The weekend

Besides the idea that I won't see my husband for a whole month, I'm looking forward to having this weekend to myself. I took him to the airport this morning at 5 am and I won't see him for 31 days. I realized yesterday that I was in desperate need of some "me" time- I was agitated by little things all day. Normally, I have a few hours each week to just be alone, which I appreciate, but since Jill moved in, I haven't had that. She works the same hours as me practically so she's home when I'm home.

She had to work this morning, though. So, even if I hadn't taken Michael to the airport, he likely would have worked and Jill too, which means I would have had the morning to myself. What a wonderful feeling... I woke up and cleaned the kitchen, made coffee, made breakfast, then watched TV (got caught up on shows that were tivod from weeks ago), and surfed the net.

AKA

I did nothing!

And it was exactly what I needed.

Jill has my car so I'm going to hop on my bike and head to Blockbuster to rent some girly movies. I also plan to lay out in the sun and take the dog rollerblading this afternoon as well. Tomorrow will be my cleaning and organizing day but today, well, today is "me" day and "me don't want to clean."

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Relief

I realized today just how anxious and tense I've been lately.

It's been a crazy month- first the car situation and all of the stuff that happens when there's an accident- phone calls to the body shop, insurance company, and forms to complete. It's been a continuous, daily discussion with one person then another. And the "unknown" of the whole situation has been annoying. I'm not a very patient person and when things are out of my control, I get a little stir crazy.

Then there was our trip to Michigan- which was insane. Working on the house, driving all over to see family and friends... it was exhausting.

And now we're trying to get ready for Michael's trip with the Globetrotters. We're not even unpacked from our trip to Michigan and we have to turn it around and pack up his things for his one month gig.

All of these things and it's no wonder that I'm stressed out.

But I see the light...

---We're home from Michigan and although our trip was CR-AZY, it was productive and fun so totally worth it.

---Michael leaves on Saturday and he's going to have an awesome time and it's going to be an amazing experience for him. I'm so happy for him and proud of him.

---And we got some incredibly positive news on the car situation today. Truthfully, I'm stunned that we're getting out of this as good as we are. "Unscathed" isn't exactly the right word, but pretty darn close!

State Farm is giving us $18,150 for the car plus tax! The total is $19,682 and we only owe $16,500 on it. So, the car has really held its value over the past 6 months and we're not losing money. (Based on the above figures, it sounds like we're "making money" but we put money down on it so that's not really the case. We're essentially just getting "most" of our money back, which is a much better outcome than I expected!)

Luckily for us, we'll be very close to breaking even so I'm relieved.

So, we lose our new car that we loved, but we're getting back the down payment (or most of it) that we used so I guess it's all good. Now we just have to figure out what we want to do from here... Luckily, with Michael being gone for the next month, we don't have to rush to make a decision right now. We have the whole time Michael's gone on tour to shop around and look at cars. We have a lot of time to decide what we want to do and make sure we're making the best decision.

We're leaning towards just paying cash for a $4,000-$5,000 car. I'm going to shop around and see what kind of car that would get us and see if that's really an option. I would love to have two paid for cars... sounds appealing right?

Tonight I had an awesome workout and I feel sooo much better! I did the following in 13 minutes 45 seconds:

walking lunges 100 feet
21 pull-ups (level 12 assist)
21 sit-ups
walking lunges 100 feet
18 pull-ups
18 sit-ups
walking lunges 100 feet
15 pull-ups
15 sit-ups
walking lunges 100 feet
12 pull-ups
12 sit-ups
walking lunges 100 feet
9 pull-ups
9 sit-ups

It was fun and challening--- just what I needed.

Alright, now that things are starting to work themselves out, I promise to spend less time talking about crap and more time talking about... well, interesting crap, like fitness and finances. I also promise to get all caught up this weekend on all of my peeps' blogs and leave you all the comments you deserve!!!

Kelsalynn

Read more...

misc

I have a feeling this will be a lot of rambling. Sorry in advance but there's a lot going on in my head.

First, I got a call today from State Farm and our claim has been transferred to the total loss department. It's not absolutely, positively a total loss yet, but it's very likely that's what will be determined. The total estimated damges today are $18,232!

I should know more tomorrow. I had to give the guy my account information for Honda Financial Services so he could see how much we owe. I hesitate to do that b/c we put money down on the car so I don't want him to think he can give us a low-ball offer for the value of the car... I guess we'll see.

Since we don't really know what is going to happen with the car and I don't really know if we'll end up having a difference between what we owe on it and what we'll get, I'm trying to save some money just in case.

