Where's the Beach?

Today is Wednesday, but also like my Friday with Thanksgiving being tomorrow. Can we collectively vote for 3-day workweeks every week? Since I ended up doing a healthy holiday tips post yesterday, I thought I would do a quick birthday weekend recap today. I could really sum it up as eating, running, eating if you need the abridged version. On Friday (my actual birthday), I had taken off work so that I could sleep in, be lazy, and just enjoy the day. A gift to myself if you will. Jason wanted to take me out for lunch, so we met up for a late lunch after a hair appointment. Later we ended up going out again for dinner at a restaurant just a couple of blocks from our house called  South On Main . I didn't get any pictures of the food, but it was all good. They definitely aren't famous for their vegetarian options, mostly serving meat dishes, but the options they had were quite good. Jason made it a point to let them know it was my birthday and to insist on ordering a dess...

It's hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. While Thanksgiving is a day about giving thanks, it also tends to be a holiday all about indulging. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say, don't touch that pie and skip the rolls or avoid the fried turkey, but I am going to share a few tips to get you through the holiday without the post-feast guilt. Tips for a Guiltless Thanksgiving  Break fast. Don't skip breakfast or even your typical mid-morning snack trying to bank some calories. That'll only leave you hungry and more likely to mindlessly fill your plate. Tackle a race.  Participate in a Turkey Trot fun run/walk. It doesn't have to be a speedy 5K, it can be a family, fun event. Be active. Go for a walk at some point during the day with family or friends. It's a great way to visit and catch up. Skip "any day" foods. If your Aunt Sue makes some amazingly scrumptious dish this one and only time of the year, ...

So, tomorrow is my birthday. I know some people get really excited about celebrating their birthdays, celebrate for an entire week or even a month. Me? I tend to end up getting a bit depressed quite honestly. I think it's a culmination of several things. By this time in November, the showy display of fall colors is mostly over. The trees begin to simply look bare and dormant. The grass is no longer plush and flowers have faded. My birthday also typically gets rolled into Thanksgiving because it always falls close to the holiday (though never actually on Thanksgiving). And quite frankly, I don't want to get older. (stomp foot) In my mind I feel like high school was just yesterday. While I do feel stronger, healthier, smarter now than I did in my 20s, I'm also not ready to let go of my 30s. I feel like life is whizzing by me quite frankly. Even just typing that makes my wistful, reflective, and, yes, sad. With the passing of time has come the passing of friends, famil...

I had wanted to title this post "The Miles Fly By With a Little Help From My Friends" (a la the Beatles), but it was a bit wordy. But, it's a preface as to how my long run went on Saturday. Somehow we ended up skipping fall temperatures and dove straight into winter. Other than frozen frozen fingers, the downside is trying to figure out how to dress for the cold weather all over again. In other words, how to listen to your rational brain and NOT over-dress. Your body it screaming at you, shivering from the cold. It's saying, "wear more clothes." But then you know deep down you're going to warm up, eventually. And if you're like me, you have some long-sleeved tops that are heavier than others, some that block wind, some that don't, so then you have to figure out how to arrange all that. Saturday morning I debated my attire over and over and finally just went with short sleeves under one of my heavier tops (wind blocking). Was I over-dressed....

It's been a long time since I've been tagged for one of these survey types of posts. I actually really enjoy them and they remind me of my beginning blogging days. So when Angela at Happy Fit Mama  tagged me with the I mustache you some questions survey, I was more than happy to comply! Four names that people call me, other than my real name: Stitter - my sister for some reason would say stitter vs sister and it stuck Rosie - my mom's nickname for me Red - my dad sometimes calls me this (or Little One) Heath - I've had many friends over the years shorten Heather to Heath (hEEth) Four jobs I have had: Retail - Waldenbooks Waitress  Personal trainer Web content/Social media coordinator Four movies I’ve watched more than once: Pretty Woman Reality Bites Pirates of the Caribbean (Hello Johnny)  Funny Farm I'm not really a big movie buff, but these I have seen a million times and are the very few I can even quote. Four books I’d recommend:...

I know weekends typically go by way too quickly, but this weekend seemed to have gone by faster than usual. Jason was out of town, so it was a girl's weekend all the way around. It started off Friday evening meeting up with Tara from Running n' Reading . We met up at Baja Grill for dinner and lots and lots of chatting! Pretty sure we could have sat there for most of the night just visiting. Tara is super sweet and I was so happy to finally be able to just sit down and visit with her. It felt like we had really known each other and were just catching up. Because I had a 20-mile run planned the next day, I did have to get home and in bed at a very adult (old lady) time. Because of my super responsible behavior, I was up by just after 5 am. Amy was going to meet me at 6:30 to get in 13 miles, so I decided to go ahead and get in a few miles before she got to my house. When I first set out, the temps were around 42 degrees and I had on shorts and long sleeves. I ended up weird...

Once upon a time, I belonged to a gym. I went there religiously. I even ran on the treadmills before I figured out the whole outside running thing. Even then, I was at the gym most days of the week lifting weights and/or taking spin classes. I learned to enjoy the environment of the gym. Before I was a member, I only ever worked out at home to my vast collection of Cathe Friedrich DVDs . I was initially intimidated by the gym, most of us are. But I sort of made it my home away from home. I was comfortable with the equipment, the classes, the people. Then the gym closed. I panicked at first. No spin classes? No squat rack? What if I needed a treadmill out of desperation on a bad winter day? Of course I learned to make due. I don't have a squat rack, that one still bothers me, nor do I have a chin up bar (the ones supposed to fit ANY door? Yeah, not a house built in 1890). I have a wide range of dumbbells, an EZ Bar, aerobic step (use as a bench or for step ups, dips, etc.),...

First of all, how is it already November? Wasn't it just May? Seriously, this year is flying by. This also means my birthday AND my first full marathon are rapidly approaching. Speaking of marathon, let's talk about my training. I know you're all at the edge of your seats right ;-) This weekend was supposed to be 18-20 miles. I have been trying to be pretty flexible with my long runs and playing them by feel, especially now that I'm battling some sort of heel pain/injury. Because of my heel, I honestly wasn't sure how many miles I could get in on Saturday. My running partner in crime was wanting to get 10-12 miles in, so I figured I would try that and go from there. This week's weather was a drastic change from last weekend. We set out to start the run right at 8 am and the wind chill was 28. Last week it was 60 at the start of our half marathon . Crazy temperature swing right? This of course meant it felt even colder just being unprepared and unadjusted. ...