Monthly Archives: April 2011

Long Run: 17 Miles

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I heart long runs!

Even if I still do get a little anxiety before doing them—as I’ve said before.

A successful long run starts with good pre-run fuel!

Today I went with a bagel and hot tea. I only had the hot tea because I was cold—no other special reason.

I am never sure if I’m going to want the same toppings on both halves of the bagel, so I start by toasting one half, slathering it with my spread of choice (peanut butter this morning) and then devouring in 0.2!

Then I reassess my taste buds, do I want the other half with the same topping or do I want to mix it up? (I know, I’m strange.) Today, I was all about mixing it up, which is usually the case. ;)

Today’s topping on the second half: The Laughing Cow – Light Creamy Swiss Cheese.

If you like cream cheese on your bagel but want to save on the calories, you should definitely give The Laughing Cow: Light Creamy Swiss a try. At 35 calories per wedge it is creamy, spreadable, and tastes similar to cream cheese!!

Today’s tea: Good Earth: Sweet and Spicy Herbal Tea. So good!

I love this tea! It has a strong sweet and spicy flavor to it. I know some people don’t care for tea because the flavor is too weak, but that is not the case for this full-bodied tea.

After letting my food digest for an hour, it was time to depart for my long run of the day!!

Classic cheesy running pose. . . .

99% of the time I run from our apartment, but today I decided to change things up and drive to a different location. Craig agreed to join me on my long run and ride his bike. :)

My run today took me:

over the river. . . . 

and through the woods. . . .

along a busy highway (not so enjoyable) . . . .

and over a bridge.

And after 17 miles and 2.5 hours of running, this is how I felt:

(Actually, I took this even before I started. ;) )

Overall, it was a very good run! Nothing super speedy, but thankfully that’s not the point of a long run.

Distance: 17 miles

Time: 2:30

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Post-run fuel is also very important!

Thanks to Caitlin for giving a great tutorial for a Pretty Omelet! This was my first successful omelet ever!

I followed Caitlin’s recipe, except I used feta instead of goat cheese: 2 eggs + mushrooms + spinach + feta

Fresh delicious strawberries from Costco. (Locals, go and get them!)

I spent the afternoon taking an ice bath, reading, talking to my sister, and relaxing. It was very enjoyable!

For dinner, Craig and I had BLTs and sweet corn: one of my all-time favorite summer meals. Although it seemed a little strange to be having this meal at the end of April, but it was still delicious!

Craig and I are about to watch the movie Due Date. It normally isn’t my type of movie, but Craig wanted to watch it, so I agreed. :)

Visions of Oatmeal Bowls

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Thank you SO MUCH for all the wonderful comments and advice on my A Dilemma post!

It is comforting knowing that I am not the only one who is/was in a similar situation!

I don’t want to give the impression that my husband is the bad guy. He does feel awful that I am not happy, and there is a move in the talks. I just don’t know for sure when, and until that time I have to learn to cope.

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It was so good to get out this morning and clear my head from yesterday’s dilemma. Some of your comments (those I had read before heading out) were also fresh on my mind.

I did a nice, easy 5-miler in preparation for tomorrow’s long run.

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 41 minutes

Weather: 42*, cloudy, a few sprinkles here and there

While out running, visions of a delicious, creamy bowl of oatmeal danced in my head. :)

Pretty much my standard bowl of oatmeal:

Scottish oatmeal + milk + water + banana + chia seeds + vanilla extract + dash of salt

With a plump topping of peanut butter, banana, and strawberries on top!

Lunch was a delicious salad with a ton of different toppings.

Pretty much an “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-salad.”

I also had a container of Fage Greek yogurt.

Fage makes a great Greek yogurt, and I love these containers with the mix-in!

The bluberry-acai mix-in was great, but I could have bought a jar of blueberry jam, added it to the yogurt, and been just as satisfied.

After a very stressful day at work, I got into my car, turned the radio off, and sat in silence most of the way home.

I’ve been doing this more and more because after being in a gym with 20-25 yelling and screaming kids, all I want is peace and quiet!

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This was actually not my dinner tonight. I just didn’t get a chance to blog about it before.

Craig and I made these sandwiches the other night, and they will definitely be making an appearance in our kitchen again! They were phenomenal!

Any time I see a recipe on Jenna’s bog, I know I’m in for a special treat! And her recipe for this Gaullois Sandwich did not disappoint!

I started by using French baguette bread and layering it with black forest ham + brie + sun dried tomatoes.

After broiling it in the oven, I then topped my sandwich with pecans, fresh parsley, olive oil, and a fresh squeeze of lemon.

Finally, I added a little romaine lettuce, and it is complete!

Awesome!

I hope your have a splendid weekend!

A Dilemma

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Craig and I had another coffee date together this morning! :)

We usually have our coffee dates on Monday mornings, but since Craig rode his bike to work Monday, we postponed it until today.

However, before I met Craig at Kaladi Brothers Coffee, I got my sweat session on.

I wanted to go running and lift weights, but I had to be strategic about how I was going to get this all done—and get myself ready—by 7 a.m.

At first I thought about running on the treadmill at the gym and then lifting weights, but I wasn’t thrilled about this idea. I had only planned to run 5 miles—and 5 miles isn’t too bad on the treadmill—but I knew that even before I had reached one mile, I would have been wishing I was outside running—even if it was cold out there.

My other option was to run to the gym from our apartment, lift weights, and then run back home. This would have worked, but I didn’t really want to cut my running in half, and I can get ready in about half the time at the gym because there are less distractions there (computer, food, fixing the bed, etc.).

So here was the game plan I came up with:

5:00 a.m. – wake-up, change into running clothes, get my things together, drive to the gym

5:30 a.m. – arrive at the gym, start my run from the parking lot of the gym, run 5 miles outside

6:15 a.m. – lift weights for 30 minutes

6:45 a.m. – shower, get ready

7:05 a.m. – drive to the coffee shop to meet Craig for coffee

Breakfast

Craig and I always make sure to pack a breakfast when we go for coffee. Overnight oats + 1/2 bagel with peanut butter for me

(oops. . . forgot to enhance this picture!)

Usually when Craig and I have our coffee dates, we have really good, fun conversations. However, this morning our conversation struck a more serious chord.

If it hasn’t been obvious (which it may not have been because I’ve tried to hide it), I am not too fond of living in Alaska. For the past 3 years, I have struggled living here and have wanted to move very badly, but jobs and money have kept us here/prevented us from moving.

The problem is that Craig loves it here: he was born and raised here and loves living here.

To keep this somewhat concise, I won’t go into a lot of the details right now—maybe in the future, but not right now.

So, I’m struggling with what to do and need some advice: do I buck up and suck it up and live here even though I am not happy? How do I make the most of my current situation?

I want to hear from those of you who have been in a similar situation.