March in Review

Unlike January and February, March really seemed to FLY BY!! Seriously, it seems like I was just writing my February review post. Work continues to be a bit crazy and filled with lots of changes, but somehow this month it really seemed to make the time go so very fast!

Here are a few highlights from the month.

I managed to successfully run 100 miles.
Jeff and I became friends with some of our neighbors.
We watched 3 seasons of Downton Abbey.
I met some friends who were visiting Vegas for brunch and fun on the Strip.
I hit the trails a few times with George.
I tried out a few fitness studios through Yelp's Fit Club.

I feel like I'm forgetting something...

So, let's just check in with my 2014 goals.

Individual Goals

Fitnesss goals - Run Faster and Train Harder
I'm very pleased with my training this month! Like I already mentioned, I ran 100 miles and tried out some fun fitness classes. Unfortunately, I didn't really do much yoga or strength training, but it's really hard to find the time with all the running! 3 weeks until the Mustang Half Marathon and 4 weeks until Ragnar Zion! Maybe after these two races, I'll be able to scale back my running a bit to include more variety of exercise, but right now those are my main focuses.

Blogging goals
Definitely could have done better with this one in March. With running and work and spending time with Jeff, something had to give. And that something turned out to be blogging. :( Hopefully, I'll be a little more consistent in April. I need to take a moment to make a plan before April is over and I've only written handful of posts. :)

Goals with Jeff

Run a Triathlon. We still haven't chosen a tri to do yet, but Jeff did start running in March. We even ran together a couple of times.

Read 3 books together. Well, we got Amazon Prime, so we watched a little too much TV in March. *ahem* Downton Abbey *ahem*

New in 2014 and Enriching Activities. Well, it's the last day of the month, and it's our last chance to get something new in for March, so we'll be hitting up a new restaurant tonight after work to check of our New thing for March as well as one of 3 new restaurants for 2014.
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What's for Dinner? Week of 3/30

How is it possible that tomorrow is the last day of March?! This month really flew by! I hope to write a Monthly Recap post tomorrow to share some of the things that made March a pretty great month. :)

In the meantime, let's check in with last week's workout and what I'm cooking up this week.

What's for Dinner? Week of 3/24

My weekends days are really getting away from me! Here is it Tuesday morning already, and I'm just now getting around to writing my weekly workout review and menu post. Argh!

Sometimes, there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day! Work has been so crazy that I'm kind of having a rough time keeping up with blogging and social media. Not that I used to do this much during work, but work + training for a half/Ragnar are really making it difficult for me to stay caught up with blogging and social media. Hopefully, I'll get my groove back soon-ish.

After such a stellar week of workouts the previous week, this one was a bit lackluster.

What's for Dinner? Week of 3/16

I'm so happy I did my long run yesterday morning, because the rest of the weekend was kind of a bust. It was fun, for sure, but not exactly what you would consider productive. Sometimes, those weekends happen, am I right? :)

And, maybe it was kind of a reward for a pretty stellar week of training.

5 for Friday: Running Edition

Happy Friday! Who's ready for the weekend? I know I am!!

I've been running like crazy lately. :) Well, crazy for me. Crazy good, of course. I've got a few running things on my mind, so I thought I'd share them all with you in one quick little post.

1. Running partners. You all know how I sometimes run with my little dog Sallie. She always excited to join me and wants to go out every time I lace up my shoes, but this past week, I had a new favorite partner to join me - JEFF! He started running a bit with our neighbor and joined me for 2 miles once this week. I'm excited to start logging more miles with him.

I also joined a Twitter friend for a trail run last weekend (and maybe tomorrow). We'd never run together, and it was fun to meet up with George for a loop at Red Rock.

2. Running Story. One morning last week, I was out for my morning run. As I passed by the Convention Center, a little old security guard got my attention to say, "If he wants you to look good, he should be out here with you." That totally made me laugh. And when I told Jeff about it a few days later, he thought it was the funniest thing. Definitely blog worthy. Ha!

