Thanskgiving 10k and Recap (yeah, i know it's almost Christmas)

I hope everyone had a great Thasnkgiving! I know, it's been 3 weeks, I'm a little late and behind. To be honest, I've tried posting this 5 times, but when I save my photos in here and keep it in draft, it disappears! I don't know what's going on with blogger!


Thanksgiving was great. We drove from Jacksonville to Cincinnati with the 3 dogs. It was about 13 hours there and 15 back (thanks, Atlanta traffic...)
Here I am driving through Georgia...



Here's JJ driving through Kentucky...



Pumpkin hung out on the cooler for a few hours... she's quite obnoxious in the car!



Char and Belle made up for Pumpkin's craziness, they slept the entire time!

We got in on Wednesday, and ran the 100th Thanksgiving Day Race in downtown Cincinnati! It was really fun, as it is every year, but there were SO MANY PEOPLE! There is usually 10-12k people there, but this year, there was about 18,000 people! It was really hectic, crowded, and hard to run. Usually by mile 2-3, I have room to run my pace, but I had to weave and pass and run zig zags the entire race. I didn't even cross the start line for 17 minutes after the race began!

Happy 100th, Cincinnati T-day 10k!

Though the race was rough because of the massive amounts of people, I still PR'd and beat last year. I finished at 1:09:29

Aren't race photos always so hideous?? I do NOT look good running!

I celebrated my awesome PR by making and eating a bit of each of the 6 pies! Want the recipes? www.ashleescooking.blogspot.com

Since Thanksgiving, I ran another 10k and hosted my housewarming party....which I'll post in the next few days!

Hello!!!

Has it really been a month since my last post?!

Time sure flies on the weekends when you buy a house... I never imagined I would have so much work to do AND so many things to buy.

However, at this point, I can happily say that for the near future, we're done with the house. There are a few more things we need to/want to do, but they can wait. We finished just in time for the holidays!

Here's our Christmas Card photo:

And here's my favorite photo of the inside of the house so far!

By the way, I LOVE POTTERY BARN! Unfortunately I can't read, and thought JJ would come out JJ even though it explicitly said 1 capital letter, the rest lower case on monogrammed stockings. JJ's came "Jj". Pottery Barn sent a replacement for free.

Thank you, PB!

So what else have I been up to....

The past few weeks I've been focused on long runs on the weekends. 3 weeks ago I did a 4.5 miler, then last weekend and yesterday I did 6 milers.

Thursday is the 100th Running of the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day 10k!!!!!!!

I am going to try so hard to get some great photos... This is a historic race, and I'm so happy to be running it with my whole family. I'm shooting to beat last years 69 minutes.... however no hills in Florida, lots in Cincinnati. Eek!

We leave tomorrow for the 14 hour drive...with 3 dogs.... should be interesting!

This past Saturday I got tickets to the FSU game for JJ for our 2nd Anniversary. Hard to believe it will be 2 years on December 1!

Here are some photos...

That's about it for me... just trying to balance health/fitness/house/dogs/blogs/work/friends... it's tough, and sadly my blog is the easiest to drop when I'm busy!

One more thing though, I just got this email from Jill that I'd like to share with everyone!

Have a great Thanksgiving, be safe, workout hard and eat lots!

Dear Ashlee (and Ash is Fit Readers)

My name is Jill Duffy, also known as girlrunningaround (http://girlrunningaround.xanga.com) and runnergirl13 (http://www.twitter.com/runnergirl13). I have a goal and I think you can help me achieve it.

I just joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. If I can rain $4,000 to help find a cure for blood cancers by April I will be able to participate in the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, TN. Having the opportunity to do this makes my heart swell with hope.

My father-in-law is currently battling lymphoma. Anything that I can do to help researchers find a cure makes it possible for him and others like him to live better and longer lives, makes all of the training miles I will be logging seem like a walk in the park. These people are the real heroes on our team, and LLS needs your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

On Tuesday, November 24, 2009 I am going to use all of my social networking connections to try to raise $500 in one day to support LLS. I will be posting on Twitter, Facebook and my blog to help get the word out.

But that’s not enough.

What am I asking you to do? Just two things.

First, make a donation, if you can.

Second, use your audience to help me reach my goal. All that I am asking is that you retweet my message on Twitter. Post a blip on your blog. Tell your friends. Help me get the word out.

I am asking you because I read your blog. I respect your work. And I think you are a good person. If you are willing to help, please let me know.

Thank you for your support,

Jill Duffy

http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/cmc10/jillduffy

****FOR EACH PERSON WHO COMMENTS ON THIS POST WITH WHAT THEY'RE THANKFUL FOR THIS THANKSGIVING, I WILL DONATE $1****

(cutoff is tonight, 11/23 at 10pm EST. my max is going to be $100 though.... I just bought a house!!!)

Overwhelmed.

Overall I had another good, but super exhausting weekend.

Friday night I left work and drove to St. Augustine because we had our carpets cleaned in the house, and JJ dropped the dogs off at his parents on his way to work. It meant getting home from work/picking them up at 7:30pm rather than 5:40pm, so I was starving! I stopped at Starbucks and got an iced soy latte, which held me over.

Since I was eating at 8pm, I didn't want to wait on food to go, but we didn't have much at home, so I made a garden salad with hummus on top and a cup of butternut squash soup. It was filling because of the bulk, but I found out Saturday morning that it was not sustaining.When I woke up, I set out to do a 4.5 mile run. After the first mile, I was so hungry and my legs felt like they weighed a million pounds. It was not going well, so I did a lot of walking and took a short cut. I did 4 miles in about an hour. I was pretty bummed out by that, but I attribute it to the lack of food the night before and the weather (it was very humid and hot considering how cool it had been). When I got home, I was drained. Hungry, depressed, and tired. Between all of the painting, exercise, and trying to really eat well, my body was done.

