Christmas Mayhem

I got my running shoes! WOO!

Now, anyone that knows me or follows my blog is aware that all I've talked about for the past few months is wanting this absurd, neon rainbow running shoes. And I finally have them! Thanks to my mother. Apparently, they are in high demand and extremely difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, mom prevailed as always and I am one happy camper!

As I'm sure everyone is aware, I am NOT a fan of Christmas at all. It's stressful and busy and chaos and I just really dread this time of year. We were busy ALL weekend until we got home about 2pm yesterday. I decided that to combat all the bullshit, I'm going to run every single Christmas - a sort of annual Christmas Day "clear my head" run. And I'm going to say it was my best run this year. It was gorgeous weather (low 40s), sunny, and perfect. It was peaceful and quiet and seriously I just wanted to run until it got dark out. I ended up doing 4.60 miles in 45 minutes, 47 seconds. This will definitely be a tradition for me. Any takers for next year? ;)

Christmas Day Running Outfit

I have a TON of shits that have motivating, shit-talking sayings on them. I suggest everyone buy some. I just feel more confident and I think I kick more ass when I have them on. Just an idea!

I was cutting up peppers for fajitas last week and there was a pepper inside a pepper! Weird. My husband said the inside pepper looked like balls. Ha.

Here's another quick (and delicious) lunch idea:

Few cups of organic spinach

Morningstar black bean burger, heated and crumbled

Low fat colby jack cheese

Salsa

Chopped green bell pepper

Tomatillo sauce

It's extremely filling AND good for you. Plus I can make and eat this in about 15 minutes.

I also tried out a GU Energy gel pack during my run yesterday. I've heard a lot about them and with my training starting soon, I may need a boost during my longer runs. I tried the strawberry banana one, and honestly the taste wasn't bad at all. The texture was a bit strange, but I assume it's just something you get used to. I took it towards the beginning of my run, and noticed a bit of a boost about 15 minutes later. It was sort of like it got a bit easier, like a second wind I guess. Not sure if I was just finding my groove, or if it truly was the gel pack. I think I will experiment with them a bit more though. I'll take all the help I can get :)

All in all, I'm just really glad the holidays are over for a year. I can get back to focusing on my running and fitness. Plus no more spending money ;) I think everyone is a little relieved that the constant sugary, fatty, unhealthy barrage of food is over. I know it's hard for a lot (okay, most) people to say no and eat healthy around the holidays. Luckily for me, I'm not a sweets person at all, so I don't struggle too much. Still, when we as a society have made the holidays ALL about stuffing our faces with meats and cheesy sides and cakes and booze, it's hard to say no. When everyone around us is indulging, we want to join in, naturally. And it's not wrong to enjoy some around the holidays, but most of us OVERindulge, then feel like crap afterwards. It's a tough time of year. But we've gotten through it again, so now it's time to jump back on the horse and kick our own asses back into shape.

Now let's get it kids!