…love Jillian

I have been talking about waking up early and getting my workout on for…YEARS!  I always thought about awesome it must be to get up, get your workout done and not have to worry about it after work or later in the day?  Well, I finally did it.  I did it this morning.  And it feels great!

Usually, I SAY I’m going to get up and then when the alarm goes off I can justify snoozing for about 2 more hours but today was different.  Today, I was at risk of looking like a total flake to a new friend and so when the time came I couldn’t back out.   Yesterday, said friend asked me to get  up and workout at 545 and I was all SURE! I’ll be there!   But in the back of my mind I was thinking…suuuuuuuuuuure I’ll be there (wink wink.)   I’m awful at saying no (Just ask the Alpha Sigma Alpha directory sales women or the young adults selling magazines door to door for inner city kids in Philadelphia even though we live in KC.  I bought both.)

So, instead of flaking out and looking like a total lazy bum I set my alarm and actually got up.  No snoozing at all.  The workout went by crazy fast. Then I had some breakfast, took a quick nap, and lounged around the house for an hour before I finally got moving for work. Which still put me ahead of schedule.

I know I’ve said I’m going to do morning workouts a million times but I might actually make them a regular addition to my week….well, not EVERY day, but maybe a couple days a week!  I feel greeeeat!

No Comments | In: I miss my metabolism, Workout | | #

These last couple weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions and craziness.  It feels like every time I get a handle on one thing…another things needs attention.  I suppose that’s just life though.   So here are a few things that have been rolling around in my head the last week or so:

• Work is still hit or miss.  I think I had a pretty decent October; however, somedays my phone barely rings.




• My love affair with Fusion Fitness has taken a little bruising since the remodel (which produced monumental amounts of dust.) I’m super excited for the remodel to be complete and we can get back to taking our shoes off.




• Which brings me to my next topic.  I cheated on Fusion with Crossroads Bootcamp and loved it.  Bootcamp is a closer drive as it’s on the way to/from work so I’m going to use the 12 session Groupon I bought and then make an informed decision as to stick with Fusion or switch to Bootcamp for a while….I can’t (aka refuse) to pay for both.




• Hubs and I had a conversation (well really I talked and Hubs listened) that might have been better had under different circumstances (someone, I’m not pointing fingers here, might have had a little too much wine before said conversation) but the jest of it went like this:  be an active part of our little family (me and our puppies), do some chores once in a while or I’m keeping my townhouse to ensure I will have a place to live when I get tired of cleaning up after him—Sooooo.  Dramatic.  Well, now he’s being super helpful and present and while I love it; I also feel like I might have been a little hard on him…after all, he is my husband and I really didn’t mean to scare him into thinking if he didn’t get over his aversion to loading the dishwasher I was going to leave him.




• (For any boys that read these posts, I apologize in advance)  Earlier this week I was on the receiving end of a Hysterosalpingogram and we found out that all my lady parts are working fine.  (You know, in the baby making department.)  The doctor assured us everything was good and that this particular test had a tendency to raise the likelihood of baby making 10-15 and in some cases 20%….so, with no blockages and a higher likelihood of the baby making stars aligning we have definitely been thinking about what life would be like with a little Bambino in our house.




• Oh, and speaking of babies, I have been hoping for Baby Heide’s delivery this week but the little guy seems to be holding strong inside momma.  So we definitely have something exciting coming up in the next few days!  I cannot wait to meet this little guy!

Only one more day til the weekend. We have a pretty fun few days planned: bday party tomorrow night, game night Saturday, and a quiet Sunday home with Hubs watching football and eating pizza which I’m really looking forward to (the spending the day with Hubs part, not the eating pizza part although pizza is pretty darn yummy and a staple in our household.)

No Comments | In: Babies, Being an adult is lame, Good Buddies, How much I love my Husband, I miss my metabolism, Marriage, Working is for the birds, Workout | | #

Dear Bill,

         Hi!  I’m a frequent participant in your events.  (I use the term “frequent participant” loosely considering I’ve only shown for ½ the events I’ve registered for thus far this year.  And I’m on the fence about the upcoming race this Sunday.)  While my participation is questionable, one thing is not—your website. You use the same format for all the KLM events and while I’m down with convenience; your websites NEVER work.  They freeze, the buttons don’t work, and my entire internet experience has been shut down more than once. 

