take advantage of a long weekend

The Ryan’s Christmas was quite successful! Normally during the week, we have to make sure we are working out at least every other evening together. On the weekends, we have to make sure to get a ride in on Saturday morning and usually a run on Sunday night. It was nice this past weekend because rather than feeling like we had to fit so many miles into a small window of time, we were able to be lazy, sleep in, and workout when we felt like it.

On Friday, we had to go into Austin for some errands, so we also made our way over to Barton Springs Pool, where it was 44 degrees outside. Saying that Caleb was annoyed with me is an understatement. It was cold, but it did feel good to get out for a little swim and kick off our long weekend. Caleb did not hate me by the time we were done.

On Saturday, I cannot even pretend that we made some cool Ryan Christmas Eve Tradition. It was raining all day, and I literally did laundry from 11:30 am until 7:00 pm. (I am not lying. This is actually possible. Caleb says that we have to get rid of clothes because apparently we have too many.) After 30 minutes of ironing, I realized that our only two channels were not going to provide me with good holiday movies, so I ran out to rent Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34^th Street, and Home Alone.

Caleb got our last bike rack hung that afternoon, and our garage is starting to look awesome!

I guess you can say that Christmas Eve did turn out to be a decently festive day! Caleb and I went to a nice dinner on Main Street and somehow stayed awake for the midnight service at church.

Our Christmas morning may make you gag. Caleb and I did stockings in bed (partly because we refuse to turn on the heat, and it has been in the 30s over night). It was 8:00 am, I found beef jerky and a giant bag of gummies from Dylan’s Candy Bar in my stocking, and you better believe I ate them...right there, in bed. Once we made it out to our living room, we opened a few gifts, turned on Home Alone again, and I fell back asleep for two hours. We did enjoy our lox with bagels and grapefruit with cherries as our festive holiday brunch, and we took little Lu for a hike that afternoon. Late that afternoon, we went for our 22-mile bike loop. When we got home, we made dinner and rented Die Hard. I cannot deny that I really like Die Hard (/it might be my new favorite movie), but in my defense, I would not choose the blood, violence and awful language. The plot just had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! I loved it! I do not understand why girls are not supposed to like it.

The day after Christmas, our bike ride was so much fun! We rode around Bastrop, traveled southeast, and went along the most Texas-y road I have ever seen. 

We just thought this bridge was pretty.

So Texas-y, don't you think?

In some of the fields, there were cows and horses galore, and it was even more Texas-like.

The grass is finally turning green here!

I guess that happens in the winter in Texas...?

We rode into Smithville, stopped for some Subway, and finished our loop through the State Parks. Buescher and Bastrop State Parks are both open, but the park road that connects the two is still partly closed. Here's why...

the damage spans for 34,000 acres

Caleb took a video, but I cannot seem to get it to work! I will try Facebook...

We finished the 46-mile loop by riding on the highway by cars going 80-mph - ahhh!! We went for a 2.5-mile run with Lu, and from there, I had to rent Die Hard 2 before we brought the long Christmas weekend to a close.

This week, I hope you will feel inspired to take advantage of your long weekend coming up! Get caught up with sleep and get outside and play - whenever you feel like it! Even if you have plans for this coming weekend already, try to make time for yourself - you should have a day off on Monday!

Caleb and I are getting super excited because we have our favorite adventure friends, The Groothuises, coming to visit this weekend!! I am hoping to have some fun little Texas Adventures to inspire you next week.

playing outside

Well, I am job-less in Small Town, Texas, it is finally starting to cool off enough to do some fun workouts outside for the 2012 Half Ironman,  so I figure why not blog about it? I am super excited about the race this year! I have had a few people ask me if we will do a full Ironman soon. The answer is No – not soon, at least. I want to perfect the Half! Last year, my goal was to finish and feel good – Check! Now, although I claim “not to be competitive,” I admit that is not true at all. I would say that I am not competitive with others. I am competitive with myself. I know I can push myself and get a better time in the Half Ironman, so this year my goal is a specific time. Let’s hope I can check that one off my list, too!

Caleb and I have gotten a slow start to our training. Throughout the painfully hot summer and fall, we stayed somewhat active – mostly doing boring workouts at the gym. Caleb did race cross one weekend. I have been taking one dance class a week, and I have set up our Pilates studio in our third bedroom. It has only been in the past month that we have started having more intentional workouts. Hopefully some of these things will inspire you to get out and do something fun and active!

