George Washington's Hotel

Random Fact for the Day:
George Washington grew up in Fredericksburg, and practically everything here is named after him or his mama. Who knew?! (probably most of you.)

We made it! The drive wasn't too shabby and actually went by much quicker than I had expected. The little hot British man that lives in my GPS was a good boy and only got us lost once, that's GOT to be a record! Cory likes driving and wouldn't dream of letting me; no worries though because I had other, more important jobs. Like DJ and Magazine Reader, Food Spotter, Gas Gauge Watcher, and Complainer. Pretty tough job, but some one's gotta do it.

He's got moves.

           

Did I mention I hate car rides???

 

We left around 1pm and only stopped a few times for bathroom breaks, and once for some food. Cory ate his typical 2 Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers and I demanded Subway. I got a 6" Turkey on whole wheat with lettuce, red onion, banana peppers. pickles, salt/pepper, vinegar and mustard. ~280calories with 10 cheese crackers on the side (+70 cals)

Before we left we researched hotels and got one pretty close to the Expo that was reasonably priced (aka cheap). It had 4.5/5 stars and looked pretty good. Well, like a lot of other things around here, I think it should be called George Washington's Hotel because I'm pretty sure it was around when he was. This place is O-L-D. Of course, it will (hopefully) do it's job- give us a shelter. Okayyyy, it's not that bad. It actually feels like home- queen bed, I can see Cory from anywhere I stand in the room, small-ass bathroom, questionable carpets...ahhhh just like home! ;) kidding. Gotta give it props though, it does have a nice size TV, circa 1990- perks!

The Room.

The food for the weekend

                                

After making a(nother) run to Wendy's for a Frosty (...for my throat, of course) we're gonna call it a night and hang with George Dub. Tomorrow we're gonna check out the Expo and explore the town. Still calling for t-storms for Sunday, but we're down from 70% to 50% wahooo!! Night!

Risen From The Dead

ETA: This post is from Thursday, Blogger's been down-sorry!

Hello Friends! I hope you're all havin a grand week, it's almost the weekend!! woooo!!

I know you've been worrying your little selves over me (it's all you can think about, right?) Well I'm happy to say that I am feeling a little better today. I'm definately not at 100% but I'm on the road to recovery! I'm gonna make it!!!!!

So besides eating gross things like soup (which, by the way, I hate) here are some of my recent eats. Last night, Cory cooked, while I instructed so I didn't "poison" the food. I'm not gonna lie... I kinda liked it. Maybe I should be infected more often to get out of cooking!? hm.... too bad he reads this, now there's not a chance for me to get away with that. dang.

Last night we made Pad Thai Chicken- basically whole wheat spaghetti noodles, grilled chicken, soy sauce and Pad Thai seasoning. It sounded gourmet, it smelled gourmet...the verdict? It was awful. I can't blame my cooking skills on this one (...Cory???) kidding. It just wasn't what I thought it would be, not sure what that is, but it defiantely isn't something I'd buy again. Just sayin.

After dinner, I mixed up a version of Shae's Warm Ooey Gooey Oat Clusters oh em gee. Shae, you're significantly evil. Why oh why did you introduce this to me?!?? I used basically the same ingredients, except I had no Kashi cereal, so I crunched up a graham cracker. It was soo rich and good, thanks for this new obession, Shae! :)

This morning, I had a bowl of Banana Oatmeal. It was good, except we're out of milk and just wasn't as creamy as normal- still good, of course!

• 1/4c Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/2c water
• 1/2 banana
• Cinnamon
• Sea salt
• Vanilla
• Topped with a few tbsp of raw oats and 1 tbsp natural crunchy pb

=240 cals

For a mid morning snack, I feasted on these babies:



...yum

 After hacking up my lungs and annoying my co-workers; who, by the way have voiced their opinions on the way I look vs. feel by saying things like:

"Are you feeling better? Oh, well...not to be rude, but...you don't look like you feel any better."

and


"So...you're gonna try and RUN on Sunday??? You don't sound like you can even SIT. Do you know how far a Half Marathon is??" 

---No, actually, I don't. Could you please explain just exactly how far that IS!?

Ahh the joys of working with men. Have their wives not trained them?! Anyway, I ran to Walmart at lunch to grab some things for our trip tomorrow, can back and ate a Cheeseburger!!! Okay, that's a lie, but it's as close to a cheeseburger as this girl's gonna get:

-Whole Wheat Wrap
-Bocca Burger (Original Flavor)
-Pepperjack Cheese
-Ketchup
=235

+cheesy crackers= 305 Total

On the side- amazing crackers I bought while I was out; 20 crackers for only 140 cals! Woo hoo!

Afternoon snack is a planned Nature's Path Mmmaple Pecan Granola Bar that I'm pretty excited about. If you've never tried Nature's Path products, get up and drive to the nearest store RIGHT NOW and buy something. anything. it's all amazing. But, these are by far the best! The first time I bought a box, Cory helped me polish them off in less than 2 days. And you know King Toaster Struedal doesn't like too much with the the word "ORGANIC" printed across the top, so they have to be good, right?! ;)

I tried running last night, got 3 miles in at around a 9 min pace. It was 90 degrees and 110% humid. I wasn't too disappointed...going to try again tonight but might move it inside to the dreadmill so these lungs can get a break. Then it's packing and taking Anney to "Grandma's!" We're leaving around noon tomorrow! :)Sayonara!

