Today I did a fun 44. A little balance work and a little hopping – perfect. I did a single leg dead lift (slowly) then brought my knee in and hopped before repeating.
And, after I did 44 with my right leg I switched and did another set of 44 with my left leg.
Last night Chris and I did something that we don’t do very often – we got all Fancy for the Dining Out (military “prom.”).
ready to gomy shoes make me taller than Chris!!
It was fun to get dressed up but I’m glad we don’t do it every day!!! Chris’ mess dress (what he’s wearing) is actually the same one he wore when we got married almost 18 years ago!
our table
It was a fun night! We didn’t stay out late because of the nasty weather that had been predicted. Thankfully even though the roads were slick when we came home, we got home before the heavier stuff came down.
We didn’t get the 6+ inches of snow that was forecast but we got lots of ice – we could hear the ice pellets hitting the deck and house for a long time last night. I’m sure it is super slick out now since it is only 3 degrees.
The good news about the weather – yesterday at drill (besides working at the base full time, one weekend a month, Chris has drill), they decided to cancel for today!!! And, Hunter’s special cello practice for today has been rescheduled so today turned into a completely open day.
I’m so excited that we got this “bonus” lazy day – we all needed it. Chris and I didn’t even get up till after 8:00 – that hasn’t happened in months!!! And my plans for the day are pretty minimal!! I think I will make a big pot of soup or chili for dinner and then a whole lot of nothing!!!
The perfect lazy day – no need to leave the house for anything and my whole family is safe inside with me – true bliss!!!
Today’s 44 was fun!! I did a squat with a bonus. When I squatted, I touched my dumbbells (just 5 pounds) to the floor then jumped up and pushed my dumbbells over head!!
Talk about getting your heart rate way up there really quickly!!!
I did a DVD from a series that I love and haven’t done much lately – Jari Love Get Ripped and Get Extremely Ripped. Today I did Get Extremely Ripped Lean Body. I did the 30 minute complete lean body section and a 30 minute body rock section. By the end, I felt like I had worked every muscle group in my body – AWESOME!!!
Ever have one of those days where nothing is wrong but you just aren’t completely happy for some reason?!
That’s sort of how I feel – could be the layer of snow/ice/whatever on the ground and the cold temps – but I’m just in a bit of a funk! So, I decided to find some fun eCards because they always make me laugh!
That’s what the song says anyway!!!
This might happen on occasion – you would think that we are old enough to learn this lesson but…..
Trying not to be the cloud today!
Very true even though I probably woke up and looked at the clock myself 5 minutes earlier!!
HaHa!
I’m going to try adding the cape – I think it will make me feel more productive!!
Actually I don’t wish it would snow but I’m pretty much guaranteed to complain every time it does!
For real!! And piling your stuff on top of mine on the belt isn’t the solution either!!!
I know that a lot of parents can relate to this one!
These are so much more fun than listening to me ramble!! And, after I get back from the school drop-off I think I will hop on my treadmill for a run before moving on with the day!
What is your cure on those days when you wake up in a bit of a funk?
Today’s 44 was one of those that worked multiple muscle groups – my favorite kind of moves!!!
I used 1 dumbbell (10 pounds) and started with it in my right hand –
ready
Step back to right lunge with your leg extended and touch the dumbbell to the ground –
back to lunge
Stand with a knee lift and bicep curl –
up and curl
And, after you finish 44 on the right side you have to switch sides and do 44 more!!
readybackup and curl
I enjoyed this move because it was pretty much a full body move and since I was working upper and lower at the same time, I really got my heart rate up.
Today was a fun workout day – Turbo Fire!!! I did Fire 55EZ which is not easy but a 55 minute workout that flies by!!!
I feel like sometimes I talk about stuff on here and then never really get back to it so today I thought I would share a few
1. I don’t set New Year’s resolutions but in January I did share a post with some things I wanted to do and try this year. So far I haven’t made a lot of progress but we did try something new to us the other night!! I made a Greek Barley Salad –
this was so tasty!!
