WWW

WWW = weekly work-out wrap-up!!

Mon, June 18^th – The plan was to do 6miles – 2 easy, 3 @ 8:30, 1 easy.  The alarm went off and I felt like crap, so I went back to sleep.  Which probably wasn’t the best idea since the rest of the week threw me many curve balls.  If you physically feel good, get your butt out of bed and run! 

That night, I did take Molly for a 2mile walk and did JABS – 230 sit-ups and 50 push-ups.

Tues, June 19^th – Easy 3mile run in the morning and boot camp in the evening.

Splits –

Mile 1 – 9:01

Mile 2 – 8:54

Mile 3 – 8:41

0.1miles @8:30

total – 3.1miles in 27:29

Wed, June 20^th – Boot camp in the morning.  I felt good the first 45min and then I tweaked my back.  It hurt most of the day, so I took pain pills and muscle relaxers, which made me sleepy.  Not so much fun at work!

Thurs, June 21^st – Again the best laid plans.  Friday was my fluid injection and I wouldn’t be able to run over the weekend, so my plan was to do my 10mile run today.  I woke up still not feeling that great, so I decided not to run and took Molly for a 3mile walk.  I sort of did JABS that night – 230 sit-ups.  Push-ups put too much pressure on my lower back. 

At this point in the week, I was annoyed with myself for not running Monday morning since my weekly running total would be 3mile ;(  I should be ~20-25miles each week.  Annoying.

Fri, June 22^nd – Fluid injection scheduled for 8am, so I thought I could get up early and run 4miles in the dark.  It was a little too dark, so I decided to do NTC, JABS – 230 sit-ups, and lots of back stretching.

Get Focused – Core Crunch -15min workout

2x {1min V-ups

       1min full extensions

       1min suitcases

       1min side plank crunches

       1min frogger with swivel}

1min plank

2min side plank

1min opposite arm/leg supermans

1min kick downs

Get Focused – Butt Buster – 15min workout

3x {1min hip lifts

       1min cross back lunges

       30sec split jumps – just did fast lunges

       1min side lunge with rotation

       1min modified side plank leg lift

       30sec recover}

I ended up not getting the fluid injection.  Talking with my Dr. about the results from the cortisone shot, he decided that my best option is to have surgery.  The fluid shot wasn’t going to help.  I have many emotions about this, which I’ll discuss in another post.  My Dr. said recovery time from surgery is 4weeks.  I did some internet searching and found stories about having your legs elevated for ~10days, having to use crutches, taking heavy pain meds, and the recovery being months!  I know not to trust everything on the internet, but my goal was to get more information to have a better conversation with the surgeon.  Everything I read freaked me out!   So no more internet searching.  My appointment with the surgeon is on Tuesday…

Sat, June 23^rd – I had made plans for the morning with a friend to go to a yard store for our knitting projects, so I didn’t have time in the morning for a long run.  I did do back stretching and JABS – 230 sit-ups.

Sun, June 24^th –  Long run day!  10 miles in 1hr 34min 30sec.  The time is pretty bad.  I started noticing my foot ~mile 3 and the rest was a struggle.  Because my foot hurt, I slowed down my pace.   The 1^st half-marathon of October is 15weeks away… running like crap and feeling bad isn’t something I am looking forward to.  Yesterday, I was leaning towards postponing the surgery until November, after the races in October.  Today, I am leaning towards scraping the fall races and getting my foot taken care on now.  But this all depends on the information the surgeon tells me on Tuesday.

I knew this run was going to be hard, so I planned 2 walk breaks at 3.5miles and 7miles.  I took a bathroom break ~4.5miles and had to stop for traffic a few times (these were not included in the splits).

Splits –

Mile 1 – 9:13

Mile 2 – 9:12

Mile 3 – 9:04

0.5miles @8:50

1:59min walk break to eat a fruit bar

0.39miles @8:55

1mile @9:29 – hilly!

1mile @9:07

1mile @9:48

2:12min walk break

0.92miles @8:57

1mile @9:15

1mile @9:25

Needless to say, this weekend had been tough on me mentally.  I love working out and having races on the calendar.  Sort of knowing that those plans might/will have to change, is hard.  I am trying not to think too much about it until I get more information from the surgeon.  

I hope you have all had a better weekend then me!

