May Goal Re-cap/Life update extravaganza!

I know you've all been dying for an update on my super-exciting life ;-)

I'll start by stating that I've decided not to run the 1/2 marathon tomorrow morning, and it's not for a lack of training or desire to do. Basically, it boils down to not wanting to spend the money for the entry fee when we've got a trip at the end of the month to pay for {on top of a car to maintain, a dog to take to the vet, etc.}. It just didn't seem like a wise financial choice. Also, I didn't like the fact that this particular race didn't donate to a specific charity, nor did all runners receive a medal! I want a medal for my first race, darn it! I'm still doing my training though, and I do plan on participating in a half marathon sometime this summer/fall.

Workouts for the week:

Saturday morning - 8 mile run
Monday morning - "strongest man" workout
Wednesday morning - 20 minutes stair stepper/12 minutes elliptical
Wednesday evening - "strongest man" workout

I ran 6 miles this morning, plus we went on ~1.5 mile hike today. I'm planning on riding my bike tomorrow morning. In fact, my plan is to ride my bike a lot more now that I'm not actively training for the 1/2, though I will definitely be keeping up with longish-distance runs.

I cannot believe that May is already over. Time to recap my May Goals:

 1. Stick to my training plan. SUCCESS! Aside from the planned 10-mile ride last Saturday {I dropped it after realizing that I wasn't going to do the 1/2, plus I got a late start and was very sore from early-week workouts}, I kept to at least 2 short distance {at least 4mi} runs during the week and a long run on Saturday mornings. It felt GREAT!

2. Lose at least 10 lbs. MOSTLY FAIL. I lost about 5 lbs, although we just got a new scale yesterday which weighs in 7 pounds heavier than the one I was using {talk about a blow to the ego!}. I need to start hardcore counting calories and sticking to my mindful eating plan better.

3. Complete the Photo-a-day Challenge. FAIL. I fell off before the first week.

4. Plan a cookout at our house! FAIL. Well, unless you consider an impromptu Memorial Day cookout with our neighbors and their kids.

So all in all, I didn't do so hot with those goals. However, the first two were most important to me, and I mostly succeed at them, so I'm good with that.
Four things I love about this week:

1. Long weekend/Short work-week. We didn't do much for Memorial Day (hung around the house and with our neighbors), but it was glorious. The weather was so nice and having an extra day off from work was well-deserved.

2. Having an inquisitive child. Valentino has been asking questions about everything. "How do the clouds get full of water {and cause rain}?" "How did someone get up there {on the water tower} to do that {graffiti}?" "How do binoculars work?"

He loves his binoculars! They were his Nonno's

3. Being busy at work! Call me crazy, but even though it was nuts for me at work this week, I was sort of enjoying it. Each day seemed to fly by!

4. Fresh fruit. I loaded up on watermelon, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries when I went grocery shopping. We've been enjoying all our favorite fresh fruit all week long. Can't wait for those summertime Carolina peaches - they are like candy! SO sweet and delicious!

We had a great day today, and I hope to be back early next week with a weekend update and June's goals.

Fitness Update

Workouts since I last posted about working out... (last Wednesday - I'm a slacker):

Wednesday and Thursday - nada. I was zapped.
Friday: All intentions on going to a cycling class at 5:45 at the Y. That didn't happen, but an 11 mile (51 minute) hill session did!
Saturday: Seriously active day. 6 mile run (1:21 - pathetically slow), followed by a 2 mile (at least) hike, then a 1 mile fast walk back to our car, THEN lunch and walking around Cameron Village. Great day outside!

My boy and I on our hike

Sunday: "Rest" day. If you count running errands all day and entertaining a 4-year old boy and cleaning the house "REST."

This week is off to a good start. Monday was supposed to be a 4 mile day, but it was rather warm (and let's be honest - my favorite sports bra was dirty!), so I swapped Monday and Tuesday's workouts and only ran 2 miles (in about 21 minutes). It's weird that 2 miles seems so quick and "easy" now! Tuesday was 4 miles (~47 minutes), which was pretty difficult - I was tired from working all day, plus it was fairly warm out. I was a sweaty mess at the end.

Unfortunately I'm facing the monthly bloat and both the scale and my clothes are reminding me at the moment, on top of my ravenous appetite. But I'm trying to keep myself in check - if I can get through this, the rest of the month should be smooth-sailing!

Here's to keeping up the momentum!

Friday Love!

Although I despise and cringe and shutter when I hear (or read) "Happy Friday!" I feel it necessary to say "Happy Friday before Easter!" (somehow, "Happy Good Friday" just doesn't seem right - I secretly want to post this someecard that I saw today, but it is highly inappropriate!).

Everyone's always giving three or five reasons why they love something. Well, my favorite and lucky number is 4, so I bring you my top FOUR favorite things this week!

