Weekend fun and a BIRTHDAY workout!

This weekend flew by in a flash, and was filled with fun workouts. Friday night was probably the most relaxing. Dave and I made turkey chili (recipe to come soon!) and watched re-runs of How I Met Your Mother - my favorite kind of Friday night. :)

Saturday began with an 8:00 am bootcamp. This Bootcamp is no joke, seriously - the trainer/owner of my gym literally starts off every class with, "For all you newbies trying this out for the first time.... this is no joke. If you need to puke, go outside."

Yeah, puking happens at this class... but not often.

I made it through the class unscathed (I did almost trip on one of my box jumps, but I managed to correct it just in the nick of time!) -- Then Dave and I went to Whole foods for some food. The rest of the day was kind of spent running errands that weren't all that interesting. Saturday night however was spent celebrating a lovely friends BIRTHDAY at Café Fiore!! By the way I tried a lavender martini there and it was AMAZING.

Hayley (Far right in the above photo) is a longtime friend from the high school days that just had an adorable baby boy. She recently got permission to work out again and has been my partner in crime at the gym - she's so hard core, going to every class possible... I love it! It's been so great having someone so amped on fitness to pull me to the gym when I don't feel like going.

Sunday morning rolled around, which was the morning of the 21st annual Patagonia Salmon 5K. Dave and I ran with our two friends, and it was a lot of fun, and for once we weren't doused in a sweltering wave of California heat. It was about 64° and perfect.

I even finished in a record time for myself - 8:40 min miles!!!! I haven't done that since Junior High, so I was pretty stoked.

THIS MORNING I got up a little extra early for a workout. Hayley's birthday wish was to go to 6:00 am boxing class at our gym. PERFECT birthday idea if you ask me.

A bunch of friends showed up, even ones that don't often wake up early, which was really cool. It was fun working out all together, though I needed a little extra coffee this morning. Early morning workout on a Monday? Waking up for that was harder than I expected.

By lunchtime today it was time for my second workout (sometimes I'm crazy and do 2 workouts per day) and it was REALLY great after so much cardio this morning. My legs are burning, so I wanted to share this one:

Warm up: 
5 minutes walk/jog on treadmill

Main set:
10 kettlebell deadlifts (I used a 20lb weight)
10 squats holding weight to chest
10 second squat hold with weight to chest
10 squat jumps

10 left leg lunges, holding weight in right hand - then switch legs for 10 more reps
10 second hold in lunge position holding weight - switch sides for another 10 sec hold
10-12 lunge jumps
10 lunge > curl > press - RIGHT LEG
10 lunge > curl > press - LEFT LEG

10 Single leg deadlifts - RIGHT LEG

10 single leg deadlifts - LEFT LEG

Repeat 3 - 4 times

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Corporate Games 5K

A few weeks back I participated in our Corporate Games 5K, despite having somewhat of a bum ankle. I figured 3 miles is about my limit, and the faster I run, the better my ankle feels (really body, really?) So I decided to go through with it, of course with no high expectations - especially when I arrived and saw hundreds upon hundreds of participants.

So we arrived, checked in, warmed up and RAN! It was the most exhausting 5K I've ever run because I was running the first half of the race at about an 80% effort (in fitness running terms, 100% is an all-out sprint). By the third mile my ankle was really starting to hurt and I had to come to that realization that continuing to run at this pace just wasn't worth a possible serious injury like a stress fracture or something... so I backed off quite a bit and just went back to a regular jog for the last mile.

As good as my intentions were about backing off the throttle a bit for the sake of my ankle, it turns out I finished 6th overall in my age group. 6th!!!! Then I started to kick myself for not running a little faster for that last mile... I would have gotten a medal had I placed 3rd or higher! Darn!

All-in-all our team did a great job. Four out of the seven BEGA runners got a medal in their age group, which is an awesome result for the team. We are heros in the office now! Hehehe

Update on the ankle: It is still very much injured. I am not limping, but the pain in my ankle during and after running is about a 4, which is not bad, but it's not great. I decided to defer my half marathon entry to the 2015 race, which was very disappointing, but at the same time, a weight is kind of lifted off my shoulders. I can just focus on fitness and rehabilitation of my ankle for now, which is nice.

Injuries, Running and Thoughts on KT tape...

