Friday Favorites 8/16/2013

I am already itching to get out of work this Friday afternoon as I sit at my desk writing papers all day. Boo. Hopefully my longest run yet for marathon training goes well tomorrow. Other than that, I'm looking forward to volunteering at a blues festival with one of my favorite ladies, having coffee and pancakes on Sunday, and relaxing! Here are some of my favorite things this week-they are unsurprisingly,mostly food related !

Favorite dessert: So Delicious Coconut Milk Cookie Dough ice cream

So I really need to stop perusing the ice cream aisle of grocery stores. It's hard when all the non-dairy ice cream options that don't upset my tummy are so delicious. I love the coconut milk flavor of the ice cream and the huge balls of cookie dough in every bite.  I'm surprised this pint has almost made it to the end of the week!

Favorite dinner: Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken from Against All Grain

before the addition of sesame seeds on top, whoops!

First of all, if you haven't bought Danielle's Against All Grain go do it right now-it's selling out all over the place! Even if you aren't paleo or gluten sensitive or anything, the recipes are fabulous and easy to follow. This is the first dish I've made from the cookbook so I'm excited to try some more recipes! It tasted just like Chinese takeout. I ate the chicken over a frozen asparagus stir-fry so the meal was ready in minutes after I got home from work. I picked up my copy of the book at Barnes & Nobles, but it's also on Amazon.  

Favorite song: Magna Carta....Holy Grail  by Jay-Z feat. Justin Timberlake

I suppose I'm still on a high after seeing the Legends of the Summer tour with JT and Jay-Z last week. It was awesome, as pretty much everyone has been saying, and now I like this song even more after hearing it live!

Favorite snack: Garuka Bar

I was sent a free Kona Kase to review (thanks to Sweat Pink) and am still working my way through all the healthy snacks. There was a Garkuka bar in there, which is an all-natural bar made with raw Vermont honey along with some nut butter and brown rice puffs, amongst other things. My boyfriend stole 3/4 of the bar from me right away and decided they were so delicious that we needed to order some. He ordered a bulk case of bars for us that night and even got me some of the gluten-free ones to try. They have arrived this week so now we have a huge box of bars waiting to be eaten (hopefully it lasts us a little while). The gluten-free bars taste exactly like the original ones. Garuka bars are named after an endangered gorilla species and a percentage of each sale goes towards gorilla conservation. They are simple, wholesome, yummy, and support a good cause. Check out their website  to find more information, to purchase, or even order to a free sample!

Disclaimer: I was sent a Kona Kase for no cost with no obligation, all opinions are my own.. No other compensation was given. The Garuka Bars were ordered on my own and I was not compensated for this shout out!

Favorite Recipe Pinned: Peanut Butter and Jelly Snack Muffins 

I've been all over Pinterest as usual for dinner and snack ideas.  I've been craving everything peanut butter and jelly this week and came across this recipe from Whole Foods for these peanut butter snack muffins with a little smidgen of jam inside. Sounds like a perfect snack to bake a batch of this weekend! 

Favorite reminder: 

I pinned this quote on Pinterest to keep in mind when I'm feeling overwhelmed or blue. I definitely need to pull in the reins on all the busyness going on in my life and get things done. Life is too short to not do what makes you happy and get what you want!

Happy Weekend! Any big plans?

Marathon Training Week 8 and a Liebster Award!

I was pretty much slacking last week, which ended in me racing and then being sick all weekend, but here's the recap anyways!

The Road to 26.2 -Marathon Training Week 8

Runs:

Short runs: I only did one short run this week and did some crossfit/strength training instead. The training group did speedwork again, and I felt pretty good running a little faster on the mile repeats. I have a hard time telling what my pace is without looking at my watch so I'm going to try running without music more and focusing on my breathing and rhythm when running more around my goal marathon race pace. 

Long Run- Week 8 called for a step back mileage-wise. Most of the people in my training group ran the Charles Street 12 Miler so that was the long run for the week. You can read here about how I raced it and pushed it too fast . Then I got sick and ended up on the couch all weekend. Good times. Here's an awesome (and by awesome I mean crazy) race photo of me super sweaty and hair flying everywhere but still smiling as I cruised around the Inner Harbor at the end of the race.  C'mon, everyone loves giggling at race photos. 

from ChessiePhoto

What was awesome last week:  That I ran the race pretty fast and did well. I haven't raced a longer mileage since the NWM DC Half in April, so it felt good to see that I can log a good chunk of miles at a good pace,even when I feel crappy. 

