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Training for running a 5k (Week 1)

Monday, November 29, 2010

o today Taller and I discussed working on getting me to a point where I can run a 5k without stopping. So here's how I am going to do it....

Week 1

Start with 5 minute brisk walk then 60 seconds of running then 90 seconds of walking. Repeat for 20 minutes.

Well I bought a cheap Timex (kids) watch with a stopwatch and I've been timing myself to see how long I could run. So how am I supposed to keep track of 20 mins of this run/walk sequence (see table below) but using the stopwatch I'll time the 5 minute brisk walk. Reset the stopwatch run until 1:00 then walk until it reads 2:30, etc. until I reach 10 mins then I'll turn around and start again. (I know ... genius ... lol)

Week 1

5 min brisk walk (bridge)

Run 1:00
Walk 2:30
Run 3:30
Walk 5:00
Run 6:00
Walk 7:30
Run 8:30
Walk 10:00
Turn around - Repeat 10 mins
End 5 min brisk walk (bridge)

Perfect Storm

So last week I was a mess. I seriously thought about posting it on my blog ... listing all the stuff going on and how I was feeling but I was seriously afraid that it would read like a suicide note. Literally folks, I cried like EVERYDAY (Shia doesn't cry...just ask Taller... I think I even freaked her out with hearing/seeing me cry...thanks for dealing with me Taller) and when I thought to myself..."am I depressed?" I cried even more. I seriously thought I was going to lose it - quit my job - get in my car and just drive away. Well happily I can say that I am better but while it was happening I felt like it was just getting worse and worse. At one point, I thought if I told my mom - her response would be - is it your period? My response then would be NO MOM! I'M DEPRESSED! So alas it was the perfect storm....too much work stress....too much family stress....too much football (and Paul watching football...OMG is the superbowl here yet?!?) ...full moon (yes people the other night I saw a full moon and cried because I was convinced that I am crazy...crazy people get worse during a full moon...right?) .... not enough working out (0ff track because of the crying and holiday) which curbs mood swings, reduces stress, etc......and HANNAH MONTANA TIME (click here to see blog post) seriously when it started I was 1) relieved that I wasn't crazy or depressed, 2) thought OMG why is my mom always right about that and I didn't even talk to her...lol, 3) WTF! This is the SECOND time this month, 4) where was the tell- tale zit to reassure me that I wasn't going crazy? OMG I don't think I will ever complain about a zit again....apparently they are helpful...lol and 5) is it over yet? It's actually amazing how much better I felt instantly. How do people that take birth control that makes you not have HM time not kill someone?

Me Motivated?

So I would think that if people I know were asked to describe me that they would say that I am the most motivated goal oriented person that they know. However, even I have a mental "to-do list" that I feel guilty about not doing.

Things on that list:
  1. Writing - I need to write MORE!  If only I could just plug a USB port into my brain and transfer all of it to the blog.
  2. Exercise more - Taller and I run/walk almost every weekday at lunch - but I feel like I need to do MORE!
  3. Work LESS - NO MORE OVERTIME!  JUST GO HOME LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES!
  4. Weekend woes - I feel like I need more motivation on the weekends - because I'm on "mileage restriction" (click to see blog post) I feel like now I am turning into a sloth on the weekends.  I watch TOO MUCH TV!
  5. Get a hobby - I don't think I have ever been able to answer the question "what are your hobbies?"  Any suggestions?  No....NO SCRAPBOOKING!!!
  6. Save MORE money - The "J" Fund (click to see blog post) is prospering at a nice pace.  I'm right on the money (ha ha) for what I planned when I started saving but at the end of every month I think....I can do better than this!
  7. C0unt Calories!!  I tell myself all the time that I need to keep a food journal and yet I never quite get it going.  (Today I actually did it.  I wrote EVERYTHING down...YAY!)
  8. Cut coupons - There are tons of blogs out there telling you how to save a boat load of cash by using coupons - Why am I not doing this?
  9. Drink more water - I get on a kick of drinking nothing but water then one tea and I'm off the water wagon.  (Today I actually drank my daily recommended amount of water...YAY)
  10. Stop going to Starbucks - Okay this follows with #6 and #9.  I spend a lot of cash at Starbucks and I say that it is okay because I usually don't buy food at work.  Well no more excuses....I have a canister full of tea in my desk - why go to Sbux?  (Today I had a free drink coupon and that's my last Sbux until I complete a 5k (running the whole 5k) and hopefully by then...I won't want it!)
  11. Eat breakfast - I hate waking up in the morning but I am gonna start making time for breakfast.  (Today I did it...YAY!)
  12. Hair - I want it to grow LONGER!  Okay there's not much I can do there...it's pretty long now...I just want like 2 or 3 more inches.  However, I see no real point in putting a lot of effort into straighten, etc. the white girl fro (click to see blog post)... I just work-out and there goes all the effort.  Yet I feel guilty. 
As you can see, there's tons more stuff I would love to be doing on a daily basis. BUT I'm gonna start working on this list. I've already started! If you are feeling unmotivated, make a list and start checking them off. You don't have to fix all of them at once. Just knocking off one or two will give you a good boost to get more of them done. As always, I will keep you posted with my progress. (Also, I feel like once I have all of this part of my daily routine, I'll have a new list. I just feel like I am someone that always has stuff in the works...well at least I'll always have stuff to write about!)

