That Time I Lived in TX.

One year. I lived in Texas for a year. It was brutal.

Wait.


I love Texas...I have no qualms with its 'colorful' language, numerous taco houses, huts, casas, bells...the quirky smiles on lower Greenville, the stereotypical and truly unreal big hair...I enjoyed it all. It was an adventure. 

I remember driving away, the day after Christmas, over 4 years ago. I was in my little coupe, next to my fiance with the trunk fuller than it should have been with my clothes, picture frames, and other things I did not really need.

What I forgot to take with me was the most important thing. Call it maturity, call it being myself, call it bravery.

I was excited, beyond excited to start a new chapter. Then the new chapter started and it sucked. I was scared, and upset and I crawled into a cave. Sadly, I crawled into that cave during what could have been a joyous time in my life. 
But, there is a happy ending to this tale.

***

I have wonderful friends and an amazing family, but I did not turn to them when things got harsh. I had a knack for wrapping myself in old band aids and calling it a day. Gross. 
I shut off from everyone back home and wallowed in high times and very low times, there was no grey area in Texas.

We went on fun excursions and silly trips. We saw movies and ate amazing food. I loved spending time with his family. I met some crazy awesome people at a great job. We were in love and completely immature. We fought in ways I never saw us fighting. We acted out in pain and chose hurtful words. In the midst of happy times there are painful memories that I am okay with fading away.

Let's not forget, this has a happy ending, remember?

I don't feel the need to go into more detail at this point, but Texas treated me well, and I did not return the favor.

***

I moved back home and resumed my classes and got a new job. I mended relationships and accepted my family's comforting words. My (now husband) and I were fine, we really were, but we needed this time to grow.

We matured incredibly. We still act like children at times, but shew whee did we need this. 

I appreciate my family, friendships, and home more than I ever could have before. 

I realize the importance of relationship variety and how not just maintaining, but treasuring these gifts is so necessary.

We learned how to better love one another, and also what needs to come first. We were not walking with the Lord in Texas. Sure, we went to church here and there but our attempts at living our faith were weak and pathetic. 

We can't imagine, now, being in a relationship together without keeping the Lord at our center. We have fostered new and "old" friendships that help keep us aware of this goal...we have family that cares about us and we are extremely thankful.

When I thought back to Texas I would feel overwhelmed with anxiety and grief. It was a dark and sad memory. Now, I understand why I had to have this experience. Why we needed to have this experience. We have so much more respect for each other today.

I remind myself daily, that hardships do not have to be in vain. Use them. We will have more, we will go through seasons, but look what we can accomplish with God's help and guidance. I hate fear with a passion and I...we will no longer let it rule our actions.

***

Woah, Allison, why such a serious post? Because. I am a talker, but this is one thing I have never been able to truly talk about. So, instead of renewing my lease in that cave, I brought it out in the open. A much more positive move, don't you think?


We absolutely love visiting Texas and my husband's family, we genuinely wish we could go more often. I love that Texas is "back" to being the place where we dated, where my shopping issue is at full throttle, and the place where my husband and I have truly happy memories.

xoxo

{Be on the lookout for one of my favorite looks inspired by my fond memories of Texas} 

Impatient Patience

Silly title? Maybe...but I am a self-declared and well accepted walking and talking oxymoron.

*I break my foot and then fall again on crutches.

*I tell everyone I am learning patience through all of this, and I am pretty much lying to (the inside of) my face.

*I tell myself I can still do upper body and core workouts, with a super positive and happy voice. Then I do them for the first week, and say, ehhh.

C'mon now. 

My situation is not bad. Not even all that stinky. 

*I have read 3 books. 

*I have watched some sweet movies (yes, I totally will take that as a positive right now).

*I am re-teaching myself the discipline of making my lunches and dinners over quick and easy meals.

*My husband and I are forced to communicate in different ways, as I am pretty much home most of the time (aside from work, and the occasional times I am "allowed" to venture out on my hobble foot).

*My dog is ECSTATIC about this new arrangement of me not leaving her.

As hard or difficult I may think a moment is, it is just that: a moment. 

