Wow.

This week was AB-SURD.

Things kept blowing up at work, all week. I could recap, but honestly just don't want to. It was a lousy, lousy week -- I went to the gym Monday and then didn't go again until yesterday.

Blech. But things are looking better. I have to go in for a while today to finish up reviewing a bunch of documents that I should have reviewed earlier this week, but couldn't get to because, you know, things kept blowing up. Once I have these reviewed, I should be back on track -- thank god.

The gym felt AMAZING yesterday:

- 30 minutes on the (stupid) elliptical, random program, level 10
- bench press, 3x8 at 75lbs
- tricep dips on bench, 3x8 at body weight, straight legs
- shoulder press, 3x8 at 42.5lbs
- bent over lateral raise, 3x8 with 10-lb dumbbells
- straight bar tricep press-down, 3x8 at 45lbs
- skullcrushers, 3x15 with 20-lb dumbbell

Today, I'm debating going for a run. I know, I know -- I'm so stupid. I have an appointment on Tuesday to get my knee checked out and, hopefully, get started with some PT. I really, really, REALLY want to run this stupid race. But give me a week without really working out and I start to get stir crazy!

Still Basking

in the glow of my new track light. I know, I know...but really, I didn't set the place on fire. That's huge to me.

Saturday night's gym session was...OK.

I started with pull -- that went very well!

- lat pulldowns, 3x8 at 75lbs
- one-arm standing row, 3x8 with two resistance bands looped around that ever-so-useless hamstring curl machine (seriously, does that thing fit ANYONE'S body properly?)
- dumbbell bicep curls, 3x8 with 20lb dumbbells
- preacher curls, 3x8 at 42.5lbs

Then...I moved on to legs. I don't know what it was -- maybe that I wasn't wearing my knee sleeve this week? -- but I came close to pulling a hamstring during my second (or maybe it was third? Can't remember -- I should really blog closer to the event!) set of lunges. It just ain't worth it, you know? I abandoned that after two abortive attempts at resuming, and attempted to move on to deadlifts...but once again, OUCH with the hamstring, and I just wasn't going to push my luck. I did complete the following, which felt great:

- squats, 3x8 with two 20-lb dumbbells
- 1.5 (or maybe 2.5??) sets of 8 lunges on each side with 10lbs total weight
- 3x15 calf raises on a platform (heels below level) with a 20-lb dumbbell
- 3x15 calf raises on the floor with 105lbs, using the preacher curl machine

Even though it wasn't the most phenomenal, sweat-inducing session of all time, I managed to feel it in my poor butt on Sunday morning. I intended to hit the gym for some cardio and abs, but PhillyGuy (who was quite impressed with my electrician skillz) and I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to rearrange our bedroom. Which took a LOT more time than I expected, but man it looks good.

I'm more than ready to get back to it tonight, though. Even though I have actually managed to lose a few pounds, I'm just feeling...stuffed today. As in, my rings are super-tight since I'm clearly retaining water for some reason, and I don't remember this particular pair of pants feeling tight before, and now I'm wondering why I didn't make time for the gym in the morning yesterday instead of taking Sophie for a walk to get coffee. These feelings are silly and hopefully inaccurate (well, the part about the pants, anyway -- my rings are def tight!) and fleeting. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

PhillyGirl Can't Run, Installs Light Fixtures

So, it was a beautiful afternoon. Sunny, mid-40s. I really, REALLY wanted to go for a run...but after my knee pain the other night, and since I'm SO CLOSE to a doctor's appointment, I didn't want to screw with anything. So I did the next best thing.

Look, blogworld, I am REALLY proud of myself.

This may seem like a really silly, simple thing. But tonight, I installed my first-ever light fixture. Solo, no assistance, no one home except for Sophie, who was passed out with her stuffed alligator, since I tired her out at the dog park first.

My adventure started with a long, LONG trip to Ikea. Saturday + Ikea = disaster. I managed to avoid a ton of useless crap I really don't need, and left with a couple picture frames, a shelf for the bathroom, and one Tostarp five-lamp track light fixture -- it matches the one over my dining room table that my friend's husband installed for me back in September.

