On My Way

My last post was a little sad...well I have encouraging news, I did kick myself in gear and have proved that I can still run, some. I did two solid runs on Monday and Tuesday of this week (5 and 4 miles), an easy 3 this morning, and I have a cardio abs class my girlfriend signed us up for. Hmm...I am excited and nervous. Nervous that I will look ridiculous while everyone else looks cool and ripped, but that's silly right?
 
I have scheduled a cross training/ upper body gym day tomorrow- I usually go pretty early so that it isn't too packed. Once 9:30 a.m. rolls around good luck finding a clean towel or a free machine. One plus of the rec center being packed is people watching. I ran on the track once when all the machines were taken and I really think that there was about 30 people on a normal-sized indoor track. It was just crazy; some guy kept looking back at me thinking I was following him, but really there just wasn't room anywhere else. Needless to say I slowed down and sped up my pace a lot that day so people wouldn't think I was stalking them.
 
I think my new goal, aside from finding a 10k to run, is to up my weekly mileage. I am just hitting a hair under 20 miles and would love to increase that to 25 in the next couple of months. I think hope that is do-able. Speaking of these next few months...cold is coming. Fun to Christmas shop in, make fires, play in for 45 minutes tops, but not as fun to run in. I still would like to keep my running up during the winter months, but this will be my first winter as a "legit/wanna-be" runner...so I am trying to prepare. I have read up on screws that you can place in the bottom of your tennis shoe for better traction- which I would definitely do on an older pair of shoes. Also, yesterday I went to TJ Maxx to hunt for some legit and discounted running clothes. I found pants, a couple long sleeve tops, and the grand treasure: a Calvin Klein insulated fleece zip up with inner compartments for everything. I have been looking for a good jacket to wear for layering when it's cold, but they were all so expensive or not quite right. This one is functional AND pretty.

My next post will be a fashion one- I miss doing those! Also, I am trying a new recipe for dinner tonight with quinoa, corn, black beans, lots of spices and garlic, salsa, and some other tasty foods. If it is worth it I will post about that later also. Have a beautiful day, xoxo.

Oh, and here are those photos of the costume party- goodness :)

           

 

                              

 

Re-Alignment

I need a swift kick in the behind asap. My running has been off, my eating habits have been off, and therefore I am not feeling my best. Now, granted it has been fun to take time off, but I do miss the discipline and the joy I get from great runs and feeling healthy. This is not to say I am going cold turkey on relaxation or good food, but I have been over-indulging and under-moving. A little while back I did a post on apple picking (caramel covered oxymoron) where I explained the numerous doughnuts and other treats I got to enjoy, then there were some trips we took where dining out and dessert was very much included...then this past weekend we had a costume party (pictures to come!) with lots of goodies and also visited Amish country yesterday; menu included: broasted chicken, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, salad bar, bread, noodles, fruit, chocolate, ice cream, cookies, ah! Very delicious, but also feeling a bit heavy these last couple of weeks.

(DISCLAIMER: although we did eat lots of rich foods, I was able to pick up some fresh items and great pastry flour from a local market in town...just to save a few dignity points)

I have also been struggling with my running. The last 5 mile I did was a week ago and it wasn't even consecutive. Since then I have had great gym workouts but even my short (3 mile) runs have been rough! My chest gives out quickly and I cannot seem to get my breathing down. I am not sure if I need to stretch more or if it has to do with what I am eating but I need to kick it up a few notches. I also let myself down this past week and took 2 days off from running that I shouldn't have. I just read a blog post from one of my favorite blogs (runsforcookies) and she just completed a marathon today. This is inspiration to continue to work hard in getting back my running legs. I also spoke to a running friend and he gave me some advice- get another goal. After a race it is hard to have the same mindset as when training. So, I am planning on starting off slow just to get my distance back then work on speed again.

Just for fun here is a recipe I made last weekend for breakfast...indulgent but still has several healthy benefits, enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour (the pumpkin covers this up so it's not even noticeable!)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 to 1 1/3 cups pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 

 

It is a pretty thick batter and they rise really well. They are not too sweet and have a great texture. I do not care for syrup on my pancakes, but my husband used maple and loved it. Yum :)

Here's to a wonderful start to the week, xoxo.


PS: what do you do to encourage yourself to get back into an exercise routine?

