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I’m thankful for Melissa. Not only did she redesign her blog this weekend, but she sat next to me for hours as I struggled to get my blog from wordpresss to self-hosted. I truly couldn’t have done it at all without her.
I’m thankful for a fun 4th of July weekend. I REALLY needed to have a fun, enjoyable, and relaxing weekend, and I’m so thankful that I got it. I spent the weekend with a few different friends, and enjoyed delicious meals, time at the pool, fireworks, racing, shopping, watching TV, and just having a great time. It was good for my heart!
I’m thankful for my new blog being set up! Like I said, I’ve been brainstorming what I wanted in a new site since January of 2013, so the fact that I’ve settled on something is really relieving. It’ll take me awhile to update all the links in each of the posts, but I’m happy that the big stuff is done!
I’m thankful for a special project I’m working on at work. I feel very lucky to have been picked to work on a big project with another department at work, especially because it’s on a subject that I’m very passionate about! I love these extra side things I get to do that keep my passion alive and well at work! I think especially for counselors, these sorts of things help to prevent burnout (and burnout rates are high in the field).
I’m thankful I get to see a friend who moved away this weekend. My friend who moved a few weeks ago is coming back to town to wrap a few things up, and she’s staying with me for the weekend! I can’t wait to see her again!
Now it’s your turn to share! What little things (or big things!) are you feeling thankful for today?
This weekend, besides racing, going to the pool, redoing our blogs, and all the other things we did, Melissa and I had some fun in the kitchen making smoothies. This recipe was from Lorna Jane’s new cookbook, Nourish. I’ve been trying to work on creating a more optimal set of recipes for my training plans (and really, nutrition plays a HUGE role in our health and fitness!), so I was excited to look through a book of healthy foods. For the first item, Melissa chose the mild green smoothie. I’ve made green smoothies before (this berry green monster smoothie is one of my favorites), but Melissa had never had one before, so I think she was a little nervous! Her cat Fitz was on hand to help as well 🙂
Here’s the information:
Prep Time: 5 minutes Servings: 1
Ingredients: 1.5 cups loosely packed baby spinach, 1 chopped small banana, 1/2 a medium pear, 1 peeled small orange, 1/2 of a cucumber, 1/2 cup filtered or coconut water. Blend and enjoy!
recipe credit to Lorna Jane Nourish
This is the recipe we used, and it was really simple! We definitely didn’t let it blend up quite as much as we needed to, and it was a bit chunky at the end, but still tasted great! It was really light and refreshing, and I think that I’ll continue to throw pear into smoothies from now on when I make them!
(We’d just come from a workout with Team In Training here!)
A few other behind the scenes shots- including Fitz supervising
The second recipe I tried was the immunity tonic:
recipe credit to Lorna Jane Nourish
I’ve been trying to increase the amount of turmeric I put on things, as it has anti-inflammatory properties, but I’ve never tried it in a drink before! I quickly mixed this up (I used a pinch of ground turmeric and ground ginger instead since I was short on time), and enjoyed this refreshing drink mid-afternoon. You’ll definitely be able to taste the turmeric, so if it’s not a flavor you’re used to, it’ll stand out. That being said, it’s a spice that is beneficial to use in lots of recipes as it’s healthy, so it’s time to get used to it if you aren’t already! I really loved this easy recipe, and am definitely planning to do drink this regularly in the morning!
Looks just the same as normal orange juice
The cookbook is filled with so many beautiful pictures and recipes, and I can’t wait to keep trying them! Here are a few more recipes that I’m looking forward to trying: curried red lentil soup, the roasted pear, kumara, and burssels sprout salad, quinoa pilaf, quinoa tabouleh, and so much more!
Nourish is an awesome cookbook for the active woman, and includes beautiful pictures, inspiring quotes, lots of great information (lists for seasonal eating, tips for eating out, conversion charts, etc), and of course fantastic, healthy recipes!
This is the most patriotic running outfit I own.
