Time to Hop on the Interval Train

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Hey, hey, party people!

I am here to chat about your new best friend when it comes to cardio.

No, seriously!

I know people think cardio is some grueling task, and yes, it certain can be, but this is something that will go by in a breeze and leave you feeling exhausted in the best way.

If you haven't heard of high intensity interval training, otherwise known as HIIT, you are missing out! Never fear, though. That's why I'm here to spread the good word ; )

High intensity interval training is exactly what it sounds like - you work at your maximum for a short amount of time, followed by recovery. HIIT has been my BFF for the last couple weeks on the days where I do not want to run or do cardio for longer than twenty minutes.

Yes, all you need is 15-20 minutes to complete a HIIT work out. Super short, sweet, and sweaty.

Before I chat about what my personal HIIT workouts look like, here's the benefits. That's most important. WHY the hell should I do this?

- Kickstarts your metabolism and burns tons of calories in a shorter amount of time when compared to calories burned during a long run

- Effective at burning fat

- Strengthens your lungs, heart, and legs (especially if you kick up the incline - oooh mama)

- Promotes weight loss, not muscle loss

- Time efficient: no need to set aside an hour of your day since you can get it done in 20 minutes or less!

- You can pretty much do it anywhere. Inside, outside, in your living room, whatever!

That moody morning gym light at 5:30am, pre-HIIT madness.

This is what I have been playing around for my intervals:

Warm up: 2 minutes

Easy run: 1 minute

SPRINT ALL OUT! 30 seconds
Walk to recover: 1 minute

Repeat for 15 or 20 minutes. You will work up a huge sweat, your heart will be pumping, and you will feel amazing after. Yes, it's hard, but start wherever is comfortable for you. If you feel it's better to have a longer warm up, do that. If you want more recovery time, do that. Hell, sometimes after sprinting my butt off I stand on the sides of the treadmill for a good twenty seconds before I even begin my walking recovery. It's all up to you!

You can also mix up your intervals with jumping jacks, skipping rope, burpees, mix in strength training moves. Lots of options to keep you sweating!

Note: I like to do my intervals after so I conserve my energy for strength training, but do what works for you. Sometimes we only have 20 minutes to get a workout in, and HIIT is perfect for that!

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Let me know in the comments what your favourite HIIT workout is, or if you are a lover of HIIT as well!

Healthy Morning Habits to Start Now

Does anyone else LOVE mornings? I especially love them on a Sunday or Monday when I have the whole day to myself. Easing into the morning can set the tone for a happier day. Whether you are a late riser or an early riser, I hope you can find a few takeaways from today's post to help create some more healthy habits. Of course, you don't have to do these just in the morning. They are all great no matter what time of day they occur! However, some of them are especially effective the morning to get the day started when your body is freshly awake. Let me know in the comments if there are any morning habits you like to do!

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1. Hold the phone. One thing that is important in the morning is allowing yourself to wake up on your own terms, without being inundated with social media first thing. I know how tempting it can be to check your phone right away. Trust me, been there all too often! However, I wait until I've been up for an hour (give or take) before I finally check social media. It can be so overwhelming for me in the morning to be bombarded with what everyone else is doing, so keeping my phone aside while I am going about my morning business helps me feel more engaged in what I am feeling and doing to get my day started

2. Lemon water, lemon water, lemon water. I LOVE lemon water so much. Lemon water in the morning (especially with warm water) is a gentle way to "detox" your body and flush out any toxins in your system. It kickstarts the digestive system, rehydrates the body, and can help energize you for the day ahead. BUT - that doesn't mean ditch the coffee. Drink your lemon water first, girl! Hydrate before you caffeinate is my rule of thumb.

3. Get moving - or not. Some people love to exercise in the morning. I am one of those people who enjoy working out in the morning to get my sweat-sesh out of the way, though at the same time I also enjoy working out in the evening to sweat out the day's stress. That being said, exercising in the morning can help wake you up and aid in better dietary choices throughout the day. On the other hand, some people love starting their morning on a more quiet note: meditation. Meditation doesn't have to be sitting on your yoga mat for an hour saying "Omm" one hundred times. I ain't got time (or the patience) for that. However, even meditating for five minutes can be beneficial at calming your nervous system, clearing your mind, and setting positive intentions for your day. Find what works for you and go with it!

