Christmas Survey

Happy Sunday from my kitchen table. I just made it home from Austin for a roommate reunion weekend, and I'm about to head out the door again, but seeing as it's been a week since my last post, I wanted to get it posted.

Clubhouse girlies on Mount Bonnell

I'll do a full Austin recap early this week, but for now, here's our weekly survey. With a little bit of a Christmas theme, because Christmas is in FIVE short days. Good thing I've already got all of my shopping done!

What’s the best gift you have ever received?

Oh, man. I know that I lived a super blessed childhood, because there’s no way I can answer this question. I know getting my first “big girl” bike when I was about to turn five was probably one of the greatest gifts I ever remember seeing under the tree. I know my American Girl Doll - Samantha - was also a huge hit, but I definitely could not pick just one.

What is your favorite Christmas movie moment?

I have a couple –

1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas – When the Grinch, after attempting to cancel Christmas for the residents of Whoville by stealing all of their Christmas gifts, sees them gathered around the tree, SINGING! That’s when he realizes that “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more.”
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas – Christmas is not about all of that extra stuff. It’s about getting together with your family and loved ones to celebrate the real reason for the season. Charles Schulz, you left a wonderful legacy.
3. It’s a Wonderful Life – Because who can forget the classic line, “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”

When do you open gifts?

We used to open one gift on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning. That tradition has kind of dissolved, and we simply open everything on Christmas morning. I don’t think the presents are as important as they once were to us, so waiting those extra couple of hours is no big thing.

Do you believe in Santa?

Funny story – one of my teachers in elementary school called my parents because evidently I was going around telling everyone in the class that Santa wasn’t real. Who knew I had such cruelty in me?

Not amused

What is your happiest Christmas memory?

My favorite Christmas memories have to be when allllll of my family is together. Or at least, a big part of it. See, most of my family lives in Philadelphia, so getting together for the holidays would most rationally mean us going to Philly. And holiday traveling is hard, and expensive, and sometimes (okay, all the time) stressful. And as much as I love traveling, I prefer to do it during off-times. So it’s not often when there’s a lot of us celebrating Christmas, but I sure do enjoy the times when it has been.

What famous person would you most like to encounter under the mistletoe?

J.J. Watt. I’m currently on a mission – along with a few co-workers – to date J.J. He has three criterion:

1. Being okay with the craziness of his current life – CHECK. I need my own space, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
2. Would be okay staying in and having a low-key Friday night watching a movie – YES, J.J., sign me up!
3. Would enjoy a Saturday night bonfire –  I mean, I have nothing against bonfires, so..

Plus, he sees himself coaching high school football in the future. YES, YES, and YES!

When it comes to decorations, are you a Griswald or a Grinch?

Probably somewhere in between. I don’t want the decorations to look tacky, but I am definitely a fan of decorating. Some houses do this really well – there’s not too much going on, but they’re definitely in the Christmas spirit.  

If you win "Most Wattage," maybe you've done too much

What is your favorite version of a Christmas song?

My favorite Christmas songs are “Hallelujah, What a Savior” and “O Holy Night.” My favorite Christmas line of all-time has to be “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices!” How can you not get chills when you hear that?

Have you had any traumatic Christmas-related experiences?

I think one thing that makes the Christmas season a little bit difficult is the anniversary of my Granny’s death just four days before Christmas. This Monday will mark three years, and it’s still hard to believe that we do everyday life without her. If anyone was the definition of “Christmas spirit,” and the selfless attitude that comes along with it, it would be her. She loved seeing the look on your face when you opened a present, and she never expected anything in return, always expressing genuine surprise when anyone got her anything. Not that she didn’t think we wouldn’t get her presents, but she just really loved giving, and she never once asked for anything. Not one time.

What would be an age appropriate gag gift for most of your friends?

Hmm.. that’s a great question! Perhaps the World's Largest Coffee Cup, because my friends are all major coffee people. Or is the World's Largest Wine Glass an option?