We got to the race start and stretched a bit while talking, looking at everyone’s patriotic outfits, and enjoying the patriotic music. The race started at 8 am, and we knew that no matter what pace we went at, it would be automatic PRs for both of us since neither of us had raced that distance before.
The first mile was rough! It took me awhile to loosen up and feel like my legs weren’t really heavy. We did our typical run: walk of 2:1, and were more than ready for the water stop to pop up at mile 1.5. Unfortunately there was almost no water at the bottom of my cup, and I definitely wanted a little more. By that time my legs felt like they loosened up, and the rest of the race went really fast for me.
We even managed to run the hills instead of walking them like our previous race in Carmel. My legs felt pretty good on the hills, and I actually found myself wishing that I had hills around me to train on from time to time.
They had another water stop at mile 3.5ish, and the cups there were filled almost to the top- excellent!
We ended up crossing the finish line around 50 minutes (or maybe a few seconds under?)- I’m not sure of the exact time, but I was happy with that for a race that we weren’t really trying to race (and a race with a few hills!).
They had a bunch of different types of food after the race (granola bars, pretzels, fruit snacks, cookies, bananas, and apples) along with bottles of water and milk, and cups of gatorade. I was impressed with everything they had for participants, especially for a race that cost $20! They also gave us cups that were red, white, and blue and said the name of the race on it in place of a medal. I love that!
Overall, I had a great time at the race, and it was a fun way to start the holiday! I especially loved how great the race was for the price- you can’t beat $20 for a 4.5 miler! I really enjoyed running another race with Melissa as well. This was our 4th race together, and will certainly not be our last!
For more race recaps, check out my race recaps page!
Hello and welcome to my new site! I’m so glad to see you over here!
This blog has been in the works for the last few weeks, and I’m so happy that it’s finally launched! Make sure to follow me on Bloglovin’ for easy convenience in reading! You can also click on the icons to the left to follow me on my various social media platforms!
So why the little things? The more I go through life, as well as the more I sit with people in my office, the more I realize that our life and our health is really about the combination of hundreds of little things that we do (of course with a few big things thrown in too!). These little things, when we work on them, can combine to a healthy, fantastic life, and that’s what I want to focus on here! There will still be my regular training recaps, race recaps, occasional recipes, and of course information on mental health and POTS, as all of these things are little things that play out in my life. I have a few bigger things in the works for the blog as well.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey of working on the little things in our lives, and watching them transform into healthier, flourishing lives!
*I also want to say a HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to Melissa who has been there every step of the way- listening to days worth of me talking about the blog name, blog ideas, and hours this weekend actually setting up this site. I truly couldn’t have done it without her, and she deserves major props! She also redid her site this weekend, so make sure to check it out!
Now it’s your turn to share! What are some of the “little things” in life that help to make your life great? What would you like to see on this site?
If we were having coffee this morning… I would tell you all about my new blog rebranding that is in the process of being done. I’ll tell more on the blog very soon, but if we were in person, I’d tell you how excited I am for some of the new ideas that I have!
If we were having coffee this morning… I’d tell you all about this delicious bagel I got from Einsteins Bagels this morning. It was an everything bagel with honey almond cream cheese, and it was one of the best bagels I’ve ever had.
If we were having coffee this morning… I’d tell you all about my 4th of July- the race I ran, the pool party I went to, the dinner picnic I went to, the games of corn hole I played, and the fireworks I saw! The fourth was a really great day- exactly what I needed!
If we were having coffee this morning… I would tell you all about the smoker who moved in below me, and has completely ruined my ability to be in my place anymore due to how bad the smoke is. I’d tell you what maintenance is trying to do to keep me from moving…
If we were having coffee this morning… I’d tell you all about how much my friendships and relationships are changing right now, as most of my close group of friends have moved away in the last couple months. I’d tell you how sad I am about it, and I’d tell you about all the new friendships I have as well!
If we were having coffee this morning… I would tell you all about the delicious no bake energy balls that I’ve been making. They’re delicious and have become my favorite summer snacks.