Guilty as Charged

As you might have noticed, I've been a little MIA on the blogging front lately, but I swear I have a perfectly reasonable explanation. Friday night, the hubs and I went frolicking around Charlotte looking at rental homes and were in the car for over 2 hours. I wasn't feeling like myself and was more "fussy" (as Cory calls it) than normal. I figured it was just because I hate being in the car so long and because I was tired from the week + abnormal amounts of traffic were pissing me off. But, we got home, enjoyed a couple much needed Coronas and I still wasn't feeling great. I woke up Saturday morning for my 8 mile run feeling kind of stuffy and congested, but chalked it up to the foggy mess outside.

My run was less than par and it just felt hard even though our pace was about average. Afterwards I went to a meeting for JWL (more on that later) and was wiped out. I went home and died napped, figuring I just needed rest. When I woke up to Cory coming home from work, I felt like I'd been slapped in the face and then run over twice by a train. I rested and felt progressively worse on Sunday. With my race being one week away I took vitamins, ate oranges and slept all day at Mom's (it was the least I could do on Mother's Day...get some TLC from Mom, right?). Yesterday when I woke up I knew something had to be done... I went to the doctor around lunch and (dun, dun, dunnnn) I have Strep.

(I could take a picture of my throat... but you'd probably have repeated nightmares, need counseling, and, needless to say, would never return to my blog again)

Perfect.

I haven't been sick since Christmas 2009 and now the week before my Half (that I've been training for since February!!!) my body decides to go on strike. I got put on two prescriptions that will hopefully kill this dang thing so I will be a sick-free little runner on Sunday. *Fingers Crossed*

While I was sitting my butt on the couch yesterday playing with my new iPhone app iAugment, (hey a girl can dream, right?) watching reruns of The Hills on the TV Guide Channel (I really don't mean to watch this channel, but it always happens. And yes... Cory and I are too cheap and old schooled to buy the cable box + remote with a "Guide" button...) and I started feeling guilt for not running like planned. Here I am, sick as a dog, coughing up my lungs, and I'm worried about not running... what the hell is wrong with me? Shouldn't I be basking in sickness, letting it be my excuse to watch trashy TV all afternoon? Instead, I'm fretting over my endurance, pace and automatic "weight gain" that would happen after missing one workout. Of course, this all ended when I told it to the hubs who put my crazy mind in it's place, per usual. "He wouldn't let me run if it was my dying wish." ha, paahhhlease ;)

Anyway, I think everyone deals with some sort of Exercise Guilt at some time or another- Whether it's missing a planned workout, not working out as hard as planned, or having to explain to your tennis shoes why you haven't given them any attention in 3 years. I think, to some extent, guilt is normal. Sometimes, it's even helpful- as in "I better go run or I know I'll feel guilty tonight." or "I just ate 4 pieces of cake, if I don't go work up a sweat, I'll feel guilty." Other times, you just need to give yourself a break. Please keep in mind that I am not an expert, doctor or health professional and all opinions are merely that, opinions.

Even still, getting rid of exercise guilt isn't always easy. It helps to ask yourself a few things:

1. What's the worst that can happen?

• Weight gain
• It takes an excess of ~3,500 calories to gain one pound. So, unless you plan to sit on your butt and stuff your face with 80,000 cookies, skipping one gym sesh won't make you instantly gain 5 lbs.
• You'll get used to taking too many "rest days" and get off track 
• For some, taking a couple extra rest days could mean that you're more likely to fall off the exercise wagon if you stop sticking to your routine. But recognizing this instead of feeling guilty, will significantly aid in sticking to your schedule in the future. Try looking at the bigger picture- what activities have you done this month or this week? Instead of what have you done today. 
• You'll die
• kidding.

2.What can I do about it?

• Having a plan of action is very likely to decrease feelings of guilt. BUT, don't make it an excuse or use it too frequently (ie I can the entire Little Debbie Factory because I'm planning to workout tomorrow--or start working out next week). If you missed a workout, make an extra effort to add in a little unplanned activity- like taking the dog on a short walk, or taking the stairs, or just plan on picking up where you left off tomorrow. Life should be our priority. Sometimes family members, friends, our job (or a sickness) require our time and attention more than the gym. And ya know what? That first workout after missing is gonna feel like a $1,000,000.
• If you're a beginner or are on an exercise hiatus, the simplest way to start? Make a plan! It seems much less intimidating if you have a plan. Schedule like you would a hair appointment, and just go for it!

3.  Is this really helping me?

• Is feeling bad doing anything for you? Once you make a plan of action (like getting back to your schedule tomorrow) then what's the point of wasting time feeling guilty? Your body knows when it’s had too much, so listen to it. If the thought of running for five minutes or doing one set of bicep curls mentally exhausts you, that may be your body telling you it’s time for a break.

I hope these questions help, they definitely helped me put into perspective the "guilt" I was experiencing and have dealt with in the past. I'd post my recent eats, but I doubt you'd like picture after picture of soup and cough drops, right?

Please pray for my health! :)