Category Archives: Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites

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No banter today…let’s get straight to the favorites!

1) Baseball hats

(awkward self-taken photo)

Oh baseball hats, how multidimensional you are. You provide relief from rain and snow on winter runs, you provide shade and coolness during summer runs, and you provide an instant fix to a no-shower or bad hair day.

I admit I have gotten in a bad habit of putting off washing my hair and simply wearing a hat all day. I wash my body every day….mostly…however it seems that these past 3 or so months I’ve adapted to the every-other-day routine in terms of shampooing.

I’ve heard this is good for your hair, and as someone who has abdicated haircuts until further notice, I need all the “health” my hair can get. Sure, sometimes it lasts longer than 24 hours…or 36…but that’s what hats are for, and I love them.

{I really am a clean person, honestly}

2) Little Rae’s sugar cookies

Git in mah bellehh!

So, I have this an undying love for the huge sugar cookies from our specialty grocers, the Metropolitan Market. These cookies change shape with every season and holiday, and I think that they are actually intended for children, but they are a staple in my dessert repertoire. These beautiful V-Day hearts made their debut this week, and BF promptly brought one home for me after spotting them.

True love, people.

3) Bird of Paradise pose

This is not me. In case you were wondering.

(Source)

I really like this particular yoga pose for two reasons:

1. The name, duh. Whenever my instructor suggests going into this pose she says, “Let’s rise birdies.” Obviously I know she is really talking to me.

2. This is one of the only advanced yoga poses that I can actually do without drawing too much attention to myself. I normally go to beginner classes, meaning that each pose has the option of the easiest to the hardest degree of difficulty. I’m normally somewhere in the middle, which is just fine, however I do like being able to do this one with confidence.

4) Google

It’s just really, really helpful.

I’m nervous it knows me better than I know myself, but for now…I accept it.

Okay, clearly I’m running out stand-out favorite things for this week. But that’s okay, because I’m generally just thankful for all the great things in my life right now—and sometimes it’s best to just be content in the present moment.

Rain is washing away our snow right now, and despite the mass amounts of water draining all over Seattle—I’m hoping we are on our way back to some normalcy.

Questions: What are your plans for this weekend? Do you have any particular favorite thing that stands out today?

Friday (the 13th!) Faves

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I’m not really superstitious, so the fact that it’s Friday the 13th isn’t too significant for me. However, if something totally nut-so, crazy were to happen…I probably wouldn’t think it’s a coincidence. That’s why I’m glad that race day for this week happens to be tomorrow and not today.

BF and I will be tag-teaming a 10k tomorrow morning as a part of the monthly Magnuson Series races at Magnuson Park in Seattle. We’ll both run at the same time (each do a 5k) and then our times will be added together. I’m pretty excited, as I haven’t run a 5k since August, and I think it will be fun to do it in a relay-like style.

Race recap to follow!

GOOD NEWS. Nordstroms is super awesome, and they exchanged my claustrophobic shoes without question (despite the fact that they’ve been worn through rain, snow, dirt, etc. for about a month). I love good return policies.

I had to pay the additional amount for the upgraded version of my shoes, but it was a small price to pay for having happy feet. I’m really hoping these new shoes help relieve my plantar faciitis/tendonitis/annoying pangs in my feet.

Which brings me to…

Friday Faves:

1) Purple Asics 2170s

too much???

Okay, so these shoes have some serious amounts of pink and purple on them. There really was no choice of the matter; I knew these were the shoes I needed, and didn’t want to experiment with others.

With that said, I haven’t decided yet if I super duper love the fact that they scream “I AM A FEMALE,” or if I think it’s too much for me. I like the color pink, don’t get me wrong, but not in that “everything I buy must be pink, purple, or have hearts on it” kind of way.

For now though, I am liking the flashiness, and I especially like the fact that these little gems are treating my feet oh-so-good.

2) Puffy Coat

I am WARM in my freezing cold house! Hallelujah!

I swear to you, I don’t think I have ever actually been warm until I first put on this fluffy ball of heaven. My Mom and Kate have worn these uber puffy North Face coats for years, and they bestowed me with one of my very own for Christmas this year.

Thanks ladies!

Anyway, I am addicted to wearing this coat. I leave it on for all hours of the day, and I only take it off to go to bed. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. I have even brushed my teeth and washed my face before bed while still wearing this coat. It’s divine.

