Quick update

My boyfriend is off being the man and finding some food, so I only have a few minutes to update...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We got about 6 inches of snow and some sleet on Christmas Eve, which pretty much shut down the state of Oklahoma. Travel plans for most were thrown out the door! It was nice to have a white Christmas for once, though.

I think I mentioned that I got my cycling shoes a little early. I finally got to try them out on Saturday with my brand new...bike trainer! My parents bought me the Outback Magnetic. I really like it, you know, after the one time using it. (There were some tire shavings left on the trainer...should I be concerned or is that what generally happens on the road and I just don't know it?) I road for 60 minutes. I liked the freedom of not wearing a helmet or worrying about handlebars, but I missed the wind hitting my face. I will be a great way to help train during the winter, though, so I'm stoked. Plus...I LOVE my shoes.

I also got some long-sleeved workout gear for when I do go outdoors this winter. Along with some Christmas staples (pjs, underwear, socks, a calendar, etc.) I'm excited to get home and put everything away, but I stopped a Nick's to get some much needed cuddle time. I didn't get to see him during the holiday at all really!

I've come up with my New Year Resolutions, but I will post those in the next few days...my food is almost here!

What'd Santa bring you?

My apologies

I haven't been blogging as much. For that, I apologize. With students leaving and sporting events being over, I've spent 40 hours a week for three weeks at my desk on my computer. I never realized how much I LOVED having games to go to, both take up time and get me away from the computer! For that reason, coming home and getting on the computer has been less than ideal. I've been neglecting facebook too!

I've been working out about three days a week. Holiday shopping and stuff has gotten in the way, but it's the season, and I'm not going to fight it. I'm enjoying time at the gym. I have been doing a lot of cardio and a lot of weights, but no biking or swimming. I don't run much, but holy cow, it's sad when I do! Like today, for instance, I tried to run for 40 minutes. I did it at a 2.0 incline and tried to run 5.5 mph. I stopped and walked a bunch. (Same thing happened about a week ago.)  I'm not sure if it's because I'm trying to do it at the incline or the speed without the automatic option to reduce speed, or if it's that my Tulsa Run days are long gone...Anyway, I'm keeping with it. Not sure why it's like that, but I'm not going to stress out too much. It will come back soon. After the holidays, I'm going to "hit it hard," some might say, with a full training plan.

Exciting news! Since Santa is soooo busy with kids the week of Christmas, he entrusted my parents and we got cycling shoes!!! I only got to ride around the block, but I can't wait to try them out on a long ride! Anyway, they are really nice in that they are raised near the heals and the toes kind of like cleats, so you can walk on them like normal shoes. They are comfy...and I can't wait to go back to Tulsa to ride more!!!

That's it for today. Later!

Since last time I've...

...Been much better about keeping up with my dishes and bills. Yay!

...Been fairly responsible about eating well (besides eating way too many mini-candy bars, but they're portioned now, so I should be able to control it better). All week last week, I really wanted to grab some fast food, but I knew I'd be getting pizza on Friday at work and would eat out with my parents on Sunday, so I said NO!

...Worked out a good amount. I did avoid getting back out in the cold Thursday to go the pool. My office is freezing. My cars heater doesn't work. It's cold outside. Basically, I got warm for the first time that night after 6 p.m., so I wasn't interested in going back out in the freezing weather to get wet. I did pilates instead.

..Not run. I planned to do it yesterday, but I was feeling a little sick in the morning before my parents got into town, so I decided to rest. Today, I was going to, but I hadn't eaten since 10 a.m. when I had a big breakfast with my parents, so at 5, it wasn't hard to convinence myself it would be best to come home and make AMAZING spegetti, and do pilates later. My pilates video is basically 40 minutes of mat work. It's actually pretty good for lean muscle work, which is kind of my focus this winter, so its a good fall back.

...Fairly officially signed up to run a marathon relay in April. Someone at my Dad's work was interested, so my parents are I decided to be part of her relay team. I'm running a 10k section. I'm pretty excited about participating. It's the Oklahoma Memorial Marathon, which is every year near the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. It's expensive for a 10k, but should be a lot of fun to participate in.

...Talked to my parents, who apparently had a conversation with Santa Claus, about clips and bike shoes. I guess Santa was overwhelmed by the options, so my parents were supposed to talk to me about what I wanted. My parents cycle a lot (and far) but they aren't what you would consider "hard core," and they are just as clueless as I am about these things. Advice? What kind of clips should I get? What about shoes? What's best? We (I mean, Santa) are working with a budget of $100-$150. What would you suggest? Anything is helpful!