A permanent reminder.....

I got my first tattoo about 7 years ago. I wouldn't say I regret it, but it turns out that the tramp stamp that seemed so awesome at 22 years old, doesn't seem so awesome at 29. I don't dislike it to the point that I want to get it removed, but I wouldn't rule out the idea of having it covered and turned into something else. Regardless, I've wanted another one ever since, but this time I wanted to make sure that I put more thought into it. I finally got to the point where I knew I wanted it to relate to running since it's become such a big part of my life. I toyed around with the idea of getting the word "run" translated into Norwegian on each heel but couldn't quite commit. I wasn't getting that "aha moment" feeling with it. When I thought of words to describe my next tattoo, I kept coming back to meaningful and timeless. What fits that criteria more than a scripture tattoo? It doesn't get any more timeless than a reference from the Good Book. I ran across (ha! no pun intended) a verse on a running blog and knew immediately that it was what I had been searching for.

So now, I knew what I wanted.......the next hurdle was deciding when to get it. A newly tattoo-ed foot does not pair well with running and I had a goal to meet by the end of the year and a 1/2 marathon to train for. I ended up hitting my 300 mile mark a week earlier than I expected so that has left me with a little break in my running..........which brings us to today.


I got recommendations on good tattoo places in Murfreesboro from my co-workers and went and got quotes from them. The second one I went to after work quoted the cheapest price and said I could get it done tonight. DEAL! I dropped Darcy off at home, grabbed my neighbor Michelle for moral support and went back for my new ink. After practically going cross-eyed from staring at so many font options, I finally settled on one. No turning back now!

I can't tell you how glad I was that I had brought Michelle with me. She and the tattoo artist chatted away, providing some much needed distraction. It made it easier to ignore the deafening buzz of the tattoo needle and the hot, searing pain in my foot. Ok, it wasn't as bad as all that. But it stung. And it burns........even three hours later. But here it is, chapter and verse: "....Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

I highly recommend the tattoo place I went to!

Straight Edge Tattoo
2285 NW Broad St.
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
615-848-0123

Life after a detox........

............is harder than I thought. Yes, it's great that I don't want to eat junk food anymore, but I have found that I'm borderline neurotic when it comes to planning meals now and I don't know what I'm supposed to be eating that won't cause me to gain back the weight I lost. I agonize over nutrition labels and have come this close to throwing out several things in my fridge and pantry.......but I absolutely abhor wasting food so it's safe for now. Maybe I can find something else to do with that poisonous white bread I hid in the freezer. Pinterest, here I come! Gotta be some good ideas there. I guess on the bright side, I've lost a couple more pounds and my running is back on track - even a little faster than usual.

Speaking of running, there are 20 days left of December and I have 41 miles to run. I have activities (i.e. dates) planned the next two nights so I'm determined to make myself get up in the morning and get a couple miles in before I work at 10. I checked the weather and it's going to be a chilly 35ish degrees in the morning. Dreading, dreading, dreading.

Other than that, life has been rather quiet as of late. I finished my Christmas shopping so I can just focus on getting the house ready for my dad's arrival on the 22nd. SO EXCITED! It's going to be a Tennessee Christmas this year. I can't wait :)

3-Day Fruit Flush Review

Well, my 3-day fruit flush is officially over and I'm happy to say that I completed without cheating......not even once. I weighed myself the day before I started and then again this morning after I finished. I'm down 8 pounds!! I really thought I was reading the scale wrong because it seemed too good to be true. But my scale doesn't lie. I do actually feel better as a result of my three day efforts and it's more than just that number on the scale. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment and I think it's really changed how I look not only at food, but my eating habits in general.

The weren't many downsides of this diet for me. I did miss drinking coffee but like I said before, it wasn't unbearable. The other part I missed was running. It is not recommended that you do any sort of exercise while on this diet because you're drastically cutting your caloric intake and there's no way for you to replenish those extra burned calories. I don't suggest going first thing the next morning like I just did either. By the time I got to a mile I thought I might pass out. It felt like running after having the flu for three days. No good.