         Now, I know what my husband would say, “use Firefox—it’s better.”  But Bill, I don’t wanna use Firefox.  I like Internet Explorer (as do millions of other Americans) and we have a right to a functional website.

          Anyway, the point is this:  I need to know when/where to pick up my race packet and what time to arrive at the race.  (Well, more importantly I need to know what time MY race starts so I can determine whether I even want to participate.)  I have a more enticing Burn and Butt Camp at Fusion Fitness I want to attend and you see Bill, Fusion is something that I truly enjoy and while racing can be fun when done in conjunction with a friend or husband (on the same course) this season of solo racing is not high on my priority list.  So, before I allow Hubs to drag me out of bed, load my bike, force feed me breakfast bars and 5 Hour Energies I want to make sure I can fit the Duathlon in before Fusion.  If not, I’m skipping and headed to Butt Camp.

        Without knowing for sure I can only believe it starts at 830 and at 830; I’ll never make it…especially with Hubs in tow—he’s the slowest person on the planet.  Not at racing; just in life.  (And by slow I mean he has a low sense of urgency.)  And when I’m in a big hurry and he isn’t the scenario goes like this:  foot tap, foot tap, yelling, “YOU ARE THE SLOWEST PERSON ON THE PLANET,” followed by lots of loud sighs and showing up late somewhere—which really isn’t good for our marriage.  The point is:  Can I fit the Duathlon in comfortably and still make it to Butt Camp?    

         So, Bill, in the meantime, one more wife is making her husband do things she could probably do on her own but is making him do it out of principal.  (The principal being I refuse to switch to Firefox because your website never works.) 

         Oh, and FYI Hubs is still mad he didn’t get a t-shirt from Jackson County last year—first come first serve never serves us since we usually show up moments before the starting bell.

I’ll see you at packet pickup.

Jillian

No Comments | In: Biking, Running, Triathlons/Racing, Workout | | #

Today is my first day back to school.  Wow.  I still can’t believe I’m 30 years old and haven’t finished my undergrad.  How lame!

           The first day of school marks another busy semester with more events than one girl can possibly squeeze in.  Class.  Work.  Work.  AAKC dinner meeting (that requires me to actually talk in public.)  Followed by yet another class.  12 hour days are a little long for this girl.  And how is one girl suppose to fit it all in?  Well, she didn’t.  She missed Fusion.  (And yes, I’m talking in 3^rd person.)  I understand that on a day like today something’s gotta give but I think the most bothersome thing is Fusion was the first thing to get eliminated.  I suppose of all the items mentioned above the only truly expendable one is Fusion.   No one is paying to me to go.   No one is grading me on whether or not I show up.  And the only person that really cares about Fusion is me.  Sure, I pay to go but I buy the unlimited package so they get their money either way. 

          The point is this:  Fusion will only stay a priority if I make it one.  I’m finally starting to see REAL results.  I can’t remember the last time my tummy fat didn’t roll over the top of my underwear when I sat down and I don’t wanna go back there….unless of course that means we are cooking a baby. 

          When I first started going to Fusion I was going in the mornings—then I realized I like going at night better and tried to make it when I didn’t have class.  And then when summer classes ended I was making it almost every night.  And now I need it.  I need it to stay sane.  I need it to remind me to eat better.  I never in a million years thought down dog would turn into a relaxing position that I crave.

          So, what is a girl to do when all her waking hours are filled with stuff?   As much as I HATE to even  entertain this idea—I might have to try getting up in the 5’s and make it to early early Fusion (two earlies because prior to this thought the only days I saw 545 was on race day and even then I pouted the entire was to the event location.  Ask Hubs.)  The question is:  Can I do it?  And how many days will it take to get into the habit?  And how on earth and I’m going to get up at 5 when I don’t get home from class til 945?  (I need my sleep.  And by sleep I mean a solid 8-9 hours.  Yeah, we don’t have kids.)

