Getting BUSY in North Carolina!

I know I came in strong on Monday. I told you guys I'M BACK! and here to stay. And then I didn't post for like 3 days. But ya'll - I have been so busy with this moving stuff so bare with me a little while longer.

My week has consisted of:

• Selling my shit on Craigslist
• Pawning my shit off to friends who might (read: probably don't) need it
• Cuddling with my dog and trying not to let her notice me packing (she gets bummed out)
• Shopping for cute new office clothes (great, even more shit for me to shove in my suitcase!)
• Making arrangements for Houston
• And drinking cold yummy beers at night to calm the freak down

This move is going to be GOOD. I just feel it. And plus, my horoscope said so... So it has to be true. But right now the logistics are giving my little control-freak inner self a mini-heart attack on an hourly basis (can I get an AMEN?)

In the meantime, I've been trying to stay kind of active. Yesterday the boyfriend and I ran a mile around the neighborhood and OOF! He is a fast little sucker. I spent the entire eleven minutes practically chasing him. And I ran headphone free - which is something I never do but I want to get used to. We've also been doing a lot of bike riding around town, which is super fun but is making me nostalgic. I'm excited about Houston but man it's going to be weird leaving this town! I've lived here for just over seven years and I have so many memories in this place. But onward and upward, as they say!

I told him "I'm putting this on the blog," before I snapped this one.

Oh  this thing? Yeah it's basically holding all of my worldly possessions right now. And it's way bigger than this picture suggests. I'm really crossing my fingers that this sucker ways less than 50 lbs but I highly doubt I'm going to squeak under. How do you manage to pack that kind of weight in JUST clothing? It's easier than it looks.

And oh yeah - even more good news for the flight - I got bumped up to first class AGAIN! This is twice in the last two weeks it has happened with me. (Flying every two weeks for a year and a half has finally paid off!) And in case you don't know about first class (I definitely didn't), let me let you in on an amazing little secret: they let you board the plane first so you can start drinking before take off. Holler! I could get used to this, Delta.

Happy Thursday! This time tomorrow, I'll officially be halfway to Houston. Yee haw!

Cha-cha-cha-cha channnges!

This blog has been SILENT lately. Null, void, empty, abandoned, lonely, neglected.

But changes are on the horizon and I'm glad you've hung on.

My lifestyle is about to change for the better. And from now on, I will have a consistent schedule that will not only allow me to maintain a healthy lifestyle and legitimately run on the regular, but it will also open me up for regular posts!

Change is the only constant, dear readers. And while I have officially returned from the land of working in the middle of nowhere, see Sam run has departed to that place. And she's happily resigned from Healthy Little Me. We wish her well!

Here's the news from my side - I am moving to Houston, Texas y'all! I just landed my dream job in a big fancy office where I can wear WEDGE booties and LACE blouses everyday. I can drive MY CAR home from work where I can live a NORMAL lifestyle and sleep in my OWN bed every night. Yahoo! 

Here's my Healthy Wishlist for Texas:

• Start meal prepping every week. (Even though I'm sure I'll have to look up tips on Pinterest because I'm totally new to the concept...)
• Join a running club. (My friend B just joined one in Oklahoma City and she is IN LOVE! I'm hoping this will be a good way to make new friends, too - bonus!)
• Find a gym close to work and go often. (The company I'm working for pays up to $50 per month for a gym membership - all I have to do is show up!)

Not only am I excited about this brand new change in my life - I'm also excited that it's going to free up some major blogging time for me. I am psyched to finally be able to consistently grow a relationship with my readers and maybe get another guest blogger in the house!

Happy Monday. And thanks for sticking around!

see Sam run Saturday on Monday: A letter of resignation

Greetings, dear readers:

I, see Sam run, am hereby resigning from my post as Saturday guest blogger here on Here Comes Healthy Little Me. You all probably saw this coming since my posts have become spotty, at best. Ya know, life happens. Things change. Priorities shift. And that's ok. Not only is it ok, it's a necessary part of living. I am working in a wonderfully remote place where internet isn't reliable and neither is cell service. And guess what? I LOVE it. I had a few moments of panic when I realized I was somewhat disconnected from the rest of the world, but I adapted pretty quickly and I found my groove. A groove that is so exquisitely me, I smile at the thought of it. And so, readers, it's been a fun ride. You've motivated me when I needed it and I appreciate you all. Keep on keepin' on. Live your lives and savor the small things. Be kind. Enjoy what you do and do what you enjoy.

Cheers,
See Sam Run

Arkansas Greatness and the Laziness That's Followed

I know, I know - it's Saturday and I'm not supposed to post because it's see Sam run's day buttttt I have a feeling she won't be making an appearance today so here I go!

 

Arkansas was BEAUTIFUL ya'll. And we loved every minute of it. We did a little fancy hoteling, a little sightseeing, and a lot of camping and backpacking. And it rocked.

 

Devil's Den State Park

 

 Oh yeah, and we drank a lot of whiskey too. Like, a whole lot.

Let's talk about this whole backpacking thing - WHAT A WORKOUT! This was our first time ever truly backpack camping and we were supposed to have 3 miles to get to our camp buttttttt that was before we made a two mile detour and had to turn around so seven it was!

 Here's a pic of us at the trailhead. I know we look all happy and shit but secretly I'm thinking how in the hell am I going to carry this heavy ass pack for 3 miles?

