Marathon Week

  
    The one thing that is brutal about marathons, well atleast the Chicago Marathon is that you have to register so far in advance!  I signed up in February and it felt like Marathon Day was forever away and yet here we are in marathon week... woah...
   
    I received a text from my friend Sabrina this morning saying, "It's marathon week!!! How r u feeling??"  and I just got the official email from Bank of America talking about Marathon week.  So it has really been on my mind today! I honestly don't know what to tell people when they ask me if I am ready, how I'm feeling, etc.  I am a complete mixture of emotions!  My first marathon was pure excitement with the slightest bit of uncertainty, would I be able to conquer this challenge?  After the first marathon it was just about running it for the fun of it, never really focusing on time, but more on the people I was running it with and they were great experiences!!

  This year though is totally different though, I'm beyond nervous... Maybe it's because I am running it for Team Salute and don't want to disappoint them...  Maybe it's because I am a Cross Country coach this year so I have 18 girls interested in how I am going to do... Maybe it's because I have been knee pain free for a little over a year and don't want to re-injur it...  Maybe it's because I put more emphasis on strength and conditioning than running 6 times a week... But whatever the reason is, I'm nervous!

   But even with being nervous I'm also excited!  Excited to feel the energy of the crowd!  Excited to accomplish this milestone!  Excited to give back to the men and women who give so much to this country!  Excited to just be there at the starting line!

Bring it on! And as my Cross Country team says, "May the course be with you!"

Rainbow Fish

I'm taking a slight break from my regular posts about health, fitness and interior design to participate in a Fashionista Event!  I know.. me??  I typically post pictures of me all sweaty and disgusting from some race or intense workout... but my sister wanted me to participate and I thought, why not!  Are you ready to see what I look like in a dress?!  How I dress on a regular basis?! Ok... that in a little bit... For participating in this Fashionist Event a dress was provided for me to review by eShakti in collaboration with the Fashionista Blogger group hosted by Still Blonde After All These Years and ModlyChic.   I got to go on the eshakti website www.eshakti.com to pick out a dress, and was really excited to learn that they do custom sizing!  Most people have a hard time believing I have the hardest time finding a dress that fits me! I get the typical, "you're so tall and thin, you can wear anything!"  Let me tell you... that is NOT the case at all, and here's why: for starters I have a very athletic build - toned and muscular (more so than I'd really like... especially my thighs - one of the side effects of running marathons often), secondly I am so tall, with the average height of a woman in the US being about 5'-6" and me coming in at 5'-11" poses a HUGE problem with length of dresses.

     So I picked out a dress and put in my measurements!  As soon as I saw this dress I fell in love with it, it has pockets and reminds me of the book Rainbow Fish:

Such great colors! Pinks, blues, purples, grays...  I think you will agree with me when you see it!  I was so excited to receive the dress that I tried it on the second it arrived in the mail... Here's where I became disappointed.  I admit it, I have big hips and thighs and a smaller upper body, so often I need a larger dress to accomodate those "problem areas".  I put the dress on and felt like I was swimming in it, especially up top! NOOOO....  My mom assured me it didn't look as bad as I thought it did, but that she would be happy to make adjustments to it for me.  It's the curse... while I love that my mom doesn't mind making adjustments and she is a GREAT seamstress, I hate that she has to do that for all of my clothes.  Surprisingly I actually think the length is took long and that it hits at a weird spot on my leg... But for the purpose of the Fashionista Event, I wanted to take the pictures and wear it like it was made and see if I felt any different about it after wearing it. Ok... so here it is...

As you can see, I paired it with a pair of black heels - my favorite pair that my Dad thinks I am CRAZY for wearing because they make me approximately 6'-3", and also a bright pink sweater.  I work for a church so covering the shoulders is imperative while at work, not to mention it is ALWAYS freezing there!  While at work, I received an INSANE number of compliments on the dress, a variety of men and women saying that they had never seen a dress like it.  I was told that it fit me perfectly... 



What do you think? Love it, hate it?  Think it fits me well?

Disclaimer: Fashionista Giveaway Event bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.

The Deck of Cards Workout

  
I am constantly on the look-out for new workouts to spice up my routine, whether it be new cardio, strength, etc.  Now that I am coaching cross country, I've been looking even harder to find new things to give the girls some variety but to also make the workout fun for them.  A few weeks ago, I came across the Deck of Cards Workout in my Experience Life magazine put out by my gym Lifetime.  The concept is pretty easy but the execution can be very difficult!

    What you need: A deck of playing cards, including the Jokers
    How long it takes: Approximately 45mins if you use the entire deck
 
   There are a few things you need to remember:
       1. Number cards represent the number that you do of that particular exercise, so if you pick a 5 - you do 5 reps
       2. Face Cards are valued as follows: Ace = 10, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13 and Joker = Wild

  Now, each suit in the deck of cards represents a different exercise:

Diamonds: Hand to Elbow Planks
     1. You start in a plank position with your forearms flat on the ground.
     2. While staying balanced you place the palm of your right hand flat on the floor under your shoulder,  then do your left arm
     3. Reverse the movement and end up back in the forearm plank position.

Clubs: Jump Squats
     1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
     2. Squat down low reaching with your hands towards the floor while keeping your back straight
     3. Jump up with your hands reaching towards the ceiling, jumping as high as possible
     4. Land softly back into a squat position

Hearts: Burpies
     1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
     2. Squat down with your hands touching the floor
     3. Jump your feet back, so that you are now in push-up position
     4. Complete a push-up
     5. Jump your feet back to your arms, so that you are back into a low squat position
     6. Jump into the air with your hands reaching towards the ceiling, jumping as high as possible
     7. Land softly back into squat position

** Make it Harder** - Complete the Burpies with weights in your hands

Spades: Push-Ups
      1.  Assume push-up position with your palms under your shoulders
      2.  Go down as close to the floor as possible and push back up.

   **Make it Harder** - Do a Single Leg push-up instead

Jokers: Combination of side planks and regular planks with an overhead reach
     1. Lie on your side with your feet stacked on top of each other, with your forearm on the ground
     2. Lift your hips off the ground so that only your forearm and feet are touching the ground
     3. Switch sides
     4. Regular planks with an overhead reach - get into regular plank position and lift your right arm, so only your left arm and feet are touching the ground.  Switch after a few seconds

Let me know what you think of this workout! It's a great way to switch up your routine!