Coffee Craving

Today I’m out in the wilds of rural Missouri for work.  You know what this means?  When you leave your house in a rush, thinking “oh, I’ll stop for coffee on the way,” you should remember that there is no such thing as a Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts in rural Missouri.  There is Quik Trip, which has coffee that tastes vaguely like fuel and is not worth the $1.29.  And that’s it.

It was a long, coffee-less drive to get where I’m going.  Generally, I’m not a coffee-needer to get going in the morning.  I usually brew one cup in the Keurig, and rarely finish it.  But with Daylight Savings, and sore running legs, and driving,…all morning I was dying for coffee, or at least something coffee-flavored which would give me the illusion of being caffeinated.  Ugh.

I had to be somewhere for a few hours in the morning and then had to go somewhere else about an hour away for a few hours in the afternoon.  I was absolutely determined to get something coffee-like.  Sometimes, friends, we have to settle.

McDonald’s sugar-free vanilla iced coffee.  Full of crappy chemicals, I’m sure, but goodlord did it taste good (and pick me up mentally for awhile.)

I also packed my lunch in my favorite Fit n’ Fresh lunch container so I wouldn’t have to stop.  I had an Everything bagel thin sammich, strawberry Chobani, and granola, eaten in my car.  I’m a classy lady.

 

I was done with my stuff by 3:00 and checked into my hotel by 3:30.  I decided that I was going to check out the hotel gym.  Hotel gyms kind of creep me out.  Even though I stay in half decent places…they make me feel icky.  I don’t know, I have weird mental blocks on some things.  (See also Home Depot, condiments, and birds.)  But, today, I packed workout clothes and shoes and was determined to at least give it a try. 

I was impressed with the gym.  It had three treadmills, two ellipticals, a recumbent bike, and free weights (complete with loud, grunting, Jersey-shore-type dude).  And every machine had a TV ATTACHED RIGHT TO IT JUST FOR YOU!  Love.  TV makes running 35% more tolerable.

I watched Stacy and Clinton, naturally.  I had 3 miles on the schedule today, but I figured I’d do tomorrow’s 5 today, so I can get home after a night away a little sooner tomorrow.  And really, what the hell else am I going to do here?

So yeah.  Ran 5 miles, kept at an easy 10:00/mile pace since my legs were still a little twitchy from yesterday and sitting in a car all morning.  Even though the gym was nice, it was really hot and I sweated approximately six gallons. 

I showered and then went for the epic “What’s for dinner in this strange town?” question.  My options, according to my GPS and eyes, were Bob Evans, Shoney’s, Hardee’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Cracker Barrel. 

Now, I’m not one to shun fast food entirely.  I love me an occasional McD’s breakfast and I get cravings for Arby’s.  But the thing is, I want to eat that food WHEN I WANT IT.  Today, it all sounded gross to me.  Specifically, I was craving two things very strongly during my run: cut fresh fruit and peanut butter.   More and more, lately, while I’m running, my body will say, VERY clearly, “Feed me THIS when you’re done.”  99% of the time it’s something healthy—peanut butter, fruit, and eggs have all been very common ones lately.  I don’t mean to be all crunchy and shit, but who am I to say no?  My body is like a stupid puppy—I should reward it when it does something right, like say “I want healthy food.”  So I do.

Obviously, with limited options, it wasn’t going to come from any of those places.  So I took a cue from Susan and hit up the grocery store next to my hotel instead!  (In my pajamas, no less, because I really didn’t want to put on my work clothes and heels after a run.)

The results?

Total?  $13.46, for a big container of fruit (grapes, mangoes, honeydew, canteloupe, pineapple and strawberries), a Dannon Greek yogurt (which I LOVED, BTW), a 6 pack of Nature’s Own Whole Wheat bagels, natural PB (I went for the slightly less natural version to avoid messy stirring in a hotel room), a diet coke (I know I know) and a Cadbury egg for dessert!  Exactly what I wanted.  (I obviously only ate 1 bagel with PB, and about half the fruit—it wasn’t great, unfortunately.)

