Food for thought

So I saw this on my Facebook news feed and thought it was applicable to how I've been feeling lately.


I currently work more than 60 hours a week to pay off my student loans quicker than is expected. But sometimes I question why I do this week after week. I know in the long run it will pay off and I'll be happy I've been running myself ragged, but when will that time come.

This dilemma and this cycle of work, eat, sleep, repeat keep me from some of the things I love most: running, working out, camping, sleeping in on the weekends, etc. I wish I had the more hours each day to have time to get a run in daily, or to be confident that everything will be okay in the long run.

What would you do? Save thousands of dollars in interest working long hours for about 2 years to be debt free, or prolong the debt repayment in order to get a run in daily? If you have a crazy work week, what do you do to fit in your workouts daily?

My Pink is In!

Every since finding out I'm a Sweat Pint Ambassador, I've been looking forward to my pink shoelaces and tank!

Well here they are:

The only problem is, I can't seem to rotate the image (does anyone know how to do that in html? I'm thinking its not possible)

But I digress -- its pretty sweet stuff and I can't wait to show my pink gear with some group runs.

A weekly recap is on its way later today, but I'm sad to say it wasn't great...

I got in!

So yesterday, in the midst of an etrememly long day, I recieved this in my inbox:

I can't express how excited I am for this race! First off, every race in and around DC I've ever done is always great! Granted, I've only done two, but its a good place to start. Secondly, I have some sorority sisters that also got in, so it'll be like a mini-reunion weekend with some old friends, some of whom I haven't seen in years. Thirdly, its the day before I turn 30. I can't think of a better way to close out my twenty's (which have been fantastic) than receiving race bling from Tiffanys!

Super excited!

Did anyone else get in?

Things have been moving...a little more than I have

So the past week and a half have been crazy for me and my journey to my fittest self! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was chosen to be a Sweat Pink Ambassador which I'm totally excited about! I'm still waiting on my pink shoelaces, but I'll let you know when they get here. Yay!

Last week I also joined my local group of Black Girls Run! for a Monday night 3-miler and it was fantastic. I have always run solo but was finding myself in a motivational slump. During a 10K with my not-so-enthusiastic-about-running boyfriend, I realized that there was a huge presence from these women. I reached out and they were more than accepting and happy to have me along for some runs. I think I'm going to keep this up (my schedule permitting!). My local group has official runs every Saturday and Sunday am (which lets be honest are sometimes hard to get to...I do love my sleep) and early AM runs 2-3 days a week. I would love to run with them ladies at 5am, but I tend to leave for work at 5:30am so the timing doesn't work out. A few of us have un-official group runs on Monday and Thursday nights at a local college that seem to be the perfect fit for me! Last night was a flop for me, as I hit traffic on the way home and just couldn't make it in time. From my experience, if you're looking for a group of fun, motivational women to run with, check out your local area! You'd be surprise how wide spread this group is!

 I've also been trying to get my blog out there and testing my luck with the numerous fitness giveaways out there. I've been unluckly lately, but check this one out! Who wouldn't put there name in for a new pair of shoes!?

Win a pair of @Reebok RealFlex Fusion TR’s from @blondeponytail http://bit.ly/RkYnMv #getafterit

Now for my weekly recap (which wasn't so fantastic this week, but I think its getting better!).

Monday December 3rd: 
3 mile run with BGR! This run was fantastic. I loved how everyone stuck together. The motivation was finishing and supporting one another, not cranking out PR's which felt good to me. The ladies worked hard and some held a faster pace than before. Love the MOTIVATION!

Tuesday December 4th:
I worked ALL DAY, and in turn, made this a rest day running-wise. When I say all day, I mean from 6am - 10pm. I was still feeling the high from the BGR! meetup that I didn't feel horrible about missing out. When I got home at 10pm, I did squeeze in 50 squats and 50 pushups which felt fantastic Wednesday morning! :)

Wednesday December 5th:
Another rest day -- the middle of the week for me is hard. I'm working 3 jobs and taking a grad class, so I don't mind a few days off. Plus I ended this day with a trip to see my parents for a short while!

Thursday December 6th:
I got in 1.5 miles with the boyfriend. I find it interesting that he complains throughout the run and tells me I have to do all the chores when we get home so he can sit on the couch, but then at the end of the day, he says thank you! (I believe he secretly enjoys it and loves me for kicking his butt!) We then finished off the evening with 50 situps.

Friday December 7th:
There's something about Fridays that make me think: lets get some errands done and sit on the couch -- so Fridays are regularly a rest day for me. But I did take care of myself at the salon and almost finished my holiday shopping! Progress and well-being are sometimes measured differently in my life! :)

Saturday December 8th:
I had to run to work Saturday morning (mostly against my will)  but I left something at school that I absolutely needed for a party on Saturday night. So, I made it a rest day but spoiled myself by going to my local RoadRunner Sports and buying a new pair of running socks (I was not-so-secretly eyeing some new running apparel too!)

Sunday December 9th:
The boyfriend and I were supposed to get in 7 miles for our half marathon training (which is going quite miserably). I drug him out the door, in the rain, to get the mileage in before he had to leave for work. We got 2 miles out and his knee started bothering him. He said he was having trouble breathing too, so we turned around and headed home. So that 7 miler, turned into a crappy day 4 miler. It was better than nothing, but we need to log those longer hours.

I'm not terribly upset with how this week turned out, but it could have been better. How was your week? Any tips for getting out there after 12-16 hour days?

Have a fantastic week!

Exciting News of the Week!

I'm going to cut right to the chase. This week I became a Sweat Pink Ambassador! I'm excited about the opportunity to be part of a supportive group of women who are passionate about fitness and health around the country! And let's be honest, its also about the pink shoelaces!

I'm honored to be have this title because developing a lifestyle of fitness has really shaped me in my young adult life. It has provided me with some good friends as has helped me become more in tune with myself and my needs. I also LOVE helping my friends make good decisions about diet and fitness and I feel that this honor really helps me continue to do what I've been trying to do.

Are you a SPA? How has it influenced your life?

Week of Nov 26th Recap

This week was a bit disappointing with my fitness levels. I feel like I didn't do anything... I didn't get out to run, I didn't lift, but what I did do was walk.

I walked for over 4 hours on Friday and I tried to get walks in during the day at work. One day I left my keys inside and had to walk all the way around the building to get back in the building at reception.

But this doesn't mean that this week was a waste, it just wasn't all that it could have been. I tried to eat healthy and get all my servings of fruits  and veggies. I tried to get moving as much as possible when I could. I was busy, too busy, but I did what I could. Can't ask for more than that!