Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Watch out for cows


Cows are a powerful animal. Yes...cows, the 4-legged animals we so often eat, aka beef.  They subliminally infiltrate our minds via Skinny Cow ice cream commercials and urge us to snack on them through McDonald's Angus beef snack wrap ads.  Today, for lunch, I had a craving for some cow carcass.  I toyed with the ideas of swinging by Wendy's, Portillo's or McDonald's for my fill.  A cheesy burger with a side of papas fritas sounded so enchanting, so easy to consume. Then I thought about all the hard work I'd put into the gym yesterday...the miles I ran on the treadmill and the weights I lifted.  I also thought about the Pussycat Dolls Workout DVD I did this morning before work and something in me said "No, Cyn.  How will eating part of a dead cow help you lose weight?".  And like a message from God, a Jamba Juice appeared to my left and I swung into the left turn bay to get my Jamba on.  Well, I was already in the left lane, so it wasn't as dramatic as I'm making it sound but I ended up getting a Mango Smoothie and a Chicken Curry Wrap instead of my burger and fries.  Nutritional values: 630 calories, 7gs fat, 19g protein. 


Who needs cow on a Tuesday, anyways?

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Michael Jackson workout at the DuSable Museum

For Children, By Children (FCBC) burned some major calories Friday night
impersonating the Jackson 5 in
Expressions of MJ.
DuSable Museum auditorium


Last night I attended a performance called Expressions of MJ at the DuSable Museum and all I can say is "AMAZING!".  It was presented by For Children, By Children (FCBC)and highlighted songs/dances/moments from the life of the ‘King of Pop’, Michael Jackson. From little Michael performing with The Jackson Five and later The Jacksons, to some of his most memorable music videos and dazzling live performances, the cast of FCBC put on a highly energetic showcase of the life of Michael Joseph Jackson.  Best $15 dollars I've ever spent on a Friday night!  Everything was sooo professional and my friend who also attended mentioned, "We should learn all the dances".  Michael Jackson workout anyone??  I think so.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

New Pink Shoes!

Quote of the Day:  
Debby Miller: Beth! Why'd you have to congratulate her? 
Beth: I don't know.She's a human being, isn't she? 
Debby Miller: She's wearing pink shoes. 
-From the movie Hysterical Blindness
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This girl got herself some new running shoes!!!  After taking a very official Facebook poll about the best running shoes on the market for ladies, ASICS was the winner.



These bad boys are pink Asics Gel-Fluent 2s and are way better than the running sneaks I was rocking from Kohl's.  Also, they were 40% off on 6pm.com which btw, is an awesome website.  I ordered my pink ladies on Sunday and they arrived in perfect condition on Tuesday.  I put them to test yesterday on the treadmill and my feet and knees feel *amazing*.  It's crazy how a good shoe can make a huge difference.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Why I don't need an iPod

* * *
Quote of the Day:  Act like a horse. Be dumb. Just run. -Jumbo Elliot, Track and Field Coach

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"The Feel Better Soup & Sandwich Meal That's Cheaper than Panera


My throat was feeling itchy on Sunday night so I decided to make a feel better meal.  It must've worked because I woke up Monday morning feeling peachy.  Ingredients: A mix of food from Trader Joe's and Dominick's.  Soup = TJ's Low Sodium Creamy Tomato boxed soup (yum).  Sandwich = toasted TJ's Tuscan Pane bread with munster and American cheese, TJ's Sun-dried Roma tomatoes in olive oil, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, Miracle Whip and TJ's Spicy Mustard.  Drink = Water.  Vitamins = C and D.  Holy heaven in my mouth.

* * *
Why I don't need an iPod
Move over Apple, there's a new fruit in town
I'm obsessed with my Blackberry Curve.  If there was a way I could take a picture of my Curve with my Curve and post the picture on this blog, I'd do it but let's not get too crazy.  I'll just settle for the stock photo.
The Blackberry Curve is truly the best fruit-named phone I've tried, and this morning, while completing a quick run outside, I fell in love all over again when in the Blackberry App World catalogue I discovered the App called iMapMyRun. This tool tracks runs by average speed, mileage, time, current speed and is pretty much like a treadmill electronic display without the incline control.  


