Greetings from the North Carolina Airport.
I am on my way to a two week trip back in Kentucky to continue shooting our new television show LogHeads for the DIY Network.
I am indeed excited and proud that our production company is getting on the map with our first show but being away from home is tough.
I miss my son, I miss my husband, I miss my bed and my routines.
It's also going to be challenging to maneuver my way with this Whole30 thing.
I'm not even in KY yet and have already been faced with challenge.
I have a nearly 3 hour layover and my favorite activity (for better or worse) is eating and having a cocktail during such times.
Sigh.
OK, the cocktail has to go but certainly I can find some food? With a lot of time - I was able to visit a few of the terminals (and get some exercise in - this airport is huge!) There's not a helluva lot of choices. I mean, you can find fruit. But if you're looking for protein and healthy fats - that's harder.
I finally found a little place that had a steak salad. I got it without the blue cheese, without the croutons, without the dressing. The server promised me no oil or butter and I requested that they skip the seasoning even (for fear it would have MSG or some other non-compliant ingredient.) they didn't have EVOO and vinegar so I settled for lemon wedges.
And even after all that - I'm still a little suspect of the streak. I am pretty sure it was fine but eating out you just never know 100%.
Yesterday I hit my first other little blip - I made a seemingly delicious dinner - roasted lemon chicken, cauliflower mashed and a sautéed brussel sprout thing. It was really tasty!
But in the middle of the night I woke up and my stomach was killing me! I slept all night with a rock in my stomach and haven't felt all that great today. I'm trying to figure out what it was and all I can think is that I went a little too heavy handed with the "healthy" fats in last night's meal and it was perhaps just a touch to rich.
Who knows - wish me luck - it's gonna be even tougher on the road!
XO
Jen
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Dash to the Finish Line and other stuff
Ahhhh.
I can't believe that it's been so long since my last post.
So much to tell you, so little time.
First of all - lets discuss the NYC marathon - another year another stab through the heart that I wasn't running it. I know that 26.2 is a helluva a lot of training that I would curse and struggle severely with. I know that finding the time to run 3 - 5 hour long runs would be near impossible, I know that with all my cramping issues and everything else that I shouldn't be dreaming of this race but every time that race takes off, I am eating my heart out.
This year I had a few friends running it and I couldn't be prouder that each one of them victoriously crossed the finish lines.
I did get to take a little nibble of the Big Apple by running the Dash to The Finish Line 5K the day before the big marathon. That was one great little race. It's a warm up to the marathon and you start by the United Nations, and then run by Grand Central, the NY library, up past Radio City and through Central Park - ending at the actual marathon finish line. I ran it this year with Linda and it was fantastic. Perfect running weather, perfect companionship and a fun course. I loved every second of it and it was over far too quickly.
I barely had time to watch the NYC marathon because my flight to go back to Kentucky was early that afternoon. We are back and in production on LogHeads an original series my company is producing for DIY Network. My partner and I have worked long and hard to get established and bring a show to air so we are proud and happy to be here. (Although it is very hard being on location and away from my hubby and son.)
While here I have gotten some running in, in anticipation of running the Festival of Lights Half Marathon in Brooklyn on Nov. 24 I hadn't signed up early because I didn't know if I would be working in KY or back home. Well, I determined that I was going to be home for it the other day, ran another 8 mile long run (as I continue to train here).
So I come back from the hilliest run ever and all ready to register for the race only to find that it is sold out. Waaaaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaah! I am so bummed about this. There are no alternatives for me to run in NJ or NY that day and a bunch of my friends are running it. I totally missed the boat. So gross. I am so disappointed. It was an affordable race (probably part of the reason why it sold out) and I never anticipated that it would be a problem for me to get in. I should've just signed up early and rolled the dice on losing the entry fee. Hind sight is 20/20. It sucks so bad. In the back of my mind I was running this race all fall so I've been mentally and physically training for it. Blech. I even reached out to the race director to beg but no dice. I'm out. No festival of lights for me.
So that's about it for me. Have you ever missed the boat on a race you meant to sign up for but it was too late?
XO
Jen
I can't believe that it's been so long since my last post.
So much to tell you, so little time.
First of all - lets discuss the NYC marathon - another year another stab through the heart that I wasn't running it. I know that 26.2 is a helluva a lot of training that I would curse and struggle severely with. I know that finding the time to run 3 - 5 hour long runs would be near impossible, I know that with all my cramping issues and everything else that I shouldn't be dreaming of this race but every time that race takes off, I am eating my heart out.
 |
| Dash to the Finish packet pick up at NYC marathon expo - one of these years I'll be running that marathon! |
This year I had a few friends running it and I couldn't be prouder that each one of them victoriously crossed the finish lines.