Do I have circulation issues, you ask? Probably.

3) Thai food

noodles and tofu and broccoli and mmmmm

This is definitely not anything new, but I needed to pay homage to my everlasting love of thai food. It is really hard to find bad thai food, and luckily living in Seattle ensures that there will be thai restaurants—both hole in the wall and gourmet—on just about every other block.

BF and I have ventured to many a thai location, and we’ve found that the places that have no sign out front, completely inaccurate spelling on the menus, and cats roaming around on the inside are actually some of the best thai food you can find. Except that one time BF found a piece of raw chicken in his takeout.

That wasn’t too cool.

4) “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson

This song seriously ROCKS. Seriously you guys, if you need an instant confidence boost or a quick boost of motivation, I recommend blasting this song. Dance too if you need to. My spin instructor Jeoff just added this to his playlist, and it is super motivating. I highly recommend adding it your workout/running/dance/happiness playlist ASAP.

A special shot out to Leanne in regards to this song. She knows why.

 

That’s all for today! Hope your Friday was great and your holiday weekend is splendid.

Question: What are your favorite things this week?

 

Fat Feet and Friday Favorites

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First off, holy alliteration. Please don’t hate me yet…I’m really not that nerdy.

Wait, yes I am.

So, the bad news is that my feet have started a revolution against me.

The good news is that I officially figured out why. For the past month or so, I’ve been getting some tendonitisy feelings after my longer runs in both my feet. It’s a new feeling, and I’ve been trying to figure out which abnormal factors have been contributing to these aches. Well this morning I realized why, and frankly I feel a bit foolish.

When I replaced my old pair of Asics with the “exact same pair” at the Nordstrom anniversary sale, I failed to checked the width of the shoes. Turns out, they are actually the opposite of what I need—narrow as opposed to wide. You see, I have Fred Flintstone feet, and therefore I always need the widest running shoes possible. It takes me a while to find shoes that work, and so when I do manage to nail down a certain pair—I stick with them as long as they’re on the market.

So, despite the fact that I’ve been wearing these skinny shoes for oh about a month, I’m still going to try an exchange them. Stay tuned for results.

Don’t worry feet, you’ll soon be relieved of your narrow-footed prisons.

Moving on…

This week’s Friday Favorites!

1) Push Ups

Cute picture of the day.

So I realize this is a very simplistic exercise, however I have rediscovered my love for the basic push-up. I’ve been trying to do at least 20 a day, which I know isn’t a ton, but I really feel that there are tangible benefits to doing frequent push ups. Push ups work your chest, arms, back, and even core—making them an incredibly effective exercise. My personal favorite thing about push ups is that you can do them no matter where you are, so even if I’m away from weights or lifting machines, I can still get a decent strength workout by doing some of these babies.

If you are new to push ups, I highly recommend starting up a regular routine of doing them. Start slow, and focus on good form—meaning keep your butt down and bend your arms to a 90 degree angle. If you need to start on your knees, that’s totally allowed, and I think you’ll find that after just a little practice you’ll be a push-up pro.

2) NBA Basketball

Back in action, baby!

So I will be the first person to slap the hands (or faces) of all the NBA owners and players whose greed for way more money than any of them deserve delayed the start of the NBA season.

However, despite all the ridiculousness of the debates that took place, I am PSYCHED that the season has officially started. Basketball is definitely my favorite sport to both watch and play, and I can be entertained by pretty much NBA game on—whether it’s a team I love (Lakers, Nugs, etc.) or a team I loath (CELTICS). Thanks for getting over yourselves guys—this fan sure appreciates seeing your tall sweaty selves ballin’ again.

{This is a good place to let you know that if I were to be reborn, I would prefer to be a 6’9 black man with the arms of Dwight Howard, the shot precision of Dirk, and the athleticism of Lebron.}

It could happen people.

3) Athleta Spin Shorts

SO, I just got these for Christmas…and I’m in love. Despite the fact that I’m somewhat of a frequent spinner, I have never actually worn padded bike shorts during class. Because I don’t own any. I know it seems silly, and yes my butt almost always starts to hurt, but somehow I never got around to investing in a pair for myself.

In comes Christmas (Thanks Dad and Megan!), and I now have a cushioned tush during my spin classes. I also look more legit than when I wear running shorts and running shoes, which obviously isn’t actually important, but…it kinda is.