Because we like wine

Would you rather be a partridge in a pear tree or a lord a-leaping and why?

Lord-a-leaping? That sounds active, and you know I’m all about that!

Catch you guys tomorrow! My goal is to post every day over break, but we'll see how long that lasts.

Seasonal Showdown Survey

Happy Sunday! How about those FOUR posts that I had this week? Fitness & fro-yo is getting back in the game, huh? I may also get something else posted today, seeing as I don't plan on leaving my couch for the remainder of the day. Why, you ask? Well, I woke up at 4:10am, drove out to Sugar Land, ran 18.6 miles in the pouring down rain, and now, here I am. Okay, let me back up a little bit.

I signed up for this race as the third in the Houston Marathon Warm-Up Series - the first being the Houston Half Marathon in October that got rained out, the HMSA Classical 25K that I ran the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and the Fort Bend Kia 30K that I completed this morning. I was a little nervous because the weather down here in Texas has been pretty typical of Texas, but this past week has featured high temperatures with high humidity. Not ideal running weather. This morning started out at 75 degrees, so I suited up in my shirt and shorts, and made my way to the Land of Sugar. For the first five or so miles of my run, it was hot and humid, but not too unbearable. I was actually rather enjoying myself, and then the rain started coming down. I actually really enjoy running in the rain, so I was kind of looking forward to the rain cooling me down a little bit.

But then I hit mile six, and I actually looked around to see where the cold air was coming from. The temperature had suddenly dropped about 20 degrees, and the rain was only getting harder. And the wind was picking up speed, and I could do nothing but laugh at the hilarity of the situation I was currently in. I had asked for rain, and rain I got! Ask and you shall receive, right? The rain was pretty steady for the next 10 or so miles, and then it calmed down to a mist. But by that time not one inch on my body was dry, and I was way past being bothered by my soggy socks. The last two miles were tough, because I had already completed three (and a half) loops of the same course, I was hungry, I was soaking wet and cold, but I was determined to keep running. It was slow, but I never stopped. And I'll call that a successful run. The Chevron Houston Marathon is next on my list, and while I know it's going to be tough, I mean really tough, I am so excited. Five weeks from today and I'll be crossing something big off of my bucket list.

Started this guy a little bit late, whoops!

And now that you know I'm a crazy person, here's a little seasonal showdown this or that for your rainy reading enjoyment.

Smoothies or juices?

Smoothies, for sure. I've never been a fan of juices, but I will never turn down a good smoothie. In fact, I used to drink a smoothie before every high school volleyball game. My favorite smoothie establishment - Juiceland - is getting ready to open in Houston and I CANNOT WAIT!

Grilled veggies or salads?

This is a tough one! I think I'm going to go with salads, though, because I can always add grilled veggies to it? I take a salad to school almost every day, so the salad is going to take the cake.

Corn on the cob vs sweet potato fries?

SWEET POTATO FRIES. They are hands down my guilty pleasure. I could honestly eat a good batch of sweet potato fries every other day without getting sick of them. In fact, I indulged in some yesterday at Grub Burger Bar.

Burgers or dogs?

Burgers. I've never been a huge fan of hotdogs, and burgers offer so much variety. There are regular beef burgers, veggie burgers, turkey burgers, salmon burgers. chicken burgers, bison burgers, and the list goes on. Needless to say, I'm a big burger fan.

Baseball or soccer?

Honestly, I think I'm going to have to go with soccer. I used to be a huge fan of baseball, and I still enjoy it, but soccer is far more exciting. I love watching the World Cup, and though I don't watch much of the sport, I get into it when it's on.

But what is summer without baseball?

Walking or biking?

Oh man! I love both, but I guess I'll go with biking. It's obviously a faster mode of transportation than walking is, and it's also such a fabulous workout. There is nothing that I love more than a morning bike ride through my neighborhood. Then again, my most favorite part of my days have to be walks with Mack. And walks with Sarah is one of my favorite suite 1 traditions.

