Monthly Archives: January 2012

Hiked the lovely Mormon Trail after work today

I was ready to go after work today! So I headed over to the Mormon Trail on South Mountain for a quick out and back workout. Last time I did this trail, it was like 110* at 2pm in July, and I went anyway. Maybe that’s why it seemed so much harder the last time I went….I don’t know. It definitely felt more on the intermediate level today. I felt like I needed to workout still when I got done. Nonetheless, I still had a great time. This is a beautiful trail, as you will see in the pics. I took it all the way up to the National Trail and back. Here is some of the Mormon Trail on my way up:
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Almost to the turnaround
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After I got to the National Trail, I turned around. It took me just under an hour round trip. I am definitely enjoying this weather! It was 75 and sunny out today and it was fabulous! I am still going strong in my PT, and hope to be out running again in the next couple of weeks! Leave me come love below, and tell me about your workout today or this past weekend!

Happy Trails!

Pugs and Hugs (and awesome hikes!) Make Good Drugs

I went on an awesome hike today right in our own backyard! South Mountain is a great place to hike. It is such a blessing to live so close to such an amazing natural resource. I have been taking it easy with my running after Monday’s experience. (I ran two miles and had to stop three times and walk. My knee was bothering me a lot, too.) So I decided to do a long hike today.
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Here I go!
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This is the beginning of Telegraph Pass
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This is where the trail branches off into two trails
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One direction is Desert Classic Trail, which is great for mountain biking and trail running. It is relatively flat in comparison to many other trails in the area, so it is boring to hike; at least to me.
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The other side of the fork is Telegraph Pass, which is one of my favorite trails. It is a quick workout, with a lot of elevation gain in just over a mile of trail. Telegraph intersects with the National Trail at the top, which goes all the way across South Mountain, from one end to the other. The National Trail is about 15.5 miles long. I really want to do the National Trail Trek this weekend, which is a huge group that hikes from one side of the National Trail to the other; but it filled up, and I didn’t realize it. If anyone knows anyone who registered, and now doesn’t want to go, please let me know. I still really want to go!
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The really nice man in the background of the previous picture was nice enough to offer to take a picture of me!
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The sun setting over South Mountain casting a huge shadow over the trail.
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View from the top of Telegraph Pass in the evening.
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Part of the National Trail
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Top of Telegraph Pass from top of South Mountain
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The stone ramada at the top of the trail
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Between the ridgelines
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Beautiful vegetation along the Pyramid Trail
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Pyramid Trail-How perfect is this for trail running? Too bad I had to seriously hold back because I really wanted to!
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Beautiful Ahwatukee from the top of the mountain
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Those were just several other good pics I got while hiking
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This is where I took a wrong turn and almost got lost in the wilderness this past summer. Always make sure you know where you are going. Especially in the summer! Even if you bring three liters of water, and a coconut water, (warm coconut water is realllly disgusting!) it may be SO hot that not even THAT is enough. Take it from someone who knows from experience!
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How much do you want to run these trails? Aren’t they just screaming “run me! run me! I’m flat and I’m a trail, you know you wanna run me!” I LOVE being injured and having to coddle my body.
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I just love this picture! It might actually be a framer!
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The beautiful AZ sunset behind South Mountain.
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Back in civilization
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Some lowfat organic chocolate milk for some refueling and recovery
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The best part is my shirt. You know you love it :-)

Happy Trails and Happy Friday everyone!

Ali’s Corner: Mommy and I took a walk on Sunday!

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Sunday was a slow, boring rest day for Mommy, so she took me on a walk! Then, I laid around all day because I was pooped!
Mommy says she is going to blog about her physical therapy and her next attempt at her first half marathon next…

Planning My First Half-Marathon Again

I am thinking about flying back to my hometown (New Albany, IN) to run the Kentucky Derby Festival Half-Marathon on April 28th.

Since it is now January 21st, I have about 12 weeks to train; which is WAY better than trying to cram my training into 8 weeks like I did last time. It would’ve worked if I hadn’t gotten injured, but I was putting a lot of pressure on myself, and it wasn’t fun. I want this to be fun! I think it would be SO cool to run my first half in my hometown. I need to make this decision soon, so I’ll definitely keep everyone posted. Are any of you from the Louisville area running either the full or the half in April? Let me know, I would love to meet up!

