Double workouts and new glasses!

Hey guys, hope you are doing well today!  I have been having a really good week and feeling really good about everything that's going on.  I have some random things to share and figured I would do it through bullets today so let's just dive right in, okay?

- For the past two days I have worked out twice each day.  Mornings and nights, people!  I ran 4 miles Monday morning and did Nia at night.  And today I did a Tough Mudder workout this morning and this evening went to the gym for my favorite teacher's spin class.  Call me crazy guys, but working out is kinda fun!  And when you do it with friends... well, it's social and it's not just a workout.  I think that living alone has been inspiring me to work out more this week.  Today, for example, I was in a good mood.  I could have just gone home at the end of the day and been alone.  But instead I went to spin class and interacted with human beings.  The exercise does my body good and seeing friends does my mind good!  Seeing friends was the only thing that got me out of bed this morning and made Nia so much more fun last night.  I am SO thankful for my workout buddies!

- The weather is a bit of a bummer lately.  Tomorrow we have 8 miles scheduled to run but we are going to play it by ear whether we are inside or outside.  It is supposed to be -8 at 6:00 a.m. and that is pretty cold.  And then on Thursday we are expecting a ton more snow.  I NEED IT TO END, PEOPLE!!!  If you've been around here for a while than you know that I don't always have the best race day luck when it comes to weather.  My first 10K was through freezing rain.  My first sprint triathlon was through a flash summer thunder and lighting storm.  And of course my first half marathon was through downpouring rain.  So I guess it just figures that I train through the coldest winter we've had in years for my first marathon.  Fingers crossed that at least this gets the bad weather karma out of my system and April 6th is blue skies in Paris!

- My glasses finally arrived!  Yesterday was two weeks since I ordered them and the eye glasses place had told me that they'd call me when they arrived in and were ready to be picked up.  After 2 weeks I called and asked when they would be ready. After being on hold for a really long time the guy came back and told me, "Oh, they actually just arrived a little earlier today, they will be ready in about 20 minutes!" And hey, call me a cynic but seriously, I doubt that's a coincidence.  Anyone else think they forgot to give me a call when my glasses were ready and that was the excuse they came up with when I called?!?  Anyways, time for their official blog debut.  What do you think??

And yes, I had a photo shoot while on hold on a conference call at work.  Thank you to my coworker for helping me capture these amazingly lovely photos.  What began as me trying to get a nice picture of me in my new glasses turned into a full flown photo shoot.

- I've been doing a lot of cooking lately.  I have reverted back to some of my old favorites like chicken sausage and some new favorites such as quinoa.  I have been really trying to eat "real food" for the most part as I mentioned yesterday and today I think was the first day I didn't "waste" any points at work on mints and chocolate and pointless things.  Well wait, maybe I cannot say that.  I did have a 2 point bag of Lay's potato chips at a meeting where lunch was provided.  I can guarantee you I would have never bought myself regular Lay's potato chips had they not been available at a meeting.  So I guess I can't say I didn't have any unplanned, "wasted" points for the day.  It was however the first day I didn't take anything from my neighbor's candy bowls in a while!  That counts for something, right?  Tonight I had some zucchini pizza bites and I loooove that there is an overflowing plate of food that I can eat all of with no guilt.  Bring on the "diet food" if this is what it is, people!!!

- Friday is Valentine's Day!  It totally slipped my mind earlier today when Jess sent out a Facebook invitation to run on Friday morning (as she always does to keep us organized) but changed it from it's usually name to "I Love Running" or something like that.  I commented asking about the name change when I was reminded that it was Valentine's Day on Friday.  Ohhhhh!!!!  Woops, I guess that's what being single gets you.  However, I do have myself a little date on Friday.

