Bethlehem Birthday Weekend

Turning 36 has been pretty great so far.  I don't know why I never thought to drag out my birthday celebration over an entire week before?!  Genius.  It was nice to have a few extra days off this weekend to visit with extended family and friends that I don't see often. 

The weekend started off with me driving up Interstate 95 in a snowstorm Friday morning?!  The first day of Spring brought 3-6 inches of snow from MD to PA.  It was weird.  It felt more like the middle of winter but whatever.  I am holding fast to the notion that Spring is here despite the bipolar tendencies of Mother Nature.

On Saturday, my parents took me out for a delicious Italian meal.  It was full of carbs which proved to be integral to my long run the next day.  I mean, Italians really know what they're doing when it comes to carb loading.  Behold:

My mom got a smartphone last year and she really loves taking pics with her phone now.  Therefore, she felt the need to document me eating dinner:

 

 

She also knows how to put fancy filters on her photos.  Look at those SKILLS!  The restaurant told us they were just starting to feature Vegan Treats on their menu and they gave me one gratis for my bday!  Just winning all around at that meal.  I love that local businesses are featuring my beloved bakery. 

After that giant meal, I went to visit one of my best friends and her family.  I got to hang out with her kiddos, including the new baby!  Who despite being 1 month old now still looks just as tiny as when I first met her.

I have no idea how we knew to coordinate our outfits.  We must be psychically connected.  My friend also surprised me with a non-dairy birthday cake!  I never forget that I have the best friends in the entire world.

On Sunday I knew I needed to get a long run in.  Last week I did 10 so anything greater than that was fair game.  It was pretty cold and windy in PA but my running felt really good that day so I decided to go for the whole 13 to get an idea of where I was time wise.  Not too shabby Bean.  Not too shabby at all.  The one thing I forgot to do here was put some fuel at the halfway point or in my pants (#twss) so by mile 11 I definitely felt like I needed some glucose.  Next time!

 

I came back from that run to the smell of my mom's homemade sauce on the stove.  She was having our extended family and friends over for yet MORE birthday celebrating!  The good thing about having multiple birthday cakes is that you get MULTIPLE wishes! Am I right?! 

 

Sunday dinner featured (what else) MORE pasta, sausage, stuffed shells (def NOT vegan), garlic bread, salad, bean dip, artichoke dip, and shrimp cocktail.  If you are a part of my family, or if you are invited to a family gathering, there is 0 chance you will ever be hungry.  I'm pretty sure Italians think eating can cure any ill.  You have a headache?  Eat something.  Stomachache?  Eat something?  The flu?  You better eat something.  HAHAHA  That's my mom on repeat. 

 

 

I had lots of help from all my cousins, nieces and nephews blowing out those candles. 

 

And to top off that epic weekend of family, friends and eating, I stopped at Vegan Treats to get the bubblegum ice cream they featured for me that weekend!

 

I hate to admit this, but it was TOO sweet for me.  I hadn't had bubblegum ice cream since I was a kid, so I guess it's not a stretch to say my taste buds have changed since then.  This got me thinking about memories and the way we perceive things in our past.  I think memories have a way of endearing themselves to you, and making things sometime seem more perfect and rosy than they actually were.  This little ice cream reminded me that it's important to stay in the PRESENT and experience things as they are NOW, instead of pining for the way things WERE.  You can never go back in time, and there's probably a reason for that.  Thank you deep spiritual guru soft serve.

Well, I think it's time I finally conclude my birthday celebrations, as well as this post.  I've been rambling forever.  I hope you had a great weekend and encourage you to celebrate your next birthday as many times as possible!


Does your family celebrate special occasions with giant meals?!

Do you think you sometimes see the past through rose-colored glasses?





Half Marathon #5 Recap: Lehigh Valley/VIA Half Marathon

Well, this pretty much sums up my weekend:

My heart was so so full after the past few days.  The race went really well for both my sister and me, I ate countless vegan treats, I saw two of my very best friends, AND I got a new niece!  How does one person even deserve all this goodness?!  I don't know but I'm thanking my lucky stars. 