3. Running Shoes. I'm starting to feel like a real runner. Check out this pile of shoes. And this is just what I've left in the living room. :)

4. Running Goal. You might recall that one of my goals for 2014 is to run a sub-25 min 5k. I've got a lot of work to do! My plan at the beginning of the year was to incorporate speed work into my training. I've decided to define that a little bit more. I'm hoping to do a tempo run at least 2x each month, starting in March. Each month, I'll increase my minimum tempo pace by 15 secs, so by Dec, my tempo pace will be 8'00". For March, my goal tempo pace is 10'15". Yesterday was my first tempo run of the month, and I blew this goal out of the water with an average pace of 9'22". If I can keep this up, I'll be looking good for this 2014 goal. :)

5. Running Link. Before my tempo run yesterday, I tested out this quick pre-run yoga routine over at Oiselle. I think it really helped to loosen me up for a great run. Try it out!

I'm linking up with Jill today for Fitness Fridays. Go check out how everyone else is celebrating fitness today.

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Tuesday's Tip #8

My goodness! Tuesday's have really been sneaking up me lately! I was so good at the beginning of the year about planning out my Tuesday's Tip post over the weekend, but the past several weeks now, suddenly it's Tuesday morning. Yipes!

I didn't want to miss another week, so I'm going to share two very simple tips to being a bit more green at home.

But first, I'm being spotlighted over at Racing Bananas today! You can check it out here and then come back for my tips on being green.

What's for Dinner? Week of 3/9

Wow! Where did this week go? I can't believe I didn't write a single post since Monday. :( I guess it was a busy week.

Probably from all my awesome workouts. LOL. Seriously though, I'm pretty happy with how my week turned out - even though it was a bit of a slow start after last weekend's intense workouts. I seriously was walking SO slowly on Monday it was ridiculous.

What's for Dinner? Week of 3/2

Happy Monday! Happy March!! After my run yesterday, I got so busy with food prep and cleaning that I didn't have a chance to plan my menu for this week - let alone write up a post. :) So, it's a little late, but it feels good to have a plan.

But first, here's a look at my week of workouts. Much, much better than the previous week. Yay!

March will be EPIC!

Ok. Maybe not epic, but it's definitely off to a STRONG start! I woke up early this morning to pick up some produce and bread from Bountiful Baskets and head straight to a fitness class at Unleashed Body & Mind.

The class was a freebie as part of #YelpsFitClub going on in Vegas in March. The class may have been free, but it was definitely a killer.

You know it's a good workout when your legs feel like jello at the end. (@ Unleashed Body & Mind) on #Yelp http://t.co/VlAaIsV5rw
— Clarinda (@EnjoytheCourse) March 1, 2014

With jello legs, I headed straight home, soaked in the hot tub, watched a movie, and took a nap. Yeah. I totally skipped my run, but I'll just go tomorrow instead. :)

Here are a couple of photos from after the class.

All sweaty after class

A general idea of what we did in class

And a short peek at the studio. It looks pretty well equipped for any kind of class or to work out on your own.



You can read my full review of Unleashed over on Yelp, but I really enjoyed the class, the instructor, and the studio in general. I'd definitely recommend it and hope to go again sometime.

This morning, I did have a friend from work join me, which probably made the class even better! It was loads of fun to have her at the class, and next Saturday, we'll be doing a class at SurfSet, which seems fun but INTENSE as well. Can't wait!

How did you kick off March?
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February in Review

Oh February, for being the shortest month of the year, you sure seem to have taken your sweet time this year.

Anyone else feel like the beginning of the month was a very long time ago? No? Just me? Well, I wouldn't say that February was particularly bad. Just long.

We still did some pretty fun things. Like going kite flying for the first time. We also met up with a childhood friend of mine who was in town for a convention, and had a surprise visit from my stepmom and her sister! Like I said, definitely not a bad month. :)

Time to check in on my 2014 goals.

Individual Goals

Fitnesss goals - Run Faster and Train Harder
The month started out strong. I got a PR during the 5 by the 5th virtual 5k and kept up with my fitness goals for the first week and a half of the month. And then I got a cold and decided the best thing would be to get some good solid rest. And rest I did. This week I slowly started to get back to it. It's amazing how much can be lost taking 11 days off.

