A Lame Tuesday

I am exhausted.

No kidding. I am absolutely zapped of all energy. Last night's run was painful. Not necessarily hard, just painful. My hip started bothering me right off the bat, which is pretty unusual for me. Usually I just have a little soreness after my runs, but last night, OUCH. The whole five miles. So today, while I'd planned on going on a nice bike ride, I am enjoying a much needed night of rest.

Wanna know what my rest night looks like? Of course you do.

A little bit of this...

So maybe sometimes the little marshmallows
don't always make it into the hot chocolate. No shame here.

If you're gonna do hot chocolate, do it right. And OMG WHIPPED CREAM.

And of course a little bit of this...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one day of rest is enough to regain a little strength and give my hip a little break, because I really really really really really really really really really really really REALLY don't want to miss the next two day's runs. Also this cold just makes me want to cuddle with any and everything. Tonight it's me and my pillows. You're totally  jealous, I know.

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What's your favorite Tuesday night TV?
-New Girl and Giuliana & Bill!

Anyone else hurting/resting today?

Check back tomorrow for my Tuesday (now) Wednesday Top 10!

LOVE&HUGS,

Nat

Monday Mileage Goals and the Weirdest Lunch Ever

Happy Monday all! I thought I'd share a rough outline of my mileage goals for this week. It gives me one more reason not to slack off with my training. And for those of you who couldn't care less about my weekly mileage, here's a food pic:

WEIRDEST LUNCH EVER. (You may also notice the two Jurassic sized bites
already taken out of the bagel thin. I have no self control.)

I was craving veggies and carbs, and since I lazied out on my usual Sunday grocery run, it was leftover broccoli, spinach, and an everything bagel thin. So now that I am left craving fruits, protein and other normal mid-day meal contents I can assure you I will be stopping by Target the minute I finish my run tonight.

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I'm 18 days away from the 10K, and a actually little ahead of my half marathon training schedule, so (knock on wood) I'm feeling pretty good. So this is what I've got set up for this week:

Monday: 5 miles ('mill run)
Tuesday: Bike or Bodyflow Class
Wednesday: 4 miles ('mill run)
Thursday: 5 miles (trail run, yay!)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Run 6 miles (trail run)
Sunday: Easy long walk or 2 mile jog

So total weekly mileage goal= 20 miles (give or take depending on weather and the level of my exhaustion on Sunday.)

Does anyone else set their workout goals for the week? Or do you find yourself just going with the flow and doing whatever you feel like on a day to day basis?

Have you ever been forced to throw together a weird random lunch like mine? 
- Once in college, I came home to my best friend (roommate at the time of this story) cooking some ground beef on the stove. When I asked her what she was having for lunch, all she responded was, "Meat." Best lunch story EVER. And that is why we are best friends.

LOVE&HUGS,

Nat

3 things that suck about running

I love to run. Okay, some days I don't love to run. Yesterday was one of those days. Remember that vision of perfection Schlotzsky's sandwich that went down so smoothly for lunch yesterday? Well my four-miler that followed a few hours later almost resulted in the upchuck of all that honey chipotle goodness. About a half a mile into it, I could feel it. The wrath of my stomach ready to unleash itself all.over.thetreadmill. I pushed through all four miles. Brutal. I really didn't want to stop, and I really didn't want to postpone it and forfeit my beloved Sunday rest day. I was really just hoping that I could will it away with my mindpowers. Turns out my mindpower are weak or otherwise engaged because the second I hit the four mile mark I sprinted past  a dozen sweaty buff dudes to the gym locker room where I proceeded to gag on nothing and wait for the nausea to pass. So maybe no more foods that fall in greasy/savory category will be used for pre-run fuel. Message received, stomach. 

There are just some things that suck about running. 96% of the time it's awesome. The endorphins, the self-competition, the calorie burning, the mental benefits-great stuff y'all. But there are a few things I could do without. I am going to share them with you. In numbered list form. Because I'm organized like that. 

1. Goodbye Toenails

I love my feet. Not in a fetishy way. Calm down. But I am a girl that likes to have pretty feet. I'm the girl that gets the routine pedicure every two weeks. This has gone to complete and total crap with running. About a month after I started training for the half, I went to get a pedicure. It was glorious. The bubbles, the rubbing, there's nothing better. I over-tipped, took my happy feet home, and carried on about my week. Four days later, my feet looked  like this:

OMG. I know. I know.

Totally horrifying. Not to mention a waste of a perfectly good pedicure. While I'm not happy about it, I have come to accept it. I will probably never be the girl with the pretty feet again. But the upside to this is that it's saving me a good chunk of change, which I have chosen to spend supporting my chocolate chip addiction. 

2. My Grandma Hips

I've said it before, and I will say it again. I have bad hips. They pop and they ache. I don't know why, they just suck and I'm really interested in doing a trade-out for a new pair. I've tried a million different stretches and nothing really works. Whatever. Somehow I wound up with the hips of this lady:

Actually her hips are probably better than mine.