4) Lindt Truffles

The blue are the best, there is no discussion on the matter.

OM NOM.

5) Long Socks

awkward photo inside the locker room

I’ve realized that during the winter months, and pretty much every time the weather dips below 50 degrees, socks are hands down my favorite article of clothing. Sometimes I wear two pairs, and there may have been that one time when I wore wool socks with high heels.

Warm feet=happy Robyn

My sister introduced me to the advantages of long socks, namely the fact that while wearing boots you have an extra layer of warmth insulating your legs.

I’m a fan, and I think you should be too.

There you have it. Five more favorite things for Friday, and I feel peppier than I did when I started this post. That’s because favorite things make me happy, and also I know there are many episodes of Dexter and a beer in the near future. Fridays are awesome, and I hope yours is going great. Have a wonderful weekend!

Question: Please tell me what some of YOUR favorite things are, either for this week or for all time 🙂

 

Returning from My Nest

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Greetings!

Serious apologies for my absence, I’ve been in vacation mode big time– which fortunately comes with a lot of fun activities but unfortunately loosens my diligence to blogging.

However, I’m here with a recap some of the fun things that have happened over the past week, including some favorites (per standard Friday procedure.)

Lucky enough for me, my favorites for this week tie in nicely to some info on the happenings in snow-covered Colorado, where I’ve been spending the past holiday week.

As I’ve mentioned, BF and I took an early flight out of Seattle on the 24th, and we’ve currently been stowing away in our respective homes in Colorado Springs since. It’s been lovely here so far, and I love having some leisurely time with my family.

I have fortunately (and somewhat miraculously) been able to maintain my running while here, and although the altitude has definitely stretched my lungs to their capacity, I’m grateful that my physical condition is good enough to work around the compromising elevation. I’ve run 4 times since I’ve been here, the longest run being 12 miles, and I’m looking forward to building up some powerful red blood cells that can gulp oxygen like a beer-bonging frat boy.

So, in order to make this week-overdo post at least somewhat manageable in terms of length, I’m going to try and condense my trip recap and my Friday favorites into one glorious sequence. Prepare yourself, because I don’t really know how this will turn out…

I’ll try, though.

Friday Favorites!

1) Ice Skating

Mommy and me.

We went ice skating two days after Christmas, and despite the fact that it’s slightly horrifying when you first step on the ice, it turned out to be super fun. I realized that there aren’t too many activities that you participate in as a child that can be equally as enjoyable as an adult.

I highly recommend participating in something you used to do but somehow fell away from. Sure, it’s a little scary and the likelihood of falling on your ass and embarrassing yourself in front of a ton of speed-skating-triple-axel-doing 5 year olds is somewhat high, however there is something refreshing about returning to basics and reminding yourself of a long lost fun time.

2) Miniature Fruit

I must write a book about this cutie. It will be called, "The Littlest Tangerine."

So this doesn’t entirely describe much about my trip, however I’ve consumed about 100 of these little babies (thanks to multiple shipments from my grandparents in California), and they are spectacular.

I love little, cute fruit, and whenever I have the option of miniature versus regular sized anything, the tiny things almost always win.

3) Running-Themed Gifts

Best ornament ever! Running shoes that strangely look very similar to mine.

This year, my family rocked it and gave me several gifts related to running. It started out with my lovely running shoes ornament, which is spectacular, but I also received socks, energy gummies, a gorgeous long sleeved tech shirt, AND a “26.2” sticker! I have been too nervous for whatever reason to buy one for myself, so I was PUMPED to be bestowed with a lovely pink one bought by my stepmom (who has also run full marathons).

The gifts helped remind me that running is an ongoing work in progress. It doesn’t just exist for warm weather, training season, or racing– but it exists wherever and whenever we want it to, which is frankly an awesome thing. I love knowing that wherever I am, so long as I have my beloved Asics, I can lace up and return to the quiet, happy place that running provides me.

4) Beauty and the Beast- RETURNING!

Midnight showing? Ohh yes.

So, if you haven’t already heard, Beauty and the Beast is the best Disney movie of all time, and Belle is not only the most independent and educated princess out there– but she’s also the prettiest. No discussion on this matter, sorry.

Anyways, my beloved favorite Disney movie is coming BACK to the big screen. It’s in 3D this time, which I guess is cool if you’re into 3D, but frankly I’m just pumped that I get to make a date night out of going to the movie theater and seeing this timeless classic

I recommend you go too.

