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…

Next Focus

I tend to have a lot to say after running a half marathon.

Race recap. Post Race indulgences.

Etc. Etc.

Now what?

Well. I’m not in the clear just yet- when it comes to training, anyway.

There’s still ZOOMA going down next month in Lake Geneva.

(Click HERE to sign up and use the promo “GLAMB1” for a discount on registration!)

No lie- I hesitated when first approached with the opportunity to be an ambassador. Mostly because I have a tendency to suffer serious burnout.

However, I currently feel awesome and am still pretty excited about a mini-destination race. And yes- crossing state borders makes this a “destination”. I don’t travel much.

My only real concern is the course itself.

Us Chicago kids are completely spoiled and I’ll be the first to admit it.

Our courses are flat. Flat. And, dependent on where the race is, even more flat.

Hence my nonexcitement after the Go! St. Louis Half in 2011. Even long gradual inclines give me something to whine about.

So….

The rest of this week is still me doing what I want- which may include a half-assed workout here or there. I only took one official day of rest, and my first run post race was Tuesday night. Nothing exciting or crazy. It was approximately two very slow miles.

Next week? That’s when we get back into the swing of things. And take on a new challenge in training.

Remember how I’m not a big fan of speed intervals? I have a feeling they’ll be a cake walk compared to the hill workouts coming my way. They’ll have to be created on the treadmill due to lack of resources in Chicago (did I not mention how flat this city is?), which makes it worse for my attention span.

But how are we supposed to grow as human beings without a little challenge here and there?

Right?
Right.

But that can wait until next week. I earned my lazy workouts this week and shall enjoy them accordingly.

Happy Thursday!

Rest Day Numero Uno

Good morning everyone!

My parents are coming to visit today! What does this mean exactly? It means I get another weekend of quality family time, along with food from the farm. It also means my hands may permanently have the smell of clorox and windex from the amount of cleaning I’ve done in the last 24 hours.

Since I’m on official “race rest” until Sunday morning and my roommate is saving her energy for a big bachelorette bash later tonight, we spent last night getting in some roommate bonding time. Much like every other night of the week. I’ve been told we’re like an old married couple. So what? A quiet night in with a wholesome dinner, a movie, and early bed time is a rockin’ good time on a Friday night.

If there was a little wine spillage on the bib number, it totally means good luck, right?

Wait… what?

We decided on watching Young Adult. It was either that or Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But we both felt the need for something light.

Or so we thought that’s what we were getting into. “Light” is what the trailers for Young Adult portrayed it as. Definitely not what it was. It ended up being a “grass is greener on the other side” sort of movie that ended with the same feeling as it began with. I’ve had better.

Alright, time to break out that windex one last time and finish my laundry. When the ‘rents give an estimated arrival time, it really means they’ll show up about three hours before then.

You think I’m kidding.

Puppies and Candy- The Doctor’s Orders

HAPPY FRIDAY.

Yes. I will YELL that.

It was a long week, kids. Long.

Let’s not do that again.

Instead, let’s focus on happy things.

Like how the weekend has arrived and sleeping in will be a priority. Even if “sleeping in” for me is maybe 8:30. To each their own.

Or how it’s Halloween weekend and I’m all excited and giggly about how much fun it’ll be to dress up once again with all the girls…

Or let’s talk about how therapeutic it was to see these two familiar faces once again:

Doggies! For those of you who have been around for a while (like a year and a half or so- omg how long have we known each other now?!?!), you may remember Princess and Hazel. I’m friends with their owner, Jaime, who seems to think I’m responsible enough to watch over them on occasion when she’s out of town. She didn’t request another two-week dogsitting gig from me, but I was  happy to drive by her place to feed and walk them last night.

Rarely do I get such animated excitement when I walk through the door. They were over the moon.

This could be because they had not seen another human being all day, but I like to think it’s because they miss me specifically.

After taking Princess and Hazel outside to play a bit and do their biz, we all came in out of the rain and ate.

They had their dog food. And I had this:Yes, I raided their Halloween candy. And maybe this means they’ll run low on Halloween and the children will be sad and I ruined it all.

But it was sitting there. What else was I supposed to do?

Exactly. You would have taken more than one piece, too.

However…

Delicious chocolate and crispies in perfect harmony (hey Nestle Crunch, I’m looking at you), as fantastic as it is, does not a healthy dinner make. BAM. That totally cancels out the candy craze, right? Right.

After getting home from checking up on the pups and whatnot, there was no time to do anything but inhale the salad and watch the Cardinals vs. the Rangers in Game 6 of the World Series.

You know, no big deal, just a game they’re calling absolutely historic… Whatev.

