Forced Rest

I’m not even sure where to begin.

I guess we could start with how my gym routine had been going.

Lackluster. The theme of last week.

We all know when it’s time to take a few days off. When you need more than just the obligatory rest day of the week. A break of a few days. Maybe because your body is showing signs of exhaustion. Maybe because your motivation is nonexistent.

I was going through all of that. However, by being a creature of habit, admitting it wasn’t likely.

Then Friday happened.

That Amy carries herself with such grace and poise. Said no one ever.

Clumsy. Accident-prone. Hot mess.

I pretend these things are “endearing”. “Adorable”.

Don’t tell me otherwise.

So when we called Friday a “night in” and changed into lounge pants and hurry down the steep hardwood stairs in my apartment?

How I made it 18 months without doing it is beyond me. But you can imagine the spectacle that happened to cause 3 matching bruises, one for each stair, that my backside slammed into in one spectacularly grand motion.

I’m personally partial to the bruise on my booty. It’s a prettier shade of purple than the rest.

At least a cracked tailbone didn’t occur like the last time I flew down stairs in socks.

Win?

Maybe. My lower back seems to have gotten the worst of it. Needless to say, I haven’t seen the inside of my gym since last week. Nor have I lifted anything heavier than my work bag.

Whether I like it or not, it seems to be this is the chosen week for a break from exercise.

I’m a little perturbed I wasn’t allowed to make this choice on my own, or just taken 2-3 days instead of 4-5. But it’s time to stop dwelling on it.

At least, since it’s the holidays, I have plenty to do.

And now that I’m in two book clubs, hilariously since I can barely keep up with one, there’s that.

And all the friends I can meet up with for foodie dates with awesome bloggie peeps. Especially awesome peeps who live in my neck of the woods and our meetups (although a rare occasion) are nonstop gab fests.

Got adventurous and went with the Healthy Parm with chicken and quinoa. A possible new favorite…

Now that I think about it, that extra hourish of sleep in the morning has been nice…

Don’t feel bad for me just yet.

Now if this stretches into next week…

… someone may lose their head…

30 Degree Swings

Seriously kids… how gorgeous was it where you were this weekend?

Yesterday, November 10th, it was almost 70 degrees.

And here I thought I wouldn’t get to run outside again until March.

After passing out on the sofa at maybe 10pm Saturday night (party animal!), my neck was completely screwed, but the rest of me felt more refreshed than I’ve felt in a long time on a Sunday morning.

Out the door I went.

Running through the neighborhoods and the lakefront is way better than my routine during the week in the winter months when I usually take to the treadmill. Because instead of just staring stupidly at the crappy videos playing on one of the generic music stations at the gym, I’m actually thinking about stuff.

Important stuff. Like recent news headlines. Or what to wear next weekend.

Or today, where I did think about the two things mentioned above (I’m so indecisive on boot decisions…), but also what I’ll miss as it slowly becomes frozen and buried under snow.

Ok… so I won’t miss the random homeless guy peeing in a bush at an intersection. But the other things- like how pretty the lake is, the amazing skyline that slowly unfolds before me, or the random art that shows up around every other turn.

Ooooohhhhhh prettttyyy colorrrrsssss….

4 miles done. 4 miles that reminded me I’ve slacked since the last half marathon and I’m already somewhat ruined by my lazy treadmill runs. But 4 miles, nonetheless.

Today is supposed to be approximately 30 degrees cooler than the weekend. I’ve prepared by breaking out the extra comforter and sexy sweatpants. The roommate and I have reclaimed our crock pot after it being held hostage for 8 months at a friend’s house (still bitter). We’ve stocked up on pasta and wine.

We’ve entered hibernation mode. But that’s ok. I’m ready for it. There’s always the liquor store down the street in case I run out of wine.

Bring it on, Chicago.

Bouncing Back

The first day or two back after a vacation or holiday is always the hardest. Or really, any span of time that includes an abnormal amount of traveling.

