Rain makes me look tough

"So what do you think people say when they see us out here running in the rain?"-Amanda
"Dammnnnn!"-Me
"Besides that. They say, these bitches are die hard!"-Amanda

Yes Amanda, we are die hard bitches. Running in the pouring rain last night has changed my life, seriously. I felt empowered running on the dangerous sidewalks of Wesleyan. We had our eye out for the shooter but he was no where to be seen. Anyways, it was the most amazing thing running last night. I felt as if I were 10 years old again, splashing through puddles and kicking up the mist behind me. I am no longer intimidated by mildly aggressive weather. I'm going to get out there and hit the streets hard in the rain. I've got all the essentials, amazing running mix for bad weather and waterproof mascara that held up miraculously last night. No if only I could figure out what the hell to do with my hair????

Welp, thats my cue!

Hello boys and girls. Today Id like to talk to you about cue's. No, not pool cue's silly, although while we are on the subject I did come in 2nd in the CCSU Female Pool Tournament my senior year of college (*SIGH* There were only 2 girls). My main man Webby defines a cue as a hint; intimation; guiding suggestion or a sensory signal used to identify experiences, facilitate memory, or organize responses. You see children, my 7 years of college actually did teach me a few things that apply to real life, and one interesting thing I learned in my 'Body Weight Regulation' class was this: Your emotions and outside stimuli control your actions so so so much more than you can even be aware of. Examples? Oh I got examples.

1. Lets say you are rockin out. You're running. The song stops. Suddenly, you hear your heavy breathing. You may not be aware of this, but when the song stops, that elicits an unconscious cue that it is also time for YOU to stop.

2. We all know this. Boredom, depression, etc. make us eat more to fill an emotional void. When we are born we are born with the inante skill of "Intuitive Eating". We are fed. We stop when we are full. Simple as that. As we grow up we lose all control of that. We overeat due to many things, but my kryptonite is social pressure. Our society puts a great deal of importance on the use of food to celebrate and bond. Many of you runners/athletes can empathize with me when I say it is EXHAUSTING to try to explain to your friends that you arent drinking, or that you just WANT.A.SALAD. It is honestly easier to eat the steak, pound the shots and purge it up later. Seriously.

3. Environmental cues. Years ago, when I was a young broad, there was a time when 2 mi's was a lot for me. I would get to the bottom of this hill, right at .5 miles, and stop and stretch. Half assed and lethargic, I would jog for a bit, stop. Fix my ponytail, stop. Pretend I pulled a hammy, stop. Repeat as necesary. Well, Ive noticed that when I run this exact route, I feel this undying, very strong urge to stop running right at the .5 mi mark at the bottom of this hill. I see this hill, and just that alone makes me feel like Im tired. Even though Im not.

Anyway, my point is simple. Mind over matter. We dont realize it, but our brain is doing anything it can to tell us to stop running. Our bodies are programmed to be in the rest state. Use the least amount of energy for maximal gain. Physiological efficiency and all that good stuff. But, we have to override the hater signals! Change the songs before they end! Say no to shots of Jim Beam! (AHEM, Dad), and run on new routes (without lots of stop signs, which also evoke the urge to... you guessed it.... stop).

Dare to be aware! Oh the places we will go. There's a lot of literature on this kind of stuff if you are interested. People study the damndest things.

This is why I put my running shorts on my bed. Nap no more!
Ergogenic just sounds cool.
Drop it like its hot? You got it

Wasting bagels

So for those of you who were locked in a cave, or cube for that matter and didn't happen to notice the weather yesterday, it was shitty outside. I mean, S-H-I-T-T-Y! I'm talking 45 degrees and rainy. Had I not utilized my rest day the day before, I wouldn't have felt so much self disgust with the fact that I did not run yesterday, there I said it. However, here are my excuses one by one:
1) The weather, it was miserable and there wasn't a stitch of dry fit clothing that was going to make me happy. I would have needed whale blubber to make running ok. Alright, so maybe 65% of that was an exaggeration but it was miserable out.

*Note- Either A) borrow Shaun Augeri's wet suit for future similar conditions or B) Drop some dollar bills at Lady Foot Locker like the balla I am.

2) I have been running ahead of schedule each night by at least a half mile, sometimes a mile and a half so this makes up for it right?

3) I busted my ass weight lifting on rest day. In my delusional point of view, this makes up for it.

4) My knee is still a little f-ed up and feels like its going to give out whenever I round out mile #2. I know this one is getting a little old, but remember, it was surgery, not a broken bone here. Plus I'm losing mobility, I can just tell and that freaks me out.

So now that I've numerically listed all the reasons why I'm a complete baby, its time to give this way of life up and suck it up, get my ass out there tonight and run those three miles with a smile on my face, and of course, mascara on my lashes! Its not going to be easy and no one said it was going to be, however, with the moral support of Amanda, my parents, and Stevey Augeri...I can do this, and I will.

Oh yeah, wait to go George for doing the G-bury 5K solo, I'm so proud.

Freakin Cindy, she did it again.

