Saturday, December 31, 2011

Snow Bunny

I'm heading here in a few minutes...first time snowboarding.

credit
It could be ugly, wish me luck.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

No shame here

I really shouldn't post the ugliest photo I have ever taken on the world wide web, but let's be honest here...I don't care. Strangers at the gym see me like this...and fellow runners at races...and my poor friends, family and husband.They still love me. You will too.

I tested out the "new trainer" today and Wade WAS NOT lying. I parked my bike in front of the big screen, popped in the video that came with it and hopped on. A 10 warm-up and a 37 minute race and I thought I was going to die. My heart was exploding out of my chest, I was drinking sweat, and my quads and hamstrings were on fire. God, I disgust myself with that description.

Proof.


Aren't I a vision of beauty?

I'm starting something I'm excited about on Monday....details to follow!

Get Fit - A Lesson on Cycling

I completed my 2 hour bike fitting last night with Perry at Landis Cyclery. I was a little apprehensive about doing it, because I really wasn't sure WHY a rookie, a beginner, a novice like me needed such an intensive fitting. However, Wade had it done a month or so ago and said it was well worth the fee (we got a discount for buying our bikes at the shop) so I went ahead and scheduled an appointment.

I arrived prepared with Dolce (my beautiful bike), my super sexy bike shorts, shoes and an open mind.

He started by checking my ankles, feet, knees, hip, shoulders..taking measurements and seeing if I was properly aligned. Nothing out of ordinary here. 

He then proceeded to set up a massage table - much to my disappointment no massage was involved (how rude), but several tests to see my range of motion, flexibility, and strength were conducted as well as a test for saddle fit vs butt size.

Table Work Discoveries:

Pros - A very strong core and glutes. Better than average flexibility (surprising).
Cons - A weak hip flexor (yup, extreme pain following this race) and tight quads.

I will be doing some research on gaining more range on motion and strengthening that area. 

As I already knew from running, I pronate (particularity on the right foot) and this affects my pedaling, a few simple adjustments and a shoe insert solved this problem right away.

Perry then set up the Trainer and popped Dolce into it, had me strap my shoes on and hopped on.

He had me start and stop several times, taking measurements of the angle of my legs, and hips and then making small adjustments to my bike.


Trainer Discoveries:

Pros - Strong core = perfect upper body form
Cons - My seat was WAY too low causing all sorts of weirdness in my knees and feet. When I pedal my legs go bowlegged. (here's where those shoe inserts come in handy)

I was fearful to have to my seat raised, and I knew he was going to do it. Clipping in and out still scares me, but a lesson on properly doing so made me feel much more at ease and more comfortable about the seat being so high. Perry knows his shit, I immediately felt more comfortable when on my bike and my feet didn't fall asleep once while in the saddle. I highly recommend this service to anyone that rides a bike.

I'm pretty excited to get on my bike...even more to do it with Wade's new Christmas present  - ha! When I got home last night, Wade had just completed an hour video while on his trainer and said it was the hardest workout he had ever done, his clothes were dripping wet.

Awesome.






Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Christmas - A Quick Version

I won't bore you with every detail of my Christmas Weekend, but I will give ya the highlights:

Christmas Eve
The Nutcracker with Wade....followed by a delish dinner at The Arrogant Butcher, yum.


Spending time with our good friends, and my Goddaughter.


Christmas Day
An ass kicking 35 mile bike ride with Wade....my longest ride yet. Quiet roads and clear skies. This was also under the tree for Wade from Moi, gotta keep him safe from all those crazy drivers! (sweet outfit)


Family Family Family. Food, booze, cookies, laughter and a few small gifts.(Mom took those photos, soooo I'll probably never see them - not sure if she has any idea how to get them from camera to the computer, heh)

Day After Christmas
Shopping, lunching, shopping. Duh.

Tuesday
Happy Hour with this girl, her "new" Fiance and lots of other friends...celebrating an engagement - so exciting!


