Cupcakery

This morning's workout was really, really good...and I don't know why. There was nothing remarkable about it. I ran for about 20 minutes to get warmed up (intervals - 5 minutes at 6.5mph, followed by five two minute intervals, including sets of thirty seconds each at 6.0, 6.5, 7.0 and 8.0, and then five more minutes at 6.5) and then did legs & back. Some pullups, some squats, some leg presses, some calf raises, some wall squats.

For some reason, though, even though I went to the gym a little spastic and stressed out, I left feeling like a million bucks. Just one of those magic mornings, I guess.

Know what else is magic? Cupcakes.

A couple of weekends ago, I was taking advantage of some unseasonably warm sunshine by taking the dogs for an extra-long walk when I stumbled upon a new cupcake place.

Pamcakes is a cute little cupcake bakery that recently opened on 20th Street, just south of Spruce. I was intrigued enough by the adorable pink-and-sparkly decor that I stopped to peek into the front window. A sign out front advertised the day's special cupcake flavors - creamsicle and cinnamon bun.

Um, sold. I went in (bonus! I was able to bring Sophie and Cosmo in with me very quickly) and got a box of twelve - enough to try all eleven flavors available that day, plus an extra creamsicle for good measure.

Oh. My. God.

I brought them over to my parents' house for dinner that night, and we held a cupcake tasting. We sliced all twelve cupcakes into quarters so that the eight of us could sample each one. Even now, it's tough to pick out a favorite - I really liked the creamsicle, but cookies & cream was a close contender, too. And she makes a mean red velvet. And a great carrot cake. And...oh hell.

Any favorite cupcake places? Bakeries? I'm not a huge sweets person - given the choice, I'd take cheese fries over birthday cake any day - but if I'm going to eat dessert, I'm going to do it right.

Oh January

I actually don't mind being back to work.



I also don't understand how people eat breakfast before getting to work. If I ate breakfast at 6:30 or 7am, I'd be hungry again by mid-morning. And not the kind of "oh I need a snack" hungry that I could handle with an apple...the "okay, it's lunchtime!" hungry that needs a bowl of soup or whatever.



I got on a bagel kick for a while in late fall, mostly out of laziness...but I think I might actually be bagel-ed out for a while. Fage 0, fruit and granola...I missed you!

I've been kicking around the whole "new year's resolutions/goals" thing in my head, and was thinking about it more last night at the gym. I mean, what else is there to do on a treadmill for 40 minutes, right?

I do NOT like the concept of "New Year's Resolutions." The overcrowding at the gym for the next six weeks illustrates my issues perfectly. I started working out regularly during my freshman year of college back in 2000. For the past ten years, there are six weeks, twice a year, that the gym is mobbed. Once from early January to mid-February, and again from early May through mid-June.

On an individual level, I have nothing against any one of these new people. I was new to the gym once too! Everyone, as an individual, has every right to do exactly what the new crowds are doing: start a new routine. Explore fitness and exercise. Figure out gym etiquette and figure out what kind of exercise they enjoy and what works best for them.

But...BUT. Every year, for ten years, the same phenomenon happens. Lots of people either start at the gym for the first time, or come back for the first time in years or months, because it's "a new year" or because "it's almost bikini season!" And there are lines for the treadmills, people standing around staring into space, weights not put back where they belong and people not wiping the sweat off of their machines. It's a hassle. I know it's only temporary, but it's still a hassle.

And I am resistant to the idea of setting goals just because it's a symbolic time of year because I don't want to end up like one of the January/June temporary exercisers. I don't want to get caught up in the mentality of it and make goals that I don't actually WANT to commit to. I did that for years...for me, it was dieting. I've had the physical activity thing down for about a decade now, but, as most people reading thing probably know, "abs are made in the kitchen" and all that. So I'd say, I'm going to lose ten pounds this year. Or 20 or whatever. And I'd eat well religiously for a few weeks and then slowly get back into eating how I liked to eat. It wasn't worth it to me at the time, so I didn't do it.

