blue apron #3

My favorite time of the month: Blue Apron time!

Mushroom Browned Butter Cavatelli with Lacinato Kale and Soft Boiled Eggs

This was marvelous. I love pasta but have it so rarely (thanks to me ODing on it last winter and gaining more weight than necessary), it was so nice to have it again though. Plus with my favorites: kale and eggs. This was a very easy dish to prep and cook as well - I can see myself making it again.

Caramelized Leek and Barley Miso Ramen with Delicata Squash and Fresh Ramen Noodles

This was definitely a tasty dish. Fresh ramen noodles are...amazing. Forget that 99 cent junk at the store. Fresh is what's up. I loved the leeks in this too.

Coconut Curry Braised Cauliflower with Aromatic Basmati Rice and Cilantro Chutney

This was definitely interesting.  Another one that was very easy to prep and cook.  However, I baked the cauliflower too long so it wasn't as curry-esque as it should have been. Which was slightly devastating. But even with my carelessness, this was still a pretty good dish. I feel like coconut milk can be dangerous. Dangerously addicting.

what is a rest week?

Here are some highlights from my rest week.

I ate this entire bag Sunday morning. Did not feel so awesome after.

Time to change up the inspirational quote on my phone's background. For the record, I'm pretty sure this quote isn't accurate. But hey, I'll take it.

Hanging out with a 200+ pound dog at work.

Healthy pre-Thanksgiving lunch on Wednesday.

Not working out was driving me a little nuts. Walking on the treadmill made days a bit more bearable.

Checking to see if race-day photos were uploaded yet was also a daily/hourly occurrence. I did not see this photographer at the finish evidently.

But, I saw this one! Or maybe I just smile all the time when I run.

Saw The Hunger Games on Thanksgiving. I thought it was pretty good! Also, this reminded me of the days when I had Icees several times a week until I got to college..

Not pampered or anything.

Regardless of what you have seen above, I was mostly healthy this week.

Mostly.

Now, it's time to kick off training for my first ever marathon. Back to running (which I have realized keeps me sane), and eating healthy (bye Cookies).

november stitch fix

In a world record time of 12 hours after receiving the long-awaited "Your Fix Has Shipped" email, I received my November Stitch Fix.

My only must for this fix was long flared dark jeans.

Here's what I got:

Kut From the Kloth Goldie Flare Jean

So, the long requirement was definitely met.  There was a bit of lighter wash on the front thighs which isn't something I totally love.

Also, the jeans are fairly thick, and are a little big for me (even with the very nutritious huge waffle with strawberries and whipped cream I just had for lunch) Sadly, I will not keep these.

Absolutely Landa Open Cardigan

When I first saw this cardigan, I was a bit turned off by the buffalo checker print.

But when I put it on, I liked it a bit more.

Papermoon Lambert Knit Top

Nothing too amazing about this top.

I received a similar one either last time or right before that had more texture on the shoulders, and that was something I would be more likely to keep rather than this plain one.

THML Libbie Cowl Neck Pullover

A large comfy sweater.

This was the moment I realized that I'm not a sweater person. I don't like hiding..but this was  very comfortable. Out of all of options, I would be most likely to buy this top.

Loveappella Evie Draw String Funnel Neck Sweatshirt

Then finally, a cowl-neck sweater. I wasn't trying to look like a box.

Overall, a pretty safe fix. Going to save some money at least for Christmas shopping!

sedona turkey trot

Kicked off Thanksgiving with a Turkey Trot - which wasn't much of a trot!

I rocked my reward for the half marathon PR - new Brooks pants.

We made our way down to Sedona for the Turkey Trot, and got there at 8 to beat the masses at the packet pick up.

Little did I know that I would become a water bottle collector when I moved to Flagstaff.

We went back into the car to stay warm until the race started. Don't mind me and my drumsticks.

Basically, this race was kind of hilarious. First off, there was only one person running with their Thanksgiving turkey. They cleverly put it in a backpack and they finished around 36 minutes. Second, apparently the aid stations got stolen over night so the crew had to improvise with using mailboxes. Third, the entire first half (entire being 1.5) of the race was downhill. Garmin said it was 173 feet down, which doesn't seem a lot..but still.

So my goal of the race was to first finish under 30 mins (my previous 5k PR is 31), which I knew I would easily do at this point in time, but then my reach goal was to finish 24 mins. Well..

For the record, my Garmin only registered this as 2.9 miles but.. I'll take it. I can't remember the last race I've run where the course was completely accurate as far as mileage. Drawbacks of running in small races/in the middle of nowhere..

The post-run snack?

Pie, of course!

Give me all that whipped cream please.

We all beat our goal times too!

Overall, this was a great, yet chilly way to kick off Thanksgiving Day!

gilbert half

PR!

So, had an awesome race yesterday. 

Thank you Snapchat for such awesome graphics :P

We started around 10 minutes late...not sure why the start line was right before train tracks..

One day, I will put my bib on straight. One day.

