Cookie Confessional

This was the most normal weekend I’ve had in ages and I loved it!!  I needed it!  I feel like life has been a whirlwind since Chicago without my regular routine or my regular energy.  So for now, I’m thankful for business as usual 🙂

Saturday

I joined the Run 4 Others group. Everyone is training for different races.  Dave made a great route so we could start together and you could break off and head back to your car for your mileage.

And then there were 3.  Roy and Jenn ran the full 20 miles with me and we had a blast!  P.S.  This was the first long run since Chicago with ZERO knee pain…woo hoo!

Jenn told us the best story about a time when she was really struggling during a run.  She kept having the negative thought, “you’re toast” repeating in her head.  So, she turned it around.  “You’re multi-grain, fortified, whole grain, STRONG TOAST!”  I will forever think of “strong toast” when I’m struggling during a run!

Post-run breakfast of champions…steel cut oats with peaches that my Gran froze during peak season and Coconut Almond Quinoa Crunch…yummo!

Getting into the Thanksgiving spirit…

Sunday

We started a new (free) Sunday morning bootcamp class!  For those in the Nashville area, follow me on facebook for specifics.  This group is no joke.  We started with hill work up a .75 mile climb at a 9% grade.  The view from the top is beautiful!  Then we did an hour of pushups, sprints, mountain climbers, etc…

It was a tough workout, but I had a blast.  We were fired up to run down the big hill to finish class!

Alex (on the far right) BQ’d at Monumental a week ago and did this class this morning.  Crazy!

After class, Jason and I went for a run together.

While the world is excited about their Red Cups, I’m stoked that Starbucks is brewing the Thanksgiving Blend!!!  It’s my favorite of all of their coffees!

So here’s my cookie confessional:  

I have a big crush on the vegan chocolate chip cookies from Whole Foods.  Leading up to Chicago, my cookie habit grew from one a day to FOUR!  I don’t care how many miles I run a day, I have no business eating four cookies a day.

So I’m no longer buying cookies for my house.  If they’re here, I’ll eat them.  Instead, I’ve started making Chocolate Shakeology Shakes.  They taste like brownie batter and are a lot healthier for me than cookies.  (Note: I’m not using them as meal replacements, but as an afternoon snack.)

Most importantly, today (November 9th) is National Adoption Day! My sweet husband is adopted and I couldn’t be more grateful for his birthmother and adopted mother:)

What’s your food weakness? Do you keep it in your house?

What’s your next race?  How’s your training going?

What was the best part of your weekend?

#choosejoy

5 Words or Less

It’s been a full week!  To catch up, I’ve captioned each pic with 5 words or less.  Let’s do this!

Wednesday

Woke up to rain 😦

But crepes made it better 🙂

Before the rainy run

Monkey training.  Soaked post-run!

6 bake sale buttercakes.

Toffee buttercake!!  Recipe coming soon…

Sinema celebratory dinner. CB BQ’d!!!!!

Butternut squash salad and pasta

Sinema selfie in the restroom.

Thursday

Breakfast after 6 hilly miles

Getting excited for Christmas!

Pottery Barn 1.  Jennifer 0.

Girls On The Run Fundraiser.

We take ourselves seriously.

Such a wonderful organization.

End of the night selfie.

Friday

Loving the new Saucony Triumph’s!

Will stop for pretty leaves!

Love me some Olivia Pope!

What are you up to this weekend?

Have you started buying Christmas gifts yet?

Do you run outside in the rain or hit the treadmill?

#choosejoy

You Can’t Train For The Monkey

I started the day off right…with an apple butter crepe and coffee at The Perch!

