Where's the Beach?

Post-Run Soup Yesterday ended up being another weird weather day for us. Saturday was 70+ degrees. Yesterday it was in the upper 20's with freezing rain/sleet/snow. That meant slippery streets, not conducive to a run with my running buddy. I ended up hitting up our work gym's treadmill. I normally hate the treadmill. Once upon a time, I actually liked it though. But there's just something stagnant to me about running on the mill. Also, my former gym didn't allow you to change the TV stations so you had ESPN or CNN. Oooohhh exciting right? Not. Anyway, no one was there (most people left work early because of the road conditions), so I changed the TV channel to the Food Network. Something about running and watching cooking shows that just works for me. Not being sarcastic either. I kept it fairly slow and steady. I ended up hitting 4 miles and made a deal with myself to go to 5 then I could rest and see how I felt from there. At 5 miles, I walked, drank water, towe...

Running & Yoga (Again?) Yesterday morning I got to sleep in just a tad (like 5:40) before getting up to meet up with my running buddy. She was going to meet me just after 6, so that meant I had more time to stay in bed. And it's amazing how an extra 30 minutes can feel I must say. My plan was for 5 miles. She was going for 6-7, so it worked out that she "picked me up" this time around. We took a route that lead us down near the river. It's always really calm and quiet at that hour down there. However, we did notice that just starting 20 minutes later meant a higher volume on the main roads. I ran past a bakery and was so confused as to why I was having to dodge so many cars pulling in and out. It turned out to be a really good run for me. Perhaps it was the yoga and epsom salt bath from the previous evening? Maybe everything just clicked right? Not sure, but I'll take it. And I'll take the time too. My overall average was an 8:52. Not too far off fro...

Tomorrow morning we are flying out and heading to San Diego. I'm attending the Social Fresh West social media conference on Thursday and Friday. Jason wan't going to let me go to a gorgeous place like San Diego without him LOL. Since I won't be getting a long run this weekend obviously, I went ahead and got it done this morning. I got in right at 4 miles with Jason before meeting up with my running buddy. We did have to make a quick stop by the house for more Body Glide. Humidity and sweaty inner thighs with running shorts don't always mix well, just sayin'. Then "A" and I were off for the rest of the run. It was definitely a lot warmer and more humid again than it's been. Back up to just under 70 to start off the run. But there was a nice breeze so that really helped out. You take what you can get some days. Today was one of those runs where I'd hit a great groove then get totally off kilter then back on again. I'm definitely looking fo...

Itching and Running So today was kind of interesting. I guess I should back up Saturday morning. I woke up and had 2 itchy bumps on my neck. I told Jason we needed to change the sheets immediately. I thought maybe it was a spider bite. Later on, a couple of other bumps and then Sunday, a few more. So Monday I spent some time looking up bumps and pictures. Trust me, don't do that. You'll a) gross yourself out and b) scare the crap out of yourself assuming you have some flesh eating disease. I ended up going to the doctor. I really don't care much for my doctor. He always seems so incredibly blase, unconcerned. He looked at my neck (where the bumps are located) and said, "It looks like chicken pox." He asked if I'd had them as a kid, and yes I did. He repeated that he thought they looked like chicken pox and asked if I'd been feeling ok. No fever that I knew (though I was having headaches Thursday and Friday). He then said, "Well, if it was me, I...

