Breakfast of Champions

Yesterday, while taking a much too long study break from learning the muscles of the upper body, I was perusing a handful of my favorite blogs.

During my study break I was inspired to prepare some scrumptious overnight oats after reading Leanne’s Overnight Oats on fitandflowyoga.com!

In the past I would whip up overnight oats for a great breakfast on the go, and reading Leanne’s post yesterday made me want nothing more than to wake up to a cool refreshing breakfast.

The recipe on my soon-to-be sister’s blog (Check out Leanne’s blog for more great recipes, yoga tips, and health and wellness inspiration) is paired with pictures that will make you hungry, just a fair warning 🙂 .

I followed her go-to breakfast as a guideline with just a few adjustments! Here is what I came up with

 

 

¼ cup Quaker Quick Oats

½ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 Tbsp. Chia Seeds

 

1 Tbsp. crushed almonds

1Tbsp. pure maple syrup

I banana sliced

4 strawberries sliced

1 pinch of shredded coconut 

 

First I put the oats, almond milk, and chia seeds in a nearly empty jar of cocoa almond butter, and stuck it in the fridge. Overnight the oats and chia seeds expanded while absorbing the delicious flavor of the spread and almond milk.

In the morning, after my five mile run, (cheers for completing part of goal #1 I posted about yesterday!! Visit yesterdays post: There’s Something About Mondays to get the inside scoop.) I topped my creation with a pinch of shredded coconut, crushed almonds, maple syrup, banana slices, and strawberries slices.

Delicious!

If you are interested in any more scrumptious recipes yogi fuel, healthy living tips, kids yoga, or reading a fantastic blog go check out fitandflowyoga.com 🙂  

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There’s Something About Mondays

I love Mondays.

 No sarcasm intended. I really do.

Side note: I also love mornings, so between it being a Monday morning I’m pretty much set up for a fantastic day. And yes I realize most people don’t like Mondays or mornings #aintworried #bedifferent

 I am energized by the thought of a new week. Monday is always the kick-starter I need to regroup, reorganize, and refocus.

In a way, it reminds me of the first couple of days back to school. You have the chance to reconfigure yourself for the year, feel out the territory, and start fresh. Although Mondays come every week… and the start of the school year is only in August/ September, I still find the comparison very fitting.

(Let it be known I’m in LOVE with the first day of school and part of me is heart broken that I no longer get to walk into a classroom with my crisp untouched notebook and coordinating folder. The other part of me couldn’t be happier to be missing out on reading through syllabus after syllabus after syllabus.)

Today, I plan on being a bit more proactive and concrete about what I want to accomplish this week. I always seem to have documented long-term goals that I’m working towards, such as a training schedule for some race or a big looming certification test on the calendar (#scared #notready #hashtag), but my short-term just “exist” and are never documented.

 In order to be a more accountable for what I’m striving towards, I figured I’d share my goals this week on here, in writing, where everyone can see them:

1. Get back on my marathon-training schedule and complete all of my training runs for the week. After a much needed seven days off from running, I’m ready to put my head back in the game and enjoy my last four weeks of training. This means I have two 5 mile runs, one 8 mile run, and the 18.12 race in Sackets Harbor this weekend. 

2. Lift weights at least four times this week. During my time off from running, I was going to the gym with the fiancé, and it felt fantastic. My muscles were sore, my protein shakes tasted delicious, and my passion for fitness and wellness was sparked again. Plus, being around others gives me energy, and there’s nothing like a packed gym to make for a great work out! 

3. Make flashcards for my personal trainer certification exam. I bought flashcards and a case for my flashcards weeks ago! It’s time to put those suckers to use. I’m going to shoot for three chapters worth, since the number of definitions per chapter is iiiinnnsannnnnneeee.

4. Try a new recipe 🙂 I’m thinking a Mexican dinner night… tacos, guacamole, and margaritas. We are having friends visit this weekend, and that may be the perfect opportunity!

 Okay… I guess this means I have some flashcards to start working on. Have a great Monday and good luck on starting your week off right!

Digging Deeper

37 days.

That’s it. We are talking a little over a month. That’s nothing? Right?

