running – Page 7 – Movin' it with Michelle

Friday Five: A Day in the life…

March 14, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

Today I am linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for my first Friday five link up! Please head over and check out their blogs!

I’m super excited!!!

Today’s topic is a day in the life…my life is pretty routine, so please bear with my monotony. The key to the excitement is that any deviation from my routine truly throws me off…ack! LOL

My alarm goes off promptly at 6:03 a.m. every week day for work. If my husband is in town, I allow myself 2 snoozes because I am only in charge of getting myself ready, and taking my oldest to school. After the second snooze, I roll out of bed and stumble to the bathroom. I put in my moisture eye drops (I have terribly dry eyes), turn on my curling iron and hot water (it takes several minutes to heat up) and then use the restroom. After which I get dressed quickly (my clothes are set out the night before-always), put on deodorant, brush my teeth and wash my face. I shower at night…Then it’s quick make up, throw my hair up and I’m ready to go. All in exactly 15 minutes flat.

Next I grab my Starbucks refresher which has been my BFF since my insomnia resurfaced. I gave up most caffeine quite a while ago, but this has become a necessity to function. I like it because it’s cheaper than going to Starbucks, and has WAY less sugar/crap in it I’ve found. Here’s my favorite flavor!

My day then becomes rather boring. Monday through Friday, and every 5th weekend I am working. My job is foreign to most, but I supervise an Anatomic Pathology laboratory and although it’s not my life passion I have really grown to love the people and place I work.

My workouts depend on the day/my schedule. Normally Monday is rest/light weights, Tuesday/Thursday running, Friday light weights, and Saturday or Sunday are my long run days with the other day used for walking/rest. My youngest accompanied me on my 4 miler yesterday. It was sheer bliss seeing her smile from ear to ear and giggle for 1.2 miles.

Can someone BE any cuter? Talking about my youngest of course...lol — Can someone BE any cuter? Talking about my youngest of course…lol

My evenings are normally filled with kids homework, chores, cooking, etc until about 8 p.m. where I shut down and allow myself time to blog, fb, do SOMETHING I enjoy. We deserve a little down time, right?!

So that’s my Friday fives!!! So excited to link up this week, and hope you enjoyed!!

What does your daily routine look like? Are you a planner? What do you do for enjoyment?

Thanks, y’all!

❤ Michelle

marathon training, running, strength

Tuesday Truths…

March 11, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know of my love hate relationship with the Treadmill. While yes, I am truly thankful I’ve had it for yet another winter in Chiberia, 99.9% of my runs on the ‘mill have been downright painful. But I won’t keep playing that broken record, because in all honesty I am tired of that tune as well.

So tonight, as I walked out of work I had a well devised plan to pick up my youngest from after school care, my oldest from Badminton practice, and get home to change clothes QUICK and run outside. The temps were darn near perfect with the sun peaking through the fog and temps at a balmy 52 degrees. SCORE. And even though my hour commute home between the drive home from work and kid taxi’ing had a temperature drop – I was RUNNING OUTSIDE darn it.

A little sun would have made these conditions PERFECT!!!!

And so I did…I laced up my shoes, stepped out of the front door, and abruptly stopped. I hadn’t run OUTSIDE in nearly 4 months. Would I remember how to do this? I wasn’t sure…

The first mile was tough. My ankles hurt, my heels felt weird, darn it was my right shin acting up? I had to smack myself to shut up and I made my way around my neighborhood loop I have mapped out. The first mile was clocked in at a 9:06 mm. I stopped briefly to check my phone as I thought I heard it beep and wanted to make sure the kiddos were ok. As I turned I saw my hubby driving past me on his way home and he cheered me on. It was just what I needed!! The second and third mile were nearly effortless and I felt my legs get an extra spring in their step as I took off…It was just me, my music, my hood, and my miles…and suddenly I was reminded why I do this. Why I take so much time out of my life to train…because I LOVE the feeling you get when you are no longer running, and you begin to fly. My splits were 9:06, 9:11, 8:50 and 8:38 for the last tic. I feel like a new woman, honestly.

Today at work everyone kept asking me why I was smiling even more than I usually do…and I just smiled some more.

“I am running outside, tonight,” I said.

But I didn’t really run…I flew. And my soul is truly in a better place.

