Work It Out Wednesday!

Mar 6th, 2013

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have sometimes struggles to keep myself accountable whether it be with eating or working out so I have decided to start a new thing here on the blog called “Work It Out Wednesday.” It’s pretty much just an accountability tool for me and my workouts. I am going to post my goal workouts for the week and then check back each Wednesday to let you know how I did with them and then post the goals for the following week. So for the first week, I am just posting goal workouts.

And now because I know you really want to see what my workouts look like, here they are!

Work It Out Wednesday!

Day

Goal Workout

Actual Workout

Wed 3/6/13

Yoga: 60 min class

Thurs 3/7/13

3 mile run @ pace

Fri 3/8/13

At home circuits or JM video

Sat 3/9/13

Strength @ gym

Sun 3/10/13

6 mile run

Mon 3/11/13

Rest

Tues 3/12/13

4 mile run

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Posted in: Work It Out Wednesday.

March Madness

Mar 1st, 2013

by Amanda.

No comments yet

Despite the title, this entry has nothing to do with basketball (though I DO love college basketball). I am just shocked that it is March already! This year is flying by! I wanted to take a minute to post some goals that I have for the month to try to keep myself accountable. Side note: I have a new instagram for the blog: romancingtheunusual. Follow me!

1. Eat enough calories (no binge/restrict). I have talked about this issue before. I am working through it by making sure I get enough calories throughout the day. Healthy fats are key for me for this!

2. Focus on strong, quality runs at least 4 times a week.

Source

3. Do not weigh myself. Seriously.

4. PR in the half marathon on 3/17/2012.

5. Prepare for my personal training certification test! I am studying to be a personal trainer! EEP! But I have some serious studying to do. I’ll keep you posted!

What are your goals for March?

Any fun plans for the weekend?

I’m going to have a relaxed and low-key weekend (I hope!)

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Posted in: goals.

Thursday Things

Feb 21st, 2013

by Amanda.

6 comments

1. I got in to the Chicago Marathon! Dream race!

It was (and still is) a fiasco to register but I was one of the 35,000 lucky ones that got in! There are still several spots open, but they aren’t re-opening registration until later today. James wasn’t able to get registered yet so hopefully he will get in today!

2. I am officially a Sweat Pink ambassador! I am really excited to connect with all of my fellow ambassadors and favorite bloggers through this great program!

3. I am wanting to focus a lot more on speed training this training cycle. I have a pretty ambitious half-marathon goal time in mind for the St. Jude half marathon at the end of the year and apparently you have to train faster in order to get faster–or something like that.

Amen!

4. I recently signed up for a yoga series that starts next week and lasts six weeks. It is held Wednesday evenings and is a great introduction into yoga. I took it once before but it was awhile ago, and I like thee idea of sort of having a refresher course in yoga. James is doing it, too. It should be fun! Laura did a great blog post on the benefits of Yoga for runners. Click on the image below to check it out!

Do you practice yoga?

Anyone running Chicago?

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Posted in: Chicago Marathon, Thursday Things, Yoga.
Tagged: Chicago Marathon · Sweat Pink · Yoga

Love Your Pet Day

Feb 20th, 2013

by Amanda.

No comments yet

I wanted to do a quick post to let you all know that today is Love Your Pet Day. I thought I’d let you all know why I love my pets (I have 3!). Warning: This post WILL be cheesy!

Gracie Mae- You are a firecracker. A protector. Intensely loyal and ready to fight anyone that might cause harm. You give off an aggressive persona to strangers but when you warm up to someone, you will love them and protect them forever.

You will always be my first pet. The purest form of unconditional love. We have seen it all in the last seven years and you seem blind to my imperfections and are eager to see me every single day.

You are a little bossy with belly rubs, but I love spending quiet moments with you relaxing and seeing the contentment on your face when you are in the full belly rubbing zone is the best. I am so thankful for every day that I get with you.