What I need to work on this week: Taking better care of myself. Getting sick has given me another the wake up call that I really need to stay on top of drinking lots of water, taking vitamins, and getting PLENTY of sleep. As much as I like to pretend I can be Wonder Woman, I can't do everything and run and train and work and try to apply to grad schools on 4 hours of sleep. 

Something else super fun  today is that Jenna from Little Green Running Shoes nominated me for a Liebster award!

A Liebster award is a fun survey to help you get to know some smaller blogs. You get to share 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions the nominating blogger created for you. After you've been nominated and fill out the survey, you pass the award on to 11 other blogs with 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way to pass on some love and recognition to blogs who have a smaller following!  

11 Things About Me

1. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. 

2. I'm really jumpy and easily scared. 

3.  I think the top layer after you open a nut butter jar is the best. I always make sure to eat that part before someone else gets to the jar. 

4. Running makes me happy.

5. I'm pretty introverted, especially when I first meet people and am super self conscious that people won't like me!

6. I've never broken a bone!

7. I can always rationalize buying a new pair of shoes. 

8. I'm always feeling cold so always keep a hoodie or sweater with me. 

9.  Panda bears are my favorite animal. 

10.  I'm a Jersey girl at heart who now loves everything Baltimore and Old Bay. 

11. I always save room for dessert. 

11 Questions from Jenna

1. What’s your favorite ice cream?

I'm a big fan of vanilla with rainbow jimmies or cake batter, but I'm going to have to go with mint chocolate chip here. I pretty much love ice cream. 

2. What’s your favorite outfit?

Comfy wise I love yoga pants or shorts and a soft tee. As far as real people outfits, I love black leggings, boots, and a blazer with a tank underneath. It's classy, sexy, and easy to throw on!

3. What’s your pet peeve?

I hate people cracking their knuckles, people who sniffle constantly, and rudeness in general. 

4. Who do you admire most?

I admire my mom because trying to stay sane while raising three kids is a tough job. She's so fabulous and fun to be around too. 

5. Pirates or Ninjas? Why? Pirates because I like the glorified fun version of pirates like in Pirates of the Caribbean. Being in the Caribbean, drinking rum, and getting into shenanigans sounds like fun. 

6. What was your favorite cartoon growing up?

7. If you owned a cow what would you name it?

8. Do you eat enough veggies?

9. Who is your favorite super hero? Why?

10. What have you learned today?

11. What scares you?

11 Blogs I nominate (lots of Bmore Blends love!):

Outlaw on the Run

Elbowglitter

Fitcupcaker

Runner Ritsa

Barr and Table

Just Call Me Janks

Dani Cakes

The Coily Bombshell

City and the Cubicle

Lace and Race

Kait Makes a Run for It

11 questions for my nominated bloggers

1. What’s your favorite post-workout snack?

2. What’s your go-to article of clothing/outfit when in a rush?

3. What’s your blogging pet peeve?

4. Cats or dogs?

5. What's your favorite type of weather?

6. What is the last great movie you watched?

7. What is your favorite drink order at Starbucks?

8. What is type of fitness activity/class do you want to try that you haven't?

9. What is something you want to do before summer is over?

10. What TV show are you loving right now (I'm loving Orange is the New Black!)?

11.  What is your guilty pleasure?

Do you have a favorite race photo moment?  What is something you are doing to take better care of yourself?

Charles Street 12 Miler Recap

I missed my Marvelous in my Monday post yesterday because I was sick with some sort of sinusitis infection. I've had sinus problems before so I know that going to the doctor's is useful unless it's been more than two weeks. Just lots of rest and tea for me. After the race I ran on Saturday I started feeling not so hot and spent most of yesterday sleeping besides running out to get some tea and chicken noodle soup from Whole Foods.

This weekend was the inaugural Charles Street 12 Miler  which was a 12 mile race (mostly) down Baltimore's Historic Charles Street which started north of the city and ended near the inner harbor. 

