Super Lazy

This may seem strange coming from someone who runs, but I'm really a naturally lazy person. Just ask my mom.

I am perfectly happy to curl up on the couch with a book or my laptop and not move all day. I don't even feel guilty when I do it either.

It's not the most productive way of living, so every day is a series of negotiations with myself over random things. It's usually along these lines:

I don't want to do that

Will you want to do it later?

Probably not. 

Does it need to be done?

At some point...

Just do it now and get it over with.

Fiiiiiiiine

It's all very mature, but at least I can generally get things done when I need to. This tendency is also part of what motivates me to sign up for races. I like running, I wouldn't keep running and racing if I didn't, but even things I like to do can fall victim to my default laziness.

Tom has been working in the city this week, and when he's gone I tend to be super lazy about meals. I'm the queen of the snack-a-thon - I'll just have a little of this and a little of that until I'm full. I'm pretty impressed with myself because I haven't done that this week. I have actually cooked something every night.

Not that I have anything against cereal for dinner, because I don't.

A few meals from this week:

This is not attractive, but it was delicious: rice with bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, broccoli and chicken.

Burger! (I would happily eat a burger every day) and some mostly successful potato wedges/fries. Considering I'm working without an oven they turned out pretty well!

Tonight was avocado with a side of chicken fajitas. Avocado is the best.

Do you have a food you would be happy to eat every day?

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?

Winter Warrior

There's something extra tough feeling about running when it's stupid cold out. I mean, not really stupid cold, I did wait until the "feels like" temperature was above zero.

After having a freezing pair of legs on my run yesterday, I tracked down my serious winter tights (this is the newer version of what I have) - they're fleecy on the inside! They feel super restrictive at first, especially compared to the shorts I was wearing a few weeks ago, but they definitely do the trick when it's frigid out.

My training plan had speed work for today. Running faster is so much more mental than anything else for me. I get in my head and convince myself I can't do it. I can't run fast. Woe is me.

But I know I can if I try. I figured out how to set intervals on my watch (which I didn't know it could do) and ran my warm up to the flattest area in our neighborhood to run some 400m repeats.

The repeats were supposed to be at 5k pace, but I haven't run a 5k in so long I just ran them comfortably fast (if that makes sense). I don't know if I could maintain that pace for a 5k right now, but I was happy with my repeats, and now I have a baseline to compare future workouts to. The training plan I'm following alternates repeats and tempo runs every week.

I baked a potato in the wood stove tonight. It's hard coming up with one person meals with our limited cooking options. Tom has been working in the city this week, so I've been on my own for dinner the last couple days.

I tend to have snack meals when left to my own devices. This mish mash was my lunch today.

Grapes, strawberries, almonds, bell pepper, chips and queso. Don't be like me.

It was delicious.

Are you an all weather runner?

What's your favorite dinner? I need inspiration.

Back At It

I had just enough of a break from work to start sleeping in again. The alarm this morning was definitely a rude awakening.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time wandering around the grocery store after work. I am the queen of indecision and I couldn't think of anything that sounded good for dinner. I'm a little surprised no one asked me if I needed help...or if I was lost.

It got COLD today!

Half marathon training has begun! Not that I've actually registered yet, but Sleepy Hollow is a small race, so I don't have to worry about it selling out. I did register for a 5k the other day though. I haven't raced a 5k in...years I think. It's not my strongest distance, but some friends are going to be running it, and I convinced Tom to sign up too!

I had to dig out my one pair of full length tights for my run today. I even wore a long sleeve shirt under my jacket, which never happens. The wind was super cold.

I had to keep turning my neck gaiter - every time I pulled it down it would freeze. The funny thing was that it didn't even cross my mind to not run today. I'm sure our neighbors think I'm crazy.

Most of the time I do my yoga upstairs in the office, but I was so cold after my run today that I brought my mat downstairs and set up by the wood stove. I pretty much love all of Adriene's videos (which is why I never stop talking about them), but I am really enjoying Yoga Camp!

I absolutely refused to wear five layers to go outside and cook dinner, so I used the wood stove instead. It actually turned out pretty tasty - and I was warm the whole time! I count that as a win.

Apparently the roaring fire I have going isn't good enough for Buddy tonight. He kept pawing at his bed and looking at me sadly until I helped him get in his cave. He hasn't moved since.

Are you a shopping list maker or do you wander the store like me?

Have you started registering for races yet? 

Fudge, Star Wars and Other Randomness

My pistachio fudge turned out pretty good! I actually think it's more of a nougat texture, but it's tasty!

I used this recipe, but I let it cook a little longer than it said because I felt like the mixture needed a little longer to smooth out and become less gritty. If I make it again I would use a larger pan so the fudge would come out a little thinner. It's very sweet, so I think it would be better if it was more spread out. A better pistachio to fudge ratio. 

I cut some seriously consistently sized pieces too. Ha!

We'll see what other people think on Christmas.

The Sound of Music was on tv the other night as a sing along - it was basically movie karaoke. Pretty funny.

