Making history in the Historic District

I can start by saying that this week has been one of my best if I gauge it by my mileage, time investment, and calorie burn. In reviewing, I can see that I managed to complete 22 miles in a total of 5 workout days . According to Garmin, I had a little over 2500 calories burned. That's a stinkin' awesome return on my investment.

My new favorite snack...fresh fruit with a dollop of yum!

Today started out with a rockin' start as we had planned. David and I hooked up with our friend, Shirley, and headed to the Springfield Greenway. When we arrived to get started about 7:30am, we learned that the 5K that was being held in Springfield today happened to occupy about 3 miles of the course. We went ahead and started from our end and took our chances on getting barricaded and forced to turn around. Turns out, we made it to the other end (approx. 2.45 miles) before the race began. Once we had made it to that point, we chose to turn back but head down the back roads rather than staying on the course. By the time we reached the Jeep again, we had completed 6.2 miles..aka 10K. The primary reason for our endurance training today was to prepare us (David and I) for the upcoming Hell or High Water 10K on June 9th.  David nor Shirley had seen 6 miles prior to today. Exciting for me to be part of their first longer distance. We walked the course today but I hope to jog/walk most of the Hell or High Water 10K with 3:1 intervals if all goes as planned.  

  

A little piece of nature along the Greenway

I managed to make the most out of the walking today since I burned a few calories to use this evening as we celebrate Shirley's recent graduation from Surgical Tech school. My big plans are for plenty of salsa verde and chips accompanied with ritas (of course). I have kept it rather simple in the eats department today since I have had 1 cup of coffee with cream and Splenda before our workout and 2 **yummy** hot dogs at Sonic and a soft serve cone for lunch at Sonic. The dogs totaled 770 calories and the cone was 250 calories. I added a diet Cherry Limeaid to wash it all down. So...I managed to consume 1020 calories from Sonic...Jeez, was it worth it?! Yes, it was today :) So, that leaves me about 1800 calories that I could consume this eve and still be on target for the day. Hmmm...thinking that might be possible if I can control the chips.



Me and Shirley along the back 3 miles



 

            Today's Workout Summary (according to the Garmin)

Extra info from the workout that my Garmin site notes:
Avg Pace:	16:18 min/mi
Avg Speed:	3.7 mph
Elevation Gain:	1,198 ft

Just as we entered the last leg of our walk.

Pic of my brother''s home in Springfield.
We passed him working in the backyard along the way back to the Jeep.

  

By the end of our routine today, we had all had enough of the heat. It was nearing close to 86 degrees by about 930am. Late May weather starting like this may definitely make for a hot summer. Guess my 4:30am workouts are going to be a GREAT idea after all since I will be getting my butt moving before the sun shines. The Bondi Band that I am wearing is the shinizzle when it comes to keeping the sweat out of my eyes.

I have got to quit smiling so big...my neck looks like that turtle that we passed earlier.
Gotta love David's shirt though :)

The truth of the week...Weigh Day Friday (yesterday). I am pleased to share that I have left another little bit of blubber behind again this week. Loving the new Tanita Scale for its consistency. I can hop off and then step back on 10 minutes later...the same numbers :) Based on the numbers, it looks like I am down 1.6 pounds and up in my water % and down in the fat %...all good stuff in my book. Here's to another great week thanks to accountability.

This Friday's Weight: 194.2, (Fat % 40.2, H20 % 42.9)
Last week's verdict: 195.8 on the new Tanita Scale (41.2% Fat, 42.2% Water)

From Urology to Intervals...Nothing but the Truth

Rolling away for a week in D.C



Starting this week off by dropping my  baby girl (not so baby at 14 years old) off at the Middle School to catch the bus for Washington, D.C. was quite a crazy start to a Monday morning. Just when I was feeling a sense of relief that her sassy mouth would be gone for 5 days, I realized that I love her and her witty humor more than ever before. She forces me to step up my parenting game from day to day because she is opinionated and hard headed on most accounts. Not sure where she gets that : / hahaha. The truth is...it is Wednesday (2 days later) and I miss her bunches. Thankfully, her teacher (Ms. Fowler) has kept me spoon fed with a few pics along their travels.



