My husband left me…at the beach.

I hope you had a very Happy National Running Day!!!!  I loved reading everyone posts about why they run…so inspiring!

Annie at TheLittleGSP.com pointed out that I never explained where 30A is…oops!  I’ve been hanging out on the Florida panhandle.  Scenic highway 30a is between Panama City and Destin.  It’s comprised of a bunch of little beach towns.

Wednesday:

The sunrise was gorgeous!!

Jason and I went swimming in the ocean (aka nature’s shower) after our run.

All washed up!  This was my not-so-graceful exit from the ocean.  Big thanks to Jason for catching this gem!

We went back to the Fish Out Of Water patio for breakfast.  They have THE BEST french toast that I’ve ever head in my life.  If you’re on 30A, you must try it.  I’m going to recreate it when I get home!

Then the leaving part…We were supposed to check out and head home, but I wasn’t ready.  Jason needed to get back for work, so he left and I stayed.  I seriously have the greatest husband!

Post-breakfast pool time!

Bike ride…

Lunch at Raw and Juicy (green smoothie, chia pudding, and coconut macaroons!)

Shopping in Seaside

Balcony coffee time.

Random dinner (salad, sweet potato fries, and fried green tomatoes) on the Great Southern patio

A big perk to staying at the Watercolor Inn: They deliver cookies to your room every night during turn down service…yum!

And, I totally forgot to post our turtle rescue from a couple of days ago.  Jason decided to shoot a play-by-play.  Look how big he/she is…so cool!!!

Do you ever just order random items off the menu that don’t go together?  Sometimes I just want what I want.

Do you have a sweet tooth before bed?  Those cookies don’t stand a chance with me.  They’re gone in a minute.

Rank in order of your favorite to least favorite…french toast, pancakes, waffles.  For me, it’s waffles, french toast, and then pancakes.  (Except with this french toast.  It always wins!)

#choosejoy

I’m not going home.

Tuesday:

We kicked off the day by heading to Justin Gaffrey’s gallery.  Jason got me one of his paintings for Valentine’s Day this year.  I’m a big fan!  You can see my painting in THIS POST!

We had breakfast on the patio at Fish Out Of Water.

We put in a little morning pool time….

Until some rain moved in.  Us, an umbrella, and a rain storm shenanigans.

For lunch we had a giant bowl of guacamole…and other food too, but it wasn’t near as exciting!!!

We did a little shopping and hopped on our bikes for an afternoon ride.  I love vacations where we don’t have to get in our car!!

Followed by a walk over to Seaside for dinner.  (Gross random note:  This was the first time I showered all day.  The ocean and swimming pool count for something, right?!)

Are you wearing jumpsuits and/or rompers?  I LOVE them!

Do you have any special plans for National Running Day?

Do you count the ocean or swimming pool as “bathing” during vacation?  (Don’t judge me!  I did eventually shower.)

#choosejoy

May Miles in 30A!

Another month is in the books!

May Miles: 343.  YTD: 1,571

Monday:

A bunch of Instagram runners wore orange for their run in honor of  @shanloves2run who lost her brother last week.  Everyone used the hashtag #runnerorange…pretty cool way to send some love her way.

We spent the morning exploring the Watersound dunes.  Beautiful!

Breakfast was at Raw and Juicy in Seaside!

Followed by a peaceful walk on the beach.

And pool time!

Where we were joined by this little guy…or girl.

The afternoon brought off and on showers, so we headed out for some retail therapy….first at Beau (my favorite home goods store).

And then Rosemary Beach!

For dinner, we had Italian at Borago.

I have a big crush on their Wild Mushroom Ravioli.

We walked over to Seaside to watch the sunset.  The clouds were crazy!

What do you like to do on rainy days at the beach?

Are you a mushroom lover?

How was your Monday?

#choosejoy

Oh Hey, 30A!

Saturday:

I woke up at an ungodly hour to get a little run in before we hit the road.  I was rewarded with a feather…it’s the little things!

Of course we stopped for a big gulp sized coffee at Starbucks.

I packed a bunch of fruit to nosh on and we hit Chipotle for lunch.

We made it Watercolor in about 7 hours.  It’s definitely worth it for this view!!

We cleaned up and headed out for dinner at the Great Southern Cafe!

They have one of my favorite veggie plates ever!

Sunday:

I hit the Watercolor trails for a gorgeous run!