ELH

House numbers!

We bought ceramic number tiles when we were in Barcelona with the plan of hanging them on the house.  It only took me ~8 months to get it done!

I wanted to come up with a way to hang them up in a non-permanent way.  We don't think this is our-forever-home, so I wanted to be able to take the tiles with me.  A souvenir of our trip and a keepsake from our first home!

I found the red frames at Ikea (bought in November) and used gorilla glue to glue the tiles to the frames plastic cover.  This was done in December!

I originally wanted to nail them to the wood base board in the carport, that required a nail gun and help from G or his dad.  I love them both, but helping me with tasks is not on the top of their list and I hate nagging!

They were put in a drawer collecting dust until the weekend before my mom came to visit last month!  She had asked if I had done anything with them..... Nope!  I guess I had a Young House Love - Dude get it done already moment and got it done!

They are attached together with fish line, hung on the flag post, and I used removable tacky gel to tack down the bottom frame to keep it all steady.

Can you see the kitty?

So far, everyone who has been at the house love it.  I am still not 100% sure that I love it, but it works for now!
Enjoy!
ELH

Rugs

Now that the paint and chair upholstery have been decided on, it is time to figure out the rug!
Reminder of the palette -

I like this room inspiration from Real Simple....

These are my top 3 favorite rugs.  The first one is my #1 choice, but it is the most expensive at $350.  Yes, it is the same rug from the inspiration room!

From RugsUSA.com

I like this, it is the cheapest, coming in at $89.  But it is listed as an indoor/outdoor rug, so I wonder if it will be rich enough for a office?

From Ballard Designs

With this rug, I wonder if it is too bold and would look strange in the room?!?

Sold at a few places, overstock.com is the cheapest at ~$140.  I do have a  7% off coupon and could use ebates!

What do you think?  Which rug would you chose?  Is $350 for a 5x8" rug too much? 
I called a few places and they don't send swatches.  I really wish I could find them in-town to do a rug fashion show.  Humm...
ELH

Office update part 1

 First - this the first part of possible a many part update on the office.  I have been thinking about redoing it for a few months and gathered a few things for a mood board, but haven't done much about it, until this past weekend....

I love all the painting I did last year!  Except for 2 things - we probably could have gone a shade darker in the master (updated pics here) or split the paint tones above and below the chair rail.  Oh well!  The office - this was the 2nd room I painted and didn't feel comfortable with color, so we just picked a darker yellow shade (previous owners had it as a nursery.)  In the past year, the office has become a wasteland.  We just store crap in there, it is the "cat" room, and the yellow paint is blah.

View from the hallway

Over run bookshelf

Pile of crap...

Office closet - this is 100% my fault!  I just sort of put it there so I don't have to look at it!

 Desk set-up - the desk is kindey shaped and has a leather top.  It was G's grandfathers.  The other table is home to the printer and also an antique.  The wooden chair is an old teacher's desk chair.  All neat pieces, but very mix-match.

My goal is to turn the office into a functional office, somewhere G will actually want to work in. The guestroom will be shared with the cats.

So my first thought was teal... 

The middle rug is my inspiration from Garnet Hill.

I love love love those rugs that a friend posted on Pinterest.  I then found "Rainforest" from Martha Stewart and am I love with it too!

The two swatches on the left on the grey paint are the paint colors in the living room/dining room/hallway and our bedroom.  So I think the house will look cohesive now!

I would love to paint the whole room Rainforest, but G hates that color.  I have a purse that pretty much matches Rainforest and he things it is the ugliest thing ever.  Boo!  So no painting the room teal.  Plus it might be a little too dark!

The "tentative" plan is paint the office grey with teal accents.  Buy a 3" tall wooden bookshelf and paint it teal.  This will house all the school books.  Paint the back of the built-in bookshelf in the same teal paint and make it more of a display bookshelf.  Get the blue chair recovered.  And reorganize the furniture to make it a functional office.

My first step is/was getting the blue chair recovered!  Thanks to my in-laws for their help with this.  According to the guy at the upholstery store, the chair is an antique and you don't find them anymore with the side buttons.  It also has sentimental value....

The cats have sort of taken over the chair!  They are getting a cat-scratching condo on Friday, to start a new habit!

Recognize the chair?

