The dreaded ex and life goes on

I had a little run in with this old flame today…

(My gym doesn’t allow four legged friends, but how cute is this?)

For the first time in over a month I ran on the treadmill.
My goal was to give my body a much needed break from running until after Christmas, but I was feeling so stressed today that I hopped on the treadmill on the gym and did some sprinting. For me, there is no better release than a hard run. I only ran for about 15 minutes out of my 30 minute workout, but it felt great–just what the doctor ordered!

***

I eluded to the fact that my life has changed basically in the blink of an eye. While I am very comfortable in my decision to leave my day job, I am sad to say that John and I have decided to end our relationship. We have been together for a very, very long time and we both believe it has run its course. He will be moving out in a few weeks and I will be staying in our apartment. I am very sad to lose my best friend, I am scared to be on my own, and I am unsure about what the future holds. It is comforting to know that we are ending mutually and that we will always love one another. I literally have no idea what is next for me and that is terrifying and exciting at the same time.

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What is in a day?

Good morning bloggies! This will be a quick post as I am scurrying off to work soon.

I know that many bloggers out there use their blog space as a food journal, documenting their eats for the whole day in pictures. This doesn’t work for me mostly because I’m on the go a lot and can’t seem to remember to snap a photo before I eat anything. But as I’m trying to drop a few pounds that I gained at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I’m going to attempt to publish my eats for the entire day for the next few days. I will use this as a tool for myself to see what I need to cut down on and what my diet is lacking. It will be a great way to stay conscious about what I’m putting into my body. So here is what was in my day, yesterday.

1/2 c Oats with one runny egg, a sprinkle of cheese, and hot sauce.

Half of a blueberry glazed donut in my office that a sales person brought for us (trying to woo us into leasing HER copy machine…and let me tell you, keep bringing donuts and you may have a deal.) I ate the other unpictured half of this donut later in the afternoon.

Pre-Lunch Apple

Steamed broccoli over a toasted 100 calorie “sub” with marinara sauce and cheese

Dessert: Piece of Adora chocolate

Since I didn’t work out in the morning yesterday like I usually do, I fueled for a short run with half an English muffin with pb around 5:00 pm.

Dinner was SO. GOOD. John made chicken and dumplings…doesn’t it look like soul food? It was perfect. So good I went back for seconds.

I also had a pumpkin spiced coffee from DD on my way to work.

Have a great Friday!

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Need for speed

So I’ve been running since high school, and while my endurance improves, I have never really focused on improving speed. Enter boyfriend/track&XC coach:
While John and I don’t often get to workout together, he agreed to help me try to improve my speed with mile repeats and constructive criticism of my stride/technique/form.

We walked to the track that is half a block from our apartment (one of my FAVORITE parts of our location) and got to work.
John showed me some great warm up drills and stretches and then timed my splits while I did 4, 1-mile repeats. My goal for each mile was to stay under 9 minutes–like I said, I’m not very fast!
Mile 1: 8:34
Mile 2: 8:45
Mile 3: 8:50
Mile 4: 8:56

I accomplished my goal and learned a ton about how I run. After each mile I took a 2 minute break and we talked about how I can improve my form. I learned that I need to focus on keeping my arms moving vertically, like a pendulum to help me move forward. I tend to sway side to side, engaging my core in the wrong manner. My feet hit the ground to far under my body, flat footed, so I don’t as good a push off as I could. Lots to think about, but I was very happy to have a personal coach.

After the repeats, I came back to the apartment and did a P90X ab-ripper dvd. This 20 minute dvd is a series of 11 core exercises with 25 reps on each. It is HARD and my muscles were a-burnin, but I felt pretty strong when it was finished.

I’m currently watching some tv and sharing kettle corn with John. I have to work both jobs tomorrow, but I am looking forward to a weekend full of boating, bbqing, and fireworks! I love the 4th of July!

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