Thursday Thoughts

1. Fact: when I was younger, I used to see my parents, family and friends with key chains and think, "I can't wait until I'm old enough and cool enough to have a key chain like that." Now? I don't know what the heck I thought was so cool about it but mine is getting a little too clunky for my liking. Oh the random things we wish for as kids.

2. I'm finally trying to add speed and hill training back into my workouts. For awhile when I was just starting to get back into running, I shied away from doing anything but slow and steady paced runs. This week I did a short progression run (WU, mile 1 (10:00), mile 2 (9:41), mile 3 (9:20), CD) followed by a shorter trail run the next day with plenty of hills. My hips/glutes are super tight today, so trying to remember to stretch and foam roll when I can, but so happy to have some variation back.

3.  This:

 
4. I don't like crunchy cookies. The softer, the better. I prefer dough, actually, but for some reason the directions always say bake. Oreos are my exception. A weakness of mine, if you will. My mom bought me this cookbook for my birthday after we tried out the bakery for lunch earlier this month when she came to visit. Earlier this week my little sister and I tested out the recipe for homemade Oreos. Oh my. They were delightful.

5. It's cool and rainy in the Boston area today. I'm diggin' it. The bf and I are planning to order pizza and (hopefully) watch a movie. I'm thinking of picking up the Great Gatsby without asking his input, since I've been dying to see it since it came out in theaters.

What's on your keychain? Or something you remember wanting as a kid that adults had?

Chewy or crunchy cookies?

Favorite pizza toppings?
I'm totally boring and almost always opt for cheese. If I'm making homemade pizza I'll be a lot more adventurous with toppings - veggie and avocado or BBQ chicken usually.

Thursday Thoughts & Blueberry Banana Muffins

1. Lately I've been having trouble falling asleep, which seems to have made waking up in the morning that much more painful. No, but really, those first few minutes after my alarm goes off, I kind of feel like the world is ending. I know I don't help my cause by pressing snooze 10,000 times, I just can't help it. I need to fix this, and fix it soon, since it's clearly not going to get any easier in the next few months once it's totally dark outside until at least 7am.

3. I came up with a new business plan idea! Recruit handsome men for runners to hire to help them stretch out after workouts. Anyone want in? Seriously, I think this has potential.

2. It's back to school season. This terrifies me. Not only does it bring back those nostalgic, "I remember when I was packing up to head back to school" feelings, it also brings a nice slap in the face of, "Hey Sarah, you're an adult. Get your butt out of bed and go to work." That abuse I consider tolerable, but chaos throughout my beloved Target? No, thank you. Aisles lined with massive cardboard bins filled with items to be snatched up by desperate college students who don't even realize that no, you don't actually need purple toaster for your dorm room.

4. Today begins a weekend filled with birthday festivities! Yes, it's true, I turn 25 on Saturday. I've been brainstorming ways to get out of it but haven't come up with anything good yet. I'm pretty excited though, since I'll be spending my time celebrating with lots of people that I love - including Kenny Chesney and Eric Church who so nicely agreed that Countryfest should be held on my special day. Aren't they thoughtful? Tonight I kicked things off with a fantastic mani/pedi after work, followed by dinner with a handful of my favorite people. I have the best girlfriends, they seriously make my world go 'round.

5. I made you guys muffins! Well, kind of. I made muffins and am sharing the recipe with you so that you can return the favor. This recipe is based on one my Dad has used for years and is one of my favorites. Simple and yummy. Enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Muffins
yields ~18 muffins
 
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 medium ripe banana (mashed)
1 cup+ blueberries (+ if you're ambitious, or like me and just love blueberries)

Combine flour, sugar, milk, oil, yogurt, egg, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl with a whisk until incorporated. Add banana and blueberries, mix well with a rubber spatula.

Spoon batter into lined muffin pan until cups are ~3/4 full. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake at 400* for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

Are you a morning person? Any brilliant tips/tricks to get out of bed?

Something you brought to college with you but never actually needed?
I remember convincing my step dad that I needed a tool kit (like, hammer, nails, screwdriver, bolts, etc.) going into each school year. I might have used the screwdriver once, which is debatable. 

Thursday Thoughts

Yes, guilty. Published Friday AM again.
 
It feels like another gorgeous fall-like day in Boston and even though it's still August, I'm totally OK with it. If you could combine the long days of summer with the crisper temperatures of fall, I'd be one happy camper.

