A Runner’s Christmas List

Nov 29, 2013

The holiday shopping season is officially here!  If you have a relative, friend, or coworker that is a runner (I think we all have a runner in our life!) and you are looking for the perfect gift for them, look no further.  Any runner, me inlcluded, would love to receive any of the items on this list.  I hope you find the perfect gift for that crazy, endorphin-loving, pain seeking special runner in your life!

1.  Anything and everything from Erica Sara Designs.  I absolutely love her jewelry and she has something for everyone.   I really like the “Run” necklaces  and bracelets and I LOVE these stackable rings.  Click here to see more great gift ideas!

2.  C9 by Champion for Target.  Who doesn’t love new running gear?  The C9 line by Champion is high-quality, cute, and AFFORDABLE.  The C9 apparrel is sold at Target, so you can do a lot of shopping in just one stop.  🙂  I think the cowl neck pullover below is super cute and it comes in a variety of colors. 

3.  The Runner’s World Cookbook.  The first section of the book focuses on nutritional information and staple ingredients every runner should know, and the second part of the cookbook illustrates how to turn these facts into delicious, quick, and nutrient-boosting meals through delectable recipes.  If you are buying this for your significant other, this is a gift that will benefit your tummy too.  🙂

4.  A foam roller or stick.  Now that I use a foam roller/stick after every single run (and Body Pump), I can’t imagine living without them!  I use the Exervo Nimbus EnduraBead Pro Foam Roller and I love it.  It is pretty firm and my muscles feel so good afterwards.  When I’m traveling or if I have hard to reach trouble spots, I use the Sprinter Stick.  PS TheStick.com is offering FREE SHIPPING right now.

5.  Cold Gear.  Now that the temperature has dropped (unless you are lucky enough to live in a nice warm place), it is very necessary to be dressed appropriately.  🙂  I LOVE Athleta and they have a huge variety of cold weather running gear. Today only, you can get 20% off in stores and online with the promo code FIT20.  They don’t have sales often, so this is a really good time to buy some gifts and make somebody very happy.  🙂  I’m also loving the stuff at New Balance right now.

6.  Fuel.  Runners need to eat well in order to perform well.  Sometimes it’s difficult to find the best pre-run snack, but I’ve found that Picky Bars are perfect.  Not only are they delicious, they are a little smaller than the usual “bar” and they still provide a great source of energy.  Right now, you can get 30% off with the promo code PICKY30!

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7. Sport Hooks.  Runners love to sign up for as many races and possible and with almost every race comes a shiny new race medal.  If you don’t have anywhere to store/display your medals, they end up shoved in the back of a drawer (like mine right now 😦 ).  These Sport Hooks are great because you can customize the design you want (Running, Disney, Blog Name, Boston, etc.) and you can proudly display all of your medals!  I really like this one…hint, hint.

I hope this list helps you shop for that special runner in your life! 

What is on your Christmas List this year?

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  I hope you are having a fantastic day!

Today was awesome in so many ways.

1.  It was Annabelle’s First Thanksgiving!

2.  Turkey Trot:  I won the 30-39 age group with a time of 22:08.  Not a PR but I’ll take a 1st place any day.  🙂

3.  Great food!

Clockwise from the left:  chocolate chip cookie, lemon cake, brownie, strawberry angel food cake and whipped cream mixture.  I’ll be honest with you all (and myself)…an hour later I also had strawberry jello mold and one more brownie.  I also ate a bowl of ice cream before writing this post…  I have a problem.  😉

4.  Lots of family time!

Chris, Uncle Roger, and Laura rocking it at the kid’s table.  Chris fit right in because he holds his silverware like a 5 year old.  Love you babe!

My dad loves Reddi Whip and he decided that Annabelle would love it too.  He was right.

Molly and I will be spending the rest of the evening on the couch watching the Ravens game.  Go Ravens!!

What was the best thing you ate today?

It was all so good.  🙂

Are  you shopping tonight or tomorrow?

No.  I am heading to work very early tomorrow and I will probably fall asleep by 10.  Let me know if you find any great deals!

Follow these 5 tips to have the best Thanksgiving ever!!

Nov 27, 2013

1. Get in a morning workout!  I read that Thanksgiving has become the most popular holiday to run a race, so get out there and sign up for a Turkey Trot.  I find that when I get in a good run/workout, I digest my food quickly and I am hungry more often.  On Thanksgiving, this is immensely important as I intend to eat a few helpings.  I’m running the Y of Central Maryland Turkey Trot Towson! 