4. Journal or read. I am a book lover at heart (maybe that's why I enjoy blogging so much!) and whether you are reading a biography, a fantasty novel (Harry Potter say heyyyy whaaat), or writing in your journal, the act of reading and writing can not only be therapeutic, but it can also help reinvigorate your mind. Waking up with an interesting article is a nice way to pass time as you're having your morning lemon water, too!

5. Eat breakfast. If you aren't a big fan of breakfast foods, eat something. If you think about it, you wouldn't drive your car without putting gas in it, right? So why would you start your day without fueling your body? My go-to breakfast is oatmeal, though I have been switching it up lately with eggs and berries a few times per week when I want some more protein in the morning. Not interested in cooking in the morning? There are tons of yummy recipes out there for healthy breakfast cookies and muffins, that way you can grab, go, and be on your way. Alternatively, a smoothie is another great way to get some nutrients into the system! Having breakfast ensures that your brain and body have the nutrients required to perform at it's best.

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Now, off to get my coffee! Have a fantastic day everyone : )

Race Recap: 2016 Victoria Half Marathon

Good morning, party people!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Sunday yesterday. I ate a lot, drank a bit, and had a merry ol' time with family. Yep, an extra serving of stuffing happened because it is what I look forward to the most when it comes to the Thanksgiving dinner spread.

Let's back up and chat about yesterday's half marathon. It is actually my fifth year running this race (not that I counted the medals when I got home or anything..) and the course did not disappoint.

My alarm went off shortly after 5am on Sunday morning. Ew, right? That is an awful time to wake up anyway, especially on a Sunday. I went to bed around 9:30pm the night before after a simple spaghetti dinner, and was carbed up and ready to run.

Pre-race my breakfast was some instant oatmeal. I find this sits better in my stomach than slow cooking oats and peanut butter toast with banana. PB toast used to be my go-to, but I find that it is harder on my digestive system and kind of sits like a rock as I run, you know? Anyway, I felt fueled up and ready on our drive to Victoria. Bless Ryan's kind heart for always driving me so early at the ass crack of dawn to these events. I'm kinda psycho in that way, I suppose.

Runners heading towards the start line.

The Parliament buildings looking pretty! It was about 7:20am at this point and just starting to get lighter outside.

The start line! The half marathon was sold out, and the street was bustling with that race day excitement. It always helps pump me up when there is a good vibe on race day! How can it not be good, though? You're about to kill 21.1km! When 7:30am hit, the race began, and the crowd moved up until we were over the start line and runnin'.

I experimented a little bit during this run not only with a new running belt that holds a water bottle, but with a new running method too. Generally I just RUN and hope I don't die or fall or smash face first into the ground (note: this has never happened, well, aside from tripping and falling during the Oak Bay half in 2013 I think it was. Oops), BUT. This time I tested out the "run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute method." Doing this gave me time to drink my own water (bypassing water stations is a beautiful thing) and get ready for the next 10 minute segment of running. Eventually I will be in better shape to just run the whole thing as I have done in the past, but this was a great way to mentally break it up. The water belt was a game changer too. Definitely worth the $43.

The Victoria Half has some rolling hills, but nothing that I haven't come up against before. Compared to Kelowna, it was smooth sailing! I carried one gel in my water belt (I am a big fan of the Honey Stinger gels in fruit smoothie flavour, as they are all natural and don't make my tummy feel weird) and took half at about the 13km mark and then the rest around the 15km mark. One thing I thought to myself as I was running along Dallas Rd is how much I truly enjoy this course. While the expo is meh, the race itself is WOW! Nothing better than running along the ocean and in beautiful Victoria!

