Today

DANG! I was so productive today! I love days like this because I get so much done and I feel so good about it. Now, as I am sitting down to write this, I am thinking, "Gosh, why don't I do this more often?" and then I remembered that it also sucks, takes all day, and my feet hurt. heh.

Anyways, here are some snaps of what it was like to be me today:

{Running on the trail}

{Pretty Day}

{Wore my LRC shirt and got a shoutout!}

                              Step 1                                    Step 2                                    Step 3

Dinner in three steps. Step 1- simmer minced garlic in evoo, add spices and lemon juice. Step 2- add shrimp. Step 3- add pineapple chunks and quinoa. Step 4- (Not pictured) DEVOUR for dinner :)

{Sooo good!}

Made these oatmeal peanut butter balls as a sweeter treat for this week. I found the recipe online through my Instagram account. It was from someone I follow named Tiutrijenna :) She mentioned she got it from another Instagram account called Realheidipowell. 

~Mix together a 16oz jar of peanut butter (I used extra crunchy!), 1/4 cup honey (or agave), 2 scoops chocolate protein powder (I used Perfect Fit), and 3 cups of uncooked oats (I used only 2 cups).

~I just kept mixing until it looked pretty put together, and then formed into balls and put them in a cupcake liner in a cupcake tin. I drizzled some honey on top, and then put them in the freezer for an hour. 

     So I want to eat more kale, because I tried it as a salad once (at my friend Megan's baby shower!) and it was so good! If I remember correctly, it was mixed with another leafy veggie, and had a lemony dressing that I can't remember how to make! So I found this picture on Instagram of a kale salad with edamame and cranberries, both of which I love and already have in my pantry. yay. It is from the same account that I got the oatmeal peanut butter balls from! 

     For the dressing, I made the Golden Sun Dressing from the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan that I purchased online from their website. It is a lemony dressing with a bit of sweetness that I think will be perfect on the kale! I'll let you know on Monday though.... :)

Basically, Instagram had some delicious recipes today.

Googling

My Google searches lately...

1. Jolly Phonics Song

2. Bible verse posters

3. Clean up robot song

4. Sleepy sweet potato recipe

5. How do I take a screen shot on a PC?

6. When does the final season of Parenthood start?

7. When does Game of Crowns season 2 start?

8. 15 K running plan

9. Short hairstyles

10. First Grade math common core

School, food, TV, & Running happening over here right now!

August Run

I was so excited to do my run this month because it was in my own backyard!

August's run was the Mainstreet Libertyville Twilight Shuffle 5k that took place in my own town. I super liked that I could pick up my packet down the street, and that the race started in the evening and ended with dinner! I also saw a TON of my neighbors who also ran it, along with the Libertyville Running Club :) which I joined in an effort to work on my running, and meet some new running loving friends. And on the plus side, they also run for donuts! And beer!

The day of the run was super humid, which made it hard. It was actually the slowest 5k I've ever done {insert nervous face emoji here}because of the heat. I think the coolest thing about this race was the amount of people who came out of their house to cheer the runners on in their own front yard. They were putting their sprinklers on and clapping for everyone, which was so sweet and made it much easier in the heat!

Tommy ran it with me, and we both discovered a few things along the way:
1. Libertyville is the most hilly town in the United States of America
2. We SUCK at running hills
3. We will be running it again next year!

Overall, it was fun, even in the heat :) Race 10 of 12 races in 12 months is done!

{Race 10}

{So fun!}

July Run

Welllll, the July half marathon is finished (obviously, it's September!) and it went so well for me!

{Read about the first time I ever ran a half marathon here}

I made it my goal to run the race in 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is a slooooow comfortable pace for me. I was mostly concerned with the fact that it was going to be hot and humid, because I'm an idiot and signed up for a run in Chicago in July.

Well thank goodness for global warming ;) because it was the perfect running day....not even getting a tiny bit humid until I was on mile 12, and by then, I didn't even notice it much because all I was focused on was finishing the race.