First up, race recap. 

Weather:  Our prayers were answered because the weather did a complete 180 from Saturday to Sunday, so thank you to everyone who sent up silent little intentions for us!  Sunday in PA was HOT, hot, hot, and extremely humid.  In fact, dozens of runners were treated for heat illness at Saturday's Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon in Lancaster on Saturday.  My thoughts were definitely with everyone participating in the race that day as I knew how difficult and dangerous the weather was.  My sister and I were understandably pretty apprehensive about the weather for the following morning, but by some stroke of incredible luck (the Universe looking out for us!), a strong front of thunderstorms rolled in late Saturday night and cooled things off.  When we got up Sunday morning the temps were in the 60's!  The humidity was still really high (85%) at the start of the race, but the cooler temps were incredible. 

Pre-race fuel:  My sister decided to sleep over my parents' house the night before since the race was early (7am) and their house was closer to the starting line.  This means I lucked out in the food department, because she cooked us a delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner from scratch!  It certainly beats the jar of Prego sauce I usually eat on my pasta the night before a race (I am the worst Italian ever).  I also stopped by Vegan Treats while I was home and had some Speculoos (ie. "cookie butter") and Brownie Batter vegan soft serve.  Probably the most incredible combo in the entire world.  I really wish you could taste this through the screen because it was beyond perfect.

Race day morning I had a plain untoasted blueberry bagel, a bottle of water and 1/2 bottle of Gatorade. 

Me and my sis pre-race.  AKA 6am.

The race:  Race start was early at 7am, but I'm thankful for this because the day did end up getting pretty hot by the afternoon.  The only pre-race glitch I experienced was that I hit the start on my Garmin a bit late and it took FORever to find a signal.  This is something I've experienced off and on with my Forerunner 10.  Sometimes it searches and searches and gets stuck and I have to start the process over again.  Annnnnnnnd this is what happened at the start of the race!  Anyone else ever have this issue with this watch?  So I have no idea how many minutes into the race it finally found the signal and started tracking (4 mins? 5 mins?) but that kind of threw me off the first mile or so. At least I was still getting splits but they weren't at race mile markers.  My first mile pace was 9:27 and the rest were all between 9:21 and 9:01 except the last three miles which ranged between 8:45 and 8:51.  So I did a pretty good job of negative splitting. 

The course was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  It was mostly what I would consider a trail race because we were running on a dirt/gravel path along the river for almost the entire thing.  Much much different than the road races I usually run.  The surroundings were serene and shaded and I loved it.  Also, the surface was much more forgiving on your legs.  It was only at the end of the race when we got back on the concrete and asphalt that I noticed how much harder it felt on my legs.  (Note to self:  Need to find more trails to run on.) 

I felt really really good the entire race, which is both a good and a bad thing.  Good because I felt strong and had no pain or breathing issues, but bad because I think I was 'too comfortable'.  At the end of every race, I always say 'I could've gone faster'.  Any why don't I?  Simply put, because I don't like being uncomfortable.  I feel like I don't ever push myself hard enough in a race situation.  Sarah recently wrote a post on getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.  In order to see results (in running, life, or any endeavor), you can't stay in your comfort zone.  It doesn't work that way.  But this is often what most of us do.  When I'm running, if I start pushing and start feeling a bit uncomfortable, I always pull back.  I think I'm afraid that I won't finish or I'll burn out if I push too hard, but ultimately, I end up psyching myself out.  If I don't push, my race times won't improve.  This unfortunately is how I often approach life situations.  I feel like I push myself just to the brink of being uncomfortable and then pull back.  Afraid of failure.  Afraid that I won't make it and so to save face, I just stay where I'm comfortable.  No bueno Jilly.  Ain't nobody got time for that kind of behavior.  Time for me to start getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable in ALL situations or I'll never reach my full potential.

