Itching to Run...

OMGoodness WHAT time is it?!

Puzzled by that clock?  Don't worry.. the numbers are still in their typical locations, just using Nerdy Math terms ;)

That clock was a graduation present from my parents when I graduated with a BS in Applied Mathematics.

::NERD ALERT::

It's roughly 10:50am according to my clock now hanging in my cubical here at work... and I am simply itching to run!!!

Surprisingly there were no Cartoons on Google that had to do with a Runner fidgiting frantically at the office... so I drew that one up myself then added text via FotoFlexer.

That's ME right now.

I have barely been able to focus all day, I just keep thinking about the GORGEOUS weather outside!!

Friday, January 6th

70 | 47 °F

Partly Cloudy

Umm... high of 70 in January?!  WONDERFUL!

This is still slightly a strange feeling to me, because a year ago I had never even run a race nor had I felt any strong feelings for running. ::gasp::

Since discovering a love of running I've found confidence, pride and happiness in my workouts.  That doesn't mean that they're all wonderful cherry topped sundaes or easy by any means, but it means that each and every day I'm learning to be happier with myself, my body and my health.

Running is like a Box of Chocolates.

Not every Run is going to be your favorite, and each one is a surprise - but all in all, you'd rather have the box of chocolates, right??

Anyways part of this dying to run today is probably due to my REST DAY yesterday.

I went with K and M to Middle-Of-Nowhere where Ash lives now to bring her and Jax her FAVORITE Burger from this tiny diner out there.

I was skeptical to say the least, but this place was pretty awesome!

and PACKED.

It's a 50's ish Car themed Diner - "MG's" - where every burger on their menu is named after a car (e.g. Chevy, Ford, Thunderbird, etc)

Retro JukeBox

M & K waiting for the Burgers

I went with the T-Bird (Turkey Burger) on their HomeMade Bun with Lettuce, Tomato, Swiss and Mushrooms.  It was HEAVEN.

And then the four of us split these....

I cannot remember the last time I let myself eat a tater tot.  Those puppies are dangerous.  So much for being healthy I probably ate half the tots myself!  Oh well, we're allowed an indulgence every now and then, right?

I just justified it by saying it would fuel my run TODAY.

Speaking of indulgences, the Grey's Anatomy premier was AMAZING SAUCE!!!

via

What that girl goes through just makes you really appreciate your life and the people around you! 

At least with all the sadness and heartbreak 

(still upset they killed off another of my favorite men - Henry)

there was a Happy Ending :)

And I made sure to start off this morning back on the right track...

From the Cafe at work -- Oatmeal with Strawberries, a few raisins, cinnamon and Truvia with a Black Coffee - YUM.

That Oatmeal was gone like the Flash.

Questions for the Day:

BEST thing you got for graduation?  Go.

How long can you go between workouts before you start getting 'antsy' and unable to concentrate? 

If you're an avid Grey's watcher (like me), what do you think about Mark's new love interest?  Do you feel bad for Lexie or think she made her choice?

 



Recap - When Life Gives you 5lbs of Lemons...

Recap of the weekend... in pictures.

Weather has been strange/icky lately.. thank goodness I got a new coat via Ideeli to keep me warm!

Sorry.. that's about all I have to say about the weather at this point.

Thursday night was GREY'S night like always!!!

The sister came over after our 'Pretty Kitty' appointments and we shared some wine from Whole Foods and picked up some Sushi to-go!

Deliciouso!

My favorite scene was at the beginning where Meredith and Christina were lying in the baseball field talking instead of practicing -- sadly I can't find a picture of this online!

While at Whole Foods picking up our wine Mari helped me locate next year's calendar... YOGA CATS!!!

Hilarious!

I had to have it.

Friday for lunch Mike took me out to Cafe Brazil.

I had the Egg White Veggie Omelette with an English Muffin, half a sliced Avocado & Fruit cup along with their endless coffee bar.  Seriously, they have an entire menu dedicated to coffee -- new flavors for the season included S'mores and Snickerdoo YUM.

Yes, it was breakfast for lunch but it was delicious. 

I ended up mashing my avocado onto the toasted english muffin and putting some of my egg white on top like a breakfast sandwich.  No, I don't order breakfast sandwiches - but then I make them myself lol

Friday once I got off work I pumped myself up for a run outside - it wasn't rainy/freezing so I had to take advantage of the break in crappy bad weather.

I hadn't worked out much all week due to work/weather so I knocked out 5 miles in 49:30 including two extremely long breaks at a stupid stop light that did not ever want to let me cross.  The run was hard, probably from sitting on my rump all week.. after walking ~3min and realizing I still had a mile before I was home I jogged another half mile then walked the last half as cool down bringing my total mileage to 6.

Snapped this pic when passing the brick wall... sunset was pretty!

Friday Night was the WORLD SERIES FINALE.