My take away is that although yes, my treadmill runs were tough this winter I truly believe they made me a stronger runner mentally. While I’ve always taken pride in my mental strength when it comes to distance running, that strength was tested over the last several months.

And I am happy to report…I passed!

How did you deal with less than optimal conditions when it comes to running? What is your favorite temperature to run in?

Thanks, y’all!

❤ Michelle

Friday

Friday Five-Week 3 of training

March 6, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

Here are some things/stuffs I am loving/living this week.

1. First, and foremost. My Brooks Launch 2’s. I love them. They are like clouds on my feet and I wish I could sleep in them…ok….maybe a bit much but still.

2. I chew gum when I run. Some question folks who can talk and chew gum at the same time. I MUST run and chew gum at the same time or my cadence is completely OFF. Brand? Extra, of course. Orange or Watermelon are my go-to flavors.

3. As I near my 1 year anniversary at work, I find myself almost waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am so in love with my job (minus weekends, holidays, and the occasional snarky person) that I keep shaking my head. Every day is better. Every day I feel like I am making a difference with the best crew I’ve ever supervised. Someone. Pinch. ME. now.

4. Single parenting is tough. We’ve discussed this before. But sometimes we surprise ourselves and realize we CAN do it alone. Going on the better part of the month, alone and – WINNING.

I may have served 20 years, but I still have years to serve as a spouse.

5. Dreadmill runs are extremely difficult for me. But as I ran tonight my virtual RBFF texted me continually telling me I COULD do this. Thanks, Maria.

So at the end of the day, I am living, running, moving, and loving EVERY single step of my life.

Winning.

Question-what made YOU happiest this week?

food, Recipes, running, Uncategorized

Monday Motivation and updates

March 3, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

So after finishing my temper tantrum from the weekend, I decided this morning to pick myself up and start over today. Despite struggles, single parenting, and normal teenage drama I needed a clean slate. So here….we….go….

This morning I woke up on time, and allowed myself an extra snooze. I smiled as I cuddled my dog, and I took my time getting ready since I only had ONE child to tend to this morning. And it felt great. This is a new day.

Work was great, and I had time to organize and file a lot of paperwork that had been collecting dust on my desk. YAY to organizing, right?!

My hubby offered to take our youngest to ballet even though it’s something I normally do, stating, “You need a break.” He’s right… I do.

Can I get an Amen? Pic: veryfunnypics.eu — Can I get an Amen?
Pic: veryfunnypics.eu

So I cooked the family dinner after work, and jumped at the chance to run. My legs are still very tight from Saturday, so it felt GREAT to stretch ’em out on the ‘mill. WAIT…did I say that out loud? A dready run that wasn’t so dreadful. Winning.

quick dready run that wasn't so dready... — quick dready run that wasn’t so dready…

After my run, I ate dinner, showered, and have been sitting quietly at my computer working on the recipe section of my blog for about an hour and a half. Have you checked it out yet? It’s just a start, but I’d love for you to try some of my favorite recipes! You can check it out here! Feedback, comments, and ideas are always welcomed!

It felt great ~~despite laundry duty~~ to give myself a couple hours to do something JUST for me. Running. Writing. And cataloging recipes. Does it get better than that?

How do you spend your down time? Do you allow yourself time to just do YOUR thing at least once a week? If not, I highly recommend it. I tell ya what…my uninterrupted shower tonight was off. the. chain. LOL

Thanks, y’all! I look forward to hearing from you!

❤ Michelle

Tuesday Truth

Tuesdays and Treadmills, it’s a love hate thing.

February 25, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

Normally I love Tuesdays…it’s one day closer to hump day but this week has been an inward battle. Between the weather, and knowing another week of training will be on the ‘mill, I had to dig deep.

I’ve learned a lot this winter in regards to relationships. It’s hard to hang close to people you don’t spend time with a lot. BUT, that doesn’t mean you care about them any less. At least in my book.

In all honestly I miss my running friends. They’ve all remained tough and have ran outside ALL winter long. I, well, have not. So it’s hard to relate as we are all over the place. My sleep has been less than stellar as it is most winters (and when my husband travels) so I have taken advantage of any extra sleep I can get, even if it means missing run club. Why? Am I not hard core enough? Am I not dedicated enough?

