running

End-of-weekend recap.

| cheriarmour

Hey folks!  I hope you’re having an amazing weekend, my weekend has been nothing short of insanely busy, and my life shows no signs off slowing down for the next few weeks.  But I can’t complain, I think my problem is one of the most beautiful to have, and I’d rather a little too much to do, than too little.

That said, when I finally get my house painted/get my car cleaned/get my wedding save-the-dates sent out/get bills paid, I might be a little more relaxed than I am now.

Now onto the weekend recap!

I worked at Fleet Feet North Raleigh on Saturday, which was pretty amazing.  I actually don’t dread ever going to work there – and it’s really always nice to be around like-minded, good fitness people, who you don’t really get as much of when you’re working in an office, like I do during the week.  Sometimes, it’s a little tiresome being the freak in the office when you brings salads for a lunch.  At Fleet Feet, you’d sometimes WISH someone would bring a damned Lean Cuisine up in that piece cause the little fridge would be stuffed with people’s healthy lunches!

So Sunday, I had to head home with a friend for a memorial service, so I put Coco’s Thundershirt on her, packed her in the car, and headed home.

photo 2photo 1She was a really good sport, and endured the trip pretty well, which is good because we’re going to the beach next weekend, and she’s gonna have to hold up for a few hours.  But we’ll stop for lots of coffee and bathroom breaks for her, and we’ll get her a little more used to the car.

photo 3I walked into my parents’ home, and looky what was sitting on my dad’s bar!  So I promptly took it to read while I was running my 5 on his treadmill.  I still love Bieber, and I know he’s gonna pull through this rough time.

photo 4And now, here I sit, blogging to you all from the relative comfort of a McDonald’s dining room, because the WiFi at my parents’ house needs life support.  Is it a law that that WiFi at all old peoples’ house has to be horridly spotty at best?  It really doesn’t seem to bother them!

So the plan tomorrow before I pack it in and head back is to wake up semi-early, run, spend some time with my Moms, and head out to Raleigh with the dog before we get more snow.  This blasted snow is going to cause me to kick a hole in a wall, I swear it.

How was your weekend, beautiful folks? 

 

 

 

Happy Sunday!

| cheriarmour

I don’t think I’ve been so tired in a minute!

As I blog, I’m laying in bed at 10:57 pm on a Saturday night, so early because I want to run in the morning.  I’m headed home tomorrow after my run to attend to some family business, and I can honestly tell you guys, I have not been so tired in long time.  I’m tired.  My feet hurt.  I finally got my apartment clean after nearly a week of it looking like a small bomb detonated in here.  And all I’m hoping for is an early bedtime tomorrow at my parents’ house.

photo-2To ease you into this week, I give you, this hot hot pic of my heiny, lookin’ oh so fabulous in my winter tights as I foam roll my hip, which has been talking to me since I taught 2 classes kinda of sick early this week.  I think I was trying to compensate for the fact that I didn’t feel well by dancing the hardest I could and flopping about like Beyoncé when I knew good and well that each mucusy minute, I felt that I was knocking at death’s door.

Nevertheless, I’m feeling far, far better, and I am attempting a 16-miler today prior to my drive to Charlotte.  Wish me luck, and I’ll chat with you guys after I get to Charlotte tomorrow!

 

Runner Pop Quiz

| cheriarmour

Happy Thursday afternoon, beautiful people!  Hope your runs are going well.  Mine are good, save for a little bit of a stuffy nose and a sore throat that I’ve been nursing.  But this hot and cold weather is good weather for getting sick in, right?

Anyhoo, remember pop quizzes?  I think the last one that I took was in religion sophomore year in college and the joke was on Tripp York cause I actually did the reading.   And I can actually recall what the reading was about – about Disney.  Scary.

So I stole this pop quiz from J at Skinny Chick Blog, but she said we could steal it, and she’s a runner too.  I kept the pink font in her honor.  Onto the quiz!  

