This is days late but I was swamped on actual Labor Day with errands and activities so here you go!! I made it safely to Denver yesterday-now just to prep for all of my presentations!!

EAT WELL
LAST WEEK: so much food!
I carbloaded well for the race (make sure to check out the recap coming soon) and got in a lot of veggies, fruits, sugar(in the form of coffee) and felt strong during the race.
I didn’t cook at all-I had leftovers all week or ate out. I had too many leftovers, I had to freeze a lot of food but that’s good for when I get back.

I ate at:
Tuesday-souplanation dinner
Thurs-Einstein bagels, university club on campus, and dinner at Benihana, dessert at Rita’s
Fri: pizza studio lunch, kebobs at DCA, dessert at flo’s
Sat: starbucks for PSL, breakfast at Flo’s, lunch at Tangeroa Terrace, dinner at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta
Sun: goofy’s kitchen

THIS WEEK:
Traveling does mess up my eating but I packed some healthy snacks to help along the way.
I also let the conference know I was gluten free so I should have some good food options.
Eating out will be a bit more challenging, but I will do the best I can! I plan on trying to order at least a side salad at every place I eat out.
I plan on blogging about traveling and staying healthy this week so make sure to check back.

SLEEP WELL

LAST WEEK:
SO horrible. Most nights I got 6.5 hours of sleep or less. It was a lot to adjust to with a new job, starting school, my excitement over my birthday and Dumbo, and the early morning wakeups for Dumbo.

THIS WEEK:
Hopefully better. I will be very busy but I am going to aim for 7-8 hours a sleep. I hope it gets better

EXERCISE WELL:

LAST WEEK:
MON: Rest Day!
TUES: 3 miles at 33:30 (10:59 pace)
WEDS: PiYo
THURS:3 miles at 33:50 (11:06 pace)
FRI: Rest Day-walking at work and around Expo and DCA
SAT: Disneyland 10k + walking around Expo, DCA, and DL
SUN: Disneyland Half + a bit of walking around DL
MON: Rest Day!

THIS WEEK: I love working out and traveling!
MON: Rest Day!
TUES: 3 miles
WEDS: PiYo then walking around Denver
THURS: PiYo 
FRI: PiYo
SAT: 4 miles
SUN: Hiking in Denver

BE WELL
LAST WEEK:

• I started class and it was everything I had hoped for. I am going to LOVE the next 3 days of my life. 
• It was my birthday on Thursday and I wrote a whole post and it mysteriously disappeared!! 
• Pretty much I had my bday party the Sunday before and we all disneybounded Frozen and went to see the Frozen singalong (which was CRAZY PACKED!!). 
• I ate a ton of free bday food (rita’s water ice, Benihana, Einstein bagel, pumpkin spice lattes, pinkberry, etc)
• I officially started my new position. I will never forget that start date! 
• It was a hard day as we also had a goodbye lunch for people that are leaving our office. I and everyone else will definitely miss them and it will be an adjustment when I get back to work. Things will be very different for sure. 
• All the great food I ate (Benihana, Rita’s, FOUR Pumpkin spice lattes, flo’s, dill pickle popcorn, goofy’s kitchen, etc etc)
• Dumbo Double Dare was epic. I had the best time. I even got to meet some blogger friends!! 
• Packing for Denver!

THIS WEEK:
Denver all week. I love conferences and I am presenting FOUR TIMES. I will make sure to blog about it a bit since one of my sessions is about the 4 well rules!

I am also going to see my Little from my sorority who I haven’t seen in almost 2 years! She just graduated with her Ph.D. and moved to Denver. It will be so much fun to spend time with her

So for you, how was your week?

Another Tuesday, another Tuesday on the Run hosted by our favorites: 
April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Erika from MCM Mama Runs, and Patty from No-Guilt Life

This week we are talking about Cross Training and right now I am on a PiYo kick! I am going to link to my post I had on Friday where I explain more about PiYo. I know many runners are getting into it and do it with running but I know my body can't handle it. I can only do 1 thing a day-whenever I do more, I get injured.  