We did our usual grocery shop, I painted 2 bathrooms while watching football, and then we went out to dinner for Jay's birthday. I decided to just eat whatever I wanted (without eating total crap) and not feel bad about it. I can tell that I've lost a few pounds in the past few weeks, but since I threw out my scale, I can't confirm it.

So I started with the beer sampler, it was great. Then we had boniachos (nachos made with boniato chips). I ordered a portabella mushroom sandwich, and we had dessert spilt among us (cheesecake and bread pudding, amazing!).

Sunday morning when I woke up to run, I felt much better. My legs are still a little tired, but I was able to run close to 5 miles and only take 3 1 minute walk breaks. Then we picked up some breakfast on our way to furniture shop. I got an egg mcmuffin with no canadian bacon and a fruit and walnut salad. I can't remember the last time I had McDonalds, and it was good! However, furniture shopping for hours and hours took it's toll on me, and I was starving by 3 pm. It was bad to let myself get that hungry, I really don't want to mess with my metabolism. We almost stopped at a drive-thru, but I couldn't do it. I worked too hard on my run, so we went home and I made soup and salad, but planned on dinner at 6.

After my crappy run, and then my just ok run, I'm really starting to think I don't want to do the half marathon in February. Kristine told me she's decided not to, and I don't want to train alone... I feel like I'll skip it this year, still do the 15k in March, and see how that goes. I think with all of the changes going on, and how busy I've become just makes me not want to do it. It's at the bottom of my priority list. I actually think I need to focus on losing a bit more weight before I try for half training because a few pounds less makes a huge difference when running.

My health and physical well being are still at the top, but completing a half marathon in 2010 are not. And I think I'd like for my first half to be at Disney, much better scenery than running down a highway, so I'm going to shoot for the Disney Princess Half in March 2011 if the 15k goes well, and I still feel up to it.

Oh, and the highlight of my weekend, finding this at the grocery store:

It's Official!

I'm a Homeowner! Or, as Vickie said, a Mortgage-owner.
Surprisingly, I don't feel any different. If anything, I'm relieved to be paying towards a mortgage rather than throwing away rent each month. Now I have something to show for myself! Although seeing payments until 2039 was a little weird.


My mom told me she's so proud of me (and my older sister) for accomplishing so much and being responsible adults. We're both happily married with great husbands, jobs, dogs, and homes... but I guess it just feels natural. I'm so lucky to have conventional, happily married parents who set a great example for me (and my sister and my in-laws are both also happily married). They have always been great influences in all aspects of life - health, education, spirituality, and loving relationships.


So anyway, this weekend will be a 6 mile run, painting the two bathrooms, and FILING FOR MY 8K TAX CREDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cookbook Giveaway

Most of you know I wrote a cookbook. Well I'm feeling generous, and I'm giving away a copy... head on over to A Year in the Kitchen ( http://www.ashleescooking.blogspot.com/ ) for details!

More progress!

Last night after work I decided to go for a 3-ish mile run. I ran through my neighborhood and in the one that backs up to ours. It was nice out, cool but still sunny. Tonight I'm thinking I'll either do Shred 2&3 or No More Trouble Zones. I like doing Shred 2 and 3 because I'll do one before dinner and then one around 9 or so, and it breaks it up... but then it's nice doing it all right away. We'll see how I feel (and when JJ gets home).


I cooked my first meal last night in the new kitchen! I didn't blog it though, and I'll need to make it again and blog it because it was experimental, but delicious! Turkey-Pumpkin Meatloaf topped with Cranberry Sauce, Butternut Squash Mash, and Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts. YUM! It was the ultimate fall dinner.


We officially close on Thursday morning at 9am - yay! After we close, we're going to take some pictures with the sold sign to use for Housewarming photo invites, and maybe go out to brunch before we both go to work.


I know, I know, you're looking for house photos. I just can't put them up yet! I don't want you to see my crap all over....
What I can do it show you what we've put in it, and what colors it will be until it's totally furnished :)


Our living room looks hilarious right now. We bought an end table, coffee table, console table and media stand, but have no couches... so it's just tables positioned in the places they'll be with sofas. We did the 4 tables Tahoe from World Market. Not only are all tables 30% off right now, but I had a 25% off friends and family coupon for last weekend, so we got the 4 tables for around $600 (normally $1100). Yay! Here's the media console. We're going to get a flat screen and mount it eventually, we're just waiting to buy the TV on Black Friday.

My kitchen doesn't have as much cabinet space as I'd like for it to have, so I ordered this bookshelf room divider from target, but I have it on it's side under the buffet. It looks really good, and it will hold some of my cool looking cook/bake ware and kitchen stuff (I put my big orange dutch oven in it last night and it looked great!)

That's all I've got for house stuff right now.

I feel like a traitor. On Sunday, JJ picked up some Chobani for me at Sam's club. When I get a multi-pack there, Chobani cups are around $1 each. When I buy my beloved honey Oikos at Publix, it's $1.79 per cup, almost twice the price! I was told by a Stonyfield Farms rep that they're coming out with a multi-pack as well, but I don't know what the price difference will be. Today I had a strawberry Chobani and it was good, but I gosh, I do love my honey Oikos! I think I'll only buy Oikos when I have coupons, and stick with Chobani when I'm out of my Oikos.

...cause you all need to know what brand of yogurt I eat, right??

Weekend Recap!

The weekend was very productive in all aspects of life.


The weather cooled down beautifully over the weekend, it was about 70 high/50 low, so on Saturday morning, I was a bit chilly when I set out on my run. I ran a 4.5 ish mile course around the neighborhoods. I did 50 minutes with a 5 minute walk cool down. It was a great run! That was the extent of fitness over the weekend because I worked so much around the house...
Food was good, not great. Since I did so much physical work over the weekend, I ate a bit more than normal, but I think I was still under in calories.