What worked well for me: having my own water and being able to have a drink anytime I wanted to. Ever since the Kelowna half I thought about purchasing a water belt, but I just never got around to it. Bless the Running Room for having a 20% off coupon on Saturday! I also wore a new pair of pants that I had never worn in a half marathon before that were FANTASTIC. I will post about my favourite running gear later on this month, but just know that they are life changing. And Lululemon. Shocking, right? : )

Was I waving? Or pretending to high five Ryan through the fence? Or just posing like a cheese ball? One will never know. Oh yeah, this shirt was the jam too as I never felt too hot or too cold during the whole race. Win, win.

Ooh paparazzi. Enough with the glamour shots. 

Another one done and dusted! We headed to White Spot after the race for some breakfast, and then home to shower and RELAX! Oh, and I foam rolled too. I'm so good at this post-race recovery thing! Hint hint, post about that coming soon too ; )

All in all it was a great run and a wonderful Thanksgiving Sunday. See ya again next year, Victoria half! 

Victoria Half Marathon: The Expo

While you are reading this I have already ran the Victoria Half Marathon. Stay tuned for my race recap tomorrow, but here is a little look inside the race expo held at the Victoria Conference Centre.

The race has four events, and for the last almost four years I believe I have ran this race. I enjoy the course (except for the end, but I'll get to that tomorrow) as it is so scenic and pretty, and the crowds are always great. The expo is a great way to get energized and motivated for the race.

The expo is always on the smaller side - they changed the layout this year so the expo was more navigation friendly rather than being one big loop of vendors. There were all kinds of local sports companies, as well as stores such as Frontrunners, New Balance, and The Running Room there representing. Additionally, there were a few fresh juice and supplement companies there as well, so you could load up on post-race fuel and energy gels.

Unfortunately, I don't usually see anything that catches my eye at this expo. Compared to some other races out there I feel like you are paying a higher registration fee just because it's the Victoria Marathon, and not really getting a lot of bang for your buck. Example: the Lululemon SeaWheeze had SO MUCH to offer and was the same price as this run. Nevertheless, there were at least some free samples at the expo and also discounted prices on shirts from the previous years, if you were in the market for some new running tops. But I digress.

With that said, it didn't take us too much time to mosey through the expo. We stopped at a few booths, but like I said before, there was nothing really that caught my eye or made me want to spend more time there. Perhaps if I wanted to buy some new shoes or new running gear than I would've spent more time looking at the gear offerings, but I mostly wanted to get in and out and carry on with the day. Plus, the weather was absolutely miserable on the drive into Victoria so I didn't want to get stuck in the pouring rain on the Malahat when it got dark - nooo thank you!

Also, funny story: I thought I had registered for this race MONTHS ago. So, one day in September I randomly thought I better confirm my registration online. It turns out I didn't register, and there were only four spots in the the half marathon left. Oh, well then. So, I got myself registered and of course there were only men's XL shirts left. Just my luck! That'll teach me to get on it early - and thank goodness there were at least a few spots left when I finally did check. Oopsies.

See you again tomorrow for the race recap! Wishing all my fellow Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving weekend - I'm off to have an extra serving of stuffing.

FitBit Fun + Solo Gym Time

Good evening, friends!

I am coming to you tonight from the comfort of my couch. It has been a bit of a busy day today, but what's new? My Sunday (which is Monday) always tends to be all over the place - and I wonder why I feel not-so relaxed after the weekend... Hmmm..

Nevertheless, I wanted to pop in and give you a little recap of the weekend!

After the work day on Saturday, I hit the gym for a quick workout. I had about 45 minutes MAX to spend, as I was attending a surprise 50th birthday party for a family friend, so I got it done FAST. My heart rate stayed elevated the whole time, and I took shorter than normal rests between sets. The workout consisted of a 5 minute warm up on the treadmill, followed by some back, biceps, and shoulders.

