Birthday Weekend

This weekend was pretty awesome... it was my official birthday weekend celebration (I turn 22 on Wednesday, but I will be in class all day then). On Friday, Zach took me out to PF Chang's, which has really great gluten-free Chinese food. 

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I am still a little shy with my camera in public places (especially dark places like restaurants), so I took pictures of our outfits instead: 

Then, on Saturday, we spent the afternoon in Asheville before heading to dinner. Starbucks was in order, of course. 

While trying to kill time before dinner, we went to pretty much every store in the world, including the Mast General Store in downtown. They have this awesome candy barrel section where you can pick out your own candy. I definitely took advantage of this, and my soon-to-be diabetic self enjoyed it a little too much. 

Six of everything, please.

Then, we went to dinner at Posana Cafe. It is an entirely gluten-free, French restaurant. Two of my most favorite things ever. It is also extremely fancy. I didn't take pictures, but I found this nice picture on their website:

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I had the NC Golden Tilefish, with zucchini, squash, eggplant, and potatoes in some delicious sauce, followed by the best (and largest) cheesecake dessert. The single serving was the size of a softball. I don't think I have ever been so stuffed. And then today, Zach got me a super-delicious gluten-free carrot cake. Needless to say, I have just stuffed my face this weekend and probably gained 30lbs in the process. It was totally worth it.  Until I see the scale this week. 

While we were out adventuring, we got the dog a bone treat at PetSmart. It is as long as he is, and he has been trying to destroy it since we gave it to him. No luck so far. This should keep him busy for at least the rest of the week. 

I have to go back to school tomorrow and leave my two favorite men here to fend for themselves. I have never dreaded anything more. I hope this semester flies by, and that there is not much snow, and that I can get a job lined up for when I graduate, and also, while I'm at it, maybe I could win the lottery.

Off to finish my final semester of college. Happy birthday to me! 

Stuck in Colder Weather

The weather here really can't make up its mind. We went from tornadoes to snow in 48 hours. It got so cold last night that our back sliding door actually was frozen shut this morning. I had to take the dog out the front way, showing off my robe and hot pink fuzzy slippers to all the neighbors in the process. It was tragic.

Since obviously there will be no outdoor activities today, I decided to do the intermediate Pilates exercise listed in my new book. It was actually a little too easy... I think I'll try the advanced one next time. I ended my workout with a small circuit exercise and then hit the shower. When I came out, I could not find the dog. I looked everywhere. I had pretty much decided he'd run away from home because I wouldn't share my lunch with him until I noticed this: 

Somehow, he had managed to build a cocoon for himself out of my snuggie and Zach's jacket. My only clues to his whereabouts were a half-eaten milk bone and a small area of dog butt that wasn't covered up. I guess somebody was cold.

Yesterday, I decided to bite the bullet and get a hair cut. As much as I liked my hair that hadn't been cut for 6 months, I am hoping it makes me look more professional and less homeless. For some reason, the bathroom lighting made me orange. Good to know what I would look like if I ever decided to spray tan.

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I just read that Sherry Arnold was found dead. It breaks my heart to hear it. I hope that everyone in the running community will be more cautious when they are running alone, because there are horrible, horrible people out there, and runners are easy targets. I want a world where people can go for a run any time of the day or night and know that those who would try to hurt them are behind bars. But sadly, things are not like that right now, so please take as many precautions as you can to keep yourself safe out there! 

Five Miles

So this will probably make those of you who are marathoners giggle a bit, but up until yesterday, the farthest my legs had ever carried me was 4.25 miles. Today, for some reason, I managed to bust out a 5 mile run. Who am I? I am so proud of myself. I think I am capable of a lot more than I realize; I just typically have no self-confidence.

Anyway, needless to say, after running nearly twice the distance that I normally run, I was hungry, so I made this awesome oatmeal smoothie, adapted from this recipe.
Serves 2-4 (or in my case, just me. I am a pig.)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice
1 serving container of strawberry greek yogurt
1 banana (I'd suggest using just 1/2 if you are not a banana fan. could definitely taste it)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1/3 scoop vanilla protein powder

This picture should really be turned the other way,
but I can't change it. Stupid Blogger.

It was really good, but like I said earlier, the banana taste was pretty overpowering. It could have been because I used a banana that wasn't quite ripe, or it could be because I hate bananas. Incorporating them into my diet has been harder than anticipated.

I recovered from my run by laying around on the couch all day, catching up on episodes of White Collar.

Yummm, Matt Bomer.  Source.

After a Matt Bomer overdose (the best kind), we went to Zach's parents' house to eat, and his dad showed us his gun collection. Nothing to make you feel at home like guns.

Next time I go running, I'm going to take my camera. The views are gorgeous, which is probably the only thing that makes running 5 miles straight up hill worth it.

Do you guys have nice views while running? How do you combat running boredom?

Road ID

After reading this post, about ShutUpandRun's relative/friend who just went missing during a run, I was reminded exactly how dangerous running can be. Granted, random abductions are not common, but when they do happen, you typically hear about them happening to an early morning runner. Even though abductions are a small worry, there are a lot of other things that can go wrong on a run, like getting seriously injured, hit by a car, or passing out from dehydration or low blood sugar. 

Even though I don't go on terribly long runs, you never know what might happen, so I decided to get a Road ID. I had a $15 gift card for one that I won at my last 5k (when I came in first in my age group), so I only had to pay  $2. Can't beat that, right? Granted, it won't do much for me if I'm nabbed by a serial killer (other than save some money on DNA/dental identification when they find my body... not to be morbid or anything), but if I end up unconscious somewhere, it will definitely be helpful.