5) My Dog

Beauty sleep.

If I’m being perfectly honest here, I haven’t always gotten along with our dog. She’s manipulative, hysterical, and frankly does anything she can to get her way…and in the past we’ve clashed big time. However, now that I don’t see her as often and our interaction is limited, I have found this sneaky little pseudo-lab to be a bundle of love.

I think it’s partially due to the fact that the rest of my family practically considers her to be a fourth child, however I do love coming home and knowing that this pup will never change…and that we will still love her for it.

A little creepy, a little cute, a lot of love.

 

I do have a lot more updating to do on my trip, and I’ll be sure to flesh out more details later on. However, for now I’m enjoying staying in the moment and not letting my consistent desire to chronicle my life override my ability to actually live it.

In a nutshell, I’m loving being with my family, this holiday season has been truly wonderful, and I’m looking forward to basking in the hope and promise that a new year brings along with it.

2012 is going to be great, I can feel it.

Resolutions and more vacation highlights are soon to come! Right now, I’m going to concentrate on soaking up my mile high vacay (literally) and abusing the dessert-after-every-meal holiday excuse until the very last second.

It’s getting bad people, but I’m not stopping.

Also, I’m going to the Lakers vs. Nuggets game on New Years Day. Dear Denver, please don’t kick me out..I can’t help my passion for the purple and gold.

Yes, there it is for the world to see… I’m a Lakers fan through and through.

Tell me about your holiday celebrations! Any annoying dogs you got to cuddle with or fun shaped ornaments you received?

My Yoga Secret and Friday Favorites

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Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Yes, a bit excessive, but isn’t that what the season’s about? Excessive spending, excessive cookies, excessive light displays? Whatever, I love it all. Well, not so much the spending, but giving gifts is wonderful and if that means a measly bank account then so be it.

If you haven’t gathered yet, I’m a nut about Christmas—and although I get sad when the actual day comes (indicating that the season is, sigh, over)—THIS year my Christmas celebrations are spread out all the way to December 30. So as far as I’m concerned, we’re just getting started!

This morning I paid some much needed attention to my arms in my leisurely, long workout. I feel like I pay so much exercise-related attention to my legs most of the time—because, you know, I’m a runner—therefore my arms get sad that they are merely used as banisters for my watch and iPod. Poor arms—fear not, I will give you some love!

Okay, done with the personification. But seriously, I did some serious arm work today—and I know I’ll be feeling it on my morning airport excursion tomorrow when I get to haul two heavy bags around with me because I refuse to pay to check a bag.

After a nice sweaty spin class, I did a weight circuit for my major arm muscles, including biceps, triceps, pectorals, and shoulders. I also threw in some ab work, because obviously:

1 sit-up=1 cookie.

Did you know that? It’s science.

Afterward, I made my way into the crowded pool for some quality lap swimming. I haven’t swam in a while, and a Spin’n’Swim day was necessary. Again, the arms were given proper attention, and I doubt that they will feel unacknowledged come tomorrow.

I’ve also managed to get my butt to yoga for the past THREE days in a row, which has been fantastic. I’ll let you in on a little secret about yoga and me—I really only go to the Level 1/Beginner classes. I’m decent at yoga thanks to some natural flexibility, however whenever I go to a more advanced class I find myself way too focused on being competitive and getting down on myself for not being able to do certain poses well.

I realize this negates the entire intention of yoga, but I know my crazy competitive self well  enough to know that an hour of yoga, at least for me, is better spent when I can focus on staying present, breathing deeply, and getting the most out of the poses/stretches.

I love the peace and calm yoga gives me, which is my primary intention in going, however my secondary intention is to relieve my running muscles as much as possible with simpler poses that require less frustration and more “Ahhh.” Therefore, I stick to the more beginner classes, and luckily I have two instructors at my gym who I LOVE and they both teach classes that are technically beginner but still result in a meditative yet strengthening session.

Okay, enough about chaturangas and weight lifting. Let’s get to Friday Favorites!

1) Pintrest

I love pretty things.

If you have a Pintrest account, I really don’t need to say anything more—because I know you understand.

If you don’t have an account, I don’t know if I should encourage you to join or vehemently warn you against it.

This site is SO ADDICTING.