Cross training is very important as it helps your body develop and keep from getting injured. You can't just run and run and run-that's how stress fractures and the like happen. 

So below is my post from Friday, if you have tried PiYo definitely sound off in the comments!

5 things I'm loving about PiYo



So as you know, I've been doing PiYo for about 3 weeks off and on and I'm loving here! I can't recommend it enough and here are the reasons why!



To first explain, PiYo is a combination of Pilates and Yoga. It works on strength training using your own body weight as resistance and also stretching your muscles as well.

1. It's on DVD

This is clutch. The DVD case is small and compact and I can take it anywhere. I'm heading to Denver in less than 2 weeks and you bet I'll have it in my luggage.

2. They are short workouts

I'm very busy in my life and need workouts under an hour that get the job done and don't take too long. This is great- most workouts are 20-35 minutes and they get the job done!

3. No equipment needed

This is the main reason I never tried P90X-I don't want to buy equipment. All you need is really water. Some workouts suggest a towel or a yoga mat but I've yet to use those.

4.It's affordable

I bought my DVDs for 65 dollars including shipping from a Beachbody coach. You can order them onlinehere. If you want to order through a coach, go for it! It helps with accountability!

5. It works

Even though I've only been doing it in between my running workouts about 2-3 times a week, I'm seeing results!

My stomach is more toned, my legs look a bit more toned, my flexibility has increased so I can actually lay my hands flat on the floor instead of just touching it. Now if it'll just help my running too!



So anyone else try PiYo? What are your thoughts?

EAT WELL

LAST WEEK: Pretty well-we had 3 training days so I had lunch (and sometimes dinner too!) off those meals and they were relatively healthy: veggie lasagna (just ate the veggies) and salad, bbq chicken salad and cobb salad, and veggie burgers and fruit every day. I also had more sweets than I usually have but it's all good

COOKED: 

• Meal 1: egg scramble with sausage, bell peppers and onion
• that's it! wow haha

THIS WEEK:

• TIME TO CARBLOAD! which shouldn't be difficult as it is my bday week!!! YAYAYAYAYYAY and also it is so easy to carbload at Disneyland too
  
  MEALS TO COOK:
  • MEAL 1: maybe eggplant parm but we will see
  • that's it! so many bday coupons that we are planning on using then Dumbo

SLEEP WELL
LAST WEEK:Pretty well but I went to bed later than I would have liked just because I was so busy at work. My sleep Saturday was messed up because I got up from 3-5 to do dining reservations for my Princess trip but we got everything we wanted!! 

THIS WEEK:
I HAVE to get 8 hours of sleep to prepare for Dumbo. It is also my first week of class so I need to make sure I can make it until 10 on Wednesdays. 

EXERCISE WELL
LAST WEEK:

• Monday: Rest Day.  Crazy runs!
  
• Tuesday: 2 miles-I was still really sore from my 5k, 10k and half training
  
• Wednesday: PiYo Sweat and wow-kicked my butt!
  
• Thursday: 2.2 miles of speedwork! My hamstrings were very sore from Sweat
  
• Friday: PiYo Buns and 3 miles race pace
  
• Saturday: rest day but walked around Disneyland for 7 miles
  
• Sunday: Rest day because it's my bday party! 
  • I did no core this week. :( I am probably going to take off from core for the week because of Dumbo and will pick up the next week. 
    
    THIS WEEK:
    • Monday: PiYo Drench
      
    • Tuesday: 5k easy pace (Im going to test a lower interval incase its super warm this weekend)
      
    • Wednesday: Piyo
      
    • Thursday: 5k- easy pace
      
    • Friday: yoga and stretch
      
    • Saturday: Disneyland 10k
      
    • Sunday: Disneyland Half

BE WELL 

THIS WEEK:

• Training went great at work
• I got a lot of workouts in and am starting to see results from PiYo
• Disneyland day on Saturday where I finally saw the Magical fireworks!
• My birthday party was yesterday (full recap coming on my bday on thursday!)

