Christmas Workout + Avatar (go see it!)

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that Santa was good to you!!

Christmas Eve morning my younger brother and I decided to head to the gym before the festivities began.  I ran an easy warm up mile then decided to work my biceps and triceps.  Side note:  I realized that I have been focusing so much on running and building my base, endurance, and training for my first half that I have neglected my muscles and my core.  I used to hit the gym 4 times a week, but now that I run in the morning before work I stopped going to the gym all together.  I'm changing that.  I am going to try to go to the gym 2-3 times a week in addition to my running/training plan, which you can find here.

So on Christmas Even morning I ran to warm up then worked out my arms.  It felt so good!  Once my arms got some attention, I decided to pay a little more to my abs.  My brother has this incredible 10 minute ab workout that basically consists of 7 different ab workouts that you rotate 1 minute on 30 seconds rest 1 minute on and so forth.  Then we did some planks (which I absolutely love because they work not only your core but everything, and yet I dread doing them!) followed by some crunches and twists on the medicine ball.

And it didn't stop there!  We decided to do some sprints on the track and it was empty (always a bonus).  I ran 200's full force, resting only while jogging back to my starting line.  I hadn't run sprints since high school when I played soccer, so it felt pretty good to get out there and do it.  I did feel it a lot in my arms around my 3rd set, especially since I had just worked them out pretty hard.

We finished up then headed home to get ready to host our entire family for Christmas Eve!  Dad makes his famous spaghetti and meatballs, and I made homemade cupcakes:  red velvet, my great grandmother's recipe, and vanilla coconut.

They were scrum-didle-li-umptious!  I took yesterday off and spent the whole day with my family, and hit the gym again this morning with my bro.  Today was a rest day for me, but I wanted to work my back and abs.  I did the killer ab workout again and several back machines.

After another great gym workout, my little bro, big bro, sis-in-law, nephew, and my boyfriend all went to the Irvine Spectrum to see Avatar in IMAX 3D, which is now my new favorite movie.  It was a great story, but the special effects were absolutely visually stunning!  I already cannot wait to buy this movie on DVD.

I loved it and would totally see it again, if only for the visual beauty (the story was a little reminiscent of 'Dances With Wolves', but still a great story).

Tomorrow I run 7 miles (hopefully my calf/back of my knee is feeling better for it).

xoxo