Words of Wisdom

Sorry for the blogging hiatus -- things have been a bit of a roller coaster over the past few weeks, and are just now leveling out.  But I'm here.  And just in time for Thanksgiving!  Since my family is out of town this week, I'll be spending the holiday with family friends.  And I'm cooking up a storm for the first time in awhile.  I'll post pictures, but I'm planning to make mashed potatoes, biscuits, a veggie dish, and the now infamous pumpkin bread.  Yum!  Very happy that I get to use my parent's Le Creuset set as well. 

P.S.  I came across this quote today and I think it's pure wisdom.  Marilyn Monroe is the woman.

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." ~ Marilyn Monroe

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Have a fun and safe holiday. :-)

Fistpump Friday

Happy Friday!  Today marks the end of my first week on the Couch to 5K program.  Fistpump!  All three morning runs this week were pretty easy (done on the treadmill -- running in downtown DC scares me).  Next week doesn't look too bad either:

• Workout 1 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes. 
• Workout 2 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes.
• Workout 3 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes.

I still have some sort of left hip issue going on, but fortunately it doesn't really bother me until after I run, so I'm just doing my best to ignore it.  I'm scared to go to the doctor....they may tell me that I need a hip replacement and that I have old-lady bones at the ripe age of 26.  Eep!

In other news, I'm so happy that it's finally cool weather season!  There's nothing better than leaving the stinky gym and being able to cool off outside, or snuggling up at night in comfy jammies and a fire (we have one of those gas remote control fireplaces... sooo money!).  Doesn't quite beat Ashley's alternative, but it comes close :)
 
Also, I'm totally in love with these Fur Trim Slipper Booties from Gap (I might have to treat myself):
 

 
What do you think -- cute or obnoxious?  I love my trusty UGG slippers, but they've seen better days and I really don't want to fork over another $100 for a second pair.  Decisions.
 
BTW, check out the new Jimmy Choo & UGG collection.  Very interesting.  Love both, but I'm not sure about this collaboration.
 
Have a great weekend!

Faces of the NYC Marathon

The New York Times published a great feature this weekend called "Faces at the Finish."  It's an interactive gallery of 100 different people right after crossing the finish line of the NYC Marathon.  It's quite a mix of runners -- some young, some older and people from all around the world.  Very inspirational :)

P.S. I did my first Couch to 5K workout this morning, and the whole timed walk/run thing makes it go so much more quickly.  I did two miles in 25 minutes at the walk/run pace (bumped it up slightly from the suggested 20 minutes).  And thank you, time change for making my 6:00 a.m. wake up call a bit less painful!

Couch to 5k

There are heaps of things in life I want to do, and goals I want to meet, but I never really seem to get around to most of them.  One of those things is running.  Like really running, getting into a routine and actually enjoying it.  Ya'll have heard this before.  Well, I hate running right now.  I think it's because I usually do too much too soon, and get completely frustrated that my body just can't take it... 

But with so many great races around the year, and a bunch of friends that also run, I think it's an achievable goal.  Last spring, I ran (and I use the term "ran" loosely....) the St. Patrick's Day 8k, and it was miserable.  I was injured leading up to the race, ran it anyway, and then had a nasty stress fracture the following month.  I want to do things differently this time around. 

I've read a ton of reviews of the Couch to 5K running program, which seems to be the most popular beginner running plan, so I think I'm going to give it a shot.  I'm doing the nine week version, which is very moderate and should be doable.  Here's the workout plan for the first week (which I'll hopefully start on Monday):

Workout 1 -  5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Workout 2 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Workout 3 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Not too bad at all!  I'm going to try running on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, since I usually spin on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. 

Has anyone else tried this program or heard anything about it?  Fingers crossed that I make it past the few couple of weeks... :)

Passive Aggressive Notes

Happy Monday, all!  I had a fabulous weekend, and I'm sad it's the start of another long work week.  On Saturday, I went to my third photography class, and I think I'm finally (maybe) starting to grasp this whole shutter speed/aperture/ISO business.  It's taken long enough... I'm officially as smart as a third grader.  Thank goodness Georgetown hasn't figured that out yet.  And on Sunday, I spent the day with JB traipsing around DC/Rosslyn for the USMC Marathon (JB's sister ran it, and we cheered her on).  I got some great pics which I'll post tomorrow.  Very inspiring.  In fact, I decided to run the marathon.  In 2015.  Training starts ASAP.

In honor of Halloween (late, I know), I wanted to share a post from one of my favorites blogs, Passive Aggressive Notes.  Such a hilarious site, right up there with Stuff White People Like.  Even when I'm having a really bad day, this sort of stuff makes me laugh:

Source

"Find your real father."  Bahaha!  So wrong, yet so funny.