Tommy came with, and was super supportive throughout the race. He didn't run it with me, mainly because I wold him not to. For some reason I get super anxious on runs longer than a 5k, and I worry about him while we run, instead of just running. It's weird.

Anyway, right before I started, he waited with me at the start line to see me off. Then I started the run with "Animals" playing on my iPhone and basically was teary eyed and crying a little throughout the whole first mile. They were happy tears though! Mainly because I just kept thinking, "Wow. I can't believe I am running 13.1 miles today! What an amazing body I have! How lucky I am to be able to do this awesome thing in this beautiful place!" Totally cheesy, I know, but I iz what I iz.

Tommy met up with me at the water station near mile 4. We walked through it and I took half of my first Hammer Gel with some water. Then we started back up and he ran with me a little bit to mile 5ish. We said goodbye there, and I was on my own again until mile 7. Then we ran a little bit more, and he kept me company. Right about that time I was starting to feel hurty. I remember saying to him, "Boo, I'm not in pain, but I am feeling uncomfortable" while we were running. I also took the rest of my Hammer Gel then and did the whole wrapper THROW-DOWN like a true runner. heh.

We parted ways, and met up again at mile 12, where my body was like "woah" and we walked it out a little bit. I picked it back up and finished strong, hand in hand with my hub and then instantly wanted to pass out. He always pushes me at the end, and while I'm grateful for it, itsssss sssssooooooo haaaaarrrrrdddd!

I got my medal, foody goodies, passed on the free beer (AGAIN!), and we stood in line to get a free stretching by Athletico. That was heaven :)

Then we walked back to the car, but not before getting a double chocolate donut from Dunkin Donuts (omg yum), and stopping to take a picture of my medal in front of the bean!

It was a nice race, especially because of the weather, but I do not think I will be doing the Rock and Roll Half again in Chicago. It's just too much of a risk to run it and hope it's not hot....I don't love running, medals, or donuts THAT much.

I ended up running it in 2:39:42, which beat my original goal of 2:45, and blew my first half marathon time of 3:00 out of the F*cking water! Woot. I was pretty proud of sticking with it and not hating my life while I was running!

I think at this point, half marathon races are good distances for me. I'm not mentally/physically/devotionally ready for a marathon, and 5ks are too short now. The half is long enough that I know I couldn't just go run one tomorrow, but short enough that I know I could run one if I tried. Does that make sense?

Anyway, July run for 12 races in 12 months complete!!

{Right after finishing}

{Race number 9}

{My main support system}

{My sweet medal}

{I run for donuts}

Getting Half Marathon Ready...

...Or at least trying to!

Had a last long run the other day, and it went well. My hips started hurting around mile 6, and I didn't push through it because I wanted to make sure my body wasn't in trouble on Sunday. I took half a gel at mile 3, and at mile 6. I didn't take a gel before the run, but I will on Sunday. Those times seemed to be ok times to do it! Mentally it felt good. Energy wise it felt good. Body wise I started to hurt a little bit, but I think I can push through that on Sunday (well, I'll have to!)
I just hope it's not the hottest day ever....

Here's what I'm doing to prep for Sunday:

>Drinking a TON of water. It feels like all I have been doing is drinking water, which is probably all I HAVE been doing since I'm on summer break...I bought a Nalgene bottle that holds 32 ounces. I am trying to drink at least two or three of those a day. If you know me, or have read any of my previous posts, you know that I generally dislike drinking liquids, lol. It is the hardest thing for me to do. This Nalgene bottle has a smaller spout so it's easier to drink from, and it's purple so that's just the best.

>Charging up my Garmin. I recently purchased a Garmin Forerunner 610 and boy do I love that thing. My favorite thing about it is that it is a touch screen so it is super easy to use on the go. It also has a feature where I can run against a previous time that I have run on the same course. I haven't used that yet, but I am super excited to! It's also a good size, easy to use, and is super motivating when it lets me know what my pace is and how far I've run right there on my wrist!

