Running…Is this for me?

As you may know, I am participating in the Couch to 5k training plan as well as a 5k training plan on Active Trainer to prepare for a few 5k races I have signed up for in the fall.

I’m doing the 5k the same day as this Half Marathon in Nashville

 I am on week 4 of this training and am somewhat frustrated at my progress. I am able to finish the workouts but can’t help but feel awkward while running. Most of my workouts have been on the treadmill but my last workout was done on the indoor track of the MTSU Rec Center on Saturday. I enjoyed my free pass as an alumni to the Rec Center. It was a change from my home workout equipment. And who can pass up a FREE deal? Not me!



MTSU Rec Center





What do I mean by awkward? I felt like I was running in slow motion. My legs felt heavy. I’m was short of breath. Running on the track is definitely different from the treadmill. I had some other issues too. My MP3 player decided to start skipping and for some reason the power off button would not work. So most of my workout was done without any music and the gym where I worked out was holding a cheerleading camp. So you can imagine, I’m trying to workout without my music but I am surrounded by dozens of young screaming girls. I was happy to finish that workout and spend some time in the pool before having my relaxation massage at Massage Envy.



 I’m wondering if there comes a time where I will feel like“Hey this is getting easier!” I long for that day to come. I watch others running and it looks so natural. I can just imagine what I look like! Another question that comes to mind is “Why am I so passionate about being a runner?” I’m hoping to find the answer to these questions soon.

Today is the day for my final workout for week 4. I’m going to give it 100%. I can’t give up now!!





Welcome Weekend!

I’m glad the weekend is here! Even though it was a short work week for me, it seemed to last forever. Tonight I did my cross training workout. It was a breeze compared to my running workouts. I biked almost 6 miles on the stationary bike and followed that with strength training. I ate a healthy dinner while the rest of my family had fast food. I’m proud of ME!

I have a busy weekend planned. Tomorrow I am visiting the college I graduated from for Alumni Day in the MTSU Recreation Center. All alumni members and their families can attend for free and use the facilities which include an indoor and outdoor pool. Nice! I also plan on doing my running workout on the track to take a break from the treadmill.

Later in the day, I have an appointment for a much needed massage at Massage Envy. I am looking forward to that! I’ve had two migraines this week and the best medicine for that is a massage.

On Sunday, I plan on attending church in the morning with my parents, resting in the afternoon and surprising my sister by going to hear her sing her first solo in her church choir. That should be wonderful.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and do something to pamper yourself! You deserve it! Summer is here and there’s so much to do. Be sure and stay hydrated if its as hot in your area as it is here! The south officially has a heat wave!

Preparing for my 5k

It’s Friday and I’m mentally getting ready for the 5k I am doing in the morning. I am about to go to Massage Envy for my pre-race sports massage. I’ve never had one before a race before but I’m anxious to see if it helps my performance! It’s been one of those weeks. The extra exercise I am doing with the Couch to 5k training challenge has helped me get through the week without being too stressed, but my muscles are very tight.I look forward to my monthly massage sessions.

I will spend the evening relaxing with my family and carb-loading. I have some past leftovers from dinner last night that I plan on having.

It’s time for ME time!

Where did the spring weather go? It feels more like fall today. I slept later than usual for a Saturday, but since I’ve been sick I guess I needed it. I was very happy that today is the day for my monthly massage appointment at Massage Envy. I usually leave home a few hours before my appointment for some much needed ME time. I stopped for a sandwich at a place called Which Wich? This was my first time going to this place but I liked it.

It took me a moment to figure out how to order. The menu is posted on the wall for different types of sandwiches. There are also brown paper bags corresponding to the sandwiches on a table that the customer fills out to place the order. Here is mine:

I ordered a turkey sub on wheat with provolone, lettuce, dijon mustard and low fat mayo.

I also had some jalapeno chips!

and some iced tea!

The food was good and I enjoyed the atmosphere also.

After eating, I was ready for my massage!

Now I’m all relaxed and ready to spend the evening with my family.

Welcome Spring!

It’s a beautiful morning! I started the day off with attending church at Kingwood Heights Church of Christ with my parents. It’s a great way to start the week off right by praise and worship. Today is the first day of spring and I noticed I have some pretty flowers blooming. I welcome you Spring!

spring flowers

Last night I had my monthly massage and spent some time before my appointment at The Avenue, a local shopping community. I did some walking to loosen my muscles from the Zumba workout I did earlier in the day. Then I went to Barnes & Noble and got a coffee drink to enjoy. It was a lovely afternoon.

Massage Envy

Coffee!

