High School Over?!

Guess who graduates high school on wednesday? Yup that would be me. I don't think it has truly hit me yet that I will no longer be going to the same school everyday but I am definitely excited for college. Today I was able to sleep in and relax. I woke up at 8:30 am and watched The Killing (one of my favorite shows). The season finale was last night and I absolutely had to watch it again. Way to leave me hanging the producr of The Killing, now I have to wait till next season to see what is going to happen?
I have been branching out and expanding my exercise horizon. I haven't run everyday like I used to and started switching it up and making it more exciting. Zumba, Strength Training, Running, Elliptical, Walking, Biking and playing basketball. It has been so much fun. Not only am I working out but I am actually enjoying it and breaking out of the "it's a job" feeling. And to make it even better some of my friends actually want to start running with me!! YAY! It's great to have someone to run with and talk to sometimes during runs, it makes it go by so much faster.
I still want to accomplish my 1,000 running miles in 2011 so I want to run about 20 miles a week, but since I ran plenty more than that during half marathon training I almost 100 miles ahead of schedule!!
Oh and another thing I am super excited for is_____ I start my summer camp counselor job next monday!!!! I used to be a camper at the place where I work now so that means I have been going there for 13 years, yes 13 years. I am definitely comfortable there and there's a family vibe. I get to work with the kids that are 5 and 6. I can't wait. I just love being a counselor.
Well that's it for now.
Dev <3

Busier than Expected

The  last couple of weeks have flown by. I can't believe that my last day of high school is tomorrow!!!! Yes tomorrow. Over the past couple of weeks I've been getting all my work done for school and just trying to enjoy my last bit of high school. And to make everything better, my passion for runner has been burning brighter than ever!! I am loving running just for me and nobody else. I have been trying different interval workouts and pushing myself. it's been wonderful building my confidence up and feeling better about my workouts. Yay!!
I've been spending more time with my family too. Can't spend enough  ime with my mom, dad, and brother. I even went to my cousins' dance recital and danced at intermission in the ZUMBA demonstration on stage!!! So much fun. And in between the 2 recitals we went to an amazing little restaurant called Yvonne's Cafe in Ocean Grove. Let's just say the food was delicious and everything was fresh and made to order, nothing frozen :) I had the veggie burger and side salad with balsamic vinagrette and have never had anything that great in my life!!

And I went dress shopping for graduation! It only took four hours and about 10 stores before I found the perfect dress at H&M.

Well I will keep you updated more often now that I won't be so busy and crunched for time.

Dev :)

Happy National Running Day!!!

It's National Running Day :) Oh how I love running. I knew that today wassupposed to be extra steamy in Jersey, I woke up early and went for a run before school. That means I woke up at 5:15 and went for a little more than 3 miles. Even running that early, I couldn't even escape the heat. I plan on running another 2 or 3 on the treadmil and I am heading to Zumba tonight with my Aunt Annie.
Words can't describe my love for zumba. I think the reason I love zumba so much is because of the instructor that teaches the class that I take. Jane is the absolute most amazing person ever. Her personality and energy keep everyone moving and in a great mood the whole class. At zumba I just let go and let loose, enjoy myself and get my weekly dancing in. Not to mention listen to some of my favorite songs while getting a kick-butt workout.
More news to come later..
Dev