1. I'm thankful for: spending time with girlfriends. Between birthdays, concerts, dinner and froyo dates, and even early morning workouts, I've spent a lot of time with my girlfriends in the past week or two. Things have been busy lately, and though plans with them are still plans, I've really enjoyed them.

2. I'm frustrated with: running. This is not a new one. Coming back from an injury after having taken several months off of running is... surprise... not fun. Trying to come back in the middle of the busiest part of summer? Crazy. My mileage has plateaued around 3.5 mile runs, and though I have had a couple of strong ones, for the most part my workouts have left me tired and feeling really out of shape. I'm focusing on keeping things in perspective (I really have only been easing back to running for a few weeks), staying positive and continuing to make it a priority.

3. I'm loving: This perspective...

4. I'm listening to: Parachute. All day, every day. They're a band I fell in love with awhile back when they popped up on my Matt Nathanson Pandora station. Since then, I've downloaded a few songs here and there. When I discovered they'd be playing in Boston at a small venue in Cambridge, I jumped at the opportunity to grab my girlfriends, some tickets and go. The concert was Wednesday night and it was one of the best I've been to. Seeing them, and seeing them in a smaller, much more intimate venue was just awesome. If you like Maroon 5, Matt Nathanson, Mat Kearney, John Mayer or any similar sounding alternative-meets-rock-meets-pop-meets-R&B type music, check them out. Or just do it because I told you to.

5. I'm craving: All things fall. This weather has me all kinds of confused. I see pumpkin spice lattes, baked apples with cinnamon, crockpot meals and casseroles, and I can almost taste them. In my defense my Twitter and Pinterest feeds seem to be confirming that I'm not alone in these cravings. I won't wish away the freshness and simplicity of summer veggies and meals on the grill or tossed together in a salad, but sometimes a girl just needs gourds and comfort food in her life.

Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday Thoughts

Yes, yes, I know. It's Friday morning. Work with me here, people.

1. Yesterday morning I dragged my bum out of bed to meet up with Molly, the usual running buddy suspect, for an "easy" warm up run and circuit workout in the park. Turns out, the 1.5 mile warm up didn't feel so easy after having run hard on Wednesday morning and my legs were questioning why it was necessary for me to use them so early for the second day in a row. Sorry guys, I'm the boss here. Per usual, I was reminded just how weak I am when it comes to strength training and the workout was quite literally a pain in my butt. I've been gingerly sitting and walking since yesterday afternoon.

  2.  I'm excited for this weekend for a few wonderful reasons:

Birthdays! Maroon 5! Kelly Clarkson! 

Duck Boats! Mom! Flour Bakery! 

Little Big Town! Keith Urban!

...was that more than a few? Oops. More details on these fun things later.

3. I read this article yesterday on George Saunders' speech from Syracuse University's graduation this year. If you haven't taken the time to read it, please do. It's a beautiful reminder to all of us that kindness goes a long way when it comes to living a fulfilled life and one without regrets.

4. It's currently 7:02AM and I'm baking. That's normal... right? No?

5. Did you know that Pinkberry can make absolutely any day a million times better? It's true. I've thoroughly tested this idea.

Feelings on running/working out in the rain?
Molly and I got soaked during our workout yesterday morning - total downpour. I lean toward loving it. There's something so refreshing about it... so long as it's warm(ish) outside.

Favorite fro-yo toppings?
It varies for me depending on flavor, but usually involves chocolate (shocking) and I always get a waffle cookie if it's Pinkberry!

Thursday Thoughts

I'm an introverted person. I don't like being the center of attention, I don't like confrontation and I'm probably as change and risk-averse as they get.

That's not to say that I can't handle these things, I simply don't like them.

Then why the hell did you start a blog, Sarah?

I deal with my feelings internally, reflecting on things until I've come to terms with them and feel like I can move on.

This is not always a strength of mine, which is somewhat ironic since I often see it as being strong so that I don't need the support of someone else. It can (and has) gotten me into trouble when feelings have just built up until they finally bubble over into an often overly emotional, ugly meltdown complete with the heaving-I-can't-breathe shakes, snot and blotchy skin. TMI? Seriously, it's true.

This past weekend was a bittersweet one. I celebrated a friend's beautiful wedding and the beginning of her life with a wonderful man who is beyond perfect for her. I cried, sniffles included, but very happy tears.

The following day, I sat in a hospital room and watched my grandmother pass away in front of my eyes.

