Where did Summer go?

Somehow it's the end of July (which was when I was planning on posting this...but now it's August). I'm not really sure where this summer went . . . but given how hot and humid it's been, I won't lie, I'm ready for fall weather.

Obviously I failed in my attempt to update my blog every day I was in Europe. It was a valiant effort though. Between the time difference and long days, by the time I got back to my hotel, I was exhausted. I did manage to catch up on Dexter though, so I feel somewhat accomplished. With that said, here are a few photos from the trip:



























Looks like my next big trip will be Belize in March with my best friend, CS. Every other year, we try to pick a new place to explore and from the photos I have seen, Belize will not disappoint.

 Otherwise, a few highlights from my summer:

1. Sadly, Uncle Luke passed away. Aunt Judy had called me while I was in France and we spoke about his condition. I was hoping to have the opportunity to say goodbye, but it wasn't in the cards. I can only hope he knew how much he meant to me. I attended his internment last week, which ended up being very difficult for me. It really opened my eyes to how raw the wounds still are from my Dad's passing. Uncle Luke's memorial service was yesterday. I'm sure he and Dad are laughing and telling stories together in Heaven.

2. I was finally able to get together with my good friend CG. We went to Avalon a few weeks ago and lucked out with some great weather at the beach. It was so nice to catch up. Our lives get so busy sometimes and I was surprised that we hadn't seen each other since the funeral.

3. I'm signed up for four races this summer. Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment. I'm running in my third Lynchburg Half Marathon on August 10. I don't really feel that prepared, because it's just been so hot to run long distances (although I have been very good about crossfit). I ran eight miles on Sunday, which actually went really well. I'm planning on running 10 today, which is my last run before the race. Ultimately, it will just have to be a matter of will I guess to get through the 13.1 on race day. I hate feeling so unprepared, but it's my own fault. At least crossfit has really helped with my endurance. I'm also running the Wendy's Wonderful Kids 10K with my brother at the end of August. Then I'm signed up for the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half with my friend JS, and finally, we're both running in a half marathon relay in October at Hershey Park. My goal was to end up with four new medals this year, and God willing, that should be the case.

4. It wouldn't be a blog post if I didn't give a quick update on Finn. He's getting so big! We've cut his hair twice this summer to help with the heat. I even started running with him and he's not that bad...although cars are still of way too much interest to him. I see great runs in this little dogs future.

So just a short update. Hoping to get a few more blog posts in before the end of the summer.

Til then, stay cool!

Trouble Walking? Me? No! I'm just...CrossFitting

So tonight is my third CrossFit class this week and fourth total. A few things I've learned this week:

1. Somewhere between fifth grade and today, I forgot how to jump rope. This skill simply evaporated from my repertoire and I look like an absolute fool even attempting it. I trip over the rope, get the rope caught in my pony tail, miss a foot and tangle myself in the rope. It's sad, just sad. My solution is to buy a jump rope this weekend and practice.

2. I never knew what sore meant until now (well really until my marathon). I can remember being sore, or what I thought was sore after training, but this is a new level. My legs are so sore, I can barely sit down and stand back up. The stairs become a tremendous feat, hell even walking is difficult. Every time I roll over in my sleep, I wake up from the severe pain and effort it takes to move even the slightest bit. My body hurts!

3. I used to think squats with dumbbells were a pain...that was until I started doing over head squats and wall balls. Now, I'd give anything to squat with a 12lb dumbbell.

4. Thank God I trained for two years - the skills I learned are certainly coming in handy. While there's no doubt I feel like the new kid on the block at CrossFit, at least  have some sense of what I'm doing...sort of.

Tonight we're doing upside down push ups (yeah right), pull ups (I'll be doing a modified version), box jumps (again, they'll probably have me to a modified version), toe to bars (ha, yeah right) and MORE squats. We'll see how it goes. I'm enjoying the challenge and the discipline and accountability I have by going back to some form of training - it helps to keep me on track. I'm also trying the paleo diet, although very modified  and only every other day. I do miss carbs . . . I'd like a bagel.

What gives me hope, is that if I keep it up, hopefully in six months, on my 27th birthday, I'll feel a sense of real accomplishment seeing all these expected changes in my body. And hopefully I'll be a ripped beast!

