Where's the Beach?

Weights, HIIT & Painting

2012-02-16T19:51:00.000-06:00

No More Spin (for today)
My poor legs couldn't take another day of spin today. I had thought I would do legs today, but seriously not happening. So, I went with my plan B workout for upper body (back, shoulders, chest) plus a short HIIT session.

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I did this HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout as a way to engage the muscles that I had just used lifting, sort of as a burnout I suppose rather than doing something like dropsets or 21's. And it was a nice switch from the tabata style intervals that I've been doing.

I only did this 3 times through before calling it done. It's amazing how long 40 seconds can feel by the way.

Busy Day
I did have a doctor's appointment and errands to run this afternoon. At least it was sunny today. Errands don't seem quite as bad when it's pretty out.

But, then it was back to painting the gym room and giving the house a major cleaning. Unfortunately, the HVAC repair guys aren't done. Two days has turned into four. Of course that means there's lots of cleanup that can't be done yet.

It took me about 2 1/2 hours, but I did finish painting the gym room - well, the walls. We still have to do the ceiling and trim work, but that will come later. I also managed to get rugs vacuumed and some rooms mopped. I'll have to wait until tomorrow when the guys are completely gone before mopping the rest.

I will say we lucked out big time. February is not typically the time to replace your heat and air. We've not had heat upstairs all week, but when it's upper 50's and even 60 like today, it's not too bad.

I wish I could say I had time to throw together a great dinner. At this point in time, I'm eating a bowl of cereal. I bet you never thought you'd hear me admit that one huh ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:

No rain
Good workout
Finishing painting

Valentine's Surprise & More Spin

2012-02-15T16:35:00.003-06:00

Spin Day
Today was a super dreary, rainy day. Made it really difficult to peel myself out of bed. Somehow Jason did better than me and got up in time for his 5:30 swim class. I will say that I am at least glad it's not really cold out though. No snow, sleet, or ice to contend with. Just wet.

I ended up hitting spin again today. I had sort of thought about weights. But honestly, I really didn't feel up for weights or even looking at the elliptical for a warm up much less a cardio session. Definitely thankful I had spin as an option at least.

I definitely worked my booty off and got out some frustration during the workout. I was one hot mess after.

Valentine's Surprise & More Housework
Remember when I said we didn't do anything for Valentine's Day? My gift was Jason going to spin class? Well, he totally surprised me with a gift certificate for a spa session with facial. I am not a big massage fan, but I adore a facial. I never splurge on that. I barely pay for a much-needed sports massage. But, he said he knew that I'd been a little stressed and deserved it. :-) Really, he is the best!

That was about the extent of celebrating though. Of course I felt bad that I hadn't gotten him anything and wasn't even making a nice dinner. All I did was to reheat some homemade veggie burgers that I keep in the freezer along with sweet potato fries. We watched an episode of Mike and Molly, then he went to Home Depot to pick up more texture spray for the ceiling and paint. Guess what we're doing tonight!

I do have physical therapy after work and some errands to run. Jason will probably get started priming the walls of the gym room. The plan is that I start Chipotle Tempeh Chili then help him finish any priming while the chili is simmering.

We'll definitely be eating dinner a lot later than normal. But, we have to get the walls primed today so I can start painting after work tomorrow. Anyone want to come help out???

If you missed who the winners were for the NuNatural's Giveaway, check out yesterday's post!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin class
Getting housework done
Comforting, easy dinner

NuNaturals Winners for Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T17:00:00.001-06:00

I know that most people are doing Valentine's Day related posts. Jason and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day. It's sort of just another day. Every once in a while we will do something special like get dressed up and go to a fancy restaurant, but not this year. And that's ok with me.

Instead of a material gift, Jason joined me at spin class today. That was gift enough as cheesy as it might sound. It was nice working out beside him today since I probably wouldn't have seen him until after work otherwise.

And yes, spin classes are back on for the time being. I'll take advantage of them as often as I can while they last too. Then I guess we'll have an even more valid excuse for buying a spin bike for the house that we can both use. Maybe that will be a belated Valentine's Day gift to each other.

Another reason we're not really doing much for Valentine's Day is that right now the house is in major disarray. We have no heat upstairs as the heating and air unit has been removed. The whole system including duct work was in dire need of replacement. During the removal process, they had to do lots of cutting. So, everything is incredibly dirty as well. Not only is the heat and air unit pulled out and there is debris literally everywhere, the gym room is also still pulled apart.

So, our evening will really be spent trying to clean up debris and sanding and hopefully priming the gym room. We have guests arriving Saturday, so this really can't wait. I know you are all so jealous ;-)

While I had thought about trying to put together a nice, romantic dinner, it will likely end up being something fast and simple. I'm thinking veggie burgers and sweet potato fries. We can set aside another time to make a fancy dinner with a nice bottle of wine so I'm good with simple tonight.

As promised, for Valentine's Day, 4 of my readers will get a sweet gift courtesy of NuNaturals Stevia. I used the random number generator to pick my winners.

Sara from Stories and Sweet Potatoes

Jenna Z.

Jolene from Determined to Be

Kristi from Sweetly Fit

Please send your full name, mailing address (not a PO box), and email address to wheresthebeach10@yahoo.com

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin with hubby
No snow, sleet, rain
Easy dinner
1 day closer to the weekend

Stir Fry For a Snowy Cardio Monday

2012-02-13T19:23:00.000-06:00

Cardio Day
Today started off not just cold, but snowy. It was pretty while it lasted, but by around noon it was turning over to sleet, which is just gross and dreary. Thankfully it's supposed to be back to 50 with sunshine tomorrow.

One positive of the day was that my gym was actually open. There was no spin class sadly, but at least the gym doors were open. Since my original plan had been spin, I went with a cardio day similar to Saturday's workout.

I did about 30 minutes on the elliptical then 4 rounds of tabata (20 minutes) for a pretty decent cardio session. I used the almost the same exercises as Saturday, I just re-ordered them a bit.

Squat thrust
Walking lunges w/ kettlebell
Kettlebell swings
Kettlebell squats with pull
Kettlebell single-arm swings
Kettlebell figure-8's
Side shuffles
Up/down planks

Stir Fry Monday
I was supposed to have physical therapy after work today, however, the appointment got canceled because of our weather. While the snow turned to sleet then to rain, there was very valid concern about icing as it got later.

While PT isn't exactly fun, and it hurts like hell, I do look forward to going in hopes of progress. So, definitely disappointed and I can't reschedule it, so only 1 PT appointment this week. I know realistically it probably won't make that big of a difference, but maybe it does in my crazy mind.

No PT did mean I had a lot more time to stretch and roll out when I got home and to actually work on something for dinner. I was going to go with a free-for-all Monday. But, since I did have time, I went for stir fry instead.

The other day I picked up some sugar snap peas for stir fy. So, I had lots of fresh veggies on hand to add into the mix: carrots, sugar snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, red bell peppers, and some frozen peas just because I like them in my stir fry.

I went with my typical marinade and sauce for the tofu: whisk together soy sauce, orange juice, fresh ginger, PB2 (or peanut butter of course), Sriracha chili sauce, garlic, hoisin, and touch of agave (totally optional).

Since I didn't have time to press the tofu, I dry seared it before tossing it in the marinade/sauce then baked for about 45 minutes flipping once. Kind of a lot of work for tofu, but ill-prepared tofu just isn't worth even eating in my opinion. So, take the time and prepare it right or it's just tasteless mush.

I was out of brown rice, so I served over rice noodles. I promise they're under that mile of veggies.

Don't forget to enter my Sweet Giveaway for NuNaturals Stevia. I'll choose 4 winners tomorrow!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Snow (at least just to see it was pretty)
Being able to use my gym
More time to make dinner
Relaxing

Productive Sunday Plus A Sweet Giveaway

2012-02-12T16:30:00.000-06:00

Supersets & Drop Sets
Today I ended up going to our company's gym. Thankfully it was actually open. I don't use that gym often as it's really small and usually crowded. There isn't tons of equipment, but it's definitely something nice to have for employees.

Sunday was pretty dead so I was able to get on the elliptical for a bit as a warmup. It's the same type of elliptical that I used yesterday. It's not quite like the traditional elliptical machine and I really don't know how to describe it exactly. But I like it so much better actually.

After a short stint on the elliptical while watching Food Network (a huge perk being able to actually watch what I wanted), I went to the weight room. Again, it's really small and I can't imagine working out with more than 2 others in that space, but they have a full rack of dumbbells, an EZ Bar, a regular bar, and several benches. They do have a Smith machine that I might have to figure out how to use for squats if my gym never re-opens.

Anyway, I went with biceps and triceps today. I wanted to do something a little different. I went with supersets then added drop sets at the end of the workout for a great burn.

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Honestly, I wasn't feeling particularly excited to workout today. I kind of figured it'd be a struggle. But it ended up being the opposite. I felt really strong with all the weights.

Productive Sunday
After my workout, I had to get to the grocery store. I kind of figured it would be a little busy as it was just after noon. So it'd be the after church crowd. But it was far busier than that. I couldn't figure out why, I was just really annoyed. I couldn't get through aisles and all that. All I wanted to do was just get home and cleaned up.

I then overheard someone talking about the impending winter weather. Duh. All you have to do is say the words, "sleet, ice, snow" and everyone makes a mad dash to the store. It rarely lasts more than a day to begin with so it's not like people are going to be snowed in for weeks with no way out. It just blows my mind.

Anyway, so after fighting through the crowded grocery store, I finally made it home. The next thing on tap was to continue with housework. I did some more laundry, packed up more books to store in the attic, and painted trim in the hallway, and Jason continued with his patchwork in my gym room (that I kind of need now by the way).

It's going to be really cold again tonight, so I'm thinking we'll probably have chili. It's just that kind of day I think.

A Sweet Giveaway
Now onto something fun - how about a sweet (literally) giveaway for Valentine's Day? I know I've mentioned it a few times, but I am a huge fan of NuNaturals Stevia. I think it's one of the best tasting stevias you can find. I might be a bit addicted to the liquid vanilla actually.

The wonderful people at NuNaturals contacted me about doing a giveaway for my blog readers. Of course I said yes to that one. Even better is that I get to choose 4 winners! I will announce the winners February 14 for Valentines Day.

[Please note that this is only open to Continental U.S. Residents.]

Winners will receive 1 50-count box of NuStevia Packets and 1 2 oz. bottle of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid.

Mandatory Entry:
Tell me about your most memorable Valentine's Day.

Option Entries - please leave a comment for each that you do:

Tweet about the giveaway and include my twitter handle (@hriacobacci) and link to this post.
Share a recipe you make using NuNaturals products

As a bonus, if you order through NuNaturals website, you can use this discount code to receive 15% off your order through June 30, 2012: BLG0612.

Just enter BLG0612 at the checkout page. Also, you get free shipping in the Continental U.S. on all orders totaling $35.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Good workout
Sunshine
Productive day

Drama, Tabata & Housework

2012-02-11T18:40:00.000-06:00

Gym Drama
Today started off incredibly cold - as in 23 degrees but gusting winds so the wind chill was in the teens. At least it was sunny though. As I watched the marathon training group run past my house (it's on the marathon route), I was a little wistful of course, but then almost thankful for the excuse not to be out there in that cold.

Though, I will not take running in any temps for granted once I'm able to be out there again. So yes, I was actually jealous of people running in freezing temps as crazy as that sounds.

Luckily, I have a gym and back up plans. Or so I thought. Lots of drama up in the gym apparently. The gym is located in a corporate high rise near our house. On the weekends and after hours you do have to be buzzed into the building then sign in with the guards.

Jason and I got there around 10:30 and were told that the gym was closed until further notice. Um. What? I really and truly almost had a total breakdown. I can't run, our gym room at the house is pulled apart for repairs to the room. I had no other options. Needless to say, I'm kind of freaking out a bit in regards to how to get in workouts over the next week.

Jason was being rational, thank goodness one of us is. He isn't a member at the gym where he takes his master's swim class, but thought maybe we should go over there and just see if we could get a day pass. Good news! They let us both in and didn't even charge us. Talk about a big win for the day.

The gym is much bigger than the one we go to. They have pools, tennis courts, racquet ball courts. The locker rooms are flipping amazing with saunas, whirlpools you name it. They have tons of cardio equipment to choose from. The downfall is that the free weight area is rather small (smaller than my gym even which is sad) and there is not really any space for doing something like kettlebells and HIIT workouts (which is what I was going to do).

I was trying to refocus myself after the upheaval. I started with about 40 minutes on an elliptical-like machine. It was a lot easier on my heel whatever the thing was. I hadn't planned on being on there so long, I just wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do my tabata workout actually.

The whole time I was trying scout out a space to do my tabata workout. I was determined to do what I had planned for the day. I found a little area and grabbed a kettlebell and get to business with the following plan. I did 5 rounds for a total of 25 minutes.

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This turned out to be a great workout in the end. And now I'm thinking we might have a new gym to get used to as well.

So, I must ask, what would you do if you went to your gym and they were suddenly shut down?

Late Lunch and Lots of Housework
After the gym we had to make a stop by Target before heading home. I rolled out and stretched for a while before going to get cleaned up. I thought we were done being out for the day so jammies went one. Jason, however, was wanting to go out for lunch. I think it was mostly so he could watch the Razorbacks basketball game.

The restaurant we frequent recently changed there menu a little bit, so he was also wanting to try something new. And it didn't hurt that they had the game on of course.

After lunch it was back to the house (and jammies for me) and on to the housework. While Jason was working on scraping down the ceiling in the gym room and prepping the walls (patching cracks), I was busy downstairs.

I started some bread, washed laundry, changed out door knobs and pulls on the kitchen cabinets, organized a back room (aka threw out junk) and packed lots of books up to be stored in the attic. Of course I had hoped to get a lot more accomplished, I always do. But it was a nice mix of productive and enjoyment for the day I do believe.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Relaxing lunch
Knocking things off to-do list
Good workout

Fun Facts Friday - Q & A

2012-02-10T16:00:00.002-06:00

Today is a rainy, dreary, and cold Friday. But you know what? I totally don't care. I'm just happy that it's Friday and my rest day. Even better, I'm getting my hair cut after work, right after PT actually.

Oh, I'm also happy that I was tagged again for the 11 Random Questions posts going around (twice). This makes Fun Facts Friday a breeze ;-) But I hope it's still fun. I don't know about you guys, but I like reading answers and learning about bloggers. Sometimes I'm surprised actually. Plus, it can be fun to deviate from the standard posts.

Since most of you have been tagged or already seen this a few times, I'm just going to skip right to the questions that were posed for me to answer. Some were really hard to answer by the way!

Questions from Samantha at Running and Cupcakes:

What is your #1 go to workout song? Oh, not sure I have an absolute #1. I always start a run with Eminem's 'Till I Collapse.
If you had to choose 3 foods to eat for the rest of your life (and nothing else) what would they be? Oatmeal, Pizza, Peanut Butter
If you were given an unlimited vacation budget – but it had to be used on ONE trip – where would you go and why? Italy to see where my great-grandfather lived.
What are you more afraid of: snakes or spiders? Snakes
Puppies or kitties? Do you have any? Puppies - I have 2 crazy cocker spaniels
What dead rockstar would you bring back if you could? Kirk Cobain (first thing that popped into my head)
What is the most random thing you collect (or have collected?)? Maybe Garbage Pail Kid Cards? I think I still have them actually.
What one article of clothing (or accessory) do you have to wear every single day? Shoes??? LOL
If you could only eat FRUITS or VEGGIES, but not both, which would you choose? Veggies
Beach or mountains? Why? Beach - um, what's the name of my blog again ;-)
What is your favorite band EVER? I think this is impossible to narrow down. I have several sort of for different reasons though. Like Guns n' Roses, Aerosmith, Tori Amos, but I don't really listen to these all the time anymore. See, tough question.

Questions form Jolene at Determined to Be

What is your biggest fear? Losing loved ones
How tall are you? 5'2" (but last doc visit they said 5' 1/2" - I'm denying this)
How many boyfriends or girlfriends have you had in your life? Serious serious or just "seeing" each other?
What is your favorite food? Pizza
What is your biggest pet peeve? Oh I have a list! Probably lying.
Where are your top 3 destinations you’d like to travel to in your life? Italy, Wine Country, Greece
What color are your eyes? Brown
How did you find my blog? Through Jess
What was the first blog you ever read? OR Why did you start a blog (answer depending on which you are – a reader or a writer, or both!) Oh man, I can't remember the first one I read. I started blogging because Jason thought it might be a good way for me to do something I enjoy (write) and make some extra money. No money, but lots of friends!
iPhone? Droid? Blackberry? Droid
What errand do you hate the most? Or cleaning chore? Putting clothes away

Now it's your turn! You can answer all, some, one or just tell me something else totally random. But you gotta play along ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Rest day
Happy hour with friends
Hair cut
Reading your responses (hint hint)

Good Leg Workout & Even Better Butternut Squash Soup

2012-02-09T18:57:00.000-06:00

Leg Day
Today was leg day for me. I was oddly excited about getting the workout done too. Maybe it's because that signals my rest day is on the horizon (tomorrow).

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* Firewalkers
** Swing lunge

The idea behind this workout is to include some heavy lifting exercises in conjunction with exercises the target the hamstring and glutes as well as abductor muscles.

The reasoning is purely personal and based on my own research as well as advice from my physical therapist. Remember, I'm not expert here. I am a runner contending with injuries likely stemming from imbalances in the hamstrings, glutes, and abductors.

But, I do still want to build so I continue to include the barbell squats for power (and they are an awesome leg exercise period) but also unilateral work like the step ups and swing lunges, which are also good for assisting with stabilization (I definitely have a weaker side).

There are lots of other exercises I need and would like to use as well. I almost feel like I could do leg workouts twice a week in order to hit all areas effectively.

Today's leg workout was really good. I went into the workout with a clear head, ready to work. I really feel like I could have increased the weight for the squats, but was worried about doing so with my heel pain. I didn't want to jeopardize my form by not being able to take the weight in my heels evenly.

Soup Thursday
After work I did my now-typical 25-30 minutes of stretching and rolling. Still not sure how effective it is, but it's kind of relaxing...well, other than dogs in your face.

The temps have dropped off recently, it's not freezing, but much colder than it's been most of the winter. I had butternut squash and kale on hand, so I went with an easy soup: Butternut Squash, Kale & Barley Soup.

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If you like the key ingredients (butternut squash, kale, barley), then it's hard not to like this hearty vegan soup. It's packed with protein and tons of vitamins and minerals. I guess it's a true feel-good meal ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Leg workout
Fun email convo with my friend Jessica
Painting my nails
Relaxing

Weights, Tabata & BBQ Tofu

2012-02-08T19:29:00.000-06:00

Weights & Tabata
Today I had to do my workout after work. We had a birthday lunch celebration for my boss. I used to workout exclusively after work. It's kind of funny how you can really get used to working out at a certain time of the day. Anything other than that time and you're sort of thrown off. Or I am anyway.

Not only are you more fatigued by the end of the day, you don't know anyone up at the gym at that time! They're looking at you like you're a newbie and you're looking at them like they must be. All I know is I want my little area and that's it.

I started off with 10 minutes easy on the elliptical to get warmed up. Then I went with back, shoulders, and chest for today. I almost did legs, but decided to hold off and do those tomorrow

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* Kettlebell squat pulls (but not hopping up on toes, couldn't find a better example sadly)

**Up/down plank (last exercise shown)

I did the tabata three times through for a total of 15 minutes. Honestly, I almost called today a rest day. I just wasn't feeling it. But once I got moving along, everything started clicking. I felt stronger than I anticipated and then the tabata was really energizing - as crazy as that probably sounds.

After I got home, I spent about 25 minutes rolling out and stretching. Not sure if all the rolling is helping, but the stretching feels great at least.

BBQ Wednesday
Originally I had thought I was going to do Wok Wednesday and make up an easy stir fry. But, I didn't have some fresh veggies I wanted to use, like carrots. You gotta have carrots for stir fry right? Ok, maybe not, but I do.

We ended up making BBQ Tofu Sandwiches. Lately if we do BBQ I just add the sauce to tempeh with some veggies. It's been a while since I've baked the tofu in slices basted with BBQ - typically do this and grill in the summer.

So, that's the method I went with for the evening. I dry-seared the tofu to remove most of the moisture then basted in BBQ sauce and baked until firm - flipping once and re-basting.

Since every BBQ sandwich needs a slaw, I made up a quick one using napa cabbage, thinly sliced red bell peppers, and green onions. I tossed in a simple marinade of rice wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, agave, and salt and pepper.

And of course this had to be eaten with a fork!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Good workout
BBQ dinner
Getting some chores knocked off to-do list

What I'm Reading on Taco Tuesday

2012-02-07T18:46:00.000-06:00

What I'm Reading
Well, thankfully Miss Crazy Maddie decided to actually sleep all night. No nutso barking episodes. I read myself to sleep by 9:30 and slept fairly well. I'm out of fiction books, so I have resorted to reading much-needed running recovery books instead. Not exactly riveting, but valuable information.

The one I've been reading is The Athlete's Guide to Recovery by Sage Roundtree. Honestly, I wish I had this book from the very beginning of starting to run. It's mostly geared towards endurance athletes, but honestly has great information for any athlete.

One chapter that struck me was discussing being able to recognized pain symptoms. In other words, you workout and expect sore muscles. But when does that soreness indicate something more, like an injury?

For starters, when the soreness is unilateral (hand raised), when the soreness doesn't go away (hand raised), when it is not from changing up exercises (hand raised). I had so many red flags and just chalked it up to long distances and general fatigue of workouts. And of course, in hindsight, I just want to smack myself.

She also goes into detail about using heart rate, not just during exercise but in rest, as an indicator of "over reaching" and varying your workout loads. It gets a little technical, but she also does pretty good about simplifying it enough that it makes sense.

Anyway, if you're an athlete of any kind, I do highly recommend this book. Do you have any training books you recommend? Please share. I'd love to know!

PT Updates
A lot of you have asked about how physical therapy is going or how it went yesterday. I don't want to constantly harp on my injuries, so I've been shying away a little bit. Right now my heel is beyond tender. The physical therapist worked on it for nearly an hour.

I'm doing every stretch suggested as well as rolling it out on a golf ball for a solid 30 minutes each day. I'm also still doing extra stretching and rolling for my piriformis muscle.

The PT (who happens to be a triathlete training for her first Ironman) is hopeful, but also cautious. She wants me to hold off running for 2 more weeks. She also tried taping it up with kinesio tape. I know a lot of runners swear by it. I was hoping for some miracle. Honestly, I can't tell any difference.

