three things thursday {+1}

I have not done this fun little thing in awhile so why the heck not. plus, i don’t have a lot to say... but i feel like there are things going on in my {our} world. This is nothing exciting, but we got a new roof {whoop whoop, thanks USAA} and it is a beauty. However, the shutters don’t 100% match and Kyle now wants to get the shutters painted, but that has been tabled.  Our bank accounts need a breather.

{one}
I HAVE STARTED RUNNING AGAIN . THIS IS HUGE . SERIOUSLY
and it is getting easier and easier by the day. :) It was on my “new years goals” to become a runner again and it has taken a few months, but i am getting back into it. I even signed up for a 10k {that is far enough out that I can prep for it}. Now I just gotta find a handful of 5k races to run as prep.  I had forgotten how therapeutic it is to just run. ....if only I could figure out why my feet are falling asleep & if I could get over the calf pains.

current favorite running jams to add to your playlist:
1. Run This Town/Posthumus Mix – Jay-Z, Rihanna, & ES Posthumus
2. I Need Your Love – Ellie Goulding + Calvin Harris
3. I’m All Yours – Jay Sean + Pitbull

{two}
One of my “things to do before I am 30” is to spend a full month and not buy myself anything. Well. This month is the month. Is is partially because I have over indulged on ME and I need to get my checking out back to a comfortable level and another partially because I want to see if I can do it. And let me tell you.... it is HARD when you’re constantly getting emails from stores about free shipping & 50% off everything till 2:00 PM and so on and so forth. This is going to be a true test of willpower. I said no lunches either – but I broke down and had lunch with the girls from the office today. I just won’t make it a weekly habit. :)

{three}
Mulligan and Kennesaw’s food has been recalled {gasp} so when I went to get dog food from PetsMart today I had no idea what to do. I guess I assumed the bad food had been pulled & new good food would be stocked. Yeah. That is NOT how a recall works. Evidently, it will be months before Innova is on the  shelves again. So, I had no idea what to do – I couldn’t just buy anything and I couldn’t trust the PetsMart employees.  Kyle and I are crazy – WE have to research their food and make the decision what we’re going to feed them. Therefore, the only logical thing to do was to come back home with dog toys and treats.

{four}
work for me is starting to slow down and go back to a normal pace. I am off to Hazleton, PA next week for a sales meeting {and I am a little nervous} to hopefully gain the 2nd location of the onsite that I implemented in Birmingham.  I am having a little bit of turnover on the team that I manage, but when in the past I would be panicking this time i feel like it is a good thing {more on this later} and am excited for the changes that I am about to make. I have a new boss. Which I am good with & excited about. I am reporting into someone who I admire and respect and know that I can and will learn a lot from. Not that I didn’t admire, respect, or learn from my past boss – he was awesome too – i just think that me reporting into this other person is just better for my career development. And. I am also now the new and first ever corporate recruiter for my company. Which also is okay. And fingers crossed, I may have my 1st official placement as a corporate recruiter. {the headhunter bonuses are an added plus}

three things thursday.

This week has flown by. And I have been SO busy at work that it is not even remotely funny. My work out at lunch deal is not working... I have packed my work out clothes but the meetings that I have been in over our new software system have made it unable to work out. umph.

1. My friend Afton wants me to teach her how to run and wants me to give her tips and secrets and pointers but I feel like such a sham. I feel like I am the farthest thing from a runner and with all the advice she asks I give her my suggestions, but then I remind myself that I am no pro and barely even a runner this year. Other than telling her to get professionally fitted for shoes and that she does not need to go out and buy a Garmin yet and that she really shouldn't increase her miles by too much each week (10% is what I told her) and that cotton sucks I really have nothing else to tell her. I feel like I am right there with her, trying to learn to run again. Oi. What advice do you give new runners? What hints do you recommend I give her?

2. I am REALLY excited to travel for work. Partially because I enjoy training people, but I am really looking forward to it because I get to run in new places and new cities. I am really excited to run by the arch in St. Louis and then at Salem Lake in Winston-Salem and on the beach in Florida. I even picked one of my hotels because there was a "jog path" 3 miles away. And since I am going to be alone for 2 nights I am going to need things to do so why not run? Right?! :)

3. I still cannot stop thinking about that Garmin 610 - REI has them in stock by my house but I don't want to buy it. I am thinking I am going to settle for a *cheaper* heart rate monitor that I can use for pure barre, blast, spin, and whatever else. I will own that 610 at some point but just not now. Right now I cannot see a REAL purpose for it and if I am going to spend that much money I need a purpose.

Workout Stolen from Runners World.

Forgive me for putting this on my blog (err.... maybe you may find it useful), but I am in the middle of purging my apartment of all the clutter since Kyle and I are moving into a house next month and let me tell you ... I am a pack rat.  The things I am stumbling across make you cock your head to the side and ask "why do i have this?!" YIKES. 

I want this for (I don't really know why) and I am sure Kyle does not want to pack pulled out magazines pages so I am typing up key points of treadmill running workout tips from Runners World.  Granted - I have not done any of these yet ... but I do plan on it since they're made for beginners and my lazy butt is a beginner again!  AND I want a point of reference.

Pace Boosting
warm up for 6 minutes by alternating 30 seconds jogging & walking.  Increase speed - walk 30 seconds run 30 seconds. Continue the 30/30 ratio. Increase speed with each run segment

Fast workouts
Jog 3 minutes. Increase speed, run for 2 minutes. Walk 30 seconds. Repeat, increase run part to 3 minutes. Walk 30 seconds. Repeat....

Distance Run
increase speed till running comfortably. run 2 minutes, walk 1. Repeat 2:1 ratio 3 times. then bump up the ratio to 3:1 repeat 3 times. end run with 2 more 2:1 segments and then 1:1

Hills
gradually increase speed until you're at an easy run pace. run for 3 minutes. raise incline to 2% for 1 minute then to 4% for 1 minute. Lower incline and rest for 1 minute then raise to 4% and run for 2 minutes. alternate running 2 minutes at an incline with 1 minute on the flat for as long as you can.


....and as i typed these up i think i should totally incorporate them into my workouts once the snow goes away and i get out of the apartment to run on the treadmill .... maybe tomorrow