Where's the Beach?

Do you ever have those days when it just all hits you - you're tired. Completely done in. You've been logging miles upon miles, increasing your weights during lifting workouts, cross-training, stretching, rolling out those muscle not to mention going to work, cooking, cleaning, etc. Um, that's a lot of hours being busy and active. After yesterday's tough morning run - it was a good run, but a hard one. It was definitely not a long slow day. The speed plus the humidity wiped me out. I knew right after that run that a rest day was in order. I mean not even a single thought of working out has crept into my mind. I don't even want to look at my yoga mat for stretching. Sometimes I forget to embrace my rest days. I forget to look forward to them and enjoy them. Then my body will quickly remind me to take time and relax, enjoy, rest and reap the benefits. So today, I'm enjoying and looking forward to fun, looking forward to rest, enjoying extra sleep. It'...

Happy Friday Eve! I feel like my days have been mixed up all week. Don't you just hate it when that happens? It's been a good week so far, but I am definitely ready for the weekend. I've gotten in some good runs (even managed to knock out my 10-miler this morning), done with my weight workouts for the week, now to focus on some extra stretching and enjoy a rest day tomorrow. Time to celebrate right? To celebrate Thursday, I thought I'd share 3 things that have made me smile this week. 1. ProCakes Protein Pancakes As a FitFluential Ambassador , I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to receive a sample of ProCakes to review. I will have a full review next week, but had to share as one of my 3 Things. These are gluten-free, high protein, and insanely easy to throw together. Even better - they actually taste good! 2. ThinkThin Bars I won this awesome stash of goodness from Amanda at  ThereAreTwoSides . I love ThinkThin Bars and am excited to try some of ...

I want to say Happy Tuesday! But Tuesday always feels like a weird day of the week. It's better than Monday, but not quite Hump Day. It's almost the middle child of the week isn't it? Yes, technically Wednesday should be, but people get oddly happy about Wednesday. I've not been feeling uber creative in the kitchen, so I don't have any recipes. My weekend was low-key so not tons to share unless I tell you that I ran (again), that I hate humidity (again), that I enjoyed pool time and reading (always a bonus though). I'd love to share some awesome training tips or words of motivation, or something inspiring. But I'm not feeling terribly inspiring. I am feeling honest, however. I thought it might be a Tell it Like it Is kind of day. Sometimes getting things out of my head is helpful - maybe it'll open up some space for better creativity. So here we (I) go. Sometimes I ... Don't feel like lifting weights. I typically enjoy lifting. I love how l...

Happy Friday friends! My first inclination, today, is to be a bit whiny and complainy (that's a word), especially about our weather change. We went from unseasonably cool weather to full on summer pretty much over night. Don't get me wrong, I love summer. It's really my favorite time of the year. However, as a runner, summer really isn't exactly my BFF. No more sleeping in on Saturdays. I know I have to get out early to attempt to beat the heat. Which is kind of funny because now all the sudden, beating the heat means running when it's 75 degrees. Now, I wouldn't complain too much about that, except for the 100% humidity and the high dew points. Just makes the air feel thick and soupy. But, I said I wasn't going to be complainy right? Let's move onto something positive then ... upsides of summer running (I may be digging deep here folks): 1. Getting to jump into the swimming pool right after a run. That's kind of a fun treat. 2. Running t...

Well, it happened. It's been a while, so I feel like it was overdue: The Bad Run. Yes, I was getting into that pool ASAP and it was heavenly I headed out the door just after 5:30 and could tell the sunrise was going to be gorgeous. I smiled and that might have been the last time I smiled. The air was so thick it smacked me in the face. It was already 77 degrees with high humidity and dew point. Hello Summer in the South! Because the sunrise was looking promising, I headed towards the river. I noticed right away that my Garmin miles were way off - what should have been 1 mile wasn't even .9 yet. My pace was also crazy. I felt like I was working too hard so I checked and my handy dandy fancy old Garmin was showing 13+ minute mile then it jumped to almost 17 minute mile. I walk faster than that. I was annoyed because I wanted to see the pace to figure out if I was really working as hard as if felt or if it was the heat and humidity taking ahold of me. It finally decide...

It's 5:15 am, still dark, bed is comfy, but you know you should be getting up to get in your workout. If you don't do it now, there's a chance it won't happen. But the pull of the bed is just too much to resist. Sound familiar? I know that there are some lucky people who just bound out of bed before the alarm. Eager beavers happy and chipper. Then, there's the rest of us. Now, most of you probably realize that I get up early to run, so you're thinking that I must be a morning person right? Nope, not so much. I'll do it. It's become a habit. Once I'm up and out the door, I'm happy that I did get up. That I did get my run done. Running or cycling on the trainer I can handle in the wee hours. Weights? No way. Not going to happen (safely). So, how does a non-morning person become a morning exerciser ? And should you bother trying? I think there are some great reasons for getting up and getting it done. For one thing, it's done for the...