I did get to take a little nibble of the Big Apple by running the Dash to The Finish Line 5K the day before the big marathon. That was one great little race. It's a warm up to the marathon and you start by the United Nations, and then run by Grand Central, the NY library, up past Radio City and through Central Park - ending at the actual marathon finish line. I ran it this year with Linda and it was fantastic. Perfect running weather, perfect companionship and a fun course. I loved every second of it and it was over far too quickly.
 |
| Me and Linda after the 5K |
I barely had time to watch the NYC marathon because my flight to go back to Kentucky was early that afternoon. We are back and in production on LogHeads an original series my company is producing for DIY Network. My partner and I have worked long and hard to get established and bring a show to air so we are proud and happy to be here. (Although it is very hard being on location and away from my hubby and son.)
While here I have gotten some running in, in anticipation of running the Festival of Lights Half Marathon in Brooklyn on Nov. 24 I hadn't signed up early because I didn't know if I would be working in KY or back home. Well, I determined that I was going to be home for it the other day, ran another 8 mile long run (as I continue to train here).
 |
| lots of fricken hills here! One of about 100 hills I ran this past Sunday |
 |
| ran thru an empty golf course during that run - even hilly there |
So that's about it for me. Have you ever missed the boat on a race you meant to sign up for but it was too late?
XO
Jen
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Why the little things matter
So March was an interesting month of highs and lows.
High - I got to go to Kentucky to help produce a new pilot my production company is doing for DIY network. This is a big deal and we are very excited about a project that is turning out great!
Lows - being out of my fitness/nutrition routine. (And of-course dealing with being away from my family, especially my five year old, Ben.)
I was just getting into a groove of my training for my next half marathon. I was perfectly following my training program and feeling good - and then poof. Just like that. I'm all out of whack.
With very long days and no real place to run I was forced to put my running sneakers in a corner. They came out 3 times in two weeks for small little runs but those little runs mattered. My nutrition was challenged but I found ways to have a few decent meals. And it mattered.
The little things matter.
The old me would've never bothered to do anything. I'm away after all. But striving to steal the time when I could run was important to me, even if it wasn't as often or as far as I would've liked.
The other little thing I made a priority was getting in the 30 day March "Hot In Your Tank Top Challenge" that I signed up for on Facebook. It was 10 - 15 mins. of strength training a day and there were many days that I wanted to blow it off. But it was only 3 reps of about 5 exercises and I wanted to not just give up. I wasn't eating on point and I was barely running. I needed something to keep me grounded and connected to health and this was it.
Each day I gave myself a little star for doing the workout and yesterday, the last day of the challenge was no exception! :)
Even on the days I dreaded it, I always felt great after I did it. I didn't eat my greatest (but it could've been worse.) I still expected a tremendous weight gain upon getting home though because that's how my brain works. Luckily I'm only up about a pound so it's fine. But I do think it's some of the little things I did. - the little runs, the daily strength exercises and burpees, the days I chose a rice cake and peanut butter snack with a fruit instead of a bag of chips (though the chips won a time or two.)
These little things all added up to me being able to easily begin to slip back into routine and still feel OK with myself rather than feeling like "I blew it" and have to start all over again. I made a few mistakes but I think I learned a few things and next time I'll be a little more prepared for a similar type of trip.
What are some of the little things you do that matter?
By the way in case you're interested in the April challenge (which I'm doing) It's called the "Gorgeous Gams and Bangin' Booty challenge"and you can find it here. And here is her blog that actually demonstrates the moves!
XO
Jen
High - I got to go to Kentucky to help produce a new pilot my production company is doing for DIY network. This is a big deal and we are very excited about a project that is turning out great!
Lows - being out of my fitness/nutrition routine. (And of-course dealing with being away from my family, especially my five year old, Ben.)
 |
| birth place of Abe Lincoln? Who knew? |
With very long days and no real place to run I was forced to put my running sneakers in a corner. They came out 3 times in two weeks for small little runs but those little runs mattered. My nutrition was challenged but I found ways to have a few decent meals. And it mattered.
The little things matter.
The old me would've never bothered to do anything. I'm away after all. But striving to steal the time when I could run was important to me, even if it wasn't as often or as far as I would've liked.
The other little thing I made a priority was getting in the 30 day March "Hot In Your Tank Top Challenge" that I signed up for on Facebook. It was 10 - 15 mins. of strength training a day and there were many days that I wanted to blow it off. But it was only 3 reps of about 5 exercises and I wanted to not just give up. I wasn't eating on point and I was barely running. I needed something to keep me grounded and connected to health and this was it.
Each day I gave myself a little star for doing the workout and yesterday, the last day of the challenge was no exception! :)
Even on the days I dreaded it, I always felt great after I did it. I didn't eat my greatest (but it could've been worse.) I still expected a tremendous weight gain upon getting home though because that's how my brain works. Luckily I'm only up about a pound so it's fine. But I do think it's some of the little things I did. - the little runs, the daily strength exercises and burpees, the days I chose a rice cake and peanut butter snack with a fruit instead of a bag of chips (though the chips won a time or two.)
