Monday Blues

If we are being dead honest, I had a serious case of the Monday blues this morning. So no better of a reason than to link up for a Marvelous in my Monday post to sum up my weekend, and announce the winner of my Blogiversary Giveaway!

Marvelous was going to our first ever REI garage sale. We had no idea what to expect when pulling into the parking lot at 8:30 AM – and were really surprised when we saw a line of about 50 people deep. They passed out tickets by color depending on what time we had arrived by – we were the third group to be called back.

For those of you have never been to an REI garage sale, it’s basically when they put out products that have been gently used/returned, marked down to an insanely low prices. We managed to snag a sleeping pad for our (hopeful) camping endeavors this summer, and I got an awesome pair of North Face workout capris that were marked down to almost nothing.

I also have a Marvelous recipe to share. Last night my roommate Megan showed me a delicious looking gluten-free pizza recipe on the blog inspiralized. It gave the option to use either sweet potato or regular potatoes, so we decided to have a cook-off. I made the version with sweet potatoes to make it (almost) paleo (minus the mozzarella cheese), and she made the version with regular potatoes...

Meg's

Mine

 We then had Andrew do a blind taste test. He claimed to liked them both, but could ‘tell that mine was healthier’ and liked Megan’s better because he ‘could house it a lot easier.’

Fair enough. Round one goes to Megan.

Last Marvelous the day? It's a little bitter sweet, because I have a confession to make...

I cheated on running... and spinning... and I liked it a lot.

Awhile ago my coworker showed me a LivingSocial deal for a new crossfit gym near our work - Blue Crab Crossfit. I purchased it (10 beginner classes) and then literally put off going for a solid two weeks. Monday morning kicked my ass hard, and I knew I needed a literal ass kicking workout to lift my spirits, so I nervously headed to the gym after work.

In short, it was great. We practiced overhead squats after a short warm-up, and then the modified beginner WOD consisted of:

12 mins, every minute on the minute:

-8 wall balls (14 lbs)

-6 burpees (no jump)

I managed to finish 11/12 sets. My lungs were screaming at me after the fact, and I left feeling pretty damn good.

  AND finally, the winner of my Larabar giveaway is....

Congrats to Nicole over at Not Before My Tea, who ironically moved from Baltimore to Chicago a year or two ago. Opposite life stories, both runners, but she has funnier jokes than I do.

Cheers my friends - 

Kait

Preparation is Key

This weekend was solid. There really isn’t a particular reason why, just a lot of small fun/funny moments that made it fab.

Patapsco State Park is a big huge park near Baltimore that has an endless amount of trails to explore. I sometimes run there when it’s warmer, but on Saturday Andrew and I decided to bundle up and find some new trails.

We got a solid 75 minutes of hiking under our belts, and discovered some pretty stellar views in the process. Following the hike we hit up Subway’s JanuANY special and scarfed down footlongs. One each.

I probably wouldn’t have felt bad if we wouldn’t have followed up later that evening with a hot fudge sundae on top of a waffle. Oops.

'DONT EAT IT YET I NEED A PICTURE'

In comparison to my almost 100% paleo diet during the week, weekends can get a little sketchy. Granted, we were both freezing on our walk home, and literally nothing sounded better than hot fudge on top of a Belgium waffle...

Have I mentioned Vaccaros before in Little Italy? Its got some seriously decadent desserts. If you're ever in town, go.

Anyways,  even with a sweaty run bike run bike (15 mins each) workout yesterday pre-Broncos kicking the Pat’s butts didn’t make me feel much better. Pair that with some artichoke dip, and a celebratory shot or two when Peyton sealed the deal, and we’re talking about a pretty negligent weekend nutrition-wise.

I’m not too strict when it comes to weekends in general, but when hot fudge sundaes do call my name, I try to make extra certain that I set myself up for success for that coming week. Preparation is key.

Now, I  believe I’ve mentioned my snack drawer at work on here before, and I wanted to give you all a quick update on its current status, because it’s looking pretty damn impressive. Keep in mind, I'm a strong believer in keeping a stocked, healthy snack drawer...

Yes, there are at least six different kinds of tea in there. I continue to fall in love with tea, especially now that I have an awesome tea pot at home.

I went to town for a solid 90 minutes this evening in the kitchen, cooking up some broccoli slaw for my lunches (not pictured), a badass veggie fritata (picture bottom), and some delicious paleo Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Banana muffins. The original recipe can be found here - but keep in mind that I threw about a half cup of pumpkin in there, omitted the coconut (didn't have it), used coconut oil instead of butter, and used pecans instead of walnuts just because that's what I had on hand. 

