Weekend-y Things

It's Tuesday and somehow I'm just getting to my weekend updates....Better late than never

I started off the weekend Friday by being the victim of a hit and run in the YMCA parking lot.  WHO does that?!  Not cool dude.  Or dudette.  Even if you don't believe in karma do you at least believe in DOING THE RIGHT THING?!

Apparently not.  I do not understand humans sometimes most of the time.

I needed some WOOSAH after that, so I went home and took my first ever one of these baths:

 

 

I soaked in the tub for the first time in months (a year maybe?!) which was nice and relaxing (I even turned out the lights and lit a candle.  ROMANTIC, PARTY OF ONE), but I can't say that I really felt much of anything from the Epsom salt.  Perhaps it's more for sore muscles than injured tissue, but I'll give it a few more tries.  

I then settled in for a night of takeout and watching movies I've seen a hundred times.  SO EXCITING.  Including This is Where I Leave You.  Which I've seen at least a half dozen times now and love.  I actually checked this book out of the library earlier this summer, but never got around to reading it before it was due.  Anyway, if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend.  Also, Jason Bateman.  SOLD.

On Saturday, I lifted my exercise ban because it was gorgeous outside and I just couldn't take it anymore.  6 days.  That's how long I lasted.

Went for a little hike with my friend and her dog:

And then went out for tapas and DANCING!!  All the dancing.  The 'lawnmower' and 'tossed salad' moves made an appearance and I didn't care who was watching.  We were in a giddy mood and I have not acted that ridiculous in quite some time.  I blame the entire week of self imposed rest and pent up energy. 

After all that wine and dancing, I woke up with an intense craving for this Sunday morning: 

Later, I went for a 4 mile walk.  Anddddddddddd yesterday I totally paid for all that time on my feet.  My leg, hamstring and now hip (?!) are all sore.  You win some you lose some. 

In other news, 3 MORE WEEKS UNTIL I'M ON THE WEST COAST!  I'm bringing my dance moves with me.  WATCH OUT!



When was the last time you shook your groove thang?

Do you watch the same movies over and over like me?!

Weekend 'Firsts'

Hellooooooo and Happy Monday!  I hope you had a fantastic weekend.  The weather here was summery and humid, and for the most part sunny, with a few wild thunderstorms thrown in there.  I had a very random handful of experiences this weekend, many of them 'firsts'.  Let's get into it.

The weekend started off with me grabbing some takeout sushi on Friday after work.  The cherry on the top of that interaction was when the very sweet woman ringing me up asked if I needed chopsticks for one or two.  'Just one', I replied.  Let it be known to anyone within earshot that not only am I single, but I also intend on single-handedly housing this entire order of sushi myself.  And, End scene.

On Saturday morning, I woke up early to road-trip it from Baltimore to NJ for my very first meeting with a medium!  It was a gorgeous sunny day and I could not have been more excited/nervous.  Hi, ho, hi, ho, over the bridge we go:

I had no idea what to wear to this appointment.  I felt like I was getting ready for a first date and must have tried on at least 6 different shirts! Hahaha.  Even though I knew she would be reading me spiritually, I didn't want to give her the wrong impression of who I was based on my clothing?!  I settled on cropped running tights, my "Respect the Poof" t-shirt, giant hair and no makeup.  That is everything I am right there.

I'm not going to get into what went on during my session but I will say that I found it to be an emotional and somewhat therapeutic experience.  It was not entirely what I was expecting, but then I really had no idea what to expect going in! 

The appointment pretty much physically and emotionally drained me, and after making the return trip back to MD, I proceeded to pass out on my couch, only to be awoken hours later by booming thunderstorms.

Sunday was a sunny, humid day, which I spent outdoors at Loch Raven reservoir.  The reservoir is huge and there are many different entrance points in northern Baltimore County.  It offers hiking and walking trails, as well as boating and fishing entrances.  Since I'm not currently training for any races, I am looking forward to spending more summer weekends hiking.

Afterward, my friend decided we should go for Snowballs, a Baltimore delicacy.  I must admit, in my 11 years of living here, I had never once eaten a snowball...until yesterday.  I mistakenly always assumed they were just like snow cones, which I ate as a kid growing up in PA, and do not really care for as an adult.  Oh, I could not have been more wrong! 

