Free Friday: 5 Things I want to do while in Paris

It’s the Friday Five with: Cynthia, Mar, and Courtney today! Today’s topic is Free Friday, so I figured that I would ponder 5 things that I would like to do while I’m in Paris next week. What a perfect time to have free Friday!

1. Eiffel Tower-Obviously I have to see and at least go part way up the Eiffel Tower! It’s such an iconic symbol of Paris and I’m sure that it won’t disappoint. 2. Pastry Shops-I also must visit lots of pastry shops, which I’m certain there won’t be a shortage of. I don’t think that I will need to eat again for a month after I return but I consider it research for my job.

3. Arc de Triomphe- I think this is right near where we are staying so it should be easy enough to get to. I hear the view from the top is amazing!

4. River Seine- I’m hoping to run along the river in the morning. I think watching the sunrise there would be so beautiful, but since I’ll be on vacation maybe I will actually sleep in past 4am. We’ll see.

5. Window shopping- I know they have some incredible purses, clothing, etc. over there that cost a small fortune, but it doesn’t hurt to look.

There are so many things to do in Paris! These were just the first things that came to mind. While it’ll be hard to leave Haylie behind, I’m sure this trip will be amazing and a good bonding experience for my husband and I.

Do you have any recommendations on things to see/do while in Paris?

Weekend Update #5

It’s Monday, so I’m linking up with Tara for another edition of Weekend Update! This was my super long, four-day weekend! It’s not quite as great as it sounds due to me having a cold/flu the entire time but hey, I would much rather be sick now than next week while I’m in Paris!

Thursday-

I got up for work for work and discovered that I was ill. My throat hurt so bad that it was difficult to talk. I sucked it up and went to work, because that’s what you do when you work in the food service industry. It makes perfect sense, I know.

Later, I got in my 5 mile run at Fleet Feet. We did a slightly faster pace than we have been doing and I didn’t feel horrible despite being sick. Maybe that speed work is already making a difference?

Friday-

This was a rest day for me anyway so I took that pretty seriously. I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning and other than that didn’t do much for the remainder of the day.

Saturday-

I got up at 4:30 to give my dog his meds and decided to stay up. I enjoyed some coffee and read blogs until the sun came up so that I could go for a run. Considering that I’ve never really been a morning person, it continues to amaze me how I voluntarily get up so early to go for a run. I didn’t exactly have a goal in mind for this run since I was sick, so I just went with how I felt. I ended up running 10 miles @ 9:10 pace. I felt surprisingly good and I might have been able to keep going but I needed to get home so my husband could go get the oil changed in his car. I think perhaps I should have worn gloves. The temperature said 50 but it felt much cooler to me which was fine except for my hands. The last few miles I was having a hard time using them because they were numb.

The rest of the day was spent being productive by washing laundry.

Sunday-

I went to OTF in the morning and got a pretty good calorie burn on. Then I went home and made a yummy breakfast smoothie. My husband got me a large box of mangoes from Sam’s club so I’ve been enjoying them in my smoothies lately.

Later we went to my a 2nd birthday party for my friend’s daughter. Our girls are only about 3 months apart. It’s amazing watching them grow up so quickly.

Monday-

Happy Memorial Day!

OTF in the morning. Then later we went to Toys “R” Us to pick up a water table for Haylie. She enjoyed playing with one the previous day at the party so we thought that it would be a good investment. We also had gift cards from her birthday party last year to use up, so it worked out perfectly. We ended up paying a whole dollar for the water table!

My husband made us all a delicious dinner on the grill. Overall, it was a nice, relaxing weekend. Next week at this time we’ll be in Paris!

Did you do anything fun this weekend? Do you have any exciting trips coming up this summer?

Five Favorite Summer Fruits/Veggies

It’s the Friday Five with: Cynthia, Mar, and Courtney today! Today’s topic is Five Favorite Summer Fruits/Veggies. I have so many favorite fruits and veggies that it is difficult to narrow it down to just five but I’ll try.

1. Avocado- I love avocado! There is so much that you can do with it. I love it plain with some salt and pepper. It’s amazing in guacamole! Avocado is also a nice way to change-up a sandwich or salad.