A lot probably would say such things about me, and my running/training this go-round has been less than hard core. And I understand…while my friends are in sub-zero temps running miles outside, I am indoors with a tank top and shorts running in the comfort of my own home with indoor facilities and all the entertainment I need….right?

Oh HECK NO…I would much rather be outside, but the thought of my hands/feet going so numb it actually hurts (Reynaud’s syndrome-self diagnosed as my Mom has it) to the point I can’t take it keeps me inside in temps below about 35 degrees. So sorry, but I just can’t be sorry. I am simply exhausted and doing the best I can on my own. I know…insert the #poorme reference here. Sorry…

But here’s a good image that describes how I feel running on the treadmill…

I can’t find my groove, I can’t have that feeling of bliss. Ack…I am saying I can’t.

But I’m running. I am working hard. And it’s the hardest mental test I’ve given myself in quite some time.

Brooks Launch 2's are officially MINE! — Brooks Launch 2’s are officially MINE!

Running a marathon was almost easier than running 6 miles on the ‘mill last weekend. If I have to do 8 miles on the mill this coming weekend, I may need to be pre-medicated. Just saying.

With that, I bid you all goodnight. Another sleepless night has left me feeling less than stellar, and I am praying for some beauty sleep. Sometimes I just can’t turn the ‘ole noggin’ off.

Pretty much! Pic from Pinterest — Pretty much!
Pic from Pinterest

I ask, how do you deal with winter training? What do you do when you try to engage in conversation but things are always one-sided? Any tips on a full nights sleep?

Sweet dreams, y’all!

#keepmovinforward

Michelle

Recipes, Wordless Wednesday

Never a wordless Wednesday

February 5, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

Although I haven’t joined the 30 day Yoga challenge, I have decided to include Yoga in my weekly routine, at least 1-2 times per week. Those of you that know me, know I am NOT flexible…But I am working towards being a leaner, stronger, more flexible runner in 2015…so here we go…

Balanced and even?? Heck no...but I sure am trying. — Balanced and even?? Heck no…but I sure am trying.

And meet my amazing yoga partner, my mini Mover.

My 8 year old held strong for 30 minutes tonight; So proud! (notice my photobombing dog, yeah…lol)

After work, and Yoga, we decided to prepare a healthy meal. The chicken wings I had (again) in the Caf at work were NOT healthy. Argh. Someone please pass me a side of will power, please…lol. I am down 2 lbs so I won’t complain-too much…8 lbs to go…

We made a yummy salad with mixed greens of baby kale, arugula, and spinach along with some chopped romaine. I added radishes, tomatoes, green onions and a healthy yogurt dressing.

Top your salad with crab meat that has been seasoned with a little Old Bay and YUM!

Tonight we hunkered down on the couch and watched American Idol. Yup…still a junky 13 years later. There are very few shows we can catch on our ONE channel, but I’ve been trying to gather the family more at least a few nights per week for at least an hour. We all love music in our house, so this show is a win/win. And it’s an hour spent with my favorite people. What more could I ask for?

And now I sit here, with my thoughts and honestly I think I’ll go to bed soon. In my efforts to disengage from FB, I still find myself checking back far too often seeing people’s posts that just (sorry) piss me off. Why do I bother? As my sister says….FB sure can be a ‘Life suck’…I need to not let it suck the life out of me. This brings #SMDH (shaking my darn head) to a whole new level….

So tomorrow I have a good ole dready run on deck, and despite work, kids, housework, etc, I’ve decided to MAKE the time. Because guess what….I NEED it. This…is no longer a want.

OOPS, my laundry timer is going off…Back to reality gang!!!

What are your favorite cross training work outs if you are a runner? Have you ever tried Yoga?

❤ Keep Movin’ Forward, y’all….Michelle

depression, moving forward

Fear and frustration = FUEL for marathon motivation

February 3, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

In 2013 I ran my second FULL marathon. I swore I’d never run a second full, but got the bug after the first training run. I PR’d by nearly an hour (58 minutes to be exact, I SHOULD know the seconds, but don’t, lol) and I SWORE I’d never run another full marathon. I ran a couple half marathon races in 2014, to include my husband’s first half…did you read about it? You can read about it HERE!

