Feature Friday: 21 Questions I Need Answered & Another Book Review!

January 04, 2019 by Stacy McAllister in Feature Friday, Book Reviews

Wohooo it’s Friday! What a long short-week I had at work. It’s been so nice to be able to get out on my lunch break to run in the sunshine (also because it’s been way too cold to run in the early mornings) . Yesterday’s 8 miles were lovely and I’m excited to do my first ‘back to back’ longish runs today! I’ve got 12-14 miles on the schedule and will hopefully be able to run outside since it’s supposed to be a low of 10* I think?

I’m focusing on really slowing down for my easy runs, but still getting in those hills! I climbed 500’ yesterday, but hoping to get in a bit more today!

I thought it would be fun to list out 24 questions that I’ll answer, but I’d also love to have you answer too!

Where were you born? North Conway, NH
How old are you? 28
Favorite day of the week? Wednesday’s
Favorite ‘splurge’ after a running race? A burger & sweet potato fries!
Favorite thing to do when tapering? Mani/ Pedi
Favorite food? Any type of pasta & fresh rolls
Favorite dessert? Tiramisu
Ocean or lake? Ocean, but I also love lake houses!
Mountains or beach? Mountains
Favorite color? Buttercream yellow
Favorite smell? Freshly roasted coffee
Last meal on Earth? Napolian Pizza fresh in Italy
Favorite place you’ve traveled to? Either Yosemite or Italy!
Favorite season? Fall
Favorite TV show? Gilmore Girls
Favorite movie? Miracle
Last best book you’ve read? Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Favorite book? Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer
Best song ever? Dreams by Fleetwood Mac
Trails or Road? Trails!
Your favorite place to relax? In my heated blanket or outside on the trails far away from civilization

I’ve got another book review! I loved this book by Becky Wade! She describes her year of travel to various running communities throughout the world. I loved how she described each running culture & how different they all were. It’s a fun and quick read, but I really felt like I got to know the runners along the way. Definitely a great read for anyone who loves to travel and run!

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Give ME your 21 question answers!

Weekend Recap & Little Fires Everywhere Book Review!

December 17, 2018 by Stacy McAllister in Book Reviews, Weekend Things

Happy Monday! Gosh this weekend we had BEAUTIFUL weather here. It honestly felt like Spring (aka it was 35* degrees and we were all out there wearing shorts…i kid….kind of ; ) ….). How was the weather where you were?!? We didn’t end up going to Winter Park (we may on Christmas Day though!), but got in a bunch of fun activities here.

Flashback to Friday afternoon at the Library. I think I *may* have over-estimated my fast reading abilities! Let’s see how many of these I can read in the two week period before I can renew them…

HI Mapes! All stretched out watching the best Christmas movie (in my opinion…)- Christmas Vacation!

Accompanied by some Hot Cocoa with mini marshmellows…a must in hot cocoa!

We also had some fun re-decorating our tree thanks to Brady. We actually set it back up not just once, but TWICE this weekend. Also I took down some ornaments in hopes that may he’ll be less tempted to try to climb it and knock it down again…

Saturday morning I had Alex take some photos for me (of me running, wearing my 2018 medals, etc.) and we also went out for a walk. It was so lovely out, I never wanted to come back in!

Followed up my 5 mile run with some recovery jasyoga! Then we watched the Incredibles 2 after dinner (we had the Bison Chili from RFCFES cookbook).

Sunday morning breakfast! Eggs + Avocado = perfection.

Another run on Sunday midmorning, then we met up for a walk down by the lake. They actually groom the trails in the winter so it’s pretty easy to walk above the snow (in most parts) and also super fun to cross country ski on them!

Followed by a Sunday afternoon of baking Spelt Banana Bread, going to the gym to get my strength in, teaching skating, and then making some Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese with Broccoli!

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Book #17 of the year is complete! I LOVED Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. It took me a while (around 100 pages) to get into the story and then I honestly couldn’t get enough of it! I stayed up way too late many nights reading and becoming captivated by her storytelling. She does such a great job of laying the groundwork of the characters in the beginning that by the time a large event happens, you’re so invested. It takes place in a rural Ohio town following multiple storylines of characters, so there really is something for everyone to relate to in this story. There are mixed-emotions between two families and I found the story (at times) so ironic. I also had no idea how each “fire” was going to be set (and by which character)! So good until the very end. I also thought her narrative and overall language used was very similar to Jodi Picoult’s.

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Favorite Christmas Movie?

Hot cocoa—> what do you like in yours?

How do you like your eggs? —> normally scrambled with some spinach, onion, cheese, and a side of avocado!

More SNOW, The Best Soup Ever?, & Book Review!

December 07, 2018 by Stacy McAllister in Book Reviews

Happy Friday! What is the weather where you are? It came in snowing yesterday afternoon and didn’t stop for most of the night (definitely was not in the weather forecast too!). While I LOVE the snow, where we live now (about 30 minutes outside of town), it makes for a very long commute. Growing up in New England, they would cancel classes and people would be able to show up a few minutes late to work if the roads were really bad or icy - here in Colorado, drivers are CRAZY. Any condition, they drive so fast and pretend like an icy wind-swept snowstorm is just another bluebird day on the roads.

