weather – Runs With Hips

Year in Re(ar) View

December 27, 2015April 8, 2016 runswithhips

Hello Hip Huggers! Still here, still kicking ~~and screaming~~ …

Glad this year is finally coming to an end. Don’t get me wrong, everyday above the ground is a damn good day, but I am so ready for this year to be in my rear view and start anew in 2016. For a few reasons, but first:

Christmas goodies! I’ve been needing a big ol’ bag something serious! My bff got me this looker.. 100 % vegan so no beef harmed in the making. My husband completely caught me off guard with the coup de gras of Christmas – a much desired new iPhone.

A huge reason I haven’t been blogging is the lack of ease. With kids always on the laptop, computer, and iPad, I was always left with my phone and an iPhone 5c is not exactly blogger friendly. So now I have plenty screen and plenty space, the blog is back in town..

Still pretty tired from cooking on Thanksgiving, we opted for easy and economical… So ~~where’s the~~ beef stew

I’d really been hoping we’d get some cool weather for Christmas, but it was a gorgeous 75° instead. Not exactly stew or sweater weather, but I can’t complain… especially considering all the bad weather the following 24 hours…

Yeah, that’s here. Just devastating for friends and co workers my husband and I both have in Garland and Rowlett, Tx. Lots of prayers for my people..

Speaking of tornadoes, that’s how my year felt. Overextended and unappreciated are 2 of the worst feeling ever, especially simultaneously! Once spring came, I felt I had given all my energy into that particular situation that I didn’t have strength for anything else. I felt jaded for trying to help family and being treated that way. A very bad bout with depression ensued. I spent the better half of the summer working a job I hated just to get out of a rut. I lost my passion to run, to fuel, to parent, and just to press towards joy altogether. But a light went off early September. I was up at 3am watching ‘Lock Up and one of the guys in jail (I hate the term ‘inmate) said,

“Do the time, don’t let the time do you.”

I must say, my perspective instantaneously changed. Somewhere in 2015 I had started letting life “do me” and was no longer living “it.” That changed that moment. I soon found a part time job that suited MY life, got MY life/house in order, and began stepping forward. I’m sitting here now preparing for some things I want to do next year so very ready to hit the ground running in 2016. I let go of control of so much this year, in a good way.

Fitness, Family, Friends, Finances… My focus for 2016 and beyond. Thanks for sticking around Hip Huggers!

Stay Hip…

Fitness, Lifting, Running

Saturday Snags

January 24, 2015January 25, 2015 runswithhips

Happy Saturday, Hip Huggers,

I picked up my kiddos from their friend’s sleepover early
so I could get a workout in on this fabulous Saturday afternoon.
But, I couldn’t leave without snagging some leftover pre-workout…

Homemade Frozen inspired strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
They were divine! Is there a better pre ~~motivation to~~ workout than this?
***
Speaking of motivation, I’m glad I didn’t let yesterdays run dissuade me today.
Still a little stunned by my digression, I felt like I couldn’t even deal with pace today.
Like, we’ve seriously broken up until I get some ~~answers~~ speed under my feet.
My only tangible goal today was to run 3 easy miles, nonstop.
No pace, no mileage just a full out run is all my poor little discouraged heart desired.
So, we ready? ~~Cupcake~~ Food in Belly? Check. Running gear? Check. Gratuitous Selfie?

Check… out those muddy dog paws on my floor.
Let me get outta here before someone ~~slips~~ asks me to clean it!
***
Such a beautiful day, so I figured I’d be spontaneous and snagged a new route,
secretly hoping it would be a flatter route and boost my running ego a bit.
By the time I got home, 40 minutes had passed and it felt like about 3 miles.
I’m glad I didn’t have my Garmin because I didn’t want to even know that pace… boo.
But, I have to keep in mind I have built muscle and I’m carrying around a lot more
girl than I was last summer when I was running 100+ mile months. So, to share some
encouraging advice I received yesterday: one must be okay with slow winter running!