And met up with Jason at Another Broken Egg for breakfast!

Fruit and oatmeal goodness!

And then he joined me for the run back to Watercolor. 30A has a great bike/run path that runs the entire 19 mile distance of the highway.

We changed straight into our swimsuits and headed to the pool!

I am clearly very happy!

I got to have lunch with this man and this view.  Life does not suck.

We went over to the Boathouse and rented Standup Paddle Boards!

Neither of us fell!

And we cooled off with the BEST Swell Pops!

We chilled in the room for a bit and headed out for dinner.  We will both sleep well tonight!

Have you ever tried Standup Paddle Boarding?
Are you a beach or pool person?
How was your race or weekend long run?!!

#ChooseJoy

Five Words Per Picture

Let’s catch up, shall we?!

Monday:
Last beach breakfast French Toast!

MiFi blogging in the car

Soup/Salad post-vacation dinner

Tuesday:
Back on track: Figuratively/ Literally

Juice Bar: best green smoothie!

Icing my cranky Achilles tendon:(

Baked Chobani Blueberry Coffee Cake

Wednesday: 
Crepe date at The Perch

NYE Perfection…Pizza and Champagne!

Thursday:
Empty gym New Year’s morning?!

First sweat of the year!

New Year’s Resolution Run/Breakfast

Showing our Drew Jones love

Generous friends and charity donations

Finally saw Wild…loved it!

Special dinner…Celebrated 3,821 miles!

Friday:  
New Whole Foods discovery: Chuice

Beyonce mug cafe au lait:)

Craving guacamole…this should do!

Gotta love some guacamole humor

Saturday:

Resolution run with Fleet Feet

Rainy weather natural curly hair

Hers…salad.  His…onion rings!

Sunday:
Morning spin session with Jason

Less running equals more weights!!

Country Music Marathon Training Expo

Proof that I love Brooks

Teppanyaki.  Onion volcano.  Fried rice.

Now, I feel like this…

And lastly some wise words…

Is your hair naturally straight or curly?  Do you wear it that way?  Mine’s curly, but I usually straighten it.

What’s the last movie you saw?

Did you go out or stay in for New Year’s Eve?  I loved staying home with pizza and champagne!

#choosejoy

Watercolor Weekend

It has been a gorgeous weekend in Watercolor!

Saturday:

Sunrise from our balcony…

And running around Western Lake…

I logged 9 miles and then we hit the gym for some weights.

Big salad for lunch and a side of fries, because it’s vacation!

Italian for dinner at Borago, because it’s not too soon to start carb loading for next weekends race, right?!

This was the yummiest mushroom ravioli!

Sunday:

Sunday’s high temp: 75 degrees!!!

We headed over to the Watersound to see our favorite dunes.

17.5 miles, but a couple of those were strolling on the beach:)

I loved the morning fog.

Visited the Watercolor Farmer’s Market.

We had lunch at the beach club grill where I found a brussels sprouts and butternut squash salad…so good!

After lunch, we hopped on our bikes to tool around:)

A pre-dinner pic:)

One of the best parts about staying at the Watercolor Inn….nightly cookies with your turndown service!!!

 

What’s your favorite dish at an Italian restaurant?

When do you start carb loading for a big race?

What’s your favorite beach?

#choosejoy

Mostly Silent Saturday

13 miles.  Started in the dark and finished in the sunshine!

Ended at the beach…

And met the hubs at Another Broken Egg for breakfast!

Took some time to enjoy our balcony:)

View from our table at lunch.  This doesn’t suck.

Sugar Shak ice cream at the beach is mandatory.

And, a pic before dinner:)

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?  Today, I had cake batter!

Vacation running…yay or nay?  Obviously, I love running on vaca.

Have you gone back to work or do you have some time off?

#choosejoy

Taper Time and Beach Bound

Monday:

8 miles and some TRX in the gym

 

I finished making Rocky Road fudge to deliver to friends.

 

Tuesday:

Track with friends.  My post-it prep got a little complicated!

And we had breakfast afterwards 🙂

 

Wednesday:

11 miles.  It was dark and rainy, but it was warm enough to run IN SHORTS!

 

Luckily I brought some dry clothes and met my sweet husband for a crepe breakfast afterwards.

I had Christmas Eve dinner with my Grandparents, Pop, and cousins 🙂

Thursday: Christmas Day…beach bound!!