And because I couldn't get enough of the upper body, I completed a similar work out on Sunday, but mixed in some HIIT (high intensity interval training) after. I would sprint all out for 30 seconds, rest for another 30, and then run at an easy pace for one minute before repeating it again. The purpose of this is to get the heart rate going up, and down, and WTF is she going to do next. This will help shock the metabolism and keep your body in the fat burnin' zone. Not bad, not bad ; ) Both Saturday and Sunday were nice and quiet in the gym - gotta love that solo time so you can take multiple gym selfies without ridicule, am I right? : )

Post-work out meal on Sunday night. Ryan and I signed up for a local CSA offered by a farm that our friends own, and they were generous enough to give us one of their chickens. So, Ryan got crafty in the kitchen and roasted it up, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner. The chicken was so fresh and tender, and I made some homemade chicken soup with it today! Gotta love that : ) 

Now rewind to now where Nala is laying on the floor with my shoes post-puppy playdate with her cousins. Yep, that's her favourite spot. That and under the kitchen table chairs. Strange, but whatever works! 

So, I came upon a FitBit on Friday afternoon. A friend said she didn't use hers and was going to throw it in the garbage, so in I swooped to take it off her hands. I used it for most of the afternoon yesterday and into the evening, and fortunately I hit just over 10,000 steps yesterday. This is a snap shot of my day around 2pm, Now I have officially hit 20,000 steps and it is 5:03PM! Craziness, right? Helps that I ran 11.2 km as well.

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So, there's an update for you! I will be back again on Wednesday with more goodies. Time to relax with my under eye sheet masks and some peppermint tea. Such a life of glamour I lead ; ) Au revoir! 

Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon Recap

Nothing beats a sunrise in wine country!

On Sunday, September 4th I participated in the 2016 Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon hosted by Destination Races. It was my first "Destination Race," and the first time I had really traveled farther than Vancouver for a run. Kelowna is known for being a summer getaway place, and the region is known for it's wine. So, what better than combining two of my favourite things - running and wine - and making a half marathon event out of it? Yep, I'm in!

The race started at 7am from the Vibrant Vine winery. It was a smaller race with less than 800 participants, which was perfect. Some big city races can be SO crowded and overwhelming, but the atmosphere here on race day was comfortable and relaxed. Maybe everyone had been sippin' wine before the race, hey? Wait until we cross the finish line!

The winey itself lives up to it's name, as it certainly is vibrant! Inside it was so colourful with lots of artwork on the walls, and the outside was fun and inviting as well. If you are in the Kelowna area, I highly recommend checking it out!

A snap of the start line early in the morning. The calm before the storm, as they say.

The run itself was both hard and fun. I say it was hard because there were SO many hills. If you have ran the Seawheeze before, think those hills but longer and more frequent. Yeah, my legs are still hurting today from it! All hills aside, though, the downhills were much appreciated and the course was SO scenic. Living on Vancouver Island is pretty much as good as it gets, but running in a new area made me appreciate all the sights and surroundings that Kelowna has to offer. The course takes you through vineyards, orchards, cute residential streets, along the water front, and downtown Kelowna where it finishes at the Kelowna Waterfront Park. The course had lots to offer, and they had it well equipped with aid stations and volunteers cheering along the way. Plus, I ran the half marathon with my aunt, so it was nice to have someone to chat with along the way!

WAIT - Did I mention there is wine at the end?

Ooooh, yeeeeah!

After collecting your medal and bag of goodies at the finish line, runners were able to pick up a wine glass for the tasting event. Since Ryan was with me, I had a ticket for two wine glasses so he could participate as well. Aaand now we have two fancy wine glasses to add to the collection ; ) Local wineries came out and you were able to go from station to station and sample their specialties. There were SO many good wines out there (I am a red girl), and I am hoping I can find them at our stores here to share them with family and friends.

The medal is a wine coaster! I don't know if I would use it as a coaster since I am paranoid about anything scratching the table (still has that new look, almost a year later!), but nevertheless. It is a super cool idea for a wine themed race, and the wine glasses were a nice little bonus.

All in all, I enjoyed everything the Wine Country Half had to offer. It was a great day filled with great sights, great people & great wine. I will be back next year!

My Return to the Gym After Almost THREE MONTHS!

