Running in the Heat

Workout: 30 minutes weights (arms) / 30 minutes elliptical / 1:30 front planks / 1:00 side planks / 25 lunges


Yeah, so I pretty much gave up on my squats. I have seriously been slacking in the planks/lunges department lately (Sorry El, but it's the truth...) and I'm trying to make sure I keep up with those. Maybe next month. Actually I've been slacking in the whole workout department it feels like. I'm pretty disappointed in myself. Been taking too many lazy days as opposed to rest days. This needs to stop.


Also, I need to start running more on the running trail. During the day. Which is miserable. I cannot stress how awful the heat is here. I mean, it's not too bad compared to how it is in July/August, but it's still pretty miserable. I'm so glad I'm leaving before summer hits, though. 


Anyways, I digress. I need to get myself re-accustomed to not running on a treadmill, and to running in daylight. So while it is hot, it's not the worst it could be, and I need to take advantage of it, and just suck it up. Maybe I'll drag out my Camelback from the storage area under my bed. (We got those for free in training. I love that thing.) Hydration is key to running out here. I'll try to do my long runs, since I'm am the world's worst self-pacer. So for my speed work, I need a treadmill. And it's as flat as board out here, so hills will also have to be done on a treadmill. 

So. It's decided then. :) I also am going to be running the 5K on February 20, for President's Day. Yay! I'm hoping to get my 28:00, but if not, I still have some time before I leave here. Wish me luck! 


I hope everyone has an awesome Superbowl Sunday. I will not be watching this year, sadly, but I will be checking ESPN as soon as I wake up tomorrow to see how it went. :) 


-Katy

Salt, Camels, and Makin' It Rain

Thanks for being so patient! I feel much better, and probably slept way more than I should have! But, it was wonderful, and I'm not going to apologize! Haha. Anyways, my day yesterday.

It started with an early morning, because I had department pt. But this week was the run, so I was happy. It was only 2.25 miles, which wasn't as long as I really wanted my long runs to be.... Haha. But my calves hurt so bad, I wouldn't have been able to much more, even if I was on my own. I have no idea how fast I was going since it was outside on the running trail, and I didn't time myself. Not very quickly, that's for sure! Haha. I think I'm going to shoot for the running trail from now on for my long runs, just to get myself used to running outside away from a treadmill again. :) 

Then, afterwards, we all left to go shower, and met back up again at the galley to collect food, and stock up for our trip. You can trade water bottles and chips and stuff to the local Djiboutians for souvenirs. Then we were ready to go! We left base at around 9:00.

Ready to go on our adventure!!

It's about a 2-3 hour drive to Lake Assal from base, and we stopped along the way for some photo ops... haha. But Fami (the guy on my left) drive like a bat out of hell, so we made awesome time! Haha. I was super impressed with his speed, even taking a picture of the speedometer. Until I learned it was kilometers per hour. Not mph. Then I felt kind of stupid... Haha.

He got up to 120, but alas... it was only kmph.

We saw a lot of animals along the way, goats, camels, a hyena!, even some monkeys. Here are some pictures of the various animals.

These little fellas ran alongside the truck with us! :)

Camels, and guy herding camels!

Right up next to the truck!

Skin and bones. :(

First "tourist" stop we made was the Djiboutian "grand canyon". It was super beautiful, but you were quickly reminded this was not America. There were no barriers, and you could literally walk right up to the cliff. We tried not to get close... Haha.

The group of us.

Just me! :)

Don't Fall!

There were Djiboutians trying to sell us rocks at this stop, but we politely declined. They are very aggressive in their marketing techniques, and it can freak me out sometimes. I'm sure they are harmless, but they do kind of swarm you and I'm so bad at haggling. Haha. I did buy some souvenirs later at the market, but even I wasn't going to get duped into buying a rock. :)

The next stop we made was another cliffside, but this one overlooked the ocean. It was so beautiful. You could see and island called Devil's Island, and once again... No barricades. Haha.

Devil's Island

The ocean.

Haha. More pictures of me! 

Don't worry. There are lots more pictures of myself to come! 

We saw some cool things along the drive, as well. Please forgive the quality of the pictures... We were in a truck, and it was moving very fast!

