making time to do good things for yourself

making time to do good things for yourself... its hard, but important. My life has become more rushed then ordinary and when i started my new job i knew it would be more important than ever that i stay focused on my fitness goals. When you become tired you loose the drive to push yourself through physical activity.  What helps me stay on top of my workouts is planning my week in a calendar writing down the miles i will run along with other workouts such as weights and spinning.  As much as i enjoy sleeping in as late as possible (so does moose) i know that my best runs are in the morning,  its not about just showing up its committing yourself to the workout.  My last training program leading up to the surf city half marathon i sometimes just ran, and ran slow i just wasn't into some runs.... with a higher goal i know i need to train harder for the next run in May. showing up isn't enough i need to commit, commit to running all runs under 10 minute mile pace.  Nutrition is another goal and a need in my life, I like to keep healthy snacks available so that the dreaded empty tummy doesn't hit that always leads to over eating and most of the time eating something on the naughty list.  I like to eat lunch meats, fruit and yogurt for snacks a tip that i don't always follow is to try and eat something every 2 hours to avoid getting hungry, a bite here a nibble there. it works.

when things become overwhelming  a good run or workout can take it all away

if you don't care, why should anyone else?

so often do people talk about the changes they want in life, and so little  they do to make them.  You are the only one who can make positive changes in your life and if you don't care why should anyone else? talk is cheap, actions speak louder then words and The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. 

Donate life 5k walk/run

Donate life

This is one of the last photos taken of my friends  Mom Connie. She died suddenly during a spin class they were attending on Memorial weekend from a brain aneuryism. It was by far the worse day of her life, losing her mom. Her family kept her on life support until they  had a chance to say there goodbyes and then gave the biggest gift possible, they made the decision to donate her organs. By that act, her Mom was able to save 4 lives. PLEASE DONATE and please support DONATE life.

This is my friend Sterling, she is on the organ transplant list waiting for a kidney and a pancrease, she has been a diabetic since we were children and now has to go to dialysis multiple days a week.   We have been friends we were three years old and as you can see she was also a bridesmaid in my wedding.  please come, support, join in, and be part of an amazing event that does so much for others like her! 

located @ California State University, Fullerton campus, around Memorial Grove. 800 State College Boulevard. Fullerton, CA.  9 am. April 30th.

A non-competitive 5K/1K Run/Walk to educate and inspire the community about organ and tissue donation while benefiting Donate Life California Organ and Tissue Donor Registry.  my goal is to build a team of 25! lets get a big group to help raise money for a cause close to my heart!  Email me if you are interested in joining my team! for teams of 10 or more registration is only $20!

http://www.donatelifeoc.org/

to join my team please go to:

http://www.active.com/running/fullerton-ca/donate-life-runwalk-2011

teams name is HOPE, make sure when you register you join team HOPE.

Video of last years event

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CylC-dgpBhc

Going Further

Going further

It only took about 24 hours before the glow of running my best 2:02 half marathon time before i started to think bigger.  The competitive drive to do better is a bit overwhelming for me, what can i do to be faster, healthier and have more energy.  Almost at the my end of my "week off" and Monday it starts all over again, training for the next one.  So whats my plan at having better results then the ones I'm already pleased with? Step one, 4 runs a week, and committing to the runs, not just showing up but each run needs to have meaning.  Step two weight training with my husband three days a week he is a personal trainer who transforms people on a daily basis. It is also how we met, he transformed me into my alter egos "athlete" and then into "super wife".  Step three, cleaning up my diet... post wedding i noticed i stopped carrying as much about my diet, i guess i got comfortable. Setting goals is an important step in any challenge, so my goal is to loose 10 lbs, and improve my half marathon time by 7 minutes.  I wont tell my weight, but i will say what my next goal time is, 1:55 minutes that is a 8:45 mile pace. Race day is May 1st that gives me 11 weeks to work hard.

setting goals and breaking records...personal records.