Results:  Official finish 1:59.  Squeaked in just under 2 hours!  Yeehaw!  My PR is 1:58 but that was for a MUCH hillier course at the Runner's World Half last year.  So I conceivably should have run this flat course much faster.  I think the warmer temps of this race compared to that one and my shorter training cycle played a part, but I also know I could have pushed my pace a bit harder. 

Other result info:  Overall finish - 362nd of 1,001.  Female finish - 163rd of 628.  Age group finish (35-39) - 31st of 104. 

My sis had a HUGE PR and finished 9 mins faster than her first half marathon! Whoo hooo!

Other notes:  I have had NO SHIN PAIN this entire training cycle!  If you know my history, you know how long I've fought with my recurring shin splints.  I've tried so many things through the years, but I think the Spenco insoles I got from Charm City Run may have finally solved the problem.  I don't know why no one ever recommended I try insoles for my hella high arches before but once again I am thanking my lucky stars that the staff at Charm City finally helped me.  This was the first half marathon I was able to run sans compression sleeves and it felt incredible to have NAKED legs this time around!

I didn't think the weekend could get any better, but later that afternoon my mom called from Atlanta to tell us that my sister had the baby!  I now have a brand new beautiful niece.  Meet our family's newest little slice of heaven:

Jillyruns/IG

When I got back to Baltimore late Sunday, I was almost overcome with feelings of warmth and goodness.  Everything just came together this weekend and there were so many unexpected blessings, small and large.  Sometimes I get down on myself about the things I don't have or haven't accomplished so far in my life (hey, I'm human), but then there are days like these when I realize how fortunate I really am.  A day with running, a new baby and vegan treats honestly felt like winning the lottery.  LIFE IS GOOD my friends!


**If you haven't entered my AMRAP Protein Bar Giveaway hop on over there!  Three winners will be chosen on Thursday!



How was your weekend?!

Any races?

What are you thankful for these days?

Weekend Food Adventures

Something happened this weekend that made me feel like a 'real blogger'.  I HAD FROYO!!!  It's no secret I've felt 'less than' in the blogger world because I don't drink coffee and I don't eat froyo.  Well cross the latter off the list because this weekend I had some frozen yogurt for the first time ever...and I didn't die.  How is this possible, you may ask?  Well this was no ordinary dairy-filled froyo.  Nope.  It was almond milk frozen yogurt!  Can you believe this even exists?  Oh what an extraordinary age we live in these days.  But let's back up a minute and I'll tell you how this whole food adventure unfolded.

On Friday I worked from 7am-4pm and then I had a 2 hour break before my 2nd job (I know, my life is kind of insane right now!).  So, I decided to make the best of the little 'me time' I had and explore a new-to-me area of Baltimore in the neighborhood near my job. 

I headed over to Belvedere Square, which is a little market area of shops and restaurants.  I had actually been there once before, a few years ago, to attend an event my friend hosted about her farm's summer produce co-op.  However I had never eaten there or walked around.  This same friend used to work at a farm-to-table shop in the Square called Atwater's.  She would tell me regularly how wonderful the food and soups were and yet, I never ate there.  WHY?!  Why oh why did I never trek over to that side of town for this food.  I was blown away by my meal on Friday. 

Photo credit via artiosretail.com

Atwater's feels like a mixture of a farmers market, produce stand, café, sandwich and cheese shop and bakery all rolled into one!  There are various rustic counters set up around the giant store, all offering something different.  You can order gourmet sandwiches and soups at one, coffee at another, homemade ice cream at another, homemade bread at yet another, and even a few more.  What I did know about Atwater's from my friend is that they source most of their food from local farms in Pennsylvania and Maryland, one of the reasons why she loved working there.  This goes for the food they make and serve in the restaurant, but you can also purchase fresh produce and goods like honey and jam that come from local farms as well!  It's really an incredible place.  There was also a counter serving local organic beer!  I picked up a menu (which changes regularly) and had a really tough time deciding between soup, a salad or a sandwich.  Everything just looked so wonderful.  I finally decided on a vegetarian sandwich that I'll admit sounded kind of strange, but also strangely intrigued me - the Sweet Potato and Hummus on Ciabatta.

