It’s a Good Friday

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a great day so far.  I, myself can’t complain over here… the weather outside is (finally) sunny and gorgeous!

Mind you, the temperature is still considered to be chilly in the 40s, but I digress.  If the sun is shining, I am one happy girl and like to take advantage of it by spending some time outside.

Yesterday I received something I have been anxiously waiting for in the mail.  New running shoes! Ahhh!

If you are a runner, you completely understand how exciting this is.  Truth is, I have been running in my old and incredibly worn out running shoes I bought to train for my half marathon last March.  Ummm… yeah… for the number of miles I have put on those bad boys, they should have been retired a good six to eight months ago!

Lucky for them, it has been a little too cold for my liking to run outside, so I have found other ways to get my cardio and have put running aside for a while.  Not today!  When I woke up and saw a forecast for a morning in the 40s, I deemed it the perfect excuse to get out there and run again.

Cool (not cold) weather +  new running shoes + sun shining = best runs ever!

I am including a pre-photo of my entire outfit because I got a few pieces at an absolute steal.  At first I was worried that I might need more layers, but with a fleece lined thermal top and patch pocket athletic pants, I was perfectly warm, not too hot, and good to go!

Thermal Top: Champion via Target Activewear – (75% off) $5.99!

Patch Pocket Athletic Pants: Forever21 Activewear – $19.80!

iPod/iPhone armband holder: NATHAN Sonic Boom case via Track Shack

Headband: purchased at the 2012 Gasparilla Distance. It’s super soft fabric and I wear it over my ears to keep them warm and to hold my earbuds in. You can find probably find something similar at running specialty stores!

and of course… the new kicks.

Believe it or not, I got these online from Amazon.

When I decided to start seriously training for my first race, I went to my local running store and got professionally fitted for running shoes.  If you are interested in racing, or even running any kind of long distance, I strongly urge you to do the same.  It only takes a few minutes, and you will be amazed at what it feels like to run in the right brand and shoe size for your personal running style.

Ready, I set off for a run with a fresh playlist and no end mile goal in sight.  I just wanted to enjoy being able to run outside again, and I certainly succeeded.

Contrary to my latest posts about running on ice and dodging slush, this run was pretty effortless.  It was just me and the empty sidewalks.

At about the two mile mark, I saw a running trail I was tempted to hop on.

Since I wasn’t sure where it ends up, I took it for a quarter mile and turned back around to head back home.  After all, it had been a while since my last run and didn’t want to overdue it.

Five miles later, I returned home feeling great to have ran at a 8:30 pace!  What I wore was perfect for the weather, and I barely even broke a sweat.

It was a great start to the day!

Post-Run Lunch

After a quick shower, I headed downstairs to make something I haven’t even thought of in quite a while: a smoothie!  Like I said… it has been freezing up here and the last thing I have been wanted to put in my body is ice.

Today, however, it sounded refreshing.

Without any kind of recipe in mind, I just started throwing random ingredients into the blender.  For going in blind, I have to admit that it was pretty darn good!

Ingredients:

• frozen strawberries and blackberries (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 1/2 a Granny Smith apple

• fresh spinach (about 1 cup)

• 1 scoop whey protein powder

• orange juice (about 1 1/2 cups… maybe a little more)

It blended easily and made enough for two.  I put the rest in the refrigerator to enjoy later on (which I am actually finishing it off as we type!) and sided it with one of my favorite afternoon snacks.

Baby carrots, Reduced-fat Triscuit crackers and a big ‘ol dallop of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.  So delish.

Good Friday

It has been a pretty Good Friday around here.  I woke up feeling well rested (which has not happened a lot lately), in a good mood, and ready to take on the day.  While sipping coffee, I realized it is also Good Friday.

As Christians, Scott and I observe today as a religious holiday symbolizing the crucifixion of Christ, then end the weekend celebrating His resurrection on Easter Sunday!  Although we will not be around family, I am really looking forward to attending a Saturday night service at the church Scott and I have been going to.

We have so much to be thankful for, and this is always a weekend that gives us a reminder of everything we have been blessed with.

I shared a photo on Instagram this morning, and wanted to also close today’s post with it.

It is a picture of a Forever 21 shopping bag.  Have you ever really looked at one long enough to see what is on the bottom of it?

One of my favorite bible verses, perfect for Good Friday – John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Whether you are celebrating Easter, Passover, or just plan to enjoy time with friends and family, have a wonderful weekend everyone!