Goal of the Week

I need to mix it up.


Plan:
I will NOT drink wine for the entire week (starting today). This is NOT going to be easy as I have been drinking almost everyday.

I am going back to Bikram baby (starting tomorrow). Just pray that I don't pass out and barf like last time. Of course I'm freaked out, but I will just do it half-assed to see if I can survive. Try it once more and if it's not working, then find new yoga studio in area.


We'll see if these two little changes can get the scale sliding down again.

Whateves!

Weekend in Review:

1. Sat morning: I got my 6 mile run in avec hills. The hill I run is about 1/4 mile. I was going to run it 3 times, but there is construction going on and the dust and dirt was killing me. I ran it twice. Total time was 1:08 which sucks, but with the hills, I'll take it.

2. This made me think about my goals for the next half. There is no way in heck that I will PR so I'm not even going to think about that. I want to just finish under 2:15. My last half was 2:03. We'll see what transpires. As my sister says, "Whateves."

3. Oh, I finally hopped on Anita - the first time since Fiji. Of course, I did it AFTER my run on Sat (hey, I'm not stupid). I am at 136 still. My goal is 132. But red, red wine makes me feel so fine. Once again, I'm going with "Whateves."

4. Shopping in San Diego was fruitful. I got a sexy little white number to wear on my next trip. NO, I have not announced the destination yet. But little white dresses are widely accepted there. I also bought a little blue dress that shows WAY too much of the girls, but F it. Got to flaunt them before they end up at my knees, right ladies?

5. San Diego with my girlfriend kinda made me feel old. What I mean is , with two hot crazy girls on the town one would expecting some crazy shenanigans to occur. Let's just say that we were in our hotel room, in our "heavenly beds" by 10pm. And that was just fine with us (You guessed it - Whateves!)

6. I had to lend my toilet my ASICS because it decided to take up a new sport - RUNNING. It's so annoying, that I now understand how my non-running friends feel when I talk about running! And get this - my toilet runs a hell -uv-a lot more than I do! Every 30 seconds to be exact. Which means that the Captain or my creepy landlord better get off their lazy butts and do something about it. I tried, but after a flooding incident a fews back, the toilet scares me.

To summerize the weekend, let's just go with "Whateves!" Yo.

Whoooooooo Weekend

Lookout weekend cuz here I come; because weekends are made for fun!

(Name that song!)

Tonight I am hitting the gym. It might spit me out as I try to walk in because I can't even remember when I was there last. Luckily my running keeps me away from the gym, but I know I needs to step it up. Do some upper body and core work, then Precor off some calories.

Then I'm going tanning - DON'T even think of telling me how bad it is. I KNOW. But I must maintain my glowing brown-ness for MY NEXT TRIP (in 2 weeks).

Tomorrow early morning - 6 miles - hill training (can I get a what?what?)

Then my pal Steph and I are headin' down south for a little fun in Sunny San Diego - shopping, drinking, eating maybe even a little dancin'. We have a sweet hotel room lined up, thanks to my coworkers mad negotiating skillz.

Oh - last... my next race is SOLD OUT. They only allow 2,200 peeps. Which is super cool cuz big crowds scare me. And the Penguin will be there. Pretty cool, huh? My mom and grams are really excited to be at the finish line (probably because of the wine, not because of me). But it's exciting to have them there.

Of course mom just said, "I hope you win or at least get an award."

MOM - EVERYONE gets a medal. Someday this will sink in.

I'm in a very chipper mood today. Hmmm I wonder how much I weigh. My pants are loose today (but I think they are a bigger size). I will weigh in tomorrow morning (after my run- it's really the best time to do so). HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!

In other great news - Madonna's new song is on iTunes -- already listened to it like 1,000 times!

Song of the Day: 4 Minutes by Madonna (featuring J.T. an Timberland)

HELLO! Pure awesomeness. Her arms are incredible. Damn - her entire body is incredible. I heart you Madonna. True love always. BFF. KIT.

Confidence

Where does confidence come from?

No, I'm not going to write another preachy blog about how we should all be confident and all that B.S. Instead, I'm taking another twist on the subject.

Why are MEN so much more confident than WOMEN?

This is a proven fact according to the P.O.M. Institute of California (which is made up by POM, POM's coworkers, friends and sister.) Several scientific studies has been put together by the Institute. My friend at GREY MATTERS has put her life on hold for the sake of our research project.

Take for instance, the whole "on line dating" phenomenon (Grey Matters expertise).

