A Weekend Full of Kids + ZOOMA Training Week 8

Well, hey there, everyone!  It feels like FOREVER since I’ve been able to post, thanks to a little mess-up with our router.  I had posts planned for Thursday and Friday, but I wasn’t able to get online since Wednesday night in order to publish.  Thankfully, the cable guy was able to come on Sunday and exchange our router.  Plus side: I guess I’m all set to go with posts for this week :) 

As usual on Mondays, let’s look at the weekend!  It was definitely a good one filled with lots of kids!!

Friday

Joe and I drove up to St. Augustine to see our friends Jacqui and Andrew from Georgia!  They were down on family vacation, so we spent the day on the beach with them, their two adorable boys, and Jacqui’s awesome parents and brother.

We brought Tequila along, and I was really excited to see how’d she’d do with her first beach visit.

As you can see, she was loving it!  She really enjoyed the sand, had a great time digging, and came around to going in the ocean.  

The waves scared her at first (at one point she put her leash in her mouth and started pulling ME back onto the shore), but she started actually wanting to go in to the water by the end of the day.

It was awesome to catch up with Jacqui and Andrew while on the beach, as well as meet their newborn Matt.  He’s just under 5 months old and is quite the precious little thing!  He spent a lot of the day on the beach sleeping, but we did get some time to play with him before dinner.

The fun continued by eating dinner with everyone at Sunset Grille.  The food there is delicious, so I suggest you try it out if you’re ever in St. Augustine!  At one point, Jacqui and Andrew’s almost-4-year-old Danny started becoming very fond of me!  He even came and sat between Jacqui and me at dinner and ran up to hold my hand when we were walking to the car after dinner.

Too cute!!  Joe and I drove back after a short walk on the beach, where we let Tequila chase Jacqui’s brother Charlie around in the sand.  So much fun!

Saturday

Saturday began perfectly in my eyes: with a good book and a cup of coffee.

I started this book last Monday, and I’m almost finished with it!  It’s really funny!  I have a post planned for multiple book reviews, so look for that if you want to hear more about this book!

Joe had a prospective student event at school he had to go to, so after reading, I got some “free lance” work done (all math and teaching related, but it’s outside of my school district).  I also wound up heading to Starbucks for some internet, lunch, and more coffee.  I also tried one of their new Fizzios (basically soda), and it was really tasty!

When I got home, Joe was there, so we spent some time at the pool next door before I had to head out to babysit!  A friend of ours who left the area gave my name to this family that she babysat for, and so on Saturday night, I went over and watched the two boys: a 4-year-old and an almost-2-year-old. 

We had a good time playing outside (they had a Little Tike trampoline that looked like a lot of fun!), colored, and playing tag.  Once they went to bed, I did some reading and watched Modern Family on hulu on their TV.  It was a fun time with the kids, and I made good money, too!  Good times!

Sunday

Another lazy morning, but this time I got to cuddle with the puppy.

 I wound up having to stay home in the morning so that the cable guy could come fix the internet, so I used the time to get some cleaning done.  My mom is coming to visit, so the house needs to be in tip-top shape!

I attempted to go on a long run in the evening, but the weather wasn't really cooperative.  I was able to get in just over 3 miles, but I was supposed to do 8.  No bueno, considering the ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon is just 13 days away!

Our Sunday evening was spent watching the WWE Pay-per-view at a friend's house.  It seems like we were just over there watching one, and there's another one next month!  I wound up winning out $1 bet pool on the matches, so I felt pretty good about myself :)

Pretty fun weekend!  Lots of kids this weekend, lots of reading/relaxing, and lots of fun.

ZOOMA Training Week 8
I continued my write-my-workouts-in-my-planner strategy, and it seemed to work out (pun intended) for me again this week!
Monday-2.8 mile run around the neighborhood
Tuesday-Bikram yoga
Wednesday-3 mile speedwork run on the treadmill + BodyPump

Thursday-Bikram yoga
Friday-planned rest day, but we went on many walks while on the beach in St. Augustine
Saturday-unplanned rest day/lazy day
Sunday-3.43 mile run (instead of the 8 miles scheduled)

Overall, not a bad week of training, minus the lack of a long run.  This coming week, I'm going to be "tapering" a little, which means a 5-6 mile "long run" this coming weekend.  I will, once again, schedule my workouts in my planner.  This will be especially important because my mom will be coming to visit this week, which means not too much time to get in a workout.  We'll see how it goes!

Question for you: Do you have a lot of interaction with kids (your own, nieces/nephews, babysitting, friend's kids)?  What did you do this weekend?

WIAW #37: Summer School Eats

Hey everyone!  Are y'all having a good week?  My week was made yesterday when I was able to register for runDisney's Princess Half Marathon 2015 weekend!!!

Image Source

The website was going very, very slowly, and I thought the race would sell out before I could get in.  Fortunately, about an hour after the sign-ups opened, I was able to complete my registration!  Hooray!! I'm going to be doing the Glass Slipper Challenge (10K on Saturday + Half Marathon on Sunday), and 

Last Year's GSC bling! Image Source

I'm so looking forward to it!  Hope those of you who tried to register got in, too.  The Glass Slipper Challenge was sold out only 2 hours after sign-ups opened!