11 innings of back and forth play. It was ridiculous. And I was a glass case of emotion.

A tired glass case of emotion. But still… Totally worth it.

So what is one more happy thing for the weekend?

In approximately 11 hours, I will be chillaxin’ on my couch and completely focused on the screen in front of me. GO CARDINALS!!!!!

Have a great weekend, kids!

What I’ve Been Up To

I’m so glad some of you were interested in trying the scotcheroos!  Seriously- you will not be disappointed.

And a couple of you asked if you can substitute something for the corn syrup. Well… I’ve never tried it. But a google search let me in on the secret- yes, you can sub a combo of sugar and water. Not surprising…

Speaking of google searches, someone found my blog by google searching “is there an actual city called crazy town?”. Well Mr. Unknown, I do not know the answer to that. But if there is, I am definitely an interested party. I may be moving there sooner than later…

Anyway, the lack of my regular routine has also resulted in lack of regular posting. The non-routine thing has me all in a tizzy with all these sudden rest days. And a bit of a bad mood. Thanks, leg. I guess as much as I’d love to be, there will never be a day where I can truly consider myself “spontaneous”. Lame. 

What does this mean?  Well… I had a few moments where I sorta looked like this dude.

And then I cleaned. Thanks to a crazy roommate from back in the day, I don’t like having dishes in the sink. Like at all. If they start to build up (as in more than 2 bowls are sitting there), I get all anxious she’s going to storm through the door and yell at me.

Clearly I’m scarred for life. And like to think of myself as Cinderella.

Any good roommate stories? I’ll have to ponder a while to figure out my best one…

I also grocery shopped. And- ahem- stopped by the mall. Retail therapy… ya know?

My thought process is that if I eat all the groceries I bought…… maybe I’ll also enjoy my apparel purchases a little more? 

This made me happy, but soon I looked like that dude again.

So yeah. Not too much going on here.

And I can’t escape how I really feel… grrrr.

Don’t get me wrong- it’s nice to have some rest time. But I’d rather be getting myself ready for this silly little half marathon thing I’ve got going on in about 10 days. Actually enjoy the rest time- after the race. Instead of just sitting around restless and anxious now. Meh.

Because I’ve got limitations on being able to properly prepare, I’ve at least made some rules. Mostly to keep myself from getting any more sluggish than I already am at the moment. (Does anyone else notice when you’ve got way too much downtime that you just get more and more lazy? Or is that just me?)

No wine. Lots of veggies (um… duh?). And don’t forget the protein!The ice melted funny.

I put asparagus and broccoli with the eggs, so we’re just gonna say that’s what cancels out the cream cheese spread on the bread, mmmk?

Because I had the time, and didn’t want to stop the baking extravaganza with scotcheroos, there was also some more honey oat quick bread thrown together. With walnuts added in- a must do.

Like mentioned, there hasn’t been a lot of action on the workout front (other than random situps here and there, some pushups, swearing, maybe throwing a few things, etc etc). Tonight I will be hitting the gym to see what’s going on with the whole situation with that weird feeling I’ve got in the left leggie. As in, I’m going to hit the elliptical for a bit to get in some decent cardio while loosening up and then see how the treadmill goes.

It’s not a muscle thing. That I know. I also know it will take all of 20 seconds on the treadmill to figure where I stand on it (puns!).

Wish me luck.

Or give me some advice if you have it.

Either/or.

Adjustments

Hey kids!

I think I found the secret to making a gross and gloomy day not so bad…

See a movie!

Ok, so it’s not like it’s a really mind-blowing concept. And considering I just went last week, it’s not anything new in my little corner of the blog world. Acting out last week got a pattern started. Movie Wednesday anyone?  It works so well. Because Tuesdays are lame and it’s better to just keep your head down and hope they don’t get the best of you. Thursdays are close enough to the weekend to not seem so bad, plus you’ve got quite a tv lineup to keep entertained with.

But Wednesday’s sort of stuck in the middle. I love my Modern Family, but it has been nice to actually be out and about. Feelin’ semi-social (in a dark theater, but hey- I got outside!).

Plus, drinking too much wine on a work night is killer.

So Mon and I made plans to go see The Adjustment Bureau. Matt Damon can rarely do any wrong, so we were both excited.

And then some sort of rain/snow started. Texts were fired off right away. Adjustments to the schedule were made. We ended up staying in. And drinking wine. (roll eyes here) And watching How Do You Know?(Source)

My friend gave me the movie to watch and warned of how awful it was. So our expectations were low. Which worked out well because we both thought it was ok. Not good. Not bad. Just ok. My takeaways were a few quotable lines and the desire to hug Paul Rudd.