Being single for many a Valentine's Day I've gotten used to making it a day to celebrate everyone you care about, not just a boyfriend or girlfriend.  I love doing something special for friends or getting together with girl friends or family on the 14th.  Aubrey and I are going to be enjoying the next season of House of Cards on Netflix, which is coming out this week.  Cannot say that I am not excited about that!!!  And also, does anyone else still use written out planners or is it just me?  I love mine!

Hope everyone is having a great week.  Fingers crossed that the cold isn't too bad in the morning and we're able to get outside for a run!

Eating Update: How do you measure a pound?

So, I wanted to post today not having to do with running but more writing about my current diet and weight loss. I have been tracking my Weight Watchers points for about a month now and although there is nothing miraculous to be able to report – my “goal pants” are still a goal, I feel like I am doing well.  My clothes are starting to look a little bit better on me, I am happier with how pictures come out, and I find myself checking myself out a little bit more in the mirror (I'm not the only one that does this when they are feeling good, right??)

However, I had a little bit of anxiety last night after eating an entire pint of Arctic Zero Cookies & Cream ice cream (gluten free!) For those of you who aren't familiar with this product... it is only 150 calories for the whole pint and 4 Weight Watchers points.

I felt SO guilty eating an entire pint – even though I tracked it, I just somehow felt like I was doing something wrong. And, I’m having a little bit of a hard time trying to figure out “for real” whether or not I am doing this right and losing weight. Weighing myself was always my gut check. If the number was not what I wanted it to be, I would reevaluate what I had tracked for the past week. Were there portion sizes I wasn’t being honest with? Did I sneak bites here and there that I forgot to track? Was my glass of wine REALLY just 5 ounces (or more like 8? or 10? or 25...)

Stepping AWAY from the scale, not ON it, as I try to lose weight, is a new sensation for me and honestly, for the most part, I really like it. It's a bit liberating and a bit exciting.  But I am worried that maybe I am going to subconsciously sabotage myself and mentally tell myself I am "doing well" when in fact I am not.

I am also eating a lot more than I did when I did Weight Watchers in the past because of all the running and activity points I am earning on the plan.  Now, I KNOW that in a day that I run 15 miles I need to eat more than a day where I did not run 15 miles. I know that mentally and I know that because my body tells me. I just am trying to be careful not to go overboard, which is a common mistake runners and exercisers in general can make.  "Oh, I ran today?  Bring on the pizza and ice cream and beer and nachos all day long!"

So, is Arctic Freeze ice cream considered a “right thing?” No, probably not. It’s probably packed with so much artificial stuff that does absolutely nothing for your body. But it definitely tasted delicious and according to Weight Watchers at 4 points it is definitely not a “bad” thing.

Maybe my guilt over eating it has to do with A) the fact that sitting and eating a full pint of something feels so wrong and B) I know that it was not providing me with any sort of nutrient for my body?

But, I mean, the hard ciders I drank yesterday while I watched the Syracuse game also did nothing for my body. And the random mints, pieces of chocolate, Gobstoppers, and Chewy Sprees I consumed last week did nothing for my body either.  And they were all a lot more points than the ice cream!

Yet, I didn't feel the same guilt I felt last night though.  The random candy and mints are bites and easier to ignore (ignore mentally… not in terms of tracking… I’ve been really trying to track EVERYTHING.)  I actually did look through the amount of points I was "wasting" on that stuff and am trying to do a better job of avoiding it this week and spending my points on food that matters.

Sunday food prep of "food that matters"

Since I am putting in effort to track, I want results. Without the scale, I'm struggling with a little bit with ways to monitor myself and make sure I am not fooling myself with what I'm doing here.

So I am looking for other ways to learn how to track daily or weekly results without the scale.  These are some of the measures I am trying to use:

- Daily energy level
- How my clothing fits
- Regular check-ins with my “goal pants”
- Take my measurements (I want to do this!)
- Visual appearance
- Self-confidence

How do you guys track your non-scale victories or defeats? 

A day in the life of a long run.