I know that I mention running here and there, but I've not really talked much about my workouts in a while. I used to post my weight workouts, my running miles, even cycling miles. So, for Fun for Friday , I thought I'd do a little run down on my workout life .  1. Running   I've been consistently hitting 40-43 miles per week and feeling good. However, I know it's time to take a nice back-off week and let my body recovery. I also know that summer is here and as the heat and humidity continue to go up, my running will become more difficult. The summer plan is to maintain a solid baseline and just try to enjoy running.  2. Cycling   I've yet to take my bike off the trainer. Jason put on the clip on pedals and I'm absolutely terrified of riding it now. However, with all the rain we've had, it's been great having the trainer option and for easy access for riding in the early mornings when I'm not running.  3. Weight Lifting   I fi...

Have you ever has one of those mornings that just started off completely wrong? No? Never? I guess mine started with a terrible night sleep. Heath has decided that he no longer wants to be in the kitchen at night. He'll bang at the baby gate until he either bloodies his paw or manages to dislodge the gate enough to escape. Recently, Jason has been letting them sleep downstairs outside of the kitchen. That would be fine if we knew Maddie wouldn't destroy something, like a pillow or couch. Last night he tried leaving them in the kitchen. Let's just say not only did that not work out, Heath managed to knock down another baby gate we have leading upstairs. He mosies on into our room, toenails clipclapping away on the hardwood floors - this is around 2 am mind you. I ended up covering up my ears with the pillow and a blanket and finally dozed off, in and out of sleep really as he kept getting up randomly. I finally got up out of bed at just after 5 am. He had happily enjoy...

Jason and I used to make pasta salads all the time during the summer. I decided to do a healthier twist on a pasta salad by using quinoa. I had some fresh grape tomatoes on hand and a garden full of basil and oregano, hence the " Italian Style ." I'm fairly certain basil and tomatoes were made for each other. I wanted the dressing to be bright and fresh to compliment the fresh herbs and tomatoes, so I used lemon zest and juice to bring out the flavors of the herbs. I also decided to add in re-hydrated sundried tomatoes for an extra tang. This is really easy to put together and would be fantastic to take to a summer picnic or family gathering. You could also serve it as a side dish to a grilled meat or non-meat protein of choice. Italian Style Quinoa Salad Ingredients: 1 cup red quinoa 2 cups water 1 container grape or cherry tomatoes, 1 can cannelini beans Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1/2 tbsp minced garlic 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (or to desired consistency...

I'm convinced that Arkansas has been transported to the far northwest corner of the US. We have had rain, rain, and more rain. I feel like I should invest in a boat to get around at this point. Luckily, it wasn't storming when I set out for my runs this weekend, just wet. I guess the upside is that the rain keeps me cooler on the runs. That's something positive right? Saturday morning I woke up before 6 am because of dearest Maddie barking. I was up. It was as cool as it was going to be for the day, so I headed out for my run. I saw lots of other runners out and about. Chatted briefly with one man who was out for a 20+ mile run. I was happy that it was overcast, light breeze. I zigzagged and meandered through the neighborhood and near the river. I'm still using Jason's Suunto (because my refurbished Garmin was a total dud and had to go back, total other story though), which measures pace in mph. This completely throws me off, so I've not been managing my pac...

It's Friday and my brain is fried. I couldn't come up with any fun, cohesive ideas for a Fun for Friday post. I decided to go with the tried and true 5 for Friday. I hope you won't judge my lack of creativity! Here are some random 5 things that I'm enjoying or looking forward to enjoying. 1. Looking forward to spending some time with my sister tomorrow. If it will stop raining, then we plan on lounging on the patio in my new lounge chairs (which I've yet to be able to use). 2. Seeing the bottom of the pool finally! Jason has spent weeks trying to get the pool cleared up and ready for use. Of course, we need the rain to go away so we can actually enjoy it now. This also means that I can jump in and cool off after my sweatastic morning runs. 3. Embracing a non-running day this morning made me a happy camper. I still woke up early, but enjoyed an easy spin on the bike watching Friday Night Lights. Still trying to get into it, but I'm on episode 7 no...

I think it's well known that runners are a unique group of people. We get up at dark-thirty or squeeze in a run during lunch breaks or after work, we hit the pavement in the rain, sleet, snow, heat and humidity. We often complain that the run was hard, but in the same breath start talking about it in terms of unicorns and rainbows.  What drives runners? Where do they find that motivation to do something that's not always pleasant? Let's face it, running can hurt (hello chafing, blisters, black toenails, lungs on fire). Running can be mentally tough as well. We talk bad about ourselves, doubt ourselves. But somehow, we keep going. Why? How? For me, it's almost impossible to really explain why I keep at it. It makes me happy. It clears my mind. It makes me feel accomplished like nothing else. That isn't to say that I don't lose motivation from time to time.  There are days when the thought of waking up early once more sends me into a 2-year-old tan...

In honor of National Running Day , I of course had to get in a morning run. Runners all have their own reasons for running. Some started for weight loss, some started as kids in track, some of us sort of stumbled into it and feel in love by accident. I thought it would be appropriate on National Running Day to share my answers (yes plural) to I Run ... I Run because it makes me feel empowered. I Run because it makes me feel alive. I Run because it clears my mind. I Run because it makes me feel strong in a completely different way than strength training. I Run to prove to myself that I'm stronger than I give myself credit for. I Run to enjoy being outside. I Run to watch sunrises. I Run for alone time. I Run to explore. I Run to catch up with my husband or my friend. I Run because no matter how tough, no matter how bad the weather, no matter how much I want to give up, it makes me feel accomplished. I Run because it makes me feel beautiful....