1.  What weather do you refuse to run in?

I refuse to run when it’s icy out.  We don’t do ice too often here, the sidewalks never get cleared, and as someone who has (very painfully) broken a bone before, I have no interest in doing it again.  

2.  What distance is your “short” run?

My short run is this like, 3 miles loop through downtown Raleigh.  I think Jillian Michaels said one that 3 miles is what you need to stay fit, and I’ve always taken that to heart.  I always have 30 minutes to pop a 3 miler in.  

3.  How do you stay hydrated while running?  Water fountain, carry your own etc.

I carry my own, and sometimes stop at coffee shops and the Whole Foods to fill up my little bottle.  I haven’t worn my backpack in a long time, and I’m just not yet in the mood to wear it.  Handheld it is!  

4.  Music or no music?

Usually music.  Sometimes not if I need to be alone with my thoughts.  

5.  Do you ever run nekkid?  {Without GPS, not literally silly}

Sometimes. When I forget to charge my watch.  But I love it.  

 6.  What is the first thing you do after a run?

Grab some water, and walk the dog, since I know she’s usually been waiting on me for a while.  

7.  What’s your favorite running shoe ever?

You know what?  I’m kind of in a shoe rut.  I work for Fleet Feet, and I have every running shoe at my disposal, and I was a Brooks girl,  I’ve been a Brooks girl for a while.  But here’s me here….

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In a NB (and the review is coming soon!) and I’m still not sure which way I’m gonna go with shoes.  I’m running a half in March, and a full and a half April, and I need to figure it out ASAP, cause I don’t want to be without toenails!

8.  Do you make deals with yourself to finish a tough run?  What are they?

I think usually I just think about food and Austin to get me through the run.  I think about pasta, beer, toast, wine, beer, and my husband-to-be when I’m toward the tail end of a long run.

9.  Two things you can not run without besides kicks?

A good bra.  There’s nothing better than a good bra.  

Boobs!

 

Boobs!

10.  Running has helped me ___________.

Be confident in myself – who I am, my skills, my abilities.  I wouldn’t have had the balls to do a lot that I have in my life without running.  

11.  Are you following a training plan?  If so, what does your weekly routine look like?

I’m following the Hanson method.  Sunday I run long (but not longer than like 16). Monday I run 5, Tuesday a speed run that’s been adding up to like 8ish miles the last few weeks, Wednesday I take a break, Thursday I run 8 fast, Friday I run 5 easy, Saturday I run 5 easy and then I do it all over again.  Mama is TIRED, mmkay!

12.  Be honest, do you regularly stretch + foam roll post run?

I stretch.  And I foam roll a few times a week, but definitely not as much as I should.

So how’d you do on the pop quiz?  Feel free to lift it, answer one or two of these, or just drop in and say hi to me!

 

Weekend recap! (Best weekend evahhh)

| cheriarmour

So, after the photoshoot on Saturday, I ran, and hopped in the car to head to Charlotte because I got me and Deb some tickets to see Demi Lovato. So first things first, after a 10-miler at my parents’ I met up with Deb and some of her work friends at a place called Georges Brasserie in the Southpark neighborhood of Charlotte.

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The place was super nice, and turned out to be a French place, which means the menu was baller.

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Bottomless Mimosas were $12. Yes please!

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Cheers!

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We started off with an order of beignets for the table….

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And literally, almost every single girl at the table ordered the French Toast which was AH-maze. Go to Georges, and tell them I said hey!

So next up, the Demi Lovato concert!

If you guys know anything about you, you need to understand that I am ride or die for Demi.

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P1160216Me and Deb found giant Demi before the show, where the median age was like 15.  Seriously, besides moms, we were like the oldest people there.  But I knew every word so suck on that tweens!
photo-1Deb and I found the Tampax (weird) photobooth and took some really really cute pics.  I’m gonna hang onto these for a while.

