No Excuses! How to Get Up and Get After It

I've been trying to vary my routine and not run every day, but throw in some days where I either just walk, or pedal on my recumbent bike in the garage.  A complete rest day now and then is a good idea too, but I'm still working on that one! 

Geared up and ready to go!

Since yesterday was bike day, I needed to run this morning, but it was 25° out there!  Since that was a far cry from the 72° but horrendously windy conditions at this time yesterday, I thought I'd hit the treadmill and watch some YouTube videos.  At the last minute I decided that if I gave in to it today, it would be easier to make more excuses in the days ahead, so I bundled up and off I went.

I didn't do a proper warmup, just a few drills in the house first, and I felt pretty sluggish out there, so wasn't expecting it to be a good run.  And honestly, it didn't FEEL like a good run.  I felt like I was on the struggle bus that first mile or so, but stayed with it, committing to get at least 3 miles in this morning.

Much to my surprise, my time was only slightly slower than my best non-race 5k time.  Huh?  There are a couple of reasons why that shouldn't have happened. 

1. It was COLD out there! (But thankfully, I warm up quickly)
2. I just didn't feel motivated to run, and had to push myself to lace up and go
3. I went out with friends yesterday, and even had a couple of drinks 

So why did it turn out to be a better run than expected?  There are a couple of reasons that might explain that too.

1. Not running EVERY day allowed my body to recover better (this was evident in an earlier run this week too)
2. I paid attention to form, and tried to increase my cadence a bit (more on this in another post)
3. I've been doing more strength training and working my core (more on that coming too)
4. The first song that came up on my running playlist was 'Warrior', by Hannah Kerr, which set the tone

Slow by most standards,
but a great pace for me

Every time I've not felt motivated to do much yet dragged myself out the door anyway, I always felt much better after that first mile, and either went a longer distance that I thought I would, or it just turned out to be a better run overall.  Sometimes just putting on workout clothes and lacing up is all the push you need to get out there and make things happen.  Taking that first step makes the rest fall into place.  Not every run (or other workout) will feel great, but there is no such thing as a bad run.  Go take that first step.

~ Marie Anne

Hearty Chili With a Twist

I'm not a very fancy cook and tend to stick to the basics since I'm just cooking for myself.   You won't find anything Pinterest-worthy coming out of my kitchen!  That said, lately I've found myself playing with things a little more, introducing different foods into the basic fare that I normally make.

Beans, beans, and more beans

Today's experiment happened to be chili.  My usual take on chili is a couple of cans of kidney beans, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, ground beef, chili powder, hot sauce, salt, pepper, etc. 

Looking in my pantry, I saw more cans of garbanzo beans that I really need, so decided to switch things up a bit and use some in my chili.  And what's this?  A can of pinto beans?  Since we're thinking outside of the box, why not throw that in too!  

I had no ground beef in my freezer, but I had cooked up a full package of mild Italian sausage the other day and there was plenty left, so they were chopped and added to the mix as well.

Yellow sweet peppers and mushrooms were spotted in the fridge, and since this chili is turning out to be on the unconventional side anyway, into the pot they went.

Finished product

It sure smells good, and I'm fixin' to sit down and enjoy this bowl.  I'll report back later with how it turned out.

Do you follow specific recipes, or tend to wing it like I do?  

~ Marie Anne

Here's what went into the pot:

• 2 cans of garbanzo beans (chick peas)
• 1 can of dark red kidney beans
• 1 can of pinto beans
• 2 small cans of tomato sauce
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 3-4 links of mild Italian sausage, chopped
• 1-2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 small yellow sweet peppers, chopped
• 2 medium button mushrooms, chopped
• Chili powder, hot sauce, salt, pepper, etc
• Topped with cheddar cheese, shredded