Ms. Fowler (Audra) and Katie



Monday ended up being a crazy kind of day from beginning to end. After seeing Katie off at the school, I returned home and knocked out about 3 miles in the neighborhood with a run/walk. No better way to relieve stress than to leave it out there on the pavement with the morning sun beating down on you :) Working out once the sun rises is not my idea of therapeutic since I don't do HOT and STEAMY very well but I did it anyways. After my shower, Dannah and I headed out to make a day of running errands and doctor's appointments. I won't bore you with crazy details but will just say that the urology (kidney/bladder) visit with the nurse practitioner in the afternoon was freakin' awesome.

I won't deny that this nearly 40 year old bladder has been struggling. Poise pads for long runs and squeezing my knees together when I cough..yep, this has been my well kept secret for several years now. In thinking that weight loss or a little fairy would simply take it all away one day, I had continued to ignore the obvious need for help in the 'ole urinary department of this vessel that God has given me. Long story short, I am the proud owner of my very own "pessary". To save face, I will just say...it is working for now :) Ran 3 miles this AM with no "accidents". I have an appointment scheduled for a cystoscopy and urodynamic study in August. And NO, I am not looking forward to it but it is the next step in preparing me for a more permanent solution to this problem such as a sling procedure later this year. I plan to have the actual surgery following the next 1/2 marathon in November since I can't train for 6-8 weeks after the surgery. Until then, the pessary will just have to suffice. Can't believe I am really writing this for the world to see...but if you know me at all...you will know that I have very little reservation in talking about natural body functions (i.e. passing gas, pooping, or urinating). It must be a nurse thing..hahaha.

Nothing really all that special to share with the world for Tuesday. Outside of working and shopping for groceries, the day was quite uneventful. I do need to share that my hubby had a great idea for snacking last night. We worked together in the kitchen to throw together a nice bowl of fruit complete with fresh strawberries and pineapple and diced Pink Lady apples. He and I agreed that all it was really missing was grapes but we forgot to pick those up on the grocery run. Either way, we enjoyed it!

Today, Wednesday, started with my workout at the Downtown Y. I am excited to say that I managed to run 3 miles on the treadmill this morning without taking walk breaks according to the summary from the Matrix machine this AM. This was the 2nd time in the last 30 days that I managed to dedicate myself for that amount of time without getting bored on the "dreadmill". Sure wished I could do that outside! The humidity and inclines seem to slow me down to a crawl and make my heart rate tip into the high 170s. David mentioned that I should focus on interval training outside instead of running with intermittent un-timed walks. That is probably my best plan since I really want to be able to run a 5K completely in the great outdoors by the fall. So...that is my plan. My eating has been in check so far today but this week has been sort of hit and miss. I keep bending my elbow too much and too frequently. : ( I must dedicate more time to logging my food with the My Fitness Pal app. I have no good excuse other than being too lax with my dedication to calorie counting. Perhaps I will get my butt in gear this week :)

This is a snapshot of my workout this AM. I did wear my Garmin and the footpod as usual but there was a bit of discrepancy in the numbers. According to my Garmin, I didn't complete a full 3 miles...more like 2.79 miles. I think I probably ran the full 3 miles since my foot pod is calibrated with run/walk on the indoor track there. The calorie count was crazy off though. My Garmin said that I burned about 380 calories but the Matrix noted  491 when I completed the run before the cool down. Who the heck knows which is correct ?! I will error on the side of caution and say 380 is more accurate.

I will plan to exercise in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow at home instead of driving in to the gym. I am going to plan to do intervals of 4 minute run with 1 minute walk for a total of 45 minutes (9 interval sets). I would love to have a running buddy at the Y that enjoyed getting outside on the city streets/sidewalks but I don't have anyone yet. Until that day comes, I will just stick to running outside at home in those early morning hours. Let's put this interval theory to the test!

Weigh Day Friday



Our neighborhood...530am

David and I decided that we would workout together this morning so the alarm sounded at about 4:45am for me to rise and shine. I have about a 30-45 minute routine that is nearly mandatory before I can get myself out the door so I needed a head start on him. I usually stumble over the cat and dog on my way to the kitchen to feed them and start the brew. Starting the morning with a cup of coffee and bathroom break seems to be priority and this morning was no different...I am a creature of habit. Am I the only person that feels more motivated after a good poop first thing in the morning? I feel lighter on my feet with less jiggle over all...guess that suggests that I am usually "full of shit"...hahaha. 