Enough about runDisney race registration!  It's Wednesday, so you know what that means around here...

It's time for another What I Ate Wednesday!  Jenn from Peas and Crayons created this link-up party to show blog land what other bloggers are eating.  Pretty fun!  Head on over to her blog to see what WIAW is all about!  Thanks, as always, to Jenn for the link-up!

Today's edition is a peak at what I eat on a typical summer school day.  These pictures are from Tuesday, so let's see what I've been eating!

Breakfast

This is a new-to-me cereal that I picked up at the store last week.  I've got to say, this cereal fills me up a lot more than most cereals!  It tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios and Honey Bunches of Oats mixed together.  Yum!

Morning Snack

I usually have a Greek yogurt as a snack.  I found this limited batch Watermelon Chobani at the store this week and was really excited to try it.  It's not bad...but it really doesn't live up to the awesomeness that is watermelon.  It's a nice change of pace, though, from my usual flavors.

Lunch

My go-to lunch to pack for school!  My salad has tomato, cucumber, onion, orange peppers, and a whole avocado in it.  I decided to go with lots of fruit on the side--some tasty fresh grapes (this bunch is seriously really good!) and some pineapple tidbits.  Pretty fresh and tasty lunch!

Afternoon Snack
I bought candy for my summer school kids, and unfortunately I kept dipping my hand in the candy bag this afternoon.  Hershey's Miniatures and Reese's are just too tempting (sounds like the same thing that happened in my last WIAW post!).

Dinner

Joe was home before me and whipped up dinner for us!!  He made the beef stroganoff Hamburger Helper and added a whole can of peas to increase to healthy factor.  It was very tasty, and I really enjoyed having dinner handed to me right when I walked in the door!

Workout
The reason I was home after Joe today was because I went to Bikram yoga!  My friend Cacie and I are really trying to get back on our Tuesday/Thursday schedule, but I had to go to the later class today.  I definitely didn't drink enough water before class and had to spend a few postures in savasana (dead body pose--the resting position).  Still, glad I went and got my sweat/yoga on!

Well, there you have it!  Summer school eats look a lot like what I was eating when I was teaching.  I guess old habits die hard.

Have a great Wednesday!

Question for you: Do your summer eats change any from rest-of-the-year?  Do you try to register for runDisney Princess weekend?

Suck It Up Buttercup 10K Recap

On Sunday morning, I ran a 10K in DeLand, FL.  I signed up for this race about a week and half beforehand in an effort to force myself into a long(er) run for ZOOMA Chicago training.  I really enjoyed the Suck It Up Buttercup 10K, but instead of the usual race recap, I'm going to talk about the race through some of the things I learned while running.

• There ARE hills in Florida!  
  
  This race went through the DeLand Country Club area, and the neighborhood featured some pretty steep hills!  I didn't believe the race description since I'd never seen hills in DeLand, but they weren't playing.  They just encouraged us to Suck It Up, Buttercup and finish the race :)
• Running DOWNhill is harder than running uphill.  Putting the brakes on while running downhill started to bother my knee a little bit.  I should have remembered this from the end of the Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon, but it's been a while since I've run downhill.  I definitely had a good cadence running uphill, though.
• I really, really wanted to PR.  My current 10K PR is from my very first race of that distance, so I really wanted to PR.  I was constantly checking my watch and setting distance/time markers in my head (ex. I need to be at 4.2 miles by 44:00 to PR).  The bad thing: I kind of forgot that a 10K was 6.2 miles, and I was calculating for 6.0 miles.
  
• ...BUT I was very happy with my time.  While I didn't reach my goal of a PR, I DID reach my B-goal of finishing in under a 11:00min/mile pace.  Also, just think how much faster I would have been if the course was flat!!  I have hope that the next 10K I run (possibly in August...) will be a PR!
• Donuts after a race are tasty.
  
   Dunkin' Donuts provided donut holes and coffee after the race, and I certainly enjoyed those!!  Joe shared with me that he learned in his nutrition classes that the best time to eat something bad for you is up to an hour after exercising.  As he told me, the body is looking for energy, so it will burn the sugar and fat right away instead of letting it linger.  Good stuff, so you know I enjoyed some chocolate glazed donut holes.  Yummy!
• Sparkle Skirts really are all they are made out to be.
  
   I purchased 3 Sparkle Skirts recently as pieces of costumes to upcoming half marathons.  They are a bit pricey, but after racing in Orbits (the one with the colorful circles), I learned that they are TOTALLY worth it.  The shorts don't move AT ALL, and they also don't rub in all the wrong places.  Plus, the pockets in the shorts are SO HUGE that I don't feel like I need a belt to hold anything for me anymore.  You also can't beat how snazzy you look in them :)
• Good music definitely makes a run even better.  
  
