all over the place

It’s that kind of day for me today. Say a prayer for me today!

First off, OIAJ!

Been waiting to make OIAJ in this one for awhile, and then I went and scraped out the bottom for yesterday’s sandwich before I realized I should have kept a little in there! Darn it. It was still yummy anyway. Oats, half a banana, flax, milk, coconut and maple syrup.

Disclaimer: If you are reading this and you are MALE, proceed with caution. MUCH caution.

1. I’m not sure anyone blogs about their periods, or even if it’s kosher, but by gosh I’m going to do it anyway. I have been so stressed out this past month that my cycle started TWO WEEKS late. TWO WEEKS. That has never happened to this “regular-to-the-day-and-almost-hour” girl. That is some kind of stress, not to mention the additional stress brought on by not getting your period when you think you’re supposed to. Two negative pregnancy tests later…

2. It started. FINALLY. Guess that explains my ice cream binge in the kitchenette yesterday, as well as the violent mood swings I’m experiencing. And the “I-can’t-get-off-the-couch” depression this morning. And the 30-minute “I can’t find anything to wear” fit I had before going out to dinner the other night. But these are all (relatively) normal for me… Between the hormonal roller coaster and Midol’s pain- and mood-enhancing chemicals, I can’t tell which way is up.

3. Not to mention the fact that Andrew and I are both stressed beyond belief about our housing situation. Yet another thing I can’t even think straight about anymore. Yes, we’ve probably been too picky. But what else are we supposed to do? It’s a HOUSE.

4. Didn’t someone say you should never make big financial decisions during times of grief (usually in the case of a death in the family/inheritance, etc…)? It should probably include women’s menstrual cycles, too.

5. I’ve failed miserably at making good eating decisions. Basically, for the month since meeting my weight-loss goal, I’ve been hovering a good 3-5 pounds above it… Most of that, I think, is because my body has been trying to have a cycle for that long, too, so I’ve been experiencing all the period side-effects with no period. However, I’m not happy with my lack of self-control. I mean, why in the world would anyone keep eating after they are full? Like UNCOMFORTABLY full…? I blame the period.

6. I have my first two tests in school Monday. One in Biology and one in Anatomy and Physiology. I’m not stressed by them at all, really. Maybe I just have so much else going on that they seem like small potatoes. Or maybe it’s because it’s only Thursday.

7. I had intended to go to the gym today to lift and swim. I couldn’t drag myself there if I tried. Again, the period. I did, however, take Hadrian on an hour-long walk. It was nice, except for him wanting to chase squirrels. It’s also freezing here, by the way. Well, not freezing, but cold for September. Made for a nice walk. But I’m started to stress (great, more stress!) about us not getting any of our winter stuff from storage for at least another two months…

8. Speaking of Hadrian. We need a house, with a fence, and FAST. My grades in school depend on in. My sanity depends on it. The sanity of those in the rooms around us depend on it. Seriously, he’s either sleeping (which is a lot, I’ll admit) or pacing at the door. Or shoving his face in my face. Or barking whenever he hears people outside the door. And don’t even get me started on housekeeping. Every afternoon is a bark-fest when he can hear “housekeeping!” from down the hall…

9. We’re seeing a house Saturday. It’s new to the market and in the village and has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. I’m trying desperately not to get my hopes up, but it’s hard.

10. All these things, and more, have been swirling around in my head ALL MORNING. I HAD to get them out before I could focus on anything else…like chemistry.

we love rick’s

Rick’s on Main. It’s fantastic. We LOVE it. We’ve been three times since “moving” here, which averages out to about once a month. It’s certainly a splurge, but it’s so worth it. The food really is THAT good, and you cannot beat the atmosphere, especially if you sit outside (like we did) on a nice night. We were celebrating the meeting of my weight-loss goal and me going back to school. And we won’t have many more chances to sit outside around here, as the weather will cool off in less than a month…

We started out the evening on a mission: to take a new photo for my blog “gravatar,” which is the photo of me you see on the right. So, I got all dolled-up (Rick’s is nice, so I would have dressed up anyway, but I pulled out all the stops thinking my image last night might be posted on the internet for the world to see) and we started by taking some shots in Andrew’s parents; yard before leaving.

This is the best photo we got, and I wasn’t even smiling! Drat. Better luck next time. The lighting just wasn’t right.

We arrived at Rick’s and got a table outside. The temperature was in the upper 70s and beautiful. I ordered a glass of the Concannon Chardonnay, which the server said was only slightly dry, buttery with oak-y undertones. The last time I was at Rick’s I got a glass of the Lotus Chardonnay, which is crisper and fruiter. While I’m no wine expert, or even very knowledgeable for that matter, it was neat to taste a difference between the fruity, crisp wines I normally drink and the Concannon. It was incredibly smooth, and, well, buttery. It lacked the “bite” I’m used to, and I think I learned that I do prefer the crisper, fruitier wines. Next time: Lotus!

To start, we split the Pepper and Onion Stack. It was a fried yellow bell pepper bottom, topped with a fried poblano pepper ring (middle), topped with a fried onion ring. All this sat on tomatoes and fresh mozzarella drizzled with a balsamic reduction, which I ate most of. YUM. Inventive yet tame enough for Andrew.

We also split the Fall Creek Salad, which was Andrew’s choice. It was full of blueberries, strawberries, mandarin oranges and dried cranberries. My half also had feta, and this was served with three tiny wontons filled with cream cheese.

