I know I do not have the time, nor the energy right now to even think about actually training for a marathon, but I look at this schedule and think "I could totally do this...".  I can in fact do this, as I have proven to myself before.  But seriously, look at it:

Marathon Training Schedule: Novice 1

WEEK	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN
1	Rest	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	Rest	6	Cross
2	Rest	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	Rest	7	Cross
3	Rest	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	Rest	5	Cross
4	Rest	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	Rest	9	Cross
5	Rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	10	Cross
6	Rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	7	Cross
7	Rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	12	Cross
8	Rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon
9	Rest	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	10	Cross
10	Rest	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	15	Cross
11	Rest	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	Rest	16	Cross
12	Rest	4 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	12	Cross
13	Rest	4 m run	9 m run	5 m run	Rest	18	Cross
14	Rest	5 m run	9 m run	5 m run	Rest	14	Cross
15	Rest	5 m run	10 m run	5 m run	Rest	20	Cross
16	Rest	5 m run	8 m run	4 m run	Rest	12	Cross
17	Rest	4 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	8	Cross
18	Rest	3 m run	4 m run	2 m run	Rest	Rest	Marathon

source

It looks so nice all wrapped up in a neat little training plan.  Having lots of runner friends that are training for marathons right now gives me the itch and I start looking for a race.  But, I'll be sticking to half marathons for now...

Super 8

This weekend, we watched Super 8.  We've had it from Netflix for a while and finally got around to watching it.  It was different, but I liked it.  It reminded me of E.T. in a way.

During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.

source

 

The movie reminded me a little of what it was like when I was a kid during the summer.  We went outside and played with our friends.  We rode our bikes everywhere.  We used our imaginations for our entertainment and none of us cared to be inside if we could be playing outside with friends.  The movie kind of took me back, minus the whole train-wreck and other of the the ordinary things that actually happened to these kids.

Have you seen Super 8?  If so, what did you think??

Any great movies you've seen lately that I should check out?

Happy Thoughts

I ran on my lunch today.  5 miles in 46:08.  It made me feel happy.  So, I thought I'd share a few things in life lately that have been making me happy!

one.
One of my good friends from high school is having babies.  Yep, babies.  She's pregnant with twin girls!  She had a baby shower this weekend and John and I went to it (it was a Baby-Q...cute!)  It was great to see her and her pregnant self.

two.
Friends.
I have some pretty awesome ones.

Three.

You've heard about my hubby before.

He's the best!  

Four.
The snowboarding trip we have coming up!

five.

Running.

six.

Good news about my dad!

The tumor is shrinking and he's home!

seven.

eight.

Bike rides.

nine.

TheBachelorIsOnTonight!  

There.  I said it.

What makes you happy?

6 on Tuesday

1. This week is the week I told myself I had to be up to my weekly mileage for my 2012 goals.  So far, I'm off with great success and it is only Tuesday!  I'll report back and let you know how it goes!

2. I almost got hit by a car last night and in a separate incident (on the same bike ride), my phone fell off my bike and my screen cracked.  Bike riding can be dangerous with mean hoes on the road that give you ugly faces when they almost hit you. (PS-I had the right of way woman!  You turned into me!)

3. John had work off yesterday and I didn't.  I was jealous all day.  He did come see me and we went to lunch though...so I guess that was a good substitute!

4. After this weekend, it has been reinforced that I can't hang like I used to...

5. We started looking at cruises and I realized that I haven't changed my name on my passport.  I am getting on this pronto!  

Please don't hold me back passport peeps!

6. All I've wanted to do for the past couple days is nap.  Then, bedtime comes and I don't want to sleep, I want to stay up and do fun things so I don't have to go to bed just to get up and go to work and other adult responsibilities tomorrow.  What's wrong with this picture?

me.

11:11

Amanda at Simple Girl, Simple Pleasures tagged me in this and I wanted to play along.  Stop by and say hello to her!  

The Rules

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post 11 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post,

and then create 11 new questions for the people you tagged.

4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them!

