Monday Once Again... Let's Kick This Week's Butt!

First off... a belated HAPPY EASTER to everyone who's reading this. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and holiday! Mine weekend was much needed and my Easter was pretty chill, but more about that in a bit.

It really is crazy how fast a holiday weekend flies by. You count down the days (which seem to take an eternity) till you have a free day off of work and then POOF! It's time to go back to work. There's one big silver lining to this particular Monday though. I get to see my girls in two more sleeps! I did get to talk to them yesterday and they sound like they are having a great time, which is awesome. Mama just misses her cubs. This will be our longest stretch apart... ever! So, I'm anxious to get some hugs and hear all about their adventures!

Until then...

Friday was a perfect day off! I slept in, the weather was gorgeous, I got everything on my list done and I even got out for my second run of the season. It was an awesome run too! I'm having a lot of fun with my heart rate monitor! I ordered a bluetooth strap for it a couple of weeks ago, since I apparently lost the original one after one use. GRRR!! Anyway, the new one talks to my watch and my phone, so I use the phone app while I run. As you can see, this run went MUCH better than the last one and my heart rate was 1 bpm over the high end of my range, so I will take that.

Second run stats with HR monitor info.

First run comparison pic - I forgot to link my 

HR monitor to the app.

I was hooked up to my HR watch for the run, but haven't learned how to take all of the info I want off of it yet. I know that a good portion of my first run was spent running well over 160 bpm and even into the 180s for a bit, so the fact that my heart rate was so much lower the second run give me hope. Lower heart rate meant less pain. That is a crazy correlation, but the best I've come across yet. Either way, the second run felt good. It felt natural... like I was finding my stride. I finished happy, in minimal pain and ready for my next run (well, after a break anyway).

I was really scared that the first run was going to be a major fluke! I even had side pain in the car on the way to the trail before the second run, so I was super nervous. Once I got going it stayed present, but didn't increase, so it was more of just a nagging annoyance, but I can completely deal with that!

Needless to say I was flying pretty high on happiness on Friday. I met up with my parents and some friends for dinner and drinks and then met up with my best friend and her cousin on my way home. By the time I sat down on the couch that night I was content and my Fitbit was telling me I had gone well over my goal for the day. WOOHOO!

Saturday The Hubby and I enjoyed the day together. Mother Nature was throwing a temper tantrum, so outdoor activities were out of the question. Darn snow! So, we headed to the mall to have lunch and buy new tubes for my road bike tires, then did a little shopping and went to a movie. We even decided to go out to dinner together since we were both planning to hit it hard on THM for the next few weeks before vacation - then again after vacation until Memorial Day Weekend. 

Needless to say, we go off plan more than people who lose quickly do, but we live with our choices and I'm not hating my body. I would love to lose another 20 pounds, but I know I was miserable when I was 20 pounds heavier last year! I'll get there.

Since Mother Nature didn't wrap up her tantrum until Sunday afternoon, our Easter plans were a bit altered. My best friend and I went to brunch and headed up the North Shore to do some sight seeing. Unfortunately, one walk around one of the parks and our feet were cold and wet. We sucked it up on the way back to do our usual walk out to one of the light houses and back, but then we threw in the towel. The wind was bitter cold and it just wasn't as much fun as we were hoping! Oh well... next time. We did get a chance to talk about running and race plans. I'm so excited for this spring and summer!

Speaking of running, this past week I failed to get in all of my triathlon training. I didn't get to the gym to swim and taking my bike out in the snow yesterday just wasn't going to happen, so... Here's the plan this week!

Karate is back in session, so we'll be attending classes on Monday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday night. Tonight I'll run, tomorrow I'll bike, no training Wednesday through Friday and then I'll get out for a run Saturday and a swim on Sunday. I have the girls over the weekend, so they'll be excited to head to the pool with me. It will be interesting to see how my body enjoys the ramp up of activity. Hopefully I can keep a similar schedule where I double up one day, but then have one or two days complete off. Either way, if I want to do this, I'll have to suck it up and give it a lot of effort!

Anyway... since it's Monday, it's that time again.

Monday - Baked Parmesan & Garlic Chicken Breasts with Garlic Quinoa

Tuesday - Cilantro Lime Turkey Tacos

Wednesday - Cottage Pancakes, Fruit & Bacon

Thursday - Cheeseburger Pie with Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Friday - Egg White, Mozzarella & Turkey Bacon on Sourdough Sandwich with Fruit

Saturday - Shrimp Tacos

Sunday - Dreamfields Spaghetti with Italian Sausage & Salad

We're also trying out a new E snack out of the book. Sorry, but due to copyright laws I can't share that one here. It's a homemade granola that I'm hoping to pair up with my greek yogurt and some strawberries! That's the only new recipe on the menu this week. We're back to basics for this week to get a clean jump on our "18 Days 100% On Plan" plan. The Hubby is back on board with me this time around and Emmy Lou said she'd be happy to join in when she gets back from her trip. The other kids will eat the same prepared meals we make, but we offer a few off-plan choices for their breakfasts, snacks and lunches at this point.

Basically, it all started with a plan to buckle down and do it 100% for 30 days. After this challenge of 18 days and one more weekend off, we'll be back at it. The 40 days of the next challenge will have us knocking on the door of our 1 year Trimaversary - the day we started Trim Healthy Mama. I would love to be one of the people who can post a solid success story. Actually, I know I CAN be! I just have to stick to what I know, work the plan, plan to succeed and nail my training plan. I've got this!