April 12, 2015

Nathan's birthday

I had intended to write a blog post yesterday, but we went over to my parents' house for dinner, and ended up staying a lot later than I thought!

Yesterday morning, I went to the rec center to use the elliptical. I wanted to get in the equivalent of an 11-mile run, so my plan was to do 110 minutes. I got there right when they opened at 9:00, and I saw a bunch of people on the outdoor track, along with tents. I asked what was going on, and it was a track meet! I would have loved to watch it (I've never seen a track meet before), but I was wearing my indoor workout clothes, and I would have frozen to death.

Anyway, I got on the elliptical, and right away, I started wondering how I was going to manage to do it for nearly two hours. The first time I used it, the kids were playing racquetball across from me, which was a nice distraction (when I wasn't breaking up their arguments). Yesterday, though, it was SO boring.

I started to think, "Well, I'll just do an hour" and then "How about 45 minutes?" and ultimately, I ended up doing 30 minutes before calling it quits. There was a machine next to me that looks like the ellipical, but there is a bike seat (so it's like a recumbent bike, but with elliptical pedals). Anyway, I thought maybe if I got on that, I could finish out the 110 minutes I'd intended. After about five minutes on that, I was really uncomfortable. I felt really restless, and I kept trying to shift positions but it didn't help. So, I only did 10 minutes on that, bringing the total workout time to 40 minutes.

I think for my next long run, I'm going to do the deep water running again. That was really comfortable, I enjoyed it, and the time went by quickly (for the most part). I can do the elliptical, but probably only for 30 minutes at a time. Since the weather is getting nicer, though, I can start using my bike outside!


Jerry and I went to Lowe's in the afternoon to get some stuff for the house (door knobs for the bedroom doors, drawer pulls for the kids' dressers, some trim that needed replacing, etc. Then we spent all afternoon working on that stuff. I love doing "handyman" projects like that--something as simple as a new door knob makes a big difference.

For dinner, my mom invited us over for Nathan's birthday. Nathan turned 31 a few days ago, so she made ribs and pasta, and invited some family over to celebrate. Kendall, Nathan's girlfriend, had a cake made that was really perfect for Nathan! He loves to fish, so she requested a walleye cake. It turned out really good:



It was vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream, so how could I resist?! I had been planning for it all day, though, so I made sure to eat a light breakfast and lunch. The cake was delicious! I was tempted to bring a piece home for later, but I knew it wouldn't have even lasted through the night, so I didn't ;)

My aunts and uncles were talking about how long they've been married, and I think it's awesome that they've been married so long! My parents have been married for 44 years, my Aunt Mickey and Uncle Al have been married 54 years, and my Aunt Pat and Uncle Tom have been married for 40 years. It's not very often you hear of people being married that long.

Anyway, we played a game of Thirty-One and then headed home. I was super exhausted for some reason, and was in bed by 10:30.


Don't forget that tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a photo and accomplishment you'd like to share, you can check out how to do so here.

11 comments:

  1. Congrats on making it 30 minutes on the elliptical. For some reason, that is the most boring workout equipment for me. I love the challenge of the treadmill and I even like to use a stationary bike because I can read on a stationary bike. The elliptical though, is tough. Good job!

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  2. Have you ever tried a spin class? I have a hip injury that prevents me from running long distances so I've switched over to cycling and love doing spin! You should check it out!

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  3. It's true about the marriage thing, my grandparents celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary last week, which is so rare to hear of!

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  4. Wow, Nathan looks like he's lost even more weight. Happy birthday to him :) I'm so sorry your stress fracture has you down again but am glad you're doing things to stay active. If you were successful doing water jogging, I'd say stick with what works.

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  5. Wow, Nathan looks like he's lost even more weight. Happy birthday to him :) I'm so sorry your stress fracture has you down again but am glad you're doing things to stay active. If you were successful doing water jogging, I'd say stick with what works.

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  6. I find the elliptical super boring too. The fish cake is pretty awesome tho!

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  7. I agree with the "bore" factor of the elliptical!! It seems such a poorly designed piece of fitness equipment. That cake sure looks good. Ah ....don't you love hearing about couples who've been together for a long time? Next year, my husband & I will celebrate our 40th. Where did the time go?

    All the best for a great week Katie.
    Cheers!

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  8. Not a fan of the elliptical either - something about the motion is even more monotonous than the treadmill. Thank you for being an example not letting injury derail you fitness goals :)

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  9. That really sucks about the stress fracture; I know you were so happy to be running again! Hopefully it will heal quickly.

    I've been following you for a while, mostly lurking, but I wanted you to know that you've inspired me to start running! This morning I ran in 5-minute intervals, which is just crazy for me. As someone who struggles with binge eating, I relate well to a lot of what you have to say. I also have been toying with the idea of starting a blog, and I finally did it--it's not much yet, but feel free to check it out :) P.S. You're mentioned on my About page ;) www.loveyourselfhealthy.net

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  10. 110 minutes on an elliptical? I could never manage to go that long! I read that and my mouth opened in shock. I am glad you called it quits after 30 minutes! That is a great workout anyhow, and I don’t see the need to go any further. Especially since you are injured right now! No reason to stress your body for an extended amount of time.

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  11. That's great that your parents' and aunts/uncles' marriages have lasted so long. There were 7 children in my Dad's family. One never married and passed away as a youngish adult, but 5 of the other 6 have celebrated 50th anniversaries. And the 6th is headed for 50 years, God willing.

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