I would absolutely do this again. For me, it was a great kick-start to getting my eating habits back on track and building up some will-power for rest of the holiday season. If you decide to try this, keep in mind that everyone will have different results. I certainly don't recommend this to anyone or claim that you'll have the same results that I did - but please let me know if you try it and what you think of it!

Next on the agenda - BREAKFAST!

3 Day Fruit Flush: Day 3

Here I am, sitting at my kitchen table; empty salad plate on my right, half-empty protein shake on my left - I only say half-empty because I've drank half of it. Ha! Per the directions I printed out, I'm drinking it very slowly and it isn't as painful as the previous six shakes.....I'm even borderline enjoying it. For the last time, here was my day:

8:00 - Fruit Serving #1 A banana.........can I PLEASE have 2?
10:00 - Fruit Serving #2 Two apples; actually I had 1 1/2 because the one wasn't good - too brown. YUCK!
12:00 - Fruit Serving #3 I tortured everyone at work with the smell of oranges that filled the air of the tiny back room faster than you could say "Who's eating an orange?" They were delicious!!!
2:00 - Fruit Serving #4 Another banana. I'm about to go bananas here. Can I go home early today?
4:00 - Fruit Serving #5 Grapes! This was a nice change and they are oh-so-portable which was good since I was driving to Nashville at this time. That's dedication when you pack your fruit for a car ride because you won't be home for the next scheduled feeding.
6:00 - Salad and Protein Shake. CHECK!

Today was by far the easiest day. I still wanted coffee but it wasn't nagging at me every second and I wasn't staring longlingly at the two big boxes of chocolates sitting on the table in the breakroom. Tomorrow morning I'll do my final weigh-in and see what kind of results I got and do a reflection blog on the 3-day experience.

3-Day Fruit Flush: CHECK!

3 Day Fruit Flush: Day 2

Sometimes when I'm at the grocery store, I see a kid throwing a tantrum because his mom is telling him (or her) that he can't get this or can't get that for whatever reason. The more she says no, the more he squalls in the shopping cart. I felt that kid's pain last night. All I could think about was coffee.........ok, I was also thinking about peanut butter sandwiches..........but mostly coffee. I was this close to a temper tantrum  on my living room floor but somehow I managed to maintain my composure and didn't do anything that might cause my cats to lose respect for me.

So here I am at my kitchen table. Once again, I'm staring at the empty plate that a mere 3 hours ago had a delicious salad on it. Damn, it was good, and I successfully completed day two. I'm two-thirds done. Whoop whoop! Here was my day today:


8:00 - Fruit Serving #1 Grapefruits aren't nearly as good without sugar sprinkled on them and I was shocked to discover that they actually contain more sugar than apple. That's your fun fact for the day - don't get greedy now.
10:00 - Fruit Serving #2 I love bananas! Why can't there be two in a serving?
12:00 - Fruit Serving #3 Lunch time!! Two apples it is - where is my apple corer? I forgot how much I dislike just chomping a whole apple. I prefer it sans core, in handy little slices. Oh well, still tastes good.
2:00 - Fruit Serving #4 Two medium oranges - perhaps I should have spent a few minutes getting this ready at home today. I don't recommend trying to peel oranges at work. Kinda messy.
4:00 - Fruit Serving #5 I still love bananas. Perhaps I should have done a 3 Day Banana Flush. Ha!
6:00 - DINNER! Finally, I get the salad and one of those craptastic protein shakes. No, it didn't taste good even after a 24-hour hiatus. 


Today really wasn't as bad as yesterday and I am so relieved by the fact that I haven't gotten a headache from ditching caffeine for three days. One day left...I can see the end in sight. This time tomorrow, I'll be setting the timer on the coffee pot for Thursday morning. Oh. Yeah.

3 Day Fruit Flush: Day 1

I have to start by saying how excited I am that I actually survived the day and didn't cheat......not even once although I'll admit, I was tempted repeatedly. There were several gifts of the edible kind delivered intermittently throughout the day from grateful customers and businesses - talk about upping the ante in a challenge! Seriously though, who does a detox during the holidays? I must be crazy. Nevertheless, it was a true test of my willpower and dedication (wow, can we say drama queen??). I guess that's to be expected after such a trying day.