          In all honesty, if I didn’t have an AAKC meeting tonight I could have made it to Fusion before class (which was my original plan until I was reminded by my trusty Google calendar that I had to network and generate business.)   So, maybe I will only have to get up at 5 on days when I have more crap than time. I know deep down inside the next day I have more crap than time; I will simply abandon Fusion and get all my obligations handled instead of getting up super early and squeezing it in.  However, I also know deep down inside that if I could get up, get Fusioned, and get showered before I was required to do anything; my days would be so much less stressful (scheduling wise.) 

         So, maybe tomorrow I will try to get up and get out of the house by 5 or maybe I’ll set my alarm and snooze til 6 and then happily reset my alarm for 730.  We’ll see what happens.  One thing I know for sure:  I feel like I’m missing something important today.  And I don’t like it.

1 Comment | In: Workout | | #

So, I have a ton of topics that need to be discussed, none worthy of their own post so here they are:

• I purchased the Laser Hair Removal Groupon a couple weeks ago but cannot get up the nerve to actually make the appointment.  I mean, I hate needles — I cried like a baby when I was forced to take an additional measles shot when I was 19 (yeah, I know laser treatment isn’t NEEDLES but I’m just trying to give you a measuring stick for my pain tolerance.  It’s low.)  So, now every time I think about calling and making my first appointment I immediately get sweaty and nervous.  I think Hubs is gonna have to go with me….isn’t that why women get married?  So, they have someone to drag along on scary (albeit elective) appointments?




• Fusion is working.  I know it.  I can feel it in my legs and butt and shoulders and abs.  And I’ve noticed that every time I think I’m building up some sort of tolerance to the level of Fusion I’m doing there is a more advanced modification; and so begins the pain all over again.  I think that is why I love it.  When I started the only parts that got sore were my back, abs, and shoulders.  But the stronger I get the more deep I can feel the exercises.  It’s like a light goes off and I can finally understand what the exercise is SUPPOSE to feel like and I feel like such a dumbass because I’ve been actively participating in the exercise without being able to tell which part it was suppose to be working.  Maybe it’s because I wasn’t strong enough to work the parts intended or maybe it just takes a bit of practice.  Either way, it’s working.   I can tell–even if the scale doesn’t agree with me….




• Hubs and I’s relationship feels good.  We are as happy as we’ve ever been.  Or at least I am.  It’s amazing how putting a little bit of distance (aka independence) on things makes such a big difference.  I feel like I’ve owned the things I want to be doing: Pilates, reading, school, running, and not worrying so much about our schedules lining up.  Which in turn has basically put the urgency on him and he responded right away!  I felt the shift immediately and I have to admit…it feels kinda good




• Our finances have been locked down.  Hubs got his allowance and he finally seems to own the amount.  Before, he would qualify purchases (food, drinks, snacks, exercise, misc crap) item by item and day by day whether they fell in the allowance or debit card category.  But now, EVERYTHING falls in allowance and it makes a difference since I do’t have to log in to see what he’s spent before we go to dinner or something.  The Carter Family has two major financial priorities right now:  paying down bills and buying a house.   I think if we can keep up this pace we will be out of debt and living the American dream in no time; although I’m not sure the 2.5 kids fit in our plan so we might just have 1 or 2 (depending on the sex of the first one) and let Juls/Bret have the our extra 1.5/.5–then they can have an even 3 or 4.  That sounds easier than trying to have ½ a kid…I hope Juls and Bret appreciate our generosity!  

Oh, and since you brought it up—kids.  We’re working on it (and that’s all I have to say about that)

No Comments | In: Babies, I miss my metabolism, Life, Marriage, Our Home, Workout | | #

