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Week 5 down! BAM. Only one more actual week of training before taper begins for my next half marathon! This week felt pretty solid. Allergies have been a bit more sleepy than normal (but I’m sleeping worse than normal too due to them), so I know that’s made work outs feel just a bit more difficult (this got much better later in the week when the rainy came…). Here’s how the week looked:
- Friday (5/9): REST
- Saturday: 8.85 mi run, 1.5 mi walk
- Sunday: 1 hour pilates, 1.75 mi walk
- Monday: 45 mins strength training (arms & core), 1.25 mi walk
- Tuesday: taught barre class, 1.1 mi walk, 12 mi bike ride
- Wednesday: 9.5 mi bike ride
- Thursday: 15 mins pilates (while teaching class)- mostly REST day- just wanted to get in a few good stretches
Pretty good week overall, with lots of good cross training. I’m stretching almost every day to try to keep myself from getting too tight in any places. My left hamstring has been a little tighter than normal the last few weeks, but I stretch it out daily and that’s been that. I hope it stays that way 🙂
Looking for more ways to connect?
- Connect on twitter @kalolainastar
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- I went on two bike rides (on my trainer) this week. Both of them were “fueled” by bunny shaped peeps. Healthy living at its finest, am I right? (I prefer to think of it as balance 😀 )
- On one of my bike rides, I was busy texting my cousin (remember, I was on my trainer, I wouldn’t text out on the road!), and I came really close to falling off my bike. I caught myself with one arm and one foot. Yikes. I need to get myself together before I hit the road.
- I FINALLY sat down to watch Frozen earlier this week. I’m not a big fan of animated movies overall, but I enjoyed Frozen well enough. I have had “do you want to build a snowman” and “let it go” stuck in my head most of the week.
- I was in my own world (watching the rain and singing a song in my head) as I walked into my office this week, and my boss walked out the door at the same time. I jumped and burst out laughing because it scared me so much… but I think I freaked him out even more by my reaction. I think I need to stay a little more present when I walk around my office.
- I haven’t brushed my hair since Easter, and I’m loving it! I know it’s a general rule that you “shouldn’t” brush curly hair, but I always have when it’s been wet. I haven’t been brushing it lately, and it’s curling even better. I’ll stick with it for awhile… but we’ll see how it gets in the humidity of summer.
- I normally only wear nailpolish that falls into the following categories: pink, brown, gray, and purple (with lots of shades in there). This last weekend on a whim I ended up buying a teal color (for less than 2 dollars, in case I didn’t like it). It’s taken 4 days but it’s finally growing on me.
So, there you go- just a few random things from my week. Now it’s your turn to share something random with me! 🙂
Hello and Happy Thursday! This is the last full week at one of my jobs (my primary counseling job is a 9 month job which means that I get summer break every year-YAY!), so I’m enjoying seeing my clients one last time this week. Next week is a partial week, and then I switch into a summer work schedule, which is far lighter. Here’s what I’m thankful for right now:
I’m thankful for “nature walks”: I love being able to be outside, up close and personal with nature. I love pausing to watch the animals play, smell the flowers, and hike in the woods. Last week my co-worker and I both had a little free time, and walked on a path in the woods by our office for a bit. Ahhh.
I’m thankful for time to read for pleasure. I had some free time on Sunday, and got to read for about 2 hours (part of the time on my deck in the sunshine). I love the time to relax and engage in a story!
I’m thankful for being able to get through my run last weekend while still feeling strong. Yes, it was tough, and yes, it was slower than normal, but I still enjoyed it and was able to push myself as I could. Solid.
I’m thankful that I kept my little houseplant alive all winter! I got the little guy at the end of January, and it made it through the winter. It’s going to stay inside this summer, but each weekend I stick it out in direct sunlight for a few hours, and it seems to be happy with that. We’ll see if I can keep it alive moving forward…
I’m thankful for the moments I feel motivated to throw things away. I mean, I throw things away regularly, but on Saturday evening I got motivated to really clean things up, and ended up tossing out half a bag of useless things (papers I had saved, etc…) and filing away a few things as well. I have more clean surfaces now, which I love! I need that extra burst of energy to hit more often.
Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today?
Looking for more ways to connect?