P1160218The hot one from One Direction?  Zayn?  His lady-friend is in this group.  They were really cute, and played a bunch of adorable covers from the 90s, including a TLC cover of ‘No Scrubs’.  No one but us and the moms knew this one.

And finally!!!!

P1160223Demi!  And the seats were really good!

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P1160221She was amazing.  Seriously amazing.  She seemed really happy, and sang strong for the entire time.  It wasn’t super overproduced, and the show really boiled down to her and the music.  Demi played the new stuff, the old stuff, and played the drums, the piano, and the guitar.

P1160225The coolest thing?  The Neon Lights app that you could download before the show.  During Neon Lights, the app created this really cool effect on everyone’s smartphone blinked to the beat of the song.  Such good energy!

So overall, that concert was amazing, and I actually found myself boo-hooing during her incredible rendition of ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen and ‘Nightingale,’ where she threw in this amazing key change at the last chorus.

So a photoshoot, a long run in beautiful weather, time with my sister, time with my parents, mimosas, and a Demi Lovato concert?  I’m now exhausted, but what a fantastic weekend.

What was the coolest thing you did this weekend?

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Saturday Folks!

| cheriarmour

I’m sitting in the office, writing, and looking out the window at how gorgeous it is outside.

My plans for today?

Teaching a Zumba class at the Y, a photo-shoot that I think is gonna turn out really cool, a run, and then I’ll hop in my car so I can head to my parents’ house, where I’ll be staying with the dog so I can see my lady-friend, Demi Lovato tomorrow night!

So a busy Saturday on deck.

What are your plans for this beautiful weekend?  

Happy Friday! Here’s what! What three things are you obsessed with?

| cheriarmour

Hi sexy readers!

I have a confession.  Between the marathon training, trying to be a domestic goddess, and work, Mama is tired.  And I’m not sure what to do to get back to feeling like I’m well rested.  But I’ve been staying up late working on the blog, running a ton and not really sleeping a ton.  I really wish there were more hours in the day, but there aren’t, so I really really need to learn to maximize my time.  I’m figuring it out.

But at any rate, here’s what three things I’m obsessed with this week!

  • Demi Lovato.  Bitch is baaad.
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This is from Demi’s IG, I obviously didn’t take this photo myself.

I have been a fan for a long time, and I bought tickets for me and my sister to go see her Neon Light’s Tour on Sunday night.  Eep!  I love the voice, and I especially love her because, 1, she is Mexican and doing it for the women of color, and 2, she’s been really open with her struggles with self-harm, an eating disorder, and her Bipolar Disorder.  It’s hard to be open about mental health issues, and she is so cool for doing that.

  • My Garmin.  I’m not getting paid by them (I wish I was) to say this, but I’m still rocking the 610 (now the 620), and I continue to be impressed by all the features I didn’t use until now.  Especially the customizable interval feature, which comes in super handy for speed work!
  • This dog.  I’m literally the biggest dog fan in the world, but I only have one because I live in an apartment.  But look at who I met today at Starbucks?

photo 1

This dog is a malti poo, and his name is Picasso.  He is so cute, but I’m so torn.  I’m a big big fan of rescuing your animals, but how do I acquire a mali-poo like Picacsso in an adoption fashion? Hm.

Happy Friday yawl!  What three things are you obsessed with this Friday?

I’m the Kind of Girl Who…

| cheriarmour

I totally stole this idea from I Wore Yoga Pants to Work  and Hey, Hollywood: – but I absolutely loved it so well I had to!

So.  I’m the kind of girl who..

…despite my vegetarianism, there are so many vegetables I hate.  I mean, I really hate so many.  These include, but are not limited to, mushrooms (and that’s what people always try to offer vegetarians when there is no other option.  Kill me).  I also hate cauliflower, the gourds, and certain peppers.