The Djiboutian Hollywood sign! Actually it says Allah al Akbar which translates into Allah is the greatest. Yeah. I took Arabic for two years.

Mountainside. And co-workers hand.... 

The next stop we made was the hot springs. Now. These hot springs are not the kind you want to get into. Unless you want your skin to blister off. Think the beginning of the movie Dante's Peak.... That hot. Apparently the Earth's crust is so thin right there it heats up the water to boiling. But I'm no expert. That was told to me, so it could all be hogwash. :)

Really neat look cliffs at the hot springs.

Hot springs! 

Me at the hot spring, though it kinda just looks gross... Haha.

Then, finally! Lake Assal. Now, Lake Assal, as I said earlier, it the saltiest body of water on the planet. It was so cool! You could float (whether you wanted to or not...) in 6 inches of water, and when you got out of the water and dried off, you have salt all over your body which is surreal. Though, thankfully it washes off super easy, since all we had were water bottles to clean off with. No showers, here folks. It was super neat, though I wouldn't go for hours, and certainly not a day long trip. You can't swim, really, and there is no sand. All that beautiful white in the pictures? Very sharp crystalized salt.  It would cut your feet up so fast, and then you are in the saltiest body of water on Earth... ouch.  So you can't really lay out either... Haha. The good news? No sharks. After all, nothing can live in this water. Here are some photos!

Lake Assal!

I could almost pretend I was in Hawaii again! :)

Crystalized salt! And ugly, pale feet....

Woot!

Salt at the water's edge. It looked like regular ocean foam, until you step on it! Ouch!

Co-worker floating in the 6 inch deep water. :)

Camels walking along the beach.

One of my co-workers traded some water for some salt souvenirs (the locals soak various things -even animal skulls!- in the water and the salt crystalizes on the object. It's pretty cool!) but I didn't get any, since it would have to stay here. Customs doesn't allow you to bring it home. I'm sure there are ways of getting it back to the States, but it wasn't worth it for me. And since I only have 6 weeks left... Haha. But it was cool.

Then we came back to Djibouti City to go to the French Beach. None of of us have ever been there before, and we got wicked lost. I kept getting nervous, because our base in Djibouti City is nine miles from the Somalia border..... and let's just say, we don't want to get too lost around here. But we eventually got directions by calling someone on base (though that was an adventure since they didn't speak English very well, and Djibouti doesn't have any sort of street signs. Haha. 

To get to French Beach you have to go off-roading, and it was quite an adventure. You wouldn't be able to make it in a vehicle without 4-wheel drive. At least, I wouldn't ever attempt it... Haha. I didn't take any pictures (sorry!) since I was too busy reading my Kindle and relaxing.... and eating cookies... Haha! But it was very pretty, and had real sand. The boys played football, while I read. It was very relaxing.

Then we made our way into town for the market, and that is such an experience. You have to haggle (well, you don't have to- but you'll get super ripped off!) and I'm still not very good at it. Though, I did pretty well, and I managed to get some wooden carved bookends, and a sandstone puzzle box. They're pretty nifty!

Then we made our way to a sushi restaurant. I love sushi. It's something I could eat every single day of my life and be totally fulfilled. 

I had a yummy delicious rainbow roll.

Om Nom Nom. My co-worker totally photo-bombed me...

My co-worker Will with his Dragon roll. That thing was epic. 

In the interest of full-disclosure... I did have a fried banana with banana ice cream. And I don't regret a second of it. Though I am back to my normal eating habits today. Too much sugar for me yesterday....

Then we hit up the casino. I have been to a casino twice in my life, and I am not a big fan of gambling. But, it is fun every so often, and I always have the exact amount I am willing to spend, and I won't go a dime over. I just so happened to have gotten lucky both times. I play roulette. This is a game of pure luck and I play it as such. Last night I won 135 dollars, though I tipped the table guy 10 bucks. (Hey, it was free money!) Well, actually I won 95 dollars, since I started with 40. It was super fun, and I loved watching the looks I got as I would squeal and jump when I won. You could tell the serious gamblers were annoyed by it, as they kept changing over 100 dollar bills every few hands. (I am so glad I do not have a gambling problem. It was very humbling to watch all of that money get lost.) 

