Today’s run: 6 miles @ mid tempo, .22 c/d, core/lots of stretching!
I am back to incorporating 3 quality runs a week: repeats, tempo and the long run. Today’s mid tempo pace run started with 2 mi @ 8:00, increase to 2 mi @ 7:19, back down to 2 mi @ 8:00. It was not an easy run. It was a warm morning and I just felt blah. I was a major sweaty/whiny mess until I got home and saw the story of Bob Wieland on the news.
Bob Wieland is a double amputee who is cycling from CA to NY and BACK to raise money for the L.A Dream House. He will cycle approximately 7,000 miles using a hand bike! (And I am complaining about a “blah” 6 mile run. I am LAME)
photo credit: KTLA
Bob says every day is a miracle, and out on the open road, he hopes to inspire others to make each day count.
At 65, he will be the oldest person to ever attempt this journey.
Is this man amazing or what?!? He served me a quick attitude adjustment on a platter. To read more about his story click HERE. You will be amazed at what this man has gone through.
~
You still have until tomorrow to enter the GIVEAWAY!
This afternoon I headed to Sports Authority to pick up my bib for the Coronado 15k.
You know it’s a small race when your swag bag contains one sample balance bar and a fruit strip
Bonus points for the reusable bag, minus one for the $10 off that requires you to spend $50.
I have never run a 15k race but I heard this one is fun. It’s a flat, fast course on the water with lots of 4th of July awesomeness afterwards. There is also a 5k run/walk so I assume this will be a family friendly event. Let’s hope H&S can control themselves! We know kids get all kinds of crazy when other kids are around. It’s like they all try to one-up each other.
~
Speaking of one-uping. I think my teeny tiny giveaway is a slight step up from my swag bag
For those of you new to my blog I like to giveaway stuff I have tried and like (or even LOVE). Sometimes I throw in things I haven’t tried but somehow ended up with a surplus so I share the love. That’s what friends do. We share.
What ya get this time around:
* Yakult clip on water bottle. This is a brand new reusable aluminum water bottle
* O.N.E Pink Guava Cocnut Water. This stuff is so good post rumn/workout!
* Mini Clif Oatmeal Raisin Bar
* Nutrilite Roc20, Endurance Cubes and a sample of Rhodiola 110
*BHip Energy Mix and BHip Pink Premium Mixer
*Single packet of Bell-Horn Fast Freeze pain relief gel
~
Want it? Heck yes you do! ! It’s fun to get a box of a bunch of little stuff! Plus it’s always a bonus to get something other than bills in the mail, right?
To enter leave me a comment and let me know that you want in! If you have any questions about the products please ask! Giveaway will be open through Friday. Winner will be picked by random.org.
~
Off to make myself a ridiculously good fro-yo sundae and cozy up for SYTYCD!
Good Morning Party People! It’s Wednesday which means4th of Julyweekend is almost here!
I heart her!
4th of July was so fun as a kid. My family used to have big parties on our ranch and my Dad would put on an awesome firework show at sundown. Playing with sparklers was the best! I loved writing my name in the sky. It’s crazy how things have changed since then. Fireworks are no longer available for purchase at a neighborhood store (something about wildfires: weird! ha). Many of our beach communities have cancelled firework shows over the ocean due to cost and arguments about their effect on the environment. I am sure they will get things figured out but it’s such a bummer!
Since my kids are still young and the 4th is on a Monday they will not be able to stay up for fireworks (shows start at 9pm here). Instead I am participating in an event that rhymes with “ace” and then we will be hanging out on Coronado island for all of the festivities! A big parade and fun times at the beach! It’s going to be a beautiful day!
~
I am working on the giveaway post and will have it up tonight before SYTYCD!!
Short Version: The gang heads to Hong Kong. Chris Harrison tells Ashley that her wish has come true and Bentley is there to talk. She goes to see Bentley and he tells her the “dot dot dot” is now a “period” She suddenly turns into I am woman hear me roar and is over him. Riiight.One-on-one with Lucas, he gets a rose. Group date races dragon boats, Ryan gets a rose. One-on-one with Jp McHottie, of course he gets a rose. Mickey leaves the show (!!!) and Dr. Blake is sent home at the rose ceremony.
**Before I go into the long version I have to say: GO MEN! They gave it to Ashley tonight (deserved) and I loved that they stood up for themselves! Newsflash Ashley, you are not the only one that has given up time, work, etc to be on the show!
Long Version:
Per the bach norm it was time for everyone to pack it up and move to another country. The destination: HONG KONG.
photo credit: hilton conrad
The dudes are told that once they arrive at the hotel they will receive the first date card. Ashley goes into her normal “Bentley” chat when we cut to Chris Harrison surprising Ashley in her hotel room (I am sure it was a REAL shocker). He tells Ashley that Bentley is in Hong Kong, in her hotel and she can go see him when she is ready. He writes down the room number and leaves.