I did go to spin class today. Mostly because I can't make it tomorrow and Jason joined me. Otherwise, I would have taken a rest day or gone with upper body. It was a good class though. I'm definitely not sorry I went.

Taco Tuesday
Honesty, feeling super lazy and uninspired when it comes to cooking lately. I have a full fridge, stocked pantry, and I just don't really want to mess with cooking, with coming up with something (creative or otherwise), with making and cleaning up a mess. Nada.

But, we aren't ones to go out to eat during the week or even pick up to-go for that matter. So, that means something needs to get made. Since it's Tuesday, I went with the Taco Tuesday theme to make it simple on myself. At least the menu was set right?

I ended up going with a combo of tempeh and black beans for the filling. I did saute up some onions and bell peppers then added in the beans and tempeh and seasoned with the usual Tex-Mex suspects including a splash of lime juice.

Since we had some corn tortillas on hand, I went with those over the typical wheat tortillas we use. Of course the tacos were topped with lettuce, tomatoes, Daiya, and lots of jalapenos.

Thank Goodness My Dog Is Cute

2012-02-06T17:15:00.001-06:00

Yawn
Well, last night Jason had the Super Bowl on of course. I really could care less other than knowing football is really and truly over with for the season. I do enjoy catching the Puppy Bowl and occasionally the halftime show.

I did watch the halftime show... I just don't even know what to say about that. I think what was so off-putting was how blatant the lip-syncing was. But, it's just a show I suppose. At least there were no wardrobe malfunctions ;-)

I hit the sack by 9pm and thought I was in for a great night's sleep. Maddie had other plans though. Even downstairs, she can manage to wake us up. She started barking her head off, the "I've gotta to potty right now!" bark. So Jason got up and let her out.

Honestly, I have no idea what time this all started. I think it was around midnights. No less than 30 minutes later, she started up again. This pretty much went on most of the night or morning I should say.

Not a clue what her problem was. Well, she's spoiled that's what it boils down to. She had to poop but wouldn't pee. Then she realize she really had to pee. Then her water wasn't fresh enough. Then she had to potty again. It's a really good thing she's cute! Needless to say, I feel like a zombie today and it's not from some super fantastic Super Bowl party either.

Working Out and Physical Therapy
Let's just say that lack of sleep left me a bit unenthusiastic about working out today. But, I got myself motivated enough for spin. I knew it'd be a good class. I also knew I'd feel tons better after going. It's just that whole getting going thing that was my problem today.

And of course once I got my workout clothes and changed my mindset, I was good to go. Spin isn't a walk in the park kind of workout, but sometimes those tough workouts really are what you need. You have to focus on the workout not anything else. Plus, a lot of laughter ends up happening when everyone is working hard. I think it's some sort of coping mechanism. Have you ever noticed that during a tough class?

I have physical therapy after work, so I won't be getting home until much later than I'm used to. Also, we're having to start the projects we put off over the weekend. So, dinner is going to be leftovers. I know you probably don't believe me as I almost never do leftovers. But today it's out of necessity and I'm going to take advantage of the fact that we do, indeed, have leftovers to use up.

I'm hoping the physical therapist can give me some additional advice for rehabbing my foot. Something more useful than what the doctor gave me.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Spin class
Leftovers

Tabata, Weights & Time With Friends

2012-02-05T15:59:00.000-06:00

Saturday Recap
Yesterday Jason and I hit the gym. In lieu of long run, I went with a cardio-only gym day. I started with 25 minutes on the elliptical then moved on to another tabata style workout.

I chose 8 exercises that included kettlebells. Each exercise is done for 20 seconds with 10 seconds rest then 1 minute rest after each circuit. I repeated 5 times for a 25-minute session.

Alternating side squats (body weight)
Single arm kettlebell swings
Kettlebell squats with overhead press
Side shuffles
Kettlebell swing with squat
Kettlebell squat with pull
Walking lunges (holding kettlebell in both hands)
Planks

This was a really great workout that flew by. I think that's the beauty of HIIT workouts.

After the gym, we hit the grocery store. That's about where our productivity ended for the day. Of course, if you count having fun with friends as being productive, then we were all over that one.

We ended up meeting our friends out for a drink. The guys played darts while my friend and I visited. Then we decided to just come back to our house and play pool for a few hours. I think it was a great way to spend a Saturday.

Sunday
Today I hit the gym again. I feel like I might as well just move up there at this point. I started with 20 minutes on the elliptical then hit the weights for biceps and triceps. I did 3 sets of the following (the reps varied a little more today depending on whether I was trying to increase the weights).

SS#1
Barbell curls (EZ Bar) - 6/7/6
Double-arm overhead triceps extensions - 8

SS#2
Hammer curls - 6
Weighted dips - 10

SS#3
Incline curls - 8 (4 at heaviest weight then 4 at next lighter)
Triceps pulldowns

I did some ab work using a medicine ball then called it done.

Honestly, we weren't very productive once again. Jason did go to Home Depot and pick up some supplies for one project. We just didn't get started on the project. I did get some laundry done at least. I also spent a lot of time stretching and rolling out again. So far, my piriformis and sciatica are doing pretty good. Now if I could just fix the heel pain I'd be back on track.

I didn't mention it on Friday, but I did get my MRI results back. After emphatically saying it wasn't plantar fasciits, the doctor recanted and said it was. In other words, no breaks or tears showed on the MRI. While I know that's great news, I'm still very frustrated with the lack of a solution for the pain.

They sent me some "exercises" to do for my foot. I already do those stretches and then some. It's really frustrating when you've been doing something that they say should fix the problem, but it's not. We did recently get some books for runners and injury prevention and recovery. One book suggested rolling out the area on a golf ball for 30 minutes each day regardless of how bad it hurts.

Thankfully, Jason had some golf balls so I have been trying that out along with the stretches. Fingers crossed it starts to help. Right now it just hurts like a mother....

I suppose it's still fairly early, so maybe we'll get inspired to be more productive. Otherwise, we have a lot to get done this week ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weight day
Relaxing
Watching a movie

Fun Facts Friday - Bucket List

2012-02-03T17:00:00.001-06:00

Gym Day
Typically Fridays are my rest days. But, I had a very unscheduled rest day on Monday, so today was another gym day. I guess since I'm not running, I can rethink my weight splits again for now. Of course, this leads to lots of overthinking, rethinking, thinking thinking thinking.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do today. There is no spin on Friday unfortunately. I thought maybe I could tough out the elliptical with a magazine for about 30 minutes then do kettlebells for about 15 minutes.

What I ended up doing was sort of a combo plus back. I was going to do back with biceps and triceps tomorrow, but this gave me a chance to focus specifically on back. That's a good thing of course. I can work the back without being tired from the biceps.

So, I did 20 minutes easy on the elliptical to warm up before doing supersets for back. I went with 2x8 unless noted:

SS#1
Wide-grip assisted chinups
Pullovers (increased weight)

SS#2
Barbell rows
Incline rear flyes

Rather than doing a standard ab workout after, I went for the kettlebells, light dumbells, and bodyweight. I did this tabata style (20 sec on, 10 sec rest twice through = 1 set at 4 minutes)

Kettlebell swings
Squat thrust with pushups
Kettlebell figure 8's
Front jabs with dumbbells

Fun Facts Friday - Bucket Lists
I had a friend send out an email, one of those survey types of things you're supposed to complete and send back around. It was about bucket lists.

Honestly, before the movie came out, I had never heard of a bucket list. I had no clue what that even meant. So, quite obviously I had never put one together. Actually, I still haven't. But, after getting the email, I thought it might be kind of fun to share what would be on my bucket list.

Plus, maybe it will motivate me to see it as something more tangible, something to actually shoot for rather than dream about.

Visit Italy - would love to see where my great-grandfather grew up
Earn my personal trainer certification
Visit California wine country
Finish and publish a book I started about my friend who was killed
Write a cookbook
Drive a race car

Ok, that's my list. Now it's your turn. What's on your bucket list?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

It's Friday
Good workout
Happy hour with friends
Relaxing with hubby

Leg Day & BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches

2012-02-02T18:56:00.000-06:00

Early Morning & Leg Day
This morning started off even earlier than usual for me. I'm used to being at work by 7am, so I agreed to scheduling my MRI this morning at 7:30. They said to be there at 7 so I left extra early worried I'd somehow be late. Granted there was zero traffic at 6:40 am, and it was only 10 mins away.

But, being there extra early paid off. They sent me straight back, no waiting. What??? No waiting? I was shocked. The MRI only took 15 minutes (and thankfully it was just my legs in the tube) so I was at work by 7:30, only 30 minutes later than usual. I'll call that the big win of the day. Sometimes it does indeed pay to be early.

As for workouts, today was leg day for me. I flirted with the idea of doing the kettlebell tabata workout again, but my abs are actually sore from the workout, so I thought it'd be smart to hold off on that one another day or two.

So, legs it was. I was a little worried about what I could do considering it hurts to put much pressure on my heel. So, I kept the weights the same this week though I was hoping to increase them. As a way to make the exercises (some of them) harder without adding on more weights, I did low-end pulses instead. Talk about a killer burn.

I started with about 20 minutes on the elliptical to warm up. I did supersets of 3x8 unless noted.

Barbell squats - warmup set of 10

SS#1

Barbell squats

Calf raises

SS#2

Step ups

Stiff-legged dead lifts

SS#3

Alternating front lunges with low-end pulse - 6 reps each side

Plie squats with low-end pulse

SS#4

Hamstring roll-ins on stability ball - 10 reps

Fire walkers - 4 steps each direction = 1 rep - did 4 reps per set

It was a pretty good workout overall. I was a little distracted by one guy who was incredibly loud and would do his power weights (he was just flying through sets) right in front of the racks and sometimes in front of me. Seriously wanted to kick him.

And you could tell he really thought he was all that and a bag of chips strutting around and trying to go super heavy with his weights as he was grunting, gritting, and rocking back and forth with so much momentum I thought he'd topple over. I totally wouldn't have helped him up either.

But other than that....it was a good workout ;-)

Tempeh Thursday
When I got home I did as the physical therapist instructed and stretched and rolled out on my Triggerpoint Therapy Kit. She was actually pretty impressed with the idea of the kit. I didn't stretch quite as long as I know I should have, but I did get in a good 20 minutes at least.

When it came to dinner, I really wasn't in the mood to cook. I just didn't feel like standing around in the kitchen or trying to be creative for that matter. It's getting towards the end of the week, meaning fresh veggies are disappearing from the fridge at this point.

I almost went with veggie burgers, but thought BBQ sounded better. So, I decided to do BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches similar to my BBQ Tempeh & Portobello Sandwiches (just not using portobellos). And what else would I possibly have on the side but sweet potato fries.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Warm temps
Leg day
Painting my nails

Day of Doctors & Over Motivation

2012-02-01T18:37:00.000-06:00

This has been a very long day for me mostly spent waiting on doctors. I won't even get into that diatribe. No noticbable fracture in my heel that can be seen on x-ray. However, doctor is pretty certain it is not plantar fasciitis and is concerned it could be a calcaneus fracture. So, yet another appointment tomorrow morning for an MRI.

Physical therapy was a little more promising. Definitely piriformis syndrome. She was a little concerned that all the things I've been doing haven't helped. She said I was doing everything she'd suggest to any patient. She did notice that my hips are not aligned and thinks this is a muscular deficiency that she wants to also address.

I did get a cortisone and lidocaine treatment and she gave me additional, more "aggressive" stretches to try. She also took a look at my heel and was a little worried about how it looked and felt to her.

So, long, exhausting, frustrating day. And that brings me to injuries I suppose.

Source: fitandhungry.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Heather on Pinterest

I loved these quotes. They describe determination, drive, fight. They seem really positive, motivating. And this is pretty much how I live. How I workout. How I push myself to strive for better. I think we all need to have a strong drive and self-motivation to strive to be better, faster, stronger. Otherwise, we stay stagnant.

But, at what point do we push too hard? At what point do we take that training too far? At what point are we overly motivated perhaps?

Not in a million years did I think I was pushing too hard. That I was over-doing it. I was taking mileage increases slowly. I was tailoring my weight lifting towards running. I was stretching, rolling, everything suggested. I was following training plans for speed, distance. I was diligent about cross-training. So what happened? Where did I go wrong?

I must make a note that I have been down the over-training syndrome path. This is nothing at all like that at all. It is not me working out to utter mental and physical exhaustion. This is more about me enjoying something, wanting to be better, and struggling pretty much every step of the way.

Was it my internal drive to always do better, achieve more, push myself because I know I have it in me? I suppose this is simply a rhetorical post really. Just me trying to get it all out. To sort through everything.

So, what do you think? How do you know when to pull back or to continue to push yourself? At what price do you (we) pay for being better, faster, stronger?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Having dinner cooked for me
A much-needed glass of wine
Early bedtime
A boss who's understanding

Kettlebells & Something for Everyone Dinner

2012-01-31T18:50:00.000-06:00

Weights, Kettlebells & Tabata
Since I'm not supposed to be running right now, I had to come up with another workout option today. I couldn't do spin because I had an afternoon meeting and honestly think the pressure from the pedals would have hurt my heel.

So, I decided to do shoulders and chest with a bit of a low-impact tabata style workout at the end using kettlebells (with the exception of the squat thrusts - though I should have done squat thrusts w/ pushups).

I started with about 20 minutes easy on the elliptical as a warm up. I did the weights as supersets of 3x8 unless noted before started the tabata workout.

SS#1
Shoulder press
Flat-bench dumbbell press

SS#2
Upright rows
Pushups with toes on bench (10 reps)

SS#3
Lateral raise
Staggered flat-bench press

Tabata Workout
Do each exercise for 20 secs with 10 sec rest then rest 1 min after each circuit, repeated 3 times

Kettlebell swings
Kettlebell figure 8's
Kettlebell squat pulls
Squat thrusts
Kettlebell swings
Kettlebell figure 8's
Kettlebell squat pulls
Squat thrusts

If my foot wasn't bothering me, I would have done burpees rather than squat thrusts and possible other plyo exercises. Since I can't do much jumping, I just repeated the kettlebell swings and such instead as they really do get your heart rate up there. Oh, and major core work happening as an added bonus.

I'd say that this routine goes to show you can have a kickbutt, intense workout without it having to be high impact. Even better, you'll feel this all through your core, quads, glutes, shoulders. I'm definitely keeping this one on the workout books to do again.

While I'm not happy about not being able to run, perhaps it's a good push for me to do something different for a change.

Something for Everyone Dinner
Dinner tonight was super easy as I had already made the main dish portion. I had some leftover lentil soup in the freezer that I took out, thawed, and drained. I turned that into an easy lentil loaf by mixing in some oat flour, whole oats, and chia seeds. I baked it for about an hour until firm. I did all this the other day so I would have this on hand for an easy dinner. Love it when I'm thinking ahead.

I made up a super simple roasted red bell pepper sauce to go on top. Just puree cashews that have either been soaked or ground with small amount of almond milk, splash of apple cider vinegar, jarred roasted red bell peppers and seasonings to your liking. Once everything is pureed, you can heat it up in a sauce pan or microwave.

To go with the lentil loaf, I went ahead and roasted some fingerling potatoes (Jason's fave) and sauteed up some kale (my fave). So, it was a something for everyone kind of meal. Even better, it didn't take me much work to get it ready. I call that a win all the way around.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

New workout
Warm temperatures
Easy dinner

Friendships and Stir Fry

2012-01-30T18:52:00.000-06:00

Sappy Friendship Monday

Source: google.com via Happy HouseWife on Pinterest

I saw this quote on pinterest, and it is so incredibly true for me. If someone doesn't know me, they tend to think I am very reserved (well, I kind of am) maybe even snobbish because I am so quiet. It's hard for me to put myself out there to start up a conversation. I always feel awkward, like I'm going to say something totally asinine (which does happen).

So, I stand back, watch, listen. I try to figure out where I might fit into the conversation, into the group. Sometimes I never do. Maybe I miss out on friendships for not putting myself out there. I've always had just a small group of very close friends - the ones that love me because I am indeed a nutcase.

I will say, however, that blogging has actually pushed me into new realms of friendship. I never thought you could be friends with someone you didn't know in person, that is, until blogging. Now I truly believe that you can indeed have some great friendships without meeting face-to-face.

And sometimes, if you're lucky, and you put yourself really out on a limb, you do meet these people. I am so thankful that I totally stepped out of my safe little comfort zone almost two years ago when I let my friends Jessica and Jolene convince me to sign up for the Cathe Friedrich Road Trip.

I was really panicked when I actually registered and my registration went through in time (only 105 people are allowed to go). Holy crap, what the hell did I just do??? I am going to spend a weekend with people I barely know, never met, and get my butt kicked by Cathe herself? Really?

But, it was one of the best things I did for myself. And, because of that, I have two incredible friends who are always so supportive, kind, caring. I guess I just want to say thank you to all of my friends and especially to those who do take the time to really care, who take the time to check in. Sometimes a simple email can make a world of difference.

You never know how your actions can affect others, so take a minute to reach out when someone is on your mind. It'll probably make your day as well.

Not So Sappy Stir-Fry
Ok, enough sappiness right? How about spicy instead?

This weekend we spotted some baby bok choy at the store so we picked it up to include in stir-fry this week. Rather than let it sit and wilt, I decided to go ahead and make the stir fry tonight. Nothing fancy, no real recipe here.

I typically cheat and use a pre-made stir-fry sauce or just throw together a quick sauce using soy sauce, PB2, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, fresh ginger, and some garlic powder...oh and Sriracha of course.

Tonight that's the sauce I went with. I first dry-seared tofu to remove as much liquid as possible. Then I tossed it into the marinade and baked at 400 degrees until very firm (flipping once).

For the stir-fry, I sauted carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli, cremini mushrooms, and bok choy then tossed in some green peas and the tofu at the end.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Friendship
Easy dinner

Kick Butt Workout & Dinner with Friends

2012-01-28T19:26:00.000-06:00

Weights & Tabata
Today was a gym day for me. I started with 20 minutes on the elliptical (but the treadmills were calling to me sadly). Then I hit the weights for biceps, back, triceps. I went with 3 sets of 8 reps unless noted then followed up the weights with a tabata session.

TS#1
Barbell curls (with EZ bar) - 6 reps
Pullovers
Double-arm overhead triceps extensions

TS#2
Hammer curls (increased weight)
Wide-grip assisted chinups (struggled with these today)
Weighted triceps dips (increased weights)

TS#3
Incline curls (increased weight for half the reps of each set)
Single-arm row
Triceps pulldowns

Tabata - 20 seconds each exercise with 10 seconds rest. Rest 1 minute between circuit. Repeated 3 times
Plie jacks
Speed skaters
Kettlebell swints
Tuck jumps
Lateral hops
Kettlebell figure 8's

Um, yowzer on the HIIT/Tabata workout. I have sooooo lost any of my quick burst endurance. Let me run for 10 miles and I'm good. But short back-to-back bursts kicked my butt. Of course, in a good way. I need to shake things up a bit so I think I'll try to add in more HIIT sessions like this one. It was also fun using the kettlebell, which I never use.

Piddling & Pizza
After the workout, Jason and I hit the grocery store. So much excitement for Saturday right ;-) He finished watching a basketball game, then we headed out for a trip to Target then to clean my filthy dirty car then piddled at an antique shop for a bit.

I did score some clearanced curtains at Target at least. I am planning on doing some easy faux Roman shades in the kitchen. I was happy to find some curtains I could use for under 7 bucks a panel. We also found some new knobs and drawer pulls for the kitchen. Planning to pain the cabinets white, so the oil-rubbed bronze hardware we picked up will look great (we hope).

We were meeting some friends for an early dinner around 5 at a small pizza joint called Pizza Cafe. They have really good pizzas and salads and an awesome outdoor deck area. It's rare that we go there in the winter, because we typically think of going just to enjoy the patio. Must remember this place more often though. Especially with my sis because they now have a gluten-free pizza crust.

As always, we had an enjoyable time with our friends. Just chitchatting and enjoying some good eats. It's hard to beat that sometimes. Simplicity is the way to go if you ask me. Just good food, good friends.

The rest of the evening is being spent pretty lazily. We're just chilling out - I think that's the perfect way to top off a Saturday. I hope you all are having a great weekend.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Weight workout
Time with friends
Relaxing

Fun Facts Friday - 11 Randoms & Answers

2012-01-27T16:15:00.000-06:00

Today is a much-needed rest day for me, just as much mentally as physically. While I enjoy working out and it usually helps relieve stress, it really is mentally taxing when you think about it. So brains need a break just as much as muscles sometimes.

I always worry that my posts are going to be sub-par on rest days or on days when I don't have any recipe to post. Unlike a lot of bloggers, I don't post incredibly thoughtful posts dealing with topics like gratitude, finding happiness, finding true balance, or the meaning of life.

I would like to think that some of those things do come out in my blog in bits in pieces, in how I live my life and who I am. If that makes any kind of sense (and not even taking a muscle relaxer right now either LOL).

Perhaps this is why I rely on Fun Facts Fridays for Friday posts. It's usually a rest day, rarely a recipe kind of day, and it's a good time to just do something different, fun, random, sometimes silly. I think it's safe to say that most of us are brain-dead on Fridays, so light-hearted is the name of the game here.

This week's Fun Facts Friday post came easily thanks to a blogger game going around where you tag people to list 11 random facts and have them answer questions. Yesterday, I was tagged by a lovely lady - Melissa from Melissa Dishes, so here it goes?

The rules of this post:
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Tag those people.

11 Random Things

1. I love lemons, plain old lemons.

2. I need to sleep on the side of the bed nearest to the bathroom.

3. In school I always tried to sit closest to the door.

4. When I was in the 1st grade, I wanted to be a bus driver.

5. When I was 5 I wanted to be a "cheerleader" my godmother even bought me official Dallas Cowboy pompoms.

6. I have munchkin sized feet - I wear 5.5-6

7. I want to get a bike to ride with Jason, but I'm terrified of falling and hurting myself OR hurting someone else.

8. I hate needles but have a tattoo and want another one.

9. I have an obsession about owning hardback books.

10. I'm a terrible cuticle picker so my fingers look awful at times.

11. I'm very touchy feely when it comes to fabrics and textures. When going through stores, I touch almost everything.

11 Questions from Melissa

1. How long have you been blogging? Almost 2 1/2 years (wow, that long???)

2. Why did you start blogging? Hubby encouraged as way to possibly make extra money. Money isn't coming in but blogging is my prize.