Yesterday I was planning to send a $1,700 check to my student loans, but I decided to only send $500 instead. $500 will pay off the last of one of the loans and leave me with only two remaining. So, I decided to just send in the check to pay one off completely and save the other $1,200. I also have scheduled to send another $500 next week that I plan to hold onto it.

If it turns out that we don't need it, then I'll pay down on the loans at that time. It sucks though, because my little bar on the right won't be changing much on March 1st! Bummer...

We're also not sure how the pay is going to work for Michael's new job with the Globetrotters. Since we won't be getting direct deposit during that time, I'm a little nervous that he'll get paid at the end of his one month employment.

I feel like it's been a lifetime since I've worked out. I need to get to the gym because that will put some of these thoughts in perspective...

Kelsalynn

Read more...

liar

I lied in my last post when I said I probably wouldn't post again tonight.

But, take a minute to read the announcement re: Michael's job in my last post if you haven't yet. It's a doozy.

So, the reason I'm writing again is because we got the estimate from the body shop today for our 2008 Honda Element.

Guess how much?

Go on, guess.

JUST OVER $17,200!!!!

Holy crap right?

Yeah, 17 G's!

It has pretty severe frame and suspension damage which is why it's so high.

I'm really hoping at this point that they total the damn thing out. I don't understand how they wouldn't. We paid $19,500 for it I think (don't really remember) and we owe $16,000 on it. I would be shocked if they decided to repair damages worth $17,200!!!!

I should find out tomorrow (Wednesday) what State Farm says. I will keep you posted.
Sweet dreams,
Kelsalynn

Read more...

Home Sweet Home

Man it feels good to be home.

We walked in the door today (Tuesday) at 11:33 AM and it feels wonderful.

The only problem?

I have to be to work at 1:00 today.

Argh.

What was I thinking? I would much rather take a nap right now.

Our trip to Michigan was productive, fun, and a total whirlwind each day. We fixed up our house and spent a ton of time with family and friends.

Last Wednesday before we flew out, Michael had a job interview and we found out on Friday, while in Michigan that he got the job.

He will now be touring with the Harlem Globetrotters as their athletic trainer!!!

We're so excited!

He called them back on Monday to officially accept the position and they said, "Okay, great, we fly out on Saturday." So yeah, Michael and I just got back home and he's leaving for their east coast tour on Saturday. They told him it would be a 30-day tour so he'd be back on March 24th.

Then they called today and said they decided to pick up some more venues so he won't be returning until March 30th now. WOWSA!

I'm so happy for him... not happy that he'll be on the road (AKA away from me) for 5 weeks, but it's such a great opportunity for him and I'm really pumped.

After their east coast tour is up, he might get picked up for other tours after that, but this is sort of a "try out" in a way. The last two guys got picked up full time though, so it's very hopeful!

I have to get ready for work now. I'd say I'll post more tonight, but that probably won't happen. I plan to crash as soon as I get out of work.

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Pent up?

So, you think I might have had just a little pent up frustration after today and all the discussions surrounding the car situation?

Just a little.

I was anxious to say the least.

At least something good did come of this whole situation-

a new 5K PR!

Woo-Woo!

Nothing like a great run to shake off a bad day.

My old 5K PR??? 27:05 or an 8:45/mile average.

My new 5K PR??? 26:20 or an 8:30/mile average!
I feel great. My knee was a little stiff feeling during the first mile, but went bye-bye after that. I guess it just needed to get loosened up a bit.

Tomorrow night we're flying back to Michigan for 5 days. I can't wait to see family!!! I miss everyone so much! I might not have access to the internet so I'll apologize now if I am MIA for a week...

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Not sure what to think

Here's an update on the car situation:

Insurance is covering it. They're still determining liability but worst case scenario, Jill will have to cover the $500 deductible. She may not even have to do that though.

I have been relieved since yesterday after talking to the insurance company.

But then today I got a call from the body shop.

Not good.

The front was hit so hard, it's probably not just body damage. Crap.

The back was hit at an angle that caused the back end to totally bow out and there may be under carriage damage. Double crap.

I was supposed to work on my vocabulary, but I don't know another word. How about "shit." Shit works too.

Shit and double shit.

The lady on the phone said cautiously, "It's really bad Kelsa."

I haven't received the estimate yet on the car but I'm not sure what I'd prefer-

A damage estimate of like $10,000 which means the insurance company will probably repair it but then we'll have this almost brand new car with $10,000 worth of damage which will probably cause it to never quite run right again. I could be wrong, but seems like that much work is bound to cause some issues.

