Where's the Beach?

Spinning Today I went ahead and opted for spin. I did try re-adjusting my bike to try for a better fit. My PT thinks (and I agree) that spin is aggravating my piriformis issues because I can't get the bike adjusted for my height (or lack thereof). I usually go with the seat all the way down because just one notch puts me too high, but I know all the way down is too low. I need someone to drill a middle notch just for me ;-) So, since I can't make the seat height perfect, I did adjust the seat's distance from the bars. I do think this made a little bit of a difference. I did feel my piriformis start to hurt towards the very end of class, but I think that might be because it's already unhappy with me to begin with. For those that spin, do you fight with trying to get the bike adjusted just right? Of course, this is just one more reason in Jason's current list of reasons that I need a road bike. So I can ride outside and we can then rationalize the purchase of a...

Wow, today was just one of "those" days. It was raining, the temps plummeted, spin class was stifling hot, a bit of work stress. So, yep, one of those days. But, despite the stifling heat during spin class, it was a good class. It was another small one. But one of the girls there and I got to talking about running. She suffered a stress fracture in her femur back in November, and is still unable to run without pain. She seemed so grateful to have someone else understand what it means to not be able to get out and run. She mentioned that there should be a support group for injured runners. You know what? I think she's right. Luckily, I have many of my blog readers as an unbelievable support system. Not many of my friends really understand. And this goes for any injury that prevents you from doing what you love of course. But not having a support system from those who understand...it's tough. It makes you feel like a whiny baby, like maybe you're just blowing ...

Spinning  Today I was brave and hit up spin class. I figured it'd either help finally loosen up my legs or just do them in completely. Thankfully it loosened them up rather nicely. It was a small class today. I haven't decided if I prefer the classes to be filled or almost empty. There are definitely energy level differences with different class sizes. Sometimes I think you work harder with a small class. But larger classes tend to be more fun - a little more laughter. Not that they are exactly easy mind you. What are your thoughts? Do you prefer a full class, small class or somewhere in between? At least I didn't have to fight someone for a fan on me or to just get a bike ;-) BBQ Dinner Rather than going to the store after work, I went home to stretch and roll out my legs. I have a feeling I'm going to regret the decision tomorrow as it's supposed to be rainy and possibly stormy. But, I have physical therapy, which happens to be pretty close to the grocery ...

Spinning Again Days like this make me wish I could work outside somehow. It was another gorgeous, sunny, warm day. So hard to be inside when the weather is so unseasonably nice. I think companies should provide laptops and wifi so we can all sit outside. Anyone else with me on that? While I couldn't be working outside or running outside, I at least got to enjoy the scenery during spin class. I am definitely spoiled by the views from my gym - 29th floor, all windows, looking out over the city, the river, Pinnacle Mountain. I can even see my running trail from the gym. So I often sort of day dream during class, pretend I'm riding that trail rather than spinning in place. I was really feeling sluggish today to be honest. But I got in there and got it done at least. Pat on the back for that on a Monday right? Too Warm for Winter Meals With the temperatures being so much warmer than typical for this time of year (hello 70 degrees), the usual winter meals like chili, soup, ...

Spin Again Today was another insanely warm day for February. The only thing that made running less tempting were the 33 mph gusting winds. Spin class, indoors, sans gusting winds was the way to go. I almost went with a leg workout, but weights just didn't sound appealing to me. Of course, anyone who has done spin knows that's a leg workout in and of itself. Since I don't have spin class options on the weekend, I decided to take advantage of the class today and do weights over the weekend. Of course, since it is so unseasonably warm out and the air isn't on in the building AND my gym is on the 29th floors and all windows...it was like a freaking sauna in there. So to say "sweatfest" is a mild understatement. Let's just say there should be no toxins left in this body! Thankful Thursday Source: happythings.tumblr.com via Brooke on Pinterest I sort of debated on doing this. I don't want this to seem like a Debbie Downer post at all. I just thin...