We had never tried barley – not sure why??? The entire family enjoyed this side dish!!!
2. I’ve been wearing a FitBit Force since the start of the year and I reviewed it after just a few days. I still pretty much just use it as a pedometer but that is working out well!! The first few weeks I didn’t really do anything different – just wore it to track and I realized that the only days I reached 10,000 steps were running days. Now, I try to get 10,000 steps in addition to whatever number I reach during my workout.
One way that I increase my steps is through the use of my Christmas gift – my standing desk!!
old picture but…
I love using this desk and when I read blogs I either pace around in between each one or I jog in place while I read!! Yesterday I hit 20,000 steps by the end of the day!!!
3. I mentioned that Hunter wants to run a half marathon this spring to celebrate turning 13 and we all know that I think running your age for your birthday is the best way to celebrate so we are going to do one together. We were going to run a large one in Kansas City in April but when it came time to start training and the weather looked like this –
lots of snow
Hunter wasn’t a fan of the training (and I’ve made it clear how much I hate running in the snow and cold!). For some reason Hunter didn’t want to log his miles here –
Weird but true!
So we picked a different race that I think will work better. We are going to do a race that is smaller the first weekend in June. He will start his official training in March and hopefully by then all of his runs can be outside.
4. Last week I shared a dilemma concerning our event venue and a couple who had sort of strung me along about turning in a contract and paying. Well, they did turn in the contract and full payment by the weekend so they are officially booked.
However, they are still causing me stress!!! They called early this week to set up another meeting at the venue. I let them set the day and time. Yesterday at 11:00 we were supposed to meet. I drove over in the sleet – waited for 20 minutes (past the time) – drove home in blowing snow – in other words I wasted an hour of my day and never saw them!
You know how sometimes you just don’t have a good feeling about a situation? That’s pretty much me with this whole deal!!!
5. I have mentioned that this year I’m trying to increase my mileage and still be smart about it and this morning I looked to see how many miles I have for the year compared to this time last year. I have more than 2x the miles already compared to last year at this point!!! Actually, it is about 2.36 times more!!! (yes – I did the real math!!!)
I decided to do another burpee for my 44 today. I tried a new one – a burpee jack. Jump back to plank but jack your feet out as you do your push-up. Jump in and do a standing jack. Repeat x 44.
This was a great move for really getting my heart rate going!!!
Then I did a 10-minute Solution DVD – Kickbox Bootcamp. I know that I haven’t been doing Michelle Bridges every day – it just works better for me to do it a few times a week!
I don’t race much anymore for a couple of reasons.
I have trained for a few marathons and every single time I ended up with a DNS because of a stress fracture.
The 2nd reason I don’t race much anymore is more because of the changes that have taken place in the past 20+ years since the time when I did race a lot.
During grad school and for a couple of years after, I raced all the time – mostly 10Ks but I did other distances, too. The longest was a half marathon.
I used to pick a race almost every week and just go run on the weekend. There was no true training, no taper, no fuel plan – just me and my running shoes!!
If you won (sometimes just 1st place, sometimes top 3) overall male or female you got a medal –
The top finishers in age groups usually got a ribbon –
I have a box of medals and ribbons from those days but that was never why I raced. I just did it because I loved competing and pushing myself to go faster each race.
I think we usually got a T-shirt as part of our entry fee – just a basic T (usually they were men’s – ugh).
The good news – I think that $20 was the most I ever paid for a race. Most of them were only $10-$15!!!
Now, I don’t think any race is under $30 and most are MUCH more!!
Truthfully, I enjoyed the act of racing and didn’t need any swag or even a medal at the end.
It has been interesting to watch the evolution of racing from what it was 20ish years ago to what it has become. Racing is very expensive and all finishers get an award.
I would still prefer to have races be relatively inexpensive and not receive a bunch of stuff just for signing up. And, I don’t need a medal just for running. (Don’t hate me – it’s just my personal thoughts!!)