Especially with still waters and blue skies like this!
Thank you Boring Broad Runs for your words!
***
Got home and the hubby and my teenager were working out in the garage,
so I grabbed my weights did about 10 minutes of arms and squats along with them.

After an hour of working out, I was pleased with today’s effort.
Always awesome when you get a good sweat in on a Saturday, folks.
Afterwards, I stretched, showered, and recovered ~~Naked~~.

I am not a huge fan of calorie laden drinks, no matter how fruity.
But these 32 oz. bottles are regular price $4 and I snagged them for $1 each!
Something tasty to sip on with some ~~vodka~~ eggs in the a.m. after yoga…

I’ll pass on the ~~yoga~~ vodka. This time.
Sleep Tight, Hip Huggers!

Question: What’s the last fabulous deal you got?

Eating, Fitness, Lifting, Running

Friday Food Fight

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 runswithhips

Hello Hip Huggers and Happy Friday!

Started my day sipping some coffee scrolling thru Facebook looking
for a laugh and was dinged today’s Timehop from 3 years ago..

A lot of food?! Hahahaha!! I’m fighting back tears!
Y’all I had this eating thing down to a science!
Seems a bit high maintenance now but eating
healthy and really managing my portions, was a
recipe for weight loss success.
***
Speaking of unsuccess, I saw a peek of the sun so I got up for a 2 mile run.
I am glad there is no such thing as a bad run because this one
would have qualified for sure. I had to fight for and thru this run!
Wet and muddy everywhere, my jacket felt itchy, my new gloves were hard
to get used to, and my foot arches ached after just a quarter mile into my run.

But it was too pretty of a sky to let my body talk me
~~into~~ out of 2 miles. I have needed this mental run for some
days now and I was gonna knock it out!

TKO! 3 Mile Run, slow but steady.

***
Home and I need to lift something! I pulled out my
favorite arm blast and did my ~~best~~ sets.

Here’s the Arm Work; 3 Sets of 10:
**Used with 8 lb. weights**
10 Curl to Press
10 Side to Lateral Raise
10 Row to Fly
10 Single Tricep Extensions

Followed up that routine with
shoulder burnouts. Burnouts are
pretty much another routine performed
after the primary workout to work muscles
to full exhaustion, so use a super light weight!

**Used with 3 lb. weights**
All one Set:
25 Side Lateral Raises
25 Front Raises
25 Shoulder Presses
25 Arm Circles
***
After that ~~tapout~~ burnout, I needed to recharge.
I also needed a carb, to refuel these glycogen stores.
I grabbed a lavash, cooked up a couple pieces of bacon
and egg w/ cheese, and used leftover pico de gallo, salsa, and
ranch from my birthday meal and voila… food at last!

Now, I need to grab a few things from Aldi before my kiddos
get out of school and we’re all in here fighting for food.

Enjoy your weekend, Hipsters!

Question: Do you care about pace when running?

Fitness, Lifting, Running

Birthday Bounce Back…and Biceps

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015 runswithhips

Good Morning, Hip Huggers!
No secret my bday was yesterday’s past,
and I was bestowed the perfect gift of a
beautifully peaceful day… if that is ok.

To the future!

***
I am incredibly grateful to see another year before me,
but I am not a huge birthday celebrator.
I am pretty content with a new pair of shoes
and a lemon cake with lemon frosting.
Because I am easy to ~~forget~~ please…

(source)

I thought I was hard remember until
I was getting ready to start my old faithful
daily 3 mile trot around the park when got a tweet
that my story was ~~finally~~ featured on Yogaudacious!

This is an awesome little space for yogis to share their stories
about their, our first experiences with yoga.
Yoga is a beautiful practice to have a part of one’s daily life, and
I am grateful for the chance to share. Thank you, ladies.

Check out my feature here!

Let me share my workout! Got going on my balmy 3 miler.
Breezy, yet sunny, no one but the ~~strays~~ landscapers.
I was certainly gifted with a beautiful day!

