Where's the Beach?

If you read my blog with any regularity, you know that I tend to write a lot about running, some about lifting, cycling/cross-training, as of late, a good deal about recovering from injuries, with a smattering of recipes and life along the way. Yesterday, I read a fun post from Jess at The Blonde Ponytail - 10 Non-Fitness Things About Me . After reading it, I thought it'd be a fun post to do for Fun for Friday . I always enjoy reading posts that give more insight to the blogger behind the blog. I think it's fun, it's personal. Perfect for the end of the week. 1. I love to read.  I typically read for an hour each night before bed. It helps me relax and fall asleep. I can go through 4-6 books in any given month. 2. I hoard hardback books.  So, to go with the reading thing, I feel like I must own the hardback. I think it goes back to working at Waldendbooks through college. And if I'm reading that many books and own them, you can imagine the issues with that on...

Happy Friday (the 13th)! Anyone else feel like this has been the longest week ever? I think part of it for me is that I am thisclose to being able to start attempting to run again. So close ... And oddly, even though every ounce of me wants to run, now I'm afraid to try. I can't wait to get out on the roads again, but now I'm fearful of another stress fracture. As much as I'm sick of the bike trainer and the full-body circuits I've been doing, they feel very safe to me now. This got me to thinking (uh oh right) ... Do you ever feel like you're completely bi-polar, or have dueling personalities? No? Just me then? I thought it'd be fun to share some of my idiosyncrasies, those weird things that I both like and dislike. I love to do home decor, redecorating projects, yet I'm really bad about always following through to the end. So things get started with great intention, but then I may not finish the fine details. Example, I refinished a chair ...

Injury Update I decided to go see a podiatrist. Not because I didn't fully believe or trust my doctor, but I really wanted to get a full understanding from someone who only deals with feet and ankle injuries. I'm exactly 4 weeks out on this stress fracture and was (key word) in the boot for 3 weeks. The podiatrist said that a full break takes 8-12 weeks to heal and a stress fracture about half of that time. That means at 4 weeks, I'm totally on the mends. He gave me the OK to do non-impact workouts like cycling and even said to try the elliptical. I admitted I'd been doing the bike and he said that was perfectly fine as long as there had been no pain. Phew! Oh, and the biggest news was that I could ditch the boot! That in and of itself was like angels from heaven. I'm still not cleared to run, but at least there's an end in sight to the injury. He said to wait 2 more weeks then start going out for test runs. The biggest thing is that I have to realize that...

When things happen to you, like an injury that is obvious, it's kind of amazing what tends to happen. Hobbling around in a walking boot is uncomfortable enough, but I have been really surprised at the responses it/I have gotten. Complete strangers have stopped to ask me what I did to cause my injury. I've had people just stare down at my boot like it was a third boob. I've had people try to joke around, real comedians I tell ya, others like to make comments about getting a matching boot, or that it matches my outfit. If I tell someone that it is an overuse running injury coupled with being vitamin D deficient as well as other workouts (like plyo) then I get that knowing smug look and nod then something about how running will kill you or some such crap. As if sitting around on your rear eating ho-hos and cheetos won't. But ... I digress and won't touch that tangent today. Along with some insanely ridiculous comments, I have gotten a fair amount of advice, sugge...

Who's happy it's Friday? Silly question right? I almost went with a more serious tone today. Lisa over at RunWiki did a post yesterday that really spoke to me "The Truth Is." I think it resonated with me so much right now because I have a lot of truths that I'm not confessing. Oh, nothing crazy serious, mostly around my mental state about the upcoming marathon. I thought I'd save that post for next week though and stick with something more light-hearted today. I mean, it is Fun for Friday after all. Marcia does these fun Runfession posts that I always enjoy reading and have borrowed the idea several times. Once again, I'm taking a cue from Marcia and doing my last Runfessions for 2014 . Final Runfessions of 2014 1. I'm not ready to back down on my miles and taper for my marathon next Saturday. I thought I would whole-heartedly embrace taper time, but I have actually enjoyed the training and the miles. 2. I'm afraid that after my maratho...

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:...

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.),...

Well Thursday totally got away from me. I had meant to do a post about dark-thirty safety, but I'll do that next week. It's Friday and I like to keep Friday light when possible. I mean, most of us are brain-drained am I right? Friday can also be a good time to look back on the week, especially on the things that made you smile. Here are 5 things (for Friday of course) that made me smile this week: 1. Unplanned 10-Mile Run On Sunday, I set out on a run with very low expectations. However, I finally got out of my head and 10-miles later I was in a much better place (and I don't mean sitting at home with my rear on the couch). 2. Quiet Cool Evening I guess this is technically last week, but it's been nice having cooler temps in the evenings finally. Saturday evening I was home alone, well, except for the crazy maniacs (AKA Maddie and Heath). I loved being able to pull on my fuzzy socks and prop my feet up. 5. Email from Friend You ever have those days ...

