On a Whim

When I came home from Thanksgiving dinner, I decided that I needed a haircut.  So I put my hair in a ponytail and chopped.  I used a hand mirror to check the back.  It kind of goes in a V shape.  I don't dare straighten it because it will show off what a great beautician I am. You probably can't tell a huge difference. I hope my Mom will have pity on me and trim the strays.

 

And to top it all off, I bought a bottle of hair dye and went to town.  It is just a little bit darker brown. My kids didn't say anything after I did it. Little man came in and said, "I paint hair too?"  I tried to remember which color I liked the best from my hair dying days in high school. Nutmeg was a color I had used before and rhubarb. I saw the nutmeg first, so I grabbed it. It is darker, but really just covered my summer sun streaks.  This right before bed picture doesn't show how dark it is.


My sister and I left the kids at her house and had lunch together.  It was a great meal and great company.  Her little baby was perfect the whole time too. I ended my day with a large slice of chocolate cake.  What a fun day!



Workout:
10 minutes--AMT--warm-up
40 minutes--back rows, lat pulls, planks, push-ups
15 minutes--AMT--16/18 Interval
34 minutes--treadmill--4 miles


The gym is moving this weekend.  Zumba class on Monday!

What's the Worst That Could Happen?

Yesterday was a busy day.  I was home for a total of 2 hours before 7 pm.  The girls passed their dental exams and we learned that Mimi needs braces.  She has a good attitude about the idea because a lot of her friends have already had them or have them right now.

We grabbed a Little Caesar's pizza for dinner on our way home from singing practice. The 2 youngest started coughing so I stopped at Walgreen's for some cough drops.  By the time we got home, I was thinking eat, bath, kids to bed. Then both of the youngest kids woke up and wanted to sleep with me. When  we went downstairs for breakfast, it was 9am.  Then it hit me. I forgot to call in for jury duty!

I called the clerks office to tell them that I wasn't skipping and that I would come in if they needed me.  I let them know that I had sick kids and that I would have to line up a babysitter. They haven't called back.  Maybe they are sending a patrol car for me.  I hope I don't have to go in on my birthday, but I guess I am now owing a day of service.

I kind of feel like I need to stay home in case they call me back.  So I haven't gone anywhere.  I need to go grocery shopping and of course I would like to go run. What is going to happen to me?

Easy Workout

Today was my "day off."  I went to the gym and lifted a little and did a little cardio.  The owner of the gym is a great lady.  Sometimes we just sit and talk.  It was more beneficial for me to do that today than to run. 

I got a birthday cupcake from some church ladies today.  It was just a prelude to my birthday dessert.  I haven't decided what to get yet.   I am always satisfied with a maple bar, but that doesn't really seem special.  Maybe carrot cake? Maybe cheesecake?

I still am trying to figure out all of the capabilities of my phone. At least I have a few pictures. I took a picture of myself and saw how old my eyes are looking.  I thought I still looked young.  Not so much.  I need to find an eye cream to tame my crow's feet. 

Everyone slept last night.  That was a great blessing.  We are headed to the dentist today.  All 3 kids.  I am hoping that they will have cavities, so they will be more dedicated to brushing their teeth. 

If anyone needs some used size 10 running shoes,  I have several.

 

 

Workout:
20 minutes--AMT--16/18 Interval
40 minutes--lift--squats and triceps

Quarter Mile Repeats

3 hours of good sleep is not enough to feel like I have my legs under me when I sprint.

I went in planning on doing 12x400m sprints at a 1:45 pace, walking 1 minute in between repeats.  It was so hard.  My legs were really heavy.  I got through 8 of them and had to take a break.  I stretched and did jumping jacks, trying to wake up my legs. I was thinking that I would run at 8.0 miles an hour, but it was actually 8.5 mph to hit the right time. Sheesh.

I finished that last 4 repeats and finally felt like I could keep going.  My time was up, the bus was coming soon, so I headed home.