6:06 a.m.:     I woke up before my alarm went off but I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep so I just decided to stay awake.  I had some pre-long run anxiety (as you guys know) and I decided to just stay in bed and play on my phone.

6:40 a.m.:     My alarm was set to go off at this time so I got out of bed and started to wake up a bit and get dressed in my running gear.  I wanted to leave the house at 7:40 and initially I had the thought that I would make a new playlist for the run in the morning.

7:00 a.m.:     I ate breakfast of 1 cup of puffed brown rice cereal, 1 cup almond milk, and a sliced up banana, along with some water.  I felt really indecisive about what running accessory gear to wear so I got together a variety of hats, headbands, and clothing to bring with me.  Gathered together some Gatorade, my water bottle pack, Gu Chews, skin block, and threw a few last minute things into the bag I had packed the night before for clothes to change into after the run.  I packed a few dollars in my waist belt for the run in case my water froze and we needed to stop at a Stewart's for some water.

7:20 a.m.:     I was ready earlier than I thought so I put on the TV and watched the Olympics coverage and recap of the opening games.  Saw a pretty amazing clip of the Russian police choir (cause apparently that's a thing) singing "Get Lucky" which made me laugh.

7:35 a.m.:     Left the house and went to go get my car washed.  I know it seems like a ridiculous thing to do at 7:30 on a Saturday morning but my car had been having some vibration issues and before driving to Saratoga I wanted to clean off the dirt, salt and snow. I'd heard a car wash could help (thank you Jeff!) so I drove to 2 different car washes (to find one that was open) before getting on the highway to Saratoga.

8:20 a.m.     I arrived earlier than I thought to Saratoga and didn't want to sit in Aubrey's driving (our meeting point) for 20 minutes by myself.  I thought she would still be asleep when I got there and didn't want to wake her up.  Plus, I was feeling really tired on the drive over and wanted a little caffeine and some sugar.  I stopped at a Stewart's and ended up with a hot tea and a cherry tootsie roll pop.

8:35 a.m.     Arrive at Aubrey's but thinking she'd still be asleep, I play on my phone for a few minutes waiting for Jess to arrive at our scheduled meeting time of 8:40.

8:52 a.m.     Get a text from Jess that she is just leaving her house then, so I text Aubrey to ask if she is awake.  She is, so I go inside, bringing my clothes to change into later and dropping them off.

9:20 a.m.    Jess arrives, brings her things inside and I jump in the car with her to head back to her place.  We drive the route we are planning to run backwards so that I can see what we're about to embark on.  I start to feel pretty good because I realize Jess wasn't being too overly optimistic when she says that the route has a lot of downhill.

9:40 a.m.     Get to Jess's and head inside to finish getting ready, fill up my water bottles with a mixture of Gatorade G2 and water.  I was told Gatorade has a lower freezing point than water so it might be better to have Gatorade.  Decide to wear a headband and put a hat in my pocket.  Jess's daughter gives her a beaded necklace to wear during the run, but wants her to wear it around her arm.  It's such a super cute gesture.

10:00 a.m.  We head out the door!  It's a seriously gorgeous day out.  Bright shining sun, cold, but not too cold.  It's a great day for a run.

Mile 2.5 - I look at my watch for the first time.  Realize I am halfway through my first 5 mile run and feeling good.

Mile 5 - One five mile run down.  I eat my first Gu chew, drink some water Gatorade, and I'm feeling good.  I set my mindset to be ready to do another 5 mile run.

Mile 7 - I look at my watch again.  I realize I am only a little less than half way done and it feels a little bit overwhelming.  When it feels overwhelming I sort of slap myself mentally and remind myself that I am "just doing a 5 mile run!"  So I tell myself that I am 2 miles in to a 5 mile run.  Just 2 miles in to a 5 mile run.

