Model trains and spreading the (link) love 2

Hello!

Happy Sunday!

My sailor and I had a great day date yesterday. 🙂

We went to lunch where I attempted to eat a chicken sandwich that was as big as my head.

Really, there’s grilled chicken under there!

In case you were wondering, I didn’t succeed. It was too much. I ate about a third of it and then “deconstructed” it. Meaning I pulled the bacon off and ate it. And I ate the rest of the lettuce and tomato. Okay, fine, I ate a couple more bites of onion ring, too. I don’t usually do onion rings but that one was good! 🙂

Then, we went to a model train show!

My father-in-law worked on the rail road so my sailor loves him some trains. And, so do I! Always have. Some of my best memories involve running across the street from my Grandma’s house to watch the trains. She lived just off Lake Michigan and there were train tracks between her house and the lake. I could sit on that grassy knoll for HOURS watching trains and counting cars. I even got a model train set for Christmas one year when I was a kid! It was destiny for us to end up together. 🙂

miniature park complete with a drunk person. see him there in the corner? 😉

We’re talking about building tracks that go around the ceiling level of our living room. We’ve got window cornices that are the perfect height and we would go from there. Yes, we are big kids. 🙂

We also want to add in some tunnels so we’re going to have to figure that out. That may equal punching holes in walls. Not with our fists! But, there really is something cool about a train coming out of a tunnel……

Anywho, enough about trains – it’s time for some link love!

For Your Tummy

Build Your Own Green Smoothie + 10 Recipes to Try – FitFluential

Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Bread Bars – Taylor Made it Paleo

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken – the Lean Green Bean

Oatmeal Breakfast Pie – Nutrition Starring You

How to Pack the Adult “Lunchable” – Hungry Hobby

For Your Body

Fitness Experts Tell All: “Exercises I Ditched and What I do Instead” on Fit Bottomed Girls

Staying Fit on the Road – Blonde Ponytail

14 Office Stretches that will make you feel better in seconds – the Muse

Chair Exercises for the Chronic Sitter – Be Truly Nourished

13 Ways Endorphins Make You Act Tipsy – Buzzfeed

For Your Life

Maximizing Your Budget: Debt Payoff – Our Freaking Budget

Transforming Your View of New Year’s Resolutions – Enjoy Every Bite

For Blogging

Best of SITS 2014: Social Media, Photography, and Blogging Tips – the Sits Girls

Talk to me: Do you love trains? Have you ever had a model train? What’s one thing you’ve loved since you were little?

– jennifer

Trackless Tuesday & the kindness of a stranger

Hi there!

So, again, here I sit staring out the window waiting for the snow to fall.

Yesterday, it was almost 60 degrees.

It’s presently 22 degrees, feels 11 and about 5 inches of snow are in the forecast.

Then, we’re supposed to be back up to the 50s by Saturday.

This place has crazy weather. Crazy, I say.

Luckily, I was able to get my speedwork done this morning.

I was really anxious and apprehensive about it for some reason.

Here’s what I had on my schedule:

One problem.

I don’t have access to a track. 😦

Turns out that the local high school track isn’t open to the public.

It’s a little difficult, without defined measurements, to know how far those distances are when you’re running on the streets.

My Garmin is awesome but it doesn’t accommodate all that.

So, I knew I had to change it up but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.

Plus, I knew it was going to be cold and I guess I was a little gun-shy about that given my foray into the world of hypothermia on my long run this past Saturday.

I darn near talked myself out of it before I even got out of bed!

But, like all people who are addicted to their phones and social media (don’t judge me), I tweeted about my apprehension before I got up and almost immediately got a response.

Who is this person and why was she up so early?!

And, honestly, her response helped. A LOT. As soon as I read it, I was motivated to run.

And, I don’t even know her!

All too often we tear each other down with negative words, criticisms and hatred. For what? What purpose does that serve? None. All it does is hurt people.

Love and support are what we ALL deserve. And what we should ALL give to each other.

Life is so much happier that way.

And her support – the support and confidence of a stranger – got me out the door this morning. And for that, I owe her.

Thanks, @caffeineyesplz!

So, I figured out how to change up my workout to fit my needs this morning.

(I completed each one with a 400 rest interval.)

Phew! That was a tough one! Here’s how I did:

1200 – 5:30

800 – 3:33

800 – 3:36

400 – 1:43

400 – 1:49

And then, I finished with a 1.5 mile cool down.

Although, it was pretty cold so it didn’t take much for me to “cool down.” Haha! No hypothermia or frost nip, though. Thank goodness!

Today is Day #2 of the #CoreCommit Core Power Challenge!

We had a 10 minute video to follow.

Holy. Moly.

I’m definitely going to be feeling today’s workout tomorrow!

Did you sign up yesterday? I hope so!

And, I’ve got another challenge for you, too!

The saying goes that “there’s a sucker born every minute” and I think my name is topping that list today.

FitFluential is doing a 1,000 Burpee challenge and, because my picture is next to the word “sucker” in the dictionary, I’m doing that one too!

source

Besides buffness (yes, that’s a word. just go with it.), the potential prize is a head-to-toe look from Under Armour!

Are you in? 🙂

Talk to me: I’m looking for cold weather running socks to help keep my poor little tootsies warm. Do you have a favorite brand?

– jennifer