I chose this one, the Road ID Slim:

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Obviously, this isn't mine, but it looks similar. I chose to put my name on the top, along with my birth year, and then the next three lines are phone numbers: my dad's, my mom's, and Zach's. The fifth line lists my allergies. I chose not to put an inspirational saying on it because, when it comes down to it, I'd rather have useful information on there (like Zach's phone number, because my parents rarely answer their phones) than something fun. Obviously, this means Zach is pretty much stuck with me for life, now that he's on my Road ID.

Having this ID will give me a little more peace of mind on my runs, but this woman's disappearance still really struck a chord with me. Check out the information and re-post it if you would like... I figure the more people that know about it, the more likely she is to be found quickly, and the first 48 hours are crucial in a case like this.

Two New Books

Does anyone remember that "Get Fit Winter Break" thing I am doing? Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I have gained SO much more muscle. The bad news? Between the delicious Christmas food and lack of ability to do cardio (thanks to the weather and lack of a gym), I have also gained fat. However, I am trying not to get discouraged. I just need to incorporate more cardio and watch what I am shoveling into my mouth.

Today's workout was inspired by one of two new amazing books I found at Mr. K's Used Book Store yesterday (they were only $12 together...what a steal!)

I decided to go with Jillian this morning, since I needed a good butt kicking. I had to eliminate/modify some exercises, because she assumes you have access to gym equipment when you are doing these circuit workouts, but I think I did okay.

The workout:
As many pull-ups as possible (modified from lat pull-downs, I don't have a pull-down machine): 6
15 dumbbell rows
50 basic lunges (25 each leg)
1 minute hill run no treadmill
15 low dumbbell rows
15 seated hamstring curls modified to 15 hamstring curls + 15 bent over rows w/5lb weights

step ups  no steps

crab walk 10 steps forward
reverse plank with 5 leg lifts each leg
crab walk 10 steps backwards
reverse plank with 5 leg lifts each leg
20 supermans & 20 second hold
25 reverse crunches
mountain climbers, 1 minute
20 pendulum lunges with hammer curls (10 each leg)
hammer curls to exhaustion (40 reps in my case... wasn't really exhausted, just bored)
20 static lunges with reverse cable fly (10 each leg)
1 minute hill run no treadmill
30 one-leg pelvic thrusts (15 each leg)
25 toe touch crunches
mountain climbers, 1 minute

MAN, doesn't that look like a lot?! It wasn't too bad. I actually finished much faster than you're supposed to, probably because I left out some stuff and wasn't running around the gym in the process. I followed it up with 20 minutes biking on the stationary bike (5 mins warm up, 1 min fast at high tension, 2 mins recovery) and then did 3 more pull-ups, 10 push ups, and some knee exercises.

I listened to Pandora's dance cardio station the whole time I did these. Great workout music! 

Angry Dog

Since our water was frozen yesterday, Zach's dad came down and went under the house with a hair dryer to try to thaw out the pipes. The dog did not like it at all. He ran around barking and pacing the floors, and finding various lookout posts around the house.

Yes, we do have an old computer set up in the kitchen that Zach uses as some kind of a server... life with a computer science major.

After all the excitement, the dog and I relaxed in my snuggie. I managed to look 12 years old in this picture, per usual. I still have people asking what middle school I go to. Annoying. 

Today, I went for a relaxing 2.8 mile run around town (it had warmed up to about 35 degrees), and then I got ingredients to make these awesome healthy bites, modified from this recipe. In the mix: oats, pb, honey, cinnamon, ground flax seed, coconut flakes, pecan pieces, and mini chocolate chips. I meant to add in protein powder but forgot. Whoops. They're still delicious. 

Tomorrow, Zach, his mother, his grandmother, and I are going out for lunch at Chili's (I am obsessed with their soup and salad lunch combo). Should be fun!

Frozen Tundra

Greetings from Antarctica. Last night we had an "arctic front" come through, and we got about 2 inches of snow, which doesn't sound bad, but then add in the fact that the temperature dropped to 15 below freezing with massive wind gusts, and it is bad. It was so cold, Flynn decided he would hold it rather than face the frozen tundra to potty this morning. Evidently, our water pipes froze overnight too, because we didn't think to leave our water running. I hope they don't burst!

It is amazing what you realize that you need water for when you no longer have it. I can't shower, can't brush my teeth, can't wash my hands, can't flush the toilet, can't do dishes (ok, maybe I'm not too upset about that one), can't do laundry, etc. I really hope our pipes unfreeze soon, or we are going to be living in a really gross house.

I have done okay on the workout front this week. Yesterday, Zach and I went on a really cold 2.5 mile walk, and then I biked for 20 minutes and did a mock Crossfit workout (which I copied from CarrotsnCake)
5 times each-
10 push ups
10 crunches/sit ups
10 mountain climbers
10 squats

The circuit was supposed to be completed 10 times, but I was pretty fatigued after just 5. Then, I did a 40 minute Pilates video this morning. So far, my goals for the new year are coming along well.

Flynn has been spending quality time with his rawhide all day.

Now, Flynn and I are laying on the couch, watching a marathon of White Collar (great show) and hoping the water un-freezes before tonight. Because I really would like to be able to shower. I will probably still not do the dishes, though.