The story of a girl and her dog

Memorial Day weekend was pretty eventful.  I got to spend time with family and my best friends.  I also spent a lot of time running.

This past weekend was the Daises and Dragons Duathlon for the kids.  I don’t have a kid so I like to borrow kids!  This time I recruited my niece and nephew.  It was so cute watching the kids race and the pure joy on their face.  It was amazing!  Kids see the world differently than we do and it was nice to see it through their eyes for a little while.  It was so much fun.  It was a great start to the weekend.

My little duathletes. Little beasts in training. The event was so great!  #duathlon #duit #fitness #fitfluential #fitness
They had a lot of fun and they finished at the top of the group which they were super excited for. When it was over, I took them for pancakes. We have to keep the post-race traditions alive with the youngsters.

That course was serious business but all the kids handled it like a champ and had fun doing it!

This was an important event for me for them because this was the first chance we were able to do something like this together. Old Aunt Angela was too big to move around comfortable and ate really poorly. They saw it but they also saw the change which is the important part now! They see change can happen by making healthy choices everyday. I wanted them to kind of see that I did this for myself but I did this for them too so we can have many many years of playing together.

That was the first Saturday in a long time I didn’t work out. I felt like I had worked out chasing the kids around though. On Sunday, I went for a run.

Eight #sweaty miles bc I wanted to #run! #teamchocolatemilk #fitfluential #fitness #runchat #runhappy thank goodness for shade. It was hot and humid this Sunday morning.
Thank goodness for shady streets because it was HOT and HUMID! I was begging for shade so I had to take a minute to take a picture. Eight sweaty miles on Sunday morning isn’t bad. That’s the only bad thing about summer; long runs become a little shorter.

The story of a girl desperately wanting to get her dog to walk back to the car but he won't. #runchat #running #fitfluential #fitness
And then there was yesterday. Mondays are for easy runs. I decided to take my favorite pup out for a run. He’s good for a mile but he usually shuts down after that. I let him control the pace and when we walked and ran. Maybe I gave him a little bit too much control because when it was time to walk back to the car, he wasn’t having it. I think he was confused on where we were going and when the end would come.

It’s partly my fault because I tried to trick him into going longer, but he’s smarter than that. He just wasn’t smart enough to know we were heading back to the car.

We made it to 1.5 miles but that was the end. He wouldn’t budge. He planted those feet and he was going no where. I had to drag him. I let him rest. He wouldn’t go. I just needed him to get to the part he would know where he was but it was like murder getting him there.

I was having a complete break down. I was crying because I couldn’t get him to go and I just wanted to get him back to the car so I could finish my run at a reasonable time. He was going no where. So I carried my 41 pound dog until I got tired. Put him down and tried to get him to go again. Still going no where, so I had to pick him up.

Finally in a fit of rage, I dropped the lead and just starting walking. He watched me for a while but he finally started to follow behind me to the point he could see we were back to where we started. And then he had the nerve to want to run. I was so irritated by the point!

He’ll get there, but yesterday was no his day. I’m going to have to take him out more often so he doesn’t break down like that again and he knows that I mean serious business.

How important is a routine?

How important is a routine?

Do you have a routine? And how important is that routine to you? I’ve been pondering the thought of my daily routine because I’m still trying to fight getting back into my old routine. There are several good things about routines like knowing exactly what what you’re going to do every day. But routines can lead to life being bland or too boring. I like knowing that on certain days, I’m going to do a certain workout. I like not having to worry about changing that structure. I sometimes like knowing on certain nights we are going to eat certain…

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At the bachelorette party

At the bachelorette party

My dear friend Mel is getting married when I’m in China so I won’t be able to attend but I was able to go to her bachelorette party last night.  Well at least half of it. Since you only really hear about me working out and such I thought this was the perfect opportunity to show that I do in have a regular fun life. It’s nice to put on regular clothes with people who only see you in running gear! We all clean up very nicely. Any opportunity to put on real clothes I’m going to put it on.…

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Happy Friday and a good workout!