Our Pilates Room

I still need to paint it brown & have some things framed for the wall - maybe one day when I have a job & can afford it!

While my mom was here, just a week ago, we went into Austin. We walked along Barton Creek and saw some people swimming in the Barton Springs Pool, a spring-fed pool that is amazing! I felt so inspired because I had not been swimming since the race last April. Caleb and I decided that no matter what, we would travel to Austin last week after my mom left and go for a swim. My mom left on Wednesday, and we were committed to our swim. On Thursday, regardless of 50 degree weather and non-stop rain when Caleb got home at 6:00, we put on our swimsuits and drove into Austin. No one else was at the pool (except a boy in a sweatshirt taking a picture – who we later inspired to get in – in his underwear), and there were giant signs reading “SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK.” Caleb was hesitant, and as usual, thought I was a crazy lunatic. I said I was going to do it, so I was not backing out. I went straight in the water. Caleb followed hesitantly. Initially cold, yes, but it was SO FUN! The pool is “lit,” but I can’t say I did not run into the wall while I was swimming laps – so not lit too well. You really cannot see anything with goggles on, and you swim through grass and have no idea what is below! It is really cool (maybe a little creepy, too). Come visit us, and we will go swimming!

On Saturday of this past weekend, we hosted a little Christmas Open House. We were not active at all that day, so on Sunday we had to get outside! On one of our bike rides around Bastrop, we had ridden past Lake Bastrop Park (owned by LCRA, one of the power companies here), but we had never gone exploring. We decided Sunday was the perfect time to go see this giant park that is literally only 5 minutes from our house. (So yes, two minutes from our house is Bastrop State Park, and 3 minutes from there is Lake Bastrop Park – both significant parks. I would say we ended up in the right place in Texas.) We did a 6.5-mile run around the park. I, of course, took the camera, so here are some photos – maybe to inspire you to visit us or go run-ploring (exploring via run)!

Post-Run

where I want to have my 25^th Birthday Celebration this year

I am off to do some Pilates, apply for some more jobs, and try to get our Christmas cards out!! Yes, I am WAY late.

We have a special week of workouts planned for our long Christmas Weekend, so stay tuned!

Love,

Crazy Molly Blane

we did it!

We finished our race! Now on to the next one….

this is what Caleb put in my Easter basket, which can only mean one thing...

another triathlon soon-to-come!

I have not written on here in a long time! Life has been a little busy in Texas for the past couple months, so I will try to summarize as best I can…

Since February, we have been working, had guests here to visit, visited Austin, gone to the Houston Rodeo, livestock show, and carnival, trained a lot, eaten a lot, completed our Half Ironman (!!), visited Knoxville for 24 hours to see our little niece, Marion, and planned our summer vacation...and honeymoon!!

I am still working at the eye center, and my hours are finally becoming a little more consistent throughout the weeks. It is the perfect place to work for now!

Caleb still loves his job. He usually travels most weeks, but last week he was in town! It was wonderful!

Here are some pictures to help summarize the past 2 months in Texas:

Caleb, Molly, Laura & Colby - Caleb and I drove up to Austin to visit my cousin, Laura, and meet Colby!

Karen came to visit in March - Houston Rodeo Carnival

I picked out the cow I would like - Houston Rodeo Livestock Show

after the Rodeo & Tim McGraw concert

training - Caleb and Molly swimming at 288 Lake

                    Caleb's dad stopped for a quick visit while he was on a business trip

morning of the Lonestar Half Ironman (the bay where we swam in the background)

and finished!

Caleb - 5:43    Molly - 6:34

(my mom came to visit this weekend, too!)

if you want to see the official race videos or photos, go to http://asiorders.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=75592 & type in our last name. you can hear them announce me as "the lovely molly ryan" :) i like it!

 

Aunt Momo & Uncle Caleb got to visit Knoxville for 24 hours just to see Little Marion!!

worn out on Easter after the Easter Bunny came to see us all - Lulu got heartworm meds, Caleb got a leatherman multi-tool, and I got my "Competition Coupon"

More Fun in the Life of the Ryans:

• Caleb just ordered a new cross bike for next fall!
• I am having some really fun pillows made right now, we are working on restaining our kitchen table, and our apartment is becoming more like home every day! Hope to have some pictures to share soon.
• We finally got two trips planned for 2011! We are going backpacking around the Southwest in July - Vegas to Havasupai Indian Reservation, Grand Canyon, and Zion. Then, we are taking our Honeymoon/One Year Anniversary Trip in October - San Francisco, Yosemite, and Wine Country. I am really excited!!

my sister, Casey, and I took the same trip backpacking about 6 years ago - look at how beautiful!

