Where's the Beach?

Today I will be spending a good portion of my day at the doctors' offices. I have to get a CT scan to see if the blood clot is gone and to make sure there were not any others in my lungs. This sounds simple enough except that I am insanely claustrophobic. Have also I mentioned how much I hate needles? Well, I do. Not only do I have to do another flipping blood draw, but they will be giving me an IV. So, double needles plus being stuck into a tube, all adds up to one very very anxious Heather. My sister is going with me though. She was already off work and offered. We'll be there for the scan then both going to get our hair done before having to go back for the results. Jason will come to the doctor's office later when the results are in. He just couldn't take off a full day to sit around, and I don't blame him. The hematology/oncology clinic is absolutely not a fun place to be. Speaking of fun, let's jump right into some fun for the day. I know I will need...

I'm thankful ... That Jason made this Vegan Shepard's Pie last night. Without my prompting, he used smashed cauliflower for the topping. I may try to get the recipe written out for Tasty Tuesday. For sunshine that finally came out Wednesday, along with warmer temperatures and less wind. For my furbabies   For the colors of spring, especially purple.    For this guy. What are you thankful for today, or this week, or in general?

Just Livin' Well, I guess it's kind of a low-key week so far. Been doing a lot of studying for my ISSA Personal Trainer Certification. Getting in my workouts. I got in a super chilly, 6-mile run with my friend Tuesday morning. I thought it was spring, and I thought I lived in the South. But, it was a brisk 23-degree windchill kind of morning. Oh, and dark. Gotta love that it's pitch-black again at 6 am...or not. I will say, I won't complain too much because I know that summer will hit in full force before we know it. We rarely have a transition period to adjust. One day it's 40 then the next day it's 80 and it just goes up from there. I've had lots of people continue to ask about Heath . So far he's doing much better. He was even trying to play ball last night. But the vet did say that there's really no follow-up or anything that can be done other than maintenance with new food for liver "health." Eventually, he will succumb to this ...

This post is courtesy of Mr. Pavement Runner who had the great idea to do a blog post about our "fitness closets." Sometimes it's nice to have an inspired post idea I must say. Mine is more fitness drawers and baskets, but that totally counts right? We do have a closet that houses our bikes and a few fitness items, but mostly everything is crammed into drawers or spilling out of baskets around here. This drawer houses mostly warmer weather running gear and anything I'd wear to workout in at the house or the gym. If it were properly folded and organized, you'd find: 4 pairs of Saucony running shorts - Ignite split short 1 Saucony tank 2 Brooks tanks (one sheer mesh and one black and white) 1 short-sleeved Saucony, 1 short-sleeved Asics and 1 short-sleeved Brooks An assortment of sports bras that include Champion brand, Saucony, Brooks And a host of Nike shorts and tops that I will only wear at home - old, booty shorts ;-) I usually try to cram i...

If you've read my posts this week, you know we've had a super sick dog. Our Heath Man has spent most of the week at the vet. He was diagnosed with Gallbladder Mucocele . Gallbladder mucocele causes obstruction of the gallbladder's storage capacity due to the formation of a thick, mucoid bile mass inside the gallbladder, impairing its ability to function. The accumulated bile may extend the gallbladder, resulting in necrotizing cholecystitis – tissue death due to inflammation of the gallbladder. It's pretty serious. He's been a very very sick boy. And we've been very very worried fur-parents as you can imagine. Thankfully, he started to finally eat, drink water, and potty yesterday afternoon. He was still mopey, but they thought it might be because he was getting depressed and missing us. So, they let him come home. When he first walked in the door, he was his super chipper, bouncy self. He ate about half of his dinner, then pretty much laid down the rest ...

Heath Update Just a quick thank you to everyone who's sent happy thoughts, vibes and love for my Heath Man. We had hoped he would be home last night, but the vet decided to keep him overnight. This always makes me crazy worried of course. We found out that he has Gallbladder Mucocele . While I tried to stay away from the internet and searching about gallbladder issues for dogs, I ended up breaking down and searching after we got the diagnoses. I really want to know as much as I can. To know what to expect, possible treatment options, etc. Our vet wants to go with the options recommended in the article I linked to above. Mostly medication, a change in his food to include more liver boosting nutrients. But I've read other articles that suggested surgery was a better option. But then I read others that suggested an even higher mortality rate post-surgery. Any vets out there who want to weigh in? Apparently when Heath had health issues last July and they thought he had ...