So here's what my day looked like:

9:30 - Protein Shake #1 Not bad but I think this gives "shakes" everywhere a bad rep.

11:30 - Protein Shake #2 So far, so good..........when can I drink coffee again?

1:30 - Protein Shake #3 It might be all downhill from here - I'm predicting a snowball effect.

3:30 - Protein Shake #4 Am I supposed to chug this, or sip it? Chug it.

5:30 - Protein Shake #5 Last one, Laura, you can do it!

And now........

It's 8:01 p.m. and I've just finished what might be considered the most amazing salad I've ever had in my life. After drinking five 6 ounce glasses of chocolate protein shake nastiness today, I was over the moon at the thought of some solid food. For my strong showing in the liquid diet category today, I was rewarded with a heaping plate of lettuce, cucumbers and green pepper topped with fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 of an avocado, and 6 ounces of chicken. Does it get any better? I think not. It's actually mildly depressing to look at the empty plate right now.

There were several things that surprised me today and I might have even had a minor epiphany (yes!!): First of all, I wasn't super hungry like I thought I would be. The protein shakes kept me fairly satisfied for the most part. It seemed like every time I started getting hungry it was time for the next one..........and the water fillers helped, too. I also didn't realize how much I depend on coffee to get me through the day. By about 5 o'clock, I was nearly throwing a tantrum on the clinic floor because I was missing it so badly. I almost felt like I should be wearing all black because it felt a little like I was in mourning over the loss of a dear friend. Finally, I didn't realize how much I mindlessly snack. I constantly found myself wanting to grab something, anything, to munch on even when I wasn't hungry......not to mention all the times I started making a beeline for the coffee pot or the mini-fridge for a Dr. Pepper (Diet, of course!). Hopefully this little experiment will quell those nasty habits.

One day down, two to go. Bring on the fruit!

Twas the night before........

.....I started my 3-day Fruit Flush. Yes, I'm going to attempt a cleanse.....again........sort of. I tried to do the Sacred Heart Diet about three years ago and I don't remember exactly how many days I successfully completed but it wasn't many (no willpower!!) and I spent the majority of the time in the bathroom. It wasn't exactly what you'd call a pleasant experience. I think it was way too extreme for what I was trying to accomplish anyway so I probably dodged a bullet there. Fast forward to December 4, 2011 and I've decided that I need to do a little detox. First, let me explain why.

Sometimes at the clinic people will call in and tell us that their pets seem different - it might be that they're eating more/less than usual, they aren't as playful, they seem lethargic; you get the idea - they can't quite put their finger on it but something is different. At our clinic, we simply put ADR in the notes. It "Ain't Doin' Right". Welcome to the south, my friends. Anyway, I would label myself as ADR lately. I don't know what it is but I can't seem to control myself around junk food and my eating habits in general are way out of whack. It's been going on for a while now and it's really starting to take a toll on my running performance and just my general well-being overall. I feel tired and out of sorts..........and a little depressed by the way I've been eating. I'll be really good for a few days and then have a couple terrible days where I just eat everything in sight - even when I'm not hungry. I blame this on two things: 1) It's getting cold out so I think people (people being me) naturally eat more as a result. 2) I quit smoking.........completely. This cut two minutes off my mile but added two inches to my middle. So between those two things, my caloric intake is on a steep incline. I've got to do something about it.

If you've ever tried to find a detox diet online, you probably discovered that there is no end to the list of options. How did I pick this one? I found a blog on Totalbeauty.com that was sort of a three day diary a girl wrote about her experience doing it and she had success with it. I also found a news station that did a story on it and one of the anchor's actually completed it as well. So basically, I found real live success stories and that tipped the scale for me.

Armed with my shopping list, I went and picked up all my supplies. I am ready to start tomorrow. I'll post again tomorrow night with a report on how the first day went.

A Year's End Resolution........

There are 34 days left of 2011, and as of right now I have logged 229 miles on Dailymile.....all of those since the beginning of May with the exception of 7 I did in January/February. My highest mileage in a month was October when I logged 53 miles and I'm at a respectable 44 this month. Based on the fact that I like nice round numbers, I'm going to set an ambitious goal for myself to hit 300 miles by December 31st - that's only 71 miles to go. I calculated that I'll need to get in at least 14 miles a week to make this happen and from my experience, there's a much greater chance of sticking to something if you tell someone about it or write it down. I don't know if anyone actually reads this or not, but I'm officially putting it in writing:

34 days. 71 miles. Bring it.

