Well I have managed to get the first wave of the flu! I truly felt as though someone beat me up terribly then left me to die! :( no fun! I was not able to run since Sunday but I have a great story for you, as always!!!
Ok, so last Saturday night I was driving home from a dinner out with friends, and I just did not feel right. My head was pounding and I just felt weak. I went to bed quickly. I woke up Sunday morning and felt really weak. I didn't even go to Church which meant I was pretty sick... I waited a while and thought I was feeling better.
My #BSB running buddy called me and asked if I would go to the gym.. I said sure I was feeling better and I wanted to "sweat out" whatever I had! Well... I got to the gym and she was already running on an incline... kicking my butt before I even began! So I started walking at an incline and quickly began to run... I was out of gas! So I walked about a mile and a half while she ran walked. Feeling defeated I thought I am going to give it a whirl! I am gonna run as hard as I can for as long as I can! (BIG mistake let me repeat! BIG MISTAKE!) I began to run at about an 8:45 pace (way faster than I usually do) and I continued for a while. Then I turned it up... I was not running at a 7:30 pace....in my opinion I was FLYING!!!!!!!! I ran about .6 miles at this pace to get me to 2 miles. It nearly killed me!!!! I had to sit down after! Yay for pushing myself, but BOOOO for not listening to my body! I was clearly not up to it!
Emily and I went into the weight room where we did a few reps!!! She asked if I could spot her on the bench.... I said sure! I then proceeded to lift the bar a few reps... it may have been the hardest thing I had done to date.....
So, take it from me... listen to your body! If your sick, REST REST REST! I ended up having a temperature of 101.2 on Monday night, and had to miss work on Tuesday. I am feeling much better but I probably should have laid off the gym on Sunday....
KEEP ON RUNNING EVERYONE!
I hope to be running by tomorrow, still trying to get my energy back!!!
Love ya,
Melly Mel :)
Sorry had to share this!!! We always joke but hey, it was kinds true!
Sorry it has been so long since I have posted, but man have I been busy! I wanted to share my "Turkey Trot" story with you..... you are going to get a good laugh! Ok, so for Thanksgiving, I traveled to North Carolina to spend the holiday with my family. I asked my mom to look up at Turkey Trot for me, and that they could all come watch me run.....it just didn't pan out....
Well it was Thanksgiving day and I had just gotten to my sisters for dinner, when my sister opened the door and her "1 day old dog" (you know they adopted the dog, and sweet Riley had only been there for one day!) Well as you can imagine that dog was GONE!!!!!!
I was all dressed up, high heeled boots and all, hair and makeup DONE!....and my sister yells someone get the dog!!!! Well, my mom, dad & sister were not going to get the dog that was CLEAR TO ME! So me in my high heels(4inch), went trotting off for the dog..... 1 long yard, highway, 4 neighbor's yards and a trot though the woods later I CAUGHT SWEET RILEY! What a Turkey Trot! I mean I just could not bare the thought of seeing my 3yr old Niece's dog smashed by a car on Thanksgiving.....I drug him out of the woods, and then carried him down to the road where my sister was waiting in the car to pick me up! Well probably more like picking the dog up!!!!
I was dripping in sweat, my boots were ruined, but the look on my precious nieces face when I put the dog in the car was well worth it!!!! I must say I earned every bit of my DINNER!!!!!!:)
So no I did not run an actual "RACE BIB TYPE OF RACE" but I definitely put a new spin on the Turkey Trot!!! :) I sure love that dog, just glad he is safe and sound!! :)
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends GOD BLESS! :)
Hey everyone, all I have to say is WHAT A WEEK! OMG! I do not even know where to begin. Emily and I really brought it this week! It all started on Monday.... She loves Zumba ( I am terrible at it, I do it for the cardio and the laughs) so it is Monday Night Zumba! I got there a little late, but what a time. Our instructor is AMAZING! I have never seen anyone so good at Zumba! (YMCA MON and WED 6:45!!!!) Ok, so that was fun, but now starts the funny part...
Anyone seen the weight room? Ok, so Emily was a little shy about entering the "man cave" at the gym. I assured her it was ok! We walked in, and there was "Hot Chocolate" and "GTL's" all over the place! She was a little nervous, but I assured her we paid our membership (WHICH IS OUTRAGEOUS!) we were allowed in! We did arms, and abs! It was hysterical! I think my favorite part of the night was when Emily and I did side lunges with an arm press! I would continually make a "Grrr" sound to try and act manly! She cracked up! I don't know when I broke out the booty shaking from zumba in the mirror, I thought Emily was going to cry from laughter! See Its not all about the work out, I am sure we burned just as many calories laughing!