On Friday night, I went to Oktoberfest in St. Augustine, which was fun. I tried about 10 beers, had half a brat and some potato and sauerkraut fritters. They were amazing, and I'm going to have to recreate them oven-baked.


Saturday was so productuve, after my run I painted the guest bedroom and office all by myself! I've never painted rooms before, I'm usually in charge of taping and taking on/off switch plates. However, JJ was working all day and I wanted to get some work done, so I did it myself. The office is a dark red/burgundy color and the guest room is chocolate brown. They look great! I'll eventually get some photos up when the house is more put-together. Right now it's a mess and I don't want to embarass myself with messy house photos :)


On Saturday afternoon when I let the dogs out, Charlotte charged right through the fence and ran straight into the pond. So on Sunday, JJ and his dad put new slats in the fence. It looks really good! We're thinking about painting the fence white eventually (so I can have my dream white picket fence), but that might not happen very soon because paiting a fence is a lot of work. We'll see how everything goes, we have so much to do!


So let's see, how about some photos?
-First we have the twins snuggled up in my duffel bag. They climbed in while I was unpacking.
-Then we have them snuggled up. They always have to be spooning when they sleep, they're so funny.
-Then lastly, we have Pumpkin. She's so happy now to be in her backyard. She was trying to chase a lizard up the magnolia tree. You can also see the fence and the lake, which Charlotte took a swim in. That was before we added the new slats!

48 hours is all it takes...

You all know how we adopted the dogs 2 weeks ago and set our closing date for 10/23 on the house. Things were good, I was going to start packing this weekend, we were going to look at furniture, it was exciting.


On Monday when I got home from work, I realized our apartment had flooded. The upstairs washer was not hooked up properly, and a whole wash cycle of water went through the floor/celing and into our apartment. Our carpet was drenched, the kitchen and bathrooms floors were flooded, and some of our posessions were ruined (but nothing of too much value).
So we contacted the sellers of our house because we knew they moved out last weekend. They are wonderful and told us we could move in early. We love them.


So on Tuesday night after work I packed up as much as I could. Yesterday morning, JJ, his parents, and their friend started moving it all over, I worked a half day, got home, packed the rest, and we were completely moved into the new house by 4pm. All of our stuff is packed so randomly and it looks like a tornado went through, but we're there!


I can't possibly put into words how great it felt to sit on the back porch with JJ while the dogs played in the back yard!
I also can't wait to go for a long run Saturday morning. It's supposed to be in the low 70's, and I have a new route!
We don't have cable and internet yet, so I might not update for a few more days, but I'll get photos up asap.
Thanks to everyone for your well wishes, and for reading about what a whirlwind it's been for us :) Your encouragement has meant a lot (and kept me semi-sane).

Have you hugged an Athletic Trainer today??

As I was reading over JJ's student loan repayment schedule last night and factoring it into our monthly budget, I started laughing. He asked me why I was laughing, and I explained to him that here we are, tens of thousands of dollars in debt for his masters education, and so many people don't even know what it is that he does.

So often when I say he's an athletic trainer, people assume he's a personal trainer with athletes. This would be more of a strength coach. Then I'll tell them he's in Sports Medicine, and they understand a bit better. While Sports Medicine isn't their technical title, I think it describes what they do a bit better. But please, don't ever call them 'a trainer'.

So what exactly does JJ do? First, he's got his teams. This year he has men's soccer in the fall and baseball in the spring. He has to be at every practice, conditioning, lifting, games (home and away), and he's generally in the training room 1-2 hours before and after every single one of the events listed to administer treatment, tape athletes, medicate (occasionally), and get the water and/or gatorade made and brought to the field. Sometimes he has underclassman to help him with the tasks, but not at his current position. He also has provides, coverage for the other AT's when they're travelling, and random things, like physicals and drug testing (yes, he gets to drive pee in cups to clinics!). He occasionally gets a 2am text or phone call with someone in the hospital (broken noses, appendix's bursting, you name it!)

JJ is also responsible for office hours, which include keeping athlete's medical records and insurance straight, as well as logging every bit of activity an athlete has in the training room. Sometimes he's gone for weeks at a time, and he generally puts in 50-60 hour weeks, not including travelling.

Many hard working, dedicated Athletic trainers are so very underpaid. JJ has his masters and he has a great job, yet he makes a bit less than I do in a bookkeeping job. Their salaries tend to be at th every bottom of athletic professional's salaries though they put in as much or more work. Many AT's work in clinics, and are sent out to high schools or work in facility similar to physical therapists. Physical Therapists and AT's recently settled a lawsuit over whether Athletic Trainers should be able to collect Medicare (I think, visit nata.org for more information).

If you're an athlete, or a former athlete, you probably know and respect Athletic Trainers, especially the truly dedicated, hard-working, invested ones. JJ loves his athletes, he loves the work he does (except for the office work), and he loves to learn about new techniques.

It's great having an Athletic Trainer as a husband, but then it's pretty crappy! Sometimes I'll get to go to cool events and see him do fun things (IU Big 10 Championship, Carolina Panthers Internship, etc.). Whenever I'm injured - which isn't often, knock on wood! - he knows exactly how to treat me and get me back to normal. However, like I said, his hours are long, always changing, weekends are usually busy with games and practice, and he travels. I don't know that the good balances out the bad (because I barely see him during season), but he loves his job, and that's what matters.

So what's the point in this post? I don't really have a point... I just have a request - appreciate your Athletic Trainers! If you're involved with boosters or you're on a board or committee that determines anything regarding the Athletic Trainer's salaries, their facilities and supplies, please know that they do what they do because they love it, and you should appreciate them!

-1 Point for Florida

Yesterday morning (Saturday) I got up around 7am, and Pumpkin and I started out on our run. I have started taking her around the block (1 mile), then dropping her off at home and doing another few miles alone. Partly because I get such better runs without having her stop and pee on everything, but also because she's a quitter after 2-3 miles and I'm trying to work on distance.