2. Passion Fruit- I love using passion fruit in desserts and I personally think that it pairs really well with mango. It’s also nice by itself or enjoyed in a beverage.

3. Sour cherries- I like all cherries really. The only thing that I don’t like about them, is having to pit large quantities of them for baking. After that was over, I used them to make a yummy breakfast bread though. They are great by themselves, in drinks, desserts, etc.

4. Watermelon- I don’t think any fruit screams summer as much as watermelon. It’s wonderful just as it is!

Haylie’s first watermelon. Crazy that this was a year ago already!

5. Peaches- They are so fresh and juicy! I love finding the prefect, ripe peach. Also great in pies!

What’s your favorite summer fruit/veggie?

 

My First Track Workout

This past Wednesday, I did my very first track workout! I was so excited to meet some new people and incorporate a new workout into my routine. I’ve been wanting to do track work for a while now, as I’m sure it’s one of the best ways to get my speed up if I’m ever going to be able to BQ one day, but I didn’t know where to begin. I found out that the LUNA Chix do a track workout every week from Cynthia @ You Signed up for WHAT?! and thought that it would be the perfect opportunity for me.

It was difficult but I loved it and hope to make it a regular part of my workout routine, as long as my job is alright with me being a little late on Wednesdays. I got to see an amazing sunrise which is a wonderful way to start the day and everyone was really friendly! It was nice to get my run in before work and also to beat the heat. I had a little bit of a runner’s high afterward which made the workday more pleasant and it also seemed to go by quickly.

Our workout consisted of an 800m warm-up, 1600 at 5k pace, then 8: 400s followed by an 800m cool down. I was able to keep pretty consistent times and even picked up the pace a little on the last 400.

4 miles of track work completed before 7am!

On the Go Sports Towels are amazing! I used these once I got to work since I knew that I wouldn’t have time for a shower. I was a little nervous since I’ve never worked out then gone anywhere without a shower but they worked really well. Other than my hair not being clean, I felt nice and refreshed. Bring on the day!

Do you love track work? Have you tried these or other sports towels?

Five Ways to Organize your Running /Fitness Gear

It’s the Friday Five with: Cynthia, Mar, and Courtney today! Today’s topic is Five Ways to Organize your Running /Fitness Gear. Honestly, this topic made me laugh. I’m not sure that I should be the one telling you my organizing tips. I’m terrible at organizing right now! I can’t wait to see what advice everyone else has to offer! Here goes nothing…..

1. 31 tote: This is my main form of organizing my running gear. All my accessories are tossed in this tote from 31 that my mom gave me. Although, without said tote I can only imagine the chaos that would take place. I have everything from hand warmers to Nuun to my roller in there. Sometimes I really have to dig for things.

2. Box of Fuel: Inside my tote, I try to keep a separate small box which contains all of my fuel: Gu, waffles, etc. That being said, I still find those things in other random places. I know that I have Gu hanging out in my bathroom right now.

3. “Gym Bag”: I have another small bag which doubles as my gym bag. It is actually a Lululemon shopping bag that I got last winter when I bought an ear warmer. Let’s be honest, that place is crazy expensive but they do have nice bags. Anyway, in this bag I keep my accessories that I use pretty much every run regardless of the season. This mostly includes my headphones, the case that I put my phone in when I’m running and a spare house/car key so that I don’t have to deal with my entire key ring. I like to keep these things separate so that they are easier to find. I also keep my heart rate monitor for Orange Theory and more Nuun in there.

4. Clothes: I’m not sure that I have an organization system in place for my clothes. I have way more workout clothes than normal clothes so they are everywhere. I like to hang my running jackets up in my closest but everything else is all over the place. I could at least put some seasonal organization into action.

5. Shoes: I do keep all of my running/workout shoes on a rack by my front door since they get used more than most of my other shoes. During the winter, I like to bring them upstairs the night before my long run so they can warm up (our basement is very cold in the winter). I’m a big wuss these days when it comes to the cold. Thankfully, I’m rid of that problem for the next few months!

Sorry I’m not very helpful with organizational tips!

How do you organize your running/fitness gear?