There are never 12 mile races anywhere but the swag was a medal and a super sweet Under Armour hoodie because c'mon, it was practically a half marathon. 

Friday night I laid out all my race gear but ended up going to bed late and only getting 4 hours of sleep (including waking up several times). I wasn't feeling well and had a sore throat so I had some trouble sleeping. 

Saturday morning  I woke up fine,ate some cinnamon raisin Ezekiel toast with peanut butter and banana, and left to hitch a ride with some people from my marathon training group who were carpooling.  

I felt pretty good before the race, minus some tight calves and not drinking enough water the previous week.  Once the race started, I started off too fast because I wanted to race it, not just run it. I had only run one other time that week so thought my legs should be okay. However I had a really rough crossfit class on Friday afternoon, which was probably a bad idea. As I was running the race I felt like it was too fast and my legs were really tight. Also I knew the course pretty well and as I remembered, it was more rolling hills than downhill.   It was a really hard run for me, and I haven't had one of those in a while.  I had two GUs, one around mile 5 and one around mile 9, in desperation for some energy and relief. For a lot of the race I felt blah but started to get into the zone around Mile 7. 

 I was smiling and trying to just jam out to my iPod. I definitely had to tap into some of my mental strength.  It was overcast but really humid out so I was drenched in sweat by the end of the run.  I felt great crossing the finish line-I ended up getting 7th in my age division with 1:33:43.

I thought that maybe I just hadn't been running enough for training, and that the marathon was going to be really awful.  Now looking back, I'm hoping it was the lack of sleep and oncoming sickness that partially contributed to how crappy I felt during most of the run.  After the race, I met up with my marathon training group and felt pretty good about my time. I know I shouldn't have been trying to keep up with other people and should have just run it slower if I wasn't feeling so hot. 

Overall it was a pretty well organized race, had great race swag, and was a nice course so it's definitely on my radar for next year!

After the race there were a few post-race hard ciders and beer, some Naked mango coconut water, and part of a boxed lunch we were given. After going out for some Italian food and pizza later that afternoon, I took a really long nap and started feeling awful with a sore throat, sinus pressure, congestion, post-nasal drip, and general malaise. 

 This led to me spending hours upon hours of sitting on the couch watching Netflix for most of the weekend. I've been sleeping, drinkings lots of tea with lemon and ACV, eating fruits and veggies, and loading up on medication. Taking care of yourselves is really important, people. 

What is your favorite/best cure for being sick? Do you have an awesome soup recipe?

Marathon Training Week 7 and Friday Faves 8/9/13!

Thanks everyone for sharing and checking out yesterday's post on marathon training and weight gain.  Apparently it's a popular subject and happens to a lot of people! If you missed it, check it out here. 

The Road to 26.2 -Marathon Training Week 7

Runs:

Short runs: My training group was back to speedwork this week.  We did 1 mile slower than our marathon race pace (MRP), 2 miles at MRP, and 1 mile faster than MRP. My legs were kind of tight so the first mile repeat wasn't great but then I got into the zone.  I finished fast and felt strong.   

Long Run- Week 7 called for another longer run with 16 miles on the schedule. It was a dreary day and ending up raining in the middle of the run. We did two 8 mile loops and my GU gels fueled me because I found a stash of chocolate GU from previous race swag bags in my closet. I actually LOVE the chocolate GU because it tastes like frosting to me and doesn't upset my stomach. By the last few miles my feet were hurting, and my legs felt tight. I felt surprisingly okay the rest of the day but was hurting on Sunday. This led to me rocking my compression sleeves and shorts all day. Stylish as hell, I know.  

What was awesome last week:  I'm upping my miles and feeling okay! My legs were sore on Sunday but other than that it hasn't been too painful yet. I'm contemplating the idea of doing an ice bath next week when the mileage gets upped again but hate the cold so don't know if I can force myself to try it.  

What I need to work on this week: This week I still need to work on getting enough sleep. Work and life and everything has been busy (excuses, I know) so I REALLY need to get on a sleep schedule. 

Overall, pretty solid week of training. Now here's some of my favorite things this Friday afternoon!

