Thanksgiving, Playing Chicken and Shopping

How was your Thanksgiving?

We had a pretty laid back holiday, which was really nice. Tom was up dark and early to do a little sitting in the woods hunting with our neighbor. Buddy and I had a relaxing morning and I finally got myself out the door around 10 to go for a run.

My watch is back and fully functional!

TomTom customer service was wonderful and the only thing I had to pay for was shipping the busted watch back to them. I ran an easy 8 with my audiobook, took a short break at home and then went back out for another 2 with Tom and Buddy. Ten Thanksgiving miles before the big meal.

The house was too hot when we got home, so we spent a little cool off time in the yard. Sometimes when Buddy is running around the yard he plays chicken. He runs straight at you and then veers off to one side or the other at the last second and just keeps on running. Only yesterday, instead of holding still, I tried to move out of the way and took his giant head right to the side of my knee. I ended up on my butt, facing the opposite direction I had been standing. Tom did a really good job of making sure I wasn't actually hurt before he started laughing. There's definitely a bruise, but I'll survive.

We went to Tom's friend's house for dinner and had a nice time visiting with everyone and eating way too much food - as is traditional.

I spent most of today thinking that it was Saturday, and doing dishes. I have no idea how two people create so many dishes. We're just talented like that. Plus I checked out a few online black Friday deals and did a little Christmas shopping from the comfort of my couch. I don't do black Friday. People are crazy.

Did you brave the crowds and go shopping today?

What was the best part of your Thanksgiving? 

Running, Yoga, and Buddy in a Hat

Nothing terribly exciting around these parts lately. This week has flown by and I feel like all I've done is teach classes, do dishes, run and decide what to have for dinner.

That's pretty much life, right? Deciding what to eat for dinner every. single. day. Mom, I'm sorry for all the times you asked what we wanted for dinner and we didn't help at all.

I completed my 30 days of yoga challenge. I actually did every day and didn't skip any!

And - get this - I'm still doing yoga. I have seen noticeable improvements in my strength and flexibility, and while I'm still a long ways off from being a super bendy yogi, I'm way better than a month ago.

Please enjoy this random photo dump from the week:

I've been researching showers and bath tubs for the new bathrooms. It's not a kind of shopping I find fun.

The obligatory weekly trip to the laundromat.

My computer did this again. It happens so often now that I don't even freak out anymore. As long as it turns back on - we're good.

Buddy hates when I get in his face to take a picture.

A little post-run Nuun and my new Moov. I ran a cadence workout on Wednesday with the Moov; it was interesting. The focus was on shorter, quicker steps, and since it can tell your range of motion (you wear it on your ankle when running) it yells at informs you when you are striding out too much. The shorter steps feel odd, and a little bit like I'm shuffling, but it is allegedly a more efficient way to run once you're used to it. We'll see.

I never knew how much work wood stoves were to get them burning efficiently. I'm not good at it yet.

Wild Sockeye salmon was $7.99/lb instead of $14.99/lb the other day. I couldn't pass that up! Tom made a fancy salmon - the picture doesn't really show how pretty it was.

Just harassing the dog. As usual.

The longer I was in the store the other day, the less healthy my choices became. This was a little odd, but also pretty addicting. Luckily it's a small bag.

Buddy and I went for a run this afternoon, and then I harassed him with my Nuun hat.

I can't help myself.

How was your week? Anything fun planned for the weekend?

I'm Cut Off and Exciting News

I'm declaring myself cut off from buying any more running stuff for a while. I went a little crazy when I started making money again, and I had no summer running gear. I'm officially well stocked with all manner of gear/clothes/shoes, and now I need to knock it off.

I went to the closest running store the other day (which, fortunately for my bank account is 40 minutes away) to pick up some new fuel options to try out for my long runs, and accidentally-on-purpose tried on some shoes.

Long story short - I bought new shoes.

They are Saucony Zealot ISOs - my first Saucony shoe. They're SO comfortable! The upper just hugs your foot and pretty much feels like you're wearing slippers. The guy at the store said they are very similar to PureFlows, but they are a little sturdier and will withstand a lot more mileage (PureFlows are only expected to last 250-300 miles).

I took them on my 8 miles on Wednesday and for another 5 on Thursday, and I am really liking them so far! They are a nice balance of cushion and support, and man are they comfortable!

