All I Heard Was "...You can still run." {Giveaway winner announced!}

In my exhaustion, I realized I forgot to follow up on my visit to the orthopedist on Friday. In case you forgot, I made an appointment because I've been having pain radiating from my large toe up along the top of my foot. I have my suspicions of what has caused it, but I'm too stubborn to do anything about it (i.e., stop running).

Well, Friday's appointment really determined nothing. X-rays were taken and no fractures were noticed. No stress fracture large enough to be depicted by the x-ray at least. I wasn't confident that it was a fracture anyway. Most likely some sort of tendon issue. I walked out with instructions to ice it for half an hour each day, take anti-inflammatories, and if something aggravates it, just take it easy. And then pretty much the only phrase I really heard, "Since it's not a stress fracture, you can still run." Doctor's orders, right?

Wrong. Oh, so wrong. But I guess the good news is I think I have narrowed down the culprit of the pain. That darn dreadmill treadmill! Lately it's been too hot to run outside by the time I get back in town from work, and I cannot wait until it cools down because I need to be in bed by about 10pm each night.  So I'd been taking it from the streets and to the gym. Not my best idea, but it certainly worked out so that I could get 2-3 quick miles in (seriously, posting some good times) before strength/target training. Well, the pounding of the treadmill has been taking a lot more of a toll than the streets and/or trails. I topped off the weekend with a jaunt along the Monticello trail (2.1 miles uphill and 2.1 miles back down), which my foot did not like at all. But my abs did. Which am I supposed to listen to?

I owe these most recent changes to P90X Ab Ripper X and my stubbornness.

My in those pictures can be attributed to several different factors:

1. Visible abs--they'll make any fit girl smile.
2. The pain was making me delusional? I kid.
3. I had my next meal to look forward to post-shower.
4. Immediately following this, I was heading to a pool to relax and hang out with some good friends.

I was so excited that I may have sent the following SnapChat to my sissy, who always tells me she wants to get in shape and asks me for advice:

The caption alludes to something
later this month (hopefully).

So you can see why I don't want to give up running just yet. Although in swimming's defense, even though I swallow a gallon of water at least, it's still an excellent core workout. It's just more time consuming in the mornings. Decisions, decisions.

Until I make that decision (tomorrow morning), I promised to introduce you to my June Blueprints today. Ignore the "June Goals" title on my lovely St. Jude notepad--we talked yesterday about my thoughts on goals.

June Blueprints

Short, sweet, and to the point.

This month's goals are actually inspired by my friend Kaitlin, one of the fellow bridesmaids in the BFFTTDID's (best friend forever til the day I die) wedding.

Isn't she lovely, folks?

Kait sent me a gchat a few days ago following one of my blog posts telling me how I've inspired her to give up sugar and bad carbs AND be nicer to people during the month of July. I was so touched by her gesture and offered to be there for her to hold her accountable. After all, I know it's always easier to have someone to talk to when you're on the edge of good and bad decisions. "But it's only one tootsie roll..." But one always leads to two, which leads to four (because you have to keep it even), etc.

Naturally, this got me thinking--last month's goals were very fitness-oriented. They were all about making me better physically, but none of them really touched on making me better as a person. Why not make June's goals about showing others the best form of myself. And if I'm starting to inspire others, I need to lead by example. It's one thing to have the drive to reach a goal, but if I'm being a b*tch while getting there, then is it really worth it? I ask this because I've met those types of people and they're never pleasant. So are they really that happy when they've reached the end and they've trampled over numerous people on their way to get there??

Take a second glance at my June Blueprints. I'm especially excited about numbers 1 and 3.

One: Reach out to one friend with whom I've lost touch each day. I don't know about you, but Facebook is a constant reminder of those with whom I've lost touch. Especially when birthdays roll around. I sit there hovering over the names on the righthand side of the screen contemplating, "Do I write a quick birthday wish? Will it mean anything to him/her?" Well I'm tired of that debate. If you are my friend on Facebook, then there is a reason and I need to acknowledge our friendship (even if it has been ages). And I need to go further and actually take the time to catch up a bit. My upcoming birthday reminders need to stop being the only reason I reach out.

Three: Stop passing judgement on others. This is a whole lot easier said than done. There's a few different aspects of me passing judgement--the times I verbalize it and the times I do it internally, usually in the form of comparison. So I am choosing to stop making outward judgements on others when I'm amongst friends (us girls can be catty!) as well as actively control my need to internally judge others. Why not instead find the positives about each person and find a way to incorporate those into my life?

The other blueprints on my list are what they are. I need to work on abs--so that's the one physical fitness thing on my list. I need to take care of my health, and flossing tends to get thrown aside when I'm "too tired." Which brings us to sleep--I need more than 6 hours, I'm sure, but until competition time,  that's all I can afford. And I just need to read more. I really need to read more--and I'm not referring to blogs!

So there you have it folks--new month, new haircut blueprints!

Now don't you worry folks, I didn't forget to announce the WINNERS to my giveaway!

The bad news: No one guessed right. But then again, I was SUPER vague. Take a good long look at the color of the dress in the picture I added. That, ladies and gents, is the color of the competition bikini I chose!! I'm super excited that it's finally in the process of being made, and it should be in my hands NEXT Friday (6/14). Yay!!!

The good news: While there were several fun guesses, I'm very appreciative of those of you that decided to participate via the blog and Facebook. You're all winners! So, Kelsey and Melissa, please email me your addresses! (Mom, I already have yours). You should be able to find my email through my profile. If you have difficulty, either comment on this post or Facebook message me.

What are your June Blueprints/Goals?? Do you make monthly goals?