Running Through New York...

I haven't been doing awesome during the week with running, but I'm definitely staying more active than I was for the first half of the school year. So far in my challenge to run 211 miles in 2011, I've run 26.43 miles. I'm in 12th place out of 30.

There's a game called Nike + Active that allows you to gain "fuel" for each run and it shows you running around the world on a map. So far I've run across the Brooklyn Bridge, up the Statue of Liberty, and through Central Park. It's just another way to keep me moving!

On days when I haven't been running, I feel pretty sluggish and wish I had run. I'm also remembering how much harder a run is after a few days off. So I'm hoping to be a bit more consistent this week! I've thought about waking up a half hour or so earlier to get a short run in before work, but I don't know if that's realistic for me. Haha I like my sleep.

Success!

The treadmill is up and running!! The boxes in the living room have stayed put but I think today is the day that we'll tackle that mess. I just can't stand looking at them anymore.

I ran on the treadmill yesterday for the first time. It was awesome!

Here's my list of reasons that having a treadmill in my own house is amazing:
1. I can run whenever I want (even at night).

2. I don't have to go out into the cold or worry about slipping on snow and ice.

3. No more tripping on uneven sidewalks (yes, I've been known to take a few spills...).

4. I can do ridiculous tae bo moves with my arms while speed walking- people would stare at me if I did that at the gym!

5. No more headphones- the ipod plugs into the treadmill speakers.

6. I can sing out loud to good parts of songs while I'm running (again, people would stare at me at the gym).

7. No more waiting for treadmills during busy times at the gym or having to drive there.

8. Temperature control! The treadmills at our gym are in the front window and the sun is terribly hot during the day. The whole gym feels like a sauna, in general. Now I have a fan blowing directly on me. It makes a difference!

9. Motivation to run everyday! Sometimes I just want to walk but feel like it's not worth going to the gym. Usually if I get on the treadmill to walk, I end up running.

10. We finally have a purpose for our "office". Yes, it's still messy but now we actually go into that room. We literally never used the desk in that room before.

Then:

Now:

So there you have it...my reasons for loving the treadmill.

Our Treadmill Needs a Bigger House...

I'm so so excited for our treadmill to be up and running. I was feeling so good on Monday...still energized after only a day back at school. Now, I am coming up with all the same old excuses for not working out. The top of the list right now is not wanting to go back out into the cold once I'm home and really not wanting to drive to the gym (which is really only about ten minutes away...lame!). Also, I'm tired! Apparently it only took me two weeks of vacation to forget how tired I am at the end of a teaching day. The thought of getting ready for the gym and driving there sounds pretty terrible. I've run outside twice this week and because of the cold, it hurts to breathe! I am keeping up with myfitnesspal.com really well though.

Hopefully by this weekend the treadmill will be useable. Gil got home from work yesterday and got excited to put it together. When I came downstairs this morning, this is the view that awaited me:

Yes, that's a treadmill in the dining room. We still have to figure out how to get it into the office. The office was too small to assemble it in that room and the treadmill has to stay in the (huge) box for most of the assembly- based on the instructions. Apparently if you remove it from the box before the directions tell you to, the world will end. Soo....we are left with this conundrum.

On another note, we went to the Lions game last Sunday and had a ton of fun. It was my mom's first Lions game and she was ridiculously excited. The only downfalls of the day were the super long security lines (in the freezing cold) before going in and having to be patted down. Kinda put a damper on the pre-game excitement, if you ask me. When we got out of the game, we headed back to our car and saw that the people who had parked in front of us had had their car broken into. Bummer.

The game itself was really fun and I was happy to be with my mom at her first game!

At the game! <3

So far so good...

Well, my vacation was over as of today! Normally I am not a happy camper going back to work. But today I woke up before my alarm and actually felt ready to get up. I got to work early and got a lot done, so then I was able to leave early and bring Laila to the dog park.

When I got back home, I actually made myself go running. My Nike challenge is a good motivator because I'm currently in third place and I don't want anyone else to overtake me. Haha.

So I realize it's only the third day of the New Year and my grad class hasn't started up, but I'm feeling off to a good start! Now off to make dinner...

New Year, New Resolutions...

Hello 2011, I've got some new resolutions for you...

1. Run 211 miles over the course of the year (Nike + challenge)

2. Run in the Riverbank run (probably 10k)

3. Use My Fitness Pal regularly...helps me avoid junk food!

4. Stay organized

Number four has been a hard one for me since I started my grad program. I just always feel strapped for time, drained, and exhausted. As a result, our house has been more cluttered because I've been tired and therefore lazy about putting things away. A cluttered house stresses me out. I was also starting to put off doing homework and that left me feeling behind all the time. So to the best of my abilities, I'm going to stay on top of things so that I feel better in the long run.

I'm hoping that I'll feel more energized by working out and eating better. One thing I've noticed is that by the end of a teaching day, I'm usually really dehydrated and I think this is one of the most energy draining things for me. Bathroom breaks are a commodity during teaching hours, so I don't get nearly enough water.

So those are my goals for 2011 based on what was stressing me out in 2010! Here's to smooth sailing in the new year!