In a nutshell, it’s a collection of nicely categorized pictures from all around the internet— all of which are totally gorgeous. You can easily spend an hour gawking at all the lovely images of nature, home decor, craft ideas, food, and literally everything in life you can think of that’s wonderful. It’s almost a better time waster than TV, and seriously you can get hooked easily. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

2) Love Actually

I can watch this movie year round, but I make it a point to watch it as close to Christmas as possible. No matter the circumstances going on in my life, no matter my mood, this movie will always brighten me up.

Also, Colin Firth.

3) Soy Mistos

Runner's World + misto= good day

{Disclaimer: a misto is the Starbucks way of saying “cafe au lait”}

Thanks to my coworker Leanne, this has been my Starbucks drink of choice for nearly a year now, and I am still never sick of them.

I needed to pay some tribute to this lovely combination of brewed coffee, steamed milk, and cheaper-than-other-specialty-drinks cup of love that gets me through my days.

4) A Very Special Christmas

This classic Christmas CD is the holiday tune-age that I’ve been listening to before I even knew what Christmas was.

Wait, that never existed!

You get the point—this special CD has been heard in my home during the holidays for as long as I can remember. It has currently been saturating my need for Christmas music this past week, and whenever I hear that first familiar sound of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” I get all warm and tingly as I’m transported back to my eight-year-old self, hoping only for a pair of sparkly shoes and a Jasmine Barbie doll under the tree.

Actually, I really don’t feel like I’ve grown up much since then—sparkly shoes would still be awesome.

5) MY BUMPER STICKERS!

photo repeat...shameless

As I wrote in yesterday’s post, BF won the super duper boyfriend award by getting me these custom blog bumper stickers.

Kidding, he always gets that award! But does he…? 😉

Seriously though, I’m giddy about these.

Will they make my blog the most popular site since Lolcats? No, but it doesn’t matter.

Because although these will more than likely only adorn my own possessions and the cars of family members who I will beg and plead to promote me will lovingly slap them on their bumpers, they symbolize a great deal of support and encouragement from BF.

And I love that. In all honesty, this blog offers me an opportunity the write about the things that I love. If tons of people read it, awesome! But if no one does, it doesn’t really matter because I have this space for some solitary reflection and me-time. Sure, I’d love to have a lot of readers—but for now, I’m loving the daily chances to develop myself as a writer.

These bumper stickers can be daily reminders to me of the importance of support and encouragement, from the people I love and for myself—because truly, you are your most influential and important cheerleader.

I hope everyone has had a great end of their week, and you’re getting nestled into a sweets-and-liquor-filled holiday celebration! Have any favorites you’d like to share? Let’s hear ’em!

 

Friday Faves and Explaining my Hypocrisy

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Happy Friday to you!

I’m definitely excited to reach the end of the week, however I’m also horrified that come tomorrow Christmas Eve is ONE WEEK away. I’ll be flying with BF to Colorado at 7 am on Christmas Eve morning, where we’ll spend the next 10 or so days hanging in our hometown. I’m really excited, it just seemed to creep up so quickly!

Alright, so obviously Friday Favorites will be presented shortly, however I need to take a brief minute to explain a bit about the conflicting posts that I had this week. On Tuesday I wrote all about being a morning runner; as you might remember I went on and on about the advantages of doing your workout in the morning, and from my high and mighty thrown I advocated how everyone should push their inclination to hit the snooze button aside and strap on some running shoes.

Something like that, right?

So then yesterday[during a particularly foul mood, could you tell?]I admitted that earlier that day I had neglected my plan for a usual Thursday morning run and went back to sleep instead. Directing contradicting my message about being all go-getter-ish.

Nice Robyn, negate your OWN advice on your own blog. Talk the talk and then immediately not walk[run] the walk?

However, that’s not exactly what happened, and let me explain—because I think explaining this conflict of principles will offer some insight into my own development as a runner.

I’ve advocated on this blog the importance of rest, both for runners and for regular exercisers in general. Rest offers muscle recovery, mental reprieve, and an overall rejuvenation of our motivation. However, I admittedly have a difficult time following this advice, and it finally caught up with me yesterday morning when I ignored my alarm.