Your eating schedule is off. Your meals are different. Your sleep habits are out of whack. Your workouts- did they even happen?

Which is totally fine. And encouraged.

That’s what vacation/holidays are for. Relaxing. Doing something new. Not stressing out.

But after 16(ish) hours of sitting in my car just driving… and consuming half a pecan pie on my own at the ‘rents house (did I not mention that?)… and eating candy at all hours of the day (yes, this includes dessert after breakfast), I’m ready to get back to normalcy.

One of the first things I did once returning back home, was to stock up at the grocery store.

Because, as mentioned yesterday, green is important in my life.

After several visits to the library, I FINALLY was able to pick up the third and final book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. So far it's slower than the first two in the series, but I still love it.

And speaking of, zucchini has not been a part of it in far too long. We corrected that last night with my entire dinner consisting of mostly vegetables.

Roasted zucchini, mushrooms and asparagus. I didn't eat only this. It went on another salad that was bigger and better than my lunch. Only way it could have been topped is if all of this came off the grill...

Well deserved after a long cardio session. I didn’t mean to spend the entire time on the elliptical (45 minutes), but the downward swing in temps has all of us Chicago kids running back indoors to play. And people must have had the same kind of holiday weekend I did. Because the place was packed. And I wasn’t about to gamble the chance of losing a machine in hopes of finding a different one.

I don’t like to gamble. Ironic, being as how much I love Vegas.

When eating mostly vegetables through the day, it’s important to make a conscious attempt to also have plenty of protein at some point in the day. Especially when working out. Obviously. 

Vegetables have some on their own. But for what they lacked, I made up for it by adding it to breakfast.

There's also some Kashi cereal at the bottom of the bowl because it's hilarious you think that a small bowl of oatmeal would fill me up.

Any excuse for peanut butter.

You need healthy fats, too, ya know…

Sigh. Some things never change.

Because I’m curious (no really, I am and I’m not just saying that), what’s the first thing you do to get back to normal after a holiday weekend?

While I Was Gone…

I’m baaacccckkk!

Did you miss me? Did you even realize I was gone? Pretty sure people at my office yesterday didn’t. But whatev…

It was a great holiday weekend with the fam. And while I could probably go on for DAYS about my weekend, we’ll just be nice and give you a bulleted list instead.

You’re welcome.

1. My drive down to Missouri on Friday went swimmingly. I stopped in St. Louis for the night on Friday to break up the trip. And to also see a few of my college girls.Turns out we’re getting to that point where we can’t read the menu by candlelight anymore. This saddened and scared us all.

2. I offered to make a side for dinner on “Easter Eve”. Since asparagus is very much in season and is a good healthy addition, that’s what I went with.Yes, holiday weekends with my family often include lasagna. I don’t eat ham and my parents always fret about having enough of “the main”. So we got ham AND lasagna. Don’t mock it. We’re making it the new “thing”. Tell your friends.

3. Candy coma happens after half a bag of mini Robin’s Eggs. You know the ones with the whopper in the middle? Yeah- those.  Half a bag. Give or take about 20. I wasn’t counting.

4. I am now sick of said candy. This surely won’t last long. But in the mean time, I could really go for a salad… Or really, anything green by nature and not with a chocolate center.

5. It’s not a trip back to the hometown without a stop in the one and only bar in town to catch up with some old friends.Ashlee and I wanted to best try to communicate the atmosphere of the bar for you peeps. We decided the hunting scenes on wood paneling in one part of the bar/restaurant would be the most accurate description.

We also really just liked the cougar sign on wall.We’re weird.

One day someone will find it sexy. One day…

6. Someone needs to create an app that tells you the best-rated stops along interstates. The factors would include best gas prices, bathroom cleanliness, and best selection of fast food.

Someone steal this idea from me. I’m technologically inadequate but really need this app. I’ve failed at picking good exits more often than not.

