Irene Can't Stop Me!

Good morning y'all!

This morning, I woke up to this...

Nothing but blue skies

Not....it actually looked a little more like this....

Well the sky is kind of blue, right? 

Despite the downpour, I still made it out for a four mile run. 

Take that Irene!

I was a little wet to say the least when I got back. 

I still had a smile on my face!

I also did some ab workout when I got back. Maybe one day, I'll have abs like these...

I'll keep dreaming

Now, I'm off to the movies with some friends. After the movie, we are going to go shopping and out to dinner. There is talk of a hurricane party tonight. Maybe I'll participate seeing I stayed home and took it easy last night. 

How is/was the hurricane in your area?

Any fun plans despite the hurricane? 

Strange food

Setting boundaries

Hello bloggaboos,

Happy Saturday!

This morning, I just wanted to pop in quickly to talk a little bit about saying no. I know i did a very similar post a few months ago, but a situation that has come up this weekend really makes me want to talk about this in recovery some more.

I really do think that one of the hardest parts of recovery is learning to set personal boundaries and say no. During the depths of my eating disorder, I always said no.

No, I don't want to go out to dinner. 


No, I don't want to go to the movies. 


No, I don't want to meet new people. 


No, I won't eat ice cream. 


No, I don't want to go to the party. 


Once I had some recovery under my feet, was eating enough to properly fuel myself, and was actively involved in the real world again, I had the exact opposite problem.

Sure, I'll go out to eat even though I just had lunch.

Yes, I'll go out tonight even though I went out last night and had a few too many.

You want me to eat another cookie? Sure, why not?!?

Basically, I always said yes. The word no was not in my vocabulary. I was constantly running from here to there, pleasing other people, and doing as much as possible. Although I had a lot of fun during this time, I felt like a chicken with its head cut off. I was constantly exhausted from not sleeping and had absolutely no time to myself. I think I was afraid that if I spent anytime by myself, I would be resorting back to my eating disordered thinking/actions. I thought that if I said no to one thing, I'd have to say no to everything.

I used to get very little of this. 

Totally.....not true.

This summer, I've been trying to balance being involved and accepting invitations while being able to politely decline invitations too.

This weekend, I've had a hard time saying no.

Let me explain...

For the past week, I have been very busy. I spent the first half of the week in New York with friends and had an absolutely wonderful time. When I got back from New York, I immediately started staff training for the job I have during the school year (I work at an after school program) and started getting ready for school, which starts on Monday : (. I have also been spending a lot of time with friends, though. I've spent most of my free time seeing friends who have moved back to school. Last night I was out until 1:00 AM helping with a freshman move in event with my sorority.

So what's the problem?

Well, a few of my friends invited me over to a party at their house tonight. To be honest, though, I really don't want to go. My dad has been away on business the last two weeks and I've barely seen my mom the last week. My parents offered to take me to dinner and then want to watch a movie afterwards. Seeing that I've been a very busy bee the past week or so, I really need a night off and don't mind chilling with my parents. I'm having a really hard time saying no to my friends, though.

For some reason, I have this disordered illusion that if I say no this time, they'll never invite me out again. I know this is completely irrational because I have said no before and they continue to be some of my best friends. I also worry about saying no because I know Ed thoughts partly have to do with me saying no. Not sleeping in my own bed (because this chica is not driving if she's drinking)? All the calories from alcohol? Although I've come along way in my recovery, I still have thoughts like these. However, I have legitimate reasons to say no. I'm tired and want to see my parents before I get so wrapped up in school that I never have time to see them.

So, I'm politely declining my friend's invitation to go out tonight in favor for a quiet night with the rentals  at home. I'm not reverting to eating disordered behaviors and no, I'm not going to decline every invitation. Actually, I already have plans with the same friends tomorrow. We are going to go to the movies and then go shopping afterwards.

Life is about balance! Balancing social time and alone time, balancing work/school with fun, balancing exercising with being a bum, balancing healthy foods with fun foods....Every day, I'm working to balance all the important things in my life!

Enjoy your weekends everyone!

Any fun plans for the weekend?
Do you have a hard time saying no to people?

Wordless Wednesday-Amazing Trip!

Hey ladies!

I just got back from my trip to New York. If you can't tell from the title of the post, it was an amazing trip. Instead of blabbing on about it, though, I thought I'd do a Wordless Wednesday post for you all...well almost wordless.

As you can see, my trip to Long Island and New York City was full of friends, fun food, fro yo, and fun (yayy for alliteration)! I truly tried to and did enjoy myself on this trip. I left my problems at home, listened to my body, and celebrated finishing a whole summer of employment! I had a great time!  I even managed to sneak a few runs into the trip. And not because I felt like I had to, but because my body wanted to. 