Weekend Update #4

It’s Monday, so I’m linking up with Tara for another edition of Weekend Update! This was truly an awful week. I won’t go into details as I don’t like to discuss my personal problems on the blog. “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” I really believe this to be true. I just have to keep reminding myself of that right now.

Anyway, said awful week was followed by a really nice, and much-needed long weekend.

Friday-

We went to the Baltimore Aquarium and got to check out the new exhibit, the Living Seashore. It was hectic due to a school field trip that was also going on, but we got touch a Clearnose skate and an Atlantic stingray. They felt pretty neat and Haylie seemed to enjoy it. She got a little cranky towards the end due to being tired, hungry and also fighting off a cold. So we went to have lunch at the Fresh Farms Cafe.

Saturday-

I usually do my long runs on Saturday and Orange Theory on Sunday, but I had 2 classes to use up by the 11th so it was an OTF weekend for me. I like Saturday mornings with Ahmad anyway. He’s one of my favorite instructors and I always get a great workout in.

Later we went to the Rio. I really wanted to ride the carousel considering Haylie gets such a kick out of it. Since we were just at the aquarium, I put her on a dolphin.

We picked up a few necessities at Target, including a new sun hat for Haylie. Then we made a quick stop at Starbucks. I haven’t had a coffee in a long time and I have to say it was pretty tasty! Our last stop was at Bath & Body Works. I couldn’t remember the last time I stepped foot in that store so I was due. I probably won’t go back again until Fall. That’s when I really stock up and get all of my favorite fragrances. I do love their sales and coupons!

My Mother’s Day Gifts! 🙂

Sunday-

OTF in the morning. Then it was pretty much business as usual, after a fun-filled Friday and Saturday. I so wish that laundry could wash and put itself away. That would be amazing!

Did you have a great Mother’s Day?

Five Ways to Share the Running / Fitness Love

It’s the Friday Five with: Cynthia, Mar, and Courtney today! Today’s topic Five Ways to Share the Running / Fitness Love.

1. Blog – Blogging is a fun way to spread my love of running around the world. It’s also nice to meet people who are more local that I might actually meet one day in person. I love to read other people’s blogs and keep up with what is going on in the running world.

2. Getting Kids Involved – My daughter isn’t quite there yet, but once she’s older I would love to get her involved in running if that’s something that interests her. Right now she certainly loves running laps around our living room and yard outside. I like to run while pushing her in the stroller but it’s difficult right now since she really wants to get out and run around on her own. She’s getting pretty heavy to push too. I don’t know how some people do it with much older children than mine or more than one! That amazes me!

3. Getting Friends Involved – It’s nice to find friends to run or race with. My husband and I did the color run with a friend of mine and her husband back when I was pregnant. It was fun and I didn’t care about the time that it took at all.

4. Join a Group – I joined MRTT over a year ago and it’s been great! There’s a nice variety of runners, from more experienced to some who are just beginning their running journey. It’s nice to hear their stories and we encourage one another along the way.  I met some wonderful and inspiring women there.

5. Volunteer – This is something that I’ve actually done yet. I’ve been tossing around the idea but it’s hard to find free time, especially with my daughter being so young. If I do find the time though, I would love to be a coach for Girls on the Run. It sounds like such a great program to teach girls about self-respect and healthy living.

You can also volunteer at a race and be supportive of other runners. I did this once with my mom when I was in college, and should do more often.

How do you share the Running/Fitness love?

Weekend Update #3

It’s Monday, so I’m linking up with Tara for another edition of Weekend Update! My weekend just flew by, as weekends have a tendency of doing unfortunately. Saturday-

I met up with Tamieka @ fitballingrunningmom for a nice 6+ mile run. We haven’t been able to meet up for a run in a long time, so it was really great to see her and catch up. I love having someone to chat with. I almost forget that I’m even running! It was a little chilly that morning so I had a hard time deciding what to wear, but in the end was glad that I went with a tank top and shorts. We decided to check out the Damascus Recreational Park for a change of scenery. It’s nice and peaceful over, but there’s also a killer hill.

Afterwards I went to the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo with my husband and daughter. On the way, my husband bought me a S’mores Frapp from Starbucks and it was amazing! I’m a sucker for all things s’mores!