Kitty- I had no idea I wanted a cat until I was given the opportunity to take you in. I knew you were a sweet girl, but I didn’t know how special you would be. I love how playful you are with Gracie and how you like to cuddle with us when Maestro isn’t around.

You are vocal when I have been gone for awhile and welcome me back home with sweet meows and comforting cuddles. You have the softest fur and the roughest tongue, a sweet spirit that makes me smile after the hardest days. I am so glad I decided to take you in. I couldn’t imagine life without miss kitty mcgritty.

Maestro- Paesty. P. diddy. Puppers McDougal. There are no shortage of nicknames for you, that’s for sure. When we found you in the middle of that street, I had no intention of keeping you. I knew Gracie would have a fit and neither James or I had room or energy for another dog. I wanted to get you trained and give you to a good home as soon as possible. You, my dear friend, had other plans.

I was shocked at how quickly we bonded and the thought of your wiggly body and huge puppy smile not being with me everyday was killing me. You are so full of life and energy. People are always commenting on your smile. You play hard and you sleep hard.

You make me laugh every. single day. and I know that I am happier when I am with you. You are young and energetic but gentle and seemingly contemplative. You chew up everything and then come crawl in the bed and snuggle up tight almost like you are asking forgiveness. You’re a character and I am so glad and THANKFUL that I kept you!

James also has 3 dogs that I love like my own. Buster the lazy pug that loves nothing more than to be catered to by his favorite human, Sadie the energetic gentle giant (German shepard mix) that quickly became Maestro’s bff, and Baily a shy and loving mix breed that loves to be loved on more than anything in the world (except maybe eating).

I love animals and I love that today is Love Your Pet Day.

Do you have any pets? Tell me your favorite thing about them!

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Posted in: animals.

A Blog About Nothing (in particular)

Feb 19th, 2013

by Amanda.

2 comments

Guess who’s back!?

I decided to take a long hiatus from my blog (and reading blogs) for a variety of reasons. Being new to the blog world, I was unsure of the direction that I wanted to take with my blog. I mostly read Healthy Living Blogs and I knew I wanted to share my story with people so that seemed like the natural way to go. Then I started training for a marathon and talked a lot about training. The thing is, I like those things, but I don’t want to be confined to just health and fitness. I want to talk about everything. I’m not much of a recipe creator or a fast runner. I will probably never be into crossfit or bodybuilding. But I do like to run races (slowly) and share what I do know about health, travel, exercise, and maybe even fun life stories occasionally. So yea. A blog about nothing in particular it is!

But right now I want to share what I have been going through lately. My running has been lackluster, and my eating has been even worse. After losing 70 pounds and reaching a healthy weight, I started back with some old habits. This happened right after the holidays. The reason why I was overweight to begin with (other than my love for carbs) was that I emotionally ate. Most of this is stress eating. The major problem with that is that I have lots of stress! So I’ve been restricting and binging which is a problem that I have developed since losing weight and it’s absolutely horrible. I’ve gained weight, my clothes are all too tight, I am bloated and have ZERO energy! I remember this feeling all too well and it’s not a path I am willing to go down again.

So right now, I am just working on eating intuitively and trying to incorporate whole, natural foods back into my diet. I’d be lying if I said I have it all figured out or that I am never going to binge/ restrict again. I am sure I will. Losing weight has had just as much, if not more, of a mental affectas a physical one. But I am working on listening to myself more- knowing when I am hungry and when I am just stressed- eating carbs if I want carbs!

#truestory

I have a lot of fun new adventures happening in the next few months and I want to put my energy into those things and LIVING life instead of obsessing over food and how much or little I am eating. So that’s where I stand today. I’ll keep ya posted on my struggles and victories and everything else in between!

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Posted in: binge, change, weight gain, weight loss.
Tagged: weight gain

I Do Crazy Stuff

Jan 16th, 2013

by Amanda.