Returned to mi casa and ~~tripped over~~ onto the weights!
Here’s a bulletin for any new Hip Huggers:
I absolutely love lifting heavy. I see the most change
when I am challenging my muscles on that level.
However, there is a season for everything.
I am currently in one season of working full body and
keeping my heart rate high through the duration
of my workout to burn some unneeded fat.
I’m sorry, I can’t curl 15’s for 4 sets of 10
and still have juice to do exploding lunges.
I ~~will die~~ can’t.
So, I unapologetically grab these 8 lb. weights
and go to town on these guns after cardio:

15 Bicep Curls
15 Single Dumbbell Rows
15 Single Tricep Extensions
15 Alternating Shoulder Presses

4 sets of that and my arms were screaming!
Less can be more! I cant stress that enough.
Birthday Bounce, Biceps and Back Done!

Like a ~~Birthday~~ Boss!
***
I was on the phone talking to my sister yesterday,
and she asked when I was going to start posting workout
videos YouTube. I concluded ~~never.~~ the last thing folks
need is another know it all. Buuuuut, I must say
there aren’t a whole lot of workout videos for the
pear shaped beauties of the world such as myself.
I mean, you don’t need a plus size video to work out,
but it does help when you can see someone else who
looks like you getting a workout in or just showing
a ‘How-To! Albeit sweating and looking crazy, like me!

“Mirror, mirror on the wall,
whose the Hippest Runner of them All?”

That may be a stretch, but vlogging sure wouldn’t be!
A good project I can work on in
the coming months… stay tuned, Hipsters!

Question: Do you do exercise using online fitness videos?

Eating, Fitness, Lifting, Running

Fog, Food, and Free Weights

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 runswithhips

Hey Hey, Hip Huggers!

This morning, I had planned for a run.. but the fog was ridiculous!

(source)

So, while I waited for the sun to come and do it’s thing,
I cooked up this complete breakfast and grabbed a book to
keep me busy. Just until the fog let up a bit.

2 hours, a LOT of fog still lingered… and no sun.
Visibility had to be 10 yards or so. Just too dangerous
to run, even at the speed I planned on sloshing about at.
So finally, I opted for a quick lifting sesh instead.

For the first time in quite awhile,
I concentrated on just one muscle group
and keeping my heart rate between
70 – 80% by still having an active rest in between.
My workout consisted of:

Shoulders:
15 Dumbbell Presses
15 (ea.) Single Shoulder Presses
15 Pulse to Full Presses
***

Between each of these sets, I performed 15 squats
to keep my heart rate up and immediately jumped right
back into the shoulder work with little recovery.

3 sets of all that and I was toast.

I felt very alive after that burn, so
still wanted some cardio… any cardio!
Luckily, my neighbor text and asked if I wanted to stroll, yo.

***
Showered, stretched, and satisfied.
Now I’m home snacking on a banana
with a few ~~handfuls~~ nuts and berries.

***
I’m currently updating my blog page… hyper complicated.
So be patient if ‘ish looks weird on here. I’m a novice.

Wish me luck, I need a fresh outlook for the New Year!

Question: What is your favorite social media site?

Fitness, Yoga

Nab the Grab

January 20, 2015January 22, 2015 runswithhips

Helloooo Hip Huggers!!
How was your 3 day weekend?
I spent mine trying get my life together…

Just couldn’t capture it.
***
The weather here in Dallas has been perfect!
The sun has been in a very festive mood.
For the first time in weeks I’ve been able to
expose skin and show off some new kicks!