For dinner Andrew ordered the Espresso-dusted tenderloin, topped with fried shitake mushroom strips and sweet potato fries. I love that he likes sweet potato fries.

I was in the mood for salmon (I usually am at nice restaurants) and ordered the wild Coho salmon with yellow tomato and olive “relish”, atop a creamy garlic and asparagus risotto. INCREDIBLE. After our appetizer and salad, I wasn’t very hungry anymore (grrr), so I took much of this home. And the salmon fillet was GIANT. So, I’m looking forward to that for dinner tonight!

After dinner I was thinking about ice cream (Andrew had mentioned it earlier), why I’m not sure since I was FULL TO THE BRIM. Seriously, what is wrong with me?? Thankfully, Fowler’s is on their fall hours now, so they weren’t open, and Andrew suggested we walk to Taste for some late-night tea and coffee. He got a latte and I enjoyed a cup of warm ginger peach tea.

The jacket above is one of my best Goodwill finds; a Gap almost-brand-new navy blue blazer. LOVE IT.

a (half) marathon kind of morning

Whew! It’s not even noon and I’ve already done so much…

I decided to go for 13 miles this morning; it’s been quite a while since I’d run a half-marathon (last September, perhaps?) and the weather outside was perfect: mid-70s and overcast.

I’m not sure what came first; my eyes popping open at 6:18 a.m. or me hearing Hadrian’s collar clinking as he awoke. After taking him out and caffeinating myself, I powered up with this:

Kath would be so proud! It was 1/4 C oats, thinned with my new find So Delicious Coconut Milk, 1/2 banana, 1/2 C sliced strawberries, 4 oz. strawberry yogurt, 2 tbsp Wegmans granola and some flax seeds. It was awesome! I was a bit worried it would be a little heavy in my tummy for my run, but I had to fuel up somehow.

I devised a plan that would allow me to not carry anything on my run. I hate holding stuff, like a water bottle, while running. I would do 4-5 miles outside, then 3-4 miles inside on the treadmill while eating and drinking, then finish up the remaining miles outside again. I set my towel, water bottle and snack out by the door and headed outside. I did my 5-mile residential route near the hotel in 40:30 and quickly let myself back into the hotel.

I grabbed this, along with my water bottle and towel:

Susy found these awhile back and we ended up splitting a box of them that she ordered online. I only have two left! Instead of a goo or a gel, these are nickel-sized gummies you can chew while running. I’m not sure which I prefer (sport beans, goo or chews), but these certainly take a little while to eat. Goos are often thick and a little chalky, so I have to have water immediately after, but the upside of goo is that it’s super quick to take. I’ll have to do some recon around here to see where I can find an assortment of refueling options and pick up a couple soon. I used to think I didn’t need a gel or anything unless I was running a full marathon, but in reality, anytime I run ten or more miles, I make sure to take something around mile 4 or 5 to help keep me going.

Anyway… I hopped on the treadmill and set it for 7.7. I’m not sure what that equates to (this machine didn’t tell me what my pace per mile was), but I ended up doing 5 miles in 39 minutes–FAST! Thankfully, I got to talking to the guy next to me, who just relocated temporarily from Florida, so that helped kill the time.

I quickly dropped my towel and water bottle back off in the room and headed out for the remaining 3 miles. My legs were tired after such a fast pace on the treadmill, but I smiled to myself as I left the parking lot for the second time this morning, because I felt so good and strong and healthy. Despite my fatigue (ten-plus miles will do that to you no matter how well you refuel), I was definitely on a runner’s high.

I slowed a bit to about a 9-minute mile for my remaining three, but still felt good. It’s not often I run 13 miles. On a whim. By myself.

I was soaked, obviously, so I stretched and changed my clothes once back in the room, then headed BACK out to take Hadrian on a slow jaunt around the hotel. I downed a cup of the coconut milk and took this to go:

I was craving something chocolate-y and decadent after that run and knew I needed to start eating soon. I LOVE Luna bars. They taste great, and with only about 180 calories each, they are great snacks without being too much.

I figured out my time for this morning, and it is my fastest yet! My last actual half-marathons have all been almost exactly 2 hours, to the minute. My first one at that time was great, but later on I’d been training faster yet always crashed mid-race. Needless to say, my last couple half-marathons have been very disappointing. My time today: 1:46! As in ONE HOUR AND FORTY-SIX MINUTES! Holy cow! How did that happen? Well, losing 18 pounds doesn’t hurt, and I think I’ve come up with the reason I was always crashing. I always went out fast with Susy, and I just couldn’t maintain her speed. I’ve gotten faster, but I have to keep my pace strong and even to have energy left to finish the distance. For me, that’s about 8-minute miles, max.

After the walk, I whipped up some smoothies for Andrew (who got up just as I returned from my run) and myself:

I used the remaining half of my banana, 1/2 cups each of pineapple and frozen peaches and mango chunks, 1/4 C plain yogurt, 1/2 C coconut milk and flaxseed meal. YUM. Andrew got a strawberry-banana one with oats and flaxseed meal.

I’ve still to shower; between shake-making, dish-doing and now blogging, I feel kinda lazy right now! Well, I suppose “lazy” might not be the right word to describe me…

We’re having a low-key day today 🙂 Andrew has already fallen asleep on the couch in front of a gangster movie, and after a late lunch we’re going to head into EA to visit Abigail at work and borrow a cooler from his parents. Some friends of Andrew’s from work have invited us on a “beach” trip tomorrow, so I’m going to try to find a bathing suit today–all of mine are a bit big! Wish me luck…