Just Another Rep: December 2011

I've officially been told to clean out my cabinets. Aka, I must get rid of all the "bad" food. Not that I really have anything bad in my cabinets--it's mostly clean ~~despite the lifetime supply of nuts that was gifted to me for Christmas~~. Oh, and then there's the fruit--that's the main thing I'll miss going into prep. I was recently introduced to some new (to me) fruit finds--hello, dates!--and I'm sure as heck gonna miss them. Great source of energy for the gym, but they have no place in prep. Sigh.

Today was my first official day ~~back at work after Christmas vacay~~ training at Total Performance. I made a trip there after work planning on running 4+ miles. Keyword: planning. That is definitely not what happened. Let me preface this by mentioning that I've been running with my training shoes...and yet I'm flatfooted. Call me a fool! It's taken a toll on my calves/shins--I KNOW the importance of good running shoes. After all, I used to run cross country and track (indoor and outdoor). I just don't like the weight that comes with shoes meant for "stability" purposes. It's like running with a brick (complete over-exaggeration) tied to each foot. Come on now--you'd think that after decades of specially-designed running shoes that they would be able to come up with a lightweight shoe that's both effective and attractive (yes, I prefer my shoes to be awesomely pleasing to the eyes).

But anyway, back to what I was saying ~~I blame wine for my all over the place stream of consciousness~~, this evening I finally laced up my running shoes again. Literally. The last time I wore them was during the mud run with Megan! And I promptly threw them in the wash to detox them (can shoes shrink in the washer?). Verdict: my shins felt less pressure during my ~~definitely not 4~~ two mile run, the first mile feeling great. Unfortunately, my lack of a proper hair tie lead me to ending my run early--falling ponytails can be a damper to a run for sure. That, and around that 2 mile mark my legs were feeling the pressure from running in inappropriate shoes for the past couple weeks. Nothing too severe though--I'll be back in action in the morning!

And...back to all things prep--definitely not ready. I hate to be that "after the New Year" girl, but seriously, I'm going to enjoy the last day of 2011 as much as possible. I'm gonna make December 31, 2011 my b*tch--don't know how that's gonna work exactly, but I intend to sleep in January 1...seeing as I have the day completely off. Outdoor adventures anyone?? Oh, and anyone want an endless supply of unsalted nuts? I think I have cashews, almonds, a few peanuts... And you think I'm not serious! Now if only all this wine would go away in the next few days ;)

PS. Sorry for a lack of pictures--my Mac was having problems so it got wiped clean last week. I still haven't had the chance to upload all the pics from my camera--I knew there was a reason I never clear my memory card! I promise that ~~and my music collection~~ will be up to par in no time (hopefully)!

...That I get a second gym membership! Oh, and also that I get back to this blog! Sorry for the long hiatus, I really have no good reason for not keeping you all up-to-date. Well actually, that's not entirely true--I blame long days at work and 2-3 shifts per week in Richmond for my lack of blogging. In case you aren't already aware, I have been working at the Loft in Richmond 2-3 days a week, which meant an hour commute each way, and a total of 4 overnights at my brother's apartment over the course of about 8-10 weeks. Yikes!

New Gym

But back to my first statement--I finally gave in today and joined a second gym! Now, normally this would not be something on my "please purchase" list at all, but Gold's just isn't cutting it for me these days. The hours are not long enough--yes, I generally tend to get in my morning workout around 5am, but any later and it gets pretty busy. That, and I get annoyed very easily, ~~and thanks to the ever-friendly Toni, people now mistake me for being approachable during my workouts~~. Skip forward to the afternoons and there really isn't a good time to workout because there's always somebody using the equipment I want. Even with the expansion Gold's did last year, there really isn't enough room for non-traditional workouts (aka Crossfit and more agility-based workouts). My new gym, Total Performance, is great (if you live in the Cville area, check it out!)! 24-hour access, plenty of space, less crowded, and lots of familiar (and new) faces! I have the pleasure of knowing the owner who was kind enough to work out a great plan with me, seeing as my Gold's membership doesn't expire until June. This just works out SO well, because I have a couple friends who have been wanting to put me through ~~torture~~ new (to me) Crossfit workouts, and now Pleasants can keep an eye on me while I make my way to the stage.

I should have bought this when I had the chance.

New Competition

Speaking of the stage, I finally figured out exactly when the new competition is--May 5. I'll be competing in my first (OCB) show, and you better believe I'm nervous! All the shows I was looking at prior to this were promoted by organizations on a lesser level than OCB. I already feel like I'm being thrown head-first into unknown territory. Luckily, this time around, I have even greater support from my friends. Last go-round, my friends still went out and drank (which I don't blame them), but they did not understand why I couldn't have "just one drink." Well, it's not just that one leads to two leads to..., but also it's empty nutritional value or straight-up carbs depending on the beverage of choice. This time, it's going to be a little different.

So today I swung by TP (Total Performance) and met up with Kevin--I dropped off my meal plan/workout journal and he's rewriting my plan for the next few months. January starts tapering off all the additional foods I've incorporated into my diet...and the alcohol. I can't lie, I'm going to miss it just a bit--I've gotten used to having a social drink or two ~~or five~~ when out with friends, but I've gone without it before, so I'm sure I can do it again.

A day of cleaning offset by a glass of wine

New Swag

Ha, not really. But with Christmas just a few days ago, it's in good taste that I mention the amazing time I had with my family and friends. I was the difficult giftee for my mom this year, so essentially I got a ~~toy~~boat load full of money. My brothers each got me giftcards, one accompanied with wine (which must be consumed soon--see above) and one with a decent iPod portable speaker set--hello dance party in the bathroom! My mom got me a couple watches suitable for running and working out (but even though she swears they're different, they're the same model, just different colors and priced differently in accordance). Regardless, thanks Mom! Christmas is not complete without coffee or tea, and lucky me--I got both! Just a lot of little things from the fam, but some of the best gifts came from friends. My bestie, Katie, created the sweetest photo book for me, full of pictures she took from Facebook (can you say stalker?! hehe)--I for sure teared up while flipping through it. The two pictures that really touched me were one taken during her wedding dress hunt (and find!) and one of my sister-in-law and me at her wedding captioned "Past Bridesmaid, Future Maid of Honor." Sweetest gift ever! Oh and not to mention that I'm currently curled up underneath my new warming blanket!! So. Warm. Don't. Want. To. Move. Ever. Apparently I'm easily pleased!

Mom's gift from my bro & sis-in-law--great idea!

Mom: "No seriously, you have to read it!"

Wine cork reindeer from Bestie and Mrs. Cole

Tabletop reading

The rest of my time home was filled with puppy loving, puppy playdates, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, bowling, and bestie time. Unfortunately, I only have pictures of this guy, and not the rest of the festivities...