If you don’t have a lot of time, try this short but powerful workout that you can do in your own home.

Turkey Day Workout

AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 25 minutes

• 50 jumping jacks
• 25 high knees
• 10 walking pushups (or regular ones or on your knees J)
• 15 burpees
• 30 sit-ups
• 30 tricep dips (I use my coffee table)

NOTE:  Please feel free to modify the number of reps and the total time as you see fit.  Just make sure that you get your heart rate up and that you feel challenged.  🙂

2. Eat breakfast!  I can understand the “don’t eat now so I can eat more later” logic, but this will back fire on Thanksgiving.  Eat something healthy in the morning, such as eggs and toast or oatmeal and fruit, so that you are not famished by the time the main even happens.  This will allow you to make smarter choices and you won’t eat everything in sight because you are starving.  PS You will probably still eat everything in sight because it is Thanksgiving!                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
3. Dress appropriately!  Proper attire includes:  spandex, sweatpants, and elastic.  If you happen to have maternity pants around, go with those.  J  The more room you have for expansion, the better!  Our day involves lots of food, board games, and football watching and all of those activities are best performed in sweats…or at least loose fitting pants.  Don’t get this comforable though! 
4. Strategize!  the landscape and make a game plan.  I don’t like to have all of my food touching, so I really have to work some magic when filling my plate.  I try to have a little bit of   everything I like in the first round and the second round is saved for another helping of the “best of the best” dishes.  No need to strategize for dessert…I’m having one of each and that is a fact (unless it involves coconut). 
5. Give thanks!  Sit back and relax today, spend time with your family, enjoy your dinner, and really be thankful for all that you have.  Give thanks for all the blessings in your life and do something nice for those less fortunate.  So many people are facing true struggles and even a smile or a quick hello can make someone’s day.     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Strategize! SurveyGive I am so thankful for this little girl.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

What are you doing tonight?  Please tell me!!!  🙂 Cooking?  Watching movies?

What are you eating tonight?  I hear it’s one of the biggest pizza ordering nights of the year!

A long rainy commute

Nov 27, 2013

I woke up bright and early (4:30) yesterday to beat the potential wintry weather. The “weather” didn’t start until later in the day and it only ended up being rain…lots of cold windy rain.

Breakfast! Lemon Zest Luna Bar

I’ve been on a lemon kick lately…if you haven’t tried these yet, do so immediately.

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Workout! Body pump class and 2 easy miles on the treadmill. I had one of those really good classes…heart rate up, sweaty, and fun!

Lunch! Almond butter and strawberry preserves sandwich, yogurt, and yogurt covered raisins (I ate these as a snack later).

Commute! I spent some quality time with my car yesterday. I left work at 4 and got home a little after 6. Thankfully, I had yogurt covered raisins to keep me occupied.

Dinner! I picked up Subway for me and my dad. I really didn’t want to get out of the car.

I’m addicted to bags of all kinds and my new Thirty One Weekender bag came yesterday. It’s super cute and very roomy. 🙂

Are you addicted to buying anything? Purses? Shoes? Running clothing? All of the above??

I actually made dinner for Meatless Monday.

Nov 26, 2013

Yesterday was a Monday Funday Workday. Even though it was Monday, it was the Monday of Thanksgiving week!!!

Breakfast: coffee and a Kashi bar

Lunchtime Run: 6.3 miles at an 8 minute pace

Lunch: this is my “straight from the microwave because I need to go grocery shopping” lunch

Afternoon planking: 2 rounds of 2:00 minutes

Grocery shopping: All healthy stuff of course 🙂

Dinner: Meatless Monday I’m participating in Olive to Run’s Elf for Health (check it out, it’s really fun) and yesterday’s task/activity was Meatless Monday. Yup, I actually made dinner.

Spinach and Cheese Omelette with Avocado

1. Cook spinach until it begins to wilt.
2. Beat eggs (I used 2 whole eggs and and 3 egg whites) and salt and pepper and pour into the pan with the spinach.

3. Cut/shred cheese (I used Colby jack)
4. Once eggs cook on first side, flip them over to start cooking the other side. Add the cheese to one half of the eggs and flip the other side over to cover the cheese and cook until it melts. (Ok, this might not make much sense, but you get it, make an omelette).

I cut the omelette in half and topped each side with avocado. Enter the Pillsbury Reduced Fat Golden Wheat Biscuits and dinner is complete!

(I should totally begin a new career in food photography.)