…Right?

No.

Not right.

It’s a lot.

I’m halfway through my 11^th week of training, and can faintly see the finish line in the distance. But I would much rather close my eyes and go back to sleep.

I like to think that everyone goes through this feeling of burnout during their first marathon training (or any marathon training). I’d describe burnout as the feeling of reaching one’s running maximum.

It’s not that my runs are painful or unsuccessful. They are actually going really well. Between Apollo and Team RWB I have running buddies helping me every step of the way.

It’s just increasingly more difficult to spend X hours a day working out as my runs get longer and longer. Therefore my main focus has been running. It makes me miss lifting, cycling, yogaing, etc.

My brother (he is running the marathon with me) and I have started talking about it more often, and we’ve come to an agreement:

 

We just want to run the marathon.

 

No more training runs. No more practice trials. No more waking up at 500am on a Saturday to fit in a long run before the actual weekend begins.

Just driving to Rochester, lacing up the running shoes, throwing on a camelbak, and hacking away the miles one by one.

Yet, as I already said, there are 37 days.

And you know what? I’m going to make it.

Of course I’m tired and ready to run the race, but the only thing that’s going to get me there is digging deeper and finding the inner strength to keep going. And when I can’t find the motivation, I’m lucky enough to have a circle of friends and family who can cheer me on.

That’s not to say I shouldn’t or haven’t taken some cautionary steps. I’ve skipped some runs, run less than I was suppose to, and started incorporating other non-running related workouts around my training schedule. Just because I’m working towards a goal doesn’t meant here’s one way of reaching the finish line.

Running, to an extent, is mental. Our bodies are capable of incredible feats. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to what your body is telling you. Mine was saying run less, not do less … so for this week, I’m listening.

I’m making up for my shorter runs with other workouts that I’m excited about. I’m hoping this will reignite the enthusiasm I had when I started.

At the end of the day, I know what I want. I WANT to run this marathon. I WANT to finish my training schedule. And I WILL, but right now it’s my time to re-evaluate, dig deeper, and move forward with a new spark.

Whether it is training for a race, sticking to a new work out plan, or revamping your diet, remember what made you want to work towards the goal before you.

“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.”

Apollo the Puppy

On Friday, August 1, I stepped off of a train after a long long loooonnnggg ride from Maryland. Generally, I am pretty grumpy after sitting all day, and let’s be serious I was a little bit (I was just never meant to road trip, I don’t have it in me. I get anxious and restless just sitting), but I knew what was going to happen.

My fiancé and I were going to look at puppies :). There was a bit more pep in my step than usual as I shook off the traveling dust, and off we went to a rescue shelter to check out a particular puppy.

We’ve been looking at puppies ever since we moved in together in June. Actually, to be more accurate, we’ve been looking at puppies since January, but knowing we couldn’t actually have one.

BUT we had finally been given the green light from the landlords about a week prior and Kenny (aka the fiancé) had been doing puppy research the whole time I was in MD playing with my wedding dress and looking at flowers.

While at the shelter, Kenny and I instantly fell in love with the puppy we were looking for, a one-year-old German Shepherd Lab mix. We signed up for the one week trial … but really we adopted him. I’m counting down the seconds until Friday when we can finalize the adoption paperwork.

His name is Apollo and he is currently curled up sleeping under the window as I type away at my computer.

He is adorable, happy, FAST, lovable, and already potty trained. All I want to do is wake him up every five minutes to play.

Except he needs his sleep. We’ve come to the conclusion that Apollo isn’t use to living an active lifestyle. He tires quickly, but is getting more and more use to his new adventurous life everyday. He is already up to running two miles, playing with our landlords’ labs, and answering to his name.

Yesterday we had the chance to take him to the beach and play in the sand. And only the sand. Apollo wouldn’t touch the ocean with a ten foot pole. But it doesn’t matter, it’s just plain fun to watch him explore and discover the world around him.

My fiancé and I are beyond excited to have a strong healthy puppy and I’m pretty pumped to have a new running buddy. I’m sure there will be many Apollo stories to come, but in the mean time I just wanted to introduce him to the blog 🙂