Beach or trails?

I love the beach, I really do, but I'm going to go with trails. I would pick the mountains over the beach any day of the week - I much prefer hiking to laying on the beach. Though I won't ever turn down a competitive game of sand volleyball.

After hiking many, many trails

Ice cream or fresh fruit?

Well, seeing as I'm lactose intolerant, I'm going to go with fresh fruit. Which I would probably choose anyway. Summer in one image has to be a large bowl of fresh watermelon.

Sun bathing or swimming?

Swimming, all the way. I love being tan, but I hate the act of tanning. It's just so boring! And I can't read, because the book will block some part of my body, and then I start sweating, and it's been about 7 minutes at this point. You guys know that I love to swim, and though I get myself a cute one-piece tan, I'd much rather tan while I swim.

Tulips or daffodils?

I absolutely love tulips, so this one was easy.

Farmers markets or garage sales?

Farmers markets. We actually were never allowed to have garage sales in my neighborhood growing up, so they were always kind of a foreign concept to me. Besides, what's better than a Saturday morning farmers market? They're far more than just fruits and vegetables, and I need to start making them a more regular part of my schedule.

Sneakers or sandals?

This is such a tough question! I love my Chacos, and they have served me well throughout the past six years, but I still think I'm going to have to go with sneakers (tennis shoes). They're comfortable, practical, and you're always ready for some activity.

But then sometimes you end up wearing Chacos with a skirt

Flower garden or veggie garden?

Veggie garden, for sure. I would actually love to have a vegetable garden one day, and be able to eat what I produce. Once I move to a house, I'm definitely going to try out my green thumb. I'm definitely a veggie garden n00b, but hey, everyone has to start somewhere!

And that's all I've got. But before I go, can I just leave you all with a Hook 'em Horns? Texas Basketball defeated #3 UNC yesterday afternoon, and Texas Volleyball is taking yet another trip to the Final Four after a THRILLING victory over Florida last night. I went to sleep after game one, but I woke up at 10:30 to a hungry puppy, and I got to watch the last five points. 'Twas a good day for Longhorn fans!

Circuit Pool Workout

Happy Thursday! And there are only two hours left in Thursday, so it's pretty much Friday. Even though I thought it was Friday all day, but hey, tomorrow is really Friday, so I'll give a FriYAY to that. And I don't have much for you guys, besides another pool workout. I swim a lot, but I typically do the exact same routine, so it would get monotonous to continue to share that with you guys. But I also know that swimming intimidates a lot of people, and it's such a wonderful workout that I want to help lower that intimidation factor.

I can't take all of the credit for this workout. I was innocently swimming over in lane 3 when I saw the white board for the Master's Swim Program taking place in lanes 4 through 6. We won't discuss the frequent lack of lanes at the MAC, but I digress. The workout was a circuit of sorts, and you guys know that I'm a big fan of circuits. I'm a very task-oriented person, and the feeling of being able to cross off a set is second to none. I know, I need help.

Anyway, I modified the workout a bit, until I came up with the following:

And, as usual, let me explain. The word "drill" may throw some people off. But I like to put it in terms that I can understand. When running, I'll sometimes (key word: sometimes) do sprint work. But I don't just sprint laps and laps and laps on end. No. I would make it maybe one lap and be done. Instead, I may sprint the straights, jog the curves, or vice versa. I may sprint one lap, walk one lap. I may sprint 1/4 of the track, rest for x amount of time, and start again. I may do lunges in between, I may broad jump the length of the football field (doubtful), but by no means am I simply running my hardest for that entire length of time. It's the same with swimming. I'm not going to swim 100 laps of freestyle. That would be terribly boring, and I guarantee my arms would stop functioning. I did a variety of different drills, and if you would like a list of them for your own knowledge, I suggest starting here. But I simply did two laps of one drill before moving onto the next. I then did a 100 IM, meaning I swam one lap of butterfly, one lap of backstroke, one lap of breaststroke, and one lap of freestyle. Those laps of butterfly absolutely killed me. The kick and pull are just what they sound like - you are using either only your legs or only your arms. And the 100 swim is completely up to you. I did a mix of breaststroke and freestyle, but you do whatever strokes you please. I'm not a huge fan of backstroke - it relaxes most people; it does not relax me - but some people could backstroke all the live long day. But I went through that series three times, for a total of 72 laps, before warming down to make it an even 100 laps.