It’s nothing short of a miracle I haven’t contracted a virus by stepping into some of those restrooms.

7. I didn’t end up doing the Jillian dvds like I thought I would. Mostly because of the candy coma (discussed above). However, because the weather was so nice, I ventured out for short runs twice over the weekend. One of which ended with a walk with my parents.

It takes about 3 laps around the town to get in 2 miles. Not kidding.

I also learned people will slow down and try to figure out who you are as you’re running if you haven’t come back often over the last 4(ish) years. Awkward waving was involved. They probably still haven’t figured out who I am.

8. I learned to never wash my car before going home again. If it wasn’t the alternative route home taken due to construction (I chose the narrow/curvy/scary route vs the county gravel roads where it is completely possible to get lost for days), it was the large puddle I slammed into as soon as I pulled into the driveway. Crap.

With that, I hope you all also had a great weekend with friends and family.

Like my dress? I found it super cheap at Kohl's, but it still makes me feel like Kate Middleton. The single, refined-but-not-quite-there, "Wait-y Katie" version- not the classy, super elegant married princess we all know and love now. I've got a lot of work to do. Clearly.

Later!

Chi Town Half Marathon: Ups and Downs

Oh hey there, friends.

Let’s talk some more about that lil’ half marathon, shall we?

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome. It could have gone better, but it also could have gone much worse. I’ll be thankful for hitting that middle ground.

And will be back to beat my 2010 half marathon time of 1:54 later this year. You can count on it.

Anyway, as my experience was filled with ups and downs, let’s just try and lay it out…

The weather on Sunday morning was wonderful. Even though there’s nothing I could have done, I was obsessively checking the weather every day last week. And it changed dramatically. Every day. There was still early morning rain, but at least the thunder and lightning supposedly in the forecast never happened. A little cooler than I prefer, but then again there was no rain during the race. Phew.

We got there early because I’m always scared of chaos, but the whole race was pretty organized and efficient. Except with the bathrooms- there weren’t nearly enough.

I almost missed the start of the race because the lines for the port-a-potties was so ridiculously long. And naturally, I got in the slowest moving line.

The race was smaller (about 1500 in the half marathon), but since it was on the path along the lake, this was ideal.

After shaking out the kinks in the first mile or so, I was doing SO well for the first half of the race. I felt good and realized I might be on pace to kick my PR in the butt (there were no clocks along the race path, just mile markers). 

Also, one thing that kept my pace up may have been the moaning man behind me. Around mile 3 or 4, he sounded like he was struggling. That or turning into the Hulk. Either way, I was scared and wanted to get away. Just in case.

At mile 6, I broke out the energy gel in attempts to keep up the energy level.

Pretty sure this was my mistake. My costly mistake.

I should have had more water at one of the stops. The first time I actually reached for a cup from the sidelines, it was gatorade and I immediately threw it down after gagging on the first sip. Gatorade grosses me out. So dehydration and the sudden increase in sugar in my system from the gel did not mix well. By mile 7, my stomach was cramping. Badly.

Stop and stretch. Run. Pain is still there. Repeat. Repeat again. Get frustrated. Motivation goes out the window.

My parents had posted up at around 8.5 miles. I spotted and ran straight towards them. There may have been tears as my mom scavages for water in her bag. I believe I cried ”It hurts and IT WON’T GO AWAY!!!!” Not sure if I explained that well, and may have freaked them out. Sorry…

This may have been a little dramatic. But at the time, I was SO ANGRY.See? Angry.

However, after getting water, I continued on and felt SO much better. The stitch went away and by the time my parents saw me at 10.5 miles, everything was all good.

I was giving a sad thumbs up to my mom to let her know I was feeling better. She was concerned- with the water ready.

See? Happy!

However, my pace was completely shot. I knew there was no way I’d break my time and was wondering if I’d even get in under 2 hours. It’s not fun trying to make up time without completely killing yourself in the process.

