to sleep in a bit. I was kind of disappointed at first, but when I didn't sleep well last night, I was really happy we put the run off until lunchtime. Sometimes things work out right don't they? We set out for the run just after 11:30. It was sunny, clear skies, 72 degrees but almost no humidity (or at least no humidity for here). There was a nice breeze, so it really didn't feel terribly warm. We headed towards the arts center where there is a park we have been running through more frequently. It's just nice to take a different route, see some different scenery. The goal was 4 miles with no particular pace in mind. In fact, I never looked at the lap times until the last mile. I know we were speeding up. We both sort of s

Date with Gym Today I had to put my workout off until after work. My sister was flying back into town from a work trip and we needed to pick her up at the airport. It was nice getting a chance to see her randomly during the week, even if it was fairly brief, so I gladly put off the workout. I will say, sometimes it's really hard to find that energy at the end of the day. All I really wanted to do was go home and be a slug. Yes, I really can be a slug I promise! But, I had a date with back and shoulders and I'm not one to back out of a scheduled plan. For the past few weeks I've been doing two sets of supersets at 4 x8 with dropsets at the end. Today I went that route again. Next week I'll probably do away with the drops though as I have read that they are good to incorporate, but not to use them all the time. It's good to shake it up either way. SS#1 Barbell rows Arnold press SS#2 Pullovers Front/side raise (raise front, open to side, return to front, t

Morning Run This morning started off super early. Jason and I opted for another morning run. A front has been pushing through so it was "only" 67 degrees when we started the run at 5:30 am. In other words, it felt really chilly at the start. No complaints though. Since it was dark, we stuck with our usual route. It's fairly well lit by streetlights, and we know pretty much every bump,  dip, hole, or pebble in the road at this point. Sometimes that's ok to run the same route though. It was a fairly uneventful run. That's not saying it was bad of course, just quiet, calm. We didn't do much talking at the beginning. I think we were mostly waking up to be honest. That's the beauty of a morning run though - waking up, getting moving, and enjoying the fresh air. Usually I just jump out of bed and get ready as quickly as possible and am out the door to work within 30 minutes. So easing into the morning is something not typical for me. We ended up with a