Blogging goals
Time to make some adjustments. I did pretty well keeping up - even when I was sick, but I think all the themes are taking away some of my voice on the blog and getting a little tedious. I ended up skipping my Monday Listicles and Tuesday's Tip posts this week. I needed a little blogging mental break.

And a little flexibility. So, starting in March, I'm going to change to doing Tuesday's Tips only twice a month instead of weekly. Monday Listicles will become optional as well. I'll try every week, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I miss a week here or there.

Goals with Jeff

Run a Triathlon. No news on this front yet. We haven't chosen one or started training specifically, but Jeff has really started to focus on getting more active. He's been doing a LOT of yoga, and yesterday he even went for a short run around our apt complex. We have to tackle this goal on our own terms, but I'm still confident that we'll get one in this year.

Read 3 books together. Haven't started this one yet, either. But the year is still young, as they say. Perhaps we'll start in March. Who knows? :)

New in 2014 and Enriching Activities. We went kite flying! This was both a New in 2014 activity AND an outdoors activities. :-D

I'm definitely OK with how February turned out - even if it felt a little long and slow going at times. :)

How was your February? 
Did you try anything new and fun?
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Let's Go Fly a Kite!

I can't believe it's taken me so long to write this post about our little adventure.

Did you know that Feb 8th was National Kite Flying Day? I had no idea! But I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to try something New in 2014 and bonus that it could also count as checking off one of our outdoor activities for the year, too!

I've never been kite flying. I can't really ever remember going as a kid - and definitely never as an adult, so we ordered a kite from Amazon and eagerly awaited it's arrival.

I'd read that Ivanapah Dry Lake was one of the best places to go kite flying in the country, and it was just over in Primm - less than an hour away. So, we grabbed a few snacks and headed out for a kite flying adventure.

Sallie is the most comfortable when sitting on the driver's lap.

Primm, NV, is barely a town. It's more like a couple of casinos and an outlet mall right on the border of NV and CA. There was no official entrance to get to the Dry Lake - just a little break in a fence. No sign. Nothing to indicate that we were there. There happened to be a security guard in the parking lot of Whiskey Pete's, and he told us that he sees lots of people entering through that break in the fence. So weird!

But once we were inside, there were definitely Bureau of Land Management signs, so we knew we were in the right place.

Putting the kite together is a bit more complicated than I expected, but it's a breeze once you've done it a couple times.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature apparently didn't get the memo that it was National Kite Flying Day. THERE WAS PRACTICALLY NO WIND! Which is obviously something very important when it comes to flying a kite.

We were able to get it airborne a couple times.

And had a total blast running around and trying to fly our new kite.

Sallie did not agree. Twice she ran back to the car to escape the huge flying creature in the sky that kept dive bombing. It hadn't really occurred to us how the kite would be perceived by her.

She sought the safety of the car and even jumped inside for protection!

She's all smiles now that she's in the safety of the driver's seat.

Here's a little video I shot of our adventure.



And here's a little Auto Awesome video that Google put together for us. Gotta love Google! :)



We felt kind of bad about freaking out Sallie so much, but we had a total blast! We definitely hope to do it again, but we'll leave her at home next time. And make a day out of it by checking out the rest of Primm (i.e. the roller coaster at Buffalo Bill's).

Have you ever gone kite flying?
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What's for Dinner? Week of 2/23

This is going to be the shortest weekly workout and menu planning post EVER.

Sunday - Saturday - REST

Yep. You read that right. I didn't do one ounce minute of exercise this past week. This little cold is kicking my pa-tootie. Ugh! I've been so wiped out and tired, and I'm not seeming to get much better, but I'm going to try to start up again tomorrow anyway. We'll see how it goes...

Instead of breaking down meals for each day, I'm just going to make a few soups this week. Each one will probably last us about 2-3 days.

Here are three I'm thinking about making. Or using for inspiration.