>Picking up some gels. So I've tried a few different gels. I have to say, I'm picky when it comes to these.   My least favorite gel is probably the GU brand gel. It's a popular one, and I see it at a lot of bigger Chicago races that I've done. I think I generally do not like the consistency of it.
I think the Cliff gels are ok. I like the raspberry one, and the expresso (yes, it's spelled like that) but I don't love that there is caffeine in the expresso one.
My go to gel that I prefer to use during longer runs is Hammer Gel. I like the apple pie, raspberry, and banana. They are easy to open, the right size to hold when I run, and I like the consistency because it's not too gritty and it's thick enough that I can just down it with water (or without water) and be ok. They are not the easiest to find though! After calling around to a few places in town, there is only one place that sells it near me apparently. The have two out of three of the favors that I prefer so that's good I guess! I have to go and get one more for Sunday but otherwise I'm feeling prepared gel wise!

>Choosing my outfit. I have learned in the past that having a comfy race outfit is key. I am working on an outfit to wear for Sunday but so far I know for sure it will consist of my under armor spandex shorts, my feetures moisture wicking socks, and my sweet sweet Brooks tennis shoes. Not sure about above the waist yet....I also run with music, but have struggled all my life with finding the right headphones that will stay in my ears whilst bouncing up and down on my run (first world problems). If you just went, "OMG Amy me tooooo!" in your head, then check these headphones out. These are the ONLY ones that I have found to work. I'm just sad that I haven't found them sooner! They are the Yurbuds Ironman Focus Headphones. I got them for $30 at Sports Authority on a Black Friday deal last year and they were worth every penny!

>Getting my playlist ready. I have recently switched over to using my iPhone to listen to music instead of my iPod shuffle. I am having a hard time updating the shuffle because my version of iTunes is so old and needs to be updated, but my computer is so old and has no hard drive left and so I am in the process of switching things over to an external hard drive to make room. Lol. There's a lot going on over here in my computerland.
Anyway, here are the songs that I'm running to lately and that will push me to go the distance on Sunday:
1. Animals by Martin Garrix
2. Brave by Sarah Bareilles
3. Crazy Kids by Ke$ha
4. Fancy by Iggy Azalea
5. *Feel Again by OneRepublic
6. Love Is an Open Door from Frozen
7. Love Me Again by John Newman
8. Love Runs Out by One Republic
9. Maps by Maroon 5 (Are you surprised this is on here? I super dislike Maroon 5...)
10. Misery Business by Paramore
11. Love the Way You Lie by Eminem
12. Sleazy by Ke$ha
13. Talk Dirty by Jason Derulo
14. Turn Down for What by DJ Snake & Lil Jon
15. *Baggage Claim by Miranda Lambert
16. *Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa
17. Get Away by Danny Gokey
18. *In Live With a Girl by Gavin DeGraw
19. King of Anything by Sara Bareilles
20. Ridin' Solo by Jason Derulo
21. Come Get It Bae by Pharrell Williams
22. Happy by Pharrell Williams

The *starred songs are my power songs. Sometimes I even skip them and listen to them when I really need them!

Welllll, that's that so far! Any good songs to recommend??

- Amy

May Run

In May I ran the Soldier Field Ten Miler. Let me just say that I was super nervous to do this run. All I kept thinking was, "IT'S TEN MILES! I can't do that!" but I did, so shut up brain.

It was a really great day weather wise- not too hot, not too cold. My friend Kelsey decided to run it too, so her, Kyle, Tommy and I all went together. After running, we laid down on the grass and died. THE END.

{Before the race}

{During the race}

{After the race}

{Race #7 DONE!!}

Lately...

Lately I have been struggling. 

I am trying to make some changes, and it's HARRRRRD.

For the past few weeks, I have been pretty committed to a few new things:

{1} Packing my lunch the night before

{2} Eating lean, clean, and green

{3} Drink at least 50 ounces of water a day

{4} Building back up my relationship with running

{1} Packing my lunch the night before. I am super into a routine right now, which has never been an easy thing for me to keep. The only thing I am struggling with is juggling multiple routines. I am packing my lunch the night before so I don't have to do it in the morning before work (I am NOT a morning person, so just waking up and showering is about all I can manage...lol), and that is staying pretty consistent, but it's the other things that are wavering.

