Workout Recap - Week 17

Sunday, April 21st – Easy 5 miles with the hubby, Foam Rolled & Stretched

Monday, April 22nd – Long intervals on Elliptical for 60 minutes

Tuesday, April 23rd – Strength Training (abs, back, arms and legs)

Wednesday, April 24th – Stationary bike for 60 minutes (18.5 miles)

Thursday, April 25th – Rest Day

Friday, April 26th – Speedy Six Miles, Foam Rolled & Stretched

Saturday, April 27th – 22 mile bike ride, Foam Rolled & Stretched

This week was one of 'getting used to having a dog'. This was the first full week where we had Walt, and the first week we went to work while Walt was crated. It will take a little getting used to, but we are making it work. The slightly bummer thing was that I felt like I needed to get home right away, so my workouts felt a little rushed and I wasn't able to do any of my 'extras' - like speed workouts or stairs. I think now that we know how well Walt does, I will feel more comfortable doing an extra 20 minutes or so instead of rushing right home. As you can see, my stretching and foam rolling also dropped off. I guess laying and playing with a doggy on the floor has been a little more important (or at least a little more fun) than stretching. I will HAVE to get back on this!

Speedy Six

This afternoon I went out to do a speedy six miles. I was shooting for around 8:30 or 8:45 minute pace for all 6 miles.

As luck would have it, I went to get my Garmin out of my bag when I was getting ready to head out for my run and it was DEAD. Thankfully I have done my 'routes' enough with my Garmin to know what my 6 mile loop is. I decided I would just use my stopwatch on my normal watch to get a guesstimate of time.

There was another runner about 200 feet ahead of my when I turned around at my 3 mile spot. I decided, since her pace looked similar to what I was running, that I would try to beat her by the end of it. She didn't end up going to the end of my loop, but at least she kept me motivated for a couple miles.

Now I can't say for sure that it was exactly 50:56 for 6 miles, but I did feel like I was cruisin' and hey, how do I know that my Garmin is that exact anyway :)

Please forgive the crazy hairs - I have some bad fly-aways :)

Making News :)

Weekend of Service is making the news. Glad that God is getting all the glory!!

Vista megachurch taking service to the streets

North Coast church tackles 250 community projects

VISTA — North Coast Church will fan out this weekend for its annual “Weekend of Service,” a program that deploys about 7,000 volunteers to participate in more than 250 community improvement projects in North County.

The church is canceling services to allow its members to participate in the projects ranging from renovations in public schools to repairs at homeless shelters, said Charlie Bradshaw, the church’s executive pastor.

About 9,000 people attend weekend services at the church, which has campuses in Vista, Carlsbad and Fallbrook.

“We wanted to show Christ’s love to people in the community and not wait for them to come to us but go to them,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw said the Weekend of Service started in a smaller scale about six years go but then the church decided to go big. He said it takes about nine months to plan this event.

In recent months, the church put together a “wish-list” from officials at more than 100 different public and nonprofit sites, which resulted in the 250 projects, Bradshaw said.

For example, the volunteers will repair a fence around the LifeSpring House, a home for former foster children operated by North County Lifeline in Vista. The volunteers will also repair the front of the house, paint it and provide landscaping.

“North Coast Church is a model for the community,” said Don Stump, Lifeline’s executive director. “They take their faith and passion and turn it on the community.”

About 250 skilled workers, including carpenters, plumbers and landscapers, will supervise the projects, Bradshaw said. Project managers have already ordered enough mulch to cover over 11 football fields, Bradshaw said.

The Weekend of Service is a biennial event that started in 2011. In its first year, about 6,000 volunteers participated in 185 projects.

For more information, visit www.weekendofservice.com.

Disney Open 24 Hours!

To celebrate the upcoming Disney-Pixar movie, "Monsters University", Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Park and Disney's California Adventure will be open for 24 HOURS on May 24!

Join Mike & Sully (along with many of your favorite characters) for this magical party that includes parades, dance parties and, of course, your pajamas!

First Three Park All Nighter Kicks Off Monstrous Summer At The Walt Disney World And Disneyland Resorts

Just seconds ago, a 180-foot-tall Mike Wazowski from the upcoming Disney●Pixar film “Monsters University”made the official announcement that we’re keeping three theme parks open for 24 hours on Memorial Day Weekend, the traditional start of the family travel season, to kick off a Monstrous Summer on both coasts. Wazowski, the loveable green-bodied, one-eyed monster, joins best pal James P. Sullivan (“Sulley”) in the prequel to “Monsters, Inc.”, this summer as college students with hopes of becoming Scarers.

