This was fun, BUT…

School is overwhelming.

I loved my experience on WordPress but I don’t think I have the time to come on here very often, at all!  You guys are all wonderful people, in fact, a lot of you have inspired ME to become a better person but I really, really, really need to focus on school right now.

So this might be my last post until I find time (in the Summer?) to revive this WP.  If not, I’ll comment every now and then on all of your super fantastic Word Presses just to drop in and say Hi!

RUN:

10 mi moderately-progressive long run with 20×100 strides in the BEAUTIFUL 50 degree weather outside (SHORTS, baby!!!).

EAT:

starbuck’s. ’nuff said!

In all fairness, I should leave you guys with some pictures, right? Well here’s a bombardment of the food that’s been going down during my …not so active Word Pressing!

TOP FIVE THINGS I WILL MISS FROM WORDPRESS

1. The people.

2. The CREATIVE eats.

3. The inspiration.

4. The “warm”, “friendly” feeling.

5. A place to just talk. May it be rant, share, express, laugh, enjoy…

Dear BEAUTIFUL blogger,

I have dedicated this following quote to you. Yes you, blogger who may live miles and miles away from me, or may not. Who I may have met, or have not. Who is sitting there, staring at the computer screen reading the exact words that I say to you. This is dedicated to you.

Now you must be asking yourself…why? Why would I dedicate something to you? I mean, books are dedicated to family members or people who have greatly impacted the lives of great authors! So, questions aside, doesn’t it feel great to have something dedicated to you?

Our entire lives we are told that we are never good enough. Commercials tell us that we do not look good enough, so we must buy certain make-up products. They tell us that we are not smart enough so we must buy certain books. That we are not in shape unless we use their “brilliant” fitness machines.

Well, guess what. I think you are good enough. I think that you, simply yourself, just the way that you are, is just perfect. Yes, beautiful blogger, you are good enough!

But instead of me feeding it to you…rattling off like an old record player…I want you to believe it for yourself. If only for a minute, even a second, I want you to sit there and finally realize that you are one brilliant, funny, charming, sincere person- something so incredibly priceless to the world.

Everything Happens for a Reason…

Sometimes people come into your life
and you know right away that they were
meant to be there… to serve some
sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or
help figure out who you are or who you
want to become. You never know who
these people may be but when you look
eyes with them, you know that every
moment that you are with them, they
will affect your life in some profound
way. And sometimes things happen to
you at the time that may seem horrible,
painful and unfair, but in reflection
you realize that without overcoming
those obstacles you would have never
realized your potential, strength,
will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason!
Nothing happens by chance or by means
of good luck. Illness, injury, love,
lost moments of true greatness and sheer
stupidity all occur to test the limits
of your soul. Without these small
tests, life would be like a smoothly
paved, straight, flat road to nowhere,
safe and comfortable but dull and
utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life.
The successes and downfalls that you
experience can create who you are, and
the bad experiences can be learned
from…. In fact, they are probably the
most poignant and important ones.
If someone hurts you, betrays you or
breaks your heart, forgive them because
they have helped you learn about trust
and the importance of being cautious
to whom you open your heart. If someone
loves you, love them back unconditionally
not only because they love you, but
also because they are teaching you to
love and open your heart and eyes to
little things.

MAKE EVERYDAY COUNT! Appreciate every moment and take from it everything
that you possibly can, for you may never
be able to experience it again. Talk to people who you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, even if it doesn’t seem right because you are too young or too far, just follow your heart. Surround yourself with those who make you smile, laugh, and make you happy.

Break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life then LET GO and LIVE IT!

Author Unknown

Eating Out on Saturday :)

Sooo….

…about the WordPress….

Long time no see? 😉

I will be on and off, trying to be more “on” than “off” I suppose. Today was a very fun – filled day so I decided to pay you guys a visit and throw up a post!

RUN: ~10 miles with 4×100 strides and form drills.
EAT:
Breakfast was a Chocolate Blueberry Protein Smoothie to help with Recovery!

Then I had some pancakes, warmed with berries.