Mile 7.5 - I see that I am 1/2 way through the 15 mile run.  I start to think "Oh man, I am only half way through a 15 mile run!" but then again recalibrate myself and start chanting to myself, "Half way done. Half way done. Half way done a 5 mile run.  Half way done.  Half way done.  Half way done a 5 mile run..."

Mile 8 - We get to our first big hill of the run.  Where Jess has been in front of me the whole time setting the pace, she has me move first for the hill.  I am usually slower on the hills so I appreciated Jess setting the pace.  I put my hood up, which I had been doing on and off for warmth throughout the ru.  Depending on being in the sun or the shade and whether or not there was a breeze, I enjoyed the extra warmth of having my head completely covered.  So, anyways, I put my hood up, head down, and just charged forward, again reverting to my first half marathon mantra to get me to the top, "Survive the hill.  Pace the race.  Just keep going, you're finishing this thing."

Mile 9 - Jess warns me that we are running past a gun range.  Good to know.  I tentatively ask, "They aren't shooting in our direction, right?" No, no they are not.

Mile 10 - We've finished our second 10 mile run!  I ask Jess, "Hey Jess?  Want to go for a nice, light 5 mile jog?"  She replies, "Sure, I just need to eat something first."  We slow the pace to almost walking and Jess eats a protein bar, I eat two Gu chews, and we keep powering through and I try to go as long as I can without looking at my watch.

Mile 11 - I look at my watch exactly at mile 11.  Chanting continues, "4 miles left. 4 miles left. 4 miles left in a 5 mile run.  4 miles left. 4 miles left. 4 miles left in a 5 mile run."

Mile 12.5 - Some girl says hi and it looks like she is trying to give us a pamphlet or something.  We ignore her and keep going.  Conquer a little hill and are about to enter the park in Saratoga!

Mile 12.9 - We stop at the spring in Saratoga to refill water bottles.  There are a ton of people there and Jess jumps in asking if we can cut the line.  Luckily for us, some kind people let us in, we grab some water quickly.  Jess takes one of my water bottles to fill and chug.  Somewhere a couple miles ago I had realized that the spouts on my water bottles were frozen so you needed to twist them off in order to get a drink.  I tell her we're at 13 and we keep going.

Mile 13.11 - "We are officially in new territory!" I shout to Jess.  Our half marathon time is about 2:14 or 2:15.

Mile 14 - "One mile to go. One mile to go.  One mile to go in a 5 mile run.  One mile to go.  One mile to go.  One mile to go in a 5 mile run."

Mile 14. 75 - I shout out loud to me or to Jess or to anyone or just to the world, "This is amazing!"

Mile 14.9 - I realize that I totally understand how the last 6 miles of a marathon are death.  The thought of having to go another 5 miles seems... manageable?  The thought of running another 11 miles seemed INSANE.

Mile 15 - DONE!!!!! 2:36:14 to finish 15 miles at a 10:25/pace.

12:37 p.m.:     We walk the .1 miles to finish back to Aubrey's.  I point out that this is one point for the Garmin as the distance was exactly right compared to what we saw online on Google Maps.  We're always teasing back and forth what is more accurate -- my Garmin or the Runkeeper app on the iPhone.

12:40 p.m.:     Aubrey situates us with some water, I eat a Kind bar.  I try to keep moving and pace out a bit but also shed some layers so that the sweaty cold is off of me.  Feeling pretty elated about the run.

12:41 p.m.:     Nearly die of laughter at the fact that I look like a little person after having Aubrey taking this picture.  Yup.  Pretty awesome.

1:22 p.m.:     After another MIRACULOUS shower at Aubrey's, a couple stiff walks up and down the stairs getting showered, hair dried, and whatnot, we head out the door.  I had packed with me to wear my Providence Half Marathon top and some cozy clothes. My Providence Half Marathon top is so cozy and makes me feel proud.  I think after the half marathon in September I wore it at some point every day for a week.