my story of my second half marathon @ surf city

Setting goals and breaking records...personal records.  I ran my second half marathon yesterday, the pretty much famous surf city marathon & half marathon, and after finishing i can see why this event has so much hype. This long run really is fun! great crowds a beautiful beach run ending with people lining the streets cheering for you. All this makes you find a way to dig deep and push yourself just a bit more.  A month ago i ran my first 1/2 marathon in 2:18.13 doing this i felt very accomplished,  yesterday i ran my second half marathon  in 2:02.13.  Smashing my two race goals, i set one at 2:15 and the second at 2:04, at mile 12 i wasn't sure if i would be under 2 hours but i knew i would be close.  the 2:02 pacer that i had started with had just passed me but looking at my watch i knew it would be close to my 2:04 goal. Close to the finish with the crowd screaming i could hear my own friends and family yelling my name i kicked it into high gear and crossed the finish line 2 minutes faster then my goal! My training had paid off, still on my high from yesterday I'm very pleased with myself and my run and looking very much forward to the OC 1/2 May first and seeing what i can accomplish at that race. A new goal will be set,  to try and break two hours.  20,000 plus people at the surf city event and each has a story, i saw a blind boy finish his run, and heard a story of a girl with a prosthetic leg, these stories are truly an inspiration to all.

"everything you need is already inside"

splits from my garmin:

Split Time Distance Avg Pace Summary 02:02:17 13.20 09:15 1 00:08:46 1.00 08:46 2 00:09:02 1.00 09:02 3 00:08:51 1.00 08:52 4 00:09:13 1.00 09:13 5 00:09:04 1.00 09:04 6 00:08:55 1.00 08:55 7 00:09:16 1.00 09:16 8 00:09:31 1.00 09:31 9 00:09:29 1.00 09:30 10 00:09:19 1.00 09:19 11 00:09:47 1.00 09:47 12 00:09:46 1.00 09:46 13 00:09:38 1.00 09:38 14 00:01:32 0.20 07:44

(photos to follow)

Training for my next 1/2 marathon

 just finished the surf city 1/2 marathon and its time to start getting ready for the next one! if youve ever wanted to run a 1/2 marathon but didnt know where to start, here is an easy guide to follow come train with me!



MySpace-Countdown-Clocks

i start training on February 21st

Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Total

   1        3   Rest  3     3   Rest 4 Rest 13

   2        3   Rest  4     3   Rest 5 Rest 15

   3        3   Rest  4     3   Rest 6 Rest 16

   4        3   Rest 5      3   Rest 8 Rest 19

   5        3   Rest 5      3   Rest 10 Rest 21

   6        4   Rest 5      4   Rest 11 Rest 24

   7        4   Rest 6      4   Rest 12 Rest 26

   8        4   Rest 5      4   Rest  9  Rest 22

   9        3   Rest 4      3   Rest  8  Rest 18

  10       3   Rest 3      3   rest      13.1 21.1

photos of you being active with your pets!

Its not just about humans getting active, pets too!! Share photos of you being active with your pet, your pet being active or adventures you have shared with them. email the photos plus a brief description about the image and info about your pet to heather.pappas@yahoo.com

after i have a collection of photos ill add a pole for friends to vote on there favorite images!

xo
heather and moose

                                  Moose
I am Heather, and this is my sidekick moose, our favorite thing to do together is go for walks! Walks to the park, on the beach around fashion island this loveable guy goes everywhere with me!

                                      Ruff life crew
Walter and his Ruff Life! I walk from 2 to 5 dogs at a time, for an hour a day, twice a day. I lOVE it! I prefer the boardwalk for the scenery and all the smiles my dogs bring to peoples faces. I am lucky enough to do what I love for a living...check out our Facebook page and become a fan...http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ruff-Life-Dogs/116621725069185

                                   Ace
I am Amy, and this is my French Bulldog Ace. We love to go for walks, run on the beach, and go to Muttropolis at Fashion Island. Our little guy is one special dude.

                                                 Diego and Tahoe
I am not in front of the camera playing with pets .. being a Pet Photographer .. I'm the one who takes the photos of people and their pets! When I'm not photographing pets .. I am usually hanging with my two love bugs .. my boys Tahoe and Diego! We are usually snuggling or learning new tricks and just hanging out together!

-Susan Uston Pet Lifestyle Photography

                                          Bruiser
catch me if you can! weee!!!!

                                          maxee
i love the beach and my mommie! we have so much fun together!

                                         Roxy and peanut
having a play date at dog beach!