The sandwich had two huge slices of creamy sweet potato, fresh hummus, local leaf lettuce, cucumber slices and homemade black olive tapenade on a fresh baked ciabatta roll (it also came with cheese which I obvs nixed).  Behold the beauty:

Jillyruns on Instagram

It's hard to even describe how all of the different flavors in this sandwich came together, but the end result was just insanely good!  Their homemade pickle was also delicious (I LOVE pickles).  For ethical reasons, I've recently been trying to cut back on the meat I eat.  Lately, I'm beginning to see how much variety, goodness and flavor can be had in a vegetarian diet.

After I finished eating, I got up and walked around the shop.  There were so many wonderful wares to purchase, but alas I am on a budget so I settled on some local blueberry honey.  I love putting honey in my tea and liked the idea of supporting a farm for some real honey, instead of that processed stuff they sell at the grocery store.

 

 

I still had a little bit of time before I had to be at my babysitting job, and I noticed there was a TCBY across the street.  Now normally, there would be no reason for me to set foot inside a yogurt establishment but I had heard that they now served a non dairy option made with Silk almond milk.  Perfect!  Upon entering I asked the friendly lady at the counter if they did indeed serve this and she said they did!  Yippee.  On this day they were serving Silk Chocolate Almond flavor.  She let me sample it and I liked it so I told her I would take a small cup.  I had no idea you are actually supposed to just fill up your own cup with whatever flavors and toppings you want and then pay for it at the end according to weight?!  You can tell I've never bought froyo before.  I just got a small bit and then decided to go for some sprinkles on top because why not?  I told her I actually wanted to try the vanilla flavor too and she said they had some ready in the To-Go case, so I also bought a small container of vanilla to take home! 

 

 

 

So my overall verdict on froyo?  Well, I'm going to go against the blogging grain once again, because I don't think it's nearly as good as non-dairy ice cream.  GASP!  The consistency is thinner, grainier and more watery.  And it feels like they overcompensate for the lack of fat by making it extra sweet.  I'm guessing this is also the case with regular froyo, but I don't know, so please tell me!  It's not terrible, but I'd definitely take some non dairy soft serve from Vegan Treats any day over froyo.  I think I will probably still eat it once in awhile, now that I know it exists, but I'd really love if I could find a vegan bakery comparable to Vegan Treats in Baltimore that served ice cream.  That would truly be nirvana.  Maybe I can convince them to let me manage a branch here in Baltimore! Dream job - just putting it out there!  (hint, hint)

 

Feeling oh so satisfied after my two hour break and nourished from all the delicious food, I put on my Super Nanny cape and headed off to work :)

 

 

How was your weekend?  Did you eat anything super delicious?

 

If you are a froyo fan, I'd love to know what you love about it!  And do you like it more than ice cream?

 





 

Thankful Thursday - Part 4

So much to be thankful for again this week.  This has been a busy, busy week for me.  It started out with a weekend in Pennsylvania to celebrate two very important birthdays (see below), several days of boot camp, and lots of other appointments - some last minute.  I can definitely feel that the holiday rush has already started.  Before things get too crazy over the next month, I'm glad I'm taking the time to slow down and notice all the blessings that surround me. 

One of my goals for next year (ohhhhhh there are many!) is to try to incorporate meditation into my life.  I actually signed up for Deepak Chopra and Oprah's 21 Day Meditation Challenge as a way to kick this off, and although I've been reading the emails and thinking about the daily mantra's, I unfortunately haven't even tried to meditate once.  At least I am headed in the right direction.  Baby steps.

Now, let's jump right into this week's gratitude list, shall we?

