Sunday, January 15, 2012

California Dreamin'

Isn't it nice knowing that we don't have to wake up and go to school or to work tomorrow morning? We can spend our Martin Luther King Day however we would like! It is definitely nice knowing that I have one more day of freedom before the craziness of spring semester begins.

What an inspirational man (Source)
This Sunday was a great one, well, until the Texans game, but besides that, it was wonderful. I went to bed last night with the intent that I would wake up and do a little treadmill workout before church, but when my alarm went off I opted for a little bit more sleep, knowing that I could swim once I returned from church. Instead, I got up, ate some yogurt and granola for breakfast, finally finished organizing my room and headed over to Austin High School for the 9am Austin Stone service, which was awesome, as usual.

Once I got back around 10:30, I quickly changed and biked over to Gregory Gym to swim my 72 laps before cheering on the Texans, who unfortunately lost, but considering all of the injuries this season, we did great and I can't wait to see what 2013 brings for my hometown football team! They made me proud to be a Houstonian this season.

After that heartbreaker of a game, I headed over to Barton Creek Mall to pick up my charm bracelet from James Avery. I received a nutcracker charm for Christmas and had not yet gotten it put on my bracelet. I absolutely love my charm bracelet, as each individual charm has a special meaning and I can simply look at my (overloaded) bracelet and that memory will come to mind.

Told you it was very full!
In honor of the annual Nutcracker Market in Houston that my mom and I attend every year
I then returned to SRD and decided I had put off my arm workout long enough. I am really trying to incorporate more strength training into my workouts as I tend to neglect them in favor of cardio, but strength training is extremely important as well, for many reasons. I did a very random mix of arm exercises, such as bicep curls, tricep dips, frontal raises, lateral raises, and shoulder exercises. For my first two sets, I did 45 seconds of bicep curls, immediately followed by 30 seconds each of frontal and lateral raises. Let me tell you, that is tough. I was definitely struggling at the end of each exercise. I did that sequence of exercises pretty regularly but I jumped around with the rest of the exercises. I am hoping to come up with some actual workouts that follow a sequence but for now I am just trying to get back on track! I definitely felt the burn on those bicep curls and my arms are still feeling fatigued an hour later. It is a good fatigue though and I am hoping to make these strength workouts a more regular thing.

Now on to the title of my post. Last night I had a conversation with a friend of a friend and the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco was mentioned. My ears immediately perked up as I would love to run a race in all fifty states, and California is one of my favorite states anyway. I became even more excited when I learned that upon finishing the race, a San Francisco firefighter presents each finisher with a Tiffany necklace. Now, that is not my main incentive to participate in the race, but it certainly doesn't hurt. I did a little bit of research and learned that it is a lottery system, and I mentioned the subject to my parents and they seemed to be okay with the possibility of me traveling to California in October to run a very hilly and very beautiful half-marathon. Maybe one of them will come with me? :) I am now pretty set on the idea so I am really hoping it works out. If not, there are always more opportunities!

Coit Tower in San Francisco - one of the views offered on the run (Source)
The beautiful Golden Gate Bridge - another gorgeous view on the course (Source)
I am off to dinner with a good friend from high school, also known as my prom date, at one of my favorite Austin restaurants. I am eating so well lately!

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