The satellite view of my workout this AM

Dressed with chest strap in place and Garmin reset...we were out the door by 530am. I like getting a little earlier start but today could be a little more relaxed since I am working from home so I could get up more on David's schedule. We started out walking the block together just for warm-up and then the real work started. Today is the day that I thought I was going to beat the man that I love and adore over the head with a large object.  I had planned to keep the same pace as he does with walking and running. My brisk walk is a bit ahead of him but his average jog is ahead of me. All in all, it usually balances out but I wanted to step up my run this morning so I planned to keep up with him with each interval (run 1 min, walk 4 min). We were doing well until we started running during the first interval. He stretched his legs out and took off in a mad sprint. Of course, he was not the nutty one. I was the idiot that tried to keep up. My lungs were screaming STOP and my legs were circling so fast...I think I saw a glimpse of smoke off of my heels :) That dash was enough to make me realize...We must run our own race! After I recovered (about 2 minutes later) as I continued to walk, I decided to do my own thing...which is quite unorganized but it seems to work for me. When I run outside, I don't try to do intervals...I just run until I feel physically taxed (around a 167-170 heart rate) and then resume the brisk walk. I try to set my sites on a point in the path that I will run again which is usually about 30 feet ahead. Overall, I averaged about a 13 1/2 minute mile by the end of the first 30 minutes. Lame, I know...but it works for me for now. Once David knocked out his 30 minutes, he headed inside to get ready for work, but I went ahead and continued on after grabbing the iPod. I ended up walking another 45 minutes or so but paid no real attention to speed.


Total Calorie Burn: 613 ; Total distance: 5.28 mi



After I returned home, I grabbed Gretchen and headed out for another 1/4 mile to walk her. She has gained a few extra pounds related to her newly diagnosed thyroid issues and general inactivity. Can't bear to see her plump and struggle at age 6 so we are going to increase her exercise daily (if possible). She enjoyed the walk as evidenced by her desire to go again, and I enjoyed the cool down :)

Well, today is Weigh Day Friday. As I had mentioned before, we have purchased a new scale for David's B-Day a couple of weeks ago. It arrived mid-week but I have waited until today to record my weight so that I could do a little comparison between the old and the new scale. David seems to have enjoyed the multi-functions of the new Tanita scale because it tracks Total Body Fat % and Total Body Water %. Of course, those numbers can vary from day to day but we are looking for trending overall.

Today's verdict: 195.8 on the new Tanita Scale (41.2% Fat, 42.2% Water)

According to the Tanita information that came with the scale, the Body Water % for females should be between 45-60% so I better get to hydrating. Body Fat % for my age is somewhere between 23-34% so I have a long way to go...but I am on my way :) Back in October 2010, I weighed in on a Tanita scale at Taylor's office where I was approx 48%  Body Fat (if I remember correctly).

In comparison, I weighed in on the old WW scale today as well. Today's weight: 194.4. So according to the old scale, this week's total loss = 1.1 pounds. I will only weigh on the new Tanita starting next week but was curious about the difference between the WW versus Tanita scales for the first Tanita weigh in.  Cheers to another successful week!

Fun Friday

Started my day off by heading to the Springfield Greenway to walk with my new friend, Shirley. We have been going to the same church for a couple of years but never really took the time to get acquainted until just recently. She texted to invite me to walk with her last eve but I was busy with David, so we arranged to meet at the church this morning at 7am and ride to the greenway together. Initially, we had planned to keep to her plan with the Couch to 5K (C25K) program by doing walking/running intervals. However, when we arrived and I mentioned that the course was about 5 miles....she wanted to do more walking since she is just getting started with exercising. This offered a nice opportunity to get to know one another a little better since we talked and walked more than we truly trained today.



Just a snapshot along the path

 

We managed to complete 4.9 miles in about 1 hr 20 min. We stopped several times to take pics, grab a drink of water at the fountain, etc so this time is a bit skewed by multiple starts and stops. I did manage to burn about 530 calories so that didn't hurt my feelings at all. 

After we finished walking, we drove back toward home. We had been talking about smoothies so we made our way over to Pleasant Thyme Cafe for a frozen coffee drink. I went ahead and bought a veggie panini to enjoy for lunch before getting on with the rest of the day.

