Highs and Lows

Good morning! Mondays are always a little rough so let’s talk about the weekend shall we? I think Spring forgot about us over here in Indiana because it sure didn’t feel like the first weekend of the new season. One of my favorite blogger buddies, Tina, recaps her weekends in highs and lows, and my weekend was all over the place, so I thought it would make a perfect idea for today’s post.

The weather on Friday! It got up to 54 degrees on Friday which felt positively balmy to us Midwesterners. Isn’t it amazing what sunshine can do for your mood? I had a spring I my step on Friday night when I got home from work. I opened up the windows to our apartment, made a hydrating pitcher of water and went on an evening bike ride with the hubs.

It was in the mid-30’s all day Saturday and of course we were outside almost all day long.

 

HIGH

Although it was chilly, we trekked up to the lighthouse where Jord and I got engaged almost two years ago today! I experienced some major déjà vu as we were walking on the boardwalk along the beach. The last time I saw this view, I had no idea Jordan was hiding behind the lighthouse to meet me! I will have to give an engagement recap sometime soon, you will love the story. 🙂

 LOW

On our way back from shopping we got in a little car accident. Jordan was driving and we are all okay, but it definitely put a damper on my Sunday. My car had to be towed because of damage to the wheel and we are a one car family right now until we can get a rental.

 HIGH

Because you always have to end on a high note! I spent Sunday night with one of my best girl friends, helping her with wedding planning. Wedding planning is so much less stressful when it’s not for your own!

What was your high and low for the weekend?

 What’s your favorite season?

Mine would have to be summer. It can never be too hot! Maybe I’m just saying that because I’m so tired of this cold winter we’ve been having? 😉

Get Green 5k Race Recap

This past weekend I ran in Fort Wayne’s Get Green 5k in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that seems to just sneak up on you when you’re not looking. To me, it symbolizes that winter will soon be over and a green spring is waiting for us at the end of the rainbow! This 5k was the first of many 2014 races for me and I’m so glad it’s not the last.

I woke up Saturday morning around 8 a.m. with a spring in my step, excited to get out the door and run. I had my normal pre-race breakfast of almond butter and banana on Ezekiel toast and a half a cup of coffee for a little kick start. We were almost to the packet pick up tent when I realized I forgot my Garmin watch (palm slap to forehead). I was really upset that I  wouldn’t be able to pace myself or see the mileage during the race, but just hoped that the course would be well marked.

I met up with some friends before the race and we had fun chatting and taking pictures with a Leprechaun that showed up for the event.

Jord waited with me at the start line and took my jacket right before the start of the race. There were almost 1000 people registered for the race and temps were in the upper 20’s. I started a little too far back in the crowd and spent the first half mile maneuvering my way around pointy elbows and running legs to get to a clearing.

The course runs through downtown Fort Wayne and has minimal hills. It is a flat and fast race, perfect for going for a PR, which was my goal…until I slipped on my first ice patch. I skidded across some black ice on the side of the road and caught myself right before I fell. It turns out those yoga balance poses pay off after all!

I have no idea what my splits were because I didn’t even know when I hit mile markers 1 and 2. There was one water station about half way through the race, but my hands were so cold that I didn’t trust them to hold onto a cup. My legs and core were warm but my fingers were bone frozen. Yes, I know there are gloves for that, but I have ADD when it comes to my music and like to change songs every 45 seconds during a race. The race felt like it flew by and before I knew it I was 200 meters from the finish line.

I recognized the turn right before the shoot and put it into a higher gear. I felt like I had a lot of juice left in me, so I looked around for renegade ice patches and sprinted to the finish. As I crossed the finish line, I did a double take at the running clock. “What?” I thought, “It can’t say that…”

I found Jord close to the finish and his time for me matched what the race results said. I had just run my second fastest time ever! The only time to beat this one was when I ran in the State Cross Country race when I was 17 years old. I can only attribute my faster time to the strength training I’ve been doing and the whole foods I’ve been eating.

I guess there is a lot to say about healthy living! This race recap was kind of all over the place, but to sum it up: Fort Wayne’s Get Green 5k will be an annual event for me. It was run right on time, has a fun, St. Patrick’s Day atmosphere and your registration comes with 5 tickets towards beer and food in the party tent after the race. We headed over to the party tent to watch a strong man competition and get some green beer and corned beef with sauerkraut. We also got to see the annual greening of the downtown river. Our Fort Wayne Fire Department sprays green water out of their hoses and it almost looks neon across the gray March skies.

 

Pros:

• Fun St. Patrick’s Day atmosphere
• Flat, fast course, great for PRing!
• Lots to do after the race in downtown Fort Wayne

Cons:

• Cold weather, random ice patches on roads and sidewalks
• Disorganized website, race results are still not posted
• Not a lot of volunteers or crowd support along the course

I will definitely do this race again next year. It’s a great course to start your spring races/training and the spirit of the holiday makes it a fun event to participate in. Next time, I’ll wear gloves and pay closer attention to random ice patches.

Have you run in any races yet this year?

What did you do for St. Patrick’s day?  

What I love about Sundays

Good morning and happy Monday friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Mine was filled with food, friends and lots of fun activities. I decided last minute to run in a St. Patrick’s day 5k in downtown Fort Wayne and I’m so glad I did. I’ll have a recap of the race up for you tomorrow.

So, Sundays. You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. When I was in college, I despised the last day of the weekend with a passion. Sundays usually meant studying and completing any neglected homework from the past week. Now that I’ve graduated and I’m married, Sundays are slowly becoming one of my favorite days of the week.

What??! Did I just say that? Now, they will never beat out a Friday, but can be pretty wonderful when you incorporate the right things.

Like cat naps, an early church service, a sweaty Zumba class, a slow evening walk or a Sunday cook up. I have been trying to incorporate an hour long “cook up” on Sunday afternoons and they really help Jord and I to stay on track with healthy eating throughout the week.

A cook up involves prepping any meats, veggies and snacks for the week so they are easily on hand for mealtimes and packing lunches. It makes me not dread Mondays so much.

Here are some of the things involved in yesterday’s Sunday cook up:

• Washed and chopped veggies
• Cooked a batch quinoa
• Made Protein Bites
• Washed and put away fruit
• Cooked 4 – 5 chicken breasts in crockpot
• Baked sweet potato fries
• Boiled eggs

This may sound like a lot, but it only took about an hour and a half of my precious Sunday afternoon and when you think about how much time I saved my chopping all my vegetables in one day, it is worth it! I don’t have to get my cutting board out again all week. Yay!! I definitely notice a difference in how I eat and snack throughout the week when I do Sunday cook ups. It is so much easier to grab some carrots when they are already cut and Jord enjoys munching on protein bites in between meals.

We both workout after work and by the time we get home from the gym at night, shower, deal with any mail we may have gotten, etc. the last thing we feel like doing is cooking a nutritious meal. Sunday cook ups make things so much easier because half of the meal is already prepared! We will mix quinoa with sauteed veggies and chicken for  a stir fry, throw some fresh veggies in eggs for omelettes, or make a monster salad with chicken and boiled eggs. We are both lunch packers for work, so we bring leftovers from dinner or salads and chicken breasts for our lunches.

Plus, it leaves me more time to hang out with this cutie.

I don’t always get around to doing a Sunday cook up because it does take time and there are some dirty dishes to be done when you’re through, but I feel so great when I get one done.

Do you love Sundays or are you not a fan?

Any tips for making Mondays easier?