After “gathering” herself she heads down to his hotel room. Bentley opens the door and when she hugs him she goes for the kiss.
photo credit: abc
He clearly didn’t want to kiss her but obliged (because he is a d-bag) and let her in. They have a total ambiguous conversation about where he is at and how is he feeling. I got increasingly agitated throughout this conversation but then reminded myself I broke a tooth last week. We don’t need anymore mishaps in the D house!
She finally asks him about the “dot dot dot” that he left her with and he kept beating around the bush. She finally gets the clue and asks if the “dot dot dot” is a “period.” He says yes and she suddenly becomes all Wonder Woman on him. She goes off about how he could have called instead of flying to Hong Kong. I think her words were “What, did you want a free vacation?” UM, YEAH, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?
She was clearly ticked because she now realized he was never into her. Finally!!! It took all that time? Really? Really?
She has her alone interview and says “F-you” to him and that she is done. Riiiight. We all know we will still hear about Bentley for the next few weeks.
~
25 minutes later we get into the dates! The first one-on-one of the night is with LUCAS
photo credit: abc
Although I think Lucas is sweet, this date was boring. Ashley hasn’t spent a lick of time with the guy so she knows nothing about him. (Lets all blame Bentley).
They walk around Hong Kong and take in the night. The end up on a boat for dinner that circles the lit up downtown. Lucas says the boat looks like a pirate ship (he is right it kind of does!). They have a convo about his past. He talks about his previous marriage (where did I miss this?) and what he is looking for in a wife.
Ashley says she has learned a lot about him (sure she did) and gives him a rose.
~
Group date: Ben, Ames, Constantine, Ryan, Mickey and Blake (who is TICKED because he still hasn’t had a one-on-one). They are told they will be Dragon Boat racing. The guys are divided into teams of 2 and sent out to recruit people to join their respective teams. Ben and Constantine are hilarious on this date. They clearly didn’t care! They named themselves “Team Red Dragon” and sported bandanas while trying to convince people to join their team. Those two might be brothers from another mother.
photo credit: abc
Ames and Mickey end up winning the race. Back at the cocktail party Ryan turns back into guy smiley
and ends up with a rose. The dudes are NOT HAPPY. They are still Ryan haters. I don’t think this will change!
~
The last one-on-one is with JP. This is his second one-on-one date so we know that Ashley is digging him. Plus she
has made it known that he is the best kisser ever so I am pretty sure she was looking forward to a makeout sesh.
photo credit: abc
They meet in a park and Ashley asks him “When is the last time you cried?” He tells her it was his last breakup
and that he was in a really bad place. For lord only knows what reason she decides that this would be a good time
to tell JP that she saw Bentley just a few days prior. He gives the look of surprise and we go to a commercial break.
COME ON ABC. JP JUST BEAT UP MICKEY LAST WEEK, WE’RE PRETTY SURE HE IS NOT ABOUT TO GO OFF ON ASHLEY.
We come back from the uberly lame commercial break and Ashley is explaining she needed closure and she is totally
over Bentley and that she really likes JP and she feels like she can fully commit herself now. I am sure that made him
feel super awesome to be thought of as #2. He doesn’t really look ticked and basically tells her that he is glad she got
closure and thanks her for being honest. She then, of course, gives him a rose.
~
Cocktail Party/Rose Ceremony: Because JP took the Bentley news so well Ashley decides she should come clean with the rest of the guys. I think she said “This is going to be great” because she feels like she is coming clean to the dudes. She sits down and breaks the news…and then gets laid into by Constantine,Lucas, Blake and surprisingly Mickey!
Constantine takes a jab by reminding her that on their last one-on-one she said she had moved on. He pretty much called her a liar without calling her a liar. TAKE THAT BENTLEY LOVER. Lucas then chimes in and asks why she didn’t do it sooner? He points out they had been to three different places since he left (California, Thailand, China)- she had plenty of chances and waits til now? She tells him that it took longer than she expected and he just shakes his head at her. OUCH. Head shakes are brutal. It’s like when your parents tell you that they are not mad, just disappointed. He then continues on his tirade and says she is wasting his f’ing time. DUDE IS MAD.
Ashley then decides to do her one-on-ones to let each guy vent. Blake makes her cry when he points out that he is vying for a one-on-one and Bentley gets one without being on the show! Mickey calls her a liar, tells her that if she is looking for someone like Bentley to just send him home. He said he is nothing like Bentley and frankly not interested. Ashley says she will not send him home, if he wants to go he can go on his own. He says see ya later and heads out.
They interview him on the boat and he says “Someone is going to make Ashley happy. That someone isn’t me.”
