As cross posted on Blogger and Facebook.

The week of 9/28/2009:

• Monday: AM – 5k on the treadmill and stretch, PM – challenges
• Tuesday: AM – at least 2 miles with Little Dog, PM – Rest
• Wednesday: AM – 3.75 miles with Little Dog, PM – challenges
• Thursday: AM – Lift at the gym (core and pullup!), PM – Rest
• Friday: AM – 3.75 miles with Little Dog, PM – challenges
• Saturday: AM – 8 miles with Little Dog and Mister Dog, PM – Rest
• Sunday: AM – Lift at the gym (core, pullup!), challenge test and cross train!

Today’s 5k on the treadmill went well – 29:14. That is a time I’d like to see in a couple of weeks at the Frank Kush 5k. We’ll see though – I’m going to distance lately. Not for speed! (Ha! Did you see what I did there?)

I certainly don’t think it’s fair to have candy bars AND cinnamon rolls in the breakroom. My resistance is only so strong. And I really like cinnamon rolls.

Here’s hoping tonight’s challenges come fairly easily. It’s been a long day and I’m poooooooped.

This weeks schedule (which I wish I could find a better format for posting online):

•  Monday – AM – Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Tuesday – AM – Lift with focus on assisted pull ups and core – FAIL!, PM – REST
• Wednesday – AM - Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Thursday – AM – Lift with focus on assisted pull ups and core – FAIL!, PM – REST
• Friday – AM – Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Saturday – AM – Long Run – 7.5 miles, PM – REST
• Sunday – AM – Cross train (row, mostly likely) and lift if feeling good, PM – REST

So the problem seems to be Tuesday and Thursday so far. My behind is just lazy and there is no Little Dog agitating to go. Oh well. Wednesday I stayed home from work but managed my best run to the dog park yet – 41 minutes to go about 3.5 miles (including traffic lights and pit stops). I’d like to get it down to a 35 minute run – eventually.

I’m still all sinus-y gross. That’s been three weeks of YUCK in my sinuses. Apparently I need to get my lower sinuses roto-rootered or something…

This weeks schedule (which I wish I could find a better format for posting online):

•  Monday – AM – Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Tuesday – AM – Lift with focus on assisted pull ups and core – FAIL!, PM – REST
• Wednesday – AM – Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Thursday – AM – Lift with focus on assisted pull ups and core, PM – REST
• Friday – AM – Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Saturday – AM – Long Run – 7.5 miles, PM – REST
• Sunday – AM – Cross train (row, mostly likely) and lift if feeling good, PM – REST

Yeah. So I rocked out with the challenges last night, even being tired and late getting home. And even with my poor right quad being all sore from Sunday’s initial test. And then this morning, I couldn’t get my hiney out of bed and my quad hurt even more.

Indeed. Those are excuses. They may even be valid. But I still made a choice to be lazy this morning (and my husband even went to the gym – go him!). Everyday, every morning, every meal, every workout (or lack thereof) is a choice. So my choices today have sucked.

No workout. I ate a candy bar and chips from TJ’s even though I had a healthy lunch packed, including snacks. The PMS monster reared it’s ugly, hormone-y head and I chose to listen.

Yeah, choice is a big deal for me. I think I may actually tattoo it on my person to help reinforce the importance of that one little word. You may not choose your lot in life but you can always choose how you react to events in your life.

Luckily for me, tomorrow I will run no matter what – because Little Dog is a demanding bitch and NEEDS her run to the dog park. Four-leggers are great motivators.

Of course, what remains to be seen, is what tonight’s choice for dinner will be.

Well, I did 7 miles on Saturday but in split format. That is, I went 3.5 miles to the dog park with Ripley. Took a potty break and a 15 minute breather and swapped out Ripley for Indiana and then went 3.5 miles home. Less than 90 minutes for 7 miles. In theory that means I could, right now, finish a half marathon in less than 3 hours. Yeah, and then my feet would fall off and I would cry. But you know, theoretically!

This weeks schedule (which I wish I could find a better format for posting online):

•  Monday – AM – Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Tuesday – AM – Lift with focus on assisted pull ups and core, PM – REST
• Wednesday – AM – Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Thursday – AM – Lift with focus on assisted pull ups and core, PM – REST
• Friday – AM – Run 3.5 miles, PM – Pushup, squat and crunch challenges
• Saturday – AM – Long Run – 7.5 miles, PM – REST
• Sunday – AM – Cross train (row, mostly likely) and lift if feeling good, PM – REST

What are the challenges I refer to above? Well, I’ve done the 100 Pushup Challenge and the 200 Sit-up challenge (or crunches, whatever) but now they have the 200 Squat challenge. Same idea – train yourself to do MORE of certain actions. However, the squats are going to be easier I think. We did the initial test yesterday – I did 100 squats, 14 military style (and GOOD form) pushups and 44 crunches. I’m in pretty darn good shape, if I do say so. I do think I need to start throwing in the occasional timed mile run, though my 5k on October 17th will help keep me on target for speed, I hope!