Unlike snow cones, the ice used for snowballs is shaved so finely so that it melts and completely absorbs the applied flavoring.  Snow cones, on the other hand, usually end up as a giant block of ice, with the syrup completely separated at the bottom.  As kid, I would simply drink the sugary liquid and discard all the ice!  Super healthy.  The liquid used in the snowball also wasn't as syrupy or as sweet as snow cone flavoring.  I got cake batter and it tasted just like yellow cake.  Of course, this momentous event had to be documented via photo:

And that there was my weekend in a nutshell!  Even though the upcoming holiday weekend is usually the 'official' kickoff of the summer season, summer has most certainly arrived in Baltimore.  Have a great week!


Tell me about your weekend!

Have you ever been to a medium?  Or any kind of spiritual reader?

Have you ever heard of or had a Snowball?!

Weekend Contemplations: On Being Human

Helloooooooo!  How is it Monday again?  This weekend was fairly uneventful and quick.   And cold.  It's still been in the 40's and it's almost April.  What is going onnnnnnnnnnnn.  Winter is really dragging it's a$$ around here this year.  Anyway, just a few of my random thoughts today.

Friday afternoon after work I went to the gym near work.  It's much bigger than the location by my house and has a massive cardio arena.  They must have at least 100 or more treadmills, bikes, ellipticals and stairclimbers in this space.  After I finished running, I went over to the stretching area to foam roll and do some planking.  I looked over at the giant cardio space where I just came from, watching all these people furiously motoring away on their respective machines, and it just looked so funny and weird to me?! I don't know why.  I was imagining what it might look like to aliens or people in the great beyond who lived centuries before us.  How odd it must appear to them that humans jam themselves inside hot sweaty buildings and run or bike in place?!  Hahaha  What did people do before gyms were invented?  So weird.  I guess this is why I prefer exercising outdoors.  It's just more natural.

Moving on.  After the gym I stopped to get takeout from a sushi place that was introduced to me by a friend.  It's called Edo Sushi, and they've got a few locations outside of the city.  Everything I've ever ordered there is superb.  This rainbow roll and shrimp tempura were just what I needed after my intense mental workout contemplating the weirdness of humans working out in gyms!

 

 

Going to take a more serious turn here for a moment because it's something I've been thinking about  all weekend.  On Friday night, I watched the movie, "12 Years a Slave" for the first time and it was one of the most disturbing, heartbreaking things I've ever seen.  Honestly, I found it incredibly hard to watch. So much so that at several points, I almost turned it off completely.  But I kept watching.  At one point, I actually almost vomited (during the scene when Lupita Nyong'o's character is whipped).  I was in tears throughout this movie and it was just one of the most disturbing things ever.  By the end of the movie, I felt ashamed of the color of my skin.  I know that may seem like a strange thing to say, but that's just how I felt.  I don't know what else to say other than it made me really sad to be a human.  If you haven't seen it, just be warned.  I think it's an important film to watch but my God, it's just horrific what we can do to each other.  Again, this makes me wonder what other species looking down on us must think of our behavior??

 



I've been seeing a lot of articles like this one floating around the internet lately.  Have you?

 

 

They are articles about how running will 'sabotage' your weight loss.  I believe the target audience for these articles are novice runners, or people who are just beginning workout programs, but even so I think they are sending the wrong message.  Lifelong runners aren't running to 'lose weight'.  You wouldn't keep something up for the duration of your life if you didn't enjoy it.  We actually LIKE to run.  We obviously know running alone isn't the only kind of exercise you need.  Doing the same thing all the time will not only lead to plateaus (performance and weight) as your body becomes accustomed to the daily demands, but can also lead to injury, burnout, muscle imbalances and more.  If you want to lose weight there are a NUMBER of factors you need to consider and doing a variety of exercises is just one of them.  Changing your eating/drinking habits are also a big factor.  But if someone enjoys running why tell them it's going to make them fat?!  Listen, if you like knitting, bird watching, wearing acid washed jeans, you just keep doing you.  Pay no mind to fear-mongering articles telling you acid washed jeans are out.  You might just bring them back.