1:30 p.m.:     Druther's!!!!  Foooooooood!  Hard cider!  Hot tea!  Friends!  Sitting!  Laughing!  FOOD!!  Eat some hummus and carrots, a bacon cheeseburger with sauteed mushrooms and onions, no bun, and a side salad.  The food tastes so good I never want it to end.

3:30 p.m.:     Head to Healthy Living in Saratoga for a Dr. Haushka facial care session with Team BABU.  Grab a coffee and a bottle of water before it starts.

4:30 p.m.:     Resist the urge to buy lots of gluten free junk food at Healthy Living, pick up a few small items, such as an apple to eat on the way home, talk with the girls a bit more.  Congratulate Jess on the run and thank her for the help in getting me through the run.

5:45 p.m.:     Arrive back at home in Albany.  Proceed to couch.

5:50 p.m.:     Realize I'm still in such a happy mood, even though I am exhausted I still want to do something tonight to celebrate the run.  Try to text some friends to see if anyone is around.

7:00 p.m.:     Make a protein smoothie with almond milk, blueberries, banana, kale, and protein powder.  Return to couch.

7:30 p.m.:     Accept the fact that yeah, I'm not getting up off the couch tonight.

8:00 p.m.:     Change into PJs.  Couch.  Feel pretty happy that my legs are holding up well and I feel pretty good.

9:00 p.m.:     Is it bedtime yet?  This feels pathetic.  Try to stay up a little later, watch some more Olympics.

10:30 p.m.:     Goodnight!

The Olympics are back!!!!

Is it possible that 2 years have gone by and yet again I am watching the Olympics and typing for the blog here on my couch?  Craziness!  It feels like it was just yesterday that it was the 2012 Summer Olympics and I was flip flopping between my allegiance for Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte!  Now, I don't think I will have the same all-consuming obsession with these winter Olympics as I usually do for the summer Olympics.  There is so much craziness around the location of Sochi, Russia, and I am just not as big a fan of the winter sports.  However, I love the drama and the stories and the country pride that you get with the Olympics.  The stories that come out of these things are incredible.  And as I train for the marathon, I need all the athletic inspiration I can get!

I realized today that I am getting into the phase of training that I remember from last winter/spring when the training and the race start to take over my life.  All of a sudden it's all I seem to be able to talk about.  And when I have long runs, it's what my entire weekend becomes about.

This weekend is all about the 15-miler.  Tonight I am staying in, watching the opening ceremony and heading to bed early. Tomorrow I'll be up in the morning for my run and I want to get all the rest I can to be prepared.

I felt good this morning on our 4 mile run.  WHICH, turned out to be way colder than I expected.  Who knew it was going to be one of these mornings?!?  I sure didn't!  0 degrees!

It didn't end up being too bad even though I was surprised by the temperature.  Although by the end we all did have frost all over our faces and we were covered in icicles, but hey, what are you going to do?

My weeks are becoming pretty typical so it should be no surprise to you that following our Friday run we went over to Starbucks.  And if you've learned anything about me at this point, it won't be a surprise to you that I of course, was able to act ridiculous with my friends and do something embarrassing, even before 8:00 a.m.

I think we were all high from the endorphins of running and the warmth of the Starbucks because we were very giggly and silly as we drank our coffees.  And all of a sudden one of the male baristas that we know from going there all the time walked in.  I shouted out, "HELLO!" to him so enthusiastically you would have thought that I was seeing a long lost best friend I hadn't seen in years.  Yup, it was pretty embarrassing as he barely acknowledged me and said hi, and continued to walk by to go to work.  I have no idea why I was so enthusiastic about saying hello to him.  It was pretty ridiculous and made Jess, Aubrey and I even more giggly and silly.