• I have only taken one ballet class since living in Houston, but I am taking class this coming Saturday!
• My parents will be out to visit in a week and a half!
• Now we just need to get that triathlon on the calendar....

• Oh, and I just got 200 bags of different kinds of tea in the mail. Come visit, and we will drink tea!

all about some food

I woke up this morning at 5:00 and could not sleep because I was so hungry. I had my first breakfast, Cracklin’ Oat Bran (yum!), and now I am just waiting for Caleb to wake up for us to have another breakfast!

I decided I would write about the recipe I tried last night because it was so good! You have to try this.

One of my goals this year is to cook with more herbs. We have a little rosemary tree (it was our Christmas tree this year), so when I got a Williams-Sonoma e-mail about Rosemary Apple Turnovers with Honey, I was all about it!

I am usually not very festive when it comes to celebrating Valentine’s Day, but I decided it was a good excuse to just make this weekend fun and special. To kick off our Valentine’s weekend, I made a spinach salad with beets (since they are super bright pink!). Unfortunately, Caleb does not like beets, so I ate them all. I also made the apple turnovers for dessert. I made sixteen little turnovers, and of course, we ate them all!

serving Caleb my new recipe...I started us off with two each. Ha!

This morning, for our “official” breakfast, we are having pancakes, sausage and grapefruit. I am really excited! Then we are going for a bike ride, so I can keep trying to figure out how to ride my new bicycle. I am going to take the fruit I have been drying in Caleb’s new dehydrator from Brother Paul.

I am drying bananas and mangoes...I will have more pictures once they are dried.

There will be more to come on this O!-so-fun weekend!

Rosemary Apple Turnovers with Honey: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/rosemary-apple-turnovers-with-honey-138971?utm_source=Kitchn+Weekly+Email&utm_campaign=91a39439eb-Kitchn_Email&utm_medium=email

Roasted Beets: Oven 400 degrees, beets washed/dried, put in aluminum foil, drizzled with olive oil, cook for about an hour or hour and a half (until tender), skin peels off very easily, slice, salt and pepper and enjoy!

officially the two month (59 day) countdown

It is February 10, and two months from now on April 10, Caleb and I will be racing!

It has been a little tricky trying to balance everything over the past week. Both of us have been very busy working, taking care of the Lu (which is actually quite a responsibility and time commitment), trying to clean, cook and stay caught up on chores at home, and workout!

This past weekend, “workout weekend,” Caleb and I decided we would begin to combine our sports and do a little mini triathlon of our own. Saturday morning we got out to the gym and swam half a mile. That afternoon, we went out west for a 33-mile ride. It was absolutely beautiful!

I got to try out my new wheels!

I love my husband and my new bike!

I think our hardcore carbon road bikes look pretty darn good together J

After our bike ride and a quick first trip to Burger King (I do not think I had ever had Burger King before...probably when I was a kid, but I do not remember), we headed back home to finish our little weekend triathlon. Caleb, our little Lulabelle the Athlete, and I ran our 3-mile loop from the apartment.

We were both pretty exhausted after our Saturday workout. We slept in on Sunday, went to church, met Sarah Henderson for lunch at Niko-Niko’s (a fun Greek restaurant - http://www.nikonikos.com/ ), watched Roman Holiday and took a nap that afternoon…it was a wonderful, beautiful day.

Neither of us was really up for a workout that evening, so we took a family trip to walk around Buffalo Bayou. The greenway near our apartment runs on the north side of the bayou, but there is a mountain bike trail that runs along the south side of the bayou. We were able to let Lulabelle off her leash to run free, hunt, and be happy! She loves it out there.

I have my Lulu and my Lululemon, two of my favorites. I am a happy girl!

They have bonded!!

their little feet are even in sync

happy to get out and play

This week has been pretty busy. I ended up having to work one eleven-hour day and another nine-hour day. I have come home exhausted and unwilling to go workout. Tuesday was the one day I did not work too long. I was able to take my husband lunch at work, run errands, take Lu for a five-mile greenway run, and meet Caleb back at home to take Paula’s spin class at the gym that night.

