New Focus.

Happy Monday Ya'll!

I can't believe today is already the last day of August! Seriously--has this summer not absolutely flown by? After last winter, I'm no where NEAR ready for cold weather again. Ugh. But on the bright side, fall isn't so bad, right? And, umm, can we talk about how my 1 year wedding anniversary is coming up in a little over a month?!?! Holy cow. I started this blog after our wedding so I can't wait to talk about it again! It was such a wonderful day. :)

Anyway, today I'm talking about food. And marathon training. ha.

I typically try and eat pretty healthy about 85-90% of the time. I don't believe in completely banning certain food groups and although at one point in my life I was a slave to the scale, I no longer let it control my day-to-day actions. I maybe weigh once a month, if that?

That being said, marathon training is pretty brutal. And afterwards, I want to eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. And much to my dismay, I've been reaching for the wrong foods afterward. Cookies, chips, cake, candy... pretty much whatever I can get my hands on. As I said, I don't believe in getting rid of food groups completely because I think we all need to indulge occasionally but I am going to make a commitment during the month of September to clean up some of the pesky little habits I've gotten myself into before it becomes more of an issue.

This is not me saying I need to lose weight. I'll admit, I've gained 5+ pounds since starting training but my race times haven't suffered any so I'm not too concerned. I know that I'll get back down to my "normal" weight in time. I like being strong, I like maybe not looking exactly like the "runner" type and surprising people... I love my body and this is simply about me giving it what it needs.

Will there still be junk food?! Umm, duh. Have you seen my sweet tooth? It's insane. But in moderation. Everything in moderation, right?!

So, here's to celebrating my body in September and giving it what it needs.

Have a wonderful week ya'll! I'll be back tomorrow with a recap of my big 16-miler on Saturday!

Sarah

I am.

Happy Monday! If only the weekend could have lasted just a TAD bit longer, you know? I'd take an extra day.. or half a day..... or even an extra 2 hours (for sleeping purposes only, of course).

It was a pretty low key weekend around here--highlights included winning overall female at the 5k I participated in (I'll recap tomorrow! One second off my PR!), finally doing a ride along with my husband (so much fun.. I hate that I've waited so long to do it!), and making a pretty awesome (and easy!) no bake oreo cheesecake pie. It was totally worth the 2 3 slices I had last night for Father's Day. 

Because it's Monday and because I'm teaching a power hour class in a few minutes (it's going to be a good one!), here's a fun prompt I found on Erin's blog! Also linking up with Healthy Diva Eats for Marvelous Monday!

I am working on becoming less of a control freak, less scheduled, and more spontaneous. Life doesn't always have to be perfect, it doesn't always have to be planned, and it certainly should ALWAYS be fun. I'm getting back to that.

I keep all of my race t-shirts. I probably have at least 4-5 drawers full at this point. Yikes.

I wish I could go back 5 months ago. I'd do things a little differently this winter. 

I sing karaoke with my best friends. We used to go every Thursday night in college--it was soooo much fun. We sang in front of 300 people once on Bourbon Street in NOLA. Totally rocked it.

I dance terribly and only when I've had something to drink. But once I get going, you can't stop me!

I think I'd like to find a new hobby. Something I can do on the side that doesn't involve fitness/wellness. Of course I love what I do but.. I want to branch out and try something new!

I really want to go see the new Jurassic Park movie. I've heard it's awesome!

I need a vacation. It's been a trying month to say the least. I'm ready to be in relaxation mode in Hilton Head for a week.

I should start getting ready for my power hour class. It's a doozy. I hope my class is ready. :)

I can run a sub-1:40 half marathon. I never thought I'd ever say that. I was just happy when I hit under 2 hours for the first time. :)

I like chocolate. Way, way, WAY too much.

I love my husband. More than I will ever know how to put into words. 

I make a mean chickpea cookie dough dip. I've gotten it down to a science at this point!

I always think I could be better at something. I don't give myself enough credit but... perhaps I need to start cutting myself some slack. 

Have a great Monday everyone! May it be short and sweet!

Sarah

Marvelous (Marathon) Monday!

Happy Marathon Monday to all my fellow runners out there! Even for those of us not running Boston, it's totally our runner's version of a holiday.

Time for some running themed Marvelous Monday action.

Marvelous is.... the Boston Marathon, of course. As a runner, my biggest goal is to one day make it to Boston for the marathon. But then again, isn't that every runner's dream? I can't wait to run my first 26.2 this November and test the waters!

Marvelous is.... my run this morning. 9.6 miles before work = best way to start the week.