Our first-ever, three-park all-night party is happening at the Magic Kingdom Park in Florida and Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park in California. The parks will stay open from 6 a.m., May 24 to 6 a.m., May 25, 2013, local time.

• In Florida, Magic Kingdom Park will feature a “Monsters University” theme where Mike and Sulley will be the Grand Marshals of the “Celebrate a Dream Come True” day parade and make appearances in Tomorrowland. There will be extra entertainment throughout the day and night, including characters in their pajamas in Town Square during the late night and early morning, and late-night dance parties in and around the courtyard of Cinderella Castle.
• In California, you’ll be able to party the night away at both parks with special entertainment including: a “Monsters University” “TLT Monstrous” Dance Club and Star Wars characters in Tomorrowland and late-night Character Pajama Party in Mickey’s ToonTown at Disneyland park. The new Fantasy Faire Royal Theatre at Disneyland park will become a Royal Dance Hall late at night with a live band and dancing; and guests of Disney California Adventure park will find Monstrous photo opportunities with new “Monsters University” “Dorms” in Hollywood Land and a new “Monsters University” float leading the Pixar Play Parade.

Tonight, the huge sphere of Spaceship Earth was transformed from Disney Parks icon to Disney●Pixar “Eye-con” for the announcement.

Walt Disney World Resort President George Kalogridis joined Mike to share the news of the Monstrous Summer. “This summer, Disney Parks are bursting with a monstrous lineup of new thrills, shows and happenings,” he said. “Guests can start Memorial Day Weekend with a 24-hour-marathon of memory-making as three parks stay open all day and all night to celebrate the bi-coastal kick-off of our Disney Parks Monstrous Summer.”

All three parks will feature limited-edition specialty merchandise and food and beverage offerings plus other surprises throughout the entire day. Keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog and the Monstrous Summer site for more details in coming weeks.

San Diego Course Map JUST RELEASED!! Looks like we are gonna have a great time in a couple weeks :) Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge

Be Brave!

BE The Church

This week all of North Coast Church's services are CANCELLED! We will be out in our community, BEING the hands and feet of Jesus. Weekend Of Service is finally here!


Weekend of Service 2013 - Why the church has left the building from North Coast Church on Vimeo.

So if you were planning on coming to visit North Coast this weekend - DON'T! Not that we don't want you to, but you will be the ONLY ONE THERE - literally!

Workout Recap - Week 16

Sunday, April 14th – Easy 5 miles with the hubby

Monday, April 15th – Stationary bike for 60 minutes (18.5 miles), 40 flights of stairs, Foam Rolled & Stretched

Tuesday, April 16th – Strength Training (abs, back, arms and legs), 4.09 mile run, Foam Rolled & Stretched

Wednesday, April 17th – Elliptical for 60 minutes, Foam Rolled & Stretched

Thursday, April 18th – Rest Day, Walked our new puppy approx. 2 miles, Foam Rolled & Stretched

Friday, April 19th – Hot 10 mile run

Saturday, April 20th – 19.5 mile bike ride, Walked our new puppy approx. 3 miles

I added in a few extra workouts this week - which I really enjoyed. I decided to throw in 40 flights of stairs on Monday after my normal hour in the gym - difficult but will probably try to keep with it. Tuesday, in honor of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon, I did a 4.09 mile run (the time on the clock when the bombs went off). And as you can see, Ryan and I rescued a puppy on Wednesday, so we have been adding in dog-walking to our normal routine as well :)

Family Photo

Friday Adventures

Walt has quite the day yesterday!!

It started with him going to work with Ryan yesterday at Reef (they allow dogs to come in every once in a while, and since Fridays are half days Ryan thought it would be a great time to try it out).

Then they went down and got some tacos at Haggo's Organic Taco - AND WERE INTERVIEWED FOR DINERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIVES!! Ryan and Walt may be TV stars!!

Then they went down to the beach for a little run and to check out the water. Walt still isn't too sure of it, but I think he will get used to it soon enough.

Then we went over to Mike & Katrina's for dinner and so that Dizzy and Walt could meet and play. It took a bit for them to warm up to each other (Walt just didn't seem to interested), but by the end of our domino game they were romping around like friends. [I didn't get any shots of them together.. fail]

All-in-all I think it was an eventful Friday :)

Hot Ten

I decided to head out and do ten miles today. I hadn't done a longer run in a few weeks and figured it was about time. Not to mention, Ryan and Walt were running errands, so I knew I didn't need to rush home to let Walk out or anything. The first five miles I felt like I was really cruising. But then, by mile 7 or so the heat and the lack of sleep (Walt didn't do so great with crate training last night) caught up with me. 