  Anyone remember those iPods with the wheel?  That's what I used on the race on Sunday--tried and true!  I hadn't updated the music on this guy in a while, so I spent the race rocking out to some Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and Panic! at the Disco.  The time flew right by!  These Koss headphones are fantastic, too!
• Starting the day with a 10K does wonders for my FitBit step count! I was already over my goals of 10,000 steps, 5 miles, and 30 active minutes a day before 8 in the morning!  That put me well on my way to get 20,000 steps in on Sunday--a personal best for me since getting my FitBit.
  

There you have it!  Overall, a great race despite the delay at the start.  Final Race Management, the organizer of the race, definitely knows how to create a fun, energetic race atmosphere!

Running through bubbles at the finish--too cool!

I look forward to running with them again for the Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon this October.

Question for you: Do you often run hills?  Any pointers you have would be appreciated :)  Any lessons you've learned from recent races?

Change-of-Plans Weekend + ZOOMA Training Week 7

Happy Monday morning, everyone!  I'm so enjoying summer school, that I actually AM happy it's Monday again!  As usual on Mondays, let me tell you about my weekend and how my workouts went this week.

We originally planned on getting a lot done around the house before going up to St. Augustine and going scalloping, but this was a weekend of changing plans.

Thursday
Technically, my weekend started on Thursday, so I just wanted to share two pictures from the Daytona Cubs baseball game that night.  This is how Joe decided to pose when I asked if we could take picture together:

We did get a good one, but that one is just really funny/cute to me.  And here is the gorgeous sunset from Thursday night:

Friday
I had the day off on Friday, and so I took advantage of having nothing to do by...doing nothing.  There were many things that I SHOULD have done (including a 2 mile run I planned and wrote down in my planner), but naturally, I didn't get around to any of them.  But hey, sometimes you just need a complete day of rest, right?

After Joe got done with clinic, we headed down to New Smyrna Beach with our friend James to celebrate his birthday.  We ate dinner at That's Amore (y'all know my obsession with that place by now), which was delicious as always.

Leftovers of the Gnocchi Pesto.  YUMMY!

Afterwards, we met up with some other friends at a bar nearby and enjoyed people-watching out on the deck.  We learned that many people driving by were really, really bad at parallel parking.  I'm sure it's kind of stressful, though, with a whole bar's patio watching you try to park and yelling out suggestions!

Saturday 
After sleeping in a bit, we had originally planned on heading up to St. Augustine to see some friends from Georgia, but we got the dates wrong.  We'll get to see them next weekend, though.  Our little mix up led to lots of productivity and cleaning around the house.  We also learned that Tequila DOES NOT like to have her nails clipped.  We were only able to get one of them before she began flailing (despite the fact that Joe was holding her).  Guess we need to get a professional to do it!

I spent the afternoon reading.  I finished The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult before picking up I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends by Courtney Robertson.

She's the girl that won Ben's season of the Bachelor, and she wrote a tell-all memoir of her life and experience on the show.  I couldn't put it down!  If you love The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise, you definitely need to read this!

Joe got home from watching the World Cup 3rd place game with the guys, and we went out for Mexican food.  Tasty, as always!  We came home and finished up Season 4 of Dexter.  People who have seen it: WHAT!?!?!? to that ending!  We really wanted to go in to Season 5, but I needed to get in to bed in preparation for my race.

Sunday
I woke up early on Sunday for the Suck It Up Buttercup 10K!  I needed to run this race as a long training run for the ZOOMA Chicago Half, and it was a really fun race!  I'll do a full recap tomorrow :)

Originally, Joe and I were going to go scalloping, but the weather was expected to be really poor.  The scalloping trip is delayed, and hopefully we'll make it out before the end of the season--it's only 6 weeks long!

Due to our change in plans, Joe and I were able to get to the late service at church.  It was nice to not have to worry about memorizing lines and performing; I got to just worship and listen to the Word being preached.  Good stuff!

Joe went off to watch the World Cup Championship with his boys again (fine with me--they get in to it more than I do!), so I was able to get some work done on more writing for Algebra Nation.  I also caught up on some blog work, got a new book from the library, and played with the puppy!

Even though we had to change our plans a fair amount, it was still a good weekend!  Got lots of stuff done, did some relaxing, and got in a great 10K race!

ZOOMA Chicago Training Week 7
After not really following my training plan for the ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon, I was determined to make Week 7 the most successful week of training yet.  I set myself up for success, and it worked!!
Monday: 2.20 mile run (originally scheduled for 3 miles, but Tequila got too tired)

Tuesday: Bikram yoga (90 minutes)
Wednesday: 30 minutes on the treadmill + BodyPUMP
Thursday: rest day
Friday: lazy day
Saturday: rest day
Sunday: Suck It Up Buttercup 10K

Signing up for the 10K was a fantastic way for me to get in a long run this week.  I wasn't about to skip out on the race when I'd paid the highest registration fee I've ever paid for a local race!  That's what I get for signing up a week and a half before the race.  Writing my workouts in my planner was also a BIG key to my success this week, and I'm planning on doing that again this week.

I am getting more and more excited for the trip to Chicago, so I think it's making me more focused on my training, as well.  I'm really hoping that I will be successful again this week with my training.  It's the last big week of training before tapering, so I better!

Question for you: How do you handle when plans change on you?  What were your workouts like this week?