Definitely my new favorite quote.

Don’t you just love that quote. I am a firm believer in helping all those around you by motivation and encouragement. I guess that is what teachers do! I have become very inspired by a lot of quotes and I have been sharing some of them on my Instagram. Please click and follow my Instagram for these quotes and other Red Daily happenings!

My daily life changes need to be small to be conquered. The whole Rome wasn’t built in a day scenario rings true to my life.

I have decided on two changes to implement on a daily basis:

1. Clean two things I deem necessary when I get home from work
2. Implement a daily activity requirement

Yesterday, I came home and did my dishes and put away my laundry. Good job, Anna. Those are daily chores most stay-at-home-moms could do while feeding the baby and mopping the floor. Well, if that is your thought, you’re very much correct! I admire all the work moms do and I hope to be just as good at these daily tasks by the time I have my own children, but right now, these daily tasks burden me. I have allowed them to burden me and I give them way too much power. Therefore, the fact that I did both of these on an evening after my first day back at work really surprises me. I am proud I did these two things because dishes and laundry are probably my least favorite chores.

As for the implementing some sort of daily activity, I have decided on a wall sit challenge. I thought this was a good idea because I have a weakness in my hamstrings, an injury in my sacrum, and a weak core in general. I did not start on April 1st, but I did the first three days last night. It works all the way up to 5 minutes! Check it out below:

What challenges are you breaking down and chipping away at piece by piece? Let me know and let’s do this together!

Hi everyone!

Where did I go post-marathon? I pretty much fell into a rut of work, work, work and have been giving myself no time. That is all about to change. I have re-named my blog, gave it a new look, and a new focus!

I have lost myself completely sense the marathon. I have fallen into thinking of nothing but work sense October 7th. I have noticed this about myself, whatever goal I have set, I fall completely into it and my life becomes driven toward that goal. This is both a positive and a negative. Since the marathon, I have had no goal set for myself. Well, no goal that has a timeline or set event. I am very driven, but I need a tangible event to work toward. This needs to change and that is why I have made this blog and my lifestyle the new “goal,” if you will.

The name:

My nickname: red

Red is also a play on words for read. I hope you come and visit and see what I am up to on a daily basis!

Red on a daily basis, read on a daily basis

I like clever little names for blogs, but I am also an instant gratification person, therefore, this name had to be thought of quickly! I’m a piece of work aren’t I?

The focus:

I am chalk full of bad habits (aren’t we all? No? Just me?) and these bad habits lead to me neglecting the basics sometimes (i.e. cooking for myself, doing the dishes right away, working out, etc.). I just feel these are habits that need to be overturned and can be with a little more focus and direction.

I have been feeling like I am floating around without direction since the marathon and have recently caught a few episodes of Joyce Meyer’s Enjoying Everyday Life. Of course she has a new book out and of course I am interested because it is called Making Good Habits, which is just what I need to do! So, I’m reading this book and will begin to forge forth with some new habits. I hope to gain a lot of insight and change my bad habits into good habits!

I’ll be blogging my way through the book and I hope you’ll join me!

@ the Chicago Marathon Expo

After a long road of training, complete with injury, injury-induced depression, and lack of motivation… I completed the 2012 Chicago Marathon.

Did you know you get a cape when you’re done with a marathon?

There aren’t enough words to describe the experience. It was all I could have asked for and more. I’m here to say I never hit an emotional or physical wall. The creates a paradox for me: I don’t want to taint that experience because it was so perfect, but because it was so perfect, I want to replicate the experience.

I won’t recap every mile because honestly, I cannot tell you what happened at each mile; it all becomes a blur.

I break it down to this… I didn’t over-train & I ran with my friends Natalie & Ewa, my mentor & inspiration Lisa joined us for 6 miles, & it was amazing.

I’ll post what I said on Facebook; it is the best way I can summarize the experience (from training to crossing the finish line):

The thing about training for a marathon is… it can make you jaded. You start to look at the miles as if they mean nothing. You run a 15 miler one weekend and an 18 miler then next & you sort of forget how those miles are truly epic. Yes, there are people out there who do ultra-marathons (50 miles, 100 miles, etc.), but you little ole you just decided to make it through 26.2 miles. It is a decision. You can train all you want, but the decision to lace up that morning of your first marathon (or you 50th) is still a decision. The decisions continue: the decision to keep going even though a blister is forming on your right toe, the decision to keep going even though, at mile 18, you haven’t personally been cheered on by anyone yet, and finally, you decide to keep going even though your body tells you it is done.

I am so, so proud of everyone who decided to start the journey & I am especially proud of my personal friends who have transformed their lives throughout this process. I love all of you & I am so happy to have such determined people in my life. “The person who starts the marathon is not the same person who finishes the marathon.”

Thank you to everyone who was there to cheer me on, in person and in spirit, and to those of you have followed my journey from training’s beginning till I crossed the finish line on October 7, 2012. 