NEXT WEEK:

• MY BIRTHDAY ON THURSDAY! Benihana for dinner, so many freebies!
• PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES TODAY!!! (and probably other times throughout the week)
• I officially start my Doctorate on campus!
• officially transiting into a new job
• Dumbo is here!!! 
• packing and prepping for my work conference in Denver

How was your week?

Linkup Friday!! Thanks to our amazing hostesses: the DC Trifecta Bloggers (Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Mar from Mar on the Run, and Cynthia from You Signed Up For What?!)

5 things I'm loving about PiYo

So as you know, I've been doing PiYo for about 3 weeks off and on and I'm loving here! I can't recommend it enough and here are the reasons why!

To first explain, PiYo is a combination of Pilates and Yoga. It works on strength training using your own body weight as resistance and also stretching your muscles as well.

1. It's on DVD

This is clutch. The DVD case is small and compact and I can take it anywhere. I'm heading to Denver in less than 2 weeks and you bet I'll have it in my luggage.

2. They are short workouts

I'm very busy in my life and need workouts under an hour that get the job done and don't take too long. This is great- most workouts are 20-35 minutes and they get the job done!

3. No equipment needed

This is the main reason I never tried P90X-I don't want to buy equipment. All you need is really water. Some workouts suggest a towel or a yoga mat but I've yet to use those.

4.It's affordable

I bought my DVDs for 65 dollars including shipping from a Beachbody coach. You can order them online here. If you want to order through a coach, go for it! It helps with accountability!

5. It works

Even though I've only been doing it in between my running workouts about 2-3 times a week, I'm seeing results!

My stomach is more toned, my legs look a bit more toned, my flexibility has increased so I can actually lay my hands flat on the floor instead of just touching it. Now if it'll just help my running too!

So anyone else try PiYo? What are your thoughts?

EAT WELL

LAST WEEK: Much more on track this week with eating (minus the gluten I ate on breaded chicken on saturday then I didn't realize and it made my stomach HURT!). Im still learning to find the balance between having small amounts of gluten and having too much. I think it will just take time. 

COOKED: 

• I had so many leftovers this week!
• Meal 1: Steak and potatoes for Ralph's bday dinner on Friday

THIS WEEK:

• I want to stay on the healthy eating train. I need to get in some good carbloading sessions with 3 back to back runs planned for this week! 
  
  MEALS TO COOK:
  • MEAL 1: chicken and rice
  • MEAL 2: beef quesadillas

SLEEP WELL
LAST WEEK: My sleep was much better this week minus last night (I napped after a BBQ and then couldn't get to sleep). I need to get in some strong 7-8 hour sleeps but it is SO hard with it being so hot and humid. 

THIS WEEK:
Hoping to keep my sleep schedule around 8 hours a night. and find another way to deal with the heat (maybe a new fan?!?!)

EXERCISE WELL
LAST WEEK:

• Monday: Rest Day. Vegas took a lot out of me!
  
• Tuesday: 5k easy pace (35:43). I was still so tired and recovering form Vegas. 
  
• Wednesday: 30 min yoga/stretching and core
  
• Thursday: 2.2 miles (I had to get to work early :/) but speedwork (more on this tomorrow!)
  
• Friday: rest day running around getting everything ready for Ralphs bday!
  
• Saturday: rest day 
  
• Sunday: 10k at race pace and was right on! Negative splits and averaged about 10:30 (sub 1:05 10k). If I keep up a 10:30 pace for a half, I would put me at a 2:17:30 which is my ultimate goal for the LA RnR in October. 
  • I did no core this week. Some of it was because I was trying to get more sleep and some of it was because of cramps :/ hopefully by the end of the week, I can get back on it!  
    
    THIS WEEK:
    • Monday: rest day 
      
    • Tuesday: 5k easy pace 
      
    • Wednesday: yoga and core
      
    • Thursday: 5k- good pace 
      
    • Friday: 4 miles at a good pace (dont want to do too much before Saturday)
      
    • Saturday: 12.5 miles at the Beach! 
      