Speaking of kicks, I haven’t been kicking up my heels running lately.
Not much lifting to report either, but I haven’t been standing still.
I had an awesome yoga session Saturday morning
once I shook off the cobwebs and got down to the mat.
I really just wanted to fold and bend a bit,
so I didn’t set any intentions for practice…

Triangle Pose

I later changed my mind and decided to nab the grab…
Triangle Pose with a Bind

Once I finally opened up and could bend a little,
I warmed up my back and core with wheel pose.
My mantra this year is to open up my back, and I have
been keeping that mindset as I go into every practice.
That may not always happen, but that’s what intentions are all about.
So, I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus ~~backbends.~~
I figured I’d see how ready my hands were to nab my feet in a full bow pose…

Nabbed It! I love how yoga always gives me a new
perspective on triumphs. Whether it be trying something new,
or doing something better, yoga has taught me
that any process takes time and in that,
be gentle to yourself and be okay in the ‘in between

Be in the In Between.
How’s this ~~capture~~ for perspective?
***

Now, I am off to Workout + Walk for my WOD!
I’ll catch you Hip Huggers later!

Question: What color is your yoga mat?

Uncategorized

3 Scoops, 2 Scores, 1 Hell of a Drug

July 25, 2014July 28, 2014 runswithhips

Hello Hip Huggers!

I haven’t checked in since our Tempo Run ~~fail~~ Tuesday so

here’s the Triple ~~Decker~~ Scoop.. so you don’t ask for mine..

Single:

Wednesday: I had a 6 mile run.

That is a long-ish run for the distance

I am focused on right now, so to conquer that run with

under 11 minute miles was fantastic!

I also spent a little time inverted to flush out my adrenals,

get some blood flow to the brain and eyes

~~and just to be cool.~~

Also, this amazing thing happened:

My Instagram was reinstated!

*sigh* it really is.

I had a lot to catch my followers up on

Anniversaries, medals, yoga, etc.

So, I snacked on some corned beef and provolone while I

was filling my faithfuls in on the last 9 weeks of life! Lchf, my pals:)

***

Double:

Thursday was a very errand heavy day.

I didn’t know if it would turn out to be a rest day or a really-short-run day.

After paying some bills, I headed out to thrift!

I found a rice cooker

(brand spankin’ new) for $4.

My kids have a new job and

I am officially retired from cooking ~~rice~~ 🙂

Also found a fancy, schmancy Scentsy for 2 bucks..

I’m ~~smellin~~ fresh and frugal!

Way later, after food and the world cooled down a bit,

I managed to get in a pretty Quick 3.1 Miles, for the likes of myself!

I was very motivated, thanks to a friend’s advice!

***

Bonus: Triple:

I started today’s’ ‘check in’ blog early this morning.

As I was typing, I could hear dog tags jingling – my dogs got out.

Which they’ve managed to do a lot of lately.

New behavior, and its driving me crazy!

They are both fixed, so I have no idea why they are

determined to dig holes and escape! Either way,

Break the rules, you get grounded!

So, that was a mini workout reeling them back in.

I was ready to ~~go back to bed~~ run after that…

Friday: 6.2 Miles Done + Sirsasana Love

Took some great advice from a runner friend and

really challenged myself.

My mantra was ‘stay under 11 min/miles’

When I got to about 4.5, it was ‘stay under 10.

I have running easy down to a science,

its time to kick things in higher gear..

Still must remain injury free! Much rather slow, than No!

***

Long run planned for Sunday at dawn… I’m keeping the mileage a secret!

We’ll see if its something to talk about…

So, there’s the triple scoop! Catch y’all later!

Question: What is your ‘mantra’ when pushing through a run?

Uncategorized

Trashy Tempo Talk

July 23, 2014July 23, 2014 runswithhips

Happy Wednesday Hip Huggers!

It’s ~~Hump~~ Trash Day!

Oops. My bad.

I have been doing lots of eating garbage this last week and a half

that my hubby has been on vacation.

But, he’s returned and things will get back to normal

starting with some quick pre ~~blog~~ run food…

Carb. Protein. Fat…oh ~~myy~~ yes!

***
***Quick recap of the weekend***

Saturday: 3 Miles

I ran an ‘Out and Back’ Saturday just to keep my legs moving since

I had run 8 miles the day before AND, had a 6 mile run planned the next day.