Today, I will spend 2 hours at Landis Cyclery getting an expert bike fitting....little scared for the workout part of it, but excited to have my bike tweaked to fit me perfectly!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas Hangover

OK so not really a hangover...but perhaps a food hangover and that super awesome feeling of eating WAY too much....cookies, fudge, ham, potatoes....and of course a few of these. Ugh.


 More to come.

Friday, December 23, 2011

T Minus 2

Yesterday was spent at The Biltmore, freelancing for MAC. I love being there. The customers have been wonderful and friendly this year, my girls are an absolute joy to be around. We laugh, talk and gossip, sing loudly and dance throughout the store...customers inside the store or not. Oh, and my love and obsession for makeup makes me giddy like a school girl when surrounded by tons of it!

However...I am happy to be far far away from the mall...I think the last 2 shopping days are when the crazies come out. People get panicked. Grumpy. Mean. Aggressive. No thanks.


My gifts are all wrapped and under the tree, our calendar is full of family and friends, a special date night and a long Christmas Day bike ride...today is all about cleaning, last minute grocery shopping, hitting the gym and starting out my Holiday weekend.

My blog might take a little neglect in the next few days while I stuff my face with food, drinks and dessert.

Hells yes.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Night Run Ninja

Ah yes, tis the season to run in the dark. Typically I try to avoid running when I can't see shit in front of me, or behind me, or next to me....it scares me, it's an accident waiting to happen and quite frankly, I don't like being cold.

Last night, I had NO motivation to run but knew I had to get a run in since I have been slacking and not run since Sunday. I waited until Wade got home, laced up and pouted my way down the road.

I recently scored two "butt lights" at Sports Authority for $4.00 total (thank you $10 coupon) so we strapped those puppies on and off we went....illuminating my ass always me feel super safe, if a car can't see that coming from a mile away, they have other issues, like needing glasses or something.


I never really thought about the importance of using lights or reflectors when running until we spent about 30 minutes at the LV Ragnar being briefed on safety and how cars see runners with and without lights. Nerdy? Yes. Smart? Double yes.

Yay for safety! (nerds)

We busted out 5.25 miles at about an 8:20/pace...working hard the last mile or so when Speedy Gonzalez decided I needed to run a 7:50/pace to keep up with him. Humpfhhhh. BUT, I needed that kick in the pants to get back into the groove. Mind cleared, lungs burning, legs feelin fresh and loose.

More super exciting stuff...I got another new pair of shoes in the mail yesterday. Merry Christmas to me! I was re-assessed for new shoes earlier this month and really like the new shoe and they were recently  discontinued so I ordered another pair before they went away, and got a super duper deal on em. POW!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

I'm Super Awesome


Here's why I'm pumped up today...

1. Starbucks this morning. Nuff said. (spaz)
2. My first gel/shellac manicure is still perfect, one week later.
3. Christmas cards JUST got done last night....better late than never.
4. My first bottle of Infinium chillin in the fridge...
5. These 2 under my tree.

Annnnd, that's all I got. Happy Tuesday!









Monday, December 19, 2011

Holiday Traditions

I was just dreaming about the insanely delicious (and fattening) casserole my Momma has made every Christmas morning since I can remember and it got me thinking about traditions.

This is my 7th Christmas with Wade...and we are slowly creating our own traditions. Newest one we are working on....Christmas Eve! We have always spent this eve alone, by choice. It was our time to spend exchanging gifts, being at home, drinking wine, cooking fancy dinners and going to the local Zoolights display at the Phoenix Zoo. This year we are mixing it up. My best friend moved back to AZ this year...in fact just 1.5 miles away and naturally, spending this important night with her, her husband and my adorable Goddaughter is a no brainer.

Can't resist THIS face!


What is your favorite Holiday tradition?



Because

There are no tricks. Run because you have to. Run because you love it. Run because you want to be fast. Run because you want to be skinny. Run to find some quiet time. Run to sweat. Run to eat. Run to hear your heart pound in your ears. Run because you're a runner. Run because you gotta keep the streak. Run because you don't know why the hell you're running. Run because you fought with your partner. Run because your job is shitty. Run because you got no money. Run for the sunrise. Run for a race. Run because it's impossible. Run because it's easy. Run instead of doing the laundry. Run instead of watching TV. Run because no one else understands. Run because the cool kids do it. Run because you're tired of talking. Run for numbers. Run for feel. Run to prove something. Run because it f***ing hurts. Or don't run. If you got something better to do.