In the past few days, I've had several ugly, emotional meltdowns. My feelings have bounced all over the place. Thankfulness for being able to say goodbye. Relief that she's no longer struggling. Overwhelming sadness. Anger with myself for reacting so emotionally instead of staying strong for my mom and my family. Guilt for not going to see her sooner.

And then there's that elephant in the room feeling. The divide between those people who know and those that don't. Those that tip toe around your feelings and offer their sympathy and support, and those that without realizing it only remind you that regardless of how you feel - life goes on.

Is there really an appropriate or right way to acknowledge a loss, especially when many people now learn things through social media vs. the local newspaper? I've never been an advocate for posting things like this on Facebook or Twitter. While I understand the effectiveness of the avenues in regards to sharing information, it's always seemed a little disrespectful and attention-seeking to me, at least when those feelings of loss and grief are still so raw. And yet here I am posting it on my blog, so maybe I'm wrong.

I think in this case, I simply needed to acknowledge it. Not because I want the attention, but because it would have felt wrong (and still does to some extent) to move on without saying something. Then again, I could write for days and probably still feel as though I didn't accurately capture my feelings or her life.

So instead, just know that right now, I'm sad. I love my Grandma, and I'll miss her for a very long time to come.

Thursday Thoughts

Good morning!

1. I. Am. Done. With this heat and humidity. Holy moly. I feel like I'm melting. Thankfully this week has been an improvement over last, but it's still a bit much. Our apartment has a built in AC unit in the living room but since our windows are large and slide left to right there's no [easy] way to put units in our bedrooms. Typically I'm OK with the windows open at night and a fan but last weekend we resorted to sleepovers in the living room. Yes, I'm totally serious.

2. *Crossing fingers* runs are still going well. I've been taking it the every-other-day approach with strength/cross training in between. Thankfully this weather leaves something to be desired for motivation to get outside and go, but I'm still so appreciative of the fact that I am running again in the first place that I can't wait to get back to a regular schedule and more miles.

3. The boy is still in California through Sunday. Apparently my coping mechanism for missing him is to bake/cook. I know, I do that a lot anyways, but for real this time. I've made this delicious popcorn, blueberry banana muffins, black bean burgers, these cupcakes (twice), and tested out popsicle recipes. That's not including regular dinners and lunches. I'm hoping I can at least share the recipes so you guys benefit from my craziness.

4. I'm headed home this weekend (I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately) to celebrate the wedding of one of my high school girlfriends. From teaching Model UN together and traveling Turkey and the Netherlands, to countless late nights and sleepovers, to commiserating over running and marathons, I'm so thankful for the memories I have with her. I absolutely adore this girl and could not be happier for her and her soon-to-be-hubby!

Lily and I our senior year of high school in Amsterdam. My apologies for the
filter, I couldn't find the original!

5. On a slightly different and much sadder note, Twitter and other local news sources were blowing up yesterday with the news of a local homicide.

Clearly any time things like this occur my heart breaks for the victims, their friends and their families, but this time the horrific incident hit far too close to home. Amy was a fellow Bentley grad and while I did not know her personally my Facebook and Twitter feeds have been overcome with expressions of disbelief, sadness, grief, thoughts and prayers. Further, she was a 24 year old young woman living in the Boston community that I and so many friends call home. Other incidents, similar in nature or atrocity, have riddled the news lately and I find it literally sickening to consider that there are human beings capable of doing these things to each other.

As a young female, as a runner, and as a member of the Boston community, I ask you to please, please, please be smart and be careful, wherever you are. Be aware of your surroundings and look out for yourself and for others around you. Runners, take heed of advice to change up your routes, run with a buddy off-hours and try running without headphones to increase your awareness. It's sad that it needs to be said but you truly never know what could happen, and the more precautions you take to protect yourself the better.

What safety precautions do you take, as a runner or in general?
I've gotten better about always having my cell phone with me, I never run with headphones outside, and I try to always be aware of my surroundings - places, people and things.

Thursday Thoughts

Happy Thursday!

1. I finally got a chance to dig into the latest issue of Runner's World this week. I always feel like they have such good timing with their articles, like they tapped right into my brain and said, "Let's write about this just for Sarah." ...hey a girl can dream right?

2. I keep coming up with new recipes to share on the blog, but the same thing happens every time... I get excited, I buy ingredients, I cook, and then realize I forgot to write down any kind of measurements. I tend to go by taste and guesstimates. I'll work on that.