 

What else did I want to tell you today?  Oh yes, a bit of nutritional advice.  Before heading out for a long run, or perhaps before doing any strenuous physical activity, you may not want to consume massive amounts of these:

 



 

Big mistake Bean.  Huge.  Miles 2-5 of my 10 miler yesterday were a bit rough because of that Laffy Taffy. I felt quite nauseous and was pretty sure I was going to vomit up a rainbow.  I finally started feeling better by mile 6.  So that was uncomfortable and annoying, and completely my fault.  I just couldn't resist after I found that giant bag at Walgreens. 

 

I took this picture after my run and when I looked at it, it didn't look like me!  I say that because I always thought I had brown eyes, but apparently they've changed to green.  Can this happen?!

 

 

I mean "Brown Eyed Girl" always used to be my song.  What am I supposed to do now?

 

I continue to love my shoes.  I was debating whether to put myself in a new pair of Vomero's for my race in April, but I think I'm going to go with the amazing, orthopedic-looking Hokas.

 

 



I am 36 now.  It's only fitting I wear giant Golden Girls-esque clodhoppers on my feet. 

And finallyyyyyyyyy.  This quote from Dean Karnazes popped up in my IG feed last night and I just loved it:

via/Ultramarathon on IG

Well, that was certainly a giant cornucopia of unrelated thoughts.  I think I better stop this train right here.  I hope your week is off to a great start!



Have you ever seen '12 Years a Slave'?

Why do you run?

Favorite running shoes right now?

Bits & Pieces

IT'S SPRING!!!  Well, not officially but we're getting warmer.  Just look at the forecast for this week:

50's all week and 60 on Wednesday?! Yes, please.  I don't even care if it rains. 

Also, the sun didn't set until 7pm last night and it was glorious.

I've been craving avocado more lately.  I didn't eat them much all winter.  Maybe because I think of them as more of a 'summer food'?  But this is what I used to fuel myself up for my hour of shoveling last Thursday:

 

While I was out there digging out my car, I got to talking to a woman doing the same a couple cars down from me.  She told me she just recently moved from Connecticut, and the last time she went home to visit, they had 4 1/2 FEET of snow!?  I didn't even know how to respond to that.  I hope Spring is truly here for you New Englanders.

 

I was able to get out for a long run again this weekend and there was decidedly less snow.  It was also sunny and warm!  Like 49 when I went out.  It put me in such a good mood :)

 

Jillyruns/IG

 

Still hoping to run a half at the end of April so I hope this weather continues.  I've pretty much had it with the treadmill for this year.  I feel like a rat on a wheel on that thing.  It's just not natural.

 

I burnt myself on the toaster oven last night.  See that little white spot on my middle finger?  On a scale of 1 to 10 how bad would you say that is?  Because it felt somewhere around a 250.  I took some Tylenol and it somewhat improved.

 

 

 

I re-watched This Is 40 over the weekend and it reminded me how much I love this song:

 





And finally, I am apparently going to be 36 in a week?!  ONE WEEK.  I dk where the years of my life are going.  It's really true as you get older that time seems to move faster.  I wish I weren't turning 36 but I guess it's good that I still only look about 21?!  In all seriousness, this year has been pretty good so far and I feel like it's just the beginning of big changes and good news to come.  For some reason, I keep feeling like things are going to come full circle this year but I can't quite put my finger on how/why.  But then this happened on Friday:

I follow Vegan Treats on IG where they often showcase their soft serve flavors for the week.  Gives me something to dream about from Baltimore.  A few days ago they posted a new flavor: Bubblegum!  A bit of back story here.  I always say that I don't really miss dairy anymore and I could go forever without cheese, pizza, yogurt, etc., but there are 2 things I would give the world to taste again.  One of them is a Snickers bar (used to be my fave candy as a kid) and the second is bubblegum ice cream.  It was my favorite flavor.  We used to go mini-golfing at a dairy farm that made their own ice cream when I was a little kid.  It was this bubblegum ice cream that first got me sick and took me down the long and winding road to discovering I was lactose intolerant.  It hasn't touched my lips since.

Soooooooo, anyway, I responded to Vegan Treats on IG and asked if they would consider featuring this flavor when I come back to Bethlehem for my birthday in 2 weeks.  And they responded and said they WOULD!  Full circle baby.  It's been at least 20 years since I've had bubblegum ice cream and I am finally getting it again two weeks.  This is big.  This is huge.  36 IS MY YEAR!

