A Quick Picture Update!

Things have been pretty insane since I got to Detroit yesterday but thanks to Starbucks I've been surviving the minimal sleep! It's been great seeing all the cousins! I was even able to get my last August run in this morning so its been a pretty good day overall!
We're headed to my brother's fiancée's house for a little get together tonight so that should be fun! Here are some pictures from my first day and half here in Motor City!

Detroit Eve!

Well, it's not really eve since I'm leaving for the airport in a few hours but that's not important right now! In a few hours (see 4am), I'll be on my way to the GSO airport to Detroit (by way of Reagan Int'l) for my brother's engagement party weekend! I definitely have my own opinions but this isn't the time to share them- only a time to be happy for my brother and celebrate this next big step he is taking in life! I'm so lucky and happy that we repaired our relationship all those many years ago so I can share in celebrations like this with him and our family.

My older brother, fur-nephew Dr. Dre, and I- Christmas 2011

I originally planned to ride up in the car with my parents (they left earlier this week) but they weren't planning on coming back until a day later than I took off at work and already scheduled meetings for that day.  SO- I found a plane ticket last week so I could work a few extra days and make the $$ (or as T.I. and RiRi say, "chasing that paper" hahaha). I also used my brain and got my parents to take my large amounts of clothing and accessories in the car with them so I only have a few last minute items to take with me on the airplane so hopefully that will make my early flight out/late flight back much smoother than having to deal with luggage!

This has been such a crazy week- I spent last weekend at my parents' house to help my mom out with preparations for this trip (my parents are throwing/hosting this ooc party for my brother and his fiancée) and to get some additional opinions on my outfit selections for the weekend haha! My dad actually told me the sari I picked out for the party looked "too old" and I need to wear something "young and for a girl" since I am unmarried. Craziness all around, seriously. BUT, now I have a most beautiful outfit picked out for the party! Well, after a crazy weekend in Danville, I've been working a lot this week trying to make sure everything will be OK on the cases I've been working on the past few weeks.  I was so dilirious today after work, I headed to the post office at 5:30 and didn't realize it was closed until I was inside! CLEARLY my mind's been preoccupied with a number of different life issues (both good & stressful life issues haha).

So, now there's my justification for the lack of Playlist Wednesday and Training Thursday! I'm excited to finish out this month strong with my Detroit training and I CANNOT WAIT to share my Month In Review: August post once I am back next week. I have some really exciting news that I am just over the moon just thinking about this big life accomplishment!

In lieu of my Playlist Wednesday and Training Thursday posts, here are some songs I've been obsessing over this week (ok maybe the past few weeks) but hopefully I can make a few updates over the weekend from Detroit!

I am OBSESSED with this song. The End.

I'll be your strawberry bubblegum, if you'll be my blueberry lollipop..

Love me some T.I.- such a beautiful beautiful man and I am also obsessed with this song and his show on VH1 with his hilarious family!

 

Watch out Detroit &Eminem, I'm coming! 

 

Hope everyone has a wonderful (and safe) Labor Day Weekend! Enjoy the time off and be sad about the end of summer!

 

 

Tuesday Thoughts!

 Ugh, summer colds are the WORST. I woke up feeling absolutely terrible so I've been taking it easy tonight just resting! I hope with enough orange juice, emergen-c, and ibuprofen, I will be back to my normal self before I head to Detroit for my brother's Engagement party weekend! 

Here is a collection of my thoughts on life this week: 

yes.

I'm so tired!

cute!

I just saw a Homeland teaser over the weekend for S3! I CAN"T WAIT!!!

Seriously Milania- I sometimes hear only 'blah blah blah' when some people talk!

my favorites! I read they were asked to host the Golden Globes again- I can't wait!!!

I've been watching The OC while I run on the treadmill and I seriously am obsessed. 

:) 

I have no idea what's so funny but I love this gif sfm.

Hope you had a great Tuesday!

 

Hey, it's ok to love these things…!

Here's what I'm loving this week:

• Tresemme Smooth& Silky Smooth Iron Style & Hold

 

I am OBSESSED with this spray for my hair. I  came across these Tresemme styling products recently when I was perusing Target.  Don't get me wrong, I am definitely a brand loyalist but I am getting fed up with Pantene after nearly 10 years of using their products.  The constant re-design of the formula and product have left me frustrated and looking elsewhere.  I wanted to give Tresemme a chance after a girlfriend told me about their heat protectant spray since I basically flatiron my hair everyday (ahh i know it's terrible don't judge me!). I am loving this spray in my hair before blowdrying and before flat-inroning in in the mornings! The spray itself also has some of that magical Argan Oil so it keeps my hair looking healthy and shiny and seriously, the frizz is minimal with this spray! Definitely check it out if you have similar issues with your hair!

• Tresemme Split Remedy Leave-In Conditioning Spray

 

OK so this is the leave-in conditioner that I traded in my Pantene one. This spray is great and not too heavy! I hate those leave-in sprays that make your hair feel heavy and sticky but this one is the complete opposite! I focus it on my ends too to help with split ends (ahhh I need a trim so bad!). I love this spray and so far, it is infinitely better than the Pantene one and smells so great!