3. Would you live in your hometown again? NO

4. Would you clone your pet if money isn’t an object? This is tricky….I adore Maddie, and will miss her terribly when she's gone but only her good traits. Heath - would definitely clone that sweet guy in a heartbeat.

5. What’s your favorite restaurant? Karyn's Cooked in Chicago

6. What is your go-to snack? Totally depends on where I am. Love PB on apples or rice cake or ThinkThin protein bar.

7. Hot or cold weather? Hot

8. More muscle, faster runner, or weigh less? What would you rather be? Oh tough call between muscle and faster runner. Can I split the difference?

9. Favorite Girl Scout cookie? Thin Mint

10. Favorite drink? Pinot Noir

11. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? Sometimes I do.

I know I'm supposed to tag people and give you questions, but how about you answer one of the questions above and/or give me some random fact? The quirkier the better!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
It's Friday
Laughs from this post
Rest day

Don't forget to share your to-enjoy list via twitter. Just use #toenjoylist

Pooptastic Day - But Still Thankful

2012-01-26T17:16:00.000-06:00

Poopy Round 1
Literally, it was poopy. In reality I'm saying shitastic in case you want to know the truth. It was raining this morning, so I pulled on my handy rain boots. I didn't realize it until I had already gotten to work, but I managed to step on wet dog poop walking to the car. This, of course, meant that their was poop in the car. Yay.

I had my doctor's appointment for my sciatica and foot pain at 9:15 this morning. Without going off on a major rant about doctors prescribing an assload of meds to mask the pain and not really and truly trying to figure out what's wrong, I'll just say that I have 4 prescriptions for pain meds, muscle relaxers, steroids.

I rarely even take Advil or Ibuprophen let alone a cocktail of pain meds. However, I really am in enough pain that I did start the prednisone and left work early to take the muscle relaxer in hopes of some relief. The doctor is setting me up with an orthopedic specialist next week. So, maybe we'll get to the true root of the problem then.

The clinic is actually in the same building as my gym, so I went on over to the gym to get my workout done while I was there. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical to warm up and then did supersets of 3x8 (unless noted) for chest and shoulders. I also added in abs at the end of the workout.

SS#1
Arnold press
Flat bench dumbbell press

SS#2
Lateral raise
Pushups with toes on bench (10 reps)

SS#3
Front raise
Staggered chest press with dumbbells (10 reps)

The workout was pretty good. I went up in weights on lateral raise so my shoulders are already feeling it.

Poop Rounds 2 & 3
Now, back to the poop. Walking back into the house from the gym, more poop on the shoe. Really? I was trying to tip-toe down the path as best as I could. The dogs aren't wanting to go out in the wet grass, so they're making a mess of the walkway.

After I got cleaned up (back in my sweater dress and super cute Naughty Monkey Booties), I had to stand out in the rain with a towel and cleaner to try to get the poop off the gas pedal and brake in the car. Good times my friends, good times.

I went back to work for a few hours, picked up my meds, finished a few things that I couldn't do at home, then headed back home only to step in poop yet again. No freaking joke - 3 times in one day. If that's not a sign I don't know what is.

So, I took the muscle relaxer and plopped my butt on the couch with my laptop. I could safely do some work on the couch without screwing anything really important up. I don't even recall the last time I had a muscle relaxer, so I wasn't sure how it'd affect me. I'm really sensitive to meds.

I kept waiting for my muscles to actually relax. That never seemed to happen. I mean, I still feel the shoulder work and the pain in my foot and butt. However, I'm beyond relaxed so I kind of don't care too much. Guess that's better than nothing huh?

Anyway, that's my poopy day story for you. At least I can sit here with a stupid grin on my face right? There won't be any new recipe tonight. I think I need to stay away from sharp objects. Jason doesn't know it just yet, but he'll have to take care of the dinner this evening.

Still Thankful
And, because I don't want this post to sound terribly poopy (aka negative) I do want to at least acknowledge that while I was unhappy with doctor's visit, I know I am lucky to have insurance to even go to the doctor.

I may not be able to run, but at least I am capable of lifting weights.

I might be in pain, but that's minor compared to what some people might be going through today.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Good weight workout
Being able to finish workday at home
My overall health

Leg Day & Spicy White Chili for Cold Night

2012-01-25T18:00:00.000-06:00

Leg Day
Today I hit the gym for legs. I was oddly looking forward to leg day actually. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical as my warmup then did 1 set of 10 reps of squats with no weight on the bar as an additional warmup for the legs. I did either supersets or trisets as 3 sets of 8 reps unless noted.

SS#1
Barbell squats (increased weight again)
Calf raises - 15 reps with increased weight

TS#1
Step-ups (with dumbbells)
Stiff-legged deadlifts (increased weight)
Firewalkers - 4 each direction

TS#2
Alternating front lunges
Plie squats with low-end pulse
Hamstring roll-ins on ball - 12 reps

SS#2 - only 2 sets of 8 reps each leg
Single-leg squats
Outer thigh raise with resistance band

This was a pretty good workout overall. I was glad I was able to increase weight again for squats. Next week I need to increase the weights for alternating lunges. I do think I need to add in more single-leg moves as well like the single-leg squats and maybe single-leg deadlifts as well.

Cold Rain = Chili Night
I've been pretty busy at work with some big projects going on. While it can help make the day go faster, I'm leaving feeling totally worn out. And cold, rainy weather sure doesn't help pep you up much either.

I had planned on making something tonight with fingerling potatoes (which Jason loves) and maybe roasted broccoli. But, the cold rain called for something warm and cozy, like chili. Since we had a regular red chili a few days ago, I went with my Spicy White Chili with Tempeh tonight.

It was a close call between the chili and a butternut squash soup as I had leftover squash from last night. Maybe that will be tomorrow's dinner because it's supposed to be a repeat of today in terms of weather.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Leg day
Comfort meal
Relaxing on couch

More Spinning & Kale Loving

2012-01-24T19:18:00.000-06:00

Spin In Lieu of Running
I'm going to try to set up the workout in the most positive manner as I can. Today was sunny and mid-60's. It seems that almost everyone is experiencing some incredible late-January weather. It would have been ideal for a run. In fact, I had my running clothes packed. I was determined to get in a run today.

However, my foot and sciatica are really causing me some serious pain. So much so, that I skipped the run and hit up spin instead. This about killed me (ok, a bit dramatic, but you get the picture). Ideal weather for running in January (so rare) and I can't run? It just doesn't seem very fair at all.

While spin was a great workout, it was not at all what I wanted to be doing. All I could do was stare out the windows and dream of what it feels like to be out there running, and running pain-free.

So, I did something I've been putting off...I made a doctor's appointment for Thursday. While I have an idea what's going on, at this point, I think it's safe to say that nothing I'm doing is helping. We have runner's injury/prevention books spread out everywhere. I've been stretching, rolling, stretching (even at my desk). I massage my foot all throughout the day. And still pain.

Maybe they can at least help me find an adequate physical therapist or physical therapy routine. At this point, I'm just desperate and frustrated. But, enough whining.

Tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to be stormy. While I normally wouldn't be happy about that, I am because it definitely ensures that I won't be pining to run outside ;-)

I Love Kale
Since we had fajitas last night, I didn't go with the Taco Tuesday theme. But it really sounded good. I had some kale and butternut squash on hand, and that sounded really good for the evening. Seriously loving kale.

I decided to just roast the butternut squash and add that to sauteed kale. I knew I needed more protein so I added cannellini beans and then brown rice to complete the protein.

Butternut Squash, Kale & White Bean Bowl
Ingredients:
1/2 butternut squash, cubed and roasted
3/4 cup cooked brown rice (more or less depending how much you like rice)
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and rough chopped
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine or vegetable broth
To taste: salt, pepper, parsley, basil, oregano, nutmeg

Directions:
Roast your butternut squash and cook your rice (or other grain of choice).

In the meantime, in large skillet, saute the onions, garlic, bell pepper for approximately 3 minutes. Add in the white wine or broth then add in the kale and seasonings. Cover to allow the kale to steam. Cook until the kale is soft (I like mine very well done). As an option, you can add in a drizzle of agave for a sweeter flavor.

Once the kale is done, add in the squash, beans, and barley. Toss and re-season if needed.

This turned out just OK, a little flat. It was missing a zing - so next time I'll add red wine vinegar or perhaps apple cider vinegar for some acidity. I did sprinkle mine with some nutritional yeast flakes, so that could be added in during the cooking as well.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin
Sunshine
Veggie heavy dinner

Oh, and if you're interested in sharing your to-enjoy list, you can use the twitter hashtag #toenjoylist.

Motivation Monday - Inpsiring Quotes

2012-01-23T18:18:00.001-06:00

Spin & Motivation
Today was supposed to have been warm and sunny, but the sun was very slow to come out. That was probably a good thing though, less tempting for me to try to run. Instead, I hit up spin.

I guess yesterday's interval run kicked my booty more than I realize. My legs felt like dead weights during spin class. In my mind I was keeping pace with the music, in reality it probably looked like I was barely moving. The only reason you'd know I was truly working was from the sweat pouring off of me.

After work I spent about 20 minutes stretching. I'm hoping it loosens up the tension or tomorrow may end up having to be a rest day.

Tonight is going to be simple - fajitas (for Mexican Monday). I'm just using homemade seitan and sauteing with onions, bell peppers, and portobello mushrooms. It's not really even much of a recipe really. In fact, I sort of feel bad about how measly this post is today. I don't feel like I have any great workouts to share, no recipes, no words of wisdom.

I almost opted to not post actually. But, I started thinking that maybe I'd do sort of a Motivation Monday type of post. I was inspired by Dorry @ Living With Healthy Hunger. She always has the most inspiring posts. They always speak to me.

Today her post was on generosity. I am a believer in being generous. And part of that is being inspiring, it's sharing, it's being supportive (and you need to check out her list of course). So I thought I'd share some quotes that I also find to be inspiring. That's my generosity for the day I suppose. Motivation. Oh, and I love Pinterest for awesome quotes.

Source: thehealthychange.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: thechive.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: adailystumble.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: holdmenearyourheart.tumblr.com via Jolene on Pinterest

Where do you find motivation? What's something that inspired or motivated you today?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin class
Easy dinner
Inspiration

Intervals & Housework on Dreary Sunday

2012-01-22T15:13:00.000-06:00

More Intervals
Originally it was supposed to have been about 66 degrees today and sunny. Instead, it was heavy fog, mist, and about 36 degrees when I woke up. While I know I couldn't have done a long run today, I had still hoped to get outside for a medium-distance run at the very least. But that just wasn't happening.

After having a mini-meltdown about not knowing what other workout I could do, I packed up the laptop and headed to the gym. I briefly thought about shoulders and chest today, but my biceps are pretty sore from yesterday, so that wouldn't have made for an ideal lifting session.

My next thought was to try to do 2 maybe 3 miles tops on the treadmill depending on my foot situation. Then I could set up the laptop in the cardio room and do some boxing or kickboxing.

So, I hopped on the treadmill and stared out into the solid wall of white clouds. I must say that can be very disorienting. Usually I get to look out over the river, today, no view at all. I had low hopes of a decent run.

I got going though, and things just fell in place. So I ended up hitting 6 miles with some pretty good intervals. I may be WAY off my half marathon training plan, but at least I'm still moving right?

2 miles warm up at 9:13 min/mile
4 mins at 8:34 with 4 mins at 9:31 recovery
3 mins at 8:34 with 3 mins at 9:31 recovery
2 mins at 8:34 with 2 mins at 9:31 recovery
2 x 1 min at 8:13 at with 1 mins at 9:31 recovery
30 second intervals starting at an 8 min/mile all the way down to 7:30 min/mile (maybe 6 intervals I think)
Rounded out to 6 miles at 8:57 min/mile to finish

The 8:34 min/mile pace is definitely feeling much more comfortable. This is a good thing of course. Now I need to start increasing the interval time to a full mile then start increasing the pace again. I may not be able to do really long runs right this moment, but maybe that's good for me in the end. Maybe this is my chance to focus on some speed.

When I go home, I took a nice hot shower, put on some comfy yoga pants and big baggy (aka super ugly but super comfy) sweatshirt and hit the yoga mat. I tried to stretch even longer than I normally would after a long run. I also tried to spend more time rolling out the kinks on the Triggerpoint Therapy Kit.

I think in order to get past these injuries, I am going to have to be even more diligent about recovery. Not only continuing to really focus on the strength training for my lower body, but additional stretching, yoga poses, and rolling on the Triggerpoint. I also need to suck it up and invest in a few massage sessions. I need to realize that it's not a frivolous expense, but rather a necessity for me and keeping my body healthy for running.

Do you see massages as something frivolous, more pampering or do they fall into the necessity category for you?

Housework Kind of Day
The rest of the day was spent doing housework. It was such an ugly day out. So foggy that it was misting and just wet and damp. I had hoped to get started on some big projects, but Jason needed to finish work in the attic first.

After the water heater went out a few weeks ago and he pulled pretty much everything out of the attic, he left it out so that he could finish cleaning out tons of junk that was left there before we bought the house. Plus, not all of the flooring is secure, so he's working on that. This all means more usable space up there for better storage.

Until all the "stuff" makes its way back to the attic, I can't exactly get started on some of the projects I want to get going - like painting the gym room and our bedroom. Plus we're going to paint our kitchen cabinets.

I did manage to get lots of laundry done and even folded. I also did a lot of paper shredding and bill filing. We have a really bad tendency to let paid bills just pile up and not actually file them. The office is flat out embarrassing to me.

While I was on a cleaning spree, I pulled out my magic eraser and went to town trying to scrub down our stove, hood vent, pretty much all surfaces in the kitchen. I swear that magic eraser can make me terribly OCD. I pretty much destroyed a brand new sponge in one cleaning session. But man things look shiny ;-)

I'm fairly certain that the rest of the day will be spent piddling around doing more chores here and there. I do have 2 more loads of laundry going right now that I'll have to attend to at some point. But other than that, it's a very very low-key day around here.

I hope you are having a great Sunday whether you're just relaxing or being super productive.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run
Being productive
No makeup or hair fixing day

Weights, Errands, Late Relaxing Lunch

2012-01-21T17:01:00.000-06:00

Gym Day
Today was a gym day. I did legs yesterday knowing that today would not be my long run Saturday as it has been in the past. It was really kind of damp, gray, and cold out, so that worked out nicely I think....the fact that I hadn't planned a run.

I did 2.5 miles on the treadmill as a warmup and to try to loosen my legs up. The first 1/2 mile was a total pain in the ass and foot (literally) and very mental. I was getting really mad at myself, at my body, at everything. I am really starting to have doubts about this next half marathon, so those thoughts were creeping in.

Negative thoughts never make for a good run, especially a treadmill run. As my body warmed up, everything did start to loosen up at least. So the foot pain subsided as did the butt/hip pain. I tried to just zone out, to listen to my music, to not look at the time at all. So, 2.5 miles done. That's pretty much all I can say about that one.

Today was biceps, triceps, back. I had to adjust my plan a bit midstream as someone was hogging a piece of equipment that I was planning to use. Not bitter of course ;-) I guess I've gotten so used to the gym being empty on Sundays, that I didn't think about it being busier on a Saturday.

I went with trisets of 3x8 unless noted and increased weight today for hammer curls for at least half of the reps (this made me very happy).

TS#1
Alternating dumbbell curls
Lying triceps extensions
Wide-grip assisted chinups

TS#2
Hammer curls
Double-arm kickbacks
Single-arm row

TS#3
Cross-body curls
Weighted dips 12 reps (was planning to do pulldowns)
Pullovers (was planning barbell rows)

I finished with some ab work using weights as well as stability ball (pikes and rollouts). I really felt stronger today. I felt like I could have possibly gone heavier on the triceps extensions and was very pleased with my weight for hammer curls. And the assisted chinups felt slightly easier as well. I think next week I will try to drop the assisted weight again for as many reps as possible and see how that goes.

Errands & Late Lunch
After the gym, we headed to our favorite running store. They were having a big tent sale. Unfortunately, no shoes in my size, well shoes for me in my size I should say. I did find another running hat though for 10 bucks.

Then it was off to the grocery store. Been putting this trip off too long. At least we now have fresh veggies and fruit again. I'm not sure what was going on, but I kept getting colder and colder while we were at the store. I mean, grocery stores are cold, but I had on a puffy coat and shouldn't have been so chilled.

By the time I got home, I told Jason I had to go shower to try to warm up. I left him to unload the groceries only to find that the water wouldn't get hot. It was warm, but not hot. When they replaced the water heater recently, I guess they set it on a more energy efficient setting. Um, that's great, but this chick needed HOT water.

I promptly put on yoga pants, long-sleeved T, and fleece jacket. Finally some warmth. I started to make myself lunch, but then Jason decided (in his mind without telling me) that he wanted to go out to lunch to finish watching the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball game.

So, out of glorified jammies into real clothes and out the door. We did have a nice, relaxing lunch at least. Though I was anticipating lunch in my jammies. Since lunch was so incredibly late, dinner will be very light tonight. Light and simple. Funny that now that the fridge is stocked, I'm not planning on making anything.

Accomplishments
While I didn't get in my long run today, I must give a shout out to one awesome chick who got in a PDR run. Cory at Learning Patience hit 10 miles today! I remember how insanely happy, proud, excited I was to hit double-digits for the first time. So this made me so happy for her. Maybe you can make a quick stop over to her blog post (linked above) and give her a big high 5.

What was one of your proudest moments? It doesn't have to be a PDR or heaviest lift of course, just one of those accomplishments that you will never forget. For me it was definitely my first 10-miler, then my first half, then hitting 14.5 miles.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weight day
Relaxing

Fun Facts Friday - 5 Things to Smile About

2012-01-20T17:00:00.000-06:00

Leg Day
I am so used to Fridays being rest days. It was really hard forcing myself to get in my workout today. Definitely feeling more fatigued because of this sinus crud - or maybe it's just the medicine. Plus it's really heavy fog, gloomy out today. A big recipe for sleep.

However, I was meeting a friend to get her started on a weight workout rotation I put together for her. So, the pressure was on. I couldn't back out. I was also excited to meet her up there and get her started. The fact that she trusts me makes me nervous of course. Talk about pressure!

So, while I was a little tired, I had motivation. And, of course, once I got going with my own workout, I actually felt much better, much more awake.

Today I opted for legs. I went with supersets and went heavier for most exercises. I did 3x8 unless noted.

Barbell squats - warmup set of 10

SS#1
Barbell squats
Plie squats

SS#2
Stiff-legged deadlifts
Rear leg elevated lunges

SS#3
Step ups
Calf raises - 15 reps

SS#4
Hamstring rollins on ball - 10 reps
Fire walkers - 4 each direction

I finished out with 15 minutes on the elliptical with my friend. I had her doing some HIIT intervals so I thought it was only fair that I at least did the elliptical as well.

I left feeling a little disappointed in the fact that my legs weren't feeling the workout like I thought they would. In a way, this was a blessing. When I got back to work, the elevators were out. I had to walk up 10 flights of stairs to get to my office (and 10 flights in office building is like double flights). Um, legs were shaking after than one!

Fun Facts Friday - 5 Things to Smile About
It is Fun Facts Friday, so I suppose I should get right down to it. It's probably more interesting than reading about my workouts anyway.

Today's was inspired by the fact that two other blogger friends are dealing with family health crises right now. It definitely makes me stop and think about how lucky I am right now that my family is all healthy and well.

I thought it would be sort of uplifting to list out the things that made me happy today. To make it fit with Fun Facts Friday (the whole "F" thing) we'll go with 5. These are things from either family or friends or just random joys that made me smile. Life can deal us some crap sometimes, so it's important to remember those little happies during the day.

1. An email from my friend Jessica reminding me that she'll be here to visit in less than a month! Now that's something to smile about for certain. Oh and then later emails planning a run together when she's here.

2. The fact that I am helping a friend get started with lifting weights, and that she didn't hate me after the workout is a bonus ;-)

3. Thinking about spending the evening with my husband with no obligations, no set plans, just us relaxing.

4. Looking forward to running this weekend no matter what the distance ends up being - not having the pressure is kind of nice too.

5. Reading this fun post of random facts and relating to almost all of them (kind of scary). Anyone else hate hate hate to mess with the vacuum cleaner cord? Raise your hand.

What's something that made you smile today?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Leg day (yes, I was really looking forward to it oddly enough)
The fact that it's Friday

Treadmill, Tofu, Thankful on Thursday

2012-01-19T19:30:00.000-06:00

Treadmilling It
Today I was still really stuffy, but I felt less like I had been run over by a truck at least. Just the stuffy then runny then stuffy nose with sinus headache to contend with.

I had really planned to go run outside after work. It was supposed to be sunny and about 60 degrees. Then I got it in my head that I wanted to run at lunch, at which time the sun disappeared. I wasn't sure if it was really going to get sunny and warm again or not and was dead set on working out midday. So, I ended up running on the treadmill. I honestly didn't know how long I could go with this congestion going on.

I figured it would be safer and smarter to just go up to the gym and if I could only do a mile, then it's not like I had wasted time driving to the river trails. Plus, if it's allergies, then maybe running outside isn't so smart either.

The plan was to see what I could do with the goal of 4 miles doing some interval speed work, which I've been slacking on big time. I actually hadn't even planned out how I wanted to do the intervals, this is so not like me at all. And it's soooo not like me to be so incredibly off my half marathon training plan. At this point, I don't even want to look at it.

After the first mile at an easy warm-up pace of 9:13 min/mile, I was feeling better than I had expected. So I jumped right into 1/2 mile intervals.

Intervals 1 and 2
1/2 mile at 8:34 min/mile
1/2 mile recovery at 9:31 min/mile

Interval 3
1/2 mile at 8:41 min/mile (was getting pretty fatigued)
1/2 mile recovery at 9:31 min/mile

Interval 4
1/4 mile at 8:41 min/mile
1/4 mile at 9:31 min/mile

I finished out the last half mile at an 8:57 pace to hit an even 5 miles. And while I really don't like to run on the treadmill, I think this ended up being a really smart choice today. It forced me to do intervals as that's the only way I can do more than 3 miles, and because I was done with the workout much faster without having to drive to and from the river trails (won't really run neighborhood solo).

