Snow Day #3!

On Tuesday, we had our third snow day of the year. (Yes, we have to make them up. Bye, bye spring break!) However, it was the best kind of snow day because it was the kind we totally anticipated having. In fact, We pre-gamed the snow day the night before...

Unfortunately, I could not sleep that night. I slept from 12:46-2:00 and then I was up until 5:30. (At 4:23 I got the call that school was canceled, so at least after that I could relax a little since I knew for sure I could sleep in.) I got up for good around 8:00. That's not a whole lot of sleep, but how much sleep does one need for a snow day?

At least the first things I saw when I woke up were these cute little guys!

First, coffee...

It was quite the lazy morning. Paul had an appointment at 11 but my car wouldn't start! I called AAA and they towed it to a nearby shop. We only have one car, so we always take it to a place that's about a mile away. The AAA guy thought the problem was the starter. I crossed my fingers that he was right and it wasn't something major.

Not having a car threw a wrench into my plan to go to the gym and grocery shop. Instead, I had to run 6 miles outside in the freezing rain. I call this a character building run! At least I had a good podcast about the Loch Ness Monster.

I'm doing awesome on my Spanish lessons! Look, I'm on a 50 day streak! And yes, check out the time I was practicing... I told you I can't sleep!

I was having a hard time getting warm after my run. And while I was very much hoping my car would be fixed today (I mean, how am I supposed to get to work!?), I was also dreading the cold, wet walk to the shop to pick it up. I just hoped that if it got done, it was before dark. I was also worried about what would be wrong with it...

... but of course the shop never called me. So I called around 6 and the cashiers said the mechanics had gone home for the day and that my car "wasn't done yet". I asked if it was looked at and she said no. How fucking annoying!!!!

Luckily, I have awesome coworkers so I was able to set up rides to and from work tomorrow.

That evening, Paul and I played cards.

I had a snow day salad for dinner. You put BBQ chips on your salad too, right? 'Merrica!

Before I went to bed, I got a text saying we had a two hour delay the next day! Wahoo! I could get used to a work week like this one...

Do you have AAA? Ever need your car towed?
Do your pets sleep with you?
Do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster?

A Passage I Would Like To Share With You

My friend Bree shared this passage with me. It's from a book called The Five Invitations by Frank Ostaseski. I wanted to share it with you.

This person has a body, a heart, a mind just like me

This person gets worried and frightened just like me

This person is trying their best to navigate life just like me

May this person have the strength and support to navigate through the difficulties in life

May this person be free from suffering and it's causes

May this person be peaceful and happy

May this person be loved

I hope this passage touched you the way it touched me!

I'm not afraid to run trail alone anymore.

It's no secret that in the past, I've been afraid to run trail alone. That's why I would sign up for trail races "for fun". It seemed like a safe way for a scaredy cat like me to get out on the trail.

What was I afraid of? Well, in no particular order...

1. Snakes.

2. Bears.

3. Murderers/Rapists

A couple days ago, I realized I hadn't signed up for any trail races in awhile. I got online to look around and then I realized.... I don't need to sign up for a trail race because I'm not afraid to run on the trail alone anymore!

Now, I'm not going to lie... come summer, I will probably be worried about snakes. That is just an inevitable. But bears and murderers? I think I'm over it!

I haven't listened to any murder podcasts or watched any murder shows in MONTHS. (I know, who I am!?) Could this be one of the reasons being murdered on the trail is not on my mind? Also, my mind has definitely been preoccupied with other things lately. I think having your mind sort of already full of other thoughts leaves less room for it to make up things to be worried about.

Whatever the reason, I will take it! I'm proud to say I will be confidently running trail alone for the foreseeable future! Hopefully this new, brave Megan sticks around forever!

Are there places you're afraid to run alone?

What are you afraid of when running?

Weekend Wrap Up!

 

It was both an active and relaxing weekend. You know, the perfect kind!

My day almost started horrible. At 2am I was wide awake and remembered I didn’t take my trazodone. (Despite many of you giving me tips on how to remember to take my sleep meds, I have not put your advice into action.) After doing two Spanish lessons on my phone, I miraculously fell back asleep until my alarm went off at 5:30!

Something weird happened… Around 4am I woke up to the sound of a HUGE crash coming from somewhere out in the house. It scared the crap out of me. My heart was racing. Was someone trying to break in? Did the cats knock something huge over? I was too tired to investigate and figured if someone was in the house trying to kill me, they could just do it. I wasn’t getting out of bed. I guess part of me knew that the sounds was probably some sort of lucid dream.

I was due to lift, so I headed to the gym. I also ran 3 speedy treadmill miles. I am so glad I did a short run because I was in such a good mood after that!

I had a full day of work but the students were dismissed two hours early so teachers could do professional development. It was nice to change things up on a Friday and have somewhat of an easier day than normal.

The highlight of my day was my clarinet student, who is rocking it! We went up to the office during her lesson to serenade the secretary and other teachers in there. I am so surprised at how much I love teaching instrumental. I mean, at first I wasn't looking forward to it because I didn't know what I was doing. But now, while I still don't always know what I'm doing, I realize I know more than I thought I did and the kids are really progressing!

For lunch I had the best quiche I ever made- ground turkey, tomatoes, grated parmesan cheese, oregano and Italian seasoning. It’s restaurant quality! In fact, after work, I went straight to Aldi to get more tomatoes and parmesan so I could make another one! I also made Paul his new favorite: cheddar, broccoli, and ham!

Then I chilled with my baby...