No, the whole trip was not ponies and rainbows. I had a few Ed thoughts, didn't get my precious 8 hours of sleep a night, worried about my bank account, and missed my routine at times. The positives definitely outweigh the negatives though (by like 1000!). I'm so glad I spent the money and made the time to spend four awesome days with some of the best friends a girl could ask for! I love all of you too and don't know what I'd do without you ; )

To be honest, I'm a little sad to be back. I have staff training for the next three days, and then school starts on monday..bleehhhhhhhhhh. I really don't want school to start up, but if I open my mind to all the possibilities, I'm sure it will be great (fingers crossed)! 

What's your favorite fro yo combination? I loved just about every combo I tried (I had fro yo every night), but my favorite was peanut butter and red velvet cake with cookie dough bits and strawberries! Yummmmm!

I'm out of here!

Hello ladies (and gentleman)!

Happy Friday to you!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for this place....

Well technically, I'm headed to Long Island and probably won't make it into the city until Sunday.

Over the next few days though....

I'll be seeing this...

The Big Apple

Relaxing here...

The Beach!

Eating foods like this...

Gelato is a definite

Spending time with these lovely ladies...

I love my chicas! This picture was taken in Myrtle Beach last 

spring. 

Not worrying about this....

Logging miles or exercising in general

Or this...

Eating healthy

Or this...

My bedtime

I'll probably be back late Tuesday night, but I have staff training for my school year job all of Wednesday or Thursday, so I'm sorry if you don't hear from me all week.

My goal this vacation is to let go, forget any eating disorder thoughts I have, and have fun! I often have a hard time letting go of my routine and "rules" during everyday life. In the past, I have had a hard time letting go on vacation too. Last spring, though, I went to Myrtle Beach and let go and had a blast! No, I didn't go crazy and stuff myself silly with junk, but I listened to my body and ate what I want. I also didn't worry about exercise. I want this trip to be a similar experience!

I can't wait to share my trip with you ladies!

What are you all up to this weekend? 
Are you as sad about going back to school as I am? 
Is it easy for you to let go on vacation? 

WIAW

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Cheers to my 3rd WIAW post. To be honest, though, not all of these delicious foods were eaten today. I've been taking pictures of food like a mad women, but I've been so busy with work this week and with getting ready for my trip this weekend (I'll explain in a minute), I haven't had time to share with you all.

Before we delve into the scrumptious world of eats, I wanted to let you know about the camp I'm working at this week. I'm working at a scrap booking camp that is cupcake theme. The kids are all making various scrap booking projects using cupcake pictures, backgrounds, and shapes. It's adorable. I do have to say, though, that I'm kind of missing all that free time I was complaining about last week. Oh well...beggars can't be choosers.

Smile!

Kids and cupcakes...what could be cuter? 

Right after scrapbooking camp ends on Friday, I'll be taking off for NYC with one of my best friends. Well actually we are headed to Long Island to see another one of my friends, but we are planning on spending a couple days in the city exploring, shopping, and eating of course. I'm super excited (a little nervous), and I'm sure it will be a blast!

Half Eaten Yogurt Mess

Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich 

and a banana...a quick and easy lunch. 

Baby beer from a local restaurant and 

brewery 

Spinach Salad with Roasted Red Pepper, Chopped Veggie 

Burger, Sesame Vinaigrette, and Ketchup Of Course!

Ahh...can't figure out how to flip this. Anyways, a 

Go-To On-The-Go Breakfst...Clif Bar and a Banana

PB&J on Whole Wheat in a Disney Princess Bag! (This was only

part of my lunch)

Tonight's Dinner: Annie's Whole Wheat 

Shells and Cheddar with Steamed Veggies 

And Ketchup! 

If you can't tell, I'm quite the ketchup addict. 

That's all for tonight folks!

What's your relationship with ketchup? I feel like most people either love it to no end or absolutely hate it. I'm in deep-deep love with this necessary condiment. 

/

13.1!

Hello bloggers!

I hope you all are having an awesome weekend and taking this Sunday to relax and gear up for the week ahead!

As the title of this post implies, I am training for a half marathon! I know I've made reference to this a few times in previous blog posts, but I've never come out and said I"M RUNNING 13.1 MILES!!!! Okay, maybe I got a little too excited there.

I've been debating committing myself to this challenge for almost 6 months now. To be honest, though, I'm scared....like really scared.

What am I scared of?

Telling the whole world I'm running a half marathon, having people put their faith in me, and failing.

What if I become too busy and can't keep up with my training schedule?

What if I let my disordered brain get the best of me and don't fuel myself adequately?

What if I get burn't out and training becomes to much of a chore?

What if my time is disappointing?

Dear worry wart brain, please shut the f*** up! Excuse my French, but honestly, I know I can do this! Before I started working freakishly long hours at my summer camp, I was out running 10 milers in the heat for--well--for the heck of it. For the enjoyment of running. To say I could.

And if I do fail for whatever reason, who cares? Life moves on. There are other pursuits in life. There's always another chance. it's not the end of the world.