A Dream is a Goal With a Finish Line

I did it. I accomplished a goal that I set for myself over a year ago. I ran the Two Rivers Ford 5k Turkey Trot in under 30 minutes. My official time was 28:03 but I clocked myself at 27:50. All of our chips started as soon as the gun went off so the results weren't completely accurate if you ask me. Regardless, I'm happy with the results and promptly rewarded myself with the Pandora running sneaker charm. I actually didn't pick this up at Jared because of the big "Small Business Saturday" campaign that's been going on. I went to a local gift shop in Murfreesboro called Penny's Closet and picked it up. I'm sure they appreciated my business much more than Jared's ever would.

Speaking of Small Business Saturday.......I had a Match.com date planned again today and decided to check out a local eatery while I was at it. We met at JoZoara Coffee Shop - it is so much more than coffee! They have breakfast and lunch options as well as yummy pastries. What a pleasant surprise to find this right down the street from the clinic I work at. Even though other people had mentioned it, this was my first experience there and definitely will not be my last. The date left a little to be desired but the coffee shop was everything I ever dreamed of and more - no, this is not an exaggeration. I LOVED it! Coffee was awesome and I had the most delicious Mediterranean Chicken Pita. Thank you Small Business Saturday!

This evening I put my tree up and got it partially decorated. I decided to go with a green and gold color theme and I'm absolutely loving it although I quickly realized that I only have one size of ornaments. Guess I'll hit up KMart and/or Wal-Mart after seeing Breaking Dawn with the girls tomorrow afternoon. With all the decorating excitement, I completely forgot that Christmas with the cats is not always enjoyable. They like to chew the tree and get sick on the carpet afterward. Merry Christmas indeed.

160 days and counting.....

Wow, have I been busy lately or what? I don't think being busy is to blame for my blogging absence.....although I have been on quite a dating spree as of late. That's the fun part about Match.com - all the dates and free dinners. I've had a few successful ones but nothing has panned out yet.....and I am constantly reminded that just because I have the hots for someone, doesn't mean that they automatically have the same reaction in return. Apparently this is a two-way street? I think after being away from the dating scene for so long I forgot that there is more than one person involved in the process and sometimes, it's not all about me. What a revolting development. Such is life.

This past Sunday, Molly and I ran the Mayor's Challenge 5k. Once again, I forgot how HILLY Nashville is! I don't realize it until I have to run it. Thankfully, I was way more prepared for this 5k than I was for the Predator's one back in February and I was able not only to run the whole thing, but I posted a PR of 27:46. I've been wanting to break 30 minutes ever since I started all this running business........it only took me a year. Gah! I have one more 5k planned - the Two Rivers Ford Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving. This is going to be my last one for a while. I've decided I'm ready to work towards my next goal of running a 1/2 marathon. I feel like I'm ready for it since my long runs are up to about 7.5 miles right now and also because it's something I want to accomplish before I turn 30 next year. I decided to go all out and register for the Country Music 1/2 Marathon on April 28th. Go big or go home, right?? Let the countdown begin!

Jumping On the Bandwagon

Every time I turn on the TV, I see some talk show doing a segment on couponing. I got really inspired by it once before but was too overwhelmed by all the lingo and stacking that I quit before I even started. I'm giving it another go. I haven't totally committed yet - no binder or baseball card pages yet but I have a feeling I'll make the leap this weekend. Last night I went to CVS and Walgreens to pick up a few items I needed. I spent $5.96 on what normally would have cost me $17.09 (that's a savings of $11.13!). Pretty awesome if I do say so myself. The Krazy Coupon Lady website is going to be my lifeline in all this. The only thing that I can see being a problem is that it makes me want to buy stuff that I wouldn't normally purchase so I'll have to be careful about that. The goal is to save money, not spend more!!