- Connect on twitter @kalolainastar
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Saturday morning I was up and on the road by about 9 am to run. My plan was to get out earlier, but I ended up being called out on Friday evening for a work situation, and didn’t get to bed until much later than I had hoped. I ate my normal pre-run breakfast, followed by my packet of salt to try to help avoid cramps on the run. While I wasn’t really down about my run, I knew it was likely to be tough- this is the hottest run I’d had since sometime in early fall (in the 60s with humidity above 50%), the sun was out without any clouds, and my allergies had been pretty bad that week (but the flowering trees are totally worth it!). Even with all that, I was excited to hit the road and run.
On my 7 miler last week my IT bands had flared up a tiny bit (I had to stop a few times at the end to stretch them out, which hasn’t happened in my training since 2013), so I had no idea what the run would look like. I had about 8.5 miles in my mind, and hoped I could hit that. I filled my handheld 16 ounce water bottle with nuun and brought half a packet of sports beans with me.
Given everything I mentioned above, I decided to not watch my pace during my run, but instead run based on effort. I know that mentally I can start falling apart when I can’t keep my pace where I want it to be (and I knew that today was not a day where my pace would be on point), so I thought I’d do better running based on how I felt.
Around mile 3 I wondered how I could ever make it 5 more miles- I was definitely feeling spent. Around mile 4 I hit some shade, and that definitely helped a bit. At mile 5.5 I popped in a building to get some cold water from the drinking fountain, and that definitely perked me up a it. Those last miles, while hot, felt much easier.
The funny thing is that my miles were about 1:15 slower than normal, but my effort felt more difficult than normal. If I had been watching my pace, I would’ve been pretty down on myself. Instead, I tried to take how I felt in stride, proud of myself that I was continuing to push myself as I could. I ended up going 8.85 miles instead of the 8.5 I had planned because I just wasn’t quite ready to stop running yet. Beyond the difficulty breathing due to allergies and needing to slow down due to the heat, my body felt great- and no IT band pain at all!
This weekend’s run was a great reminder as we head into summer- our pace generally has to change, and that’s perfectly fine. Running based on effort instead of numbers is an excellent way to combat the heat and humidity of summer!
Now it’s your turn to share! How does your running change in the summer? Any warm-weather running tips?
Looking for more ways to connect?
- Connect on twitter @kalolainastar
- Find me on ‘Bloglovin
5 years ago today I walked into the counseling office for my first session as a counselor. I was so nervous, and I remember my supervisor saying “It’s a success if you get through your first session without throwing up”- not comforting words 🙂 I remember walking into the office, getting my client, and bringing her into the room- and my mind went blank-I forgot my name!! The good thing is that I recovered quickly, and I haven’t forgotten my name since 🙂 Good thing I’ve grown just a bit from that place!
I wanted to be a counselor since I was 8 years old, so walking into that room was a dream come true for me. There have certainly been tough moments along the way (of course always will be too in the counseling profession), but I really love being a counselor. I had written in my journal the morning before my first client the following quote: “There are a lot of good counselors and there are far less great counselors. Today you start to choose; are you going to be good or are you going to be great?” I think about this quote often as I process my time as a counselor.
The fact is that I love being a counselor more and more every year that I’ve spent in the job. One thing I didn’t quite expect before I started counseling is how much I’d learn as a counselor.
I learn so much from my clients- way more than they will ever know, and I’m thankful for those moments. Not only do I learn bits about each of their respective fields and jobs, but I learn more about how life is played out in this world. The cases I see challenge me to continue my education, read more journal articles, and engage in supervision and consultation with my co-workers and peers.
Being a counselor has really changed my life in so many ways, and I’m so thankful for the journey that’s occurred over the last 5 years…
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one thing you’ve learned at your current job?
Hey everyone! Today I’m guest posting over at Eat Hard Work Hard about being proactive in planning ahead for the rough moments in our life. We all have them, right? But just because we hit a “speed bump” doesn’t mean we have to drop all our healthy behaviors. Click over to Amanda’s blog to check out a few of my tips!
If you’ve clicked here from Amanda’s blog- welcome, I’m glad you’re here! I’m busy training for my 6th half marathon right now (The Indy Women’s Half Marathon), and I’m having a great time! If you’re interested in reading about my other races, click on my race recaps page! I have some of my favorite posts listed out, with 3 categories underneath (General Posts, Travel, and Workouts). That’s me in a nutshell!
