Hot Body Friday

Because no matter how many times she falls off the wagon, she gets right back on...

And who hasn't prayed for abs like Ms. Jackson?

-Nash

26.2 miles is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of...

and yet, for some reason, I'm thinking about doing it. It was my dream for a long time to run a half-marathon and when I ran my first half marathon almost a year ago I was filled with pride and excitement. I also knew that I wanted to do it again. And again. And again. To me, 13.1 miles is the perfect distance. It's long enough to be a challenge but still manageable without aching or being bored out of your mind. The thought of running for over 4 hours straight seems absolutely ridiculous, painful and mind numbing to me but for some crazy reason, after a simple suggestion form a friend, I'm seriously considering it. On one hand, I don't think it will be fun at all. On the other, I think its a great challenge and I'm strangely intrigued by do something that I generally think is so horrible and painful.

The Chicago Marathon is on October 8th but registration opens on February 1st and fills up fast. I have a love affair with Chicago (I spent three years there while in law school and happened to meet my future husband there) and remember seeing thousands of people run down on my street with pained/excited looks on their faces. I have seven days to decide if I'm really about that life but I know I want 2012 to be filled with lots of new challenges so...why not?

If you're thinking about running a marathon for the first time or have already done so I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

- Nash

Late Nights, Early Mornings.

It's 11:34 pm and I just finished a short 2 mile run on the treadmill. I'm at 36 miles for the month so far, i.e. no where close to reaching 100 miles for the month of January. To hit that mark, I'd have to run 5 miles every day for the next 13 days. It's possible but with my schedule it's not likely.

So I'm feeling a little discouraged. It will pass. In the meantime, I'm reminding myself of some thing I know I need to get on top of. I HAVE TO WORKOUT IN THE MORNING. As much as I hate getting up at 5am, I DREAD working out after a long day of work and having to hit the treadmill at 11 pm just to log a few miles. When I get home from work, I want to cook dinner, watch tv and hang out with my soon to be husband. It's so much easier when I get my workout done before I start my day. I'm making that a priority for the rest of month.

Night.

-Nash

2012 Races!

So I've finally decided on a few races for this year and I'm pretty excited. This is not a full list as I plan on adding races once I do more research. If you have any suggestions on races, please let me know!!

• February 11, 2012 - Valentines Day Sweetheart 10k, Bartlett, TN
• March 18, 2012 - Germantown Half Marathon, Germantown, TN
• April 28, 2012 - Rock n Roll Half Marathon, Nashville, TN
• October 28, 2012 - Rock n Roll Half Marathon, Los Angeles, CA

I also pre-registered for a Tough Mudder in Nashville. We'll see how that goes...Not sure if I'm ready for that kind of challenge yet and the date for that race isn't listed on their site yet so it may not fit in with my plans. I know that I want to do a Tough Mudder at some point in my life, but the whole thing is seriously intimidating.

The Valentine's Day Race, my first race of the year, is a team race for "sweethearts" ( corny, I know). Teams consist of two individuals. Both run the race and their times are added together to determine the winner. My fiance doesn't yet know he'll be running this race with me but I think it will be a fun thing to do so.....:)

I plan on adding another half marathon, an obstacle 5k race, and a bunch of other races of distances under 13.1 miles. It's nice to have a few races picked out so far though. I tend to do better when I have a plan and something I KNOW I'm working towards. I'm also looking forward to writing race some recaps since it's been a while.

SEND ME SOME RACE SUGGESTIONS!

- Nash

Hot Body Friday

In the prolific words of Big Sean....

ASS. ASS. ASS. ASS. ASS.

Because I love everything about Tracee Ellis Ross.

And that back.

And that ....

Whew.

Happy Friday.

-Nash

Week 1 of 2012 Update

So far 2012 has gone well and I've been able to start the year off on the right foot (I know it's only been 11 days). My new year plan/resolution(s) didn't *technically* start until January 2nd. From January 2nd-January 8, I worked out 6 out of 7 days at a total of 19 miles for the week. I haven't started any specific running plan so I basically was just running for as long as I felt. Since I gained a few lbs. over the holiday, I definitely felt heavier which was NOT fun. My longest runs for last week were 4 miles. The shortest runs were 2 miles. I also did a damn good job of eating well this past week, mostly because one of my added resolutions is to plan all my meals and not eat out. I brought my lunch to work EVERY DAY y'all. I know people do that all the time but that is a big, deal for me. AND i was the crock pot, meal prep queen. I finally feel like I've managed this how-to-grocery shop-for-1-2 people-without-always-having-to-throw-produce-in-the-trash-thing.

Still compiling my race list for the year and I think I'm going to join a gym....the jury is still out on that though. I have a treadmill at the house, a stationary bike, a medicine ball and some weights. The basics. But I miss the option of hopping on the elliptical to blast out calories from time to time without having to work hard. I also miss the occasional spin class. There's a gym in walking distance from my house that I'm thinking about trying out but I'm not sure if I really, really need a gym membership. Thoughts??

I'm going to weigh in this evening so I'll post my weight on here which I haven't done in a while. I have to buy a new scale because I think the one we have is broken (insert joke here).

Also planning on cooking some fun things this weekend including a jerk turkey recipe I got from my friend.

-Nash

Nash

2012 Resolutions

Here we go:

1. Read one book a month. I'd like to ultimately read 6 fiction and 6 non-fiction. I'm a fast reader and I LOVE to read. This year I want to devote more of my down time to reading and less to tweeting/facebooking/watching TV. Well, maybe not watching TV. The first book up is Manning Marable's "Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention." I purchased the book last year but have only read a few pages so far. I would LOVE any book recommendations.

2. I would like to join the "100 mile month" club. I don't know if this is an actual "club" but a friend of mine tweeted about it and I like the idea. This shouldn't be too hard to do with consistent running and why not run 1200 miles in 2012?

3. Become more fiscally responsible -- My pastor says that 10% goes to God, 10% goes to Savings and the rest you live off of/do what you want. I'm going to work really hard at making this happen (post-wedding).

4. Volunteer/Join a mentoring program. Volunteering was a lot easier when it's built into your curriculum as it was in high school. Since then, however, I have not done nearly as much community service as I should and that was a LONG time ago. I have one opportunity already in mind and I just need to stop making excuses, make the time in my schedule and do it.

5. Incorporate Cross Fit and Yoga into my routine on a consistent and regular basis. I fell in love with both Cross Fit and Yoga last year but have not be able to do them regularly. This is something I really want to work on.

6. Hit my 2011 goal of 4 half marathons. Run another obstacle/adventure race. This past year I ran 6 races. For 2012, I'd like to run 10. I need to sit down and figure out what races I want to do this year. Once I actually do that, I'll post them here.

7. Hit my goal weight (-15 lbs.) FINALLY and BEFORE my wedding.

8. Workout 5 times a week. I read Keyalus' 2011 recap on Determined to be Fit and was inspired and amazed that for two years in a row she has averaged 5 workouts/week. Impressive.

That's pretty much it but if I think of more, I'll add. Last year was very productive for me, so I'm looking forward to what this year has to offer and all the improvements I'll make.

- Nash