This pretty much accurately describes how I feel driving in the winter months here in CO.

At least the snow made for a beautiful 5 mile run yesterday afternoon though! I also clearly need to work on my photo taking skills mid-run. Definitely will not be winning any awards for this one!

Thank you to my STABILicers for making it a possibility to still run outside. Without you, I would be stuck indoors most days (or slipping and falling on the ice while attempting to run).

Made one of my favorite soups ever last night - Rainy Day Onion Soup! I got the recipe from this cookbook and it took 20 minutes from start-to-finish to make. So easy and also this cookbook- we have had an amazing meal from it every single time (no joke). It would make a great gift to a fellow runner in your life as well!

Got up early this morning to get in a nice 35 minutes of strength (at home), yoga, and 20 minutes of hiking on the treadmill! I got in a little over a mile in 20 minutes at 3.5mph and 10% incline. I'm on my way to building up my strength for my TBD 50-miler next year!

Also- Stella’s first selfie. She actually was just begging for my breakfast of granola, so it’s pretty easy to pose her when there’s food nearby ; )

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I finished my 16th book for 2018 last weekend and I can’t believe that I actually read this much this year (possibly the most I’ve read in a year in a really long time)! It really helps that we’ve started reading for ~30 minutes before bedtime- it helps me relax and fall asleep faster (than watching TV).

When Life Gives You Lululemons was a cute and fast-read. It actually had a few of the same characters that The Devil Wears Prada has, which I honestly had no idea that was book before it was a movie! This wasn’t my typical type of book that I like to read, but seems like it would be a great read for the beach or vacation. Something where you don’t have to think too much and can kind of just breeze through it.

It wasn’t a page-turner (by any means) and didn’t have a crazy plot (also I could kinda tell where it was leading before things actually happened), but certainly had some relatable parts (a lot of women wearing stretchy pants (i.e. “lululemon clothing”) worrying about their careers, sex-life with their S/O, or growing old/stale). I would give it 3 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed it and never found myself bored with the storyline, just not necessarily the type of book that i gravitate towards.

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Anyone else like reading before falling asleep?

Best last book you’ve read?

Favorite cookbook?!? —> Reading cookbooks is definitely also one of my favorite past-times. Yeah, I know. I’m weird.

Photos From Our Long Weekend & Shoe Dog Book Review

November 26, 2018 by Stacy McAllister in Book Reviews, Weekend Things

Happy Monday! How was your Holiday weekend? I cannot believe that it’s the last weekend in November?!? Also we got a BUNCH of snow Saturday- finally our first good snowstorm in what feels like at least two years. We couldn’t even remember getting this much snow last year at all. Today is also a great day because I’m going to start running again! I’m building back up slowly and for the next 4 weeks (basically until Christmas), my mileage won’t peak above 33 miles per week and I think the longest run I’ll have is 7 miles. Much needed break before I begin my marathon training for Eugene! Let’s catch up on the long weekend shall we and then I’ve got another book review for you too.

Gym time. Mainly lifting some lift weights, lots of lunges, ab work (most days during the week), and balance-related things (I’ll post my full strength workout tomorrow!).

Longest plank held EVER!! So close to getting my 4:00 plank hold goal for this month!

Made our own movie theater with some popcorn (we did it on the stovetop in a pan and it was both equally fun + scary) and candy! Rented Wonder Woman at our local library (it was blue-ray which made the quality even better and a free resource for us!).

Lots of kitty cuddles.

Working on another goal for the month! I crocheted a coaster!

Lots of snow on Saturday. We did a long snowy walk and then spent the rest of the day cuddled up by the fire. It was MUCH needed!

New training plan is ready to go for Eugene- following Hanson’s Marathon Method again. I’ll share my plan on Thursday with you and also my goals for the late-Spring race!

Shoe Dog By Phil Knight Book Review - 5/5 stars

Normally sports books are some of my favorite (also really love reading autobiographies), so I knew that once I was able to read this one it would be something I enjoyed. However, I had NO idea I would like it this much. I know sometimes that autobiographies (especially ones when the author is a ‘business tycoon’ may be filtered, so obviously everything read needs to be taken with a grain of salt) can be really ‘in favor’ of the author, however the story behind Nike is mind-blowing.

I had NO idea how his idea came to become (he also has an MBA, so I felt like I could relate to him on some level) Nike, how many times they almost went bankrupt, and how they made their ideas into reality. It also centers around Eugene/ Beaverton, OR (which is where my marathon will be held in April), which got me even more excited my race knowing more of the history behind the city (along with Nike itself).

I did think that the ending felt a bit rushed, but the entire journey from its fruitition to becoming a multi-million dollar company (and beyond by now) was amazing. Phil also blends in how running helped him brainstorm, relive stress, and work out business deals- also something I could easily relate to. This book was definitely a page-turner for me and I already can’t wait to re-read it (probably right before the marathon ; ) ….). I’ve never been a huge fan of Nike (and definitely still have some qualms), however this did provide me some appreciation for it!

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Ever read Shoe Dog?

Five things you did this weekend?

Snow- do you love it?! Anyone else get a snowstorm this weekend?