Let's do this Monday.  Have a great week!


What have you been up to?

If you are an ice cream eater, what's your favorite flavor?

Is the weather becoming gloriously warm in your neck of the woods yet?  I hope so!

Weekend of Firsts

Top o' the morning and happiest of Mondays to you all!  I hope everyone had splendid little weekends.  I did a wide range of activities this weekend; many of them for the first time.  How is that possible you wonder for an old timer such as myself?!  Well, let me tell you.

1.  On Saturday morning I got my FIRST haircut in 2.5 years!!!!!!  Finally made that happen.  I figured it was either that or become full-on Rastafarian.  I went into the salon looking like a shaggy mess and came out lookin' feelin' like a million bucks.  The girl that cut my hair was super talented and really knew her way around a curly head of hair.  When she was done she put my wet hair in cornrow/twists and told me to sleep in them and I'd wake up with the most magical hairdo ever.  I obliged and even went to the mall to do some Christmas shopping with my hair looking like this:

If only we could all be this cool! 

And then Sunday morning I woke up, unrolled them, and looked like this:

 

Get a good look, because my hair will never, ever look that good again!

 

 

2.  While out doing said shopping, I purchased my FIRST Christmas presents of the season.  At this rate I should be finished by about Jan 31st or so.  Making solid progress over here.

 

 

3.  On Sunday morning I attended my Nanny Baby's FIRST birthday party!  I have known this little peanut since he was 8 weeks old and it is amazing that an entire year has gone by.  This has been the fastest year of my life, and I don't know if it's because I'm so much happier than I had been for a long time, or if I'm just getting really old!  It has been a joy to care for and watch him grow from a teeny tiny baby into a walking, talking little boy.  It has really been a meaningful, purposeful way to spend the last year of my life. 

 

 

4.  Sunday evening I had my very first Pho ever.  (I totally pronounced that word incorrectly as 'Fo' until I saw a special on the Food Network and learned the correct pronunciation is 'Fuh'.)  My friend recommended her favorite dish but I decided to be an adventurous little lamb and ordered something else.  Andddddd, I didn't love it.  It sure looked pretty though.  My broth was sweet and sour, which is not really my thing.  Her broth had a different flavor which I preferred.  Better luck next time, Bean.

 



5.  And lastly, not a first whatsoever, but I watched my favorite Christmas movie of all time:

 

Remember kids, "no [wo]man is a failure who has friends".

 

 

 



What were you up to this weekend?!

Do anything for the first time?!

(Nearly) Wordless Weekend

Happy Hour

 

 

 

 

Currently reading...

 

 

 

Green smoothies on repeat

 

 

 

 

First test-run!!!

 

 

 

 

Planking the day away

 

 

 

 

What did you do this weekend?!



 



The Good Days

This past weekend was just filled with good days.  I was back in PA for probably the first time in 2 months to see a friend that was about to make a very brave and inspiring cross country move!  I also had a random day off work so I was able to extend my trip a little. 

My weekend started off with a Friday afternoon visit with one of my godsons.  It has been awhile since I got to spend some time with this little man and I had SO MUCH FUN with him!  He is 17 months old now and has grown and learned so much since I last saw him.  Sometimes I can't decide if I like running or hanging out with babies more?!  It's probably about a tie.  Also, there is very little in this world that tops the feeling of holding a tiny little hand in yours.

And if you didn't think my Friday could get any better than that little reunion, you'd be forgetting that Bethlehem is home to the best vegan bakery in the world.  I stopped at Vegan Treats later that evening and drowned myself in cruelty-free soft serve and baked goodies. 

On Saturday, I wanted to go for a 'long' run because I have been slowly but steadily trying to build up my mileage in preparation for a TBD Fall Half.  My longest long run in recent months was 6 miles a couple weeks ago, so I was hoping to do 6-7 on Saturday.  Well folks, sometimes the stars just align and your legs feel like they are winged little Pegasuses.  I ended up running 10 beautiful, delicious miles and I'm quite sure the running gods were smiling upon me that day. 