The 13th and last mile was also pretty ugly. Barely shufflin’. LMFAO would have been disappointed.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:58:46. Just as my happy song, “I’m Gonna Be” started playing.

Check out that disgusting arm band I've got on. I need a new one so bad. I feel gross just having it near me. Blech.

Perfect timing.

Annoyed that I screwed up the last half of the race. But relieved to keep it under 2 hours and still 7 minutes faster than the Go! St. Louis Half I did last spring.

And really- I can’t be that angry. Because it was my third official half marathon. And I’m proud of that.

Curiously Different

Hey guys!

The weather is beautiful here. Breaking records all week.

Isn’t that amazing?

Wait. I’m inside. All day. Staring out the window. Slightly chilled because building management can never get the thermostat  under control.

If I were to ever have advice for anyone joining the corporate world- dress in layers.

You’re welcome.

But anyway, the change in weather does funny things.

It makes me a happier person. Except for in rush hour when I’m just that much more annoyed and impatient to get home and outside.

Not important. Let’s ignore that part.

It’s made me much more active this week. Not only am I doing my normal gym thing (weights/elliptical/stairs/etc), I’m also taking long walks with my roommate around the neighborhoods. We’ve discovered a nice 3-mile loop.

Three miles. That’s a lot of extra hungry.

So really, it’s not surprising the carb cravings came in stronger than usual:

Scooped out the middle near the end to mix in sharp cheddar before topping it with lite sour cream and black olives. It's a beautiful thing.

How is it possible to forget how wonderful baked potatoes are? I usually never buy regular potatoes but for when I’m making something in the crockpot. Lesson learned.

Uh… but I have a confession. Ahem… it wasn’t baked. It was zapped in the microwave.

My stomach doesn’t handle waiting around hungry for over an hour.

Instant gratification. That’s what it’s about. And it was still delicious.

Another different thing? My obsession with deli sandwiches as of late.I find something good and repeat until bored. Then drop it like a bad habit.

Just like what I do with boys. Interesting.

Also, I was sent this new tea to check out by Sokenbicha- an environmentally friendly company that serves up six different blends of herbal teas. Given that I love everything about iced tea and have a stockpile of green/herbal tea at home, I said why not?They sent jasmine tea, which I’ve never tried, so that was something new. And to be honest, it’s not really my favorite. Also, from trial and error over the years, I’ve learned I’m not the biggest fan of bottled tea and will always go for the taste of brewed over convenience. A personal preference.

But it was refreshing in its own right and seemed to help spark some energy to get through the rest of my day. Maybe not something I could drink as often as green or black tea (it’s like water to me), but smooth, nonetheless. Curiously different.

My friend tried it over the weekend while she was visiting. It was on Sunday morning when feeling less than 100%, and she swore it was what did the trick  in energizing her for the rest of the day’s shopping and her drive back. My boss also grabbed a bottle for himself and asked for more the next day. I’m apparently the tea dealer now.

I wasn’t the biggest fan, but pretty rave reviews from the peanut gallery.

And even though I just professed my great love of tea, which will surely be consumed at some point today, I’m reaching for the coffee this morning. Sleep alluded me once again last night.

But don’t worry. I fully expect the coffee to get me through the afternoon or at least until cake is served for an office birthday.

Remember the scene from Office Space where they lamely sing in a crowded space and pass the pieces of cake around?

Yeah. That really happens.

And I cannot wait.

A Slow Down

I am not a hypochondriac.

Nor am I a big doctor person in general.

Mostly because I think I’m much like Super Woman. Or maybe Catwoman. Her outfit is way hotter.

Either way, I often refuse to think there’s every anything wrong with me. I’ve had nasty sinus issues take me down once or twice in the last few years, but other than that? Healthy. The epitome of it.

But there’s one thing I’ll be an overprotective mother about ALL DAY. And that would be my legs.

Ever since my incident with crutches and an overuse injury a few years back, I’m horribly paranoid.