Let's begin:



Before (notice the empty ceiling and fixture plate):



After:



Aww, look, twins! In the front, the fruits of my labor. In the back, the one my friend's husband installed.



And...really? THAT WAS SO SIMPLE. You match up the matching wires. Um, why did I always think this was going to be so tricky? There was a black AND a red in my fixture, which threw me for a loop at first, but about 45 seconds on google and I figured it all out.

I AM SO IMPRESSED WITH MYSELF!

PhillyGuy is out for the night, playing poker and staying at a friend's house. When he gets back tomorrow, he's going to be like, "OMG WHAT?" And then he's probably going to assume I had friend's hubby over to install this one, too. Hmm. I wonder if he'll ever believe it was just me?

Psssshh.

So, now that I've managed to illuminate my living room without setting the place on fire, it's time for the gym. I have a long lifting session on the table for tonight (pull AND legs), and then I have a hot date with my puppy, the couch, and probably a whole lot of fetch.

Happy Saturday all!

Of course...

...the same day I signed up for Broad Street, my knee WOULD start acting up again.

Last night, I went to the gym, prepared to do my typical 20-minute treadmill intervals. Ran the first 5 minutes at 6.7, as usual...midway through, stopped for 10-15 seconds to stretch my piriformis and hips, which had been tight since Monday's run. During those next few minutes, I started feeling a little nag just below my right patella -- not the typical pain I've known from my PFS, almost like the beginnings of a shin split, but further up. I pressed on. At the 5-minute mark I increased my speed for the "down" portion of the intervals. Over the next 70 seconds, the pain in my right knee escalated and started feeling more familiar. Then, I started feeling another little nag in my left knee.

I said "F this," got onto the stupid elliptical, and made a mental note to make a doctor's appointment. The hell I am letting this stupid pain go untreated AGAIN. And so I've put in a request and, hopefully, will be able to get back in front of the doctor and start doing physical therapy so I can actually train for and run this race.

Besides, I can't let my $33 go to waste, right?

I had planned to do push last night, but it was one of those nights where every. single. piece of equipment I needed was taken. At the same time. So, I did pull (chest/shoulders/tris) instead. Even though I'd just done those muscles on Monday, I wasn't about to blow everything off, and I didn't have my knee sleeve to do legs.

So, repeat of Monday:

- Chest press, 3x8 at 70lbs
- Tricep dips on bench, 3x8 with body weight, straight legs
- Shoulder press, 3x8 at 45lbs
- Bent over lateral raise, 3x8 with 10lb dumbbells
- Straight bar tricep pushdowns, 3x8 at 45lbs

Thrilling. Tonight is date night for PhillyGuy and I -- we haven't been out to eat in a while, and I'm really looking forward to hitting up Twenty Manning after work. Any fun weekend plans?

Broad Street

Just registered for Broad Street! I'm excited. Broad Street was my first long race -- I ran it in 2008 -- and it was sometime during training for that race that I realized two things: (1) I really, REALLY enjoy long runs, and (2) I strongly prefer racing long distances to short ones. I loathe 5Ks -- there's something so nice about a race where you can take the first two or three miles to "warm up."

I didn't get to run it last year, since I was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding the night before and didn't want to deal with the additional commitment and timing issues, but I'm so glad to be back at it this year. My time goal for 2008 was 90 minutes, and I JUUUUUUST made it with a time of 1:30:59. (woohoo, instant PR!) It was the first (and only!) time I'd ever run that distance, and I went into it with about six weeks of moderate, but consistent, training involving one long run, a shorter/easy run, and a 4 to 6-mile "quality" run, either speedwork, tempo or hills.

Ideally, I'd like to beat my '08 time (and PR again! who wouldn't?), but I will really need to see where training takes me. My knees gave me so much trouble this fall and winter that I am more out of shape than I've been in a while and I don't have a particularly reliable picture of where I am, since I haven't really pushed it at all.

