Return of the plaid

I ran again! I did an entire mile (without stopping) on Tuesday. Impressive for several reasons. 1) I had a craptastic day at work, and wanted to blow the entire workout off, sit on my sofa, & eat pirate's booty while watching Burn Notice. 2) It took me a month to build up to running a mile without stopping last winter when I started to run.

Summary of my workouts:
Monday - no workout, signing the refinance papers on our house.
Tuesday - Didn't want to work out (had to skip lunch due to work crisis), but squeezed in a quick walk/run on the treadmill after the kids were in bed.
Wednesday - 35 minutes on the bike + .25 miles on the treadmill + working on my bat wings (aka flabby arms)

Plan for today - keep my calories under 1500, eat well (lots of fruits & vegetables), & run for 1.25 miles without stopping. Also, a leg workout.

Ugly Bathroom Photos:
Yesterday

• Plaid scarf (hence the post title) - Burberry, circa 2001. My office is cold, & I've cycled through all of my scarves. I have no shame, and the Burberry may no longer be a *trend*, but it's still warm & snuggly.
• Tan sweater - Loft
• Jeans - Gap, Always Skinny
• Boots - Vince Camutto (Nordstrom), gift from M
• Dorky face & security badge - keeping it real

And, without the scarf. The sweater is new

Today's outfit of the day. I was bored with jeans & boots, so opted for a skirt. Of course, this skirt is pre-kids (you know, back in the day when I had disposable income), so it's a bit shorter than I would pick these days. Oh well. Hopefully I won't scar anyone at the office.

Sweater - Gap
Silver necklace - Macy's
Gray & black striped skirt - Banana Republic, circa 2001 or so
Black tights - Loft?
Black boots - Anne Klein, Macy's

I'm also having a hair crisis. As I've mentioned (and, likely bored you to tears with) before, I'm trying to grow out my color. I'm about a year in, and here's where I'm at:

I hate my hair short. HATE. When you have huge cheeks, short hair is not your friend. But, the giant blonde streaks are not doing me any favors. I'm worried about getting a few inches trimmed off, and leaving just another inch or so of blonde roots at the bottom. Will that look worse than it does now, or better? I need input! :-) Please advise.

Progress

Guess who ran 3/4 of a mile on Sunday? Yes, that would be me! So very, very excited that I'm not feeling pain (the swelling & pain in my foot is reduced to the point of a slight nagging feeling every now & again - not the distracting, "ouch" pain that it was a few weeks ago.) Bless you, orthopedic trauma guy!

And, this is why I run. Nothing gets me quite as sweaty (and red, with crazy awesome fly aways) as running. I have no idea why my shirt is so low in the picture. I promise that I had a sports bra on, and the ladies were covered, despite what the picture shows.

Life is good! Over the weekend, M experimented with pomegranate martinis, and we are mastering our holiday drink. Best.Drink.Ever. I think I might tell him that it needs more work, just so he'll make up another batch.

My office is still cold, & I am still forced to wear flats. Hence the scarves. And boots.

Yesterday's look:
Too dark to see the details. Photography fail. I was wearing my new Grandma sweater from the Gap, and it was ridiculously warm. And, apparently not very cute, according to my husband. ;-) That's okay, I'll take warmth over style these days.

Today's look:

Here's what I'm wearing:

• Gray & white scarf - Jcrew
• Black long cardigan - Loft
• Gray jeweled tank - Jcrew
• Jeans - Seven FAM. Not meant to be tucked into boots, but my jean choices are limited these days.
• Black boots - Anne Klein/Macy's
• Dorky face & bad photography skills - still here! :-)

I'm working hard to get my eating back in check. Yesterday was a pretty good day - I came in at 1430 calories, but wasn't able to work out. We closed on the refinance of our house, so I spent my workout time signing a stack of papers.

Here's what I ate:

• Breakfast - 1/2 of an English muffin + egg + fruit & coffee
• Lunch (met M for lunch before our signing) - 1/2 piece of bread, 1/2 of a panini, handful of fries. So pleased that I took the other half of my lunch to go, rather than inhaling it as usual. :-)
• Snack - celery sticks with taziki sauce & an apple.
• Dinner - roasted brussel sprouts & butternut squash + 2 bistro sized burgers (no buns)

I was pleased that I resisted the holiday beer that M was drinking last night. Now, I need to keep it up! It's getting to that time of year when there is food EVERYWHERE at work, at home, at gatherings, etc. I need to pick my splurges, and focus on good eating habits the majority of the time. So I can make room for my planned indulgences. You know, like pomegranate martinis!

For you: what's your favorite holiday food/splurge/drink (if you partake)? Do you wear scarves?

Phone vs pool

This is what happens when you're five year old accidentally knocks your cell phone into the pool during swimming practice.

Sadly, my job requires the phone, so I'm going to have to replace it. Sigh. I think it's
going to be $450 for a new one, which is a total heartbreaker. Christmas gift to myself, anyone?

Do you like my outfit? ;-) We'll just pretend:

• Camel flats - Aerosoles (I'm all about comfort these days)
• Jeans - Seven, Dojo
• Coral sweater - Loft

Anyway, I did manage a workout today! I did a light elliptical workout + arms. My arms are very jiggly, so it's time to tone up! My goal is to keep the calories under control, because I know I'll be having wine while I make dinner. *wine, how I love you*

Here's one of the pictures I used in our Christmas cards. Getting the boys to cooperate for pictures is a huge challenge, but I liked this one.

What are you up to this weekend? Anything fun? We're hoping to take the boys to a holiday parade, they both have soccer practice, one has swimming lessons, & I need to get to the gym a few times to fend off my bat wings. I also want to finish my Christmas wrapping & getting the holiday cards in the mail!