I really enjoyed this workout because it challenged me in ways that my own swims don't, and it definitely prevented me from getting bored. It makes swimming a whole lot less intimidating to think of it in chunks of two or four laps, as opposed to thinking you have 100 laps to swim. And you certainly don't have to do this whole thing! Maybe one or two rounds of the circuit is all you can handle. And that's 100% okay. Getting outside of your comfort zone at all is a huge accomplishment. In my book, anyway.

And with that, I'm off to get some sleep. I've been the Grinch of Bellaire High School this week, so I'm hoping to get a good night's sleep and not be so quick to snap at my crazy students. Adios!

The Lie Behind 'Happy Plates'

Happy Hump Day, and Tacky Holiday Sweater Day, everyone! 

I didn't wear this to school today, but I wore something of similar fashion

Two posts in a row is a rarity for me these days, but here I am with yet another post. Actually, I can’t take credit for this one. I reached out to a friend of mine, Austin Bowles, who actually has his own incredible blog that you guys should most definitely check out. Seriously. He just gets it. He’s currently striving to complete 100 blogs in 100 days, because his dreams are important to him. And I’m not lying when I say that I look forward to his posts each and every day. They're the kind of Cliffs Notes this English teacher can get behind.

He's third from the right

Anyway, I met Austin in the summer of 2011, when we were both fresh out of our freshman year of college. I was obviously at UT, and he was at one of our Big 12 rival schools, Oklahoma State University. More on that later. We were both working at a summer camp called Kids Across America, and though it certainly wasn’t my most favorite summer, I learned a lot, grew a lot, trusted a lot, and I met some pretty awesome people. Austin is actually one of the few with whom I still keep in touch today, and he’s one of those forever friend types of people. I haven’t seen him in a couple of years, but he remains one of the easiest and most real and encouraging people to talk to. Again, I encourage you to check out his blog. But before you read his awesome post, you have to know this one fun fact about Austin. He was THE Pistol Pete at Oklahoma State University during his junior and senior years. You know, this guy?

It’s the coolest. And even though I’m a Longhorn for life, I definitely brag that I know a former Pistol Pete. So, now that you know that very important piece of information, read on. He obviously knows the main focus of my blog, so while I asked that he might start with the food and fitness topic as a segway into a larger message, I gave him very little restrictions and said, “Go for it.” And go for it he did.

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“Make a happy plate!”
“Eat all your food, or you won’t get any dessert.”
“Just three more bites!”

These are three of the most famous parent quotes from pretty much every parent ever. Since the beginning of time, parents have been trying to get their children to eat all of their food. From threats of having to sit at the table until all the green vegetables are gone, to bribes of new toys, trying to get kids to eat goes to all kinds of ludicrous extremes. Watch closely, and you’ll see it all around you, at restaurants and even at your own family’s table.

Now, is it just me, or is it because of this that we have all been brainwashed since day one to not only eat everything in front of us, but to also indulge regardless of how full we may be or what foods we do and don’t like? I think yes.

I’m not picking on parents or hating on how they raise kids. It’s different for every family, and learning to eat and learning to eat right are super important things. It’s how we stay healthy, get the vitamins and nutrients we need and, in reality, how we keep from dying. Eating right is important, but why were we taught to ‘eat it all?’

Gluttony has become a problem. It’s so easy to eat in excess, especially with America’s fast food chains and super-sizing options. It’s become encouraged and easy to “make it a large” at the drive through and at the movies because it’s only $0.40 extra. What could it hurt?