I would have loved to sleep in, but of course I got up at 6. No problem. Took my time waking up, drank coffee, and then headed to the gym for a 6 miler on the treadmill. I considered running outside, but the real feel was 4!

After it warmed up a little, I hit the AT! I ran/hiked from Sherwood up to the Cumberland overlook and back. Since it was still pretty cold out, I layered up.

My trail excursion took a little longer than anticipated, so when I got home, I had to quickly shower and hightail it to Maryland for my friend Maren's baby shower! Maren and Max are having a BABYYYYYYY! It was a very lovely, classy shower with really good food! I got to watch Maren open up most of her presents and chat with her and Max as everyone was leaving. They are so happy and I am so happy for them!

I have known Maren for over 20 years. We grew up doing community theater together during high school and college. Oh the stories I could tell... (and so could she!)

Maren and her lovely Max.

I just chilled at home that night with Christmas and went to bed early super early.

I slept 10.5 hours! When I woke up, I had both kitties on me.

I felt like a million bucks when I woke up! I thought about all the productive things I could do. But first, coffee.

Then Paul and I watched three hours of Celebrity Big Brother. We had a lot to catch up on. After that, I headed to the gym for a lifting session. Then I met Bree for sushi! While I was out and about, I stocked up on wine!

Then I did something I never do... I ran around 4pm! Running after eating three sushi rolls wasn't the best idea ever. I mean, I didn't feel throw uppy or anything, but I did have some sushi burps.

The rest of the evening I just chillaxed. Not gonna cry about that! Hoping for a delay tomorrow morning...

What were you up to this weekend?

A new quiche recipe for you!

I have a new quiche recipe to share with you today! I think it might be better than my chicken sausage/spinach/feta quiche, which up until now, was my specialty!

It's ground turkey, tomato, and grated parmesan. The trick is to use a lot of cheese and a lot of garlic, oregano, and Italian seasoning!

The parmesan is what inspired this recipe. I bought it a couple weeks ago because I saw some people used it in quiche. I wasn't quite sure how I'd use it, until Paul cooked up some ground turkey. Then I knew I had to make something Italian inspired!

I didn't measure anything for this quiche. I do remember I used 5 eggs and 3 egg whites. Also about a cup of skim milk and salt and pepper. This pan is about 4x8 or similar. Not quite as big as a cake pan.

I'm not good at taking food pictures, but I promise you, this is divine!!!

Note: All of the ingredients are from Aldi!

Please tell me you will try this quiche recipe!

Weekly Workouts!

Guys, I can't even begin to tell you how pleased I am with how my running has been going lately!

Don't worry, I am ready for the shoe to drop!

Saturday- 8 neighborhood miles. I did two four mile loops around my hood. The roads were mostly clear but there were some snow covered spots that were really slippy and I had to be careful. I didn't check my pace until I was done running and I was very happy with what I saw!

All of my progression runs have been paying off! I wasn't even trying to hit a certain pace on this run, I was just running comfortably!

Sunday- 6 miles on the AT. Luckily, it was not an ice rink like last week! It was snowy and muddy. I was severely overdressed for the 50 degree weather. It was BEAUTIFUL!

I saw three deer bounding down the trail. I pretty much followed them for about a mile! They would run ahead, I would catch up and scare them, then they'd run ahead again! They were so beautiful. It was a great run. I didn't even listen to any podcasts. Just alone in the woods with my thoughts...

Monday- 6 speedy miles on the treadmill. My "easy" pace is a lot faster these days. I was easily holding 7:30s!

Tuesday- 3 miles and lifting upper body. I was really due to lift but I wanted to run at least a little bit...

Wednesday- 6 neighborhood miles. It was in the high 30s, so I ditched the treadmill and just did a relaxing run around the hood.

Wow, I'm looking a little rough!

Thursday- 10k in my hood! I ran my fasted road 10k in a long time! You can read all about the magical run here.

Friday-  Lifting and 3 miles. I was due to lift, so I headed to the gym. I also ran 3 speedy treadmill miles. I am so glad I did a short run because I was in such a good mood after that!

How were your workouts this week?

A Freaking Fabulous Run!

On Thursday morning, I had the speediest outdoor run I had in a long time! As you know, over the past couple weeks I’ve been cranking up the speed but they have all be treadmill runs. In my opinion, it’s easier to run fast on the treadmill because you can just program the speed and then hang on! On the road, you have to work to keep the pace…

I was all bundled up in my fleece tights and zip up, but when I stepped outside, I realized I was SEVERELY overdressed. I went back inside and switched out the tights for shorts and the hoodie for a vest. That was much better.

 I can tell whether I’m going to have an effortlessly fast run right away. I wasn’t even a block from my house and I knew I was going to be trucking. I ran almost a mile and ended up in a neighborhood adjacent to mine. I like to run the outer square of that neighborhood, which is a little more than a mile. Sometimes I like to do a loop of two of the cross streets, which is about a half mile. I quickly decided that I would do the half mile loop HARD, and then the bigger loop at just the trucking pace I had started out doing. Then I I alternated like this:

½ mile

1 mile

½ mile

1 mile

½ mile

Then I ran back over to my neighborhood and added on a little extra so that it would equal a 10k. I will be honest… I purposefully picked up the pace for the end of this run!

I didn’t look at my pace at all, I just went by feel. I was very proud of the results!

Guys, I feel like if I can stay injury free, I may be in racing shape for the spring! But I don’t know if I really want to race… Just the thought of racing makes me have to vomit and poop!

Jelly stretched with me after...

Do you think it’s easier to run fast on the treadmill or the road?

What kind of run would you call this? Tempo? Speed work? Fartleks? A shit show?