This Week's Workout Schedule

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Another week in the books, yall. I'm calling it a success. I'm gearing up for my bachelorette weekend, which involves some clothing I am rather excited about (not to mention... SHOES!). Stay posted for a photo dump.

WEDNESDAY: AM Cardio

I'm not going to lie to you here, I have no idea what I did on Wednesday. I know that I followed my plan, and my calendar just has "AM Cardio" from 6-7am. Other than that, I am clueless. 

Obligatory "Hot Room, Legs and Towel" Picture. Wonder if Lara is sick of me taking these yet!

THURSDAY: AM Bodypump, PM Runner's High @ The Mercury Method

For some reason (read: went out to dinner the night before, so I was probably on a carb overload -ALSO I SAW MICHAEL JORDAN, which I've mentioned 8124 times), Bodypump was a breeze on Thursday morning. I upped my weight on almost everything, but still felt like I hadn't worked that hard. Bizarre, because usually, I feel like I'm going to die during Bodypump.

So, in the afternoon, I hit up a Runner's High class at my favorite new spot, The Mercury Method. The class is geared at stretching and strengthening the big and tiny parts of your body that contribute to running. One of my coworkers is a runner and mentioned that even attending just one of these classes had significantly improved her pace, so with the Run for Boston 5k coming up, I figured I'd give it a try. IT. WAS. AWESOME. 

FRIDAY: Skip Day

I took the train up to the suburbs for my mamasita's birthday, so I decided to not only take a day off, but also eat a ton of food and have a few cocktails. Seems like a good idea before a race, right?  I'm only partially serious...

I didn't turn my Heart Rate Monitor off immediately after crossing the finish line, because I continued to move around and wanted to get an accurate idea of how many calories I burned by running a 5k, just for future reference (Priorities...). It ended up being about 350. Not particularly impressive.

SATURDAY: Run for Boston 5k
My actual time for the 5k was 23:23, which is awesome given my encounter with Michael Jordan on Wednesday night. Oh, and also awesome given that it's a PR. #Winning

In all honesty, I'm not sure if it was a fluke or what. I run somewhat frequently (maybe 2ish times per week), but I don't train for races because I have a serious case of what I like to call "Workout ADHD." My running consists of...

• 3-4 mile runs with my dog which are taken at a leisurely pace
• 4-7 mile runs at the gym while catching up on TV shows (read: trying to watch Game of Thrones without exposing the entire gym to a nude scene)
• Leisurely 15 minute runs (no idea on distance) to/from my classes at The Mercury Method

I definitely have the race bug after this last race - as soon as I crossed the finish line, I started strategizing on the next weekend I could run, and am planning on an 8k, 10k, and possibly a half-marathon (don't hold me to that, I have ADD, remember?!). That said, I refuse to follow a training plan, at least over the summer, so we'll see what happens.

I am obsessed with a water bottle. Is this normal? #Halp

SUNDAY: Bodypump & CXWORX

This is so very quickly becoming my favorite workout day of the week. It's awful and lasts forever, but I feel so solid and accomplished afterward. 

Also, check out my cute new water bottle! It's glass (with a silicone casing), which I am loving because it seems safer but also tastes much better. This picture doesn't quite capture its neon orange color. My fiance made me choose the neon orange instead of neon pink because "Orange is a Dutch color." Note: It's pretty much the same as the BKR (at the same price), but it holds 19.5oz instead of 16oz and it's skinnier in my bag, which I needed for commuting to work/gym.

MONDAY: 5 Mile Run + 20 Minute Stairmaster
I got on the treadmill with the goal of watching The Bachelorette, only to realize that it's set for "Web only viewing" on Hulu, so I couldn't watch it on my iPad. I considered downloading ABC's app, but was working with about 18% battery (If you fail to plan ahead, you plan to fail? Not me!). I ended up watching an episode of Modern Family and then something else I can't remember.

TUESDAY: Pilates & Shoulder Burn Out

This is becoming a usual, as well. I love walking out of a pilates class with sore shoulders! Post-workout-green-smoothie totally happened.

WEDNESDAY: Runner's High Class @ The Mercury Method

Happening tonight... we'll see!

What about you?

