Where's the Beach?

Morning Run This morning Jason and I got up early to get in our run for the day. He had meetings most of the morning, and the forecast was for just shy of 90 degrees. So begins the transition to early morning runs to beat the heat. Honestly, I love running early. But, I am not a morning person and hate actually getting up. But, once I get out there and get moving, it really sets the tone for the day. It's always so peaceful before the sun is up. The world is simply quieter, still. I settled into a good pace right away. Love it when that happens. We were mostly silent, but chatted in spurts here and there. We passed just a couple of people out walking, they seemed surprised to see us. The goal was an easy 4 miles, but we ended up doing 5 miles. I guess that's indicative of how well the run went. Insecurities  I did want to re-visit yesterday's post . Not because I want everyone to see the picture again, but after posting and seeing comments it made me realize just ...

Running and Relaxing I must say it's been a really good weekend. Yesterday I ended up waking up way earlier than I had wanted. But, it turned out to be a good thing really. At 7 am it was already 70 degrees with high humidity. I still didn't get my run started as early as I should have, but 9 am on a Saturday was early enough in my mind. I set out on my usual route for longer runs down at the river trails. I was sweating bullets pretty much from the start. The wind started to pick up, which at times felt good because it helped cool me off, but then at the same time I felt like I was running in place. I definitely had a hard time judging my pace because of the wind. It always throws me off and it sounds crazy but I end up going faster somehow. Like my whole idea of perceived rate of exertion is thrown out of whack. I assume it's hard because of the wind, not because of my speed. So I definitely had to remember to check my pace more frequently. After the shock of seein...

Baking I don't often post baking recipes. Actually, I don't really bake that often. But when the kind people from NuNaturals contacted me about trying out two new flavors (orange and lemon), I knew I needed to get into the kitchen. The basis for this recipe came from Kristina at SpaBettie.  You should check out her variety of iterations of this recipe too. But, the base? It's a quick, easy, vegan and gluten-free cookie base. When I thought of the orange flavoring, I thought about Ghiradelli Dark & Orange squares . I am not really a chocolate person, but will admit those are pretty darn good. Orange Chocolate Cookie Balls Ingredients: 1 can chickpeas - rinsed, drained, peeled 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I used chunky) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 dropper NuNaturals Stevia 1 1/2 - 2 droppers NuNaturals Orange Stevia (depending on taste preference) Zest of 1 orange 2 tsp fresh squeezed orange juice 2 tbsp brown rice flour 1/4 to 1/3 cup vegan carob chips or ...

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...

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 tu...

NuNaturals Stevia Giveaway Winners I used a random number generator to choose the winners. I did remove those who were not eligible due to location or had asked not to be entered. I have already emailed the winners but wanted to congratulate them again. Thank you all so much for your comments. #5 Sarena @ The Non-dairy Queen #17 Candice @ ChiaSeedMe #12 Meghan @ Cooking in College #10 Nichole @ Live for the Run Don't forget - you can save 15% off your order. To receive 15% off your total order, just visit their site (www.nunaturals.com), and at the checkout page enter this code:  BLG1130. When you order through their website, you also receive FREE SHIPPING to the Continental U.S. on all orders totaling $35.00 and over, after this special discount. This offer is ends November 30, 2010. Thanks to Ron at NuNaturals for allowing me to do this giveaway. Two on Tuesday Today was a cold, wet, dreary day. We were hoping to do the Tuesday group run again, but not in...

Fun Facts Friday - One Year 1 year ago I wrote my first blog post . There have been many many many workouts.  There have been more recipes than I can even begin to count. There have been lots of Pizza Fridays. I fell in love with new foods like beets , kale , kabocha squash , almond butter (just to name a few). I learned that you can have friends that you have never met in person. I enjoyed a weekend in Branson with Jason, my dad and step-mom. I discovered a passion for running and logged my longest run of 8 miles. I ran 3 5K races ( MacAurthur Park , Rock n' Stroll , Arkansas Komen Race for the Cure ). I went to the beach (of course). Enjoyed a 4th of July Party with family and friends (and more food). I went to the Cathe Road Trip for the first time where I also met Jessica and Jolene (fellow bloggers and Cathletes).  I visited Philadelphia .   I celebrated 10 years of marriage to Jason.  I had my first giveaway (see below).  Over ...