Running & Twitter

I ran my 3rd half marathon today! It was a great run, perfect weather, course right along the ocean, breathtaking. I also set a personal record. I finished the 13.1 miles in 2:12:04. I ran an average 10:05 mile! That is a 35 15 second per mile improvement over my previous best. Let me tell you, I was quite shocked!

On the down side: my knees are incredibly stiff and sore right now. That's okay though; nothing a couple days of ibuprofen overdoses and ice packs won't cure ;-)

And also, I finally got myself up and running on twitter so come follow me...

** Update: Apparently My first Race was run at a 10:19 min mile pace finishing in 2:15:40. I have a bad memory!!! Still made my best time with this last race so the pride sticks ;)

Old School Link Love

And by "old school" I mean 2008 ;-)

I'm running my 3rd half marathon this Sunday! I am excited and nervous this time. I am not as well trained for this race as my two previous ones so I'm not sure what to expect.

I was just going through the starred items in my Google reader and thought I'd share some of my favorite health & fitness articles from last year.

Some of my favorite tips for brand new runners and healthy living from Leo at ZenHabits. The helped get me off my butt last year!

Here's a challenge I meant to try and never got around to. Post race will be the prefect time.

JD at Get Fit Slowly highlights the best things about getting healthy and Mac delves into our relationship with food.

Some fun, cheap, and healthy beauty tips from Andrea at Wise Bread. The first one is my favorite ;-p

I wonder which runner's pose I'll take for my race day glamor shots?!

Trent at The Simple Dollar suggests abandoning some goals (gasp!!) to stay sane

Sally suggested some great health inspiring holiday gifts that, I think, can be used year round :)

And, finally, I have to leave you with some cute!

Ode to the Mary Jane

On days I cannot balance, your strap keeps things in place
When the sidewalk tries to throw me, you won't fly to your demise
You never sound like I'm farting or like I'm at the beach
You are the perfect shoe

You come in loads of colors and match with many things
You never go out of style, your silhouette's too pure
I can wear you with some legging, jeans, slacks or a skirt
You match my evening dresses and add some spunk to jeans & Ts
You are the perfect shoe

You compliment my innocence with the simple little strap
And you highlight my sophistication with your patent leather sheen
You show that I am trendy but never over the top
You are the perfect shoe

If my feet are swollen your strap adjusts to fit just right
And when my feet are cold and small you keep my step in place and never let them flop
How can I thank you, Mary Janes, for your simple perfect shape
I'll just say again - You are the perfect shoe

*Please note I love all shoes, but sometimes I just have to play favorites ;-)

Credit Cards are EVIL

I finally pulled myself out of my financial denial yesterday and went over my credit card bills. I was making payments, but since becoming unemployed I've carefully ignored everything else on the bills, to maintain sanity. I know that's not the wisest thing. But I wasn't too worried, I haven't used my cards for anything other than auto payment for my gym membership and Starbucks card (yeah, this one's BF's fault, I'll explain later).

Back to the point...

I pulled myself out of my "ignorance is bliss" state yesterday and discovered that the APR on my CCs has suddenly skyrocketed! (I should have listened to the Consumerist's warnings) For that last 2 months, I have been paying a whopping $250/month in finance charges!!!!! That's double my usual $125. And considering that my balances have stayed steady since October, it's just enraging!

Now I know, I suppose it wouldn't have helped much to know sooner. I am not going to attempt another credit application just to get 0% and I can't throw a large chunk of money at the thing until I have a dependable income again.

I made a plan, I can be completely credit card debt free within 8 months of my first paycheck.

Now, it's time to study for my interview so I can get that paycheck!!!

The Power of Optimism

Yesterday I watched a self-help type movie with a friend. Now, generally I am pretty resistant to any new-agey, self-help, "change your life in 5 easy steps" type stuff. But I was in a funk. I was frustrated with my job search and was letting it overwhelm me.

So, I watched The Secret. It was a bit cheesy at times, but not nearly as new-agey as one might expect. I can't say that I believe in it to the extent that the movie describes but the first thing they emphasized is the power of a positive attitude. So, you know what? I decided putting that into practice can't hurt.

And, Voila! Today I got two interviews scheduled: one to a well known Web 2.0 comapany I've been itching to get into and one with a great staffing firm, I crafted a cover letter that far exceeds any of the standard cover letter templates I've previously resorted to, I confidently applied (that's a first) to two jobs I would love to have, I got some direction from a great friend and mentor on my resume and started helping her with some social media stuff which I will delve into shortly.