What are some of your favorite ways to plan ahead for difficult or stressful times?
Another week of training complete. This week was absolutely beautiful, and I ended up going outside quite a bit. Sometimes my clients want to go outside for the hour, so we might walk, but of course it’s at a slow pace (really it’s activity more than exercise). Either way, I’ve been excited to get outside a bit more in the 80 degree sunshine! Here’s how the week looked:
- Friday (5/2): REST
- Saturday: 7.25 mile run
- Sunday: 45 minutes pilates, 1.5 mi walk
- Monday: 45 minutes strength training (arms w/a bit of abs at the end)
- Tuesday: taught barre class, .85 mi walk (lunch stroll), 9.5 mi bike
- Wednesday: 3.2 mile walk
- Thursday:9.5 mile bike, 2.9 mile walk
My run on Saturday was really great, but the last mile or so I had some IT band pain (such that I had to stop twice to stretch it out a bit). I haven’t had IT band pain like that since the fall, so it had me a bit worried. I used my stick quite a bit this week 🙂 I called a friend on Wednesday and headed out for a walk after work- it was great to be able to catch up and get some time in the sunshine!
Overall the week felt really great, and I enjoyed the schedule that I had throughout the week. Pilates and regularly stretching my calf muscles has been critical 🙂 I’m a month out from race day now- what a short time in between these races!
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there!
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one thing you’re doing that you really like in training right now? Any mother’s day plans?
Looking for more ways to connect?
- Connect on twitter @kalolainastar
- Find me on ‘Bloglovin
I’m thankful that I had the chance to read this book. Intentional living in this chaotic world is something that most of us could use some time to think about. This book was awesome!
I’m thankful for supportive work colleagues. Last Friday at work was a great reminder of the awesome collaboration and support that we have as we dealt with a tough issue! I’m so glad for the great group of people I work with daily.
I’m thankful for my foam roller. I love it and I hate it. But mostly I love it.
I’m thankful that my brother makes the time to lift with me most weeks. I definitely push myself much harder when he’s there, but he’s helping me mix things up as well. I appreciate the fun and laughter as well.
I’m thankful for this delicious dessert my friend brought over the other night. Seriously- this peanut butter cup is as big as the palm of my hand, and it’s delicious! YUM!
looks delicious, right? It’ll take at least 3 days to get through it.
Now it’s your turn to share! What are you thankful for today?
It’s so simple, calming, and healthy. If you sit with your eyes closed and focus on deep breathing, say “inhale grace” as you inhale and “exhale gratitude” as you exhale- try this a few times and see how you feel!
I think infusing our lives with grace and gratitude would lead to much healthier relationships (with ourself and with others) and lead to much more peace for each of us- don’t you agree?
Now it’s your turn to share! What does this quote mean to you, and how can you apply it to your life today?
I recently finished this book, and immediately want to start reading it again! This is Tsh’s story of her journey to living life more simply and more intentionally. Tsh shares stories of her family’s adventures across the US and traveling and living abroad, and explores what it means to live the intentional life in each of these contexts.
The book is broken down into categories: Food, Work, Education, Travel, and Entertainment, and shares stories and lessons learned throughout each of these.
Of course this is one family’s journey, so while it might not look the same for each of us, there are lessons that can still be applied in each of our lives. No matter who we are, I think we each struggle in specific ways with living life more simply and intentionally (I know I do!). Life feels chaotic and overwhelming to each of us at points, and sometimes the way that culture is structured or the “demands” that society places on us can make it that much worse. This book definitely got me thinking, and I hope to blog later about some of the changes that I’m making to live the more intentional life!
Another great thing is that each chapter is only a few pages in length most of the time, so it’s easier to pick it up and put it down throughout your day while feeling like you don’t lose your train of thought (hmm- i wonder if that fits in with the “living simply” idea?).
Here’s a “book trailer” to give you a bit more of an idea of what the book is about:
I’d highly recommend that you go out and get this book IMMEDIATELY to read! It’ll be well worth your time, and there are so many fantastic little gems woven throughout that you’ll want to go back and read it over and over again!
Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one way you try to simplify your life a bit?