Okay, Finale probably isn't the correct term but I'm not a huge sports buff... so... 'Finale' it is.

Mike and I went to Kenny's Burger Joint to watch the game and eat some of our favorite burgers.

View of the bar --- like the quote on the wall? ;)

I don't typically like burgers (blasphemy I know -- how American am I?) BUT the Turkey burgers here are practically gourmet.  I get mine with Sauteed Mushrooms & Brie ::swoon::

And it's served on an artisan ciabatta bun.

And we split some sweet potato fries.

This was the best reward after a long run!

Saturday Mike & I had our COSTCO run and picked up millions of veggies and other food supplies so we decided to grill out with some friends.

I made the veggie skewers!!

Roasted Red Bell Peppers are SO delicious off the grill!  I could have had a skewer entirely of those babies...

We also had shrimp and some Broccoli Slaw our friends brought over.

At Costco I also saw a 5 POUND bag of lemons... and thought to myself HOMEMADE LEMONADE, HOW GREAT?!

It was a workout just lugging this bag to checkout at the front... it was a last minute thought and I'm sure Mike thought I was a little crazy showing up with the huge bag of lemons.

When we got back from the store, after making the veggie skewers I started on the lemonade.

Realized I don't own a lemon squeezer so this project was really rough!  I chopped a lemon into pretty thin circles for decoration and chopped 6 or 7 into wedges that I then de-seeded and squeeeeeezed with all my might into that pitcher.

PHEW!

That was exhausting.

After getting enough lemon juice/pulp in the pitcher I added water, TruVia, and 7UP to taste.  I had to go back and add like two more lemons.... but finally the finished product!

Homemade Lemonade <3

Recipe:

Yields 1 large pitcher

Juice/Pulp from 8-10 large lemons

1 lemon sliced in thin 'wheels'

1/3 liter 7 up or Sprite

Fill the rest of the pitcher with water & ice

TruVia to taste *(I used quite a bit -- just add, stir, and taste until you get the right taste!)

Optional: Spritzer of lime juice, Vodka

We enjoyed ours with a lil' Vodka, and it was a big hit.

Sunday was the BFF's family baby shower (we're having a friends only version in a few weeks) and it was fun helping her prep for the event!

Yes she is skilled... brushing her teeth in Sky High Bebe Pumps!

I seriously hope I look that sexy when I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant!!!

Oh yes, and also Sunday morning Mike & I made a bunch of lunches for the week - trying to be healthy AND save money. Win win.  I shall be having a delicious sandwich and salad for lunch!

Questions for the Day:

What's your ideal weather forecast? Bright and Sunny? Snow?

Mine would be BRIGHT and SUNNY approx 80ish degrees with a light breeze.

Do you ever order eggs/an omelette and end up creating your own breakfast sandwich?  What do you think makes the perfect breakfast sandwich?

Egg white, english muffin, avocado... maybe a slice of provolone cheese OR some lox depending on my mood.

Ever tried making homemade lemonade?

It Just Feels Good to be a Gangster

Accepting the Challenge.

{if you don't feel like a serious read just skip down a lil' ways for the FUN stuff}

Any time you set a new goal or decide to try something new it's a little scary. 

Doubt can fill your mind "What if I can't make it? What if I fail?"

But you have to stop and think "What if I succeed?"

I mean honestly, say you do fail.

 (although I would really only consider it failing if you never got off your butt and tried in the first place)

What is the worst that has happens? You tried something and it didn't go as planned.  You're no worse off than you were before and you probably learned a valuable lesson in the process.

Having a Running Plan terrified me at first.  It was something to hold myself to -- and I had lots of doubts about not being able to do everything the plan says I should be able to do.  I am not the strongest runner... but from the plan I've already learned I'm a much stronger runner than I'd given myself credit for.

Like the 5 mile run I completed Tuesday... without having the plan, I probably wouldn't have attempted that distance yet, and when I was able to surprise myself and complete the run in record time I felt so proud. 

I appologize for being so mushy today, but it's just that I felt I should share something that becoming a runner has meant to me.  It's built confidence in myself and each little planned workout is a checkmark on my list to becoming a better runner.

I think this is very important.

Setting little goals on the way to make your big goal.

Our big goal can sometimes seem too large or far off in the distance, but checking off the little goals can help you track your progress and visually see the distance between you and your end goal becoming smaller and smaller!

{View from Last Night's Run}

Snapped that shot as I was almost home.  Running in the dark used to terrify me, but honestly it's not dark when I start running at 7pm and it's finally cool enough that you can breathe easily and not glisten with the dew beads of one thousand pansies after a light autumn mist. 

That's the nice way of saying 'you finally don't sweat your bawls off even though you didn't have any to start with bc you're a girl'. 

LADY! Watch your language!!!!

I knocked out 3 miles with an 8:55 avg pace.

I had a .5 mile warm up walk before I started running and a .65 mile cool down.