Tofu Thursday
After work I made a quick trip to Target. They had the same curtains I purchased for the spare bathroom remodel on clearance. I wanted to use them for my little gym room. Unfortunately they only had the 84" length and I really needed 95" or longer. Luckily, they had the valances so that covered up the fact that I had to lower the curtains.

Source

Now I just need to get in the gym room and do some major patchwork repair before painting and hanging a wall mirror. When we bought our house, it was sinking in the middle, so we had it leveled. This of course created tons of cracks in the old plaster. We totally ran out of steam in the repair cracks department. So that room is in desperate need of repair.

I did remember to pick up some frozen veggies at least since I've yet to hit the grocery store. I decided to go with an easy tofu stir fry. I was going to use brown rice, but surprise surprise, didn't have enough. I did, however, have some rice noodles at least.

I dry-seared the tofu to remove the water as I had not pressed it. I made a marinade for the tofu to also use in the stir fry. I had only a small amount of a pre-made stir fry sauce left, so I used that with low-sodium soy sauce, sriracha chili, OJ, and PB2. I tossed the tofu in the mix and then baked until super firm before adding to the stir fry.

Thankful Thursday
On a serious note, we'll call it Thankful Thursday, a fellow blogger's father had a stroke. She is now on her way across country to be with him, and she's written a great reminder post: Why You Should Always Say I Love You.

This is something that my mom instilled in me and my sister. I never hang up the phone without telling my family that I love them. We say it in our emails, texts, phone calls. No, not bragging or saying I'm somehow better. I still sometimes forget to tell my friends or even my husband just how much they mean to me. Her post reminded me of this today and reminded me to be thankful for my family, my husband, and my friends.

Daily To-Enjoy List

Run
Sunshine
Warmer temps
Easy Dinner

Doing the NotSick Chant & Happy for Chili

2012-01-18T15:11:00.000-06:00

NotSickNotSick
Remember how I said yesterday started off at 70 degrees? This morning it was 25 degrees. It makes it so difficult to just get used to one temperature when it's all over the board. At least it was sunny and not windy. I had packed my gym bag with clothes to go for a run actually. The high was supposed to be about 45 degrees. For me, chilly, but I was so wanting to get outside.

My body had a different plan for me though. I have been sneezing my head off for the past couple of days, then the sinus headache came on yesterday. This morning it hit me...I'm getting sick, but doing the "NotsickNotsick" chant of course. I'm really hoping it's just allergies. I don't think I can blame it on the temperature swings, but I think I'm going to anyway ;-)

Needless to say, today was a rest day. I had absolutely no energy. And if I had tried to do anything, snot would have been flying. Gross, but true. I did find some Mucinex to take, but I'm not so sure it's doing anything other than making me feel dehydrated.

I left work early to go home and put on my PJs and sit on the couch with the pups and mug of green tea. They are very happy with how the day is turning out - all of us piled up on the couch. Now the difficulty is keeping Maddie out of my tissues.

I am not really good at being sick I'll admit. I feel like I'm being a lazy bum. Yes, I know this makes no rational sense of course. I'm sick. I need to rest. And that's ok. But I'm home and all I can think about is all the stuff I should be doing around this place.

Are you good at being sick - not enjoying it of course, but resting up?

Whatever Wednesday
Last night I went on a fridge and freezer cleaning frenzy. This happens to be coming in handy for tonight. I pulled out pretty much everything out of the freezer to see what the heck was actually up there.

Let's just say I really didn't need to make more seitan or veggie burgers. Thankfully I write on the bags the basic ingredients of the burgers so I have an idea of what flavors I have, and we have a variety apparently.

I also found two containers of two different types of chili I had tossed in the freezer. So, tonight is going to be Whatever Wednesday. Whatever chili flavor you want, you can have. I suppose we could just mix the 2 together actually. One is a butternut squash and the other I had used a vegan chorizo.

Either way we enjoy the chili, it's perfect for this evening: I'm under the weather and it's cold out. If that doesn't scream chili night, I don't know what does.

And last but certainly not least, I must wish my beautiful mother Happy Birthday!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
The fact that I had sinus medicine on hand

Spin on Thai Tuesday

2012-01-17T18:58:00.000-06:00

Spin Again
While today was actually sunny, and surprisingly warm to start (hello 70 degrees), we had a major front moving through bringing in more whipping winds. Yep, another bad hair day around here.

It was one of those days that started off warm, but the temps continued to fall throughout the afternoon. But it was sunny out thank fully. Sun = happy.

In all honesty, I have been itching to run so badly that I seriously contemplated battling the winds today just to get out for a run. In reality, I need to continue to rest my foot even if it is feeling a little better. That doesn't mean I should just take off for a 6-miler. I know this deep down.

Jason said he'd go to spin today, so that actually helped making the right decision a little easier. I did get shoulders done before class. It was a goody; already feeling it actually. I went with a giant set of 3x8. I keep starting with shoulder press, but today I switched it up and I know that's part of why I feel it. That and the giant set itself.

Upright rows
Lateral raise (trying to increase weight so doing 4 at heavier weight, then 4 at one lower)
Front raise

Then it was off to kill the legs...as if they aren't already hating me. Yes, I'm convinced my legs do indeed hate me. That's ok, tough love ;-)

Thai Tuesday
While it should be Taco Tuesday, the fridge is fairly empty. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to be able to scrounge up even. I had thought about trying to figure out what to put into tacos, I do have some tortillas, but it would have been not much more than beans and some bell peppers I'm afraid. I don't even have canned tomatoes on hand at this point.

I did, however, have some coconut milk, carrots, tofu, frozen spinach and peas, bell peppers, and curry paste. So, how about Thai Tuesday instead?

This was super simple - especially because I had brown rice in the freezer too. I just sauteed the carrots and bell peppers for about 10 minutes or so then added in the coconut milk, tofu, and paste. I let that simmer until the carrots were mostly done then added in the spinach and peas and cooked until peas were heated through.

Oh, I did dry-sear the tofu to remove excess water, then I cubed it and sprinkled with garam masala and baked for about 25 minutes flipping once. I like my tofu to be very firm, slightly crisp on the outside.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin (with hubby even)
Sunshine
Simple dinner

Spin, Salad & A Movie

2012-01-16T18:43:00.000-06:00

Spin Day
Today I decided to rest my foot again, oh and not fight stormy weather and high winds trying to run. So, I hit up spin class.

I must say, my quads are killing me from the HIIT workout I did yesterday. Seriously feels like I did a weighted leg workout not "just" plyo exercises. Apparently I really need to add HIIT back into my life.

So, needless to say, spin was a bit on the difficult side today. I really wasn't certain my legs were going to hold me upright after I got off the bike at the end of class. But, it was a great class regardless. Of course, my quads might disagree with me.

Salad & A Movie
Today was one of those really weird weather days when if a tornado blew through you wouldn't be shocked. It was in the upper 60's with high humidity and even higher winds. You either felt like you were going to be pushed down or you couldn't move forward one.

While I should have gone to the grocery store after work, I didn't want to risk getting caught in a downpour while also battling the Monday evening shopping crowd. Luckily, the fridge isn't completely bare, but pretty close.

I had a kabocha squash on hand and some lettuce and spinach. So I went with a roasted salad (thanks to Jason's suggestion). I went with baked tofu that I dry-seared first then dipped into a marinade (that I also used as the salad dressing) of balsamic vinegar, agave, and a whole grain mustard.

I baked that along with the kabocha then topped the salad with artichokes and roasted red bell peppers as well.

Tonight we're going to just relax and finish the movie we started watching last night, Temple Grandin. It's actually quite amazing, but 2 hours long, which is pretty much beyond my movie time threshold.

The movie is a biopic about an autistic woman who overcame all obstacles and even earned her Ph.D. Claire Danes plays Temple and does an absolutely amazing job.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin class (ouch)
Roasted salad
Movie

Celebration Recap & HIIT Workout

2012-01-15T15:48:00.000-06:00

Celebration Recap
As I mentioned yesterday, my sister came up to stay with me to celebrate her birthday. We started of the afternoon with a late lunch at Canon Grill. We were supposed to meet friends at a wine bar about a block away at 5. Funny, our friends walked into the restaurant while we were finishing our meal.

They had wanted to grab a snack and watch a game on the tv there and then just meet us at the wine bar - Diversion. I missed the text so had no idea they were going to Canon Grill and they had no idea we were there. But, it worked out nicely.

The girls went to the wine bar at 5, and the boys went to another bar with tvs to finish the game (not a clue what game to be honest). The vibe was really laid back, hip. But it was almost a bit too dark. I mean, I would like to read the menu list ;-) I tried to not be too shocked at the prices....but wow. Proud of the wine. But we were there to celebrate and have fun, so I just went with it.

We all ended up getting the same wine - Kris, Pinot Grigio. They didn't have a pinot noir by the glass, or one I was willing to pay a buttload for. Yep, high class, that's me. Kris Wine is an Italian wine. I tend favor Italian wines and this one did not disappoint.

After one glass, we headed back to the house to just relax, chat, and chat some more. I pulled out the pizza doughs and got started on our dinner. It was so fun to make the pizzas and visit with my besties. The boys made it home around 7:30 or so. They played pool until dinner was ready then we all dug in.

To top off dinner, we all shared the cupcakes I had bought for Sarah. I didn't try the chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing (because I don't care for chocolate), but apparently I should have bought more of that flavor as it was the hands down winner.

I'll admit to some more wine drinking and even some dancing. Basically, we had an absolute blast. It might not have been some big birthday bash, but I think my sister appreciated the intimacy of celebrating with close friends so much more.

No Long Run
Today I got up ready to go for the long run. Well, I was mentally ready, my foot, however, not so much. I think it's plantar fasciitis, but it feels a little different than when I had that problem previously in my left foot. This is more near the heel and not the arch. I've been trying to ice, massage, and stretch my whole foot and calf all week. Sometimes it feels better than others, but when it hurts....it really really hurts.

I was really torn on the run. I was so set on that being the plan. But I had to be honest with myself, a run was not going to be good for me. All the run would truly accomplish was more pain. So, I ended up going to the gym. I know it was the right choice rationally, but I had so hoped to get outside and run today - it was a pretty day darn it.

I did 15 minutes on the elliptical then went into the cardio room and set up the laptop. I had brought along Cathe's HIIT DVD to do. I haven't done HIIT workouts in quite possibly a year. I used to love HIIT workouts, and did them often. Um, apparently you can get out of shape for HIIT workouts if you don't do them....trust me on this one.

The HIIT DVD has 3 different workouts to choose from. I went with the Double Wave Pyramid workout. Holy Freaking HIIT. My legs were seriously shaking by the time I was done. I used to be able to do that workout without a problem. I swear, running 12 miles today would have been easier!

So, maybe a new goal is to add in more HIIT workouts for endurance and for the explosive muscles. Because I seriously felt so out of shape doing this workout today. Luckily, it didn't bother my foot too much. I mean, it wasn't pain-free I'll admit, but better than running.

After the workout, it was back into PJs and some major relaxing. I did get laundry washed, but we pretty much just relaxed the majority of the day. I do feel just a tad guilty because I should have gone to the grocery store, and it was a gorgeous day out, but sometimes lazy is what you need right?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Hard workout
Serious relaxing

Treadmill Run, Weights & Pizza Party

2012-01-14T14:42:00.000-06:00

Early Morning Cooking & Workout Switch Up
This morning I ended up waking up around 7:15. I had hoped to sleep in a little bit, but I was wide awake. I had plenty to get done, so it worked out nicely I suppose. By 11 am I had made 2 pizza doughs, marinara sauce, and prepped all veggies for tonight (which I'll get to in a minute).

It was really cold and windy, but sunny at least. Supposed to be in the mid-50's. I was trying to get myself psyched up for our long run. My half marathon training plan had me at 12 miles, but with my recent food pain, Jason and I decided it'd be best to start at 10 and do 11 tops depending on how I was feeling.

I kept watching the weather, refreshing to check the temps and the wind. Forecast included up to 18 mph winds. Ugh. Not fun to deal with for 10 miles. Not even fun for 3 miles really. After lots of debating both in my head and out loud, Jason and I settled on gym today and run tomorrow.

I don't know why this stressed me out, but it really did. It was as if I was just skipping out on the run entirely, when all we were doing was switching days. Plus, it was sunny and fairly mild, so I felt like I really had to go out and run rather than workout indoors.

Yep, I know that's all silly and absolutely mental. Tomorrow is supposed to be warm and sunny again with calmer winds. I know, rationally, that will make for a better run. But man it throws off my planned schedule LOL.

So gym it was. I did run 4 steady miles on the treadmill. Nothing crazy, but I really am going to have to get back into doing some speed and hill work starting next week. Definitely slacking on that. Definitely didn't want to do legs today with planned long run tomorrow, so it was upper body: biceps, triceps, back and some abs.

I went with trisets of 3x8 unless noted and tried to increase weights and/or use different equipment for a change.

TS#1
Barbell curl (EZ bar) - 6 reps
Double-arm overhead triceps extensions
Wide-grip assisted chinups

TS#2
Incline curls
Double-arm kickbacks
Underhand barbell row

TS#3
Hammer curls - 10 reps
Triceps pulldowns (tried using cable to see if it bothered elbows less)
Narrow grip lat pulldowns (I never use the cables, so thought I'd try it out)

I finished with some low back extensions and some ab work using the ball and weights.

Now, about that pizza....
I'm really looking forward to this evening. My sister's birthday was on Tuesday, so she's coming to stay the night with me so we can celebrate. We are meeting up with friends for a bit then we'll be back to the house to make homemade pizzas for everyone.

I went ahead and splurged on some amazing gluten-free crust from a local gluten-free bakery called Dempsey. Seriously, everything they make is incredible. I know I can either make a socca pizza for her or buy a mix, but it's her birthday...so I thought I'd make sure it was worth the trip to my house.

This is why I was in a cooking frenzy this morning. I wanted the evening to be stress-free, so having all the food ready to go was a favor to myself (and everyone else really).

Oh, and I also picked up some birthday cupcakes from the bakery - they are both gluten and dairy free. They just looked too good to pass up. Plus, every birthday celebration deserves cake (or a cupcake).

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run (switched up a bit)
Sister time
Time with friends
Pizza Saturday

A Serious Note on Fun Facts Friday

2012-01-13T16:15:00.000-06:00

On a Serious Note
Wow, I wasn't sure this week was going to end. And from what I gather, it's felt that way for a lot of people. Let's just all blame it on the full moon we had earlier in the week. Agreed?

Actually, I can't totally blame it on that. This might be a little too serious for Friday, but it's something I've been thinking about this week, mostly because it's what I've been dealing with - anxiety and depression.

I try to keep my blog happy, but real. So the reality is that I've battled depression and anxiety most of my life. I've been on this med and that med and realized that I don't want to be on any meds. I don't like how they can make me feel (often too numb). They never really seemed to work for me and then there were side effects like 3 weeks of vertigo and additional medication to combat that just trying to get off of one of the meds.

Anyway, I feel like I've learned to regulate my moods fairly well. When meds did work, I learned to better grasp what "normal" felt like. So then I could recognize when I was being irrational or sliding down the slippery depression slope.

I also had another form of therapy to rely on - Exercise. From ballet to weight lifting and running, it's my escape time. I don't have to think about everything. Lately, running outside often feels like an absolute life saver. Like if I can't get out there and do it, then a meltdown is going to happen, period.

This week was one of those really bad weeks for me. Do I really have to open up and tell you all? No. But, yes. Maybe some of you go through periods of anxiety and/or depression as well. I think it's something that should be discussed more openly and not seen as something negative. The more open I am about it, the more I recognize what is happening, the better I can deal with it personally. I hope that is the same for others. It's already tough, no need to go at it alone.

I was thinking about how this week played out for me. Major lows (insert crying temper tantrum fits), lots of anxiety (because I couldn't control anything) and then it evened out and I realized that reflecting on how I was feeling makes me appreciate being happy. Does that make any sense? When you're so down and you know you shouldn't be, you feel pretty helpless. So when you're happy again, you really appreciate what that feels like.

I think one thing that has helped me is to really try to always focus on something positive, no matter how hard it might be to do and even if I semi-don't believe it at the time. I know that if I work at it, if I fight for it, don't get bogged down, then I'll come out on the other side. I'll equate it to hiking a mountain. It starts off sort of easy at the base, then you hit some bumps and boulders, but once you get to the top and are able to look out over the expanse below you, you realize that it's all worth it if you accept that there will always be obstacles.

Too much for Friday? Then How about a little Fun Facts Friday silliness:

Fun (hello, it is Friday)
Rest (much-needed rest day)
Ice (what I plan on doing to my heel tonight)
Delayed (as in takes too long to get here)
Achy (yep, sore from yesterday's workout)
Yay

And some totally random facts:

I put in my right earring first.
I put on my left shoe first.
I take off my right shoe first.
I double/triple check that the alarm is on.
I sometimes still worry about monsters under the bed.
When I cry, you will know I cried for hours afterwards - red, puffy, huge nose.
I can't cry in the shower or in the bath.
I crave Blue Moon with orange wedge after long runs.
I'm ambidextrous (which is why I can easily paint my own nails).

Ok, your turn - something silly to make me smile please ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:
Rest day
The fact that it's Friday
Sunshine
Happy hour with friends

Cold Weather Means Gym and Soup Day

2012-01-12T19:05:00.000-06:00

Weather Obsessed = Gym
I feel the need to start off by apologizing for always talking about our weather. I'm a little obsessed perhaps. I'll blame that on my dad. Part of it boils down to trying to figure out when I'll be able to get outside for a run in the most ideal conditions. Also, around here, weather change can be drastic. I know we're not the only ones of course, but I know some locations have pretty regular weather patterns.

Here, it can be 45 one day in October, 75 in December, snow the next weekend. January we can have mid-70's or 60 one day and sub 30 the next. It's always a surprise really. Even when the forecasters say one thing, it might be something completely different.

So glad I took advantage of yesterdays mild temperatures because today we had a windchill of 25 with gusting 30mph winds. Good times.

Needless to say, workout was taken indoors. I kind of thought about a rest day, but probably wouldn't be able to get in a workout tomorrow. Plus, I was actually looking forward to doing legs today - crazy talk I know.

I started with an easy, steady-state 3-miler on the treadmill. Nothing crazy. Just straightforward running in an attempt to get back on my half marathon training plan. Then I hit up legs and shoulders. I did supersets of 3x8 unless noted.

Barbell squats - warmup set of 10

SS#1
Barbell squats
Arnold press

SS#2
Weighted plie squats with low-end pulse
Lateral raise

SS#3
Alternating front lunges (dumbbells)
Front raise

SS#4
Calf raises - 15 reps
Rear delt press

It felt like a pretty good workout overall. I'm a little disappointed in my shoulder presses. I feel like strength is waning somehow. But, let's just say I'm already feeling this one big time.

Soup Night
Tonight was most definitely the perfect night for soup. Though, baking something in the oven to help heat up the house would have been a good idea as well. But, I've been wanting to try out this soup all week, so tonight is finally soup night.

I had seen soup that Giada had made recently that included kale, rice, and turkey sausage. Obviously I'm not making it with sausage. So, I decided to make my own vegan version based on what I remember from the show (yes, I was too lazy too look it up).

Kale & Bean Stew

Ingredients:

1/2 white onion, diced

2 tbsp minced garlic

3 carrots, diced

1 small/medium red bell pepper, diced

1 small bunch of kale, de-stemmed and rough chopped

32 oz no-salt vegetable broth

1 can no-salt diced tomatoes (with liquid)

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

1 1/2 cups pre-cooked brown rice or barley
1/2 can tomato paste

To taste: salt, black pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes

Directions:

In large pot, sauté onions, garlic, peppers, and carrots until vegetables begin to soften, approximate 5-8 minutes. Add in the broth, tomatoes, and spices and bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer.

Add in the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer until veggies are tender, approximately 20 minutes.

I served with homemade bread I made recently and stashed in the freezer. Gotta have bread to dip right? This turned out really well. I love a thicker stews over a brothy soup, so adding in the paste really helped thicken it up. Do you prefer stews or soups?

Tonight we're watching a movie, sort of a mini-date night I suppose. Usually I think of movies for the weekend, but sometimes you gotta shake things up right? ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weight lifting
Soup
Sunshine
Movie night

Much-Needed Run, Running PSA & Vegan Burritos

2012-01-11T18:57:00.000-06:00

Much-Needed Run
While this morning started off just a little cold and drizzly, the sun finally came out and it warmed up to about 60 degrees. After so many crummy days, I was just happy to see sunshine and blue skies again. Jason hadn't exactly been planning on running today as he did his master's swim class this morning.

But I think he was starting to feel the need for sunshine and fresh air as well. So we decided to head out for a 5-miler at lunch around the neighborhood. My half marathon training plan actually had me doing a 6-mile tempo run. But a run with Jason sounded much better. Plus, I really didn't know how far I was going to truly feel like going.

I think we were both a little fatigued (he had a tough swim this morning and my workouts have been 11-mile half marathon training run, leg day, spin, and spin). But, despite the seemingly increased effort level, it was a much-needed run for both of us.

Once I got into a good rhythm, I could just feel stress melting away. Of course, when some jackass honked at us for running at the side of the road, I was ready to throw down. Jason kept me moving forward though.

I wish there was a way to do a massive PSA for drivers and non-runners/cyclists. Runners typically run in the street for a reason. It's almost always safer than running on sidewalks that are lopsided, cracked, broken up and also often have cars parked on them or tail ends of cars blocking them. Ever tripped over a tree root walking? Imagine that happening while running. Also, you're closer to a yard with a dog potentially off leash. Again, bad situation.

I'm not saying runners should all just down the middle of the street mind you, but there is a reason why we run in the road so honking at me is not going to make me happy and you'll get an earful if you stop. Oh, and don't honk at runners or cyclist randomly. Scares the shit out of them and can possibly cause an accident. And yes, cyclist are supposed to ride in the street not the sidewalk (huge issue with that here; people think they should be on sidewalks).

Ok, enough PSA Soap Box...the run was a good one. Period.

Burrito Wednesday?
I've got this soup I have been itching to make. But the sudden warm temperatures today don't make if feel like soup weather. However, tomorrow is supposed to be really cold and windy, so I'm saving soup night for tomorrow.

Tonight I went with burritos that I baked to crisp up. I simply sauteed onions, garlic, poblano pepper, red bell pepper, garlic and black beans together. I seasoned with chili powder, red pepper, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper, lime juice. And of course I had to throw in some Daiya Vegan Cheddar into the mix.