Now it’s your turn to share! If we were having coffee today, what would you tell me? How was your 4th?
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry oatmeal
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey (plus about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
- 1/5-2 tablespoons of chia seeds
- 1/4-1/3 cup chocolate protein powder
I tossed everything into the bowl all at once and mixed it thoroughly together, and then put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. When I took it out, I just rolled the dough into individual balls.
Delicious looking, right? For all of you flower folks out there- that’s a verbena in the pot behind the ball.
It’s SO easy, and really only requires 1 bowl and 1 spoon to be washed at the end. You can’t get better than that, can you? I’ve already come up with another 4-5 different flavors of these balls to make, and can’t wait to try them out. I’ll be sharing them all with you as I make them!
So seriously- make these as soon as you possible can! They’re worth it! For more recipes, click here.
Happy July! Are we seriously half way through the year already? This has been such a strange year of my life, and so different than the last few years, so it’s been hard to judge the passage of time the same way. Since we’re now halfway through the year, I thought I’d do an update on my 14 Challenges in 2014.
I challenge myself to run 200 miles. Running has gone much better this year than last year, and I’m not fully sure why that is, but I’m not complaining. So far I’m at 147 miles for the year.
I challenge myself to walk 275 miles. Last year I had to stop walking quite so much due to my tendinitis and IT band syndrome, but this year has felt ok. I try to hold back on pace and distance just so I don’t put extra strain on everything, since I don’t want to have to stop running. So far I’m at 177 miles.
I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. I’m right at 516 miles for the year. Many of those miles have been done on my bike trainer, and most of the first 3 months of miles for the year were spent studying for my big test I took in mid-March. Since then I’ve had some great outdoor rides too!
I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. 75 hours may have been a little too high, and I refuse to push myself to do it just because I “HAVE to”, and then get burnt out on it. Either way I’ll end up pretty close. Right now I’m at 38.25 hours for the year, which definitely has me on track. We’ll see. I’m still really enjoying pilates though, and really appreciate all that it gives to my body.
I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. This one has been pretty easy so far, although less so now that it’s warm. In cold weather (October-March) I seem to have no problem doing planks, but the summer months I definitely cut down. No idea why? So far I’ve clocked a total of 152 minutes for the year.
I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person! So far I’ve done 4 races in person and 5 virtual races, so I’m doing well! I have a few more races set for the rest for the rest of the year too!
I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. This one has been so fun, and now that summer, it’s been REALLY easy. So far I’ve read 13 books this year, and have really gotten into crime books that have me on the edge of my seat (like John Grisham novels!). I’ve also read a few inspiring books like The Hiding Place and Notes From A Blue Bike.
I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. This one I finished at the end of January when I got rid of 54 or 56 (I forget which) items of clothing. I just did another haul at the beginning of June, getting rid of another 75ish items. I think that just shows how much I’ve really held on to over the years that’s been ridiculous! This podcast (Freedom From Stuff) has been inspiring!
I challenge myself to continue to be present. Am I present every single moment of every day- no, but I don’t think that’s fully possible for most of us! But being present has really changed my life, and I’m continuing to enjoy this challenge!
I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). Yes! I’ve written it down twice a week, and am really enjoying it. I even started a gratitude journal outside of this blog, and it’s great to have a hard copy I can flip through.
I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I found a plan online (it’s this one if you’re interested) and have been following that. I don’t necessarily exactly read what is outlined on the day, as sometimes I get ahead or behind (and then have to catch up). I’m just a few days behind on the reading plan, so I’m close to being on track!
I challenge myself to publish an article this year. I haven’t published it yet but I’ve written it and it’s gone through a few rounds of revisions now! We’re close to submitting it to the review board now!
I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. YES! This one has been so much fun, and I’m loving the relationships that I’ve either strengthened or built over the last three months. I’ve even made some new blogging friends, like Melissa and Meg.
