Five Things Friday

I'm back in the Five Things Friday groove! Wooooo!

There are so many Friday favorites this week that I'm not even entirely sure where to start! But I'll do my best. :)


1. MURPH!!! In honor of Memorial Day, my box did an all weekend long Murph event. For non-crossfitters, Murph is a hero WOD named after Lt. Michael Murphy who died in combat. It's a 1 mile run + 100 pull-ups + 200 pushups + 300 squats + 1 mile run--one of Murph's favorite workouts. Going into Murph, my legs and arms were both sore from some hard workouts the week before but when I started thinking about why I was doing it, it didn't matter anymore. I pushed myself and came in with a time 41:57--best female time in the box. I was proud of that accomplishment but more proud of our box came together and honored a true hero.
SN: I've been doing cross fit since October and my baby muscles are slowly growing into real muscles!!!

2. My new running shoes! Let's be honest, new running shoes for a runner is pretty much the equivalent to a new car. I waited and waited and WAITED for the new ASICS gel nimbus 16's to come out and finally ordered them a couple of weeks ago. This is my third pair of Nimbus' and I'm OBSESSED! Especially with these! They are beyond perfect. I should be an Asics sales rep at this point--I get so many people coming to me with shoe advice and that's the direction I always point them in. :) Not to mention that their first run out of the gate was a 5K overall female win. I normally take my shoes out for a test run but took a chance with these and they delivered big time. It wasn't my fastest 5k by any means--I had just done Murph a few hours before!--but wow (I think I came in around 22:20?). Considering my legs were TIGHT, it felt like I could do no wrong. If you're in the market for new running shoes, they're definitely worth a look.

3. P & I finally bought "grown up" furniture! So, confession. For the last 2 years, P & I have been shacking up in a full size bed. And it's miserable. ha. I love P but I need my SPACE! With all of the Memorial Day sales going on and the fact that we decided against buying a house, we figured it was about time to upgrade. And upgrade we did. We are now the proud owners of a King size bed. THANK. GOD. We also may or may not have bought a new couch too... the sales girl was good.

4. Wedding stuff! My save the dates are FINALLY out... well, almost. I still have a few left to address. I'm so behind on all things wedding but I'm finally starting to feel like I'm going in the right direction. I also went and picked up my dress a few weekends ago.... and it's safe to say, I still love it. I was worried I'd pick it up and realize I made a HUGE mistake but it's still amazing. And I can't wait to put it on for real! I'll do a Wedding Wednesday post soon with all of my updates!

5. Perhaps the biggest thing of all this week is that... it's official. I'M FINALLY GOING BACK TO SCHOOL! Guys, I've been stressing hardcore about this. I've been wanting to go back to school for quite some time but never really found the right program up until recently. I wanted to keep working at my current job and start working on becoming a dietitian and to be honest, there aren't many online programs out there. And then I found Kansas State. And they have been AWESOME to work with and have been helping me along every step of the way and... I'm just so excited! It's going to be HARD but.... that just means it's worth it. As someone who was once pretty obese (220lbs!), I want to help others become healthy. :)

There you go! I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! I'll be attending a co-workers wedding tomorrow and P & I are moving into a new place on Sunday! Busy, busy, busy!

Happy Friday!

Sarah

Five Things Friday

Life has been insane and work has been crazy and thus, I've been a terrible blogger. I promise once summer hits, I'll actually post content instead of a bunch of link-ups every week. ;) Any motivation to do "real" writing has been lost this semester but come May, hopefully I can really get my blog up and running.

Until then, here's another Five Things Friday. :)

Favorite Things...

1. COLORADO! Oh. My. Gosh. Can we talk about how amazing Colorado was? I think I mentioned it a few times on the blog but I traveled to Colorado Springs for a fitness conference and if I wasn't sure fitness/wellness was the right path for me to take before, I sure as heck know that it is now. I was in heaven. I was soaking up information left and right and could have listened to the presenters talk for hours (well, I guess I did). Not to mention we did 10 kick ass workouts in two days. Yep, heaven.