3. Please listen to this song and download immediately. I adore Sara Bareilles and think shes such badass and a talented artist, so I was pumped when she released her new album. Most of the songs are slower, but I've been loving "Brave" as a new addition to my workout playlist. The music video is fun too.

 
4. I was worried after pushing it a bit too hard last week that there would be a lingering tightness/ache in my knee this week but have been pleasantly surprised. I've only done a couple of workouts so far and kept it easy to be safe, but for the most part no knee issues.

Monday: 3 miles (5 min WU, intervals of 8 min run/1 min walk, 3 min CD)

Wednesday: Spin class

5. A small dose of inspiration courtesy of Pinterest. I love this.

[Source]

Explore the best that you can be, push those limits to be better and clear your mind of can't.

Are you a recipe person or go-with-the-flow when it comes to cooking/baking?

Recently discovered pump-up or workout song that you're loving? 

Thursday Thoughts

Happy almost Friday, all! Onto our Thursday Thoughts for this week.

1. If anyone wants to get me a minion as an early birthday present, I wouldn't hate it. Also, If you haven't yet gone to see Despicable Me 2, please do yourself a favor and go.

[Source]

2. I've been on a Greek salad kick lately. OK, so more for like the past 3 months. I love them, and can't seem to get enough. When I was younger I was strictly an iceberg lettuce, carrots, cucumber with Italian dressing kind of girl. Now? I tend to use the mindset of "the more the merrier" when it comes to toppings.

Lunch: Pasta salad and Greek salad with black olives carrots, cukes & feta.

3. I've had three solid workouts this week:

Monday: 4 miles (5 min WU, intervals of 8 min run/1 min walk x 4, 3 min CD)

Wednesday: 4 miles (5 min WU, intervals of 9 min run/1 min walk x 3, 6 min run, 3 min CD)

Thursday: .7 mi run, stair repeats, arms/core, .7 mi walk

Don't let the trees fool you - these go on f o r e v e r.

I would say I couldn't be happier, but I would be lying. I could feel the twinge in my knee toward the end of my run last night (hence the 6 min final interval vs. 9) and while I should have taken that as a sign to rest today I didn't want to break my workout date. The knee held up for most of the stairs but again, could feel it toward the end and walked instead of ran home. Lots of foam rolling and stretching, and will probably take the next couple of days off from running to be safe. I'm not so good at this "ease back into things" mindset.

4. Texting with my Dad this morning and this made me smile:

My family lives on-campus at a New England prep school out in Western Massachusetts so the roads and trails out there are prime real estate for some gorgeous (and often hilly) runs. My Dad had gotten into the sport awhile back, and at the time running was not on my radar aside from field hockey and basketball. 

I remember hearing him talk about running often - with friends, early mornings by himself, and being so proud and a little envious. It made him happy and it was something he was visibly passionate about. Life got in the way a little bit, as did some injuries, but I'm so happy to see he's starting up again - even if it's just once in awhile!

5. Finally, I've been thinking a lot lately about making the switch from Blogger to self-hosted Wordpress. When I started C&P I wasn't sure where it would go, but ultimately I've enjoyed blogging and would like more flexibility and freedom to grow. From some of the blog posts and articles I've read, there are plenty of other bloggers out there who have debated the same and made the switch successfully, and I'd like to explore my options. As a result, I'd like to know:

What were some helpful resources you used to help make the switch?

What's the best piece of advice you have to offer someone looking to make the switch?

I'd greatly appreciate any insights you can share - articles, links to your own blog posts on the topic, preferred design/theme source, preferred host, you name it.

Thursday Thoughts

It's the most wonderful time of the week! I actually look forward to writing these posts. Primarily because I've forced myself into at least one weekly blog post (structure is clearly lacking here), but also because I can write whatever I want - even if it makes no sense at all. Lucky readers, you.

1. So this happened:

...see that?! That's a treadmill! I haven't seen one of those in MONTHS! My PT surprised me on Tuesday with an interval assignment. I'm fairly sure my face lit up at the thought of running again, so she immediately killed my vibe with a, "Don't even go there, Sarah. Think of this as a task you need to complete - not a RUN. You've got a ways to go before you're in the clear." ...party pooper. Truthfully I'm glad she did because it's so easy to think you can just jump back into things full force and potentially ruin the progress you've made - cough, what I did with my last PT, cough.