So, right now, I'm fine with just taking it slow. I'll follow a similar plan as last time. For the first week or two of training, I want to focus on just making sure I can actually handle a solid base. I haven't run more than two or three days a week for months, and I haven't even run multiple consecutive two to three day weeks in a while, either. I'm crossing my fingers than my stamina and "speed" (heh) come back relatively quickly with some consistent training. But, whatever. I'm confident I can complete a ten-miler, even today -- it would just be significantly slower than I'd like -- so I'm just excited to have something to train for again.

Also, this time, PhillyGuy better bring a camera.

Who else is running this?

Oats in a Jar FAIL.

Yesterday, I tried my hand at another blogworld trick: Oats in a Jar. One empty almond butter jar plus 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, a dash of vanilla and some pumpkin pie spice...easy enough. Mixed at home, popped the jar in the microwave when I got to work. Added a dash of salt, tiny bit of splenda and a palmful of dried cranberries, and OMGDELICIOUS.

I was pumped to repeat the trick today, since I ALSO had an empty peanut butter jar that kicked over the weekend. Instead of craisins, I brought a little baggie of fresh blueberries, and couldn't wait to try this slightly different combination.

First problem? Within seconds, the jar started sparking like CRAZY. Um, oops -- looks like there's a tiny bit of the foil seal still stuck to the edges. No worries, I peeled it off, popped the jar back in the microwave, and waited. Coworker comes in, we make small talk, she leaves, I look at the microwave about 70 seconds in.

AND IT IS MELTING OH MY GOD IT IS MELTING I AM GOING TO START A FIRE IN THE OFFICE.

Ugh. Note to self: oats in a jar only works with GLASS jars. Not plastic jars, and certainly not plastic jars that don't even remotely profess to be microwave safe. (To be fair, I have never known a world without microwaves, and am pretty sure I've never encountered a food vessel that WASN'T microwave safe before today.)

Oats in a jar = jar in the trash. And I took a quick little stroll down to Au Bon Pain, where I BOUGHT an oatmeal. In a paper cup. That did not go near the microwave. Thankfully, I still had my baggie of blueberries to mix in, so it wasn't a total bust.

Lesson learned.

Afternoon Run

Time to catch up on a couple days' worth of workouts!

Rewind to Saturday -- I spent most of the day out at King of Prussia, hoping to buy tons of stuff, but in reality, leaving with just one thing:






The Peyton large business tote, in camel -- I got the last one they had in stock! I've been looking for a carry-all for my work stuff for a while now. Something that fits my lunch, a small clutch with the essentials, and some papers, for those nights when I'm bringing home a handful of stuff, but not enough to justify bringing a whole redweld. LOVE HER.

By the time we got back, I had started to get hungry -- but it was only 3:30ish, so PhillyGuy suggested we do the gym first and then focus on dinner.

That night was 20 minutes of intervals (5 minutes at 6.7mph to warm up, 5 intervals of 90 seconds/7.0mph, 30 seconds/8.6mph, 3 minutes at 6.7, 2 minutes walking at 3.8 to cool down) followed by pull:

- Lat pulldowns, 3x8 at 75lbs
- Single-arm row, 3x8 with two resistance bands looped around one of the machines
- Dumbbell bicep curls, 3x8 with 20lb dumbbells
- Preacher curls, 3x8 at 42.5lbs
- Planks (aka the devil), 3x45seconds

We followed that sweat-fest the best way possible: with takeout from Pietro's. When we lived closer to Rittenhouse, we probably went to Pietro's once a week, at least. Despite all of those visits, I hadn't tried the pizza, ever -- so I ordered one with fresh mozzarella, mushrooms and roasted peppers. And enjoyed every. Freakin'. Bite.

Today the office was closed. I had a few things to do, but not too much, so I took advantage of the late start and started the day by taking Sophie for a walk to get a latte, then enjoying breakfast (peach Chobani, granola, blueberries and 1/2 a banana) on the couch while watching Saved by the Bell (Valentine's Day clip episode!).