Caleb had to head to Carthage yesterday morning, so Lu and I have been pretty lazy around the house for the past 24 hours. We finally got out this morning for a little run. We ran the mountain bike trails for two and a half miles until the trails connect to the greenway, and we ran back on the greenway. It was a nice little five-mile run to get us moving today. Other than that, I am just working on chores around the house, preparing for our "First Married Valentine's Day" celebration this weekend, waiting for Caleb to get home tonight, and mentally preparing for what is to come in two months!

workin on some speed

For the past week, I have seriously been workin’ it on my bike. Knowing that I had my brand new (very badass, I must say) bicycle coming in this week, I knew I needed to step it up in the cycling department. Caleb and I started taking spin classes at our gym, which are surprisingly amazing! This lady who teaches class is crazy. She runs around handing out chocolate before and after class, and she yells the entire time. She is the kind of teacher who you think will drive you a little crazy, but she does not at all. Her class was the best workout I have had in a long time! (I hope to sneak my phone in some day & take video footage of her to put up here. Is that legal? She is hilarious, and I want everyone from home to see her.)

So last week, Caleb and I took spin class and swam at the gym. Kyle, Caleb’s friend from working at BMW, came in town Thursday night. Poor Caleb had to work on Friday, but it was beautiful day! I woke up early and went to an “All Ladies No-Drop Group Ride.” I have been very intimidated to do group rides because I am not that fast, and I am afraid of getting dropped, so I thought this would be a great way to start. It was a little too “beginner-friendly” for me, but it at least got me out for a little 15-mile early morning ride. Later that afternoon, Kyle and I did the greenway ride. We did not do the whole thing, but we got 30 miles in pretty quickly. I could tell a pretty significant difference in my speed after taking spin classes earlier in the week. Saturday, the three of us drove out to Katy, just west of Houston. We did about a 25-mile ride out there. Sunday, Caleb and I ran our 8-mile loop from our house. It felt really great! We can both tell a pretty big difference in our speed, so it is exciting!

After a lot of biking last week, my lower back has been really tight, and it is kind of/really painful. (Maybe I have a pinched nerve or something…?) I took spin class on Monday night with my favorite spin teacher again, but Tuesday night I took it easy and stretched it out by taking a “Pilates” class at the gym. (Not to be snobby about it, but I do not think I would call the Pilates classes at most gyms real Pilates classes...maybe closer to jazzercise or something mixed with some Pilates ideas.)

AND….probably my biggest news of 2011…my new bike came two days ago!!



Since Caleb is out of town this week, I cannot put it together. I put the handlebars on & stuck the seatpost in to the best of my ability. Once Caleb gets back and puts it together, I will have some better pictures!

I am a little embarrassed of how hardcore it is…for little me. I am afraid I will pull up to a group ride or a race, people will think I am super fast (or why else would I have such a nice bike!?), and then I go 15 mph. Haha! I laugh to myself just thinking about how embarrassing this could be for me, but I LOVE my new bike! Now I just have to think of a name…

Caleb is in Carthage this week. I am just in Houston, loving my job! I wake up at either 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning to get ready, get Lu out to run, and get to work by 6:00 or 7:00 (depends what time the day starts). I get home between about 11:00 to 2:00. Is that not amazing!?! I stay busy the entire time I am at work, and it just flies by. I feel so lucky to have a job at all, more-or-less something so great! I usually work Monday through Thursday. This week is a little different because Houston got some really strange weather two days ago. It has thrown the entire city off. Yesterday, when I got to work, there were absolutely no lights on. The city turns off all the lights in different areas for 45 minutes at a time so that there will not be a total blackout. That is how unprepared they are for cold, so I got home by 10:00 yesterday and did not have to work today. Lu and I are catching up on snuggling, blogging, ironing, movie-watching, and miscellaneous cleaning!

a time to celebrate

Last week, I missed blogging about our lives in Texas because I had to make an unexpected trip back to Knoxville. A lot has happened over the past week and a half!

I actually got a part-time job on Friday, January 15. I had started getting quite antsy at home, and one of Caleb’s friends at work, Brian, let me know about a job at an eye surgery center. I called about it, interviewed and got the job all in one day! I also found out later that afternoon that my grandfather, Papa, was not doing very well. I had a sleepless night from anxiety that Friday night, and the next morning I got the call from my mom that Papa passed away that morning with my grandmother right by his side.