I plan on spending the day with my family and enjoying the sunshine! I hope you enjoy your day!

“This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Zumba!

Just for the record (after my earlier post today where I seemed to be whining) ….I wanted to report that I was able to get up and workout! I decided to do a Zumba workout since I have the PS3 game. It’s so much fun. And it really does feel more like a party than exercise. I do regret however, that I had to throw my husband out of the house for a few hours….since I needed the living room space to do it. Please forgive me, honey.

Zumba! Join the Party!

But I am very happy that I did it. I feel great!! Please someone remind me how good it makes me feel to workout. Now, I’m off for a healthy snack and to see what else the day has in store for me. I am going to get my monthly massage later at Massage Envy. That will be wonderful!

nonfat Greek yogurt = yummy!

Enjoy your day!

My Birthday

It was a long, exhausting week at work. But I made it! My birthday was on Thursday and I had to work so celebrating was postponed until Friday.

I did get some lovely flowers delivered to my office from my mom and my aunt. And my coworkers bought my lunch from Camino Real, our favorite mexican place. To top off my day, my daughter brought me a decadent cupcake from GiGi’s and sang/danced for me! I don’t even want to know how many calories that cupcake had.

Birthday flowers!!

I took Friday off work and my husband took me to lunch where I used my birthday coupon I received by email. Nice! I had a few friends over for drinks, snacks and to play Rock Band. We had a good time.

I’m looking forward to a relaxing day to recover from all the alcohol I had last night. I didn’t think I drank that much. But my friend made jello shots that tasted like there was double the amount of liquor that should have been in them. They were good but now I’m suffering from a headache. Must have coffee. Lots.

Later today I am scheduled for my monthly massage at Massage Envy. I am looking forward to feeling relaxed and revitalized!

I feel as if I have lost my motivation to exercise. Ugh. I hate it when that happens. I am determined to find a way to get back on track. I have so many options in my home to choose from: Exercise dvd’s, treadmill, stationary bike, Zumba and other fitness games on PS3. I don’t know what my problem is.

At least I have stuck to the eating healthy plan for the most part. A few splurges now and then, but I have made an effort to pack healthy lunches every day and drink plenty of water.

I know I can do it. I just need to figure out why I lose interest in exercise.
What do you do when you lose motivation? I’d love to hear your comments!

Date night

My hubby and I decided to go out for dinner as an early Valentines Day celebration last night. We went to one of my favorite places in out town, Marinas on the Square. Great Italian food and lovely atmosphere. I started with a glass of Merlot and a garden salad with balsamic vinagrette dressing. My entree was chicken marsala – one of my favorites! It was a wonderful dinner and I enjoyed the time with my special man.

Marinas on the Square

Murfreesboro courthouse on the square

Now, it’s Saturday and I have a busy day ahead. It’s a shopping day with my daughters followed by my monthly massage at Massage Envy. I look forward to this every month.It’s the little something special I do for ME! and I love hanging out with my beautiful daughters.

I’m looking forward to the warmer weather we should be having. The snow is almost gone, for good I hope!

I love long weekends!

I worked half a day on Friday and now I’m off work until Tuesday since Monday is MLK Day. I love long weekends! It’s so nice to be off work for several days. I am planning on doing some thinking about ways to incorporate more time in my schedule for working out. It looks like the only time I have will be early in the morning from Monday – Thursday. And since I’m not a morning person, this will be a huge challenge! Or if I workout more on the weekends will that be enough?

My husband took me out on a date last night to Puleos Grille. It is one of our favorite places. It didn’t start off very good, but ended up being a good night. When we got there we had to wait for a table, which is normal and expected. But I started getting a little upset when others that came in after us got seated before us. After 25 minutes, I proceeded to go back to the hostess stand to investigate. We were seated 30 seconds later. The service was good except we were given the wrong salads at first. I pointed that out of course. I ordered a chef salad with avocado ranch dressing. That is my favorite dressing and I can’t find it anywhere else. My entree was a combo platter of lasagna and penne pasta with spinach and alfredo sauce. It was very yummy. This may not sound like a very healthy dinner. But in my defense, I exercised portion control and only ate about half of the entree. I had unsweet tea as my beverage with one pack of Splenda. We stopped on the way home for some wine to enjoy. It was a lovely night.

Today is Saturday and I’m looking forward to my monthly massage today. I bought a spa package to Massage Envy last year around Mother’s Day. I have been loving it! It’s the one thing I do for myself and after a stressful week at work, it is exactly what I need. Looking forward to relaxation!

Have a wonderful weekend!