Feature Friday- 5 Things That I Can't Run WITHOUT

FRIYAY FRIYAY...I'm so excited it's FRIYAY! Are you excited?!? Sunday is all about work for me this weekend, but Saturday is free as a bird and I have NO IDEA what I'm doing yet! I hope you have exciting plans for the weekend! Tell me what they are in the comments- maybe you'll inspire me! I've been running quite a bit lately (outside especially) and wanted to share with you 5 items that I cannot live without right now when I'm out on the roads!!

-Brooks Ghost 10. These shoes are INCREDIBLE. I just want 25 pairs of them and for Brooks to never replace them. They're amazing.

-Jaybird x3 Bluetooth Headphones. Switching to wireless headphones took some getting used to, but now I absolutely love them. So much nicer to adapt to something that doesn't have a cord hanging out from it! 

-Mittens. My fingers almost always get chilly on any winter run and so I carry around these ridiculous old ratty mittens that I bought well-over 10 years ago for mayyybe $10. They're polar fleece and ripped, but still my favorite. Light and comforting. No idea what brand they are and I'll spare you a photo because they're disgusting looking. 

- Point6 socks. Ski Socks are totally my jam right now and they're so great when I run on trails that are still partially covered with snow. 100% merino wool and sooo comfy, plus the fun designs don't hurt either ; )

-Garmin Forerunner 235. I will never go anywhere without this watch (including the shower) and I'm 100% OK with that! I love love loveee this watch. Not always completely accurate when you get out on a race course, but what can you expect?

No sponsored posts on this one today, but just wanted to share the gear that I'm digging right now! 

What gear are you loving?!

What are YOU doing this weekend?

Running long this weekend? How far?!

Feature Friday- 5 Songs On My PLAYLIST & 5 Things I'm NOT Doing This Weekend!

Happy Friday Friends! I hope you look forward to what Friday Funny Meme I'm going to post as much as I do (I clearly have very little to look forward to each week)! I've been taking a break from listening to podcasts as much on my runs and alternating between no music & music, so playlists have been a HUGE help on those harder work-outs I've had lately, SO I wanted to share with you 5 songs that are a must on my playlist right now. 

1. End Game Taylor Swift Ft Ed Sheeran & Future. I think I've been obsessed with this song since I saw Emma Coburn post this video on her instagram (anyone have a major #girlcrush on her like me?!?). 

2. Lose Yourself - Eminem. I know this one is an oldy, but I forgot how amazing it is to really power through a tough spot in a run. I think I listened to this song twice on my speed work-out on Wednesday....

3. Hypnotize- Biggie Smalls. This is also an oldy (sensing a theme here?), but this song kicks my butt and gets it going every. time. 

4. Start Me Up - Rolling Stones. This is one that I play at the beginning of EVERY race I do. Gosh it gets me excited just listening to it on a training day. 

5. Here's The Thing- Girl Talk. I love a great Girl Talk song and this one has a fantastic beat to do some hard 800 or 1200 repeats to (not that I exactly love 1200s, I'd prefer mile repeats over .75 mile repeats, but all speed work is still pretty fun...)

OK and here are 5 things I'm NOT doing this weekend because I'm getting all my chores done with before tomorrow (Saturday)! 

1. NO Laundry

2. No Cleaning

3. Not getting out of bed before 7am

4. Not thinking of work or things I have to do

5. Not limiting myself to one cup of coffee (because ample coffee & Saturday mornings are my favorite).

me tonight. 

What are you NOT doing this weekend? What are you filling your weekend with since you'll have so much extra time on your hands?

Songs on your playlist right now- any good recommendations?!

Friday Feature- Book Review

Happy Friday! I just got home from Denver last night and I am so exhausted! I'll post next week about what I ate in a day while traveling and also how my I was able to fit in my work-outs while also working a 50+ work week (spoiler alert: not easily!). I just recently finished The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and it was amazing!

It did take me a bit longer to finish this book (but in my defense, when you're working 45+ hours a week and reading mainly on the weeknights when I'm falling asleep & on Sunday afternoons, it's HARD to finish a book), but that definitely does NOT reflect how absolutely amazing it was. I've been on a kick of history books lately (although now I just started a fiction book and am loving it) and this one did not disappoint. I'm also pretty interested in the Underground Railroad itself and this book really gave me a great insight into a slaves journey from Georgia to the free states (and her many challenges along the way).

It does require staying focused on the characters, so might not be the best 'casual nighttime book' but it also is a page-turner! I was constantly wondering what Cora's (the main character) next steps would be and how she would get out of the situations she found herself in. I just cannot even imagine enduring everything she went through and still remaining strong towards her goal of reaching freedom. 