Although I’ve become much better at making sure I don’t overdo it in terms of running, I still enjoy doing something active nearly every day. Because I include a lot of variety, I often don’t realize that I haven’t taken a day off in a while. What happens, then, is because I don’t really recognize the fact that I’m burning out, I start to get grumpy about my workouts and less inclined to enjoy them. Yesterday morning, it finally hit me that the easier choice (sleeping in) was actually the better choice for me. And in lots of ways, it actually wasn’t the easier choice. This might sound somewhat elitist or snarky, however it’s actually more difficult for me to choose to take a break than it is to get to the gym or get out for a run.

Frankly, I love the way I feel both physically and mentally when I exercise—and so I see nothing wrong with trying to feel that way all the time. I treat my workouts, both before, during, and after, as an athlete would, meaning I know my limits, I’m fueling and refueling properly, and I’m staying safe. However, part of being a smart athlete is knowing when your body is saying, “Time out here tiger.”

So, in a nutshell, that’s why I completely contradicted my morning running post yesterday. I know I have the capacity the get myself up and run, but reminding myself that I also have the smarts and the control to know when I need a break is equally as important to both this sport and my own mental health.

I was very grateful for the day off yesterday, and today I felt rested and ready to gear up once again.

Running in the morning is great, but so is knowing when rest is more important than a daily workout.

Enough heavy stuff…let’s get to Friday Faves!!

I want to give a quick shout out to my coworker Leanne, who has started doing Friday Favorites on her blog as well. It’s spreading!

Also, this week on Glee, they sang “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music, and yes my head was exploding from the overload of my own favorite things all coexisting in one united spectacle. It was awesome.

1) Foam Rollers

"I will hurt you so good."

If you are familiar with this innocent looking tube of foam, you know one thing: This shit HURTS. Seriously, I have to hide my face whenever I use these at my gym, or else people will be all, “Why does that girl look like she’s constipated and about to cry at the same time?”

Not a pretty visual, huh? Yea, it’s not.

So why, you may ask, is this little devil on my favorite list? Well, despite how excruciating it may be, foam rollers actually do wonders for runners. If you can endure it, rolling out your legs after a run does an incredible job of loosening the muscles that get super tight when you’re running. Namely, your IT bands, pirifomis muscles, hamstrings, and hips in general. I find that if I spend just 5 minutes rolling my legs on one of these after a long run, I recover much quicker and I can prevent injuries from developing.

If you’re a distance runner and don’t already use one of these, get on it. The prevention in and of itself will be worth it.

2) Fro-Yo

Art.

Let it be known: I. Love. Fro-Yo.

Specifically, the newest fad of pay-by-weight fro-yo joints where there are several flavors available and endless amounts of toppings to choose from. The best part is that you get to make your OWN, therefore the opportunities for combinations (and quantity) are endless.

Last night, BF was in the mood for sweets(99% of the time it’s the other way around), and so when he mentioned fro-yo, I said, “I actually I love you a little more right now.”

No, I didn’t say that—but I might have thought it.

3) Nicki Minaj

I know she’s uber popular and overplayed right now, but I really cannot get enough of this chick.

I think she’s mega talented and unique, and her songs have me constantly dancing in my seat. In public. Just try her out if you haven’t yet, and not just Super Bass or Fly—but some of her lesser known stuff.

And yes, Mom, I know it’s explicit content.

4) Yoga

You know, just me on the beach, getting my "Tree" on. Damn paparazzi.

Yoga is a new found love of mine, and although it took me a while to actually learn to love it, I simply cannot get enough of it.

[When people say, “It took me a while to learn to love/like something,” it actually means, “I really effing hated/resented it for a long time.”]

There are so many reasons why I love yoga, both mentally and physcially, however I feel that the biggest reason is the sense of presence I get from it. Yoga forces us, whether consciously or not, to focus our attention on the present moment. I think it has a large part to do with the breathing, combined with the need to focus on each isolated movement.

No matter how stressed or distracted I may be, I never leaving a yoga class without feeling at least a little bit better and calmer. Yoga offers me an hour of stillness, which I think so many of us shy away from in our fast-pace world. We never long for the opportunity to be present because so few parts of our day allow us to really experience it. However, I truly believe that if we can connect with the present—independent of whatever else is going on in our busy lives—if even just once a day, we will can reacquaint ourselves with the beautiful things in life we so often take for granted.

Also…

yoga + running legs = ohhhh yaaaa

If you’re a runner, yoga feels fan-flipping-tastic, and it relieves our muscles of the impact they take on during running.