1. Coming to terms with renting. We've gone back and forth since our lease contract expired last February (we're now month-to-month). Our rental now is affordable and in a wondeful area, but our neighborhood is, well... interesting. It can get a little wild at times, and it's not always pleasant. However, the rental market in Raleigh is so tight and competitive - as soon as a rental is listed, it's snatched right up. Plus, rent is going up. This is due to 2 facts: a. Raleigh is the 5th fastest growing metro area in the country b. with lending rules tightened, people can't/aren't buying homes as much as they used to and they end up renting instead. We've come to terms with the fact that, until we are able to buy a house, we'll be staying put and saving up. This has been good for me, as I now wish to make our little home as comfortable and ours as possible.
2. Springtime is here, which means more activities! Egg hunt last weekend. Birthday party and Easter this weekend. Cycling will be in full effect in no time. Soon there will be strawberry and blueberry picking, trips to the beach/MD/MI, and SUMMER! I absolutely love April-November in NC! I've started compiling our "Summer 2012 List" (of things we want to do over the summer) and I'm getting so excited!
3. My Grandma. My Grandma and I have always been close. I spent a ton of time with her when I was younger, and she and I have always kept in touch since I've become an adult. She has been the most constant person in my life, and we have a deep connection and bond. I'm always amazed at how she immediately knows if something's wrong, just by the tone of my voice. Now that I have my own child, she has been an amazing Great Grandma too! Valentino calls her several times a week, and she happily chatters with him about his day and all kinds of other silly things (sometimes I feel bad because he's being a little pest to her on the phone, but she insists that she just loves hearing his voice). She frequently sends him cards and small gifts in the mail, which is always ecstatic to receive - just yesterday she sent him a box stuffed with books and fun Easter things, including a sweet little Easter bunny that he slept with last night :-) Even though they haven't seen each other since he was 2 (which I'm sure he doesn't remember) they too have an amazing bond already. It really makes feel so blessed to have her in our lives.
4. My awesome husband and son. Valentino practically begged Vic to buzz his hair on Monday, and I finally gave in. I just didn't want to let go of my baby's beautiful blonde locks. Once the buzz was complete, Vic and I just stared (and continue to stare even now) at our beautiful son. With the mop of hair gone, we can see all his features so clearly and we are both amazed by his perfect skin and features. He is one good looking boy! It makes me feel so proud to know that the two of us have created and molded this child who is so beautiful inside and out, and I am so excited to someday hopefully create another sweet little being with Vic. We may have our differences, but in the end, we are a great team and we balance each other wonderfully.

And as a bonus, you get my FOUR goals for the rest of April. I plan to re-cap on 5/1, to fill you in on my progress.

1. Lose at least 5lbs. Enough said. Summer is so close (since it basically starts in early May here in NC), and I'm in no shape to be seen in anything put long sleeves and jeans. Fudge.That brings me to #2...
2. Keep to the 1/2 marathon training schedule. This week was a bust. 5 miles on Saturday, 3.5 miles on Tuesday. The rest of the days? Couldn't get myself out of bed (except Thursday - I had all intentions of going to the gym, but Valentino got me up at 4 and I fell asleep in his bed until 6). SO embarassing and shameful. However, I have been doing more pushups and arm exercises at home (and my arms feel it bigtime), so there has been some improvement in my work. But not much, nor enough. Tomorrow calls for another 5 miles. I WILL be out there pounding the pavement, you can count on that.
3. Add money to savings. We have so many things that we want (like a bike rack/hitch for the car so that we can haul our bikes) and so many places we want to go this summer (MI trip in June, beach weekends, trip to the mountains), so it's really important that we start socking away some cash to make these things possible.
4. Get stuff DONE. Procrastination is my middle name, so I'm resolving to actually take care of things. First on the list - meal and budget planning. For meals, I want to create a theme for each day (pasta, mexican, grill, etc...), and then get groups of recipes for each theme and rotate them out. For the budget, I'm going to take some advice from this lady, who has a family of six that lives on $28,000/year! AMAZING and so inspiring! If they can do it on so little, I'm sure we can figure out ways to shave our spending. I also need to get my front end fixed, which I screwed up by having a stupid accident in February (where I re-ended someone.. time to kiss $500 goodbye!). I know getting these things done and off the "to-do" list will make me feel so much better.

Happy Easter!

Half marathon training - Day 1 & an Egg Hunt

Yesterday, I started training for a half marathon again. I'm planning on running the Captrust Half Marathon on 6/3. The race leaves from North Hills, then goes down to the Raleigh Greenway. The course is relatively flat, which I know is hard to come by in this area. I think it will be a good first half for me, but I am bummed that they don't award a completion medal - it would be nice to get one to commemorate my first half marathon!!

My run was an embarassingly slow 5 miles (58:31), but I haven't steadily run in quite a few weeks, so I know my time will only improve from here on out. I'm following Hal Higdon's Novice 1 half marathon training plan, which means tomorrow I'm headed out for another 3.5 miles tomorrow morning. I'm excited to follow the plan and to go the distance on race day. Growing up, I NEVER would've guessed that I would want to accomplish running 13.1 miles at once! Now I look forward to it. I'm also working on getting in shape for the summer - hopefully sticking to this training plan and cleaning up my diet will get me where I want to be.

Valentino and I met up with some friends this afternoon for an Easter Egg Hunt and picnic at the park. Growing up, I always loved Eastertime (especially egg dying and hunting!), so I really enjoy watching my son get excited about it! The weather was perfect, the park was nice, and Vic was able to stop by and eat/visit with us - it was a really nice time with great kids and friends!

Dashing for the eggs!

 Posing like a model with his eggs

Look what's inside, mom!

Vic used to always chuckle every holiday when I said "I just love Easter/4th of July/Halloween/Christmas" - he'd say "You say the same thing no matter what holiday it is!" I've come to realize that I really just enjoy every holiday (except Thanksgiving, honestly - it's so boring!), especially now that I have a child to experience it with - he brings such a new and exciting meaning to each holiday. And now with Pinterest, there's never a shortage of fun projects, activities, or recipes to draw inspiration from to personalize the holidays! {Sidenote: I seriously love pinterest!}