12/1/10--Strength Training Dance Party!

This sums it up:

It's not really THAT bad outside. I just didn't want to run out there.
So, I got brave and downloaded my first Yoga podcast. I've done a bit of Yoga here and there, but I'm still a very, very, very beginner.
Go, go, gadget iTunes!

Yogamazing was actually a great name for it--it was amazing! It was just slow enough where I could get the poses set, but not so slow that I got bored, which is always my concern with anything labeled "beginner". Some of those poses felt amazing, especially the ones that stretched my shoulder blades and back! Those are always so tight, so any relief is welcome there!
(Side note: if you aren't listening to the Two Fit Chicks and a Microphone podcasts, start. They are awesome.)
(And, yes, I listen to the Jay and Silent Bob Get Old one, too. Don't judge.)

Then, I changed gears entirely. I fired up a Cee-Lo Green station on Pandora and did some strength training.
Well... strength training/dance party...

(Probably best that I share that via still image. I'm not exactly known for my dancing skill...)
But, come on, how can this NOT get you up and dancing?? (Uh, lyrics somewhat NSFW, be warned...)



Between spurts of spastic dancing, I did actually do some arm work, featuring these:

Campbell's Select Harvest Soups--good for your health and fitness in more ways than one! One of those bad boys is going to be lunch or dinner later.
And as I wrapped up, the station played what I consider to be unofficially "our song", and I got a little sappy.

What can I say, I kinda like the kid. ;)

OK, that's enough nonsense for one day. Have a great one, all, and happy December! :)

11/30/10--Out of the box...

Today's run: 3.08 miles
Week to date: 7.08 miles
Month to date: 40.68 miles

Another month complete! I thought it would be interesting to look at my monthly totals, so here they are:
January: 18.1
February: 16
March: 4 (Oh goodness...)
April: 37
May: 45.76
June: 26
July: 69.4
August: 70
September: 32.1
October: 35.1
November: 40.68

Yeah, I realize that most of those monthly totals are some people's WEEKLY totals, but that's OK. This is my journey, and even the smallest of those is better than what I had been doing before 2010. So, while they're not stellar compared to some, I'm proud, especially of from April on. It just shows how far I've come this year, and it makes me want to keep going.

Anyway, on to today's adventure!
The weather:

And the outfit: 

(Yup!! I decorated the apartment yesterday!)

And, it has made its triumphant seasonal return: the All-Star Toque! 

I had some fun while ransacking my winter clothes stash to find this hat:

First, I found my Grandpa's band jacket.

And then I found mine!

Then, I found something that is NOT mine, and that I do NOT approve of.

Eventually, I stopped playing with PhotoBooth and decided to, you know, actually go for a run.

I noticed on my drives to and from town yesterday and today that the shoulder of the highway was probably going to be my safest bet for running for a while. They were surprisingly clear, and it's not like it's a terribly busy stretch anyway. 

There was a bit of climb involved, too.

And boy, did I feel that coming back! It wasn't anything daunting, but just enough to feel.

I felt much safer today than I did yesterday. I don't think this will be a run I try right after a snowfall, but knowing HoCo, I think this will be safer than trying the streets in Houghton overall. Plus, the hills will only make me stronger in the end, right?

OK--time for breakfast! I had a basically empty peanut butter jar in the cupboard that I was saving just for some Oats-in-a-jar! :D

Have a great day, all!

11/2/10--*Head(nearesthardsurface)*

Today's run: 2 miles

Week to date: 5 miles

Month to date: 5 miles

It's been a morning.

Things got hairy with my subbing permit... long story short, I spent the morning playing e-mail tag to figure out what the heck was going on. Thankfully, it all got straightened out, and I'm once again headed back to the land of Wildcats and Ore Docks for 3 days.

Anyway...

I was feeling brave/ambitious/slightly cocky last night, so I tweeted this gem:

I meant it at the time. I wasn't, however, anticipating spending 3 hours playing e-mail tag, pulling my hair out, and looking like this:

So, realistically, I was not prepared for 10. I did know that I needed to do SOMETHING. So, I put on this:

and I took off running.

I was WAY too hot, though, because the weather was actually this, and not the 42 Weather.com told me:

Gah.

So I only made it 2. I also realized I should really arrange car pool and a place to crash in Marquette, so I turned around sooner than I really wanted anyway so I could handle these details.

I hope your day is going better than mine. If you want to send e-hugs, those would be appreciated as well...

11/1/10--"I'm sorry, but you threw off the Emperor's groove."

Today's run: 3 miles

Week to date: 3 miles

Month to date: 3 miles

Happy 1st of the month!

So... October goals were not met. I never did the double digit run, and I did not hit 50 miles. I'm a little bummed, but that's life.

I've noticed I'm lacking a bit of consistency with my running. I have GREAT weeks, and I have off weeks. There's very little middle ground. So, my November goal is to run consistently: 3-4 times per week. No mileage goals, just to get out and go.

So... on to today!

My groove was a bit thrown off this morning. I have developed a kind of routine for my mornings when I'm not subbing, and a lot of it really kind of centers on being home alone. Coffee, breakfast, listening to music or the TV to wake myself up, and at least 2 trips to the bathroom, among other things. The Boyfriend is usually gone pretty early, but he's not working this week as he wraps up his senior design. So, having him around kind of threw off my morning routine because I felt like I couldn't turn on my music or TV shows, I was waiting to use the bathroom until he got in and showered, I felt somewhat obligated to make him something for breakfast when I got my food, too. I wish I had an explanation why having him around threw me off so much, but it really did.

However, the run went on.

Today's weather:

And today's "I'm not an animal, please don't shoot me as I run through the woods" ensemble:

And here's me being a goofball with the Boyfriend's goalie stick:

And, finally, here's me being mad at said boyfriend for not eating his banana this morning:

(Seriously, who decided it would be a good idea for me to have PhotoBooth?)

My plan when I got back was to do the Core Challenge of Doom, but when I went to the site, I got this:

OK then.

All right, time to get on with my day. Hope you have a good one!