Here's hoping I can walk tomorrow!

CrossFitting!

I finally took the leap and attended my first CrossFit class at the CrossFit Danbury box yesterday. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I worked with a personal trainer for about two years and ended up losing close to 40 pounds, which I gained in college (forget the Freshman Fifteen, it's the Freshman Forty!). Working with my trainer Amanda, I substantially increased my strength, endurance, everything. But since I've moved, I've been looking for something to replace that training. Not to mention, for the past four months I've been mainly focusing on my running...and since the marathon, I'm ready for a change of pace.

Thanks to a new colleague who joined my office a few weeks ago and my friend Brian's encouragement, I finally went to my first "beginners" class yesterday. Before diving in, I had all these scary thoughts about what I was getting myself into. All I could think of were all the intense, beast-like photos I had seen of friends lifting insane amounts of weight. I was nervous I'd embarrass myself or not be able to keep up.

Thankfully, all that personal training came in handy. I was able to keep up, despite some of my lingering marathon issues, and felt relatively strong throughout. I think we came on a day with a fairly easy WOD (Workout of the Day), as my friend Brian promises me it's going to be much more intense, but I've decided to commit to going three days a week, starting next week. Brian assures me I'll be a ripped beast in six months, so here's hoping!

Honestly, it was amazing how supportive and encouraging everyone was. These were people I had never met in my life, telling me I was doing a good job and helping me to make sure I was doing the exercises correctly - definitely a change of pace from the typical gym. There is also a level of competitiveness, which for anyone who knows me, knows I love. I think this could end up being really good for me, although I promised Karen (Brian's wife) I won't get too obsessed - we'll see!

I'm looking forward to continuing with it. Not sure if I'll adopt the paleo diet that comes along with CrossFit, but I am pretty confident I'll reach my goal weight through this program, as long as I stick to it. And maybe even make some new friends...which we all know I need to do since I moved.

Here's the WOD I completed yesterday:

1. STRENGTH/ SKILL WORK
5X5
PRESS
REST 60 SECS
5 STRICT C2B PULLUPS
REST 60 SECONDS

2. WOD
4 RFT
400M RUN
12 PP 95/65

So here are my main CrossFit goals:
1. Get to my goal weight
2. Do a pull up
3. Do a full push up (chest to the ground - as of now, I can do a very small one and totally kick butt on the girl version!)

So if all predictions are accurate, by April, I should be a ripped beast. Here goes nothing!

26.2

Gosh, who would have thought a marathon would have taken so much out of me, physically, mentally, and emotionally. With that said, I'm happy to report that I completed the marathon! That's right, this body took me a whole 26.2 miles and I crossed the finish line.

And here's all the gory details: The Saturday a week before my marathon, I went on a quick, three-mile taper run...not even a mile into the run, I hit a piece of uneven ground and as luck would have it, I sprained my ankle. After screaming a couple of expletives, pain and disappointment induced of course, I hobbled back to my parents' house. After making my way to the chair and icing my ankle, I just burst into tears. I had trained so long and so far for this marathon and a week before, I sprain my ankle. Go figure.

The following Monday, I hopped on a plane to Orlando for a big work event, with my ankle wrapped tightly, still painful and still swollen. I got through the week, although on very limited sleep and not without some major travel disruptions (including a cancelled flight, waiting on the tarmac for an hour, another six hour delay, lost luggage, etc.). My ankle was still black and blue and still swollen, but I had put in so much effort and just couldn't let this injury sideline me.

So the race began...I felt alright, although my quads were super tight. Around mile nine, I re-twisted my ankle, which was painful. I kept running. At mile twelve, my ankle gave out again. I kept running. By mile 16 or so, I was hobbling/jogging, but I kept going. Around mile 22 I had a mini breakdown, wondering if the race would ever end. I started to tear up. I asked God to just help me through it, and as if he knew I needed it, a song that means so much to me, "Be Still," by The Fray started playing on my iPod. At that point, I just knew I had to keep going...and keep going I did. It took me six hours...should have taken me a little less than five, but with the ankle, I was just happy to cross the finish line. My friends and brother cheered me on the entire way - meeting me at every check point with their homemade signs, screaming for me to keep going, and even breaking out into song at one point - Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." I couldn't have done it without them.