They are great. If you're a muffin person, try these bad boys out.

Hopefully my food preparation this evening has me on track for success this week. Word on the street is that Balty is going to get a couple inches of snow tomorrow, something I'm actually looking forward to.

Snow > dirty dead grass.

Cheers!

K

Burrowing

Happy Monday!!

I got my butt out of bed a little early this morning so that I can do a quick check in with my favorite blog readers.

On Friday I had told myself I could do whatever I wanted this weekend. There would be no alarms, no planned workouts, no set expectations.

The dramatic side of me wanted to throw a pity party yesterday morning and not get out of bed, at all. The temperatures have finally starting falling down into the 30's here in good ole' B-more at night, and therefore 3-4 layers of blankets are now necessary to thoroughly burrow like a mole rat in my bed at night.

I spy Karl, my bear from Andrew....

Anywho, I woke up on Sunday morning and thought, "You are suppose to be running a marathon right now," had a short pout fest, and then went back to sleep. While nothing quite beats the feel of achieving 26.2, a nice Sunday snooze was still a treat, and helped me to sleep away some of my blues.

All in all, it was a fairly low key weekend. My roommate Megan and I carved pumpkins on Saturday evening, and while my body may currently hate me, I still carved my runner girl pumpkin with much pride.

Mega's crab pumpkin is a bit more impressive, I know. That girl has so much Maryland pride, some even may be beginning to rub off on me. GASP

That's really all I have it. It was an unplanned, low-key weekend. I got boring things done like finally taking my sweaters out of their boxes and hanging them in the closet. I'm actually a little excited to pull one on today.

I'm also excited for one or two of these

Heading into Monday with fire people. I painted my nails gold last night, so I'm feeling a little frisky. Like Katniss from Hunger Games or something.

Let's make it great.

Congrats to all the runners this weekend, MCM finishers, etc. Gotta support my peeps!

Cheers -

K

Oct.Toe.Burr

Does anyone know where the heck September went? Holy moly, I don't know about you, but it FLEW by over here in Baltimore.

I'm really excited for October. I have a lot of super fun things planned, the highlight being the 7-day cruise to the Bahamas that I won coming up in the middle of the month. My sis and I agree that it can't come soon enough.

I haven't thrown a monthly challenge out there for awhile, so I figured hey why not throw three challenges out there? I stumbled upon all three of these bad boys on Pinterest of course, the magical land where I spend too much of my time before bed.

got butt cheek?

Simple enough, wouldn't you say? Of course they will get a bit more time consuming later on in the month, but they work three different areas of the body that can always use a little bit of improvement. Join me for one, two or all, let's tone sh*t up.

This past weekend I was up on Long Beach Island in New Jersey for a coworker's engagement party. She nailed it, it was beautiful weather, and I even took a minute to sneak off to the beach and check out the New Jersey sand.

I was impressed.

Sunday morning before heading back to Maryland I nursed a slight hangover up on the rooftop deck with my coffee. I had one of those 'this is exactly where I'm suppose to be in this moment' thoughts pop into my head, and I felt blessed with all of the opportunities and adventures the east coast has thrown at me so far this fall, both large and small.

Morning posts are always a bit rushed for me, because I desperately need to get to work. I think we should talk about running next time, don't you agree?

I also think we should list off all of our favorite things about October. Ready, go:

Cheers to a new month! Let's make it fabulous.

K

Pushing 20

Well, if I’m not mistaken I owe you all a little bit of literature.

This was a very solid weekend, for really no reason at all. Perhaps due to excessive productivity? I found myself in a rare crafty state yesterday, and made this:

Two months after moving into our Baltimore house, I’m finally putting some finishing touches on my room. My jewelry (and race medals) have literally been sitting in a tangled mess all summer, and so yesterday I decided to do something about it. It’s amazing what $12 at Michael's will do for you.

I’m also happy to announce that I came out of this weekend with both legs intact. I wasn’t sure how my body would respond to an (almost) 20 mile weekend. Saturday morning was a beautiful cool morning in Baltimore, and I did 8 out and back along the harbor, followed by 5.1 around a nearby park…

Can you tell that the park was hilly? Time to start hitting those hill workouts a little harder.

On Sunday I was worried I would be too tight to do 6 miles at race pace, but I felt good by mid-afternoon, and flew through them (a little too fast) at a 7:33 pace.

Successful running weekend, not only because my body parts held it together, but I was also feeling good energy-wise. My race pace run last week was the definition of horrific; I had almost no energy, was over-heated, etc. I felt 500 times better the second week of the sugar cleanse, and I’m going to take a gander and say this is largely due to me finally finding my stride on the cooking front. 