I challenge myself to be brave. Oh yes! I wish I could write blog posts about this, but at this point I can’t so much. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…
So, overall, I’m pretty much on point with where I “need” to be for the year in each of these goals, although slightly behind with one. It really hasn’t felt like too much effort, but knowing these goals are out there helps keep me motivated. So, we’ll see how this next quarter goes–
Now it’s your turn to share! How are you going on your goals/challenges/resolutions etc… for the year? Is there anything that you hope to accomplish in the next three months?
I was so excited to have the chance to do another “fun run” this year, and while I love half marathons and more serious races, I feel like it adds some fun to training to have these types of runs too. I was supposed to do the race with Melissa, but she was sick, so I ended up going alone. I was really excited for this race, as they claim it’s “filthy clean”- a good mixture of mud and foam! The race website suggested getting to the venue an hour early for check in, so that’s what I did. I ended up not needing so much time at all, but in later waves (yes- you get to choose what wave you want to run in, which helped the lines at obstacles be nice and short) I saw a much longer line for registration. Just a head’s up! I turned in my waiver, left my stuff at gear check, and headed to the starting line. I started talking to 3 other women, and when they found out I was there alone, they invited me to run the course with them! One of them had even run the Indy Women’s Half the weekend before too!
The first part of the course started in the woods, climbing through webs of ropes, down trails, and up and down little hills. This was the first time I’ve ever thought that I might actually really enjoy trail running. Once we popped out of the woods, we hit the first Foam and Mud pit. The ground was really slippery due to the mix of mud and and foam. They had inflatable balls hitting you as you ran through, making it even more difficult to keep balance!
Seriously- doesn’t that look like fun?
From that point on we ran most of the race on the sides of a soybean field, which meant the ground was uneven. Some places in the fields were so uneven that we had to slowly walk so we didn’t twist an ankle. This was a little frustrating as it would’ve been fun to run a bit more of it! The most crazy obstacle for me was crawling up a rope ladder thing about 20ish feet in the air and then climbing back down. I was totally ungraceful, but it was fun.
This was sort of a huge inflatable slip and slide. It was so long that you had to run the last part of it, which was tough, but so fun.
The end came far too quickly, and I really wished I could run through the course again. The final obstacle was a huge inflatable slide with water on it- I may have yelled a bit on the way down! It was a really fun way to end this great race!
Even though I had gotten muddy throughout the race, I had very little left on me by the end, as you can see in the picture above. They had little stations to rinse off too, but I didn’t bother waiting in line for them.
A few suggestions for you: I brought a towel to sit on in the car, which I would strongly encourage you to do. I also brought a bag to put my shoes and socks in, since there was mud still in them. I loved being able to switch to flip flops right away. Bring sunglasses to run in so that spraying water, soap, or mud won’t get in your eyes. I wore contacts and sunglasses and was just fine. My clothes and shoes cleaned up just fine (although I didn’t wear my current pair of racing shoes for the event).
My thoughts on the race: Positives: The race was SO FUN, and I had a great time running. The obstacles were quite a bit of fun, and it was incredibly well organized. There were two places to get water to drink on the course, which was a nice touch. They had all sorts of other activities that you could do after the race too (but obviously had to pay for them). They gave out shirts at the end, and they were great. They had women’s specific shirts that fit really well and were cute! The volunteers were all very nice and helpful too. Negatives: The entry price was $75, and I would’ve never paid that for this race. It wasn’t $75 worth of fun, for sure, even though I did love the race. I know that lots of people were able to get discounts (the women I ran with got it half price on groupon). Parking was also $10, so the price of the race in total could add up pretty quickly. I had asked a question of Foam Fest via twitter a few days before the race, and didn’t get a response, which was a little disappointing. For post race food they ONLY had pure protein bars, and they have milk and whey in it. For anyone who is lactose intolerant (like I am), vegan, or has a milk allergy, there was no post-race food available. I’d highly suggest the race look into other options that everyone could eat… especially if they’re going to charge $75 for the race. Luckily I had brought other food in the car!