The other bandwagon that I have jumped on is using Pinterest and I really wish there was an Android app for this. I know there's one for iPhone already. If you haven't checked it out yet, it's basically a virtual bulletin board. Anytime you're browsing the internet and see a picture of something you want to save or remember you can "pin it" to one of your Pinterest bulletin boards instead of saving the whole page as a favorite. I'm pretty bummed that I didn't know about it the last couple years. It would have been very handy for wedding planning and finding ideas for my classroom......next time, right?? 

So those two things are going to be much like Fantasy Football and eat up more and more of my free time. At least they're all completely harmless!

Fitness and Fantasy Football

This year I decided to join a Fantasy Football League with seven other girls (can you spot the trainwreck? Ha!). None of us really knew what we were doing when we started. Some, who shall remain nameless, probably still don't have a clue.....but it's making for some interesting match-ups. With the first week behind us, I can proudly say that I won my first match-up and am 3rd overall in the league. Not where I had hoped considering I got the medal for best overall draft in the league........I'm blaming Adrian Peterson for this. He was supposed to be my guy! Oh well, Janikowski more than made up for it last night with a 63-yard field goal. Where are the extra points for this!?!?!? Such athleticism should be rewarded in the world of Fantasy Football.....tell it to the commissioner, right? I think things will pick up going into Week 2 and I've got some pending waivers out there that will hopefully beef up my starting line and my bench when I'm ready to use them. I have to say, being in a fantasy league adds a whole new dimension to watching football........and I'm totally diggin' it!

About a week ago, I made a decision to "up the ante" in my quest for total body fitness (I'm such a drama queen, I know).  I started running a year ago and went from a size 10/12 to a 4 which, don't get me wrong, is fantastic and amazes me every day, but I was still feeling flabby. My new term is 'skinny fat.' Obviously fat fat is worse than skinny fat but attention needed to be paid. My basic goal for this next phase is just to tone up and get some muscle definition, NOT to lose anymore weight! I decided to incorporate a system that has worked for me in the past - The Firm. I broke out my stack of DVDs and found some that I didn't know I even had (jackpot!!!) and made a workout calendar on my handy-dandy GoogleDocs spreadsheet program. Basically, I'll be working out five days a week - 3 days of running and 3 days of Firm DVDs (yes, I double-up once a week). After 10 workouts, The Firm guarantees visible results so I'll take measurements in another week or so to see if I've made any progress. I'm optimistic that I'll see results of some kind - and hopefully they are all in the lower body region as my upper body has nothing else to lose or I'll look like a pre-teen......and that's just not sexy!

To close this out, I just want to share my new favorite dinner that's so simple even I can't screw it up. You really can't even call this cooking:

Thaw a 4 oz. frozen chicken breast and place in a pie plate lined with foil. Cover dish with a second piece of foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Top with one slice of cheese (your choice, I use a 3 cheese blend but I think pepperjack would be delish!) and 2 tbsp of mild salsa and place back in oven just until cheese is melted. Serve with rice and fresh steamed veggies.

Bon appetit!

Hello, new blog!

Initially when I decided to start a (new) blog, I wanted it to be a fitness diary that would chronicle my experiences in running, working out, and navigating the vast world of nutrition. I mean, it consumes a large portion of my day (especially the nutrition part because I'm constantly trying to figure out what I'm "allowed" to eat at each meal or for a snack - sick, I know). This is all well and good, of course, because research shows that writing things down can be extremely beneficial. But then I realized that that's what www.myfitnesspal.com and www.dailymile.com are for. Those are my food and fitness diaries. I'll include all that stuff but I feel like there's definitely more to my life than running, working out, and arguing with myself about whether I should eat that Ben & Jerry's that is rudely shouting my name from the freezer. I do other things.......I have thoughts. There are many, many things that happen during any given day that add spice and humor to my life so I might as well share them and brighten someone else's day as well.

That's where the name of my blog comes in. If I remember correctly, it comes from one of my favorite Ramona books (Judy Blume).  In the book, the mom would sometimes make "MishMash Surprise" for dinner on the nights she didn't know what else to cook. She would just throw in whatever she could find from the fridge or pantry and........Voila!! Family dinner. I feel like that's how my life is and how this blog should be. A little bit of this, a little bit of that.....every day is a MishMash Surprise :)