Then I headed over to Percy Warner Park to run the 11.2 loop through the park with Roy and Malin.  This is just a portion of the Flying Monkey Marathon course (November 23).  The fall leaves were gorgeous!!  (1,203 ft gain)

The race director “Monkey Trent” loves to remind us that you can’t train for The Monkey.  Here’s an excerpt from today’s Monkey email…

Nothing burns like the Monkey.  But only for a while.  Then it gets inside you and starts to fill you up, and after a while you don’t have the strength to fight it.  It’s easier just to sit down and go to sleep.  They say you don’t feel any pain toward the end.  First you go weak and drowsy, and everything starts to fade, and then it’s like sinking into a sea of warm milk.  Peaceful, like.  Does the Monkey scare you?  It should.

Sounds like fun, yes?!!!

Today is Charlotte’s 7th Birthday!!!!  

I love this girl SOOOOOO much!

Today, also had a Saucony theme.  I was wearing this awesome Find Your Strong long sleeve tee…

When my new NYC Triumph ISO’s arrived!!!!

I’ve read and heard so many great reviews of this shoe.

I can’t wait to take them for a test run!!!

I made a new quinoa recipe for dinner tonight…really good!!  I’ll write up the recipe soon, so keep an eye out for it!

Do you celebrate your pet’s birthday? If so, what do you do?

What brand of shoe did you first start running in?  What brand do you wear now? My first pair was the Brooks Glycerin.  Now I wear the Saucony Kinvara.

What are you having for dinner tonight?

#choosejoy

The Friday Five

1.  How cool is this Day of the Dead candy party tray?!!  Click here for a step by step tutorial on how to make one for your Halloween party!

2.  I have a deep love for the Saucony Kinvara 5, but I am super excited for the new Saucony Triumph release.  Here is the standard and the limited New York Marathon Edition.

3.  This Blog Planner from Heart and Arrow Design is really keeping me organized.  If you blog, check it out!!

4.  Purely Elizabeth Pumpkin Fig Granola.  First, it is SO GOOD!!!  Second, it’s gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, soy-free, and lots of goodness.  Thanks to Running ‘N’ Reading for sharing this brand with me 🙂

5.  80’s and 90’s sitcom stars “Shake It Off” parody.  

Happy Friday!!

#choosejoy

Friends & Sushi & Bubbles…Oh My!

It was a super fun and full weekend.  Here we go… Friday  (5 Days Post Chicago) Tank, sleeves, and tights might just be the most magical running weather! Beautiful Run! I bought lilies for my kitchen that smell amazing:) And made a new granola recipe…Chewy Maple Granola (my new favorite)! Saturday (6 Days Post Chicago) I met my friends for a 13 mile run.  I’m trying to reverse taper.  I was still a little sore and 13 was a little too far too soon.  On a positive note, I got to run in my new Saucony Kinvara Kona Edition (LOVE)! Breakfast after. Saturday night our friends were hosting a sushi making party.  If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you might remember that we did a smaller version of this at the Cumberland Plateau Stage Race.  It was a blast, so I was so excited to do it again! Our hostess with the mostest, Dar, greeted us with Apple Cider Whiskeys…Fall in a cup! Cecilia made this spicy garlic edamame.  YUM! James gave us a great lesson in making rolls. After our lesson, we split up into teams.  Each team was supposed to make a few rolls and submit your best for judging.  Dar, Laurie, and James had prepped so many wonderful ingredients.  We just had to get creative. Making rolls is such an art.  My team mostly forgot that we were competing and just ate our rolls:) Here are the finished products ready for judging! I want to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone for a fun night!! Sunday I woke up with a cranky knee.  I knew that I shouldn’t run, so my husband and I rode our bikes to breakfast. Guess what?  More oatmeal…yes I have a problem. And then went to the gym to lift.  I love that he tolerates my blog. To end the weekend, we celebrated Lauren’s birthday one more time. Friends, cake, and bubbles. Life is good!!! P.S. Alex introduced us to St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur.  We added it to our champagne and it tasted like grown-up apple cider…SO GOOD!  You’re welcome. Have you made sushi at home? Did you race or long run this weekend? Share!!! Have you ever had a sore knee after a race? I didn’t hurt during the race, but it started to flare up a few days after. Weird. #choosejoy

Return to Running & Lauren’s Birthday!