And guess what I had for breakfast everyone?  A smoothie!  Shockiiiiinnnnggggg!!  :)

This one was made of frozen banana, frozen blueberries, spinach, chocolate protein powder, and chocolate unsweetened almond milk.  I have been preparing them before I leave the house in the morning at about 5:00 a.m. to go running and leaving them in the car while I run, get coffee, shower, etc. and then drinking them as I start my day at my desk at work.  They stay pretty solid and smooth, so maybe I should try one day making it in the evening?  Anything that can shorten my morning routine, I am generally a fan of!

So, before I sign off I just have to ask... does anyone else have a problem where they literally cannot focus if there is candy or food in front of them that they are trying not to eat??  Today I was in a meeting that took place in a room with a giant bag of candy.  I could barely pay attention because it was taking so much of my energy to NOT eat all of the Chewy Spree.  However, since I have no will power, I did eat some of the candy.  I can tell you as a statement of fact that if you eat 14 Everlasting Gobstoppers it is 2 Weight Watchers points.  If you eat 15 -- well that goes up to 3 points.  So you'd better believe I ate exactly 14.  I also ate 5 points worth of chocolate and 1 point worth of chocolate.  Which means that essentially the 8 points that I earned from my 4 mile run went to that candy alone.  It's kind of pathetic, but whatever... you do what you've got to do I think!

But yeah, at one point I was intensely concentrating on NOT eating any more candy that it was hard to focus.  I managed to make it out alive though, so that's good!

Anyways, I am going to go watch a bit more of the opening ceremony and then head to bed.  Hope you have a great evening and Saturday!  HAPPY OLYMPICS!!!!!!

Full belly and full spirit.

Hey there friends, did everyone get themselves dug out from the snow today and able to get into work?  My alarm went off early and I somehow managed to drag myself out of bed and to the gym this morning.  I did a solo workout as my friends all had evening plans at the gym, but it wasn't too bad once I actually get there.  I sometimes find that I push myself harder when I am working out alone.  I definitely like the encouragement and motivation and support of my friends but I'm not sure why I can go harder at times when I am alone.  Maybe because I don't want to let myself down?  Maybe because I am totally "in the zone" and don't have distractions?  I'm not entirely sure, but it is something I need to think about.

I had a super busy day at work, but it was a nice day nonetheless!  Maybe it was being caved up alone the whole day before, or maybe it was the delicious banana-strawberry-almond milk-protein powder-spinach smoothie I ate for breakfast but I had some pep in my step as I started the day.  Which hey, ain't a bad way to start the day!?

Lately I can't say how obsessed I have been with the smoothies.  They take me a long time to drink, keep me full, and are fun and feel like a treat.  My upstairs neighbors probably HATE me for using the blender at 5:00 a.m. in the morning to crush up frozen ice and banana, but they're delicious and I like making and eating them!

I tried to keep my Weight Watchers points low for the day because I knew I was going out to dinner and probably eating a high number of points later in the day.  I kept my lunchtime meal super nutrient packed and low in fat with some garlic quinoa and roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli I had packed with me.  And my snacks were heavy on the fresh fruits and vegetables.

However that didn't snag me from sneaking some chocolate, mints, and Gobstoppers from the various candy bowls throughout the office.  Seriously people, candy bowls should be illegal.  I just can't seem to stay away from them.  Ever.

Today one of my good friends who sits right next to me was out of the office for business travel.  She sent me a message around 11:00 a.m. asking how things were going in the office.  I said, "Pretty good.  I've only stolen 4 mints so far from the nearby candy bowls."  She laughed as she knows it's pretty average for me.  BUT, keeping with my February goal of tracking everything I eat, I have been writing it all down and counting the Weight Watchers points for the food I eat.

Tonight I had a hard time tracking exactly what I ate because I ate out for Moroccan food at Tara's Kitchen -- a restaurant I've written about before that is one of my favorites and totally delicious.  I got a tagine of eggplant, prunes, honey and chick peas that I ate with a side of rice.  Yummy!