• Do you plan all of your workouts in advance or do you go with the flow? I have a few days per week that have turned into a plan (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday), but the rest of the time, I just see how it goes.
• Do you run most days of the week, or just a few like me? 

Weekend Things: Like Mike

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I can't believe that it's June, that Father's Day is behind us, that my Bachelorette party is this upcoming weekend, or that I get married in like 6 and a half weeks. Life is flying, and I'm trying to appreciate it.

My mom's birthday was last week, and we do birthdays for real in my family (meaning we like to make a big deal of it). On Friday, when I was finished at work, I hopped on the train to take it up to my parents' house.

I missed your stories, Rick Riordan, but your writing is terribly edited.

I tend to actually really enjoy my longer train rides because I get some quality time with my Kindle.  I am an avid reader of two subjects: Spiritual books and Young Adult Fiction. It's what I love (and, when it comes to Young Adult fiction, I suppose it's what I write, too, so there's that). After a touch less than an hour of reading, I was there.

Why is the only family member not present the birthday girl herself? #WRONG

Step one was crafting the birthday girl's favorite cocktail. I made the best version of "The Butterfly" that I could. It's my mom's favorite "martini" from our favorite Memphis bar, and includes fresh grapefruit juice, fresh basil, soda water, and vodka. I added a tiny bit of Maple Syrup to combat some of the grapefruit's bitterness.

Soy and Lemon Grilled Salmon, Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Parmesan and Pine Nuts, and Olive Oil Grilled Asparagus

The Birthday Girl had also requested a healthy dinner. She is a big fan of salmon, so my brother, dad, and I made grilled salmon and asparagus, while my mom whipped some sweet potatoes (it got a little hectic and she had to lend a hand). I topped the Sweet Potatoes with some shaved parmesan and pine nuts. Yum.

Many hours were put in for this cake. WORTH IT.

For dessert, my sister pulled out all the stops. She made a flourless chocolate espresso cake that was so delicate and creamy that it felt like it was melting in your mouth. 

Yes, I'm wearing a hat. I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

After dinner, my brother started a fire in my parents' fire pit in the back yard, and we all cuddled up with blankets (wimps) and chatted a bit before finally hitting the hay. We tried to make it an early night because we had a fun event in the morning...

Saturday morning, I was signed up for the Run for Boston 5k with my mom and sister. We rallied the troops and drove over to the race site, which is legitimately across the street, but it was really gross out and, despite being across the street, the only paved entrance is kind of far away, so we decided to drive it.

Sisters running together!

My mom was unable to run it because she's recovering from what we think is heel spurs and is forcing herself to lay off of running or even excessive walking for a while. So, she was our official race photographer.

Soaked with rain... and victory!

My official time was 23:23, which is a PR for me (and is also hilarious because my fiance and I met Michael Jordan just a few days before). My sister and I ran together for the first 1 or 1.5 miles (not sure). It was our first time running a race together, so I loved it and was so grateful for the moment that I was just desperate to soak it in (which I did!). 

When we split up, I continued to increase my pace. It wasn't a long run, but I focused the entire time on being grateful - grateful for my run with my sister, grateful for the fact that I can run, grateful for the classes I took at The Mercury Method to help increase my pace... grateful for my feet, my ankles, my shins, my calves... and so on. My mom said that when she saw me, I had a huge grin plastered on my face. That's a pretty accurate reflection of how happy I was!

Here a blogger, there a blogger, everywhere a blogger blogger!

After the race, they called all of the bloggers to the start/finish line for a picture. There were so many of us at such a small race! Crazy.

My mom thought this figurine looked like my puppy.

After showering and getting ready at my parents' house, my mom and I made a quick run to Hobby Lobby and Dollar Store to pick up a few random tid bits for the wedding (some guest room bags, frames, etc). I can't get over how happy Hobby Lobby makes me. I could seriously spend hours in there. It's worse than IKEA.

Where's Waldo?

After the shopping frenzy, we drove down to Chicago and hit up the Taste of Randolph Street Festival. It was super crowded, and the streets are narrow, so we were all pretty close together!

Oh hey tiny feet.

The Western entrance to the event had a basketball station set up, where you could measure your height, hand size, and foot size. Obviously, I am no comparison for the true pros. Michael Jordan, do you hear me?

I CANNOT WAIT TO EAT YOU.