I did about 4 hours of work, some of it over lunch at Marathon (matzoh ball soup -- PERFECT day for it), and then high-tailed it home to take advantage of my open afternoon to get outside for a run. It was probably 35 degrees or so -- I wore a tank top underneath a fleecy tech hoodie and my favorite Lulu Lemon cropped tights, and it was perfect. I dropped my stuff at the gym first before heading out -- I took it slow and ran along 24th to the Schuylhill River trail, looped around the Art Museum and headed back for a total of 3.91 miles.

According to the Garmin:

Mile 1: 9:47
Mile 2: 9:39
Mile 3: 9:35
.91: 8:57
Total: 37:59

GOD, did that ever feel good. Didn't go for distance or time -- just wanted to get out there, you know?

Headed back into the gym for push:

- Chest press, 3x8 at 70lbs
- Tricep dips on bench, 3x8 with body weight, straight legs
- Shoulder press, 3x8 at 45lbs
- Bent over lateral raise, 3x8 with 10lb dumbbells
- Straight bar tricep pushdowns, 3x8 at 45lbs

Now I'm hanging out deciding what to have for dinner. Sophie's extra-quiet, staring at me from the top step -- probably wondering the same thing. My big plans for the evening involve watching House and doing our taxes. Don't be too jealous!

Legs Kick My Ass...

...yup. Every time.

Thursday night was legs night. For something that only takes 30 minutes, MAN, it gets me.

I wore my knee sleeve on my more troublesome right knee. That thing (much like its cousin, the knee strap) does absolutely nothing for me when I'm running, but I hoped that it would give me a little extra stabilization to tackle these oh-so-elusive lunges.

I don't know if it was the sleeve or just the fact that I concentrated a whole lot more on my form, but I was able to actually complete some decent lunges -- and not with those goofy three pound weights, either. (NO! I went up to EIGHT pounds -- that's a total of SIXTEEN, for those of you counting.)

Legs:

- Squats, 3x8 with two 20-lb dumbbells (one on each shoulder)
- Lunges, 3x8 on each side, with two 8-lb dumbbells
- Stiff-leg deadlifts, 3x8 with two 45-lb dumbbells
- Calf raises on a platform, 3x15 holding a 20-lb dumbbell
- Calf raises on the floor, 3x15 at 90lbs using the preacher curl machine (what can I say -- I have to be creative here!)

Tonight was supposed to be a rest night, with yesterday designated for 20-minute cardio intervals followed by pull. However...eeesh. Yeah, my legs night was more successful than the last one...which meant that I had trouble walking up stairs. And putting on my pants, for that matter. I was planning to just postpone the cardio and only lift, but alas, even that was not in the cards. Around 7pm, after I got back from walking Sophie, I got socked with a NASTY headache -- I couldn't even tolerate light, and when poor PhillyGuy called to let me know he was on his way home and would pick up Indian takeout for us, I cut him off after about four seconds of talk time.

So, instead of the gym, I horsed down some Tylenol, grabbed my dog, and spent the next hour laying on my bed in total darkness with a puppy curled up next to me.

Blech. Thankfully, by the time PhillyGuy got home (complete with chicken makhni, some kind of spinach/paneer deliciousness, and a giant pillowy naan), I was better...but blech. Not my kind of way to spend a Friday.

Ghost Town

That's what my building is like right now.

The office isn't closed today -- we were yesterday, so everyone just worked from home. And really, for a day at home, I was decently productive. I didn't bill (or accomplish) as much as I would have in the office, but I still managed to bill a solid 6.4 hours, which -- when you consider the puppy begging to be played with, the sauce pictures begging to be uploaded, and the Style network begging to be watched -- ain't so bad.

But, today is a normal workday. For my office, anyway. For the rest of the building, and for the rest of Center City? Not so much. My usual Starbucks is closed -- CLOSED! DiBruno's in the Comcast Center didn't get their bread delivery this morning. Lobby of my building? Total ghost town, with maybe 2 or 3 people wandering around instead of the usual 8am rush. Weeeeeeeird.

Recap of last night's workout:

As I suspected, the gym was PACKED when PhillyGuy and I got there, because, well, WTF else do you do when it's snowing like the dickens out, and the gym is IN your complex? So, I had to split my weights and my cardio, which I don't like to do. But otherwise, I'd never have gotten a machine.