Favorite snack: Carrot Cake LUNA bar

 I had signed up on facebook a few weeks back to receive a sample of the new LUNA bar flavor Carrot Cake and was happily surprised to see it in my mailbox this week. Of course I ate it almost immediately that afternoon as a snack, and it was delicious! It was sweet with had more carrot flavor than I expected.   I'll definitely be on the lookout for this flavor in stores. 

Favorite recent purchase: PUMA flats

don't mind my knees looking weird

When I was in Atlantic City last week I couldn't stay away from all the great deals at the outlets down there. There was a 50% off sale at the Coach factory store, 40% off at the J.Crew Factory store, and many other great deals to be had. I popped into Puma just to take a quick peek and saw that most of their shoes were on clearance. I picked up this pair of white flats that have some awesome padding on the heel area. They have become my favorite shoes right now because they are so comfortable and stylish. I've worn this pair to work 3/5 days this week because I've been on my feet a bunch. The only thing I regret is not buying another pair!

Favorite song: Pusher Love by Justin Timberlake

So I saw the Legends of the Summer tour with Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z last night. It was AMAZING. It even rained a bit but that couldn't stop the party.  JT did an awesome performance of Pusher Love off of his latest album so it's been in my head all day.  Check out the performance above of him singing it on ellen. 

Favorite Recipe: cold-brew iced coffee 

image from Chow.com

Eventually this week I decided to try to cold-brew some coffee since I seemed to be buying an iced coffee one too many times this week at work.  I found this recipe and gave it a go. After brewing overnight, I made up a pitcher of 1:1 coffee concentrate:water and added some stevia, vanilla extract, and almond milk to make it ready for drinking.  It turned out awesome and now I don't know how I lived without having a pitcher of cold-brew coffee in my fridge.  

What are your favorite ways to recover from runs? Ever tried an ice bath?  Been to any good concerts recently?

Marathon training and Weight Gain-Say What?!

I'll post a training update from last week tomorrow but today I really wanted to bring up a topic that has been on my mind recently. 

When people hear you are running a marathon they probably think you are going to lose a ton of weight because of those crazy calorie burns. They say, go ahead eat that plate of cheese fries, you ran 15 miles today! True, the typical seasoned or elite runner's physique is pretty lean.  When training for a marathon that is not always the case though. Just because you may be burning 1000-2000 calories on a run doesn't mean you aren't fueling more.  I'm eating a GU/fruit chews/fuel every 45-60 minutes during my run. I'm fueling pre- and post- run.  Besides which, I'm hungry pretty much all the time, especially the day of and after my long run.   In the past 2 months since starting marathon training, I've put on about 4-5 pounds.  It seems to be steady there and I'm getting okay with it, but at first as I mentioned, it was shocking. 

I'm running more and gaining weight?

I wish I was kidding. 

I've seen this topic on many places around the interwebs including Runner's World  here, on Tina's (Carrots 'N' Cake) blog , and more recently mentioned by Carissa from Fit 2 Flex here . Just google "marathon training weight gain" and you'll get a bunch of articles about it.  Besides what I've mentioned about being hungrier in general and fueling for runs, here are the scientific facts I've compiled that may contribute to marathon training weight gain:

1.One reason for gaining a few pounds is from increased muscle mass. Muscle tissue is more dense than fat tissue, so the scale might give a higher number, even though you've probably lost inches due to fat loss.  This is especially true if you are strength training as well!

2. Long distance training requires more carbohydrates, which attract water, along with increased glycogen stores for those longer runs. Your body wants to hold onto extra fuel and water for long runs. See, it's just looking out for you! 

3. This leads me to the fact that carb-loading by binging on plates of pasta and bread is unnecessary.  I think a lot of people over estimate how much carb-loading they actually have to do.  It'd be different for me if I was fueling up for a bigger race a few times a year with some pizza and cupcakes before race night rather than doing some massive carb-loading each Friday night for 5 months before a run the next AM.  

The proper way to carb-load didn't click with me until my training group coach talked to us about nutrition and suggested adding an extra serving of carbs (preferably something more nutritious and less processed) to lunch/dinner 2 days before the run and to breakfast the day before the run. Then your body actually has time to convert the carbs to glycogen. When I first heard that I was like "Duh!" . Also watch how many calories you are intaking in your gatorade or liquid electrolyte drinks if you are trying to watch your weight!