 

I know I don't often talk about what I do for a living but in general I'll say this: I'm a geologist. And I was literally have special sexy moments with all of these outcrops. Joking. No, not joking.

 

The hardest part? Dropping the boyfriend off at the airport when the trip was over. I turned into an emotional wreck. I know that this sounds so trivial to people in the military who are gone for a year at a time, but being away from home for two weeks straight, well, SUCKS. And as soon as he started packing his bag and checking in for his flight online, I just lost it.

 

And now this week has been dumb. Don't get me wrong - some good things have happened. I've had two really promising job interviews and work has been on the easy side. But I must have left the Healthy Inner Me in Arkansas because I have been SO lazy. I keep blaming my laziness and ridiculous eating habits (I just ate Milano cookies for breakfast) on the fact that I'm going to start my period soon but Aunt Flow hasn't shown up yet to end the streak. Jesus - I need to get it together.

 

And let's not even talk about the pink planner. I went running ONCE this week. For 0.85 miles. And I thought I was going to puke from stomach cramps. Yeah, this is great.

 

But this -ish stops HERE. The gym is open until 3 pm today and I have plans to head out for a run this evening when the sun goes down. I can't just fall off the ladder because I had a great vacation and God invented chocolate.

 

Happy Saturday! What kind of posts would you like to read about? I need some suggestions.

Pink Planner - Week One Update

Alright, my official week one of half training is done. And it's needs to be documented.

The training schedule is in red, what I did is in blue.

Week #1

Monday - 
Stretch & Strength
2 mile run @ 12:00 pace
1 mile speedwork

Tuesday - 
3 mile run
3 mile run @ 11:36 pace

Wednesday - 
2 mile run
Whoops - nothing!

Thursday -
3 mile run
Whoops - nothing again!

Friday -
REST
4 mile run @ 11:41 pace

Saturday - 
30 minute cross train
Ripped in 30 (Week 2) + 2.18 mile run @ 10:20 pace

Sunday - 
4 mile run
3 mile run @11:06 pace + 1 mile speedwork

Total mileage goal: 15
Actual mileage: 16.18

So overall, it was a great week for the pink planner.

Starting Tuesday, the boyfriend and I are going backpacking in Arkansas for the week. So not only will I be absent on HLM (see Sam run will step in and take over) but I will also have some gaps in the pink binder. But I've planned for it and hope to still get some exercise in climbing mountains and roughin' it.

Happy Sunday, kick this week in the ass!

IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!

I totes ran a 10 minute mile today. 

Actually, it was 9:59. 

And yeah - that one second does make it more badass.

But you know what SUCKS? Map My Run didn't save it. Ugh! It's almost like it didn't really happen... Except it definitely did.

I don't know what came over me today. I decided to head out for a short 2 mile run this evening and just felt like running fast. Normally, I psych myself out and under-pace myself for fear of cramps, shin splints, or general discomfort but today I hit the road with NO fear. And it felt amazing.

I ran 2.18 miles. Mile 1 was 9:59 and mile 2 was 10:46 and I'm not sure what that last 0.18 was because of STUPID MAP MY RUN.

Anyway - I know today is see Sam run Saturday (speaking of which, where is she? hehe) but I had some major breaking news and even if you don't give a shit about it, I feel great sharing it.

That's gonna go down in the pink planner for sure!

Conversations with Myself

Inner dialogue at 6:00 this morning:

Alarm Clock: Waa! Waa! Waa! Waa! Waa!

Self: WHOA! What's that?!???

Healthy Inner Me: That's your alarm clock, dumbass.

Self: Why is that happening? Who set that alarm?

Healthy Inner Me: I did, last night. Remember? After those three Guinesses, we decided that you needed to run today...

Self: Oh yeah, that's cute. Turn that alarm off now. I'm going back to sleep.

Healthy Inner Me: You have a half-marathon to train for. Remember the pink planner?

Self: I'll take today off and run tomorrow.

Healthy Inner Me: You took the last two days off. Get the freak up.

Self: It's raining outside.

Healthy Inner Me: No it's not, just drizzling.

Self: I'm serious - I feel crappy and I'm not going.

Healthy Inner Me: see Sam run ran four miles the other day... You don't want to get behind in training, do you?

Healthy Inner Me punches Self in face. 

Self fights back and loses. 

Self gets out of bed and gets dressed.... begrudgingly. 

So this happened. Miraculously.
And yes, it was kind of misty outside but running in bad weather adds to the overall badass factor of the run.
#YOLO.

And the pink planner? Yeah, that's this thing.
I'm so old school - I should just trade in my iPhone for one of those rotary deals with the long kitchen chord.

Yes, I did write my favorite inspirational quote on the back. Thanks, Flo Rida!
I swear to God - I would get this tattooed on my body if I wasn't a sane lucid person.

I copied the Hal Higdon's beginner training schedule into this thing.
And writing down my mileage after a run feels good.

I added new songs to my running playlist this morning to help get myself psyched up.
Two observations here.
#1 Even though I think Miley Cyrus kind of sucks, I can't deny the catchiness of this song.
#2 I am slowly developing a slight addiction with Kid Cudi. But don't tell Flo Rida....

And here's some inspirational shit. Because, well, people like this kind of thing.