4 year olds.....

Saturday, November 27, 2010

The amount of energy my 4 year old niece has is amazing.  Today she got up early like 7 am to meet have Christmas pictures taken...then trip to Santa...more pics...then Circle and Marissa off to the zoo...playground....more zoo...ride to Circle's house...napped in the car for about 45 mins....playground...played on the steps in the pool...more playground....now she's running around the living room with Daisy.  How does she have all this energy?  It is INSANE!  Nicole we need to figure out how to bottle this and become millionaires.  Now the Wizard of Oz is on TBS...hopefully this wears her down...PUH=PLEASE...Aunt Circle can't keep up!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thursday, November 25, 2010


(Paul's favorite...The Peanuts.)
 What am I thankful for?
I have four days off from work!  HOLLA!!!

It's the most gemy time of the year....

Monday, November 15, 2010

Nobody wants to get sick especially me and this year I have even more reason to stay healthy.  My boss is currently undergoing some serious chemotherapy and I see him about every other day to swap files and stuff for him to work from home.  As you all know we seem to be amidst of cold and flu season, I can already hear tons of people coughing up a lung at work.  I need to work on staying cold and flu free to not inadvertently pass it on to my boss.  However, if I do come down with something I will definitely tell him and have someone germ free take and pick of the files.  But for now, I have been researching what I can do to stay germ free and this is what I have found. 

In the November issues of Shape and Self, each magazine stated that exercise and/or dieting helps the immune system.  Self says if you want to stay healthier this winter - cut calories.  People who are dieting by calorie counting and dropping pounds have stronger immune systems with better functioning T cells to fight viruses.  Shape magazine states that 3 hours of daily physical activity can help reduce your risk of getting a cold.  Also a plus any physical exercise counts - as long as your moving your racking up the time.  

Also, I thought why not do the "common knowledge" things to stay healthy.  1) hand santizier (check) 2) vitamin C (check) 3) Lysol (need to get) etc.  Well I just googled Vitamin C and was taken to Wikipedia which stated that intense studies have shown that Vitamin C doesn't really help with fighting a cold or preventing it...wow that sucks!  Also taking too much Vitamin C can lead to iron posioning because it can block your body from filtering it out of your system.   Needless to say the more I read the less impressed I became with the whole Vitamin C cure all.  

So I have also been thinking about getting a flu shot. First off I am not big on getting shots...I hate it.  One year I actually stood in line at UF waiting for my free flu shot and actually got it.  I tried to turn and run numerous times but didnt my mom was even surprised when I told her.  Well so I thought okay I've had a flu shot before....did it help?  I guess.  So I googled....I found out that the flu shot is dead viruses...okay so the shot itself doesnt make you sick.  And that it usually takes about 2 weeks to start working which is why most people say that they got sick after they got the shot...they were already exposed or the shot hadnt kicked in yet.  

So I guess my plan is to try to keep my desk germ free with hand sanitizer and Lysol and then I'm going to continue working out and eating right to stay healthy and make sure I get adequate sleep and ....womp womp...get the flu shot. I can be brave for my boss....he deserves it.

Why is it

anytime I feel like I haven't written a lot of posts I feel the need to explain myself or apologize on here. I mean let's just face the facts...life gets in the way of blogging. Sometimes there's tons of time to blog and other times not so much. Last week I literally worked 12 plus hour days and no I'm not a nurse or a cop. I work in an office - yes boo hoo Shia but OMG if you only knew the hell those 12 plus hours a day were you could sympathize. So anywho, I haven't blogged about anything real in a while. I think I'm still sort of struggling over that whole instance I wrote about under "doormat." I've been trying to do some soul searching because apparently my ego has been damaged and I have tried to step back and look at the situation and say...is it me? Am I just mean to people with drama? OR could it be that I really am just surrounded by self centered and bitchy people? I mean really, I offer up kind words to a friend and I receive back 1) I don't know because I'm not married and 2) wait until Paul cheats on you and then see how you feel, I'm supposed to just take that? I'm supposed to just roll over and constantly let people walk over me...okay see I told you I wasn't past this post and I didn't want to keep hashing it out on here. So needless to say, that is what I've been doing. The majority of it has been work but yes my writing mind is block by that instance I've already complained about so stay tuned there is hope...the blog will be back in full swing...without complaining about that instance.