…naps like a damn champ.  When I was in college, I used to nap multiple times a day,  Now I’m an adult and I really almost never get the change to nap.  So when I do get the chance to nap, once or twice a month, I nap for like a thousand hours for the day.

…gets a little obsessive about certain things.  Lately I have been shampooing my carpets like the world is going to end.  Just did it again last night.  And I loved it.  I may have a disorder, and I’m completely okay with that.

…works out a ton.  I didn’t used to be, but I got sick of being annoyed with my body, and I started working out.  It’s amazing.  I try and do something every day.   I run, I yoga, I do Zumba, I lift, I try and do something, or I go crazy.

…gets in weird moods once in a while.  My weird moods usually mean I want to just lay on the couch and do nothing, or I want to pick a fight because I feel kind of irritable.  Two nights ago,  I was in a weird mood, so I took the dog, and sat on the patio at a sushi restaurant.  It really did my soul a lot of good.

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…is an awesome cook despite the fact that people say skinny girls can’t cook.  I love taking comfort foods, like Mac + Cheese or a Grilled Cheese and turning it healthy.

…loves bright colors.  Bright, deep, amazing colors.  They make me happy!

…is getting married in a little than 6 months, and is surprisingly relaxed about the whole deal.  I honestly can’t wait!

Enjoy, and link up with these bloggers, or link up in the comments below!

Speed Workout + Reader Question

| cheriarmour

A few awesome things today.

So remember that incredible dish I had at Pop’s on Sunday?  The fusilli pasta with the mozzarella?

I slimmed it down, cut some of the oils, and made my own version, and it turned out awesome?  The only downside?  I made enough pasts for like 24 people, and now I’m trying to pawn large amounts of pasta off on anyone who will eat food fit for human consumption.

Here’s the side-by-side – Sunday’s meal is on type.  Mine is on the bottom.

photo 4Mine looks a little “drier” because I skimped on some of those oils that can pack on calories.  But it definitely was tasting good!  Now who wants pasta?

Moving right along!

The weather was beautiful in North Carolina today, literally like 75 degrees.  So I dragged my boss down to the track for a speed workout.

photo 2It was nice to run on the track on a pretty day, and I’ve been working out on such hard surfaces recently, I forgot how nice it is to run on a soft, springy surface.  My body is totally thanking me today.

Today’s interval was a 1 mi. by 6, with a 400m recovery.  It was cool, and I ended up being able to squeeze like 8 miles out of the deal without even realizing!  That’s one of the beautiful aspects of speed workouts!

photo 3Okay, I usually never do this, but this is actually pretty funny.

Mile 1: 7:46 – hysterical, because I told my boss that the first mile would be a nice and easy one, just for us.  I started to feel so crappy during the mile, and I couldn’t figure out why.  Yeah, that would be why, I was running at ungodly (for me) speeds.

Mile 2: 7:59

Mile 3: 8:12

Mile 4: 8:09

Mile 5: 8:14

Mile 6: 8:14

The best moment?  When a woman who was also working out on the track turned to me as she was leaving, gave me the thumbs up, and told me that I was awesome.  I, being hyper-emotional because I was working out, completely burst into tears right there on the track.  Whatevs man, working out is beautiful.

And now, it’s time for the reader question!

I got a text a few days ago, from a reader asking about tying running shoes!

I’m forever confused about the different ways to tie running shoes and have just recently learned the tighter you tie isn’t actually the better (I was wondering why my feet were going numb).

So Kim (reader in question) is certainly not the only one.  I was beyond shocked when I borrowed my boss’ shoes for a run, and his shoes were snatched down to beyond an inch of their lives, and I’ve seen the same in a lot of folks who come into Fleet Feet.  A lot of folks will come in and complain of their feet going numb especially.

So here’s the deal, and the way I would suggest that you tie your shoes in order to be comfortable.

photo 1Take a gander at the feets.