I guess Burrito Wednesday isn't exactly catchy, so we'll call it Wrap It Up Wednesday instead. I served with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and lots of jalapenos (of course). Got to love an easy vegan burrito mid-week.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Warmer temps
Midday run
Easy dinner

Working Out to Beat the Blues

2012-01-10T19:22:00.000-06:00

What do you do when you're in a funk? I workout.

When I get into a funk, I try to rely on exercise to help boost my mood. But we all know that when you're kind of down and out, finding the motivation or want-to to exercise can be even harder. It makes me realize how easy it could be to just stop working out and why so many people likely do actually. I keep trying to remind myself that I almost always feel better after the workout though.

I skipped my 3-mile run yesterday, so I'm definitely off my half marathon training plan this week. I kind of thought maybe I'd do the run today on the treadmill then do back and chest. But when it came right down to it, I was NOT going to run even a single mile on the treadmill.

I know it's a big mental block I have, but if I wasn't going to have a damn enjoyable run, then it wasn't going to go down period. And it's raining and cold, so that meant treadmill if I wanted to run. Why is this half marathon training in winter again?

So, I went with spin again today, with much better results than yesterday I should add. The air was actually on and there were towels to sop up my sweaty mess (I know, eeewwww). I was able to get my back workout in before class as well. Because of time, I went with a giant set of 3x8, but had to end up doing double-arm rows instead of barbell rows as planned because the bar was taken.

Wide-grip assisted chin-ups (I did drop the weight by 10#)

Double-arm rows

Pullovers (need to increase weight)

I felt pretty strong today for my back workout. I was happy with the chin-ups progress, but do need to increase the weights for the other exercises).

Spin was pretty good. Definitely helped me take my mind off of things for a solid 45 minutes. And it was a good group today as well - everyone was really there to work hard. I love seeing that.

I really hope I can find some motivation to get back to my half marathon training plan this week. If not, maybe the running break will be good for me.

Giving Up the Kitchen
Being such a rainy, dreary day, soup had sounded good. I had made rice last night to go in a soup actually. I was doing so good trying to pre-plan. But like the run, I had zero desire to stand in the kitchen and make anything.

If Jason hadn't stepped in, I think it would have been cereal perhaps since we don't really even have leftovers as a backup plan. I don't know if it's a man gene or what, but he always wants either potatoes or pasta. Hell, he'd probably mix the two together really. Thankfully, he did not.

Instead he made a fairly summary pasta and veggie dish using artichokes, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes. But, I didn't have to cook so I was pretty much ok with it to be honest, and he does know what he's doing in the kitchen.

How often do you relinquish complete control in the kitchen? I won't lie, it's not as easy as it sounds ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weights
Spin
Not cooking

Plan B & Black-Eyed Peas

2012-01-09T18:58:00.000-06:00

Plan B Not Smart Idea

Well, today was one of those days when I should have stuck to Plan A, well, my revised Plan A (Plan A.2), which was to run. Originally I had thought it was going to be raining all day. So, I was going to do a 3-mile treadmill run (my half marathon plan called for 3 easy miles) then back and chest.

The rain, however, was holding off. It was dreary look and chilly, but no rain. So, Jason and I were talking about maybe doing 4 miles at lunch. But, he was feeling less than motivate and my foot has been bothering me, so I decided to go with Plan B to rest my foot. Plan B was spin, usually a good call.

Did you already catch the drift that Plan B was not a good idea? Um, 'cause it wasn't. Got to the gym and there were no towels. Odd for a Monday. It was hot as hell. The TVs were still out and the pass swipe wasn't turned on to get in the doors. Saturday night the power was cut for maintenance in the building so this reset everything apparently. But for it to all still be out meant that no one had been up to the gym yet.

Sometimes you can find towels in the dryer, but there were none to be found anywhere and the gym was getting crowded quickly. Everyone looking for towels especially since it was soooo flipping hot. Red flags started going up, but I was there, I wasn't going to run on the treadmill at this point with no towel.

This is going to sound absolutely nuts, but our spin instructor actually cut up her own towel so some of us could have something to wipe the sweat off with. No, not making this up. And it's the one day I didn't have a towel in my bag because I had taken it out to wash. Go figure right.

Anyway, with a towel smaller than a wash cloth, we got going. Did I mention the air was off? The class itself wasn't terrible, other than being way overheated. Everyone was struggling you could tell. The instructor actually even mentioned cutting it short because it was so miserable. But, we pushed on and got it done.

But the whole time I kept looking out the windows thinking that a run in cold dreary weather actually was suddenly appealing. Missy - if you're reading this, you rock my dear!

Just One of Those Days

The sad thing is, it wasn't just the workout today that was off. My day started with my oatmeal spilling out into my lunch bag if that gives you any indication of things that proceeded from there. Some days just start that way and stay that way somehow. I would say when it rains it pours...but it is indeed pouring LOL.

At least dinner was tasty. I had originally thought I'd make soup tonight, but I needed something simple. This might sound complicated, but it wasn't - I threw together some Wild Rice & Black-eyed Pea Burgers and served with the usual suspects, baked sweet potato fries (sweet potatoes make everything better right??).

I had some black-eyed peas and rice stashed in the freezer from New Year's Day. So I just pulled those out and blended up with carrots and a few additional seasonings. I stirred in 1 flax egg, 1 cup oats ground into flour and 1/2 cup chickpea flour then baked until done. See, simple because I already had the peas and rice done ;-)

Speaking of having rice done, that reminds me to start some tonight for the soup I want to try out this week. Pre-planning = life saver when it comes to dinner. Now, I just need to remember this more often and save myself a tone of hassle.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Easy dinner
Run (nixed for spin, at least I got in a workout)

Weights, Kitchen Time & Spicy White Bean Chili

2012-01-08T19:02:00.000-06:00

Weight Day
Today has been one of those chilly, gray, drizzly days here. Not very motivating I must say. Jason and I did make it to the gym at least. He tried out a CrossFit workout in the latest Runner's World magazine and I hit biceps, triceps, and hamstrings

I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical to warm up then started my weight workout. I went with trisets of 3 sets, but the reps varied a little bit because I went up in weights for a few exercises.

TS#1
Barbell curls - 6 reps, increased weight
Double-arm overhead triceps extension - 8 reps
Bulgarian deadlifts - 6 reps, increased weight

TS#2 (all 8 reps)
Zottman curls
Lying triceps extensions
Dumbbell step ups

TS#3
Hammer curls - 10 reps
Weighted dips - 10/12/12
Hamstring rollins on ball - 10 reps

Squat jumps - 2x10
Burpees - 2x8

I did some ab work as well before stretching a bit and calling it done.

Low-Key Day
After the workout, we headed to the grocery store. It was packed and there were only 3 lanes open (one was express of course). The baggers were beyond slow. The cashiers were having to help bag just to get the customers out the door. It was very much a test of patience I must say.

I made a simple chickpea salad served in wraps for our lunch. We both have decided that we really need to buckle down and stop going out to eat on the weekends. We both really really wanted to be bad and have pizza though. I think it's more about just being lazy, wanting to be out of the house more than anything. But, we held strong.

Jason had to go to Home Depot, joys of home ownership. So, I spent some time in the kitchen. I made some seitan and some homemade bread to keep on hand in the freezer. Other than that, it was a fairly lazy afternoon...spent in PJs of course.

Last night we ended up going with veggie burgers for diner. So, tonight we had Spicy White Chili. It's kind of perfect chili weather being so dreary out.

Daily To-Enjoy List:
Weight workout
Kitchen time

11 Miles & Time With Friends = Good

2012-01-07T18:05:00.000-06:00

11 Miles. Done.
This morning started off gloomy and gray and pretty early for me. I went to bed by 9 last night while Jason was watching the Razorbacks play in the Cotton Bowl. I had no desire to watch and was tired. I was actually surprised I slept until 7:20 having gone to bed so early.

Anyway, I was up, it was ugly out, and Jason was sleeping in. So I started purging junk out of the back room. I actually managed to consolidate 3 chests (think toy chests) into 2. It was such a great feeling to just get rid of crap that has been taking up space.

After Jason got up, we also got 2 baskets of laundry folded and put away before heading out for our run. The sun came out for all of 2 seconds, but the temperature was at least still about 57 degrees and not terribly windy. So, shorts and short-sleeve shirt for the run today.

I was actually happy that it wasn't sunny. I know that sounds insane coming from me, but if it had been sunny, I know it would have been way too hot. Though, the wind did start to turn and get colder by the end of the run. Oh, and shorts minus anti-chaffing...equals incredible pain and distraction. Just putting that out there.

The first 8 miles were really good. We were actually keeping about a 9:05-9:15 min/mile and both feeling very comfortable with that. But once the chaffing started for me, my focus shifted. My form started slipping, my groove was totally disrupted. I could feel it all going downhill mentally and physically.

I tried to refocus, tried talking and joking with Jason, but it started sucking big time. Mile 9-10 was probably the worst for me. But I did manage to start to find my rhythm again a little after mile 10. We also started picking up the pace a bit. Both ready to be done truly. But it felt good to change up the movement of the body. The last 2 tenths we actually clocked in at 8:18 pace. Hello sprint to the finish, ready to be done!

It really was starting to get chilly out, so stretching outside post-run was shorter than normal. We got home and I rolled out and stretched, but not long enough. We had friends coming over, so I needed to actually de-salt and clean up.

Friends
Rather than going out for a late lunch, we had friends over instead. It was really nice to just sit back at the house, munch on snacky food here and enjoy a mimosa or two - all far cheaper than going out and more relaxing. The boys played pool while my friend and I chatted listening to music. Relaxing. Perfect.

The minute they left, however, Jason and I pulled out the ice packs and started icing down. For me it was my piriformis (butt) and right calf and ankle. For Jason it was knees. We are such old farts that I shouldn't even be admitting this on the blog LOL. And I swear running is really fun and worth the pain. Promise....I swear....really....

I think we'll be making chili for dinner. If not that, it'll be something that doesn't require much effort. I hope you all have had a great day!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run with hubby
Afternoon with friends
Relaxing

Fun Facts Friday - My Gym Bag

2012-01-06T16:15:00.001-06:00

Last night was a terribly restless night. I tossed and turned, switched pillows 3 times, still no sleep. I looked at the clock at around 1:45 thinking it seemed more like 4 am. I didn't drift off until after 3:30 and then Jason's alarm went off at 5.

I sort of look like a zombie today. So, to say that I'm happy it's my rest day is a major understatement. Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating this weekend. Today it's supposed to be close to 70, sunny, calm winds. Now tomorrow is supposed to be 40% chance of rain - this is supposed to be an 11-mile run for me.

I'm thinking the weather should switch days. That's not too much to ask for is it? Ok, maybe just a tad bit unrealistic, but still.....a girl can dream can't she?

I had a few ideas for Fun Facts Friday. But I saw a vlog yesterday from Toni @ Running, Loving, Living that inspired me to do a list of what's in my gym bag. I can't remember if I've done this before or not, but thought it might be fun either way.

There are some things that you will always find in my gym bag then other things that get packed the night before based on workout plans. And, sometimes I pack secondary clothes or shoes for a backup workout plan. Gotta be prepared right?

Always in Gym Bag

Lifting gloves
Tennis ball
Oxygen magazine
Notebook to write down my workouts/weights used/reps
Spare socks
Headbands (though I always wear a hat)
Spare sports bra
Baggy with anti-chaffing stick, GU, Chomps, bandaids
Pencil
Hair clips
Sweat towel
iPod

What I Pack

For spin/lifting: old running shoes, sports bra, tank, shorts
For running: good running shoes, sports bra, appropriate top/bottom for weather (usually a backup option)
HR monitor
Socks (in addition to the spare pare)
Hat
Water bottle(s) - take my handheld bottle along for running
Sunglasses
Coverup clothes - to wear either to or after run or after I leave gym
Sunblock - when planning to run

What I Need to Add as a Staple

Deodorant
Sunblock
Travel tissues
More food options
Spare hat (which means I need to buy more of course)

There you have it. What's in your gym bag?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Warm temps
Hair cut

From Uninspired to New Recipe

2012-01-05T19:00:00.000-06:00

Gym Day
Today was tough getting to the gym for me. If I were able to have done my workout tomorrow, I would have rested today. My hammies have been yelling at me. Guess that means I'm finally engaging them during my runs. And I am just feeling pooped.

But, tomorrow is a busy day for me. So no midday workout. Plus, it was quads on tap. Not going to do legs before a long run day. I may not be the smartest sometimes, but I do know better than attempting that one.

Also, it was in the 60's, sunny, almost no wind. So taking the workout indoors seemed like a crime. But, my half training plan only had me doing 2 miles today. I tried to think of ways to do the run outdoors then get into the gym for back and legs, but that was just wasting time. So I sucked it up and got it all done...inside.

I did an easy, steady-state 2.5 mile run at a 9:05 min/mile on 1% incline. I find the incline helps me keep my form better on the treadmill. I was actually fully prepared to stop the run if my legs didn't cooperate. But it actually felt really good and helped loosen them up. I guess whoever created the darn training plan sort of knew what they were doing huh?

After the run, I hit the weights. I started with a warm up set of barbell squats for 10 reps. Sets were done as 3x8 unless noted.

SS#1
Wide-grip chinups (assisted, next week dropping weight by 10#)
Barbell squats (went up in weight)

SS#2
Underhand barbell row
Plie squats with low-end pulse

SS#3
Pullovers
Alternating front lunges

SS#4 - 2 sets
Alternating squats with front kick (single weight held in both hands) - 8 reps
Calf raises - 15 reps (need to increase weight)

Not a bad workout for being a bit worn out. It actually gave me a nice energy boost to get me through the rest of the day. Love it when that happens.

From Uninspired to New Recipe
I must say, I was feeling really uninspired when it came to coming up with dinner tonight. We really needed to use up the rest of the broccoli slaw I had bought this week. I mentioned that to Jason and he suggested some sort of white bean "cake" similar to a crab cake.

So, guess what we had tonight? White Bean and Broccoli Slaw Cakes. Creative name huh? ;-)

White Bean & Broccoli Slaw Cakes
Ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or other white bean)
1/2 package extra firm silken tofu
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 package broccoli slaw
To taste: salt, pepper, parsley, old bay seasoning mix, dried mustard
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp hot water)
1/2 cup oats, grind into flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large skillet, saute onions and garlic for about 3 minutes then add in the slaw and cook until begins to soften, approximately 8-10 minutes (but don't overcook).

In food processor, puree beans, tofu, slaw, and seasonings.

Transfer to large mixing bowl and stir in flax egg and oat flour. Re-season if needed.

Form into 6 large or 8 medium patties onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes then flip and bake another 20-25 minutes.

I also made up a up a quick Creamy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce to go on top of the patties, which we served over lettuce and spinach as more of a salad.

Creamy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 package silken tofu (or you could use a cashew cream)
1/2 a whole roasted red bell pepper (from jar)
To taste: salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic powder, tiny dash red pepper flakes
1/4 cup almond milk, add more if needed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (less if you prefer)

Directions:
In food processor, puree all ingredients until creamy. Add almond milk to desired consistency.

This dish turned out really well. The sauce was so rich and creamy, but not overpowering. I will say that I had intended on adding in some lemon juice to the bean cakes but forgot. I also want to experiment with using dulse to give things like this more of a sea flavor. The sauce was so easy to throw together and would be great on a sandwich if not to thin.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weight workout
Sunshine
Warm temps
New dinner recipe (though I was reluctant on this)

Plan B Run & BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches

2012-01-04T18:57:00.000-06:00

Plan B Run
If I was officially following my half marathon training plan, I would have done 6 miles today with 3 1-mile intervals. However, the idea of going for a 5-mile run with Jason was much more appealing.

I was simply dragging this morning. I thought I slept really well last night, but apparently not. If I had waited to get in my run after work, I'm really not sure I would have made it out for the run to be quite honest.

Luckily, it was sunny out and the temps were in the low 50's. The downfall was that it was incredibly windy once again. What is up with the wind??? We got going with the run and found ourselves running faster than expected. So, I'll call this a tempo + resistance training day. The first half mile was about a 9-minute pace, but then we picked it up and ran between 8:17 and 8:40 up through mile 4. Mile 5 we hit the last long incline and slowed it down using that as the recovery.

I remember telling Jason how hard the run felt today. I guess spin really did a number on my legs yesterday. I really felt like dead weight trying to run. But, I think it was a pretty successful run overall. We chatted, we sucked wind, chatted some more, cursed a little, and then it was done.

I was thinking I'd do chest and back at the gym after work. But, I opted to just get chest done at home instead. I really didn't want to drag my gym bag back to work with me. And the thought of doing a back workout suddenly seemed unappealing. I figured I could get chest done at home instead and it wouldn't take too long.

I went with chest flyes into chest press as 2x8 then staggered chest press combined with pushups with toes on stability ball as 2x8. Nothing exciting really. But it's done.

BBQ Night
Dinner was mostly based around trying to use up a pre-packaged broccoli slaw I picked up on manager's special. It needed to be used quickly. I really didn't feel like being terribly creative. I momentarily thought about using it in spring rolls or possibly stir fry. Neither sounded really appealing tonight.

Instead I went with a BBQ Tempeh Sandwich. It is similar to my BBQ Portobello & Tempeh Sandwich, only I didn't have any portobellos. I just sauteed white onion with red and green bell peppers and some garlic. Then crumbled in the tempeh and added in BBQ sauce.

I just topped the burgers with a slaw using the broccoli slaw mix and served with baked sweet potato fries (of course). And do you notice what's missing from the picture??? Yep, forgot to add the slaw when I was taking pics. Oops. We'll blame it on hunger ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Running outside
Sunshine
Warm temps
Easy dinner

Spin & Comfort Food on Cold Night

2012-01-03T18:31:00.000-06:00

Spin
I am not sure I've ever been so happy to have a spin class to go to. It's been almost 2 weeks since I've been. The gym was not staffed all last week, meaning no classes. I've definitely been missing this cardio option. I did get triceps done as well. I went with a triset of 3x(8,10,10):

Double-arm overhead triceps extension
Double-arm kickbacks
Triceps pushups (on my knees mind you)

I was really kind of surprised at how hard spin seemed today after such a brief hiatus. My legs are still shaking. I feel like I did a million walking lunges today. So, it was definitely work, but good work of course.

Comfort Dinner
After the gym, I ended up working from home the rest of the afternoon. Finally got plumbers to come in and hook us up with a new water heater. Thank goodness we have 3 full baths in our house and 2 water heaters. So, we've been able to get ready downstairs.

I am not sure if it's just because I don't do it often, but somehow I feel more productive working from home. And, yes, I have said this before. Maybe fewer distractions - other than the dogs of course. I work on some of our social media efforts and that can often require a significant amount of time doing online research for new topics, posts, and such. I guess at home I can solely focus on that whereas in the office I have other projects going on.

Anyway, it was just sort of a different day for me. Sometimes that can be refreshing.

It's another cold night here. Last night I made chili, tonight I went with a vegan version of a meat and potatoes comfort meal. I made smashed cauliflower, sauteed kale and seitan with a portobello sauce.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin class
Sunshine
Working from home

Prosperity Dinner Bowl & Great 4-Miler

2012-01-02T16:45:00.000-06:00

Prosperity Dinner Bowl
Last night I ended up relinguishing kitchen control to Jason. I was so tired after not getting much sleep, and that was setting in big time by 6 pm. I really could have just gone to bed by 7.

I had been thinking about black-eyed peas, Apricot Glazed Brussels Sprouts, wild rice, and roasted sweet potatoes combined in a bowl with some sort of vinaigrette to tie them all together. So that you could just mix it all together.

Jason had other ideas that included using fingerling potatoes. I did tell him my ideas and also told him to just do whatever because I so didn't care at that point. He actually ended up putting together my dish idea for the most part.

He cooked the wild rice with the peas. He did use fingerling potatoes plus sweet potatoes (upon request). I made the glaze for the sprouts and used that as a base for a dressing for the peas. It was simple, but very hearty and satisfying.

Now, let's hope this brings us the luck and prosperity it's supposed to bring ;-)

Windy Run
This morning Jason got up to go swim. They didn't have the regular master's class at 5:30, but he met a friend at 8:30 as they opened the pool for those who wanted to still get in a workout. He got home around 10:15 and I thought I was just going to hit the treadmill for intervals. It was about 35 degrees with 25mph winds.

But, it was sunny out, and Jason decided that he wanted to get in 4 miles with me after his breakfast. So, I pretty much stayed in PJs until 11:30 this morning. I did at least get several loads of laundry washed, so not a total bum.

While I really don't like cold weather, especially wind, I was excited to wear my new Brooks Infiniti Hybrid Running Shirt. This shirt is flipping awesome for battling cold winds. Now, it won't make the run necessarily easier, but more bearable not having the wind cut into you. It really keeps your chest/core warm but not overly warm. It is definitely still a wicking shirt. Even better, it has the thumb holes I've been wanting in a running shirt. I was super excited and didn't mind one bit that it was cold out. Who am I again???

The wind can really mess with you when you're running. So in between cursing the wind and just trying to not be knocked over, we did a lot of joking and laughing. I guess that's our weird coping method...one we both agree on. I guess it's better to just laugh than to be ticked.

We both had a really good run. Jason even commented that it was a good run. Usually it's just me thinking it was good for me so that means he had a good run too. Even though that's probably not so true.

After the run, we got cleaned up and headed out for a late lunch before hitting up Target (with half of the city apparently). I did at least score a pair of Champion brand running tights on clearance, so that made it more worth the trip and hassle. Then it was back home and back into my jammies and house shoes. Sometimes I feel like such an old lady, or lazy bum.

Dinner? Who knows. The wind is whipping and it's supposed to drop to 23 degrees tonight. So soup or chile might be on tap. If it's something new and interesting, I'll be sure to post tomorrow.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run with Jason
Sunshine
Relaxing

NYE Recap & Back to Normal

2012-01-01T16:10:00.000-06:00

NYE Recap
Last night was a great one. Not only did we ring in a new year, it was spent with my husband, my sister, and good friends. Here are just a few pictures to recap.

Workout & Back to Normal
This morning I was hoping to sleep in as we didn't get to bed until about 1 am. Usually if I a up at that time, it's getting out of bed to go pee LOL. But, sleeping in just didn't happen for me. I started waking up a bit after 5 and finally gave up and got up just after 8.

While it was another beautiful, sunny day, running was not the workout plan. Instead, we hit the gym for our first workout of the year. I did about 15 minutes on the elliptical to warm up before doing trisets of 3x8 (unless noted) for shoulders, biceps, hamstrings and then some abs at the end.