I have decided to conquer a few health goals at the same time. Not the greatest idea, but like I told a friend the other day, "most of my goals were fitness related before, and now they simply cannot revolve around that."

So, I am trying to do as many (girl) push-ups as I possibly can. But, I am also taking the time to check off a few other things on my list. One of those is, again, making wholesome meals, which is not as hard as I had made it out to be in my head. Another is to decrease the amount of medicine in my body. This is a pretty personal one, so if you have any questions concerning this please do not hesitate to message or email me, I am happy to discuss.

When you make changes for/to your body, it is not going to be easy. 9 times out of 10 it is going to feel like a struggle. But, those 9 times out of 10 are also totally worth it. I am proving to my body that it can heal itself. That I can overcome fears and anxieties that once plagued my everyday.

Broken foot? Yeah, it does suck. I really want to go for a run. Do some squats. Rollerblade. Anything at this point. But, is God telling me to "wait, a minute" and pay attention to some other aspects of my life? You bet.

Now, go on a walk/run for me..mail me the burned calories and I'll see you out there in 6 weeks ;)

Diversions

These are some of the things that have been keeping me "busy" while I have been sick:
(Don't judge too harshly with a few of these)...

Forced Patience

Bronchitis has reared its ugly, ugly face and caught up to me last night.

It seems like a pretty bad case, and I am fighting off a fever and chest infection.


I am now being "forced" to take a break from everything:

-work
-running
-the gym
**not eating ice cream....hahahaha


I hope to get on some antibiotics a.s.a.p. and get back into my routine.
I hate being sick mostly for the feeling of missing out on the day!

I may post about some other things like recipes, fashion posts, etc. but my running posts will definitely take a backseat this week.

They (I am not sure who 'they' are, but they are legit I'm sure) have said that taking a week off once or twice a year is good for your fitness level. AKA when you return to your routine your body is forced to work harder than before due to the break.

Let's hope these mysterious professionals are right ;)

Stay healthy and have a wonderful and safe time celebrating NYE!

dotsnyc.com

Fitness Friday: Goals

These are not "New Year's Goals."

These are Allison needs to continue to work hard...and then work harder to reach her goals she has had for several months now.

GOALS:

1. Eat 3 FULL servings of veggies every day.

2. Run a 1:50 half-marathon (long term goal is a 1:45 PR).

3. Do more interval runs outside rather than on the treadmill.

4. Worry more about toning up/getting stronger rather than my weight.

5. Fit comfortably in this dress (It fits, but my mid-section needs to be tighter for me to be able to not 'suck it in' while wearing it).   -------->  

6. Run early in the morning..i.e. stop procrastinating in general.

7. Make wholesome dinners more often for my husband and I.

8. Get my Master's in Historical Preservation.

9. Visit Germany and Poland (to be able to SEE what I study).

10. Measure out my portions for snacks...I have gotten away from this and have noticed (negative) differences.

11. Read the Bible and my devotional daily, no matter the excuses I may try and come up with.

As you can see, many of my goals are fitness or health related, but they delve into other parts of my life. When I eat better, relax about being a certain weight (or being the weight I "used to be"), stop procrastinating, and workout regularly, I am happier and more at ease. I want to enjoy a healthy life, indulgences included. 

I don't have cheat days, I have dessert when I want it, but sometimes it is lighter and sometimes it is disgustingly chocolately. 

Keep me accountable! And, if you have goals you are looking forward to accomplishing, please share. If you need support or encouragement...or a kick in the rear, I would be happy to be your I'm not going to let you fail buddy :)

Happy Fitness Friday! 

Re-learning the Same Lesson

Cold weather running= it can be a beautiful blessing and a horrible, icy curse. 



This depends on: 

1. Your own personal abilities
2. The right gear
3. Running smart
4. Easy tips and tricks


1- If you know for a fact that when it dips down below 30 degrees your chest becomes inflamed when you run, then take that into consideration. If you have an injury that becomes tight/worse when outside in the cold during exercise, then take that into consideration. If you are coming up with excuses to not run in the cold, take that into consideration.


