Back On Track

The past couple weeks have been anything but balanced.  Working & interning all the time, eating out constantly, lots of binging, not so much exercise.  I always take on too much, too fast.

So now I’m stepping back.

Back to C25K.  I did this last spring and loved it.  I’m starting it again, because I want to really increase my speed and get a better aerobic base.

Back to Weight Watchers.  I haven’t done that one in a long time.  It’s what got me to my lowest weight ever (and size 8 pants) back in college.  I love the free fruits and that the points values actually fit more with healthy, whole, real  foods good, processed crap, not so much.  Hoping also it will help with my binging.  Went to my first meeting yesterday.  The leader rocks and the members seem really nice.

Back to weight training.  I love lifting weights.  It makes me feel strong.  Following the New Rules of Lifting for Women book.

Back to making time for myself.  Reading, blogging, genealogy, travel and hanging out with my husband and friends.  All work and no play makes Amanda a very dull girl indeed.

Today I took off.  Woke up with an awful headache (which started yesterday and is not going away), so I called in to my internship.  Then I found out class was canceled.  Amazing!  Just taking it easy.  Cuddling with my husband.  Reading books and magazines and blogs.  Looking up fun WW recipes.  Going to try to exercise some tonight, maybe a WATP video or 30 Day Shred.  Watch Grey’s Anatomy.  Go to be early (work at 6:30am tomorrow).  Turning into a lovely day.

Mountain Goat Run Training

I have obviously gone insane.  I am training for the Mountain Goat 10 mile run with Team Believe.  Raising money for the parents of children in Crouse Hospital’s NICU to pay for parking and food, if they can’t afford it.

I’m not worried about the 10 miles.  I’m not even worried about the hills or how last year it was 94 * and people were dropping like flies.  I am worried about the 2 hour and 10 minute course time.  13 minute miles.  For 10 miles.  I have been getting faster through speed work.  15 minute miles are now normal with 10 minute miles intervals.  I kick butt on downhills and can go 7.5 mph for the whole trip down.  So that should help balance out my mad slow uphills.

Training begins this week.  Did 3 miles last night.  Doing 3 miles today.  5.75 miles Friday, Saturday or Sunday, depending on what’s happening in Buffalo (I’m visiting my mom).  Hill repeats tomorrow.  Lots of hill repeats for the next few weeks.

I know I can… I know I can… I know I can…  It’s for such an important cause and completing the race, even if I’m too slow and my time doesn’t count, will be such a confidence builder.  Thinking Providence Half Marathon training next…

3 Things Thursday: Blah Edition

3 Ways I’ve Felt This Week

1. Blah
2. Ugh
3. Sleepy

3 Things That Have Happened This Week

• I Got a Library Job!!! (More to come in another post)
• I’ve viewed 4 apartments.  More to come…  Need a 2 bedroom, STAT, now that we know we’re staying in the area
• I haven’t exercised at all.  Tried yesterday and today, but the school gym was closed early for Spring Break Hours (8pm yesterday, 6pm today).  Spring Break begins Saturday.  Seriously SU???  I need to get a gym membership.

3 Plans For This Weekend

• Run at least 3 miles tomorrow and 5 on Sunday for my 2 virtual 5Ks
• Work, work, work (at least Fri and Sat.  Trying to get out of Sunday, otherwise no days off this week:-()
• Celebration date night with Aaron Friday, then group meeting and out for drinks Saturday

Tipperary Hill Shamrock Run Race Recap

Yesterday I did race #2 of the year, the 4 mile Tipperary Hill Shamrock Run.  I was a bit nervous, as my ankle has been acting weird the past couple weeks, and the course is very hilly.  It was a windy and rainy day, but the temperature was nice for running.

It was a big race, about 3000 participants, with people dressed in fun St. Patrick’s Day outfits.  Very well organized (until mile 4…) with bands playing at all the pubs in the areas and neighborhood people out cheering.

I started off really well, completing the first two miles in under a half hour and feeling good.  I followed my plan to walk the uphills, run the downhills and jog the straights.  Then came mile 3, which was uphill.  For a mile.  Against the wind.  Ugh.  I slowed way down here.  I was definitely pushing myself and made it to top eventually.  Mile 4 was confusing as the volunteer had apparently decided they were finished directing people, so we didn’t know which was to go and had to ask people who were walking back to their cars, which really killed my time and my mood.  Mile 4 was also pretty hilly, but nowhere near

My training runs where I now really push at the end helped me sprint to the finish, which was much nicer than my last race, where i felt like I was going to die by the end.

Final stats were:

4 miles, 1:07:30, 16:53 pace

Garmin had me at 4.12 miles, 1:08:07, 16:32 pace (was probably the same time as the chip, I forgot to turn it off when I crossed the finish line).  As we can see, I need to work on my weaving, having added .12 miles to the 4 mile race.  (No split times as I hadn’t set up my Garmin correctly.  It is now set to lap on each mile).