The color palette - the left most chip will be the wall color, the middle chip will most likely be the rug color, the teal will be the accent color, and the leaf fabric is what the chair is being recovered in!  We found the fabric in the sale rack for $5/yard.  Winner!  The chair should take ~3weeks.  I am excited for this slow transformation!

Enjoy!
ELH

Weekly workout wrap-up

Mon, June 11^th – 6mile run in 53:04 to “sort of” make-up for the missed 8mile run.  It felt good.  I like running on rested legs!

Splits –

Mile 1 – 9:03

Mile 2 – 8:49

Mile 3 – 8:46

Mile 4 – 8:40

Mile 5 – 8:51

Mile 6 – 8:51

And of course JABS – 220 sit-ups and 48 push-ups.

Tues, June 12^th – 3.1mile easy run in the morning to bring up my weekly mileage! 

Splits –

Mile 1 – 8:46

0.71miles @ 8:41

1:31min walk break – had to get my breathing under control

0.2miles @8:47

1mile @8:48

0.11miles @8:24

total – 3.1miles in 27:55

And because I am crazy, I went to boot camp in the evening!

Wed, June 13^th – More craziness with boot camp in the morning!  And I wasn’t the only one!  Yay!

Thurs, June 14^th – Interval workout -

10min warm-up – mile 1 @9:07 and 0.10miles at 9:06

4x {5min “fast” – 0.58miles @8:36, 0.59miles @8:29, 0.60miles @8:18, and 0.61miles @8:15

       2min walk recovery}

10min warm-down – mile 1 @8:44, 0.15miles @8:44

and a cool down walk – 0.31miles back to the house.

Total – 5.37miles in 53:48min

This is one of my favorite workouts and also one of the slowest workouts I have done.  Must have been running on tired legs.

Fri, June 15^th – Off/rest day and make-up Thursday JABS – 220 sit-ups and 48 push-ups.

Sat, June 16^th – Long run day – 9miles in 1hr 25min 18sec, 0.5mile cool-down walk back to the house, and a mile cool-down walk with Molly!  And JABS in the evening – 220 sit-ups and 48 push-ups.

Splits –

Mile 1 – 9:14

Mile 2 – 9:02

Mile 3 – 9:07

2:03min walk break

0.88miles @9:09

1mile @8:54

1mile @9:25 – this mile was super hilly!

2:30min walk break – at a fruit bar and took a little extra break.

0.9miles @9:03

1:32min walk break – my left foot was killing me.  This was a mental break to get ready for the ~2ish miles home.

0.77miles @9:12

1mile @9:01

I won’t lie that this was hard.  Tired legs and left foot screaming at me, makes for a rough time.  I did get a 2hr nap in after!!  My fluid shot is on Friday, which means no running next weekend, so the plan is to do 10miles on Thursday before work.  Wish me luck!

Sun, June 17^th – Sleep in morning, 3mile walk with Molly, and JABS – 230 sit-ups and 50 push-ups!  Nice end to the weekend.

Enjoy!

ELH

Happy Father's Day!

I guess this explains why my parents gave me the initials of ET!

Love ya Dad!
ELH

Hydrangeas

Our neighborhood is covered in hydrangeas in all colors (they grow like weeds.)  My favorite is a dark purple that a few people have.

We have one blue plant!  And the color is lovely!

So pretty!

We decided to get a few more in different colors and plant them along our bedroom wall.   Hopefully, I have some pictures soon!

Enjoy!

ELH

Baggage tag

We recently got some new luggage and I was trying to figure out the best way to make our bags standout.

I have tons of ribbon, so I started playing with a few different ideas and then settled on this....

 Hot pink ribbons tied to each zipper on the black bag! 

And baby blue ribbon on the red bag!

According to G, a few people have noticed the ribbons and said, "That is a good idea!"  He knows I am a Pinterest fan and suggested I blog and pin my idea. Fantastic!

What baggage tagging tips do you use?  Do you love Pinterest?

Enjoy!

ELH

Artichoke in the wild!

Our kitties are indoor kitties, but occasionally they get out and eat the monkey grass!

-ELH

Weekly workout wrap-up

Sun, June 3^rd – 2mile walk with G and Molly and JABS – 210 sit-ups and 46 push-ups.