These little things all added up to me being able to easily begin to slip back into routine and still feel OK with myself rather than feeling like "I blew it" and have to start all over again. I made a few mistakes but I think I learned a few things and next time I'll be a little more prepared for a similar type of trip.
What are some of the little things you do that matter?
By the way in case you're interested in the April challenge (which I'm doing) It's called the "Gorgeous Gams and Bangin' Booty challenge"and you can find it here. And here is her blog that actually demonstrates the moves!
XO
Jen
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Lucky in Kentucky
The last two weeks have not been awesome in the world of running for me.
Right now I'm living the dream and in production in Kentucky on our first television pilot for network. It's a big deal. After 3 years of working really hard my partners and I did it - we are getting a show on the air!
However, being away from the family, working 12+ hour days, 7 days a week, experiencing bad weather and having limited places to run has left my running pretty woeful. I managed to squeak in 1.25 miles two days ago during a little downtime and that helped to clear my mind but wasn't nearly enough. Besides not getting to really run the bigger challenge is being away from my family. I miss my son and hubby so much! They are making such a sacrifice for us but I do believe it will all pay off in the long run.
The other tough thing out here in rural KY is the food! It's not like there are Whole Foods to roll up on or even a nearby grocery store - 15 miles away for a little one - and not so shockingly no gluten-free or organic section ;) I found some rice cakes so I've been living on oatmeal, rice cakes, a little peanut butter, hard boiled eggs and potatoes. We are going to journey out to Walmart tonight after we quit for the day and hopefully replenish our fruit. We are trying. Local fare is mostly fried.
While I feel pretty bummed about the running I am proud of myself for making my "Hot in your tank top" March challenge a priority. It's only 4-5 strength training exercises for a set of 3 (about 10 - 15 mins of exercise total) but it's enough to get me sweating and though every night I want to sit down and have a glass of wine, I force myself to do this circuit first. I definitely feel happy about sticking to that commitment and if I didn't have that, there would be a good chance that I wouldn't be doing anything at all. :/
In other news, I got very lucky in Kentucky! I bought a PowerBall ticket for this past Wednesday's drawing and on a fluke I checked it - I hit 4 out of 5 numbers and won $100! Yippee! That's a 1 in 19,000 chance so that's pretty cool. If I had hit 5 (odds jump to 1 in 5 million) I would've one 1 million dollars!
I go home sometime this week, looking forward to getting a few good runs in.
How are things with you? Do you do monthly fitness challenges to keep on track?
XO
Jen
Right now I'm living the dream and in production in Kentucky on our first television pilot for network. It's a big deal. After 3 years of working really hard my partners and I did it - we are getting a show on the air!
 |
| a pretty morning in KY |
The other tough thing out here in rural KY is the food! It's not like there are Whole Foods to roll up on or even a nearby grocery store - 15 miles away for a little one - and not so shockingly no gluten-free or organic section ;) I found some rice cakes so I've been living on oatmeal, rice cakes, a little peanut butter, hard boiled eggs and potatoes. We are going to journey out to Walmart tonight after we quit for the day and hopefully replenish our fruit. We are trying. Local fare is mostly fried.
While I feel pretty bummed about the running I am proud of myself for making my "Hot in your tank top" March challenge a priority. It's only 4-5 strength training exercises for a set of 3 (about 10 - 15 mins of exercise total) but it's enough to get me sweating and though every night I want to sit down and have a glass of wine, I force myself to do this circuit first. I definitely feel happy about sticking to that commitment and if I didn't have that, there would be a good chance that I wouldn't be doing anything at all. :/
In other news, I got very lucky in Kentucky! I bought a PowerBall ticket for this past Wednesday's drawing and on a fluke I checked it - I hit 4 out of 5 numbers and won $100! Yippee! That's a 1 in 19,000 chance so that's pretty cool. If I had hit 5 (odds jump to 1 in 5 million) I would've one 1 million dollars!
I go home sometime this week, looking forward to getting a few good runs in.
How are things with you? Do you do monthly fitness challenges to keep on track?
XO
Jen
Thursday, July 19, 2012
I'm ready for my closeup: Health Mag shoot, Kentucky and a new challenge
Well, a ton of shit has been happening.
Last week I told you about my hubby and him being in the hospital. He has recovered and is back to work and I was able to go to Kentucky to shoot the pilot sizzle that our little production company got to shoot for a cable outlet.
Kentucky was awesome. We shot around the clock and got a lot of great stuff. I'm pretty sure that we have a show on our hands and my LA partners will be working feverishly to get the footage edited and to the network by Monday of next week. Yippee! I'm feeling pretty optimistic that finally our company will be on the map. We've been paying dues for a few years and it's our time.
