I Suck at Pilates

I don't suck* at too many things. Basketball... cleaning... cooking (I'm obviously not a Martha Stewart in the making) - not my fortes. And I suck at Pilates.

I don't mind pushing my body. I thrive on seeing myself improve. And I like to feel like I'm working hard.

So after 3 classes, I just can't figure out why I haven't felt the burn yet. It is frustrating. I want to know I'm doing something. I WANT it to hurt when I laugh.

Especially when I have to get up at 6:45am to ride my bike to class. For the record, I don't get up at 6:45 without a fight.

So here I am at 10:30 on a Sunday night, deciding if pilates is in my Monday morning future. It doesn't look good. My motivation is waning.

Maybe I should try yoga instead.

(*Not to say I'm perfect at everything, but I can at least get by. Or fake it.)

Back on the Saddle

I rode my bike yesterday. Farther in one day than all last year. I have a love/hate relationship with my bike. Love the actual bike. Hate to ride it. Well, maybe “hate” is a bit too strong, but ever since I fell off my bike, we’ve had kind of a bit of a, well falling out.

Recently, on those few and far between sunny days, I’ve been feeling the urge to ride again, especially since I plan on doing a triathlon this summer. Over the weekend I replaced the tube in the back tire (the slow leak was always giving me an excuse not to ride), and with yesterday’s beautiful weather, I decided to go for it.

So finally, I rode. From my car (not quite brave enough to ride on the streets yet, instead I parked along the Burke) to school. Then later in the afternoon, further past school and finally back to my car. I would have kept going if it wasn’t for that dinner date with Boston.

I guess it was kinda a big deal. You know that is the case when your boyfriend and roommates are totally excited about a measly 8-mile bike ride!

Weighing In

I haven't weighed myself since, well the last time I went to the gym - ohhh, 4 weeks ago (not to say I haven't been working out - I just prefer to do it outdoors instead of in). Today I'm heading back. And I am afraid to step on the scale. I like to weigh myself regularly - not to torture myself - but to keep tabs on how I am doing. I figure it is easier to fix a problem before it gets too out of hand. I can't imagine I would have gained much over this past month, but you never know, scales are tricky things. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

Update: It could be worse. I'm up 6 pounds from my most recent low before Christmas, but only 1 or 2 over the past month.

Alphabet Soup: Weekend Edition

B is for Blah on Friday night. I made a big decision, that I feel was the right one, but still left me feeling sad (more to come). Boston encouraged me to go for a short run even though I soooo didn't want to. He was right, I felt better.

V is for Volunteering all day Saturday. It was my monthly "K Saves the World Day," as my old co-workers liked to call it. I am now an expert at laying parquet wood tiles. Call me if you need some help with your flooring. I work for margaritas. Strong ones of course.

C is for cupcakes on Saturday night. 4 dozen, 2 varieties, not a boxed mix in sight! Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and mint chocolate with (green) mint frosting. Yum!

R is for racing early Sunday morning. I ran my fastest race EVER! 8:04 minute/miles for 3.5+ miles. I felt like such a rockstar! And while it was my little legs pumping away, I have to give thanks to Laura for making me keep going when all I wanted to do was lay down on the pavement and quit. And to Boston for being so damn encouraging and waiting at the finish with water for me (because he had finished a good 9 minutes before me!!)

S is for spring cleaning on Sunday afternoon. 4 roommates x 4 hours = one sparkling clean house. I did a double-take, walking into the kitchen this morning - wait is this my house?!?! To most, this is probably what your fridge looks like typically, but to us - OMG there is so much room in there now!!! And nothing is expired and/or stinky!


F is for Finals Week Dinner on Sunday evening. I might not have any finals this quarter, but I sure enjoyed the chili and cornbread!

M is for Movie Night on Sunday night. I made is *almost* halfway through Into the Wild before I fell asleep. I couldn't help it - after the nonstop weekend my weary body was no match to lying on the couch in a darkened room. I barely opened my eyes when Boston carried me to bed!

How was your weekend?

Dear John

Dear Asics,

As far as new running shoes go, you suck! You should make me feel like I am running on air, but instead my ankles and knees hurt with every step I take. Thank goodness for a liberal return policy, because I am done with you. I struggle enough when it comes to running, I don’t need my shoes working against me as well!