3. SOTHIRSTYALLTHETIME

I drink a ton of water. It's pretty much all I drink, except for the milk in my cereal and of course a little recreational alcohol. I don't drink sodas because they are too deliciously addicting and I'd rather spend my calories on a hamburger. On a normal day, I'm drinking at least five water bottles (about 85 ounces, and yes I pee all.the.time.) So you can imagine when I'm running this is multiplied by like five million. It makes me SO thirsty. So I'm drinking and drinking and peeing and peeing and it's a vicious cycle that they say is good for you but it's mainly just annoying. Not to mention trying to drink while running. Hats off to those of you that have it figured out. Because around a half a mile, the thirst hits, and I look like a flipping moron fumbling to grab my water bottle and chug while still breathing and running and trying not to die and it's just a total mess. I'm hoping that at some point this becomes easier. 

So those are my three. And those little annoyances are really not so bad. The pros definitely outweigh the cons when it comes to running. 

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This has been such a solid weekend. A perfect blend of laziness and fun and dancing. Lots of dancing. (That's probably not so good for my grandma hips either.) Last night I enjoyed a little girl's night out with a friend, which was a good excuse to tear the tags off a dress I impulse bought at Target about a month ago. 

(Recreational calories)

Okay when a band is called The Boogies and they
are all outfitted in either leotards or bell bottoms,
YOU HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE.

Well I'll be honest. I've been thinking about Chipotle the entire time I've been writing this so I'm going to go satisfy that craving. 

LOVE&HUGS,

Nat

Is this normal?

Imagine if you will, the most obnoxious sound you've ever heard. Got  it? Now, imagine that sound becoming the endless playlist for every single car ride you take with your sweet boyfriend.

Exhibit A:

Oh what are these contraptions you ask? Duck calls. That's right, duck calls. Why are they in the car you ask? For this:

I love him, but I may have to kill him.
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I'm having a gloriously lazy Saturday. We woke up early to make pit stops at Academy and Cabela's before Tay headed out to go duck hunting for the weekend. (Where, from what I hear, these appalling sounds are not only tolerated but highly praised. I) I decided to reward myself with lunch at Schlotzsky's. I've convinced myself that this is healthy, so please don't ruin it for me.

Because sandwiched between the layers
of turkey, bacon, and melted cheese is also lettuce.

I'm just about to start the wheel of productivity and go out for my run. I'm hoping that at some point the forces of my bed will propel me forward, because currently my will-power is at a level sub-zero.

LOVE&HUGS,

Nat

Friday Favorites

Favorite Song: 
Ho Hey by the Lumineers. Earlier this week I succeeded in singing this song so obnoxiously and repetitively that I was able to get it stuck in everyone's heads. Score for Natalie. Listen to it. You'll be in love. Promise.

You're my sweeetheeeeeeeaaaaaaaarrrtt.

Favorite Blog Obsession: 
Hungry Runner Girl Y'all. Totally OBSESSED. The perfect mix of hilarious and inspirational. It's the kindove blog that the entire time you're reading you're thinking "WE COULD BE BEST FRIENDS!" Read now, you will LOVE.

Favorite Running Highlight:
I'm so excited to say that last night, for the first time ever I ran 5 miles! So incredibly excited I can't stand it.

Yes that is my very cool phone-holdin
fanny-pack. I can't handle the armband kind.
My balancing abilities are already very questionable. 

Favorite Snack:
I can't get off my Fro-Yo kick. I am physically incapable. Crippled by my love of the fro. Topped with an startling amount of browniecookiedoughsprinklesm&msgranolachocolatesauce. (When I say it all slurred together as one word it only counts as one topping. Duh. I'm so healthy.)

See? Fruit.
(Okay, fine I know I have no self control. I would be
completely satisfied with a bowl containing nothing but toppings.)

Favorite Pin: 

In honor of the "supposed" upcoming cold front...

Haha. But seriously...

Happy Friday!! 

What is everyone up to this weekend?  I'm about to head out for a dinner and drinks with some of my absolute favorite people. Then tomorrow will consist of sleeping in, going for a long run, and then going out with friends. Bring it on weekend! 

LOVE&HUGS,

Nat

Let the countdown begin.

That's right y'all.

FREAK.ING.OUT.

I LOVE Christmas. If Christmas were a person we'd be in a constant make-out sesh. Please don't interpret that to be creepier than it was intended to be. It's only meant to be mildly creepy. I don't know why I'm still typing.

I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have a roommate who is obsessed with the holidays as I am. Since we both have such a deep appreciation for Christmas and all its awesomeness, we decided that come November, we were going to have a Christmas Condo Decorating fiesta. So, true to our word, last night was dedicated to Hobby Lobby, twinkle lights, Love Actually, Christmas shirts and lots of hot chocolate. Can you even fathom the level of fantastic that I am talking about??? Here, I'll help you:

Hamburgers aren't Christmasy, but they are
delicious. Not to mention buy one get one FREE. 

I know, I know, she's so adorable that it's painful.

Who doesn't love the HobLobs?