Well hello, friends!

As you can tell by the title, I am back to the gym.

Yep, that's right. I am back to the gym and actually enjoying it more than I thought I would.

First off, I want to say that I never disliked going to the gym. It just got to the point where I was spending my money on a hot yoga membership (I haven't gone in about a month because it has been SO HOT out, might as well do yoga on my deck), and the thought of buying a gym membership separately had me second guessing how much I really needed it. Besides, I have a treadmill, elliptical and free weights at home. What do I need a gym for?

Well, I need a gym for the simple fact of getting myself out of the house. On the same note, the gym has 100x more equipment than I have at home, so it makes working out easier. I don't have to think about what move I can do with this dumbbell or worry about not being able to use a squat rack or quad extension machine.

So, on August 17th I made my return to the gym.

What got me there?

Well, first off I had won a free gym membership at a ladies' night my sister and I went to at the beginning of the month. This was motivation enough for me to go and take advantage of my prize.

What did I do?

Fortunately, despite not being in the gym for a few months, I got into a groove pretty quickly. I completed a back, biceps & shoulder work out that left my upper body feeling sufficiently sore for the next two days. I guess not doing any formal strength training for an extended period of time will do that to ya, hey? I also completed 15 minutes of cardio on the elliptical at level 5 after.

Taken on Tuesday's leg day!

So, yeah! There we have it. And here's what I wore to the gym, because I love a good #WOTD - workout outfit of the day. Shirt is from Lululemon, as are the pants.

Bottom line: I missed going to the gym and I am happy to be back. Mostly I am excited to see how my body changes with the increase in strength training, so I will keep you all updated of course.

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Now, off to the gym! Have a great day & I'll catch ya on Wednesday : )

The Road to IDFA: Part 1

Photos from my pre-show shoot will be uploaded next week. Stay tuned!

On June 28, 2015, I competed in my first bikini competition in North Vancouver at the IDFA BC Classic. In the next couple posts, I'm going to recap my experience & then have a summary of what I have learned and what happens next. Read along if you are interested in following how my show weekend went!

Early morning spray tan. Coat number one, done!

Ryan & I headed over to Vancouver late Friday night after he finished work. I used some of my vacation time and took the week prior to my show off to help get prepared and ready for the big day. The week before you go on stage is considered peak week, and I was happy to use my extra time to sleep in (letting my body rest a little more than usual) and get all my meals prepped. Since we were staying overnight in a hotel, I prepared all of my meals for the weekend ahead of time. Fortunately, I booked our room far enough in advance and took advantage of the in-room mini fridge which made storing my food so much easier. When Friday rolled around, I packed up my cooler bag and we loaded up the truck. We were off to the big city!

After checking into our room, I headed to bed soon after we got settled. I didn't have to be up early on Saturday, but by the time we got off the ferry and drove to the hotel, it was nearly midnight and I was pooped! I am so thankful that Ryan drove me around all weekend. Peak week is great in that you really see the physique you have been working so hard for, but mentally I was quite tired and I knew focusing on driving probably wasn't my main priority. When we woke up on Saturday, we spent the majority of the morning in bed drinking coffee (for Ryan) and eating (for me) before we got ready and headed to Park Royal mall for some shopping. Saturday was easy going, and we made it back to the hotel by late afternoon where we just hung out watching movies. Since we were out and about in the sun all day, I felt very tired and SO glad to lay down once we were back at our room!

Looking fifty shades of sexy with my pasty face

My alarm went off at 6:50am Sunday morning, and as soon as I woke up I ate my first meal of the day. My meals were simple during the weekend. White fish and yams. Try having that six times a day for three days straight and see how much you like fish after that. I have had fish once since then (and it was salmon). Anyway, my first coat of spray tan was at 7:30am. I headed up to the make up artist's room, not really knowing what to expect. Turns out you stood naked in a large tent on the balcony of the hotel and she just went to down spraying you until you no longer looked like a Caucasian person. I wore a baggy black t-shirt, and this was my fashionable outfit of the day up until 4:30pm (the show started at 5pm). While I waited for my spray tan to dry, I relaxed in the hotel room and read my book, watched some tv, and impatiently waited for my family to arrive. I texted my mom back and forth, and soon enough my family was at the hotel (they were staying in the same hotel as us) and delivering post-show goodies. The cheering squad was nearly all here! We visited for a bit, then it was time for me to get my hair and make up done. While that was happening, my family went out exploring, and Ryan picked up his sister as she was coming to see the show too!

