Thursday, October 24, 2013

Coming Down the Home Stretch

Good Morning everyone! Happy Friday-eve!

Today was a cardio filled morning and I loved it. I started off with adding another 4.5 miles to mile 100 by Halloween challenge, making the total 76 miles! I can't believe I'm so close to hitting the 100 mile marker. I made an envelope to hold the funds for the lululemon jacket as extra motivation.



This time next week I'll be nice and cozy in my brand new jacket!

After my run this morning I had a quick mixed berry protein shake and headed out to spend some one-on-one time with my favorite dogs! I love getting to spend extra time with my sister's dogs because they are so stinkin' cute! But of course they are very serious when it comes to taking photos, haha.





The rest of today is filled with running errands and trying out a new recipe for dinner, butternut squash risotto. I'll let you know how the recipe turns out!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Frisky Friday

Good Morning and Happy Friday Everyone! Hope you are enjoying such a lovely Friday today!

This morning started off with a chilly 4.5 mile run around the neighborhood. I chose to expand my route to a part of the neighborhood I hadn't ran before so it was definitely a nice change. I finished off this morning's workout with a pilates dvd at home. It was such a great stretch after a long week of running.


I've had this dvd since college and I love that it lets you choose which routines you want to mix together. It never gets boring!

After a chilly run, I decided to warm up with a delicious cup of Pumpkin Spice coffee!


I used the Archer Farms brand from target and it gives off such a great flavor! Definitely will be buying another bag soon.

While I was running this morning, I kept thinking of all the great things coming up in the second half of the month. Here's some of the exciting things going on:

This weekend one of the local breweries is hosting its second annual craft beer festival. Cincinnati is known for supporting a lot of local breweries so I'm pumped to go check out the local goods! If you're around town you should check it out: Listermann Brewing Co. Oktoberfest

Next week I'm taking my boyfriend on his second surprise date from the anniversary present I made this year.


I found the idea on Pinterest and created a packet of surprise dates for each month. September we went to the Bengals v. Packers game (our favorite football teams). This month we're going on a tour of the Moerlein Lager House brewery! We really enjoy the food there so we're both pretty excited!

Other exciting things coming up this month include a lot of time with friends and family, and of course celebrating Halloween! My best friend and I are dressing up as Batman and Robin for a party next week! Our costume's look so great, I can't wait to post some pictures of them!

What exciting events are you looking forward to this month?

Have a wonderfully relaxing weekend!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

100 by Halloween Challenge Check Up

Good Morning Everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying this brisk fall morning! Cincinnati is definitely feeling like fall today and I can't wait to break out all of my sweaters and start making homemade soups (aside from enjoying all the other amazing things about fall)!

This morning started a little earlier than I've been used to lately. I met up with some fellow gym members for an early morning run before joining my spin friends for a great class. On the agenda this morning was a 4 mile run on the treadmill. Originally I had planned to do all of my challenge running outside, but it just wasn't working for me. However, I have been able to continue running outside more frequently so I still feel pretty positive about that.

Here are some fun little stats about the challenge's progress so far:

Total miles run: 50.2
Number of treadmill runs: 6
Number of outdoor runs: 8
Number of days not running: 2
Longest outdoor run so far: 5.6 miles
Best run time: 9:21/mile

Looking ahead I feel pretty confident about the rest of the challenge. I've worked out the milage for the last 2 weeks and if everything goes smoothly I'll hit 100 on Halloween! If I had the courage I would definitely run in a costume, but I think I'll show my excitement in another form, haha. I have a six mile run planned for the next two Sunday's which I'm really looking forward to. Partly because I plan on running a new route this week and also because it will be great preparation for this year's Thanksgiving Day Race!

This race is very special to me because it was the first I had ever participated in. I was so proud of myself for finishing that race and it was such a great experience since the race was celebrating it's 100th year. Since then I've only missed it once, and while it's not the same as enjoying the Macy's Parade, it's my new favorite tradition!

I feel really great with how well the first half of the challenge has gone. And I keep checking out the jacket I plan on picking up November 1st (it's great motivation)!

Have a great afternoon!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Finally Feels Like Fall

After yesterday's rainfall it finally feels like fall around here!! I know it will get warmer as the week goes on, but I'm just going to enjoy this weather as much as I can while it lasts.

This morning's run definitely reminded me of why I enjoy running in cooler weather. It was difficult to get up and moving though, my  bed was just way too cozy. But with a little help with some great cold weather running gear, I was able to get out and moving and enjoy the morning.

(Hat: Lululemon, Sweatshirt: Under Armor)

Yesterday I decided not to skip out on my daily run for the 100 mile challenge, but I did have to make a tough decision to run indoors. The rain was just too much for me to handle and I figured it was better to get the miles in on the treadmill than risk getting sick from running in the rain. Today I was back outside and it felt great! As I ran through different parts of the neighborhood I noticed different ways people are recognizing fall's arrival. Two streets had displayed hay stalks and scarecrows on their lamp posts that were really cute! It was nice to see it all the way down the street rather than just at one or two houses.

By the end of the run though I was greeted with another sight.



We get a lot of deer around here because of all the developing neighborhoods. I was shocked that these deer (their was a baby across the street) let me come within 15 feet of them before they took off. It was definitely another new running adventure.