Because this festival is food themed, there were countless delicious looking dishes to choose from. I ended up going with some tacos from Belly Q, which were just as yummy as I expected them to be. Fun fact: Michael Jordan is part owner of Belly Q. Apparently MJ and I are now besties.

Sunday morning, I slept in (meaning I slept till 8) while my morning bird fiance had time to wake up, go to breakfast by himself, and drink 3 cups of coffee. Seriously, 8am is not that late!

I went to Bodypump and CXWorx at the gym while my fiance studied, then came home to run some errands. We went on a long walk and hit up Macy's, where we checked out the dishes for our wedding registry, and lululemon, where I exchanged some pants for my mom and bought a glass water bottle.

You get a water bottle? I get a beer. #compromise

We also stopped at Twisted Spoke for a "snack." My fiance had steak tacos and I had a pretty boring garden salad. Oh, and a vodka soda with extra lemon. Twist my arm, why don't ya...

Look, Dad! I'm drinking your root beer!

A bit later, we walked to church, where they celebrated Father's Day by giving out bottles of Dad's Root Beer. I'm not a soda fan, but snatched one for my fiance, who was apparently too shy to grab his own (if you know him, this is VERY out of character).

Ghosts are real.

At home, I prepped quiches, lunch salads, chicken, and watermelon for the week. I also checked up on the vodka I've been infusing. Check out my ghost strawberries. Can't wait to taste test this!

What about you?

• Have you ever met anyone famous? Did you feel like they rubbed any good energy off on you? After seeing Michael Jordan, my fiance and I both felt like some of his "energy" rubbed off on us for at least a few days.
• Have you ever infused alcohol? I've currently got some Lemoncello brewing, as well as some strawberry ginger vodka. If it works, I'll share the "recipes."
• What do you think about during races? I spent the whole time doing mental gratitude exercises, and it was amazing. It didn't hurt that the race site was incredibly beautiful!

Why I Run

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I'm running the Run For Boston 5k this weekend with the ladies in my family. In anticipation for this awesome event (which is giving 100% of entry fees to the Who Says I Can’t Foundation and directly to support the rehabilitation of those who lost limbs as a result of the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon), I'm over on the Run For Boston 5K website. Check out my guest post on the Run For Boston 5k blog today!

I'll Race You There!

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Guess what? I ran a race! Want to do it too? Check out this website, Active.com, which will help you search for local running and biking races and events in your area!


Last weekend, my mother and I got up at 5:30 to scoot our butts downtown and run the Chicago Women's 5k in Grant Park. Yeah, it was extremely early. But it felt like, by the time I was fully awake, I had already run a 5k for the day. Wonderful.

Here we are, post-race. Please note the bananas in my shirt (because sometimes you just don't have enough arms for all the stuff they hurl at you after you cross the finish line) and my mother's goofy towel-on-forehead picture. We're related. Yes. 

Did you know that you burn more calories in a race than you would running the same distance on your own? It's true. Why?

• First, instead of simply running in a straight line, a race causes you to weave in between people (especially at the beginning). This changes things up on your body and causes you to use a few smaller muscles than you usually would on a typical run. 
• Second, you tend to run slightly faster than normal in a race, with the excitement of the race and the pace of the group around you (just be sure to sign up in a group that is about your pace or slightly faster, so you don't get stuck with a bunch of slow pokes!).
• Third, the adrenaline your body produces for a race elevates your heart rate, meaning you will be burning more calories. (Want to read about how your heart rate zones affect your caloric expenditure? Read this!)

So, all in all, it was an awesome morning. A wonderful run that took us from Grant Park to the Aquarium and down along the lake front, where we had a beautiful morning view of the Chicago skyline.




Looking to get the same experience? Check out this website, Active.com, which will help you search for local running and biking races and events in your area!

The photo above is the obligatory pre-race shot. Don't forget to take one if you have your smart phone with you! Being able to see the other contestants in the background is awesome, and it's fun to look back and see how excited you were.

...It's also awesome to look back and see someone cross the finish line. Here's a shot I took of my mom finishing, who was only a minute or two behind me. Check out the couple of girls behind her - they're so proud! 

At the end of the day, my friends, not much feels better than completing a race.  Looking to get the same experience? Check out this website, Active.com, which will help you search for local running and biking races and events in your area!