November 15 - This is the day I headed back home to PA.  And where do you think one of my first stops was when I got there?  Vegan Treats!  I am so thankful that this delicious, beautiful, little slice of heaven exists in Bethlehem.  I stop by for something pretty much every time I am in town.  This evening it was chocolate soft serve:

 

 

 

November 16 - Today I was lucky enough to celebrate this marvelous girl's 11th birthday!  She is the stepdaughter of one of my very best friends in the world and I have known her since she was about 2 or 3 years old?  My word, that's 9 years!  It has been pretty incredible to watch her grow up.  She is incredibly smart (like is probably better at puzzles and brain teasers than me!), plays the piano beautifully, is a star cheerleader, and learned Cups before I even knew what that was!  Just a vibrant, sweet girl and I'm so glad to know her!

 

Jillyruns on Instagram

 

 

November 17 - Another birthday party!  What what.  Party animal right here!  Haha  Today I was so lucky to also be able to celebrate my nephew's 3rd birthday.  My sister planned the party of the century at a ski lodge back home, complete with a photo booth, Mickey Mouse bounce house, giant piñata, catered buffet, OPEN BAR (what?!) and a huge array of homemade, Pinterest-worthy cupcakes and desserts (including some vegan fudge for me)!  Oh and about 30 other little kids!  I can't believe my nephew is 3.  It seems like just yesterday he was a baby, and now he's walking around like a little man.  He's the sweetest boy I know.  So curious, polite, and loving to everyone he meets.  I love him to the moon and back.  Here are a few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

November 18 - Today I am thankful for Love, in all it's many forms, and from every single person I feel it from and give it to.  Today I was asked by a 4 year old "Do you love me?".  To which I wholeheartedly answered "Yes I do!".  I was reminded that even at a very young age, we know what love is, we need it and we respond to it. 



 

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November 19 - Big salads!!  "It's a salad, only bigger, with lots of stuff in it." (Elaine, from Seinfeld)

Every once in awhile, I treat myself to the salad bar at my local grocery store when I do my shopping because it's always really good and very fresh.  Today's salad included: spinach, spring mix, mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, chickpeas, tomatoes, red pepper, olives, and sunflower seeds.  Vegan and dairy free.  YUM!

 

 







November 20 - Boot camp!  I'm loving it so much.  I am so energized after each workout.  It's like Christmas morning every time I go to class because I have no idea what to expect.  I love the instructor, the people, the new moves I learn each time and the soreness!  It's all that I thought it would be and more, and exactly what I wanted to do during this off season from training.

 

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November 21 - My morning walks.  Because there is something so renewing about nature.  Because I'm walking at a slower pace than I run and I have no headphones, I am able to notice everything around me so much more.  The crispness in the air lately is just adding to my good feelings.  I hear the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet, I smell houses with wood burning fires, I hear birds everywhere (this morning I saw so many cardinals and one very vocal blue jay!) and I see squirrels foraging their rations away for winter.  The animals and plants have so much going on behind the scenes than we ever notice, even in the city.

 



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How has your week been?

 

What's on your gratitude list lately?

 

 

 

 

Friday Faves - FOOD Edition!

It's been awhile since I've done a Friday Favorites post and since I'm in recovery/eating mode this week I thought I'd post about some great food items I'm enjoying lately.  Let's dig in (I hope you're not hungry!)...


1.  For breakfast, I discovered this incredible Nature's Path Coconut Chia Granola cereal.  In one of my previous Friday Faves posts, I revealed how much I love coconut flavored anything.  This is still the case.  I happened upon this new cereal by chance, while strolling down the 'natural foods' section of my grocery store.  I like that it's organic, non-GMO and vegan.  It also contains very little sugar (only 9g per serving) and 45% of your RDV of Omega-3's.  But despite how healthy it is, it is SO good.  There are huge chunks of dried coconut in it.  Mmmm. 

 

 

 

2.  Snack time!  I came across these Raw Revolution bars a few weeks ago while stocking up on my Kind Bars.  These are also vegan, organic and non-GMO.  In addition, they contain 7g of protein and are also pretty low in sugar.  The Spirulina Dream flavor does taste a little 'green' from the spirulina algae but I like the taste.  And the Chocolate Coconut Bliss is a definite win.  I always keep bars like this in my purse for snacking on the go and I'm so glad I have a few new options now. 