After my run I headed to the gym for a full body lifting session. I've been trying to balance out my cardio and lifting routines lately because I usually am pretty heavy on the cardio-side. I love high intensity cardio workouts! They just seem like they kick my butt a little bit more.

The lifting routine I've been following the past two weeks is one I found on Shape Magazine's website. I really like it, but I added a few more exercises to it because I really did want to work all the major muscle groups. I'll try to upload the routine for everyone later this week.

As for the 100 Miles by Halloween Challenge, I'm currently up to 17.1 miles. I'm hoping to finish the week around 30 miles. I think I can handle that :).

Happy Monday everyone!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Adventurous Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Hope your week ended on a high note and you all get a chance to relax and unwind this weekend!

Today was Day 3 of the running challenge, and oh did it live up to it's name! I decided to head over to Sharon Woods to get in a 5 mile run this afternoon. I've only run the harbor trail there once or twice, but I really enjoyed the course. There are hills and curves and the frequent appearances of the lake really make it an enjoyable run. So in the Indian Summer heat I decided it was a great day for another loop around the lake!



The run was a little shaky at first, but by the time I was wrapping up the first loop I definitely was in the groove. And then the adventure began. Since running the Flying Pig in the spring, I've been wearing a running cuff to hold keys, ShotBlocks, etc. while out and about. I laced up my shoes today and slid my car key in the cuff and took off. By mile 3.5 things were feeling great...until I checked my cuff and discovered my car key was missing. And then the scavenger hunt began! After about fifteen minutes of searching for my lone car key, someone walking by noticed the panic look on my face and mentioned they found a key on the path and placed it on a bench nearby! I started jogging back and there it was waiting for me. Moral of the story: hair ties secure keys to wrists better than running cuffs. I'm so glad to run in areas with such friendly people!

I'm learning more and more about myself with these outdoor runs. I can't wait to see what's in store for the next few runs! Please send your favorite routes and running spots my way, I really want to branch out of my normal spots!

Have a wonderful weekend!


Thursday, October 3, 2013

October Challenge: Day Two

Today's run was off to a nice start, for about thirty seconds and then the rain set in. Normally I would have turned around and waited for a better time to get my run in, but I decided to stick with it since I'm trying to overcome my negative feelings running outside. It really wasn't bad at all, but one of my biggest pet peeves is wearing wet clothes. I hate the way they feel!

Luckily today's run flew by and I barely felt the rain. I may have been focusing more on trying not to slip on the fallen leaves.


I did notice I was moving a bit more quickly, which felt great since I'm trying to build up some speed after focusing on distance for so long. Overall, it was a great run to start the day despite the rain!

After my run I decided to head to the gym and work out my sore muscles with an awesome spin class. Since I lifted yesterday, I needed to get moving so they wouldn't stiffen up so much. Tomorrow I should feel great for another longer run before the weekend!

Have a wonderful afternoon!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

October Challenge

Good morning everyone!

I hope your week is going smoothly and you're off to a wonderful start to the day!

I'm very excited about my newest fitness challenge that I began this morning. Last week I got an email from the Tone it Up team that explain their newest workouts and fitness plans for the fall. If you're interested you can check them out here. One challenge they came up with was 100 miles in October. The goal of the challenge is to fit in 100 miles, either by running, walking, biking, or swimming by the end of the month. I really liked this challenge because it seems very manageable (basically you need 2.5 miles a day) and because its a great way to build consistency with your workouts.

After thinking about the challenge some, I decided to take it on, but add my own little twist. Even though I've been running for the past three years, I still struggle with running outside. The most I enjoyed it was when I was training for the Flying Pig marathon earlier this year. I really liked seeing the city while I got a good workout in. I ran in new areas of town that I never really thought I would. After the race though my outdoor session immediately ended. Still it takes a great deal of mental prep for me to conquer an outdoor run. So here's my version of the Tone it Up challenge: I'm going to run 100 miles between now and Oct. 31st- outside only. I think this will be a great way to help me overcome by mental block with running outside!

I started the challenge this morning with a 2.5 mile run around a neighborhood track.


It was the perfect fall morning for a run! It felt great being outside and getting those miles in. Tomorrow I'm planning on a three mile run around the neighborhood. If you have any suggestions for running trails or favorite spots to hit the pavement please, please, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. Right now I have plans for more neighborhood runs, as well as a few at Sharon and Winton Woods. I've never ran at Lunken Airport either so I think I'll have to add it to the challenge list :). 

Although I'm really excited about the running challenge, I think I'm almost more excited about the goal at the end. I know, as a runner, the payoff for this challenge will be phenomenal. However I'm also human and a little incentive has never hurt when it comes to meeting a goal. I decided my incentive is a new Lululemon jacket or hoodie if I reach this goal! I'm so excited about this because I have been eyeing their fall line and could never bring myself to pay that kind of money for a jacket/sweatshirt. However, instead of rewarding myself with food (normally my mom meets me at the finish line of a race with coffee and a cake donut!) I wanted to encourage my healthy lifestyle choices in another way. I can't think of a better way than new workout gear. I haven't decided which jacket I'm aiming for but let's just say their website is definitely bookmarked for further research :). 

Time to tackel a huge to-do list waiting for me and rest up for tomorrow miles! Happy Hump Day!