After Ashley attempts to gather herself its rose ceremony time. Lucas, JP and Ryan all have roses. She hands out the last three to Ben, Constantine and Ames. Dr. Blake the dentist is sent home.
~
I don’t know about you all, but Ashley’s drama is wearing on me. I am certain there will be a lot more tears in the next few weeks and if any of them are over Bentley I may barf.
JP is the clear front-runner so it will be interesting to see how things play out!
If you watched last night:
Do you think the guys had a right to be upset?
Do you think Mickey will be the next bachelor?
Do you think JP will end up as Ashley’s main squeeze?
Today was a butt-kicking, sweat pouring, heart pounding, feeling-like-I-am-going-to-die, awesomesauce speed sesh. It was HARD. My lungs were burning. On the last set I kept repeating to myself “almost done, go faster, almost done, you’re not going to die!” When I was finished and headed to stretch I realized I didn’t have a single feeling of pain in either foot. I am pretty sure I cried a few happy tears. Total salt face. Total happiness. Tomorrow will be a cross-train day as I continue to work on strengthening my feet and calves. Overall goal: NO MORE FOOT INJURIES!
~
Bach review is coming…hang tight. There were so many good moments last night that I don’t want to leave out any deets!!
You know you are getting a good laugh in when it causes you to snort. Who snort laughs on Monday? I do friends. I do. That’s what happens when you work a crazy job with some seriously funny mofo’s. I better be careful, don’t want to end up back at the dentist like last week. I have nearly knocked myself out laughing (hit my head) so chipping a tooth is not out of the question!
~
Today’s Workout: 45 min spin, rotating planks (6 min no breaks), leg workout
After Saturday’s speedy run I decided to take another run rest day to give the tootsie’s a break. Yesterday I had aching in my arches, however, I am super happy to report that today I am walking around pain free! There is light at the end of the tunnel!
Now that I have calmed down a bit, let’s talk about my Nike GPS Sport Watch.
As you all know I was one of the “lucky” ones that got one a few days earlier than the general public. This is Nike’s first go in the GPS market and I knew they would have to bring it to compete with Garmin.
This watch was a score at $199 and came with a foot pod. The foot pod is good for use on the treadmill or as a backup to the GPS satellite. It has a large screen with a backlight so it’s easy to read. It’s easy to toggle between pace, average pace, duration, time, etc. This is a great watch for someone looking for a reasonable priced, functional, GPS watch.
Downfall?IT DROPS THE SATELLITE SIGNAL FREQUENTLY.
I cannot tell you how frustrating this is for me. Maybe it should not bother me, but it does. If it was only a tenth of a mile off I wouldn’t care- but to be .40 off on Saturday and .80 off on a prior run is absurd. The issue is the foot pod takes over when the GPS drops, however, the foot pod is not accurate. Nike claims it calibrates off of the GPS signal, however, I call bullshananies. If that was the case my watch would have clocked 8.20 (or close to it) on Saturday. Instead it came in at 7.79. How do I know it was off? We mapped the run ahead of time. Everyone that ran in a Garmin clocked between 8.21-8.26. Map my run gave us 8.20.
Now, GPS can be off with weaving, cutting a turn, etc. I know this. I don’t expect it to be dead on. However, I do expect the GPS to work accurately on a coastal run. I highly doubt that the palm trees lining the bay were blocking the Tom Tom Satellite. When I look at my run on the Nike Plus website I see that the watch dropped around mile 3 and was on and off the rest of the run. They have got to do something to fix this.
There I feel better. Thanks for listening to my vent as my love/hate relationship continues
Busy day yesterday! I am still in love with my Kinvara’s, however, I am really starting to dislike my Nike GPS watch. Let’s just say I am hoping to win a Garmin at the next adventure run. We will talk about that later.
~
Rolled out of the rack and headed down to Point Loma to get run on. If you have never run with a group I urge you to give it a shot. It is awesome to have other people pushing you to get better. Or if you are having a chill day there is someone else to chill with you.
It was a WARM morning. We typically have cloudy, cool weather in June so to see the sun at 7:30 am meant it was going to get hot fast. We agreed on 8 miles and were off!
I ran the first 2 miles with my friends Stacey and Sharon. We were cruising at an 8:30 pace when our friend Paul caught us. Paul is the tall blonde guy below. Paul is FAST. I decided I was going to finish my run with him
At mile 3 I looked at my watch and we were running in the low 7’s. No wonder I was feeling like I was pushing it. We finished the last 6.2 in 46 minutes.
That’s a 7:25 pace! Who am I?
I haven’t run a 10k that fast since Iron Girl last year. Thank you Paul for pushing me!! I NEEDED that.
We finished and headed to Panera for breakfast and friend time. SO FUN!
~
Got home, got cleaned up and we headed to the movies to take the kiddos to see Cars 2!
