Where's the Beach?

Running & Legs Well today we finally have sunshine and no gusting winds. I was beginning to think that would never happen. But, I decided to hit the treadmill and get in legs today rather than head outside for a run. I must admit something first. I don't know why, but treadmill running makes me feel like less of a runner. I know that probably sounds silly. I mean, I'm on the darn thing running. I'm usually doing intervals trying to increase my speed. But, I don't enjoy it at all. I've never ever had that runner's high, awesome, love the world feeling from a treadmill run. It just doesn't feel the same as the wind on your face, the sun on your skin, the feel of the pavement under your feet. There's just something so crucial to the enjoyment factor I usually equate to running that is just flat out missing. But, I really need to work on speed, and the treadmill is a great way to get that done. I also really wanted to work quads today and then maj

Spin Over a Run Today I had high hopes for running. It started off really cold this morning, but the sun came out in full force. The forecast was for low 50's. Sounded pretty good to me. But the wind was not cooperating. Maybe I'm just a big old whimp, but running in 24+mph winds just doesn't sound like fun. Luckily, I had a backup plan. I did pack clothes for spin class as well. So, it was spin with triceps before class. I did triceps as a triset of 3x8: Double-arm overhead triceps extensions Lying triceps extensions Dips Then it was off to spin my little legs off. I think leg day (Saturday) and the interval runs from Sunday were catching up with me a bit today though. My legs felt so heavy. In my mind I was moving faster, but in reality, not so much. But, it was a good class. Definitely gave me a much-needed energy boost for the day. So, for you runners, what's your limitation on the weather? I've run in sleet, rain, storms, 17 degree temps, 95+ degree

Weight Day Apparently we skipped fall and jumped straight into winter, well, for a day or so anyway. Today was low 30's and gusting winds walking into the office. You can bet I pulled out my warm scarf and gloves for the trek in. The highs were barely 40 degrees, maybe not even 40 thanks to the fun wind chill. This meant no desire to run today. I would have hit spin, but I had a webinar from 12:30-2. I decided to hit the gym early and get in the weights I had intended on doing yesterday. I got there at 10 and it was lovely...in other words, I had the weights all to myself. Near the end of my workout one other man showed up then two girls. But as is typical, the females headed directly to the cardio equipment. I find it kind of sad to pretty much always be the only female in the weights area. Is this typical at your gym as well? Just curious. Anyway, I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical as a warm up. Then I went with back, chest (done as supersets of 3x8), and some abs

Friday Night Sleep Over I feel like this weekend has just been so packed that I almost don't even know where to begin. And how is it almost over for that matter? Friday, my sister ended up staying the night with her two kiddos. This was their first over-night stay at our house, and to say they were excited is a massive understatement. So after a day with a full house that ended up included: sister, her 2 kids, my mom and her husband, plus my cousin and his daughter, we ended up having house guests. Originally it was just going to be Sarah staying and the kids were going to ride back home and stay with my mom. But, plans ended up changing last minute, so A and C got to stay as well. I now have several new pieces of artwork including a birthday card and necklace A made for me. Uncle Jason did an amazing job entertaining them I must say. Though at one point he came downstairs thinking he had been playing with them for about 2 hours and thinking was close to their bed time...only t

Finally, as promised, here is my vegan Thanksgiving menu (well, vegan minus the turkey mom brought of course). Smashed Sweet Potatoes Wild Mushroom Green Bean Casserole Pumpkin Risotto Apricot Glazed Brussels Sprouts Homemade rolls (wheat and gluten-free) Turkey with dressing (brought by my mom) Faux chicken with chipotle cranberry relish for myself Vegan Gravy (courtesy of Angela at Oh She Glows ) Gluten-free Pumpkin Roulade (from local bakery) I started off Friday morning around 8 am prepping some of the food to make it easier to put together when it came time to eat. Onion rings smell really odd at 8 am I might add. I steamed the sweet potatoes and sat those aside. I knew I could reheat them in the microwave and smash them at the last minute. I reconstituted the mushrooms and put together the green bean casserole ahead of time, leaving the onion rings off of course. I also made the gravy as well so that I could put away all small kitchen appliances. I really was trying

Today I decided to take as a rest day. I didn't want to feel rushed trying to get in a workout before we had to head out of town (our hometown an hour away). At least that made the morning relaxing. Jason finished cutting up the green beans, onions, and red bell peppers for a dish for my dad's house. Then we packed up the rolls I had also made and headed out. First stop was Jason's parents' house for their family meal. We got there a little early so we could visit before having to eat then rush out. I didn't eat there, but Jason had a plate. He played a little baseball with the younger kids for a short bit before we had to hit the road to head to my dad's house. They used to live within 5 minutes of one another. Now dad lives across town so it was a 30 minute drive. We got there a little bit early - actually beat my sister there for a change. Jason was a trooper and played with my niece and nephew for a short bit. The weather sucked - supposed to have been i