Memorial Day Weekend Part 2

Sunday
Yay sunday!! I planned for a 6 mile run in the AM so I woke up(with stomach issues, blah) ate my rudi's english muffin with peanut butter and got ready for a hot run. My dad drove me down to the boardwalk and I headed off. It was pretty busy down there but it was to be expected Memorial Day Weekend at the shore. I made it almost 2 miles before my stomach started having a mind of its own and an emergency bathroom stop was needed, but I wasn't gonna let that stop me. After my break I continued running only to be combatted by the heat and have to stop about a mile later to get a drink of water from the water fountain(I also splashed myself with the water and accidentally got it all over an elderly lady.OOPS!) But i was determined to finish and thats what I did. I fought through the heat and my horrible stomach issues and finished my run.
My dad picked me up and brought me home where I continued my workout and completed 15 sets of 10 pushups with ab exercises in between each set . Afterwards I needed to refuel and ate a large cottage cheese bowl with bananas, carob powder, amy's granola, and chocolate almond butter..mmhhhmm.
Later that day I went to my brother's final basketball game for the tournment and then went to my cousin's birthday party. That was an amazing day despite the issues with the run but it made me feel stronger mentally, knowing if I can finish a run when I feel horrible, I can definitely work through a lot.
Monday
Family BBQ at my house!!! Spent the morning with my mom running errands and then cleaning with my dad and setting up. My mom and I even fit in a nice 3.5 mile hike. By nice I mean sweaty and intense but totally worth it. When I got back I didn't even get to shower before I had to act like hostess because I took most of the responsibilty off my mom. I helped my dad with the food and made sure everything was cleaned after it was used. I love my family and it was great spending time wiht them.
After they left I went to the beach and ran barefoot by the water for 3.50 miles and also incorporated 2 200 meter sprints in the deeper sand. My first beach run was a huge success and I definitely can't wait to do it again!! Loved it and was an awesome workout.
Long Weekends are so refreshing and are a great break.
Dev

Memorial Day Weekend Part 1

Memorial Day Weekend marks the ending of school for me although i still have about 3 weeks left. But now we barely do anything in school and it's more like a place to hang out than a place where we're learning. Friday was one of the senior skip days and I took full advantage and stayed home :) I spent the whole day with my best friend, better known as my MOM. We went ran a bunch of errands and just enjoyed each others company. We both went to the State Sectional Group 2+3 Track meet at Monmouth Regional to watch my friend Terrence. He runs in the 400 meter hurdles, 800 meters, and the 400 meters. He won the Group 3 400m hurdles and placed 2nd in the 800m. He's so talented and he's going to the University of Maryland next year to run for their track TEAM!!!!!

Friday night I did an hour of leg and abs work and then settled in for some sleep.
Saturday
Well it was another hot one and extremely humid. My little brother was playing ina  basketball tournament so I definitely wanted to make it to at least 2 of his 3 games that day. I went to the first game at 9:50 am and afterwards headed to  my fave health food place, Natures Corner(I could go on and on about how much I love this place)!! Went home relaxed and then had some lunch, I skipped the 2nd game because I was hungry and needed to eat some lunch. But like I said I made sure I would make it to 2 games so I was then obligated to go to the 7:00pm game which didnt really bother me at all. The game was kinda boring and uneventful but it was nice to get out of the house for a little bit. When I got home I did an hour of butt and legs exercises and then had a snack and went to bed.
Memorial day weekend to be continued...

Sleep deprived and Fun

Matt,Pat,Kath,Me, and Mike

Okay so this weekend was a little crazy. Let's start with Friday. I got home from school, went for a run on the treadmill because of the rain :( and then did an ab circuit. After that I hopped into the shower packed a snack bag and got picked up by my bestest friend KATH for Relay for Life. Relay For Life. All I have to say is Relay For Life was amazing. I had an absolute blast and didn't get a wink of sleep. But it was so worth it.

Don and his shorts. Ohh boy!

I got home at 6:00am on Saturday and then went to bed at 6:30 only to wake up at 9:30am and see that it was a gorgeous day and I could not waste the day away in my bed. So 3 hours would have to do. I got myself together and realized I was the only one home in my house. To keep me busy I cleaned and then went outside to shoot around(basketball not guns) until my mom and my brother arrived home from his Bball game.

My mom brought me to Nature's Corner, my absolute fave health food store. I got the usual- baked tofu, organic bananas, organic frozen blueberries, prepared sandwiches, dried mango, organic cottage cheese, granola, organic sweet potatoes, siggi's yogurt and peanut butter.