I also picked up a bunch of new fuel to try out. I have definitely not been taking in enough calories during my long runs. 

In other exciting news, I found out I was accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador today! 

FitFluential is a super inspiring community of people who are passionate about fitness, food, health and wellness. The community includes everyone from experts to weekend warriors. There are so many people I "know" on social media and blogs who are FitFluential ambassadors and I can't wait to work with FitFluential and hopefully do some inspiring of my own. :)

What's your go-to fuel for long runs/race?

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This post contains affiliate links

Running Negotiations

It was almost cold this morning. Buddy was curled up in a little ball, so Tom gave him his blanket.

My run today was full of negotiations. First it took me absolutely forever to actually get changed and get out the door, and then there was a whole lot of lying to myself.

Ok, you can take a break at the two mile mark.

Just kidding, keep going.

Ok at the turn around point you can stop for a minute.

But then you would have to start going again up a hill. Just keep running.

At the top of this hill you can take a break.

Are you kidding me? It's downhill now, you don't need a break! 

Long story short, I ran the whole 7 hilly miles without stopping (and it was hot out!). Ok I stopped for a split second so I could jump into a ditch rather than get hit by a car, but that doesn't really count.

In case you're in need of some compression sleeves, PRO Compression has a deal going on right now. 3 pairs for $33 using the code CSGB - plus free shipping! Check it out HERE. (I gain nothing by you clicking this link, I just like sales).

Mine are already on their way :)

We're having Chinese takeout for dinner and I'm more than a little excited. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but running makes me hungry.

Tom is running a Warrior Dash race tomorrow - I'll try to get some fun pictures again!

I Almost Look Tan

Zappos is the best, isn't it? I ordered the correct size of the too small sports bra yesterday afternoon, and it was on our front porch when I got home from work today. So fast!

It was here in time for my afternoon run! Now, I know that afternoon is not the ideal time so be running when it's hot out, but there's no way I'm waking up even earlier to run and shower before work. I'm stubborn like that. And as for running later in the day, well, by then I have lost my motivation - and there are more bugs out.

Turns out I was totally spoiled by having my treadmill in the air conditioned basement. Right now it's out in the garage, so that would probably be even hotter than running outside. At least outside there's a breeze!

One of the things about running in a new area is that you never know what to expect when it comes to hills. There were a couple of seriously steep climbs during my 5 miles today, but what can you do? I'm just going to be a super-strong hill runner!

Both my new tank top and sports bra were great! The tank top is amazing, so light and no fuss - I didn't have to mess with it once. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a sale so I can buy other colors now. I can't very well get through an entire summer of marathon training with one lightweight tank top. At least that's what I'm telling myself!

Plus, I almost look tan in this color. It's an optical illusion.

I actually took water with me on my run. If you ask anyone who has ever run with me, you'll know that I never do that. I hate carrying things when I run. It's a good thing that I did, because I drank it all. It also gave me a chance to try out the new Plus for Nuun.

Some reviews I have read said that they wanted to add more water when they used this, but I couldn't even taste a difference (it's unflavored). I don't really know if it made a difference since I wasn't doing a long run, but I figured it couldn't hurt to have some extra electrolytes while I was running in the heat.

Buddy's Big Adventure and New Running Things

Buddy went on an adventure this afternoon. I had an order from Brooks (yay running stuff!), and when the FedEx man came to the door, Buddy bolted. He visited a couple of neighbor's houses and played keep away for a little while before Tom sat on the grass and Buddy came running over. Brat.

Needless to say, we need to work on his off-leash training.

I had my first official run as part of my marathon training plan today. It was only 3 miles, but in the 83 degree weather, that was fine by me. I just kept telling myself that these painful runs in the heat will make cooler weather running feel SO much easier.

This is my new tank top I bought from Brooks. It's super lightweight, and has a nice flowy fit. I'm excited to take it out for my run tomorrow.

I also ordered a new sports bra since mine are a little ancient, but I didn't read the reviews as well as I should have, and it doesn't fit. Boo.

We don't currently have a washer and dryer at the house (well, we have a washer, but we don't know if it works, and it's not super useful on its own), so I spent forever at the laundromat on Monday. Do you know how many quarters it takes to start a medium sized washing machine?

15.

You read that right, 15 quarters!

I'm pretty sure the last time I went to a laundromat it took maybe 5 or 6 quarters to do a load.