2- Shoes spikes, face masks, thermal tops/bottoms, fleece zip-ups, tech gloves and thin scarves that are breathable. All of these are some tools that are necessary when running in winter weather. Not every run will you need spikes or face masks, but if there is snow and ice covering more than half of the ground you will be running on then I say wear the spikes...and if the temps start dipping into the low teens/there is a cold wind, the face mask will help protect your skin. (Remember this is small enough you can always take it off, better to bring it than regret not having it 1/2 through your run).


3- Treadmills, dreadmills; however you refer to these machines, they do come in handy for winter running. (Intervals too for us soft centered runners). If it is TOO cold (aka your chest/breathing cannot keep up with your activity) or the ground is too slick to run on, then hop on the treadmill, turn on a podcast and pretend you're running through the Swiss Alps with the Von Trapp family. Be smart, be safe. I learned the hard way that running when it is too icy, without the right gear can very often result in an injury, a bad run, and taking unwanted days off from activity. Don't let your pride get in the way of your fitness :)


4- One little trick I have always done is drinking a mug of coffee before a run. It not only warms me up but it also helps to open up my air passages better [in the cold weather]. Another is my warm-up. I do 10 reps of jumping jacks, high knees, butt kicks, squats, and arm stretches before I head outside. My body is more prepared for the cold this way.

These may be things you have already read or heard from someone, but reminders aren't a bad thing right? If I start to write about these same things more than 3-4 times, then please say something then. 

Good luck out running old man winter, and run hard, run smart!

Perfect.

I love to encourage and help my loved ones out whenever possible/necessary. But when it comes time to sit down and eat my own words, I lose my appetite.

I am not perfect, sure I know this. But it still absolutely sucks when I make a mistake and cannot pick up my own pieces. 


For example, when I go off my attempt to eat healthy and inhale too much of something deemed 'junk food' I do not forgive myself. I replay it over and over in my head and beat myself up about it till I am black and blue with guilt and regret. How is this helping? Oh, it's not. But I seem to make sure it is my only option.

I am a continuing work in progress, as we all are. I need to love myself the way I love others, and the way God loves each of us. I need to have that same mercy on myself. I still need to kick my behind in gear when I know better, but who do I think I am? 

I am not perfect.

Fitness Friday: What a Twist!

Thank you M. Night Shamamlana and late night cartoons for my oh so creative blog title today.

Another Fitness Friday post is here! 

What did Allison learn this week?

Slow and steady & Fast and Feisty are both necessary and productive. What?

Gross, I have to do both?

Yes.

I am finally committing to learning how to pace myself. This means I need to slow down on my long runs and give it all I got on my [race] pace and interval workouts. AND take it easy on my easy runs.

I have been sticking to this for about 3 weeks now and I have felt a noticeable difference in my pace and overall running performance (for the better, I might add). 

Your body should not get used to stagnant activity. I learned this last year and had to change up my routine enough that I can keep it guessing most of the time. This means that once in a while I take off 2-3 days in a row and then get right back into my routine to "shock" myself a little and continue to get stronger.

I hope this helps, and PLEASE share what you've got goin' on...or what you need to have goin' on.

A Rainy Fitness Friday

A plus of running in the rain? You usually can't tell what's sweat and what's rain ;)

This week I felt like a failure. My eating wasn't the best and I didn't work out that much.

Even though it felt like a disaster in the moment, when I look back I realize some positives.

The eating has no excuses. But, why beat yourself up over it? It's already in my body, I need to move on.

The lack of exercise was because of a stomach bug I was dealing with. I had a couple of good days, but I rested because I should not have been jumping around, running, etc. When your body tells you it needs rest, listen.

Fitness Friday!

What have you done this week that you want to share? Or better yet, give the rest of us some ideas! :)

Pump Up Your Run

I have been avoiding intervals outside for a long...long while now. I have been consistently sticking to the dreadmill to get these workouts done.

But, for some reason, I felt like it was time yesterday to end this weak spell.

