Races I Plan to Run in 2013

1. Stockadathon. I’ve registered and trained for this race twice, and have still yet to run it.  It’s a local 15K in the colder months, and I am bound and determined to actually complete the race this year.
2. Capital District YMCA Scotia-Glenville 5K.  It’s my favorite 5K to run for a handful of reasons and managed to reach a 5K PR the last time I ran this race in 2011.  I spent last Friday night making a 10-week training plan to have me on the road to #PRorBust territory again this July. [and I’ve convinced Alicia to run it with me, too!] I started my training on Saturday and am feeling extremely motivated to have a strong training.  I haven’t worked towards a running goal this seriously in a long time and I’m pumped to see what I can prove to myself I can do!

Realized on Saturday’s Training Run

1. There is a 5K in my neighborhood each May which I didn’t ever know about. I ran into it on Saturday while I was trying to time myself on the same course to see where I am for my #PRorBust I’m planning for July.  Everyone racing, spectating, and volunteering were incredibly friendly and continued to show me the runners-love even after I admitted to each one that I wasn’t a part of the race. [I kept to the sidewalks while the racers were on the road and turned down water from the awesome women running the table who continued to cheer for my training run because “it’s just as important as a race.”  Love the local running community. 
2. The first several runs of 2013, I was wearing the wrong shoes.  I purchased new running shoes in April of 2012.  I was a very casual runner for the remainder of the year, probably only adding about 60 miles or so to my log. ( I ran two races in 2012 and only recapped one of them.  That’s how casual I was feeling about it )  After the snow melted and I started running again, I kinda forgot about my new shoes, which were tucked back in a corner of my closet, and was wearing a much more worn out pair of kicks. Oh vey! Needless to say, I was reminded at what a difference young shoes can make to the enjoyment of your running!

 

“Spicy” Recipes I Made [and LOVED!] Last Week

1. Spicy Roasted Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese from the Comfort of Cooking. [spice is totally adjustable in this recipe and loved all the bright colored veggies in this dish!]
2. Healthy & Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs from Danica’s Daily guest post on Meals and Moves.  Only I used turkey instead of chicken and did a horrible job at paying attention to the meatballs during the pre-baking pan-frying process and ended up just turning the meatballs into a sort of Buffalo Turkey Sloppy Joe type situation, serving on rolls.  I then used the leftover meat in my lunch for the week, filling my favorite whole wheat tortillas (more on those in a second) with sticks a spoonful of meat, celery sticks, spinach, and blue cheese.  So easy to prepare at the office and totally satisfying!

Archer Farms Products I’m Crazy for at the Moment

1. Whole Wheat Tortillas . I never really noticed a significant difference in taste, texture and quality of tortillas before trying these; I simply just purchased whatever whole grain tortilla I could find that was most affordable.  I picked these up on a whim when I was on a recent Target shopping spree [ahem.] and am HOOKED.  So tasty.
2. Dark Chocolate Espresso Trail Mix.  GUYS. This bag is filled with chocolate-covered and praline almonds, mocha pecans, chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and chocolate-covered coffee beans.  I am rationing myself on this stuff because I could seriously eat most of the 11 oz bag in one sitting if I wasn’t careful.

  

Things I Love about my New Favorite Local Establishment, The Van Dyke

1. The bar at the Van Dyke is the place I first discovered my drink of Summer 2013, grapefruit vodka and soda.  I tried a mixed drink on the cocktail menu my first visit to the Van Dyke, which was bright pink, super sweet and juice filled.  For my second round I wanted something a bit less sweet and asked for the finlandia grapefruit with sprite. I was blown away by how delicious it was; crisp and refreshing, for certain!  I’ve visited a few other local bars over the past several weeks and haven’t found another spot that has the finlandia yet. [most places I visit have Absolute Ruby Red…including my own freezer.]  It’s definitely my favorite of the grapefruit vodkas I’ve had so far, though and I plan to keep a list of all the places in CDNY that have a bottle of the Finlandia on hand as I learn about them.
2. The food is ridiculous. As in, ridiculously amazing.  Everything I’ve had [did I mention we’ve been here FIVE times for work functions since the end of April?] has been cooked to perfection.  The menu is filled with great sounding dishes that reach beyond the traditional pub food; they’ve fancied up popular dinner table favorites.  My favorite dishes so far have been an AMAZING pulled pork Panini which includes in-house brewed beer bbq sauce and blue cheese coleslaw with the tender pork, grilled together to make something magical for your tastebuds, and a Kobe burger topped with pickled onions.  And a bunch of the vegetables used at the Van Dyke come from local farms, to boot.

Upcoming Challenge I’m Stoked For

1. Super Summer Challenge hosted by Cassie at Back to Her Roots.  I was so excited when I saw this challenge show up on one of the best executed blogs in our community (in my humble opinion) that I instantly emailed the link to a handful of friends I thought would be on board, too.  The whole challenge seems to fit perfectly in line with my quest to Make One Healthy Decision. Now Make Another. and I could really use the community encouragement and support to make healthy mind and body decisions all summer long!
2. A June Photo a Day challenge.  I have no idea WHICH challenge I plan to partake in, but I’ve been wanting to participate in one of these since I first saw a friend sharing their own instagram photso through their twitter feed, what seems like forever ago!  Now that I officially have a working Instagram account, you can bet your bippy I’ll find a fun snap-that-photo activity for next month.  Any suggestions?

 

Necklaces I Was Gifted for My 30th Birthday

1. Stronger than Yesterday from Bama Ry.  I have so many Bama Ry items in my Etsy wishlist. I love the gorgeousness Jasmine creates!
2. That gorgeous little black and white number has seemed to already become my standard for wearing to the office.  It hits the perfect spot on my neckline to work well with crew and v-neck, and because I wear a lot of black and grey to the office, it always matches perfectly.  LOVE it.

Savvy Recipes I’m Eager to Make

1. Chorizo Nachos.  I want to host a fiesta and serve these with these ridiculously refreshing Blueberry Margaritas.
2. German Chocolate Cake. Who has a birthday that needs some deliciousness?