Ready to go!

Once I was all done up and wearing more make up than I probably have in all of my 23 years of being on this earth, it was time to double and triple check my backstage bag and get going! Fortunately, the show venue was only about 15 minutes away from the hotel. My parents followed us there, and Ryan dropped me off out front so he could find parking and I could head back stage. While I was heading into the venue, I saw a good friend of mine that was coming to watch the show. I was so happy she could make it! We chatted quickly before I headed inside to settle in.

Pre-stage rice cake with pb & jam. Oh carbs, how I missed you!

While I was backstage, I changed into my bikini and did some last minute lip gloss touch ups. I chatted with a few girls in the same category as me, and I was glad to know that they were all newbies too. I did not feel like a fish out of water, and I tried to mentally pump myself up as much as I could. To be honest, when it comes to positive thinking I am pretty good at it, but there's something about stepping on stage half naked for people to literally judge your body that makes you stop and think, "Hmm. Can I actually do this?" Of course I can! I had prepped so long and hard for this, and finally the moment was here. Before I knew it, they were calling us up on stage. It was time!

Next on the blog: The Road to IDFA: Part 2 (stage shots & how I did)

I Can't Think of a Witty Title

Friday fun with Sarah and her friend Rachel. I have a Beauty Tuesday post coming up this week with things I purchased that afternoon, so I don't want to spoil it today!

One thing that was awesome about Friday: Pink cups from Blenz in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. So cool! I love me some pink, so obviously I was over the moon with this change. Super bright and fun, and a lot of store associates were asking us where they could get pink cups too. If you have a Blenz coffee shop near you, go support! Right meow!

The past few days in running:

Wednesday: 10.1 miles. This was my last long run before the half marathon next weekend!

Thursday: 8 miles

Friday: Off. I was going to run, but then things like shopping and going out for breakfast for dinner with my parents happened, and I didn't feel like it anymore. Womp womp.

Today's run: 8 miles with lots of pick-ups throughout to keep my legs turning over quickly. I was going to do some hills as well, but I figured pick ups and hills weren't a good mix when I still have a run to do tomorrow.

I followed up my run with some stretching and core work mixed with squats & upper body strength training. I have been slackin' on that!

Tomorrow's run (fingers crossed): 8 miles with maaaaybe some hills. Maybe. Maybe, we'll see.

Weekly mileage: 35 miles

And then TAPER! Aah how I despise the taper. I just want to run all the miles! I know it's beneficial in the long run (ha, so punny), but waiting up until race day makes me very antsy. I suppose that's the point.

Anyway, just a quick check in to share what I have been up to lately! Good luck to anyone racing this weekend!

Beauty Tuesdays: Bath & Body Works HAUL!

Typical selfie complete with a bowl of oatmeal. Totally normal!

Today Sarah and I went on an adventure to Nanaimo. We were both on the hunt for a few things like coffee, candles... And that's about it. And we succeeded! I burned through the majority of my spring/summer scents and a few candles that B bought me for Christmas last year. It takes me a while to get through them, but it seems as if lots have ran out in the same time frame. Hey, that's okay with me!

We spent lots of time browsing around the stores, but honestly, I don't even know what I like anymore! Well, I do, but I always think of all the other things (like groceries) I could spend my money on. However, I kinda treated myself today in the sense that I actually BOUGHT some items that are more of a novelty than practical.

Typical Starbucks shot, because we are girls and that's what (some) girls do, right? We actually had Starbucks TWICE. Once on the way to Nanaimo, and again when we were done browsing in Chapters. It is so hard not to go when it's conveniently placed on every. single. corner!

