A comeback (of sorts)

It's been 5 months and one day since my last post. What happened? A perfect storm of work, play, and laziness. And the thing is, I didn't miss it. Writing posts had become a struggle - and when they actually happened, they felt boring. So instead of pretending, I just stopped. I knew I'd come back eventually. I didn't know when but I knew it would happen. And guess what? It's happening. Slowly but surely I'm going to restart this little blog of mine. I won't post everyday -- I'll ease my way back. And I still don't know which direction I want to take it in but that's OK. I'll figure it out.

So. Hi. I'm back (ish).

Oh and Happy New Year.

August

Oh. Hey there, August. Did not expect to see you so soon, but I'm not going to lie -- I'm pretty happy about it. Summer has a been a bit stressful this year -- lots of little things -- and I'm hoping to turn that around this month.

Some things I'm looking forward to:

• More Olympics! I'm so obsessed. I can't stop watching and cheering for Team USA. And I'm not just one of those people who watches the popular sports -- I get into it all. Handball, Table Tennis, Shooting -- you name it. USA ALL THE WAY! (Side note: as a former child gymnast, I'm a huge gymnastics fan and couldn't be more proud of the Fab Five!)
• Jack's 30th birthday (eek!). It's going to be the best 30th birthday party anyone has ever had because Jack totally deserves it (did you see the marriage proposal?! Need I say more?). Slideshows, cupcakes, and mac & cheese are just some of the things on the itinerary. Oh and day drinking. Duh.  
• Montana. Jack and I going to Kalispell the last week in August for our friends' wedding and I can not wait! It's going to be 5 days of pure awesomeness. 
• Upstate New York. More vacation! We're also spending a few days with my dad before we head out west (he's graciously agreed to watch our two monsters) and I'm so excited. Peggy Sue has recently discovered swimming and it's going to be hysterical to see her run wild.
• Getting back on track with training. So far so good with the IT band and I'm starting to get excited about the marathon again.
• Baking cupcakes. I love my cupcake of the month feature but I've fallen way off the ball. I'm definitely ready to jump back on it. 
• Taking more photos. I've been slacking on documenting anything besides my pets and porch garden but with all the partying and traveling, I think there will be plenty of photo opps.
• Starting to plan my wedding. Say what?! I think it may be time. We've been engaged since April and if we want to get married fall 2013, we should probably at least start talking budget and savings. Or I may just continue to fantasize about having the biggest bun ever.

What are some things you're looking forward to in this final month of summer?

Vegetable plants (exciting stuff, part 2)

Guys! Look at all my* tomatoes.

SERIOUSLY. LOOK AT ALL OF THEM!

Isn't that amazing?! 

And while we're at it, look at my red lettuce and dinosaur kale!

Ok. I admit. That's slightly less amazing. But it's not my fault. They'd probably look a lot better if someone didn't keep trying to eat them. Ahem.

Want to see more pictures of my plants (and really, who wouldn't)? Check out Part 1.

*When I say "my" I mean, mine and Jack's. I would like it to be clear that he also takes care of these plants and is just as responsible for their success -- if not moreso. 

Marathon Monday: 10 weeks

Since the last thing you need is yet another picture of my sneakers, here is Peggy Sue post swim. (She's closing her eyes for dramatic effect.)

Oh, hey there! Sorry to leave you hanging last week. I'm still alive. I'm just injured. And when I'm injured, I'm miserable. And when I'm miserable I curl up in a little ball and cry -- and I don't blog.

I finally acknowledged last week that my IT band needed more than a day off. So I took off SEVEN whole days. I spent the week icing, strengthening, rolling, and eating lots of leafy greens and Omega 3s. Saturday I went for my first run -- 3.1 miles -- and I'm happy to report it went relatively well. My IT band was still tight --but it didn't hurt -- and I felt great later that day and Sunday. I'm going to slowly start ramping up my mileage this week and it better go well!

Unfortunately, I think this little hiccup may have cost me a Boston Marathon qualifying time. Honestly, when I look back, I realize my body wasn't strong enough to handle such quick paces. My endurance levels are there but I guess my muscles and my ligaments and all that jazz aren't. Which is lame but I have to respect it.