I've had what I believe is Plantar Fasciitis for about 2 months now. I signed up for my first half marathon a few months back and immediately started planning out my running training. I got myself up to 6 miles (which was still at the beginning stage for me since I had already been running a lot) and somehow strained something in my ankle or arch. I've been stretching it, massaging it and icing it for the past 2 months and taking it very easy on the running. Literally for the last 3 weeks I haven't run at all. I've been doing stair climbing exercises in replacement of my running cardio because just about any running for more than 1.5 miles just aggravates the injury. It's been a very frustrating road and I am losing patience with it... especially since my half marathon is in only 4 weeks, and I still can't run further than 3 miles without pain.
So, that led me to KT tape. I've seen so many fitness bloggers and instagrammers and even people at the Spartan Races wearing this stuff and swearing by it... so I decided to give it a try. Heck, if this stuff could help me cross the finish line at my half marathon I was more than happy to spend the $19 to give it a go....

Here is my first attempt at wrapping for Plantar Faciitis according to their website video tutorial. At least it looks cute in pink....

But, I didn't notice a difference. Not a single difference. In fact, about 2 miles into my run, I even started to feel the tape peeling off... separating from my skin... kind of like when a bandaid gets wet. Once that started to happen all the support the tape was providing went out the window, along with my hopes that this was really the answer to my problem. By mile 3, the pain I usually feel at this distance was very much there in my ankle and I finished my 5K run disappointed. My ankle is still hurting in the SAME place it usually does after about 3 miles... tape or no tape.

Needless to say I am a little disheartened at this point. I don't honestly know how I am going to be able to run 13.1 miles in just 4 short weeks, I may actually end up having to transfer my registration to a friend, since I don't want to end up seriously injuring my ankle just trying to finish. I don't know what to do and it is super frustrating. I will continue to give this tape a try, at least until I go through the first roll. May as well use it right?

Has anyone out there ever experienced an ongoing injury like this? I don't like resting, and not being able to run is driving me crazy. I feel like I've tried everything. :(

I'm Engaged!!!!!!!

Our San Francisco trip couldn't have gone any better.

Thursday night we arrived at our hotel, got all of our belongings into the room and went to sleep. The following day (Valentines Day) we decided to go for a long run from our hotel in the Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was such a beautiful day, running along the water watching the fog roll in towards the bridge.

After our run, we got some lunch and went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the afternoon/evening. Dave had instructed me to get very dressed up because he wanted to take Valentines Day portraits with the Golden Gate in the background.

A few hours later we were all dressed up and ready to go. We drove out over the bridge to our usual "lookout spot" over above Sausalito.... but the fog had completely engulfed the bridge. We could barely even see it when we were driving on it! Dave was extremely disappointed. Me being the (slightly) unsuspecting girlfriend I said "Well, at least we've taken pictures here before... it's not the end of the world!" -- But that didn't stop Dave. He had a plan B, so we drove back over the bridge and to the Palace of Fine Arts - which is equally as stunning.

As the sun was setting, Dave set up his camera and stood next to me for a couple of photos....

Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!!!!!

Of course I said YES.

Let the wedding planning begin!!!

After calling all of our nearest and dearest friends and family, we sent out a few photos showing our pure excitement... and the ring of course!

The fun wasn't even over then. Dave had planned a very romantic dinner on this little island off of Pier 39, where we celebrated our engagement over a bottle of wine, dinner and a delicious chocolate dessert with the cutest message on it....

I could definitely get used to being a fiancé.

This was by far the best day of my life, and I am so thankful that Dave is so well prepared and managed to find a way to document his adorable proposal. I can't wait to become Mrs. Cox!

Super Bowl Weekend

This weekend went by in a blur - and I'm certain I'm not the only one that feels that way. Saturday I got an early start at my gym to take a 9:00 am Body Conditioning class. It was awesome!!! I love classes that are weight oriented, and we even used the weight bar!! My kind of class for sure!
And then it was Super Bowl Sunday. It happens every year when the Super Bowl is the main Sunday attraction. There's food, friends, football and lots of commercials to watch, and before you know it, the day is over and it's time to go back to work. :(

This year, we had our viewing area ready relatively early (as we were only having a couple of friends over for the game) and I decided that sitting by the snacks waiting for the game to start wasn't the best idea, so I decided to go on a quick jog at the park by my house. I took little Phoebe with me, because she too needed to get rid of some energy. She really is the best running buddy.