Afterwards, I went to Portillo’s with a friend and ended up getting a Grilled Tuna Sandwich (with tomatoes, lettuce, onions) on a toasted Kaiser Bun. This was DELICIOUS. (Sorry, no pictures!!!) I also had a few of his fries with cheese.

Since I still had a $25 gift card from Nike due to expire after January, I hit up the Nike Premium Outlet and bought a few pieces of winter running clothes. While shopping I also had a TCBY Frozen Yogurt…Golden Vanilla!

WOW. It was so smooth and creamy. It’s never too cold for some frozen yogurt, huh?

What’s your favorite place to eat out at?

Sunny and Cold. Brr.

Sooo. Today was long run day and I was like “hmm, I wonder what the temperature is outside.  It’s been pretty nice for the past few days!”.

I walk outside.  completely CHILLED.  I go to check weather.com…4 degrees, feels like -12!  No shocker there, Chicago weather can get like that.

ANYHOW.  Since I was not planning on doing 12 miles on the treadmill…at ALL, i bundled up (and by bundled up, i mean bundled) and braved the weather! At least there was some sun 🙂

And I have no regrets whatsoever.  It was beautiful, the sidewalks were clear, and it was the most perfectly crisp morning I’ve ever felt in the winter season.  Lesson learned: when you begin to doubt your capabilities, or second guess whether you want to go outside to run, just realize that it’s mostly mental.  The freedom you find in the outdoors is unmatched and completely priceless.

RUN: 12 miles @ sub-8 pace (depended on the terrain and footing), 4×100 strides at the end.

EAT: Okay guys, remember that lil’ old Jamba Juice $1 Steel Cut Oatmeal Coupon I was raving about the other day?   Yeah well funny thing.  I was carrying around that danged piece of paper in my pocket during the entire run and I finished my run, ending at Jamba.  I reach into my pocket and…uh oh. where’d that freaking coupon go???  It must have fallen out of my pocket sometime after I hit the hour mark because I noticed that my pocket looked a little less chunky but i thought the paper just flattened out.  Nope.  It was long gone.  So instead of walking into Jamba for a steaming, beautiful cup of steel-cut oatmeal, I decided to go to Starbuck’s right next door instead and get a warm drink.   

Aaaand. I got the Vanilla Latte.  I also asked for a protein shot in it because of my beaten up legs. 😉

While everyone was chatting away in Starbuck’s, in comes Christina after a run looking like a complete mess. Haha!  The guy behind the counter gave me the funniest look! They always ask you something like “went out on the run? isn’t it freezing out?”  Yeah, but freezing is no excuse not to get out there and just do it.

I loved the cute little Inauguration themed holder!  ‘Tis a good day to be an American!

I was enjoying my Vanilla Latte, and turned the cup around to read this:

I absolutely love that quote.  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself…” , because there’s so much truth in that statement.  Fear limits our capabilities as people; it compromises who we are today because we are always living in this constant state of fear.  We are afraid of change, afraid of failure, afraid of rejection…there are so many things we are afraid of…shouldn’t we be afraid of just being afraid, too?  If we go into each day acting as if we were invincible human beings, completely confidant in each step forward, wouldn’t you be a completely different person?  Would you be somewhere else in life right now?  Would you be doing something else…somewhere else?

$4 Got me this cup of Starbuck’s, but what I got out of this little coffee holder was much more.  I thought about my run, how I began to doubt myself beforehand.  Why is it that we always doubt ourselves at the most opportunistic of moments? 

Just some food for thought on a Saturday morning.  Have a great weekend, guys!

Hill run in the snow.

RUN: Bright and early this morning, hit the roads at 5:45 A.M. It was roughly a 7 Mile loop, topped off with 10×100 strides up two different hills, topped off with a 2 mile tempo in the middle.

I could NOT find a pair of gloves today! The temperature was roughly 19 degrees (feels like 10-ish?), and my fingers could have frozen off, no joke. But I love getting in an early morning run- it just sets the day off so well! And by the time the run was over, the sun was just starting to rise and it was BEAUTIFUL outside.