Fruit is the Answer

I have started buying more fruit since I became a Costco member. Fruit has become a staple in my daily healthy snacking. It is so good! So today after my nap, (I ran with a group of amazing women this morning at 7:30am after getting a crappy night’s sleep, so a nap was a must :-) ) I had a veggie souffle thing from Costco for lunch, and this beautiful plate of fruit for my snack:

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Pineapple and banana together is such a great combo! Clementines are awesome, too, because they’re easy to peel and eat; unlike oranges. I can’t stand the bitter stuff between the peel and the fruit. Is anyone else that picky? Ali thinks clementines are awesome, too:

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What’d you do for fun or exercise this weekend? What kind of healthy stuff have you been snacking on?

Happy Trails!

Happy Friday!

I did some fun shopping today. Cameron got me a gift card to Dicks for Christmas, so I got some really cute Under Armour capri’s:

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They are SO comfortable and cute. I love them! I also got my first running skirt by Skirt Sports today! Sole Sports in Tempe was having a 30% off sale for the rest of the stuff they had from the RNRAZ expo last weekend. Here I am in a medium (I actually ended up getting a small, because the girls said it looked better on me):

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I also got a really cute bright pink short sleeved technical tee from Skirt Sports 50% off! I love sales :-)

I ran (with a few too many walk breaks) about 3 miles today. The roads by our house almost all have some sort of incline. I really struggle with hills, so I didn’t exactly have a fantastic run today. It’s better than nothing, though! I made a fruit plate with some almond butter for after my run:

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SO good, and healthy, too. I also try to drink some sort of recovery drink after I workout-here is what I have been using:

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I would love to hear what kinds of recovery products you guys use after you run. Leave a comment below!

Then, I got to work cleaning the floors

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I also organized my dirty laundry today. Isn’t that exciting? It’s actually a really nice laundry organizer. I am separating work clothes, workout clothes, lounging around and sleeping clothes, and socks and underwear into each section. I figured it would make putting clothes away much easier. I’m really good at washing and drying the clothes, but I struggle with the whole folding them and putting them away part :-P .

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Ali is such a little ham :-)

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“Daddy’s outside, and I want my food!!!”

Have a great weekend and Happy Trails!!

Having Fun On My Mini-Vacation

So I took the rest of this week off work because I feel like I needed a break. I unfortunately had a funeral to go to Wednesday for a dear friend of my husband that died suddenly, and way too early, of cancer. I was not prepared for the emotions that surfaced in me at her memorial. When something like this happens, it really causes me to take a step back and think about what is most important in life. You never know when today is the last day you’ll be able to tell your loved ones you love them; so take advantage of it! She lived her life to the fullest. She always had a smile on her face, and a hug everytime I saw her. She was an amazing person, and will be greatly missed by everyone whose lives she touched. I dedicated my 6ish mile run/hike/run yesterday morning to her-Rest in peace Sheila :-) .

I follow RunEatRepeat‘s blog regularly, and she is doing a 30 Day Smart Snacking Challenge. I think it’s a great idea, because it is influencing me to be more aware of my mindless snacking. I am good at picking out healthy snacks when I try to. So, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try this 30 day snack challenge. Here are my snacks so far this week:

Monday: One 8oz Kirkland’s organic reduced fat chocolate milk (Click on link for nutrition info)

Tuesday: One bottle of Muscle Milk light-Caffe Latte flavor, a sample of Coconut Cream Pie Lara Bar

Wednesday: One 2.5oz protein shot (116 cal,20gm protein) that Cameron put in my stocking, 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, and about 3-4 cups of airpopped popcorn with spray butter and white cheddar and nacho cheese popcorn seasoning.

Today: A few samples at costco (ok, they weren’t all healthy, but they were itty bitty, ok? :-) ) and a whole thing of Greek yogurt they were giving out as a sample (that was a huge sample!)-this ended up being my lunch actually….a Chobani greek yogurt in black cherry, and a 100% whole wheat Thomas bagel thin, toasted with 2-ish tbsp of hummus that I got at Costco today.

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So far, I think I am doing pretty well on my healthy snacking. What do you guys think? Leave me your healthy snacking ideas in a comment below!

Monica from RunEatRepeat has posted pics of some of the flavors of Chobani greek yogurt she has tried, so I went to Safeway today and found all of these flavors:
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My favorite so far is this one:
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I like greek yogurt better than regular, because it has a lot more protein, and is much more filling. It is SO good, too!

A drink that I have been enjoying lately is this:
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My wonderful Mommy sent me some for Christmas along with this:
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which is from Pampered Chef. The last time I went to visit my parents in August, she had this made in the fridge, and I drank it the entire time I was there. I loved the pitcher, too, because it has a built in stirring rod and is nice and sturdy. My Mom is SO good at making mental notes, and later surprising me with things later after I forgot about liking them. What an awesome gift! The only thing I don’t like about the Crystal Light packets is that they use aspartame as their artificial sweetener. I try to stay away from aspartame, so I do not drink this 24/7 or anything. I make it every once in awhile as a special treat :-) . Each pack has 30 calories, 5g of fiber, and 3g of protein. Not to mention, they are delicious!