    • Sunday: Rest Day
• 
  BE WELL 
  
  THIS WEEK:
  I got a lot of good things in! A large majority related to Disney! 
  • great dinner on Thursday with grad school friends
  • birthday celebration all weekend with Ralph
    • graduate school orientation on Saturday-met a lot of great people!
    • great BBQ with friends on Sunday
    • NEXT WEEK:
      • very busy week with work so Im a bit nervous trying to fit it all in
      • excited to run at the beach on Saturday morning
      • Beyonce/JayZ concert on Sunday!!!
    • How was your week?

EAT WELL

LAST WEEK: Pretty good. I had an amazing dinner but ate way too much gluten (my fault completely). I feel very blah for a few days but felt bloated but surprisingly did not look it. I was pretty good until we got to Vegas. That's where I ate also more gluten and drank a lot and I look so bloated I look pregnant. I have to get back on track for the week!


COOKED: 

• Meal 1: Chinese chicken with squash noodles and edamame
  
• Meal 2: Macaroni and Cheese
  
• Meal 3: leftover macaroni, lemonade chicken with a spicy cranberry sauce (recipe coming this week!)

THIS WEEK:

• I have to get back on the healthy eating train. Vegas I went a bit off the rails and definitely am paying for it today.
  
  MEALS TO COOK:
  • I am going to get some freezer meals out of the way. Not sure yet but I will get creative!

SLEEP WELL
LAST WEEK: My sleep was okay this week was better until Vegas. See those 5-6 hours of sleep? Yup, Vegas. I did recover well last night. My body is tired but I'm not sleepy, if that makes sense.

THIS WEEK:
Hoping to keep my sleep schedule around 8 hours a night. It hasn't been as hot as night so hopefully that will continue. 


EXERCISE WELL
LAST WEEK:

• Monday: rest day. My body is not having it for some reason. I did get in my core workout though
  
• Tuesday: 5k easy pace (34:39). I kept having to stop from the humidity-blah
  
• Wednesday: 30 min yoga/stretching and core
  
• Thursday: 5k without stopping! 32:55 which is close to my PR. Glad I did it but it made me SO hungry!
  
• Friday: 11 miles at a good pace. 2 hours total for 10:54ish pace. 
  
• Saturday: rest day (but we can count dancing in Vegas!)
  
• Sunday: rest day for return back from Vegas and and 3 mile run (such a bad run but I did :30 sec/:40 sec and got through) when I returned home. 

• Core workout is going great! loving it and it actually is getting slighter easier and I am definitely seeing results. Im not sure why but my body has been so tight lately. I am going to continue to spend a lot of time stretching and try to get loose. 
  
  THIS WEEK:
  • Monday: rest day and core
    
  • Tuesday: 5k easy pace and core
    
  • Wednesday: yoga and core
    
  • Thursday: 5k-speed workout
    
  • Friday: 15 min weights and core
    
  • Saturday: rest day as it's orientation and Ralph's bday! 
    
  • Sunday: 6 pace miles

BE WELL 

THIS WEEK:
I got a lot of good things in! A large majority related to Disney! 

• Monday-I left work and got to cook! the finale of 24 was AMAZING! oh and I registered for the Frozen Princess 5k! 
  
• Tuesday I went to dinner with friends and said goodbye to a dear friend before she leaves for Japan
  
• Wednesday I made it home to make macaroni n cheese (me and carb loading are best friends!)
  
• Thursday-got an early run with Ralph
  
• Friday-Sunday VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS! Amazing bday meal at Sinatra, out to surrender with great DJing by Jermaine Dupri, XS with DJ Zedd where I saw in the pool in my party dress! So much good time, so much fun!! I cannot recommend the Encore enough. Love staying there!

• 
  NEXT WEEK:
  • Seeing some friends from grad school for dinner on Thursday
  • Saturday I have my doctoral orientation! woo-hoo not looking forward to the 8am start time but ecstatic to start this new chapter in my life 
  • Saturday is my love's 26th birthday! :) 
• 
  
  How was your week?

