5 Friday Favorites: 5 Snowed-In Must-Haves (or Blizzard Essentials)

I'm back with some Friday Favorites today. The news all week in the mid-Atlantic area has been about the impending wrath of Storm Jonas and possibly/probably the Snowmaggedon of 2016. People in the area have been freaking out, as usual. I mean look what one inch of snow did to the DC area Wednesday night. I worked at a grocery store in high school so I know what the words "snow coming" does to regular people who have common sense-it makes them crazy. Apparently my mom said the Walmart in the town I grew up in ran completely out of eggs yesterday at noon. 

Honestly, we're not going to be holed up in our homes more than a couple days so there's no need to stock up massive quantities of food. I'm also a little more lax now because in the city, I already know of liquor stores and restaurants vowing to stay open through it all.  Here's my list of must-haves that are all ready for Storm Jonas (and whatever brothers he brings, so cheesy I know). 

5 Friday Favorites: Snowed-in/Blizzard Must-Haves

1. Hot Cocoa

I'm totally all for having some hot cocoa year-round. The past week I've really gotten into the routine of having a big mug of hot chocolate  as I watch Netflix before bed because the combination of sweetness, chocolate, and warmth can't be beat. Sometimes I make my own with cacao powder but honestly I'm sometimes lazy and resort to instant hot chocolate packets. When it snows, it seems everybody jumps aboard the hot chocolate/hot cocoa train buying up packages of mini marshmallows or grabbing extra bottles of Baileys or Peppermint Schnapps to make it more of a party hot cocoa. It's the perfect snow day beverage. 

2. A Shovel 

This may seem obvious, but shovels break and winter sneaks up on you and suddenly the weather forecast calls for snow and you find yourself calling every Home Depot and Walmart hoping they still have bags of salt and shovels left.  Eventually after some snow has fallen you'll join your neighbors outside for hours shoveling your sidewalks and digging your cars out of a massive snow bank. 

A shot earlier on from a big snowstorm last winter. It only gets deeper. 

3.  Booze of choice 

(or other favorite non-adult beverage of choice, if that's how you roll)

Obviously. If you are going to be off work and school (despite Storm Jonas rolling in on a weekend-what a waste) and snowed indoors, you might as well make it a party. Have mimosas, wine, spiked hot cocoa or cider, or heck just have a couple beers with friends and family because you can. Also to point out that while people were wiping shelves clean at the grocery stores, I didn't hear of anyone complaining that they couldn't get all the beer and wine they wanted for the storm. Less stress shopping for alcohol, for the win. 

 If adult-beverages aren't your thing, at least snag some of your favorite beverage to enjoy while you spend the day being productive or snuggled up in your pajamas finally watching some of those things that have sitting unwatched, in your Netflix queue forever.  A snow day is the definitely the day to treat yourself and take the time to make some yummy food and have your favorite drink. 

4.  Flashlight 

A flashlight with batteries that actually works is ALWAYS a good thing to have because you never know when there will be an emergency or the power will go out, as in during a blizzard or something. Also I read to make sure all your electronics are already charged up the night before the storm so that they will last if your power does go out. 

5.  Boots and Running Shoes (with good traction) 

Okay so maybe you aren't planning to bundle up, strap on some Yaktrax or spikes and hit the road for some miles in the storm. I have gotten crazy enough the past couple of years to go for a few snow runs. It's actually a little nice because things haven't gotten to icy yet before everything is plowed, melted, and re-frozen. If you are going to run, make sure you have some winter accessories like Yaktrax (which are these if you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about) or a pair of trail shoes or regular running shoes with lots of good traction. I have my pair of lightly-used Brooks Ravennas ready to go. I also finally invested in a really fabulous pair of Sorel winter boots which have survived the past couple of winters and keep my feet warm and dry when I need to venture out for shoveling. 

Today I linked up with my fave Friday Linkup ladies Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia  as well as Nicole and Amanda .

What is your snow day essential item? If you live in a fabulously non-snowy place, what is your stuck-inside must-have item?

Things I'm Loving This Month

I'm still really been enjoying my break and either have been spending my days at work or sleeping in and running errands so life hasn't been too exciting, which is fine by me. Here's some of my favorite things from this past month so far. 

1. I still have one week before school starts again. It's been marvelous having so much less stress plus work to do while I've been on break. I'm still working some but am really not on as strict of a schedule as I will be which has been nice. I'll miss it for sure. 