I think I mentioned that Hunter wants to run a half marathon this spring since he is turning 13 in April. I’m all for him running (of course) but I asked him if he wants to just train and run the distance or run a race.
He wants to run a race so he gets a medal –
We are going to do a race because this is his thing but I don’t totally get the idea of running for a medal as opposed to just running to run. (BTW – I know that I’m in the minority and I’m not trying to stir anything up because this is just my personal running opinion and I’m not trying to judge anyone – just sharing my thoughts on racing.)
Why do you run?
Would your run a race if you knew that only the top finishers would get an award?
Today’s 44 is thanks to Josie @ Yum Yucky. She did a twisted burpee which I’ve never done before so I had to fix that!!!
And since I did her move I’m going to share her video instead of making my own (plus it is parent-teacher conferences so the boys are out of school and still asleep!!).
Josie’s videos are way more fun than mine ever will be!!!
Pretty much anytime I do 44 burpees I feel like it is a good move!!! Oh, and I did the push-up on every rep!
I also did a nice easy run today – still working on increasing my overall run days and mileage!!!
I have a couple of situations that have come up and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to handle them. I thought I would throw them out here and see what advice y’all have.
1. I met with a couple back in October who wanted to have their reception in our venue in March. They loved the venue and had a date picked which was available. I explained that a 50% deposit along with the contract holds the date and the balance is due 1 month prior to the event.
They came back in January for another look and said they still wanted the same date. I told them it was still available and again explained the procedure to book it. They have emailed a couple of times saying they will get the deposit to me the following week – which hasn’t happened.
Earlier this week I had a phone call from someone who wants to have a large shower at our venue on the same date (March 15).
I emailed the couple and told them that they still haven’t officially booked the date and if this other party completes a contract and pays me then they can have it.
The guy called me yesterday and said, “OH, no we are still planning on that date. We will meet you on Saturday to give you the deposit. Our invitations have already gone out with the date and address.” Seriously?!
What would you do?! I told him that I need the contract and not just a deposit but the entire amount since Saturday is a month prior.
2. The day after we closed on the venue (in August), we had a charity event that had been booked for months. It was actually free for them because they are a non-profit health agency that does a lot of great things.
About a month later the lady in charge of the event contacted me and said they loved our venue and asked if I would be interested in donating it for a few more of their upcoming events. She gave me the dates and I had them all available so I said, “Yes, I would be happy to. Let me know how you want things set-up and what all you need for each event.”
Last week I realized that the first event was on the calendar for this week. I kept thinking I would hear from them. I was trying to plan out my week and actually my day because it was on a day that I was completely booked with appointments, other events and stuff for Hunter’s school.
Tuesday morning I emailed my contact and asked her what I needed to do to set up (the event was scheduled for Wednesday). I told her that I had some appointments Wednesday morning and would be tied up all morning so I needed to take care of it in advance since I had them scheduled for 12:30 on Wednesday!!!
She emailed me back at 10:50 on Wednesday (less than 2 hours prior to the original meeting time) and said that they had decided to cancel the event!
What would you do?! Now I am completely torn about the next 3 dates that I have marked off for them. I feel like I’m committed to still offer the dates but now instead of being happy to help this group out I feel like I’m only doing it because I can’t go back on my word.
I like that quote – maybe I should put that on my business website!!! (just kidding -sort of)
Feel free to share your advice – I’m still trying to figure out this whole “running a business” gig!!!
It was fun to get dressed up but I’m glad we don’t do it every day!!! Chris’ mess dress (what he’s wearing) is actually the same one he wore when we got married almost 18 years ago!
I’m so excited that we got this “bonus” lazy day – we all needed it. Chris and I didn’t even get up till after 8:00 – that hasn’t happened in months!!! And my plans for the day are pretty minimal!! I think I will make a big pot of soup or chili for dinner and then a whole lot of nothing!!!