Happy Friday and a good workout!

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope this week has been kind to you because it’s been a pretty good week for me.  I’m feeling a little off my game because there has been no running and definitely no running in my weekend plans.  It’s just kind of odd for me since it’s something I’ve been doing a lot of for the past 8 months.  I’m taking the self-imposed zero week because I really just think I needed it.  I’ve run 5 marathons and several half marathons this year already.  My medal rack is overloaded, but I wouldn’t have it any other…

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What I studied, how I worked out and …

What I studied, how I worked out and what I ate

All this traveling has gotten me off my routine. We’re getting so close to China and I realize we’re prepared but not prepared. I’ve been training for the The Great Wall of China Marathon but the weather is getting a little hotter and it’s starting to affect my running. It’s that time again. So when I need a break from the running, I practice my Mandarin Chinese. Let me tell you folks, it’s not easy learning this stuff. It’s hard work! I just need to know enough to get by and to make some notecards. This week has been really…

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My Workout Watches

My Workout Watches

If you didn’t know, I’m obsessed with watches so it’s only natural that it translates into my workouts too. I do pick out my watches before I get dressed in the morning, but for my workout it, it’s a little different.  I’m a huge numbers gal.  I want to know what’s going every minute of my workout.  If I don’t have it I feel lost.  I wish I was more zen, but I’m not. When I’m not running I use the Polar FT40!  This is probably the best heart rate monitor I’ve had.  I used many but this one satisfied…

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Playing catch up during a stressful week

Playing catch up during a stressful week

Been wondering where I disappeared to this week? I could tell you a lot of different things, but I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve just been tired and stressed about some life things going on. I’ve literally have just been working out, teaching my cycle classes and working my butt off. I wish blogging was my full time job and paid all the bills, but it doesn’t. Sometimes the blog gets put on the back burner when life gets in the way. So here are just a few things I’ve been up to this week: This week everyone seemed to…

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Random photos from the weekend

Random photos from the weekend

I meant to post this on Sunday but I was lazy! I didn’t do much on Sunday but go to the grocer and watch Willie bake. Oh, I also caught up on Pretty Little Liars! That show is CRAZY! On Friday, I got my hair done. Willie told me no running so this was the opportunity for me to get it done without having to worry about sweating it out. Verdict: My hair survived a 5 mile walk, a 55 min weight class but the 3 mile run yesterday did it in! And what was still manageable was gone after…

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HELP! I need to lose weight.

HELP! I need to lose weight.

Every time Willie and I end up in the media, the Facebook and e-mail messages start rolling in with people saying the same thing.  “HELP! I need to lose weight.  Please tell me what to do.” I try to read the messages but honestly it’s just a lot of messages saying the same thing.  Reading the messages makes me feel helpless and at a loss for words because I don’t really know what to say.  Correction:  I know what to say but I know that’s not what you want to hear. I am not an expert on weight loss.  I’m…

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In the defense of the Biggest Loser Winner

In the defense of the Biggest Loser Winner

Last night the winner of The Biggest Loser was chosen and people don’t seem to be happy.  I will admit, I don’t watch the show.  I really don’t like how the show doesn’t take it’s moment to educate the viewers on losing the weight, it strictly about the game.  In the end, it’s all about it being a reality show and game and there’s nothing wrong with that.  I know a lot of people look to show for a source of inspiration and motivation so I just wish there was just a little bit more education going on sometimes. So…

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Playing catch up

Playing catch up

I’ve seriously fallen behind in life since Willie has been sick. Last week I split my time between the hospital, work and home.  I was totally out of my routine.  I didn’t get to work out that much and I was seriously tired.  No matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get some sleep.  I know a lot of it was stress induced, but I was really really tired.  Good thing Willie’s hospital visit occurred the week after the marathon because I probably needed to rest days. The one thing I learned is the hospital doesn’t really serve healthy…

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