Alright.  Calm down you Apple iPhone freaks.  I know your kind also has the same App but personally, I don't like the iPhone.  I find Apple iPhone users snobby.  Clearly, Blackberry users are superior.  After all, the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice, and I happen to have a black Blackberry.  

So this morning, while I was running with the App on, and my Pussycat Dolls Pandora station, I couldn't help but smile.  Maybe it was because I said "hello" to half a dozen mamas standing with their Catholic-school-uniform-wearing kiddies at the school bus stop while songs like Buttons blared through my headphones and it seemed all too appropriate.  Or maybe it was because Crackberries really do have a crack-like effect on users.

Regardless, I didn't always love the berry.  My first Blackberry was the Pearl and was purchased from eBay, naturally.  It proved to be horrid.  It blocked my incoming text messages.  Sometimes it wouldn't let me pick up calls or show the icon that let me know I had 8 new voicemails waiting to be heard.  Sometimes I'd see a friend, and they'd ask why I didn't return a call.  And I'd say,  "You didn't call."  And they'd say, "Yes I did".  And then I'd tap into my voicemail, and of course I'd have half a dozen new messages from yester year.  And worst of all, the Pearl froze a lot.   The only thing it was good for was Brickbreaker. 


So, when it was time to get a new phone, I swore up and down that I would get anything but another Blackberry.  That was until a Sprint store associate told me if I traded in my Pearl I would get a FREE new & improved Blackberry Curve, no questions asked.  That's when I said sayonara to my Pearl faster than a speeding Toyota, and embraced the new Curve the same way one embraces a new addition to the Taco Bell value menu: I just didn't know if it would be good but I thought I'd give it a chance.

It's been four months, and so far so good.  I use my Curve constantly.  I text.  I play Brickbreaker, Word Scramble and Texas Hold 'Em.  I listen to Pandora radio via my Curve at the gym, in my car and at home.  I watch YouTube videos.  I utilitze the GPS capabilities.  I add reminder memos, events to my calender and update Facebook statuses.  It's the only camera I own.  It's my alarm clock.  And, sometimes I even use the darn thing as a phone.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

If you want to be a better runner...

If you want to be a better runner, you've got to run more. It's as simple as that. -Tom Fleming, running coach
October 2002:  Running my first 5K in Urbana, IL.


I know it's only Tuesday, but I haven't gotten in as much running this week as I would like.  I usually save long runs for Saturday mornings, but I also appreciate a one or two-miler quickly on week nights.  This week has been so insanely busy. I've been super busy with job interviews and work.  I have 5 interviews scheduled for within a span of 10 day.   It's exhausting prepping and travelling to these places of employment, remembering titles/names/clever/creative ways to say why I'm so awesome and qualified and should be the newest hire.  When it rains, it pours I guess.    Like running, I guess the more interviews I do, the better interviewer I become.  Lot's hope that one of these jobs pans out!   Tom Fleming, running coach 

Monday, August 16, 2010

Chicago Lung Run on Sept. 11th!

Hello all.  A friend and I are running in the 2010 Chicago Lung Run on Sept. 11th.  It's my second Lung Run and I plan to run like I stole something.   All for Grandpa Edwards.
Help me meet my $250 Fundraising goal!

Help me meet my fundraising goals:  
http://www.active.com/donate/2010LungRun/cedwards or
Join in on the fun:  http://www.active.com/running/chicago-il/chicago-lung-run-10k-5k-and-1-mile-walk-2010

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Week in Review - August 15, 2010

August 15th now.  Really?  What happened to the first 15 days?
This week was busy busy busy with lots of job applications,  interviews, eBay orders.
Still did awesome with workouts and quasi awesome with food.
  • Number of workouts over the past week:  4.
  • Food:  Average. Except for Friday lunch.  That Johnny Rockets burger was a poor decision, and I was not all that impressed.  And I had my fair share of PBRs on Friday night.  Otherwise, I stepped it up on fruits, veggies and protein this week.  (is butter a carb?)
  • Number of Hours Slept:  Average.  Went to bed in the a.m. most nights but took some naps.
  • Daily water:  Getting better.  Needs improvement
  • Total miles run thus far:  8.21
  • Total pounds lost thus far:  10.4 lbs
Goals for this upcoming week:  RUN!
Post-church:  At Sunday lunch on August 15th. 
For now, eating a grape Push Up and watching Hot Tub Time Machine before bed.  Fist pump!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Goals. Why not reach for the stars?