I thought I'd do something a little different today. I could blather on about how I plan on running after work, about the weather. Actually, right now I'm really worried about our little Heath Man. He got really sick yesterday and is at the vet today. I'm trying not to panic, so I thought I'd take a positive route and share some great posts I've read so far this week. I truly love all the inspiration I get each day from so many of you. Source: hindsightbride.com via Tanya on Pinterest Candy Fit reminds us not to fall into  The Comparison Trap . Such an important reminder. Laura at Mommy Run Fast talks about  accentuating the positive  and shares how she manages to stay positive during down times. Carla at MizFitOnline shares are thoughts about eating in  In A Food Fantasy What Would You Eat?   Such a great perspective, always insightful. Jessica at EatDrinkBreatheSweat reminds us that we all need our  Me Workout Time . Lisa at R...

This weekend turned out to be pretty fantastic. The weather on Saturday was simply perfect - sunny, right around 80 degrees. Perfect weather for spending the day outdoors. I started my day of outdoors with a run. It was already 60 degrees and crazy windy. In other words, I was hot and ticked at the wind. I know it's totally irrational to curse wind. But I do; I did. Out loud. The run was good, but hard at the same time. I am always amazed at how hard running is after just taking about 12 days off. That doesn't seem like much, but somehow it is. But, I soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed all the newly blooming trees, bushes, flowers. Though, I should have planned my route better. The return was all south and west. Guess which way the winds were blowing. Next up was a St. Patrick's Day parade and block party. We had friends going downtown to watch the parade (they have kids) and we thought we'd meet up with them and just enjoy the day. The parade was ... well ... ...

I hope you bear with me. This is definitely not the typical Fun Facts/For Friday Post. But, I think it falls into a "Fact" at the very least. I don't know exactly why, but after yesterday evening's run, I started to think back to and reflecting on my running transformation. Maybe it's trying to figure out why I'm so hell-bent on running despite being injured? You see, honestly, about three years ago I still refused to call myself a runner. No joke, look back at my past blog posts if you wish. Or, better yet, you can check out the post where I specifically say " Why I'm not a runner ." Oh, and notice the date is July 2010. So, um, not that long ago really. For some reason, I associated calling myself a runner with having an all-consuming passion, running crazy distances, or crazy-fast paces, and being in an elite secret club. What I didn't understand was the deep-seeded passion that comes with running. Ok, so the first point does end...

I had a completely different post planned for today - talking about nutrition and what people often think of as "healthy" foods - but decided to back off that one until I can sort through my thoughts better. Basically it boils down to so much misleading information, misunderstanding of information, media hype and general acceptance (like why do we accept that companies put corn syrup in BBQ sauces?). Of course, I'm not a nutritionist, definitely not an expert, so I wasn't sure if I was just setting myself up for backlash. So...I decided to go with at Thursday Things type of post - some Things I'm Loving and Not Loving. Things I'm Loving Cathe's  XTrain  Series My bike Trainer Mizuno Wave Rider 16's  Nuttzo Love Grown Oatmeal (and granola of course) Warming temps Daylight past 6pm Flowers in bloom Things I'm Not Loving Plantar fasciitis Doctor's visits Blood draws  Trying to memorize all the musc...

Blood Clots & Plantar Fasciitis  I don't know about you guys, but I'm definitely getting twitchy for the weekend. It didn't help that I knew I had a follow-up appointment at 7:45 this morning with the hematologist. I just hate hate knowing that I'm about to have to have blood drawn. Doesn't make for a pleasant morning. I also hate going to the doctor, waiting waiting waiting, and then not really hearing anything new. So, not really any follow-up news for me to report other than a scheduled CT scan at the end of the month to see if the clot is still there. The scan will be of the clavicle area where the clot was and where I still have a weird pain as well as my chest just to see if I've had any clots in my lungs - as I did have shortness of breath previously. They never did take a scan of my chest initially. On the upside, I did get to finally run this morning with my friend. It was my first run since my half marathon. I've been babying my foot lik...

Rocking the XTrain Monday hit me hard today. Not only was it just flat out Monday, we lost an hour as well. Talk about a double whammy. At least it was sunny again today though. That's always a plus, especially after Sunday was a wash out - as in, you needed a boat to get anywhere. No running still, so that meant indoor workouts. Which really translates to an XTrain Weekend courtesy of Cathe Friedrich. Saturday I went with Cardio Legs. I really enjoyed the workout (as much as you can enjoy being tortured mind you). She includes a plyo style exercise then follows that up with a weighted leg exercise. Definitely keeps your heart rate high. It's definitely not a heavy leg workout, but since I can't do that right now, this works really well. It's one of those workouts that's kind of deceiving too. You know it's tough, but you are going non-stop and don't have time to really think about the aftermath. The aftermath is having to hang onto the railing when g...