4. After you run 17 miles on a bright and early Saturday morning you probably want to treat yourself to some pizza, a cupcake, and half a bottle of wine when all that rebound hunger kicks in later in the day. No? Just me? Apparently many people gain weight due to simply eating more calories than they are burning.   I can definitely eat a 1500 calorie brunch. If you don't think you can, look at some of the calorie counts of restaurants, um hello, 1140 calories for a medium peanut butter bacon shake from Sonic? It's really important to refuel within 30 minute of exercise but just try to keep treats minimal and lots of good, nutritious food incorporated into your meals!

Is weight gain inevitable with marathon training? Maybe not. In the end, I'm happy that I'm strong and fit and going to have legs that can hopefully take me 26.2 miles, even if they are a little bigger than they used to be. Here's some things I'm doing to keep myself in check and to make sure my body is being properly fueled without binges:

1. Drink lots of water. Water is  awesome for you all around, even if you aren't training for anything. I'm trying to get in at least 90 oz a day. The minimum should be half your body weight in ounces, but upwards to your actual body weight in ounces if you are training or highly active. 

2. Make sure to eat lots of protein. I'm being sure to include a protein and some fat at every meal to keep my macronutrients more balanced and my body more satiated.  I think the golden rule is to have approximately 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day (I googled it to double check and pounds of body weight/2.2=kilograms of body weight!). Some sources will say that runners need even more than this!

3.  Plan meals around long exercise sessions.  I'm pretty good  during the week due to my work structure and breakfast is my favorite so I never skip it. However on the weekends with longs runs, between breakfast and dinner becomes a snacking free-for-all. I'm going to try to do better to actually eat a sit down, protein-packed lunch on the weekends.   

4.  Keep snacking at bay, especially on long run days. I'm getting better at actually making myself a smoothie or preparing a snack, instead of stealing a few handfuls of pita chips, chocolate chips, and cereal every 15 minutes. If I'm actually hungry, I'm going to fuel my body!

Have you gained weight training for a marathon or long distance race? What are your tips for exercise hunger?

Mango Salsa and More Colorful Running Deals!

Well, first of all I have some big news-I was chosen to be a Delta Labs Ambassador! You'll be hearing plenty more about the company and their products but I'm really excited so I just had to mention it. I feel so small time in the blogosphere so I'm really excited for this opportunity,  It's a company owned and operated by women which sells all natural, affordable health and wellness products. I'm all about empowering women so it's a great fit!

Also, if you missed out on the Color Me Rad 5K discount I posted a few weeks ago, here is another chance to do a fun colorful run for a little bit cheaper!  I'm all about getting people excited about running and also love color.  While I found the last color run I participated in a little unorganized, if a group of my friends wants to run a 5K I'm always up for it! 

If you are unfamiliar, the Color Run is the "Happiest 5K on the Planet" and is an un-timed 5K where all the runners are covered in different colored powder by the end of the race.  The race celebrates health, happiness, and community.  The Color run is offering $5 off an entry to any city that is NOT sold out, just enter the promo code "COLOR5OFF" at the registration page.  Check to see if the Color Run is coming to a city near you here.

Also if you are running with a group of friends, registering in a team of 4 or more is automatically $5 cheaper, but if you use the code "COLOR5OFF" on your registration you will be saving $10 total!

I know I promoted the Color Me Rad and Color Run 5K, but I just really like seeing people running and happy.  Events that bring people out to feel healthy, have fun, and have a big party are good things in my book.  I don't think I can run the next Baltimore one due to the Philadelphia Half Marathon but maybe I'll find another city to run in :)

Post Color Run Baltimore 2013

Lastly in this random post, I have an awesome recipe to share.  I baked some frozen flounder filets for most of my lunches this week. I had some avocados sitting on my counter that were at the perfect ripeness and needed to be used up. I decided to create a topping for my fish, and it came out so delicious that I'm going to share the recipe with you. 

This recipe is super simple and you could substitute or add ingredients, depending on what you have on hand. I used sriarcha for some heat because it's all I had, but you could use some jalapeno peppers if you like your salsa spicy! 

I made a small batch for my lunches, but you could probably double or triple this recipe for a get together as a dip! It's kind of a hybrid salsa and guacamole and was even delicious on some leftover turkey burgers for dinner last night. 