 

• Youtubing Justin Timberlake Videos

 

OK who doesn't love some JT?! I have no reason why (ok, that's a lie, maybe I know why) but I have been obsessed with him the past few weeks and have been listening to all of my old favorites recently. My favorite song of his is probably the one he did with T.I. back when I was in college- My Love. I am seriously OBSESSED with this song. Probably because I love T.I. just as much as Justin haha! I am also loving Mirrors from The 20/20 Experience too.  I really enjoy his most recent album but nothing really will ever compare to Future Sex/Love Sounds!!

 

• Malbec Wine

A friend introduced this wine to be a few weeks ago over dinner at Europa recently. I must say, this has definitely been the summer of red wine because all of my favorites lately have been reds! This one is great and not as dry as cabernet sauvignon, which is what I usually drink.  I love how it has a little kick at the end of each sip but always leaves me trying to figure out what flavors I taste in the wine, if that makes sense! If you are thinking about trying red wines, definitely try a Malbec if you usually drink white-  I'm sure you will love this as much as I do!

 

 

• Panera Bagels

 

Oh were would I be without these in my life??! I usually cannot handle food at all before I run and I know so many runners swear by bagels & peanut butter before a long run but for me? I am in love with these panera bagels, post-run. I tend to appreciate savory items over the sweet and my favorite types are the Asiago Cheese bagel, Everything Bagel, and of course the classic Plain. I usually like to get the half dozen bagels on Sundays since I started my Detroit training plan so I know I have something solid food-wise since I am pretty flakey with the rest of my meals.

 

 What are you loving this week?!!!

Training Thursday: Detroit International Half Marathon Training Plan

Ok so if you've been following my blog for the past few months, you're probably aware that I am running in the 2013 Detroit International Half Marathon in October! I am a big fan of half marathons (my favorite race distance) and they literally changed my life. So, I like to try to pick out 1-2 bigger races throughout the country each year (if feasible) and just have fun with training and running! Oh and it keeps me in amazing shape so what's not to love??!

SO- whenever I train for a big race, I like (need) to use a training plan so I stay on track and prevent any race-day anxiety for lack of preparation.  I am a BIG/HUGE fan of Jeff Galloway and the Galloway method (run-walk-run intervals) so I usually try his training plans.  This time, I wanted to change some things up and basically googled half marathon training plans and I formulated my specific plan (in the pictures below) based on these training plans (forgive me- I didn't save the links so just google them if you are interested!):

• Runner's World SmartCoach (you can input a recent race result/pace and they will formulate a plan based on your specific body type and goals)
• Julie from pbfingers.com
• Coach Jenny (Jenny Hadfield)'s plan for Intermediate Runners
• Cool Runnings Half Marathon plan
• Shape.com (geared toward women runners)
• Hal Higdon (not really a huge fan of his but hopefully when I have time to run more than 3-4 days a week I can tackle his plan full-on)
• HalfMarathons.net
• Jeff Galloway

For my specific plan, I know I can only handle 3-4 runs per week (every other day) and I know that having a 5 mile base/short run was crucial to my massive half PR last April so I knew I wanted to work on that again.  I got the plan I used last spring for Divas HM from Julie at pbfingers.com (I am OBSESSED with her blog, and you should be as well) so I basically altered that 8 week plan to 12 weeks for my Detroit training.

As you can see, my longest "long run" is only 10 miles and this will be the first half marathon I've ever trained for without running 13+ miles pre-race.  I think I am ok with that idea by now, especially because the fact I am in such better shape than I've been in for any of my previous HMs and I have the endurance to maintain that distance and speed is really my focus this fall.  I know there aren't any specific days in my plan for speed work but I am going to throw in some Wednesdays for speed.  The hardest thing so far in the past 3.5 weeks is actually getting outside because of the ridiculous humidity and rain.  Hopefully, I can make it out to Country Park some more.

Training in falltime is always hard for me because my weekends are usually occupied with trips to Blacksburg for Hokie football but I'm hoping that I can not only make it to a handful of games but also stick with my training plan and hopefully get some training races (8K or longer) in on the weekends to get my mind back in racing mode!!!

NOW, the most exciting part of this post- race details! The main reason I fell in love with this particular race and the course is 1) because it's where my brother lives and I get to visit him/have a place to stay for free and a ride to race start hah! and 2) IT'S INTERNATIONAL! How many half marathons are there in the world where you can run in two different countries all within a 13.1 mile distance?! Below is the course map and after the first 5K, we run on the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor, Canada and then run a few (about 4) miles in Canada before crossing back into the USA via the Windsor Tunnel (a/k/a the 'underwater mile') and finish up the race in the heart of downtown Detroit!

I am beyond excited for this race but still have some anxieties about the course- 1) we have to run with our passports/passport card just in case someone stops you going into/out of Canada and I haven't been able to locate my passport since our trip to Puerto Rico last fall so I have about 58 days to find that bad boy! and 2) um, have you BEEN to downtown Detroit/Detroit in general? It's pretty scary! At least I have some time to get mentally ready for this race, which if you ask me is more important than the physically ready aspect!