Happy Friday! It's been a long one and I even took Monday off after the Little Rock Half Marathon to recoup. The crazy thing is, other than my foot problem, I felt absolutely fine. No real muscle soreness in my legs. In fact, had my foot not been hurting, you better believe I would have been out running on Monday. Unfortunately, I pushed too hard and am sidelined again. Apparently I don't learn. I've tried really hard not to get down about not running this week. The first few days were ok. I got to try out more of Cathe's XTrain series and spent time on my bike trainer. However, the weather was rapidly improving -sunshine, warming temps, no gusting crazy winds. I think it was even harder because I was still riding that post-race high. You know - thinking about running, looking at more races to enter (why doesn't AR have more races by the way), missing that long weekend run. Gotta love runner's amnesia for helping us all forget the hellish parts of a run som...

Cathe Friedrich's - XTrain Series Recently, I was lucky enough to receive Cathe's latest series ( XTrain ) to review. Those of you who've read my blog for any length of time probably have already gotten the hint that I am a huge fan of Cathe. I've been doing her DVDs for 8-9 (or more) years. I was lucky enough to even go to her Road Trip three summers ago and meet her. She's just a sweet in person as you think she'd be from the DVDs. I think she's just a very solid instructor. She's enthusiastic, but not annoying. She is always good about showing correct form and for showing modifications for all exercises. So, needless to say, I couldn't wait to dive right into the Xtrain DVDs. Especially since I'm trying to rebuild muscle lost after not being able to lift because of the blood clot. I received the bundled set, minus the Ride DVD. I loved that the Xtrain Bundle set comes with a user's guide that also included 4 different workout ...

I wanted to thank everyone again for your many congratulations on completing and getting a PR at my recent half marathon . The support and words mean so much to me. My legs feel absolutely fine after the race. I could have run yesterday if it weren't for my left foot. So right now I'm trying to heal my left foot. I mentioned that I've been having problems with plantar fasciitis in that foot and that it was the cause of much pain during the race. Since the race, I've been unable to walk on it very well. Lots of hobbling going on. I've been icing it and trying to keep it elevated. But, I noticed that it's started to get some bruising, not horrible, but worrisome. Not sure if it's better or worse for it to be discolored vs red and swollen. However, this could be indicitive of a tear. But, my bigger concern with the bruising is that indication that there's been bleeding. Being on Xarelto for the blood clot means my blood doesn't clot very well the...

The inspiration for this dish came from a recipe I found on pinterest for Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas and Harissa from Familystyle Food. I had the cauliflower and chickpeas, but no harissa. This of course made me more determined to figure out how to try and replicate the recipe sans harissa. I decided to use Sriracha to give me the heat. Plus, it's hard to go wrong with Sriracha in my book. I had read some recipes for harissa included coriander, so I decided to use that as a seasoning along with garam masala to give the dish a slightly Indian flair. Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower, Broccoli, Chickpeas and Tofu Ingredients: 1 can no-salt diced tomatoes Very healthy amount of Sriracha chili sauce - to taste 2/3 cup orange juice To taste: garam masala, salt, coriander 1 package extra firm tofu, pressed 1/2 white onion, diced 3 tbsp minced garlic 1 small head of cauliflower, chopped 1 small bunch broccoli, chopped Olive oil salt 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained D...

Yesterday I ran my 5th half marathon. This was the 3rd time to run the Little Rock Half Marathon. Three years ago, it was my very first half. Last year I ran it with Jason after pretty major injuries and not running for 6 weeks. Not smart, but so satisfying to cross that finish line with my husband. This year, more trials and tribulations. In December I discovered I had a blood clot and have been on medication since. I was told no running or even walking for that matter in the beginning. After weeks of no exercise combined with side effects from the mediation, I wasn't sure I would be running this race period, let alone accomplishing a 3+ minute PR. I started the race with my friend, Amy (given clearance to user her name). She was starting to get sick on Friday and said that she'd run with me if she was still not feeling great. She was originally planning to try for a course PR. While I welcomed the company of my running buddy, I certainly didn't want to be holding h...

This might seem to be one of those randomly out of nowhere posts. I suppose it is. But, it is Fun For Friday so that's a-ok right? Yesterday, while in the restroom at work, I started thinking of some of the odd quirks I have about public restrooms. Yes, I'm sure you're thinking I'm certifiable right now. But, I know some friends who even refuse to use them period. I've noticed I have a certain pattern and that there is definitely a restroom etiquette that some people don't seem to understand. I guess they never got the memo. Now, if you're one of these people I list below, I promise I still love you!  Public Restroom Quirks I always try to go to the same stall (at work). I'm pretty giddy when I can get to the restroom when a lid is still up because it means it's clean and no one else has used that toilet yet. I will admit that sometimes I'm too lazy to hover. Gross, I know.  I get really annoyed when someone tries to talk to me...