Go go Speedracer!

I was so excited because it was warm this morning and it became sunny… but then it also became cold! I had planned on going to the sand courts to practice my serves, do some running drills, etc., but I only brought shorts and a tank. Guess that’s out. :(
 
Tomorrow’s the big game! Hopefully it’ll be 2 games! We play a team we’ve beaten before, but they were a challenge the first time around. I don’t think they’ll be any less difficult tomorrow. Then, if we beat them, we’ll likely be playing the #1 team from the other division, who is coincidentally undefeated. However, I’ve seen some of their competition and fully understand why they’re undefeated – they’re good, that’s a definite, but they haven’t played any really challenging teams this year. With a lot of luck and a lot of hard work, I’m sure we can win the whole dang thing!
 
I was so proud of myself Monday and yesterday because I FINALLY broke through my speed barrier. I had been stuck on doing super-slow 12-13 minute miles and I had remained relatively content – after all, I’m not a natural runner and I was just proud of myself for being able to run at all. However, Monday night I took a huge leap and ran an 11-minute mile!! That’s kind of an estimate, but I was running between 5.2 and 5.6 mph the entire time, with a good half a mile or more at 5.6 mph.  I know that’s not really fast for most people, but like I said, I’m just proud that I’m able to do it at all. :)
 
Also at the gym on Monday, I was unexpectedly asked out on a date! Remember the guy I played volleyball with at the gym a couple weeks ago, who also plays in the PSL league? Well, he asked me out to dinner! I was totally shocked, and I remember having a totally blank look on my face after he asked me. Like, “Uhh… me? Dinner?” I mean, no one ever asks me out! I’m pretty much the most standoffish person in the history of the world. I was just flabbergasted. So that should be interesting.
 
Since my plans to play in the sand have been thwarted, I might head over to the Market District Giant Eagle tonight. It’s been a looooong time since I’ve been there and I miss it. I plan on finding the whole wheat Fig Newtons I keep reading about and some 100-calorie bags of Kettle Corn. Never mind that I’m not really into popcorn…I just keep spotting it everywhere I turn and it’s driving me nuts. I even popped a bag that expired on Nov. 18 2007 today.
 
Oh, if only I could leave work now…

everybody hurts... sometimes.

ouch.

good news, folks! i was able to secure a spot in yoga class this morning. it was awesome and i'm probably going to hit it up again tomorrow night after work and tanning. i was pretty stable for most of the class but when the instructor had us move from warrior 1 to warrior 3 i lost it on both sides. literally fell over... it was quite hilarious and i couldn't stop laughing. the girl beside me was also laughing. good thing i can laugh at myself! the class lasted an hour and i felt like i got a better workout than last time. but is 1 hour enough for beastly linds? heck no. i changed from yoga pants to running shorts and blasted through 33 minutes running and then 32 minutes walking at 3.7 mph/7% incline. when i felt i had sufficiently depleted myself of all energy for the rest of the day, i had burned upwards of 700 calories. it was a good workout to say the least. however...
i'm having some very unpleasant lasting effects from my workout. my stomach has been cramping up almost since i got home and no matter which position i'm in, it feels like i'm going into labor. (well, for all i know.) i mean, these are really intense stomach cramps! and they didn't start until after my workout - i was fine before and during. i did some web research and apparently i'm not the only person with this issue, but no one seems to know what it is. so i'm taking it easy for the rest of the night. obviously, since i can barely move. raise your hand if you're looking forward to getting up tomorrow! ...bueller? ...bueller?

breakfast this morning was an enticing combo of 2 slices ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast, half a grapefruit and coffee. kept me going through the workout, but then i was famished! when i got home i made myself the perfect lunch for a 14 degree snowy day - grilled cheese made with provolone, colby and some ham with select harvest tomato basil soup. yum-o. dinner tonight is going to be either leftover chicken marsala from wednesday night or my leftover spaghetti warehouse chicken parm & pasta. i think i should probably concentrate on scarfing down the chicken marsala before it goes bad... so chicken marsala with a spinach salad with woodstock dressing and crumbled goat cheese. i'm so excited i'm literally salivating. i love me some chevre! oh, and my evening snack is becoming a tradition - a glass of milk with freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon. i've been really surprised lately at how this calms me down before bed. in fact, i didn't have any last night and i laid awake for hours before falling asleep. that's probably all in my head, but i'll take whatever help i can get.

gripe of the day is... why on earth do sports bra manufacturers make B/C cup the standard?! this is so incredibly frustrating! i was searching for a particular sports bra online and it just amazes me that all of the good-support, bigger-cup sports bras are priced a good $20 or more above "average"-cup sports bras. really?? the women with the bigger boobs need the sports bras a lot more than the mosquito-bite chicks, so it's unfair to me that a good-fitting sports bra should be so inaccessible to most people. wake up, manufacturers. we're not all size 2s and B cups!
anyways, a few months ago i got an AWESOME sports bra from tj maxx - the brand is moving comfort. it has hooks in the back and adjustable straps, just like a regular bra, and the fit is AMAZING. seriously, i've never had a sports bra fit so well before and it has fantabulous support, which i obviously need for running and volleyball. since discovering this bra's awesomeness, i've been to every tj maxx/marshall's/filene's in the greater pittsburgh area in search of another one and i've come up empty in every single store. i amazon-ed tonight and guess what? i found the bra but the reason why i can't find it in stores is that it's been discontinued. for the life of me, i can't figure out why a discontinued bra would cost so much ($27.50 was the cheapest for my size)... wouldn't retailers want to get rid of it and price it cheaply? whatever. i bought 2 from sierra trading post and now i have something to look forward to at work all week since they're being shipped there. :)

plans for tomorrow include work, tanning, some elliptical/treadmill OR cardio kickboxing, and yoga class. i'm totally considering returning to cardio kickboxing. i went once a few months ago, and though i finished the entire class, it was the most strenuous workout i'd had. i think i'm probably better equipped to deal with it now and i'd probably benefit from it... and yoga would be a great cool-down. but who knows... it'll probably just be elliptical/treadmill and then yoga. i probably won't be as hardcore as today, but i liked the fact that i really got a GOOD workout in, and a total body workout. i just wish my tummy would stop hurting so much! :(