Running Into The Inauguration Rehearsal

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Coco

First, I want to give a huge shout-out to all my friends who ran half marathons, marathons, or both (doing the Disney Goofy Challenge) this weekend! Doing a big race in January means you had to train over the holidays–today you know all that effort was worth it!

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We were supposed to have spring-like weather this weekend, but a heavy fog kept it cold and damp. My running partner was feeling run down after a business trip last week, so I did a solo run in my neighborhood on Saturday morning. I used my new Garmin Forerunner 10 and logged 8.7 miles in about 1:22 (9:22 pace).

 Garmin Forerunner 10

I think my legs were just glad to have a day off from doing mountain climbers and jump squats with Jillian!

By Saturday night my friend was feeling better and wanted to meet for a run on Sunday morning. I wasn’t too thrilled about doing back-to-back long runs, but I did want to catch up with her, and meeting her for a run at the office fit with the rest of my plans for the day–I had to do a few hours of work anyway.

Even though it was in the upper 40s, it was foggy again. I actually changed into a warmer top after walking my dog because the dampness made it feel chilly. We met at o-dark-thirty, but by the time we got to the Capitol it was daylight. As we approached, we could hear a band and announcer from the Inauguration rehearsal!

Inauguration Rehearsal

 This was as close as we could get!

We heard the announcer practice announcing the entries of the Vice President, First Lady, and President–twice. We heard one band practice, and we saw other bands getting ready to practice. It was very cool–and a good reminder to stay home next weekend!

We ended up covering 7.2 miles in 1:06 (9:16 pace)–my friend definitely was pushing me at the end. My knee is not very happy about my back-to-back long runs, but I am hoping that some ice–and a day off from running and Jillian–will make it happy again.

Do you run on back-to-back days?

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The Language Of Worship

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Coco

I grew up reading the King James Version of the Bible. That’s what my Dad had on his bedside table, and that’s what we used in church and Sunday school. I think the thees and thous and unfamiliar vocabulary made the Bible that much more special, and made me treasure the words that much more.

bible

When I recall verses that I memorized as a child, the words are in the King James language, like the 23rd Psalm:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

In the Episcopalian church, we use a more modern translation of the Bible, so I have had to re-learn the words of The Lord’s Prayer (“… Forgive us our … debts? trespasses? sins?”). But I have come to love the language of The Book Of Common Prayer. I love this prayer of thanks:

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us.
We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.
We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

From time to time I still encounter unfamiliar words at church, usually in an old hymn. A few weeks ago, it was “unction” that sent me to the dictionary.

From more Google searching, it seems that this word might be more familiar to Catholics (“Extreme Unction” is another name for “Last Rites”), but I had no idea what it meant when we sang, “Thy unction grace bestows.” (You can read the lyrics and hear the melody of the hymn here).

Do you prefer to contemporary or traditional worship language? 

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Three Things Thursday (The Trader Joe’s Edition)

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Coco

Trader Joe’s is a great place to find foods that make healthy eating really enjoyable. Here are my three favorite things to get at Trader Joe’s.

I always stock up on dried fruit and nuts–their prices are amazing! Trader Joe’s is the only place I have been able to find unsweetened dried cherries.

 

Of course these are great right out of the bag, but I love to use them in a “trail mix” blend with dry cereal (like Cheerios or Fiber One) and chocolate chips.

Around Thanksgiving I noticed these, and I was glad to see that they were still in stock after Christmas.

I am very proud to report that the 9-serving bag lasted a whole week, and I wasn’t the only one eating them–although I may have had 8 of the servings!

Another recent find is roasted baby beets (in the refrigerator section).

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The ingredients list is amazing: Beets. One serving is two baby beets (40 calories), but I find that one sliced baby beet is perfect for salad over mixed baby greens.

What are your favorite things to get at Trader Joe’s?

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20 Minute Treadmill Workouts

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Coco

I started doing the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred DVD a few weeks ago. I am enjoying the workouts, but don’t want to lose my running conditioning, so I’ve been adding 20 minutes on the treadmill after she’s finished shredding me.

Here are two of my favorite 20 minute treadmill workouts:

Climb up the ladder to 6.8 mph, then down the ladder to 3.7 mph.

Climb up the cliff to 7.0 mph, then jmp down to 5.7 and 3.7 mph.

What do you like to do for a short treadmill workout?

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Fun Fast Fitness Trampoline Workout With Interval Timer

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Coco

The most amazing thing happened to me in October. I retweeted a “RT to Win” tweet by @jumpsport and won one of their trampolines! I had so much fun at the Jump Sport session at Fitbloggin’ I knew I would love it!

Jump Sport Fit Trampoline

When I first got it (a few days after I won–talk about customer service!), I used it as a warm-up to my weights routine. Bouncing for 5-10 minutes is enough to get my heart rate up and warm up my muscles.

One morning I decided to do a circuit with the trampoline and free weights. I used the timer on my iPhone to time intervals on the trampoline, but the screen went dark and locked after 1 minute. That was frustrating as I had to keep unlocking my iPhone to see the time and start the next interval. 🙁

I decided to search the iTunes App Store for an interval timer app and I hit the jackpot with the free Interval Timer by Deltaworks. This is what the App Store says:

Running foreground, background or with device locked, this reliable app allows you specify an overall time as well as program High/Low intensity interval and rest time between sets.

Key Features:
– Customizable sets, high/low intensity interval and rest for your own need
– Retina display, iOS4 and multitasking
– Continue to run even when screen is locked
– Play your song or playlist during your workout
– Post your workout to Facebook or Twitter
– Save settings as templates

Customizable Features:
–  Number of Sets
– Countdown Time
– Set Time
– Low Interval time
– High Interval time
–  Rest Time
– First Interval (low or high)
– Sound Volume
– Timer Sounds
– Auto Lock
– Vibrate
– Pause during Rest
– Playlist
– New Each Set

This is what the options screens look like:

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This is what the timer screens look like. I love the simple display, and the numbers are big enough for me to see when I am jumping on the trampoline and have my iPhone on the bench nearby.
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(collage of four different segments)

For my fun, fast 30 minute fitness trampoline workout, I set the first interval for one minute (trampoline), the second interval for two minutes (weights), and repeat 10 times for 10 sets.

One minute is good for the trampoline intervals. I do a different move each time–jogging, high knee running, jumping jacks, jumping, twisting jumps, skiing jumps, etc.

Two minutes is pretty good for the weight intervals, but sometimes I finish early or am not quite finished when the interval ends–depending on what exercise I am doing and how many reps. (You can see an example of my weight routine here.)

Of course, the exact time I spend on the trampoline and doing weights is not that important. What matters is that I’m getting in a good workout and having fun!

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