Goodness Gracious Day

It was a day where I found myself saying "goodness gracious" several times. I got up early this morning to run and go to the gym. I wanted to work on upper body strength today so I thought running on the treadmill would be fine. I ended up doing a 45 minute tempo run with an average speed at 9 min/mile and got in 5 miles. But, someone was on my favorite treadmill when I got there. I am sick right? Seriously though, there is one treadmill that never has broken down, doesn't tilt or shake or anything- it is my favorite. We have grown together :)
 
Anyways...I also did some stair climbing, upper body, and core work. All in all it was a successful work out and I got done just in time to run home, eat a little something, and get ready for class. Right after class I rushed back to take Monroe out and try not to scarf down lunch before I went to a doctor's appointment this afternoon. Then came grocery shopping, then came prepping for tonight's dinner (chicken nachos- with whole grain tortilla chips, cheese, salsa, baked chicken, and fresh guac, mmm), then finally came homework. I was supposed to attend a study with Jake tonight, but I decided to "let" him go solo  since I have our final night of tournaments later. *Update: Our volleyball team has made it to the third and final round of tournaments!* Therefore, today has been busy. What better way to wind down then with some peanut butter...with a side of apples, and a scrumptious recipe for pumpkin cookies. I have been making these for several seasons now and my family and friends love them. Of course the recipe is tweakable, but this is the original I use. Also, making your own frosting is definitely an option which I have done before, but I prefer (and so does everyone else) cream cheese frosting- good ol' Duncan Hines or B. Crocker will do :)
 
Enjoy!
 
Iced Pumpkin Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com user Gina)
 
2 1/2 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg                                                                   
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon (or less) salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar (or 1 cup white 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (I use Libby's)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients, mix. Combine wet ingredients, mix. Carefully pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir thoroughly. The dough is very sticky so use two spoons to drop rounded cookie dough balls onto lightly greased baking sheets (medium sized cookies are best with this recipe). Bake for 11-14 minutes.
Let cool then ice with desired frosting. EAT :)
 
They are also delicious without frosting and with coffee, whatever you prefer!

I have to be corny for a minute or two. Yesterday, I skipped running in the morning and just did Pilate's because Jake said he would run with me later. I was excited to say the least. We went out about 5:30, just as the sun was beginning to lower. The bright rays on the fall colors and the crisp air was already getting me giddy and then to have my husband there was fantastic. We ran around a neighborhood close to ours, through a wooded park, and back home. We walked a few times (Jake hasn't been running consistently and just started, so very understandable). I did one more loop around our place before I went in for a total of 4 miles. I was so impressed by him and so happy to have his company. We plan on going for a short run, about 2 miles, just for fun tomorrow morning.
Have a wonderful evening, xoxo.

Fall Fashion III (Plus a Little Extra!)

This next fashion post is a little different than my normal autumn tastes. We had some funky items in the shop and so I played around with this retro sweater, J. Crew cardigan, Express corduroy skirt, simple leather belt, and loopy necklace to make a fun look that can definitely be paired with some slouchy boots and bold lips!

Enjoy :)

      

 

 

Also, this past week I "fall'ed" our home :) I took down the rest of the flower and springy decorations and twirled some leaves around our porch, put up some cute little pumpkins, scarecrows, and corn husks...and I did something that a crafty person might do! whoa...

 

My wedding bouquet was gorgeous. My maid of honor did the flowers and she created a stunning mixture of white lilies, roses, hydrangea, and lisianthus for my bouquet. But, it was just sitting next to our heater being more of a fire hazard than a pretty decoration. So, I kinda tore it apart. I took the petals apart and the filling to make "homemade potpourri" for our kitchen table. I mixed the colors and pieces and placed them in a pretty bowl my mom had given me from a flea market treasure hunt. I placed it with a simple display I did on the table (a taupe clothe, pumpkin candle, and a few other ditties).

 

 

I enjoy when I am patient enough to DIY something- usually it all happens in one day. I still have that scrapbook I bought 3 years ago sitting with empty paper in it...but that's another day. Oh, and next I think I might post a pumpkin cookie recipe, yum :)

 

Update on the running? eh...it has been a little iffy lately. I ran 3 miles in the wind yesterday and it was rough to say the least. I am not sure what it was but my chest gave out very quickly and 3 was enough for me that day. Since it was a disappointing run I went to the gym today and just did lots of cross training (elliptical, incline walking, lifting) to maybe get my body back into exercise mode, we will see! I plan on doing a 4-5 mile run tomorrow morning outside, brrrr. Stay posted, xoxo.





