Running Liv's Life

Workout:  1 mile run with jogging stroller/ 30 Minute Shred I'm the queen of fitness.  Or so I sometimes think.  I find running superior to all other forms of exercise, and I'm not really open to trying new things.  I think I am better than Jillian Michaels because she has never even run a marathon.  Um, Jillian, I crossed that off my list at age 19.  And we all know, your fitness level is determined by how many miles you can run at once.  So, when I started hearing talk of Jillian Michaels video 30 Day Shred  I instantly rolled my eyes and  thought "lame".  I figured it was for the novice, ya know, definitely not for people like me .   BUT THEN , this insanely speedy chick, who has a PR of a 3:08 marathon (which is a 7:10 pace!!!), tried it out and said it kicked her butt. This made me decide to climb down from my fitness pedestal and try it out.  It is safe to say this video securely grounded my feet to the floor...for a while anyway :).  Some of the exercises wer

Workout: None, although after eating that HUGE burger I'm totally regretting that decision. We got the opportunity to take Lyla on her first camping trip and just loved it.  We headed to Comlara Park, and if any of you live in the area I highly recommend it.  First, we hit the playground while daddy set up the tent for us.  As evening set in we had your camping classic.  Hot dogs, chips, and smores for dessert!!  Cuddle cuddle!  There was a small storm that passed through so I had to hold her tight.  Daddy read some stories with a flashlight.  Probably the highlight for Lyla :) The next day we went for a hike around the lake.  We saw a wild turkey with four little babies!  Great time and a great way to spend special time with Lyla.  Can't wait to go again!

Workout:  Elliptical 40 minutes/1 mile run: 7:37 I've been given the green light to continue running again, BUT I need to ease into it.  Not too much too soon.  I have to admit, I'm scared to death to start running again.  I am so afraid of my knee pain returning that I have only had the courage to run 1 mile at a time.  That is insanely pathetic, I know.  But I figure 1 mile is better than nothing, right?  So this morning as I was on my freaking out scared to death run (about feeling any sort of pain) I started to think of other things I'm scared of. 1.  Bridges.  You MUST have both hands on the steering wheel if I'm with you and we drive over one. 2.  Creepy men that stare at you the entire time you pass them. 3.  The south side of Chicago.  Even in the middle of the day. 4.  The dark.  I'm in my thirties and still need a night light in the bathroom! 5.  Spiders.  Seriously, just the word alone creeps me out! 6.  My basement.  Okay, it's dark AND ther

Workout:  Elliptical 30 minutes/weights We've never really done Time Outs in our house.  But, I saw this super cute Time Out chair, and just for the sake of getting the opportunity to be crafty, I thought I would recreate it and give this form of discipline a try.  After a couple weeks of garage sale hunting I came across the PERFECT bench! Four bucks, baby!!!  Lyla had so much fun cleaning the bench.  I told her what it was for, but I don't think she really understood since we don't use Time Outs .  She cleaned the thing for a good ten minutes; only stopping because I made her.  I found a can of spray paint in our garage, and then gave it a good 3 coats.  After it dried, I hauled out my friend Cricut to make it look pretty.  Um, because a pretty chair is the most important part of the Time Out, right? The best part about this bench is that it actually works for her.  She goes directly to it when told,  HATES sitting there, and her behavior is corrected :) Her first Ti

Workout:  Elliptical 40 minutes/weights I went into the Soldier Field 10 mile race with ZERO training.  Let me walk you through my thoughts as I ran. Pre-race - Aw, it's just 10 miles.  It's not that far.  I got this...piece of cake! .2 miles - CRAP, 10 miles is a looooong way! Mile 1: 8:50 - Okay, not bad.  That was easy. Mile 2: 8:30 - Whoa!  Slow down girl. Mile 3: 8:43 - I feel okay, but 7 more miles!!  @#$%!!!! Mile 4: 8:46 - I feel puke coming.  Why do I feel like throwing up?  This is NOT good. Mile 5: 8:52 - Oops, quit looking for Natalie and focus on your race.   I got this.  Half way. Thank you, random spectator man for taking my picture!!  Half way and no serious knee pain! Mile 6: 8:43 - Oh my gosh, I've hit a wall.  I feel awful.  I'm sooooo tired.  My feet hurt. Mile 7: 8:44 - Wow!  How did I pull that time off.  I'm so fast :) Mile 8: 9:06 - OH. MY. GOSH.  Can I keep this pace up? Mile 9: 9:35 - NOPE!  I'm hot.  My feet hurt.  Don&