I hope my per diem covers full jars of peanut butter.

Anyway, it was delicious, filling, and hit the spot and I’m glad I didn’t hit the drive through. 

What foods do you crave, healthy and not-so-healthy?  On the healthy front, like I said, peanut butter, fruit, and eggs are big…on the not-so-healthy front, I’ve been dying for ice cream after long runs lately!

Take that, oats in a jar!

I was a crabby panda all day today. It is zero degrees out. Work was out of control crazy. It’s Friday, and usually my day off the gym, but I had to go run. I was not happy.

I snacked on some popcorn this afternoon. I always have popcorn for snacks on Fridays. I don’t know why.

No butter, lots of salt. (Popcorn mixed with M&Ms is the best, but unfortunately not as healthy.)

Then I went and ran. I was determined to get. it. over. with. I was not feeling it, but I started to run and I just felt light and strong and fast. It was great!  I actually think my running has proved immensely since the weather got colder.  When I was little, my asthma would vastly improve after the first hard freeze, and I think the same thing is happening now.  I haven’t had trouble with it for weeks.   Afterwards, the crabbies fell away and I was back to my normal ray of sunshine self. I left the gym and came home to find our new crock pot!

Good thing, too.  We ate our last frozen bowl of chili earlier this week!  I can’t wait to give it a try.

In other news, for those of you who think that Oats in a Jar is the best thing to do with the end of a jar of peanut butter, I present to you a very happy beagle with peanut butter on his snout:

So, a big happy check for week one of half marathon training.  I can do this!

Tonight will involve some relaxation and a little tidying for some visitors tomorrow.  Happy Friday!

What’s your favorite snack?

Spin!

Spinning is one of my favorite ways to get a great workout.   This is largely because the potential for awkwardness and embarrassment is low–you sit on a bike that is planted firmly to the floor and pedal.  No jumping around, no steps, no barbells, no hard floors to smack your face on–it’s great.  Plus, the music is (usually) good, and for some reason, my instructor shuts the lights off which is kinda cool.  The only con is that it makes your butt hurt, and not in a “feel the burn” kind of way.  (I’m looking into some fancy spin shorts or maybe a seat cover one of these days, don’t worry.)

Oh!  And I remembered my precious Camelbak.  It even got a compliment in the locker room–some lady pointed to it and said, “Wow, what a cool color!”  and I was proud.

So, I spun (spinned? span?) this morning.  It was a good time.

Time: 56:15

Average heart rate: 163

Calories burned: 601

Then I came home, putzed about for awhile, showered, and made lunch.   Behold, the evolution of a delicious yogurt mishmash:

I eat this as part of my lunch just about every day.  I start with a whole bunch of fruit (strawberries, today, because they were on sale), then add about 3/4 c. yogurt, 1/4 c. granola, and a healthy dollop of peanut butter.  Mix and enjoy.  I had this with a scrambled egg and two egg whites with a bit of cheese and a small whole wheat bagel.  I loooove breakfast for lunch (or dinner, but my darling fiance just doesn’t do that.  Harumph.  Hi, honey!)

Brand-wise, I used Driscoll’s strawberries, Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt, Bear Naked Triple Berry Crunch granola, and Naturally More peanut butter.  Since I’m unemployed, I’m doing my best to save money at the grocery store.  I can justify the the cost of the Bear Naked granola–it’s $3.99 a bag, but it will last me about two weeks so isn’t really that bad.  I love Greek yogurt, but that is one cost I have not yet been able to justify–$4.29 for a two-serving container!  I buy the big containers of Dannon for about $2.05, and I get about 4-5 servings out of it.  I at least avoid HFCS with Dannon, and hey, it’s about sustainable habits, not perfection, right?  When I’m rich and famous, I’ll bathe in Oikos and Fage, but for now…Dannon it is.

Anyway, the cat on my lap is making typing difficult, so that’s all for now.  I’ll be back later to get you all up to speed on some more fun wedding details!