Since I ran 7 miles last Thursday I am pushing my long run to this Thursday, so I put 4-5 miles on my schedule yesterday. I was grumbling during my warm-up, feeling kinda bored with my usual run. So, 3 minutes into it I decided to sprint. Well, I got tired, so I slowed down...and there you have the start of my intervals.

The first 2 miles were great, the third mile was HARD. First, because I was running hard and my body was starting to feel it, and second, because I had done some strength workouts in between miles 1 and 2.

It went like this:

2 miles of 400 m intervals (sub 7min/mile and 10min/mile+ recovery pace)

20 walking lunges

10 standing bicycles

10 front squats/ static sumo squat/ jump squat                                                  

10 push-ups

X3

1 mile 400 m intervals

20 walking lunges

10 kicking bicycles (single leg kick; opposite arm to opposite leg)

10 squats 

10 push-ups

X3

2 miles at average pace (mine was 9:10ish)

walking/stretching cool down for 10 minutes

Ta-Da! 

Honestly, the last 2 miles felt like a 'breeze' after the sprints and strength workouts.

And, of course, you can personalize this more to your likes/dislikes and your focus for that session.

Enjoy (seriously), and get out there!

PS: for a "how-to" on different kinds of squats check this site out: Jillian Michaels squat workout guide

Fitness Friday!

Fitness Friday!

This week I have stuck to my running schedule and even completed an 8k at 9:10 p.m. on 11-12-13...cold, but super fun and everyone was full of energy! It was also my friend's first race, so that is DEFINITELY something big to celebrate : )

Share your tips, tricks, guilty pleasures, goals, or accomplishments...

Magical Podcast and A Food Review

I have finally found the hidden treasure that is podcasts.

I like listening to music when I am doing faster runs (tempo, intervals, or farltek), but for my long and easy paced runs I was getting tired of the same routine. I do enjoy running with nothing blaring in my ears, especially when it is nice outside or right around dinner time (the lighting is always GORgeous)...but, sometimes you just need a little distraction. 

Cue the clouds opening and harp playing?

JillianMichaelsPodcast.com

Jillian Michaels' podcast are keeping me busy these days. She is funny, gives great and realistic advice, and the shows themselves vary in topic so much so that it's hard to even categorize her podcast. I have been listening to them for about 2 weeks now, usually 2-3 times per week. I haven't gotten tired of her or them in the least bit and I have even learned some neat tricks. Imagine that...learning and running, shew whee, am I an overachiever or what? ;) 

But, really, I do recommend browsing through ITunes and sampling the huge selection of shows they offer. (PS: Most are free!)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To do something (sorta) new today, I am going to, very amateur-ly, review a product.

Yesterday I was having some stomach issues, no details needed (I could have probably even gone without stating that)...and so I wanted to keep my food as neutral as possible. I have family visiting so we all ate dinner at my parents' house and my mom made baked spaghetti. Now, her baked spaghetti isn't all that bad and she does add spinach, but it was still a little too heavy for me. 

I went ahead and brought some Fage 0% Greek yogurt over (my favorite) with some frozen cherries and an Amy's Rice Macaroni and Cheese Gluten Free dinner. I know, frozen meal, but I liked the ingredients and I was majorly craving cheese.

When I first cooked it I was a little worried because I could smell the rice pretty predominately, but shew whee, I am glad I didn't base my opinion on just that. It was soooo good! I wasn't even expecting it to be that delicious, but it baked up perfectly, with the top layer have a little "meatier" texture to it.

The cheese was REAL and tasted real good ;)


                                                         I give this dish 4.5/5 stars!

Fitness Friday!

Fitness Friday!

This week has been up and down with my healthy eating habits...but I am on week 2 of my new workout routine (lifting 4X per week with 5 days of running and other cross training). 

Today, when I couldn't run as scheduled I still walked [briskly] for 30 minutes and then walked to work. 

What are some things are are doing/have done this past week to improve your healthy lifestyle?! :)

More Importantly

Sometimes there are more important things than eating your vegetables.
...than getting your workout in
...than lifting weights 3 times per week
...than PR'ing

Also, there are more important things than eating the biggest slice of pizza.
...than making an easy dinner over a fulfilling one
...than being comfortable
...than feeling average


Last night, after a volleyball game, I asked a good friend if she wanted to go get ice cream. Normally I save "super fun candy filled" ice cream for the weekend, but I wanted to go and I knew we would have fun.