So your shoes do not need to be super tight, nor do they need to be flopping off of your feet (something I’ve certainly been guilty of).  But if you’re one of those people who love that tight feel, but concerned because your feet go numb every run, I have a fun trick for you.  Tie your shoes normally.  Don’t squeeze the heck out of your feet.

Then, do this.  We’re gonna backlace your shoe (and keep the shoe from sliding around on your ankle).

See that top eyelet on the shoe that you’ve always wondered about?  We’re going to use it today.  Poke the right lace through the right hole and the left lace through the left hole.  So we’re making bunny ears.  Now cut straight across the top of your foot and pierce the opposite ear.  Same thing, pierce the opposite ear.  Then pull both laces straight up, and this will lock the shoe on your ankle without killing the top of your food.  Here’s how it’s gonna go in YouTube form.

Do itttttt.  Now remember, chill on the laces.  Do not get fixated on tying  them so tight that you see life flash before your eyes.  It’s unnecessary, and the last thing you want to be thinking about is how bad your feet hurt 10 miles in.

Anyhoo, I miss you guys, come visit me in the comments.

Tell me something, what’d you eat for dinner last night?  Pictures are welcome!

Part 2 – Would I train with an overweight trainer?

| cheriarmour

So before we get started on all the dramz, lookie at what Mama Chelsie sent me yesterday! I was laying on the couch yesterday, when she sent me a gorgeous pic and a recipe of what she’d made for dinner. Since I had nothing for lunch today, I decided to give her recipe a whirl, put a little more of a spicy twist on it, and pack it for lunch. I hope it’s good, cause it’s all packed up now!

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So the way it all works is really easy. One can of seasoned black beans, drained, and I smooshed them all up in a ziplock. I mixed the smoosh up with an egg, some paprika, some garlic, and some hot pepper, added a half-cup of bread crumbs, and I grilled it up with some olive oil. With my refined palate, I added a dab of ketchup to eat it with tomorrow, and I’ll let you know how it turns out. But it smells BALLER. And in case you forgot about Chelsie, she’s the mom who helped out with my post last week. Click to read, it’s super, super good, plus there are pics of my super cute niece on there!

But moving right along.

Yesterday, without any prodding or judgement, I asked you all if you would work out with an overweight personal trainer.  The answers ranged from “absolutely not,” to “why not,” to one particularly sweet answer from one of my campers, and here it is.

Considering I’m still considered overweight but I am very healthy and teach Zumba and am becoming a personal trainer I would say I would pay a person who was overweight because the weight doesn’t mean anything. I have a dangerously slow metabolism which makes it extremely hard for me to loose weight consistently unless I’m working out all day basically, but I still know how to help others to be successful, ya know?

God. I tear up when this beautiful girl says this.

Here’s my take. 

Would I work out with an overweight personal trainer?  

Yes.

I am very fit, and very active now, but if I ever freed up some of my time and got into weightlifting, I would employ the help of a personal trainer.  Damn right I would allow an overweight personal trainer to train me, and here’s why.

I’m not perfect, and I don’t have x-ray vision.  Can I tell if someone is healthy by the way they look? Can I tell if they know what they’re doing?  Can I tell really much about them?  Not a ton.

I’m not overweight, nor have I been.  I’ve lost weight, gotten fitter, and learned to love my body. If, when I was in my transition period, someone had not given me a chance, I wouldn’t have had the strong Zumba following I have today.  I appreciate folks who stuck around while I figured things out, and I would do the same for others, especially given if they know what they’re doing.

I am a counselor.  Do I need to have gone through a divorce to counsel a divorced couple?

Does a heart surgeon need to have had a heart attack to successfully operate on patients?

To raise funds for Haitians in the earthquake last year, need I have been a direct victim of its devastation?

I think you know where I’m going here.  And I don’t hate or fault anyone for their opinion.  But for me, if Bre wants to train me?  Bring it on sweet pea.  I know you know what you’re doing. 🙂