So any weird ache feeling that can’t be pinpointed? Time off. Throw in my incident on Saturday?

This girl has no desire to get back on the treadmill before she has to.

So I lied yesterday.

Still went to the elliptical for 25 minutes last night. But I didn’t run this morning and opted for more elliptical and cross training in the form of Jillian Michaels dvds. For a girl who enjoys her title of “cardio queen”, you know there’s a little bit of resentment there.

But there’s a slight ache. And there’s no need to push myself right now. Less stress on the legs now means better results in the long run. No pun intended.

A few days of ”low key” won’t kill me. I’m just bitter. And overly dramatic. I realize this. Thanks for not minding too much.

Because really… the last thing I want is to almost possibly fly off the treadmill again. Whether it be from passing out or my leg falling off.

Either/or.

Happy Hump Day, friends!

Current Events

There really isn’t anything major to report in my corner of the world, so it’s time to catch you up with all the things running through the mind of Amy B.(Source)

Oh you’ve been running through my mind, too, babe. Don’t you worry.

1. I’ve recently realized my true fear of sitting in traffic under an overpass. This happens almost every single day. And every single day I sit and think about how I really really hope the overpass doesn’t collapse because I really don’t want to die.

It happens, people! Do not call me irrational.

That's totally brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes sauteed in General Tso sauce. It worked weirdly well together.

2. I’m reading a new book. My friend Mary gave me The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for Christmas. She absolutely loved it and said I really need to jump on the bandwagon. Even if I am, like, a decade late or whatever. However, it’s great timing- there is a 60-cent fine on my account at the library and they won’t let me check out any more books until it’s paid off. 60 cents is truly ruining me- the hours for the branch by my house are horrible and you can’t pay it off online. Wtf?

3. I signed up for a half marathon!

In all reality, I was planning on doing the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon again. After a not-so-fantastic time during last year’s race, I really wanted to go back and kick it in the butt on April 15th. However, race fees went up before the decision was finalized, traveling to Missouri 2 weeks in a row seemed daunting, and the travel/lodging costs seemed a little impractical when there was a perfectly good half marathon just a short train ride away from my house.

We’re starting off the year with an attempt to be financially responsible. Yay!

Still steaming! More Bertolli frozen soup from the giveaway I won. My roommate and I are killing this stuff. I'll be sad when it's all gone.

4. This race is two weeks earlier than the other one. This means training starts… um… subtract 4, add 7, then carry the 1… Monday. Oh dear.

I need to take a few deep breaths before panic mode takes over.

Ok… we’re good.

Those silly brussels sneak into anything and everything...

5. Soup and salad for the win! (Duh- if you haven’t already noticed the pictures.) The whole “watch what I shove into my face after the holidays” thing is going decently well. I already feel better than last week. As good as those Christmas treats are, it’s nice to get everything (digestive organs included) back on track.

Now if only I could get my pretzel and peanut butter issues under control…

6. Speaking of Christmas, my tree is still up. For a girl who doesn’t get super into holidays, I’m having a hard time letting go.

That or I’m just super lazy about it. One year in college, our tree didn’t come down until April. April. The ornaments came off the week before Valentine’s Day- so after that we just called it “greenery” being used to spruce up (no pun intended) the place. True story.

Stopped by Whole Foods earlier this week when my friend was still here. Got coffee on a super sale. The food bar? Not so much.

7. Yesterday I had to go to Target. A mental list was in my head all week long and I thought “I won’t forget this”. Yesterday afternoon before leaving work, not one thing on that list that could be recalled. Luckily, with help from my messenger convo with Mon, I at least remembered to pick up toilet paper.

Whew. Disaster averted.

8. I will never attract a lover at the gym. Why? Because I’m either rolling out of bed at 5:30 in the morning (no explanation necessary) or going after work with imprints on my legs where my knee high argyle socks were (hello signature style at it’s finest) and glowing like a ghost. I could use a spray tan. Or a beach vacation. Either/or.