On to TUESDAY!, ok So Emily is much more on this workout train than me.... ( I think I have the winter blues already, plus it was finals week) but BSB has to top all right? Tuesday= Pi-loxing (which I thought was Pi-boxing). So I get there a little late, I got stuck in a meeting at work. I had no idea what this class was really about, so I walk in and Emily had wights out for me.... I thought to mysel, my arms are jello from last night this is not going to be pretty! (and it wasn't) It was KIIIIIILLLLLLLLLEEEEERRRRRR! It was a cross between Tae Bo, Pilates, kick boxing, & summer volleyball conditioning from hell. I some how made it thought, maybe it was because I noticed that there were two girls, who worked at the place I did my summer internship, in the class and a girl who ran the Muddy Buddy 5k with us! However we survived WHAT A CLASS! If you did that everyday you would have a rocking bikini body Helllllo Lady (Favorite Elvis Duran Saying)!
Ok on to WED!!!! :) Ok so it was Zumba again... I am gonna skip the workout part and go straight to CHINA MAN!!!!!!!! HOLY WORD! There was this Chinese man in the class ok, let me say this as well he was the ONLY man in the class, the only man I HAVE EVER SEEN IN A ZUMBA CLASS! This guy was out working everyone in the class however he was about 4 beats behind in the moves! The class flew by because I sat there and watched him! I give this guy all of the credit in the world! He was really working it however I may need to work with him on his rhythm! Mine was already off from the soreness!!!! :)
On to THURSDAY! Ok, so I have a bone to pick with the Y. I waited ALL WEEK for Slow Burn this new to me workout class that I really wanted to try! I rearranged my whole day to go to this class. We are walking into the Y and I made the statement, what if it is canceled tongiht I would be sooo mad!!! We walk in and Yep CANCELED! Sooo....we were already at the gym so we decided to BSB yet again! (4th day in a row!!!) First we biked for about 15 mins (our butts hurt so we stopped) then we ran hard for 15 mins (needed to get out BSB sweat on), then we decided to enter the "Man Cave" yet again! WHAT A TIME WE HAD! "Hot Chocolate was NOT THERE! BOO- But there was a GLT looking Zac Efron there...... however I think he was 15. I made a goal to be able to do 1 pull up!
Ok, So here is Emily's workout goal! To be able to curl this!
We might not reach out goals, but hey it is ok to DREAM RIGHT?
Ok, on to today FRIDAY! Emily and I met at the Y at 5:30- we ran a lovely 2miles and it felt GREAT!!!!!!!! She was really pushing me today! I was a bear when I got there...but it was well worth it! Any of you readers who work out at the Y Come join us! All I have to say is I AM TAKING TOMORROW OFF!!!!!!
Well I know it has been a while, and I know this is long but I hope you all enjoyed! :)
Here is how I feel about the Y canceling to classes!
Southwestern Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Chipotle Sauce
1 (8.8 ounce) package microwaveable precooked whole-grain brown rice (ex: Uncle Ben's)
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (I used canned chuck chicken bc I couldn't find the rottisserie chicken. Just mix the chicken around a bunch and it will be "shredded")
3/4 cup fresh salsa
1/3 cup chopped green onion (about 3)
1 (15-ounce) can reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
12 iceberg lettuce leaves
Prepare rice according to package directions. Place rice in a large bowl. Stir in chicken and next 3 ingredients. Spoon chicken mixture evenly in center of lettuce leaves. Fold in edges of leaves: roll up, and secure with toothpicks. Serve with Spicy Chipotle Dipping sauce. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 wraps and 2 tablespoons sauce)
The reason I'm running is to get healthy and lose weight. I hate running really, but I'm doing it to better myself. I'm also doing Zumba. If you've never tried Zumba DO IT! You can even call me up and go to class with me!
The hardest thing about this whole thing is motivation. I've got plenty of reasons to lose weight; to make me feel better, to make me healthier, to make me look better, to get skinny for my wedding, etc. It can be discouraging when you start exercising way more than you ever have and aren't losing weight. When I was on Weight Watchers I'd lose 3 pounds a week no problem! Why is it that when I work out and work hard I lose nothing... It's depressing and frustrating. All I can do is push through it. I need to lose at least 10 pounds before the wedding. I owe it to myself and to my future husband. Just keep swimming right?
Sorry this got personal but sometimes personal and "real" posts help.
I just finished my first run of the "winter season" by winter I mean having to load up on gear....ya know ear warmers, gloves, thicker tights, jacket etc. ( I will take any winter gear secrets any of you can give me) I know that for me I hate wearing gloves, because I use pandora and runkeeper during my runs and sometimes I need to check them and you cannot check them with gloves (boo right?)
I really like this blog, it keeps me accountable for my running and weight loss.... I mean really tonight made me remember why I love running.... as much as I complain about the cold, I LOVE LOVE LOOOOVE running in it. I suffer from really bad allergies, and I do really well when its cold out. I know this sounds crazy, but I really like the burn in the lungs, and the coldness of the air and how it makes you sweat while you are actually cold.. I LOVE IT! I also really love the wind blowing in my face, and the leaves falling around me. Makes you see the true beauty on this earth that God made for us!