So we did the first mile quickly at a good pace, dropped her off and set out to do another 2-3. O.M.G. It was SO hot. And SO humid. It got up to 93 yesterday. Really?! 93?!
I want it to be fall! Needless to say, I had to take 4 or 5 20-second walk breaks. I think I did about 35 minutes, but that included walking and dropping off Pumpkin. During this run, I also found a fly infested dead snake, and an armadillow skeleton right next to the sidewalk.
I miss my baby deer and squirrels on the trail in Indiana!!! Negative 1 point for Florida.
So, I'd file that one in the 'craptastic runs' category. I told my dad about it last night, and he said he might have to up my odds in the T-day race.
That's not happening.
PS - Good luck to my dad and sister who are running the Cleveland Towpath Half Marathon right now!!!


Now this morning, I decided to try again. I knew what I was in for, so I tried to get in a good mindset. I knew where to avoid the dead animals, I knew it would be hot and humid, I was ready to go.
Well I put in a good, solid 48 minutes of running, probably a little over 4 miles. Only 1 walk break because I got an awful side cramp. I used the techniques Athletic Trainer JJ told me, and stretched a little and breathed in really deep, then pushed it out as hard as I could. It worked! I felt great the rest of the run.
I was a little cooler, overcast, but still humid today... so this one is definitely a success!


Now on to the fun things!
Here are some photos of my family at the OSU/IU game last weekend. So sad I missed it, but they did take a photo of them calling me to ask directions to the stadium once they were on 3rd St!
PS - I miss hoodies.


And onto a serious matter.
Only 3 weeks until Halloween. JJ and I have an annual pumpkin carve-off. He won the first year with his IU, but there were mixed feelings on the second year.
He said I shouldn't use paint on a pumpkin (I painted on the black bats), but I think he had an unfair advantage because he printed off a template AND used his cavader kit for accuracy.

Sooooo any ideas of what I should carve this year? I need to win in a big way. It will also be the first year of pumpkins at the new house, so I want to impress the neighbors! haha

Puppy Update:

My mom said some people have looked at photos on the blog and it looks like the twins are Pumpkin's size.

The girls, Charlotte Brie and Belle Scarlet are 10 lbs., Pumpkin is 21. So they are half her size, see below (it wasn't possible to get a photo of them all looking.... believe me, I tried!)

And now for the CUTEST PHOTO EVER IN THE WORLD - Belle hugging Charlotte and spooning.

And if you LOVE their cupcake collars, check out www.codyscreations.etsy.com

Kerrie handmakes the collars and leashes, I got a cupcake collar for Pumpkin in May for her birthday and love it, so I went back to her for the twins collars and leashes. Now all my girls decked out in cupcakes!

Well I'm off to church, the farmer's market, and then HOPEFULLY I can improve my fantasy football record to 1-4, I'm at 0-4 now and I blame it ALL on ROMO!

Then Leah and Jay are coming over for Jay's birthday dinner :)

Always good for a laugh...

If you're a long time Ash is Fit reader, you've heard me talk about my Marathon running dad, Half Marathon running older sister, Triathlon participant younger sister, and former Phys Ed Teacher and Volleyball/Gymnastics coach Mom.
Let's just say my parents are slightly competive.
It kind of rubbed off onto us girls. And my sister and I married somewhat competitive guys.
So this year's 100th running of the Cincinnati Thanksgiving 10k is going to be a big one.

Here are my results from last year, this year I'm shooting for <65

Every year my dad likes to pretend it's a horse race, and he emails out odds for the race.
He usually does one in the beginning of October, and another a week or two before the race.
This morning when I checked my email, sure enough, there it was.
So it's kind of long, but pretty amusing.
And my dad will be oh so happy to see his writing published on my blog.
**Note: Last year we had a problem with cheating. JJ had a bad ankle, so JJ, Dan and my mom took a bathroom break at a hotel, then turned around and walked back, completing maybe 2-3 miles. They finished about 10 minutes after me. I was bummed that they walked and were so close to me. We later found out they were liars.
We also decided to have a battle of the sexes, so the matchup at the bottom clearly shows my sisters, mom and I coming out on top!

CALLING ALL PONIES!!!

There is a chill in the Cincinnati air...so it must be time to announce the opening line for the Thanksgiving Day Race. This year, for the 100th running, we will have two separate competitions; the individual running and walking division and the men vs. women team division. Some training reports have made there way to headquarters and our spies are combing the country investigating the training (or lack thereof) of other competitors.

So here is the opening line:
Individual Running Division
1:50 Henry/Dad (Gray Stallion) - the Stallion remains the favorite, as in every other year. He is undefeated and determined to remain that way. However, other ponies have been training and sqawking that they will steal the crown this year. His odds have come down dramatically from last year's laughable 1:1000. The target is on his back...and he will keep the target in view of all competitors for the entire race. If you are looking to make big money, it won't happen with the odds still set high on the Stallion.

10:1 (Green) Kristine/Older Sister - this pony is training and schmacking. She promises to beat the Stallion in the Thanksgiving Preliminary (a.k.a., Towpath Half Marathon) this Sunday. If lightning strikes and she does, watch out, all hell will break out on Thanksgiving morning. This pony is looking good and has cut weight since last year's running, but apparently none in her tongue!

15:1 Rebecca/younger sister (The Maryland Turtle) (err, turtle isn't a good nickname for a race horse or one with such international experience, so we'll give her a second name - Swiss Cheese) - this pony missed last year's running as she was training (or drinking) out of the country. She is well travelled and has picked up international training. She has completed a triathalon (drinking beer, wine and moonshine in one event) which bodes well for her, but she has a knee issue which could be to her disadvantage.

