Welcome baby Ella Ann! June: You're not so welcome

This is my new niece!!! Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!? (And *I* bought her that cute little outfit!) She was born on Saturday, May 29, and I was THRILLED to be home for it!!! She arrived ON her due date, which happens 7% of the time...Ella, you're going to be EXTRAORDINARY!

So, June is here. Did my weigh in at home. Not. So. Good. ZERO change. ZILCH. None. Um, hello, *may*keover, I'm supposed to lose weight! However, I did not exercise as much as in the past two years. My fatigue surrounding working overtime and completing my thesis gave me plenty of excuses to throw in the towel. This is a new month.

June is continuing with healthy living, and my husband is on board! We started P90X together, which I'm doing slowly but surely (I'm completely sore but not crazy sore!). And I know I have to go at my own pace, so if I rest for a minute, I rest. But I had to do SOMETHING different. It's all about muscle confusion, which I think is just what my body needs!

Also, I've officially decided to aim for the Hartford Marathon, as my NYC Marathon connection couldn't pull through and sneak me in! ;-( But hey, Hartford, "New England's Rising Star", HERE I COME! My childhood neighbor, and still close friend Mark, is helping me train. Mark has run 5 (or more) marathons, including Boston, NYC, and Disney. He's also running the Hartford Marathon, and depending on his status come race time, might run with me. So, this week I'm doing 3-4 miles 5 days, and then 6 miles for a long run. I'll be building up my mileage every week. I'm switching it up with elliptical and biking, because I'm not in great shape and need to pace my progress.

Another addition: protein shakes. I did a bit of research, and it looks pretty legit. I was scared it would somehow make me bulk up, but it is supposed to help with recovery from distance training, injury avoidance, and energy level. I've been doing some morning workouts (yes, more on that later) and it's been a great way to finish my workout: 1 scoop of Whey Protein, 3/4 cup of skim milk, and a quick pour of coffee...mmmm....

Yet another addition: 5am. Yes, ladies (And I doubt gents), 5am. My new wake up time. This morning's run was almost too hot. Scary! But I did an 8:39 first mile this morning, and that's definite growth for this NON morning runner. (Huh hmmm the other miles were just par for the course and not worth mentioning!)

What do you do to switch it up? I know it seems drastic, but I feel at the ripe old age of 25, I've plateaued, and that SCARES me! :-D

And my last day of teaching the kiddos is June 28! CAN'T. GET. HERE. ANY. FASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!