Maybe a lot more than you and I think.

Gluttony steals away from portion, and portion is ‘importiont’ to life.

Portion is a part of a whole amount; it’s a share and a piece of something. A portion is a bit of generosity and a bit of healthy. Having portion sizes, not just in a food context, but also in a life context, is the only way to maintain healthy doses of both good (and not so good) things.

Is it good to eat a portion of fresh green beans? Yes. It is good to eat fresh green beans and fresh green beans only for every meal? Probably not. The same goes for Kelli’s favorite, frozen yogurt. Is it good for her to eat only frozen yogurt for every meal for the next 60+ years of her life? Nah. Is it okay for her to have a portion of some froyo every now and again? Most definitely.

The point is this; portions are what help make life more enjoyable. I love cheeseburgers, but guess what? If I ate one every day, I probably wouldn’t love them as much anymore. Portions keep the exciting things in life from becoming mundane. Portion out your life, not just your food. Eat a salad; eat a burger. Relax some; work some. Watch TV some; read some. Life shouldn’t be all about ‘making a happy plate;’ it should be more about making a healthy one through portions and pieces. 

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And he's right. I love frozen yogurt, but if I ate it every single day, would I really even enjoy it anymore? Variety is the spice of life, and that applies to more than just food. Just something for you guys to think about on this December Wednesday. And thanks, Austin, for taking the time to write a guest post for fitness & froyo. You’re a rockstar and I love the way you write.

More Carbs, Please

I think I love finals week(s). Why? Because I've worked tirelessly to get (almost) all of my grading done, my copies made, and my final exam keys created. I graded our final exam essays yesterday, and I am going to take the final exam review sheets for a fairly easy completion grade. Which means I am going to walk around the room, put a stamp on my students' papers, and call it a day. Of course, we're going to go over the final exam reviews, and that's when those who truly did the review will be rewarded. Because though I have told my students over and over and over again that the review extensively covers the material on the final exam, many of them still find reason to doubt me. Anyway, I love finals week(s) because I actually have some free time. Yeah. I finished my FIRST book of the semester today, so I'm feeling pretty darn good.

Definitely recommend

And with all of this free time comes some extra time to run. This past weekend I ran an easy (who would have thought I would use easy as my adjective) 10 miles though and around Hermann Park and Rice University, and I was feeling good. Had I gotten started earlier, I would have kept running, but I had a new car to buy.

And while I'm finding my running groove now, a couple of months ago, that was not the case. In fact, almost every run I went on was a struggle for me. I would get three miles in and lose any semblance of energy I thought I had. I would get stitches in my side that I just couldn't shake, my legs felt like jello and I would end up walking home, and something was just off. Granted, I was in the middle of volleyball season, so my energy level was going to be a little bit lower than usual. But it had been a while since completing five miles was a struggle. My shins felt fine, I was drinking plenty of water, but my diet was nowhere near what it should have been.

Let's back up a little bit. You guys know that I am training for a marathon. And someone said to me recently, "It's hard for me to imagine that you could gain weight with all of the running you're doing right now." And yes, I am doing a lot of running. But for those of you who run, how hungry does running make you? I mean, I am always hungry. One of my co-worker once commented on the "hearty breakfast" that I eat each morning. It's all healthy (the chocolate chunks are dark, after all), but it is definitely hearty. And how easy is it to say to yourself, "Hey, I ran 10 miles this morning! I can eat whatever I want!" It's very easy. And it's actually quite common to gain weight while training for a marathon. And I didn't want to do that.

I know at one point in time I wrote about how I was going to be okay with gaining weight during my season of marathon training. As long as I was fueling my body the right way. And while I've never been one to count calories, I do remain at least a little conscious of it. And I think I was being a little too conscious. Because my carb intake was low low low. And as a direct result of that, so was my energy level. I don't think that I was consciously avoiding carbs, but there was no bread nor potatoes nor oats to be found in my daily diet. So, the next week I took home-packed (delicious, if I do say so myself) sandwiches for lunch, and the result was almost instantaneous.