13 comments

So, let’s face it, I am turning 30 this summer whether I like it or not And as a way to keep my self preoccupied and not thinking about all the things that I should have done by now, I created a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30. I am currently working on that list and have even crossed some things off the list! BUT I came up with another crazy idea that I thought would be fun to spend my 29th year.

(Source)

I want to run 30 races before my 30th birthday! Crazy much? Here’s the thing– Running has impacted my life in so many ways and I honestly have so much fun participating in races. Yes, this comes just days after my moaning session on marathon training. These races will be short; 5ks, 10ks, and a couple of half marathons. Plus the full that I am dreading!

this is me, for sure

(Source)

I ran my first race (a 10k) about a month after my 29th birthday in August and I have run 7 more races since then at various distances– So that means just 22 more to go!

I’ve compiled a list of races that I have completed and the ones that I am considering. I will put a tab up so you can follow along with the races that I do–Some of them I have already registered for–Louisiana Half (this weekend!), Austin Full, Nashville Half, but the shorter ones are up in the air. The list will change as other races pop up or around my schedule. My birthday is August 8th and I really want to run the Rock N Roll half in Dublin as my 30th race (It’s August 5th!) How epic would that be!?

Anyways, that’s my fun new idea–looks like I’m going to be busy this year!

Do you like races?

Are you competitive when you run?

I am only against myself (and that’s only sometimes) I’m a slow runner. Very slow. But I love the energy at races so much!

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Posted in: 30 before 30, goals, races, running.

Catching Up Confessions

Jan 14th, 2013

by Amanda.

6 comments

Confession 1. We are officially 2 weeks into the new year and my goal to blog more hasn’t taken off yet. I have been really really busy with work, family stuff, etc. But I really do want to blog more and hopefully I will

Random snow scene from my recent trip to Indiana to visit family

Confession 2. Speaking of being busy– My marathon training is going terribly. I think with my plan, I hit the half marathon mark and stalled or got burned out. I love LOVE LOVE the half marathon distance, but I despise thinking about running all the time. When can I get in my long run? Where should I do it? It’s freezing. Can I run 18 miles on a treadmill? It’s not fun for me anymore. Also, I had the flu right before the holidays, then the holiday, and other personal stuff– my runs have suffered at best. The marathon is only 5 weeks away. I will be able to get in my runs and finish the race, but it will be a slow and mediocre run. I’m okay with that. I just want to get it behind me–injury free, of course!

Another random- James bought these shoes at Sams this weekend. Marathon feet need comfort!

Confession 3. I bought this jacket at Old Navy for $8. It’s from the kid’s department. #noshame

KId section, FTW

Confession 4. I have been living off my mom’s chilli. I make it every week and eat the left overs through out the week until they are gone (doesn’t take long!)

Confession 5. I may have spent my entire day yesterday on the couch with my dogs watching Season one of Two Broke Girls and now I have to remember that it’s not real life. I spent so much time with them, I think I know them! I was lazy and ridiculous but I think I needed a day like that. Gracie agrees.

So Now I’m off to be productive at work. I have an 8 miler on the books today and it’s 28 degrees outside so hope the treadmill is ready! Happy Monday!

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Posted in: Catching Up.

Holidays and Best of 2012

Jan 2nd, 2013

by Amanda.

5 comments

Hello and Happy New Year! I took a bit of a blogging break to focus on ~~eating~~ resting, relaxing, and enjoying downtime this holiday season.

Wonderful Holiday!

Today it’s back to work full force, back to healthy eating (hello, clothes that are a bit snug!) and back to running! There’s less than seven weeks until I’m suppose to be able to run a marathon. Yikes! I was terrible at taking pictures over the holidays, but I had an amazing Christmas with my family and James’ family and a wonderful New Years Eve with James that consisted of dinner with his mom and back home and in PJs eating ice cream and watching movies until midnight. Glorious!

We registered my mom for a half marathon! Best or worst gift?

I want to recap some of my favorite memories from 2012. I know I am leaving some out, but these pictures were left on my phone and were easily accessible

We took four trips to Austin this year. We love it and we will live there someday.