TS#1
Arnold press
Barbell curls
Bulgarian deadlifts

TS#2
Front raise
Hammer curls
Step ups (with dumbbells)

TS#3
Lateral raise
Incline curls
Hamstring rollins on ball - 10 reps

After the workout, we met up with our friends for lunch then back home to take down all the Christmas decor. For me it's bittersweet in a way. It means the holidays are over, but then it's also nice to get things back to normal around the house. Other than the fact that we can't put the boxes back in the attic until the water heater is fixed...but that's beside the point.

I imagine the rest of the day will be a lazy one as I'm already in PJs. I am planning making a simple dinner that will include the necessary black-eyed peas and cabbage. It might just be a tradition for prosperity, but I can use all the luck I can get, so why not give it a shot right?

I hope everyone has had a great start to the New Year.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Workout
Sunshine
Lunch with friends

Last Run for the Year & Continuing to Live Fuller

2011-12-31T15:24:00.000-06:00

Today was another unusually warm day here. No complaints from this girl though. Today was our weekly long run. I had 10 miles on my training plan. I really enjoy the idea of finishing out the last day of the year with a run. In fact, I looked back at my 12/31/11 post and realized I did the same. Oddly, it was a very warm day last year as well, only stormy and my run was about half the distance.

I feel like so much has changed for me in terms of running over the course of a year. I truly feel like a runner. I itch to get out and run now. I feel very empowered by my running now rather than nervous, fearful or even cautious. I've learned to embrace the fact that some days it's going to be tough. And that's ok. It's not failure, it's just like life really.

While everyone is making lists and resolutions today, I am going to do the same that I said I'd do last year - live fuller. I want to embrace each day more, get over fears, take more chances....live. I feel that I did pretty well with that this year. I got over fears of long distance running and did not one but two half marathons. I sucked it up with my flying fear and traveled to Seattle then spent almost two weeks in Chicago.

So, this year, I plan to live fuller again and continue with my Daily To-Enjoy Lists. Sometimes those little things each day are what help you get through the tougher times. I am going to try to set aside fears of the unknown and take more risks with a few things that I have wanted to do for far too long, but have let fear and uncertainty hold me back. You never know until you try right? So more trying for me this year.

Speaking of trying...this morning started off as a trying one. Maddie started randomly barking and we realized water was leaking all the way from the attic downstairs. What is in the attic that would leak? The water heater. Yep, water heater is officially out. We spent about an hour trying to clean up the mess and empty the tank before we could ever head out for our run.

The sucky part (not that the water heater situation wasn't sucky) was that I was supposed to be at my friend's house around 2 to help her prep food for the party tonight. Anyway, we finally headed out for our run close to 2 hours late. It was gorgeous, 64 degrees (hello shorts and short sleeve-top). The trying part here was the insane gusting winds.

At a few points it was almost laughable because they were so strong. You either laughed or cried one I suppose. But overall, it was a really good 10-mile run with Jason. Good company, gorgeous day, not much to complain about there I don't suppose.

After the run, we both stretched for a good amount of time. I basically just inhaled a very late lunch and am about to walk out the door to finally go help my friend out. I am very much looking forward to this evening. My sister will be here as well. It'll be the first New Year's Eve we've spent together in more years than I can even recall.

I wish you all a very happy, very safe New Year's Eve!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run with hubby
Sunshine
Warm weather
Sister time
Time with friends

Fun Facts Friday - Fashion Faves

2011-12-30T16:15:00.001-06:00

Rest Day
Today is a rest day for me - and much needed I will admit. Without spin this week, I realized that I ran three days in a row. I know that's not a big deal to some, but for me and injury prevention...it is. And I'm feeling it just a bit now. If you have any advice on how to run several days in a row, please please share the secret with me.

I took advantage of the extra hour by hitting the grocery store at lunch. Not only did we need to stock up our own fridge, but I'm helping make some food for a friend's New Year's Eve party. Rather than waiting until tomorrow and trying to fit in grocery trip, long run, and food prep, I decided to do myself a big favor and get the food today so I can prep some tonight.

In case you are curious as to what I'll be making, it's pretty simple. She wants it to be semi-fancy. I realized a long time ago that you can still do a really nice spread but very simple. I will be making a hummus, tomato basil "meat"balls with homemade red sauce, simple white chocolate almond and cranberry bark, puppy chow, white chocolate dipped pretzel sticks.

I will be helping her make the tomato bruschetta because she really wants to try to do some of the dishes herself. I didn't really have a recipe to give her so much as a method. So it'll be fun cooking with her too. She's also going to have a cheese and fruit platter, veggie tray, two different meat dishes.

I feel like there is something from the menu list missing....I'm sure I'll remember tomorrow when I start taking pictures of course ;-)

Fun Facts Friday - Fashion Faves
Today will be the last Fun Facts Friday for the year. I suppose that means I should do some sort of year-end recap. That's all I am seeing right now from bloggers. I understand and appreciate that of course, so please don't get me wrong.

But, I'm going to go a totally different route. No top 10, 11, or even 5 list for me. Just another Fun Facts Friday kind of post. I'm being a rebel you see. I thought I'd do a list of some of my favorite brands. No real rhyme or reason here, just for fun. So I guess it's a Fun Facts Friday - Fave Fashions edition.

Shoes - Jessica Simpson (though Gianni Bini and Bandolino are really close)

Running shoes - Brooks Ghost 4 all the way

Jeans - Lucky Brand

Tops - The Limited. Love all their clothes, but the bottoms don't fit me unfortunately.

Pants - Ann Taylor Loft and Ann Taylor. Though, I have to spend some serious time trying them all on.

Purses - Jessica Simpson

Workout clothes - Nike for capri running pants, Brooks for running shorts and tops, and Champion for gym.

Makeup - Bare Escentuals

Moisturizers/Cleansers - Korres

Nail polish - O.P.I.

So what are some of your favorite fashion brands? Are you fairly loyal to a single brand or is it more about price?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Warm temps
Rest day
Friday

Perfect Running Weather & Easy Veggie Burger Dinner

2011-12-29T18:48:00.000-06:00

Perfect Day for a Run
Today was another gorgeous, sunny day here with temperatures hitting 60 degrees. Now that's my kind of December! The gym has been unstaffed all week - meaning no spin class. So, thankfully it was another great day for an outdoor run.

I had wavered a bit on going solo for 6 miles or running with Jason around the neighborhood. He was wanting to do an easier 3-miler. I will say, as much as I hate it, running in the neighborhood is what I need to get in some long incline hills - the same hills I'll be running in March for the Little Rock Half Marathon.

So, I opted to run with Jason. We did end up hitting 4 miles. I kind of had a feeling he'd want to go just a little bit farther. Though, we probably went faster than we had meant to run originally.

Like I said, perfect temperatures out. Even got to wear shorts today. The only problem was the annoyingly gusty wind. Cursing wind is absolutely normal right? Right? Even if it's not, I sure do...out loud during runs. Good thing I had a running partner or people out and about would have just thought I was bonkers.

So, another great run with the hubby. It wasn't exactly easy with the slow inclines and the wind, but easy doesn't always mean it was a good run of course. I'm loving having a partner again. While I learned to love my long solo runs, it really can be nice to have some company sometimes as well. Variation is good right?

Burger Night
Tonight, I decided to make things easier on myself in the kitchen as a reward for pulling out a great meal (Korean Tempeh BBQ Tacos) last night. Plus, I got home a little bit later as I met up with a friend for a glass of wine at a local wine bar. She is hosting a New Year's Eve party and I am helping her with the menu. So, we met to finalize the yummies to serve.

We're running low on the fresh veggies department other than some sweet potatoes. So, sweet potatoes mean "fries" and fries mean burgers right? Right. So, I went with a some Black Bean Tofu Burgers that I made up on Sunday and stashed in the freezer. This time I added in some onion and quinoa and some different seasonings, but similar recipe nonetheless.

I think next time I make these I will try sauteing the veggies, maybe adding in some bell peppers as well to see how that changes the flavors and textures.

Anyway, Jason started the potatoes baking for me, so then all that had to be done was to heat up the burgers and assemble. My kind of dinner.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Run with hubby
Glass of wine with friend
Easy dinner

Good Workout & Even Better BBQ Taco Recipe

2011-12-28T18:40:00.000-06:00

Intervals & Weights
Today was another sunny, mild day here. It was not easy making myself go to the gym rather than run outside. But, I really needed/wanted to get the rest of my weight workouts done today as I had originally planned. I also wanted to do some intervals. Intervals are easier to do on the treadmill, or for me anyway.

When I'm outside, it's harder to focus on speed rather than just enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Though, with my handy dandy new Garmin, I can actually keep track of pace finally. So maybe I can do my speedwork more correctly rather than going balls to the wall with the first interval then not being able to finish out the rest.

Anyway, I wasn't planning on killing myself with intervals then doing weights. Just wanted to get in the speedwork. I started with 1 mile at a 9:22 min mile at 1% incline as my warmup before doing the following intervals:

#1 - 1 x 3 min intervals of 8:20 min mile with 9:31 min mile recovery
#2 - 2 x 2 min intervals of 8:20 min mile with 9:31 min mile recovery
#3 - 2 x 1 min intervals of 8:13 min mile with 9:31 min mile recovery

I finished out the mileage to an even 3.5 slowly increasing the speed so that the last minute was an 8:44 min mile - which kicked my butt after the intervals I had done.

Next was trisets for back, triceps and hamstrings with some short ab work at the end. The sets were done as 3x8 unless noted.

TS#1
Underhand barbell row
Double-arm overhead triceps extensions
Step ups (with dumbbells)

TS#2
Assisted wide-grip chinups
Weighted dips - 10 reps
Stiff-legged deadlifts

TS#3
Double-arm rows
Double-arm kickbacks
Hamstring roll-ins on ball - 10 reps

Overall, it was a pretty good workout. I felt weaker with triceps today, but felt like I should have possibly gone heavier with my barbell rows. But I struggled with the chinups. Guess it's all about the order of the exercises - well, that plays a role.

Crazy New Recipe
Sometimes it's funny how recipes come about in my household. They can come from a combination of many different recipes, often based on trying to find something to do with what I have on hand. Sometimes they just happen - like just adding a bit of this and a bit of that.

Then there are the times when I mention to Jason a couple of ingredients and something I have in mind. Then he takes those ingredients and my idea and adds to it, often complicating it just a bit more than I already would ;-)

That is how this recipe for my version of a Korean BBQ Sauce (Kalbi aka Galbi) used to make vegan Korean Tempeh BBQ Tacos came about. I mentioned needing to use some portobellos. I named off some ingredients then suggested my BBQ Tempeh and Portobello Sandwiches.

However, he remembered seeing a recent episode of Guy's Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives about some Korean BBQ joint. Hence the Korean BBQ Taco suggestion.

While he was watching the movie Tron, I was searching recipes like a crazy woman, hell bent on finding the perfect Korean BBQ sauce. I found so many different versions, some looked sweeter, some looked spicier. Most included a significant amount of sugar.

I saw some that used pears, apple or pineapple juice. The closest thing I had was fresh pineapple. And, I think the citric acid was mainly meant to break down and tenderize meat. Lucky for me, I didn't need that since mine would be vegan.

Some recipes included kochujang or gochujang sauce which is a Korean chile paste that I definitely don't have on hand. So then that meant trying to find alternatives for that. I had a feeling Sriracha would be involved, and it was. I have plenty of that ;-)

Korean Tempeh BBQ Tacos
Ingredients:
1 tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp sriracha
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
1/4 cup tamari (I used low sodium)
2 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4-1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger root
1/4 cup minced pineapple
1 tsp water
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 package tempeh, crumbled
3 baby portobellos, very thinly sliced (or 1 medium regular)

Corn tortillas or corn taco shells

Directions:
Combine all ingredients up to the water in medium bowl and whisk together well. In a small dish, combine cold water and cornstarch to form a slurry then whisk that into the other mixture. Using an imersion blender or food processor, puree ingredients.

Add the crumbled tempeh and mushrooms into a large plastic bag or large bowl with lid. Pour the marinade over the tempeh and mushrooms and mix very well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

After the tempeh has marinated, saute in a large, non-skillet pan until heated through. Serve on corn tortillas with a simple Asian Cabbage Slaw and sour cream (vegan, cashew cream, whatever you prefer).

Asian Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients:
3 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
1/4 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
1/4 yellow bell pepper, very thinly sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
To taste - salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp agave nectar

Directions
In large bowl, whisk together vinegar, salt, pepper, agave then add in the vegetables and toss well. Let refrigerate at least 1 hour.

I served a simple cilantro lime cashew cream that was nothing more than soaked cashews, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, agave, salt, lime juice pureed very well.

And the verdict? Flipping fantastic. It was the perfect combo of spicy and sweet. Then the crunch from the slaw...perfect. I think leaving the corn tortillas as a soft taco works very well, probably better than crunchy (but I could be wrong of course).

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weight workout
Interval run (hard but good)
Sunshine
Creative dinner

Sunny Run & Thai for Tuesday

2011-12-27T18:57:00.000-06:00

Running & Chest
Today it was back to work for me. And it was a rocky start to the day/week. New computer while I was out equals major problems when I get back. Let's just say that the first 5 hours of the morning were spent pretty much without a computer. In the end, back to old computer for now.

The one salvation to the day was that it was sunny and fairly warm - mid-50's. It was, however, super windy. I had originally thought I'd just do some intervals on the treadmill then weights. But Jason asked if I wanted to go run around our neighborhood during lunch.

He knew I was having a rather stressful morning, and thought it'd be good for both of us to be outside in the fresh air (aka gusting winds). Plus, he's sort of playing with the new Garmin he bought me by running with me. Having me push buttons, check speed, distance, etc.

We set out with 4 miles in mind, but ended up over 5 (5.5 after walk around block to cool down). I always forget how sneaky steady inclines can be. Of course, that means I need to practice running hills more I suppose.

It really ended up being a very pleasant run. Definitely mood-boosting after so much dreary weather. Plus, it was nice having company during the run of course.

I did end up going to the gym after work to get in my chest workout. I hadn't really planned on two workouts today actually. But, I'm glad I did go up there. I did about 15 minutes on the elliptical to loosen up my legs, the downfall of a mid-day run, and warm up before doing chest.

While I don't just love the elliptical, it really can be good for just getting your legs going sometimes. Mine were certainly getting tight, so the impromptu workout ended up being smart. As for chest, it was nothing exciting. I have grown to dislike chest workouts though. I need to check out the cables perhaps as an alternative. Anyway, I just did 3x8 for chest flye into chest press supersetted with pushups with toes on bench.

Thai Tuesday
Dinner needed to just be something simple, easy, and veggie heavy tonight. I've done pretty good with my eats over the holidays, other than indulging in a bit too much wine and some sweet treats I normally don't eat.

I wanted something absolutely non-Christmas dinner like. So, I went with a Thai Curry sauce that is super simple, totally not Christmassy, and takes on any and all veggies I might want to add into the mix. Tonight I went with a version of Thai Seitan and Veggies. Normally I try to use fresh veggies like carrots and bell peppers then frozen peas. But, I used up my fresh carrots making veggie burgers.

So, I went with the standard broccoli, cauliflower, carrot frozen veggie mix along with some fresh bell peppers and frozen peas. This sauce is so simple really and works well with a variety of veggie and protein combos. Basically: coconut milk, curry paste, agave. You can of course add in additional spices here and there if you want.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Outdoor run (with Jason even)
Easy dinner
Lots of veggies

Christmas Dinner & Soup for Soggy Monday

2011-12-26T18:57:00.000-06:00

Christmas Dinner
As I mentioned yesterday, our Christmas Dinner was similar to our Thanksgiving dinner. We enjoyed the meal so much, why not make it again, or most of it anyway. Plus, I really want to try to perfect the Wild Mushroom Green Bean Casserole.

So, it was the casserole along with Curried Pumpkin Risotto and Quorn Turk'y Roast topped with Chipotle Cranberry Relish. Some dishes are certainly worthy repeating in my book.

It was a nice, low-key Christmas for us topped off with a fabulous dinner, just the two of us (besides Maddie & Heath waiting under the table for food droppage of course).

Gym Day
Today was back to gray skies and lots of rain. Definitely the kind of day that makes you want to just stay inside in your PJs, even more so since we were both off work. We did manage to get out of our PJs into our workout clothes for the gym though. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical then did trisets of 3x8 (unless noted) for shoulders, biceps, quads.

Barbell squats - warmup set of 10

TS#1
Shoulder press
EZ bar curls
Barbell squats

TS#2
Front raise
Cross-body curls
Alternating front lunges (with dumbbells)

TS#3
Lateral raise
Hammer curls
Plie squats with low-end pulse

I had intended on doing chest as well, but Jason was done with his workout a lot sooner than I was. So, I will just need to do that another day this week.

Soup for Soggy Day
We got home and immediately got back into our PJs. I did manage to be a little productive doing tons of laundry (washing/drying not folding though). I also made up some veggie burgers to stash in the freezer. I had thought I might make some seitan as well, but got lazy. Instead, I spent time on the couch looking through two new cookbooks I got: Happy Herbivore and The Blooming Platter.

Because of the weather, I decided soup sounded like the ideal dinner. Plus, I wanted something on the lighter side with tons of veggies. I had some kale and butternut squash, so I thought that would work well for a stew or soup.

Butternut Squash, Kale and Bean Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 white onion, diced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 small butternut squash, diced

1 32oz container no-salt vegetable broth
1 can no-salt diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 bunch kale, cleaned and de-stemmed, rough chop
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chickpeas
To taste: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley, turmeric, basil, oregano, freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

Directions:
In large pot, saute onions and garlic in small amount of olive oil for about 2-3 minutes then add in the squash and cook another 5 minutes.

Add in the broth, tomatoes, and spices and yeast flakes and allow to simmer approximately 20 minutes. Add in the kale and cover for about 5 minutes to help the kale start to cook down then add in the beans and allow to continue to until kale is soft and the squash is cooked through.

This turned out really well. I do think I prefer more of a stew rather than a soup. Next time I might add in some tomato paste to help thicken the soup.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weight lifting
PJ day
Relaxing
Comforting dinner

Christmas Eve Recap & Running Themed Christmas Day

2011-12-25T16:54:00.000-06:00

Family Day Recap
Today was the first day since I've been off work (since Wednesday) that wasn't jam packed. In other words, I was able to sleep in guilt free. We had no place to be. The only thing that we actually had planned was to get in a run if the weather was decent. The forecast kept changing, so the last we saw said rain.

It was a pleasant surprise to see sunshine and blue skies rather than the dreary, gray skies we had yesterday. Oh, yesterday...that family-filled day. We left home at 10:45 in the morning and didn't get home until after 9 pm. Needless to say, the dogs were very unhappy and we were very worn out.

The day started at my sister's for lunch of a brunch menu that consisted of 2 types of frittatas, fruit salad, bagels, sausage (for the meat eaters), and my mom made a gluten-free coffee cake as well.

It was so fun watching the kids open up their gifts. It was definitely a cooking type of Christmas for them. I had found these super cute Curious Chef apron and cooking sets for them. We also gave them gift cards to Kroger so they can pick out a recipe and buy the ingredients themselves. Mom bought them (really my nephew) an Easy Bake Oven. We're convinced the kid is going to be a chef one day. They were so excited they were even happy to wash all of the cooking utensils and pans that came with both gifts.

Then we stopped my Jason's parents' house for a bit. They don't really do anything for Christmas, so it was just us stopping by for a visit and to give them their gifts.

Finally, it was on to my dad's house. He made manicotti and a special gluten-free pasta version for my sister. I made some roasted broccoli and there were tons of treats as well.

In the first picture, Sarah is hold up a card that C had made for her, notice the green star ring please. In the next picture, it's a rare picture of my dad laughing thanks to the kids. Oh he'll be so happy to see this on the blog ;-) I should say it's not that dad doesn't laugh, he just doesn't do pictures.

Running Kind of Christmas
So, back to today and sleeping in. I didn't wake up until 8:30 and Jason managed to stay in bed until a little after 9. No complaints though; it was so nice to sleep in and take it easy getting the day going.

We exchanged gifts, a very running-themed Christmas for us. I finally got my long-sleeved running shirt with the thumb holes. I was almost disappointed that it was too warm to wear it today. However, I could wear the Garmin Forerunner 610 he got me! Yep, finally got a GPS tracking system. No more relying on heart rate and time alone for my distance.

I also finally got a new pair of house shoes. My last pair I had picked up for about 5 bucks on clearance. The seams around the toes had pretty much blown out, so those got tossed today finally. I got Jason a new running shirt today, which he did wear along with his new Injinji toe socks that he loves.

We didn't head out to run until after noon. I expected the trails to be pretty empty. But they weren't. Lots of families out walking around and a few runners and cyclist. I guess when there's really not a lot to do on Christmas Day and it's 55 degrees and sunny, being outside is the way to go.

Armed with the new Garmin, we set off on a rather chatty run. I always talk, but Jason doesn't. But he kept wanting to compare the distance and pace from my gadget to his gadget. I loved knowing the mileage, of course, the route we took is one I've done so many times I already had a pretty solid idea. The one thing I think is completely off is the calorie count.

For me, it was a really great run. I was so happy to hit 10 miles again with very little sciatic/piriformis issues. Jason stopped at mile 9. I think it wasn't a terrible run for him, but his sinuses are a total mess, so it was a little harder for him. That whole snotty, not breathing thing sort of gets in the way of running sometimes.

After stretching and rolling, we had a super quick lunch of chickpea salad wraps. I was starting to get really shaky, so fast was mandatory. We are planning on making a nicer dinner this evening though. It'll sort of be a repeat of Thanksgiving actually. I wanted to try to perfect the Wild Mushroom Green Bean Casserole. And we both loved the Curried Pumpkin Risotto so much that we agreed that was a must. I ended up buying a Quorn Turk'y Roast that we'll have with my Chipotle Cranberry Relish.

For now, I'm enjoying a mimosa with my fee propped up - in PJs of course. It has been a great Christmas for us. We got many gifts that we are so grateful for. We were also able to give gifts and watch our family open them. To me, that's the most special part of the holidays.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you all have had a wonderful day!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sleeping in
Sunshine
Running with Jason
PJ day
Mimosas
Relaxing

Friends, Family, Laughter, Love

2011-12-24T08:49:00.000-06:00

Friends & Laughter
I must start off saying that I feel so behind right now on blog reading. The past few days have been filled to the brim, but in a good way. I have been enjoying so much time with family and friends. Yesterday afternoon we ended up meeting up with our BFF couple and another friend before my friend, Lindsey, made it into town.

