Friday file: Sunday night edition

I know, I’m sorry.   I left the blog vacant for a week because I’ve just been tired.  Last weekend was a huge running weekend for me.  That kind of threw my whole week off because I ran both Saturday and Sunday. I wasn’t at home to get stuff done around the house or get ready for work.  That one day of prep kind of pushed everything off.  Daily life has been busy this week.

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I ran two half marathons back to back.  I’ve been working with a running coach because I am really improving.  I see progress which is really something I haven’t seen in the year I’ve been taking my running seriously, again.  I ended up running the second half marathon faster than the first AND the first half marathon has been my fastest half since having Tiny Tot.

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Yesterday, I ran the Run Houston! at Minute Maid Park with instructions to really go for it.  I ran my fastest 10k in 1:12:53 since having Tiny Tot.  Though it was a struggle, I got the result I was hoping for especially since the weather is warming up.

I’m getting into the thick of marathon training now so things are starting to get busy…and it’s conference season so things are going to get a little busy.  I didn’t expect to find myself in a training cycle so soon but I had an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.

Enough of the running talk, let’s talk about some non-serious things.

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You may not know this but I wake up frequently throughout the night. Sometimes this is a huge problem for me because I do wake up so early in the morning. Getting rest tops my priority list so I’m always trying to find ways to get more restful sleep. I could take melatonin but I think I would be worried about not waking up on time. I’ve tried many things like drinking tea before bed, cutting off the electronics, sleep machines, etc. My friend recommended that I try some oils and I kind of wasn’t feeling it.

I was definitely one of those people who poked fun at people for using oils as a solution. Hippy solutions have always been funny to me.  I finally decided to give it a try and guess what?  It actually worked with just doing some lavender at night.  This even worked very well for Tiny Tot.  I decided to do more research on oils and have been pleasantly surprised by the results.  Now I’m kind of hooked. Anyways, this is the night time diffuser blend that has really rocked me to sleep.  Lavender, RC, and grapefruit keep me sleeping the whole night.

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I’ve probably over-invested in fitness gear the past few weeks, but I think I definitely need a shake up and maybe some extra motivation. In full disclosure, I am an ambassador for Headsweats. I’ve been wearing Headsweats since I started running and I haven’t switched. I was surfing the website the other day for a new reflective visor and found these crusher hats. I’m a fan of the trucker hat, but the crusher is a lightweight version of the hat. That’s a perfect solution for wanting to wear a hat during the summer without frying my head. I start to sweat from my head so I like to keep it light and airy.

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On the weekends, I love to watch Netflix when I have a little time in life. I love watching documentaries and I love sports. I found a Netflix original called Roumula 1: Drive to Survive. A documentary about sports is definitely my JAM> I didn’t really like the show, but I was hooked after two episodes. I ended up watching all of it when I was recovering from my races.

These are the things I’ve been feeling this week.  Hopefully, things will kind of settle down for this week so I can get back to the business of blogging and podcasting.  I’m still looking for suggestions on things to talk about on the podcast.  What do you want to hear? Drop me something in the comments or send me an e-mail.

Friday File: heart rate monitor and the workout

Friday File: heart rate monitor and the workout

Happy Friday!  It’s been a long and adventurous week for me. Life has kept me busy the past two weeks and I’ve been trying to change some of my habits.  There a lot of change happening among the chaos in my life. This week I’ve been trying to get my Garmin Fenix watch of unproductive fitness mode into something that made me feel better.  Do you pay attention to your heart rate zones when you work out?  I have always paid attention to my heart rate but never in the area, I should be working.  I always assumed that if…

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Putting yourself first

Putting yourself first

Life is busy and things get really messed up in life, but it is OK to put yourself first. Have you ever made a list of the important things in your life? Where do you fall on that list? Most of the time your name doesn’t even show up on the list. I’m giving you permission to put yourself on the list. The misconception about putting yourself first is that selfishness. This is not being selfish, this is smart. Think about all the things you do in a day and how many of those things you do for other people.…

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Friday File: podcasting, running, essential oils and more