Eats the past week have included:

Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins

Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole

(I didn't include bacon, and it was still SO good)

Paleo Apple Banana Bites

I have continued to see positive body changes, and in general feel really good. I hate sounding like an advertisement on here, but my energy levels are up, my mood has improved and in general this style of eating (very Paleo-like) seems to agree with my body.

This is the final week of the 21 Day Sugar Detox, and my plan is to allow even less dairy, and no cheats. (The first two weeks I allowed one ‘cheat’ per week, for my own psychological well-being.)

I don't feel bad about that.

Does anyone know if the period goes inside or outside of the parenthesis? This is driving me insane, I can’t figure it out.

Last but certainly not least, congrats to my friend and coworker, Amy, who completed her first Irongirl Triathlon this past weekend. I had the chance to swing by and see her finish – it was an awesome event to spectate, and I’m super proud of her!

Cheers to a marvelous Monday!

The Rehab Report

One of my weird(er) phrases that I enjoy using to describe people is 'illusive pigeon.'

Example: Recently I have been a bit of an illusive pigeon when it comes to this whole marathon training thing.

Actually, when it comes to running in general it seems that I’ve been a big vague on here, don't you agree?

Remember the other day when I told you I was going to see my bff the orthopedic to have my knee checked out, and then never followed up? Yeah me too. Well, it turns out that after dealing with my left leg (IT band & stress fracture) issues, there’s been some compensation issues going on. And now, all of a sudden my right knee/leg is like:

“Alright lady, I’ve taken just about enough pounding for the year, so just a heads up I’m going to start shutting down soon.”

Oh the wonderful adventures of running.

So that conversation ended me up here:

Look familiar to some of you? Physical therapy b*tches.

The good news: This isn’t like last time. I’m still currently running almost pain free, and even plan on doing my 10-miler tomorrow morning. (SO PUMPED FOR THAT)

This is very proactive. Remember when I told you my word of the year was proactive? LOOK AT ME GO.

With some excessive icing, foam rolling, perhaps a little more yoga, and (hopefully) just a few weeks of PT…  I have my fingers crossed that marathon training will continue on as scheduled.

The shoe report: Recently I had been thinking about switching shoes again. I’ve been loving running in Brooks… but was beginning to question if maybe my 5’11’’ 140 lb frame needs a little more support?

(omgeeee did she just post her weight on the internet?!)

The verdict: No. According to Sean who I trust with my life legs, he said my running form is much more natural in the Brooks versus the ASICS. I believe him, because he has now filmed me running on the treadmill several times, barefoot, Brooks, and ASICS, and studied the shit out of my film.

This is good news, not only because I’m a Brooks brat, but because the bank account really wasn’t going to allow me to buy a new pair any time soon anyways. Once I saw Sean on Wednesday and got the OK to keep running, that’s exactly what I did:

Today I did a short WOD this morning, and then went swimming after work. Because apparently I still have that triathlon in two weeks?

I will leave you with these two things…

Have I ever shared my favorite starbucks drink with you guys? Green tea soy latte, unsweetened, 1 shot of espresso. Hot or iced, I find it quite magical.

Did you know people in Maryland literally put this on everything? I caught my roommate putting this on her ice cream the other night. Weird.

As fun as this has been, it’s restaurant week in Baltimore, and this guy I know is taking me on a hot date. Tell me, what’s your favorite Starbucks drink?

Cheers!

tacos

I don't think I've mentioned it on here before, but my younger sister Bri is on a pretty determined mission to find the best burger in Chicago. I urge her on an almost daily basis to start up her own blog detailing her journey, but that's besides the point.

For the record, this is Bri's cover picture on her facebook.

I ate tacos twice this weekend - once at the food truck rally that a group of us went to in Canton on Friday night. The second instance was tonight when we made our own beef tacos thanks to some of Trader Joe's finest ingredients:

While I sat at the table shoving the tacos into my mouth like a wild hyena hungry growing girl, I thought to myself how much I enjoy trying different tacos.

What's the point of this story?

I kind of want to become a semi-pro taco connoisseur, similar to my sister's burger status in Chicago. This is a random, not thought out idea, and could go nowhere. Or it could go somewhere awesome. Let me know your thoughts.

In a half-assed attempt not to die at my triathlon in 3 weeks, Andrew and I hit an outdoor public pool yesterday. I brought my horrible cheap goggles from Walmart and logged a solid 20 minutes in the chlorine.