Great Run on Gloomy Day It might be Wednesday, but it sure feels like a Friday since I am off work the next two days. I know not everyone is so lucky though. I remember my dad having to work most Thanksgiving evenings as a manager for Walmart. Gotta get ready for Black Friday right? And when I worked retail, I was at work by 6 am on Friday morning after Thanksgiving. Do we really have to shop that day? Can't everyone get a little time off with family? And yes, I've been guilty of hitting up Black Friday too. Guess that means that those of us who are lucky enough to be off should remember to enjoy the time that much more. Crazy families and all. Enough semi-ranting...Today I was able to head out for a run with no rain, no gusting winds, no extreme temperatures. Kind of wasn't even sure how to dress myself for a "normal" day. It was supposed to have been 60 degrees and sunny. In reality, it was 52 degrees with heavy cloud. It felt incredibly damp and cool out

Relaxing Monday Evening Last night Jason made some burritos for us for dinner. Nothing fancy, but they were quite tasty. I don't know exactly what all he added, but I know they had yellow bell peppers, onions, black beans, some leftover enchilada sauce. He toasted them up just the way I prefer too. I made sure to top with lots of jalapeno, but opted not to take photos. We sat back and relaxed and watched Horrible Bosses . I know pretty much everyone gave it a thumbs up. And, for the most part, I thought it was pretty good. But sometimes movies when every single thing goes wrong and keeps piling up get to me a bit. So, by the end I was ready for it to be over. I'm really a terrible movie watcher is what it comes down to. But it was still a nice, relaxing evening. Spin & Biceps Today I hit up spin class again today. I started with biceps before the class: SS - 3 x Hammer curls - 10, 10, 8 Incline curls - 8, 8, 8 Dropset: Dumbbell curls - 6, 8, 10 Jason surprised

Last night was a bumpy one here with severe thunderstorms all night long. It looked like a never-ending strobe light with thunder that rattled the house. Poor Heath man looked like he was about to come unglued when I went down to feed them this morning. He just can't handle storms. Luckily it had stopped with the thunder around that time so he actually ate his breakfast. If it's storming, he won't even eat. However, it was not an easy task getting out the door. He wedged himself up against it and wouldn't budge. Thirty pounds of dead weight is really darn heavy I might add. I had my gym bag and lunch bag in hand along with umbrella so I had to try to scootch his rear into the kitchen. Kind of funny, kind of sad. Poor little guy. Anyway, It was pretty much rain all day here, lots of flooding going on. So happy I have rainboots and that I don't have a far commute. It was definitely not a run day for me to say the least. As has been fairly typical of Mondays, tho

Spin & Weights  Today Jason and I hit the gym together. The plan was to do weights and then try out a new Cathe Friedrich DVD - Cycle Max (Thanks Jo !!). Of course, this was the plan in my mind. Jason thought the plan was to just do the spin workout. I had jumped on the elliptical to get in a 10 minute warm up before weights, thinking we'd try some of the spin after weights. Jason, in the meantime, was apparently setting up the laptop and DVD in the spin area. He came around the corner looking really confused, and I looked confused right back of course. So, today's workout started with spin. I only did about 30 minutes of the workout (Jason did the whole disc) before moving on to weights. I will say, that if you are in the market for a spin workout you can take to the gym on a day when there are no classes or to do at home, this is a good one. Of course. I don't think I've done one of Cathe's workouts that aren't awesome. I went with chest, shoulders

Friday Finds I must recap my Hobby Lobby purchase yesterday for my Thanksgiving tablescape. As I mentioned , I love tablescapes. Since I found out I family was actually coming over for Thanksgiving dinner, not only have I been going over recipe ideas, but also table decoration ideas. After a 40-minute bumper-to-bumper, 5 mile drive to Hobby Lobby, I did actually score this awesome wreath for 80% off (originally $70, got for $14). I don't really want the wreath so much as the accessories on the wreath, which easily would have been more than $15 on their own. Is it terrible to take the wreath apart? Please say no, because that's the plan. I have the napkins, place mats, and candle holders. So I'm thinking it all goes well together. Now to implement ;-) And I'm still not set on the menu yet, but here are some ideas as some of you guys sounded interested: Smashed sweet potatoes topped with roasted walnuts (maybe spiced) Pumpkin risotto topped with wild mushrooms

Fun Friday Today I ended up leaving work at 11 (half day) so that I could get my driver's license renewed, go for a run, and run some errands. I get to host Thanksgiving at my house for my mom, her husband, my sis and her kids. This is the first time I'm hosting Thanksgiving (it'll actually be Friday), so I'm very excited about this. My mom will be bringing turkey, obviously I wouldn't cook it. But, I get to do all the sides. Oh the wheels have been turning! I'm actually almost overwhelmed at all the possibilities. I mean, I, for the first time, can have a Thanksgiving meal with dishes I can eat, I can really enjoy, I can get creative with. I have sort of been torn with taking traditional items like green bean casserole and making them more my style (like with a wild mushroom cashew cream) or smashed sweet potatoes in lieu of smashed potatoes. Or do I go crazy and try something new? Decisions decisions. Anyway, with this new freedom comes the opportunity