Just look at the difference in how a woman describes herself vs. how a man describes himself.

Woman: Tall, curvy with a big smile and bright blue eyes. Obsessed with running and health foods. (ummm... NO, that is not a description of me. Ok, maybe it is)
POM Institute Research: There is a 80% chance that this is an accurate description.

Man: Tall, dark and handsome. Interested in music and the arts. Loves going out and having fun.

POM Institute Research: This is what you get when you meet him(see photo to right)

Seriously people.

Why are men so much more confident then women?

Let's talk about this.

Do you find the same thing in your dating pool/circle of friends?

Complaint Free Is The Way For Me

Keeping the theme of the week as BEING POSITIVE, I came across this little ditty in my SHAPE magazine.

What do you think about this?

A Complaint Free World

"Your thoughts create your world and your words indicate your thoughts. When you eliminate complaining from your life you will enjoy happier relationships, better health and greater prosperity. It's about redirecting your mind towards a more positive and rewarding life."

Kinda sounds like THE SECRET, if you ask me. But it is interesting to think about.

Do I complain alot?

Does my complaining affect me in a negative way? How so?

How do I feel about OTHER people who complain?

What made me take notice of this is how much complainers REALLY REALLY bother me. I feel physically repulsed by a person that constantly complains. I just experienced this in Fiji with one of my clients. I mean REALLY - how can one be negative in Fiji? But she was.

She bitched about the food.
She bitched about the sun.
She bitched about the long walk to the bathroom.
She bitched about her husband.
She even bitched about her spa treatment being TOO LONG. WTF?

She was so negative that I found myself actually hiding from her by the end of the week.

Realizing how much I try to *avoid* negative people makes me take stock in my own negativity (or hopefully LACK THERE OF). I really don't think I complain THAT much, but I have been known to drop a gripe here or there. Perhaps now that I realize how much of a negative impact this can have on my life, I will think twice before bitching about something. Because really, it solves NOTHING.

Thoughts? Gripes? Complaints? (ha ha)

Song of the day: The Ditty by Paperboy

Beating Yourself Up

Fellow Morning Person: How was your run this morning?

Me: Good, but slower than I should have been.

FMP: Well, no matter how fast you run, you'll never beat yourself.

Hmmm. Ok weirdo. But then I thought about what this guy said. Obviously he doesn't know me at all, but I really do always try to beat myself. To take it step further, I never think I'm good enough. I never run fast enough, far enough or enough days of the week. This also stretches into other aspects of my life.

Well ENOUGH of that. It ends now.

No more negative thoughts in my head.

I'm done thinking I'm not good enough.

I'm done beating myself up over small details.

So here are my awesome numbers for this morning, because I totally kick ass.

Mile 1: 9:18
Mile 2: 9:40

Mile 3: 9:55

Mile 4: 9:49

Song of the Day: Sometime Around Midnight by The Airbourne Toxic Event

Chef POM is Back

I found a healthy easy yummy little recipe today and thought I would share (pic taken with phone so it kinds sucks):

Chicken/Veggie Flatbread:

Preheat oven to 500

Chop up some veggies small (bell peppers, mushrooms, fennel)

Heat in olive oil in large skillet - about 5 mins

Add chopped chicken to skillet (Small pieces)

Continue to heat for 5 mins.

Place whole wheat pitas on baking sheet.

Add chicken/veggie mixture to top of pitas.

Sprinkle a little shredded low fat cheese.

Bake until cheese turns golden (about 7-10 mins)

Less than 400 calories!

26 g of protein

7 g of fiber

Tres bien!

Training Plan & Other Stuff

A few of you out there in bloggerville have asked about my training plan. I
have signed up for a half marathon on
May 11th. This will be my 3rd half marathon.


When I first started running races, I would find a training plan on
line and stick to it (or at least TRY to). But now, I have a much easier
approach. Basically, I look at the race day and just make sure I get in a 10
miler the week before. Then I go back each weekend and build up to it (running
my longer distances on the weekend). For example:
May 11 Race Day
May 3 Run 10 miles
April 26 Run 9 miles
April 19 Run 8 miles
April 12 Run 7 miles
April 5 Run 6 miles
Mar 29 Run 5 miles

Then during the week, I just try to get in at least 3 days of running around 3 or 4 miles. This way I am not really on a strict schedule except weekends. I did this for my last half and it seemed to work fine. Of course, I'm no professional and can barely keep my miles under 10 minutes, but it works for me.