11 Fun Facts:1. I love straws.  I buy those 500 straw packs for my house so I can drink out of a straw when I'm home.  I'm out right now, that annoys me a bit.
2. I love to bake.  I haven't gotten to much lately...or hardly at all during the holidays this year, but I'm usually a baking machine, especially during cold weather.
3. I am also a manic when it comes to cleaning up after cooking.  It's been killing me lately that I've left dishes in the sink over night, but I guess there are more important things than the dishes being clean...talk about an earth shattering realization! ha.
4. I iron everything before I wear it.  It's a bit sick actually.  Even if I'm running to Walmart in a tshirt and jeans...I'm ironing before heading out the door.
5. Mascara is my favorite make up to wear.
6. My husband and I have known each other since elementary school.
7. I've switched to eating 4-5 smaller meals during the day and it makes me so hungry after an hour, but I'm loving this because it keeps me from feeling sluggish after a big lunch.
8. I've read a ton about how fiber is great to add to your diet...and I know this isn't the best way to get it, but I've added in those little Fiber One bars (ya know, the chocolate/caramel and oats ones) because I feel like I get my sweets fix but the fiber has to make it better than a Snickers, right?  Satisfying a sweet tooth and getting something that's recommended for my diet...I call it a win-win!
9. I love planning trips!  Half of the fun of going on vacation for me, is the planning.  I love looking for the perfect hotel for my price range, I love seeing everything there is to do and scheduling flights...it's probably weird but I really enjoy it.  Maybe I can open a business doing that on the side one day??
10. I'm a pretty good shot with a shot gun.
11. I really like coffee, but if I ever felt like I had to have it in the morning, I'd stop drinking it.  I don't want to be one of those people who can't wake up without it.

Amanda's Questions:

1. What's your middle name or initial?

My middle name is Lou.  It's been passed down through my mom's side of the family so it's my mom's middle name, my granny's ect.

2. Where do you want be in your life when you're 60?

I've never thought about my 60's specifically...I guess I'd like to be retired and doing something that I like to do for fun, but not necessarily a full time career anymore.  I'd like to be travelling and spending time with friend and family.  I know 60's is a bit early for retirement, but ideally, I'd like to be retired at 45. 

Life is probably laughing at me right now.

3. If you could only have one type of dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Really? How can a girl answer this question?

I guess I'd have to pick angel food cake.  It's pretty versatile, meaning you can eat it plain, with strawberries and whipped cream, chocolate, ect.  Plus, it's not so bad for you.

4. What do you love most about blogging?

Meeting new friends and having an outlet.

5. Flats or heels?

Depends on the occasion, but I'll pretty much pick flip flops for any casual occasion...I guess that would qualify as flats.

6. Are you superstitious?

Well...it is Friday the 13th...

No, not really.

Ok, only during a football game :)

7. Would you rather work in an office or at home?

If I could get my computer working as fast at home as in the office, I'd love to work from home.  Then, no one could come interrupt and take time away when I'm working.  I work in a small office anyway, so my social time at work is when I see clients out of the office.

8. What's your lucky number?

3. 

9. Do you tweet? If not, why?

I have a twitter account.  I don't really tweet much but sometimes I'll talk to friends on there.

10. Do you remember your dreams at night?

Sometimes.  Mostly the really vivid dreams.  They're usually pretty bizarre.

11. Are you momma's girl or daddy's girl?

Daddy's girl.  Always have been.

My questions:

1. What is your dream vacation?

2. Are you more outdoorsy or indoorsy?

3. What has been your best vacation to date? Why?

4. What would the first thing you do be if you won the lottery?

5. If money were no object, what is your dream car?

6. Harry Potter or Twilight? 

7. Favorite book of all time or what are you reading now?

8. What's your biggest pet peeve?

9. What's your favorite domestic activity?

10. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

11. What is your favorite city?

12 Tags:

Michelle@Living A Life of Love

Carolyn@Life, Love and Puppy Prints

Caroline@Simply Smithwick

Meg@Henning Love

Amber@Young, Fabulous and Not So Newlywed

Heather@A Road to Happiness

Ashley@Life After the Aisle

Melissa@Nashville's Melrose

Elizabeth@The Life of David, Elizabeth and Peyton

Megan@Fried Green Pickles

Kit@Life of a Scott

Hollie@Hollie Takes Notes

I look forward to getting to know you girls better!

