Hello Summer, meet Winter.

We've been experiencing some crazy weather here in Utah this week. Yesterday it snowed in the mountains and was in the 50s in the valley. It was quite a shock to the system. I froze all day. It sure made for some beautiful scenery though. The mountains are really green, with snow caps. Here was the view from my house this morning. Just beautiful!

Something not beautiful at all..... laundry mountain on my bed. My body is recovering from Saturday, but so is my house. Things sure fall apart fast when mom is MIA for a day (or two).

My appetite has been weird since the race. Some of my typical pregnancy cravings have resurfaced (like loving potato chips???), but I'm am NOT pregnant. Weird. I know that if I want my muscles to rebuild themselves nice and strong, they need the proper nutrition. I've been on an eating roller coaster. Eat chips....drink a kale smoothie. Eat a Hershey's bar....eat a serving of broccoli the size of my head. I'm hoping I can settle back into my normal eating soon. 

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate (no make-up seems to be the trend this week)

 

These 3 cousins had so much fun dressing up and playing together yesterday. Cousins really are the BEST friends.

 

 This is such a minor thing, but I got so much pleasure putting the 26.2 badge on the blog. Ain't it pretty?

Today's Workout:
Upper body 3x12
Wall-ups
Kettlebell snatches with squat
Push-ups

Bicep curls
Tricep overhead extensions
Tricep dips

Face pulls
Pulldowns

Hammer curl into shoulder press
Straight arm pull backs

Crunches on BOSU  ball
Bicycle crunches

1 min elbow plank
1 min side plank (each side)
1 min elbow plank

Hit the treadmill for a 2 mile shake out "run". Walked .5, ran 1, walked .5.

Are your cousins your best friends?

Do you have a designated "laundry day" or do you do loads throughout the week?
I do loads throughout the week, so having 4 loads to fold all at once was miserable for me. 

Do you have weird cravings after a race or intense workout?

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Recipe

I'm usually a Clorox Wipe kind of a girl when it comes to regular bathroom cleaning, but we all know you've got to bust out the bleach and really give the bathroom a good deep clean every once in a while. About an hour after I sacrificed my morning (and a small piece of my soul) cleaning our bathroom like my mama was about to come into town, I found this..... 

I adore my children, but I will never understand how someone can make such a big mess with toothpaste every. single. day.
Moving on.

I eat oatmeal most mornings, and I was craving this recipe this morning.

Pumpkin spice oatmeal recipe (single serving):
1/2 c dry old fashioned oats
1 1/2 c water
1 T chia seeds
1/4 t cinnimon
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of salt
Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes
I add half a banana, 2 T of ground flax seed and a 1/2 cup of plain non-fat Greek yogurt to mine.

Here's a little Thursday motivation for you. 

Today's workout:
30 minutes on the spin bike as a warm-up (The PT recommends I do this before I run)

5 miles on the treadmill

Came home and did some of the upper body and ab sections of this workout video:

 Upper Body
Chest press
Reverse fly
Alternate press
Wide bent over row
Renegade row
DB  pullover
Close grip hammer curl
Straight arm kick back
Arnold press

Abs
Straight leg crunch
Legs up crunch
Tall sit up
Reverse crunch
Tummy tuck
Single leg jack
Sumo side squat
Windshield wiper
Pulsing side planks

Do you have a hard time eating foods (like pumpkin) that are associated with seasons or holidays in the "off season"? 

What's your favorite at home workout video?

What spice do you use the most?

Risky business

Nothing great ever came about with out the courage to take risk. If we can remove our fear of failure and willingly take the victories and the face-plants, we are capable of anything. This is a reminder for myself. I naturally avoid risk and have to remind myself that there is no shame in failure. To fail means I acted. To fail means I've had an opportunity to learn. I love this Mark Twain quote I found on pfitblog.com.

 On a lighter (and much shallower) note, my new shoes arrived! They are the Brooks Ravenna 4s. I've never run in Brooks and am excited to see how I like them.

I loved this morning's workout. I did 3 sets of each pair of exercises, and finished with all of the plank work.
(You could do this workout at home as long as you have hand weights and a band.)

Legs                               
Walking lunges
Stability ball leg curl        
Leg press (sissy, sumo and normal)
Calf raises                     
Dead lifts
Tuck jumps                     
Sumo high kettlebell pull
Single leg jumps               

 Abs                                  
Windshield wipers (obliques)         
Weighted ball crunch          
Ab pulldown
Wood choppers (obliques)

1 min plank up on hands
30sec  plank on forearms
30 sec plank on forearms with left leg lifted
30 sec plank on forearms with right leg lifted
1 min side plank (30sec each side)
1 min plank, with leg step outs