Maybe I’ll just settle for the weekend and some Jergen’s Natural Glo?

It’s a start. Happy Friday, people!

Full House Flashback

Something amazing happened the other day, my friends.

The roomie had a lil’ spark of motivation and decided to try out the whole early morning gym routine with me this week. What? You really are asking to get up super early to trudge to the gym with me to work out when sleeping in is one of your favorite things?

You got it, dude!(Source)

I was happy to have someone around once again to make me that much more accountable for waking up and going.

However, we both pouted on the way home when the smell of the bakery up the street reached our nostrils. Do they really have to go and start baking doughnuts right after my 50 minutes of cardio?

How rude.(Source)

Especially when everything I’ve been eating as of late is horrifically unoriginal.Oh hey there book that really wasn’t that interesting and baked mac and cheese from a couple of weeks ago! On the advice of many of you, instead of overdosing on it last week (I was very close to literally turning into a noodle), the remainders were frozen. But since I’m not feeling overly creative in the kitchen, and quite lazy if we’re going to be honest about it, it’s getting broken out earlier than anticipated.

Although I did bother to turn on the oven and roast those vegetables. So that’s something.

That’s also the reason I’ll publicly apologize to my coworkers for warming up the brussels sprouts in the break room yesterday. Sorry dudes. I know they smell weird.

I’ll cut it out…(Source)

Anyway, somehow we’ve managed to make it through the week (almost). After having a really short week, there was concern this week would drag.

Oh wait, it did. But no more than usual.

Friday is so close I can almost smell it. Or is that sweet smell of doughnuts again from my early morning walk home from the gym?

Have mercy…(Source)

Oh and some peeps were asking about our little stuffed giraffe under the tree:That would be Adler. He came to us on the day it was over 100 degrees outside, our power went off, our food all went bad due to said power outage, my birthday plans were then up in the air, our basement flooded due to ridiculous rain, and the roomie was having a less than desirable day at work. As I was picking up a massive cooler at Target to salvage what food was left, Adler caught my eye. He’s now a part of the family. Along with the Woolly Mammoth, “Woolly” (duh).

And now that we’ve adequately explained yet another “crazy” about me, let us carry on with out day…

Laters!

Untraditional

Thanks for all the encouragement to keep up the morning workouts, guys!

So far it hasn’t been that much of an issue. Granted, I’m usually not at 100% mental capacity until maybe 30 minutes or so after waking up. And by that point, I’m either mid-run or mid-ellip (I guess?), so there’s no turning back. Pure trickery. Muahahahaha.

Plus, the nice thing is, since I’m getting home later, I can collapse onto the couch with no hesitation.

Or, in last night’s case, other things get done…Like get into the holiday spirit!

Or at least pretend. Still not there yet. But the roomie and I both happened to have free time. Seemed like the efficient thing to do.

This is the third year I’ve had this Christmas tree and I tend to make it look the same every year. Why fix it if it’s not broken?

My lovely friend Annie got this tree for me a few years back. She said she knew I’d never get one on my own like I kept saying I would, so she just bought it for me.

Annie was totally right. I kept saying I’d get a nice tree on sale after Christmas, but I’m cheap as bleep and would have had a hard time parting with cash for something that wasn’t happening for another year anyway.

Her thoughtfulness is always much appreciated at this time of year.

Hilariously enough, we did not play holiday music while trimming the tree. Nor did we watch a Christmas movie.

Instead, we watched the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Clearly we’re not the most traditional household out there.

But hey- that show is probably what powered me through my 4-mile run this morning.

Health is important and I won’t discount it as a reason to stay physically fit. Let’s make that very clear.

But let’s also get real. Vanity, whether we like to admit it or not, is a fantastic motivator.

Don’t think I’ll be strutting my stuff down any runways in my skivvies anytime soon, but whatev. I can pretend if it’s gonna make me run that much faster…