Compliments are the best

Field hockey was great this week!  It was a 7:30 game, so it was just a little cooler but it seemed to help a great deal.  We only had one sub because a few girls were on vacation and one was a the doctors, but in the end it was fine.  I pushed up more (more running!!) and I almost scored once!  And we won!  The best part was the compliments, one of the other defense players said that she thinks mid fielder is my calling.  I don't believe that, but it was really nice to hear that I did well!
I had to skip kickboxing Wednesday because I was cooking for my work pot luck.  Made Sweet Potato Chili, and it was delicious!!
Back to the gym last night.  This class was intense, because we only had seven people.  I haven't sweat like that at kickboxing in a while.

I'm planning my outfits, and my moms, already for the Disney races!

Weekend Runs

Maybe posting about being a slacker got me motivated.  I rarely run on the weekends, but this weekend I ran Saturday and Sunday!  Saturday I had a family party at the shore, and of course I ate entirely too much.  After everyone left I laid down for a half hour and then told myself that I needed to get my butt in gear.  I forgot how nice running in Brigantine was, that's where my running journey started 5 years ago.  It's a different atmosphere and the people are so friendly.  I did 3 miles.  Sunday I woke up and felt like I could go for a run again, but I only brought one outfit with me.  When I got home and did that lazy thing around the house then forced myself out the door around 7:00PM.  By that time I had already lost motivation but I knew I'd feel better if I went.  I only did 2 miles, but I told myself it was 2 more miles than I would have done!
I got a huge blister on my heel, so I skipped this morning.  It was painful doing kickboxing in just my socks last night.  But none-the-less, I have field hockey tonight, which is always a great workout because I do a lot of spirits.

I'm debating signing up for a 10K in October.  I feel like it would ease my nerves a bit about the race in February.
I also saw that The Color Run is coming to New Jersey (about 1 1/2 hours away from me, though) in September.  Thinking about that, too.

Slacker

This week I have been severely slacking on my training.  Monday I went to Kickboxing.  Tuesday I set my alarm for my morning run, but slept right through it.  I couldn't fall asleep until almost midnight, so that's why. I had a field hockey game Tuesday night, though, and I did a lot more running/sprints than I usually do.  Yesterday I missed kickboxing, and felt horrible about it.  I had dinner with my parents, we had business to discuss.  My car decided not to work when I went to leave work yesterday, so I had to get a ride home (I only live a minute or two away) and my mom had to pick me up for work this morning.  Again I decided to sleep through my running alarm this morning.  I'm feeling so tired this week.  I don't know if it's the crazy heat wave we're having, but I'm not falling asleep as easily.  My uncle came to the rescue and fixed my car today, so I'm definitely going to the gym tonight.  Maybe I'll force myself to hit the cardio room before class... we'll see.

Picture Overload

16th - A sign I made my mom for Mother's Day three years ago.

11th - Two awesome letters.

12th - Texture - Flax seed in my yogurt.

13th - Open.

14th - Work.

15th - Thumb's up for my birthday!

17th - My addiction!

And pictures from my fun-filled weekend!!

My awesome Tie Dye Mickey birthday cake!

My bests ready to celebrate!

She made me princess headbands to train in.  So we took a "running" picture.

Birthday Weekend

The weekend was just what I needed.  I woke up Saturday with an alarm in attempt to go for a run.  I had a big internal debate, but decided against it in the end.  It was my birthday weekend, and as much as I enjoy running and knew that I should have gone, I wanted to relax.  The weather started to scare me and my friends coming from home said that it was raining, but it cleared up after we had lunch!  The six of us headed to the beach and the weather was great, cool and just a little cloudy!  We went back home after a few hours, had cake (red velvet - my favorite, and decorated like a tie dye mickey - couldn't get more me), and three of the girls headed home.  The afternoon consisted of naps, TV, pasta dinner, and getting ready.  We went out to Atlantic City, the Mountain Bar in Bally's because it's fairly cheap.  Stayed out until 4AM, haven't done that in a loooong time!  Good thing all I had to do Sunday was go to the beach!  I escaped the entire weekend without getting sun burn - score!
Came home and headed to my parent's house to have dinner with the family.  Saladworks and homemade Peach & Blueberry Cobbler!  Got the cutest card from my niece.  My brother and sister-in-law got me an outfit for running, and in my favorite colors (and apparently my brother picked it out on his own, good job).  My parents got me two Pandora charms (that I picked out with my mom), new running shoes (but I have to exchange them), and my plane tickets for Disney!!!  All in all - best birthday I've had in a couple of years!