Death is always a very hard thing to deal with, but in this case, I am so thankful Papa is in a better place, not suffering anymore. He had been sick with Alzheimer’s disease for years and had gotten significantly sicker over the past three months. I had the most amazing grandfather. He lived a very full life, and it was wonderful getting to go home and celebrate his life with my family.

Lulu visiting Papa in October

Caleb and I are planning on doing the Walk to End Alzheimer’s next September or October in Houston. If you are interested, go here http://www.alz.org/walk/. I believe there is a walk in Knoxville in April.

During our time of celebration, I gave myself slack in the health area. I ate a lot of baked goods from Ham N Goodys, honey-pecan fried chicken, summer sausage, cheese, buttery ham biscuits…I gave myself a lot of slack, actually. I only got one run in while I was in Knoxville, but I did make it to Pilates Monday and Wednesday nights. It felt so great to stretch and work my core (definitely something I can focus on more in Houston. I hope to have blog posts about some core-work soon!).

I flew back to Houston on Thursday (total flying time = 2 hours 10 minutes; total driving time in Houston traffic = 2 hours 30 minutes). I went to Rover Oaks – the dog “spa” as I like to refer to it to make myself feel better – where we sent Little Lu for the week. I brought Lulu home, and had a day to get the house ready for Caleb to get back from Carthage. I made him a “One Pot Meal” (Cajun Shrimp Boil) from our new cookbook on Friday, and we had tons of leftovers.

This past weekend was amazing! Caleb and I went for a forty-mile greenway ride on Saturday. I worked on my speed a bit, and I was exhausted afterward! We took Lulu to Memorial Park for a three-mile loop that evening. Yesterday, we ran our six-mile loop, and I was starving after we finished! My sweet husband went to grocery and got us the “Houstonian Roll” with salmon, tuna and avocado. Yum!! I love sushi. It makes such an easy meal!

Today, I started my new schedule of waking up at 5:00! Thankfully, this week, Caleb is in town and can help with packing my lunch J and walking Lulu, but I am preparing for next week when it will all be on me. I have to be at my new job by 7:00, and it is about a forty-minute drive from our apartment (only about six miles down Westheimer – the Kingston Pike equivalent – but even at 6:15, it is slow-moving – yuck!). It was a really great first day. There were not too many surgeries today, and they were all done by 9:45, so I was able to get home by 11:00! (Are those not the most perfect working hours!? I love the hours!) I hear Wednesday will be my hard day this week, so I am going to try to figure everything out tomorrow.

Caleb should be home by 5:00 this evening, and we are hitting the gym to swim laps!

I just talked to my mom, and she joined the YMCA this past weekend and started swimming. Yay, Go Mom!!

Lulu sitting in her new favorite place - between the cushions - and of course, with her arms crossed like a lady.

Important!!: All of you Knoxville-ians, if you love biking, running, and mostly adventuring, I encourage you to do the Knoxville Urban Adventure Race! It is awesome, and I wish so badly that Caleb and I were in town to do it again this year. Last year, Caleb, my sister Casey (+ Baby Marion - Casey did not know it yet, but she was pregnant racing!!), and I did the race and ended up in second place in our category and eleventh overall! It is exhaustingly AWESOME!! There is a link on this page if you are interested http://www.legacyparks.org/.

Before the Race

Caleb left, Molly repelling in the middle, and Casey preparing on the right.

the cold is no excuse

It finally cooled off down in Houston. Considering the 75 degree weather I have gotten kind of used to, 40 degree temperatures this week have felt cold! I realized this week that while I have started this blog trying to encourage a lot of friends and family reading from Tennessee, some of you reading may feel that the Texas weather gives me an unfair advantage. I, personally, prefer freezing temperatures to workout. I think that there is nothing better than running in 30 or 40 degree temperatures. But I realize most of you probably do not feel this way and may read my blog and think “Of course it is easy for those Texans to workout. It is like perfect spring weather down there!”

This week, I have been able to understand the desire to stay at home, eat dinner, watch television and just snuggle up, but I have fought the urge! Good news. You can too! On Tuesday night, I made soup for dinner….but I made it earlier in the day. So here is my latest tip to get you up and out of the house to work out on a cold night...