Or, a damage estimate of like $15,000 which means the insurance company likely will not repair it and will consider it a "total loss." We didn't buy GAP insurance because we put thousands down on the car so I never really imagined we'd owe more than the car is worth. But I've read that insurance will give us an ugly, low-ball offer and then we'll have to make up the difference for what we owe. Argh.

Of course, Jill would pay the difference, but then we'd be out our down payment on the car.

My friend Amy has a blog where she documents things she's learned throughout her life. Well, Amy, let me contribute:
1. Don't allow a family member or friend to borrow your car
2. Buy GAP insurance
3. If you think you might want to sell your car, just do it. Don't drag your feet. Get rid of the damn car.

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Holy crap

Two posts in a row with the title containing the word "crap."

Someone needs to expand her vocabulary...

I'll work on that.

Soooooo... anywho... my "holy crap" for today is in reference to the workout I did last night that totally and completely kicked my butt. It was awesome.

3 rounds for time of:
400 meter sprint (.25/mile at 9.0 mph on the thrill mill)
21 burpees
500 meter row (kept it around 2:30 pace or slightly less if I was cruising)

My time? 20:17.

20 minutes of hell though. Man, it was tough. It was all cardio and all anaerobic b/c you're going at 100% the whole time. Michael did it first while I kept time and he made it look easy. I should have known his 69 VO2 Max would have helped him!

Did I ever tell you guys about that? I don't remember if I blogged about that or not. Well, Michael went to the university around here who was looking for volunteers for a study. He got his V02 max tested and did a bunch of other stuff. He was really interested to see what it was. For someone his age, the "high" V02 max was 52 but Michael came in at a 69! Isn't that crazy? Lance Armstrong is an 85!

In other words, my hubby is fricken cool. Like super cool.

lol.

In other news- our insurance is covering the accident and damages to the vehicle and we have to pay the $500 deductible. Rather, Jill is paying the 500 bucks and probably any difference in premium after we file a claim.

But, it's all good in the hood.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

Read more...

crap

I'll start really fast by telling you that I had two awesome workouts yesterday-

1. CrossFit endurance: Sprints on the treadmill 20 sec on/60 sec off, 20/50, 20/40, 20/30, 20/20, 20/10 repeat three times. My 20 seconds on were at 10 mph which is the fastest the treadmill will allow me to go. I felt like I could have gone faster since it's only 20 seconds of a sprint- you try to jus go all out- so I guess the treadmill is out next time I want to do this workout.

Then I did a workout called Fran- 21 reps, 15 reps, and 9 reps of:
Thrusters (hold a bar along your chest and lift it up over head, as you bring it down, squat and as you bring it up, thrust it over your head again). Do that 21, 15, and then 9 times. They're tough. I did it with the bar, which is 45 pounds.

Pull-ups- I did it on level 13 assistance. No explanation required.

My total time was 6:57.

Michael did the same workout right after me... except with more weight and his pull-ups were unassisted. I really cannot believe that he can do that many pull-ups on his own. I think that's amazing. A year ago, he couldn't even do one I don't think. If you knew my husband...he doesn't exactly look like he can do that many pull-ups!

So, now that that is out of the way...

Our phone rang last night at 2:00 AM. It's like we knew something was wrong. We don't get calls in the middle of the night unless it's something bad.

Jill got into a car accident.

It wasn't her fault and she's okay. She was going straight through an intersection and another car was turning left from the opposite direction. They turned right into her, hitting her and pushing her into another vehicle that was stopped at the same light.

The car that caused the whole thing drove off.

Our car, our first new-new car that's only 6 months new, is bad.

the air bag went off and the front and rear sides of our car both were hit so there's damage all around.

Because the other car drove off, I'm sure Jill will end up paying the deductible. Our insurance should cover it right? Anyone have any experience with this? She's not on our policy but doesn't insurance cover the car itself? She has insurance on her car in Michigan, I'm not sure if that's even relevant. They might ask why she was driving our car but I'm praying it will still be covered right?

I'll keep you posted on the car situation.

Kelsalynn

Read more...

little bit of this

little bit of that

I had a good workout tonight. I ran a 1/2 mile to warm-up first then I did:
90 jump ropes
45 clean and squats with a 40 lb bar
45 tricep dips (25 on level 10 assist, 20 on level 11 assist)
90 jump ropes

It took me 13:53. Then I biked for 10 minutes just to cool down a little bit while Michael finished with his last client.