As you may or may not be wondering, but probably are, my run yesterday was... as expected...INCREIBLE! (thats spanish for incredible). I probably did about 3 mi, comfortably and was breathin all around town, belly hangin out and just full of oxygen waiting to be utilized. They were all like, "Oo Oo! Pick me!" and I was all like, "Settle your kettle, O2 molecules, Ill get to ya when I get to ya!". I would have run longer, but my grubby, yet ridiculously cute nephew was playing outside (supervised of course) so I had to stop. One thing led to another as he needed to listen to a lil Fergie Ferg on the headphones for like 40 minutes. So as I chatted with my sister, I tightened up and as she talked more, I tightened up even more. Before I knew it the kid decided that visiting times were over and the wooden swing was much more interesante (thats spanish for interesting) and I was left standing there. Tight, cold, and wet. (Thats what he said, ZING!)

Unsatisfied with my run, I paid a lil visit to ExerciseTV. Since this is the first time I am mentioning it, I feel that I will not go overboard with enthusiasm when I state that I FREAKING LOVE EXERCISE TV. What's ExerciseTV you ask? Well, funny you should ask! Exercise TV is a station that God himself offers to paying Comcast customers, in which at the click on an "On Demand" button, you essentially unleash every single exercise dvd known to mankind... wait, Im not done... for FREE! You can choose among a myriad of exercise categories, including but not limited to, Fat Burn with Cindy Whitmarsh. For those of you who already know this, forgive my heavy breathing and drool, but Im kinda obsessed with Cindy, or "freakin Cindy" as I call her. Do you think these buns are going to squat themselves? No! Freakin Cindy. She did it again. I.am.so.sore.today, but feel great. In other interesting, but completely non related news, I just found out that her professional volleyball player of a husband committed suicide recently. That sucks, I hope it doesnt take the perk out of her already perfect, shimmering blond pony tail. If I was married to Cindy Whitmarsh I would never suck on a tailpipe. Just sayin.

Anyway in celebration of cinco de mayo and in honor of my deeply rooted spanish (or italian) roots, I just helped myself to my 11th, and FREE taco salad from Bulldog Burrito. Not only are these salads fun packed with tons of protein, carbs, veggies, and sour cream, but the mexicans that work there never fail to call me "Mija" when I leave. Which is cool.

It aint easy bein green

(To myself in the mirror) "You see this fatty? This is what the lunch of a champion looks like. It does NOT look like this!" Oh sorry, I was just just trying a little positive reinforcement and affirmations. You are what you eat and the more I tell myself I eat this way, the more I will. Or something. "YES AMANDA! You totally do eat leafy greens, un-seasoned chicken, brown rice and veggies. You always have you little devil. That Amanda. Always having healthy cheese and dairy products for dessert. Ill tell ya. What a health nut." Im going to try to take pictures when I succeed, and take pictures when I really, really, blatently do not. Apparantely, there's a whole field to this, who knew? They did.

I just love smiling. Smiling is my favorite.

Happy Monday! What's the good word folks. Came into work at 7am today ready to BATTLE! Vent time. Dont you just hate Mondays? I do. Want to know why I hate Mondays? Because everyone is walking around saying how much they hate Mondays. I have single-handedly made it my mission to give a proverbial bitch slap to anyone who even remotely sighs dramatically to me today. Not with my hand, of course, but with my Will-Ferrell-from-the-"Elf" like holiday cheer (and turbo iced coffee induced smile)! With that, I have altered my schedule a bit. Stay with me kids, I know you are on the edge of your seats. You see, I was originally planning on taking Mondays and Fridays off, but in an attempt to not fall victim to the negativity that Mundane Munday's seem to bring, I have decided to do everything I can to keep Monday a normal, fun, and active day.

Vent session. Done. This past weeks runs have been awesome. Ive been working on my stride and breathing, and it really has made a difference. It seems silly to tell yourself to BREATHE since, ya know... I've been doing it since I unleashed my first hearty battle cry 25 years ago, but its necessary. I sometimes forget to breath, straight up. I bet you do too. Lets try a test. Make fists with your hands as TIGHT as you can and hold it for 5 seconds. While still holding, take a deep breath. I bet your hands loosened up, didnt they? Totally magic! Thats what happens when Im running, I get so tense and tight and just forget to reeeeeelax. Woooosahhhh. Experts will say that you are supposed to take "belly breaths", which yoga enthusiasts would state are deep, meaningful breaths that fill your stomach, instead of your chest. In a yoga class I took a few years ago, the instructor gave us a really helpful tip that I try to remember when running, which is to picture a baby sleeping and picture how its belly rises and falls. Those aren't short, shallow breaths. That baby is breathing like it means it! Like its it's JOB to breathe! (It kind of is).

Anyways, if I dont forget to breathe like this, I lose oxygen in my main muscle groups and I get "stitches" in my ribs. No, not greys anatomy stitches, silly. Little, sharp, jabbing pains in my ribs which are a result of my chest muscles working too hard for oxygen. My solution? Give them what they want!

Its so working! My stride is more effortless, my chest feels (and looks) great and I feel like I can run miles more than intended. Now the true test of course, is to up the ante and see if I can keep the belly breaths up when Im really pushed to the max and feeling tired. Stay tuned this week to find out!

Side Note. You see this guy? Do you know what this guy did? He ran the Baja 5000 this Sunday and beat his personal record, making him champion of the universe in my eyes! Dont you just freakin love people who go out and set goals and achieve them, instead of whining about what day of the week it is? And believe you me, this guy had TONS of reasons why he shouldnt run. Go give him a pat on the back. Go on. Its more than you did this Sunday. (Unless you went to church, then in that case, may the peace be with you too brother).

I need an intervention

I just biofreezed my knee at work, why? I can't say but its getting out of hand.