My legs felt like lead, I might have been slightly dehydrated, and I couldn't keep my focus. BUT with all that being said - I still finished it! 

I know not every run can be great, but man, I sure would love it if it was possible :). Maybe next time I shouldn't do my long runs in during the hottest part of the day either... Lesson learned (maybe).

Coming Back!

Official: Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III returning to Michigan

ANN ARBOR -- After a week of goodbyes, the Michigan basketball program finally had a reason to smile Thursday.

Freshmen forwards Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III both announced they'd be skipping the NBA draft and returning to school for their sophomore seasons.

The pair announced their respective decisions together, during a joint news conference at the Crisler Center.

McGary and Robinson were both projected to be first-round draft picks in this summer's NBA draft by most analysts, and have been mulling their futures since the conclusion of Michigan's season last week in Atlanta.

Robinson, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward, averaged 11 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Wolverines this season. He started all 39 of Michigan's games.

The 6-foot-10, 260-pound McGary averaged 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds during Michigan's six-game NCAA tournament run, vaulting himself into a first round projection by most experts.

He wasn't overly consistent throughout the entire season, though, starting just eight games -- and averaging 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds on the year.

Both players are expected to be starters again next season, as Michigan is now expected to bring back three of the five starters -- Nik Stauskas being the other -- from its national runner-up squad.

Michigan will have to replace point guard Trey Burke and shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who both announced this week that they'll be leaving school early for the NBA draft.

Catching Fire

Coming to theaters November 22nd, 2013...

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark.   Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts.  Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) - a competition that could change Panem forever.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE is directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy that has over 50 million copies in print in the U.S. alone. THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE opens on November 22, 2013.

Meet Walt!

Meet Walt! The newest addition to our little family! We rescued him from a non-profit called New Beginnings for Animals.

He is a 9-ish month old Dachshund mix (they weren't sure what he was mixed with, looks mostly doxie, but maybe a little Beagle in there).

We went up and met with him on Saturday and then the foster mom came down yesterday to make sure our house was a-okay. We did the paperwork right then and he became our Walt!

He walks well on a leash (which is a good thing, since we don't have a yard and have to do all of his potty breaks on walks around the complex) and seems to be pretty well trained already.

He found 'his spot' in the corner of the porch in the sun. He even grabbed a toy and went and started napping out there without me even showing it to him.

Today I took the day off work and am spending it here with him - so that he can get used to me, the house, the new environment, etc. He seems to be doing extremely well so far. We had him sleep in his crate last night, and after a minute or two of whining he was fine and slept soundly until this morning (thank goodness).

I will try not to have EVERY post be about our new puppy - but it may be hard, at least for a little while :). This is the first pet Ryan and I have owned as adults, on our own (meaning not a family pet), and as a couple, so it will definitely be an adventure - but I am sure we are ready for it!

Run For Boston

I should have posted this Tuesday, but we have been very busy around our place lately (more details to come on this soon).

The bombings on Monday at the Boston Marathon flabbergasted me to say the least. I mean, I can’t imagine going out for a run and never coming home. As I have been reminded often, tomorrow is never promised (even though we TOO OFTEN take our tomorrows for granted). Not to mention, the Boston Marathon is elite! People train for years (sometimes a lifetime) just to be able to qualify to run in this race – crazy that all of that training, preparation, planning, dreaming, etc could be taken away in an instant.

As the picture below states, messing with runners was probably the wrong group to mess with… We are a resilient bunch, a strange breed (I mean, who goes out and runs 26.2 miles at once JUST FOR FUN)!

I am so proud of the way that the running community came out to show their support and solidarity for what happened at the Boston Marathon. On Monday, there were already ideas being tossed around on ways that the running community (whether runner, walker, spectator, volunteer, etc) could come together and stand as one.

OF COURSE I wanted to show my support, so wore my Hot Chocolate 15K hoodie all day at work and then wore my Princess Half Marathon tech tee when I was doing my strength training and run.