After the race, I could barely walk. My brother had to half carry me to the car and throughout the next few days I can honestly say, I have never been so sore in my life. I couldn't stand up or sit down without incredible pain in my legs. Even as I slept, whenever I turned over, my body would scream with pain. A week and half out though, I'm starting to feel better, although I still have some hip pain and oddly enough, my feet still hurt a bit in the mornings. My ankle is still swollen, although the black and blue has subsided. I'm still debating if it's worth heading to the doctor, because my gut is telling me I might have a stress fracture. I'm testing it out tonight at the gym, for the first time in a week.

Although my plan was to run one marathon and then stick with half-marathons and shorter, I'm not so sure that's the case. I really want know what I'm really made of and knowing my time should have been so much better, I think I'll starting training again come the spring. I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to the sores all over my back, the endless long distance runs, the gu chomps and gels...but there's nothing that compares to crossing the finish line knowing you just ran 26.2 miles - no one can ever take that away from you, no matter what the time was, no matter the circumstance...I proudly display my 26.2 sticker on my car, despite it all.

Until the next race  . . .

The Countdown Begins

So in just 73 short days, I'm competing in this little thing called a marathon. When I signed up for the race back in February, it seemed like I had all this time to train and prepare, but with just over two months left, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

I was sticking to a running schedule and then went on my work trip for three weeks, which definitely stalled some of my training. But I'm happy to say I started a new 16-week schedule once I returned and have stuck to it for the past month. I'm up for a ten mile run on Friday and will brave 11 miles in the Arizona heat next week, while I'm on vacation with my parents.

I would be a total liar if I said I wasn't scared to compete in this marathon. Let me tell you now, I am terrified and in all honesty have no idea how I'm going to finish it. Don't get me wrong, I have confidence in my abilities and every time I complete a long run, it's never as bad as I thought it would be, but let's get real people, 26.2 miles is a friggen long way to go.

I keep thinking about how I felt after my half marathon last summer. When I hit mile 12, I was "seeing Jesus" as they say and verbally praying aloud for God to help me finish the race. When I crossed the finish line, I remember my cousin grabbing me and yelling for one of the race officials to give my my medal. I remember her putting the medal over my neck and me just saying, "Cheryl, I hurt. I hurt a lot." My knee was swollen and not feeling too hot because of my overly tight IT band and I ended up working with my trainer for a few months after the half, just to get my IT band back to normal. I remember going to bed that night, after the half marathon, oddly enough on an air mattress (I was staying with my cousin, so real bed space was limited). I remember being in so much pain that when I went to readjust or move in my sleep, I woke up with the searing pain of aching muscles.

And thus I admit to you, I am terrified to run this marathon.

So what's my plan for the next 73 days? Well, I'm definitely sticking to the schedule. When I trained for my half, I kind of made up my own schedule and I think maybe ended up adding too much mileage each week. This will not be the case for the marathon.

I'm going to run the Lynchburg half for a second time in August, about a month before my marathon, so that should gauge how well I'll do. I'm also going to be joining the local Crossfit here in Danbury after my vacation, which should help with overall fitness and maybe help me shed a few more pounds before the race.

I'm also purchasing my very own foam roller, which I've been putting off for far too long. This means I'll be a stretching, foam rolling machine up until the big race.

And finally, I plan to overhaul my diet over the next two months, to really focus on consuming food as fuel and not simply because I like it. Although I lost 40 pounds over the past two years, I've been lazy and allowing myself one too many indulgences. Yes, I've kept the weight off, but I haven't lost anything either, and that has to change. But it's really less about the weight and more about giving my body the energy it needs to friggen run 26.2 miles. This means more veggies, more fruit, more high protein and less low fat mini cupcakes (yes they do exist), cups of cereal before bed (hate that I've reverted to that nasty habit again), and carb binges.

The good thing about all of this is that I committed, I paid the money, I'm running the race. Whether I run, walk, or crawl to the finish line, I will complete it. I don't care how long it takes me, because this is one of those moments in life, where it's all about the journey.

Let the countdown begin  . . .