2. I've been going to Corepower Yoga since I've had their two-week free trial and really like it. I can't really afford their month to month rate, especially because I just joined another gym, but I'd love to buy a class pack and do yoga at least once a week. I'm also a Momentum Jewelry ambassador again for 2016 and just got some sweet new goodies from them like this bracelet. 

3. My boyfriend finally sealed up the windows in your apartment with plastic so that it no longer feels like an icebox. I'm still always in a hoodie and wrapped in blankets, but it helps SO much. 

4. When it's a rainy Friday night and you decide to stay in to watch movies and order pizza (which you have been craving). I re-watched Wild and of course I want to go hiking and exploring the PCT as soon as possible just not by myself (because of snakes, bugs, and creepers). 

Fancier pizza with prosciutto,olives, and roasted red peppers on top. Salty goodness. 

5. I have been slowly adding more races to my spring race schedule including the Disney World Star Wars Half Marathon in April. I'm a bit of a Disney race hater because I feel like it so much more expensive than it has to be and part of me feels like the attention is really on the swag and less so the running. However I LOVE Star Wars and am also using it as an excuse to go visit my sister who will be working down there through the spring  I'll definitely be writing more about it afterwards and how I feel about the whole RunDisney experience so stay tuned!

6. I've also been getting ready to coach my first training group with Charm City Run. Last year I volunteered as an assistant coach in the spring for the Baltimore Women's Classic training group, but now I'm going to be head honcho. I'm so nervous and excited!

I'll be training a 5K group that runs from January to March and then the BWC group from May to June. The info session for my training group will be this Saturday, January 23rd at 9:30 AM at Charm City Run-Baltimore. 

If you are in the Baltimore area I'd love to see you or your friends who have a goal of running your first race or just want some support in training for a spring 5K.  Be sure to check out all of the awesome Charm City Run training groups at all of the store locations. 

7. I bought my boyfriend a pasta maker for Christmas, and it's also turned out to be a gift for myself in disguise. While everyone is all Whole30 or New Year's dieting, I''m over here just eating lots of fresh pasta because #carbloadingforlife. The fact that it's homemade makes it better for me than boxed pasta, right? 

This post was linked up with MIMM ,Weekend Snapshots, and Weekly Wrap #24 with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin.  

What are some of your favorite things this month? Any favorite workouts, meals, or plans for spring? 

Ragnar Relay Las Vegas 2015 Recap with Nuun Hydration

I FINALLY have my big ol' Ragnar Relay Las Vegas 2015 recap. I know you have been waiting with bated breath for this. 

I was lucky to be able to run this race in November with Team Nuun athletes again, with half of them being my friends I ran Hood to Coast with in 2014 so it was a nice reNUUNion! I was really excited because it was my first Ragnar Relay as well as my first trip to Las Vegas! Yes, only I have my first visit to Vegas to run a race #crazyrunnerlady. 

Ragnar Relay is an overnight relay race with 12 runners on a team who total run 200-ish miles all while travelling in vans and meeting up at exchange points.

Our Nuun team Viva Los Electrolitos was made up of 12 runners, 2 vans with Nuun employees Brian and Eleanor driving and running with us.  I was in Van 2 the all-lady van because #girlpower. 

My day flying out was stressful because I had 2 classes and a quiz to take before booking it the airport to catch my afternoon flight across the country. I was so in awe of the view of Nevada from the plane as we got close. Nevada seriously looks like Mars. 

Actual photo from the airplane window

It was awesome seeing the Vegas strip for the first time just as the sun set. Everything is so huge and flashy. I was totally ooh and ahhing the whole cab ride over to the hotel on the strip. 

I was definitely feeling hungry and a little groggy once I got to the Vegas after the long flight and time change. Once I got to the Flamingo Hotel on the strip the whole gang headed up to start decorating our vans.  

2016 Goals: The Year to Be Bold

Here we go, another post about someone's goals for the new year and vague feelings about getting better, faster, stronger. How original. 

Real talk and thinking out loud, I think setting goals is a useful reflection activity. It's a way to think about improvements you'd like to make in yourself and keep yourself accountable for positive changes in your life. Past January when life gets in the way, things can get hard to keep. I know it's really easy to set goals that are way too high or unrealistic. Sometimes goals are set and shit happens, and therefore the goal is unattainable. 

Anyhow this year I plan to set some goals not resolutions and am keeping them fairly broad. I don't really want to hold myself to running X miles a week or hitting a PR in everything, or losing weight, or having 10 things I want to do every week because I know it won't happen.  So here are my goals for 2016-let's hope that I can check most of these off as completed in a year!