Update – evening walk with G and Molly – 1.75miles

Mon, June 4^th – 4mile easy run and 8 pick-ups (30sec sprint, 35sec easy walk)

4miles @ 9:16, 9:25, 8:51, and 8:38

8 x 30sec PU –

            1^st – 0.08miles @6:26

            2^nd – 0.08miles @6:15

            3^rd -  0.08miles @6:33

            4^th – 0.08miles @6:28

            5^th – 0.08miles @6:42

            6^th – 0.08miles @6:29

            7^th – 0.07miles @6:43

            8^th – 0.08miles @6:38

Total – 4.84miles in 44:32

And JABS – 210 sit-ups and 46 push-ups.

Tues, June 5^th – Boot camp with lots of running!

Wed, June 6^th – off/rest day! I did do JABS – 210 sit-ups and 46 push-ups

Thurs, June 7^th – 5mile run –

1mile easy @ 9:30

3miles pace @ 8:33, 0.22miles @8:27, 2min walk break to catch my breath (I seem to need a break here almost every time I run…) 0.69miles @ 8:27, and 1mile @8:18

1mile easy @ 8:41

Total – 5.01miles in 44:43.

After dinner, we took Molly for a 2mile walk and I did my JABS – 210 sit-ups and 46 push-ups!

Fri, June 8^th – AM boot camp…I was the only one there L

I did a circuit – run up the hill and back (0.2miles), then 50 reps of various exercises – repeat. Ran ~1.6miles!

Various exercises – jump squats, burbees, flat belly push-ups, shoulder press push-ups, power jacks, alternating elbow-to-knee touch and extension with 8lb weights, cleans with 8lb weights, and lower abs.

Working out alone actually wasn’t too bad!

Sat, June 9^th – Because of weekend scheduling, this morning was a sleep–in morning and just a 2.57mile walk with G and Molly and JABS – 210 sit-ups and 46 push-ups.

Sun, June 10^th – Long run day!  8miles!  Just kidding!  It was pouring outside and rain was predicted all day.  So I decided to do some Nike Training Club workouts, JABS (220 sit-ups and 48 push-ups), and try and take Molly for a walk (2 did a rainy 2miles).  I’ll try and do more running this week….

Get Focused – Shoulder Ripper – 15min

3x {1min Sumo squat with lateral raise

       1min plank walk

       1min shoulder press

       1min single leg deadlift reverse fly

       30sec plank

      30sec recover}

Better Butt – 15min

3 x {1min single leg clock squats

        1min alternating step back lunges

        1min split jumps

        1min pulse jumps

       1min wide leg deadlifts}

Cardio Killer – 15min

3x{1min alternating frogger

      1min burpee

      30sec squat hold

      30sec squat jumps

      1min 2feet plank side hops

      30sec tuck jumps

      30sec recover}

Ab Burner – 15min

3x {1min toe touches

       1min Russian twists

       30sec plank

       1min modified side plank

       1min crazy Ivans

       30sec recovery}

What workouts have you been doing?  Do you like working out alone?

Enjoy!

ELH

Foot update

A few days after the cortisone injection.

It is hard to see, but I had a nice bruise a week later!

So the cortisone shot was not the cure.  I still have some numbness in my toes after running.  On the plus side, not much pain, but that might be due to my low mileage.

My Dr. said that after 6 weeks, if I had any pain or symptoms then we could do an alcohol/fluid injection to help loosen everything up. 
I called this week and made an appointment for the injection - June 22nd!  Lovely.

If this doesn't work, then the next option is try another round of cortisone and fluid injections and then possibly surgery!  I want to avoid surgery since I know the recovery is going to be slow.  I also have 2 fall 1/2 marathons scheduled and have a few Spring 2013 races I want to do, so no surgery!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that the fluid injection works!

Fun times!
ELH

Spring Book review

Spring reading!  8 books in 8 weeks isn’t too shabby.  I have started to knit, so I haven’t been reading as much.  Hopefully, I’ll step it up this summer!

Fiction Ruined My Family – Jeanne Darst – My mom found this book in a magazine recommended book reading.  It is a memoir about another lady from a crazy family whose parents can’t keep a roof over their head.  Definitely skip this!