Although I haven't run over 6 miles in a couple months, I'm following a 12 week training plan to get my legs and mind back into distance mode. I'm currently 2 weeks in, and the half marathon I'm planning to run is November 6th. I started the training plan a few weeks early, so I can repeat a couple weeks when life gets to hectic and I can't follow my training plan adequately enough.

When choosing a training plan, I struggled greatly to find one that meets my needs:

Skill level

Love of biking and weight lifting

Busy schedule

After google-ing my little heart out, I decided on this guy.

Training for your first Half

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
2	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
3	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
4	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
5	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	6 m run
6	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	5-K Race
7	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	7 m run
8	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	8 m run
9	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	10-K Race
10	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	9 m run
11	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	10 m run
12	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	3 m run or cross	2 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon

Hal Higdon's Novice Training Plan

Now let me explain....I'm NOT a beginning runner! I've competed in countless 5ks, a handful of 10ks, a few trail racers, and a good number of 5 milers. I've been running on and off for the last 6 years and solidly and competitively for the last year. However, I have never run a half marathon before. On top of that I'm busy, and as much as I love running, I want to be able to cross train. Finishing a half marathon despite my time will be an accomplishment enough for me.

Also, I'm not following this schedule to an exact tee. I'm getting my long runs in and running consistently, but I'm shuffling days around and doing what works best for me.

Let's take a look at what I accomplished this week!

Week 2
Monday: 30 minutes elliptical/ NROLFW Stage 1 workout 6A
Tuesday: Rest-Walked around six flags and outlet stores all day
Wednesday: 4.5 mile run/ 12 mile bike ride with friend
Thursday: 15 mile bike ride (to and from gym)/ NROLFW Stage 1 workout 6B
Friday: 4 mile run
Saturday: 2 mile run/ 18 mile bike ride with dad
Sunday: 4.5 mile run

Ok, well I'm off to lunch with a friend, but I'll keep you updated on my half marathon progress.

Did you have a good weekend? 
have you run a half? Did you follow a training plan? 

Looking Forward!

Happy Friday everyone!

To recap yesterday, I spent a lovely day doing my own thing for the most part. I biked to and from the gym (15 miles total) and did a NROLFW workout (I'm almost finished the first stage!). I then spent the afternoon at Barnes and Noble, which is one of my favorite places ever. I came home to enjoy a dinner made by the momma (veggie pizza!) and finally went to a sorority meeting. This morning I cranked out a 5 mile run.

Anyways....on to what I want to talk about today....

Just like the rest of the blogging world (and almost everyone who lives in the Northern Hemisphere), I am pretty sad that summer is coming to an end. I'm not going to dwell, though because I really do have so much to look forward to as summer ends. There are so many amazing things that are going to happen today, this week, this month, this fall, and this year!

Here are just a few things I'm looking forward to...

Today

Shopping and dinner with the momma...

Shopping cures all : )

Drinks and laughs with one of my best friends...

This Week

Seeing The Help this weekend...

I loved am completely obsessed with the book! 

I hope the movie is good. 

Working at a scrap booking camp for the week...

I worked at this camp last year. It's a little bit slow paced/mellow for me. 

It's so cute to see kids scrapbook, though!

A road trip to Long Island and NYC with one of my best friends to see another one of my best friends....

I'm leaving next Saturday. Ed is not invited. I will be enjoying 

myself and some of my favorite foods on this trip!

This Month

A trip to the fair with friends...

Will I encounter some fear foods? Most likely. Will I have fun in 

the process? Most definitely!

Spirit week for my sorority....

Seeing all my friends as they come back to school...

Definitely my favorite part about school!

Returning to my school year job....

I work at an after school program. Yearly training

starts the day after I get back from Long Island. 

This Fall

Sorority Recruitment...

This was a blast last year!

Running a half marathon...

I'm following a training plan and have a few friends interested

in doing this with me. More on this to come...

A 12 mile obstacle ruck with friends...

A 12 mile ruck through mud and over/under obstacles with good 

friends. Yes please!

Foliage

New England is so beautiful in the fall. I can't wait for 

my long runs this fall. 

Cider Donuts...

Best creation ever!

This Year

Student teaching this spring...

This spring, I'm returning to my old elementary school to student

teach in a kindergarten classroom. I'm so pumped!

Coaching Girls on the Run....

I've known about this program for a long time and have

finally taken the initiative to get involved and be a coach. 

A trip to Europe!

One of my best friends and I are seriously thinking 

about going to Europe at the beginning of next summer. At

Barnes and Noble yesterday, I picked up this boo and have 

had my nose in it constantly ever since!

Truth be told, I hate change. I hate it when one season ends, and another one begins. I hate transitioning from being busy to having a lot of time. I hate going from working full time to going to school full time. Without change, though, life would be boring and there would be much less to look forward to. Although change is scary, it allows me to experience so many different things! I can't wait to share everything with you this year!

Have a great weekend!

What are you looking forward to today? this weekend?  this week? this month? this fall? this year?