New Running Gear Today I had extra incentive to get out and run - new running gear! I ordered a couple of things for myself and Jason from Brooks Running on Friday and it already arrived today. Love fast shipping like that! Needless to say, I "had" to take my new hat and shirt for a test run. HVAC Infiniti Mesh Cap HVAC Synergy Sleeveless I loved the hat. It is super light and kept the sweat out of my face - huge plus for me. It was a little big so I kind of had to rig it a little, but I have to do that with almost every hat I buy. The shirt is the ideal shirt for warm-weather running. Normally I just wear a sports bra when it gets hot. But I have wanted to try singlets but never found any that didn't stick to me, make me feel claustrophobic. They all seem to make me even hotter, the last thing I need when it's it's 80+ degrees out. It was about 73, so not terribly hot mind you, but definitely sweat-inducing after you got moving. And this shirt? I wish I ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Weights & Short Run This morning I got up and hit the gym around 9:30. It's almost always completely empty at that time on a Sunday. The only foul was that the freaking heat was on. Granted, it was barely 50 degrees this morning, but the heat in a gym???? Never. Anyway, let's just say I got in a good sweatfest ;-) I warmed up for 15 minutes on the elliptical then moved on to weights. On tap was biceps, back, chest & abs. SS#1 - 4x8 Incline curls Hammer curls SS#2 - 4x8 Underhand barbell rows Pullovers SS#3 - 3x8 Chest flye into chest press I did some ab work then headed home for an easy, 2-mile run around the neighborhood. I was supposed to hit 20 miles this week, this put me at 21. I totally could have skipped it of course. However, it was just way too gorgeous out for me to not get out for a short run. To-Do List & Spaghetti Sunday After my workout and a recovery snack, I started knocking things off my to-do list. I got my car washed inside and ...

Leg Day Today I packed my gym bag and hauled it to the office with me. My plan was to do legs at lunch and secretly hoped I'd feel up to the 3-mile run on today's half marathon training plan. I know, crazy talk. I really wasn't sure how my legs would feel after two days of pretty hard runs. But they seemed (key word) to be a-ok. I warmed up with 10 minutes on the elliptical then started with a warmup set of 10 squats with no weight on the bar. Then I got to it: SS Squats Plie squats Front, side, rear lunge combo* - 3x4 SS Single-leg deadlifts - 3x8 Calf raises - 3x20 *Start with feet parallel, lunge front then return to start tapping toe, lunge side return tapping toe, lunge back tapping toe for 1 rep. I used a single weight held in both hands. I finished with some abs then headed home to get cleaned up before going back to work. This workout looks harmless enough right? Apparently my quads didn't know they were sore until I started with the lunge combo...

Treadmill Run & Weights Thankfully, we all slept better last night. I think Bella may have just been overly excited the first evening. I actually woke up at they time I would try to get up for an early morning run. Unfortunately, the index was already 90 degrees. I just didn't have it in me to try to force a run. Of course, I did kick myself most of the morning as my treadmill run loomed ahead. I was definitely not into the treadmill run one bit. Sometimes I can handle it better than others. Today...not so much. I decided to do myself a favor and do a short run with intervals then hit the weights for the rest of the workout session. I started with 1 mile then did 1 mile with intervals, followed up by another mile to round out the mileage to an even three. The intervals were as follows: 2 x 2 minutes (8:13 and 9:31 as recovery) 2 x 1 minute (8:13 and 9:31 as recovery) I really struggled to keep myself on the treadmill for the last mile. Totally counting down the minutes...

Last night I wasn't in the mood for cooking to be completely honest. I was ready to go with veggie burgers and sweet potato fries. Jason kept searching the cabinets, fridge, freezer, cabinets again. I could tell burgers and fries wasn't going to cut it. I told him if he wanted to get creative, then go for it. About 20 minutes later, he was still searching. Last week he had mentioned making Italian "Beef" Sandwiches as we hadn't had them in a while. I was out of homemade seitan though, so we went on to something else. Thankfully last night I had a backup for the seitan. I had a $1 off coupon for Gardein products that I picked up at the Lincoln Park Art & Music Festival in Chicago from the Gardein Party Tour Truck . So, when I was a the store over the weekend, I picked up some Gardein Chik'n Strips . They ended up working perfecting for another version of Italian "Beef" Sandwiches . Yes, they are supposed to be a "chicken" sub, bu...

