Guys….running is hard. Just sayin’.
I love it though. I’ve missed it and I’m so happy to be back at it! I must say that Spring running is my fave. I love running in the Fall too, but there’s just something about Spring in general that renews my motivation and makes me want to work hard, clean everything in sight and get my crap together…in all aspects of my life. I love it.
But even though I love running in the beautiful Spring weather, it is still so freaking hard. Running is not only a physical workout, but it’s also a mental challenge as well. It’s amazing how much my mind vacillates between “Yay, I love running outside….this is the best….I have so much energy….I could run forever….Wahoo!” and “Holy crap, my body hates me right now….Oh dang, I’m running so slow….I feel like an old lady….I thought I was running much faster than that….everything hurts and I think I’m gonna die.”
I still love it though and actually love the physical and the mental challenge! It’s taught me to shift my negative thoughts into positive ones and to push forward! It’s also taught me that I can do hard things, that I can run further and faster than I thought I could, that hard work pays off and to not give up!
Anyway, I usually do my long runs on Saturday, but today’s run was a little unorthodox.
I ran 6 miles last Saturday, so today I wanted to run 6 ½ or 7. I was actually able to run with Kev this morning, which was fun.
BTW, Kev’s doing great! He’s really healthy and his knee has been doing well with his running. I was worried ‘bout him, but I’m happy that he’s actually been quite the rockstar. Yay!
Sadly, we headed out on our run a little later than I wanted to this morning, dang it. I wasn’t able to go as far as I wanted to and ended up having to leave Kev and book it home to take my daughter to a dance competition. Kev and I had to “divide and conquer” today since our son had a basketball game as well….and Kev’s the coach. So, when I got home, I ended up running about 4 ½ miles.
My daughter’s dance competition was a lot of fun. I love watching her dance. I also took this darling picture!
I love these two! My daughter kissed my son on the cheek and didn’t realize she’d left lip prints. I thought it was adorable. Oh, and after she was done dancing, my baby said (in his cute little baby voice)…”She did a great job.” “She needs a special prize.”
Too cute.
When I got home from her dance competition, I decided to head out on another run to get some more miles in. I headed out with the baby and the dog and got 3 more miles in.
So, I ran 7 ½ miles total today. I’m happy ‘bout that. I wish I could have run it all at one time, but hey, I thought it was probably good training for a relay race, right?
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Well, I’ve been trying hard to be an intuitive eater the past couple weeks. I’m not following a set plan, but am just trying to be mindful and fill my body full of good, clean, real food. I’m kind of, sort of counting macros…I’m just making sure to get plenty of protein in and keep my carbs and fat in check.
I did a little bit of food prepping this week. I made a batch of my Baked Chicken, roasted up some veggies and bell peppers and made a batch of quinoa.
I love having it all in my fridge. They’re all super versatile foods and it makes healthy meals a cinch. I made several random creations out of it this week.
I added some cherry tomatoes, cukes and Bolthouse Farms Salsa Verde Avocado dressing. It tasted so good and fresh!
Another time I broke up the chicken and added a little Stubb’s BBQ sauce to it. Then I just mixed the veggies and quinoa in. It was yummy and I had it a couple of different times.
One day I put the chicken and veggies in a bowl and topped it all with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. Super yummy and comfort food-y.
There were also several times this week that I just grabbed a piece of cold chicken out of the fridge and ate it plain. So good!
I’ve also been trying to just eat more veggies in general! This was a wonderful, easy salad that I made recently…
It didn’t even need any dressing other than a little mustard because it was so flavorful. I just threw together romaine, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese, Natural deli turkey, a little shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese…and topped it with mustard!
I made myself some protein pudding the other day (plain Greek yogurt, cocoa, stevia and little unsweetened cashew milk) and threw some chia seeds and a little trail mix in there. It was so good! I wanted to get in some veggies too, so I quickly threw together a simple salad (romaine, cherry tomatoes and cukes) and topped it with mustard, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.
Easy Peasy.
Oh and the other day I wanted a tuna fish sandwich, so this is what I came up with….
Tuna, pickles, and a mix of olive oil mayo and Greek yogurt, topped with romaine and wrapped in a low carb tortilla. It was such an easy, quick and tasty meal. Love.
I’ve still been having a protein shake most days. I really think that making a protein shake is one of the easiest ways to get a bunch of healthy stuff in the body! Love them!
I usually try to just fill my shakes full of things that are hard for me to eat otherwise (tons of greens, cucumbers, kefir, my Amazing Grass Green Superfood, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, etc.) Most of the time I don’t add any fruit, but sometimes I’ll add ½ a banana or some berries. I usually add things like cocoa powder, PB2, a little peanut butter or various extracts for flavor.
The other day when I made my shake, I decided that I would rather eat my banana with peanut butter instead of blending it up and drinking it…..so that’s just what I did. I made a very, very simple shake and then had my peanut butter banana on the side.
Folks, peanut butter and banana is a heavenly combination. SO DANG GOOD. It tastes just like a treat to me!
Well guys, I think that’s all I’m going to share today. This week I’m hoping to update my recipe section on this blog. There are SO MANY recipes that I haven’t added to the actual recipe section. I’m also wanting to revive my Instagram and actually start being a legit Instagrammer and Insta-story person again! That’s my goal this week. Let’s see if I can make it happen!
I hope you all enjoy the rest of your night! <3
Yes! Please do share your recipes. I’m in need of some motivation & variation!
Thank you!
Amy
I will!!! <3
Sometimes when I can’t take the time for a long run, I do the same thing – split it up into two runs. Even when training for something. It counts!
I have to tell you, I’ve used your baked chicken recipe a couple times now on this Whole30 thing (we’re on day 28 whoohoo!). I love the Bolthouse dressings. The balsamic vinaigrette is Whole30 compliant. When we’re not doing the program, I love their yogurt based ranch dressings. Half the calories and fat (sheesh, I could do a commercial).
I’m so glad you’ve used my baked chicken recipe. I love it because it’s so simple and so yummy! I hope you loved Whole 30. I learned so much doing it!