Happy Friday! This is one of those weeks when I woke up thinking it was a completely different day, thus  my whole concept of time was skewed. It feels like it's been Friday for three days now. Today I wanted to do a Lessons from Marathon Training post, but not in a completely serious tone mind you. It is Fun for Friday after all. I'm sure I'll have plenty of serious life lessons to share at some point, but I'm trying to not take this training so seriously that I lose sight of why I love to run. I'm not really sure if these are true lesses per se, but definitely some take-aways. Lessons from Marathon Training My friends think I'm even crazier than previously believed. I'm learning to embrace the concept of naps. You appreciate the scenery, which may or may not be a fantastic excuse to take a break. I have no concept of how to pace myself appropriately. Out and backs can kind of suck, but they seem like a good idea at the start. I still h...

Once upon a time not too long ago (in fact when I first started this blog just 5 years ago), I did not consider myself a runner. I ran. It was typically for exercise purposes only. It was what I considered distances too short for a "real" runner. Even after I fell in love with running and found myself upping the distances, I still refused to say, "I'm a runner." Somehow I thought it was a term reserved for a special group, people who had been running much longer, people who raced often, people who seemed more dedicated somehow. Just ... other runners basically. I didn't feel that I knew all the lingo that I really walked the walk. I felt like an outsider. Honestly, I don't remember when I finally got my head out of my ass and realized that I was, in fact, a runner. I think that there was this weird notion that if I finally admitted it, then there was no going back (there kind of isn't), so what if I changed my mind suddenly (which I didn't...

Well we made it to Friday! Of course around here (as in my blog) that means Fun for Friday . This week I'm "borrowing" an idea from Tara at Running 'n' Reading  and sharing 10 Things About Me . You should stop by Tara's blog and say hi. She happens to live in the same city (though we've not met yet), she's a runner who also is running the 3 Bridges Marathon in December as her first full as well (though this is her 2nd to train for as the Little Rock ended up being called this year because of weather ), and if you like to read, you're in luck there too! 1. My mom chose my first name based on a soap opera character she liked. My middle name, Rosa, comes from my great-grandmother. 2. I hated having red hair as a child. One uncle called me Red, there was a boy in school who always called me Big Red (as in the gum). Now that I'm older, I wish the red showed through more. You can sort of see the red here, it seems to change based on lighti...

Today I thought I'd take a break from my Boston Recap Posts. If you missed them, you can catch up on The Food and The Enjoying . I'll share about The Running next week. But my mind is seriously still on vacation mode. It's so hard to get back to reality isn't it? It's hard to jump back into our routines, which we normally crave of course. Funny how we want routine to an extent but then pine away for release from that norm (aka vacation). We usually think, "why can't I be on permanent vacation?" Who wouldn't want to sleep in a bit later, have an extra glass of wine on a patio overlooking spectacular views each day or strolling through parks leisurely rather than being in an office? But honestly, don't we also tend to want to get back home, back to our norm? Maybe not work exactly, but what we're used to like our family, friends, furbabies, own beds ... our routines. Rather than dwelling on the fact that this time last week I was li...

Phew, finally made it to Friday! That means Fun for Friday around here. I've been enjoying recapping my Move.Eat.Live. moments from the week, so I thought I'd share again. And, as always, I would love to hear your Move.Eat.Live. moments as well. Move I've gotten in some good runs this week, including a 10-miler yesterday morning. It's supposed to be uncomfortably hot this weekend. Since I was going to be up at the crack of dawn running yesterday anyway, I thought it'd be smart to get the run done. I had wanted another 12-miler, but will gladly take the 10, especially because it was shared in good company with Amy. I got in some good weight workouts this week as well. I love working so close to my home. This lets me get in weights easily during my lunch break. Plus, slinging some weights around can help if you're feeling stressed. Eat Last night I made a version of my garlicky tomato sauce (sorry, forgot to take pictures but I can assure you it was...

Happy Friday! Dare I ask who's ready for the weekend? This week has felt longer than usual and I know that is in a large part due to some rogue dogs causing mayhem at night. But, it's Friday so let's have some fun! Here are my Move.Eat.Live. moments from the week. Move I had some pretty good training runs this week. Tuesday I got in 6 400s then knocked out my leg workout at lunch. Hello tired legs. I got in my upper body splits on Monday and Thursday but will admit that I am being negligent of chest workouts. Wednesday I took it slower and easier as recovery and also because I knew Thursday would entail a speedier run with my crazy running buddy. We enjoyed 8-miles meandering through the 'hood s witching up from our usual route. Eat Because we enjoyed the Tempeh "Fish" Tacos from last week so much, I made them again this week. I have a feeling they'll appear on the menu quite frequently. I didn't have any cherries to make the Cherry S...