EAT:

To refuel, I had this little guy:

Bad picture, i know. It was pretty much a homemade protein bar with rolled oats, peanut butter, chocolate whey protein, canned pumpkin, cinnamon, ground flaxseed, & a little 2% milk.

I also had a “fruit salad” on the side, consisting of diced banana & strawberries.

Fast forward:

Afternoon snack, Pumpkin Yogurt with Cereal (my fave!) There’s a little Kashi heart to heart poking out on the left.

Besides that, today was a very chill day. My legs are SORE (in that good sorta way!!) from running in the snow.

I’m still in love with my Mizunos, though somehow I feel like I’m cheating on Asics. Once Asics mans up and stays real with me, I’ll reconsider but for now I’m happily taken. 😉

ANNNOUNNNCEEEEMENTTTT!

Are you sick of this cold weather?

Are you tired of the same old thing?

Is a warm breakfast the ONLY thing on your mind. all. day?

Whatabout Jamba Juice OATMEAL! …FOR JUST A DOLLAR!

http://www.jambajuice.com/oatmeal/

Just register and print a coupon for a $1 cup of Jamba Juice’s NEW Steel-Cut Organic Oatmeal with Blueberry-Blackberry, Apple Cinnamon, or Fresh Banana toppings! (I already got mine, will head there this weekend)

Obama-rama!

PLEASE tell me you guys watched the inauguration!!!!!

Because today marked a significant landmark in history.  From the battlefield and bloodshed of the Civil War- a war fought over bitter and lost causes in slavery- we have inaugurated an African American president into office.  He took the oath just this afternoon- yes, a president who promises change, who promises a better nation, who promises strength to his nation.

Even if you don’t support Obama, didn’t vote for him, or whatever, I think the nation needs to become more unified as a whole.  We need to look towards the future in optimism, not bitter hatred and indifference.  Whether we like it or not, Barack will be the 44th president of the United States and he has a difficult job just ahead of him.

RUN: 8.02 miles,  22 degrees (feels like 10 degrees).  7:30/mi pace, 4×100 strides (= 1 hour run)

pssst. I’M LOVIN’ MY (PINK) MIZUNOS!!!

EAT: …So, while everyone else in the Blog world is raving about these white chocolate macadamia nut clif bars, I have another mini-rave…

You can buy these bad boys at Sam’s Club.  If you’re into the nut-crunches. WOW, these are addicting.

Time to let go.

When your shoes start looking like….

this. And…

this.

It’s a pretty good hint that it’s time for a new pair of shoes. My Nimbus X’s go a long way back- to the start of the 2008 Cross Country season last fall. They’re my old reliables- and it’s really hard to let them go. I most likely have more than 800 miles in these guys but they have NEVER let me down.

My only complaint, Asics, is that you have added way too much to a good shoe. I went through about 5 pairs of Nimbus 8‘s but will only go through one pair of bulky X’s. Lesson learned: don’t fix something that wasn’t broken to begin with!

Ok some of you may know that I bought the Newton’s a few weeks back. I really like these shoes but to make them last longer, and for the safety of my legs, I needed to buy a new pair of shoes to cycle with the Newton’s every so often. Paroozing (is that even a word?) through a local running store, I saw a few shoes caught my eyes right away:

These fit really well (The Blue Speedstars), but I decided that I needed something with a little more cushioning so I went with…

A pair of very pink Mizuno Wave Rider 12’s. They’re the perfect balance between light weight and cushy..niiiiice. :)!

PS. I LOVE NEW SHOES!!!

SO Today’s RECAP:

RUN: 8.5 Miles of a Progressive Tempo (Starting at 8:30/mile pace, increased to 6:30/mile pace).

Progressive tempo’s – Starting out as a warm-up and slowly building your pace. Should never be “out of breath” or anaerobic during any of it. Sore.

EAT: I ran out of Whey Protein for after my run…So i had to use some of my two-year-old-haven’t-touched-in-forever Chocolate Endurox in my post-run smoothie. Shortly afterwards, I had a REAL breakfast.

Deja vu? Well i’m in a rut.

Another INVINCIBLE saturday.