And because of the wine, we played a rousing version of marry/hump/kill with the lineup of Paul Rudd, Justin Timberlake and Jake Gyllenhaal. After a glass or two of merlot, I revert to the thought process of a 12-year-old girl. It’s a flaw and a talent all at the same time.

Feel free to leave your choices in the comments section. I ended up marrying JT. Out of the three, he seems like he’d be the most fun. Active and passionate without being too needy. Perfect.

Yes, we had an entire conversation about it. That’s just how we play.

And just to confirm- wine on a work night really does make the next morning a killer.

Earlier in the day, before the movie night festivities, I got another early morning run in. Another girl was already trucking along by the time I got to the workout room, so I just hopped on the ‘mill next to her and we ran in all of our crazy 4:45 AM glory together. 

Final stats? 4 miles at 8:35. Then I did a 10-minute cool down on the elliptical with tons of stretching. How did I feel? The left leg could be better.

It’s been a nag the last few mornings I’ve gotten up. Oh- is that maybe part of the reason I slept in yesterday? Yeah, it would be one of the reasons. You caught me. We’re not going to freak out at this point or anything because that would be just silly. But adjustments are being made. Scaling back a little until I’m feeling more comfortable again. There’s no way I’m going to blow it with approximately 2 weeks until the race.

Along with the knee problems Mon has, she may be right. We should really have a down payment ready for some scooters.  Matching of course.

Or at least color-coordinated. That would be better. No need to look nerdy.

Blame It On The Rain

Gotta blame it on something…

Nothing like starting your day with getting Milli Vanilli lyrics stuck in your head… am I right?

That’s what I said yesterday when my boss asked if I ran yesterday morning (we often compare workouts and such- this isn’t weird by any means).

The alarm went off. I did not get up. And fell back asleep to the lull of steady rainfall…. ahhhhh…

Looks like someone switched up their rest day…

It didn’t help that it was just so cold and gloomy. The whole day. 

I thought it was spring?

This seems to be the complaint of the week.  I’ll hush up about it now. And try to bring a little color into your life.Better? Just a little? Fine. Be that way.

It made me feel better…

Anyway, the idea for the pepper and onion combo came from when my dear friend Mon gave me some focaccia flatbread to try. She wasn’t too hot on the garlicy butter flavoring it had.  And since I’ll try almost anything once (*almost* anything), I accepted the challenge!

After sautéing the peppers and onions in olive oil and balsamic, I piled them as high as I could on the focaccia flatbread. And covered them with mozzerella.And snuck in some chicken sausage I had leftover from a few days ago. Why not?

My mistake here was forgetting to toast the focaccia a wee bit before piling the sandwich. Why do I always do that???

At least I broke out the big guns to warm it up and smash it together like a panini.In case you forgot or don’t know, this is what a George Foreman knockoff looks like. With a sandwich in it. Woot.Melty cheese. It’s a beautiful thing.

And that would be organic broccoli from the Trader Joe’s freezer section peeking out from behind my panini. Yes, organic. What happened to their regular frozen broccoli? This has been causing me stress for weeks.

Seriously. It has. I love that people make a point of eating organic. But until there is a little more spending cash in my wallet (ie a little less debt in student loans), I don’t make a big deal out of eating either way. We’ll reassess this viewpoint in maybe a few more years… mmmk?

Until then, I’ll just have to remember to put it on the list of things I get at my local grocery store. Whatev.

And before we leave, I feel there are a few notes on yesterday’s post:

- I’m such a nerd for not even thinking to call them “taco cupcakes”. But I like it. So go make some…

- I followed up with my friend on if he was feeling better yesterday during the day. He did (because I know you were concerned). He also asked, “did I mention the whopper I had like an hour or two before the wings?”.

Damn metabolism.

Happy Hump Day, everybody! Unlike the night before, last night didn’t include much sleep. There’s a little stress. No worries- it’s good stress. But stress nonetheless.

What else does one expect? No one said growing up was easy.

Travel Woes

Time for a Friday dance!!!

Or not. I’m actually attempting to save my energy. I’ve got a long run tonight.

Yep. That’s right. To plan around my little vacay that starts tomorrow, I planned a 9-mile run for tonight.

Feel free to say aloud “What where you thinking???”  Because I know I did.

This has been making me nervous all week. Usually, any run over 5 or 6 miles happens on a weekend directly after a night of sound sleep. Not after a day of work. 

Yesterday was a declared rest day for me. I slept well last night. I’ll be eating a solid lunch. So… BRING IT.

YEAH…

I guess?

Uh…

Anyway… not a lot else going on (other than the recent reappearance of Hottie McHotterson the office suppy rep at work but that is definitely a story for another time). 