So, overall, the race itself was a LOT of fun, and I really enjoyed the obstacles and getting a chance to play around in the mud. I would definitely consider doing the Foam Fest race again… but wouldn’t pay full price for it! For those of you who’d love to run the race but don’t want to pay full price, use the following code at checkout for a discount (good nationwide): FF3380
Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever done the Foam Fest before? What fun runs have you done in the past or are wanting to do?
That’s when I realized that I definitely wasn’t prepared. I had brought enough fuel to easily get me through about 30 miles, but not much beyond that. I hit hills around mile 32, and that, combined with it being the longest ride I’ve done since August 2013 and the lack of fuel really caused me to start bonking (although not nearly as bad as this ride!). Around mile 38 I stopped back by my place, grabbed about 14 ounces more to drink, ate a string cheese and two more shot bloks, and finished up my last 12 miles. Those miles felt strong, and I was able to maintain a pace fairly similar to my first few miles, which I was happy about!
My bike, biking alongside a farm, and a new-to-me gel to try.
I loved getting to spend so much time in nature! I loved seeing the fields, the flowers growing alongside the train tracks, another muskrat running down the trail, birds chirping, and chipmunks playing alongside the trail. The sun was shining (I have some awesome lines from my bike shorts now), there was a gentle breeze (but not bad enough to make it difficult to ride except for maybe 2-3 miles)- all in all, it was a fantastic day for a ride!
I definitely could’ve kept going, but had to shower to head in to work for the afternoon, so I cut my ride at 50… which is probably better for my body anyways!
50 miles done! And a stream I biked over at one point…
Here’s what my nutritional breakdown looked like: I started the day by eating a bowl of oatmeal with almond milk, blueberries, and a handful of life cereal on top, with 10 ounces of orange juice. Then while riding:
- mile 6.5: 2 fruit punch (extra caffeine) shot bloks
- mile 14.8: half of a gel
- mile 21.5 other half of a gel
- mile 38ish: 1 cheese stick, 2 margarita shot bloks
- To drink: 20 ounces water w/1 camelbak elixir electrolyte tab in it (orange- w/caffeine), 12 ounces water w/half of a nuun tab in it, about 6 ounces of plain water.
I definitely would’ve liked some fuel between mile 21 and 38, but I’m glad I had something other than water with me, so at least that provided me with something! I’m definitely getting my nutrition down more and more each ride that I do. I actually was thinking about a PB and honey sandwich at some point along the way. Would that be weird to bring a sandwich with me? 🙂
I use runkeeper to track my mileage and pace, and I enjoy that it’ll talk over my music at regular intervals! I put one earbud in my right ear, but leave my left one out so I can hear my surroundings better. All in all, this bike ride was one of my favorite rides I’ve ever done. The time flew by, I felt strong (minus the few miles when I ran out of fuel), and it was really peaceful.
Now it’s your turn to share! Tell me about one of your favorite experiences outdoors? What’s your favorite fuel for a long bike ride?
I’m thankful for a fun weekend running and going to the pool with friends. This weekend was comprised of some of my favorite things- food, friends, TV, nail polish, and exercise! I loved running the Neon Dash race with Meg and Melissa, and am glad I got the opportunity to run with them (even though the race was poorly organized).
I’m thankful for fun nail polish colors! I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I smile almost every time I see my nails painted. I don’t know why… I just love it. I tried these two new colors at Melissa’s this past weekend, and really like them both (sorry for the feet picture- if I had access to the blue color on my fingers, I’d obviously use that instead.).
I’m thankful for having access to a gym for free! This is one of the perks of my job- a free gym! It’s not as nice as the gym I grew up with, but I save a lot of money by using the one at work, and I appreciate it quite a bit!
I’m thankful for my bike. I love being able to hop on my bike and go where I want. I love getting to experience nature up close. I’m also thankful that I didn’t have to pay for my bike (it was a hand me down from my younger brother).
I’m thankful for fans. I’ve been able to pay less for air conditioning while also being comfortable because of them the last few weeks. What neat little inventions 🙂
Now it’s your turn to share! What’re you thankful for right now? What’s your favorite summer nail polish color?