16:1 Chim (Go Navy)/Uncle Jim - this horse has great determination. He has given up all of the fun in his life training for this event; smoking, drinking and eating. He has cut massive weight, training for this event and has even schmacked The Stallion. We'll see! He trains on the flat fields of Virginia Beach, so the mountains of Cincinnati may work against him. He is somwhat of an unknown but the spies are checking him more closely for a better review in our next posting.

25:1 Ashlee (I'm Fit and I have Groupies) Wetherington - this horse has made strides that none of us could ever have anticipated. She has set PR's throughout the past year and is now training in the warm environs of Jacksonville. With three dogs to chase, her fitness could improve further. A possible dark horse!

26:1 Donna/Aunt (The Gecko) - another new entry from the fields of Virginia Beach. This horse has fully recovered from a neck injury that held her out of last year's competition. She claims to run five miles, twice each day. However, she has never run outdoors or reached the six point two mile distance of this race, so her endurance could be a question mark. Like Go Navy, she too has lost weight and is looking fit for this race.

50:1 JJ/Husband (Lazy Chief) - this pony has great genes and a stellar past. However, he has taken to the couch (and cursing the Noles) in recent years. While he works as a trainer, he has not applied his skills to himself. Leg injuries make him a question mark. This pony has major potential but must first extricate himself from the couch.

Individual Walking Division
1:1 - Cindy/Mom (Oxygenated) - this pony is very nicked up but has great desire. We have all heard of altitude training; well, this pony has invented depth training. Her lastest training ploy is a bit unorthodox; she has given up the distance in exchange for training in the oxygen chamber. Only time will tell; will fresh legs prevail? If this training proves successful we are sure to see Lazy Chief and BK follow for next year's event.

1.5:1 - Dan/Brother-in-law (D Lion) - another pony with great genes. This pony is working through knee and ankle issues. Can his gimpy gate hold out for six point two seems to be the major question with this pony. We know that at 10,000 calories per day, he will have plenty of fuel to burn for this event. This pony may be a year away from making a more significant impact.

2:1 Ken/Family friend, cookbook cover photo kitchen owner (BK Couch Potato) - this pony has been saying he would start training for a whole year. He even stopped working to have time to train. Thus far, no results. His only training has been walking behind a lawn mower at church once a week; not nearly enough distance to endure six point two. Will this pony be able to get off the couch seems to be the big question.

Team Division
Match Up: Favorite

Gray Stallion vs. Green - Guys team
Go Navy vs. Swiss Miss, Turtle - Girls team
Lazy Chief vs. I'm Fit - Girls team (amazing to say it!)
D Lion vs. Gecko - Girls team
BK Couch Potato vs. Oxygenated - Girls team

Final result: Girls 4 to Guys 1

I love being on vacation so I can do such important things!
-The Stallion


Wait a second, "amazing to say it" ?!!? I'm going to kick JJ's butt.

More Belle and Charlotte...

To appease my friends and family who have been asking for more photos of the puppies, here you go! I even included a video of them playing. They're so funny... and Pumpkin hides under the futon, occasionally barking at them.

Here's another one of the three girls

I found this one in the digital camera, JJ must have taken it last night when I was at book club. You can see his toes and Pumpkin's paws...

Belle!

Charlotte!

Twins!

As you all know, I love love love Pumpkin, and all dogs in fact!
When JJ and I got married and started talking about the future, we both decided kids would be a long way away if ever. Dogs, however, were what we had to negotiate about. I've always wanted lots and lots of dogs. I love them so much. He had to be on board.
Lucky me, he said he could agree to 3-4, but only if we had a house with a nice yard for them. I adopted Pumpkin from the Humane Society in Hickory my senior year of college. JJ told me that one was ok, but no more until we got a house. I agreed. He wanted to get labs, 40-50 lb. dogs, 'guy dogs.' Pumpkin was ok because she looked like a fox, but no girly-dogs.

Well, we're 3 weeks away from closing on our house (!!!!), so I started looking on petfinder.com
I have ALWAYS wanted a dachshund because of the book Pretzel that I loved as a child. It was about a dog that was so long he wound himself into a pretzel. No one liked him because he was so long, but when his secret crush fell into the sewer, Pretzel was long enough to pull her out. He saved the day! Well our family got a beagle mix when I was 12 and we named her Pretzel even though she wasn't a dachshund.


Anyway... I found 10 month old miniature dachshund girls on petfinder. A breeder was overcrowded and couldn't sell them because they weren't puppies, so he dumped them at the pound. The rescue picked them up and a woman had been fostering them for a month. They wanted to adopt the girls out together since they're so close and hate being separated. We had talked about getting twins because from volunteering at the shelter, I knew that it was hard to adopt out pairs. So I visited the dogs at an adoption day at Petco on Saturday. On Sunday, they called to see if they could bring the girls over to meet Pumpkin.


Pumpkin did pretty well with them. She wants to play with them, but she's not sure yet.
So after the home visit went well, the adoption lady just said ok, they're yours!


What a whirlwind weekend!


So, I'm so happy to announce our new little girls, Belle and Charlotte! Belle has a little black on her back and a white spot on her chest (which is how we tell them apart, Belle in Beauty and the Beast has a white apron, so the white spot is for Belle). She's the lover, she lays in my cubby and wants the most attention. She's the follower, more timid than Charlotte.
Charlotte is the leader, she's always in front. She's more playful, the instigator of the wrestling matches. She'll go over to Pumpkin and try to get her to play, too.
They had a great first night, they sleep together in a cage. Pumpkin was in our bed with us, and they were in the family room and cried, so we put their cage in the room with us and they slept great all night. Love them!
As much as I love my Pumpkin Spice, she was a bit of a terror when we got her at 16 months, and these girls are so much easier at 10 months.


So anyway, now between the job and a half, new house, 3 dogs and 3 blogs, I've added HALF MARATHON TRAINING! Woohoo!
I promise I'll still be blogging on here, but I think this blog might evolve into more of a blog about balancing those things listed above. I want my friends and family to be able to see the house, dogs, etc. so Ash is Fit might be more about being well-rounded than just physically fit.
I'll still try to keep fitness in the forefront, but I don't want to create a 4th blog for house/dogs/life. I'm lazy... haha.


