Running.... and derailments.

I'm doing really well with my resolution of "doing more." Last week, I worked out everyday, even if it was just a long walk with the dogs, I did something everyday. Then on Saturday evening, we went out for a night on the town. We started with dinner at Capital Grille, with calamari & hot cherry peppers and cocktails. I ended up having 3 vodka and tonics by the time dinner was done. Then we went to the symphony for the Disney Music show - totally made me feel like a kid again. And while waiting in line for drinks, a charming young man bought me a glass of champagne. I'm not sure if it was the calamari with hot peppers or all of the alcohol but Sunday was not a fun day. I was a miserable wreck and not up to working out - the first derailment of the year. 

On Monday, my boyfriend and I jointly made dinner: Zuppa Toscana. We probably should have used mild italian sausage instead of the hot, but lesson learned there. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I have an allergy to potatoes, because as soon as I was done eating, I had a throbbing headache right above my eyes. The same thing happened on Thanksgiving as soon as we were done eating; and the week before after I made this delicious Sweet Potato Casserole with orange juice. Potatoes are a food that I'm okay not eating, and I guess if my body is going to reject anything, a carb loaded food is a great pick. It sucks though, because my headaches are debilitating and practically send me straight to bed... which again means I missed a work out. I've been prescribed migraine medicine but it's ridiculously expensive and I didn't have a migraine it was just a sharp headache, totally different feeling, but both suck. 

Tuesday, we did a spin class at the gym and a good arm workout (they're actually still sore, so that's how I know it was GOOD). My butt happens to still be sore as well from that bike seat. Biking is one of my least favorite sports. I am also not a fan of the instructor who breathes very heavily in the mic and half-asses the workout. I've taught spin/cycling classes before and it's very easy to tell when someone is faking. She is a world-class faker, kind of like Elaine Benes. 

So yesterday, I was in need of a good run. But, of course it would never be that easy... it was raining... all day... and parts of the state even had thunder boomer and tornado warnings (yes, in January). So I had to hit the gym... and the treadmill. I set the time for 45 minutes, which would actually account for my longest run since my half marathon on Oct. 23rd. I ran the first 5 minutes at 6.3, then ramped up the speed to 7.2 for 2 minutes, walked at 3.5 for 30 seconds, repeated 7.2 for 2 minutes, walked for 30 more seconds at 3.5, then went back to 6.3 for another five. I repeated this for a little over 46 minutes (I couldn't stand cutting it off before 5 miles) but I was actually pretty proud of my 8k time since I hadn't run that far in a long time. 

Also proud to say that I haven't had chocolate this week... other than some chocolate milk after my workouts. So it's day 12 of the new year and my resolutions are on track. I've started back up with the United Way Young Leaders program, and reached out (again) to Girls on the Run - haven't had luck getting a response and this weekend, I plan to search for a permanent church in this city. 

Although running on a  treadmill is not ideal, or my favorite thing, I actually had a really good workout. I burned a fair amount of calories and got in a distance run. Got stuck in the rain today while running with the dogs... so we made it a short one... I think I will actually consider today my "rest" day and head back at it tomorrow. Officially signed up for my first race on 3/17/2012!