H-man loved every minute of it. Sloane, however, decided that she needed to go to the bathroom 7 TIMES during the movie. 7. Who pees that much? A little girl who decided that a movie without a princess is just not that rad.
~
Fast forward to this morning. Time to head to church. We are starting a new series called “Why Bad Things Happen.” I am really looking forward to this. It’s something we all question right? Why is there rape? Murder? Natural Disasters? If you are interested click HERE to watch online. It will be like you are right there with me!
When I get home this afternoon I may GO OFF about my Nike GPS Sport Watch. SO FRUSTRATED.
Remember when I told you I might love the new Nike Vomeros? I lied. They ain’t got nothin’ on the Saucony Pro Grid Kinvara 2’s.
I did a progression run in them this morning and am still smiling from ear to ear. I am seriously considering going home at lunch to put them back on for say…a…recovery run? Ok bad idea (stay away PF), but this should tell you how FAB I think these shoes are.
Want the deets? Of course you do! When I put them on I immediately noticed the slight heel drop (making them a good transition shoe) and how well they breathe (you know my Injinji socks need fresh air). The fit? Nice and snug through the midfoot, but not so tight that my arch was screaming mercy. This shoe has plenty of forefoot cushion but not so much that I could not feel the ground beneath me. Did I tell you I love this shoe? Oh, by the way, they are super light. They are the lingerie of running shoes.
Now that you have heard my spiel go try em out. I wouldn’t recommend throwing them on and running 20 miles as they are a minimalist shoe. Slow transition is key.
Dare I say it? This is my first progression run…P-p-p-p-p-p-p PAIN FREE! Ahhhhh it felt so good to get a speed run in. Now let’s not get it twisted, I will not be going buck wild and doing intervals tomorrow. Buuutttt…I am super positive that things are headed in the right direction.
Speaking of positive, check out the awesome slogan of Moving Comfort:
A FIT WOMAN IS A POWERFUL WOMAN
I absolutely love it. It is so very true. When we are fit we are strong (both physically and mentally) and nothing can stop us. We can run, we can skip, we can jump, we can swim, we can bike, we can dance. When we are fit we are ALIVE and prove to ourselves that WE CAN DO IT! The only person that can stop you is yourself- so get out there and GET FIT!
With that, who wants to run tomorrow morning? Anyone? Anyone?
Ok friends, I will admit it, I was a TERRIBLE photog tonight. I was so excited to get out of the office and get down to RRS that I failed in capturing the total radness of the night! My sincere apologies. I’ll make it up to you all, I promise!
~
Tonight’s events was strictly for the ladies. It was held at Road Runner Sports in San Diego and started promptly at 6 pm. I seriously hauled butt from work and met up with Maureen at 6:01.
Maureen looking super cute and Me looking like BUTT. That's what a crazy day looks like people
As payback for my lateness, she told me to put some jeans on and get a tan while I’m at it.
We grabbed a glass of sparkling cider (PARTY ANIMALS) and headed back to sports bra fitting. Holy fun! Ladies, if you have never done this you need to! It was awesome. I ended up with a purchase from moving comfort that doesn’t make me look like a 12-year-old boy!
We then made our way to the vendors to collect raffle tickets. Prepare for photo fail.
Compression socks for a long day at work!Mizuno guy who had all of the fall shoes out that are not yet available. Um, ok.
All I can say about this picture is wow. Sorry to the person who has half a butt cheek in this pic.What is this?
We went table to table chit chatting. Most vendors had fruit or veggie platters out. The Mizuno guy had a super yummy cookie from Mrs. Fields. We went the Mizuno guy. Let’s see carrots or a giant cookie with frosting. Easy decision.
The announcement for the raffle came over the loud speaker and Maureen won a New Balance bag with water bottle! Did I take a pic? Nah, why would I do that? That would make sense!
After 4 or 5 prizes there was a break so we tried on shoes. The raffle started again and wouldn’t you know it, Maureen won again! This time she ended up with a bag and dri-fit hat. SCORE.
Another break, another jog on the treadmill in new shoes. Raffle starts, MO WINS AGAIN! The guy said she was cut off from winning any more prizes. WHAT? She couldn’t help her luck! This prize was a super cool shirt from the American Cancer Society.
Although I didn’t win in the raffle I had a fabulous night with my awesome friend. I did go home with a New Balance gym towel, a Mizuno Headband and Injinji chapstick. I ended up purchasing a moving comfort sports bra and a new pair of Saucony Kinvara 2’s. Oh, and I bought LD a Fuel Belt sprinter so he would quit stealing mine. Although I think he secretly likes running with a pink water bottle.
Next RRS event is the Adventure Run on July 14th. If you are in SD join us for a fun run with a chance to win a ton of rad prizes!
~
What happened on SYTYCD tonight? Who got the boot?!? Time to go do my mommy duty of packing lunches and fire up the DVR!