Typical Friday night, and a little Saturday

On Fridays I work at a Physical Therapy outpatient facility where I think I walk around five miles once the day is over.  I don't get paid much, but I learn a lot from the physical therapists, it covers the application requirements for PT schools, and most of all...I LOVE IT! It's so much nicer helping other people for 8 1/2 hours than sitting at a desk for 10+ hours. 



Just a little PT humor (it's funny, trust me...haha)
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After work on Fridays, Andrew and I usually go out for dinner.  Since it snowed, and the Baltimore area was in a panic (that usually happens with any form of precipitation), Andrew and I decided to stay close to home and go to a local pizza place.

I got a slice with spinach, mushroom and red peppers, while Andrew got a slice of stuffed pizza with every type of meat you could think of.  We also 'split' a caprese stick (when I say 'split', I mean that I ate 95%...oops!)

Excuse the napkins...I like to 'blot' my pizza to get some of the grease off...but it was yummy!

Andrew's 'man slice' with his side of marinara

Afterward dinner, Andrew was a sweetie and took me to Maggie Moo's to get ice cream.  We were the only ones there, and the girl who made my ice cream creation said I was crazy for getting ice cream when it was this cold...so I told her that was mean (I was kidding, of course), and asked for more cookie dough...and she gave it to me!!! They must have had like one customer that day or something ;)

Maggie Moo's 'cookie dough drizzle' with their dark chocolate ice cream and extra cookie dough...can you say 'NOM NOM NOM'?!

P.S. Andrew didn't get anything because he was 'too full' (I don't get it either...). 

Once we got home, I devoured my ice cream, then watched like 10 episodes of Dance Academy on Netflix (it's a cheesy show about ballet that's set in Australia and makes me wish my Mom would have forced me to stay with dance...but instead she took me out of it since I hated every minute of it...sigh...I guess she's a good Mom ;))

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I've been feeling kind of crummy today, so the only thing I've done so far is an Insanity workout (which I probably shouldn't have done due to the gross feeling) and I also got my hair cut and highlighted.  It had been six months since it was last cut, so it was about time.  I think because of my spaced out, cold symptom like feeling, I did the math way wrong in my head and ended up over tipping my stylist, but in my eyes, I guess it's better to over tip than under tip :). 

Me with my new hair...excuse the spaced out look...

I don't know what the rest of the day holds, but it will probably be a lot of laying down and nothing :)

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What are you up to this weekend?

Do you run in the cold/snow? 

Are you a 'pizza blotter' (i.e. do you like the grease on your pizza or do you try to blot some of it off before eating it)?

I'm in a New York state of mind

Part of Andrew's Christmas present this year was a day trip to New York City to see Jersey Boys.  I had seen the show while I was in Chicago, but he had never seen it.

We spent the morning walking around the city and doing the typical tourist stuff:

Taking pictures in front of FAO Schwartz





Hanging out with Cookie Monster and Sherk in Time Square





The Time Square Tourist Picture





















It was a great time, and the show was amazing! Andrew calculated the miles we walked and it added up to 8 miles...8 MILES!!

Since we didn't get home until 2:00am and we both had today off, Andrew and I took the opportunity to sleep in until 10:00am (Andrew) and 11:00am (me).  Then I spent the day doing school work and actually finishing my online class (yay!). 

Then I finally got time for myself and did an insanity workout...it was crazy hard and I'm super sore!

It was insane...but a great workout!

Now I'm chillin' out watching the Bachelor, not looking forward to work tomorrow...blah!



Setting the World Record for longest kiss....



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Did you have Monday (MLK Day) off? Did you do anything fun?

What are some good cross training workouts? Have you done Insanity or P90X?



Why I'm Back In School...

Comfort food from Trader Joes...


Why yes, those are peanut butter filled pretzels, and yes the bag is open, and yes, it may be half gone already (6 pieces is not a serving...)



 ....that I got after finding out that I got a B on my Psych test (blah).  I don't know why I was so angry about it...there was no way I could have done any better than that given the fact that we didn't really know what the test was going to be on until the night before. 



What my test grade actually feels like...
(source)


......But anyways....enough of my venting (although thanks for listening :)).  You may be wondering why I have been going back to school.  I currently work at a job where I sit at a desk.  I'm very blessed to have this job and to be able to contribute financially.  However, I despise sitting at a desk.  It has never been for me (believe it or not I usually have to get up at least once when writing a blog post), and I never really saw myself in this job setting.

So with the support of my husband, my family and my friends, I have decided to go back to school for Physical Therapy.  I figured that I'm still fairly young (even though I don't get carded anymore...what's up with that?!), and we don't have kids yet, so this would be the best time to make a career change.  

School is cool :)
(source)

I'll have several semesters of crazy schedules where I'll only see my husband when I get home (and he's usually asleep) or when we both wake up in the morning (which isn't a pretty sight), but I hope to get my pre-reqs done by next Fall, which is when I can also apply to schools.  Hopefully those who read this blog can learn how to balance work life with school life with a running life...and still stay sane :)

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Are you in school?  What tips do you have for working and going to school at the same time?

Out with the old....

And in with the new...

Orthotics:

AND

Running Shoes:

Anddddd.....A neuroma in my left foot that I think I got two days after signing up for the Pittsburgh Marathon.  My running friends said that neuromas are just something I'll have to live with and that I should run through the pain, while the two physical therapists that I work for say to stop running until it stops hurting when I walk.  Even though I miss running terribly and want to listen to my running buddies...I'm thinking I should be smart and listen to the PTs this time around. 