Jillyruns/Instagram

The thing about running, and well, also Life, is that not every day is a good day.  They just can't be.  Everything is a series of ebbs and flows.  I don't think it's possible to ride an infinite high; that's just not the human condition.  And I think a lot of people who don't run, maybe don't understand that.  Not every run is easy.  Sometimes it's a real freaking struggle for 3 straight miles, and I want to stop, give up and turn right around and go home.  But I don't.  Because that's not how life works.  The only way through the hard times is THROUGH them.  So I feel like when I have days like Saturday, in running or in life, I ride those suckers out for everything they're worth.   By mile 6, which was my 'predetermined' stopping point, I wasn't tired in the least.  My legs were not heavy and everything still felt great.  I knew this was one of those really good days, when everything came together, and I knew I would regret not riding this wave out if I turned back early.  So I just kept going. 

I think it's important to take advantage of those 'feel good' days in life and do whatever you can with them.  Because inevitably, there will be days when you just don't feel motivated, or you're under the weather, and then all your plans go to $hit.  So when you have those magic days, when things just 'feel' right, lace up and get out there!  And in the darker days, try to remember the grand plans and great feelings you had on those brighter days, because they will often be what pull you back up again.

Saturday night I said goodbye for now to my friend who is moving out West.  Her activity of choice was mini golf and with the 3 of us involved, it could not have been any sillier.  We joked like we did back in high school.  Sometimes I can't believe we are all 35?!  We also settled on plans for my future which include running from Albuquerque NM to Denver CO which according to Google maps is 449 miles so that should occupy me for awhile.  Glad that's all settled.

My friend on the right there (the one who is moving) recently got into barefoot running with Vibrams and is loving them. She has kind of convinced me to give them a shot.  Anyone out there currently run in Five Fingers and want to give me the lowdown on your experience?!

On Sunday I got to spend the day with yet ANOTHER of my favorite little people and that would be my 3 year old nephew.  I biked for about 75 minutes in the morning around my parent's neighborhood and when I arrived home this little face was waiting for me!

Sorry, that's an old pic.  I didn't snap many pics this weekend.

 

 

This kid cracks me up.  He shares my dairy-free lifestyle so he and I are always buddies in our milk-free escapades.  We were playing 'restaurant' and he was the server.  I ordered iced tea, however he kept telling me the iced tea had BUTTER in it! Hahahaha So no iced tea for me.  Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed the plastic shrimp and steak I was served. 

 

So yeah, those were some good, good days.  Summer seems to be full of them actually.  I think I secretly tuck all of my summer memories away every year, because when Winter rolls around I need a huge stockpile of them to look back on to get me through those long cold days.  When life gets hard, I try to remember the good days, because I know they'll come around again....

 

 

How was your weekend?

 

What do you do on days you're feeling really really good?

 

What about days you're feeling not so good?

 



Weekend in Pictures

What did I do this weekend, you might be wondering.  Or maybe not.  But here we go anyway :)


1.  I had my cats do my taxes:

source via Pinterest (not my cat)

 

They didn't get very far, so I had to finish for them.  I don't know where they get their work ethic.

 

 

2.  Met up with one of my favorite ladies for happy hour/night out downtown, in the neighborhood where I used to work:

 

Jillyruns on Instagram

 

Wherein I gave my real digits to someone who I pretty much knew I had no intentions of dating.  Ay yay yay.

 

 

3.  Toured the Baltimore Basilica, finally! This is a historical and religious sight I had been wanting to visit for years.  It was gorgeous and awe inspiring.  I love old churches.  We even got to tour the underground crypt.  Coolio!

 

 

 

4.  RUNNING IN SHORTS!  It was 62 actual degrees in Baltimore today.  What?!  I'm not even going to question what this wacko weather has to do with global warming.  I'm just soaking it in after this bananas winter we've had.

 

Instagram



 

 

5.  I mentioned my new found love for Bolthouse Farms vanilla chai tea a few posts ago.  Well I decided to try this green tea drink from the same line:

 

 

 

Ehh. I'm going to file this one under a 'miss'.  It's not terrible, but it kind of taste like leaves.  Mixed with grass.  And maybe a little dirt.  So what are you waiting for - go out there and get yourself a bottle! HAHA

 

 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

 

 

How was the weather in your 'hood this weekend?

 

What were you up to?