Happy Friday the 13th!

Today is the third Friday the 13th of the year, I think that's awesome!  I was never a superstitious person, I do have a black cat after all!  What makes this Friday the 13th even better is that it's the start to my birthday weekend!  I had a horrible birthday last year, so I'm just trying to have fun this year and relax.  I'm heading to my shore house with a couple of my girlfriends tonight.  A couple more are joining us just for the day
to go to the beach tomorrow.  Then we'll head to AC for a fun night out.  And a relaxing beach day again Sunday.  Once I get home I'll have a family dinner and I requested a blueberry and peach cobbler as my cake.  YUM.

I'm going to try my hardest to run tomorrow morning, but I told myself it was okay if I didn't.  I did really well with every other day this week!  But somehow I gained weight again.  Please tell me I'm getting toned and in a few weeks it'll show!

First Week is going well!

Kickboxing last night.  3 mile run this morning.  I'm on track so far!  I stopped just shy of the three miles this morning because my new ear buds were driving me crazy!  They kept sliding out of my ears once I was halfway through the run and would barely stay in once I was a few minutes away from finishing.  My friend said that she prefers in "in ear" ones so I thought I'd try them out, so I bought them for a couple bucks at TJMaxx.  No big deal, but I guess I'll just stick to the usual iPhone ear buds.

Monday night I had an awesome dinner.  I found this recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie's blog.  Banana Split Pancakes for one.  Her nutritional information says it's about 190 calories for it all, but I'm sure I didn't use the "healthy" version of something and added more calories.  Regardless it's not bad at all for 3 decent sized pancakes!

While I was eating pancakes I had Turkey Spinach Meatballs in the oven.  I got the idea from back when I made Spinach balls for a pot luck at work, and I bought ground turkey this week.  So why not combine them.  Googled a recipe and cut it in half so I could use half the meat for tacos.  The turned out amazing.  Last night I made dinner for my friend/gym partner.  Pasta in tomato sauce, these meatballs, and string beans.  She loved the meatballs!  Maybe I can cook after all!

Planning a vacation is a little crazy when you've never done it before.  But I know it'll all be worth it in the end!!  Still can't believe I'm registered for the Princess half!! :)

I have to catch up on my Photo a Day..

Today's the Day!!

Well it is registration day for the Princess half, a day I know a lot of us have been waiting for!

I am so thankful to have a wonderful, amazing, and awesome mother who has graciously decided to pay for my registration for both the half and the 5K!  My grandma was in town for a week and she's been in and out (mostly out) of work and knows that it was hard on me.  Once worked calmed down from all the usual morning craziness, she told me that she had talked to my dad and they decided that she was going to do this for me.  I love her with all my heart and I'm so happy that she's going to Florida with me and participating in the 5K!

I've been debating with the idea of doing a race beforehand.  Not only is there the possibility I could be bumped up to a different corral because of the time, I also think it'll help the nerves subside a bit.  As much as I would love to do the Hershey half in October, it's not practical because of the travel distance.  So right now I'm really considering the Atlantic City marathon race series in October.  It still gives me plenty of time to train.  Now the question is whether to just go for the 10K or try the half!

This is also the first week of my training!  I'm going to try and follow it the best I can!  I love Jeff Galloway, but I'm going with Hal Higdon's training program.  12 weeks.  I can do this!
Yesterday was a Stretch & Strengthen day so I went to Kickboxing.  Amy and I also inquired about getting a personal trainer, so we'll see the cost of that.
Today was a 3 mile run which I did this morning!  I have my first field hockey game of the season tonight.

My favorite color combination!

It's not really 'big', but it's the best I could come up with while sitting at my desk.
And yes those are Mickey Mouse ice cubes.

Busy, Busy Weekend

Friday I went and visited my college roommate, who I haven't seen in over a year!  It stinks that life gets so busy that I can't even see close friends unless they live close (she's an hour and a half away).  And she definitely gave me a boost in confidence because when she opened the door she told me I looked great!  It was so good to just sit and talk with her.

