Category Archives: Food for Thought

Preparation Anxiety

Food for Thought, Running, , , , ,

Happy hump day! Hope you’re having a great Wednesday. Mine is okay minus the fact that my race is getting closer and closer. I’m nervous!

Yesterday was completely exhausting for me. Work was nonstop all day, and then I taught 2 Jazzercise classes last night. It’s taper week, right? Yep, but this instructor doesn’t really like to rest.

I woke up early to get in my scheduled shorter run this morning. I ran 4.5 miles at a fairly easy pace (around 9 min/mile), and it was nice to get out in the cold morning air and do what I love. When I took off from my driveway, I was sure to keep an eye on my current pace (on my app!) because I want to know what I should feel like when I start out a little slower than normal pace on Saturday. My ideal race pace would be 8:30/mile overall for the half marathon, but I need to begin the race a little slower so I don’t bonk on the crazy big hills. I’m hoping for a 8:45-9 min/mile pace for the first 2ish miles, and then I’ll speed up when I feel warm and not headed uphill. But then again, this is my first half. I know I need to stop focusing on numbers and just run comfortably to cross the finish line. No matter what time I get, it will be a personal record! And one that I can beat later on. 🙂

Preparation Anxiety

I’m starting to have some serious anxiety about packing correctly for the weekend. Isn’t that dumb? It’s the Type-A side of me that always takes over before something exciting happens…like my race!

The forecast for STL on Saturday morning is giving me some mixed emotions…

Screen Shot 2014-01-22 at 3.11.28 PM
Based on this forecast from the local station, KMOV, my run will be below freezing, windy, and possible snow. Hmm. I know this is what I have trained for all winter, but I would really prefer for wind and snow to stay away. 🙂 The low temp on Friday night is what’s stressing me out the most. With my run at 8:30 am, there won’t be much time for any warming on Saturday morning! I’ll be okay, but I may have to pack 2 bags. I have way too many scenarios to pack for now! The pressure!! I need to pack…

  • Warmer weather clothes, just in case it gets freakishly warm!
  • My ear warmer and 2 pairs of gloves.
  • 2 options for bottoms (my lululemon tights and then some looser track pants I can put over the top)
  • 2-3 long sleeve tops + my puffer vest
  • Rain jacket
  • Socks + Compression sleeves and socks (for after)!
  • Favorite sports bra
  • Running shoes, obviously!

And once again, I talk (or type) out things that are stressing me out to help me remember! So thanks for listening to my ramblings. It helps me cope. 🙂  I’ll also be bringing along my hand-held bottle and my favorite Jelly Belly Sports Beans to help fuel me mid-race. I think I have a pretty good fueling-regimen in place to get me to the finish line without hitting a ‘wall’ of any sort, but we’ll wait to see how it holds up before I share.

Breakfast

This morning started out on a good note with some new yogurt I picked up over the weekend!

IMG_3128This apple pie-flavored Greek yogurt was as awesome as it sounds. I could’ve eaten multiple cups of it in one sitting it was so tasty! I also had a big ole cup of oatmeal on the side to fill my tummy post-run.

IMG_3129It kept me full for most of the morning. Plus, oats are great for carb-loading a few days out. A little early carbo loading never hurt anyone. 🙂

I’ve been begged to sub a Jazzercise class tonight right after work to help cover some ill instructors. I know I need rest, but when the instructor begging you for help is sick AND pregnant, you tend to just give in. ha! So I’ll be teaching at 5:40 again tonight before heading home to pack up everything on my list. I definitely will NOT be doing any intense leg routines tonight – that’s for sure!

Have a great night everyone. Let’s hope we can all get some well-deserved rest!

Run Around Sunday

Daily Life!, Food for Thought, , , ,

Happy Monday! It was a beautiful weekend, and I’m happy to say that the snow is finally all gone! I was not the least bit sad to see it go. Snow days are only fun if you are a kid and can stay home and hibernate. 🙂

It was in the mid-60’s yesterday, so I did lots of running around (literally!). I started my day with a 4-mile easy run before I headed off to teach Jazzercise. Immediately after class, I headed to Target to get a baby shower gift for my girlfriend, Levie, who’s having her shower next Saturday morning. When I arrived, the store was dead! And it was fantastic! So I spent way too much time and money in there. But I did walk away with a cute gift for the baby-to-come. Success!