I am really happy with my time.  My first race, one month ago, had my pace as 17:16.  This was a flat, easy course.  To see how much my training has paid off is very motivating.  If this had been a flat course I believe I would have completed it in under an hour.

Bling received was a tech t-shirt, a towel (which will really come in handy at the gym) and St. Patrick’s Day beads.

3 Things Thursday: Linked Edition

1. Have you checked out Zoë’s awesome Love YOUrself challenge results posting?  It’s fantastic!  Great message full of  great runners.
2. Hot Potato Running is sponsoring a virtual 5K for Christchurch, New Zealand, to raise money to help those hurt in the earthquake.  It is taking place March 12-13 and I highly recommend participating.  Only $5!  So much less than any other 5K race.
3. And an awesome post by eat the damn cake that is brilliant.  It discusses some famous blogs and what she (and a lot of the rest of us, myself included), are doing wrong, that we aren’t one of them.

NSV!

I woke up bright and early yesterday to go to Library Advocacy Day in Albany.  I put on my red and black blazer that I bought about a month or so ago and it BUTTONED!  It buttoned NO PROBLEM!  I’ve been just leaving it open, figuring it worked and would button someday – and it did!!!  Just wanted to share:-)

Speaking of sharing, Livingsocial.com has a deal from Fandango, for 2 movie tickets for $9.  If your theaters are like the ones around here, this is a savings of about $15.  I’m going to use mine for my weekly date night.  You can pick up the same deal by going here.

What movies do you want to see?   I want to see No Strings Attached.

March Goals

Where on earth did February go?  I know we normall get 2 or 3 more days to the month, but did anyone else feel like it just flew by?

March goals:

• Follow Hal Higdon 15K novice training plan workouts, at least 4 per week, including all running miles (Health)
• Do 2 days of strength training per week (Health)
• Have one date night a week with Aaron (Spirit)
• Cancel magazine subscriptions and memberships I do not use or can easily take advantage of through the library (Wealth)
• Participate in Project Simplify on Simple Mom

Weekly Review/Plan

I didn’t get in quite the amount of exercise as I had planned, due to my ankle acting up.  Still did 2.5 hours all together, so pretty happy with that.

Eating was decent, sleep was lacking and stress was high.  I am tremendously busy with work and school and internships, but am still doing my exercising and, for the most part, keeping other healthy habits.

Goals for this week:

• 8 hours sleep each day
• Exercise Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sun and run the Tipp Hill 4 miler on Saturday and finish before the cut-off (should be fine, but very hilly course) (following Hal Higdon 15K novice plan week 3)
• Finish reading book 168 Hours (awesome so far)
• Get project plan done by Wednesday and cataloging paper due by Sunday
• Smile and laugh more:-)

ABCs of Me

(A) Age: 20

(B) Bed Size: Queen.  I would love a King

(C) Chore You Hate: All of them.  Thank goodness for my husband, who is amazing and does more than his fair share.

(D) Dogs? Nope.  Not an animal person

(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Toothbrush

(F) Favourite Color: Orange

(G) Gold or Silver? White Gold

(H) Height: 5’5″

(I) Instruments You Play: Singer

(J) Job Title: Barista.  And student.

(K) Kids: Not yet

(L) Live: Syracuse, NY

(M) Mom’s Name: Julie

(N) Nicknames: Mandy, Bean, Double A (from my former initials), Panda Bear

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? Tonsils when I was younger

(P) Pet Peeve: Smelly people, rudeness, talking on your cell phone while ordering/checking out of a store

(Q) Quote from a Movie: Luv… Truuu Luv…

(R) Right or Left Handed? Right

(S) Siblings: Younger sister, much younger half-brother

(T) Time You Wake Up? As late as possible.

(U) Underwear: Yes… pretty ones:-)

(V) Vegetable You Dislike: Cucumbers

(W) What Makes You Run Late: Aaron

(X) X-Rays You’ve Had Done: Lots.  Latest is right ankle/foot

(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Cut-out Cookies

(Z) Zoo, Favourite Animal: Prairie Dogs

3 Things Thursday

1. I am overwhelmed and behind.  On most everything.  This post by Kerri explains it perfectly.
2. My foot hasn’t been doing well this week.  Ever since my ankle sprain my foot has been what really hurts.  Apparently it’s because my gait changes, so I feel it in my arch.  I only made it 1/2 a mile today and even then barely kept from crying in pain.  I really need this to be better by next Saturday, when I have my 4 mile race…
3. I started a new internship this week at the Erie Canal Museum.  Loving it!  It is excited to see that I really have learned over the past 1.5+ years in grad school and can bring relevant, useful information to projects out in the field.