Saturday I got up early with the intention of an easy, short run.  The weather was supposed to be over a 100, so needless to say that it was hot at eight in the morning!  I picked up my two friends at 10 and we were off to Philly to get our packets for The Color Run.  I dislike the city, especially driving in it and now I think my friends know to not let me.  Packet pick up was fast and easy and we were home in no time.  Dropped off my Brian because he had to go to work.  Amy and I hit up shop rite and then headed to my parent's pool.  We made a Skinny Poolside Dip that we got off of Pinterest.  It was super easy to make - just cream cheese, ranch seasoning, corn, olives, peppers, jalapenos and we used wheat thins to dip.  We gossiped and swam and had a few more drinks than we probably should have. :)

Brian came over so we would all be in the same place for the morning.  I set my alarm for 4:30AM - yikes!  I finally rolled out of bed around 4:45 and got ready quickly.  I put on a pot of coffee and started making pancakes.  I love making pancakes, it's the one thing I know I can make well.  I woke them up around 5:15, we ate, and they got ready.  And we were out the door around 5:45.  The city was filled with people in white clothing.  We walked around for a couple of minutes and then got into the starting line.  I'm not sure what time we actually started.  Brian left us and ran almost the whole thing and we ran for a total of maybe 7-10 minutes.  I know I could have done more, but you never leave a friend behind especially during a fun race like this!  We had so much fun!!  I would do that every weekend, including waking up that early for it!

Photo catch ups

The 7th:

My parent's backyard.

The 8th:

Panera.

It's Friday!!

Kickboxing was good last night.  I had to fly solo because one friend is out of town, one just got back in and her gym clothes were packed, and the other I don't know where she was.  Weighed myself this morning again.. I'm back where I started with the Biggest Loser! :(  I don't' get it!

A fellow Sweat Pink Ambassador, Michelle at Push.Pump.Progress posted this 26 things about them, so I figured I would give it a shot, too.

A is for age: 23, but just for another 9 days!

B is for breakfast today:  Always coffee.  Today I had Kashi cereal with soy milk, strawberries, and blueberries.

C is for currently craving:  The weekend.  Only about 4 more hours to go!

D is for dinner tonight: I'm not sure yet.. it's only noon.

E is for favorite type of exercise: Kickboxing.  I also love running, it's just too damn hot outside and the treadmill is so boring to me.

F is for a fave food: Peanut butter.  I could eat it on everything it seems - fruit, PB&J, on eggos, with nutella, PB & cheese sandwich, on a cheeseburger.

G is for gross food:  Muscles and clams.  Never tried them, so I suppose I should.  But the idea is just gross.

H is for hometown:  Sicklerville, NJ

I is for something important:  My family.  I don't know what I would do without them.  And in my family I do include my cats, they're like my children.

J is for current favorite jam:  Call Me Maybe

K is for karaoke: I did it once, I was in the background of a bunch of my sorority sisters.  But I don't think I'd ever do it again.

L is for luxe: I'm not big on spending a lot of money.  But when it came to things for my house, especially my kitchen, I definitely spent it.  My house will be worth a lot more once I decide to sell it.

M is for muffins: I love muffins.  A co-worker has a recipe for healthy mini muffins that I could eat all the time.  Now I wish I brought some of them to work with me.

N is for something you need:  Today to be over.  For it to be Sunday so I can run the Color Run.  But really... new workout capris/shorts.

O is for occupation: I am a co-director at a day care.  I work with my mom, it's a family business.  I also do the accounting work for the company, so I can say I use my degree. :)

P is for pet peeve:  Hypocrites, children not saying please and thank you or even hello (goes along with the job), bad drivers.

Q is for a quote: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." --Dr. Seuss

And any form of the "Live. Laugh. Love" saying.

R is for running: I'm trying!  It's just so hot outside and I don't like running on treadmills.  But I'm doing a half marathon in February.

S is for favorite healthy snack:  I'm a big fruit eater.  I also like hummus with veggies.

T is for favorite treat: Ice cream! <3 

U is for something that makes you unique:  On my left arm, I have what I call my Polish birth mark. I have one big and one small white marks (then random white dots on both arms) that do not get tan.

V is for favorite vegetable: Peppers.

W is for today’s workout:  Possibly a run, but I'm not sure because I'm visiting my college roommate tonight.

X is for X-rays you’ve had:  Teeth, collar bone, wrist.