Well, I made all my planned morning runs (MWF – 3.5miles) but not much else. No lifting, no weight work.

I’ve run 10.5 miles this week so far. And walked an additional 3.5 miles. That’s 14 miles on these poor little feet. I’m hoping to put another 7 miles (hopefully all of running) on them tomorrow. I plan to run to the dog park with Little Dog and hope to run back with Mr. Dog. We’ll see. 21 miles in a week isn’t too shabby. I think I may aim for the same mileage next week.

I had to retire the bootcamp shoes for this session. And probably forever.

With three dogs it is just too hard on them and on Joshua to go to the dog park alone. They’re hard to get into and out of the dog park. And the timing sucks. Bootcamp is 530am to 630am. The dog park time is best this time of year from about 6am (when the dog park opens) until about 7am. Maybe I can head back when winter comes and the sun isn’t up until almost 7am? We’ll see.

So meanwhile, I’m upping my mileage as the weather has cooled down a bit (it will probably not break 100 this week, maybe, if we’re lucky!) and doing a lot of running with Little Dog. Her behavior (i.e. gnawing on my head or picking fights with the boys) is better with more exercise. So, this week’s goal is to run her to the dog park (about 3.5 miles) MWF and walk her on TR mornings. I may throw in some evening runs too, depending on my energy level. My energy level is getting better but still is not at the level I’m used to as I’ve been sick.

3.5 miles * 3 = 10.5 miles
I’m also going to try to run TO the dog park and then BACK from the dog park on Saturday for my long run so that is another 7 miles — 17.5 miles of running this week.

I’m also going to try to walk a couple of miles this week…maybe bump it to 20 miles of total foot time?

So I got an email from recruiter today about a Molecular Biology Laboratory Technician position.

I miss Molecular Biology.

However, this does make me wonder about pursuing an ASCP-MT certification. If I were to go back to Molecular, it’s not really necessary but if I were to stay in the clinical side of things, I’d really like that certification.

Of course, there is no guarantee that I could get this job given that my molecular skills are better than 5 years out of date and were never that impressive to begin with. Oh well.

To reply or not to reply?

Back home from Maine. I miss the weather and my friend. But not the cold weather or the couch. I liked Maine but home really is best. It’s where all my favorite things are – including the hubby (though he’s sick) and the doggers (even though they are insanely spazzy having been home with a sick hubby all weekend) and the cats (one of whom yacked something truly vile on the floor in my bathroom).

While in Maine, I did some shopping in the Old Port part of Portland – that was fun and a little spendy (I like to buy stuff!). I had a delicious lobster roll at Becky’s Diner followed by a whoopie pie the size of my face. YUM. I love Whoopie pie! Then we stopped at a little mom and pop pizza joint on the way home and I had pesto and chicken pizza.

That was Friday. On Saturday, I got up around 9am (after 10 hours of sleep) and went for a run. It’s SO friggin’ nice to run when it’s about 50F. I am simply dying for October/November in AZ when I can run at 50F and NOT at the 80F I was running at this morning! After my run, we went to Fort Williams (see pictures - but note that they are all just smashed in there, unsorted) and saw the lighthouse and the fort and played in the REALLY REALLY cold ocean at Willard Beach. Dinner was a delicious lobster tail and bacon-wrapped scallops feast. Yeah, with no veggies. Or carbs. Just protein. YUM!

Sunday I ran again and then we went to Freeport for more wandering around shopping fun (and more whoopie pie action). It was actually quite chilly there – maybe 70F at the warmest part of the day so I required my fleecy jacket. I’m very glad I remembered that – which is harder than you’d think given that it was nearly 100F when I left Phoenix at 10am on Thursday. Your brain often forgets things like jackets or warm socks when it’s 100F. My friend made dinner – stuffed shells lasagna. MMMMM!

I left on Monday and spent the day trying to recuperate and clean the house up a bit. The hubby has been sick since last Monday (he’s at the doctor now) so not much happened while I was gone. I did go running again this morning – further than I went in Maine but way more uncomfortable. It was 84F and 54% humidity at 5am this morning. I took Ripley for a 2.5mile jog, came home and got Indiana and went for a 2 mile walk with him. Then I came home and got Wylie and took another 2.5 mile jog with him.  That was about 7 miles, 90 minutes and 1100 calories. And here I am again, back at work. Go me!