5) Peppermint Bark

For best results (and sustainability) store in freezer!

I always see peppermint bark around grocery stores during the holidays, and instead of shelling out to buy a small bag of it, I decided to make my own instead. I still shelled out a bit, but after making two batches of this seasonal treat—it was worth it.

This stuff has now become my drug of choice for December 2011. Not that I change metaphorical drugs every month, but you get the point.

It’s delicious, it’s pretty, and it makes a great present! I got the recipe from this post on the blog Peanut Butter Fingers, another recent addiction of mine.

There you have it, 5 more Friday Favorites! I hope everyone has a great weekend. BF and I will be racing on Sunday, so I’ll write a recap to post for Monday!

Now…tell me a few of your favorite things!

Friday Favorites II

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Wow, time sure flies…Friday Favorites round 2 is already here!

You might remember that last Friday I made a very official proclamation that Friday would be the day where I detail some of my current favorite things.

Because you know, it’s fun.

Since I started off last Friday’s post with an adorable picture of a smiling puppy, I thought I’d share this piece of PERFECTION.

SLEEPING SANTA PUPPIES. I'm dying.

You’re welcome.

Now, to the second weekly round-up of favorites!

1) Disney Races

Mark my words, this WILL be me. Lumiere and Cogsworth included. I'll also be more sweaty, less tan, and have a bigger smile on my face.

If you are not yet aware of my everlasting love of Disney, well…then you probably have never met me.

Just know, it’s unconditional. Specifically, visiting Disneyland and spending the entire day with a stupid 7-year-old-girl grin on my face. It’s obnoxious, I’m sure, but I just can’t help it.

This being said, I am vowing to do one of the Disney races this year. If you have not heard about this magical phenomenon, let me explain. Both Disneyland and Disneyworld hold marathons and half marathons throughout the year—INSIDE the parks—, and I’m pretty sure that doing one would be the climactic high point of my life. Let me show you the mathematics behind my logic.

Running= love

Disneyland=heaven

Running + Disneyland= omfg I am going to die from giddy hysteria

I actually wanted to add this goal of running a Disney race to my list of Running Wishes from yesterday, but…well, honestly I forgot, but THEN I realized it was more fitting as a Friday Favorites shout out.

Okay, shut me up now. I need to move on. Just know, I will be racing under Sleeping Beauty’s castle sometime in 2012.

BF, you in???

2) Oatmeal

mmmmm!

This favorite is definitely not new…I’ve loved oatmeal for years. However, I’ve recently begun to really appreciate just how good of a post-run meal it is. The above photo shows my ideal oatmeal concoction:

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, cranberries, agave, and a glob of peanut butter on the side (obviously the best part)

This breakfast is a fantastic combination of carbs and protein, and I always feel refueled and ready to go after gobbling this down. Even with no run, this is a great breakfast and one I could eat every single day.

3) Swimming

Again, this is nothing new, but I truly believe that swimming has magical powers that defy logic. Not only does it work all your muscles, but it really strengthens your cardio and gives your metabolism a good’ ole kick in the butt for the whole day. It does all this with NO impact.

I am continually amazed how such a solid, all-body workout can also be therapeutic and promote muscle recovery. This morning, I wasn’t feeling super up to my Friday Spin’n’Swim routine, and so I decided to give my running/cycling muscles a break and went for a long swim instead. Afterwards, I felt rejuvenated and I could hear my running muscles singing a hallelujah  for their break.

Swimming is magical. Everyone should swim.

4) Hilarious satire that combines well-known, classic literature and new-age technology

For example…

my children will be reading the real version

I find this kind of humor very tasteful, smart, and all-around appropriate for demonstrating the horrific truths about the digitization of both our youth and society. I’m really not trying to get all political here, but I think satirical momentos such as “Goodnight iPad” shine an important light on the costs of our constant need for new upgrades, new gadgets, and generally new information.

Another great example of this is the book The History of the World According to Facebook. Highly recommended, and it includes exactly what you think it would.

i.e. FDR liking Winston Churchill’s status.

Good stuff.

5) Pie Samples

how could this not make your day instantaneously better?

So for some reason, all the grocery stores got together and decided, “Hey, for the holiday season…let’s increase dessert sales/perpetuate the obesity epidemic by giving out samples of every type of pie imaginable.”

