A Break from Running

What a busy day yesterday turned out to be! Although I took the week off from working at the BIC, between clients, appointments, blog stuff, shopping, cooking, and movie night hosting the day and night filled up FAST. Anyone else never fail to overestimate the amount of time you have? I’m the queen of this!!

Cooking

Before even changing out of my pajamas, I began baking. Well, I began to start baking. I cut up all the butter for my pies.

 

Don’t mind the wine, that’s for the last section 😉

I’m making THREE pies and one cake this year for our two Thanksgivings. I’m pretty excited, but I just need one full day!! And more butter…

Appointments

 

First stop of the day – the groomer’s! After dropping the frightful (makes my heart hurt) little girl off at the reliable groomers, I was a woman on a mission.

But she sure left the groomers purrrrty 😀

Shopping

Between Target, Fresh Market, and Hobby Lobby. I think I’m set for Thanksgiving.

      

At least my table is 😉

It’s nothing fancy, but I’m proud of it 😀

 

But I’m sure I’ll notice I’m out of an ingredient just as it’s supposed to go into the recipe. Never Fails 😉

Gym

After this excitement, I had to pound out some nerves. I ran 3.5 miles of intervals on the treadmill. Bad news Bears, my right hip gave me pain. I think the best thing to do at this point is cut my running days down to once a week, or even worse, 0 times a week. But that’s OK, there’s always spin, power yoga, and strength training 😀

Blog Stuff

Some very exciting things happening to Running Around Normal soon!! I’m working with a web developer to clean ‘er up and give ‘er a face lift. I can’t wait!! This will hopefully happen within the next few days 🙂

 

Girls Night!!

My friend, Kristin’s birthday was on Monday, so I had a few girls over to sip win, much on snacks, and watch Eat Pray Love. For the girls, I made some caramel popcorn:

And I actually liked Eat, Pray, Love!! It’s been a good three years since I read the book, which I enjoyed thoroughly, but I really enjoyed the movie, too. I know it got a lot of “meh” reviews.

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Another busy one today! But first, I’m off to some power yoga! No running before or after. I’m giving this hip some rest!

Have a fantastic one, guys!!

What dish are you most looking forward to for Thanksgiving? What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dessert??

Burn, Baby, Burn

Hey there! Happy Friday 😀

Thanks for all the non-pb breakfast ideas! Sounds like I need to go get some eggs! I used my last one in a batch of waffles the other day 😉

Wanna know something funny about Niko?

 

 

Whenever Shane or I sit down to eat, she knows it’s meal time. As soon as the form hits our mouth, she walks over to our bowl and starts chowin’ down too.

 

 

 

The little weirdo can never just eat at her bowl, though. Oh no. She has to bring it over to a rug and only then will she begin to actually eat it.

 

            

And sometimes, she’ll actually bring the food pebbles over to whoever’s eating and set it on our feet.

 

 

WTF, dog?

 

 

I never claimed she was a normal dog. 😉

Pet owners: do your pets have any weird/quirky eating habits?

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This morning I had to wake up super early for an early morning client. Before leaving the house, I had my favorite “light breakfast”

 

A banana, chopped, topped with a little drizzle on honey and then about a tbsp of raw wheat germ.

 

Perfect amount of carbs, fat, and protein to getcha goin’.

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Burn Baby, Burn: Legs and Back Circuit Workout

I had to have a little something on my stomach, because after training my client, I trained myself! I completed a 45 minute circuit workout that focuses on legs and back. It was killa! I’d love to share!

Complete the workout circuit-style, going from one exercise to the next. Complete the circuit three times. Before trying this workout or beginning any workout program, please consult with your doctor first.

Warm up: 5 minutes light cardio

leg warm up: walking lunges—> 10 down, 10 back

1. Step ups w/ 10 lb dumbbells

2. Lat pull down

3. Back extension w/ 10 lb. plate

4. Bulgarian Split squat w/ 10 lb. dumbbells

5. Single point dumbbell row w/ 15 lb. dumbbells

6. Single leg stiff leg dead lift w/ 25-35 lb. dumbbell

7. Dumbbell dead lift w/ 25-30 lb. dumbbells

8. Rear delt fly w/ 5-8 lb. dumbbells

Cool down: 5 minutes light cardio

Afterward, I had a bit more time, so I completed about 25 minutes on the elliptical before peacing out to grab some breakfast before my next client coming up.

 

A cherry-vanilla protein smoothie was just what I needed!

1 frozen banana, 10 frozen cherries, 1 c. almond milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 scoop vanilla pp, 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 tbsp flaxmeal

 

Topped with some brown rice crispies (newest obsession, btw!!!) and some granola.

Then I decided some healthy fats were also in order.

 

Perfecto!

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Gotta go train the next client! Have a delightful Friday, all!!

I Blame Indian Food

Turns out Friday night’s drinkies didn’t hinder Saturday morning’s long run at all! I’m giving credit to chugging water, eating a pretty decent portion of veggie pizza for dinner, and downing a cup or two of coconut water before bed:)

What the run was is beautifall.

 

 

I picked up my friend Amber about 5 miles from our starting point, as she had only planned on doing 5 miles. So that way, when we reached 5 miles, she simply went to her car, and I ran the 5 miles back to the starting point. However, we misjudged the mileage, and the half way point was only 4.5 miles, so my entire run ended up being nine miles instead of ten.

Total time: 1:21:45

Avg pace: 9:05

It’s just as well, because my hip started to nag at me and I had to get to work.

Which is just what I did after a good foam rolling session, shower, and a smoothie.

 

  

This smoothie’s too much for a glass! Good thing, because that granola crunch munch is sooo good!

 

 

 

But I’m afraid to say that I’m smoothie’d out? At least this flavor. This saddens me because it makes for SUCH a good post-run snack! The body can absorb nutrients much easier when in liquid form. I’ll just have to get more creative with the ol’ new Vita-Mix. Like I’ve said before, I become obsessed with things, get too much of it, and then need a nice long break.

After smoothie-ing it up, I had to hurry up and shower and get to the gym to work. While there, I devoured the prior night’s veggie pizza leftovers:

Cold pizza in Tupperware. Class 😉

Truth be told, by the time I left work, I was wearing down. I had plans to drive to Peoria to meet my friends Jessica and Clint, but I slept through it. Literally!

I blame Indian Food.

Baigann Bharta, basmati rice, and whole wheat naan.

SO delicious and SO spicy. Mmmm:)

But for some reason, Indian food always makes me suuper tired. More tired than a Niko on a Sunday morning!

I took a “quick” nap, that lasted about an hour too long. Probably a sign I needed to stay home anyhow.

Upon waking, I watched three episodes of Gossip Girl and called it a night. Par-tay animal, yo.

But for now…it’s breakfast time! I had planned on running 4 miles at an easy pace, but I also woke up with some residual hip pain from yesterday’s long run. Looks like that run won’t be happening! Sometimes plans just don’t work out!

Shane and I are going out for breakfast this morning…which rarely happens anymore! I honestly can’t remember the last time. Breakfast is probably my least favorite meal to eat out – but every once in a while it’s fun! 🙂

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Hope you all have a supah dupah Sunday!!

Did you get outside and enjoy the beautiful fall colors this weekend? What outdoor activities did you do?