Three Things Thursday

1.  I'm taking the plunge.  I signed up for Tall Mom's 1000+++ Mile Club.  (If you want to join, you can signup HERE.)  Technically the challenge is to walk, run, or swim 1000 miles in 2011.  Technically cycling doesn't count.  But because much of my training involves cycling, I'm making it my personal goal to move 1000 miles in 2010.  I'm not sure I could get there with running and walking alone.  Maybe that will be my goal for next year!

2.  I took another plunge and bought a running skirt!  Running Skirts is having a sale on their items already on sale.  So it was only $20.11!  I've been wanting on for awhile, but felt that the $58 price tag is a bit steep.  The best part is that it shipped yesterday and should be waiting for me in Maine when I return.  Unfortunately it's a little cold in Maine to be running in a skirt.  I'm thinking I'll just have to debut it at the gym and suffer the funny looks I'm going to get.

3.  I have a 3 mile run scheduled for today because I missed out yesterday.  I thought I was coming down with a cold and wasn't feeling well, so I thought it best to rest.  I also had some sore of irritation on my face that was making me really itchy (I think it's my new face wash).  So I took the day off.  But I'm feeling much better today and I need to get in my fourth workout for the week.  I'm going to do the same loop that I did last Friday to see if I can do the loop faster.  And tomorrow I weigh in, so I'm hoping it pays off!

Happy Thursday!

Welcome July & Some New Goals

Wow, July already.  The year is already half over.  And I'm getting married this month.  Holy cow has the time flown by.  We got our marriage license yesterday and we only have a few small things to finish up.  We'll be hitched before you know it. 

And now to recap my April-June Goals and to set some new ones.  For all you new readers, I decided at the beginning of the year that I would set a few goals every three months instead of making a whole list of resolutions at the beginning of the year that I knew I probably wouldn't keep.

April - June Goals
~Finish the first triathlon of the season. - Check!  In fact, I've already done my second tri of the season as well.  Did you miss the recap?  You can find it HERE.
~Lose at least 10 pounds. - Yeah, this didn't happen.  At all.  Oh well.  My dress is now altered to fit me perfectly so I'm just trying to maintain my weight until the big day.  I kind of knew this wouldn't happen.  I guess I should have been a bit more realistic.
~Try to stay calm through the end of the semester and through wedding planning. - Really, things have continued to come along quite smoothly.  Minus a couple of minor (and I mean minor) aggravations, things have gone great.  I think my poor mother is more nervous than I am.
~Manage my money better. - This is hard when you have wedding things to pay for, but in general we've been trying harder to be careful with our money.  Because I did a crappy job of setting goals and this one isn't really quantifiable, it's hard to say what managing my money better would look like.  All I know it that we're back at work and we have money in the bank again.  So I'm calling it good.
 
July - September Goals
~Get married and get a major haircut. - Ok, so this one is kind of cheating, but I'm using it.  I can't wait to get my haircut post-wedding.  I started growing my hair out when we got engaged and I'm ready for a change.  I promise some before and after pictures when it's done.
~Start tracking my food again (at least 5 days a week). - I think tracking is a great way to stay in check and I haven't been doing it for awhile.  I'm trying to be realistic in my goal, so I'm excluding the week before and after my wedding.  I am NOT tracking on my honeymoon because that trip is all-inclusive baby and I plan on getting my money's worth.
~Start half-marathon training (again). - I really wanted to do a half back in March and I started training for it.  I felt like I was ready for it and I followed a training plan.  But after a month and a half of training I felt like I was going to injure myself so I stopped.  I want to try again and see how it goes.  I plan to start in August, with my sights set on a potential race in November.

Goals

I can't believe March is already over!  Last night I was really proud of myself because after coming home from a long day and then eating dinner, I motivated myself to hit the gym.  I usually go in the morning, but I had to go to the computer lab to finish an assignment.  I had almost resigned myself to not going, but I didn't give in.  I did the bike for 25 minutes and then hit the pool for 1000 yards.  I hadn't been in the pool for awhile and I need to start going more often!  My first triathlon is in a month and a half!

Back in January I decided that I wasn't going to make a list of New Year's resolutions that I knew I wouldn't keep.  Instead, I picked a few goals for the first three months of the year.  Well, the first three months of the year are over, so it's time to revisit those goals and set some new ones!