I also wanted to test out my new heart rate monitor. A new workout toy is always fun!!

We got a little over 4 miles in, which felt great. The air was cool and it was about to rain.... my favorite kind of running weather! I was mostly happy to burn off some calories to make up for the delicious Super Bowl food I was about to consume.

After I returned from my run, the game started. We had one serious Broncos fan and one serious Seahawks fan, and we were all a little worried there would be lots of unkind words exchanged, so I created a barrier between them in hopes to maintain the friendship! HAHA

Once the game got to the 3rd quarter all hope was lost for the poor Broncos, and the barrier was no longer needed.

All in all it was a good day, not necessarily a good game, but a good time with friends.

And now it's Monday, and I'm not ready for the week yet. It's been cold (for our California standards) and that makes it really hard to get out of bed. There will be a significant amount of coffee in my near future.

Happy Monday.

December Recap: Washington Christmas and Workouts

Whoa, where in the world did December go? How is it already January 7th??

Wild.

December holidays went by in a blur this year due to the fact that Dave and I just spent almost 2 weeks in his hometown in Washington. It was my first time in his childhood home with his parents and sisters and best friends from high school - it was like a Bachelor hometown date!! It was a blast and it went by way too fast.

{Dave wanted to take the Oregon Coast the whole way up - it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!}

Working out was the hardest part. I have a Spartan Race coming up at the end of the month, and I didn't want to lose the momentum I had been gaining from my workouts... so we tried our very best, but the most we could fit in during the busy holidays and family time and sight seeing and driving... we were only able to fit in about 4 runs - which, granted, were about 3 to 5 miles each. It was a beautiful change of scenery running the Washington trails by Dave's parents' house. So lush and green, and muddy! Phoebe really enjoyed the trails too. Sweet dog. She was such a good girl, she was off leash almost the whole time!!

As good as that is, it just didn't seem like enough. And when we got back to our gym on Saturday in California, you better believe it was hard to get back into weight training! I could hardly believe how much strength I lost, especially in my arms, in those 12 days. I have to remember this for any future vacations, because not lifting during that trip is something I'm paying for dearly in the gym now - haha.

Christmas was nice and relaxing and casual. And Olive took refuge under the tree from all of the unwrapping aftermath. What a cutie.

Love her to pieces, this one. This photo makes me giggle because it looks like she ate the presents!

After the Christmas festivities were over and we had some time to ourselves, Dave took me to Seattle to show me the city. I got to ride on my very first ferry, which is an insane concept to me, but so cool!

Seriously I could do a whole post on our day in Seattle... in fact I just might do that.

It was an amazing trip that I'll never forget. The best part, is we get to go back every year!!!

Hello Monday....

As blue as I am that it is Monday, it is a short week!! Thank you Thanksgiving!! So really, today is more like Wednesday, and for that I am grateful.

This past weekend was pretty uneventful, which is just the way I like it. The older I get the busier I seem to be, and this weekend the only thing on the agenda was Friends-Giving and a lot of football. YES!

Friendsgiving was a great success. It was a unanimous choice to do the event at our house, but it was somewhat of a Potluck Friendsgiving, which made it much less stressful.

I was so busy in the kitchen all day that I managed to completely forget to take pictures the entire night. FAIL. Luckily, my roommate instagrammed the turkey once it was ready! Thanks Chris!!

The spread was delicious. We have turkey, brussel sprouts with Bacon, Roasted cauliflower, sweet potato au gratin, mashed potatoes and stuffing for the non-paleo eaters! HAHA. Afterwards there was also Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Pecan Pie. I must say the chocolate pie was amazing!!

* * * * * * * *

Moving right along, on Sunday I decided to get out a little bit and go dress shopping for my upcoming holiday party at work. It's kind of like our own little prom, everyone gets really dressed up and its kind of a big deal, so I thought it might be a good idea to start looking at dresses ahead of time...

I found some cute ones, but I'm not in love with anything just yet. One thing I AM enjoying very much is that dresses actually zip up all the way on me now, and I'm not even at the largest size!! That was a good feeling. If I needed any motivation to keep going, that was it. By this time next year I'm going to have the body I've always wanted, but until then, I'm going to keep enjoying these little moments of bliss in the dressing room.

