Where's the Beach?

Working Out I haven't really talked a whole lot about my workouts lately. They're getting done though. My mileage has dropped back considerably from 35 miles a week to only about 25 right now. This is really due to my plantar fasciitis not a lack of desire to run. Prior to my half marathon March 3, the plantar fasciitis issue was acting up. But it wasn't a show stopper. I was still able to get out there and run my miles. After the half? Total show stopper. So, while I baby my foot, my miles are down. I am getting in more cross training right now. And that's not a bad thing. I do enjoy lifting weights and doing a variety of DVDs (typically Cathe Friedrich workouts like MMA Boxing , MMA Kickboxing or her new XTrain Tabatacise ), or taking a spin on my bike (on it's trainer still). Variety can be a really good thing. But, I still love my running. I miss being outdoors when I'm doing some other workout. And, even with the pain in my foot, most of my runs ha...

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...

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...

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 ...

Workouts Before I get into Way to Go Wednesday, I thought I'd talk for a minute about workouts. I haven't really been talking about them much lately. I did manage to get in a 5-mile run this morning with my running partner. Despite the dark and cold, I was looking forward to it. I haven't run since Friday because of severe plantar fasciitis pain in my left foot. Saturday and Sunday were spent literally hobbling around. In fact, the left side of my calf is sore from said hobbling. I've been icing and rolling and stretching and as of yesterday, I could finally put weight on my foot and walk mostly like a normal being. So, this morning I decided to test it out. The plan was to do 4-5 miles depending on how my foot felt. I won't lie and say it didn't hurt at all. It was slightly achy, but then it chilled out until right at the end of the run. So I definitely stopped in time. 5 miles was the max and I was honestly happy with that. I spent a good deal of time i...

Well, I wish I could come into Monday's post raving about some awesome runs or even crazy 14-mile adventures. But, I can't. I didn't run this weekend. I won't run today. I may not run again until my half marathon on Sunday (fingers crossed I can then). After my 10-mile run on Friday, my left foot seized up. Hello there plantar fasciitis. We meet again. I won't pretend that it hadn't been acting up. It has been. But I've been babying my foot. Icing, rolling it out, rolling out my calves, stretching like it was my job. During the run on Friday, it wasn't bothering me terribly. It hurt a little here and there, but nothing sidelining. But the minute I stopped running, I was literally hobbling along. I've iced it, stretched it, and stayed off of it as much as possible. I did get to try out some of the new Cathe Xtrain DVDs at least. I'll call that the upside of this for now. Hello DOMS. I was talking to my sister on the phone about the race....

Happy Friday friends. Don't know about you, but I was beginning to wonder if this day would make a appearance this week. It just felt like the week was dragging on forever. I don't know if part of it was getting in some early morning runs again or what. What I do know is that it's Fun For Friday ! I don't have any brilliant inspiration or even a coherent topic. It's just a random, "fun" post. We don't need anything serious today right? This showed up in the mail yesterday and it made my Thursday. It's Cathe's latest series - XTrain . I can't wait to try out the workouts and share my thoughts with everyone!  Soup has been "what's for dinner" a few times this week. So, I have some new recipes to share next week for a Creamy Tomato Soup and a Tofu Noodle Soup .  I am so very lucky to have met such a wonderful running partner and friend. We got in 10 miles before work today. Despite the freezing temps and then the fo...