Marvelous is... my fourth half marathon this Saturday! Looking forward to running the Kentucky Derby half and potentially going for a new PR, depending on how my legs feel/conditions/everything else that I need to take into consideration. My current PR is 1:42:38 so I'll have to really book it on Saturday to beat that!

Marvelous is... the new Asics Gel Nimbus 17's. I. need. these. now! The Saucony's I got in January already have 700+ miles on them so, yeah. And that being said, I love my Saucony's (I rock the Triumph) but.. I miss my beloved Asics.

Marvelous is... being a runner. Try and take our marathon away? We say screw you and come back stronger than ever. Rain/snow/sleet/hail... you better believe we're running anyway. Our sport is other's punishment. Our idea of a "short" run is 6 miles. We spend hours upon hours pounding the pavement. We run 26.2 miles for FUN. We don't exclude anyone from our "club".. if you lace up shoes, put one foot in front of the other, and take a quick jog around the neighborhood, you're one of "us."
I love this sport and am so glad I stuck with it 10+ years ago. I can honestly say I've never worked harder or been more dedicated to something in my entire life.

Happy Marathon Monday--go run some miles for Boston!

Sarah

Rainy Days and Mondays

To quote the Carpenters, "Rainy Days & Monday's always get me down." And the day after Louisville loses a heartbreaker. I think they forgot to mention that one in the song.

BUT that being said, I'll try and tough it out and think of some marvelous things for this dreary Monday.

Marvelous is... a killer treadmill interval/distance workout. Legs felt SO good yesterday. I'm feeling strong and ready to tackle the Kentucky Derby half in a few weeks!

Marvelous is... a low key & relaxing weekend at home. They don't happen often enough!

Marvelous is... knowing that this time next month, I'll be on my way to FLORIDA for a fitness conference--they are the best! 

Marvelous is... working at a place where I don't dread coming into work on a rainy Monday.

Marvelous is... finding out my local grocery FINALLY has the Chocolate Cupcake Luna bar for sale!

Marvelous is... knowing others trust me to help them with their health & wellness goals!

Marvelous is... starting off a Saturday with a killer TurboKick class. It was so much fun! And challenging!

Marvelous is... coming home each and every night to my incredible husband. <3 So lucky! 

Happy Monday!

Sarah 

Birthday Weekend

Well, I'm officially 28. And two days in, it's not so bad after all. I haven't broken a hip (yet), I haven't forgotten anything TOO important, and to be honest, I feel pretty darn good! I was thinking back to my 18th birthday and how exciting that was but I have to admit, 28 feels much better. In fact, my 28 year old self could totally kick my 18 year old's butt. I'm in the best shape of my life, I have more energy than ever before, and life. although crazy and unpredictable, is pretty fantastic. Do I wish I knew what I was doing? ALL the time. But right now, I'm just enjoying going with the flow for once. (Let'st just hope I'm this optimistic when I'm 30. Or God forbid, 38)

And now, a picture dump. Because Monday's are crazy.

Take that 18 year old Sarah. 

Weather was AWESOME for my birthday so of COURSE I had to run! 9 miles in the books!

Scenery from my run. Umm, can I move here?

My "cake". I wanted to indulge but not TOO much so my  mom made this awesome, semi-healthy pie! It was delicious. I may or may not have had 6 slices..... hello, cheat day!

Props to my niece for helping me blow out the candles. 

That's right--I'm officially team Fitbit! 

Bring it on 28.

Sarah

Monday Morning Thoughts

Happy Monday!

It's a pretty dreary one here but luckily we're not getting quite as slammed here as they are in the Northeast. But seriously--why haven't we had ANY snow this winter?!

Monday mornings are always one of my favorites. Weird, right? Most people dread waking up but for me, it's the start of a new week and start of the new possibilities. I'm not going to lie to you and say waking up at 5:30am is my favorite but once I get to work, hop on the treadmill, catch up with the news.. I'm ready to tackle whatever the day/week has in store.

This week should be a pretty low key one for me. Everyday is hectic when working at a gym (especially a brand new one) but now that systems are starting to be put into place, it's getting much easier (in a relative sense). I'm looking forward to some great workouts (already got a 8.5 miler in this morning!), some good eats, a great Insanity class on Thursday, and hopefully some down time if I'm lucky. I just started back for the semester on my online classes for a second degree to become a Dietitian and I can't say that I'm really enjoying biochem (YUCK) all that much but trying to realize that if I'm going to make my dreams come true, there are going to be a few not-so-fun obstacles along the way. This just happens to be one of them.

And now I suppose it's time to get to work. I'll leave you with a little Monday Morning motivation. Get out there and move! You won't regret it!

Sarah