A Happy Run

Last night I decided to go out for a little run.  

I did not feel like running, but needed to get in a training run...I do have a race coming up.  

The weather was warm, low 80's or so, which I throughly enjoy during most life activities, but presents a bit of a challenge while running for me. 

I told myself to do 3 laps around the lake...3.48 miles and stop if I didn't want to keep going.  

I got to my third lap and decided I had a little more in me, so I decided to go to 4 miles, stop for water and do a loop around a part of the neighborhood that I thought was a mile, I was wrong, but that was actually ok...  

I passed 5 miles, near my house, but then I decided I'd just run a 10k...and I finished in 57:08.  

I felt like I was going slow. I didn't really check my pace because I wore John's Garmin and it isn't set up like mine and finding this out made me quite happy!  It's not quite my goal pace for my next half marathon, but it's pretty darn close...just a few seconds per mile off that pace to beat a 2 hour half.  

Maybe I'll get my sub 2 half this spring afterall!

Don't sweat the small stuff

I've noticed myself becoming more annoyed than normal with the incessant whining about how bad things are for certain people all. the. time....how everything is life ending or changing for them.

I know my perspective has changed in the past couple of months.  I know that I would get bogged down with the things I thought were so important at the time, but looking back, they were just annoying little mishaps or speed bumps in life.  I hope I never allow myself to make the little big again.  They really don't matter all that much.

I'm not trying to belittle life's problems, but having a cold, or flat tire or having to work while your favorite team plays football aren't devastating...they're inconvenient.  Those are the things I'd allow myself to make a bigger deal than they are and it wasn't worth it.

Right now, I'm experiencing life changing on many fronts.  I just pray that they are life changing and not life ending for all involved.  Only God knows the answer to that right now...I hope His plans match up to what I want them to be.  I understand that is selfish to say, but I don't want to imagine life any other way.

I can't.

Don't sweat the small stuff.  It sounds so simple, but it's so true.
Lesson learned.  Hopefully that's something I will keep with me forever.

This year...

In 2012, I would like to:

Run 15 miles per week minimum

Training will take me higher, but I want to get in at least 15 miles a week.  It's not nearly what I used to run, but I'd like to incorporate a lot more biking this year.

Bike 30 miles per week minimum

I'm newer to biking, but I love it.  It's lower impact than running and an easier recovery for me.  I'd like to get up to more mileage, but I figure goals for the first year of consistent cycling, this is a good start.

Run 2 half marathons...at least one in under 2 hours

I already have one half marathon in my sights in April, now to find one more.  Right now, my PR in the half is 2:03.  Just 3 seconds to go!

Bike in one race

There aren't many bike races in my area, so I'm going to find a training plan and try and find a race to fit that.

Complete another sprint triathlon

I did one of those in 2009 and loved it.  It was very different from a running race and I really enjoyed.

Do 10 yoga sessions

I'm so. not. flexible.  This would help.  I'm not really into the whole yoga thing but I'm going to try to go 10 times.  Who knows...maybe I'll get good at it.

Continue organizing the house.  

Find a place for everything and if it doesn't fit, get rid of it.  We have a lot of stuff.  We participate in a lot of different activities, so it comes with the territory, but we are working on getting rid of the clutter.  We've knocked out a few rooms in the past month and my goal is to keep it that way.

Cut out the sweets as much as possible.  

There will be those days when I just need that sugar, but I don't need it as often as I eat it.

Incorporate 2 fresh fruits and veggies in my diet daily.

I get sucked into quick and easy sometimes, but raw is better for me.

Continue to make John and our marriage a top priority.  

Especially right now we have so much going on, but we really need that bit of downtime together to focus on us and not everything else going on.

Be a good friend.

Do the best job I can do at work.

Rock the daughter/granddaughter position.

Our family is going to need to support each other more than ever this year.

Try to maintain a positive attitude regardless of circumstances.

Sometimes my attitude will be all I can control, so I am going to try and stay positive even if the circumstances are negative as best I can.

What are your goals for the new year?