Daily Archives: February 27, 2011

Pushing My Limits

Posted on by

6

I used to have quite a bit of anxiety on Sundays and not really enjoy the day.

It was the day filled with: running errands, prepping for the week, and then of course thinking about work the next day—never a good thing. :(

However, now that I’ve been doing my long run on Sundays—and my schedule has been rearranged a little—I am finding I don’t have as much anxiety. :)

Craig and I have been running errands Saturday afternoon, and I try to get as much prepping done on Saturday. That leaves my Sunday for focusing on my long run and using the afternoon to relax, recover, and enjoy some down time. I, of course, still end up doing some work, but it hasn’t felt as rushed.

Today’s long run


Distance: 15 miles

Time: 2:10

Weather: cold (15*), windy, but sunny :)

Overall, the run went well! I didn’t experience any pain, and I felt pretty good throughout the run. My legs were feeling it by the end, but that’s to be expected.

I had one GU throughout my run. Love the mint chocolate flavor—very authentic.

I realized on my run today that if I didn’t have a plan I followed—and predetermined mileage for the day/week—I am pretty sure I wouldn’t push myself to test my limits.

If I just ran by how I was feeling, I know I would always stop before really challenging myself to see what I am capable of. For example, after 90 minutes today, I was starting to feel fatigued, but I still had 40 minutes to go. If I was running by how I felt, I probably would have stopped at that point, but since my goal was to run another 40 minutes, I kept pushing through.

I, by no means, think I pushed myself too far today! Those last 40 minutes were a mental test for me because I only ran 1 mile longer than I did last week.

What are your thoughts. . .

Do you always have a plan you are following? or Do you run by how you are feeling?

If you didn’t have a plan, do you think you would be able push yourself hard enough?

A Wonderful Saturday

Posted on by

16

There’s no better way to start my Saturday morning than with a little action in the kitchen.

This recipe comes from Kelly at Foodie Fresh. I was reading her blog and stumbled across her Almond Crunch Granola recipe that came with a caution: “Make at your own risk.” Count me in!

And boy was she right! I have not been able to stop snacking on this since I made it. I love the subtle pumpkin flavor and the fact there isn’t any oil in it. I will definitely be making more!

I am really picky about my almonds. I don’t care for raw almonds that aren’t roasted because they aren’t crunchy enough for me. These Planters almonds are the best I’ve found–roasted, crunchy, and not covered in salt—only 40 mg of sodium per serving.

I then ventured out for a nice 6 mile run in the sunshine. :)

After getting back, I made myself a protein recovery smoothie.

Mixed Berry Protein Smoothie

2 handfuls frozen berries

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 frozen banana

Almond Crunch Granola

I spent a good amount of time foam rolling and using The Stick afterward because I’ve found this really aids in my recovery.

After showering and getting ready, I was really craving some veggies but we were kind of lacking in that department at home, so I suggested to Craig we go to Subway because I had a gift card from Christmas!

I had a Subway Club topped with all the veggies (except jalapenos) and honey mustard.

Craig had the Pastrami sandwich on a flatbread.

After Subway, we headed to Fred Meyer for a some grocery shopping . . . . and then Craig spotted them: Girl Scout cookies.

I told him he could go and buy some, but I didn’t think he would come back with 3 boxes!!

I, of course, had to have one!

After Fred Meyer, we went to Costco, and then finally Natural Pantry.

Natural Pantry has a lot of specialty foods the other grocery stores in town don’t carry, but the prices are pretty steep! I really wanted to try Barney Butter, but I just couldn’t fork over $12 for a small jar of it!!

When we got home, I was hungry again (go figure!) and craving some more vegetables. While at Costso, I picked up this giant bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables, and I was excited to try them out!

I thought for sure there would be preservatives or sodium added, but I was happy to see that there was only vegetables in the bag!

I sauteed the vegetables in a little olive oil and then sprinkled some low-sodium soy sauce on top–totally hit the spot!

Craig and I had so much fun with our homemade pizza + movie ‘date-night-in’ last weekend, we decided to do that again this weekend! :)

I made the dough on Friday night, and then a couple hours before we were going to make our pizzas on Saturday, I pulled the dough out of the fridge to bring it to room-temperature. I have found this really makes a difference when you are trying to shape the dough.

I used the same toppings I did last weekend:

- dough (KG’s Homemade Pizza Dough)

- organic extra virgin olive oil

- Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce

- seasonings: pepper, garlic powder, oregano, basil

- fresh baby spinach

- organic fresh basil

- sliced tomatoes

- fresh mozzarella cheese

So incredibly delicious!

Last weekend I used this pizza dough recipe from 101 Cookbooks, but yesterday I made KG’s Homemade Pizza Dough. Both are awesome recipes, and I’m not sure which one I prefer.

This was Craig’s pizza: peperoni + fresh basil + pineapple

Last weekend the dough was pretty thick, but this time I got it a lot thinner. I did use a rolling pin (which you’re not really supposed to be) but I haven’t mastered the hand-tossing method yet.

After devouring our pizza, we watched The Social Network—once again courtesy of the Redbox.

I actually went to bed before the end because I was falling asleep—10:30 p.m. is too late for this grandma.

Enjoy your Sunday!