Brunch at The Dunlavy

Suddenly, running became fun again. I no longer dread those long runs, and running no longer feels like a chore. I feel strong after finishing a run, instead of stopping to walk halfway through. I look forward to my evening runs, and I continue to be amazed at how much of a difference two pieces of bread can make.

Happy runner

My point is this: don't be afraid of carbs! I take such pleasure in heading up the road to Grub Burger Bar and indulging in a full-sized burger with a generous side of sweet potato fries, which is exactly what I'm going to eat on Saturday before my first 30K on Sunday. I no longer feel guilty about polishing off a plate of my quinoa chocolate chip pancakes. Carbs are the first thing burned off during a run, so while I don't need to eat a full pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every once in a while is a-okay. Because my body needs it. And being able to comfortably run is much better than fitting into a smaller pair of jeans. I'm just saying.

And that's all I've got for you guys tonight. Be on the lookout for this year's second round of Student Quotes coming soon. Boy, do I have some good ones!

Would You Rather

Happy Sunday! I'm finishing up this weekend with the happiest heart. Not only did we get some beautiful weather, but my Longhorns won, I made my first real adult purchase (!!!), I tried out a brand new-to-Houston restaurant with some friends, and there are only T W O weeks until Christmas break! Plus, I got plenty of quality time with my precious pup, and that's the best part of all. But before I round out the weekend, and finish some of the work that I've been procrastinating on, here's a fun round of would you rather for your Sunday evening enjoyment.

This morning's breakfast

Would You Rather ... 

Speak another language or get a higher degree?

Speak another language, for sure. I would love to actually feel comfortable speaking Spanish, as opposed to awkwardly speaking in half sentences. I’m actually fairly good at reading Spanish, and I can understand quite a bit, but I’m very timid when it comes to actually speaking the language.

Madrid, Spain

Have a beautiful singing voice or be a fantastic dancer?

I wish I could have both, because I very much have neither. But because a singing voice is something I could use forever, I’ll go with a beautiful singing voice.

Be a CEO of a huge company or run your own small business?

Run my own small business. Kelli’s Kupcakes and Konfections, anyone?

Fly like a bird or teleport?

Probably teleport. As much as I would enjoy the scenery, my go-go-go lifestyle just craves teleportation.

Eat only sweet food or only salty food for the rest of your life?

This one is so tough! Probably sweet. But what’s better than a sweet and salty combo?

Do yoga or lift weights?

Lift weights. I am sure you guys know by now, but I am no yogi. I can’t even touch my toes. I know, I know. But I would choose lifting weights over yoga any day of the week.

Be a SUPER fast runner be SUPER strong?

Be a SUPER fast runner – that would make qualifying for Boston a piece of cake. And that would be a dream.

Have 8 kids or no kids?

Oh man. Honestly, after 1.5 years of teaching high school, I might have to go with no kids. 8 kids would be INSANE, and there’s no way I could raise them the way I would want to.

Have a small, older home with character or design a big brand new home?

Call me materialistic, but I might go with a big, brand new home. If “character” is code for “lots of repairs,” then count me out! I don’t need a big house, but I want it to be functional.

Watch the Today Show or Good Morning America?

Good Morning America.

Watch only sports or watch only BRAVO?

Only sports. That’s pretty much all that’s on my television anyway, and I cannot do mindless soap operas.

Cook a romantic dinner at home or go to the nicest restaurant in town?

Cook, for sure. I love a home-cooked meal – though every once in a while it is fun to dress up and treat yourself.

Drink beer or wine?

Wine.

Eat cookies or eat cake?

Cookies, for sure.

Today's pignoli from The Kitchen at the Dunlavy

Have only brothers or have only sisters?

Well, because I have a brother, I guess I’d better say brother, huh?

Go to Africa or Asia?