Enjoy some of the pictures from my 2012 Chicago Marathon experience:

Ewa, myself, and Nat waitin’ on the Port-a-Potties

In the start corral

Start line… meeeeeep!

More start line…

My aunt and mom at mile 20

In Chinatown… won’t you take me to bon, nah, nah… CHINATOWN!

Finish line with my Nat!

26.2 Chicago = Owned

The sign my aunt made for me.

With my Aunt Mary after the race

My Mom with all the signs she made… pardon the awkwardness of this photo hahaha

A day to remember.

P.S. The marathon led to a week of being sick & a Z Pack… well worth it!

My big, ole Irish family, all 30+ of us, headed to Union Pier, Michigan to celebrate my Godmother & aunt, Mary.  She has been a constant presence in each one of her 17 nieces and nephews lives. She’s supportive & encouraging & always willing to give us the tough love we need. We rented a house & stayed between the big house & my aunt & uncle’s lake house.

Last night was amazing. The sunset, s’mores, & toast to my aunt were all perfect. Enjoy these photos… there really is something about Pure Michigan.

Our set up

Birthday cupcakes

My beautiful, handsome nieces, nephew, & myself

Buddy taking a break from the action

Fireside

Bridget, her crazy hair, & even crazier face

Sending lanterns out in honor of Aunt Mary

Bridget, Liam, myself, Megan, & Holly

My beautiful mom & myself

Patsy, Jackie, Mary, my dad (John), Julie, Patrick, & Michael, the Morris “children”

My mom holding the sun

We couldn’t have asked for a better night or a better time. Happy Birthday, Aunt Mary! You deserve all the best!

Happy Running!

Here is a fun little factoid chart about everything marathon! My cousin Claire shared this with me

Credit goes to CheapSally.com

Happy Running & Training! Be safe & careful in this heat!

I am 5 days into my Whole 30  challenge.

I have cooked, shopped, & ate more meat than  I have in the past 5 days.

I have chopped, diced, crockpotted (a verb? No? Now it is…) & nom nom nommed!

My morning meals started out looking like a lot of eggs & spinach. I had to choke down my spinach in my egg scramble by Wednesday.

Groung beef, zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, & tomato salad with a White Wine Balsamic Vinegar dressing.

Turkey Basil Meatloaf & Grilled Asparagus

I have always wanted a Crockpot & then this little gem popped up @ Target (gets you everytime!!!!) for $16!!! 4.5 quarts & adorable… it also opened up my cooking horizons. I even woke up early to prep for the meal… who am I these days!?

My “masterpiece” of the week. Rump roast & cauliflower simmered in garlic, cumin, & chicken broth. Best cauliflower ever! The roast was a little dry, but this was the most “legitimate” meal I made all week, not to exclude the meatloaf though

I can see myself making these changes permenantly, but I did cheat today & about 5 minutes ago… I had two sips of Coke Zero.  I had a mean sugar craving & it needed to be silenced otherwise I would have headed for the ice cream or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Minor set back & it isn’t effecting my overall 30 days. Not getting off the horse.

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Week 8 Summer Marathon Training

I only ran once this week for 4 miles. I need some serious motivation in this area. Tomorrow is the group run with CARA- Chicago Area Runners Association  out of Running Excels- the running shop CARA trains out of for marathon training. Check them out if you’re in need of new shoes or just gear in general

I’m off to finish watching the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics.

If you care to follow my Twitter feed (redruns87)— I’m tweeting about the Olympics all night & throughout their duration.

Happy Running & Eating!

Without a play-by-play on my food for the last two days, I’ll just let you know how I am feeling.

Yesterday, I felt pretty good. I snacked, which apparently is a no-no because you’re trying to retrain your brain to not eat everything under the sun… around 3 o’clock I started getting the dreaded sugar-detox headache. I pushed through it & went off to babysitting.

By the time I was done babysitting, I still had the headache & I felt so sick to my stomach I thought I was going to be sick. I went home & passed out for the night. I also ended up walking to the couch at some point during the night as well. I have no recollection of doing so.

I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to a nasty storm & my dog not wanting to come in despite the rain. I wasn’t hungry, which I have read means your hormone levels are off & that you should be hungry when you wake up. Per It Starts with Food’s recommendation, I made myself breakfast, sat at the table & ate.

Within the next hour I was asleep again! I slept from roughly 8 a.m till 11:45 a.m. Almost another 4 hours of sleep! I never nap.

Needless to say, my body is completely out of whack from eating no refined carbohydrates, sugar, or artificial sweeteners. I know these things are miserable to deal with, but I am also happy I am seeing some changes already. I was also less bloated this morning & have not bloated as much as I usually do during the day. Isn’t that hot?

On to a Paleo dinner with my co-teacher & we are off to see Teddy Geiger. Oh, 2000s popstars… brings me back to high school!

Happy Running & Eating!