Guess what?

I didn't feel guilty. I enjoyed my ice cream and even more I enjoyed the time I spent with my friend. We talked about life, we laughed like old hens, and we shared where we wanted to be in 6 months.

Other times, when I eat foods that are not in the 'healthy' category I feel guilt, which takes away from enjoying them. This can be a common battle, but not an easy one to win. Food should never be an enemy. It fuels our bodies and it can bring excitement to meals. 

So, there are times that ice cream with a friend will trump counting calories or a lower body fat percentage...but remember there are times that ice cream is not worth it and a walk instead will more than suffice. YOU are the best judge of you.

Have a spOOky sweet day! :)

Fitness Friday: Horror Edition

If you have discipline
If you can say no
If you choose fruits and veggies over chocolate and sugar
If you abstain from cookies and brownies at parties
If you can stop at one mini-size candy bar

Well, then, I admire you. I know it should be as easy as "Allison, no"...but most of the time I make it much more difficult and painful than that.

This time of year there is more chocolate in mini form than ever, making us feel like we are only being 1/2 as bad as eating a normal size candy bar; never mind that it usually doesn't stop at 2 or 3 or 8.

So, this Fitness Friday post is a special one. 

What are you going to do to help with temptation. 
Make your own sweets? Just say no? Say yes and work out later? Shout YES and say screw it? Steal little kids' candy? Whoa  no. 

But, please! Share your tips and tricks or guilty pleasures during this beautiful and delicious time of year :)

Morning Push

I have procrastinated long enough this morning. I let Netflix suck me in, but this is my first full week back to running after my half and it is up to me to make it great. So, get out there and enjoy fall before the snow comes!

Fitness Friday!

Fitness Friday!

Where free encouragement, bragging, advice, recipes, complaining, and shiny pictures come to meet.

Countdown

Here we are. Within the week of the Rock n' Roll Cleveland Half-Marathon. This will be my second half and my husband's first.

We have decided together to treat this as a fun race only. We have goals, of course, to run the whole way, a very loose time goal, and to FINISH. Jake did not train as long as he really needed to ;) So, I know it will be tough, but I promised him I would not leave him and we would cross the finish line together.

We also joked that he could ride in a wagon and eat donuts while I run. No. I mean, no thank you sweetheart.

I tapered on Monday and did a "quick" 6 miles at just under a 9 min/mile which was very encouraging. My feet felt really light the whole time which was awesome. I am planning on running an easy 4 today and maybe 3 tomorrow, but beyond that I will lighten up my leg workout this week and just do some cross-training in between; I will take Saturday off completely.

I have to be a good wife though, and say how proud I am of Jake. He knew he wouldn't have the adequate time to REALLY train for this race, but he registered anyways as support for me and a challenge to himself. Although he had ups and downs during his running he kept promising he would do the race, and well, he is. I am so thankful that he will be there with me, it is going to be a blast.

The weather is supposed to be rainy, windy, and cold. Haha, but eh, when you're not trying to PR that can be fun weather to run in (I say that now). 

We will keep you updated, send your fastest miles our way! ;) 

Free Encouragement

Look at these as many times as you need to, and then one more time.

I know I need to.

Have a strong day!

Go

  

Get out there, now!..or maybe later if you're working or something...but you get the point, right?

Monday: I was lazy; long run day turned into running 3 miles at 5 p.m. (PS: I had the day off)

Tuesday: Husband was off + feeling lazy...by 11 a.m. I got my butt in gear and did my long run plus the strength workout I was scheduled for (when I got off work).

It was not fun, I was hungry and tired, BUT it was my fault that I had to combine my long run day with leg day...that is what procrastination gets you.

This is just friendly-ish reminder that you will never regret moving, never regret crossing off your goal for the day/week/month/year, and you cannot replace that feeling of accomplishment once it is done.

GO!