Two-on-Wednesday Running This morning's run almost didn't happen. I didn't sleep well at all last night. Maddie was up and about in her kennel then the ceiling fan started making a ticking noise. And you know once you pick up on a subtle noise, it's all you hear suddenly. I finally fell into a fairly deep sleep at 3 and was woken by the alarm at 5:05. I'm not one to just loll around in the bed hitting snooze. So I hopped out of be and went straight for the bathroom to start getting ready. Jason didn't budge. I stood there for a few minutes and decided, forget it, I'll do spin at lunch instead. I turned off the lights and reset the alarm. About 10 minutes later, I was back up and getting dressed for my run. I kept telling myself on the drive over to the Big Dam Bridge that I could just do 4 miles then maybe some pickups or hill repeats. But if I didn't feel like it. No big deal. I kept thinking I could do a faster 4 mile and that would allay any ann...

Hot Dogs and Heart Health Well here's a fun day for a vegetarian - a hot dog sale on the floor of your office to raise money for a heart walk. Yes - hot dogs and heart health. Really, I have no other words. I don't think they are even necessary. But I certainly did NOT want to have to walk down the hall to go to the restroom or have to use the sink in the breakroom to wash a mug. It literally made me sick to my stomach. Are there any smells that just put you over the edge? For me it'd definitely be hot dogs and the smells of a BBQ joint. Crappy Weather = Leg Day Anyway, the weather didn't help my mood again today. So I was probably even more sensitive to the wretched odors and absolute idiocracy of a hot dog sale for heart health...it was supposed to be sunny and 59. I was really excited about an afternoon run. At noon, the wind chill was hovering at 40 and the clouds were low and thick. Hello Mr. Weatherman, where did you go to school? Bah freaking humbug att...

Soup and Sandwich Sunday Last night we ended up going for soup and sandwiches for dinner. My tummy was not going to handle anything very heavy. Soup just sounded right, even though it was 95+ degrees out. I opted for Butternut Squash Soup (only changes were omitting carrots and using all rice milk as I was out of stock) with Grilled BST Sandwich . Grilled BST Sandwich Ingredients:  5-6 strips tempeh bacon Whole-wheat sandwich rounds Fresh spinach Fresh basil 1 Roma tomato thinly sliced Soy Kaas Montery Jack "Cheese" (or other dairy or non-dairy cheese) Sundried Tomato & Basil Veggie Dip (could also use a mayo or hummus) Directions: Spread dip on both sandwich rounds, then layer: spinach, basil, tomatoes, tempeh, top with "cheese" and grill both sides until crisp and melty. Legs & Boxing Beat the Blues This morning my eyes popped open at 5:27, but I was seriously not in the mood to do any exercising, so I dozed for another 50 minutes or s...

Shopping in Spain Well, last night I waited to check the voice message on our phone until after I had finished my workout. It was a message from the bank. Well, I thought it was because I had been lazy and not activated my new card (it arrived Saturday). So I went to activate and wasn't allowed to do so. I was annoyed because that meant I had to call back the person who had left the message and actually talk to someone rather than punch in numbers. She started asking me about recent purchases...in Spain. Yep, card had been hacked somehow, and someone was having a great time buying 393 dollar perfumes and such. It's such a helpless feeling. They froze the account, but the bank was already closed for the day. That meant I had to wait...I'm not good at waiting. Luckily, the bank opens at 7:30 am, so we were there promptly at 7:30 am. Running in the Rain That story brings me to this morning's workouts. I was hell bent on running. I was determined to run with or withou...

Friday Follow Up Last night was a ton of fun. I always enjoy getting to hang out with my sister. We started the evening off with a happy hour at Big Whiskey's then back to the house for homemade pizza and wine. I had pre-made my usual Wheat Pizza Dough Thursday evening, but we did end up having a friend of Jason's stop by. So, I dug out an old recipe I had on hand for a super quick Whole-Wheat and Honey Dough . This one does not really rise, it's a much flatter, crispier type of crust. But it really works in a pinch. Tim was super nice and brought over some wine to share. It went perfect with the pizza, which no one complained about! One was made up Greek style with sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, spinach, artichokes, banana pepper rings, roasted red bell peppers, and feta. For the other pizza, half was made with vegetarian pepperoni, sauteed green bell peppers, onions, and garlic. The other half had sauteed squash, green and red bell peppers, and onions. There was no...