So today while on my break I decided to catch up on blog posts. My friend Kim asked when training for the Grandma’s Marathon started, and after scratching my head and thumbing through my calendar I realized official training starts in TWO weeks. WHA???? Here. WE. GOOOO! In two weeks I need to be back up to a steady 6 mile run. Easy peasy, right? I’m a marathoner for goodness sake…Ack…I haven’t ran more than 13.1 miles in 4 months…but I’m ready. And a little scared, too…<3

Have you heard of this race? If not, read here! For those that don’t know, this is my hometown race, where I grew up watching marathoners crossing the finish line, thus my dream of being a marathoner began.

And a marathoner I am…to me, this is one of the hugest mental and physical accomplishments of my life. I have loved, I have lost, and I have ran 26.2 freakin’ miles. yeah…quote THAT. 🙂

But the last 2 days I fought with some mental demons, past hurts, and irrevocable YUCK that just can’t be ~~forgiven~~ forgotten. I ALMOST let it get to me….but NOPE. Sorry y’all, I’ve got a marathon to train for…#movinforward

So I thank you all for your positive feedback in regards to my last post. I know we all struggle, we are all human, and we all have those negative forces that try to creep in…BUT…I also know, only some of us decide to move forward…and not let that crap in. (Yes, I was literally shaking my head today)!!!!

At the end of the day, I managed to finish my plank challenge (Day 2) and added an additional 10 seconds, as well as did the push up challenge I am participating in this month. Tomorrow is mill day, and I hope to get in at least 3 miles. I’ll be taking all of my fear and frustration and ‘running it out’ tomorrow…who’s with me? Let’s leave the crap behind us, right?

What are your plans for the week? Do you have any upcoming races?

moving forward

Sometimes you just have to start over…Snow, Sluggish miles, and Super Bowl fun

February 2, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

My year started out a little rocky between injury and stress levels running at an all time high. For the first few weeks of the year I couldn’t run OR cook. yeah…#killmenow basically was in affect.

But today, as we start the second month of the year I woke up happy, nearly rested, and ready to run. We were hit by a terrible snow storm over night, and I am honestly just a wimp as I’ve aged with running outside in bitter temps/wind/crazy conditions. It was snowing…SIDEWAYS. yeah. I was staying INSIDE.

But as I stepped on the scale before I changed in to my running clothes my heart sank a little, and I knew it was time to start over. Despite giving up some bad habits in the past, I’ve taken on some even worse habits of snacking at 9 pm at night which have cause my weight to go up higher than I’ve seen since the birth of my last child. I have honestly weighed the same give or take a few lbs. for the better part of my adult life….so fighting with the scale is a new battle for me. But…

No more. Time to start over.

This morning I started my day with a run. Loud capris and shoes in tow…Yup…that’s how I roll.

My kids played in the snow, while I made my Detox soup for the week!

detox soup, ready for my lunches this week!

I researched and found a new plank challenge for beginners that I will post daily on my FB page. Have you liked my page yet? Please look over to the right margin of my page and give me a little love!

And then, I roasted an amazing pork roast as my hubby prepared to stream the Super bowl via the internet. YAY!

I served this with a salad of fresh greens and baked sweet potato fries. YUM.

Not the ideal way to watch the game, but hey! It worked!

We are ending the night with the hubs plowing and shoveling, AGAIN…note the look of disdain on his face…LOL

So with all that…today I am starting over (again). I realized that the most important thing in life that we can give, is love…I’ve fought the emotional battles of “not being enough” and it just isn’t worth it. People will make an effort to be a part of your life-if they truly want to…and sometimes, you realize that your efforts are falling on deaf ears and you need to step back and focus on YOU. Starting over, daily, because isn’t that what life is all about? #Movin’forward

And sometimes….most times…and always. You need to be your own hero.

How do you overcome the negative forces in your life? Are you an all weather runner?

Recipes

A whole lot of recipes with a dash of running

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

I only ran once last week, and despite my scale being angry at me for the lack of exercise, I won’t complain. The two nights during the week I can normally squeeze a work out in are Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday I got a couple miles in, but Thursday was my daughter’s school production and that trumps running any day of the week. I did make sure to meet my goal of cooking at least 3 of the 5 days during the week though, leaving the other two days (Mon/Fri) for left overs/sammiches.

I woke up this morning after a good long week of a headache to not much relief so decided to push my run off one more day. I’ll tready it tomorrow while Chiberia is in full affect. Yeah, I am wimpy like that. I may even get bold and do yoga too!