It was a good night.

This past week, I realized how great of a workout Zumba turned out to be if anything b/c it forced me to work my body in a different way than I'm used to. For days after the class, my hips and butt were really sore. In a good way though.

My booty is not used to shaking and grooving that vigorously I guess!!

And after my workout the other day where I did 125 situps and 125 knees-to-elbows, my abs are CRAZY sore! There are times where I go to move in a way that is so normal and then I realize "ouch!" Perfect example- WHIPING MY ASS! Yup, the whole turn half way and reach around motion??? Not so comfortable...

It's been a few days now though so I'm all better!

Let's see.... OH! I know! Michael and I registered for the Lake Havasu HALF MARATHON on April 4th! We're going to make a whole weekend out of it and will hopefully spend some time at the beach and laying out in the sun after the race. Talk about a perfect weekend- a race and then relaxing the rest of the time!

I'll post a goal for my finishing time gets closer but we'll have to see how the next few weeks go.

I should probably add a countdown on my blog now huh?

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Don't have a good title

I'm not feeling very creative... or long-winded.

I did a treadmill workout tonight after work. Same one you've already heard about- 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off - 8 rounds at a 12% incline.

The only difference is I usually do this at 6.0 on the treadmill but today, I did it at 6.6 mph.

It sucked.

Then I maxed out on deadlifts. One rep max times seven.

Only I don't know how much I ended up doing b/c Michael jotted it down in his phone.

And he's at work.

But I did it. I swear. You have to believe me.

I know the heaviest I did was 180 pounds.

That's about it folks.

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Dreaming

For many reasons, February is an expensive month for us. We're flying back to Michigan, so there's all of the costs involved with traveling- car rental, food on the road, luggage fees, pet hotel, etc. But we're also doing some improvements to our home there and getting it ready for the new tenants. Our budget for home improvements is $250 which is awfully low and will be a challenge to come in at.

Our Homeowner's Insurance on the above home is also due. Last year, it was $748, but our bill came and it was $350 more this year! Not sure why. I have to call around and see if I can find a cheaper quote.

My 6-month car insurance is also due- $223 but I plan to shop around on that as well b/c $450/year on a beat up old car like the one I drive seems a little steap.

But during a month where car insurance, homeowner's insurance, traveling, and home improvements all collide, there's something I keep reading in order to keep myself focused. It's easy in months like these to feel frustrated- there's so much money going out- and I feel like I'm paying everyone else but ourselves. There's one paragraph of Dave Rasmey's The Total Money Makeover book that really hits home for me.

Please take the time to read this-

"Would you dream with me for a moment? Dream that a twenty-seven year-old couple with average to below-average income commit to a Total money makeover. They get gazelle-intense, and in three years, by age thirty, they are at Step Four [no debt except house and 3-6 months of an emergency fund]. They invest 15 percent of their income in four types of growth-stock mutual funds with five- to ten-year track records. The average household income in America is $40,816 per year, according to the Census Bureau. Joe and Suzy Average would invest $6,000 (15 percent) per year or $500 per month. If you make $40,000 per year and have no payments except the house mortgage and live on a budget, can you invest $500 per month? Follow me here. If Joe and Suzy invest $500 per month with no match into Roth IRAs from age thirty to age seventy, they will have $5,882,386 tax-FREE! That is almost $6 million."

I love the above example b/c Michael and I are 27 years old and could be at Step Four before the age of 30 and we make twice what Joe and Suzy Average do. I know we can do this. I know it.

I'm not sure what I need to do to cite his book properly and give credit where it's due- but the author and title are above and it's on page 159...

Read more...

Read more...

Zumba

If you think I just made up the above title, then you need to check out this site.

Zumba is a type of group fitness exercise. The gym I use has multiple classes each week and I always wondered what all the fuss was about because the class is ALWAYS PACKED!

This morning there was a class at 11 AM. It's Sunday so I figured a lot of people will have church and the class wouldn't be as busy.

I was wrong.

But it didn't matter. The class was a ton of fun!

Although I was really sweaty, I'm pretty sure it was a result of all the people in one room and how incredibly hot it got. It was a blast, but not an awesome workout.

I'd like to go again though just because how often do you get to go dancing and not feel dumb if you get all sweaty?

I'll post another entry with a video from you tube. I can't put a video inside a blog post for some reason so it always has to be in its own separate post. Stupid.

After the 1 hour and 15 minute cardio-dance workout, I did a CrossFit workout.

