Playing Catch-up

So…HI! How are you?

I know, I know- it’s been awhile.

Things have been crazy, but in the best possible way.

As you know, E and I have been traveling a lot lately and last week our travels (and my job) brought us to Orlando and Tampa for the week. It was sooooo much fun! I arrived in Orlando on Tuesday for a work conference. I did a lot of relaxing for the first few days I was there on my own. This included some shopping and a massage. I also was able to meet up with one of my favorite people on planet earth for a few hours before Earrived- that was awesome. After Erick got into Orlando we hit Downtown Disney- went bowling at Splitsville, rode in a hot air balloon- then we headed to Tampa where we went to Cigar City Brewery, ate dinner with Yummy Sushi Pajamas,  went to a Rays game, attended a post-game concert (WEEZER!!!) on the field, and then ended the trip by swimming with the manatees. I could write a whole post just on this trip but I won’t, not for now at least. Instead I will just share some pictures and move on to my next topic.

 

Working out….

I started T25 like a month ago. Rocked the first week- then went to Philly for a week and only got in one workout. Then I came back and rocked week 2 and then went away for a week and didn’t get any workouts in. Was planning to start back up this week, week 3, but never really got into the swing of things. So, I made a decision (mostly based on the fact that I might be able to get week 3 and some of week 4 in before I leave for Fitbloggin’)to just start over from week1, day1 on June 30th. I will actually have ten whole weeks between June 30th and September 8th with no huge (out of the general area) travel plans. This will give me the chance to actually finish both T25 Alpha and Beta straight through- which I am guessing is probably how the program wasintended to be completed.

So, what am I going to do between now and June 30th workout wise? Well, I snagged Les Mills Combat last week during a hugeBeachbody sale so I think I will try out some of those videos in the morning and maybe even get back on the spin bike too. I have been going to the gym after work trying to get back into the swing of running, which E and I were doing 2-3 times a week regularly, and build back some of my endurance because…

I signed up for another half marathon.

Well, more importantly – I agreed to join a group to run the Ragnar Relay- Cape Cod in May of 2015 and I need to get back into running regularly and training so I decided it was time for another half marathon. Training for the half (the Pensacola Half Marathon 11/9/2014) won’t really begin until mid-August BUT I need to make sure I have a good base built up before I start training again. My goal is 3-4 runs per week through the summer. Nothing too crazy, just enough to get me used to running again. Yesterday I decided to test out my legs/lungs to see where I was by seeing how fast I could run a mile. I was aiming for somewhere in the 8s (like 8:59) but I still surprised myself with a 9:16 mile. I don’t expect to be running sub-30 minute 5Ks anytime soon but I am hoping that this go around I will be able to get a little bit faster and feel a little bit stronger through my training. I think that T25 through the summer and then maybe some boot camp (or combat) in the fall will help with that too. I may be physically the smallest I have been in a really long time but I am definitely not the strongest (which isn’t surprising because of the surgery and downtime) and that is something I really want to focus on.

Some other things I lost post-surgery were my flexibility and stability, both of which come in handy for almost any activityespecially running. So I am going to start doing yoga again. Starting today. The university has a yoga class (actually taught by one of my co-workers) on Thursday evening so I am going to check that out. I also signed up E and I for a gentle beginner’s yoga class on Sunday. Since it has been at least 6 months since my last yoga class I wanted to start off in a beginner’s class having no idea where my skill level would be right now.

That’s where I am on the exercise front. On the weight front….well, I have a whole lot of beers and (veggie) burgers I need to burn off. Let’s just say I am more than happy to be home and back in the kitchen cooking my own meals. I love being able to eat out (who doesn’t) but doing it every meal, every day gets old quick. This week I have been doing a good job preparing dinners at home, packing my lunches and drinkingsmoothies for breakfast. I have been trying to limit the amount of TV I am watching (although Orange is the New Black sucks me in almost daily) and get some extra movement in around the house/yard when I can. It’s all about getting back to my healthy habits, not beating myself up too much over my ‘indulgences’, setting realistic goals and focusing on what I really want out of this life. I know I have another travel week coming up soon but after that I have ten weeks at home so I plan on making the most of that time. Both my body and my mind could use a little break from the whirlwind ~ I am so ready for just being normal for a while :)

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxo