A Very Rude Wake-Up Call

I went to my second strength training class last night, and we did all bodyweight exercises. At the end of the class, I looked like this:

Dead, but still smiling

I love this class, but I seem to always be the sweatiest one in the class and the class KILLS me. Apparently, running and being a half marathoner does NOT mean that you are in shape. Very rude awakening. At the end, when we did burpee-mountain climber burnouts and I almost vomited. It was that good. We did 5 series of pushups, abs (these workouts changed), mountain climbers, body squats, lunges, single leg balances, and planks. Once we finished these five series, we did the burpee-mountain climber burnouts: a series of 5, followed by 4,3,2,1. I was the last to finish because I was dying, but I finished! During our last sets of planks, my elbows kept slipping because I was so disgusting. I was dripping sweat onto the floor, but the trainer was nice and said "I think I read somewhere that people who are in shape sweat more than those who are not in shape." If that's true, then I must not be in that bad of shape because I always am disgusting during my runs or workouts. 

After I got home, I foam rolled, but my little legs are SUPER sore! Today is most definitely a rest day. I invited the trainers out for a beer tonight, so we'll see if they show up. I'm really looking forward to class next week! 

Remember, if you want to watch my life fall apart this weekend because I'm not being a good role model, follow me on Twitter and watch it all unfold. Just don't judge me for it when you see some ridiculous tweets, because I forewarned you ;) 

What is your favorite bodyweight exercise?

---Mine is planks, by far. 

Noodle Arms

The workout schedule I created for myself last week has already been changed. Instead of doing just arms on Monday (in addition to my 4 mile run), I did 3ish miles in the morning, where it felt like I was swimming in the humidity, a 1.5 (mile and a half, not 15, thanks Beth for pointing this out!) mile run on the treadmill, and a total body weight lifting class. Yes, I went to a weight lifting class.

Yes, really. And another shocking thing? I LOVED it! It was at my university's gym and I thought I was going to be the only one in the class and that the male instructors would feel weird working with me. I approached the instructor and asked if the class was still going on and he told me yes and to hop onto a treadmill and do a 5 minute warmup. Apparently to me, warmup means "run at your regular pace or faster" because I was running at an 8:30 pace (on the faster side for me) and was sweaty by the time we started class. No one else had this issue. Ps. There were two other girls there besides me and only one boy.

We started with the machine and did our upper body workout. As the reps decreased and the weight increased, this is what I thought:

By the time we got to our last set of reps, my arms felt like noodles. I was struggling, big time. I tried to pick up my water bottle to drink some after we finished and I may have spilled on my shirt. I also couldn't lift it high enough to my mouth. Oops.

Afterwards we did stairs, and I felt like I was killing it. I'm going to thank my half-marathoning legs for helping me get through this, because I wasn't even really too sore on Tuesday after the workout, either. That being said, the trainers told us they were taking it easy on us yesterday because it was our first day, so I might eat those words after class tonight. I'll keep you updated. Yes, I'm going back tonight.

After we finished stairs, we did abs. Abs were challenging, but I was a shining star at the end of the workout with the plank. I had really great form (thanks for the compliment, trainers) and was not sweating it after reaching the one minute limit the trainers had set for us. I'm sore in the lower abs region, which is a good sign! Again, I think I can thank running for this.

My arms were killing me all Tuesday and I couldn't wash my hair after class on Monday. It took a lot of effort, but I did it. I'm excited to go back and hopefully make this class a regular in my schedule! I'm going to wait and see if I need to add in more leg work into my schedule I made since I was feeling good after class on Monday, but I'll know more after tonight.

As I was leaving the parking lot, two men walked past me and said "hey sweaty girl, looking good!" I don't think they realized that women don't like being objectified during/after workouts.

Ps. Can you tell that GIFs are like my new favorite things? They're hilarious and put everything I am feeling into a little animated picture for you to enjoy, since I don't know how to do that of myself ;)

Pps. If you follow me on Twitter, you might want to unfollow me Friday-Tuesday because I'm going to have a silly weekend and my might just watch my life fall apart virtually. I don't plan on being a good role model this weekend. That being said, if you want to watch it all happen, it'll be hilarious and I encourage you do to so.

Ppps. I have a guest post coming up soon (EEK! Exciting!), some product reviews, and a giveaway coming up in the near future. Stay tuned!

Happy Wednesday! 

Do you like GIFs? Have you ever taken a fitness class that you were afraid to take and found out that you really enjoyed it? 

Please Stop Honking at Me, As Told by GIFs

Does anyone else (who runs outside) get really, really annoyed with people who honk at you when they drive past you on your runs? Is it just me? I am no stranger to creepiness, but I don't love it when I get honked at on the side of the road.


Yesterday, I went for a run in my sports bra and shorts because it was 90% humidity at 6:30am and I felt like I was swimming in the air. I'm comfortable (for the most part) in this running ensemble because I think that if I can wear a bikini, why can't I wear a sports bra and shorts? Yes, my tummy is still a little jiggly and yes, I'm not rail thin, but I don't look hideous and I know I'm going to get hot and sweaty, so why not try and be comfortable?

On my run, I passed a man walking on the street and he said "I like your stomach." Now, I'm sure that since my stomach is a little soft, there was probably some jiggly-ness (Is that a word?) so I'm not sure if he was being genuine or insulting. This is how I felt as I kept running:

As I continued my run, I got honked at 5-6 times in the next twenty minutes. I don't understand it. So here's what I'm saying to you (especially the males), if you honk at females (or males) while they are getting their exercise on, STOP NOW. I know you think you're saying:

But what you're really saying is:

And these are my reactions to you. First, I think:

Then, I think:

And the rest of the run is spent with me thinking this after getting honked at by another car:

So here's what I have to say to you honkers: Just stop it. I am not out there running because I need you to validate my attractiveness. I am not out there running because I want to show off my body. I'm not "asking for it" when I am out there running in my sports bra and shorts. I am out there running because I love to run. I run for me, not anyone else, and you honking at me does not make me feel any better. It just makes me mad, and makes me run faster, so in a way, I guess I am benefitting from it because I'm trying to run away from you. I am not training for you, I'm training for me.

The next time you think about honking at me, how about you think about joining a running club so that you can meet a nice lady runner like me and not ruin all your chances of getting my phone number?

End rant. 

Sunday Food Prep

Usually, I am a bump on a log on Sundays, but since I was incredibly lazy on Saturday and didn't do any speed work or running, I had to get it done yesterday. I had no intention of being productive other than completing a workout. I did Cori's treadmill circuit in the morning, came home, prepped for the beach, and walked out the door, only to be greeted by rain at the end of the block. I stopped at Target on the way back home to pick up an end table because I saw these beautiful orchids at Sam's Club when I was there on Saturday and decided that I wanted to buy one and put it in my living room. I'm attempting to keep this beauty alive:

Wish me luck. It was also not that sunny in my house and was raining at the time I took this picture. Florida fooled you with that sunshine, right?

I foam rolled my legs because my IT band was really tight, but it's been tight mostly in my butt area the last few days. I try foam rolling my glutes, but does anyone have any tips for targeting this area? 

After I took a nap, I decided to do some Sunday Food Prep and participate in the Lean Green Bean Blog's Sunday Food Prep. It was actually pretty fun and I prepped some things I know I'll be using a lot this week. 

Top left: Jalapeño and Garlic chickpea and lentil burgers 

Top Right: Chopped veggies

Bottom Left: Chopped pineapple

Middle bottom: Black beans (dry, soaked and cooked)

Bottom right: Brown rice

Jalapeño and Garlic Chickpea and Lentil Burgers 

1 cup lentils, cooked

1 cup chickpeas

1/4 cup chopped onions

Jalapeño and Garlic spice blend

1/4 cup breadcrumbs 

Olive oil for mixing

Salt to taste

Add lentils, chickpeas, onions, spice blend, breadcrumbs, salt, and olive oil to food processor. Process until lentils and chickpeas begin to combine. Add more olive oil if necessary. Blend until all are combined. Portion into 4 burgers and freeze (if not eating right away).

Because I do not use eggs to keep the burgers together, they are flimsier than most veggie burgers you would purchase at the store. It would probably be best to cook these up on the stove in a frying pan or cook on the grill in a foil packet. Basically, do what you can to make sure the burger doesn't fall apart on the grill!

Also, my sister just got accepted into her first ever art exhibit, so a couple of her photographs will be on display! If you are in the Chicago area, visit the Beverly Art Center from June 1-30 to see her pictures! If you can't go and would like to see her photos, I will see if I can get permission from her to share on the blog! Feel free to wish her congratulations in the comments, please :D 

How was your Sunday? Do you ever do Sunday food prep? 