At this point in my life, almost everyone I know is picking up running. I feel there's many reasons for this:

• Running so popular
  
• It's cheap (you just need shoes and can do it anywhere)
  
• It's a stress reliever
  
• Have to find an exercise routine because our metabolism isn't what it used to be!
  

One of my friends refers it to our quarter live crisis. Currently I am helping 2 of my best friends and my boyfriend to start a running plan and program as they each prep for their first half marathon.

As I have written before, I have almost reached my 4 year runiversary (Disneyland half in August!) and really didn't know what the heck I was doing and crash and burned. To help others avoid that, I have decided to start a running series on what to do to prepare well to start a racing hobby.

Here is the 10 things we will be reviewing over the next few weeks:

1. What is your goal?
Do you want to do a 5k? 10k? Half? Full? Start here and work it all out

2. Training Plan
How will you reach this goal? 

3. Gear
What shoes will you wear? How about clothes? What about compression socks? Rollers? And let's not forget timers and/or watches?

4. Form
From the beginning, you have to emphasize proper running form to prevent injuries. 

5. Nutrition
Carbohydrates (in all forms) will be crucial for this along with protein, fats, and of course water. Let's not forget lessening processed foods. 

6. Sleep
How much sleep does your body need? How much are you getting? How is it effecting your runs? 

7. Time to Run
What time works for you-morning, afternoon, night? Don't forget about time of year and temperature? 

8. Fuel
How are you fueling pre-race and mid race so you don't bonk/hit a wall? How do you fuel after? 

9. Race Day
What does it take to have a successful race day? 

10. The future
Where do you want to go with this? Set a goal? Set a PR? Try something else? How does this fit in for you? 

11. Misc
I know I will miss stuff along the way so this will definitely a catch all! 



What are some of your favorite tips for newbie runner?

My usual workout recaps have now been expanded to cover all 4 Well Rules. So let's get started!



EAT WELL

LAST WEEK: Overall, pretty good! No alcohol/partying (that is being saved for Vegas) and I ate very clean with a minimal amount of gluten and carbs.

COOKED:

• Meal 1:steak, potatoes and broccoli on tues night
  
• Meal 2: zucchini pizza on Sunday (recipe this week!)
  

THIS WEEK:

• I really want to continue to eat healthy and clean until Friday when we will be heading to Vegas!
  
• I will also be CARBLOADING on weds and thurs as I need to do a 11-mile run on Friday morning.
  
• My goal is to eat as healthy as possible in Vegas but we will see how it goes! I'm packing fruits so at least ill get those in (and if I'm motivated, I'll make kale chips too!)
  
• And for rocking my 11 mile run, I will be celebrating with SONIC!!!

MEALS TO COOK:

• stir fry tonight
  
• Pasta on weds night
  
• leftover pasta and sweet n spicy chicken on thurs night
  

SLEEP WELL
LAST WEEK: SO MUCH BETTER than the week before. I did pass out at 830 on Tuesday which helped my sleep a lot.

THIS WEEK:
Hoping to keep my sleep schedule around 8 hours a night for the week and just get as much sleep as possible in Vegas.

Also I have to get much sleep as possible on Friday so I can get up at 6 to fit in my run before it gets warm too late. I need to nap for at least 1-2 hours since I'm the one driving to Vegas.


EXERCISE WELL
LAST WEEK:

• Sunday: 9.5 miles at 11:07 pace (hot but I felt good)
  
• Monday: rest day
  
• Tuesday: 5k at 11:07 pace
  
• Wednesday: a bit of yoga as well as deciding in my Core Workout.
  
• Thursday: 5k at  11:30 (Speed work). Speed work kicked my butt but i walk a lot more while I'm doing it.  And core at night
  
• Friday: walking around the Huntington library and core
  
• Saturday: 5 mile run at 11:00 pace (which is amazing considering my first mile was 12:00 and my last was 10:12)
  
• Sunday: Rest day-stretched and core work

Overall, I think the core training I started is going well. I just need to spend time with weights. Also, it looks like 11:07 is my hot weather pace which isnt bad at all.  Hopefully I can keep it up this week!