- Jeff Edmonds The Logic of Long Distance

Wonderful Weekend

I had a WHOLE weekend off! It was amazzzzzing! I even told Wade last night how shocked I was that I received no phone calls and only a handful of manageable emails. Win for me.

Highlights:

1. Friday Night - NOTHING. After an entire week of events, I couldn't wait to get home and sit on my ass. Achieved.
2. Christmas Shopping. We had one more person to buy for and while at the mall, we picked a name off the Christmas Angel tree. 10 year Bernice is going to have a Merry Christmas...
3. Dinner out....a few delicious beers might have been enjoyed as well.
4. 2 lunch dates with my favorite person.
5. A morning of ARR's Desert Classic...and not feeling a bit bad about dropping out of the 30k. Awesome last minute decision...doing it relay style with my favorite running partner. It was pretty rough though, a ton of hills...a small race so most miles were spent alone, and of course, feeling the last bits of this awful cold. But I had SO much fun with this talented group of people I have been spending so much time with.


6. Homemade Zuppa Toscana soup, Sauvignon Blanc, a fire crackling...all while watching Shawshank Redemption.


Our family does VERY minimal gifts (only the kiddos on Wade's side and we draw a name on my side) which I love. As I grow older, I have realized that Christmas has nothing to do with malls, gifts, spending excessive amounts of money for one day of gifting.....when being an adult, I can buy things for myself that I need or want. Instead, we focus on food, drinks, and just being with each other. Another reason it's my favorite Holiday of the year.

Happy.Lucky.Blessed.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Holiday Cheer..Fueled By Booze

I'm already exhausted...and it's only December 17th! The last week has been very festive, full of friends and co-workers and of course, booze and food. We are both still battling these colds...and yesterday battling hangovers, I swear at 29, you would think I have learned my lesson at this point. Nope.

We had one Happy Hour, one Company Party (with a giant buffet style spread and bartender), drinks at a local Cowboy Bar, A Holiday Light Run (6 miles of amazing Christmas lights) followed by pizza and fellow runners, a delicious lunch with my dearest girlfriend and lots of laughs hugs and reasons to be grateful.


Today, to show my gratitude and appreciation for all we have, I will be stopping by the local mall to pick up a name or two off the Christmas Angel's program.

Cheers!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

My Yearly Cold

I know the weekend has come and gone, but here it is anyway.

I rarely get sick, thank goodness....so when I do, I really hate it. I get bored easily. I hate laying around. I hate slowing down. As I mentioned a couple days ago, we were up at our cozy little cabin. We drove up Friday, early enough to give the place time to warm up so we didn't die in our sleep (joking, kind of).

The thermostat said 22 degrees when we arrived. Awesome. Even more awesome? Our pipes were frozen...so much for winterizing those damn pipes. We got the heat going and eventually it was toasty warm and we had working water...it was touch and go there for a while.



I felt good enough to "hit the town" Friday night to grab a bite to eat, it was fish and chips night after all at the local watering hole. I've mentioned it before, but small town folk still amaze me. So.much.weirdness. (sorry if I offend anyone, k, not really)


 The rest of the weekend was spent being a complete lazy waste of life. Good times.


And I miiiiight have eaten a whole batch of cookies....with very little help from Wade. Photo evidence has been burned.

Til next year Cold.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Monday Monday

Yup...it was a Monday. A BUSY Monday at that.

I woke up feeling human today...spent the morning catching up with real work and headed into MAC for a freelance day...now I'm home and I'm catching up again on real work. Ugh.


Cheers to alcohol to wash away the rainy day, and people who think they are cooler than you.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Tis The Season...

...to be sick!

I couldn't avoid the inevitable, the Husband passed along his germs to me and I've been laid up being a blob of lameness. All the hand washing, vitamin C popping, sanitizer spraying clearly didn't help me here... I really really hate being sick. I have a hard time just laying around feeling like crapola. I have things to do people!