January-March Goals
~Get back into the routine of working out regularly. - Minus the few weeks I took off, I did really well with this one.  I've been hitting the gym and running regularly. 
~Post more pictures. - Check!  I've been much better about getting pictures on my posts.  I know that I enjoy looking at pictures so I really want to try to keep this up.  I guess you guys would be better judges on whether or not I met this goal.
~Try new recipes. - Another check.  I bought a cookbook and found a few that I really like that I've added to my repertoire.  I've also been using the Food Network website to get recipes for when we have people over.  This is another thing that I would like to keep going.
~Complete my first half-marathon. - Nope.  Not at all.  I started training for it and realized my body wasn't ready for it.  I think the weight I put on over the holidays, which wasn't coming off was hindering some of the process.  I really would like to revisit this goal sooner rather than later.  We shall see what the future holds!

April - June Goals
~Finish the first triathlon of the season. - I'm planning on doing my first one of the season on May 16th.  If I can't afford the registration, I'm going to do it on my own, at the gym if I have to!
~Lose at least 10 pounds. - I hate to set weight goal like this, but if I don't lose 10 pounds, that dress of mine ain't gonna zip when I go to my first fitting.  Wouldn't that be embarrassing!  Besides, I also want to look great in my bathing suit when we go to Mexico.
~Try to stay calm through the end of the semester and through wedding planning. - So far I've been really lucky that my wedding planning has not really involved much drama.  I'm a little concerned that once I get home and we really need to start getting things done that the drama will arise.  I promise to keep my cool!
~Manage my money better. - I just need to be more conscious about how much I'm spending and what I'm spending it on.  With the wedding coming up, I need to be even more careful.  I plan on generally trying to spend less and only buying things we need.

Weekly Challenge #4

First, a recap from last week.  I was supposed to be eating at least three fruits and veggies a day.  Okay, I must admit, this was a giant FAIL!  Mostly because we ran out of fruits and veggies and we only go to the grocery store once a week.  I think, on average, I got about 2 servings in, which is better than nothing.  So when I went grocery shopping for this week I stocked up big time and I'm going to give it another go.

In addition, my challenge for this week is to seriously focus on my eating this week.  I've been eating really crappy lately.  I'm a snacker and tend to eat when I'm stressed or bored.  I plan to be in control this week and pay attention to portion sizes.  A little extra motivation for this is that I'm suppoed to be ordering my wedding dress next week while I'm home for Thanksgiving!

Weekly Challenge #3

First, I would just like to say that I met my challenge goal for last week.  I did yoga one day, went to the gym twice and did the elliptical, and I went running yesterday (more on that tomorrow).  I really want to try to keep this habit up.

For this week I'm challenging myself to eat three servings of fruits and veggies a day.  I know the recommended amount is 5-6 servings, but I'm lucky if I get one, maybe two.  This is something I really struggle with because I'm not a huge fan of veggies.  But I do love fruit.  Really, I'm just a picky eater.  Now I'm just concerned that I won't have enough to last me the week!

What are your favorite ways to get your fruits and veggies in?

Weekly Challenge #2

First, I just want to recap my weekly challenge of no Halloween candy from last week. I did pretty good, although I did slip up once on Wednesday. I was visiting a friend in D.C. who made me lunch at her apartment and offered me candy. I took it and as soon as I had finished eating it I remembered my challenge! Agh! Oh well, on slip up isn't too be.

As for this week's challenge, I want to work out at least 4 days this week. Last week I only exercised twice, so I really want to step it up this week and make exercising a priority. This is especially difficult since I have two tests this week on top of my regular workload. I already did yoga today, so I'm well on my way. Hope you all have a healthy week!

Weekly Challenge #1

I've been trying to think of ways to mix things up over here as we head into winter and I came up with the idea to pick a challenge for myself each week.  It could be an exercise challenge, a food challenge, or something else.  So, since Halloween is now less than a week away, and we all know what Halloween brings:

I'm challenging myself not to eat any Halloween candy (or any other candy for that matter) for the whole week.  This include no chocolate chips, candy corn, or any other sweets of this nature.  What makes this a challenge you ask?  First, I'm a bit of a chocoholic and second, I'm going to Washington D.C. on Wednesday for a conference and I know there will be people with candy on the bus ride.  Candy that I really shouldn't be eating.  This challenge starts tomorrow morning and I'll report back on my progress as I go.
Want to join me for my challenge?  You know you should...
Got any ideas for a challenge?  I'd love to hear them!  Please share!