We’ve been there quite a few times and it’s great! It’s not crowded like the National Zoo, so Haylie can walk around by herself more. She loved seeing and feeding all of the animals. My personal favorites are the Koi and peacocks. Sunday-

Orange Theory for breakfast! We had a nice long run-row block then switched it up with some new strength intervals.

Most of the rest of the day was spent doing chores and fun stuff around the house. My husband mowed the lawn and planted the garden while I did laundry. In a few months we’ll have veggies! For dinner, he made a yummy vegetarian “chicken” parm. I’m not sure how Haylie felt about it but I enjoyed it.

We also met with our realtor for the first time. It went pretty well. The whole process is kind of nerve-racking. Hopefully it all goes as smoothly as possible.

Any words of wisdom on buying/selling a house? Did anyone race this weekend?

Mother’s Day Gift Suggestions for the Mother Runner in Your Life

I thought I might offer a few gift suggestions for Mother’s Day gifts for that special mother runner in your life. Mother’s Day is right around the corner!

1. Garmin Forerunner 220 : I have the the forerunner 15, which I love, but this one is so cool! I love the color display. My favorite features are that it syncs wirelessly to your phone and it has a faster GPS fix. Sometimes I feel like I’m waiting forever for my watch to connect to the satellite data. 2. Rain Jacket : Now that Spring is finally here we tend to get rain. Here are a few jackets that look and sound amazing to keep you cool and dry.

Brooks LSD Lite Jacket IV

Oiselle New Flyer Jacket 3. New shoes: I recently got a new pair of Brooks Ravennas which I love! If you put on a lot of miles and your shoes have been around for a while, it may be time for a new pair.

4. Fuel: There are so many fun things out there to try from Nuun to Gu to Waffles!

5. A fun key chain to commemorate a great/first race: I found this one on Etsy.

6. A medal hanger: I made this one, with help from my parents. You can also order them online but I think making it yourself is half the fun.

7. Visor/Sunglasses: With summer around the corner, these could come in quite handy.

8. New outfit: I love my running attire! I take much better care of them than my regular clothes. It also makes up the majority of my wardrobe.

9. Headphones: My husband got me a new pair Jaybird Wireless headphones for Christmas last year and they are great.

10. Gift card to her favorite running store: I recommend Fleet Feet. If you can’t come up with a good gift then a gift card is always a nice alternative.

I hope this list was helpful! Happy early Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!

Race Day Survival Tips

It’s the Friday Five with: Cynthia, Mar, and Courtney today! Today’s topic is Race Day (spin it any way you want!), so I decided to offer you my tips to surviving race day. I hope you find them to be useful.

1. Allow yourself plenty of time in the morning so you don’t feel rushed. I set out everything that I need the night before so I’m not trying to search for things in the dark since everyone else is still asleep in my house. I like to get up really early so I can get to the race with plenty of time to spare. Once I’m there I can hang out in my car or walk around if it’s not freezing. If I’m running late, it gives me anxiety and I just don’t need that added stress on race day. Once I’m there I feel like a huge burden has been lifted.

2. Eat a good breakfast far enough ahead of time so that it doesn’t upset your stomach for the race. I have to eat at least 2 hours before I run or I tend to get cramps and an angry stomach. My race day go-to breakfast is a PB and honey sandwich with bananas and cinnamon. It hasn’t let me down yet and it’s yummy!

3. Hydrate and fuel properly along the way. I bring my own Gu and have them stuffed in all the pockets of my favorite race day capris. They are my favorite simply because of the amazing amount of pockets that they have. Staying hydrated usually isn’t too difficult since there are plenty of Gatorade/water stations along the course. Slow down if you need to. Sometimes it can be difficult to run and drink simultaneously.

4. Pace yourself! Whatever you do, do not start out too fast. You will regret it! Start off a little slow for the first mile or two then find a comfortable pace and stick with it. (my husband actually told me this before my first race and it was amazing advice) Finish strong!

5. Most importantly, just relax and enjoy the race. Soak in all of the adrenaline and emotions. Trust in your training and yourself! You’ve got this!

What’s your best advice for surviving race day?