Anywho. Intervals at the appt. Tuesday were 1 min walk/2 min run x3 for .8 miles total. Intervals as homework yesterday were 1 min walk/3 min run x 4 (plus 10 min walking warm up) for 2.15 miles total. Intervals at the appt. this morning were 1 min walk/5 min run x 3 for about 1.8 miles total. It's frustrating to have to reign myself in, although slightly easier since it's glaringly obvious how out of shape I am vs. even 3 months ago. I can still feel tightness start to develop in my knee toward the end of the workout, but not the same sharp pain I was feeling before. Baby steps to greatness.

2. My gorgeous cousin had a beautiful baby boy this morning! I am so thrilled for her and her husband, as well as the rest of my blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jacksonville family. Tripp is the first great-grandchild for my grandparents as well which is super exciting, and I can't wait to meet the little nugget ASAP.

3. What's up with this weekend's forecast, Boston? Not cool.

4.  I spent the latter part of this past weekend on the Cape with my family for a belated Father's Day celebration. We ate fresh seafood, went out for ice cream, played mini golf and went to the beach - all packed into about 24 hours. It was a bit hectic, but I loved every minute.

Sisters at sunset!

Nutella and black raspberry ice cream w/ rainbow sprinkles

Marylou's ice coffee - famous on the Cape (and YUMMY!)

Gorgeous day for the beach

Sister & I locked up - clearly these stocks were not made
for tall people. Rude.

5. Remember when I confessed that I'm lucky enough to go to a LOT of concerts during the summer? Yeah, this weekend we'll be seeing Tim McGraw. He puts on a great show AND has great opening acts this year in Brantley Gilbert and Love and Theft. Totally pumped, minus the fact that the rain will probably put a bit of a damper on our tailgating festivities.

Finally, I'm not ready to talk about what happened earlier this week regarding a certain Cup. Yes, I'm heartbroken. Yes, I cried. Yes, I cried again watching this video. Oh man, what a season. I'm certainly not wishing summer away but I cannot wait to have hockey back. Thanks for the crazy ride, Bruins.

I hope you all have wonderful weekends planned, some of you hopefully with a bit better weather than is expected to grace the Boston area!

Favorite ice cream flavor and topping?
Flavor is a toss up between anything chocolate (shocking) and black raspberry. Topping is most definitely rainbow sprinkles... in case you haven't noticed.

Favorite family pastime? 
Mini golf always seems to be a part of any family vacation, but I'd say wiffle ball is up there too. My family is only slightly competitive.

Thursday Thoughts

Yes, I know, I published this on Friday morning. I promise you all the thoughts occurred on Thursday though, along with 99% of the writing...

Has it seriously already been a week since I last wrote a Thursday Thoughts post? I give all you bloggers out there who write every day so much credit. I would love to be able to balance it all and come up with new and fabulous posts on the daily but I'm afraid I'd fail miserably. I guess that gives me something to work toward.

1. My amazing grandpa turned 90 yesterday. 90! This man has been one of my best friends since the day I was born. I look up to and respect him so much, as does everyone else who has ever been blessed with his presence.

It has been so hard to see him age in the past several years. I think one of the harder parts of getting older is suddenly realizing that those people you admired as invincible heroes as a child do, in fact, have weaknesses. I don't mean that in a bad way, we're all human, I just mean it takes a different perspective to fully appreciate what you have and to cherish every moment and memory with the people you love. All things considered, this guy is doing pretty darn well. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he has my grandmother's TLC to keep him in line.

My grandparents on their wedding day - 55 years ago!

 2. I've had two more PT appointments since I admitted last week that I was trying out a new doc. Both have gone well, and even though my knee continues to nag me with soreness here and there I feel much more confident in how it's being treated this time around. We're not only treating the injury (Graston, cupping and massage), but also spending more time around strength training for my hips/glutes and stretching. I actually have homework to do, which I'm happy to report I have stuck to and enjoyed... even the resulting soreness.

3. This basically describes my life:

4. I made pie last weekend. With strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. It was berry delicious. I feel like pie is one of those desserts that kind of gets lost in my love of all things chocolate, but then when I eat it again I scold myself for having gone so long without it.

5. I met up with my running partner last night for a pedi date. She just got back from running a huge trail run in Wyoming over the weekend with her Dad and, well, I just needed a pedicure. I also finally opened the newest issue of Runner's World. I haven't finished reading it cover to cover but... wow. I've read a few pieces that were just what I needed to dig into. More on those later. Cute toes, fabulous date and running goodness? Yes, please. All that was missing was wine.

I hope you all have wonderful weekends planned! I'm playing in/working a wiffle ball tournament to benefit the children's hospital I work for and then headed to the Cape for a belated Father's Day celebration with my Dad.

Who was your hero growing up?
I definitely think mine has always been my Grandpa, with my Grandma, Dad and Mom as his close and trusty sidekicks.

Favorite kind of pie?
Tough call, but I'd say a tie between apple and strawberry rhubarb.

Thursday Thoughts

I am all kinds of set with the rain in Boston this week. It just makes me want to curl up on my couch, watch a movie and nap. Unfortunately, when you have this thing called a job, that's not usually possible. Silly, real world.

In other news, it's Thursday, which means tomorrow is Friday, and hey... that's pretty cool.

1. Last Friday my favorite black and gold men swept the Penguins to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. It all still feels a little surreal to me, especially when the series against Toronto seems like forever ago, yet I remember the 2011 playoffs like it was yesterday. I will also admit that I was a total Negative Nancy and NEVER thought we'd sweep Pittsburgh. So, so excited be watching the Bruins play for the Cup again so soon. I will say, however, that with these 8pm starts I'd rather we knock it off with these multiple OT games. Yes, I'm an old woman, I like my sleep.

Celebrating a sweep!

2. Due to said multiple OT games and less than 5 hours of sleep last night, caffeine has been my BFF. Have you guys ever seen a trenta size Starbucks before? Not even on the menu. Hello excessive black tea lemonade heaven. 

Minion for size comparison. Love me some Despicable Me.

3. Multiple people have found this blog by searching "and yet I do it anyway because." ...Interesting.

4. After about a month off from running completely and any kind of treatment for my knee, I made the decision earlier this week to try a new PT. Being down and out without running has been hard enough, but once I started to feel the nagging ache during or after things like standing for log periods of time, circuit training or even crossing my legs while sitting, I was all done. It seriously sucks to feel helpless. Thankfully my appointment this week went really well and I'm crossing my fingers (toes, arms...) that they can help fix me.

5. Sometimes I dream about what it will be like when I'm able to run again. I'm fairly sure my imagination vs. reality will resemble something like:

{Source}

No, but really. Remind me when I'm complaining about being out of running shape how badly I wanted to be able to run again, mmmkay?

If you're a blogger, what's the most interesting search term someone's used to find your blog?

Favorite rainy day activity?

Thursday Thoughts

I don't know where time has gone this week but I'm having a hard time keeping my days straight. This morning I spent the majority of my time convinced that it was Wednesday only to be brought back to reality that no, Sarah, it's Thursday and tomorrow is Friday. Oops.

1. The first time I heard this song on the radio I couldn't tell if it was a joke, a commercial or what was going on. Now it's totally grown on me and I may or may not have listened to it at least five times today.

2.  I'm headed home this weekend to celebrate my Dad's 50th birthday. While he'll probably be working for the majority of the weekend, I'm still looking forward to spending time with him when I can. Love this guy to the moon and back.

3. I made these cupcakes again last night as a playoff hockey treat. Every time I make them I'm amazed at how easy and yummy they are. No eggs (hello, batter), and the coffee piece of the recipe allows you to play with the flavors. I used hazelnut in the original recipe but have tried french vanilla and last night was butter toffee. The joys of a Keurig and making a cup of coffee at a time.

4. My favorite running buddy talked me into doing a circuit workout with her last Friday morning. She's a lot more disciplined about strength training than I am, so I agreed to the torture hoping to dabble in something new. Wet grass and bugs due to location choice aside, this workout definitely worked up a sweat. It was also successful since I was sore and walking funny until Monday afternoon. Clearly I have room for improvement. Tomorrow morning is round 2.

5. I've been feeling more and more tension and discomfort in my neck and shoulders over the past few months, but especially within the last few weeks. I've always been told that I carry my tension in my shoulders, but never really knew what to do about it. I don't think I'm overly stressed - at least not more than usual - but it doesn't seem to be going away. I've never actually gotten a professional massage, and think it may be time to force myself to do so. Yes, I know, poor Sarah forcing herself to get a massage. I'm nervous that it'll hurt - is that weird?

In other news, the Bruins managed to pull out their 3rd win of the series against Pittsburgh in double OT last night and kept me up way past my bedtime. Thank goodness they won otherwise I would've been grumpy AND tired this morning. Game 4 tomorrow night - go Bs!

