Facts

Fact: I only have 9 days of school left!! (Yeah, I’m just a little excited. ;) )

Fact: Sunshine does wonders for my mood!!

Fact: It got up to 60* today! (Heat wave, baby! Oh, but don’t worry, I still wore a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, and a jacket. :-? )

Fact: The low in the state: Wainwright, AK: -6* (Yes, that would be negative 6 degrees!)

Fact: I had a wonderful 5 mile run this morning!

Fact: I do not like the smell inside Subway.

Fact: I think no matter what kind of meat I get on my Subway sandwich, my sandwich always ends up tasting the same to me. (Okay, I’ve only really had turkey, ham, and roast beef so maybe that’s not saying much.)

Tonight I tried the new Orchard Chicken Salad (chicken + dried cranberries  + apples + celery + mayo), which was really good! I would definitely get it again! Plus, apparently it was the same price as a Veggie Delight sub, what’s up with that??

Fact: These chips are awesome!

Fact: I do not like how artificial sweeteners (Splenda, aspartame, etc.) taste, but I really like Vitamin Water Zero, which is naturally sweetened with stevia along with a couple of other zero calorie natural sweeteners.

Fact: I rarely shop at New Sagaya’s because I often find it is overly priced, but I actually found some pretty decent deals there tonight.

Nature’s Path Organic Crunchy Maple Sunrise: $3.00

Barbara’s Puffins Original: $3.29

Back to Nature Organic Stoneground Wheat crackers: $2.89

Crofter’s Strawberry Fruit Spread: $3.00

Clif Shot Gels: $0.89 each

Clif Shot Bloks: $1.49 each

Clif Bar: $1.00

Clif MoJo: $1.00

Vine-ripened tomatoes: $2.49/lb.

Fact: Always check the list of ingredients between brands of the same product.

I was going to buy Rold Gold pretzels until I realized there were ingredients listed that I was unable to pronounce. Then, when I checked out the ingredients of Market Pantry’s pretzels, I was happy to discover the ingredients were ones I recognized.

Fact: Don’t always assume the off-brand is always cheaper than the name brand.

These cost nearly the same as a box of the off-brand—for a count of 12!!

Fact: Kara Goucher (my idol!) has a blog! Check it out here.

In her most recent post, she talks about her visit to Duluth, MN (her hometown). In the past, any time she had left her old stomping ground, she would shed a few tears but that was not the case this time. I’m curious to know why.

Fact: Creating blog posts takes me way too long. I need Ecto and faster Internet!

Sunshine is my Friend

You have no idea how much this sunshine brightens my day! I makes me feel like a new person! :)

I have desperately missed the warmth of the sunshine during all the cold, cloudy, dark days of winter!

We are at nearly 15 hours of daylight already, and we still have 2 more months of gaining daylight! It changes quickly when you are gaining nearly 6 minutes of daylight each day! That’s more than half an hour each week!

Today’s sunrise - 6:35 a.m.

(When I’ve been starting my runs—around 5:45 a.m.—a hint of light can be seen in the sky. :) )

Today’s sunset – 9:26 p.m.

(It is still light out when I go to bed!)

For comparison, check out these posts about the lack of daylight through our winter months.

Sunrise, Sunset (October 6)

Diminishing Daylight (October 25)

Daylight Savings (November 6)

Don’t Go (December 1)

Shortest Day of the Year (December 21)

Still Dark (February 10)

~~~~~~~~

I enjoyed a hot, creamy bowl of oatmeal this morning for breakfast. (Honestly, there is oatmeal under all those topping!)


This bowl of oatmeal was extra creamy because I used Scottish oats instead of old-fashioned oats. A bowl of oatmeal would not be complete without a dollop of crunchy peanut butter!

Last Week’s Mileage + Workouts

Monday: 8 miles (hill workout)

Tuesday: spin class + 4 miles

Wednesday: 9 miles (3 x 1600 meter repeats) + 90 minutes yoga

Thursday: 6 miles + 75 minutes yoga

Friday: 4 miles

Saturday: 15 miles

Sunday: off

Total: 46 miles

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Question

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Sunshine in the Forecast

Check out the weather forecast for this week! It is about time we had some days filled with bright, glorious sunshine! :)

Weather for Anchorage, AK 99508

Mon
Partly Cloudy
67°F | 47°F
Tue
Sunny
64°F | 47°F
Wed
Sunny
65°F | 48°F
Thu
Partly Cloudy
63°F | 49°F

This morning got an early start with Craig having to be at the airport for a trip for work.

Since I knew this, I made up a bowl of Strawberry Banana Overnight Oats last night to take on the go.

Cool, creamy, and delicious!

Strawberry Banana Overnight Oats

- 3 tablespoons almond milk

- 1/4 cup plain yogurt

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 teaspoon agave nectar

Mix the above ingredients together.

Add 1/2 mashed banana.

Next add:

- 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats

- 1 tablespoon chia seeds

On top:

- 1/2 banana, sliced

- 2 large frozen strawberries, sliced

- unsweetened shredded coconut

I also had the last waffle from this box. I have this weird quirk that if something is almost empty/gone, I have to do everything in my power to finish it up as soon as possible! Does anyone else have this odd quirk, or is it just me?

For some reason, a salad in my lunch always tastes way better than when I make a salad at home.

Tons of goodies in here:

- spinach

- tomato

- avocado

- provolone cheese

- dried cranberries

And cashews for some crunch. I wanted them to stay as crunchy as possible, so I stored them in a different container until it was time to devour my salad.

Poppy Seed dressing–one of my favorites that goes well with many salad combinations!After school tonight I have running club, so I really hope my arch doesn’t hurt. I really want to get back into running since I am signed up to run the Kenai River Marathon Relay with three other friends, which will happen on Sunday, September 26.

I did this race last year, and it was a ton of fun, so I’m hoping for some fun times again! I am also looking forward to competing because I love competing! I don’t run races nearly as often as I would like to!!

Question

What’s your favorite thing to pack in your lunch?