I ran 2 easy miles in 18 minutes. The goal was to run all 30 minutes, but about 15 minutes in I started feeling a tug in my knee, so I opted to cut it short at two miles and hop on the ever-faithful hamster wheel elliptical for the last 12 minutes. Good thing I did, too, because near the end of my stretch on the elliptical, I felt my IT band come a'callin. Foam roller, party of one.

Push (chest, shoulders, tris):

- bench press, 3x8 at 70lbs
- tricep bench dips, 3x8 with body weight, legs straight (when doing sets of 12, I keep my legs bent a bit)
- shoulder press, 3x8 at 42.5lbs
(broke in the middle here for cardio)
- bent over dumbbell reverse flies, 3x8 with two 12lb dumbbells
- tricep pushdowns with flat bar, 3x8 at 40lbs
- skullcrushers sets - 12lb dumbbell

For skullcrushers, I did three sets of an exercise PhillyGuy taught me from his college football days. Instead of using a heavier weight for fewer reps, you use a lighter weight and go to almost the point of exhaustion, alternating sets of skullcrushers with quick benchpresses and counting down. So, start with 7 skullcrushers, immediately follow with 7 presses, then immediately to 6 skullcrushers, 6 presses, blah blah blah and finish at 1/1. It's brutal and I love it, though next time I'll move up to 15lbs.

You know how yesterday, I was excited to be working from home in sweatpants? Well, today might be even better. I'm working FROM WORK in sweatpants.

That's right. I wore my snow boots, because, well, duh. My usual rule, in crappy weather, is to wear skirts and tights, because otherwise, the hems of my pants get wet and dirty. But, I don't know. I just wasn't all about the tights today. So, I put on a pair of black lululemon flares -- it's an older style that they don't sell anymore called the "Dig My Pant," but it's essentially fleece-lined yoga pants that aren't as tight as their other styles. They cuff up nicely, keep me warm, and stay out of the snow.

Of course, WITH the sweats I'm wearing an otherwise normal work outfit -- long navy cashmere cardigan, white t-shirt, and a long, sort of funky pearl necklace. I brought a pair of grey flannel trousers to put on when I got here. But then...I had to come in, drop my files and run back out to find coffee, since the 'Bux was closed. And I didn't want to change into heels just to run downstairs, you know? And on my way out, I ran into the office managing partner, who was wearing jeans. And then when I got back, I noticed that pretty much everyone else was dressed down.

And that sold me. Screw it, I'm not changing. Until someone calls me out, I am going to pretend you can't tell that I'm wearing fleece-lined yoga pants and not actual work-appropriate clothing, and I am going to rock my pearls with my sweats. Heaven.

Snow Day = Sauce Day

Blech. It has been a lousy couple of days, blogworld. But -- you know what? Today ain't so lousy. I'm working from home, in my sweats, due to the latest round of blizzard conditions out there in Philly. I've got more to do today than I thought I would, but I've been very, very productive. And -- the best part about being home? I get some quality time with these guys:



That would be my favorite appliance ever: a 20-plus year old Sunbeam Hot Shot that I inherited from my parents. It boils about 16 ounces of water in, oh, 12 seconds. My only beef with it is that, while the capacity is about 16 ounces, the place to put the mug is too short for anything but one of my 8-ounce mugs. Which is way too small for tea. So, I end up sort of bailing it out into the bigger, much more suitable mug in the back there.

But anyway. Without further adieu, PhillyGirl makes sauce:*

*it's been brought to my attention by a number of people that "real Italians" call this "gravy" and not sauce. However, my "real Italian" grandmother never called it "gravy," and since she's the one actually FROM Italy, I feel like a serious poseur calling it "gravy." So I don't. It bugs me -- sort of like when people overpronounce the word "croissant" when they're not even remotely French and they're talking about something they got from Dunkin' Donuts. Also, this isn't my "real Italian" grandmother's recipe. It's a meat sauce which I picked up from my mother. Who is Irish.

Start with one big onion, the sweeter the better -- I like vidalias. Chop it up.