Following our trip, my twin cousins Darien and Dwaine came over to keep my brither company. We all played a pickup game of basketball and Darien and I were victorious against Tim and Dwaine. Pshh Yeah! That was followed by plant shopping and then shoe shopping. Then my mom and I went for a walk on the boarwalk around 8:30pm. When I got home my friend Terr called and asked if I wanted to go to Applebee's with and Kath and of course I wasnt gonna turn an offer like that down. Needless to say I didnt get home til 11:30 and basically passed out from pure exhaustion. Gotta love a busy day though. So much fun!!

took a little break

Took a little break from the blogging scene. I got distracted with life. I have been busy with school, running, zumba, family stuff and other things. A little more than a month until I graduate HIGH SCHOOL!! Finally, I can't wait.
On another note, tomorrow starts Relay For Life at my school and this year I am actually staying overnight. Let's hope I don't get too cranky because of my lack of sleep. It should be a good time though and it is definitely for an awesome cause,The American Cancer Society.
And now another thing I am looking forward to is the Avon Day 5k which is on June 4th. It will be the first competitive race I will be running in since my half marathon in April. Can't wait to get back in the racing scene and take in the race experience again. And I will be racing for the first time in my new shoes. I bought a pair of Newtons about two weeks ago and tey are absolutely amazing. Since I naturally am a midfoot runner, the Newton shoe is perfect because it is designed for how I run, instead of having a lot of cushioning in the heal, the shoe focuses more on the middle of the foot.
Well I want to have some other things to post about later so I am gonna cut this post short.
Dev da Rosie :)

Feels like forever

It feels like forever since I have last blogged. I havebeen somewhat preoccupied. I was on Spring Break from April 16th to April 25th and it was great to get out of school. I just can't stand being stuck inside all day. Anyways my exercising has been on and off for the past 2 weeks. Somedays I worked out a lot and other days, not so much. I just wanted to take a little break after my half marathon and enjoy the free time but now I have hoppd back on the exercising band wagon. Too many days off and I start to feel like a bum. Plus tomorrow I am running in the Revlon Cancer Run in NYC. I am not concerned about getting a certain time, I am just going to enjoy the race and spending time with my aunts and my cousins while I am there. My Aunt Annie and my Aunt Sharon are both running in the race, along with my little cousin Darien. He is awesome. Only 9 years old and can run a 5k in 24:40, not to shabby for a little kid huh? Can't wait for tomorrow!!

Dev da Rosie

1st Half under my belt



Finishing the race



Ahh what a day! I woke up this morning extremely nervous for my first half marathon. Not to mention I was not looking forward to running 13.1 miles in 17 mph winds with 30 mph gusts. But i ate my whole wheat cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and a banana and drank a lot of water and headed out the door. I am so thankful that my mom was there to watch me and my two aunts and my twin cousins. They are the best :) The course was flat and right along the beach from asbury park to sea girt and back. I though the wind would let up when I made the turn in sea girt but instead it was stronger than on the way out. I was hurting a little bit but the good kinda hurt that lets you know you're working hard and the people cheering on the runners helped get me through it. Especially my aunts and my cousins (they traveled in their car to different spots in the race and cheered me on, let me say it again, my family is amazing) I ended up with a time way better than expected and exceeded my goal of 1:50, my finishing time was 1:46:39.12 wich was good enough to win 1st in my age group :) and I was 56th overall!!! After the race I enjoyed the fitness expo and grabbed a turkey sub, a banana, coconut water, water and coffee. I don't know what else to say I'm just so happy :) Love my family and everyone who came out to the race!!!!



1st in age group



Runapalooza

Okay, so on staurday I will be running in my first half-marathon. I have to admit I am pretty nervous and a little weary about running 13.1 miles. I have already ran that distance during training and know I can do it but can't help but get butterflies when I think about it. Not to mention the weather is supposed to be a little challenging: Cloudy with 17 mph winds and 32 mph wind gusts, oh and did i forget to mention 42 degrees with a windchill making it feel in the low 30's. Yea so I am going to have to suck it up and just face what I am dealt. The after party should be the highlight of the day :)

Besides being excited for my race on Saturday, I am ecstatic that spring break starts saturday as well. No school for a week, what more could I ask for. So much free time I won't know what to do with it. And I won't have to run almost everyday(because my half training will be done) so there will be even more time than ever. Ahhh I really can't wait. That's all for now.

