Tag Archives: long run

Weekend Full of Productiveness

Hello there! It’s been a fun weekend, but I’m exhausted! Thankfully this evening has consisted of Nick and I having a quiet dinner at home and relaxing. I’m lovin’ it!

Parlor 88

Friday night started off with a Jazzercise class right after work, and I arrived home around 7. Nick had been home a while and wanted to go out to watch the Cardinals baseball game. So I quickly showered and pulled together a comfy outfit and a wet, messy bun because the game was starting at 7:30!

IMG_2328We went to Parlor 88 – a cute little martini bar that has 2 locations here in Springfield. We’re lucky and have one close to the house, so we arrived a few minutes after the game started.

Since it’s not technically a sports bar, they weren’t busy at all but had the game on every TV around the place. It was nice to be able to sit and watch the game in a fun environment without a bunch of drunken fraternity guys in the background screaming the whole time! Plus my favorite part? The huge indoor firepit that we love to sit around.

IMG_2330It was a rainy and cold night, so I was extra happy to see all the empty seating around the fire. So warm and cozy!

We had some appetizers and drinks for our dinner. My favorite part was the tomato and basil pizza that I ordered.

IMG_2338Sorry – it was super dark in there! They had a balsamic vinegar reduction sauce drizzled on top. I wanted to lick the plate clean! The crust was super thin and the cheese was pretty thin too. This was perfect for my post workout/lactose intolerant tummy. I love cheese, but it does not love me! Luckily the cheese didn’t bother my stomach too much that night.

IMG_2336Haha don’t you love the lady warming her hands in the background?? We stayed until the Cardinals had a huge lead and then headed home. I was getting tired and had an early morning ahead of me! Plus the Cardinals won as soon as we got home. WOOHOO!! GO CARDS!!

Saturday Errands & a Long Run

So remember my ramblings on Friday about all the stuff I needed to get done on Saturday?? Well I got MOST of my list done!

I got my car dropped off at the dealership by 8 AM to have it serviced. My warranty is getting ready to run out, so I wanted to get my car completely checked over before that happens! Everything checked out great, and I got my oil changed and tires rotated. Yay for one less worry on my mind!

Nick was nice enough to pick me up and let me borrow his car while my car was being serviced. He had his best friend pick him up and the boys went off to a local gun show while I headed off to teach a 9:15 Jazzercise class. I had a big class of energetic students and had a blast subbing this class for another instructor!

After this class, I rushed home to freshen up so I could go get my license renewed. I dried my sweaty hair and put on some lipgloss and mascara so my picture wouldn’t look too terrible….but I think those drivers license photos are bound to be terrible no matter how much effort you put into it.

I passed my vision test and the road signs test with a breeze and was outta that place in 10 minutes flat! Woot! Picture isn’t awesome…oh well though. It’ll only haunt me for the next 6 years. 🙂

Back home I headed to put on some fresh workout clothes suited for cool running weather. It was about 38 degrees outside, and I was determined to get in 8-10 miles! I headed out to the Galloway Greenway trail where I parked at the trailhead and started off on my longest run yet.

Picture 4I almost made it to 10 miles! I was beyond exhausted but very happy with myself. My pace was 8:20 so I was booking it! This long run makes me confident that my half marathon in January will be awesome! I’m excited to start my first official week of training this week. Only 14 weeks to go!

And if the run didn’t have me feeling good enough, I came home to a package..but not just any package. My new boots from ShoeDazzle had arrived!

photo(88)These were my reward for not collapsing during my long run. 🙂 Mac thought they were pretty too.

photo(87)He’s such a little stinker….always trying to steal the show in my photos! I’m already obsessed with these boots and have worn them nonstop the past 2 days. I think they’ll be my go-to boot this winter!

La Hacienda

The rest of my plans on Saturday kinda fell through after this run. Nick wasn’t feeling awesome when he arrived home, and I was spent from my run, so we just relaxed at home until I started getting my appetite back around 5:30. Then we hit up our go-to dinner – Mexican food!