Caramel Covered Oxymoron

So, I know you are not supposed to run so that you can eat more...but that is exactly what my motivation was yesterday. I ran a good 6 miles in the morning before I had to get ready for....APPLE PICKING! My family has been going since I was a little thing and we haven't stopped. This is also Jake's first year so I was super excited ecstatic.

I did my normal longer run route from our place to my parents and back with a loop downtown and in our neighborhood. I was able to wait a little to run, about 9:30 a.m. so the temp was comfortable (50s) and the colors of fall were a gorgeous distraction. I have been bringing my ipod less and less with the scenery changing and realizing how much I enjoy that time to think and pray. I believe my pace was a 9ish min/mile and I did make one pit stop. My nose runs terribly when I am outside during this time of year and I forgot to bring a tissue so I grabbed one from my parents. I shouted a hello to everyone and then kept on moving. I was way too excited about going to the orchard to waste any time.

Once I got home I was going to do a little core work via pilates, but the mechanic stopped by who was going to look at our furnace. Turns out it is 30+ years old and needs to be replaced. It was emitting harmful levels of carbon dioxide so we haven't had any heat...and we still don't. It just gets pretty chilly at night, so I have been going to bed wearing Jake's sweatpants, long sleeve shirts, and hooded zip up's. I look like a snowman. Anyways, I skipped the pilates and after talking with him about the furnace situation, kept getting ready and made some pumpkin oatmeal for lunch. Once Jake got home we rushed over to my parents with Monroe (puppy) and headed out.

The drive is supposed to be 30ish minutes, but with my whole family in tow it was about 45 :) They are crazy, period, and that is why I like being around them so much. It was pretty chilly, but it just added to the whole autumn atmosphere. We went straight out into the orchard to start picking. The trees are awesome, the branches dip down like arms and the apples, against the grey sky were like candy hanging there. Us kids...and my dad climbed the trees to get the best looking apples. Jake was feeling like a monkey I think, he did not want to get down even when we had filled our bag. Another tradition that takes place in our family is apple throwing. We do NOT waste apples, don't worry. We only pick up the rotten ones on the ground and very strategically have apple throwing wars...and of course no one outside of our family is harmed. It has been happening ever since we started going to the orchard, and yes, my parents started it.

After we picked all the apples we could, we went back to the main area and waited in line for 45 minutes to get some of their infamous apple fritters. I am not a huge fan of apple desserts, but these monsters are amazing! Since we waited so long we figured we should get at least a half dozen of those and a half dozen of their iced pumpkin doughnuts. My mom, brother, and I also got their giant caramel apples (I ate some of mine on the way home since I was holding the box and got told I was cheating). We grabbed some apple cider too, of course. 

So, see...I went ahead and plugged in my running to go towards the bread, beef stew, 2 dougnuts, and jumbo caramel apple I ate yesterday. Okay, I know it doesn't work that way, but I had a great day, ate a lot of delicious food, didn't use caution, and I loved it. Restriction and good behavior have their places, but sometimes you just need to get a little crazy. We ended the night watching 2 old scary movies: Nightmare Castle and Night of the Living Dead (we watched another one of my favorites, House on Haunted Hill, the other night). I also baked some iced pumpkin cookies for a scary movie/pumpkin fro-yo night with some friends tonight. So yes, this weekend is full of indulgence and I have already accepted it. I am not sure if I will run today, but a definite good walk is in order, at least.

I hope you are enjoying fall as much as we are! Pumpkin carving, more recipes, and some good runs are to come, stay posted :) xoxo

 



Fall Fashion II

I am officially on Fall Break, so what better way to start it than go on a long run do a fashion post! Oh, I know...but, I promise I am running after I finish this. I just got so bogged down with last minute "squeeze everything we can get out of them before break" homework that I didn't have a chance to post much. This is a simple outfit that I threw together when one of our mannequins was bare during a mini-rush Sunday afternoon. Enjoy :)

 

Caramel Skirt is older Express

Striped Tee is Ralph Lauren

Zip Up Blazer is Claiborne

Scarf is via Mosaic

Belt is legit retro brought in by one of our most treasured consigners

Necklace is real silver simple chain via Mosaic

 

Paired with blue, calf, felt boots and nylons

 

Have a wonderful day! xoxo

Feeling Official (more pics to come!)

crossing the finish line!