I'm linking up with Laura over at Mommy Run Fast and Jill at Fitness, Health, & Happiness. Go check out what everyone else is cooking up this week. Probably something more exciting than my 3 soups.

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5 for Friday

I hate that I'm being so whiny about this stinking cold. In some ways, it's gotten better, but in other ways it's gotten worse. I am really looking forward to the weekend, so I can sleep and rest and consume a LOT of liquids. :)

For Fitness Friday, I thought I'd share a few of the blog posts I've pinned in the past week. Click on the pics to go to the post.

Kristin at Exploring Domesticity shares her thoughts on week 2 of the Move, Nourish, Believe Challenge. I loved this image that she created. I know I need to remember this more often.

Three Things Thursday - 2/19

Even with a sick day on Monday, this week seems to really be dragging. Maybe because I'm still sick?? It's been a little slow at work, which I'm counting as a blessing, because I know it never lasts very long.

I've got 3 really exciting things to share with you today.

1. Lora over at Crazy Running Girl chose me to be one of the 50 Faces of Fitness!


How awesome is that?! Head over to her blog to read a little more about ME. LOL. And check out the other Faces of Fitness.

How to Get Over a Cold Quickly

The cold season is in full force! What is the fastest way to get rid of a cold? Here are my best tips.

10 things I have memorized

Good morning! Just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the get well soon wishes I received yesterday. I wish I could say I was on the mend already, but instead I stayed home from work today to let my body rest a bit more. Hope to be feeling much better tomorrow after a solid day of rest. :)

Now, for Monday Listicles....

When I first heard the topic for this week's Monday Listicles, I thought, I don't have anything memorized! Then it occurred to me that I have a LOT of passwords memorized. The tricky part is remembering which password works for which application.

10 PASSWORDS I HAVE MEMORIZED

1. Work computer
2. Work email account
3. Billing software
4. Billing applications
5. Ad server password
6. Voicemail
7. Personal email accounts
8. Social Media accounts
9. Financial accounts
10. Jeff's accounts

What are some things you have memorized?
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What's for Dinner? Week of 2/16

Happy Sunday!! I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day weekend, and those of you who have tomorrow off for President's Day, I'm super jealous enjoy your long weekend.

I got hit with a nasty cold around Thursday, and it's continually getting a bit worse as the weekend has progressed. Let's just say that's why my workouts really petered off towards the end of the week. I'm sure it wasn't laziness at all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day + Friday = AWESOME

Well, except that I am getting sick. Sucking on a cough drop right now to soothe my scratchy throat. :-( Booo.

We don't really have any plans tonight. Just gonna make dinner and have a nice low key evening. Maybe watch a movie. We're all kinds of crazy, I know.

Tuesday's Tip #6

If you haven't linked up for Wear Red Selfies, we're leaving the linky open for a few more days.

For today's Tuesday's Tip, let's talk Easy Ways to Be Active Everyday.

Exercise is very important for a healthy heart. It helps in weight loss, reduces blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and relieves stress. Obviously, I'm a runner and that's my go-to exercise of choice, but let's face it. We all get busy at times, and sometimes we just can't squeeze in a run or a workout.

But you know what? You're probably still getting some exercise and doing what you can, when you can totally counts!

10 Things in Our Apt Which Needed to be Fixed

When we moved into our apartment, they let us move in 10 days early. Even though we'd been watching the progress by the maintenance men, we were assured that it would be in move-in condition.

We were wrong.

Here is a list of the top 10 things that weren't fixed when we moved in:

1. Toilets wouldn't flush properly
2. Broken window
3. Cabinet under kitchen sink was broken and hanging askew
4. Walls needed to be painted
5. Water damage in spare room
6. Stove has mismatched oven racks and burner pans
7. Dishwasher was mildewy and wouldn't drain properly
8. Screen door to the patio was missing
9. Weather stripping was worn and incorrectly installed
10. Window pane needed to be sealed in place

And it only took SEVEN months, and a LOT of follow-up from Jeff, to get everything fixed or replaced. :-)



The theme for this week's Monday Listicles came from Christine. Now, why not head on over to Stasha's to read everyone else's lists.
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