First off, how is it already August? Why does it seem like the summers just fly right on by? Knowing how short they always seem, I have been trying to take full advantage of summer. Over the weekend our typical summer weather returned - hello heat index of 109, nice to see you. The upside was that the pool warmed back up quite nicely making for some fantastic floating and lounging time. The downside, well, 109 degrees is ever so slightly oppressive. However, to go along with our nutty weather this year, the temps have dropped again. Yesterday was 74 degrees - the high, in July? Of course, the Runner Heather is not complaining. The lower humidity and temps definitely made for some fantastic Move.Eat.Live. times this week. Move After some very tough, very hot runs over the weekend, my body was happy for mid-60s and low humidity on Tuesday's run. I got in 8 speedy miles and threw in lots of hills, including running up to the top of the bridge so I could get a good sunrise (aka ...

Happy Friday! I've been a bit MIA this week where it comes to blogging. I guess I'm experiencing a bit of writer's block. I am also feeling a bit out of sorts as to where to take my blog these days. I began the blog on a whim with no real knowledge of blogging - I didn't really even read many blogs at that time. I wrote about what I ate and my workouts each day. After two years of basically recording every.single.dinner I realized I had put silly pressure on myself to A) 365 days a year, B) record every dinner with a photo and often recipe, C) record every single workout, D) respond to every comment. Slowly I started to allow myself to not post on the weekends (crazy talk right?). I stopped posting every dinner and every workout. Guess what? I still had my amazing friends showing up to read and comment. Phew. Last year I passed my certifications to become a Personal Trainer and Running Coach . Since that time, I have tried to get a new business off the ground -...

Happy Friday! My friend Angela at Happy Fit Mama does a High 5 Friday post each week. I thought I'd do a version of that for my Fun for Friday post. Here are the 5 things I'm High Fiving this week: 1. More Sunrises    I am so glad I chose to head straight down towards the river Thursday Morning. The sun was still low in the sky, but you can see it peeking through the Clinton Bridge and casting a pink and purple glow. How can you not stop and take a picture of something like that? 2. Polar Vortex Seriously, a Polar Vortex in July? First off, I had never heard of such a thing until this winter. But it's most definitely in full effect here right now. We are breaking records right and left this year with our unusually cooler weather with lowest lows and lowest highs. Normally we would be in the upper 90s with heat indices in the 100s (like last week). Yesterday we barely hit 71 degrees, today it's forecast for 73. Um, that's the high not the low. That...

Do you ever have those days when it just all hits you - you're tired. Completely done in. You've been logging miles upon miles, increasing your weights during lifting workouts, cross-training, stretching, rolling out those muscle not to mention going to work, cooking, cleaning, etc. Um, that's a lot of hours being busy and active. After yesterday's tough morning run - it was a good run, but a hard one. It was definitely not a long slow day. The speed plus the humidity wiped me out. I knew right after that run that a rest day was in order. I mean not even a single thought of working out has crept into my mind. I don't even want to look at my yoga mat for stretching. Sometimes I forget to embrace my rest days. I forget to look forward to them and enjoy them. Then my body will quickly remind me to take time and relax, enjoy, rest and reap the benefits. So today, I'm enjoying and looking forward to fun, looking forward to rest, enjoying extra sleep. It'...

Happy Friday friends! My first inclination, today, is to be a bit whiny and complainy (that's a word), especially about our weather change. We went from unseasonably cool weather to full on summer pretty much over night. Don't get me wrong, I love summer. It's really my favorite time of the year. However, as a runner, summer really isn't exactly my BFF. No more sleeping in on Saturdays. I know I have to get out early to attempt to beat the heat. Which is kind of funny because now all the sudden, beating the heat means running when it's 75 degrees. Now, I wouldn't complain too much about that, except for the 100% humidity and the high dew points. Just makes the air feel thick and soupy. But, I said I wasn't going to be complainy right? Let's move onto something positive then ... upsides of summer running (I may be digging deep here folks): 1. Getting to jump into the swimming pool right after a run. That's kind of a fun treat. 2. Running t...

It's Friday and my brain is fried. I couldn't come up with any fun, cohesive ideas for a Fun for Friday post. I decided to go with the tried and true 5 for Friday. I hope you won't judge my lack of creativity! Here are some random 5 things that I'm enjoying or looking forward to enjoying. 1. Looking forward to spending some time with my sister tomorrow. If it will stop raining, then we plan on lounging on the patio in my new lounge chairs (which I've yet to be able to use). 2. Seeing the bottom of the pool finally! Jason has spent weeks trying to get the pool cleared up and ready for use. Of course, we need the rain to go away so we can actually enjoy it now. This also means that I can jump in and cool off after my sweatastic morning runs. 3. Embracing a non-running day this morning made me a happy camper. I still woke up early, but enjoyed an easy spin on the bike watching Friday Night Lights. Still trying to get into it, but I'm on episode 7 no...