* * * * * * * *
And now it's Monday (actually it's already halfway over!)
I'm already done with my cardio boot camp workout -  and boy was it a doozy. Mondays are always hard... my legs always feel twice as heavy on a Monday! Haha

Today's Boot Camp workout:

1/2 mile warm up run

10 squats
10 lunges with a hip flexor stretch

Run 0.5 miles (2 laps around park)

10 deadlifts (each leg)
10 lunges with a hip flexor stretch

Run 0.5 miles (2 laps around park)

10 "good mornings" no weight

10 walking lunges, each leg

Run 0.5 miles (2 laps around park)

10 sumo squats

10 lunges with a hip flexor stretch

Run 0.5 miles (2 laps around park)

1/2 mile cool down run

* * * * * * * * *

Stick a fork in me I'm done!!!! 

The Mermaid 10K: San Francisco

So last weekend I ran my first 10K. I've been running 5Ks and 5K mudruns for a year now, but never 6.2 consecutive miles. I finally decided to take the plunge with my good friend Amy. It was her birthday and she wanted to run this run in San Francisco, especially since she had never been to this city (she's from New Jersey). 

On Friday night we got to the city, had some dinner and just wandered around admiring all of the city's glory. Then on Saturday we tried to pack in all of the sites we could possibly see in one day, since we would be mostly at the race and driving home the following day. 

Coffees in hand.... we ventured out into the city on Saturday.

We went to Pier 39 to see the Sea Lions!!! They were adorable... I could watch them all day.

Dave was there too - and our friend Mark, who is taking the picture! HAHA

Then we headed a few blocks over to pick up our packets and running bibs... 

how cool are these shirts? I love them!!!

We jumped on the trolley after hitting up Lombard Street
and taking some gratuitous tourist photos!

We hit up the nike store in Union Square (I died a little in there.... so much great stuff)

I actually purchased my new Nike trainers, which I am officially obsessed with.

And then it was Sunday.... and we RAN! Please disregard our tired eyes in this photo.... it was about 7:30am in this photo and we had been up since 6:00.... haha

 We were VERY excited to be almost done!! :)

 WE DID IT!!!! we were ecstatic. Officially hooked. I want to run it again already!!!! haha

 Goodbye San Fran..... until we meet again.

This run was our first 10K and were both pleasantly surprised with how easy it was. I'm already looking for other runs in the area... maybe even a further distance? I am definitely working towards a half marathon. I know I could do it.... I just need to put my mind to it.

Anyways, it was an amazing trip with some amazing company. What a perfect way to celebrate a birthday in a healthy way. I'm keeping this in mind for my birthday next year! :)

Past and present....

When I started this fitness adventure, I started from square one. I remember the first run I ever went on. I remember my lungs burning after the first half mile, and I had only planned on running one - maybe two. I was encouraged to run with a group from work who ran on their lunch breaks. They were incredibly kind, and understanding that I wasn't a runner, and one of them chose to stay back (waaaaaaaay back) with me as I struggled not to start walking after this first half mile. I was embarrassed and every inch of my being wanted to turn around and hide back in my cubicle in shame, but this coworker insisted I keep going. He pushed me to run 2.75 miles. That was 2.75 miles of pure torture. My ankles were killing me, my calfs were burning and my lungs felt like they were going to explode. I couldn't believe I made it.... and if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have.

This was almost 3 years ago.

I ran for the remainder of that year, promising myself to work up to a 5K (3.1 miles) without stopping. I even signed up for a 5K race in the town I worked in. And I ended up running it, and only walking a little. Slowly but surely I became a better runner.

Now I am working towards my first 10K in November, the Mermaid Run in San Francisco. I'm excited. This will be the furthest I've ever run before -  and while I'm in the best shape of my life!

Last night I went out to this park that has a 1.4 mile loop running path around it. I ran it 3.5 times -  for a total of 5 miles. Thats just 1.2 miles away from where I need to be, and I could have easily done that.

Needless to say I have come a LONG way from that first run. Sometimes I just need to remember how far I've come. It's been a long road, but now I can run the whole thing! ;)

E