My new goal is to finish in under 4 hours, and then I'm going to spend the early part of the winter getting stronger so that I can hopefully get closer to qualifying at a spring marathon! In a weird way I feel relieved. I really wanted to qualify in October but at the same, the thought of it made me anxious. Almost as though my subconscious knew I wasn't ready. I feel significantly more relaxed about my new time goal and once I figure out exactly where my IT band stands, I'll be re-planning my training schedule.

It's a slightly scary place to be just 10 weeks before the race but for now, I'm trying to stay confident. And just (foam) roll with it.

To go: 10 weeks | ?? miles 

Completed: 6 week | ?? miles 

If you missed it: Week 16 | Week 15  | Week 14 | Week 13 |  Week 12

What I'm loving lately

This week has been a hot mess -- literally and figuratively -- but now it's Thursday, it's finally cooling down, and the nice man at Starbucks gave me my iced coffee for free this morning so I'm quite happy about life.

Some other things I've been loving lately:

Garnier B.B. Cream: I have no idea how I lived without this -- or any B.B. Cream -- for so long. It makes my skin look flawless and dewy and smells so good! I know I'm constantly raving about my drugstore beauty finds (and calling everything my favorite) but this stuff is legit. It really is a miracle worker. 

Overdressed: I've read so many phenomenal books already this summer -- including Wild and Bloom -- and now I'm working my way through Overdressed. It's all about the high cost of cheap fashion and how we're buying -- and wasting -- more clothing than ever ... and how it's all crap. It's fascinating and has made me look at my closet -- and my shopping habits -- in a whole new way. 

The Bar Method: I've mentioned it before but I'm obsessed with The Bar Method. So obsessed that I've been waking up at 5:30 a.m. on most weekdays to squeeze in a run and a class before work. I've been six times in the past week and I already see some definition in my abs (YES!!!). It's a beautiful space, everyone is so nice, and class just flies by! Plus, it totally works.

Jam Jar: To be fair, I've loved this forever (aka as 2 years) but it's been especially amazing in the heat wave. I'm not a red wine person but this Sweet Shiraz -- which you chill (that's key!) -- is so sweet and wonderful that I choose it over dessert (crazy, right?!). Oh and it's only $10. 

Downton Abbey: I know I'm so late on this but OMG amazing. My favorite post-work activity is pouring a class of Jam Jar, locking myself in my air conditioned bedroom with Jack, and laying on our bed watching episode after episode on the computer (which we have temporarily moved from our oven-of-an-office into the bedroom). 

Marathon Monday: 12 weeks

I'm a total running nerd so I love the weekly tongue-in-cheek "motivational" posters by Runner's World. You can check them all out here

I can't believe I have four weeks of training complete! Craziness.

All my hydrating and healthy eating paid off, and I had one of my best runs ever last Thursday. A 5 mile tempo, in which I did 3 miles at a 7:44 min/mile. If it sounds like I'm bragging, well, I am. I felt like the woman in the above poster. Peggy Sue joined me but she's not bragging since a 7:44 min/mile pace is a walk in the park for her. Literally. She was speed walking the entire 5 miles. Bitch. 

So yes! Everything was going exceedingly well and I was prepared to write an entire I'M GOING TO QUALIFY FOR BOSTON post. But then Saturday's long run (12 miles) happened and things went sour. My stupid STUPID IT band started acting up yet again. So much so, that I had to skip the Color Me Rad 5K Sunday and leave poor Alex and Danielle hanging at 6 a.m. I'm stretching and icing nonstop, and I'm hoping that all the strengthening I'm doing at Bar Method (which I'm OBSESSED with) will start to pay off soon.

If anyone has any advice on getting over IT band pain PLEASE share! I'm pretty much up for anything. And if you're also suffering from IT band pain (sorry, friend!), make sure you check out this Runner's World article. Super helpful!

To go: 12 weeks | 347.2 miles 

Completed: 4 week | 73.42 miles

If you missed it: Week 16 | Week 15  | Week 14 | Week 13