Yes! Yes! Yes! My fracture is gone

I went in for a follow up xray & appointment with the orthopedic trauma specialist yesterday, & my foot fracture is entirely healed! Seriously, I cried. That's how happy I am. Six months later, & the fracture is finally, finally healed. That 5th metatarsal break can be wily, but the tendon has successfully pulled the bone back into place. (And, other details of anatomy that were way over my head, because I was too giddy about the news.)

I do have some wicked tendinitis right along the same spot (likely a result of some sort of pressure from the injury/recovery/what have you.) However, the treatment for the tendinitis is a two week regimen of Extra Strength Tylenol & Alleve to eliminate swelling. That, I can handle!

In six months, I've run once. I've gained six pounds. I've been miserable without the hit of cardio. My clothes don't fit as well. I can't eat all the fun stuff I used to. And, I just miss it. BUT, I'm on my way back!!!

My plan is to take it easy & focus on weights (limited cardio) for the next two weeks while I'm taking the Tylenol/Alleve. After that, I'll be walking, then *running*. I'm thinking of signing up for a 10K in March, depending on how I feel in the next month. YES!!!!!!!!!

And, just for giggles, and to demonstrate my extremely, extremely round hips that I developed during this six month hiatus, a return of ugly bathroom photos!

Outfit:

• Scarf (my office is super chilly) - Laurie B? It's 10ish years old
• Camel sweater - Loft
• Cream tank - Loft
• Jeans - Always Skinny (ha, ha, ha!), Gap
• Boots - Vince Camuto? Gift from the husband

Life is good today, friends! :-)

Long time!

Sweet lord, has it really been 2 months since my last post? Slacker! The sad news is that I am still not running. It's been six months since my injury & my foot is not healed. It's depressing & haven't been motivated to write any "I'm still not running, but I am gaining weight like it's my job" posts.

Okay, enough fooling around. I've gained 6.5 pounds since July. *gulp* It's hard to be motivated, and I don't even feel like a runner anymore. *insert sad face*

I was planning on running the Las Vegas 1/2, but clearly that's out. I'm hoping to be run/walking again by the first of the year, but I don't know what to expect for recovery time any more. Certain things hurt my foot more than others - driving is one of the biggest.

I also desperately need to get my weight back under control & lose the 6.5 pounds I've gained. That's my goal - by the end of the year to be back at 142. I can do this, even if it's slowly & with a slight limp. ;-)

And, because what fun would a post be without any pictures?!

Here's me rockin' the fashion don'ts at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. YUM - cheese! Why yes, I am wearing a faded black zippered jacked I scored at Costco, rolled jeans, my old running shoes, & beach hair. I'm like a model!

And, me + my favorite boys on a hike this weekend. And no, it wasn't raining, but the umbrellas & rain boots were new & the boys insisted. . . ;-)

And, because the entire family struggles with looking natural in pictures. . . this one kills me. Sam has the most random facial expressions going on. Love it!

Okay, I'm back, ready to focus on my weight & getting into shape again, even if it's not running right now. How are all of YOU Lovely ladies? I need to catch up!

Off track

I'm off track with my workouts lately, & need to vent. My work schedule has changed, and I can no longer work out at lunch. Finding an alternate time to work out has proven to be a huge problem. My choices are either: 5:00 am or after the boys go to bed - around 8:00 pm. I have to be up by 6:00 am either way, so working out at 8:00 means I'm not going to be falling asleep until 10 pm at the earliest. . . I know I need to just suck it up and choose one of the non-appealing options, but I'm in denial at the moment. :-) I get grouchy & anxious when I can't work out, so I need to get this figured out ASAP.

I can't run (still injured), but when my foot is feeling better, I should be able to sneak in runs a bit easier than making a full-fledged trip to the gym. I'm hoping to be at least up to a walk/run combo by October.

Weight:
I'd like to lose a total of 15 more pounds. I'm *just* under the BMI mark for being overweight, & want to be a little thinner. My anniversary is quickly approaching (third week in October) & Michael & I are going away to a lodge for a kid-free evening. Massages, dinner with wine, and a relaxing evening. Can't wait. I'd like to lose the first five pounds by my anniversary.

Outfit:
I'm back with the ugly bathroom pictures! Here's my look for today & yesterday.

Details:
Coral sweater - Loft
White tank top - Martin & Osa
Dark wash jeans - Dojo/Seven For All Mankind
Ballet flats - Nordstrom/Me Too

Details:

Black sweater - Loft

Black & gold necklace - Jcrew

Black tweed pants - Banana Republic

Black flats - Nordstrom/Me Too

Food:
Eating has not been stellar, & I need to get back into the habit of regularly tracking my calories & making healthier choices.

Summary:
I feel like I'm still evolving to my new schedule, life with a school-aged kid, the ongoing injury - and I need to adapt. How do you deal with flux and change in your life & adapt, from a fitness & nutrition perspective?

The First Day

I can't believe Sam is ready for Kindergarten! He was thrilled to ride the bus this morning. :-)

I was emotional. :-)

My baby attended his first day of "big boy preschool", and was less than thrilled. He was devastated that he couldn't ride the school bus, or have a backpack full of school supplies. Sometimes it's hard to be the younger sibling.

Me with Sam at the crazy school bus stop. He loved the excitement & energy, and of course, being with the "big kids". ;-)

My pants are a little tight, so I can tell that summer vacation is officially over, & it's time to focus on my fitness, losing the final 15 pounds, and getting back into the groove! :-)