Now, since I have hills in this next race, I am going to add hills into my longer runs. I didn't do it this weekend - it took all my strength just to get 5 miles in (a little too much drinking this weekend). But starting next weekend with my 6, I will add some hill work.

In other news, I was tagged by Cara to sum up my life in 6 words. Check out the link to see where this idea came from - pretty cool. Of course, the challenge proved more difficult than it seems on the surface.

The first one that popped into my head was:
"It's never too late to change."

Imaginary Friends

When I was a kid, I had 2 imaginary friends. Mimi was the girl. She was sweet, friendly and always followed the rules. Tada was the boy. He was a trouble-maker, always playing tricks and banging his head against the wall when he didn't get his way.

If they were around today (which I SWEAR they are NOT), I think they would be having a conversation like this:

Mimi: Remember you signed up for a half marathon in May?

Tada: Yea, so? What of it?

Mimi: Well, you really should be training, shouldn't you?

Tada: Sheesh, it's just a half marathon fatty. You can do it in your sleep.

Mimi: Who are you kidding? For one, there are HILLS in this race. And you know how you feel about hills.

Tada: So.

Mimi: And to make matters worse, your family is will be there. You don't want to disappoint them by, say, DROPPING DEAD as you cross the finish line.

Tada: So.

Mimi: That's it. I am implementing a new training program starting tomorrow morning. And there is no getting out of it.

Tada: GOSH! (bangs head against wall)

See. I told you Tada was annoying (but at least he doesn't swear). Anyway, now there's a plan in place, thanks to Mimi.

Fiji in Fotos

As you know, I was in Fiji for work, so I didn't get to have all the fun in the sun that I would want, but there were a few highlights:



I read 3.5 books. Nothing exciting, as I had to borrow from the hotel library.



Went to a private island for the day - AMAZING! (No, this is not a postcard - I actually took this photo.)


I was able to go on a really cool hike to a water fall. The hike was beautiful, but a little easy for me. Definitely better than sitting in the hotel lobby though!

















A little history: Over 40% of the population of Fiji are Indians. We had a "Bollywood" party and I got to wear a Sari for the first time. Of course, I think it makes me look fat!






















I had SERIOUSLY curly hair in Fiji. So frizzed out that I had to buy a headband and wear it EVERYDAY. There was no cure for the frizz - none at all!






















Not sure if you remember my obsession with taking pictures of graveyards. Well, I wasn't able to get any in Fiji - although they have really cool ones. But I channeled my obsession into taking pictures of flowers. Sometimes I think I am an 80 yr old grandma stuck in a 30-something year old body. I honestly have about 100 pictures of flowers in my camera.




By the way - ran with Big G this AM:
Mile 1: 9:14
Mile 2: 9:33
Mile 3: 9:23

We shall get back to our regular scheduled running program promptly. We's gots some races to train for!

Gettin' Down & Dirty in Fiji

BULA! I'm back...

Super busy playing catch up at work. But Fiji was FANTASTIC. I am super tan and probably super fat. I am not steppin' on the scale until Saturday after a nice long run.





More dets to come, but here's a little teaser pic of my hot and dirty action with a local!

Ha ha. Tricked you. This is a pic from a natural mud bath and hot springs! It was terrific!

Fiji

Oh dear readers - you will be proud.
I landed in Fiji at 5am and was RUNNING by 7am. I ran about 4.5 then got a massage.

Now it's time for work. wah. At least I get to see how the other half lives.

Anyway, the internet here is REALLY slow and pricey. So I probably won't blog until i get back.

Miss me.

The Scent of a Run

As a frequent Running Blog Reader, one might notice that runners love to give the play by play of their runs.

I realized this morning that my morning runs have a distinct smell to them. And it's usually the same. So today you get the "smell by smell" instead of the "play by play."

• Smell 1: Upon opening my door in the morning, I am met with the distinct scent of TRASH. Yes, my oh-so-friendly neighbors love to put their stinky trash bins right in front of MY gate. I move it to their side and they move it back. Bastards.
  
• Smell 2: I cross the street to get to the "boardwalk" where I'm engulfed by scent of the BEACH... salty, crispy with a little fishy mixed in.
  
• Smell 3: Just when I'm getting into my grove, the scent of REHAB floats by. One might be surprised to learn that there are probably more rehabs in Newport than there are bars. Narconon has a distinct smell. And no, it's not of aliens. It's like bleachy cleaner mixed with cheap shampoo.
  