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After a quick shower, I took my baby girl, Gretchen, to the vet for a visit. She has been gaining a little weight and starting to have some nasty stinch from her skin irritation on her back legs....so I wanted to get the vet's viewpoint on diagnosing the problem. They suspected that she is hypothyroid but needed to get blood work on her to confirm. Apparently, this is pretty common in small pure bred dogs. The blood sample that they collected today was "too fatty" to analyze. So...they asked me to hold her dinner tonight and tomorrow's breakfast. David will take her in at 8am for another blood draw. They gave us a spray for the skin irritation that is thought to be yeast and ear drops for the yeast in her ears. According to the vet, dogs with hypothyroidism have yeast infections frequently as well. Wow...such complicated creatures.

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By 1230ish I was dropping Gretchen back by the house and headed to surprise Dannah at school by signing her out early. Thought she might enjoy getting a little extra time out of school on the last Friday of school. If all goes well, I will get Katie out early on Monday. Only 3 more days of school next week...then summer break begins. After I signed Dannah out, we headed to mom's house for a few minutes. We had planned to take my grandmother to a late lunch/early dinner. Steak and Shake seems like the best pick since she loves the chili and milkshakes there. 4 generations sitting around the table sharing laughter and stories...always a good opportunity to make sweet memories :)



Like mother, like daughter

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Finished up the day by spending the evening with David's mom. She loves for all the boys and their families (she has 4 sons) to get together for holidays and celebrations so tonight was the best for all of the them to celebrate Mother's Day together. We all pitched in and bought her a new gas grill. She had fixed an amazing meal for the family around 6pm...ham, deviled eggs, chicken tetrazzini, scalloped potatoes, white beans, cream style corn, rolls/cornbread, and caramel pie. I ate responsibly since I had splurged with the Jalapeno Burger and fries at Steak and Shake earlier in the afternoon. All in all, the day was packed full of fun and good food...but I think I balanced it pretty well since I had burned those 500+ calories this AM on the greenway.

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Last but not least, today is weigh day Friday. Drum roll please... 195.1

(Down 3.1 pounds this week)

I have made my way back down to the mid 190s again.

Looking forward to seeing another couple of pounds disappear this week, if possible.

Shindigs and Celebrations

 

My walk in from the parking lot in the mornings...doesn't get more peaceful than this.

 As I walk into the office many mornings, I find myself day dreaming. It is exactly 1/2 mile from my parking place in the lot to the back door of our clinic. I take advantage of every step along that path to enjoy the scenery and smell the sweet smells of mother nature. Amazing how you can prepare for a busy workday or unwind from a chaotic afternoon in the office with only 1/2 mile of peace and quiet.

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What an awesome surprise this morning as I walked in the back door to our clinic! The MDs and administrative staff went over and above to recognize nurses for Nurses Week. From the balloons lining the ceiling to the signage throughout the clinic...I felt like the red carpet was rolled out all the way to my office. The fun didn't stop there. 
 

 

Lining the hallway in the clinic





I share an office with 3 other nurses, and we all had awesome little baskets prepared with some of our favorite goodies along with a caricature hanging on our computer monitors. In fact, each nurse (total of about 13 of us) had personalized baskets and decor in our offices. As you can see in my cool green basket below, I have several goodies to enjoy...trail mix to ritas with Skinny Cows and Kashi Bars thrown in. The docs all went in together to get each nurse a large Vanderbilt golf umbrella.  The signage hanging from the ceiling set the mood for the day...

* Due to the current workload, the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off!

*Sarcasm...Just one more service I offer.

* I need chocolate STAT!

*Nurse Parking Only...violators will get a rectal exam

*Be Nice! I might be your nurse someday.



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I wanted to share a small piece of mine and David's daily regimen with the world. I have to giggle as I post this pic because we have officially crossed over that bridge of youth to middle age based on the size of our pill planner. David's are stretched out in the top 2 rows and mine in the bottom 2 rows. Now, one might say...this is a planner designed for one person that takes medications four times a day...not 2 people's medications. Well, yeah, I thought the same at first. But...I need David to hold me accountable since I am such a "non-pill-taking" kind of gal. He does so well and I want to be like him when I grow up :)

All of these compartments are filled with nothing more than vitamins and minerals. Neither of us take any prescribed medications...thank goodness. I have promised a few friends that I would share my regimen despite me not being the most compliant at taking them so here goes...

