Running Update

So I've been back on the No Boundaries training for a couple of weeks. I had no trouble at all the first week, but had a good bit of leg cramping the second week. I ended up having to get new shoes as well as inserts. Was also given some exercises to do about 10-15 minutes before I run to help loosen up my calf muscles. Looks like I might have some scar tissue built up in my muscles, so I have to do the stretches each day to help my muscles recover. Also was suggested I either get the foam roller or "stick" to help break up the knots in my muscles.

I've enjoyed getting started back with my running. I'll keep up with the interval training through the July 4th 5K race. I'm hoping to get to the point of running the entire race rather than having to walk a portion of it. I'm not even close to doing that at this point, but I have it as a goal for one of the 5K races I'll run this year.

I know I got new followers from the Easter Blog Hop and I want to promise you I will start updating my blog more often. I'll post an update each week about my training and focus the rest of the post on books I've read. Things have gotten away from me lately, but I'm working on post for the week today.

5K Training Begins Soon

So, I start my newest 5K training program on Tuesday evening. I've done the No Boundaries training before and it really helped me to stick to my goal. Since I've managed to gain back most of the weight I lost last year, I need something to kick my butt into gear. I've decided running, in combination with eating right will get me back on track.

Since I have done the training before, I'm hoping I'll be able to run more than walk/run through most of the training. The training is to prepare me to run a 5K on July 4th. My goal is to run as much of this race as possible and be in good enough shape by the end of October to run an entire 5K without walking.

I also plan on updating my blog each week. I currently have 4 book review to post as well as an update for the end of the week on how my first week of training goes. I've gotten behind on my blogging in the last few weeks, but it really is something I want to improve on this year.

Reading Update & Running Update

I've been really horrible about posting updates on my reading in the last month or so. I've been reading quite a bit lately, but feel that I'm so far behind in doing individual post that I'll never catch up. So I'm going to do a post about all the books I've read in the past 6 weeks in one post.

First up is Can't Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards. I absolutely loved this book. Louisa Edwards writes smart, funny, strong and sexy characters. I loved watching Adam and Miranda fall for one another. I already have her next two books in my TBR pile and can't wait to read them.

Next up is Fairy Tales Come True by Silver James. It was a sweet short story about two people finding one another again at their 25-year class reunion. Derek, know known as Deke, actually had a crush on Alexandra, or Dorothy as she was known in high school, when they were younger. I'm a big fan of Silver's and can't wait for her next book to be released.

Crimson Moon by JA Saare was a fun and sexy paranormal story. I found Jaime's books through many of my blogger and twitter friends and I'm so glad I listened. Crimson Moon is another winner in my book. Emma is a really strong character and I loved both Caleb and Trent. I must admit as much as I love Caleb, I'm a little bit more in love with Trent.

Crave by JR Ward is the second book in her Fallen Angel series. I'm a huge JR Ward fan, and was a little hesitant to read Crave, since I didn't love Covet, the first book in the series. However, I absolutely loved Crave and now am really excited to read more books in this series. Envy is the title of the third book and will be released in October 2011.

The Princess's Bride was another super sexy f/f story by KT Grant. I'm a huge fan of KT Grant and try to read everything she publishes. She once again delivers with this sexy pirate story. I loved watching Daisy come into her own with her sexy lover Chelsey.

Double Cross is the second book in the Disillusionist Trilogy by Carolyn Crane. This is such a great series. I love Justine and her other disillusionist friends. Her attraction to both Otto and Packard keeps the readers guessing. I've always thought Packard was the better man and my feeling still haven't changed after reading Double Cross. I look forward to reading the final book in this trilogy next year.

Another book many of my blogger and twitter friends have told me about is Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane. Unholy Ghosts is the first book in the Chess Putnam series. Now, I'd heard everyone talking about how much they had "Terrible Fever" from reading this book and I have to say, I too caught "Terrible Fever". I already have the next two books in this series and can't wait to get more time with Terrible.

The final book in this update is No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It is the latest in the Dark-Hunter/Were-Hunter series. I absolutely love this series and really loved reading Dev and Samia's story. I actually borrowed it from the library so I could read it sooner, since I have to wait to get it in paperback. I've always loved Dev Peltier and think he and Sam are a perfect match to one another.

Hope to not get so behind that I have to post about 8 books in one post again. Part of the reason I'm so behind is due to all my running. I've been training for my first 1/2 marathon since September. I've now run two 5k races and one 10k race. The 1/2 marathon seemed to be the perfect next race to complete. However, I injured my foot a couple of weeks ago and don't think I'll be able to actually compete in my first 1/2 marathon in November. Luckily there are 1/2 marathons in the area almost every month of the year. So tomorrow I'll give my orthopedic surgeon a call and see if I can get in for x-rays to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong with my foot. I'm still good with short runs, but am not able to make it more than 8 miles without having a problem. I'll post more once I talk to my doctor and hopefully I can start training for my first 1/2 marathon again soon.

Reading Slump in July

I just finished reading Larissa Ione's Passion Unleashed. I try to update my spreadsheet of books read as I finish reading each book (yes I have to keep a spreadsheet to keep up with my books each year...I know I'm a geek). Upon updating said spreadsheet, I realized I only managed to read 3 books total in July. My reads in July were the following books:

Burned

Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between

Friday Night Bites

I did managed to read a few stories, that are not yet published, but overall I hit a major reading slump in the month of July. My week at RWA didn't help in adding to my reading list for the month. I had a wonderful time at RWA, but didn't find any spare time to read while I was there. In fact, if I found any spare time, I usually grabbed a power nap to help me get through the rest of the day.

I hope to find time to post a longer post on my first RWA experience over the weekend. I can only say at this point, I've almost caught up on my sleep and still need to put away my suitcases and clean laundry.

Re-reading favorites

So I have pretty much just been re-reading books from JD Robb's In Death series for the majority of this month. Actually, other than reading Demon Ex Machina at the beginning of the month, and a manuscript not yet published, I've only read books from the In Death series. I managed to re-read the first three books in the series in the past week and it made me remember how much I absolutely love Eve Dallas, Roarke, and all the other characters we get to meet in this series (not that I ever really forget how much I love these characters). I could very easily re-read the entire series and be completely happy. However, I have so many books in my house that I haven't read yet, I'm going back to my mountain of books I haven't read and picking something.

I decided to read a YA book for a change, since I haven't read one in a while. One of my favorite YA series I've read is The House of Night series by PC Cast & Kristin Cast. Based on a recommendation by my friend Paula, I moved the 2 books I have yet to read to the top of my TBR pile. I love the Zoey Redbird and her friends and am so excited to get back into this series with Tempted. I held off reading Tempted until now and already have Burned, the next book in the series on my bookshelf. Already totally sucked back in to the series and can't wait to see what happens over the next 2 books.

I also still need to post my thoughts about Lover Mine. Honestly, I don't know that I could actually say anything about LM that hasn't already been said. I'm still trying to get my thoughts together so I say more than just I totally loved this story, but not quite there yet. Hope to find time over the long holiday weekend to post.