Ragnar Update / Moving Plans

If you have been following my life you should know that this past weekend I moved.  Let me tell you, I am IN LOVE with our house.  It is bigger than I would like but it is so cozy and us and I am really pleased.  Though, we still have a lot to do to get it ready for my parents arrival next month!!  I will eventually post a crap ton of pictures, just wait for it.

moving plans.  with me being moved there are 2 things I am excited about and need to do.  1) Get a Stone Mountain season pass and make the run around Stone Mountain a weekly occurrence!  I am thinking Saturday mornings.  Erin. This is your formal invite.  2) Join Lifetime Fitness so I can reenter the world of swimming, spin class, and ellipticals.  Even treadmills  :: gasp::

ragnar. it is in june. and we just got our running routes. which means it is really happening. which means i need to start running and training so i do not let my team down. so if you don't know anything about ragnar it is 2 vans, 12 people, lots of miles, a relay race.  I am leg 11. we run 3 legs with varying lengths.   In total, I will run 17.8 miles.  5.5 miles then 4 miles then 8.3 miles.  Needless to say, I feel like I need a few 10 milers under my belt and lots of energy gels.  ...let the training begin...
I am having some ragnar fears. like running at night. like being kidnapped. like being hit by a car. like being stranded and something happening to me. like running when really tired.

three truths.

1. I am WAY out of shape.  my 2.53 mile run today was ROUGH.  I must get a work life balance and I must get running into my life again.  The loop I ran I can normally run it 2,3 times easily... today 1 was a challenge.
2. I think I do not like the Nike Frees.  I know they're not supposed to have a lot of padding because they're supposed to be like running barefoot, but they hurt my right arch. 
3. Running on the treadmill makes you think you can run more than you can.  Add the random elevation changes and sudden gusts of wind and man it is a whole different running experience.  I think I re-realize this each time the winter starts to fade.

Running Quotes thanks to Dean Karnazes

It is no secret that Kyle and I are mid-move.  And if you're a good mover, you purge A LOT of things.  The people at Goodwill will know my name by the time we're 100% settled in our new place.  But sadly, one of the many things I am trashing is my magazine collection which means about 10 months of Runner's World issues are being thrown in the dumpster tomorrow.

This last issues of Runner's World had a page of "wisdom" from Dean Karnazes.  If you do not know who he is, I have helped you out by sharing his Wikipedia bio/life story/running journey/whatever. But, he had some great Dean-isms that I wanted to share and never lose.

So with that, here you go.

• Endurance never sleeps
• Even if you're inches away from the finish, never take success for granted.
• Endurance sports either strengthen a relationship or destroy it.
• We runners don't need a lot. It is not what we have but what we enjoy that constitutes our abundance.
• Regardless of how distant your dreams may seem, every second counts.
• You cannot grow and expand you capabilities to their limits without running the risk of failures.

And my personal favorite:

"Running has an uncanny ability to mellow the soul, to take the edge off hard feelings, and put things back into perspective"

...and now the magazine goes into the trash...

two things thursday.

first i want to apologize for being so absent. yes. work. work is way in the way of my running and ability to be a runner. work keeps my head spinning and on top of it, kyle and i are gearing up for a move and moving takes A LOT of time and even more out of you.  ....so with that i give you 2 things thursday... rather than 3 things because i cannot even think of 3 things since my life is so consumed with work and the move.  so excited for happy hour with the girls tomorrow... it will be much needed & long overdue!

1. on monday, the 14th, kyle and i will have the keys to our new home.  :o)  we have been taking about a house and talking about a house and FINALLY we are getting one.  As exciting as it is, the whole process is overwhelming and expensive.  We have to pay the deposits and buy a washer and dryer (thanks best buy for 18 month financing) and a microwave and a kitchen table and pay the movers and get the old apartment repaired and cleaned. oi. the costs. but in the long run we're gonna have more space for the 3 of us and the wedding presents and mulligan will have a backyard!  but with that said. i shall share the 2 pictures of the house that i have. the front and the funky tin loving kitchen.

2. work has been crazy busy since the year kicked off. and it has been draining me. seriously. i think about nothing but work when i am at work and away from work. when i get home i am so tired that i want to do nothing but make dinner and sleep and the weekends. goodness. i am in awake by 11:30/12:00 and in bed by 10:00.  It has killed my motivation to run or work out.  i am planning on buying a year pass to stone mountain for 4 mile hilly runs and joining Lifetime Fitness once we move... I am just hoping with spring coming and the new gym (spin class and the pool) I can find my motivation again.  i need someone to seriously teach me a work/life balance. how do you people do it?! i want to try to figure out how to work it into my work day -- give me 1 hour per day to just check out, like i used to... but it is damn near impossible.

blast900 coupon. :: another one for you atlanta kids ::

we should all know by now that i have a hate/love relationship with Buckhead's Blast900.  Hate it when I am there... love it a few days later. 

I have ANOTHER opportunity for you to get 3 classes for REAL cheap!  Atlanta's Half Off Depot has a coupon for 3 for $25 [normally - one class is $28].  That is a 70% discount ... saving you $84.00!   Seriously... you have to try this workout.  Buy the coupon HERE (not confirmed but it may be for their Dunwoody location only)

If you're still wondering what Blast900 is ... here you go.

"In each hour-long session you’ll burn 900 calories by alternating short, intense treadmill blocks with full-body strength training. You’ll feel challenged and motivated, no matter what your fitness level, and with a workout packed with creative, dynamic exercise concepts, you’ll never get bored."

sticking to the goals. and my guns.

The Chicago Marathon registration opened this week.  The few friends I do have in Chicago from college and 1 from high school are marathoners too (YAY) and they wanted me to do it A LOT.  But if you remember, I said NO MARATHONS IN 2011.  ....and it was hard to say no. and no again. and no some more.

I want to run Chicago.  Just not this year.  My job is SO busy that I cannot even fit in a bathroom break more than 2 times a day (and man do I drink water from my SIGG water bottle) so how would I fit in marathon training.  Plus one of my greatest and bestest friends is getting married the following Saturday so I can't miss 2 weekends of football and I cannot waddle down the aisle!

So I said no.  But mark my word.  Chicago in 2012. Doing it. And that is a promise.