So, this morning I got up and my legs were super sore from last night’s Fusion. Which would normally invoke abandoning morning workouts and waiting til the evening but when I let the puppies out it was cool and overcast—the perfect running weather. So, what did I do? I got my running shoes and went for a quick two mile run before work. Let me say that one more time for those of you in shock, I went for a quick two mile run. Yes I went running. By myself.
         I’m not sure what has gotten in to me. I’ve been wanting to run ever since the weather turned cooler (which I suppose is only a few days but still…) and finally getting out there felt really good. My Garmin watch was dead so I don’t know exactly how long it took me but even if it was the slowest 2 miles of my life I’m still happy I did it.
         Speaking of running, I decided (all by myself with no pressure from Hubs) to run the KC Half Marathon again this fall. I was really proud of myself for running it last year and I think I owe it to myself to do it again. The training plan is fairly easy—just a few short runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; so it’s not overwhelmingly hard or long. So, we’ll see how that goes….
          Oh, and I went to Fusion again tonight–now my legs AND butt are killing me. I think that means it’s working…

No Comments | In: I miss my metabolism, Workout | | #

Dear Fusion Fitness,

           I owe you an apology.   On Friday while I was packing for my weekend getaway I thought I would try on a pair of shorts that could previously only be button under extreme strain to the stitching (you know, just to check my progess) and I was pleasantly suprised when they zipped right up without any struggle!  At that moment I was so proud and appreciative of your efforts to get my butt back in shape….

          But then…..the weekend happened.   The wine, the pan fried chicken, the bread pudding, the bacon cheese burger, the strawberry cheesecake, and the Senor Tequilas complete with a margarita that was so salty it made me wish I had a bone saw to cut off my wedding ring this morning. 

          When I woke up I was moving a little slow (a product of a long weekend I suppose) and contemplated skipping class this morning but I didn’t and you practically killed me.  Last week, I was only moderately embarrassed at my ability to keep up (the progress I was making was worth the embarrassment) but this morning was a whole other story;  I would have done anything for a magic trap door to open and inconspicuously lower me down into the floor so your other (more disciplined) clients wouldn’t have to listen to all the grunting and sighing as I tried my best to hold a simple plank…   

           Just so you know:  I’ve learned my lesson.  I will never take 4 days off AND eat crappily again…I promise.  Please forgive me?  How long are you going to punish me?  I know what I did was awful and you can’t just forgive and forget but I promise to show you that I didn’t mean it and I promise not to behave so badly again.  Please.  I would like to get things back to normal….maaaaaybe by the end of the week if at all possible?   

Anxious to fix our relationship,

Jillian

1 Comment | In: Eating, I miss my metabolism, Letters, Workout | | #

Scratch that previous post….too much rain made HUBS decide to bail on the freezing cold group workout!  I’ve never been so happy!

No Comments | In: Biking, Running, Triathlons/Racing, Workout | | #

So, today I’m going to attempt another group workout.  I know, I’m thinking the same thing, “Seriously?  Have I lost my mind?”  I’ll know the answer to that question around 615.  This one’s with the MTC group that Hubs signed up for because he was planning on doing the Lawrence 70.3….I of course abandoned that idea right away!  It’s biking (on the trainer) so no one will actually see how far behind I fall, followed by running on the track.  Now, I’m certain I will be passed about two million times but at least no one will actually be able to see the distance between me and the rest of the group since we will all be running in a circle.  YAY! 

On a separate and completely unrelated note:  it looks like we’re going to be closing on Hubs house in a couple weeks.   Inspection completed and issues finalized!  We are about to be a whole lot lighter…..

No Comments | In: Biking, Triathlons/Racing, Workout | | #

Today I did my first ever duathlon.  It was suppose to be the first triathlon of the season but it was so cold and rainy they changed it to a duathlon.  Yay—I was thrilled!  The thought of crawling into that freezing cold water to doggie paddle for 400 meter sounded like the most miserable morning of my life so I was happy to run the extra 2 miles required by the impromptu duathlon…. It was a 2 mile run (instead of swimming), followed by an 11.5 mile bike, and finally a 3 mile run.  I did ok.  I got through it and based on the stringent training plan—barely any workouts coupled with Corner Café cinnamon rolls and blue berry muffins slathered in butter (Thank. You. Hubs.) I’d say placing 60 out of 70 women was pretty darn good.  I’m totally satisfied with my results.   Hubs placed 102 out of 152 so he was happy as well.







As of now, I’m sitting on the couch—sore.  Everyone please keep your fingers crossed that I’ll be able to move tomorrow.

1 Comment | In: Biking, Marriage, Triathlons/Racing, Workout | | #