After dinner my friend Jenna (who is no stranger to the blog) came over for what is now seemingly our bi-weekly night of catching up over a drink or two.  I think we both really value the time we spend together and work hard to fit it into our schedules without sacrificing the other things that are important to us as well... working out, sleep, friends, work, etc.  But tonight especially I remembered how great it is to just sit and talk over a glass of wine over deep issues about personal struggles, life, self motivation, fear, friendship, and work.  What makes those conversations so special is when they are with someone who you also know that you can also be a completely silly and ridiculous person with!

Tonight I am happy to be going to bed with a body both full in food, mind, and spirit, which is a good feeling.  The only other main thing going on with me that I wanted to write about tonight is my nerves for this weekend's run.  We have 15 miles on the agenda for Saturday morning and I am starting to feel really anxious about it.  I'm trying to work through why I am feeling so anxious in my mind a bit because I am not sure quite how to express it in words but if I figure it out, don't worry, you guys will be one of the firsts to know :)

Happy Thursday everyone and hope you have a great start to your Fridays.  I will be starting my Friday off with a 4 mile run and some coffee with friends -- sounds pretty great to me!

Getting caught up with Portland, 10-miler, Syracuse, and some food!

Hey guys, long time no talk!  I am sorry that I lied to you yesterday saying that I would post on Tuesday.  I tried to get an entry done but I was soo tired from getting up extra early that I just couldn't get myself to do it.  It's been a busy few days and I feel really guilty about not writing -- especially since the incredibly sweet Malory just complimented me on being a regular blogger, then I go and drop off the radar!  However, whenever I go away for the weekend it always takes me a few days to get caught up again.  So, I am finally back into a normal rhythm (I think) and want to share what I've been up to since last Thursday.

So, going back a ways... Friday started with a 4 mile run with Jess and Aubrey, coffee and chatting at Starbucks, and a delicious smoothie of almond milk, frozen banana, vanilla protein powder, PB2, and kale. The run felt really nice and I was so proud of Jess, who had been out running for an hour before Aubrey and I met up because she planned to do her long run of 10-miles on Friday morning due to a packed weekend. She kicked butt and it takes a lot of willpower to start running at 5:00 am alone!

After work I head right to New Hampshire for the kick off of a girl's weekend! I met up with my cousin and got dinner with her and her friend. I had never been to visit in Portsmouth and it is a really cute town! We ate at a funky, cool restaurant called Flatbread. We each got a salad and we split two pizzas on gluten free crusts that were delicious and I also had a glass of wine that hit the spot after a long day of running, work and driving.

The main event of the weekend is that Saturday evening my mom, aunt, cousin and I had tickets to go to a Grease movie sing-a-long in Portland, Maine! However one of the reasons I planned to come to Portsmouth on Friday was to break up the drive a bit, see my cousin of course, but also get my long run in here!

Heather had put out a request on Facebook as to where I should run in Portsmouth and after doing some research the suggestion I decided to take was to run along New Castle Ave. I had 10 miles to do and I left at about 8:45 am on Saturday doing an out-and-back route from my cousin's apartment. It ended up being a really fun route along some winding roads with rolling hills. The road didn't have a sidewalk for most of it, but there were lots of runners out and I was wearing my bright neon jacket so very visible against the gray and brown earth that takes over this time of year.

It was a luxury to run in high 30 weather with some sunshine throughout, especially compared to the conditions of last weekend's long run. There were lots of groups of 2 or 3s out running and it made me miss my running pals today! So I decided to channel my inner Coach B and became the cheeriest runner out this morning shouting "Hello!" And "Good morning!" To everyone I came across.

The route was pretty scenic with lots of gorgeous houses, little bridges, water, and port views. One little bridge totally freaked me out to run on.. It was an iron grate bridge. Eek!

I felt really good on this run and was so happy to have a nice long run this week to get me feeling confident for next week's 15-miler! Since I did an out and back run, I mentally broke today's route into two 5-mile runs and I think next week I will think of it as three 5-milers. Although I would certainly say I am in new territory with my mileage, I am officially in no mans land next weekend.