2. The Broadmoor Resort. Uhh, there are no words. This is where we stayed throughout the duration of the conference and I was going to add it in with my Colorado post but.... this one deserved one of it's own. I can't even begin to describe how awesome this hotel was. First of all, they had chocolate waiting for us in the airport with the shuttle so to me, that's already a win-win situation. But beyond that, I've never stayed any place as luxurious and amazing as the Broadmoor and let's be honest, I'll probably never stay anywhere like it again, haha. I mean, hello, there was a chandelier IN OUR ROOM. Turn down service every night, AMAZING gym/spa, great food (albeit expensive!), and you can't beat the view...

3. My workouts this week! They have been some of the best I've had in a long time. I'll be honest, I've worked my BUTT off this winter in the gym and I can tell a huge, HUGE difference in my endurance and strength in comparison to this time last year. Beyond the 10 workouts I did over the weekend (crazy, I know) after a couple much needed rest days, I had an awesome crossfit workout (I'm getting strong!) and have logged right around 18 miles over the last 3 days. Next week I plan on working in some tabata type workouts and trying out T25 (my mom rocks!). As we all know, I'm a HUGE believer in Insanity so I'm looking forward to trying out T25 for those days I don't quite have an hour to dedicate to working out. :)

4. Spaghetti Squash!!!! I'm so obsessed! We made buffalo chicken spaghetti squash a few weeks ago and Tuesday we tried out an awesome recipe from Skinny Taste. It's so good and healthy and EASY! I've already planned my next Spaghetti Squash dish and can't wait to try it out. :)

5.  Quest Nutrition Bars. I jumped on the Quest bandwagon last fall and have been riding shotgun ever since. They are incredible! And totally DON'T taste like a protein bar (which I generally HATE!). My favorite flavor is Double Chocolate Chunk with Cookies & Cream and Cookie Dough in a close tie for second. They are a little pricey but so totally worth it. I'm so possessive over my Quest bars that P asked if he could try one the other day and I was going to make him pay for it or buy me a new one to replace it with...... whoops. ;) They were doing a promotion of Facebook the other day and I scored two free bars and was STOKED! Seriously--if you're looking for a new protein bar, check them out.

Have a great weekend! I'm off to Louisville for a family thing! :)

Sarah

Five Things Friday

Heyyyyyyy two weeks in a row!

It was back to work this week after 3 weeks off…. blah! Good thing I love my job! :)


Five Favorites

1. FINDING A WEDDING VENUE & DATE! This has been a MAJOR stress in my life. I think I vastly underestimated this whole "planning a wedding" thing. BUT at least now I know I'll be getting married SOMEWHERE. Better than nothing, right?

sneak peak :)

2. Eating HEALTHY! Newsflash--I ate terribly over the holidays. But hey, that's what the holidays are for, right? I pretty much survived off of chocolate and fried food (I miss it already!). This week however, I've been super good! I haven't had ANY chocolate (WHAT) and I've made a conscious effort to portion control and log everything going into my body. It really makes a difference, you know? I'm definitely a mindless snacker so to combat that, I portioned out all of the packaged foods in my apartment. P & I also made an awesome low-fat turkey chili and low fat cornbread (using yogurt and splenda… it's actually pretty good!). So far, so good!

3. New (old) football coach at Louisville! I was sad to see Charlie go but Bobby Petrino is a pretty good replacement. He coached at Louisville when we won the Orange Bowl so we know he's a winner. I hope he's still got it. GO CARDS! 

I don't know who made this but… it's awesome.