When I did lose that twenty or so pounds, it had nothing to do with the New Year OR with bikini season. The first time I lost weight, most of it came off over the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college. I kept it off for several years before embarking on a dangerous combination of "eating whatever I feel like and blowing off the gym" during my 1L year. It was sometime in March that year when I decided I was done being overweight again. I repeated that dangerous combination during most of 2009, and I've spent the last year or so trying to decide when I'm going to be done with it this time.

All of this to say:

- I decided back in December that I'm done with it. Again and hopefully for more than a few years at a stretch this time. I'm done with not fitting in most of my pants and I'm done with looking at my rounder-than-I-would-like-it-to-be face in pictures.

- I decided around the same time that I'd like to focus on building my speed back up while continuing to run middle-distance races (10-milers and half marathons). I like the length but I miss running 9:00 miles.

BUT. For some stupid reason, I am EMBARRASSED to admit that those are my goals right now. Because I feel like they're cliche, and I'm worried that the timing of these goals is going to suck me into the symbolic New Year's crowd.

This is a really stupid thing to worry about. After all...the only person who can force me to "fall off the wagon" in February is me.

My other resolution? Practice my knitting so that when I start making my scarf next week, it doesn't look like THIS.



(Sabrina and I are taking a beginner's knitting class. Her dishrag-thing was MUCH prettier than mine is!)

OUCH!

Okay. I was a bad girl last night. But I just couldn't HELP myself.

I ran. Less than 24 hours away from my doctor's appointment, and I ran.

And my knees were really okay. No real pain during the run at all, and only a little bit walking down the stairs to let Sophie out afterwards.

My hips, however, are somewhat of a different story. They are TIIIIIIGHT. And achy. I keep stretching them, but nothing gets it QUITE right.

Really, I don't regret it. It felt freakin' awesome. I was just going to do some short intervals, a'la Oxygen - 5 minute warm-up at 6.7, followed by five two-minute sets of 90 seconds at 7.0/30 seconds at 8.6, with a cool-down at 6.7 and then a short walk. But I just felt so good to be running...so I kept going, at an easy pace, for a total of 3 miles in something like 27:15 or thereabouts.

After that, it was on to pull -- back and biceps.

- lat pulldowns, 3x8 at 75lbs
- dumbbell bicep curls, 3x8 with two 15-lb dumbbells
- renegade rows, 3x8 on each side with 15-lb dumbbells
- preacher curls, 3x8 at 45lbs

I can definitely feel myself getting stronger, especially with the dumbbell curls. Even last week, those 15lb dumbbells were a CHALLENGE, where I was making ridiculous faces just to complete the last couple of reps and was not at ALL sure it was going to happen. This week -- well, I wasn't worried about actually completing them. But I probably still made the faces.

I'm feeling those renegade rows in my abs today for sure. I tried that as a replacement for both my usual 45-second planks and single-arm rows with resistance bands. I think next time, I'll go up to 20lbs, or do more reps, because -- while they weren't exactly EASY -- they should have been more difficult.

We also got an email from our HOA that gave me mixed feelings. First, the YAAAAY: they expect to have our new gym open and running by the end of March! THAT is exciting. Our current gym is in a one-bedroom condo, and is sort of lacking in both space and equipment. When 8 people are at the gym at once, like last night, that place is jammed to the gills and it's hard to get anything done.

Then, the BOOOOO: in order to relocate the existing equipment, the gym will be closed for TWO WEEKS starting on March 15. GAH! Depending on how I'm feeling and whether I've gotten the OK from my doctor (and physical therapist! hopefully...) to run, I might buy a one-month pass to the Philadelphia Sports Club downstairs. I don't really love the idea of taking two weeks off of lifting completely, but if I can run, I might be able to squeak by with just a set of dumbbells and some of those free Jillian Michaels videos on demand.

Such is life. Hope everyone is having a good week!