Back to Routine It can be so hard to get back to your "normal" routine after being off of it for a few days. Last night was very low-key, very quiet. I just used leftover spaghetti squash for our dinner, and we watched a few DVR'd shows. That was about it. This morning I absolutely had to peel myself out of the bed. It was a little gloomy out, so that didn't help matters. Plus I actually had to get up and go to work today rather than spend the day playing, shopping, eating. But, I suppose it's not realistic to think I could do that every day. I'd be fired and then broke for starters. I was not feeling up for a workout at all to be honest. I know it was just trying to get myself to work, back on schedule. Plus, it was 70 degrees outside today, so my running shoes were calling to me. Running outside sounded so much more appealing than having to go to the gym...one...more...time. But, I can't run. I can't even pretend to run. So, spin it was. For t...

Spin Day Today was a super dreary, rainy day. Made it really difficult to peel myself out of bed. Somehow Jason did better than me and got up in time for his 5:30 swim class. I will say that I am at least glad it's not really cold out though. No snow, sleet, or ice to contend with. Just wet. I ended up hitting spin again today. I had sort of thought about weights. But honestly, I really didn't feel up for weights or even looking at the elliptical for a warm up much less a cardio session. Definitely thankful I had spin as an option at least. I definitely worked my booty off and got out some frustration during the workout. I was one hot mess after. Valentine's Surprise & More Housework  Remember when I said we didn't do anything for Valentine's Day ? My gift was Jason going to spin class? Well, he totally surprised me with a gift certificate for a spa session with facial. I am not a big massage fan, but I adore a facial. I never splurge on that. I barely p...

I know that most people are doing Valentine's Day related posts. Jason and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day. It's sort of just another day. Every once in a while we will do something special like get dressed up and go to a fancy restaurant, but not this year. And that's ok with me. Instead of a material gift, Jason joined me at spin class today. That was gift enough as cheesy as it might sound. It was nice working out beside him today since I probably wouldn't have seen him until after work otherwise. And yes, spin classes are back on for the time being. I'll take advantage of them as often as I can while they last too. Then I guess we'll have an even more valid excuse for buying a spin bike for the house that we can both use. Maybe that will be a belated Valentine's Day gift to each other. Another reason we're not really doing much for Valentine's Day is that right now the house is in major disarray. We have no heat upstairs as...

What I'm Reading Well, thankfully Miss Crazy Maddie decided to actually sleep all night. No nutso barking episodes. I read myself to sleep by 9:30 and slept fairly well. I'm out of fiction books, so I have resorted to reading much-needed running recovery books instead. Not exactly riveting, but valuable information. The one I've been reading is  The Athlete's Guide to Recovery by Sage Roundtree. Honestly, I wish I had this book from the very beginning of starting to run. It's mostly geared towards endurance athletes, but honestly has great information for any athlete. One chapter that struck me was discussing being able to recognized pain symptoms. In other words, you workout and expect sore muscles. But when does that soreness indicate something more,  like an injury? For starters, when the soreness is unilateral (hand raised), when the soreness doesn't go away (hand raised), when it is not from changing up exercises (hand raised). I had so many red fla...

Yawn Well, last night Jason had the Super Bowl on of course. I really could care less other than knowing football is really and truly over with for the season. I do enjoy catching the Puppy Bowl and occasionally the halftime show. I did watch the halftime show... I just don't even know what to say about that. I think what was so off-putting was how blatant the lip-syncing was. But, it's just a show I suppose. At least there were no wardrobe malfunctions ;-) I hit the sack by 9pm and thought I was in for a great night's sleep. Maddie had other plans though. Even downstairs, she can manage to wake us up. She started barking her head off, the "I've gotta to potty right now!" bark. So Jason got up and let her out. Honestly, I have no idea what time this all started. I think it was around midnights. No less than 30 minutes later, she started up again. This pretty much went on most of the night or morning I should say. Not a clue what her problem was. Well, ...