Some new goodies from Nuun arrived on Monday, I'm excited to try out the new Plus for Nuun - I'll have plenty of opportunities this training cycle!

Buddy is getting a little less freaked out when we leave the house, though he's still crying like we abandoned him.

He likes to keep us close.

Heavy Legs and Shorts Shopping

I have a special request for the universe: please leave my toes alone, specifically those on my left foot. In the last few days I have dropped the dog gate on one toe and shredded the cuticle, buddy scratched one to the point of bleeding, and I stubbed another on the coffee table. I'm running out of toes, so please, give it a rest.

I did my run on Thursday in my Altras to give my poor toes some extra room. 4 easy treadmill miles.

On Saturday, I planned on doing my long run like I did last week - half with the group, and half after on my own. It was a beautiful morning, clear skies and about 50 degrees. And then when we started running, my legs felt like they weighed a couple hundred pounds apiece. I had to push pretty much the entire run to keep up with the group.

I was feeling a bit better by the end (around 6.5 miles in) and was trying to convince myself to go out for a few extra miles, when one of the guys offered to go back out with me. Up until last year I was pretty much a solo runner, and I never realized how much easier it is to run with people. We did another 4 miles, bringing me up to about 10.5. I was planning on 13, so I didn't quite hit that goal, but considering I wanted to stop after mile 2, I'm happy with 10.5.

The funny thing is that my running buddy had run before meeting up with the group and was heading back out for a few more miles after I went home. When I left he was almost at 17 miles for the day - and he isn't training for anything!

I went on a running shorts shopping expedition in the afternoon. I have a pair of shorts I use for treadmill runs, but they're not something I want to run in outside (they're short and spandex). I have always had problems with looser shorts riding up and driving me insane, but I also know that I won't get through marathon training this summer trying to run in my capris.

After trying on pretty much every single pair of shorts in the store, I picked up a pair of Oiselle Rogas. I'll let you know what I think once I get a chance to test them out.

I'll leave you with some springy pictures from the neighborhood:

The lonely white flower from a couple weeks ago has some company now.

Do you have running shorts that you love?

Traffic and New Shoes

This is from yesterday afternoon, but I forgot to post it. 

It was a pretty afternoon. Apparently most of the neighborhood down the hill from us lost power from the wind last night - guess we lucked out!

Traffic around here is so unpredictable. If I leave with what I think is "plenty of time" then I'm almost always a few minutes late. And if I leave super early, I hit no traffic and end up sitting in my car for 15 minutes. I mean, there are spots where there's always traffic (why is merging so hard for people?), but in general it's really hit and miss.

I have been really good about not buying more running shoes lately, but several of my favorites are reaching their mileage limit. Since I've been doing plenty of research (aka endlessly perusing shoe websites), I found a good deal and gave myself the go ahead to get a new pair.

They got here this afternoon!

They're Altra Superior 1.5s, and they're really cute.

They're my first pair of Altras, so I'm excited to try them out. They are zero drop and have a foot shaped toe box - so much freedom for your toes!

They're technically trail shoes, so I'll definitely have to take them outside soon :)

I went against their nature and ran an easy 4 miles on the treadmill this afternoon - I like them so far, new shoes are one of my favorite things!

Have you tried Altras before? Are you loyal to a certain brand of shoes?

Weekend Happenings

I feel like I have barely been home this weekend, and I somehow have zero pictures to share with you.

Saturday morning I woke up early to meet up with my running group for 6 chilly miles. We were all really excited because the "feels like" temperature was the same as the actual temperature - 7 degrees - but without wind, it wasn't too bad once we got moving.

In the afternoon, Tom and I drove to a car dealership in Connecticut to check out an SUV I saw online. I need something bigger than my little blue car (a Ford Focus) and have been looking at/researching cars online for a while. We took a Hyundai Santa Fe for a strange test drive (strange because of the two trainees that rode in the back seat, not because of the car) and then went to grab lunch at a place called Widow Brown's (they have really good fries) and talk about the car.

I ended up trading my car in and going home with a new (used) car! Buying cars takes forever, even when everything goes smoothly, so we ended up leaving with just enough time for Tom to drop me off at a house I was babysitting at. I didn't get home until after midnight.

I failed to take any pictures of the car, and now it's snowing, so I'm not going to today.