AM

2 Acai Berry capsules

1 Chromium Picolinate

1 B-Complex

1 Viactiv chew

PM

2 Acai Berry capsules

1 Multivitamin

1 Chromium Picolinate

I tend to fill energized and "healthier" overall when I am good about taking my day's allotment as packaged so nicely in these little bins. Why is it so hard for me to remember to take them? Who the heck knows...guess it is the early onset dementia that gets me some days. Here recently, I have added a couple of Osteo Biflex to morning and night to hopefully help with the residual left hip pain. So far...I can't tell a difference but I will follow thru for 2 weeks for continuity if nothing else.

Running in Circles

 This fine Monday morning was spent at the Downtown YMCA on the indoor track. I took a few snapshots along my route just to share the craziness of running in circles with such a beautiful skyline just on the other side of the window. I had made my mind up that re-calibrating my Garmin foot pod was my #1 goal for today.  In reading my new book (see below) along with some fancy google research, I have lost faith in the treadmill distance since the data favors that most treadmills are miscalibrated by sometimes as great as 1/8 mile. When you are sweating and burning calories at 5am, every inch of that black never-ending belt counts, and I want it to be accurate. In re-calibrating the pod along the middle lane on the indoor running/walking track, I found a significant discrepancy. The last calibration was setup on the treadmill which put the factor at approx 920. This morning's calibration was 820. Now, the factor can be different based on the treadmill keeping me at a steady pace or even from the difference in my new shoes. Either way...Mission accomplished! All in all, I ended up racking up about 2 1/2 miles this morning and burning 335 calories based on the Garmin.

Gotta love this guy's theories...

Top 3 Goals of a 5K/10K Runner

1. Finish in the upright position.

2. Have a smile on your face.

3. Want to do it again.

Before I forget to tell you...my hubby has officially been sucked into the fitness vortex. He is reading another of Galloway's books every night at bedtime. As I lay exhausted and cross-eyed while trying to read a page or two of my book, he is highlighting his way thru each page of his. If I didn't know better, I think he is probably preparing ME to take a test at the end. Instead of listening to romantic tunes or watching a few minutes of our favorite sitcom, he is reading me bedtime stories about how to run correctly and how to train properly. In addition, he emailed me a grid that outlines our training schedule for the 1/2 Marathon in November. But...I wouldn't change a thing! I so love this handsome, bald man and look forward to spending many short/long runs together in the years to come. If their is one thing you must know about David Farmer...he does nothing half-ass!

In thinking about this morning's events, I have to giggle as I share my "OOPS!" moment. As many of my friends know all too well, I drag myself out of bed and to the gym about 3-4 mornings of the week. Aware that I am quite absentminded in the early morning hours, I pack my gym bag the night before. Over the course of the last 18 months, I have forgotten a bra, underwear, and socks at various times. However, my makeup bag seems to have never ended up on the "Forgotten" list until this morning. Yes, I presented myself to the Vandy world today...totally naked. Well, bare faced that is...hehehe. Not even a lick of mascara on the pitiful lashes. Thankfully, all of my work mates have restrained their laughter and joke making considering I look like the walking dead on a Monday morning. Heck, I will just blame it on a rough weekend :)

Speaking of the weekend...



David's "Birthday Cake"



Saturday was full of fun and memory making opportunities. I can honestly say that I had a great time getting my 14-year-old baby girl ready for her 8th Grade Formal despite my worry that I would have been stressed out just trying to make it thru the day. David's B-Day was Saturday as well so I wanted to do something special for him as well. David and I had been looking at home scales that measure body fat %. Our current scales are not the most consistent and don't measure %. Honestly, we were just looking for more consistency with weight checks but wanted a few more bells and whistles on a newer model. After a little research, I decided on one and purchased it thru Amazon for his birthday. I know that sounds odd for a birthday gift, but I am noted for this kind of thing. For his 40th birthday (4 years ago), I gave him Metamucil. To be perfectly honest, I went to Walmart for miscellaneous items and thought of the Metamucil for him while I was there since my mom had been swearing by it for our "aging bowels". In retrospect, I should have held off in giving it to him on another day besides May 5th. Needless to say, it didn't go over very well :/ . However, I think the scale idea was a hit. It should be here this week so I will post pics of his (our) new toy once is arrives. The other dilemma was what kind of dessert to make for his birthday since he is watching his calories, etc. Considering I knew he wouldn't eat more than a small piece of a cake and the rest would be tossed in the trash within a couple of days of sitting on the counter growing stale, I decided to make a tempting and tasty creation that could be eaten in moderation.