We usually take a little vacation during the Christmas holiday.  This was the first time we actually travelled on Christmas Day.  Guess what?  Nothing is open.

But then, there was a Christmas miracle!  We found an open Starbucks in the middle of Alabama!!!

We made it to Watercolor…my happy place:)

 

Of course I wore my I Run 30A shirt.

 

The Great Southern Cafe has my favorite vegetable plate ever, so it was the perfect Christmas dinner.

And lastly, a Christmas sunset.

 

Did you have to travel on Christmas day?  Where did you eat?  We found an IHOP and Starbucks.

What was the highlight of your Christmas?  Breathing in the salt air with my husband.

What’s your favorite vegetable?  Broccoli

He said, She said, They said

Red Head on the Run sent me the Liebster Award as a way to get to know new bloggers…super fun!

She included a list of “get to know me” questions.  I thought it would be fun to let my husband answer them about me and then give my answers, too.  Hence the “He Said, She Said” title.

1.  What is your favorite distance to run?

12 Miles (the routine maintenance run that allows you to keep running)

I love a long run…anything 20 miles and up!  For racing, I love the half marathon, because it allows for quick recovery.

2.  Tell us 2 interesting facts no one knows about you (or very few people know).

1.  Plays the violin 2.  You communicate with your Grandmothers every day.

1.  I play the violin.  2.  I used to work in the music business.  It feels like a lifetime ago!

3.  What is your favorite splurge food?

Slice of vanilla cake from Whole Foods

The carrot cake from J. Alexander’s!!!  They serve it warm and gooey.  

4.  What is your favorite running accessory?

Your husband;) Serious answer- your Garmin

Garmin 620

5.  What is your biggest hurdle as a runner?

Tapering- without a doubt!

Rest Days….I basically don’t take them.

6.  What is your favorite thing to do when you are not running?

Cross-Training

Bake!

7.  When and why did you start your blog?

A few months ago, and to share your love of life with others.

I started JenChoosesJoy in August 2014.  It gives me a wonderful creative outlet!

8.What’s your favorite season and why?

Spring, to refresh your summer running wardrobe

Summer!!!  I love the warmth.  I can seriously just sit in my hot car in the summer and let it soak in.  

9.  What book are you reading right now?

Don’t know, probably something about running or someone’s biography

The Gospel According To Coco Chanel (Karen Karbo)

Wonder Women (Debora L. Spar)

10.  What is your favorite place to vacation?

30A

Winner winner chicken dinner…30A!  I love easy getaways to Rosemary Beach or Watercolor Beach.

And now for the “They Said” portion of this blog.  Some of my favorite quotes from Pinterest…

 

 

Tell me one thing about yourself that other might not know.

Do you play a musical insturment?  How long have you played?

What book are you currently reading?

#choosejoy

3 Post-Run Favorites

A huge group of my friends are racing the Franklin Classic 10k/5k on Labor Day. The course has changed, so we wanted to check it out this morning. It was a great opportunity to eat at Frothy Monkey. I wish every run ended with breakfast.

Oatmeal with strawberry and banana…

and a soy cafe au lait.

I stopped by my house to put on dry clothes and ran a few more miles before taking a GRIT class.

I’m a little embarrassed by this pic, but does anyone else’s bathroom look like this after running?

We like to stay at the Watercolor Inn a few times a year (it’s my happy place). These hooks are intended for beach towels and swimsuits, but they are perfection for runners. If we ever remodel our master bath, I want a wall of hooks.

After GRIT class I did my regular Post-Run Routine.

1.  After every run, I drink some Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate.    I first tried it after reading this article from The No Meat Athlete.

2.  I also like to drink some Svelte Cappuccino Protein Shake.  Post-workout protein helps speed recovery.  It’s vegan, no mixing is required, and it tastes great!

3.  After a long run, I drink Vega Recovery Accelerator.  Apple Berry is my favorite flavor.

If I’m home, I’ll mix it into my Glowing Green Smoothie.  If I’m away from the house, I pack it in my Cyclone Cup and mix it with water.

The bottom unscrews for dry storage of the Vega powder and the cyclone technology mixes better than any other shaker bottle.

I tried to rest a little this afternoon and ice my broken toe.  I can tell that the swelling is getting better…yes!

I met my husband for a sushi dinner.

And ended the day with a cupcake from IveyCake.

Do you use any recovery products, shakes, etc…?

Is your bathroom covered in sweaty runner clothes?

#choosejoy