Annabelle watched us eat while playing with her new favorite toy…the puffs container.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Eggs: scrambled or sunny side up?

Frozen hands, holiday pictures, and more cookies.

Nov 24, 2013

Yesterday morning, I headed outside for a 7 mile run. I was not prepared for how cold it was…I did manage to wear 5 different colors though.

My body felt great and the 7 miles felt easy (I held an 8:12 pace), but my hands were freezing. I was wearing gloves that I thought were warm, but my hands were swollen and in extreme pain when I finished. I hope Santa brings me warmer running gloves. 😉

At 10 am, we all headed to a local park for a quick (and chilly) holiday photo shoot. My friend is a local photographer who does 15 minute mini shoots and it was the perfect thing for us. I’m excited to see how they turn out!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing (and eating!) with my mom and AB. We went to one of our favorite local spots for dinner, Cracker Barrel, and came home to enjoy some Starbucks and Girl Scout cookies.

Instagram: lindarunning4two

Annabelle fell asleep at 6:15 pm. This is super early for her and I was afraid she would wake up at 3 am.

PS I’m happy to report that she slept until 6:45! Happy mommy and baby.

The rest of the night was spent watching Love it or List It and snuggling with Molly. 🙂

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Time to fit in a quick workout (hopefully) before heading to the Ravens game to freeze to death cheer on our team!

Happy Sunday!

Do you like cold weather running?
What kind of gloves do you have?

Girl’s night and I ran today!!

Nov 22, 2013

Since Annabelle infected my parents and they couldn’t babysit (they caught the stomach bug yesterday), I left work early and Annabelle and I had a nice little girl’s night. What did we do?

– napped on the couch from 4:30 – 6:00 🙂
– ate dinner (eggo waffles and a laughing cow garlic and cheese omelette)

-took a much needed bath…the second of the day

-played in the kitchen

Once AB went to sleep, I spent some time with my old friends Ben and Jerry.

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Today, I went on a lunchtime run! This was my first run since Sunday. Much needed and it felt great. I went out with 3 friends and we did 5.6 miles at an 8:08 pace. Afterwards, I did some abs and push-ups and a 2:30 minute plank.

An hour later, Jay needed a pick me up on his break (he was in a training class), so we planked for 2 minutes. 🙂 If you are feeling tired at work, drop and do a plank. It really helps! PS He stopped by later on and we did another 2 minutes too!

What are you eating for dinner tonight? What should we have? I might be feeling some pizza :-).
Weekend plans???

Resting is not an easy thing to do.

Nov 21, 2013

Rest days aren’t the easiest thing for me to handle. I know a lot of other runners who feel the same way and it’s just hard to sit back and read about your friend’s awesome run. Insert runner jealousy.

Even though we may not want to take rest days, we NEED to. The reasons can include:

– it’s just time for your rest day
– you may be overtraining and need to take a step back
– race or event coming up
– recent sickness
– too much stress
– trying to avoid injury

Whatever the reason, listen to your body (and mind) and take rest days when you need to. I have rested for the past 3 days (ok, I was sick and was forced to rest) and I feel a run may happen in the near future.

My day yesterday looked liked this…I know you are all dying to know. 🙂

1. Got to work super early…6:55!
2. Bought a bagel and peanut butter and ate half of it.
3. Chicken noodle soup for lunch.

4. Girl Scout cookies!

5. Dinner with my parents and Annabelle

6. Train garden at the mall. AB loved it!

7. Played with Annabelle in her new fort!

Have a great Thursday!

Favorite Girl Scout cookie?
What are you eating for breakfast?

One year ago today

Nov 19, 2013

One year ago today, we said goodbye to my grandad. He lived a very long and happy 93 years and I know he was ready to be with grandmom again. Miss you both!

My Aunt Janet and my Grandad

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The stomach bug has moved onto Chris and Annabelle seems to have a mild case. She went to my parent’s house to get away from her diseased and gross parents and we are SO GRATEFUL for all of their help. I don’t know what I would do without them.

Today was another day spent resting with ginger ale. I used my Runner’s World cup so that I could at least day dream about running again. At this point, walking up the stairs is a chore.

I hope you guys are happy and healthy!

Ginger ale and “Love it or List it”

Nov 18, 2013

The stomach bug has hit our household. Chris still feels fine and Annabelle has had one incident but seems ok right now. My day was spent in bed and watching “Love it or List it” while sipping ginger ale.

I still feel pretty terrible but I really need to feel better ASAP. 😦 Please send us happy and healthy thoughts.