Formal 2012...Class of 2016



We had a great evening at dinner. Katie and her friends decided to eat Japanese at Shogun. We (David, me, and Dannah) were chaperons (aka body guards)..hahaha. Actually, many of the parents asked if we were going since none of them wanted to so we decided to follow the limo there but sit separately from the crew (as to keep from embarrassing Katie with our presence) and celebrate David's B-day dinner there. More or less, we tagged along for the other parents' and our own peace of mind since 10 eighth graders could have been too much for any Hibachi chef :) Each and every one of them were well-behaved and made me proud to be associated with such a fine group of teenagers.

Loved our cook!

The guys and gals were all chauffeured back to the school for the party. David, Dannah, and I  made our way to the couch at home. Lots of great memories...

Back on Track

Spending this Friday...working from home...thank goodness! I am starting the day out ready for a nap already. Guess the yummy dinner and drinks last night at Stoney River didn't allow for a restful night's sleep considering I was up at 1am drinking water and 2am drinking Pepto Bismol (love the pink stuff). I had the opportunity to hang out with a few work friends and listen to a pulmonologist from TX speak about Pulmonary Hypertension (my specialty at Vandy). I tend to enjoy those kind of talks since I seem to learn a little something different each time. Dinner was amazing...started with jumbo chilled shrimp and a ripe, juicy slice of tomato topped with mozzarella for appetizer. Followed that with a nice dinner salad and swordfish plus mashed potatoes with caramelized onions on top. I tried the sauteed mushrooms and au gratin potatoes too...why not, I was intending on making the best out of those family style plates positioned in the center of the table :} I don't remember ever eating swordfish before but it was quite scrumptious. I wish I could have grabbed a pic of it but I didn't want to be rude since the speaker already had gained  momentum in the talk and it was dark in the room. The flash could have drawn attention to my obsession with sharing pics with my small group of readers. Based on how full I felt after dinner, I think I ate a portion more like this...

Now, the rolls there are phenomenal....but I restrained myself and only had one. Of course, it wasn't because I was trying to behave...it was more because I knew the chocolate cake and cheesecake were the dessert options on the menu. I knew that I needed to save a little loop in my gut for the "something sweet" after dinner. Yes, I did enjoy a small portion of both from the family style plate. I warned you that my eating was out of control this week!

On the upside, I did make it back to the gym yesterday AM before work. I had a chance to talk to a fellow beginning runner enthusiast (Tricia). She started running last fall in the Women's 1/2 Marathon and has completed 3 or 4 Half Marathons by now. She offered me some advice on (hopefully) preventing those nasty blisters and sore toes again. She said that tying my shoe laces a little snugger should prevent  my feet from slipping and banging the ends of my shoes. She divulged that she lost a toe nail after her first 1/2 but had gotten better at lacing since then. Needless to say, I will hope for the same. On a positive note, my toes are feeling better by the day....I should be able to stop belly aching about them in a week or so...hahaha.

After 4 days off of doing barely anything to constitute as fitness training, I took it a little easier. I spent about 25 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer in the cardio theater and then followed up by about 20 minutes on the treadmill at a 3.5-3.8 mph pace. After it was all said and done, I ended up burning about 330 calories. Of course, I blew those all out of the water with the before and during dinner drinks. Loving the margaritas and lemon drop martini!

Weigh Day Friday has rolled around way too quickly this week considering all of the over indulgences. Considering  the quantity and quality of my eats, I was quite scared to get on those dreaded scales this AM.

I wasn't kidding about the eating...up from 195.5 to 198.2. A whopping 2.7 pound gain in 7 days. Wowzers...I can pack it in from Friday to Friday as you can see. Well, this is what blogging for accountability is all about....GETTING IT BACK ON TRACK! I made my mind of last night that today marked the day that I would start tracking my food again on http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ As I have seen in the past, writing it down is the best way to keep track of every calorie that crosses the lips.