I loved taking our animals with us. It’s a lot of work, but who can resist a good road trip?

Visiting Dallas on one of our trips was so special to me. I have had a small obsession with JFK since I was in the 8th grade and have loved learning about the conspiracy behind his assassination.

I may not look happy to be on the grassy knoll, but I was!

My sister turned 30 this year and, if you know me, you know I love a themed party! Child of the 80′s Party was a blast!

the cool kids

Maestro has been the source of many laughs and I am so glad we found him and love having him be apart of our family– as naughty as he may be!

found some cigs

head diving into a sonic blast!

I loved having my mom, sister, and aunt come for a visit in April. We had such a fun time exploring Memphis!

NYC with one of my besties in June was so much fun! Love NYC and love this girl!

My parents had a big party for the Fourth of July. It was a lot of fun, complete with karaoke and juggling!

I reached a healthy weight this year for the first time in seven or eight years and fitting into this dress was a huge deal for me!

I cut all of my hair off in the summer of 2012 and I am so glad I did it! I will probably let it grow back out soon, but I always wanted a pixie cut and actually doing it was so liberating!

short hair; don’t care!

We spent my birthday at the beach doing nothing but beach bummin, eating, and watching hours and hours of breaking bad. Perfect!

Shortly after my 29th birthday, James and I started training for the Austin Marathon (February 2013!). We have completed several races since then and so many of my memories of 2012 come from running!

Cooper Young 4 miler- Funnest race, ever!

First half marathon!

Half marathon number 2!

family 5k!

I moved into a new downtown apartment over the summer, and despite it being smaller than my old place, I could not be happier!

Back to Austin for James’ birthday!

I am happy to say that I’ve spent a lot of time with family this year. More so than usual, and I love that. I do have the coolest family, after all

Love my nanny!

Love this kid

There are so many more things that happened this year: I started a BLOG! I finally got a new car! and so much more! I think 2013 has a lot of promise for me and I can’t wait to conquer it! Cheers to a new year!

Any goals or resolutions this year?

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Posted in: 2013, Holidays.

Christmas Survey!

Dec 21st, 2012

by Amanda.

No comments yet

As we go into this Holiday weekend, I can’t help but be grateful for the family, the fun, and the laughter that it will surely be full of. I can’t imagine the loss and the grief that the families in Newtown are feeling this Friday before Christmas, but in the midst of running around and finalizing gifts and food menus, I hope we can all take a moment to remember the families who are without their babies, sisters, aunts, uncles, and parents and be thankful that we get one more season with ours.

In the spirit of the holidays, I have decided to do this fun Christmas survey I saw on Tina’s blog a few days ago!

1. Favorite Christmas Album/CD/Song?

It has and always will be Hanson’s Christmas album. It’s really good. No need to judge!

2. Run on Christmas morning or take the day off?

Typically? I absolutely would take the day off! But my training plan is calling for 5 miles this time around, so I think I might.

3. What do you usually eat on Christmas morning?

My stepdad usually makes breakfast- biscuits and gravy is usually what I eat.

4. Favorite holiday or Christmas tradition?

I don’t really have one. Am I weird?

5. Real tree, fake tree or no tree?

No tree for me this year, but growing up we had a combination of both!

My mom’s tree last year

6. Christmas pajamas… yay or nay?

My mom gets us all pajamas every year, but they aren’t Christmas themed!

7. Where do you spend the holidays?

Christmas eve is spent with my dad’s side of the family while Christmas day is with my mom’s

last Christmas

8. Food that you always have during the holiday season? Favorite Christmas food/treat?

We always have ham, dressing, and all the fixings. My favorite Christmas treat is anything chocolate

9. Open presents all at once or take turns?

All at once! We’re an impatient group!

10. Favorite Christmas(ish) movie?

The Holiday. Hands down. I break this movie out around Thanksgiving and it’s a miracle that I watch anything besides this for the month leading up to Christmas. #sorrynotsorry