2016 Goals

1. Journal everyday in my One Line a Day journal.  
I started this journal last year and majorly slacked. All I'm asking for is at least one line of journaling a day so I'm trying to stick with it this year because I think having a record of some private thoughts and a space for reflection is important. 

2. Stay in strong running shape year-round. 
 I always say this and then winter hits like it did this week and instead of running I just want to put on a million layers and cuddle under a blanket on the couch with Netflix. Here's to keeping my running fairly consistent throughout the year! 

3. Get back to lifting regularly. 
At first I had written at least 2x a week added to this goal, but specific goals seem really restrictive. Ugh I've been saying this but honestly since I stopped Crossfit because of money and haven't belonged to a gym it just doesn't happen. I'm not a lift at home kinda gal. I plan on joining a gym and actually making this happen because I miss my baby muscles and feeling strong.   

4. Work on being confident. 
Always a work in progress and as most everyone probably feels, how I feel about myself fluctuates day to day. Here's to taking chances, speaking up, loving my body, and believing in myself. My word or mantra for 2016 is "Be bold." Bold is a little different from confident in that it means not hesitating based on fear and being brave. I think I need to have confidence but also be bold in putting myself out there and taking chances without fear or doubt. 

5. Fuel my body. Eating pizza, french fries, and dessert is delicious and is something I will not give up because life is too short for steamed broccoli and boneless skinless chicken breast everyday.  However trying to get some more veggies in never hurt anyone. I need to work on having solid, satisfying meals, especially once school starts up again this semester and all I want and am surrounded by is junk. Fueling my body isn't just healthy, it leads to me feeling better and better workouts! 

6. Budget better. 

 I realize that as much as I don't want to be, I am actually a full blown adult. While I have most things under control, I really need to budget better. I need to actually have a solid savings account and not spend money on frivolous and unnecessary things (I'm looking at you Target and Whole Foods). That means buying things online and especially food shopping, thoughtfully. It also means looking at monthly spending and using my credit card less. It's easy to buy things, but I know I want to spend the little money I have after all of my bills (don't even talk to me about student loan debt I'm piling onto my undergraduate debt) on travelling and things that are actually important to me. 

7. Travel to at least two new places.

Because of my wanderlust, I probably don't really need to have this as a goal however I think having it in writing is a nice thing to hold myself to. I'd love to go out west again and explore a little more of the North by going to Vermont or Maine. 

8. Set a running PR.  
My goal for qualifying for the Boston Marathon happened last year, but my time is just under the qualifying time so I know I won't get accepted this year. Getting a faster qualifying time is a goal, but I really don't want to put pressure on myself this year, especially because full-time school AND work really impacts my free-time and training. I am still figuring out racing plans and what I want to accomplish in 2016, but let's just say I'm shooting for a PR. Whether that's a half marathon, 5K, 10 miler, or marathon PR-I'm cool.

Here's to a 2016 filled with more adventure, love, and happiness!

Do you set a goal or resolutions? What is one of your goals? What would be your word of 2016? 

Year in Review 2015 Linkup

Quick plug: If you are looking for a fun virtual race to keep you motivated after January, check out the Nuun Year Dash through Fitfam-registration closes today!

I am a big fan of self-reflection and taking the time to process experiences and events. The end of a calendar year is always a great time to look back on accomplishments, fun, and challenges from the past 365 and also a time to make new goals.  I am linking up with Dani and Smitha for their Year in Review Linkup-go read some other peoples' reviews and get inspired to take on 2016!

2015 was a pretty good year of running. 

It included: 

4 5ks

7 Halfs

1 full

1 Boston Qualifying time

1 overnight relay

Overall 2015 was a pretty great year: 

-Was featured in Women's Running Magazine as the Blogger on the Run

Why Being Home for the Holidays is Marvelous

Don't forget there is still a couple days to enter my lindsay.withlove Instagram giveaway! 

I finished my last final for the semester on last Tuesday and then it seemed I spent every night for the rest of the week going out for drinks or dinner. I'm not complaining-I had a lot of catching up to do from the semester when I had no free time. In a blink of an eye after surviving the semester with good grades (WOOHOO) it seemed I was catching an early morning train to Philadelphia to head home. Being home for the holidays with no work and no schoolwork and no obligations was really weird after being all GoGoGo for 4 months . However doing absolutely nothing and spending lots of time with my family was oh so marvelous. 

-getting my first present on Christmas Eve which was these amazing fleece Princess Leia onesie pajamas my mom snagged from Target. Once it gets cold, this will be my hanging out the apartment uniform. 

