I get it from my ... Daddy?

How cute is this new cup?

I found this plastic tumblr at Target on clearance for 9 dollars something.  I use disposable plastic cups every day at work and started to feel bad for the earth.  I drink WAY more water because of the straw, and have even started putting lemons in there.  Big things poppin.  BPA free.

 

 

 

 

Here's my sunday morning breakfast, almond milk, strawberries, and a banana.  I was out of spinach. 

 

My spin class monday was at a new-ish place downtown madison called CYC Fitness.  They have grueling 45 min classes, and what's awesome is that you're basically in the dark.  They turn the lights off in the room, blast the music, and have a spotlight on the instructor in the front.  I absolutley love that they spin to the beat.  Makes you really push yourself to keep up.  Mondays class was a special class because it was Beyonce themed.  'Like omg'.  The creator of CYC fitness even came all the way from New York (or Texas IDK) to teach the class.  His name is Keoni Hudoba and he's amazeballs.  This guy went from 300 and some pounds in 2009 to looking basically like a runway model now. 

 

 

Oh, and he's also an Under Armour model... nbd

I got all motivated after my spin class monday night and made an omlet to take to work the next day. With turkey bacon of course.

Am I a model yet?

 

I was so incredibly full after I ate this, I didnt even snack before my lunchbreak at 1.  I'll have to eat this more often..

 

 

So of course I stalked Keoni on instagram and thought this was a cool photo because it's absolutley true for most of my workouts:

 

Sorry, the GroupMe app notification was an unintentional part of this pic lol

I've always been the athletic type, but I can attribute my bizarre love of running to my Dad (and Mom).  Here's my Dad's latest Runkeeper activities, he is a boss:

 

 

 

My RunKeeper training for the half marathon in San Diego started last night, I was supposed to run 5 miles, but wasn't able to fit it in the schedule.  Shame on me.  But I will say that my two 5 mile treadmill runs in the past week make up for that.  I am however doing the 3 mile + tempo run tonight so I'll let you know how that goes.  It will be outside (finally), since it's a balmy 30 degrees outside.  Then I have my Wednesday Body Pump class afterwards.  Yeek.  Good thing I have a brand new Lululemon tank (found on saleeee) to make it all worth while ;)

 

 

 

Motivation
 

 

 

Runs to Beyonce

This weeks workouts:
Monday: Body Pump (YMCA)- hurt my back squatting too much weight :/
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Body Pump, felt much better
Thursday: 5 miles on treadmill
Friday: tonight I'll run or rest
Tomorrow I'm hoping to make it to the 8:35 am body pump

Last night's walk to the gym:


After the gym, it had been snowing so hard that my footprints were gone:




TGiF!
Just in time for spring training motivation: King Beyonce comes out and kills the superbowl halftime show last Sunday. My YMCA recently got treadmills with fancy personal tv screens on each one, and that are compatible with iPhones so last night I scanned the Internet for ways to download videos to my iPhone to watch while I run. I absolutely love watching Beyonces live performances and what better way to find motivation during a boring treadmill run than to watch bey bey own the stage...

Her Sweet Dreams perfromance from the 2009 Ema's

At first I tried downloading her performances from whatever google search came up first (shady, I know, and not very safe) but the files were not compatible with iTunes and it was difficult to convert them (as in the "converter software" literally shut off my laptop and deleted my iTunes) So I searched for ways to download videos directly from YouTube and found this: if you download the "Opera" web browser and install the YouTube add-on it adds a download button to every YouTube video... So voila- in no time at all I was sprinting (ok jogging) on the treadmill to Bey's 14 min halftime performance , Run the World Billboard performance, Freakum dress, Upgrade You, and Ring the Alarm MTV performances. Take THAT HGTV. 


How mean! Haha 

Poor Bey :( 

  

I ended up running 5 miles in just over 53 minutes and my average pace was 5.9 mph which comes out to about 10 min miles but that included my 3 min warm up and cool down. Not bad. I wish the workout summary would break up the workout by miles..pff. At my 3rd mile in I get a text on my phone from a friend that lives in Chicago, reading "Beyonce, July 17th, concert tickets, $85, you in?". My heart exploded! I saw her in concert a few years ago in Chicago with the same friend so I know it will be a blast.. If I don't get sick and have to hang my head out the limo window the whole way home...