Asia. For whatever reason, probably ten people I know traveled to Asia this past summer, and now I’m dying to cross that continent off of my list. Though I would love to visit Africa as well. But Asia is a little higher on my wanderlust list.

Eat sweet potato fries or regular fries?

I am literally obsessed with sweet potato fries. I absolutely cannot resist them. So I’m going with sweet potato fries.

Own an SUV or a sports car?

SUV. In fact, I just purchased myself a new one. More on that to come!

Have a personal chef or a personal trainer?

Hmm.. this is a tough one! I would love to check out a personal trainer, just because I sometimes need other people to push me to workout in a way that I don’t push myself, but a personal chef would be top notch. Can I have both, please?

Sleep for 9 hours every night but no coffee, or sleep for 6 hours a night and have coffee?

Since I’m not a coffee drinker, sleeping for nine hours every night sounds like heaven.

This one is in heaven

Read a book or watch a movie?

Read a book, any day of the week. T-two weeks until I have TIME. TO. READ. I've already started making my list.

Live on the east coast or west coast?

Probably west coast. And when I say west coast, I mean California. There’s no way I could handle that east coast weather.

Have your toenails painted or your fingernails painted?

Toenails. Strangely enough, I almost never have my fingernails painted because chipped fingernail polish is one of my biggest pet peeves. But I love a good pedicure!

Go to the beach or the mountains?

The mountains. As much as I love being tan, I love being active even more, and you can’t beat those mountain views.

And with that, KTom is out. I'll check back in with you guys this week!

Taking It To the Track, Or Not

Happy Hump Day! It's hard to believe that it's already Wednesday. And that we're already two days into December. And 23 days away from Christmas, but I'm getting ahead of myself here. Anyway, there's just two days left in this week, we have all of next week, and then final exams week. W H A T. This semester is flying! Have I even taught my students anything? I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks, right? But let's take a break from all the school talk and talk workouts.

Up to my neck in STAAR-style work. Hello, expository essays and short answer responses.

Last night I was inspired to go up to my high school's track and complete a speed workout. You guys, that's huge, because I - even though I played volleyball for 10 years of my life - hate sprinting. Give me a 10-miler any day of the week. But I know that speed work is important for marathon training, and seeing as my marathon is happening in S I X weeks from this upcoming Sunday, I felt like I'd better hop to it. However, when I got there, I was disappointed to see that the gates were locked, and there was no way to access the track. I may have jumped the fence once or twice in my day (just to get in a workout, okay), but last night was not that night. So, I headed right up the road to the MAC and put myself through the ringer with this stairs workout.

Let's break it down. This workout was obviously very stair-heavy, as I did five sets of 10 of them. My quads and calves were hurtin' this morning. But my arms and inner thighs (shout out to those wide-leg squats) were also feeling the burn. That's because in between stairs sets, I completed various supersets. I love supersets because you get all of the exercises done in the same interval. Once you've done pushups, you've done pushups. The time also seems to fly, which is obviously a huge perk. Three sets made up one superset, meaning I did 15 bicep curls, 10 shoulder t's, and 15 back extensions three times, before making my way outside for another set of stairs. I tried to work my entire body, while still getting in some good cardio. I've been called "Krazy Kardio Kelli" once or twice in my day. Anyway, the "one lap" is very vague, and while most would assume it's one lap around a track, I simply ran a lap on the track that encompasses the MAC's two pools. Definitely not equivalent to a 400m track, but that was about all I needed. And finally, I pulled out one of the most versatile pieces of equipment out there: the cone. There are endless exercises that can be done with the cone, and I'm excited to start integrating them into my workouts. For last night's workout, I simply lined up six of them, hopped over them, and jogged back to the start. I repeated that five times, and started my superset over. All-in-all, a fantastic workout that left me nice and sweaty. And completed in about 45 minutes. Can't beat that.

And with that, I'm off to cross a few things off of my to-do list. Like I said, it's that crazy time of year. And I'm trying to stay on top of my game. Have a great one!