-It has become a holiday tradition for my sister and I to decorate a gingerbread house every year. It came out pretty great this year!

-My family went out of town for a night so I was in charge of Elf on the Shelf for my mom and sister. I had a whole rainy day with nothing to do so I worked hard on these, haha.

First was Hotline Bling Elf  with Noelle 

lindsay.withlove Handmade Jewelry Instagram Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a $10 discount from lindsay.withlove to purchase my necklace. lindsay.withlove offered to sponsor a giveaway on my Instagram.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

On this blog and in photos you mostly see me in running and workout gear. However I am actually the type of girl that loves to get dressed up, but hasn't had a chance to much lately.  I'm a fan of jewelry besides Momentum bracelets including statement necklaces, stacks of bracelets (especially puravida lately, which I stocked up on during Black Friday), costume jewelry rings, and earrings.  I am always on the lookout for funky statement pieces or interesting items.  

Once I saw the jewelry that fellow Fitfluential ambassador Lindsay of The Toasted Pinenut was creating, I was in love! 

I had actually being eyeing up a few crystal necklace pieces I saw on Etsy already so being able to support a fellow ambassador sold me on treating myself to a necklace this holiday season. 

I was really drawn to the color of the purple druzy pendant necklace and decided to go with that one. Lindsay gave me a little holiday discount to on the necklace. All of her handmade necklaces normally all retail for $45 on her Etsy shop or Instagram. 

I was really surprised how nice the necklace actually looked in person. The crystal is a sparkly, vibrant purple stone, and it came on a delicate gold chain.  It's really pretty in person, and I can't wait to wear it during the holidays.  My sister and mom already complimented the necklace so it's definitely something I'm keeping in mind for future gifts since I already finished all of my holiday shopping. 

Celtic Solstice 5 Miler 2015 Race Recap

I'm FINALLY done with my first semester of grad school! I survived ::does little dance:: This week included lots of eating out and beers and whiskey and even a a few good runs. I'm really excited to celebrate the holidays, and then finally get back to a really solid running and training schedule. Things have pretty much been off the rails since after the Chicago Marathon with lots of missed runs, late nights, and many cups of coffee. I know this little winter break will fly by so I'm trying to enjoy every second!

This weekend was the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler, a fabulous race put on by Falls Road Running which was mentioned in Runner's World a few years back and is famous for still being held in 2009 when there was a freaking blizzard. It always has a fantastic premium. with this year it being a really nice and cozy Brooks Running half zip which I picked up earlier in the week. For packet pick-up you grab your bib (and if you ordered it, the premium) and then get your timing chip at the race start.   

It's a race I love and hate all at the same time. I mostly "hate" it because I sign up months in advance tempted by the premium or peer-pressured by friends and because it's around the 2nd week of December it's always freezing cold or snowy or both.  In the end I always have fun, mostly because of the awesome post-race party. 

Despite being in the 50s and 60s last week and now this week, the weekend was a little taste of winter with the temperatures around the low 40s. 

Now, Friday night was my work holiday party with lead to stopping at a few bars afterwards with co-workers and in short, I didn't get to bed until 2:30 AM. Yikes. So I woke up the next day, surprisngly feeling okay, and chugged a big glass of Nuun Energy lemon-lime  and ate a Yummari bite before bundling up.  

The weather said it was 32 degrees outside. I wore Under Armour cold gear tights, festive holiday socks, Feetures! socks, an Under Armour short sleeve shirt under a turtleneck, ear warmers, NP buff, gloves and a Bondiband plus my Mizuno Wave Inspire 12 shoes.

They have a big tent at the start at Druid Hill Park with pre-race coffee so I tried to stay warm for a while before heading out to the start line. This start line is always crowded so I tried to get as far up as I could. The race starts with a procession of bagpipers in kilts, which I love.  

I manged to find some November Project friends right before the start of the life. As is usually the case, my feet were so cold I really couldn't feel my feet for the first two miles.  I had my iPod and used a friend as my rabbit for the first couple of miles. I was surprisingly feeling pretty well and holding my pace just faster than 7:30 min/mi according to my Garmin. There were a few little hills along with a larger one around 2.5 miles, but after mile 2 I definitely felt like I had fallen into a nice rhythm.  

I haven't been running as much or as fast as I'd like lately and had a rough half marathon a couple weeks ago due to a tight hamstring so having a good run was an awesome surprise. Since the weather has been so mild, it also took me some time to get used to breathing in the cold air while running.