I headed back home to shower and have some lunch when Nick decided that we needed to drop his car off at Pep Boys to be worked on. Funny noises + a burning smell = a Sunday trip to the mechanic. Woot. But the trip ended with some awesome sandwiches at Which Wich.

IMG_3074I had the toasted chicken pesto with spinach, and I was in heaven! It was amazing and was definitely worth the multiple trips across town to take Nick back and forth. 🙂 Mac was pretty enthused with all the car rides too.

IMG_3076IMG_3078HA! That little guy could be content hanging his head out the car window for hours and hours.

Breakfast

So breakfast this morning was fun – I got to try Chobani’s new 100 Cal yogurt!

IMG_3082This excites me because the high calorie count in the regular Chobani is what steers me away from this brand usually. BUT, I always feel the need to buy it because it is made with more natural ingredients than my typical stuff. Needless to say, my fridge is stocked with this stuff after my grocery trip yesterday!

IMG_3083I love the inside of the lid “Finally a 100 calories yogurt worth counting.” I loved this black cherry flavor, so tomorrow I’ll be brave and try the pineapple flavor.

IMG_3081I had my yogurt with some oatmeal and a banana + lots of coffee. And I’m happy to say that this mix kept me full all morning!

Jazzercise Run

This morning started with a 3-mile run with Mac. I usually teach Jazzercise on Monday mornings, but I switched today with the 6:45 pm teacher. And I’m an idiot and didn’t write this down in my phone calendar. So I pulled into Jazzercise this morning at 5:30 a.m. and immediately remembered the switch. Oops! I didn’t want the other instructor to know I’m an idiot (or to feel bad for that matter!), so I just headed back home and leashed up Mac for a run instead.

We made it 3.4 miles with a 9:29 pace, which is pretty good for a tiny dog that makes frequent potty stops! I was thankful to get in a good sweat regardless of my poor scheduling skills. 🙂

This evening will now be spent teaching a class followed by an early bed time. I’ve almost got my marathon training plan put together, so hopefully I’ll be able to share that soon! The Little Rock Marathon is only 7 weeks away!

Have a great day, everyone!

 

‘Tis the Season for Goodies

Daily Life!, Food for Thought, , , ,

Happy Wednesday! Hope you’ve had a great day. Mine was basically out of control, and I’m just trying to wind down in front of the TV with Nick and Mac this evening.

I started my day with a run of 7 miles before coming home to enjoy some hot coffee.

photo(141)Once again, I’m a sucker for the festive flavors! This Vanilla Nut coffee is awesome, and I’ve been enjoying it every morning this week. Now the only coffee flavors I need to find is Candy Cane and S’mores before the season is over!

Food, Food, Everywhere!

This week at work we have had a ton of food around the office. It seems like a mini-buffet has arrived in each department filled with holiday goodies. It’s delicious and also terrible. I’ve left work feeling ill the last 3 days because of so much food in my belly!

image(16)This was right by my desk all day today. I tried to devour the fruit before anything else to be as healthy as possible, but I’m powerless against sweets. Luckily though, since I can’t eat cheese, the meat and cheese tray was a fairly healthy option for me!

image(17)‘Tis the season for goodies of all sorts! Meat and cheese trays especially. And in return, ’tis the season of bloated tummies. I’m having lots of ginger tea tonight to help settle my stomach before bed.

Ozarks Literacy Council

Once a quarter, I volunteer with the Ozarks Literacy Council and take books to a classroom in a local elementary school. I’m given a bag of books to leave with the students to take home, and I also spend about 10 minutes reading to the class and doing an activity. It’s a ton of fun, and I go on my lunch hour since my company is the main sponsor for the books.

Today, I spent my lunch hour reading to my two classes. The kids are around 4 years old, and they are basically the most fun and grateful little people I get to interact with on a regular basis. They always love to see me show up with my bag of books!

Well, today I wasn’t too excited to go read to my kids. Work was crazy, and I didn’t want to rush around with my volunteering, eating, etc. But when I walked in, I was reminded of why it’s all worth my time to go volunteer.

image(18)The kids had all made me ‘thank you’ drawings of snowmen and santas, and my teachers wrote me the sweetest thank you note. I left the classroom smiling ear-to-ear while I got a hug from each of the kids. What a nice little reminder it was to me to see their little thank you gifts. I love my kiddos, and I’m so thankful that I get to spend some time with them during my busy days!

Well have a great evening everyone. I will hopefully see you tomorrow if I can catch a second to breathe!