{2} Eating lean, clean, and green. I feel like breakfast and lunch are fine, which is because of the routine. I am having a protein shake for breakfast (OMG yum) and some combination of a salad (with actual green lettuce, not that iceberg stuff), a fruit, and water. I am loving the whole quinoa thing right now and have been adding that to my salads with various toppings that are super delicious. And you may be thinking, "Amy, that lunch does not sound very filling" but it really is. I start to get hungry after school, but have been pretty good about having a snack of some kind- plain almonds, a banana, a Kind bar, etc.- on my way home from work and that does the trick. 

Dinner is the tricky part. When I get home, I just want to sit down. I spend a lot of time at work on my feet and sitting on my couch with my feet up catching up on the tv I missed this week is super enticing. Instead, I have been pulling things out of the fridge to get started on making dinner....which takes some time when you have to do everything leanly, cleanly, and greenly, lol. Eating non-processed foods has been good for dinner, but recipes are starting to repeat, and I'm worried about getting bored and not wanting to follow through. Any good cookbooks to recommend?

{3} Drink at least 50 ounces of water a day. Technically, I should be drinking more. Word on the street is that you should be drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of water a day, which is ridic really. Drinking water is literally one of the hardest things for me right now. I probably drink maybe 8 ounces of water a day, and that's if I don't forget my water bottle at lunch. If I do, well, you already read about how tired my feet are during the day so don't be surprised when I have no intention of going back upstairs to my classroom to get my water bottle! (Maybe I just need new shoes...hmmm) Even when I do have my water bottle, assuming that I remember to even bring a water bottle with me to work, I only take a sip at the end of my meal, and even then, it's not a large one. 

Now some of you may be wondering how I haven't dropped dead from dehydration in the past 26 years. Well, every third day or so, I down water like it's my job all day. It's not intentional. 

It's weird. 

But not anymore! I am trying my best to drink at least 50 ounces a day, and it is not an easy task. I bring two 25 ounce water bottles to work and try to drink one before lunch, and one after lunch. 

It's not that I don't like water, it's that I don't like to drink...if that makes sense, lol.

{4} Building back up my relationship with running. In 2012, I ran a half marathon in Chicago. It was awful. I was hot, hurting, and basically cried the entire time, lol. The training for it part was not so bad, until the few weeks before it was so hot that I didn't go out and run as much as I should have been, and that was a mistake. Anyway, most of the training for that half marathon was nice. It pushed me, motivated me, made me feel better about life, and helped me to appreciate nature. After the half, I kept running a little, but it was not the same. Since then, I have had an on again, off again relationship with running, that I want to change.

I like running. There is something to be said for being out on a trail, on a sunny day, listening to your favorite tunes, and enjoying the weather. My favorite thing has always been running at night in the fall because I love the cool crisp air, and the feeling of being cold and warm at the same time, lol. I also love running at night in the winter when there's snow on the ground and everything is white, still, and quiet. In the year after the half marathon, I realized that I like to train for runs on my own, but I need that satisfaction of running in a race with thousands of other people, a bib to add to my wall collection, and, of course, the shirt that comes in the swag bag :) I'm not ashamed to say that running and I are not best friends. I like it, but I'm not at the point where I can go out without my headphones and just go. Running is not a de-stressor, an escape, or the most exciting part of my day. It is something I enjoy, and makes me feel better about life, but I still require motivation to get off my butt and do it. Maybe I always will, but for not at least I know what I need from running and that's enough.

I hope one day that I will be a runner. I mean, I'm not sure that I think of myself as a runner right now, even though I think sometimes I don't give myself enough credit...

So anyway, I am struggling with keeping all of these consistent together. On days when I am really good at one thing, I don't do the others, or don't do them exactly how I want. 

Multitasking life and drinking water are the worst. 

And the fact that the butterflies in my K class have hatched from their pupas and they keep flying around their butterfly cage and they are FREAKING ME OUT. Butterflies are also the worst.