Make soup ahead of time! A lot of meals (like salmon, steamed broccoli, and noodles…the same meal I make us most nights of the week) have to be made right before you eat them. It is hard to organize your night if you plan on getting off work, working out (because you cannot work out after you eat), and then heading home to start making dinner. Instead, dinner needs to be waiting for you when you get home! If you have dinner prepared ahead of time, you have no excuses! Go exercise, and dream about your warm incentive waiting for you at home the whole time.

tortilla soup I made this week

my husband is home, and he is hardcore

Caleb got home Friday evening! Friday ended up being a relaxing night with no workout. I made a big dinner, rented Inception, and we ate candy!

I have started a “detox.” It is not a detox at all for a normal person, but because of the large amounts of sugar I like to consume every day, I have had to change my candy-addict-lifestyle. Before Christmas, I was eating about a bag of candy a day. Atleast. Since Christmas, I have been able to limit myself on a daily basis and only have tiny bits of candy/sugar as little rewards.

Overall, this past weekend was relaxing. Lulu and I shared our new favorite spot, the Millie Bush Bark Park, with Caleb on Saturday. Caleb and I met a really nice couple there, and we ended up talking with them for about an hour. They had two really pretty labradoodles, and they were so friendly and welcoming. It was nice!

Me and Lu on Saturday. Enjoying a very busy day at the dog park!

After our dog park date, Caleb and I got a run in and had Mexican for dinner later that night.

Sunday morning after church, we went to lunch with Sarah Henderson at Black Walnut (my favorite lunch spot of all time…same place we took my mom after church when she came to visit in December).

http://www.blackwalnutcafe.com/

Sunday night, we got about a mile swim in at the gym.
We really enjoyed our relaxing weekend at home together!

Thankfully, Caleb is working in Houston this week! His office is about 6 miles down Westheimer (the Kingston Pike of Houston) from our apartment. Caleb decided to try out the whole commuting by bike thing this week! Yesterday he biked to and from work in the 40 degree weather we finally have. Once he got home last night, we headed to the gym for a quick run on the treadmill and some weightlifting.

Last night, I cooked a TON of chicken. We had chicken and rice stir-fry last night, I am making chicken tortilla soup tonight, and I will make some chicken salad for sandwiches with whatever is left over.

I have actually stayed really busy since Christmas break. Last week, I of course had a lot of cleaning and organizing to do. I have been applying for jobs (I try to apply for at least one a day). I have been trying to chose the photos that will go in our wedding album (it is SO much harder than it sounds!!). I try to prepare ahead of time and make us good healthy meals constantly. I have been working on my cross stitch I am doing for my grandmother. I have not even had time to write my Christmas thank you notes, write wedding thank you notes, work on my other cross stitch patterns, work on re-staining our dinner table, get some pictures framed, hang other already framed pictures, read my book, find somewhere to volunteer, or even just stay caught up on laundry. It is amazing how there is always so much to be done!

double encouragement

So today was a great day! I was productive all day long – cleaned the apartment, got my workout in early during the day, was able to make a good dinner and have a friend over! Good day. And – tomorrow is going to be another good day – because Caleb returns to me!!

It is wonderful having visitors I have realized because it forces you to get your place looking decent....make a date to have friends over! Our apartment does not quite look like House Beautiful will be by to photograph anytime soon, but I got laundry put away, the bed made – the usual stuff normal people get done every day (especially when they are job-less and have time on their hands….).

Today I woke up with a “To Do List” that included cleaning, walking Lu, organizing, running Lu, grocery shopping, running myself, and being all prepared to cook dinner and have my Knoxville friend, Sarah Henderson, over for dinner at 6:30.

I started my blog this morning, got it up on Facebook, and started talking to my friend, Ellen Kessel. Already, I was learning and being encouraged by people reading my blog…how cool!! Just as I was thinking about how I would love to just start focusing on housework, Ellen and I decided that we would both go run! We started talking at 11:21, and decided that at 11:30, we would get off Facebook and run. It was just what I was looking for by starting this blog…being encouraged and being able to encourage. It is cool.

So my first bit of encouragement from today is to work with others.

Secondly, if you have trouble tearing yourself away from chores or “more important priorities” to go exercise, I can understand. Usually, with my attention to detail, I have trouble getting away from tasks during the day (and therefore, I get my workouts in at night at the last minute). But don’t forget…your health is a priority! The only way I have found I can make myself workout during the day is if I literally run my errands. There are two main ways I go about doing this….