Y is for yesterday’s highlight: Yesterday seemed like a second Monday so work wasn't that great.  So the best part of yesterday was leaving work.


Z is for your time zoo...as in animal that I would HAVE to visit when I go:  Tigers!

This is where I get to sit everyday.

Sleeping.

Facebook

I decided to make a Facebook page to go along with the blog.  I couldn't use "There's Something About Mary" because it was already taken by the movie.  There's not much there, but it's a start.

A Mary Little Life

Back to Reality

So I had a nice Fourth of July.  I went for a late morning run, I didn't expect to do well since I haven't run in a couple of weeks, but it wasn't too bad.  I just wish I had brought something to drink because it was hot outside!  I went 2.21 miles and walked about a mile home because I couldn't take the heat, but it was something, right?  I went over to my parent's house and laid in their pool for about an hour.  Then showered and went back over for dinner.  This morning feels like Monday morning all over again.

I've looked through a couple of training plans since I've decided to run the half, and I think I finally found one I like.  The main thing is, I don't want to give up kickboxing for running, I want to be able to do both.  This one happens to have cross training or strength days on the same days when I take kickboxing!

I've been really good this week with my diet and exercise, so tell me how I've gained weight, and 2 pounds at that!?  I'm going to tell myself it's muscle.  Tomorrow is the weigh in for my work's Biggest Loser, part of me is hoping that number today is wrong and tomorrow will be back to normal.
I'm trying to eat much healthier than I was before, shooting for close to clean eating.  Do you think that could make my body act weird and retain excess shenanigans?

But in better news - less than a week until the sign up for the Princess half!!  I was talking about it with a friend yesterday, I'm just hoping she can come up with the money for the trip (she's in grad school).  At dinner my mom and I were discussing it as well.  We're deciding on what days to go down there because she hasn't been in about 15 years, so we definitely want 3 or 4 days for the parks.  Would you guys suggest going to the parks before or after the race?

4th of July fun

Pictures

I decided that I need to start taking more pictures and then I stumbled upon this.



Since I'm a couple days late here are my pictures for the 1st:

On the way to the gym.

and the 2nd:

Lots to do at work.

and today:

Relaxing on the couch when I get home from work, with my cats.

Blog make over

I'm slightly changing the layout and a couple of the "widgets."  And I'm considering a new title.. We'll see what creativity this day brings.

It's July already?!

This weekend was so nice!  Friday night I had a nice night in, watched Day 1 of the US Women's Gymnastics Olympic trials.  They really gave me some inspiration to work harder at the gym.  We had an intense storm overnight.  I woke up between 1:00 and 1:30AM and it looked like there were strobe lights outside my window from the non-stop lightening.  The thunder was crazy, too!  I woke up early to head to the shore.  I didn't realize how bad the storm was until I got on the roads.  I don't like to take the expressway, so I generally take the back roads - so many trees and tree branches down, and some even blocking part of the roads!  A few towns didn't have power, which meant traffic lights were out.  Apparently half the island didn't have power, but luckily my half did!  Went to the beach for a couple hours (didn't get any sun burn!!).  Then just had a lazy day around the house, played with my niece and watched a movie with my parents.  Yesterday, I intended to get up and go for a run, but apparently my body thought my bed was so much more comfortable than the one I have at my house, and I slept for about 11 hours!  It felt really nice, actually.  A couple friends drove down and we went to the beach.  We went in the water most of the time, which was nice because it was so hot outside!  I got a few patches of sunburn, but not too bad.  When I got back home, I went over to my brother's for cake and ice cream because his birthday is today.

I've been thinking of different workout schedules that involves both my classes at the gym and running (I know I need to start it back up, sooner rather than later).  So my tentative schedule will be:

Monday - Turbo Interval and Kickboxing
Tuesday - Field Hockey (for the next six weeks) and either a run or a class at the gym
Wednesday - Kickboxing and possibly a Core Conditioning class
Thursday - Run and Kickboxing
Friday - off
Saturday - Run
Sunday - off

This week will be a "get ready for this new schedule" kind of week, because the 4th of July is Wednesday and the gym is closed.  And I have the Color Run on Sunday!!!  My first ever race, I'm so excited!!

In other good news, I am now a Sweat Pink Ambassador!!  I'm still trying to figure everything out (it being Monday morning is making everything more difficult).  But I'll definitely keep you guys updated!