So JJ, if you read this, I promise, in a few years, dog #4 can be whatever you choose!

Disappointment.

For the past few years, I've looked to Jillian Michaels for advice, inspiration, fitness tips, and overall health infomation. I have also been a big supporter of The Biggest Loser since the very first season. I was there, I know how they feel, I know what they're going through.


This all changed over the past week.


First we'll start with The Biggest Loser (contains spoiler from Tuesday's episode!):
This season is about second chances. I was totally on board. Knowing Bob and Jillian would train together seemed cool! Seeing Bob with fitness and Jill with nutrition was great. I've always hated the product placement, but whatever, they need sponsors. I know it's a TV show, and the line between reality and reality tv is so blurred. I used to think it was all real, raw emotion. Now, I think so much of it is written. Story lines are set in motion, and I just don't believe so much of what happens.
First, I read a blog by Kai, a contestant from the 2007 season with the 50 states contenders. She was from Alaska, short hair, kids at home, remember her? Well according to Kai (who was under a gag order from BL for 2 years), things on the ranch aren't what they seem. She said often at weigh-ins, people are dehydrated and aren't properly fueling. This doesn't surprise me.
Have you noticed the progression of contestants over the years? They just keep getting bigger and bigger. While I totally support helping 300+ lb. people, there are many people who are 100 lbs. overweight at 250, and that's serious! It's almost like someone at 250 isn't big enough for BL, they need results, they need huge numbers, they need shock value. Yes, it's a reality TV show, but this is more real because it's impacting people's health - unless you count the # of STD's people probably get on others.
Anyway... I just find it hard to believe and it makes me sad now. I almost feel like contestants are exploited. I don't really think purple girl wanted to take the temptation and eat the cupcakes and the 2 lb. pass for no trainers, but they need drama, right? They need Bob and Jillian to yell at her and be tough.
It is a TV show though, with prize money, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I don't know if I'll be watching anymore... the 2 hours (even with DVR) are taxing. If I want to watch a game show, I'll watch Jeopardy so I can actually learn something :)


Now onto Jillian:
I have been listening to her radio show for close to a year. I feel like she's raw and truthful on there. She hates artifical sweeteners, cleanses, and 'fake crap'. I think CRAP is her favorite word for anything one eat's that isn't 100% clean and organic.
At first when I saw her advertising things on BL like sugar free gum, SF jello, and other artifical 'crap', I dismissed it because I'm sure she has to because of her contract with BL.
Last week, my sister sent me a link to new Jillian products she found: http://www.jillianweightloss.com/products.html
It's full of words like 'rapid weight-loss' and 'cleanse and detox'
Is this the same Jillian who spews out hate for products like that on her radio show???
Truly, I'm disappointed. Why would she put her face on that? All for money? Whatever, call it 'natural' and say it's safe, but you have people call in and you repeat 'cut calories, increase exercise. you don't need supplements and quick fixes.'


What do you think? Is she a sell-out? Is Biggest Loser losing it's novelty on you too? Am I just jaded?

Running Buddy

Can tomorrow really be October 1?? You know what that means? Time to crack down and get my mileage up for the T-day 10k!
What better way to start than go for a nice 3 mile run after work in the 70ish degree weather!


I didn't plan on going for a run, but when Devon (who is training for a half marathon) asked me to run with her, I couldn't say no. Between the beautiful weather and my need to get things going for the 10k, it was meant to be! Here's a little pre-run photo. It was really blurry and orange, I tried to edit it but I'm not so good at that. Oh well!

Devon has a Garmin, which was so fun! She could tell me how far we'd gone, our pace, and her heart rate (but she didn't wear the monitor for the run). I have a feeling I'll be getting one of them in the near future! I was never the running accessory type before (just an ipod) but now that i'll be doing more neighborhood and road running (instead of trails with mile markers), I think it would really benefit me.

In other health and fitness news... things have been going well. Diet has been ok. It's so strange to me how some days when I get home from work I'm starving, but then some days I will work out first and then eat around 7:30. I have the same breakfast and lunch, so it doesn't exactly make sense.

My sister floated the idea by me of running a half marathon here in Jacksonville in February. I'm still contemplating it... I like running, and I had thought about attempting a half, but not until 2011. I was intending to do the 15k this March and then decide if I'm 1/2 marathon material. But the more I think about it, the more I want to do it. I guess if Kristine commits to it (and Devon already said she's in!) then I'll do it. I found a local training group, so I think I can do it. I definitely feel like half marathon training would really help me get the last 20 lbs. off, so that's a huge bonus! Hmm.... opinions? encouragement?

This is a test...

If you're reading this, you re-subscribed correctly to my fit blog!
Good job :)


That's all for now (I'm at work, can't blog!)

Another week in...

So it's been a week since I posted last. Things change so quickly in a week!


Where to start... how about health and fitness?
Well 2 weeks ago I posted that I had a really bad off week, and I was having trouble finding motivation to get myself together. Well, somehow I dug deep inside myself and said get over yourself, and go for a run. For me, the no-nonsense, cut the crap approach has proven to be the way to go. It may not work for everyone, but the hardass technique works for me!
I'm 100% sure that having a job and a schedule has helped, but at the same time, it's complicated things. I haven't had food sitting in front of me all day, but I have been really busy and workouts have been cut short or dropped. I'm trying to stay with a 5x per week for close to an hour each day. I'm keeping my calories in the 1600-1800 range. It's going well.


As I said 2 weeks ago, I can tell when I'm gaining weight because it goes right to my stomach. Well my stomach has gone back down and nothing was added to my hips like it does if I don't work it all off quickly. I'm proud of myself for that!
We've been eating out a bit more because we're running from place to place after work and I just don't have time, so that's new. I have been going online during the day and looking up nutritional information though, so I know I'm making smart choices.