1)      If you are running errands where you know you have a lot to carry back to your house, like groceries, make your route a loop that ends at a grocery near your house. This is what I did today! I ran a 4-mile loop from my apartment that ended at the grocery, just a quarter of a mile from our apartment. I carried my grocery list and debit card in my sports bra (sorry if that is too much information, but I thought you might wonder). I was able to go straight from working out to wandering up and down the grocery aisles deciding what I would cook for dinner tonight…without burning any gasoline, another plus!  This will obviously be difficult if your kitchen is depleted of its basic necessities…I found this out the hard way today. I decided today was the day to restock our refrigerator with the largest bottles of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise (yes, the biggest container), pickles, banana peppers, and olives….yes, pretty much the all of the densest, heaviest items the grocery sells….O, and a 5-pound box of dog cookies. And dinner for tonight. Ha! I probably could have planned ahead a bit better, but I got an arm workout this way! Last time I did this, my arms were sorer than after lifting weights.

2)      If you are running errands that do not require much lifting at all, make those your destination! My three favorite destinations include the bank, the post office, and Redbox. All of these places require carrying at most 1 pound, unless you have a lot of mail…or money. It is really good to have a destination I think because you are focused on just getting there. You are not thinking about the total distance of there and back. Once you get to the destination, then you realize you have to run back. This is a good way to bump up your mileage! If you can run two miles easily right now, find a destination two miles away. Focus on getting there, take a break if you need to once your get there, and you have two miles to get back home!

In Knoxville, my bank was about a mile and a half from my parents’ house. There was usually no urgency to deposit money, so I would never drive. I would just wait until I had some free-time and run there. A hint about the post office: If you are taking mail you care about, put it in a zip-loc baggy. Even the items in your hands get sweaty on a run, so wrap them up safely. My final destination is my favorite! Redbox. I love running to Redbox because if you are frugal like me, it guarantees that you will have to go for another run the next day to return it!

My day ended up being just perfect! I did not get the apartment vacuumed or completely dusted, but I organized, exercised, cooked, and enjoyed great time with Sarah.

We had broiled rosemary salmon, steamed broccoli, and wilted spinach egg noodles for dinner. Sarah brought red velvet and zucchini walnut cupcakes over from Crave Cupcakes. Yum!

https://www.cravecupcakes.com/

And now I cannot wait for tomorrow….

here we go...

This week has been a little hectic. We traveled from Chattanooga on Saturday morning and got to Houston on Sunday afternoon. Sunday night, we hit the gym first thing to start working on my swimming skills. Caleb put a pretty pair of blue goggles in my stocking, and this was the first time I have ever really “gone swimming.” We ended up swimming 33 laps, which equals a mile!

(Side note: I did have to stop and breathe after every lap AND I was wearing flippers, so there is definitely some work to be done in this area.)

Lulabelle came along with us to Texas so that I will have someone at the apartment with me while Caleb travels. Caleb left on Monday morning to work in Carthage all week… I miss my husband.

Caleb has been working out in the Holiday Inn gym, where he really can only run on the treadmill, so that has been his workout every night this week. That is about to change though. He gets home tomorrow afternoon (Yay!!), and our weekends are dedicated to longer workouts.

This week, I have had a little trouble motivating myself here-and-there, but I have tried to get out and get active! Monday, I walked Lulabelle at Memorial Park in the afternoon.

(Go to this website to check it outhttp://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/Default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1)

That night, I decided it was more important to eat than to exercise, so the extent of my workout was playing with toys with Little Lu. Like I said, I like to make excuses to not actually break a sweat.

Tuesday, I was feeling lazy again, of course. I tried to skip my workout, but then Biggest Loser came on. Once I felt inspired by the 500-pound people who could get themselves to work out, I decided I had no choice. I had to quit watching television and go burn some calories. I went to the gym and swam 21 laps by myself!

Yesterday, I took Lulabelle to the Millie Bush Dog Park for 2 hours! It was a good way to have fun outside exercising and playing. I would suggest, if you do not have a dog, borrow someone else’s every now-and-then and go play outside. It is a fun way to be active!

Last night, I decided to hit to gym and do a longer workout. I rode 23 miles on the bike and then had a little 2-mile run on the treadmill. Then, I came home to my dog and ate a lot of food (the best part of exercising)!