Dev da Rosie <3

My Number One Favorite Thing

I absolutely love my family. I love my mom, dad, brother, cousins, aunts, uncles, pets..... I really have no idea what my life would be like without them and i don't ever want to find out. They are there for me through the good, the bad and the ugly. For me, I know I can always depend on my family and I always look forward to the next time I get to see them. I'm not sure what it's gonna be like next year when I go to college and won't see them as often :( It will definitely be an adjustment. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of my family:








Tim(my brother) Padre and Me







Nala



My Mom and I



My Cousin Camryn and Me



Mu-Shu Morning



Breakfast



This morning I had an amazing breakfast, a vegetarian Mu-Shu Wrap, greek yogurt and classic tribe hummus. I headed off to school. Blah Blah Blah Blah. I mean what's the point, even the teachers have senioritis now. For lunch today I packed a Spicy Chicken(fake) Salad Sandwich, Fruit Salad, Edamame and Garlic Peas. My lunch table is quite intrigues by my "interesting" meals that I pack. By the time I got home from school I needed a little snack so I chowed down on a Rome Apple. Yum. Then I read some of my favorite blogs and cleaned up the house a bit.



My little brother came home and I had to make him a snack for before he went to Basketball practice so I just threw a premade chicken pot pie in the oven. He's easy to please :)

I was very excited for dinner tonight, Fried Rice with Tofu from Dean's was on the menu and edamame,carrots, garlic peas and greek yogurt. It was perfect and hit the spot.


Dinner



Again I got on the computer(I know it's a problem) and searched recipes that I could try. I knew I had to get on the tredmill at some point so I pryed myself away from the screen and laced up. I ran a total of 3.5 miles(.5 mile warm up and then 3 miles of fartlecks with .5 mile walking cool down) After my run I did 12 sets of 10 pushups with ab exercises in between each set of pushups.

Let's just say I was quite hungry afterwards so while I was making my lunch for tomorrow I also made a snack for tonight. It consisted of almond butter, cottage cheese, sweet potato, pear and strawberries. and it was oh so delicious and filling.



Snack

Busy Day in every way

Ahh so busy. Yesterday was a long day. Woke Up at 5:45 and didnt go to sleep till 10:45. Even though I woke up pretty early, I still had to rush to school to get there before school started at 7:20. Typical. It was an uneventful Monday at school but what do you expect in the fourth marking period of senior year. Boring.

After School I took the bus home(yes i do have my license but, no I don't have a car) grabbed an apple and hopped on my bike to ride to the Subacute Rehab Center I volunteer at twice a week. I got there at around 2:30 and left at around 4:30. The people there are extremely friendly(for the most part) and I absolutely love helping others.

When I got back home I fed my two cats Moogie and Nala and cleaned my room a little bit(minimal effort) And befor I knew it, it was time for dinner :) I had Edamame and Garlic Peas, Greek Yogurt and Crabby Patties w/ Tartar Sauce(all vegetarian) I'm not a vegetarian anymore but I did dabble in Vegetarianism for a year.

That Night I went for an amazing boardwalk run for 5.11 miles in 41:21 and as soon as I got home I indulged in a yummy snack. I had a Tofu Apple Knish with a heaping amount of Peanut Butter, a pear, and my staple- Greek Yougurt! What a great day :)

1st day=Great Day

Hi. I am so excited about this blog. I have been inspired by the other blogs I have been hooked to lately like Carrots N' Cake, The Broccoli Hut, N Her Shoes, and Kath Eats Real Food. They all have messages that I can relate to and love. I am a runner and am a self-proclaimed health nut. I really want to get into cooking my meals, for the most part right now I am just buying prepared meals from health markets even though I have had a passion for cooking for a couple of years now. It's time to take the leap and start to cook my own food considering this summer I will be starting college and living on my own for the most part.
I am running in a half marathon on saturday april 16th and have been training for the past 14 weeks with Jersey Shore Running Club. It's my first half and I am both excited and nervous. Today was a rest day for me and I greatly appreciate the allotted rest days :)
I traveled to Dean's Market and Wegman's today to start off my quest for cooking and starting to break my boring same thing everyday eating routine.
For Dinner I had a Blackened Tofu Sandwich. It was amazing. Multigrain bread,blackened tofu,alfalfa sprouts,tomato, and vegan mayonnaise. Mhhmm Mhhmm. On the side I had carrots and shelled edamame.
Fot a night snack I had a rome apple with Icelandic Yogurt and Dark Chocolate Almond Spread. I also decided to make Almond Butter Balls which were also delicious.
Good Night everyone.