So now onto the big news - our offer was accepted on the house! Our inspection was today, and there were no problems. Sooooooo we're closing on October 23! JJ and I are both so excited. My job is going great, as is his. Everything just seems to be moving right along. How can it already be mid-September? I have to start upping my mileage October 1 for the 10k...and it's still 87-89 degrees at 4pm!


Well with all of those good things, one bad thing must be noted. JJ got me sick :( He's around athletes and students all day long in the nasty training room and on the field, so of course he picked up some sort of cold/flu bug and gave it to me! Last night I did the first 5 circuits of No More Trouble Zones, and I was literally shaking. I pushed it too much, so I'm taking tonight off, hoping to finally rid myself of this nasty bug!


Hope you're all enjoying your fall weather, I'm jealous :)

Exhausted.

How did I so quickly forget how exhausting it is to work full time, keep the house clean and in order, take care of the dog, cook dinner, pack/prep lunches, etc.?!
Things are a little different, and I'm sure they'll calm down eventually, but I've never had a 40 minute commute before, so that's a big change. Also, I've never bought a house, so this is new as well. As I adjust to my new job, the stress will subside, but I still have my commute and we're putting an offer on the house Thursday (meeting with the realtor tomorrow to sign paperwork). So the house stress will still be here, but hopefully the process will go smoothly.
I've always been good about getting to bed around 10:30-11 to get in my 8 hours, but last night we were watching the FSU/Miama game until after midnight, so that also took something out of me today. Sleep is so important. I love sleep.
I know already that keeping up with workouts is going to be tough after a long day at work, but I need to do it as soon as I get home so I can then relax for the night.


How do you hold yourself accountable to working out after a long day at work? Do you do it right away, or wait until after dinner?


I think I'd have more energy at night after dinner, but I'm more likely to just do it as soon as I get home. Hmmm

Clearing my mind...

On Friday night, I was exhausted after a long day of looking at houses. Since JJ was out of town, I had to go alone. It was fun, but I was sad he wasn't there with me. I didn't want to cook for just myself, and my head was still spinning, so I grabbed some Chinese take-out. When I cracked open my fortune cookie, this is what I found:

It says, "You lose nothing by asking, and there is a chance to gain something lasting."
It was the most perfect fortune for me.
Two years ago, I was not the person I am today. I was not self confident at all, I was ashamed of myself, my appearance, and what people thought of me. I know there are people who are confident in who they are while they're overweight, but I wasn't. I couldn't find real, true happiness because I didn't believe I was worth it.


Since losing 80 lbs., I have felt so powerful and self confident. I had many of the same abilities as I did then, but I didn't value them like I do now. I also have added many abilities, like running and other various sports and feeling more comfortable in social situations.


As I said in an earlier post, I approached all of the newspapers and magazines in Jacksonville to see if we could begin a relationship over food and blogging. Folio Weekly responded to my letter, and now I have this amazing opportunity that I'm working so hard on to make into something really special. I know that Ash from 2 years ago never would have done that. I didn't even start telling people about my food blog until a few months in, and now my face is going to be in the paper each week with a piece about what I'm writing and what I think is great food.


As exciting as it all is, I'm starting to get a little nervous. I start my new job tomorrow. It's always scary going into a new job even though I think this is a perfect fit for me. I don't want to disappoint, but I need to be confident in my abilities!
Also, JJ is going over to see THE house tonight. I took his parents and my cousin and her husband on Saturday, and they all loved it as well. JJ's mom said "it's perfect" when JJ asked what she thought, and Jay said it's really homey...so hopefully we'll be putting in an offer. At the same time though, buying a house is a huge thing, and it's a little scary too!


I'm trying not to worry, get too excited or scared, but geez, it's a lot to take in. I'm glad I can get it all out here. And I'm glad that it was ONLY 74 DEGREES ON MY RUN THIS MORNING!!! I was still hot and sweaty, and Pumpkin quit on me 2 times, but seriously, 74 with a light breeze is like heaven compared to last week's 80 with 90% humidity. I try to clear my mind while running, but I get distracted running along roads. I miss my trail so much :( Hopefully I'll find something soon that's more trail like where I'm not so worried about traffic.


Well I hope you all have a great Labor Day. I'll try to get a post in if the house status changes and to let you know how my first day went, but I know it's going to be hectic. After work I'm going to profile a honey tasting at a local organic grocery store for the bite club blog! Super excited about that!

Running is Exhausting... just ask Pumpkin!

This morning Pumpkin and I set out for our run around 8am. It was pretty warm, about 80-ish, but not terrible. I decided to take a longer route this morning, a full 3 miles.

We did pretty well for the first mile and a half, but then Pumpkin did the mule, you know, where she stops, put her front paws down and will.not.move.

She's a stubborn little fox! I couldn't get her to budge, so I picked her up and tried to run with her, but that wasn't happening, so we took a minute walk break. Then I set her down, and we repeated the process in 3 minute intervals of running for 3 minutes while I kept telling her 'we're going home!', 'we'll get a treat at home!', and 'we'll go in the car!'

It kept her going, but not for longer than 3 minutes... so we did about 3 miles, but in 36 minutes. We were both pooped at the end, but we made it.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to try to do the same route, but get out a bit earlier so we can beat the sun.

In other news, I think I found THE HOUSE. JJ's in SC until Sunday night, so he'll go see it Tuesday. This afternoon, my cousin and mother-in-law are going over to see it with me. It's so wonderful, cross your fingers for me :)

Pandora's box has opened - WIDE!

Up until 3 days ago, this was me. Lounging by the pool, reading, and hanging out. Of course I was also unpacking, cleaning, cooking, exercising and blogging, but for the most part, had plenty of time on my hands.


How quickly things can change.

On Tuesday, I got a job.