Tom and I went and saw the new Star Wars on Monday.

And again on Tuesday.

Tom is a big Star Wars fan, so the fact that he wanted to see it again is a big endorsement for the movie. I really liked it too! Have you seen it yet?

I can't remember the last time gas was this cheap!

I got this body butter as part of an Influenster campaign, and I ended up really liking it. I'm officially out!

I'm still looking for my motivation. It's been really hard to get out the door for a run this week. I made it out on Tuesday for 6 miles around the neighborhood, and I wasn't ridiculously slow, which was nice. My made up training plan has gone out the window this month. I'll be back to an actual training plan in January, so my goal right now is to do what I can so I don't feel like I'm starting over when that time comes.

And since no post is complete without a Buddy picture:

Pistachio Fudge and Yoga!

I've been meaning to get out and meet some people around here. I have my running buddies, but they're a 45 minute drive away since we moved.

This morning I made myself go out of my comfort zone and went to a yoga class outside the house.

Crazy, right?

I was a little nervous because I haven't been to a yoga class in years - I've just done yoga on my own or with videos. It ended up being funny though because for all my worrying, there were only 3 other people at the class, and none of them were crazy yoga masters.

Other than my inability to breathe with the teacher counting, I managed to keep up. Plus, now that I've been to that studio, I won't be such a baby about going again.

Funny story: when I was sitting on the floor during the warm up I looked out the window and thought, "what a pretty view!" All I could see were trees and sky. When I stood up, I realized that the studio backs up onto a cemetery. So maybe pretty wasn't the right word...

This afternoon I got some jambalaya going in the crock pot for dinner and attempted to make some pistachio fudge.

I say attempted because it's still setting and I haven't tasted it yet. Hopefully it turns out and we have something to contribute to Christmas dessert!

Nothing like making candy on your patio!

Last year I made Eggnog Cookies, and man were they delicious! I had to get creative this year since we are still kitchen-less.

How was your weekend? 

Do you go to group fitness/yoga classes? 

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?

New Running Gadgets

Buddy sleeps in some of the funniest positions. They're pretty much all cute. 

I got a new gadget today - the Moov Now! It was something I pre-ordered months ago (I honestly think I saw it on a facebook ad and curiosity got the better of me). Buddy and I took it on a short run today to test it out, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I'll let you know what I think about it once I've gotten to use it a bit more.

It's super gloomy and dark out today, so I also took the opportunity to take my visibility vest for a spin. Tom bought it for me for my birthday since I'm running outside all the time now and he doesn't want me to get hit by a car.

It lights up and flashes different colors. Now if a car hits me it won't be because they don't see me!

I'm addicted to the crock pot. I don't know if you've noticed, but I have been going crock pot crazy. It's just SO easy to make dinner. Tonight's dinner was jambalaya. I used this recipe, and made some rice to serve with it.

It turned out really tasty, and now we're both super full.

But not so full I won't break into the peppermint candy ice cream I bought this afternoon. Holiday ice cream is my favorite.

Do you have any good crock pot recipes?

Running With Buddy and a Recipe

My GPS watch still isn't working right. I've tried all the troubleshooting fixes, and now it's looking like it may end up getting replaced. At least it waited until after the marathon to stop working.

Even though I'm mostly watch-less (I can see some of the stats after a run, but nothing during) I had a really good run on Sunday. It's the first run since the marathon that I can honestly say that about. I threw on an audiobook and went on my way - and I enjoyed myself! It was pretty great.

Buddy has been loving my new running schedule. He has two days a week penciled in where he gets to come with me. We do 2-3 miles and he gets insanely excited when he sees his running leash. He knows it's different than going for a walk. On a walk he stops every few feet to sniff things, but once we're running he's good about not making any abrupt pit stops.

I made a pretty tasty (and easy) dinner tonight. I was inspired by this recipe from PaleOMG, and made some additions. Ok, one addition and some hot sauce. Plus, butternut squash never cooks as quickly as recipes tell me it will.

I completely failed to take a picture before we ate it all, because I was busy worrying that I overcooked the eggs (I didn't).

Butternut Squash Hash

Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced 
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 pound chorizo
• 1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
• salt, pepper and granulated garlic, to taste
• 4 eggs (or however many you want to squeeze in there)
• hot sauce

Instructions:

• Place a cast iron skillet or pan over medium heat. Add butternut squash and onion.
• Cook butternut squash and onions a few minutes (5-10) until edges are browned. Turn heat to low and cover pan, cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until squash is soft. 
• Once squash is mostly cooked, add chorizo. Break chorizo into small pieces, and cook until completely cooked through.
• While chorizo cooks, add kale, and cook until wilted. 
• Use a spoon to press in 4 little crevices. Crack eggs into the crevices. Place a lid over the pan and cook until eggs are cooked to over easy (or to preference), about 3-4 minutes.
• Serve with hot sauce! (we used Cholula, because it's good on everything)