I then proceeded to take "I make it rain" photos with my winnings. Once we were back on base of course. No need flaunting a hundred dollar bill in a poverty stricken area.... 

Big pimpin'

I never win anything (other than best hubs award, and now at roulette...) 

Anyways, that was my awesome day yesterday. Yes, I got sunburned (back of my neck from sitting in the backseat of the truck all day), and my feet feel bruised on the bottom. So today will be a rest day, and I'm back in the gym tomorrow. :) Cross training, since hills (UGH!) are on Monday. Now I need to brush my teeth, and clean my room, and go to dinner. This girl is HUNGRAY. 

Yeah. Dinner. I really did sleep all day. :) It's steak night at the galley! It's the little things, guys. The little things! Anyways, you guys are awesome for sitting through all of this! I hope you enjoyed my little peek of Africa. I have more pictures, but I've already been working on this for two hours, and I think you've probably been ready to move on with your lives for some time now! Have a WONDERFUL SATURDAY. I'm off to fill my belly. :)

-Katy

What a Day!

Best. Djibotui Day. Ever.


Ok, guys. I had an awesome fun filled day, and took loads of pictures. But I have been up since 4:30 this morning, and it's now almost 11:00 pm. 


I'm having trouble not falling asleep on my keyboard.


So I will leave you with a few teaser pictures of today, and I PROMISE to give you a very detailed, photo-filled post tomorrow. If I tried tonight, it probably wouldn't make much sense. But here are a few pictures to hold you over. :)

Me and my co-workers about to embark on this adventure!

Overlooking the ocean. It was so pretty.

Me at the hot springs. :)

Me at Lake Assal.

And finally. The night ended on a good note in the Casino. :) 

Good night y'all. I will be back with a detailed story, and about a thousand more pictures tomorrow. Plus, I will catch up with your blogs as well. I'm behind, I know. Have a GREAT day!! :)

Sleeping Arrangements Book Review

Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham is a novel I just finished reading. The plot (from the book cover, so as not to ruin any plot points...) is :

"Chloe needs a holiday. Her partner, Philip, has troubles at work, and the whole family wants a break. Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife, Amanda, seems more interested in her new kitchen than in him - and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he'll have a chance to bond with them on this holiday...

When the two families arrive at a villa in Spain for their respective vacations, they all get a shock - it has been double-booked. An uneasy week of sharing begins, and tensions mount in the soaring heat. But the temperature isn't solely to blame: What noone realizes is that Chloe and Hugh have a history- and that the "accidental" overlap mught not have been so accidental after all..."

I have to say, I was not too fond of this book. I love the Shopaholic series (by Sophie Kinsella, same author, different penname), and was hoping this would be a light funny novel similar to that one. Instead, I found it boring, the main characters selfish, and the supporting characters lackluster. Usually I get strongly involved with characters, and either love or hate them. I really had no feelings to these, at all.

Except a mild disappointment in the main characters who seemingly have no qualms about being unfaithful. I have big issues with infidelity, so this was not winning any points from me.

So. There it is. I'm not a professional, so don't judge too harshly!

On another note.... today is a rest day. I have my long run scheduled for tomorrow, but since it is pt day, and we have a run scheduled, I figured I'd just wing it. Haha. Afterwards, my co-workers and I are traveling to Lake Assal which is the saltiest body of water on Earth. Even more so than the Dead Sea. I'm really excited about it, and finally will have something to blog about besides sitting on this base.. Haha! I will take lots of pictures!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

Need for Speed

My speed workout hurt so good.

Oh my Lord. I was so, so, so, so pleased with myself. It wasn't as hard as I had convinced myself it would be (I had been dreading it all day!), at least not until like minute 12. After that, it was all a mental battle with my body. But then, it was over, and I wanted more. Haha. I ran the first 20 minutes in intervals of 6.5 mph for 1 minute, then 7.0 mph for 1 minute. Once I hit 20 minutes, I went to 1 minute 6.0 mph, then finished out at 6.5 mph until I reached 2.5 miles. Then I walked until 3.0 miles.

I felt super awesome and giddy afterwards. It was beautiful. My calves were super sore, though, so I know tomorrow it will be like liquid fire. My poor calves have been hating me lately, and I know I need to find a way to stretch them better. But it's not an injured kind of sore, so I don't feel guilty, haha!