Thursday, In Pictures

I don't really have too much to say today, but I do have something semi-exciting coming up (in my opinion... but no, it's not a giveaway, yet), so stay tuned!

Yesterday, I ran about 70 minutes minutes for Cori's #runfree4me challenge and it was mentally tough. The heat didn't bother me so much, although I did stop for more water breaks than I had intended to at 7 am, but I didn't get into the groove until about 30 minutes in and then lost my groove at about 50 minutes in. So, my runner's high lasted all of 20 minutes. I did it, I'm happy I finished, it was most likely incredibly slow mileage, but its the longest I think I've run in a LONG time. And who can argue with views like this?

I crawled up that hill in the background after I did it a second time around.

The rest of the day wasn't too exciting..so here's most of what I did in photos. 

 Strawberry Oatmeal Protein Smoothie

 Half of a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato, spinach, and sun-dried tomato hummus. Sorry that I ate half of it and then remembered to take a pic

Half of a stuffed yellow squash, cottage cheese, and half of a baked sweet potato

The result of hating everything I put on...I still haven't cleaned that up.

My night out was pretty uneventful...although I did get some crazy hives. I just didn't take a picture of those. 

Happy Friday! 

I Got Weird in the Kitchen

I know what you're thinking...when am I not weird? That's probably part of the reason why I'm single, but it's probably also the reason why my life is a sitcom and other weirdos are attracted to me. That's not the topic of today's post, however. The topics of today's post is meatloaf.

[source]

Just kidding about that meatloaf. But seriously, meatloaf. I used to HATE eating meatloaf as a kid because eating meat in a loaf shape never sounded appealing. To be honest, it still doesn't. For some reason last night though, I made a "meat"loaf. It's actually a chickpea and lentil loaf, but you get the point. 

Chickpea and Lentil Loaf

1 cup lentils, cooked (1/2 cup dry)

1 cup chickpeas

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped mushrooms

1 tbsp chopped fennel (I used dry)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp BBQ sauce

1/4 cup bread crumbs, any flavor

salt and pepper to taste

Combine 1 cup lentils 1 cup chickpeas, fennel, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor until combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Add chopped onions, mushrooms, and breadcrumbs to the bowl. Mix until combined. Transfer to a loaf pan and top with BBQ sauce. Cook in a 350* oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy! 

I served mine with a side of oven-roasted parmesan asparagus. This loaf should serve 4-6 people, depending on how large the slices are. I'm surprised that it was not crumbly and it was actually pretty tasty. Foods in a loaf won't become an everyday thing for me, but I would definitely make this again! 

What foods just don't sound appealing to you, but you like them anyway?

I Need a Personal Trainer..or a Coach

I am not strong, physically. Mentally and emotionally, yes, I am incredibly strong. I've sent out a plea before for an athletic trainer, and I'm sending it out again. Physically, besides my legs (and most of my core), I am not strong. To me, lifting heavy is 10 pound dumbbells. I know I've said before that I wanted to do more strength training, and I have gotten better, I am definitely not where I want to be. This is me, currently:

I also want to get faster, but I haven't really done much speed work. I've done speed work on the treadmill MAYBE two or three times in the last few weeks. Definitely not enough. Although I am loving this speed workout from OliveToRun! It's tough, and I was only able to complete the 8.0 circuit once because I thought I was going to vomit. That shows you that I am not fast and have a lot of improvements to make.

That being said, I spent part of the morning creating a workout schedule for me to hopefully get better about incorporating speed work and strength training into my workout. We all know that I will do my runs, but I figure that putting the runs and the strength workouts down on paper will help me stick to it. It definitely held me accountable for training for the Princess Half. Here's what I came up with:

That's a lot of words on one little pictures. Basically, I'm going to try and be running 15-20 miles per week and doing mainly bodyweight exercises, except on Friday and Saturday when I HOPE to be in the gym and I have access to weights. Arms and Abs get two days a week because they are the areas where I am LEAST satisfied on my body (they're not terrible, but definitely need the most work). I'm hoping that once the school gym opens up this summer I can take some classes (hopefully in addition to these workouts). Obviously, this schedule is flexible because I'm not training for anything right now, but I'm hoping that adding a little strength and speed work will be enough to get me motivated to add more to my routine.

What would you add/remove from the schedule above?
---I am genuinely interested in this response because I am a newbie at both strength training and speed work and this is what I came up with. If you can help, please do!
Runners, do you do strength training/speed work? How long before you graduated to new exercises/higher weights?