If you are like me and hate the winter... get some thick sights, a warm flexible jacket or fleece and and earwarmer and get out there!!! I run year round... I started training for the Pittsburgh Half in January.... my favorite run I ever put up was the day we had a heavy snow....nothing like running in the fluffy stuff!!! :) Remember the first mile in the cold is the worst, after that its very refreshing!!! When its really cold put a scarf around your face, or get one of these neck warmers.... you can do it!!!!!!
I love pictures so I took a picture to document my first run in the winter..... and right when I ended the run , it began to snow :)..... love you all GET RUNNING!
I wanted to share a quick Delicious recipe (hear it is a weight watchers one but do not know the points) with all of you.... a friend of mine turned me on to this a few years ago and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I love it because it is fast and still so good!!!!
Ok, I want to make this short and sweet :) (and extra yummo)
Ingredients (7 cans)
2 cans of turkey chili (or 2 cans of vegetarian or 1 to 1)
1 can of Campbell's old fashioned vegetable soup
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of diced potatoes
1 can of green beans
1 can of carrots
Let it all cook down in a pan, I add some fun seasonings, and you have what I call "Vegetable Chili"
Now, I can't take credit for this. My sister told me about because she knows I'm on a tight budget and am looking for healthy things to eat.
Not only is it healthy but it can be a vegetarian or vegan meal!
Black Bean Tacos
1 can of black beans, drained
Salsa
Any other seasonings you like!
Basically, I drain a can of black beans, throw it in a pan and turn the stove on med-high. Throw in some salsa. I also have Fiesta Lime seasoning that I use. You can put minced garlic in it, ground cumin (for extra mexican flavor), taco seasoning, pretty much whatever you think would go best!
Spoon out reasonable portions into 8-inch tortillas (you can get low fat, low carb, high fiber tortillas)
I then take low/no-fat cheese and sour cream and put it on top.
To be a little fancier you can use shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.
As you can see it's super easy and you can make it the way you like. It's filling and doesn't have the fat that a beef or chicken taco would have and give you the nutrients from the beans. Enjoy!
Feel free to comment and tell me about how you made yours!
I have a great running update for you!!!! My best friend (Who is the Bride, I am bringing sexy back for) came up to visit this weekend. She had always told me that she wanted to run a 5k, and we always just "talked about it"..... one day I was checking into the YMCA, and I saw a flyer for a Muddy Buddy 5k, where you are "tied" to your partner... I thought what better way to run your first 5k then to be tied to your original BSB (BSB= Bringing Sexy Back) workout partner... so now I guess you would say, BSB 2.0 baby! I signed us up!
Well today was the day! We got up early... got our Ohio State gear on (we matched of course) and headed to the Y. When we walked into the Y we saw a bunch of Seasoned runners (by the way the runner guy announced them as spirited runners) and began to get a little nervous... They handed us our bags with NO BIB! WHAT THE HECK NO BIB... I didn't get to add to my collection bummer (however I did add to my collection of something else, which I will tell later).
The weather outside was FREEZING, everything was frosted over! Including the optional mud pit at the end of the course! Right before the race.... we decided to get pumped up and listen to our anthem, Bringing Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake..this exact version below!
We started the race....(my butt was dragging) Misti was ready to run.... I thought my ears were going to fall off, and my snot was going to freeze (sorry to be real but that is how it was!).. We got in our grove, then we came up on the big hill! I yelled "Rocky Montage" lets go lets go! We made it! Then we were on our final stretch when a friend of mine drove by yelling go girl go! What motivation!!!!
We finished strong! What a great feeling to finish a race tied to your best friend! I would definitely would recommend this race to anyone! Being tied to your partner not only is a great team builder, it make you work together in tandem in way you would never think, you have to stay in stride together, and you have to push each other! For me it was a realization of our different strengths and weaknesses! I was a terrible starter and Misti was a stellar starter!!!! She was great! I was impressed! I however and a better finisher, I kick into gear about mile 2, when Misti was in high hear until mile 2! So combined we pushed each all the way through!!! It makes it to be a real challenge when you have to switch your normal running style to someone else.
Now to the Epic finish..... oh boy where shall I start.. There was an optional mud finish (which was partially frozen) I mean typically I am all about mud, fun, crazy, spontaneous, but when its 30 degrees NOT SO MUCH! Not to mention, what if you start in the mud pit and fall? YUCK! (MANY People did just that).... After the race we got to the food table we had amazing apples, and hijacked TONS OF mini-cliff bars for future run! (Not to mention they were NASTY, which we found out later)...