Friday File: podcasting, running, essential oils and more

Happy Friday!  I’m starting something “new” on the blog called the Friday File.  I’ll be honest, it’s just the Friday Five but without the five.  The pressure to produce a list of the five things sometimes made me not want to do a weekly roundup. I feel like I’ve been hitting my stride this week in life, which means next week everything is going to fall apart.  I’m ok with that though.  I did some great things this week. If you haven’t listened to the podcast, you definitely should.  Having this podcast will add more content to the site and…

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Race Recap: Louisiana Marathon 2019 Weekend – Half Marathon

Race Recap: Louisiana Marathon 2019 Weekend – Half Marathon

Louisiana Marathon weekend happened a couple of weeks ago, but I never got around to talking about the events of the weekend. The event happened January 18-20, 2019 in Baton Rouge. The event didn’t go exactly as planned, but the weekend turned out great. This is the race weekend I look forward to every year. The atmosphere is great! The expo isn’t my favorite part because it’s very small. There isn’t really much to see or do so it’s really just a place to pick up your bib and see friends. There were a few extra things this year but…

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I am making changes

I am making changes

I am making changes.  I’ve been hanging out without a plan for too long so now it’s time to change.  It’s ok to not have a plan, but I know I need a plan to get back on track. Before I get too far into this post, I want to tell you about the biggest change I’ve made.  Yesterday during the Super Bowl, I finally dropped my podcast.  Back in the day, I did podcasting before it cool and I talked about Gossip Girl.  This time around I’ll be talking self-improvement, weight loss, and some other things.  My co-host of…

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Closing out 2018

Closing out 2018

Hey all!  It’s the last post of 2018.  It’s been a year and I would like do a rundown of 2018.  This post is going to be extremely personal, so if it’s something you would like to skip, I understand.  I’ll just see you in 2019!  If you want to keep reading, that is always welcome. I ended the year with a strong workout.  Let me tell you, I didn’t want to get up to do this workout but it’s important to me to finish out the year strong.  This isn’t the time to slack off.  It’s time to start…

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Merry Late Christmas

Merry Late Christmas

Hello all!  I was super busy cooking a bunch of food for Christmas and getting things ready for Tiny Tot that I didn’t have enough time to post. It’s wicked hard to be a parent at Christmas. I never really understood the pressure, but I’m going to try to keep it real. Gift giving is hard for me because I never know when enough is enough.  She is a child and deserves to have gifts on Christmas but she doesn’t need an overabundance. I can’t control what other people buy her, but I can keep my spending in check. I…

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Preparing for Christmas

Preparing for Christmas

I missed blogging yesterday because I was just too tired. From Tiny Tot’s birthday and now planning for Christmas, I kind of screwed the pooch on the blogging thing. I did have a very productive day yesterday which has eased up on my Sunday a bit. Normally I would tell you about the meal prep I would be doing this week, but that’s isn’t going to happen today. I can’t fit any more food in my fridge. My fridge is packed to the brim with things for Christmas dinner and some essentials we need to last until then. It’s been…

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Should I make broccoli salad for Christmas?

Should I make broccoli salad for Christmas?

I don’t know why I’ve been thinking about broccoli salad all day, but I think I want to make one for a side dish for Christmas.  I haven’t really decided what we will be eating at this meal.  I’m just now starting to put the pieces together.  I’m sure Tiny Tot would prefer to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I didn’t know there were so many variations of a broccoli salad.  There are options with mayo and mayo substitutes.  I need to decide between grapes, blueberries, apples, and oranges.  There is a bacon and cheddar combination.  I didn’t think…

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Holiday indulgence gulit

Holiday indulgence gulit

Holiday indulgence guilt comes full force this time year, but I don’t want anyone to feel down about wanting to enjoy it.  The holidays bring cooler weather, gingerbread lattes, parties, alcoholic drinks, cakes, and pies.  I don’t want anyone feeling like they can’t have any of these things. My weakness has been the holiday flavors of coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Enjoy all the holiday goodness because it’s about living a lifestyle.  No one’s lifestyle should ONLY include chicken breast, broccoli, and basic rice.  I understand there are times for this type of daily living like during a training cycle or something…

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