Normally on Tuesdays I just do my strength-training workout. Yesterday I decided to do a little more and wanted to run 4.09 miles for Boston. [4:09 was the time on the clock when the first bomb went off] I went out for a prayerful run, no music, no frills. I spent the 4.09 miles praying for healing, comfort, thanksgiving, strength, etc. [I was even able to run negative splits – 9:50, 9:20, 8:50, 8:30.]

I am so proud to be part of this universal running community. Tragedies like this remind us to focus on what is important – God, family, friends, etc. Don’t take anyone or anything for granted.

Don’t stop running. If you live in the fear, the bad guys have won. Lace up your shoes, hit the streets, and run until you can’t run any longer.

America's High Five

High Five, America! We're Michigan!

http://www.themittenstate.com

You are BEAUTIFUL!

2 People Described The Same Person To A Forensic Artist And This Is What Happened

Your self-confidence shouldn't be dependent on how attractive other people find you, but ... because I know I would have reacted the same way if I'd been part of this project, I'll get down off my high horse just long enough to say, "Ladies, we really need to stop being so hard on ourselves!"

Chances are, you'll take a second look in the mirror after you watch this. Or maybe you'll just ditch your mirror altogether. Wouldn't that be nice?

Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see.

Watch the whole experience at:http://dove.com/realbeautysketches
Join the conversation at: #wearebeautiful

Beard Article :)

Beards Keep You Young, Healthy & Handsome, Says Science

Gentlemen, they’re not just for hipsters and the homeless any more. While both dead sexy and totally awesome, beards are also a boon to your overall health. Researchers discovered that men with beards and moustaches actually enjoy numerous benefits including, but not limited to, instant handsomeness.

A study from the University of Southern Queensland, published in the Radiation Protection Dosimetry journal, found that beards block 90 to 95 percent of UV rays, thereby slowing the aging process and reducing the risk of skin cancer. Got asthma? Pollens and dust simply get stuck in that lustrous facial hair. Additionally, all that hair retains moisture and protects against the wind, keeping you looking young and fresh-faced. What’s more, shaving is usually the cause of ingrown hairs and bacterial infections that lead to acne.

Have you tossed your razor in the trash yet?

To conduct the study, researchers left bearded mannequins, along with less attractive, follically-challenged ones, in the blistering sun of the Australian outback and then compared the amount of radiation absorbed by each.

But don’t forget to take care of those blessed follicles; beards can also spread infection if not properly cared for and make consumption of certain foods (e.g. cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, falafel sandwiches—anything with hummus actually, bagel ‘n’ schmear, syrupy pancakes) rather laborious. Fuzzy-faced men would be wise to take advantage of beard wash and beard oil, essential tools for looking and feeling your beardy best.

Appreciate + Reciprocate

Michigan Legends, Denard Robinson, Desmond Howard and Dhani Jones, gathered at Palmer Commons to show support for a cause they said was as enduring as anything they have ever done on the football field: making it possible for more students to come to the University.

At the third annual Appreciate + Reciprocate Benefit Dinner supporting the LSA Student Emergency Aid Fund, guests mingled and dined while also raising an estimated $13,000 (almost 3 times the goal of last year's benefit) for this student organization comprised of more than 70 LSA scholarship recipients. Funds raised assists students with sudden, unexpected financial crises at home, such as a parent's sudden illness or loss of employment.

Appreciate + Reciprocate: http://www.umichappreciate.org/
Video Production and Editing: http://videovision360.com/

Evolution of Music - Pentatonix

Workout Recap - Week 15

Not exactly the workouts I was planning, but at least I got out there. Learning to listen to my body more (whether that is craptastic cramps or a tight shin) and moving forward. 

Sunday, April 7th – Rest Day 

Monday, April 8th – Long Intervals on Elliptical for 60 minutes & Stretched

Tuesday, April 9th – Strength Training (abs, back, arms and legs) & Stretched

Wednesday, April 10th – Elliptical for 60 minutes, Speed Work [800 x 2 at 7 minute pace with 2 minute recovery]  & Stretched

Thursday, April 11th – Rest Day, Foam Rolled & Stretched

Friday, April 12th – Easy Six Miles, Foam Rolled & Stretched

Saturday, April 13th – 16 mile bike ride, Foam Rolled & Stretched

My Saturday bike ride started off with a totally flat tire, but thankfully we were able to take it in to the local shop and get a new tube (apparently the old one was full of glass and thorns - golly gee, where am I riding?!). Again, not what I was planning, but I am trying to make it work :) And remember that running/ working out is something that I enjoy, NOT something that I have to do - so can have more flexibility in it.