So we were done, getting ready to leave when the guy that was coordinating the race came up to me and said hey make sure you go to the finish line for the awards ceremony... I knew the guy but not well, I thought he was just "rounding people up". We were just going to skip this and head out for a big breakfast, I mean we earned it! (we never did go to breakfast #BSB RULE- Never eat when you are not hungry!) So they start giving out awards, they were categorized by combined age. We had a combined age of 49. So we were chomping on our AMAZING apples oblivious, exhausted and not paying a bit of attention, and they CALL OUR NAMES!!!! We look at each other and say WHAT???? Misti & Mel 3rd place!!!!! We cracked up as we were getting our medals! Well we didn't get a race bib, but we did get a medal, not a finishers medal, we got a 3RD PLACE MEDAL! Great MoJo for #BSB!
Thank you so much for following us! We hope you enjoy reading these as much as we enjoy sharing our running disasters and victoriyyyyyyyy (in a Johnny Drama Viking Quest imitation)...
Feel free to add comments, picutures, advice, funny running stories (we LOVE funny) we would love to hear from you!
Love,
Melly Mel
#BSB Rule #1: ALWAYS wear make-up especially eye liner and lipgloss on race day!
Listening to our #BSB Anthem
Diving in the mud pit!
At the finish line with our 3rd place medals! MAKING #BSB PROUD!
Hi all!
This is Emily :) Mel and I will each be posting on here. Hopefully we can find a way to let you know who is typing!
Running this morning felt great. I don't like running but I know it's good for me. I'm also NOT a morning person. God only knows how I was able to wake up this morning for our run! It was awesome. I was tired out and have been sore all day but it's been totally worth it! I felt happy and confident all day! I encourage anyone who is like me and dislikes running AND mornings to find a buddy and get up super early someday and run! I'm not saying it's going to be an everyday thing but it's definitely something I would do again!
I hope to talk about all kinds of healthy living things on here as well as running. I LOVE doing Zumba! It's something I actually look forward to doing. The other day Mel and I ran a little then did Zumba. That was nice for me because I knew after I finished running I had Zumba!
Our plan is simply to eat better and exercise more. I can't speak for Mel but I do not at all agree with highly restrictive diets. Diets like weight watchers are good because you still eat normally but learn portions and what kinds of food to eat. The strict diets make you lose weight fast but don't teach you anything about healthy eating. I won't sit here and tell you I eat healthy all the time. Otherwise I wouldn't need to be doing this! I'll talk about what works and what doesn't in terms of food and will investigate calories and healthy recipes!
I'm really excited about this and hope someone out there in cyberland can benefit from our rantings!
Ok... So I recently got introduced to a co-worker where I am currently doing an internship, we have lived in the same town for almost 2 years now and didn't know each other...how crazy is that....Well last week we went out to dinner and had an absolute blast!!!! We instantly hit it off... both of us inspiring runners..... so we have decided to make a blog for our run group (which now only consists of her and I)! We wanted to start a running group in our town but it is sooooo small, and us Ohio girls know that most people do not want to trek outside in the winters let alone have enough runners at different paces and ages..!!! Brrrr!!!
Well my new friend and I have recently decided to #BringSexyBack.... She is getting married to the love of her life in 9 short months, I am so excited for her! I am in a wedding in 10 short months with a bunch of skinny twiggy girls...(I am not a skinny, twiggy girl ouch..)..we have made a pack together that we are going to work hard and run to look our best on her wedding day and at my best friends wedding day....
Late last night, I got the bright idea, lets run tomorrow morning.... me having to be at work at 9 and her having to be at work at 7:45 posed as a problem... solution....5:30 am run.... OUCH!!!! Thank god she called me or I would have slept for hours!!! :)
While running on the treadmill at 5:30 am this morning we decided that we need a motivator. I told her that she needed to have her voicemail say... Sorry I cannot answer the phone right now but please leave your name and number and I will call you back...&. If this is Melody, WALK AWAY FROM THE FAST FOOD! We laughed and laughed, and decided that we would start this running blog as a better way to encourage each other and to keep us accountable for our goal.. and let other runners give us tips, training advice, and motivation! We are here to motivate you as well!.... we have not really set a weight loss goal, or a size goal... our goal is to #BringSexyBack :)
We are not great runners by any sense of the imagination.... we just want to help encourage others to work hard, get to the gym and make good choices.... believe me I know its hard! Fast food is easy but my motto is "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"....(lets see how long I can stick to that)... I have run 2 half marathons #Pittsburgh Marathon, and the #Air force Marathon, 1 sprint triathlon West Milton, and many 5k's. None of which I finished in any good time..... my goal is to improve my times....I know that if I can improve my time..... I will #BringSexyBack... and if I dont "look good in that dress" I will "FEEL GOOD IN THAT DRESS".
We also decided to take a picture.... to be able to better gage our weight loss..and inch loss :) We have both decided not to disclose our weight, however WE HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY! -Melody