Love,
The girl who needs to start training for a half marathon pronto

***************************************************************************************************************************************
Dear (The) Ex-Boy,

I never pegged you as being dense, but honestly… what is the deal? Why do you keep emailing me when I have made it perfectly clear that I don’t want to hear from you? I know you are trying to tell me that you are still thinking about me and still care about me. But you know what? I DON’T CARE! I don’t want to be your friend. Sorry buddy. (Delete).

Love (or not),
The girl who finally put back together the heart you broke

***************************************************************************************************************************************
Dear Carrots,

Why, oh why can’t you taste like my beloved chocolate?

Love,
The girl who decided today would be a good day to start a diet

***************************************************************************************************************************************
Dear Boston,

Last weekend was great. Really. Like our best weekend ever. So why do you have to go and leave again this weekend? Wasn’t one ski weekend without me enough? What is so great about Utah powder anyway? “The greatest snow on earth” - don’t you know that is just a marketing ploy? Hmmmph… fine, go have fun with your friends. In case you forgot – we got 6 feet of snow in 6 days here, and I’ll be hitting it all weekend without you.

Love,
Your insanely jealous (of the powder you’ll be skiing) girlfriend

***************************************************************************************************************************************
Dear Spring,

I really do love the winter and all the snow we’ve been getting. Skiing has been awesome this year and I totally want to break my record and ski 20+ times. But if you want to come a little early this year, and with minimal amounts of that rain you are famous for here in Seattle, I won’t complain. Promise.

Love,
The girl who has hiking and camping on the brain

Coolest Intramural Sport EVER

OK, so now that the crazies have gone away, at least temporarily, it is time to introduce you to a new sport which is sweeping the nation. Or at least UW intramurals...

INTER-TUBE BASKETBALL:

And your truly is actually good at it. Surprising given my typical issues with sports involving balls. But I was the female high scorer - go me!

The object of the game is to (obviously) get the ball in the hoop. But you must stay in your inner-tube, splashing is allowed (encouraged), you can only hold onto the ball for 5 seconds, and you have to alternate between guys scoring and then girls.

The verdict: coolest intramural sport ever! (And a good shoulder workout!)

UPDATE: My prowess at ITBB has not gone unnoticed. I will be playing offense the entire time tonight. Yay!

Gross

Today I have eaten:

15 or so hershey kisses
1 banana
4 mandarin oranges
1 vending machine size bag of Cool Ranch Doritos

I'm going for a walk/starbucks run with LP shortly and I am dying for a slice of frosted gingerbread loaf and a hot chocolate with whipped cream.

I'll probably end up going out with Shell to drink beer and eat bar food tonight.

I thought about going to the gym. But I probably won't.

I am gross.

UPDATE: I had 1/2 a cookie and tea at starbucks. I limited myself to just one beer and made pasta at home. And best of all, I did make a quick stop at the gym. I made a deal with myself - run one mile under 8:30 and then you can go home. I ran it in 8:28 and was outta there in a flash.

I am only partial gross.

Love/Hate

Love: Janet’s Love/Hate posts so I am copying (imitation is the sincerest form a flattery).

Hate: That Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I have a class ‘til 9, that might run late.

Love: My red-eye flight, that will allow me to jet from class early.

Hate: The weather forecast for central NY. Way too cold for me!

Love: My fitness class instructor at the gym. Honestly, I have a girl crush on her. She rocks.

Hate: Because of her, I will not be able to laugh or cough or do anything else that engages my abs tomorrow without wincing in pain.

Love: Hearing that my friend, who experienced a horrible tragedy, is preparing to experience a miracle (in the form of a new baby!).

Love: Real chicken wings (not what they serve here in Seattle).

Love: Having plenty to be thankful for this year: friends, family, health, and amazing opportunities, to name a few.

Love: Having way more to love than hate in my life.

Inches

More exciting than any poundage lost is the inches I've trimmed from my body. Pretty much an inch all around - off each thigh, my hips, and my waist.

I didn't weigh in last week... no time between my trips and I really didn't want to hop on the scale after all the deserts in Portland. This week I won't be able to hit up a meeting until Friday or Saturday, but that gives me extra time to burn off those extra calories from sympathy eating with my pregnant friend. I'm curious to see what the scale says though - hopefully I'll hit the 5 pound mark this week!