Sweat it out in a large skillet with some garlic and butter or olive oil -- I prefer just a tiiiiny bit of butter.



Once the onion starts to get soft, add ground beef -- something on the fattier side. This is about 1.8lbs of 85/15. Brown it with salt and pepper.



Key ingredients:



Mix both cans of tomato paste in with the ground beef as it continues to brown in the skillet, then transfer the whole mess to a stockpot:



Pour in the tomato puree. It's important that you get PUREE and not SAUCE -- I like to add my own spices and control the balance.



Season to taste. I like to use oregano, parsley, marjoram, garlic powder, and basil, with a dash of sugar to finish it off and counter the acidity of the tomatoes:



Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let everything simmer for 6-8 hours. After an hour I taste and adjust seasonings if necessary; stir every hour or so. While it's cooking, stare at your deck, which looks like this:



That's pretty much what it looks like today, too. It's about time for me to get back to work now. Despite the winter wonderland out there, I'm planning on hitting the gym tonight -- I've been at work late the past few nights and haven't been to the gym since SATURDAY, so I'm sort of chomping at the bit to get there. On the agenda is 30 minutes of cardio -- I'm hoping to run again -- and push.

Hope that everyone with a snow day is making the most of it!

I am SO. BAD.

Not only did I skip out on the sauce-y post I promised yesterday, I skipped out on blogging entirely.

I also, for the record, skipped out on the couple hours' worth of work which I REALLY should have done yesterday afternoon.

But sometimes...it just happens that way.

I am looking very, very forward to a nice run tonight. I ran for 30 minutes on Saturday night without issue -- a nice, sweaty, and moderately challenging 3.4 miles on the ol' treadmill -- and am crossing my fingers that my knees let me do the same.

I've been having a good, productive day, crossing things off my post-it note list, but sadly, there are plenty of items that still remain. And I haven't even had my daily so-what's-going-on-let's-go-over-everything meeting with the boss, which is always good for 2 or 3 new items. I've been consistently busy for about 6 months now, which is a first for me -- my job previously tended to be peaks and valleys. The consistency has really been nice, and it's certainly been making time fly, but it's also left me fantasizing about our impending snowstorm -- not because it will in any way keep me from working, but -- BUT! -- because I might actually be able to work from home, in my sweatpants. THAT, my friends, is pure ecstasy right now.

I've been very good about making it a point to stick to my gym routine these past few weeks, which is essential -- not just to my desire to fit into the new Theory stuff I picked up on sale (!!!!), but also to my ability to handle my workload without going (pardon my french) out of my FUCKING mind.

So, back to work for me right now, and I assure you -- ASSURE YOU! -- that I will be back tonight with that freakin' sauce post.

Happy Monday blogworld!

Sorry for being MIA

It was a really ridic week at work, and Friday in particular was just one of those OMG-so-nuts-I-can't-stop-to-breathe-let-alone-blog.

We got 27 inches of snow here in Philly today. One great thing about living in the city is that being snowed in doesn't necessarily MEAN you're actually stuck inside. PhillyGuy and I had no problem taking Sophie out to the dog park this morning, where she blazed little trails through the drifts of snow, and even stopped for coffee and last-minute groceries on the way home.

From Winter Storm December 2009

(That picture is actually from the LAST storm -- I didn't bring my camera this morning. But, I assure you, the scene is identical. Except now, she has the same coat in pink.)

I spent a bunch of the day making sauce, and took plenty of pics for the blog -- which I will post tomorrow. I'm signed up to make baked ziti for our superbowl party...and not some healthy approximation, either. Well, I'm using whole wheat pasta, since it's what I had on hand -- but don't tell anyone, OK?

The rest of the day, sadly, I spent working and doing laundry. Despite squeezing in a nice 45-minute nap, I'm beat, again, already. So the sauce post will have to wait until tomorrow -- right now, my nice warm bed (and tired-out puppy) is calling my name. Later!

Girls' Night

Last night I had a couple of girlfriends over to catch up, drink wine and eat pizza.

It was good.

