Yoga Pants at Work

Yup. I'm doing it.

What a beautiful freakin' morning it is. Sunny, low 70s, (relatively) low humidity.

What a perfect day to rock some lululemon to work.



Pretty sure this isn't in our "business casual" dress code, strictly speaking.

But I'm also pretty sure I can go the whole day without interacting with anyone in the office. Bosslady's out. My secretary is out. I haven't been working for anyone else lately. And I am flanked by empty offices.

And besides - other than the pants, I'm dressed "professionally." Cardigan, shell, pearls, watch. Hurrrrr's did. Makeup's did.



I'll be comfy all day, and no one will be the wiser.

On a more serious note...I am considering selling my bib for the Rock'n Roll Half.

I have just NOT been training properly. I do my long run on the weekends, and that's it. And it's showing.

Sure, I've been getting in my lifting and some other types of cardio (mainly the bike)...at least up until the past couple of weeks, when I hit a bit of a bump and let it get the best of me. Part of it is that it's been stinkin' hot and humid, and I've noticed that while my knee rarely bothers me during or after an outdoor run, it almost ALWAYS acts up on the treadmill. So, on hot and humid days -- which has been, um, all of them, lately -- I don't run.

And then I get out to do my long run and it's a big struggle. I always, ALWAYS feel amazing when it's done, but it's tough when your first six miles are kind of lame and you don't start to get into a groove until the last two. I go back and forth, though - I will (probably) feel better about myself if I just suck it up and race. But I might not. I might either (1) struggle for 12 of the 13 miles, only to finish with a time so slow I don't feel accomplished at all, and/or (2) actually hurt myself since I'm not in "half marathon" condition, physically.

I guess my bottom line is -- I could fake ten miles for Broad Street. I'm not so sure I can fake 13.1. And I'm not so sure I want to try.

Thoughts?

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!

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.