This morning we had two showings of the townhouse, so we took Buddy over to hang out at Tom's parent's house for a while. We have had a decent number of people looking at the house, so hopefully something happens soon.

This afternoon we were out and about doing some shopping (Target, Gap, the grocery store), and now we're finally relaxing and watching tv. It's been a busy weekend!

Mostly Pictures of Buddy

Happy Tuesday! Sorry I've been MIA the last few days. I've actually had things to do lately, so I'm getting back in the swing of properly managing my time.

The less exciting side of things is that I've been setting an alarm this week, which I have to get used to again. It's been a while. That's not to say that I've been sleeping until noon every day, I'm usually up by 8, but 6 and 8 are quite different.

Some highlights from the last few days:

We got a few inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday, and then Sunday we were treated to some above freezing temperatures. It's so wrong when temperatures in the upper 30s feel sort of warm.

I did some shopping and managed to only buy the pants that I set out to buy. I was pretty proud of myself.

Buddy tried to stop me from running, but I managed to make it down to the treadmill for the last 4 miler of my cutback week. I was not feeling it at all, but I trudged my way through it.

I took no pictures on Monday. And I didn't run. I did, however do a TON of dishes that we were avoiding all weekend.

Today's run was a good one. My training plan called for 3 easy miles, but I was in the groove, so I ended up at 4.32 miles in 40 minutes.

I sat down on the treadmill to stretch and was promptly joined by Buddy.

He's kind of ridiculous.

ALL the salads!

I had a salad for breakfast. It just sounded good, and yes, I ate it out of the greens container.

Why make dishes if I don't need to?

Check it out: I actually went somewhere today!

Since I'm not working right now, I've been trying to be good about not spending money when I don't need to. This has resulted in me pretty much only going to the grocery store that's a half mile from our house and nowhere else. I'm starting to go stir crazy.

So this morning I went for a drive and spent some time wandering Target. I may have found some new yoga (pajama) pants, but I'm not sure yet. The tag is still on, so I'm not committed yet. I had no idea I was so picky about yoga pants.

Lunch was yet another salad - they're just so good!

I'm on a giveaway winning streak lately. I won this last month, but they just sent it to me this week.

The box was a little smooshed, but everything inside was fine.

It's a bundle from real food. real life. - their big thing is fermented foods and probiotics.

I'm interested to see if I notice any difference taking these. My body is generally pretty indifferent about my healthy choices (which is why I usually don't worry too much about them).

I got in a 2 mile treadmill run and did a Piyo core workout this afternoon. Core work is never my favorite (I once yelled "I have no core!" during a roller derby practice), but at least this workout had some different moves to keep things interesting.

Dinner was pretty healthy today, too. Roasted broccoli, baked sweet potato and steak. Considering I had chips and salsa for dinner a couple of nights ago (on accident, it was an out of control snack-a-thon), this is a big improvement.

And since no post is complete without a picture of Buddy, here's him tangled in the curtain earlier today.

Do you get on food kicks where you eat the same thing all the time?

This salad kick is much healthier than when all I want is sour patch kids. ;)

A gloomy run and dressing up

My alarm on Saturday felt extra early for some reason. It was raining and gloomy out, but at least it wasn't as cold as it has been the last few weekends.

We had a decent group for our run, though most showed up late. I guess the gloomy morning got everyone off to a late start. On the bright side, the rain let up for most of the time we were running.

I actually remembered to start my Garmin this week, so that was nice. We ended up covering 6.57 miles at a 9:05 pace, which wasn't bad because the humidity was so high we were all having a tough run. It's weird to think about humidity when it isn't hot out, but it definitely makes a difference.

After digging through a few bins in the basement I realized I got rid of my semi-dressy coat when we left Alaska. I never wore it in Kodiak, go figure.

We braved the absolutely insane shopping crowds (and terrible drivers) and ended up getting a black pea coat from Old Navy. It isn't what I was looking for, but it was nicer than wearing my everyday coat, plus it was on sale.

Then it was time to go from this:

To this:

I don't have pictures from our fancy dinner, cell phones aren't allowed at the country club we were at. There was a ton of delicious food. Appetizers, dinner (we both had prime rib) and a huge table of desserts. Yes, please!

We did get a picture of us all dressed up, mostly because my mom kept insisting that I needed to send her a picture.

See? I don't always wear running clothes! ;)