THIS WEEK:

• Monday: 15 min weights and core
  
• Tuesday: 5k easy pace and core
  
• Wednesday: yoga and core
  
• Thursday: 5k-easy pace. I'm going to try and run the whole thing!
  
• Friday: 11 miles at a good pace (11 min miles or below)
  
• Saturday: rest day (but we can count dancing in Vegas!)
  
• Sunday: rest day for return back from Vegas and core workout. I would love to get in 3 miles when I get back, but we will have to see

BE WELL

THIS WEEK:
I got a lot of good things in! A large majority related to Disney! 

• Monday my mom finalized our WDW trip in June 2015! Beyond excited to start planning this
  
• Tuesday I cooked dinner for me and Ralph (seriously, cooking is so good for my soul!)
  
• Wednesday I registered for the Glass Slipper Challenge and started planning my Feb trip now to wdw! excited for this too! 
  
• Thursday Devin made our dining reservations for Dopey!! So much disney goodness this week
  
• Friday I met up for lunch with Devin at the Huntington Library and got to finally tour the grounds. So freaking beautiful. I want to go back. 
  
• Saturday I hung out with Mallory, ran errands and starting planning for WDW Feb 2015. 
  

Sunday afternoon I went to the Japanese Food Festival and ate amazing food

NEXT WEEK:

• Monday, Wednesday and Thursday I plan on cooking dinner! 
  
• I have a dinner planned with friends to celebrate one of my friends moving to Japan on Tuesday
  
• And of course finishing planning and finally going to Vegas to celebrate Ralph's golden birthday Fri-Sun. Super excited to go back to Vegas-it's been almost a year
  
  
  How was your week?
  

Another Friday, another great linkup! I had so much fun last week, I am coming back for more!
Thanks to our amazing hostesses with the mostesses (yes, I just made up a word!): the DC Trifecta Bloggers (Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Mar from Mar on the Run, and Cynthia from You Signed Up For What?!)

So we are supposed to talk about 5 Fitness Snapshots, well I am a hot mess when I work out (my clothes don't match, I'm sleepy, my hair is a mess, not to mention they would all be selfies if I took pics) so instead of posting pics of me actually working out, I am going to review a new Core Workout I have created based off of the 30 day Ab Challenge I did last month and linking to videos of correct form and then show you some fitness shots too! I saw great results very quickly from the 30 day Challenge so I am adding this to my routine every day and hopefully will see small results by my Vegas trip next week!

It involves 5 separate exercises: 

• Squats
  
• Crunches
  
• Russian Twists
• Planks
  
• Leg raises

Overall, it is a pretty simple routine:

• 50 squats (with 5 lb weights)
• 50 crunches
• 50 oblique crunches (25 each side)
  
• 50 Russian Twists (with 1 5 lb weight)
• 30 sec plank
  
• 15 sec side plank (both left and right)
  
• 30 leg raises

My goal is to be able to do all of these back to back without stopping, however I am not there yet. I have to stop in between each exercise for a rest (no one ever said working out is easy!) Hopefully I can get there soon! Once that becomes easy, I will be upping the reps of all exercises. 

So I attached videos to all of the moves so you can review what those terms mean and proper form. 

I personally do this routine at night while watching television. it keeps me from being a bum on the couch, and in reality keeps me from falling asleep too early. 

So give it a try and let me know what you think!! 

But so I don't get kicked out of the fun party, here are 5 fitness related snapshots from the week!

It's the begining of July meaning the year is half over and more importantly, time to do my second check in with my New Years Resolutions.



NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS 2014-June update

1. Examine food and drink scripts-still on the to do list

This one I'm still working on. We all have food ideas in our head (burgers and fries, pizza and beer, pizza and wings, etc). I'm currently coming up with a list of these and want to spend time examining how I relate to them and what I can do to fix/change/improve them. I would like to post about this every 2 weeks and see how far I can get!

2. Switch to a (mostly) gluten free diet- working on

I plan on writing a real post about this but me and gluten are not friends. Ever since I have gotten my appendix out, it has been better but l still can't have much gluten at once. However some things-croissants, cheddar cheese soup-will give me a stomach ache but I suffer through.