Healthy Living

Today I ran my second ever half marathon. I finished in 2:16:13, which is 5:19 better than last time. I am happy to have a personal best, but I am a bit disappointed with my time. For my first half I trained a lot, long weekend runs and consistant shorter runs during the week - I was in good shape but got horribly sick right before the race, and almost couldn't run - that obviously affected my race big time. Today I was aiming for 2:10, and I felt like that was a pretty reachable goal considering I was healthy. Granted, I haven't been running quite as much leading up to the race - I ran a couple of 6-milers, 2 8-milers and an 11 miler, with minimal short runs during the week, but even now, I still think I could have done it.

To be honest, Krissy was holding me back. We started off real slow - which I didn't mind, but she kept cautioning me to hold my pace when I tried to speed up. She kept warning me it was a hard, hilly course (she has run this race several times) and held back. Yeah, there was a lot of elevation gain, but we the one thing I had trained for were hills and we totally rocked them. Finally at mile 9 I still had plenty of energy so I took off and didn't look back (well, I did to tell her to come on, but she just waved me on)! There was a girl who had just recently passed us so I caught up to her and we ran the last 4 miles together. It was her first half and after, she told me, she was really grateful to have someone to pace with because she was losing steam - it was good for me too because it kept me at a pace I liked. While running with Krissy, I was doing anywhere between just over 10:20 minute/miles (where she wanted to slow it down) to 10:50 minute/miles. With my new running buddy, we did between 9:50 and 10:10 for the LAST 4 miles. Krissy finished 4 minutes behind me, meaning she was running around 11 minute/miles, so her slowest 4 miles versus my fastest.

I only wish I had broken off a bit earlier. I wasn't quite sure of what I was capable of, but I wasn't all that spent at the finish so I know I could have pushed harder. I felt a little bad at first for leaving Krissy in my dust, but honestly - she is in the same shape as me, we trained together and there is no reason why she could not have kept up (and she had run a personal best of 2:05 a few summers ago).

But I'm totally excited for the next half. We (Krissy and I) are deciding between an Oktoberfest run in eastern Washington or one up north in Bellingham. Both in early October. I think I am pulling for the Oktoberfest one because we know how I love beer, although Bound@ry B@y Brewery is making a special Marathon beer for the race in B'ham. This time though - I am going to pick a pace and still to it, regardless of what Krissy says.

In other healthy living news... I joined Weight Watchers a few weeks back. Yeah, I know I am within the healthy weight range for my height, but I have been struggling to lose about 10 pounds (and still be well within the healthy range) for months now. I have to say, after I got over the inital feeling of starving myself (which I am not doing, it just seemed like that because I typically eat SO much), I have grown to really like it. I try to stay within my daily points allowence most days of the week, and then have some room to spurlge when the situation calls for it. So... the results... I started at 142.8 pounds, and in two weeks I have dropped 3.6 pounds to be under 140 for the first time in years (yay!). It is a lot less weight than others typically lose the first few weeks, but I think my pounds are pretty stubborn so I'm happy with it. I'm aiming to get down to 132-135, but really, there are a pair of pants in my closet that I'd love to fit into!!

Fabulous Fourth

Yeah, I can hear the fireworks outside, but I am happy here in my pjs, almost ready for bed. The day was fabulous though. The only downsides are my killer sunburn, and that I keep thinking tomorrow is Monday, meaning just 5 more days till The Boy visits - when really I have over a week.

I woke up early and puttered around before meeting Laura and Max down at Madison Park to swim and sunbathe. We got there early enough to get a great spot, and had enough time in the sun and left when it started to get super crowded.



I ate a leisurely lunch on the deck then settled in for a nap. I awoke to Krissy calling and telling me to get my arse out of bed and go for a run. Other than my ankle bothering me (from the stairs I ran on Monday I think - but I've been good and icing a lot), I couldn't have asked for a better taper run. Just a couple more miles on Friday and then I am ready for the half marathon on Sunday.

I then made a delish (and healthy) dinner. And used the grill all by myself!


Angel Hair Pasta with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce

1 medium raw eggplant, baby-variety, sliced into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), cut into 8 strips
1 sprays olive oil cooking spray
3/4 tsp table salt, divided
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
2 large tomato(es), coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp basil, fresh, minced
2 Tbsp chives, fresh, minced
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
8 oz uncooked angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained
4 oz reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Place eggplant slices and pepper strips in a grill basket (or place vegetables on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil with holes poked in it to allow smoke through). Off heat, coat vegetables with cooking spray; season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Place on grill and cook until lightly browned and tender, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces; set aside.
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over low-medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until slightly pulpy, about 1 minute more. Stir in vegetables, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, chives and broth; increase heat to medium-high. Cook until broth is slightly reduced and mixture has a sauce consistency, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add pasta and toss to coat. Stir in cheese just before serving.