It's always good to have goals.  To stay focused on excellence, I keep a Goal Binder for all areas of my life (Career, Health, Family, Friends, Finances, Fun Stuff/Hobbies). It's what keeps me going on a day-to-day basis.

In a binder, I keep a numbered checklist of goals on looseleaf paper, accompanied by photos, printouts and magazine cutouts that inspire me to reach my goals, and I update/edit the book as needed ( How to make a goal book). If I reach the goal, I check off that goal.   If, after weeks/months I no longer want to reach the goal, I cross it off.

My newest goal entry:  Run 250 miles by New Years 2011!
Yesterday, while doing a short evening run, I thought about how much I used to run in college, nearly everyday!  My love for running started when I arrived at the University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign campus, for pre-college orientation.  The first image I remember seeing on campus was a chick, who happened to be wearing a red Jimmy Eat World tee, running outside.   

So much in life seems inflexible and unchangeable, and part of the joy of running and especially racing is the realization that improvement and progress can be achieved. - Nancy Anderson, runner


I saw her and thought:  "I want to do that. I want to be a runner.".  So my first year of college, my novice running self started running nearly everyday.  I started off slow, but after two months, I was running my first 5K and loving everything about running.   I ran outside.   I ran at my campus' indoor track.  I ran on the treadmill.  I ran solo. I ran with friends.  Running literally kept me going throughout those years.  

When I was mad/angry, I threw a CD into my portable player (pre-mp3 player days...at least for me), usually a  Linkin' Park assortment burned from Blubster, and ran for as long as I could.  Sometimes it'd be a quick run for 20 minutes.  Other times it'd be much longer.  Sometimes, I wouldn't keep track.    When I was happy/excited I would run.  Usually with a Britney Spears assortment, also courtesy of Blubster.  And when I was bored/had nothing better to do, I would run, constantly setting new goals.  New distances/paths.   New abilities. 

I frickin' loved how my abs/legs/body/mind felt during/after running and I loved that running kept me in excellent shape.   Now, as I embark on my 250 mile journey, I'm excited to see where I land.

Upcoming running goals:
  • Long Saturday runs
  • Chicago Lung Run 5k Sept 11th
  • More running outside!
  • 250 miles by New Years 2011!


Nancy Anderson, runner 

Monday, August 2, 2010

Salmon to the rescue

Today I didn't have much of an appetite. Maybe because I didn't have to go to work and slept in sorta late. I snacked on some Walnuts before my afternoon class of Turbo Kick and then had a Grilled Salmon Salad for dinner. 


Simple Gilled Salmon Salad recipe: Season 4 oz raw Salmon with seafood seasoning, pepper and salt, throw it on the George Foreman.   Grab a plate and throw on a few handfuls of Ready Made Salad and chopped Cherry Tomatoes.   Add the grilled salmon while it's still hot.  Sprinkle a tablespoon of thousand island dressing over the salad.  Total Calories:  Approx. 335

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Week in Review - August 1, 2010

Is it already August?   Apparently so.
This week was all about maintaining. No gains.  No losses.

  • Number of workouts over the past week:  2 aka weak sauce
  • Food:  Below par.  Pizza and 3-pound bags of gummy bears are the devil.
  • Number of Hours Slept:  Average
  • Daily water:  Needs improvement
  • Total pounds lost thus far:  10.4 lbs
Goals for this upcoming week:   lose 2.5 pounds, complete 6 workouts, run 15 miles, avoid cheese