Bread, sweets and tortillas seem to be triggers for me. I plan on exploring how I feel on these products especially because most of the symptoms lessen when I have organic bread products.

3. Continue to work out 6 days a week- B-

I have definitely fallen off the wagon on this one especially with weights. Most of it has to do with limiting what I can lift and carry since I got my appendix out. I am going to focus hard on adding weight training and resistance training this quarter. I think it will help immensely with my running.

I usually do 3 days of running, 2 days with weights, 1 exclusive day of yoga and 10-15 min of stretching everyday.

4. Blog 5 times a week- DONE

I would love to blog once a day but I feel like I will run of out stuff to talk about! However, I think 5 days is a good starting point and hopefully I can get into a habit of certain posts (grocery matchups, my healthy eating journey, shopping trips, work out schedule).

5. Start our Disney blog/ be more involved in social media-DONE!

I used to be really involved on the DIS boards and I loved it. I decided I missed that part of my life so I'm going to take a big leap and start posting more, meeting more bloggers and going to disney meet ups. I think it'll be good for me! However the Disney blog has slowed-I want to figure out a more consistent schedule.



RUNNING RESOLUTIONS-yes it needs to be separate!

1. Carb load naturally-DONE

Switching away from gluten means I need to carb load more natural form of carbs-sweet potato, rice, potatoes, fruit, sugar, etc.

I have been doing this for my training runs and it feels great! I can even have some gluten free pasta too.

A secondary goal-I want to track my carb intake next time I need to stock up before a training run. I need to approaching 200-300 grams of carbs and I don't think I'm getting close to that yet.

2. Finish my first marathon- DONE!

Even though it was not the result I wanted, I am a marathoner. I cannot wait to run Dopey as well as redeem my full performance at the 2015 LA Marathon.

I figure they have to get easier just as halves have gotten easier. I guess only time will tell!

3. Switch to a 5:1 interval for dumbo (modified to a 2:30/30)-DONE

Ever since I switched to a 30 sec walking interval, my times have improved so much! Working my way up to a 2:30 was great in the spring but increase in temperature and humidity, it has been difficult.

When the weather doesn't cooperate-which will be often over the summer-I switch to 2:00 or 2:15 and always feel much better!

I would like to play around with intervals more and maybe I can test out different ones soon to see if I can improve my time!

4. Run a sub 2:30 half (assuming it'll be at LA rock n roll) and a sub 1:10 10k

I love Disney races and will NEVER PR at one because I take too many pictures (which is not a bad thing, I pay good money to take these pictures and dress up). However I love the LA Rock n Roll as it is very flat and on a route I am very familiar with and have walked many times on my own (ie-from the Coliseum after a football game back to my apartment in graduation school) and feel good on the course. Also, it's halloween themed so costumes are definitely always encouraged! I think the LA rock n roll are my best bet for a 2:30 sub half.

I have run a sub 1:10 10 K-Twice! 1:07:09 and 1:02:49.

I'm still hoping to score a strong time at the Christmas run in December but it may be challenging as I will have done a simulated Dopey the weekend before but I will still be trying anyway!

5. Roll and stretch every day-some weeks are better than others

When I was injured late last year, not stretching was my downfall. I have now switched to a method of rolling and stretching in the morning after my workout and also before I go to bed. I would to insert a good 5 minutes of yoga (sun salutations, downward dogs,etc) as another way to stretch my body as when I feel looser, I feel much better.

6. Completely adapt chi running techniques-going back to review all concepts

I promise there is a post coming on this and I have adapted many of them. I want to continue to learn and adapt chi techniques.

I have learned to stop using my calves as much while running but my shins still hurt from time to time. (I have adapted the technique of willing pain away-works wonders).

I plan on re-reading the workout sections of the books as a way to work on them. I think by the end of the year, I will be a complete chi running convert.





So overall, I am slowly working towards my goals! The running goals are going better than the others but it's all still progress. I still can't believe I've run a marathon since my last check in!