IMG_2341Guacamole! I gladly ate every last bite of this fresh guac. My body was ready for some healthy fats! The rest of my meal consisted of 3 enchiladas, which I ate almost every bite of!

photo(86)YUMM! I loved it! The chicken enchilada was the one in the middle, and it was my fave. It was exploding with tons of pulled chicken in a spicy red sauce. Next time I may just get 3 of these instead!

Today was a little less busy than Saturday, and I made another easy Crock Pot dinner for Nick and I. I’ll post the recipe soon! Have a great evening – I’ll see you tomorrow!

Mac & Cheese Long Run

Happy Saturday morning to ya! Hope you had a great start to your weekend last night. Mac and I hit the sack early and slept for a little more than 8 hours! It’s so nice to wake up without an alarm.

We rolled out of bed at 7 AM feeling refreshed and ready to hit the pavement. I checked the weather to find that is was 48 degrees outside! Nippy!! I pulled on some running tights and  a long-sleeve Lululemon top that I bought just for mornings like this and set off to accomplish something I’ve never done before: 6.2 miles.

Obviously Mac had to sit this one out. Like I’ve mentioned in the past, anything over 1.5 miles makes his ‘tiny dog syndrome’ kick in, and I have to drag and/or carry him the rest of the way if I want to keep running.

The run was fairly easy for me today, and my running pace was immediately faster than normal. I’m going to chalk this up to the cooler temps.

photo(76)I made it in record time! Well, according to my records at least. 🙂 It felt great to run that final stretch down my street and have my Runkeeper app tell me I was over my goal of 6.2 miles. I’m so ready for my 10K on October 12th! I was most worried about making the distance without stopping, but now that I know I can do it, I only need to focus on maintaining my endurance and possibly increasing my time.

So you’re wondering why I called this post the Mac & Cheese Long Run? Well because it was exactly that…

Kraft Factory
Kraft Factory

This is the Kraft Factory that I run by each time I mention going on longer runs. Yes, Kraft as in the Macaroni and Cheese that we all know and love. Most days, the parking lot is full, and I can see smoke coming out of those pipes. But today was slightly different. I got right next to the building (on the sidewalk of course), and I could smell Kraft’s macaroni and cheese just like there was a big bowl sitting right in front of my face!

kraft mac cheese blue boxUmm YUM!! I continued to smell the delicious cheesy stuff for about another mile. I even changed my breathing from my mouth to my nose (which I don’t like doing) so I could get a good whiff of it!

The craziest thing to me is how Kraft’s mac and cheese has such a distinct smell and taste compared to a homemade mac and cheese. It’s very distinguishable! And when you’re about 4 miles into your run, it makes it hard to focus when all you want is a big bowl of carbs to dig into. But I got quite a kick out of it. People driving by probably thought I was crazy as the whole thing had me laughing out loud at myself. So lesson learned: keep your nose ready for some cheesy goodness if you’re ever running down Bennett street in Springfield!

Breakfast

I made it home from my run and stretched well while sipping some water to rehydrate. I was then ready for coffee and FOOD! I brewed my Candy Corn flavored coffee this morning from Target and immediately poured myself a big mug full along with a splash of Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer. It hit the spot after being chilly during my run! I wanted the warmth to continue. So I toasted some bread while I microwaved 2 eggs with a splash of almond milk.

photo(72)A little raspberry jelly perfected this sandwich with the awesome combo of salty and sweet. My eggs got extra nice and poofy in the microwave making my sandwich extra filling!

photo(74)Mmmmmmmm eggy goodness. This hefty sandwich left me super satisfied, but I also had a small cup of Greek yogurt on the side for extra protein.

photo(73)And now I’m very full but still sipping on the coffee. I can’t get enough of the Fall-flavored coffees. But tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF FALL!!! So my obsession is finally legitimate.

The rest of today will be spent teaching a Jazzercise class (yes, I’m crazy, I know) and doing some Fall decorating with a tiny and extremely whiny dog.

photo(75)For some reason, every time Nick leaves for a longer amount of time, Mac goes into this annoying & whiny mode until he returns. I may have to go to Hobby Lobby to A) Look at all the Fall decor that is 40% off today! and B) Get away from my annoying furry baby for a bit. I love him, but momma can only handle so much.

Have a great Saturday! Get out there and carve some pumpkins or something!