Upon realization that we will be missing the Super bowl tomorrow due to lack of cable/streaming capabilities I wiped away my “poor me” attitude quickly and sat down to make my shopping list. We would still eat great food and enjoy each other’s company this weekend. Well, minus my eldest mover…she is off with friends because isn’t that what teenagers do?

Our list was filled with tons of produce and the ingredients to make some yummy detox soup I found over at Be Fit With Tracy. Click HERE for the recipe. I will be making this tomorrow, and can’t wait to give it a try! We also had the ingredients for Beef Bourguignon because well, that’s what the hubby requested for dinner. I borrowed the recipe from my favorite cooking store, Sur La Table and modified it slightly using finely diced carrots, baby shallots, pancetta and gluten free flour vs. the called for ingredients. You can find the recipe HERE.

My youngest mover and I hit the road running and battled the crowds with smiles on our faces. You’d think the world was ending without a single empty shopping cart in sight, and hundreds of people squeezing through the isles. But we survived, LOL!

After unloading all of our groceries, I started the cooking process as this is no “quick” dish. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to be exact! Here is my prep in pics!

Everything is ready, and the lid is about to go on! T-2 hours!

Be patient, let the butter and the heat do the work...after about 15 minutes you'll have perfection! — Be patient, let the butter and the heat do the work…after about 15 minutes you’ll have perfection!

1-31mushrooms — Use the same pan you cooked your onions in, just add a bit more butter!

Can I get a drum roll please? Here is the final product after 2 hours of simmering. Did I mention how GOOD my house smells?

My husband tasted, and literally picked me up and started swinging me around the kitchen. I’d say that’s a win. ❤

Final dish, served with red wine, Pinot Noir goes well with this dish!

I can honestly say this is one of the best dishes I have made to date. I am proud that I tackled a dish that Julia Child herself is known for, and even more proud that it tasted so good! I was also reminded that I just can’t give up on my dreams. It may not be happening for me now, but I will keep movin’ towards those goals!

How do you stick with your dreams and goals despite road blocks? Have you ever tackled a recipe you didn’t think you could prepare?

❤ Michelle

moving forward

Movin’ forward, Two things this Tuesday

January 28, 2015January 28, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

I have had a bit of a rough week physically. I’m not sure if it is the weather, crazy storm fronts or lack of good sleep but I’ve just felt a bit off. My sinus cavities aren’t happy with all the weather changes, and my stomach has that “Are you two months pregnant?” look to it that means it MUST be that dreaded time of the month ~~or I have been eating too much crap aka salt.~~ Crap…it’s only Tuesday!

As I drove to work today on my 0.1 nano-seconds of sleep I decided to reflect on how my year has started. (In reference to the nano-second please, PLEASE tell me you know who Mork and Mindy are…). I use my commute to think, reflect, and devise my daily plan for forward movement. That is my mantra….right?

Firstly, I started off my year by NOT running due to my accidental ~~idiot mistake~~ to lop off part of my thumb. I almost let this incident get to me, but remembered last year’s winter and decided it best to keep movin’ forward. So last week I started running again and yeah…a month off can hurt a person’s mojo. I can’t get my breathing straight, I hate the dreadmill, and it truly is hard to get motivated enough to get movin’ after a long day of work. But I’ve kept at it despite not feeling 100%…and although my mileage/speed is crap, I am at least MOVIN’…right?

After work, while dinner was cooking-THIS happened...lol — After work, while dinner was cooking-THIS happened…lol

Secondly, sometimes winter gets to my emotional well being. Ok…~~I hate winter~~, more eloquently said, winter hurts…ROFL. That being said, I started to let the negative forces creep back in to my life…until I promptly kicked them to the curb. Be gone! People, stuff, events, you name it…I refuse to get sucked back in to it all. So sorry if I am a bit absent from the negativity…#noroomforthatcrap #sorrynotsorry

Yet tonight I had SEVERAL text messages from friends both near and far that wanted to check in on me/say hi/chat. Score. My heart was re-filled and I knew I was on the right path yet again.

And now, as my hubs heads off to his late night soccer game I bid you all good night, and sweet dreams.

Questions…how do you keep yourself movin’ forward during tough times, winter months etc?

❤ Michelle

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: