04 | January | 2012 | Running the Windy City

Ian has to do something tonight so I’m on my own for the evening. Seems like the perfect opportunity to go and do something crazy right?

It’s actually quite the opposite. My early run, the stress of the up-and-coming semester (my thesis, ah!), plus a long day at work has gotten to me and all I want to do is hang out in the apartment with my furball. In fact, I changed into my pjs about 20 minutes after walking in the door. How lame am I!

I did take the advantage of being solo for dinner to make something that Ian would not eat for dinner (unless I slipped bacon into it or something), a brussels sprout salad with soy sausage.

I roasted the brussels sprouts in olive oil, salt, and pepper for 25 minutes at 375 (stirring them after 15 minutes). Then I topped a bed of arugula with the brussels sprouts, a sausage-less sausage, and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. I coated everything lightly in TJ’s Cilantro Vinaigrette for a little more flavor.

It was amazing and reminded me a lot of Kathleen’s salads at the daily crumb.

My “dessert” was some greek yogurt, peanut flour, and a drizzle of maple syrup with some granola and crumbled clif zbar.

It was no ice cream but it did the trick

Now in true girlie fashion, I’m going to go paint my nails and watch Felicity

Have a great night!

Good morning I’m in a great mood today because Michigan won in overtime last night!! Go Blue!!

Workout
This morning I woke up super early and knocked out 10 miles on the beloved dreadmill. When I realized I had to be at work at 9 and had a 10-miler on my schedule, I debated converting today into a 2-a-day and running 5 in the morning and 5 at night. However, I’m not an afternoon/evening runner so I decided to just sweat it out this morning!

My trick for completing long treadmill runs is to promise myself that I will run at least half the distance (so 5 miles today) before stopping for water, a bathroom break, or to change treadmills for variety. I also usually pick a time a few miles past the halfway point (7 miles today) that I strive to reach before stopping. Either way when I get back on the treadmill I know I’m halfway through my workout which makes it seem shorter.

Today I made it to 7, got some water and hopped back on to complete the 10 miles. The run was fine except that the treadmill shocked me about every 2 minutes. Has this happened to anyone else? I know the air in my building is dry, but still…

Breakfast
Breakfast was a treat today, a pumpkin parfait from the Whole Foods Health Starts Here line.

Has anyone else tried any of their products? I fell in love with their quinoa and roasted vegetable wraps this summer but I had to stop my addiction because the products are a little pricey. They do make a nice treat every so often and their ingredient lists are excellent.