Marvelous Monday

After a few days of rather heavy posts, I've decided to lighten things up around here and celebrate ...

Marvelous Monday!

I admit, though, that getting out of bed this morning was a less than marvelous experience.  I had wanted to get a run in pre-breakfast, but my stomach demanded otherwise.  So, I ended up eating my typical pre-run snack of crackers spread with my new addiction, Sunflower Butter, and sprinkled with raisins; and a half a banana smeared with more Sunflower Butter; and then, just going back for my normal breakfast.  Apparently, my Jet Fuel K-Cups failed to propel me out the door.

My normal breakfast was pretty marvelous though!  Oats in an Almond Butter Jar!  I snapped a picture after I ate it.

When I did finally get moving, I knew I was in for a marvelous day. 

I love the Bay Area.  Winter is the equivalent of an east coast fall, and is gone by March.  I've been running in shorts and a tank-top for weeks now!

I was only up for an easy 5 miler, so I ran the loop around campus at a recovery pace.  Those 21 miles on Saturday, great as they were, really did me in.

I totally zoned out on my run.  I'm not sure what I was thinking about, but for once it wasn't how much my feet hurt thanks to my new shoes!  For awhile now I've been dealing with foot pain on the ball of my right foot.  I've tried orthotics, rolling my foot on a tennis ball, and self-massage, but the pain didn't go away.  After this weekend's long run, I couldn't wait to take off my shoes and walk around.  I figured that this was a sign my feet wanted less rigidity every now and then.  So, I bought some Asics Lyte33s yesterday at Fleet Feet.  They feel great! 

I will still use my Asics Gel Neos for most of my training, but I like having the Lytes as an option.

After my run, I refueled with some tempeh and hummus and a few bites of butternut squash, changed clothes, and hopped on my bike to go to yoga.

I haven't been to yoga in awhile, but I want that to change!  Yoga is a great total body strengthener.  With my taper beginning, I really want to focus on overall strength.  Maybe I will get abs?  Hah.  Doubtful.

Yoga kicked my butt, though it left me with a great post-yoga buzz.  I took advantage of my renewed energy and location and did some errands downtown, which included a stop at the Whole Foods hot bar for a salad snack.  Yum.

Then, I went home to try my hand at making the Forks Over Knives Broccoli Rice Casserole.  We don't own a really good blender, just a small one, so I had quite the struggle trying to blend the No Cheese Sauce.

Finally, it worked!

While I waited for the casserole to cook, I steamed some vegetables and made a salad.  Does anyone else eat while they cook?  Sometimes I swear that for every freshly cut piece that goes into the bowl, one piece goes into my mouth.  I should probably stop this habit as it certainly doesn't align with my mindful eating goals.

The casserole turned out beautifully!  And tasted quite good too!  Next time though, I will use more broccoli.

Now, I'm going to curl up on the couch with a mug of decaf coffee and maybe a sweet treat of some sort and find a movie to watch online.

I hope your Monday was marvelous too!  

R&R

I have a difficult time relaxing.  I constantly feel like I need to be doing something even if I don't have any pressing deadlines or obligations.  So, for these first few days of spring break, I am making it a point to chill out and do the things I enjoy.

Normally, I set an alarm every day.  Even on weekends.  I like to have a jam-packed schedule.  Last night, however, I didn't set my alarm and I ended up sleeping a full nine hours!  That is unheard of for me.

Even with so much rest, I still had trouble getting out of bed.  This brings me to my next goal for spring break: kicking my caffeine addiction.  During a typical day, I have 3-4 cups of coffee.  While I love coffee, I think I need to make it less of a daily crutch and more of a daily delight.  I doubt I will ever stop drinking that first cup o' joe in the morning, but the afternoon pick-me-ups can hopefully become a thing of the past.

After downing my glass of water and coffee and noshing on a few crackers spread with almond butter and raisins, I set out for my run.  I wasn't sure how far I really felt like going, so I went by feel.  I ran down a backroad near my apartment, which led to a hilly park near campus.

I ran to the peak and back down to my apartment for a total of 6.7 miles at a comfortable 8:30 pace.  My knee and IT Band were acting up a bit due to the sloping, hilly paths.  The last thing I need right now is an injury, so I will probably just do some yoga tonight and take it easy on my run tomorrow.

After showering and eating a relatively strange breakfast of spaghetti squash, broccoli, tempeh, hearts of palm, celery, and pasta sauce (gotta listen to my cravings!), my roommates and I went to DSW and Forever 21 to celebrate spring break and do some shopping!

Breakfast: spaghetti squash, broccoli, hearts of palm, celery, and pasta sauce

My new shoes!

How do people walk in these things?!

I forgot how nice it was to just wander through a mall.  These past ten weeks I have been in a complete bubble.  I can tell you all about the Russian economy, but probably nothing about spring fashion trends.

We came back to the apartment and I made myself a nice lunch featuring more Forks Over Knives recipes.

Half an apple, carrots and hummus, vegetable biryani,
and a bowl of greens topped with Fava Bean Salad

While my stomach was full, my mind was not satisfied.  I ended up following this lunch up with quite a number of crackers, raisins, and almond butter.  This combination is killer.  At least I am almost out of crackers, so maybe I won't overdo it in the future.

Stuffed to the brim, I forced myself to sit on the couch and read my new book for the remainder of the afternoon.  Caffeine withdrawal hit hard at around 3, but I pushed through by drinking an obscene amount of decaf coffee and tea.

Now, I'm waiting for my friend to pick me up so we can go and catch up before she leaves to study "abroad" on the east coast.  I'm going to miss her :(