5 rounds of:
25 kettlebell swings (26 lb kettlebell)
25 incline bench situps (arms over head)
25 back extensions
25 knees to elbows on the Captain's chair

My time for 125 of each of the above was 21:46! So, 22 minutes is pretty quick for all of that in my opinion! I'm pretty happy about it!

In all, I've worked out for an hour and 45 minutes today and it's only 1:00 in the afternoon.

What a Sunday! Now it's time to eat lunch, clean, do laundry and dishes, and find time for a nap sometime!

lol

Gotta love Sundays!

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Simplicity

Three principles of personal finance:

1. Spend less than you earn.
2. Make the money you have work for you.
3. Be prepared for the unexpected.


Sounds simple right? ha!

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Never again

At least not for a really long time...

I'm referring to eating out, or eating greasy food...

Tonight Michael and I went to Red Robin for a casual date night. Originally we were thinking sushi, but for once, that didn't really sound good to me so we tried something new. I had been to Red Robin once or twice before and it was good.

That was before I got on the Zone diet.

Barf.

I ordered the Macho Nachos and they were absolutely de-lish. I scarfed those puppies down. Michael ordered a wrap which came with bottomless fries and we both enjoyed far too much of that fried goodness.

We finished and we were talking and you could see the moment that "it" hit both of us. Ugh. The grease, the fat, the ick that we're not used to putting in our body had just hit rock bottom and it was sitting in our stomach. We both felt sick.

Our bodies just aren't used to that. On the way home, we talked about how tired we both were and how that meal, although tasty going in, did not give our bodies anything they needed and it was obvious. Our stomachs were having an extremely difficult time digesting what we just put in them.

It's no surprise that people in general feel tired, sick, or depressed more and more- keep putting shit in your body and you'll feel like shit in return.

We decided we would forget about eating out from now on our "date" nights and save the money to do something else that we'd enjoy more- like seeing a movie. It's $9.75 per person to see a movie!!! Isn't that ridiculous??? So, we'll eat in and catch a flick instead.

Read more...

Na, na, naaaaa-na...

Goooood-bye.

My smallest student loan currently has a balance of $1,268.40.

Except in a few days it will be much smaller...

I sent in a payment today for $695!

This loan should be paid in full by the end of the month.

Say good-bye!

Next in line is yet another student loan with a balance of $8,015.54. If things continue the way they have been, that loan should take 3-4 months to pay off.

Kelsalynn

Read more...

Maxed out

Holy crap, thank HEAVENS tomorrow is FRIDAY! I need it to be Friday so bad!

Just one of those weeks, nothing majorly wrong.

I headed to the gym tonight and did some upper body strengthening. I wanted to max out on pull-ups...after all, I have a 2009 resolution to do one of those nasty little things all by my grown-up self!

I ended up doing 3 pull-ups on level 6 assistance, 3 at level 7 and then four at level 8. This is better than last time I tried this when I could only do 1 pull-up on level 6. So, I'm making improvements! Wahoo!

From there, I did a max rep of push-ups. I did them non-modified and I just tried to do as many as I could without stopping. Mind you, I had just finished maxing out on pull-ups, so I like to think I might have been able to do a couple more, but I did 22.

Not a heavy cardio day but it was still a good night nonetheless.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

Read more...

Interview

A fellow blogger-friend of mine, Jen, is interviewing me and I'm going to do my best to answer her questions!

1. Where would you take your next vacation if it was completely paid for and money was no object?
If money was no object, and I could have as much time off as I wanted, I would take a trip around the world. I honestly don't think I could pick just one place if money was of no concern. If I had to pick, or if I only had enough money for one vacation spot, I'd say Rome.

2. Are you still in touch with many of your high school friends? Did you/will you go to your reunion?
With one exception, I'm in touch with peeps from high school via Facebook and MySpace only. I have a friend, Megan, who I'm still close with and talk to on the phone whenever we can find the time. She's the only one though. I would love to go to my 10-year class reunion, which should happen this coming summer. The problem is that no one knows where our class President is, she kind of fell off the planet, and apparently someone embezzled our class dues. Sooo... not sure if I'll even have a class reunion to attend!

3. What kind of music do you like?
I like Classic Rock mostly and any female singer... I like to listen to female singers and imagine I'm singing, which would never happen because no one in my family can carry a tune to save their life. Damn genetics. I put my Dixie Chicks CD in the other day and realized how much I loved them.