So after conquering the burgers and Christmas decor, we headed back home, and picked out a favorite Christmas classic. (Okay, so it may not be an actual It's a Wonderful Life type classic, but to all twenty-somethings and Hugh Grant lovers it may as well be.)

And then the hot chocolate drinking and decorating began. Y'all. I JUST LOVE CHRISTMAS SO FREAKING MUCH. At what age does this infatuation typically stop? I'm thinking never. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE! So lucky to call this place home!

Such a blast! Now we have a full two months to enjoy it :)

So tonight was the first time in a month that I went to the gym and hopped on the treadmill. Yes, the treadmill. I did not want to do it. Not even sort of a little bit. Running has been going so so well, and now with this stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid time change, I'm forced to actually put my gym membership to use and hop on the freaking treadmill. I'm no stranger to the treadmill. The gym used to be the only place I would run, and to be honest, the treadmill is where I got my running start. But now that I live in such an amazing place for running (I'm literally steps away from the most gorgeous trails) and the weather has been SO beautiful, I feel like being forced by daylight savings to run inside on a freaking conveyer belt is like taking a punch to the gut. But it really wasn't that bad. I put in four miles tonight, and if anything my biggest complaint is that it felt too easy. I do not mean that in a snobby way at all, believe me. I just mean that running outdoors on the trails forces me to learn how to pace myself instead of having the treadmill do it for me, and also it gives me a more realistic expectation for how these upcoming races are going to be. But whatever, I fit my run in, it felt great, and it just gives me something to look forward to with my long daytime runs on the weekend.

To close, I'd like to leave you with a little inspiration...

You're welcome ;)

LOVE&HUGS,

Nat

PS: Anyone watching X-Factor? I LOVEDLOVEDLOVED the auditions, and was trying so hard to get into it, but those live shows are seriously a TRAINWRECK. I'm holding out for one more week, but if Khloe and the gang can't pull it together I'm out. Because y'all there is some good Wednesday night TV to be watched. Okay bye for reals. 

An entire bag of chocolate chips never killed anyone

I can't stop eating chocolate chips. I can't remember the last time a day went by without me popping handful(s) of their semi-sweet goodness into my mouth like it's going out of style. I have a problem.

I also have another problem. It's called daylight savings and it's ruining my life. Don't the calendar-time-saving-official-people know that when it gets dark at 6pm I'm going to be asleep by seven??!!???! Seriously?!?!!??

(If you can't appreciate that then you are not my friend.)

I'm also seriously worried about it messing up my running routine. During the week I've been running right after I get off work, around 5:30, and one morning run on the weekends. Now that it's going to be getting dark by 6, I'm not sure what I'll do. I might just try to sneak out of work right at five and get running by 5:15, but once my mileages starts increasing a little more, that still won't get me enough time to get me home before dark. So, you see my dilemma. I could run in the morning, which usually isn't a problem, but I take a while to wake up, I take a while to run, and then because I'm 100% female, I take a reallylongwhile to get ready for the day. So now that the time has changed this week will consist of me playing with running at different times of the day to see what's going to work best for my training schedule. I could always revert back to the treadmill, but come on:

This?...

...versus this?

There is no comparison. And lately I've been seeing a ton of people out on the trails wearing their Cowtown shirts from last year, and it's sososo inspiring! If I wasn't totally slow and out of breath I would chase them down and sing their praises repeatedly. Seriously. I would do it.

I signed up for my very first race this week, the Toro Dash 10K on December 1st. I'm using it as a sort of halfway testing point to see how my training is going so far and to really just gauge my progress. It'll also be my first ever group run. I'm so excited. I'm really doing so much better than I thought I'd be doing at training. I've noticed that my pace has majorly improved, which honestly isn't even something I was looking to do, but it's a pleasant side-effect. My body is exhausted, but there is something about finishing a run that just gets my blood pumping. I'm pretty sure on more than one occasion when I've finished I've whisper-screamed "YES, I DID ITTTTTTT!" Which I'm sure is very creepy to the passersby who are innocently standing by waiting on their dogs to take a crap, but whatevs y'all.

My Tater-Tot was in California on a business trip this week, so I was more than happy for him to be home on Friday. Mainly because when he is gone there is no one to listen to my incessant rambling on about the Target clearance rack and what I ate for lunch. I know, he is a lucky lucky man. Remind him wont' you?? We spent Saturday shopping (go figure) and eating (again, go figure). Then today we met up with my mom and stepdad and went on a little wine tour/tasting. SO MUCH FUN. I repeat, SO MUCH FUN. 

At some point during the tasting, all of those cupcake
liners were full of chocolates. This did not last long.

Love him! But only for his looks.

I'm thinking that this whole wine tasting thing needs to become a weekly occurrence. Because let's be real, there is no such thing as too much wine.

Tomorrow my sweet roomie and I are dedicating our Monday night to some a serious Christmas decorating party. Yes, we know that it is 75 degrees out. And yes, we know that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas. Blah blah blah blah. We love Christmas and that is why we are roomie soulmates. Cannot wait.

Happy Sunday!

LOVELOVELOVE,

Nat