Do you have any great lunches planned this week?  What are your favorite recipes to use up ripened avocados?

MIMM #8 8/5/2013

This weekend was still full of lots of food and some running.  These are some of the mostly marvelous highlights!

Marvelous is spending Saturday morning after a long run refueling to find out Clueless is on TV, and watching the rest of the movie.  It's one of the great movies of the 90s!

Marvelous is spending a drizzly post-run Saturday afternoon having a very early dinner with a cocktail, crab cake, and old bay salted caramel ice cream. Then I took a nap :)

Marvelous is an unexpected Sunday funday dinner (unpictured  crab cake sandwich-I've been craving all things crab!) and craft beer sampler.

Marvelous is sleeping in on Sunday mornings ( I will make it to yoga one morning....maybe.).

Marvelous is eating many many samples of peaches at the Farmer's Market. 

Not so marvelous is not getting all of my to do list done this weekend. 

Marvelous is having my boyfriend bring home the best pumpkin beer ever-Southern Tier's Pumking because a bunch of autumn beers were already on the shelves. 

Not so marvelous is that autumn beers are already out. I STILL HAVE A MONTH OF SUMMER :(

Marvelous is the new Chobani bites flavors I picked up this week. The mint chip flavor is crazy delicious,  especially when you freeze it for a little while before eating.  

from chobani.com

Marvelous is running outside in cooler summer temps and refueling with my coconutty popsicles!

What did you do this weekend? Have a favorite 90s movie

Training Week 6 and Friday Faves 8/2/13

Since I was on a mini vacation to Atlantic City for over half the week, we're already at Friday which is awesome! Here's how my marathon training went last week!

The Road to 26.2 -Marathon Training Week 6

Runs:

Short runs: Week 6 was was so 3x hill repeats for 4 hills. I felt more comfortable doing hill work this week because my legs weren't really tight and I was feeling good before we started running.  I got in a nice tempo run outside and did some intervals inside on a rainy afternoon too.  

Long Run- Week 6 had us upping our miles again so I ended up running 15 miles at the trails near BWI which was cool because planes were flying in and taking off right above us.  There was lots of cyclists so I definitely had to be paying attention about where I was running. Oh and it was my longest distance ever and I felt good. I'm getting the hang of fueling so far and making sure I drink enough water days before the long run!

What was awesome last week:  It was the first time in a while I got all the workouts I wanted to in and it wasn't stressful. I did a little bit of outdoor running, treadmill intervals, and crossfit.  It's nice when things just fall into place and you finally get into a groove!

What I need to work on this week: This week I need to work on getting enough sleep.  I feel so much better when I get adequate sleep so I'm going to work on setting  time to be in bed by so that I'm not be rushing or feeling like a character on the Walking Dead in the morning.  That also means being in bed and not reading things on my phone, checking email, or scrolling through Instagram!

On to some things I've been loving this week!

Favorite dessert: Gelato from the little shop in the casino. It was right outside of the elevator and after passing it about 20 times I had to have some! I tried about 10 samples of flavors before I decided on a little cup of cheesecake and strawberry gelato. It was delicious, of course.

Favorite place to run: The beach,sigh. Why can't I have summers off and just live down the shore? This particular seagull didn't get spooked like all the other birds when I ran by either. It was so serene.

Favorite snack: Siggi's yogurt, particularly this orange ginger flavor

Siggi's is a brand of skyr yogurt that is even thicker and creamier than greek yogurt! Siggi's only has 5 or 6 ingredients and this particular flavor has 9g of sugar, which isn't too bad for flavored yogurt. I normally don't like orange things (besides the actual fruit and the occasional mimosa) but this flavor is so refreshing! It's amazingly delicious, and I've been enjoying it with some granola mixed in as a snack.  I picked this up at Whole Foods but the brand is popping up at supermarkets all over the place. 

Favorite song: Royals by Lorde

This 16 year old from New Zealand is crazy talented, and this song is super catchy.  It's like a stripped down Ke$ha song. It should be the song of the summer for driving with your windows down when the sun shining and you'll soon be drinking a beer.

Oh and btw, it's already August. Where is summer going? 

That's not cool. I think I need to make a summer bucket list. Stat. It's like a challenge now!

What's something you want to do before summer ends?