4. Are you planning on having kids, and if so, when?
Oh! What a question Jen! If only you knew the history behind this question and how I usually dodge it out of principle! Because of my reaction to this question, people tend to think Michael and I are anti-kids when in fact, we want kids. We just don't want them right now and for a while there, we were really getting pressured about it and I just didn't get it. To be honest, I don't know "when" and I promise that lack of an answer is not me dodging the question...I truly don't know. We haven't given it a whole lot of thought. It could be next year. It could be 5 years down the road. I'm an obsessive planner naturally and I try really hard to not plan out my life 5-10 years in advance b/c it doesn't matter...whenever I've tried to do that, something has changed (usually for the better) and the master plan that was in my head was really for nothing. Michael and I will have kids some day, we're just not really in a hurry.

5. What is your favorite clothing store/brand.. the one that always fits you perfect and suits your style the most?
My favorite clothing store used to be Petite Sophisticate/Casual Corner until it closed. Does anyone remember that store? Man, I loved it. Now I usually shop at Ann Taylor Loft b/c I can find things for work and home there. I don't spend a lot of money on non-work clothes b/c I spend most of my time at work where I'm required to wear a suit. I do try to find shirts though that look good under a suit coat but also with a pair of jeans.



To play along:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Read more...

"Your Ideal Budget"

According to CNN, each household's ideal budget should be the following (based on gross income):

Housing & Debt 30%
Taxes 25%
Insurance 4%
Savings and Investment 15%
Living Expenses 26%

This made me want to take a look at my percentages and see where I stack up.

I don't know why they would lump "housing" and "debt" together because frankly, I don't think those can or should be categorized together...

Our Real Budget:
Housing - 49.20% This is terribly high, I realize that, but it includes our mortgage on our Michigan home, our rent here in AZ, our property taxes, and our homeowner's insurance. It doesn't not include any "credits" or rent payments received on the MI home b/c our budget is made so that if we ever didn't get those payments, we could pay all of our bills regardless.

Debt - 12.96% This includes our car payment and student loan payments. I'm not upset necessarily by this number, but I don't like it and I'm working to make it 0% for life baby!

Living Expenses - 21.5% I'm happy that this is almost 5% lower than CNN's ideal budget. My total includes electricity, groceries, gas, cable, cell phone, etc.

Savings - 0% Currently we are not saving anything for retirement b/c according to the Dave Ramsey plan, our debt needs to be paid off first. I'm okay with that b/c I know we'll have all of our debt paid off soon and then I'll be able to exceed the 15% that is considered ideal.

So, where do you stand? Is your budget considered ideal? Are you over in one but under in another?

Kelsalynn

Read more...

ETA and sprints

I headed to the gym tonight for a CrossFit Endurance workout.

It called for 10- 200 meter sprints with a two-minute break in between each one.

I ran each sprint at 9.9 mph on the treadmill which is a 6:00/mile pace. 200 meters is half of a 1/4 mile sprint or about .12 or .13 of a mile.

Make sense?

I felt really great except that I started to get a cramp in my right calf on sprint #5 of 10. Not good.

I was pretty pissed actually. I made it through all 10, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. I just don't know why it keeps happening. It's been weeks since the marathon... I just want to be fully recovered by now. Tomorrow I'm making an appointment for the massage therapist right around the corner and plan to get my legs rubbed really well this coming weekend. I'm hoping that will really help fix whatever is really wrong with my calves.

On a different note, my shoes are scheduled to be delivered in 3 short days. YIPPY!

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

Read more...

one hellofa workout

Today was a pretty awesome Sunday.

Slept in until 9 AM, did some laundry and cleaned the kitchen right away. It's always nice to get that crap out of the way early so it's not weighing on me all day. Then we watched a movie- Clone Wars (it was okay), while I drank my coffee and had breakfast, then we headed to the gym.

That's where I had one HELL OF A WORKOUT! It was super hard but really good at the same time:

5 rounds of:
1/4 mile sprint
15 box jumps
15 wall balls

My time was just under 21 minutes. I was hoping to get it under 20:00, but it was a lot harder than I thought. I did run the 1/4 mile sprint at a 7:13/mile pace before hopping off to do 15 2-ft high box jumps.

It was an awesome workout and really my first super tough workout since the marathon. I've worked out since then, but today's was the most intense by far.

From there I came home and ate lunch, finished cleaning, and then got ready to go watch the Super Bowl with some friends. I'm sad that the Cards didn't bring home the win, but it was an awesome game and I'm just pleased they didn't get their asses handed to them honestly.

Monday night is the cycling class again and I'm really looking forward to it.

Until tomorrow,
Kelsalynn

Read more...