Spin In Lieu of Running I'm going to try to set up the workout in the most positive manner as I can. Today was sunny and mid-60's. It seems that almost everyone is experiencing some incredible late-January weather. It would have been ideal for a run. In fact, I had my running clothes packed. I was determined to get in a run today. However, my foot and sciatica are really causing me some serious pain. So much so, that I skipped the run and hit up spin instead. This about killed me (ok, a bit dramatic, but you get the picture). Ideal weather for running in January (so rare) and I can't run? It just doesn't seem very fair at all. While spin was a great workout, it was not at all what I wanted to be doing. All I could do was stare out the windows and dream of what it feels like to be out there running, and running pain-free. So, I did something I've been putting off...I made a doctor's appointment for Thursday. While I have an idea what's going on, at thi...

Spin & Motivation Today was supposed to have been warm and sunny, but the sun was very slow to come out. That was probably a good thing though, less tempting for me to try to run. Instead, I hit up spin. I guess yesterday's interval run kicked my booty more than I realize. My legs felt like dead weights during spin class. In my mind I was keeping pace with the music, in reality it probably looked like I was barely moving. The only reason you'd know I was truly working was from the sweat pouring off of me. After work I spent about 20 minutes stretching. I'm hoping it loosens up the tension or tomorrow may end up having to be a rest day. Tonight is going to be simple - fajitas (for Mexican Monday). I'm just using homemade seitan and sauteing with onions, bell peppers, and portobello mushrooms. It's not really even much of a recipe really. In fact, I sort of feel bad about how measly this post is today. I don't feel like I have any great workouts to shar...

Spin Again While today was actually sunny, and surprisingly warm to start (hello 70 degrees), we had a major front moving through bringing in more whipping winds. Yep, another bad hair day around here. It was one of those days that started off warm, but the temps continued to fall throughout the afternoon. But it was sunny out thank fully. Sun = happy. In all honesty, I have been itching to run so badly that I seriously contemplated battling the winds today just to get out for a run. In reality, I need to continue to rest my foot even if it is feeling a little better. That doesn't mean I should just take off for a 6-miler. I know this deep down. Jason said he'd go to spin today, so that actually helped making the right decision a little easier. I did get shoulders done before class. It was a goody; already feeling it actually. I went with a giant set of 3x8. I keep starting with shoulder press, but today I switched it up and I know that's part of why I feel it. That ...

Spin Day Today I decided to rest my foot again, oh and not fight stormy weather and high winds trying to run. So, I hit up spin class. I must say, my quads are killing me from the HIIT workout I did yesterday. Seriously feels like I did a weighted leg workout not "just" plyo exercises. Apparently I really need to add HIIT back into my life. So, needless to say, spin was a bit on the difficult side today. I really wasn't certain my legs were going to hold me upright after I got off the bike at the end of class. But, it was a great class regardless. Of course, my quads might disagree with me. Salad & A Movie Today was one of those really weird weather days when if a tornado blew through you wouldn't be shocked. It was in the upper 60's with high humidity and even higher winds. You either felt like you were going to be pushed down or you couldn't move forward one. While I should have gone to the grocery store after work, I didn't want to risk g...

What do you do when you're in a funk? I workout. When I get into a funk, I try to rely on exercise to help boost my mood. But we all know that when you're kind of down and out, finding the motivation or want-to to exercise can be even harder. It makes me realize how easy it could be to just stop working out and why so many people likely do actually. I keep trying to remind myself that I almost always feel better after the workout though.  I skipped my 3-mile run yesterday, so I'm definitely off my half marathon training plan this week. I kind of thought maybe I'd do the run today on the treadmill then do back and chest. But when it came right down to it, I was NOT going to run even a single mile on the treadmill. I know it's a big mental block I have, but if I wasn't going to have a damn enjoyable run, then it wasn't going to go down period. And it's raining and cold, so that meant treadmill if I wanted to run. Why is this half marathon training in ...