First…a huge thank you to everyone for you kind words of encouragement. It means more to me than I can express. I am not an exceptional runner…I just really love running. Thank you for sharing in the joy!!!!

I have another marathon in a month, so I’m doing a reverse taper.  Here’s my training this week.

Monday.

3 mile walk plus more airport walking.

Tuesday.

Sore quads. Rainy day. 3 miles of treadmill walking and lots of upper body weights.

Excited to wear some of my Chicago swag!

Wednesday.

6 rainy miles with friends. Slow but felt great…woo hoo! Wanted to run extra but decided to be smart.

In lieu of extra miles, I went to get a crepe instead…priorities:)

Evening Orange Theory Fitness class with lots of time on the bike and rower.

When the hubs is away, the wife will not cook dinner and instead get a tofu taco salad, watch hulu, and eat entirely too many tortilla chips. Such a glamorous life!

Thursday

Special Breakfast Club run in downtown Franklin with breakfast at Frothy Monkey

to celebrate Lauren’s birthday!!!  Aren’t Alex and Lauren the sweetest couple?!!

5 miles with group this awesome group!

Breakfast

2.5 solo miles afterwards in my new Saucony Kona Kinvaras!

Here are some great tips from Runner’s World on When To Return To Running After A Marathon.

As a general guideline, I suggest taking three to seven days completely off after a marathon. Sleep in, eat, and enjoy your accomplishment! After that, begin an active recovery program. Active recovery includes light exercise and even some running, if you are not sore. “Light” exercise means exercising at a low intensity level, i.e., no more than 60-65% of your max heart rate for a relatively short duration, less than 60 minutes. Activity actually helps you recover faster than inactivity because it promotes circulation. Good circulation delivers fresh oxygen and nutrients to muscles and carries away metabolic waste and, therefore, aids healing and recovery. Walking, running, riding a bike, stretching, or swimming for 30 to 60 minutes at low intensity will promote circulation and assist your recovery. Massage therapy and foam rolling can also help relieve muscle soreness and assist recovery by increasing the body’s circulation too.

Where are you at in your training?  Taper, Recovering, Long Runs?

Do you run with groups?  Why or why not?

Favorite Breakfast?  Mine is obviously oatmeal!

#choosejoy

Peeing On Myself

Saturday:

This was our coolest temp in months and it showed up just in time for my last group training run before Chicago.

Lots of Saucony Vizi!!

I’m always sad when the training ends. I love the journey so much more than the race.  And, my favorite way to run is pacing a group.  I love that Fleet Feet gives me so many opportunities to pace 🙂

Every time someone uses a search engine that sends them to my site, it shows up on my blog stats page.  Normal searches revolve around running and recipes.  This happened…

I’m not sure what is says about me or the person searching!  FYI: I never know the identity of the person, so if it was YOU, your secret is safe.

I finally bought mums for my front porch.  Lots of yellow for my planters!

After the Depot, we went to Chuy’s for my favorite guacamole taco salad.

We were both worn out and decided to stay in and use our new outdoor fireplace for the first time. I was giddy and bought the jumbo marshmallows for roasting!

Miss Caroline enjoyed the fire, too.

I will now imagine a French Cat every time I read LMAO!

Sunday:

We woke up to this temp…what?!!! Perfect running weather.

I did a nice easy paced run to Puckett’s where my husband met me for breakfast!!

Strawberry goodness on my oatmeal and french toast! (Yes, I ate it all)

We hit the gym together afterwards.

After roasting marshmallows on veggie skewers, we went to REI to up our roasting game…they telescope and turn at the touch of a finger!

Dinner on the Burger Up patio:  Salad with a quinoa burger on top and

Check out Jason’s onion ring tower!

At the Whole Foods we discovered Rambutan.

Of course, I bought one.  It tastes like a sweet grape.