After driving around more (there was lots of back and forth, but I will touch on that in a different post) it was time to get my run on! I was first planning on completing this run once B had left for work, but the impromptu Nanaimo trip kinda pushed it onto the back burner. At least I still got 'er done!

Oreo was really tired after running 10 miles before dinner. I was too!

And uh, I may or may not have stretched after. Hint: I skipped it. I will do some before bed tonight, but I was SO HUNGRY. So naturally stretching had to wait and food had to get into my belly. Logic! It's called refueling, people.

Moving right along...

These are the goodies I got from B&BW!

Clockwise:

Mini Candles: Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, Autumn, Cider Lane
Hand Soap: Pumpkin Caramel Latte, Farmstand Apple & Vermont Sugar Maple (shouldn't it be maple sugar? Just sayin' Bath & Body Works)

3-Wick Candles: Roasted pumpkin butter & leaves

Oh. My. Goodness. I am burning Roasted Pumpkin Butter right now and it smells heavenly! Perfect blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, all those tasty warm spices wrapped up inside a pumpkin. I am so excited for fall! It is probably my favourite season by far.

Roasted Pumpkin Butter candle + pajamas + blanket + chai tea + cat + B = the foolproof equation for a wonderful Tuesday night.

Have a lovely evening!

A TV Series Obsession + Campfire Fun

The latest TV series B and I have been watching is called 4400. It's on Netflix, so I highly suggest checking it out! It's a little sci-fi crime mystery-ness and will get you on the edge of your seat at some points. I love it! We spent an evening watching a couple episodes, and I prepared a spread of snacks instead of a full on meal for dinner.

And I had to share this photo with you. Does Oreo NOT look like Grumpy Cat's cousin or something? Hilarious. That cat cracks me up!

Friday's fitness: I told myself that my running goal for the afternoon would be between 6-8 miles. However, I kinda got in the zone and ended up running 10 instead. Hey, I'll take it! Long run done!

It was followed by a 6 mile run on Saturday. Shweeeeaty.

After my run, it was time to get cleaned up and head to the parentals for a campfire! 

My B man was a huge help when I ended up burning my fingers on the sticks. Note: when the roasting sticks are beside the fire, they are probably still hot. Grab them at the handles only. When we got home he bandaged up the burns and all was okay with the world (after I stopped whining).

Here are our goodies:

Chips and salsa, other chips (that were so spicyyyyyyyy. I could only eat two before my mouth was on fire and tears were coming out of my eyes (dramatic enough?)) , hot dogs, and s'mores. I actually had one of the Yves veggie dogs, and I gotta say, they weren't bad at all! That's not to say that I will be eating them every day, but it's nice to know I won't have to just eat chips and salsa at a campfire!

Although those were good too. And s'mores. Oh, how I love s'mores.

B & mom ready to get their roast on! Watch out!

Cozy slipper socks are the best footwear for outdoor festivities. Good thing I didn't step in any dog poop!

Then this morning I did some reading and coffee drinking.

FYI, the October issue of Runner's World is fantastic! Plus there's a fun running quiz inside. I remember searching for fun quizzes online when I was younger and doing everyone I could find in all those tweenie-bopper magazines I would read. So fun!

Then once I sat down, this happened.

Hard to get any reading done with this little miss muffin cuddles up right on your magazine. She's so cute, I can't help but let her.

Then I hopped on the treadmill and busted out a 6 mile tempo run. I played a LOT with speed during this run. Sprinting followed by slower recovery periods, then gradually increasing speed every minute, then more recovery, then sprinting. It made the run super fun and the time went by so fast!

I followed my run with lots of stretching and a post-run yoga sequence courtesy of YouTube. You can never go wrong finding what you need on there! A quick upperbody workout using weights happened as well targeting back, biceps, and then I threw in some lunges just because. I've been slackin' on the strength training, so I'm bringing it back into rotation!

Anyway, time to continue watching 4400. Things are getting GOOD, and I can't turn off the tv! Help!