Anyway, my intention was to stay with the 2:00hr pacer, then probably after a mile or so, I was like..screw it. And picked up the pace so I was within distance of the 1:50hr pacer. 

I must say... my Garmin came in handy and kept me accountable. I made sure to stick to the same pace thanks to that thing, and when I was going slower, I'd speed right back up.

My most consistent splits ever.

I was thankful that we ended up running on some dirt/gravel paths so it was similar to the Urban Trail.  The race was pretty though, you could see the desert mountains in the distance, we ran alongside the canals, through farmland, and then finished next to parade. Which was...cool, but strange. It definitely motivated me to have some decent form. Or something close to that.

My end time was 1:49:26, putting me 3rd (it was 2nd..) in my age group and finishing with the first 50 females overall. So..16 minute PR!

The medal may have had a photo shoot at Sunset Point on the way back to Flag.

Afterwards, I took the shuttle back to my car, where my keys were locked in my car. That was pretty intelligent. But forced me to keep standing and moving around so that's my positive :)

Some people eat really unhealthy after they race..instead I decided to use the Jamba Juice coupons they gave us.

Yes, two juices. For the record, I wasn't even hungry. Or so I thought.

After, I went shopping in my Buckeye jersey. 

The people at Saks actually...acknowledged me in my total Midwest outfit.

I went to this cool Ohio State bar and was recruited to start the O-H within seconds of sitting down at the bar.  Also, let's not talk about that game.

So, in summary! Great race. It's nice to see where I stand in a normal half marathon (where mud isn't half the race, or where there's 1862 feet of climbing).  

Now, a week off before marathon training begins!

half training 2015.3.8

Well,I only had to run 2 whole runs this week, but that ended up being more challenging than anticipated.

But not because of this.

Or these awesome roads.

On Monday morning, I woke up with what felt like a hangover. My whole body felt extremely weak. I didn't want to eat. At first I thought it was because I really increased my weights at Body Pump on Sunday (the only ever time I felt similarly to this was after my first ever leg day).  But when I got to work... the wrath hit. I don't know how I managed to work the whole day. I literally came home at lunch and just laid in bed.

While laying in bed, I researched other options for my European marathon..

After work, I took some meds (expired from my Colombia trip but heck, I was desperate) and just laid around reading the Martian. It's amazing how much free time one has when you can't eat or work out. But mostly when you can't eat. The Stomach problems.

Tuesday, I had to keep the meds working (my lunch consisted of 6 slices of bread, thank goodness for our catered lunch!), and then decided to wean off the medicine after lunch, with an awesome dinner of vegetable broth and crackers. DELISH.

Finally, on Wednesday afternoon, I branched out to some real food with a very small portion of bean (yes, dangerous) salad, greens with mandarin oranges, and bread at lunch. People were wondering why I didn't take any of the quinoa soup and I glared at them. In my mind of course. Glaring wouldn't be very HR like.  

I was feeling pretty good through Wednesday evening and decided to run my scheduled 3 on the treadmill/9:09 pace. That was the breakthrough moment right there!  

Even though I will actually be resting next week, I had to sign up for this.

Finished off this round of training with a 5 miler at 8:33 pace today and felt awesome (the fact that it was 65 and sunny out also helped). 

I ran as hard as I could up that last hill.

Also, went to this "Diva's Night" downtown on Thursday and won this Ibex sweater. Which costs more than any piece of clothing I own. Raffles are my thing.

Finally..

Time to RACE!

fay canyon

Since it seems like every thing you see online is regarding such positive world events and I can't really stomach to read anything about any of them, I decided to busy up my afternoon Saturday with a hike down in Sedona.

The drive was absolutely gorgeous per usual. 

The fall color of Yellow here is pretty fantastic.

I decided to go on a new hike (honestly, I don't go on repeat hikes in Sedona..there are too many trails  to try out).

I googled "Most Beautiful Hikes in Sedona" and this was one of the top options. I've never actually seen a bear warning posted on any hikes out here..

It was probably just over a mile to reach the end of the maintained trail. It was of course, a very pretty hike.  Probably one of the more exciting moments was when I heard some rustling and looked over to where I heard it, and saw a four legged spotted animal through the trees. There were no humans near by.. so I froze (just like I did in Tahoe when I was biking and a bear crossed my path). Started slowly walking back the way I came to see if I could tell what it was.. I could see that it was looking at me.. and then it disappeared after 15-20 seconds. (I have done my research and discovered it was a bobcat) Then I continued..

The end of the maintained trail was before this point..but you need to continue on to see this view. 

The view looking up..you could hear and see rocks falling..

From as far up as you can go..

And then time to head back.

Overall, this is a pretty quick and gorgeous hike. There are other hikes close by off the roads to get to the trailhead and could probably be combined with this one for a fun multi-hike day adventure. I'd suggest going to Devil's Bridge which is quick 5 minute drive away, and then coming over here to Fay Canyon.

Devil's Bridge from April of this year.