It was simple -- I bought some whole wheat Boboli premade crusts (the ultimate in laziness, but I knew I wasn't going to feel like dealing with fresh dough), chopped up some veggies (red pepper, red onion, mushrooms, kalamata olives), opened a jar of artichoke hearts, a jar of pesto and a jar of Wegman's brand chunky pizza sauce, and voila! Make-your-own pizza bar. We made three pizzas and shared them -- one with pesto, mozzerella, asiago, mushrooms and artichokes, one with red sauce and every veggie, and one half-and-half, with pesto and veggies on one side and just red sauce and mozzerella on the other.

Everything was delicious. Except for the part where the oil in the pesto dripped over the sides of the pizza, covered the bottom of my oven and filled the house with smoke. Nothing a few minutes of open doors and windows couldn't fix, but Sophie and Jackson (my friend's puppy!) were NOT happy when the smoke detector started going off.

It felt AMAZING to take a night and catch up with my girls. I know that I spend 85% of my time either working or at the gym. When I'm home, I try to spend time playing with Sophie, and I hate going out on a weeknight -- or really, even a Friday night -- because I feel guilty that Sophie spent the whole day in her crate only to go back in for a few hours again at night. Taking a night off to have people over was really, really great -- especially since Sophie got to have a friend over, too, and spent HER night racing around the house playing puppy games.

And it's no real loss -- I was supposed to do legs last night and have tonight as a rest night, but I just swapped. I'll head to the gym tonight instead. Easy, right?

I did pretty well with eating yesterday despite the pizzas -- I had two pieces of the red sauce/veggie and one piece of the pesto/veggie. Managed to stay away from the pretzels and hummus we cracked open beforehand. Did not, however, stay away from the delicious soft chocolate chip cookies that my friend brought for dessert, or the two big glasses of red wine...so good.

Unfortunately, today is shaping up to be a challenge, eating-wise. I have a client lunch at Butcher & Singer, which is fine...but then my boss came by my office holding a plate of donuts. And not just any donuts -- fresh donuts from the Amish stand at the farmers' market. And SHE was bringing them, TO ME. I took one, more to be polite than anything else, figured I'd throw it out when she was gone...but then, no, I took a little piece of it. Maybe 1/5 of it, maybe less. No, it's not the end of the world, but I had a heavy eating day yesterday, and am making a big ol' pan of baked ziti for the superbowl this weekend. Sadly, the problem with trying to lose weight is that -- if you keep on indulging, it ain't gonna happen. And while I love my clients, I really, if given my choice, would prefer to use my indulgence budget for a night out with friends or husband.

Oh well. Such is life.

Single Parenting is Rough...

PhillyGuy is in Chicago for business for a couple days this week, which leaves me and Sophie to have a couple girls' nights. She's funny -- last night around 9:15, it occurred to her that "Dad" should have been home by now. With a troubled look on her face, she headed down the stairs to sit on the landing and wait for him to get home. I felt so bad for her...he's not coming, sister.

Yesterday at the gym was 30 minutes of steady-state cardio, followed by push. I knew I planned to run again tonight, so I didn't try to push it too hard last night -- running three days in a row (and four out of five days) is probably pushing my luck right now. Instead, I entertained myself with a scintillating US Weekly (feature: Kardashians, then and now) and did 30 minutes of hill walking, 4mph at inclines ranging from 5.5 to 12%. I was sweaty, but it's not even remotely as fun as running...

Lifting was good. I did:
- bench press, 3x12 at 60lbs
- tricep bench dips, 3x12 with body weight
- shoulder press, 3x12 at 35lbs
- bent over dumbbell reverse flies, 3x12 with two 8-lb dumbbells
- tricep pushdowns with flat bar, 3x12 at 30lbs
- skullcrushers, 3x12 with an 8lb dumbbell -- this was weird, I'm not sure what to use here. Normally I would use an EZ bar, but we don't have one, and the angles of holding a dumbbell are just odd.

I'm having trouble focusing on work today. I don't have a TON to do, but it's enough, and I'm just having one of those mornings where I can't seem to get into the swing of things. Don't you hate that?

Oh well...t-minus eleven hours or so until LOST :)