• Smell 4: Now this is actually probably the worst smell of the morning. OLD LADY PERFUME. The sweetest little lady goes for morning walks and always says "good morning" to me (major brownie points in my book). I just love her. But her perfume makes me want to hurl. It's a powdery, Rosy scent and that shit lingers like no tomorrow.
  
• Smell 5: By now, I'm hitting the pier where there are restaurants & bars galore. This is a two-punch combo of scentification (I just made up that word). First there is food smell - usually PIZZA, then you're smacked with the SMOKE smell. All the bars have big stinky buckets or ash trays outside and I don't think they clean them out too often. **Note: A third smell can come into play if this is a weekend run - the smell of VOMIT. Occasionally you can tell there's been an "incident" outside of the bar and hopefully you don't see it.
  
• Smell 6: The boardwalk temporarily ends and the run must continue in the alley. The main scent now is CAR EXHAUST and occasionally CLEAN LAUNDRY.

Then I turn around and run thru the same scents again.

What does your run smell like?

Song of the day: Moments by DJ Godfather & Starski

7 Things...

CollegeGirl tagged me so I thought I would indulge since I'm too busy to think about anything else to write:

7 Random/Weird Things
The rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Post the rules on your blog.
• Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
• Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
• Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

7 Weird Things about me:

1. Running a marathon gave me the confidence that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.
2. I look forward to long plane rides so I don't have to do anything for extended periods of time except read and drink wine. I want to have a shirt made that says "don't talk to me" so I can wear it on airplanes and not have to talk to the annoying person next me about their stupid vacation. I currently do anything in my power to avoid these conversations including wearing my headphones (not turned on) so I can pretend like I can't hear them.
3. I have a really good memory for details/events/situations/conversations, but can't remember people's names to save my life.
4. My friends & family think I lead an exciting life, but I think I'm really quite boring.
5. I love picking at things (especially pimples) - even on other people.
6. I drive an old piece of crap car. I've had it for 12 years. I am really embarassed when I valet. Plus it's ALWAYS dirty.
7. These lame 7 things took me way to long. See, I am boring.

Ran 4 yesterday morning. Very lovely. Will run in morning tomorrow since will be flying for over 10 peaceful hours. Not sure how often I will be able to blog while in Fiji. So, check back later :)

Tagged:

Anyone who needs something to write about :)

And The Next Trip Is...

Hi all

The moment you've all been waiting for....

FIJI here I come!

I will be gone for a while and not sure if I will have time to blog while I'm there. Trust me - I will try and where there's a will, there's a way.

This is my 2nd trip to Fiji. Last time, I went to about 5 different islands. This time we are staying on the main land. My advice if you ever go to Fiji - GO TO A SMALLER ISLAND. The mainland is cool, but the real Fiji is being on one the smaller outer islands.

My main goal on this trip is to keep running. It's so easy to slack when you travel and I do NOT want that to happen.

Song of the Day: Piece of Me(Böz o lö Remix) by Britney Spears

Sunday Fun

I stole this from Laura. You can have a word cloud made from your blog too. Go ahead. Try it. Of course "word cloud" reminds me of a "brain cloud" and I definitely would not want one of those. Anyone remember what fantab movie that term came from?

Basically, these are the words that come up most frequently in my blog:

Not to surprising: Beach, Captain, Eat, Love, Like, Marathon, Run, Runner, Running, Work. But I didn't realize I talked about being sick so often or OLD. What is that about? And apparently I talk about Nancy and Marcy alot. Sheesh, why wouldn't I? (Wink, wink).

Startin' Off Easy

Well, maybe hills are not that bad. Or maybe it was all the fantabulous suggestions from you all that got me thru it. Seriously, I thought of your words, advice and mantras the entire time. Here's the oh-so-exciting, yet short, play by play:

• 2 miles of a nice warm up on my normal route.
• Then I took a detour to get to my "hill." I came, I saw, I conquered it. TWICE! It was about .3 miles up, then .3 down. I would have gone another time but I thought of Danielle's advice to take it easy and not get an injury my first time hill training.
• 2 miles back.

Total: 5.46 miles
Time: 57:06
Calories: 603

I wish I had put on the heart rate monitor. The first time up, I felt it beating. But the second time, not as much.

There's a bigger hill that's next on my list and that bitch is mine!
I'm off now for a delisioso ensalada and to watch The Darjeeling Limited on dvd. So excited. Been wanting to see this movie. I heart Jason Schwartzman. Wierd, huh? Like, I really like him. I would totally make out with him.

I'll post my next work trip next week. I promise.