Lookjn Sexy

Fortunately, we are up at the cabin, and the cold weather and lack of "typical life" has forced me to slow down and just be sick. I'll fill ya in on what my exciting weekend consisted of soon.

On another note...I'm thinking my 30k is out (not feeling it and have ran a total of 9 frickin miles this week), but that's OK. Maybe I'll bump down to the 5k and just go have fun and support my club.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Switchin it up

I must say...this cold cold weather has really thrown my schedule off. I no longer wake up at the ass crack of dawn to get my run in. In fact, I barely want to get out of bed in the mornings because it's still dark and cold.

Running all summer long really got me into a schedule that was impossible to break due to the HOT temperatures here in AZ. If I didn't run first thing, I either ran on the dreadmill, or not at all.

Enter Arizona Winters and my extremely flexible schedule.

I think I will run around 3:00 pm. Super awesome.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Ridin Solo - Fiesta Half

Well not totally solo, but without my main man, Wade. He was feeling under the weather last night...we went to bed thinking he was going to race...not so much. He woke up feeling like crap, so I performed my race morning ritual alone, grabbed Kara and off we went.

Race morning ritual? Light English muffin with PB and jelly and a big fat to-go cup of hot coffee. Technical huh?

Race start: 7:30
Time of arrival: 7:12

Plenty of time to bag check and hit the Port-O-Potties. Except there were seriously 8 for all these runners. And most of the people in line were spectators. We were pretty irritated, but then I said "whatever, we are chip timed, let's just relax". So we did our thang, and jogged to the start and crossed over the mats about 2:00 minutes after gun time.

Glorious

 My goal? Meet or slightly beat my last half time. I didn't set a lot of expectations for this race...my hip has been bothering me, I was bummed that Wade was at home sick, missing out on the fun and it was cold. Like really cold. The start was just 39 degrees and it had SNOWED the day before.

In Arizona. Ridiculous. My body is NOT used to those kinds of temps.

I spent the first 4 miles weaving through people and ticking off the pace groups...2:30, 2:20, 2:15, 2:07, 2:00. Once I got there, I settled into my groove. I found a cool lookin dude in an Ironman shirt and decided to stick with him. He was just coming off IM Cozumel, so he was taking it "easy". RUDE. We made friends, enjoyed the nice quiet course, chatted, jammed out and I laughed as he played the air guitar and drums to the Maroon 5 blasting in his ears. We pushed each other through the last two miles and I came in under my goal time.

THAT is why I love the running community. Right there.

Community. Respect. Admiration. A Common Goal.

Official time: 1:53:41 (8:41/pace)

I'm really really happy with that. My girl Kara PR'd too.



I said Hello to a few friends from my running club, grabbed a Muscle Milk Light and got my butt home to my cute and sick hubby.

ANNNNNND...I'm totes eating pizza tonight.




Friday, December 2, 2011

#4


....it's going to be cold as balls on Sunday. Ugh.



Thursday, December 1, 2011

Catchin Up...

A few of my favorite things from the past week or two...

1. Celebrating 2 wonderful years with my husband. (complete with lobster, roses, a shiny bauble and champagne)


 2. Thanksgiving Day. A 10 mile Turkey "Trot" with friends, delicious food and drink and spending time with our families. I was too busy stuffing my face to take pics....you all know what my plate looked like. And my food baby in my stomach afterwards. Nuff said.

3. Movember. Men with Mustaches, silly girlfriends, and tasty food and drinks. (mustache has been shaved, hallelujah)


 4. Running. My hamstring has healed,and it has moved to my hip-flexor. New shoes have been ordered...and another half marathon is a few days away. I hope it's cured with new kicks.



5. With the Holidays comes shopping and great sales....Wade and I have done a nice job being selfish and shopping for ourselves. Not gonna lie, I kinda like it. (hehe)

Double Take

...I did one yesterday after pulling up to this car yesterday at a red light.


 Doesn't that just make you SMILE? I laughed to myself and then quickly snapped the pic. Lucky Dog.