Gourmet Runner

Saturday was my last "long" run until the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon on November 10th. I treated it like a dress rehearsal - starting at roughly the same time as the marathon will, choosing a similar terrain (paved and hilly), running at goal marathon pace for the duration and even wearing what I planned to wear for race day. I'm typically pretty boring when it comes to running gear. Until a few months ago, I pretty much just wore anything - obviously cotton is not my friend in the summer or for long runs, but that's pretty much it. Lately, however, I've been picking up more and more items that seem to make running just that little bit more enjoyable. The most recent find is these Oakley Radar Edge sunglasses, which were sent to me by Sunglasses Shop. Currently, my non-running sunglasses are from Old Navy and cost $3.71 exactly, and I love them. So I had no idea which sunglasses to choose from from Sunglasses Shop. In the end, I just ended up getting the ...

Saturday night. You know what that means.  It means that I am going to watch a little TV with the hubs, maybe read a little while he beats up some bad guys in his video games, and then read as many Runner's World articles as I can before I attempt my 20 miler tomorrow morning. Yes, I am a party animal. Luckily I got in my carbo-loading today with a veggie "burger" from Five Guys. And then (what else?) a little fro-yo action. Hubs decided a frappuccino would make a better afternoon snack. Weirdo.  All the sugar must have gone to his head because he wanted to join me for a very hot run this afternoon. It wasn't a run day for me, but I ran 1.5 miles with him around the lake before jumping in for a swim. I can't even pretend there was any actual "swimming" done. I basically just flopped around on a noodle and it was amazing.  I have serious anxiety right now about my long run. I almost feel like I do before a race. Really nervous, not sure if I can h...

Let's start with my least favorite post of the week (lately). While my mileage is ok, I feel like each week I'm slacking just a little bit more in the whole cross training/upper body thing. Gotta keep trying! Here's the week in recap: Monday : Ran 5.5 Miles, walked 1.5 Miles Tuesday : Ran 5.5 Miles Wednesday : Walked 3 Miles, 30 minutes of yoga/core, push-ups Thursday : Ran 5 Miles Friday : Ran 5 Miles Saturday : Ran 7 Miles Sunday : Complete Rest Day Mileage Total: 33 miles (28 running)--oddly enough, the exact same numbers as last week, unplanned! Cross training: pitiful Goals: Running this week is going to be my 2nd priority, for a change. My goal is to to do one thing each day non-running related. Even if it's 10 minutes of ab work, or 20 minutes of yoga. Really need to recommit to strengthening my body! There's one event coming up that I'm pretty excited for. Kari over at Running Ricig is hosting a virtual one-miler in the month of July. She'll even...

Life got in the way of my long run this morning, and then it was really too hot to start a run outside. So instead I headed to the gym to hop on the treadmill instead. I have 2 weeks left of my gym membership and I will admit I'm a little worried about what I'll do when it runs out! Most of my runs I'll happily do outside, but with heats and storms it can be a difficult to plan them. Luckily I managed to crank out 10 miles today, and I feel good! After all the refueling with "actual" food, I knew I needed a little sugar in my life. I picked up a bag of jawbreakers from Walgreens and can I say it was love at first bite. Well, suck. Everyone knows you can't chew a jawbreaker until you get to the middle. It's the rule!! I don't think anyone looks to me for fashion advice (and if you do, STOP ) and today was no exception. I bought a t-shirt while I was in Walgreens from the children's section. It was only a dollar, and the extra large kiddies size...

Hey all! Just a short one to let you know that since I received quite a few emails about my post on weight loss, I decided it needed its very own page at the top of my blog! Click on the tab " Weight Loss Journey " if you're one of the people interested in the details, workouts, and eating habits that got me to my goal weight. Plus, if you haven't entered my giveaway yet for free Gotein Protein Powder, what are you waiting for? Get to it! Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry flavored goodness in a portable packet--what's not to love?

Since hubs and I have been working on our house, (big news--we have a roof! ) we are in constant need of portable snacks. I have been on a mission to find the perfect bar to fill me up, give me the nutrients I need, and --oh yeah--taste good. One thing I wasn't doing was thinking outside the box (errr....bar?) In comes Gotein . I was contacted by them to do a review and a giveaway, and I was a little hesitant at first. I put protein powder in my morning oatmeal because it doesn't change the taste much, and fills me up for longer. But I've never been the girl who carries around a protein drink after working out. I generally prefer to *eat* my calories rather than drink them. But I agreed, and was very pleasantly surprised. Perfect for post-run! Gotein is a portable protein shake that comes in 3 flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. All you do is open them up, mix them into your water bottle, and drink. Each package has between 100-110 calories, with 16/17 grams...