Thanks for the feedback on the book reviews, I'll be sure to get started! Also. Angie suggested I start posting quotes for my boy while we are apart. I really like this idea, but most of my favorite "quotes" are usually song lyrics. Haha. So here is my first one. I feel it suits us very well, since we will have been apart a year when we are finally re-united.

Plus, it's Journey. Everyone loves Journey.

"Wondering where I am, lost without you.
And being apart ain't easy on this love affair,
Two strangers learn to fall in love again.
I get the joy of rediscovering you.
I'm forever yours... Faithfully."

It brings tears to my eyes. Every time.

Books and Things

Disclaimer: Not a fitness related post!

Ok y'all, I've been doing some major thinking about what I want my blog to be about. Mostly about fitness, and food. But really, it's almost like a diary, really. Haha. I really just want it to be about my lifestyle, since I am trying to change my lifestyle from:

That cursin', fast food eatin' couch sittin', stress feelin', bar hoppin' (though I never really was into bar hopping... I have had my nights), unhealthy  chick.

into:

That life lovin', exercisin', nutritious eatin', healthy girl.

So, I think I'll just post about my day-to-day life. Which, for the next month and a half will probably remain pretty monotonous. Haha. But I promise, I'm way more interesting in the States. I think. :)

Well, a huge part of my life, and always has been is reading. Seriously. I devour books. I read way too fast for my own liking, and when I get into a book, it's done way too quickly in my opinion. Mostly, I read romance novels, but I also try and fit in some intelligent and thought provoking reads as well. But, mostly romance. Haha.

So I figured I'd incorporate book reviews as I read them. Also, I'd love inputs from you guys as to what books you love! :) I'll even create a page for my reviews. This way I can keep track of how many books I actually do read, since I'm kind of curious.

Also, if there are any ideas for the blog you guys have, I'd love to hear them. I may not do all of them, but I will definitely put them all under consideration! :) You guys totally make my day!

Right now I am reading "Sleeping Arrangements" by Madeleine Wickam. She is the author who also goes by Sophia Kinsella who writes the Shopaholic Series (which I LOVE!) My girlfriend sent this to me in my Valentine's Package, and I really enjoy it so far. :)

Three Tangent Tuesday

Workout: light weights workout (back) / 25 lunges / 1:30 front plank / 1:00 side planks / 25 squats / 30 minutes elliptical


So my cousin has come up with this new idea for 2012. Apparently it takes 28 days to make (or break!) a habit, so she wants to break (or make!) a new habit each month, and asked for participants. I said, sure why not. I mean, I've kind of made a new habit out of challenging myself... Lol. So my February "habit" is to add 25 squats to the daily routine. Why do I hate my poor legs so much??? Haha.


Sooo. Janae at HungryRunnerGirl has started this new trend called Three Tangent Tuesdays. Basically I just tell you guys three random things about myself. Please don't stop reading because you find out I'm like the weirdest person ever.... Because I probably am.


Three Tangent Tuesday  (RTtA style)


+ I have never, ever seen The Christmas Story. According to all of my friends, this means I'm not an American. I started watching it Christmas '09 when everyone at my house ganged up on me and sat me down in front of the tv, but I thought it was boring, and stopped paying attention... I guess if you didn't grow up watching it, and there's no nostalgic meaning... it's not world-altering. My family always watched White Christmas. Now there's a classic... :) 


+ I never remember birthdays. Seriously. Thank the heavens for Facebook.... it keeps me out of many a jam with my friends. It's not that I don't care, I do. I am one of those people that thinks birthdays are super duper special, and love to celebrate them. I'm just awful with dates.... I mean, awful! I feel super guilty about it, too. 


+ My best friend Ellie and I are going to open a cupcake/cake bakery. This idea started as a joke one night, and got serious pretty quickly. I don't think anybody actually thinks we're going to go through with it, but we are. I'm super excited about it.


Well, that's my three things for this week. That was kind of fun. :) Have a great day y'all, and wish me luck on my speed run tomorrow!! 


Here are some random pics...

They had GREEN lettuce today, so I totally went salad crazy. :) Plus the red pears are delicious!

I PROMISE once I get back to the states, my pictures will have more variety... Lol.

-Katy