The show is a family business reality/design show based on Rocky Top Log Furniture and Railing company. They are an awesome family that creates beautiful, hand crafted furniture and build log homes.
Unfortunately, while in Kentucky I got ZERO runs in. I couldn't wait to hit the road when I got back, it was only like 4 days but it felt like a million and I was "itchy" to run. We did haul a lot of crap around and hustled. We also ate tremendously healthy so it wasn't a complete disaster.
We also have a few key calls coming up for the "From Fat To Finish Line" film so I'll keep you posted on that front as well.
We are moving and shaking.
And speaking of moving and shaking, I had a fancy NYC photo shoot today! I was contacted by Health Magazine to share my weight loss story and today I went for the photos.
So. Much. Fun.
Had my makeup and hair done and then they handed me a few wardrobe options. Well. the outfit I wound up wearing was a size small! In fact the jacket was an XS and it even zipped! I was so excited that I took a picture of the tag. haha… I mean in reality I'm a medium on a good day and I usually (much to the chagrin of my friends) tend to lean towards grabbing larges. I had to get over feeling self-conscious about the outfit being so fitted and then we were off!
Headed out with Tara the Senior photo editor, the photographer Alexa and her assistant Eric. They were so nice and it was a great experience. We went to Battery Park where they took action shots of me running, stretching, tying my sneakers and that type of thing. In a few shots I wore my NJ half marathon medal and most of them I was sporting a race bib. I can't wait to see how they came out!! It was so fun. I believe I'll be in the October issue - keep you posted.
---------
Back to Kentucky for a minute. While there, I met one of the guys who'll be a part of the show I'm developing. His name is David. David kept talking about how he was ready to get rolling on a healthier lifestyle and I jumped on it! I'll be mentoring/coaching/giving advice and cheering him on for the next 11 months… We've agreed to run the "Hatfield/McCoy" half marathon together next June! I'm so excited to be taking this journey with him. Angela, who helped mentor me for my first half will be joining us too! I found a 5K for him to sign up for in October too so that's his first mini-goal.
-----------
Hope all is well with you!
XO
Jen
Last week I told you about my hubby and him being in the hospital. He has recovered and is back to work and I was able to go to Kentucky to shoot the pilot sizzle that our little production company got to shoot for a cable outlet.
Kentucky was awesome. We shot around the clock and got a lot of great stuff. I'm pretty sure that we have a show on our hands and my LA partners will be working feverishly to get the footage edited and to the network by Monday of next week. Yippee! I'm feeling pretty optimistic that finally our company will be on the map. We've been paying dues for a few years and it's our time.
The show is a family business reality/design show based on Rocky Top Log Furniture and Railing company. They are an awesome family that creates beautiful, hand crafted furniture and build log homes.
 |
| behind the scenes of shoot |
Unfortunately, while in Kentucky I got ZERO runs in. I couldn't wait to hit the road when I got back, it was only like 4 days but it felt like a million and I was "itchy" to run. We did haul a lot of crap around and hustled. We also ate tremendously healthy so it wasn't a complete disaster.
We also have a few key calls coming up for the "From Fat To Finish Line" film so I'll keep you posted on that front as well.
We are moving and shaking.
And speaking of moving and shaking, I had a fancy NYC photo shoot today! I was contacted by Health Magazine to share my weight loss story and today I went for the photos.
So. Much. Fun.
 |
| photog, me and health mag senior photo editor |
Had my makeup and hair done and then they handed me a few wardrobe options. Well. the outfit I wound up wearing was a size small! In fact the jacket was an XS and it even zipped! I was so excited that I took a picture of the tag. haha… I mean in reality I'm a medium on a good day and I usually (much to the chagrin of my friends) tend to lean towards grabbing larges. I had to get over feeling self-conscious about the outfit being so fitted and then we were off!
Headed out with Tara the Senior photo editor, the photographer Alexa and her assistant Eric. They were so nice and it was a great experience. We went to Battery Park where they took action shots of me running, stretching, tying my sneakers and that type of thing. In a few shots I wore my NJ half marathon medal and most of them I was sporting a race bib. I can't wait to see how they came out!! It was so fun. I believe I'll be in the October issue - keep you posted.
---------
Back to Kentucky for a minute. While there, I met one of the guys who'll be a part of the show I'm developing. His name is David. David kept talking about how he was ready to get rolling on a healthier lifestyle and I jumped on it! I'll be mentoring/coaching/giving advice and cheering him on for the next 11 months… We've agreed to run the "Hatfield/McCoy" half marathon together next June! I'm so excited to be taking this journey with him. Angela, who helped mentor me for my first half will be joining us too! I found a 5K for him to sign up for in October too so that's his first mini-goal.
 |
| Dave and I - Dave's official "before" he was a runner pic |
-----------
Hope all is well with you!
XO
Jen
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