Andrew's attempt to take my pic post-swim

5 miles followed the pool. It's still hot out in case you were wondering.

Because we loved it so much last time, we rented paddle boards again today and hit the inlets of Annapolis. Word on the street is that jelly fish start getting pretty prevalent this time of year (gross) so I only jumped in once. I have this intense fear of water things - dead or alive - touching me. Seaweed, fish of all kinds, crabs, etc.

We paddled around for about 3 hours, stopping for snack and water breaks of course. This time we left the cell phones in the car so we could have the option to jump in and cool off - hence my lack of pictures to share with ya'll.

Prior to unloading those bad boys.

Sometimes the memories just have to stay logged in your head, ya know?

Solid weekend. For some reason I'm dreading this coming week. It involves the dentist, some physical therapy, and figuring out my knee situation. 

Turn that frown upside down Kaitlyn.

You're right. I'm determined to find some greatness in this week.

How was your weekend? What is the best taco you have ever had? (homemade or restaurant)

Cheers!

sushi & shenanigans

I swam today, for the first time this year. I had to take my new purple speedo that my mom got me for Christmas for quick spin.

purple is fo sho my color this year.

A hard, non-impact workout was necessary today after a long night of sushi and shenanigans out in Baltimore on Friday evening. I had to crank up the heat at the gym to burn off the several rolls pieces of sushi that I housed.

Although I must admit, the hour plus spent dancing towards the end of the night got me sweating too.

My coworker Marty & me. She wanted to learn to swing dance like Andrew and I are . We got a few looks. 

A girls night has been in order for awhile, and so several of my coworkers got together to make it happen. I had a blast, and even hit brunch with my friend Meg who I stayed over with on my way out of town this morning.

4 out of 10 or so of us

After the gym today I ran to the grocery store to grab some necessary staples for the week. Wegman's was CRAZY which was pretty confusing to me, as I thought I was the only one who desired to get my grocery shopping done on Saturday nights. Apparently I was wrong?

I'm going to keep this short and sweet because I've found that the later I write on here, the crappier my writing is. I think my brain shuts down past 8 pm. I have a 6 mile race on tap tomorrow (if I can find it) and aside from that I just plan to do a lot of catch-up.

I'm also pretty excited about the post I plan to share with you all tomorrow. It's been in the making for awhile now.

That's all folks. Hope your weekends are going swimmingly.
Cheers!

that blogger

This weekend was full of life, and I loved it. For so many different reasons.

First and foremost, this picture continues to crack me up:

Weekends like this stand out to me because we forced it to be epic. Andrew and I both had very little on the agenda, yet refused to let it go down in the books as one of those 'boring' weekends.

Efforts included but were not limited to:

Sipping on some wine called 'Truth' while watching The Dark Knight Returns for the first time. Loved it. The wine too.

Playing racquetball.  I suck am not the best and definitely inferior to Andrew at this particular sport, but he had fun humoring me and playing "let's try to get 10 hits in a row" type of games. Needless to say, my right arm is super sore today.

Two for one holiday lattes at the 'Bucks. Boom.

I poached my first egg! Great success!

New Belgium Snow Day while we both watched our favorite football teams. His (Denver) rocked while mine (Chicago) didn't fair so great. No comment.

AND last but certainly not least, we ran the 4 mile Rudolph Run Relay Race through a nearby park. With neither of us being in tip top shape, we decided a reasonable goal was a sub-30 minute finishing time.

We succeeded with flying colors, coming in around 28:40-something. We were one of the first co-ed relay teams to finish, and were both rocking our red and green race clothes for a little holiday cheer. I was super pumped to pull two consecutive sub-seven minute miles for my leg of the race (the second leg), as I haven't pushed a faster pace since pre-IT band issues. It felt great.

BUT, what felt even cooler was what happened after the race. While sipping on some hot chocolate and waiting for the  awards to be given, a man walk past me and said,

"Hey, are you that blogger?"

I was startled and confused, as I (thought) I didn't know anyone else at the race besides Andrew. The guy proceeded to introduce his daughter to me, who had recognized me from reading my blog! She complimented me, and I of course thanked her for reading.

It was heart-warming to me, mainly because I still consider myself to be kind of a loner out here in Maryland. I don't run into people I know simply because there just aren't a ton of people I know. I didn't grow up out here, my family doesn't live in the area, etc.

I was honored, and if she's reading, well, thanks for reading! Thanks to everyone reading actually!

How was your weekend? Any holiday cheer woven into your activities? Would love to hear about it.

Cheers to a very merry weekend.