4. Carrots. I'm almost positive I'm going to turn orange this week. I may or may not have gone through two rather large bags already……

5. Going back to work! I was dreading it on Monday (especially since it was like, -5 outside) but once I got in (and warm), I was glad to be back. I loved having time off but I definitely do better with a routine. No question about it. And plus, like I said, I love my job. It's stressful at times and there's certainly never a dull moment but it fits me pretty perfectly for the moment. 

Five Workouts

1. Crossfit and a 7 mile run on Saturday… Friday was my rest day and apparently my body recovered well. I was only going to do 3 or 4 miles but felt good and kept going. I love when that happens!

2. 6 mile run OUTSIDE on Sunday. After being on a treadmill for the last month, that one felt GOOD. I probably could have ran 13 or 14 if it hadn't have started getting dark. Time wise, it was no where near my best. But mentally, it was perfect.

plus one undocumented mile

3. Insanity plyometric cardio circuit/3.5 mile run/Crossfit on Monday. Okay, okay. Even I'l admit, I overdid it on Monday. But… somedays you just have it. And this was one of those days.

4. Insanity cardio power & resistance/3.5 mile run. Nothing special here. Took it pretty easy on both of these workouts.

5. I caught a cold on Wednesday so had a much needed rest day. Today I did a quick round of Pure Cardio insanity and then jumped on the treadmill for a quick 1.5 mile cool down run.

Five Favorite Pins

1.

LOVE THIS!

2.

This made me LOL. Love it. I'm obsessed with House Hunters (and all things HGTV, obvi). 

3. 

ALWAYS.

4. 

I. Freaking. LOVE. This. Totally inspiration for my wedding… just saying. 

5. 

I will be ATTEMPTING to recreate this sometime in the near future. I'm getting pretty good at burlap wreaths!

---

So, there you have it. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! My plans consist of cross fit tomorrow and lots of lounging and relaxation with my fiancé. :) 

Sarah

Five Things Friday

So, I'm linking up with Clare today for this one!

Five Workouts

So. Much. Running!

Monday: 6.5 mile treadmill workout + arm/abs workout

Tuesday: I ended 2013 with a 7 miler & this WOD:
17 min AMRAP
15 burpees
30 squats
30 HRPU
30 dubs
30 sit-ups

Wednesday: 5 miler + 117 burpees (WOD)

Thursday: 4 mile interval workout + arms/abs

Friday: Maybe rest? Maybe a few circuit workouts? Legs are pretty tired!

This weekend I plan on hitting up cross fit Saturday AM + getting a run or two in.

And I had to share this picture from over Christmas--I went to my cousin's gym while I was in Louisville and they have a cardio THEATER. How cool is that? It's a legit theater and instead of seats, they have a ton of cardio equipment (treadmills, stair steppers, bikes, ellipticals) and they show movies all day long.

Awesome, right?!

Five Things I loved this week:

1. Being home!!! Since 12/13, P & I have been EVERYWHERE!! We drove to Texas, New Orleans, Charlottesville, & Louisville within the span of a week and a half. In case you're wondering, that's like, 9 states total and a crap ton of miles.

New Orleans… where it rained….. a LOT.

Autumn leaves & Xmas lights in Houston 

Braving the rain in New Orleans…. we got SOAKED.

2. Being Engaged! I was definitely NEVER one of those girls who had their wedding planned out since the age of 8 and I certainly never pictured myself being married before 30 but I can't imagine my life with anyone else. (Too cheesy?) We went for a morning hike on Friday the 13th because P wanted to check out some kind of hunting scope before buying it (I think that's what it's called??) It was the day after he graduated from the police academy and all of his family was in so I thought it was a LITTLE strange we were going hiking at 8am but I just assumed his friend needed the scope back ASAP. So we go up to the mountain where we had one of our first (and favorite!) dates and go to the overlook where if you look hard enough, you can see my parents house. So while he's getting the scope set up, he tells me to take a few pictures (I'm obsessed!) and once he gets it set up, he asks me to come over. I look through the scope and it's focused on the deck of the workshop outside of my parents house and there's a big sign that says "Marry Me?". He did good.