Now, this might not seem like a whole lot. But given that I spent the last three weeks moping and sending out over 200 resumes with not so much as a peep back, today was huge!

I'm happy and energized and ready for some kick-ass gyming and Chinese practice.

Not Just Another Chick Flick...

ICYMI - 10 Chick Flick Cliches That Are Not In "He's Just Not That Into You" @ Yahoo! Video

I came across this in Fabulously Broke in the City's post today. Too hilarious not to pass along!

Birthday Thanks!

Today is my Birthday, yay! Other than a massive sugar high and crash from delicious cupcakes, I had a nice low key day. Since I have a race next Sunday I will officially be celebrating on the 7th so as not to let alcohol impair my race performance.

I felt a great deal of love and happiness aimed at me today and I feel immensely grateful for all I have:

• A deliciously loving and supportive BF
  
• Good friends I can trust
• Family that is close even though they're across the country
• The best (future) In-Laws anyone could ask for
• Two of the cutest kitties on the face of the planet
• A plethora of adorably sweet nieces
• An awesome new couch
• A great place to live
• The skills to obtain a great job
• The freedom to build my life as I see fit
• A country that recently made me abundantly proud
• My health and the healthy of those I hold dear
• And many many many other things....

I'm a happy girl!

*update: Even more thrilled now! One of my BFFs stopped by with an awesome pair of shoes for my bday!!!!

Hungry Shopping = Bad

I must remember not to stop at the grocery store while hungry EVER. I bought 6 items and spent $26 because the salami, gourmet cheese, and buttery crackers looked too delicious to pass up.

Of course, now that I have finished my lunch I have a true case of buyers remorse. Not just because that was a bit pricey, but also because those are all high fat foods that I will no doubt inhale shortly. le sigh ;)

Credit Where it's Due

I just realized that I am a bit too hard on myself. In the last couple years I have completely revamped my lifestyle. I started to budget and pay off my debt, then I stopped using debt all together even while unemployed, I started exercising regularly, then running, and I started eating pretty healthily.

I also switched careers to something I would enjoy more but, I am having a hard time with this part right now. I am applying for jobs like a mad woman but I am very torn. On one hand I want to go into marketing/communications because I enjoy it more over all, but the pay is low to start. On the other hand accounting pays excellent given my experience but i get so sick of number crunching that I sometimes just want to throw the computer at a wall.

Now that seems cut and dry, "go for what you like." Not really that simple, while I do enjoy marketing more than accounting, I struggle with a $20-$25 grand pay cut. It might sound shallow and materialistic, but I like nice things. I like to shop and BF and I have lofty goals including marriage, travel, and purchasing a home. So it isn't so easy for me to decide what to do. I figure a couple years of accounting to get some savings taken care of won't hurt, but then, how many people think that and get stuck....time for a bit more soul searching on this!

But back to the point, besides my career conundrum, I have done pretty damn well personally. I am proud of myself. And, if picking a career path is my biggest worry, I need to step back and appreciate all I have and all I've accomplished.

More Recipes Needed

I've come to realize that I need to expand my recipe base if I am to continue to eat (and keep BF eating) healthily on a regular basis.

These are are the recipes I can now make with my eyes closed (I'll post them oneday)

Dinner/Lunch Main Dish
Beef stew (crockpot)
Ground turkey stew (crockpot)
Spaghetti with turkey meat sauce (stove top)
chicken soup (stove top)
Avocado steak salad (stove top - steak)
Turkey meat loaf (crock pot, only made it once actually, I improvise with whatever ingredients I have and it's still delish!)
Avocado Tuna Salad (stove top, also an one time make so far, but I loved it!)

Sides
Mashed potatoes
Sauteed onions & green beans

Breakfast
Egg white fritata (using any random ingredients around the kitchen)
Banana chocolate Breakfast Bars (I like to sub grated carrot and/or zucchini for the coconut)

Desserts
Healthy variation of chocolate chip cookies
Cranberry and/or pecan shortbread cookies (I just sub the pecans for the cranberries or use both)
Banana chocolate breakfast bars (BF considers anything with chocolate game all day long)

I suppose that isn't too bad. But we have been eating all that since October with no variation other than eating out. It's starting to get a little repetitive at this point.

I do have a couple things I am itching to try in the next week or two (maybe this weekend would be good!)

Stuffed green peppers
Healthy fudge brownies (BF will be excited when I finally get to these.)

Then I'll have to do a little more research into some easy and healthy recipes.

And on a side note...
I need to change platforms soon and start networking other bloggers to get some readers on here! :)