Cameron made an amazing and healthy dinner for us tonight! Seared Ahi tuna lettuce boats with cold noodles, asian slaw, and a sweet and spicy dipping sauce:
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They were delicious! My belly is full. Off to bed so I can get plenty of rest. I start physical therapy tomorrow. I am super excited!

Happy Trails!

Knee Pain Diagnosed!

I’m fixable! At least the doctor says so….I had my appointment today with Dr. Sherman of Southwest Spine and Sports to get my knee checked out. It turns out, I have what is called patellofemoral syndrome, or patellofemoral pain syndrome. There are a few causes, but my problem is that my kneecap (patella) does not stay aligned the way it should when I bend my knee. In fact, upon physical examination, when I bend my knee all the way, my patella slides toward the outside of my knee joint! It is more common in women because we tend to have wider hips, causing the angle between the femur and tibia (the Q-angle) to be larger. This predisposes us to greater stress on our patella. Commonly, the quadricep pulls harder on it, causing it to be misaligned. Here is an illustration of the difference in Q-angle between men and women from dynamicchiropractic.com:

Treatment for me is going to be mainly physical therapy. Dr. Sherman wants me to learn ways to strengthen the correct muscles (esp. the inner thigh) to help pull the patella back into place. He also wants me to learn the proper stretches and techniques to prevent injury, and to keep my IT bands in good condition. (I already know some from when Molli showed me.) He said that the pain I have had in my hip (the original problem I had before my knee started acting up) is most likely due to tight IT bands; but everything is related, and can cause the knee problem to be worse. He also prescribed a special knee brace that will help to keep my patella in line when I run and hike.

I am just so happy to finally know what is wrong with my body! Dr. Sherman says it is very common, and that I am definitely not alone.

I definitely recommend Southwest Spine and Sports for anyone who needs a good sports medicine doc. Dr. Sherman was fantastic! (Even though he did his residency at Ohio State….I guess I’ll let that one slide this time.) So off to PT I go! I’ll definitely post about what I learn for you guys. You never know when you might be in the same position as me!

I hope everyone has a great day! Happy Trails!

Costco, Where Have You Been All My Life??

Here are some pics from my awesome Camelback hike on Tuesday. My first workout of 2012! Great way to start out the year!

Before the hike

At the top-how did they get a Christmas tree up here?!!

Love it!

Always a beautiful view from the top of Camelback. This is a view of Piestewa/Squaw Peak.

So today, I finally went to Costco for the first time! Where has this place been all of my life! I have been to Sams Club before, but this place definitely takes the cake. I spent waaaaay too much money, but got a TON of stuff!

This just reminds me of customers at my place of employment….oh how they would love this!

Look at all of the healthy stuff I got! (minus the crumbled bacon for Cameron, lol)

Then, I came home, unloaded everything, and attempted to go for a run. I ran trotted like a gimp for almost 3 miles. It was an LSD run, ok? I wanted to wear my fun new stuff I got in the mail today!

My new Road ID and my pretty BIC Bands! How cute are the headbands! They really do stay put, too. I tend to tilt my head back to stretch a lot, and headbands always pop off my head; so I never wear them. I thought, after reading about how these BIC Bands stay in place, that I would give headbands one last try. They work! I am so excited! More fun running accessories for me! :-)

I got my new Road ID Slim bracelet in purple today, as well. It is so cute and perfect for my skinny little wrist! It definitely makes me feel safer when I run.

Ali just wanted some of Cameron’s bacon

What are your favorite things to get at Costco? I need recommendations for healthy good stuff. I only got to look through one side of the store today before I had way too much stuff in my cart! Leave a comment below! Happy Trails!

Dancin’ Out 2011!

Cameron and I had quite the fun evening tonight. We decided to rock it out to the Black Eyed Peas Experience for the Wii and Just Dance 3!

It sounded, SO much better than going out and getting plowed (me dealing with drunk people) and battling the crowds. Plus, I’m still getting over bronchitis. Of course I’m going to sit at home and relax like I should dance around our living room like a crazy person! So I wrapped the knee with an ACE bandage and put on my crazy socks

and got ready to rock it out!

Cameron thinks he’s going to beat me.


At a dancing game?? Yeah right!

As you can see here, that didn’t happen

We had so much fun tonight! I hope you all have a Happy New Year! God bless and cheers to an amazing new year we have ahead of us!