3. Snow! There's only a couple of inches out there but it's snow! We haven't really had any at all this winter yet.

4. Being lazy. For the first time in I can't even tell you when, I've been lazy. I'm usually on the go all the time but I've really taken time this week to relax. And with the semester I have coming up at work, I need to get in all of the relaxation I can get.

5. This quote. It fits my running story to a T.

Five Things I'm looking forward to

1. Getting back to work and a routine! I'm ready to push through the next few months and end this year with a bang.

2. Cross fit! I had to take a couple of weeks off because of all the traveling we did over the Holidays so I'm really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

3. HEALTHY EATING!!! It feels good eating veggies and fruit after all of the delicious "junk" during the holidays.

4. Wedding planning! I *think* I might have found a venue…….. keep your fingers crossed?!

5. 2014 in general! So many big changes are going to be happening this year! New last name, new house (hopefully)…. and a few other potential exciting changes that are still in the works. :)

What's making you happy this week?!

Weekend Shenanigans.

I'm really terrible about updating. Whoops.

Here's a brief recap of my last two weekends.... because updating about just one at a time would be boring, amiright?

Last weekend.

It was homecoming and I had an absolute blast. Sometimes working at the college you graduated from can make homecoming seem like a "normal" work thing... but not this year. I decided to embrace homecoming for all it was worth and had one of the best weekends in a while. I usually get stuck working the student homecoming dance but this year managed to sneak away for a night out with my friends. :) 

I started Saturday morning with an unexpected homecoming 5k PR/WIN! I have to be honest, I was totally NOT expecting it. My legs were pretty tired from some tough workouts that week but... they must have had some extra juice left in them because they pulled out a 21:56 on a TOUGH/hilly course. :)  I was the first female to cross the finish line--it was one of those moments where many things came full circle. This was the first 5K I EVER ran 3 years ago and to win it that day felt awesome. 

The rest of the day was spent catching up with my best friends. C & A were both in town (staying with me!) and we got into some typical BFL (our code name) shenanigans. We headed to the football game for our sorority alumni tailgate, watched the game until about half time, and then decided it was time to head back to my place to "get ready" for the alumni gathering. I won't go into detail but... we woke Sunday morning and it felt like old times again. :) (I'm also pretty sure Peter was about to kill us...... haha)

I would also just like to say that I absolutely love the fact that although my two best friends and I all live a part from each other, the fact that when we're together, no matter how long it's been, everything feels exactly the same. I'm so thankful to have them in my life. :) 

..... and now moving on to this weekend.

So... I only have one picture from this weekend. But it's a good one. This past weekend I took the first step toward one of my ultimate career dreams. I got my first fitness certification! It's no secret that my boss & I are fitness junkies and have been doing Insanity for literally the last 7 months (along with other workouts too.. but we always come back Insanity). SO... we decided it was about time that we took the plunge and got certified to teach an Insanity class. So yes, we're certifiably insane. ;) But seriously.... the class was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I'm not one to get sore usually but by the time we made the four hour drive back home after the class was over, I was aching from head to toe. And that my friends, is one of my favorite feelings in the world. :) I've already got my ACE group fitness instructor manual out looking toward my next cert. ;) 

There you have it. My last two weekends in a nutshell. And now it's Monday and I'm already dreaming of this upcoming weekend. :)

Have a great week ya'll!

Sarah

5 on Friday

Ahh! Okay, I SWEAR I'm trying to be a good blogger. But man, balancing work, working out, and blogging is tough! 

Linking up with the blog Carolina Charm today! 

1. The last few weekends have been CRAZY! But in the absolute BEST way imaginable. I went ziplining 3 weekends ago (second time ever!) in the mountains of North Carolina and it was so. much. fun. Did I mention that it was part of my job? ;)

Two weekends ago I did my second Color-Me-Rad race... LOVED it, again. If you've never done a color race, DO ONE! Even if you're not a "runner", it's so much fun and there's absolutely no way you could regret it. 