What exactly is a neuroma?, you ask:

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According to WebMD:

Morton's neuroma is thickening of the tissue around the nerve between the bases of the toes (usually between the third and fourth toes). Foot pain, odd sensations, or numbness over the ball of the foot are the usual symptoms.  It is more common in women and can be a result of wearing high heels or tight shoes. (source)

Although I do wear high heels every so often (I haven't worn anything but my Uggs and my running shoes since the pain started because they were the only shoes that had enough space to fit my orthotics), I think the neuroma that I have was a result of these:

Ew...

Yes...those are five year old othotics (see the hole in the left one...that's the spot where my foot pain started...)

So because of this, I'm not certain if the Pittsburgh Marathon is happening or not.  I'll already be a few weeks behind on my training plan, plus I haven't ran in several weeks, so it probably wouldn't be smart for me to train for it since I probably wouldn't be able to run well.  We shall see how things go though!  

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How well do you deal with injuries?  Do you usually not worry or does it give you major depression symptoms when you think of the races you could be running?

What is your favorite thing to do when it comes to cross training?

100,000 Pages...

...is what I've felt like I've read for my two winter classes this past week.  Granted, the material is interesting, and I like to read, but I just can't sit for hours at a time.



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That is kind of funny...



I was able to take a few breaks yesterday.  I did 60 minutes of cross training on the elliptical. I wanted to do more, but the bottom of my left foot was hurting...so I figured I should be smart and stop.  I've been having some shin and knee pain too, so I didn't want to start running long until both felt better. 


I also went out to dinner with my parents and my cousin's family.  Mom and I split a bottle of wine and I also helped Andrew eat some of his steak in addition to my pasta dish (ain't I a wonderful wife!). 


In other news...I officially signed up for the Pittsburgh Marathon so I will be running my first marathon in May....eeeeeekkkkkkkkk.  I'm scared of the longer distance and getting injured, but hopefully I can play it smart and train well.  I'm still trying to figure out what 1/2 marathon I should do to enhance my training...and will probably do one sometime in March. 

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Well...it's back to studying for me. Hope you're all having a great Sunday!

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Do you usually 'help' your significant other eat their food when you're out to eat (i.e. finish everything on your plate and then start eating what's on their plate because it looks good, you're still hungry, etc.)?

Sign up for any good races this weekend?

How many marathons have you run?  If you've only run 1/2's, do you think you would ever run a full?

New Years Resolutions

While most of us probably won't keep the new years resolutions we make for 2013 (the statistics are quite sad...which you can read about in this article along with some good resolution ideas that don't involve losing weight, the top resolution last year), I thought that I would write down what my resolutions are for 2013.  They say that you're more luckily to meet your goals if you write them down.  Ok...I don't know who 'they' are, but I thought it would be a good idea, so here we go:

1. Worry less
This is huge for me.  Worrying is such a waste of time and energy...two things that will be lacking in the next few months with school and work. 

Gotta love Pinterest for good quotes :)

Doesn't everyone do this to stay calm?! (picture also from Pinterest)

 

2. When I do stress or worry, find a healthy way to deal with it.
How about training for a 1/2 marathon, 12 person relay and full marathon, all within three months of each other.  Healthy, or crazy...or maybe a little of both?

(Also from Pinterest)

3. Continue to set goals. 

My Dad is a prime example of someone who continually sets goals.  Whether it's to write a book, gain (yet another) certification, or even to create a new recipe, he's always staying busy.  Dad is also the one who signed me up for my first half marathon.  We ran together and I 'beat' him by one second.  He blames the fact that he had to hold the keys to the car...and that extra weight apparently equals an extra second ;)  He still currently holds the family 1/2 marathon time record....by three seconds.

Dad and I at my wedding...we danced to a polka...cause we're cool like that :)

4. Get more sleep.
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...sorry...I could even write that with a straight face.  If I get 6-7 hours a night I'll be thrilled.  Gotta love the student/working life :)

Have a Happy New Year everyone!!

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What are your new years resolutions? 

Running any good races in 2013?

Catching Up

This semester was crazy with a capital C...which is not the grade I got in my two classes (I may have gotten A's...yay!).  Between the new work schedule where I work 10 1/2 days four days a week, taking classes four nights a week from 7:30pm-10:30pm (and yes...they would keep us there that late...) and the addition of a second job, I was totally burned out once break came along and may or may not have watched an entire season of Bones in three days after finals.  Pathetic...or an achievement.....you decide ;)  

What I did accomplish during the semester besides good grades was baking cupcakes for my best friend's sister's wedding (confusing?!).  After over 12 hours of baking with my Mom's help, I would call it a success, but I had no desire to eat/look/touch a cupcake for weeks after the wedding. 

The cupcake table :)

I also ran two half marathons, Baltimore and Hershey, one with a PR of 1:40:51 (Baltimore)!! 

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My sister-in-law also ran Hershey, completing her first half marathon (I'm so proud!).   

Our race bibs that morning

Other than that my life consisted of work, school, working out, work, eating Chick-fil-a, school, running, and work.  The winter semester starts next week and my crazy self decided to take two classes over a four week semester.  Luckily they are Developmental Psych and Abnormal Psych...so I hope to learn to develop not to be abnormal (maybe?...haha). 



In other news, I'm thinking about running my first marathon (hopefully without injuring myself...which happened with my other marathon that I wanted to run.) 


I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

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What were some of your achievements in the last few months? 

Any advice for a new marathon runner?  What (if any) training plan did you use?