If you're a history buff, love anything related to the Underground Railroad, want a great non-fiction read, or are looking for a book that follows one characters tribulations and triumphs, then I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Now, for a weekend filled of reading, NOT working, skiing, cuddling with Alex and the animals, and ample amounts of hot cocoa. I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well!

What are you currently reading?

Ever read The Underground Railroad?

Plans for the weekend?!

Feature Friday- What I Ate In A Day

Happy FRIYAY! I hope you have something fun planned this weekend! I've got 2 x 8 mile runs on my schedule and am teaching skiing both Saturday & Sunday, so most of my weekend is already planned, but hopefully I'll get to fit in something fun one of those days. I wanted to share with you what I eat on a typical training day because nutrition is important! I've never been one to count calories, but I try to eat smaller meals (especially when training for a big race) every 2-3 hours and never limit myself to no sugary items or alcohol (but I'm not too into that stuff most of the time anyways). 

This is what I ate on Wednesday when I had a double workout (9 miles w/ 6 tempo miles in the AM & a Pilates Jumpboard Reformer class at my lunch break). I like to do my strength training days on my hard workout days to really fatigue my legs and keep my easy run days as a great recovery day. If I'm not working out hard (less than 70 minutes), I typically will only eat a banana before running in the morning (with my coffee & an 8 oz glass of water).

**I also consumed 4 * 32 ounces of water (plus maybe a little extra- not including my Nuun tablet & Natural Calm cup of hot water**

Before AM work-out: Coffee with a bit of Hazelnut Creamer/ Collagen Peptides (I LOVE this stuff) & Toast/Honey Almond Butter/ Half of a Banana & Caffeine-infused Active Nuun Mango Orange Tablet (I do this before my hard workout days)

After AM work-out: Starbucks Bacon, Cheddar, & Egg Sandwich & Beet/Spinach/Blackberry/Plain Greek Yogurt/Quarter of a Banana/ Cinnamon/ Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (I made a big batch of smoothies and then split them up throughout the whole week)

AM Snack Before Pilates Reformer: Run Fast Eat Slow Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies (I made these a few weeks ago and froze the ones I didn't eat right away) & Banana

Lunch: Chicken Sandwich (Canned Ground Chicken/ Light Mayo/ Sprouted Bread), Baby Carrots, Spinach w/ Balsamic Vinaigrette, & Almond Sea Salt Crackers PLUS a cute little beggar

PM Snack After Lunch: Luna Greek Yogurt Protein Berry Bar

Dinner: Brinner! Totally not pretty, but it was pretty tasty! 2 Eggs, Ketchup, 2 pieces of toast (butter/ 4 berry no-sugar-added jam), and 2 pieces of Bueler's Breakfast Sausage & Natural Calm Raspberry Lemon Hot Water

After-Dinner Snack: Chocolate Cashew Milk!

Feature Friday- 5 Ways I Get Myself Up Early To RUN & Maybe Snow?!

Happiest of Happiest Friday friends! We may actually get snow here this coming weekend, which is really exciting (although I truthfully have really loved being able to run outside with dry roads and not having to worry about driving in the snow...) because our ski mountain desperately needs some fresh new powder! While I no longer figure skate for myself (very much anyways..), I still LOVE to watch all of the International Competitions and tonight is the Ladies Freeskate (which will help determine who will be representing the US at the Winter Olympics this year). I look forward to this night every year and stock-pile with somewhat unhealthy dinner (think: nachos or mac 'n cheese or something equally cheesy and almost 0% veggie-related) and candy for the 2-hour event. I CANT WAIT. Normally I can convince Alex to watch it with me (he's such a great sport) and I think with the unhealthy food, he'll be ready to hunker down ; )

Because it is SO chilly and cold on the East Coast (sorry friends...) these past few weeks (and even snowy), I wanted to share with you 5 tips that I use to help get me out of bed early to run when it's cold and dark out. I'll be using a few of these tips this morning as I've got 10 miles to get in before 7:30! Hellooo.... 5AM wake-up call. 

1. Have a reward if you get your work-out in. It's normally a hot latte from Starbucks for me (I love their Hazelnut latte with Almond Milk) and this is also something that keeps me moving outside when it's cold and all I want to do is go back to the warmth of a treadmill.

2. Set a few alarms. Yeah, this works and it's annoying. I normally set 3 to go off every 5 minutes. By the third one, I'm so annoyed that I get out of bed just to make it stop. 

3. Set your workout clothes out the night before. If I do end up skipping my run in the morning, walking by those clothes later in the day really guilt-shames me. 

4. Set your coffee to go off in the morning. There is really nothing better than waking up and knowing that there is fresh pot of coffee downstairs waiting for you....

5. Get a kitten that likes to wake you up very early by biting your face off. This seems to work pretty well for me....

What are your weekend plans?

How do you get yourself out of bed for an early morning run in the morning? Any tips?