 

 

 

 

3.  Juice!  This one is not a new discovery, but it's been awhile since I've purchased it.  I discovered Sambazon Acai Juice a few years ago at Whole Foods.  When I worked downtown I would often walk to Whole Foods to pick up a salad and some of this yummy juice for lunch.  It's a bit pricey which is why I haven't purchased any lately, but my local grocery store had a sale on the large bottles this week so I splurged.  I've tried other brands of Acai juice but Sambazon original is still my favorite.  Do you drink Acai?  It's a touted superfood, but I just really love the flavor of Acai.  I even found an Acai sorbet at Wegmans this past summer.  I'll write that one up on a Friday Faves soon!

 

 

 

4.  Dinner time!  I don't think I've really mentioned in past posts how much I love seafood.  And I think I even left out that one of my favorite foods is crab.  I could eat snow crab legs for days, and in fact I did, when I was in Myrtle Beach last month.  However, this particular snippet is devoted to Mussels!  When I was in Belgium a few years ago, I sampled a very traditional Belgian dish called Moules-frites, which means 'mussels & fries'.  I'd had mussels before that trip, but only as part of Italian pasta dishes.  Well, after eating moules-frites, I unleashed a new found appreciation for savoring mussels all by themselves.

So, a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon these vacuum packed frozen mussels at my local grocery store and I have been eating them nonstop.  There are a couple things I love about them.  First, the bag contains just mussels, no sauce, no butter - so it fits with my non-dairy lifestyle.  Secondly, you can actually steam them in the bag, in the microwave!  For someone whose domestic skills are seriously lacking, this is heaven.  This bag says it contains 3 servings but that's hogwash.  For dinner, I steam and eat the entire bag myself.  Each serving contains 33% of your daily iron requirement, so I'm getting 99% of my iron in one meal!  Plus, there are 18g of protein in each serving, which means that's 54g all for me.  Watch out for my new Popeye muscles.

 

 

 

5.  Treat time!  Since Halloween is upon us, I thought I'd throw some candy in here.  Candy is still 'food' right?!  I know I've mentioned a few times one of the foods I really miss from my childhood when I could eat dairy was Snickers bars!  Seems trivial I know, but oh how I loved them. Anyway, a few years ago, I discovered that these Goldberg's Peanut Chews were VEGAN!  Who knew?  And they taste somewhat similar to Snickers.  These are made with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, and instead of caramel as the filler, they contain molasses.  So they're not exactly the same, but they are really good!  I wouldn't consider these healthy, although nuts and dark chocolate are supposed to be good for you right?! 

 

 

 

 

6.  Another dessert!  I had to throw this one in there.  One of my favorite places to eat when I make trips back home to Bethlehem is Vegan Treats.  It is an amazing vegan bakery with it's storefront in Bethlehem, but it also has a large catering business and supplies baked goods to restaurants up and down the East Coast from NYC to DC.  Well, this weekend after the RWHalf, I stopped in to treat myself to some tasty vegan soft serve and I was rewarded with one of the most sublime, heavenly, tastiest things I think I've ever eaten in my life - Cheesecake flavored vegan ice cream.  I actually have no recollection of what cheesecake even tastes like anymore, and I'm not even sure I liked it as a child, but I could probably eat this ice cream every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of it.  I wish I could describe the flavor accurately to you dairy-eaters.  It wasn't overly sweet, but it just tasted rich and kind of buttery?  I don't even know what butter tastes like but that's how I would describe it.  I can only hope the next time I go back home they are serving up this flavor because I will surely walk out of there with at least a cone in each hand! Hahaha.  If you are ever in the area, I would urge you to check out this bakery.  According to their reviews on Yelp, people travel for hours sometimes just to stop in!

 









Well now that both you and I are sufficiently starving, I'll wrap it up.  I hope you also had a week filled with wonderful tasty treats!



Your turn!

What foods are you loving lately?

Any favorite Halloween treats?


**Disclaimer:  I was not compensated or provided products for this post.  These are simply foods I purchase on my own, eat and enjoy!