Friday's Breakfast of Champions...logged at 410 calories



Tomorrow is my sweetheart's B-Day. He is a Cinco de Mayo baby...no wonder he loves Mexican food. However, we don't plan to eat Mexican tomorrow. We are tailing a limo holding 10 or so 8th graders to Shogun Japaneses Restaurant for dinner. Knowing that my 14 year old baby girl would be in the limo and at dinner without a parent chaperon, I felt it would be a better choice to make sure they ended up back to the school for the "8th Grade Formal" after taking the limo ride to the restaurant a few hours earlier. Over cautious...perhaps. But...I think a couple of the other parents are thankful for that as well considering the text messages I have received.  I will definitely post pictures of her all dolled up and ready to dance the night away after we get her completed with hair, nails, and dress tomorrow. I am hoping to surprise my sweetie with a little something special as well to recognize him on his special day. Considering he occasionally reads my posts...I think I will leave it a secret until tomorrow.

Before I sign off for the day, thought I would share a pic of The Gang (Gilda's) that was taken just before the race last Saturday. Dannah, Katie, and I are on the front row on the left. I ordered a couple of pics from the photo website as well. Those darn things must be lined in gold since it cost me $45 for 2- 5x7 pictures (including S/H and tax). I will share those once I get them in the mail. The price for memories...

Out of Control

Monday was "Pamper Kimberly" Day. Thankfully, I had the day off so I spent it just like I wanted to rather than how I needed to...such as cleaning, laundry, etc.  I started out the morning with a 1 hour total body massage at Massage Envy. Linda and I decided to head out to Hendersonville since they had the best deal. $49 for 1 hour of relaxation and stretching with the massage therapist...I would have paid twice that based on how much I needed to relieve those generalized sore muscles. After the massage, we drove around the corner to get a pedicure. Just as the sweet fella was taking off the old purple polish, I had one of the scariest experiences ever. As I looked down, I caught a glimpse of my 2nd and 3rd toe nails on my right foot. Now, if you remember, those toes were pretty darn sore just after the race and the day after was no better. That soreness equated to BLACK and BLUE toe nails. Yes, I said it...BLACK and BLUE. The toes looked basically normal but the nail beds lacked beauty for sure. The huge blister on my big toe beside them was looking minuscule in the big picture. Jeez a meez, guess I was taking a bigger beating than I thought. But...a few sore toes won't stop this gal from doing it all over again.

 Caught a couple of pics of me and Linda getting our pedicures.

We followed our massages and pedicures with a nice lunch at Cheddar's. The remainder of the day was spent shopping for a few decorations for the Dos de Mayo party at work on Wednesday.

Tuesday night was my night to cut veggies and mix up a good homemade batch of pico de gallo and cheese queso. Those that know me best are aware that I tend to throw some ingredients together and hope for the best. This pico was no different. I promised I would share my "recipe" though so here goes...

6 fresh jalapenos, seeded and diced

1/4 of large yellow onion, diced finely

1/2 bunch of cilantro, rinsed and chopped

8 Roma tomatoes, diced

Juice from 4 ripe limes, kneaded and squeezed

2 tbsp. salt (I love salty pico)

Wednesday (today) was our quarterly birthday celebration at the office. We celebrated the birthdays of staff members that were born in April, May and June. I was super pumped to have mexican food on the menu for my B-Day celebration (June 25th) because all mexican food falls on my favorite food list. We called it "Dos de Mayo" since we celebrated with a mexican theme on the 2nd of May. Unfortunately, we had to use Cinco de Mayo decorations :) If there is one thing I can say about our clinic, we know how to eat good.



Steak and Chicken tacos, mexican rice, homemade quacamole, pico, queso, black beans, refried beans, salsa, and so on and so forth

  



Gotta have dessert



Love the sombreros doubling as chip holders


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Me and my nurse manager at today's celebration

 Out of control eating doesn't even begin to describe this week for me. Since the 1/2 marathon last Saturday, I have not stopped "enjoying" food...any and all food apparently. My portions are out of control, and my choices have not been the best. I think I have been bummed because of my sore toes and the need to give them a break from the gym to allow them to rest/heal. But...it's time to turn this train around and gain steam in the opposite direction. Back to the gym tomorrow even if I just end up on the elliptical.