Following the run we walked around a bit in Portsmouth and then head to Portland for the big event.  There were some delicious eats along the way, and then the main event the Grease sing-a-long was so ridiculous and funny and included lots of dancing and props, including the bags on our heads :)  It was a really fun girl's weekend, down to just sharing a hotel room, walking around, and spending time with my mom, cousin, and aunt.

I will say there is one thing that nothing to do with Portland or my family that added some extra adrenaline to the weekend and that was the Syracuse vs. Duke basketball game!!  Oh man, it was SO good!!! I watched the majority of it via my cell phone, which, although not ideal, was still so incredible to experience.  It is one of the best basketball games I think I have ever watched and although Syracuse was able to keep their winning streak going, it certainly was the start to what I am sure will be a great rivalry for many years to come.  And Syracuse is now #1!!

On Sunday I headed back to Albany, after having a nice breakfast in Portland and lunch in Worcester (to break up the drive.)  I had a Super Bowl party to attend, which was fun, but I had already seen what was the most exciting game for me of the weekend.  I was really proud of myself for staying on track while at the Super Bowl party.  It helped that most of the food was "off limits" due to the gluten, and that I was the loser who brought the fruits and veggies to the party, but oh well!

I left a little after half time to head home and get to bed because I had an early run in the morning.  Jess and I did 3 miles on Monday and got caught up on our weekends over coffee afterwards.  It turns out, coffee at Starbucks is a great way to start the week as well as end it!  We may have to work that in to our routine as well :) While we were sitting having coffee Jess goes, "Uhh.. Katelyn.. whatcha doing?" and my response was, "Just taking a selfie..."

So, here you go :)  Apparently I was feeling the post-run look Monday morning...

Monday was a jam packed day with running, work, home to cook a little bit, Nia, Syracuse basketball, and then an extra early bedtime.  The extra early bedtime was because I had an extra early wake up call because we changed our schedule this week and Jess and I ran our 7 miles on Tuesday.  We had a snow storm that came through overnight on Tuesday into today, and when I woke up today to about 8 inches of snow, I was sooo glad that we did the run yesterday!

Tuesday started early and ended late with my friend Jeff's birthday celebration.  I didn't get ANY drinks when we were out and I had just as much fun as if I had gotten one.  Who would have thought??  Happy Birthday Jeff!

I'm really proud of myself for staying on track for about 3 weeks now with my Weight Watchers points.  I am totally loving and taking advantage of the extra points that I get from all the running I am doing, but I'm actually spending them on delicious, healthy, good for you food (for the most part...) and trying to eliminate the junk where I can.  But, I still love my chocolate and I cannot get that out of my diet no matter what!

One thing that's been helping me is these smoothies.  Since I starting making them last week, I have had one every day and I totally addicted.  They are delicious, keep me full, and feel indulgent.  Why have I not been doing this sooner?!?

So, that's about it, you're all caught up.  Are you feeling fulfilled now??  :)

I worked from home today due to the snow and finally feel like I've got my schedule a tiny bit under control (but probably not really...)  I have some cooking done for the next few days, and my body is getting a little rest it needs.  Tomorrow I'm back at it though!

I hope everyone is staying warm and cozy if you're facing this snowstorm as well.  Fingers crossed that roads are good for my 15 mile run this weekend... I'm starting to get nervous for it with the weather we've been having!! Wish positive things to the weather gods for me, please!!

Hello -- Update coming tomorrow!

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a great weekend.  I just wanted to check in and say hello and let you know I will give you a full recap of the weekend and start of the week tomorrow.  Between traveling, Superbowl, work, Nia, and an early morning tomorrow, I don't have a chance to write fully today, but I will.  In the meantime, I will share these two photos as teasers and let you all wonder why my mom and I were wearing paper bags on our head this weekend.

Happy Monday!