My calves were ~~trash~~ definitely sore and tight, but I did ok.

***

Sunday: 6 Miles

My running buddy overslept, so I ~~talked to myself~~ hit the pavement solo.

I really appreciated the nice and quiet morning. I amost missed the sunrise…

But I made it out on time. I decided to run the park, so it was

lots of loops which I hate. But, it was ~~money~~ mileage over everything, so

I got in ~~where~~ what I could fit in…

Hmm, a bit slower than I planned, but DONE!! I still treated myself

to a delish smoothie while recovering… I earned it!

***

Monday was a rest day, so I picked up running Tuesday

with a 3 mile Tempo run at the track. Hubby joined in, too!

We went around 8pm, which was already weird because

I don’t like running evenings.

And though dusk, it was still 90 degrees and humid.

Even so, I tried to stay near the 10:30 pace,

but I’m ~~trash~~ not that fast. That pace just did not happen.

I DID pick up the pace at the end, which made it a tempo run fail.

But I think my mental game is keeping my short runs

this summer under 11 minutes and my long runs under 12.

Winning at that! ~~Any~~ Either way, 3 miles done and done.

***And I’m at juuust over 74/85 miles for the month of July!***

I will have reached my goal before half marathon kicks off next week.

Nervously excited to begin that!

I just pray I stay healthy, uninjured, and don’t quit halfway thru…

Most things, Willy. Most things…

Going to try and blaze thru this 6 miler now.

See y’all in a bit, Hip Huggers!!

Question: How do you recover after your Long Run?

Uncategorized

Cool-ish Run, Cold-ish Chakra

July 18, 2014July 19, 2014 runswithhips

Hola Hip Hip Huggers!
***
Can I just say, the weather here this week has been fantastic!
So nice, we spontaneously took the kiddos to Hurricane Harbor.
For a day outdoors in North Texas, in July, to be pleasant??
Unbelievable! I don’t think it even broke 90°!
Great weather for a day of walking, swimming, climbing endless stairs,
and indulging in ~~ridiculously overpriced~~ food.
But I spent a lot of time here, so I was content-ish 🙂

***
I did take off 2 days to rest, accordingly. My legs had been tired from running, and it rained all day Thursday.
Sure fit signs to slow down and let my body recover, unrushed.
Today, I got back out there because the weather was peeerfect for some miles!

I was probably still a little dehydrated. I didn’t drink nearly as much at the park as I should’ve
and I’ve been eating a TON of sweets!
So, I tossed in a fruit punch Nuun to my wawa and got my fizzle on!

Running goal: I planned 6 miles. Felt god, but 1st mile was long.
I’d decided I would concede at 4-ish, and just focus on my long run Sunday.
But got a 2nd wind and just kept going!

8 Miles! Long-ish run for the week is ~~accidently~~ officially done!
And just under an 11 min/mile pace.
I have to thank my hubby for bringing me water ~~and Spark~~ at about mile 6.5.
I wouldn’t have made it otherwise, totally saved my run!
Here’s my splits to keep me accountable.

I am truly learning to run easy. Yes, its slowed me down, but it’s changed my running!
I am running distances I just would not a few months ago because I am not burning out.
***
Yoga-ish Time!
I stretched about 10 minutes opening up my hips before coming inside for yoga…

Utthan Pristhasana, or Lizard Pose.
~~Random-ish~~ SN:
That moment your yoga instructor virtually adjusts your ~~ass~~ Asana….

I just love her! Such an amazing teacher and the one responsible for
me falling in love with yoga! Namaste, Caitlin

***
I’ve also started working to unblock my Muladhara, or my root chakra.
It has been very ungrounded since I stopped eating LCHF. Truth.
Anxiety, isolation, fatigue… I can feel it all.
It’s mainly why I’ve been practicing/sharing less inversions and arm balances; to focus more on
standing poses during my practice, such as warrior, low lunges, etc.
Which brings me to a picture a dear friend on IG added some “love” to…