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  • Tag: Insanity

    • Dear Insanity

      Posted at 9:23 AM by Brittany, on September 25, 2013

      Dear Insanity,

      We need to go on a break. It’s not that I don’t love you, really I do. Nothing makes me sweat like you, or grunt like you, or want to cry like you, but I just can’t give you all of my attention right now. Yes..there is something else in my life that is more important. With a half marathon just around the corner, the two a day workouts are starting to take a toll on my legs and I can’t keep waking up sore and dreading our time together.

      We had a great first month with each other and I promise I will come back to spend the second month with you, but right now running gets all my attention. It’s not fair to either of you for me to give 90% of me when you both deserve 100%. I do want to thank you for helping my endurance though, without you my longer runs would be tough(er).

      I will continue to spend time with you on my cross training days, on days when I have shorter runs and feel like King Kong, and even on some of my “rest” days, but we will not be together on a daily basis. I am not as hardcore as I thought I was in the beginning of this, “train for a half marathon and do Insanity at the same time” adventure, and I have accepted that it’s time to tone it down. Mentally I want you, but physically I need a break.

      Until I see you again, stay insane.

      Brittany

      Q: Have you ever tried to bite off more than you could chew with workouts?

      I found my self “half-assing” my Insanity workouts and decided that it was time to neck it back. I was also feeling fatigued in my quads (from all those damn squats!) on my runs which was not going to work for me. I need my legs strong and refreshed for longer runs. The sporadic Insanity workouts have been working much better than the strict every day routine. Like I said, I will come back to the every day craziness once my race is over! 

      b

      | 41 Comments Tagged Half Marathon, Insanity, Running
    • Let’s Get Saucy!

      Posted at 7:33 AM by Brittany, on August 26, 2013

      Sometimes my mom takes on the shape of an angel, a cupcake carrying angel.

      Yeah, this totally happened.

      Yeah, this totally happened.

      Bottom two are mine, but the others deserved to be in the picture too because they are gorgeous. Especially middle left. Lets take another look from a different angle.

      20130823-184304

      I don’t know if I should admit to people how amazing I feel inside just looking at cupcakes like this. There is an ART about cupcake decorating that just gets me excited. You know what else gets me excited..secrets..inner secrets.

      Food porn as its finest.

      Food porn as its finest.

      To balance out the cupcakes I’ve been inhaling eating, I am also making myself decent meals. I’ve really started to fall back in love with the concept of taking the time to cook.

      20130823-184323

      Cous cous, avocado, tomato, and pistachios over a bed of Swiss chard.

      I bring bowls like this to work with me to prevent me from cracking out on too much coffee. It’s all about balancing the caffeine with real food, or so I tell myself. This snack takes no more than 10 minutes to throw together, but is so much heartier than a PB&J.

      Insanity is still insane, and running is going fine. I have felt a bit tired these days, but I think it’s because I’m not eating enough cupcakes..that’s obviously why (however these cupcakes fueled my 7 mile run this weekend at a 9:42 pace per mile.) I’ve also been ravenous at times due to the extra calories I am burning, which helps give me motivation to continue making myself some solid dinners.

      20130823-184331

      I had a recent craving for gnocchi, because I think it had been at least a year since I last had it! One day I will make my own from scratch, but for now the tricolored gnocchi from my local market does just fine. Paired with roasted beets, roasted Brussels sprouts, and sauteed asparagus for a complete meal. Let’s get a close up of that saucy gnocchi.

      20130823-184338

      I made a walnut cream sauce to lather on top. For those of you that love the heavy cream based sauces I encourage you to try making a nut based sauce, it will change your life.

      Walnut “Cream” Sauce 

      • raw walnuts (or sub in any nut-cashews are my favorite, but this is what I had)
      • water
      • garlic powder
      • salt
      • lemon juice

      -This is somewhat of a DIY recipe, basically you will need equal parts water and nuts. Combine the two in your high powered blender, or food processor and blend. For a thicker sauce, add more nuts, and for a thinner sauce add more water. Experiment with whatever consistency you prefer. I used about a cup of nuts/water for two people.

      -With the seasonings I used about 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder, and about 1/2 tsp of sea salt. I squeezed in half of a lemon (completely squeezed, you will need to drain that lemon dry.) Blend again. The fattiness of the walnuts balance these flavors perfectly.

      With the leftover sauce I plan to make more veggie/grain bowls and continue gettin saucy!

      Q: What’s your favorite sauce? SALSAAAA and mustard find their way onto most things I eat, but I am always a fan of nut sauces! 

      b

      | 80 Comments Tagged Cupcake, Insanity, Recipe, Running, Vegan
    • Early Morning Confessions

      Posted at 5:23 AM by Brittany, on August 19, 2013

      1. Last week I started Insanity. I also started training for my next half marathon two weeks ago, this has made for some very sore days. Insanity has made my calves so sore they want to punch me in the face. I have to walk down the stairs like a pregnant woman.

      Iphone 553b

      2. One of my coworkers has a YouTube channel. She vlogs, I blog..we are basically a match made in heaven. We also both love to get cracked out on coffee, best friends for life. Her videos seriously crack me up, I just adore her.

      3. My runs lately have felt like I’m eating a cloud. So fluffy amazing. I just want to cry they are going so well. I would like to thank good music and a good mindset. This song in particular gets me REALLY FREAKING JAZZED! I get chills and run fast..aka 9:00 miles.

      4. This past weekend I went to Seattle’s Hempfest for an hour. I felt like I needed an adult for 50 of those 60 minutes. So many characters…I might have been a bit scared.

      5. I inhaled the banana breads I baked last week. I shared half of the haul (thank God) but the other half was gone in just a couple days. They tasted better with each bite!

      20130809-120400

      6. Speaking of Insanity (and food), it has revved up my metabolism so much that it’s like everything I eat literally passes right through me. No stopping to pass go and collect $200. No complaints though, my intestines feel like a wrung out sponge. So fresh and clean.

      7. The other evening I spent a good hour sitting on my couch looking outside and listening to the rain. I had both my cats with me and it was the most relaxing evening. I cannot wait for fall. This was the first rainy day in a while, bring it on mother nature!

      I love this photo.

      I love this photo.

      8. One of my regular customers at work told me that she was texting her friend while running, and forgot that she was running. I don’t know what endurance gels she takes but I want some. I would pay serious money to zone out like that, until she said she fell…

      9. This finally happened after a three month separation..

      20130817-203809

      10.“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald

      Q: What’s your confession?

      b

      | 74 Comments Tagged Chipotle, Confessions, Half Marathon, Insanity, Random, Running
    • BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalistic nomad striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long bike rides, deep connections, exploration, and lots of cucumbers.
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