 

How to you prepare for races? Do you have any particular training plan/running guru you swear by for race prep?

Wednesday Playlist!

August has been a busy month so far! I'm about 3.5 weeks into my 12-week Detroit training plan and my mileage has been upp-ed exponentially and I am TIRED! I feel like my body is just sore and achy ALL the time.  I'm going to try and start doing some more strength training and circuit work so hopefully that will help with the soreness!

Here are my stats from my runs so far this week! I still have a short run in the morning and a long run on Saturday left this week!

Monday's amazing run!

Tuesday's run!

Here's what I'm listening to this week- they are all repeats I'm sure but I love them all!

• Pursuit of Happiness (Extended Steve Aoki Remix) [Explicit] [feat. MGMT & Ratatat]- Kid Cudi
• I LOVE THIS SONG. Whenever I hear this during my runs, I definitely spend the entire song (and time after) thinking about my life and if I am really pursuing happiness. I know in the grand scheme of life everyone is to some degree but I love how this song makes me think and this remix is forever long and I love it!
• Bring Em Out- T.I.
• Ooooh T.I. I love him. This is an old favorite of mine and I love the beat and the rap portions are amazing to keep me going after mile 3. I dread mile 3 on EVERY SINGLE RUN and I don't really get into a groove until I'm safely past mile 3.5-4 during any length run/race. Hopefully I can incorporate this into my long run playlists and see how it works out for me.
• Let's Go (feat. Ne-Yo)- Calvin Harris
• YES. Calvin Harris. The answer to all my problems. I love his entire CD and this song is one of my go-to songs when I run. I love how this song rarely fails to motivate me and at the very least keep my mind occupied when I run!
• I Want You (Feat. Fat Joe)- Thalia
• Oh this song always takes me back to spring semester of my junior year in high school, for obvious reasons but still. I love this song and always reminisce of when Fat Joe was actually fat. I love this song but I'm still judging Thalia so hard for marrying that heinous Tommy Mottola for so long...
• DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (feat. Pitbull)- Usher
• OOK- URSHER. This song definitely takes me back to fall semester of my 3L year of law school but despite that, I love having this song keeping  me motivated and keep me going during any length run. The beat is amazing and so addicting!

What's getting you going this week??!

Tuesday Thoughts!

Here's hoping my collection of random thoughts today bring me out of my blogging slump! Enjoy!

dear god, yes please.

truth!

god I love the backstreet boys. I am SO depressed that I'm missing their concert tonight in Raleigh and tomorrow in Charlotte :(

I feel like this literally everyday after work…ugh.

yeppp

haha I feel like I need to say this every time someone asks me for life advice

just keep swimming, just keep swimming

Playlist Wednesday!

Detroit training is in full swing! I've up-ed my milage the past 2.5 weeks and halfway through the month I've already run more than I did all of July! I'm really getting back into my morning runs so hopefully I can keep it up! 9.5 weeks left until the big race!

This is a screenshot of my most recent, albeit slow, run!

Here's what I've been listening to this week:

• I Do Not Hook Up- Kelly Clarkson
• Love this song. Love the message and love the beat to it when I am running! LOVE me some Kelly Clarkson!
• Brave- Sara Bareilles
• I know this came out a while ago but I recently learned of it's amazingness and am now obsessed! Check it out! I love all of her music, always makes me feel empowered/better about life every time I listen to anything off her new album!
• We Found Love (feat. Rihanna)- Calvin Harris
• AH. I have loved this song since fall 2010 when a former acquaintance introduced me this this amazing song! I never was a really big fan of RiRi before but this song, I'm in love. I love the lyrics, the beat, everything about this song! Listen to it and add it to your playlist ASAP!
• Lose Yourself- Eminem
• OK, so this is pretty much my running anthem. I'm sure I've used it before on a previous playlist Wednesday post but no matter what mental state I'm in, this song NEVER fails to keep me going!
• Independent Women Part 1- Destiny's Child
• I feel like this one is self explanatory. I love old school Destiny's Child when Beyonce wasn't so annoying and this song is perfect for a young, single, professional woman.  I love the message of this song and using it to pace my "short" runs!

What are you listening to this week??

Tuesday Thoughts!

I have so many thoughts today but I will keep it simple today! OH and a little OOTD action too!

there were never truer words! As my friend told me over the weekend, there will always be a better house and there will always be a better man.. hahah whatever that means.

yes. summer fiesta happening soon. tequilla will be involved.

I seriously need to have a dance party with my bffs.

I am literally this awkward in similar situations. You are not alone Cher.

pretty much. story of my life.

bahahaha ME TOO New York. Me too.

yessss

hahaha ANYONE who knows me knows how much I love to talk!

oh Milania, this is what I do before I leave the house in the mornings haha

I LOVE today's outfit-- my all time favorite suit from my skinny days!

How's your week going so far??