Throwing up my L's for Louisville :)

Once the race was over, I rushed home to watch my Cards give UK a good beating and then it was time for a fancy work-school related dinner. I remember in college having to dress up ALL THE TIME and hating it and now I LOVE it because I never get to! We went with my parents who were also invited and my co-worker/best friend and had a blast. 

And then there was last weekend. I'm a workout JUNKIE and LOVE to run so when my boss asked if I wanted to do a 5k followed by a 5k obstacle course, I was totally down. It was pouring rain and I have to be honest, I felt like a total bad ass. I finished second overall in the 5k and my boss and I tied for first in the obstacle course. I was super tired afterward but it was awesome. 

2. THIS WEEKEND! I feel like I'm a broken record but as crazy/stressful as my week's have been, the weekend's have been my saving grace. This weekend is homecoming weekend and I'm stoked. The farther and farther you get away from your college graduation (I'm 3 years out now), you start realizing just how special homecoming really is. Although I work at my alma mater, it's still one of my absolute favorite weekends. I'm looking forward to seeing all of my sorority sisters, old friends, and having FUN. GO CAVS!

3. I'm finally getting a new iPhone! Okay, total first world problem here but I've had my iPhone 4 for over two years now and although I love it, I gotta be honest. She's slower than Christmas nowadays. So last Saturday I headed to AT&T and ordered my gold iPhone 5s. :) 

4. Next weekend I'm getting certified to teach Insanity classes! Okay, not the mental illness but actual "Shaun T-this ain't no coffee break" classes. I'm beyond excited and ready to get my first fitness certification! And okay, I'm starting to look at personal training / group fitness certs. It's been a long time coming but... I'm ready. Fitness/Nutrition is where my passion lies and I'm ready to start positioning myself to get into that area. :) Exciting stuff, especially for a mid-twenty something who has spent a few years not really knowing WHAT to do with her life. 

5. My boyfriend. As stressful as life has been, he's always there for me, no matter what. He's my best friend, my partner in crime, and my "dawg" and I can't wait to start planning our future together. :) 2014 is our year! 

Sarah

This is Me.

Hello, blogging world.

After way too many years of reading blogs, I figured it was finally time I started one. My life is fairly boring and quite predictable but what can I say--there's a blog for everything nowadays, right? With a crazy, hectic job and a little more "me" time on my hands than usual, I feel like now is probably primetime to start a blog.

So, who am I?

First and foremost, I'm a runner. I take a lot of pride in this simply because a few years ago, I would have laughed in your face had you told me I would one day learn to love to run. I'm by no means a "great" runner but I have such a passion for the sport that it doesn't matter. I've won a couple of local races and have been #1 in my age group several times (once in a race with over 400 people!). Since I started running I've dropped my 5k time by almost 6 minutes--a feat I'm pretty proud of. I'm currently sitting at a 22:56 PR time for my 5k and working on getting a sub 2-hour half marathon in November. I'm a runner nerd and I'm proud of it. :)

Along with running, I'm a huge fitness fanatic. I'm lucky to have a boss who is just as crazy as I am about fitness and our daily bouts with Insanity have become my favorite part of the day. So much so that in October I'll be getting my first "real" certification and will become certified to teach an Insanity-style class. :)

BUT enough about the fitness nerd.

I've got an awesome job (I get paid to go skydiving!), an absolutely wonderful family, two of the best friends a girl could ask for and a loving boyfriend who makes me a better person each and everyday. I have no idea what I want to do with my life (nutrition? sports med?), I'm a die hard Louisville Cardinals fan, and I don't think I've ever really felt "grown up" (is that normal?!).

I don't know what kind of blog this will turn into (fitness? life? quarter life crisis?!) but I hope you'll stick around and see what it's like to be... Simply Sarah.