 

I have officially completed my first real race! The 5k I ran was held in Kalamazoo, MI and the money earned from entry fees and donations went to a local church that works a lot within the local community. They do outreach programs, such as having a clothing store that is thrifty and a treasure hunt. (The church is the Kalamazoo Deacon's Conference- check them out, awesome people).

The race was this past Saturday, but we went up Friday evening and stayed with some close friends of our's that also ran. We ended up having a small, but great group of 5 (me, my friend, her husband, another girlfriend, and her sweet bf). Jake was our super cheerleader.

The boys ran together, and the two other ladies ran together. I ended up deciding to take my ipod, start with the girls, then go off solo and just see what I could do. Since this was my first race I had no idea what might happen and my only solid goal was to put 100% effort in and have a run time below 30 minutes.

That morning we woke up around 6 to leave by 7 since it was an hour drive to Kalamazoo. It was chilly to say the least and we stayed in our jackets and pants till the last minute. I admit, it took me a second to make sure I put the time chip on my shoe right (I was being extra cautious paranoid). One of the most exciting parts of the race? Getting to wear the number on my shirt! Yes, silly, I know...but I always thought people looked so cool with those-made me feel legit, even if I am just pretending ;)

The race was held at a gorgeous park with old builings, a pond, winding trails, open fields, and wooded areas. It began up on a big hill on the street, but about a mile or so in it transitioned onto the trail- and it was wonderful. The scenery was breathtaking and the fall colors gave me goober smiles the whole time I was running.

I decided to sort of keep pace with a girl in front of me for a while, without getting too close and creeping her out. I was feeling pretty good so I took my pace up some and when I passed the first mile timer I was at a 9min/mile. I was totally FINE with that. That pace was actually faster than I anticipated and so I got pretty excited. Then, when I got to the 2 mile timer I heard him say 17 minutes, which means I was able to speed up my pace substantially. Again, very surprised. Now that I realized I might be able to bang this thing out in a time that would be way unexpected I wanted to keep this steady pace. I got trapped a couple times during some more narrow points on the trail, but I know that is normal and the people were all really respectful. Having tons of cheerleaders and smiling faces along the run helped a lot too. In the distance I saw the mile 3 timer and so I popped out an earbud to hear the time and I guess I had just missed him saying it so I had no idea what my pace had been for the last mile. I could hear the finish line coming up and kept my pace until the last little bit of the run so that I wouldn't poop out too soon. The last .5 miles I was feeling the quicker pace. I don't usually run this fast and my body knew it, but I prayed that I would just keep moving and not lose momentum. The last smidge of the race was uphill- how cruel! But, there were tons of people waiting to cheer us on past the finish line- including Jake :) I hustled up the hill...trying to beat this "little" kid that was running just ahead of me, but no such luck. I was mainly focused on trying to speed up a little and not look too angry when I crossed.

After I finished I met up with Jake and we cheered the rest of our group on across the finish line when they came in. The finishing times for everyone was:

Girls= about 35 mins
Boys= about 27 mins
Myself= 25 mins 20 secs- what??


Just to reiterate, I was NOT expecting to do a 8:15 minute pace. I had never done that before, and it was a really neat feeling to beat my own expectations. Everyone was so sweet and hooted/cheered for me when I went up to receive a medal for getting 2nd in my age division. It was an amazing experience and I summed it up to be like a rollercoaster...scary and nervous at first, but now I want to do it again and again! :)

We went out for a delicious and well-earned breakfast after, then spent the rest of the day watching a 9-10 year old football game (too much fun), playing outside with their dog Mischa, and exploring downtown G.R. Went headed home around 6pm, grabbed some cheap dinner, went on a long and unsuccessful hunt for frozen yogurt, got cranky because of traffic that kept us for an extra 2 hours, and got home around 11pm- then I ate some ice cream :)

It was a much needed weekend away and an absolute blast to run in such a beautiful race with such fun people. I could totally do this whole fall weather thing 80% of the year. I am going on a run later this morning- probably just a shorter one (took yesterday off) and I have yet to figure out if I will start training for a 10k this soon or not. Stay posted, have a wonderful day! xoxo