I’m not kidding…every grocery store around where we live has done this at least once, and you better believe that if there are multiple grocery stores around me—I WILL go to them all.

Anyways, this trend is freaking awesome and it makes my tummy happy and my mood even happier.

A pie pick-me-up.

DUH.

Tell me your favorites! What are you doing this weekend? I need some fun new ideas besides spending hours in Trader Joe’s and Target…both fabulous time fillers {money wasters} btw.

First Friday Favorites!

2 Replies

Hello! Welcome to my favorite day of the week.

I made a snappy decision this morning that since Fridays are always so magical, and I have an unhealthy amount of gleeful merriment surrounding me, this day of the week on RunBirdieRun will officially be known as…

Friday Favorites!

[Whenever I use the word “gleeful” in describing my mood, 99% of the time it should be translated as “caffeine induced.”]

Since I do not like taking good moods for granted, I decided that Friday is the perfect time of the week to reflect and share some of my favorite things. Some will be very current, some will be things I love all the time but just happen to give frequent accolades to. But no matter what, I will hereby devote some Friday time to proclaiming a few of my favorite things. And the best part? YOU can too! I absolutely adore hearing about the things that people love, and I think it’s a healthy practice to consider the things in your life that make you smile.

Puppies are one of my favorite things. Smiling puppies are even better!

Aside: Please know that the inspiration for this idea came in lieu of my affection for the song, “A Few of My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music, not Oprah.

No, not Oprah…she’s cool, but yea…no.

Also, when you  say “hereby” in any capacity, you are fully committing to whatever decree you are making. So therefore, I’m in!

Moving on…

This week, I wanted to kick off “Friday Favorites” with a little combination of the things I’m currently enamored with and the things that keep me happy day-to-day, just so you can learn a bit more about me 🙂 So without further ado, this Friday, I am favorite-ing…

1) This mash up:

I admit it, I still love Glee. This mashup of “Rumor Has It” and “Someone Like You” hits the nail on the head, and if you love Adele like I do, you won’t be disappointed! I can’t stop listening to it, and it will definitely be making it’s way onto my running playlist soon.

2) Cookie making!

This is a regular past time for me, and it helps me find my happy place. My specialty is chocolate chip, but recently I’ve been experimenting more and trying out all different types of recipes.

OM NOM

My co-worker Leanne and I are competing tonight in a peanut butter cookie showdown. We’re having an annual holiday party, so our colleagues will be voting on who made the better batch. I admittedly have done a lot of shit-talking(I also never said this blog was rated PG), but whatever happens…I got to make cookies, and I will get to eat cookies, therefore I consider it a win.

3) DEXTER!

So BF and I use our Netflix account pretty much for the sole purpose of renting complete seasons of shows and watching them beginning to end. We recently got all caught up on Modern Family and How I Met Your Mother, so we decided something a bit more dark and mysterious was in order.

In a nutshell, this show is awesome. It’s addicting, creepy, interesting, and gives you just the right amount of adrenaline to keep you on your toes (this coming from two people who both dislikes scary movies, I’ll have you know). Highly recommended! I’m hooked.

4) Creeping on Lululemon.com, particularly this section

If websites could have stalkers, I would be on the most wanted list for this place. I cannot stop gawking at literally everything, and my wallet just cries out in horror the whole time. I never really get anything, and when I do it’s after weeks of careful deliberation (I have bad buyer’s remorse), but I can’t help looking at all the pretty things.

5) Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong.

Okay, so I actually finished this book a few weeks ago, but I loved it so much I felt like I had to share. Kristin, yes Lance’s ex-wife, is a contributing writer for Runner’s World and she has now written a few books. This was the first book of her’s I’ve read, and I was so touched by it. She offers so much wisdom on all the things running can offer, especially for women, and her combination of clever personal anecdotes and honest reflections really spoke to me. I tried to read it slowly, because I loved it so much I didn’t want it to end. If you love running, this book will inevitably help inspire and excite you. She also has a blog, check it out!

 

So there you have it!

Five favorites for Friday. So much alliteration, my English major self is all giddy inside.

Looking forward to the weekend…holiday party, seeing Breaking Dawn, long run, and putting up the CHRISTMAS TREE! I should be giggling for two days straight.

Let’s hear some of your favorite things! They can be random, simple, weird, whatever…I’d love to hear, and who knows, maybe it will help widen your Friday smile 🙂