We left the first place, a pizza place aptly named Damgoode Pie, then headed to our favorite local hangout. I've mentioned it before, it's an Irish Pub called Dugan's. We scored seats by the fireplace, my fave spot in the place of course ;-)

I had so much fun visiting and catching up with Lindsey. I just hate that friends have to move away to different cities as we grow up. It definitely makes you appreciate the time you do have together that much more. Plus, I suppose I do have very valid reasons to visit Atlanta. Maybe a spring trip?

Family Day
Anyway, it was an incredible day and night filled with enough laughter to make me congested (anyone else with asthma know what I'm talking about?). Today is going to be another extremely busy and full day for us. We will be heading to our hometown to visit everyone.

First stop will be a late-ish lunch with a brunch menu at my sisters to celebrate with her, her kiddos, my mom and her husband. On the menu will be a fruit salad, two types of frittatas, bagels, and I think my mom was going to try to make a gluten-free coffee cake just for my sis (who loves loves loves coffee cake). I imagine there will be a mimosa or too as well.

We will then make a quick stop by Jason's parents' home. They won't be doing anything special as no one else is coming into town. Their big holiday celebration is Thanksgiving.

Finally, it'll be dinner at my dad's. As is traditional for us, it'll be manicotti for dinner. I'm going to do some roasted broccoli, and my step-mother always makes some casseroles. Dad is so proud, he's doing a deconstructed manicotti for my sister using gluten-free pasta that she took over to him.

Gotta say, it makes me smile to know how much he tries for the both of us. It means more than he probably knows. And my mom as well actually. To me it's very special when someone recognizes your dietary preferences or needs and really and truly tries to take them into account in order to make sure you're happy as well.

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone. I hope your day is filled with family, friendship, laughter, and love.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Time with family
Rest day (severely needed)
Laughter
Good food
Love

Fun Facts Friday - 5 Holiday Memories

2011-12-23T13:44:00.000-06:00

Brrrr Chilly Run
This morning I got up and hit up Whole Food a little before 9. It was fairly empty, maybe the quietest I'd ever seen it. No complaints here! I got back home and worked on cleaning the house. I was trying to wait for the sun to come out and the temps to warm up a little before I ran.

No such luck. I finally gave up and went out for my run around 10:45. The sun was not going to come out today, that became obvious. And the temps weren't going to budge much either. It was just under 40 degrees, but at least not gusting winds.

My legs just didn't feel like they were cooperating though. My perceived rate of exertion was way out of whack. My lungs were on fire, I kept thinking I must be pushing it, but I'd check my heart rate and it was barely hovering at 160. I don't know if the air was just damp, but it actually felt a lot harder than my last half, which was a few degrees cooler than today.

Of course, it should have been a rest day, but I won't be able to get in a workout tomorrow, so I pushed through. Maybe that with the weather...not really sure. But I was ready to throw in the towel pretty early on. I kept going though, hoping everything would come together.

It finally did at mile 5. That's just way too long to be waiting for things to click let me just put that right out there. I did manage to pull out 6.5 miles somehow. Not the worst by any means, but definitely not the ideal run either.

I will say I at least feel accomplished for getting out there and getting it done.

Fun Facts Friday - 5 Holiday Memories
For Fun Facts Friday, I'm going to take a cue from my friend Jolene. She did a recent post, 5-Things Holiday Edition. I loved the idea, especially this time of year. Here are my 5 favorite holiday memories:

1. Waking up at the crack of dawn with my sister to check out what was under the tree.

2. Making cookies with my sister, sometimes making a bigger mess and drinking more wine than actual cookies being made (obviously referring to this happening as adults not children).

3. The first Christmas tree Jason and I had together. It was an itty bitty 3' tree, but very special.

4. Setting up the Christmas tree as a child and then just sitting on the couch and watching the lights on the tree. Who needs a tv?

5. Going through the JC Penny and Sears catalogs to mark all the gifts we wanted each year. We'd spend hours upon hours going through those catalogs.

Of course, I definitely have many many more happy memories. But these were the first 5 that came to mind. Now it's your turn. What are some of your favorite or happiest holiday memories?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run
Time with friends

Weights, Errands & Super Simple Dinner Thanks to Gardein

2011-12-22T19:25:00.000-06:00

Gym Day
Today was a cold, rainy one here. Not very motivating. Thus, I didn't make it to the gym until 10. I really should have gotten out the door soon as I had errands to run. And the longer I waited, I knew the worse traffic would be.

I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical then went with supersets of 3x8 for back and triceps.

SS#1
Underhand barbell row
Double-arm overhead triceps extension

SS#2
Assisted wide-grip chinups
Lying triceps extensions

SS#3
Pullovers
Weighted dips

I did some ab work after the weights. I also added in some low back extensions on the stability ball - 2 x 12. Overall, it was a pretty good workout. I feel pretty weak with my back weights, but I know that adding in the chinups will help if I just keep decreasing the assisted weight.

Errands & Chores
The next several hours were spent fighting traffic so that I could make it to stores like Target, Kroger, and a few secret places I can't mention since a certain someone reads my blog ;-) When I got home and had everything unpacked, I got down to the business of wrapping presents.

I've been putting it off because it always seems to take longer than I expect. And, I make a huge mess somehow. But, I just plowed through and got it all done and all the paper put back away. I still have a long list of house chores unfortunately.

A good friend is coming to stay with us tomorrow not - she's in town from Atlanta. So I really kind of need to make the house presentable. She'd probably be happier if I made the spare bed, dusted, made sure the guest towels were clean and such.

We did end up meeting a group of friends for a brief happy hour. I exchanged gifts with one of my friends. I got a super cute, sparkly scarf/shawl and warm fuzzy blanket that I totally plan on breaking in this evening.

Dinner is going to be super simple, practically makes itself even: sweet potatoes filled with steamed broccoli and Gardein Beefless Tips that we'll likely toss with some BBQ Sauce. I'm sure some Daiya Vegan Cheese may make it's way on top as well, but that's just speculation right now.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weights
Being off work
Knocking some things off to-do list
Evening with friends

Sister and Girlfriend Time = Best Time

2011-12-21T18:04:00.000-06:00

Run & Legs
I was off work today, actually off work until next Tuesday, so that meant I was able to sleep in a bit. But I did need to get my workout done earlier rather than later. So I hit the gym by 8:30. It was pretty much dead other than one other person on the treadmill. Love it when it's quiet and I don't have to fight for a fan or "my" treadmill.

I wasn't exactly keen on a treadmill run, but sometimes you just have to get yourself going.

I started with 1 mile warm up at a 9:22 min mile then 4 sets of intervals at 1 min with 1.5 min recovery (I guess that's really 1 min and 30 seconds) at an 8 min mile and 9:31 min mile then finished out the remainder to round out to 3 miles.

I decided to go ahead and work full legs today rather than split them up. I went with supersets of 3x8 unless noted.

Barbell squats - warmup set of 10

SS#1
Barbell squats
Stiff-legged deadlifts

SS#2
Step ups (with dumbbells)
Plie squat with low end pulse - using single dumbbell

SS#3
Alternating front lunges
Calf raise - 15 reps

I had been initially dreading the workout. I was really wanting to run outside, but it was cloudy, windy and cold when I needed to be getting in my workout. However, this ended up being a great workout. Once I got going, I really got into it. I felt strong throughout and plan on increasing weights next week.

Girls' Day
After the workout, I had to get home and get cleaned up pretty quickly. The plan was to head to my hometown to spend most of the day with my sister and also have lunch with one of my oldest and dearest friends. K and I have literally known each other for about 32 years now. So I will just go ahead and say our whole lives.

I was surprised (pleasantly) to find out that my friend's sister, D at far right, was also going to join us. They are really like family. I know that I could call either of them, or even their parents at any given time and they'd be there as quickly as humanly possible.

We met at Ruby Tuesdays, love their salad bar, a little after noon and visited until after 2:30. Thankfully, they weren't super busy so our waitress didn't mind that we were taking up space. My cheeks seriously hurt by the time we left from laughing so much. You really can't beat a lunch with family and friends (or family and family) like that.

After our extended lunch, Sarah and I head back to her house to make some holiday treats. In years past we have spent an entire day baking and icing cookies then boxing or bagging them all up. This year, we took the fast route. No baking involved, but still lots of fun.

We made some white chocolate bark with almonds and cranberries, GF white chocolate covered pretzels, GF peanut butter pretzels, and GF puppy chow. I will say it all tasted very good ;-)

This has to have been one of the best days I have had recently. It was filled with friends, sister time, tons of laughter, good food, and even some wine. It's a shame every day can't be quite like this. Life is simply too short not to have more of these kinds of days or moments. And, after yesterday, this was definitely the kind of day I need down to my sole. I smile all the way home, only sad that it had to end.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run
Weights
Sister time
Time with dear friends

Spin & Italian "Beef" Sandwiches

2011-12-20T19:24:00.000-06:00

Sad Day, But Spin Helped
This morning I felt like I had been run over. I didn't sleep well at all last night. It didn't help that just after midnight lightening hit so hard that I bolted upright then the thunder that immediately followed literally rattled the house. I seriously thought there had been a terrible accident outside and someone hit the house.

The electricity went out briefly and it took a while to calm back down and fall back asleep. Then I was up at 2, 5, and 6. Yawn. At least the storms did stop and it wasn't raining on my walk into the office - just incredibly foggy.

It was sort of a down day for me. Fifteen years ago a dear friend's life was cut short. She was an incredible person, so full of life and love. I won't go into details, you can search her name or see this newscast from today if you really want to know. Juli Busken was a dancer at OU and had just graduated. She was abducted and eventually killed in the early morning hours of December 20, 1996. Thankfully her killer is indeed behind bars on death row.

I try not to dwell on what happened that morning, but rather remember who she was. She really was one-of-a-kind. I am lucky enough to have her parents in my life still. So in a way, I have part of her of course. They are amazing and have always treated me like one of their own. I practically grew up in their house so they didn't have much choice ;-)

So, needless to say, my head wasn't totally in the game during spin today. It felt so much harder than I think it should have. But, I will say, it was a nice escape. Getting in a good sweatfest and being surrounded by others working hard helps change your focus and can give you a nice energy and mood boost when you might need it the most.

Letting Jason Cook
I really wasn't in the mood for cooking this evening. I really wanted something on the lighter side. Jason wanted "comfort" food. His first dish idea was a creamy mushroom pasta that I've made before. That just sounded incredibly heavy to me.

We had kale and butternut squash, so that's what I was sort of thinking (again). I also thought about using portobellos in a bean burger for a true portobello burger. But, I was ready to compromise if it meant I didn't have to cook. I can always revisit the burger later.

We ended up going with Italian "Beef" Sandwiches and baked sweet potato fries. The only difference from this recipe is that we used vegetable stock rather than the reserved liquid from the homemade seitan.

The sandwiches were topped with Daiya Mozzarella, served open-faced, and nice and messy. Definitely a sandwich to eat with a fork. I gave up trying to make them pretty a long time ago.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin class
Not cooking

Running Question & Simple Orange Ginger Stir Fry

2011-12-19T18:46:00.000-06:00

6-Mile Run
Today I was actually able to get in a run outside rather than spin. The skies were slightly overcast, so not a super gorgeous day. However, the temperatures were in the upper 50's. We've got rain in the forecast for tomorrow, so I took advantage of the weather today.

I debated briefly about which direction to start my run. I started into the headwinds, which kept picking up and made it feel a lot cooler than 57 degrees. If the sun had been out, I know it would have been warmer. While I hate headwinds, I'd rather run the first half of my run into them rather than the last half when I'm already tired.

As soon as I made my turn around at mile 3, it felt like the wind completely stopped. I don't know why, but this always surprises me still. You can feel the wind so strongly one way, then not even a hint of a breeze in the other direction. Of course, I immediately got hot and regretted my capri tight option. However, at the end of the run, closer to the river, the breeze picked up from all directions and I was happy with my choice again.

For the most part, it was a really good run for me. I do feel like I was all over the place with speed. At some points I couldn't seem to slow myself down and at other points I felt like there was no way I could pick up the pace and was dragging. But, it was so nice to be outside again today rather than having to be inside for a workout. There's just something about feeling the wind on your face and taking in the scenery around you that helps make the workout better.

Running Question
I do want to bring up a topic that I think about often. It's one Jason has argued with me about as well. So, all you seasoned runners, please speak up and set me straight.

Jason thinks I run my long runs too fast. He is convinced I should back off the speed. I'll readily admit to going much faster on my long runs than recent half marathon training plans suggested. I went at a speed that I felt was comfortable for me though. I didn't feel like I was pushing myself too hard. I mean, it wasn't like a cake walk, but it certainly wasn't like a tempo run.

During my first half training, I ran some of the long runs at sub 9-minute miles. Closer to race pace, but not quite race pace. I finished that half at a much better time than my recent half. This time, I ran my long runs at more like 9:13-9:22 minute miles. I finished the race close to 90 seconds slower.

In my mind, if I want to run fast during a race (or in general) then I need to do just that...run fast. But, I do read Runner's Worlds and training articles. I do know that it is suggested to run long runs slower and have easy recovery runs and then you have a day or two that is set aside for speed. I read this. But I can't grasp this. I have this complete mental block about it.

And I realize that the slower runs are about endurance, about conditioning the body, the lungs, even the mind. I do know where constant pushing leads you - injury zone. Maybe I'm struggling with this so much because I'm frustrated with my drop in speed. Not really sure and am thinking "outloud" at this point.

So, help me out please.

Simple Stir Fry
I'll admit to a bit of over-indulging this weekend by eating out for pizza on Saturday then the veggie burgers with sweet potato fries (fried and not baked like I'd make of course) yesterday. So, feeling on the fluffier side today. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about.

So tonight I really wanted something lighter, healthier, very green. Yesterday, Jason picked up some Napa cabbage and snow peas so that we could make a stir fry this week. Usually I just go with the frozen veggies mix. This was a nice change of ingredients.

I felt like the cabbage deserved a lighter stir fry sauce. I didn't want something really heavy, that would over-power the subtle flavors of the cabbage and the peas. I just sort of made something up based on taste and how much of it I needed, so I apologize for the lack of measurements.

Orange Ginger Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients:
Orange juice
Rice wine vinegar
Soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
Freshly grated ginger
Agave nectar
Sriracha chili sauce (just a hint of heat)
1 tsp corn starch or arrowroot
2 tsp cold water

Directions:
In small bowl, mix together the corn starch and water to make a slurry.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all ingredients adding in the slurry last to help thicken the sauce.

The stir fry was made up of carrots, Napa cabbage, snow peas, button mushrooms, green onions, and tofu that I had dry-seared then tossed with garlic powder, small amount of salt, and soy sauce then baked and cubed.

Daily To Enjoy-List:

Running outdoors
Warmer temps
Lighter, easy dinner

I'm a Fuddy Dud but I Went to a Burger Joint - Big Orange Review

2011-12-18T16:39:00.000-06:00

Holiday Party Recap
Last night we went to a party with some friends. It was a law firm party at a nice hotel downtown. It seemed a little awkward to me, but our friends assured us we were more than welcome to join the party, that not everyone was going to be a lawyers.

We only knew a few other people through our friends. And I am still certain we were the only non-law related people there. It was fun getting dressed up and getting out of the house. We don't often go to fancy parties. But, I am not a very out-going person. Since I didn't really know anyone, the music wasn't exactly inspiring me to dance, and the free drinks weren't anything I cared for (the wine was horrid and they ran out of champagne right away)...I was ready to call it a night by 9pm.

I will admit that I felt really kind of bad about wanting to leave so quickly. I feel like I'm always the party pooper in the bunch. It's not that I don't want to have fun or know how to have fun, but I am really shy and reserved unless I'm in the right situation. So I feel out of place and self-conscious. I don't know how to overcome these feelings. And then of course I start feeling bad that I'm not being great company. So it becomes a bit of a downward spiral for me.

I know I could have just written about how much fun we had and posted pictures of me smiling, but I'm honest and I wanted to get it off my chest I suppose. Maybe I'm hoping someone else can relate to these feelings. It can really make you feel like a loner, like a failure to an extent even.

Weight Day
This morning I got up and managed to get my Christmas cards done before leaving for the gym. It was my goal for the morning. I already had my list with addresses and such, so it was really about just sitting down and getting them addressed.

At the gym, I went with trisets of 3x8 for shoulders, biceps and hamstrings after a 15-minute warmup session on the elliptical.

TS#1
Arnold press
Barbell curls (using EZ Bar)
Bulgarian deadlifts

TS#2
Upright rows
Hammer curls
Step ups

TS#3
Lateral raise
Incline curls
Hamstring roll-ins on ball - 10 reps

I followed up with some ab work.

Heather Goes to Burger Joint
After the gym, we headed to the grocery store before going back home. I got cleaned up and put on my yoga pants and comfy (ugly) sweatshirt. Originally, we were supposed to have lunch with our friends that we went to the party with last night. They weren't quite up for it (see, another reason to be an old fuddy dud), so I assumed we were done and in for the day.

Jason, however, had his heart set on going out to a place called Big Orange for lunch. It's a fairly new burger joint that happens to be nowhere near out house. They do have homemade black bean patties and a lentil falafel patty along with a variety of salads though. So that's why Jason has been trying to get me to agree to go.

By the time we got there, I was getting extremely cranky. A hungry Heather is an ugly Heather to be around. They said there was a 15 minute wait. I really thought I was going to crack at that point. Luckily, we don't mind sitting in a bar height table, or in the bar I should say, so we didn't have to wait as long.

Since we were both so hungry, we started with their Hummus and Tzatziki plate. (I was too hungry to think about pictures at this point.) The hummus was pretty good. I was hungry though and thought the carrots were the best I'd ever had...ever. So I might have said cardboard tasted awesome ;-)

I ended up going for the Atom Bomb Burger subbing the hamburger for their vegetarian black bean patty. The sandwich was supposed to come with: Jack Cheese, Pickled Jalapeño, Butter Leaf Lettuce, Sriracha, and Chipotle-Red Pepper Mayo. I had them hold the mayo.

Jason ordered the Curried Falafel and Lentil Burger described as: House-Made Falafel and Curried Lentil Patty with Cucumber, Avocado, Tomato, Cilantro, Tzatziki, and Sriracha.

Clearly we both love Sriracha. Mine was definitely spicy, just as described. But it wasn't so hot that you missed out on the flavors of the patty. In fact, the veggie burger was really quite good. It's always nice when you can see the bits of veggies mixed in. The Falafel and Lentil burger was amazing as well. Such great flavors. I was really happy with the vegetarian options. It's rare to find a place around here that offers homemade veggie burgers. Usually it's just a frozen patty thawed out.

It's nice to go somewhere and be pleasantly surprised. Now, the service was a bit slow and strange, but overall, I'd recommend the place to friends. I imagine we'll be back ourselves.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weights
Relaxing
Sunshine

Sunny 9-mile Run

2011-12-17T16:24:00.000-06:00

This morning started off really chilly, as in 32 degrees chilly. But, finally some sunshine. Oh how I've missed sunshine. Luckily, I didn't have anything pressing this morning, so that meant we could be lazy and wait for the temps to warm up a bit before going out for a run.

When we started our run at 11:15, it was about 45 degrees, clear skies, and seemingly no wind (don't forget this seemingly no wind statement please). We started off just chit chatting. Laughing and talking about random things. I was probably doing most of the talking, but we can pretend that Jason was chatty too ;-)

The first half really seemed to fly by for me. I was soaking up the sunshine and enjoying Jason's company. We made our turn around...and were smacked in the face by the wind. Oh yes, the wind I didn't think existed? It did exist. I was really getting hot until that turn around then it was a sudden cool down. I was really glad I had left my gloves on at that point.

Jason might have been happy for the wind because it did shut me up a little bit. It's harder to be a Chatty Cathy when you're running into headwinds. But, sometimes joking and laughing helps you get through those tough spots. Or that's my excuse for continuing to try to talk.

When we got close to the car, I Jason asked if I was going to go a little farther. I said I was, and I assumed that meant he was just going to stop and wait for me. I tried to hand him my water bottle, which felts like a lead weight today for whatever crazy reason, but he said he was going to go on with me. So, we ended up hitting 9 miles today. For me, it was a fantastic run. I know a huge part of that was because of the sunshine and the company.

My sciatica was hurting pretty badly, so I tried to stretch out and roll a little extra before getting cleaned up. It was hard sticking to the stretching because I was getting so cold and the hot shower was just calling my name.

Tonight we have plans on going to a holiday party with friends. So after I showered, I went ahead and did my hair and makeup (you know, sparkly smoky eyes kind of thing). We still needed to eat lunch as the party wasn't going to be ideal dinner food. So we headed out to Vino's Pizza & Brew Pub - yep, me and my crazy smoky eyes with jeans, cardigan, flats. The great thing is that Vino's is such an eclectic place, not one person would have noticed.

Anyway, we're about to finish getting dolled up for the party now (thought a nap sounds kind of nice right now). I promise to take pictures and do a better post tomorrow. I do hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run with Jason
Sunshine
Holiday party with friends

Fun Facts Friday - Things That Make Me Smile

2011-12-16T16:15:00.000-06:00

Finally - Friday has arrived! Even better, it's my rest day. Though, I will say I got in some unexpected cardio today:

Walking 3 blocks to and from parking lot (4 times total)
Walking 4 blocks to and from our company holiday meeting (2 8 blocks)
Walking up 10 flights of stairs to avoid stopping on every single floor on the elevator ride after meeting

So, active rest day ;-)

Today I almost told you all about the exercises I hate the most - you know, burpees. mountain climbers, pushups on the spin bike. But, that sounds kind of negative doesn't it? I then read a post by my friend Averie @ Loves Veggies and Yoga. Seeing the pictures, and hearing about something good that happened for her today made me rethink my negative post.

I also saw this quote today that helped change my focus "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

For Fun Facts Friday, I want to share the things that make me smile - granted, this isn't an all-inclusive list, just a few things on the top of my head.