Realized last night as I was packing for Vegas that a bag would have to be checked.  Crap. That’s what I get for traveling when the weather is so up-in-the-air. I need jeans, but pack some shorts because it will be warm during the day. Oh this shirt would be cute, but bring a light sweater to go over it just in case. Flip flops will probably be used but if it gets a little cooler, bring some flats, too. 

Before I knew it, my carry-on (that really is too big to be one, but I pretend by smashing it into the correct size when it needs to be) was overflowing. No good.  Stupid luggage fees.

At least when I go back this summer for a bachelorette party, the dress code is pretty simple. All I have to pack are a few party dresses and swimsuits.  Bet I could almost backpack that trip…

Oh the joys of airport travel…

At least I won’t starve to death while waiting for my flight. A recent report named a new Rick Bayless restaurant as one of the top 10 restaurants in airport terminals. Rick Bayless? Airport gourmet?  Really?

Although I try at all costs to avoid eating in the terminals.  Paying $8 for a mini cup of coffee a doll would scoff at makes me wince.

But it’s good to know that if desperate times call for desperate measures, I can dine in the lap of luxury. All while in my travel yoga pants.

TGIF. For reals.

Hello Wall

Here we are again, workout wall.  I would say it’s nice to see you. But it’s not. Sometimes the truth hurts.

Where did you come from? Because this is a very sudden and surprise visit.  Yes I’m annoyed.  A little warning would have been nice.  I have a job and a life and a schedule. Ruts like you are not allowed.  I don’t have the time or patience for your shenanigans.

Quite frankly, I was going to completely ignore you.  Pretend you don’t exist.  But after further review, a few of my associates thought this was a bad idea. So I decided to be accepting tolerant. Let you hang out for the rest of yesterday after I got home. Even today I’m taking the time away from the gym. For you. I’m not happy about it, but sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

I’m still holding a grudge, though. Thanks for ruining my workout yesterday.  Thank you for making me feel “off” the rest of the day. It was awesome.

Nooo… that’s not sarcasm at all… not at all…

You’re lucky that I had Modern Family to distract me.

And laundry to keep me busy.

And breakfast for dinner to comfort me.(Breakfast flatbread?  I dunno… but it was scrambled eggs, mushrooms, onions, and jalapenos topped with feta.)

You may have won this time. I’ll suck it up and admit defeat. But guess what? I slept in today. Almost 9 whole hours. How did that happen? Not sure, but you should know I am feeling pretty damn good.

So tomorrow?  It’s on. I’ll be back.  With a vengeance.

Peace Out,

Amy B

As Luck Would Have It…

… I got to the gym just in time yesterday. The girl on the good treadmill was finishing up when I walked in at 5:15 AM.  Victory!

But it’s possible that the real question in this scenario is, “what time did you get here and why are you so crazy???”

I still haven’t entered crazy zone (which I define as being up before 5:00 to go to the gym- I’m holding on to that 5:05 wakeup call for dear life).

Of course it’s not being ruled out (longer mid-week runs are heading my way), but right now I just can’t get myself to do it!

My point after all that rambling is that I got the desired treadmill without any issues.  Whew! Until yesterday, Wednesdays have been just a 3-mile run and strength. But we’re getting further into training and when I created the training plan, I decided throwing 4-milers into the mix at this point would be a good idea.

Good idea?  It’s much too early to tell at this point.  But I did it. 4 miles at 8:32 pace.

And just like Monday, because I refuse to get up any earlier, I waited until after work to fit in The Shred as my strength training.

Ok- scratch that. I skipped out on hanging out with Jillian Michaels last night. As luck would have it, I was just wiped.

However, attempts to make up for it were made through push ups and a few free weight exercises. Possibly during commercial breaks.  Take it or leave it…

As luck would have it, I was able to enjoy the rest of my spicy peanut sauce pasta over lunch yesterday.A lovely lunch was had by finding a window seat and pretending I’m getting an adequate amount of vitamin D while reading up on Chicago’s aging population. I sure know how to have one hell of an exciting lunch…

Oh sunshine. I just wish I could actually feel you again.

Yet another reason I’m counting down days until my Vegas vacation…

And yes, I do read Crain’s (Chicago Business) along with my favorite Chelsea Handler books. It’s important to be well-rounded like that.

By the way, thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s post.  Madeline and Leah both commented on how they think their whole existence is an “oops” moment.  I laughed out loud. Then realized I qualify for that classification, too.

As luck would have it, today is my rest day. Judging from my lack of energy to finish up the strength training last night, it’s safe to say I might need it. 

Enjoy the day, everyone- I’ll be lounging at home tonight watching my Thursday night lineup.  Ahhhh….