Procrastination and Motivation

The thing I like about having a race to train for is that even on days where I just don't want to get out the door, I do. I did not want to do anything after work today. I spent a while laying on the bed and playing with my phone rather than getting changed into my running clothes. 

I did eventually hit the road for an easy three miles and, after even more procrastinating, I rolled out my yoga mat for day 13 of Yoga Camp. If you want/need a nice, relaxing bit of yoga today, look no further. It was awesome. 

I had to share this picture of the boys from this afternoon. They're too cute.

We made this for dinner from Blue Apron - I didn't actually manage to take a picture of it when it was done because I was busy eating it.

It was really good, and we're already trying to figure out where we can buy these little rice cakes (tteok) so we can make it again. You can check out the recipe HERE. I love that they have their recipes up so you can see them even if you don't get deliveries.

What keeps you motivated to workout? Race sign ups? Bribery? Reward system?

All the Colors!

I was extra bright on my run this morning!

I had an easy 3 miles on my training plan, so I put on a podcast and had a nice run. Buddy stayed at home (much to his dismay) because I wasn't in the mood to deal with him stopping every 50 feet.

Yoga Camp was awesome today. Some days the practice is exactly what my body wants, and some days I can not slow down enough to enjoy myself. Today was a good one.

I track all of my runs on Daily Mile and they sent me a 2015 recap today. It's fun to see the mileage increase leading up to Steamtown in October.

Looks like a pretty solid year of running to me!

We made a Blue Apron dinner tonight. Well, I cut things and Tom did the actual cooking. Chicken Udon Noodle Soup!

It turned out really good!

And now I'm off to bed, because I'm planning on getting up dark and early to meet up with my running people!

I hope your weekend is off to a good start!

Any exciting plans for the weekend?

Needs More Stickers

I had a really good run today!

I feel like I haven't said that in a while, but there it is. Maybe it's the cooler weather, and maybe it's the fact that I ran with music for the first time in a long time, but it was great!

I was less excited by my pace, but I had to remind myself that I haven't been very consistent with my running for the last month. My pace will come back, I just need to get back into a routine. I hear patience is a virtue or something.

Speaking of routine, I got my new training log today! I'm all set for New Years now.

It needs more stickers.

I'm getting geared up to get into training mode again. There are a couple of different training plans I've been checking out. The mileage for a half seems like nothing after training for Steamtown!

I really liked this Vega recovery supplement this summer, and I also grabbed a little pre-workout energizer to try out.

Our Blue Apron didn't get here today. The delivery guy allegedly couldn't find our house, despite the fact that they've delivered here before. I'm hoping it's a new driver. They have claimed to not be able to find the house before, but it's hard to believe since we live in a world with GPS and smart phones.

Fortunately, the ice packs that Blue Apron uses stay frozen a suspiciously long time, so everything should be fine if we get it tomorrow.

This is the depressed dog I get to hang out with when Tom leaves the house.

Buddy is just a little obsessed with Tom.

Do you have a go-to source for training plans?

Do you use any supplements or protein powders?

Wintery Weather

It snowed last night!

Ok, so it mostly sleeted and made a mess around the neighborhood, but that's a step toward some actual winter weather! I'm not complaining. I've been waiting all summer/fall for some cooler running weather. Bring it on!

We spent the morning waiting for the building inspector to come, and after several hours we found out he had his schedule all messed up and would come in the afternoon instead.

Tom is on the hunt for some new running shoes, so we took a bit of time before lunch to check out a few stores around us. The holidays must have wiped everybody's stock out, because there were hardly any options.

Then we had to rush home to eat some lunch before the inspector arrived. On the bright side, we didn't have to rush to get lunch eaten. He was late again. But at least the rough plumbing inspection is done and now we can move on to the next step.

With a half hour before sunset, Tom and I hit the road for a quick run, and managed to avoid the icy patches.

After laying around for longer than I should have post-run, I did a little yoga (with Adriene - she's my favorite). I was really sore after Sunday's yoga class and run. I'm not sure if it was just the yoga class (which was challenging) or the combination of a tough class followed by a run, but either way, the only thing I wanted to do yesterday was some really gentle yoga/stretching.

I still find it a little strange that I like yoga all of a sudden, but I'm just going with it.

My mom gave us more Blue Apron for Christmas, which we're really excited about! I had so much fun with the recipes last time. I can't wait to see what we get this time around. Our next box will be here tomorrow! For tonight though, we're planning on Chinese food, which I'm also excited about. :)

What's for dinner at your house? 

Are you excited for winter weather?

We Know We're Fancy

I finally went for a run today, a week after Steamtown. It was really cold out and I apparently became a wuss over the summer, so I bundled up with my smartwool headband and my favorite running jacket.

Since I was only planning on doing 2 miles, I took the mutt with me. He was pretty excited and completely wore himself out.

This is from the other day, but you get the idea.

The run went well for me, I'm pretty much not sore at all at this point, though I can still feel a blister that isn't fully healed.

I made it a week without having any races scheduled.

The Sleepy Hollow 10k was on Saturday, and since I wasn't running I decided to go cheer on my old weekend running buddies instead. While I was down there they convinced me to sign up to do Run the Farm with them on the 25th. It's only 5 miles, so it's not a major commitment.

After Run the Farm I don't have anything planned. I might look for a turkey trot on Thanksgiving, but otherwise I'm pretty much done for now. In theory.

We've been having fun with our Blue Apron deliveries. Everything has been pretty tasty, and for the most part they are reasonable portions. We have added a few potatoes and some veggies to a few of the recipes, because seriously, I eat more than 6 brussels sprouts by myself.

What I bought vs what they sent

 We haven't taken pictures of many of our meals (because we're busy eating them), but here are a couple I found on my phone.

Seared chicken and caramelized fennel with jasmine rice and roasted cherry tomatoes:

And Za'atar chicken and farro salad with beet, goat cheese and pistachios:

We moved our outdoor kitchen to the front porch a few weeks ago when the construction started and we couldn't go out the side door anymore. This weekend we added the camp stove so now we can have more than one burner going at the same time (there's one on the side of the grill). 

You don't have to tell us, we know we're fancy.

A Blue Apron Birthday

I don't know if you've noticed, but we're a little busy around here. Between marathon training, work and all the work being done on the house, there have been more than a few nights of takeout in the last few months.

Don't get me wrong, I love takeout, it's easy and tasty, but it isn't the healthiest thing we could eat.

For our birthdays, my mom bought us a few Blue Apron deliveries. We got our first box last week, and everything was really good!

Our box came with three meals and really nicely printed recipes. Everything comes in a nicely insulated box with ice packs, so even if you're not home when it gets delivered, your food will be safely waiting for you.

The first meal I decided to make was this Spiced Turkey chili.

Now, I may just be bad at meal planning and lazy about going to the store, but how nice is it to have just what you need for a recipe delivered to your house? I'll tell you, it's extremely nice. 

The other recipes in this box were pan seared steaks with spinach and lemon-butter purple potatoes, and crispy Cajun catfish with dirty rice and spicy remoulade. They all turned out really well, especially considering how limited our "kitchen" is right now. So far I have been able to make everything on the burner on the grill.

I'm really excited to get our next box - Blue Apron is a lot of fun so far! Thanks, Mom! :)