Whoops

Firt ... here are pics of my curly-do daughter.  I remember (not too fondly) a time when she would barely let me brush her hair .... and certainly would NOT let me fuss with it.  Now she asks me to.  It only took me 35 minutes today.  And, we managed to all get out the door on time!!! WOOOHOOO, this is a big accomplishment in our house.  She felt silly having her picture taken like this and wouldn't smile.

Certainly helped getting out the door on time that I spent time last night getting lunches ready for me & my husband (neither of my kids will eat while at school).  On the weekend I prepared a bunch of stuff to make this easier.  I made my steel cut oats for the week and portioned them out into individual bowls for quick reheating.  I cut up a bunch of sandwich fixings and put them in a container.  SO much easier and quicker that chopping up everything every morning (or night).  Also I have a bowl of boiled eggs and some cleaned and ready to go fruit.  This morning we just had to grab our completed lunch kits and go.

So last night I ACCIDENTALLY ran.  My son had soccer practice so I decided to do a 4 mile run then meet my friend for tea.  Halfway through the run I thought .... "wait, didn't I run yesterday, AND the day before too".  Whoops!  With the plan I'm following I'm not supposed to run more than 2 days in a row right now as I build back up.  This long weekend thing messed me up, and the run just fit my schedule for the day.  I can feel it in my hips today so will definitely take a rest from running today and possibly tomorrow too.

Also got another round of the Shred done last night.  I think I may be ready to add in a few more days of these workouts.  They're still tough, but I don't feel quite like I'm dying after them now.  My plan is still to aim for a minimum of 4 per week, but I think this week I'll try for more than that.

Week One of Syl's Challenge

Shred Style Workouts - 4 ... met goal

Running - 5/7 days, 23.8 miles

Stepped on the scale - ZERO!  This isn't really part of the challenge, but right now I don't want to go on there.  I'm waiting until Day 10 and mostly want to see some changes in the measurements.

So my kiddies are back at school.  Their back to sports - first soccer game this weekend - YAHOO.  Our schedules will all get established over the next week or two.  This time of year always feels like a fresh start.  A chance to get all organized and improve on areas of your life.  For me this year, it is about getting to school on time (it's usually my fault if they are late), preparing lunches the night before and having some sort of a plan in place for dinner for at least the busiest of nights (aka sports nights).  Being organized feels so much better than the chaotic mess I too often find myself in.

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥

Here we go....

**BUILDING UP MILEAGE**

After 10 days off of running ... I'm back!  Today marks the kick off of my mileage re-building plan.

The plan is to start off slowly, not worry about pace, and continuously build up over a period of about 4 months until I'm running a half marathon distance again.    Every 4 weeks is a recovery week which I think will be very important.  Too often I'm push, push, push and don't schedule recovery weeks. 

I loved the feeling of being able to comfortably run those longer distances and can't wait to get back to it.  But I'm going to do it smartly this time.

This morning I did my first run of the plan ... 3 miles.  It was W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!  And I ran before work too - crazy huh?!  I changed my Garmin so that it would NOT tell me pace or time.  All I want to think about right now is distance and just let my body run as it feels.

For the first time in a long while I also ran the whole distance without taking a break ... and I never felt like I needed one.  That tells me this is just what I need.

**ORGANIZATION**

Last week I rode my bike to work every day and it was great.  The only down side was packing lunch.  I only have a smallish pack on my bike and hate to carry a backpack.  I'd like to ride most of this week as well and think I may have found a way to have the best of both worlds (cycling & food from home).

This morning I packed my lunch for the entire week and brought it with me to work.  I'm fortunate to have a fridge, microwave & kettle at my disposal - pretty much for just myself.  So I can stock that little fridge full!

I brought with me:

• 4 c. carrot sticks
• 4 c. blanched broccoli
• 1/2 c. homemade pueblo bean dip
• 4 c. green & red grapes, mixed
• 4 c. homemade navy bean soup
• 3 turkey sausages (130 cal 5 g fat ... I can't wait!)
• 750g container peach yoghurt

If I feel the need to supplement this at all it's easy enough to pack a small extra snack, or take a 1/2 mile walk to the grocery store on my lunch break.

Once a week I can bring my food in and then when I bring next week's food to work, I'll take last week's containers home.  I think even if I'm not riding my bike to work this would save me all kinds of time, money and temptation!  I already pack my lunch most days of the week, typically in a rush in the morning, but this is something I can do on Sunday and have it done.

I'm very excited with all these new plans on the go.  Kinda feel like a kid going back to school (well, maybe not my kids, but like little kids that still find it exciting).

Keep Active!

Heidi

♥♥♥♥♥