Staying Healthy while Staying Abroad

In just a few short weeks, I'm off for an extended work trip abroad. I'll be spending about a week in Warsaw, Poland, a few days in Prague, and four days in Madrid, Spain. While I'm certainly excited and happy for the opportunity to travel, I'm a little nervous about two things: 1 - How will I manage to pack all that I need for two weeks in one suitcase and one carry-on and still make the airline weight restrictions? 2 - How will I stay on track with my marathon training and eat healthy? Big problems, right? Yeah, I know, they're fairly minor, but still important, especially to a PR, clothes/shoes-loving, woman!

Let's tackle the suitcase issue first. I've already started making a list of things I need to buy and things I want to pack. I think I've come to the realization that I will need to do some laundry in the hotel sink, and I'm alright with that. But let's be honest, I'm totally one of those girls who brings eight pairs of shoes and too many "just-in-case" outfits. It's going to be tough. I just don't want to get into another situation like I did in China, where my bag was too heavy and in broken English I was told I needed to pay $500 U.S. dollars - Nightmare of a story for another blog post. Anyways, my goal is to be extremely practical about my packing - I said, it's my "goal." I also need to some how leave extra space for all the gifts I need to bring back. This will be a real challenge folks. I plan to document my packing extravaganza and offer some tips as I go along. So wish me luck!

As for my training schedule and eating, that's another story. I know the hotels I'm staying in are equipped with gyms, so that's a start. Working out isn't really going to be a huge issue, I seem to make time for it on work trips. Sometimes though, the fatigue and time differences make me lazy, so I'm going to need to fight the urge to sleep. My shorter runs won't be too bad, but I have a seven and ten mile run to complete while I'm away - that's going to be one boring treadmill workout. Here's hoping I stick to it!

Now eating is a totally different beast. I'm a little compulsive when it comes to weighing myself, so I usually bring a scale with me. Yes, I pack a scale in my suitcase. I'm not sure I'm going to have the space for it this time around, although I refuse to give up and am on the hunt for a lightweight travel scale, if such a thing exists. Worst case, I'll see if the hotel has one. I'm also bringing a lot of my own food, which also contributes to the packing issue. I plan to bring low fat English muffins, a small container of peanut butter, oatmeal packets, some craisins, cheerios, 100 calorie snack packs, and I'm sure that's not all. Part of the reason I bring my own food is strictly health reasons (i.e. calories), but the other reason is due to food allergies - It's not easy being lactose intolerant abroad! I'll also continue food journaling, which should help keep me on track. When all else fails, order the salad.

If you have any tips on packing or keeping a healthy lifestyle while abroad, please do share! I'll keep you all posted on my attempts!

How many breakfasts can a breakfast fan eat?

I'm a lover of pretty much all things breakfast. Belgium waffles? Sure, where's the syrup? Pancakes? Yes, please. Oatmeal? Absolutely. Rye toast? Just give me some peanut butter. Cereal? Any time, anywhere. I really enjoy breakfast. In fact, I regularly eat breakfast for dinner. I've been known to make a quick egg sandwich, or some egg white pancakes, or even just pour myself a bowl of cereal for dinner. Simply put, I love me some breakfast. To that end, I read a recent Times article about the "Second Breakfast," and yes, I'm guilty of being a second breakfast eater too! The article discusses how Americans are treating themselves to smaller breakfasts and then eating a snack or a second breakfast later in the morning. I guess the key here is "smaller." I suppose if you consume two equally large breakfasts, you'd really be doing more harm than good, but I tend to be in support of a second breakfast. I actually think I might be a third breakfast kind of girl. I tend to mostly work out in the mornings, so I usually eat a couple pieces of this special egg white Belgium fruit waffle I make (recipe forthcoming)  before I work out. Then, after I bust my butt at the gym, I'm ravenous, so I tend to eat a full breakfast (oatmeal, or chiobani, or cereal, or eggs) around 8 a.m. But then, after I've made it to work, I'm usually starving again by 10-10:30 a.m. I try to arm myself with healthy snacks, but sometimes, a girl just needs some chocolate, or a perhaps a lemon square from Starbucks? Ugh, so there you go. I admit it. I'm not just a second breakfast eater, I'm a third breakfast eater. Please don't judge.

Here's the article for your reading pleasure.