Sold!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Hero
Kashi Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble

So all you see on TV at the moment are these commercials that this cereal has as much protein as an egg and will keep you fuller longer.  Well folks, I bought some and honestly one day in and I am a believer.  First off let me say that I HATE HATE HATE cereal.  I just feel like it is a waste of calories and you get such a tiny amount for the serving size listed on the box for nutrition facts.  But I thought I would give this one a try since it states it has all this protein perhaps just eating at 3/4 cup of cereal will work.  And it DID!  Plus it was mighty tasty.  I got the one pictured above and it had cranberries and blueberries in it.  It was awesome.  I am totally adding this to my healthy new lifestyle...now if it would only go on sale...it was like $4.00 or so for the box...hello PRICEY!

I Voted

Wednesday, November 3, 2010


So let me just preface this with what I am about to say might come off as "un" American to some but guess what...it's NOT because it is my First Amendment right to say whatever I want - you know FREEDOM of speech - so technically by that definition this post is truly American! Yes folks I have voted and now I am up on my soap box -- hold on because this is a three part rant...

1) "un" American - how about calling out all the people that didn't vote. That's pretty "UN" AMERICAN! How can you say that you "support and love" your country when your sorry butt didn't go out and vote! Let me guess the million different ways of doing it weren't enough...PUH-LEASE! I voted last night at 6:45 pm! I made it happen after a long day at work and a LONG drive home with bumper to bumper traffic! I haven't missed an election since I turned 18 and could vote. Also, I was pretty disappointed that I turned 18 AFTER the presidential election and had to wait until I was in my 20s to vote for a presidential candidate. 

Also, why the heck do the non-voters not get called out. You NEVER see the media scolding the nation for low voter turnout. Instead they are like wow 30% voted this election. Really? That deserves a wow. How about saying what the hell is wrong with you America only 30% of you voted where the heck is the rest of the 70%? Seriously do you see how sad this is...not even half of the population voted. So when you get mad at the politicians for being corrupt and dirty just remember that 70% of America helped them get that way!

2) Okay so you voted but you aren't off the hook just yet. Did you do any research regarding anything you were voting on or did you just follow political parties, negative ads and paid political advertisements telling HOW TO VOTE? Because um...that's worse than not voting at all. Do you realize people that some of the STUPIDEST amendments were passed or rejected in our state because people didn't actually know what they were voting for. They just saw a sign that said Vote No on Amendment 4 so they did. Sad! Truly pathetic. There is this new invention called the internet try using it next time to educate yourself on the candidates/amendments/judges/etc before going to the polls. What? That's too much work? And you call yourself an American. I don't remember that part of the story about the Founding Fathers where they just said to hell with it because this is too damn hard and who cares the British are coming no matter what we do.

3) Military folks - I realize that there is a war going on overseas and many Americans are over there putting their lives on the line to fight it. I get that but here is my problem with putting these Americans on a pedestal just because the military is putting their lives in danger. Last time I checked, they signed up for the military on their own. There was no draft that made them go regardless if they wanted to or not. They CHOSE to join the military as their career and sadly it's BECAUSE of all the benefits that they get for joining and going to war that they probably joined. YES FOLKS...the military gets paid MONEY while they are deployment and quiet a sum might I add. But anywho, my gripe is that really all Americans that get up EVERY DAY and go to their job or JOBS and pay their bills need to be put up on a pedestal too. Because these Americans are the ones keeping our country going. They are helping our economy and the state of our nation. So next time when you want to give all the credit to the military remember we all deserve credit for doing what is right. It just sad that we always have to be a country divided. Divided by race, divided by wealth and now we are dividing ourselves as who is more American. 

Okay I am stepping down from my soap box now....feel free to comment and I will have any open mind when I read it - all I ask is for the same respect. Don't be a sheep and follow what others tell you as correct .... think for yourself!

Really!?!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Do I really need a countdown to my birthday on my Starbucks card? Do I need to log on to add $ to my card and see exactly how much longer until that inevitable day. Yes I am old and about to get older thank you Sbux for reminding me EVERYDAY. Yes folks here comes the new year and an older Shia. Scratch that...my Sbux card is counting down to my ring. Paul and I are STILL looking for my ring. It's seriously the biggest pain in the ass ever. I think we FINALLY found it but of course there are like a million things to check to make sure. Anywho....Paul says that I will get it no later than January to which I added sure then in January will he say February. I think his feelings actually got hurt because he said....ouch why would you think that. Hello...have we met...I like to keep it real and would rather just know than to keep my hopes up for something that is never going to happen. He has reassured me that it will be on my finger in January!
 
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