Plan B Not Smart Idea Well, today was one of those days when I should have stuck to Plan A, well, my revised Plan A (Plan A.2), which was to run. Originally I had thought it was going to be raining all day. So, I was going to do a 3-mile treadmill run (my half marathon plan called for 3 easy miles) then back and chest. The rain, however, was holding off. It was dreary look and chilly, but no rain. So, Jason and I were talking about maybe doing 4 miles at lunch. But, he was feeling less than motivate and my foot has been bothering me, so I decided to go with Plan B to rest my foot. Plan B was spin, usually a good call. Did you already catch the drift that Plan B was not a good idea? Um, 'cause it wasn't. Got to the gym and there were no towels. Odd for a Monday. It was hot as hell. The TVs were still out and the pass swipe wasn't turned on to get in the doors. Saturday night the power was cut for maintenance in the building so this reset everything apparently....

Spin I am not sure I've ever been so happy to have a spin class to go to. It's been almost 2 weeks since I've been. The gym was not staffed all last week, meaning no classes. I've definitely been missing this cardio option. I did get triceps done as well. I went with a triset of 3x(8,10,10): Double-arm overhead triceps extension Double-arm kickbacks Triceps pushups (on my knees mind you) I was really kind of surprised at how hard spin seemed today after such a brief hiatus. My legs are still shaking. I feel like I did a million walking lunges today. So, it was definitely work, but good work of course. Comfort Dinner After the gym, I ended up working from home the rest of the afternoon. Finally got plumbers to come in and hook us up with a new water heater. Thank goodness we have 3 full baths in our house and 2 water heaters. So, we've been able to get ready downstairs. I am not sure if it's just because I don't do it often, but somehow I feel mor...

Sad Day, But Spin Helped This morning I felt like I had been run over. I didn't sleep well at all last night. It didn't help that just after midnight lightening hit so hard that I bolted upright then the thunder that immediately followed literally rattled the house. I seriously thought there had been a terrible accident outside and someone hit the house. The electricity went out briefly and it took a while to calm back down and fall back asleep. Then I was up at 2, 5, and 6. Yawn. At least the storms did stop and it wasn't raining on my walk into the office - just incredibly foggy. It was sort of a down day for me. Fifteen years ago a dear friend's life was cut short. She was an incredible person, so full of life and love. I won't go into details, you can search her name or see this newscast from today if you really want to know. Juli Busken was a dancer at OU and had just graduated. She was abducted and eventually killed in the early morning hours of December...

Holiday Balance As a FitFluential Ambassador , I am finding myself inspired by some amazing people. I also see "fitfluential" as an adjective. I want to be more fitfluential for others and inspire others. Recently, ambassadors were given a writing prompt to talk about our five tips for maintaining balance throughout the holidays based on four key aspects of balance: Eat, Sleep, Move, and Enjoy . You guys know how my posts normally work. I just blab about my day - typically either raving or ranting about my workout and then a recipe. But, sometimes it can be fun, inspiring to have a goal for a post, a theme or topic to discuss. Especially when it's something you are passionate about - like being fitfluential. While I love the holiday seasons, they can be stressful. On top of your normal day-to-day affairs, you have invites to holiday parties, cookie exchanges, family events, then there's the decorating, shopping, baking, cooking. It also doesn't help that t...

A Bit of a Spin Rant Monday, you are not my BFF. I try really hard to not be negative about Mondays. But the fact is, I am. They mark the end of a weekend, the end of free time, then end of getting to sleep in just a little bit extra. I tried to get excited about this Monday because it was supposed to be in the lower 50's and sunny. In other words, I was planning on running after work. Luckily, I did think to pack my bag for spin just in case. That "just in case" happened. I think part of my sciatica issues are with sitting most of the day. I have been noticing more and more that I am in pain more throughout the week than on the weekends even with long runs. As much as I wanted to run, I knew it wasn't going to happen. Period. So I changed my mindset to spin. Then I found out my fave instructor wasn't going to be teaching. Not only was my motivation lacking overall, but I was doing my Plan B workout as it was. And now a different instructor? Can we through an...