Are you a cake or frosting person?
Cake all the way. Frosting is too sweet for me to have more than just a little.

Have you ever gotten a professional massage? Thoughts?

Thursday Thoughts

There's something about a short week following a holiday weekend that makes it seem like both the best and worst week ever. On the one hand, a 4-day work week is nothing to complain about - you're that much closer to the awesomeness of the weekend. On the other hand, a shorter week doesn't necessarily mean you have less to get done - just a shorter amount of time to accomplish it all. Yikes.

1. It is HOT in the Boston area today, and the heat/sunshine is supposed to continue through the weekend. I'm not complaining, especially after all the rain, but for someone who turns into a puddle of I-don't-wanna-do-anything in the heat, I'm curious to see how the next few days go.

2.  The Bruins play [finally] on Saturday! Can. Not. Wait.

3. A friend of mine awhile back told me to sign up for Groop Dealz. It's similar to Groupon/Living Social with the discount newsletter aspect, but the items are totally Etsy-esque and adorable - jewelry, home goods, clothing, etc. Today I fell in love with these cute arrow pillows and may need to purchase a couple. Where I would actually put them, I don't know.

(Side note for you Boston folks, there's a $10 for $20 Pinkberry deal on CBS Local Offers right now. I snatched up a couple of those babies pretty quickly!)

 4. Sunday I'm lucky enough to be headed to see Luke Bryan in concert at the Comcast Center with Florida Georgia Line, the first of many country concerts this season. I'm super bummed that Thompson Square is no longer performing due to vocal illness, but am still excited for the show. It doesn't hurt that Luke is pretty darn easy on the eyes. He's my perfect combination of hockey-player-meets-country-music. I melt.

5. You know that feeling when you're totally in love with a song, you stop playing it because you've already listened to it 10,000,000x, forget about it and suddenly it pops back into your life?! That happened to me yesterday in Spin when Save Me San Francisco was on our playlist. SCORE. I heart Train.

What are your favorite ways to handle the heat?
Early AM workouts, flip flops, country music, iced coffee/tea and sundresses for the win!

Old song(s) you rediscovered recently?
Train - Save Me San Francisco and T-Pain - Church (both great workout songs)

Thursday Thoughts

Clearly I've dropped the ball on posting regularly. My apologies, but this whole lack-of-running thing has my game all kinds of thrown off. I promise to be better, especially since this blog has been a dream of mine for awhile. Forgive me?

As a reader, some of my favorite blog posts have come in the form of random musings and interesting tidbits. Since I've struggled to come up with content lately and experienced writer's block more often than not, I've decided to implement Thursday Thoughts as a gateway into whatever randomness I feel like posting. This could include thoughts, recipes, favorite Pins, or whatever pops into my little head at the time. I know, you're welcome in advance.

1. My little sister is graduating from high school this weekend. WHAT?! How is it even possible that she's old enough to drive a car never mind go to college? Talk about making you feel old. There will be lots of tears, I can tell already.

Little sis at prom last weekend. How gorgeous is she?! Dad's
pretty good looking too.

2. I'm on a rice-cake-topped-with-peanut-butter-and-honey kick lately. Since rice cakes are approximately 35 calories, that totally justifies the excessive amounts of peanut butter and honey drizzle I top them with.

3. I participated in the Reach the Beach, MA relay last weekend with team Dude, Where's My Van? as the injured driver. SUCH a fun race that I cannot wait to be able to run next year. More blog posts on that coming up, scouts honor. 

Side note: I'm adding driving a 12 person passenger van and
van art to my skills on my resume and LinkedIn.

4. I went to my first Spin class Monday night. My bum seriously hurt the day after but I think I've successfully found a new way to not hate the bike, especially since I went to class #2 this morning. Sometimes you just need a dark room, loud music and someone to yell at you to work out.

5. One of my greatest pleasures as a runner is getting someone else excited about the sport. I love running, and if I can pass on some of that to someone else I think it's one of the greatest feelings in the world. I got this email this week from a friend of mine who I convinced to run Reach the Beach back in January and developed a training program for. It made my day.

I'm looking forward to a pedi date with one of my other favorite runners tonight and watching my favorite men in black and gold. GO BRUINS!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

P.S. I finally added C&P to Blog Lovin'. I'm still getting used to the platform so any suggestions, tips and tricks - toss them my way! You can follow here or by clicking the icon in the right hand column.