Coarline – Neil Gaiman – I really enjoyed this movie when it came out and wanted to read the book.  It think the movie does a wonderful job of painting the scenes.  Definitely watch the movie, read the book to or with your kids.

Silver Girl – Elin Hilderbrand – Another book about Nantucket.  She paints a beautiful picture of the beach and the area.  It was a fast read and great for the summer.  Love this author for beach reading!

I’ve Got Your Number – Sophie Kinsella – Great easy reading, but Kinsella’s female character are all the same, missing some common sense, avoid telling the truth until the situation blows up in their face.  It can be annoying , but this book was fun and part of the conversation is via text.  Funny!  Great beach read!

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

Love, Love, Love this book!  I had G read it and when he was finished he said, “I miss my friends!”  READ THIS BOOK NOW!

The Sorceress, The Necromancer, and The Warlock: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Books 3, 4, and 5 – I am enjoying this series and looking forward to the last book which just came out.  If you are looking for a magical series, definitely check this out!

Have you fallen in love with an books?  Other recommendations?
Enjoy!
ELH 

June ABS and workout plan for the month

What is your month workout plan? Do you plan this far in advance?
Enjoy!
ELH

Over due workout review...

Just plan busy....

Mon, May 21^st – AM bootcamp!  It is nice to get your workout done first thing in the morning.

Tues, May 22^nd – Tired, so I didn’t workout.  Sort of lame ;)

Wed, May 23^rd – 4.11 miles in 36:37 run followed by 3.60mile walk with Molly and my mom.

Splits –

Mile 1 – 8:55

Mile 2 – 9:18

Mile 3 – 8:44

Mile 4 – 8:46

0.11miles @ 8:22

4miles is the new easy running distance!

Thurs, May 24^th – We took the morning off , but I did do MABS – 190 sit-ups and 42 push-ups.

Fri, May 25^th – 4.41mile run in 41:03 and MABS – 190 sit-ups and 42 push-ups all before we left for the airport heading to DC for a wedding!

Workout -

10min warm-up – mile 1 @8:56 and 0.12miles at 9:06

3x {5min “fast” – 0.61miles @8:09, 0.61miles @8:20, 0.62miles @8:04

       2min walk recovery}

10min warm-down – mile 1 @8:46, 0.14miles @8:57

Sat, May 26^th – In DC for a wedding

Sun, May 27^th – In DC for a wedding

Mon, May 28^th – 5mile run in 45:50, 0.44mile cool down walk, and MABS – 200 sit-ups and 44 push-ups.

Splits –

Mile 1 – 9:13

Mile 2 – 9:00

Mile 3 – 8:54

1:51min walk break

0.29miles @8:56

1mile @ 8:56

1mile @8:43

I felt ok.  Still not in love with running, but at least not hating it!

Tue, May 29^th – 2.05mile walk in the morning with G and Molly, then bootcamp at night.

Wed, May 30^th – It was supposed to be a run day, but G wanted to take Molly for a walk, so we did 2.21 miles and MABS – 200 sit-ups and 44 push-ups.

Thurs, May 31^st – Bootcamp in the morning and 2mile walk in the afternoon with G and Molly.

Fri, June 1^st – off/rest day!  Love these days!

Sat, June 2^nd – Long run day! 6miles in 53:55, 2.23mile cool-down walk with G and Molly, and JABS (June abs) – 200 sit-ups and 44 push-ups.

Splits –

Mile 1 – 8:58

Mile 2 – 8:48

0.29miles @ 9:21 – this is 100foot hill!  I took my only walk break (2:21min) at the top!

1mile @ 8:36

0.61miles @ 8:35

1mile @8:39

1mile @8:34

Getting started was hard, but after the big hill, I felt pretty good!  This is exciting since Monday is my official start of ½ marathon training!  I want to stay healthy and hopefully be able to train for 8min/miles!

Sun, June 3^rd – 2mile walk with G and Molly and JABS – 210 sit-ups and 46 push-ups.

What workouts have you been up to the last few weeks?

-ELH

May mileage

Puppy Molly!

Running - 43.13 miles

Walking with Molly - 25 miles

Not too bad, considering it was another month full of physical obstacles!  June needs to be better, considering that I start 1/2 marathon training!

Yearly totals - 

Running = 255.21 miles

Walking = 107.67 miles

 

What is your yearly mileage?

-ELH