On Wednesday, I completed a home mortgage pre-approval application.

Thursday (today), I nailed down my future plans with Folio Weekly.

Tomorrow, I'm going to look at houses with a realtor.

Tuesday I begin my job.

Next week, I launch the Bite Club Blog

By the beginning of October, we need to put an offer on a house and have it accepted to get approved in time for the 8k tax credit which ends November 30.

In December, the Bite Club events begin.

Seriously, all you need is a week for your life to go from tanning at the pool to full time job, part time job, 3 blogs, and house search. Just.like.that.
And to be totally honest, I am SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I mean, I'm totally freaked out, but I thrive on schedules, lists, plans and organization.


The only small, little bit of this that worries me is now that I'm so busy and a restaurant profile blogger, I'll be eating out more and I'll have less free time to exercise. However, I'm going to write it in my schedule and exercise so matter what.


So the Bite Club.... I don't want to get into the details of it too much on here now, but I will definitely post and link on this and my cooking blog when it's up and ready.
Basically, 6-8 times a month I'll be doing Restaurant Profiles (not reviews), as well as food and wine events, beer and wine tastings and brewery tours, and then in December, the Bite Club, a once a month foodie dining club will begin. I'm going to be the face of the club, the culinary brains if you will. I'm so excited for it! I envision myself as a Padma... always looking hot and put together, slim and sexy, but still eating. How will I do this? Small bites and portions, lots of exercise, and healthy choices! Of course I won't always get to choose what I eat, but I can control how much I eat and drink. This will be a true test of will, but I know I can do it! And now that I'm going to be the face of the club and I'll be a public figure, I especially want to lose a little more weight, get my running amped back up (to really, REALLY burn calories) and really practice portion control.


I am so excited, a little scared, but I feel like I've worked so hard so I'm going to enojy this. All of it! I'm so excited about the new accounting job... and a house is just so wonderful..... and the blogging and Bite Club are really just fun hobbies and passions turned into amazing semi-careers!


Ok, I'm just going to say it once... and don't tell anyone... I'm really happy we moved to Jacksonville :)

GOT IT!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!! JJ and I officially both have grown up jobs and we're both making salary. HOLY CRAP!!! I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JJ's got night practice all week, and travelling ALL weekend, so we can't formally celebrate until next weekend, so we broke into his giant Yuengling tonight when he got home.
Florida gets 1 point for having Yuengling. Something we couldn't get in Indiana!

So let's see... the job! The company is a plywood and cabinet company. I'll be doing all of the accounting, bookkeeping type stuff, plus some HR work. I'll get my own office!!! with an attached bathroom!!! I've been talking to the owner's wife because she's in HR and recruiting, and she's so nice, and the owner, her husband, is great. Best part - their son works for them, and he has a chocolate lab named Lily, who I met today, and who is also a regular at the office! YAY!

I am SO happy to have this job for so many reasons. Not only so we can BUY A HOUSE, but also because I absolutely need a schedule. I need to plan things. I need to work all day, come home and make dinner, work out, watch TV and relax. Then my weekends are long runs, food shopping and errands, church, and friend time. I'm so happy. So so so happy!

So I have 5 days of unemployment left. I'm going to meet with the food blogger magazine people this week, and maybe do a little new job clothes shopping, but mostly get moving on the house search!

Thank you all for your best wishes and positive thinking. It really means so much to me!

Next up for Ash - scoping out some 5k's for October to get me back in race mode. Then some longer races hopefully around Jan/Feb to get me ready for the 15k in March.

Can you believe it's already September?!?!?! I'm so happy, I NEED for the weather to cool down...

180 - and what would you like to see?

Yesterday was a great day, a 180 from the Ash last week. I didn't get up and go on a run, which is bad, but I did do Banish Fat/Boost Metabolism, which is a 45 minute cardio beat down, so I don't feel too bad. My eating was great, and even though I was at a social gathering with tons of great food, I didn't over-do it.


On the job front, I went and took a series of skills tests for a potential employer, and they said my scores were off the charts! The tests weren't very hard, but they were timed, 5 minutes for 30 questions, so you had to book it. I still feel proud of myself for that because for the past month, I haven't had to think... haha.


The tests were for the accounting professional, so the first was vocabulary, the second was coding, next was following directions and last was math. I got 2 100%'s and the woman said she can count on one had the number of people who have finished the math test in 10 years, so I guess being an accountant matches my skills (but I didn't get a 100% on that) or vocab, I left 3 blank.


Today I have what I hope is a final interview with them at 3pm, so send me good luck thoughts! I really think the job will be a good fit for me!


Yesterday I had a long talk with my older sister, who is definitely one of my best friends. We're very much alike in our thinking and priorities in life. She was in Cincinnati for a wedding and stayed with my parents, and my grandparents are also there. She told me that they all were talking about how they all think I've adjusted so well to moving here because it was a huge step for JJ and me. I mean, I had my sob fests, but I think after a week I kind of got over it. I don't know if that's the norm or if maybe I am taking it like a trooper, but I just feel like I'm doing what I have to do. Did I want to move here, of course not! But I did. And why make myself upset and stay in a negative mindset (like I did the whole first year of Bloomington). Instead, I've tried to fill my calendar and social life with hanging out with JJ's family his friends, making new friends myself, joining in activities and going to JJ's. I also found a church and have been going there regularly, and have been working on ways to get myself invested in the city (the magazine possibility).... so maybe I am doing a good job at adjusting myself to living here, but is there really any other way?


I am hoping to start blogging more. It FOR SURE helps me stay on track. Do you guys want my blog to be updated more? Would it be good to blog my 3 daily meals? Take more photos of my day? Do more posts on food and fitness? More exercise reviews? Healthy product reviews? Nutritional info on meals? I'm kind of just wondering what everyone wants to see on here. I'd love to do it all, but I don't know if that makes things less interesting?