RUN: 10+ miles outside (-3 windchill. brr. but SO worth it)

EAT: After my run, all I wanted was something WARM.

So I hit up Einstein’s and got a Winter Roast Coffee. Or Two. Or three? That’s what I love about the place- you get free refills! So as I sat there catching up with some friends, I kept going back for more! If you have never had the Winter Blend there, OH MY., you MUST try it. (Assuming that you like coffee, of course)

Here’s a description:

Winter Blend Coffee –One of our special seasonal coffees with a
special mix of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg flavors.

P.S. I’m a wimp and mixed each cup with sugar and milk. I was tempted to try putting honey in my coffee but had never done that before so opted not to. Anyone try this before?

Delicious, no? I think I got so wired on the caffeine though, no sleep tonight!. Haha 🙂

Do you guys go to Einstein’s Bagel Co. too? What is your favorite??

OK , so Matt wanted to know how I made the Super Chewy, Super Hearty Oatmeal Pancake from the other day and this is how:

3/4 C. Oats

4 Egg Whites (Or Two Eggs)

1 Tsp. Cinnamon

1 T. Ground Flaxseed

Splash of 2% Milk

1 Tsp. Baking Powder

Mix together in a bowl (WELL), Pour into a hot Nonstick pan, flip after lightly browned-a few minutes, then transfer to plate. Top with your choice of Warmed berries, some more cinnamon, and my favorite: A little bit of Full Fat plain yogurt!

I also like to mix about 1/2 diced apple into the batter for more sweetness. (PS: THIS MAKES ONE HUGE, HEARTY PANCAKE, which I’ve grown to like better than a ton of wimpy small ones)

Here’s another favorite concoction of the past few days:

Lowfat cottage cheese, ground flaxseed, canned pumpkin, cinnamon, honey, fresh strawberries, ezekiel original cereal, and my FAVORITE, kashi heart to heart honey toasted cereal.

Good Food as of Late…

Here are my eats today:

Breakfast: Oatmeal and flax Pancake topped with Warmed Berries & Cinnamon. (Steamy!)

A Chai Tea Latte and some Banana Chips In-between.

Lunch: High Fiber 100% Whole Wheat Tortillas with All Natural Ham, Alfalfa Sprouts, Tomatoes. Spicy Vegetable Stir-fry on the side.

Just throwin’ some good eats up there. Enjoy!

Busy, Busy, Busy.

SO. I’ve been pretty busy as of late.  Winter break was fun but I guess life is called “life” for a reason, right; time to go back to studying non-stop. Hah!

So why don’ I just do a recap of this entire week?

Monday I had a GREAT workout in my Newtons.  It was a 6×3 minute, with a 20 minute warm-up and 20 minute-cool down. roughly 9.5 Miles or so?

I also received an entire loaf of PANERA WHOLE GRAIN bread from a good friend! (Isn’t it gorgeous?)  It’s so so good toasted with some peanut butter or just used as sandwich bread.  You can even make it into cinnamon french toast!

Tuesday was an easy 60 with 4 strides at the end.  It was -16 Degrees Out. Brrr.  This meant two pairs of socks, two pairs of gloves, a face mask, and uhh…how many layers was I wearing?

Wednesday I had a two-a-day.  The morning run was negative temperatures outside but still managed to squeeze in around 5.5 Miles.  The afternoon run was a little more relaxed, did about 4.5 or 5 miles there and 4×100 strides.

Thursday I could NOT run outside.  The windchill brought the temperature down to -40 degrees for most of the day so I did a modified hill workout on the treadmill 🙂 this was about 70 minutes total, average 7:30/mi pace.

Recovered with my Homemade Banana-Chocolate Vivanno

1 banana, 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 scoop chocolate whey, 1 c. skim milk, 1 tsp. instant coffee granules (and opt: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon)

Today (Friday), same deal as yesterday.  Windchill of -40 (how long is this going to go on???).  SO I did about 4.5 miles on the treadmill, 7:45/mi pace with 4×100 strides at the end.

And a few random other food pics from the week….

I’ll try to post a little more often, but if you don’t hear from me for a while, I’m probably somewhere under a pile of books!