Lastly, we ended the day with a post dinner bike ride through our hood 🙂

Do you love the training or the race more?

Onion rings or french fries?

Did you race this weekend or long run?  Tell me all about it!!!

#choosejoy

Socially Unacceptable Things Runners Do & My Last Hard Workout

Wednesday:

Crepe and coffee at The Perch for breakfast!

Beautiful sunrise…

Today’s workout called for…
2 mile warmup
10 miles at 8-8:10 pace

2 mile cool down

I gave myself permission to just do my best. My body is tired and heavy and I didn’t want to overdo it this close to Chicago.
I ended up having a strong run!  Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t easy, but I did it.
I just kept telling myself that this was the last time I have to do this for a while.

I normally do two runs on Wednesday, but because I’m being a good taperer (is that even a word?!!) I went to the gym and did a little TRX and light lifting.

Here is a list of 45 Insanely Effective TRX Exercises.

And in honor of World Vegetarian Day, I made these Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps for dinner!  Recipe coming soon 🙂

Lastly, here’s a funny list from Run Haven…

Socially Unacceptable Things Runners Do

1.  Blowing snot rockets. This habit has become so ingrained in my actions that I’ve caught myself doing it when I’m NOT running. It’s just second nature.

2.  Peeing in the woods or other outdoor locations. I don’t think there are many races at which I put up with porta-potty lines. And if I’m trail running and have to pee, well, I’m not waiting until I get home. Heck, I’ve even taught my daughter the fine art of peeing outside.

3.  Changing clothes in public. When I finish a run and the weather is extremely hot or cold, one of the first things I do is get out of those sweaty clothes. If I finish at a location that isn’t home, I don’t think twice about whipping off my wet shirt and changing into a dry one, right next to my car. It’s pretty much a given post-race.

4.  Not changing clothes. Conversely, there have been more than a few times when I’ve stayed in my post-run clothing for a couple of hours before getting around to taking a shower. I walk in from a run, walk back out to take the kids somewhere, or start right in on some writing, and well…it’s a while before I finally get cleaned up. Good thing I’m a freelancer!

5.  Chatting openly about bodily functions. These functions include peeing, pooping, farting and the like. Let’s just admit it- running can sometimes do a number on the GI system. I’ve compared notes on all of the above bodily functions with more than a few runners before. The funny, the embarrassing and the “what works for you,” sometimes creeps into running conversations, doesn’t it?

6.  Inhaling vast quantities of food in public. Ever finish up a long run or race and just have to eat, no matter what’s available? I know my friends and I can do a number on a good burger, fries and beer after a marathon. You’d better not get between us and that food, either!Those are just a few of the not-so-socially acceptable acts I’ve pulled off over the years. What about you? Can you add to the list?

Are you a vegetarian?  Or do you do Meatless Monday?

Are you guilty of the above list?  I am, except for #1.  If I was able to blow a snot rocket, I would.

#choosejoy

Track Tuesday!

Every Tuesday, I meet my Fleet Feet Speed Session group on the track. I love this group because it’s another excuse to run with friends! And…just in one year of track workouts, I’ve seen some good improvements.

The brighter the colors the faster I can run, right??

Here’s today’s workout:

4 mile warmup/ drills
9×800’s w/ 400m recovery jog
Cool down

My goal time was 3:26. My actual splits were: 3:29, 3:28, 3:26, 3:26, 3:25, 3:26, 3:25, 3:25, 3:16 (I obviously like to give it my all on the last one!!)

800 repeats are always a tough workout. My friend Corrie calls it the devil’s distance! Because this workout can be overwhelming, it’s important to break it up by 100’s. I always take a post-it with my splits to the track. How do you eat an elephant…one bite at a time. I just happened to wear my favorite elephant earrings (I’m a dork)!

Followed by an ice bath…they seriously help my recovery.

Do you do regular speed workouts…track, tempo? What works best for you?