In other news, my other friend and I just decided to run the Rock'n'Roll half marathon in San Diego on June 2nd, so it's actually time to start training for real. I prefer running outside and actually prefer cold temp runs here in the chilly Midwest but it's been snowing nonstop and the sidewalks are too slippery. I usually run with the ismoothrun app on my iPhone to track time/distance but it doesn't work that well on the treadmill. I usually just manually input my treadmill runs. I also have the runkeeper app and noticed that they now have training plans built into the app which is awesome. My 1st half marathon was last year in Madison, and my time was 2 hours 5 min, BUT it was sooo hot out (high of 93 degrees and they even cancelled the full marathon) so I like to think I would have been faster had it not been close to 100 degrees out haha. So for the half in San Diego I think I want to aim for under 2 hours. Whats the weather like in SD in June?! ah... So, here's my training plan via runkeeper:

Maxed out the Treadmill

On Monday I pounded the treadmill at the Y across the street from my condo 1. Because it's cold outside 2.  Donald Driver was performing on Dancing with the Stars and I had to watch/drool on the tv's there (I voted a total of 48 times for him between my phone and Allans later that night, love you DD!). It's the first time I've used my iSmoothRun app to track a run indoors.  It uses an 'accelerometer' and magic versus its GPS. According to my  'my coach' schedule (picture below), I was only supposed to run 4 miles easy that day. But running on a treadmill feels like 30% outdoor running effort, so really I was dragging.  The first pics are the treadmill stats (including warmup and cooldown). 

 

I've NEVER maxed out the time on a treadmill!  Woo, little victories.  Sounds boring, but I felt really good and got to watch tv, so whatevs. 

The next 2 pics are from the iSmoothRun app record of that same run. I stopped the app workout at 44 min, for some dumb reason. Miles four and five look a little off to me, but i was flying, so maybe I was really going that fast, I donno. That would be awesome, and I don't think I'm that awesome, yet. 

Have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with workout statistics?  If I didn't have ways to track my workouts (runkeeper, ismoothrun) I don't think I'd be half as motivated to actually complete them. 

Here's my half marathon training schedule courtesy of runnersworld.  D day is 5 days before my 28^th birthday!  And here I go setting crazy goals:  I hope to run a FULL marathon before the big DIRTY THIRTY. Or maybe by my golden birthday: 5/31/2015

After my treadmill workout, I went home and posted on my facebook that I was looking for some new workout songs, and one of my friends recommended I download the Fit Radio app, and my life changed at that very moment.  LOL.

I've always loved the 5 o'clock workout mixes on the radio but never knew where I could download them. I get really tired of the same music in my itunes playlist and it feels like a second job to find the latest greatest workout music. And when I'm working out I hate the pause between songs. Fit Radio streams AWESOME music, and they mix one song into another, so there are never gaps of silence between songs like regular radio stations/playlists. So, like a good social media freak I posted my love for them on their facebook wall:

SCORE!  I'm geeked for that tank to arrive!  New workout gear GIVES ME LIFE.  When I emailed Cari my address I also suggested a Michael Jackson only radio station, she said she's working on it.  LOVE MJ. 

Tuesday I went to "hot" yoga at a new local gym, Badger Fitness 24/7.  Nice place, but the rooms aren't at full 'hotness' yet.  They're working on getting them up to 105 degress, because they're only at 84ish right now.  And I prefer to sweat uncontrollably!

On Wednesday, Lyndsay (my coworker) and I went on a walk during lunch. Wind was gusty at 11mph, and temp was 55 degrees. So not the best walking weather, but at least the sun was out.

We came across this while walking past a corn field:

At first we thought it was some type of water pump, but taking a second look at the fancy fence, I decided it must be some type of graveyard.

So we took a closer look:

Yep, some type of animal final resting place. RIP nanimals.

We got honked at by a passing car when we were walking back to the road, I hope it wasn't the land owner. Here's our spooky graveyard walk stats:

That night, my Mom came over to meet with my coworkers friend who was looking for someone to adopt her Yorkie puppy, Zeus, because she can't bring him to her new condo.  My mom fell in love.  She's been looking for a new puppy for a year now and hasn't been able to take the plunge.  It was perfect timing, and Zeus was a great deal.  I think she paid $150 for him, and he is a purebread that usually goes for $600-$1000.  He will be 1 on April 15^th.  I'll have to make him a doggy birthday cake.  Zeus took a big dump right on my floor after 15 minutes of getting there.  Hope it was just nervous jitters and not a habit! 

 

Last night (thursday)s workout consisted of a 3.5 mile run, then Hot (warm) yoga. 

Here's the beginning of my Fit Radio selection from that run: The first song CRACKS ME UP.  "I'm ridin around and I'm gettin it".  I need a better explanation, Sir 2 Chainz.  What are you gettin? .......... All I know is 'it's his, he spent it'. Well ok then...

 

Beast song of the run definatley had to be TI, "Beat Down Low".  Perfect tempo for my running pace.

Closing note:

I giggled at today's Living Social Deal in my email inbox:: "Lasik Surgery Package - 2 Locations".  Really!?  First of all, since when are surgeries advertised on a discount website, and second, how is surgery a 'social deal'?  haha.  You mean I can get my eyes sliced opened at EITHER LOCATION?  I wonder if I could get my left eye sliced at location A, then my right eye sliced at location 2?  Can I split this deal, sir?  NO?

I'm off to Chicago to see my bff's new house!  She's got a bun in the oven, so I'm going to photograph their 'announcement' photos.  Shhhhhhhh...

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