Wellness Wednesday...Ep. 23 and 24

wow!  It's been a crazy two weeks.  But the good news is that I've kept up pretty well with my running, I've been better about cross-training, and I'm happy with my progress.  I have had to cut back on the running two days in a row.  I was really starting to feel some twinges in my left leg/knee/IT Band, so I've just accepted (happily) that I'm a "run every other day" kinda gal.  It works for me.

On the cross-training side, I started doing T-25 workouts a week ago, and well...they kick my tail.  It's great!  I also started doing the PiYo workout series today.  Today's workout was the "intro" piece, and I'm really excited to see the regular workouts.

And that's about it.  Not a whole lot to say today, just positive progress in my workouts.  Diet is a completely different story...but baby steps.

Stats for the month:

Miles to date: 18.1
Cross-train workouts: 6
Weight loss: 0

proof

Wow...didn't quite realize how quiet it had actually gotten here on my blog lately.  I knew I hadn't been posting that much, but it wasn't until this past weekend that I realized...I haven't been doing much of anything to post about!  I have sewn some, and usually post automatically to instagram, but haven't really gotten anything over to here.  So here is a little photographic proof that I've actually sewn something the past few months:

working on a baby quilt using this pattern:

a new bag for the girl using this pattern:

and then awhile back I put together a couple of burp cloths and bibs for a friend:

And that pretty much covers all of the sewing I've done in a long while that wasn't previously blogged!  I gotta get to work, that baby quilt has a deadline thats rapidly approaching!  Plus have you seen this new tote?  I definitely need one! 

Wellness Wednesday...Ep. 22

Happy Wednesday!   The past week has been pretty good in terms of working out.  I've been running, but much shorter distances that I have been in a long time.  I'm talking 2 miles...and sometimes not quite 2 miles.  It's all due to my new plan to "get back to basics" and really work on my base running.  I think some of my disappointment after my second Half Marathon in March was because I had not really "improved" in overall race time.  (I did have a 15 minute improvement over my first half, but I just didn't feel it had improved enough for the amount of training and work I had done!).  Looking at all of my running leading into that half, and the running I've been doing since that half...I just feel that I'm walking too much.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up my run-walk method entirely...but I think I was way too reliant on walking too frequently.  So I'm working on building up my run time.  That's what I've been doing the past week.  I'm also running on back-to-back days...which previously I never would have thought I'd feel comfortable doing.  But since I'm starting all over at the beginning...might as well start working on that as well!  So far so good!  I've also been trying to make sure I get in a good post-run stretch.  I also have been completing a short, dynamic warm up prior to running.  I think both are helping my legs feel good even after running 2 or 3 days in a row.  Now I just need to get back to yoga!  It's been a few weeks since I've been able to consistently get to a class...and I've been terrible at continuing my practice at home.  So I'll add that to the list for this coming week of things to improve upon!

Wellness Wednesday...Ep. 20 and 21

Wow...2 more weeks have flown!  And I have barely gotten any exercise in...I went to Yoga once last week...have yet to make it this week.  So no plan, and not a whole lot to talk about.  But I'll try my best anyways.

This time last year I was prepping for my first Half Marathon.  And around this same time, I crashed and burned and did almost no training for close to a month.  So as I find myself in a similar scenario this year (races to run but no training happening) I have to really take a long look and try and figure out what is going on.  And I really think it's just that time of the year.  Summer is the worst time for me at work, and I've been going full throttle the past two weeks...whenever I do get home at the end of the day, the last thing on my mind is exercise.  I don't think this is a 100% bad thing.  I think it's my internal voice saying TAKE A BREAK!!  So I have been.   But the question comes...where do I go from here?

I've been feeling the mojo kick in a little bit the past two days or so...the WANT to run/exercise but haven't physically felt up to it yet.  So I think it means my body is just about ready to return to a training cycle.  I have a plan for it...

I plan to work the next few weeks on my running "base."  I would like to improve my overall running times, and to do that, I think I really need to go back to basics and work on those first 3 miles.  So for the next few weeks, that's what I will do.  I will go back to the plan that got me going in the first place...Couch to 5K!  Now...I will be doing some things different, I will still try for a "longer" run on the weekends, and still keep trying to go to yoga...but I think I want to spend a bit of time focusing on that shorter distance.  And in another month or so, get back to looking at the half marathon distance.  I want to arrive at my Fall half healthy and excited...so I don't need to go full throttle for any reason this summer.

So that's the plan...for now!

ALYoF...June update

Well...it's been a little quiet here for the month of June...but I have gotten a tiny bit of sewing done...so here is where I stand on my June A Lovely Year of Finishes goal (original post here):

I finished 2 blocks, have a total of 7 finished, leaving 5 left!  I better kick it in gear to get this done this month.  These blocks are the only sewing I have done this month (and now I want to sew all the things!) so hopefully I'll get some time this weekend to dedicate to just being in my sewing room!

and now edited to add that I have 3 blocks done (got this one done right after posting originally) and 4 left!

making progress!

Wellness Wednesday...Ep. 18 and 19

Happy Wednesday all!  Welcome back to Wellness Wednesday, took last week off so I could have a mini-vacation with the family.  My batteries have been re-charged and now it's time to talk about my health and fitness plans!

Last time I posted, here was the plan for week 18:

• Wednesday: rest rest
• THursday: yoga 1 hour yoga class
• Friday: 3-4 mile run 4.1 mile run and 25 min yoga for runners video
• Saturday: yoga rest
• Sunday: 4-5 mile run 4.75 mile run
• Monday: rest or yoga rest
• Tuesday: 3 mile run and yoga rest

I was doing pretty good, but towards the end of that week, we at the last minute decided to go out of town, so I spent a little longer working and a lot less time exercising.  So I basically took a week off (week 19).  Yesterday I headed back to yoga (morning class!  It was a great start to my day!).  I'm on a weird night kind of shift at work for a good chunk of June, so I will be adjusting as I go.  I don't really have a plan for this next week, as I'm getting used to the different hours at work.  So for this week, my goal is to do yoga everyday.  And try and run some.  That's about it.

Have a great rest of the week!

ALYoF...June Goal

Wow!  June already???  Oh well...on to this month's goal in A Lovely Year of Finishes.  In 2011 I signed up for the Fat Quarter Shop 2012 Designer Mystery Block of the Month.  And at one point, I tried to keep up...that lasted about 5 months.   I have 7 blocks left to complete!

So my goal for June is to finish up all of the blocks!  I did not purchase the finishing kit for this one, so I'll need to figure out a layout for the top...but for now, I'll be happy to get the blocks done!