Arnold |

I Will be married!! That seems so crazy to me! I woke up this morning and looked at the calendar and realized I needed to get my ~~ass~~ butt into gear! I only have 6 months to get toned up and lookin good! I also have something else to start training for. I just signed up for my first 5k race. I’m terrified. I have exactly 6 weeks to get ready. If you recall, I have a hard time running consecutively with my asthma. My goal for the race is to finish in under 38 minutes, and to run MOST of the race.

So today I got up, had a carb + protein filled breakfast and hit the pavement!

I toasted a piece of Arnold protein bread and topped it with peanut butter and 1/3 a banana. I washed it down with a french vanilla k-cup.

My favorite place to run is Cushing Memorial Park. Its about a 10 minute drive from my house so I try to go as often as possible.

There are 3 reasons why I love this Park.

#1 Its free. Due to my tighter than tight budget, I cannot afford a gym membership.

#2 It’s very safe. There are always people running, walking their dogs, or riding bikes with their kids. I have never felt uncomfortable, and its for pedestrian use only. I also recently found out that the town put up cameras around the track as an extra precaution.

I just love seeing those signs of spring

#3 The mile markers

Every 1/4 of a mile there is one of these markers letting you know how far you have walked. There are two complete loops around this park. One loop is 1 mile and the second is 1 1/4 miles. Typically I do 3-4 laps around the longer loop and for a total of 3 3/4 – 5 miles. Seeing that the Big Day is 6 months away, I decided to do 5 miles this morning.

Today I really wanted to focus on slowing down, and trying to run as long as I could consecutively. I started out walking 1/4 mile and then running 1/4 mile. After 2 laps of that pattern I switched to running 1/2 mile, walking about 1/4 of a mile. I was very out of breath when I ran 1/2 mile, but I was able to catch my breath much easier than I anticipated. I plan on taking this 5k journey 1 day at a time. I will take any advice I can get!!! hint hint

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So I just got home from volleyball and I had a BLAST! I was a little worried I would be rusty because I haven’t played in 8 years, but it was just like riding a bike. It was super laid back and we did about 6 mini games. They were a mix of 4 on 4, 5 on 5 and 6 on 6. My thighs are already killing me from the squatting haha AND as predicted my arms look as if I spent all day baking in the sun. But it was a great workout and competition. I can’t wait for next week!

So before I discuss our amazing dinner we had slow cooking all day, I want to share my redemption sandwich. If you read WIAW this week, you saw this pathetic disgrace of a sandwich.

Well today’s lunch was 180 degrees better!

“OMG that looks amazing whats in it?!”

Well I’m so glad you asked that invisible friends. This is a lemon pepper chicken breast cutlet with lettuce, tomato, cheese and pickles on 2 pieces of Arnold protein bread. As you can probably tell, Nolan and I did some grocery shopping last night! Now normally grocery shopping is a hassle, but it is actually our FAVORITE thing in the world to do. I’m serious. We both love to cook (and eat) so we have a blast shopping for ingredients. We always look for new things to try, and last night we struck the jackpot.

Everyone, meet Porky!!! Porky was an adorable 3 lb pork shoulder that Nolan and I just couldn’t resit! (Some food is just so good, it deserves a name) Right away we knew we had to bring him home and have delicious pulled pork sandwiches tonight. Nolan covered Porky with a mix of spices that included Grill Mates dry pork rub and some other “secret” ingredients. His exact words when I asked him were “I’ll tell you when you’re older”.

He put him in the crock pot with a whole sliced onion and added Bullseye Sweet and Tangy BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar.

Isn’t he pretty?! Porky marinated over night and then before I left for work this morning, I turned him on low. 8 hrs later, we came home to an incredible smelling apartment and perfectly pulled pork

Believe me, he tasted a million times better than he looks, I promise. I just love crock pot meals. They are so convenient and there’s an endless amount of possibilities. Food coma time!