Serves 6.

No Complaints

Recently it has been rare to sit back on a Sunday night and think - wow, what a great weekend... I'm totally ready for Monday. The weekends seem to go to fast, or be too hectic, or be too boring. But this weekend was just the perfect mix of relaxation, excitement and productivity.

Saturday I was rather disappointed when I woke up in an empty bed. My throbbing nose reminded me that The Boy left around 5 when he couldn't fall back to sleep (and knocked me good in the nose when trying to give me a kiss goodbye in the dark!). He is a light sleeper who takes up a lot of space in the bed due to a bad shoulder that has to lay "just so". When he doesn't get enough sleep he gets pissy - to the point that, regardless of how much I love spending the night with him, it just isn't worth it. We try to spend one night a week together and the last 2 weeks have been great - we've both slept through the night, unfortunetly it didn't last.

But after we both got a few more hours of shut eye in our seperate beds, we hit downtown and the aquarium - The Boy's idea. We spent 3 hours wandering around. We watched the biologists feed sea otters and harbor seals, played in the touch pools, and looked at tons of fish.

After leaving the aquarium, we took a quick jaunt through the Market where The Boy bought me a bouquet of tulips for our anniversary. So granted I had told him very explicitly that I would love flowers, but it had been over a week since I last mentioned it. And we were walking past stalls and stalls of flowers, but I was oogling them discretely. And he was a buck short so I had to chip in a dollar. But the flowers are absolutely beautiful, I can't wait till they bloom!


We unfortunetly got in a little tiff on the walk home from the bus stop. I feel like all They Boy did all day was knock Seattle. It is hard to take because it made me felt like he was counting down the days till he left town (which means leaving me) so I just broke down and made an incredibly bitchy comment. He then got pissed and I got even more pissed... Before he left, we kinda made up, but I was still pretty down. What better to do when you are feeling blue? I slept and then went shopping! I bought super cute purse that cost about $30 more than I planned to spend but it did it's job, I felt better. I then met up with roommies S and L for some Cinco de Mayo drinking. Again, made me feel better.

Sunday I did a kick ass run with Krissy. Another 6 miler and I felt much stronger than last week. Next weekend I'm bumping it up to 7 miles. We had brunch and then I spent the afternoon grocery shopping and doing homework. Then I made a rather impressive dinner for The Boy (keep in mind that I am certainly no Martha Stewart. I make chicken speidies (a home town specialty), garlic mashed potatoes (with fat free sour cream instead of butter), and a black bean salad (we ate all the chicken before I could take a picture!). The best comment of the evening: "wait, you really made all this? are you sure your roommates didn't help?" Yes, I did it all by myself! The weekend ended with Desperate Housewives (which I never watched before The Boy).

So I went to bed totally relaxed and ready for this crazy week ahead of me!!

I May Turn Into a Pizza

I have eaten pizza for 4 consecutive meals. I love pizza but this is getting ridicules. There are still leftovers, and I don't know if I can bring it upon myself to throw perfect good pizza away even if the thought of it makes me sick.

Something is wrong with my outer quad. I ran a 6 miler on Saturday - 6 minutes faster than last time woo-hoo! - and felt fine the entire time. After doing minimal physical activity Sunday and this morning, the pain started this afternoon, and has grown in intensity throughout the evening. Playing soccer tonight probably wasn't the smartest move. I hope this is just some temporary soreness because I've been so motivated to work out - I'd hate another set back.

Life is just absolutely crazy. Classes and research are keeping me busy. I'm trying to decide what to do with the next few years of my life: stay for a PhD with the hopes of find the specific teaching job I desire, or get a job doing God knows what. The Boy is moving in 6 weeks and I can't look past May in the calendar without having a panic attack about it. On the bright side, I do have trips to DC and Utah/Arizona to look forward to, as well as the start of hiking and camping season (if this rain will ever stop...).

Tired... Yet Toned

I had two midterms this week and I am totally burnt out from studying. Thankfully I can sleep in tomorrow - nothing to do till 1:30! And we have classes cancelled on Friday for Open House, yet I don't have to volunteer until Saturday so I have the whole day to catch up on my research - of course that means I need to be at school on Saturday but it is *supposed* to be sunny, whatever that means here in Seattle.