Rest Day = Time for Errands While my legs weren't too bad off after yesterday's workout, I was feeling fatigued over all. Normally I'd prefer my rest day to be Friday, but I just wasn't feeling it for any workout at all today. Plus, I am taking half a day tomorrow to do fun stuff like get my driver's license renewed, so I figured I'd have plenty of time to get out for an afternoon run. It's supposed to be sunny and close to 60 degrees. Since I had extra time today, I was able to get groceries at lunch then make another errand stop after work. We have a place called the Drug Emporium that carries many vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items tons cheaper than Whole Foods or the regular grocery story. They also carry my weakness - PB2, which I've been out of for weeks now. The store just isn't convenient at all for me to get to. Feels so out of the way. But, there were some gluten-free flours I needed to pick up for a special surprise for my sister

Support for a Friend Before I dive into today's normal post, I wanted to take a minute to ask for your support. Some of you may remember this request from last year , for those not familiar, I have a dear friend, Lindsey, who's husband, Tommy, passed away after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. There is a 5k walk/run event this weekend that raises money for the pancreatic cancer research - PurpleStride Atlanta . If you are in the Atlanta area and are free this Saturday, I highly encourage you to particpate in the race. It's an event for a really good cause. I know not many of you live in that area so another way to support Lindsey in memory of Tommy and to potentially help others is to make a donation . It is tax deductible. And if you are unable to donate yourself, I would appreciate it if you could please forward this to others.  Legs & Back Today I ended up going with legs and back at the gym over a run. It was finally sunny, but really windy (again

Biceps & Spin Today was wet, gray, flat out dreary. I joked that I was going to have to swim across the street to the gym to hit up spin. Thank goodness for rainboots. Though, Jason didn't seem to think that rainboots paired well with running shorts and my long-sleeved t-shirt that I wore out of the gym. Men.... ;-) Before class, I was able to get in biceps. I did a giant set of 3 x (6, 8, 8) Dumbbell curls Hammer curls Incline curls Spin class was a goody today. Definitely put me in a better mood despite the gray skies I was staring out at. I have a feeling that tomorrow my legs will be feeling today. I am hoping to maybe get out for a run tomorrow depending on what happens with the weather. Otherwise, maybe leg day. I am seriously missing running though. Chili & Nail Polish I really wasn't sure what I wanted to make or even felt like eating for dinner. It was just so nasty out. Soup sort of sounded good. Jason was wanting the Spicy White Chili . I really

Saturday Recap Not only did I have an absolutely perfect Saturday, I did myself a huge favor and pretty much logged off the computer the entire weekend. It was quite liberating actually. Saturday, my sis made it to my house around 9:30 and we got ourselves ready for a run. Unfortunately, the sun decided to stay hidden (though it was supposed to have been sunny all day). Sarah is more of a run/walker, and so is a friend of ours. Sarah and I started at the Big Dam Bridge and headed towards the newer bridge (Two Rivers) where our friend C was going to meet up with her so they could explore the new trails. Sarah has gone down to the river trails with me before, but this was before the new bridge to the other trail system. I got in a solid 8 miles. I had the strange sense of guilt (irrational of course) for not getting double-digit miles done. Thankfully, I listened to my rational side and made my loop back sooner than later. The last mile was quite painful, so I really am glad I did

Last night I met some friends for a short happy hour before heading home. Jason went camping with his dad and brother, so I was flying solo. That didn't mean no pizza for Pizza Friday. I ended up making myself a mini socca pizza for dinner. I enjoyed that with a glass of wine snuggled on the couch with the pups watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I have no idea why, but I just love that show. Maybe it's just Guy's personality. It's usually not the food as it's rarely meatless. Anyway, a guilty pleasure I suppose. As I mentioned yesterday, today I am hosting a Girls' Night In. Not a big shindig, just a few friends over - PJs are the required attire (similar to last year's PJs n' Pizza Party ). I don't know about you, but sometimes my excuse for not going to a party or event is because I'd rather be in my PJs. So this works out quite nicely. My sister is coming up this morning and we're planning on running. So, I've just been p

Rest Day  As is fairly typical, today is my rest day. Definitely looking forward to a workout-free day after leg day yesterday (and all the spin classes this week). Although, I wonder if I shouldn't actually do a low intensity workout after a leg workout to loosen the legs up. I might try to arrange workouts that way next week to see if it helps with the Day-2 DOMS that might be worse from not moving the day after - if that makes any kind of sense. What are your thoughts? Do you rest after a leg day? How do you determine which day(s) is going to be your rest day? Either way, I was really glad to have a little extra time in my day today. I needed to get to Target and a few other errands for a Girls' Night In get together tomorrow. Really looking forward to that - and my sis is coming up. Should be a great weekend ahead. Fun Facts Friday - I'm Weird Last night while making dinner, I was reminded of one of my many quirks. It got me to thinking about how I am really w