The ocean (thanks for the pics Averie)
When something really good happens to my family or friends or just good people in general
A good sweatfest - even if it is on the dreaded treadmill
Emails from my sister
Phone calls from my dad in the mornings
Messages from my mom
Laughing with Jason
Sunshine
Roses (loving your rose pictures Lindsay)
Realizing how lucky I am
Surprise packages in the mail (like a package of Think Thin protein bars and Love Grown Foods coupons)

What are some things that make you smile? Anything in particular today or this week?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Smiling
Rest day
Happy hour with friends

Interval Run, Legs & Gardein Inspired Dinner

2011-12-15T18:54:00.000-06:00

Intervals & Legs
Today was sort of a weird one. Tomorrow we have a huge annual holiday meeting. My division typically helps put together a funny skit for the meeting. This morning I was asked to help out with something and ended up having to go to the first rehearsal where they were going to just block it out. So that took up an hour and a half. Next we had our division potluck. Then right after that I had a meeting. So much back-to-back, definitely no time to take a break and hit the pavement or gym like I'm used to doing midday.

But, the day went super quickly at least. The skies were, again, threatening rain. I kept checking the radar hoping it might hold off long enough for a run outside. It of course didn't rain the whole time I was at work. The minute I walked out the door? Yep, rain. Good thing I had gone ahead and decided on the gym after checking the radar one last time.

I went with 4 miles on the treadmill then legs (focusing on quads). I started with 2 miles at an easy pace of 9:22 min mile at a 1% incline before moving into some intervals.

I did 6 x 1 minute intervals of 8:27 and 9:31 min miles. Then I finished out doing .4 at 9:13, .1 at 8:57 and .1 at 8:34 to give me an even 4 miles.

I have to say, I really and truly think that the speed is totally off on the treadmills though. For example, I was doing 2 miles at 9:22. So technically I should have hit 2 miles in 18:44 right? Please correct me if my math is off. But, that's what I think. However, it was really 18 mins, which would be a 9 min mile. Anyone else think treads are off? Or is it just my gym's equipment?

Anyway, after the run, I went for legs. I opted to do 2 supersets of 3x8 with a plyo exercise in between.

Barbell squats - warmup set of 10

SS#1
Barbell squats
Plie Squats

Squat jumps - 16

SS#2
Static lunge
Calf raises - 15 reps

Alternating split lunges - 16

I did some ab work with a medicine ball then called it done. I went home and stretched and rolled out on the Triggerpoint Therapy kit while watching the last half of the Ellen show. Man I wish that came on at a different time. I forget how funny she can be.

Lazy Dinner
I really wasn't terribly excited to be cooking tonight. I need to figure out how to train the pupsters to clean the house and make dinner for us. What I really wanted to do was paint my nails and try to work on holiday cards - yes, terribly behind this year. I also need to start wrapping presents. Then there's that pesky pile of laundry waiting on me.

But motivation level is fairly nil. I'm going to just go ahead and blame it on our crappy weather. I have forgotten what sunshine looks like. I think that's excuse enough to feel lazy. Don't you agree?

Well, dinner had to be made. I went with what I knew Jason would suggest if I had asked him. He's definitely a potato guy. He specifically asked that I pick up either new or fingerling potatoes the last time I went to the store. So, we had fingerlings on hand along with some asparagus (which need to be used up).

I just roasted the potatoes seasoned with small amount of olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic, parsley, and nutritional yeast flakes. Since the oven was on, I roasted the asparagus as well and seasoned with a lemon pepper spice blend.

I had some Gardein Herbed Dijon Breasts on hand (picked up because they were on sale and I had a coupon so double score). They do come with a sauce, but I sort of added a little bit more to it - a tbsp of stone ground mustard, red pepper flakes, and some balsamic vinegar. There sauce is ok, but a little bland for me.

And that was that. Simple, easy, tasty.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weights (starting to enjoy legs and maybe b/c I'm breaking them up into 2 sessions)
Easy dinner
Time to paint my nails

Holiday Balance, Spin & Stuffed Poblano Peppers

2011-12-14T18:35:00.000-06:00

Holiday Balance
As a FitFluential Ambassador, I am finding myself inspired by some amazing people. I also see "fitfluential" as an adjective. I want to be more fitfluential for others and inspire others. Recently, ambassadors were given a writing prompt to talk about our five tips for maintaining balance throughout the holidays based on four key aspects of balance: Eat, Sleep, Move, and Enjoy.

You guys know how my posts normally work. I just blab about my day - typically either raving or ranting about my workout and then a recipe. But, sometimes it can be fun, inspiring to have a goal for a post, a theme or topic to discuss. Especially when it's something you are passionate about - like being fitfluential.

While I love the holiday seasons, they can be stressful. On top of your normal day-to-day affairs, you have invites to holiday parties, cookie exchanges, family events, then there's the decorating, shopping, baking, cooking.

It also doesn't help that the weather is often less than stellar this time of year - depending on where you live of course. It's been days since we've seen sunshine here. Gray, dreary days certainly don't help the mood when you're already taxed to the max.

So what can we do this time of year to maintain some semblance of balance? Or do you just let loose, forget workouts, eat tins of cookies, drink gallons of nog and go wild? I'm thinking balance is probably the better option, though the nog might help improve the mood temporarily when spiked ;-)

I try to keep myself balanced throughout the holidays just as I would throughout the year. I know some people would argue to let loose a little more, indulge in an extra cookie or two. Don't get me wrong, I'll have a cookie I'm sure, but for the most part, it's business as usual with the exception of the extra events to attend.

My tips for finding balance through the holidays are pretty basic actually. Honestly, really only two things to keep in mind: maintain your routine but be flexible. Is that an oxymoron? Maybe not.

Eat...

Regularly - don't skip meals to save calories or wait until you're famished and can't resist the company potluck or trays of treats

Healthy, whole foods - protein/fiber/carbs

Treats sparingly - no free-for-all

Slowly - take the time to enjoy your meal

Something new - take the opportunity to try a new, healthy version of a classic

Move...

Your legs - run, spin, bike, swim, dance...

Your muscles - resistance train

Your booty - have fun and dance at the holiday parties (on the dance floor, not the tables)

Your workouts - be flexible and move them around if you have to

Your feet - go ahead and park at the far end of the lot, your car won't get dinged up and you get in a few extra steps for the day

Enjoy...

Family & friends - they might cause some stress, but enjoy the time with them, enjoy catching up with them, life's short

Being happy for others - find the joy in someone else's good fortune and joy, be happy for family, friends, or even strangers

Giving - remember to give back and give thanks

Relaxing - do take the time to sit back and relax, zero guilt

A to-enjoy list - I'm a firm believer in my daily-to enjoy list

Sleep (or rest)...

Regularly - try to maintain your normal bedtime routine

Your body - take that rest day

By not taking on too much - with a too-full calendar it's hard to rest or sleep properly, it's ok to say no

Your computer - log off for a bit

In - sleep in once in a while with no guilt, just enjoy taking it slow to get up and get going for a change

What would be your fitfluential holiday balance tips? How do you get through the holidays with your sanity in place...or do you ;-)

Following My "Move" Tips
With these tips in mind, today I tried to maintain balance by being flexible with my workout. I am getting desperate to get in a good outdoor run. But the weather is just crummy. While it was warmer today, the air was so heavy and damp that it looked like it had been raining.

So, I went with my Plan B and hit the gym for spin. Meaning, I am not skipping out on a good workout, I'm just switching things up a bit. I did start with triceps as 3x8 before spin class.

Double-arm overhead triceps extensions
Double-arm kickbacks (increased weight today)
Dips

While I would have preferred to have been outside running, spin was fun today. Sometimes it's good for the sole to enjoy a hard workout in the company of others. We were working our butts off, but still managing to laugh along the way. And laughter is a good thing.

Dinner Balance
See, I'm thinking writing out these tips is going to work in my favor too. It's a good reminder for myself actually. Eat a healthy meal, but enjoy relaxing a bit too. Don't over-complicate basically. With that in mind, I didn't go crazy with dinner, I kept it fairly simple, but healthful.

I opted to make stuffed poblano peppers tonight. I could have gone crazy with this plan of course. I have in the past. Today all I did was open up the peppers and removed the ribs. I roasted for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

In the meantime, I made a small amount of quinoa (because it cooks in no time at all). I did add some seasonings to the quinoa (chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper) while it was cooking.

At the same time, I sauteed onions, bell peppers, frozen corn, and a some Field Roast Mexican Chipotle "Sausages." At the very end, I tossed in some diced cherry tomatoes and the quinoa.

The next step is to just stuff the peppers, top with Daiya Vegan Cheese (or cheese or your choice) and bake in a covered casserole dish until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted, approximately 20 minutes.

This was some major, ooey, gooey goodness.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Spin class
Being happy for a friend
Easy dinner

Interval Running, Weights & Veggies, Veggies More Veggies

2011-12-13T18:47:00.000-06:00

Interval Running & Weights
Well rather than just moan and complain about today (it's been "that" kind of day from the start), I'll just get right down to my workout. I had wanted to run outside. It was supposed to be partly sunny and close to 60 degrees. Instead, it was insanely foggy (like heavy mist) and in the mid-40's. Gotta love an accurate forecast right?

Thankfully, I'm a planner. I was prepared with clothes for the gym. I guess I should clarify what that means. I had my capri running pants and top for outside running, but for the gym, I need minimal clothing. I can't stand to be over-heated and my gym is hot as hell. So, I made sure I also had shorts and a tank also packed.

I tried to get myself psyched up for intervals on the treadmill. I mean, it was "just" 4 miles. No biggy right? Ugh. Tough 4 miles. My mind was just absolutely not in the game today. Very little sleep, tough morning, depressing weather, not really wanting to tread it. All that equals a bad attitude and that can equal a bad run. But, I toughed it out. I kept think that if I can run 13 miles in a half, I can run 4 on the tread.

I started with 1 mile at a 9:13 min mile pace to warm up then I did intervals at 8:34 and recovery at 9:31 min miles.

2 x (1:1, 1:30:1:30, 2:2)

I finished out the last mile at 9:13 for 3 minutes, 9:05 for 2 minutes, and the rest at 8:34.

On a side note, I must comment on how distorting it can be to run with a treadmill in the window on the 29th floor when it's so foggy you can't see the next building. All you see is yourself (sort of) in the window. Really hard to find a focus. Very strange.

After the run, I hit the weights for biceps and back. I went with supersets and was able to increase the weight for the barbell curls this week. I did 3x8 unless noted.

SS#1
Barbell curls (EZ bar)
Pullovers

SS#2
Hammer curls
Wide grip chinups (assisted) - 6 reps

SS#3
Incline curls
Double-arm rows

I really need to add in the chinups more often. I could feel my back really being worked. And I am silly excited about adding weight to the curls today. I've been at a major plateau for a while now. Changing from the dumbbells to the barbell seems to be working for me right now.

So, while the run wasn't exactly fun, overall, the workout was a good one. I really needed that sweatfest in a major way to clear my head.

Veggies, Veggies, More Veggies Please
The dreary looking weather really didn't have me terribly excited to do much at all this evening. But, the idea of having the oven on to warm up the kitchen sounded like a fantastic plan.

I decided to roast beets and butternut squash. At first I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with them, I just knew I wanted to have them tonight. I've been craving kale a lot lately. It just feels like the perfect fall/winter green I suppose.

I sauteed the kale with some white onions, garlic, no-salt vegetable broth, splash of OJ, balsamic vinegar, and agave nectar and seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg. Once the kale was soft (and I do like mine pretty well done), I tossed in the roasted veggies and some tofu that I had dry-seared then cubed.

If it wasn't for roasting the beets and the squash in a separate pan, this would be the perfect one-dish fall meal in my book.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Running ("enjoyed" will be loosely used)
Weights
Comforting veggie heavy dinner

Spin Rant and Creamy Italian-Style Spinach Pasta Bake

2011-12-12T18:12:00.000-06:00

A Bit of a Spin Rant
Monday, you are not my BFF. I try really hard to not be negative about Mondays. But the fact is, I am. They mark the end of a weekend, the end of free time, then end of getting to sleep in just a little bit extra.

I tried to get excited about this Monday because it was supposed to be in the lower 50's and sunny. In other words, I was planning on running after work. Luckily, I did think to pack my bag for spin just in case. That "just in case" happened. I think part of my sciatica issues are with sitting most of the day. I have been noticing more and more that I am in pain more throughout the week than on the weekends even with long runs.

As much as I wanted to run, I knew it wasn't going to happen. Period. So I changed my mindset to spin. Then I found out my fave instructor wasn't going to be teaching. Not only was my motivation lacking overall, but I was doing my Plan B workout as it was. And now a different instructor? Can we through another wrench into this Type A Gal's plan?

Those of you who do spin know that instructors make or break a class depending on attitude, on energy levels, and on the type of class they conduct. Can I just say that I loathe low-ceilings/hovers and triceps pushups???? OH and front and backs and jumps. Sorry, you just don't do pushups on your bike while out for a ride. You pretty much don't do low ceilings or front and backs either.

I'll stop complaining. It wasn't a bad class, it was just not what I was hoping for on a motivation-less Monday when I was already switching gears (get it...gears...bikes...teehee). How do you react to changes in your planned workout? Or instructors? Part of me wanted to just call it a rest day to be honest. Of course, I am glad I went. Glad I got the workout done.

Kitchen Motivation was Last Night
Even though I managed to get to the grocery store and had a full fridge, I went with something fairly simple for dinner. I just didn't feel like making anything too involved. So, I went with my Spicy White Chili with Tempeh. Basically you just throw it all into a pot and let it simmer away.

Definitely a Monday kind of meal. Though, part of me feels a little bad for not using some of the fresh veggies I picked up. I have beets to use along with butternut squash, kale, asparagus, poblano peppers, portobello mushrooms...so many goodies to choose from this week.

So, not creative tonight. However, last night I did end up getting a little creative. Well, sort of. Jason keeps mentioning pasta. Last night he also mentioned a casserole. So, I used my silken tofu trick for making a "cream" sauce in order to make a baked pasta dish.

Creamy Italian-Style Spinach Pasta Bake
Ingredients:
4-5 oz whole-wheat rotini or penne
1 can no-salt diced tomatoes, drained
1 package firm silken tofu
6-7 sundried tomatoes, rehydrated
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
To taste: salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes
1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
3-4 artichoke hearts, diced
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Daiya Vegan Mozzarella (optional or cheese of choice)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook pasta per package directions.

In a food processor, puree tomatoes, tofu, garlic, nutritional yeast, and seasonings until mostly smooth, some tomato pieces are fine.

In a large bowl, combine artichokes, spinach, beans, pasta, and sauce. Stir well and re-season if needed. Stir in just a small amount of the Daiya then transfer to a prepared glass casserole dish. Top with more Daiya and bake approximately 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted.

It might not have been the prettiest dish, but looks can be deceiving. This turned out so good. It was rich, creamy, decadent feeling. The sundried tomatoes added just a hint of a tangyness to the sauce. Definitely a dish I'll be making again.

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run (Plan B Spin)
Comfort dinner
Relaxing on couch

Weights, Errands, Kitchen Time & Major Klutz

2011-12-11T17:19:00.000-06:00

Gym Day
Yesterday's run was so great that I really had crazy notions of going out for another one today. But, I knew that I didn't need to push it. So, I ended up going to the gym instead. I thought I was going to run a mile for my warmup. Thought is the key word. Not even 2 minutes in I had to stop because of my sciatica/piriformis pain. Obviously the gym was a smarter plan that trying to go for another outdoor run.

So, warm up ended up being 15 minutes on the elliptical instead. It did give me a chance to read some of the latest Oxygen magazine at least. Then it was time to hit the weights: chest, shoulders, hamstrings. I went with the typical 3x8 pattern.

SS#1
Chest flye into press
Pushups with toes on bench

SS#2
Overhead shoulder press
Bulgarian deadlift

SS#3
Lateral raise
Step ups - 6 reps

SS#4
Upright rows
Hamstring roll-ins on stability ball

I finished up with some ab work using weights and the ball. Ok, for all you lifters, what am I doing wrong with the DLs that I hit my knee with the bar on the first rep or two. Mind you, I only do this the first 1 or 2 reps. Hurts so I learn...well sort of because I apparently forget from one week to the next. But, I do have a nice bruise on my knee again.

Errands & Kitchen Time
After the gym, I head to the grocery store. Note to self: don't go to the grocery store at 12:30 on a Sunday. Everyone seemed to have left church and gone straight to the store.

The grocery store I frequent was recently remodeled. They should have also redone the parking lot. There is very little parking. For whatever reason, tons of space marked off as no parking. So, if it's busy, there is literally no place to park. I had to drive around the lot a few times. Of course cursing here and there.

Anyway, after the parking craziness, I was luckily able to get in and out fairly quickly. Of course I realized all the things I missed once I got home and started unpacking the bags. Speaking of bags, I try to always take my recyclable bags. Can someone explain why the baggers feel the need to put ALL of the canned goods into one single bag? Can they not even that out and put a few into each bag so the bags can actually be lifted up and carried without the need of a forklift? I guess that's one more reason to lift weights huh?

I got home and put all the groceries away then got myself cleaned up. I made a quick lunch then decided to make some seitan to freeze. I keep my flours in canisters with a metal clasp. Being short, all cabinets are pretty much out of reach. I typically stand on the ledge of a bottom shelf to pull down the flours and put them back. Yes, I should use a chair or stool of course.

As I was putting away the flours, I hit the bag of cornmeal and it came tumbling down. I managed to grab it before it hit the counter and exploded, but at the same time I managed to knock down a canister. It came crashing down and the metal clasp hit me in the head, but I managed to save that too. Thankfully, no blood, only a knot and lots more cursing. All in a day's work.....

Happy Sunday!

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Weights
Sunshine
Relaxed day

Cold Run & Errands Deserve Relaxing Evening

2011-12-10T16:58:00.000-06:00

Cold but Good Run
This morning we woke up to gorgeous sunny skies. But cold cold temps. It just seems way too early for it to be so cold here. Last night it dropped down into the 20's, so that meant no early morning fun for this girl. I tried to wait around as long as possible for it to warm up.

Finally, I realized that it just wasn't going to truly warm up. So, Jason and I sucked it up and headed out around 10:45 with the windchill in the low 30's. I pulled out the trusty long running tights, long-sleeved top, vest, headband (to cover ears) and gloves.

It was so cold getting started. And of course there was a cold breeze blowing off the river. I just kept reminding myself that I would indeed warm up (fingers crossed). Around .5 into the run, I finally started to loosen up and my hands didn't feel so frozen. By mile 2, we were farther away from the river and actually starting to feel pretty warm. Jason took his gloves off at this point.

It ended up being a really great run. I know part of it was actually having a running partner for the entire run for a change. It's been so long since we've run more than 2 miles together. Time really just flew by for me since I had someone to chat with other than myself. I'm sure Jason would have preferred I shut my trap a bit more though LOL. Even better, my scitaica didn't bother me either until the last mile. So that made the run feel even better. And the sunshine certainly didn't hurt matters.

Jason stopped at 7.25 miles and I kept going just a bit farther. I ended up hitting 7.81. It still feels strange not hitting the double-digits on my Saturday runs lately. I know I need this though. I know that it will benefit me in the long run. But at the same time, I have this crazy notion that if I don't keep up the double-digit runs and the 20+ miles a week, then I'm screwing myself over for the next half. I know, not rational at all.

Do any of you ever struggle with things like this? On one hand feeling like you have to run a certain distance or speed vs. knowing you should scale back? The same goes for weight lifting or any workouts really. How do you overcome this?

Errands & Relaxing
After the run, I did my standard stretch and rolling on the Triggerpoint Kit. Then we both got cleaned up and headed out for a late lunch and trip to Target. Nothing terribly exciting. We really had more errands, but traffic is a major PITA right now. We passed by the mall and the parking lot and deck were completely filled with people driving in circles. Um. No thank you. I can't stand that frenzy, Target was bad enough.

I will admit that I am already in PJs, and I don't mean comfy yoga pants and warm sweatshirt. Nope, full on PJ set with matching robe. I have a million things I should be doing around the house. But, I'm doing myself a big favor and not worrying about any of it today. It'll all me there waiting on me tomorrow right?

Do you ever just take a complete break from chores and such to just enjoy and relax? I call that balance. I mean, I did run and fight my way through Target. That absolutely earns me a free evening pass ;-)

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Run
Sunshine
Relaxing

Fun Facts Friday - My Food and Fitness Wish List

2011-12-09T19:21:00.000-06:00

Rest Day
Today is a rest day for me. I kind of wish I had planned it out better so that I could run today. The temperatures are supposed to be about 50 with sunshine. Sounds like outdoor running weather to me. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, but only 45, which probably means more like 40. It's ok, you guys in the north can totally chuckle at me for being such a weenie about the weather (Jess did you catch the word choice).

Since I didn't have any workout plans, I had extra time on my hands. During lunch we hit up Whole Foods finally. Been avoiding that one for a while because of major road construction in that direction. After work, the goal was to get a couple of Christmas gifts purchased, finally. I've been really putting this off because of driving in insane traffic.

So far, I've only ordered gifts for my niece and nephew from Amazon. All shopping should be so easy I believe.

Easy Chef Baking Set - Source

My nephew has found this insane passion for cooking and helping his mom out in the kitchen. My niece would be crazy jealous if he got this apron set and she didn't. So they both got one (his is red and hers is pink). Love love easy shopping.

Some people like the shopping frenzy of the season. Are you a hands on shopper or is online the way to go?

Fun Facts Friday - Food & Fitness Wish List
Speaking of shopping, my family always asks what I might want for Christmas. I don't know why, but I always blank out until after the fact. Like after I've given some crazy list of things I just make up off the top of my head. For Fun Facts Friday, I thought it would be fun to share some of my top "wants" for food and fitness gifts.

Food

Mixing bowls - only have 2 plastic ones that are pretty old.
Mini-food processor - sometimes I used the food processor for 2 or more pieces to a dinner.
Cookbooks - not that I usually follow recipes, but I love getting new ideas.
Hand mixer - mine finally died.
Gift card - to an online vegan store like Pangea or maybe Netrition that carries a variety of items.

Fitness

GPS gadget - like a Garmin perhaps.
More arm sleeves - seriously in love with my Saucony Arm Warmers/Sleeves.
Long-sleeved running top with thumb holes - I am obsessed with wanting one.
More long running pants - because I only have 2 pairs.
More running hats - because I always wear a hat to workout in.
Better sunglasses for running - mine were only about $19 and kind of hurt my nose.
Subscription - Oxygen or Muscle & Fitness Hers mags.

What food and/or fitness item is on your holiday wish list?

Daily To-Enjoy List:

Sunshine
Warmer temps
Rest day
The fact that it's Friday