This quarter I am taking a class, Total Toning, at the gym here on campus. $30 for 16 classes (twice a week for 8 weeks). It is awesome. We do a total body toning workout, circuit style so we even get a bit of a cardio workout. We use benches (steps), dumbells, body bars and resistance bands. It is tough but worth it. My bum and outer thighs, along with right bicep (why only one?), are sore after yesterday's class. By the end of the quarter I am certain I am going to have rocking arms and a perky tush! Despite the soreness I still managed to run over 3 miles today at a decent clip. It is amazing how much easier a run can be when you have someone to gab with! Only 12 weeks to the half marathon so I gotta get my running on! I dropped another pound too - slowly but surely I'll reach more goal. Only 7 more pounds to go.

OK, time to kick off that marathon sleeping session NOW!

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday...

Sunday
We've been talking about it for weeks. Sunday The Boy and I finally visited The Bodies. I was a bit worried that I would be grossed out, but it is so fascinating that there is no time to be grossed out. Actually, I often had to remind myself that these were real bodies. It was just amazing. I can't believe all that is inside of me! My favorite parts: the blood vessels - with the dye they used, it looked like they were glowing under a blacklight; the fetus room - we were all that small once... fascinating!; the muscles - seeing what all my hard work in the gym is focused on.

Monday
A young woman was murdered on campus. I cannot imagine what it would be to live in such fear as she did in the months before her death. I was shocked how little it has been discussed around campus; there was not even a campus wide email until Tuesday afternoon. I guess that is one of the differences between a 40,000 student campus and a 6,000 student (Catholic) campus.

Tuesday
After a tiff Monday night because I was feeling like The Boy wasn't giving me his full attention during the little time we spend together, I stopped over in the morning and then again in the afternoon for some quality time and fun in the bedroom. While the sex was great... the best part was that The Boy was in a cuddling mood (which NEVER seems to be the case). I actually was late for a running date because as I turned to get out of bed, he pulled me closer and wouldn't let me get up. *sigh* I had a fantastic run with Shell and Krissy. It was out first outing of the year at Disco Park (too wooded to run during the dark winter months), but surprisingly we powered up hills like it was September. I was exhausted by the end but felt so satisfied with the workout. Shell and I decided to go grab a beer (can't be totally healthy now can we?). After getting stuck in backups due to both the Ballard and Fremont Bridges being up for boats, we settled on The Nickerson were we shared the most delish mediterrian platter - pita, hummus, feta, chicken and olives. Yum!

The week started well. Now I'm looking forward to Friday and forecast of 70 degrees and sunshine. And our first house bbq of the season. Yay!

Working Out

I've lost 7 pounds since February 9th. That totally motivates me to keep up those hard workouts and be more conscious about what I put in my mouth. Right now I am focusing on upping my protien intake and reducing my candy intake. Ideally I'd love to lose 10 or 11 more. I figure 5 of those will come off relatively easily and I'll have to work hard for the rest. The ultimate goal is to look amazing in a bikini on the sand in Hawaii in November. Intermediate goal - compensate for a pasty white body with a buff body at boat races in eastern Washington in July (it is so hot and sunny over there that everyone wanders abound in bathing suits with great tans and I always stick out as the white girl from Seattle). I just bought a big exercise ball and love messing around on it. And I'm signed up for a "Total Toning" class at the gym next quarter.

Unfortunetly the margaritas I'll be consuming with LP tonight are not quite in line with this whole hot body plan, but a girl has a right to celebrate her last final and the start of spring break, right?

Weak

I lifted weights yesterday, the first time in months, no wait, years. Although no one saw the numbers, I myself was embarrassed of how little I can lift. I can vaguely remember what I could do on leg extensions and curls in high school, when I did lift regularly in the swim off-season - and let me tell you, I'm no where close now! Oh to be 17 again!

I am also back into keeping better track of what I eat now. Seems like others are doing the same... and using SparkPeople, I've used Fitday in the past and started back up with it yesterday. Anyone used both and have a preference one way or the other??

I went to the doctor this morning for my droopy eye. It has a name - senileptosis to put it simply. Meaning that normally old people get it. He said it might be from prolonged contact use as well. But the good news... is that after "failing" a field of vision test, it turns out that the surgery will be covered under insurance!