That was a good, hard effort run.  I can go faster, I just have to push.  Adding an incline makes it all harder too.  I can tell my backside is getting stronger.



Workout:
10 minutes--AMT--warm-up
40 minutes--lift--back/shoulders

• assisted pull-ups (70 lb. assist, 75 lb., 55 lb.)
• military press
• neutral shoulder press
• v-ups (abs)
• lateral raise
• chainsaws
• rows
• rear deltoid fly

29 minutes--treadmill--quarter mile repeats--8.5 mph @ 1.0 incline. 4.0 walking 1 minute between.

New iPhone 5C

apple store

This is my first real day with an iPhone.  Will my life be changed forever? Last night when my kids kept waking up, I checked Facebook in my bed.  I looked at home furnishings on the Joss and Main app. I even tried to take a picture of myself.  I have a big head.

This was a present from my husband to help me feel young as my birthday approaches. He chose the color and every thing.  Even snuck out to get it from his mother because he had it delivered to her house.  Tricky, tricky.

Now I have the Nike run app so I don't need a Garmin? I'm not sure if it works on a treadmill. Choosing a ringtone is hard.  I heard it ring yesterday and I didn't know what it was.  This is going to take some getting used to.

When my neighbor got her iPhone, she said that she would marry it if her husband ever died.


How do you feel about your iPhone?

Faster 5K

The goal for me is to do a 5K race under 24 minutes.  Here are some guidelines for increasing speed with the goal of a sub-25 minute 5K.

Break 25 Minutes (from Active.com)

The Pace 8:02 per mile

Who's up for it? Runners who regularly perform long runs of at least eight miles and can complete one all-out mile in about 7:25 to 7:45

Busting the 25-minute barrier marks you as a "serious" runner. It requires a commitment to more mileage and focused workouts, and can take a couple of years to achieve. "Your goal is to engage different types of muscle fibers every time you work out, which teaches your body to race," says Rea. That education includes workouts that prepare you to run negative splits, expose you to different terrain, and fortify your body for the rigors of running fast.

Exceed race pace: Running faster than goal speed "prepares you to run the first half of your 5K at a solid clip and pick it up in the second half," says Frank Gagliano, coach with the New Jersey-New York Track Club. Twice a week after easy or steady-pace runs do 10 x 200-meter cut-downs: Start at 5K pace and get slightly faster each time. The last effort will be fast. Jog 200 meters between each. Three weeks before race day, run a mile at goal pace, jog five minutes, then do 5 x 300 meters at 10 to 15 seconds faster than goal pace. Walk 100 meters between each.

Lose the junk: With a sub-25-minute goal, there's no room or time in your training plan for mindless running. Even steady-state, weekday runs should serve the ultimate purpose — prepping your energy systems to deal with the rigors of race day. "For example," says Rea, "every fifth minute, you should throw in a 30-second surge that's about five to 10 seconds per mile faster."

Build a strong engine: "To run fast, you have to be a pusher, and to push, you need a strong posterior chain," says Norman. A weak link in your glutes, hams, calves, or back forces other muscles to overcompensate and increases injury risk. Build strength by doing a weekly hill run. "Hills are a poor man's weight machine," says Rea. "They strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, and hips." Supplement incline runs with twice-weekly body-weight exercises — do three sets of four to six reps of single-leg squats, side lunges, and box steps.



Sample Workout:

12x400m with 60-90 sec recovery--aka quarter mile repeats.

Clean Dishes

It seems kind of silly to write about a cleaning product, but I am in love with these dishwasher tablets.  My dishes are dry and my dishwasher looks and feels clean when I open it.  These things have been around for a while.  I had been using Cascade Complete powder.  It was not doing a good job.
 

 I bought my Finish All-in-1 Powerball Tablets from Costco.  They have a coupon at Costco this month on these babies. It makes me happy to know that my dishes are clean and sparkling and dry. Washing dishes is not my favorite thing to do.  These tablets make the job just a little more enjoyable.